Lesson Recap

Our lesson this past Sunday was on the conference talk: Guided Safely Home by President Thomas S. Monson.

Our lesson began with a drawing of 2 paths. Which path would you want to take?

Seventy-five years ago, on February 14, 1939, in Hamburg, Germany, a public holiday was celebrated. Amid fervent speeches, cheering throngs, and the playing of patriotic anthems, the new battleship Bismarck was put to sea via the River Elbe. This, the most powerful vessel afloat, was a breathtaking spectacle of armor and machinery. Construction required more than 57,000 blueprints for the 380-millimeter, radar-controlled, double-gun turrets. The vessel featured 28,000 miles (45,000 km) of electrical circuits. It weighed over 35,000 tons, and armor plate provided maximum safety. Majestic in appearance, gigantic in size, awesome in firepower, the mighty colossus was considered unsinkable.

 

The Bismarck’s appointment with destiny came more than two years later, when on May 24, 1941, the two most powerful warships in the British Navy, the Prince of Wales and the Hood, engaged in battle the Bismarck and the German cruiser Prinz Eugen. Within five minutes the Bismarck had sent to the depths of the Atlantic the Hood and all but three men of a crew of over 1,400. The other British battleship, the Prince of Wales, had suffered heavy damage and turned away.

Over the next three days the Bismarck was engaged again and again by British warships and aircraft. In all, the British concentrated the strength of five battleships, two aircraft carriers, 11 cruisers, and 21 destroyers in an effort to find and to sink the mighty Bismarck.

During these battles, shell after shell inflicted only superficial damage on the Bismarck. Was it unsinkable after all? Then a torpedo scored a lucky hit, which jammed the Bismarck’s rudder. Repair efforts proved fruitless. With guns primed and the crews at ready, the Bismarck could only steer a slow circle. Just beyond reach was the powerful German air force. The Bismarck could not reach the safety of home port. Neither could provide the needed haven, for the Bismarck had lost the ability to steer a charted course. No rudder, no help, no port. The end drew near. British guns blazed as the German crew scuttled and sank the once seemingly indestructible vessel. The hungry waves of the Atlantic first lapped at the sides and then swallowed the pride of the German navy. The Bismarck was no more.

 

The once great Bismarck was "dead in the water" from one little hit to the rudder. That is how Satan gets us, with the little things. Some of these little things he uses to bring us down are:

Anger

Gossip

Envy

Tatoos
Inappropriate Movies, Books, Music, T.V

 

These small things, lead to the bigger things. He doesn't get us by causing us to make huge sins at first, he starts small and then leads to the big.

 

How do ships navigate?
Compass

Stars

Winds

Tug boat

Light house

 

Just like light leads a ship safely into harbor and allows it to navigate the rocks, so will the light of Christ lead us to safety.

 

How do we navigate?
In cooking? - Recipe. Step by step

Sewing? - Pattern, instructions

Gardening? - Prepping, books.

Spiritually? - Scriptures, Holy Ghost, Patriarchal Blessing, Prophet, Prayers, attending our meetings.

 

Elder M. Russell Ballard: Stay in the Boat and Hold On!

President Brigham Young commonly employed “the Old Ship Zion” as a metaphor for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He said on one occasion: “We are in the midst of the ocean. A storm comes on, and, as sailors say, she labors very hard. ‘I am not going to stay here,’ says one; ‘I don’t believe this is the “Ship Zion.”’ ‘But we are in the midst of the ocean.’ ‘I don’t care, I am not going to stay here.’ Off goes the coat, and he jumps overboard. Will he not be drowned? Yes. So with those who leave this Church. It is the ‘Old Ship Zion,’ let us stay in it.”





On another occasion, President Young said that he also worried about people losing their way when they were being blessed—when life was good: “It is in calm weather, when the old ship of Zion is sailing with a gentle breeze, [and] when all is quiet on deck, that some of the brethren want to go out in the whaling boats to have … a swim, and some get drowned, others drifted away, and others again get back to the ship. Let us stick to the old ship and she will carry us [safely] into the harbor; you need not be concerned.”

