Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 2-21-10

Doctrine and Covenants 6:32-37

  32 Verily, verily, I say unto you, as I said unto my disciples, where two or three are gathered together in my name, as^atouching ^bone thing, behold, there will I be in the ^cmidst of them—even so am I in the ^dmidst of you.

  33 ^aFear not to do ^bgood, my sons, for whatsoever ye ^csow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow ^dgood ye shall also reap good for your ^ereward.

  34 Therefore, fear not, little ^aflock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are ^bbuilt upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

  35 Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and ^asin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.

  36 ^aLook unto me in every ^bthought; ^cdoubt not, fear not.

  37 ^aBehold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the ^bnails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall ^cinherit the ^dkingdom of heaven. Amen.

2 Nephi 2:27

  27 Wherefore, men are ^afree according to the ^bflesh; and ^call things are ^dgiven them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to ^echoose ^fliberty and eternal ^glife, 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^hmiserable like unto himself.

We have the freedom to choose, if we choose poorly our freedom becomes more limited.

Moses 1:6

  6 And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the ^asimilitude of mine ^bOnly ^cBegotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the ^dSavior, for he is full of ^egrace and ^ftruth; but there is ^gno God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I ^hknow them all.

If you skip breakfast you lose access to energy later in the day.  When we skip scripture study we can lose access to revelation.  We are free to choose our behavior.  By what we choose we are choosing the potential consequences.

2 Peter 2:19
  19 While they promise them ^aliberty, they themselves are the ^bservants of ^ccorruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in ^dbondage.

Doctrine and Covenants 58:42
  42 Behold, he who has ^arepented of his ^bsins, the same is ^cforgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

Alma 26:22

  22 Yea, he that ^arepenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good ^bworks, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the ^cmysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be ^dgiven to ^ereveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance.

Lot points the door of his tent toward Sodom.  Then he is in the gates.  Then his is living in Sodom and horrible things happen to his family.

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.

Beware of Pride - President Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1989

Alma 26:12

  12 Yea, I know that I am ^anothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will ^bnotboast of myself, but I will ^cboast of my God, for in his ^dstrength I can do all ^ethings; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

From the Bulletin:

Integrity means always doing what is right, 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 heart. Personal integrity implies such trustworthiness that we are incapable of being false to a trust or covenant.

We all have within us the ability to know what is right and good. Having received the Spirit of Christ to know good from evil, we should always choose the good. We need not be misled, even though fraud, deception, deceit, and duplicity often seem to be acceptable in our world. Lying, stealing, and cheating are commonplace. Integrity, a firm adherence to the highest moral and ethical standards, is essential to the life of a true Latter-day Saint.

The consummate reward of integrity is the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost (see D&C 121:46). The Holy Ghost does not attend us when we do evil. But when we do what is right, he can dwell with us and guide us in all we do.

Let us strive for personal, practical integrity in every endeavor, regardless of how mundane or inconsequential it may seem. Te small matters accumulate to shape the direction of our lives.

Integrity, a firm adherence to the highest moral and ethical standards, is essential to the life of a true Latter-day Saint. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Priceless Integrity"

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 2-14-10

Doctrine and Covenants 33:12

  12 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my ^agospel; and remember that they shall have faith in me or they can in nowise be saved;

Why did we come to earth?  To learn to be like God and thus be happy and have joy.

We were going to make mistakes and a way to fix those mistakes needed to be provided.

The first born knows us the best.  The only who knows us better are our parents.

The Abrahamic covenant

Earthly blessings of the Abrahamic covenant

1. A promised land to live in. (Abraham 2:6, 19; Genesis 12:7; 17:8)
2. A great posterity. Abraham 2:9–10; Genesis 12:2–3; 17:2, 4–6)
3. The gospel of Jesus Christ and the priesthood for Abraham and his posterity. (Abraham 2:9–11; Genesis 17:7)

Eternals parallels

1. The celestial kingdom. (D&C 88:17–20)
2. Eternal marriage and eternal increase. (D&C 132:19–22)
3. Exaltation and eternal life. (D&C 132:23–24)

Responsibilities

1. Help all of God's children receive the full blessings of the gospel. (Abraham 2:9, 11)
2. Obey God's commandments. (Genesis 18:19)

We are the hands of the Lord.

Mosiah 2:17

  17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn ^awisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the ^bservice of your ^cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.


