families are an eternal pattern

Seeing God’s Family through the Overview Lens  

By Sister Tamara W. Runia

“No home is a failure unless it quits trying.” - Harold B Lee 

Surely, those who love the most and the longest win!

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” - proverb

1 john 4:20

Doc & cov 121:43

Doc & cov 52:14 - a pattern in all things. I've come to understand my father in heaven more after becoming a parent than ever before. The pattern of the family on earth is the pattern in eternity. My love as a parent is an imperfect example of our heavenly parent's love for us. I have followed my mother's path and have become a mother myself. Someday I'll be a grandmother, just as she is. If I follow my heavenly parent's path, I will be able to become what they are. Families truly are a pattern for eternal things.

Humble or be humbled

Humble to Accept and Follow  

By Elder Joni L. Koch

Alma 5:27

We all like to think we are sufficiently humble, but some experiences in life make us realize that the natural, prideful man or woman often is very much alive within us.

2 nephi 25:23

He tells about catching a taxi to the airport. The driver asks elder koch if he's ok because he has a negative aura around him. Elder koch says he is actually on the way to try and deal with a really difficult business situation and he isn’t sure how to deal with it.

The driver asks him if he's done everything he can about the situation. Elder koch says that he has. The driver answers, “So leave this in God’s hands, and everything will work out fine.”

Elder koch spends the entire flight humbling himself and praying for help. He says, "As I left the airplane, I learned that the difficult situation to be solved was already in order and that my presence wouldn’t even be necessary anymore."

Psalm 46:10

This makes me think of zion's camp. They had stopped between the big and little fishing rivers. Five men ride across the river and told the group they would return with over 300 men. They threatened Joseph and the rest of the men, telling them they'd be dead before morning. The men were ready to fight. The saints had been pushed around for years and they were ready to fight back. Joseph told them to "Stand still and see the salvation of God." It took incredible humility to accept God taking care of them instead of fighting back themselves.  

There was an intense storm that raised the river to 40 feet. The mob was unable to cross and did not return.

Humility in anger might be the hardest.  

Alma 32:16 

Humble or be humbled.  

Let all things lead you to Christ

While our subject might be about families or service or temples or a recent mission, everything in our worship should point to the Lord Jesus Christ. - Neil L. Andersen

Doc & Cov 88:6

2 Nephi 25:26

Moses 6:63

From a byu talk:

My late friend Robert J. Matthews, who taught religion here at BYU, used to say, “If I speak by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, you will hear things better than I say them.” I pray that that can happen today. 

Bro parker tells of teaching seminary. At the beginning of the year, he asked them to, "Write down your honest feelings about religion—about God, Christ, Joseph Smith, the First Vision, the Church, or anything you want."  He then instructed them to fold it over, write their name on it and staple it closed.  He filed them away without looking at the contents.  Over the school year, they studied scriptures together.   He encouraged them to pray out loud, on their knees 3 times a day.  After 9 months of school, He had them write their feelings about God, Christ, etc the same as at the beginning of the school year.  Then, he gave them back the paper from the beginning of the year.  This was for them to personally and not shared in class.  One young lady did show him her papers and the astounding transformation of her testimony. 

- Todd B Parker, "True Doctrine, Understood, Changes Attitudes and Behavior”

I wonder what it would be like to do that in a year, school year, mission, during a trial, etc.  I have started dating the notes in my gospel app.  It's interesting to see the different view points or building on understanding in various scriptures.  

Am I looking for Christ in all things?  Am I too distracted to see Christ all around me?  Most importantly, am I coming closer to Christ?

don't fear, just live right

Preparing ourselves and our families for the challenges of the coming years will require us to replace fear with faith. We must be able to overcome the fear of enemies who oppose and threaten us. The Lord has said, “Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.” (D&C 6:34.)

2 tim 1:7-8

Isaiah 8:12

This scripture reminded me of the description of the world from elder sabin in the talk i did yesterday.  

Doc & cov 88:91

I would like to review a few essential principles for true happiness that seem to elude so many in this confusing world, where many things are interesting but few are truly important.

