Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Chapter 16: The Elderly in the Church
“May these golden years be your very best years as you fully live and love and serve. And God bless those who minister to your needs—your family, your friends, and your fellow Church members and leaders.”
Ezra Taft Benson was 86 years old when he became President of the Church. He understood the joys and challenges that come during the later years of life. One joy for him was his continued association with his wife, Flora. The couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary during his first year as President. They enjoyed each other’s company and attended the temple together nearly every Friday morning. At his 87th birthday party, someone asked President Benson the secret to his long, happy life. “Before he could answer, Sister Benson said, teasingly but with meaning, ‘He has a good wife.’”
For the general conference that immediately followed his 90th birthday, President Benson prepared an address directed “to the elderly in the Church and to their families and to those who minister to their needs.” In the introduction, he expressed his personal connection to the topic: “I hold special feelings for the elderly—for this marvelous group of men and women. I feel that in some measure I understand them, for I am one of them.”
1. The Lord knows and Loves the elderly and has bestowed many great responsibilities on them.
2. We can make the most of our senior years.
- work in the Temple and attend often
- Collect and write family histories
- Become involved in missionary service
- Provide leadership by building family togetherness
- Accept and fulfill Church callings
- Plan for your financial future
- Render Christlike service
- Stay physically fit, healthy, and active
3. Serving others helps heal those who have lost loved ones or who dread being alone.
4. In times of illness and pain, we can remain strong in attitude and spirit.
5. It is important that families give their elderly parents and grandparents the love, care, and respect they deserve.
6. Those who are blessed with a closeness to grandparents and other elderly people have a rich companionship and association.
7. Church leaders should prayerfully seek the Spirit in helping members meet the needs of the elderly.
8. Our later years can be our best years.
God bless the elderly in the Church. I love you with all my heart. I am one of you.
You have so much to live for. May these golden years be your very best years as you fully live and love and serve. And God bless those who minister to your needs—your family, your friends, and your fellow Church members and leaders.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Lesson #15 Continued
[First,] whenever possible, be at the crossroads when your children are either coming or going—when they leave and return from school, when they leave or return from dates, when they bring friends home. Be there at the crossroads whether your children are 6 or 16. …
Second, mothers, take time to be a real friend to your children. Listen to your children, really listen. Talk with them, laugh and joke with them, sing with them, play with them, cry with them, hug them, honestly praise them. Yes, regularly spend one-on-one time with each child. Be a real friend to your children.
Third, take time to read to your children. Starting from the cradle, read to your sons and daughters. … You will plant a love for good literature and a real love for the scriptures if you will read to your children regularly.
Fourth, take time to pray with your children. Family prayers, under the direction of the father, should be held morning and night. Have your children feel of your faith as you call down the blessings of heaven upon them. … Have your children participate in family and personal prayers, and rejoice in their sweet utterances to their Father in Heaven.
Fifth, take time to have a meaningful weekly home evening. Have your children actively involved. Teach them correct principles. Make this one of your family traditions. …
Sixth, take time to be together at mealtimes as often as possible. This is a challenge as the children get older and lives get busier. But happy conversation, sharing of the day’s plans and activities, and special teaching moments occur at mealtime because parents and children work at it.
Seventh, take time daily to read the scriptures together as a family. … Reading the Book of Mormon together as a family will especially bring increased spirituality into your home and will give both parents and children the power to resist temptation and to have the
Eighth, take time to do things as a family. Make family outings and picnics and birthday celebrations and trips special times and memory builders. Whenever possible, attend, as a family, events where one of the family members is involved, such as a school play, a ball game, a talk, a recital. Attend Church meetings together, and sit together as a family when you can. Mothers who help families pray and play together will [help them] stay together and will bless children’s lives forever.
Ninth, mothers, take time to teach your children. Catch the teaching moments at mealtime, in casual settings, or at special sit-down times together, at the foot of the bed at the end of the day, or during an early-morning walk together. …
A mother’s love and prayerful concern for her children are the most important ingredients in teaching her own. Teach children gospel principles. Teach them it pays to be good. Teach them there is no safety in sin. Teach them a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and a testimony of its divinity.
Teach your sons and daughters modesty, and teach them to respect manhood and womanhood. Teach your children sexual purity, proper dating standards, temple marriage, missionary service, and the importance of accepting and magnifying Church callings.
Teach them a love for work and the value of a good education.
Teach them the importance of the right kind of entertainment, including appropriate movies, videos, music, books, and magazines. Discuss the evils of pornography and drugs, and teach them the value of living the clean life.
Yes, mothers, teach your children the gospel in your own home, at your own fireside. This is the most effective teaching that your children will ever receive. …
Tenth and finally, mothers, take the time to truly love your little children. A mother’s unqualified love approaches Christlike love.
