Give Us This Day
(Excerpt is unedited.)
Pastor Downing rose from his chair and stood at the pulpit, the lake visible behind his thin frame. Jess couldn't remember a Sunday when he wasn't blessed by the man's power-packed message. "My beloved, I want you to understand who you are in Christ."
Jess gazed down at the tissue Holly fingered again.
"Satan would have you believe you have no value, but the Lord wants you to know you have been bought with a price, and you belong to God."
Holly crossed and uncrossed her legs. She rummaged through her purse before setting it down on the pew.
"God is patient and slow to anger. You have been chosen by Him. Your relationship with Him is not based on yourself or anything you've done, but the work He did for you on the cross."
His new acquaintance picked up a hymnal and flipped through the pages.
"Believe me when I say you are free from condemnation. God loves you that much, my beloved."
Holly grew still, her gaze glued on Pastor Downing. His words must've struck a chord.
Her hands lay quietly in her lap as she stared at the preacher.
"You may approach God with freedom and confidence. Hope is only found in the Lord.
Our regret or grief should turn us toward him, not away from Him."
Holly ran a finger under her eye. She curved her gaze to Jess and then back toward the front, a look of discomfort on her face. Did the pastor say something to touch her heart?
Jess froze. Maybe her unease wasn't about church after all. Maybe it was about sitting next to him. The fattest man in the building.
Hint for book contest: June travels a lot.
Showing posts with label Religious. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Religious. Show all posts
March 13, 2012
November 28, 2011
Are 'Mormons' Christians?
Yes!
We must be bold in our declaration of Jesus Christ. We want others to know that we believe He is the central figure in all human history. His life and teachings are the heart of the Bible and the other books we consider to be holy scripture. The Old Testament sets the stage for Christ’s mortal ministry. The New Testament describes His mortal ministry. The Book of Mormon gives us a second witness of His mortal ministry. He came to earth to declare His gospel as a foundation for all mankind so that all of God’s children could learn about Him and His teachings. He then gave His life in order to be our Savior and Redeemer. Only through Jesus Christ is salvation possible. This is why we believe He is the central fig¬ure in all human history. Our eternal destiny is always in His hands. It is a glorious thing to believe in Him and accept Him as our Savior, our Lord, and our Master. (L. Tom Perry, November 2011 Ensign, p41)
We must be bold in our declaration of Jesus Christ. We want others to know that we believe He is the central figure in all human history. His life and teachings are the heart of the Bible and the other books we consider to be holy scripture. The Old Testament sets the stage for Christ’s mortal ministry. The New Testament describes His mortal ministry. The Book of Mormon gives us a second witness of His mortal ministry. He came to earth to declare His gospel as a foundation for all mankind so that all of God’s children could learn about Him and His teachings. He then gave His life in order to be our Savior and Redeemer. Only through Jesus Christ is salvation possible. This is why we believe He is the central fig¬ure in all human history. Our eternal destiny is always in His hands. It is a glorious thing to believe in Him and accept Him as our Savior, our Lord, and our Master. (L. Tom Perry, November 2011 Ensign, p41)
November 21, 2011
Wisdom and Power
Sister Eliza R. Snow “taught that individual women could receive inspiration to guide them in their personal lives, their families, and their Church responsibilities. She said: ‘Tell the sisters to go forth and discharge their duties, in humility and faithfulness and the Spirit of God will rest upon them and they will be blest in their labors. Let them seek for wisdom instead of power and they will have all the power they have wisdom to exercise.’” Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society (2011), 45.
November 15, 2011
Scripture Power
“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
“He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
“He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:3–5).
Elder Richard G. Scott quoted this psalm in his General Conference address just this past October. In doing so he illustrated to me personally the power of the scriptures by transporting me to my childhood. I must have been seven or eight at the time. My family was invited to participate in a ward talent show. My mother insisted that the invitation was extended to all eleven of us, not just the older girls. She, being a wise mother in Zion and feeling the need to teach within her own family, chose the song we were to sing. It wasn’t a show tune, as was so popular in the late 1960’s but a Psalm “He that Hath Clean Hands.” Forty some years later I still recall those words and the melody teaching me a lesson I still fall back on.
