The only way such a task [judging history] can be accomplished, in the judgement of the writer, is to frankly state events as they occurred, in full consideration of all related circumstances, allowing the line of condemnation or of justification to fall where it may; being confident that in the sum of things justice will follow truth; and God will be glorified in his work, no matter what may befall individuals or groups of individuals.

---B.H. Roberts,
         A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Satins, Century I.

as quoted in the prelude of "David O. McKay and the Rise of Morden Mormonism."

The voice of God I knew was gentle, kind, and deliberate   And that voice was not forbidding me to write or speak, as long as I did so honestly and without malice.  Even if I made mistakes from time to time, as a writer or as a Mormon, that voice would not condemn me.  It would guide me firmly and gently through.

There is no way forward, I believe, but to tell our whole story.  Not the made-for-television version, but the entire very imperfect story, the one that reveals the human flaws of the one who came before us.  THe ones that present Mormons as a people who are earnest and industrious and satisfied sometimes with easy contradictions, sweetly tender and capable of ignorance and arrogance.  A people of sparkling differences and human failings.  A people chosen because we have chosen to be ourselves. A people who are not afraid to tell an unorthodox story full of angels, sacred groves, ancestor pioneers, sacrifice, and longing, because an unorthodox story is what history has given us to tell.
A unorthodox story is nothing to be ashamed of.  It is something that deserves to be shared.

p.185, 188   "The Book of Mormon Girl" by Joanna Brooks
http://joannabrooks.org/

I really enjoyed the idea of the parable of the wheat and the tare as it related to the church itself.  I've always thought of it as us vs. the world and its influences.  I felt at peace thinking the church with all its functions would also parallel.
Excellent honest faith rewarding book.

Truths

1. God's Heart is on Us.
2. Man was with in the Beginning with God.
3. We are that we might have joy.
4. None of them are lost.
5. Participants in the Divine Nature.

---Fiona and Terryl Givens

And through this world, with devils filled, 

should threaten to undo us, 

we will not fear, for God hath willed

his truth to triumph through us.

The Prince of Darkness grim, 

we tremble not for him;

his rage we can endure,

for lo, his doom is sure;

one little word shall fell him.

-Martin Luther, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.

So whats is that one little word???

Don't skip ahead.  Think about what one word is could be.  What word would strike down Evil down?

I thought Righteousness...

Captain Moroni the great warrior/leader must of had it....

 17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto ^aMoroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the ^bdevilwould never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

Any guesses?

Fred Rogers believed it was (and I can't think of a more perfect word) that it was:

Forgiveness.

Righteousness gives Evil something to fight/rally against.  How do you fight someone who loves you and with that love forgives? 

It reminds me of working the yearling calves.  As you push them toward the shoot, they will kick, turn, and jump kick.  Trust me, its painful and terrifying.  As my father taught me, you have to hold close to them.  Stick to them like glue as it were.  Its so much hard to kick someone who is snugging next to you.

My mother is the perfect example.  As a young teenager, I wanted to skateboard (difficult, by the way, if your town/hamlet has no sidewalks or smooth roads), anything to rebel and doom myself to the pevilent cowboy/hick culture.  I had the money (from selling a cow) and in the most tough voice I asked my mother to take me to a nearby town that had a skateboard store.  To my horror, she supported me.  She opens the door for me, talks to the skater working the counter and buy the board for me.  I continued to rebel against the hick culture but I knew I could not rebel against my mother.  She held me so close.

Thank you for your forgiveness.

If you practice, you get better.

If you get better, you play with better players.

If you play with better players, you play better music.

If you play better music, you have more fun.

If you have fun, you want to practice more.

If you practice more, you get better…

"I place a good deal of trust in the power of clear, honest thinking; I trust that each person is essentially another version of myself; and I trust that all human beings are bearers of compassion and love (however squelched  layered over, or misdirected their compassion and love might be).  On the other hand, I know that there;s no guarantee my trust is well placed. i know I could be mistaken.  And so I must (I believe) accept questioning by others and also ask hard questions of myself, so as to keep my hubris in check , and perhaps catch and repair errors."
--Phil Neisser