Spiritual North

2012 Study and Spiritual Goals

2012-01-03T12:57:00.003-06:00

Sacrament Meeting was really good this week. With it being New Year's Day, our Stake decided to hold off on Fast Sunday until next week. As such, we were treated to some wonderful talks about goals and resolutions.

As for myself - I've made New Year's Resolutions in the past. But more often than not, I've made quite a few mid-year resolutions. I've come to learn that just because you fail at something, it doesn't mean you're destined to forever fail that thing. Like the Phoenix, today's ashes become tomorrow's victories.

2011 proved this axiom true for me many times.

Through the years - through all the General Conferences and Stake Conferences and Ward Conferences and Priesthood meetings and leadership meetings, I've been on the receiving end of so many invitations to do something - to change something. I would usually have some set goal already with regard to reading the Book of Mormon or scripture study and then after the meeting, I'd feel somewhat obligated to add another goal or to try a new method of study. This year was no different. I tried many things, but just couldn't get traction. But a few things stuck and continue to stick. I've refined these goals and plans to the point that I think they will work.

My goals, when it comes to spirituality and scripture study, is essentially to keep up my resolve on these things I've identified in 2011.

Specifically, they are spelled out here:
1) Read the Book of Mormon every day. Usually, it will be one chapter. As I discover new things and learn new lessons, I'll update my Book of Mormon Inspection blog.

2) Read and study the Sunday School lesson. Since we are studying the Book of Mormon this year in Sunday School, I will not have any assignments to read per se. But, I will take notes in class and add them to my Book of Mormon Inspection blog if I find them noteworthy.

3) Read the General Conference Ensign issues; make notes; consolidate "commandments" and post to this blog.

4) Since I'll have extra "study" time (Book of Mormon overlap), I plan on studying the life of Joseph Smith this year. I have a handful of books I plan to read - Rough Stone Rolling, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, History of Joseph Smith By His Mother, The Journal of Joseph Smith, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith and Lectures on Faith.

As for serving ... I need to do better at being a good home teacher; and of course I intend to fulfill my calling as one of the Boy Scouts leaders in our ward.

My wife and I still have the goal of going to the temple every month. We did fairly well in 2011. I think she attended every month, while I missed a couple of months.

In 2011, I started (again) going on 'dates' with each of our kids every week. That worked well for several months and I plan to continue that tradition into 2012.

FHE's will continue, as will family scripture study and prayer. Personal prayer can be better and more consistent and I've a goal to improve that.

And of course dates with my wife - 2011 went very well on that front and I don't see it changing in 2012.

Here's to a great year!

Romans 15:1-2

2011-12-08T16:58:00.000-06:00

Romans 15:1-2 ~ WE then that are strong ought tobear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good toedification.

I’m not sure when I found this scripture the first time, but I was reading from my mission set of scriptures a few weeks ago and found that I had especially marked this scripture. I read it again and realized that all this scripture says is that we ought to be like Jesus. We ought to serve others and when we serve others, we are edified and find joy. I know from experience that when I focus on myself and my “hobbies” instead of my family or my home-teaching families, I am not happy at all. Only when I re-focus my efforts and serve others do I find the joy that I always want to have.

Recap of October 2011 Conference

2011-11-22T15:43:00.001-06:00

Right before October Conference, I did a recap of the April 2011 Conference. Our Stake President, from what I've heard, highlights all the 'commandments' from each conference. He then summarizes these on a sheet of paper and then laminates this paper to remind him what he needs to work on between conferences.

This is the best method I've heard of for trying to study, remember and implement what we hear in General Conference.

Taking that as my basis, I created my own little procedure for studying conference talks. I work my conference talks studies into my daily scripture study. First I read a chapter or two from the Book of Mormon. Then I read a bit from the Sunday School weekly reading assignment. After that, I read a talk from the conference edition of the Ensign. I usually read one talk a day.

As for order of talks ... first I will read all the Apostle's talks (1st Presidency and Council of the Twelve). I highlight "commandments" in each talk. I will underline key ideas and comments as well. After I've done this for all the Apostles' talks, I summarize the 'commandments' in a post - which is this post.

After that, I will go back and read all the non-Apostle talks.

Here's the October 2011 recap:

Elder Richard G. Scott - The Power of Scripture
learn, ponder, search and memorize scripture.
methods unlock revelation, provide guidance and inspiration; accelerates physical healing.
mark your copy of the scriptures
put notes in the margin
use all the standard works (OT, NT, BoM, D&C, PoGP)
"those who consistently read the Book of Mormon are blessed with an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a greater resolve to obey His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the divinity of the Son of God."

President Boyd K. Packer - Counsel to Youth
only employ sacred power of procreation when you are wedded as a husband and wife.
the voice of the Spirit comes as a feeling; as a thought
you will not make a major mistake without first being warned by the promptings of the Spirit
you hold the key (repentance) that will unlock the prison door from the inside
youth today are being raised in enemy territory
dress modestly, talk reverently; listen to uplifting music, avoid all immorality and personally degrading practices.
take hold of your life and be valiant.
trust in the Lord with all your heart
be trustworthy
surround yourself with friends who desire to be trustworthy as well

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf - You Matter to Him
man is nothing
always retain in your memory that we are nothing and that God is great
the worth of the souls is great in the eyes of God
Satan appeals to us with prideful tendencies as well as the fantasy of our own self-importance and invincibility.
Satan also tries to discourage us.
do your best; incline your heart to God and be willing to help those who are around you.
God loves you
what you see and experience now is not what forever will be. you will feel loneliness, sorrow, pain or discouragement from time to time, but it will not last forever.

Elder David A. Bednar - The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn
"The spirit, power and calling of Elijah is, that ye have power to hold the key of the fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood and to obtain all the ordinances belonging to the kingdom of God
it is sealing authority - it is essential for priesthood ordinances to be binding both on earth and in heaven.
greatest work is to seek after our dead
seal our children and our dead
the Saints come up as saviors on Mount Zion
Spirit of Elijah is a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family.
identify, document and cherish ancestors and family members
don't wait for some arbitrary age limit to begin family history work.
learn and experience the Spirit of Elijah
"And I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary. As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives."
help your children to learn and experience Spirit of Elijah
devote more time to family history and less time playing video games, facebooking and surfing the Internet

Elder Neil L. Andersen - Children
be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth - commandment remains in force.
reject false concepts and false teachings and remain true to that which God has commanded.
he cited a blog post by a Christian mother (link)
express gratitude and love for wife - for bearing and caring for children
act in faith; never forget, dismiss or neglect God's commandment to multiply and replenish earth
do not be judgemental of others in this private and sacred responsibility
humbly seek to understand and accept God's commandments by reverently listening to Holy Ghost.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson - The Divine Gift of Repentance
"If we do not invite others to change or if we do not demand repentance of ourselves, we fail in a fundamental duty we owe to one another and to ourselves."
pray for mercy
pray for time and opportunity to work and strive to overcome
desire to come to judgement worthily
replace weakness with strength
improve your capacity to live the celestial law
abandon sin; commit to obedience
persevere
feel it
confess

Elder L. Tom Perry - Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear
help "disabuse the public mind" and correct misinformation when we are portrayed as something we are not
share who we are
be righteous examples to others - let your light shine
speak up about the church; share you beliefs with others
accept their invitations; engage in two-way conversations
be respectful and civil; honest and open
avoid arguing; avoid becoming defensive
use the Internet and social media to reach out and share beliefs
add your voice to Internet conversations
do not put a 'spin' on our message

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland - We Are All Enlisted
care enough; sign on; speak up
do not voluntarily bind your tongue; open your mouth and speak miracles
sit up; take notice
be more morally clean than you are now
stay on the team; stop dribbling out of bounds; get in the game; play your hearts out!
be active, be clean; get active, get clean
need stronger, more devoted voice - a voice not only against evil, but voice for good - a voice for the gospel - a voice for God
unbind your tongue; watch your words work wonders

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf - Providing in the Lord's Way
remember the poor, the needy, the sick, the afflicted
love God, love your neighbor - all other goals and actions should spring from those two great commandments
have self-reliance
serve your neighbor
care for the poor
"the lord's way is not to sit at the side of the stream and wait for the water to pass before we cross. it is to come together, roll up our sleeves, go to work, and build a bridge or a boat to cross the waters of our challenges."
study the revealed principles and doctrines - read the handbooks
providentliving.org
reread the June 2011 Ensign
seek to apply what you have learned - you need to figure it out for yourself
individuals are responsible for personal self-reliance
sacrifice your time, talents, resources

President Henry B. Eyring - Preparation in the Priesthood: "I Need Your Help"
work with all your heart, mind and strength
serve and teach others
we must strive to have more and more self-discipline every day of our lives
build your faith through service
give more effort than you think you can give

President Thomas S. Monson - Dare to Stand Alone
have the moral courage to stand firm
be worthy
stand in holy places
do not be immoral
do not be dishonest; do not cheat or lie or use filthy language
repent
read the book of mormon and ponder its teachings - ask heavenly father if it is true
share your testimony with others
be ready, always, give give an answer to your hope in Christ

President Henry B. Eyring - A Witness
mourn with those that mourn; stand in need of comfort, stand as a witness of god at all times and places; be redeemed, be numbered with those of the first resurrection
be charitable
be a witness of god
endure
have courage to be a witness
"in one who is wholly converted, desire for things contrary to the gospel of jesus christ has actually died, and substituted therefor is a love of god with a fixed and controlling determination to keep his commandments" marion g. romney
drink deeply and often from the pages of the book of mormon

Elder Robert D. Hales - Waiting upon the Lord: Thy Will be Done
accept and carry out father's plan
wait on the lord
purpose of life is to grow, develop and be strengthened
wait upon the lord
mortal challenges allow us and heavenly father to see whether we will exercise our agency to follow his son
wait means to hop, to anticipate and to trust
plant seeds of faith and nourish them
ponder things in our heart
continue in patience
stand fast and press forward
rely alone on the merits of christ
cast not away your confidence
watch with him and wait upon him

Elder M. Russell Ballard - The Importance of a Name
take upon you the name of Christ
be obedient unto the end of your lives
do not transgress the name
take the name of Christ upon you
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ... not the Mormon church
teach the world this correct usage
follow Jesus Christ
remember to retain Christ's name always in your heart
stand as a witness
be willing to let others know whom we follow and to whose church we belong
we don't need to stop using the name Mormon, but we should emphasize correct usage of the correct name of the church
develop the habit within families and church activities and daily interactions by making it clear the name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

President Thomas S. Monson - Stand in Holy Places
behaviors which were once considered inappropriate and immoral are now not only tolerated but also viewed by ever so many as acceptable
"we have been spending our moral capital with the same reckless abandon that we have been spending our financial capital" (Rabbi Sacks)
there is no counter-voice to the culture of but it, spent it, wear it, flaunt it, because you're worth it - the message is that morality is passe
our code of conduct = ten commandments and sermon on the mount
there is nothing which can bring more joy into our lives or more peace to our souls than the spirit which can come to us as we follow the savior and keep the commandments
be vigilant!
reject anything that does not conform to our standards, refusing ... to surrender ... eternal life
refuse to surrender eternal life
the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever
communicate with heavenly father through prayer
watch and pray always
work toward the goal of establishing a daily relationship with god through prayer
learn to recognize the holy ghost - trust it - follow it
trust in inspiration
be worthy to receive inspiration - trust it - follow it
draw near to the lord - seek him diligently ... as we do so, his spirit will provide us the desire and courage to stand strong and firm in righteousness ... to stand in holy places and be not moved.

Elder Russell M. Nelson - Covenants
make, keep and honor sacred covenants (a promise with God)

Elder Dallin H. Oaks - Teachings of Jesus
The way is desire and obedience.
As to desire, Jesus taught, 'ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.'
As to obedience, 'if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of god, or whether i speak of myself.'

Elder Quentin L. Cook - The Songs They Could Not Sing
mourn and strive to bear one another's burdens
god is no respecter of persons **personal commentary on this point - i wonder if this phrase also means that god is no respecter of persons when it comes to trials or tragedies? as the story of the titanic notes, some returning missionaries were "saved" from the tragic fate because one of the elders was late, while another member of the church (a faithful sister) was not spared and suffered the same fate of many passengers**
righteousness, prayer and faithfulness will not always result in happy endings in mortality
**more personal commentary - are we sometimes too quick to attribute good behavior as to why we are blessed? good fortune and tragic circumstances fall on both the righteous and wicked. as elder cook notes, we should be grateful for blessings. but, personally speaking, i wonder if we should not be quick to attribute our blessings to righteous living. similarly, we should not be quick to attribute misfortune to dis-obedience. blessedness/misfortune should be considered independent of wickedness/righteousness.**
"adverse results in this mortal life are not evidence of lack of faith or of an imperfection in our father in heaven's overall plan."
trials perfect us and purify us and prepare us to meet god
these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good
the righteous are not lost ... the wicked will be held accountable for the atrocities they perpetrate
avoid dwelling on lost opportunities in this life (unfulfilled potential)
look through the wide and clear lens of the gospel instead of the limited lens of mere mortal existence

President Thomas S. Monson - Until We Meet Again
express thanks
i acknowledge His hand in all things
personal gratitude
express our deep appreciation
express profound appreciation
thank my brethren
express my gratitude
express my appreciation
strive to keep the commandments and seek Him through prayer
how blessed we are
thank you
thank you
express my gratitude
show increased kindness
be found doing the work of the lord
constantly nourish your testimony
remember me and all general authorities in your prayers

Mormon.org Profile

2011-11-21T14:45:00.001-06:00

I finally got around to making a Mormon.org profile!

You can read it here.

Enjoy!

FHE on Prayer

2011-09-27T12:38:00.001-05:00

I had to pull together a last-minute FHE lesson after dinner last night. I usually will find a Friend article, in these situations, and read the article and discuss it. So as I was flipping through the Friend, I found a nice short article on prayer. It was about a couple of kids who used prayer in their lives. The article also had some activities that you could do to help re-inforce the message. One of these had an activity to find examples of prayer in the scriptures, but a better idea came to me and it turned out really well.

I asked my son to get the "blue box" of Church pictures. I put the box in the middle of the floor. Then, before I read the article, I told the kids that I was going to start a sentence and I wanted them to finish it. I started the sentence, "Prayer is ..." They each came up with their ideas ... beautiful, reverent, talking to God, quiet. Then I read the article. We talked about it a bit and then each of them wanted to share their own experiences with personal prayer and so we all listend to their personal experiences.

Then we all sat on the floor around the "blue box." I split the pictures up between everyone in the family. I then asked them to put the pictures that dealt with prayer in one pile and then put all the other pictures in another pile. Then I took all their non-prayer pictures and put them back in the box. Then I showed them how many scripture story pictures were about prayer. I quickly went through each one; briefly recounting the story or having one of the kids recount the story. Then I asked them, "was their prayer answered?" Of course they were! And just seeing all the stories in the scriptures and talking about how those prayers were answered not only helped the kids, but it really strengthened my faith too.

Israel Surrounded

2011-09-22T14:02:00.001-05:00

This article, by Victor Davis Hanson, really raised my eyebrows ... especially the last paragraph.

So brace yourself. The next war against Israel is no longer a matter of if — only when. And it will be far more deadly than any we’ve witnessed in quite some time.

Recap of April 2011 Conference

2011-09-21T12:59:00.002-05:00

With the October 2011 General Conference a couple of weeks away, I thought I'd do a recap of all the Apostle's talks - with emphasis on what we should do.

President Monson - opening remarks
pay your tithes and offerings and be generous with them. contribute to other funds of the church. consider making a donation to the general missionary fund of the church.

Elder Perry - The Sabbath and the Sacrament
commit to study and treasure the new testament.
go to the house of prayer (sacrament meeting & church meetings).
avoid worldly distractions, business and recreational activities on sunday.
confess & forsake our errors to heavenly father.
dress appropriately on the sabbath.
teach our children to love the sabbath by going to church

Elder Cook - LDS Women Are Incredible!
wives are equal to their husbands. marriage requires full partnership - husbands and wives work side by side. to meet the needs of the family.

President Eyring - Opportunities to Do Good
consecrate your time, means and yourself to serve others.
keep your covenants by acting on feelings of sympathy.
provide for youself, your family and then reach out to help others.
spend less than you earn; with the surplus, give to others.
draw your family into the work of helping others; so they can learn from your example.
seek out the poor - it is a commandment.
prepare yourself. be pureified, strengthened; serve god and others

President Packer - Guided by the Holy Spirit
refer to members of the church properly i.e. latter-day saints
be responsible, caring, devoted to your wife and children and revere womanhood. nurture spiritual growth in your children.
love one another and frankly forgive offenses.
leave it alone ... forgive, forget and leave it alone.
mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that need it, be a witness of god always.
do a lot of forgiving and a little repenting.

Elder Nelson - Face the Future with Faith
combat fear by strengthening your faith.
strengthen the faith of your children.
focus your faith on heavenly father and jesus christ. teach children they are a child of god. teach faith in the plan of salvation; that this life is a probation - a trial - a test.
keep all of god's commandments.
faith and obedience will provide physical and spiritual protection.
faith is fortified through heartfelt prayer - intense & impassioned prayers.
enduring commitment to being a full tithe-payer is essential.
why do we need faith? because difficult days are ahead.
the saints will suffer persecution - how you react to that persecution will either crush you or motivate you.
the future is as bright as your faith.

Elder Oaks - Desire
search your heart to determine what you really desire; determine how you rank your most important desires.
you develop desire when you have a vision of what you can become. when you have that vision, your power to act increases enormously.
desires must be heartfelt - unwavering - permanent.
deliberately decide to lose wrong desires.
insist over and over again what you desire to become and you will become it.
work for the qualities required to become an eternal being.
do all that you can do to preserve your temple marriage.

Elder Ballard - Finding Joy through Loving Service
strive to keep your life simple and unencumbered by extraneous influences; focus on those things that matter most.
love god & christ with all your heart and share that love through acts of kindness.
when charity envelops us, our motivation and heartfelt desires are like christ's.
let the golden rule govern your home. speak words of support and encouragement; be sensitive to other's needs.
rescue.
kindness is the essence of greatness.
discern needs and then respond to those needs.
be sensitive to the promptings of the holy ghost.
help with mundane tasks.
unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.
desire the gift of charity.

Elder Anderson - Preparing the World for the Second Coming
sidney going (rugby star athlete) said, "the blessing of bringing others into the gospel far outweighs anything you will ever sacrifice.
thousands have not asked "what will i get from my mission" rather they've asked "what can i give?"
prepare for service as a missionary - keep clean, pure and worthy to represent the lord.

President Uchtdorf - Your Potential, Your Privilege
partake of the abundant feast of spiritual opportunities and universal blessings the priesthood provides.
when impressed upon by the spirit, do it now.
read the scriptures - listen to the prophets with all your heart and mind.
don't let a day go by without doing something to act on the promptings of the holy ghost.
commit to reading the scriptures and handbooks with more purpose and focus.
read d&c 84, 107, 121
study the purpose, potential and practical use of the priesthood.
become experts in the doctrines of the gospel - especially the doctrine of the priesthood.
seek personal revelation.
plead with the lord to provide us with a spark of faith that will enable us to receive revelation.
experience the bliss of daily, practical priesthood service.
never become hardened at the wonder and awe of what the lord has entrusted to us.

President Eyring - Learning in the Priesthood
learn your duties in the priesthood and grow in the power to perform them.
love each other and don't find fault with each other.
be a peacemaker - someone who helps people find common ground when others see differences.
with enough desire to be a peacemake and to have charity, unity is possible; but it takes patience and humilty.
labor for the salvation of men.
"in the priesthood we share the sacred duty to labor for the souls of men. we must do more than learn that this is our duty. it must go down into our hearts so deeply that neither the many demans on our efforts in the bloom of life nor the trials that come with age can turn us from that purpose."
be determined to do something that matters.

President Monson - Priesthood Power
"the moral compass of the masses has gradually shifted to an 'almost anything goes' position."
do not subject yourself to the innuendo and outright filth from today's media (tv, movies)
stay completely away from pornography. avoid alcohol & tabacco, drugs and addictions.
read the book of mormon.
keep your testimony alive through obedience and regular prayer and scripture study and chuch attendance.
cease any unrighteousness.
reject false concepts and teachings; and remain true to god's commandments.
get married.
in most cases, divorce does not have to be the outcome.
choose your love; love your choice.
be the right person in your marriage. do your part.
be committed to your wife.

President Uchtdorf - Waiting on the Road to Damascus
look back on your life experiences and see that the savior has been with you.
move forward with faith and do not wait too long.
turn down the volume control on the worldly noise in your life.
learn to hearken to the promptings of the holy ghost and then be eager to heed them.
rely on and respond to the promptings of the holy ghost.
study it out in your mind, pray for guidance.
often the answer does not come on our knees, but on our feet while we are serving the lord and those around us.
open your mouth at all times.
"preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words."

Elder Bednar - The Spirit of Revelation
the spirit of revelation typically functions as thoughts and feelings that come into our minds and hearts from the holy ghost.
consider seriously and ponder prayfully how we can reject the devil's enticements
revelation comes in small increments according to our desire for it, our worthiness and preparation.
appreciate and don't overlook the customary pattern by which the holy ghost accomplishes his work.
keep pressing forward obediently.
trust in god - pray to him.

President Monson - The Holy Temple - a Beacon to the World
temples are filled with faith and fasting; built by trials and testimonies; sanctified by sacrifice and service.
set aside time in your busy life to visit the temple regularly.
there is no more important goal for you than to be worthy to go to the temple.
secure a temple recommend and regard it as a precious possession.
always have the temple in your sights.
indoctrinate your children to love the temple.

Elder Scott - The Eternal Blessing of Marriage
don't waste your time on idle pursuits if you are a young man and are not married.
be faithful to your wife - mentally, physically.
support your wife and children.
lead in scripture study, family prayer, fhe.
tell your wife, often, that you love her, hug her, express gratitude, don't hold back heart-felt expressions of love.
give, share, don't think of yourself first.
get married early in life so as to avoid developing inappropriate character traits that are hard to change.

Elder Christofferson - As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten
"the god portrayed in both the hebrew and christian scriptures asks, not just for commitment, but for our very lifes. the god of the bible traffics in life and death, not niceness, and calls for sacrificial love, not benign whatever-ism."
be willing to accept and even seek correction.
rejoice that god considers us worth the time and trouble to correct.
repent; refine yourself; sanctify yourself; redirect your life course when god knows a better path.
parents can and must correct and even chasten.
"when a person in a position to correct another fails to do so, he is thinking of himself."
"if we resist correction, others may discontinue offering it altogether. if we repeatedly fail to act on the chastening of a loving god, then he too will desist."
become self-correcting
analyze your peformance in every assignment and task; determine what could be done better.
pray for god's love-inspired correction.

Elder Holland - An Ensign to the Nations
elder holland's talk is one of those talks that you just have to listen to. it can't be summarized. his talks are always powerful and inspiring. with that said, there was one part i felt was especially good.
"as the path of discipleship ascends, that trail gets ever more narrow until we come to that knee-buckling pinnacle of the sermon of which elder christofferson just spoke: 'be ye therefore perfect, even as your father which is in heaven is perfect.' what was gentle in the lowlands of initial loyalty becomes deeply strenuous and very demanding at the summit of true discipleship.

President Monson - At Parting
be good citizen of the nations and communities.
reach out to those of other faiths as well as those of our own.
be examples of honesty and integrity wherever you go and whatever you do.

The Temple, Family and the Power of Prayer

2011-09-13T12:37:00.000-05:00

Our family drove to Salt Lake City last month to attend two weddings; one for my sister-in-law and another for my niece. I had quite a few powerful spiritual experiences there.

First off, I want to make a simple comment on the power of prayer. Time and time again, I have seen our family "rally around" someone who needed our faith. We prayed faithfully, as a family, for something we knew was a righteous desire. Often, we would pray for months and even years for the desire of our hearts. It worked. Our prayers were answered. Prayer works.

In the weeks leading up to my sister-in-law's wedding, we all were discussing if and how we would pull off doing a session together as a family in the SLC temple. The challenge was finding someone to babysit the kids, get to the temple in time, then pick up the kids before making it on time to the wedding dinner. There was discussion about whether it was even prudent to do a session with the family. But in the end, things worked out. It was a bit stressful ensuring the kids were ok and then getting to the temple, but in the end, we all made it there on time.

We sat together. The image of seeing us all together in the SLC temple in the various rooms - especially the Celestial room - was powerful. My wife's family, growing up, had a motto that was reduced to CKOB - Celestial Kingdom or Bust. Seeing them all, with their spouses in the Celestial room was a preview of what is to come. I felt privileged to be a part of that session.

Looking back, I understand precisely why my father-in-law and mother-in-law desired to do a session so badly.

And now a quick word about the Temple - as we walked to the different rooms in the SLC temple, I was overcome with powerful emotion as I felt the collective spirits who have walked those halls all these past years. As I examined the intricate designs and architecture, I realized the profound dedication and sacrifice those saints made to build the SLC temple. They too desired the blessings of the temple for their posterity and they wanted to pass that legacy on to their children and grandchildren. That legacy lives on today as we see the explosion of growth of temples throughout the world. And we have as many temples in the world today because of the sacrifice of those saints who built the Kirtland, the Nauvoo, the St. George, the Manti, the Logan and Salt Lake City temples. I will never forget those feelings I felt in the SLC temple ... they will always come back to me each time I attend any temple.

Love at Home

2011-08-02T15:38:00.000-05:00

The First Presidency Message this month is called "Love at Home."

The one paragraph from President Monson, that really stood out to me was the one entitled What is Most Important. It states: “What is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, ‘They do not love that do not show their love.’ We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.”

Jill and I recently watched the last Harry Potter movie. And as cheesy as it sounds, my favorite part of the whole movie was when Harry was able to talk to his parents before facing Tom Riddle. The whole premise of the Harry Potter series is based on love; on the one action of Lily Potter when she attempted to save her son.

Now for a real-life example of family love. We recently had some good friends stay at our home for the weekend. We always knew we were somewhat distantly related. But this time, we got out the genealogy book my parents wrote and looked up some pedigree charts. We found and read all the stories about how the Putnams and Waltons were connected. We found that Israel Putnam and Ruth Walton married and thus connected these two families. We also read that Israel's father (Artemus) was baptized by George Walton on February 14, 1844! As we told our kids these stories, their already strong friendship grew even stronger. Again, we already knew we were distantly related somehow, but when it was confirmed and we knew we were family, our love for each other became sweeter and stronger. Family is everything! Family is love!

2 Nephi 4:15-16

2011-07-19T11:49:00.000-05:00

2 Nephi 4:15-16 ~ And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.

Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.

We have been commanded by the prophets to always read and study the scriptures. We read the scriptures to learn about the commandments of God. We also learn how to apply the commandments to our life. We will only be happy and find joy in this life by keeping the commandments and we learn the commandments by reading the scriptures. There have been times and seasons in my life when I’ve not been so faithful in reading the scriptures - and I've noticed my general happiness decline. This scripture helps me to remember that there is a vast pool of knowledge in the scriptures and if we just open and read them, we’ll be happier for doing so.

The Best Relief Society Lesson I Never Sat Through

2011-07-12T14:46:00.002-05:00

Jill forwarded me an email of a Relief Society lesson that was given this past Sunday. If it was as good as it was in email format, then those sisters who listened to it had quite a treat.

Later, I'll follow-up with a few other posts about why this lesson struck me so.

* denotes name has been changed.

Here it is ... enjoy

The theme for the women’s conference at BYU this year was “By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” Alma 37:6

Let’s dissect that phrase for a minute.

What great things do we want to come to pass? Ultimately, the truly great thing we all want is exaltation for us and our family.

So what are the small and simple things that can greatly affect us and our families in that journey to exaltation?

To name a few: Scripture Study, Prayer, Sabbath observance, faith, repentance, partaking of the sacrament, word of wisdom, what you view, what you read, what you listen to, your internet practices, magnifying your calling, modesty, tithing, temple attendance. The Strength of Youth is a great guide – for youth of ALL ages. As are the most recent Conference issues of the Ensign.

Why are these small things so important? Is there one we can ignore without it affecting us spiritually?

Satan knows this principle and uses it conversely. Therefore, he will do all in his power to diminish your resolve to do the small and simple things? Does he tell you these small things really won’t matter on the day of judgment? Does he tell you it is so small and simple it won’t make that big of a difference? You don’t have to be so strict, so exact, so undeviating. Or does he tell you that you don’t have time to worry about those little things, because you are doing other good things? Those things can wait.

Lehi’s dream offers insight. If you have seen an artist rendition of it you will note the rod of iron is barely visible but the large and spacious building can’t be missed. That is true of the world we live in. If we are not careful the world’s message can easily overwhelm the Lord’s. Satan is working hard to make sure there are ample things to distract and dissuade us from those small and simple things.

I know as Latter-day Saint women we constantly have to make stands – with neighbors, with fellow employees, with schools, and sometimes even with our families. It gets exhausting. You roll your eyes and sometimes wonder – is this small and simple thing THAT important? Is it worth yet one more stand? Sometimes we may feel we can’t fight them all so let’s just choose a few. But be careful of such a diminished resolve. Be careful which battles you choose NOT to fight. What small and simple things will you stop teaching and doing?

