Developing Faith ~ Part Two

     Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post actually focuses on October 1986 General Conference talk, and it is called "Developing Faith" by Elder A. Theodore Tuttle. I hope you will be able to learn something new while reading this post. 

Elder Tuttle has mentioned the following; 

"... I would like to read in the Book of Mormon a great example of this kind of faith. ... “And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me [Nephi], saying: Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters” (1 Ne. 17:8).

Listen to the answer of this great Nephi: “And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?” (1 Ne. 17:9).

And when his brothers realized that he was actually going to set about to build a ship, they said: “Why, you’re a fool. You don’t know how to construct a ship” (see 1 Ne. 17:17). And then Nephi set about to teach them a great lesson." 

How do you develop faith?

Let’s learn a great lesson from what transpired with Nephi. He started to recount the things that had happened that they all knew were a part of their heritage. He went back to the coming of the children of Israel out of Egypt. He said: “You know what happened. There they were right against the Red Sea with the Egyptians coming, and the Lord saved them” (see 1 Ne. 17:26–27).

Then he goes on and talks about how they received manna in the wilderness, how they received water from a rock, how the Lord led them by a pillar of cloud in the daytime and a light at night, and how when they crossed the Jordan, it stopped when the feet of the priests touched the water (see 1 Ne. 17:28–30, 32; see also Ex. 13:21, Josh. 3:15–17). 

And then Nephi tells how the Lord scattered the people; and then how, when they came among the flying serpents, Moses fashioned a brazen serpent, raised it, and all they had to do was look at that serpent, and they would be healed. The account says that many perished because they wouldn’t even look (see 1 Ne. 17:32, 41; see also Num. 21:8–9).

He was trying to do what you and I as parents need to do with our families today to develop faith in the Lord. And the way to do it is to recount the examples of faith that have happened in our history and in our heritage and with our people. ... It contains accounts of faith of our own blood and ancestry and of our own people and our children. As has already been said in this conference, we cannot go one generation without losing faith if we do not do this. ...

There’s another principle: that is, that faith precedes the miracle. This lesson is found in Ether, chapter 12. You’ll recall that Moroni was abridging the records of the twenty-four plates, and this is what he records: ... They couldn’t see them; they wouldn’t believe them. They needed to be taught that believing is seeing. 

And then Moroni interpolates here: “And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6; italics added).

We need to learn that. We can’t have just faith. We cannot have the miracle until after the exercise of faith. Moroni sets forth on the next page or so instances of those miracles that have occurred after the trial of the faith of the people. We need to learn that principle as well.

... We’re not going to survive in this world, temporally or spiritually, without increased faith in the Lord and I don’t mean a positive mental attitude - I mean downright solid faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the one thing that gives vitality and power to otherwise rather weak individuals.

I bear you my humble witness that I know that God lives. I know that he lives, that he is our Father, that he loves us. I bear witness that Jesus is the Christ, our Savior and our Redeemer. I understand better what that means now. 

I am grateful for his atonement in our behalf and for knowing something about our relationship to him and to our Heavenly Father and about the meaning and purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ. ..."

If you would like to read the whole talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below.

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1986/10/developing-faith

Stay Tuned until next time.

Developing Faith ~ Part One

  Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish.

How have you developed your faith throughout your life? How have an immediate relative developed his or her faith throughout his or her life? How have a extended relative developed his or her faith throughout his or her life? How have a friend developed his or her faith throughout his or her life?

I know that I have developed faith by multiple ways, and I would like to share with you some ways of how I have developed faith throughout my life. 

Prior to meeting Jacob

I have developed my faith through past testimonies from variety of church members. During youth years but mostly more into my adult years; I always remembered feeling the Holy Ghost promptings for me to go ahead and share my testimony with others and on Fast Sundays - the first Sunday of each month; church members has the opportunities to share their testimonies during sacrament meeting. 

I have developed my faith through my immediate relatives. I am very grateful for my parents raising me up into a true religion on this Earth. I remembered how I felt when I got baptized, and received the gift of the Holy Ghost when I was eight years old. 

I have developed my faith through achieving multiple milestones in the church. I have made the decision for myself to receive my Patriarchal Blessing, I have made the decision for myself when I was ready to receive my endowments, I have made the decision to do seminary via home study and via online and graduating seminary, I have made the decision to attend institute and eventually graduating institute, and so forth. 

I have developed my faith through having close friends, church member friends, and non-member friends. I am grateful for my friends because it has always been great for me to have some people in my life whom I can trust, rely on, and spend some time with. Friends makes life fun and enjoyable sometimes. 

After meeting Jacob

I have developed my faith through fulfilling all of my responsibilities as a Temple Ordinance Worker in Brisbane Temple from December 2018 to July 2019. Duration my time as a Temple Ordinance Worker; it has helped me to strengthened the main purposes of why I wanted to become a Temple Ordinance Worker when I did, it has helped me to start a habit of regular temple attendance, and so forth. 

I have developed my faith through the full duration of my relationship with Jacob, the full duration of my engagement with Jacob, and duration of my marriage with Jacob thus far, so forth. Jacob has taught me a lot of things that I did not know before, and I am grateful for his understanding, his love, his support, his care, and so forth." 

Stay Tuned until next time.

Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority ~ Part Two

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a October 2014 General Conference talk, and it is called "Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority" by Elder Richard G. Scott. This post is part two. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. 

Elder Scott has mentioned the following; "Family Home Evening

While you are working to strengthen your family and cultivate peace, remember this third tool: weekly family home evening. ... Decide that on Monday night your family will be together at home for the evening. Do not let employment demands, sports, extracurricular activities, homework, or anything else become more important than that time you spend together at home with your family.

... The gospel should be taught both formally and informally. Make it a meaningful experience for each member of the family. Family home evening is a precious time to bear testimony in a safe environment; to learn teaching, planning, and organizational skills; to strengthen family bonds; to develop family traditions; to talk to each other; and more important, to have a marvelous time together! ...

"Despite all of the negative challenges we have in life,
we must take time to actively exercise our faith."

Temple Attendance

The fourth tool is to go to the temple. We all know there is no more peaceful place on this earth than in the temples of God. If you don’t have a temple recommend, qualify to get one. 

When you have a recommend, use it often. Schedule a regular time to be in the temple. Don’t let anyone or anything prevent you from being there. While you are in the temple, listen to the words of the ordinances, ponder them, pray about them, and seek to understand their meaning. The temple is one of the best places to come to understand the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

... Remember that many more blessings come from providing your own family names in the temple. ... When we are consistently praying morning and night, studying our scriptures daily, having weekly family home evening, and attending the temple regularly, we are actively responding to His invitation to “come unto Him.”

