12.04.08
Posted in General Information, LDS Doctrine at 7:15 am by Administrator
As many already know, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin was one of my favorate church leaders. I recal the recent artcle from General Conference, Come What May, and Love It.
When talking about his mother, he ofter heard her say that…. “Come what may, and love it”. He describes several times in his life where that came it handy….
“When I was young I loved playing sports, and I have many fond memories of those days. But not all of them are pleasant. I remember one day after my football team lost a tough game, I came home feeling discouraged. My mother was there. She listened to my sad story. She taught her children to trust in themselves and each other, not blame others for their misfortunes, and give their best effort in everything they attempted.
When we fell down, she expected us to pick ourselves up and get going again. So the advice my mother gave to me then wasn’t altogether unexpected. It has stayed with me all my life.
“Joseph,” she said, “come what may, and love it.”
I have often reflected on that counsel.”
“There may be some who think that General Authorities rarely experience pain, suffering, or distress. If only that were true. While every man and woman on this stand today has experienced an abundant measure of joy, each also has drunk deeply from the cup of disappointment, sorrow, and loss. The Lord in His wisdom does not shield anyone from grief or sadness.”
“For me, the Lord has opened the windows of heaven and showered blessings upon my family beyond my ability to express. Yet like everyone else, I have had times in my life when it seemed that the heaviness of my heart might be greater than I could bear. During those times I think back to those tender days of my youth when great sorrows came at the losing end of a football game.”
“How little I knew then of what awaited me in later years. But whenever my steps led through seasons of sadness and sorrow, my mother’s words often came back to me: “Come what may, and love it.”
“How can we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can’t—at least not in the moment. I don’t think my mother was suggesting that we suppress discouragement or deny the reality of pain. I don’t think she was suggesting that we smother unpleasant truths beneath a cloak of pretended happiness. But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.”
“If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness.
Over the years I have learned a few things that have helped me through times of testing and trial. I would like to share them with you.”
Learn to Laugh
“The first thing we can do is learn to laugh. Have you ever seen an angry driver who, when someone else makes a mistake, reacts as though that person has insulted his honor, his family, his dog, and his ancestors all the way back to Adam? Or have you had an encounter with an overhanging cupboard door left open at the wrong place and the wrong time which has been cursed, condemned, and avenged by a sore-headed victim?”
“There is an antidote for times such as these: learn to laugh.”
“I remember when one of our daughters went on a blind date. She was all dressed up and waiting for her date to arrive when the doorbell rang. In walked a man who seemed a little old, but she tried to be polite. She introduced him to me and my wife and the other children; then she put on her coat and went out the door. We watched as she got into the car, but the car didn’t move. Eventually our daughter got out of the car and, red faced, ran back into the house. The man that she thought was her blind date had actually come to pick up another of our daughters who had agreed to be a babysitter for him and his wife.”
“We all had a good laugh over that. In fact, we couldn’t stop laughing. Later, when our daughter’s real blind date showed up, I couldn’t come out to meet him because I was still in the kitchen laughing. Now I realize that our daughter could have felt humiliated and embarrassed. But she laughed with us, and as a result, we still laugh about it today.
The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.”
Seek for the Eternal
The second thing we can do is seek for the eternal. You may feel singled out when adversity enters your life. You shake your head and wonder, “Why me?”
But the dial on the wheel of sorrow eventually points to each of us. At one time or another, everyone must experience sorrow. No one is exempt.
I love the scriptures because they show examples of great and noble men and women such as Abraham, Sarah, Enoch, Moses, Joseph, Emma, and Brigham. Each of them experienced adversity and sorrow that tried, fortified, and refined their characters.
Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others.
Because Jesus Christ suffered greatly, He understands our suffering. He understands our grief. We experience hard things so that we too may have increased compassion and understanding for others.
Remember the sublime words of the Savior to the Prophet Joseph Smith when he suffered with his companions in the smothering darkness of Liberty Jail: “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”
With that eternal perspective, Joseph took comfort from these words, and so can we. Sometimes the very moments that seem to overcome us with suffering are those that will ultimately suffer us to overcome.
The Principle of Compensation
The third thing we can do is understand the principle of compensation. The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.
