GENERAL CONFERENCE

 

“A message given to a General Authority at a general conference – a message prepared under the influence of the Spirit to further the work of the Lord – is not given to be enjoyed. It is given to inspire, to edify, to challenge, or to correct. It is given to be heard under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord, with the intended result that the listener learns from the talk and from the Spirit what he or she should do about it.”

-          Dallin H. Oaks, “The Dedication of A Lifetime”, CES Fireside for Young Adults, 1 May 2005

I will add just one thing. We should not look to General Conference to teach us how to be better mothers, fathers, neighbours, citizens….or how to be successful in any of our endeavours, overcome our weaknesses, addictions and sins and ‘to further the work of the Lord’. We should look to General Conference to tell us what we need to know here and now how to develop the Christ-like attribute that we need here and now. This is all that matters…because in the process of becoming like the Saviour, one attribute at a time, we become good mothers, fathers, neighbours….we overcome our weaknesses, addictions and sins, we become a success overall and we further the work of the Lord.

This is His Church…a shelter from the storm that is seeking to swallow us, a place that seeks to embrace us and keep us under the shadow of His wings. A place that is preparing us for the day “when He shall appear and we shall be like Him” (Moroni 7:48). This is all that matters……

Thou art our everlasting God

Jehovah, our King,

Hide us under the shadow of Thy wings

That we might not cause Thee sorrow;

And help us wait for Thee

In the dawning of tomorrow. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Clouds of Glory by Greg Sargent)

BE STILL MY SOUL

 

 

Matthew tells us that He, who would die for the sake of His sheep, was greatly pained by the spiritual state of the House of Israel during His earthly ministry regarding them ‘scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd’ (Matthew 9:36), but He, the greatest Shepherd of all made a promise by the mouth of Ezekiel some 500 years before: “Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out….I will feed my flock….I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick…..And I will make with them a covenant of peace….for ye are my flock, the flock of my pasture,  and I am your God…...” (Ezekiel 34:2,4,11,15-16,25,31).

 

And further by the mouth of Jeremiah, a promise more pertinent to us, modern day Israel: “….I will gather the remnant of my flock…and I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord….” (Jeremiah 23:1-6). Today the Master Shepherd watches over His sheep under the watchful eye of the shepherds of His Church. As General Conference draws near, may we, the sheep of His flock, thirst for the green pastures enriched by the words of the shepherds…..

 

Be still my soul

And know that He leads you

By the voice of His heart.

He beckons and He calls

Your spirit to ignite

To truth and godly path.

His love will find you,

He will lead you and save your soul,

He is the Shepherd

Who will answer your call.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Love Everlasting by Yongsung Kim)

THE CHURCH FULFILLS PROPHECIES

"We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (9th Article of Faith)

Continuing revelation is the lifeblood of this Church.  President Lee once shared this story:

"Elder John A. Widstoe of the Council of the Twelve once told of a discussion he had with a group of stake officers.  In the course of the discussion someone said to him, 'Brother Widstoe, how long has it been since the Church received a revelation?'  Brother Widstoe rubbed his chin thoroughly and said in reply, 'Oh, probably since last Thursday'." (Lee, Harold B., Stand Ye In Holy Places, Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City: 1974, pp 132-33)

It is amazing to me to witness how revelation can bridge time in fulfilment of prophecies.  It strengthens my testimony to see how the Church is an instrument in God's hands to effect this fulfilment.  None of this would be possible if revelation had ceased between God and his children.  One such prophecy dates back to Ezekiel:

"The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 'Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, for Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all of the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand". (Ezek 37:15-17)

The obvious reference of the sticks is the Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon.  The way they have been made into one stick, two historical accounts becoming one witness of Jesus Christ, is through the Church's own publication of the Bible, influenced by revelation, which incorporates references to all of the standard works.

Elder Boyd K. Packer expounded on the significance of the new editions of the scriptures back in 1982:

"The stick or record of Judah - the Old Testament and the New Testament - and the stick or record of Ephraim - The Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ - are now woven together in such a way that as you pore over one you are drawn to the other, as you learn from one you are enlightened by the other.  They are indeed one in our hands.  Ezekiel's prophecy now stands fulfilled.

With the passing of years, these scriptures will produce successive generations of faithful Christians who know the Lord Jesus Christ and are disposed to obey His will.

