My Son's Primary Talk
We learn from the scriptures to forgive others. Matthew 5:44 tells us to love our enemies. The Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:12 asks God to forgive us as we forgive others. Mark 11:25 tells us that when we pray we should forgive and God will forgive us.
Joint Priesthood/Relief Society/Priests/Laurels Meeting
The bishop spoke to us. Below are some of the points I captured that he covered.
Even if we are not sinning in a major way we have need to constantly repent. We should ponder ways that we are not helping God's work move forward. We should repent and ask Him how we can do more or do it better.
2 Nephi 31:20 - We should feast upon the words of Christ. Is it a feast if we just go to church once a week and that is the extent of our exposure to God's word? Or even if we just read a few verses everyday without pondering the meaning?
Taking notes helps us to articulate and understand what we are feeling. He noted that it is difficult for him when he receives revelation in the shower since he has no place to write it down.
The weight of the Church is carried by the individual members.
You were born to succeed not born to fail.
Handout from the Bishop's Lesson
Being a Wise and Fruitful ServantHandout from the Bishop's Lesson
Sullivan Hollow 2nd Bishopric
Introduction
Heavenly Father gives us "Principles, Processes, Promises and Power (due to obedience)." Please look for them in this presentation adn materials. Please make this a matter of personal study, reflection, goal setting and action planning. Do better things in better ways because of this material. Please discuss this as a family in Family Home Evening (FHE).
The literal promise from the Lord is that your lives will be more fulfilling, the Lord will bless you in ways that He has been unable to but now can, revelation will be more frequent and in a more abundant way will be yours, your abilities to do things will be enhanced, the trials of life will be easier to handle, and so forth. With such immeasurable gifts, could we not humbly search through and decide to do just a bit better each day in our lives to have such great blessings.
A. Doctrine and Principles
Introduction
Heavenly Father gives us "Principles, Processes, Promises and Power (due to obedience)." Please look for them in this presentation adn materials. Please make this a matter of personal study, reflection, goal setting and action planning. Do better things in better ways because of this material. Please discuss this as a family in Family Home Evening (FHE).
The literal promise from the Lord is that your lives will be more fulfilling, the Lord will bless you in ways that He has been unable to but now can, revelation will be more frequent and in a more abundant way will be yours, your abilities to do things will be enhanced, the trials of life will be easier to handle, and so forth. With such immeasurable gifts, could we not humbly search through and decide to do just a bit better each day in our lives to have such great blessings.
A. Doctrine and Principles
- Read Moses 1:39. For what purpose does Heavenly Father live?
- Why are we so involved in this same purpose? (To become like He is, we must practice and do what He is Doing. This is acheived as we study, learn, do, fail/succeed/grow, and do more and more with consistently and exactness. This is achieved as we strive to DO what THEY do -- line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little.)
- How do we understand and fully gain the abilities He wishes us to acquire
a. Study, pray, serve
b. Do His will
c. Constantly repent, change, and grow
d. D&C 58:26 -- "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is commanded in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward."
e. Alma 37:6, 7 -
6 Now ye may suppose that this is afoolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by bsmall and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
7 And the Lord God doth work by ameans to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very bsmall means the Lord doth cconfound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.
f. 2 Nephi 31:20 -
20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a asteadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of bhope, and a clove of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and dendure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eeternal life.
g. Mosiah 2:41 -
41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and ahappy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are bblessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out cfaithful to the end they are received into dheaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it. - The Lord measures success - your interview with Jesus on Judgement Day. This is a quote from President David O. McKay, former President and Prophet of the Church.
a. What did you do with the talents that I gave to you?
b. How have you treated your spouse?
c. Tell me how you treated your children, name by name.
d. What callings you had in the Church are immaterial; tell me about how you fulfilled your Church assignments, especially that of a home teacher?
e. Tell me about your contributions to the communities in which you lived.
B. Processes
- Elder Oaks brief history
"Life has some strange turns. When I was a young man I thought I would serve a mission. I graduated from high school in June 1950. Thousands of miles away, one week after high school graduation, a North Korean army crossed the 38th parallel, and our country was a twar. I was 17 years old, but as a member of the Utah National Guard I was soon under orders to prepare for mobilization and active service. Suddenly, for me and for many other young men of my generation, the full-time mission we had planned was not to be.
