Good Times & Good Article

I wanted to share a few thoughts with you all that I've been having recently and hope it doesn't come across as preachy. I just want to pass on "good news," as Stephen Robinson says. I know that temple video the church put out is going around YouTube (which I thought was interesting the church said to pass around on their website) but I thought this article was really good too (at the link below) to help church members put things in perspective. Just a few weeks ago I was in a conversation with a few sisters from RS and they were discussing how horrible the world is getting and how they wonder how much worse it will get and don't know if they can stand the persecution that probably will increase like with Prop 8; they don't want to be around and wonder if they have enough faith to endure the types of persecution the pioneers endured and some of the California saints endured. This was only increasing the "doom and gloom" feeling, and I really don't think God wants us to feel like that--after learning from many personal experiences with getting caught up in the doom and gloom. (I'm actually surprised at how often recent conversations with other church members turn into these feelings since Prop 8 and the economic hardships.) 

This time, I remembered the prompting I got in a recent second coming lesson in church that there is opposition in all things so that means for all the bad things that are happening there are good things. There will be some hard things to go through (we're going through them right now) but there are so many blessings we're receiving at the same time. Think of how awesome the millenium will be and that Christ is coming! 

I remembered how in Canby one of the churches started showing anti-Mormon films to its young members and instead of getting them to stay away from mormons it made them ask more questions and many eventually joined the church! Isn't it amazing that for everything Satan does and tries to do, God always turns it around to work out for our good. The work truly cannot be frustrated. I always heard that before, but it didn't quite hit me like it does now. I think of Christ and all the persecutions he endured and how he was so patient and answered questions but never tried to defend himself because he was worried about what other people thought. And because of it, only more people became interested in Him and His church. Like the Brett Raymond song says "why is he causing such a stir in this small town?", people get curious about what the hype is about.

Anyway, here is an article put out by the church that I thought was really good to inspire despite concerns about the media. It was inspiring to me and I wanted to share it. Love you all!

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-publicity-dilemma