Sunday, October 31, 2010

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah October 10-31-2010

3 Nephi 20:30-31
29 And I will aremember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would bgather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the cland of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father.
30 And it shall come to pass that the time cometh, when the fulness of my gospel shall be preached unto them;


Doctrine and Covenants 84:33
33 For whoso is afaithful unto the obtaining these two bpriesthoodsof which I have spoken, and the cmagnifying their calling, are dsanctified by the Spirit unto the erenewing of their bodies.

The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
Us
  • Obtain Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods
  • Magnify our calling- do your duty even if you are not asked to.


The Lord
  • Renewing our bodies - president hinckley was still and\ old man, he had so much energy to the day he died.
  • Blessings of Abraham/Joint heirs with Christ
  • Opportunities
  • Everything - The more and better we do our duty the more he gives us.
  • The more we can handle honorably, the more he gives us



Zedekiah and all the nobles of Judah were slain by the king of Babylon except one of the sons of Zedekiah.  One of his sons, Mulek, came to the Americas.

Helaman 8:21
21 And now will you dispute that aJerusalem was destroyed? Will ye say that the bsons of Zedekiah were not slain, all except it were cMulek? Yea, and do ye not behold that the seed of Zedekiah are with us, and they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem? But behold, this is not all—

Mosiah 25:2
2 Now there were not so many of the children of Nephi, or so many of those who were descendants of Nephi, as there were of the apeople of Zarahemla, who was a descendant of bMulek, and those who came with him into the wilderness.

Helaman 6:10
10 Now the land south was called aLehi, and the land north was called bMulek, which was after the cson of Zedekiah; for the Lord did bring Mulek into the land north, and Lehi into the land south.

What we the two evils the people were guilty of?
Jeremiah 2:13
13 For my people have committed two aevils; they have forsaken me the fountain of bliving waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

They had left the things of God and sought after things that are unable to give them lasting happiness.

“Material objectives consume too much of our attention. The struggle for what we need or for more than we need exhausts our time and energy. We pursue pleasure or entertainment, or become overinvolved in associations or civic matters. Of course, people need recreation, need to be achieving, need to contribute; but if these come at the cost of friendship with Christ, the price is much too high.

“‘For my people have committed two evils,’ said the Lord to Israel; ‘they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.’ (Jer. 2:13.)

“The substitutions we fashion to take the place of God in our lives truly hold no water. To the measure we thus refuse the “living water,” we miss the joy we could have.” (Marion D. Hanks, Joy through Christ, Ensign 1972)


Preparing for the blessings of the temple
13 temples in Utah and two more in planning or under constriction

“To dramatize the sacred and holy nature of the human body it is called a temple (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; D&C 93:35).”(Joseph Fielding McConkie, "Gospel Symbolism")

Preparation to go to the temple is necessary just as with sports or business ventures if we are to get everything out of it that we can.

“Sacred matters deserve sacred consideration...

Said the Lord, “Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit.” (D&C 63:64.) And again, “Trifle not with sacred things.” (D&C 6:12.)” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Keeping the Temple Holy”, April 1990 General Conference)

You prepare physically by dressing properly to go to the temple. It is not a place for casual attire. Latter-day prophets have emphasized self-respect for our physical bodies. That respect should be observed especially by those who would enter a holy temple.” (Elder Russell M. Nelson, Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple, Ensign, Oct. 2010)

My wife and I gave our talks this week that were postponed from last week.  I have included them below.

