L and others have given suggestions for overcoming addictive habits. A friend shared the following with me which I have found helpful:
"I read in a diet book some techniques on “how to talk back to a cookie.” These same strategies are useful to confront a variety of temptations, physical or otherwise. There are many ways you can tell temptation to “Get thee behind me !” (Matt. 16:23)
‚ The bait:“Just one won’t hurt.” (2 Ne. 28:7) Your response: “One was never enough before. It won’t be enough now!”
‚ “But it’s been such a stressful day.” Respond with: “If I do it tonight, I will even more stressed tomorrow!” (2 Ne. 4:19)
‚ “I’ve been so good, I deserve a reward.” “I don’t reward myself with things that cause me pain and guilt!” (Alma 36:12)
‚ “I feel lonely. I need comfort.” “Guilt and shame will make me feel more isolated!” (Al. 41:10)
‚ “It’s not fair that I can’t have it.” “It’s more unfair to lose the peace and joy that will come from overcoming this!” (Alma 5:16)
‚ “It’s a holiday. Time to indulge.” “I’m not going to take a holiday from good judgement!” (Is. 1:18-20)
‚ “Go ahead. You deserve it.” “I’ve come too far toward my goal to take orders from you!” (Matt.4:10)
‚ “You did it once. You may as well do it again.” “Repeating will only make it worse. It’s like consuming my vomit!” (2 Peter 2:21-22)
‚ “Taste it. It’s not wrong. You’re just curious.” “Curious is just another word for lust. I know how cruddy I will feel afterwards.” (Matt. 5:27-28)
‚ “If you must say, ‘No,’ you are not free.” “I choose the freedom to experience peace and joy. When you say, ‘No,’ to something, you are saying, ‘Yes,’ to something else!” (2 Ne. 2:25-26)
‚ “You failed! Go ahead and enjoy it again.” “Mistakes are only failures if they are repeated. I’m going to learn from this mistake starting right now!” (Ether 12:27)
‚ “You shouldn’t deprive yourself.” “This is not deprivation. It is liberation!” (Gal. 5:1)
‚ “Your rigid rules are keeping you from fun.” “Your ‘fun’ is a little bit of pleasure with a lot of pain, self-doubt and confusion afterwards!” (Moroni 10:22)
‚ “All these rules clutter up your life and control you” “I freely chose these rules because they lead me to strength, discipline, peace, joy, and confidence.!” (D&C 121:45)
‚ “It’s just a little. It’s not like you did something big.” (2 Ne. 28:8) “A little banana peel can cause a big fall. Having just a little is harder than having none!”
‚ “You cannot deny this powerful craving.” “Even the most powerful craving is just a passing desire. I am changing my thoughts and getting out of here!” (Gen. 39:12)
‚ “You’ll never make it up this mountain.” “Yes I will, one step at a time. I am going in the right direction, even if it is not as fast as I would like. I am going to get there!” (D&C 90:24; Moroni 7:33)"
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
AN INSIGHTFUL INTERPRETATION OF MORMONISM
I just read an insightful article on the Church written by a non-LDS professor and published in a Christian Journal. It is written in the context of the Romney campaign. She responds to Evangelical Christians' fears of Romney's Mormonism. Please read it. You will enjoy it, especially her comparison of Mormonism and Evangelical Christianity. From my point of view, she has an accurate understanding of LDS history, culture and doctrine and presents it in a clear, concise, and positive way. I also must make it clear that although I respect Mitt Romney and have no question that he is a man of high integrity and is an excellent leader, I am disappointed in his right-wing rhetoric. I believe that like his father he is a pragmatist deep down within. But I think that he is bending over backward to get the right-wing vote. I may end up voting for the democrat. Politics aside, this is a good article:
http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=3594
http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=3594
Monday, September 3, 2007
HOW DO WE FIND WORLD PEACE ?
Please read the following letter, keeping in mind the teachings of Jesus and compare our actions in Iraq:
Letter from David Christie to George Ellis The following letter from a Scottish soldier was sent to Dr. Ellis after he received the Templeton Prize in 2004. Ellis says that despite the British army's overpowering force, they risked their lives in order to achieve peace by not retailiating but by exercising restraint, even while being attacked. It's this type of sacrifice, Ellis points out, that can be applied to the situation in Iraq.
"In 1967 I was a young officer in a Scottish battalion engaged in peacekeeping duties in Aden town in what is now Yemen. The situation was similar to Iraq, with people being killed every day. As always, those who suffered the most were the innocent local people. Not only were we tough, but we had the power to pretty well destroy the whole town had we wished. But we had a commanding officer who understood how to make peace, and he led us to do something very unusual, not to react when we were attacked. Only if we were 100 percent certain that a particular person had thrown a grenade or fired a shot at us were we allowed to fire. During our tour of duty we had 102 grenades thrown at us, and in response the battalion fired the grand total of two shots, killing one grenade-thrower. The cost to us was over 100 of our own men wounded, and surely by the grace of God only one killed. When they threw rocks at us, we stood fast. When they threw grenades, we hit the deck and after the explosions we got to our feet and stood fast. We did not react in anger or indiscriminately. This was not the anticipated reaction. Slowly, very slowly, the local people began to trust us and made it clear to the local terrorists that they were not welcome in their area. At one stage neighboring battalions were having a torrid time with attacks. We were playing soccer with the locals. We had, in fact, brought peace to the area at the cost of our own blood. How had this been achieved? Principally because we were led by a man whom every soldier in the battalion knew would die for him if required. Each soldier in turn came to be prepared to sacrifice himself for such a man. Many people may sneer that we were merely obeying orders, but this was not the case. Our commanding officer was more highly regarded by his soldiers than the general, one must almost say loved. So gradually the heart of the peacemaker began to grow in the man and determination to succeed whatever the cost. Probably most of the soldiers, like myself, only realized years afterwards what had been achieved."
