Sunday June 1, 2008 - Services Sullivan Hollow Second Ward

Announcements
July 4, 2008 - Breakfast celebration for the entire community. I wasn't sure where it was being held. Sounded like maybe at our chapel. They weren't sure about the time. Someone thought maybe 8am. I will try to get more details next week.

July 13, 2008 - Pioneer Devotional at the Dee Center - Elder Jensen will be speaking.

Volleyball at the chapel Tuesday at 9pm

Priesthood Opening
2 Ne. 22: 2
Behold, God is my salvation; I will ^atrust, and not be afraid; for the Lord ^bJehovah is my ^cstrength and my ^dsong; he also has become my salvation.

Elders' Quorum/High Priest Group
Seeing with Spiritual Eyes
-Seeing Each other as brothers, not just seeing people as neighbors or extended family.
-Seeing people's potential

Called of God
-These are things we are called to do when we are baptized.
Mosiah 18:8-10

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

9 Yea, and are ^awilling to mourn with those that ^bmourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as ^cwitnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the ^dfirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being ^abaptized in the ^bname of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a ^ccovenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

-These are things we are called to do when we receive the priesthood.
Doctrine and Covenants 84:33-42

33 For whoso is ^afaithful unto the obtaining these two ^bpriesthoods of which I have spoken, and the ^cmagnifying their calling, are ^dsanctified by the Spirit unto the ^erenewing of their bodies.

34 They become the ^asons of Moses and of Aaron and the ^bseed of ^cAbraham, and the church and kingdom, and the ^delect of God.

35 And also all they who receive this priesthood ^areceive me, saith the Lord;

36 For he that receiveth my servants ^areceiveth me;

37 And he that ^areceiveth me receiveth my Father;

38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s ^akingdom; therefore ^ball that my Father hath shall be given unto him.

39 And this is according to the ^aoath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.

40 Therefore, all those who receive the ^apriesthood, receive this ^boath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved.

41 But whoso breaketh this ^acovenant after he hath received it, and altogether turneth therefrom, shall ^bnot have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come.

42 And wo unto all those who come not unto this priesthood which ye have received, which I now confirm upon you who are present this day, by mine own voice out of the heavens; and even I have given the heavenly hosts and mine angels ^acharge concerning you.

Receiving Revelation
-It was brought out that we act according to our current knowledge. We should continue to seek more knowledge in order to act better and more completely.
-Things we need to do to better receive revelation and receive more of it.

• Ask
• Be clean
• Research
• Listen
• Be humble
• Be persistent
  
• Sacrifice
  

Retention
-Ephesians 2:19
Now therefore ye are no more ^astrangers and foreigners, but ^bfellowcitizens with the ^csaints, and of the ^dhousehold of God;

Sunday School
Book of Mormon - Lesson 20: “My Soul Is Pained No More” p89
At this time there werre four groups living in Zarahemla. They all united and called themselves Nephites.

• a. Limhi’s people, who were descended from Zeniff and the others who returned from Zarahemla to the land of Nephi.
  b. Alma’s people, who had broken away from the group descended from Zeniff during the reign of Noah.
  c. The Nephites who had remained in Zarahemla.
  d. The Mulekites, the original residents of Zarahemla.

Mosiah 25:7–11

7 And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement.

8 For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered ^aout of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy.

9 And again, when they thought of their brethren who had been ^aslain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow.

10 And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of ^abondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God.

11 And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and ^apolluted state, they were filled with ^bpain and anguish for the ^cwelfare of their souls.

Mosiah 26:1–4

1 Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the ^awords of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did ^bnot believe the tradition of their fathers.

2 They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ.

3 And now because of their ^aunbelief they could not ^bunderstand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened.

4 And they would not be baptized; neither would they join the ^achurch. And they were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even in their ^bcarnal and sinful state; for they would not call upon the Lord their God.

-We should not assume that just because our children are watching us that they are receiving our testimonies.
-Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah were part of this rising generation that chose not to believe.
-How often do we forget the things that our fathers saw and heard and learned because we were not there or we were very young?

Testimony Meeting

Sunday May 25, 2008 - Services Sullivan Hollow Second Ward

Priesthood Opening
Moroni 7:16-17

16 For behold, the ^aSpirit of Christ is given to every ^bman, that he may ^cknow good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do ^aevil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.

Elders' Quorum
The lesson was based on Elder Bednar's conference talk, Ask in Faith.
Bible Dictionary - Faith -

It was brought out that faith is as simple as having faith that you will receive a paycheck from your employer each week or that the sun is going to come up in the morning. Those things are rewarded a bit more obviously and immediately than a lot of things we have faith in. Faith is something that moves us to action, perhaps without first receiving results.

Elder Bednar said, "Missionaries are full-time teachers; you and I are full-time finders. And you and I as lifelong missionaries should not be praying for the full-time missionaries to do our work!"

Joseph Smith prayed with the intent to act. He also spent lots of effort prior to that to try to find out the answer for himself. Part of that was going to the scriptures, which is where he found James 1:5 instructing him that the Lord will give to those who ask for wisdom and not scold them.

