Lesson: Emergency Preparedness and Provident Living

Our combined RS/PH lesson this week was on Provident Living, given by Kellen Wentzel. Kellen did a great job.

Here is a bit of what he reminded us we should be doing. In addition to a 72-hour kit we should prepare:

• Three-month supply of food that is part of your normal daily diet.
• Drinking water.
• Financial reserves.
• Longer-term supply of basic food items.
• Medication and first aid supplies.
• Clothing and bedding.
• Important documents.
• Ways to communicate with family following a disaster.

But just as important is to prepare spiritually, to get the education you need to get a good job, and to avoid debt.


Find more information at providentliving.org.

e

Singles Fireside Sunday

Learn, Share, Create

Do you have talents in taking photographs, making videos, or creating other types of media?

This site will help you share your media with the Church and other members.

The new section of LDS.org is designed to help members access gospel-oriented media such as videos, audio files, and still images in one trusted location, and members can help achieve that goal by submitting their own work.

Your submission will go through an acceptance, editing, and tagging process and are then placed in the LDS Media Library for general Church membership to use in teaching in the home and performing their callings.

Media Library materials may also be used for personal blogs, websites, and other places where members would like to share gospel messages.

It's wholesome. It will be free.

But first we must Create and Contribute.

Learn more at LDSTech.org.
Go straight to Create.LDS.org.
See a list of current photo needs and video needs.
Learn how to submit.

For now it's a call for photography and videos. Eventually you'll be able to submit music, writing, scripts, even blog templates.

Get busy.

e

Lesson: Waiting on the Road to Damascus

Teachings for Our Times, Waiting on the Road to Damascus,

Pres. Uchtdorf, taught by Margie Clark

Are we like or unlike Paul, on the road to Dasmascus?

... there are some who feel that unless they have an experience similar to Saul’s or Joseph Smith’s, they cannot believe. They stand at the waters of baptism but do not enter. They wait at the threshold of testimony but cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the truth. Instead of taking small steps of faith on the path of discipleship, they want some dramatic event to compel them to believe.

They spend their days waiting on the road to Damascus.

Elder Bednar's insight in The Spirit of Revelation, in April 2011 conference, tells us that revelation and testimony come in two ways:

A light turned on in a dark room is like receiving a message from God quickly, completely, and all at once. Many of us have experienced this pattern of revelation as we have been given answers to sincere prayers or been provided with needed direction or protection, according to God’s will and timing. Descriptions of such immediate and intense manifestations are found in the scriptures, recounted in Church history, and evidenced in our own lives. Indeed, these mighty miracles do occur. However, this pattern of revelation tends to be more rare than common.

The gradual increase of light radiating from the rising sun is like receiving a message from God “line upon line, precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30). Most frequently, revelation comes in small increments over time and is granted according to our desire, worthiness, and preparation. Such communications from Heavenly Father gradually and gently “distil upon [our souls] as the dews from heaven” (D&C 121:45). This pattern of revelation tends to be more common than rare.

If the mighty manifestation does not come to us, what do we do? We look for line upon line learning and gradual gentle understanding over time...all while our feet are moving forward.

Belief comes one step at a time

Margie gave an insight from one of her children when they were eight years old. After having been to a friend's house where the friend had every doll and outfit of a certain brand of dolls, and her daughter had a single doll and a few accessories, Margie asked how she felt about that.  The answer was 'it's okay...wanting something makes it better.'

Wanting and working for a testimony makes it more powerful and meaningful when it comes.

President Uchtdorf explains:

The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all.

Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed.

This can be our experience if we move forward with faith and do not wait too long on the road to Damascus.

 Elder Benar confirms this:

I have talked with many individuals who question the strength of their personal testimony and underestimate their spiritual capacity because they do not receive frequent, miraculous, or strong impressions.

Perhaps as we consider the experiences of Joseph in the Sacred Grove, of Saul on the road to Damascus, and of Alma the Younger, we come to believe something is wrong with or lacking in us if we fall short in our lives of these well-known and spiritually striking examples.

If you have had similar thoughts or doubts, please know that you are quite normal. Just keep pressing forward obediently and with faith in the Savior. As you do so, you “cannot go amiss” (D&C 80:3).

 Try these three ideas for strengthening your testimony and commitment to serve, from President Uchtdorf...