I don’t know how else to explain what I am seeing and feeling concerning the urgency for each of us to entrench ourselves and stand firm in even, or maybe especially, the small and simple things. So I’m going to give you same examples to hopefully better illustrate my point.

You have often heard me speak of John*, my wild and crazy son. John was unique. He wasn’t bad or rebellious. He never was in the Bishop’s office with a word of wisdom problem or morality issue. But John did give me some worries in that he questioned things. He has always needed to know the why of things. Until he had resolved things completely in his mind, he remained very anxious about them, almost agitated.

It took me a long time before I realized the reason he argued every point was because he was just thinking out loud. The need to find out “why” was so innate in him. If he didn’t see the logic behind the rule, he saw no reason to amend his behavior or accept it as a principle of the Gospel. It was almost as if there was a distrust on his part until we could prove it. Where in the scriptures does it say that! Why?! It couldn’t be just because you said so. The answer had to be logical and concise. He didn’t want to hear parables or analogies – just a straight logical answer.

I felt as if I was battling him every day of my life. There was always a thread of contention in our home. I was being drained by it. My husband came home for some of it, but let’s face it moms, we are on the front line more hours in a day than our spouses.

My husband and I discussed it once and wondered if I should just give it a rest and only fight the battles that were BIG. But after prayer we decided against it. We wondered if by doing it like that we might undermine the logic in the battles we did fight. After all, everything in the gospel is interconnected. Why would we spend so much time teaching him why to obey one thing and then not another – when both were said by a prophet or recorded in scripture. He’d be on to that hypocrisy in a heartbeat and perhaps be convinced none of it was true. We decided we would have to continue to make every stand, no matter how small. We resolved that even if John left unconvinced of why, he would have at least heard the truth, the Lord’s stand, from our mouths.

A fateful day came. A new young man moved into the ward with a bit of an attitude and John was influenced by him. It seemed that all of the sudden John's questions of why were coming more often and decidedly more antagonistically. On that fateful Saturday, John walked into our home, and the issue of face cards came up. He spoke of a new game he had just learned to play – poker.

But was it really that big of a deal? Yeah, well … it’s just a game. It’s just cards.

True to our decision, my husband didn’t hesitate. He told John the church didn’t approve of such things. At first, John was angry and shocked. He accused us of lying to him. The church had nothing to say about simple little games.

My husband then went to the book shelve and opened MORMON DOCTRINE by Elder Bruce R. McConkie. He read to John what the church’s stand is on face cards and why. John conceded.

Two days later, the Mormon Doctrine was missing from the bookshelf. About three weeks later my twelve year old son stepped into the kitchen with that book in his hand. Trying to act nonchalant about it, John simply asked, “Hey, has this guy written anything else?”

Keeping a straight face was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I led John to the bookshelf and showed him the many other books Elder McConkie had written.

Oh, I would love to say that John changed immediately that day, but he didn’t. John still struggled to get his “whys” fast enough. He still struggled to incorporate what he was learning into his behavior. There were still some intense moments in our home.

However, just over six years later, on John's nineteenth birthday, he entered the MTC – having read every published book written by Elder Bruce R. McConkie. Elder McConkie spoke John's language. He had a way of stating the whys boldly and concisely.

Today John teaches seminary for the Church. He was married in the temple and has three children. His first child is a son. His name is Bruce for a reason.

Standing firm for small and simple things can change lives.

Now the next story.

As a RS president I have been dealing with something I never dreamt I would in the First Ward – a homeless sister.

At first it was so frustrating. The church is really not equipped to deal with homelessness. We encourage people to return to their families for help or to the government or faith based organization that can give them housing. For many reasons this woman felt she was unable to do any of those things.

One day I just sat and talked with her. I was trying to figure out how she got to where she was and was trying to analyze her reasoning. She was the product of a dysfunctional family, consequently with some emotional problems, which probably led to her failed marriage. Then she was involved in a horrible car accident that left her slightly disabled. She had managed to find a place to live on her own but lost it in a blink when Hurricane Ike hit. She had been living in her car ever sense. During this conversation, it dawned on me how frighteningly close all of us are to homelessness. There is some statistic at HAAM that suggests it might be only 5 events that separates most of us from being without a home.

As I thought on that more, I realized how frighteningly close all of us are to inactivity in the church and the loss of our eternal home. How many of those small and simple things can we give up and not find ourselves in that position? Five? I think it is less. If we stop doing even one for an extended period of time we inevitably will stop another and then another. Soon we will have too little oil to keep our lamps lit and none in reserve. Doing the small and simply things makes more of a difference than we sometimes realize.

I feel to talk of one more story.

I think of Mary Fielding Smith as she trudged across the plains – widowed and with little means to support herself and the young family left to her care. The decision to go west seemed small. Follow the prophet. What was left for her in Nauvoo? Getting up every morning along the trail, preparing food, having a morning prayer, following her priesthood leaders, and organizing her family to leave each day at some point must have become as routine for her as it is for us. She just kept going. She just kept doing what she knew was right – no matter what. She stood up to those who lacked the faith she had. She vigilantly taught her children her faith by word and example. She didn’t budge. I don’t think she thought she was doing anything great. It was the small and simple things that kept her faith lit and her family together. And what great thing came of it? Her son, Joseph, was ordained an apostle at the age of 27. He became a Prophet as did her grandson. Several other descendents of the children she raised were either members of the Quorum of the Twelve or were married to a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. Today Elder Ballard serves in that Quorum.

Again what was that great thing we want? What are those small and simple things? Why are they so important? Is there one we can ignore without it affecting us spiritually?

By small and simple things great things truly can come to pass. I feel we ignore them at our own peril and at the peril of our families.

Now I know many of you are facing very difficult challenges – things you never dreamt you would be facing – things your parents and friends have never faced. We live in turbulent times. You need answers. I promise you as you do these small and simple things the Lord will direct you to know how to face these challenges. It might be to know what doctor to go to, what course of treatment is best, how to overcome an addiction, where to apply for a job, when to seek more education or how to handle a strong-willed child. The Lord has the answer to every challenge you face in life. Doing the small and simple things will open up an avenue of revelation to guide you through every challenge. I bear my witness that is true.

I pray we will take Elder Uchtdorf’s advice from the October general conference. “There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions.”

He continued, “My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most. Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness. They will teach us to do “all these things … in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [we] should run faster than [we have] strength. [But] it is expedient that [we] should be diligent, [and] thereby … win the prize. Brothers and sisters, diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the world.”

Slow down, Sisters, and make sure that above all else you are tending to the small and simple things.

The Temple Veil and Christ's Body

2011-05-26T09:55:00.000-05:00

I just read this post a few minutes ago - wow!

The post refers to Hebrews 10:19-20 and reads:
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

I like to read Bible scriptures first in the KJV and then in the NIV. I think the footnote in the NIV is quite insightful. It says, "When Jesus died, the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was "torn in two from top to bottom" (Mark 15:38). The curtain symbolizes the body of Christ in terms of suffering: Like the curtain, his body was torn to open the way into the divince presence."

The other scripture she notes in her post is John 20:26-27 which reads:
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

This connection between feeling the marks in the Savior's body and the temple was made to me while I was on my mission. A group of Church members were passing through Guatemala and happened to stay in the same hotel as we were (we were at a Zone Conference). They talked of how the Savior ministered to the Nephites and how it relates to the temple. It was eye-opening to say the least.

Stretched Forth His Hand

2011-05-10T06:43:00.000-05:00

While reading Mosiah 16:1 this morning (in Spanish), I read a phrase that struck me in a different way. In Spanish the phrase is "extendió la mano" In English the phrase is "stretched forth his hand". As I've read that phrase my whole life in English, the visual thought in my mind is that of a prophet putting his hand up in the air as if to emphasize a point for dramatic effect. But in reading it in Spanish, it connotes a different visual thought - that of someone holding his hand out as if to help someone else - like pulling someone up out of a hole.

This second visual thought makes more sense when you read Jacob 5:47: But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh. And it grieveth me that I should hew down all the trees of my vineyard, and cast them into the fire that they should be burned. Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard?

In this context, the Lord is holding out a hand of rescue. I now think that whenever a prophet stretches forth his hand before speaking, his hand is reaching out as if to help someone out of a hole, not reaching his hand to the sky.

Another context to think about is the veil at the temple. The next time you go, listen for those words and note the actions.

Lastly, there are a few references of hands being stretched forth in the New Testament one of which is the Lord rescuing Peter after Peter's faith begins to falter while trying to walk on water.

Desire

2011-04-28T16:13:00.000-05:00

After Elder Oaks' talk on desire this last General Conference, I read the Elder Maxwell talk he referenced. Both talks are exceptional.

A few things to note ...

1) Desires can be changed/taught
2) Righteous desires need to be moulded to the law of God
3) The initiation of desire is entirely up to us.
4) We can initiate any desire with a vision of what is to be

And now for the meaty quotes ...

First from Neal A. Maxwell:

"Desire denotes a real longing or craving ... much more than passive preferences or fleeting feelings."

"What we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity."

"Righteous desires need to be relentless."

"it is our own desires which determine the sizing and the attractiveness of various temptations. We set our thermostats as to temptations."

Quoting Brigham Young, he said, "the men and women, who desire to obtain seats in the celestial kingdom, will find that they must battle every day."

Brigham Young also said, "It is evident that many who understand the truth do not govern themselves by it; consequently, no matter how true and beautiful truth is, you have to take the passions of the people and mould them to the law of God."

"Each assertion of a righteous desire, each act of service, and each act of worship, however small and incremental, adds to our spiritual momentum." I like this quote because it confirms the idiom that came to my mind once ... obedience is spiritual grease.

"Unquestionably, parents have such a profound role in assisting in the educating of our desires, especially when parents combine explanation and exemplification!"

"a loving God will work with us, but the initiating particle of desire which ignites the spark must be our own!"

And now a few from Elder Oaks:

"Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming."

"How do we develop desires? ... We we have a vision of what we can become, our desire and our power to act increase enormously." He spoke of Aron Ralston as an example of getting that vision. As I contemplated this quote, I decided that the one event in my life that I would love to experience and that I desire most is seeing each of my children walk out of the temple ... either from getting their endowments or from marriage. This is the one thought that I use to drive my desire.

This topic has been on my mind the last few weeks. I've gone back a few times to these articles and they have provided fortification. I like that quote about desire and temptation. If we find that one desire that will drive us and let it work in us (see Alma 32:27), we can come back to it again and again and we can use it to manage our temptations. But in thinking about this a bit, the one desire must be somewhat grand and have the capacity to manage many of your actions and thoughts. A local desire won't work.

Read the articles and think about it. It is truly amazing, the power of desire.

“According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts” by Neal A. Maxwell
"Desire" by Dallin H. Oaks

Sunday School Lesson Notes from Ward Conference

2011-03-27T19:56:00.000-05:00

The counselor in our stake presidency gave the lesson in our Sunday School today. I always enjoy his talks and discussions. Despite the fact that I feel so overwhelmed at the fact of how much I yet lack, when listening to him, I still feel animated to go and do.

However, this hodge-podge lesson he gave, fell a bit flat. But there were some gems.

He started off by asking what the themes were in Sacrament Meeting when the stake president spoke along with the bishop.
- strengthen the family
- rescue
- youth attendance to meetings
- missionary tours of the buildings
- faith in Christ
- make and keep covenants
- act, don't wait
- gain a testimony

He spoke that these 'meetings' are not meetings; but they are revelatory sessions.

Boys have been called as missionaries. We need more of them and we need them to be better prepared missionaries.

We need to strengthen the Melchizedek Priesthood base ... it is about the fathers of the boys.

Come unto Christ; rejoice in Christ.

Pay attention to the media - make sure it is not consuming your home.

Study the scriptures thirty minutes a day. Part of that should be in the Book of Mormon.

Read the first chapter in the new Handbook of Instructions.
- actions, desires of heart and kind of person you've become - these are the basis of your judgement.

Then he shared a story of John Robinson who wrote a letter to the people on the Mayflower. (Somehow he was a descendant of someone in the Mayflower or even John Robinson himself .. and he learned this while do Family History work.) He advised them to repent daily. If they did not, they would be swallowed by the dangers of others.

His counsel to us is: think of unrepented sins; think of repented sins.

Spiritual Vertigo Video

2011-03-14T13:19:00.001-05:00

This is a great video - I loved seeing the P-51s. The lesson from vertigo is excellent.

Enduring to the End

2011-03-08T14:49:00.000-06:00

Endure is an interesting word. It has been on my mind the last couple of weeks. I continue to mull over it.

Thus far, I've learned two things that are certain:

1) Enduring is about expanding our capacity ... our capacity to deal with adversity, life's challenges, stress, day to day minutiae - everything. It deals with how much we can handle.

2) Enduring is about strengthening - being hardened - holding ground on the battle's we've already won. It deals with how we can hold on to the gains we've made.

Combining these two thoughts, I liken enduring to battle. We must fight the battles before us ... we must take ground (capacity) and then hold it (strength). The cycle then continues - we move on to the next battle - confront the next challenge, deal with it, learn from it and hold on to it. This cycle continues all through our life.

Here are the articles I've been reading, annotating and re-reading again.

Neal A. Maxwell, "“Endure It Well”", Ensign, May 1990, 33
Neal A. Maxwell, "Enduring Well", Ensign, Apr. 1997, 7
Russell M. Nelson, "Endure and Be Lifted Up", Ensign, May 1997, 70
Robert D. Hales, "“Behold, We Count Them Happy Which Endure”", Ensign, May 1998, 75
Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Press On", Ensign, Nov. 2004, 101–4
Emma Petty Addams, "Enduring Well", Ensign, Mar. 2010, 34–37

I've several more articles that I'm reading now too. Although these deal more specifically with adversity. But I think the lessons from enduring well and dealing with adversity are the same.

Five Prophetic Priorities

2011-02-13T17:28:00.000-06:00

Our Stake President spoke in our ward today. He's discussed the Five Prophetic Priorities before and he spoke on them again today. I felt impressed to take notes.

1) Build faith in Christ
2) Strengthen the Family
3) Convert, Retain, Activate
4) Strengthen Melchizedek Priesthood base
5) Prepare and increase the number of full-time missionaries

He then shared with us his notes while he reviewed every General Conference talk President Monson has given since he became prophet.

* "serious attention" to missionary work. Young Men: prepare now. Age 8 is not too early to begin preparing.

* Gratitude - be thankful for what God has given us.

* Preparing for missions

* Temple - the means of strengthening the family

* Anger

* We should pray for nations to open the doors to the missionaries. He said we should include this plea in our personal prayers as well as our prayers from the pulpits.

* Doing something for someone

* Be of good cheer

* Avoid pornography and study the messages of General Conference

* Pray for the opening of areas (again)

* Learn, Do, Be.

* Reaching out to others.

* Joy in the Journey

* Be an example of teachings of Christ. Love our families and treat our wives with dignity.

President Paulson then asked, "Has he talked about the five prophetic priorities?" Yes!

It was a good talk. I'm encouraged to go back and study those talks again from the last few General Conferences.

I've been diligent in taking notes in Gospel Doctrine class too. Go on over to my New Testament Study blog to read notes I took from today.

Kingwood Stake Conference Notes

2011-02-06T16:55:00.046-06:00

Our stake, along with all the other stakes of Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico participated in a sattelite broadcast from SLC. I jotted down a few notes.

Elder Marlin K. Jensen talked about translating beliefs into action. He quoted Mosiah 4:10 where King Benjamin said, "If ye believe all these things see that ye do them." Covenants help us link beliefs into actions and ordinances.

He talked about a prosperity study that was done on a bunch of nations. The one thing that was consistently linked to a nations prosperity was not resources, race or education; rather it was contract-keeping. He then told of the example of Zoram and Nephi. So strong were oaths in Nephi's time, that when Zoram made an oath that he would not try to flee from them, Nephi and his brothers were relieved - they did not have to worry about Zoram. He said, in the end, after all has been said and done, all that will matter will be if you have kept your word - your covenants. He also reminded us all of Karl G. Maeser's quote: "I have been asked what I mean by 'word of honor.' I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls--walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground--there is a possibility that in some way or another I may escape; but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of the circle? No. Never! I'd die first!"

Sister Ann M. Dibb spoke next. She spoke of virtue. She talked about a sister from Nacogdoches who lived a virtuous life. She said that everything this sister did or said was centered around being a Mormon. This sister said, "being a member of the Church was a party of my identity." Sister Dibb also spoke of PROS. P for pray; R for read from the Book of Mormon; O for obeay the standards; and S for smile!

Elder Ballard spoke next. He gave some stats ... 75 stakes + 3 districts in Texas/OK/NM. There are over 380,000 members in those 3 states. He spoke a bit about Lucien Woodards? He was sent from the Prophet Joseph Smith to see about a land purchase in Texas. Zodiac, Texas was first settled by members.

He then spoke of keeping the doctrine of Christ simple. He then discussed and commented on the first principals and ordiances of the Gospel as outlined in the 4th Article of Faith. He also included the enduring to the end. With regard to enduring to the end, he related a story. There was this 90-year-old patriarch in his ward. He prayed every night to die in faithfulness. Elder Ballard approached this brother and asked him "aren't you safe?" This brother grabbed Elder Ballad by the lapels of his jacket and said, "look me in the eyes! No man is ever safe until he endures to the very end!"

Lastly, President Monson spoke. His talk was very similiar to several talks he's given recently. The topic was rescueing. Our ward has been focused on rescueing ... members, ancestors, and neighbors who are not of our faith. He has referred several times to the painting by J.M.W. Turner entitled Shipwreck, the Rescue. President Monson calls this painting To the Rescue! I did some searching a while back and finally found the painting. I'll include it here for reference.

Tom Cruise on Hometeaching

2011-02-03T10:57:00.003-06:00

Teaching in the Home

2010-12-28T10:53:00.000-06:00

Here is my talk I gave December 26 in Sacrament Meeting:

Good afternoon everyone! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas, especially if you were able to spend it with family. And how appropriate that we can talk about families during this wonderful time of year.

Opening Quote

In 1995 in the April General Conference, President Packer said:

“Our Father’s plan requires that, like the generation of life itself, the shield of faith is to be made and fitted in the family. No two can be exactly alike. Each must be handcrafted to individual specifications.

“The plan designed by the Father contemplates that man and woman, husband and wife, working together, fit each child individually with a shield of faith made to buckle on so firmly that it can neither be pulled off nor penetrated by those fiery darts.

“It takes the steady strength of a father to hammer out the metal of it and the tender hands of a mother to polish and fit it on. Sometimes one parent is left to do it alone. It is difficult, but it can be done.

“In the Church we can teach about the materials from which a shield of faith is made: reverence, courage, chastity, repentance, forgiveness, compassion. In church we can learn how to assemble and fit them together. But the actual making of and fitting on of the shield of faith belongs in the family circle. Otherwise it may loosen and come off in a crisis” (Boyd K. Packer, "“The Shield of Faith”", Ensign, May 1995, 7)

To develop this unique shield of faith for each of our children, we must consecrate our time to the raising and teaching of our children these precious principals. Working together, the mother and the father can forge strong shields of faith for their children. They forge those strong shields by constantly teaching their children in the home.

The Role of the Church in Teaching in the Home

The Church and the family strengthen each other. Neither can thrive without the other. Parents need the Church in order to maintain strong faith and to learn what they must teach their children.

The Home and the Church

In reading the recently updated Church Handbook, I came across this passage:

"In the teachings and practices of the restored gospel, the family and the Church help and strengthen each other. To qualify for the blessings of eternal life, families need to learn the doctrines and receive the priesthood ordinances that are available only through the Church. To be a strong and vital organization, the Church needs righteous families.

"God has revealed a pattern of spiritual progress for individuals and families through ordinances, teaching, programs, and activities that are home centered and Church supported. Church organizations and programs exist to bless individuals and families and are not ends in themselves. Priesthood and auxiliary leaders and teachers seek to assist parents, not to supersede or replace them.

"Priesthood and auxiliary leaders must endeavor to strengthen the sacredness of the home by ensuring that all Church activities support the lives of individuals and families. Church leaders need to be careful not to overwhelm families with too many Church responsibilities. Parents and Church leaders work together to help individuals and families return to our Father in Heaven by following Jesus Christ." (Handbook 2)

Less Church Time, More Family Time

To add a finer light on that passage, let me share with you a quote from Elder Oaks from his classic talk Good, Better, Best:

"Stake presidencies and bishoprics need to exercise their authority to weed out the excessive and ineffective busyness that is sometimes required of the members of their stakes or wards. Church programs should focus on what is best (most effective) in achieving their assigned purposes without unduly infringing on the time families need for their “divinely appointed duties.”

"But here is a caution for families. Suppose Church leaders reduce the time required by Church meetings and activities in order to increase the time available for families to be together. This will not achieve its intended purpose unless individual family members—especially parents—vigorously act to increase family togetherness and one-on-one time. Team sports and technology toys like video games and the Internet are already winning away the time of our children and youth. Surfing the Internet is not better than serving the Lord or strengthening the family. Some young men and women are skipping Church youth activities or cutting family time in order to participate in soccer leagues or to pursue various entertainments. Some young people are amusing themselves to death—spiritual death." (Dallin H. Oaks, "Good, Better, Best", Ensign, Nov. 2007, 104–8)

In another quote, the First Presidency gave clear and direct counsel about where we are to place our priorities.

“We call upon parents to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles which will keep them close to the Church. The home is the basis of a righteous life, and no other instrumentality can take its place or fulfill its essential functions in carrying forward this God-given responsibility.

“We counsel parents and children to give highest priority to family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities. However worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely-appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform” (First Presidency letter, Feb. 11, 1999).

Those are some very strong quotes from today’s prophets. I share them today to serve as a reminder of how best to spend our time. Time, it seems, is more precious than gold. It is possible to acquire more gold once it’s been spent, but once you spend time, you never get it back.

What Fathers Can Do to Teach in the Home

Besides these critical fundamentals of family prayer and scripture study, there are many other ways that we all can improve our time and quality of teaching with our children. In preparing for this talk, I came across two articles by Ezra Taft Benson. In the first, he directed his counsel to fathers; and in the second to mothers. In each of them, he cites 10 ways fathers and mothers can teach in the home and provide spiritual leadership for their families.

As I read through the list to the fathers, I thought of examples from my life that have demonstrated each point.

“1. Give father’s blessings to your children. Baptize and confirm your children. Ordain your sons to the priesthood. These will become spiritual highlights in the lives of your children.

One of my favorite traditions we have is the Sunday before the start of the new school year father’s blessing. At the beginning of each school year, we formally gather as a family and I give each of our children and Jill a blessing. Each time, we feel the Spirit strongly. I learned how to bless my children and wife from my father. The last beginning-of-the-school-year father’s blessing I received was in September of 2004. I had just started MBA School. Over the Labor Day break, I received a phone call from my sister telling me my grandmother had just passed away. I flew out to Utah to attend the funeral. Just before I was to fly back to Texas, I asked my father and brother for a blessing. It is a memory I hold dearly and I still draw strength every time I think of that blessing.

“2. Personally direct family prayers, daily scripture reading, and weekly family home evenings. Your personal involvement will show your children how important these activities really are.

Let me add to this second point … let your children see you study the scriptures personally. How wonderful an example for our children to see us practicing what we preach. It was on a cold winter day with dark gray clouds overhead outside and a blazing warm fire inside when I stepped into the quiet living room in our home in Oregon and I saw my dad sitting in his chair with his scriptures in his lap. The memory is so vivid that I can close my eyes and see all the details of that scene instantly. What made that impression so strong? I believe it was the power of the Holy Ghost.

And as a side comment – don’t be discouraged if you think your children are not learning from your example. I often find myself reflecting on my parents’ life when I have problems to face. Their examples have probably taught me more than anything else.

“3. Whenever possible, attend Church meetings together as a family. Family worship under your leadership is vital to your children’s spiritual welfare.

Again, this 3rd point strengthens the point that the family needs the Church and the Church needs the family.

“4. Go on daddy-daughter dates and father-and-sons’ outings with your children. As a family, go on campouts and picnics, to ball games and recitals, to school programs, and so forth. Having Dad there makes all the difference.

We are always supporting each other in our events. Especially at this time of year when the kids participate in Christmas programs and choir recitals. Jill is always keen on making these events special for the children. When Emma had a special part in her Nutcracker play, Jill’s mom gave her a Clara nutcracker. This year Ben played Santa Clause in his school play and Jill gave him a Mr & Mrs Clause nutcracker set. There is no doubt in my mind, that when Emma and Ben look on those nutcrackers when they are parents, they will tell their children the story of when they participated in their school concerts and their children will laugh and their love will increase.

“5. Build traditions of family vacations and trips and outings. These memories will never be forgotten by your children.

Everyone loves vacations and trips. I can recall every trip and vacation our family has taken. The first trip we took was at the end of May in 2001. We drove from Dallas to St. George – it was just Jill, Emma and me. We drove 19 straight hours to get there – arriving at 7:00am in the morning. We loved seeing west Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. We also loved spending time with my parents. The last trip we took was up to Arkansas to visit Jill’s family during Thanksgiving. I know Ben made at least one memory there when we took him with us to the turkey bowl. We played in the freezing rain. Although I may look back on that experience with a bit of a chill, I think Ben looks at it with warmness.

“6. Have regular one-on-one visits with your children. Let them talk about what they would like to. Teach them gospel principles. Teach them true values. Tell them you love them. Personal time with your children tells them where Dad puts his priorities.

I have tried many times to make one-on-one visits formal and regular. But I’ve found that there are countless opportunities to have one-on-one visits with my kids over the course of a week. When I pick Emma up from Activity Days, I ask her questions and try to engage in conversation with her. She usually has a funny story to tell me. With Ben, we usually talk while playing a game of chess or throwing the football outside. One day a week, I get to pick up Erick from the bus stop. As we walk home I get to ask him how his day went and what he learned at school. It is always fun asking him questions and getting a really thoughtful six year old opinion. Camille will usually come into my office early in the morning and give me a hug and sit on my lap. She also always has a story to tell me. At bedtime, Jill and I will always spend a few more minutes talking to them before kissing them goodnight.

“7. Teach your children to work, and show them the value of working toward a worthy goal.

There are many opportunities to teach children how to work. Both manual labor and mental exertion are considered work. At home, children learn how to work by diligently finishing homework, cleaning their rooms, helping clean the house, folding clothes, cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, weeding the garden, trimming bushes, walking the dog and even by reading good books. Extracurricular activities such as playing sports, singing in the choir or participating in a school play can teach children how to be diligent and focused in order to achieve a goal. As children grow older, they can get a job to begin earning money for a mission or college.

“8. Encourage good music and art and literature in your homes. Homes that have a spirit of refinement and beauty will bless the lives of your children forever.

Learning the hymns both at home and at church helps children to learn to love singing. Having classical and uplifting music playing in the home invites the Spirit. Exposing children to good books and infecting them with a love of reading will last a lifetime. My love of music came from my Mom and her family. She would always encourage me to sing and enjoy music. She involved me in singing groups, take me to choir practice, she would play the piano and teach my sisters to play the piano. Our home was full of music. Both my grandparents were beautiful singers. My love of classical music began in earnest when we visited my uncle’s home. He would always pipe classical music through his home’s speaker system – I loved it. I loved it so much, I wrote a letter to him asking what music he was playing. He dubbed a cassette tape of his favorite music and sent it to me.

“9. As distances allow, regularly attend the temple with your wife. Your children will then better understand the importance of temple marriage and temple vows and the eternal family unit.

Temple attendance is one of those things you teach your children by example. I learned to love the temple first by seeing my parents attend and serve in the temple. When Jill and I attend, we make it a point to tell the kids we’re leaving to go to the temple.

“10. Have your children see your joy and satisfaction in service to the Church. This can become contagious to them, so they, too, will want to serve in the Church and will love the kingdom”

Again, like temple attendance, children learn best to serve when they see their parents serve. I see this in Jill’s family. Jill’s parents are always serving. Jill has told me of the many, many examples of the times her mom would serve others. And who can’t doubt the example of Jill’s mom when they see Jill. It seems that Jill is always baking a dinner for a family in the ward or a neighbor in need. And I regularly come home from work to see other people’s kids who she is watching while their mom is attending to an emergency. Jill is the most thoughtful, kindest person I know and thanks be to her and her mother!

(Ezra Taft Benson, "To the Fathers in Israel", Ensign, Nov. 1987, 48)

What Mothers Can do to Teach in the Home
President Benson wrote a similar top ten list for mothers with regard to teaching in the home. I’d like to briefly share this list with you and then share with you a few personal stories of mothers teaching in the home.

1. Be at the crossroads.

2. Be a real friend.

3. Read to your children.

4. Pray with your children.

5. Have weekly home evenings.

6. Be together at mealtimes.

7. Read scriptures daily.

8. Do things as a family.

9. Teach your children.

10. Truly love your children.

(President Ezra Taft Benson Address given at a Fireside for Parents, 22 February 1987)

"Let There be Light"

2010-11-11T10:23:00.001-06:00

The Information Age is great ain't it? I never heard of Vera Lynn until Elder Cook told the story about how he was named. So I go to YouTube and search for Vera Lynn and find some really neat, goose-bump-creating videos of her songs.