From the Bulletin:

I have learned that it is by serving that we learn how to serve. When we are engaged in the service of our fellowmen, not only do our deeds assist them, but we put our own problems in a fresher perspective. When we concern ourselves more with others, there is less time to be concerned with ourselves. In the midst of the miracle of serving, there is the promise of Jesus, that by losing ourselves, we find ourselves. (See Matt. 10:39.)
Not only do we "find" ourselves in terms of acknowledging guidance in our lives, but the more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls. We become more significant individuals as we serve others. We become more substantive as we serve others—indeed, it is easier to "find" ourselves because there is so much more of us to find!
George MacDonald observed that "it is by loving and not by being loved that one can come nearest to the soul of another." (George MacDonald Anthology, Geoffrey Bles, London, 1970.) Of course, we all need to be loved, but we must be giving and not always receiving if we want to have wholeness in our lives and a reinforced sense of purpose.
Spencer W. Kimball, "Small Acts of Service", Ensign, Dec 1974, 2

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 2-7-10

John 3:16

  16 ¶ For ^aGod so ^bloved the ^cworld, that he ^dgave his ^eonly begotten ^fSon, that whosoever ^gbelieveth in him should not perish, but have^heverlasting ⁱlife.

Elders' Quorum
I gave a lesson today. It was based on Elder Dallin H Oaks' October 2009 conference talk, Love and Law.
"The love of God does not supersede His laws and His commandments, and the effect of God’s laws and commandments does not diminish the purpose and effect of His love."

Some feel that accepting Jesus by a single prayer or voice confession is enough to supersede God's law with God's love.

I was listening to a country song I hadn't heard in a while (A Father's Love by George Strait) the other day and it seemed to take the above notion a step farther.  The song tells about a boy doing something bad and waiting to get his punishment from his father.  The father then comes in and tells him that father's love their kids no mater what.  After the boy grows has a son, his boy gets in trouble too.  He then tells him that father's love their kids no matter what.  Later he has a dream that he was outside the pearly gates.  He is confused because he has done things he is not proud of.  He then hears a voice telling him that father love their children no matter what.  The implication being that no matter what he did God loved him and was going to let him into Heaven.

The sentiment that father's love their kids no matter what is sweet and true, but let's not get the idea that God's love let's us off when we are deliberately disobedient and unrepentant.  

Matthew 7:21

  21 ¶ Not every one that ^asaith unto me, ^bLord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that ^cdoeth the ^dwill of my Father which is in^eheaven.

"... the kingdom of glory to which the Final Judgment assigns us is not determined by love but by the law that God has invoked in His plan to qualify us for eternal life..." - Elder Oaks

Hebrew 12:6

6 For whom the Lord loveth he ^achasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

"Real love does not support self-destructing behavior" (Russell M. Nelson, “Teach Us Tolerance and Love,” Ensign, May 1994, 71)

Sunday School
One the teacher handed out a list of 15 scriptures and quotes.  I have included the list below.

1. Moses 8.20-22

2. Moses 8.23-24

3. Hebrew1 1:7

4. President Ezra Taft Benson said, "The revelation to produce and store food maybe as essential to our temporal welfare today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah"( in Conference Report, Oct.1987, 61; or Ensign, Nov.1987,49)

5. Elder W. Don Ladd taught: "When it starts raining it is too late to begin building the ark...We...need to listen to the Lord's spokesmen.  We need to calmly continue to move ahead and prepare for what will surely come.  We need not panic or fear, for if we are prepared, sp iritually and temporally, we and our families will survive any flood.  Our arks will float on a sea of faith if our works have been steadily and surely preparing for the future"( in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 37; or Ensign, Nov.1 994, 29).

6. President Spencer W. Kimball explained  that when Noah built the ark, "there was no evidence of rain and flood...His warnings were considered irrational. .. How foolish to build an ark on dry ground with the sun shining and life moving forward as usual!  But time ran out. The ark was finished.  The floods came.  The disobedient and rebellious were drowned.  The miracle of the ark followed the faith manifested in its building"(Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 5-6).

7. Genesis7 .23

8. Genesis8 :8

9. Genesis8 :9-11

10. Genesis8 :12

11. Genesis8 .20

12. Joseph Smith Translation Genesis 9 :4

13. Genesis1 1.4

14. Mosiah1 8:8-10

15. Genesis1 1:5-9

We are sometimes considered foolish, paranoid, or weird for food storage much like people thought of Noah.