"Another example: After I served as president of Brigham Young University for nine years, I was released. A few months later the govenor of the state of Utah appointed me to a 10-year term on the supreme court of the state. I was then 48 years old. My wife June and I tried to plan the rest of our lives. We served 20 years on the state supreme court. Then, at the end of two ten year terms, when I would be nearly 69 years old, I would retire from the supreme court, and we would submit our missionary papers and serve a mission as a couple.
"Four years after we made that plan I was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles--something we never dreamed would happen. Realizing then that the Lord had different plans and different timing than we had assumed, I resigned as a justice of the supreme court. But this was not the end of the important differences. When I was 66, my wife June died of cancer. Two years later I married Kristen McMain, the eternal companion who now stands at my side.
How fundamentally different my life is than I had sought to plan! My professional life has changed. My personal life has changed. But the commitment I made to the Lord--to put Him first in my life and to be ready for whatever He would have me do--has carried me through these changes of eternal importance." - Choosing the Lord as Priority #1
Wise are those who make this commitment: I will put the Lord first in my life and I will keep Him commandments. The performance of that commitment is within everyone's control. We can fulfill that commitment without regard to what others decide to do, and that commitment will anchor us no matter what timing the Lord directs for the most important events in our lives.
Commit yourself to put the Lord first in your life, keep His commandments, and do what the Lord's servants ask you to do. Then your feet are on the pathway to eternal life. You do not know what will happen. Do your best on what is fundamental and personal and then trust in the Lord and His timing. - How Do These Principles Apply to ME as a Child of God?
C. How Do I Put the Lord First
- Since the Lord reveals to us line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, NONE of us knows when He is going to reveal matters to us. WHEN we present ourselves continuously as ready and willing vessels, the Lord will reveal His will and blessings to us MORE FREQUENTLY and in LARGER MEASURES.
- How do we present ourselves as ready and willing vessles to the Lord?
a. prayer, scripture study
b. service to others
c. repentance and forgiving others
d. being actively and continuously engaged as a student of God by asking questions like "what am I to learn from this scripture, this situation, this discussion, etc.?"
e. being actively engaged as a student of God by taking notes during personal prayer, scripture study, meetings, etc. No mind is sharper than the dullest pencil. He will give us more as we record His messages. Who/what is more important? A shopping list or what your Heavenly Father has to share? Why do we not constantly seek to take notes in HIS settings?
f. other ways:
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g. For leaders--plan, do, (evaluate, adjust), delegate, coach, and ask for follow-up
Elder Ballard in "O Be Wise", stated "...divide the work and delegate responsibility. There is a difference between being responsible for getting the work done and doing the work yourself. For example, gone should be the days when the elders quorum president feels he needs to personally finish the home teaching visits that others have missed. The same is true for Relief Society presidents with respect to visiting teaching. Not only is this unwise; it isn't home or visiting teaching. Home teaching isn't about numbers or reporting visits to a home; visits and numbers are just a measuring stick. Home teaching is about love of people and service to and watchcare over our Heavenly Father's children.
"Assignments should be made, responsibilities should be delegated, and members should be allowed to fulfill their stewardship as best they can. Counsel, advise, persuade, motivate—but don't do the work for them."
Elder Dallin H. Oaks stated in his talk, "Good, Better, Best", "To our hundreds of thousands of home teachers and visiting teachers, I suggest that it is good to visit our assigned families; it is better to have a brief visit in which we teach doctrine and principle; and it is best of all to make a difference in the lives of some of those we visit. That same challenge applies to the many meetings we hold—good to hold a meeting, better to teach a principle, but best to actually improve lives as a result of the meeting."
h. Elder Ballard in "O Be Wise", also stated "...we need to thoughtfully allocate our resources of time, income, and energy.
"The key, it seems to me, is to know and understand your own capabilities and limitations and then to pace yourself, allocating and prioritizing your time, your attention, and your resources to wisely help others, including your family, in their quest for eternal life. "
i. Elder Dallin H. Oaks stated in his talk, "Good, Better, Best", the following, "We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.
