Settle This in Your Hearts, There are Prophets in the Land Again!

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday afternoon session of the October 2006 conference. 

The talks by Elder Larry W. Gibbons followed by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland dovetailed as if planned.  Elder Gibbons talked about the blessings of having commandments, that they are meant to draw us closer to God.

My fear is that too many of us are not fully committed to living all the commandments. These Saints are not willing to leave the world completely behind. They are holding back.

When teaching our children I would explain that just as we have rules in our family and home to keep you children safe and happy, God has commandments to keep us safe and happy. His rules are not restrictive, any more than my rule to not touch the hot stove is restrictive. You are free to touch, but you are not free from the consequences of doing so. You will be safer and happier if you obey my rules!

The closer we get to the Savior's Second Coming the more clear the choice is between the two warring sides. We are either on the Lord's side or we are choosing (or defaulting to) Satan's side.

We cannot keep one foot in the Church and one foot in the world. One reason is the world and the Church are rapidly diverging. We will lose our balance. . . . How do we lose our savor? One way is when we stop being different from the world. Many in the Church are drifting in the direction of the world and looking and becoming more and more like the world. We must stop drifting.

I think about that as I try to navigate the current culture. I want to look and act and be seen as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I don't want to look, sound or act like the world. But we don't have a distinctive dress like the Amish or Mennonites do. (Although there are times when I'd like to have a simplified wardrobe and not have to make so many choices!) I do chose to be modest, in the old-fashioned sense of being covered up and not trendy. When I was in a homeschooling group years ago we joked about being "Denimites" because we all wore denim skirts or jumpers. 

I like what Elder Gibbons says, "There are precious blessings that come only from the complete yielding of one's heart to God." Perhaps one of those blessings is that we will receive inspiration about, and confirmation of, questions we have, such as what we should wear, and any other choices we face.

Then Elder Gibbons finishes with the admonition, "Brothers and sisters, stay on the straight and narrow path. No, stay in the middle of the straight and narrow path. Don't drift; don't wander; don't dabble; be careful." Wise counsel for our day.

Elder Holland was the next speaker and he said, "It is no trivial matter for this Church to declare to the world prophecy, seership, and revelation, but we do declare it."

In today's culture where youth is worshipped and the aged are largely disregarded, Elder Holland's testimony about the leadership of the Church is thrilling:

. . . I say with all the fervor of my soul that never in my personal or professional life have I ever associated with any group who are so in touch, who know so profoundly the issues facing us, who look so deeply into the old, stay so open to the new, and weigh so carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully everything in between. I testify that the grasp this body of men and women have of moral and societal issues exceeds that of any think tank or brain trust of comparable endeavor of which I know anywhere on the earth.

Wow!! What a declaration. And what a blessing to have, and know that we have, prophets, seers, and revelators among us to lead and guide us on the covenant path of discipleship. I'm eager for the upcoming General Conference!

Applicable to Relief Society

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Priesthood session of the October 2006 conference.

Rozy at Blue Mounds State Park - Prairie Flowers

Many of the principles taught by Elder Henry B. Eyring seemed to me to be equally applicable to the Relief Society.

. . . the strength of a quorum comes in large measure from how completely its members are united in righteousness. . . . [quoting Alma in the book of Mosiah] having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.

The Relief Society was initially founded to give service to those working on building the temple. The Prophet Joseph Smith gave the sisters further direction to lead others to the Savior. Serving together, sharing resources and skills, enabled the sisters to serve both more effectively and more widely.

The quorum is a service unit, and the members learn in their service. A quorum can give greater service than the members could give alone. And that power is multiplied by more than their numbers. Every quorum has a leader with authority and responsibility to direct priesthood service. 

 

If you've ever been in a ward where there are cliques and partiality between members you might know the feelings of loneliness and exclusion, which should never exist in the Lord's church.

One of the hallmarks of a strong quorum is the feeling of fellowship among its members. They care for each other. They help each other. . . . so that they will lift and encourage each other to serve in righteousness with the Master in His work to offer eternal life to Heavenly Father's children.

As I listened to this talk I felt so strongly that these principles and instructions could apply equally to the Relief Society. I wondered what action I could take since I'm not in the Relief Society presidency, or any other RS calling. I have no authority, responsibility or influence over what happens in Relief Society. So I decided that all I can do is work within my small sphere of influence among the sisters I'm assigned to minister to. 

. . . He has promised us that with His help good quorums can become great quorums. He wants that for us. And I know that He needs stronger quorums to bless the children of our Heavenly Father, according to the covenants. I have faith that He will.

What a wonderful promise! 

Sunday Will Come

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday afternoon session of the October 2006 conference.

The thing that gave me the most comfort when our son took his own life and was gone, was my belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the promise of the resurrection. I do not know how others get through life without it.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said, "The Resurrection is at the core of our beliefs as Christians. Without it our faith is meaningless."

Not only our faith, but our very lives. What meaning is there in life if this is all there is? There would be no rhyme or reason for the vicissitudes that afflict us. We would go from struggle to struggle without any hope of relief or recompense. Thankfully, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which includes His resurrection, all things can be made right, and we will see and be with our loved ones again.

". . . when Christ rose from the tomb, He did something no one had ever done. He did something no one else could do. He broke the bonds of death, not only for Himself but for all who have ever lived--the just and the unjust. 