1. Harken and heed
2. Serve
3. Share

Harken and heed

I testify to you that our Father in Heaven loves His children. He loves us. He loves you. When necessary the Lord will even carry you over obstacles as you seek His peace with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Often He speaks to us in ways that we can hear only with our heart. To better hear His voice, it would be wise to turn down the volume control of the worldly noise in our lives.

Think of a time when you felt the Lord's love carry you or speak to your heart. Turn to Him in gratitude often, for the small and big things, and you will see his love manifested in your life.

Or perhaps our morning prayers should include more often the phrase, "Lord, what wilt thou have me do?" as Paul responded on the road to Damascus. And then we should be up and doing.

Serve

Another reason we sometimes do not recognize the voice of the Lord in our lives is because the revelations of the Spirit may not come directly to us as the answer to our prayers.

...The answer may come through the voice and wisdom of trusted friends and family, the scriptures, and the words of prophets.

Let's look for his love and guidance all around us.

Let's be thinking and praying for others and their well-being. By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own.

It has been my experience that some of the most powerful promptings we receive are not only for our own benefit but also for the benefit of others. If we are thinking only of ourselves, we may miss some of the most powerful spiritual experiences and profound revelations of our lives.

Often, the answer to our prayer does not come while we’re on our knees but while we’re on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us.

Share

There are times when the Lord reveals to us things that are intended only for us. Nevertheless, in many, many cases He entrusts a testimony of the truth to those who will share it with others.

...the Lord expects the members of His Church to “open [their mouths] at all times, declaring [His] gospel with the sound of rejoicing.”

Owenna reminded us that one may have the gift of faith and another to believe on their words, meaning one experience may be meant to be shared with all, for the benefit of all. Even recalling the goodness of God in the scriptures can become our own experience; we make it our own.

In conclusion

Brothers and sisters, dear friends, let us not wait too long on our road to Damascus. Instead, let us courageously move forward in faith, hope, and charity, and we will be blessed with the light we are all seeking upon the path of true discipleship.

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Newborn Kits - Service Activity

A big thanks to all who came and/or donated items for our Relief Society Service Activity this week. We ended up with a lot of great Newborn Kits to donate to Montgomery Hospital for the newborns in their Labor & Delivery Unit.  Everything will be so loved and appreciated by the new babies and their mothers!  A great time was had by all!

And also thank you to Margie for coordinating these activities for us.  What a great opportunity for us to help out in our community!

Devon

Pioneer Day

Pool Party and Devotional

 

And wear your swimsuit for a refreshing dip in the pool!!!!

Make-Everything-OK Button

http://make-everything-ok.com/

Try it! It really does make you feel better.

e

Lesson: Obedience

Gospel Principles, Chapter 35, Obedience, taught by Valerie Kielkopf

We Should Obey God Willingly

What difference does it make to obey willingly rather than unwillingly?

When Jesus was on the earth, a lawyer asked Him a question:

“Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

“This is the first and great commandment.

“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36–40).

From these scriptures we learn how important it is for us to love the Lord and our neighbors. But how do we show our love for the Lord?

Jesus answered this question when He said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father” (John 14:21).

Each of us should ask ourselves why we obey God’s commandments. Is it because we fear punishment? Is it because we desire the rewards for living a good life? Is it because we love God and Jesus Christ and want to serve Them?

It is better to obey the commandments because we fear punishment than not to obey them at all. But we will be much happier if we obey God because we love Him and want to obey Him. When we obey Him freely, He can bless us freely. He said, “I, the Lord, … delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end” (D&C 76:5). Obedience also helps us progress and become more like our Heavenly Father. But those who do nothing until they are commanded and then keep the commandments unwillingly lose their reward (see D&C 58:26–29).

We Can Obey without Understanding Why

Why do we not always need to understand the Lord’s purposes in order to be obedient?

By keeping God’s commandments, we prepare for eternal life and exaltation. Sometimes we do not know the reason for a particular commandment. However, we show our faith and trust in God when we obey Him without knowing why.

Adam and Eve were commanded to offer sacrifices to God. One day an angel appeared to Adam and asked why he offered sacrifices. Adam replied that he did not know the reason. He did it because the Lord commanded him. (See Moses 5:5–6 )

The angel then taught Adam the gospel and told him of the Savior who was to come. The Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, and Adam prophesied concerning the inhabitants of the earth down to the last generation. This knowledge and great blessings came to Adam because he was obedient.