I’m not saying that talent shows should be handled the way my mother did. Awards were given out that evening for the individual performances. I remember fretting that we hadn’t won anything when it seemed everyone else had and brought it to my mother’s attention. She responded with, “I don’t think we sang the kind of song that the committee had in mind for the awards.” Much to her surprise—and my delight, we did win an award, “The Cleanest Award”—a bar of Ivory soap!
But connecting this story to Elder Scott’s address—
I thought I was doing pretty good with completely reading the Book of Mormon every year, but the other standard works? Not so good. Okay, we’ve finished the Book of Mormon early this year, time to start on the Doctrine and Covenants but that leaves the Bible completely untouched, not to mention the Pearl of Great Price or the Conference Report.
Is it even possible to employ Elder Scott’s counsel to memorize a scripture and forge a new friendship such as my mother helped me do at such a tender age? I begin today with posting this Psalm on my bathroom mirror to memorize in those twenty to thirty seconds when thoroughly washing my hands. If I can successfully memorize a scripture every month, I’ll have twelve new friends to lean on when the going gets tough.
Who can’t do with a few more good friends?
“He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
“He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:3–5).
Elder Richard G. Scott quoted this psalm in his General Conference address just this past October. In doing so he illustrated to me personally the power of the scriptures by transporting me to my childhood. I must have been seven or eight at the time. My family was invited to participate in a ward talent show. My mother insisted that the invitation was extended to all eleven of us, not just the older girls. She, being a wise mother in Zion and feeling the need to teach within her own family, chose the song we were to sing. It wasn’t a show tune, as was so popular in the late 1960’s but a Psalm “He that Hath Clean Hands.” Forty some years later I still recall those words and the melody teaching me a lesson I still fall back on.
I’m not saying that talent shows should be handled the way my mother did. Awards were given out that evening for the individual performances. I remember fretting that we hadn’t won anything when it seemed everyone else had and brought it to my mother’s attention. She responded with, “I don’t think we sang the kind of song that the committee had in mind for the awards.” Much to her surprise—and my delight, we did win an award, “The Cleanest Award”—a bar of Ivory soap!
But connecting this story to Elder Scott’s address—
I thought I was doing pretty good with completely reading the Book of Mormon every year, but the other standard works? Not so good. Okay, we’ve finished the Book of Mormon early this year, time to start on the Doctrine and Covenants but that leaves the Bible completely untouched, not to mention the Pearl of Great Price or the Conference Report.
Is it even possible to employ Elder Scott’s counsel to memorize a scripture and forge a new friendship such as my mother helped me do at such a tender age? I begin today with posting this Psalm on my bathroom mirror to memorize in those twenty to thirty seconds when thoroughly washing my hands. If I can successfully memorize a scripture every month, I’ll have twelve new friends to lean on when the going gets tough.
Who can’t do with a few more good friends?
November 7, 2011
A Life Time of Service
It is almost impossible to believe that President Thomas S. Monson, currently the prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has served as a General Authority for more years than I’ve known I was alive.
A life time of service—that is what we see throughout the church. The frail, home bound sister that I visit, it is my call to serve her, to share with her a message of hope and inspiration. Yet with every visit, I come away with a tidbit of wisdom I’d not grasped or even imagined before our visit. Is the sister old? Frail? In failing health? Yes, but she is also a teacher, teaching me how to endure to the end in faith, with hope alive in her eyes, in her demeanor, in the very fabric of who she is. She, like me is a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves us. And we, as his daughters, share that love with those around us.
It is not only the women or the aged that serve here. Let me share a lesson learned years ago.
I was taking a walk, back then I lived in a rural area west of the Salt Lake Valley. I happened to meet a country neighbor leaving her drive for a walk with her baby boy. That boy is now a teenager and very different than the wide eyed child in the stroller that morning. Of course we had to stop and visit. Her husband had recently returned to work after a difficult battle against nature to deprive him of life. If memory serves, he’d contracted Lyme Disease following an outdoor excursion. His wife, at the time heavy with their first child, had cared for him in less than favorable circumstances. We and others had fasted and prayed for many weeks in their behalf.
I don’t recall the conversation with the mother as much as the conversation I had with the child. I bent low, I may have even knelt on the frozen ground in front of the little boy.
“Eric (name changed),” in the instant I spoke his name a strong impression overwhelmed me. I felt directed to put my impression into words, possibly for his mother’s sake, or even mine. “Do you remember your Heavenly Father? Did you sit on his knee and beg him to let your daddy stay here? Did you tell him how much you would need him to become a man?” Little Eric smiled at me for the first time. He reached his tiny hand out to me as if in answer and jabbered in the language only babies can speak.
