WEBVTT 00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:18.559 Hey there, everybody. Welcome out to another 00:00:18.559 --> 00:00:20.600 episode of Redeemed Through His Blood. Scott 00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:23.820 and Debra Durfey here, season four. What's 00:00:23.820 --> 00:00:27.140 up, Deb? Just happy to be here. Happy to be here 00:00:27.140 --> 00:00:32.210 too. So here we are, Deb. It's pretty spring 00:00:32.210 --> 00:00:36.049 weather we're having today. Plenty of rain. I 00:00:36.049 --> 00:00:38.250 guess it's not too pretty. Don't make the flowers 00:00:38.250 --> 00:00:39.810 grow in the grass. That's what they say. That's 00:00:39.810 --> 00:00:43.590 what they say. And we have a wonderful opportunity 00:00:43.590 --> 00:00:47.570 at the end of this week. And I would be remiss 00:00:47.570 --> 00:00:49.390 if we didn't mention this, but it's Mother's 00:00:49.390 --> 00:00:52.530 Day coming up. This episode will come out ahead 00:00:52.530 --> 00:00:54.590 of Mother's Day. It's appropriate that today 00:00:54.590 --> 00:00:57.609 we're... talking about who we are and whose we 00:00:57.609 --> 00:01:01.130 are because we have heavenly parents and I think 00:01:01.130 --> 00:01:03.969 it's important that we recognize that perhaps 00:01:03.969 --> 00:01:07.590 and you know maybe even Sunday we won't talk 00:01:07.590 --> 00:01:10.549 too much about it just out of reverence but maybe 00:01:10.549 --> 00:01:13.829 on Sunday we can even think a little bit about 00:01:13.829 --> 00:01:16.909 our heavenly mother. I always think of oh my 00:01:16.909 --> 00:01:20.269 father when the line in there that I have a mother 00:01:20.269 --> 00:01:25.739 there warms me. I love that line. Well, and you're 00:01:25.739 --> 00:01:29.120 a mother dub and my favorite job I've ever had 00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:31.019 and you do a wonderful job next to grandmother 00:01:31.019 --> 00:01:34.099 now we had a we had a whole bunch of kids over 00:01:34.099 --> 00:01:38.200 yesterday and That's that's that's the highlight 00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:42.540 of our week, you know to 100 % Chaos and screaming 00:01:42.540 --> 00:01:45.159 and noise and mess and spills. What's those little 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:48.760 ones running around and glorious all of that 00:01:48.760 --> 00:01:52.480 We've received some feedback and some input. 00:01:52.599 --> 00:01:55.000 I don't know feedbacks. Yeah, we've received 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:57.180 some feedback too. And the feedback has been 00:01:57.180 --> 00:02:00.599 positive, Deb. A lot of people are just super 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:03.260 grateful that you have joined the podcast. They 00:02:03.260 --> 00:02:06.700 love your perspective. I do as well. And so again, 00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:08.860 Deb, a lot of feedback. People are loving it. 00:02:09.020 --> 00:02:11.520 People are loving having you here. And just for 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:14.039 those of you who maybe would love to send or 00:02:14.039 --> 00:02:16.259 would like to send us an email and communicate 00:02:16.259 --> 00:02:18.060 with us, we invite you to do that. We try to 00:02:18.060 --> 00:02:20.280 respond to as many as we possibly can. if you 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:22.539 have a question that you'd like for us to answer 00:02:22.539 --> 00:02:24.479 here on the podcast, we'll do our best to do 00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:28.500 that as well, but you can do that at heredeemsusatgmail 00:02:28.500 --> 00:02:31.879 .com, heredeemsusatgmail .com. So Deb, here we 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:35.120 are, season four, episode three. In episode three, 00:02:35.259 --> 00:02:39.039 we really begin now to dive into the things that 00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:42.680 can help us to understand how it is that we put 00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:44.979 on the atonement of Jesus Christ, why we wanna 00:02:44.979 --> 00:02:47.349 put on the. the atonement of Jesus Christ, but 00:02:47.349 --> 00:02:49.870 even all of that is several weeks down the road. 00:02:49.969 --> 00:02:53.289 Before we do any of that, we really need to understand 00:02:53.289 --> 00:02:56.789 some core principles, some very basics about 00:02:56.789 --> 00:02:59.389 ourselves. You know, we have some core principles 00:02:59.389 --> 00:03:03.030 that we just kind of default to, and sometimes 00:03:03.030 --> 00:03:06.610 some of those core principles really fall in 00:03:06.610 --> 00:03:12.069 line with our identity, you know. I talk to people 00:03:12.069 --> 00:03:13.930 all the time, you talk to people all the time 00:03:13.930 --> 00:03:17.409 as well, sweetheart, that, you know, when we 00:03:17.409 --> 00:03:19.969 think about, okay, who we are, if I were to ask 00:03:19.969 --> 00:03:22.030 somebody, not you, Deb, but if I were to ask 00:03:22.030 --> 00:03:24.349 somebody, who are you, oftentimes, you know, 00:03:24.349 --> 00:03:31.050 I'll get the story of their career or maybe a 00:03:31.050 --> 00:03:35.509 story of their past that they use to define themselves 00:03:35.509 --> 00:03:38.449 today. And I mean, what are your thoughts around 00:03:38.449 --> 00:03:41.400 identity, sweetie? Well, it's ironic that you 00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:43.379 say that because it takes me back to one of the 00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:46.900 first corporate events I went with you. And there 00:03:46.900 --> 00:03:49.900 are all these people that are, we're at this 00:03:49.900 --> 00:03:53.280 gala dinner and people are asking me, so what 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:56.979 do you do? And I immediately went to, I'm a mom, 00:03:57.039 --> 00:03:59.599 we have seven kids. I have like, I think at that 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:02.919 time I had like two grandkids and you looked 00:04:02.919 --> 00:04:05.099 over at me and you're like, they mean what do 00:04:05.099 --> 00:04:09.219 you do for work? And I remember feeling so silly 00:04:09.219 --> 00:04:11.860 about answering that. But when people ask me 00:04:11.860 --> 00:04:15.360 who I am, that is the very first thing I have 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:18.060 ever said. And even as a young child, I remember 00:04:18.060 --> 00:04:19.560 people asking me, what do you want to be when 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:21.839 you grow up? And I said, a mom. And they're like, 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:24.860 no, like for work. And I said, mom's work? I 00:04:24.860 --> 00:04:28.660 want to be a mom. So that's honestly where I 00:04:28.660 --> 00:04:32.319 went to when you said that. But I think I think 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:35.680 where we're really going with this is identifying 00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:42.860 who we are and whose we are. I think that's really 00:04:42.860 --> 00:04:46.220 one of the things that I've really had to push 00:04:46.220 --> 00:04:50.579 pause and kind of slow down and really ask. I 00:04:50.579 --> 00:04:53.420 mean, we all know that I'm a child of God. We 00:04:53.420 --> 00:04:58.980 know the primary answers. But the primary answers 00:04:58.980 --> 00:05:02.199 is really where the thick doctrine is. That's 00:05:02.199 --> 00:05:05.079 really true. The problem is sometimes though 00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:08.339 is believing it. Yeah, and believing it above 00:05:08.339 --> 00:05:11.060 our other identities I believe that sometimes 00:05:11.060 --> 00:05:13.660 and this is you know We're gonna get into our 00:05:13.660 --> 00:05:15.639 our pre -mortal existence here in a minute and 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:17.379 all the things that took place there but I think 00:05:17.379 --> 00:05:19.480 one of the things that the accuser really tries 00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:23.639 to do is to is to cloud our identity to give 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:27.699 us new identities or other identities or or pseudo 00:05:27.699 --> 00:05:30.259 identities things that we really aren't but we 00:05:30.259 --> 00:05:33.759 believe we are like broken for example like too 00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:37.370 far gone for example, like my I, you know, not 00:05:37.370 --> 00:05:41.850 enough. Yeah. Boy, oh boy. And I go there still 00:05:41.850 --> 00:05:44.810 sometimes, sweetie. Me too. Because I deal with 00:05:44.810 --> 00:05:46.589 the effects of the fall, and we'll talk about 00:05:46.589 --> 00:05:48.370 that in a couple of weeks too, but because I 00:05:48.370 --> 00:05:50.029 deal with the effects of the fall, and because 00:05:50.029 --> 00:05:53.230 of the spiritual death that I experience, it's 00:05:53.230 --> 00:05:55.430 sometimes difficult to really remember who I 00:05:55.430 --> 00:05:58.689 am. And when I get tired, when I get hungry, 00:05:58.790 --> 00:06:03.029 when I get angry, when I get lonely, and tired, 00:06:03.269 --> 00:06:07.149 in recovery rooms, that acronym we use is HALT, 00:06:07.189 --> 00:06:10.550 hungry. angry, lonely, tired. And when I get 00:06:10.550 --> 00:06:13.670 hungry, angry, lonely, tired, and sometimes when 00:06:13.670 --> 00:06:19.870 my dis -ease is prevalent in my life, then I... 00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:23.139 then my mind and my identity can become clouded. 