And finally, President Young reminded the Saints: “We are on the old ship Zion. … [God] is at the helm and will stay there. … All is right, sing Hallelujah, for the Lord is here. He dictates, guides and directs. If the people will have implicit confidence in their God, never forsake their covenants nor their God, He will guide us right.”

Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in Faith, in purity. The Apostle Paul

 

Which path would you take? A is not the straight and narrow, it is just the shortest and quickest path. The path you choose depends on the destination. Sometimes you want to get their as quickly as possible, other times you want to take the senic route and enjoy the journey.



 

 

 

Memorial Day

Today we get to reflect on and remember those who have passed on. Memorial day is set aside to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in allowing us our Freedoms. I think many people also remember those who have passed on to prepare our mansions up on high.

So today, take time to remember those who have left already. They are gone, but never never forgotten.

My grandmother happens to be from Rigby, so yesterday she came to put flowers on her parents and grandparents graves. I was honored to not only visit their final resting places, (the cemetery right next to our church) but to also have my grandparents join us for dinner.

Today we got to spend time with these two amazing people serving them. I am lucky they are still here and am glad I get to spend memorial day with them before they are more than a memory.

My grandfather is a WWII veteran and has recently opened up about some of his experiences then. I am forever grateful for his service and for the service of my other grandfather and all the men and women who have enabled me to live in this great country and fought for the freedoms I enjoy.

Chapter 10: Flooding the Earth and Our Lives With the Book of Mormon

Chapter 10: Flooding the Earth and Our Lives with the Book of Mormon

" I have a vision of flooding the earth with the Book of Mormon.”

Many members report how the Book of Mormon flooded their lives for the good. One said, "“I love the Book of Mormon. I think of it as the Lord’s calling card, and I have been amazed at how easy it is to start a spiritual flood with it on a personal scale. When we do the work of the Lord, we have his help." 

The Book of Mormon was written for our day. The text said, "From the Book of Mormon we learn how disciples of Christ live in times of war. From the Book of Mormon we see the evils of secret combinations portrayed in graphic and chilling reality. In the Book of Mormon we find lessons for dealing with persecution and apostasy. We learn much about how to do missionary work. And more than anywhere else, we see in the Book of Mormon the dangers of materialism and setting our hearts on the things of the world. Can anyone doubt that this book was meant for us and that in it we find great power, great comfort, and great protection?"

The Book of Mormon will flow into our lives. It says, "It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called “the words of life” (D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance."

The Book of Mormon should flood the earth and our lives. President Benson says, "The Book of Mormon is the instrument that God designed to “sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out [His] elect.” (Moses 7:62.) This sacred volume of scripture needs to become more central in our preaching, our teaching, and our missionary work.We have the Book of Mormon, we have the members, we have the missionaries, we have the resources, and the world has the need. The time is now!"

Payson Utah Temple

A couple weekends ago we as a family went to Utah. While we were there, we took the time to go to the Payson Temple open house. It was wonderful! We didn't have reservations, but luckily they let us in anyway. If you get a chance, I highly encourage you to go. Hurry though, it closes to the public on the 23rd of this month. Payson

It was such a beautiful temple. So lovely.

Not only were they able to get my family in, but they were able to get my whole group in, about 20 people. I love going to the temple and especially when I can take my whole family with me.

Lesson #9

The Book of Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion

 

In today's world, we have the book of Mormon at our fingertips. We can listen to it or read it on our hands. We can listen to it as we cook, clean or drive in the car. We have such easy access to the Book of Mormon. Do we take full advantage of that?

 



In his first general conference address as President of the Church, President Benson shared one reason for the urgency of this message. “Unless we read the Book of Mormon and give heed to its teachings,” he warned, “the Lord has stated in section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants that the whole Church is under condemnation: ‘And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all’ [D&C 84:56]. The Lord continues: ‘And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written’ [D&C 84:57].”

