Roger Davies
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Grandpa Davies Calendar Ideas

31/1/2023

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In the great covid shutdown, I was in quarantine and a bit bored .. so I asked myself:
  • What if there were 13 'months' in a year + 1 extra 'year day' each yearend plus 1 extra 'leap day' every leap year (about 1.25 days/year) Let's call the new 'months' a 'cycle' of 28 days and let's call the extra cycle/month 'newSol' at mid-year Why? Because the earth circles the sun every 365.25 days in a year. 13 'months' x 28 days is 364 .. only short those 1.25 days
  • Week numbers 1-52 will correspond to Cycles 1-13. Every few years a 'Week53' will occur, like a 'leap week' ..
  • Seasons simplified: A full-year is 52 weeks, half-year is 26 weeks, and a quarter-year (a season) is 13 weeks .. ignoring 'leap week's
  • So what would that look like? Say if my week started on Sunday .. like in USA/Canada
  • What would an automatic Calendar generating spreadsheet look like?
So glad you asked! My  answer was: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZMQr6RHsOmOtQdB4uDvDGmv51x9MqVCXXeWbvFryj9M/edit?usp=sharing
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Happy 6 years Since Trek

26/6/2020

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Happy Six Years Since Trek (in July 2020)

To My Good Trek Family Children, where ever you are today!

Daughters: Hope, Faith, Charity, Grace, Mercy, Harmony and Felicity
and Sons: Lehi, Ammon, Mormon, Mosiah and Nephi

​Ma says we love you and miss you all .. and I concur. 

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​A Time of Change April 2020

12/4/2020

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Magrath, AB rdavies@ssdirect.com

We find ourselves today in a hopefully temporary global pandemic currently making it impossible for us to meet together physically in extended family groups, nor in our church groups, at conferences, and even in our holy temples. Many have lost employment and entire industries are at a standstill. Governments are busy printing money to help us somehow weather the current storm. They urge us to ‘stay home’, to ‘self-isolate’ and ‘flatten the curve’. Health care and other essential workers are risking their own lives and bracing for the expected flood of newly afflicted. Hand sanitizers, medical masks, and gloves are unavailable for purchase. Shortages and cases of hoarding are not uncommon occurrences. We use words like; astonishing, unprecedented, unknowable to describe our predicament. 

Yet, I propose that these events are not unknown nor unexpected to God nor to his ‘prophets, seers and revelator’s. Since I was a child (decades now) we have been counseled by church leaders to prepare: to obtain and maintain a food storage (and a good supply of toilet tissue), to avoid and get out of debt, to strengthen individuals and family organizations, and more recently to focus on ‘home centered, church supported’ study manuals. With 2020 hindsight, we now start to see just some of the reasons why.

In our Come Follow Me study this week we read of King Benjamin where he called the people together but that they could not all hear his words ..
5 And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another.

my 2020 version: And it came to pass that when it was time for conference, they were confined to their homes round about, every man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another due to the greatness of the pandemic.

6 And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them;

my 2020 version: And they tuned their devices toward the temple, every man having his screen thereof pointed towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their homes and hear the words which the prophet should speak unto them;

7 For the multitude being so great that king Benjamin could not teach them all within the walls of the temple, therefore he caused a tower to be erected, that thereby his people might hear the words which he should speak unto them.

my 2020 version: For the pandemic being so great that the prophet could not teach them all within the walls of the temple nor in their churches nor stake centers nor places of assembly, therefore he had caused a communication tower to be erected, that thereby his people might hear the words which he should speak unto them.

8 And it came to pass that he began to speak to his people from the tower; and they could not all hear his words because of the greatness of the multitude; therefore he caused that the words which he spake should be written and sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice, that they might also receive his words.

my 2020 version: And it came to pass that when it was time to speak to his people from the conference center; and they could not all hear his words because of the greatness of the pandemic; therefore he caused that the words which he spake should be recorded and sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice, that they might also hear and see and receive his words.
​
Prophets communicate what they learn from God to us; not every thing they are shown but what God wants and permits us to understand in our current time of need and with our current capacity to understand. When we obey his commandments we are always blessed and will ‘prosper in the land’. We will be prepared and able to serve those around us.

In years past, prophets provided the written word for us to study and ponder. Only a small portion of all those writings have survived to our day. More recently we were able to both read and hear those messages. We have the text and audio versions of the standard works – the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price and modern church magazines. Today we can read, hear, and also see again all these messages online on demand at any time over and over again – a marvelous work and a wonder available at the churchofjesuschrist.org website (and found on Google and YouTube and more).

Prophets, seers and revelators throughout all times from Adam to Enoch and Abraham and John, from Lehi and Nephi  to Mormon and Moroni, and even today from Joseph Smith to President Nelson I believe, are shown what they need to know for their day and beyond. In fact, that is the definition of those words. In summary: A prophet is a teacher of known truth; a seer is a perceiver of hidden truth, a revelator is a bearer of new truth to bring us closer to God and Christ.

