David Tyler

Stove touchers... That's what the latest guest on the @Come_Back_Pod called himself.  (I LOVE the Come Back Podcast, by the way!!). Anyway, some of us have to learn truth from experience, touching the stove metaphorically. Others learn from the mistakes of others, and some have the gift of just trusting their parents, leaders, and teachers and not feeling the pain. I totally understand that some people need to touch the stove to know. Shoot, I certainly have. But the point of my musing is that such choices often lead to pain and hurt, to the stove touchers and to others. So much of the ministering I do is the result of this suffering, often caused when the choser doesn't consider the likely impact of their actions on others:  On victims, families and friends, medical professionals and law enforcement, those who minister, etc. I believe that some stove touchers are also in pain or are misled, and I know the Lord will have mercy on them. It's just hard some days to carry the load of seeing the pain and picking up the pieces in the wake of stove touchers. How does Jesus do it?  I'm just so grateful that He helps carry my burdens. Anyway, thanks for being a listening ear. The weight is heavy some days. #SaintsOnX

@BradRTorgersen @DanShaha Love that Brother!! Thank you.

For me it was '02. Arguably the second strongest prompting I've ever experienced. Unbidden. In an instant, I knew what I had to do. And it changed everything. 24 years later, I'm wrapping up a long 5-year stint of CONUS active duty time. Might go OCONUS again for FY 27. A career never planned. And it's become *vital* to my well-being, and the support of my wife as we segue (again) to being empty nesters.

I returned home from my mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in January 2006 and immediately went to BYU-Idaho to start college. After a year in Rexburg, I married my wife, dropped out of school, and moved to Fresno, CA for a job that never materialized. In late 2007 we were both working full time, living paycheck to paycheck and expecting our first daughter. I was stressed, trying to figure out how I was going to support my wife and child. I ended up in the US Army recruiting office after receiving some pretty specific guidance from The Lord. After a couple of months of hard work (I had to drop 40 pounds to join) I shipped to Basic Training at Fort Sill, OK in 2008, leaving my very pregnant wife at home. What followed was 10 weeks of intense training, limited phone calls, and the occasional letter. Once through Basic I went to Fort Bliss, TX for another 6 months for advanced training. During my time in Texas my oldest daughter was born. It was a difficult time in my life. Eventually I graduated, and moved to Fort Hood, where I started my military career. That was almost 20 years ago, and I will be retiring from the Army next year. Looking back, God was absolutely looking out for me and my family. He knew what we needed, and He provided a way for me to ensure that my wife and kids have been provided for, and has kept me safe and mostly healthy. I will always be thankful to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. It has been a foundation and a framework to build my life on. Everywhere I've been, the Church and the Gospel has been there. Everywhere I've been, there have been members ready and willing to help. And God has directed my military career, placing me and my family where we need to be exactly when we need to be there. It's been an amazing opportunity, and I'm looking forward to see what The Lord has in store for my future.

This is why I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints… “May we all demonstrate the pure love of Christ in our families, in our communities, and in all of our interactions with God’s children.” - President Dallin H. Oaks The world needs more of this. #SaintsOnX #GreaterLove

The Exodus is symbolic of our mortal journey. If we follow Jesus, He will sustain and preserve us as He did the children of Israel: And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the Lord your God. - Deuteronomy 29:5-6 #comefollowme #SaintsOnX #Grokimagine

@bcbaker66 That is such a great idea. I love that you’re creating opportunities for these brethren to spend time together. Ministering to the ministers!

A set of ministering brothers in my elders quorum has so far never visited a single household. My job is to help make things happen. So tonight they and one of the brothers they've been asked to serve all came over for dinner. We ate and talked and had a good time. Done.

Using other translations of the Bible has provided me with helpful insights that lead to greater understanding. For example: "Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God." Deuteronomy 18:13 New Living Translation "But you must be blameless before the LORD your God." GOD'S WORD® Translation "You must have integrity [in dealing] with the LORD your God." Good News Translation "Be completely faithful to the LORD." How are we blameless (justified)? Only through Jesus Christ which is why we must be faithful to Him. #comefollowme #SaintsOnX #Grokimagine

I continue to be amazed by the capabilities of #Grok. While working on some #familyhistory, I found this ad in a 1920 newspaper. I asked Grok (using #GrokImagine) to "convert this newspaper ad sketch of stained glass to photorealistic stained glass, and clean up the spots and sharpen the wording." And this is what it came up with. Amazing.

@robynngarfield Thank you for sharing!! It gives me hope!

