Be Intentional

 Elder Dieter F. Uchdorf

Remember that discipleship is not about doing things perfectly; it's about doing things intentionally.

Story of Amanda Smith by President James E. Faust: The Shield of Faith

 Faith intensifies and magnifies our gifts and abilities. There is no greater source of knowledge than the inspiration that comes from the Godhead, who have all understanding and knowledge of that which has been, is now, and will be in the future.

At Haun’s Mill, a heroic pioneer woman, Amanda Smith, learned by faith how to do something beyond her abilities and the scientific knowledge of her time. On that terrible day in 1838, as the firing ceased and the mobsters left, she returned to the mill and saw her eldest son, Willard, carrying his seven-year-old brother, Alma. She cried, “Oh! my Alma is dead!”

“No, mother,” he said, “I think Alma is not dead. But father and brother Sardius are [dead]!” But there was no time for tears now. Alma’s entire hipbone was shot away. Amanda later recalled:

“Flesh, hip bone, joint and all had been ploughed out. … We laid little Alma on a bed in our tent and I examined the wound. It was a ghastly sight. I knew not what to do. … Yet was I there, all that long, dreadful night, with my dead and my wounded, and none but God as our physician and help. ‘Oh my Heavenly Father,’ I cried, ‘what shall I do? Thou seest my poor wounded boy and knowest my inexperience. Oh, Heavenly Father, direct me what to do!’ And then I was directed as by a voice speaking to me.

“… Our fire was still smouldering. … I was directed to take … ashes and make a lye and put a cloth saturated with it right into the wound. … Again and again I saturated the cloth and put it into the hole … , and each time mashed flesh and splinters of bone came away with the cloth; and the wound became as white as chicken’s flesh.

“Having done as directed I again prayed to the Lord and was again instructed as distinctly as though a physician had been standing by speaking to me. Near by was a slippery-elm tree. From this I was told to make a … poultice and fill the wound with it. … The poultice was made, and the wound, which took fully a quarter of a yard of linen to cover, … was properly dressed. …

“I removed the wounded boy to a house … and dressed his hip; the Lord directing me as before. I was reminded that in my husband’s trunk there was a bottle of balsam. This I poured into the wound, greatly soothing Alma’s pain.

“‘Alma my child,’ I said, ‘you believe that the Lord made your hip?’

“‘Yes, mother.’

“‘Well, the Lord can make something there in the place of your hip, don’t you believe he can, Alma?’

“‘Do you think that the Lord can, mother?’ inquired the child, in his simplicity.

“‘Yes, my son,’ I replied, ‘he has showed it all to me in a vision.’

“Then I laid him comfortably on his face, and said: ‘Now you lay like that, and don’t move, and the Lord will make you another hip.’

“So Alma laid on his face for five weeks, until he was entirely recovered—a flexible gristle having grown in place of the missing joint and socket, which remains to this day a marvel to physicians. …

“It is now nearly forty years ago, but Alma has never been the least crippled during his life, and he has traveled quite a long period of the time as a missionary of the gospel and [is] a living miracle of the power of God.”¹²

Spiritual Prompting: God Using Imperfect People

 I had an insightful experience yesterday.  I was helping my Great Uncle Paul Doxey Donaldson login to his Ancestry account. He is so thoughtful and kind and makes me feel so valued and loved. This is one of the more beautiful things about my extended Donaldson family that I've been missing so much. He told me how much I meant to my grandfather and how proud he was of my basketball skills and being kind etc. He also mentioned what a lovely and kind woman my grandma was. As I drove away, I started crying just missing my grandparents and that feeling of love. Those tears turned into tears of regret realizing how happy it would have made my grandpa if I had played basketball at BYU and wishing I had done it to make him proud. Then it turned into me thinking of all the ways I had disappointed myself and God. I had a couple of strong impressions. One was that although my grandpa would have loved me playing basketball in college, he wouldn't want me to feel bad about myself for not playing and that what was really important, striving to live the gospel and raise children to God and keeping covenants was much more important to him. I also had a strong impression from my Heavenly Father. 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.

Serve the Lord with all my heart, might, mind and strength. 

Spiritual Thoughts: Repent, Book of Mormon, God is Aware of Us, Quotes

 Weekly Spiritual Thoughts

Neil A. Maxwell: "The same God that placed that star in prices orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the babe has given at least equal attention to the placement of each of us in precise human orbits so that we may if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives so that our light may not only lead others but warm them as well."

