Post 44y: In each of the Holy Scriptures provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the subject of Human Health is dwelt upon by God. Our Lord Jesus Christ has provided in our day a very specific guide to His faithful Followers on that subject which is referred to by Him as "the Word of Wisdom" in which He instructs His followers regarding substances He wants them to avoid using and also those which He advocates our using in ways which will maximize our health!" Although most "active" Latter-day Saints live in accordance to those portions of that scriptural guide that have to do with the avoidance of the use of nicotine and alcohol, etc., it appears many of His Church members do not regularly live in accordance with each of the very specific instructions given in the "Word of Wisdom" regarding correct food usage. Not only do I refer to our Heavenly Father's direct guidance in this post regarding these very important matters, but I also quote in this post statements of an accomplished L.D.S. physician from his book written on the subject of Eating Correctly In Order to Have Healthy Bodies. I also provide video instruction by a non-LDS physician regarding the same matter.Then almost at the end of this Blog Post you will be treated to the opinions and observations of an LDS Couple who are professional journalists, regarding the very bad state of affairs in the United States of America and in many other Western countries regarding how their citizens eat. I also discuss a key related issue at the very end of this post.

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!


Dear Readers of this Blog, please note that Google advertisements may appear in this blog post. They were not solicited by me and I do not profit from them. I did request particularly in several of my previous posts that Google not place them within scriptures which I often use in my blog posts. It appears they have honored that request of mine. Thank you Google!

I discovered recently an add that was placed in a scripture I used in a previous blog. I respectfully withdraw my previous "Thank you."

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TODAY'S THEME

The Prophet Alma the Younger Prayerfully Meditates -Artist Unknown

The Lord, Jesus Christ, assisted His people during the days of the Prophet Alma the Younger  in Ancient America in or about 72 B.C. by teaching them through His prophets to use health promoting plants and roots:

(Book of Mormon) Alma 46:40  And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land—but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the climate—

The Lord Jesus Christ now teaches similarly. On February 27, 1833 in a revelation given through His Prophet, Joseph Smith for His people who are members of His Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; are given a guide for living through a revelation of inspired scripture I have copied in full just below this next paragraph.

Strange as it may seem to you, a good number of members of His Church today overlook that part of His Word of Wisdom that has to do with eating the right kinds of food! Please pay particular attention to that which the Lord tells us in verses 10 through 16 of Section 89 of the book of Scriptures, entitled: Doctrine and Covenants.

"The Word of Wisdom" From The Book of Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

 SECTION 89
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, February 27, 1833.  HC 1:327–329.  As a consequence of the early brethren using tobacco in their meetings, the Prophet was led to ponder upon the matter; consequently he inquired of the Lord concerning it.  This revelation, known as the Word of Wisdom, was the result.  The first three verses were originally written as an inspired introduction and description by the Prophet.

1–9, Use of wine, strong drinks, tobacco, and hot drinks proscribed;10–17, Herbs, fruits, flesh, and grain are ordained for the use of man and of animals;18–21, Obedience to gospel law, including the Word of Wisdom, brings temporal and spiritual blessings.

1  A WORD OF WISDOM, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also the saints in Zion—

2  To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days— 

3  Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints. 

4  Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation— 

5  That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him. 

6  And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make. 

7  And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies. 

8  And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill. 

9  And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly. 

10  And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man— 

11  Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving. 

12  Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; (see definition of the word, sparingly, below, just after verse 21, the last verse.)

13  And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine. 

14  All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth; 

15  And these (the animals listed above) hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger. 

16  All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground— 

17  Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain. 

18  And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; 

19  And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; 

20  And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. 

21  And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them.  Amen. (emphasis added by Neil Birch) 

Here is a Webster's Dictionary definition for an important word the Lord uses in the scripture above: sparing and its adverb sparingly: "That spares; hence, careful; provident. In Roget's College Thesaurus: "spare, v.t., abstain, forbear, withhold; exempt; give up, surrender, forego... "

About twenty years ago my wife, Melva Giles Birch bought a very interesting book without my realizing  that she had so done. It is entitled:

The Word of Wisdom Food Plan (a Medical Review of the Mormon Doctrine) 

I never even noticed a book by that name which was written by: Kenneth E. Johnson, M.D. (who is a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) lying on shelf of a hinged two door cabinet in our kitchen which stands right next to our refrigerator! -Until!

In about January of this year (2012) my oldest daughter, Jane who has been employed for many years as a Trainer of new faculty members of the Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah introduced me to a new style of eating she has made a part of her life.

