Hi, I'm bob

originally from logan utah , we moved to northern california where i grew up in oakland . i'm a mormon .

About Me

i'm mostly retired , and enjoy playing golf . i was a painter so i still paint small jobs and i enjoy re-finishing furniture . i watch too much t.v. , and read scriptures . i have experiencee with 12 step programs and participate in the l.d.s. addiction recovery program . because i i am able to do so , i work in and around a temple as much as i can .
that's it .

Why I am a Mormon

i was born into the church , but left when i was around 15 . we moved to northern california when i was young and it was hard for me . i met kids that introduced me to smoking and drinking , and the wrong path was easier and more popular . i drifted from right things and got into a lot of trouble throughout my entire life . i didn't go to school beyond high school . i worked many jobs , just bouncing around . i was divorced twice and have one son , 32 , that won't talk to me . all my life i had a big hole inside me that i tried to fill , with bad things . at 62 years old i was laid off and couldn't get work . i was very angry and didn't know what to do . i felt like ending it all .
but i never did not believe in the l.d.s. church . so i mustered up all my strength and called the missionaries . then i found my bishop . i went to the ward i was in and stayed there . i did everything i could . i met with misssionaries every day .
as time went by , anger eased . my faith grew .
i had come home . i love the church . i love the gospel . i love the missionaries . i have experiences from my past that enable me to help members that are having trouble with their lives .
this is the only thing and way to fill the big hole in me .
the teachings are logical . they do not contradict . they answer , where am i from . what am i doing here , and where am i going . i'm a mormon . it just feels good , and right .
that's it .

Personal Stories

How can your talents and gifts bless others?

we are all different . in every way . that's the way it's supposed to be . i don't know the things you know , and you don't know where i've been . the life experiences i have are not from the church of jesus christ of latter day saints . i didn't go to church for 50 years . i'm an alccoholic , but i have been sober since 1989 . i did every bad thing . now i don't . i have come back to church now and have found that i have a story to tell that is helpful to many people that have wandered from the straight and narrow . i work with missionaries and am able to help people understand the church in common language . i work with troubled and addicted people and have success with people opening up and being honest with themselves . a healing thing , as it were , and it's hard to lie to me . i've been there . that is a gift that i have that i can now use .
it took me long to come back , and i'm never going back out there . i'm going to stay right here and help less fortunate souls any way i can .
i love this church and the teachings . it's simple , logical and true .
that's it

How I live my faith

since i came back to the church , i have studied those things necessary to enable me to progress . in oakland , i was one that worked with missionaries , and had much success bringing new members on board . i got involved with the churche's addiction recovery program , that comes from 12 step work that i am familiar with . i enjoy working with people that have problems . i am helpful . i earned the right to enter the temple . i go there often . our temples are sacred holy places where many lessons are learned and many blessings recieved . they are for everyone to benefit from , once permission to enter has been earned . i work in the temple . i paint in the temple . i work on the grounds . all this is volunteer work . i do not smoke or drink and i don't cuss , (anymore) . i go to my meetingss . i try to help . i smile .
i am faithful to the teachings of my church .
i realize i will make mistakes , and that's o.k. now i just try to be better .
that's it

What is the Word of Wisdom that Mormons talk about?

bob answered...

once again , it's logical and makes sense . don't smoke . don't drink . don't use coffee or tea , because of the addictive effects of caffeine . don't use illegal drugs , and i think don't abuse prescription drugs .
years ago people thought it was just the mormons having dumb rules . not now . now doctors say the same thing . people that can't see this are in denial . i'm not making this up , it's just true .
with no religion involved , it is just common sense .
now , if we DO these things , we are blessed with health , clear eyes , clean smell , and the knowledge that we are doing the right thing . it doesn't need to be anything more than that .
that's it .
Mark answered...

The word of wisdom is the Lord's law of health. We abstain from drugs, tobacco, alcohol, coffee, and tea, and are encouraged to eat wholesome food and grains, and not eat excessive meat. I am asked all of the time by my fellow residents at the hospital why I don't drink coffee, and how I can stay awake all night on call without it. I don't consider it a sacrifice, though, and am as awake and perform as well as any. It is true that the body will be more healthy when following the word of wisdom, the but the main benefit is spiritual. The knowledge that you are in line with the the Lord's teaching is the most important thing.

What do Mormons believe concerning the doctrine of grace?

Matt Gibson answered...

We believe in grace 100 percent . No one can be saved, except by grace. There is nothing we ourselves can do to earn eternal life. But, we do believe that we will NOT receive grace unless we live our lives in accordance with what Christ has taught. When Christ ransomed us, became the author of our salvation, and also the perscriber of the conditions of repentance. He's told us that we need to have faith in him, repent, and be baptized for the remissions of sins, so that we may be sanctified by the Holy Ghost. He also told us that we need to endure to the end, meaning continue to strive to live by his teachings, otherwise we cannot be saved by grace. There are many today who teach that baptism is not necessary because it is a "work". We know that Christ set the example to make it perfectly clear. He also said in John chapter 3 verse 5, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
You might be thinking now, "what about those who never got a chance to be baptized?", well Heavenly Father is perfectly fair, and that opportunity will be provided for everyone to make that decision, whether in this life or in the next. The point of Baptism is making covenants. Without making these covenants Christ cannot give us grace.
Hence the doctrine of grace, and doctrine of works, coinside with each other. One cannot be without the other.