The more we develop these habits, the more anxious is Satan to harm us but the less is his ability to do so.Through the use of these tools, we exercise our agency to accept the full gifts of His atoning sacrifice. I am not suggesting that all of life’s struggles will disappear as you do these things. We came to mortal life precisely to grow from trials and testing. Challenges help us become more like our Father in Heaven, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ makes it possible to endure those challenges. ..."

If you would like to read the whole talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below. 

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2014/10/make-the-exercise-of-faith-your-first-priority

Stay Tuned until next time.

Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority ~ Part One

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take five minutes to eight minutes to read from start to finish.

What are your top priorities in life? Is one of your top priorities in life is exercising faith? 

What is your definition and understanding of the word "faith"? 

What does "faith" means to a immediate relative?

This post focuses on a October 2014 General Conference talk, and it is called "Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority" by Elder Richard G. Scott. This post is part one. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. 

Elder Scott has mentioned the following; 

"When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, all that they needed for daily sustenance was abundantly given to them. They had no difficulties, challenges, or pain. Because they had never experienced hard times, they did not know they could be happy. They had never felt turmoil, so they could not feel peace.

Eventually Adam and Eve transgressed the command to not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. By so doing they were no longer in a state of innocence. They began to experience principles of opposition. They began to encounter sickness that weakened their health. 

They began to feel sadness as well as joy. Through Adam and Eve’s partaking of the forbidden fruit, knowledge of good and evil was introduced into the world. Their choice made it possible for each of us to come to this earth to be tried and tested. 

We are blessed with agency, which is our ability to make decisions and to become accountable for those decisions. The Fall made possible in our lives feelings of both happiness and sadness. We are able to understand peace because we feel turmoil. Our Father in Heaven knew this would happen to us. 

It is all part of His perfect plan of happiness. He prepared a way through the life of His perfectly obedient Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior, for His Atonement to overcome every difficulty that we may experience in mortality. We live in trying times. 

... It is not necessary to describe all of the possible challenges and heartaches that are a part of mortality. Each of us is intimately aware of our own struggles with temptation, pain, and sadness. We were taught in the premortal world that our purpose in coming here is to be tested, tried, and stretched. 

We knew we would face the evils of the adversary. Sometimes we may feel more aware of the negative things of mortality than we are of the positive. ... Despite all of the negative challenges we have in life, we must take time to actively exercise our faith. 

Such exercise invites the positive, faith-filled power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ into our lives. Our Father in Heaven has given us tools to help us come unto Christ and exercise faith in His Atonement. When these tools become fundamental habits, they provide the easiest way to find peace in the challenges of mortality.

Today I have chosen to discuss four of these tools. As I speak, consider evaluating your personal use of each tool; then seek the guidance of the Lord to determine how you could make better use of each one of them.

Prayer

The first tool is prayer. Choose to converse with your Father in Heaven often. Make time every day to share your thoughts and feelings with Him. Tell Him everything that concerns you. ... Share with Him your full range of feelings and experiences.

Because He respects your agency, Father in Heaven will never force you to pray to Him. But as you exercise that agency and include Him in every aspect of your daily life, your heart will begin to fill with peace, buoyant peace. That peace will focus an eternal light on your struggles. It will help you to manage those challenges from an eternal perspective.

Parents, help safeguard your children by arming them morning and night with the power of family prayer. Children are bombarded every day with the evils of lust, greed, pride, and a host of other sinful behaviors. Protect your children from daily worldly influences by fortifying them with the powerful blessings that result from family prayer. ...

"Faith"

Scripture Study

The second tool is to study the word of God in the scriptures and the words of the living prophets. We talk to God through prayer. He most often communicates back to us through His written word. To know what the voice of the Divine sounds and feels like, read His words, study the scriptures, and ponder them.

... If you want your children to recognize, understand, and act on the promptings of the Spirit, you must study the scriptures with them. ... Choose to take time to study them. Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. 

You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. ... I add my voice with this promise: as you dedicate time every day, personally and with your family, to the study of God’s word, peace will prevail in your life. That peace won’t come from the outside world. 

It will come from within your home, from within your family, from within your own heart. ... I do not declare that your life will cease to have challenges. Remember when Adam and Eve were in the garden, they were free from challenges, yet they were unable to experience happiness, joy, and peace.

Challenges are an important part of mortality. Through daily, consistent scripture study, you will find peace in the turmoil around you and strength to resist temptations. You will develop strong faith in the grace of God and know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ all will be made right according to God’s timing."

Stay Tuned until next time.

Behold Thy Mother

     Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take four minutes to seven minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a October 2015 General Conference talk, and it is called "Behold Thy Mother" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk, and I hope you will be able to learn something new while reading the post. 

Elder Holland has mentioned the following; 

"... Prophesying of the Savior’s Atonement, Isaiah wrote, “He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” A majestic latter-day vision emphasized that “[Jesus] came into the world … to bear the sins of the world.” Both ancient and modern scripture testify that “he redeemed them, and bore them, and carried them all the days of old.”

... Bear, borne, carry, deliver. ... They convey help and hope for safe movement from where we are to where we need to be but cannot get without assistance. These words also connote burden, struggle, and fatigue - words most appropriate in describing the mission of Him who, at unspeakable cost, lifts us up when we have fallen, carries us forward when strength is gone, delivers us safely home when safety seems far beyond our reach. 

... But can you hear in this language another arena of human endeavor in which we use words like bear and borne, carry and lift, labor and deliver? As Jesus said to John while in the very act of Atonement, so He says to us all, “Behold thy mother!”

Today I declare from this pulpit what has been said here before: that no love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child. ... This kind of resolute love “suffereth long, and is kind, … seeketh not her own, … but … beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

... You see, it is not only that they bear us, but they continue bearing with us. It is not only the prenatal carrying but the lifelong carrying that makes mothering such a staggering feat. Of course, there are heartbreaking exceptions, but most mothers know intuitively, instinctively that this is a sacred trust of the highest order. The weight of that realization, especially on young maternal shoulders, can be very daunting.

A wonderful young mother recently wrote to me: “... How can mortal love be so strong that you voluntarily subject yourself to responsibility, vulnerability, anxiety, and heartache and just keep coming back for more of the same? What kind of mortal love can make you feel, once you have a child, that your life is never, ever your own again?