Realizing that my personal diet was close to being very much like her new diet which she was describing to me it didn't take long for me to make the diet she was living by, my own personal diet.

Jane helped me by loaning me about fifteen books/videos she has used which helped her implement the diet that she was following very avidly and successfully. She lost about 33 pounds after making that diet her own. She is about 5' 9'' tall and now weighs about 133 lbs. I am also 5' 9" tall and weigh 152 lbs.

One of the books she loaned me was the one mentioned above which was written by Dr. Kenneth E. Johnson, M.D. If  I had found our copy of it by searching the shelf where it had been laying for several decades I would have been benefited much earlier than I eventually was. I wish I had found it much earlier!

I now quote  from pages 14 and 15 of the above mentioned book written by Dr. Johnson. (By the way, I was given permission over the telephone by a female employee of its publishers, Cedar Fort, Inc.: 73 W. 700 S. Springville, UT 84663 that I could quote a total of only four paragraphs from it. She didn't specify which four paragraphs I could quote.)

Eliza R. Snow Young (I wish she were smiling in this photo,  but I  realize in those days that didn't often happen in photos.  I'm very sure she had a wonderful smile!

Here are those four paragraphs I chose to quote from "The Word of Wisdom Food Plan, A Medical Review of the Mormon Doctrine": 

"Eliza R. Snow was the most fascinating and dominant Mormon woman in the nineteenth century. Baptized in 1835, she became the wife of two prophets and was the sister of a third. Among her many accomplishments, she wrote the words for ten lovely hymns that still appear in LDS song books today. One of the hymns, "in Our lovely Deseret," was written more than a hundred years ago, but carries a vital message for us today. The second verse reads,

That the children may live long,  

And be beautiful and strong,

Tea and coffee and tobacco they despise,

Drink no liquor, and they eat

But a very  little  meat; 

They are seeking to be great and good and wise. ( Neil's note: emphasis was added in the official LDS Song Book itself by double spacing the key words: very  little  meat) 

How often do we and our children sing this hymn with gusto, but fail to obey one of its tenets?
 
Eliza's brother, Apostle Lorenzo Snow, discussed the Word of Wisdom in a meeting of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve in May, 1893. After reading D. and C. 89:10-16 and drawing "special attention to that part which relates to the use of meat, which he considered just as strong as that which related to the use of liquors and hot drinks," Apostle Snow "was convinced that the killing of animals when unnecessary was wrong and sinful, and that it was not right to neglect one part of the word of Wisdom and be too strenuous in regard to other parts. (Apostle Snow became the fifth president of the church in 1898." 

Unfortunately the book I'm referring you to is out of print now, but it is possible that copies are still available in some book stores and you should check your local library to see if they have copies of it there. I would be happy to ask Melva if she would loan her book to anyone in the ward wants to read it. In most of  the book medical evidence is presented by Dr. Johnson and other physicians proving how the word of wisdom and true medical information agree. Dr. Johnson and other physicians he quotes document their findings very professionally and very interestingly!

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Here is an Internet device you may want to use to determine how your personal biologic inheritance and personal living habits are effecting how long you will live. I received it through the Internet from friends of mine and of my wife, Melva; who live in Alaska. When I used the Longevity Calculator (which was produced by Northwestern Mutual Life) by answering all the questions asked in it, I was informed
that I should live until I am 105 years of age. I also noticed several things that I could work on which would
perhaps extend my life a little longer!

Longevity calculator. Watch your age in the upper right corner! Kinda fun to watch your age go up and down as you answer the questions! Now this is interesting, give it a try.... How long will you live? This is a calculator that estimates your life expectancy. It was developed by Northwestern Mutual Life.

http://media.nmfn.com/tnetwork/lifespan

Now I have the pleasure of inviting you to enjoy and learn from one or actually, two very intriguing and compelling videos which will help educate you in living by what I like to call: The Word of Wisdom Food Plan (using part of the title of the book to which I referred you to earlier in this post which I hope you can find in your local library.) 

I thank my dear daughter Jane whom I mentioned above in this post for providing the two Internet links several paragraphs below which present an intriguing  and compelling medical perspective on the subject of this blog post of mine:

Because you will surely find evidence in Dr. McDougall's (who is not a member of the LDS Church) video, or videos if you choose to view both of them, that there is sure medical evidence that that which the Lord tells us in the following verse of the Word of Wisdom is is true, I now remind you of Verse 4 of Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants:

4. . . In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation— (emphasis added by Neil Birch)

In these two videos you will be told that persons in the food industry perhaps could be about the Lord warned us about in the verse just above.  I believe strongly that true findings of medical science should match that which the Lord tells us about how to live healthy lives!  After viewing either one of these similar videos, but differing in length, I believe you will agree with me that you have viewed very good evidence that at least one very expert medical professional supports that which is told us in "the Word of Wisdom"! You can make a choice as to which one of these two very similar videos you choose to view. Maybe watching the shortest video first may lead you to take what extra time you may possibly have, to view the other also!