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:26.259 I see myself as less than sometimes or not good 00:06:26.259 --> 00:06:30.339 enough still. And I've been dealing in sobriety 00:06:30.339 --> 00:06:33.740 for 26 years with trying to change and understand 00:06:33.740 --> 00:06:36.399 my real identity. And I really do understand 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:39.560 my real identity, but to be able to incorporate 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:43.879 that into every thought and every day and everything 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:46.519 that I do is just extremely difficult for me. 00:06:46.779 --> 00:06:49.959 You know, I also think that sometimes our answer 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:53.759 is different based on our audience. Sure. Because 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:58.720 depending on who asks the question, tell me about 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:01.079 you. I was doing interviews today, ironically 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:04.500 enough. Yeah. And it's interesting when you ask 00:07:04.500 --> 00:07:06.779 that question, when you're in a workplace, when 00:07:06.779 --> 00:07:09.759 you're in a church, when you're in public, when 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:14.329 you're whatever. But those answers, for me, I 00:07:14.329 --> 00:07:16.370 mean, as you were sharing that, I thought, you 00:07:16.370 --> 00:07:19.490 know, my answers change. Depending on where I'm 00:07:19.490 --> 00:07:21.949 at, if I'm in the workplace, my work hat goes 00:07:21.949 --> 00:07:24.189 on and I'll tell you what I do for work. Yeah. 00:07:24.689 --> 00:07:27.829 And I'll tell, you know, so it's, it's interesting 00:07:27.829 --> 00:07:31.209 that we, we, I, I'm not going to take anybody's 00:07:31.209 --> 00:07:35.709 inventory, but I have multiple identities. Yeah. 00:07:35.870 --> 00:07:38.310 That's interesting. And I think it's important 00:07:38.310 --> 00:07:40.910 that we differentiate though, what we do is not 00:07:40.910 --> 00:07:44.699 who we are. Exactly, but that's hard to remember 00:07:44.699 --> 00:07:47.920 sometimes sometimes sometimes it is you know, 00:07:48.279 --> 00:07:52.399 I I just got back from I I'm a public speaker 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:55.360 and I just got back from a big event that we 00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:58.199 did in Denver and I'll have another one coming 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:00.480 up here in a little bit and it was in Detroit 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:02.980 and Dallas and and New York and several other 00:08:02.980 --> 00:08:06.019 places recently doing this and well I'm doing 00:08:06.019 --> 00:08:10.300 that that is kind of my identity, you know but 00:08:10.899 --> 00:08:14.060 But my real identity, Deb, that's what's really 00:08:14.060 --> 00:08:17.439 important. My core identity is what's important. 00:08:17.459 --> 00:08:19.399 So let's talk about that for a minute. Who are 00:08:19.399 --> 00:08:22.139 we really? And you said it, it's important to 00:08:22.139 --> 00:08:24.920 know who we are and whose we are. I love what 00:08:24.920 --> 00:08:28.439 David used to say, our previous co -host who's 00:08:28.439 --> 00:08:31.579 now preparing to serve a mission, but I love 00:08:31.579 --> 00:08:34.159 what he used to say. He'd say, Scott, our identity 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:39.399 determines our eternity. our identity determines 00:08:39.399 --> 00:08:41.700 our eternity. I heard that from David Durfee. 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:43.940 I don't know if he got that from somebody else. 00:08:44.059 --> 00:08:45.360 I attribute it. I'm sure he did. He quotes a 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:48.039 lot of things. Well, I don't think so. I attribute 00:08:48.039 --> 00:08:50.399 that wholly to him. But, you know, what does 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:54.240 that mean that our identity determines our eternity? 00:08:54.799 --> 00:08:57.480 Well, I think it is based on faith. Who do we 00:08:57.480 --> 00:08:59.940 really believe that we are? And who do we have 00:08:59.940 --> 00:09:02.820 faith? I mean, what faith do we have of who we 00:09:02.820 --> 00:09:06.440 can become? So I... But yeah, I can see where 00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:10.019 that is very relevant. Yeah. Well, you know, 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:12.279 one of the things that we know through restoration 00:09:12.279 --> 00:09:15.539 scripture, you know, we do have accounts of this 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:18.139 and so forth in the New Testament and even the 00:09:18.139 --> 00:09:21.120 Old Testament, et cetera. But we know that we 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:24.500 are literal children of heavenly parents, Deb. 00:09:24.860 --> 00:09:29.679 Yeah. Literal children of heaven. You know, recently 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:33.220 I was doing a scripture study, listening to a 00:09:33.220 --> 00:09:37.899 podcast, and it hit me again like a brick. And 00:09:37.899 --> 00:09:43.519 you hear this a lot, but we are literally divine 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:52.320 descendants of a God. Spiritually, we are like 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:55.360 first -line descendants. You know, we think about 00:09:55.360 --> 00:09:58.039 our mortal existence here and we have generations 00:09:58.039 --> 00:10:02.639 of DNA and RNA through both moms and dads and 00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:05.600 generations and generations going back of, you 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:10.120 know, our mortal state of all these different 00:10:10.120 --> 00:10:12.639 characteristics and stuff. But if you think about, 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:17.019 and we're only here for a hundred years and that's 00:10:17.019 --> 00:10:19.899 if your president Nelson or if you're lucky. 00:10:20.500 --> 00:10:21.840 I mean, there's some people that have gotten 00:10:21.840 --> 00:10:26.120 well over a hundred years, but I just think of 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:28.480 it in an eternal perspective. And I remember 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:30.980 as a child thinking that it was the most bizarre 00:10:30.980 --> 00:10:33.799 thought ever. But as I get older, the eternal 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:38.299 perspective is a lot different for me now. My 00:10:38.299 --> 00:10:41.279 understanding is a little bit different. And 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:47.730 to think that my spirit literally was my Heavenly 00:10:47.730 --> 00:10:52.269 Father and my Heavenly Mothers. Like I am their 00:10:52.269 --> 00:10:55.610 first, I mean not first child, but direct child. 00:10:56.750 --> 00:11:00.710 That is so impactful for me to remember. How 00:11:00.710 --> 00:11:04.570 does knowing that change our life though? I think 00:11:04.570 --> 00:11:08.649 for me, again, I go back to President Nielsen's 00:11:08.649 --> 00:11:10.669 talk about thinking celestial. It's like there's 00:11:10.669 --> 00:11:13.789 so many things that happen in this world right 00:11:13.789 --> 00:11:18.549 now that trip me up. that I spend so much energy 00:11:18.549 --> 00:11:22.789 and effort on that it's it's like why am I letting 00:11:22.789 --> 00:11:25.350 something that is going to last a week a month 00:11:25.350 --> 00:11:31.570 a year trip me up so bad or affect me so I don't 00:11:31.580 --> 00:11:34.519 to affect me eternally. And sometimes I feel 00:11:34.519 --> 00:11:39.159 like it could because of the energy that I give 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:42.360 the story or the situation. I remember as a young 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:45.340 child going through things that I didn't understand 00:11:45.340 --> 00:11:47.840 and as a teenager going through things that I 00:11:47.840 --> 00:11:53.200 knew was not fair. And I literally identified 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:57.919 by those events that happened to me, like I am 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:04.649 this or I was this. And I It helped me when I 00:12:04.649 --> 00:12:09.850 could say, I am a literal daughter of divine. 