Thoughts and stories, by Pal

I'm reposting # 877, which I posted a year ago today, June 27, 2017, in honor of the Prophet Joseph Smith.  It was 174 years ago today he and his brother Hyrum were martyred in Carthage, Illinois. I have been to Carthage Jail, and felt the Spirit there.   First I want to include the history from Latter Day Devotion, of what happened the day before--on June 26th.  The story is truly a testament from both Joseph and Hyrum Smith!  I had a great-grandfather, John Lowe Butler, who was an ordained bodyguard to the Prophet Joseph Smith.  He rode with 17 other men to Carthage, but were told by the Prophet to go back home.  He said they rode back in silence.  You can read many inspirational stories about John Lowe Butler by looking under his name under "labels" on the right side, on the blog. This is what happened the day before Hyrum and Joseph were murdered. 1844  - After breakfast, Mr. Stigall, the jailer, moved the Prophet Joseph and tho...

When We Try to One-Up the Lord's Standards: Culture vs. Commandments by Brent L. Top and Wendy C. Top, Adapted from "Finding Inner Peace: Lessons Learned from Trying too Hard"  | Mar. 01, 2018 Makes You Think Mormon Life Comments Sometimes in an attempt to prove our faithfulness to the gospel, Mormons create standards that require even more than what the Lord is asking of us. So before we expend too much energy trying to live these "higher" standards, we should ask ourselves, "Are we living the cultural gospel or the Lord's gospel?" In their book,  Finding Inner Peace: Lessons Learned from Trying too Hard ,  Brent L. Top and Wendy C. Top share deeply personal experiences about how trying to live the "cultural gospel" took a serious toll on Wendy and the entire family as she suffered a breakdown and battled clinical depression. They write: As Wendy began to evaluate the caus...

As we know, our dear Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred Pres on June 27, 1844, 174 years ago.  This article tells of what was happening just 4 days before that terrible event.   I want to write my testimony that I know Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and the first prophet of this Dispensation of the Fullness of Times!  I had many ancestors who knew him personally, and they knew they had joined the only true and living Church on this earth, and were willing to go through all they endured, to follow the Prophet!  I believe the same and I am so thankful for what he went through to bring this Gospel to us. This tells of significant happenings just 4 days before the martyrdom, under the "Church History" part at the end. This beautiful painting of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Liberty Jail was painted by Liz Lemon Swindle Latter Day Light DAILY DEVOTIONAL June 23, 2018 Happiness SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY Prover...

I'm reposting a blog first written on  Saturday,  June 17, last year, 2017.   It tells about my  dear husband  Wayne, and both our fathers. The impact of righteous fathers in the gospel is real. From Christ’s relationship with His own Father to the scripture stories of Lehi and Nephi or Abraham and Isaac, there are principles learned, behaviors modeled and lessons taught.  872. Remembering some dear fathers!, And Father's of the Prophets. Happy Father's Day to all you wonderful fathers! Remembering some dear fathers! One of the last pictures my dear husband Wayne had taken showing him doing his indexing!  He was faithful to the end of his life! This picture was taken about 4 years ago, of my dear husband Wayne, and a          great granddaughter, Ruby.  I noticed early that Wayne loved children!                   Wayne's dear parents...