Church Services This Week at Ridge Crest Ward Northridge Stake Layton Utah 3 May 2015

Sacrament Service

Stake Theme:

Being obedient to a commandment you are struggling with & choose to keep it more completely.

Reference Scripture: Joshua 24:15

Reference Talk: The Safety and Peace of Keeping the Commandments - Bishop Gary E. Stevenson – December 2012

Link to lds.org: https://www.lds.org/ensign/2012/12/the-safety-and-peace-of-keeping-the-

commandments?lang=eng

The Lord provides a way to have us keep any commandment he has given us.

Heavenly Father doesn't always answer prayers on our time, but he always answers them on time.

Sunday School

My lesson on modern apostles and prophets

{

What have you learned in your personal gospel study this week?

Have you had any gospel conversations with friends or family that you would like to share?

Today we are going to talk about:  What can I learn from living prophets and apostles?

Past prophets had specific instructions for the people in the times they lived in. The instructions and things they were asked to do were specific to their time but are things that we can learn from and much still applies to us, because they are key points of the gospel in all ages like the ten commandments and the beatitudes.

Some past prophets were specifically writing to our day that we might be prepared for things to come in our day. Some of the prophets that wrote to us or about us were Isaiah, John, and Moroni.

Can you think of scriptures that are specifically for our day? Use your topical guide and see what you can find.

The living prophets and apostles receive revelation to guide the Church, and their counsel reflects the will of the Lord, who knows us perfectly and understands our challenges. Their teachings can help us with the challenges we face today. We are blessed to be led by living prophets and apostles and to receive their counsel every six months during general conference.

What are some items of counsel or commandment that living prophets have given to the church in the last day?  (word of wisdom, FHE, food storage)

What are some things you remember from our current general conference that the prophet and apostles talked to us about that are very specific to what is going on in our world now.  (tolerance, freedom to choose,

DnC 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.

Let’s look at some thoughts from our prophet from last general conference.

"let us consider our callings; let us reflect on our responsibilities; let us determine our duty; and let us follow Jesus Christ, our Lord."

...

"Let us take most seriously the callings, the responsibilities, and the duties... " - President Monson

What is a calling?

What is the difference between duty and responsibility?

I saw someone online describe the difference between duty and responsibility like this :

" Duty is that you ought to do. Duty is derived from certain rights. For instance, it is my duty as a father to feed my kids. Violation of duty is a serious offense. Whereas, responsibility can be any commitment towards anything where you are free to obey or not to obey.."

Go around the room and ask each of them what their calling is.  (church calling, daughter, sister,  mother, son, brother)

It is my belief that all women are called from birth to be mothers. Not in the sense to bear children, but to raise up everyone around them.

Go around the room and ask what are their responsibilities.

Go around the room and ask what is one of their duties.

What else did our prophet share with us during our last conference?

“This year we anticipate rededicating 2 temples and dedicating 5 new temples which are scheduled for completion.

“For the past two years, as we have concentrated our efforts on completing previously announced temples, we have held in abeyance plans for any additional temples. This morning, however, I am very pleased to announce three new temples which will be built in the following locations: Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Bangkok, Thailand.“

The prophet is guiding the work of the Lord in this time of great expansion of the Church and the work of the Lord.  He is sharing with us and allowing us to share in the great joy of temple building.  What does it feel like when a temple is announced that is built in our town, or in a place that is significant to us, or in a place that has world significance?

When President Monson once announced the first temple in my home state of Indiana it was a great feeling for me, even though I am now far from there.  That temple is now getting ready to be dedicated.

When he announced the temple in Rome, Italy you could hear a reaction from the audience as it sunk into them what this could mean.  Rome is the headquarters to the Catholic church, which is likely the Christian church with the most members worldwide.  They consider their church to be descended directly from Peter while he was still alive.

The prophet also talked about our behavior in the temple and some of the purpose of temples.

“As we enter through the doors of the temple, we leave behind us the distractions and confusion of the world. Inside this sacred sanctuary, we find beauty and order. There is rest for our souls and a respite from the cares of our lives.

