I didn't realize how little I knew about the Second Coming until I listened to Randall Bird's talks on CD. There were fascinating points presented that I never had heard before. Brother Bird takes us on a journey through the major events of the Second Coming. One thing in particular I had never heard very much about was the meeting that will occur at Adam-ondi-Ahman. I never understood that before and now I have this intense wish to be present at that meeting.
One important point he emphasizes is that we should be looking forward to the Second Coming and preparing for it instead of dreading it or worrying about what will happen to us. It will be a joyous time and probably the most glorious time to be on the earth. I was left with such a positive taste in my mouth of the Second Coming and again, the wish to be here when the time comes.
The only negative thing I will say about this set is that the first and second talks are very similar. He uses a lot of the same material in both talks. The second one does have some different material, but there is a lot of the same as the first.
Reviewed by Melanie Lott, LDSFiles.com Staff Writer
On-Target Dating by Andrew Horton, published by Covenant Communications
If you have a teenager in the house, I would highly recommend this talk on CD as a stocking stuffer for Christmas this year! Before I popped this CD in the CD player, I wondered if it would be worth my time, since I am not in the dating realm anymore. It doesn't matter if you're old or young, married or not, there is something for everyone with "On Target Dating", by Andrew Horton.
I've never heard Andrew Horton speak, but this guy is really, really funny! It takes a lot to make me laugh out loud. I found myself laughing out loud throughout his whole talk. He puts just the right amount of humor and just the right amount of spirituality in to make it appealing on so many levels. He focuses a lot on temple covenants and it made me think about my own temple covenants and how much they mean to me. I did not catch myself daydreaming once. He's such an engaging speaker. I will keep my eye open for talks in the future from Brother Horton.
There is one major, thought-provoking theme throughout this talk on CD by Brother Christianson. When someone we know in our lives is acting out, would our hearts change to know that they are acting out not because they want to be bad, but because they are wounded? I've been thinking about this so much after listening to this talk. It's so easy to be judgmental of others, especially if we don't know the reasons why people act the way they do. If we change our thinking to the knowledge that they have been wounded in the past and are doing the best they can with the wounds they carry, it can change our hearts. Those people need more of our patience and our love, not less. Withdrawing our love for them will not help them.
I know that personally, I'm going to strive to implement this thinking into my daily living, so I will not be so quick to judge or to protect myself and realize that I may not have any idea what deep wounds that person may have. Brother Christianson gives an eye-opening analogy about his dog that is not to be missed. His talk is full of love and Christ-like living.
I really enjoy talks on CD. Since I'm a busy mom, it's perfect for me to be able to listen to these talks as I'm driving around town. It makes me feel like I am still able to get an inspirational message in during my hectic life. "Come, Come Ye Saints," a fireside talk given by Heidi Swinton is worth the listen. She recounts the story of the tragedy of the handcart companies and applies those lessons they learned to us in our day. She talks about the positives amidst so many negative, awful trials. It is a message of hope and inspiration. One thing I loved is that I heard new details of that trek I had never heard before. She read journal entries from pioneers that were there that I would not otherwise be honored to hear. The only negative thing I can say about this CD is that it is not the best quality taping, but that didn't bother me after the first 5 minutes when she got going into her talk. The content is what counts, and the content is great.