Dr. John McDougall's 2 Minute Video

Dr. John McDougall's 10 Minute Video

Just a brief footnote to the video or videos, you have just viewed: "The Lord Jesus Christ Doesn't Ever Need to View videos such as Dr. McDougall's Very Truthful Videos. Our Savior already is the source of all truth! However, I believe our viewing those two videos helps us see that the Lord's Word of Wisdom is right on target.

Please Re-read and also this time, please listen to:

Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be reassured of that truth:  

However, if you are short of time please read the following newspaper article before you read and listen to the scripture linked for you just above! You may then want to come back later to review that scripture more carefully!

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Just as I had thought I had finished putting together this blog post, I found this very pertinent article in the Deseret News (Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.A.) published today : June 4, 2012. Please take the time to read it. It is written by Linda and Richard Eyre whose column entitled: "Why the Family?" is known nationally!

"WE WENT TO dinner the other night in Poland with John and Kaisa, a couple we enjoyed meeting at one of our parenting events. The conversation turned to nutrition, weight gain and obesity.

They had visited the U.S. and were amazed at how many people seemed to be overweight.

We were sitting at a sidewalk café in a busy square,and they asked us to watch the people walking by and see how many of them were fat. Essentially there were none, and we asked them why.

It turns out it is a cultural thing as much as a dietary one. Kids grow up eating a lot of vegetables and fruits and fast food is essentially nonexistent unless you travel into a city center for the novelty of trying a McDonald's hamburger.

Kaisa told us of her Polish friend who had sent her child to school with a sack lunch that contained a candy bar and received a letter of reprimand from the school, which did not allow kids to have sweets on school grounds. We told her that was quite a far cry from our schools where there are candy and soda vending machines around every corner.

John, who was raised in New Jersey before he moved to Poland, told us he was now the only member of his extended family that was not overweight.

We mentioned that his family back home certainly represented the American norm and told him about a recent U.S.survey that showed a third of adult Americans are obese and another third are merely "overweight."

Kaisa suggested it is all about what kids get used to. Growing up in Poland, she said, meant that when she wanted a snack, her mother sent her out to pull up a carrot or down to the root cellar to find an apple. She says that to this day, she starts salivating when she sees a nice turnip. (And she wasn't kidding!)

Intrigued by Kaisa's bluntness, we asked, "But what if all your kids will eat is French fries or sugared cereal or fast food?"

Wide-eyed, as though she could not imagine something that horrible, she said, "Then the parent must forbid it!" She went on to make the compellingly logical point that if the only options kids have are fruits and veggies, they will pretty quickly learn to like them.

We told her and John we agreed, and that in fact our daughter from Ogden was proof of her point. Saren, our eldest daughter and the mother of five of our cutest grand kids, has fed them healthful food from Day 1, and there is something quite wonderful about hearing a 7-year-old say,"Oh, I just love lentils!"

John wondered how much it must cost the United States to have two-thirds of its adults overweight. "The medical costs of that must be huge," he said.

Kaisa was quick to point out that while it might be a financial problem and a medical problem, it was, at its root, a parenting problem. "I think," she said, "that American parents are making their kids fat."

Then, worrying that she might have offended us, she went on, "Or maybe a better way to it is that only the parents can fix this problem."

Neither John nor Kaisa was saying anything we hadn't heard before, but there was something wonderfully blunt and truthful about hearing them just tell it like it is.

They were not being critical or judgmental -- in fact, they were very sympathetic. They just felt bad for the problem we have in our country and were a little incredulous about how we Americans allowed it to happen and about why we aren't doing more to fix it.

Before our conversation changed directions, we tried to provide a little summary statement. It went something like this: "Like so many other problems in the world, there is only one way to change America's obesity problem' and that is one family at a time, one child at a time."

Richard and Linda Eyre are New York Times No.1 best-selling authors who lecture throughout the world on family-related topics. Read Linda's blog at www.deseretnews.com/blog/81/A-World-of Good.html and visit the Eyres anytime at www.TheEyres.com.