00:12:10.590 --> 00:12:14.250 This is just a story. What has happened in my 00:12:14.250 --> 00:12:17.070 past or what is even happening now? I mean, I 00:12:17.070 --> 00:12:20.730 think about life and how hard it hits us with 00:12:20.730 --> 00:12:23.450 addiction, abuse, divorce, being fired, being 00:12:23.450 --> 00:12:26.529 laid off, losing a child, losing a parent. I 00:12:26.529 --> 00:12:33.610 mean, life's hard. It's unfair. difficult. I 00:12:33.610 --> 00:12:36.870 don't know that I could get through this life 00:12:36.870 --> 00:12:39.649 without understanding the eternal perspective 00:12:39.649 --> 00:12:42.549 to go. In the end, it's going to be glorious 00:12:42.549 --> 00:12:48.720 and wonderful. Jesus came here for us. and God 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:52.039 had a plan. Well, you know, in the pre -existence, 00:12:52.259 --> 00:12:54.519 right, we can talk a little bit about what happened 00:12:54.519 --> 00:12:57.720 there. We know that there was a war in heaven, 00:12:57.919 --> 00:13:01.120 right? We know that Heavenly Father's plan, it 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:03.139 wasn't Jesus' plan, but we know that Heavenly 00:13:03.139 --> 00:13:06.059 Father's plan included his firstborn. We know 00:13:06.059 --> 00:13:10.000 that he had prepared from the foundations of 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:12.059 the world, as we read in Scripture. But we also 00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:16.120 know that Satan tried to overthrow Heavenly Father's 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:18.769 plan. Heavenly Father didn't say, give me two 00:13:18.769 --> 00:13:21.809 plans and we'll vote on it. Satan tried to, through 00:13:21.809 --> 00:13:24.889 his rebellion, tried to overthrow. Willingly. 00:13:25.250 --> 00:13:29.169 Right, overthrow and thwart the plan of salvation, 00:13:29.269 --> 00:13:34.809 the plan of happiness. And it's important that 00:13:34.809 --> 00:13:39.070 we understand and know that when we participated 00:13:39.070 --> 00:13:43.190 in that council, in that war in heaven, that 00:13:43.190 --> 00:13:47.909 we were foreordained. You know, there were certain 00:13:47.909 --> 00:13:50.269 things that we were foreordained to. We know, 00:13:50.269 --> 00:13:53.970 we've talked about this in past podcasts, in 00:13:53.970 --> 00:13:56.909 past seasons, we know that we made covenants 00:13:56.909 --> 00:14:00.970 in the pre -existence. We know that we were foreordained 00:14:00.970 --> 00:14:04.389 in the pre -existence. Let's go to, in fact, 00:14:04.570 --> 00:14:08.570 let's go to, let's go to Abraham chapter three, 00:14:08.710 --> 00:14:11.929 verse 22. This is in the Pearl Great Price, Abraham 00:14:11.929 --> 00:14:14.789 chapter three, verse 22. Do you have that, babe? 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:22.320 Okay, Abraham 3, 23 -26, And God saw these souls, 00:14:22.440 --> 00:14:25.779 that they were good. And he stood in the midst 00:14:25.779 --> 00:14:30.120 of them. And he said, These I will make my rulers. 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:34.120 For he stood among those that were spirits. And 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:37.620 he saw that they were good. And he said unto 00:14:37.620 --> 00:14:41.840 me, Abraham, thou art one of them. Thou wast 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:45.500 chosen before thou wast born. and there stood 00:14:45.500 --> 00:14:49.000 one among them that was like unto God, and he 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:52.740 said unto those who were with him, we will go 00:14:52.740 --> 00:14:56.700 down, for there is space there, and we will take 00:14:56.700 --> 00:15:00.419 of these materials, and we will make an earth 00:15:00.419 --> 00:15:04.019 whereon these may dwell. Okay, so stop right 00:15:04.019 --> 00:15:06.559 there for just a second. So just kind of recap 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:10.559 what's happening for us here, sweetie. God's 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:12.899 saying, look at all these spirits that are good, 00:15:12.980 --> 00:15:15.120 that's what I'm hearing from here, and that we 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:19.379 were preordained. I mean, he's saying Abraham 00:15:19.379 --> 00:15:22.100 was preordained. Right, and he identifies Jesus 00:15:22.100 --> 00:15:26.039 Christ in verse 24, and there stood one among 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:28.620 them that was like unto God, and he said unto 00:15:28.620 --> 00:15:31.990 those who were with him, we will go down. for 00:15:31.990 --> 00:15:34.289 there is space there, and we will take up these 00:15:34.289 --> 00:15:37.389 materials, and we will make an earth whereon 00:15:37.389 --> 00:15:40.190 these may dwell. And these that may dwell is 00:15:40.190 --> 00:15:44.490 us, right? Yeah. Yeah, continue, 25. 25. And 00:15:44.490 --> 00:15:48.710 we will prove them herewith to see if they will 00:15:48.710 --> 00:15:52.850 do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall 00:15:52.850 --> 00:15:55.370 command them. Okay, stop right there. To our 00:15:55.370 --> 00:15:58.600 listeners, I want you to... to circle and we 00:15:58.600 --> 00:16:01.519 will prove them herewith to see if they will 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:03.840 do all the things whatsoever the Lord their God 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:06.120 shall command them. We will prove them herewith. 00:16:06.360 --> 00:16:09.259 So what are the things, all the things that the 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:11.299 Lord God shall command us? We're gonna get there, 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:12.899 we're not gonna answer that question in this 00:16:12.899 --> 00:16:15.159 podcast today. But that should be a question 00:16:15.159 --> 00:16:18.360 that we focus on and are wondering about and 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:20.940 pondering about and maybe even seeking answers 00:16:20.940 --> 00:16:24.059 for on our own. What does that actually mean? 00:16:24.379 --> 00:16:27.840 What does that actually mean? That we will prove 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:30.460 them herewith to see if they will do all things 00:16:30.460 --> 00:16:32.740 whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. 00:16:33.259 --> 00:16:37.100 And then in 26. And they who keep their first 00:16:37.100 --> 00:16:41.340 estate shall be added upon. and they who keep 00:16:41.340 --> 00:16:44.539 not their first estate shall not have glory in 00:16:44.539 --> 00:16:47.679 the same kingdom. With those who keep their first 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:50.639 estate and they who keep their second estate 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:54.919 shall have glory added upon their heads forever 00:16:54.919 --> 00:16:58.799 and ever. What are these estates? First estate, 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:01.379 second estate. So when we talk about first and 00:17:01.379 --> 00:17:03.100 second estate, what we're really talking about 00:17:03.100 --> 00:17:05.900 are the places that we've lived. Our first estate, 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:08.240 we lived as spirit children with heavenly parents. 00:17:08.500 --> 00:17:11.319 We participated in a council of heaven. We made 00:17:11.319 --> 00:17:14.140 covenants. We were foreordained to do something. 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:18.019 And there's power in that foreordination. I mean, 00:17:18.220 --> 00:17:20.599 I think that if I'm ordained, I don't know how 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:23.640 that ordination, foreordinations took place. 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:26.880 I think we were all. foreordained at some level 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:29.980 to some degree for some things. I think if I 00:17:29.980 --> 00:17:31.960 read my Patriarchal Blessing, which is a great 00:17:31.960 --> 00:17:35.039 source to help me get a glimpse of my identity, 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:38.480 there are certain things in there I think that 00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:43.339 I was foreordained to do and become and so on. 00:17:43.500 --> 00:17:46.279 And Deb, and I think that And again, I don't 00:17:46.279 --> 00:17:48.359 know if hands were laid on heads or et cetera, 00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:51.799 but I know that that ordination, that the word 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:55.500 ordained is used intentionally. And if I was 00:17:55.500 --> 00:17:59.460 ordained of God, how can I mess up? How can I 00:17:59.460 --> 00:18:03.259 lose? I know that there's a long time ahead of 00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:05.400 me and I know that we all make mistakes, but 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:08.660 if we're really for ordained, I just don't, I 00:18:08.660 --> 00:18:10.799 think that he sees the beginning from the end 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:13.920 and he sees us getting it and making it, regardless 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:15.519 of the things that we're going through here. 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:19.039 We will eventually align with his will so that 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:22.440 we can have that four ordination bless us, not 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:25.039 just in this life, but in eternity. Well, the 00:18:25.039 --> 00:18:27.779 other word that comes to me when we talk about 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:32.240 this is the infinite atonement. Because it's 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:36.460 not just for this life, but it is infinite. And 00:18:36.460 --> 00:18:40.799 I'm so grateful to know that as well. I actually 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:45.599 do know that we lived in the pre -existence. 