Line upon Line: Papers from Heaven, Messages from Our Father to Help Us Be the Best We Can Be

by Dewey Olmstead

Overview

For years, author Dewey Olmstead has been writing essays based on his sometimes unusual insights into the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether he wrote for friends, families he visited, or even strangers, Olmstead wanted nothing more than to share the truth of the Scriptures and for people to grow closer to God.

Line upon Line presents a collection of Olmstead’s essays offering encouragement and inspiration to those struggling with daily life. Written in an easy-to-read format, these nuggets of wisdom convey the awesome power of the Gospel and fill believers with hope and strength.

His thoughtful commentary punctuates each subject and seeks to answer some of our most common questions about God and His Kingdom, which we are a part of. Olmstead discusses the beauty and majesty of God’s creation, how Earthly laws relate to God’s eternal laws, the importance of reading the Scriptures, the beauty of our heavenly inheritance, and much more.

Learn amazing truths that will carry you through this troubled world, past the gatekeeper, and into exaltation with Line upon Line.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781469734835
Publisher:	iUniverse, Incorporated
Publication date:	01/30/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	136
File size:	513 KB

Read an Excerpt

LINE UPON LINE

Papers from Heaven, Messages from our Father to help us be the best we can be

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By Dewey Olmstead

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Dewey Olmstead
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4697-3484-2

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Chapter One

ADVANCING CULTURE

For thousands of years there was virtually no advancement in the culture of man, or the way life was lived. There were definitely some ups and downs over the ages, but generally speaking, there were very few major, or at least very wide spread changes, that we are aware of. Then less than 200 years ago, for reasons most people don't understand, the world began to advance and progress. As a snowball rolling down a hill swells upon itself, so has invention and technology since then. And just as particles begin to bombard their neighbors in a critical mass of Uranium 235, the activity multiplies into a massive explosion.

The industrial age has come with its organization and massive power, but now already is dwindling in the face of this new intellectual age, which is rolling in as the snowball. An age of information, of knowledge, of advancement; an age where society as a whole is not able to keep up, and even those involved in this explosion of advancements are left in the wake because other fields, and new fields, are spreading by the square of the distance in time.

We are living in this unique period of history where a new invention of yesterday is not seen today as the miracle it once was, and tomorrow it is already virtually obsolete. This is especially true in the field of electronics and the associated areas of computers and robotics. Unlike the massiveness of the industrial age however, this new age of technology is involved in the miniature and microscopic areas of reality. It almost makes you wonder – what is reality?

From computers that were massive and filled an entire room (typical of the industrial era) complex, complicated, finicky, funky, and fallible, progression has carried them to capable, compact, dependable, friendly and smart. And though there are still computer monsters, they are miniature monsters – miniature in relative size compared to previously, but monsters of capability. And even friendly. .? Perhaps!

So friendly, you operate them with a "mouse," like on the Local Integrated Software Architecture computer, better known as "Lisa." Or smart? You can operate a Texas Instruments computer by just talking to it, using what's called "usable voice recognition." Even these things are now, at the time of this writing, "far in the past."

But the snowball doesn't end here. Coupled with robotics, the computer brain of these metal androids converts voice commands into physical actions.

How long until the computers fifth, sixth, or seventh generation – the computers that not only think, but reason, will be controlling the machines of the future, operating the risky, dangerous and life threatening situations without the intervention of man? Yes, they already are.

One thing is certain - "Anything the mind can conceive and believe can be achieved," (Napolean Hill) – There is a God, and we are His special creation. We were created in His image. Within each of us He has planted a seed of greatness. As the little acorn can become a giant oak, so can we mature and grow up to be "even as He is." (Moroni 7:48)

But we must care for this seed. Nourish it with the Scriptures, water it with baptism, add sunshine that comes through the Holy Ghost and the Prophets, strengthen it with the winds of struggle and trouble, germinate it with Temple ordinances, and someday we will be as the giant oak – even as our Heavenly Father is. We are His seed and He has given us the potential to be "even as I am." (D&C 29:12) Now is the time to prepare.

What are we going to do with it?

1983

GOD'S CREATION

There are 12 Inches in 1 Foot There are 5,280 Feet in 1 Mile The Missouri River is 2,540 Miles Long It takes "Light" less than 0.014 of a second to travel that 2,540 miles Light Travels 186,000 Miles in 1 Second That is 11,160,000 Miles in 1 Minute That is 669,600,000 Miles in 1 Hour That is 16,070,400,000 Miles in 1 Day That is 5,865,696,000,000 Miles in 1 Year - This is the distance of one "Light Year" If light traveled in a straight line, for 1 year, this is how far it would go in that time.

