Sunday May 28, 2006

Sacrament Meeting
Agency - If we are given a box of legos and directions, we can follow the directions of build whatever we want. The speaker related that to if someone wrongs us we can choose to do what God would have us do or we can act out on our own.

Another speaker took his material from Elder Uchdorf's talk on Seeing the Beginning from the End. I have commented on this elsewhere, so I won't go into it too much, but the gist of it is that we have limited perspective and we can sometimes get lost in the trial at hand and can't see what the blessing is at the end of it. Elder Uchdorf talks of his lung disease that was healed due to the hard work he had to do as a kid to help provide for his family.

The speaker added the scripture Words of Mormon 1:7.
And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.

Sunday School
What do we want spoken about us? What one thing can we do this week to make that vision come true?
-------------
Ruth became one of the children on Israel by marriage even thought Israel had been commanded to conquer her people.


Priesthood
The lesson was based on Elder Hales talk on Agency from last conference. I didn't catch all of the lesson since my foru-year old had gave a talk in Primary.

Sunday May 21, 2006

Sacrament Meeting
The speakers talked today about serving others. The following points were brought out:

• Even though we should encourage each other, we should avoid calling others to repentance.
• Be friendly to everyone, even those that aren't like us. Sometimes it is hard to be close with someone that does not have our interests or is not in our social circle or is not at our education level. We must learn to be close to all mankind.
• We should impart our substance to each other.
• We will never acheive perfection so long as we are mostly concerned with our ours needs. We even do this with our own needs at church. I have seen people grumbling about having a hard time hearing a Sunday school lesson because a mother has a baby in the room and it is fussing a little. I agree that there comes a point that they need to be taken out, but the rest of us also should cut them some slack in order for them to be able to get some of the lesson.
  
  There were a couple of other key points brought out.
• When you walk where he is going then you can talk about where you are are going.
• We deny the Savior through our actions every day. We are sometimes judgemental of Peter for denying Christ 3 times before the cock crowed, but do our actions testify that the Church is true and that the atonement has power that others need?

Sunday School
After Joshua died the people were ruled by judges.

Some nations were not completely conquered to bring Israel into humility later.

Priesthood
Being born with gifts can be a great blessing to you and others, but it can also be a trial of your humility. We gain power by recognizing God's hand and asking for guidance in the use of our talents.

Sunday May 14, 2006

Sacrament Meeting - Mother's Day
The point was brought out that Eve was called the mother of all living before she bore any children. One expressed the opinion that motherhood starts at when girls are born. They also pointed out that unless taught otherwise woman do mother things naturally.

Does mother of all indicate some sort of stewardship to take care of the earth and all creatures on it?

They talked about men having to be given something (priesthood) to be saviors of men.

Sunday school
We talked about the order of things as the Lord called Joshua to take Moses' place.

The left the 12 stones by the Jordon river as another reminder to them, like the many other things they were required to do.

Priesthood
We talked about not talking bad about other religions. Someone gave the quote, "Don't tear down another man's house in order to be able to build him a new one."

I thought on that a bit. If I build my neighbor new house and then let him move into it when he is ready he will probably be grateful. If I burn down his house just so I can build him a new one or even if I already have it built and then burn down his existing house, thus forcing him to move he will probably resent me.

Sunday May 7, 2006

Sacrament Meeting (Fast Sunday)
Several primary kids gave testimony today. They went up alone and for the most part gave proper testimonies. They said what they knew and not what they were thankful for or a big long story.

Sunday School
We talked of the things that Irael had to remind them to follow God.

Deuteronomy means second law. Not necessarily a new law, but telling them the law again.

Priesthood
The lesson was based on Elder Hales priesthood talk from last conference.

The adversary can not have joy unless we sin. Heavenly Father wants us to be happy. Satan wants us to be miserable.

Satan can not make us do anything. The Devil made me do it is false doctrine. He can only intice us, but not compel us.