My new video

I finally finished my latest video, and I will say, this was one of the hardest I've ever done. I wanted to find a way to keep the video classy and clean, which is hard to do for a Britney Spear's song, so I had to do some brainstorming!

The video itself took me over 6 hours to complete, filming and editing, so I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, considering I spent no money on it. Enjoy! :)

My understanding of the Mormon religion

Yesterday we had two young men from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints drop in for a short visit to speak with us about their beliefs, hoping to convert us. I had spoken with them on numerous occasions since first running into them at my mother's house.
There was nothing those men could say that could get me to change my mind about what I believe, but I was interested in learning a bit more about the Mormons. Here is a small breakdown of their religion, and I apologize if I make any errors. (I’m truly sorry if I offend anyone during this post; I am just writing what I believe.)

In the early 1800's, a man known as Joseph Smith claimed to have gone into the wilderness to pray to The Lord about which church to join. He claimed that Jesus Christ and God came to him in a vision and told him to start his own church and was later visited by an Angel named Moroni.
Moroni leads him to some gold tablets written in an old Egyptian language; the tablets were said to contain history of people who migrated from Jerusalem to America between 600BC-AD419.
The Tablets were later published into what is now known as The Book of Mormon.
He was given strict instructions not to show anyone the tablets, and when he had finished translating, Moroni took them back to heaven. (Convenient huh?)

There has been evidence that Joseph claimed that God sanctioned plural marriage calling it ‘Celestial’ marriage. The ‘Celestial’ Marriage was revealed years later when he showed interest in several other females within the group.
He proposed to several women, and a few of them already had husbands, but he made it clear that ‘Celestial’ marriages took precedent over earthly marriages, being on a higher plane!
This created problems with the members of the church who were married to these women, not to mention his own wife.
The husbands who were upset about this new development challenged him and bought a printing press which they used to attack Joseph.
He was shortly arrested, charged with violating the First Amendment, after he sent a group of his followers to destroy the printing press.
He was killed in jail after 'Gentiles,' as the non-believers had been dubbed, charged the jail and shot and killed him.

The Bible is used to a small extent, but the most important book is, of course, The Book of Mormon. The Pearl of Great Price is also a well known book written by Joseph Smith. The book has 5 sections, and one of them, called The Book of Abraham, was supposedly a result of some papyri he bought and translated, which had to do with Abraham's journey into Egypt. Some things were taken out of that book and moved into Doctrine & Covenants. The Doctrine & Covenants was a two part book which contained basic doctrine, which has been removed, and detailed accounts of the revelations received by numerous members.
There is also a book known as the Journal of Discourses which is a 26-chapter collection of sermons by very early leaders. The Journal is a very controversial book for several topics: the blood atonements, Negro doctrine, Plural marriages, and the Adam-God theory.
The LDS has claimed that The Journal is not an official publication!

There are a few verses I would like to point out, which I have found from several of these books.

Jesus is the brother of Satan (this is revealed in the Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 4:1-4 and affirmed by Brigham Young in the Journal of Discourses, 13:282)

I have searched the Bible and have yet to come across any verses that tells us that Jesus and Satan are brothers, so I must ask myself: could I have missed a verse in the Bible that talks about Jesus and Satan being brothers, or is this something new that God forgot to put it into the Bible, or better yet, did someone add it years later without having any proof? I don't know about anyone else, but I must go with the latter of the three, since it makes more sense to me.

When our father Adam came into the Garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one his wives, with him. He helped to make and organized this world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days! About whom holy men have written and spoken—He is our FATHER and our GOD, and the only God with whom we have to do” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 1:50)

I have to wonder where they came up with this information, since the Bible makes a clear distinction between God and Adam. There is also no evidence of Adam being the Arcangel or having many wives.
" And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and a man became a living soul. Genesis 2-7
And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2-8

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of Man. Genesis 2 21-23

These are several of the many verses which make a distinction between God and Adam.

