YW "Walk to the Temple" Is in Newspaper

Check it out...Girls walk to site of planned Mormon Temple

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to walk to where a temple is going to be. We’ve waited a long time for a temple in Philadelphia,” Elle Thorneloe, eighth grade student at Perkiomen Valley Middle School East says of why she woke early Saturday, Sept. 8.

Abby Clark, a 17-year-old senior from Collegeville said, “We’ve been praying and waiting for a temple for so long and doing this walk is my way to show I’m grateful. I’m here because it’s really important for me to go to the temple. It’s really good to do this as a representation of going to the temple because this is the temple I’m going to get married in when I’m older.” 

Our Young Women rock!

Talk: Temple Power

Several of you asked for the list of questions from my talk about temple power. I include most of the talk here including the questions.

Temples—Power in the ordinances, covenants and the blessings

I.  God wants a powerful people

From the days of the Old Testament, the Lord has commanded His people to build temples—sacred structures where He could teach, guide, and bless them. The temple in Solomon’s time was a place of prayer and a place of animal sacrifice, which was fundamental to their worship. The Lord told the Moses and Israelites to build a portable tabernacle that would be their temple while they traveled in the wilderness.

Today’s temples are also sacred places where God may dwell; they are places of prayer, but we no longer offer animal sacrifices because that was done away with when Jesus Christ became the Eternal Sacrifice for our sins.

So why would we need temples today? What purpose do they serve?

I’d like to focus on just one of the purposes of today’s temples: God wants a powerful people.

"Through the blessing of gospel knowledge we know we are here now in mortality because we are supposed to be here, now, trailing clouds of glory, fully prepared for the unique challenges and complexities we would face in the latter part of the latter days.

"[God] never intended for us to face the perils of mortality alone, having only our own strength, wisdom and power to draw upon. So He has made it possible to access his power. And God wants a powerful people." [Sheri Dew, God Wants a Powerful People - good book, highly recommend]

II.  Why God shares his power

Why does God want a powerful people?

George Q. Cannon taught “God has reserved...choice spirits to come forth in this last dispensation, because of the greatness and the magnitude of the work to be accomplished...It has required apparently the most valiant men and women to come forth in the last days…[because] this is not a short lived dispensation; it is to go on increasing in power...until it shall fill the whole earth….And, of course, it requires great valor, great obedience and great gifts in order to accomplish the end that is to be attained under the promise of God. The Lord has permitted spirits to be born among the various races of mankind that are fitted and qualified to accomplish this great work.” (Gospel Truth, p. 18)

There are a few things we know about God’s power and his work. [ideas from Sheri Dew]

1. God wants a powerful people. He wants a people who know and learn what Ammon knew and learned that in “his strength,” meaning the strength of the God, they “can do all things” (Alma 26:12). [There are 501 references to power in the scriptures.]
2. He gives His power to those who are faithful and who qualify. D&C 59:4 "And they shall also be crowned with blessings from above, yea, and with commandments not a few, and with revelations in their time—they that are faithful and diligent before me.
"
3. We therefore have a sacred obligation or opportunity to seek after the power of God and then use that power as He directs. John 1:12 "...as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons [and daughters] of God, even to them that believe on his name"
4. When we have the power of God with us, nothing is impossible. (Luke 1:37)

The most powerful expression of the priesthood

The kind of power I’m talking about is not same as the world’s definition of power. In the world, power is associated with fear and unrighteous dominion. I’m talking about the protective power to resist the influence of the adversary, the enabling power to better serve God, and the enobling power to become like Him. These forms are power are found in the temple.

Most of us have experienced the power of the priesthood in our lives through very personal blessings of healing and comfort, but the most powerful expression of the priesthood is found in the temple ordinances. They are significant, binding, long-lasting, eternal and true.

The fulness of Priesthood (God’s power on earth) is received through washings, anointings, solemn assemblies, oracles in holy places, conversations, ordinances, endowments, and sealings, as stated in the D&C 124.

We are invited in the Kirtland Temple dedicatory prayer in D&C 109:15 to “go forth from this house armed with [God’s] power, and that [His] aname may be upon [us], and [His] glory be round about [us], and [His] bangels have charge over us."

"God has endowed his people with power because He loves us, yearns for us to return home, and knows full well that only with His help—and drawing upon His power—may we expect to return to His loving, grateful, welcoming arms." (Sheri Dew)

So...we have a great work to do. He endows us with power through temple ordinances. He wants us to return to Him.

III. How we access that power/How God shares his power

There are other ways God shares his power. Or, stated differently, there are many ways we can access His power. Let me list a few. [some of these ideas from Sheri Dew]

• There is power in the word of God. Alma said that the preaching of word had a “more powerful effect upon the minds of people than the sword, or anything else.” (Alma 31:5) Studying scripture gives us power.