The older generation has been raised without them, but there is another generation growing up.  The revelations will be opened to them as to no other in the history of the world.  Into their hands now are placed the sticks of Joseph and of Judah.  They will develop a gospel scholarship beyond that which their forebears could achieve.  They will have the testimony that Jesus is the Christ and be competent to proclaim Him and to defend Him. (Boyd K. Packer, "Scriptures", Ensign, Nov. 1982, p. 53)

We are privileged to be a part of the most important and powerful institution on this earth.  Powerful because at the helm of it is Jesus Christ who directs it through his living prophets.  Important because of the work that is being accomplished through revelation for the salvation of the human family.  This institution is the only place that will enable us to stand at the last day when the Saviour returns.  Whether we survive what is to take place before that great event, is up to us.  President Lee explained it in this way:

"This is what has been said, in effect, in this conference:  Unless every member of this Church gains for himself an unshakeable testimony of the divinity of this Church, he will be among those who will be deceived in this day when the 'elect according to the covenant' are going to be tried and tested.  Only those will survive who have gained for themselves that testimony." (President Harold B. Lee, October 1950)

A GREAT LESSON IN REPENTANCE AND FORGIVENESS

My favourite talk of the October Conference was by Elder Richard G. Scott entitled "Personal Strength Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ".  I absolutely loved the way he used the story of the people of Ammon to demonstrate the principle that entitled his talk.  Never before had I given the fathers of the stripling warriors a second thought, how they must have felt to send their young sons out to battle instead of themselves, because of the sins they have committed in the past which necessitated the covenant they entered into to bury their weapons of war.  What faith it would have taken for those fathers who had keenly felt their responsibility to protect their families to allow their young sons to fight in their stead, not knowing if they would ever come back alive. And how would they have felt if their sons had died because of them?  Herein lies a great lesson for us.  So often we think 'this is my life and I'll do what I want' not suspecting that what we do has a profound effect on those around us and more often than not our loved ones bear the brunt of our sins as well as ourselves.  Not only did the Ammonite fathers have to send their teenage sons off to war because of them but they also had to rely on Nephite's mercy to provide them with protection they could no longer enforce themselves.   If you are not familiar with this story, read Alma chapter 53 of the Book of Mormon.

I was equally impressed with Elder Scott's insight into how incredibly important it was for those fathers not to break the covenant they had made because that would have left them exposed to Satan's power.  He pointed out that had they broken their covenant, they would have become vulnerable to Satan's attempt to exploit their memory of any previous guilt and would by this lure them back into his influence.  I think guilt is one of his greatest tools because by it he stands the chance of making us believe that we will never be better than the sins we have committed, that it is useless to try to forsake them.  He will tell you that this is who you are and you can never hope to be better. He loves to beat us up with it and discredit the worth of our souls. Guilt is a useless emotion, once we have repented, that prevents us from moving forward and keeps us stuck in the past we cannot change. The Saviour has atoned for our sins to meet the demands of justice but the atonement cannot remove the consequences of our sins.  It is these consequences that keep us in remembrance of our past sins to ensure we do not return to them, rather than guilt.  Guilt just keeps us stuck where the Saviour does not want us to be.  He desires to forgive us and he requires of us to forgive each other and ourselves.  If we cannot forgive ourselves, we most likely cannot forgive others for any offence they have caused us.  Forgiveness is central to the Saviour's character.  If we do not develop this characteristic, we cannot become like Him.  Each time we exercise forgiveness, we purge from ourselves feelings of hatred, resentment, anger, animosity and guilt and in turn we are filled with love, another characteristic without which we cannot become like our Saviour.  If you want to be like Him, learn to forgive.  If this essential trait eludes you and you feel it is beyond you, seek for the spiritual gift of forgiveness.  For steps to do this read my blog on spiritual gifts and weaknesses.

Had the Ammonite fathers broken their covenant and succumbed to their previous sins of murder, all would have been lost.  Any spiritual headway they had made up to then would have been in peril, and not just for them but for the generations to come.  Elder Scott said that 'their humble, lifelong commitment to forsaking their sins did more to protect their families than anything they could have done on the battlefield'.  The positive ripple effect of not breaking the covenant they made is felt even today amongst countless people who have studied the Book of Mormon and have been edified by the example of the 2,000 stripling warriors who fought so valiantly and were so firm in their faith in God that He would deliver them if they did not doubt. And this He truly did for not one of them was lost.  What an amazing example they are to the youth of this Church, an example that is so badly needed in our world.  Had these boys' fathers broken their covenant and regressed in their spiritual journey, we would not have this example to draw on today.

