I know it is a little early, but I wanted to share these great Christmas videos. They aren't very long and are wonderful reminders about the true meaning of Christmas.
For little kids:
For bigger kids:
For the whole family:
Showing posts with label story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label story. Show all posts
Friday, November 1, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Primary Talk - Prophets and Apostles Show Me How to Serve
Prophets and apostles teach us a lot about
service. Not only do they TELL us about service but they SHOW us by how they
live their lives.
Here’s a story about President Kimball who was
the prophet when my parents were younger.
This story is from when he was an apostle.
It was a stormy winter night. At the airport in Chicago, many people were
stranded due to delayed or canceled flights.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Primary Talk - Heavenly Father Loves Us and Wants Us to Pray to Him
Heavenly Father loves us
and wants us to pray to Him. We can pray to Him anytime, no matter where we
are. He hears and answers our prayers.
Charlotte
Clark was just six years old when her family left
Nauvoo, Illinois, to travel west to the Salt Lake Valley. It was a long, long
way to walk. Charlotte walked so much that she wore out her only pair of shoes.
Every night when Charlotte knelt to pray, she asked Heavenly Father for a pair
of shoes.
One day Charlotte and her
sister were picking berries when Charlotte saw a pair of shoes. She and her
sister ran back to their mother and father, saying, “Heavenly Father sent me shoes, and they fit perfectly!” Charlotte’s
father was concerned that the shoes belonged to someone who had lost them. He
told Charlotte that if the shoes belonged to someone in their wagon train, she
should return the shoes to their owner.
Charlotte’s family showed the shoes to everyone, but no one claimed
them. Charlotte’s prayer was answered.
Heavenly Father answers our
prayers. The answers may not always be what we expect, but He will answer in
the way that is the best for us. We can pray to Him anytime, anywhere.
(from The Friend, 2006)
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Literacy Tips
I stumbled across this great blog that has helps for literacy. Click HERE to visit the blog directly.
This chart shows the benefits of "oral retelling" and I am going to use it with my kids this summer.
This is a great story map that children can use when reading works of fiction.
This chart shows the benefits of "oral retelling" and I am going to use it with my kids this summer.
This is a great story map that children can use when reading works of fiction.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Christmas Goodies - The Dilemma
We have a dilemma in our house. I am feeling a bit like the Little Red Hen. (click HERE if you're not familiar with the story) If you can't tell, I may have overworked myself recently and am feeling frustrated. Here's the scoop.
Yesterday I spent most of the day baking cookies and treats for neighbor and friend gifts. (Did I mention we have a LOT of neighbors and friends?) Usually I enjoy baking, but not so much during the month of December when I am so short on time and my to do list is so big. (Did I mention that my Christmas gifts are not wrapped and I still have some shopping to do? Feeling the Christmas crunch pressure) Of course my kids were too busy playing with friends to help make the cookies. And the hubby was working at home all day but somehow did find time to go to Costco to buy a huge TV that he's been dreaming about... (Yes, I know I am sounding a little whiny and poor-me-ish)
We've been receiving several plates of goodies, homemade salsa, clever gifts, etc. every night for the last two weeks. Every time the doorbell rings, my kids run to the door to get the goodies and they usually devour them before the night is through.
Here's where "Angry Baking Mama" gets grouchy. Last night, I asked my husband and children to DELIVER the goodies that I put together. Keep in mind that I shopped for the ingredients, I put the ingredients together, I baked the cookies, I put the plates together and I made the cute tags, etc. They all started murmuring and complaining about having to deliver the goodies.
So I gave an ultimatum... I said, "Whoever makes and/or delivers the Christmas goodies to others gets to eat the ones that we receive. You don't help GIVE, you don't RECEIVE!"
Yesterday I spent most of the day baking cookies and treats for neighbor and friend gifts. (Did I mention we have a LOT of neighbors and friends?) Usually I enjoy baking, but not so much during the month of December when I am so short on time and my to do list is so big. (Did I mention that my Christmas gifts are not wrapped and I still have some shopping to do? Feeling the Christmas crunch pressure) Of course my kids were too busy playing with friends to help make the cookies. And the hubby was working at home all day but somehow did find time to go to Costco to buy a huge TV that he's been dreaming about... (Yes, I know I am sounding a little whiny and poor-me-ish)
We've been receiving several plates of goodies, homemade salsa, clever gifts, etc. every night for the last two weeks. Every time the doorbell rings, my kids run to the door to get the goodies and they usually devour them before the night is through.
Here's where "Angry Baking Mama" gets grouchy. Last night, I asked my husband and children to DELIVER the goodies that I put together. Keep in mind that I shopped for the ingredients, I put the ingredients together, I baked the cookies, I put the plates together and I made the cute tags, etc. They all started murmuring and complaining about having to deliver the goodies.
So I gave an ultimatum... I said, "Whoever makes and/or delivers the Christmas goodies to others gets to eat the ones that we receive. You don't help GIVE, you don't RECEIVE!"
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Story - Helen Keller (Excerpt from A Place of Knowing by Emma Lou Thayne)
A LOVELY STORY ABOUT HELEN KELLER
This is an excerpt from A Place of Knowing by Emma Lou Thayne (Emma Lou also wrote Hymn # 129, Where Can I Turn for Peace ...)
Many years into my adulthood, when asked by a Jewish poet friend why I stay in my Mormonism, I explained it with a story, the details recounted by my mother. It is my mother’s story transposed into an allegory about my believing.
When I was a little girl, my father took me to hear Helen Keller in the Tabernacle. I must have been about eight or nine and I’d read about Helen Keller in school, and my mother had told me her story.
I remember sitting in the balcony at the back of that huge domed building that was supposed to have the best acoustics in the world. Helen—everybody called her that—walked in from behind a curtain under the choir seats with her teacher, Annie Sullivan. Helen spoke at the pulpit—without a microphone—but we could hear perfectly, her guttural, slow, heavily pronounced speech. She spoke about her life and her beliefs. Her eyes were closed and when it came time for questions from the audience, she put her fingers on her teacher’s lips and then repeated for us what the question had been. She answered questions about being deaf and blind and learning to read and to type and, of course, to talk. Hearing that voice making words was like hearing words for the first time, as if language had only come into being—into my being at least—that moment.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
The Friend Magazine Online
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&vgnextoid=ae20e975d2a2b010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD
There are stories, games, coloring pages, slideshows and activities for children. Very cool!
There are stories, games, coloring pages, slideshows and activities for children. Very cool!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Analogy - Shopping at Ikea and Studying the Scriptures
We had a fun Sunday School lesson today. It was about Section 1 in the Doctrine & Covenants. The Doctrine and Covenants is the only book of scripture that has an introduction written by the Lord. We read and discussed that for our lesson today.
In D&C 1:37 it says, "Search these commandments..." This prompted a discussion on the difference between reading the scriptures and searching the scriptures.
Someone likened searching the scriptures to shopping at Ikea. Anyone who has been brave enough to shop at Ikea knows that it can be an overwhelming experience. Your journey feels like miles of arrowed pathways leading you from room display to room display. You weave through perfectly decorated living rooms, kitchens, offices, bedrooms, etc. There is so much to observe that even though you are looking around at everything you actually remember very little of the details. You may walk out with some random finds (like some spatulas, storage containers, a frying pan and plastic children's furniture), but usually you leave feeling overwhelmed and in a semi-stuperous state.
Wandering through Ikea is like casually wandering/reading through the scriptures with no purpose. It is a fine thing to do, but leaves you feeling unsatisfied afterward. However, if you go to Ikea searching for something specific, like let's say, a bed, you are more likely to find what you need/want on your journey. You can search through Ikea to find that which is of worth and applicable to you in your current situation. Sometimes you may be looking for a bed, other times a chair or a blanket, but as you search, you will find what you truly need instead of a bunch of sensory overload.
