Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah December 12-27-09

"It is in the book of Moroni: 'Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.'1

"That ought to help you understand why any believing Latter-day Saint is an optimist about what lies ahead for him or her, however difficult the present may be. We believe that through living the gospel of Jesus Christ we can become like the Savior, who is perfect. Considering the attributes of Jesus Christ should quash the pride of the self-satisfied person who thinks he or she has no need to improve. And even the most humble person can take hope in the invitation to become like the Savior."

Elder David A. Bednar's talk from last General Conference, More Diligent and Concerned at Home

"President Thomas S. Monson recently counseled: “Often we assume that [the people around us] must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. . . . We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us” (“Finding Joy in the Journey,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2008, 86)." - Elder Bendar

"The hypocrisy in our lives is most readily discerned and causes the greatest destruction within our own homes. And children often are the most alert and sensitive when it comes to recognizing hypocrisy." - Elder Bednar

Zion-what is it? Different things at times.

• pure in heart
• beauty/church-stakes
• City of Enoch
• Jerusalem
• The New Jerusalem - Jackson County, Missouri
• The dwelling place of exaltation

A missionary who just returned from Ecuador spoke.

The Holy Ghost could be doing 1 billion other things, but he comes to witness to us personally.

None of us were born to be evil. We must choose to be more.

Life was never intended to be easy. Nothing that makes us stronger and helps us grow is easy.

From the Bulletin:

"Since no one is born with a testimony and we are, therefore, "converts" to the restored Gospel, let's never forget that we learn from "books," "others" and "many experiences." Let us learn our lessons well and also allow others space and forgiveness to learn their lessons (sometimes at our expense). Let that be one of our 365-day "Christmas gifts" to each other.

"Joseph Smith loved learning even though he had few opportunities for formal education. In his journals, he spoke happily of days spent in study and often expressed his love of learning. Joseph taught the Saints that knowledge was a necessary part of our mortal journey, for " a man is saved no faster than he [gains] knowledge," and that " whatever principle of intelligence we attain .. in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection." During challenging times, it is even more important to learn. The Prophet Joseph taught, "Knowledge does away with darkness, [anxiety], and doubt; for these cannot exist where knowledge is." -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Two Principles for Any Economy", Ensign, Nov 2009.

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 12-20-09

Alma 59:11-12

  11 And now, when Moroni saw that the city of Nephihah was ^alost he was exceedingly sorrowful, and began to doubt, because of the wickedness of the people, whether they should not fall into the hands of their brethren.

  12 Now this was the case with all his chief captains. They doubted and marveled also because of the wickedness of the people, and this because of the success of the Lamanites over them.

"God is responsible for the work accomplished by Joseph Smith—not Joseph Smith. The Lord is responsible for it, and not man." (Joseph F. Smith, Deseret Evening News, July 14, 1917, p. 9)

People are sometimes put off by how often we speak of Joseph Smith.  Even though the Lord did a lot of the foundation work, that we often need to review, through Joseph Smith, it was God's work and God's church.

Matthew 7:15-20

  15 ¶ Beware of ^afalse prophets, which come to you in ^bsheep’s clothing, but ^cinwardly they are ravening ^dwolves.

  16 Ye shall ^aknow them by their ^bfruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

  17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth ^agood ^bfruit; but a ^ccorrupt tree bringeth forth ^devil fruit.

  18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

  19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good ^afruit is ^bhewn down, and cast into the fire.

  20 Wherefore by their ^afruits ye shall know them.

"In this same period he established an organization which … has withstood every adversity and challenge and is as effective today in governing a worldwide membership … as it was in governing a membership of 300 in 1830." (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Joseph Smith Jr.—Prophet of God, Mighty Servant,” Ensign, Dec. 2005, pp. 4–6.)

President Monson's talk from the First Presidency Christmas Devotional 2008 was referenced.

Alma 1:4-5

  4 And he also testified unto the people that ^aall mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they ^bneed not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had ^ccreated all men, and had also ^dredeemed ^eall men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.

  5 And it came to pass that he did teach these things so much that many did believe on his words, even so many that they began to support him and give him ^amoney

The false doctrine Nehor teaches the people cited in this scripture discounts the fullness of the atonement and the sacredness for it to just be dispensed to those who are trying.  Also note that those that found his preaching pleasing paid him and provided for his support.

We only need to drop the last syllable from the spirit of Christmas and it becomes the spirit of Christ.

