Are there really Mormon Christians?

In order to answer this question, I will now quote from a person named LDS Girl…

“Experiences that are out of the ordinary are common at the Referral Center, a call center for free items from the L.D.S. church, but one experience in particular has stuck in my mind. I spoke with a man who had many questions about the beliefs of church members and our stance on social issues, like abortion, stem cell research, etc (you can look on www.mormon.org for an official statement). Questions are no problem and we spent a long time talking.

“During the conversation the man kept bringing up how we worship Joseph Smith and I had to correct him three or four times, telling him that just is not true. It bothered me a little that he seemed not to believe me. He seemed to think he knew better than I did what I believe. I have been a member of this church for 17 years and I've never been taught to worship Joseph Smith nor have I.

“Through this experience I can see that there may be a misunderstanding about the role of Jesus Christ and the role of Joseph Smith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here is what we really believe: We believe Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and the Son of God. (We only worship Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father.) We pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ. I have felt the love of God and the Savior in my life. I know they are aware of me and help me through life.

“Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. His role, just like the prophets of old (Moses, Abraham, etc.), was to reveal the will of Heavenly Father. Joseph was a great man like the prophets we read about in the Bible. He restored to the earth the truths that were lost after the death of Christ and His Apostles.

"Chirst is our Savior and is the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith was a man called to be a prophet in our day.”

The Savior's song of redeeming love - by Appreciable

The Savior's song of redeeming love
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

Music lives in every heart,
It sings in every spirit,
Each soul deserves this godly art,
Each ear deserves to hear it.

I want each person on this earth,
And those who soon will be,
To feel the freedom like new birth,
Your song has given me.

A Hike with my Daughter

A Hike with my Daughter
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

We recently went to Marsh Lake in the Uinta Moutains for a family vacation. My daughter and I hiked around Marsh Lake. We discovered that the lake is about ten times as long as it is wide and takes a lot longer to walk around that one might think. As we walked, I showed my daughter some plants and told her the names of them. I taught her how to identify nine-barks and mountain-lover. I said, "See that green colored stuff growing on the rocks? It is called a liken." "Is that because people like it?" She asked. A little later I asked, "Do you like being in the forest?" "Yes," Replied my daughter, "I like being a kid and going on a hike for my first time. There is so much to see. I've seen a squirrel and a moose and it smells so nice." As we walked further around the lake the trail grew a little more challenging for tall people. My daughter asked, "Why are the trees all not in my way?" "I don't know" I replied. My daughter then commented, "Maybe it's because you're bigger and I'm smaller... I didn't hit that one like you did."

After we were almost half-way around the lake my daughter seemed to be getting a little bit tired, "How about if you walk in front." I suggested, adding, "Then you wouldn't be left behind." My daughter began walking in front of me and said, "But you will." She then began laughing and walking really fast. I called, "Sweetheart, wait up." "See." She said with a giggle. My daughter saw a pine tree that had died and fallen to the ground. The bare and bark-less roots stuck up in the air in a tangled mass. "That looks like a slobbery monster," said my daughter, and then added, "...I want to ride it." I told her it would be alright for her to do so. She climbed up on the trunk of the tree like she was riding a horse. "Go" She commanded.

As we hiked further around the lake my daughter said, "I've never seen such beauteeeful things in my life." Three-quarters of the way around the lake my daughter really did start to get tired, she stopped walking and said "I need to sit on something smooth." As we rested, She said, "If we are quiet we can hear lots of things... Let's listen." After we listened we both shared what we had heard. "I can't wait to camp for a week." She said. As we started walking again my daughter said, "Hey, I jumped off of a log and I didn't even hurt myself." She looked into the grass along the shore and said, "We might wake up the beavers... This looks like where they live." A little later my daughter said in a disappointed voice, "I thought we would see wild berries on the way...But, I guess not. This has turned into a real hike. Like a hike up the mountains."