- Gary B Sabin

Don't fear, just live right. - Neal A Maxwell 

every member a missionary

How Great Will Be Your Joy  

By Elder Ronald A. Rasband

The gathering of Israel is “the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty.” - Russell M Nelson

Doc & cov 18:10

3 Nephi 10:18

Doc & cov 78:18

(a lot of 18's. weird)

It follows that to gather Israel we need missionaries—many more than are serving.

Elder Rasband is addressing senior couples in his talk but it seems to me that it applies to everyone. 

Every member a missionary 

- David O. McKay, April 1959. Christ said it first:

Mark 16:15-1

Doc & Cov 58:64

It's easy to say but harder to put into practice. Here are some suggestions: 

Rate your church building on Google. People look for a church by rating so your rating helps.

Write your testimony in a book of Mormon or type it up and print it BOM size to be glued into one. Give it to the missionaries.

Add a link to the church website, a youtube conference talk or hymn, etc as your email signature.

Include your beliefs in your daily interactions. You don’t have to share the whole gospel, just one thing that applies to a conversation. Those seeds of belief build up over time.  

Resolve to share what you believe without expectation. It's not your job to convert people. That is the work of the Holy Ghost. Your job is provide opportunities for the Spirit to testify.  

come to know your Father

God Knows and Loves You  

By Elder Alan T. Phillips

Religion is not only about our relationship with God; it is also about our relationship with each other. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explained that the English word religion comes from the Latin religare, meaning “to tie” or, more literally, “to re-tie.” Thus, “true religion [is] the tie that binds us to God and to each other.”

President Russell M. Nelson teaches, “The Savior’s message is clear: His true disciples build, lift, encourage, persuade, and inspire.”

Are we passively attending church or actively creating communities whose purpose is to worship, remember Christ, and minister to one another?

**

This made me think of a conversation that I've had several times. As parents we try to figure out how to advise our children as they get older. We struggle to find a balance between offering our testimony and experience without treating tweens, teens, and adults like little children. As a parent I might paraphrase "am i passively telling my child my opinion or actively trying to help them come to Christ and seek his will in making decisions ". One thing I constantly remember is Matt 7:9-11. If I love my children in my imperfect way, how much more does God love them? It's the same with missionary work. It's not my job to change or convince people. It's my job to open the door for the Spirit. It's my job to offer a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Elder Phillips says, "Jesus Christ wants you to know and have a relationship with your Father in Heaven."

This change in perspective has changed me. It's changed me as a person, mother, sister, daughter, friend, and missionary. It's allowed me to share God's love without pressure or expectation. It's given me more faith and trust in the Lord. My trust and appreciation of God, my Father has increased. My understanding of our relationship has been expanded. I hope you'll seek a closer relationship with Jesus Christ and allow Him to bring you to our Father.

being happy in the yoke

Do You Want to Be Happy?

By Elder Yoon Hwan Choi

Elder Paul V. Johnson taught us: “When we follow Satan, we give him power. When we follow God, He gives us power.”

President Nelson also taught: “Yoking yourself with the Savior means you have access to His strength and redeeming power.”

Matt 11:28-30

Being yoked with Christ is one of my favorite analogies. There's so much more to it than just sharing the load. I taught a lesson on Matthew 11 and learned so much about animals being yoked together. It changed how I thought about being yoked with Christ. 