Here is "The White Cliffs of Dover" playing in the background to Spitfires flying.

Here is a video of her singing "When The Lights Go On Again"

Watching these videos helped me appreciate Elder Cook's talk a bit more. In fact, I got a lump in my throat and tears welled in my eyes listening to "When the Lights Go On Again" ... I think it is fitting to watch these videos on a day we celebrate our brave veterans and remember their sacrifices.

Elder Cook's talk was excellent. It could be summarized with an often-heard quote "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." I did a little research on this - although the quote is attributed to Edmund Burke, he never said it (see here). But the idea is still relevant.

We as LDS are to actively stand up and defend what is good and wholsome. We are to actively practice our religious freedoms. There are unabashed forces acting in this world for both good and evil. We must engage.

I really thought this quote from Elder Cook was spot on; "Let me be clear that all voices need to be heard in the public square. Neither religious nor secular voices should be silenced. Furthermore, we should not expect that because some of our views emanate from religious principals, they will automatically be accepted or given preferential status. But is is also clear such views and values are entitled to be reviewed on their merits."

I firmly believe that when both good and evil cases are presented, the good will win out. I agree with Elder Cook's sentiment that most people believe in God and support moral values. The rub is that we need to actively participate and defend our principals ... by living them and speaking up for them.

"Things that Matter Most"

2010-11-10T12:25:00.001-06:00

we can learn about life by studying nature

Going back to the minimalism theme - as I read President Uchtdorf's talk this morning, various statements and quotes he made drove home the idea that less is indeed more. This is a subject I am very keen and sensitive about. I really think that people are happier when they stop and think about what is important in their lives and then direct their focus on those specific things and ignore the rest.

President Uchtdorf's talk does a fantastic job summarizing what we should all be doing.

Here are a few of the quotes that stood out as I read his talk.

it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions.

focus on the things that matter most.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, in a recent general conference, taught, “We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families."

There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions.

Leonardo da Vinci is quoted as saying that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

He then teaches us four things that should be at the top of our list - the things that matter most.

We should develop our relationship with: 1) God & Jesus Christ, 2) Our families, 3) Our fellow-men and 4) Ourselves

The wonderful thing about the Church is that it is set up so that we can focus on these 4 things that matter most. If we read our scriptures and pray every day as we've been counseled and commanded time and time again, we will develop our relationship with God and Jesus Christ. If we hold FHE and eat dinner together and play games and spend time with our spouse, children and extended family, we will develop our relationship with our families. If we perform our hometeaching duties and we participate in church activities, we will develop better relationships with our fellow-men. And if we find and develop the talents God has given us, we will develop the relationship with ourself.

I center my goals around these areas and then I try to work on each of these areas a little bit every day. As I focus my energy on these areas, I find joy.

The Voice of the Spirit

2010-09-10T14:57:00.001-05:00

I watched this video on lds.org this week. It is one of the most touching and powerful videos I've ever seen or listened to.

After watching it several times, I tried finding the entire talk on the General Conference page, but I didn't find it there. I expanded my search using Google and eventually found it at BYU's speeches site. The audio of the video was taken from a talk President Faust gave at BYU on September 5, 1993.

You can find the text of that entire talk here: The Voice of the Spirit

Additionally, you can listen to the entire talk (something I highly recommend) by clicking here.

When I read this talk, I had one of those 'wow!-this-is-a-prophet-of-God' moments. This is the part of his talk when my eyes went wide open and my heart skipped a beat:

In your generation you will be barraged by multitudes of voices telling you how to live, how to gratify your passions, how to have it all. You will have up to five hundred television channels at your fingertips. There will be all sorts of software, interactive computer modems, databases, and bulletin boards; there will be desktop publishing, satellite receivers, and communications networks that will suffocate you with information. Local cable news networks will cover only local news. Everyone will be under more scrutiny. There will be fewer places of refuge and serenity. You will be bombarded with evil and wickedness like no other generation. As I contemplate this prospect, I am reminded of T. S. Eliot's words, "Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?" (The Rock [1934], I).

He gave this talk in 1993! True - the World Wide Web had just been born two years previous, but it was broadly unknown. It wasn't until 1996 that the real explosion of the information highway took place. Ever since then, we have indeed been overloaded with "voices." Read that paragraph over and over again. It was as if he wrote that in 2003 and not 1993.

Follow the prophets. Follow the voice of the Spirit.

Work and Glory

2010-08-19T09:59:00.000-05:00

One of my goals is to memorize both the reference and the text of the scriptures found in the Seminary Scripture Mastery lists. It may be a bit of a daunting task, but if I can memorize section 121 and Mosiah 14 and the Articles of Faith, I see no reason why I can't memorize 100 scriptures.

As I study and memorize them, I'll post some thoughts, applications and citations about them.

Moses 1:39 is perhaps one of the most widely cited and known scriptures of all chapters and verses. At the BYU LDS Citation Index, it shows that it has been cited well over 300 times - and that citation index is not exhaustive - compared to 1 Nephi 3:7 which as been cited about 90 times.

Moses 1:39 is one of those bedrock scriptures upon which so much of our theology rests. It gives our life and purpose much meaning and direction.

One of the aspects of our religion that many other religions take exception to is that of working out our salvation. We believe in doing. At least in my mind, I tend to believe that religion is pretty useless if it doesn't have applicability and bear true fruit. The most important fruit a religion can bear is good works - good actions - service. We can have all the wonderful doctrine and grace in the world, but if we aren't a people of good works, then what is it all worth?

Specifically speaking about work, Neal A. Maxwell said the following, "Our Heavenly Father has described His vast plan for His children by saying, 'Behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man' (Moses 1:39; emphasis added). Consider the significance of the Lord’s use of the word work. What He is doing so lovingly and redemptively is, nevertheless, work—even for Him! We, likewise, speak of “working out our salvation,” of the “law of the harvest,” and of the “sweat of the brow” (see Moses 5:1; see also Inspired Version, Gen. 4:1). These are not idle phrases. Instead, they underscore the importance of work. In fact, brethren, work is always a spiritual necessity even if, for some, work is not an economic necessity. (Neal A. Maxwell, “‘Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel’,” Ensign, May 1998, 37)

Commitment

2010-06-08T13:44:00.000-05:00

Howard W. Hunter, “Commitment to God,” Ensign, Sep 2006, 44–47

Neal A. Maxwell, “Why Not Now?,” New Era, Apr 1975, 5

Neal A. Maxwell, “‘Settle This in Your Hearts’,” Ensign, Nov 1992, 65

Marvin J. Ashton, “‘The Word Is Commitment’,” Ensign, Nov 1983, 61

Larry W. Gibbons, “Wherefore, Settle This in Your Hearts,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 102–4

Gospel Principles: Prophets of God

2010-05-08T21:39:00.004-05:00

Sunday May 9, 2010
"Chapter 9: Prophets of God,” Gospel Principles, (2009), 39-43

Opening

Goal of the Lesson

To develop an understanding of the roles of prophets and to strengthen our testimonies of the living oracles of God.

Agenda

1. Prophets Are God’s Representatives on the Earth
2. Through the Ages God Has Called Prophets to Lead Mankind
3. We Have a Living Prophet on the Earth Today
4. We Should Sustain the Lord’s Prophet
5. Great Blessings Follow Obedience to the Prophet

Body

Prophets Are God’s Representatives on the Earth

What powers and gifts does a prophet have?

From “The Guide to the Scriptures” under Prophet, “A person who has been called by and speaks for God. As a messenger of God, a prophet receives commandments, prophecies, and revelations from God. His responsibility is to make known God’s will and true character to mankind and to show the meaning of his dealings with them. A prophet denounces sin and foretells its consequences. He is a preacher of righteousness. On occasion, prophets may be inspired to foretell the future for the benefit of mankind. His primary responsibility, however, is to bear witness of Christ. The President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God’s prophet on earth today. Members of the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles are sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators.”

Ninth Article of Faith: “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.”

Through the Ages God Has Called Prophets to Lead Mankind

In what ways have prophets guided God’s children in the past?

Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt.
Lehi and Nephi started a civilization.
Mormon compiled the Book of Mormon.
Joseph Smith restored the Gospel.
John the Baptist prepared the people for Jesus Christ.

What have you learned from the lives and teachings of prophets?

Personally, as I’ve read the Book of Mormon recently, I’ve been greatly impressed with the urgency the prophets of the Book of Mormon taught the people about Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is indeed another testament of Jesus Christ.

We Have a Living Prophet on the Earth Today

Why do we need a living prophet today?

D&C 43:25 says, “How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not!”

The missionaries recently visited us for dinner. Elder Clove and Lybbert gave a great spiritual thought. We were sitting in the living room. In the little hall at our entrance hangs a picture of Jesus Christ. Elder Clove had Erick stand in that hallway. As we sat in the living room, we could not see the picture of Jesus, but Erick could. Elder Clove taught us that just as Erick could see Jesus and tell us that the picture was there, so can the prophets tell us that Jesus lives and they can tell us the will of the Lord.

The living prophet knows the will of the Lord and as such he is the one person who has the right to receive revelation for the Church.

We depend on the prophet for that revelation. He can steer us in ways we cannot. We need that guidance if we want to be happy and return our Heavenly Fathers.

President Eyring said, “Looking for the path to safety in the counsel of prophets makes sense to those with strong faith. When a prophet speaks, those with little faith may think that they hear only a wise man giving good advice. Then if his counsel seems comfortable and reasonable, squaring with what they want to do, they take it. If it does not, they either consider it faulty advice or they see their circumstances as justifying their being an exception to the counsel. Those without faith may think that they hear only men seeking to exert influence for some selfish motive. They may mock and deride, as did a man named Korihor, with these words recorded in the Book of Mormon: “And thus ye lead away this people after the foolish traditions of your fathers, and according to your own desires; and ye keep them down, even as it were in bondage, that ye may glut yourselves with the labors of their hands, that they durst not look up with boldness, and that they durst not enjoy their rights and privileges” (Alma 30:27).”

“Korihor was arguing, as men and women have falsely argued from the beginning of time, that to take counsel from the servants of God is to surrender God-given rights of independence. But the argument is false because it misrepresents reality. When we reject the counsel that comes from God, we do not choose to be independent of outside influence. We choose another influence. We reject the protection of a perfectly loving, all-powerful, all-knowing Father in Heaven, whose whole purpose, as that of His Beloved Son, is to give us eternal life, to give us all that He has, and to bring us home again in families to the arms of His love. In rejecting His counsel, we choose the influence of another power, whose purpose is to make us miserable and whose motive is hatred. We have moral agency as a gift of God. Rather than the right to choose to be free of influence, it is the inalienable right to submit ourselves to whichever of those powers we choose.”(Henry B. Eyring, “Safety in Counsel,” Ensign, Jun 2008, 4–9)

In what ways has the living prophet influenced the Church?

At least in my lifetime, it seems that each of the prophets has a “theme” they wish to teach the Church. President Kimball was the prophet when I was born. I remember listening to him at General Conference. When he died, it felt a little shocking. President Benson became the prophet. He seems to be remembered for his teaching of the Book of Mormon and his talks on pride. President Hunter was prophet for a mere nine months. I was called as a missionary under President Hunter. His theme from the very beginning was for all the saints to attend and love the temple. When he passed away, President Hinckley became the prophet. In his first press conference, he said his theme would be to “carry on.” Indeed he carried on by presiding over an explosion of temple building. In 1998, there were only 51 temples. He set a goal to have 100 temples in operation by 2001. There were 102 temples built before 2001. Under his direction, the number of temples grew from 47 to 124.

Now President Monson is the prophet. What do you think his “theme” is?

We Should Sustain the Lord’s Prophet

President Uchtdorf said, “Only a few years ago, in a First Presidency Message, President Thomas S. Monson said: “The problems of our day loom ominously before us. Surrounded by the sophistication of modern living, we look heavenward for that unfailing sense of direction, that we might chart and follow a wise and proper course. He whom we call our Heavenly Father will not leave our sincere petition unanswered.”

“We have a living prophet on the face of the earth again, even President Thomas S. Monson. He knows our challenges and fears. He has inspired answers. There is no need to fear. We can have peace in our hearts and peace in our homes. We can each be an influence for good in this world by following the commandments of God and relying on true repentance, the power of the Atonement, and the miracle of forgiveness.

“The prophets speak to us in the name of the Lord and in divine plainness. As the Book of Mormon confirms, “For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding” (2 Nephi 31:3).

“It is our responsibility not only to listen but also to act upon His word that we may claim the blessings of the ordinances and covenants of the restored gospel. He said, “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).

“There may be times when we feel overwhelmed, hurt, or on the edge of discouragement as we are trying so hard to be perfect members of the Church. Be assured, there is balm in Gilead. Let us listen to the prophets of our day as they help us to focus on the things that are central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children. The Lord knows us, He loves us, He wants us to succeed, and He encourages us by saying: “And see that all … things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [men or women] should run faster than [they have] strength. … [But] it is expedient that [they] should be diligent” (Mosiah 4:27)” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Heeding the Voice of the Prophets,” Ensign, Jul 2008, 4–7)

As a side note, it is interesting that in June 2008, President Eyring spoke of prophets and then in July 2008, President Uchtdorf wrote on the same topic.

What can we do to follow and sustain the prophet?

We should pray for him.

We should study his words.

We should follow his inspired teachings completely.

What has the President of the Church taught or emphasized recently?

In the Priesthood session in the April conference last month, he taught that we should consider our callings, reflect on our responsibilities and that we should follow Christ. In the Sunday morning session, he taught about the resurrected Christ.

Great Blessings follow Obedience to the Prophet

What experiences have you had when you have obeyed the counsel of the prophet?

President Eyring said, “Every time in my life when I have chosen to delay following inspired counsel or decided that I was an exception, I came to know that I had put myself in harm’s way. Every time that I have listened to the counsel of prophets, felt it confirmed in prayer, and then followed it, I have found that I moved toward safety. Along the path, I have found that the way had been prepared for me and the rough places made smooth. God led me to safety along a path that was prepared with loving care, sometimes prepared long before.” (June 2008)

President Eyring recounts a story of a man who followed the counsel of the prophet. “An example from Church history is that of Reddick Newton Allred. He was one of the rescue party sent out by President Brigham Young (1801–77) to bring in the Willie and Martin handcart companies. At the Sweetwater River near South Pass, Captain George Grant asked Reddick Allred to remain there with a few men and wagons and be ready to help when the rescuers returned with the handcart pioneers.

“The rescuers found the Willie company mired in the snow, freezing, starving, and dying. Some of the rescuers continued to search for the Martin company, while the others helped the Willie company make that heartrending pull up and over Rocky Ridge. Soon after they made camp, Reddick Allred and his men came to deliver essential assistance and supplies.

“Allred then waited for Captain Grant to return with the Martin company. Week after week passed with no sign of them. As blizzards howled and the weather became life threatening, two of the men decided it was foolish to stay. They thought the Martin company had either wintered over somewhere or perished. They decided to return to the Salt Lake Valley and tried to persuade everyone else to do the same. Allred refused to budge. President Young had sent them out, and Captain Grant, Reddick Allred’s priesthood leader, had told him to wait there.

“Those who returned took several wagons, filled with needed supplies, and started back to the Salt Lake Valley. Even more tragic, they turned back 77 wagons that were coming from the valley to help. Some of these wagons returned all the way to Big Mountain before messengers sent by President Young met them and turned them back around.

“Finally, more than three weeks after Reddick Allred had assisted the Willie company, Captain Grant arrived with the Martin company. These pioneers were even more destitute and had suffered dozens of deaths. Captain Grant’s rescue team was small and low on provisions—and still more than 200 miles (320 km) from the Salt Lake Valley. Once again, because Reddick Allred had stayed true to his assignment, even in the most trying circumstances, he was able to provide life-sustaining assistance and supplies.” (June 2008)

Close

Bear testimony of the importance of prophets.

Personally speaking, the time President Hinckley and Elder Nelson came to Guatemala stands out foremost in my mind. Both missionaries and members travelled from all over the country to Guatemala City to listen to the prophet speak. I remember getting up early in the morning to board a charter bus to drive to the capital. The bus was so full, I ended up sitting on the floor. When we got there, it was a beautiful day. As all of us missionaries entered the stake center, the feeling of overwhelming joy came over me. I felt immensely happy. Then 600 missionaries all sang at once, “We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet.” I had Goosebumps all over. The Spirit was strong and I doubt I’ll ever forget the feelings I felt that day. (Read article of his visit on the Church News website.)

I know the living prophets are indeed prophets of God and they will lead us to salvation.

One of the neatest things about the Internet is being able to hear a prophet testify to you directly at any time of the day.

Here is a precious video of President Hinckley speaking to the British saints. Watching this brought tears to my eyes. I'm sure it will do the same to you.

Watch this video of President Monson share his testimony from the recent General Conference.

Gospel Principles: The Holy Ghost

2010-04-12T12:28:00.001-05:00

Sunday April 11, 2010
"Chapter 7: The Holy Ghost,” Gospel Principles, (2009), 31-33

Opening
Goal of the Lesson
To learn of the mission of the Holy Ghost and how He works in our lives.

Agenda
1. The Holy Ghost Came to Adam and Eve
2. Attributes of the Holy Ghost
3. The Mission of the Holy Ghost

Body
The Holy Ghost Came to Adam and Eve
Why did Adam and Eve need the guidance of the Holy Ghost?
• They would need to be led and guided in their life.
• Their children would need to be led and guided.

How is our need for guidance from the Holy Ghost similar to that of Adam and Eve?
• No Father would send His children off to a distant, dangerous land for a lifetime of testing where Lucifer was known to roam free without first providing them with a personal power of protection. He would also supply them with means to communicate with Him from Father to child and from child to Father. Every child of our Father sent to earth is provided with the Spirit of Christ, or the Light of Christ. We are, none of us, left here alone without hope of guidance and redemption. (Boyd K. Packer, “Prayer and Promptings,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 43–46)
o What is difference between Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost?

• Throughout the ages, many have obtained guidance helpful to resolve challenges in their lives by following the example of respected individuals who resolved similar problems. Today, world conditions change so rapidly that such a course of action is often not available to us. Personally, I rejoice in that reality because it creates a condition where we, of necessity, are more dependent upon the Spirit to guide us through the vicissitudes of life. Therefore, we are led to seek personal inspiration in life’s important decisions. (Richard G. Scott, “To Acquire Spiritual Guidance,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 6–9)

Attributes of the Holy Ghost
How does the Holy Ghost differ from the Father and the Son?
• His is a spirit (he has no body)
• He has a unique mission as a member of the Godhead

Why is that difference important to us?
• From the book, “the Holy Ghost is the revealer and testifier of all truth.”
• From the book, “the Holy Ghost is our Heavenly Father’s messenger and is a special gift to us.”
• Joseph Smith said, “There is a difference between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Cornelius received the Holy Ghost before he was baptized, which was the convincing power of God unto him of the truth of the Gospel, but he could not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost until after he was baptized. Had he not taken this sign or ordinance upon him, the Holy Ghost which convinced him of the truth of God, would have left him. [See Acts 10:1–48.] (“Chapter 7: Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007),88–100)

The Mission of the Holy Ghost
What are some of the truths that the Holy Ghost reveals to us?
• He bears witness of Jesus Christ in all ages (D&C 20:25-27)
• He reveals to us that we are children of God and that we can become like Him (Romans 8:16-17)
• He reveals the truth of all things to us (Moroni 10:5)

The Holy Ghost bears a special witness in a way that we cannot deny it.

From the book: “When a man has the manifestation from the Holy Ghost, it leaves an indelible impression on his soul, one that is not easily erased. It is Spirit speaking to spirit, and it comes with convincing force. A manifestation of an angel, or even the Son of God himself, would impress the eye and mind, and eventually become dimmed, but the impressions of the Holy Ghost sink deeper into to soul and are more difficult to erase.” (p. 33 emphasis added)

Commentary: I've never heard this quote before, and when I read it, I was a bit taken back. So powerful (and important) is the Holy Ghost, that even a visit from Jesus Christ is not as powerful as impressions from the Holy Ghost. Do we really understand how powerful a gift we have? What are we doing to use that precious gift? Jesus understood how powerful the Holy Ghost is as well. Read 3 Nephi 19:9-22.

“Now, if you have the Holy Ghost with you—and every one ought to have—I can say unto you that there is no greater gift, there is no greater blessing, there is no greater testimony given to any man on earth. You may have the administration of angels; you may see many miracles; you may see many wonders in the earth; but I claim that the gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift that can be bestowed upon man. It is by this power that we have performed that which we have. It is this that sustains us through all the persecutions, trials and tribulations that come upon us.” (“Chapter 5: The Holy Ghost and Personal Revelation,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 46)

From the book, “As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we should make ourselves worthy to receive this special messenger and witness of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.”

“You can know of things you need to know. Pray that you will learn to receive that inspiration and remain worthy to receive it. Keep that channel – your mind – clean and free from the clutter of the world.” (Boyd K. Packer, “Prayer and Promptings,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 43–46)

Share some times the Holy Ghost has helped you grow in your testimony.

Read of a personal experience I had after praying about the Book of Mormon. The Holy Ghost bore a powerful witness to me as I prayed.
Invite others to share times the Holy Ghost has helped them.

Closing
Bear testimony of the singular mission of the Holy Ghost and how we have the most important gift anyone could have.

Gospel Principles: The Fall of Adam and Eve

2010-03-19T21:49:00.003-05:00

Sunday March 21, 2010
"Chapter 6: The Fall of Adam and Eve,” Gospel Principles, (2009), 26–30

Opening

Goal of the Lesson

To develop an appreciation and gratitude for Adam and Eve for choosing to commence mortality for the rest of humankind.

Agenda

1. Adam and Eve Were the First to Come to Earth

2. The Garden of Eden

3. Adam and Eve's Separation from God

4. Great Blessings Resulted from the Transgression

Body

Adam and Eve Were the First to Come to Earth

What evidence helps us know that Adam and Eve were valiant spirits?

They were pioneers (Moses 1:34, 4:26) and generally speaking, you would have to be valiant and faithful to be a pioneer. They were to “set the tone” for the rest of us.
Adam was Michael the archangel who led the battle against Satan and a third of the hosts of heaven (see D&C 27:11 and Revelation 12:7-9)

What can we learn from the examples of Adam and Eve?

The Garden of Eden

Under what conditions did Adam and Even live in the Garden of Eden?

From the book “When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, they were not yet mortal. In this state, “they would have had no children” (2 Nephi 2:23). There was no death. They had physical life because their spirits were housed in physical bodies made from the dust of the earth (see Moses 6:59; Abraham 5:7). They had spiritual life because they were in the presence of God. They had not yet made a choice between good and evil.

God commanded them to have children. He said, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over … every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Moses 2:28). God told them they could freely eat of every tree in the garden except one, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Of that tree God said, “In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Moses 3:17).

Satan, not knowing the mind of God but seeking to destroy God’s plan, came to Eve in the Garden of Eden. He tempted her to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He assured her that she and Adam would not die, but that they would “be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Moses 4:11). Eve yielded to the temptation and ate the fruit. When Adam learned what had happened, he chose to partake also. The changes that came upon Adam and Eve because they ate the fruit are called the Fall.”

Adam and Eve's Separation from God

What physical and spiritual changes occurred in Adam and Even as a result of their transgression?

Physically, they became mortal – subject to death.
Spiritually, they were separated from the presence of God.
Because of these two changes, they had “fallen.”

Great Blessings Resulted from the Transgression

How does the Fall provide opportunities for us to become like Heavenly Father?

Joseph Fielding Smith said, "When Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden, he was in the presence of God our Eternal Father. He talked with the Father and the Father with him. But something happened, and it had to happen: Adam partook of certain fruit. My Bible, the King James Version, [speaks in a commentator’s note] of Adam’s Fall [as] “man’s shameful fall.” Well, it wasn’t a shameful fall at all.

Adam came here to bring mortality upon the earth, and that resulted in the shutting out from the presence of the Eternal Father of both Adam and Eve and their posterity. The Son of God comes upon the scene from that time henceforth as our Redeemer. … It is the Savior who stands between mankind and our Heavenly Father. … The Son is the mediator between mankind and the Eternal Father. You seldom hear a prayer that isn’t offered to our Heavenly Father in the name of His Beloved Son, and that’s right. Christ came into this world to represent His Father. He came into this world to teach mankind who His Father is, why we should worship Him, how we should worship Him. He performed the greatest work that was ever performed in this mortal world by the shedding of His blood, which paid a debt that mankind owes to the Eternal Father, and which debt we inherited after the Fall of Adam.

They Opened the Door

Adam did only what he had to do. He partook of that fruit for one good reason, and that was to open the door to bring you and me and everyone else into this world, for Adam and Eve could have remained in the Garden of Eden; they could have been there to this day, if Eve hadn’t done something.

One of these days, if I ever get to where I can speak to Mother Eve, I want to thank her for tempting Adam to partake of the fruit. He accepted the temptation, with the result that children came into this world. … If she hadn't had that influence over Adam, and if Adam had done according to the commandment first given to him, they would still be in the Garden of Eden and we would not be here at all. We wouldn’t have come into this world. So the commentators made a great mistake when they put in the Bible … “man’s shameful fall.”

Well, that was what the Lord expected Adam to do, because that opened the door to mortality; and we came here into this mortal world to receive a training in mortality that we could not get anywhere else or in any other way. We came here into this world to partake of all the vicissitudes, to receive the lessons that we receive in mortality from or in a mortal world. And so we become subject to pain, to sickness. We are blessed for keeping the commandments of the Lord with all that He has given us, which, if we will follow and be true and faithful, will bring us back again into the presence of God our Eternal Father, as sons and daughters of God, entitled to the fulness of celestial glory.

Privileged to Be Mortal

That great blessing of celestial glory could never have come to us without a period of time in mortality, and so we came here in this mortal world. We are in school, the mortal school, to gain the experiences, the training, the joys, and the sufferings that we partake of, that we might be educated in all these things and be prepared, if we are faithful and true to the commandments of the Lord, to become sons and daughters of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ; and in His presence to go on to a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever, and perhaps through our faithfulness to have the opportunity of building worlds and peopling them.

Brethren and sisters, let’s thank the Lord, when we pray, for Adam. If it hadn’t been for Adam, I wouldn’t be here; you wouldn’t be here; we would be waiting in the heavens as spirits pleading for somebody … to pass through a certain condition that brought upon us mortality.

We are in the mortal life to get an experience, a training, that we couldn’t get any other way. And in order [for us] to become gods, it is necessary for us to know something about pain, about sickness, and about the other things that we partake of in this school of mortality.

So don’t let us, brethren and sisters, complain about Adam and wish he hadn’t done something that he did. I want to thank him. I am glad to have the privilege of being here and going through mortality, and if I will be true and faithful to the covenants and obligations that are upon me as a member of the Church and in the kingdom of God, I may have the privilege of coming back into the presence of the Eternal Father; and that will come to you as it will to me, sons and daughters of God entitled to the fulness of celestial glory. (Joseph Fielding Smith, “Adam’s Role in Bringing Us Mortality,” Ensign, Jan 2006, 52–53)

From the June 2006 Ensign …

Most Christian churches teach that the Fall was a tragedy, that if Adam and Eve had not partaken of the forbidden fruit, they and all their posterity could now be living in immortal bliss in the Garden of Eden. But truth revealed to latter-day prophets teaches that the Fall was not a tragedy—without it Adam and Eve would have had no posterity. Thus, the Fall was a necessary step in Heavenly Father’s plan to bring about the eternal happiness of His children.

No Death, No Posterity, No Progress

“If Adam had not transgressed,” Lehi taught his son Jacob, “he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. …

“And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

“But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Ne. 2:22–25).

After Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened, and Eve expressed gladness at the opportunity their transgression made possible: “Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient” (Moses 5:11).

Partaking of the fruit brought mortality, with its many opportunities to choose between good and evil, and enabled Adam and Eve to have children. Thus the Fall opened the door for Heavenly Father’s children to come into the world, obtain physical bodies, and participate in “the great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8). “Therefore this life became a probationary state,” a time to learn and grow, to repent and overcome weakness, “a time to prepare to meet God” (Alma 12:24).

Transgression, Not Sin

President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) said: “I never speak of the part Eve took in this fall as a sin, nor do I accuse Adam of a sin. … This was a transgression of the law, but not a sin … for it was something that Adam and Eve had to do!” 1

Regarding this distinction, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles observed: “This suggested contrast between a sin and a transgression reminds us of the careful wording in the second article of faith: ‘We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression’ (emphasis added). It also echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sin—inherently wrong—but a transgression—wrong because it was formally prohibited. These words are not always used to denote something different, but this distinction seems meaningful in the circumstances of the Fall.” 2

Even though Adam and Eve had not sinned, because of their transgression they had to face certain consequences, two of which were spiritual death and physical death. Physical death came to Adam and Eve at the end of their earthly lives, but spiritual death occurred as they were cast out of the Garden of Eden, being cut off from the presence of God (see Alma 42:9).

