Sunday, September 27, 2015

Church Services This Week at Ridge Crest Ward Northridge Stake Layton Utah 27 September 2015

Sacrament Service

We had a special Sacrament service driven by the stake.


The bishop blessed the Sacrament bread. While he and the priests broke the bread there was no song playing. They waited until the Sacrament song was done to break the bread and have everyone sit in silence.  It was pretty good.


All of the songs for the meeting were Sacrament songs.


The bishop spoke to us.


Doctrine and Covenants 20:75
75 It is expedient that the church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in the remembrance of the Lord Jesus;


"With so very much at stake, this ordinance commemorating our escape from the angel of darkness should be taken more seriously than it sometimes is. It should be a powerful, reverent, reflective moment. It should encourage spiritual feelings and impressions. As such it should not be rushed. It is not something to “get over” so that the real purpose of a sacrament meeting can be pursued. This is the real purpose of the meeting. And everything that is said or sung or prayed in those services should be consistent with the grandeur of this sacred ordinance." - (Elder Jeffrey R Holland, This Do In Remembrance of Me, October 1995 General Conference)


The laurels sang “I Stand All Amazed”


The stake president spoke.


The purpose of Sacrament meeting is to be relieved of our burdens.


Sunday School
My lesson on teaching obedience.
{

Have you learned anything in your studies this week that you would like to share?



Any questions on anything we have taught you this year?  Any gospel questions you have had on your mind?



Elder Scott passed away this week.  How do you feel about that?  Do you have any memories of Elder Scott?

What blessings does Heavenly Father promise if I obey the commandments?  Do any of you have thoughts on that?



Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated
21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.



Demonstrate to the youth how to identify promised blessings by reading with the class the “Message to the Youth from the First Presidency” in For the Strength of Youth (pages ii–iii). Invite the youth to raise their hands every time they hear a promised blessing.



"Our dear young men and young women, we have great confidence in you. You are beloved sons and daughters of God and He is mindful of you. You have come to earth at a time of great opportunities and also of great challenges. The standards in this booklet will help you with the important choices you are making now and will yet make in the future. We promise that as you keep the covenants you have made and these standards, you will be blessed with the companionship of the Holy Ghost, your faith and testimony will grow stronger, and you will enjoy increasing happiness.
"In all that you do, stay focused on the temple. In the temple you will receive the greatest of all the Lord’s blessings, including marriage for time and all eternity. Keeping the standards in this booklet will help you be worthy to attend the temple, where you can perform sacred ordinances for your ancestors now and make essential covenants for yourself in the future.
Our Father in Heaven has placed great trust in you. He has a work for you to do. Seek His guidance in prayer, and counsel with your parents and leaders. The decisions you make now will set the course for much of what will follow during your mortal life and throughout eternity.
We testify that God lives. It is our fervent prayer that you will remain steadfast and valiant throughout your lives and that you will trust in the Savior and His promises. As you do this, you will be an influence for good in helping to build the kingdom of God and prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Savior."



Those were some of the promised blessings for keeping the commandments. Now how would you teach someone about the commandments and why they are important? We talked before about helping people understand our standards. Let's read from Preach My Gospel to see some ways we can teach others the importance of the commandments and our standards.



Preach My Gospel, chapter 11, section Promise People Blessings

“People need a reason to change their thoughts and actions. Promised blessings often provide powerful motivation to obey God. When the Lord gives a commandment, He often promises blessings for keeping that commandment (see D&C 130:20–21). As you prepare people to obey a specific commandment, teach them that:

  • Living the commandments shows love for God and His Son.

  • They demonstrate their trust in God as they obey His commandments.

  • In return, they will receive blessings that He has promised.



“As you testify of a commandment, talk about the blessings you have received from living that commandment. Promise those whom you teach that they can enjoy similar blessings.
“As people strive to keep a commitment, ask them to talk about the blessings that Heavenly Father has given them. Assure them that even though difficulties will enter their lives, His blessings will continue as they obey His will.”

Let's have someone choose a commandment or standard and try to teach it to someone else using the ideas from Preach My Gospel.  What is a commandment or a standard that you have had to explain to someone or that you would like to have explained to someone in your life?  Who would like to try to explain it.  Have one person do the explaining and the other person ask questions and then switch.