• There is power in the Gift of the Holy Ghost. It reveals to us the “truth of all things” and after we receive the Holy Ghost, we may “speak with the tongue of angels” (2 Nephi 32:2).

• There is power in the priesthood. Worthy holders of the priesthood may speak what the Lord would say to us, and whatever they bind on earth is bound in heaven. Through the priesthood we have restored to us the ordinances of baptism, receiving the gift and power of the Holy Ghost (opening the doors of powerful personal revelation), the gift of knowledge known as the endowment, and the sealing powers that bind families together for eternity.

• There is power in the House of the Lord. Nephi understood this. He said "And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.
"
• There is power in purity. Pure hearts, pure minds and motives, pure judgments, pure desires and intents, pure morally. D&C 121:45 "Let virtue garnish your thoughts unceasingly...then shall your confidence wax strong in the Lord.
"
• There is power in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Because of the Atonement we have access to His grace, or enabling power, and to His redemptive power; power that frees us from sin; power to be healed emotionally, physically, and spiritually; power to mend broken hearts and free us from all manner of captivity. (Luke 4:18); power to loose the bands of death (Alma 7:12); power to do good works; power to turn weakness into strength (Ether 12:27) and power to receive salvation through faith on His name. 


When these ways that God shares his power are stated like this, we can see more clearly how the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ heals, protects and lifts us. It becomes less a to-do list, restrictive and burdensome, and more a motivation to put our lives in order so that we can receive God’s power more often.

Each of these is a talk or lesson in and of itself. But let’s focus on the power in the House of the Lord.

IV. What is the power in the House of the Lord? And, how can we better access it?

In the House of the Lord worthy members receive the Endowment. The Endowment is a gift of power from God. It is the instruction and covenants of the Holy Priesthood that they need in order to attain exaltation. The endowment includes instruction about the plan of salvation. (from Guide to the Scriptures at LDS.org)

A worldly Endowment is usually a gift of money or property that allows an individual or organization to more forward with it’s cause. Money is a form of power in our world.

But in the temple the endowment is a gift of knowledge that gives us personal power and therefore collectively the spiritual power to further the Lord’s work and kingdom on earth.

We’ve all heard the phrase “Knowledge is power”. It comes from a Latin phrase. It implies that with knowledge or education one's potential or abilities in life will certainly increase.

If knowledge is power then celestial knowledge is celestial power. It’s the power to become the person God wants us to be, to be clean, to be sanctified, to know God “when He shall appear, [because] we will be like Him”. (1 John 3:2)

Knowledge of the plan of happiness is powerful to make us happier.

Priesthood knowledge is priesthood power in the hands of men and women alike, in the temple.

Let me share one example of how temple knowledge has given me power.

In the temple we learn that Eve opened the door to our second estate for all God’s children by partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. She made it possible for us—all of us on earth, past, present and future—to progress from our premortal life to this life, from our first estate to our second estate.

In the temple we learn how Adam or the Sons of Adam through the power of priesthood ordinances open the door to progress from our second estate to our final estate and to exaltation with God.

That knowledge itself comforts, lifts and gives me perspective about the important roles of women and men on this earth, of motherhood and fatherhood, and priesthood ordinances. It clears the air of so much cloudy thinking out there today. That is powerful to me.

This knowledge increases my testimony of the need for restoration of the priesthood for administration of the church, of why we do missionary work, and why we build temples. To make the exaltation accessible to all. It gives more meaning and motivation to me. It makes me grateful for Eve, and I reverence and honor her for that difficult choice in the Garden of Eden, when so many religions in the world malign her. The knowledge helps me choose better actions in my life, and a better prioritized way of living.

That’s just one example. Every part of the temple endowment, ordinance and covenants give us more knowledge, and therefore power, if we choose to attend.

Sister Sheri Dew, Former General RS presidency counselor:
“The temple is a place of refuge and revelation….In the temple it becomes clear what it means to be “in but not of” the world...We are taught how to draw upon the power of God. How to part the veil. How to deal with Satan. How to fulfill our foreordained mission. How to cope with suffocating pressure and heartache. And, most important, how to come into the presence of God.”

All that is powerful.

Besides knowledge, participating in ordinances and keeping covenants give us power.

“An ordinance is a sacred rite or ceremony with spiritual meaning.

“A covenant is an agreement between God and man or woman, but they do not act as equals in the agreement. God gives the conditions for the covenant, and men and women agree to do what He asks them to do. God then promises men and women certain blessings for their obedience.

