7/26: We'll Ascend Together

Jennilyn W. gave a fabulous lesson using the talk by Linda Burton, We'll Ascend Together. 

"As covenant-keeping women and men, we need to lift each other and help each other become the people the Lord would have us become."

Sisters and brothers, how often do we intentionally “speak kind words to each other”?¹⁶

We might test ourselves by asking a few questions. With a little adaptation, these questions can apply to most of us, whether we are married or single, whatever our home situation might be.

1. 1. 
   When was the last time I sincerely praised my companion, either alone or in the presence of our children?
2. 2. 
   When was the last time I thanked, expressed love for, or earnestly pleaded in faith for him or her in prayer?
3. 3. 
   When was the last time I stopped myself from saying something I knew could be hurtful?
4. 4. 
   When was the last time I apologized and humbly asked for forgiveness—without adding the words “but if only you had” or “but if only you hadn’t”?
5. 5. 
   When was the last time I chose to be happy rather than demanding to be “right”?

Marriage and Family - Ordained of God/The Sacred Callings of Fathers and Mothers

Thanks to Rebecca S. for a great mash-up of two chapters from the Ezra Taft Benson Manual: Marriage and Family—Ordained of God and The Sacred Callings of Fathers and Mothers.  Kind guidance for us as a daughter, wife or mother, if we are now or are preparing to be. I know I've applied many of these to my role as an aunt.  Thanks again Rebecca!

There can be no satisfactory substitute for the home. Its foundation is as ancient as the world. Its mission has been God-ordained.

No nation ever rises above its homes. This Church will never rise above its homes. We are no better as a people than are our firesides, our homes. … The good home is the rock foundation, the cornerstone of civilization. It must be preserved. It must be strengthened.
 

Some people ask me as a Church leader why we place so much emphasis on the home and family when there are such larger problems around us? The answer is, of course, that the larger problems are merely a reflection of individual and family problems. (Marriage and Family—Ordained of God)

The scriptures tell us: “Adam began to till the earth … as I the Lord had commanded him. And Eve, also, his wife, did labor with him. … They began to multiply and to replenish the earth. … And Adam and Eve, his wife, called upon the name of the Lord. … And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters. … And Adam and Eve, his wife, ceased not to call upon God.” (Moses 5:1–2, 4, 12, 16.)
 

From this inspired record we see that Adam and Eve provided us with an ideal example of a covenant marriage relationship. They labored together; they had children together; they prayed together; and they taught their children the gospel--together. This is the pattern God would have all righteous men and women imitate. (Marriage and Family—Ordained of God)

• Have you had times when your two vantage points merged together?

Spiritual growth comes by solving problems together--not by running from them. Today’s inordinate emphasis on individualism brings egotism and separation. Two individuals becoming “one flesh” is still the Lord’s standard. (See Gen. 2:24.) (Marriage and Family—Ordained of God)

"I said what I said and I meant what I said, an elephant is loyal 100%." Horton Hatches the Egg

Be fiercely loyal.

• How do you create a foundation of support?

Sister Benson acknowledged: “No one is perfect. In our family it is not our objective to magnify each other’s shortcomings, but to encourage one another to improve.” (The Sacred Callings of Fathers and Mothers)

"Priceless Blessings of the House of the Lord"

Carolyn P taught the lesson from the Ezra Taft Benson Manual Chapter 13: Priceless Blessings of the House of the Lord.


“It is in the temples that we obtain God’s greatest blessings pertaining to eternal life. Temples are really the gateways to heaven.”

1) Temples are symbols of all we hold dear.
2) We need temple ordinances and covenants in order to enter into the fulness of the priesthood and prepare to regain God’s presence.
3) Through temple ordinances and covenants, we can receive protection and God’s greatest blessings pertaining to eternal life.
4) We have the privilege of opening the doors of salvation to our ancestors.
5) Children and youth need to learn about the blessings that await them in the temple.

How do you want your children to learn about the temple?

Returning to Faith - July 5, 2015

Today Nettie made us think about how we approach our own struggles with faith using some thoughts from the talk by Sister Rosemary M. Wixom, “Returning to Faith.”

• How do you deal with questions of faith? 
• What do you do or are doing to deal with issues you struggle with?

"In a 1953 letter, Mother Teresa wrote: “Please pray specially for me that I may not spoil His work and that Our Lord may show Himself—for there is such terrible darkness within me, as if everything was dead. It has been like this more or less from the time I started ‘the work.’ Ask Our Lord to give me courage.”

Archbishop Périer responded: “God guides you, dear Mother; you are not so much in the dark as you think. The path to be followed may not always be clear at once. Pray for light; do not decide too quickly, listen to what others have to say, consider their reasons. You will always find something to help you. … Guided by faith, by prayer, and by reason with a right intention, you have enough.”

My friend thought if Mother Teresa could live her religion without all the answers and without a feeling of clarity in all things, maybe she could too. She could take one simple step forward in faith—and then another. She could focus on the truths she did believe and let those truths fill her mind and heart." (Returning to Faith)

"She learned that when she came up against a statement that caused her to doubt, she “could stop, look at the whole picture, and make the gospel personal.” She said, “I would ask, ‘Is this the right path for me and my family?’ Sometimes I would ask myself, ‘What do I want for my children?’" (Returning to Faith)