KNOCK KNOCK

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No.

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No.

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Sonny Bonani,

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Sonny Bonani, my friends.

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Welcome to the Creative Spiritual

Journey podcast, where Gia and I walk

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with you for just a moment and share the

joys and wonders along this marvelous

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journey I'm Judy Cooley, also known

as Sister Cooley, serving with my

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boyfriend Elder Cooley in the Durban

South Africa mission for the Church

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of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

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Today is day 553.

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Can you believe it?

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We've been numbering the

nd,: 2024

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You can follow our journey

on Instagram or Facebook.

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Because I post something

we experience every day.

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I love South Africa.

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She has stolen my heart, so

I started with some is Zulu.

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That's knock, knock.

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Sunny Bonani.

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No, hello to everyone in the house.

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Well, let me start off by sharing some

amazing news for the Cooley family.

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Our youngest son and his

wife had a baby girl.

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Her name is River June.

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Isn't that sweet?

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It was a pretty intense labor and

delivery, She was laboring over 50

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hours and a couple hours of pushing.

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Ah, that makes it more than a triathlon.

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This sweetheart deserves a

gold medal, don't you think?

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It was pretty intense.

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And we didn't realize the

severity of it, I believe,

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until after it was all finished.

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But that Little Darling

River just was a champion.

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And I really believe Guardian angels

were helping them and answer to prayers.

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'cause I know I was praying

every hour on the hour because

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of the complications that set in.

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but Little River June is here

and she's perfect, and so

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precious and such a joy to see.

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Shane and Bree as parents.

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I'm so proud of them and I know

Heavenly Father heard our prayers

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and sent angels to help them.

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This is our second grandchild born.

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While we've been on Mission, our

hter had a son back in May of: 2024

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just five months into our mission.

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Oh boy, that was rough.

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I think I cried for

like two weeks straight.

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It was so hard to keep my heart here.

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In fact, I'm pretty sure it

flew home leaving me here.

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But you know, when we get home, this

little guy is gonna be 18 months old.

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Can you believe it?

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We've missed out on all the baby

phase, but we're gonna make up for

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it big time when we return home

and get to know these two, and we

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get to love and squeeze on them.

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So this episode I've titled Knock, knock.

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Let me first tell you of an experience

I just recently had after the

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restless night of waiting to hear

about our granddaughter's birth.

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As I was so concerned.

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I woke up with what I call my wrestle

with God, or sometimes wondering if

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it's wrestle with demons in my head.

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But this is not unusual for me.

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The fears, the uncertainties.

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I'm not good enough.

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I pray for help and guidance

and strength, forgiveness.

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But that morning Eric also woke

up and said, I am troubled,

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troubled about what's happening

and not happening here on mission.

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We tried to talk about it and seek

solutions, but the more we stayed

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there, the heavier the trouble seemed.

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So we got up and started our

day with our personal studies.

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Eric was reading the Book of Mormon one

Nephi chapter: 1610

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family are all ready to take their journey

into the wilderness and Father Lehigh

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awakes and steps outside his tent to find,

quote, a brass ball of curious workmanship

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with two spindles that point the way

where they are to go into the wilderness.

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It's like a heaven sent compass.

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A miracle, right?

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It is said in Miah one 16 that this is a

lehon, which they called the brass ball.

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It worked according to

their faith and diligence.

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Anyway, back to our story.

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So Eric asked me, who do

you think delivered the

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Lehon to Lehigh's tent door?

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Interesting question.

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Something I've never thought about.

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Of course, it was an angels sent by God.

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I thought probably a scout master

because they're always prepared or a

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mother because she knows that they need

these kind of things on their journey.

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I actually, I don't know, but

it was kind of fun to imagine.

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Then we began our companion study,

which we do from the Come Follow me.

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For the week, I opened up the Come

Follow Me manual, the actual book.

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Well, Eric opened up his gospel library

on the phone and he began to read and

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I said, whoa, where are you reading?

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Because what he was reading

wasn't printed in the manual.

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We compared, and sure enough, there was

an added section that was missing from

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the book, and that message was exactly.