00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:51.480 When I had Jessica, my oldest daughter, she talked 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:55.740 very early. And she would often tell me at night 00:18:55.740 --> 00:18:57.380 when I would put her to bed or whatever, she 00:18:57.380 --> 00:19:00.069 goes, Mom, I want to go home. I said, Oh honey, 00:19:00.089 --> 00:19:02.970 you are home. We're at home. This is your bedroom. 00:19:03.170 --> 00:19:05.809 This is our house. We're going to go. No, I want 00:19:05.809 --> 00:19:08.369 to go. I want to go back home with him. Lee father. 00:19:08.869 --> 00:19:11.609 I want to go home. And I kept thinking, what 00:19:11.609 --> 00:19:15.269 does this child know? And I do know that she 00:19:15.269 --> 00:19:18.329 did not have a veil because she knew where she 00:19:18.329 --> 00:19:21.950 came from and she was homesick and she kept saying, 00:19:21.950 --> 00:19:24.089 mom, can we just go home? Can we just please 00:19:24.089 --> 00:19:26.990 go home? And it scared me as a young mom. I'm 00:19:26.990 --> 00:19:29.470 in my mid twenties and it, and it, made me a 00:19:29.470 --> 00:19:32.130 little bit nervous. And I was like, is she going 00:19:32.130 --> 00:19:37.309 to pass? What is happening? And as time goes 00:19:37.309 --> 00:19:42.430 on, she's not quite three and I'm expecting our 00:19:42.430 --> 00:19:46.170 second child. And we didn't know at that time 00:19:46.170 --> 00:19:50.569 the gender. And I said to her, Jessica, do you 00:19:50.569 --> 00:19:53.730 want a baby brother or a baby sister? And she 00:19:53.730 --> 00:19:56.170 looks at me like a two -year -old attitude would 00:19:56.170 --> 00:19:59.769 and said, mom, I already have a brother. I want 00:19:59.769 --> 00:20:02.230 a sister. And I said, really, who's your brother? 00:20:02.630 --> 00:20:05.150 And she says, Jesus, don't you remember him? 00:20:06.150 --> 00:20:09.329 Like, duh, mom. And I kind of looked at her and 00:20:09.329 --> 00:20:11.690 she said, and Heavenly Father was really sad 00:20:11.690 --> 00:20:15.430 when I left. And I'm looking at this child, now 00:20:15.430 --> 00:20:18.789 I'm dumbfounded. And I'm like, what else do you 00:20:18.789 --> 00:20:22.690 know? What else did he say? And I said those 00:20:22.690 --> 00:20:25.529 exact words. I said, what else did he say? And 00:20:25.529 --> 00:20:27.329 that little two -year -old raised her little 00:20:27.329 --> 00:20:29.549 right hand and looked me in the eye and she goes, 00:20:29.970 --> 00:20:37.690 remember my son? I remember that moment thinking 00:20:37.690 --> 00:20:41.930 I did not teach her this. This child came with 00:20:41.930 --> 00:20:46.170 a message for me. And today she's 38 years old. 00:20:46.190 --> 00:20:48.410 She does not remember this at all, but I will 00:20:48.410 --> 00:20:52.069 never forget that experience. Never as long as 00:20:52.069 --> 00:20:56.789 I live. And those remember my son has always 00:20:56.789 --> 00:21:01.329 reigned true. And then I just thought, man, she 00:21:01.329 --> 00:21:06.349 must've been incredibly valiant. And then as 00:21:06.349 --> 00:21:09.470 I thought about this, I'm like, why did I get 00:21:09.470 --> 00:21:13.470 that gift of that sweet, innocent, pure message? 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:21.000 I was there too. Yeah. Yeah. You know, we all 00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:25.000 were there and we were all under, while we were 00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:30.839 there, we were somewhat influenced by the accuser. 00:21:30.940 --> 00:21:34.819 At least he had some sway while we were there. 00:21:34.940 --> 00:21:38.299 But we know that, we know that not only was Jesus 00:21:38.299 --> 00:21:41.940 there, But his atonement was already blessing 00:21:41.940 --> 00:21:44.920 us, Deb. Even though it hadn't quite taken place 00:21:44.920 --> 00:21:47.799 yet, and it wouldn't for quite a long time based 00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:53.059 on our time frame, we know that Jesus Christ's 00:21:53.059 --> 00:21:56.460 atonement was able to bless us even there, to 00:21:56.460 --> 00:22:00.079 help us remember even there who we are, and why 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:02.779 we were here, and what we were created to become. 00:22:02.819 --> 00:22:05.640 Let's go to Revelations chapter 12 real quick. 00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:10.099 I'll read this. This is one that we read quite 00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:15.779 frequently, kind of helps us to grasp the importance 00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:19.579 and the power of Jesus' atonement, even before 00:22:19.579 --> 00:22:22.680 the beginning of time. I'm gonna start in verse 00:22:22.680 --> 00:22:26.319 nine and that great dragon. So now, verse chapter 00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:29.559 12 and other chapters around this here in Revelations 00:22:29.559 --> 00:22:32.200 are primarily dealing with the preexistence. 00:22:32.339 --> 00:22:35.599 What happened in the preexistence? And in verse 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:37.960 nine of chapter 12, it starts out, and the great 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:40.740 dragon was cast out. We know that was the devil. 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:43.519 That old serpent called the devil and Satan, 00:22:44.119 --> 00:22:46.680 which deceiveth the whole world and was cast 00:22:46.680 --> 00:22:48.799 out onto the earth and his angels were cast out 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:52.019 with him. I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:55.380 now has come salvation and strength and the kingdom 00:22:55.380 --> 00:22:59.019 of our God and the power of his Christ for the 00:22:59.019 --> 00:23:02.680 accuser of our brethren is cast down which accuse 00:23:02.680 --> 00:23:06.359 him before God day and night. And they overcame 00:23:06.359 --> 00:23:09.400 him. So we know the accuser, he was there, he's 00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:12.400 here. He was cast down onto the earth with who? 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:14.740 With a third of the hosts of heaven as we know 00:23:14.740 --> 00:23:17.660 through restoration scripture and revelation. 00:23:18.109 --> 00:23:21.089 We know that he's here and that he was accusing 00:23:21.089 --> 00:23:23.450 us not just here, but he was accusing us there. 00:23:23.529 --> 00:23:25.910 What do you think he was accusing us of? You 00:23:25.910 --> 00:23:28.450 know, and this is something I think about constantly. 00:23:28.490 --> 00:23:30.769 What does that even mean, the accuser? Well, 00:23:30.769 --> 00:23:32.630 I've got some pretty big words to go with those 00:23:32.630 --> 00:23:35.210 things lately. You know, when I think of myself 00:23:35.210 --> 00:23:38.609 lately or ever, whenever I think of myself, it's 00:23:38.609 --> 00:23:40.569 just not being enough. Who do you think's putting 00:23:40.569 --> 00:23:43.049 that in my head? The accuser. I'm being accused 00:23:43.049 --> 00:23:45.990 of what? Of not being enough. When I am accused 00:23:45.990 --> 00:23:48.380 of, you know what, Scott, you're just trying 00:23:48.380 --> 00:23:51.019 to do something. You've gone too far. You're 00:23:51.019 --> 00:23:53.640 trying to do something that you can never receive 00:23:53.640 --> 00:23:56.480 redemption for. That's the accuser putting that 00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:59.920 in my head. Scott, you're broken down too much. 00:24:00.059 --> 00:24:02.140 You're getting old. You're not worth much anymore. 00:24:02.599 --> 00:24:04.579 That's the accuser putting that stuff in my head. 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:08.500 If I really understood my true identity and held 00:24:08.500 --> 00:24:12.220 fast to what that meant, then my life would be 00:24:12.220 --> 00:24:13.960 different. But then how do we overcome them? 00:24:14.380 --> 00:24:17.140 How do we overcome him there is the same way 00:24:17.140 --> 00:24:20.039 that we overcome him here. And it's interesting 00:24:20.039 --> 00:24:23.299 that we were able to overcome him there because 00:24:23.299 --> 00:24:26.440 of an act that would take place here much later 00:24:26.440 --> 00:24:30.380 in time. And they, verse 11, and they, meaning 00:24:30.380 --> 00:24:33.940 us, overcame him by the blood of the lamb and 00:24:33.940 --> 00:24:37.720 by the word of their testimony. So even then 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:40.680 we knew that Christ, the blood of the lamb would 00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:45.230 be what redeems us. redeemed through his blood. 00:24:45.789 --> 00:24:47.809 That's the whole title of the podcast. Why we 00:24:47.809 --> 00:24:50.470 call it that is we are literally redeemed through 00:24:50.470 --> 00:24:53.789 his blood. We were redeemed even there. We overcame 00:24:53.789 --> 00:24:57.369 the accuser even in the pre -existence by the 00:24:57.369 --> 00:24:59.589 blood of the lamb because of the blessings through 00:24:59.589 --> 00:25:02.630 Jesus Christ available to us from his atonement 00:25:02.630 --> 00:25:06.589 and the word of their testimony. We had testimony. 