Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow 2nd Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 10 May 2015

Sacrament Service

Alma 56:41-56

41 And it came to pass that again, when the light of the morning came we saw the Lamanites upon us, and we did flee before them.

42 But it came to pass that they did not pursue us far before they halted; and it was in the morning of the third day of the seventh month.

43 And now, whether they were overtaken by Antipus we knew not, but I said unto my men: Behold, we know not but they have halted for the purpose that we should come against them, that they might catch us in their snare;

44 Therefore what say ye, my sons, will ye go against them to battle?

45 And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.

46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.

47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

49 And it came to pass that I did return with my two thousand against these Lamanites who had pursued us. And now behold, the armies of Antipus had overtaken them, and a terrible battle had commenced.

50 The army of Antipus being weary, because of their long march in so short a space of time, were about to fall into the hands of the Lamanites; and had I not returned with my two thousand they would have obtained their purpose.

51 For Antipus had fallen by the sword, and many of his leaders, because of their weariness, which was occasioned by the speed of their march—therefore the men of Antipus, being confused because of the fall of their leaders, began to give way before the Lamanites.

52 And it came to pass that the Lamanites took courage, and began to pursue them; and thus were the Lamanites pursuing them with great vigor when Helaman came upon their rear with his two thousand, and began to slay them exceedingly, insomuch that the whole army of the Lamanites halted and turned upon Helaman.

53 Now when the people of Antipus saw that the Lamanites had turned them about, they gathered together their men and came again upon the rear of the Lamanites.

54 And now it came to pass that we, the people of Nephi, the people of Antipus, and I with my two thousand, did surround the Lamanites, and did slay them; yea, insomuch that they were compelled to deliver up their weapons of war and also themselves as prisoners of war.

55 And now it came to pass that when they had surrendered themselves up unto us, behold, I numbered those young men who had fought with me, fearing lest there were many of them slain.

56 But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war.

"...the joy of motherhood comes in moments."(Elder M Russell Ballard, “Daughters of God”, April 2008 General Conference)

"Families need unstructured time when relationships can deepen and real parenting can take place. Take time to listen, to laugh, and to play together." (Families need unstructured time when relationships can deepen and real parenting can take place. Take time to listen, to laugh, and to play together.)

Women are mothers to the whole world, not just to their children.  Motherhood does not start when a woman has a child and it does not end when they are grown.  Thus, the roles and responsibilities of motherhood do not start when a woman has a child and it does not end when they are grown.  Many let other distractions take them away from their primary calling.  One of men’s primary callings is to provide what is need for their wives to be able to perform their work as mothers and to remove any obstacles that they can that get in the way of their wives being able to perform their work as mothers.

“The world is full of foolish schemes. They contravene and hinder the purposes of the Lord. Some seek to change the God-given roles of the sexes. Some invite mothers to leave the home to work. Others entice fathers to find recreation away from their families. These questionable practices weaken the home!" (A Theodore Tuttle, The Things That Matter Most, Ensign December 1971)

“Do we embrace our roles and responsibilities to strengthen homes as mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts?” (Sister Carole M Stephens, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, Do We Know What We Have?, General Conference October 2013)

Now, let me say unequivocally that I am thrilled with the educational and other opportunities that are available to women. I treasure the fact that the backbreaking work and domestic drudgery required of women has been reduced in much of the world because of modern conveniences and that women are making such magnificent contributions in every field of endeavor. But if we allow our culture to reduce the special relationship that children have with mothers and grandmothers and others who nurture them, we will come to regret it. (Elder Quentin L Cook, Lamentations of Jeremiah: Beware of Bondage, General Conference October 2013)

"[Women, you] do not need some of the extravagances that working outside the home might bring."(President Gordon B Hinckley, "To the Women of the Church", October 2003 General Women's Conference)

"Sister Yazzie doesn’t limit her love and influence to her biological family. She understands what it means to expand her sphere of influence as she goes about doing good, blessing, nurturing, and defending the family of God."

...

