HAPPY St. Patricks day! So, are you wearing green? Do you wonder who is St. Patrick anyway? Did you know he was captured as a young man and sold into slavery? Join me on the creative spiritual journey podcast where I will ask a soul searching question, "what fear ye?"

We might even discover what the pot of gold is at the end of the rainbow.

Welcome friends to the creative, spiritual journey podcast.

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Sunny Bonanni from the

motherland of South Africa.

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It's here that my husband and I are

serving a mission for the church of

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Jesus Christ of latter day saints.

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My name is Judy Cooley, along

with my sister-in-law Ghia Cooley.

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We are your host.

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But we'd rather you consider us more

like your hiking buddies together.

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We'll step out the front door and onto the

path that leads through the wilderness.

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Beyond the horizon to

stand on mountain tops.

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We'll share what's in our

hearts, our love for the savior

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and his beautiful creations.

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As well as the joys and the lessons

were discovering along the way.

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So will you rise up, shake off

the dust, pick up your packs

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and join us on the trail.

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Today is day 440.

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Yay.

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I have been numbering the

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When we embarked on this

mission to go and gather Israel.

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And it's been quite the

adventure of highs and lows.

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Today is also March 17th, 2025.

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St.

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Patrick's day.

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So hopefully you're wearing

green, so you don't get pinched.

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Maybe you're wearing a three

leaf Clover called the Shamrock.

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Maybe you're one of the lucky

ones to get, to attend a parade.

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Or search for leprechauns.

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I know my son and his wife.

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Do some pretty funny things.

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With the leprechaun.

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And his shenanigans in the house

and blame it on the leprechaun.

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It's quite funny.

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I have one friend who

fixes an all green meal.

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For her family.

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Family.

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And my mom used to fix

corn, beef and cabbage.

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I don't know about you, but

I love corn beef and cabbage.

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So who is St.

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Patrick?

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And what is this day all about?

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I invite you to do a Google search.

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Because I am just going to give you

a quick cliff note version of who

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he is and what I think is the pot

of gold at the end of the rainbow.

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So.

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St.

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Patrick's story takes place

way back in the fifth century.

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When the world to me was still wild.

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He was born actually in

England, two Roman parents.

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So he's not very Irish.

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He is best known for bringing

Christianity to a pagan nation of Ireland.

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This, I found fascinating that as a young

man, he was captured by Irish pirates.

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And front taken from his

home and family and enslaved.

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was an animal herder.

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For six years and he actually experienced

starvation and being abused and beaten.

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So he had quite the challenge

as a young man growing up.

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It was there that he said he heard.

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The word of God.

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And he finally escaped and returned to.

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His family.

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Where.

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he grew up to be a man of the

cloth in the Roman Catholic church.

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And here's where he was so courageous.

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He returned to Ireland.

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He felt drawn to return back to

Ireland where he was the slave.

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In hopes to bringing knowledge

of Jesus Christ to them.

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To me, this is courageous.

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Humility.

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Here's his words.

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This is while he's a missionary end.

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Ireland.

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For daily, I expect to be murdered.

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Or be trade.

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Or reduced to slavery.

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If the occasion arises.

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But I fear nothing because

of the promise of heaven.

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For, I have cast.

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Test myself into the hands of the.

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Almighty God who reigns everywhere.

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As the prophet says, cast your burden

on the Lord and he will sustain you.

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Isn't that wonderful.

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I as a missionary am never expect to

be murdered or betrayed on a daily.

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Occasion.

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So this man had courage.

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So today in your

celebrations of the Irish.

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Of St.

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Patrick's reflect back on him

and his courageous humility.

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And how you can integrate a little bit

of luck of the Irish into your life.

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And with that thought, I want

to share with you something the

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spirit has been nudging me to do.

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and that is to begin each episode

asking you a question of the soul.

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What.

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Our soul searching questions.

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The first time I heard this

phrase, I was in the MTC.

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In the preach, my gospel.

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That the book of Mormon answers,

soul searching questions.

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And then in teaching and

sharing the gospel ask.

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Open-ended questions.

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Not yes and no questions.

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Questions that cause us

to reflect and ponder.

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And I'm, I wasn't used to that

this has taken some practice.

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And also just.

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Just our last zone conference are.

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Mission president.

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president macaque asked us to.

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Look in the scriptures.

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For the questions Jesus asked.

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And take them and apply

them when we teach others.

