Day 110 of 331 - Preliminary Take-Off and Estimate Completed

Hi!

It is 11:05 PM. I spent a good part of the day making corrections to the Rosson Model, and searching for the brackets that I designed for the second floor cornice/frieze. After several hours of looking through discarded drawings, I finally discovered it in the current drawing file. That was a great relief, as I knew I had both designed the very intricate brackets, and located them around the frieze - but hadn't been able to find them when I was inserting the various drawing files into the model. Boy, was I happy to find it - finally!

I spent another three hours or so doing a detailed materials take-off and preliminary cost estimate of the Seever Arbor. I will put that into a written proposal tomorrow. I left out 3-8' 2x4's, which will cost some $18 - bringing the total estimated cost to $1,966 + tax (for a total of some $2,100).

I spent the morning hours - until noon - searching the scriptures for the "conditions" upon which financial blessings and prosperity are based. There ended up being many. I will list a few of them here:

1. Pray in faith for the specific desired blessings - enter into a covenant with the Father.
2. Seek them "for the intent to do good."
3. Keep the Sabbath.
4. Keep the Fast and pay a "generous" Fast Offering ($50).
5. Pay Tithing.
6. Be grateful.
7. Keep the commandments.

Interestingly, I came up with a considerable number of specific commandments - which included sharing my faith, doing family history research, being clean, attending to numerous personal and family duties, etc. The above list is much more concise, and comes from specific scriptural texts. The last one is a bit vague, but the important thing is to try to be worthy and obedient.

If I will covenant to do these things, and be specific about what I desire in the way of financial success, I am confident that the blessing will be realized - as promised to each of us in the scriptures. We must operate on the certainty that the promises of God are true and reliable. He cannot and will not lie; therefore, we can be certain that He will do as He has said, and that "What things soever [we] desire, when [we] pray, believe that [we] receive them, and [we] shall have them." (Mark 11:24); and "All things, whatsoever [we] shall ask in prayer, believing, [we] shall receive." (Matthew 21:22); and "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23).

The Lord has further promised that "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise" (D&C 82:10). That being the case, it is not possible that we could fail to realize the promised blessings, if we do our part. We must not "take no thought, save it was to ask [Him]," but if we pursue every reasonable avenue, then we can be confident that He will hear our cries. So I will start with prayer, and follow that up with a fast, and covenant to do anything that I feel or believe I need to do on my part. I must be willing to do whatever I am inspired to do, or that seems right, trusting that as I "Search diligently, pray always, and be believing . . . all things shall work together for [my] good, if [I] walk uprightly, and remember the covenant wherewith [I] have covenanted . . . . " (D&C 90:23). The Lord has also admonished that we be "as wise as serpents and yet without sin, and [He] will order all things for [our] good, as fast as [we] are able to receive them" (D&C 111:11).

So I will seek to be "as wise as [a] serpent . . . and yet without sin." As wise as a serpent . . . and [He] will order all things for my good, as fast as [I] am ready to receive them." As fast as I am ready to receive them . . . . That is an amazing promise. Amazing! As fast as I am ready to receive them . . . . Wow! Am I ready . . . ?

I will prayerfully seek an answer to that question. I must begin to pray diligently . . . now!

Good night!

Mr. Ballantyne