Some deep thoughts from Payson ward testimonies and YSA Stake Conference, et al.:
☣Bro Mathews (mouth cancer)
'I'm grateful for those who stand beside me in times of difficulty. I've learned that often they are dealing with greater difficulty than i am.
I'm grateful for the difficulties i have that I don't understand. I've learned that when i look back the difficulties paved the way for my greatest blessings.
☣Sister Pitts said she was thankful to have the Priesthood in her home, that she could wake her husband up at 1:30 AM and ask him to give her a blessing, and he SIMPLY said "Yes, id be happy to." Then he'd get up, put on a white shirt & tie in order to give her the blessing.
☣One of Misty's boys, bearing his testimony this morning, said, "This morning I want to talk about God's love. He loves all of you. The old and the young. The righteous and the wicked, and the in-between. He loves you all. (Small pause) It's even better if you go to church, and to the temple."
☣The Savior is closer than we dare believe, and kinder than we ___ imagine. Pres Roach, stake conf.
"Elder Eyring said to a small group of missionaries, "Jesus Christ is kinder than you imagine, and closer than we dare believe." That brings chills if you think about it."
☣3rd Nephi 31:20:
"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."
☣It's FE that enables us, or causes us, to step out of our comfort zone & do something we're not seeing every one else do; to not need to be "commanded in all things."
(Interesting factoid: FAITH in Spanish 'fe' is the elemental word for iron.)
***What am i going to do today to reconcile myself with Christ?
🔜Melvin j ballard, sacramental covenant
Scriptures.byu.edu
Maps.byu.edu
A sister police officer whose goal was to always have the Lord's image in her countenance.....There was a sister she knew who was addicted to prescription meds. She finally ended up at rock bottom in jail. She went into rehab and the day she got home 2 full - time missionaries knocked on her door. What they said sounded so familiar to her. She took the lessons and was baptized. She had faithful and loving visiting teachers, home teachers who visited more than once a month. A year later she was prepared to go to the Tempe. Her ward filled the chapel. They reflected back at the last time they had sat together, in jail, when this sister had been arrested.
***Elder Scott - prayer. Found it was better when he just talked to the Lord rather than doing silent companionship prayer.
Answers come either yes or no or sometimes nothing for now. When that happens we should be grateful for the trust the Lord has in us. We can proceed according to the principles of the gospel. We will either feel the approval of the Lord or the stupor of thought. God will not let us go wrong without warning us.
Nephi did not wait for the entire plan before acting. He went ahead and acted, without knowing beforehand that which he should do.
Never feel you are too unworthy to pray!
The most important principle about prayer is GRATITUDE. IT WILL FILL US WITH PEACE.
Pray to your Father in Heaven, and your life's work will be greatly blessed.
WANT A TRANSCRIPT OF THIS TALK!
Sister Wendy Nelson, wife of Elder Nelson: Do you need some extra help in your life? She heard Elder Scott speak on FH work, and the protection it gives from the influences of the adversary. She believed him.
She prayed to find names of people who were ready to have their work done. Within the next three weeks she had many spiritual, even miraculous experiences. She learned 3 things.
1) they don't like to be called "dead".
2) they are anxious, even desperate to have their work done.
3) I forget....!
Elder Nelson: lots of stuff abt the restoration. Malachi literally means My Messenger.
Do we believe in angels? Not the kind with wings that flutter around. We believe in heavenly messengers and earthly angels. Near the end of his talk he said that he and Elder Scott, as Special Witnesses of Christ, wanted to leave those of us at that conference with an Apostolic blessing: Healing of those who were ill, love in our homes, inspiration in our callings, (he went on for several minutes enumerating different blessings they pronounced on us in this Apolostic blessing.) It was super powerful!
Overcoming the distance between ourselves and the Savior is a personal battle.
"Although we could not emrace Suzie's choices, we could certainly embrace HER".
(Brent Nielsen, Talk in Gen Conf April 2015).