The bishop related that exercising our faith to draw on the power of God is a little like having an electrical power outlet. It does us no good if we do not walk over and do something with it. In a standard power outlet, the power will not jump across the room into our device and be useful to us.

Sunday School
Book of Mormon Lesson 19: “None Could Deliver Them but the Lord” p84
Mosiah 18-24
We have the words of Abilindi because Alma heard them and wrote them down.

We covenant on a regular basis to help one another. We covenant at baptism, in the temple, and everytime we sustain a person in a calling. When they call for people to help in the nursery, we must remember that we raised our hand to help those leaders. We have also raised our hands to help our bishop, our stake president, and our prophet. The nursery leader and Primary president are called by them and if we do not help the nursery leader we are not helping the bishop and we are not helping the Lord.

Matt. 25: 40

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have ^adone it unto one of the ^bleast of these my ^cbrethren, ye have done it unto me.

The bishop talked about receiving gift humbly. He said that any gift that is given to us is a gift to the Lord and we should not judge that gift. When giving we should not give begrudgingly. No matter what we are giving or who we are giving to we are giving to the Lord.

Sacrament Meeting
1st speaker
Memorial day was set up as a day to remember the fallen in the civil war.

2nd speaker
One of the young women spoke on honoring you parents.

3rd speaker
One of the young men spoke on what he learned from his ancestors.
1. Great uncle volunteered for war
2. Live life for lord
3. Hard work pays off
4. Prayer helps with anything

I have the speakers listed as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th. So either I miss numbered them or I missed the 4th speaker.

5th speaker
He gave his memory of hearing in 1941 that pearl harbor had been attacked and his experiences in the military then. He said that he worked as a soda jerk when he was in the military.

6th speaker
She talked of the power she has received from going to the temple.

Sunday May 18, 2008 - Services Sullivan Hollow Second Ward

Priesthood
1 Nephi 1
1 I, NEPHI, having been ^aborn of ^bgoodly ^cparents, therefore I was ^dtaught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many ^eafflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a ^frecord of my proceedings in my days.

Elders' Quorum
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith
Chapter 9: Gifts of the Spirit pp. 114–24

Articles of Faith 1:7: "We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth."

Gifts of the spirit are special skills.
Moroni 10 is a good place to look for information on this.
Purposes of the Gifts:
Testimony
Direction
Tongues - Speak and Interpret
Help
Teaching
Faith

"The human family are very apt to run to extremes, especially in religious matters, and hence people in general either want some miraculous display, or they will not believe in the gift of the Holy Ghost at all. If an Elder lays his hands upon a person, it is thought by many that the person must immediately rise and speak in tongues and prophesy; this idea is gathered from the circumstance of Paul laying his hands upon certain individuals who had been previously (as they stated) baptized unto John's baptism; which when he had done, they 'spake in tongues and prophesied.' [See Acts 19:1-6.] . . .

"We believe that the Holy Ghost is imparted by the laying on of hands of those in authority, and that the gift of tongues, and also the gift of prophecy are gifts of the Spirit, and are obtained through that medium; but then to say that men always prophesied and spoke in tongues when they had the imposition of hands, would be to state that which is untrue, contrary to the practice of the Apostles, and at variance with holy writ. . . .
(History of the Church, 5:26-31; punctuation and grammar modernized; paragraph divisions altered; from "Gift of the Holy Ghost," an editorial published in Times and Seasons, June 15, 1842, pp. 823-25; Joseph Smith was the editor of the periodical.)

Grand manifestations are not the foundation of a testimony.

There are manifestations going on constantly, but many are personal and many are subtle.

"The manifestations of the gift of the Holy Ghost, the ministering of angels, or the development of the power, majesty or glory of God were very seldom manifested publicly, and that generally to the people of God, as to the Israelites; but most generally when angels have come, or God has revealed Himself, it has been to individuals in private, in their chamber; in the wilderness or fields, and that generally without noise or tumult. The angel delivered Peter out of prison in the dead of night; came to Paul unobserved by the rest of the crew; appeared to Mary and Elizabeth without the knowledge of others; spoke to John the Baptist whilst the people around were ignorant of it.

"When Elisha saw the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof, it was unknown to others. When the Lord appeared to Abraham it was at his tent door; when the angels went to Lot, no person knew them but himself, which was the case probably with Abraham and his wife; when the Lord appeared to Moses, it was in the burning bush, in the tabernacle, or in the mountain top; when Elijah was taken in a chariot of fire, it was unobserved by the world; and when he was in a cleft of a rock, there was loud thunder, but the Lord was not in the thunder; there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and then there was a still small voice, which was the voice of the Lord, saying, 'What doest thou here, Elijah?' [See 1 Kings 19:11-13.]"
(More from History of the Church, 5:26-31; punctuation and grammar modernized; paragraph divisions altered; from "Gift of the Holy Ghost," an editorial published in Times and Seasons, June 15, 1842, pp. 823-25; Joseph Smith was the editor of the periodical.)