Original Sin

The result of our first parents’ transgression, explained President Smith, “was banishment from the presence of God and bringing … physical death into the world. The majority … [of Christians] maintain that every child born into this world is tainted with ‘original sin,’ or partakes of Adam’s transgression in his birth. The second Article of Faith contradicts this foolish and erroneous doctrine.” 3 All descendants of Adam and Eve inherit certain effects from the Fall, but because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ we are held accountable only for our own sins. Children who die before the age of accountability are “alive in Christ” (Moro. 8:12) and have no need of repentance or baptism (see Moro. 8:8–11).

Commandments in the Garden

The Lord gave Adam and Eve commandments in the Garden of Eden, two of which were to multiply and replenish the earth (see Gen. 1:28) and to not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (see Gen. 2:17). These two commandments were designed to place Adam and Eve in a position where they had to make a choice. President Smith taught: “The Lord said to Adam that if he wished to remain as he was in the garden, then he was not to eat the fruit, but if he desired to eat it and partake of death he was at liberty to do so.” 4 Faced with this dilemma, Adam and Eve chose death—both physical and spiritual—which opened the door for themselves and their posterity to gain knowledge and experience and to participate in the Father’s plan of happiness leading to eternal life. ("The Fulness of the Gospel: The Fall of Adam and Eve,” Ensign, Jun 2006, 48–49)

Closing

Bear testimony of the importance of the Fall.

Spiritual Guidance and Earthquakes

2010-03-04T15:49:00.003-06:00

Last Sunday, I taught a lesson in Elder Quorum about spiritual guidance. The lesson was based on two talks from General Conference. I spent most of the time discussing Elder Scott's talk.

Richard G. Scott, “To Acquire Spiritual Guidance,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 6–9
Russell M. Nelson, “Ask, Seek, Knock,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 81–84

The day before I gave that lesson, I watched the news reports on Chile being the latest nation impacted from a string of powerful earthquakes that have rocked many nations including Haiti, Japan, Taiwan.

The 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile, however, has brought about a very powerful faith-promoting story. Here is the link to the story found on the Meridian Magazine website. It is interesting to note, after reading Elder Scott's talk above, that of all the things he could have taught this mission president and his wife, he chose to council them on spiritual promptings. I'm sure we'll hear more of this story in General Conference next month.

Editor’s Note: President Larry Laycock and his wife, Sister Lisa Laycock head the Santiago Chile East Mission and had spent the two weeks prior to the 8.8 earthquake visiting each missionary apartment and preparing them for an earthquake. They brought specific instructions on what to do, supplied water purification bottles for the missionaries, told them how to create a 36-hour kit for emergencies and how to stay in communication should an earthquake strike. They prayed with each missionary and dedicated their apartments. Why? Because of a special experience that alerted them to what was coming. They told their missionaries, “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.”

They have 171 full-time proselyting missionaries in this mission.

Special thanks to the Laycocks for allowing Meridian to publish this letter that Sister Laycock sent to her family shortly after the earthquake sharing their remarkable experience of kindness from the Lord. They are in Chile with their son, Landon.

Dear Everyone,

I am writing to let you all know how very grateful we are for your prayers, concern, and love. Please keep praying! We need the Lord's help and guidance in order to do all He would have us do to learn what He would have us learn from this earth quake tragedy, and to minister in the way He would have us minister.

During the past few days, we have witnessed many events which serve to remind us that the Lord is in charge and that as missionaries and members of His church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are performing His work, and as President Monson teaches, "When we are on the Lord's errand, we are entitled to His help." I want to share with you a few miracles that will help you to understand our profound feelings of gratitude.

When we were set apart for this calling, Elder Scott of the Council of the Twelve Apostles taught us many important lessons. He spoke from personal experience when he was a mission president in Argentina. One message that he shared with us is this: "At times, during your mission, you will be awakened in the middle of the night or the early morning hours with thoughts of specific things you should do for certain missionaries. Do not ignore these thoughts. They are promptings from the Holy Ghost who will communicate with you in the stillness of the night or the peace of the early morning hours. He will speak to you then because that is when you are still enough to hear."

Elder Scott further instructed us to keep a notebook beside our bed so that we could record these precious promptings. He said that by the next morning, we would be likely to forget the promptings if we didn't write them down.

We have been astonished at the fulfillment of Elder Scott's prophetic words. We have received many promptings in the exact manner that Elder Scott described. We are so thankful that Elder Scott taught us how to recognize and act upon these precious promptings. Had he not taught us, we may not have given these promptings the attention they require.

Nearly two-and-one-half weeks ago, I was awakened at around 4:00 AM by just such a prompting. I did not hear a voice, but the thought was as clear as if it had been in the form of spoken words: "There is going to be an earthquake. Prepare your missionaries." I sat up in bed and immediately remembered Elder Scott's counsel. That morning I told Larry what had happened. He immediately set to work organizing our missionaries to prepare for an earthquake.

In talking with our office missionaries to arrange for them to put together a list of everything we would need to prepare...in both Spanish and English...we discovered that the Lord had also let two of our office missionaries know of the possibility of an earthquake (in the form of dreams) and the need to prepare our mission.

We set a goal and arranged our schedule so that we could visit every apartment in the mission to check for safety and to review with our missionaries what to do in case of an earth quake. What a wonderful experience we have had as we have met with them and shared scriptures with them about being spiritually and physically prepared. "...if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear" (D&C 38:30).

We instructed every missionary to have a "go-bag" (36 hour kit). We reviewed our emergency action plan with them of where to go and what to do if they had phone service and in case they did not. We gave everyone a paper with all instructions in English and Spanish, and we reminded them that "this life is the time to prepare to meet God" (Alma 34:32-34). We shared with them our thoughts and feelings about the need for spiritual and physical safety.

Some of them became frightened and asked us if we knew something they didn't know. We smiled and repeated "...if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." We didn't want to unduly alarm them, but we did want to impress upon them the need to be prepared. We tearfully reminded them of our recent transfer conference where we had shared our feelings about our dear Elder McKay Burrows who was unexpectedly called home in January while serving his mission in Romania...how he was prepared in every way to meet God. We reissued our challenge to "be prepared" in every way. Then we knelt with them in their apartment and dedicated each apartment, asking for a blessing of safety and security to be upon every apartment.

When the earthquake came, we were prepared. We did not experience the panic that many felt. We knew we were prepared. Because of the words of the Lord's chosen Apostle, Elder Scott, we had listened and heeded the quiet, but clear promptings of the Holy Ghost. We were blessed with peace in the midst of chaos. We learned an important lesson: our preparation helped us to avoid panic and fear, but the Lord, in His wisdom, allowed us to experience enough discomfort to know that He has all power. He is in charge. We are nothing without Him. We are dependent upon Him for every breath we take. Only He can save us from death and destruction. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is our perfect example. If we follow Him, we will be saved through obedience to the laws and ordinances of His Gospel.

As the earthquake became more violent, the mission home groaned and wailed. The power died, so the whole city was black. The windows made a hideous screeching sound, and flying objects banged against swaying walls. The printer/fax machine, books, book ends, and fifty-pound television burst from the entertainment center and crashed to the floor, cabinets emptied, drawers flew open, the refrigerator moved, water sloshed out of the toilets, the floor jolted up and down as we ran across it trying to hold onto the walls to keep from falling down, and the piano toppled over like a small toy. As we made our way to the back yard, I remember thinking, "God is all-powerful. He is our only refuge from this horrible mess." I prayed and prayed for Him to still the earth.

When we reached the back yard, we watched in terror. By the light of the moon we could see the swimming pool water form giant waves and crash out onto the rocks. House and car alarms screamed into the night...some from being crushed by falling debris and others, I guess, from the bizarre movement of the earth. I am not sure if the intense rumbling sounds came from the earth itself or from everything else that was shaking so violently. Finally, it stopped.

When the calm came, we had to sit down because our legs were weak and unstable. My legs stayed wobbly all day and night yesterday. Today the muscles in my legs hurt like I ran a marathon. The aftershocks have been extremely unsettling. Each one begins like the one last night started. We just close our eyes and wait to see if it escalates or dies down. .I have never experienced anything like this!

We were awakened this morning by a very strong after shock. Larry jumped out of bed and yelled, "Welcome to another glorious day in Chile!" We just had to laugh. We moved a mattress into the floor in our bedroom and made Landon sleep in our room. He was in his room with the door locked the night before and we couldn't wake him up. He never locks his door, but he was playing a joke on Larry because every morning Larry wakes him at 5:30 AM for seminary by tickling him unmercifully. So Landon had decided to stop him.

When we couldn't open his door, in the middle of the quake, we thought he was trapped, so we screamed and banged. Landon thought that everything was falling off the walls because we were banging so hard on the door. I think we scared him more than the earthquake did!

Today, we attended a strong ward where Larry was invited to speak. The entire chapel and beyond was filled. People were so humble and so teachable. Larry taught the importance of doing the small things. He taught about Jesus Christ and the opportunity we have to love one another and to share what we have with others.

It was a great blessing for us to be with these beautiful Chilean people. Some have lost their homes...or at least parts of their homes. But they are strong and they want to serve the Lord. He taught of the scripture in Luke 21:11,13 which says, "and great earthquakes shall be in divers places...and it shall turn to you for a testimony." He also welcomed the sweet young woman who was in the congregation with the missionaries...her first time attending church...and then he invited her to be baptized from the pulpit. He asked her to please invite us to her baptism, and she said, "I will." The Lord always knows what His people need.

Landon was reading in Alma 15:17 today. He said, Mom listen to this. This is what is happening here in Chile just like in happened in Ammonihah. The people were humbled and "checked as to the pride of their hearts and began to humble themselves before God, watching and praying continually that they might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction."

Our hearts are filled to the brim with gratitude for all of the blessings we have received in the Chile Santiago East Mission. We see miracles every day. In the midst of great pain and suffering, we can always find our Savior. He stands with His arms open, pleading for all of us to humble ourselves and come unto Him. He loves us. He invites us to accept His gift...the atonement. He invites us to repent. He wants us to love one another and to serve one another. He wants us to bring our families and those we love to Him. We can do it. We can do all that He asks, no matter how difficult it may seem. "With God all things are possible"

We are having a devotional tomorrow for all of our missionaries to talk about the last week of Christ's life in preparation for Easter. We want to remind our missionaries to teach and preach with increased vigor of Christ. Last Monday in our office meeting, Larry suddenly stopped in the middle, and said, "During the prayer, I had a very strong impression that March 2010 is going to be our best baptizing month we have ever had in this mission."

Now we know why he received that feeling. We are going to prepare to bring many souls to the waters of baptism in March. Please continue to pray for us and for the people of Chile. Please pray for the missionaries to have strength and courage to do all that is being required of them, even in difficult times.

We are so thankful that the tsunami did not turn out badly in Hawaii. Who would ever think that an earthquake in Chile could threaten the shores of Hawaii? Thankfully, the Lord is in charge. He is the one to whom we must turn for refuge from every storm. He has the power to save us.

Editor’s Note:
The letter ends here, but President and Sister Laycock told us:
“We’ve never experienced anything like the earthquake. We have had 90 aftershocks, some stronger than others. Our legs are wobbly. It is a scary feeling to experience an aftershock because it brings back all the feelings we had during the earthquake.

“We love being with our missionaries. Because they were prepared, they were immediately able to turn their attention to helping others. They were never concerned about themselves. They were concerned with those who need help and by mid-morning the day of the earthquake, we were able to dispatch them to help others. We told them to investigate the needs of their neighbors and help in any way they could.

President Laycock noted, “The Spanish translation of Luke 21:13 says that there will be earthquakes in many places, and it will give you the occasion to bear testimony. We met with 10 sisters this morning, and one of them mentioned a neighbor next door whom they always asked if she would have time to speak with them, and she always said no. Yet in the crescendo of the toll of the earthquake, she was speechless with fear and not prepared. When the sisters said, ‘Could we pray with you?’, she answered, ‘I have time to pray with you.’ It opened the door to a teaching opportunity to share the gospel.

President and Sister Laycock said, “Everyone we talk to has been so willing to talk about Christ and God’s power. We’ve been sharing God’s love with them. We are seeing God’s love everywhere. People are reaching out to one another. They are serving one another. The news reports looting. We are seeing a different side. We are seeing people who want to communicate with God, who are sincerely looking for the truth.”

Romans 8:38-39

2010-02-18T13:16:00.002-06:00

Romans 8:38-39 ~ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If ever I was feeling that God did not love me or that I was worth less in his sight, I would open the scriptures to Romans and read these verses. Heavenly Father will do all that he can to help us enter His presence again.

Gospel Principals: Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior

2010-02-14T10:56:00.002-06:00

"Chapter 3: Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior," Gospel Principals, (2009, 13-16)

Opening

Goal of the Lesson

The lesson should give an opportunity to all to briefly recall the Plan of Salvation and then to understand the critical role Jesus Christ plays in that plan.

2 Nephi 25:23-26

"For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

"And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.

"For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."

Agenda

1. A Savior and Leader Was Needed
2. Jesus Christ Became Our Chosen Leader and Savior
3. The War in Heaven
4. We Have the Savior's Teachings to Follow

Body

A Savior and Leader Was Needed

Rough outline of Plan of Salvation with Savior playing critical role in the plan

Why did we need to leave Heavenly Father's presence?

"The object of our earthly existence is that we may have a fulness of joy, and that we may become the sons and daughters of God, in the fullest sense of the word, being heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ [see Romans 8:14–17], to be kings and priests unto God, to inherit glory, dominion, exaltation, thrones and every power and attribute developed and possessed by our Heavenly Father. This is the object of our being on this earth. In order to attain unto this exalted position, it is necessary that we go through this mortal experience, or probation, by which we may prove ourselves worthy, through the aid of our elder brother Jesus.

The object of our being here is to do the will of the Father as it is done in heaven, to work righteousness in the earth, to subdue wickedness and put it under our feet, to conquer sin and the adversary of our souls, to rise above the imperfections and weaknesses of poor, fallen humanity, by the inspiration of Almighty God and his power made manifest, and thus become indeed the saints and servants of the Lord in the earth." (“Chapter 17: The Great Plan of Life and Salvation,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 147)

Why do we need a Savoir?

All of us will fall short of perfection.

"For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made." (Alma 34:9 emphasis added)

"When Adam intentionally and wisely partook of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, he brought upon all of us, his descendants, two deaths—the physical or “mortal death,” and the spiritual death or the banishment from the presence of the Lord.

"In God’s divine plan, provision was made for a redeemer to break the bonds of death and, through the resurrection, make possible the reunion of the spirits and bodies of all persons who had dwelt on earth.

"Jesus of Nazareth was the one who, before the world was created, was chosen to come to earth to perform this service, to conquer mortal death. This voluntary action would atone for the fall of Adam and Eve and permit the spirit of man to recover his body, thereby reuniting body and spirit. (“Chapter 3: Jesus Christ: My Savior, My Lord,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, (2006),22–33)

From the Book

"Jesus was willing to come to the earth, give His life for us, and take upon Himself our sins. He, like our Heavenly Father, wanted us to choose whether we would obey Heavenly Father’s commandments. He knew we must be free to choose in order to prove ourselves worthy of exaltation. Jesus said, “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2).

"Satan, who was called Lucifer, also came, saying, “Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor” (Moses 4:1). Satan wanted to force us all to do his will. Under his plan, we would not be allowed to choose. He would take away the freedom of choice that our Father had given us. Satan wanted to have all the honor for our salvation. Under his proposal, our purpose in coming to earth would have been frustrated (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay [2003], 207)." (“Chapter 3: Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior,” Gospel Principles, (2009),13–16)

One or Two Plans?

See "Lucifer's Plan"

Jesus Christ Became Our Chosen Leader and Savior

Passage of the Brother of Jared and Jesus Christ.

"And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.

"Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters." (Ether 3:13-14)

Jesus declares His mission.

“I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. … And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:38, 40).

The War in Heaven

From the book

"Because our Heavenly Father chose Jesus Christ to be our Savior, Satan became angry and rebelled. There was war in heaven. Satan and his followers fought against Jesus Christ and His followers. The Savior’s followers “overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11)"

President Hinckley discusses this War in Heaven and how it continues today.

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

“And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7–9).

"That war, so bitter, so intense, has never ceased. It is the war between truth and error, between agency and compulsion, between the followers of Christ and those who have denied Him. His enemies have used every stratagem in that conflict. They’ve indulged in lying and deceit. They’ve employed money and wealth. They’ve tricked the minds of men. They’ve murdered and destroyed and engaged in every kind of evil practice to thwart the work of Christ."
…

"Notwithstanding the present strength of the Church, it seems that we are constantly under attack from one quarter or another. But we go on. We must go on. We have gone forward, and we will continue to go forward. In some seasons the issues are major. At other times they are only local skirmishes. But they are all part of a pattern.

"Opposition has been felt in the undying efforts of many, both within and without the Church, to destroy faith, to belittle, to demean, to bear false witness, to tempt and allure and induce our people to practices inconsistent with the teachings and standards of this work of God.

"The war goes on. It is as it was in the beginning. There may not be the intensity, and I am grateful for that. But the principles at issue are the same. The victims who fall are as precious as those who have fallen in the past. It is an ongoing battle. The men of the priesthood, with the daughters of God who are our companions and allies, are all part of the army of the Lord. We must be united. An army that is disorganized will not be victorious. It is imperative that we close ranks, that we march together as one. We cannot have division among us and expect victory. We cannot have disloyalty and expect unity. We cannot be unclean and expect the help of the Almighty." (Gordon B. Hinckley, “An Unending Conflict, a Victory Assured,” Ensign, Jun 2007, 2–7)

We Have the Savior's Teachings to Follow

The War in Heaven continues today and will continue to the end of time. But we have the Savior's teachings to help us.

President Hinckley spoke in the October General Conference in 2001 … just a month after the September 11 attacks. In his closing remarks he said, "Now, brothers and sisters, we must do our duty, whatever that duty might be. Peace may be denied for a season. Some of our liberties may be curtailed. We may be inconvenienced. We may even be called on to suffer in one way or another. But God our Eternal Father will watch over this nation and all of the civilized world who look to Him. He has declared, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Ps. 33:12). Our safety lies in repentance. Our strength comes of obedience to the commandments of God.

Let us be prayerful. Let us pray for righteousness. Let us pray for the forces of good. Let us reach out to help men and women of goodwill, whatever their religious persuasion and wherever they live. Let us stand firm against evil, both at home and abroad. Let us live worthy of the blessings of heaven, reforming our lives where necessary and looking to Him, the Father of us all. He has said, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10)."

Closing

Bear testimony of the Savior and His mission.

Lucifer's Plan

2010-02-13T10:37:00.000-06:00

Over the years, I've listen to members debate about wheather there was one plan or two plans presented in the Pre-Existence. Personally I've always believed that there were two plans presented. But one year someone in Sunday School said that there was only one plan. I'd never heard of this before, but after listening to him (and others through the years), it makes sense to me. Both ideas are appealing, but it all really is a matter of wordsmithing.

Here are some quotes I've gathered on the subject.

Quotes about Lucifer's/Satan's Plan

J. REUBEN CLARK

I wish to state the faith, the belief, and the knowledge of the Latter-day Saints regarding Jesus of Nazareth.

We accept literally the words of John concerning the Christ: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Christ has declared in our own day: "I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn."

We also accept John's declaration that Jesus Christ was the Creator of the world, that "all things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

We believe that in the Great Council in Heaven held before the world was, Satan proposed one plan for creation and ruling the world and its progeny, and that Christ proposed another; that Satan's plan was rejected, as taking away the agency of man, and Christ's was accepted as keeping man's agency.

We believe that in obedience to the plan, Christ created the world and all that in it is, first spiritually, then temporally, and that in this work of creation he acted as one of the Great Trinity of three distinct Personages, the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ( J. Reuben Clark, Jr. Behold the Lamb of God, p. 355).

BRUCE C. HAFEN

Sometimes in our gospel discussions we recall the presentation of Satan's plan in the preexistence: "I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor." (Moses 4:1.) We usually say the problem with Satan's plan was that he "sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him." (Moses 4:3.)

We might also ask why agency matters so much.

Agency is important not only in representing the abstract principle of free will. Without agency, we cannot develop the skills that are essential to the growth we must experience to return to God's presence. It is simply impossible. A horse can be led to water, but he cannot be forced to drink. A child can be given a book, but she will never learn to read unless she voluntarily makes an effort to read. Satan's plan could not have worked. His claim of guaranteeing, regardless of our choices, that not one soul would be lost was like most of his claims: it was a lie (Bruce C. Hafen, THE BELIEVING HEART, p. 49).

HAROLD B. LEE

Who is the author of the program that thus dresses up evil and the wrong to become so desirable to our appetites? When there was war in heaven, Lucifer, a son of God in the spirit world before the earth was formed, proposed a plan under which mortals would be saved without glory and honor of God. The plan of our Savior, Jehovah, was to give to each the right to choose for himself the course he would travel in earth life, and all was to be done to the honor and glory of God our Heavenly Father. Jehovah's plan was accepted; Satan's plan was rejected (Harold B. Lee, Stand ye in Holy Places, p. 219 see also Harold B. Lee, “‘Successful’ Sinners,” Ensign, Jul 1971, 2).

JAMES E. FAUST

Free agency, given us through the plan of our Father, is the great alternative to Satan's plan of force. With this sublime gift, we can grow, improve, progress, and seek perfection. Without agency, none of us could grow and develop by learning from our mistakes and errors and the mistakes and errors of others (James E. Faust, Reach up for the Light, p.105).

DAVID O. McKAY

Man's free agency is an eternal principle of progress, and any form of government that curtails or inhibits its free exercise is wrong. Satan's plan in the beginning was one of coercion, and it was rejected because he sought to destroy the agency of man which God had given him (David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p. 312).

LeGRAND RICHARDS

It is evident that the spirits of all men existed in the presence of God before this world was created, and that they counseled together regarding the creation of the earth upon which they might dwell. Because the plan of Jesus Christ was accepted, giving man his free agency, and because Satan's plan was rejected, Lucifer rebelled and was cast out of heaven. A third of the spirits followed him and were cast out with him, as the scriptures attest (LeGrand Richards, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, p. 275).

JAMES E. TALMAGE

Satan's plan of compulsion, whereby all would be safely conducted through the career of mortality, bereft of freedom to act and agency to choose, so circumscribed that they would be compelled to do right—that one soul would not be lost—was rejected; and the humble offer of Jesus the Firstborn—to assume mortality and live among men as their Exemplar and Teacher, observing the sanctity of man's agency but teaching men to use aright that divine heritage—was accepted. The decision brought war, which resulted in the vanquishment of Satan and his angels, who were cast out and deprived of the boundless privileges incident to the mortal or second estate (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 8).

JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH

No person, by any decree of the Father, has ever been compelled to do good; no person has ever been forced to do evil. Each may act for himself. It was Satan's plan to destroy this agency and force men to do his will. There could be no satisfactory existence without this great gift (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. 2, p. 20).

JAMES E. FAUST

Our agency, given us through the plan of our Father, is the great alternative to Satan’s plan of force. With this sublime gift, we can grow, improve, progress, and seek perfection. Without agency, none of us could grow and develop by learning from our mistakes and errors and those of others. (James E. Faust, “The Forces That Will Save Us,” Ensign, Jan 2007, 4–9 see also James E. Faust, “‘The Great Imitator’,” Ensign, Nov 1987, 33)

DALLIN H. OAKS

Satan had his own plan. He proposed to save all the spirit children of God, assuring that result by removing their power to choose and thus eliminating the possibility of sin. When Satan’s plan was rejected, he and the spirits who followed him opposed the Father’s plan and were cast out. (Dallin H. Oaks, “‘The Great Plan of Happiness’,” Ensign, Nov 1993, 72)

RICHARD G. SCOTT

Satan also has a plan. It is a cunning, evil, subtle plan of destruction. It is his objective to take captive the children of Father in Heaven and with every possible means frustrate the great plan of happiness. (Richard G. Scott, “The Joy of Living the Great Plan of Happiness,” Ensign, Nov 1996, 73)

N. ELDON TANNER

At the council in heaven, two plans were presented for man’s salvation. Christ’s plan was approved and he was chosen as the Savior of the world; and Satan’s plan was rejected and he rebelled. (N. Eldon Tanner, “‘Where Art Thou?’,” Ensign, Dec 1971, 32)

GORDON B. HINCKLEY

Isaiah speaks further concerning that great conflict (see Isa. 14:12–20). Modern revelation gives additional light (see D&C 76:25–29), as does the book of Moses (see Moses 4:1–4), which tells of Satan’s plan to destroy the agency of man. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “War and Peace,” Ensign, May 2003, 78)

Quotes about One Plan, but Satan's Attempt to Alter it

RUSSELL M. NELSON

Contention existed before the earth was formed. When God’s plan for creation and mortal life on the earth was first announced, sons and daughters of God shouted for joy. The plan was dependent on man’s agency, his subsequent fall from the presence of God, and the merciful provision of a Savior to redeem mankind. Scriptures reveal that Lucifer sought vigorously to amend the plan by destroying the agency of man. Satan’s cunning motive was unmasked in his statement:

“Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.” (Moses 4:1.)

Satan’s selfish efforts to alter the plan of God resulted in great contention in heaven. The Prophet Joseph Smith explained:

“Jesus said there would be certain souls that would not be saved; and the devil said he could save them all, and laid his plans before the grand council, who gave their vote in favor of Jesus Christ. So the devil rose up in rebellion against God, and was cast down.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938, p. 357.)

This war in heaven was not a war of bloodshed. It was a war of conflicting ideas—the beginning of contention.

Scriptures repeatedly warn that the father of contention opposes the plan of our Heavenly Father. Satan’s method relies on the infectious canker of contention. Satan’s motive: to gain personal acclaim even over God Himself. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Canker of Contention,” Ensign, May 1989, 68)

JOSEPH B. WIRTHLIN

From the time of the premortal council, in which Jesus became the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of all mankind, through his millennial reign, he has and will persevere in perfection, doing all that his Father commanded. Because of his love for us, he offered to fulfill the plan of salvation with these words, “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2). How different from Satan’s response to the plan: “I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; … give me thine honor” (Moses 4:1). The conflict between the forces of good and the forces of evil persists in the world today—with Jesus persevering in striving to save souls, and Satan striving to destroy them. (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Never Give Up,” Ensign, Nov 1987, 8)

Gospel Principles: Our Father in Heaven

2010-01-09T08:49:00.003-06:00

Here are the notes and outline I've pulled together for the Elder's Quorum lesson I'm teaching on January 10.

“Chapter 1: Our Father in Heaven,” Gospel Principles, (2009), 4–7
Opening
A New Manual

Take a couple of minutes to discuss why we are studying Gospel Principles in 2010 and 2011.

Elder Nelson explains why we are using Gospel Principles; "Since we first began using Teachings, millions of people have joined the Church. Many of them have tender testimonies and, with relatively limited experience in the Church, will benefit greatly by a focus on the fundamentals of the gospel. In addition, all Church members will benefit by a return to the basics. A careful study of core doctrines as presented in the new and improved Gospel Principles manual will help members strengthen their understanding of the fundamental teachings of the gospel." Russell M. Nelson, “The New Gospel Principles Manual,” Ensign, Jan 2010, 28–31

You may also discuss some of the changes to the new Gospel Principles (design, text, teaching and learning suggestions).

Goal of the Lesson

The Elders should gain a desire to learn more about our Father in Heaven. The Elders should come to learn why they need to study the Nature of God; why they should seek to know God.

Joseph Smith said. “There are but a very few beings in the world who understand rightly the character of God. The great majority of mankind do not comprehend anything, either that which is past, or that which is to come, as it respects their relationship to God. They do not know, neither do they understand the nature of that relationship; and consequently they know but little above the brute beast, or more than to eat, drink and sleep. This is all man knows about God or His existence, unless it is given by the inspiration of the Almighty.

“If a man learns nothing more than to eat, drink and sleep, and does not comprehend any of the designs of God, the beast comprehends the same things. It eats, drinks, sleeps, and knows nothing more about God; yet it knows as much as we, unless we are able to comprehend by the inspiration of Almighty God. If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves. I want to go back to the beginning, and so lift your minds into more lofty spheres and a more exalted understanding than what the human mind generally aspires to.

“… The scriptures inform us that ‘This is life eternal that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.’ [John 17:3.]

“If any man does not know God, and inquires what kind of a being He is,—if he will search diligently his own heart—if the declaration of Jesus and the apostles be true, he will realize that he has not eternal life; for there can be eternal life on no other principle.

“My first object is to find out the character of the only wise and true God, and what kind of a being He is. …

“God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to make Himself visible,—I say, if you were to see Him today, you would see Him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another. …

“… Having a knowledge of God, we begin to know how to approach Him, and how to ask so as to receive an answer. When we understand the character of God, and know how to come to Him, He begins to unfold the heavens to us, and to tell us all about it. When we are ready to come to Him, He is ready to come to us." (“Chapter 2: God the Eternal Father,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007), 36–44)

Agenda

1. There is a God
2. The Nature of God
3. Coming to Know God

Body

There is a God

Two examples of men who came to know there is a God.
1) Moses (read Moses 1:1-11)
2) Korihor (read Alma 30:37-52)

These experiences are different, but what makes them the same?