The sun was setting by this time and it was starting to get dark. My daughter said, "It's getting harder to see, but, I can still see good. I can see better than you because I have more..." Her voice trailed off. "More what?" I said, perhaps a little defensively. My daughter must have thought better about her earlier comments because she tried to change the subject a little. "My teacher Mrs. Johnson is even older than you." She said consolingly. "She's 32 I think. And that's REALLY OLD." As we were on the final leg of the hike I said, "Come on, Sweetheart." She replied, "You're not waiting for me and that's why I'm getting left behind, because you have bigger steps and I have smaller and trippier steps and that's why I'm getting left behind in the wilderness."

A little while later She saw another small burrow next to the trail and stopped to examine it. "Come on, Sweetheart." I said. "Ooohhh" She lamented "I wanted to see some baby Chipmunks."

By the time we got back to camp my wife had said a few prayers for us and even cried. I told everyone that I was very sorry for not letting them know where we would be going on our "little" hike. I also said I was sorry for making everyone worry so much. It was a long hike for a little girl with small feet and a really old man (I'm 30 years old) and we were glad to be back safe in camp.

The Saviors Song of Redeeming Love

The Saviors Song of Redeeming Love

Blacks and the Priesthood in the Mormon (LDS) Faith

Why did the LDS Church withhold the Priesthood from black men until 1978?
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet
(This is not an offical message from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.)

I was sitting in church last Sunday next to one of my Black brothers. He mentioned that he had a discussion recently with some of our Friends of other Faiths about the blacks not being able to receive the priesthood until 1978. He asked for my thoughts (Which I offer here in an expanded version) on this subject and so I explained to him my belief that it was the Lord, Jesus Christ who directed that the priesthood not be given to black men up until 1978. It was also the Lord who, in 1978 directed the Church, through his Prophet, to allow every worthy Male to hold the priesthood. The reason I believe that the Lord directed the Church to withhold the priesthood from black men until 1978 is the very same reason that the whole world did not have the priesthood for around 1,200 years (From somewhere around 500 AD to the early 1800s, - as Mormons believe). The wickedness of the world was the reason that the priesthood has been withheld at any time during the history of this world. I believe that it was not the wickedness or righteousness of black men, but the wickedness of the world in which they lived that caused the need to withhold the priesthood for a time.

Our Father in Heaven wants all of his children to know the fullness of his gospel, for all worthy males to hold the priesthood, and for all of his children to have access to temples. Our Father in Heaven does not change, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The followers of God, however, change in their commitment level and willingness to follow Gods commandments. For this reason God must change the way that he interacts with his children. In the hopeless situation at the time of Noah the way our Heavenly Father chose to act was to Save only Noah and his extended family and destroy all of the other wicked people by the flood. After the death of Jesus and his Apostles the Authority to act in the name of God was taken from the earth because of wickedness.

The Book of Mormon contains an Allegory from a prophet named Zenos in which the restoration of the Gospel in the Latter days is described in the following terms, "And as they begin to grow ye shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to the strength of the good and the size thereof; and ye shall not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof should be too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish, and I lose the trees of my vineyard." As I contemplate the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it seems to me that those who led the church always wanted to give the priesthood to our black brothers sooner than the "strength of the good" would have justified it. As I understand it, the prophet Joseph Smith authorized a sealing to be performed for a black man in the early days of the Church. When he was the mayor of Nauvoo Joseph Smith gave one of his own horses to a Black man who had recieve a fine from the city. This black mand was a "freeman" who was trying to purchase the freedom of his son and without the gift of the prophet's horse he would not have been able to afford both the fine and the price of his son.

The sympathies of the prophets from Joseph Smith to Spencer W. Kimball seem to have been with their black brothers as when Spencer W. Kimball said, "Aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God's eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood, and witnessing the faithfulness of those from whom the priesthood has been withheld, we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper Room of the Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance."

In the history of Israel we see that when Moses came down from the top of Mount Sinai the children of Israel had made bad choices and turned to Idolatry. Because of the wickedness of the people, the Lord only allowed the people to have only the lesser priesthood (Withholding the higher priesthood) and only allowed a small portion of the people (Those in the tribe of Levi) to hold the priesthood. In a similar way the United States of America allowed Slavery at the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith. This Christian Nation may have felt justified to some degree in holding slaves because of the words of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament regarding the Slavery that occurred in his day, "Whoever is a slave must make the best of it, giving respect to his master so that outsiders don't blame God and our teaching for his behavior. Slaves with Christian masters all the more so - Their masters are really their beloved brothers."

