Joyful Wells | Sharing Cups of Water

“ To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.” - George MacDonald “The desert teaches you more about water than the ocean ever could.” - African Proverb

Separation from Gods people (not just God) is hell: “And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel your brother? And he said, I know not; am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries unto me from the ground. And now you shall be cursed from the earth which has opened her mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto you her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond shall you be in the earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, Satan tempted me because of my brother’s flocks, and I was angry also, for his offering you did accept and not mine. My punishment is greater than I can bear .” — Gen 3:10 This is an interesting story because if you recall Cain was never truly alone after he became a fugitive and vagabond. People followed him and he built his own city (v. 11) So how was he a vagabond?  He was separated from God’s people. Another example :  “And it came to pass tha...

This world is hell largely because of the way we treat each other.  Rape  Murder Manipulation  Exploitation Jealousy  Abuse Cruelty Neglect Indifference to suffering  Greed I wonder if we can make also this world heaven by how we treat each other. 

I’ve committed this year to studying matters in the Pacific; specifically matters pertaining to China and Taiwan.  The first book I’m reading is called The Trouble with Taiwan by Kerry Brown and Kaley Wu Tzu-hui. On pages 96-97 I read the following:  “ Democracy does many things. But Taiwan adds further proof to one of these. It doesn’t just change institutions and processes, but more fundamentally it changes people. When they can express their irritation or support by actually voting for them rather than feeling powerless, it changes the relationship they have with politicians. It also changes people’s relations with each other when it means they can openly dispute specific problems and policy positions and act through the ballot box on them. Whatever its current challenges, democracy since 1996 has irrevocably changed the nature of the Taiwanese and had a huge impact on life in the island. It has meant people now know their society and themselves better. There are few illusi...

Lehi was a man whom the Lord called “blessed” because he was “faithful and declared the things [God] commanded [him]” (1 Nephi 1:6). This is important to remember because, despite the people’s reaction to Lehi’s preaching, he remained faithful. He didn’t declare anything the Lord didn’t want him to. Their reaction and their fruits were not indicative of Lehi’s mission, faithfulness, or alignment with God. It is interesting that the Covenant of Christ opens with several examples of interpersonal conflict. It doesn’t begin with flattering stories about Lehi being a good husband, a faithful employee, a good sense of humor, a beloved friend, or a warm personality. Instead, beginning on page one, it goes straight to the heart of what prevents God’s kingdom from growing on earth: disagreements that turn into division. The very first interaction between two or more people that we read about in Lehi’s ministry is negative—Lehi was met by the people in Jerusalem with mocking (speech that bel...

“ Then the Angel told me: You’ve seen that if the Gentiles repent, it will turn out well for them. You also know about the Lord’s covenants with the house of Israel. And you’ve also heard that whoever doesn’t repent must perish.  As a result, if the Gentiles harden their hearts against the Lamb of God, I will afflict them.  Because the time will come, says the Lamb of God, when I’ll bring about a great and awe-inspiring work among mankind, one that will be everlasting — one way or the other — either to convince them, resulting in peace and life eternal; or to give them up to their hard hearts and blind minds, bringing about their slavery and temporal and spiritual destruction , under the accuser’s enslavement which I’ve spoken about.” - 1 Nephi 3:26 Covenant of Christ