Both had faith that God existed. Both were 'touched' by the hand of God. Afterwards, both knew without a doubt that God exists.

I have this theory and I preach it to my kids all the time. Whenever one of them decides to disobey me or their mother, they'll end up getting a lecture … a painful lecture. I always bring it to their attention that that in the end, they always had to do what we asked them to do anyway. But by being disobedient, the experience became unpleasant. And then I ask them, "is it easier to obey and get it done or is it easier to disobey and then be forced to do it anyway?" We're all going to know there is a God, but the manner in which we come to know Him can be either extremely rewarding or extremely unpleasant.

What about each of you individually … how do you know there is a God? What things testify to you that there is a God?

Side note/personal note: In Moses 1, we read how Moses perceived all of God's creations in this world. Perhaps this is how prayer works … how God can hear us out of the trillions of people praying to Him.

The Nature of God

What are some of God's attributes? (list these on the board)

Elder Hales said the following in his October 2009 talk, "From the New Testament we know that Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, have a physical presence. They stand in one place at one time, as the New Testament disciple Stephen testified: “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:56)

"We also know that the Father and the Son have voices. As recorded in Genesis and the book of Moses, Adam and Eve “heard the voice of the Lord God, as they were walking in the garden, in the cool of the day.” (Moses 4:14, Genesis 3:8)

"We know that the Father and the Son have faces, that They stand, and that They converse. The prophet Enoch declared, “I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another.” (Moses 7:4)

"We know that God and His Son have bodies, in form and parts like ours. From the book of Ether in the Book of Mormon, we read, “And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood.” (Ether 3:6) Later the Lord revealed Himself, saying, “Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and … I [will] appear unto my people in the flesh.” (Ether 3:16)

"We know that the Father and the Son have feelings for us. The book of Moses records, “And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept.” (Moses 7:28)

"And we know that God and His Son, Jesus Christ, are immortal, glorified, and perfected beings. Of the Savior Jesus Christ, the Prophet Joseph Smith recounts, “His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters.”" (D&C 110:3) (Robert D. Hales, “Seeking to Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 29–33)

Why is it important for us to understand the nature of God?

Joseph F. Smith taught that we are to strive to become like God. And to become like God requires keeping his commandments and learning of Him (His nature). "God originated and designed all things, and all are his children. We are born into the world as his offspring; endowed with the same attributes. The children of men have sprung from the Almighty, whether the world is willing to acknowledge it or not. He is the Father of our spirits. He is the originator of our earthly tabernacles. We live and move and have our being in God our heavenly Father. And having sprung from him with our talents, our ability, our wisdom, we should at least be willing to acknowledge his hand in all the prosperity that may attend us in life, and give to him the honor and glory of all we accomplish in the flesh. …

"… [Man] is made in the image of God himself, so that he can reason, reflect, pray, exercise faith; he can use his energies for the accomplishment of the desires of his heart, and inasmuch as he puts forth his efforts in the proper direction, then he is entitled to an increased portion of the Spirit of the Almighty to inspire him to increased intelligence, to increased prosperity and happiness in the world; but in proportion as he prostitutes his energies for evil, the inspiration of the Almighty is withdrawn from him, until he becomes so dark and so benighted, that so far as his knowledge of God is concerned, he is quite as ignorant as a dumb brute.

"… We must become like [God]; peradventure to sit upon thrones, to have dominion, power, and eternal increase. God designed this in the beginning. … This is the object of our existence in the world; and we can only attain to these things through obedience to certain principles, through walking in certain channels, through obtaining certain information, certain intelligence from God, without which no man can accomplish his work or fulfill the mission he has come upon the earth to fulfill. These principles are the principles of the gospel of eternal truth, the principles of faith, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, the principle of obedience to God the eternal Father; for obedience is one of the first principles or laws of heaven.

"Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God." (“Chapter 37: Sons and Daughters of the Eternal Father,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 331)

Coming to Know God

How can we come to know God?

From Gospel Principles:
1. Believe that He exists and that He loves us (Mosiah 4:9)
2. Study the scriptures (2 Timothy 3:14-17)
3. Pray to Him (James 1:5)
4. Obey all His commandments as best as we can (John 14:21-23)

Elder Hales said, "I testify that the way to know the truth about God is through the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead, is a personage of spirit. His work is to “testify of [God]” (John 15:26) and to “teach [us] all things.” (John 14:26).

"Brothers and sisters, you may already know, deep in your soul, that God lives. You may not know all about Him yet and do not understand all His ways, but the light of belief is within you, waiting to be awakened and intensified by the Spirit of God and the Light of Christ, which you are born with.

"So come. Believe the testimonies of the prophets. Learn of God and Christ. The pattern to do so is clearly taught by prophets of old and prophets today.

"Cultivate a diligent desire to know that God lives.

"This desire leads us to ponder on the things of heaven—to let the evidence of God all around us touch our hearts.

"With softened hearts we are prepared to heed the Savior’s call to “search the scriptures” (John 5:39) and to humbly learn from them.

"We are then ready to ask our Heavenly Father sincerely, in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, if the things we have learned are true. Most of us will not see God, as the prophets have, but the still, small promptings of the Spirit—the thoughts and feelings that the Holy Ghost brings into our minds and hearts—will give us an undeniable knowledge that He lives and that He loves us.

"Gaining this knowledge is ultimately the quest of all God’s children on the earth. If you cannot remember believing in God or if you have ceased to believe or if you believe but without real conviction, I invite you to seek a testimony of God now. Do not be afraid of ridicule. The strength and peace that come from knowing God and having the comforting companionship of His Spirit will make your efforts eternally worthwhile." (Robert D. Hales, “Seeking to Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 29–32)

Closing

I know our Heavenly Father is real. He hears and answers our sincere prayers. I don’t know how some people come to think or believe He does not exist. For me, the struggle is more of trying to remind myself and ingrain in my mind and heart that the whole goal of this life is to become more like Him – to become perfect. I think that as we live each day, if we would try to keep that perspective – that long, eternal perspective, we will begin to make more decisions that are aligned with our Father in Heaven’s will and by and by, we will begin to be more like Him.

Bear testimony.

Meeting Challenges

2009-12-20T16:45:00.002-06:00

In Elder's Quorum today, the teacher used a quote from Neal A. Maxwell about foreordination.

This is what Elder Maxwell said, "When in situations of stress we wonder if there is any more in us to give, we can be comforted to know that God, who knows our capacity perfectly, placed us here to succeed. No one was foreordained to fail or to be wicked. When we have been weighed and found wanting, let us remember that we were measured before and we were found equal to our tasks; and, therefore, let us continue, but with a more determined discipleship. When we feel overwhelmed, let us recall the assurance that God will not overprogram us; he will not press upon us more than we can bear (D&C 50:40).

The doctrine of foreordination, therefore, is not a doctrine of repose; it is a doctrine for the second-milers; it can draw out of us the last full measure of devotion. It is a doctrine of perspiration, not aspiration. Moreover, it discourages aspiring, lest we covet, like two early disciples, that which has already been given to another (Matthew 20:20–23). Foreordination is a doctrine for the deep believer and will only bring scorn from the skeptic."

The parts I underlined really got me thinking about how each of use face and respond to challenges. According to this doctrine, we know we've been foreordained to the callings that are being extended to us today. We were foreordained to these callings according to how we exercised our agency in the pre-existence. Armed with the knowledge of these two things, we know we accomplished much before this life and we know we can accomplish much in this life. Consequently, we know we can meet and beat any challenges given to us in this life. And knowing that, at least for me, gives me great comfort and motivation.

Source: "Meeting the Challenges of Today" by NEAL A. MAXWELL

Christmas and Minimalism

2009-12-07T07:32:00.005-06:00

I really enjoyed President Uchtdorf's Christmas Devotional talk last night. He talked of those who lived in the Savior's time and didn't even know He was the Messiah. Much like "those whose hearts were closed to the Spirit" could not see Jesus in His day, many of us today do not make the time let alone take the time to seek the Christ.

My favorite quote of the whole devotional and perhaps the most important lesson for me was, "Some are so caught up in the details of running their lives, that they don't make time for much else."

When it comes to our testimony of the Savior, all of us need to ask ourselves what we can take out of our lives to make room of Jesus. Is there an hour or even a half-hour TV program we could "delete" from our lives to give us the time to study the scriptures? Do we really need to spend an extra 45 minutes at work reading and answering email? Could we use that time to meditate and pray? Each of us has unique lives and situations and so everyone will not have the same temptations. But regardless of who we are, we can all ask the question, "are we taking and even making the time to learn of Jesus?"

What can you not do today in order to make time for prayer and scripture study?

Burdens and Strengths

2009-11-08T09:11:00.002-06:00

I've been thinking a lot about burdens and strengths lately. It is not a new principle and I'm sure many can testify to the truthfulness of it.

Here are a couple of scriptures to consider.

Mosiah 24:14-15
14 And I will also ease the aburdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their cafflictions.
15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

Ether 12:27
27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Personally speaking, I recall going back to school in 2004 to earn an MBA degree while working full time. The first semester was quite rough and I was even placed on academic probation after I pretty muched bombed an Economics final. I wondered if I had bitten off more than I could chew. But I prayed and worked hard. Soon my burdens were eased and I even started to do well in my classes. By the time I entered the final semester, I was even enjoying it and craving the new knowledge.

Also while going to school, we had our last two kids. Erick was born at the end of my first semester and Camille was born in my 2nd to last semester.

I grew considerably those two and a half years.

After MBA school, I felt I could pretty much handle any work assignment. Since school, I've been placed in more difficult assignments. A pattern has developed. I struggle, I endure and then I prosper.

My current work assignment has been no differnt. Only with this assignment, we had to move to Houston and adjust to a new city, a new and longer commute, a new school, a new ward, etc. It was very rough the first few months and especially during summer. The work has not gotten easier, but my ability to meet the challenges has increased significantly.

I guess if I were to sum up the lesson to be found in these two scriptures and my past experience, I'd say, "stick with it and things will get better."

Willing to Fight for Freedom

2009-09-10T12:45:00.004-05:00

While reading Carnage and Culture, I came across a passage that reminded me of Moroni's epistle to Pahoran.

Here is the passage from the book: "The [Roman] legions had crumbled not because of organizational weaknesses, technological backwardness, or even problems of command and discipline, but because of the dearth of free citizens who were willing to fight for their own freedom and the values of their civilization." (emphasis added, Hanson, 157)

Moroni's epistle: "And except ye grant mine epistle, and come out and show unto me a true spirit of freedom, and strive to strengthen and fortify our armies, and grant unto them food for their support, behold I will leave a part of my freemen to maintain this part of our land, and I will leave the strength and the blessings of God upon them, that none other power can operate against them—

"And this because of their exceeding faith, and their patience in their tribulations—

"And I will come unto you, and if there be any among you that has a desire for freedom, yea, if there be even a spark of freedom remaining, behold I will stir up insurrections among you, even until those who have desires to usurp power and authority shall become extinct." (emphasis added, Alma 60:25-27)

Lehi: Minimalist

2009-09-10T12:25:00.003-05:00

Continuing with the minimalist thread, while reading El Libro de Mormón today, I read this verse: "And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness." (2 Nephi 2:4).

Lehi only took what was truly important.

We were asked on more than one occasion in Seminary, what we would take with us if we had to leave our home. You find out quickly what is essential. The rest becomes a list of things you can start minimizing today.

The Word of Wisdom and Minimalism

2009-08-24T12:27:00.002-05:00

We studied the Word of Wisdom in Gospel Principals yesterday. As always, it was a very interesting discussion with all sorts of opinions offered. But it remained civil. I've been thinking a lot about it and I've read a lot about the Word of Wisdom in the scriptures, General Authority talks and other blogs and websites. I decided to start tracking all the articles I've read or found on the subject in an effort to capture the full spectrum of WoW discussions.

One of the lessons I came across today was from the Brigham Young manual. His quotes are always so much fun to read ... he was so un-PC! A few of the quotes from chapter 29 stood out to me because they were difinately minimalistic in nature.

Here is the direct link to the lesson: “Chapter 29: Living the Word of Wisdom,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 211. I added emphasis to point out minimalistic comments.

Instead of doing two days’ work in one day, wisdom would dictate to [the Saints], that if they desire long life and good health, they must, after sufficient exertion, allow the body to rest before it is entirely exhausted. When exhausted, some argue that they need stimulants in the shape of tea, coffee, spirituous liquors, tobacco, or some of those narcotic substances which are often taken to goad on the lagging powers to greater exertions. But instead of these kind of stimulants they should recruit by rest. Work less, wear less, eat less, and we shall be a great deal wiser, healthier, and wealthier people than by taking the course we now do. It is difficult to find anything more healthy to drink than good cold water, such as flows down to us from springs and snows of our mountains. This is the beverage we should drink. It should be our drink at all times. … It may be remarked that some men who use spirituous liquors and tobacco are healthy, but I argue that they would be much more healthy if they did not use it, and then they are entitled to the blessings promised to those who observe the advice given in the “Word of Wisdom” (DBY, 187).

The Americans, as a nation, are killing themselves with their vices and high living. As much as a man ought to eat in half an hour they swallow in three minutes, gulping down their food like the [dog] under the table, which, when a chunk of meat is thrown down to it, swallows it before you can say “twice.” If you want a reform, carry out the advice I have just given you. Dispense with your multitudinous dishes, and, depend upon it, you will do much towards preserving your families from sickness, disease and death (DBY, 189).

Do you know that it is your privilege so to live that your minds may all the time be perfectly within your control? Study to preserve your bodies in life and health, and you will be able to control your minds (DBY, 190).

Prepare to die is not the exhortation in this Church and Kingdom; but prepare to live is the word with us, and improve all we can in the life hereafter, wherein we may enjoy a more exalted condition of intelligence, wisdom, light, knowledge, power, glory, and exaltation. Then let us seek to extend the present life to the uttermost, by observing every law of health, and by properly balancing labor, study, rest, and recreation, and thus prepare for a better life. Let us teach these principles to our children, that, in the morning of their days, they may be taught to lay the foundation of health and strength and constitution and power of life in their bodies (DBY, 186).

Minimalism

2009-08-17T12:25:00.008-05:00

Last Friday, I came accross a particularly fantastic post at the exceptional blog Zen Habits. The post was about minimalism. Ever since, I've been thinking a lot about minimizing certain things in my life so that the most important can stand out and so I can focus on the most important things.

Today, while I was thinking about how I can minimize, this scripture came to mind:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. - Matthew 6:19-21

Spending more time with family and in serving others is important. Time spent on other things such as hobbies, watching TV and even exercising need to be minimized.

Time spent on shopping and maintaining things should also be minimized. It seems, at least in our home, we spend more time cleaning up, finding and fighting over toys than we actually spend playing with them.

Eating is another big time-consumer. Why can't we eat less? If we eat less, then we don't spend as much time shopping for food, preparing it, eating it, feeling guilty for eating it and then cleaning up after we eat it.

Also, our food storage would last a lot longer if we don't need as much to eat. Wouldn't we be better off humbling our appetites on our own accord rather than having to force ourselves to eat more humbly when emergencies came? (see Alma 32:13-15)

What are some other big time-consumers? What else can you or I minimize today?

Other posts and articles to read:
Establishing our Priorities
Simplify Heart and Home
“Questions and Answers,” Ensign, Dec 2005, 62–64
M. Russell Ballard, “O Be Wise,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 17–20
Dallin H. Oaks, “Good, Better, Best,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 104–8
L. Tom Perry, “Let Him Do It with Simplicity,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 7–10
Walden (wiki synopsis), on-line annotated version

Business and Toil

2009-08-06T11:31:00.001-05:00

I read this quote while visiting a news site today.

"Business or toil is merely utilitarian. It is necessary, but does not enrich or ennoble a human life." - Aristotle

Life is all about balance.

Come Thou Fount

2009-07-20T12:29:00.003-05:00

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

This hymn wonderfully describes how all of us seem to wander at times in our life, but our loving Savior will always seek us out and help us back to the fold. I love the words, “Wandering from the fold of God, he, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.” We will always be indebted to God, therefore we must always serve Him and love Him. As we serve Him and love Him, we almost shout out, “here’s my heart, o take and seal it! Seal it for Thy courts above!” I can’t help but cry whenever I listen to this hymn or read its words.

More information on this hymn at Wikipedia: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

History Lesson

2009-06-11T07:26:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I read Elder Ballard's talk “Learning the Lessons of the Past,” Ensign, May 2009, 31–34.

This morning I read on Mormanity a topic that deals with the same idea ... learning from the past.

What I find interesting is that the pattern Elder Ballard describes (righteousness followed by prosperity, followed by material comforts, followed by greed, followed by pride, followed by wickedness and a collapse of morality until the people brought calamities upon themselves sufficient to stir them up to humility, repentance, and change) happened not only to the Nephites but other great civilizations we read about in history books. It seems that the Book of Mormon not only is "another testament of Jesus Christ" but it can also be another testament of the pattern of living righteously and wickedly followed by consequences.

Right now I'm reading a book about the 30 year Pelloponnesian War and what is shocking is learning that the sons who fought in this war (Sparta and her allies vs. Athens and her allies) are the grandsons of those men who fought together to defeat the Persians. How could two "countries" unite to defeat a common enemy and then in turn fight each other a few decades later? I think the answer is the same time and time again ... pride, wickedness, moral collapse, etc.

Perspective

2009-06-08T12:32:00.004-05:00

We all need a little perspective in our lives from time to time. The next time you are having a rough day or if you are going through some adversity or trial, consider this statement from President Eyring:

"The very opportunity for us to face adversity and affliction is part of the evidence of Their [Heavenly Father and the Savior] infinite love. God gave us the gift of living in mortality so that we could be prepared to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life. Then our spirits will be changed. We will become able to want what God wants, to think as He thinks, and thus be prepared for the trust of an endless posterity to teach and to lead through tests to be raised up to qualify to live forever in eternal life." (Henry B. Eyring, “Adversity,” Ensign, May 2009, 23–27)

May 31, 2009 Talk: Temple Work

2009-05-31T16:01:00.004-05:00

Temple Work

Opening

I have given this topic a lot of thought the last few weeks. Although I've heard the countless stories of saints throughout the world selling all that they have in order to afford a trip to the temple and then traveling days on dirt roads to arrive at the temple, I've not adequately reflected on those dear saints' sacrifices to go to the temple. I sat in Sunday School two weeks ago listening to these same stories again and listening to the stories of the early saints sacrificing time and effort in order to build the temple and I wondered, "would I sacrifice as they did?" As I got to thinking about that, I realized, that except for the 2 years while on a mission, I have never lived more than 60 miles from a temple. In terms of modern-day transportation, I've always lived less than an hour away from the temple. And so, "how can I sacrifice to attend the temple" is a question I've been trying to answer. Perhaps I can persuade you to ask the same question and help you arrive at the right answer for you.

Some Hefty Statements About the Importance of the Temple

To begin to help you answer that same question, let me start off by reading some really hefty statements associated with temple work.

The first one is by Joseph Smith:

He said, "The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead. The Apostle says, "They without us cannot be made perfect;" (Hebrews 11:40) for it is necessary that the sealing power should be in our hands to seal our children and our dead for the fulness of the dispensation of times--a dispensation to meet the promises made by Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world for the salvation of man. Now, I will speak of them. I will meet Paul half way. I say to you, Paul, you cannot be perfect without us. It is necessary that those who are going before and those who come after us should have salvation in common with us; and thus hath God made it obligatory upon man. Hence, God said, "I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:5-6.)" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p. 356)

Whenever I read that quote from Joseph Smith, I want to instinctively counter that the greatest responsibility in this world is raising our family, but as I'll note a little bit later, temple work and raising a righteous family go hand in hand.

This next quote comes from Elder Scott in the April General Conference. Again, this one is a very weighty statement:

He said, "I encourage you to establish your own goal of how frequently you will avail yourself of the ordinances offered in our operating temples. What is there that is more important than attending and participating in the ordinances of the temple? What activity could have a greater impact and provide more joy and profound happiness for a couple than worshipping together in the temple?" (Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need)

Elder Bednar also spoke of temples in his most recent General Conference talk. He made a most profound invitation to everyone.

He said, "Within the sound of my voice are many young women, young men, and children. I plead with you to be worthy, to be steadfast, and to look forward with great anticipation to the day you will receive the ordinances and blessings of the temple.

Within the sound of my voice are individuals who should have but have not yet received the ordinances of the house of the Lord. Whatever the reason, however long the delay, I invite you to begin making the spiritual preparations so you can receive the blessings available only in the holy temple. Please cast away the things in your life that stand in the way. Please seek after the things that are of eternal consequence.

Within the sound of my voice are individuals who have received the ordinances of the temple and for various reasons have not returned to the house of the Lord in quite some time. Please repent, prepare, and do whatever needs to be done so you can again worship in the temple and more fully remember and honor your sacred covenants.

Within the sound of my voice are many individuals who hold current temple recommends and strive worthily to use them. I commend you for your faithfulness and devotion." (David A. Bednar, “Honorably Hold a Name and Standing,” Ensign, May 2009, 97–100)

President Hinckley once said, "I think that vicarious work for the dead more nearly approaches the vicarious sacrifice of the Savior Himself than any other work of which I know. It is given with love, without hope of compensation, or repayment or anything of the kind. What a glorious principle.” (“Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, Jan. 1998, 73.)

Another quote, this one from Elder Hales, is directed to the young men of the Church. Now, before I read the quote I want to say that I don't know what it is like being a young man today, but growing up, of all the things I was taught in church, the most important goal for a young man was serving a mission. It was almost as if serving a full-time mission was going to be the pinnacle achievement in my life. But listen to what Elder Hales says:

"Now is the time to prepare for your mission. Depending upon your individual circumstance, you may be able to serve a full-time proselyting mission. While this is important, remember that even more important is going to the temple on the way to your mission. (Robert D. Hales, “To the Aaronic Priesthood: Preparing for the Decade of Decision,” Ensign, May 2007, 48–51)"

And lastly, this one from President Boyd K. Packer.

“Say the word temple. Say it quietly and reverently. Say it over and over again. Temple. Temple. Temple. Add the word holy. Holy Temple. Say it as though it were capitalized, no matter where it appears in the sentence.

“Temple. One other word is equal in importance to a Latter-day Saint. Home. Put the words holy temple and home together, and you have described the house of the Lord!" (Source: Gary E. Stevenson, “Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples,” Ensign, May 2009, 101–3)

To me, this quote means that the temple and the home and the purpose of the temple and the purpose of the home are equally important. I assert that in this time of the history of the world, as parents, we cannot afford to not go to the temple if we expect to raise a righteous family.

Temple Work is Work

Now, going back to my thoughts two weeks ago about how many saints throughout the world sacrifice a year’s worth of income or more to go to the temple; I got to thinking about examples of sacrifice to go to the temple in my own family. Almost immediately, I thought of my parents. From 1957 to 1984, the closest temple to them was the Idaho Falls temple which was over 300 miles away or about 6 hours by car. My parents, who had seven children, were not able to go the temple as a couple very often. Instead, my Dad would receive Priesthood assignments to go to the temple. He’d get off work on a Friday afternoon, travel to Idaho Falls, arrive by 11pm, sleep in a hotel and then get up on Saturday and work in the temple all day long. Then he’d drive home in the evening. He would do this two or three times a year. When us kids got a little older, whenever we drove to Utah for vacation, we’d stop by the temple and while one of my parents watched us kids, the other would go do a session. This was how my parents attended the temple for almost 30 years.

For them, temple work was tough work! One of the things my dad told me the other day while talking on the phone with him, was that back then, they didn’t have cruise control. He said one of the toughest things he endured on those temple excursions was keeping his foot on the gas for six hours.

Another example of temple work was when my dad was serving in the young men’s presidency. On one temple trip, they were short a few Melchezidik Priesthood holders. Consequently, my dad did all the baptisms on that trip. He said that over the course of two hours, he performed four hundred baptisms for the dead. I understand that in our ward, we are trying to create a ward on the other side of the veil. It is amazing to think that in one temple trip, my dad almost baptized an entire ward.

Brothers and Sisters, temple work is indeed work. We cannot view temple work as something easy and light. Temple work requires all our body, heart and mind.

Body

Temple work requires our all our body in the sense that we have to be present. First of all, driving to the temple is no quick and easy task. At least for me, it takes longer to drive to the temple than it does to my weekday job. We also have to dress up to go to the temple or at least we should dress differently or especially for the temple. Once we arrive at the temple, we change clothes at least three times. When I go to work every day, I dress once. So, compared to my everyday work, temple work is a little less convenient.

I am reminded of story President Monson told of President Benson many years ago. He recalled, “As a … boy, coming in from the field and approaching the old farm home. … I could hear my mother singing, ‘Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?’ (Hymns, 1950, no. 58.) I can … see her in my mind’s eye bending over the ironing board … with beads of perspiration on her forehead.” She was ironing long strips of white cloth, with newspapers on the floor to keep them clean. “When I asked her what she was doing, she said, ‘These are temple robes, my son. Your father and I are going to the Logan Temple.’

“Then she put the old flatiron on the stove, drew a chair close to mine, and told me about temple work—how important it [was] to be able to go to the temple and participate in the sacred ordinances performed there. She also expressed her fervent hope that some day her children … grandchildren and great-grandchildren would have the opportunity to enjoy those priceless blessings.” He continued: “I am happy to say that her fondest hopes in large measure have been realized.” (Thomas S. Monson, “The Temple of the Lord,” Ensign, May 1993, 4)

What catches my attention in that story are the beads of sweat on President Benson's mother's brow when she was ironing her temple clothes. Unfortunately for me, sweating in the temple can be a common occurrence. I'm going to let you all in on a secret that only my wife really knows about. Although I can control it much better now, I used to quite frequently suffer anxiety attacks. For me, these attacks would come when I felt Closter phobic and trapped. And my body, which is basically like a cold bottle of milk sitting in the hot sun, sweats profusely when I experience these attacks. One time while performing sealings with Jill in the Provo temple, I began to experience an anxiety attack. The sweat began to peal off my brow and drip down to the tip of my nose. The temple clothing was not designed for people like me. In fact, while dressed in temple clothing, my body temperature goes up two or three degrees which makes me sweat even more. The only thing that makes me sweat even further is when someone brings it to the attention of everyone else, which is exactly what happened on this occasion. The temple patron paused, directed his attention at me which caused everyone else in the room to direct their attention at me and asked me if I was OK. He got up, reached for a box of tissues and handed them to me. Wiping sweat on my brow with Kleenex is like trying to clean up a liter of root bear with a few squares of toilet paper. After handing me the tissues, he then proceeded to tell everyone in the room about the time he saw a man faint at the altar. Finally after a five minute pause, he continued with the sealings. I think I lost about 2 pounds that day in the temple.

Heart and Soul

Temple work requires all our heart and soul. If we go back 15 years to 1994, we’ll remember that our prophet at the time was President Howard W. Hunter. He was president of the Church for only a few months. During that short time, he frequently emphasized the importance of the temple. In his well-known talk “The Great Symbol of Our Membership” he said, “The ability to stand by one’s principles, to live with integrity and faith according to one’s belief—that is what matters. That devotion to true principle—in our individual lives, in our homes and families, and in all places that we meet and influence other people—that devotion is what God is ultimately requesting of us. It requires commitment—whole-souled, deeply held, eternally cherished commitment to the principles we know to be true in the commandments God has given. If we will be true and faithful to the Lord’s principles, then we will always be temple worthy, and the Lord and His holy temples will be the great symbols of our discipleship with Him.” (Howard W. Hunter, “The Great Symbol of Our Membership,” Ensign, Oct 1994, 2)

From this quote, we learn that in order to be qualified for temple work; we have to be deeply committed to the Lord’s work. And if we are fully committed and give our heart and soul to the Lord, then we are worthy to enter the temple. Temple work truly requires all our heart and soul.

Mind

Temple work also requires all our mind. When we attend the temple, we should maintain a sharp focus on the purpose of our attendance which is to serve the dead on the other side of the veil. Many people have waited years for their ordinance work to be completed. The least we can do is to keep our focus on the names of the people we are serving.

I remember going to the temple those first few times and being helped through the veil. I did not recall all the words then. But I was determined to memorize those words. Soon, I was comfortable in attending the temple and did not feel any anxiety. As I watched others, I noticed that at certain times, they would pull out the slip of paper to remember the person’s name for whom they were officiating. This has always bothered me and I have always committed the person’s name and birth place and birth date to memory for the duration of my temple visit. I feel that if I can remember the person’s name and birthplace and birth date, that will help me focus my mind more on the service I am performing. I also keep a prayer in my heart throughout the entire session praying that the person will accept this ordinance.