I also loved the way Elder Scott made a distinction between open rebellion against God and weaknesses.  Sometimes the legacy of past sins is short or long term consequences and more often than not we are left with weaknesses born out of those sins.  Regarding this Elder Scott says:

"The joyful news for anyone who desires to be rid of the consequences of past poor choices is that the Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion.  Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will bring punishment, when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy".

What great comfort it is to know that. I guess it all boils down to the intent of your heart and God knows what that intent is. I believe we will be judged on the intents of the heart more than on our behaviour.  The Lord knows our capabilities and He knows how much we can do, His grace is sufficient for the rest.  He has felt what it is like to be you for that one split second in the moment of His greatest suffering and because of that experience He is able to be merciful enough to forgive the sin and still have mercy towards the weaknesses that originated from it.

In Isaiah's eloquent words:  "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands, thy walls are continually before me".  Isaiah 49:16

ON FOLLOWING THE PROPHETS

So I went through my last conference Ensign to see how many talks I have read since May and out of 30, excluding the priesthood and young women sessions, I have read 10. Pathetic!!!  October conference is upon us so let's hope I do better this time around.  It's interesting to note that with a few talks, I have written in red pen 'prayer' and 'sacrament' next to their titles.  Obviously the message that was meant for me to get out of last conference was that I need to pray more and pay heed to the quality of my sacrament observance.  Elder Dallin H. Oaks in his talk "Followers of Christ" stresses that the Saviour instituted the sacrament to assist us in remembering that his teachings were not meant to be theoretical and that 'following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice but a continuous commitment and way of life that applies at all times and in all places". It's a new way of looking at the sacrament for me.  I will think on that next Sunday when I take that bread and water.  It should strengthen my commitment to do better next week than what I have done this week.

My two favourite talks from  last conference were:  Elder David A. Bednar's talk entitled "We Believe in Being Chaste" and "Lord I Believe" by Jeffrey R. Holland.

Elder Bednar says that 'our relationships with other people, our capacity to recognise and act in accordance with truth and our ability to obey the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ are amplified through our physical bodies".  What I loved most of wonderful things he said about this subject is that we should consider sin as a spiritual wound that causes guilt.  He says:
"Guilt is to our spirit what pain is to our body - a warning of danger and a protection from additional damage."  It reminded me of someone in our family who is wracked by guilt because of the sexually immoral life he is living.  I agree with Elder Bednar, you cannot commit sin and not have your spirit damaged.  The good news is that there is a healing salve for the spiritual scars we inflict upon ourselves through disobedience to the law of chastity.  That salve is the atonement of Jesus Christ which is available to us through our repentance.  Elder Bednar makes us understand that it is all worth while when he says:
"I can think of no blessings to be more fervently desired than those promised to the pure and the virtuous.  Jesus spoke of specific rewards for different virtues but reserved the greatest, so it seems to me, for the pure in heart, 'for they', said he, 'shall see God'."

One thing from Elder Holland's talk I think is the most significant:
"The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue - it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know". 
Sometimes we feel that we need to have the kind of faith that moves mountains and we get discouraged because we feel it is beyond us.  I am a true believer in the power that comes from being positive through thought and word.  Both thoughts and words have energy which can increase our power in developing and exerting faith.  Alma declares: "Even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe" (Alma 32:27).  If you have the desire to believe in whatever you need faith for, start from the bottom, start by saying positive words and thinking positive thoughts until your faith is so strong that it will bring about the results that you want.  I need to listen to my own advice.....I'm in bad need of doing this right now regarding my professional life.

Gotta go.  I have 20 more articles to read before the next conference Ensign comes out!

CONFERENCE FEVER

Ted Gibbons relates the following story from Jeffrey R Holland which I think we can all learn from:

"I was recently in Vavau, Tonga. It is a little island which is 1-1 1/2 hours away from Nuku Alofa by plane and 24 hours away by boat.  By boat is the worst trip that can be made.  When the Area Conference was announced for Tonga, it was determined that only one boat would be available for the saints from Vavau.  The boat held 150 people.  If you stuffed bodies into every possible corner of the ship, you could get close to 300 people.  EIGHT HUNDRED Tongans jammed onto that boat and stood up for 24 hours without sleep, without food, without drink, without anything - because they knew that a prophet of God was going to be in their islands and they were not going to miss him for anything in the world. Do you want to go to conference that badly?  Do you care that the prophet of God is speaking in the neighbourhood? Do you care enough to flip on the television set, a radio, or to come to a building to watch a priesthood meeting?  Eight hundred people stood up for 24 hours to get to conference... "The President of the Church is here" they said.  "That's our prophet and we may not see him again soon". And they came. ("Remembered and Nourished by the Word of God", Jeffrey R. Holland, BYU, Sept 26, 1976)