The rebellious children of Israel were led by Moses and given a lesser law to live (with the Aaronic priesthood and the Old Testament). Christ established a higher law in his church (with the Melchezidek priesthood and the New Testament). Today we have the Book of Mormon and living prophets. Under their direction, the traditional structure of the ‘The Church’ is undergoing a tender, careful redirection with renewed focus on individuals and families in a ’Home Centered, Church Supported’ organization. While we need the church and it’s priesthood organization to provide us sacred covenants and authorized ordinances, it’s function is to support rather than to replace the family as the key unit of the eternities. The church is here to bring individuals to Christ and to link their families together in this world and in the next. Wards and stakes are important but temporary, arbitrary, and changeable institutions. They can and have changed over time. Christ centered families linked forever within the holy temple are to bring us back to God and to our/His family. We are his children, he loves us unconditionally. We desired to grow and learn and to be like him and chose to come here as part of the plan to achieve that goal. But as ‘children’, we need to learn and grow and mature – through experience within our growing eternal family units. These units are inclusive rather than exclusive. We are all children of God and ‘the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children’ as re-emphasized in the The Proclamation on The Family (Sep 1995). 

The function and purpose of the Church of Jesus Christ in relation to the family is further clarified in the new Bicentennial Proclamation to the World on The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Apr 2020). ‘God loves His children in every nation of the world. God the Father has given us the divine birth, the incomparable life, and the infinite atoning sacrifice of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.’ The family of God starts with the Family of Adam and continues through to each of our own. We need to bring souls to Christ, starting with our own and our own families, but also including all men in all ages. Hence the three-fold purpose of the Church to: 1. Proclaim the Gospel 2. Perfect the Saints and to 3. Redeem the Dead.

rdavies@ssdirect.com (how I spent my Sunday on 12 Apr 2020)
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Hot or not

30/10/2019

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Picture
To my temperature challenged family in the far south. A °C vs °F primer. In Canada, at 0°C water freezes, so here anything below zero is by definition 'freezing'. I find it interesting that -40°C = -40°F but no one down there has any concept of how cold that really is. I do, as I have experienced that and worse (down to -60°C I was told) while working up on the Arctic Ice .. north of the magnetic pole .. in the mid 1970s .. helping search for oil .. and that, my friends, is a run on/away sentence. On the other hand, I have installed an air conditioner in my dining room for those 3 muggy weeks in July that can sometimes get over 32°C, my personal overheating limit.

Here is a link to a Google Sheet I have borrowed and formated that compares 
Fahrenheit to Celsius for you. Enjoy

.. and not only does this guy look alot like I used to .. he makes a lot of sense. It's not rocket surgery .. scientific fact!
Be cool like Canada! We all use the metric system up here .. reference: full special at drybarcomedy.com/robertmac (pay to view site)
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Happy 5 years Since Trek

2/7/2019

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Happy Five Years Since Trek (in July 2019)

To My Good Trek Family Children, where ever you are today!

Daughters: Hope, Faith, Charity, Grace, Mercy, Harmony and Felicity
and Sons: Lehi, Ammon, Mormon, Mosiah and Nephi

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Talk: Pride M5 Aug 2018

26/8/2018

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When Bro Karren asked me to speak in church, he gave me the option of speaking on the topic of Pride or on Humility. I told him I had much more experience with the one vs the other, and so I will devote my talk today to the subject of .. Pride. Well, perhaps we will touch on a bit of both: What about - ‘Prideful humility’ vs ‘Humble pride’?

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Happy 4 years Since Trek

15/4/2018

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Picture
Happy Four Years Since Trek (in July 2018)
.. this missive started March 2018 .. and hopefully it reaches each of you sometime before July ..

To My Good Trek Family Children,

Daughters: Hope, Faith, Charity, Grace, Mercy, Harmony and Felicity
and Sons: Lehi, Ammon, Mormon, Mosiah and Nephi

Charity gently reminded me she hadn’t seen a letter from us recently, so I was re-motivated to take pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, and attempt to touch base with you all once again. We trust this letter finds you each in good health and condition. It is now coming on four years since our wonderful trek experience with you. The next generation youth here are now preparing for a 2018 Moroni’s Quest experience, which I suppose will be just fine .. but just not really the same as what we experienced with you out on the trail pushing our family handcart up hill and down dale, over ruts and around and through potholes, puddles and rivers, with hot days and cold nights in the shadow of the Old Chief mountain.