From the Bulletin:

Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of manl-blessed (happy, fotunate, and enviable) is he. (Proverbs 29:18 )

We have chosen, as a ward, to seek and achieve lofty goals in 2010.  All goals are well within (!!) our reach as we:

• obey God with exactness and consistency;
• unswervingly "do the basics;"
• eagerly serve and forgive one another;
• think, talk and act as if Jesus were at our sides.

Nothing is impossible to God and us, His servants, as (1) we have a vision, (2) pray like everything rests on Him, and (3) work like everything rest on us. We SHALL succeed.

We each OWN a piece of the success process.

Let us press on in such a worthy cause.

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 01-31-10

What does it mean to sustain?  Bricks in a wall sustain each other.  If you remove several of them, others will fail under the weight of the load.

Fourfold mission of the church:

• Proclaim the Gospel
• Redeem the Dead
• Perfect the Saints
• Care for the poor and needy

Moses 5:16

  16 And Adam and Eve, his wife, ceased not to call upon God. And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bare ^aCain, and said: I have gotten a man from the Lord; wherefore he may not reject his words. But behold, Cain ^bhearkened not, saying: Who is the Lord that I should ^cknow him?

How would it have been for Eve to go through birth for the first time?  No one else had gone through it.

Cain's sacrafice was rejected because the sacrafice was to be in similitude of the sacrafice of the son of god.

Cain would rule over Satan because he had a body and Satan does not.


Ephesians 2:19-20

  19 Now therefore ye are no more ^astrangers and foreigners, but ^bfellowcitizens with the ^csaints, and of the ^dhousehold of God;

  20 And are built upon the foundation of the ^aapostles and ^bprophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief ^ccorner stone;

The focus on raising the bar for missionaries was talked about.  (Elder M. Russell Ballard, The Greatest Generation of Missionaries, Ensign November 2002)  They talked about inserting the word family where the word missionary is in the talk and focusing on how families need to have the bar raised as well.


From the bulletin:

"Why should we love God? God the Eternal Father did not give that first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration.

No, God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God!

For what we love determines what we seek.

What we seek determines what we think and do.

What we think and do determines who we are - and who we will become.

We are created in the image of our heavenly parents; we are God's spirit children.

Therefore, we have a vast capacity for love—it is part of our spiritual heritage. What and how we love not only defines us as individuals; it also defines us as a church. Love is the defining characteristic of a disciple of Christ." - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Love of God", Ensign, November 2009, 21 - 24.

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 01-24-10

Luke 6:46

  46 ¶ And why ^acall ye me, ^bLord, Lord, and ^cdo not the things which I say?

Elder Tad R. Callister's Conference talk, Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration

4 truths Joseph Smith learned.

1. God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are two separate, distinct beings.
2. The Father and the Son have glorified bodies of flesh and bones.
3. God still speaks to man today.
4. The full and complete Church of Jesus Christ was not then upon the earth.

John 3:16

  16 ¶ For ^aGod so ^bloved the ^cworld, that he ^dgave his ^eonly begotten ^fSon, that whosoever ^gbelieveth in him should not perish, but have ^heverlasting ⁱlife.

What is so special about John 3:16 if we believe those that would tell us that His only begotten Son was himself.

Abraham offering up Isaac was in similitude of Heavenly Father offering up Christ.

"The scriptures give further evidence of this great truth: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). A father offering up his only son is the supreme demonstration of love that the human mind and heart can conceive and feel. It is symbolized by the touching story of Abraham and Isaac (see Genesis 22). But if the Father is the same being as the Son, then this sacrifice of all sacrifices is lost, and Abraham is no longer offering up Isaac—Abraham is now offering up Abraham." - Elder Callister

"One need but ask three questions, once proposed by President Hugh B. Brown, to arrive at that conclusion (see “The Profile of a Prophet,” Liahona, June 2006, 13; Ensign, June 2006, 37). First, does God love us as much today as He loved the people to whom He spoke in New Testament times? Second, does God have the same power today as He did then? And third, do we need Him as much today as they needed Him anciently? If the answers to those questions are yes and if God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, as the scriptures so declare (see Mormon 9:9), then there is little doubt: God does speak to man today exactly as Joseph Smith testified." - Elder Callister

Some call the Bible the authority, but who is it that has the authority to interpret that document?

Isaiah 28:10-13

  10 For precept must be upon precept, ^aprecept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

  11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

  12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

  13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, ^aprecept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and ^bfall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Had God appeared to man 100 years sooner, the man may have been killed sooner.  Look at the reformers and the Salem witch trials.  People were readily called heretics or witches by those that were scared of them.