Another person furthered the Ikea analogy. When you arrive at Ikea, you immediately go up the escalator to the second floor and wander through all the displays to find items you need/want. This is like the initial searching in the scriptures for answers. Then, after you find your item of interest, you have to go downstairs to the warehouse to further search for the bin and aisle numbers that house your item. When we read the scriptures often times we must delve even deeper or search further to receive the answers/item we are searching just like we need to search more diligently at Ikea for our boxes of product.
The last person said that their favorite part of shopping at Ikea was the cinnamon rolls at the snack bar. You can't shop at the snack bar until you have finished your shopping experience. Likewise, we can receive our full reward after we have searched and re-searched the scriptures diligently.
As we visit and revisit the scriptures (or Ikea) we will find answers (or items) that we are searching for. There will be many rewards (or cinnamon rolls) that we will obtain as we search and study (or shop).
I got a kick out of the whole conversation and it actually made a lot of sense. I think I'll remember this Ikea analogy this week during my personal scripture studying (and you bet I'll be searching for my "cinnamon roll" at the end of the week!).
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday School - Book of Mormon Lesson 48
Book of Mormon Lesson #48: “Come Unto Christ”
Moroni 7- 8, 10
1. Joseph F. Smith: [Moroni 7:3 – the rest of the Lord] The ancient prophets speak of “entering into God’s rest”; what does it mean? To my mind, it means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in his plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else, we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive. The man who has reached that degree of faith in God that all doubt and fear have been cast from him, he has entered into “God’s rest.” Gospel Doctrine, p. 58.
2. George Q. Cannon: I will tell you a rule by which you may know the Spirit of God from the spirit of evil. The Spirit of God always produces joy and satisfaction of mind. When you have that Spirit you are happy; when you have another spirit you are not happy. The spirit of doubt is the spirit of the evil one; it produces uneasiness and other feelings that interfere with happiness and peace. Journal of Discourses, vol. 15, p. 375.
3. Joseph Smith: A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas. … Thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 151.
4. Joseph Smith (to Brigham Young in a dream): You can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits – it will whisper peace and joy to their souls; it will take malice, hatred, strife and all evils from their hearts, and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God. Manuscript History of Brigham Young.
5. Theodore M. Burton: God’s light [the Light of Christ] includes the physical light we see, which makes us feel so warm and comfortable. God’s light is also the power to understand and comprehend all things. In other words, all kinds of light are related to intelligence and truth. Gen. Conference, April 1981.
6. Joseph B. Wirthlin: The Light of Christ should not be confused with the personage of the Holy Ghost, for the Light of Christ is not a personage at all. Its influence is preliminary to and preparatory to one’s receiving the Holy Ghost. The Light of Christ will lead the honest soul to “hearken to the voice” [D&C 84:46] to find the true gospel and the true Church and thereby receive the Holy Ghost. Gen. Conference, April 2003.
7. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: [Moroni 7:27-28 – miracles] The greatest of all miracles is the Atonement. Mortal mind cannot fathom or comprehend how one being can assume the burdens and sins of another, much less how one infinitely pure person can take responsibility for the stains of billions of impure persons. Nor can we begin to grasp how one man, Jesus of Nazareth, could take up his physical body in the resurrection and then make immortality available to all who have been tabernacled in flesh. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 4, p. 339.
8. John Taylor: [Moroni 7:29-31 – angels] The angels are our watchmen. Angels ward off evil. One might as well undertake to throw the water out of this world into the moon with a teaspoon, as to do away with the supervision of angels upon the human mind. They are the police of heaven and report whatever transpires on earth, and carry the petitions and supplications of men, women, and children to the mansions of remembrance where they are kept as tokens of obedience by the sanctified in “golden vials” labeled “the prayers of the saints.” The Gospel Kingdom, p. 31.
9. Joseph F. Smith: When messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants. Our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh. Gospel Doctrine, pp. 435-36.
10. Joseph Smith: The doctrine of baptizing children, or sprinkling them, or they must welter in hell, is a doctrine not true, not supported in Holy Writ, and is not consistent with the character of God. All children are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the moment that children leave this world, they are taken to the bosom of Abraham. History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 5.
11. Joseph Smith: [Moroni 10:3-5] Search the scriptures … and ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you do it with an eye single to His glory, nothing doubting, He will answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for yourselves and not for another. You will not then be dependent on man for the knowledge of God; nor will there be any room for speculation. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 11-12.
12. William Grant Bangerter: I had great joy yesterday in hearing the call of Elder Helio da Rocha Camargo, our companion and fellow member of the Church. Brother Camargo and his wife were stalwart, faithful people before they joined the Church. They had been brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Brother Camargo was a graduate of the military academy of Brazil. Later, still a young man, he became a Methodist minister. … One evening two young men called at his home. … He invited the young men in, and in the process of their presentation they left him a copy of the Book of Mormon. On a subsequent visit they inquired if he had read the book. He explained that he had read considerable, making notes of the things with which he did not agree. The elder then suggested that it was not in keeping with a book of scripture to read it to see what was wrong with it, but that it should be read as Moroni says, “with a sincere heart” and “real intent,” having “faith in Christ” and desiring to know the truth of the book. Brother Camargo said he found it necessary to read the book again. In the process the Spirit witnessed to him that it was the true word of God, and he joined the Church with his family. Gen. Conference, April 1985.
13. Gordon B. Hinckley: If the Book of Mormon is true, then God lives. … If the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. … If the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is verily our Redeemer, the Savior of the world. … If the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. … If this book is true, we have a living prophet. … If the Book of Mormon is true, the Church is true. Be Thou an Example, pp. 103-05.
14. Keith B. McMullin: The Holy Ghost has a more powerful effect upon the soul than anything else received in any other way. A millennium of experience through sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and all the powers of the universe combined cannot approach the sublime and complete experience of one brief moment under the influence of the Holy Ghost. Gen. Conference, April 1996.
15. Gordon B. Hinckley: I plead with you, my brothers and sisters, that if you have any doubt concerning any doctrine of this Church, that you put it to the test. Try it. Live the principle. Get on your knees and pray about it, and God will bless you with a knowledge of the truth of this work. Gen. Conference, April 2005.
16. Stephen E. Robinson: [Moroni 10:32 – come unto Christ, and be perfected in him] Perfection comes through the Atonement of Christ. We become one with him, with a perfect being. And as we become one, there is a merger. Some of my students are studying business, and they understand it better if I talk in business terms. You take a small bankrupt firm that’s about ready to go under and merge it with a corporate giant. What happens? Their assets and liabilities flow together, and the new entity that is created is solvent. … Spiritually, this is what happens when we enter into the covenant relationship with our Savior. We have liabilities, he has assets. He proposes to us a covenant relationship. I use the word “propose” on purpose because it is a marriage of a spiritual sort that is being proposed. That is why he is called the Bridegroom. This covenant relationship is so intimate that it can be described as a marriage. I become one with Christ, and as partners we work together for my salvation and my exaltation. My liabilities and his assets flow into each other. I do all that I can do, and he does what I cannot yet do. The two of us together are perfect. Believing Christ, 1989-90 BYU Devotional and Fireside Speeches.
17. Harold B. Lee: [Moroni 10:32 – then is his grace sufficient for you] Spiritual certainty that is necessary to salvation must be preceded by a maximum of individual effort. Grace, or the free gift of the Lord’s atoning power, must be preceded by personal striving. Stand Ye in Holy Places, p. 213.
18. Jeffrey R. Holland: The Savior said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). I submit to you, that may be one of the Savior’s commandments that is, even in the hearts of otherwise faithful Latter-day Saints, almost universally disobeyed; and yet I wonder whether our resistance to this invitation could be any more grievous to the Lord’s merciful heart. I can tell you this as a parent: as concerned as I would be if somewhere in their lives one of my children were seriously troubled or unhappy or disobedient, nevertheless I would be infinitely more devastated that at such a time that child could not trust me to help or thought his or her interest was unimportant to me or unsafe in my care. In that same spirit, I am convinced that none of us can appreciate how deeply it wounds the loving heart of the Savior of the world when he finds that his people do not feel confident in his care or secure in his hands or trust in his commandments. Come Unto Me, Ensign, April 1998.
