Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 8-31-08

Priesthood Opening
Doctrine and Covenants 4:2
2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the ^aservice of God, see that ye ^bserve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand ^cblameless before God at the last day.

Announcements:
September 6 - 40th St Park Weber Heights Stake picnic. If you're bringing a salad to have it there by 5 p.m. Walk/run at 8 a.m. prime activity at 5 p.m.. Picnic at 6 p.m..The bishop said taping a priesthood blessing at home is allowable.

Elders' Quorum
The Elders' quorum president counseled us four things that we should calendar with his wife: temple attendance, family home evening, scripture study, family prayer.

1 Ne. 4: 14
14 And now, when I, Nephi, had heard these words, I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that: aInasmuch as thy seed shall keep my bcommandments, they shall cprosper in the dland of promise.

2 Ne. 4: 4
4 For the Lord God hath said that: aInasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.

Jarom 1: 9
9 And thus being prepared to meet the Lamanites, they did not prosper against us. But the word of the Lord was verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: aInasmuch as ye will keep my commandments ye shall bprosper in the land.

Omni 1: 6
6 For the Lord would not suffer, after he had led them out of the land of Jerusalem and kept and preserved them from falling into the hands of their enemies, yea, he would not suffer that the words should not be verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: aInasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not bprosper in the land.

Mosiah 1: 7
7 And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to asearch them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should bkeep the commandments of God, that ye may cprosper in the land according to the dpromises which the Lord made unto our fathers.

If we obey the commandments we will prosper in the land.

We talked about us being weak and the Lord will make up for our shortcomings if we do all we can.

We should calendar things so entertainment doesn't get in the way of responsibility. It is harder to procrastinate if things are planned for. Writing something down makes a sort of commitment to yourself.

Relief Society
The Parable of the Trumpet Vine was shared. It was something about someone having purchased a house and having truble with all the sun on one side of the house in the summer time. One spring the husband planted some stick looking things in front of the window. by the time summer came they had grown into a full vine and covered that corner of the house, giving it shade. When they sold the house the person bought it in the winter or spring and only saw sticks. They ripped them out not ever seeing the shade they provided.

Handout from Relief Society relating to The Parable of the Trumpet Vine:
1 Nephi 20:21
21 And they ^athirsted not; he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the ^brock for them; he clave the rock also and the waters gushed out.

1 Nephi 21:9-10

9 That thou mayest say to the ^aprisoners: Go forth; to them that sit in ^bdarkness: Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their ^cpastures shall be in all high places.

10 They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

John 4:10
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the ^agift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee ^bliving water.

Revelation 21:6
6 And he said unto me, It is done. ^aI am ^bAlpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the ^cwater of life freely.

2 Nephi 9:50

50 Come, my brethren, every one that ^athirsteth, come ye to the ^bwaters; and he that hath no ^cmoney, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Doctrine and Covenants 10:65-66

65 For, behold, I will ^agather them as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if they will not harden their hearts;

66 Yea, if they will come, they may, and partake of the ^awaters of life freely.

Sunday School
Book of Mormon - Lesson 33: “A Sure Foundation”
A house built on a firm foundation is better able to stay in place and support us and keep us safe when the world around us shifts, changes, or has things impacting on it. The same is true for or spiritual life. If we have a strong foundation under us when the world shifts, changes, or has things impacting on it we will not be taken down by them.

It was expressed that many are unsure how to pronounce the names Pahoran and Pacumini. I found this pronunciation guide for Book of Mormon names.

The Pronunciation Guide at the end of the Book of Mormon says that Pahoran is pronounced pa-hōr'un and Pacumeni is pronounced pā-kyū'mĕn-ī.

3 Ne. 11: 29

29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of ^acontention is not of me, but is of the ^bdevil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

The spirit of contention leads to being quick to anger and less charitable. Pride leads to contention.

Helaman 2:5
5 Therefore he did ^aflatter them, and also Kishkumen, that if they would place him in the judgment-seat he would grant unto those who belonged to his band that they should be placed in power and authority among the people; therefore Kishkumen sought to destroy Helaman.

Wanting more is different than wanting more than someone else.

Helaman 3:29
29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the ^aword of God, which is ^bquick and powerful, which shall ^cdivide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and ^dnarrow course across that everlasting ^egulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—

Sacrament Meeting
First Speaker
They based their remarks on a talk by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin titled Three Choices.
The three choices are repent, priorities, choose the right.

When we make mistakes we can not go back. We should start where we are and repent.

We believe in the repentance process, but do we really trust the Lord to forgive us and get us out of our sin.

She quoted from the book "Not withstanding my weakness" by Neal A. Maxwell

Are you willing to give up your favorite sin?

Second Speaker
Mosiah 3:19
19 For the ^anatural ^bman is an ^cenemy to God, and has been from the ^dfall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he ^eyields to the enticings of the Holy ^fSpirit, and ^gputteth off the ^hnatural man and becometh aⁱsaint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a ^jchild, ^ksubmissive, meek, humble, patient, fullof love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

Alma gives the Answer to Cain's question as to whether we are our brother's keeper.

Mosiah 18: 8
8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are ^adesirous to come into the ^bfold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

He quoted from chapter 6 of The Screwtape Letters, "The great thing is to direct the malice to his immediate neighbors whom he meets everyday and to thrust his benevolence out to the remote circumference, to people he does not know. The malice thus becomes wholly real and the benevolence largely imaginary. There is no good at all in inflaming his hatred of Germans if, at the same time, a pernicious habit of of charity is growing up between him and his mother,"

From the Bulletin:
"The Key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities..." (Stephen R. Covey).

Those who stand at the threshold of life always waiting for the right time to change are like the man who stands at the bank of a river waiting for the water to pass so he can cross on dry land. Today is the day of decision.

We become masters of our lives by focusing on first things first. We all have a pretty good idea of the most important decisions we need to make--decisions that will improve our lives and bring us greater happiness and peace. That is where we should start. That is where we should place our greatest effort.

First, choose to begin the process of repentance now. Do not delay. Attend your meetings and serve cheerfully in the Church. LEarn and live by gospel principles. Begin now to turn your steps toward the temple.

Second, choose your priorities. Let your family come first. Hold worthwhile family home evenings. Let the time that you spend with your families be consistent with how important they are. Cherish and nurture family members and never allow busy schedules and frustrations to drive a wege between you and your loved ones. Strive each day to be more obedient to the Lord's commandments.

Third, choose the right. Study the scriptures and the words of our prophet today. Apply these sacred teachings to your lives. Reach out to those in distress to relieve suffering and help others become self-reliant. As you do so, the Lord will be well pleased with you." (Elder Joseph B. Withlin, "Three Choices" Ensign November 2003).