“As we attend the temple, there can come to us a dimension of spirituality and a feeling of peace which will transcend any other feeling which could come into the human heart. We will grasp the true meaning of the words of the Savior when He said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”1

He tells us to leave behind distractions when we enter the temple.  He tells us that the temple is a sanctuary from things of the world.  He tells us that there is peace in the temple.  In that peace we can find clarity about things that are troubling us.

In his conference talk the prophet also talks about overcoming temptations as we visit the temple.

“My brothers and sisters, in our lives we will have temptations; we will have trials and challenges. As we go to the temple, as we remember the covenants we make there, we will be better able to overcome those temptations and to bear our trials. In the temple we can find peace.”

He tells us will have trials and challenges, but as we go to the temple and remember our covenants, we will better be able to fight temptation when we are outside the temple.

}

Elders Quorum

President Monson April 2015 ensign first presidency message.

Sacrificing my personal beliefs does not build trust with people.

You can be on the right side of an issue and still be the tool of Satan. If we are engaged in conversation about a social issue and don't approach it with love, then we can harm the cause and our character can be wounded.

Church Services This Week at Ridge Crest Ward Northridge Stake Layton Utah 31 August 2014

Joint RS/Priesthood/Laurels

Why Temples?

Temples focus our attention by their appearance and also by what is taught within them.

In the temple we learn fundamental things on how to be like Heavenly Father.

When temples are dedicated they are given to Heavenly Father and He is invited to come there.

“I have a session with the missionary groups as they go out, in the temple, where they are permitted to ask intimate questions that wouldn’t be proper to be discussed elsewhere. They sometimes ask, Could you tell us a certain place in the temple where the Savior has been seen? My answer is, ‘Keep in mind that this is the house of the Lord; this is the place that we try to keep as pure and holy and sacred as any building we have. This is the most likely place he would come when he comes on earth. Don’t ask for a certain place because he has walked these halls. How do you know but what he is here in your midst?” (Harold B Lee, Ensign, Nov. 1971, pp. 12–13.)

John 17:3

3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Doctrine and Covenants 109:15

15 And that they may grow up in thee, and receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost, and be organized according to thy laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing;

John A Widsoe, in Conference Report, Apr. 1922, pp. 97–98

“Temple work … gives a wonderful opportunity for keeping alive our spiritual knowledge and strength. … The mighty perspective of eternity is unraveled before us in the holy temples; we see time from its infinite beginning to its endless end; and the drama of eternal life is unfolded before us. Then I see more clearly my place amidst the things of the universe, my place among the purposes of God; I am better able to place myself where I belong, and I am better able to value and to weigh, to separate and to organize the common, ordinary duties of my life so that the little things shall not oppress me or take away my vision of the greater things that God has given us.”

The Priesthood and You, Melchizedek Priesthood Lessons—1966, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1966, page 293

“The temple is a place of instruction where profound truths pertaining to the Kingdom of God are unfolded. It is a place of peace where minds can be centered upon things of the spirit and the worries of the world can be laid aside. In the temple we take covenants to obey the laws of God, and promises are made to us, conditioned always on our faithfulness, which extend into eternity”

Attending the temples helps us overcome selfishness.

We empower ourselves at the temple. We empower those we pray for there.  We empower our dead,  who have not received all that God had for them in this life.

If everyone was allowed in the temple the environment would be less peaceful and more of a tourist experience.

The temple is also about commitment. It would be disruptive if uncommitted people were allowed to walk around in there.

From a handout from the teacher:

Transcribed:

We live below our previous existence...Worldly­ natural man-immorality, criticism, hate, envy, competition, pride, murder, iniquity, lying, strife, contention, hypocritical, bondage, despising others, costly apparel, robbings, whoredoms, popularity, lazy, selfishness (what's in it for me?), love of money, priestcraft, vanity, unrighteous judgement and dominion, apathy, flattery, idolatry, dissension, hardened hearts (Alma 1 and 5)

Preoccupied with things of the world, too often watching our clocks and our pocketbooks, looking down and not up, we find our "love" and focus on worshipping the works of our hands (3 Nephi 21:17), on class and rank (Mosiah 27), being critical of others, judging them to be a thing of naught. We try to climb the worldly ladder to be smarter or richer or prettier than our neighbor and seek for the praise of the worlds lowly standard.(1 Nephi 13:9).