[http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/scienceandhope/scottishsoldier.shtml]
Now consider what President Kimball wrote in the First Presidency article in the Ensign in June 1976 when we were celebrating America's 200 birthday and saying how good and great we Americans are.
"We are a warlike people, easily distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of the Lord. When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone and steel—ships, planes, missiles, fortifications—and depend on them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become antienemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of Satan’s counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the Savior’s teaching:
“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:44–45.)
We forget that if we are righteous the Lord will either not suffer our enemies to come upon us—and this is the special promise to the inhabitants of the land of the Americas (see 2 Ne. 1:7)—or he will fight our battles for us (Ex. 14:14; D&C 98:37, to name only two references of many). This he is able to do, for as he said at the time of his betrayal, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:53.) We can imagine what fearsome soldiers they would be. King Jehoshaphat and his people were delivered by such a troop (see 2 Chr. 20), and when Elisha’s life was threatened, he comforted his servant by saying, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kgs. 6:16). The Lord then opened the eyes of the servant, “And he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2 Kgs. 6:17.)
Enoch, too, was a man of great faith who would not be distracted from his duties by the enemy: “And so great was the faith of Enoch, that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch.” (Moses 7:13.)
What are we to fear when the Lord is with us? Can we not take the Lord at his word and exercise a particle of faith in him? Our assignment is affirmative: to forsake the things of the world as ends in themselves; to leave off idolatry and press forward in faith; to carry the gospel to our enemies, that they might no longer be our enemies. http://lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b12f9d18fae655bb69095bd3e44916a0/?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=9341fd758096b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1
Compare the above quotes with what we are doing in Iraq and what we are threatening to do in Iran.
What are your thoughts??
Letter from David Christie to George Ellis The following letter from a Scottish soldier was sent to Dr. Ellis after he received the Templeton Prize in 2004. Ellis says that despite the British army's overpowering force, they risked their lives in order to achieve peace by not retailiating but by exercising restraint, even while being attacked. It's this type of sacrifice, Ellis points out, that can be applied to the situation in Iraq.
"In 1967 I was a young officer in a Scottish battalion engaged in peacekeeping duties in Aden town in what is now Yemen. The situation was similar to Iraq, with people being killed every day. As always, those who suffered the most were the innocent local people. Not only were we tough, but we had the power to pretty well destroy the whole town had we wished. But we had a commanding officer who understood how to make peace, and he led us to do something very unusual, not to react when we were attacked. Only if we were 100 percent certain that a particular person had thrown a grenade or fired a shot at us were we allowed to fire. During our tour of duty we had 102 grenades thrown at us, and in response the battalion fired the grand total of two shots, killing one grenade-thrower. The cost to us was over 100 of our own men wounded, and surely by the grace of God only one killed. When they threw rocks at us, we stood fast. When they threw grenades, we hit the deck and after the explosions we got to our feet and stood fast. We did not react in anger or indiscriminately. This was not the anticipated reaction. Slowly, very slowly, the local people began to trust us and made it clear to the local terrorists that they were not welcome in their area. At one stage neighboring battalions were having a torrid time with attacks. We were playing soccer with the locals. We had, in fact, brought peace to the area at the cost of our own blood. How had this been achieved? Principally because we were led by a man whom every soldier in the battalion knew would die for him if required. Each soldier in turn came to be prepared to sacrifice himself for such a man. Many people may sneer that we were merely obeying orders, but this was not the case. Our commanding officer was more highly regarded by his soldiers than the general, one must almost say loved. So gradually the heart of the peacemaker began to grow in the man and determination to succeed whatever the cost. Probably most of the soldiers, like myself, only realized years afterwards what had been achieved."
[http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/scienceandhope/scottishsoldier.shtml]
Now consider what President Kimball wrote in the First Presidency article in the Ensign in June 1976 when we were celebrating America's 200 birthday and saying how good and great we Americans are.
"We are a warlike people, easily distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of the Lord. When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone and steel—ships, planes, missiles, fortifications—and depend on them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become antienemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of Satan’s counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the Savior’s teaching:
“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:44–45.)
We forget that if we are righteous the Lord will either not suffer our enemies to come upon us—and this is the special promise to the inhabitants of the land of the Americas (see 2 Ne. 1:7)—or he will fight our battles for us (Ex. 14:14; D&C 98:37, to name only two references of many). This he is able to do, for as he said at the time of his betrayal, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:53.) We can imagine what fearsome soldiers they would be. King Jehoshaphat and his people were delivered by such a troop (see 2 Chr. 20), and when Elisha’s life was threatened, he comforted his servant by saying, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kgs. 6:16). The Lord then opened the eyes of the servant, “And he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2 Kgs. 6:17.)
Enoch, too, was a man of great faith who would not be distracted from his duties by the enemy: “And so great was the faith of Enoch, that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch.” (Moses 7:13.)
What are we to fear when the Lord is with us? Can we not take the Lord at his word and exercise a particle of faith in him? Our assignment is affirmative: to forsake the things of the world as ends in themselves; to leave off idolatry and press forward in faith; to carry the gospel to our enemies, that they might no longer be our enemies. http://lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b12f9d18fae655bb69095bd3e44916a0/?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=9341fd758096b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1
Compare the above quotes with what we are doing in Iraq and what we are threatening to do in Iran.
What are your thoughts??
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