What does it mean to "grind the faces of the poor"?

I remember a Sunday School teacher talking about this scripture. For some reason I pictured someone putting another's face to a millstone. The kind that is used to grind grain into flour. I imagined that they were doing it do they could glut themselves from the labor of the other.

Avarice is a trap that we must all guard ourselves against. We must " not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish....For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have"? (Mosiah 4:16-19)

On the other hand, to those that are poor, King Benjamin says, "I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received." (Mosiah 4:24-25)

From a FB Post

Judge Righteous Judgments

This morning, I was listening to "Israel, Israel, God Is Calling" from the Jan 2012 CES Devotional by Elder Jeffrey R Holland

I like his explanation of "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." (John 7:24)

In this regard—this call for compassion and loyalty to the commandments—there is sometimes a chance for a misunderstanding, especially among young people who may think we are not supposed to judge anything, that we are never to make a value assessment of any kind. We have to help each other with that because the Savior makes it clear that in some situations we have to judge, we are under obligation to judge
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In this process of evaluation, we are not called on to condemn others, but we are called upon to make decisions every day that reflect judgment—we hope good judgment. Elder Dallin H. Oaks once referred to these kinds of decisions as “intermediate judgments,” which we often have to make for our own safety or for the safety of others, as opposed to what he called “final judgments,” which can only be made by God, who knows all the facts. (Remember, in the scripture quoted earlier, that the Savior said these are to be “righteous judgments,” not self-righteous judgments, which is a very different thing.)

Where to start

Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. -Francis of Assisi, BrainyQuote

Learning to Dance all over my Purpose - Marriage

One of the best books I read about marriage is the The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes. The husband in this allegory learns how to fix his marriage by turning to Jesus and learning to change his own deficits with God and begin giving to his wife as Jesus would.

Another great book is Personality Plus: How to Understand Others by Understanding Yourself. The personality questionnaire results of my wife are more action based than mine turned out. In some contexts, you would call her more alpha than I am/was. It showed me how good it is to have complementary personality traits. It also uncovered the disadvantages of living in the negative aspects of my dispositions.

When imagination and willpower fight, imagination wins.

The ant and the elephant. The ant represents our conscious mind and the elephant our unconscious. The ant is logical, the elephant emotional. Ant = words, Elephant = imagination.

The elephant is about 2 million times more active in my brain cells than my ant.

I recognize that if I am going to get my dreams, I must engage my elephant. I can do this by dreaming my dreams in images, in what it will taste like, what it will feel like. To get detailed. I can use my ant by consciously choosing what I feed my elephant. What are the messages, images and imagination I feed my unconscious?

As I persist in feeding what I want to my brain, my faith will increase.

When imagination and willpower fight, imagination wins.

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“The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem”
― Captain Jack Sparrow

Fire in my Bones

The brethren who came to preach the Gospel to me, I could easily out-talk them . . . ; but their testimony was like fire in my bones; I understood the spirit of their preaching; I received that spirit; it was light, intelligence, power, and truth, and it bore witness to my spirit, and that was enough for me. [Remarks by Brigham Young, 28 July 1861; JD 9:141; also reported in Deseret News Weekly, 2 October 1861, 177]

The Opposite of Addiction is Connection

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=846444885492494&id=303661393104182

Because of Him

Because of Him, healing of broken hearts is possible. He is the light where no other light can shine. He is Hope. He is Love. He came as a helpless child. Approachable by every class. He knows your darkest moments. He has felt the deepest, longest pains. Of every soul that has ever or will ever live.

He took it all on. We accepted it as if he had committed every sin. He bore every burden.

He died. And raised himself up again. Because of him, I will live again. And so will you. And every soul who has ever been born.

Because of him, he has sent angels and prophets and neighbors and friends to tell you. Yes you reading this now. To tell you that there is hope. That all can be healed.

You can choose to believe.

Because of him, prophets are on earth today. Scripture is revealed anew.

Because of him, you are hearing the message of hope, the good news. What will you do with it?  Will you turn to Him? Will you give away all your sins. Will you forgive?

Notice how you feel. If the light is not brighter in you. If your mind is not clearer. Accept the light, the warmth. Choose to turn to God and live.

Born to Give Me Second Birth

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, second verse

1. Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
Joyful, all ye nations, rise;
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th'angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem!

(Chorus)
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!

2. Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Ris'n with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.