Introducing Myself. LDS?
 

Feel free to join us here ~ http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/fait...uragers-3.html

I don't believe there are any LDS among us but I am Lutheran and my kids grew up going to our Lutheran Church Missouri Synod school....a wonderful thing!

Hi Krista!

My name is Kelli, I grew up LDS. I am sorry you are feeling isolated. It looks like you are in the same place I was about 30 years ago. I was searching for answers.

I know that you are not here by accident. God is searching for you too!

John 15:16 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

The problem is, you can’t understand the things of the spirit if you haven’t been born of the spirit.

I Corinthians 2:14 (NIV) says, 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

I know that we were told we get the Holy Spirit when you are confirmed (the Sunday after the Saturday you were babtized on... when you were 8) However, that is not how the Bible says you are born of the Spirit.

It's not a religion; it is having a relationship with Jesus Christ. God loves you so much He wants a relationship with you, and He has a plan for your life, but you need to be born of the Spirit.

So read how the Bible tells you how to become born of the Spirit?

John 3:1-9 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Let’s take a closer look at this passage. Nicodemus came to Jesus with questions, and at first Jesus’, answers confused him. He asked, “How can a person be born again? Go back into his mother’s womb?” Jesus answer was “unless one is born of the water” (the womb) “and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Then Jesus tells Nicodemus that flesh is temporary and of the world, it cannot enter into the Kingdom, but the Spirit is eternal . When you get born again is an awakening of the Holy Spirit within you. Verse eight says, Have faith! You believe in earthly things you cannot see and not understand, you can’t see the change on the outside immediately.

Take note of verse nine, Nicodemus says, “How can these things be?” He wanted to know how to be born of the Spirit. And Jesus gives him the answer, gives all of us the answer in verse fifteen.

“WHOEVER" believes in Him (Jesus) should not perish but have eternal life.” God tells us in His Word, that "WHOEVER" He doesn't say Whoever if you are Babtist, or Whoever, if you are Catholic, Lutheran or even LDS! He says WHOEVER BELIEVES.

He wants us all to be with Him in heaven (II Peter 3:9), yet heaven is a perfect place. God won’t let it be corrupted by sin, any sin. (Revelation 21:27), So unless you are perfect, without sin, you are not allowed in heaven. However, we are all sinners and separated from God, so now what do you do?

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The cost of sinning (wages) is death (separation from God) but the Gift is eternal life. You can’t be good enough to get to heaven on your own. It’s a gift!

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Jesus is the perfect Son of God and He paid the price for your sin, because you can’t afford it, you can’t be perfect. It’s important you realize your need for Christ and accept Him as your own savior. Receive the gift of God, and confess your sin and need for him.

Romans 10: 8 & 9 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”(that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

It’s as simple as acknowledging you are a sinner and believe in your heart Jesus died on the cross for your sin.

II Peter 3:9 God is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance.

If you don’t have a relationship with Christ, here is how you start, pray like this, to Jesus, in your own words, and mean it with all your heart.

~Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I receive You as my Savior, and ask You to forgive my sins. I acknowledge You are the Lord of my life and I turn my life over to you, and ask you to help me turn from my sin and turn to You.
Thank you my Lord, in Jesus name, amen.~

Now you have prayed this prayer and meant it, God will begin to change you from the inside out, He will change your desires. In fact, your desire will be for the things of God. By grace you are saved—a gift from Your Lord!

I said that little prayer about 30 years ago... and it's been a wonderful adventure!

Love, Kelli

Hi and welcome! I agree with Kelli. I'm a former RLDS and now a born-again Christian and Methodist minister. The Christian Encouragers thread is wonderful...a really caring group of women (and a guy or two). I know that my weight loss journey is a mission from God, a feeling which has been confirmed equally by the Holy Spirit, church friends with gifts of discernment, and my study of the Bible's teachings on the care of the physical body. (Did I gain some of my weight because of all the potlucks...and the "funeral potatoes"? You betcha. There's no food like LDS food. Still can't look at a jello mold without missing my old congregation, but that's another story.)

Anyways, come on over and join us! We'll be delighted to have you.

Inkedmama98 there are a few differences between Missouri and Wisconsin...kind of major ones (although not as far as salvation goes)...but in the Missouri Synod we don't allow women to be Pastors but we allow them to hold just about any other position in our church. We have girl acolytes and deaconesses. From what I understand the WELS does not allow women in any capacity of leadership...I may be wrong.

I'm LDS and currently practicing. I'm glad to see you here! I'm sorry your experiences with other members have been so terrible! :(( Idaho and Utah, despite the large LDS population, can be particularly rough on one's self-esteem and faith...I don't think I'll ever be able to live in those places because of the snobbery and holier than thou attitudes I've witnessed...and I'm a bishop's daughter!

I completely understand what you mean about feeling like the only big girl. I've been to Rexburg, SLC, IF, and many other places and let me tell you there are NO formal dresses for girls over a 14, unless you want to drop a ton of money on something to have them order it in on the chance that it may not even fit!