“Do you really think Eric sat on God’s knee?”
I knew Eric’s mother had a testimony of Jesus Christ. But I also knew that Eric and I needed to give his precious mother a gift. It is possible that only Eric’s infant ears had heard his mother’s lament that morning—Eric’s and the Savior’s. What gift did we give, that frosty morning on a country road? Hope and reassurance that God, in all His Majesty, is mindful of us and our needs, no matter how large or small.
And the lesson I learned? (Smile) To act on those promptings no matter how seemingly insignificant. A life time of service from the cradle to the last breaths of life. Is it within me? Is it within you? I hope so.
A life time of service—that is what we see throughout the church. The frail, home bound sister that I visit, it is my call to serve her, to share with her a message of hope and inspiration. Yet with every visit, I come away with a tidbit of wisdom I’d not grasped or even imagined before our visit. Is the sister old? Frail? In failing health? Yes, but she is also a teacher, teaching me how to endure to the end in faith, with hope alive in her eyes, in her demeanor, in the very fabric of who she is. She, like me is a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves us. And we, as his daughters, share that love with those around us.
It is not only the women or the aged that serve here. Let me share a lesson learned years ago.
I was taking a walk, back then I lived in a rural area west of the Salt Lake Valley. I happened to meet a country neighbor leaving her drive for a walk with her baby boy. That boy is now a teenager and very different than the wide eyed child in the stroller that morning. Of course we had to stop and visit. Her husband had recently returned to work after a difficult battle against nature to deprive him of life. If memory serves, he’d contracted Lyme Disease following an outdoor excursion. His wife, at the time heavy with their first child, had cared for him in less than favorable circumstances. We and others had fasted and prayed for many weeks in their behalf.
I don’t recall the conversation with the mother as much as the conversation I had with the child. I bent low, I may have even knelt on the frozen ground in front of the little boy.
“Eric (name changed),” in the instant I spoke his name a strong impression overwhelmed me. I felt directed to put my impression into words, possibly for his mother’s sake, or even mine. “Do you remember your Heavenly Father? Did you sit on his knee and beg him to let your daddy stay here? Did you tell him how much you would need him to become a man?” Little Eric smiled at me for the first time. He reached his tiny hand out to me as if in answer and jabbered in the language only babies can speak.
“Do you really think Eric sat on God’s knee?”
I knew Eric’s mother had a testimony of Jesus Christ. But I also knew that Eric and I needed to give his precious mother a gift. It is possible that only Eric’s infant ears had heard his mother’s lament that morning—Eric’s and the Savior’s. What gift did we give, that frosty morning on a country road? Hope and reassurance that God, in all His Majesty, is mindful of us and our needs, no matter how large or small.
And the lesson I learned? (Smile) To act on those promptings no matter how seemingly insignificant. A life time of service from the cradle to the last breaths of life. Is it within me? Is it within you? I hope so.
October 4, 2011
General Conference Talks
Ever wish you'd taken better notes or remember who said what when? I do all the time. Thought this might help until the November 2011 Ensign or Liahona comes out.
MR says: Read quotes and themes from each talk given during general conference.
Saturday Morning
Elder Richard G. Scott: The Power of Scripture
Sister Barbara Thompson: Personal Revelation and Testimony
Elder L. Whitney Clayton: The Time Shall Come
Elder José Luis Alonso: Doing the Right Thing
President Boyd K. Packer: Counsel to Youth
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: You Matter to Him
Saturday Afternoon
Elder David A. Bednar: The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn
Elder Neil L. Andersen: Children Essential to God’s Eternal Plan
Elder Ian S. Ardern: A Time to Prepare
Elder Carl Cook: It Is Better To Look Up
Elder D. Todd Christofferson: The Divine Gift of Repentance
Elder L. Tom Perry: Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear
Priesthood
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: We Are All Enlisted
Elder Keith B. McMullin: The Power of the Aaronic Priesthood
Elder W. Christopher Waddell: The Opportunity of a Lifetime
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: Providing in the Lord’s Way
President Thomas S. Monson: Dare to Stand Alone
President Henry B. Eyring: I Need Your Help
Sunday Morning
President Henry B. Eyring: A Witness
Elder Robert D. Hales: Waiting Upon the Lord
Elder Tad R. Callister: A Book from God
Sister Elaine S. Dalton: Love Her Mother
Elder M. Russell Ballard: The Importance of a Name
President Thomas S. Monson: Stand…in Holy Places
Sunday Afternoon
Elder Russell M. Nelson: Covenants
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: We are followers of Jesus Christ
Brother Matthew O. Richardson: Teaching after the Manner of the Spirit
Elder Kauhiko Yamashita: Missionaries Are a Treasure in the Church
Elder Randall K. Bennett: Choose Eternal Life
Elder J. Devn Cornish: The Privilege of Prayer
Elder Quentin L. Cook: The Songs They Could Not Sing
President Thomas S. Monson: Until We Meet Again
http://www.ldsliving.com/redirect/story/66097-general-conference-highlights-from-every-talk
MR says: Read quotes and themes from each talk given during general conference.