It is interesting to note that there were two slaves who came (as slaves) to the west with the Mormon Pioneers. These two slaves, a Brother and Sister, had been presented as wedding gifts to one of the families who came west. These slaves were treated like a beloved Brother and Sister by their Mormon Christian masters. One of these slaves was driving the wagon of Brigham Young when Brigham Young said to him, "This is the right place, drive on." These two Slaves were amoung a very small number of Black People in Utah for a long time. These two slaves eventually gained their freedom and were members of the LDS Church all of their lives and died firm in the faith of the restored gospel. In Paul's day and in the days of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young “the good” did not yet have enough strength to abolish the evil of slavery. Even after Abraham Lincoln had signed the emancipation proclamation there were still virtual slave situations and only after the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. and others did Slavery truly begin to end without the violence and murder that accompanied earlier efforts to stop it completely.

Once the world had conquered the evil and wickedness that existed in the form of Slavery, the “good” was sufficiently strong to overcome the “bad” and our Heavenly Father was able to reveal through the Prophet Spencer W. Kimball that the time had come for all Worthy Males to be able to receive the priesthood. In the early days of the Church the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Saints were persecuted very badly and if they had come out and pushed at that time to abolish slavery and emancipate every slave in the United States of America, the persecution would have multiplied tenfold. In my opinion, the Lord had to wait, to "clear away" the evil of slavery, only then did his church have sufficient strength to provided the "good" of the priesthood to every worthy male. Through the wisdom of the Lord the tree has been preserved and now the priesthood is available to every worthy man who has ever lived upon this earth. The ordinances of the temple are also available for all of the children of God in any age, through the work that is done in the temples, for and in behalf of those who have passed on. God's wisdom is truly over all the earth and his purposes will roll on until all his words are fulfilled.

Springtime - by Appreciable

Springtime
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

Oh, what joy we find in springtime!
Oh, the beauty of the days!
All the birds sing songs to heaven
in their sweet and happy ways.

All the flowers are so lovely
climbing slowly from the sod.
Every bloom and every blossom
whispers, “bow and reverence God.”

How can we know the truth?

Knowing the truth by the Spirit of God
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

If we desire to gain the maximum amount of pure knowledge and to possess as much truth as possible, we must develop eyes that can make unbiased observations. We need eyes that see, not necessarily what we want them to see, but rather, the things God wants us to see. We need eyes that can see the truth in its purity. We must be willing to let go of even our most cherished misconceptions and be willing to change any or all of our current views. All truth comes from God, and therefore, we can have complete faith in the benefit of changing our perceptions in every way that will bring our understanding closer to the fullness of truth we receive only from God.

While it is essential to be open-minded, this does not require us to be ever learning and yet never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Conviction and certitude are not strangers to open minded theists. For, when the truths of God are confirmed in your heart and mind through the spirit of God, there can be no deeper certainty that you have received the truth in the center of your being.

We need to rely on God for a complete understanding of the truth.

A Correct Comprehension of Ourselves
By Appreciable

If there's a God in heaven, If there's a plan for me.
I know that I must find them, If my purpose I would see.

Unless I know why I am here, Upon this troubled earth.
I'll never know the reason, My soul has wondrous worth.

If there's a great creator, Why did he send me here?
What's the purpose of my life? To conquer doubt and fear?

What will happen after death? Why did we come to be?
Will I just stop existing? Or come back as a tree?

What's the greatest future, That I can hope to reach?
Are they only fiction? These words the prophets teach?

The answers to these questions, Are difficult to find.
I look but cannot find them, Recorded in my mind.

The mind alone can't find them, These answers that I need.
I need something to verify, These words I'm asked to read.

The theories of the scientist, Can't explain mortality.
These theories can't be proved, With facts my eyes can see.

I need a message straight from God, That speaks straight to my heart.
Where no one else has access, With all their cunning art.

The Holy Ghost alone can teach, The truths that God will share.
And God will guide me straight to him, With tender loving care.