One time while in the Dallas temple, my wife and I attended an evening session. While I was getting dressed, this brother walked up to me asked if I would do a family name for him. I agreed. We went through the session. During the session, the officiator just about overlooked me in one of the parts of the session. It was at this time that I felt urgently compelled to remind the officiator that he had overlooked me. It was kind of like being nudged when the sacrament tray is sitting in front of you and you didn't notice it because you were asleep. It was a unique feeling and I felt strongly that the man for whom I was going through the temple was present. His name was Napolean Paquette born on June 10, 1848 in Quebec, Canada. After that point of the session, I felt the Sprit grow stronger. I felt this wonderful gratitude coming from this brother Napolean. I felt as though he had been waiting for his endowment for many years and that today was the day he would receive it and that he was excited and very grateful. Towards the end of the session, I simply looked at his name on the card and I knew he was observing this ordinace. When the officiator demonstrated the procedure at the veil, I felt that Napolean was anxious. I had felt the Spirit strongly before in the temple, but never to the point of weeping uncontrollably. This time was different. To me, this experience was a testimony of the divine work being performed in the Temples.

** Side note … I struggled back and forth about whether to share this experience or not. I did lots of searching on lds.org to see of there are documented sources of people sharing experiences they had in the temple with regard to those who are on the other side of the veil. I found this "A fourth blessing of the temple is receiving the knowledge that we are a part of a great cause. This is an uplifting feeling—to know that we are a part of an inspired and very real plan headed by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. We are part of the preparation for his second coming.

"One of the great revelations of the temple to those who go often is the reality and nearness of the spirit world. While serving in the Provo Temple, I can say that we felt the presence of the spirits of this unseen kingdom. Often it feels as if one is standing in the midst of eternity with no veil separating this life from the next.

"How great is the unseen, but definitely felt, spirit world! It contains hundreds of times more people than our mortal world. Perhaps millions there have not heard a gospel presentation. President Joseph F. Smith saw in vision the hosts of the spirit world being taught the gospel by the priesthood. (See D&C 138:29–31.)" (Harold Glen Clark, “Four Blessings of the Temple,” Ensign, Oct 1983, 68)

While this was the only source I found explicitly discussing this aspect of the temple, there are many, many articles that discuss "the spirit of the temple." In a broader sense, I think this refers to those spirits who are on the other side of the veil and who accept the ordinances being performed for them in the temple.

Another instance is the time Wilford Woodruff was visited by the signers of the Declaration of Independence. This one is a bit different in that when they showed themselves to President Woodruff, their work was not being performed, rather they were requesting it be performed.

Closing

Again, brothers and sisters, temple work is work. But like anything worthwhile in this life, it requires a bit of extra commitment.

I know that as we work and worship in the temple with all our body, heart and mind, our lives and our children's and family's lives will be blessed and we will be happier than we are now.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

******************************************************************************
OTHER INFORMATION
******************************************************************************
The Psalmist yearned for the spiritual blessings of the Temple (Psalm 27):

4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. . . .

8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

The Temple was vital to the ancient Jews. It was also important to New Testament Christians, who gathered there daily after the Ascension of Christ (Acts 2:46), though they were not in charge of the edifice. Many suggest that the need for the Temple done away when Christ rose from the dead. However, the Bible prophesies that the Temple will continue to matter. When Christ returns in His glory, He will go to the Temple in Jerusalem (Malachi 3:1-3). Afterward, the Saints will serve God day and night in the Temple during the great Millennium (Revelation 7:15). Sounds like it will still matter and still have a role (although the Rev. 7 reference may refer to a temple in heaven, not a temple on earth).

I recently met a Christian from Mainland China who is pursuing a Ph.D. in theology and is doing his dissertation on the topic of temple purity. What a great topic to study. From Psalm 24:

3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
When I was a bishop doing temple recommend interviews, I usually forgot to ask the question about lifting up one's soul to an idol, but I hope it was implicit in the other questions I asked. It is a holy house, a place of purity, where serious preparation is required to come and participate.

Rabbi Abraham Heschel said that the Sabbath is like a temple in time. Jewish scholar Jon Levinson, whose writings about the ancient Temple have done much to strengthen my appreciation of the ancient roots of the LDS temple, built on the idea by saying that "The Temple is to space as the Sabbath is to time." (Sinai and Zion) Yes, this is so true. They are both interruptions in the profane world, a place where man can step into and experience the sacred, either sacred time or sacred space. The Temple is there to help man prepare for entering into the presence of Deity, the place where we seek the face of the Lord. Like the Psalmist, we should meditate upon and yearn for the great blessings of the Temple.

Source: http://mormanity.blogspot.com/2009/05/seeking-lord-old-fashioned-way-in-holy.html

* show how temple work supports/ties with the Stake and Ward Visions

STAKE VISION STATEMENT
- Individuals and families are converted to the Lord Jesus Christ and continue to overcome the world.
- Priesthood holders are worthy of the spirit, honor women and magnify their priesthood.
- We are worthy and anxious to be in the temple.
- We fulfill our responsibilities as member missionaries.
- We love one another and reach out to the less active and others in need.

ESSENTIALS OF THE VISION
- Apply the atonement of Christ by repenting daily.
- Align with the prophets.
- Study scriptures 30 minutes a day; personal and family prayer; family home evening.
- Be humble and submit to the will of the Lord.
- Keep the Sabbath day holy and partake of the sacrament worthily.
- Husbands and wives love one another, honor temple covenants, and attend frequently.
- Live the law of chastity with exactness and avoid pornography in all its forms.
- Invite non-members and less actives into our homes often.

WARD VISION STATEMENT
Objective: When the bridegroom comes, all will have lamps burning and vessels of oil. (Matthew 25:1-13)

IF...
* We have faith in Christ. (Hebrews 11:6)
* We repent of our sins.
--- Sins of commission-Forsake all ungodliness. (Moroni 10:32)
--- Sins of omission-Do works of righteousness. (James 4:17)
(Serve others, scripture study, personal and family prayer, family home evening, home/visiting teaching, missionary work, family history and temple work, Sabbath day observance, tithes and offerings, preparedness, etc.)
* We endure to the end in obedience. (2 Nephi 31:20)

THEN...
* Christ's grace is sufficient for us. (Moroni 10:32)
* By His grace we are perfected. (Moroni 10:32)
* We will have eternal life in the kingdom of God. (2 Nephi 31:20)

"Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the bridegroom--For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that I come quickly." (D&C 33:17-18)

Jill's Talk: Temple Worship

2009-05-31T15:56:00.003-05:00

Temple Worship

I believe that when we are given speaking assignments, the Lord knows what we need to learn. My talk is on Temple worship. I know that we have been asked to attend the temple more often. In fact, our stake in Dallas was asked to up our temple attendance by 25% this year as it is the Dallas Temple’s 25th birthday. I know all of these things, but truly, sometimes knowing is easier than doing! As a mother of 4 small children, it is hard to leave them and find 4 hours to be away and attend the temple. Also, I know we are blessed to have a temple nearby and I am grateful for that, however, I am terrified of driving on big freeways, whenever I arrive at the temple, my knuckles are white and I have a hard time breathing. This is reality for me, but I am trying to be obedient and also to truly worship in the temple. Let me share a few things I learned while preparing for this talk.

We need to make a goal to attend the temple

In Elder Scott’s most recent conference talk, he mentions that for some who have a temple nearby, it is easy to not visit it regularly. He suggests that we make a goal to attend as often as our circumstances will allow and to not let anything interfere with our plan. He shared that 14 years ago, he made a commitment to attend to the temple each week and that he has been true and faithful to that commitment. I find that if my husband and I will sit down at the beginning of the month and decide when we will be going to the temple that month and how often, that it really does happen. I end up calling the babysitter or arranging a swap with another couple and we really do go. If the calendar says it, it will happen. Also, a nice dinner with my husband after attending the temple makes going just a little bit more fun for me!

Elder Scott continued to say “I encourage you to establish your own goal of how frequently you will avail yourself of the ordinances offered in our operating temples. What is there that is more important than attending and participating in the ordinances of the temple? What activity could have a greater impact and provide more joy and profound happiness for a couple than worshipping together in the temple?”

Worship in the temple to Serve others

"We have great works to perform on this earth, and I suppose the whole program of the Church could be put in one of three categories: missionary work, temple work, and keeping Church members active and faithful. It is hard to overemphasize the value and importance of any one of these activities. Our great and growing missionary program among mortals is the most extensive it has ever been in this dispensation as we preach, teach, and baptize tens of thousands of our fellowmen. However, missionary work is not limited to proclaiming the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people now living on the earth. Missionary work is also continuing beyond the veil among the millions and even billions of the children of our Heavenly Father who have died either without hearing the gospel or without accepting it while they lived on the earth. Our great part in this aspect of missionary work is to perform on this earth the ordinances required for those who accept the gospel over there. The spirit world is full of spirits who are anxiously awaiting the performance of these earthly ordinances for them. I hope to see us dissolve the artificial boundary line we so often place between missionary work and temple and genealogical work, because it is the same great redemptive work!" (Spencer W. Kimball, “The Things of Eternity—Stand We in Jeopardy?,” Ensign, Jan 1977, 3)

One Sunday during Relief Society in our old ward, we were talking about missionary work and how sometimes it is hard to “open our mouths”. One sister shared that it is very difficult for her to share her beliefs and her testimony with others. However, she said that the way she does her missionary work is by going to the temple to serve her kindred dead and offer them the opportunity to be baptized and to accept these saving ordinances. I am not suggesting that we can get out of missionary work by simply serving in the temple, but I do think we need to remember that we are doing missionary work and serving others when we perform those saving ordinances vicariously for the dead.

The following are a few suggestions from Elder Scott that make temple work and I mean work, more meaningful.

• Remove your watch when you enter a house of the Lord.
• Listen carefully to the presentation of each element of the ordinance with an open mind and heart.
• Be mindful of the individual for whom you are performing the vicarious ordinance. At times pray that he or she will recognize the vital importance of the ordinances and be worthy or prepare to be worthy to benefit from them.
• Recognize that much of the majesty of the sealing ordinance cannot be understood and remembered with one live experience. Substantial subsequent vicarious work permits one to understand much more of what is communicated in the live ordinances.

Worship in the temple so you will be protected

In Elder Bednar’s last conference talk he shared a story that I will paraphrase now. While he was president at BYU Idaho, he and his wife often hosted at their home, visiting emeritus general authorities who had gone on to become temple presidents in various states and countries. He always asked these temple presidents the same question. . . “What have you learned as a temple president that you wish you had better understood when you were a General Authority?”

As I listened to their answers, I discovered a consistent theme that I would summarize as follows: “I have come to understand better the protection available through our temple covenants and what it means to make an acceptable offering of temple worship. There is a difference between church-attending, tithe-paying members who occasionally rush into the temple to go through a session and those members who faithfully and consistently worship in the temple.”

The similarity of their answers impressed me greatly. Each response to my question focused upon the protecting power of the ordinances and covenants available in the house of the Lord. Their answers precisely paralleled the promises contained in the dedicatory prayer offered upon the Kirtland Temple in 1836:

“We ask thee, Holy Father, to establish the people that shall worship, and honorably hold a name and standing in this thy house, to all generations and for eternity;

“That no weapon formed against them shall prosper; that he who diggeth a pit for them shall fall into the same himself;

“That no combination of wickedness shall have power to rise up and prevail over thy people upon whom thy name shall be put in this house;

“And if any people shall rise against this people, that thine anger be kindled against them;

“And if they shall smite this people thou wilt smite them; thou wilt fight for thy people as thou didst in the day of battle, that they may be delivered from the hands of all their enemies” (D&C 109:24–28).

Please consider these verses in light of the current raging of the adversary and what we have discussed about our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and the blessing of protection promised to those who honorably hold a name and standing in the holy temple. Significantly, these covenant blessings are to all generations and for all eternity. I invite you to study repeatedly and ponder prayerfully the implications of these scriptures in your life and for your family.
We should not be surprised by Satan’s efforts to thwart or discredit temple worship and work. The devil despises the purity in and the power of the Lord’s house. And the protection available to each of us in and through temple ordinances and covenants stands as a great obstacle to the evil designs of Lucifer.

I am thrilled that we have this protection available to us. As I mentioned before, I have four little ones and often times when I send my children out the door to school and other activities, I feel like I am throwing them out to the wolves. What a blessing to know that we have our temple covenants that protect and bind us together for eternity.

Worship in the Temple to Teach your Children of its importance

I am going to share a few personal experiences here about how we are trying to teach our children about the temple. Please know that we are trying, just like you and that we are by no means perfect at this or anything for that matter!

My favorite primary song has always been “I Love to See the Temple.” I have sung this as a bedtime song to each of my children since birth and I hope it will stick with them. Just this last Monday, for family home evening, we reminded our children of the blessings of the temple. We told them a little bit about what goes on inside the temple; that we go through for ourselves first, to make our own covenants with the Lord. Then, we go in and help others who have died to make these promises so that they can be saved as well.

We constantly remind our children that because dad and I were married in the temple, we have a promise that if we make the right choices, we will be together forever and that death is not the end. My greatest comfort lies in this fact and I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and Savior who makes this possible for all of us.

President Howard W. Hunter was only Prophet for a short time, but he left us with a wonderful testimony and plea to make the temple the center of our worship. He said this about teaching our children. . .

“Let us share with our children the spiritual feelings we have in the temple. And let us teach them more earnestly and more comfortably the things we can appropriately say about the purposes of the house of the Lord. Keep a picture of a temple in your home that your children may see it. Teach them about the purposes of the house of the Lord. Have them plan from their earliest years to go there and to remain worthy of that blessing. Let us prepare every missionary to go to the temple worthily and to make that experience an even greater highlight than receiving the mission call. Let us plan for and teach and plead with our children to marry in the house of the Lord. Let us reaffirm more vigorously than we ever have in the past that it does matter where you marry and by what authority you are pronounced man and wife.” Howard W. Hunter

My mother is a great example to me. For years she had attended the temple each Tuesday morning. This was her righteous tradition. I have always lived close to a temple, except for when I was on my mission in El Salvador. I could not attend the temple while in that foreign country, but, I remembered that my mother was at the temple each Tuesday and she always put my name in the temple and also the names of the investigators that I had written about. I loved Tuesdays, just knowing she was in the temple and praying for me was such strength and a blessing to me throughout my mission. I was blessed by her temple attendance.

One more experience I’ll share happened in January of 2000, our ward was split and a new one created. I was called to be YW president. This was a big calling and I knew I needed some direction. I prayed for several days and asked the Lord what he wanted me to teach these young women. One morning after reading the scriptures, I knelt in prayer and the answer came. It was a distinct impression that I needed to teach these young women to prepare for the temple. “get them to the temple” is the impression I got. Teach them to resist temptation and that they should always look to the temple for their greatest blessings. I am not sure if this will make sense to you, but I think we need to “talk the temple up”, just talk it up. If we are often talking about the temple and how much we love it, our children and loved ones will love it too and look forward to going there.

Brothers and Sister, I am so grateful for the temple. I am grateful to have been sealed in the temple to my sweetheart. Our temple sealing lasted a total of 17 minutes, but in those short sacred minutes, we made covenants that will bind us and our children together if we remain worthy. This is a gift from a loving Father which I am eternally grateful for and which keeps me and should keep all of us going back to worship at the temple again and again and again.

In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Spirit of Worship
The temple is a place of worship. Reverence is a supernal form of worship. It is the form of worship that is found in the celestial kingdom. In the vision of the degrees of glory given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, this celestial worship was described with these words:
“And thus we saw the glory of the celestial, … where God, even the Father, reigns upon his throne forever and ever;
“Before whose throne all things bow in humble reverence, and give him glory forever and ever” (D&C 76:92–93).
Our worship in the temple is in preparation to live in the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Son. We should worship Them in a spirit of humility and in a spirit of reverence.
True worship of the Lord in His holy house means that we should enhance our temple experience. We can obtain a rich spiritual experience in the temple by doing the following:
First, we must leave the world behind as we enter the temple.
Second, we must seek to gain added light and knowledge.
Leave the world behind. When we enter the temple, we should leave the world behind. We should feel what it would be like when we enter the presence of the Lord. We may consider what thoughts we would think and what communications we would have in His holy presence. If we can catch the vision of this eventual event, it will help us in preparing to enter His presence and in leaving the world behind as we enter His temple.
1. Thoughts
As we enter the temple grounds, we should leave our worldly thoughts behind and focus on the sacred responsibilities that are ours as we serve in the house of the Lord.
Our thoughts should be spiritual in nature. We must remember that the Lord is aware of our thoughts. He spoke to Ezekiel and said, “I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them” (Ezek. 11:5).
2. Communications
The Savior has given us great counsel concerning our communications in the temple. He said: “Therefore, cease from all your light speeches, from all laughter, … from all your pride and light-mindedness” (D&C 88:121).
Just as we leave our worldly thoughts behind as we enter the temple grounds, we should also leave our worldly discussions behind. It is inappropriate to discuss matters of business, pleasure, or current events in the temple.
It is important not only what we speak in the temple, but also the manner in which we speak. We must always speak in soft and subdued tones in all places in the temple. This should be our temple voice.
There should be silence in the sacred ordinance areas of the temple, except for the necessary communications concerning the performance of the ordinances. These ordinance areas are sacred and should not be used for any worldly conversations.
The Savior has given us loving counsel that will assist us in enhancing our temple experience by leaving the world behind: “And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10).
Perhaps the chastening words of the Savior to David Whitmer may be appropriate for us to remember:
“But your mind has been on the things of the earth more than on the things of me, your Maker, … and you have not given heed unto my Spirit. …
“Wherefore, you are left to inquire for yourself” (D&C 30:2–3).
Seek to gain added light and knowledge. Gaining added light and knowledge is not a passive process. It involves focusing on the things of the Spirit and seeking the spiritual lessons to be learned. The Savior counseled: “And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things” (D&C 88:67).
The Spirit of the Holy Ghost is the teacher in the temple. He teaches principles of eternal significance. It is during these instructions that we see the relationship between the earthly and the eternal. We must remember that the Spirit teaches only those who are teachable. If we enter the temple seeking added light and knowledge, we can learn and understand something new during the temple experience. The Savior promised: “That which is of God is light; and he that … continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:24).

As the sun rose one June morning, a couple started their day with a prayer of thanksgiving. This day they were witnessing the answer to 13 years of earnest prayer. Their 27-year-old son and his wife had worked with loving bishops to put their lives in order so they might be worthy to enter the temple. That morning they would be sealed for all eternity.
This grateful mother reflects: “The joy we felt was unspeakable. As we sat in the temple with our son and his sweet companion, my mind was taken back to the time when this boy was 14 and began making choices that drew him away from the guidance of the Spirit. The time came when we needed extra help from a loving Heavenly Father.
“Attending the temple had always been important to us, and we felt prompted to pray for our son in this holy place. Each time we attended the temple, we placed our son’s name on the prayer roll.
“We wanted our prayers to be answered today—or tomorrow at the latest. But years passed, and our son remained less active. We were not left without hope, however. We often felt the comforting influence of the Holy Ghost. One evening while my husband and I were praying in the temple, the Spirit let us know unmistakably that our son was being watched over and that he would eventually repent and return to Church activity. We were also taught that we must never give up and never stop loving him. Our faith was strengthened, and a great peace settled into our hearts.
“And then came that sacred day when our prayers were answered.”
Promised Blessings
Visiting teaching message
This couple’s experience was the joyous fulfillment of a prophetic statement by President Gordon B. Hinckley: “I make you a promise that if you will go to the house of the Lord, you will be blessed, life will be better for you. … Avail yourselves of the great opportunity to go to the Lord’s house and thereby partake of all of the marvelous blessings that are yours to be received there” (“Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, July 1997, 73).

Howard W. Hunter
Let us share with our children the spiritual feelings we have in the temple. And let us teach them more earnestly and more comfortably the things we can appropriately say about the purposes of the house of the Lord. Keep a picture of a temple in your home that your children may see it. Teach them about the purposes of the house of the Lord. Have them plan from their earliest years to go there and to remain worthy of that blessing. Let us prepare every missionary to go to the temple worthily and to make that experience an even greater highlight than receiving the mission call. Let us plan for and teach and plead with our children to marry in the house of the Lord. Let us reaffirm more vigorously than we ever have in the past that it does matter where you marry and by what authority you are pronounced man and wife.
All of our efforts in proclaiming the gospel, perfecting the Saints, and redeeming the dead lead to the holy temple. This is because the temple ordinances are absolutely crucial; we cannot return to God’s presence without them. I encourage everyone to worthily attend the temple or to work toward the day when you can enter that holy house to receive your ordinances and covenants. As the prophets have said, the temple is a place of beauty; it is a place of revelation; it is a place of peace. It is the house of the Lord. It is holy unto the Lord. It must be holy and important to us.
Let us truly be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people. We should hasten to the temple as frequently, yet prudently, as our personal circumstances allow. We should go not only for our kindred dead but also for the personal blessing of temple worship, for the sanctity and safety that are within those hallowed and consecrated walls. As we attend the temple, we learn more richly and deeply the purpose of life and the significance of the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us make the temple, with temple worship and temple covenants and temple marriage, our ultimate earthly goal and the supreme mortal experience
Elder Scott
Each member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is blessed to live in a time when the Lord has inspired His prophets to provide significantly increased accessibility to the holy temples. With careful planning and some sacrifice, the majority of the members of the Church can receive the ordinances of the temple for themselves and for their ancestors and be blessed by the covenants made therein.
Because I love you, I am going to speak to you heart to heart, without mincing words. I have seen that many times individuals have made great sacrifices to go to a distant temple. But when a temple is built close by, within a short time, many do not visit it regularly. I have a suggestion: When a temple is conveniently nearby, small things may interrupt your plans to go to the temple. Set specific goals, considering your circumstances, of when you can and will participate in temple ordinances. Then do not allow anything to interfere with that plan. This pattern will guarantee that those who live in the shadow of a temple will be as blessed as are those who plan far ahead and make a long trip to the temple.
Fourteen years ago I decided to attend the temple and complete an ordinance at least once a week. When I am traveling I make up the missed visits in order to achieve that objective. I have kept that resolve, and it has changed my life profoundly. I strive to participate in all the different ordinances available in the temple.
I encourage you to establish your own goal of how frequently you will avail yourself of the ordinances offered in our operating temples. What is there that is more important than attending and participating in the ordinances of the temple? What activity could have a greater impact and provide more joy and profound happiness for a couple than worshipping together in the temple?
Now I share some additional suggestions of how to gain more benefit from temple attendance.
• • Understand the doctrine related to temple ordinances, especially the significance of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.1
• • While participating in temple ordinances, consider your relationship to Jesus Christ and His relationship to our Heavenly Father. This simple act will lead to greater understanding of the supernal nature of the temple ordinances.
• • Always prayerfully express gratitude for the incomparable blessings that flow from temple ordinances. Live each day so as to give evidence to Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son of how very much those blessings mean to you.
• • Schedule regular visits to the temple.
• • Leave sufficient time to be unhurried within the temple walls.
• • Rotate activities so that you can participate in all of the ordinances of the temple.
• • Remove your watch when you enter a house of the Lord.
• • Listen carefully to the presentation of each element of the ordinance with an open mind and heart.
• • Be mindful of the individual for whom you are performing the vicarious ordinance. At times pray that he or she will recognize the vital importance of the ordinances and be worthy or prepare to be worthy to benefit from them.
• • Recognize that much of the majesty of the sealing ordinance cannot be understood and remembered with one live experience. Substantial subsequent vicarious work permits one to understand much more of what is communicated in the live ordinances.
• • Realize that a sealing ordinance is not enduring until after it is sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. Both individuals must be worthy and want the sealing to be eternal.
If as a couple you have not yet been sealed in the temple, consider this scripture:
“In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
“And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
“And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.
“He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase” (D&C 131:1–4).
Sometimes when I hear a choir during a temple dedicatory service, I experience a feeling so sublime that it elevates my heart and mind. I close my eyes, and more than once, in my mind, I have seen an inverted cone of individuals beginning at the temple and rising upward. I have felt that they represent many spirits waiting for the vicarious work to be done for them in that sanctuary, rejoicing because finally there is a place that can free them from the chains that hold them back in their eternal progress. In order to achieve this end, you will need to do the vicarious work. You will need to identify your ancestors. The new FamilySearch™ program makes the effort easier than before. It is necessary to identify those ancestors, qualify them, and come to the house of the Lord to perform the ordinances they are longing to receive. What a joy it is to be able to participate in the work of a temple!
I would like to relate the experience of an ancestor of my wife, Jeanene. Her name is Sarah DeArmon Pea Rich. Her commentary shows the impact that the temple can have in our lives. When she was 31 years old, she received a calling from Brigham Young to work in the Nauvoo Temple, where all the ordinances possible were performed before the Saints had to abandon that temple. This is what she wrote:
“Many were the blessings we had received in the house of the Lord, which has caused us joy and comfort in the midst of all our sorrows and enabled us to have faith in God, knowing He would guide us and sustain us in the unknown journey that lay before us. For if it had not been for the faith and knowledge that was bestowed upon us in that temple by the influence and help of the Spirit of the Lord, our journey would have been like one taking a leap in the dark. To start out on such a journey in the winter as it were and in our state of poverty, it would seem like walking into the jaws of death. But we had faith in our Heavenly Father, and we put our trust in Him feeling that we were His chosen people and had embraced His gospel, and instead of sorrow, we felt to rejoice that the day of our deliverance had come.”2
Now I would like to speak of the special meaning the temple has for me. Part of this message is going to be sensitive, so I will appreciate your prayers as I give it so that I do not become too emotional.
Fourteen years ago the Lord took my wife beyond the veil. I love her with all my heart, but I have never complained because I know it was His will. I have never asked why but rather what is it that He wants me to learn from this experience. I believe that is a good way to face the unpleasant things in our lives, not complaining but thanking the Lord for the trust He places in us when He gives us the opportunity to overcome difficulties.
We had the blessing of having children. A daughter, the first child, continues to be an enormous blessing in our lives. A couple of years later a son we named Richard was born. A few years later a daughter was born. She died after living only a few minutes.
Our son, Richard, was born with a heart defect. We were told that unless that could be cured, there was little probability that he would live more than two or three years. This was so long ago that techniques now used to repair such defects were unknown. We had the blessing of having a place where doctors agreed to attempt to perform the needed surgery. The surgery had to be done while his little heart was beating.
The surgery was performed just six weeks after the birth and death of our baby daughter. When the operation finished, the principal surgeon came in and said it was a success. And we thought, “How wonderful! Our son will have a strong body, be able to run and walk and grow!” We expressed deep gratitude to the Lord. Then about 10 minutes later, the same doctor came in with an ashen face and told us, “Your son has died.” Apparently the shock of the operation was more than his little body could endure.
Later, during the night, I embraced my wife and said to her, “We do not need to worry, because our children were born in the covenant. We have the assurance that we will have them with us in the future. Now we have a reason to live extremely well. We have a son and a daughter who have qualified to go to the celestial kingdom because they died before the age of eight.” That knowledge has given us great comfort. We rejoice in the knowledge that all seven of our children are sealed to us for time and all eternity.
That trial has not been a problem for either of us because, when we live righteously and have received the ordinances of the temple, everything else is in the hands of the Lord. We can do the best we can, but the final outcome is up to Him. We should never complain, when we are living worthily, about what happens in our lives.
Fourteen years ago the Lord decided it was not necessary for my wife to live any longer on the earth, and He took her to the other side of the veil. I confess that there are times when it is difficult not to be able to turn and talk to her, but I do not complain. The Lord has allowed me, at important moments in my life, to feel her influence through the veil.
What I am trying to teach is that when we keep the temple covenants we have made and when we live righteously in order to maintain the blessings promised by those ordinances, then come what may, we have no reason to worry or to feel despondent.
I know that I will have the privilege of being with that beautiful wife, whom I love with all my heart, and with those children who are with her on the other side of the veil because of the ordinances that are performed in the temple. What a blessing to have once again on the earth the sealing authority, not only for this mortal life but for the eternities. I am grateful that the Lord has restored His gospel in its fulness, including the ordinances that are required for us to be happy in the world and to live everlastingly happy lives in the hereafter.
This is the work of the Lord. Jesus Christ lives. This is His Church. I am a witness of Him and of His Atonement, which is the foundation that makes effective and lasting every ordinance performed in the temples. I so testify with every capacity I possess, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Bednar
My message today focuses upon the blessings of the temple, and I pray the Holy Ghost will illuminate our minds, penetrate our hearts, and bear witness of truth to each of us.
The Divine Purpose of Gathering
The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that in all ages the divine purpose of gathering the people of God is to build temples so His children can receive the highest ordinances and thereby gain eternal life (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society course of study, 2007], 415–17). This essential relationship between the principle of gathering and the building of temples is highlighted in the Book of Mormon:
“Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted” (Alma 26:5).
The sheaves in this analogy represent newly baptized members of the Church. The garners are the holy temples. Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained: “Clearly, when we baptize, our eyes should gaze beyond the baptismal font to the holy temple. The great garner into which the sheaves should be gathered is the holy temple” (in John L. Hart, “Make Calling Focus of Your Mission,” Church News, Sept. 17, 1994, 4). This instruction clarifies and emphasizes the importance of sacred temple ordinances and covenants—that the sheaves may not be wasted.
“Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them” (Alma 26:6).
Elder Dallin H. Oaks has explained that in renewing our baptismal covenants by partaking of the emblems of the sacrament, “we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. [Rather], we witness that we are willing to do so. (See D&C 20:77.) The fact that we only witness to our willingness suggests that something else must happen before we actually take that sacred name upon us in the [ultimate and] most important sense” (“Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 1985, 81). The baptismal covenant clearly contemplates a future event or events and looks forward to the temple.
In modern revelations the Lord refers to temples as houses “built unto my name” (D&C 105:33; see also D&C 109:2–5; 124:39). In the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple, the Prophet Joseph Smith petitioned the Father “that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them” (D&C 109:22). He also asked for a blessing “over thy people upon whom thy name shall be put in this house” (v. 26). And as the Lord appeared in and accepted the Kirtland Temple as His house, He declared, “For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house” (D&C 110:7).
These scriptures help us understand that the process of taking upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ that is commenced in the waters of baptism is continued and enlarged in the house of the Lord. As we stand in the waters of baptism, we look to the temple. As we partake of the sacrament, we look to the temple. We pledge to always remember the Savior and to keep His commandments as preparation to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple and receive the highest blessings available through the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, in the ordinances of the holy temple we more completely and fully take upon us the name of Jesus Christ.
“And this greater [or Melchizedek] priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.
“Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
“And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh” (D&C 84:19–21).
No Combination of Wickedness Shall Prevail over Thy People
We live in a great day of temple building around the world. And the adversary surely is mindful of the increasing number of temples that now dot the earth. As always, the building and dedicating of these sacred structures are accompanied by opposition from enemies of the Church as well as by ill-advised criticism from some within the Church.
Such antagonism is not new. In 1861, while the Salt Lake Temple was under construction, Brigham Young encouraged the Saints: “If you wish this Temple built, go to work and do all you can. … Some say, ‘I do not like to do it, for we never began to build a Temple without the bells of hell beginning to ring.’ I want to hear them ring again. All the tribes of hell will be on the move, … but what do you think it will amount to? You have all the time seen what it has amounted to” (Deseret News, Apr. 10, 1861, 41).
We as faithful Saints have been strengthened by adversity and are the recipients of the Lord’s tender mercies. We have moved forward under the promise of the Lord: “I will not suffer that [mine enemies] shall destroy my work; yea, I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil” (D&C 10:43).
For many years Sister Bednar and I hosted faithful men and women as devotional speakers at Brigham Young University–Idaho. Many of these speakers were emeritus or released members of the Seventy who had served as temple presidents following their service as General Authorities. As we talked with these stalwart leaders, I always asked this question: “What have you learned as a temple president that you wish you had better understood when you were a General Authority?”
As I listened to their answers, I discovered a consistent theme that I would summarize as follows: “I have come to understand better the protection available through our temple covenants and what it means to make an acceptable offering of temple worship. There is a difference between church-attending, tithe-paying members who occasionally rush into the temple to go through a session and those members who faithfully and consistently worship in the temple.”
The similarity of their answers impressed me greatly. Each response to my question focused upon the protecting power of the ordinances and covenants available in the house of the Lord. Their answers precisely paralleled the promises contained in the dedicatory prayer offered upon the Kirtland Temple in 1836:
“We ask thee, Holy Father, to establish the people that shall worship, and honorably hold a name and standing in this thy house, to all generations and for eternity;
“That no weapon formed against them shall prosper; that he who diggeth a pit for them shall fall into the same himself;
“That no combination of wickedness shall have power to rise up and prevail over thy people upon whom thy name shall be put in this house;
“And if any people shall rise against this people, that thine anger be kindled against them;
“And if they shall smite this people thou wilt smite them; thou wilt fight for thy people as thou didst in the day of battle, that they may be delivered from the hands of all their enemies” (D&C 109:24–28).
Please consider these verses in light of the current raging of the adversary and what we have discussed about our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and the blessing of protection promised to those who honorably hold a name and standing in the holy temple. Significantly, these covenant blessings are to all generations and for all eternity. I invite you to study repeatedly and ponder prayerfully the implications of these scriptures in your life and for your family.
We should not be surprised by Satan’s efforts to thwart or discredit temple worship and work. The devil despises the purity in and the power of the Lord’s house. And the protection available to each of us in and through temple ordinances and covenants stands as a great obstacle to the evil designs of Lucifer.
The Fire of the Covenant
The exodus from Nauvoo in September of 1846 caused unimaginable hardship for the faithful Latter-day Saints. Many sought shelter in camps along the Mississippi River. When word reached Brigham Young at Winter Quarters about the condition of these refugees, he immediately sent a letter across the river to Council Point encouraging the brethren to help—reminding them of the covenant made in the Nauvoo Temple. He counseled: “Now is the time for labor. Let the fire of the covenant which you made in the House of the Lord, burn in your hearts, like flame unquenchable” (in Journal History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sept. 28, 1846, 5). Within days, wagons were rolling eastward to rescue the struggling Saints.
What was it that gave those early Saints such strength? It was the fire of the temple covenant that burned in their hearts. It was their commitment to worship and honorably hold a name and standing in the house of the Lord.
We do now and will yet face great challenges to the work of the Lord. But like the pioneers who found the place which God for them prepared, so we will fresh courage take, knowing our God will never us forsake (see “Come, Come, Ye Saints,” Hymns, no. 30). Today temples dot the earth as sacred places of ordinances and covenants, of edification, and of refuge from the storm.
Invitations and Commendation
The Lord declared, “I must gather together my people, … that the wheat may be secured in the garners to possess eternal life, and be crowned with celestial glory” (D&C 101:65).
Within the sound of my voice are many young women, young men, and children. I plead with you to be worthy, to be steadfast, and to look forward with great anticipation to the day you will receive the ordinances and blessings of the temple.
Within the sound of my voice are individuals who should have but have not yet received the ordinances of the house of the Lord. Whatever the reason, however long the delay, I invite you to begin making the spiritual preparations so you can receive the blessings available only in the holy temple. Please cast away the things in your life that stand in the way. Please seek after the things that are of eternal consequence.
Within the sound of my voice are individuals who have received the ordinances of the temple and for various reasons have not returned to the house of the Lord in quite some time. Please repent, prepare, and do whatever needs to be done so you can again worship in the temple and more fully remember and honor your sacred covenants.
Within the sound of my voice are many individuals who hold current temple recommends and strive worthily to use them. I commend you for your faithfulness and devotion.
I bear solemn witness that the fire of the covenant will burn in the heart of every faithful member of this Church who shall worship and honorably hold a name and standing in the Lord’s holy house. Jesus the Christ is our Redeemer and Savior. He lives, and He directs the affairs of His Church through revelation to His anointed servants. Of these things I bear witness in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Most Important Duty and Responsibility

