Sunday, October 28, 2012

Ingratitude

President Deiter F Uchtdorf, The Joy of the Priesthood, General Conference 2012
"Yes, there is always something imperfect in any situation. Yes, it is easy to find things to complain about."

Temptation


Elder Anthony D Perkins of the Seventy, Beware Concerning Yourselves, General Conference October 2012
"Each time Jesus alerts priesthood holders to ‘beware, for Satan desireth to sift [you],’ He prescribes prayer as the temptation-countering action."


President Boyd K Packer, “How to Survive in Enemy Territory”,Seminary Centennial Broadcast 
“A few of you may have felt or been told that you were born with troubling feelings and that you are not guilty if you act on those temptations. Doctrinally we know that if that were true your agency would have been erased, and that cannot happen. You always have a choice to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost and live a morally pure and chaste life, one filled with virtue.”

Complaining

President Deiter F Uchtdorf, The Joy of the Priesthood, General Conference 2012
"Yes, there is always something imperfect in any situation. Yes, it is easy to find things to complain about."

Duty

Elder David A Bednar - Apostle, Converted unto the Lord, General Conference October 2012

We should know the gospel is true and be true to the gospel.


Helaman 15:5-6
5 And I would that ye should behold that the more part of them are in the path of their duty, and they do walk circumspectly before God, and they do observe to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments according to the law of Moses.
6 Yea, I say unto you, that the more part of them are doing this, and they are striving with unwearied diligence that they may bring the remainder of their brethren to the knowledge of the truth; therefore there are many who do add to their numbers daily.


Zina D. Young, in Woman’s Exponent, Oct. 15, 1877, 74
“Sisters, it is for us to be wide awake to our duties.”

Elder D Todd Christofferson - Apostle, Brethren, We Have Work to Do, General Conference October 2012

"Some men and young men have taken the negative signals as an excuse to avoid responsibility and never really grow up."
...
As men of the priesthood, we have an essential role to play in society, at home, and in the Church. But we must be men that women can trust, that children can trust, and that God can trust.”
...
"...it is essential that you become proficient so that you can support a family and make a contribution for good in your community and your country."


Teachings: John Taylor, 164
“It is your duty first of all to learn what the Lord wants and then by the power and strength of His holy Priesthood to [so] magnify your calling in the presence of your fellows … that the people will be glad to follow you.”


George Albert Smith, in Conference Report, Apr. 1942, 14

“It is your duty first of all to learn what the Lord wants and then by the power and strength of His holy Priesthood to [so] magnify your calling in the presence of your fellows … that the people will be glad to follow you.”

Doctrine and Covenants 107:99

 99 Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence.

President Thomas S  Monson, Willing and Worthy to Serve, April 2012 General Conference

Time certainly marches on. Duty keeps cadence with that march. Duty does not dim nor diminish.”

Spencer W Kimball, The Miracle ofForgiveness [1969], 96 
“One breaks the priesthood covenant by transgressing commandments—but also by leaving undone his duties. Accordingly, to break this covenant one needs only to do nothing



President Ezra Taft Benson, So Shall Ye Reap [1960], 21

“It is not enough to receive the priesthood and then sit back passively and wait until someone prods us into activity. When we receive the priesthood, we have the obligation of becoming actively and anxiously engaged in promoting the cause of righteousness in the earth, because the Lord says:
“‘… He that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned’ [D&C 58:29]


President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Of Things That Matter Most, General Conference October 2010

"What do you suppose pilots do when they encounter turbulence? A student pilot may think that increasing speed is a good strategy because it will get them through the turbulence faster. But that may be the wrong thing to do. Professional pilots understand that there is an optimum turbulence penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence. And most of the time that would mean to reduce your speed. The same principle applies also to speed bumps on a road."


My comments: Sometimes we speed up to get through the turbulence of life faster, when in reality it is best to slow down and find the optimum speed.  Some hurry to get a promotion or hurry to get through school as fast as possibly, while our other duties of life are neglected.

 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art convertedstrengthen thy brethren.

Elder Henry B Eyring, Learning in the Priesthood, April 2011 General Conference

"I am grateful to be with you in this meeting of the priesthood of God. We are in many different places tonight and at many stages in our priesthood service. Yet with all the variety of our circumstances, we have a need in common. It is to learn our duties in the priesthood and to grow in our power to perform them."

Elder Neil l Anderson, Preparing the World for the Second Coming , April 2011 General Conference
“He had a priesthood duty to offer two years of his life to declare the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. Nothing—not even a chance to play on the national team, with all the acclaim it would bring—would deter him from that duty.”