Our decisions about gaining a knowledge of the truth have important consequences.

Standing in Line
By Appreciable

I'm going through this Life, Just the same as anyone.
Avoiding pain and strife, And looking for some fun.
A friend of mine, stood in a line, And I walked over there.
The company was so divine, I stayed, without a care.
The years flew by as we progressed, Not making any plans.
We thought we'd find some peace and rest, But left with empty hands.
For, when we'd reached the very end, We found, as others had.
We'd been distracted by a friend, We didn’t see the line was bad.
Please question the direction, The line is headed in.
To make a good connection, That the prize we all may win.
Do we want the things this line will give? Or will we later grieve?
Let’s ask ourselves, while we yet live, “Is there more I can receive?”
The moral of this story, Is there for us to see.
If we want to find God's glory, We must ask God where to be.

Those in Error Lost

Those in Error Lost

Why do Mormons have Temples?

The Mountain of the Lord
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

Throughout history, there has been a deep and abiding desire in the human family to seek for the presence of God. There seems to be an internal drive to worship God in almost all of the people who have lived upon the earth. Many religious faiths have incorporated the top of mountains as Holy Places. In the History of Israel, Mountain tops have been very important, as when Moses received the Ten Commandments from God directly, upon the top of a mountain.

There is a hill in Jerusalem called the temple mount. There is a great deal of turmoil in our world over the ownership and control of this hill. As we read from the Old Testament we find that the record indicates the existence of more than one sanctioned temple at a time. In addition to the preceding truth, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe, there was a branch of the House of Israel that was led by the hand of the Lord to the American Continent. These people also built temples after the pattern of Solomon’s Temple. Thus, God always accepted the existence and functionality of more that one temple at a time and intended that there should be temples available throughout the earth. Many modern-day Jews believe that there are not currently any temples upon the earth recognized by God. These Jewish worshipers also believe that the only location upon which a temple can be built is where the Dome of the Rock stands today (A Muslim place of Worship). These conflicting systems of belief have resulted in struggle and turmoil for many years.

There is a record that was written by the descendents of the house of Joseph, (One of the sons of Israel) on the American Continent. This record is called the Book of Mormon. In this Book of Scripture, we are taught that the Book of Mormon would be used with the Bible, “unto the confounding (of) false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace... and bringing (us) to the knowledge of (our) fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.” This ancient record serves as the testimony of a second Nation that Jesus is the Christ. This record was translated by the gift and power of God through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Using the Prophet Joseph Smith as a modern-day Prophet, God restored his fullness of Doctrine, Covenants, and Priesthood Authority upon the Earth. When the Church of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth in these latter-days the Lord also commanded that temples again be built. The Authority to administer Ordinances in the house of the Lord is found once again upon the earth, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

In our time, once again, the mountain of the Lord’s House has been established and all of the people of the world are invited to prepare themselves to enter the Modern-day temples (There are now over 100) that have been built throughout the earth. These temples have been built under the direction of Modern-day Prophets in the LDS Church. The invitation to come to these houses of prayer and learn how to enter the presence of God, is one that is extended to all the people of the world. This message from the Lord, through the restoration of the fullness of his Gospel, can bring peace, joy, and happiness to every child of God.

Creation - by Appreciable

Creation
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

Out of chaos I create
Words so very neat and clean
Speaking words of love or hate
To produce my inner scene

My words come from deep within
Where good and evil fight
Wherein begins goodness or sin
Where darkness battles light

And always I try to produce
A good and holy thought
And ever fight hard to reduce
The evil this world has taught

I hope that I win this battle with sin
That I may ever be
Welcomed to the light and saved from the night
To dwell, Oh Lord, with thee.

Will you weep for me as I lie sleeping? - by Appreciable

Will you weep for me as I lie sleeping?
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

Will you come to my coffin side
and weep as I lie sleeping?
Will you be sad when I have died
and returned to heavens keeping?

It’s O.K. to let tears move
softly from your eyes
It’s alright for those tears prove
where true love for me lies.

So weep for me with heartfelt zeal
as long as the sorrow flows
for that is the way you feel
and that is the way it shows.