God Will Prepare a Way
The Book of Mormon tells us that Nephi and his older brothers received a very difficult assignment from the Lord (see 1 Nephi 3:1–6). Nephi’s brothers complained, saying that the Lord required a hard thing of them. But Nephi said, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” (1 Nephi 3:7). When we find it difficult to obey a commandment of the Lord, we should remember Nephi’s words.

When has the Lord prepared a way for you to obey Him?

No Commandment Is Too Small or Too Great to Obey
Sometimes we may think a commandment is not very important. Sometimes we may think a commandment is too difficult for us to obey.

It was a “hard thing” when the Lord commanded Abraham to offer his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice (see Genesis 22:1–13; see also chapter 26 in this book). Abraham had waited many years for the birth of Isaac, the son God had promised him. How could he lose his son in such a way? This commandment must have been exceedingly difficult for Abraham. Yet he chose to obey God.

We too should be willing to do anything God requires. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “I made this my rule: When the Lord commands, do it” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 160). This can be our rule also.

When have you received blessings as a result of your obedience to commandments that seemed small?

Jesus Christ Obeyed His Father
Jesus Christ was the sublime example of obedience to our Heavenly Father. He said, “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). His whole life was devoted to obeying His Father; yet it was not always easy for him. He was tempted in all ways as other mortals (see Hebrews 4:15). In the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed, saying, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39).

Because Jesus obeyed the Father’s will in all things, He made salvation possible for all of us.

Results of Obedience and Disobedience
The Lord has told us that through our obedience and diligence we may gain knowledge and intelligence. We may also grow spiritually.

On the other hand, disobedience brings disappointment and results in a loss of blessings.

When we keep the commandments of God, He fulfills His promises.

The Obedient Gain Eternal Life
The Lord counsels us, “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7).

The Lord has described other blessings that will come to those who obey Him in righteousness and truth until the end:

“Thus saith the Lord—I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.

“Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their glory.

“And to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom.

“Yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come will I show them, even the things of many generations.

“And their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven. …

“For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will—yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man” (D&C 76:5–10).

Thanks Val for a great lesson. So good to be reminded of these things.

e

Photo Credit More Good Foundation on Flickr

Pics from Tobi's Baby Shower

Thanks for all who came to support Tobi. Thanks to Evonne and Melanie for hosting the baby shower. The salads and treats were yummy...and cute!

I think Tobi was overwhelmed by the response but also, we hope, felt loved.

And we welcomed Bukky, Tobi's Nigerian friend, to America.

[Some of you also took pictures at the shower. Send them to me and I'll post those too.]

e

Family Work

Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?

Those of you who are currently with young ones at home and out of school, your answer might be like mine….trying to be patient, loving, and to keep the TV/media stuff off for as long as possible!

One thing that I have really been pushing this summer is to teach my children how to work, and there are days that it just does not go over well around here. I have been baffled at how my children can become so lazy & whiny the moment I mention it’s time to work on their chores. Honestly, I was at a complete loss and had turned to the Lord for some major help in the patience department when Owenna e-mailed me an article she had been telling me about that her sister Kathleen (who is a professor...) wrote for BYU Magazine.

The Article is entitled, “Family Work,” and gave me a lot of food for thought. In the article, Kathleen Slaugh Bahr discusses the differences between her childhood growing up working TOGETHER with her family, and the ways that we now try to make our children work. She states:

People who see the value of family work only in terms of the economic value of processes that yield measurable products--washed dishes, baked bread, swept floors, clothed children--miss what some call the "invisible household production" that occurs at the same time, but which is, in fact, more important to family-building and character development than the economic products. Here lies the real power of family work--its potential to transform lives, to forge strong families, to build strong communities. It is the power to quietly, effectively urge hearts and minds toward a oneness known only in Zion.

Kathleen then discusses the role of work from the beginning with Adam and Eve, on through the ages to the major changes in our expectations that have come to us in the last century. Along with understanding the role of family work, she also discusses some by-products that come with working together.

Ironically, it is the very things commonly disliked about family work that offer the greatest possibilities for nurturing close relationships and forging family ties. Some people dislike family work because, they say, it is mindless. Yet chores that can be done with a minimum of concentration leave our minds free to focus on one another as we work together. We can talk, sing, or tell stories as we work. Working side by side tends to dissolve feelings of hierarchy, making it easier for children to discuss topics of concern with their parents. Unlike play, which usually requires mental concentration as well as physical involvement, family work invites intimate conversation between parent and child.