Sister Okazaki: "Abide, to stay, to continue, to endure without complaint, to be where you're supposed to be. I hope we can all feel the strength of abiding in our fields, keeping watch over our flocks. Let's be where we're supposed to be so that angels will know where to find us." 

Sister Holland: Faith is the conviction that there is a God. Hope is trusting that He will help us and charity is His love working through us.

Hugh Nibley: "Why read The Book of Mormon? Because angels don't come on trivial errands."

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”- Theodore Roosevelt

“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”— Sheryl Sandberg

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”

— Dalai Lama XIV

Elder and Sister Holland -LIfe is difficult enough without carrying a pack of mistakes on your back.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/broadcasts/worldwide-devotional-for-young-adults/2023/01/14holland?lang=eng

The Beauty of Holiness

 

Insight from Follow Him Podcasts

Follow Him Podcast: We are Responsible for our Own Learning with Steve Harper

36:26

Relentlessly seek the truth

I don't want to believe things that aren't true

I'm responsible 

Elder Corbridge's Talk - Primary Questions

It makes me think of Abraham 1:2 where Abraham sought after the blessings of the Fathers. 

Part 2

30:40 getting the recipe right

32:30 Once we've received confirmation of truth, we are under responsibility to covenant 

The Holy Ghost brings all things to our remembrance is also reminding us of past experiences with God.

Made me think of quote by Sister McConkie that Elder Christofferson quoted, "Most often it is the sacrifices we make to keep our covenants that sanctify us and make us holy."

Follow Him Podcast: Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah Part 1 • Dr. Joshua Matson

“The simple-hearted folk of Ephraim” description (1:02 or so) is delightful. “I have found that it is the small everyday deed of ordinary folks that keeps the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” J.R.R. Tolkien

Righteousness as a Protection

1 Nephi 22:26

And because of the righteousness of his people Satan has no power.

I thought of George Washington being protected physically in battle. I want to keep God's laws and repent when I don't so that I can be protected from the "firey darts of the wicked one".

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/why-george-washington-could-not-be-felled-by-powder-and-ball/

The Bulletproof George Washington, a book summary by Mark Albright  (warning, much of this material has been removed from American classrooms and may be unknown to your children):

On February 20th, 1755, General Braddock and his forces arrived in Virginia.  This was the first substantial body of British regulars ever to land in America and the colonists were elated. They believed that all that was needed to drive the French from the country was the presence of the formidable and highly respected English army. 

The campaign of General Braddock against Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War was the one in which the young George Washington, just 23, participated. When Braddock arrived in America, he heard numerous favorable reports about Colonel Washington, so in April 1755 he invited Washington to join him as his military aid. Young Washington was eager to study military tactics under a professional soldier of such high standing as Braddock. With the assistance of Benjamin Franklin, 150 wagons and 259 horses were soon located and the army was on their march for the camp. In the latter part of April, General Braddock set out from Alexandria Virginia to expel the French from Fort Duquesne.

Braddock’s army numbered almost 2,000 men, most of whom were British veterans who had served in the wars of Europe. Ahead of him were no roads on which to travel, so Braddock sent an advance party of 700 men to open a path for the army and wagons over the rugged, forested land. Braddock, while not deficient in courage or military skill, was totally unacquainted with the style of warfare necessary for the American woods.  

As the British army continued its march toward Fort Duquesne, a band of Shawnee and Delaware Indians, allies of the British and Americans, appeared, wanting to help.  But Braddock was confident in his own British soldiers and he saw no need for Indian warriors.  Washington knew that the Indians would be invaluable in battle and strongly urged General Braddock to accept their offer.  The General did so, but with such a cold indifference that he offended the Indian volunteers who soon left when they saw that Braddock neglected them.  

Thoroughly skilled in the tactics of European warfare, he mistakenly believed that battles could be fought in America as they had long been found in Europe –  that soldiers would march directly against their opponents on an open field of battle, just as if both were on a military parade ground before an arena of spectators.

Furthermore, Braddock – arrogant, proud, self-willed  – generally held the suggestions of the Americans in contempt. Even Ben Franklin had tried to warn him about the Indian style of warfare. Braddock smiled at Franklin’s ignorance and replied, “These savages may indeed be a formidable enemy to your raw American militia, but upon the King’s regular and disciplined troops, it is impossible that they should make any impression.”