Heavenly Father lives and loves us - by Appreciable

Heavenly Father lives and loves us
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

Heavenly Father lives and
loves us one and all
He sent Christ our Savior
to save us from the fall

Joseph Smith the prophet
Called to teach God's plan
Holy Scripture was restored
Through this righteous man

Through the Restoration
That gift of wondrous worth
The Lord sent his Church again
Here upon the Earth

Now we know the fullness
Of God's plan of grace
If we pass the test here
We will see his face

We must all live worthy
Of the spirits voice
He will help and guide us
When we make a choice

All our wondrous blessings
Come from God Above
He asks that we give him
Pure unending love

We can build the Kingdom
Each and every day
Enter to my kingdom
We can hear him say.

His image - by Appreciable

His image
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

Many see your dark skin
And think they know you well
Other faiths say that we sin
And are headed straight for hell

When we look in the mirror
And memorize our face
We think that we grow nearer
To learning our true place.

Yet, the longer I live upon this earth,
And the more I meet new friends
I've learned a lesson of great worth
As my suspicion ends.

I've learned as I look in your eyes
And walk on foreign sod
I see, in you, to my surprise
The image of our God.

The Journey of Faith - by Appreciable

The Journey of Faith
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

Begin to exercise your faith
And you will surely find
The strength to come to Christ and stay
To love with heart and mind.

Our journey to the arms of Jesus
Starts with a single stride
And the best thing about this journey?
It is one that we make inside.

The journey that takes the longest
Is the journey we never start.
We’ll never be free from the chains of sin
Unless we do our part.

Yes, Let’s ask our Heavenly Father
To change us deep inside.
For if we trust in God completely
Then with him we will abide.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ

The Instrument - by Appreciable

The Instrument
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

In the hands of a master craftsman
Each tool works efficiently
The mind of the expert holds the plan
And sees what no other can see

He patiently works to finish the task
He's done this job often and well
He does the job better than any could ask
And when he's done the work, you can tell

The tool alone, never can find success
Or accomplish the things contained in the plan
Please help me dear Father to serve and to bless
Like a powerful tool in your almighty hand.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ - by Appreciable

The Atonement of Jesus Christ
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

The loving Atonement performed by our Lord
Can help us to find harmony
God loved us so much that he sent forth the word
To reach out and to save you and me

Jesus alone could rescue and save
And help us be made perfect too
He Helps us to get the mercy we crave
By showing us what we should do

The penalty warranted by all our sin
Required the infinite gift
The battle with Satan we each can win
Our burden the Lord helps us lift

From the beginning the Lord was ordained
To die for what justice demands
Salvation from sin can now be obtained
By following Jesus' commands

We each can dwell with our Father above
As we follow the Lord's righteous course
His sacrifice shows a supreme act of love
Let us drink from this spring at it's source

The Savior has suffered these things for our sake
To redeem all mankind from the fall
Upon us his name we gladly will take
He offers his love unto all

We can all go where there's nothing unclean
Through Jesus alone this takes place
We can be saved from things evil and mean
To again see his loving face

The Savior had power to lay down his life
And take it up after its end
He asks us to flee contention and strife
And come home with him as a friend

He suffered temptations but gave them no heed
And lived life in pure innocence
He knows how to help in our hour of need
For all he has made recompense

The blood of the Lamb for our sake was shed
He gave his life freely for me
He prayed to our God as he suffered and bled
For help to endure agony

Because of the love that our dear Savior had
For the will of our Father and God
Our hearts fill with joy and are truly glad
For he finished the course that he trod

We can find peace through the powerful name
That broke bands at Gethsemane
We can be lifted up out of our shame
By the hope found upon Calvary

We must accept the Atonement he gave
Or face pure, strict justice alone
We all need the grace that's might to save
We deserve no mercy on our own

Our Lord took away the sharp sting found in death
He was the first of those who slept
We shall live again after losing life's breath
Joy comes to his children who’ve wept

The Savior invites all the world unto him
We'll be judged for the works we have done
That day will restore each joint and each limb
Through the power of God's perfect son

