Ghia – How water is good for the spirit.

Hurray.

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Ghia here.

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I'm this week's host of the creative,

spiritual journey podcast, where I

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talk about connecting with nature.

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Connecting with Jesus Christ

and our heavenly parents.

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Seasonal living.

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And anything else I've been learning about

on this remarkable journey we call life.

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Today is part two soul

water for the spirit.

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As I said in my last

podcast, soul water part one.

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If you have never heard of soul water

that's because I made it up to me.

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So water means using water to support

and sustain the body and the spirit.

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So let's talk about soul

water for the spirit.

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In my last episode, I talked

about soul water for the body.

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It was all pretty common

knowledge, non refutable stuff.

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This week is a little different.

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My thoughts about soul water

for the spirit are not provable

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and they are not scientific.

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So take or leave them as you will.

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what I want to talk about is

how the physical water that we

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can see touch feel and hear.

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Can influence stimulate in live-in

and even inspire our spirit.

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All the while making our spirit healthier.

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Granted, not all my ideas require physical

water, but they all require a knowledge

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or understanding of physical water.

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So let's dive in.

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How many stories, miracles or ordinances.

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Can you think of that?

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Revolve around water?

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During the creation, there was the

separation of water from dry land.

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We have Noah and the arc,

Moses getting water out of a

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rock and parting the red sea.

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Christ's first miracle of turning water

into wine christ walking on water.

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Leper sent to Washington, the river.

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The Centurion sent to

Washington, the Jordan.

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Baptism, both for the living and the dead.

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The ritual washing during the temple

initiatory and the sacrament we take each

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Sunday as a side note, I have to say.

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I don't believe water is

simply a convenient substitute

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for wine in our sacraments.

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I believe it is by design because

that is how important water is.

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It's so important.

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In fact that in Jeremiah Christ calls

himself the fountain of living water.

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And in John, while talking

to the Samaritan woman.

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Christ's offers her living water

springing up into everlasting life.

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I love that when trying to explain

what he has to offer the world

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Christ uses the concept of water.

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Water as the giver of life.

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Could there be a better analogy?

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I know I'm taking a leap here, but

I love the idea that fostering a

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relationship with water will help us

foster a relationship with Jesus Christ.

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In my mind, water is magical.

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If you doubt me, listen

to revelation 22 1.

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Where John recording a vision says, then

the angel showed me the river of life.

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As clear as crystal flowing

from the throne of God.

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Hmm.

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If water flowing from the throne

of God doesn't sound magical.

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I don't know.

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What does.

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So how to hone a relationship with

this magical inanimate substance.

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I find this relationship

comes through using my senses.

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Here's an example.

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Joseph B Wirthlin a member of the

quorum of the 12 apostles said.

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These latter days are a time

of great spiritual thirst.

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Many in the world are searching often

intensely for a source of refreshment

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that will quench their yearning for

meaning and direction in their lives.

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They crave a cool, satisfying

drink of insight and knowledge.

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that will soothe their part souls.

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Their spirits cry out for life-sustaining

experiences of peace and calm.

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To nourish and enlightened they're

withering hearts and quote.

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My relationship with water, meaning I

have experienced physical thirst helps

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me to understand the yearning I have

with my body for a relationship with God.

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How about this one?

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He may get me lie down in green pastures.

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He leadeth me beside still waters.

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There is a beautiful feeling of peace that

floods the space next to still waters.

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Have you felt it.

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When I close my eyes, an image

I experienced several years ago,

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while camping in the boundary

waters of Minnesota comes to mind.

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It was a fall evening and the mist rising

off the lake was rosy and love some.

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I could hardly believe it was real.

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The beauty was heavenly.

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Uh, This was a physical experience

that could only happen while I

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was in my body on this earth.

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As I recall this image years later.

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I still feel amazement and

wonder at the site and it suits

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my spirit and makes me smile.

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These are two examples of the

blessings I find in water.

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An explanation for yearning.

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And soothing beauty.

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Let me share a few more.

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I grew up sailing off the coast

of California and even worked for

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years next to a famous surf spot.

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But my most quality time with

the ocean was more recently while

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living in half moon bay, California,

just south of San Francisco.

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There.