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So when he said that the first

question that popped up, but my

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mind is found in Matthew eight.

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So in Matthew eight, we have the apostles.

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On a ship with the savior.

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And I'm sure it's been a long day

because the Savior's actually asleep.

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When a big storm rises so big.

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That they fear.

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They are in peril that their lives.

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Are in danger.

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And this is, this is from the

scriptures, Matthew eight.

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First 24.

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When they entered into a ship,

his disciples followed him.

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And behold there rose a great Tempest

in the sea in so much that the ship was

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covered with the waves, but he was asleep.

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And his disciples came to him in

a, woke him saying, Lord, save us.

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We perish.

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And he said into them.

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Why are you fearful?

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Oh, ye of little faith.

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Okay.

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Then he arose and he rebuked

the winds and the sea.

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And there was a great calm.

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Haven't you been fearful?

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I know that's a silly question

because I think we're all wired.

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To detect.

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Dangerous.

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We naturally feel fear.

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Of.

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Of danger.

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And the unknown.

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This fear is actually a

useful tool to survive.

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And it's a good thing to

know and recognize tigers.

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And when we need to run from

them, Here in South Africa.

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We haven't dared go off the beaten

trail in the mountains, hiking because

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of our fear of black mambas and green

mambas and puff adders and cobras.

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So Sometimes fear's a good thing.

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let me ask you.

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How would you answer the

Messiah when he asks.

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You have little faith.

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Why are you so afraid?

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I recently had an experience

in my morning, studies reading

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a passage and scriptures.

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And all of a sudden this wave of fear

came up and I thought to pray asking.

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Why do I fear?

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This, why do I feel such fear,

heavenly father reading this and

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how can I instead have faith?

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Let me ask you to think of a

time when you were fearful.

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When it would have been

more helpful to be faithful.

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And you've had the savior.

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Calm the storm tossed sees for you.

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Yeti X-5: You can see how.

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Asking questions.

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Soul searching questions opens

up your mind and your heart.

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To reflection.

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To remembering experiences

Teaching you how to become better.

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Questions.

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Are important.

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Not only for the savior

to ask us, but us to ask.

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Our father in heaven That is how.

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This whole gospel was restored.

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With questions.

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Yeti X: Our first grandson.

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Loved to ask questions.

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He was in that curious stage

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Y.

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Y how, how, why.

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Why this, how that.

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And sometimes it got a little bit,

ah, Just because you wanted to reply.

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But I think asking good questions.

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We learn.

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It's part of our progress,

just like a little child.

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Asking questions.

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I think that's why the

savior asked questions.

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So we would search.

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Elder.

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Ted.

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Our Callister said a good

question is like an alarm clock.

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It awakens us out of our mental doldrums

and jumpstarts our mental engines.

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Don't you love that?

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It's an alarm clock to awaken our senses.

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So I got curious, just how

many questions did Jesus ask?

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According to John Hill,

the third and Brad Wilcox.

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They wrote a book titled.

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52 life changing questions.

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the questions in the book of Mormon.

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And it says that in the book of

Mormon, there are 543 questions.

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Jesus Christ Ash, 35 of those questions.

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And then according to Zach is.

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Zehnder.

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Hope I said your name, Zack.

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Right.

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Um, he is from the red letter living.

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I think he might be a pastor.

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But he wrote an article

called 305 questions.

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Jesus asked.

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Apparently he asked how many

questions did Jesus ask?

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And the new Testament.

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I found out there's 300 or five.

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Well, Guinea.

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And I often talk about how we

can own improve this podcast.

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And have it be more of an

experiential conversation where

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together we can become better.

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By experimenting upon the words of Christ.

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And become a Dewar.

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Not just a listener.

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So if you've listened to this podcast

for a while, you've noticed that Ghia and

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I speak a lot about meditative prayer.

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And contemplation and pondering.

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And this is because.

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We can testify in no of the

blessings of peace and strength

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that is brought into our lives.

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So, of course we want to share it

with you, our friends, the listeners.

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This is why I'm going to be including

in this episode, a guided meditation

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upon the soul searching question.

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Jesus asked, why are you so fearful?

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What fear ye.

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So, if you're interested, you

can just queue up the next

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episode at your convenience.

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And if meditation is just

not quite your cup of tea.

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You can just skip it and move on.

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I love that we are all blessed with this

wonderful gift to choose for ourselves.