2009-05-20T12:16:00.004-05:00

Consider these two quotes from the Prophet Joseph Smith:

#1 - "I frequently rebuke and admonish my brethren, and that because I love them, not because I wish to incur their displeasure, or mar their happiness. Such a course of conduct is not calculated to gain the good will of all, but rather the ill will of many; therefore, the situation in which I stand is an important one; so, you see, brethren, the higher the authority, the greater the difficulty of the station; but these rebukes and admonitions become necessary, from the perverseness of the brethren, for their temporal as well as spiritual welfare. They actually constitute a part of the duties of my station and calling. Others have other duties to perform, that are important, and far more enviable, and may be just as good, like the feet and hands, in their relation to the human body--neither can claim priority, or say to the other, I have no need of you. After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Two, p. 112)

#2 - "The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead. The Apostle says, "They without us cannot be made perfect;" (Hebrews 11:40) for it is necessary that the sealing power should be in our hands to seal our children and our dead for the fulness of the dispensation of times--a dispensation to meet the promises made by Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world for the salvation of man. Now, I will speak of them. I will meet Paul half way. I say to you, Paul, you cannot be perfect without us. It is necessary that those who are going before and those who come after us should have salvation in common with us; and thus hath God made it obligatory upon man. Hence, God said, "I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:5-6.)" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Six 1843-44, p.356)

What is the link between these two most important efforts?

1 John 3:18-22

2009-04-26T10:03:00.001-05:00

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

1 John 3:18-22

I’m not sure about anyone else, but as for me, I know there have been times in my life when I’ve wanted to ask a blessing from Heavenly Father or I wanted to seek his counsel in prayer, but I did not because I felt that I wouldn’t receive it because I wasn’t worthy. When I found this scripture and read it, I learned something very important. I learned that if I wanted to be able to call upon the powers of heaven, then I must always strive to keep the commandments. I know that this sounds so simple, but for some reason, this scripture has always helped me to remember that. I know now that when I go to God to seek his blessings, I can ask in confidence because I keep his commandments.

see also D&C 121:45

Lead Kindly Light (Hymn 97)

2009-03-15T23:05:00.004-05:00

Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I
Have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Meantime, along the narrow rugged path, Thyself hast trod,
Lead, Savior, lead me home in childlike faith, home to my God.
To rest forever after earthly strife
In the calm light of everlasting life

- Lead Kindly Light (text only)
- Lead Kindly Light (text and music)
- Wikipedia entry about John Henry Newman

This is my favorite hymn. Many times when I am going through very difficult times or when I’ve wanted to find comfort, I’ve sung this hymn to myself. One time in particular that I recall singing this to myself was when I was in Guatemala and was working with Elder Gomez. We worked in the cornfields all day long in the rain while serving some branch members. It was cold and dreary. After working, we tried to catch a bus back to our house, but we missed the last bus. So we hiked in the dark, while it was still raining, back to a member’s house. Their house was more of a hut. They let us warm up by their fire and then we slept on their floor with the little mice scurrying around our heads! I just kept singing the song in my head and thought about how I would soon be back to our “home.”

Isaiah 53

2009-03-05T13:29:00.006-06:00

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her hearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

- Isaiah 53 (see also Mosiah 14)

I’ve tried to read this scripture on a regular basis, especially during the administration of the sacrament. Recently I memorized it. Whenever I read it, inevitably tears well up in my eyes as I think about what Jesus did for me. He did not sin and thus did not deserve to be treated the way he was treated. He did it for me and you and everyone else so that we would not have to suffer as he did. And when I think of him having to suffer because of my sins, I have this strong desire to be better so that in a way, I might alleviate some of his suffering. But I know that no matter how hard I try to be better, I cannot change the fact that he suffered for me. Simply put, this scripture motivates me to live a more righteous life.

Moroni 10:32-33

2009-03-03T16:16:00.002-06:00

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

- Moroni 10:32-33

This was my MTC companion’s favorite scripture and so I heard him refer to this scripture a lot. As I have read it over and over again since leaving the MTC, I find that it gives me a very powerful spiritual focus in my life. How can I ever expect to be perfect? I am so imperfect with all my weaknesses and shortcomings. But we learn from Moroni that if we simply approach Christ by doing those things he talks about in the scripture, then we will receive forgiveness and we will be without spot! And if we are without spot, then we will return to our Father in heaven again and always have joy.

D&C 88:83

2009-02-26T22:59:00.002-06:00

He that seeketh me early shall find me, and shall not be forsaken.

- D&C 88:83

When I was still in high school, my mom suggested to me that I read this scripture. I read the scripture and found strength. To me, this scripture means that the sooner we seek out the Lord by keeping his commandments and drawing closer to him, the stronger the bond between us and Him becomes. Then, if there ever is a time in our life that we drift away a little, the Lord will be quick to help us get back on the path.

Proverbs 3:5-6

2009-02-25T19:26:00.002-06:00

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all they ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

- Proverbs 3:5-6

There have been (and continue to be) many times in my life when I didn’t understand why I was having a certain trial or why something happened to my loved ones or me. At those times, the only thing that consoled me was knowing that a Father in heaven was in charge of the grand scheme of things and that in the end, things would work out for the best. God knows all things – past, present and future and I know if I put my trust in him, I will return to heaven again.

Twenty Scriptures of Strength and Direction

2009-02-25T19:23:00.002-06:00

A few years ago, I put together a compilation of scriptures and thoughts that have given me strength and direction. These scriptures always seem to find a way back into my life.

I'll share these scriptures and some of my thoughts about them over the next several posts.

Unraveling

2009-01-07T06:00:00.003-06:00

The word unravel frightens yet awes me. The first thing I think of visually when I hear the word unravel is that of a ball of string quickly shrinking from string falling off of it. Or I think of the tread on a tank breaking and falling off. Words like crumbling, disintegrating, and breaking apart come to mind when I hear that word.

To couple the word unravel to the word society takes that fright to a whole new level. An unraveled society in my mind is no society. I think of a world similar to what the author describes in a book I recently read entitled The Road.

On Sunday, I read the First Presidency article written by President Eyring entitled "Let Us Raise Our Voice of Warning" I came across three words that shocked me: society is unraveling. Ever since I read that article, I've been haunted by those words. I've not been able to get them out of my mind.

One of my most fondest hopes is that Jill and I will be able to raise our children in a decent world and that we would be able to live to see them serve missions, marry in the temple and raise families of thier own. If society is unraveling today, I wonder what it will be like 15 years from now when they are raising their own children.

Out of curiosity, I searched the Ensign for the words "society is unraveling" and was again shocked to see the number of hits it returned. I was hoping to see it only return President Eyring's talk. Perhaps there is an internal memo at LDS HQ requesting that the words unravel and soceity be used more or, more likely, the brethren are getting the same warnings from above.

"The moral fabric of society seems to be unraveling at an alarming speed." (Thomas S. Monson, “Looking Back and Moving Forward,” Ensign, May 2008, 87–90)

"the progressive unraveling of the moral fabric." (Alexander B. Morrison, “A Caring Community: Goodness in Action,” Ensign, Feb 1999, 13)

"We’ve all got to take a step up in a world that is unraveling as fast as this one is." (Dieter F. Uchtdorf and M. Russell Ballard, “Tending the Flock: Teaching Leadership Skills to Youth,” Ensign, Jun 2008, 16–21)

"all of us have to know that family life is unraveling across the world." (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, Aug 1996, 60–61)

"They asked for assistance in helping their children find their way in a world that seems to be unraveling." (Joe J. Christensen, “Rearing Children in a Polluted Environment,” Ensign, Nov 1993, 11)

"Alternatives to the legal and loving marriage between a man and a woman are helping to unravel the fabric of human society" (James E. Faust, “‘Will I Be Happy?’,” Ensign, May 1987, 80)

Will society every get ravelled back up? I hope so. But who will do it? Who will take the lead in showing the world that it can be a better place to live? The answer lies in each of us ... especially the good and just of the world and especially the members of the Church.

As President Eyring reminds us, "Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor." (D&C 88:81)

Sons of God, Saviors of Men

2008-12-24T19:36:00.004-06:00

A gentleman left some comments on my Book of Mormon Inspection blog for Mosiah 5 & 6. I wanted to take more room to respond to his comments, so I thought I'd post it here.

His last comment said,

I have a friend who claims that Mormons are not Christian because we don't
believe in the true Christ. This stems from his belief in the Nature of God and the nature of man. I believe we are divine beings, literal spirit children of Heavenly Father. He claims that while we are Gods "creations," we are not children of God until after we accept Christ as our savior. Then we are saved, and we become his sons. He uses this scripture in John (John 1:12) as a reference for this. I see how you differentiate between children of God and sons of God. Is there any scholarly evidence to back up this interpretation, or is this one of the times that personal revelation is required to understand the scripture?

I did some searching to back up the notion that we can become sons of Gods ... like The Son of God; a different distinction from children of God.

Here is another scripture that sheds more light on this concept: D&C 103:9-10 "For they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the saviors of men; And inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men."

Saviors of men ... was not Christ the Savior of men? And here in the D&C we find that to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth means to be saviors of men.

Here's another quote from a general authority of the Church. “In our preexistent state … we made a certain agreement with the Almighty. … We agreed … to be not only saviors for ourselves but measurably, saviors for the whole human family. We went into a partnership with the Lord. The working out of the plan became then not merely the Father’s work, and the Savior’s work, but also our work” (John A. Widtsoe, Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Oct. 1934, p. 189). (see Carlos E. Asay, “Salt of the Earth: Savor of Men and Saviors of Men,” Ensign, May 1980, 42)

Another quote from Joseph Smith, "If the Saints are not to reign, for what purpose are they crowned? In an exhortation of the Lord to a certain Church in Asia, which was built up in the days of the Apostles, unto whom He communicated His word on that occasion by His servant John, He says, "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." And again, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His Throne" (see Rev. 3). And again, it is written, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure" (1 John 3:2, 3). How is it that these old Apostles should say so much on the subject of the coming of Christ? He certainly had once come; but Paul says, To all who love His appearing, shall be given the crown: and John says, When He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. Can we mistake such language as this? Do we not offer violence to our own good judgment when we deny the second coming of the Messiah? When has He partaken of the fruit of the vine new with His ancient Apostles in His Father's kingdom, as He promised He would just before he was crucified? In Paul's epistle to the Philippians (3:20, 21) he says: "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself." We find another promise to individuals living in the church at Sardis who had not defiled their garments: "And they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels." (see this site for an on-line version of Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith)

Like I said, we are all literally children of God. But to be reborn ... to become a true disciple of Christ means that we must do as Christ did. Search out all of Neal A. Maxwell's talks on discipleship and read those over and over again. You'll begin to get the notion of what it means to become a son of God like The Son of God. It takes the teaching of "I'm trying to be like Jesus" to a whole new level. And when you read Moroni 7:26 & 48 as well as 1 John 3:1-2 they take on a higher meaning.

I believe anyone who sincerely follows the path of discipleship can receive the second comforter and when he or she see Christ, he or she shall be like Him. I believe it can happen in this life or the next or at Judgement day. We each of different timelines according to the Lord, but I believe it can happen.

I hope I explained this notion better.

On Facial Hair

2008-12-16T20:12:00.002-06:00

So during the Thanksgiving holiday, the topic of facial hair was brought up. Since I wear a beard ... goatee ... or whatever it is called, I have a hot opinion on the subject. Somewhere in my lifetime, I heard a quote from a general authority that essentially said if Jesus were to come to earth today, he would be clean shaven and would wear a business suit. To which my reply to that is "shave Jesus." Let's shave him in all our paintings or at least let's paint him clean shaven and in a business suit ... white shirt, tie and all and let that painting replace our Dell Parson (?) painting.

Here are some prevous discussions on this subject that have gone around the Mormon blogosphere the last few years:

http://ldsartsandculture.blogspot.com/2008/07/jesus-shaves-in-latest-ensign.html

http://www.motleyvision.org/2007/beauty-and-the-beard/

http://smallsimple.wordpress.com/2006/11/01/mormon-leaders-and-beards/

"Come to Zion"

2008-12-02T22:49:00.003-06:00

Sometimes talks seem generic to me. It seems that I've read this topic a thousand times and now I have to hear it again. When I get in that mindset, I tend to glaze over the content instead of trying to get something from it. Elder Christofferson's talk is one of those for me. But I paused while I read the talk and tried to ask myself what he was trying to say ... to rephrase what he said. I think I got something out of it.

In descibing how we can "establish Zion in our homes, branches, wards, and stakes" he offered three things we must do. We must be unified, become holy, and care for the poor.

Unity

After reading and thinking about what he said regarding unity, it seems to me that we have to attain a higher conciousness in our social relationships to establish and keep that unity. First of all, we must overcome our contentions with others ... in our marriages, families and church groups. I think a lot of times we have to swallow our pride and seek the guidance of the Spirit to understand the will of the Lord. We ought to follow the guidance of our bishops and leaders and be willing to accept their decisions. Sometimes we have to get things "out in the open" and talk through problems that cause contention. Through a spirit of love and understanding we can work through problems and "overcome jarrings, contentions, envyings, and strifes" (D&C 101:6)

But unity does not stop there. Even tougher is "getting on the same page" and staying there. This requires tremendous effort and persistent work ... especially in marriage. We have to not only do our part of the work, but we must understand our spouse's part and be willing to help him or her. Again, this requires truly understanding one another's needs and making an effort to fulfill those needs. His example of the Modovan saints illustrates this point.

Holiness

His comments on holiness seem to speak at the individual level. Each of us is responsible for saying our own prayers, reading our own scriptures and purifying ourselves. This can only be done by the individual. I think a large part of this is giving one's will to the Lord. As we become holy individually, we become a holy people.

Caring for the Poor

As we have just celebrated Thanksgiving, I am reminded of the true story of Thanksgiving. William Bradford and the pilgrims made a compact that they would all work together on the land and then share in their fruits. But some were lazy and did not produce as much. Some took more than they produced. Those who did produce begrudged those who did not work. The system failed. Bradford started from scratch and divided the land among the survivors. They were to each own their lot of land and be responsible for that lot. Whatever they grew, they could keep. They could also sell their excess in a market. This new system worked and the pilgrims had abundance ... indeed they had so much, they shared with the native Indians.

“For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.

“Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment” (D&C 104:17–18; see also D&C 56:16–17).

The Church has a good system today. Everyone pays ten percent of their income and we all contribute fast offerings. The Chuch is able to do much because individual members are willing to provide for themselves and are still able to have abundance with which they can impart to the Church.

Additonal reading:
D. Todd Christofferson, “Come to Zion,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 37–40

"The Ministry of Angels"

2008-11-02T10:53:00.006-06:00

It seemed to me that this General Conference had a lot of references to angels. Elder Holland's entire talk was about angels.

Elder Holland's talks are powerful and emotional. Reading them is good and well, but to listen to him deliver it really carries the Spirit into one's heart.

This talk has become more meaningful to me since I broke my finger last week. As I've grown older, I've noticed and acknowledged that I am easily prone to bouts of depression. I feel isolated and alone. So when Elder Holland mentioned Lehi describing himself in "a dark and dreary waste" I somewhat understood how he might have felt. Elder Holland goes on to say "In the course of life all of us spend time in 'dark and dreary' places, wildernesses, circumstances of sorrow or fear or discouragement." After breaking my finger, the air from my sails and drive to move forward have faded and I feel that loneliness. Such distress over such a small digit.

But I testify that over these last few days and in anticipation of my surgery, angels have ministered to me too. After a troublesome, sleepless night followed by an early alarm clock to remind me to get up to go to work, I arrived at the office and later checked my email to find an angelic note from my wife. On another day, I stopped to chat with our security guard. He is an older man and is always kind enough to chat with me. After talking with him, I felt less focused on my pinkie. At home there are four little angels (five if you consider dogs to be angels) who have showed sympathy and love and who have given kisses and hugs. Those have done more to heal than anything the doctor has done or will do. As chance would have it, my mother-in-law is visiting us for the week. She has been so cheerful and upbeat after I've come home from a 12-hour shift. Her positive attitude and cheerfulness has helped me be less grumbly.

I am such a selfish lug. All that has happened this last week and listening to Elder Holland's talk, has made me realize that there are many others suffering far worse than I. What am I doing to be an angel to them?

Additional reading:
"The Ministry of Angels" Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
"Coming Home" Clyn D. Barrus, “Coming Home,” Friend, Apr 1995, 2

"Come What May and Love It"

2008-10-25T18:58:00.003-05:00

I love Elder Wirthlin's talks. He doesn't deliver them spectacularly, but when you read them, they are marvelous. This talk was no exception.

Laugh

When our kids get upset about something, we try to take the edge off the situation by making it light. Sometimes it backfires, but a lot of times it seems to work. Sometimes a lot of memories are made by turning a bitter moment into a happy memory.

Eternal Perspective

If we keep things in an eternal perspective, we see trials and adversities in proper perspective.

Princial of Compensation

Elder Wirthlin said, "The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss." My seminary teacher Keith Rasmussen had a favorite saying in dealing with how we are sometimes treated by others because of our religious beliefs. He said, "we will pay in this life and they will pay in the next." I always wondered about that doctrine, but Elder Wirthlin seems to make it legitimate.

Trust in God and His Son

He typed a little note to his daughter that said, "put your trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to Him." One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

As the title reminds us, we can face any adveristy and overcome it. Our attitudes are what make the difference between leading a bitter life or a life of happiness.

Read the entire talk: Come What May, and Love It

Hope

2008-10-22T12:19:00.003-05:00

There were a couple of parts I particularly liked about Elder Uchtdorf's talk on hope.

He said, "The adversary uses despair to bind hearts and minds in suffocating darkness. Despair drains from us all that is vibrant and joyful and leaves behind the empty remnants of what life was meant to be. Despair kills ambition, advances sickness, pollutes the soul, and deadens the heart. Despair can seem like a staircase that leads only and forever downward.

"Hope, on the other hand, is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in a world of relativism, confusion, and of fear."

It is always easier to despair than to hope. What takes real courage is to hope in the face of despair.

Another thing he said that I liked was, "The things we hope in sustain us during our daily walk. They uphold us through trials, temptations, and sorrow. Everyone has experienced discouragement and difficulty. Indeed, there are times when the darkness may seem unbearable. It is in these times that the divine principles of the restored gospel we hope in can uphold us and carry us until, once again, we walk in the light."

On a related note, there is this thought in chess that is taught by a chess instructor named Dan Heisman. He calls it the theory of infinite resistance. Basically, it means that even if you are losing in a game, you do your best until you are mated. Can we do apply this to our lives? When things are dark and gloomy, we can still hope for the best and do our best. If we are overcome, then we know we did our best to survive. If we overcome the trial, then we will be that much stronger.

The Book of Mormon

2008-10-13T07:47:00.003-05:00

In his talk, Elder Aidukaitis shared how his father joined the Church after he came to know the Book of Mormon was true.

He also cited a couple of quotes that I had not heard before. The first is in Preach My Gospel. It says, "the Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, is [the] most powerful resource in conversion." ([2004], 104)

I love the Book of Mormon. I love it because the Holy Ghost has testified the truthfulness of it to me. As I've said on my Book of Mormon Inspection blog, even if all the "evidence" in the world came out against the Book of Mormon, I'd still love the book and live the teachings found within. Reading it has changed my life and the life of many others.

The other quote was from President Hinckley. “Those who have read [the Book of Mormon] prayerfully, be they rich or poor, learned or unlearned, have grown under its power. . . .

“. . . Without reservation I promise you that if you will prayerfully read the Book of Mormon, regardless of how many times you previously have read it, there will come into your hearts . . . the Spirit of the Lord. There will come a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to his commandments, and there will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God” (“The Power of the Book of Mormon,” Ensign, June 1988, 6)

Will you read the Book of Mormon today?

Additional Reading:
Book of Mormon Inspection
Because My Father Read the Book of Mormon by Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis

"Settle this in your hearts"

2008-10-10T13:55:00.000-05:00

Elder Neil L. Anderson said, "Brothers and sisters, we each have moments of spiritual power, moments of inspiration and revelation. We must sink them deep into the chambers of our souls. As we do, we prepare our spiritual home storage for moments of personal difficulty. Jesus said, “Settle this in your hearts, that ye will do the things which I shall teach, and command you.” (see footnote Luke 14:27b) (You Know Enough by Elder Neil L. Andersen)

In those times of "spiritual power, moments of inspiration and revelation" our testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ increases. We come to know of the reality of a Living God who hears and answers and prayers. We come to know that Jesus Christ indeed lives and will come to the earth again. We come to know that the prophets speak with God and know God's will for us.

I can't see how we have those moments if we are not studying and pondering the scriptures and the teachings of the living prophets. Each of us must make the time to quietly and reverently sit and read and study and ponder ... so that we can "settle these things in our hearts"

In these perilious times, the saving forces will be the testimony of individual members and the Priesthood.

Are we shoring up our testimonies?

Additional reading:
Luke 21:14
Larry W. Gibbons, “Wherefore, Settle This in Your Hearts,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 102–4
James E. Faust, “The Forces That Will Save Us,” Ensign, Jan 2007, 4–9

The Simple Life

2008-10-09T18:29:00.000-05:00

I've always tried to advocate the simple life. Some might see me as lazy or shy or too laid back, but what my aim has always been is to lead a simple life.

Being the youngest in my family, I got to see my parents in a different light than my brothers and sisters. They live a simple life.

During the cold falls and winters of the Idaho Oregon area, my dad would always concern himself with having enough wood to burn in his fireplace. He loved to start a fire and enjoy the warmth it produced.

I also remember him sitting in the rocking chair by the window either at night or the late afternoon reading his scriptures.

The TV never blared in our home. Nor did the radio. We did not own a Nintendo or any game consoles. It was a reverent home. You could hear the clock ticking if you listened ... and it wasn't hard.

I've read Walden. The biggest impression I got when I read that book was the quietness of life. I think what Thoreau felt living on Walden Pond was very similar to what I felt in my home growing up.

Today, with four little ones, church callings, work, school functions, homework, church functions, limitless entertainment in the form of TV, game systems, cell phones, the Internet and music, the quietness of life can get lost. And with it the simplicity. We lose focus. We get distracted. Our minds grow numb. We don't feel at peace.

And so, using Elder Perry's talk for a guideline, we can (and should) ask ourselves these questions ...

What are we doing to simplify our life? Are we eating as we should? Do we get enough exercise? Do we keep our appearance clean and modest? Are we getting and staying out of debt? Do we manage our finances well? Do we feed our spirits? Do we pray earnestly and search the scriptures and living oracles? Do we take time to sit and reflect in quiet moments?

What are you going to do about it now?

Further reading: Let Him Do It with Simplicity by Elder L. Tom Perry

Oct 2008 General Conference Notes: Sun PM Session

2008-10-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

*Personal commentary, thoughts and inspirations are underlined

Elder Boyd K. Packer

The saints celebrated the nation's freedom despite the persecution they faced by that same government. The saints knew the Lord told them that we believe in being subject to kings ... etc.