Ted Gibbons goes on to say that 'an additional element from this event came to light when I shared this story with a ward in my stake.  Members of the ward who were from Tonga came forward after the meeting to tell me that they were in Vavau when the Area Conference occurred.  They told me that as the boat pulled away from the dock, headed for Nuku 'Alofa, there were church members jumping in the water and swimming to the boat, still trying to find a place on the vessel.  They also told me that a second boat came just after the first had departed and took a much smaller group in substantial comfort to the Area Conference'.  (Ted Gibbons, D&C Lesson 37)

What an amazing story.  I am hoping to catch conference fever this month.  I want to be numbered among those on judgment day who were eager to hear the words of the prophets.

GOD'S SERVANTS

If an announcement came telling you that the Saviour himself would speak at the next General Conference, would your attitude and preparation for the event change at all?  But of course, He will be there.  He has made this clear through this scripture:

"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by my own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." (D&C 1:38)  Not 'almost the same', or 'very similar' or 'very identical'.  It is the same. (Ted Gibbons, D&C Lesson 37)

So thinking back on last General Conference, we can ask ourselves, what did the Saviour ask me to do?  Can you remember what President Monson spoke about?  Did you get anything personally just for you from any talks that you heard?  Most important of all, did you implement it in your life?
What if an announcement came that in the next Ensign the lead article was to be written by the Lord himself?  How difficult would it be to convince you not to read it? (Ted Gibbons, D&C Lesson 37)
Do you remember what the First Presidency message was for last month? Is this the first article you read when you get your Ensign magazine?  Do you even get the Ensign magazine?  My daughter Christie reads the Ensign as part of her morning devotional, she says she digests it easier than the scriptures.  I've got to tell her, there is very little difference between the two.  Spiritual food is spiritual food.

Ted Gibbons, a Gospel Doctrine teacher from Arizona, gives a worth while suggestion regarding conference talks.  He says when the conference Ensign comes out each member of his family gets a copy and the following week family scripture reading gets put on hold while they discuss all the conference talks and make notes of the things they should be doing as a family and individually.  What an amazing idea!  After all, words of the living prophets are living scriptures.

In Ted's own words:
"It is not enough to talk about conference.  It is not enough to come to conference or to sit and listen to conference or to hear the words spoken in conference.  We must make application to our own lives.  We must be different because of the conference experience.  We must DO something".
(Ted Gibbons D&C Lesson 37)

Must finish.  I'm off to find the last conference Ensign! 

AT THE HELM

In 1980 President Benson spoke at a BYU devotional in which he outlined 14 Fundamentals in Following the Prophet.  Below are the headings of the 14 points:

1.  The Prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
2.  The living prophet is more vital to us than standard works.
3.  The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
4.  The prophet will never lead the church astray.
5.  The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any   subjects or act on any matter, temporal or spiritual.
6.  The Prophet does not have to say "thus saith the Lord" to give us scripture.
7.  The Prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.
8.  The Prophet is not limited by man's reasoning.
9.  The Prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.
10. The Prophet may be involved in civic matters.
11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following a prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
12. The Prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
13. The Prophet and his counsellors make up the First Presidency, the highest quorum in the Church.
14. The Prophet and the presidency - the living prophet and the First Presidency - follow them and be blessed - reject them and suffer.

I am so grateful that I belong to a church who has a living prophet at its' head, who speaks on behalf of God through the power of the Holy Ghost and to know that if I follow his counsel I will not be led astray. 