Have you had any experiences you would feel comfortable sharing that have helped you understand the importance of obeying the commandments.
Let’s read some of the blessings the scriptures list for being obedient to specific commandments:

Isaiah 58:6–11 (The blessings promised for obeying the law of the fast)

Jeremiah 7:23–24; D&C 1:14–15; 58:29–33 (Consequences of disobedience)

Malachi 3:10–12 (The blessings promised for paying tithing)

D&C 14:7; 82:10; 130:20–21 (Blessings of obedience)

D&C 20:77, 79 (The sacrament prayers)

D&C 59:9–20 (The blessings promised for keeping the Sabbath day holy)

D&C 89:18–21 (The blessings promised for obeying the Word of Wisdom)

Elder L Tom Perry, Obedience through Our Faithfulness
"If a member of the team [of horses] ever believes that it does not need to obey the will of the driver, the team will never pull and work together to maximize their ability."

Do you know what unity means? When Jesus says that he and the father are one, that means they are unified. When he prayed that we may be one, he wanted us to be unified.
It is very hard to find unity when everyone has their own agenda.  How do we have compassion when someone is being selfish?  How do we not burr up against someone acting that way to avoid being selfish ourselves?  We have things we need to protect like our families, our time, our resources when people are selfish, but how do we keep from taking that to the point of our own selfishness.

If we all burr up defending our territory, we won't be pulling together and nothing gets accomplished.

How do we encourage someone to stop being counter productive?

Elder Perry continues:

“An obedient horse which is part of a well-trained team of horses needs little more than a gentle tug from the driver to do exactly what he wants it to do. This gentle tug is equivalent to the still, small voice with which the Lord speaks to us. Out of respect for our agency, it is never a strong, forceful tug."

"If we heed the gentle promptings of the Holy Ghost, it can unite our spirits and bodies in a purpose that will guide us back to our eternal home to live with our eternal Father in Heaven."

“ I recommend it to you and even challenge you to experiment upon my words, and if you do, I promise that they will lead you to clarity of choice when you are bombarded with choices and that they will lead to simple answers to questions that confuse the learned and those who think they are wise.”

“Those who rely solely on themselves and follow only their own desires and self-inclinations are so limited when compared to those who follow God and tap into His insight, power, and gifts.”

...

"I promise that they will lead you to clarity of choice when you are bombarded with choices and that they will lead to simple answers to questions that confuse the learned and those who think they are wise."

How does it affect the unity of our class of one of us was misbehaving? It would be harder for the rest of us to get something out of the lesson, wouldn't it?  It might make it hard for us to be a strong class.

Elder Robert D Hales, “If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments”
“In the premortal Council in Heaven, Lucifer rebelled against Heavenly Father’s plan. Those who followed Lucifer ended their eternal progression—be careful who you follow!”

“When we obey, we accept His sacrifice...”

My Thoughts
{
There are many who teach that all you have to do is accept Jesus to be Saved.  What does it mean to accept Jesus?  Some would say that you accept him through a pray.  Some would say you accept him publicly in front of a congregation.

How do we accept someone as our Lord if we do not follow his instructions?
}

“At times members may participate in “selective obedience,” claiming to love God and honor God while picking and choosing which of His commandments and teachings—and the teachings and counsel of His prophets—they will fully follow.
“Some obey selectively because they cannot perceive all the reasons for a commandment, just as children do not always understand the reasons for their parents’ counsel and rules.”

A blessing of obedience is that we are saved because we accept Christ and his teachings and guidance.

I challenge you to think about these questions :

What if Jesus had not been obedient? How world that have impacted others? If we are not obedient to God how does that affect those around us? Our parents, our siblings, or friends, those we try to share the gospel with, those that look to us for strength or a good example?

}


Elders Quorum
Conference Talk - Truly Good and without Guile by Elder Michael T. Ringwood, April 2015 General Conference
Guile means deceitful cunning.


One might do good with ulterior motives.


“Over the course of my life, I have had the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the most competent and intelligent men and women this world has to offer. When I was younger, I was impressed by those who were educated, accomplished, successful, and applauded by the world. But over the years, I have come to the realization that I am far more impressed by those wonderful and blessed souls who are truly good and without guile.” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Lord, Is It I?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 58; emphasis added)




"My Book of Mormon hero is a perfect example of a wonderful and blessed soul who was truly good and without guile. Shiblon was one of the sons of Alma the Younger."


What does it mean to be Truly Good Without Guile?   Being sincere. Being dedicated. Being consecrated.

"...callings come and go. Even more impressive to me are the many who without formal callings find ways to consistently serve and lift others. One brother shows up early for church to set up chairs and stays after to straighten up the chapel. One sister purposely selects a seat near a blind sister in her ward not only so she can greet her but also so she can sing the hymns loudly enough that the blind sister can hear the words and sing along. If you look closely in your ward or branch, you will find examples like these. There are always members who seem to know who needs help and when to offer it."

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Church Services This Week at Ridge Crest Ward Northridge Stake Layton Utah 20 September 2015

Sacrament Service
A young man leaving this week to be a missionary in Canada spoke to us.