My wife’s talk:
{
I was asked to speak today on the Ensign article “Blessings of the Temple.” Given by President Thomas S. Monson. In the article it asks, “How far is heaven?” That is the question I would like you to think about today, How far is heaven? President Monson said, (quote) “I think there is no place in the world where I feel closer to the Lord than in one of His holy temples. The temple lifts us, exalts us, stands as a beacon for all to see, and points us toward celestial glory. It is the house of God. All that occurs within the walls of the temple is uplifting and ennobling.” (end of quote) As I started reading through the rest of the article I started looking for the list of blessing that we would receive for doing temple work. I started looking for an answer to the question, How far is heaven? I found that there was no outline of specific blessings, and no direct answer to the question. Which let me to think that this was one of those things that a person has to find out for them selves. As I started thinking how could I know or recognise temple blessings in my life. I thought back to the most wonderful temple experience I have ever had. We where living in Indianapolis, Indiana and the closest temple was in Louisville, Kentucky, about a two and half hour drive. I was going through a very hard time in my life, and wanting to go the the temple. So a friend of mine and I made arrangements for our kids, called to find out the days and times the temple was open, got directions and set off for a day at the temple. We had a few bumps on the way, and got lost a couple of time, but finally made it to the temple to find that it was closed. Some how we had gotten the days the temple was open wrong, and the day we had come was the day they were cleaning the temple. Broken hearted and on the verge of tears, my friend said, “Hey, why don’t we go ask if we can help clean the temple. At least that way we could go inside.” Of course the temple president said yes, and we were broke up into groups to clean. At this point I was feeling sorry for myself and my heart was not into cleaning. I could only think about how hard is was to find a babysitter, how hard it was to find someone to make the trip to the temple with me, and how long it would be before I would make it back. Well, me and an elderly lady got paired together to go wash windows and the big glass front doors to the temple. To top things off for me it was late fall and the weather was very cool, and one of us was going to have to go outside to wash the front doors and windows. Being that I was the much younger of the two of us, I volunteered to go out in the very cool weather. As I stood outside the temple washing the front doors I heard foot steps running toward me. As I turned and looked I saw a little girl run up toward the temple. When she got close and saw me, she stopped, and with big eyes she turn to the people walking behind her and said, “Mom angles clean the temple.” The little girl had never seen someone dressed in all white before. The little girl then came up to me and said, “Angle can you talk?” After talking to the little girl and her family. I found out that her parents were trying to get their lives together so that they could go to the temple and be sealed as a family. They had brought their children to the temple grounds that day, so they could see, talk, and set goals to be able to go inside the temple someday. Never had I seen such joy, such enthusiasm, and such excitement in people searching out temple blessings. I will never forget the experience I had that day with that little girl, and the great blessing she was to me. How far is heaven? That day it was not far at all.

The temple is not the only place to feel as if we are in heaven. President Monson said, (quote) “The temple is for families, one of the greatest treasures we have in mortality. The Lord has indicated that the greatest work we as parents can do is performed in our homes, and our homes can be heaven, particularly when we our marriages are sealed in the house of God.” (end of quote) Wow, that quote hit me hard when I read it. How far is heaven? Is it in my home? And how can I bring it to my home? Am I going to the temple with proper enthusiasm, and excitement? Before when I lived in Indiana going to the temple took a lot of planning and a lot of effort. Am I recognising the blessing of having so many temples so close to me? Am I doing all I can to make my temple visits a near heaven experience? President Monson said, (quote) “As we touch the temple and love the temple, our lives will reflect our faith. As we go to the holy house, as we remember the covenants we make therein, we will be able to bear every trial and overcome each temptation. The temple provides purpose for our lives. It brings peace to our souls.” (end of quote) So why do I procrastinate going to the temple? Why do I occupy my time with other things? I want to have the feeling I felt that day with the little girl outside the Louisville Kentucky Temple. I want to bring those feelings of heaven into my home. I want to be close to my Heavenly Father.
 President Monson shared an example of how temple blessings can be for the whole family. He said that Elder Matthew Cowley a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles took his granddaughter on a special birthday outing. Elder Cowley did not take his granddaughter to the zoo, or the movies, but to the temple grounds. As the two of them walked around Elder Cowley suggested that his granddaughter place her hand on the temple, and then he said to her. “Remember that this day you touched the temple. One day you will go inside.” The gift Elder Cowley gave his granddaughter that day was not candy or ice cream, but and experience far more significant and everlasting. An appreciation of the house of the Lord. Truly that little girl had touched the temple, and the temple had touched her. What am I as a parent teaching my children? I am the only member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints in my extended family.  If I don’t teach my children about temple blessings, who will? Am I setting the example that my children need? Am I doing all I can to bring temple blessings into my home? I ask again.

How far is heaven? I bear my testimony that it does not have to be far at all. It can be as close as the front door to our homes. It can be inside the walls and on the grounds of the temples them selves. We have the ability to live our lives so that temple blessing can be ours. My we all take the time to find out how close we really are to heaven. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
}

My Talk:
{
Assigned to pull from A Temple-Motivated People, by President Howard W. Hunter

My parents, my brother, and I joined the Church in Indiana when I was 14.  Over the almost twenty-five years since then I have seen every state around Indiana get a temple and have seen temple after temple be announced and built in Utah.

