Sunday, July 29, 2012

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 29 July 2012

Ward Council
We should write our testimony in our journals and to others.

How the Ward Council Strengthens the Ward through Temple and Family History Work

“Temple and family history work is not only about redeeming the dead. This work is actually an integral part of one great work— the work of salvation (see Ephesians 1:10). As ward councils focus on the work of salvation, they should consider how temple and family history work can be a resource in accomplishing
the many aspects of the work of salvation.
“Ward councils do the following:
• “Strive to help individuals build testimonies, receive saving ordinances, keep covenants, and become consecrated followers of Christ (see Moroni 6:4–5)” (Handbook 2, 4.4).
• Determine how temple and family history work can help the ward accomplish the work of salvation, including member missionary work, convert retention, activation, and teaching the gospel.” (To Turn the Hearts, p13)

Joint Priesthood/Relief Society Meeting
Lesson on finance based on the pamphlet "One For the Money"

Doctrine and Covenants 29:34
34 Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created.


Being in debt is being in bondage.  God does not want his people in bondage.  The banks would have us believe it is freedom.

You can request your credit history for free online once a year.

Sunday School
Alma 36-39
Chapter 36 contains a chiasmus, which is a type of poetic writing.

Poetry is generally done deliberately and it would appear that Alma presents it this way to his son intentionally.

The center point of a chiasmus is the most important part.  The atonement is at the center of the chiasmus in chapter 36.

Alma 36:17-19
17 And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

Sacrament Service
Another one of the young women reported on girls camp.

One of the camp leaders also spoke.

Doctrine and Covenants 18:10
10 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;

Doctrine and Covenants 38:27
 27 Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.

Our yw pres spoke about camp too.

We must sacrifice things of value for things of worth.

From the Bulletin:
“Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount—that is the measure of God’s love for you. 7

“God does not look on the outward appearance. 8 I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.” (President Dieter F Uchtdorf, “The Love of God”, October 2009 Conference)

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 22 July 2012

Elders Quorum
The lesson was based on a conference talk by Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, Converted to His Gospel through His Church.

Elder Holstein conference talk
Conversion to the Church vs converted the gospel.

Conversion to the church is outward and conversion to the gospel is inward.

God has given us general commandments.  We should implement specific commandments for ourselves on how to keep His commandments and keep them more fully.

It is a lot easier to assess what others need to do and give them an implementation plan than it is to do it for ourselves.

We must be careful not to stagnate in our excuses.  Assess where we are at and keep walking.

God has the power to enable us to keep moving.  Grace = Enabling power.

Sunday School
Alma 31-35
Why is the story of Korihor so important to include in the bom?  We have people like this in our lives at times.  We also may find ourselves questioning our own faith.

Alma quotes Zenos much like Jacob did in allegory of the olive tree.

Infinite and eternal atonement.  Infinite- it covers all people in every aspect if their lives.  Eternal- it lasts for all time.


Alma 34:33-34
33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.
34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

Sacrament Service
1 Timothy 4:12
 12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

One of the YW spoke about girls camp.

A guy the recently returned from a mission to the Sydney Australia mission spoke to us.

Make our prayers specific and just about general things.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 15 July 2012

Ward Council
Training
“Leaders set an example of reverence during the time before sacrament meeting. The bishopric and the speakers should be in their seats at least five minutes before the meeting begins. This is not a time for conversation or transmitting messages. Setting an example of reverence encourages the congregation to be spiritually prepared for a worshipful experience.

“Members should be taught to make the time before sacrament meeting a period of prayerful meditation as they prepare spiritually for the sacrament.

“The bishopric encourages families to arrive on time and to sit together.” - Handbook 2

Elders Quorum
Israel had the law of Moses to have a daily reminder of their duty. The priesthood is like that as well.  We have lots of responsibility to keep our duty and our goals in front of us.


Chapter 14 of the George Albert Smith manual
“We seek to add to the happiness and goodness that God’s children already possess.”(George Albert Smith manual)


When people talk about what we did last evening or over the weekend we can express church things that we did.  Be informative and not pushy. Let them ask questions as they want to.  This is much easier and not
forced when the church is the most important thing in our life.  We are more effective in bringing happiness to others when we primarily identify ourselves as a follower of Christ over our favorite sports team, race, school we went to, an illness we have, or anything else.

When we give talks or baptize people or other stuff like that, which are unique we could invite others.

