9-3-2016 President Uchtdorf, May 2016 Ensign "https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/he-will-place-you-on-his-shoulders-and-carry-you-home?lang=eng"
Just notes -
Alma 7:12...Aid infirmities - succor, means to run to your aid, i.e. "Succor them, according to their infirmities"
A great quote in the talk is "There is nothing good unless you do it."
RS discussion generally on when sisters had felt so alone and hopeless...Good discussion, very honest and humble. then spoke of loving the Lord NOT in order to gain blessings promised, but simply to LOVE HIM. Period.
I KNOW that when we LOVE Him, no strings attached, freely, there is a peaceful joy that comes, with simply believing and trusting & loving the Lord. period.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Deeper Thoughts on the Atonement
Vic and I have been called to teach the Payson 16th Ward Temple Prep class. I was really afraid they were going to call me to the Primary. So when Bishop Brimley said, "Temple Prep class", I was so relieved, and over the moon! We were going to be so great! We'd go to each of the "less active's" homes and visit them, get to know them, fellowship them into the class, into the temple, etc.
Haven't done that yet. There've been 3 classes. Vic was there for the first one, then the school year began to power up at BYU and he's gone to his YSA ward most Sundays. We taught the first class together, and it was great. The other two I've done alone; well, Oscar Arce was there the second week to explain a little about the questions that are asked in the temple recommend interview. Last week, it was just me and one other very cute and humble young, pre-mission student. We kept the door open and had class anyway. Sometimes smaller is better.
So I've been feeling pretty guilty about all the personalization I haven't been doing, etc.
Anyway, I've thought it would be cool to have a little thought or paragraph to send or take to the class members that don't make it to class. Nothing heavy-handed or preachy, but something hopeful. Something that might help them WANT to move forward and upward in their lives, and WANT to move in the direction of something better for themselves and their families and their future. And want to know how to do our part if we honestly want for Christ to change our nature. I handed this out to, well, Carter McClellan last Sunday (Actually, I can't remember whether I handed it out the 2nd Sunday or last Sunday.)
We can change our behavior. Our very desires can change. How? There is only one way. True change—permanent change—can come only through the healing, cleansing, and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ."
For the 2nd class (2 young pre-mission men and a cute active couple with a tiny baby) I had felt impressed to talk about the Atonement; how it's BECAUSE of the Atonement that we can GO to the temple; how it's because of it that we have hope for, and the ability to, CHANGE from who we are or have been, to who we can and need to become. How the Atonement is not only for, "I've messed up so bad, please please please forgive me and help me be clean again", but for BECOMING so much more than we EVER were, or thought we could be! The Atonement is the empowering possibility to soar.
[Not making lots of sense; this is pretty disordered. I'm just trying to get to the point I was at this morning as I sat down in Sacrament meeting in the YSA 183rd ward.]
"It occurs to me that probably the main reason I'm getting tired of working in the temple is that I'm largely going through the motions, as I do most days of my life. Going through the motions, as a song on Buffy said.
If I want changes inside me; if I want to NOT be this same old tired me - tired, apathetic, depressed ME for the rest of my life, just getting older and older & tireder & tireder, etc, I've got to want to go deeper; to not just read the scriptures, but actively & enthusiastically DIVE in to discover what the Lord can reveal me to myself - SO THAT I can discover HIM.
*Study enabling & empowering power of Holy Ghost & Atonement
So back to Ether: 27 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.
I've struggled a little with wondering how it's such a good thing for Got to point out to me my weaknesses. I mean, there are already so many; it would help for Him to point out more? I think I wrote last time about that scripture and the issue of the Savior washing the disciples' feet. Peter objects, and the Savior says, "If I wash you not, thou canst have no part with me."
If we don't allow Him to show us our sins, we have no part with Him.
See also D&C 95:1 whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven.
D&C 101:5 For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified.
Again, we NEED to change at a soul-deep and cellular level; we need the Atonement for the ability to rise higher than otherwise possible.
Nature abhors a vacuum, and what is removed (sin & weakness) must be replaced with something higher and better. Here is a good place to insert a great lesson Linda Brimley gave me. She said that in the parable of the olive tree, the Master doesn't just toss out the bad branches. For every branch he cuts out, he replaces it with a new branch. She said the Lord doesn't expect us to just get rid of diseased stuff, but to replace it with better stuff. It's about balance.
Haven't done that yet. There've been 3 classes. Vic was there for the first one, then the school year began to power up at BYU and he's gone to his YSA ward most Sundays. We taught the first class together, and it was great. The other two I've done alone; well, Oscar Arce was there the second week to explain a little about the questions that are asked in the temple recommend interview. Last week, it was just me and one other very cute and humble young, pre-mission student. We kept the door open and had class anyway. Sometimes smaller is better.
So I've been feeling pretty guilty about all the personalization I haven't been doing, etc.
Anyway, I've thought it would be cool to have a little thought or paragraph to send or take to the class members that don't make it to class. Nothing heavy-handed or preachy, but something hopeful. Something that might help them WANT to move forward and upward in their lives, and WANT to move in the direction of something better for themselves and their families and their future. And want to know how to do our part if we honestly want for Christ to change our nature. I handed this out to, well, Carter McClellan last Sunday (Actually, I can't remember whether I handed it out the 2nd Sunday or last Sunday.)
We can change our behavior. Our very desires can change. How? There is only one way. True change—permanent change—can come only through the healing, cleansing, and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ."
- Russell M. Nelson
"Decisions for Eternity"
"Decisions for Eternity"
[Not making lots of sense; this is pretty disordered. I'm just trying to get to the point I was at this morning as I sat down in Sacrament meeting in the YSA 183rd ward.]
"It occurs to me that probably the main reason I'm getting tired of working in the temple is that I'm largely going through the motions, as I do most days of my life. Going through the motions, as a song on Buffy said.
If I want changes inside me; if I want to NOT be this same old tired me - tired, apathetic, depressed ME for the rest of my life, just getting older and older & tireder & tireder, etc, I've got to want to go deeper; to not just read the scriptures, but actively & enthusiastically DIVE in to discover what the Lord can reveal me to myself - SO THAT I can discover HIM.
*Study enabling & empowering power of Holy Ghost & Atonement
So back to Ether: 27 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.
I've struggled a little with wondering how it's such a good thing for Got to point out to me my weaknesses. I mean, there are already so many; it would help for Him to point out more? I think I wrote last time about that scripture and the issue of the Savior washing the disciples' feet. Peter objects, and the Savior says, "If I wash you not, thou canst have no part with me."
If we don't allow Him to show us our sins, we have no part with Him.
See also D&C 95:1 whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven.
D&C 101:5 For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified.
Again, we NEED to change at a soul-deep and cellular level; we need the Atonement for the ability to rise higher than otherwise possible.
Nature abhors a vacuum, and what is removed (sin & weakness) must be replaced with something higher and better. Here is a good place to insert a great lesson Linda Brimley gave me. She said that in the parable of the olive tree, the Master doesn't just toss out the bad branches. For every branch he cuts out, he replaces it with a new branch. She said the Lord doesn't expect us to just get rid of diseased stuff, but to replace it with better stuff. It's about balance.
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