Alma 60:21
21 Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?

Doctrine and Covenants 108:7
7 Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings.

Elder L. Tom Perry, The Sabbath and the Sacrament
"Brothers and sisters, in the latter days the adversary succeeds when we relax our commitment to the Savior, ignore His teachings in the New Testament and other scripture, and cease to follow Him. "

Reactivation

Helping Others to Help Themselves: The Story of the Mormon Church Welfare Program (1945), 4.
The Church cannot hope to save a man on Sunday if during the week it is a complacent witness to the crucifixion of his soul.”

What It Means To Be a Man

Doctrine and Covenants 109:15
15 And that they may grow up in thee, and receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost, and be organized according to thy laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing;

Elder D Todd Christofferson - Apostle, Brethren, We Have Work to Do, General Conference October 2012
"Some men and young men have taken the negative signals as an excuse to avoid responsibility and never really grow up."
...
As men of the priesthood, we have an essential role to play in society, at home, and in the Church. But we must be men that women can trust, that children can trust, and that God can trust.”
...
"...it is essential that you become proficient so that you can support a family and make a contribution for good in your community and your country."

Service

Elder James E Faust, “Some Great Thing”, October 2001 General Conference quoting Elder Henry B. Eyring, “Waiting upon the Lord,” Brigham Young University 1990–91 Devotional and Fireside Speeches, 22
A story shared by our beloved associate, Elder Henry B. Eyring, illustrates this principle of commitment still further. This story is about his father, the great scientist Henry Eyring, who served on the Bonneville Stake high council. He was responsible for the welfare farm, which included a field of onions that needed to be weeded. At that time, he was nearly 80 and suffering from painful bone cancer. He assigned himself to do weeding even though the pain was so great that he pulled himself along on his stomach with his elbows. The pain was too great for him to kneel. Yet he smiled, laughed, and talked happily with the others who were there that day weeding that field of onions. I now quote what Elder Eyring said of this incident:
“After all the work was finished and the onions were all weeded, someone [said to] him, ‘Henry, good heavens! You didn’t pull those weeds, did you? Those weeds were sprayed two days ago, and they were going to die anyway.’
“Dad just roared. He thought that was the funniest thing. He thought it was a great joke on himself. He had worked through the day in the wrong weeds. They had been sprayed and would have died anyway.
“… I [asked] him, ‘Dad how could you make a joke out of that?’ …
“He said something to me that I will never forget. … He said, ‘Hal, I wasn’t there for the weeds.’”

Lynn G Robbins, Which Way Do You Face?, October 2014 General Conference
May His inspiring example strengthen us against the pitfalls of flattery from without or of conceit from within. May it give us courage to never cower or fawn at the feet of intimidation. May it inspire us to go about doing good as anonymously as possible and not ‘aspire to the honors of men’ (D&C 121:35).

Helping Others to Help Themselves: The Story of the Mormon Church Welfare Program (1945), 4.

The Church cannot hope to save a man on Sunday if during the week it is a complacent witness to the crucifixion of his soul.”

Elder M Russell Ballard - Apostle, Be Anxiously Engaged, General Conference October 2012

As the Epistle of James notes, service is the very definition of pure religion

James 1:27
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.


Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 382, 384)
There is no happiness without service, and there is no service greater than that which converts the home into a divine institution, and which promotes and preserves family life.”


Elder Ronald A Rasband, Special Lessons, General Conference April 2012

If you come upon a person who is drowning, would you ask if they need help—or would it be better to just jump in and save them from the deepening waters? The offer, while well meaning and often given, ‘Let me know if I can help’ is really no help at all.”

Jose L Alonso of the Seventy, Doing the Right Thing at the Right Time, without Delay, General Conference, October 2011

When we serve our neighbor, we help those who are in need. In the process we may find solutions to our own difficulties. 


President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985), The Abundant Life,” Ensign, July 1978, 2.
“God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom.”
President Deiter F Uchtdorf, Waiting on the Road to Damascus, General Conference April 2011
“Often, the answer to our prayer does not come while we’re on our knees but while we’re on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us. Selfless acts of service and consecration refine our spirits, remove the scales from our spiritual eyes, and open the windows of heaven. By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own.”

Boyd K. Packer, Guided by the Holy Spirit, General Conference April 2011
If someone is looking for a church that requires very little, this is not the one. It is not easy to be a Latter-day Saint, but in the long run it is the only true course.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Home Schooling

Elder D Todd Christofferson - Apostle, Brethren, We Have Work to Do, General Conference October 2012
"You adult men—fathers, single adults, leaders, home teachers—be worthy models and help the rising generation of boys become men. Teach them social and other skills: how to participate in a conversation, how to get acquainted and interact with others, how to relate to women and girls, how to serve, how to be active and enjoy recreation, how to pursue hobbies without becoming addicted, how to correct mistakes and make better choices."

