Sunday, November 29, 2015

Church Services This Week at Ridge Crest Ward Northridge Stake Layton Utah 29 November 2015

Sacrament Service
One of the speakers shared some things from President Eyring’s priesthood session talk from conference, “You Are Not Alone in the Work”.

2 Nephi 25:23
 23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

“It is a most wondrous thing, this grace of God. Yet it is often misunderstood.” (President Dieter F Uchtdorf, “The Gift of Grace”, April 2015 General Conference)

Alma 24:8
 8 And behold, I thank my great God that he has given us a portion of his Spirit to soften our hearts, that we have opened a correspondence with these brethren, the Nephites.

Our works are a change of heart,  not a checklist of things we have to complete.  We change through his grace and our works and His grace fills in our gaps.

Grace unlocks the gates of Heaven and also opens the windows of Heaven.

Another element of God’s grace is the opening of the windows of heaven, through which God pours out blessings of power and strength, enabling us to achieve things that otherwise would be far beyond our reach. It is by God’s amazing grace that His children can overcome the undercurrents and quicksands of the deceiver, rise above sin, and ‘be perfect[ed] in Christ.’22

“Though we all have weaknesses, we can overcome them. Indeed it is by the grace of God that, if we humble ourselves and have faith, weak things can become strong.23
“Throughout our lives, God’s grace bestows temporal blessings and spiritual gifts that magnify our abilities and enrich our lives. His grace refines us. His grace helps us become our best selves.” (President Dieter F Uchtdorf, “The Gift of Grace”, April 2015 General Conference)
Therefore, our obedience to God’s commandments comes as a natural outgrowth of our endless love and gratitude for the goodness of God. This form of genuine love and gratitude will miraculously merge our works with God’s grace. Virtue will garnish our thoughts unceasingly, and our confidence will wax strong in the presence of God.” (President Dieter F Uchtdorf, “The Gift of Grace”, April 2015 General Conference)

Articles of Faith 1:4
4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Sunday School
My teaching partner and one of the youth gave a lesson on the Millennium and setting and accomplishing goals

Isaiah 65:17
4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Dnc 29:23-25
 23 And the end shall come, and the heaven and the earth shall be consumed and pass away, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth.
 24 For all old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new, even the heaven and the earth, and all the fulness thereof, both men and beasts, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea;
 25 And not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand

Alma 40:23
23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.

“Complete righteousness and peace will continue until the end of the 1,000 years, when Satan ‘shall be loosed for a little season, that he may gather together his armies.’ The armies of Satan will fight against the hosts of heaven, who will be led by Michael, or Adam. Satan and his followers will be defeated and cast out forever. (See D&C 88:111–115.)” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004], 103–4).

Dnc 88:111-115
 111 And then he shall be loosed for a little season, that he may gather together his armies.
 112 And Michael, the seventh angel, even the archangel, shall gather together his armies, even the hosts of heaven.
 113 And the devil shall gather together his armies; even the hosts of hell, and shall come up to battle against Michael and armies.
 114 And then cometh the battle of the great God; and the devil and his armies shall be cast away into their own place, that they shall not have power over the saints any more at all.
 115 For Michael shall fight their battles, and shall overcome him who seeketh the throne of him who sitteth upon the throne, even the Lamb.

Telestial, terrestrial, and celestial describe a state of being or a glory, but it is can also be the name of a place just like zion can describe a state of being, but also it could be the name of a place. The places with have the attributes of the state of being.

Elders Quorum
The lesson was taken from “God is at the Helm” - Elder M Russell Ballard from last conference
Would you rather sail on a new ship that you have to drive yourself or an old ship with an experienced captain and crew.

Would you rather sail with old maps and only weather data from historical information or current weather and navigation data and GPS.

Do we try to live to the standard we try to hold others to?  The point is not to expect things from people, but the point is to hold ourselves to a high standard and part of that standard should be to have compassion on others as they have their weaknesses.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Church Services This Week at Ridge Crest Ward Northridge Stake Layton Utah 22 November 2015

Sacrament Service
Moses 4:30
30 For as I, the Lord God, liveth, even so my words cannot return void, for as they go forth out of my mouth they must be fulfilled.

The Holy Ghost doesn’t tell us to improve everything at once. If He did, we would become discouraged and give up. The Spirit works with us at our own speed, one step at a time, or as the Lord has taught, ‘line upon line, precept upon precept, … and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, … for unto him that receiveth I will give more.’6 For example, if the Holy Ghost has been prompting you to say ‘thank you’ more often, and you respond to that prompting, then He may feel it’s time for you to move on to something more challenging—like learning to say, ‘I’m sorry; that was my fault.’” (Elder Larry R Lawrence, “What Lack I Yet”, October 2105 General Conference)

With childlike humility and willingness to focus on our Father in Heaven and our Savior, we take steps toward Them, never giving up hope, even if we fall. Our loving Heavenly Father rejoices in each and every faithful step, and if we fall, He rejoices in each effort to get back up and try again.” (Elder Randall K Bennett, “Your Next Step”, October 2105 General Conference)

Things that give us pleasure are not necessarily things that will bring us happiness.

