Thursday, April 23, 2009

These are the Times That Try Men's Souls

There was a political cartoon in the newspaper the other day that was right on. A man reading a paper said, "I feel like I'm back in the 1770's with all these headlines of pirates and tea parties." And speaking of tea parties, when your elected officials are on a run-away course to establish Socialism in government and the national media are blazing liberals and mock anyone who differs from their viewpoint, what are we conservatives to do? Stage a tea party!

I mailed tea bags to the White House, as well as an empty red envelope with a message about a life being snuffed out by abortion, preventing that person from developing into a responsible, productive person. I give funds to support Proposition 8 in California. I vote in every election for officials who share my conservative point of view and support a Republic form of government with moral Christian principles instead of the big government that takes everything from productive people to give to those who refuse to work. And I pray continually over our country and those that defend it.

I do all I can think of to do, and it's not enough. It's so frustrating to know that the good things we try to do are mocked by a liberal press. Good, honest, hardworking Christians are called right wing extremists and labeled as dangerous by our Homeland Security leaders. Our returning military heroes are likewise labeled. What is wrong with this picture??

I feel so frustrated I'd like to buy a little place on the top of a mountain and raise all my own food and not have to deal with these crazy people anymore. Our illustrious California leaders scream that we must protect our earth, and they shut of the water to the Central Valley which raises 80% of all the food consumed in California - to protect a little Delta Smelt fish. So the people who raise the food will go hungry, or pay exorbitant prices, as well as the rest of the people in California. Does that make sense? Have they never heard of fish hatcheries?

They cry about using clean energy - yet refuse to allow wind farms and solar energy in the Mojave Desert because they must protect the desert tortoise and the pristine nature of the desert. It's a desert, for crying out loud! And there hundreds of millions of acres of desolate, barren land out there that are good for nothing BUT wind and solar farms. It's enough to make you bat your head against the wall. How do we elect such narrow-minded people? What will they end up doing to our world?

We had stake conference last weekend. It was a marvelously spiritual weekend, beginning with a chapel session at the temple on Friday night where a member of the temple presidency spoke. A visiting member of the Seventy was the main speaker Saturday night and Sunday. Wonderful messages of hope and uplift from everyone who participated - and the talks all had a similar theme: Keep the commandments. Go to the temple. Give service. Forget yourself and serve wherever you can.

One member of our stake presidency who is a real sports nut said he devised a motto to keep him on track - he used the well-known ESPN to remind him of what he needed to do every day: Exercise, Study the Scriptures, Pray, Not do anything Naughty. ESPN. Then a couple of years later, he updated it. Exaltation, Priesthood, Spirit, Nice things - charitable service. He said if he thought of those things every day as his goals and aids toward them, he had no trouble keeping out of the world.

I guess that's the key to survival in this insane world today. Distance ourselves as much as possible from the madness by immersion in temple attendance, scripture study, prayer, our callings, service to our families and fellow man, and seeking to have the Spirit constantly. Then I believe we'll be guided to do whatever small things we can to improve life in our tiny sphere of influence.

As we were told repeatedly during conference: the temple is a place of refuge from the storms of life and we can be renewed while we are doing service for those who can't do it for themselves. There are certainly storms raging around us - political and otherwise. So I'll see you at the temple! It's the best way to ease the frustrations of today's headlines! And yes, I'll join you at the next tea party in July!!

3 comments:

Valerie said...

Lynn--For three years my job was typing news programs and I watched 10-20 hours a week of CBS and NBC and I got very tired of the "liberal elite." It's like a lot of the news people are different planets and don't even realize it. It's seems like the few are trying to speak for the rest--sort of like the Hollywood crew as well. What do we do? Try to keep sane, and as you said, use the resources we have to keep ourselves strong and in touch spiritually to do what we can do, whatever that may be. California certainly seems to be on the front lines these days. I'm glad for the strong Saints there. Hugs, Val

Jennie said...

Nice blog, Lynn. I get so discouraged when I see how good people swallow everything they hear on TV or the internet, when I read the rude comments on news blogs, and when I read the scriptures and can't help seeing how our own country is following the same dangerous pride cycle that destroyed those previous civilizations. I believe our future and that of our children depends on the points you gave, prayer, service, temple attendance, and following God's commandments.

Cheri J. Crane said...

Great post, Lynn. =)And extremely true. We can still find that much-needed peace of heart and mind in the temple.