My Thoughts:
It appears as though it is the men in their lives that are to teach children socialization skills and not the public school system and the child's peers.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Gender Roles

, "What Shall We Do", April 2016 General Conference
Mothers literally make room in their bodies to nurture an unborn baby—and hopefully a place in their hearts as they raise them—but nurturing is not limited to bearing children. Eve was called a ‘mother’ before she had children.4 I believe that ‘to mother’ means ‘to give life.’ Think of the many ways you give life. It could mean giving emotional life to the hopeless or spiritual life to the doubter. With the help of the Holy Ghost, we can create an emotionally healing place for the discriminated against, the rejected, and the stranger. In these tender yet powerful ways, we build the kingdom of God. Sisters, all of us came to earth with these life-giving, nurturing, maternal gifts because that is God’s plan.

A Theodore Tuttle, The Things That Matter Most, Ensign December 1971
The world is full of foolish schemes. They contravene and hinder the purposes of the Lord. Some seek to change the God-given roles of the sexes. Some invite mothers to leave the home to work. Others entice fathers to find recreation away from their families. These questionable practices weaken the home!"

L Tom Perry, Finding Lasting Peace and Building Eternal Families, October 2014 General ConferenceFathers are personally involved in leading family prayers, daily scripture reading, and weekly family home evenings.
“Fathers build family traditions by being involved in helping plan vacation trips and outings that will involve all of the family members. Memories of these special times together will never be forgotten by their children.
“Fathers hold one-on-one visits with their children and teach them gospel principles.
“Fathers teach sons and daughters the value of work and help them establish worthy goals in their own lives.
“Fathers set an example of faithful gospel service.


Gordon B Hinckley, Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes [2000], 152

“We cannot begin to measure or calculate the influence of women who, in their own ways, build stable family life and nurture for everlasting good the generations of the future. The decisions made by the women of this generation will be eternal in their consequences. May I suggest that the mothers of today have no greater opportunity and no more serious challenge than to do all they can to strengthen the [home]” .

Sister Carole M Stephens, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, Do We Know What We Have?, General Conference October 2013

"We all need each other. Sons of God need daughters of God, and daughters of God need sons of God.
"We have different gifts and different strengths. First Corinthians chapter 12 emphasizes the need for sons and daughters of God, each one of us, to fulfill our individual roles and responsibilities according to the Lord’s plan, that all may benefit.11 "Sons of God, do you know who you are? Do you know what you have? Are you worthy to exercise the priesthood and receive the power and blessings of the priesthood? Do you embrace your roles and responsibilities to strengthen homes as fathers, grandfathers, sons, brothers, and uncles? Do you show respect for women, womanhood, and motherhood? "Daughters of God, do we know who we are? Do we know what we have? Are we worthy to receive the power and blessings of the priesthood? Do we receive the gifts given to us with gratitude, grace, and dignity? Do we embrace our roles and responsibilities to strengthen homes as mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts? Do we show respect for men, manhood, and fatherhood?"

Elder D Todd Christofferson - Apostle, Brethren, We Have Work to Do, General Conference October 2012

“In their zeal to promote opportunity for women, something we applaud, there are those who denigrate men and their contributions. They seem to think of life as a competition between male and female—that one must dominate the other, and now it’s the women’s turn."
...
"Some men and young men have taken the negative signals as an excuse to avoid responsibility and never really grow up."


Women
Gordon B. Hinckley, “Women of the Church,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 69
“There are some women … who have to work to provide for the needs of their families. To you I say, do the very best you can. I hope that if you are employed full-time you are doing it to ensure that basic needs are met and not simply to indulge a taste for an elaborate home, fancy cars, and other luxuries. The greatest job that any mother will ever do will be in nurturing, teaching, lifting, encouraging, and rearing her children in righteousness and truth. None other can adequately take her place.”


Bishop H Burke Peterson, "Mother, Catch the Vision of Your Call", April 1974 General Conference
"Now there are some mothers with school-age children who are the breadwinners of their family and they must work; they are the exception. Fathers and mothers, before you decide you need a second income and that mother must go to work out of the home, may I plead with you: first go to the Lord in prayer and receive his divine approbation. Be sure he says yes. Mothers with children and teenagers at home, before you go out of your homes to work, please count the cost as carefully as you count the profit. Earning a few dollars more for luxuries cloaked in the masquerade of necessity—or a so-called opportunity for self-development of talents in the business world, a chance to get away from the mundane responsibilities of the home—these are all satanic substitutes for clear thinking. They are counterfeit thoughts that subvert the responsibilities of motherhood."