Saturday Morning
Elder Richard G. Scott: The Power of Scripture
Sister Barbara Thompson: Personal Revelation and Testimony
Elder L. Whitney Clayton: The Time Shall Come
Elder José Luis Alonso: Doing the Right Thing
President Boyd K. Packer: Counsel to Youth
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: You Matter to Him
Saturday Afternoon
Elder David A. Bednar: The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn
Elder Neil L. Andersen: Children Essential to God’s Eternal Plan
Elder Ian S. Ardern: A Time to Prepare
Elder Carl Cook: It Is Better To Look Up
Elder D. Todd Christofferson: The Divine Gift of Repentance
Elder L. Tom Perry: Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear
Priesthood
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: We Are All Enlisted
Elder Keith B. McMullin: The Power of the Aaronic Priesthood
Elder W. Christopher Waddell: The Opportunity of a Lifetime
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: Providing in the Lord’s Way
President Thomas S. Monson: Dare to Stand Alone
President Henry B. Eyring: I Need Your Help
Sunday Morning
President Henry B. Eyring: A Witness
Elder Robert D. Hales: Waiting Upon the Lord
Elder Tad R. Callister: A Book from God
Sister Elaine S. Dalton: Love Her Mother
Elder M. Russell Ballard: The Importance of a Name
President Thomas S. Monson: Stand…in Holy Places
Sunday Afternoon
Elder Russell M. Nelson: Covenants
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: We are followers of Jesus Christ
Brother Matthew O. Richardson: Teaching after the Manner of the Spirit
Elder Kauhiko Yamashita: Missionaries Are a Treasure in the Church
Elder Randall K. Bennett: Choose Eternal Life
Elder J. Devn Cornish: The Privilege of Prayer
Elder Quentin L. Cook: The Songs They Could Not Sing
President Thomas S. Monson: Until We Meet Again
http://www.ldsliving.com/redirect/story/66097-general-conference-highlights-from-every-talk
September 7, 2011
Preparing for the Best
Catch-y title don’t you think? Let me assure you that is what I’m currently doing. For years I have intended to write a post based on Elder Dallin H. Oaks talk Good, Better, Best. Today I will finally do so. The message has never really been far from my mind since hearing it in the October 2007 General conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
One of my children asks a question and not knowing exactly how to best guide him or her, I’ve resorted to reminding him/her to make the Best choice, not merely a Good choice or even the Better choice, but the Best choice. The child that is now an adult has claimed my answer to be a “cop-out.” I smile and remind him to “study it out in his mind . . .” Did he follow my counsel and make the Best choice? Only he knows for sure and I can sigh knowing I taught him correct principles.
My teen asks me what she should do in a particular situation. I smile, feeling more confident with my answer. “You need to choose the Best, not the Better which would be wise, but not necessarily the best.” She rolls her eyes ,”You’ve said that before.” “Yes, I have because it is the Best counsel I can give you. You’ve been taught correct principles. The choice is not mine to make. You have your agency; just remember to use it wisely.”
My pre-teen struggles with peers and asks me what to do. Poor child, he’s heard the answers mentioned above and has also heard my mention of the choices made, and the consequences that followed those choices. I give him that stern yet loving motherly look that says, “You already know the answer,” and remind him of a previous choice he’s made.