Braddock ignored Ben Franklin’s warning just as he had those of other Americans. In fact, when Colonel Washington repeated the same warning and pointed out the danger of ambushes and the need for scouting parties, Braddock flew into a rage saying that “the Indians may frighten Continental troops, but they can make no impression on the King’s regulars!”

Washington, who knew the terrain well, was recovering from a terrible case of dysentery as Braddock’s force reached the Monongahela River ten miles from Fort Duquesne. The day before the ambush occurred, Washington again warned Braddock of the Indian’s style of warfare, of laying ambushes, and of fighting from behind trees.  He recommended that scouts be sent to reconnoiter the woods to uncover any waiting ambush.  Braddock again scorned the idea.

The next day, in a wooded ravine on the far side of the river, Braddock’s leading force of 1,300 men was suddenly attacked and defeated by a smaller French and native force on July 9, 1755 at the Battle of Monongahela.

During the attack, most of the senior British officers, including Gen. Edward Braddock were killed or severely wounded. With panic in the air, George Washington quickly rode into the fray and helped to reestablish some amount of order. During the savage fight, Washington had two horses shot out from underneath him and his coat was pierced by four musket balls. Washington’s cool leadership helped many of the surviving soldiers to effectively escape the onslaught.

Despite the British loss of 977 killed or wounded, Washington was lauded as the “hero of Monongahela” by Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddie and was given the rank of colonel in command of the 1,200 man Virginia Regiment.

The night before the battle, the French Commander of Fort Duquesne, with great difficulty, had persuaded the Indians to join in an ambush against the British. The next morning, the combined forces of 72 French regulars, 146 Canadian militiamen, and 637 Indians (a total force of 855) set out from the fort to harass and annoy the 1300 English soldiers, not intending to face them in a serious battle or actually defeat them.

Hidden in the trees and heavy forest, they showered a volley of shots and balls onto the first company. A storm of bullets, piercing flesh and shattering bones, swept the astounded ranks. To the British, it was like a supernatural attack from invisible spirits; not a musket was seen; the enemy was completely hidden. The blue smoke rising after every discharge revealed that the firing came from the trees, so the British soldiers wildly fired back into the woods but did a little more than sliver bark and cut saplings. The Indians, however, were skilled marksman, experienced in the art of ambush and guerrilla warfare, and they had clearly visible red targets at which to fire.

The British ranks were in confusion. One of the greatest difficulties was that the advancing soldiers, just like the retreating ones, were unable to see whom they were fighting. In fact, in the Court of Inquiry held by the British authorities after the battle, none of the English involved in the fight could say that they had even seen much of the enemy, and many of the officers who were in the heat of the battle were not sure that they had seen even one enemy.

During the battle, the Indians targeted the officers intentionally, and as the battle continued, nearly every member of Braddock’s staff, including his secretary and two of his military aides, were shot down. Washington, Braddock’s only uninjured staff member, rode over every part of the field carrying the general’s orders. Significantly following the battle, Indians confirm that they had specifically singled out Washington and repeatedly shot at him but without effect. They, therefore, became convinced that he was protected by an invisible power and that no bullet could harm him. Indeed even though hundreds of victims fell all around him, shielded by God’s hand, Washington escaped without a scratch, untouched by bullet or bayonet, arrow or tomahawk. He later credited this miracle to divine providence.

Braddock was eventually shot because the Indians knew that if they could shoot down the officers they could scatter the remaining troops and easily destroy them. Consequently, every mounted officer, except Washington, had been slain before Braddock fell. One famous Indian warrior, who was a leader in the attack, was often heard to testify, “Washington was never born to be killed by a bullet! I had 17 fair shots at him with my rifle, and after all that, I could not bring him to the ground.”

When one considers that a rifle aimed by an experienced marksman rarely misses its target, his utterance seems to have been prophetic and confirms that an invisible hand from Heaven had indeed turned aside the bullets. Another witness who had spoken with Red Hawk, an Indian chief, after the victory, said he had shot 11 different times at Washington without hitting him and because his gun had never before missed its mark, Red Hawk ceased firing at him, convinced that the Great Spirit protected Washington.