I was reading D&C Section 21 this morning about the organisation of the Church and my admiration and appreciation for the Prophet Joseph Smith was once again renewed.  Verses 7-9 read:
"For thus saith the Lord God: Him have I inspired to move the cause of Zion in mighty power for good and his diligence I know and his prayers I have heard.
Yea, his weeping for Zion I have seen and I will cause that he shall mourn for her no longer; for his days of rejoicing are come unto the remission of his sins and the manifestations of my blessings upon his works."
When I read these two verses I so wanted to be like Joseph who wept for Zion and despite his trials and persecutions he received for his dedication to the work that was allotted to him and I wanted to receive the same blessings he received for the work he performed.  Then I read further and was so overjoyed with what came next:
"For behold I will bless ALL THOSE who labor in my vineyard with a mighty blessing......" 
That's us I thought!  We are labouring just the same but in different ways.  We all have a part in building of the kingdom but we need to always look to the head because of what comes next in the rest of the verse 9:
"....and they shall believe on his words, which are given him through me by the Comforter, which manifesteth that Jesus was crucified by sinful men for the sins of the world, yea, for the remission of sins unto the contrite heart."

Why do we need to always look to the prophet at the helm?  Because we need to believe on his words which are given him by the Father through the Comforter, being the Holy Ghost.  Tomorrow we will talk more about that.

SAFETY AMIDST THE DARKNESS

 

This week's Sunday School lesson is on importance of living prophets.  As much as I love the scriptures and as important as they are I must agree that having a living prophet is far superior as far as receiving instruction from God pertinent to us in our day.  His precepts and commandments are eternal and never change but additional instruction is needed for every age and dispensation.  This is important on two counts. 

President John Taylor pointed out that 'Adam's revelation did not instruct Noah to build his ark; nor did Noah's revelation tell Lot to forsake Sodom; nor did either of these speak of the departure of children of Israel from Egypt.....'(Millenial Star Vol 9, p.323).  In other words, each dispensation and time has its challenges and needs and require God's instruction unique to the present situation.  For this we need a prophet at the helm.  Some of the issues the modern day prophets have spoken out about that earlier prophets, even in this dispensation, had no insight about are pornography, sex change operations, abortion, homosexuality.  Can you think of others?

Another reason why we need to uphold the principle of living prophets is because we are a church that believes in continuous revelation.  If we did not have a living prophet at the helm who receives revelation for the church collectively, we could not possibly believe that God could give us revelation individually and personally.  God continues to speak to His children and he does so in both of these ways.  A living prophet is a true witness of this truth. 

When the Church was organised on 6 April 1830 and it was written in stone, through revelation, that Joseph Smith was the prophet of this dispensation, the Lord gave all those who receive his word, 'as if from mine own mouth' an incredible promise.  It is found in D&C 21:5, 6:

"For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory".

We should all want the powers of darkness dispersed before us.  The adversary is real and powerful and we need to take him seriously.  If we yield our ears to the counsel of the living prophets, and implement their instructions, we need not fear.

ON BEING AN IMPERFECT PARENT

Children

Come to me, O ye children!
For I hear you at your play,
And the questions that perplexed me
Have vanished quite away.

Ye open the eastern windows,
That look towards the sun,
Where thoughts are singing swallows
And the brooks of morning run.

In your hearts are the birds and the sunshine,
In your thoughts the brooklet's flow,
But in mine is the wind of Autumn
And the first fall of the snow.

Ah!  What would the world be to us
If the children were no more?
We should dread the desert behind us
Worse than the dark before.

What the leaves are to the forest,
With light and air for food,
Ere their sweet and tender juices
Have been hardened into wood.

That to the world are children;
Through them it feels the glow
Of a brighter and sunnier climate
That reaches the trunks below.

Come to me, O ye children!
And whisper in my ear
What the birds and the winds are singing
In your sunny atmosphere.

For what are all our contrivings,
And the wisdom of our books,
When compared with your caresses,
And the gladness of your looks?

Ye are better than all the ballads
That ever were sung or said;
For ye are the living poems,
And all the rest are dead.

-  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


For a long time I have been troubled by the fact that I have not been a better parent to my children and also that my parents were not better parents to me.  I have agonised over the issues and hang ups that have followed me from my childhood and weaknesses and incorrect teachings and false thinking that have been passed down to me by my parents.  Likewise, I have worried about all the bad 'stuff' I have passed on to my children.  I read many years ago about 'intergenerational sins' and how easily we can pass them on to generations of our posterity, seemingly innocent weaknesses and faulty thinking that somehow end up being serious stumbling blocks to someone down the line.  In other words, how we live not only affects us but many others whose lives we impact.