Maternal love has to be divine. ... What mothers do is an essential element of Christ’s work. Knowing that should be enough to tell us the impact of such love will range between unbearable and transcendent, over and over again, until with the safety and salvation of the very last child on earth, we can [then] say with Jesus, ‘[Father!] I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.’ ”

"To all mothers in every circumstance, including those
who struggle, I say, "Be peaceful. Believe in God and
yourself. YOU ARE DOING BETTER THAN YOU THINK
YOU ARE." - Jeffrey R. Holland.

With the elegance of that letter echoing in our minds, let me share three experiences reflecting the majestic influence of mothers, witnessed in my ministry in just the past few weeks:

My first account is a cautionary one, reminding us that not every maternal effort has a storybook ending, at least not immediately. That reminder stems from my conversation with a beloved friend of more than 50 years who was dying away from this Church he knew in his heart to be true. 

No matter how much I tried to comfort him, I could not seem to bring him peace. Finally he leveled with me. “Jeff,” he said, “however painful it is going to be for me to stand before God, I cannot bear the thought of standing before my mother. 

The gospel and her children meant everything to her. I know I have broken her heart, and that is breaking mine.” ... I need not remind us that Jesus died of a broken heart, one weary and worn out from bearing the sins of the world. So in any moment of temptation, may we “behold [our] mother” as well as our Savior and spare them both the sorrow of our sinning.

Secondly, I speak of a young man who entered the mission field worthily but by his own choice returned home early due to same-sex attraction and some trauma he experienced in that regard. He was still worthy, but his faith was at crisis level, his emotional burden grew ever heavier, and his spiritual pain was more and more profound. He was by turns hurt, confused, angry, and desolate.

... Sadly we acknowledge that such a blessing does not, or at least has not yet, come to all parents who anguish over a wide variety of their children’s circumstances, but here there was hope. And, I must say, this son’s sexual orientation did not somehow miraculously change - no one assumed it would. But little by little, his heart changed.

He started back to church. He chose to partake of the sacrament willingly and worthily. He again obtained a temple recommend and accepted a call to serve as an early-morning seminary teacher, where he was wonderfully successful. 

And now, after five years, he has, at his own request and with the Church’s considerable assistance, reentered the mission field to complete his service to the Lord. I have wept over the courage, integrity, and determination of this young man and his family to work things out and to help him keep his faith. 

He knows he owes much to many, but he knows he owes the most to two messianic figures in his life, two who bore him and carried him, labored with him and delivered him - his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and his determined, redemptive, absolutely saintly mother.

... To all of our mothers everywhere, past, present, or future, I say, “Thank you. Thank you for giving birth, for shaping souls, for forming character, and for demonstrating the pure love of Christ.” To Mother Eve, to Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, to Mary of Nazareth, and to a Mother in Heaven, I say, “Thank you for your crucial role in fulfilling the purposes of eternity.” 

To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle - and all will - I say, “Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are. In fact, you are saviors on Mount Zion, and like the Master you follow, your love ‘never faileth.’ .." 

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers, including birthing mothers, step-mothers, fostering mothers, and so forth for upcoming Sunday. 

If you would like to read the whole talk either now or in your own time, the link is below.

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/10/behold-thy-mother

Stay Tuned until next time.

The Joy of Womanhood ~ Part Two

    Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

I would like to share with you a October 2000 General Conference talk, and it is called "The Joy of Womanhood" by Sister Margaret D. Nadauld. This post is part two. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. 

Sister Nadauld has mentioned the following; 

You can recognize women who are grateful to be a daughter of God by their reverence for motherhood, even when that blessing has been withheld from them for a time. 

In those circumstances, their righteous influence can be a blessing in the lives of children they love. Their exemplary teachings can echo the voice of a faithful home and resonate truth in the hearts of children who need another witness.

"Daughters of God know that it is the nurturing nature
of women that can bring everlasting blessings, and
they live to cultivate this divine attribute."

Grateful daughters of God love Him and teach their children to love Him without reservation and without resentment. They are like the mothers of Helaman’s youthful army, who had such great faith and “had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them” (Alma 56:47).

When you observe kind and gentle mothers in action, you see women of great strength. Their families can feel a spirit of love and respect and safety when they are near her as she seeks the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the guidance of His Spirit. They are blessed by her wisdom and good judgment. 

The husbands and children, whose lives they bless, will contribute to the stability of societies all over this world. Grateful daughters of God learn truths from their mothers and grandmothers and aunts. They teach their daughters the joyful art of creating a home. They seek fine educations for their children and have a thirst for knowledge themselves. They help their children develop skills that they can use in serving others. 

... Daughters of God know that it is the nurturing nature of women that can bring everlasting blessings, and they live to cultivate this divine attribute. Surely when a woman reverences motherhood, her children will arise up and call her blessed (see Prov. 31:28).

Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. ... We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.

Oh, how we pray that every young woman will grow up to be all the wonderful things she is meant to be. We pray that her mother and father will show her the right way. May daughters of God honor the priesthood and sustain worthy priesthood holders. ...

May mothers and fathers understand the great potential for good their daughters inherited from their heavenly home. We must nourish their gentleness, their nurturing nature, their innate spirituality and sensitivity, and their bright minds. Celebrate the fact that girls are different from boys. 

Be thankful for the position they have in God’s grand plan. ... Fathers, husbands, young men, may you catch a vision of all that women are and can be. Please be worthy of God’s holy priesthood, which you bear, and honor that priesthood, for it blesses all of us.

Sisters, regardless of your age, please understand all that you are and must be, all that you were prepared to be in royal courts on high by God Himself. May we use with gratitude the priceless gifts we have been given for the lifting of mankind to higher thinking and nobler aspirations ..."

If you would like to read the whole talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below.

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2000/10/the-joy-of-womanhood

Stay Tuned until next time.

The Joy of Womanhood ~ Part One

   Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

What is your understanding to the statement, "The Joy of Womanhood" ?

I would like to share with you a October 2000 General Conference talk, and it is called "The Joy of Womanhood" by Sister Margaret D. Nadauld. This post is part one. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. 

Sister Nadauld has mentioned the following; "It is a remarkable blessing to be a daughter of God today. We have the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are blessed to have the priesthood restored to the earth. We are led by a prophet of God who holds all of the priesthood keys.

... I am inspired by the lives of good and faithful women. From the beginning of time the Lord has placed significant trust in them. He has sent us to earth for such a time as this to perform a grand and glorious mission. ... Where much is given, much is required. 

Our Heavenly Father asks His daughters to walk in virtue, to live in righteousness so that we can fulfill our life’s mission and His purposes. He wants us to be successful, and He will help us as we seek His help. That women were born into this earth female was determined long before mortal birth, as were the divine differences of male and female. 