Washington’s survival was so obviously miraculous that special mention of it was made in a famous sermon preached by the Reverend Samuel Davies only weeks after the battle. Davies, considered one of the greatest pulpit preachers in America, was an active leader in the American revival known as the Great Awakening and later became the president of Princeton University. In his 1755 sermon, Davies commended the military qualities that the Virginia soldiers had displayed during the fight and then added: “I may point out here to the public that the heroic youth, Colonel Washington, whom I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto preserved in so signal a manner for some important service to his country.”

In 1770, 15 years after the crushing defeat of the British, Washington and Dr. James Craik (Washington’s close friend and personal physician) were traveling toward the western territories to explore uninhabited regions. A company of Indians led by an old respected chief arrived at the camp and asked to speak with General Washington. The council fire was kindled and the chief said this through an interpreter to Washington, “It was on the day when the white man’s blood mixed with the streams of our forest (the Battle where Braddock was killed) that I first beheld this chief, George Washington. I called to my young men and I said  ‘Mark yon tall and daring warrior? He is not of the red-coat tribe. He has an Indian’s wisdom, and his warriors fight as we do. Himself is alone exposed. Quick, let your aim be certain. Our rifles were leveled- rifles which, but for you, knew not how to miss. It was all in vain; a power mightier far than we shielded you. Seeing you were under the special guardianship of the Great Spirit, we immediately ceased to fire at you. I am old and soon will be gathered to the great council fire of my fathers in the land of shade, but before I go there is something that bids me speak in the voice of prophecy. The Great Spirit protects that man, George Washington, and guides his destiny. He will become the chief of Nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him as the founder of a mighty empire. I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of heaven and who can never die in battle.”

True to these predictions and because of God’s divine protection of him, Washington did not die in 1755 but he was not even wounded in that or in any of the numerous subsequent battles in which he fought thereafter.

Nearly two centuries later President Calvin Coolidge tried to explain the impact of George Washington in the various battles of the great Revolutionary War. He said “Washington was the directing spirit, without which there would have been no independence, no Union, no constitution, and no Republic.… We cannot yet estimate him. We can only indicate a reverence for him and thank the divine providence which kept him to serve and inspire his fellow man.”    

Washington was indispensable to the American Revolution and to the first years of our fledgling Republic. Instance after instance was attested to by him and others of what they recognized as divine intervention to protect him for a purpose: the creation of a new nation and a godly society.

In a letter to his wife Martha, written after the Continental Congress selected him to lead the Continental Army, he said, “I shall rely, therefore, confidently on that Providence which has heretofore preserved and been bountiful to me, not doubting but that I shall return safe to you.”

Throughout his extensive military career, Washington was never wounded in battle.He wrote to his brother John as follows: “By the miraculous care of Providence I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat and two horses shot under me yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me.”

As to religion, consider this statement Washington made in 1783: “I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would…most graciously be pleas’d to dispose us all to do Justice, to love mercy and to demean ourselves, with that Charity, humility & pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion & without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation.”—Washington’s Circular Letter to the States, June 8, 1783.

The Bulletproof George Washington, by David Barton, 1990

A Few Favorite J.R.R. Tolkien Quotes

 "I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

Courage is found in unlikely places.

Deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.

There is good in the world, and it's worth fighting for.

No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.

And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many.

Chariots of Fire Main Theme

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSav51fVlKU

Boat Building

Drill in Reverse Example

 https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2022-07-12/drill-set-in-reverse-bishop-budge-byu-pathway-devotional-ambition-christ-261411

Book of Mormon Central Thoughts

 David's Fall Book of Mormon Central with Taylor and Tyler

-Elder Maxwell: When we give God all that we have and are, He gives us all that He has and is. What a great exchange rate!

-The scriptures are our covenantal instructions in our covenantal relationship with God.

-Palm Sunday where Christ entered Jerusalem on a donkey was foreshadowed by Solomon being anointed and entering Jerusalem as the rightful king.

First Repent, Then Consecrate

Kerry Muhlestein

The first step the Lord asks Gideon to take as He begins to deliver Israel is to cast down the alter of Baal and then build up an alter to Jehovah. This has a parallel to what we must do in our lives as we try to draw closer to God. We must first get rid of that which leads us away from Him and then replace it with things that draw us close to Him.

