Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 29 September 2013

Joint Priesthood/Relief Society/Youth Meeting

We watched a few videos on member missionary work.

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/because-i-have-been-given-much?lang=eng

Some thoughts from the Hymn “Because I Have Been Given Much”

It talks of having received a lot and needing to share it with others.  It talks of not being able to stand by while others lack something that we have and not share it with them.

Sunday School "We need living prophets" video.  http://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/we-need-living-prophets?lang=eng

Speaking of General Conference speakers Elder Holland said, "If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you." (“An Ensign to the Nations”, April 2011 General Conference)

Does conference ever seem like a rerun?  Should we be bothered that we hear the same topics covered over and over?  Perhaps we should be bothered, because that likely means the Church and likely us personally are not getting it.

If the brethren hit a topic hard for years and then stop, does that mean that we have gotten it or just that our time is up and more pressing matters need to be discussed?

Testimony Meeting Missionary work can also be to active members of the church.  We never know who needs what, even when things appear to be going perfect with them.

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 22 Sep 2013

Elders QuorumThe lesson was based on Elder Jeffrey R Holland’s April 2013 General Conference talk, “Lord I Believe”.

Mark 9:22–24
22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

"...do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have..." - Elder Holland

Sunday SchoolLesson 36 - Our Heritage chapter 7

The Lord wanted the pioneer saints to create a united people.  How often are religions just congregations of people coming to listen to a preacher?

How often are we in an unfamiliar situation and someone says, "You're a Mormon?  Jim over here is a Mormon." and we are excited to meet Jim and have an automatic kinship with Jim?  We have someone with someone with something in common stronger than if you both play golf.

Today we contribute to temple by tithing our money.  In the early days of the Church the people tithed their time and put physical labor into building the temple.

Brigham Young sent people to settle different communities once they got settled in Salt Lake City.  He also established stakes and the retrenchment organization for young women.

Sacrament ServicePrimary Program - I Am a Child of God

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 15 Sep 2013

Ward CouncilThe spiritual thought was taken from the book, The Gift to Teach by Boyd K Packer

1 Corinthians 12:11
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Elders QuorumChapter 18 - Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow

“If a presiding elder will only seek to become as he may be and ought to be, ridding himself of selfish principles, and always act for the good of his people, and be humble, and not seek to do too much in a little time, or be too great until grown, he will never be at a loss how to magnify his office properly, nor will ever lack the power of God to bring about His wise purposes.” (Letter from Lorenzo Snow to William Lewzey and William Major, Nov. 1842, in Lorenzo Snow, Letterbook, 1839–1846, Church History Library.)

Those who raise themselves up, the Lord brings them low.  Those who humble themselves the Lord lifts.

Sunday SchoolLesson 35 - Our Heritage 77-80
After the people had been physically saved, they could continue to save those people spiritually.

How far do we have to go today to find people that need rescued?  Next door or maybe a couple of doors down?  There are likely people in our own home that need rescued.

Matthew 11:28-30
28 ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Sacrament ServiceJohn 16:13
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

If we allow ourselves to be distracted by things or people from our duty and who we are then we will not have joy.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Alma 42:6-8
6 But behold, it was appointed unto man to die—therefore, as they were cut off from the tree of life they should be cut off from the face of the earth—and man became lost forever, yea, they becamefallen man.
7 And now, ye see by this that our first parents were cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will.
8 Now behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness.

Church Services This Week at Farmington 3rd Ward Farmington Stake Farmington Utah 8 Sep 2013

Sacrament ServicePersonal revelation is information from God.

Doctrine and Covenants 88:63
63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Moroni 10:4
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Seek to do the father's will always.

Pray always.

I often here people talk of that father does not want to be involved in the trivial matters of our life, yet he has told us to pray always.  If we pray always then often those prayer will have, so called, trivial things in them.

If we pray always and about “trivial” things we learn to hear his voice and what that voice sounds like.

“Much instruction has been given to man since the beginning which we do not possess now. … Some of our friends … are bold to say that we have everything written in the Bible which God ever spoke to man since the world began. … Does it remain for a people who never had faith enough to call down one scrap of revelation from heaven, and for all they have now are indebted to the faith of another people who lived hundreds and thousands of years before them, does it remain for them to say how much God has spoken and how much he has not spoken? … It is nowhere said in that volume by the mouth of God, that He would not, after giving, what is there contained, speak again” (History of the Church, 2:18)

Doctrine and Covenants 1:38
38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

It is our problem if you are not receiving revelation.  It is not the teachers or speakers at church that are the problem.  It is our poor behavior and our lack of preparation that is in our way.

Much of the revelation you receive is meant for you and only you.  Those experiences are sacred and are only shared as prompted to on specific occasions.  Some might never be shared.

Sunday SchoolLesson 34 - Doctrine and Covenants 136

The teacher said that the first group of saints that came across the plains took almost a year.  She said that subsequent groups took just over a hundred days.  They learned much from the first journey and so did many of the travelers that were not members of the church.  Several LDS settlements sprung up allow the way and were a support to travelers.

Being self reliant in a way is like the oxygen mask on a plane.  It could save your life and if you take care of preparing for yourself first then you can help others.

Elders QuorumChapter 17 - Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow

Testify with boldness and with love and reverence for the doctrine and also for the individual we are talking to.

We are accountable to follow promptings we receive and we are accountable for being prepared to be able to receive those promptings and for being prepared to declare doctrine and testimony.

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 1 Sep 2013

Elders Quorum

The lesson was based on President Uchtdorf’s conference talk, The Hope of God’s Light.

Darkness vs Light

When darkness comes into our life it is easy to let it consume us.

We should accept that there is darkness, but we should strive to dwell in the light.

He suggested three steps to overcoming darkness.

1. Start where you are.

2. Second, turn your heart toward the Lord.

3. Third, walk in the light.

Sunday School

With the death of Joseph smith the enemies of the church thought the church would go away.  Many of the members of the church also wondered what they would do without Joseph.

“If this were the work of man, it would fail, but it is the work of the Lord, and he does not fail” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1970, 113; or Improvement Era, June 1970, 26).

Brigham Young perhaps had a difficult personality for some in that he was very matter of fact, but that was what the Church needed in the absence of Joseph.   The Church needed someone to speak confidently that they knew the direction the Lord had given Joseph and that Brigham was receiving revelation.  They needed someone to speak directly and firmly to get over the hump of transitioning from Joseph to what the Church would be going forward.

Doctrine and covenants 107:22-27?

22 Of the Melchizedek Priesthood, three Presiding High Priests, chosen by the body, appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the confidence, faith, and prayer of the church, form a quorum of the Presidency of the Church.

23 The twelve traveling councilors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world—thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling.

24 And they form a quorum, equal in authority and power to the three presidents previously mentioned.

25 The Seventy are also called to preach the gospel, and to be especial witnesses unto the Gentiles and in all the world—thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling.

26 And they form a quorum, equal in authority to that of the Twelve special witnesses or Apostles just named.

27 And every decision made by either of these quorums must be by the unanimous voice of the same; that is, every member in each quorum must be agreed to its decisions, in order to make their decisions of the same power or validity one with the other—

The saints felt an urgency to get temple work done before leaving the temple behind and going West.