I love the clarity of the teachings of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve in the proclamation on the family, where they state, “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” From that statement we are taught that every girl was feminine and female in spirit long before her mortal birth.

God sent women to earth with some qualities in extra capacity. In speaking to young women, President Faust observed that femininity “is the divine adornment of humanity. It finds expression in your … capacity to love, your spirituality, delicacy, radiance, sensitivity, creativity, charm, graciousness, gentleness, dignity, and quiet strength. ... Femininity is part of your inner beauty.”

Our outward appearance is a reflection of what we are on the inside. Our lives reflect that for which we seek. ... Women who love God would never abuse or deface a temple with graffiti. Nor would they throw open the doors of that holy, dedicated edifice and invite the world to look on. 

How even more sacred is the body, for it was not made by man. It was formed by God. We are the stewards, the keepers of the cleanliness and purity with which it came from heaven. “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:17).

Grateful daughters of God guard their bodies carefully, for they know they are the wellspring of life and they reverence life. They don’t uncover their bodies to find favor with the world. They walk in modesty to be in favor with their Father in Heaven. For they know He loves them dearly.

"She's everything, even when she's treated
like nothing." - R. H. Sin

You can recognize women who are grateful to be a daughter of God by their attitude. 

They know that the errand of angels is given to women, and they desire to be on God’s errand to love His children and minister to them, to teach them the doctrines of salvation, to call them to repentance, to save them in perilous circumstances, to guide them in the performance of His work, to deliver His messages. 

... Women who are grateful to be daughters of God bring glory to His name.

You can recognize women who are grateful to be a daughter of God by their abilities. 

They fulfill their divine potential and magnify their God-given gifts. They are capable, strong women who bless families, serve others, and understand that “the glory of God is intelligence” (D&C 93:36). They are women who embrace enduring virtues in order to be all that our Father needs them to be. ..."

Stay Tuned until next time. 

I Love My Family

Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish.

I would like to encourage you to think about and answer the following questions in your own time. 

When was the last time have you heard from a immediate relative that he or she has said "I love you"?

When was the last time have you heard from a extended relative that he or she has said "I love you"?

When was the last time did you said, "I love you" to a immediate relative? 

When was the last time did you said, "I love you" to a extended relative? 

As much as I do love the friendships that I have; I also love my husband, I love my extended relatives, and I love my immediate relatives so much. I know that I have appreciated my family's support, their love, their trust, their care, their concerns and so forth in the past. 

I LOVE MY FAMILY!

I know that I would continue appreciating my family's support, their love, their trust, their care, and their concerns for me from now on and in the future. 

I do miss spending some time with my family a lot, and I have always remembered most great memories that I have been able to be with them in the past. 

I hope my immediate relatives know that I do support them, I do love them, I do trust them, I do care about them, and so forth. I know that I always do my best to keep them updated how I am doing, letting them know that I do love them, letting them know that I do miss them, and so forth. 

I would like to encourage you to say "I love you" often to your immediate relatives as much as you can, and remember them that you still love them. I would also like to encourage you to say "I miss you" often to your immediate relatives as much as you can. 

What was some happy moments that you were able to experience with your family as growing up? 

What was some fun moments that you were able to experience with your family as growing up?

Stay Tuned until next time.

God Loves You ~ Part Two

 Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, 

this post should take three minutes to five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on December 2009 Brigham Young University (BYU) Devotional, and it is called "God Loves You" by Brother Rollin H. Hotchkiss. This post is part two, and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Brother Hotchkiss has mentioned the following; "Fourth: I testify that God loves us because He wants us to have everything that He has; He puts no limits on how much we can learn, grow, and progress. 

... I remember when I walked upstairs in the original Harold B. Lee Library that in the stairwell I was confronted with the scripture “Seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118). I was initially shocked at such a thing, but after my October experience and others like it, I came to know that there is no limit to how much we can learn, love, and live. 

... President Uchtdorf recently summarized: Our Father in Heaven has given us, His children, much more than any mortal mind can comprehend. Under His direction the Great Jehovah created this wondrous world we live in. God the Father watches over us, fills our hearts with breathtaking joy, brightens our darkest hours with blessed peace, distills upon our minds precious truths, shepherds us through times of distress, rejoices when we rejoice, and answers our righteous petitions.

He offers to His children the promise of a glorious and infinite existence and has provided a way for us to progress in knowledge and glory until we receive a fulness of joy. He has promised us all that He has. [Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Love of God,” Ensign, November 2009, 22]

We’re really tested with this concept as parents. ... In addition to Heavenly Father not constraining us capriciously, I know that He loves us because He is anxious to impart all knowledge into our hands: 

Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms. [D&C 88:79]

The knowledge that comes by the Holy Ghost through faith and prayer could be very useful to you in the upcoming days.

"We accept the love we think we deserve." 
- Stephen Chbosky.

Fifth: I testify that God loves us because He sent His Son to atone for our sins and for the sins of all humankind everywhere. 

This is the most powerful manifestation of all. I felt it first as I prepared for baptism and now each week as I prepare to receive the sacrament.

... The Atonement is a gift from Heavenly Father through His Son that we especially need to remember at this time of year. It was the ultimate gift of both the Father and the Son: of the Father because He allowed His Son to suffer; of the Son because of what He did for us. 

... I know that Heavenly Father hurt at the sight of His Son’s suffering. I know that both Heavenly Father and His Son love us. 

President Uchtdorf summarized God’s love for us this way: Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.

He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.

What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us. [See D&C 88:63.] [“The Love of God,” 22–23]

... I testify that God our Heavenly Father loves each of you. He knows your name. He knows your circumstances. He hears your prayers and wants to bless you in every righteous desire through His Son Jesus Christ. ... So here is my question: What are you going to do? ..."

If you would like to read the whole Devotional; here is the link below.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/rollin-h-hotchkiss/god-loves/

Stay Tuned until next time.

God Loves You ~ Part One

Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, 

this post should take three minutes to five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on December 2009 Brigham Young University (BYU) Devotional, and it is called "God Loves You" by Brother Rollin H. Hotchkiss. This post is part one, and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Brother Hotchkiss has mentioned the following; "I testify that God, our Heavenly Father, loves each of you. He knows your name. He knows your circumstances. He hears your prayers and wants to bless you in every righteous desire through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

... I know these things because of my own journey. And if Heavenly Father loves me and knows of me since He is no respecter of persons - He loves you as well. My purpose today is to share with you five facets of my testimony that show God loves us. ... I hope that as I speak, you will contemplate the many ways that God loves you. As I conclude today, I will ask you a question: “So what are you going to do?”

