I went to the Oregon Zoo on Wednesday and had a good time. The weather was only around 50 degrees fahrenheit, but for Oregon in February, that’s pleasant. There were intermittent showers but mostly sunny in the morning. I even got to see the otter and the sea lions doing tricks for the zoo keepers. Then, I went to watch the polar bears. I don’t often see them in the water, but one was out today. She was doing the backstroke across the viewing window, her head just a few inches from mine through the glass. Her tooth showed through her lips. (more…)

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Many years ago, before my sons served missions, the ward where we lived had a very dedicated corps of Young Men leaders. I was impressed by their sincerity and their desire to prepare young men, including my sons, to serve missions. Their devotion to their callings was making a favorable impact on many young men. (more…)

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An analysis of Psalms 32 regarding the value of confession and how it helps to overcome shame.

When we speak of confession, we tend to think of it in its narrowest sense, which is that of laying out our sins before church authorities or before God. I believe that the principle of confession speaks of a way of life rather than scattered acts of submission to ecclesiastical and divine authority. (more…)

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Why I am grateful for the struggles I’ve had.

Same-sex attraction was hell when all the feelings and emotions I experienced were wrapped up in a desire for intimacy with men and when every word that proceeds from God’s chosen servants told me I must not indulge those feelings. (more…)

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The scriptures often give us a picture of mankind as being essentially evil. When the brother of Jared prayed to the Lord to touch the sixteen stones for light, he said:

O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires (Ether 3:2).

(more…)

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It is one of the hallmarks of sexual addiction that such a person was usually raised in an environment where love was earned, conditional. For those of us who struggle same-sex attraction, we often rely heavily upon the love and acceptance of others of our same sex to help us heal the breach we have felt with such people. (more…)

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If good intentions were building materials, I would like to inhabit a mighty fortress of my own making. I would be perfect, for such is my desire. I am filled with many righteous desires and plans, but they rarely become more than simple optimism. My good intentions frequently become sins of commission or sins of omission. (more…)

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In 1980, while working at a warehouse job, I was out at the dock doing receving. A case of cash register tape was being delivered. The dock was built to accommodate large semis. This package was being delivered by a small delivery type truck. (more…)

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I finally went to college in my forties and graduated at fifty. It’s an accomplishment that I claim some pride in, since I’m the first generation in all of my lineage to get a college degree. It felt good and it has been of great value to me. (more…)

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I’m feeling my age and more this week. This last year has been a year of medical revelations. I’ve been diagnosed with gout, diabetes, and now, degenerative joint disease. The latter I’m feeling deeply. (more…)

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It’s the quintessential smalltalk question. “What do you think of this weather?” In Oregon, where I live, the weather lately has been pretty interesting. It’s mid-June and we’re still having temperatures like February. It’s certainly not uncommon for June in Oregon to be rainy, but it’s definitely strange for it to also be cold. (more…)

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In the pamphlet MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS at ProvidentLiving.org, it says:

8. Are these meetings open to those who deal with same sex attraction?

A. Yes.

 

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Well, maybe five…

In my late forties, I decided to take advantage of having been laid off by Intel where I was doing some web and business programming. I enrolled in a Mental Health and Human Resources program at the community college. In my two years there, I had the experience of having my beliefs challenged about my struggle with same-sex attraction. Just about every “speaker” they brought in was gay. (more…)

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Principles of Respect:
A Gospel Perspective

Based on a Workshop Presented at the 2006 Conference of Evergreen International
By Stephen Rex Goode

The ideas expressed in the workshop are based on my definitions of the terms as I use them here in my work as a skills trainer of developmentally delayed adults and a mentor to at risk youth. If you have different definitions, I encourage you to consider what I present as a new way to look at respect. (more…)

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by Tom Hampton (Used by permission)

In my life, there are times of sadness and times of joy.
In my life, there are friends abound and loneliness.
In my life, there is great light and darkness.
In my life, there are two people and then they are one.
My soul reaches for home in the stars with my Father and my body mires in the earth with the devil.
I am two yet am I one, the spirit within and the body with out.
One a slave, one a master and yet I choose .
This day I choose to be a slave to sin and yet I starve for Light.
This day I cry inside and yearn to dance with light for I know that I am loved.
I beg at the feet of my Immortal Savior that soon He will be my Master for all eternity, no doubts no regrets.
I grow a little each day as I die a little each day.
My time here is brief and yet the eternities hinge on my every action.
I am a Son of God, learning, growing. Falling and standing up again.
I am scared and yet my spirit knows no fear.
I have stepped through the looking glass and turned round to see the other side of me.
I am weak and with humility I will be strong.
I thank my Lord for the trials I walk, they let me know that I am alive and Loved.
I seek peace now as I rebirth my soul into a new and kinder being.
Today I know that I walk no longer alone and the light beams brightly into blind eyes that feel the love and open the song of my heart.
I will sing hosannas the days of my remainder, for at last I know that through Atonement I can go home.

Tom Hampton

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