Next week: Introduction to the Doctrine & Covenants and Church history (read Explanatory Introduction to the D&C)
Moroni 7- 8, 10
1. Joseph F. Smith: [Moroni 7:3 – the rest of the Lord] The ancient prophets speak of “entering into God’s rest”; what does it mean? To my mind, it means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in his plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else, we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive. The man who has reached that degree of faith in God that all doubt and fear have been cast from him, he has entered into “God’s rest.” Gospel Doctrine, p. 58.
2. George Q. Cannon: I will tell you a rule by which you may know the Spirit of God from the spirit of evil. The Spirit of God always produces joy and satisfaction of mind. When you have that Spirit you are happy; when you have another spirit you are not happy. The spirit of doubt is the spirit of the evil one; it produces uneasiness and other feelings that interfere with happiness and peace. Journal of Discourses, vol. 15, p. 375.
3. Joseph Smith: A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas. … Thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 151.
4. Joseph Smith (to Brigham Young in a dream): You can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits – it will whisper peace and joy to their souls; it will take malice, hatred, strife and all evils from their hearts, and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God. Manuscript History of Brigham Young.
5. Theodore M. Burton: God’s light [the Light of Christ] includes the physical light we see, which makes us feel so warm and comfortable. God’s light is also the power to understand and comprehend all things. In other words, all kinds of light are related to intelligence and truth. Gen. Conference, April 1981.
6. Joseph B. Wirthlin: The Light of Christ should not be confused with the personage of the Holy Ghost, for the Light of Christ is not a personage at all. Its influence is preliminary to and preparatory to one’s receiving the Holy Ghost. The Light of Christ will lead the honest soul to “hearken to the voice” [D&C 84:46] to find the true gospel and the true Church and thereby receive the Holy Ghost. Gen. Conference, April 2003.
7. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: [Moroni 7:27-28 – miracles] The greatest of all miracles is the Atonement. Mortal mind cannot fathom or comprehend how one being can assume the burdens and sins of another, much less how one infinitely pure person can take responsibility for the stains of billions of impure persons. Nor can we begin to grasp how one man, Jesus of Nazareth, could take up his physical body in the resurrection and then make immortality available to all who have been tabernacled in flesh. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 4, p. 339.
8. John Taylor: [Moroni 7:29-31 – angels] The angels are our watchmen. Angels ward off evil. One might as well undertake to throw the water out of this world into the moon with a teaspoon, as to do away with the supervision of angels upon the human mind. They are the police of heaven and report whatever transpires on earth, and carry the petitions and supplications of men, women, and children to the mansions of remembrance where they are kept as tokens of obedience by the sanctified in “golden vials” labeled “the prayers of the saints.” The Gospel Kingdom, p. 31.
9. Joseph F. Smith: When messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants. Our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh. Gospel Doctrine, pp. 435-36.
10. Joseph Smith: The doctrine of baptizing children, or sprinkling them, or they must welter in hell, is a doctrine not true, not supported in Holy Writ, and is not consistent with the character of God. All children are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the moment that children leave this world, they are taken to the bosom of Abraham. History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 5.
11. Joseph Smith: [Moroni 10:3-5] Search the scriptures … and ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you do it with an eye single to His glory, nothing doubting, He will answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for yourselves and not for another. You will not then be dependent on man for the knowledge of God; nor will there be any room for speculation. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 11-12.
12. William Grant Bangerter: I had great joy yesterday in hearing the call of Elder Helio da Rocha Camargo, our companion and fellow member of the Church. Brother Camargo and his wife were stalwart, faithful people before they joined the Church. They had been brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Brother Camargo was a graduate of the military academy of Brazil. Later, still a young man, he became a Methodist minister. … One evening two young men called at his home. … He invited the young men in, and in the process of their presentation they left him a copy of the Book of Mormon. On a subsequent visit they inquired if he had read the book. He explained that he had read considerable, making notes of the things with which he did not agree. The elder then suggested that it was not in keeping with a book of scripture to read it to see what was wrong with it, but that it should be read as Moroni says, “with a sincere heart” and “real intent,” having “faith in Christ” and desiring to know the truth of the book. Brother Camargo said he found it necessary to read the book again. In the process the Spirit witnessed to him that it was the true word of God, and he joined the Church with his family. Gen. Conference, April 1985.
13. Gordon B. Hinckley: If the Book of Mormon is true, then God lives. … If the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. … If the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is verily our Redeemer, the Savior of the world. … If the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. … If this book is true, we have a living prophet. … If the Book of Mormon is true, the Church is true. Be Thou an Example, pp. 103-05.
14. Keith B. McMullin: The Holy Ghost has a more powerful effect upon the soul than anything else received in any other way. A millennium of experience through sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and all the powers of the universe combined cannot approach the sublime and complete experience of one brief moment under the influence of the Holy Ghost. Gen. Conference, April 1996.
15. Gordon B. Hinckley: I plead with you, my brothers and sisters, that if you have any doubt concerning any doctrine of this Church, that you put it to the test. Try it. Live the principle. Get on your knees and pray about it, and God will bless you with a knowledge of the truth of this work. Gen. Conference, April 2005.
16. Stephen E. Robinson: [Moroni 10:32 – come unto Christ, and be perfected in him] Perfection comes through the Atonement of Christ. We become one with him, with a perfect being. And as we become one, there is a merger. Some of my students are studying business, and they understand it better if I talk in business terms. You take a small bankrupt firm that’s about ready to go under and merge it with a corporate giant. What happens? Their assets and liabilities flow together, and the new entity that is created is solvent. … Spiritually, this is what happens when we enter into the covenant relationship with our Savior. We have liabilities, he has assets. He proposes to us a covenant relationship. I use the word “propose” on purpose because it is a marriage of a spiritual sort that is being proposed. That is why he is called the Bridegroom. This covenant relationship is so intimate that it can be described as a marriage. I become one with Christ, and as partners we work together for my salvation and my exaltation. My liabilities and his assets flow into each other. I do all that I can do, and he does what I cannot yet do. The two of us together are perfect. Believing Christ, 1989-90 BYU Devotional and Fireside Speeches.
17. Harold B. Lee: [Moroni 10:32 – then is his grace sufficient for you] Spiritual certainty that is necessary to salvation must be preceded by a maximum of individual effort. Grace, or the free gift of the Lord’s atoning power, must be preceded by personal striving. Stand Ye in Holy Places, p. 213.
18. Jeffrey R. Holland: The Savior said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). I submit to you, that may be one of the Savior’s commandments that is, even in the hearts of otherwise faithful Latter-day Saints, almost universally disobeyed; and yet I wonder whether our resistance to this invitation could be any more grievous to the Lord’s merciful heart. I can tell you this as a parent: as concerned as I would be if somewhere in their lives one of my children were seriously troubled or unhappy or disobedient, nevertheless I would be infinitely more devastated that at such a time that child could not trust me to help or thought his or her interest was unimportant to me or unsafe in my care. In that same spirit, I am convinced that none of us can appreciate how deeply it wounds the loving heart of the Savior of the world when he finds that his people do not feel confident in his care or secure in his hands or trust in his commandments. Come Unto Me, Ensign, April 1998.
Next week: Introduction to the Doctrine & Covenants and Church history (read Explanatory Introduction to the D&C)
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Sunday School - Book of Mormon Lesson 47
Book of Mormon Lesson #47: “To Keep Them in the Right Way”
Moroni 1-6
1. Gordon B. Hinckley: Of all the characters who walk the pages of the Book of Mormon, none stands a greater hero, save Jesus only, than does Moroni, son of Mormon. … Who can sense the depth of his pain, the poignant loneliness that constantly overshadowed him as he moved about, a fugitive relentlessly hunted by his enemies? For how long he actually was alone we do not know, but the record would indicate that it was for a considerable period. His conversation was prayer to the Lord. His companion was the Holy Spirit. There were occasions when the Three Nephites ministered to him. But with all of this, there is an element of terrible tragedy in the life of this man who became a lonely wanderer. Heroes from the Book of Mormon, pp. 195-96.