 

“We have not been using the Book of Mormon as we should. Our homes are not as strong unless we are using it to bring our children to Christ. Our families may be corrupted by worldly trends and teachings unless we know how to use the book to expose and combat falsehoods. … Our missionaries are not as effective unless they are [teaching] with it. Social, ethical, cultural, or educational converts will not survive under the heat of the day unless their taproots go down to the fulness of the gospel which the Book of Mormon contains. Our Church classes are not as Spirit-filled unless we hold it up as a standard.”

 

How important is the Book of Mormon? Joseph Smith called it “the keystone of our religion.” (History of the Church, 4:461.) “Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations,” he said, “and where is our religion? We have none.” (History of the Church, 2:52.)

 

The major mission of the Book of Mormon, as recorded on its title page, is “to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.”

 

In the Book of Mormon, the testimony of Jesus Christ is “clear, undiluted, and full of power.”

 

Our beloved brother, President Marion G. Romney, … who knows of himself of the power that resides in this book, testified of the blessings that can come into the lives of those who will read and study the Book of Mormon. He said:

“I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness” (Ensign, May 1980, p. 67).

“I bless you with increased understanding of the Book of Mormon. I promise you that from this moment forward, if we will daily sup from its pages and abide by its precepts, God will pour out upon each child of Zion and the Church a blessing hitherto unknown—and we will plead to the Lord that He will begin to lift the condemnation—the scourge and judgment. Of this I bear solemn witness.”

Conference talk - Lord, Is it I?

Conference Talk: Lord, Is it I? 

We must put aside our pride, see beyond our vanity, and in humility ask, “Lord, is it I?”
If you want to read this talk by President Uchtdorf, click the link above. President Uchtdorf's talk is based on the events in Matthew 26 where one of his disciples will betray him. The disciples didn't question his truth and they did not point around to everyone ask, is it him? Instead everyone around the table sorrowfully asked, "Lord, is it I?"

President Uchtdorf said we should ask like those disciples of old, look inward and ask that penetrating question: “Is it I?” With those words, it could lead to some wisdom and lasting changes in our lives. 

President Uchtdorf reminds us of the parable of the dandelions. A neighbor was preoccupied with a neighbor's one dandelion when he had hundreds of dandelions in his own yard. When this parable was read aloud, it reminded me of President Monson's Mormon message about the windows. 

President Uchtdorf said, "An acquaintance of mine used to live in a ward with some of the highest statistics in the Church—attendance was high, home teaching numbers were high, Primary children were always well behaved, ward dinners included fantastic food that members rarely spilled on the meetinghouse floor, and I think there were never any arguments at Church ball.........Such terrible and often unnecessary things happen when members of the Church become disengaged from gospel principles. They may appear on the outside to be disciples of Jesus Christ, but on the inside their hearts have separated from their Savior and His teachings. They have gradually turned away from the things of the Spirit and moved toward the things of the world."

Our hearts need to be focused on teachings of Jesus Christ not on the things of the world. President U asked, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

He said, "In this age of self-justification and narcissism, it is easy to become quite creative at coming up with excuses for not regularly approaching God in prayer, procrastinating the study of the scriptures, avoiding Church meetings and family home evenings, or not paying an honest tithe and offerings."

So we must ask ourselves where our treasure lies. In other words, we must go back to the basics!

1. Read scriptures/ conference talks. President U suggests, "May I suggest that the holy scriptures and the talks given at general conference are an effective mirror we can hold up for self-examination."

2. Put aside our pride and humble ourselves. 

President U said, "We must approach our Eternal Father with broken hearts and teachable minds. We must be willing to learn and to change. hose who want to improve and progress, those who learn of the Savior and desire to be like Him, those who humble themselves as a little child and seek to bring their thoughts and actions into harmony with our Father in Heaven—they will experience the miracle of the Savior’s Atonement. "

Make sure you read all of the talk....as this is just a small part of the lesson.