Your teenage children also need that same kind of love and attention. It seems easier for many mothers and fathers to express their love to their children when they are young, but more difficult when they are older. Work at this prayerfully. There need be no generation gap. And the key is love. Our young people need love and attention, not indulgence. They need empathy and understanding, not indifference from mothers and fathers. They need the parents’ time. A mother’s kindly teachings and her love for and confidence in a teenage son or daughter can literally save them from a wicked world.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
The Sacred Callings of Fathers and Mothers
This weeks lesson was #15: The Sacred Callings of Fathers and Mothers
Sister Killian gave a wonderful lesson today, I wish I could share the spirit that was there, but I am afraid I can't convey that here. I'll try to share her insights though and do her justice.
They worked together to create a home where their children could grow and learn—and where their children wanted to be. “I would have rather been home than anywhere,” their son Mark said. “It was a refuge from the storm. Mother was the protective element, and Dad was there with his strength.”
Sister Killian shared a personal experience from her life. A number of years ago one of her daughters was being stalked. As her mother it was her job to protect her. Through the spirit, via dreams and premonitions, she knew she needed to keep her family safe and that her daughter was in grave danger. They sold their house and bought some land where they basically camped and lived off the grid for 18 months. Of course this was a trial, but it was what they needed to do to keep their family safe. They were protected through this experience also. They adapted the Missionary lifestyle, Sister Killian was always with her daughter. One day while shopping at broulims, they felt an evil presence and knew that the stalker was in the store. Without hesitation they got out of there. On the day that her dreams and the spirit told her something would have been the day something horrible would happen, they kept their daughter safe. A woman was murdered at an event that normally the Killians would have been at. Again, they were protected. Sister Killian did what needed to be done to protect her family. She was the mom they needed and took her role seriously.
This was probably a hard story for her to relate, but it taught me so much. It made me realize that as a mother, the Lord will guide us on how best to protect our family, if we but listen to it. Thank you for your example!
President Benson was frequently away from home because of his work and Church duties, so Flora assumed much of the responsibility for nurturing and teaching their six children. She relished her role of motherhood. “The home is the center of our mortal affections,” she said.7 Mark recalled, “Mother absolutely loved home. And she loved us—not because it was her duty to, but because that was her life.”8 Expressing her feelings about the importance of being a mother, Flora wrote: “If you want to find greatness, don’t go to the throne, go to the cradle. There is mighty power in a mother. She is the one who molds hearts, lives, and shapes character.”
When President Benson was away from home, he always sought ways to watch over and strengthen his family. He maintained regular contact with them through phone calls and letters. When he was home, he spent as much time with them as possible. He often cited the story of “a busy father who explained the hours he spent playing ball with his son by saying, ‘I’d sooner have a backache now than a heartache later.’”
When he could, President Benson took his children with him during his travels. In March 1948 he took his daughter Bonnie, who was seven years old at the time, to an agriculture meeting in Nebraska. “The press was so intrigued by the poise of the little girl, and by the anomalous example of a father bringing such a young child on such a long trip to attend such a distinguished function, that a picture of Bonnie was featured on the front page [of the newspaper] the next morning. But to Elder Benson the incident was not an anomaly. He frequently took the children with him on out-of-town trips, both as a means of cementing good relations and of educating them.”
A child needs a mother more than all the things money can buy. Spending time with your children is the greatest gift of all.
Check back later in the week, I'll post the rest of the lesson on Wednesday.
Sister Killian gave a wonderful lesson today, I wish I could share the spirit that was there, but I am afraid I can't convey that here. I'll try to share her insights though and do her justice.
By word and example, at home and around the world, in Church and civic settings, President Ezra Taft Benson taught the importance of being good parents. “Nurture your children with love and the admonitions of the Lord,” he said.1 “God holds parents responsible for their stewardship in rearing their family. It is a most sacred responsibility.”
President Benson and his wife, Flora, worked closely together in fulfilling their sacred responsibilities as parents. They “approached the task of nurturing their family unit with energy and enthusiasm.”3 They frequently counseled together about their children and other matters.
They worked together to create a home where their children could grow and learn—and where their children wanted to be. “I would have rather been home than anywhere,” their son Mark said. “It was a refuge from the storm. Mother was the protective element, and Dad was there with his strength.”
Sister Killian shared a personal experience from her life. A number of years ago one of her daughters was being stalked. As her mother it was her job to protect her. Through the spirit, via dreams and premonitions, she knew she needed to keep her family safe and that her daughter was in grave danger. They sold their house and bought some land where they basically camped and lived off the grid for 18 months. Of course this was a trial, but it was what they needed to do to keep their family safe. They were protected through this experience also. They adapted the Missionary lifestyle, Sister Killian was always with her daughter. One day while shopping at broulims, they felt an evil presence and knew that the stalker was in the store. Without hesitation they got out of there. On the day that her dreams and the spirit told her something would have been the day something horrible would happen, they kept their daughter safe. A woman was murdered at an event that normally the Killians would have been at. Again, they were protected. Sister Killian did what needed to be done to protect her family. She was the mom they needed and took her role seriously.