Elder Quentin L Cook, Lamentations of Jeremiah: Beware of Bondage, General Conference October 2013

Now, let me say unequivocally that I am thrilled with the educational and other opportunities that are available to women. I treasure the fact that the backbreaking work and domestic drudgery required of women has been reduced in much of the world because of modern conveniences and that women are making such magnificent contributions in every field of endeavor. But if we allow our culture to reduce the special relationship that children have with mothers and grandmothers and others who nurture them, we will come to regret it.


The Family: A Proclamation to the World

"Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children."

President Gordon B Hinckley, "To the Women of the Church", October 2003 General Women's Conference
"You do not need some of the extravagances that working outside the home might bring."


Men

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families."

Women's Rights

Linda K. Burton, Relief Society general president, in “Recent Developments in the Women’s Organizations” (video), lds.org/go/sistersE914.
“The world would have us believe that women are oppressed, that they are undervalued—but that has not been my experience as I’ve gone across the world. I have seen their strength, I have seen their faith, I have seen their resilience. … I have seen the desires of their hearts. The real story is that women want to be engaged in this work.”
Elder L Whitney Clayton, Marriage: Watch and Learn, April 2013 General Conference
"I have observed that in wonderful, happy marriages, husbands and wives treat each other as equal partners. Practices from any place or any time in which husbands have dominated wives or treated them in any way as second-class partners in marriage are not in keeping with divine law and should be replaced by correct principles and patterns of behavior."


Elder D Todd Christofferson - Apostle, Brethren, We Have Work to Do, General Conference October 2012
“In their zeal to promote opportunity for women, something we applaud, there are those who denigrate men and their contributions. They seem to think of life as a competition between male and female—that one must dominate the other, and now it’s the women’s turn. “

Divorce

Elder Dallin H Oaks - Apostle, Protect the Children, General Conference October 2012
The most powerful teaching of children is by the example of their parents. Divorcing parents inevitably teach a negative lesson.”
...
Children are the first victims of current laws permitting so-called ‘no-fault divorce.’ “

Example


Elder Dallin H Oaks - Apostle, Protect the Children, General Conference October 2012
The most powerful teaching of children is by the example of their parents. Divorcing parents inevitably teach a negative lesson.”


President Boyd K Packer, The Reason for Our Hope, General Conference October 2014
"But no matter how large the organization of the Church becomes or how many millions of members join our ranks, no matter how many continents and countries our missionaries enter or how many different languages we speak, the true success of the gospel of Jesus Christ will be measured by the spiritual strength of its individual members. We need the strength of conviction that is found in the heart of every loyal disciple of Christ."

President Deiter F Ucktdorf - 2nd Counselor in the First Presidency, Of Regrets and Resolutions, General Conference October 2012
“Declaring our testimony of the gospel is good, but being a living example of the restored gospel is better.”

Elder David F Evans, Was It Worth It?, General Conference April 2012
We help our children rely on the Savior’s Atonement and know the forgiveness of a loving Heavenly Father by showing love and forgiveness in our own parenting. Our love and forgiveness not only draw our children closer to us but also build their faith in knowing that Heavenly Father loves them and that He will forgive them as they strive to repent and do better and be better. They trust this truth because they have experienced the same from their earthly parents.”


M. RUSSELL BALLARD, “Mothers and Daughters”, April 2010 General Conference


"If the mothers are thrifty, so are their daughters. If the mothers are modest, so are the girls. If the mothers wear flip-flops and other casual clothing to sacrament meeting, so do their daughters."
C. C. Miller, “The Echo,” in Best-Loved Poems of the LDS People, ed. Jack M. Lyon and others (1996), 312–13
"’Twas a sheep not a lamb
That strayed away in the parable Jesus told,
A grown-up sheep that strayed away
From the ninety and nine in the fold.
And why for the sheep should we seek
And earnestly hope and pray?
Because there is danger when sheep go wrong:
They lead the lambs astray.
Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,
Wherever the sheep may stray.
When sheep go wrong,
It won’t take long till the lambs are as wrong as they.
And so with the sheep we earnestly plead
For the sake of the lambs today,
For when the sheep are lost
What a terrible cost
The lambs will have to pay. "

Doctrine and Covenants 68:25
25 And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.