Sunday School

Old Testament Lesson 32

What kind of man was Job?

He avoided evil,  was wealthy and humble,  had integrity,  strengthened the weak,  had compassion,  walked in the way of the Lord,  and prayed for his enemies.

What were Job's trials?

He lost his wealth and children,  had extreme pain,  had friends turn on him,  was confused as to why these things were happening to him,  people delighted in his downfall,  and had a feeling of being forsaken.

Was Heavenly Father surprised that Satan presented this plan to go against Job?   Did Father already know what trials Job would have to go through in our lives?

Could the story of Job give us a peek into how trials work behind the scenes? Does Satan need permission from God to afflict us? Are there boundaries Father gives?

We are told we are given no more than we can handle. Are we not only given what will be for our own good? To see that good we have to look beyond our current condition and even beyond the existences of this mortal life. What may be for our good in the long term, may be terribly painful in the here and now.  Satan would have you believe that God is cruel.  God has the perspective that nothing lasts forever in mortality.  Pain and suffering all pass, even death is a temporary thing.

If there is always adequate moisture for a plant, then there is no need for the plant to grow strong roots. Without strong roots a plant can be blown over or in times of severe drought, it will die.  Short periods of drought and suffering is good for the plant in the long term.

If things always go well in our lives, then we will never have need to grow stronger and little things will be massive trials in our perspective. We will also not grow the character of God within us.

Elder Joseph B Wirthlin, PERSONAL INTEGRITY, April 1990 General Conference

"I have felt impressed to speak today about the need for integrity—old-fashioned, personal, practical integrity. To me, integrity means always doing what is right and good, regardless of the immediate consequences. It means being righteous from the very depth of our soul, not only in our actions but, more importantly, in our thoughts and in our hearts. Personal integrity implies such trustworthiness and incorruptibility that we are incapable of being false to a trust or covenant."

Integrity is always doing what is right even when no one is around.

A building that has integrity holds up to the forces around it.

Sacrament Service

Several people that worked on the play Savior of the World spoke of their experiences.

Church Services This Week at Ridge Crest Ward Northridge Stake Layton Utah 17 August 2014

Elders Quorum

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph fielding Smith chapter 17 - Sealing Power and Temple Blessings

Malachi 4:5-6

 5 ¶ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

“May I remind you that when we dedicate a house to the Lord, what we really do is dedicate ourselves to the Lord’s service, with a covenant that we shall use the house in the way he intends that it shall be used.” (Joseph Fielding Smith,  “Ogden Temple Dedicatory Prayer,” Ensign, Mar. 1972, 6)

Authority

An ice cream truck could never pull you over and give you a speeding ticket because it has no authority to do so.   An ice cream truck had many good things about it,  but it will never be a police vehicle without that authority.

A church must have the Lord's authority to be able to be more than just another church.

You Can’t Be Perfect In An Instant

We are all in different places in life.   Start where we are and do as much as we can until our capacity is increased by the Lord as we work.

Sunday School

Old Testament Lesson 30

We should not trifle with sacred things.   We should not treat lightly the Temple or the scriptures or other sacred things.

Sacrament Service

A missionary recently called to serve in Taiwan spoke to us.

Having faith in God is like acting because we know wind or air is there even though we can not see it,  but we can see and feel its influence.

James 2:18-20

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

"Day after day, on your path toward your eternal destiny, increase your faith. Proclaim your faith! Let your faith show " (Russell M Nelson

Everything in the book of Mormon points to christ.

Stake theme for the month:

"I will attend the Ogden Temple open house and invite others to go with me."

Fireside

Michael W Allred some to us.   He is the author of "You Might Be A Mormon If... "

A couple of youth shared experiences from a youth conference they had at Bear Lake.

Satan often can't get us to do bad things, so he will distract us with things that aren't necessarily bad,  but that keep us from paying attention to more important things.

A small amount of light can guide us through darkness.   The light of Christ even in a small portion can help us know the way.