Motherly pride swells in my breast when I think of the earlier situation because . . . Father counseled him with a Good choice on that occasion. Mother counseled him with yet another Good choice and yet he made the Best choice by handling the situation and subsequent situations as Jesus Christ would have. (Obviously Mom and Dad went to school on his example.)
So, what do these examples have to do with my personal preparations for the Best?
October 1st and 2nd will find me arranging my schedule to listen to the 182nd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I invite each of you to join me in listening to prophets and apostles in this worldwide conference. Visit http://lds.org/ or http://mormon.org/ or the BYU links/channels for more information on local times.
Here’s hoping you and I choose the Best.
One of my children asks a question and not knowing exactly how to best guide him or her, I’ve resorted to reminding him/her to make the Best choice, not merely a Good choice or even the Better choice, but the Best choice. The child that is now an adult has claimed my answer to be a “cop-out.” I smile and remind him to “study it out in his mind . . .” Did he follow my counsel and make the Best choice? Only he knows for sure and I can sigh knowing I taught him correct principles.
My teen asks me what she should do in a particular situation. I smile, feeling more confident with my answer. “You need to choose the Best, not the Better which would be wise, but not necessarily the best.” She rolls her eyes ,”You’ve said that before.” “Yes, I have because it is the Best counsel I can give you. You’ve been taught correct principles. The choice is not mine to make. You have your agency; just remember to use it wisely.”
My pre-teen struggles with peers and asks me what to do. Poor child, he’s heard the answers mentioned above and has also heard my mention of the choices made, and the consequences that followed those choices. I give him that stern yet loving motherly look that says, “You already know the answer,” and remind him of a previous choice he’s made.
Motherly pride swells in my breast when I think of the earlier situation because . . . Father counseled him with a Good choice on that occasion. Mother counseled him with yet another Good choice and yet he made the Best choice by handling the situation and subsequent situations as Jesus Christ would have. (Obviously Mom and Dad went to school on his example.)
So, what do these examples have to do with my personal preparations for the Best?
October 1st and 2nd will find me arranging my schedule to listen to the 182nd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I invite each of you to join me in listening to prophets and apostles in this worldwide conference. Visit http://lds.org/ or http://mormon.org/ or the BYU links/channels for more information on local times.
Here’s hoping you and I choose the Best.
August 26, 2011
A Unique Society of Women
I think that I belong to the most unique Society of Women ever organized and I'll tell you just a little of why.
In the Relief Society, we are not merely women of the world from all over the world, we are sisters. Whether from North America (where I call home), South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, the islands of the sea or one of the many nations in between, we are sisters. There is no sister so isolated but what she can do a great deal towards establishing the Kingdom of God upon the earth. My blog is part of my effort to do just that.
This society is one "separate from all the evils of the world--choice, virtuous, and holy" (Joseph Smith). It helps us strengthen our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As we progress spiritually our sense of belonging, identity, and self-worth increases.
To learn more about this amazing society of women, please visit http://mormon.org/
Thoughts are gathered from A Society of Holy Women, August Ensign 2011.
In the Relief Society, we are not merely women of the world from all over the world, we are sisters. Whether from North America (where I call home), South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, the islands of the sea or one of the many nations in between, we are sisters. There is no sister so isolated but what she can do a great deal towards establishing the Kingdom of God upon the earth. My blog is part of my effort to do just that.
This society is one "separate from all the evils of the world--choice, virtuous, and holy" (Joseph Smith). It helps us strengthen our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As we progress spiritually our sense of belonging, identity, and self-worth increases.
To learn more about this amazing society of women, please visit http://mormon.org/
Thoughts are gathered from A Society of Holy Women, August Ensign 2011.
January 31, 2011
Awesome talk on the 'Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet'
Thomas S Monson, is a living prophet and speaks to us today.
According to President Ezra Taft Benson, we have promised our obedience to the living prophet as he receives commandments and revelations from God. Elders Claudio Costa and Kevin R. Duncan, both of the seventy, referred to President Ezra Taft Benson’s 1980 devotional talk entitled: Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet.
The first of those fundamentals is: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
Our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, has asked us to keep the commandments, to love our fellowman by serving them, and to seek after the less active and inactive. We should understand these are Gods priorities and that President Monson is his voice in communicating this to the church and the entire world. See D&C 21: 4- 6
The second fundamental is: The prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.
Our prophet, Thomas S Monson, receives specific revelations for us at this particular time dealing with our current needs.