"We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it."
j. EXAMPLE of Planning, Priorities, and Progress
Rocks, Pebbles, Sand and Water
For "Planning, priorities, progress, and promises" to work, this takes CONSTANT VIGILANCE for most people until it becomes a HABIT. Then, will still applying the habit consistently, we become unconsciously competent.
k. Elder Dallin H. Oaks stated in his talk, "Good, Better, Best" he continued: "I ask you men, particularly, to pause and take stock of yourselves as husbands and fathers and heads of households. Pray for guidance, for help, for direction, and then follow the whisperings of the Spirit to guide you in the most serious of all responsibilities, for the consequences of your leadership in your home will be eternal and everlasting."
HOW?
(1) By being a more active and seeking learner and participant.
(2) By planning monthly, weekly, daily, even hourly.
(3) By focusing on eternally significant priorities first PLUG IN PRIORITIES BEFORE ALL ELSE.
Sunday School
Book of Mormon - Lesson 34: “How Could You Have Forgotten Your God?” p150
The Book of Mormon has patterns. One of those patterns is the Pride Cycle. Righteousness and prosperity => Pride and Wickedness => Destruction and Suffering => Humility and Repentance
When you have more money you often buy nicer things which can lead to forgetting that less nice things were useful and many time adequate. This can lead to being prideful about what we have.
Repenting frequently keeps us righteous and prospering.
Many stay prideful and suffering and spiral in destruction.
Handout from Sunday School:
NEPHITES LAMANITES
Dwindled in unblief (verse 34). Grew in the knowledge of God (verse 34).
Grew in wickedness and sin (verse 34). Walked in truth and righteousness before God (verse 34).
Lost the guidance of the Spirit Received the Spirit
Built up and supported the Gadianton robbers (verse 38). Preached the word of God to the Gadianton robbers (version 37).
Testimony Meeting
From the bulletin:
"Foyers are built into our chapels for the greet and chatting that are typical of people who love one another. However, when we step into the chapel, we must - each of us must - wath ourselves lest we be guilty of intruding when someone is struggling to feel delicate spiritual communications."
Elder Boyd K. Packer, Reverence Invites Revelation Ensign November 1991.
"Knowledge encourages obedience, and obedience enhances knowledge.
"A testimony of the gospel is a personal witness borne to our souls by the Holy Ghost that certain facts of eternal significance are true and that we know them to be true. Such facts include the nature of the Godhead and our relationship to its three members, the effectiveness of the Atonement, and the reality of the Restoration.
"A testimony of the gospel is not a travelogue, a health log, or an expression of love for family members. It is not a sermon. President Kimball taught that the moment we begin preaching to others, our testimony is ended."
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Testimony, Ensign May 2008, 26, 29
The Book of Mormon has patterns. One of those patterns is the Pride Cycle. Righteousness and prosperity => Pride and Wickedness => Destruction and Suffering => Humility and Repentance
When you have more money you often buy nicer things which can lead to forgetting that less nice things were useful and many time adequate. This can lead to being prideful about what we have.
Repenting frequently keeps us righteous and prospering.
Many stay prideful and suffering and spiral in destruction.
Handout from Sunday School:
NEPHITES LAMANITES
Dwindled in unblief (verse 34). Grew in the knowledge of God (verse 34).
Grew in wickedness and sin (verse 34). Walked in truth and righteousness before God (verse 34).
Lost the guidance of the Spirit Received the Spirit
Built up and supported the Gadianton robbers (verse 38). Preached the word of God to the Gadianton robbers (version 37).
Testimony Meeting
From the bulletin:
"Foyers are built into our chapels for the greet and chatting that are typical of people who love one another. However, when we step into the chapel, we must - each of us must - wath ourselves lest we be guilty of intruding when someone is struggling to feel delicate spiritual communications."
Elder Boyd K. Packer, Reverence Invites Revelation Ensign November 1991.
"Knowledge encourages obedience, and obedience enhances knowledge.
"A testimony of the gospel is a personal witness borne to our souls by the Holy Ghost that certain facts of eternal significance are true and that we know them to be true. Such facts include the nature of the Godhead and our relationship to its three members, the effectiveness of the Atonement, and the reality of the Restoration.
"A testimony of the gospel is not a travelogue, a health log, or an expression of love for family members. It is not a sermon. President Kimball taught that the moment we begin preaching to others, our testimony is ended."
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Testimony, Ensign May 2008, 26, 29
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