President Poston drew circles on the board. The first inner circle represented faith. Then the next
circle represented hope. Finally, the last outer circle represented peace. If you want to increase your hope and peace, your faith needs to increase. Faith in Jesus
Christ will yield greater peace and greater hope. How can I increase my faith
in Jesus Christ? Here are some ways (not all):
1.Pray
2.Attend
the temple
3.Exercise
obedience
Putting our trust in the Lord’s
hands will yield yourself to Him. Paul said that faith comes from hearing the
word of God. Here are three ways that you can hear the words of God.
1.Through
the words of the prophets.
2.Scripture
3.Personal
revelation
In Doctrine and Covenants
Section 9, it discusses how the spirit of revelation is important. Pres. Poston
said that it was great to have the spirit of revelation because some of us may
have our personal partings of the Red Sea. We need personal revelation so we
can cross through on dry ground.
In Doctrine and Covenants Section 21:
4-5, it says that we need to have patience and faith. He also said that we should not let one day pass in showing obedience by reading the scriptures. Reading the scriptures will increase our faith.
Amy Taylor has posted information on the ward facebook page about an upcoming order for Walton Feed group. She does have hard copies if anyone needs them. This is a fabulous opportunity she has worked out for us to add to our food storage. Please contact her with any questions or if you need a paper copy of the order form. She will need money by April 30th. Thanks Amy for looking out for all of us!
If you didn't get your Books of Faith, we now have the copies. Talk to Natalie about getting yours. Also, they had a late entry for the book and thought it was worth adding in, so they have printed it out and have provided it as an insert. Make sure you get your copy if you didn't on Sunday.
Tatum is still needing some help getting her kids to and from their activities. If you are willing to help out, please contact Paula Taylor.
Next Sunday is Ward Conference, the 27th. Bishop Bryant has challenged us to make this a week of service. To reach out to those around us and to notice who might need served. Look for the quiet acts of service that you can do.
Thursday the 24th, the Relief Society presidency will be making visits to those sisters that have trouble getting out to church. If you are interested in going with them, let someone in the presidency know.
“Let all men know assuredly that this is the Lord’s Church and he is directing its affairs. What a privilege it is to have membership in such a divine institution!”
We belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Not the Mormon or LDS church, but The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Those other names have a place and time, but we need to make sure people know the real name of our church.
We have been promised we will never have to go through an apostacy, the Church will never be taken from the earth again.
D&C 65: 1-6 Missionaries are taking that rock and keeping it rolling. The rock (work) is rolling, we need to decide if we are going to hop on it or let it pass us by.
Every member is a missionary: The internet opens up the gospel or gives us the opportunity to share it on a bigger level and get the gospel out to more people.
In this dispensation, the Gospel can literally be in every nation today. It can be throughout the world.
The lesson also talked about service. The first and great commandment is to Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and the second is like unto it: Love thy neighbors as thyself.
How does service help us:
Provides happiness
Heart Enlarges
Understanding of Christ
See others as Christ sees them
We should seek to find opportunities for quiet service, the rewards will be eternal and the service is its own reward.
This lesson was a very long one and was not finished because of time. If you can read the whole lesson from the link above, that would be great.
From the time he was very young, Joseph Fielding Smith knew that his family had a special connection to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
He was inspired by the example of his grandfather Hyrum Smith, an older
brother and loyal friend to the Prophet Joseph. Hyrum served faithfully
at his brother’s side as a leader in the Church. He also helped with
the publication of the Book of Mormon and was called to be one of the Eight Witnesses of the book. Then he shared an assurance that all people could receive the same testimony:
“Every soul upon the face of the earth who has a desire to know it has
the privilege, for every soul that will humble himself, and in the
depths of humility and faith, with a contrite spirit, go before the
Lord, will receive that knowledge just as surely as he lives.”
Two themes stand out uppermost always in my mind. That Jesus Christ is
the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, and that
Joseph Smith was a prophet called and appointed to usher in the
dispensation of the fulness of times. Sister Bosh then had the sisters compare Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith.
Jesus Christ Joseph Smith
Spoke words for God Restored Christ's church
Atoned for our Sins Made mistakes
Saved us from sin Died a martyr
God's son Prophet
Perfect Translated the Book of Mormon
How can the ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith influence our testimony of the Savior and the His gospel. Since the beginning of the restoration and the first vision, the spreading of the gospel has happened so quickly and has grown in a short time.
