Sunday, July 31, 2016

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 31 July 2016

Sacrament Service
One of the youth spoke of his experience on trek.

It is not enough to study or reenact the accomplishments of our pioneers. We need to identify the great, eternal principles they applied to achieve all they achieved for our benefit and then apply those principles to the challenges of our day. In that way we honor their pioneering efforts, and we also reaffirm our heritage and strengthen its capacity to bless our own posterity and “those millions of our Heavenly Father’s children who have yet to hear and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ.”2 We are all pioneers in doing so.” (Elder Dallin H Oaks, “Following the Pioneers”, October 1997 General Conference)

Doctrine and Covenants 138:48
48 Foreshadowing the great work to be done in the temples of the Lord in the dispensation of the fulness of times, for the redemption of the dead, and the sealing of the children to their parents, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse and utterly wasted at his coming.

Sunday School
Book of Mormon lesson 26
We often think of Alma and the sons of Mosiah going and teaching alone, but they appear to have had other missionaries with them.

People join the church for many reasons, but a person's conversion must be Christ centered to be immovable.

Alma 23:17
17 And it came to pass that they called their names Anti-Nephi-Lehies; and they were called by this name and were no more called Lamanites.

These people were so converted that they wanted to be called something different.

Anti sometimes means the opposite of and not against as often the word brings to mind.

Alma 23:18
18 And they began to be a very industrious people; yea, and they were friendly with the Nephites; therefore, they did open a correspondence with them, and the curse of God did no more follow them.

They also changed their nature.

Joint Priesthood /Relief Society
The bishop had some people relate pioneer stories from their families. Also one of the young men's presidency shared some about the pioneer trek that the youth went on earlier in the summer.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 24 July 2016

Sacrament Service
We had four speakers. Each one talked of about a hymn about pioneers and then we sang the song.


The first speaker talked about “Come Come Ye Saints”


Matthew 24:42
42 ¶Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.


Doctrine and Covenants 29:13
13 For a trump shall sound both long and loud, even as upon Mount Sinai, and all the earth shall quake, and they shall come forth—yea, even the dead which died in me, to receive a crown of righteousness, and to be clothed upon, even as I am, to be with me, that we may be one.


The second speaker talked about the song “faith in every footstep“.


The third speaker talked about the song “with songs of praise “


The fourth speaker spoke on the song “the spirit of God “


Sunday School
Book of Mormon Lesson 25
Peter was called the rock, but it was in reference to that he was the presiding authority on earth after the Savior died. The rock is revelation to lead the church.


“Every member is a missionary. He or she has the responsibility of bringing somebody: a mother, a father, a neighbor, a fellow worker, an associate, somebody in touch with the messengers of the gospel. If every member will carry that responsibility and if the arrangement to have that mother or that father or somebody meet the authorized representatives of the Church, no power on earth can stop this church from growing. And personal contact is what will influence those investigators. That personal contact, the nature of it, its effect depends upon you. And that’s one thing that I wish to emphasize. There’s one responsibility which no man can evade, that’s the responsibility of personal influence. … It’s what you are, not what you pretend to be that will bring people to investigate.”(“Talk by President David O. McKay Given to the North British Mission 1 March 1961,” Family and Church History Department Archives, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2–3.)


Alma 17:1-2
1 And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla.
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.


Alma rejoiced that his friends were still strong in the gospel. How much do we feel happy when we meet old friends that are don't in the gospel?


The scriptures describe Ammon as “wise and harmless “.  He clearly is not harmless, since he had just cut the arms off of many attackers.  So what does this mean?  We often hear wise paired with the word cunning.  So what is wise and harmless?  A cunning person might scheme and use someone's words against them. A harmless person might be trustworthy.


Do people that enter our home feel the peace of the spirit?  Do our family members who live in the home with us?


Elders Quorum
Uchtdorf April 2016 general conference talk, “In Praise of Those Who Save”
“Somehow, as the days multiply and the color of romantic love changes, there are some who slowly stop thinking of each other’s happiness and start noticing the little faults. In such an environment, some are enticed by the tragic conclusion that their spouse isn’t smart enough, fun enough, or young enough. And somehow they get the idea that this gives them justification to start looking elsewhere.
Brethren, if this comes close to describing you at all, I warn you that you are on a road that leads to broken marriages, broken homes, and broken hearts. I plead with you to stop now, turn around, and come back to the safe path of integrity and loyalty to covenants. And, of course, the same principles apply for our dear sisters.“


Sunday, July 17, 2016

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 17 July 2016

Sacrament Service
“Even in your most difficult times, you can find much to be grateful for. Doing so will strengthen and bless you.” ("Gratitude," For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God, (2001))

Luke 17:11-19
11 ¶And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Matthew 15:36
36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

The Savior gave thanks for what they had, even though it was little and God multiplied it.

A missionary that recently returned from West Virginia spoke to us about the Sabbath.

Hymn 280 - Welcome, Welcome Sabbath Morning

To rest from our daily cares.

We do good on the sabbath, but we rest from those things that weigh in us doing the week.

Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-10
9 And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;
10 For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;

Mosiah 4:15
15 But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.

Reverence means profound respect and love.  Reverence is in our attitude and our behavior.

We should be be careful with the music we  listen to and the entertainment we watch, but on the sabbath our choices should be even more reverent.

Isaiah 58:13
13 ¶If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

Often people call the sabbath a pain and not a delight. Some say things like “what am I supposed to do, just sit around and read my scriptures all day?“

Another speaker spoke on receiving guidance from the spirit.