00:25:06.710 --> 00:25:09.410 We believed it. We believed in Christ's atonement. 00:25:09.529 --> 00:25:11.470 We believed in order for the blood of the lamb 00:25:11.470 --> 00:25:14.089 to help us overcome the accuser, we had to have 00:25:14.089 --> 00:25:16.789 a testimony of that. And there was some sort 00:25:16.789 --> 00:25:20.210 of conversion, I'm sure, as well in the pre -existence 00:25:20.210 --> 00:25:23.930 to that. And they loved not their lives unto 00:25:23.930 --> 00:25:26.130 the death, David used to always say, and they 00:25:26.130 --> 00:25:28.670 were willing to go to the wall. They were willing 00:25:28.670 --> 00:25:30.829 to go to the wall because of their beliefs, because 00:25:30.829 --> 00:25:34.380 of what they had. come to know that through the 00:25:34.380 --> 00:25:37.019 blood of the lamb, they're able to overcome the 00:25:37.019 --> 00:25:40.980 accuser. So what does that mean to me today is 00:25:40.980 --> 00:25:44.279 that I got a lot of accusations coming my way 00:25:44.279 --> 00:25:47.220 constantly, Deb, constantly. And I don't know 00:25:47.220 --> 00:25:50.519 if it's just my head's messed up or I don't know. 00:25:50.890 --> 00:25:55.109 But I constantly am in this battle of, Scott, 00:25:55.210 --> 00:25:57.329 you're not good enough. Scott, you just don't 00:25:57.329 --> 00:25:59.529 measure up. Scott, you're a fake. Scott, you're 00:25:59.529 --> 00:26:01.930 a liar. Scott, you're just trying to make people 00:26:01.930 --> 00:26:04.910 believe something that's not true about you and 00:26:04.910 --> 00:26:07.109 all of these types of things. None of that's 00:26:07.109 --> 00:26:10.309 true. That's accusations coming from. the accuser, 00:26:10.369 --> 00:26:12.470 how do I overcome that? I overcome that through 00:26:12.470 --> 00:26:15.170 the blood of the lamb. And I did it there, I 00:26:15.170 --> 00:26:17.289 can do it here. It was easier for me perhaps, 00:26:17.329 --> 00:26:19.410 and I don't know this to be true, but I'm surmising 00:26:19.410 --> 00:26:22.509 it was, it was easier for me to do it there because 00:26:22.509 --> 00:26:26.849 I had a complete grasp on my identity. Coming 00:26:26.849 --> 00:26:29.630 here, I'm not like Jess when she was two years 00:26:29.630 --> 00:26:32.210 old. I've had a veil from day one, as far as 00:26:32.210 --> 00:26:36.029 I know. And so I have forgotten that. And it's 00:26:36.029 --> 00:26:39.680 been, so it's in those rememberings. I think 00:26:39.680 --> 00:26:42.640 that I find peace. Those tender, tender mercies 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:45.579 that we have, even the comforter that testifies 00:26:45.579 --> 00:26:48.559 to us. Because I cannot think of that story. 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:53.640 I would never deny that, because I knew when 00:26:53.640 --> 00:26:56.759 she told me. I just wanted her to tell me more. 00:26:57.240 --> 00:26:59.819 And remember, my son was not a good enough message 00:26:59.819 --> 00:27:04.539 then. But boy, has it been a powerful message 00:27:04.539 --> 00:27:08.309 for decades later. That's all I keep, that's 00:27:08.309 --> 00:27:11.710 all I think of is remember him, remember him. 00:27:12.309 --> 00:27:15.450 Because a lot of us have forgotten him and there's 00:27:15.450 --> 00:27:17.789 been a time in my life when I have. Yeah, well, 00:27:17.970 --> 00:27:21.450 and there's times in my life when my memory fades 00:27:21.450 --> 00:27:24.000 a little bit still and it not really... about 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:26.460 who I am but you know if I really remember who 00:27:26.460 --> 00:27:28.740 I am and align with that and I think that's the 00:27:28.740 --> 00:27:32.400 key is the alignment of that knowledge or alignment 00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:35.539 with that knowledge of who I am I think that 00:27:35.539 --> 00:27:37.220 that's where I really begin to find peace you 00:27:37.220 --> 00:27:42.720 know as I really Get into this is the application 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:46.240 of this and really understand that our identity 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:50.220 really does shape our eternity our destiny and 00:27:50.220 --> 00:27:53.180 all those other things you know it really changes 00:27:53.180 --> 00:27:57.859 how i view my own trials. It changes how i deal 00:27:57.859 --> 00:28:02.279 with adversity it changes how i respond to tragedy 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:06.359 it changes how i parent and grandparent. and 00:28:06.359 --> 00:28:08.579 so much more. It changes how I treat others. 00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:11.440 And sometimes I struggle with that one, but it 00:28:11.440 --> 00:28:14.539 does change how I treat others as long as I can 00:28:14.539 --> 00:28:18.980 be focused on my true identity. Yeah, and I think 00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:22.299 fear is a big driver in all of this. I think 00:28:22.299 --> 00:28:26.400 with that, I'm not blaming, but I'm blaming. 00:28:27.099 --> 00:28:30.180 I think sometimes with that veil, we just forget. 00:28:31.480 --> 00:28:35.099 And I remember one time I had heard, years and 00:28:35.099 --> 00:28:38.059 years and years ago when we came down here, we 00:28:38.059 --> 00:28:43.920 were dismembered from God's presence. And as 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:46.900 we come down here and we read in Scripture and 00:28:46.900 --> 00:28:51.680 we read and listen to prophets and seers and 00:28:51.680 --> 00:28:54.319 revelators, that helps us. One of the number 00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:57.500 one words that they use in Scripture and in these 00:28:57.500 --> 00:29:01.670 talks is remember. Because we have been dismembered. 00:29:02.069 --> 00:29:04.509 We're a little lost down here. We're lost sheep. 00:29:04.690 --> 00:29:08.910 We're wandering. And I think oftentimes if I 00:29:08.910 --> 00:29:14.210 can just pause and remember and connect to him, 00:29:15.009 --> 00:29:20.710 it helps me to, again, pushing pause and slowing 00:29:20.710 --> 00:29:25.410 down my life is such effort. because being busy 00:29:25.410 --> 00:29:29.089 is my familiar zone. I can go like a crazy maker. 00:29:31.069 --> 00:29:34.549 Well, yeah, face fear, dealing with feelings 00:29:34.549 --> 00:29:36.849 of I'm not good enough. I just wonder how we 00:29:36.849 --> 00:29:39.250 would deal with all of the things in our lives 00:29:39.250 --> 00:29:42.950 that seem yucky to us if we really continue to 00:29:42.950 --> 00:29:45.329 understand who we are and grasped a hold of that, 00:29:45.589 --> 00:29:48.410 really laid hold of that and made it a part of 00:29:48.410 --> 00:29:50.630 our lives on a constant basis. You know, I think 00:29:50.630 --> 00:29:52.670 that's why they say become as a little child. 00:29:52.670 --> 00:29:55.250 Yeah. Because I think there are children, and 00:29:55.250 --> 00:29:57.750 we have grandchildren that have, you have big 00:29:57.750 --> 00:29:59.750 pictures to go with these words, that are literally 00:29:59.750 --> 00:30:03.410 fearless. Nothing intimidates them. They'll run 00:30:03.410 --> 00:30:07.769 right into walls. Nothing scares them. As a matter 00:30:07.769 --> 00:30:10.789 of fact, one did. He just closed his eyes and 00:30:10.789 --> 00:30:14.829 ran into a hole. Just fearless. Yeah. Fearless 00:30:14.829 --> 00:30:19.359 or crazy, one or the other. Knowing who we are, 00:30:19.519 --> 00:30:22.200 it's really important. You know, it's just if 00:30:22.200 --> 00:30:26.420 I really understand that I have heavenly parents, 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:30.519 that I have a royal birthright, that I was born 00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:33.559 to be an heir, a joint heir with Christ, as Paul 00:30:33.559 --> 00:30:37.819 puts it in Romans. And I just think that it would 00:30:37.819 --> 00:30:41.559 maybe change how we see the rest of our lives. 