"Sisters, we belong. We are loved. We are needed. We have a divine purpose, work, place, and role in the Church and kingdom of God and in His eternal family. " (Carole M. Stephens, The Family Is of God, April 2015 General Conference)

Sunday School

My teaching partner’s lesson on testimony

Elders Quorum

Teachings of Presidents of the Church:  Ezra Taft Benson Chapter 9

How does the Book of Mormon play a role in helping us make good decisions?

Apostasy is not about the other guy. We each need to look inside ourselves for where we are slipping.

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 2-15-09

Priesthood Opening
1 Nephi 3:7
7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I ^awill go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no ^bcommandments unto the children of men, save he shall ^cprepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

Elders' Quorum
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith Chapter 27: Beware the Bitter Fruits of Apostasy 315–26
We may be tempted to think of what others are doing in apostasy, which is perhaps good to be aware of, but we should also be aware of things that we ourselves where our actions and ideas are not in tune with true doctrine.

The manual states, "Losing confidence in Church leaders, criticizing them, and neglecting any duty required by God lead to apostasy."
A couple of things to remember with this quote.
-Neglecting our duty can lead to apostasy. Selfishness breeds apostasy.
-Not criticizing our leaders doesn't mean we don't pray about what they tell us and gain our own testimony of what they say. Those who blindly follow are easily swayed this way and that. Those who pray and get a testimony are strong within themselves. They continue to build on their foundation and less easily swayed by ideas that come by that are not of God.
-Complaining in general tends to make a negative atmosphere and make us negative people. It chases away the spirit in any aspect of our life.

Putting our own knowledge about the Lord's also leads to apostasy.

Sunday School
Lesson 7: “The First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel” 35
Sinning is like writing with your eyes closed. You lose where you are at and you have trouble making sense of what you are doing and communicating.

"If we place any condition on our willingness to serve the Lord with all our hearts, we diminish our faith." ("Lord, Increase Our Faith", Elder John K. Carmack, Ensign March 2002)

Faith is trust. Faith is action. Hebrews 11:1 talks of the ability to follow through, even when we haven't seen everything.
1 Now ^afaith is the ^bsubstance of things ^choped for, the ^devidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 12:2
2 Looking unto Jesus the ^aauthor and ^bfinisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him ^cendured the cross, despising the ^dshame, and is set down at the right hand of the ^ethrone of God.

He authors our faith and then finishes it after we do our best.
2 Nephi 25:23
23 For we labor diligently to write, to ^apersuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by ^bgrace that we are saved, after all we can ^cdo.

D&C 58: 26
26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is ^acompelled in all things, the same is a ^bslothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Don't look for the reward. Look for the next thing the Lord would require of us.

True repentance involves a change of heart and not just a change of behavior (see Alma 5:13)” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 71).

Sacrament Service
Missionary Work
The 40 day fast for missionary work was presented. This was for missionary efforts in our ward and in our lives. It was also for opening up missionary work where the work is currently not allowed to happen.

Charity
Moroni 7:47
47 But ^acharity is the pure ^blove of Christ, and it endureth ^cforever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

Matthew 22:36-39

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt ^alove the Lord thy God with all thy ^bheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy ^cmind.

38 This is the first and great ^acommandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt ^alove thy neighbour as thyself.

Charitable Contributions
One speaker talked of paying tithing, helping the poor through a generous fast offering, and supporting the missionary effort throughout the world through donations to the missionary fund.

From the Bulletin
"Tithing is a principle that is fundamental to the personal happiness and well-being of the Church members worldwide, both rich and poor. Tithing is a principle of sacrifice and a key to the opening of the windows of heaven. In Primary I memorized the tithing poem, 'What is tithing ? I will tell you every time. Ten cents from a dollar, and a penny from a dime.' But I did not understand it fully until it was taught by Grandfather and President Henry D. Moyle.

The law of tithing is simple: we pay one-tenth of our individual increase annually. Increase has been interpreted by the First Presidency to mean income. What amounts to 10 percent of our individual income is between each of us and our Maker. There are no legalistic rules. As a convert in Korea once said: 'With tithing, it doesn't matter whether you are rich or poor. You pay 10 percent, and you don't have to be ashamed if you haven't earned very much. If you make lots of money, you pay 10 percent. If you make very little, you still pay 10 percent. Heavenly Father will love you for it. You can hold your head up proud.'