When I heard the words Indianapolis Indiana be spoken by the prophet as he announced the new temples in last conference I was overcome with powerful emotions.  Since then I have tried to comprehend what I was feeling.  Even though I know that the Lord’s hand is everywhere that stakes are organized and even just where two or three are gathered in his name, it was hard to feel that Indiana was less deserving of a temple than say places like Detroit.  To hear the the prophet speak the words, it was good to remember that he is aware of the saints in Indiana.

Once the temple is completed, it will still likely be closer for my parents to drive the two hours or so to go to the Chicago temple and many in the southern parts of the state will probably still go to the Louisville temple, but what an honor to have Indiana be a place that is home to a temple of the Lord.

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Many of us have small children.  Here’s what a trip to the temple in most parts of Indiana looks like if you have small children.  Find some one who has six to eight hours to watch your kids.  Right, cause you are going to be a minimum of two hours driving to the temple and a minimum of 2 hours at the temple and a minimum of two hours driving back.  If you have to go to Chicago and deal with Chicago traffic who knows what you’ll get.

Since it is embarrassing to ask someone for eight hours of their time, which will likely be on a Saturday, you will usually have to team up with another couple with small children and all go together.  Might as well plan on all day for this one.  Drive the two hours.  One couple goes to the temple, while the other stays with the children.  Then the next couple goes.  After that, it has been at least six hours.  The kids are screaming that they are hungry, so another 30 minutes to an hour for you to eat.  After the meal that brings us to at least 7 hours and you still have at least a two hour drive home.

Now that I live in Ogden, I find my self grumbling about having to drive all the way to Bountiful when the Ogden temple get remodeled.  Living in the little town I grew up in, our stake center was as far away as Bountiful is from Ogden and there was not a temple there or anywhere in between and I believe there was only one ward building between the two towns.

It is important that we do not take for granted the blessings of having temples close to us.  Bountiful is still close to us.

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A friend of mine who I grew up with says that he will drive to work and have the Draper, Oquirrh Mountain, and Jordan River temples all in his view at the same time and occasionally finds himself just going through his commute and forgetting that he is so blessed to see such a wonder and a blessing of temples encompassing the valley and to live and work close to them.

How often do we drive around downtown and pass the temple without considering what we have?  We have a temple not just in our state, but in our town.  Our hearts should be filled with gratitude every time it only takes us a few minutes to get to the temple and anytime we get to have it near us when we are running errands.

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In speaking of the temple President Howard W Hunter stated, “It is the house of the Lord. It is holy unto the Lord. It should be holy unto us.”

He also said, “I would hope that every adult member would be worthy of—and carry—a current temple recommend, even if proximity to a temple does not allow immediate or frequent use of it...”  ”Let us be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people. Let us hasten to the temple as frequently as time and means and personal circumstances allow. Let us go not only for our kindred dead, but let us also go for the personal blessing of temple worship, for the sanctity and safety which is provided within those hallowed and consecrated walls.”

In Doctrine and Covenants 88:119 we read:
“Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God”

Our homes and bodies are often referred to as being like the temple.  Are we establishing houses of prayer, of fasting, of faith, of learning, of glory, and of order?

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Jesus expressed his passion for the temple, in John 2:13-16
13 ¶ And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of amoney sitting:
15 And when he had made a ascourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

What sorts of things would Jesus find in our homes or our bodies that defile the temple of His Father?

President Hunter had this to say, “To have the temple indeed be a symbol unto us, we must desire it to be so. We must live worthy to enter the temple. We must keep the commandments of our Lord. If we can pattern our life after the Master, and take His teaching and example as the supreme pattern for our own, we will not find it difficult to be temple worthy, to be consistent and loyal in every walk of life, for we will be committed to a single, sacred standard of conduct and belief. Whether at home or in the marketplace, whether at school or long after school is behind us, whether we are acting totally alone or in concert with a host of other people, our course will be clear and our standards will be obvious.”

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Speaking on the subject of tithing, the prophet Malachi said, “cprove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not dopen you the ewindows of heaven, and pour you out a fblessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Just as with the principle of tithing and the covenants we have made to the Lord to pay it, I know that if we do what we have covenanted to do with regard to temple work and genealogy he will pour out blessings and improve our lives.