A missionary that recently returned from his mission in the Philippines spoke to us.

“Subjects for general conference talks are assigned—not by mortal authority but by the impressions of the Spirit. Many subjects would address the mortal concerns we all share. But just as Jesus did not teach how to overcome the mortal challenges or political oppression of His day, He usually inspires His modern servants to speak about what we must do to reform our personal lives to prepare us to return to our heavenly home. On this Easter weekend I have felt impressed to talk about the precious and timeless teachings in one of the parables of Jesus.” (Elder Dallin H Oaks, “The Parable of the Sower”, April 2015 General Conference)

Personal reformation starts with a change of heart.

“The verb convert means ‘to turn from one belief or course to another,’ [and] conversion is ‘a spiritual and moral change attending a change of belief with conviction.’ As used in the scriptures, converted generally implies not merely mental acceptance of Jesus and his teachings, but also a motivating faith in him and in his gospel, a faith which works a transformation, an actual change in one’s understanding of life’s meaning and in one’s allegiance to God—in interest, in thought, and in conduct. While conversion may be accomplished in stages, one is not really converted in the full sense of the term unless and until he is at heart a new person” (President Marion G Romney, in Conference Report, Oct. 1975, 107–8; or Ensign, Nov. 1975, 71).

Mosiah 3:19
19 And out of the ground I, the Lord God, formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and commanded that they should come unto Adam, to see what he would call them; and they were also living souls; for I, God, breathed into them the breath of life, and commanded that whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that should be the name thereof.

“The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment.” (Marion G Romney, in Conference Report, Oct. 1985, 4–6; or Ensign, Nov. 1985, 5–7)

Doctrine and Covenants 122:7
7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

1 Peter 1:7
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Our trials are more precious than gold.

Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. Of that I personally attest.”(Elder Jeffrey R Holland, “An High Priest of Good Things to Come”, October 1999 General Conference)

10 Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works.

As we change our perspective in our trials we will be blessed.

2 Nephi 2: 27


 27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

Hymn - count your many blessings.

Memorize scripture and ponder on what you have memorized.

Helaman 3:35
35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

The Holy Ghost will help identify the personal changes you need to make for full conversion.” (Elder Richard G Scott, “Full Conversion Brings Happiness”, April 2002 General Conference)

Sunday School
My lesson on temporal self-reliance

Elders Quorum
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson chapter 22
The way that we attain Zion in the church we need to attain Zion in our family then in our ward then in our stake and region and so forth.

2 Tim 1:7
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

How do we make Zion at home?
Watch your communication. Remember your please and thank yous. Be cautious with sarcasm.  It has been said that how we speak to our children is what becomes their internal dialog.

Moses 7:18
18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

When Joseph Smith prayed on what church to join Satan bound his tongue and he had to exert great effort to break free of that. Satan would like to bind all of our tongues that we do not share the gospel with our family, our neighborhood, and the world. It takes great effort to overcome that.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Church Services This Week at Ridge Crest Ward Northridge Stake Layton Utah 15 November 2015

Sacrament Service
The primary program
Jesus taught us about the potential of man. Jesus showed us the example of what we should do and what we can be.

What does he ask? Live like his Son.“(Children’s Songbook, “He Sent His Son”, p34)

Sunday School
My teaching partner’s lesson on spiritual self reliance and opposition and Adam and eve

Elders Quorum
Ezra Taft Benson chapter 21
Help others that are in need, but also remember to be grateful that we are are blessed to the degree that we are.

We should be prepared and not rely on government or whatever to bail us out when disaster happens.

We encourage you to be more self-reliant so that, as the Lord has declared, ‘notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, … the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world’ (D&C 78:14). The Lord wants us to be independent and self-reliant because these will be days of tribulation. He has warned and forewarned us of the eventuality.

If you are saving and planning for a second car or a TV set or some item which merely adds to your comfort or pleasure, you may need to change your priorities. We urge you to do this prayerfully and do it now.

Now I do not mean to say that all debt is bad. Of course not. Sound business debt is one of the elements of growth. Sound mortgage credit is a real help to a family that must borrow for a home.20
In the long run, it is easier to live within our income and resist borrowing from future reserves except in cases of necessity—never for luxuries. It is not fair to ourselves or our communities to be so improvident in our spending that the day our income stops we must turn to relief agencies or the Church for financial aid.”

Feast Week Fireside
A speaker from the Ogden Institute of Religion spoke to us.

Isaiah 61

61:1
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

Moreover, we can’t fully appreciate joyful reunions later without tearful separations now. The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life.” (Elder Russell M Nelson, “Doors of Death”, April 1992 General Conference)

Funerals are rich with love and learning, but they are also bitter.

61:3
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

Beauty means a crown. A crown symbolizes glory like a degree of glory. He would take our time of ashes and gives us beauty, a crown, a glory.

The oil of joy is the oil of the olive and that represents the blood of Christ.  When we anoint with oil we anoint symbolically with the blood of Christ.

