gif request meme: @ghxstpals asked favorite familial relationship + star wars
↳ luke and leia
The Force is strong in my family…My father has it. I have it.
My sister has it…..
The Willow Tree
In a recent Relief Society meeting, we discussed Elder S. Mark Palmer's April 2025 General Conference Talk "Return Unto Me... That I May Heal You". This particular Relief Society meeting was held in the prison ministries branch I've previously written about, which made it even more poignant.
Elder Palmer's talk was one of my favorite from the April conference, about a beautiful willow tree that fell to the earth during a storm:
Elder Palmer was ready to cut the tree up into firewood, when a neighbor pointed out that there was still one small root connecting it to the ground. The neighbor told them they should prop the tree up, support it and nourish it, and if they did the roots would eventually take hold and the tree would grow again. He also told them they should cut all the branches off.
Although Elder Palmer didn't relate the neighbor's specific reason for cutting all the branches off, I happened to know (or at least strongly suspect because I grow fruit trees). The roots needed time to re-establish themselves and put their energy into regrowing the root system. If the newly establishing roots were forced to feed the entire tree, with all its glorious branches and leaves, it would be unable to do so and the tree would die because the root system would be overtaxed.
But if the root system only needed to support the trunk, then it would have enough capacity to bond itself to the earth once again. The willow tree needed time to focus on what was most important, without the demands of supporting the beautiful canopy it is known for, and which people might want or expect to see.
And it began to grow again:
Elder Palmer looked and saw a tree that had fallen, that was no good for anything but being hewn down and cast into the fire. He doubted the bare trunk was worth the time and effort of saving, or that it would ever grow back into something beautiful. Humans often make these assumptions when they focus on the outward appearance (what they can see), and fail to understand the divine potential within the tree. Or within the heart of another child of God.
Over time, the willow tree re-established itself and became strong enough to support many branches and vibrant, beautiful draping foliage.
We tend to see fallen trees. God sees possibilities.
Recommended Resource: The Names of God by Ken Hemphill
Sci-fi: Credits?
Fantasy: Gold pieces. Quests?
Sci-fi: Missions. Bounty hunters?
Fantasy: Sellswords. Magic?
Sci-fi: *sigh* Science.
Sci-fi: . . . Crystals?
Fantasy: Crystals!
Sci-fi: Crystals!
Both: ♪ Crystals! Crystals! Crystals! ♫
Fantasy: Princesses?
Sci-fi: Princesses! Ancient civilizations?
Fantasy: Ancient civilizations! Dashing rogues?
Sci-fi: Dashing rogues! Non-human people?
Fantasy: Non-human people! . . . Sexy non-human people?
Sci-fi: *wiggles eyebrows* Sexy non-human people.
Anonymous asked
i swear this isn't meant as an attack, but how do you square what the book of mormon says about black and indigenous people with being anti-racist (or at least non-racist)?
boycarofchilladelphia answered
You’re all good! So there’s a lot of good analysis out there on the subject, as you might imagine. I assume you’re talking about the “curse of darkness” but about the Lamanites who are wicked receiving a darkness to their countenance. Or even the disavowed idea that black/dark skin was a curse of Cain.
Some prominent voices in the Church (including prominent black voices) have pointed out that the curse mentioned tracks much more (scripturally speaking) with a symbolic darkness than a literal one. A darkness of spirit, if you will. This makes sense to me as the curse could be lifted at will (or at least, by virtue of righteousness), and a literal blackness of skin is not something you can toggle on and off.
There’s a spectacular essay called The Book of Mormon as Amerindian Apocalypse that delves into the idea of race in the Book of Mormon; I would highly suggest you read it should you have the time. But the part that struck me was that the Book of Mormon features prominently the dominant “righteous” race’s voices for a large portion, up until the coming of Christ, wherein Christ asks “where are the words of the Lamanite (the so-called "unrighteous"race) prophets?” Christ actually rebukes the Nephites (and, by literary convention, the idea of a single righteous voice or people) when he comes to visit, pointing out that the Nephites have essentially ignored the voices of their brethren in a way that is not conducive with God’s plan. The whole argument that the paper makes is much more involved and elegant than I’m explaining it, but it’s well worth a read.
I think any discussion of the Book of Mormon and race has to touch on what the Church did in denying the priesthood to black members, as many of those in leadership tried to justify it through citing the BoM. And I don’t think it’s a complex question; I think the Church, as a whole and as individuals, was wrong. There’s never been a comprehensive formal apology, which I think needs adressing, but the Church openly admits that historical and societal pressures led to the exclusion of black members from the priesthood, not any sort of divine commandment.
All this to say that, both in careful reading/analysis and in recognition of the circumstances in which Church leadership decisions were made, I don’t think the Book of Mormon is inherently racist towards black members and indigenous people. Especially when you realize that they acknowledge it first as a book of scripture and second as a historical record; its purposes were not to establish the full truth of the origin of nations, but to teach spiritual lessons.
I hope this makes sense as an answer to your question. I do believe anti-racism ought to be the standard of any church, and much more any church that claims to follow the teachings of Christ, and I also recognize that humans, the most basic sub-unit of a church, make lots of mistakes. And in all my years of studying the Book of Mormon, I haven’t come across anything that negates that point of view.
so ummm welcome to my jar:) lemme show you around! theres some holes poked in the top so i can breathe, theres some leaves to munch on, and ive even got a twig! #mytwig
happy one year of this post. and from the bottom of my heart. i did not know what i wrought
started off as a reference to this:
But then it quickly turned into multiple sketches with me trying out different coloring/lighting styles (which is why each piece isn't consistent in coloring.... or why they're suddenly dry in the 2nd two pics 😅😅😅)
Bonus of the last pic with different hair:
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