Those who are righteous will have so much joy
And praise the Lord eternally
His sacrifice saves each girl and each boy
That died in their pure infancy

So let us have faith in our dear Savior's call
And overcome evil today
Let's deliver his sweet invitation to all
To be baptized and walk in his way

We all can become truly born again
Receiving the spirit to guide
And this must take place in the hearts of all men
To be filled with his pure love inside

If you will repent he will receive you
Come feast on his love to the end
Trust in the Lord in all that you do
And his grace he freely will send

Partake of his love so exquisite and sweet
Drink deep of the doctrines he'll send
Some day we will kneel at our dear Savior's feet
Where our pains and our sorrows he'll mend

He knows all the trials we each face right now
Come cast on the Lord all your care
We all can be healed and he'll show us how
He atoned so that we could come there.

Those in error lost - by Appreciable

Those in error lost
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

Our God wants us to love all
Forgiving those who will offend
We can obey the Savior’s call
That wrath and strife may end

When hate and pride come in to stay
They hurt and cloud the mind
As hate and pride get in the way
Pure joy is hard to find

When people cling to hate
Their sorrow multiplies
They’re heading for a tragic fate
As their compassion dies

How much better is the Lord’s way
For, when he was upon the cross
He spoke the words we all should pray
(To forgive those in error lost)

Yes, as we follow Jesus
And pray as he would do
These prayers can’t help but please us
As we pray for ourselves too.

The Gift and Power of the Holy Ghost - by Appreciable

The Gift and Power of the Holy Ghost
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

The third member of the Godhead,
is a personage of spirit
Through his whisperings we are led,
as we listen close to hear it

Without a body of flesh and bone,
he enters into our heart
The truths of God can then be known,
by those who do their part

The Godhead works, always together,
in perfect unity
Giving us strength, life’s storms to weather,
with blessings eternally

The Holy Ghost will reveal,
the truth to the righteous mind
This truth, once received, no devil can steal,
because of the plan God designed

This quiet communication,
delivered softly to you and I
Is a gentle invitation,
to love our king who came, for our sins, to die

The witness of the Holy Ghost,
brings peace and certainty
This helps our conversion the most,
beyond what natural eyes see

As we strive to walk the trail,
that leads to eternal joy and bliss
We know that we will never fail,
if his promptings we don’t miss

The spirit can protect us all,
from danger of any kind
As we each answer his loving call,
great peace we soon will find

The gifts of the spirit will help us
to bless, those who need our love
We can help them to confess and forsake sin,
and dwell with our Father above

The soothing voice of a father,
brings comfort to a crying child
Let us help a Sister or Brother,
feel peace from the spirit so mild

The Holy Ghost can fill us up,
with perfect love and hope
The Savior can enter and with us sup,
and cut sins binding rope

Through the Spirit’s mighty power,
we are sanctified
We can find in every hour,
our needs will be supplied

We must enter through the baptismal gate,
to reach the Kingdom that’s best
The Gift of the Holy Ghost helps conquer hate,
and brings us peace and rest

He’s the Holy Spirit of Promise, it’s true,
and in this, his capacity
He confirms the ordinances given to you,
and those that are given to me

This approval depends on our faithfulness,
we each need this to take place
Our Father wants to guide and bless,
so we’ll worship him face to face

All honest seekers of the truth,
can feel the spirits influence and direction
Please ask God to bless all our youth,
to be worthy of his protection

The gift of the Holy Ghost is more constant,
than its influence alone
The gift allows him always to be present,
so we’ll have greater joy than we’ve known

We must keep the commandments of the almighty,
if we desire the spirit, to guide
We can enjoy his great company,
as in the love of God we abide

Full enjoyment of this gift,
can make us fit for Celestial glory
Let us go forth to bless and lift,
and tell all the world Jesus’ story

Each blessing comes, one by one,
as we prepare our hearts for God’s will
We must live in harmony with his Son,
if we desire God’s power to feel

God will bestow upon us great strength,
if we love him with all that we are
We know that we will conquer at length,
we can make it, no matter how far

The Spirit of the Lord may grieve,
his power may be quenched
If tangled webs of sin we weave,
the joy from our lives may be wrenched

Let’s keep our souls clean through the Lord’s grace,
and fill all our lives up with beauty
With help from the spirit we’ll reach the right place,
and accomplish each sacred duty.