The next star nearest to our Sun, is Alpha Centauri, which is 23,462,784,000,000 miles away, so if you could travel at 669,600,000 miles per hour (the speed of light), it would take at least 4 years to get there – if you didn't make any pit-stops!

Our Milky Way Galaxy is approximately 586,569,600,000,000,000 miles across from one edge to the other, so if you could travel at the Speed of Light (186,000 Miles per Second), it would take you approximately 100,000 Years to get from one edge to the other - (Again, with no pit-stops.)

The next galaxy nearest our Milky Way Galaxy, is the Andromeda Galaxy, it is only about 12,904,531,200,000,000,000 miles away. That means it would take you 2,200,000 Years to get there – going at the speed of Light!

Our whole Solar System is only a tiny, tiny speck in our little Milky Way Galaxy, and there are hundreds of thousands of galaxies, some many times bigger than the little one we live in. Have you ever stopped to think how many worlds similar to ours there must be, just in our measly little galaxy? God told the Prophet Moses, 1:33 "worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten. But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me.

Or have you stopped to realize how infinitesimally small you are in the immensity of space? – But, in spite of that, you are not insignificant or unimportant in all of this. God knows who you are. He even knows you by your given name. You are not inconsequential to him.

If you have been brain-washed into believing you are an accident of nature, I am sorry for you. You have a brain, is that an accident? I don't think so. So use it. There is a God who put all things in motion, who set the stars in their places, and attached and linked them together with gravity, centrifugal, and other forces for a special purpose. Once you allow yourself to recognize, not only its immensity, but how and why it is all interconnected, you will begin to understand what your purpose is, and how important even you are.

Don't allow the hatred of the Evil-One to destroy you and your destiny, or let anyone else keep you from achieving what God has put you here to achieve. All the beauty and majesty of this tiny rock we live on, testifies to the magnificence of God and His creation – including you.

15-Nov-2008

THE PLAN

Just what is this "plan," and how does it affect me? Let's start with the basics. Do you believe there is a God? What about the Bible? Have you ever read any of the scriptures, or know anything about them? You should; they are the operation and instruction manuals for people. They contain the layout, rules and description of God's plan. Part of which tells you how you were made, what you need to do to keep running properly, and what kind of warrantee you have. They also define God's master plan - the reason for this earth and why we are all here. It may be hard to understand exactly what this plan is, or how it works, unless you study those scriptures.

If you have been exposed to the scriptures in any way, then you might have heard a little bit about Adam and Eve, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph and Mary, and Jesus. God created each and all of them, in fact, He created all of us, you, me, and everyone else that has ever lived, or will ever live, on this beautiful earth. But he created us spiritually first. That spirit part of us is the essence of what we are and makes us who we are. You could say that was the first step in God's marvelous plan.

So who is God? He is a man, a being, just like you and me, but that has achieved "Godhood" status because of his knowledge, his wisdom, his learning, his purity, and his goodness. He is the spiritual creator of all things, as it says in the scriptures. Not only of the earth and universe, but of every one of us, before we came to this earth. He is our Father, and we are his children. And since that place where we were created is called Heaven, he is our Heavenly Father.

That being the case, it is logical to assume we have a Heavenly Mother as well. I don't think she has ever been mentioned in the scriptures, at least I don't remember reading about her, but if we are children to a Father, it is reasonable to assume that we have a Mother as well. And I believe it is for a definite purpose that she is not mentioned. I'm sure we will learn all about her when the time is right, and we'll realize that one reason God is so great is because he has a wonderfully, smart, wise, intelligent wife (like the rest of us guys that are married.)

In that first "spiritual existence," or "pre-existence", where we came to be, we knew our Heavenly Father, and he knew each of us very well, in fact, He still knows us, each and every one of us by our own given name.

Part of our creation that still wasn't totally complete up to that point, involves all of us receiving bodies of flesh and bones to house our spirits and give us substance, just like our Heavenly parents have, and to make it possible for us to do everything our Father can do.

For this purpose of obtaining bodies, and testing our values, an "earth" was also created for us, along with its moon, stars, and brilliant sun to control and regulate this beautiful world we live on, so we would have a place, the chance, and the opportunity to fulfill this part of His "plan", to receive our bodies of flesh and bones.