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I was able to walk the ocean

shore almost every day.

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I found the ocean incredibly moody.

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It could be surreal and

magical during sunset.

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Then a short time later, it

could be fierce and imperious

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Spending so much time next to the

ocean was a life altering experience.

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If a lake is known for calm, the

emotion of the ocean instills in

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me, courage and determination.

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The crashing of the waves, the

endless rolling in and out in livens.

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My body.

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You may have a totally

different experience.

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I note that experience and

ponder what it means to you.

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I have to say that my favorite

body of water is the river.

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Probably because I spent so much

time camped along river banks

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To me, rivers instill a

feeling of hope and assurance.

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I can't tell you how many quiet evenings

I have sat next to a river and felt

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as if it were running through me.

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And when I wake in the morning,

I am always so surprised

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that it is still running.

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Shouldn't someone have turned

it off during the night.

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Yet it is going and going and going.

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My message.

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If it can keep going then.

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So can I, anything is possible.

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These relationships with bodies of water.

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Are likely things you have

already experienced and are

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relatively easy to understand.

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Now let's dive a little bit deeper.

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Rick Rubin in his book, the creative

act, a way of being uses water

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and specifically the river, as a

thought provoking analogy, he says.

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A river of material flows through us.

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When we share our works and

ideas, they are replenished.

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If we block the flow by holding

them all inside the river can't run

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and new ideas are slow to appear.

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I love this concept, this

concept that I can let ideas

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flow through me like a river.

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This is especially relevant to me as I

sit down to write a podcast and wonder

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if I have anything else to share.

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Ah, but it's my relationship with

rivers that teaches me that if I let

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my ideas flow, they will never run out.

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Water.

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This soul water is a means of

supporting faith and belief.

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And it must be true because as

daughters of the great creator,

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it is our natural state to create.

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And don't tell me you aren't creative

because you aren't crafty or artistic.

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Perhaps you create order

or laughter or memories.

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Like Ruben says, if we don't

let our creativity flow,

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it will pool and stagnate.

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And I believe we will

feel slow and lifeless.

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I could spend a lot of time on the

subject after all, this is the creative,

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spiritual journey podcast, and creativity

is a core belief that Judy and I hold.

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But for now, I'm going to let you sit

with this idea and I'm sure we will come

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back to this topic in another podcast.

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Moving on.

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Let me share another water relationship.

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The pioneer water researcher,

Theodore Schwenk wrote.

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To serve the cause of water adequately.

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We must get to know it.

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And it's true being and how do we do this?

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Y by treating it the very way,

exemplified by its own behavior.

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That is whenever we encounter it, we wash

the tablets of our soul, clean of all

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other impressions in order to allow the

being of water to make its imprint on us.

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Water can make an imprint Did you know.

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Now, these are some grand fancy words,

but here's what they make me think.

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We know water can clean

our bodies physically.

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We also know that symbolically

water can clean our spirit

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as we experienced in baptism.

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But as I think and ponder about the

spirit body connection, I see water with

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the ability to not only symbolically,

but also physically cleanse our spirits.

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Let me explain.

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It doesn't matter if I'm getting off a

one day river trip or a 29 day river trip.

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I'm always excited to get in the shower.

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While I wash the mud and sweat

out of my hair and off my body.

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These few minutes in the

shower also calm my spirit.

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The physical act of allowing

water to run off my body.

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Helps me wash off my recent

activities and prepare me for the

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next, my spirit, as well as my body.

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Phil's cleansed and refreshed.

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That is the power of water.

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Taking this one step further.

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Can I let this experience with water?

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Leave its imprint on me.

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So that in the future, I can recall

this experience, this imprint

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and bring it into the present.

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Just like, I can recall the

imprint of thirst or the beauty

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of a lake when I need it.

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Hmm, that's an interesting question.

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The imprints you experience with water

and your life will be different from mine.

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I invite you to notice them

with all of your senses.

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See how water can change your mood

affect your day or your attitude.

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Let water make an imprint.

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Then practice pulling up that imprint.

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When you find yourself

yearning for its influence.

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On that note, here's another

physical attribute of water.

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That, uh, remembering.

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Remembering as one of the most important

aspects of our religion each week,

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while we partake of the sacrament.