Three: The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
The most important prophet to us right now is our current prophet, Thomas S. Monson, to whom the Lord is currently revealing his will for us.
Four: The prophet will never lead the church astray.
President Wilford Woodruff said, “The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as president of the church to lead you astray.”
Five: The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or diploma to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time. Joseph Smith Jr., the prophet who stands at the head of this last dispensation, was a poor farm boy without almost any formal education. He stands as the supreme example.
Six: The prophet does not have to say ‘Thus saith the Lord’ to give us scripture.
Anything our prophet, his counselors or any one of the twelve apostles says is modern scripture. Remember ---President Henry B. Eyring, in the Saturday afternoon session (October 2010) said: It is proposed that we sustain the counselors in the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers and revelators.
Seven: The prophet tells us what we need to know not always what we want to know.
See 1 Nephi 16: 1,3
Eight: The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.
“Whatever God requires is right no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof until long after the events transpire.” (Scrapbook of Mormon Literature vol 2 pg 173) Consider this revelation, The Word of Wisdom, given in 1833, long before tobacco was discovered to cause cancer.
Nine: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter—temporal or spiritual.
Brigham Young said: I defy any man on earth to point out the path a prophet of God should walk in, or point out his duty and just how far he must go, in dictating temporal or spiritual things. Temporal and spiritual things are inseparably connected, and ever will be. (Journal of Discourses, 10:363-364.)
Ten: The prophet may well advise on civic matters.
Consider: A Proclamation to the World. “The Family is ordained of God. Marriage is between a man and a woman and is essential to His eternal plan. . . .We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.”
Eleven: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
Twelve: The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
I caution you to be aware of ‘Selective Obedience.’ Choosing what revelation or counsel one will follow or reject according to ones personal whims can be dangerous. To those who demand chapter and verse of a particular piece of counsel---read the Ensign.
Thirteen: The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church. See D & C 107: 80, D & C 112: 20
Fourteen: The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.
I encourage all of us, as we desire to draw closer to God to Follow the Prophets. Read their words in the Ensigns and even pray about those things you find most challenging to accept.
“If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord then let us ask ourselves how well we stand . . . with his living Prophet and the Quorum of the First Presidency.”
On tap for next week--Tribunal book review.
According to President Ezra Taft Benson, we have promised our obedience to the living prophet as he receives commandments and revelations from God. Elders Claudio Costa and Kevin R. Duncan, both of the seventy, referred to President Ezra Taft Benson’s 1980 devotional talk entitled: Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet.
The first of those fundamentals is: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
Our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, has asked us to keep the commandments, to love our fellowman by serving them, and to seek after the less active and inactive. We should understand these are Gods priorities and that President Monson is his voice in communicating this to the church and the entire world. See D&C 21: 4- 6
The second fundamental is: The prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.
Our prophet, Thomas S Monson, receives specific revelations for us at this particular time dealing with our current needs.
Three: The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
The most important prophet to us right now is our current prophet, Thomas S. Monson, to whom the Lord is currently revealing his will for us.
Four: The prophet will never lead the church astray.
President Wilford Woodruff said, “The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as president of the church to lead you astray.”
Five: The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or diploma to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time. Joseph Smith Jr., the prophet who stands at the head of this last dispensation, was a poor farm boy without almost any formal education. He stands as the supreme example.
Six: The prophet does not have to say ‘Thus saith the Lord’ to give us scripture.
Anything our prophet, his counselors or any one of the twelve apostles says is modern scripture. Remember ---President Henry B. Eyring, in the Saturday afternoon session (October 2010) said: It is proposed that we sustain the counselors in the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers and revelators.
Seven: The prophet tells us what we need to know not always what we want to know.
See 1 Nephi 16: 1,3
Eight: The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.
“Whatever God requires is right no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof until long after the events transpire.” (Scrapbook of Mormon Literature vol 2 pg 173) Consider this revelation, The Word of Wisdom, given in 1833, long before tobacco was discovered to cause cancer.
Nine: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter—temporal or spiritual.
Brigham Young said: I defy any man on earth to point out the path a prophet of God should walk in, or point out his duty and just how far he must go, in dictating temporal or spiritual things. Temporal and spiritual things are inseparably connected, and ever will be. (Journal of Discourses, 10:363-364.)
Ten: The prophet may well advise on civic matters.
