Words to Live By

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday afternoon session of the April 2003 conference.

Every talk in this session was, of course, wonderful. But I want to focus on two topics.

From Elder James M. Dunn of the Seventy,

We live in a world marked by great diversity: different lands, cultures, races, and languages. To some degree, at least, one must believe that this is the way God intended it to be. The gospel teaches us that, notwithstanding these differences, we are all children of the same Heavenly Father. The human race is one family, and we are all, therefore, brothers and sisters.

To remember that we all are brothers and sisters is thinking celestially. How we treat each other will be a reflection of our thinking. He explains,

As the result of . . . erroneous thinking, the world is filled with lurid and lascivious attractions. We see young men refusing to marry; young women foolishly surrendering their virtue in pursuit of lustful relationships; couples who purposefully refuse to have children or who opt for a "trophy child" because a family would interfere with plans for adventure, leisure, or maximum financial gain.

 

Elder Dunn explained that, "Successfully working our way through life, while keeping our eye on life's true purposes, blesses us both here and hereafter." 

Later in the session, Elder L. Tom Perry said, quoting Brigham Young, ". . . our families are not yet ours. The Lord has committed them to us to see how we will treat them. Only if we are faithful will they be given to us forever. What we do on earth determines whether or not we will be worthy to become heavenly parents."

Isn't it sad that so many don't quite understand the consequences of their choices, which are eternal in nature. This week I was thinking about how everything is spiritual to God; every commandment, etc., and the thought came to me that, of course, everything is spiritual to Him because He lives in a spiritual realm where time is not measured, and He can see the end from the beginning and understands all things. We live in a finite, mortal world, where sometimes we can't see past the end of our nose. We have to learn to trust Him, His sight and wisdom, and simply obey, even when we don't understand why. That is what becoming like a child means. (See Matthew 18:1-3, and Mosiah 3:19) I hope that I'm doing better the older I get.

Recently I've been thinking about missionary work. I would love to serve another mission. (I served in Florida Tallahassee Mission, 1979-1980, under LeGrand R. Curtis) I have been pondering how I can help build our small branch here in Minnesota as well. Elder Henry B. Eyring and Elder M. Russell Ballard gave great talks on missionary work, especially as done by ordinary members. 

Elder Eyring posed the question we might ask, "How could I become better at sharing my faith with those who do not yet feel what I feel?" He said, "There is no single pattern in what they do. [From the stories of people who have shared the gospel.] There is no common technique. . . . Each has prayed to know what to do. They each seem to get a different answer, suited especially to them and to the people they meet." 

One of the challenges I face is that I'm simply at home most of the time. I don't go outside to work; I'm not part of any school parent's group; I haven't taken any classes, or joined a group of any kind. I go to church, I go out for errands, (bank, post office, shopping, etc.) and that's it. Plus the fact that we live 45 minutes from the church is another detriment. (Not to mention that our branch seldom has any social activities to invite anyone to.) So opportunities for missionary moments are rare. But Elder Eyring advises,

Pray for the chance to encounter people who sense there could be something better in their lives. Pray to know what you should do to help them. Your prayers will be answered. You will meet people prepared by the Lord. You will find yourself feeling and saying things beyond your past experience. And then in time you will feel yourself drawing closer to your Heavenly Father, and you will feel the cleansing and the forgiveness the Savior promises His faithful witnesses. And you will feel His approval, knowing you have done what He asked of you, because He love you and trusts you.

 

Elder M. Russell Ballard, after speaking of raising the bar for full-time missionaries, said, ". . . we must also raise the level of expectation for the performance of all the members of the church in fulfilling our missionary duties." 

 

Remember, brothers and sisters, we're not marketing a product. We're not selling anything. We're not trying to impress anyone with our numbers or our growth. We are members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, empowered and sent forth by the Lord Himself to find, nourish, and bring safely into His Church those who are seeking to know the truth.