"Principles and ordinances are received by covenant. Members of the Church who make such covenants promise to honor them. ...The Lord’s people are a covenant people and are greatly blessed as they keep their covenants with the Lord.” [Guide to the Scriptures, LDS.org]

By participating in ordinances and making covenants we demonstrate to ourselves, witnesses, angels and God an increased commitment to keep the commandments, to be virtuous, and to build the kingdom.

This commitment is not to be taken lightly and one should prepare for temple attendance.

In return we are promised great blessings of spiritual and physical health. We receive “power from on high” to face the challenges of life.

The sacrifices we make to receive temple ordinances are worth every effort we can make.

Temple covenants and knowledge start outside the temple.

The chapel, for example is an ordinance room. The sacrament is a sacred weekly ordinance we receive by covenant.

Baptism is the first ordinance of the gospel, the gate to other ordinances. Most of us have entered that gate. We stepped onto the pathway to the temple when we were baptized. We have entered into God’s kingdom by covenant and ordinance, and have begun to progress toward Him.

Learning to serve and serving diligently moves us along the temple path.

In the book Daughters in My Kingdom, the History and Work of Relief Society, there is a  caption under a picture of two sister missionaries in bike helmets, with name tags, standing next to bicycles. It says “As Latter-day Saint women [and men] make and keep covenants, the Lord strengthens them to serve in His Kingdom."

Taking advantage of all the Priesthood has to offer moves us along the temple path.

“Men and women alike are magnified, purified, sanctified, strengthened, sealed, enobled, and ultimately perfected by priesthood power.” (Sheri Dew, p. 156)

Better access to God's power

For those who have been to the temple, consider several questions for better access to God’s power.

With what was I endowed or gifted in the House of the Lord?

What does that gift mean to me and how may I use it?

What do I learn there? What do I learn to do?

What do I learn about the power of God versus the power of the adversary?

What do I learn about communicating with the heavens?

What does it mean to receive a “fulness of the Holy Ghost” (D&C 109:15) and a fullness of the priesthood?

When a man and a woman enter the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, what kind of power do they share?

[Suggested in God Wants a Powerful People]

Additional ways to seek His temple power

For all of us temple-attending or not, here are some additional ways to seek His temple power.

• Keep the covenants you’ve already made. I’m speaking to every 8-year-old and older. Those of us who have been baptized and made a covenant.
• Increase your understanding of the temple. Start with studying D&C 88, 109, 131, 132.
• Pray to know his will for you and have the power to carry it out. Be humble, be teachable. God will lead you along.
• Understand that the gospel is simple in it’s steps of progression. Each step prepares us for the next.
• We move through at our own pace. We don’t judge another's pace, but are patient, kind, and encouraging. Remember we are all on the path.
• We “don’t run faster than we have strength” yet we don’t shy away from covenant-keeping.
• We strive for greater commitment and righteousness in exchange for His gift of knowledge and power.
• We each move along the path in the same way—by study, prayer and faith.
• Seek for more experiences that will bolster your faith.

Faith is the key to gaining access to the power of God whether we are able to attend temple or not.

“Every spiritual experience, every answer to prayer, every spiritual confirmation should increase our confidence, our faith, that God knows who we are and that He will respond to our needs. Faith is not a bulwark against tribulation, but an assurance that the Lord is overseeing all.” (Sheri Dew, p. 126)

V.  I have felt the power and blessings of the temple, in 3 ways, among others.

1. The blessing of remembrance.

In my circumstances, I don’t have or take the opportunity to attend the temple often. Nearly every year it’s on my list of resolutions to attend more often. But I am blessed with remembrance of parts of the endowment. The phrases and promises come to mind often at just the right time or in the right circumstance.

Every day when I put on the sacred temple garment I’m reminded of the meanings there.

Often Wade and I discuss this principle or that and how our understanding is enhanced by temple knowledge.

When we were newlyweds we set a goal to go to the temple every week and try to memorize certain important parts. This helped us grow up and provided a foundation for our marriage.

It is a blessing to remember and ponder the temple in my mind.

2. The blessing of perspective

Temple knowledge helps me see the big picture. It helps clarify what things need to drop away and what needs to be added to my days. It helps me remember the most important things.

Also, there is a spirit of peace there like few other places on earth. A sense of renewal and rest can be found for a few minutes, then I can see my way forward.

The temple provides the blessing of perspective.

3. The blessing of personal revelation

Many of you seek His whisper, or His love at the temple. We take our problems, our worries, our concerns to a place of peace and quiet, and hope for an answer. I have done this too. I’ve attended the temple with Young Women presidencies with prayers and concerns over certain young women, with Primary Presidencies for the same reason, with Wade to ask for wisdom and strength to parent a troubled child better, with Relief Society sisters to strengthen sisterhood and unity.