Hebrews 11:1
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.


Hebrews 11:5
 5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.


Mosiah 3:17
17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.


"Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. It includes believing His teachings. It means believing that even though we do not understand all things, He does."  (https://www.lds.org/topics/faith?lang=eng)


We need to ask God about our goals and ask him if each one is a worthy goal.


3 Nephi 3:20-21
20 Now the people said unto Gidgiddoni: Pray unto the Lord, and let us go up upon the mountains and into the wilderness, that we may fall upon the robbers and destroy them in their own lands.
21 But Gidgiddoni saith unto them: The Lord forbid; for if we should go up against them the Lord would deliver us into their hands; therefore we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till they shall come against us; therefore as the Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them into our hands.


A high councilman spoke to us.


He spoke of conserving our spiritual water and appreciating having our spiritual water.


He asked: How deep is our well?  Do we maintain our well. Do we make sure the water is clean?


We should help our home and visiting teaching families dig and maintain their spiritual wells.


The Lord will often push and pull and dig at us, because he needs it wells to be deep.


Omni 1:26
26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.


Sunday School
A lot of the lesson was based on Living the Gospel Joyful by President Uchtdorf from October 2014 General Conference.


Elders Quorum
Thursday October 27 is our stake temple day.
Ezra Taft Benson chapter 19 about leadership.
Good leaders draw out various opinions and experiences to make the best decision.

Strong examples can be a great strength to people. Bad examples can be devastating.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Church Services This Week at Ridge Crest Ward Northridge Stake Layton Utah 13 September 2015

Sacrament Service
Burdens and trials are training for the marathon of life. Just like when training for a race or other physical thing we must train frequently for the big events.

Matthew 11:28-30
28 ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

If we train, then the burdens become lighter.

Doctrine and Covenants 1:31-32
31 For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;
32 Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven;

Doctrine and Covenants 64:10
10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.

We need to let go of the burden of being offended.

We need to learn to see the blessings of our burdens.

“I have a dear friend who, in the early years of his marriage, was convinced he and his family needed a four-wheel-drive pickup truck. His wife was sure that he did not need but merely wanted the new vehicle. A playful conversation between this husband and wife initiated their consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of such a purchase.
“Over time they continued to counsel together and ultimately decided to acquire the truck. Shortly after taking possession of the new vehicle, my friend wanted to demonstrate the utility of the truck and validate his reasons for wanting to purchase it. So he decided he would cut and haul a supply of firewood for their home. It was in the autumn of the year, and snow already had fallen in the mountains where he intended to find wood. As he drove up the mountainside, the snow gradually became deeper and deeper. My friend recognized the slick road conditions presented a risk, but with great confidence in the new truck, he kept going.

“Sadly, my friend went too far along the snowy road. As he steered the truck off of the road at the place he had determined to cut wood, he got stuck. All four of the wheels on the new truck spun in the snow. He readily recognized that he did not know what to do to extricate himself from this dangerous situation. He was embarrassed and worried.
“My friend decided, ‘Well, I will not just sit here.’ He climbed out of the vehicle and started cutting wood. He completely filled the back of the truck with the heavy load. And then my friend determined he would try driving out of the snow one more time. As he put the pickup into gear and applied power, he started to inch forward. Slowly the truck moved out of the snow and back onto the road. He finally was free to go home, a happy and humbled man.” (Elder David A Bednar, April 2014 General Conference, Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease)

Our burdens can put weight on our spiritual wheels and give us spiritual traction.

1 Nephi 18:3
3 And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.

Nephi prayed often and the Lord showed him great things.  He went to the mount, so it appears that he took time to be alone to pray to the Lord often and the Lord showed him great things.  Mountains are often symbols of the temple.  He perhaps went to a simplistic and place symbolic of the temple to be alone to pray to the Lord often and the Lord showed him great things.

Do we long for the Lord to show a us great things.  Do we long for the Lord to show us how to remove some trial.  Perhaps we should study what Nephi did that allowed the Lord to show him great things.

Doctrine and Covenants 42:61
61 If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.

We should get to know our home teaching and visiting teaching families to understand the burdens they have, partially to help them and partially to understand them as people. If we understand other people's struggles, it is easier to not be offended by things where we bump into each other as we go through life and as we work on our respective responsibilities in building the kingdom of God.

Doctrine and Covenants 122:7
 7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

One of the Savior's names is the lion of Judah.

 5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

The image of a lion is used in the Chronicles of Narnia as a representation of the Savior.

Doctrine and Covenants 84:81
 81 Therefore, take ye no thought for the morrow, for what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed.

This does not mean we do not prepared, but we should not obsess on it.