Transgression is a problem because prohibited.  Driving fast is against the law, but not inherently wrong in and of itself.  Sin is something that is wrong/bad.  This is the difference between "thou shall" and "you may choose for thyself".

Eve was the wife of Michael the Arch Angel and was his equal.

My daughter gave a talk today and below is the text of it.

"My talk is on gratitude.  What is gratitude?  Gratitude is a feeling of thanks for a blessing or benefit you have received.  Grateful people are quick to acknowledge the kindness or help they have received from our Heavenly Father and others.  

"The For the Strength of Youth book says...

"I know that if we have the spirit of gratitude we will be happier and we will make others happier."

Being spiritually prepared.

If your testimony is not fresh in your mind, it does you little good as a defense.

Doctrine and Covenants 38:30

  30 I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, ^atreasure up ^bwisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.

Doctrine and Covenants 82:10

  10 I, the Lord, am ^abound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no ^bpromise.

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 01-17-10

1 Peter 3:15
  15 But ^asanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give ^ban answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the^chope that is in you with ^dmeekness and ^efear:

“Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 335).

Some people believe that the earth was created by chance and that mankind came about by the accidental combining of the right elements over millions of years. In response, one writer said:

“When you can dump a load of bricks on a corner lot, and let me watch them arrange themselves into a house—when you can empty a handful of springs and wheels and screws on my desk, and let me see them gather themselves into a watch—it will [then] be easier for me to believe that all these thousands of worlds could have been created, balanced, and set in motion in their several orbits, all without any designing intelligence at all.

“Moreover, if there is no intelligence in the universe, then the universe created something greater than itself—for it created you and me” (Bruce Barton in E. Ernest Bramwell, comp. Old Testament Lessons [1934 seminary course], 4).
Earthly parents spend their time trying to raise their kids to get them out of the house. Heavenly Father spends his time trying to bring us back.
Heavenly Father may be specific in telling us that He created the earth through his son to make it clear they are two different individuals.

“The word create came from the [Hebrew] word baurau which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence, we infer  that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos—chaotic matter” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 350–51).

From the Bulletin Cover

Elder L. Tom Perry, of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles shared this with us, The law of the fast has three great purposes. First, it provides assistance to the needy through the contribution of fast offerings, consisting of the (minimum] value of meals from which we abstain. Second, a fast is beneficial to us physically. Third, it is to increase humility and spirituality on the part of each individual. An important reason for fasting is to contribute the amount saved from the meals not eaten to care for the poor and the needy.

One of the strongest admonitions the Lord has given to His children on earth is that we have the responsibility and obligation of caring for those in need. It was King Benjamin who said in his great address, "And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants." (Mosiah 4:26.)

From the Bulletin Insert

"Aim at the sun, and you may not reach it [in this lifetime];; but your arrow will fly far higher than if aimed at an object on a level with yourself." (18th Century clergyman, Joel Hawes).

Matthew 6:33 states, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you." Please not the order.

Have you ever wondered how super keenly interested Heavenly Father is in developing our character to become as He is? He is so incredibly dedicated to that goal that He sent another God, His Son, Jesus Christ to do for us something that NO ONE ELSE COULD DO – to atone for and suffer for you and me - to suffer for every pain, affliction, illness, and consequence of our repentant sins. (Alma 7:11,12) As we truly turn to Him humbly and obediently, He is able to do for us what no one else can.

With that infinite and intimate empathy, we have someone "in our corner" who completely "gets it" and is there to succor and aid us. No matter how hard I work to show my love and appreciation, I remain forever in awe, gratitude and in their debt for such gifts. Wow.!

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 01-10-10

The odds of a planet spontaneously creating itself and then being able to produce intelligent life that could survive and thrive are very unlikely.

Who is God?  He is all powerful, all knowing, but the most descriptive attribute is probably father.

God is very intimate and very personal and our lives.

When we comprehend God we begin to comprehend ourselves.-find this quote from Joseph Smith

if you don't see miracles in your life then something about you needs to change.

Sunday School

Moses 4:1-3

  1 And I, the ^aLord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That ^bSatan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the ^cbeginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will ^dredeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely ^eI will do it; wherefore ^fgive me thine honor.

  2 But, behold, my Beloved ^aSon, which was my Beloved and ^bChosen from the beginning, said unto me—^cFather, thy ^dwill be done, and the^eglory be thine forever.