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We promise to remember Jesus Christ.

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That sounds easy, But in actuality, it

can be very hard to remember to remember.

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With all of life's activities

and distractions, our attention

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is constantly diverted.

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Here's what I think's interesting.

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There are a few Maverick scientists

that claim that water has memory.

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Perhaps not memory.

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Exactly.

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But the ability to trap

electromagnetic signals.

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Research in this field has been

touted by many as pseudoscience.

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Still.

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The idea fascinates me.

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If our brains are 75% water.

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Who's to say it isn't

the water in our brains.

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That's providing our ability to remember.

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Here's where my mind takes a great leap.

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Do you recall that water?

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We talked about in my last episode.

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That water.

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We need to stay hydrated and

keep our body healthy, to keep

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swelling out of our brains.

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I believe that same water helps our spirit

to remember to remember Jesus Christ.

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I believe water physical water is just as

important for our bodies as our spirits.

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That's why I call it soul water.

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So even if you don't

believe water has memory.

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You have to believe keeping our minds

clear and healthy is going to help

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us to always remember Jesus Christ.

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And the importance he has in our lives.

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If we are dehydrated, we

won't feel good spiritually.

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Good hydration helps us think better.

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Brings us hope, peace, ideas, and answers.

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All of these gifts of the

spirit, come from water.

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Here is one more.

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Did you know that you

can find love in water?

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It's my belief that the water

in my life, whether I sit by it,

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walk by it, raft on it, ski on it.

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And most certainly if I drink it.

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Helps me feel and share love.

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First knee.

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1125 says, and it came to pass that

I beheld the fountain of living

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waters or the tree of life, which

waters represented the love of God.

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I know that once again, I

might be stretching the point.

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But I believe water physical water

represents spiritually and physically

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the love of God on this earth.

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The more we have this life

giving water in our lives.

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The better we are going to be

able to have loving relationships.

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Love ourselves, love

this earth and love God.

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Now before you get upset and say, well, I

don't live next to a lake river or ocean.

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Let me point out that we can find

the effects of water all around us.

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Here's how.

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I love this description of Christ

from doctrine and covenants.

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one 10

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His eyes were as a flame of fire.

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The hair of us head was

white, like pure snow.

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His countenance shown above

the brightness of the sun.

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And his voice was the sound of

the rushing of great waters.

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Even the voice of Jehovah.

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Did you catch that?

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His voice was the sound of

the rushing of great waters.

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Thinking about this verse has got me

listening for the voice of Christ in

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all forms of water, not just rivers

or oceans, but rain, hail, or snow.

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Snow is often silent.

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And I asked myself what

imprint it invokes.

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Sometimes snow squeaks under my boot

and the imprint is completely different.

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How about the sound of water,

filling a sink or washing machine?

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Can I hear Christ in those places.

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I was talking to my mom about

this hearing Christ in water.

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And she said, I hear

Christ at the silver bow.

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Coming out the end of my watering hose.

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I love that my mother hears the voice

of the Lord while watering her flowers.

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This goes perfectly with Isaiah 58, 11.

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And the Lord shall guide the continually

and satisfy thy soul in drought.

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And make fat diet bones

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And thou shall be like a water garden and

like a spring of water whose waters fail.

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Not.

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That scripture makes my heart happy.

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Ah, happiness.

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Another imprint of water.

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Let me share one more.

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This is from Jeremiah 17.

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Bless it is the one who trusts the Lord.

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Who's confidence is in him.

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They will be like a tree planted by the

water that sends its roots by the stream.

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It does not fear when heat comes.

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It's leaves are always green.

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It has no worries in the year of

drought and never fails to bear fruit.

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This makes me believe that if I am

thoughtful and pay attention, I can

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do the mundane, ordinary things of

life, like taking a shower or washing

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dishes or walking in the snow.

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And allow the imprint of water

To fill me with the worry free

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confidence found in Jesus Christ.

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That is the magic and

miracle of soul water.

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As always thank you so much for

spending your valuable time with me.

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And thank you for sharing this

podcast with a friend your love and

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support means so much to Judy and me.

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And I hope my thoughts will help you

nourish your own relationship with water.

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Until next time.

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Nama stay.