Weakness to Strength

Elder Uchtdorf

"Star where you are. Sometimes we feel discouraged because we are not more of something... But remember, our weaknesses can help us to be humble and turn us to Christ, who will "make weak things become strong". Satan, on the other hand, uses our weakness to the point that we are discouraged from even trying...God will take you as you are at this very moment and begin work with you. all you need is a willing heart, a desire to believe, and trust in the Lord. Gideon saw himself as a poor farmer... But God saw him as a mighty man of valor.

Talk 5-15-2022

 The prophet Joseph Smith wrote, “The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day; but they died without the sight; … it is left for us to see, participate in and help to roll forward the Latter-day glory.” 

We can laugh about this now although at the time we didn’t. James superman diving onto bed- crying. I’m so sorry. It’s almost as if he were saying. “How could you do this to me Mom. Don’t you know I’m an active little boy that doesn’t just slowly, softly glide into bed. It’s almost as if he was saying, Hey, I superman dive into bed. This is who I am. This is what I do.”

 

Another story – Losing Ryan in museum, relief at finding him. I was so grateful! Happy to help. Almost as if they were saying, “This is who we are. This is what we do.”

 

Zion is established as we live celestial laws. Stakes in Zion are strengthened and Zion’s borders enlarged as we as members reflect the Lord’s standard of holiness. Simply put, the majestic work of Zion, comes down to our individual understanding of who we are and what God expects us to do.

 

In a devotional last week, President Nelson gave 3 key identifiers that we can use to gage who we are and what we are to do. They are: 

A Child of God

A Child of the Covenant

A Disciple of Christ 

First - Child of God

Sometimes we don’t see our value or potential but our Heavenly Father does.

 

Some of the fond memories of having little ones was reading and singing to them, in pjs ready for bed. One night I was about 8 months pregnant with our second son and was rocking our oldest in our rocking chair. He pointed to my tummy and said, “No dis” annoyed that he was losing lap space, As a small child and not really understanding the big picture, he simply saw the inconvenience but didn’t realize what a new baby brother leastwise how great it would be. Like a child we need to lean not to our own understanding but acknowledge we have limited perspective and let our Heavenly Father direct our path. Heavenly Father knows the end from the beginning, sees the big picture and knows us better than we know ourselves.

 

When Elder Larkin was a kid he went to a family reunion and he was having fun terrorizing squirrels with his cousins when his mom made him go to a family meeting. He didn’t want to be there when his aunt pointed at him and said, “Todd. I’ve been doing family history and looking for Casper Yenter for 22 years and I’m going to die before I find him, so I need you to find him for me.” When Elder Larkin was young he would send letters to Germany trying to find information about Casper Yenter. When he was older he looked online. The search for Casper Yenter helped him make good decisions growing up. He would tell himself, if you do this bad thing, then God won’t help you find Casper Yenter. Recently he was doing family history one Sunday and he searched once again for Casper Yenter and found him. His parish records in Germany had been digitized and now his temple work could be done. After 42 years Casper Yenter was found, but it was the years of searching that helped save Elder Larkin. His aunt saw more in him then he saw in himself, almost as if she were telling him, “This is who you are, this is what you can do.”

 

2. A Child of the Covenant

I the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise, bind yourselves by this covenant

Our Father in Heaven takes covenants seriously and always keeps His word. Whereas, He has our eternal best-interest in mind, in contrast, the adversary will entice us with momentary pleasures and an apparent easy-way-out of the demands of covenant keeping. However, let’s not be fooled by his feigned forms of succor. He rewardeth us “no good thing”.  

 

When we are faced with temptations, like Joseph in Egypt we can flee and can remind ourselves of the covenants we have made. In the words of, Jean Valjean in the musical Les Mis, “My soul belongs to God I know, I made that bargain long ago.” 

 

Whereas the world is concerned with others think of us, God is in the business of building people. John Wooden said, “Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

 

I remember a coach saying, “Use what God gave you.” Meaning build on the features and abilities you already have. We can evaluate our circumstances, experiences and talents (even if they don’t seem like much) and consecrate them to God’s work.

 

Elder Uchdorf told a story- our meetinghouse a group of brethren was asked to move a grand piano from the chapel to the adjoining cultural hall, There were plenty of ideas, but not one could keep the piano balanced correctly. They repositioned the brethren by strength, height, and age over and over again—nothing worked.