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Happy Three Years Since Trek

3/7/2017

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Monday 3 July 2017

My Good Trek Family Children,

Daughters: Hope, Faith, Charity, Grace, Mercy, Harmony and Felicity
and Sons: Lehi, Ammon, Mormon, Mosiah and Nephi

Again we trust this letter finds you each in good health and condition. It is now three years since our wonderful trek
experience with you. We rejoice in your achievements and enjoy seeing you progressing in your journeys. 
Three more of our trek family have now graduated from High School here in Magrath – our Grace, Ammon, and Lehi. Pa was released from High Council last fall so doesn’t get to see you much in all your various wards anymore. Ma and Pa are happy to be newly assigned to work together again, this time in ward nursery (most recently with 9 busy toddlers – all girls except one lone fellow). We also have been asked to assist as Ward Shepherding Couple to assist in transitioning graduating students from Grade 12 to YSA at home or at school or where ever they may end up (like you). May you continue to progress and make wise decisions.

We happen to be reading past Helaman chapter 5 again this year in our family scripture – the words of Helaman to his sons Lehi and Nephi. I realized that I had been somewhat mixing up the Book of Mormon family history somewhat – always something new to learn – with Alma (converted by Abinidi at time of wicked King Noah), his son Alma (the younger), his grandson Helaman, and great-grandson Helaman (in Helaman 5) and the great-great-grandsons Nephi and Lehi mentioned therein, not to mention some of their kids, great-great-great-grandsons Nephi and Timothy (called to be apostles under Jesus Christ). I commend his council to his children (and to us) to “remember the words of king Benjamin” .. stating “that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ” (Helaman 5:9). His love for us is constant and unending. It is reflected in the lives of those around us and felt most strongly through the power of the Holy Ghost – a gift which can grow and intensify if we but let it.

Over and over in the Book of Mormon is repeated the promise to Lehi – that if the commandments would be followed, they would “prosper in the land”. You will also only prosper in the long term if you also follow the commandments. If you make and keep covenants, you also will live long and prosper ..

I was also pondering the other day on just how we are guided and helped in all our decisions both great and small. If we could somehow comprehend all the work being done on our behalf. I do not believe we meet and marry by chance, that we find friends and investigators just when they are ready to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ in our day, or that our family units are created by happenstance. I remember being surprised at Trek with discovering all the behind the scene helpers just over the hill or around the bend helping us with food, water, facilities, emergency services, moving supplies and tents, and more while we all trekked along our merry way. This life is probably much the same way, with countless interested angels (friends/family now passed on, certainly some living today – family, church leaders, others - and even some still on their way) who are doing all they can to encourage and guide us our our daily trek today, all orchestrated by the effects of the Holy Ghost. We recognize their influence most in places like temples and churches and at important events like marriages and funerals, but I would not be surprised to find they really they have assignments to help comfort and guide us minute by minute where ever we are and what ever we are trying to do.

Safe journeys and be Good!

​With much love from your trek Ma and Pa.

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Announcement #LIGHTtheWORLD

19/11/2016

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Picture#LIGHTtheWORLD In 25 Ways. Over 25 Days
Background: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has prepared a Christmas initiative for us in this year throughout the month of December [2016] to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I was asked to give this announcement at our Saturday evening meeting of Stake Conference ..
  • This year’s initiative is entitled #LIGHTtheWORLD. It focuses on celebrating and sharing the Light of Jesus Christ with others.


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Talk: Forgiveness M1 Oct 2016

16/10/2016

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“We have been taught, and we understand, that we must do as the Lord commands ... “ (Primary Song 172 ‘We’ll Bring the World His Truth’). We are taught from scripture, from our leaders, and from out pulpits and, I trust, from above.
The scriptures are replete with scripture where the Lord freely forgives. My search online at (lds.org/scriptures) showed 90 specific references in the Standard Works, 25 from our Doctrine and Covenants, the scripture written most closely to our day. For example: (110:5) to Joseph/Oliver “Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice.”; (25:3) to Emma “Behold, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou art an elect lady, whom I have called.”; (112:3) and to other church leaders (Thomas B Marsh – senior apostle of the twelve at the time) “Nevertheless, inasmuch as thou hast abased thyself thou shalt be exalted; therefore, all thy sins are forgiven thee.” ; to us all (58:42) “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.”; (29:3) “Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that at this time your sins are forgiven you, therefore ye receive these things; but remember to sin no more, lest perils shall come upon you.”; (61:2) “Behold, verily thus saith the Lord unto you, O ye elders of my church, who are assembled upon this spot, whose sins are now forgiven you, for I, the Lord, forgive sins, and am merciful unto those who confess their sins with humble hearts;”; (64:3) “There are those among you who have sinned; but verily I say, for this once, for mine own glory, and for the salvation of souls, I have forgiven you your sins.”; (50:36) “And behold, verily I say unto you, blessed are you who are now hearing these words of mine from the mouth of my servant, for your sins are forgiven you.”

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    Roger Davies

    My mom (and my grandkids) couldn't be at all my public speaking assignments, so I post them here for them/her and you to read ..

    Disclaimer: These thoughts are not official church policy and in the end are but my own current ideas on the subject(s) 'mingled with scripture'. Regardless, I hope they are of some value to you, dear internet browser.

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