1. The animal has to be willing. Me. I'm the animal. Christ is willing. It's me that causes a ruckus. There's a story about pioneers that were trying to yoke wild oxen. They'd get one in and it would go running off dragging the yoke and making things crazy. (Service in the Church By Elder Spencer H. Osborn, October 1984)

2. Who yokes us? If you’ve watched oxen being yoked, there's a third party we never talk about, the teamster (person who owns and handles the oxen team). God created this system. He is in charge. The animals both trust the teamster. They do his will. The teamster makes sure the yoke fits and doesn’t harm the animals. He makes sure it's not to heavy, too tight or too loose, is carved correctly to fit each individual animal, the harnesses and chains need to be the correct length and fit. There really is a lot of detail that the teamster has to check and regulate to keep the oxen safe. He then guides the team in where to go and what to pull. He makes sure they're fed, cared for, etc. He has spent time training them and preparing them for anything he asks them to do. So often, we focus on our part. We get narrow sighted and see only our load and our effort. We totally forget that the master teamster has it all under control if we just trust Him. It's important that we pull with Christ but we have to trust our Father to steer.  

keep striving

The Power of Jesus Christ in Our Lives Every Day  

By Elder Joaquin E. Costa

"At times, having faith in Jesus Christ may seem like something impossible, almost unattainable. We may think that coming unto Christ requires a strength, power, and perfection we don’t have, and we just can’t find the energy to do it all."

I feel that sometimes. I have found that as elder costa says, "faith in Jesus Christ is what gives us the energy..."

We don’t come to Jesus because we are perfect. We come to Him because we are flawed and in Him we can “be perfected.”

Moroni 10:32

He then asks, "How do we begin exercising a little bit of faith every day?". He talks about the primary answers, prayer, scriptures, sacrament... I've found that sometimes I'm flailing even though I'm doing these things. It's usually because I'm only doing the minimums. Minimums are not striving. Sometimes they are a necessary place holder when there isn't strength to do more. Sometimes the minimum is our best but after we've regained some energy, we have to strive again. Not conquer. Not do everything. Just strive. Just 1% more than the minimum. 

If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.

Martin Luther King Jr.

I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away. If I immerse myself in the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns. I find myself loving more intensely those whom I must love with all my heart and mind and strength, and loving them more, I find it easier to abide their counsel.

Spencer W. Kimball

give more, not less

not your least, give your best

karee ogden

the importance of scriptural immersion

Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation

By Brother Jan E. Newman

Luke 6:48-49

Helaman 5:12

"According to the account in Luke, as the wise man laid the foundation for his house, he “digged deep.” It wasn’t a casual or simple endeavor—it took effort! To build our lives on the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we need to dig deep."

Earlier in the talk he talks about helping our children, I would add "friends", and ourselves.

"We can help them know their Savior and Redeemer the way these children did. We can show them how to find the Savior in the scriptures and build their foundations on Him."

2 Nephi 25:26

"Daily immersion in the word of God is crucial for spiritual survival, especially in these days of increasing upheaval. As we feast on the words of Christ daily, the words of Christ will tell us how to respond to difficulties we never thought we would face.” 

Russell M Nelson, Hear Him, May 2020

convinced or converted?

Kingdoms of Glory

By President Dallin H. Oaks

Ephesians 4:13

"That process requires far more than acquiring knowledge. It is not even enough to be convinced of the gospel; we must act so that we are converted by it. In contrast to other preaching, which teaches us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something." - Elder Oaks

I love the comparison of being convinced vs being converted. It's easy enough to believe it's true. That's not the challenge. It has to be something that changes you to really be of use.

Alma 19:33

Mosiah 5:2

“The Spirit of God speaking to the spirit of man has power to impart truth with greater effect and understanding than the truth can be imparted by personal contact even with heavenly beings. Through the Holy Ghost the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten.” 

- Joseph Fielding Smith 

Faith and Works

Regarding the debate about faith and works: It’s like asking which blade in a pair of scissors is most important.

— C. S. Lewis

James 1:22 -short and to the point

James 2:14-20

Ephesians 2:8-10 - I like this one. It clarifys that grace is a gift that we did nothing for. That grace is given to us and we are to do good works because of that gift. Not as payment, just because it's right.

Romans 9:32 - works alone is not enough

Galatians 2:16 works don’t "earn" salvation or repay the debt. 

2 Peter 1:5-10 - add "works" to faith. Add attitude adjustments to faith. Change is works. 8-10 Faith is not enough. The change of heart and action is your calling. The gift of grace comes with a calling to be Christlike towards others and yourself.