Matthew 7:7
7 ¶Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

1 Nephi 16;24-27
24 And it came to pass that he did inquire of the Lord, for they had humbled themselves because of my words; for I did say many things unto them in the energy of my soul.
25 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my father; and he was truly chastened because of his murmuring against the Lord, insomuch that he was brought down into the depths of sorrow.
26 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord said unto him: Look upon the ball, and behold the things which are written.
27 And it came to pass that when my father beheld the things which were written upon the ball, he did fear and tremble exceedingly, and also my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and our wives.
Three steps to spiritual guidance.  Ask, listen, and change.

Sunday School
Book of Mormon lesson 24
The rest of the Lord, where mortals are concerned, is to gain a perfect knowledge of the divinity of the great latter-day work. [President Joseph F. Smith said,] ‘It means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in his plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else; we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive.’ It is ‘rest from the religious turmoil of the world; from the cry that is going forth, here and there—lo, here is Christ; lo, there is Christ.’ … The rest of the Lord, in eternity, is to inherit eternal life, to gain the fulness of the Lord’s glory.” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. (1966), 633.)

We have more and more unrest in our world. That unrest is spreading to younger and younger people.

In all ages prophets have looked down through the corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it—this is a marked generation. There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time than there is of us. Never before on the face of this earth have the forces of evil and the forces of good been so well organized. Now is the great day of the devil’s power. But now is also the great day of the Lord’s power, with the greatest number of priesthood holders on the earth.“ (President Ezra Taft Benson, In His Steps, Ensign September 1988)

Elders Quorum
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Howard W Hunter Chapter 11 - True Greatness
“Giving consistent effort in the little things in day-to-day life leads to true greatness.” (From the manual)

Should we aspire to be a bishop? No, but we should aspire to be the type of men we expect our church leaders to be.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 10 July 2016

Sacrament Service
A missionary that recently returned from the South Carolina Columbia mission spoke to us.  She spoke on virtue.

“Virtuous people are clean and pure spiritually. They focus on righteous, uplifting thoughts and put unworthy thoughts that lead to inappropriate actions out of their minds. They obey God’s commandments and follow the counsel of Church leaders. They pray for the strength to resist temptation and do what is right. They quickly repent of any sins or wrongdoings. They live worthy of a temple recommend” (Preach My Gospel [2004], 118–19).“

Whose life can I touch while I am pumping my gas?  While I am at the store, how can I helpful?

People quote the exchange between Alice and the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland all the time. “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.“

I was thinking today that the Alice in Wonderland quote is getting annoying, but just like when we hear the same topic or scripture multiple times in Conference, perhaps it is something I should look more closely at.

“May we maintain the courage to defy the consensus. May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.“ (President Thomas S Monson, “Choices”, April 2016 General Conference)

Boys can be virtuous too.

Alma 1:25, 29-30
25 Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them.
29 And now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth.
30 And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need.

Repentance and virtue go hand in hand.

A high councilman spoke to us.

John 13:34-35
 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.





Jesus taught that baptism was necessary to enter the kingdom of God (see John 3:5). He began His ministry by being baptized (see Mark 1:9), and He and His followers baptized others (see John 3:22–26). We do likewise.“ (Elder Dallin H Oaks,  “Followers of Christ”, April 2013 General Conference)

Matthew 7:24-27
 24 ¶ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

How many times during a day or a week do we take opportunities to pray?

John 13:35
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Sunday School
Book of Mormon lesson 23 Alma 8-12

“Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation” (Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith,6:7)

My invitation to all of us is to evaluate our lives, repent, and keep on trying. If we don’t try, we’re just latter-day sinners; if we don’t persevere, we’re latter-day quitters; and if we don’t allow others to try, we’re just latter-day hypocrites.10 As we try, persevere, and help others to do the same, we are true Latter-day Saints. As we change, we will find that God indeed cares a lot more about who we are and about who we are becoming than about who we once were.11”(Elder Dale G Renlund, “Latter-day Saints Keep on Trying”, April 2015 General Conference)

Doctrine and Covenants 82:3
 3 For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation.

With these privileges comes great responsibility, for “unto whom much is given much is required” (D&C 82:3), and at times the demands of discipleship are heavy. But shouldn’t we expect the journey towards eternal glory to stretch us?

Elders Quorum
Teaching of Presidents of the Church: Howard W Hunter - Tithing
Don't worry about overpaying the Lord. He won't let you.

Malachi 3:8-10
 8 ¶ Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

The Lord tells us the blessings of tithing and then tells us to prove it.

Tithing is a privilege due to the blessings of it. The Lord does not need our money, even though the work of the church is funded in large measure by tithing.  He knows where the riches of the world and he also knows how to make riches.

Sunday, July 03, 2016

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 3 July 2016

Sacrament Service
Several of the youth went on pioneer trek and to scout camp this weekend.  The trek kids got stranded because the buses that the stake contracted to pick them up never showed up. There were several testimonies today about trek and how them being stranded was symbolic of when the Martin and Willie handcart companies got stranded.  It was pretty touching.

Sunday School
Book of Mormon Lesson 20
Alma 5-7
Alma split the office of prophet and chief judge,  so he can devote more time to being prophet and be among the people.

Alma brought the people together to remind them of their heritage, much like we do when the youth have Trek or when we put on pageants or when the church puts so many resources into historic sites.

The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.“ (President Ezra Taft Benson, “Born of God”, October 1985 General Conference)

We believe in Christ, but do we believe Christ?

Repentance is not an act. It is a process.

Elders Quorum
The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” — Attributed to Mark Twain, but likely not Twain.

Moses 1:39
39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

What is our duty or main purpose in being priesthood holders?

2 Nephi 2:25
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

Many people do not catch religion like a football, but like catching a cold.