2. Robert E. Parsons: Why should ordinances be so important? … First, God has commanded them. (D&C 52:15-16). Second, ordinances are the legal means for the orderly accomplishment of stated purposes. … Third, ordinances are effective teaching symbols that clearly portray what is happening. The ordinance of baptism is a perfect example. … The burial in the water symbolizes the burying of the man of sin in a watery grave. The rising of the person from immersion in water is analogous to the dead rising from an earthly grave. … As we wash away our sins in a watery grave and bury the man of sin in a watery tomb, so we come forth to a new, spiritual life, cleansed and forgiven through the sacred ordinance of baptism. Fourth, ordinances serve as witnesses to spiritual agreements between God and man. Studies in Scripture, pp. 287-88.
3. Joseph Fielding Smith: [Moroni 3 – ordinations] There were no Levites who accompanied Levi to the Western Hemisphere. Under these conditions, the Nephites officiated by virtue of the Melchizedek Priesthood from the days of Lehi to the days of the appearance of our Savior among them. … When the Savior came to the Nephites, he established the Church in its fullness among them, and he informed them that former things had passed away, for they were all fulfilled in him. He gave the Nephites all the authority of the priesthood which we exercise today. … We may be assured that in the days of Moroni the Nephites did ordain teachers and priests in the Aaronic priesthood; but before the visit of the Savior they officiated in the Melchizedek priesthood. Answers to Gospel Questions, vol. 1, pp. 124, 126.
4. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: [Moroni 4:3 – take upon them the name of thy Son] Those who have thus been born again become members of the family of Christ and thus take upon them the family name – they become Christians in the true sense of that word and are obligated by covenant to live by the rules and regulations of the royal family, to live a life befitting the new and sacred name they have taken. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 4, p. 326.
5. Bruce R. McConkie: Family members bear the family name. By it they are known and called and identified; it sets them apart from all those of a different lineage and ancestry. Adopted children take upon themselves the name of their newfound parents and become in all respects as though they had been born in the family. And so it is that the children of Christ, those who are born again, those who are spiritually begotten by their new Father, take upon themselves the name of Christ. By it they are known; in it they are called; it identifies and sets them apart from all others. They are now family members, Christians in the real and true sense of the word. Promised Messiah, p. 63.
6. Melvin J. Ballard: [Moroni 4:3 – always have his Spirit to be with them] If we have done wrong; if there is a feeling in our souls that we would like to be forgiven, then the method to obtain forgiveness is not through rebaptism; it is not to make confession to man; but it is to repent of our sins, to go to those against whom we have sinned or transgressed and obtain their forgiveness, and then repair to the sacrament table where, if we have sincerely repented and put ourselves in proper condition, we shall be forgiven, and spiritual healing will come to our souls. It will really enter into our being. Improvement Era, Oct. 1919.
7. Gordon B. Hinckley: Be true to the promise that you make every Sunday when you go to sacrament meeting and partake of the sacrament. Do you know that when the priest who is at the sacrament table pronounces that prayer which was given by revelation, he places all of the congregation under covenant with the Lord? That is so very, very important. Think of the meaning of the sacrament every time you partake of the sacrament, and be true – true to the faith. Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley, vol. 1, p. 396.
8. Dalllin H. Oaks: Our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ affirms our commitment to do all that we can to be counted among those whom he will choose to stand at his right hand and be called by his name at the last day. In this sacred sense, our witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ constitutes our declaration of candidacy for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. … That is what we should ponder as we partake of the sacred emblems of the sacrament. Gen. Conference, April 1985.
9. Russell M. Nelson: The apostle Paul taught that divine doctrines, such as these of identity and priority, are to be written “not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Cor. 3:3). … When the sacred emblems of His flesh and blood are administered to us, we are invited to take them into our bodies. As we do, His atoning sacrifice literally becomes a part of our own identity. One day you will be asked if you took upon yourself the name of Christ and if you were faithful to that covenant. Fireside Address, Provo, Utah, 10 Sept. 2000.
10. Gordon B. Hinckley: [Moroni 6:4 – nourished] Any convert whose faith grows cold is a tragedy. Any member who falls into inactivity is a matter for serious concern. The Lord left the ninety and nine to find the lost sheep. His concern for the dropout was so serious that He made it the theme of one of His great lessons. We must constantly keep Church officers and the membership aware of the tremendous obligation to fellowship in a very real and warm and wonderful way those who come into the Church as converts, and to reach out with love to those who for one reason or another step into the shadows of inactivity. Church News, 8 April 1989.
11. Gordon B. Hinckley: With the ever increasing number of converts, we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with “the good word of God” (Moroni 6:4). Gen. Conference, April 1997.
12. Thomas S. Monson: Long years ago, Joseph Lyon of Salt Lake City shared with me the lesson of a lecture which a minister from another faith observed as he spoke to the Associated Credit Men of Salt Lake. The minister boldly proclaimed, "Mormonism is the greatest philosophy in the world today. The biggest test for the Church will come with the advent of television and radio, which tend to keep people away from the Church." He then proceeded to relate what I've called the "hot coals" story. He described a warm fireplace where the pieces of wood had burned brightly, with the embers still glowing and giving off heat. He then observed that by taking in hand brass tongs, he could remove one of the hot embers. That ember would then slowly pale in light and turn black. No longer would it glow. No longer would it warm. He then pointed out that by returning the black, cold ember to the bed of living coals, the dark ember would begin to glow and brighten and warm. He concluded, "People are somewhat like the coals of a fire. Should they absent themselves from the warmth and spirit of the active church membership, they will not contribute to the whole, but in their isolation will be changed. As with the embers removed from the heat of the fire, as they distance themselves from the intensity of the spirit generated by the active membership, they will lose that warmth and spirit." The reverend closed his comments by observing, "People are more important than the embers of a fire." As years come and then go and life's challenges become more difficult, the visits of home teachers to those who have absented themselves from Church activity can be the key which will eventually open the doors to their return.
13. Mervyn B. Arnold: As a member of the branch presidency in Fortaleza, Brazil, Brother Marques with the other priesthood leaders developed a plan to reactivate those who were less active in his branch. One of those who was less active was a young man by the name of Fernando Araujo. Recently I spoke to Fernando, and he told me of his experience: "I became involved in surfing competitions on Sunday mornings and stopped going to my Church meetings. One Sunday morning Brother Marques knocked on my door and asked my nonmember mother if he could talk to me. When she told him I was sleeping, he asked permission to wake me. He said to me, 'Fernando, you are late for church!' Not listening to my excuses, he took me to church. The next Sunday the same thing happened, so on the third Sunday I decided to leave early to avoid him. As I opened the gate I found him sitting on his car, reading the scriptures. When he saw me he said, 'Good! You are up early. Today we will go and find another young man!' I appealed to my agency, but he said, 'We can talk about that later.' "After eight Sundays I could not get rid of him, so I decided to sleep at a friend's house. I was at the beach the next morning when I saw a man dressed in a suit and tie walking towards me. When I saw that it was Brother Marques, I ran into the water. All of a sudden, I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. It was Brother Marques, in water up to his chest! He took me by the hand and said, 'You are late! Let's go.' When I argued that I didn't have any clothes to wear, he replied, 'They are in the car.' "That day as we walked out of the ocean, I was touched by Brother Marques's sincere love and worry for me. He truly understood the Savior's words: 'I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick' (Ezekiel 34:16). Brother Marques didn't just give me a ride to church—the quorum made sure I remained active. They planned activities that made me feel needed and wanted, I received a calling, and the quorum members became my friends." Following his reactivation, Brother Araujo went on a full-time mission and has served as bishop, stake president, mission president, and regional representative. His widowed mother, three sisters, and several cousins have also entered the waters of baptism. Gen. Conference, April 2004.
14. Joseph B. Wirthlin: The Church is not a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect feelings. The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey to return to our Heavenly Father. Gen. Conference, April 2005.
