Helaman 1-6
Song
Introductory Movie
Picture of the pride cycle
How does pride separate me from the Spirit and God?
Story of Sister Down’s father-in-law
What did he do to get back on track? What if his wife hadn’t humbled herself and listened to the Spirit? What if he hadn’t listened to his wife? What can we do when the water gets choppy?
Train like you fight and fight like you train,
Helaman 4 – What does weakness look like? What does strength look like?
What would faith in Christ look like in this situation?
I’ve seen apostles and prophets mocked for the Hosanna shout but if I look at it as cheering at a big event for the Lord and His great work, I can “sing and shout” for that. As part of a group text with a few of my old mission companions, one of them called the photo of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve dressed in white at the Rome temple dedication cute. I remember thinking, no, they’re not being cute, they’re making a statement—We have the same mantle of authority as Paul who was told he would “bare witness” in Rome so many years ago. We too, are called to witness to the entire world that Jesus Christ lives and this is the only way to covenants that outlast death; the only way to sanctification, true happiness & exhalation of the human family. Like us or hate us. This is who we are. This is what we do.
How is this different in the world vs. .God’s eyes? President Nelson- Elder Holland described him as the "ultimate gentleman". Those in addition =physically see weakness and darkness
Example of truck with extra gas- when needed. Not only were they prepared but they had enough to help me.
The Ministry of Angels - Story of Father Rescuing son
my friend and BYU colleague, the late Clyn D. Barrus. I do so with the permission of his wife, Marilyn, and their family.
Referring to his childhood on a large Idaho farm, Brother Barrus spoke of his nightly assignment to round up the cows at milking time. Because the cows pastured in a field bordered by the occasionally treacherous Teton River, the strict rule in the Barrus household was that during the spring flood season the children were never to go after any cows who ventured across the river. They were always to return home and seek mature help.
One Saturday just after his seventh birthday, Brother Barrus’s parents promised the family a night at the movies if the chores were done on time. But when young Clyn arrived at the pasture, the cows he sought had crossed the river, even though it was running at high flood stage. Knowing his rare night at the movies was in jeopardy, he decided to go after the cows himself, even though he had been warned many times never to do so.
As the seven-year-old urged his old horse, Banner, down into the cold, swift stream, the horse’s head barely cleared the water. An adult sitting on the horse would have been safe, but at Brother Barrus’s tender age, the current completely covered him except when the horse lunged forward several times, bringing Clyn’s head above water just enough to gasp for air.
Here I turn to Brother Barrus’s own words:
“When Banner finally climbed the other bank, I realized that my life had been in grave danger and that I had done a terrible thing—I had knowingly disobeyed my father. I felt that I could redeem myself only by bringing the cows home safely. Maybe then my father would forgive me. But it was already dusk, and I didn’t know for sure where I was. Despair overwhelmed me. I was wet and cold, lost and afraid.
“I climbed down from old Banner, fell to the ground by his feet, and began to cry. Between thick sobs, I tried to offer a prayer, repeating over and over to my Father in Heaven, ‘I’m sorry. Forgive me! I’m sorry. Forgive me!’
“I prayed for a long time. When I finally looked up, I saw through my tears a figure dressed in white walking toward me. In the dark, I felt certain it must be an angel sent in answer to my prayers. I did not move or make a sound as the figure approached, so overwhelmed was I by what I saw. Would the Lord really send an angel to me, who had been so disobedient?
“Then a familiar voice said, ‘Son, I’ve been looking for you.’ In the darkness I recognized the voice of my father and ran to his outstretched arms. He held me tightly, then said gently, ‘I was worried. I’m glad I found you.’
“I tried to tell him how sorry I was, but only disjointed words came out of my trembling lips—‘Thank you … darkness … afraid … river … alone.’ Later that night I learned that when I had not returned from the pasture, my father had come looking for me. When neither I nor the cows were to be found, he knew I had crossed the river and was in danger. Because it was dark and time was of the essence, he removed his clothes down to his long white thermal underwear, tied his shoes around his neck, and swam a treacherous river to rescue a wayward son.”
We are not authorized to negotiate the conditions of that eternal plan. Remember Nehemiah, who was charged with building a wall to protect Jerusalem. Some wanted him to come down and compromise his position, but Nehemiah refused. He was not intolerant of others; he simply explained, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease … ?”8
Helaman 5:6-7 The meaning of a name – Taking upon ourselves the name of Christ- missionary name badge
It was if He was saying, "You think I can't use imperfect people? Believe me, I've used imperfect people. I'm all about using imperfect people." I then looked up a talk by Elder Marvin J. Ashton called, The Measure of Our Hearts.
Part of it says:
The prophet Joseph Smith "We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect." He was ahead of his time!
We also tend to evaluate other on the basis of physical, outward appearance; their "good looks," their social status, their family pedigrees, their degrees, or their economic situations.
The Lord, however, has a different standard which he measures a person. When it came time to choose a king to replace King Saul, the Lord gave this criteria to his prophet Samuel: "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his statue;...for the Lord seeth not as a man teeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord locket on the heart." (1 Sam. 16:7)
"For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts." (D&C 137:7,9)
A willing heart describes one who desire to please the Lord and to serve His cause first. He serves the Lord on the Lord's terms, not his own. There are no restrictions to where or how he will serve.
How do we repent if we find ourselves in a prideful phase?
My sister, Rachel, lives 30 minutes from the D.C. temple. When it was renovated, they had to totally gut & rebuild the baptistery because of mold. At the rededication she felt the Spirit tell her that she needed to rededicate herself. Sometimes there are things we just need to gut & rebuild. Maybe stopping a bad habit of telling white lies or letting kids have screens in their beds. Maybe it’s dedicating 10 minutes to helping a child feel God’s love through one on one attention, reading a book, playing a game or singing a song. Maybe it’s teaching a difficult teen to do a good job of cleaning off the front porch or how to organize their room rather than doing it for them. Maybe it’s something as “small and simple” as an earlier bedtime. The idea is to ask the Lord what is one thing He wants me to completely “gut and rebuild”.
My nephew, Joshua, was ironing white handkerchiefs for the D.C. rededication for Activity Days. His leader asked him why the material was perfectly white and explained our Savior’s atonement doesn’t leave a mark, rather, it completely cleanses. Sister Tamara Runia spoke at a stake meeting a couple years ago and I still remember my mom telling me what she said. She talked about how she took pride in her ability to remove stains. If there was any sort of stain she could remove it. However, when her adult son, suddenly passed away it felt like a stain she just couldn’t get out. At times, we face challenges that appear to have no solution. However, let’s take courage when all seems lost. We have a Savior who is “mighty to save” with a promise to eventually make whole (Matthew 9:6) & power to make even scarlet sin as white as snow.
Remember, remember- the value in remembering, recording, valiant lives of others to inspire us
Video of the drill story
Story of Mary’s dream
Helaman 5: 11,12
Build structures on hard surface and soft surface
How can I strengthen my foundation on the rock of Jesus Christ?
Pictures
Elder Eyring: “The misery and endless woe of which he spoke are the terrible effects of sin should we not fully repent of them. The growing storms are the temptations and the increasing attacks of Satan.”
Storms -stories -engsign blaire and I can sleep when the wind blows
Helaman 5:36-47 What does the voice of God tell us about Him and the Savior? What are they like?