Sunday School
Book of Mormon Lesson 18: “God Himself … Shall Redeem His People” p79
Mosiah 12-17
What is it about the gospel that makes the prophets willing to risk their lives to share it?

They ask Abinidi questions about the scriptures and he fires back to them that they are the teachers of the people and they do not know those things. He tells them that they have not applied their hearts to it. We can read the scriptures and still not have our lives changed or not understand what we have read.

Abinidi testifies of Christ and it would've appeared at that time that it came to nothing. But So much of the rest of the Book of Mormon are the results of Alma hearing Abinidi's words.

He talks about the law of Moses and its purpose. He talks of the law of Moses being types of things to come pointing to Christ.

Sacrament Meeting
Youth Speaker
Based his remarks on a talk by Henry B. Eyring.
4 Categeories Characteristics of the Book of Mormon (I missed the fourth one)
Powerful missionary tool
Testifies of Christ
Brings the spirit when reading

2nd Speaker
Luke 10 - Parable of the good Samaritan
"37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."

Fast Offering
It is a free will offering. You decide how much is appropriate to pay. God does not specifically say how much to give. The guideline has been the cost of the two meals you were abstaining from, since in the early days of the church it was to actually bring the food of those meals. Now the prophets have counseled to give as much as you are able.

“It has been, and now is, the desire and the objective of the Church to obtain from fast offerings the necessary funds to meet the cash needs of the welfare program. … At the present time we are not meeting this objective. We can, we ought, and we must do better. If we will double our fast offerings, we shall increase our own prosperity, both spiritually and temporally. This the Lord has promised, and this has been the record.” (President Marion G. Romney - “Basics of Church Welfare,” talk given to the Priesthood Board, 6 Mar. 1974, p. 10.)

Mosiah 4: 26
"And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may ^awalk guiltless before God—I would that ye should ^bimpart of your substance to the ^cpoor, every man according to that which he hath, such as ^dfeeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants."

The speaker read a portion of a letter that was included as part of Victor L. Brown, “Fast Offerings: Fulfilling Our Responsibility to Others,” Ensign, May 1981, 37.

“Enclosed find a check for $1,000 for excess fast offerings from the Tongan Mission. Normally this letter would end here, but because of an experience I recently had I would like to add a little more.

“As you may or may not be aware, Tonga is one of the poorest countries financially in the world. The average wage rate is only around 12¢ per hour if you are lucky enough to have a job. …

“Recently, while visiting one of the far distant islands that is very difficult to get to, I went late in the day to the home of one of the good widow sisters there.

“When I first approached her hut the sun was still quite bright and I could not help but notice the stark poverty of her surroundings. It had been raining earlier. The mud and decay and the ever-present smell of drying fish were at first repulsive. But the warmth of meeting with a fellow Church member—especially after years of separation—together with tears of appreciation for the long-awaited visit, soon pushed the unpleasantness of the surroundings temporarily into the background.

“As we conversed in her fluid native tongue and she told of her love for and faith in the Church and of all the blessings she had received, I could not help but think about her apparently miserable circumstances. … All sorts of ideas went through my mind, and I must have let my thoughts wander as I suddenly became aware that somewhere between phrases about blessings and poverty and service she had gone to her hut and was now returning with a small knotted rag.

“Suddenly my mind seemed to fill with light, and the words ‘fast offerings’ flooded in. I was so excited with the idea that had come so suddenly and so clearly, that you can imagine my utter amazement and unpreparedness when she took a threepence (a coin worth about 3¢) from her rag and said softly, ‘Here is my fast offering … to help the poor.’

“I wanted to explain that fast offering was to help her, not for her to help others. The explanation never came, for as I looked through misty eyes, first at the threepence then back at the good sister, the whole scene changed.

“The hut was a glowing mansion and the mud was gold. … The world seemed to stand still for a moment. All of nature seemed to stop and listen as from the heavens the whole universe seemed filled with the reassuring words: ‘Blessed are the poor … for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt. 5:3.)

“As the setting sun signaled the end of the day, so it also told of the approaching end of her beautiful life of service.

“I took the threepence, and as I write this check the whole experience once again fills my mind and I wonder, ‘How many threepences to make a thousand dollars?’ ”

3rd Speaker
Alma 50:20
20 Blessed art thou and thy children; and they shall be blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my ^acommandments they shall prosper in the land. But remember, inasmuch as they will not keep my commandments they shall be ^bcut off from the presence of the Lord.

In science there are cause and effect relationships. If we do this then that will happen. Obedience is like that. If we are obedient we prosper.

He said that he recalled from high school French calls that the word for hope in French is Prosper or at least it and prosperity have the same root. I found the following to possibly back that up.
---
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
prosper

c.1460, from O.Fr. prosperer (14c.), from L. prosperare "cause to succeed, render happy," from prosperus "favorable, fortunate, prosperous," perhaps lit. "agreeable to one's wishes," from Old L. pro spere "according to expectation," from pro "for" + abl. of spes "hope," from PIE base *spei- "to flourish, succeed." Prosperous is first recorded 1445, originally "tending to bring success;" in the sense of "flourishing" it is first recorded 1472.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Misunderstanding what it means to prosper can mislead us. Prospering does not always mean financial wealth.

2 Ne. 2: 25
^aAdam ^bfell that men might be; and men ^care, that they might have ^djoy.

D&C 130: 20-21
20 There is a ^alaw, irrevocably decreed in ^bheaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all ^cblessings are predicated—
21 And when we obtain any ^ablessing from God, it is by ^bobedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

We will continue to have trials, because that is part of the learning process of this life.

Sunday May 11, 2008 - Services Sullivan Hollow Second Ward

Mother's Day
Priesthood Opening
Ether 3:25-26
25 And when the Lord had said these words, he ^ashowed unto the brother of Jared ^ball the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he ^cwithheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth.

26 For he had said unto him in times before, that ^aif he would ^bbelieve in him that he could show unto him ^call things—it should be shown unto him; therefore the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he knew that the Lord could show him all things.

Elders' Quorum
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith - Chapter 8: The Everlasting Priesthood pp. 101–13
Luke 9
28 And it came to pass about an ^aeight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a ^bmountain to ^cpray.

Moses and Elijah were conferring priesthood keys on Peter, James, and John.

The teacher quoted from an April 1983 Ensign article I Have a Question pp 21-23 - The question that was ask was "Who appeared to Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration? What was the purpose of their appearance?"

On the mount Heavenly Father spoke out of a cloud “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” We do not hear much from Heavenly Father in the scriptures. Mostly He just testifies of His Son and confirms that He is the one we are to listen to. In the Old Testament Jehovah did the speaking. Jehovah was the premortal Christ.

The Ensign article noted that John the Baptist was on the mount with them. No one seems to know why since Peter, James, and John already had the Melchizedek priesthood, which encompasses the Aaronic priesthood to which John held the keys.

They referred us to the Bible Dictionary entry on Elias that describes the different uses of the name/title.

Melchizedek Priesthood gives the ability to:
-Bestow the HG
-Baptize - because it encompasses the Aaronic priesthood
-Administer in the temple - sealings and so forth
-give blessings of healing and/or comfort
-Patriarical blessings - scripture specific to our individual life.

Sunday School
Book of Mormon - Lesson 17: “A Seer … Becometh a Great Benefit to His Fellow Beings” p.75

Zeniff - King Noah's Father
Limhi - King Noah's son and Zeniff's grandson

Sacrament Meeting
There were two youth speakers that talked about things their moms have taught them.

3rd Speaker
Mothers should show examples of Christ to their children. They will follow them and if they follow Christ, their children will follow Christ.
3 nephi 27
21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my ^agospel; and ye know the things that ye must ^bdo in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;

If children see their moms read their scriptures the children will learn to go to the scriptures and learn a love for them.
D&C 88: 118
"And as all have not ^afaith, seek ye diligently and ^bteach one another words of ^cwisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best ^dbooks words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith."

They referenced some things from President Monson's talk “Behold Thy Mother” referenced in the April 1998 Ensign.

4th Speaker
Every mother who has a testimony can have a profound effect upon their children. He cited Julie Beck's conference talk "Mothers Who Know"

Eph. 5: 25
25 ^aHusbands, ^blove your ^cwives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

5th Speaker
The bishop spoke briefly. He spoke of the blessing of the restoration of the gospel and the inspiration of the holy ghost.

He also talked a bit about his mother. He said that she taught him everything he needed to know except the gospel. She taught him standards. She talked about their family good name because of their standards and how they were respected by everyone in the community.

Sunday May 4, 2008 - Services Cumberland Ward

Testimony Meeting

Sunday School
Book of Mormon Manual - Lesson 16: “Ye Shall Be Called the Children of Christ” p 71
Mosiah 4:9-12

9 Believe in ^aGod; believe that he is, and that he ^bcreated all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all ^cwisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not ^dcomprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.

10 And again, believe that ye must ^arepent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in ^bsincerity of heart that he would ^cforgive you; and now, if you ^dbelieve all these things see that ye ^edo them.

11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have ^atasted of his love, and have received a ^bremission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own ^cnothingness, and his ^dgoodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of ^ehumility, ^fcalling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing ^gsteadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the ^alove of God, and always ^bretain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the ^cknowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

Right/Left hand of God
What does it mean to sit on the right hand of God? (To receive exaltation and live with God again.)
Matthew 25:33–46

33 And he shall set the sheep on his ^aright hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his ^aright hand, Come, ye ^bblessed of my Father, ^cinherit the ^dkingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an ^ahungred, and ye ^bgave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a ^cstranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye ^avisited me: I was in ^bprison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee ^asick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have ^adone it unto one of the ^bleast of these my ^cbrethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the ^aleft hand, ^bDepart from me, ye ^ccursed, into everlasting ^dfire, ^eprepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an ^ahungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the ^aleast of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into ^aeverlasting ^bpunishment: but the ^crighteous into ^dlife ^eeternal.

Mosiah 4:13-15 (Teach the children.) - All children. Not just LDS children. Not just children in your own home. This is a command to all, not just those who have children.

Mosiah 4:16-26 (Share with the poor.)
We are to help all people, even those who have caused their own problems. Do we all not have some problems that we have brought on ourselves?

Mosiah 4:27-30 (Watch your thoughts, words, and deeds.)

Elders' Quorum
Children are innocent and redeemed by the atonement if they die before the age of accountability.

Also those children can be with us for eternity if we are obedient.

Sunday April 27, 2008 - Services Cumberland Ward

Sacrament Meeting
Youth Speaker
Without the sun we have no life on earth. Without the light of Christ quickens our spirits. It leads us to receive the Holy Ghost.

2nd speaker
Prayer
3 Nephi 18 - 21 ^aPray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.

3rd Speaker
Church
Prior to the savior the law was the law of Moses.

Evangelist is patriarch. Pastor is Bishop.

Jesus makes up the difference where we fall short, if we do our best.

He talked about a letter he received from his aunt after she had heard all the reports about the polygamist cult in Texas. She compared us to other "cults". His first impulse was to call her, but he reflected on how much she cared for him. He still wants to respond, but he is considering his response.

Sunday School
Book of Mormon Manual - Lesson 15: “Eternally Indebted to Your Heavenly Father” p66
Mosiah 3 - 19 For the ^anatural ^bman is an ^cenemy to God, and has been from the ^dfall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he ^eyields to the enticings of the Holy ^fSpirit, and ^gputteth off the ^hnatural man and becometh a ⁱsaint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a ^jchild, ^ksubmissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

Jesus Christ is the primary focus of the Book of Mormon.

The atonement applies to those that were alive before Christ was born.

King Benjamin taught righteous principles to his sons and we have a record of some of those teachings in the book of Mosiah.

The teacher stated that she felt the Church was for us to help each other through the rough times.

DnC 42 - 56 Thou shalt ask, and my ^ascriptures shall be given as I have appointed, and they shall be ^bpreserved in safety;
One of the best ways to preserve the scriptures is to have them in our minds and in the minds of our children. Being intimately familiar with the scriptures and even memorizing to some degree ensures that the scriptures are readily available to us.

King Benjamin gave the people a name and that name was Christ. They were to take his name upon them.

Christ knows our pains personally because he felt those pains and he is able to have compassion for us and is able to help us through anything and understand.

Christ did not have to do what he did for us, but he chose to. He could've backed out at anytime.

Someone speculated that one of the reasons Satan wanted to compel everyone to do what was right was because he was not willing to pay the price that was necessary to atone for our sins.

Someone shared that we many times think of repentance as something we have to do, but it is more something that we can do, a blessing.

Christ was the son of God and the son of Mary. He had the ability to die from Mary and the ability to rise again from God the Father.

Three groups of people that are covered by the atonement of Christ.

• Those who die without the law or sinned ignorantly. The light of Christ probably comes into play here. Their "conscience" tells them right and wrong to some degree.
• People who sin and repent.
• Little children that die in their infancy. Even through children are born into a fallen world and will die because of Adam's transgression, they are innocent. - Find reference to children being innocent.
  

Why are little children “blameless before God”? (See Mosiah 3:16, Mosiah 3:21; Moroni 8:12; D&C 29:46. Although “by nature, they fall,” they are “blameless before God” because they are “alive in Christ” through the Atonement.)
Little children who die in their infancy (Mosiah 3:16, Mosiah 3:18, Mosiah 3:21; see also D&C 137:10).

Mosiah 3 - 16 And even if it were possible that little ^achildren could sin they could not be saved; but I say unto you they are ^bblessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ ^catoneth for their sins.

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

Elders' Quorum
Home Teaching
He related a story about a guy that was talking to his home teachers. The guy was not active. He asked them one day when they were going to tell him to stop smoking and drinking and such. They responded that they hadn't because they thought it would be insulting to tell him something that he already knew he should be doing.

My boys had talk and scripture in Primary, so I bailed out to go watch and help them.

Sunday April 13, 2008 - Sunday Services Sullivan Hollow Second Ward

Ward Home Page

Priesthood Opening
Someone shared a scripture that they said they thought of as they listened to the prophet and apostles speak last weekend.

Amos 3:7 -"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, ^abut he ^brevealeth his ^csecret unto his servants the ^dprophets."

They announced a DI drive. Deseret Industries is an organization that collects used items and sells them. The proceeds go to pay the employees who would otherwise have trouble getting work. I knew that part, as it is like Goodwill in Indiana. What I did not know was that DI is owned by the Church and it is part of the Church welfare system. My friend told me that people that have financial hardship can get vouchers from their bishop to get a bed of something from DI. A little like getting an order of food from the store house.

They took volunteers for something they called a 40 day fast. I guess the ward is collectively fasting for 40 days. A member takes a day of the 40 days until they filled up all the days. The days were not filling up, so the bishop reemphasized the importance of what they were doing. He had the members of the priesthood remind him why they were fasting. They said for missionary work and for the extra power that fasting brings. The bishop stated that this is not The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Tourists. It is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are to be saints, followers of Christ, not just tourists that watch the work of Christ.

Elders' Quorum

Chapter 6: The Mission of John the Baptist p. 79–87

The instructor passed out a handout with the following images on them.

The excavated remains of the baptism site in Bethany Beyond Jordan, in modern-day Jordan. (Wikipedia)

John the Baptist Baptizing Jesus (LDS.org)

John the Baptist Conferring the Aaronic Priesthood (LDS.org)

The handout had the below text.

Begin Handout

Brief Description of John the Baptist

Scripture about John the Baptist

Luke 7:28 - No greater prophet

Isaiah 40:3-5 - Prophecy

John 1:22-23 - Prophecy Fulfilled

Malachi 3:1 - Prophecy

Luke 1:17, 76, 77 - Prophecy to his Father

D&C 84:28 - Ordained of God at Eight Days of Age

Brief Description of Life:

1. Born of Zachariah and Elizabeth, Birth foretold by Gabriel.

2. Zachariah was a priest, so John had the priesthood.

3. Preached and baptized in the River Jordan (see photo).

4. Knew he was a precursor to Jesus (John 3:22-36).

5. Imprisoned and beheaded by Herod Antipas.

"Post-Life" Description

Ordained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to the Aaronic Priesthood on May 15, 1829 (JSH 1:68-70).

Priesthood Timeline (Dennis Roberts)

D&C 13.........................................................................(1829) Aaronic Priesthood

D&C 128:20.................................................................(1829) Melchizedek Priesthood

D&C 20:38-50.............................................................(1830) Apostle, Elders, Priests, Teachers, Deacons

D&C 41:9-10................................................................(1831) Bishops

D&C 52..........................................................................(1831) High Priests

D&C 81:90....................................................................(1832) First Presidency

Teachings of Prophet Joseph Smith, 38-39............(1833) High Council

D&C 102.......................................................................(1834) Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

D&C 107:23-24...........................................................(1835) First Quorum of the Seventy

End Handout

Zachariah was probably familiar with the prophecies about a forerunner to the messiah. This must've been a similar shock to them like the news Mary and Joseph received as well.

It is a miracle that he was not killed sooner. Based on Jewish traditions he should have been executed for blasphemy.

Joseph Smith in commented on John being the greatest prophet (Luke 7:28) stated, "He was entrusted with a divine mission of preparing the way before the face of the Lord. Whoever had such a trust committed to him before or since? No man."

Sunday School
Book of Mormon Lesson 13: The Allegory of the Olive Trees p56
We came up with a brief list of symbols and meanings used in the allegory.

Symbol	Meaning
Vineyard	World
Grafting	People
Master	Christ
Pruning	People
Fruits	Works
Branches	Groups of People
Servant	Prophets

This is only a partial list that the class came up with.

Pruning, grafting, and digging - Christ works hard for the world and the individuals int eh world. Many things need to be done to make the tree grow in the best ways for it and for the vineyard.

Wild branches grafted in to tame them. This is also done to bring variety and to strengthen the tree after it had been pruned.

Someone brought out that sometimes those who have seminary as a class in school take it for granted. She said something about those out East have to get up early in the morning for seminary and are more dedicated. I don't know if one could say that those I grew up with who had early morning seminary were more dedicated, but it bring out an interesting idea that people might be grafted from other parts of the country into Utah and that that could be another meaning of the allegory.

Someone pointed out that those that were nourish on poor ground might mean those in the middle east where it was harder for Christ's Church to grow, whereas in America it was designed to be a place where one could worship God.

Again someone contrasted Utah with other parts of the country. They said that in other parts people have to plan to go to the temple and even stay overnight in a hotel. They also said that some have to travel to get to their ward buildings.

The gathering of Israel and the restoration are the grafting back in the branches.

Other servants - Missionaries and general church membership.

The bishopric called upon certain member of the ward to share experiences that we had with listening to General Conference last week. I had never seen anyone do a testimony meeting like that. I think it was just a special thing because of general conference.

The first person called upon talked about President Monson's talk from the priesthood session. President Monson had talked about a young boy wathing him and mimicing everything he did as he sat on the stand. He ended up wiggling his ears to give the boys a challenging thing to do. The speaker today wondered how many kids have watched him and the other priests as they have blessed the sacrament. He said that he would watch the olded boys when he was a little kid.

One guy talked about the statistics about how much service the Church gave last year. He said he felt very proud and the he reflected on if he had done his part as he heard a talk on being good neighbors.

One person related how he had a relative that called President Monson Little Tommy Monson because she knew him when she was young. It reminded me of my mission president who was a cousin of his and was always referring to him as Tommy.

