“The prayer of every speaker, the hope of all who sing, the reverence of every guest — we are all are dedicated to inviting the spirit of Him whose Church this is, the living Christ, the Lamb of God, the Prince of Peace.”
“I testify with … a host of others down through time that surely the most thrilling sight and sound in life is that of Jesus not only passing by but His coming to us, stopping beside us and making His abode with us.”
“Through the incessant din and drumbeat of our day, may we strive to see Christ at the center of our lives, of our faith and of our service. This is where true meaning lies.
“And if some days our vision is limited, or our confidence has waned, or our belief is being tested and refined – as surely it will be — may we cry out the louder, ‘Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me’ (Mark 10:47).
“I promise with apostolic fervor and prophetic conviction that He will hear you and will say, soon or late, ‘Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee,’ (Luke 18:42).”
Then Women's conference and Pres. Oaks talked and it took the joy out of it for me. Good thing he didn't talk until Saturday night.
I'm always a little floored how often Pres. Oaks addresses LGBT issues with such assurance. The same assurance Pres. Kimball used in the 1970's around LGBT that we know now is all wrong. I believe Oaks take is wrong as well.
I know how personal revelation works. There is a question I take to the Lord and then the answer is channeled through me and my experiences and biases are all part of how I interpret it. This is how it works with Pres. Oaks too. He is from the time where LGBT people were totally looked down on and reviled. He is from the Pres. Kimball era. I know he is trying, but I wish he would say..."You know what- the after life- the spirit world we don't really know how that looks. We don't really know how this all works out, but we trust that God does and it will be better than any of our earthly minds can comprehend. " That sounds and feels like truth. That sounds and feels like love.
Article of Faith 9. “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.”
We don't know and are waiting for further and continual revelation how LGBT fits into our black and white- heterosexual world.
No wonder my children have left my beloved church.
After struggling with this all night and tossing and turning what got me through and what centers me is my thought that "Heavenly Father loves my children more than I love my children. He knows what's going on with them, more than I do. AND I trust Him and that it's all going to work out." This thought keeps me grounded and moving forward in the gospel. It has for over a decade. When I can get my thoughts back to this, I feel peace.
I know that LGBT people are part of God's plan...because they are here and a part of us. My goal is to keep them a part of us...and a part of my church. I know it's God's goal too.
Here is a E. Oaks quote from his talk about the Spirit World that does ring true:
" There is so much we do not know that our only sure reliance is to trust in the Lord and His love for His children."
And another from this same talk:
"There are many questions the Lord has yet to reveal answers to. Some of these questions may concern conditions or relationships in the spirit world or in the kingdoms of glory. In all circumstances, the best solution is to trust the Lord and move forward. "
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