Some may feel that they cannot afford to pay tithing, but the Lord has promised that He would prepare a way for us to keep all of His commandments. To pay tithing takes a leap of faith in the beginning, but as Jesus said, 'If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.' We learn about tithing by paying it. Indeed, I believe it is possible to break out of poverty by having the faith to give back to the Lord part of what little we have.

Members of the Church who do not tithe do not lose their membership, they only lose blessings. Through Malachi the Lord asks, 'Will a man rob God?...But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.' If we will trust in the Lord, He will open the windows of heaven to us as we give back to Him the one-tenth He asks of us.

The ultimate offering was that offered by the Savior Himself in giving His very life. It causes each of us to wonder, 'How many drop of blood were shed for me?' "(President James E. Faust, General Conference, 1998)

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 1-18-09

Priesthood Opening
Mosiah 4:30
30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not ^awatch yourselves, and your ^bthoughts, and your ^cwords, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and ^dcontinue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

Elders’ Quorum
Chapter 25: Truths from the Savior’s Parables in Matthew 13 292–305
A thorough knowledge of the scriptures allows us to teach other as opportunities come up without having to search around. It also gives us perspective and teach us as things come up in our lives.

Bearing testimony of Christ brings the spirit. The scriptures testify of Christ authoritatively and can bring to us and those we teach the spirit very powerfully.

Sunday School
Lesson 3: “I Had Seen a Vision” 11
What is the great apostasy? The mixing of Man’s teachings with the teachings of God in Church teachings. The removing the teachings of God from the Church.

In the 1300s the renaissance began and out of that came the reformation. There were not many advances in man’s knowledge and inventions before then. After that point God allowed man to move forward.

William Tyndale worked to get the Bible translated into English. He commented to the scholars of his day, "If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scriptures than thou dost."

The common man was not given access to the scriptures before the reformation. God is the god of the common man.

On the one hand we had the pre-reformation church where they wanted their people to be ignorant and read the scriptures to them. On the other hand we have The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today. The Church today constantly admonishes people to read the scriptures and teach them to their children. They also work to translate the scriptures into many many languages that more people would have the option to read them.

Why to start the Church in the United States? (See talk "Why 1820", Hyrum W. Smith,Rick's college, September 27, 1988) The United States was one of the only countries if not the only country that didn't have a state religion. It was the only place where a free thinking religion could get a foothold.

This land has been opened up several times as a sanctuary for religious people and then the people were destroyed when they turned their back on God (Jaredites, Lehites, and now the United States).

There is no way that the United States should've won the revolutionary war based on warfare of the time.

Sacrament Service
Virtue and Moral Excellence

”Live right by embracing virtue. Virtues are more than values—much more. Virtues mean not only excellence, but moral excellence. Virtuous men and women not only do good; they are goodness.”  (Bishop Keith B. McMullin - Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, “Signposts for Your Future“, New Era January 2000)

“You precious young women, to begin with you must practice virtue in its highest sense. Virtue has many definitions, such as moral excellence, right action and thinking, goodness of character, or chastity in women.” (James E. Faust - Second Counselor in the First Presidency, “How Near to the Angels”, Ensign May 1998)

Mosiah 5:15
  15 Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in ^agood works, that Christ, the ^bLord God Omnipotent, may ^cseal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who ^dcreated all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.

Modesty represents who we are and is a statement to others.

Actions are more powerful than words.

A missionary that just returned from the Baltimore mission spoke.

Prayer is not to change the will of God.

“I long have been impressed with the truth that meaningful prayer requires both holy communication and consecrated work. Blessings require some effort on our part before we can obtain them, and prayer, as ‘a form of work, … is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings’ (Bible Dictionary, ‘Prayer,’ 753). We press forward and persevere in the consecrated work of prayer, after we say ‘amen,’ by acting upon the things we have expressed to Heavenly Father.” (Elder David A. Bednar Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Ask in Faith”, Ensign May 2008)

From the Bulletin
Simply stated, “As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part” (Bible Dictionary, “Prayer,” 752).

We are promised that if we pray sincerely for that which is right and good and in accordance with God’s will, we can be blessed, protected, and directed (see 3 Nephi 18:20;D&C 19:38).