One of the blessings of the gospel is the knowledge that when the curtain of death signals the end of our mortal lives, life will continue on the other side of the veil. There we will be given new opportunities. Not even death can take from us the eternal blessings promised by a loving Heavenly Father.
Because Heavenly Father is merciful, a principle of compensation prevails. I have seen this in my own life. My grandson Joseph has autism. It has been heartbreaking for his mother and father to come to grips with the implications of this affliction.
They knew that Joseph would probably never be like other children. They understood what that would mean not only for Joseph but for the family as well. But what a joy he has been to us. Autistic children often have a difficult time showing emotion, but every time I’m with him, Joseph gives me a big hug. While there have been challenges, he has filled our lives with joy.
His parents have encouraged him to participate in sports. When he first started playing baseball, he was in the outfield. But I don’t think he grasped the need to run after loose balls. He thought of a much more efficient way to play the game. When a ball was hit in his direction, Joseph watched it go by and then pulled another baseball out of his pocket and threw that one to the pitcher.
Any reservations that his family may have had in raising Joseph, any sacrifices they have made have been compensated tenfold. Because of this choice spirit, his mother and father have learned much about children with disabilities. They have witnessed firsthand the generosity and compassion of family, neighbors, and friends. They have rejoiced together as Joseph has progressed. They have marveled at his goodness.
Trust in the Father and the Son
The fourth thing we can do is put our trust in our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”2 The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper, and advocate. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be successful. If we do our part, He will step in.
He who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He will make weak things become strong.3
One of our daughters, after giving birth to a baby, became seriously ill. We prayed for her, administered to her, and supported her as best we could. We hoped she would receive a blessing of healing, but days turned into months, and months turned into years. At one point I told her that this affliction might be something she would have to struggle with the rest of her life.
One morning I remember pulling out a small card and threading it through my typewriter. Among the words that I typed for her were these: “The simple secret is this: put your trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to Him.”
She did put her trust in God. But her affliction did not disappear. For years she suffered, but in due course, the Lord blessed her, and eventually she returned to health.
Knowing this daughter, I believe that even if she had never found relief, yet she would have trusted in her Heavenly Father and “[left] the rest to Him.”
This is a great lesson for all of us. Especially now, in times of uncertain economics, jobs, savings, and more. We will feel sadness at the loss of earthly things, but there is comfort in knowing that the rightous it will be returned to them in the due time of the lord. Further, I reflect on challenges in my own life….. I’m still here! And doing the right thing shows me that Heavanly Father takes care of those that serve him. When I have tought times, I need to learn to laught a little, and put things in perspective. After all, we’ve had tough times in the past, and will going forward, isnt it easier to simply realize …. come what may, and enjoy it!
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11.02.08
Posted in General Information, LDS Doctrine at 6:20 am by Administrator
Today I was searching for a home teaching lesson and found this talk by Elder Neil L. Andersen.
I remember when this was televised, but when I read it, it helped me to remember the general theme that I got out of conference (getting through the storms of our times), and how our disabilities, no matter how small, sometimes can make us feel “inadequate and unprepared”.
This talk simply states that we have enough knowlege to draw upon the vast reserves we lay in store for ourselves.
“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.”
He continues ….
“Challenges, difficulties, questions, doubts—these are part of our mortality. But we are not alone. As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have enormous spiritual reservoirs of light and truth available to us. Fear and faith cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time. In our days of difficulty, we choose the road of faith. Jesus said, “Be not afraid, only believe.”
And also ….
“While there are many experiences like the one we are having today, full of spiritual power and confirmation, there are also days when we feel inadequate and unprepared, when doubt and confusion enter our spirits, when we have difficulty finding our spiritual footing. Part of our victory as disciples of Christ is what we do when these feelings come.”
This is an awesome talk. We sometimes may think we are the only ones with challenges. But its simply not true. Our true challenge is what we do when we are faced with “difficulties, questions, (and) doubts”.
“Through the years we take these important spiritual steps over and over again. We begin to see that “he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”5 Our questions and doubts are resolved or become less concerning to us. Our faith becomes simple and pure. We come to know what we already knew.”
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10.27.08
Posted in General Information, LDS Doctrine at 7:37 am by Administrator
This talk if found in its entirety at : Church Conference Page.
I must say this confernce talk still stands out in my mind. It was one of the more unusual talks that I have heard from a style standpoint. If it stands out in my mind, perhaps it has also in others which is perhaps the whole point of the style of this talk.
Looking back on the talk, the parts I remember most are….
“The Lord’s way is not hard. Life is hard, not the gospel”. I’m really glad he mentioned this. Life is much harder without the gospel than with the gospel. When you have the gospel, the Holy Ghost acts like a compass to help steer us out of harm’s way. Otherwise, we feel beat up by life. “We can either follow the Lord and be endowed with His power and have peace, light, strength, knowledge, confidence, love, and joy, or we can go some other way, any other way, whatever other way, and go it alone—without His support, without His power, without guidance, in darkness, turmoil, doubt, grief, and despair. And I ask, which way is easier?” Can anybody say it more clearly?
He continues …
“He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; . . . and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Life is hard, but life is simple. Get on the path and never, ever give up. You never give up. You just keep on going. You don’t quit, and you will make it.
There is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. Jesus Christ is the Way. Every other way, any other way, whatever other way is foolishness.
I bear record of Him, even Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of the living God, He is the Bread of Life, He is the Truth, He is the Resurrection and the Life, He is the Savior and the Light of the World. He is the Way, the only Way.”
In essence, Don’t stop, never give up - just keep going.
A good message in these times.
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08.30.08
Posted in General Information at 7:44 am by Administrator
Below is my talk I will be giving on Sunday in church. I’m posting it here for later viewing …
Introduction:
Myself and My Callings
1. I’ve been in the branch nearly 3 years
2. My current callings include
a. Emergency Coordinator
b. Branch Employment Specialist
c. Cannery Representative
d. Home Teacher
Sharing Truth:
1. Who can deny the truth in these scriptures:
a. Moses 1: 39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
b. Alma 37: 45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
c. James 1: 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
2. Words such as these have changed history
3. Today, all we do is open a book, and there they are.
4. Yet we seldom think about the sacrifice that went into printing them …
Printing the book of Mormon
Taken from the December 1972 Ensign called “The Book of Mormon Goes to Press”
• Joseph Smith originally requested 5,000 copies of a book from a newspaper publisher, and originally refused, mostly because of its volume and the technology available in the day.
• Martin Harris eventually sold 151 acres of his farm to pay for publishing the Book of Mormon.
• Finally, in 1829, the printing equipment of the Wayne Sentinel, started printing the Book of Mormon
Folding … One example of how much work it was:
The Book of Mormon was printed one “sheet” at a time. A printers’ “sheet” was composed of sixteen pages, all printed on one sheet of paper, with eight pages on each side. The type was arranged, or “paged,” so that the pages would be in the correct order after the printed sheets were folded. This arrangement process was called imposition.
The printers of the Book of Mormon used a “right angle imposition.” This meant that when the large piece of paper that carried the imposition was folded down to eight leaves, each new fold had to be made at right angles to the previous one. The result of the folding was eight leaves of paper with printing on both sides, or the sixteen consecutive pages that made up the signature.
The folding of these sheets of paper was usually done by the girls and women in the printer’s family. A bone folding stick was used to make the fold neat and sharp. The folders could usually achieve great speed and accuracy in folding these right-angle impositions.
Assuming that folding was done continuously as the printing progressed, some 30,816 sheets could have been folded every month. This would have been at a rate of 7,704 sheets per week, or 1,284 sheets per day, six days a week. If three girls had been working each day, they would have folded 428 sheets a piece. If it took one minute to fold one sheet, each girl would have had to put in at least 5 hours and 21 minutes per day. “
And that’s just a small look into what it took to actually print The Book of Mormon.
Sacrifice:
What it took
1. It took a lot to print the Book of Mormon.
2. Today it still takes a little sacrifice to share the precious truths
a. Many today call themselves “Cyber Missionaries”
i. They share the gospel truths on the Internet
b. We all know the vast resources of the Internet
i. Who could produce a talk, or a lesson without LDS.Org?
From the July 2008 Ensign Article, “Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet” Elder M. Russell Ballard
“In the span of nearly 80 years, I’ve seen many changes. When I began my mission in England in 1948, the most common way for people to get news was through newspapers and radio.
How different the world is today. For many of you, if you read newspapers, the chances are you read them on the Internet. Ours is the world of cyberspace, cell phones that capture video, video and music downloads, social networks, text messaging and blogs, handhelds and podcasts.
This is the world of the future, with inventions undreamed of that will come in your lifetime as they have in mine. How will you use these marvelous inventions? More to the point, how will you use them to further the work of the Lord?
The Phrase, “The world is just what you make of it” is a lot like The Internet, or anything else for that matter.
1. Drive a car down the wrong side of the road and there will be consequences.
2. Drive over the speed limit, and you are just asking for a ticket.
a. How many of us look in the review mirror, nervously scanning for black and white cars?
3. Yet, how many of us say that paved roads are evil?
a. It’s where the road leads, not the road itself.
Elder Ballard continues…
You have a great opportunity to be a powerful force for good in the Church and in the world. There is truth in the old adage that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” In many cases it is with words that you will accomplish the great things that you set out to do. And it’s principally about ways to share those words that I want to talk to you.
Words. Words can inspire and change a person when the moment is right. How do we get the word out that truth lives, Jesus Christ Lives, and divine guidance through the Gift and Power of the Holy Ghost also lives?
From its beginnings, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has used the power of the printed word to spread the message of the restored gospel throughout the world. The Lord, over the centuries, has had a hand in inspiring people to invent tools that facilitate the spreading of the gospel. The Church has adopted and embraced those tools, including print, broadcast media, and the Internet.
There are perhaps few inventions that have had a greater impact on the world than the printing press, invented by the inspired Johannes Gutenberg around 1436. The printing press enabled knowledge, including that contained in the Holy Bible, to be shared more widely than ever before. “
Talking Points
1. I myself know a little something regarding The Internet
a. I was one of about 25 project managers that helped to put in the very first commercial Internet circuits for ISPs.
b. Later, I was a Project Manager, one of about 100 project managers that assisted to put in the DSL network the major US telephone companies.
c. Today, I still work in the telecommunications industry
d. I currently have two websites, one which has extensive reference material and a blog regarding Emergency Preparedness.
Elder Ballard continues…
“There are conversations going on about the Church constantly. Those conversations will continue whether or not we choose to participate in them. But we cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches. While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the Church are established one conversation at a time.
Brothers and sisters I am a convert to the church, and I can tell you there are people in the world today, who can, and will attempt to define who you are. My personal advice, and in my own opinion, “don’t let them”.
Elder Bruce R McKonkie said,
“From the pen of Paul, we take this challenge:
“O man of God, … follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.” (1 Tim. 6:11–12.)
“In like manner taken, Those who have taken upon themselves the name of Christ and enlisted in the cause of truth and righteousness: Be valiant. Fight a good fight. Stand true. Keep the commandments. Overcome the world.”
Sometimes the task seems too great.
Brothers and sisters Church HQ can’t answer every telephone call or email request for more information…
Elder Ballard continues…
The challenge is that there are too many people participating in conversations about the Church for our Church personnel to converse with and respond to individually. We cannot answer every question, satisfy every inquiry, and respond to every inaccuracy that exists. We need to remember that there is a difference between interest and mere curiosity. Sometimes people just want to know what the Church is. And some who seek answers want them to come directly from a member of the Church. They appreciate one-on-one conversation.”
“Now, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration. Most of you already know that if you have access to the Internet you can start a blog in minutes and begin sharing what you know to be true. You can download videos from Church and other appropriate sites, including newsroom.lds.org, and send them to your friends. You can write to media sites on the Internet that report on the Church and voice your views as to the accuracy of the reports. This, of course, requires that you understand the basic principles of the gospel. It is essential that you are able to offer a clear and correct witness of gospel truths. It is also important that you and the people to whom you testify understand that you do not speak for the Church as a whole. You speak as one member—but you testify of the truths you have come to know.”
Things that you can do..
1. Participate in a blog.
a. Comment on church news, church articles that have been posted by those that already have a blog.
b. Ask the owner of the blog if you can contribute and write your own article.
c. Start your own blog
2. Send an Email
a. Send your friends links to church news, blog articles with your comments about how you feel about them.
3. Create your own website
a. If you are an expert in something, start your own website.
i. There is nothing wrong with sharing what you believe, as long as you state it is your own belief
From the August 2008 Ensign Article, “May We So Live” by President Thomas S. Monson.
“How fragile life, how certain death. We do not know when we will be required to leave this mortal existence. And so I ask, “What are we doing with today?” If we live only for tomorrow, we’ll eventually have a lot of empty yesterdays. Have we been guilty of declaring, “I’ve been thinking about making some course corrections in my life. I plan to take the first step—tomorrow”? With such thinking, tomorrow is forever. Such tomorrows rarely come unless we do something about them today. As the familiar hymn teaches:
There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.
Summary
What will we do with truth when we know it?
When we feel inspired, do we write it down, do we pray about it and act on it?.
Sacrifice
1. When a Spiritual Challenge is placed before us to act, it nearly always requires sacrifice. Conversely, the sacrifice nearly always seems too great, too hard, requires too much time, too many resources or something else. But what we don’t often enough realize is that the payoff of spiritual investing is cumulative and compounding. In the end, sacrifice is hardly the end result.
Sacrifice Stories
• Accident on the I-5 Overpass.
• Post on an LDS Forum about 3 Month Supply – Over 2000 Hits, with over 300 responses.
• Moving from Oregon –
o Selling the business
Testimony
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08.29.08
Posted in General Information at 8:11 am by Administrator
This blog is a comment on the Ensign article “Single and Steadfast: Lessons in Hope” for August 2008.
As many know, I too am single. I sort of started to glance through this article because I have been single for a while, and am comfortable with my status. And yet, I felt I needed to read this article and try and put something in the blog.
The part that really sticks out for me is this…..
“There is a difference between accepting a feeling as legitimate and real and being defined by that feeling. Often, real feelings deepen and expand when they are minimized or ignored. When singles experience feelings of loss, if they and those close to them will acknowledge and accept the feelings as simply real, singles can more readily transcend the pain and avoid defining themselves by their marital status or their feelings. They can then start to feel more confident, get their emotional bearings, and begin to consider healthy questions and options. For instance, singles might ask themselves, “What exactly am I feeling right now?” rather than imagining what they might feel if their singleness persists.”
I’d just really like to reiterate that point … that we should not allow ourselves to be defined by our own status…. in this case, our marital status.
It is my testimony that anyone can accomplish anything … eventually … as long as we do our part and let the grace of God fill in the rest.
Life is good, let it show!
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08.19.08
Posted in General Information at 7:18 am by Administrator
May We So Live - Ensign - June 2008
I was looking back on some of the church magazines and ran accross another article by President Henry Eyring.
I must admit, I’m really starting to like this guy. The article is about following the counsel of the leadership, and gaining the blessings of safety when doing so.
“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).”
This should help us understand that following the prophet is important, even in matters where it may not appear to be a commandment.
“Another fallacy is to believe that the choice to accept or not accept the counsel of prophets is no more than deciding whether to accept good advice and gain its benefits or to stay where we are. But the choice not to take prophetic counsel changes the very ground upon which we stand. That ground becomes more dangerous. The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired counsel in the future. The best time to have decided to help Noah build the ark was the first time he asked. Each time he asked after that, each failure to respond would have lessened sensitivity to the Spirit. And so each time his request would have seemed more foolish, until the rain came. And then it was too late.”
I was thinking, as an emergency coordinator, how I would convince people in my branch how important it is to be prepared. For example, If I knew there was going to be a certain type of disaster, I naturally would try all I could to get them to prepare for it. But what would it be like if they didnt listen?
“God offers us counsel not just for our own safety but for the safety of His other children, whom we should love. There are few comforts so sweet as to know that we have been an instrument in the hands of God in leading someone else to safety. That blessing generally requires the faith to follow counsel when it is hard to do.
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.”
He continues …
“You will hear and read inspired counsel from prophets of God to reach out to new members of the Church. Those with the faith of Reddick Newton Allred will keep offering friendship even when it seems not to be needed or to have no effect. They will persist. When some new member reaches the point of spiritual exhaustion, members of faith will be there offering kind words and fellowship. They will then feel the same divine approval Brother Allred felt when he saw those handcart pioneers struggling toward him, knowing he could offer them safety because he had followed counsel when it was hard to do.
While the record does not prove it, I am confident that Brother Allred prayed while he waited. I am confident that his prayers were answered. He then knew that the counsel to stand fast was from God. We must pray to know that. I promise you such prayers of faith will be answered.
Sometimes we will receive counsel that we cannot understand or that seems not to apply to us, even after careful prayer and thought. Don’t discard the counsel, but hold it close. If someone you trusted handed you what appeared to be nothing more than sand with the promise that it contained gold, you might wisely hold it in your hand awhile, shaking it gently. Every time I have done that with counsel from a prophet, after a time the gold flakes have begun to appear, and I have been grateful.
We are blessed to live in a time when the priesthood keys are on the earth. We are blessed to know where to look and how to listen for the voice that will fulfill the promise of the Lord that He will gather us to safety. I pray that we will have humble hearts, that we will listen, that we will pray, and that we will wait for the deliverance of the Lord that is sure to come as we are faithful.”
I suppose to those that dont listen, I must continue to be that annoying guy that tells them to prepare for Eathquakes & Power outages by having a 72 hour kit and having an evacuation plan! Talk about battles!
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08.07.08
Posted in General Information, LDS Doctrine at 9:28 pm by Administrator
Of course, the title says it all. Its this month’s First Presidency message from the August 2008 Ensign.
The article starts off talking about the September 11th attacks. A story about a traveler who was interupted by the event who notices some missionaries…
“Countless were the reports we heard of those who were touched in some way—either directly or indirectly—by the events of that day. Rebecca Sindar was on a flight from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Dallas, Texas, on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Her flight, like all others in the United States at that time of tragedies, was interrupted; the plane was grounded in Amarillo, Texas. Sister Sindar reported: “We all left the plane and found televisions in the airport, where we crowded around to see the broadcast of what had happened. People were lined up to call loved ones to assure them we were safely on the ground. I shall always remember the 12 or so missionaries who were on their way to the mission field on our flight. They made phone calls, and then we saw them huddled in a circle in a corner of the airport, kneeling in prayer together. How I wish I could have captured that moment to share with the mothers and fathers of those sweet young men as they saw the need for prayer right away.””
At first glance, you’d think this was about dealing with tragedy. But the more I read, the more I truley understood his message …
“Death eventually comes to all humankind. It comes to the aged as they walk on faltering feet. Its summons is heard by those who have scarcely reached midway in life’s journey, and often it hushes the laughter of little children. Death is one fact that no one can escape or deny.
Frequently death comes as an intruder. It is an enemy that suddenly appears in the midst of life’s feast, putting out its lights and gaiety. Death lays its heavy hand upon those dear to us and at times leaves us baffled and wondering. In certain situations, as in great suffering and illness, death comes as an angel of mercy. But for the most part, we think of it as the enemy of human happiness.”
Death. One day we will all face it. When that day comes, sooner or later, we may ask ourselves have we fought the good fight?
“How fragile life, how certain death. We do not know when we will be required to leave this mortal existence. And so I ask, “What are we doing with today?” If we live only for tomorrow, we’ll eventually have a lot of empty yesterdays. Have we been guilty of declaring, “I’ve been thinking about making some course corrections in my life. I plan to take the first step—tomorrow”? With such thinking, tomorrow is forever. Such tomorrows rarely come unless we do something about them today. As the familiar hymn teaches:
There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.7
Let us ask ourselves the questions: “Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?” What a formula for happiness! What a prescription for contentment, for inner peace—to have inspired gratitude in another human being.
Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved.”
Do we really go the extra mile when called to? When we are inspired to do something, do we do it? Or do we fear it? For whatever the reason we delay, will the day come when we just run out of time?
“May we resolve from this day forward to fill our hearts with love. May we go the extra mile to include in our lives any who are lonely or downhearted or who are suffering in any way. May we “[cheer] up the sad and [make] someone feel glad.” May we live so that when that final summons is heard, we may have no serious regrets, no unfinished business, but will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.””
The way I look at it is simple. We have to really go the extra mile. For whatever hinders us, if it be attitude or fear, we can overcome it. And when we do we’ll find life is so much better from the blessing we’ll wonder what were we thinking? LOL. Sooner or later …. lets make it sooner!
Mark
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07.29.08
Posted in General Information, LDS Doctrine at 7:32 am by Administrator
Last week I was reading from the July Ensign the article: President Henry B. Eyring - Called of God. I was impressed on several things in that article. One of them I have outlined below …
” Hal (President Henry B. Eyring) was enjoying tenure at Stanford and serving as bishop of the Stanford First Ward. With his in-laws living nearby, “things were set,” he recalls. But in the middle of the night in 1971, Kathleen (his wife) woke him with two unusual questions: “Are you sure you are doing the right thing with your life?”
Wondering how they could be any happier, Hal asked, “What do you mean?”
Kathleen replied, “Couldn’t you be doing studies for Neal Maxwell?”
Neal A. Maxwell had just been appointed Commissioner of the Church Educational System. Neither Hal nor Kathleen knew him, but Kathleen felt that perhaps her husband could be doing more to change lives.
“Doing studies for Neal Maxwell—at my stage of my career?” Hal responded. After all, he thought, “ ‘Doing studies’ was something a young graduate student might do.”
Following a pause, Kathleen said, “Will you pray about it?” ”
“At that stage in his marriage, Hal knew better than to ignore his wife’s counsel. He got out of bed, knelt, and uttered a prayer. “I got no answer,” he says, “and I felt terrific about it because I didn’t want to go anywhere.”
The following day during bishopric meeting, a voice that Hal has come to know well came to his mind and rebuked him for treating lightly his wife’s prompting. “You don’t know what way is up in your career,” he was told. “If you ever get another job offer, you bring it to me.”
Hal was shaken by the experience and immediately returned home. “We’ve got a problem,” he told Kathleen. He feared he had made a mistake by passing up several job offers he had received while at Stanford. “I had never prayed over any of them,” he says. Humbled, he began praying about his future.
Less than a week after Kathleen’s late-night questions, Commissioner Maxwell called and invited Hal to Salt Lake City for a meeting. He flew out the next day, and the two men met at the home of Hal’s parents. The first words out of Commissioner Maxwell’s mouth were “I’d like to ask you to be the president of Ricks College.”
Even his wife’s prompting and the spiritual rebuke he had received hadn’t prepared him for such a surprise. He told Commissioner Maxwell that he would need to pray about it. After all, he knew little about Ricks College. The next morning he met with the First Presidency. Afterward, Commissioner Maxwell told him the job was his if he wanted it.”
This part of the article really struck a cord with me. I love what I do, and yet I know its not the most money in the world. But it does allow me personally to serve in my Branch in the capacity and level which the Lord wants. We often think of material things as a measuring stick in our lives as to our success. But I believe serving the Lord and giving back is much more important. Besides, I’ve come to know that the more we give up for the Lord, the more he simply makes up for.
President Eyring … what an awesome guy! It’s a Good thing he listened to his wife!
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07.23.08
Posted in Home Storage, Survival Kits at 7:24 am by Administrator
72 Hour kits are important when you or your family needs to evacuate in an emergency. They contain only the essentials of survival in a portable back pack or container. These essentials include food and water as well as other life sustaining items.
The Church Newsroom Article, “Mormons Work With Communities to Prepare for Hurricanes” 5 July 2007, recommends that people prepare for emergencies, which is not automatically part of today’s socieity…
“Mormons have made necessary preparations to protect their homes and families in the event of a weather disaster, at the same time many have volunteered to help prepare their communities for a Hurricane Katrina-like catastrophe.
“Today’s typical American family lifestyle is not one that encourages preparing for future need,” said Patte Comstock, the Church’s public affairs director for southeast Texas. “We can, however, have peace of mind by proactively preparing for tomorrow and controlling the extent to which we could become a victim of disasters and emergencies.”
Dr. Hal Black, a dentist in Prairie View, Texas, and also a local Church leader, had such an opportunity when he was asked by Mayor Frank Jackson to present information on 72-hour emergency kits during a monthly city council meeting in May.
“The Church invests a great deal of resources and effort to help teach the principles of individual and family preparedness,” explained Dr. Black, “not only to our members but also to our neighbors.”
