Not So Random Thoughts

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday afternoon session of the April 2010 conference.

Elder L. Tom Perry - The leaders of the Church spend a great deal of time thinking about how to improve teaching in the Church. Why do we invest this time and effort? It is because we believe in the immense power of teaching to increase the faith of individuals and strengthen families.

During my service as a Relief Society president I asked the Branch President if we could use the Sunday School time for all of the adults in the branch to participate in the teacher improvement course. His response was that he couldn't stop the whole branch to do that. He felt that too many of the adults would never become stellar teachers. I said that probably was true but they could become better students, better Sacrament Meeting speakers, and better Family Home Evening leaders in their own homes. Nope, he wouldn't consent to do it. So we plowed on ahead with untrained, inadequate teachers in just about every class. I felt so bad that he didn't see the value of "sharpening the saw" in the branch.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson - The word of God, as Alma said, is like a seed planted in our hearts that produces faith as it begins to grow within us (See Alma 32:27-43; see also Romans 10:13-17). Faith will not come from the study of ancient texts as a purely academic pursuit. It will not come from archaeological digs and discoveries. It will not come from scientific experiments. It will not even come from witnessing miracles. These things may serve to confirm faith, or at times to challenge it, but they do not create faith. Faith comes by the witness of the Holy Spirit to our souls, Spirit to spirit, as we hear or read the word of God. And faith matures as we continue to feast upon the word.

In my life I had some wonderful teachers to ignite my love of the gospel through the scriptures, beginning with my father and grandfather. Seminary and Institute teachers guided my study for a half dozen years before I served a mission and delved deeper into the word of God each day in preparation for teaching it to others. Before I ever heard Elder Bednar teach it, I found patterns and connections in the scriptures that spoke to my heart and I felt the confirmation of the Spirit of their truthfulness.

Elder Bruce A. Carlson - . . . strict obedience to God's laws brings His blessings and failure to abide by His laws leads to foreseeable consequences. . . . faithful obedience, regardless of the apparent size of the task, will bring the Lord's guidance, assistance and peace.

We are commanded to study the scriptures and teach them to one another. Is it any wonder that the Church invests time and effort to help us? Why are local leaders to reluctant to utilize the help available and more firmly encourage improvement? I do not understand it.

Elder David A. Bednar - Such learning requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion and not just passive reception. . . . What a glorious opportunity for family members to search the scriptures together and to be tutored by the Holy Ghost. . . . The spiritual discernment and inspiration you will receive from the combination of these three holy habits [Reading and talking about the Book of Mormon, Bearing testimony spontaneously, Inviting children to act] will enable you to stand as watchmen on the tower for your families--"watching. . . with all perseverance" (Ephesians 6:18)--to the blessing of your immediate family and your future posterity.

Oh how we need to be better learners and teachers. Many come to church hungering and thirsting for doctrine as well as strength and fellowship. I know I do! I don't want gospel "twinkies", I want a rich spread to feast upon and discuss with others as we share our insights, testimonies, and experiences.

Built Upon A Rock

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday morning session of the April 2010 conference.

A few weeks ago I gave a talk comparing our mortal journey toward the Celestial Kingdom to past "pioneer" journeys such as Moses and the children of Israel, Lehi and his family, and westward expansion pioneers including the famous Mormon Pioneers.

No analogy is perfect, but I can testify that whatever challenge we face we must keep pressing forward. We cannot sit down and wait until we aren't facing any challenges. Life doesn't work that way. We have to keep going to reach our Promised Land. We must endure faithfully and obediently to the end. (From my talk, 25 May 2025)

This past week has tested my resolve! The clutch on my car burned out. The tender mercy was that it happened just as I rolled into the Walmart parking lot a couple of blocks from the dealership. I got the car towed to the service department and they accepted it but they couldn't even look at it until a week later. The tender mercy was that they had a loaner I could use. On the same day, my husband fell down the stairs at the house he's working on in Iowa, twisting his ankle and getting banged up. That put a hold on the furniture moving we had planned for the weekend. Then on Saturday night in the midst of a heat wave with day time temps in the high 90's the air conditioning stopped working. I melted into a puddle on Sunday, but the tender mercy was that on Monday the temperature moderated and a lovely breeze blew all the hot air out of the house. Tuesday, as I type this, it's even cooler with a stronger breeze. Thankfully, we have ceiling fans in all the rooms.