And I have received answers.

If there is any place on earth to hear the voice of God or to feel His presence it will be in His house. I go humbly and seek for His will and wisdom and power. And it comes.

The temple is a place of personal revelation.

In conclusion

We are all on the road to the temple. The temple is a place of power in these latter days when we so need it. We have the opportunity to seek after the power of God. He wants a powerful people. We look to Him for knowledge, strength and love, so that we may better resist the adversary, better serve in the Kingdom, and eventually become like Him.

e

References:
God Wants a Powerful People, Sheri Dew
Come to the Temple, Boyd K. Packer
Why Latter-day Saints Build Temples, lds.org
Coming to Ourselves, Robert D. Hales
The Way of the Disciple, Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Of Things That Matter Most, Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need, Richard G. Scott

Philly Temple - Big Hole by October 1

From the Philly.com:

When tents went up on a vacant parking lot near Logan Square and leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hoisted ceremonial shovels, the rise of Pennsylvania's first Mormon temple seemed imminent.

That was last September. Today, the asphalt remains undisturbed at 1739 Vine St.

"We thought groundbreaking would be in April, then July," said church spokeswoman Corinne Dougherty.

Architects now expect excavation for the 53,000-square-foot, $70 million temple to start in early fall and construction in the spring, with two years to completion.

"There should be a big hole in the ground by Oct. 1," said Michael Kihn, a principal at the Philadelphia office of Perkins & Will, an architecture firm based in Chicago.

A demolition and excavation contractor has yet to be chosen, Kihn said, and the designs for the interior and exterior are still being refined. Once church leaders give the nod, those designs must be submitted to city agencies for approval and permits.

The entire site of 1.6 acres will be opened below grade, Kihn said, and prepared for a two-story underground parking garage.

Read the the rest of the article from July 26, 2010.

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Free LDS Temple Art

Thought there would be interest in this...

The LDS temple artwork [at this website] is available free for families who otherwise could not afford to have beautiful pictures in their home. These images are free for personal or church use (just not for profit). Click on the image, save to your computer and print with your favorite print shop. If you use them in a cute project or feature them on your site, please link back!

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Breaking Ground for Philadelphia Temple

The Temple Groundbreaking Ceremony was held yesterday, and it was wonderful!  What an exciting time for us all!  If you didn't get a chance to attend, here is the depiction of what the new temple is going to look like along with the site plan.

The Local News was there covering the groundbreaking, along with several Newspapers and other media outlets.  Here are a few links and clips from around the web.

ABC News Coverage and Local ABC News Video

Philadelphia Inquirer Article

Church Newsroom Article along with additional photos

Also, here is a short video from the LDS Newsroom interviewing members who attended the ceremony, including some of our very own Stake and Ward members...watch for some familiar faces!


Philadelphia Temple Groundbreaking

Devon

Owenna's Stake Conference Talk

If you weren't able to attend Stake Conference this last weekend, Owenna was kind enough to send me her talk to share with you.  It was wonderful (of course!) and I'm so glad she is letting me put it on the blog to share with everyone.  Enjoy!  Devon

PUT YOUR OWN HOUSE IN ORDER

Given by Owenna Nagy

Valley Forge Pennsylvania Stake Conference 9/11/2011

As the reality of a temple in Phila. gets closer, we’re all feeling something different. Many have great plans for being able to increase their temple work. Others who hold temple recommends but who haven’t been in a very long time, for a variety of reasons, are sorting out whether distance was really the main obstacle or not. Others are eagerly working toward qualifying for their very first recommend so that they can stand in that holy place. And still others with perhaps only a minimal understanding of temples, frankly aren’t sure what all the buzz is about, and wonder if it will ever have anything to do with them.

I would like to share some things I personally have learned along the way as my own testimony of the temple has developed.

When I was in my late 20s, early 30s, I was facing a number of problems that so far exceeded my coping skills that I was drowning. We had six children (four birth children, plus a niece and nephew whom we were raising) living in a cramped upstairs apt. while my husband was grinding away to complete his Ph.D. In addition to grad. student poverty, and the challenges of raising a blended family, a black cloud of depression and doubt hung over everything. I was burdened by all these things that I thought were somehow my own failures, and I felt it was my duty to fix everything. I begged for help through prayer and fasting, but so far as I could tell I was on my own. This went on for a couple of years. One morning in prayer, the following thought was spoken into my mind with great power, “first put your own house in order.”