As they stood around the piano, uncertain of what to do next, a man spoke up. He said, “Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand.”

It seemed too simple. Nevertheless, each lifted where he stood, and the piano rose from the ground and moved into the cultural hall as if on its own power

No calling is beneath us. No person is beneath us. Every calling provides an opportunity to serve and to grow. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me.”

 

Years ago, I was visiting my parents. When church ended, I went to pick up my dad from the nursery where he was serving as a nursery worker. As we were walking out of the building, I told him we should use the closest exit. He asked “why” and I replied, “So we don't have to talk to people”. He replied by quoting Charles Dickens, “My business, my business, mankind was my business.” 

 

Christ showed great courage. We are also expected to show great courage. He, the greatest of all, in agony pled, "Father, take this cup from me." Sometimes God asks us to do things we don’t want to do. We can remember JRR Tolkien’s words, “Courage is found in unlikely places and deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.” Maybe it’s a dreaded task of unclogging a toilet on our day to clean the church, or perhaps reading books to a child or simply holding the door open for someone. 

 

The most lowly tasks in God’s kingdom when done with the intent to serve God become consecrated acts of love and gratitude to our Heavenly King. 

 

We may feel we are weak and frankly, sometimes we are. The Lord told Joseph Smith “for this end have I raised you up, that I might show forth my wisdom through the weak things of the earth.” Yes, we are weak but he can use us. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can”. As President Monson counseled, “Be your best self.” 

 

The Lord tells us “as you labor with all your might, it shall be made holy.” He isn’t so much concerned about capacity as much as He is effort.

 

“Most often it is the sacrifices we make to keep our covenants that sanctify us and make us holy” -Elder Christofferson quoting Sister

 

When the prophet Enoch was called, he wondered why and said, “I … am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech” The Lord replied, “Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good. 

 

It’s as if the Lord were telling him,“No this is who you are and this is what you can do.”

Moroni said, I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words. And the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness; And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

 

How does seeing ourselves as covenant keepers change what we do?  We take upon ourselves the commission to “Go save my people”.  We say through our actions, “Here I am, send me”. 

 

We will sin and we will make mistakes.

Elder Christopherson said, a man of integrity will honestly face and correct his mistakes, and that is an example we can respect. 

 

We can repent relentlessly and believe the Lord when he tells us, “I am able to make you holy.” 

 

Elder Soares once said, before I go to bed and pray every night, I ask myself, "Would the Lord be pleased?" If not, I need to make necessary changes. This is an example we can emulate.

 

Ours is one of the few churches that define wards and stakes by boundaries.  Like families, we may have the unreliable sister, the overly competitive brother, etc. In our efforts to be a Zion people, we can deal with the foibles and flaws of ward members with mercy. Simply being a member and especially accepting callings often makes us vulnerable and displays our inadequacies. Let’s follow the example of our Savior (Jehovah of The Old Testament) kneeling in the dirt writing, “he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone”.

3^rd  We are Disciples of Jesus Christ

President Eyring prophesied, Even an unbelieving world will recognize The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and realize the power of God upon it. Faithful and brave disciples will fearlessly, humbly, and openly take upon them the name of Christ in their everyday lives. Faith in Jesus Christ is a principle of action and of power. 

 

My dad served a mission in Germany and had two amazing mentors who had served as mission companions in East Germany right after WWII. 

 

One had wanted to join the church prior to WWII, his father refused to give him permission to be baptized. Didn’t want to kill anyone so volunteered to be a medic (dangerous because of red cross bullseye target on helmet and going right into heat of battle. young men in his town were conscripted into the army. Eastern Front against Russsia. Came home a few years later. Asked again for Dad’s permission. Of the 173 men who left for war, there are 33 of us left. I may not come back alive and if I’m going to die, I want to die a Mormon. The other of the two companions was my dad’s mission president. He lost everything in WWII except his testimony of the gospel, he would ride 30 mile bike ride to get to church, To exemplify the kind of faith he had, rather than pay tithing normally during these difficult time, As my dad worded is, “That’s just the kind of faith he had.” One of the two mission companions was arrested by the stasi, he fell to my knees, let me not say thing to harm thy church.10 months imprisoned for political prisoners not knowing why but through fasting and prayer from the members and first presidency and by miracles, was able to be liberated. Their Moto was, “With God, all things are possible.” With great unwavering faith, they helped keep the church alive in east Germany.