Anyway, I'm glad to see other members on here, I was starting to wonder if I'm the only one. :) I love Jesus Christ as my Savior and Redeemer. He is my best friend. I have a testimony of the Church. I truly believe with all my heart that it is the most complete and true. I have faith that one day all will be known and that we will all stand face to face with God and Christ. I hope one day you decide to return to the church. No matter what we do, I believe Christ and God are waiting there for us with open arms, ready to receive us. :) We are ALL beloved daughters of God!

Hi Krista, I just registered with this forum. I typed in Utah to see if there are others Utahs with a sugar addiction. I'm sorry you are going through a rough time. I've learned with the church to associate with the kind people. ( and there are many) There are snobs in every church. I dont have a weight problem but I am seriously addicted to sugar. I have horrible headaches and body aches from the sugar I cram into my body. I'm hoping to find support with this forum as I've never met anyone with such as addiction like mine. Good luck to you :)

I'm a non-practicing LDS looking to rekindle my faith...and exploring Buddhism :)
I would totally go back to the LDS church in a heartbeat if those in my ward were not totally fake, clique-y, gossipy, etc. Someone let the beans spill on why I was in the hospital and when I confronted them they said "only the Ward council knew" Plus my hometeachers, plus the girl I confided in. I feel so completely betrayed by them that I am embarrassed to go back.

I'm a little odd :wave:

You know, as I was reading this thread, I thought it was so very sad ... becuz you all have been hurt by people, not GOD! What a shame it would be to walk away from the LORD, becuz of the sins of others. Your faith is supposed to be in GOD; your focus should be on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, not flawed people in your church, or ward, or whatever ...

Don't let others rob you of your relationship with an awesome, loving, forgiving GOD. Don't let them steal your joy & happiness. Dont let them stop you from enjoying those who are good people; there must be some nice people in your church -- they all can't be bad, no?

There are gossipers & backstabbers in every church or religion (as much as in any local coffee shop); there are sinners in every church --but there are lots of people who try not to practice those things. I have always thought that Christians are harder on other Christians than non-believers, even though the bible clearly tells us to love & forgive everyone, especially our brothers & sisters in the LORD, giving preference towards one another becuz of our relationship to GOD (and that goes both ways).

I am praying that you all can either find a way to go back to your own Christian Churches or one that is similar (like Lutheran or another) so that you can meet better people. You don't have to stop believing in GOD at all; you can still pray and read your bible each day. You can still be close to GOD and grow in YOUR walk with the LORD. Meanwhile, ask GOD to show you where HE would like you to go.

I apologize on behalf of those who have hurt you so much; GOD does not like their behavior either. The bible is clear about these sins; if those people read their bibles more, they would know how they have not only betrayed you, but CHRIST, who loves you and told them to keep HIS commandments -- that is, TO LOVE OTHERS, in all holiness. :hug:

Don't get me wrong, I love my church but the ward is so small and tightly knit that I feel totally out of place. In was in the psych ward for my mental illness. I confided in someone I thought was my friend now the whole ward knows and they walk on eggshells around me. AND I'm not sure why the ward council knows, but my hospitalization, meds, etc is none of anyone's business and certainly does not relate to my salvation in any way. I just feel burned and humiliated which is why I am researching Buddhism. I like a lot of their ideals and philosophies.

Well said ROSEBUD :hug:

I would like to add the following scripture ~


Psalm 56:3-4

New International Version (NIV)


3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?


God, Himself, tells us in his WORD not to trust ANY humans! Not our Pastors...not anyone in the congregation....not any group of men....He tells us to TRUST in Him....

the way we do that is through His WORD in His Bible....

and no other books....none.....

Many have been deceived....many.

Christian or not, no one likes worshiping in a hostile environment that may be hurting our spirituality at the same time. Please don't try to tell me I should have stayed there because frankly, that is ridiculous. I want to worship with people in a more positive atmosphere. I love God and all, but I ain't sticking around somewhere I feel extremely uncomfortable and ostracized. With the LDS church there are designated wards so unless you move you cannot switch wards. And I'm not going to a different denomination just to feel comfortable knowing they do not share my beliefs.

No one here is telling you to go to a church that is hostile towards you....just mentioning that "people" can be nasty in all churches from time to time.

But I have to say I would never-EVER attend a church that told me where I could and could not worship!!

I'm practicing LDS. :) I'm soooooo sorry your experience in your ward has been so negative. :( Wards can sometimes be absolutely WONDERFUL (like the one I'm in now), and sometimes they can be a bit disfunctional. (I personally think that's part of the reason why they're sometimes called "ward families" ;) )

Something I would strongly suggest you do (if you aren't already) is pray pray pray. Pray for help with your weight issues, pray for guidance in your spiritual search, pray for a forgiving heart towards those who hurt you (in and out of the church) so that you can let go of the pain and move forward to a more positive, healthful future. He will guide you in all things. :)

All Truth comes from God, and if you ask Him, He'll let you know where it is.