However, as part of "the plan," our memories, and intimate knowledge of our Father, were taken away temporarily for a specific purpose when we came to this earth. That's part of the testing; and why we don't remember anything else right now. And why we have to read about it in the scriptures written by special individuals, known as Prophets that have earned the right, and the ability, to talk with God. We all can talk to him any time we want; unfortunately we don't listen too well, so most of the time when he talks to us we don't hear what he has to say, or to tell us.

There are many characteristics you can attribute to God, but the first and most significant one you need to realize is that He has a greater LOVE for us (his children) than anything our tiny mortal minds can wrap around. This can't be emphasized enough. He is just the greatest parent, and example of love, there is.

Some of us have a hard time understanding that attribute in our own homes, because we don't have enough love for our parents, our spouse, our brothers and sisters, or even our children. But God's love is infinite for every one of us, even the ones that turn out to be real creeps. He doesn't like what they do, but He still loves them. That's just the way he is, and why He is God, and why He would really rather we were all honest, kind and good.

Beyond that, of course, He has more knowledge, power, and abilities, than anything we can possibly understand – especially since we don't have any of the memories anymore of that pre-existence. Those are all some of the things we need to try to learn, or perhaps relearn, while we're here on the earth.

If you can imagine yourself creating a world such as we live on, along with all its many wonders, and the associated universe that controls all its motions, influences, etc. you might just begin to understand a project of that immensity, and the knowledge He must have. I have a hard time making a good sandwich, let alone a mountain, tree, or a sun.

Another attribute He has is his dedication, and obedience, to law and order. You see, for every law there is a blessing, and a penalty, connected to it. He knows them all and follows every one of them precisely. If we follow these laws and do something good, we must receive a blessing – that is getting something good, for doing something good! It is an eternal law, and isn't it a wonderful one.

However, if we do something wrong, we must then pay a penalty. That is just part of the eternal law as well. For instance, if we stole something from somebody, or do anything else that is morally wrong, we will be penalized for it – that is, we WILL be penalized for it. We may think we're getting away with something, and maybe we will for a while and won't be caught and thrown into jail, or whatever, but eventually that penalty will have to be paid – that is the law. There is no escaping it; it's an eternal law, not like our wimpy earthly laws.

So how does all this fit into this "plan?"

Where God lives, is Heaven, and everything in Heaven is fine and good and that is the way it should be, and always will be. There are no creeps or scumbags there. God likes that and loves it there, and He also wants as many of his children to come back to live with him as possible, in a place like that, after they get their bodies, but He doesn't want any creeps or scumbags coming, so He wants to make sure we're worth having in His Kingdom.

So, way back then, when we were all contemplating getting our bodies, we all got together with him in a big council to decide how this should be accomplished. There would have to be a test to see who was good enough to actually live in that special place, and it would be different when we have bodies, than it had been when we were just spirits.

Two plans were submitted to Father in Heaven, and to all of us. One of the plans was that we would all have to do what someone says we have to do; we just wouldn't have a choice to do anything else.

But that would take away our free agency. We wouldn't have the right to choose what we wanted to do, which was one of Heaven's rights. And any creep could do that, besides, the submitter of this plan wanted every bit of the credit for keeping everything in control, usurping God of his authority. There was no way that was ever going to happen, so of course that was totally unacceptable.

The other plan that was submitted was that we would be given a choice in everything, to see if we would choose to be good, or if we wanted to be a scumbag. That meant we'd have to follow the law, all on our own. And if we chose to do everything right, and everything we were supposed to do, we would get to go back to live with our parents and receive everything. That is, we could get all the blessings and good things we could ever possibly imagine, the same as our parents, and live in that marvelous place called Heaven that was absolutely perfect.

All of us that have come to this earth to receive a body, agreed to that plan – we had a choice then to do what we wanted to do, and now we still do.

However, if we did something wrong out of ignorance, not understanding the law, in a weak moment, etc., which was bound to happen, not knowing any more than we know – well, that could be bad, because if you remember, according to the law, doing something wrong requires that a penalty has to be paid, and that would also bump us out of place from getting back to that perfect place called Heaven.

But in this plan - there would be a way provided to overcome that wrong and get us back on the right path again, if we want to and did what we had to do. That sounds good, but how could that happen? I'll tell you in a bit.

I'm sure at the time, we understood what all the laws were that we needed to follow, but now without those memories, we can't remember what they all were, so some special people were called that were good enough they could commune with those "back home." And the things they learned they wrote down for us so we would know what we were supposed to do.

These special people were called Prophets because they always seemed to know so much.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from LINE UPON LINE by Dewey Olmstead Copyright © 2012 by Dewey Olmstead. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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