“My Peace I Give unto You” - January 17, 2016

Suzi J. asked us all to consider how we cultivate peace in our lives, using topics, quotes and scriptures from Chapter 2 in the Howard W. Hunter manual.
She began by reading the book If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano which emphasizes that if you want something, you cannot be distracted by other things.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27)

“… in the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33.)

President Hunter spoke often about inner peace, teaching that a person can receive it only by turning to God—by trusting Him, exercising faith, and striving to do His will. ("My Peace I Give unto You")

• How do we come to trust God?

In late 1975 a doctor recommended brain surgery for President Hunter’s wife, Claire. President Hunter agonized over whether the surgery was in Claire’s best interest, since it would strain her fragile body and might not improve her condition. He went to the temple, counseled with family members, and soon felt that the surgery offered the best hope for giving Claire some relief. Describing his feelings on the day of the operation, he wrote:

“I went with her as far as the doors to the operating room, gave her a kiss, and she was taken on through the doors. As time went by, I waited and wondered. … Suddenly the tense anxiety turned into a feeling of peace. I knew the right decision had been made and that my prayers had been answered.” ("My Peace I Give unto You")

We also heard from Alison F., Becca J. and Leanne G. on how they have found peace through their trials.

May you find the inner peace you strive for today.

Jesus Christ- Our Only Way to Hope and Joy - Sunday January 10, 2016

Today Megan J. taught lesson #1, "Jesus Christ- Our Only Way to Hope and Joy" from the  manual Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Howard W. Hunter.

Megan told a story of how this picture of Jesus has been on "5 missions". In very short summary, her brother drew this picture while in the MTC, it was passed on to each sibling and her parents as they served missions. 

"True peace, healing, and happiness come only as a person strives to know and follow Jesus Christ".

• How do you know Christ? 
• How do you follow Jesus Christ?

 "We must know Christ better than we know Him and  remember Him more often than we remember Him"  

"Strive to build a personal testimony of Jesus Christ and the atonement. A study of the life of Christ and a testimony of His reality is something each of us should seek."

"Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? And of course that has to be faith for the whole journey, the entire experience, the fulness of our life, not simply around the bits and pieces and the tempestuous moments..." 

"Brothers and sisters, you have and will have worries and challenges of many kinds, but embrace life joyfully and full of faith. Study the scriptures regularly. Pray fervently. Obey the voice of the Spirit and the prophets. Do all that you can to help others. You will find great happiness in such a course. Some glorious day all your worries will be turned to joys.

As Joseph Smith wrote to the struggling Saints from his cell in Liberty Jail:

Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed  "[D&C 123:17; emphasis added].

The Life and Ministry of Howard W. Hunter - January 3, 2016

Sue A. led a wonderful gospel discussion as we walked through the history of President Hunter's life events.

 At the time of Howard’s birth, the Church had only one small branch in Boise. Howard’s mother was an active member of the branch who raised her children in the gospel. Of her, Howard said, “She was always faithful. … She served as president of the Primary and [Young Women]. I can remember going to church with mother, sometimes before the scheduled hour for the meetings, and then staying after so she could complete her work.” Although Howard’s father was not a member of the Church, he did not object to the family’s participation and occasionally attended sacrament meeting with them.
In addition to leading her children in Church activity, Nellie Hunter helped them build a strong religious foundation at home. “It was mother who took the lead in teaching us the gospel,” Howard recalled. “It was at her knee that we learned to pray. … I received a testimony as a boy at my mother’s knee." (The Life and Ministry of Howard W. Hunter)

• How do you approach your relationships with family members that are not very active in the Church?

“We drove to Palos Verdes and parked on the cliffs where we could watch the waves roll in from the Pacific and break over the rocks in the light of a full moon. We talked about our plans and I put a diamond ring on her finger. We made many decisions that night and some strong resolutions regarding our lives.”
Those resolutions influenced Howard to make a life-changing decision four days before the wedding. After his band performed that night, he packed up his instruments and never played again professionally. Providing music for dances and parties “was glamorous in some respects,” he said, “and I made good money,” but he felt that parts of the lifestyle were incompatible with the life he envisioned for his family. “This left a void of something I had enjoyed, [but] the decision has never been regretted,” he said years later. His son Richard observed, “I have often thought of the remarkable discipline (I call it grit) it must have taken to give up something he deeply loved because he valued something more.” (The Life and Ministry of Howard W. Hunter)

• Do you know someone who sacrificed something important to them to gain something better?

“While I was speaking to the congregation, … my father and mother came into the chapel dressed in white. I had no idea my father was prepared for his temple blessings, although Mother had been anxious about it for some time. I was so overcome with emotion that I was unable to continue to speak. President Pierce [the temple president] came to my side and explained the reason for the interruption. When my father and mother came to the temple that morning they asked the president not to mention to me that they were there because they wanted it to be a birthday surprise. This was a birthday I have never forgotten because on that day they were endowed and I had the privilege of witnessing their sealing, following which I was sealed to them.” (The Life and Ministry of Howard W. Hunter)

• Do you remember a time when you saw someone unexpectedly in the temple?

“I also invite the members of the Church to establish the temple of the Lord as the great symbol of their membership and the supernal setting for their most sacred covenants. It would be the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church be temple worthy. I would hope that every adult member would be worthy of--and carry--a current temple recommend, even if proximity to a temple does not allow immediate or frequent use of it.
“Let us be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people. Let us hasten to the temple as frequently as time and means and personal circumstances allow. Let us go not only for our kindred dead, but let us also go for the personal blessing of temple worship, for the sanctity and safety which is provided within those hallowed and consecrated walls. The temple is a place of beauty, it is a place of revelation, it is a place of peace. It is the house of the Lord. It is holy unto the Lord. It should be holy unto us.”(The Life and Ministry of Howard W. Hunter)

• What does the temple mean to you?  What can you do to "hasten to" it and make it a sanctuary for you?

“First of all, I would invite all members of the Church to live with ever more attention to the life and example of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially the love and hope and compassion He displayed. I pray that we might treat each other with more kindness, more courtesy, more humility and patience and forgiveness.” (The Life and Ministry of Howard W. Hunter)