I came to understand recently that this was in fact always meant to be this way.  Even before this world began it was decreed that we would be born to imperfect parents and in turn become imperfect parents ourselves.  What is more, I think we chose which imperfect parents we would be born to according to what weaknesses they could give us and what strengths we wanted to develop.  For us to be born to perfect parents from whom we could not inherit weaknesses and problems would defeat the great plan of salvation.  What would be the point of being born in a perfect world?  We might as well have stayed in our pre-mortal state. Being born into mortality to parents who are less than perfect offers us opportunities to grow from overcoming those imperfections, learning accountability for ourselves and learning how to make wise choices independent of what our parents before us have done.  Most importantly it offers us the greatest path we can ever take, the path to God. Everything in this life has been designed to lead us back to God, especially our humanity.

In the book of Mosiah, chapter 3, verse 19, King Benjamin confirms this truth and gives us amazing hope that all our stumbling blocks can be overcome and 'the natural man' in us overcome:
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

The most important point of this scripture is that it tells us we have the greatest tool through which such a tall order can be filled, the Atonement.  None of us can ever become a saint spoken of in this scripture without this tool. We do not have to do this alone, we cannot do this alone.  Calling on the power of the Atonment daily, seeking its' power through our faith in Jesus Christ can and will change the natural man in us into a saint of God.  When praying for this power, ensure that you ask for it in those words and ask for it through your faith in Jesus Christ.  Always ask for help 'through the power of the Atonement and my faith in Jesus Christ'.  Words are powerful, they have energy and carry a frequency which connects us to God and to things we seek in this life.

One thing that helps all children survive their childhood is love.  No matter how imperfect and dysfunctional the parents are, if the child feels loved he or she will survive it all and consider they had a good childhood.  Children are resilient and forgiving and submissive.  They need love, security and acceptance.  If you can provide these three, consider yourself a good parent.

Don't despair over your parental skills, you are doing the best you can with who you are but make sure you seek heavenly help constantly so you can always do better.  And one day when you have grandchildren and you are a much better person than you are now, you will be an awesome grandparent!!!  It's a time worth waiting for.

THE FOUNDATION OF SACRIFICE

"The question was asked, how Brigham Young was able to colonize a desert.  The answer came simply that by the time he said "This Is the Right Place" most of the physically weak had died and all of the spiritually weak had been left behind...(The Lord) was out to forge steel so hard it could become an instrument for his purposes.  And if the metal was flawed, sometimes it must go back into the forge." (Jerry Lund: "A Stone Cut Out", CES Symposium, August 1989)

It was this kind of commitment that the Lord needed to lay the foundation for the church and this foundation was built and secured by the amazing sacrifices of the pioneers who not only suffered greatly crossing the plains but sacrificed so much more in settling the Great Basin.  The Lord spoke of the foundation of the Church in D&C 1:30:

"And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually".

Between 1847 and 1877, Church members established 349 communities under the direction of the Prophet.  People were called to such places as Colonia Dublan in Mexico, Raymond and Cardston in Canada, Snowflake in Arixona and Las Vegan in Nevada, Lovell in Wyoming, Rupert in Idaho, San Bernardino in California, Legrande in Washington and Kirtland in New Mexico.  I cannot imagine what it would have been like to sacrifice so much to arrive in Salt Lake, my sacrifice over, the reward of gathering with the saints finally within my reach, only to be asked to leave and settle an area I have never heard of and so far away from the headquarters of the Church, the Zion I so wanted to be a part of.  Perhaps those that were obedient to this directive understood by then that the foundation of the Church would rest upon the sacrifices of its' saints and that for the Church to prosper, it could not be insular, that it had to be taken to other communities to flourish. 

Ted Gibbons, a Gospel Doctrine teacher from Arizona, recounts how his great-great grandfather and a brother moved to Payson, Utah, shortly after their arrival in the Valley.  They built homes and established farms or ranches in the area.  One day Brigham called the two of them to leave Utah Valley and settle on the Muddy in what was then thought to be Arizona.   With the call came a promise, phrased something like this: "If you accept the call, your posterity will be as numerous as the sands of the seashore, and they will rise up and call you blessed".  One of them, recently married, found his wife and himself unwilling to follow prophetic counsel.  They remained in Payson.  He later took a second wife.  This marriage produced 2 daughters.  One died in infancy, the other never married.  The other brother's line has had a different experience.  He responded to the direction of the prophet and travelled south.  This past summer a group of his descendants met in a reunion in Utah Valley.  Genealogists in the family told them that through the first six generations, this brother now has over twenty thousand descendants. (Ted L Gibbons, D&C Lesson 36)