We also tend to think of household work as menial, and much of it is. Yet, because it is menial, even the smallest child can make a meaningful contribution. Children can learn to fold laundry, wash windows, or sort silverware with sufficient skill to feel valued as part of the family. Since daily tasks range from the simple to the complex, participants at every level can feel competent yet challenged, including the parents with their overall responsibility for coordinating tasks, people, and projects into a cooperative, working whole.

Another characteristic of ordinary family work that gives it such power is repetition. Almost as quickly as it is done, it must be redone. Dust gathers on furniture, dirt accumulates on floors, beds get messed up, children get hungry and dirty, meals are eaten, clothes become soiled. As any homemaker can tell you, the work is never done. When compared with the qualities of work that are prized in the public sphere, this aspect of family work seems to be just another reason to devalue it. However, each rendering of a task is a new invitation for all to enter the family circle. The most ordinary chores can become daily rituals of family love and belonging. Family identity is built moment by moment amidst the talking and teasing, the singing and storytelling, and even the quarreling and anguish that may attend such work sessions.

And at my house, there has definitely been some quarreling and anguish, but I’m hoping to dwell more on the part about building love and unity. Without actually copying the entire article here (because there are so many gems that I loved), I’ll leave you with just a few more of my favorite paragraphs that came from some of Kathleen’s research.

A frequent temptation in our busy lives today is to do the necessary family work by ourselves. A mother, tired from a long day of work in the office, may find it easier to do the work herself than to add the extra job of getting a family member to help. A related temptation is to make each child responsible only for his own mess, to put away his own toys, to clean his own room, to do his own laundry, and then to consider this enough family work to require of a child. When we structure work this way, we may shortchange ourselves by minimizing the potential for growing together that comes from doing the work for and with each other.

Canadian scholars Joan Grusec and Lorenzo Cohen, along with Australian Jacqueline Goodnow, compared children who did "self-care tasks" such as cleaning up their own rooms or doing their own laundry, with children who participated in "family-care tasks" such as setting the table or cleaning up a space that is shared with others. They found that it is the work one does "for others" that leads to the development of concern for others, while "work that focuses on what is one's 'own,'" does not. Other studies have also reported a positive link between household work and observed actions of helpfulness toward others. In one international study, African children who did "predominantly family-care tasks [such as] fetching wood or water, looking after siblings, running errands for parents" showed a high degree of helpfulness while "children in the Northeast United States, whose primary task in the household was to clean their own room, were the least helpful of all the children in the six cultures that were studied."

In a world that lauds the signing of peace treaties and the building of skyscrapers as the truly great work, how can we make such a big thing out of folding laundry? Gary Saul Morson, a professor of Russian literature at Northwestern University, argues convincingly that "the important events are not the great ones, but the infinitely numerous and apparently inconsequential ordinary ones, which, taken together, are far more effective and significant."

Don't you love that last part?  I truly believe it. I know that building character is going to take more than just one day, and that the "infinitely numerous and apparently inconsequential moments" may be the most important thing I can do for my children (I just wish they'd believe me if I told them that).

I think I’ll put more air in my inflatable bag of patience…I’m going back in for another round of family work, and this time I think I’ll join in with the kids and we’ll work together! No matter how tough it gets, it’ll be worth it, right?

Thanks Owenna for the link! (And is it any wonder that this educated & gifted author is related to our dear, wise Owenna? ;) Read the whole article here. It’s worth your time!

Devon
Image Credit

Lesson: Developing our talents

Gospel Principles, Chapter 34  

Developing Our Talents, 

taught by Amanda Hall

Amanda began by talking about gardening. We plant seeds and they grow into tender plants which we must protect, and nourish with sunlight and water. And eventually we enjoy the fruits of the harvest.

How is developing talents like growing a garden? 

There are so many comparisons...we need to choose the right seeds to grow, we need to study and learn, we need to nurture, we need to be patient.

What
We all have special gifts, talents, and abilities given to us by our Heavenly Father. When we were born, we brought these gifts, talents, and abilities with us.