This week marks the 20th anniversary of coming home from my Spanish-speaking LDS mission in Seattle, Washington. I was released May 10, 2006. My mission has meant many different things to me at different points in my life. About 9 years after I came home, I left the church, became a bitter atheist/x-mormon and have come back to the church somewhat (it's always complicated, but my church community has been so patient with my growth). I'm so grateful for the hardships and experiences I faced as a missionary because they've helped me through so much in my adult life as a mom, a wife, and in my interactions with my fellow human beings.

I would if a friend suggested I try it, especially considering the possibility I don’t have all the facts (which has definitely been the case in my life). I often think of my children and grandchildren. In their very young years, there were times they were convinced that my requests (like doing their homework or chores or going to bed or eating their dinner) was not in their best interest. Obviously they were wrong because they just didn’t have all the wisdom that comes with experience. So anyway, I just invite you to try it out. You may walk away still considering that we’re heretics, but you’ll also see that in our own imperfect way, we’re trying to love our neighbor and help a brother.

@DLTyler_Papa Would you attend a church you were convinced was heretical & leading the best people to eternal destruction.

Went tonight to Deseret Book (Distribution Center) with a member of the Elders Quorum to pick up temple clothing and garments. He joined the church 23 years ago but never made it to the temple. After many years away, he came back, got the Melchizedek Priesthood, and Saturday will be endowed with power in the temple. #SaintsOnX

@tscottme I invite you to join us at church some Sunday. I think you’d be surprised. Love you Brother.

@DLTyler_Papa Why should anyone believe in a faith where the founder added verses to Genesis and then used those added verses to claim the Bible predicted the founder's arrival? How much more fake can one be?

Yesterday, I mentioned going to the Distribution Center with a fellow quorum member to get temple clothes and garments. I failed to mention that in line behind us was a woman who told me she was coming back to church after being away and was buying garments again as she prepared to return to the temple. And we also saw a mother with her son who was preparing for his mission. They were getting him ready for the temple. The Lord is hastening His work! #SaintsOnX

"Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land." Deuteronomy 15:1 #comefollowme #SaintsOnX #Grokimagine

@DanShaha That experiment taught you one of the greatest lessons that I have learned from similar experiences: Satan never keeps his end of the bargain.

My first exposure to serious anti-Mormon materials and attitudes happened while I was serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was offered an exchange; you read this pamphlet about your Church, I'll read The Book of Mormon passages you leave for me. It seemed like a fair trade to me. I was asking a stranger to do something. It seemed fair that I should be willing to do the same. I'd been taught my whole life to seek out knowledge and understanding. This seemed like a logical trade. The pamphlet contained a lot of information I hadn't seen before; Joseph Smith and Polygamy, various theories on how The Book of Mormon was translated (or plagiarized), various quotes from Brigham Young, ceremonies that may or may not happen in the Temple. As a 19 year old young man, with a high school diploma and 3 weeks of missionary training, this new information was shocking. And in 2004 there wasn't ready access to the internet or materials to research the claims I was reading and compare them to what I believed. After a week of study and prayer, I didn't have any answers, other than a stubborn insistence to hold onto my faith in Jesus Christ. It bothered me, and led to weeks of uncertainty and doubt that I had t work through. When I returned to this individual for our follow-up meeting, they had not read The Book of Mormon passages we had left, and were surprised that I had read the pamphlet and not immediately abandoned my missionary efforts. This scene would play out time after time; critics of the Church offering an information exchange, only to fail to keep their end of the bargain. It's been more than 20 years since this experience, and my testimony of Jesus Christ and His Restored Gospel has only grown stronger. I learned that I don't have to have all the answers, but I do need to place my trust in Jesus Christ, continue to study and pray, and to seek answers from God, who is the objective source for all truth.

Our stake has its first all-sister ward Sunday School presidency, and I’ll be doing some training with the new president tomorrow. I love that the Lord is in charge and moving inspired leaders at all levels to carry out His work of salvation and exaltation. #SaintsOnX

@MattTestifies And may we follow His example and treat the world with love and kindness while standing for truth.

I love Him because He is mercy when the world is cruel, truth when the world is confused, and hope when everything feels heavy. He is King. And I will never be ashamed of Him.

I am grateful that our #SaintsOnX community is striving to treat critics with love and kindness. It wasn’t always so… “Now this was the cause of much affliction to Alma, yea, and to many of the people whom Alma had consecrated.… For they saw and beheld with great sorrow that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and … they began to be scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not believe” - Alma 4:7-8 #GreaterLove

I love David Foster’s music. He wrote some of Chicago’s greatest hits back in the 80’s. thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2…