Rather than consumed with revenge, the Saints were anchored in revelation.

The leaders of the Church are prepared through the decades to lead the Church.

"Today the sun never sets on congregations of Latter-day Saints."

Elder Russell M. Nelson

Men and women are that they might have joy. That joy comes when we choose the right.

Patterns of the shopper

Some shoppers study ... the best, quality. Some are bargain shoppers ... and find that what they buy don't last. Then there are those who steal what they want.

Marriage is of God. It is sacred.

Salvation is an individual matter. Exaltation is a family matter. The earth was created and this Church was formed so that families can be created, formed and sealed. Marriage is a divine commandment.

"All covenants, contracts, obligations ... that are not made ... are of no efficacy ... when men are dead" These truths are absolute.

No blessings with held from His faithful saints (to those who go unmarried).

Minimize personal demands, maximize loving unselfishness.

As with the pattern of the shopper, we can choose what type of marriage we will have. The best choice is the celestial marriage. If a lesser choice is taken, you can still "upgrade"

Brother William D. Oswald

He shared story of his grand-daughters learning to jump rope. Once they learned the fundamentals they were able to successfully jump.

We all have the responsibility to learn the basic principals of teachings. This can be done by watching other teachers and learning from the World Wide Broadcast on teaching (Feb 2007?)

We can learn from Jesus ... the master teacher.

1) Show love to those you teach and call them by name.
2) Teach from the scriptures.
3) Encourage the pondering of Gospel truths.

Elder Cabaret(?) and Elder (?)

Elder Quentin L. Cook

I had to take a call and take care of some business during the last three talks. I'll have to go back and watch these talks later.

President Thomas S. Monson

Heavenly Father is aware of the challenges we face in the world today.

May we be good citizens in the nations in which we live.

May we be men and women of honesty and integrity.

Contributions to the Church help us respond to disasters throughout the world.

May we be mindful of the needs of those around us and be willing to lend a helping hand.

Continuous revelation is the lifeblood of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Faustus: "There is a more searing anguish than fire - eternal exile from God"

Oct 2008 General Conference Notes: Sun AM Session

2008-10-05T10:58:00.000-05:00

*Personal commentary, thoughts and inspirations are underlined

President Henry B. Eyring

Message of unity. The Lord's prophets have always called for unity. The challenge to maintain it will grow difficult. We are doing well as a people.

Our hearts will be knit together in unity (see Mosiah 18:21)

We should pray and ask for the blessing of unity. God's desire is to grant us this blessing. We must seek it and qualify for it.

We can receive guidance and encouragement from the story of Alma the Elder and those who followed him. "One eye, one faith, one baptism ... hearts knit together" (Mosiah 18:21)

When testimony of Christ is born, the Spirit testifies the truth of it and our hearts become knit together.

We need to be humble to be united. Pride is the enemy of unity.

Ask help from God to help others see common ground ... to be a peacemaker.

We need to speak well of each other. Sometimes we must judge others. Most of the time we have a choice. If you can't say anything good about a person, don't say anything at all. We can choose to "step away" from sowing seeds of dissension.

The saints can accomplish anything when our hearts are unified.

The unity we now experience will increase.

Elder Robert D. Hales

Why would someone want to attack us when we have taken upon us the name of Christ? We may feel inclined, when our faith is attacked, to "put up our dukes" and attack back. But we should prayerfully respond. Study the way Christ responded to various attacks on him.

To love our enemies ... that takes faith and strength and Christian courage.

True disciples of Christ see opportunities in opposition. Example: Abinadi & Alma.

As true disciples, seek guidance from the spirit ... seek to give customize counsel when we respond. We must never become contentious, but by the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22) Quiet confidence, not boastful pride. We should be guileless.

In some instances, we are better off just walking away and avoiding the situation all together. Some people bait us to leave the high ground. Do not leave it ... it is the safe ground ... where the truth and light is. Lehonti was coaxed to come down from the mount and was poisoned by degrees (see Alma 47) Some want us to enter a theological scrum. "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down" (Nehemiah 6:3). Muster Christian courage and move on.

To those who would argue, we must love them no matter what.

Bishop Keith B. McMullin

We are all children of our Heavenly Father. We are to love our "neighbor." Everyone is our neighbor.

By fasting and donating a fast offering, we serve our neighbors. It is heaven's help in a practical way.

We are commanded to pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ. Heavely Father answers all sincere prayers. Priesthood blessings are another form of prayer. The story of Janice who was run over by a bus. She was given a blessing to fully recover and lead a normal life. She is now a grandmother and has not suffered single effect from that accident.

We must be careful in the use of Christ's name.

Sister Elaine S. Dalton

A call to virtue. A pattern of thought and behavior based on high standards. Accumulation of 1000s of daily actions. Quiet dignity and inner strength.

Lehonti was well positioned on the mount. But after 4 tries, Lehonti came down and was poisoned by degrees.

We must return to virtue ... return to strict to training. The will to win is the will to prepare.

I was inspired this morning while driving to work to dig up my old "Putnam Papers" I wrote and put together while on my mission. I was truly inspired to remember those words I wrote to myself 11 years ago. I am reviewing them now and will continue to review them. This is my return to virtue.

"When He shall appear, we shall be like him" (Moroni 7:48)

Elder M. Russell Ballard

Joseph Smith was aware that that Saints would be driven to the Rocky Mountains where they would become a great people. The Church has grown from small numbers to the great organization it is today.

There really isn't a whole lot to note about Elder Ballad's talk. He did a review of the growth of the history of the Church. It is amazing to listen how far the Church has come. In 22 years, we'll see the 200th anniversary of the Church. Can you imagine what will happen between today and 2030? What marvelous times we live in.

The works and the designs and purposes of God cannot be frustrated.

The Lord isn't asking us to load up a handcart ... but to shore up our faith. Not to walk across a nation, but to cross the street. Not a martyr's death, but a disciple's life.

We must carry on the rich tradition of those who have established this church. Our testimonies must run deep.

President Thomas S. Monson

Nothing is as constant as change. We must always deal with change.

This life is short. The longer we live, the more we realize how brief this life is. We also learn what is most important. Find joy in the journey now.

"If you pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find that you've collected a lot of empty yesterdays."

Do all that you can in providing pleasant memories for the future. Do not let stresses get in the way of what is most important. What is most important is those who are around us. We won't regret hugs, and wishes of love. But we will regret missed opportunities of hugs and wishes of love.

One day, each of us will run out of tomorrows.

He spoke of Borghild Dahl who faced vision problems early in life. But she endured and had a desire to learn and participate. She lead a wonderful life, received an education and eventually had her vision restored. She expressed these words after receiving her sight: "Dear father in heaven. I thank thee. I thank thee"

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God" The story of the 10 lepers.

Christ taught us how to live.

I've always loved listening to President Monson and his tender stories. I simply forget to take notes when listening to him. His talks are flashy, but make you quietly ponder the teachings of the Savior. He weaves the teachings of the Savior so beautifully into his talks. What a wonderful talk!

Oct 2008 General Conference Notes: Priesthood Session

2008-10-04T23:58:00.000-05:00

*Personal commentary, thoughts and inspirations are underlined

One other note ... for the other sessions I was able to listen and type my notes. During the Priesthood session, I had to hand write my notes and I'm just not as fast writing as I am typing, so my notes are a little less copious.

Elder Richard G. Scott

We should feel deeply humble to hold the Priesthood, especially when we consider how few men have held the Priesthood through the ages.

Jesus Christ is the perfect role model. He humbly served others without thought to himself.

Private Priesthood Interview

Are you holy & worthy to hold the Priesthood?
How often do you use it?
Are you private thoughts whole? Do you eleveate your mind?
Do you control what enters your eyes and mind?
Are you mentally and physically faithful to your wife?
Are you kind and supportive to your wife and family?
Do you lead your family in FHE, prayer?
Do you tell your wife that you love her?

How Priesthood Should be Used to Bless Others

We should have an equal partnership with wife.

Widows in need.

Some women are short-changed. A son or Priesthood holder carries more weight than a woman. This should not be! No unrighteous dominion (D&C 121:37, 39).

The most splendid, extreme creation is the woman. Of all creations, none is more beautiful. He quoted President Hinckley "Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth. God will hold us accountable if we neglect His daughters. He has given us a great and compelling trust. May we be faithful to that trust." (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Our Responsibility to Our Young Women,” Ensign, Sep 1988, 8)

Is it no wonder, then, that one of Satan's most powerful tools is that of degrading women in the media available to virtually anyone today ... especially p****ography.

Express your gratitude often to your mother, wife ... be tender and appreciative.

The Priesthood is to be used not kept. Have I ever freely offered to give a blessing to anyone? We always seem to wait until called upon to give blessings. Can we not be angels too?

He quoted President Hunter. "As special witnesses of our Savior, we have been given the awesome assignment to administer the affairs of his church and kingdom and to minister to his daughters and his sons wherever they are on the face of the earth. By reason of our call to testify, govern, and minister, it is required of us that despite age, infirmity, exhaustion, and feelings of inadequacy, we do the work he has given us to do, to the last breath of our lives." (Howard W. Hunter, “To the Women of the Church,” Ensign, Nov 1992, 95)

Elder Jay E. Jensen

Arms of safety is the Savior's love (see Alma 34:16)

A girl fell from a lookout point above the Grand Canyon. A 19-year old boy named Ian, who had been trained in emergency recues, immediately knew what to do. The girl was able to climb up a little bit, but was now stuck again. Ian climbed down to where she was and held her in his arms until the rescue teams could help them.

He reference the section heading of D&C 110 "Visions manifested to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery in the temple at Kirtland, Ohio, April 3, 1836. HC 2: 435–436. The occasion was that of a Sabbath day meeting. The Prophet prefaces his record of the manifestations with these words: “In the afternoon, I assisted the other Presidents in distributing the Lord’s Supper to the Church, receiving it from the Twelve, whose privilege it was to officiate at the sacred desk this day. After having performed this service to my brethren, I retired to the pulpit, the veils being dropped, and bowed myself, with Oliver Cowdery, in solemn and silent prayer. After rising from prayer, the following vision was opened to both of us.”

There is too much informality and casual dress in those who administer the sacrament.

True servants of Jesus Christ are properly dressed.

Elder James J. Hamula

The war in heaven was instigated by Satan. This war continues on the earth today. Blood and horror fill the earth. We are in the final day. This time, the restoration of the Church will triumph.

Some of the most valient and noble are on the earth today. Young men are the valient and noble. Satan knows his time is short and is using all tools to prevent the noble from keeping the commandments of God.

Today and days to come are perilous.

We should not fear, but be sober. We should exercise good judgement and have measured conduct.

There is one way to overcome Satan. It is through the blood of the Lamb ... faith in Jesus Christ ... testimony of the Gosepl and consecration of self to the work (see D&C 88)

Three things to do:
1) Do as Joseph Smith and pray privately and regularly ... this will inspire revelation.
2) Learn to hear the voice of the Lord ... you must be still in your mind.
3) Obey the word of the Lord as it is given to you.

"stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" (see Exodus 14:13, 2 Chronicles 20:17, D&C 123:17)

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Some members had the task of moving a grand piano from the chapel to the cultural hall. They tried all sorts of methods, but could not do it. Then one brother suggested, "stand close together and lift where you stand" Roll up your sleeves and get to work.

Some struggle ... two ways.
1) Some seek to lead and seek a crown of power.
2) Some seek to hide and seek a cave ... they are too busy.

Some turn down callings, while some accept and do not magnify them.

The root cause of these problems is the same for both --> selfishness

The opposite of selfishness is charity.

The Lord is pleased with the humble servant. One such servant was John Roe Moyle. He was a stone mason. He walked six hours from his house to work on the Salt Lake Temple. One day on his farm, a cow kicked him in the leg. The leg had to be amputated. He survived and healed. When he was well enough, he began carving a wooden leg. Eventually he built up his endurance to walk the 22 miles to the temple despite the pain it caused him.

Do you care more for the kingdom of God or for yourself?

In the story, the piano is the Lord's work, therefore, no one does it alone. We all do it together.

President Henry B. Eyring

Each of us is asked to stretch our limit. The more faithful service you give, the more the Lord asks of you.

You push muscles to the point of exhaustion in order to build them up.

You can't do this work by yourself. "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up" (D&C 84:88)

Confidence replaces doubt.

"The promise of angels to bear you up is real."

"And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

"And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." (2 Kings 6:16-17)

More references to angels ... this conference is talking a lot about angels. Are more and more coming in these Latter Days?

President Thomas S. Monson

He received a call from the MTC president regaring an elder who was determined to go home because he could not learn Spanish. President Monson suggested to the MTC president that he send the elder to a Japanese class and then have him report back at noon. After the elder attended the Japanese class, he reported that he could learn Spanish!

We must feed those who go through rough times. We must be prudent in our spending.

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

"And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

3 Imperatives for our Considertion

1) Learn what we should learn.

Paul taught, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

"Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you." (Philippians 3:13-15)

Paul taught the Hebrews, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

The Priesthood is the power of God delegated to man. It is the perfect plan of service.

He who neglects it shall not be counted worthy to stand. Use it or lose it.

2) Do what we should do

D&C 107:99-100... let every man learn his duty. Put forth your best effort. There are eternal consequences to our actions. John Taylor quote ... you will be held responsible for those you could have saved.

3) Be what we should be

"be thou an example of the believes, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." (2 Timothy 4:12)

Man must seek that power which is higher than him.

"What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am" (3 Nephi 27:27)

The hireling fleeth. The shepard does not, but lays down his life for the sheep.

Bro. Borrup (sp?) was part of a bomber crew over the Pacific in WWII. He knew he would be called to be a part of a sorty and he knew they would be shot down. Sure enough, they were shot down. He tried to inflate his raft, but it wouldn't inflate. He was drowning. He passed out. He woke up, pled to God and the raft inflated. They floated for 3 days with no food or water. They saw a submarine go by one day. The next day they saw it again. They knew it was going to leave the area. Then a thought came to his head ... use the Priesthood to command the submarine to stop. He spoke the words and it stopped. The captain was in awe. They weren't even looking for the downed crew.

So my notes weren't necessarily less copius. I guess I was able to write a lot. I filled in the gaps too as I remember things.

Oct 2008 General Conference Notes: Sat PM Session

2008-10-04T15:02:00.000-05:00

*Personal commentary, thoughts and inspirations are underlined.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Everyone has experience joy and happiness as well as trials and sorrow. "Come what may and love it." How we react to adversity in large part contributes to our happiness or sadness.

Laugh - "Learn to laugh." He shared experiences with family travels about how they got lost. They did not get angry, but laughed. The blind date and babysitter mix-up story ... very funny!

Seek for the eternal - You may feel singled out and ask "why me?" Everyone must experience sorrow. Examples: Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Joseph, Emma. These times help us have increased compassion and understanding for others. "Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment." (D&C 121:7)

Understand the principal of compensation - That which is taken away will eventually be returned a hundred fold. His autistic grandson has been a challenge, but he also has been a great joy. In playing baseball, he'd watch the baseball roll by, but then pull another out of his pocket and throw it to the pitcher!

Put our trust in our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ - He wants us to be happy and successful. He will comfort and uphold us. "The simple secret is this: put your trust in the Lord, do your best and he will do the rest."

Adversity can be a blessing in our lives. "Come what may and love it."

Elder Jeffery R. Holland

Perhaps the most difficult thing for Adam and Eve was not having to face the physical trials, but not being able to live in the presence of God. In times of special needs, God sent angels.

From the beginning, God has sent angels to us.

Just like Lehi, we will all spend time in darkness and gloom. Macro concerns turn into micro concerns for our family. "I testify that angels are still sent to help us." Even the son of God had need of comfort from angels.

Pray always and be believing and walk uprightly. The latter-days are not a time to fear and tremble ... they are a time to remember and keep our covenants.

Story of his friend Quinn D. Berris (sp?). During the spring flood season, the kids were never to cross the flood plain to seek the cattle. Young seven-year-old Quinn knowing his rare night at the movies was at risk when he saw the cows weren't there, decided to go after the cows himself ... across the river. He urged his horse into the river. The horse's head barely cleared the water. The current completely covered Bro. Barris. When the horse cleared the other bank, he knew he was in deep trouble. It was dark. He was wet, cold, lost and afraid. He began to pray. He begged for forgiveness over and over again. When he looked up, he saw a figure dressed in white walking toward him. He felt it must be an angel. He didn't move or make a sound. Would the Lord really send an angel to me who had been disobedient. "'Son, I've been looking for you.' In the darkness, I recognized the voice of my father. 'I was worried. I'm glad I found you.'" He later learned that his father removed his clothes and tied his shoes around his neck and braved the river to rescue his son.

"God never leaves us alone." We may feel distanced from God ... sometimes of our own making. Even then, the Father of us all is watching and assisting and sending angels.

"I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." (D&C 84:88)

May we be more believing in angels and be more angel-like.

Elder Evans?

Story of his 8-year-old daughter was asked what the difference is between her religion and others? We have to study so much!

Except you become as a child, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Savior's teachings are adapted to everyone ... anyone can understand the Gospel.

The Little Prince ... people can grow 5000 roses in a garden and know not what they seek. But what they seek can be found in a single rose and a little water.

Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge

There is only one way to happiness. He offers a well of living water. He is the bread of life. He is the light of the world. He is the only way back to our Father in Heaven.

Everything depends on getting and keeping the Holy Ghost in our life. We do this by always remembering Him and keeping His commandments. "What manner of men ought ye to be? Even as I."

While the standard of the Lord is the highest, don't ever think that it can only be achieved by a select few who are most able. The higher the standard, the fewer capable ... this is NOT the case. The Lord's standard is achievable by everyone ... not that we are able, but that He is able and He can make us able.

The Lord's way is not hard. Life is hard, but it is also simple. We can either follow the Lord and be endowed with His power or we can go some other way and go it alone without support from the Lord. Which way is easier? Get on the path and never, ever give up.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Zion is both a place and a people. Are we faithful in establishing Zion on the earth today? Are we establishing Zion in our homes, wards and stakes?

We must be unified in heart and mind - Are we free from strife and contention? Do we forgive all? We must reach out to those who have fallen from our ranks. We invite all to come back. Story of Moldovans who attended a regional conference. They determined to split up and attend all the classes so that they could take notes and then share them with each other and with the members back in Moldova. This is the spirit of one heart and mind.

Individually and collectively, we must be a holy people - Lord warned early saints of their lustful desires ... this was during a much holier time compared to our Ipod, TV, sexually filled society. We cannot keep a summer cottage in Babylon!

We must care for poor and needy - If we do not impart to the poor and needy, we will look up and plead with the wicked in the last day. Today we impart to the poor and needy through tithes and offerings. We each need evaluate our capacity to maximize helping the poor and minimizing our covetousness. Story of Brother Johnson who cut his table in half to make two tables ... one to keep and the other to help a refugee Vietnamese family living in a trailer.

Elder David A. Bednar

Building on his last conference talk, he will offer three additional principals and that will help us have more meaningful prayers.

1) Prayer becomes more meaningful when we counsel with the lord in all our doings.

All things were created spiritually before they were created naturally. Meaningful morning prayer is a spiritual creation of the actual creation of the actions of the day. We can counsel with the Lord to overcome our weaknesses and seek the Lord's help in overcoming them. As we go about our day, we should continually keep a prayer in our heart and our prayers will be answered. When we recognize that we have been reminded and helped, we offer a prayer of gratitude. At the end of the day, we thank the Lord for His help and seek forgiveness and seek His guidance for what we can do better the next day. We arise the next morning and repeat the process.

As we remember our relationship with deity and remember this admonition .. "Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. ." (Alma 37:36-37)

2) Prayer becomes more meaningful when we express gratitude.

Sister Bednar was asked by a General Authority to give a prayer of gratitude, asking nothing, despite having been just informed of a friend who had passed away. She heeded this counsel and their hearts were swollen with gratitude.

Periodically when we pray, we should only give thanks and ask for nothing.

3) Prayer becomes more meaningful as we pray for others with real intent and with a sincere heart.

Example of Lehi ... he learned of the future destruction of Jerusalem. He prayed for his people. As a result, he received a vision. His heart was full. His vision came in response to a prayer for others. Jesus also prayed for the apostles and saints.

Do our families and those we serve feel and hear our prayers for them?

Heavenly Father hears and answers every earnest prayer. Revelation is real.

Oct 2008 General Conference Notes: Sat AM Session

2008-10-04T15:01:00.000-05:00

*Personal commentary, thoughts and inspirations are underlined.

President Thomas S. Monson

128 temples in the world. Five more temples to be built:

Calgary, Canada; Cordoba, Argentina; Kansas City, United States; Philadelphia, United States; Rome, Italy (gasps from audience).

Pray for the opening of those areas in which the Church is not currently operating.

Elder L. Tom Perry

Patterns of life's tests; ups and downs ... we sometimes experience stress. Our challenge is to endure these tough times with optimism.

"We know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and the best is yet to come."

Thoreau's Walden ... the simple life. There were only 4 things a man needs food clothing shelter fuel

Food

D&C 88:15 - spirit and body= soul of man. D&C 89 - word of wisdom. For the Strength of Youth - observe WoW, eat nutritious food, exercise, get enough sleep. Do not abuse drugs, prescription medication, household chemicals

Clothing

Simple and modest clothing. It sends a message to others, affects the way we act around others. Very casual dress is followed by casual manners. Some dress and get the "wrong kind of attention" Fashion-conscious mockers in great and spacious building ... others felt ashamed and were lost because of the mockers.

Shelter

The current housing crisis. DO NOT live beyond your means ... a message regularly given in General Conference. Do not run into debt. The majority of our troubles are because of lack of heed to this counsel. Live within income, stay out of debt, save for a rainy day. Well-managed families do not pay interest, they earn it.

Amen to this!! We have little debt, but we can do a lot better in our finances, food storage and savings.

Fuel

Walden discussed biological fuel. Perry discusses spiritual fuel. Acquire knowledge of god's eternal plan, surrender our will to Gods.

May we earnestly seek to simplify our lives.

I want to re-read "Walden" Does our life style need simplification?

Sister Allred

The Lord's church has the responsibility to teach the gospel in the world. The blessings of the gospel have touched 4 generations of her family. Each family has served missions who in turn have had a positive impact on many, many others.

How can I assist in missionary work? First have a clear understanding that God loves all his children. Second, learn that the message of the Christ and the Restoration is the most important message. Be a good example. Live a gospel-centered life. Be specific in your efforts. Prepare kids for missionary service. Invite friends to activities. Go with missionaries on visits. Invite people to family history centers. Share your beliefs. Send letters to full-time missionaries.

I need to pray for more missionary opportunities. Jill is such a good example of missionary work.

Elder Neil Anderson

"You don't know everything, but you know enough." Our spiritual journey is a process of a lifetime. Foundation of faith in Jesus Christ ... baptism, Holy Ghost, repentance, prayer, Book of Mormon ... we remain steady and patient. You don't know everything, but you know enough to keep the commandments.

Missionary about to leave. Talked about a life full of challenges. He didn't know if God even loved him. "You do know God loves you." He bowed his head and cried. "I do know it" That knowledge was enough to keep him on his mission.

We each have moments of strength and inspiration that sink deep. These times can be spiritual storage ... Jesus Christ: "settle this in your hearts" (Luke 21:14) So true ... do we stop and think to use this reservoir more often? Do we seek opportunities to replenish it as often as possible?

We have enormous spiritual reservoirs at our disposal. "Be not afraid, only believe"

"We come to know what we already knew."

Faith of Child

Story of Hadly the little girl who was born deaf. She saw a boy with no legs and asked her mom why. Heavenly Father makes everyone special. Hadly told boy that she is deaf and then testified to him that one day he will have legs and she will be able to hear.

Elder Marcos Aidukaitis

The faith of his father is a great example to Marcos. His father was able to go through difficult times because he read the Book of Mormon regularly. The Book of Mormon combined with the Spirit is the most powerful resource to conversion.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks

We live in the perilous times spoken of by Paul. How can we have the Spirit to guide our choices and keep us on the path? "Go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments ... " By participating in the sacrament, we will always have the Spirit with us.

Wilford Woodruff ... the Spirit is the greatest gift than can be bestowed on man.

Some in the rising generation have not yet come to understand the significance of this meeting and the important of individual reverence in this meeting.

How we should prepare to take the sacrament

Elder Nelson taught the priesthood leaders how to plan and conduct sac. meetings. We bring a broken heart and contrite spirit. It is the highlight of our Sabbath day. Prelude music is subdued. No communication ... prayerful meditation.

We should have a broken heart and contrite spirit.

How we dress is important. It is like going to the temple.

We should concentrate on worship and refrain from all other activities, especially if it interferes with others. Not a time to read books/magazines. Not a time for texting or whispering. We promise to ALWAYS remember him. How sad that some violate this during the sac.

Music - everyone should join in the singing. This music is for worship, not performance.

How can we get our kids to understand these principals? I need to get off this shift schedule so I can consistently help teach this to the kids.

To those who officiate the sacrament

Speak slowly and clearly when saying the sacred prayers. Those who officiate the sac should be clean. They should dress appropriately. All should be well-groomed and modestly dressed. Elder Holland: white shirt for deacons, teachers, priests who administer the sacrament.

Administered by those who hold/exercise the keys to this ordinance

This is why we don't hold sacrament meetings in homes and family reunions.

Choir is singing

the last 90 minutes have flown by. I've not been this attentive to Gen Conf since before we had kids! Ironically, I am working the day shift and it is a quiet day. Typing up my notes has helped me focus on the speakers' messages too.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

He is telling the story of how his family fled Czechoslovakia. On a train trip, she left her kids on the train to get some food. When she returned, the train was gone! I can't imagine the horror she felt. She prayed and ran from track to track and train to train and finally found her 4 children. He wondered how she overcame the fear and despair on that cold winter night.

The Infinite Power of Hope

Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool of faith, hope and charity. Hope is a principal of promise and a commandment.

Why is there despair? There must be opposition in all things.

What is hope? This hope of which is speaks transcends the trivial. Confidence if we live according to God's laws, we will receive the blessings. It is believe and expecting our prayers will be answered. Optimism, enthusiasm, patience perseverance. A hope glorifying God with goods works. Patience to bear our afflictions.

Things hoped for: future events. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we will live forever. We can be cleansed of our sins. The Savior is the author of our salvation.

Things we hope in: sustain us in our daily walk. They uphold us in our trails. We hope in Jesus Christ. In times of distress, we can hope that things will work together for our good as we keep the commandments.

We cultivate hope the same way we learn to walk ... one step at a time. Pray daily, pay tithes and live the gospel more perfectly. There will be times where everything around us is dark, but within us we find an invincible summer. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith.

This is what I feel whenever I contemplate my career or our kids growing up in this wicked world or when I think of the perilous times that are yet ahead. I know things will get much, much darker before they get brighter. But in my heart of hearts, I know that things will get brighter. We have so much to hope for. It is easy to despair. But we must always hope and have faith.

Description of Jesus Christ

2008-09-26T22:46:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure where I got this handout, but I found it in a study bible I sometimes use. The handout is entitled "DESCRIPTION OF JESUS CHRIST" Given to Antoine R. Ivins by Oscar W. McConkie

This is what it says:

The following is engraved on a copper plate, which was found in an antique vase of white marble, during excavation in the city of Azuilla, in the kingdom of Naples, in the year 1825. It was discovered by the Commission of Arts attached to the French armies. At the excavation of Naples it was found enclosed in a box of ebony in the sacristry of Courtroom. Mr. Drennon, of the Commission of Arts, caused a model to be made of the plate. At the sale of his collection of curiosities, it was bought by Lord Howard for 5,844 francs, about $1,215.

Letter from Publius Lentulus to the Senate of Rome, concerning Jesus Christ. It being the usual custom of Roman Governors to advise the senate and people of such material things as happen in their respective provinces in the days of the Emperor Tiberius Caesar, he wrote the following epistle to the Senate concerning our Savior:

"Conscript Fathers: There has appeared amongst us, in these days, a man of great virtue named Jesus Christ, who is yet living amongst us, and of the people is accepted as a prophet of truth, but his disciples call him the Son of God. A man of stature somewhat tall and comely, with a very reverent countenance, such as the beholder may both love and fear. His hair of the color of filbert, full ripe, and lain to his ears, but thence downward it is more orient, curling and waving about his shoulders. In the midst of his head is a seam, or partition, of his hair, after the manner of the Nazerites. His forehead is plain and very delicate. His face without spot or wrinkle, beautiful with a lovely red. His nose and mouth so formed that nothing can be reprehended. His beard thickish, in color like his hair, and forked. His look innocent and mature. His eyes clear and quick. In reproving he is terrible, in admonishing courteous and fair-spoken, pleasant in conversation, mixed with gravity. It cannot be remembered that any have ever seen him laugh, but many have seen him weep. In proportion of body most excellent. His hands and arms most delectable to behold. In speaking very temperate, modest, and wise. A man of singular beauty, surpassing the children of men."

A Google search of the words "copper plate azuilla" directs to a book with this description.