I know that the more engaged we are in this work, the more prosperous our nation, our city, our ward, and our homes will be.  I believe that our marriages will be stronger, our children will be more valiant, and we will be more protected from temptation.
}


From the Bulletin
"I believe that the busy person on the farm, in the shop, in the office, or in the household, who has his worries and troubles, can solve his problems better and more quickly in the house of the Lord than anywhere else. If he will... [do] the temple work for himself and for his dead, he will confer a mighty blessing upon those who have gone before, and ... a blessing will come to him, for at the most unexpected moments, in or out of the temple, will come to him, as a revelation, the solution of the problems that vex his life. That is the gift that comes to those who enter the temple properly." Elder John A Widtsoe, "Temple Worship," The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, April 1921, pp. 63 — 64.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah October 10-17-2010

“Today, as society escalates in complexity, many forces combine to cause an individual to feel unimportant and insignificant, sometimes reducing him to a number in government files, or on the university roster, or at the bank. As a result, he often senses that human life is trivial, little more than a bubble on the crest of a wave. Now, more than ever before, is the need for each individual to understand the love of a divine Father, in whose eyes he has an eternal place. More paramount than any discovery of science or glittering bit of worldly knowledge is the reinforcement of human worth given by the Lord through our Prophet Joseph Smith:” (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, The Worth of One: A Home Teacher’s Guide for Working with Inactive Members, Ensign January 1983)

Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16
15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one asoul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the akingdom of my Father, how great will be your bjoy if you should bring many csouls unto me!

Baptism
  • Outward expression of our covenants.
  • Gate to celestial kingdom
  • Beginning
  • The gift of the by is the sealing of the ordinance of baptism.  Many ordinances are sealed after being performed.  Anointing the sick is sealed by a blessing.  Certain temple ordinances are sealed after
  • being performed.
  • Rebirth - sins cleansed
Baptism is a choice.  This is likely one reason infant baptism is wrong.

Baptism is a symbol of death, burial, and resurrection.

Hymns
Mosiah 15:13-18 and Isaiah 52:7 - why feet?  Feet was how messengers
traveled to deliver messages.  Also missionaries today walk up to
people's doors and into their homes.

Missionary that recently returned from the Arizona Tusan mission spoke to us.

Doctrine and Covenants 18:14-16
14 Wherefore, you are called to acry repentance unto this people.
15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one asoul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the akingdom of my Father, how great will be your bjoy if you should bring many csouls unto me!

DIETER F. UCHTDORF, The Way of the Disciple, April 2009 General Conference
“A friend of mine recently wrote to me, confiding that he was having a difficult time keeping his testimony strong and vibrant. He asked for counsel.

“I wrote back to him and lovingly suggested a few specific things he could do that would align his life more closely with the teachings of the restored gospel. To my surprise, I heard back from him only a week later. The essence of his letter was this: ‘I tried what you suggested. It didn’t work. What else have you got?’

“Brothers and sisters, we have to stay with it. We don’t acquire eternal life in a sprint—this is a race of endurance. We have to apply and reapply the divine gospel principles. Day after day we need to make them part of our normal life.

“Too often we approach the gospel like a farmer who places a seed in the ground in the morning and expects corn on the cob by the afternoon...

“It is not enough merely to speak of Jesus Christ or proclaim that we are His disciples. It is not enough to surround ourselves with symbols of our religion. Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessings of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not a primary way of worshipping.”

Heavenly father knows us by name.

From the Bulletin
"Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught: "Faith is a gift
God bestowed as a reward for personal righteousness. It is always given when righteousness is present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God's laws the greater will be the endowment of faith" (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 264). If we desire more faith, we must be more obedient. When we teach our children by example or precept to be casual or situational in obeying God's commandments, we prevent them from receiving this vital spiritual gift. Faith requires an attitude of exact obedience, even in the small, simple things.
Desire is a particle of faith that develops within us as we experience divine truth. It is like spiritual photosynthesis. The influence of the Holy Ghost, acting on the Light of Christ within every human being, produces the spiritual equivalent of a chemical reaction—a stirring, a change of heart, or a desire to know. Hope develops as particles of faith become molecules and as simple efforts to live true principles occur.
As patterns of obedience develop, the specific blessings associated with obedience are realized and belief emerges. Desire, hope, and belief are forms of faith, but faith as a principle of power comes from a consistent pattern of obedient behavior and attitudes. Challenging times require greater spiritual power. Consider carefully the Savior's promise: "If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me" (Moroni 7:33).
Elder Kevin W. Pearson Of the Seventy