Elder Ballard quotes President Hinckley from 1999, "I would like to suggest that every bishop in the Church give as a motto to his people, 'Let's all work to grow the ward.'" It boggles my mind when I hear people in our branch say they don't want it to grow, they enjoy the smallness and intimacy of the branch. I'm rather tired of that smallness, and the sameness, and the lack of training and vision, and the lack of sociality. Distances are great, and most everyone is too busy with worldly pursuits to want to add any church activities to the mix. So different from when I grew up, when the church was the social center of our lives. (I miss the olden days!)     

Again from Elder Ballard, 

Happiness comes from understanding God and knowing that He has a plan for our eternal joy and peace. Happiness comes from knowing and loving the Savior and living our lives in accordance with His teachings. Happiness comes from strong family and Church relationships based on gospel values.

How can we not want to help others enjoy what we have? How can we not want our units to grow with families who will bring fresh devotion and energy? 

I remember the joy of sharing the gospel as a missionary. I want to feel that again! 

P.S. One of my favorite movies to watch on Halloween is "Coco", which is also one of the best movies to inspire us to pursue Family History.

 

Blessed by Living Waters

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday morning session of the April 2003 conference.

Throughout the fall of 2022 I had the nagging feeling that I needed to establish a better habit of daily gospel study. I put it off until the new year when I determined that I would keep up with the Come Follow Me chapters and begin reading The Book of Mormon again, as well as keep up with the General Conference Odyssey and study the current conference talks. Ambitious, I know. But I felt I needed to up my game, as the saying goes. 

I enjoyed studying the life and ministry of the Savior in the first part of the New Testament. I found a YouTube channel that gives weekly insights to the Come Follow Me lessons which helped me grow a deeper love for Jesus Christ. Through the Book of Mormon I recalled that all families have challenges. Through General Conference talks I felt instructed and nourished.

When tragedy struck our family in April I clung to my testimony of Jesus Christ, so recently nourished and strengthened by my daily habit of gospel study. 

Sister Kathleen H. Hughes, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, said, "Living water heals. It nourishes and sustains. It brings peace and joy." That sentence alone struck me with great force. Because I had acted on a prompting, I could weather the storm of losing a precious son. I was partaking of the living water, and the bread of life daily.

Sister Hughes said, "There is cause to be concerned, but there is greater reason to be at peace."

Yes, yes, there is. We have a Savior, a Redeemer, a Friend and Brother, a Spiritual Father, all in the person of Jesus Christ, whose Atoning Sacrifice will make all things right in the end. Somehow. 

The Samaritan woman looked into the face of Christ, listened to His voice, and recognized Him at a time when most others rejected all He taught. We know Him too, or we can, if we allow His healing power, His nourishing strength, His peace and joy, to flow through us like "a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

I'm so grateful for daily manna to feed my soul.  

Here Am I, Send Me

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the General Relief Society session of the October 2002 conference.

In April 2005 I had the privilege of being a presenter at BYU Women's Conference. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I've always wished I could do it again and again. On the day of the conference as I made my way toward the Marriot Center in Provo, I was greeted by Sister Bonnie Parkin, Relief Society General President, who gathered me into her arms for a big hug and said, "We're so glad you're here with us!" I felt I'd died and gone to heaven. She didn't know me, but her expression of love was so warm and genuine that it gave me just the boost I needed.

Sister Parkin and her counselors were sustained in April 2002 and this is their first General Relief Society meeting in October 2002. They chose the theme "Here Am I, Send Me" and each spoke in different ways on that subject. I'm just going to share the quotes that touched me the most.

Sister Parkin: 

• Making covenants is the expression of a willing heart; keeping covenants, the expression of a faithful heart.
• . . . when we obey the prophet's guidance, we are keeping a covenant.
• Women of covenant stand firm when evil is called good and good is called evil. Whether it be in the college classroom, around the water cooler, or watching TV's latest "experts", remembering our covenants keeps us from being led astray.
• Sisters, the Lord needs women who will teach children to work and learn and serve and believe.
• The spiritual integrity to keep our covenants comes from consistency in scripture study, prayer, service, and sacrifice.