This was scarcely the answer I expected since I was looking for help fixing everyone else. The interpretation of this admonition has expanded line upon line in the intervening years, until it has become a powerful part of my way of thinking.

My immediate understanding of “put your own house in order” was that my emphasis should be my personal repentance, nor everyone else’s. My response to everyone else should be to give loving encouragement, not to try to “lovingly” “make” them do what I knew they should. I learned that the more you treat others lovingly, the more you ease the way for them to learn from the Spirit. Put your own house in order is not the same thing as saying ignore the family’s problems and just think about yourself, but more like the Lord saying “you’re of more use to me as a loving example than as a nag.”

Yet another time, “put your own house in order” came to mind to encourage me to put as much care into preparing FHE for my family as into preparing a lesson for church.

Another time “put your own house in order” was used to make me aware that my heavy involvement in a community action group, which had been right for a season, now needed to be set aside to attend to matters at home.

There was a period of several years when I didn’t go to the temple because my attendance had become a source of tension in the home. First put your own house in order came to my mind giving me permission to step back for a season and nurture my family. After the passage of a five years, that very same phrase let me know that it was time for me to resume temple attendance.

But the most powerful use of this scripture came to me in a most unexpected way several years later. I was (still) in anguish over the spiritual welfare of my family. We were dealing with some rather severe problems at home, and I really felt like the ship was going down. This phrase came to me at this time with an entirely different meaning. It was the house of my eternal extended family that I needed to help put in order through family history and temple work. The connection between help with family problems and temple work was that I needed to get the whole team on the case – not just people on this side of the veil. There were relatives on the other side who would be freed to help my family if they were brought into the gospel through vicarious baptism and temple ordinances. This connection between temple work and calling on the powers of heaven for my earthly family had been quite lost on me before.

Some time later I came across Bishop Vaughan Featherstone’s promise that “if we will faithfully attend to our temple work, unseen angels will watch over our children,” confirming what the Spirit was teaching me. It is the great principle of vicarious work on which so much of the work in temples is based. I was familiar with the principle that “they without us and we without them cannot be made perfect”, but had applied it only to me helping them with work for the dead, not to my ancestors to whom I have been sealed in the temple helping my family here.

In the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple, Joseph Smith prayed that “no combination of wickedness shall have power to rise up and prevail over thy people upon whom thy name shall be put in this house.”

Few of my family’s challenges have miraculously gone away. But the hope I live with has been dramatically changed, as I have tried in my own weak way to put my own eternal house in order. I’m such a back slider, and too often I don’t continue as I commence, and there are many distractions in life. But my peace is wrapped up in the Joseph Smith’s promise that “When a seal is put upon the father and mother, it secures their posterity, so that they cannot be lost, but will be saved by virtue of the covenant of their father and mother.” (Teachings PJS, 320-32)

This is why I count myself among those who love going to the temple. Do not doubt that the blessings of the temple are for everyone, after the proper preparation has been made. Why should we doubt ourselves? We were born at this time to be a temple worthy, covenant keeping people. Each of us – sent here at this time to be a light to our families and those around us.
 
The Lord watches over us all, whether we have been to the temple or not. Our names are written on His palm. But He calls us all to come closer, to claim the crowning blessings of the temple.
 

-Owenna

Stake & General Relief Society Meeting

Mark your calendars to join us for this beautiful event for the sisters in our Stake.  We will be carpooling from our building at 6:10 pm.  Hope you can make it!

Devon

Temple Trip & Cafe Rio!

We had a great time on Saturday going on our Relief Society Temple Trip.  The Washington D.C. Temple was absolutely beautiful (thank you Shirley for the pictures you took), and lunch at Cafe Rio was delicious.  We love spending time together, and are planning another outing later in the year, so keep it in mind!  We'd love to have even more sisters come with us all next time!

Lesson: Individual Worth

Thanks to Charity for reminding us that we came to earth not to find our self-worth but bringing with us our self-worth. We love you Charity and so appreciate your heartfelt teaching.

The worth of a soul
is it's capacity to become like God.

Much of Charity's lesson was taken from a BYU speech, by Sheri Dew,  You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory.

You were born to lead

You have been told countless times that you are a chosen generation reserved for the latter part of the latter days. Just two months ago, in general conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley said once again: "You are the best generation we have ever had" ("An Ensign to the Nations, a Light to the World," Ensign, November 2003, 84). It's akin to being chosen to run the last leg of a relay, where the coach always positions his strongest runner.

You were recommended to help run the last leg of the relay that began with Adam and Eve because your premortal spiritual valor indicated you would have the courage and the determination to face the world at its worst, to do combat with the evil one during his heyday, and, in spite of it all, to be fearless in building the kingdom of God.

