Sunday Novemeber 25, 2007 - Sunday Services Cumberland Ward

Sacrament Meeting
First Speaker
Gratitude
-For the Strength of Youth p6. "In your prayers, before you ask for blessings, pour out your heart to God in thanks for the blessings you have already received." "Express appreciation to everyone who helps you in any way."
-True to the Faith p79
-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 ^alepers, 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 ^apriests. 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 ^athanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten ^acleansed? but where are the ^bnine?

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

-DnC 78:19 - 19 And he who receiveth all things with ^athankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an ^bhundred fold, yea, more.

Second Speaker
Gratitude and Thanksgiving - Freedom of Religion
-4th verse of My Country Tis of Thee -
Our fathers' God, to thee,
Author of liberty,
To thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light.
Protect us by thy might,
Great God, our King!

-America is a choice land and will be free as long as those that posses it serve Christ.
-Jaredites came from Asia - Most of population destroyed after rejecting Christ.
-Lehi guided to America from Jerusalem - Great civilization destroyed and people became nomads after rejecting Christ.
-Columbus led here to discover the land.
-Pilgrims led to establish a religious population that understood the value of religious freedom.

3rd Speaker
-Natural Tendencies overcome by becoming as a child - Mosiah 3:19 -
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.

-He spoke of gratitude as it relates to charity and that as gratitude increase, so does charity.

Sunday School
Lesson 43
1 Peter 1:19-20 - Jesus was ordained to his mission before the world was created.

1 Peter 1:7 - States that faith is more precious than gold. If we are asked if our faith is more precious to us than gold we would say that it is. If that is true then why do we sell out for so much less. We compromise or betray our faith by conversations we have, things that we watch, things that we listen to, the way that we treat others, and our lack of commitment to serve.

Elders' Quorum Meeting
We discussed President Monson's talk from the priesthood session of general conference.

Sunday November 18, 2007 - Sunday Services Cumberland Ward

Sacrament Meeting
First Speaker
Young woman spoke about going to the temple. She just went with some of the other youth to the temple. She also talked a little about going to the baptism yesterday of a new member, who was confirmed today.

Second Speaker
"my house is a house of order" (DnC)

A dispensation is brought about so current people don't have to rely entirely on previous dispensations for guidence. Dispensations also have a specific purposes. Adam brought forth mankind. Jesus brought the atonement. List all dispensations.

"I can do all things" (Get reference and put on web site under perfection. Also "with god is anything impossible?").

This is the first dispensation where every member of the family could have their own set of scriptures.

Third Speaker
Emergency Preparedness
Why do we need to be prepared? Tornados, blizzards, power outages, earth quakes, and civil unrest or terrorist attack.

Mosiah 4:14 - We need to be prepared to provide for our family and also others who might be in need.

DnC 25:28 - Provide for own family.

We should be self reliant in six areas - from church handbook of instructions. Education, health, food storage, employment

1 tim 5:8 - if you provide not for your own...

Ether 12

Sunday School
lesson 42
Many times we feel that we have been cast out rather than that we are children of Heavenly Father and have been sent on a mission to learn how to be like Him and return to Him.

Don't be in such a rush to finish our prayers that we leave before giving God the chance to respond or say things that he needed to say.

James 1:1-4 and Orson F. Witney (quoted in Faith Precedes the Miracle, 98) talked of how our trials and our temptations can make us more charitable and patient.

James 1:19 talks about being swift to hear and slow to speak. How different is that than in our time of quick wits and sharp tongues? If we are slow to speak we may be able to avoid escalating tense situations.

We should bridal our tongues. We should be slow to wrath and also not gossip. If someone did something wrong, does that mean that we need to talk about it?

James 1:22 also talks about doing good and not just hearing the Word and doing nothing.

Elders' Quorum Meeting
Spenser W Kimball manual Chapter 22 - Revelation: A Continuous Melody and a Thunderous Appeal
'Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.' (Amos 3:7.)

"There are those who would assume that with the printing and binding of these sacred records, that would be the 'end of the prophets.' But again we testify to the world that revelation continues and that the vaults and files of the Church contain these revelations which come month to month and day to day. We testify also that there is, since 1830 when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, and will continue to be, so long as time shall last, a prophet, recognized of God and his people, who will continue to interpret the mind and will of the Lord. "

Sunday November 11, 2007 - Sunday Services Cumberland Ward

Sacrament meeting
A young man that just returned from a mission to Florida and Alabama spoke. He talked about approaching missionary work like a doctor. When a doctor works with a patient they ask them where it hurts. Missionary work is also about listening to people and finding out what they need.

A stake high councilman spoke to us.

He stated that there is a difference between participation and commitment. This applies to membership in the church and to marriage.

Sunday School
1 and 2 Timothy and Titus
Lesson 41
We need to recommit our lives all the time. We can not just say that we believe one time and get complacent. I think this what repentance is about. It is our chance to recommit. The sacrament goes along with that as well. Partaking of the sacrament every week helps us to remember our covenants and recommit or increase our commitment. As new people are called in the church and we raise our hand to sustain them we get the chance to recommit. As we go to the temple we get the chance to think about our covenants and recommit.

Even if we are committed if we are not progressing we are not moving closer to God.

Paul taught Timothy to be an example to others by word, conversation and conduct, charity, spirit, faith, and purity.

The love of money is evil as Paul said, not money itself. The lesson manual pointed out that "Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught: “There is nothing inherently evil about money. The Good Samaritan used the same coinage to serve his fellowman that Judas used to betray the Master.""

Priesthood
Spencer W Kimball manual Ch 21
What did Joseph Smith know after the first vision that he didn't know before?
-God and Jesus had bodies.
-They were two different beings.
-None of the churches on the Earth were God's church.

We should be a tool in God's hand. Let's not be too locked into what type of tool we are that we fail to perform when asked to do other tasks. One brother noted that a diaginal wirecutter is not a nail puller, but it works very well in that capacity.

Many made accusations against Stephen and later he was stoned. Joseph also had many accusation and then a mob killed him as well.

Sunday November 4, 2007 - Sunday Services Cumberland Ward

Sunday School
Lesson 40
In Philippians 2:2-3 Paul counseled the Philippians to be of one mind and not do anything through strife or vainglory.

One Minded
The Church does not tell us who to vote for, but generally people in the church generally vote a similar way. Also, the curriculum is the same no matter which congregation one would attend throughout the Church.

Service Without Strife or Vainglory
We must be careful of our motives and where our heart is at as we serve.

We should avoid vain ambitions.
13th article of faith - We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Priesthood
Work life/spiritual life balance
The instructor broke down the hours in a week to illustrate how we have to manage our time.
168 hours in a week less 24 for Sunday less 44 for sleep less 50 for work less 6 hour commute less 12 hours family time. That leaves 52. I left to listen to my daughter's talk in primary, so I didn't get to find out where the instructor was going. That gets you started, but you will have to use your imagination a little.

What happened with you this week at church?