Revelation is communication from Heavenly Father to His children on earth. As we ask in faith, we can receive revelation upon revelation and knowledge upon knowledge and come to know the mysteries and peaceable things that bring joy and eternal life (see D&C 42:61). The mysteries are those matters that can only be know and understood by the power of the Holy Ghost (see Harold B. Lee, Ye Are the Light of the World [1974], 211).

The revelations of the Father and the Son are conveyed through the third member of the Godhead, even the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the witness of and messenger for the Father and the Son. He is part of THE Godhead.

Prayer is and should be a key part of the spiritual preparation for our day. During the course of the day, we keep a prayer in our heart for continued assistance and guidance -- even as Alma suggested: "Let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord" (Alma 37:36).

Prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel with the Lord in all of our doings, as we express heartfelt gratitude, and as we pray for others with real intent and a sincere heart.

Sunday June 22, 2008 - Services Sullivan Hollow Second Ward

Priesthood Opening
2 Nephi 28:20-21

20 For behold, at that day shall he ^arage in the ^bhearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.

21 And others will he ^apacify, and lull them away into carnal ^bsecurity, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the ^cdevil ^dcheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

When we are slow to obey the prophets words because we think we have time or because they do not apply to us then we are being lulled into security.

July 13th 7:15am - general priesthood meeting at stake center.

Elders' Quorum
Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
Doctrine and Covenants 84

35 And also all they who receive this priesthood ^areceive me, saith the Lord;

36 For he that receiveth my servants ^areceiveth me;

37 And he that ^areceiveth me receiveth my Father;

38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s ^akingdom; therefore ^ball that my Father hath shall be given unto him.

39 And this is according to the ^aoath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.

40 Therefore, all those who receive the ^apriesthood, receive this ^boath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved.

-Priesthood - Power of God given to men to bless His children.
-Oath - Sacred promise with consequences. 100% guaranteed from God.
-Positive and negative consequences are possible.
-Covenant - Two party conditional oath. Action based contract.
-Receive - Not just take, but embrace.
-Magnify - Examine in great detail.

We can receive all the Father has. Many find this blasphemous. Many who spoke truth have been persecuted for speak that truth which others found blasphemous. Jesus was killed for saying He was the Son of God.

By ourselves we cannot succeed. this is the grace of God and also the atonement. His grace gives us strength. His atonement makes us clean to be able to return.

The bishop asked us to review a few resources on this subject. (Duties and Blessings of the Priesthood: Basic Manual for Priesthood Holders, Part B - Lesson 1: The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood p2,

Faith and the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood

by President Henry B. Eyring (April 2008),

The Key of the Knowledge of God

by President James E. Faust (October 2004))

Sunday School
Book of Mormon Lesson 23: “More Than One Witness” p. 102
Fish stories are hard to believe without more than one witness.
Missionaries go two by two. People are ordained and set apart by two or more people.
The Lord prepared Alma and also prepared Amulek to go with him as a second witness (Alma 8:8-10, 14-17, 10:1-5).

Sacrament Meeting
Youth including my daughter were asked to share experiences from youth conference last week. They went to the Manti Pagent on. They did baptisms for the dead in the Manti temple. They also stopped on the way to Manti in Salt Lake to go to temple square.

Several people shared their perspective on an experience that the bishop had with a guy that was riding his motorcycle from California back East. He had heard there was some Mormon mystery pagent going on, so he came to Manti on his way to see what it was all about. The bishop went up to him and started talking. He told him he should stop by temple square in Salt Lake City on his way. He said that he would and he gave the bishop his name and email address.

First Official Speaker
He just got back from his mission to New Mexico. He expressed that on his mission he heard from people that all churches were true and it didn't matter which one you went to. Yet some of these same people had left other churches because they did not baptize by immersion. As they taught them they expressed that if they were all true then it didn't matter how you were baptized. The point the missionaries were trying to make was that it was not institutions that were true, but the doctrine that they taught and if the doctrine was not true, then neither was the church teaching it.

The people in the early Church were disputing and changing the gospel even before the apostles died. The apostles spent a lot of time settling these disputations.