Consider: A Proclamation to the World. “The Family is ordained of God. Marriage is between a man and a woman and is essential to His eternal plan. . . .We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.”
Eleven: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
Twelve: The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
I caution you to be aware of ‘Selective Obedience.’ Choosing what revelation or counsel one will follow or reject according to ones personal whims can be dangerous. To those who demand chapter and verse of a particular piece of counsel---read the Ensign.
Thirteen: The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church. See D & C 107: 80, D & C 112: 20
Fourteen: The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.
I encourage all of us, as we desire to draw closer to God to Follow the Prophets. Read their words in the Ensigns and even pray about those things you find most challenging to accept.
“If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord then let us ask ourselves how well we stand . . . with his living Prophet and the Quorum of the First Presidency.”
On tap for next week--Tribunal book review.
December 21, 2010
Choose the Best for Christmas this Year
The holidays are always a busy time of year and this year has seemed more so for me. I don’t regret the opportunities to serve and give. And yet as Halloween disappeared with the goblin’s candy so did my reserves. One day at a time, steady as the drummers marching cadence, my bucket of strength, emotional, spiritual and physical gradually siphoned off to those around me. At first I didn’t notice and in subsequent days I reminded myself to tighten the cinch on my growing load and pick up my dragging pace to get through it. Somehow I believed that if I just ignored the lessening of my reserves they would magically regenerate or at least hold strong for the duration.
Thanksgiving arrived and with it a full house. My reserves magically held, buoyed by the adrenalin rush of youth around me. I enjoyed the frenzied pace of young love with its varied ups and downs and shielded by the love of my husband and children. The crowd retreated to their respective homes, the last moving two weeks after the holiday. Then the quiet descended . . . and with it the weight of fatigue. Quiet hours gave way to painful silence. I gathered my wilted energies and determined to move forward. Serving neighbors and friends would most certainly prove the cure for what ailed me.
I made a list of friends to serve and added what holiday treat each enjoyed, encouraging the tiring elf on my shoulder. “Hush, ‘tis the season of giving. Give more.”
As the closing credits of our family Christmas tradition rolled up on the screen before me the tiring elf on my shoulder crumbled. My tears burned at the back of my eyes and I sagged into my husband’s shoulder to hide. My children could not see these tears, tears that would prove the last drops in my proverbial bucket. I fought the tears back long enough to clean-up only to sob into my pillow. “Tomorrow . . . I’ll think about that tomorrow” . . . Silly Female.
Fatigue evolved into depression by the time daylight arrived and I knew not why. I prayed, half-heartedly at first. I opened my email account to find a note from the publisher. “Oh no . . . I can’t take a rejection right now.” I delayed until after morning family prayer. I wrapped the last of my Christmas presents wishing my husband would forgo his trip to Fred Myers. I begged my daughter not to buy me anything, threatening her that I would take it back. Her countenance crumbled, I stopped and apologized for the hurt I had caused reminding myself to “Fake it until it feels real.”
I prayed again after they left and this time an answer seemed to stare me in the face. The November Ensign with the Conference Report lay open on my desk to President Uchtdorf’s address. I procrastinated instead, opening the wrong e-mail. The editor thanked me for my submission and assured me she would see to it that it received its due attention. I sighed glancing at the Ensign.
I love President Uchtdorf. His gentle counsel never fails to warm my heart. Would his address hold the comfort I stood in need of?
Of Things That Matter Most
By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Trees and Airplanes---yes, they do have something in common. I smiled remembering the cadence of his voice, the first for several days. Then the message meant for me . . .”it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials . . .” A simple but critical lesson. One I needed to remind myself of often. I had allowed myself to move “. . .at an ever-increasing rate, regardless of the turbulence or obstacles.” My business of serving other was fast becoming a vice. I had barely turned to Heavenly Father, reading scriptures just to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, muttering words of prayer that I knew had gotten no further than the four walls. And my family? My list of whom to take the baked goodies to had become more important than the family time planned to prepare them. And the love that should have gone into each batch? I wondered if I had remembered to add that ingredient. Sure I was going through the motions, then too I was beating myself up over not working on Dark Days of Promise almost most of every daylight hour.
“The wise understand and apply the lessons of the tree rings. . . They resist the temptation to get caught up in the frantic rush. . .”