Sunday School
My lesson on How can I help others understand my standards?
{
Is there anything from your personal study that you would like to share?

Today we are going to talk about, How can I help others understand my standards?

What questions have others asked you about your standards?
How have you helped them understand why you live according to those standards?

What situations do the people face in which they must explain their standards to others?
Why might this sometimes be difficult for them?
What can you do to help prepare for these situations?

The manual says:
"Others will often ask us about our standards. We can be prepared to answer their questions and testify of the blessings that come from obeying God’s commandments. In this way we can be a light unto the world."

How many of you get the New Era at home?
How many of you read it?
Did you know you can read it on your devices?  Phones, tablets, home computers.  There is some good stuff in the New Era that you might like.

Let’s read an article together from the August 2015 New Era called, "Just Be You".  It is about sharing the gospel, but can also applied to sharing our standards with people.

Let’s read and talk about some scriptures that might help us tell people about our standards?

Be Not Ashamed
Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

2 Timothy 1:7-8
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

2 Nephi 8:7
7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

What are these scriptures talking about?

One of the first things we need to do if we are going to be able to explain our standards to others is to not be ashamed of our standards.  We should not be embarrassed by our standards.

Just like being a boy or a girl.  It is who we are.  We do not have to be embarrassed that we are a boy or a girl or things that others might not understand about being a boy or a girl.  We just have to honor Heavenly Father in the way that we behave as a boy or a girl.

The same is true for our standards.  We should be determined that our standards do not change because someone doesn’t understand them or doesn’t agree with them.

We also don’t fight with people about our standards.  If we are to fight with people about being a boy or a girl that does not bring understanding to the other person it just brings bad feelings about boys and girls.

The same is true for our standards.  We don’t argue with people about our standards.  If they want to know who we are and why we are like we are, then we can calmly explain it to them.  If they just want to fight, then we can be pleasant and move on to something else and let our behavior be a witness of our standards.  If we behave well, even when people are mean to us, it is a witness to others about our standards.

Let’s look at some scriptures that talk about these this.

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.

Someone break this scripture down for me and explain the things it is trying to teach us.

3 Nephi 11:29
29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

If we are angry with people and contentious, then the holy ghost leaves and we are left with the devil to teach with.

When we have trouble knowing what to say, here are some scriptures that talk about that.

Doctrine and Covenants 11:21
21 Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.

Doctrine and Covenants 100:5-8
5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;
6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.
7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.
8 And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.
}

Elders Quorum
Teachings of Presidents of the Church, chapter 18 Ezra Taft Benson - Beware of Pride
“Pride does not look up to God and care about what is right. It looks sideways to man and argues who is right. …

“Pride is characterized by ‘What do I want out of life?’ rather than by ‘What would God have me do with my life?’ It is self-will as opposed to God’s will. It is the fear of man over the fear of God.

“Humility responds to God’s will—to the fear of His judgments and to the needs of those around us. To the proud, the applause of the world rings in their ears; to the humble, the applause of heaven warms their hearts.” (Ezra Taft Benson, “Cleansing the Inner Vessel,” Ensign, May 1986, 6–7)

“In the premortal council, it was pride that felled Lucifer, ‘a son of the morning.’ (2 Ne. 24:12–15; see also D&C 76:25–27; Moses 4:3.) At the end of this world, when God cleanses the earth by fire, the proud will be burned as stubble and the meek shall inherit the earth. (See 3 Ne. 12:5; 25:1; D&C 29:9; JS—H 1:37; Mal. 4:1.)

“Three times in the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord uses the phrase ‘beware of pride,’ including a warning to the second elder of the Church, Oliver Cowdery, and to Emma Smith, the wife of the Prophet. (D&C 23:1; see also 25:14; 38:39.)

“The central feature of pride is enmity toward God and our fellowmen.”

“The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.”

“Another major portion of this very prevalent sin of pride is enmity toward our fellowmen. We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them. (See Hel. 6:17; D&C 58:41.)”

“Some prideful people are not so concerned as to whether their wages meet their needs as they are that their wages are more than someone else’s. Their reward is being a cut above the rest. This is the enmity of pride.”

“We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are. (See D&C 38:24; 81:5; 84:106.)”

What is our motivation for goals we pursue and the choices we make to spend our thoughts and time on?

“God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble. Alma said, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.” (Alma 32:16.)”

Will we willingly taking our medicine and be humble on our own or will God have to hide our medicine in our pudding? Will he have to add humility to our trials at work or whatever else we are putting ahead of him?

“Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves. Most of us consider pride to be a sin of those on the top, such as the rich and the learned, looking down at the rest of us. (See 2 Ne. 9:42.) There is, however, a far more common ailment among us—and that is pride from the bottom looking up. It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous.“