Just an afterthought right at the end of this post's message: Perhaps some of you may have wondered why the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not require that members of that church  live  faithfully by that portion of the "Word of Wisdom" that has to do with the foods we eat as they do in requiring members to abstain from the use of nicotine and alcohol when judging whether or not they are worthy of a temple recommend? After all the Lord, in His Word of Wisdom advises strongly regarding both items.  Please carefully and prayerfully, if you will, study the following words of our Savior, Jesus Christ and then decide how you might respond to the question I pose at the beginning  of this paragraph.

Doctrine and Covenants 58: 26  For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

27  Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

28  For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves.  And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

29  But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned. (emphasis added by Neil Birch)

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DISCLAIMER

This Blog is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: The Word of Wisdom, Section 89   of the Doctrine and Covenants Contains a Food Plan Which Guides Our Eating (a medical video is included along with a Deseret News Article.) -Post 44y When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

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"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

Post 44x In This Blog Post You Will Be Given the Special Opportunity of Viewing Several Videos Which Portray Jesus During His Life As Described in the New Testament. You will also be Introduced to a Book of Mormon Scripture in Which the Resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ Reveals Himself Very Clearly and Convincingly!

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!


Dear Readers of this Blog, please note that Google advertisements may appear in this blog post. They were not solicited by me and I do not profit from them. I did request particularly that Google not place them within scriptures which I often use in my blog posts. It appears they have honored that request of mine. Thank you Google!

I discovered an add that was placed in a scripture I used in a previous blog. I respectfully withdraw my previous "Thank you."

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TODAY'S THEME

Jesus the Christ -by Del Parson

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with the assistance of You Tube have very recently provided a series of videos  filmed at that Church's Goshen, Utah Filming Site in Utah County not far South from the Salt Lake Valley which has been very skillfully and accurately transformed by skilled craftsmen to resemble the Holy Land in very close detail. Also, very skilled directors and actors were called upon to portray those involved in the biblical history portrayed.

I have chosen several of these very accurate portayals of scenes from the life of our Savior Jesus Christ to assist you in learning from Him regarding Matters of  His Gospel and in perhaps feeling closer to Him emotionally and spiritually. These video scenes  which occurred in the Holy Land were based upon that which is recorded in the New Testament.

I look forward to the day when there will be video depictions of the Savior teaching the Nephites in the areas of America where those events actually took place. There is not yet a consensus of opinion within the Church as to where in the Americas those events actually took place, therefore filming can not yet take place at replicas of those actual geographical sites as has been done in Goshen, Utah (U.S.A.) in the portayal of sites in Ancient Palestine. However, I believe that time will come, possibly and hopefully, during my lifetime!

At Easter time this year I provided you with other videos filmed in at the aforementioned site Goshen, Utah, but those shown then will not be shown again in this blog post.


Jesus Teaches Nicodemus About Being Born Again


Jesus is Baptized by John


Jesus Turns Water Into Wine!


Here is a Painting by an LDS Artist Showing a Scene Which Took Place in A.D. 34 somewhere in Ancient America. Below that painting, you will read marvellous and inspiring words from the Book of Mormon which our Resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ spoke to those Nephites whose ancestor, Lehi, had led his family along with others through God's guidance from Jerusalem to Eastern Arabia and across the largest ocean in the world to somewhere on the coast of ancient America in about 600 B.C..

CHRIST AND THE BOOK OF MORMON CHILDREN -BY DEL PARSON 

The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 3 Nephi, Chapter 17: Verse 11: And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought. 

12  So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him. 

13  And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground. 

14  And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel. 

15  And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him. 

16  And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father; 

17  And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father. 

18  And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome. 

19  And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise. 

20  And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith.  And now behold, my joy is full. 

21  And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them. 

22  And when he had done this he wept again; 

23  And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones. 

24  And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them. 

25  And the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children. (emphasis added by Neil Birch)

Inasmuch as you have had the opportunity of reviewing the words of our Lord Jesus Christ from both the New Testament and the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ in this blog post of mine, you may have compared what was said by our Savior from each of these sacred scriptures.

It is very interesting to me personally to contrast the words spoken by our Savior, Jesus Christ both before and after the climax of His Holy Mission and Life, which came about through His Atonement, Crucifixion and Resurrection. All that He spoke, both before and after His resurrection are equally true, but when speaking after those just mentioned fulfilling experiences, He had become One with His (and our) Heavenly Father. His words spoken to the Nephites in Ancient America as recorded in the Book of Mormon particularly illustrate that sacred truth.

For those of you who desire to research this subject further I refer you to my Blog Post 44m. I think you will find reading a certain part of that post particularly applicable! To get to the heart of this matter quickly after clicking on the Internet link found just beneath this and the following paragraph, you should scroll down in my Post 44m to where I suggest you begin your reading! Begin right at the first of the three paragraphs preceding the John Scott painting showing our Savior, Jesus Christ teaching the Nephite people with the temple in the Land Bountiful seen in the background along with other buildings which were saved from the great destruction which the Resurrected Lord and Savior Jesus had personally caused to take place throughout their land.