You simply must understand this, because you were born to lead by virtue of who you are, the covenants you have made, and the fact that you are here now in the 11th hour.

It takes courage, and determination to do that. And God has trusted us with the tasks of building the kingdom. We must recognize and realize our potential.

The simple fact is that our Father did not recommend Eve or Moses or Nephi or countless other magnificent exemplars for this dispensation—He recommended you and me.

Do you think God would have left the last days to chance by sending men and women He couldn't count on?

A common theme of patriarchal blessings given to men and women your age is that you were sent now because our Father's most trustworthy children would be needed in the final, decisive battle for righteousness.

That is who you are, and it is who you have always been.

God wants a powerful people

If God wants a powerful people who can withstand the wiles of the devil--and He does--and if we were born to lead in these latter days--and we were--then we need to understand how God makes His power available to us and how we gain access to that power.

 1. There is power in the word of God. 

Alma and the sons of Mosiah learned that the preaching of the word--meaning the gospel of Jesus Christ--has a "more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than . . . anything else" (Alma 31:5). There is power in the word to heal our wounded souls (see Jacob 2:8), to help us overcome temptation (see 1 Nephi 11:25), to prompt us to repent (see Jarom 1:12), to humble us (see Alma 32:14), to help us overcome the natural man (see Mosiah 3:19), to bring about a mighty change in our hearts (see Alma 5:13), and to lead us to Christ.

President Boyd K. Packer taught: True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. ["Little Children," Ensign, November 1986, 17]

In other words, the word of God can transform us.

Do you realize that the scriptures contain the answer to every life dilemma? 

A casual understanding of the gospel will not sustain you through the days ahead, which is why it is imperative that you immerse yourself in the word of God. 

2. There is power in the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The gift of the Holy Ghost is a gift of power.

The Holy Ghost inspires and heals, guides and warns, enhances our natural capacities, inspires charity and humility, makes us smarter than we are, strengthens us during trials, testifies of the Father and the Son, and shows us "all things" that we should do (2 Nephi 32:5).

No wonder President Hinckley has said: "There is no greater blessing that can come into our lives than . . . the companionship of the Holy Spirit" (Boston Massachusetts Regional Conference, priesthood leadership session, 22 April 1995; quoted in TGBH, 259).

Because the Holy Ghost will show us everything we should do, it only makes sense to learn how He communicates—or to learn the language of revelation.

Our challenge is not getting the Lord to speak to us; our challenge is understanding what He has to say (see D&C 6:14).

3. There is power in the Priesthood.

There is power in ordinances. All who are baptized and receive the Holy Ghost are eligible to speak the words of Christ and qualify for eternal life. Those who are endowed with power in the house of the Lord need never face the adversary alone. Couples worthy to be sealed at an altar in that holy house are gifted with power.

The power of the priesthood heals, protects, and inoculates every righteous man and woman against the powers of darkness. 

...Priesthood power safeguards us from the world, binds heaven and earth, subdues the adversary, blesses and heals, and enables us to triumph over mortality. Every ordinance of the Melchizedek Priesthood helps prepare us to live in the presence of God.

I am deeply grateful for the power of the priesthood and the gift of having full access to this power, which when used righteously is the only true power on earth.

 4. There is power in the House of the Lord.

In the temple we learn how to deal with Satan, how to live in the world without letting it stain us, how to fulfill our foreordained missions, and how to come into the presence of God. The best place to learn about the temple is in the temple. Our kept covenants will eventually save us. And that is power!

5. There is power in the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

He taught me that He not only paid the price for sin but compensated for all of the pain we experience in life. He taught me that because of His Atonement, we have access to His grace, or enabling power--power that frees us from sin; power to be healed emotionally, physically, and spiritually; power to "loose the bands of death" (Alma 7:12); power to turn weakness into strength (see Ether 12:27); and power to receive salvation through faith on His name (see Mosiah 3:19).

It is because of the Atonement that, if we build our foundation on Christ, the devil can have no power over us (see Helaman 5:12).

Rise to your potential

You were born to lead as mothers and fathers, because nowhere is righteous leadership more crucial than in the family. You were born to lead as priesthood and auxiliary leaders; as heads of communities, companies, and even nations. You were born to lead as men and women willing "to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places," because that's what a true leader does (Mosiah 18:9; emphasis added).

You were born to lead, and, in the words of Isaiah, you were born for glory (see Isaiah 62:2–3).

Barbara B. Smith, on our individual worth:

No woman was ever quite like you.

The Lord made only one, without carbons.

You are not repeated and not repeatable.

No one else can do what the Lord sent you to do.