  3 Wherefore, because that ^aSatan ^brebelled against me, and sought to destroy the ^cagency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be ^dcast down;

Doctrine and Covenants 76

  25 And this we saw also, and bear record, that an ^aangel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who ^brebelled against the Only Begotten ^cSon whom the Father ^dloved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,

  26 And was called ^aPerdition, for the heavens ^bwept over him—he was ^cLucifer, a son of the morning.

  27 And we beheld, and lo, he is ^afallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning!

Abraham 3:27  27 And the ^aLord said: Whom shall I ^bsend? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And ^canother answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will ^dsend the first.

The sacrament prayers remind us each week how to return to him. We learned and retained by repetition.

In John Milton's Paradise Lost he quotes Lucifer as saying, “It is better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.”  That may be a very good incite into why Lucifer would propose another plan, especially they one he did, knowing everything he had know.

Satan's plan is still to take our agency.  We have things in our lives that continue to limit our agency (debt, addiction,...)

Sacrament Service

Exodus 20:3-4

  3 Thou shalt have ^ano other ^bgods before me.

  4 Thou shalt ^anot make unto thee any ^bgraven ^cimage, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that isin the water under the earth:

Idols are anything that interfere with us doing our duty. Idols replace thoughts of God in her mind and hearts. Idols replaced God in the way we use our time.

Do we spend more time picking what to wear, watching TV, or checking e-mail than we spend in prayer?

Is it a testimony?  Does it edify others or just give us a venue to vent our emotions? (See also, Is it a prayer, a testimony or a talk?)

From the Bulletin

"The shapes of the idols may have changed since the days of Moses, but the basic principle — allegiance to God above all else — is still the commandment."

President Spencer W. Kimball wrote: "There are unfortunately millions today who prostrate themselves before images of gold and silver and wood and stone and clay. But the idolatry we are most concerned with here is the conscious worshipping of still other gods. Some are of metal and plush and chrome, of wood and stone and fabrics. They are not in the image of God or of man, but are developed to give man comfort and enjoyment, to satisfy his wants, ambitions, passions and desires. Some are in no physical form at all, bur are intangible." Brother Dennis Largey, "Refusing to Worship Today's Graven Images," Ensign, February 1994, 9.

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah 1-3-10

Joshua 1:9
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the ^aLord  thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest

"I have seen enough ups and downs throughout my life to know that winter will surely give way to the warmth and hope of a new spring. I am optimistic about the future. Brethren, for our part, we must remain steadfast in hope, work with all our strength, and trust in God." (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Two Principles for Any Economy, October 2009 General Conference)

Elder Uchtdorf also spoke of two principles that sustained him during hard times: Work and Learn.

His father was an office worker and could find no work in his field of expertise.  He went and did many manual labor jobs to continue to provide for his family.  He worked as a coal miner, a uranium miner, and other manual labor jobs.

"Pray as though everything depends on the Lord and work as though everything depends on you." (Author unknown)

If we put forth our best effort, the Lord will increase our capacity.

“Consider the power of the idea taught in our beloved song ‘I Am a Child of God’ … Here is the answer to one of life’s great questions, ‘Who am I?’ I am a child of God with a spirit lineage to heavenly parents. That parentage defines our eternal potential. That powerful idea is a potent antidepressant. It can strengthen each of us to make righteous choices and to seek the best that is within us. Establish in the mind of a … person the powerful idea that he or she is a child of God and you have given self-respect and motivation to move against the problems of life." (Dallin H. Oaks, “Powerful Ideas,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 25.)

Moses Chapter 1

If Satan can convince us that we are not children of God then we lose perspective and hope.  Anything becomes ok to do since we are nothing.

From the Bulletin:

"When a new year comes, so often do new goals. Sadly, some of our goals fizzle before the month of January is over. To counter this, most goals require daily attention, planning, discipline and tracking — the things that eventually build greatness within us. Line upon line, great things are brought to pass (see Alma 37:6,7)." The Bishop

"Let us remember, too, that greatness is not always a matter of the scale of one's life, but of the quality of one's life. True greatness is not always tied to the scope of our tasks, but to the quality of how we carry out really matter now, things which will still matter a thousand years from now." President Spencer W. Kimball, "A Gift of Gratitude", Tambuli, Dec 1977, 1.

"A culture of planning and accountability makes good organizations (including individuals, families and wards) great and great organizations unstoppable." The Bishop