In
recent years there has been an almost unbelievable expansion of the
work in Mexico, in the Central American countries, and in South America. And Asia is
now [in 1971] being opened to the message of the gospel in a way that
surpasses anything of the past. The Church is becoming established in
Japan and Korea, in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and we are getting started in
Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia.
And
the day will come, in the providence of the Lord, when other nations,
now closed to the message of truth, shall have their doors opened to us,
and the elders of Israel will go in to tell the honest in heart in
those nations about Christ and the gospel of his kingdom that has come
upon the earth in this day through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Technology is a blessing to those involved in the missionary efforts.See the article HERE that featured a picture of Elder Parrett. This was from the article.
The Lord called Joseph Smith to stand at the head of this glorious dispensation.
There
is no doubt in my mind that the Lord raised the Prophet Joseph Smith up
and gave him revelation, commandment, opened the heavens to him, and
called upon him to stand at the head of this glorious dispensation. I am
perfectly satisfied in my mind that in his youth, when he went out to
pray, he beheld and stood in the actual presence of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ; in my
mind there is no doubt—I know this to be true. I know that he later
received visitations from Moroni, the Aaronic Priesthood under the hands
of John the Baptist, the Melchizedek Priesthood under the hands of
Peter, James, and John, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints was organized on the sixth day of April 1830, by
divine command.12
The Lord prepared Joseph Smith to stand at the head of this “great and
marvelous work about to come forth unto the children of men,”
Sister Bosh then discussed that the frontal lobe of a person is not fully developed until the age of 18 or so. This part of the brain controls behavior, self control, decision-making, problem solving, and planning. I guess we can't blame our kids for their actions until they are at least 20. :) However Joseph Smith went to the Sacred Grove in prayer and received his first revelation at age 14, and Moroni visited him at age 17. He didn't receive the plates until he was 21.
The Lord did not select one who was versed in the learning and
traditions of the world. His ways are not the ways of man, neither are
his thoughts like the thoughts of men [see Isaiah 55:8]. One taught in the learning of the world would have had too much to unlearn of the traditions and philosophy of men. In his
great wisdom the Lord chose an unsophisticated child—a boy fourteen
years of age. Unto this youth the Lord revealed the fulness of the
gospel, which the world would not receive because of unbelief. Through
years of heavenly guidance—for he was instructed by messengers from the
presence of the Lord—this young man, Joseph Smith, was prepared to
direct the work of the restoration of the Gospel and the building of the
Kingdom of God.
Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were united in life and in death. They had a special relationship. Though Hyrum was six years older. They shared blessings and sorrows as brothers.
Joseph Smith said: “Brother
Hyrum, what a faithful heart you have got! Oh may the Eternal Jehovah
crown eternal blessings upon your head, as a reward for the care you
have had for my soul! Oh how many are the sorrows we have shared
together; and again we find ourselves shackled with the unrelenting hand
of oppression. Hyrum, thy name shall be written in the book of the Law
of the Lord, for those who come after thee to look upon, that they may
pattern after thy works.”
Again
the Prophet said: “I could pray in my heart that all my brethren were
like unto my beloved brother Hyrum, who possesses the mildness of a
lamb, and the integrity of a Job, and in short, the meekness and
humility of Christ and I love him with that love that is stronger than
death, for I never had occasion to rebuke him, nor he me.”
Sister Bosh then ended: President Smith told of family members who helped nurture his childhood testimony of Joseph Smith’s
mission. What can we do
to help children gain a testimony of the mission of the Prophet Joseph
Smith? (I am going to leave that to you to ponder and answer for yourself. :)
This weekend we were blessed to have been able to watch General Conference. Don't you just love having the opportunity to listen to the words of our prophets and apostles?! It is such an awesome privalage we have to hear them, and to live so close. In my stage of life, where I still have little kids around, it is difficult to hear all of conference. I can get the 2 older to sit for most with coloring or other things, but my baby is just wild! So, I have asked for everyone's favorite quote from Conference for those of us, who might have missed something. Here goes:
Natalie Kraus:
Saw this one posted on many facebook pages, including:
Kristie Marshall, Ali Brown and Linda Tapp.
JoAnne Reese Posted these 2.
Kristie Marshall also shared this one.
Sue Parrett
Danielle Bogard and Kerri Lindstrom
"There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first." Elder David A. Bednar
I love this scripture. Yes, it is only 2 words, but what powerful words. He was human, he had human emotions, he loves us and it makes him weep to see us hurting or hurting others. He can relate to us on a deep emotional level. I just love knowing that we are more alike than can be imagined.