00:30:41.660 --> 00:30:44.059 You know, so many of us, we're dealing with addictions, 00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:46.440 we're dealing with the throws of the fallen world, 00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:50.890 we're dealing with abuses. We've been abusers, 00:30:51.309 --> 00:30:55.769 we've been abused, we've made mistakes, but we're 00:30:55.769 --> 00:30:59.230 not mistakes. And I think that sometimes when 00:30:59.230 --> 00:31:02.210 listening to the accuser, that that's where we 00:31:02.210 --> 00:31:06.950 go, is that, hey, I'm a mistake. I'm just so 00:31:06.950 --> 00:31:11.269 filled sometimes with shame and regret and worry 00:31:11.269 --> 00:31:15.779 and all of those things. But I think, no. I know, 00:31:15.900 --> 00:31:19.480 in fact, I testify that if we understand and 00:31:19.480 --> 00:31:22.220 lay hold to that understanding that we truly 00:31:22.220 --> 00:31:25.220 are sons and daughters of heavenly parents with 00:31:25.220 --> 00:31:27.859 a heavenly birthright foreordained to become 00:31:27.859 --> 00:31:31.839 much, much, much more than we can in our human 00:31:31.839 --> 00:31:35.140 and earthly experience even begin to fathom, 00:31:35.279 --> 00:31:37.420 I think that it changes everything for us or 00:31:37.420 --> 00:31:41.920 it can. But we also have to remember the accuser 00:31:41.920 --> 00:31:45.579 is in constant pursuit of us. And so if we can 00:31:45.579 --> 00:31:50.180 have that awareness and have the intention to 00:31:50.180 --> 00:31:53.460 be able to recognize when that happens and just 00:31:53.460 --> 00:31:55.500 push the pause button for a minute and go, what's 00:31:55.500 --> 00:31:59.380 really happening here? Is this real or is this 00:31:59.380 --> 00:32:03.849 a lie? Well, we may not see ourselves. as we 00:32:03.849 --> 00:32:05.930 truly are 100 % of the time, but you know who 00:32:05.930 --> 00:32:08.509 does is God, right? He knows exactly who we are. 00:32:08.529 --> 00:32:12.849 I love this quote from Elder Uchtdorf. I love 00:32:12.849 --> 00:32:17.269 this quote from Elder Uchtdorf. God sees us as 00:32:17.269 --> 00:32:20.549 we truly are, past, present, and future. And 00:32:20.549 --> 00:32:24.269 he sees us worthy of his rescue. I also love 00:32:24.269 --> 00:32:28.589 this part. He went on to say, you may feel that, 00:32:28.890 --> 00:32:31.630 Your life is in ruins. You may have sinned. You 00:32:31.630 --> 00:32:35.069 may be afraid, angry, grieving, or tortured by 00:32:35.069 --> 00:32:39.509 doubt. But just as God's shepherd finds his lost 00:32:39.509 --> 00:32:43.609 sheep, Jesus Christ, if you will only lift up 00:32:43.609 --> 00:32:46.750 your hearts to the Savior of the world, he will 00:32:46.750 --> 00:32:49.470 find you and he will rescue you. He will lift 00:32:49.470 --> 00:32:52.829 you up and place you on his shoulders, and he 00:32:52.829 --> 00:32:58.009 will carry you home. That's beautiful. That's 00:32:58.009 --> 00:33:03.789 a beautiful promise. Lift you up and place you 00:33:03.789 --> 00:33:07.690 on his shoulders and carry you home. Life's tough. 00:33:08.950 --> 00:33:12.809 It's tumultuous. And we think of that almost 00:33:12.809 --> 00:33:14.809 the way that sounds, that that almost sounds 00:33:14.809 --> 00:33:17.690 like that that's an ending, that he will carry 00:33:17.690 --> 00:33:20.750 you home. And I know that it is an ending, that 00:33:20.750 --> 00:33:22.809 he will carry you home. But Deb, he can carry 00:33:22.809 --> 00:33:26.200 me home today too. Yeah. He can put me on his 00:33:26.200 --> 00:33:29.259 shoulders today, too, if I will just align my 00:33:29.259 --> 00:33:31.500 will with his. You know, an alcoholic's anonymous. 00:33:31.900 --> 00:33:35.559 Such a wonderful, beautiful day today in a meeting 00:33:35.559 --> 00:33:39.799 at noon at the Elano Club. I was able to present 00:33:39.799 --> 00:33:43.140 a young man who just, I'm going to get him a 00:33:43.140 --> 00:33:46.099 little bit emotional, who I've grown to love 00:33:46.099 --> 00:33:48.640 over the last 12 or 14 years that we've been 00:33:48.640 --> 00:33:51.140 working together. But I was able to present to 00:33:51.140 --> 00:33:55.789 him a 16 -year medallion 16 years of continuous 00:33:55.789 --> 00:33:59.529 sobriety. Continuous sobriety. Congratulations. 00:33:59.910 --> 00:34:05.029 I know. Just such a wonderful, wonderful accomplishment 00:34:05.029 --> 00:34:10.469 that he aligned with. The accomplishment, not 00:34:10.469 --> 00:34:14.309 his, the accomplishment in AA we identify as 00:34:14.309 --> 00:34:20.579 his higher power. But he had to align with his 00:34:20.579 --> 00:34:24.340 higher powers will and in aligning with his higher 00:34:24.340 --> 00:34:28.440 powers will to allow that to come in to his life, 00:34:28.679 --> 00:34:32.420 he has been truly carried home. This young man 00:34:32.420 --> 00:34:35.739 has a twin brother who died from an overdose. 00:34:36.960 --> 00:34:41.340 A twin brother who died maybe 16 years ago or 00:34:41.340 --> 00:34:47.090 12 years ago rather from an overdose. And just 00:34:47.090 --> 00:34:50.750 so many reasons, so many things that come at 00:34:50.750 --> 00:34:54.849 us that will distort the view of who we really 00:34:54.849 --> 00:34:57.329 are. If I look in the mirror, I see something. 00:34:57.769 --> 00:35:00.429 But if I look in the mirror with eyes, with maybe 00:35:00.429 --> 00:35:03.190 just a glimpse that Heavenly Father can bless 00:35:03.190 --> 00:35:07.769 me with, I can see something great, an opportunity 00:35:07.769 --> 00:35:12.079 to be with Him. in spite of all of my earthly 00:35:12.079 --> 00:35:15.059 experience, in spite of my 19 years of terrible 00:35:15.059 --> 00:35:19.079 addiction, in spite of my multiple divorces, 00:35:19.300 --> 00:35:24.079 despite of, and on and on and on it goes. I have 00:35:24.079 --> 00:35:28.539 plenty. I have plenty to accuse myself of, and 00:35:28.539 --> 00:35:33.710 Satan knows that, but my identity. My true identity, 00:35:33.710 --> 00:35:36.829 if I can remember that, that helps me in my eternity. 00:35:37.210 --> 00:35:40.070 I'm a believer that the accuser works quadruple 00:35:40.070 --> 00:35:44.869 over time on you. I definitely know, and I read 00:35:44.869 --> 00:35:46.809 your patriarchal blessing and I know who you 00:35:46.809 --> 00:35:49.869 really are. And I get to see that differently 00:35:49.869 --> 00:35:53.809 than you get to see that. So it's a gift for 00:35:53.809 --> 00:35:57.329 me to be able to see differently than you see. 00:35:57.900 --> 00:35:59.900 That's interesting that you'd say that because 00:35:59.900 --> 00:36:03.199 I wonder if Heavenly Father helps us see ourselves 00:36:03.199 --> 00:36:05.460 through other people's eyes sometimes. Yeah, 00:36:05.519 --> 00:36:07.340 because there's often things you think I can 00:36:07.340 --> 00:36:10.719 do, things I can do I can't, like do a podcast 00:36:10.719 --> 00:36:13.260 and teach Institute. Yeah, look at you now though. 00:36:13.559 --> 00:36:15.659 But you've always been my cheerleader and I think 00:36:15.659 --> 00:36:19.139 it's important to surround yourself with good 00:36:19.139 --> 00:36:25.750 friends. I think it's really important to have 00:36:25.750 --> 00:36:30.550 somebody to yoke with, and we know to yoke with 00:36:30.550 --> 00:36:34.369 Jesus Christ, but to yoke with physically here. 00:36:34.869 --> 00:36:39.550 I think it's important. And even if you don't, 00:36:39.650 --> 00:36:44.710 to always know that our Savior is always, always 00:36:44.710 --> 00:36:49.670 there. But it lifts, it helps. Even listening 00:36:49.670 --> 00:36:54.510 to good podcasts. I mean, literally, I'm a podcaster 00:36:54.510 --> 00:36:57.170 and I don't listen to ours. Or anything that 00:36:57.170 --> 00:36:59.869 will remind us of our heavenly home. Exactly. 00:37:00.909 --> 00:37:04.809 I travel a lot for work, and there are things 00:37:04.809 --> 00:37:07.130 that I take with me that remind me of home, you 00:37:07.130 --> 00:37:09.389 know? And I don't take them for that reason, 00:37:09.429 --> 00:37:11.329 but there are things that remind me of home, 00:37:11.550 --> 00:37:13.590 remind me of who I am. I touch base with you 00:37:13.590 --> 00:37:17.510 every day, multiple times, and I need to know 00:37:17.510 --> 00:37:19.630 where I belong, and I need to know where I'm 00:37:19.630 --> 00:37:21.510 connected, and I need to know those things where 00:37:21.510 --> 00:37:24.469 we have that even on a grander and greater scale 00:37:24.469 --> 00:37:28.190 with our heavenly. parents. You know, we just 00:37:28.190 --> 00:37:31.030 have that. And it's just a matter of our making 00:37:31.030 --> 00:37:34.690 an effort. Heavenly Father really wants to be 00:37:34.690 --> 00:37:37.550 in our lives. And it's a matter of us making 00:37:37.550 --> 00:37:41.510 that effort so that he can. He really wants to. 00:37:42.130 --> 00:37:45.489 And there's nothing we can do to make him mad. 00:37:45.789 --> 00:37:48.889 And there's nothing we can do to cut ourselves 00:37:48.889 --> 00:37:53.610 off from his love. And it's just constantly there 00:37:53.610 --> 00:37:56.820 for us. And again, So why do we talk about this 00:37:56.820 --> 00:37:59.320 as we kind of wrap things up tonight? Why do 00:37:59.320 --> 00:38:03.460 we even care? Again, why is it important that 00:38:03.460 --> 00:38:06.219 we understand who we are and whose we are really? 00:38:07.139 --> 00:38:09.260 You know, the answer to that might be obvious. 00:38:09.260 --> 00:38:12.880 If we really understand that we are children 00:38:12.880 --> 00:38:15.960 of heavenly parents, that we have a royal birthright, 00:38:16.000 --> 00:38:18.880 and that royal birthright, Deb, means that we 00:38:18.880 --> 00:38:21.860 are entitled to go through this life, learning 00:38:21.860 --> 00:38:24.980 our lessons, and though they may be hard, learning 00:38:24.980 --> 00:38:27.960 them and understanding that as we're taught, 00:38:28.199 --> 00:38:32.099 and I think I'll just turn to it in Ether chapter 00:38:32.099 --> 00:38:35.139 12 verse 27. It's one of my favorite scriptures. 00:38:35.780 --> 00:38:37.880 And I think you're the first one to introduce 00:38:37.880 --> 00:38:40.420 me to this, but if men come unto me, I will show 00:38:40.420 --> 00:38:43.860 unto them their weakness. We all have weakness, 00:38:44.099 --> 00:38:46.619 and you know he doesn't say weaknesses. Right. 00:38:46.719 --> 00:38:49.239 He says weakness. Yep. And we're gonna talk about 00:38:49.239 --> 00:38:51.980 what that weakness is specifically in a couple 00:38:51.980 --> 00:38:54.519 of weeks. Yep. But he says, I give unto them 00:38:54.519 --> 00:38:57.699 weakness. I give unto men weakness that they 00:38:57.699 --> 00:39:02.059 may be humble. And my grace is sufficient for 00:39:02.059 --> 00:39:05.800 all men. For how many men? For every one of us. 00:39:06.019 --> 00:39:09.980 God's grace is sufficient for all of us. My grace 00:39:09.980 --> 00:39:12.699 is sufficient for all men that humble themselves. 