Something else worthy of note is that the saints were led to the desert in the west to establish the Church and its community where it's a struggle to grow crops because of lack of rainfall as opposed to the east where farms flourish without irrigation.  Just getting water and food would have been an amazing challenge for the Mormon pioneers.  All that they had been through up to that time would have prepared them for this challenge and sifted the wheat from the tares.  The Lord needed a strong people to be the foundation of His Church and those who were the strongest remained to face this challenge.  Many saints were tempted to go on to other, less demanding places and there was pressure on Brigham Young to settle California with its richer soil, its mild climate and its gold fields but Brigham Young was more concerned about the saints' spiritual welfare than their comfort.  President Gordon B. Hinckley observed of the Saints in the Great Basin: "Notwithstanding the temptation to go to the California goldfields, where the entire world seemed to be rushing, the people accepted their leader's words.  They stayed here and grubbed the sagebrush and made their way.  Brigham Young's prophecy has been fulfilled.  This is now a great and beautiful and fertile area."

THE RESCUE OF LOVE

This week's Sunday School lesson centers on the Willie and Martin handcart companies who crossed the plains in October 1855 to be gathered to Zion.  Gathering to Zion in Utah was at its peak and the Perpetual Emigration Fund provided for many to travel to Utah, particularly from Britain.  In 1850 Utah had 11,380 members, while the British Isles had over 30,000.  On somebody's ill advice some British saints left England without understanding the dangers of starting late to cross the plains.  They became the Willie and Martin handcart companies.  By the end of October they were stranded on the plains and in need of rescue.  A lot has been written about the suffering, courage and blessings that arose out of those terrible days.  Before it was through, more than two hundred men, women and children from these companies lost their lives before they arrived in Salt Lake City on November 2 and November 30. (Phillip Allred, Lesson 35: A Mission of Saving,  Meridian Magazine)
The question is who gave these saints such ill advice and why were they allowed to start from Iowa City so late in the year and as ill prepared as they were for the journey?  Nobody knows who is to blame.  The lesson that lies in this historical event for us is that the saints in Utah responded overwhelmingly with help and did not care how these companies got themselves in such a fix.  Maybe there were some who thought that they brought upon themselves their suffering and that now they should suffer the consequences.  This is the 'natural man' reaction that many of us have towards those less fortunate who stand in need of our help.  This kind of thinking enables us to judge people without knowing their circumstances or their capabilities.  King Benjamin talked extensively to his people about helping the beggar in the street and that those who pass such judgment have no interest in the kingdom of God (Mosiah 4:16-18)

The lesson also highlights the example of the Saviour who rescues us over and over regardless of how and why we got ourselves into our unfortunate situations,  His ultimate rescue being the Atonement through which he has placed himself in the path of justice to rescue us (Ted Gibbons, D&C Lesson 35, LDS Living Magazine).
 Elder M Russell Ballard related a very touching story that teaches a sobering lesson about what the Saviour did for us:

"I remember reading about a fire fighter in the eastern United States who ran into a burning house to rescue several children from an arson-induced fire.  While his colleagues battled the blaze to keep it from spreading to other structures in the neighbourhood, this man dashed into the building again and again, each time emerging with a child in his arms.  After rescuing the fifth child, he started back into the inferno once more.  Neighbours shouted that there were no more children in the family.  But he insisted that he had seen a baby in a cradle, and he dove into the intensifying heat.

Moments after he disappeared into the fire and smoke, a horrifying explosion shook the building and the entire structure collapsed.  It was several hours before fire fighters were able to locate their colleague's body.  They found him in the nursery near the crib, huddled protectively over a life sized and practically unscratched doll.

As I think about such heroism, however, I'm reminded that the most heroic act of all time ever was performed in behalf of all mankind by the Son of God.  In a very real sense, all of humanity - past, present and future - was trapped behind a wall of flame that was fuelled and fanned by our own faithlessness.  Sin separated mortals from God (see Romans 6:23) and would do so forever unless a way was found to put out the fires of sin and rescue us from ourselves. (Cited in Our Search for Happiness: M. Russell Ballard, p. 11)". 