Sister Kathleen H. Hughes, First Counselor

• . . . modesty is a battle worth fighting because it so often affects more serious moral issues.
• The theme of this conference is "Here am I, send me." The words are a promise to the Lord and an expression of our willingness to serve. If we keep our covenants, the promises we receive in return are great.

Sister Anne C. Pingree, Second Counselor

• We, as covenant women, have consecrated ourselves to the cause of Christ through our baptismal and temple covenants. We can alter the face of the earth one family and one home at a time through charity, our small and simple acts of pure love.
• Little by little our charitable acts change our natures, define our characters, and ultimately make us women with the courage to say to the Lord, "Here am I; send me."
• Dear sisters, what you are doing with your families matters! It matters so very, very much.
• Beloved Relief Society sisters, I know that wherever we live, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, we, as covenant women, united in righteousness, can alter the face of the earth.

President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, was the concluding speaker. He spoke for almost twenty-four minutes! It was a powerful address.

• Sisters, whatever your circumstances, you all need to have oil in your lamps. This means being prepared.
• Quoting President Spencer W. Kimball, ". . . spiritual preparedness cannot be shared in an instant. . . . In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living. Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, home teaching, control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures--each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternity--these too, contribute importantly to the oil with which we can at midnight refuel our exhausted lamps."
• My testimony, based upon 59 years of family life, is that my Ruth's participation in Relief Society has brought enriched spirituality and harmony to our home. This divinely inspired organization has not only blessed her life but also the lives of each of our family members. Involvement in Relief Society can help you replenish the oil in your lamps. It can provide for you much of the stability and stamina you will need as you weather the storms of life and journey through mortality.

(President Faust's last statement is the ideal that I'd love to see return to the Relief Society organization. We've lost much of the education and service that used to be the standard for improving women's lives and serving in the world.)

Come to Zion!

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday afternoon session of the October 2002 conference.

This talk resonated with me because I'm striving to use my time more wisely, and I long for the day of Zion.

Bishop Keith B. McMullin, Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric spoke of a "challenge that seems universal: having enough time to do everything that needs doing." He said, "The challenge is daunting because time is fixed; man can neither lengthen out the day nor extend the year."

I remember a mother of a large family saying that when she gets to be a god and creates a world, she's going to organize it with eight days in a week. On the night of the seventh day all children under the age of 18 go to sleep and sleep through the eighth day so that parents can get things done and have some time to themselves. She said this to me before I was a parent so I didn't understand her longing. After I became one I totally understood! Alas, we can't do that here and have to manage our time wisely.

Bishop McMullin said, "As the world grapples with more efficient ways of managing time, it lures us into more and more earthly pursuits. But life is not a struggle with time--it is a struggle between good and evil. . . . Use the gospel plan to set proper priorities."

I feel a bit distraught when I hear sisters in Relief Society talk about not having enough time to minister or study the gospel or hold a calling or attend functions, then hear the same women talk of the latest TV show, or shopping, or pursuing more in their career. Sounds judgmental, but I wonder if their priorities are mixed up. We each get the same twenty-four hours in a day, how we chose to use those hours reveals what we value most.

Bishop McMullin said, "The establishment of Zion should be the aim of every member of this Church. It can be safely said: As we seek with all our hearts to bring forth and establish Zion, the vexations of too little time will disappear." He went on to say, "Zion is established and flourishes because of the God-inspired lives and labors of its citizens. Zion comes not as a gift but because virtuous covenant people are drawn together and build it. President Spencer W. Kimball observed, 'As we sing together, "Come to Zion," we mean . . . come to the ward, the branch, the mission, the stake, and give assistance to build up Zion."'

I liked what Elder Gong said in the most recent conference, "For some time I have felt that, in many places in the Church, a few more ward activities, of course planned and implemented with gospel purpose, could knit us together with even greater belonging and unity." That sounds like Zion building to me.

Bishop McMullin spoke of four doctrinal principles that help us build Zion: love, work, self-reliance, and consecration. "These principles . . . are God given. Those who embrace them and govern themselves accordingly become pure in heart. Righteous unity is the hallmark of their society. Their peace and harmony become an ensign to the nations. . . . The kingdom of God is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and will become Zion in all her beauty." 