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What we needed.

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It was amazing.

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It was as if those angels heard our

prayers that morning and send us a

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direct answer through the gospel app.

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It answered our fears, our

doubts, and our prayers.

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We read it twice because

we were in such awe.

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It asked, have you ever felt

weary with all the well-doing

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you're trying to accomplish?

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Let me read from my study

journal what I jotted down.

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Personal Leo experience.

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I felt the Holy Ghost bear witness to me.

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That message was like.

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Our Leon Hona placed at our tent door.

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There was also a video from Elder

Reland be not wearing while doing.

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He made three suggestions.

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One, make sure what you are

doing is necessary and in

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accordance to what God asks.

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The purpose of God cannot be frustrated.

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Then why am I frustrated?

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The work of God cannot be frustrated.

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This is his work.

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So why am I fretting and

wrestling with my demons?

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Two, God does not expect

perfect performance.

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He asks for.

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Our heart and willing mind,

he asked for a commitment.

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Three comparison makes us weary.

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Stop comparing.

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God just wants our willingness,

our heart and mind.

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So who delivered that?

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Of course it was the Holy Spirit.

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So what I learned is that

when we ask, seek and knock on

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heaven's door, God will answer.

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And you might find a lehon

at your doorstep to guide

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you through your wilderness.

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There is an African proverb, the one

who asks questions, never gets lost.

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Ah.

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Sometimes I feel lost.

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I'm at a loss of what to say or

do even what to ask God in prayer.

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Sometimes my will, thy will.

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I want to exercise.

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Faith.

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Jesus taught us in 35, 27 verse 29.

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and now I go unto the father

and verily I say unto you,

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whatsoever things you shall ask.

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The Father in my name shall be giving you.

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Therefore ask and you shall receive.

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Knock and it shall be open unto you.

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For he that asks receiveth and unto him

that knock it, it shall be open unto you.

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So this is a formula.

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There are dozens of scriptures

you'll find where the Lord

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invites us to ask, seek and knock.

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This is a divine formula to receiving

personal revelation, answer to prayers,

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guidance for just your day in the

wilderness, and even to find the

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hidden treasures, the mysteries of God.

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Spencer w Kimball said There are too

many people who expect the Lord to open

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the door without their even knocking.

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He has given us this formula to seek,

knock, ask, repent, serve, and all

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will be given, all asking and seeking.

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I'm comfortable with and knowing

how to go about that, but I'm

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got curious about how one knocks.

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And then I read that anciently knocking,

, in the Hebrew sense meant at the

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temple, only the worthy could approach

the inner sanctuary, the holy place of

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holy, of Holies to knock, metaphorically

meant asking for God's presence,

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seeking entrance into sacred space.

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I also discovered that in the Egyptian

ary text, which is from the Book of

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the Dead, the deceased was envisioned

as approaching gates or doors that ha

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must be open to pass into the afterlife.

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The dead often had to recite proper words.

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Or names to gain entry showing

that they were worthy and prepared.

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So symbolically knocking request

entry into divine realms where the

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gods and gatekeepers guarded these

doors, one had to humbly seek passage.

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I love that there is an ancient

ritual for knocking, whether

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it was Hebrew or the Egyptians.

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For me, this all had a familiar

ring to it of our temple.

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Do you see the common thread, the truth

of this principle of action to knock

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at heaven's door so we can enter into

sacred spaces to receive light and

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grace and peace by conversing with.

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For God in prayer and entering into

his presence, our missionaries knock

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on doors, which here in South Africa is

a lot easier in the townships because

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in the city there's Tall walls, barbed

wire, electric fences, and big dogs

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standing between them and the door.

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That's pretty symbolic.

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What barriers.

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Have we built up in our lives that make

it hard to get to the door to knock?

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Or can that angel deliver a personal

Leona to your door when there's walls

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and barb wire around your heart?

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Remember the old painting that

used to hang probably in your

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church of Jesus knocking at the

door and there was no door knob.

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symbolizing we are the ones to

open the door to let him in.

