http://ldslivingmagazine.com/articles/show/1173

I found this great article which describes my thoughts on television and movies pretty accurately.  I keep hearing terms such as "movie candy," "book candy" and "eye candy."  But a constant supply of these types of "candy" are no more better for my body and soul than would be a constant diet of M&Ms, Skittles or chocolate chip cookies (mmmm...chocolate chip cookies).

We need to be in tune with the Holy Spirit in what we watch or read or take into ourselves in any way.  I recently began watching a movie called The Prince and Me.  The Holy Spirit was very offended, and i could tell right from the start.  I should have turned it off a lot sooner than i did, but i finally did turn it off and so have no idea how it ends (though due to the predictable nature of said movie, i can say with pretty fair certainty that it did not end in a wedding).

I am certainly not perfect at this, but i think that if we cannot feel the Spirit as we view a movie or read a book, then we can say with certainty that Christ would never watch it or read it.  He has better things to do, and so do we.  This is not to say we are confined to only watching LDS movies or scripturally-based movies or whatever.  There are plenty of good movies and books out in the world that we can view and read and still keep the Spirit as our constant companion, which is a goal i (as a follower of Christ) am working toward.

Tags: Television Movies

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I have been interested in the power of thoughts for a while now.  I've come to realize that it's not really a new concept to me.  There are quite a few scriptures about the subject along with many talks and articles by church leadership.  My mother pounded into me that "negative thinking is incorrect thinking" and "happiness is a choice."

However, going through a few bouts of mild depression lead me to a more serious and contemplative study of the subject.  Some well-timed email from a trusted friend led me to www.thoughtsalive.com, the website of Leslie Householder and her financial revolution.  This seemed a good place to start, as i considered my financial difficulties the reason for my depression.  After watching her video presentation and reading her book, The Jackrabbit Factor, i learned otherwise.  It was my thoughts and not my financial difficulties that was causing me to be depressed.

I, therefore, took a different direction and read As A Man Thinketh by James Allen.  This was a very informative book, and i learned a lot.  But, i wanted something with more of an LDS persuasion.

I stumbled across a book in our collection called Unlocking the Powers of Faith by Garth Allred.  I did not pick it up immediately but thought it looked good and that i would read it later.  That very night, my husband picked it for our evening reading time and read the first few pages.  At that point, i knew this was the book i should read.

This book brought it all together for me.  It was exactly what i was looking for.  It brought the wisdom from the professional scientific world together with the teachings of the gospel in a powerful and profound way.  And now i have the knowledge i need to bring more of the power of faith into my life through the thoughts i allow myself to think.

Isn't it wonderful to see the Lord working in our lives!  I really feel i was lead through the Holy Spirit to find this book and read it.

For anyone struggling in any way (physical, spiritual, mental or emotional), i would recommend this book.  And for anyone struggling financially, i would recommend Leslie Householder's books and website.

God bless!

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