The prophet Moses was a great leader, but he needed Aaron, his brother, to help as a spokesman (see Exodus 4:14–16). Some of us are leaders like Moses or good speakers like Aaron. Some of us can sing well or play an instrument. Others of us may be good in sports or able to work well with our hands. Other talents we might have are understanding others, patience, cheerfulness, or the ability to teach others.

These gifts come from God. James 17:1 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

[An old poem says, "If I were to write a poem or pen a sonnet, I must go and choose a dish or tie a bonnet." In other words caring for home and family can be seen as talent, or another interpretation might be that there is a time and season for all things.]

Why

Why are these gifts given? In D&C 46:8-11 we find the answers:

 8 Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;

 9 For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts.

 10 And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church.

 11 For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.

12To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.

Our gift and talents can also bring us personal satisfaction and joy.

How
We have a responsibility to develop the talents we have been given. Sometimes we think we do not have many talents or that other people have been blessed with more abilities than we possess. Sometimes we do not use our talents because we are afraid that we might fail or be criticized by others. We should not hide our talents. We should use them. Then others can see our good works and glorify our Heavenly Father (see Matthew 5:16).

There are certain things we must do to develop our talents. We must...

1. Discover our talents. We should evaluate ourselves to find our strengths and abilities. Our family and friends can help us do this. We should also ask our Heavenly Father to help us learn about our talents.
2. Be willing to spend the time and effort to develop the talent we are seeking.
3. Have faith that our Heavenly Father will help us, and we must have faith in ourselves.
4. Learn the skills necessary for us to develop our talents. We might do this by taking a class, asking a friend to teach us, or reading a book.
5. Practice using our talent. Every talent takes effort and work to develop. The mastery of a talent must be earned. [It takes 10,000 hours to master something...so be patient!]
6. Share our talent with others. It is by our using our talents that they grow (see Matthew 25:29).

All of these steps are easier if we pray and seek the Lord’s help. He wants us to develop our talents, and He will help us. As in all things we depend on Jesus Christ and His grace in our lives.

How can we develop our talents in spite of our weaknesses?

Because we are mortal and fallen, we have weaknesses. With the Lord’s help, our weakness and fallen nature can be overcome (see Ether 12:27, 37). Beethoven composed his greatest music after he was deaf. Enoch overcame his slowness of speech to become a powerful teacher (see Moses 6:26–47).

Blessings
The Lord is pleased when we use our talents wisely. He will bless us if we use our talents to benefit other people and to build up His kingdom here on earth. 

Some of the blessings we gain are joy and love from serving our brothers and sisters here on earth. We also learn self-control. 

All these things are necessary if we are going to be worthy to live with our Heavenly Father again. 

Thanks to the talented Amanda Hall for lesson today. Choose to develop a talent today.

 I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.

~ Picasso

e

Photo credit: seriousbri

Video: Watch Your Step

The Secrets of Adulthood

A nice video presentation that gets you thinking about what you've learned as an adult.

The Secrets of Adulthood video

What have you learned as an adult that surprised you?

Lesson: Aligning our will with our Heavenly Father's

Aubrey Behunin taught our lesson today, her first since being called the RS Presidency. Here are a few of the inspirational quotes she used.

Aligning our will with our Heavenly Father's

"The submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God's altar.  The many other things we "give," brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.  However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God's will, then we are really giving something to Him!  It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!"
- Neil A. Maxwell

"To the extent that we are not willing to be led by the Lord, we will be driven by our appetites, or we will be greatly preoccupied with the lesser things of the day.  The remedy is implicit in the marvelous lamentation of King Benjamin:  'For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?' (Mosiah 5:13)"
- Neil A. Maxwell

"When we live by covenant rather than by convenience we direct our lives toward our heavenly home"
- Donald L. Hallstrom

"Most omissions occur because we fail to get outside ourselves.  We are so busy checking on our own temperatures, we do not notice the burning fevers of others even when we can offer them some of the needed remedies, such as encouragement, kindness, and commendation.  The hands which hang down and most need to be lifted up belong to those too discouraged even to reach out anymore."
- Neil A. Maxwell

Five ways we can seek to give our hearts and minds to the Lord.  (As outlined in Elder Hallstrom's article in the June 2011 issue of the Ensign article, The Heart and a Willing Mind.)

1.  Gain and constantly nurture your own testimony.
2.  Honor priesthood ordinances and covenants.
3.  Root out duplicity.
4.  Establish a life of service.
5.  Continually study the doctrine.

Thanks Aubrey!