All of this combined to discourage me and I've cried lots of tears. I won't go into all the other problems I'm facing just now. But it's overwhelming.

I appreciated Elder Wilford. W. Andersen's talk The Rock of Our Redeemer. He described the early saints as they were forced out of the homes in Nauvoo in the depths of winter.

These early Saints were indeed homeless, but they were not hopeless. Their hearts were broken, but their spirits were strong. They had learned a profound and important lesson. They had learned that hope, with its attendant blessings of peace and joy, does not depend upon circumstance. They had discovered that the true source of hope is faith--faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in His infinite Atonement, the one sure foundation upon which to build our lives.

Yes, I have learned to rely on my Savior too. I can't see the future, but I have assurances that it will all work out. "I do not ask to see the distant scene--one step enough for me."(Hymn 97 Lead Kindly Light)

Like the pioneers of old, I can't sit by waiting for things to happen. I have to keep moving forward, doing what I can and having faith that the next step will be revealed to me.

 

Faith in the Savior requires more than mere belief. The Apostle James taught that even the devils believe and tremble (James 2:9). But true faith requires work. The difference between the devils and the faithful members of this Church is not belief but work. Faith grows by keeping commandments. We must work at keeping the commandments.

The commandment I'm currently working on has to do with praying with more faith and fervor. I struggle to reconcile my desire to ask for things, and my hesitancy to "whine and beg". While raising our children I would tell them not to whine and beg for things. I heard them the first time and when the time was right, if the request was reasonable, I would provide. If I said no, then I really didn't want to hear any whining and begging. I don't know if Heavenly Father feels the same way. Or am I supposed to keep pleading until He gives in? I don't want to be like Martin Harris. It's a question that I haven't found an answer to.

I do know that it is my Savior, Redeemer and Friend who is my Rock; the one I cling to when the storms are fierce around me. He is the One I turn to for succor and relief when the trials are overwhelming. He is my comfort when tears spill down without ceasing. He is who I have build the foundation of my life on. He is the only one who has never let me down, or frustrated or disappointed me. I love Him with all my heart and soul and mind and strength.  

 

Relief Society: A Sacred Work

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the General Relief Society Meeting of the October 2009 conference.

Julie B. Beck is my favorite Relief Society General President because she is a woman after my own heart, prioritizing motherhood and home.

She quotes from the First Presidency in 1942, the occasion of the centennial of the Relief Society:

Members [of Relief Society] should permit neither hostile nor competitive interests of any kind to detract from the duties and obligations, the privileges and honors, the opportunities and achievements of membership in this great Society.

I grew up watching my mother and grandmother attend and participate in Relief Society. I wanted to be there too because I thought that was where the action was. They got things done! They learned things. They made things. They served others all the time. Or so it seemed to me. Relief Society seemed so important to them and they had deep relationships with their sisters. 

I so looked forward to becoming an adult sister in the gospel so I could fully participate in Relief Society. While I served as a missionary (1979-80) the church did away with the mid-week meetings and Relief Society became a Sunday meeting with a once a month homemaking night. I felt so cheated!

The once a month meeting went through several permutations and at this meeting Sister Beck retired the cumbersome name, Home, Family and Personal Enrichment, simplifying it to simply calling the meeting a Relief Society meeting, and by whatever it consisted of--service, classes, projects, conferences, or workshops.

I especially appreciate the instruction she gives about what these meetings should be.  

Under the direction of the bishop, the ward Relief Society presidency can use these meetings to address the spiritual and temporal needs of individuals and families in the ward and to strengthen sisterhood and unity. . . . This is where they learn and practice skills that will help them increase their faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and provide service to those in need.

This is what I think my grandmother's and mother's generations did so well! I wish every Relief Society presidency could experience the true vision of Relief Society. I attended one ward in Arkansas last year that seemed to be the closest I'd seen in over fifteen years. (I'd love to move to that ward!)

Sister Sylvia H. Allred, First Counselor to Sister Beck, said, "Your attendance at Relief Society Sunday meetings will bless you, but your participation in the work of Relief Society will bless the whole church."

The whole church, in fact, the whole world needs the blessings of the work of Relief Society. 