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I'm bothered by the thought of what

am I so busy doing, that I'm not

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hearing the knock or what walls do I

have up or can't even get to the door?

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In my search for knocking, I found

this beautiful poem by Harriet Beecher.

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Ow.

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Now I know Harriet Beecher ow

because of her novel Uncle Tom's

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Cabin, which is one of my favorites.

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And if you haven't read

it, I highly recommend it.

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It enlightened me.

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and it enlightened the nation.

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At that time, she exposed the brutal

realities of slavery That stirred strong

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anti-slavery sentiment in the North.

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In fact, I love this according to

a tradition, when President Abraham

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Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Sto

during the American Civil War, he's

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believed to have greeted her with,

so you're the little woman who wrote

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the book that started this great war.

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So she has a beautiful poem

called Knocking Behold.

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I stand at the door and knock.

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Knocking.

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Knocking.

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Ever Knocking, who was there?

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to the pilgrim.

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Strange and kingly never was seen before.

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Ah, sweet Soul.

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For such a wonder, undo the door.

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No, that door is hard to open.

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Hinges Rusty.

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Latches broken.

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Bid him.

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Go.

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Wherefore with a knocking, dreary

scare the sleep from one so weary.

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Say him.

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No.

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Oh, that door.

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Will th vex me coming ever to perplex

me for the key is stiffly rusty

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and the bolt is clogged and dusty.

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Many fingered ivy vine seals up

fast with twist and twine weeds

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of years and years before choke.

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The passage of that door

pressed upon your soul and mind.

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For in every breath, that liveth

is that strange, mysterious door.

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Though forsaken and be tangled.

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Ivy Ard And we'd be jangled,

dusty, rusty, and forgotten.

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there, the pierced hand, steel

knocks and with ever patient

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waiting with the sad eyes, true and

tender with the glory crowned hair.

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Still a God is waiting there.

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Isn't that beautiful?

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I did condense a little bit of that.

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Sorry.

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If you wanna read the full thing.

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Look for knocking by Harriet.

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Beat your stove.

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Does your door or your passageway

seem, Bolt is clogged and dusty.

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Many fingered ivy vine seals

it fast with twist and twine.

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Sometimes our hearts.

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Our minds can become like

this door and this poem.

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So I'm inviting you to

ask, seek and knock.

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Find that door.

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Open that heart.

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President Nelson said, you can

know for yourself what is true and

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what is not, by learning to discern

the whisperings of the spirit.

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As you seek, as you ask, as you

knock, you will receive answers.

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I promise you that each one of us have

a personal hon, the Holy Ghost, to

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guide us through our journey each day.

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So go find out for yourself.

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How do you ask?

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How do you seek and how do you knock?

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What's the saying?

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How small does Jesus need to

be to fit into your schedule?

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Figure out how to open those doors.

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Overgrown by Ivy, I can, with confidence,

promise you that the Savior will

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answer as he's promised, and then.

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Just sit back and be interested

in how that lehon is delivered

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to your tent door for the day.

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And what kind of host would I be

if I didn't finish this episode

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off with a knock, knock joke.

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Our grandson rush when we FaceTime him.

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He loves a good knock, knock joke.

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So this is for you.

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Rush, knock, knock who's there?

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All live.

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All of who I love you.

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and we do love you gi and I are

so grateful that you take the

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time to join us in this journey,

the creative spiritual journey.

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And if you can take a moment,

give us the thumbs up, a good

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review, and share us with a friend.

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standing, knocking at the

door, sometimes knocking.

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You can feel weary, like there's no

one answering, but there is always our

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savior on the other side of the door.

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I can promise you.

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I have one more thought

I wanna leave with you.

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In creating this content, I looked up on

chat GPT for some ancient ritual rituals

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of knocking, and the thought came to me.

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If the person of hon is the Holy

Ghost, let's make sure we're

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listening to him and not ai.

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As convenient as it is, maybe convenience

isn't always the best thing for

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what's good for our spirits, So make

sure you're knocking on the right

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doors and following the real compass,

the real hon, you the Holy Ghost.

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And with that, I'll see you on the trail.