 

The price of liberty is the most perfect life that ever lived. “Oh death, where is thy sting, oh grave, where is thy victory.”

 

A college professor asked, “when people see you, do they see Jesus the Christ? Have you become such a representative disciple of Christ that when you are present the Spirit of Christ is there? These questions awaken all disciples to the fact that we must consider the essence of our existence; we are here to become like Christ.” 

 

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. He’s saying, “This is who I am. This is what I do.”

Good Timber by Douglas Malloch

Good Timber

By Douglas Malloch 

The tree that never had to fight
     For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
     And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
     But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
     To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
     Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
     But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease,
     The stronger wind, the stronger trees,
The further sky, the greater length,
     The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
     In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth
     We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
     Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
     This is the common law of life.

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/good-timber-by-douglas-malloch 

Trust God

Proverbs 3:5–6:

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Covenants - Old Testament Manual

God the Father enjoys a fulness of eternal glory. It is His plan to provide an opportunity for His spirit children to become like Him. “For behold,” He says, “this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Joseph Smith taught, “God himself, finding he was

in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself” (History of the Church, 6:312).

Eternal life is exaltation in the presence of God.
It is essential to the upward progress of man that he be given certain basic tools by which he can climb. No one reaches the celestial level in a single leap. Therefore, man has been given the privilege of repentance. This gift, together with the right of
free choice, means that each one controls his own destiny. Samuel the Lamanite explained, “Whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves” (Helaman 14:30).

In the plan of God this earth was created as a home for man. It is his proving ground, the place of his mortal probation, the place where he is tried and tested to see if he “will do all things whatsoever the Lord [his] God shall command” (Abraham 3:25).

The ultimate destiny of the earth, like the ultimate destiny of man, is to become celestial. Following its celestialization, the earth will serve as the eternal home of all those who abide a celestial law (see D&C 88:22). “Therefore, it [the earth] must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory; for after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father; that bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified” (D&C 88:18–20).

In order to help His children become like Him, Father in Heaven admonishes them to observe certain gospel principles by means of covenants and ordinances. The entire gospel itself is referred to in scripture as “a new and an everlasting covenant” (D&C 22:1; see also 133:57). That overall covenant includes a series of other covenants that, if observed, will make man like his divine parents. Covenants, covenant making, and covenant keeping thus become the keys to exaltation, or the kind of life God enjoys.

A covenant is a mutual agreement between two or more persons whereby each contracting party agrees to abide by certain stipulations. Heavenly Father agrees to give to His children all that He enjoys, providing they will keep all of His commandments (see D&C 76:50–60). “I, the Lord, am bound when

ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10). Broken covenants have no eternal or lasting value. As Joseph Smith said, “It requires two parties to make a covenant, and those two parties must be agreed, or no covenant can be made” (Teachings, p. 14).

(B-2) Anciently, God Centered His Work in a Covenant People

The covenants of God with man are eternal. As eternal beings, His children existed with their Father in the premortal world. President John Taylor explained:

“We are not connected with a something that will exist only for a few years, some of the peculiar ideas and dogmas of men, some nice theory of their forming; the principles that we believe in reach back into eternity, they originated with the Gods in the eternal worlds, and they reach forward to the eternities that are to come. We feel that we are operating with God in connection with those who were, with those who are, and with those who are to come.” (In Journal of Discourses, 17:206.)

The gospel covenant is as old as eternity. So far as this earth is concerned, however, it was first introduced to Adam and passed from him to later generations. President Taylor said further:

“What is meant by the everlasting Gospel? I know that some people think there was no Gospel until Jesus came; but it is a great mistake. Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses had the Gospel; and when Jesus came he came to offer himself a sacrifice for the sins of the world, and to bring back the Gospel which the people had lost. ‘Well,’ says one, ‘do you mean to affirm that the men you have just named had the Gospel?’ I do, and hence it is called the everlasting Gospel.” (In Journal of Discourses, 13:17.)

Rebekah

Elder Bruce R. McConkie

When we are in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, blessings come. Women are appointed, Rebekahlike, to be guides and lights in righteousness in the family unit.

Power from Abrahamic Tests

 https://latterdaysaintmag.com/article-1-405/