I try to do my part as best I can. I believe Zion will come about as we minister to and encourage each other in living our covenants more fully. No one can achieve Zion alone, it is a group effort. And I believe that it will grow organically rather than by assignment.

A Woman of Faith

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday morning session of the October 2002 conference.

An old song suggests, "What the world needs now, is love, sweet love, . . ." and while that is always true, I want to suggest that what the world needs right now is virtuous, faithful women of God.

Sister Margaret D. Nadauld, Young Women General President (just released), said, "A Latter-day Saint woman who follows Christ's example in her daily living begins to fulfill the plan of our Heavenly Father for her. By so doing she can be a powerful influence for the good in today's world and meet the challenges of mortality. . . . She is a woman of faith who trusts God and is confident and fearless."

Our world could be so much better if the influencers on social media were women of God, full of faith in Him, confident of her identities as a daughter of God, a mother in Zion, and a light to the world.

In Relief Society this past Sunday we discussed Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk on becoming One in Christ. The doctrine in the talk is unity, becoming Zion, etc.  He said, "Unity does not require sameness, but it does require harmony." We sometimes forget (at least I do) that we don't have to chose the same path through life to be united. Each faithful woman adds to the whole. God has directed us individually to fulfill His purposes and plans. As we faithfully trust Him we will be led in the right direction and guided to our desired destination.

Sister Nadauld's description of a confident woman makes me want to be and do better. 

A woman of faith is confident because she understands the divine plan of our Heavenly Father and her role to bless lives. She is confident that any sacrifice she makes is worth something in an eternal sense. She knows about sacrifice from knowing of the life of the Savior. She knows that her sacrifice may be small by comparison, but she knows that Heavenly Father understands and values what she does to strengthen her home and her family and the world in which she lives. Her confidence grows because she is virtuous and lovely and gracious, which is even better than beautiful.

 

I never felt it was a sacrifice to give up a job to stay home with our first baby, and stay there to have four more. It was what I had wanted my whole life. Other women feel differently, but I think, and hope, that all women want to be good wives and mothers, as well as a good influence in the greater world outside our homes. 

A woman of faith is fearless. She fears no evil, for God is with her. There is no ambiguity, no uncertain trump in her life. She can live a principled life because she studies the doctrine and teachings of a perfect teacher, the Master. She is a noble example to all who know her. She is less than perfect, of course, not because she doesn't have perfect principles or the perfect example in Christ, but because she is human. She stays away from the evil influence and the unclean thing, and if it encroaches on her territory, she is a lioness protecting her cubs. . . . She has a certain style of her own that is attractive and joyful and bright and good. Our little girls and our young women can safely trust in her example.

I appreciate that she says, "She has a certain style of her own . . . ". Many years ago I did a topical study in the scriptures of everything about clothing and modesty. It was an interesting study and I learned a great deal about how the Lord feels about what we wear and how we present ourselves to the world. In the Doctrine and Covenants He says, ". . . let all thy garments be plain, and their beauty the beauty of the work of thine own hands; And let all things be done in cleanliness before me." (D&C 42:40-41) I looked up the word "plain" and found that it didn't necessarily mean unadorned, but could mean clear, evident, obvious. So I understood the verse to mean 'let it be obvious by your dress that you are a follower of Jesus, and when the fashions of the world are not appropriate for a woman of covenant, make your own! Be clean from the stain of worldly vulgarity and immodesty.' I think that's what Sister Nadauld was talking about when she said, "She has a certain style of her own".

A woman of faith loves the Lord. She wants Him to know it by the life she lives, by the words she speaks, by the service she renders to His children, by her every action. She knows that He loves her even though she is imperfect and still trying to be better. She knows that when she does her very best, that it is enough, as President Hinckley has told us.

We have to figuratively gird up our loins and fresh courage take as we continue to face the challenges of being women (and men) of faith living in a disintegrating world of evil. We can do it! Together as women of faith.