Sunday School
Alma 30-31
Epistemology is the study of how we know (stuff is true).

Alma 30:44
44 But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.


Sacrament Service
One of the young men spoke on Zion's camp, which was a church young men camp focused on preparation for going on a mission.

“Modesty is at the center of being pure and chaste, both in thought and deed. Thus, because it guides and influences our thoughts, behavior, and decisions, modesty is at the core of our character. Our clothing is more than just covering for our bodies; it reflects who we are and what we want to be, both here in mortality and in the eternities that will follow.” (Elder Robert D Hales, Ensign August 2008)


1 Corinthians 6:19
 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?


“The next time you approach the temple, pause to look at the temple grounds. Have you ever considered why the temple is surrounded by beautiful plants, reflecting pools, and architecture? They give an outward presence and feeling that prepares the patron for the sacred ordinances that await inside the temple. Even if a temple is in the center of a large city, the architecture outside separates the building from surrounding structures.
“Our clothing is equally important. It is the “landscaping” for presenting our bodies as temples. Just as the temple grounds portray the sacredness and reverence for what takes place inside the temple, our clothing portrays the beauty and purity of our inner selves. How we dress portrays whether we have proper respect for temple ordinances and eternal covenants and whether we are preparing ourselves to receive them.” (Elder Robert D Hales, Ensign August 2008)

“The major proposition in the accepted plan of salvation provided for an earth life where each person could work out his eternal salvation.” (Elder David B Haight, Temples and Work Therein, October 1990 General Conference)



“We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. He is pleased when he can obtain the tabernacle of man. . . . All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not.”
( Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 181.)


“In the first place the spirit is pure, and under the special control and influence of the Lord, but the body is of the earth, and is subject to the power of the Devil, and is under the mighty influence of that fallen nature that is of the earth. If the spirit yields to the body, the Devil then has power to overcome the body and spirit of that man, and he loses both” (in Discourses of Brigham Young, 69–70)

2 Nephi 2:28-29
28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;
29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.


“Thus, the Fall of Adam and its consequences affect us most directly through our physical bodies. And yet as President Young stated, we are dual creatures, for at the same time that we inhabit a physical body that is subject to the Fall, we also have a spirit that represents the eternal part of us. We are the spirit sons and daughters of God and have inherited divine qualities from Him. The precise nature of the test of mortality, then, can be summarized in the following questions: Will my body rule over my spirit, or will my spirit rule over my body? Will I yield to the enticings of the natural man or to the eternal man? That, brothers and sisters, is the test. We are here on the earth to develop godlike qualities and to learn to bridle all of the passions of the flesh.”  (Elder David A. Bednar, “Ye Are the Temple of God”, From a devotional address given at Ricks College on 11 January 2000)


1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.


1 Peter 2:9
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

1 Corinthians 3:16-17
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.


The way that we use our personal temple will affect us through all eternity.

“The Word of Wisdom is a key to individual revelation. It was given as ‘a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints’ ( D&C 89:3 ).
“. . . If we abuse our body . . . , we draw curtains which close off the light of spiritual communication” (in Conference Report, Sept.–Oct. 1989, 16; or Ensign, Nov. 1989, 14 )


“The Word of Wisdom is about readiness and receptiveness to receive revelation.”  (Elder David A. Bednar, Ye Are the Temple of God”, From a devotional address given at Ricks College on 11 January 2000)

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 8 July 2012

Stake Priesthood Meeting
A missionary that recently returned from the Argentina Rosario mission sang to us.

Elder Halverson of the seventy spoke to us.
Exodus 1:8
8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

There was an entire generation growing up and becoming in power that did not know Joseph, the son of Israel.

We learn about those that have gone before us because of what it brings to us.

Exodus 20:5
“...visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;”

Blessings work the same way.  Blessings can be answered upon the children for generations

those who do not make the sacrifice cannot enjoy this faith, because men are dependent upon this sacrifice in order to obtain this faith: therefore, they cannot lay hold upon eternal life, because the revelations of God do not guarantee unto them the authority so to do, and without this guarantee faith could not exist” (Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith, 68–70).