The value of what you have to contribute will come through
the expression of your own personality,
that particular spark of the divine that make you unique,
setting you off from every other living creature.

The mark you leave on the world, on the hearts and minds
of others is as distinct as your thumb print.

~ Sister Barbara B. Smith

[Read more from Sheri Dew's book God Wants a Powerful People or borrow the book from me. Very inspiring and motivating. e]

Church Buys Property Near Philadelphia Temple Site

The church has closed on the purchase of 1601 Vine St. in Center City, paying roughly $12.5 million for the parcel that sits next to a site where it plans to construct a new temple at 17th and Vine streets.

...The church hasn’t decided what to do with the site. It viewed the deal as an opportunity to buy the site now and eventually devise plans for it.

Read more at Philadelphia Business Journal

Related articles:
Land deal closed for temple property
Conceptual design from last year
LDS Church Temples.com

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Temple Open on Memorial Day

Brothers and Sisters,

We wish to inform you that the Washington D.C. temple will be open on
Monday, May 30, 2011 (Memorial Day). 

Endowment sessions will begin every 30 minutes from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

We hope many of you will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to attend the temple if you have the day off work.

Regards,
Valley Forge Stake Presidency

Shout Out for Family Names for Temple Baptisms

From Jenn Low:

This is a shoutout for family names of females needing baptismal work done.

The YSA ward in the city is made up of predominantly un-endowed individuals. They are strongly discouraged from attending the temple to do baptisms since they like to reserve those slots for youth groups. So... they are kind of STUCK!

They want to attend the temple, and attend monthly, along with the rest of the ward. They are allowed two times a year of scheduled visits. But they can go more often IF they come with family file names.

As a result we, as a ward, are really pushing for our ward members to get their family history work done and to get names ready to be submitted to the temple. We've even begun a Sunday School class to this end.

To help supplement these efforts we are asking if there are any sisters in the Valley Forge wards that have family names that need baptisms performed. Our sisters would greatly appreciate the opportunity to attend the temple and perform those ordinances!

Those who have names of individuals needing the ordinances of baptism and confirmation can contact Jenn Low via e-mail (sunihank[at]hotmail[dot]com) or via phone (484-994-9502).

Thanks!
Jenn Low
Philly 3rd Ward Temple Co-Chair

Land Deal Closed for Temple Property

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has closed on buying a parcel at 18th and Vine streets in Philadelphia, paving the way for construction of a $70 million landmark temple on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The parcel, now a surface parking lot, traded for around $7.5 million

Read more: Church of Latter-Day Saint buys land for $70M temple | Philadelphia Business Journal

 

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Temple Timeline So Far

 The Church has published a page for the Philadelphia temple. Check out the history of the negotiations thus far.

This piece, especially, interested me.

On September 8, 2010, Mayor Nutter announced the unpetitioned contribution of $300,000 from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Philadelphia's prisoner-reentry program, namely the Mayor's Office of Reintegration Services for Ex-Offenders (RISE). The program assists former prisoners to reenter society through schooling, job training, job placement, housing, drug and alcohol treatment, and "life coaches." Church leaders selected the program because "it fits with the mission of the Church." The month before, the mayor announced preliminary approval of the Church's plan to construct the Philadelphia temple. Renderings of the project have not been released, but the groundbreaking is expected to occur in the spring of 2011 with completion anticipated in 2013.

Groundbreaking spring of 2011 with completion anticipated in 2013!

See Conceptual views of the Temple and visitor's center. 

Speaking of groundbreaking, see two videos from/about the Rome Temple. The conceptual video is most interesting because the temple in Rome looks like it will be the same design as the Philadelphia temple.

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Church Launches New.lds.org

Visit the Church's new, upgraded website at new.lds.org.

The media-rich site emphasizes the teachings of living prophets and apostles, provides easy access to scriptures, and offers new tools for online gospel study.

I did some exploring and would like to introduce you to some of the new features.

I know, I know I've featured this on the blog before, BUT now it's even better...the design, the multimedia, the thoughtful choices of articles etc.

Study by Topic

I love this way of studying the scriptures. You get a complete picture of a gospel subject.

For example, let's look at the Temple topic.

First you get a simple definition or introduction, then Additional Information if you want to dive deeper.

"Temples are literally houses of the Lord. They are holy places of worship where individuals make sacred covenants with God....

"Temples are places of learning. Their principal purpose is to provide ordinances necessary for the children of God to enable them to return to dwell with Him."

Then Reference Scriptures...Isaiah 2: 1-3.

"1 The word that ^aIsaiah the son of Amoz ^bsaw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

 
"2 And it shall come to pass in the ^alast days, that the ^bmountain of the Lord’s ^chouse shall be ^destablished in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all ^enations shall flow unto it.