I believe it will be most beneficial if you would read from where I suggested you begin in Post 44m and from there on to the regular end of that post. If you do so, that which you will have read will help you more fully realize the great surge forward in His Godly abilities that had become a part of our Savior since His atonement, death by crucifixion and His resurrection.

Neil Birch's Blog Post 44m

After viewing and studying that to which I referred you to in my Post 44m and recalling that which you experienced in today's main post (44x) I think any of you who thought they were convinced that Joseph Smith and his young frontiersmen associates made up and wrote the Book of Mormon, will surely no longer have any logical reasons for believing such!

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DISCLAIMER
This Blog is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.
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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: Jesus Christ, After His Baptism by John and His Atonement, Crucifixion and Resurrection, Assigned His Apostles in Palestine to Continue His Work of Salvation in That Part of the World, While He Led Out in Doing His Work Among Some of His "Other Sheep" in Another Part of the World as Recorded in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Several Videos Portraying Jesus' Mortal Life are Provided in this Post.  -Post 44x When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).
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"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

Post 44w: If You Are Addicted to Anything That Binds You and Keeps You From Being the Kind of Person Jesus Christ Desires You to Be, You Can, If You So Desire, Overcome Such Addiction/s With the Assistance of an Addiction Recovery Program Provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!


Dear Readers of this Blog, please note that Google advertisements may appear in this blog post. They were not solicited by me and I do not profit from them. I did request particularly that Google not place them within scriptures which I often use in my blog posts. It appears they have honored that request of mine. Thank you Google!

I recently discovered an add that was placed in a scripture I used in my just previous blog. I respectfully withdraw my previous "Thank you."

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TODAY'S THEME

The Lost Lamb -by Del Parson

Like the Lost Lamb Pictured Above in the Arms of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, Those of Us Who are Addicted to Anything Harmful to Us, Can be Rescued From Such an Addiction with the Help Provided by the Lord's Restored Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of  Latter-day Saints

A Message on the Subject of Addiction, By a Modern Day Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, M. Russell Ballard;

You Will Be Freed (from Addiction)

I now provide you with the means whereby you will be assisted in becoming personally involved with the LDS Addiction Recovery Program if that is something needed by you or persons dear to you:

How to Become Personally Involved in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Addiction Recovery Program

This is to inform you of some of my involvement as a co-missionary with my wife, Melva and an earlier personal involvement professionally with LDS Family Services and concurrently as a graduate student, in programs that led to its development, and then just before our mission, on an assignment from our LDS Ward Bishop, in the Addiction Recovery Program mentioned above.

From some time in the year 2004, to mid 2006, my wife, Melva, and I served a full-time Couple's Mission in Finland, the country in which I had served as a young missionary. In her younger years, Melva had served a full-time mission in the Eastern States Mission headquartered in New York, N.Y., U.S.A.

Several months before my wife and I received our call to serve a mission in Finland, I was assigned by our ward bishop to assist a male member of our ward in attending Addiction Recovery Group meetings in the Salt Lake Valley which is in our part of Utah. That program was not yet fully functioning when I retired. However, a number of years earlier as a full-time employee of LDS Family Services in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California, and at the same time, as a graduate student in the MSW program at San Jose California State University - San Jose, I had the privilege of playing a key role in developing groups that became some of the forerunners of the eventual LDS Family Services Addiction Recovery Groups.

With the Lord's special help I was blessed in being able to retain a good portion my skill with the Finnish language I had acquired as a young missionary. Much of that was accomplished by reading the Book of Mormon in Finnish out loud in our daily scripture reading sessions while my wife, Melva read her portion in English.

Although our mission call was to be a proselyting mission couple, part-way through our mission we were also assigned officially by our Area Leadership located in Frankfurt, Germany to help bring about the Addiction Recovery Program in Finland. At that time that program was not functioning at all in Europe.

I was very effectively assisted in my efforts to accomplish that by closely coordinating my efforts in Finland through long-distance telephoning, with my former colleague, Brent Scharman at the Headquarters of LDS Family Services in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.

By the end of our two year mission, Addiction Recovery Groups were functioning not only in Finland but also in England. A former colleague of mine with LDS Family Services in the Western U.S.A, Mark Ricks and his wife were serving as full-time missionaries in England, asked us to include them in our first group leader training meeting that we held in Hämeenlina, Finland in about mid-2005, (if I remember correctly.) Then because the Addiction Recovery Services manual had already been published in English (for use in the U.S.A.), they were the first to use the official Addiction Recovery Group manuals in Europe (in various parts of England).