00:39:12.739 --> 00:39:14.940 So there's the condition to humble ourselves 00:39:14.940 --> 00:39:17.980 before him. And if we humble ourselves before 00:39:17.980 --> 00:39:20.719 me and if they humble themselves before me and 00:39:20.719 --> 00:39:24.289 have faith in me, then will I make weak things 00:39:24.289 --> 00:39:30.750 become strong unto them. I just think that understanding 00:39:30.750 --> 00:39:36.130 that, yeah, I'm Scott Durfee, and I have earthly 00:39:36.130 --> 00:39:38.530 parents, and I have identity attached to that, 00:39:38.570 --> 00:39:40.829 and through that, there's certain things, there's 00:39:40.829 --> 00:39:43.730 certain birthrights, there's certain reputations, 00:39:43.869 --> 00:39:47.159 there's certain, maybe even... curses, I don't 00:39:47.159 --> 00:39:50.760 know. I mean, we all have this earthly DNA, RNA, 00:39:51.159 --> 00:39:55.239 but we have more importantly divine DNA. We are 00:39:55.239 --> 00:40:01.280 truly His. Yeah. I had a sponsor tell me one 00:40:01.280 --> 00:40:03.760 time I was working with her and I remember her 00:40:03.760 --> 00:40:05.880 saying, because I was telling her about my character 00:40:05.880 --> 00:40:08.179 defects and all the things that I was weak in. 00:40:08.679 --> 00:40:11.679 And this is when this scripture came up and it 00:40:11.679 --> 00:40:15.699 reminded me. And she said, Deb, You know, there 00:40:15.699 --> 00:40:21.219 is opposition in all things. And she says, you 00:40:21.219 --> 00:40:27.199 think that when you read this, you know, you 00:40:27.199 --> 00:40:30.059 think you have this weakness here. Well, what's 00:40:30.059 --> 00:40:33.320 the strength of that weakness? What's the opposite 00:40:33.320 --> 00:40:37.539 of that weakness? Because I promise you, God 00:40:37.539 --> 00:40:41.099 has that's in store for you as well. God has 00:40:41.099 --> 00:40:44.230 that. right here ready to bless you with it once 00:40:44.230 --> 00:40:48.570 you humble yourself to take that weakness or 00:40:48.570 --> 00:40:53.289 whatever it is that's troubling you to make those 00:40:53.289 --> 00:40:58.090 weak things strong. And it's true. I could give 00:40:58.090 --> 00:41:02.349 you multiple, multiple examples of where that 00:41:02.349 --> 00:41:06.090 weak piece has become literally my strength. 00:41:07.489 --> 00:41:11.760 It's crazy. Well, we often find that definitely 00:41:11.760 --> 00:41:15.119 in the rooms of recovery that's been my experience 00:41:15.119 --> 00:41:17.840 as well as I have fought and battled addiction 00:41:17.840 --> 00:41:22.179 and still participate in my own recovery as well 00:41:22.179 --> 00:41:24.239 as sponsor and work with others and I'm just 00:41:24.239 --> 00:41:28.679 grateful to know who I am. If I didn't know who 00:41:28.679 --> 00:41:32.079 I am, there would be very little point for me. 00:41:32.139 --> 00:41:36.579 You know, really. Well, I was reading a conference 00:41:36.579 --> 00:41:38.519 talk today and I took a screenshot and I don't 00:41:38.519 --> 00:41:41.429 even know who was given the talk. But this was 00:41:41.429 --> 00:41:43.849 such a powerful piece of it. And if somebody 00:41:43.849 --> 00:41:45.730 really wants it, I probably could find it again. 00:41:46.050 --> 00:41:48.309 I screenshot it at seven o 'clock this morning. 00:41:49.050 --> 00:41:51.789 But there's a paragraph in here that I just thought 00:41:51.789 --> 00:41:55.070 was so important and impactful for me. And it 00:41:55.070 --> 00:41:57.309 says, brothers and sisters, whether you are carrying 00:41:57.309 --> 00:42:00.909 the burden of unresolved sin, suffering because 00:42:00.909 --> 00:42:05.750 of an offensive offense, I'm sorry, suffering 00:42:05.750 --> 00:42:08.829 because of an offense committed against you long 00:42:08.829 --> 00:42:12.170 ago or struggling to forgive yourself for an 00:42:12.170 --> 00:42:15.809 accidental mistake, you have access to the healing 00:42:15.809 --> 00:42:19.329 and redeeming power of the Savior Jesus Christ. 00:42:19.610 --> 00:42:23.849 And I think that's ultimately, and I go again 00:42:23.849 --> 00:42:26.489 back to the sacrament, back to that ordinance 00:42:26.489 --> 00:42:32.030 room when we become willing. It's just that peace. 00:42:32.269 --> 00:42:35.650 That they are willing to take his name upon them. 00:42:35.650 --> 00:42:42.389 Just willing. That's where I go, is back to that 00:42:42.389 --> 00:42:44.289 willingness. The only thing I would change about 00:42:44.289 --> 00:42:46.409 that is where it says accidental mistake. I would 00:42:46.409 --> 00:42:48.769 take that word out, accidental. Any mistake. 00:42:49.070 --> 00:42:53.570 Even those that were on purpose. Even those that 00:42:53.570 --> 00:42:56.230 were on purpose can be redeemed through him. 00:42:57.349 --> 00:43:02.210 They just can. And I'm glad for that. Me too. 00:43:02.690 --> 00:43:05.130 Because most of my mistakes were not accidental. 00:43:06.349 --> 00:43:07.989 I'm just going to say that. I have a lot of not 00:43:07.989 --> 00:43:10.710 accidental. Today they are. But in my past, most 00:43:10.710 --> 00:43:13.530 of my mistakes were absolutely not accidental. 00:43:13.670 --> 00:43:16.550 They were outright rebellion. And I'm glad to 00:43:16.550 --> 00:43:20.369 know that because of my birthright, that that 00:43:20.369 --> 00:43:23.650 can all be made right. Oh, thank heavens. I know, 00:43:23.730 --> 00:43:25.730 right? Don't you wish you could just take the 00:43:25.730 --> 00:43:28.070 knowledge you have today and go back to your 00:43:28.070 --> 00:43:32.329 younger self and just say, it's okay, you didn't 00:43:32.329 --> 00:43:35.349 really know. Just have a little more compassion 00:43:35.349 --> 00:43:39.010 and grace for that younger version of yourself 00:43:39.010 --> 00:43:42.269 that really didn't understand, that really didn't 00:43:42.269 --> 00:43:46.849 have that knowledge that you have today and just 00:43:46.849 --> 00:43:49.710 kind of give them a hug and say, you got this. 00:43:49.840 --> 00:43:51.880 I know it's hard right now, but you can get through 00:43:51.880 --> 00:43:54.980 this and there's hope. I think you can. I think 00:43:54.980 --> 00:43:58.420 we can do that. I think that I can go back and 00:43:58.420 --> 00:44:02.219 offer just a whole bunch of grace to Scott. Younger 00:44:02.219 --> 00:44:06.400 Scott. Younger Deb. Yep. And it's important actually 00:44:06.400 --> 00:44:10.820 that I do. And understanding my identity actually 00:44:10.820 --> 00:44:13.440 helps precipitate that in my own life. Without 00:44:13.440 --> 00:44:15.639 my understanding my identity, I don't know that 00:44:15.639 --> 00:44:17.780 that would even be possible, Deb. That's beautiful. 00:44:17.940 --> 00:44:21.079 I'm glad that you brought that point up. You 00:44:21.079 --> 00:44:24.000 know, so, you know, maybe this week as we just 00:44:24.000 --> 00:44:28.199 kind of go through the week, if we don't worry 00:44:28.199 --> 00:44:31.679 so much about becoming more and we focus more 00:44:31.679 --> 00:44:35.260 on remembering Him more, remembering who we are 00:44:35.260 --> 00:44:38.199 more, remembering whose we are more, you know, 00:44:38.199 --> 00:44:41.820 maybe we could pray to know who we are and who 00:44:41.820 --> 00:44:44.239 He is. I think it's important. We probably, we 00:44:44.239 --> 00:44:46.420 haven't spent a lot of time talking about that, 00:44:46.679 --> 00:44:52.210 but really to understand who we are The prerequisite 00:44:52.210 --> 00:44:55.210 to that is to understand who he is. We're going 00:44:55.210 --> 00:44:58.230 under the presupposition here that we understand 00:44:58.230 --> 00:45:01.409 who he is. And I know that as we go through the 00:45:01.409 --> 00:45:04.449 podcast, that that knowing of him will deepen 00:45:04.449 --> 00:45:06.650 as we become closer to him. And as we do that, 00:45:06.789 --> 00:45:09.829 we'll have greater eyes to see our own identity 00:45:09.829 --> 00:45:14.260 as well. That's true. Well, and you brought up, 00:45:14.340 --> 00:45:16.139 you know, it's important I think that one of 00:45:16.139 --> 00:45:19.039 the places that we can get a Glimpse of who we 00:45:19.039 --> 00:45:21.780 are is through our patriarchal blessing. There's 00:45:21.780 --> 00:45:23.440 so many other ways to have what are some of the 00:45:23.440 --> 00:45:26.460 ways you think that we could maybe Mention that 00:45:26.460 --> 00:45:29.679 understanding who we are understanding developing 00:45:29.679 --> 00:45:32.989 that relationship with our Heavenly Father Well, 00:45:33.130 --> 00:45:36.630 my recipe is the scriptures. I dig into them. 00:45:36.690 --> 00:45:39.150 I feel like numerous times, I feel like I'm reading 00:45:39.150 --> 00:45:41.210 those scriptures for the very first time. I'm 00:45:41.210 --> 00:45:44.489 like, how did I not ever see this before? It's, 00:45:44.489 --> 00:45:47.889 I mean, digging and searching and studying those 00:45:47.889 --> 00:45:51.190 scriptures has been so impactful for me. And 00:45:51.190 --> 00:45:55.949 I absolutely love the temple. There's so much 00:45:55.949 --> 00:45:59.909 peace there. And it really gives me moment to 00:45:59.909 --> 00:46:04.530 pause. and to feel, and to just shut off the 00:46:04.530 --> 00:46:07.429 noise and the chaos of the world, even just being 00:46:07.429 --> 00:46:10.989 on the grounds of the temple. I mean, you and 00:46:10.989 --> 00:46:13.170 I love to go over to that Linden temple that 00:46:13.170 --> 00:46:17.010 is two miles from us, that isn't even open yet. 00:46:17.170 --> 00:46:19.190 It's still under construction and there's a peace 00:46:19.190 --> 00:46:23.090 even in the construction, just being there. So, 00:46:23.389 --> 00:46:27.389 for me, And of course, that constant prayer. 