Sacrament Meeting
There were two letters from the first presidency read today.

The first was a reiteration to stop sending letters to the first presidency with doctrinal issues. The Lord has set up His Church in an orderly way. Much like when Moses put leaders over smaller groups of the children of Israel. Those leaders then reported to him.

The second was stating that the story that has circulating that a Church leader has stated that those who were members of the church in Gordon B. Hinckley's day would have those in the after life bow to them because of their greatness. The letter stated that this is false doctrine and that no leader of the Church had ever said this.

Post Church
They had something after church called a second Sunday social. They had little snacks and people sat around and talked. I had never heard of that, but I think I have heard of a "linger longer", although I don't recall being in a ward that ever did that.

General Conference Sunday Afternoon Session April 6, 2008

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland - Apostle (Audio, Video)

“My Words . . . Never Cease”

Some Christians, because of their love for the Bible, state that there can be no more word from God than the Bible. He stated that we respectfully reject such a unscriptural mandate.

He commented on the statement in the Book of Revelation that states not to add to "this book". He stated that much of the Bible was written after that. He also stated that the Bible was not bound together as a complete collection until much after the Book of Revelation.

Moses 1:4

4 And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore ^alook, and I will show thee the ^bworkmanship of mine ^chands; but not all, for my ^dworks are without ^eend, and also my ^fwords, for they never cease.

The Old Testament does not lose value in our eyes when we are presented with the New Testament.

Joseph Smith—History 1:12

12 Never did any passage of ^ascripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed ^bwisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects ^cunderstood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.
Thus one of the great purposes of continuing revelation through living prophets is to declare to the world through additional witnesses that the Bible is true. “This is written,” an ancient prophet said, speaking of the Book of Mormon, “for the intent that ye may believe that,” speaking of the Bible. (See Mormon 7:9)

D&C 10:52

52 And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to ^adestroy that which they have received, but to build it up.

The scriptures are not our final authority. God is our final authority.

"In a sense Joseph Smith and his prophetic successors in this Church answer the challenge Ralph Waldo Emerson put to the students of the Harvard Divinity School 170 years ago this coming summer. To that group of the Protestant best and brightest, the great sage of Concord pled that they teach “that God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake.”"
(“An Address,” The Complete Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1929), 45.)

Elder David A. Bednar - Apostle(Audio, Video)

Ask in Faith

The principle of asking in faith.

We can all improve our consistency and efficacy of our person and family prayers.

Joseph did not go to the grove to ask which church was right, but which to join.

James 2:20

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that afaith without bworks is dead?

Faith is a principle of action and power.

Prayer requires holy communication and consecrated work.

Prayer requires honesty, effort, and commitment

It is our responsibility to find people for the missionaries to teach. The missionaries are full time teachers. It is our job to find.

Ether 12: 6

6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that afaith is things which are bhoped for and cnot seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no dwitness until after the etrial of your faith.

Elder W. Craig Zwick - Seventy (Audio, Video) We Will Not Yield, We Cannot Yield

The scoffing of the world is loneliness trying to make itself feel better.

1 Nephi 8:33

33 And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of ascorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.

Elder Robert R. Steuer - Seventy (Audio, Video)

The Power of Light and Truth
He talked about the things he noticed about light as a child using a flashlight. He compared that to the light of the Gospel.

He noted things about Gospel light that Alma found. "...the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had . . . more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.” (Alma 31:5)

Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander - Seventy (Audio, Video)
One among the Crowd
He talked about various crowds. He talked of the crowds around the woman who had an issue of blood that pressed throught he crowds to touch the hem of Jesus' garment. He talked about the crowd of priests and the King Noah that Alma went contrary to in order to accept the truth that Abinidi taught from Christ. He talked of the crowd of people in the spacious building in Lehi's dream.

He noted that struggling against the crowd can be tough, but Jesus can reach us even in among the crowds.

Elder Lance B. Wickman - Seventy (Audio, Video)
Today

Alma 34:32–34

32 For behold, this ^alife is the time for men to ^bprepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of ^cthis life is the day for men to perform their ^dlabors.

33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many ^awitnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not ^bprocrastinate the day of your ^crepentance 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 ^dnight of ^edarkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful ^acrisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth ^bpossess 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.

Jesus' decent below all things allows up to rise above all things.

Elder Craig C. Christensen - Seventy (Audio, Video)
A Book with a Promise

We have the benefit of living scriptures as well as canonized scriptures.

He presented a set of scriptures to a friend with that friend's name embosses on each volume. The friend asked, “Why do we need additional witnesses of Jesus Christ other than the Bible?” They asked him why he thought it might be important. "He suggested that since there appeared to be so many variations of the Bible and its teachings, we needed some kind of clarifying voice, something that would help us understand the Bible better."

Elder M. Russell Ballard - Apostle (Audio, Video)
Daughters of God

Mothers
"There is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood."

Cut out extra commitments. Cut out time wasting activities like soap operas and surfing the internet.

“Behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6).

President Thomas S. Monson - Prophet (Audio, Video)
Abundantly Blessed

President Monson stated, "We've had rapid-fire messages from a lot of speakers, but every one touched on a very important subject."

He also said a few words about his father.

General Conference Sunday Morning Session April 6, 2008

President Dieter F. UchtDorf - Second Counselor in the First Presidency (Audio, Video)

Faith of Our Father

We do not seek nor do we decline callings from God.

He related a story of President Monson climbing the stairs to the fifth floor to visit an ailing member in Hamburg, Germany after having had foot surgery. Some things are worth the hardships we have to go through to have them. This experience I think was that to President Monson.

Elder Uchtdorf said that his ancestors were an ocean away when the pioneers crossed the plains. He said that his ancestors did not settle Nauvoo or cross the plains, but he claims the heritage of those great pioneers.

He stated that there are those that do not join the Church because they do not want to dishonor the heritage of their ancestors who were of another faith.

We should be concerned with what pleases God and not what pleases our ancestors.

Elder D. Todd Chistofferson - Apostle (Audio, Video)

Born Again

He is the newest called apostle. He gave some introduction and history of himself and his family.

He spoke of an instance where a recently retired minister of another faith, who he did not know came to his home, because he was concerned for the welfare of his soul. He was concerned about this since Brother Christofferson was a member of the LDS church.

This was of interest to me since this happens very frequently to me. We received a similar letter with a DVD enclosed from a friend of my wife's family just a short time ago. Much like what was expressed by Elder Christofferson this man was sincere and I too felt appreciative of the man's interest in me. I could understand how, if he truly believed I was being led astray and my soul was in danger it took great courage and concern to reach out.

He said that one thing that he recalls about their visit was a discussion they had on being born again. Elder Christofferson noted that being born again requires a change within us and not just a one time act.

He gave some scriptures related to being born agin:
born of water and of the Spirit (see John 3:3–5).

the change from natural man to saint (see Mosiah 3:19).

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2).

“We are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments . . . all the remainder of our days” (Mosiah 5:5; emphasis added).

“Because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name” (Mosiah 5:7; see also D&C 76:24).

“And thus they become new creatures” (Mosiah 27:24–26).

"...faith unto repentance” (Alma 34:15).

Elder Sheldon F. Child - Seventy (Audio, Video)

The Best Investment

Tithing
Malachi 3:8, 10
8 ¶ ^aWill a man ^brob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In ^ctithes and offerings.

10 Bring ye all the ^atithes into the storehouse, that there may be ^bmeat in mine house, and ^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.

Elder Sheldon stated, "The Lord asked Israel to prove Him, to test Him, to have faith in Him so that He would be able to keep His promise to them."

His mother told him that her father always told them that tithing was the best investment that one could ever make.

President Heber J. Grant stated, “I want to say to you, if you will be honest with the Lord, paying your tithing and keeping His commandments, He will not only bless you with the light and inspiration of His Holy Spirit, but you will be blessed in dollars and cents; you will be enabled to pay your debts, and the Lord will pour out temporal blessings upon you in great abundance.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1898, 16)

Susan W. Tanner - Just released as Young Woman General President (Audio, Video)

My Soul Delighteth in the Things of the Lord

2 Nephi 4:15–16

15 And upon ^athese I ^bwrite the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul ^cdelighteth in the scriptures, and my heart ^dpondereth them, and writeth them for the ^elearning and the profit of my children.

16 Behold, my ^asoul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my ^bheart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.

She listed things of the Lord that she delights in.

President Boyd K. Packer - President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (Audio, Video)

The Twelve

“He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”(John 14:12)

When Jesus taught that he was the Son of God many were offended by it.
"Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?" John 6:60, 66–68.

"In 1976 an area general conference was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Following the closing session, President Spencer W. Kimball desired to visit the Vor Frue Church, where the Thorvaldsen statues of the Christus and of the Twelve Apostles stand. He had visited there some years earlier and wanted all of us to see it, to go there.

"We walked to the back of the chapel where the rest of the group was standing. Pointing to the statues, President Kimball said to the kind custodian, 'These are the dead Apostles.' Pointing to me, he said, 'Here we have the living Apostles. Elder Packer is an Apostle. Elder Thomas S. Monson and Elder L. Tom Perry are Apostles, and I am an Apostle. We are the living Apostles.

'You read about the Seventies in the New Testament, and here are two of the living Seventies, Elder Rex D. Pinegar and Elder Robert D. Hales.'" (From this talk)

President Thomas S. Monson - Prophet (Audio, Video)

Looking Back and Moving Forward

He talked about President Hickleys passing and how the Church has and will move forward.

He also talked about enduring.
"We are waging a war with sin, my brothers and sisters, but we need not despair. It is a war we can and will win. Our Father in Heaven has given us the tools we need in order to do so. He is at the helm. We have nothing to fear. He is the God of light. He is the God of hope. I testify that He loves us—each one."