15. Theodore M. Burton: [church court] The most loving action the Church can take at times is to disfellowship or excommunicate a person. When deemed necessary through inspiration, these repentance remedies can help the sinner fully realize the seriousness of his transgression. If a serious transgression is treated too lightly, it is more likely to be repeated. Such church actions can ensure that the necessary price for repentance is paid. Gen. Conference, April 1983.
Next week: Moroni 7- 8, 10 “Come Unto Christ”
Moroni 1-6
1. Gordon B. Hinckley: Of all the characters who walk the pages of the Book of Mormon, none stands a greater hero, save Jesus only, than does Moroni, son of Mormon. … Who can sense the depth of his pain, the poignant loneliness that constantly overshadowed him as he moved about, a fugitive relentlessly hunted by his enemies? For how long he actually was alone we do not know, but the record would indicate that it was for a considerable period. His conversation was prayer to the Lord. His companion was the Holy Spirit. There were occasions when the Three Nephites ministered to him. But with all of this, there is an element of terrible tragedy in the life of this man who became a lonely wanderer. Heroes from the Book of Mormon, pp. 195-96.
2. Robert E. Parsons: Why should ordinances be so important? … First, God has commanded them. (D&C 52:15-16). Second, ordinances are the legal means for the orderly accomplishment of stated purposes. … Third, ordinances are effective teaching symbols that clearly portray what is happening. The ordinance of baptism is a perfect example. … The burial in the water symbolizes the burying of the man of sin in a watery grave. The rising of the person from immersion in water is analogous to the dead rising from an earthly grave. … As we wash away our sins in a watery grave and bury the man of sin in a watery tomb, so we come forth to a new, spiritual life, cleansed and forgiven through the sacred ordinance of baptism. Fourth, ordinances serve as witnesses to spiritual agreements between God and man. Studies in Scripture, pp. 287-88.
3. Joseph Fielding Smith: [Moroni 3 – ordinations] There were no Levites who accompanied Levi to the Western Hemisphere. Under these conditions, the Nephites officiated by virtue of the Melchizedek Priesthood from the days of Lehi to the days of the appearance of our Savior among them. … When the Savior came to the Nephites, he established the Church in its fullness among them, and he informed them that former things had passed away, for they were all fulfilled in him. He gave the Nephites all the authority of the priesthood which we exercise today. … We may be assured that in the days of Moroni the Nephites did ordain teachers and priests in the Aaronic priesthood; but before the visit of the Savior they officiated in the Melchizedek priesthood. Answers to Gospel Questions, vol. 1, pp. 124, 126.
4. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: [Moroni 4:3 – take upon them the name of thy Son] Those who have thus been born again become members of the family of Christ and thus take upon them the family name – they become Christians in the true sense of that word and are obligated by covenant to live by the rules and regulations of the royal family, to live a life befitting the new and sacred name they have taken. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 4, p. 326.
5. Bruce R. McConkie: Family members bear the family name. By it they are known and called and identified; it sets them apart from all those of a different lineage and ancestry. Adopted children take upon themselves the name of their newfound parents and become in all respects as though they had been born in the family. And so it is that the children of Christ, those who are born again, those who are spiritually begotten by their new Father, take upon themselves the name of Christ. By it they are known; in it they are called; it identifies and sets them apart from all others. They are now family members, Christians in the real and true sense of the word. Promised Messiah, p. 63.
6. Melvin J. Ballard: [Moroni 4:3 – always have his Spirit to be with them] If we have done wrong; if there is a feeling in our souls that we would like to be forgiven, then the method to obtain forgiveness is not through rebaptism; it is not to make confession to man; but it is to repent of our sins, to go to those against whom we have sinned or transgressed and obtain their forgiveness, and then repair to the sacrament table where, if we have sincerely repented and put ourselves in proper condition, we shall be forgiven, and spiritual healing will come to our souls. It will really enter into our being. Improvement Era, Oct. 1919.
7. Gordon B. Hinckley: Be true to the promise that you make every Sunday when you go to sacrament meeting and partake of the sacrament. Do you know that when the priest who is at the sacrament table pronounces that prayer which was given by revelation, he places all of the congregation under covenant with the Lord? That is so very, very important. Think of the meaning of the sacrament every time you partake of the sacrament, and be true – true to the faith. Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley, vol. 1, p. 396.
8. Dalllin H. Oaks: Our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ affirms our commitment to do all that we can to be counted among those whom he will choose to stand at his right hand and be called by his name at the last day. In this sacred sense, our witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ constitutes our declaration of candidacy for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. … That is what we should ponder as we partake of the sacred emblems of the sacrament. Gen. Conference, April 1985.
9. Russell M. Nelson: The apostle Paul taught that divine doctrines, such as these of identity and priority, are to be written “not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Cor. 3:3). … When the sacred emblems of His flesh and blood are administered to us, we are invited to take them into our bodies. As we do, His atoning sacrifice literally becomes a part of our own identity. One day you will be asked if you took upon yourself the name of Christ and if you were faithful to that covenant. Fireside Address, Provo, Utah, 10 Sept. 2000.
10. Gordon B. Hinckley: [Moroni 6:4 – nourished] Any convert whose faith grows cold is a tragedy. Any member who falls into inactivity is a matter for serious concern. The Lord left the ninety and nine to find the lost sheep. His concern for the dropout was so serious that He made it the theme of one of His great lessons. We must constantly keep Church officers and the membership aware of the tremendous obligation to fellowship in a very real and warm and wonderful way those who come into the Church as converts, and to reach out with love to those who for one reason or another step into the shadows of inactivity. Church News, 8 April 1989.
11. Gordon B. Hinckley: With the ever increasing number of converts, we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with “the good word of God” (Moroni 6:4). Gen. Conference, April 1997.
12. Thomas S. Monson: Long years ago, Joseph Lyon of Salt Lake City shared with me the lesson of a lecture which a minister from another faith observed as he spoke to the Associated Credit Men of Salt Lake. The minister boldly proclaimed, "Mormonism is the greatest philosophy in the world today. The biggest test for the Church will come with the advent of television and radio, which tend to keep people away from the Church." He then proceeded to relate what I've called the "hot coals" story. He described a warm fireplace where the pieces of wood had burned brightly, with the embers still glowing and giving off heat. He then observed that by taking in hand brass tongs, he could remove one of the hot embers. That ember would then slowly pale in light and turn black. No longer would it glow. No longer would it warm. He then pointed out that by returning the black, cold ember to the bed of living coals, the dark ember would begin to glow and brighten and warm. He concluded, "People are somewhat like the coals of a fire. Should they absent themselves from the warmth and spirit of the active church membership, they will not contribute to the whole, but in their isolation will be changed. As with the embers removed from the heat of the fire, as they distance themselves from the intensity of the spirit generated by the active membership, they will lose that warmth and spirit." The reverend closed his comments by observing, "People are more important than the embers of a fire." As years come and then go and life's challenges become more difficult, the visits of home teachers to those who have absented themselves from Church activity can be the key which will eventually open the doors to their return.