00:46:27.630 --> 00:46:30.829 I had little Addie, my granddaughter, have a 00:46:30.829 --> 00:46:33.210 sleepover with me and we knelt down to pray, 00:46:33.889 --> 00:46:35.789 to say our prayers at night. And she goes, I 00:46:35.789 --> 00:46:38.449 now know where my mom gets her long prayers from. 00:46:40.050 --> 00:46:45.469 I had to giggle. Yeah, so cute. Addie was just 00:46:45.469 --> 00:46:48.329 baptized recently. That's beautiful. That's wonderful. 00:46:49.730 --> 00:46:53.869 Well, I know that A lot of us feel disconnected. 00:46:54.130 --> 00:46:55.929 I know a lot of us think, well, that's great, 00:46:56.070 --> 00:46:58.429 Dad, but I can't go to the temple. Well, yeah, 00:46:58.429 --> 00:47:00.610 you can. You can go to the construction site. 00:47:00.630 --> 00:47:05.230 You can go to the temple. When there was a period 00:47:05.230 --> 00:47:07.210 of my life, there had been more than one period 00:47:07.210 --> 00:47:10.489 of my life when my membership in the church has 00:47:10.489 --> 00:47:12.949 been restricted. And during one of those times, 00:47:13.070 --> 00:47:17.349 I was counseled by my then bishop. You may not 00:47:17.349 --> 00:47:19.570 Scott be able to go inside the temple in this 00:47:19.570 --> 00:47:21.730 at this point It was the Timpanogos temple that 00:47:21.730 --> 00:47:25.780 I lived close to and I had a motorcycle And at 00:47:25.780 --> 00:47:28.239 nights I couldn't sleep because of the turmoil 00:47:28.239 --> 00:47:30.400 that I was going through, because of the spirit 00:47:30.400 --> 00:47:32.559 that was lost, because of how lost I had felt. 00:47:32.980 --> 00:47:34.400 And there were nights when I couldn't sleep when 00:47:34.400 --> 00:47:37.679 I would ride my motorcycle up that hill and the 00:47:37.679 --> 00:47:40.039 light of that temple. And I couldn't go on the 00:47:40.039 --> 00:47:42.739 ground. But you can go in the parking lot. And 00:47:42.739 --> 00:47:45.699 I'd sit in that parking lot, buy a tree, or I'd 00:47:45.699 --> 00:47:49.360 sit on the road next to it. and I would just 00:47:49.360 --> 00:47:52.780 look at the temple and I knew this in my mind 00:47:52.780 --> 00:47:55.119 and I would visualize that the temple is the 00:47:55.119 --> 00:47:57.460 representation of Jesus Christ here on the earth 00:47:57.460 --> 00:48:02.179 and I saw that and I developed more hope in him 00:48:02.179 --> 00:48:04.920 there and I was able to commune more purely just 00:48:04.920 --> 00:48:08.079 because of me being there and my communion then 00:48:08.079 --> 00:48:12.170 was less formal. It was the communion of a of 00:48:12.170 --> 00:48:14.849 a broken soul, of somebody who was lost, a lost 00:48:14.849 --> 00:48:18.110 soul, not a broken soul, but a lost soul. And 00:48:18.110 --> 00:48:21.570 that was my identity then. And as I grew closer 00:48:21.570 --> 00:48:24.210 and closer, it changed. I think it's interesting 00:48:24.210 --> 00:48:28.389 because I'm gonna tell on us. Sometimes when 00:48:28.389 --> 00:48:31.130 we would have... I can cut this, you know. Don't 00:48:31.130 --> 00:48:34.710 cut it. Sometimes when we would have arguments 00:48:34.710 --> 00:48:36.670 or disagreements and things would get a little 00:48:36.670 --> 00:48:40.150 heated, because we both have pretty strong personalities, 00:48:41.389 --> 00:48:45.989 you would leave and I would leave and we would 00:48:45.989 --> 00:48:49.329 find ourselves across the street just west of 00:48:49.329 --> 00:48:51.789 the Provo, the old Provo, the original Provo 00:48:51.789 --> 00:48:55.349 temple because we had both been a little hot 00:48:55.349 --> 00:48:59.190 -headed and we'd end up in that parking lot across 00:48:59.190 --> 00:49:01.309 the temple. I love that you bring this up because 00:49:01.309 --> 00:49:04.210 that's true and again I'd get on my motorcycle 00:49:04.210 --> 00:49:07.900 and I wouldn't Well, I don't want to lie and 00:49:07.900 --> 00:49:10.519 I would leave you didn't wear your helmet and 00:49:10.519 --> 00:49:15.599 I would leave and I would I Would go for a ride 00:49:15.599 --> 00:49:18.000 and I would ride fast and hard and then and in 00:49:18.000 --> 00:49:20.260 a couple of minutes or a little longer sometimes 00:49:20.840 --> 00:49:23.059 inevitably I'd end up at the temple because that's 00:49:23.059 --> 00:49:25.500 where I needed to be. I had established that 00:49:25.500 --> 00:49:27.500 pattern early in my life under the direction 00:49:27.500 --> 00:49:29.239 of that bishop that I just mentioned to you. 00:49:29.820 --> 00:49:32.239 And you had under the direction of, I don't know 00:49:32.239 --> 00:49:34.260 what, the spirit probably because that's been 00:49:34.260 --> 00:49:37.679 your pattern your whole life. I know that. And 00:49:37.679 --> 00:49:40.440 one time I'm sitting there on my motorcycle. 00:49:40.539 --> 00:49:42.239 I'd been sitting there, I don't know, 30 minutes, 00:49:42.280 --> 00:49:44.780 maybe longer. And I'd been in prayer and I'd 00:49:44.780 --> 00:49:47.000 been in reflection and I was taking a personal 00:49:47.000 --> 00:49:50.079 inventory. and all those things that I hate to 00:49:50.079 --> 00:49:53.420 do. But I was doing it, and I don't hate to do 00:49:53.420 --> 00:49:55.059 them. It brings me a great deal of peace. But 00:49:55.059 --> 00:49:57.199 in the moment, sometimes it's a little bit difficult. 00:49:57.739 --> 00:50:00.539 And here comes Deb pulling up in her car. And 00:50:00.539 --> 00:50:03.019 she didn't know I was there. She was there to 00:50:03.019 --> 00:50:06.860 do the same thing. And she sat in her car for 00:50:06.860 --> 00:50:09.039 a minute, giving me. She wasn't about to approach 00:50:09.039 --> 00:50:11.780 me, and I wasn't about to approach her. But pretty 00:50:11.780 --> 00:50:15.239 soon we did. And then from that point on, I just 00:50:15.239 --> 00:50:18.599 knew inevitably that, it's not like we fight 00:50:18.599 --> 00:50:20.400 all the time, but it's happened more than a couple 00:50:20.400 --> 00:50:24.460 of times over the years that we have found each 00:50:24.460 --> 00:50:27.440 other in the parking lot of the temple seeking 00:50:27.440 --> 00:50:29.480 to remember. We didn't go in, we were ready to 00:50:29.480 --> 00:50:31.579 go in at that moment. It's a good thing it was 00:50:31.579 --> 00:50:35.480 closed. Seeking to remember who we are. Yeah, 00:50:35.579 --> 00:50:38.059 and whose we are. And me seeking to remember 00:50:38.059 --> 00:50:41.340 who you are. That's important for me too. Me 00:50:41.340 --> 00:50:45.559 too. That's important for me too. As we kind 00:50:45.559 --> 00:50:48.679 of wrap up today, I just wanted to let you know 00:50:48.679 --> 00:50:50.519 that wherever you are and however you're feeling, 00:50:50.659 --> 00:50:53.000 you're welcome here. Jesus isn't just waiting 00:50:53.000 --> 00:50:54.940 for you to clean everything up before you come 00:50:54.940 --> 00:50:58.019 to Him. He meets us right in the middle of our 00:50:58.019 --> 00:51:01.780 mess. Boy, are we mess -makers. Well, we are. 00:51:02.559 --> 00:51:05.059 That's where His grace shines the brightest. 00:51:05.579 --> 00:51:08.800 So come as you are, broken, hopeful, questioning, 00:51:09.139 --> 00:51:12.909 searching. You're not alone. Don't forget to 00:51:12.909 --> 00:51:14.889 stay connected with us. You can reach us again. 00:51:15.150 --> 00:51:18.610 He redeems us at gmail .com. And don't forget 00:51:18.610 --> 00:51:21.309 also to mention to friends. If you know somebody 00:51:21.309 --> 00:51:24.630 that could benefit from hearing this, send it 00:51:24.630 --> 00:51:27.130 to them. Please follow us too. That gives us 00:51:27.130 --> 00:51:29.690 an opportunity for more people to hear us as 00:51:29.690 --> 00:51:34.730 well. Yeah. We all could use more hope, no matter 00:51:34.730 --> 00:51:38.000 where it comes from. Well, so next week we'll 00:51:38.000 --> 00:51:40.539 continue on. We're just following along the course 00:51:40.539 --> 00:51:42.800 of Divine Gift of Forgiveness. We're kind of 00:51:42.800 --> 00:51:45.460 keeping it in conjunction with our Institute 00:51:45.460 --> 00:51:49.960 class that we began this week. We actually began 00:51:49.960 --> 00:51:53.360 it last week, but we're gonna begin in classroom 00:51:53.360 --> 00:51:57.059 this week. Look really forward to that. So just 00:51:57.059 --> 00:52:00.340 remember that he doesn't just redeem us, he heals 00:52:00.340 --> 00:52:03.760 us, he lifts us, he transforms us in our everyday 00:52:03.760 --> 00:52:06.380 lives, in our mess. He meets us where we are. 00:52:06.579 --> 00:52:09.739 And it's because of who we are. Thanks again 00:52:09.739 --> 00:52:13.079 for being with us and for your support. And remember 00:52:13.079 --> 00:52:16.659 there's always hope through him because you have 00:52:16.659 --> 00:52:19.710 been redeemed through his blood. We look forward 00:52:19.710 --> 00:52:21.829 to being with you again next week, and until 00:52:21.829 --> 00:52:22.989 then, be well.