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So why meditation?

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And pondering upon a question.

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I heard this recently on one heart,

one mind podcast with Thomas McConkie.

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And if any of you know him, he

is like the LDS meditation guru.

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He quoted Howard Truman.

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And I'd love to read this to you.

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Quote, the experience of

prayer can be nurtured.

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And cultivated.

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It can create a climate in which

a man's life moves and functions.

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Indeed.

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It may become a very way of

living for the individual.

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It is ever possible

that the time may come.

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When a man carries such

an atmosphere around him.

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And gifts.

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Uh, quality to all that he

does and communicates it spirit

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to all who crossed his path.

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This was the most remarkable

impact of the life of the master

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upon those whom he encountered.

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It was this, that still

the raging of the madman.

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That called little children

to him that made sinners know

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that their sins are forgiven.

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His whole countenance glowed

with that glory of the father.

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And the secret.

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A great while before day, he withdrew

to a solitary place and prayed.

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As was his custom.

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That's found in mark

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One verse 35.

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At even the sun had set.

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And they brought onto him

all that were diseased.

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And then that were possessed with devils.

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And the city was gathered

together at the door.

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So a lot of people.

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Endless line of people

lined up to be healed.

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Many that were sick of diverse.

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Diseases.

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And cast out many devils and suffered.

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Not that devil is to speak because

they knew him in the morning,

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rising up a great while before day.

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He went out and departed into a

solitary place and there prayed.

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This is how important it was for him.

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I'm sure he was exhausted.

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But in order to be refueled.

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Recharged.

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He rising up a great while before day.

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He went out and departed into a

solitary place and there prayed.

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Meditative prayer

rejuvenated the savior soul.

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I know it can.

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Do the same for us.

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Christ wouldn't just ask questions

and leave us there in the dust.

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Pondering.

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our fears.

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And stead.

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If we search those words in the

scriptures, we find answers.

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There are so many times.

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God and his angels, tell us fear.

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Not.

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Yeti X-6: for example.

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Yeti X: Like in Luke two.

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The night the savior was born.

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The angel said.

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Fear not.

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For behold, I bring you tidings of

great joy, which shall be to all

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people and in Luke eight, while he

yet spake, there came from one, a

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ruler of the synagogue's house St.

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NTM.

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My daughter is dead trouble, not

the master, but when Jesus heard

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it, he answered saying fear, not.

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Believe only, and she will be made whole.

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I love that in modern scriptures

and doctrine covenants.

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There's a lot about lifting

up our heads and be glad.

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Fear not little flock.

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The kingdom is yours until I

come behold, I come quickly.

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Doctrine covenants 50 41.

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If you're not little

children for you are mine.

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And I have overcome the

world and you are them.

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That my father has given me.

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And none of them that my father

had given me shall be lost.

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Wow.

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Now, if that doesn't calm

your fears, I don't know.

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What does.

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And in doctrine, covenants 98, 1

rarely AC, and to you, my friends

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fear not let your hearts be comforted.

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And rejoice.

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I love that word.

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Rejoice evermore and an everything.

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Give thanks.

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And then of course him.

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Number 85, a favorite of the saints here.

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I swear, you have to sing

it at almost every meeting.

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How from F foundation

verse three, Fear not.

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I am with the OB not dismayed for I

am by God and will still give the aid.

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All strengthen the help

thee and cause the to stand.

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Upheld by my righteous.

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Oh, nip attent panned.

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So fair enough, my friends, he

calms the stormy seas, so he

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can calm your trouble, heart.

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And I know you're wondering what is the

pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

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for me.

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And I think Saint Patrick would agree.

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That the treasure is knowing the love.

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And the courage.

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Of the savior Jesus Christ.

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Would you agree?

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And how I wish.

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I could imitate an Irish

accent to finish this off.

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There's an Irish blessing That says.

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Wishing you a pot of gold and

all the joy your heart can hold.

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or mid.

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Maybe we should say, let the shenanigans.

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Negan's begin.

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Thanks.

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My friend.

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friend.

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for walking with me.

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If you've enjoyed our time

together, please leave us a review.

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And one of those thumbs.

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Is up and then share us with.

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A friend.

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Ghia.

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And I have a goal of reaching

over a hundred followers.

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On the creative, spiritual journey.

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Thank.

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You.

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For.

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Being here we.

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Love you.

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and I will see you.

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on the trail.