"When Christ rose from the grave, becoming the firstfruits of the Resurrection, He made that gift available to all. And with that sublime ast, He softened the devastating, consuming sorrow that gnaws at the souls of those who have lost precious loved ones."

Amen!

"No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come. . . . The Resurrection transformed the lives of those who witnessed it. Should it not transform ours? . . . Because of the life and eternal sacrifice of the Savior of the world, we will be reunited with those we have cherished."

Elder Wirthlin's testimony is so similar to mine, "I am grateful beyond measure for the sublime true doctrines of the gospel and for the gift of the Holy Ghost, which has whispered comforting and peaceful words . . . From the depths of my sorrow I have rejoiced in the glory of the gospel. I rejoice that the Prophet Joseph Smith was chosen to restore the gospel to the earth in this last dispensation. I rejoice that we have a prophet, . . . , who directs the Lord's Church in our day. . . . That we may know that no matter how dark our Friday, Sunday will come, is my prayer, . . . ." 

The First Generation

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday morning session of the October 2006 conference.

Once when my companion and I invited a person we were teaching to be baptized the person said, "Oh, I can't join the church. I don't have any pioneer ancestors." To which I answered, "I don't either. My Grandpa Hansen joined in 1905 in Norway, and immigrated to Utah the next year. He crossed the plains on the train! And I'm so grateful that he did. Your grandchildren will be grateful to you and honor you for being the first in your family to join the Lord's church, just as I am so thankful for my Grandpa."

Elder Paul B. Pieper spoke of and to those who are the first in their family to join the church. "You add great strength to the Church when you use your testimony, talents, abilities, and energy to build the kingdom in your wards and branches. . . . You are an example to your family of a true disciple of Jesus Christ."

My husband is the first in his family to join the church. He has struggled at times to stay active and faithful. Elder Pieper's advice is helpful, "Do not be discouraged if you make a mistake. Repenting and continuing to press forward are perhaps the most important patterns to develop in the first generation. Be patient and move forward in obedience." That counsel is pertinent to all of us. Further, he says, "Be faithful, serve your fellowman, bless your family, and make proper choices."

The earliest member of the church that I can find in my family tree is a great-great grandmother named Charlotte Haynes who joined the church in 1865 in England. I'm eternally grateful for her, for my great-great grandfather James Campbell who joined in 1875 in Scotland, for great grandma Anne Marie Mathiasen, baptized in 1879 in Denmark, and Grandpa Conrad Hansen baptized 10 February 1905 in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Norway. They were all the first generations of my ancestors, I am the fifth generation.

Zion in the Midst of Babylon

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday afternoon session of the April 2006 conference.

Today we had a severe storm pass through including a tornado. My first clue was the sound of the sirens blasting away, and then an emergency notice on my phone to take cover now! I quickly gathered a few things and descended to the basement, set up my camp chair, sat down and cried. Severe weather is the only thing that really scares me. Cell service ceased for a time and I felt rather alone. Fortunately, the storm passed and we were spared any damage.

Spiritual storms swirl around us without much physical warning. Wickedness increases as does the darkness. It reminds me of what Gandalf said in Lord of the Rings about a darkness descending over the lands. It's very real!

I was impressed with Elder David R. Stone's talk about building Zion in the midst of Babylon. I didn't remember him and couldn't place his accent so I looked up information. He was born in Argentina, moving to Utah sometime in his teens. He lived and worked all over the world, and died in 2014. 

He could have been describing today's social media when he said, "People in every culture move within a cocoon of self-satisfied self-deception, fully convinced that the way they see things is the way things really are." This is probably nowhere more true than in our politically polarized time. Elder Stone said, "There is, of course, a zeitgeist to which we should pay attention, and that is the ethos of the Lord, the culture of the people of God." When the prophet talks to us of being peacemakers, and thinking Celestial, we should give heed and do what he asks of us. We are supposed to be preparing for the Savior's Second Coming, not building bridges to Babylon. "We can create the real Zion among us by limiting the extent to which Babylon will influence our lives. . . . Seduced by our culture, we often hardly recognize our idolatry, as our strings are pulled by that which is popular in the Babylonian world." 

Doesn't this sound like good advice: "We do not need to adopt the standards, the mores, and the morals of Babylon. We can create Zion in the midst of Babylon. We can have our own standards for music and literature and dance and film and language. We can have our own standards for dress and deportment, for politeness and respect. We can live in accordance with the Lord's moral laws. We can limit how much of Babylon we allow into our homes by the media of communication."

I have long admired the Amish and Mennonite peoples for their courage to live differently and follow their consciences without regard to fitting in with the rest of the world. They are recognizable and so inspiring because of their modestly and virtue. Their courage to be different is admirable. "If we are to have Zion in the midst of Babylon, we will need courage." 

Elder Stone finishes, "We do not need to become puppets in the hands of the culture of the place and time. We can be courageous and can walk in the Lord's paths and follow His footsteps. And if we do, we will be called Zion, and we will be the people of the Lord. . . . We seek Zion because it is the habitation of our Lord, who is Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. In Zion, and from Zion, His luminous and incandescent light will shine forth, and He will rule forever." Yes! I'm looking forward to that day.

Elizabeth aka Noble