It took a little while to begin providing official Addiction Recovery Groups in Finland because the manual had not yet been fully translated into Finnish. However, when our groups began, the first of all groups in Europe, the group leaders used the English Language version of the Addiction Recovery manuals by personally translating that which was needed from the English language version. The Finns who did that were very capable in working with the English language as well as their own Finnish language. Near the end of our mission several small preliminary addiction recovery groups were functioning in Finland.

It was just several days after Sister Melva Birch and I arrived home from our mission in Finland that we received by mail the officially approved Finnish Translation of the Addiction Recovery Manual. It wasn't long after that translation was approved that three officially approved groups were established within several stakes of the Church in Finland. The numbers of groups in that country has continued to grow I am happy to report!

Now there are a good number of LDS Family Services' Addiction Recovery Groups functioning in a fairly good number of nations throughout Europe, including in Germany and in Scandinavia, as well as those which had begun in England.

Actually, before the Addiction Recovery Groups had been set up in Europe, groups had already been set up in the United States of America and in South America and in even in some other parts of the world as well.
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DISCLAIMER
This Blog is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

____________

TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: The Addiction Recovery Program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! -Post 44w When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).
___________

"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
____________

I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

Post 44u: Mother's Day is Celebrated in the United State of America Annually on the Second Sunday of May. Through This Post You will Experience This Special Mother's Day Post Along With the Post Which Would Ordinarily Run by Itself Through This Coming Monday, May 14, 2012.

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!


Dear Readers of this Blog, please note that Google advertisements may appear in this blog post. They were not solicited by me and I do not profit from them. I did request particularly that Google not place them within scriptures which I often use in my blog posts. It appears they have honored that request of mine. Thank you Google!

I recently discovered an add that was placed in a scripture I used in my just previous blog. I respectfully withdraw my previous "Thank you."

****

TODAY'S THEME

Post 44u:  Through This Post We Can Remember Our Own Mother's by Viewing a very Special Mormon Messages' Video About a Young Mother Who Because of Severe Injuries Suffered in an Airliner Crash along with Her Husband (Whose Injuries Were Lest Severe Than Hers) Caused Her to Find Inner Strength Within Herself Which Strongly Stemmed From Her Faith in Her and Our Lord Jesus Christ.

A Mormon Message Especially for Mother's Day:

The Birth of Jesus, -by Carl Heinrich Bloch

I have chose the above Classic Painting by a Great Artist to Accentuate this Special Mother's Day Post of mine!

As you may have noticed by now I have posted this particular post several days early so that you would be able to experience the timely Mormon Message you already have experienced a few moments ago.

The painting above ties all together this new post and the one that is scheduled to run until very early Tuesday Morning, May 15, 2012 which emphasizes the Important Message of Our Savior, Jesus Christ's Resurrection and its Powerful Effect on Our Lives.

Now I invite you to click on the link found below to be enabled to view the blog post you would have been viewing all by itself had not there been a special need for me to publish a special Mother's Day Blog Post which you have just experienced through viewing the special Mother's Day Mormon Messages Video provided above.

The regular post for this past week will officially run from Midnight (Pacific Time)on this past Tuesday until this next Monday at midnight. May 14, because it is provided through the link just below. Please notice that this just previous post ties in nicely with the Mother's Day Theme of the Post you have just experienced. Its subject is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and its supernal effect on all of mankind which, of course includes each of you and me along with our loved ones, and perhaps especially our dear mothers!

Please Note: If you would prefer, instead of clicking on this next link you could just scroll down through the rest of this most recent post until you reach the just previous post which you ought to consider viewing because you most likely may have not done that yet!

http://varsinainen.blogspot.com/2012/05/post-44t-to-be-published-on-may-8-2012.html (that is an incorrect date! Please ignore it!)

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DISCLAIMER
This Blog is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

____________

TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: A Mother's Day Special Mormon Messages' Video Constitutes Our Message for this Post. -Post 44u. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).
___________

"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
____________

I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

Post 44t: Our Savior, and Redeemer, Jesus Christ Will Bring About the Resurrection of All Mankind!

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!


Dear Readers of this Blog, please note that Google advertisements may appear in this blog post. They were not solicited by me and I do not profit from them. I did request particularly that Google not place them within scriptures which I often use in my blog posts. It appears they have honored that request of mine. Thank you Google!