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah December 12-13-09

Doctrine and Covenants 4:3

3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are ^acalled to the work;

Ephesians 4:29-32

  29 Let no corrupt ^acommunication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

  30 And ^agrieve not the holy ^bSpirit of God, whereby ye are ^csealed unto the day of redemption.

  31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and ^aanger, and clamour, and ^bevil ^cspeaking, be put away from you, with all ^dmalice:

  32 And be ye ^akind one to another, tenderhearted, ^bforgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Doctrine and Covenants 88:124

  124 Cease to be ^aidle; cease to be ^bunclean; cease to ^cfind fault one with another; cease to ^dsleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be ^einvigorated.

3 Nephi 11:29

  29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of ^acontention is not of me, but is of the ^bdevil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

Doctrine and Covenants 101:32-33

  32 Yea, verily I say unto you, in that ^aday when the Lord shall come, he shall ^breveal all things—

  33 Things which have passed, and ^ahidden things which no man knew, things of the ^bearth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof—

2 Nephi 2:11-15

  11 For it must needs be, that there is an ^aopposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.

  12 Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no ^apurpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the ^bjustice of God.

  13 And if ye shall say there is ^ano law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not ^bthere is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.

  14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and ^alearning; for there is a God, and he hath ^bcreated all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be ^cacted upon.

  15 And to bring about his eternal ^apurposes in the end of man, after he had ^bcreated our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the ^cfowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the ^dforbidden ^efruit in ^fopposition to the ^gtree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.

Abraham 3:25

  25 And we will ^aprove them herewith, to see if they will ^bdo all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

Alma 34:32

  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.

Doctrine & Covenants 19:16-19

  16 For behold, I, God, have ^asuffered these things for all, that they might not ^bsuffer if they would ^crepent;

  17 But if they would not repent they must ^asuffer even as I;

  18 Which ^asuffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might ^bnot drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

  19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and ^afinished my preparations unto the children of men.

The Living Christ:  The Testimony of the Apostles

From the Bulletin:
"Having overcome the world, Christ possesses a redeeming power that is all-embracing and all-encompassing in its scope. There are many dimensions to that power. Most important is the redeeming power of the great Atonement that paid the price for our sins — our individual sins as well as the sins of all mankind. Even the smallest sin we commit opens an infinite gulf between God and us, and it takes an infinite Atonement to overcome that. Only one who is "infinite and eternal" (Alma 34:14), as Amulek said, could pay that price.
In a most personal way, the Savior pleads for us before the Father's throne. The Doctrine and Covenants says He is our advocate with the Father, standing before the Father and saying, "Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou avast well pleased; behold the blood of the Son....
"Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name" (D&C 45: 4-5). Elder Bruce D. Porter, "The Prince of Glory," Ensign, December 2009, 26-30.


29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which Is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
-Ephesians 4:29-32

First Presidency Christmas Devotional December 6, 2009

First Presidency Christmas Devotional
President Dieter F. Uchtdoft (Text of his talk)
"All of these spectacular displays and decorations that compete for our attention can be beautiful and uplifting, but if that’s all we see, then we’re missing something that’s in plain sight. Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we become so preoccupied with responsibilities, commitments, and the stress of our many tasks that we fail to see with our hearts that which is essential and most sacred."

President Henry B. Eyring (Text of his talk)
"Jehovah, out of His great love for the Father and for us, volunteered to come down from His exalted place as the perfect Firstborn in the spirit world to face the trials we would face and to save us if we loved Him enough to keep the commandments He would give us. At the heart of those commandments, we were to love the Father and His son and all of God’s other children. Hearing that story so filled our hearts with love for the Father and His Son that we shouted for joy and worshipped them."

Isaiah 9:6
  6 For unto us a ^achild is ^bborn, unto us a ^cson is given: and the ^dgovernment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, ^eCounsellor, The ^fmighty ^gGod, The ^heverlasting Father, The Prince of ⁱPeace.

President Thomas S Monson (Text of his talk)
Matthew 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.

"May there be love and kindness and peace within your hearts and homes. May even those whose hearts are heavy rise with the healing which comes alone from Him who comforts and assures."

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah December 12-6-2009

From the Bulletin:

"Alma 2: 5,6 and modern prophets teach us that to survive well during the future emotional, spiritual, physical, mental, unemployment, and financial storms, a prime location in which we are strengthened, inspired, and empowered is as we attend the temple regularly. Sadly, some ignore or choose not to "go to the source" while others are soothingly toned by the experiences of the temple."

"Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't." (Terry Rice, professional football player.)

"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance. Is it time to evaluate? To re-align?

Peace of mind is its prize." The Bishop