Church Services This Week at Ridge Crest Ward Northridge Stake Layton Utah 12 January 2014

Elders Quorum Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith Chapter 1

To move our prayers to the next level we should remember, when we pray we are entering the presence of deity.  To move to that next level in prayer when we begin our prayer, we should wait to proceed until we feel the confirmation that we are in His presence.

Does that mean we don't pray when we feel distanced from God?  No.  We still pray where we are, but we don't stay there.  We try to continually move our prayers to the next level.

To some the doctrine of being literal children of Heavenly Father is offensive.  Perhaps it is because it sounds like blasphemy to be that close to God.  Perhaps it is because parenthood brings to mind sexual intimacy and mankind often tells us that is a carnal act, even a dirty act, which it is not.  That aside, we have no idea what that process is for creating spirits.  What we do know is that He is our literal Father.  He created our spirits with potential to be like Him.  His behavior toward us is that of a perfect Father.

Young Womens
I spoke to the Laurels today.

1 Corinthians 13:11
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

I am not going to dress inappropriately to get your attention.  I am not going to speak vulgarly because you do and I want you to like me and I am going to let you know that it is not appreciated when you speak that way in my presence.

Sunday School
Moses 1:39
39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

Why do we need to know God's work?  So we know our job and how we can help Him with His work.

Even if our minds do not know what we were foreordained to or agreed to do in this life, I think our spirits know.  We spend too much times following our minds and bodies around in life that we don't hear our spirit.   Some call those memories of our spirit intuition or gut feel or conscience.

Do not be a different person at work than you are at church.

Sacrament Service
The Bible is full of references to God the Father and God the Son are two different beings.  Yet some are confused by other scriptures that say they are one.

They are one in their purpose and their work.

The Holy Ghost is also a separate being.  He is the only member of the Godhead that is solely a personage of spirit.  Because of that he can fulfill his special mission to able be in us and communicate directly to our spirits.

"The feeling of being accepted by someone we love is a basic human need. Being accepted by good people motivates us. It increases our sense of self-worth and self-confidence. Those who cannot find acceptance from desirable sources often seek it elsewhere. They may look to people who are not interested in their well-being. They may attach themselves to false friends and do questionable things to try to receive the acknowledgment they are seeking. They may seek acceptance by wearing a particular brand of clothing to generate a feeling of belonging or status. For some, striving for a role or a position of prominence can also be a way of seeking acceptance. They may define their worth by a position they hold or status they obtain."

Are we making judgments of others without having all the facts?  Are we look at our neighbors wash drying on the clothesline and think it is dirty, when what is dirty is the window we are looking through?

“The ultimate source of empowerment and lasting acceptance is our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. They know us. They love us. They do not accept us because of our title or position. They do not look at our status. They look into our hearts. They accept us for who we are and what we are striving to become. Seeking and receiving acceptance from Them will always lift and encourage us.” (Elder Erich W. Kopischke, Being Accepted of the Lord, April 2013 General Conference)

“If you want to stay close to someone who has been dear to you, but from whom you are separated, you know how to do it. You would find a way to speak to them, you would listen to them, and you would discover ways to do things for each other. The more often that happened, the longer it went on, the deeper would be the bond of affection. If much time passed without the speaking, the listening, and the doing, the bond would weaken.” (Bishop Henry B Eyring, To Draw Closer To God, April 1991 General Conference)

Prayers can be like twitter posts, Facebook posts, or emails.

It is difficult being in a one way conversation when one person is not listening.

With computers if one sends a message and the other doesn't send a response an error occurs.  If it responds, but the sender disconnects before receiving it then the communication fails.