I recently discovered an add that was placed in a scripture I used in my just previous blog. I respectfully withdraw my previous "Thank you."

****

TODAY'S THEME

Easter has just come and is now gone, however, its message of hope and eternal happiness continues on and on. Feeling that its message could still be especially needed by some of you right now, even so very soon after Easter 2012; and because the subject of the Resurrection generally continues to be a very vital subject to each of us, I present the following:


Why Weepest Thou? -by Simon Dewey

The Resurrection of the Dead was a subject many Nephite Prophets focused upon in their writings as recorded in The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

This list I provide you is just a small sample of two, but within these two scriptures are included significant statements on this important subject of Resurrection framing sure scriptural evidence of the truthfulness of the promise of a resurrection of all mankind.

The following are words of the Prophet, Moroni, son of the Prophet, Mormon (Who lived between A.D. 400 and 421 somewhere in Ancient America):

The Book of Mormon: Mormon 9:13 And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death.

In about 82 B.C., Also somewhere in ancient America, the Prophet Alma, The Younger, wrote:

The Book of Mormon: Alma 11: 40 And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.

41 Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

42 Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.

43 The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.

44 Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.

45 Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption.

In the following Mormon Messages Video President Thomas S. Monson of the  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Gives His Sure Prophetic Witness that there is Life after Death!

We Can Live With God Again

Now after having provided each one of us with a strong, vibrant hope and assurance that after the death of each us and our loved ones, Life will eventually continue through the Resurrection of the Dead which was provided by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; I now feature a special musical presentation filmed in Utah County the county just South Salt Lake County where I live here in the State of Utah (U.S.A.)

This video features a very a very talented male soloist of the World Renowned, Mormon Tabernacle Choir; Alex Boyé who was born in Nigeria and later moved to the United States of America with his family and just very recently became a U.S. Citizen. Recently he teamed up with an LDS Church Institute (Youth) Choir in a production in which the great joy which comes from the sureness of the Resurrection of the Dead, is beautifully and dramatically proclaimed:

Alex Boyé: "I Will Rise" (Emi Yo Leke)

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DISCLAIMER
This Blog is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.


____________

TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: The Eventual  Resurrection of All Mankind Will Be Brought About Through Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ! (an Alex Boyé Video is Included). -Post 44t. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).
___________

"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
____________

I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

Post 44s: Believers in the Holy Bible and in the Other Revealed Scriptures, such as the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Know that Miracles Continue to Occur Among Believers in Jesus Christ and in His Restored Gospel!

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!

Dear Readers of this Blog, please note that Google advertisements appear throughout this blog post. They were not solicited by me and I do not profit from them. I did request particularly that Google not place them within scriptures which I often use in my blog posts. It appears they have honored that request of mine. Thank you Google!

I have just discovered an add that was placed in the scripture I use in this blog post you are reading. I withdraw that "Thank you."

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TODAY'S THEME:




Mormon Abridging the Plates -by Tom Lovell
















Moroni, Now a resurrected man, (an Angel), delivers those Plates of Gold to Joseph Smith in 1830 -by Kenneth Riley

Many words of the Prophet Moroni, a son of the Prophet Mormon were also included within that sacred book, the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, which his father, for the most part compiled. Here are some of them which I feel are particularly appropriate for this blog post of mine:

Mormon 9: 7  And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues; 

8  Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them. 

9  For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing? 

10  And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles. 

11  But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. 

12  Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man.  And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man. 

13  And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death. 

14  And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still. 

15  And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken?  Has the end come yet?  Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles. 

16  Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes?  Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God? 

17  Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought? 

18  And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles?  And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles. 

19  And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being?  And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles. 

20  And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust. 

21  Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth. 

22  For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; 

23  And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned; 

24  And these signs shall follow them that believe—in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover; 

25  And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth. (emphasis added by Neil Birch)

I am sure that those of you who are viewing this particular blog post of mine come from many different backgrounds, but whatever your view of miracles has been I want you to know that I from my own personal experience can testify that the Lord, Jesus Christ is a God of miracles!

A particular miracle that I was blessed to experience recently was not an astounding miracle, but nonetheless it was a miracle in my view and in the view of several leaders with whom I'm assigned to work in my church service assignment at a local hospital here in the Salt Lake Valley in the State of Utah (U.S.A.)

I relate this experience of mine to you in order to help each of you know that miracles continue to happen in our day and time on earth. As usually is the case this miracle was, in my humble opinion, given to me to strengthen my, and the faith of others who come to learn of this experience of mine, including each of you, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  

On about the second Sunday of this March, 2012 about five minutes early I entered the room in which our branch Sacrament Meetings are held. Just after I sat down somewhere near the front of the room as I usually do, Brother Al McBride of the branch presidency began walking toward me. I quickly realized that he most likely was just about to ask me to help with the Sacrament.