     UAdd a Note 

"3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us ^ago up to the ^bmountain of the Lord, to the ^chouse of the God of Jacob; and he will ^dteach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of ^eZion shall go forth the ^flaw, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

Next is a list of related recent church magazine articles.

For example, Happiness and Joy in Temple Work, by Franklin D. Richards in 1986.

"A temple is a retreat from the vicissitudes of life, a place of prayer and meditation providing an opportunity to receive inner peace, inspiration, guidance, and, frequently, solutions to the problems that vex our daily lives.     UAdd a Note 

"A temple is a place where the divine spark in man, or the infinite in man, can seek the infinite in God"

And last, Additional Study Materials, such as the Encyclpedia of Mormonisn, the Bible Dictionary and so forth.

Take a minute and check it out. Enrich your scripture study with this resource.

Next post: More about My Study Notebook

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Of Course, We Never Doubted

Philadelphia Inquirer full article: After dispute Mormon Temple will be built in Philly

After months of uncertainty as the city threatened to seize the land, construction of a $70 million Mormon temple near Logan Square will not only proceed but will help make the Parkway "one of the most incredible boulevards anywhere in the world," Mayor Nutter said Monday.

The 68,000-square-foot Philadelphia Temple at 17th and Vine Streets will create 300 building jobs and 50 permanent jobs, and attract 400,000 visitors a year, bringing "tens of millions of dollars of additional spending" to the city, Nutter said at a news conference.

A coworker sent me this link!

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Sincere Apologies

It looks like the RS Temple trip fizzled.

We tried to get the word out to everyone but missed a few. So sorry. :-(

Due to illness and last minute changes in plans, many of us could not go.

We will reschedule and let you know.

The Relief Society Presidency

Conceptual Views of the Temple

View from Logan's Circle

View from the southeast

From Deb Chiapelli

Temple News

Mormon temple hops hurdle, the headline reads.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is proposing to construct a monumental, $70 million temple on a block at 18th and Vine streets in Center City that will serve its growing membership throughout the Delaware Valley and beyond.

The temple will add another major anchor to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which is already being enhanced by the construction of the new museum for the Barnes Foundation. The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul is also nearby as well as other museums that dot the parkway.

The project has other significance. This will be the first temple to be constructed in Pennsylvania, and enable Mormons living in the region to attend services and special occasions, such as weddings, without having to drive to Manhattan or Washington, D.C. It will serve the 30,000 church members between northern Delaware, South Jersey and from Harrisburg eastward, said Elder Robert B. Smith, Area Seventy, who oversees church activities in the area.

If the church gets zoning and other approvals, it will also be a boost for the construction sector, which has been in the doldrums for two years as financing dried up for new projects. About 300 jobs will be associated with building the temple. The church will self-finance the development and has funds earmarked for the project. It would like to break ground by the end of the year. An opening is targeted for 2013.

“This has been on the horizon,” Smith said about the project, noting the church announces up to five new temple projects each year. The church a few years ago considered building a temple on North Broad Street and bought land to explore that option but realized the parcel was too small.

“This will be a beautiful addition to the city,” Smith said. “The design is of the highest quality and will be an attractive addition to Vine Street and Logan Square. We’ve been very sensitive to the surrounding area.”

While the final design of the Philadelphia temple is still being worked out, the project will be similar in appearance as the temple in Washington, D.C., and Salt Lake City but not in scale. The Philadelphia temple will have two spires. The Atlanta offices of architectural firm Perkins+Will is designing the Philadelphia project.

Read the full article and more:
Mormon Temple Hops Hurdle, Philadelphia Business Journal
Plans Advance for Mormon Temple in Philly, Philadelphia Daily News
City Council Approves Height Variance, KYW1060.com

Google Map showing location
See a photograph of the site
Unofficial Philadelphia Mormon Temple website, by The More Good Foundation

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Stake Temple Day

The Valley Forge Stake will be holding Stake Temple Morning on Saturday, May 22. Members are invited to attend one of three sessions. No chapel session will be held.

To encourage carpooling, increased attendance and a blessed, shared experience for everyone involved, the Stake Presidency is asking each member to invite two others to join them on the temple trip. Please especially consider those who commonly have a difficult time making it to the temple themselves.

WHO: Endowed members

WHAT: VF Stake Temple Morning

WHERE: Washington, DC Temple in Kensington, MD

WHEN: Saturday, May 22 - Session times: 10:00 a.m., 10:15 a.m. (Spanish-speaking), 10:30 a.m.

Mark your calendars, make your arrangements.

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