Jesus also married Mary and Martha and the other Mary at Cana of Galilee, “Whereby he could see his seed, before he was crucified” (Apostle Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, 4:259; 2:82)

I would be interested in being shown where this verse is located.

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion ( The New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory ( The Pearl of Great Price; The articles of faith 10)

I am curious as to why only ten out of the twelve tribes are being restored, and why the new Jerusalem, Zion, is going to be built in North America.

In Mormon theology, there are three heavens; the Telestial, the Terrestrial, and the Celestial:

“Most adults” will go to the Telestial kingdom and that it is composed of the “the endless hosts of people sensual, and devilish; who have chosen the vain philosophies of the world rather than accept the testimony of Jesus; who have been liars and thieves, sorcerers and adulterers, blasphemers and murders” (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, 778)
The Second kingdom (the Terrestrial) will be inhabited by Christians who did not accept the Mormon message, Mormons who did not live up to their church’s requirements, and men of good will of other religions who rejected the revelations of the Latter-day Saints (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, 784)
The highest or Celestial heaven is itself divided into three levels. Only this highest level is godhood or the possession of a kingdom for one’s self and one’s family to be gained. This particular estate has as its prerequisite the candidate’s having been sealed by celestial marriage in a Mormon temple while upon the earth. Even in the celestial kingdom, godhood is a by slow progression, and in the end each who becomes a god will, with his family rule and populate a separate planet of his own.

I'm aware that the Journal of discourses is no longer considered an official document, but it was written by their founder and was once considered true.
I also can't help but notice how contradicting The Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants are to The Bible, which they claim to be the inspired word of God as well.

The Mormon's believe their president to be a living prophet and that God has granted them the priesthood, which has allowed them to once again gather 12 apostles.
I was also surprised they were unsure of why there were twelve apostles in the Bible.
They were also under the impression that Paul and Peter preach the same gospel, which we showed them to be wrong, but it made no difference to them. They don't believe to be Jewish, but they put themselves under the law and require signs and wonders.

I know it might be hard to believe but we weren't slightly rude or pushy, but we refused to sit and be quiet while they tried to tell us something which they couldn't show us in the Bible.
I would like to think if God wanted us to know something; He would have included it in the Bible which is his inspired word. Right?!

Update

Today I had dinner with an old friend of mine whom I hadn't seen since early January. It was very enjoyable.
Our discussions varied from the weather and the economy to the Bible and new reading material.
I actually began speaking with him about the Bible several years ago when we both worked together and I believe he is saved; He has also expressed interest in coming to our monthly Bible studies!

I am also about to start working on a new video! I know that sounds strange, so I'll explain.
I have a lot of spare time currently so I make silly videos of myself lip-syncing or doing skits.
I had my very sweet sister-in-law dare me to do a video to the Britney Spear's song "Toxic." :)
I can't turn down any dares, so I must comply! ( I think next time I'll dare her to do one with me. lol)

Ironically perfect

Today, I went back to the park and took my camera in hopes of capturing something worth sharing!
My main interest was in the clouds, they looked so beautiful, but my camera refused to cooperate so I settled instead for some pretty flowers! Enjoy

I thought today's blog would be about a more private aspect of my life, my marriage. My husband and I had a pretty ironic start.

I was introduced to him when I was very young, 13, but not in the manner you might think. He was actually a family friend and my step-sister's boyfriend. (Yes, I know it sounds. Odd)
They had a very short lived relationship before she moved back north and I didn't see him again for quite a few years.

I aged, obviously, and continued my life as I began my very first job at McDonald's while attending high school. (I worked there for a bit over 4 years). I began dating a co-worker and shortly after I, regrettably, hit my rebellious state. I was 17 and had suddenly become all-knowing, or so I thought.
I decided, abruptly, I wanted to move out of my parent's house and get a house with my ex boyfriend. Things sounded so simple back then.

We got a small house that we could hardly afford not to mention the other obvious bills that came along with the house and it became a recipe for disaster.

I continued to work at McDonald's, trying to make ends meet, when I ran into Randy, who would consequently become my husband several years later.
We became friends almost instantly and before long, we began to hang out together. I was big into playing pool back then with my friend Nicole and he started playing with us and much to our chagrin, he was so much better. Ha-ha

I can't honestly remember when my feelings for him changed but I do remember life wasn't quite the same. The only big problem with this is that I was unavailable.
I struggled with the torn feelings I had because on one hand, I had little doubt we could be great together. On the other hand however, I knew that I would crush my ex and after all the time we had been together, I felt as if I owed him. It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make.

I dragged my feet on making a decision, worried I would make the wrong one but that all changed when Randy decided he wanted to move several hours away. The thought of not seeing him or being able to talk with him on a regular basis propelled me into action.

Things at home were also not great, me and my ex fought all the time and he had begun drinking and partying excessively, having just turned 21, making him violent and unusually cruel.
The break-up was messy, and I was truly sorry we couldn't end on better terms, but my life changed completely.

My family was shocked at first and a bit resistant but they quickly came around and saw just how truly remarkable, Randy was and how much I loved him. My biggest worry, sadly, was how his family would react to me. I knew that things with my step-sister had not been great and I was terrified they would dislike me for that fact alone. I also knew that our age difference was a thing that concerned some, 7 1/2 years. I still remember the first time, I met his family. :)

He was going to visit them and really wanted me to come along and I agreed, hesitantly. I had never met his dad before but I still remembered his mother and for some reason, I was so afraid of her. (It’s a bit funny to think about that, years later)
They were both so sweet to me and I was relieved, to say the least. I also met my sister in law and both of his brothers; they too were really nice to me!

Our relationship was something out of a book, we agreed on almost everything. We never argued and most of all, we were inseparable. Our personalities were so much alike it was un-canning and after a year and some, we decided to get married!

Things have changed very little these last two years. We have still never fought, the only thing we sometimes don't agree on are political views :). Not to mention just how much closer we've grown together.

Overall, he is everything I could have ever hoped for and more. He is not only my best friend but also a wonderful, caring and loving husband who is always there for me. He doesn't judge me on things I've done in the past and I can honestly say that he knows everything about me. He has comforted me when my demons from the past have been more then I could handle or when I have been a bit moody and testy never complaining or using it as leverage later. (Yes, Yes, This is starting to sound like a cheesy novel, so I'll wrap it up. lol)
My life couldn't be better and the one and only thing that could make it more complete is to have a baby, which I hope happens soon.

New to the blogging world

I must admit, I never imagined myself doing any kind of blogging but lately writing has become my outlet. Its very relaxing.

Thursday, me and my hubby decided to go to the park for a very overdue walk and it reminded me why I use to love doing it. The weather couldn't of been more perfect either, it was cloudy and breezy. ( I will always take cloudy or stormy weather over sunny! ha ha )
I wish I had taken a couple pictures, it was beautiful.


I also spent a large chunk of my time doing some cleaning which I had been putting off for quite sometime. My kitty, on the other hand, was not ecstatic and refused to let me get things done, without a struggle. Every time I cleared off a shelf or cabinet to organize, she would leap right in and cry when I tugged at her and would re-pay me by running off with anything she could carry.

That brings me to the last thing I wanted to write about. My kitty =)

Comet is a solid gray tabby, which I've been told is very rare. I adopted her from our local shelter, 4 years ago, and I've never been happier. Her engaging personality makes it difficult to deny her anything and she is fully aware of that. The adoring look she gives you with those enormous, yellow eyes melts my heart and cause me to pamper her too much.
She has developed this peculiar habit of crying when she wants attention and it happens so frequently now, its unusual for her to be silent for more then a few minutes. She also refuses to be alone in a room and chooses instead to follow either me or my husband everywhere, I mean that literally.
Comet, has a very sweet temperment but does tend to have fits every now and then, I feel as If I'm speaking about a child here, especially when you refuse to stand up and go to her when she is crying. Her tantrums are generally short and she's not vicious but will nip at you to get her point across.