That turned out be his intention, but instead of asking me to pass the Sacrament which I have done a good number of times, he instead asked me to bless the Sacrament. He asked me if it would be difficult for me to kneel (knowing I had had knee problems as a boy) and I replied: "no."

I had never been asked to do that before in one of our branch sacrament meetings, in the two and a half years I had been assigned by our stake president to the Murray Fourth Branch, and I never really expected to be asked to do so because when Melva and I were first assigned to serve in the branch we were asked whether there was anything that would be too difficult for either of us to do that is usually done in the branch. I most likely told that member of the presidency in reply that it would be difficult for me to bless the Sacrament because my voice had become somewhat raspy. I might also have mentioned that I had two new knees which were implanted surgically.

Anyway, as I was seating myself next to the right of the other man who would also be blessing the Sacrament, Brother Al McBride right then walked over and told both of us "Priests" that we would have to read the Sacrament Prayers loudly and clearly that day because the Branch's Sacrament microphone was not functioning and wasn't even there.

I then silently and urgently asked the Lord to bless me that when I would soon be reading the Sacrament Prayer on the Bread that my voice would be sufficiently loud and clear so all in attendance could hear the sacred words of the prayer clearly and feel their meaning!

Soon the Sacrament song had been sung and I knelt down on the little stool provided me and began reading the Prayer on the Bread. Kneeling was not a problem but I recalled I had asked the Lord for His help in reading the Sacrament Prayer sufficiently loudly and clearly so all could hear these so very sacred words.

Book of Mormon, Moroni 4:3 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

As I began reading, I instantly and clearly realized that my prayer, despite the absence of a microphone, was very loud and had been somehow magnified and was being very clearly heard throughout that good sized room with the usual large number of branch members along with a number of patients and hospital workers in attendance also.

I even felt an impulse to tone down the loudness of that prayer, but instantly I knew intuitively that was something I should not do. My voice was not raspy! It was my voice I was hearing, but it was an amazingly clear voice and was being greatly magnified! I sensed that I was experiencing a miracle!

When it was time for the Water to be blessed, my "Priest" partner had difficulty praying loud enough to be heard as clearly as I realized mine had been. He mentioned to me just after we had finished the Sacrament service that my prayer had been sufficiently loud but his hadn't. I didn't attempt to explain to him what I believe had happened during the prayer I had offered.

No one else that day mentioned anything about the loudness and clarity of my reading of the Sacrament prayer. Soon while standing each time in various patients' rooms, I took turns reading each of the Sacrament prayers a good number of times while serving with several couples who were also branch members.

Each time while taking turns reading those Sacrament prayers I experienced my usually somewhat raspy voice. The magnified voice I had been blessed with earlier that morning downstairs in the meeting was no longer with me and wasn't really needed in those settings!

I later decided that most of those who heard me read the Sacrament prayer on the bread earlier that morning must have assumed the Sacrament microphone was working just fine and that when the second man read the prayer on the water they most likely could have assumed the microphone (which most of them couldn't have seen even if it had been there that day) had accidentally been turned off.

Several Sundays later I reminded Brother Al McBride about that experience we had that Sunday earlier in the month when the Sacrament table microphone wasn't working . He then told me:

"That microphone wasn't working and wasn't even there on the Sacrament table, but we heard you loudly and clearly."

I told him that although it was my voice that was heard reading the sacrament prayer on the bread, I knew I was doing it with special assistance from the Lord! He smiled and nodded.

Later on that same Sunday after finishing my assignment upstairs in the Hospital with the group to which I had been assigned, I ran into the other counselor in the branch presidency, Brother John Riches. I mentioned to him the experience I had earlier in the month when the Good Lord had magnified my voice when it needed to be magnified.

He said he realized that was happening when it happened because he knew the Sacrament table microphone wasn't working and wasn't even there at all. He then told me:

"That was just a very good example of the miracles that take place all the time in this Hospital Branch in which we have been assigned to work by the Lord!"

I believe the reason why that special reading of that holy Sacrament prayer occurred can be explained by something that President Thomas S. Monson, the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said during his closing remarks in the April (2012) General Conference Priesthood meeting:

"Do your duty that is best, and then leave unto the Lord the rest."

Respectfully and Gratefully Submitted, J. Neil Birch

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DISCLAIMER
This Blog is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.


____________


TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: Miracles Also Occur in Our Day and Time! -Post 44s. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

___________


"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

____________


I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch