Today I got to teach Elder's Quorum. It was fairly intimidating. I told Tamisha that I think I would rather give a talk!
The lesson was on Elder Holland's talk from this last General Conference called "The Lamb of God" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2019/04/28holland?lang=eng
I found it interesting to think about offering a sacrificial lamb. The Israelite's were told to offer the first born of the flock as a way of repenting of their sins. I'm sure there is much more involved in this as I did a little research and found there were several sacrifices that they did. But in sacrificing a lamb they would not be able to do this very often or they wouldn't have any sheep left. Compare that with today and we can offer our broken heart and contrite spirit every day.
A comment was made that made me really think about the broken heart part. I think the opposite of a broken heart is a hardened heart. I feel having a hard heart has a lot to do with Pride. I found a Christian blogger that posted on how to tell if you have a hard heart.
The first point he made is you don't feel like talking to anyone. This is more then just talking about the weather. It's being able to be vulnerable and really talk about what is going on with you in your life. The second is not wanting to take anyone's advice. All of his points really go together along the lines of feeling you are better than others and not wanting to communicate with them.
As Elder Holland continues with his talk he talks about the sacrament and how as we sit there trying to humble ourselves we should also think about those around us. I feel this is a great way to help keep our hearts soft. Not by comparing our situation and thinking how much greater we are then they are but by really thinking of them and helping them where we can. Service is a great way to come to God as well. When we are in the service of our fellow beings we are only in the service of God. And when we do it unto the least of our brethren we do it onto Him.
The last few thoughts I had from this lesson come from His Apostolic Plea. What an interesting phrase that we should all take note of. He's not just asking or warning but pleading with us as an Apostle of the Lord. I asked my quorum members how we can make our church services more reverent and reduce the clamor. I jokingly said my baby is the loudest and disrupts the meeting the most. One thought that came to me after is we saw a family one of our first weeks in the new ward that both parents were on their phones during sacrament meeting playing games or something and both of their kids were also on their phones on social media or something. So reverence does not always mean silence. Several quorum members also commented on this. One talked about his time in a singles ward how everyone was deathly silent. Others talked about reverence children. Above all I think we all need to try to be listening to what is being said, both our physical ears and our spiritual ears. As we do this our meetings will become better.
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Taking upon us the name of Christ
In Elder's Quorum today the lesson was on a talk from October 2018 Conference titled All Must Take Upon Them the Name Given of the Father. The instructor is a member of the bishopric in my new Ward. He started by writing a bunch of numbers on the board. 1, 2, 3.1415, 13, 72, 1,000,003 and asked us what each of them meant. We gave several different answers. I like one million and three because I didn't know that was the first Prime number after 1 million! He then asked what the answer to each of these numbers plus infinity was. Each answer is infinity.
All of our names were also written on the board. He then asked us what each of us plus Christ would equal. Someone pointed out that it would be perfection. He thought that was the most appropriate answer. In the talk mentioned above it talks about partaking of something like when we take a drink of something. That then becomes part of us. So when we take the name of Christ He becomes part of us. It can also mean that we take His mission or goals to be our mission or goals.
The discussion turned towards how parents encourage their child when their child is first learning to walk. They don't let her get discouraged if they fall down. It doesn't matter if it takes a day, a week or a month they would always offer encouragement and love towards their child. Likewise, our Father in Heaven isn't going to condemn us when we make mistakes. It might take a month, a year, a decade or even our whole lives to become what He wants and needs us to become. He will always be there for us.
I've been thinking a lot lately of how my actions and attitudes towards my children would sometimes be very scary if that is the way Heavenly Father acted and felt about me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not beating my children. Sometimes I do get upset at little things that they do and wonder if they will ever make it in the world. Little things like not flushing the toilet or using toilet paper. or leaving little messes everywhere they go. I need to realize that them growing up isn't going to happen in a day, a week or a month. It won't even happen in a year or a decade! I need to show more love towards them and encouragement.
I also was thinking today that we should live our lives backwards sort of. Not Benjamin Bucket style where we start as old people and grow younger and younger. But we should have what we want in our old age in mind and live with that vision in our mind. If we want to be surrounded by our grandchildren and taken care of by our children we should live now in a way that will allow us to realize those dreams.
Along those lines I just had a thought of how that is very similar to a vision board or to the movie called The Secret. I just recently watched that and its very basic level is that we need to imagine the things that we want and it will come to us. The Universe will send us the things that we focus on. I believe it's sort of the same but focusing on our actions and deeds instead of just putting the thought out there.
All of our names were also written on the board. He then asked us what each of us plus Christ would equal. Someone pointed out that it would be perfection. He thought that was the most appropriate answer. In the talk mentioned above it talks about partaking of something like when we take a drink of something. That then becomes part of us. So when we take the name of Christ He becomes part of us. It can also mean that we take His mission or goals to be our mission or goals.
The discussion turned towards how parents encourage their child when their child is first learning to walk. They don't let her get discouraged if they fall down. It doesn't matter if it takes a day, a week or a month they would always offer encouragement and love towards their child. Likewise, our Father in Heaven isn't going to condemn us when we make mistakes. It might take a month, a year, a decade or even our whole lives to become what He wants and needs us to become. He will always be there for us.
I've been thinking a lot lately of how my actions and attitudes towards my children would sometimes be very scary if that is the way Heavenly Father acted and felt about me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not beating my children. Sometimes I do get upset at little things that they do and wonder if they will ever make it in the world. Little things like not flushing the toilet or using toilet paper. or leaving little messes everywhere they go. I need to realize that them growing up isn't going to happen in a day, a week or a month. It won't even happen in a year or a decade! I need to show more love towards them and encouragement.
I also was thinking today that we should live our lives backwards sort of. Not Benjamin Bucket style where we start as old people and grow younger and younger. But we should have what we want in our old age in mind and live with that vision in our mind. If we want to be surrounded by our grandchildren and taken care of by our children we should live now in a way that will allow us to realize those dreams.
Along those lines I just had a thought of how that is very similar to a vision board or to the movie called The Secret. I just recently watched that and its very basic level is that we need to imagine the things that we want and it will come to us. The Universe will send us the things that we focus on. I believe it's sort of the same but focusing on our actions and deeds instead of just putting the thought out there.
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Come Follow Me
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has released a new program to help members learn the Gospel. It is called Come Follow Me - For Individuals and Families: New Testament. I'm excited to go through the New Testament again and am excited to share the Gospels with my family.
For any that might fall upon this I hope you enjoy my personal thoughts and perhaps thoughts from my children and wife.
For any that might fall upon this I hope you enjoy my personal thoughts and perhaps thoughts from my children and wife.
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Real intent
Today during Elder's Quorum the instructor mentioned something that really struck a chord with me. He was discussing Conference and how President Nielsen suggested that we study the conference talks with real intent. He asked about the definition of intent. I had never really thought much about the word, just thinking that it meant with real desire.
In Moroni 10:4, Moroni promises us that if we ask with real intent, having faith in Jesus Christ then He will make those things know unto us. When I had read those words I guess I always just thought that they meant real desire.
When the instructor asked us what an intention was and that might help us understand the base word of intent. An intention is something you plan to do. It reminds me of a joke that Joe Anderson always said over the headset while working with the Forgotten Carols. He said, "Crying children are like good intentions and should be carried out".
This all led me to look up the definition in the dictionary. An intent is a usually clearly formulated or planned intention. An intention according to the dictionary is a determination to act in a certain way. So an intent is a clearly formulated or planned determination to act in a certain way. WOW! That changes the passage in Moroni for me.
Here's the complete fourth verse:
I think I've been missing this in my worship. I feel like many of us just go to church, or pray or read and expect something miraculous to happen when it is our responsibility to have a determination planned out to act, TO ACT! The gospel is about action, about doing all we can and not letting things just happen to us.
In Moroni 10:4, Moroni promises us that if we ask with real intent, having faith in Jesus Christ then He will make those things know unto us. When I had read those words I guess I always just thought that they meant real desire.
When the instructor asked us what an intention was and that might help us understand the base word of intent. An intention is something you plan to do. It reminds me of a joke that Joe Anderson always said over the headset while working with the Forgotten Carols. He said, "Crying children are like good intentions and should be carried out".
This all led me to look up the definition in the dictionary. An intent is a usually clearly formulated or planned intention. An intention according to the dictionary is a determination to act in a certain way. So an intent is a clearly formulated or planned determination to act in a certain way. WOW! That changes the passage in Moroni for me.
Here's the complete fourth verse:
If we ask with a sincere heart, with real clearly formulated or planned determination to act in a certain way, the certain way that the Lord might reveal to us, then he will manifest the truth of it unto you. This changes everything! When we pray or when we listen to conference we should be praying and listening in a way that will help us act upon what we are hearing or praying for. It no longer just being acted upon. We should have the determination to live and do the things which we hear and pray for. No longer can we ask to bless so-and-so, we should ask but have a clearly defined plan on how we are going to act. No longer can we ask to help us be kind to one another, but we should already have a determination to be kind to one another.4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
I think I've been missing this in my worship. I feel like many of us just go to church, or pray or read and expect something miraculous to happen when it is our responsibility to have a determination planned out to act, TO ACT! The gospel is about action, about doing all we can and not letting things just happen to us.
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Compelled to Search the Scriptures
In Jacob 7 we read of an antichrist named Sherem. I've read this story many times. A man comes to the prophet and tries to claim that the law of Moses is the truth and that there should be no Christ. Jacob asks if he has read the scriptures and Sherem says he has. The contend for a while and in the end Sherem asks for a sign to be given.
I often have wondered about a time when I was a teen and we went to the Manti Pageant. Outside of the Temple gates were a bunch of protesters. I found this very interesting and intriguing that people my age would go to someones place of worship to contend with them. Now I realize that while we do not advocate going to someones place of worship to preach the gospel we do send young men and women out to teach others. Anyway, there was a man there that was pretty in your face and the thing I remember most was he was talking about a test. He wouldn't flat out tell everyone what the test was but wanted to get you one on one and have you promise to do the test. I can't help but wonder if he, like Sherem, knew the scriptures were true but still chose to go out of his way to temp the Lord.
Continuing in the story in Jacob 7 I found it very interesting that the people that were all around Sherem when he died also fell to the earth. I didn't recall this from the other times I've read the scriptures. The first time I remember a whole multitude falling to the earth was in Alma. It wasn't until after this that the people began to search the scriptures. It's such an easy thing to do and yet I don't think many people have daily scripture study. Maybe the people were casually reading the scriptures, maybe they were only reading them at church. I know I've had many occasions that I fell into this camp.
I've felt very stagnant in my relationship with Heavenly Father for the last few years. I go to church, I do my calling but at home I wasn't reading my scriptures and I wasn't praying. Over the last year I have been longing to regain some spirituality that I had felt I had lost. I think having a new baby probably does that to you. I felt that if I would pray every day then that might help me feel closer. My brother gave me some advice after telling me some of his experiences over the last year or so. He said if someone was really studying the scriptures then the other parts of the gospel would also come. If you are studying your scriptures you are also probably praying about what you've read. If you're studying your scriptures you are probably going to church and participating in the discussions. You're probably doing your Ministering and other callings.
I've been reading my scriptures almost every day ever since. While I can't say that I've felt a huge difference, I can say that do look forward to the time I have in the scriptures. I also feel like I've read things and have gotten insights for things that I need. The other interesting part of it is I really have felt that Elder's Quorum has gotten immensely better. Almost every week I've left feeling that the lesson was particularly directed to me and how I need to improve my life.
Sorry for a longer post. I've been feeling the need to testify of the need to read the scriptures on a more consistent basis. I'm not perfect, far from it, but I do feel that daily reading from the Book of Mormon and I also try to read a conference talk every morning too has helped my life be better. I feel like I am closer now then I was three months ago.
I often have wondered about a time when I was a teen and we went to the Manti Pageant. Outside of the Temple gates were a bunch of protesters. I found this very interesting and intriguing that people my age would go to someones place of worship to contend with them. Now I realize that while we do not advocate going to someones place of worship to preach the gospel we do send young men and women out to teach others. Anyway, there was a man there that was pretty in your face and the thing I remember most was he was talking about a test. He wouldn't flat out tell everyone what the test was but wanted to get you one on one and have you promise to do the test. I can't help but wonder if he, like Sherem, knew the scriptures were true but still chose to go out of his way to temp the Lord.
Continuing in the story in Jacob 7 I found it very interesting that the people that were all around Sherem when he died also fell to the earth. I didn't recall this from the other times I've read the scriptures. The first time I remember a whole multitude falling to the earth was in Alma. It wasn't until after this that the people began to search the scriptures. It's such an easy thing to do and yet I don't think many people have daily scripture study. Maybe the people were casually reading the scriptures, maybe they were only reading them at church. I know I've had many occasions that I fell into this camp.
I've felt very stagnant in my relationship with Heavenly Father for the last few years. I go to church, I do my calling but at home I wasn't reading my scriptures and I wasn't praying. Over the last year I have been longing to regain some spirituality that I had felt I had lost. I think having a new baby probably does that to you. I felt that if I would pray every day then that might help me feel closer. My brother gave me some advice after telling me some of his experiences over the last year or so. He said if someone was really studying the scriptures then the other parts of the gospel would also come. If you are studying your scriptures you are also probably praying about what you've read. If you're studying your scriptures you are probably going to church and participating in the discussions. You're probably doing your Ministering and other callings.
I've been reading my scriptures almost every day ever since. While I can't say that I've felt a huge difference, I can say that do look forward to the time I have in the scriptures. I also feel like I've read things and have gotten insights for things that I need. The other interesting part of it is I really have felt that Elder's Quorum has gotten immensely better. Almost every week I've left feeling that the lesson was particularly directed to me and how I need to improve my life.
Sorry for a longer post. I've been feeling the need to testify of the need to read the scriptures on a more consistent basis. I'm not perfect, far from it, but I do feel that daily reading from the Book of Mormon and I also try to read a conference talk every morning too has helped my life be better. I feel like I am closer now then I was three months ago.
Monday, September 24, 2018
2 Ne. 29
As I was reading this morning in the Book of Mormon I read 2 Nephi 29. In this chapter it talks about how many people will reject the Book of Mormon in our day. I've seen this with some friends and acquaintances recently with how they have become offended in one way or another and have subsequently fallen away from the church.
One lesson that I learned comes from verses 10 and 11.
Speaking of the last conference. I also read President Nelson's talk in Priesthood session Ministering with the Power and Authority of God. I feel like I've done what he mentions in the past. He talks of a father giving his daughter a name and a blessing but instead gives her a name and a nice prayer. We need to be worthy to actually bless our children and our wife. This makes me want to be more worthy to be able to receive the revelation to give powerful blessings to my children.
One lesson that I learned comes from verses 10 and 11.
11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.While I'm not supposing that I am so great that many people will read my words I also didn't miss that point that says the Lord commands all men that they shall write the words which I speak unto them. I believe in the most recent General Conference the Prophet suggested that we write down the things that we hear from the Lord.
12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.
Book of MormonScriptures
Speaking of the last conference. I also read President Nelson's talk in Priesthood session Ministering with the Power and Authority of God. I feel like I've done what he mentions in the past. He talks of a father giving his daughter a name and a blessing but instead gives her a name and a nice prayer. We need to be worthy to actually bless our children and our wife. This makes me want to be more worthy to be able to receive the revelation to give powerful blessings to my children.
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