13. Mervyn B. Arnold: As a member of the branch presidency in Fortaleza, Brazil, Brother Marques with the other priesthood leaders developed a plan to reactivate those who were less active in his branch. One of those who was less active was a young man by the name of Fernando Araujo. Recently I spoke to Fernando, and he told me of his experience: "I became involved in surfing competitions on Sunday mornings and stopped going to my Church meetings. One Sunday morning Brother Marques knocked on my door and asked my nonmember mother if he could talk to me. When she told him I was sleeping, he asked permission to wake me. He said to me, 'Fernando, you are late for church!' Not listening to my excuses, he took me to church. The next Sunday the same thing happened, so on the third Sunday I decided to leave early to avoid him. As I opened the gate I found him sitting on his car, reading the scriptures. When he saw me he said, 'Good! You are up early. Today we will go and find another young man!' I appealed to my agency, but he said, 'We can talk about that later.' "After eight Sundays I could not get rid of him, so I decided to sleep at a friend's house. I was at the beach the next morning when I saw a man dressed in a suit and tie walking towards me. When I saw that it was Brother Marques, I ran into the water. All of a sudden, I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. It was Brother Marques, in water up to his chest! He took me by the hand and said, 'You are late! Let's go.' When I argued that I didn't have any clothes to wear, he replied, 'They are in the car.' "That day as we walked out of the ocean, I was touched by Brother Marques's sincere love and worry for me. He truly understood the Savior's words: 'I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick' (Ezekiel 34:16). Brother Marques didn't just give me a ride to church—the quorum made sure I remained active. They planned activities that made me feel needed and wanted, I received a calling, and the quorum members became my friends." Following his reactivation, Brother Araujo went on a full-time mission and has served as bishop, stake president, mission president, and regional representative. His widowed mother, three sisters, and several cousins have also entered the waters of baptism. Gen. Conference, April 2004.
14. Joseph B. Wirthlin: The Church is not a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect feelings. The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey to return to our Heavenly Father. Gen. Conference, April 2005.
15. Theodore M. Burton: [church court] The most loving action the Church can take at times is to disfellowship or excommunicate a person. When deemed necessary through inspiration, these repentance remedies can help the sinner fully realize the seriousness of his transgression. If a serious transgression is treated too lightly, it is more likely to be repeated. Such church actions can ensure that the necessary price for repentance is paid. Gen. Conference, April 1983.
Next week: Moroni 7- 8, 10 “Come Unto Christ”
Monday, September 15, 2008
Story - My Father, The Hero
This is a great story from the September 2008 Ensign. Here's the link to the original story by Greg Hudnall.
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=f06ebf9cd2f0c110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1
Dad was always serving others, and I resented always having to go along.
I grew up in Illinois in a small farming community on the main road to Nauvoo. Although I was raised in the Church, I was a somewhat rebellious teenager, struggling with my identity and my relationship with my father. He wasn’t a bad person; in fact, everyone seemed to like him. It’s just that I felt a little embarrassed by him because he was a farmer who had not finished eighth grade. Besides that, my dad was always serving other people. For me, that was the problem: he was always helping others, and I hated it because he took me along.
We were the only members of the branch for many miles. Since my dad was a mechanic, the branch president often called to ask him to assist stranded Church members whose cars had broken down. Many times my dad would get me out of bed late at night, grab his tools, extra gas, blankets, and even food to go help the weary travelers.
I resented these late night trips because I just wanted to sleep. I’d even sleep in the car on the way there. When we arrived, I reluctantly gave up my warm seat so the tired but grateful family could get warm. My dad always managed to fix these cars, some of which I thought shouldn’t even be allowed on the road. Sometimes Dad had to work for hours before the cars would run, but he never complained. Even though I grumbled a lot, he just listened and nodded his head and smiled.
I remember one cold, windy January night quite clearly. It was so cold that before we went to bed we had plugged an electric heater on the car engine so that it would start in the morning. I was snug in my warm bed when the phone rang. It was the branch president asking my dad to help another family from out of town whose car had broken down. I just lay in bed, hoping it was a bad dream. Just once I wanted my dad to say, “Sorry, President, but my kids are sleeping and I am in my warm house. Could you find someone else?” Instead, he said, “Of course we will help, President.”
Well, my dad got me out of bed, we gathered our things, unplugged the heater, and set out. Dad drove while I slept most of the way. Inside the car it was warm; outside the temperature was below zero and the roads were covered with snow. When we found the stranded car, a woman got out and walked towards us. She told us how she and her three children were traveling to see her parents in Nauvoo. I remember thinking that she was crazy to be out on the road with small children in such bad weather.
My dad immediately went to work on the car while I stood there complaining about having to be outside in the cold when all I wanted to do was sleep. The family sat in our warm car while we froze. After about four hours the woman’s car finally sputtered to life and began to run well enough that it could finish the trip. The sun was rising when we woke the mother and her children. She expressed her gratitude to my father, and then she and her children went on their way. We went home, and I didn’t think much about it for a long time.
Two years later I started turning my life around and became more active in the Church. I attended a youth conference at the University of Illinois, where the keynote speaker talked about the heroes in our lives. She explained that our society would have us believe that movie stars, athletes, and musicians are the heroes of our day because of their fame and greatness. But the truth, she argued, is that making a lot of money and being famous do not make them heroes. The true heroes in our lives are the people around us who truly serve one another.
Next she told the story of how once she was traveling with her family when her car broke down. She didn’t have the ability to get the car fixed. She was scared. After offering a prayer, she called the local branch president, who sent out help.
She then talked about her hero. He was a person who had left his family and his warm bed on a cold night to serve someone he didn’t even know. Her hero had saved her family that night. Then she gave his name. It was my father.
I was stunned as tears ran down my face, and I realized she was right; my dad was a hero. He was a man who constantly helped others, even at great personal sacrifice. The service he offered made a big difference in other people’s lives. Suddenly I was really proud of my dad. That night my dad became my hero too.
Years have passed. I have gained some of the things that were important to me in my youth: an education and the respect of my peers. But I have also gained something I didn’t expect when I was young: a desire to serve my fellowmen. That came from my hero, my dad.
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=f06ebf9cd2f0c110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1
Dad was always serving others, and I resented always having to go along.
I grew up in Illinois in a small farming community on the main road to Nauvoo. Although I was raised in the Church, I was a somewhat rebellious teenager, struggling with my identity and my relationship with my father. He wasn’t a bad person; in fact, everyone seemed to like him. It’s just that I felt a little embarrassed by him because he was a farmer who had not finished eighth grade. Besides that, my dad was always serving other people. For me, that was the problem: he was always helping others, and I hated it because he took me along.
We were the only members of the branch for many miles. Since my dad was a mechanic, the branch president often called to ask him to assist stranded Church members whose cars had broken down. Many times my dad would get me out of bed late at night, grab his tools, extra gas, blankets, and even food to go help the weary travelers.
I resented these late night trips because I just wanted to sleep. I’d even sleep in the car on the way there. When we arrived, I reluctantly gave up my warm seat so the tired but grateful family could get warm. My dad always managed to fix these cars, some of which I thought shouldn’t even be allowed on the road. Sometimes Dad had to work for hours before the cars would run, but he never complained. Even though I grumbled a lot, he just listened and nodded his head and smiled.
I remember one cold, windy January night quite clearly. It was so cold that before we went to bed we had plugged an electric heater on the car engine so that it would start in the morning. I was snug in my warm bed when the phone rang. It was the branch president asking my dad to help another family from out of town whose car had broken down. I just lay in bed, hoping it was a bad dream. Just once I wanted my dad to say, “Sorry, President, but my kids are sleeping and I am in my warm house. Could you find someone else?” Instead, he said, “Of course we will help, President.”
Well, my dad got me out of bed, we gathered our things, unplugged the heater, and set out. Dad drove while I slept most of the way. Inside the car it was warm; outside the temperature was below zero and the roads were covered with snow. When we found the stranded car, a woman got out and walked towards us. She told us how she and her three children were traveling to see her parents in Nauvoo. I remember thinking that she was crazy to be out on the road with small children in such bad weather.
My dad immediately went to work on the car while I stood there complaining about having to be outside in the cold when all I wanted to do was sleep. The family sat in our warm car while we froze. After about four hours the woman’s car finally sputtered to life and began to run well enough that it could finish the trip. The sun was rising when we woke the mother and her children. She expressed her gratitude to my father, and then she and her children went on their way. We went home, and I didn’t think much about it for a long time.
Two years later I started turning my life around and became more active in the Church. I attended a youth conference at the University of Illinois, where the keynote speaker talked about the heroes in our lives. She explained that our society would have us believe that movie stars, athletes, and musicians are the heroes of our day because of their fame and greatness. But the truth, she argued, is that making a lot of money and being famous do not make them heroes. The true heroes in our lives are the people around us who truly serve one another.