First: I testify that God loves us because He grants unto us the revelator known as the Holy Ghost.

... If God loved me enough to answer my prayer, I know that He loves each of you.

Second: I testify that God loves you because He restored the priesthood, and the Aaronic Priesthood in particular, to the earth. I testify that His love is manifest through the gift of the ministering of angels that can protect us and comfort us as we learn more about Him.

... Although Simon spoke of the Melchizedek Priesthood, I was desiring this Aaronic Priesthood. I know that the priesthood - Melchizedek and Aaronic is God’s love made manifest to us to protect and serve. When you return home soon and see those gangly young Aaronic Priesthood holders in your ward, you might remember to thank them for carrying the power of God within them.

"Love is not only something you feel, it is something 
you do." - David Wilkerson.

Third: I testify that Heavenly Father loves us because He blesses us so much as we try to serve Him. 

He meets us much more than halfway when we act on the smallest seed of faith. He blesses us all along our journey back to His presence when we incline our ear and heart toward Him.

... How did faith work once you were baptized? Would Heavenly Father turn His attention elsewhere now that I was within the Church? ... I’ve never forgotten that lesson of being blessed beyond what I merited at the time. 

I was strengthened, confirmed in my faith, and encouraged. ... Heavenly Father blesses us so that our seeds of faith can grow all of our lives to produce a harvest of happiness as we put the kingdom of God first and allow everything else to follow (see Matthew 6:33). 

... I agree with Nephi, who said, “My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep” (2 Nephi 4:20).

Each effort I make, no matter how small, is blessed greatly. God is truly generous with His love. My faith was tried more seriously as I considered what to do about a full-time mission as a convert to the Church. I testify that as I exerted my faith, Heavenly Father strengthened my heart and melted the hearts of my parents, who had been adamantly opposed to my serving. 

But Heavenly Father went before my face and softened their hearts. I was able to serve with their blessing, and in giving back some of the love I had been given, as I served, I received, as usual, more blessings than I deserved. I know that God will support you as you look to Him in every good thing. 

He’s got your back! Selfless service at any time increases our gratitude for God."

Stay Tuned until next time.

Learning the Healer's Art ~ Part Two

   Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on Brigham Young University (BYU) Devotional in October 2002, and it is called "Learning the Healer's Art" by Sister Elaine S. Marshall. This post is part two. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Sister Marshall has mentioned the following; "... 

Healing Teaches Us

The fourth lesson of the healer’s art is that healing teaches us. When we have a terrible loss or pain, we may seek to “get back to normal” or to the way things were before, but they will never be the same. Pain changes us, but not in the same way that healing teaches us. Healing can help us to become more sensitive and more awake to life. Healing inspires repentance and obedience. Healing invites gifts of humility and faith. It opens our hearts to the profound complexities of truth, beauty, divinity, and grace.

Orson F. Whitney wrote: No pain that we suffer ... is wasted. All that we suffer ..., especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God ... and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven. [Quoted in Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1972), 98]

We Must Help Others to Heal

The fifth lesson of learning the healer’s art is the obligation and great gift it is to help others to heal. President Hinckley admonished: ... Every day someone in your path is hurting, someone is afraid, someone feels inadequate, someone needs a friend. Someone needs you to notice, to reach out, and to help him or her to heal. 

You may not know who that is at the time, but you can give encouragement and hope. You can help to heal wounds of misunderstanding and contention. You can serve “in the cause of the Master Healer” (Hinckley, “Healing Power,” 52).

Healing Is the Gift of the Savior, Who Calls, “Come unto Me”

The last and greatest lesson of healing is that it is a divine gift that is always there from a loving Heavenly Father. If you have a pain or sorrow or disappointment or sin or just a grudge that needs healing, the Savior simply says, “Come unto me.”

... As Jesus healed, the scriptures say, “All the people were amazed” (Matthew 12:23). They brought their sick, their “blind, and dumb” (Matthew 12:22), those that were “possessed with a devil” (Matthew 12:22; also Mark 1:32), and their dead. They sought Him every day and into the evening. 

So great was His reputation and His healing power that they sought to “only touch the hem of his garment; and as many as touched were made perfectly whole” (Matthew 14:36). “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching . . . and preaching the gospel . . . , and healing every sickness and every disease among the people” (Matthew 9:35).

... When the Savior appeared in the Americas, He healed “every one as they were brought forth unto him” (3 Nephi 17:9). ... Elder Holland reminded: That is why we make solemn covenants based on Christ’s atoning sacrifice, and that is why we take upon us his name. In as many ways as possible, both figuratively and literally, we try to take upon us his identity. 

We seek out his teachings and retell his miracles. We send latter-day witnesses ... around the world to declare his message. We call ourselves his children, and we testify that he is the only source of eternal life. We plead for him to swing open the gates of heaven in our behalf and trust everlastingly that he will, based upon our faithfulness. [Holland, “Come unto Me,” 188]

Elder Holland further noted: ... For some of you that is simply to live with greater faith, to believe more. For some of you it does mean to repent: Right here ... For virtually all of us it means to live more by the promptings and promises of the Holy Ghost and to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.” . . . (2 Nephi 31:20). [Holland, “Come unto Me,” 189] ...."

If you would like to read the whole Devotional, here is the link below.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/elaine-s-marshall/learning-healers-art/

Stay Tuned until next time.

Learning the Healer’s Art ~ Part One

  Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on Brigham Young University (BYU) Devotional in October 2002, and it is called "Learning the Healer's Art" by Sister Elaine S. Marshall. This post is part one. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Sister Marshall has mentioned the following; "... 

Healing Hurts

First, healing hurts. ... I have learned that healing hurts. Life hurts. Healing really only begins when we face the hurt in its full force and then grow through it with all the strength of our soul. For every reward of learning and growing, some degree of pain is always the price. 

Author M. Scott Peck reminds us that if you do not want love or pain, you “must do without many things” (M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled [New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978]: 133). I think you would do without dating, graduating, getting married, or having children.

Sometime in your life you will know a crashing crisis or heavy heartache that will threaten all sense of logic or hope or certainty from which, no matter how you emerge, nothing will ever be the same. Hurts come as unique losses, unwelcome surprises, fading hope, or grief.

... Perhaps that special person did not have the same “revelation” you think you had. Maybe this is the best you will ever look. Maybe someone you counted on wasn’t there for you. Perhaps someone in your past hurt you deeply. I know that pain.

... Some of us suffer the wrenching consequences of sin or just poor judgment. ... We hurt when we see our own failures or helplessly watch the unwise decisions of others. Our lives are changed forever not only by the pain but by facing our need to heal.