This was probably a hard story for her to relate, but it taught me so much. It made me realize that as a mother, the Lord will guide us on how best to protect our family, if we but listen to it. Thank you for your example!
President Benson was frequently away from home because of his work and Church duties, so Flora assumed much of the responsibility for nurturing and teaching their six children. She relished her role of motherhood. “The home is the center of our mortal affections,” she said.7 Mark recalled, “Mother absolutely loved home. And she loved us—not because it was her duty to, but because that was her life.”8 Expressing her feelings about the importance of being a mother, Flora wrote: “If you want to find greatness, don’t go to the throne, go to the cradle. There is mighty power in a mother. She is the one who molds hearts, lives, and shapes character.”
When President Benson was away from home, he always sought ways to watch over and strengthen his family. He maintained regular contact with them through phone calls and letters. When he was home, he spent as much time with them as possible. He often cited the story of “a busy father who explained the hours he spent playing ball with his son by saying, ‘I’d sooner have a backache now than a heartache later.’”
When he could, President Benson took his children with him during his travels. In March 1948 he took his daughter Bonnie, who was seven years old at the time, to an agriculture meeting in Nebraska. “The press was so intrigued by the poise of the little girl, and by the anomalous example of a father bringing such a young child on such a long trip to attend such a distinguished function, that a picture of Bonnie was featured on the front page [of the newspaper] the next morning. But to Elder Benson the incident was not an anomaly. He frequently took the children with him on out-of-town trips, both as a means of cementing good relations and of educating them.”
A child needs a mother more than all the things money can buy. Spending time with your children is the greatest gift of all.
Check back later in the week, I'll post the rest of the lesson on Wednesday.
Friday, August 7, 2015
On Being Genuine--Conference talk recap
On Being Genuine
President Uchtdorf discussed a story from the late 18th century. He says, "Catherine the Great of Russia announced she would tour the southern part of her empire, accompanied by several foreign ambassadors. The governor of the area, Grigory Potemkin, desperately wanted to impress these visitors. And so he went to remarkable lengths to showcase the country’s accomplishments.
President Uchtdorf discussed a story from the late 18th century. He says, "Catherine the Great of Russia announced she would tour the southern part of her empire, accompanied by several foreign ambassadors. The governor of the area, Grigory Potemkin, desperately wanted to impress these visitors. And so he went to remarkable lengths to showcase the country’s accomplishments.
For part of the journey, Catherine floated down the Dnieper River, proudly pointing out to the ambassadors the thriving hamlets along the shore, filled with industrious and happy townspeople. There was only one problem: it was all for show. It is said that Potemkin had assembled pasteboard facades of shops and homes. He had even positioned busy-looking peasants to create the impression of a prosperous economy. Once the party disappeared around the bend of the river, Potemkin’s men packed up the fake village and rushed it downstream in preparation for Catherine’s next pass.
This was an attempt to make others believe that we are better than we really are!
Think about if your heart is in the right place!
There is nothing wrong with shining our shoes, smelling our best, or even hiding the dirty dishes before the home teachers arrive. However, when taken to extremes, this desire to impress can shift from useful to deceitful.
President Uchtdorf asks us if we fail to address the real needs of our beloved fellowmen or women while trying to be impressive.
Think what would happen if..... Jesus Christ were to sit down with us and ask for an accounting of our stewardship, I am not sure He would focus much on programs and statistics. What the Savior would want to know is the condition of our heart. He would want to know how we love and minister to those in our care, how we show our love to our spouse andfamily, and how we lighten their daily load. And the Savior would want to know how you and I grow closer to Him and to our Heavenly Father.
President Uchtdorf then asks these two important questions: Why do we serve in the Church of Jesus Christ? Why are we here at this meeting today?
This is his reply..which I love:
With patience and persistence, even the smallest act of discipleship or the tiniest ember of belief can become a blazing bonfire of a consecrated life. In fact, that’s how most bonfires begin—as a simple spark.
----and-----
if you feel small and weak, please simply come unto Christ, who makes weak things strong.8 The weakest among us, through God’s grace, can become spiritually strong, because God “is no respecter of persons.”9 He is our “faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments.”
Then he says how God's promises are sure and certain and we can be forgiven.
--and--
He ends in saying, "I pray, brethren, that as we serve in our families, quorums, wards, stakes, communities, and nations, we will resist the temptation to draw attention to ourselves and, instead, strive for a far greater honor: to become humble, genuine disciples of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As we do so, we will find ourselves walking the path that leads to our best, most genuine, and noblest selves."
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