Maybe more powerful a message for me than all the rest was a passage that reflected something I had written in Dark Days of Promise months before President Uchtdorf said it. Of course, he may have said it better than I ever will. He said, “These core doctrines and principles,” he is speaking of the gospel of Jesus Christ. “though simple enough for a child to understand, provide the answers to the most complex questions of life.”
BAM
My Heavenly Father loves me. He knows me. He hears and answers our prayers (even those we don’t dare enunciate for fear of it being counted as naught.) “The holy scriptures and the spoken word of the living prophets give emphasis to the fundamental principles and doctrines of the gospel.” And for me, when I listen, they are the instruments that sing to my soul, bring me peace, and answer my prayers.
Thanksgiving arrived and with it a full house. My reserves magically held, buoyed by the adrenalin rush of youth around me. I enjoyed the frenzied pace of young love with its varied ups and downs and shielded by the love of my husband and children. The crowd retreated to their respective homes, the last moving two weeks after the holiday. Then the quiet descended . . . and with it the weight of fatigue. Quiet hours gave way to painful silence. I gathered my wilted energies and determined to move forward. Serving neighbors and friends would most certainly prove the cure for what ailed me.
I made a list of friends to serve and added what holiday treat each enjoyed, encouraging the tiring elf on my shoulder. “Hush, ‘tis the season of giving. Give more.”
As the closing credits of our family Christmas tradition rolled up on the screen before me the tiring elf on my shoulder crumbled. My tears burned at the back of my eyes and I sagged into my husband’s shoulder to hide. My children could not see these tears, tears that would prove the last drops in my proverbial bucket. I fought the tears back long enough to clean-up only to sob into my pillow. “Tomorrow . . . I’ll think about that tomorrow” . . . Silly Female.
Fatigue evolved into depression by the time daylight arrived and I knew not why. I prayed, half-heartedly at first. I opened my email account to find a note from the publisher. “Oh no . . . I can’t take a rejection right now.” I delayed until after morning family prayer. I wrapped the last of my Christmas presents wishing my husband would forgo his trip to Fred Myers. I begged my daughter not to buy me anything, threatening her that I would take it back. Her countenance crumbled, I stopped and apologized for the hurt I had caused reminding myself to “Fake it until it feels real.”
I prayed again after they left and this time an answer seemed to stare me in the face. The November Ensign with the Conference Report lay open on my desk to President Uchtdorf’s address. I procrastinated instead, opening the wrong e-mail. The editor thanked me for my submission and assured me she would see to it that it received its due attention. I sighed glancing at the Ensign.
I love President Uchtdorf. His gentle counsel never fails to warm my heart. Would his address hold the comfort I stood in need of?
Of Things That Matter Most
By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Trees and Airplanes---yes, they do have something in common. I smiled remembering the cadence of his voice, the first for several days. Then the message meant for me . . .”it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials . . .” A simple but critical lesson. One I needed to remind myself of often. I had allowed myself to move “. . .at an ever-increasing rate, regardless of the turbulence or obstacles.” My business of serving other was fast becoming a vice. I had barely turned to Heavenly Father, reading scriptures just to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, muttering words of prayer that I knew had gotten no further than the four walls. And my family? My list of whom to take the baked goodies to had become more important than the family time planned to prepare them. And the love that should have gone into each batch? I wondered if I had remembered to add that ingredient. Sure I was going through the motions, then too I was beating myself up over not working on Dark Days of Promise almost most of every daylight hour.
“The wise understand and apply the lessons of the tree rings. . . They resist the temptation to get caught up in the frantic rush. . .”
Maybe more powerful a message for me than all the rest was a passage that reflected something I had written in Dark Days of Promise months before President Uchtdorf said it. Of course, he may have said it better than I ever will. He said, “These core doctrines and principles,” he is speaking of the gospel of Jesus Christ. “though simple enough for a child to understand, provide the answers to the most complex questions of life.”
BAM
My Heavenly Father loves me. He knows me. He hears and answers our prayers (even those we don’t dare enunciate for fear of it being counted as naught.) “The holy scriptures and the spoken word of the living prophets give emphasis to the fundamental principles and doctrines of the gospel.” And for me, when I listen, they are the instruments that sing to my soul, bring me peace, and answer my prayers.
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This wreath I just finished. For sale at $25.00. Comment if you are interested in buying or if you were looking at another of my creations! ...