Sometimes we simply have too many demands or feel like we just don’t measure up. Daily life’s hundreds of additive stresses can drain hope and energy, drop by drop, toward spiritual depletion leaving a need to heal. Pain is part of living. Pain brings us to the source of healing.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland warned: The world around you is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. ... You can change. You can be helped. You can be made whole whatever the problem. All he asks is that you walk away from the darkness and come into the light, his light, with meekness and lowliness of heart. ... (Isaiah 53:4–5; Mosiah 14:4–5). [Jeffrey R. Holland, “Come unto Me,” Brigham Young University 1996–97 Speeches (Provo: BYU, 1997), 189; emphasis in original]

We can partake of the healing medicine of the Atonement of our Savior, who promised, “I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee” (2 Kings 20:5).

"As our FAITH in the Lord increases, we trust in him
and have confidence in his power to redeem, heal, and
strengthen us." - David A. Bednar.

Healing Is Active - You Have to Be There

My second lesson is that healing is active - you have to be there. Your friend or your husband or wife or your mother cannot do it for you. You have to face the problem and the pain. 

To begin healing, you must acknowledge and feel the hurt. Only those who don’t feel, those without conscience, cannot heal. My mother once told me of an experience she had one winter morning as she drove down to check the cattle in the lower pasture. 

She noticed a car off the side of the road. Inside she recognized a young mother and three children. When my mother asked if they needed help, the woman tearfully reminded her that this was the place of the accident two weeks earlier that had killed her husband. She answered, “We are just here to feel the hurt.”

... Healing is not cure. Cure is clean, quick, and done often under anesthesia. ... Healing, however, is often a lifelong process of recovery and growth in spite of, maybe because of, enduring physical, emotional, or spiritual assault. It requires time. We may pray for cure when we really need healing. Whether for cell reconstruction, for nerve and muscle rehabilitation, for emotional recovery, or for spiritual forgiveness, healing needs work and time and energy.

Healing cannot happen in a surgical suite where the pain is only a sleepy memory. Cure is passive, as you submit your body to the practitioner. Healing is active. It requires all the energy of your entire being. You have to be there, fully awake, aware, and participating when it happens.

Healing Is Private

My third lesson is that healing is private. ... Healing is not only private, it is sacred. Private healing is not healing by abandonment. There is something so sacred about partaking of the power of the Atonement to overcome suffering, disappointment, or sin that it happens in the privacy of that special relationship between the mortal and the divine. 

Healing involves a private personal communion with the Savior, the Master Healer. It inspires a very personal reverence and awe. While on the earth Jesus often healed in private and then departed. When He healed, He often charged, “See thou tell no man; but go thy way” (Matthew 8:4; see also Luke 8:56).

To say that healing is private is not to diminish the marvelous power that comes from the help and compassion of others. Indeed, private healing often may not happen without the help of others. But much of the work of healing is done alone, inside the heart, in the company of the Spirit of the Lord.

Such secret healing is not a single event. It happens as a process of living. You cannot simply take off a day or start tomorrow like a new diet and return healed. It happens quietly while you face the pain. It happens over time as you live, work, study, and give to others." 

Stay Tuned until next time.

To Be Healed ~ Part Two

 Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a April 1994 General Conference talk, and it is called "To Be Healed" by Elder Richard G. Scott. This post is part two. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk, and I hope that you would be able to learn something new while you are reading throughout this post. 

Elder Scott mentioned the following; "Faith in Christ means we trust Him; we trust His teachings. That leads to hope, and hope brings charity, the pure love of Christ that peaceful feeling that comes when we sense His concern, His love, and His capacity to cure us or to ease our burdens with His healing power. ...

When discouraged do you feel overwhelmed and in desperation seek for others to solve your problems, overlooking your own capacity to make much improvement? Do you understand the necessity to do what you can so that the Lord can do what He will to help you?

Your access to the Savior’s help comes in different ways. The most direct and often the most powerful way is through humble, trusting prayers to your Father in Heaven, which are answered through the Holy Ghost to your spirit. Yet this help is sometimes difficult to initiate and hard to recognize when you are learning how to pray with faith.

If so, begin elsewhere. Trust someone near to you; then as you learn, that trust will extend to God and His healing. Begin with a friend or bishop who understands the teachings of the Savior. Often they have personally obtained healing through application of truth with faith in the Redeemer. 

"The gift of healing is a sign that will follow all that
believe, whether male or female." - Joseph Smith.

They can show you how. Or start by reading, pondering, and applying the teachings of the scriptures. ... While examples and anecdotes will help to understand principle, you will find that power comes from scriptural doctrine, ...

“I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you." “Come unto me with full purpose of heart.” “Return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you.” 

“Turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, ..."

Even if they had unlimited time and resources, which they don’t, priesthood leaders could not provide all of the help. They are agents of the Lord, and His law requires that you do your part. They will show you the way. 

They can provide priesthood blessings. Your faith, purity, and obedience and that of the priesthood holder have great effect on the pronouncement and realization of the blessing. Healing can occur in the act, yet more often it occurs over a period of time determined by the faith and obedience of the individual and the will of the Lord. 

I feel that the pace is generally set by the individual, not by the Lord. ... Love is a potent healer. Realizing that, Satan would separate you from the power of the love of God, kindred, and friends, who want to help. ... He wants you to believe you lack the capacity to help yourself and that no one else is really interested. 

If he succeeds, you will be driven to further despair and heartache. His strategy is to have you think you are not appreciated, loved, or wanted so that you in despair ..."

www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1994/04/to-be-healed

Stay Tuned until next time.

To Be Healed ~ Part One

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish.

I know everyone would have their own opinions and sometimes similar opinions about their definitions of the word, "healing." I often think about healing is the process of getting well. What does it mean "to be healed" to you? 

What does it mean "to be healed" to a immediate relative? What does it mean "to be healed" to a extended relative?

What does it mean "to be healed" to a friend? 

This post focuses on a April 1994 General Conference talk, and it is called "To Be Healed" by Elder Richard G. Scott. This post is part one. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk, and I hope that you would be able to learn something new while you are reading throughout this post. 

Elder Scott mentioned the following; 

"Easter brings thoughts of the Savior, His life, His atonement, His resurrection, His love. ... how we all need the healing the Redeemer can provide. Mine is a message of hope for you who yearn for relief from heavy burdens that have come through no conscious act of your own while you have lived a worthy life. 