Another Church Newsroom Article, “Local Churches Teach How to Plan for Disasters” 7 May 2007, gives further information about 72 Hour kits…
“Members of the local Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian and Latter-day Saint congregations in Orlando hosted a free emergency preparedness training seminar last week. Twenty information booths were set up in the St. Margaret Mary Catholic church. Topics included water storage, food rotation, family emergency plans and 72-hour emergency kits.
In addition to booths, classes were provided in which experts spoke on city preparedness, severe weather and family preparedness.
“I learned how to prepare my family,” said 13-year old Shaina — one of the youngest attendees at the fair. “Being prepared will take your fear away and calm you.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides resources, including a Web site, that teach people how to select the right food and non-food items, as well as how to prepare for emergency situations. Information is also available on long-term food storage.
The First Presidency — the highest governing body of the Church — has asked that members be prepared “so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors.”
In April, the Church introduced two new pamphlets that teach the basics of food storage and financial preparedness.”
Further information on 72 hour kits can be found on the LDSReady.org website located at the LDSReady Website. Find a 72 Hour kit check list here.
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07.21.08
Posted in General Information, LDS Doctrine at 7:18 am by Administrator
This article in the Ensign for June 2008 is called “Making Time to Be Holy“. The article is about several very busy saints in Hong Kong. They teach us how they cope with callings and keeping in balance our spiritual lives while also living in a busy society.
“Chow Shu Wai, 28, a manufacturing supervisor, works 70 hours a week. Yuen Lung Sing, 29, works more than 50 hours a week as a structural engineer. Kathy, 28, also works about 50 hours per week in sales and customer service. Chan Misty Lai Ming, a 27-year-old research assistant, and Tsang Dick Hing Leung, a 28-year-old mechanical engineer, both work about 45 hours.
And then these faithful young adult members accept the added responsibilities that come with Church callings, in which they each spend 5 to 15 hours a week. The group includes a stake Young Women president, a counselor in the stake Young Men presidency, a counselor in the ward Sunday School presidency, a president of the region institute council, and a stake young single adult representative.
To find some time for personal spiritual renewal, the friends say one has to plan for it. That sometimes means getting creative or sleeping less, including getting up earlier, going to bed later, and making use of commuting time and breaks at work.
“If we have the will to make time for things like scripture study, then it is easy to find time for them,” says Dick. “It’s when we don’t have a plan that we are more likely to waste any free time we find.” “
The introduction pretty much spells it out. These are people that are very busy at work, with one that works up to 70 hours a week!
““There are a lot of distractions in the world,” says Misty. For example, Misty mentions MP3 players, which allow you to take your favorite music with you wherever you go, but they can keep you from concentrating.
“I gave up my MP3 player almost a year ago,” she says. “It made it too hard to focus. I can’t think or ponder with my MP3 player going.”
Dick talks about TV. “If I have time for TV, I have time for scriptures,” he says. “We need to find a balance and do the right thing at the right time.”
For these young adults, the problem is not watching bad shows or listening to inappropriate music. The problem is letting entertainment take up what little time they have for spiritual things.”
The article is about not letting entertainment take up time that can be used for spiritual balance.
““These young adults are making time to be holy and freeing themselves from worldly things because the Lord has commanded us to “organize yourselves, and prepare yourselves, and sanctify yourselves; yea, purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me. …”
But why He has commanded us to be holy is as important as understanding how to accomplish it.
“… that I may make you clean; that I may testify unto your Father, and your God, and my God, that you are clean from the blood of this wicked generation” (D&C 88:74–75).
“Life can be crazy,” says Dick, looking out over the endless bustle of Hong Kong at night. “When we make time for the Savior in life, we can have His help to overcome our challenges. Nothing in the world is as important to me as being able to return to my Father in Heaven.””
The article continues with a quote from President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, “Education for Real Life,” Ensign, Oct. 2002, 18, 20, 21.
““We will have to make some hard choices of how we use our time. But there should never be a conscious choice to let the spiritual become secondary as a pattern in our lives. Never. …
“… When we put God’s purposes first, He will give us miracles. …
“… Those apparent prison walls of ‘not enough time’ will begin to recede, even as you are called to do more.” ”
So, it’s a matter of managing time. Not spending it when you need not, but also utilizing time that could be used for study. One of the things I do is try to listen to good music when I commute, on my lunch break study church magazines, and make personal study part of my daily routine.
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