He quoted from Micah where he talks of priest teaching as an occupation and such and how Zion would be plowed under and started again.
Micah 3

11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the ^aprophets thereof divine for ^bmoney: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.

12 Therefore shall Zion for your ^asake be ^bplowed as a field, and ^cJerusalem shall become ^dheaps, and the mountain of ^ethe house as the high places of the forest.

He noted that when crops get infested with bugs and go bad, sometimes all you can do to fix it is to plow under the field and start over.

Second Speaker
He shared an experience where he had talked to someone who believed that Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost were the same being. He testified to the man that They were separate beings. He asked how he knew that. He said, "because Joseph Smith prayed and God and Jesus appeared to him together as separate beings.

General Conference Saturday Morning Session April 5, 2008

Session Audio and Video
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf - Second Counselor in the First Presidency (Audio, Video)
The Sustaining of Church Officers

He led a Solemn Assembly. We sustained President Monson as the new prophet and the new first presidency and the new Quorum of the Twelve Apostles today. They did it with a solemn assembly, which each quorum votes individually starting with the First Presidency and ending with the Young Women of the Church.

Elder Russell M. Nelson - Apostle (Audio, Video)
Salvation and Exaltation
Why did God give prophets and apostles? Ephesians 4:11-14

11 And he ^agave some, ^bapostles; and some, ^cprophets; and some, ^devangelists; and some, ^epastors and ^fteachers;

12 For the ^aperfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the ^bedifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the ^aunity of the faith, and of the ^bknowledge of the Son of God, unto a ^cperfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more ^achildren, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of ^bdoctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Article of Faith 3 "We believe that through the ^aAtonement of Christ, all ^bmankind may be ^csaved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel."
An example of a law would be "Thou shalt not kill." An example of an ordinance would be baptism.
Obeying Jesus is possible or he wouldn't have told us to.

Elder Nelson stated that the development of faith in the Lord is an individual matter. Salvation and repentance is also an individual matter. It can not be coerced by a government or group.

Resurrection or being saved from physical death is free. Exaltation or Eternal Life or being saved from spiritual death is a conditional gift. Heb. 5: 9 "And being made ^aperfect, he became the ^bauthor of eternal ^csalvation unto all them that obey him; " (see also Matt. 6: 24, Luke 16: 13, Acts 5:32)

Moses taught, "And thou shalt ^ateach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt ^btalk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. " Deut. 6: 7, Deut. 11: 19

Elder Nelson counseled us, "Parents love each other and treat our children as an heritage from the Lord."

We are release from church callings, but we are never released as parents.

The Church is to assist and not replace parents in their sacred responsibilities.

Do not try to control your children. Listen to them.

He reminded us of what God's work is. Moses 1:39 - "For behold, this is my ^awork and my ^bglory—to bring to pass the ^cimmortality and ^deternal ^elife of man. "

We will be judged by the desires of our hearts as well as by our actions.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband - Presidency of the Seventy (Audio, Video)
Special Experiences
"These solemn assemblies confirm to us that this is the Lord's true and living church." I find living church to be an interesting phrase.

D&C 1: 23 - "That the ^afulness of my ^bgospel might be ^cproclaimed by the ^dweak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before ^ekings and ^frulers."

"Our personal journey through life provides us with many special experiences that become building blocks of faith and testimony."
"Let us remember our own spiritual experiences" They will be to us spiritual building blocks.

Cheryl C. Lant - Primary General President (Audio, Video)
Righteous Traditions
What are our traditions? Do are our traditions lead us to where we want to go?

Elder Kenneth Johnson - Seventy (Audio, Video)
Restoring Faith in the Family
I have often thought that religion is a type of science. You read the materials of authorities in the field and then apply the principles they outline.

Elder Johnson stated, "Scientists gain their knowledge mainly through research, conducting experiments, and the application of intellect.
Disciples of Christ receive their witness by studying His words, observing His works, putting gospel principles into practice, and receiving the spirit of inspiration."

He also talked of the necessity of education. " It is, therefore, our responsibility to safeguard the home as a center of learning where these virtues can be instilled in an atmosphere of love and through the power of example."

You can also see some counsel on this in Proverbs 22:6.

He stated that he learned loyalty, integrity, and dependability in the home of his parents.