Choice and Accountability

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday afternoon session of the October 2009 conference.

One of my pet peeves is members of the church who speed, never allowing enough time to drive somewhere at or below the posted speed limit. I find it rather disingenuous to pray for safe travels and then break the laws. I wonder how members can use justifications to break the speed limit laws that would sound comical to justify breaking other laws or commandments. "Well, I'm just stealing a candy bar, not a television." "I'm just having a little bit of coffee, it's mostly milk." "It's just one cigarette when I'm feeling really stressed." 

In Elder Quentin L. Cook's talk, Stewardship--A Sacred Trust, he says, "This feeling of accountability, which is encompassed by the first great commandment to love God, has been described by some as 'obedience to the unenforceable.' We try to do what is right because we love and want to please our Father in Heaven, not because someone is forcing us to obey." Isn't that how speed laws are? They are rarely enforced, we obey them because we want to be safe, and found on the right side of the law. How much more important are the commandments, especially the ones that will let us into or keep us out of the temple.

Elder Cook tells the story of his grandfather returning to his ranch in his old age to find that the fences protecting the spring had deteriorated and cattle had gotten into the spring and polluted it. The grandfather felt terrible that he hadn't been able to keep up what he felt was his stewardship to protect that source of pure water. Because of the grandpa's reaction to the polluted spring, action was taken to renew the fences and put in place protections to return the spring to its original loveliness and purity.

Elder Cook says, "I would suggest that if we think about giving an accounting of our actions to the Savior, our rationalizations will be seen in their true light."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk, Moral Discipline had similar themes. He said, "Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard."

Exceeding the speed limit is not necessarily a moral issue, except if you think about the example you are setting for your children. Especially if you think about saying to them at the time they get their driver's license--do as I say not as I do, because the insurance cost will skyrocket if you get a ticket.

If we are faithful in small things we are practicing to be faithful and obedient in larger things, especially in the arena of moral choices. 

Elder Christofferson told about President James E. Faust standing before a board of inquiry when he applied to officer candidate school and being asked "In times of war should not the moral code be relaxed? Does not the stress of battle justify men in doing things that they would not do when at home under normal situations?" And his answer, "I do not believe there is a double standard of morality."

Elder Christofferson ended with this timely counsel. "We cannot presume that the future will resemble the past--that things and patterns we have relied upon economically, politically, socially will remain as they have been. Perhaps our moral discipline, if we will cultivate it, will have an influence for good and inspire others to pursue the same course. We may thereby have an impact on future trends and events. At a minimum, moral discipline will be of immense help to us as we deal with whatever stresses and challenges may come in a disintegrating society."

Looking around at the world today we can see how our choices can either draw others to Christ or turn them away. There is no middle ground anymore. We can be moral beacons to guide others to the safety of the Gospel.

The "ity" Virtues

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday morning session of the October 2009 conference.

I like Bishop H. David Burton. He just sounds like a good man, and a fun grandpa. In 1998 he gave a talk called A Season of Opportunity and shared a lesson he had learned from President and Sister Joseph Fielding Smith about patronizing stores that honored the Sabbath Day. That changed the way I shopped ever since. I wrote about it here.

This session's talk was about standing tall and being firmly fixed in perpetuating Christlike virtues. He called them the "ity" virtues because they mostly end in the letters "i t y". 

He spoke of many virtues and quoted President James E. Faust as suggesting "that integrity is the mother of many virtues." I find that to be true because a person of integrity is one whose actions match their words and beliefs. If I say I'm kind but my actions don't show kindness I'm not a person of integrity. 

We live in great and perilous times. The sides (good vs. evil) are polarizing with no middle ground. Either we follow Jesus Christ and practice what we preach, or we follow the other guy. It's becoming impossible to be neutral or to have one foot in each camp. We all must choose one or the other.

Bishop Burton said, "I testify and declare that our Heavenly Father expects His children to exercise integrity, civility, fidelity, charity, generosity, morality, and all the 'ity' virtues. May we have the humility to take the opportunity to act upon our responsibility to demonstrate our ability to do so, I pray in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen."

I needed this reminder to examine my life, repent and bring it more into harmony with my covenants to follow the Savior. Studying the past General Conferences is such a blessing in my life! I recommend it to everyone. It's really like studying the scriptures, modern scriptures given in our very day.