Next she told the story of how once she was traveling with her family when her car broke down. She didn’t have the ability to get the car fixed. She was scared. After offering a prayer, she called the local branch president, who sent out help.
She then talked about her hero. He was a person who had left his family and his warm bed on a cold night to serve someone he didn’t even know. Her hero had saved her family that night. Then she gave his name. It was my father.
I was stunned as tears ran down my face, and I realized she was right; my dad was a hero. He was a man who constantly helped others, even at great personal sacrifice. The service he offered made a big difference in other people’s lives. Suddenly I was really proud of my dad. That night my dad became my hero too.
Years have passed. I have gained some of the things that were important to me in my youth: an education and the respect of my peers. But I have also gained something I didn’t expect when I was young: a desire to serve my fellowmen. That came from my hero, my dad.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Story - Toothpaste on the Mirror
I read this article in the September 2008 Ensign last night and it really made me think. It caused me to want to be more forgiving and to not worry about little un-eternal things. So next time my husband leaves the kitchen a huge mess after he makes our traditional Saturday morning egg burritos I will strive to keep my mouth quiet and just be grateful he was sweet enough to cook breakfast!
Here is the link to the original story submitted by Bryce R. Peterson:
Small things have a way of growing large when we dwell on them.
I learned some very good lessons from Mom and Dad, but the best one I ever learned was about six months after Dad died.
Toward the end of my parents’ lives, there were times they really didn’t get along very well. Dad was not active in the Church, and Mom was impatient with him. They seemed to wear on each other’s nerves some of the time. The arguments weren’t really serious, but I always felt pressured to take sides, a position I didn’t like.
Small offenses have a way of growing large when we dwell on them. One of Mom’s common complaints was that Dad splashed toothpaste on the mirror when he brushed his teeth and would never clean it off. It drove her crazy, and she couldn’t let it go. I tried to explain that in the grand scheme of life, toothpaste on the mirror wasn’t a very big thing. She wasn’t mollified. I wished they could get along better, that they could overlook small things and not be so critical of each other and be more forgiving, but that didn’t happen very often.
Dad died in the spring of 1991. It was a time of grief, especially for Mom. She realized after he was gone that she missed him more than she had anticipated. It was lonesome living alone in that big house; her partner of 62 years was gone. She started talking about him more frequently.
As the days turned to weeks and then to months, I visited Mom daily. During one visit her eyes turned watery as she told me of a mistake that she regretted. She reminded me of the toothpaste and how adamant she had been that he was slothful in neglecting to clean up his mess. She had been so angry over such a small thing.
Mom admitted that on the first cleaning day after Dad died, there was toothpaste on the mirror. She cleaned the mirror, but on the second cleaning day, there was more toothpaste on the mirror. The same thing happened on the third and fourth cleaning days as well.
Mom realized that she had blamed Dad for the toothpaste on the mirror for many years, but it had been both of them splashing toothpaste. She felt terrible that for years she had been so upset about such a small thing. She freely admitted that her anger had hurt her much worse than it had affected Dad.
I learned from this experience the need for forgiveness and tolerance in our relationships, and I honestly try to be more forgiving in my own. It seems such a waste of time to fret about small offenses. There are more important things to worry about than toothpaste on the mirror.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Clay Balls (analogy about Individual Worth)
Clay Balls
A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake.
They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.
He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him.
He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!
It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see that person as less important than s omeone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy, but we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.
There is a treasure in each one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth. May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay.
A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake.
They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.
He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him.
He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!
It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see that person as less important than s omeone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy, but we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.
There is a treasure in each one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth. May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
The Law of the Garbage Truck
I love this analogy of "The Garbage Truck" that I heard a few years ago. It is a great way to deal with challenging people that we come across in our lives. And don't we all have some of those!
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.
My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'
This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so .... 'Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.'
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Are you B-U-S-Y?
Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, "We can't keep the Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken."
"So let them go to their churches, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain that relationship with Jesus Christ."
"This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"
"How shall we do this?" shouted his angels.
"Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."
"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6 -7 days a week, 10 - 12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. "
"As their family fragments, soon their home will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"
"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive. To keep the TV, VCR, CD's and their PC's going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."
"Fill the coffee table with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogues, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services, and false hopes. Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines so the husbands will believe that external beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. Ha! That will fragment those families quickly!"
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week."
"Don't let them go out in nature to reflect on God's wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy! And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion."
"Go ahead, let them be involved in soul winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause. It will work! It will work!" It was quite a convention. And when the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians every where to get busy, busy, busy, and to rush here and there. I guess the question is: Has the devil been successful at his scheme? You be the judge! Friends, please take heed of the message this brings:
B - Being
U - Under
S - Satan's
Y - Yoke
Are you BUSY?
"So let them go to their churches, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain that relationship with Jesus Christ."
"This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"
"How shall we do this?" shouted his angels.
"Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."
"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6 -7 days a week, 10 - 12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. "
"As their family fragments, soon their home will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"
"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive. To keep the TV, VCR, CD's and their PC's going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."
"Fill the coffee table with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogues, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services, and false hopes. Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines so the husbands will believe that external beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. Ha! That will fragment those families quickly!"
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week."
"Don't let them go out in nature to reflect on God's wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead. Keep them busy, busy, busy! And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion."
"Go ahead, let them be involved in soul winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause. It will work! It will work!" It was quite a convention. And when the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians every where to get busy, busy, busy, and to rush here and there. I guess the question is: Has the devil been successful at his scheme? You be the judge! Friends, please take heed of the message this brings:
B - Being
U - Under
S - Satan's
Y - Yoke
Are you BUSY?
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Lesson from a Milk Jug
How could I carry such an awful burden? The insight came in an unexpected way....
Life was starting to look better. Although the last few months had involved severe illness for our newborn baby, a bout with postpartum depression for me, and a sudden layoff for my husband, it seemed that our family was going to make it through the wave of trials we had encountered.
But that soon changed when I returned home from helping an ill sister in our ward to find my husband engrossed in filth on the Internet. I had returned earlier than he had expected, and he was caught off guard. I learned that this had been going on for years and that it had been accompanied by other serious sins.
I was devastated. The man I had kept myself clean and pure for all of my life had not done the same for me. My heart was broken.
I was empty. I was hurt. I was angry. When my husband went to the bishop and the stake president to begin the repentance process, I was embarrassed.
And then I became numb.
As a matter of routine, I continued to read scriptures with my children and by myself. I continued to have family prayer and family home evening and to say my personal prayers. But they were nothing more than habitual. There was nothing left inside me.
After a while, I became tired of being numb. I wanted to feel again. I wanted to be strong for my children. I wanted to love my husband. I wanted to forgive. I just didn’t know how. All the Relief Society and Sunday School lessons on forgiveness had not prepared me for this pain, and I didn’t know how to overcome it. But I was determined that I would.
Time went by, and despite my desire to forgive, I was still bitter. Then the simplest thing happened.
I was unloading the car after a trip to the grocery store, and our three-year-old daughter was helping. She was carrying in loaves of bread and cartons of eggs and was doing just fine. Then she decided that she was going to carry in a gallon of milk. After some struggle, she pulled it out of the car, and it landed with a thud on the driveway. She gripped the handle with both hands and heaved it. It barely budged. I offered to help, and she snapped at me: “No! I do it myself!” She strained and grunted but made no progress in lifting the milk. After several minutes she looked up at me with tears welling in her eyes and said, “Too heavy. Can’t do it.”
As I looked at my sweet, stubborn little girl, I saw in an instant what Heavenly Father must see in me—a well-meaning but stubborn child who wouldn’t accept His help. A scripture I had learned in seminary came to my mind:
“Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.
“Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me;
“And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost” (D&C 50:40–42).
The significance of this is obvious, but the lesson became even more profound when my daughter’s eyes brightened and she said, “Mommy, you carry me; then I carry milk.” I scooped my little messenger up in my arms. I carried her, and leaning the jug against my arm, she carried the milk. In tears, I deposited my precious cargo inside.