"...never be satisfied with anything less than your best efforts."

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin- Apostle (Audio, Video)
Concern for the One
Elder Wirthlin stated, "True disciples of Jesus Christ have always been concerned for the one." He then quoted Matthew 18:11. (See also Luke 15:4.)
11 For the aSon of man is come to bsave that which was clost.
12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred asheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

He stated that three reasons people get lost is because they are different, they are weary, or they have strayed.

He spoke of having compassion for those that are different. He related a story of a child that was picked on when he was in school. After a while he stood up for the boy. He thought this would damage his friendship with the boys doing the teasing, but rather they drew closer to him and they had increased compassion for the boy they had teased.

The Lord often chooses the weak things of the word. The Lord is aware of their limitations and also their strengths.

The question is not if we will trip or fall. It is how we will respond to those trials.

1 Cor. 2: 14
14 But the anatural man breceiveth not the things of the cSpirit of God: for they are dfoolishness unto him: neither can he eknow them, because they are fspiritually gdiscerned.

President Henry B. Eyring - 1st Counselor in the First Presidency (Audio, Video)
The True and Living Church
Elder Eyring stated, "This is the true Church, the only true Church, because in it are the keys of the priesthood. Only in this Church has the Lord lodged the power to seal on earth and to seal in heaven as He did in the time of the Apostle Peter. Those keys were restored to Joseph Smith, who then was authorized to confer them upon the members of the Quorum of the Twelve.
When the Prophet Joseph was murdered, the enemies of the Church thought that the Church would die. They thought it was the creation of a mortal man and therefore would perish with him. But their hopes were dashed. It was the true Church, and it also had the power to live on, even when those chosen for a time to lead it died.
Those that killed the prophet Joseph thought that it was the church of a man and would die with him."

Because of the disobedience of the members of the church following Christ's day, the church was removed from them. this was called the apostasy. If we are not obedient we will lose that which we have as well.

"Those who never give up will find that God never gave up and that He will help them."

Sunday October 21, 2007 - Sunday Services Cumberland Ward

Sacrament meeting
One of the young women talked about some of her experiences in working in her young woman personal progress book.

2nd speaker
In the NT church they had leaders over territories and such. Moses also divided the church into manageable groups.

Apostasy not about outside influences, from those within becoming more selfish.

Some were focused on who baptized them rather than the authority. Some were haughty about having been baptized by Paul even though the other church leaders had the same authority.

The apostasy occurred not because the apostles were gone. The apostles were gone because the apostasy occurred.

3rd speaker
Spoke on reverence, prayer, scripture reading, pondering, service.

Forgive them for they know not what they do. Think of that when others transgress against us. Do they really understand what they are doing.

Sunday School
Paul missionary journeys
After three missionary journey's he returned to Jerusalem. The first thing he did when arriving was report to the Church leadership of how his mission was. Much like missionaries do today when their mission is complete.

Paul called out by Jewish Christians in the temple for teaching that salvation came through Christ rather than the Law of Moses. Many people raised the Law of Moses above whatever new God might given them. Worshiping the law more than God.

Priesthood
The Women of the Church - Spencer W Kimball manual chapter 20
The manual shared one of President Kimball's stories about his mother. Part of it went like this, "She was serving as first counselor in our Relief Society in Thatcher, Arizona, and the presidency went to a sister's home where a sick baby had prevented the mother from doing her sewing. Mother took her machine, a picnic lunch, her baby, and a high chair, and they began work. She wrote that night, we 'made four aprons, four pairs of pants and started a shirt for one of the boys.' They had to stop at 4 P.M. to go to a funeral, so we 'did not get any more than that done.' I would have been impressed by such achievement, rather than thinking, 'Well, that's not much.'"

The manual also stated, "Having been given different responsibilities, women and men are to work together in a partnership of equality and respect."

The lesson talked about that because of our differences and different responsibilities sometimes men and women mistreat each other. We need to keep in mind that each of our roles are important and necessary.

"God has called women to help enrich, protect, and guard the home and family." Many ideas of our society get in the way of women fulfilling this calling. We should assess if our families goals and behaviors are in line with achieving this calling or if our lifestyle is hindering it.