Brother Allred's talk

When he was on his mission in Japan Gordon B Hinckley told the people there that, "The blood of Lehi runs through you."

Study journals can be helpful.

When we get inspiration it is as sacred as a patriarchal blessing,  so we should write it down.

2 Timothy  2:1-3

1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

He mentioned scriptures.byu.edu which is an index of the scriptures and where they have been referenced in general authority talks.

A prophet's job is not just to receive revelation, his job is also to teach you to receive your own revelation.

Nephi called himself a wretched man because he was angry because his brothers tried to kill him. He had let Satan take his peace away because of what was in his heart.

Just because people are popular doesn't mean they are well liked. There is a difference between well known and we'll liked.

If you haven't partaken of good food and are enjoying it, how will you get others to eat it.

Feast Week Northridge Stake Layton Utah 14 November 2013

Temples in Ancient and Modern Times

What is a dispensation?

“A gospel dispensation is a period of time in which the Lord has at least one authorized servant on the earth who bears the keys of the holy priesthood.”

...

“When the Lord organizes a dispensation, the gospel is revealed anew so that the people of that dispensation do not have to depend on past dispensations for knowledge of the plan of salvation. The dispensation begun by Joseph Smith is known as the ‘dispensation of the fulness of times.’” (The Guide to the Scriptures: Dispensation, LDS standard works)

Doctrine and Covenants 124:40-42

40 And verily I say unto you, let this house be built unto my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people;
41 For I deign to reveal unto my church things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of times.
42 And I will show unto my servant Joseph all things pertaining to this house, and the priesthood thereof, and the place whereon it shall be built.

"’Undoubtedly the knowledge of this law and of other rites and ceremonies was carried by the posterity of Adam into all lands, and continued with them, more or less pure, to the flood, and through Noah, who was a ‘preacher of righteousness,’ to those who succeeded him, spreading out into all nations and countries. … What wonder, then, that we should find relics of Christianity, so to speak, among the heathens and nations who know not Christ, and whose histories date back beyond the days of Moses, and even beyond the flood, independent of and apart from the records of the Bible.’

“The scholars of his time, he notes, took the position that ‘ ‘Christianity’ sprang from the heathen, it being found that they have many rites similar to those recorded in the Bible, &c.’ This jumping to conclusions was premature, to say the least, “for if the heathen have doctrines and ceremonies resembling … those … in the Scriptures, it only proves … that these are the traditions of the fathers handed down, … and that they will cleave to the children to the latest generation, though they may wander into darkness and perversion, until but a slight resemblance to their origin, which was divine, can be seen.’” (Hugh W. Nibley, “The Atonement of Jesus Christ, Part 2,” Ensign, Aug 1990, 30)

Temples of various kinds are all over the world.

There are several similarities between the Chinese new year and the Passover.  They put red and sometimes green paper on their doorpost when the big dragon comes through.  The tradition is that the dragon will pass by their home and not harm them if the their doorpost is decorated that way.

The temple is often called the mountain of the Lord.  Why?

Mountains can help us tell direction.  Keeping our focus on the temple helps us keep our lives going in the right direction.  Mountains are where prophets and the Savior went to talk to God.  Mountains can be private places.

The instructor recommended "The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri an Egyptian Endowment", by Hugh Nibley.

It was proposed that the Lord often tries to get us to the point where we will sacrifice that which is most precious to us, much like he did with Abraham sacrificing Isaac.

The Israelites had temples in each of their communities.

Solomon's temple was significant because the ark of the covenant was there.

When the Babylonians come, after Jeremiah gets out of the pit, he takes the ark of the covenant and a group of people, and left.

Universities and religions have many left over ceremonies and such from the Mosaic law and temples.  Even in coronations of monarchs.

Exploring Book of Mormon Lands

If we aren't careful we can over exaggerate the amount of evidence of the Book of Mormon in central and south America.  There are some strong evidences, but there are also some weak links in some of the data.

Many feel the events of the Book of Mormon took place in Meso America.

Some wonder if the Olmechs are the Jaredites.

The great and majestic ruins are the older ones.  The newer ones are more simple and degenerate.