Later, on my knees, I admitted to the Lord that my “jug of milk” was too heavy and that I had been proud in trying to carry it on my own. I asked forgiveness for my anger, my stubbornness, and my pride. I begged the Lord to carry me. I knew I was the one who needed to forgive, but the burden was too painful and too heavy. If the Lord would carry me, though, I could do what I needed to do. I begged Him to lift me, and He did. He helped me not only carry my burden but also cast it away.
Our trials have not all ended, but with Heavenly Father’s help, we will make it.
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=78d33645a2cba110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1
Life was starting to look better. Although the last few months had involved severe illness for our newborn baby, a bout with postpartum depression for me, and a sudden layoff for my husband, it seemed that our family was going to make it through the wave of trials we had encountered.
But that soon changed when I returned home from helping an ill sister in our ward to find my husband engrossed in filth on the Internet. I had returned earlier than he had expected, and he was caught off guard. I learned that this had been going on for years and that it had been accompanied by other serious sins.
I was devastated. The man I had kept myself clean and pure for all of my life had not done the same for me. My heart was broken.
I was empty. I was hurt. I was angry. When my husband went to the bishop and the stake president to begin the repentance process, I was embarrassed.
And then I became numb.
As a matter of routine, I continued to read scriptures with my children and by myself. I continued to have family prayer and family home evening and to say my personal prayers. But they were nothing more than habitual. There was nothing left inside me.
After a while, I became tired of being numb. I wanted to feel again. I wanted to be strong for my children. I wanted to love my husband. I wanted to forgive. I just didn’t know how. All the Relief Society and Sunday School lessons on forgiveness had not prepared me for this pain, and I didn’t know how to overcome it. But I was determined that I would.
Time went by, and despite my desire to forgive, I was still bitter. Then the simplest thing happened.
I was unloading the car after a trip to the grocery store, and our three-year-old daughter was helping. She was carrying in loaves of bread and cartons of eggs and was doing just fine. Then she decided that she was going to carry in a gallon of milk. After some struggle, she pulled it out of the car, and it landed with a thud on the driveway. She gripped the handle with both hands and heaved it. It barely budged. I offered to help, and she snapped at me: “No! I do it myself!” She strained and grunted but made no progress in lifting the milk. After several minutes she looked up at me with tears welling in her eyes and said, “Too heavy. Can’t do it.”
As I looked at my sweet, stubborn little girl, I saw in an instant what Heavenly Father must see in me—a well-meaning but stubborn child who wouldn’t accept His help. A scripture I had learned in seminary came to my mind:
“Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.
“Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me;
“And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost” (D&C 50:40–42).
The significance of this is obvious, but the lesson became even more profound when my daughter’s eyes brightened and she said, “Mommy, you carry me; then I carry milk.” I scooped my little messenger up in my arms. I carried her, and leaning the jug against my arm, she carried the milk. In tears, I deposited my precious cargo inside.
Later, on my knees, I admitted to the Lord that my “jug of milk” was too heavy and that I had been proud in trying to carry it on my own. I asked forgiveness for my anger, my stubbornness, and my pride. I begged the Lord to carry me. I knew I was the one who needed to forgive, but the burden was too painful and too heavy. If the Lord would carry me, though, I could do what I needed to do. I begged Him to lift me, and He did. He helped me not only carry my burden but also cast it away.
Our trials have not all ended, but with Heavenly Father’s help, we will make it.
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=78d33645a2cba110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Story - Growing a Testimony
Here is a story that was taken from talk given by Elder Olsen, Fifth Quorum of the Seventy, at
the Las Vegas Lakes Stake Conference, Second Session on February 11, 2001. I don't think this was published anywhere officially. My friend took shorthand notes while she was there. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Plant the seeds of your doubts in the garden of obedience, and what will sprout is a brand new testimony.
I joined the Church with my wife when I was 19 and a year later we went through the Temple. A little while after this I began to have some serious doubts. I didn’t know if there was a God. And so I told my wife one night: “I don’t know if there is a God.” And she started crying, I’m sure thinking that her eternal marriage and sealing were being lost. Then she stopped crying, and she said to me: “I want to talk to you more about this tomorrow.” I said: “Alright.” The next day my wife said: “I want to talk to you some more about what you said last night.” Then she said to me: “Until you can tell me you know there isn’t a God I want to keep going to Church as a family.” And I thought this was fair and said: “Alright.” Then she upped the ante and said to me: “Until you can tell me that you know there isn’t a God I want to pay a full tithing.” And I told her that was alright too, I didn’t mind paying tithing, I had never had a problem paying tithing. Then she said to me: “Until you can tell me that you know there isn’t a God, I want us all to keep the Word of Wisdom, and I want us to say prayers as a family every day.” Again I told her alright, and finally she said: “When we were baptized we covenanted to serve in the Church. Until you can tell me that you know that there is not God, I want us to serve in whatever callings we are given.” And I told her yes, I thought I could do all of those things.
It wasn’t too long after that that we moved to New York. And it wasn’t too long after that that the Branch President called me into his office and said: “Brother Olsen, we would like to call you to be the Gospel Doctrine teacher.” He was a little taken aback when I replied: “Alright, but I don’t know if there is a God or not.” This wise and loving man told me: “We’d still like you to serve in this calling, as long as you promise not to make the classroom a forum for your doubts. You just bear testimony of the things that you know to be true. Do you think you can do that?” I told him, yes, and within a very little time I found my testimony. What did my wife do? She was so wise; she took my doubts and planted them in a garden of obedience. And a new testimony grew. Don’t be afraid of your doubts. Doubts are nothing but platforms to a stronger testimony. Just be obedient. Just be obedient. In obedience there is testimony, there is safety, there is peace. Ether 12:6 “You receive no witness until AFTER the trial of your faith.”
the Las Vegas Lakes Stake Conference, Second Session on February 11, 2001. I don't think this was published anywhere officially. My friend took shorthand notes while she was there. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Plant the seeds of your doubts in the garden of obedience, and what will sprout is a brand new testimony.
I joined the Church with my wife when I was 19 and a year later we went through the Temple. A little while after this I began to have some serious doubts. I didn’t know if there was a God. And so I told my wife one night: “I don’t know if there is a God.” And she started crying, I’m sure thinking that her eternal marriage and sealing were being lost. Then she stopped crying, and she said to me: “I want to talk to you more about this tomorrow.” I said: “Alright.” The next day my wife said: “I want to talk to you some more about what you said last night.” Then she said to me: “Until you can tell me you know there isn’t a God I want to keep going to Church as a family.” And I thought this was fair and said: “Alright.” Then she upped the ante and said to me: “Until you can tell me that you know there isn’t a God I want to pay a full tithing.” And I told her that was alright too, I didn’t mind paying tithing, I had never had a problem paying tithing. Then she said to me: “Until you can tell me that you know there isn’t a God, I want us all to keep the Word of Wisdom, and I want us to say prayers as a family every day.” Again I told her alright, and finally she said: “When we were baptized we covenanted to serve in the Church. Until you can tell me that you know that there is not God, I want us to serve in whatever callings we are given.” And I told her yes, I thought I could do all of those things.
It wasn’t too long after that that we moved to New York. And it wasn’t too long after that that the Branch President called me into his office and said: “Brother Olsen, we would like to call you to be the Gospel Doctrine teacher.” He was a little taken aback when I replied: “Alright, but I don’t know if there is a God or not.” This wise and loving man told me: “We’d still like you to serve in this calling, as long as you promise not to make the classroom a forum for your doubts. You just bear testimony of the things that you know to be true. Do you think you can do that?” I told him, yes, and within a very little time I found my testimony. What did my wife do? She was so wise; she took my doubts and planted them in a garden of obedience. And a new testimony grew. Don’t be afraid of your doubts. Doubts are nothing but platforms to a stronger testimony. Just be obedient. Just be obedient. In obedience there is testimony, there is safety, there is peace. Ether 12:6 “You receive no witness until AFTER the trial of your faith.”
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