My Son - by Appreciable

My Son
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

Evening light is fading
The room is dark and still
My child, sleeping soundly
Must wake to take his pill

I wake him very gently
He cries, for he is tired
He tries to move but cannot
There's a machine to which he's wired

And after he's asleep again
My heart is very sad
I feel like I should fix all this
Because I am his dad

Dear Father, up in Heaven
I'm pleading with you now
I want to heal my child's pain
Please help, and show me how

I feel I have no answers
Oh, Father hear my cries
My son is someone special
Will you just watch him as he dies?

Then, I hear a gentle voice
Speaking to my mind
Fear not, my child, for there is peace
In the plan that I designed

You see, I understand your grief
For I have felt it too
My son has also suffered pain
I've been as sad as you

When my son suffered on the cross
I wasn't by his side
I couldn't be there with him
Or help him as he died

Please know I love you and your son
And hold his little hand
You see, your loving kindness
Is the help for him I planned

And when his short life slips away
I'll catch and hold him tight
I hope this knowledge helps you
to make it through the night

So, Listen to your heart, my child
And you will clearly see
Your Savior, Jesus, paid the price
That all may come to me.

To Clearly See - by Appreciable

To Clearly See
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

We need to see things clearly
If we want to know the truth
We must hunger for it dearly
Hunting like a super-sleuth

We only see through darkly
As we travel in this life
Faith grows like a small tree
Overcoming storm and strife

There is a gift as great as love
That our kind God will give
And he has sent it from above
To help our faith to live.

A seer is helpful to us all
In showing truth and light
In taking down tradition's wall
And ending darkest night

We all have misperceptions
About our history
We see murky reflections
In the way things used to be

We need the help, God will provide
To understand the past
The truth can help us then decide
To find great joy at last.

Refining Fire - by Appreciable

Refining Fire
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

When life seems really sad
And full of punishment
It's not always cause' we've been bad
That the trials have been sent

In the Scriptures as we read, we see
Hard times the righteous face
Though pure in word and deed
They had to run this mortal race

The glorious crown we hope to win
Isn't in this place of scorn
For, though the Lord was free from sin
He wore a crown of thorn

Please, Lord guide us to the light
May we heed the words you say
Stay with us through this night
Til' we behold Celestial day

The trials of this life
Can inflict no lasting harms
If we trust God through the strife
Til' once again we're in his arms.

Ghost Town - by Appreciable

Ghost Town
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

Darkness in the City
Brings a pensive mood
My state should bring me pity
Caused by thoughts on which I brood

This City is a ghost town
As empty as despair
Tonight I’m feeling down
And there’s no one here to care

Sure, The homes are full of people
Their lights are blazing bright
I can see the lighted steeple
On the church house, through the night

But I also see the shadow
Of friends who once lived here
Their hearts made my heart glow
And filled my life with cheer

So many friends have moved away
And yet their ghosts remain
“Remember me” their houses say
In haunting, slow refrain

I cannot travel down the road
Once the sun has set
For all the memories kindness sowed
Will not let me forget

So many houses with memories living
Those families sure were kind
I miss the sharing and the giving
That soothed my lonely mind

And yet, before I moved to this home
Someone’s friend first moved away
So wherever all my friends may roam
They will find more friends I pray

Yes, I’ll try to be the kind of friend
I hope and pray to meet
Because I know that in the end
I must love, to be complete.

There is hope - by Appreciable

There is hope
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet

O struggling world so full of strife
Thy God is near to thee
He is the way to peace in life
Bright hope I truly see

For when we place our hand in thine
Our footsteps thou wilt lead
And guide us with a light divine
With love supply our need

The nations of the earth must bow
In deep humility
To find the peace you offer now
To view the hope I see

For death or trial with pain and grief
May come to me today
I through the Savior find relief
That peace inside will stay

My hope for our dark troubled earth
Is peace for you and I
The answer is the second birth
That Jesus can supply.