In the scriptures the Saints are called the trees of righteousness or the pillars of the temple.

Make a prayer journal to remember what you felt or heard.

You can't only put on part of the armor of God or you are still vulnerable.

Sunday, November 08, 2015

Church Services This Week at Ridge Crest Ward Northridge Stake Layton Utah 8 November 2015

Sacrament Service


Sunday School
My lesson on How can I become spiritually self-reliant?.
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How can I become spiritually self-reliant?

What do you think it means to be self reliant? What does it mean to be spiritually self reliant?

Who has the Come Follow Me lessons on their device? Your all can look at these on the church's Web site or on your device if your want to see what we are going to talk about throughout the month or if you want to read more about what we have talked about. Often the lessons have links to videos you can watch and scriptures and talks you can listen to. Did you know the gospel library would read the scriptures and conference talks and new era magazine to you? If you don't have a device the Web site has ways to listen to those things as well.

From the manual:
“Spiritual self-reliance is essential to our eternal well-being. When we are spiritually self-reliant, our testimonies do not depend on the testimonies of others. We seek our own spiritual experiences through praying daily, studying the scriptures, and exercising faith in Jesus Christ. We turn to our Heavenly Father for His help to resolve our own difficult problems. We are also able to strengthen others in their times of spiritual need.”

Being spiritually self reliant means not having a reflex action when we hear things on the news or online, but going to God and finding out for ourselves what his plan is.

Spiritual self reliance means finding out for ourselves how life works by getting an answer from God for ourselves when our friends tell us things.

Spiritual self reliance means obeying your parents, but finding out from God the type of person you should be even when parents aren't around.

Matthew 25:1–13
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Who are the ten virgins? Who are the foolish? Who are the wise? What is the wedding feast?

Elder oaks said,
“The arithmetic of this parable is chilling. The ten virgins obviously represent members of Christ’s Church, for all were invited to the wedding feast and all knew what was required to be admitted when the bridegroom came. But only half were ready when he came.”

When he returns he will need church members who have their own strong testimonies who are ready to help him with the work. I think we are already seeing the beginnings of this with raising the bar for missionaries. The brethren have been teaching that the Lord wants missionaries that already have a strong testimony and not those that go on a mission to get one.

Are we ready for him to return and doing the things that will make us strong of our own choice or are we being drug along by our parents and teachers?  Do you want to be at church to learn how to be like father or are you just at church because that's what happens on Sunday?

Think to yourself about why you are at church today.  Is it to be strong like Heavenly Father? Is it to fill your lamp with oil to prepare to be with the savior or are you just here because of someone else?

Dnc 58
26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.
27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward

In order for the work to move forward he needs us to dig in on our own and use our agency for good and actively seek the things of God and not just when we go to church or when our parents call us for prayer or family home evening or whatever.

Dnc 130
18 Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.
19 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.

If we work hard to seek the things of God on our own he will expand our minds and spirits. This life will make more sense. We will understand this life better. We will understand eternity better.

President Thomas S. Monson: “In order for us to be strong and to withstand all the forces pulling us in the wrong direction or all the voices encouraging us to take the wrong path, we must have our own testimony. Whether you are 12 or 112—or anywhere in between—you can know for yourself that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true”

New era article, it's your call
“The Lord often calls those who are in their teenage years to be engaged in His work of salvation, like Joseph Smith, Mormon, and Samuel. He doesn’t seem to be as concerned with how old a person is as He is with his or her heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7). He sees the potential each person has, no matter his or her age.”

What can youth today do to be more spiritually self reliant?   What can they do to help with the Lord's work? What can they do to be in the group of the wise and not in the group of the foolish?

What questions do you have about how to have a strong testimony?

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Elders Quorum
Lesson was on President Eyring’s October 2015 conference talk, “You Are Not Alone in the Work”
There's no growth in the comfortable zone and nothing comfortable in the growth zone.

“One of my grandsons is here tonight in his first priesthood session. He was ordained a deacon six days ago. He may expect that his first performance of a priesthood duty will be passing the sacrament next Sunday. My prayer is that he will see that moment as it really is.

“He may think that his work for the Lord is to pass the sacrament tray to people seated in the sacrament meeting. But the Lord’s purpose is not simply to have people partake of bread and water. It is to have them keep a covenant that will move them along the path to eternal life. And for that to happen, the Lord must give a spiritual experience to the person to whom the deacon offers the tray.
“I have seen that happen once in a care center when a deacon leaned forward to pass the tray to a white-haired lady. She looked at the bread as if it were precious. I have never forgotten her smile as she partook and then reached up to pat the deacon’s head, saying quite loudly, ‘Oh, thank you!’

“That deacon was simply performing his priesthood duty. Yet the Lord then multiplied the deacon’s act. It was evident that the sister remembered the Savior as she expressed sincere gratitude for a deacon’s service. She was reassured as he served the sacrament to her that she would have the Spirit to be with her. She was not alone that day in the care center. Neither was the deacon alone in his modest service. “

Pay attention. Lift up your head and pay attention to who is around us. Get to know those around us and we will be better able to help them when things happen.