It is based on principles embodied in the teachings of the Savior. Your challenge may be a serious physical disability, a struggle with lingering illness, or a daily wrestle with a life-threatening disease. It may have roots in the death of a loved one, the anguish caused by another bound by sin, or come from abuse in any of its evil forms. Whatever the cause, I testify that lasting relief is available on conditions established by the Lord.

Help from the Lord always follows eternal law. The better you understand that law, the easier it is to receive His help. ... It is important to understand that His healing can mean being cured, or having your burdens eased, or even coming to realize that it is worth it to endure to the end patiently ...

Recognize that some challenges in life will not be resolved here on earth. ... The Lord simply answered, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” He gave Paul strength to compensate so he could live a most meaningful life. 

"HEALING comes when we 
CHOOSE to walk away from darkness
and move towards a Brighter Light."
- Dieter F. Uchtdorf. 

He wants you to learn how to be cured when that is His will and how to obtain strength to live with your challenge when He intends it to be an instrument for growth. In either case the Redeemer will support you. ... When you feel you can do no more, temporarily lay your challenges at His feet. The scriptures tell you how. 

For example, when the oppressed people of Alma “did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts,” the Lord blessed them, saying: “I will … ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that … you cannot feel them, … that ye may know … that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions. 

“And … the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.” Submitting “cheerfully and with patience” to all His will lets you learn precious if difficult lessons and eternal truths that will yield blessings. 

... The Lord will give relief with divine power when you seek deliverance in humility and faith in Jesus Christ. Don’t say, “No one understands me; I can’t sort it out, or get the help I need.” ... No one can help you without faith and effort on your part. 

Your personal growth requires that. Don’t look for a life virtually free from discomfort, pain, pressure, challenge, or grief, for those are the tools a loving Father uses to stimulate our personal growth and understanding. As the scriptures repeatedly affirm, you will be helped as you exercise faith in Jesus Christ.

That faith is demonstrated by a willingness to trust His promises given through His prophets and in His scriptures, which contain His own words. You may not fully understand how to do this yet, but trust that He will help you use your agency to open the doors for His healing to occur."

Stay Tuned until next time. 

Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts

    Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, 

this post should take five minutes to seven minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on October 2009 General Conference talk, and it is called "Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts" by H. David Burton. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. 

Elder Burton has mentioned the following; 

“... Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God” (D&C 121:45). As I neared my 12th birthday, there were several requirements to be completed before I could graduate from Primary. 

One was to recite the thirteen Articles of Faith in the prescribed order. The first twelve articles were relatively easy, but the thirteenth was much more difficult. It was remembering the order of the virtues that presented the challenge. Thanks to a Primary teacher who was patient and persistent, I finally completed the memorization.

Years later my wife and children and I moved into our first home. We were surprised to learn that my former Primary teacher would be our neighbor. For the 40 years we have lived in the same neighborhood, she has kept our little secret concerning my learning disability.

“We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things” (Articles of Faith 1:13).

Today I wish to speak about personal traits we call virtues. Virtuous traits form the foundation of a Christian life and are the outward manifestation of the inner man. The spelling in English of many individual virtues concludes with the letters ity: integrity, humility, charity, spirituality, accountability, civility, fidelity, and the list goes on and on.

Relying on literary license, I refer to the virtues ending in ity as the “ity” virtues. “Ity” is a suffix that means quality, state, or degree of being. We need only look around us to see what is taking place in our communities to realize that personal traits of virtue are in a steep decline. 

Reflect on the behavior of drivers on crowded highways; road rage happens all too often. ... As countries around the world face financial and economic challenges, fidelity and honesty seem to have been replaced with greed and graft. 

"Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly." 
- Doctrine and Covenants 121:45.

... A large segment of our population feel little personal responsibility for their own temporal well-being. Some in financial distress blame bankers and lenders for loaning sums to satisfy insatiable wants rather than affordable needs. 

On occasion our generosity in support of good causes wanes as our appetite to acquire more than we need prevails. Brothers and sisters, we need not be a part of the virtue malaise that is penetrating and infecting society. 

If we follow the world in abandoning Christian-centered virtues, the consequences may be disastrous. Individual faith and fidelity, which have eternal consequences, will diminish. 

Family solidarity and spirituality will be adversely impacted. Religious influence in society will be lessened, and the rule of law will be challenged and perhaps even set aside. ... We need to stand tall and be firmly fixed in perpetuating Christlike virtues, even the “ity” virtues, in our everyday lives. 

Teaching virtuous traits begins in the home with parents who care and set the example. A good parental example encourages emulation; a poor example gives license to the children to disregard the parents’ teachings and even expand the poor example.

... Our 15-year-old grandson, Ben, is a big-time ski enthusiast, having competed in several meets and done very well. Prior to one such competition in Idaho, his parents reminded him that his grades in school would determine whether or not he would be able to compete. A condominium in Sun Valley, Idaho, was reserved, his grandparents were planning to attend, and Ben was feverishly trying to achieve the lofty academic goals both he and his parents expected. 

However, at the end of the day, he fell just short of his goal. Ben missed the ski meet and lost points toward qualifying for the Junior Olympics, but Ben gained a valuable appreciation for responsibility and accountability. By remaining steadfast, parents so very often suffer and agonize more than the children they endeavor to teach.

... It is difficult for a person to display virtuous traits if he or she lacks integrity. Without integrity, honesty is often forgotten. If integrity is absent, civility is impaired. If integrity is not important, spirituality is difficult to maintain. In Old Testament times, Moses counseled the children of Israel that “if a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth” (Numbers 30:2).

President Thomas S. Monson reminded us a few years ago that “most people will not commit desperate acts if they have been taught that dignity, honesty and integrity are more important than revenge or rage; if they understand that respect and kindness ultimately give one a better chance at success” (“Family Values in a Violent Society,” Deseret News, Jan. 16, 1994, A12, as quoted in “Finding Peace,” Liahona and Ensign, Mar. 2004, 4).

... Virtuous traits, especially the “ity” virtues, must never be forgotten or set aside. If forgotten or set aside, they will inevitably become the “lost virtues.” If virtues are lost, families will be measurably weakened, individual faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will soften, and important eternal relationships may be jeopardized. 

Traits of virtue broadly practiced can loosen Satan’s firm grip on society and derail his insidious plan to capture the hearts, minds, and spirits of mortal men. Now is the time for us to join in rescuing and preserving that which is “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.” 

As we allow virtue to garnish our thoughts unceasingly and we cultivate virtuous traits in our personal lives, our communities and institutions will be improved, our children and families will be strengthened, and faith and integrity will bless individual lives.

