Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 10-11-09

Priesthood Opening

Romans 5 - Justification

Elders' Quorum

The body is a vehicle to help us become like Heavenly Father.

“We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. He is pleased when he can obtain the tabernacle of man, and when cast out by the Savior he asked to go into the herd of swine, showing that he would prefer a swine’s body to having none. All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not.” (Quoted by William Clayton, reporting an undated discourse given by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois; in L. John Nuttall, “Extracts from William Clayton’s Private Book,” pp. 7–8, Journals of L. John Nuttall, 1857–1904, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; copy in Church Archives. )

“The devil has no power over us only as we permit him; the moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power.” (Quoted by William Clayton, reporting an undated discourse given by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois; in L. John Nuttall, “Extracts from William Clayton’s Private Book,” p. 8, Journals of L. John Nuttall, 1857–1904, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; copy in Church Archives. )

"Our physical bodies make possible a breadth, a depth, and an intensity of experience that simply could not be obtained in our premortal estate. President Boyd K. Packer has taught, 'Our spirit and our body are combined in such a way that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and the foundation of our character.'² Thus, our relationships with other people, our capacity to recognize and act in accordance with truth, and our ability to obey the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ are amplified through our physical bodies. In the classroom of mortality, we experience tenderness, love, kindness, happiness, sorrow, disappointment, pain, and even the challenges of physical limitations in ways that prepare us for eternity. Simply stated, there are lessons we must learn and experiences we must have, as the scriptures describe, 'according to the flesh' (see 1 Nephi 19:6; Alma 7:12–13)." (Elder David A. Bednar, Things as They Really Are, CES Fireside for Young Adults, May 3, 2009)

"And in this dispensation the Lord revealed that 'the spirit and the body are the soul of man' (D&C 88:15). A truth that really is and always will be is that the body and the spirit constitute our reality and identity. When body and spirit are inseparably connected, we can receive a fulness of joy; when they are separated, we cannot receive a fulness of joy (see D&C 93:33–34)." (Elder David A. Bednar, Things as They Really Are, CES Fireside for Young Adults, May 3, 2009)

You get lots of data through social networking, but you get different data face-to-face.  Even though you can keep in touch with much more people more quickly online, there is data and experience you can only get face-to-face.

Sunday School

The lesson manual contained a story of President Hugh B. Brown having a college of his come and ask him to defend his religion like he would defend a point in court.  President Brown ended up asking if the man believed that God has spoken to man since after Christ's resurrection.  The man stated that he was not aware of an instance that he had.  President Brown then proposed a few possibly reasons why God does not speak to man.  1.  He is not able.  2. He does not love us.  3. We don't need him.  He rejected those reasons and asked President Brown why he did not and President Brown assured him that he did still speak to man.

"While serving as President of the Quorum of the Twelve, President Ezra Taft Benson said: 'The most important prophet, so far as we are concerned, is the one who is living in our day and age. This is the prophet who has today’s instructions from God to us today. God’s revelation to Adam did not instruct Noah how to build the ark. Every generation has need of the ancient scripture plus the current scripture from the living prophet. Therefore, the most crucial reading and pondering which you should do is of the latest inspired words from the Lord’s mouthpiece' (in Conference Report, Korea Area Conference 1975, 52)."

Noah's generation also did not have the challenges and technologies we have to be able to relate to both his generation and ours.  He had no TV, radio, iPod, cell phone, or the Internet.

Heed and hearken have a different meaning than just listening and listening is different than hearing.

From the Bulletin:
"A great and important duty devolving upon this people is to teach their children, from their cradle until they become men and women, every principle of the Gospel, and endeavor, as far as it lies in the power of the parents, to instill into their hearts a love for God, the truth, virtue, honesty, honor and integrity to everything that is good. That is important for all men and women who stand at the head of a family in the household of faith. Teach your children the love of God; teach them to love their fellowmen, and especially to love their fellowship with the people of God. Teach them to honor the priesthood, to honor the authority that God has bestowed upon His Church for the proper government of His Church." President Joseph F. Smith