Elders Quorum
Brethren and sisters, as you prayerfully consider what you can do to increase harmony, spirituality, and build up the kingdom of God, consider your sacred duty to teach others to love the Lord and their fellow man. This is the central object of our existence. Without charity—or the pure love of Christ—whatever else we accomplish matters little. With it, all else becomes vibrant and alive. (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, “The Great Commandment”, October 2007 General Conference)
“...with divine assistance we will find a way to solve [our problems]. It is incumbent upon us to ascertain if there is not some means whereby we may be able to do more than we have already done.” (George Albert Smith, Teachings of George Albert Smith Chapter 13)

Doctrine and Covenants 4
1 Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.
2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.
3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;
4 For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;
5 And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.
6 Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience,brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.
7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.

It says if you have the desire, not if you are a full time missionary with name tag.

What is the biggest stumbling block for people to join the church or to want to know more about it?  It likely can be summed up in the word ignorance.  People hear rumors from people who don't know.  People ignorantly think that the commandments are restricting their freedom instead of expanding it.

Sunday School
Alma 23-29
We need to understand the fall so we can better understand the atonement.

“Because the Fall (like the Creation and the Atonement) is one of the three pillars of eternity, and because mortality, death, human experience, sin, and thus the need for redemption grow out of the Fall, we look upon what Adam and Eve did with great appreciation rather than with disdain. “ (Robert L Millet, “The Man Adam”, Esign January 1994)


The toughest thing the parents of the 2000 stripling warriors had to change in their lives was
killing, because it was part of their culture and because they lived in a warring area.

What is our toughest thing we have to change in our individual lives?

Sacrament Service
Alma 46

For thousand of years the Lord has been leading people to this land to establish a righteous people.  The Jadeites, the Lehites, the Americans.


2 Nephi 1:9-10
9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.
10 But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise—behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them.


2 Nephi 2:27
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
The commandments are not to restrict us but to make us happy.

“...freedom of choice is the freedom to obey or disobey existing laws—not the freedom to alter their consequences.” (D. Todd Christofferson, “Moral Agency,” 48)

Sunday, July 01, 2012

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 1 July 2012

Elders Quorum
The Story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5 was related.

Naaman was told that in order to be healed he had to bathe in the Jordan River.  The river was dirty and far away.  It may have also been that Naaman wanted some spectacular healing display, not a going off privately and getting into a dirty river.

Naaman’s servant asked him if he had asked him to do some great thing to be healed, would he not have gone and immediately done it.  Naaman seems to have come to his senses of how ridiculous he was being and went and did as the prophet suggested.

How often are we asked to do the simplest thing and we just don't feel like doing it?

“Another priesthood calling that I have been thinking about came to me many years later, when I had my own family. We had moved back to Frankfurt, Germany, and I had just received a promotion at work that would require a great deal of my time and attention. During this busy season of my life, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin extended a call to me to serve as stake president.

“During my interview with him, many thoughts raced through my mind, not the least of which was the unsettling worry that I might not have the time this calling would require. Although I felt humbled and honored by the call, I briefly wondered if I could accept it. But it was only a fleeting thought because I knew that Elder Wirthlin was called of God and that he was doing the Lord’s work. What could I do but accept?

“There are times when we have to step into the darkness in faith, confident that God will place solid ground beneath our feet once we do. And so I accepted gladly, knowing that God would provide.” (President Dieter F Uchtdorf, “The Why of Priesthood Service”, General Conference April 2012)


2 Nephi 31:13
13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.


Some reasons people don't accept or complete an assignment or a calling or a responsibility are they don't have the time, the skill, or the will to do it.

Do we slack off because we feel that what needs doing is someone else’s responsibility and not ours?

The ward is us individually and not just the building or the boundaries.

Sunday School
Alma 17-22
“An account of the sons of Mosiah, who rejected their rights to the kingdom for the word of God, and went up to the land of Nephi to preach to the Lamanites; their sufferings and deliverance—according to the record of Alma.” (Heading above this group of chapters)

The land of Zarahemla is north of the land of Nephi, but they always refer to it as going up to the land of Nephi.  This is likely because the land of Nephi is uphill from Zarahemla.

It had been 14 years since Alma had seen the sons of Mosiah.

Alma 17:2
2 Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.

Do we often see old friends post on Facebook and we think, "you are better than this" and are disappointed that they present themselves as not being valiant?

Are we overjoyed when we see other posts that make us feel like Alma does on seeing the sons of Mosiah?


The doctrines of the order of the Nehors was that they should pay people to preach to them and that everyone gets saved.