I testify and declare that our Heavenly Father expects His children to exercise integrity, civility, fidelity, charity, generosity, morality, and all the “ity” virtues. May we have the humility to take the opportunity to act upon our responsibility to demonstrate our ability to do so ..."

If you would like to read the whole talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below. 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2009/10/let-virtue-garnish-your-thoughts

Stay Tuned until next time.

A Virtuous Life - Step by Step

   Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, 

this post should take three minutes to five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on April 2009 General Conference talk, and it is called "A Virtuous Life - Step by Step" by Sister Mary N. Cook. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. 

Sister Cook has mentioned the following; "One of the choicest moments of a mother’s life is when she receives her newborn baby girl in her arms and realizes that this pure spirit has just come from our Father in Heaven. It is a sweet reminder that we are daughters of our Heavenly Father, and having just left His presence, a child comes to earth pure and ready to learn and progress.

... Virtue “is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards” (Preach My Gospel [2004], 118). ... You, my dear young women, have already made many good choices. Now you must establish patterns of virtue that will keep you on this path throughout your life. 

Seek out “example[s] of the believers” (1 Timothy 4:12) who can be at your side to support and help you live a life of virtue. Why is our being virtuous so important not just to our earthly parents but to our Heavenly Father as well? 

Virtue brings peace, strength of character, and happiness in this life. Our Heavenly Father knew that we would be faced with many choices and challenges, and virtuous living would prepare us to succeed. For many of you, the day you were blessed was a first step on your journey of a virtuous life. 

Your choice to be baptized, confirmed, and given the gift of the Holy Ghost and your efforts to worthily partake of the sacrament and renew your baptismal covenant each week are critical forward steps in living a life of virtue. Your next step on this journey is to prepare yourself to be worthy to enter the temple, where you will make additional sacred covenants and receive sacred temple ordinances, including that of celestial marriage. 

This will require you to be virtuous. ... Youth is a defining time in which you can develop patterns of virtue that will help you take necessary steps toward eternal life. In that very well-known vision found in 1 Nephi chapter 8, we are reminded of the difficulty of staying on the strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life. 

Father Lehi described to his sons the challenges facing different groups of people seeking the tree of life, “whose fruit was desirable to make one happy” (v. 10). ... The first group started along the strait and narrow path, but they did not take hold of the iron rod that would keep them on the path, and they got lost in the mists of darkness (see 1 Nephi 8:21–23). 

Some of these mists of darkness, or temptations that Satan uses to obscure the path to eternal life, are specifically directed at women. He makes chastity and moral purity appear old-fashioned. He has made motherhood seem less important. 

He has been successful in confusing women about their roles in the Lord’s divine plan. ... We must study and understand the truths and commandments found in the scriptures. We must listen carefully to the words of our latter-day prophets, whose teachings will give us guidance, direction, and protection. And we must hold to the standards found in For the Strength of Youth.

Those in the second group of people Lehi saw were clinging to the iron rod. ... They tasted true happiness, but unfortunately their happiness did not last long because as they looked around, they saw those who were making fun of them. (See 1 Nephi 8:24–27.) They were ashamed and caved into peer pressure.

This is one of Satan’s greatest strategies with youth. Young women, we must be united in righteousness so that we may stand strong when others mock our actions and beliefs.

One way we can withstand the pressures of the world is to “stand … in holy places, and be not moved” (D&C 87:8). Stay away from situations where you are likely to be tempted, mocked, and scorned. A commitment to remain virtuous will give you strength to withstand peer pressure. 

... What will help you to press forward and continually hold fast to the iron rod? Center your life on the Savior and develop daily habits of righteous living. Come to know the Savior and all He has done for you. ... Remember, it is the cleansing power of the Atonement that makes it possible for us to be virtuous. 

We all make mistakes, but “because the Savior loves you and has given His life for you, you can repent. Repentance is an act of faith in Jesus Christ. … The Savior’s atoning sacrifice has made it possible for you to be forgiven of your sins. 

… Determine to partake worthily of the sacrament each week and fill your life with virtuous activities that will bring spiritual power. As you do this, you will grow stronger in your ability to resist temptation, keep the commandments [remain clean], and become more like Jesus Christ” (Young Women Personal Progress [insert, 2009], 3).

Daily habits of righteous behavior will also help you to continually hold fast to the rod. As a Young Women general presidency we have invited all of the young women in the world to develop three daily habits:

First, pray to your Father in Heaven, morning and night, every day.

Second, read the Book of Mormon for at least five minutes every day.

And third, smile! Why? We have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, which brings us true happiness.

Now, you must remember that you are not alone on this journey. When you were baptized and confirmed, you were given the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide you in all aspects of your life. You will need that guidance. Virtuous living “at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9) qualifies us for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

... Just as loved ones surrounded you when you came into this world, there are many around you now who can influence you for good - your parents, brothers and sisters, Young Women leaders, priesthood leaders, wholesome friends, and even “angels [will be] round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:88).

Look around you tonight for those who can help you on this path. They are friends who hold fast to the iron rod in spite of what the world is telling them, who know and live by the word of God and the words of His prophets, who stand in holy places and are not moved by the pressures of the world, who center their lives on the Savior and His atoning sacrifice, and who daily are striving to live righteously. These are your examples of the believers. Learn from them, and, young women, you can be an example of the believers to them and others.

... We must unite and help one another fill our lives with those things that are “virtuous, lovely, or of good report” (Articles of Faith 1:13). ... A few weeks ago, I asked my 86-year-old mother to join me in working on the virtue value. It has been a sweet blessing for both of us. 

As we’ve worked on the value experiences, she’s shared with me her decision as a young woman in the 1930s to strive to live more virtuously. We’ve studied scriptures on virtue, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” and even For the Strength of Youth together. 

We’ve independently written in our journals the blessings we’ve received as we have strived to live a virtuous life. One key blessing we both identified was being worthy to go to the temple. Young women, this is your next step.

Just as the Salt Lake Temple took 40 years to build, stone by stone, you are building a virtuous life, step by step. You have made covenants to be obedient. You have made some good choices. The patterns of virtue you develop now will help you to continually hold fast to the iron rod. 

You will never be alone on your journey because the Savior will always be with you, and you can repent. You have been blessed with the Holy Ghost to comfort and guide you. 

Look to the examples of the believers in your life, and seek to help others on their journey. ... He loves us and is mindful of each of us, whatever our circumstances. Whether we are 16 or 86, His greatest desire is for our eternal happiness. ..."

If you would like to read the whole talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2009/04/a-virtuous-life-step-by-step

Stay Tuned until next time.