BEING ACCEPTED OF GOD

(Relief Society Lesson 22/9/13)

"The feeling of being accepted by someone we love is a basic human need.  Being accepted by good people motivates us.  It increases our sense of self-worth and self-confidence.  Those who cannot find acceptance from desirable sources often seek it elsewhere.  They may look to people who are not interested in their wellbeing.  They may attach themselves to false friends and do questionable things to try to receive the acknowledgement they are seeking.  They may seek acceptance by wearing a particular brand of clothing to generate a feeling of belonging or status.  For some, striving for a role or a position of prominence can also be a way of seeking acceptance.  They may define their worth by a position they hold or status they obtain.

The ultimate source of empowerment and lasting acceptance is our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ."  (Elder Erich Kopischke, May 2013 Ensign, p 104)

Why does acceptance lead to empowerment?
Quantum physics tells us that we are energy and that everything around us is energy too.  This energy is vibrating and has a frequency that attracts other energies and in the process gives other energies power or takes power away from them.  We cannot see this energy because we see with our physical eyes and therefore all we see is solid form.  We live in a telestial world and all things belonging to this world has telestial energy.  Whatever god we follow in this life gives us relevant energy.  Whatever we invest ourselves in returns energy to us relevant to that investment.  For instance, if an athlete invests himself in copious amounts of training each day, he will be empowered from the energy of that training to become a world class athlete and will receive recognition and acceptance from the sporting sector of the world.  If a man or a woman invest themselves in years of study and long hours of work in their chosen professional field, they will be empowered by the energy of their profession and effort to receive success, prominence and acceptance of their professional field.  Some forms of acceptance can be detrimental to our spirits and can entice us to conform to the standards of this telestial world in which we live.  God, on the other hand, is a celestial being and we as his offspring can become celestial beings too.  If we invest ourselves into receiving His acceptance, He will empower us with celestial power so we can become like him and rise above the telestial state of being.  Proof of this concept can be found in D&C 109:22 which tells us that if we invest our time in attending the temple which generates spiritual energy, we will be endowed with His power.

What is the path to God's acceptance?
We are given a simple pattern we can follow in D&C 97:8 which tells us that God needs three things from us:

1. A broken heart
2. A contrite spirit
3. Keeping our covenants by sacrifice

When we have a broken heart we are in a state of self-reflection and can easily examine our motives and desires.  This leads to having a contrite spirit.  The Oxford dictionary defines a contrite spirit as "feeling or expressing remorse at the recognition that one has done wrong".  When we have a broken heart and a contrite spirit we can acknowledge our wrongs and shortcomings and feel appropriate godly sorrow which leads to repentance.  A contrite spirit is manifest by our willingness and determination to act and change, to invest ourselves in things of the spirit which would increase our spiritual power.  The third step to being accepted by God is a conscious decision to make every sacrifice necessary to keep our covenants which we have made with God.  Often we think that sacrifice means having to do something big or hard but in reality most of the time it refers to living day to day as true disciples of Christ.  The more sacrifices we make to live righteously, the more spiritually powerful we receive.  The more spiritually powerful we become, the more able we become to conquer the enemy of all righteousness, one of our primary purposes in life (Moroni 9:6).

How do we know that we are accepted of God?
By God granting us constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.
How do we know if we have that companionship?
In more ways than one, but the surest way to know is if you are receiving revelation.  Holy Ghost is a revelator and He will tell you all things that are needful for you to know.  He will speak to you the words of Christ and the words of Christ will tell you all things what you should do. (2 Nephi 32:2,3)

Lest we become overwhelmed by this tall order of being accepted by God, I wish to point out that there is good news!  In Teachings of Presidents of the Church, President Lorenzo Snow points out that we cannot possibly live God's laws on our own.  He says that the Gospel was designed in such a way that it would make us seek help from God, that  'the sacrifices that are required of us are of that nature that no man or woman could make them unless aided by supernatural power'. (p. 178, 179)  In other words we cannot possibly live the Gospel on our own without God's help and grace.  Even Jesus couldn't accomplish His work without divine help.  He said on one occasion, 'I can of mine own self do nothing.....' (John 5:30)

Elder Kopischke concludes his talk with a promise of blessings that will come to us if we follow the simple pattern God has laid out for us and receive of his acceptance.  His says:
"His loving acceptance will motivate us, increase our faith, and help us deal with everything we face in life."  Now, is this not power?  He goes on to say: "Despite our challenges, we will be successful, prosper (Mosiah 2:22), and feel at peace (Mosiah 2:41).  We will be among those to whom the Lord said:

"Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me;
And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost".

I know I for one want to be His and I do not want to be lost.