Mormons Anonymous

Joint Lesson on Provident Living

Today we had a combined meeting at church. In being combined, I am referring to having both the Priesthood and Relief Society together for the lesson. The lesson was taught by the Bishop.

The Bishop basically expounded on a talk by Elder Robert D Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The original talk is found here Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually.

I would like to point out some of the main points that were discussed by the Bishop.

Brothers and sisters, as did President Monson, our children are growing up in times of economic uncertainty. Just as our grandparents and great-grandparents learned vital lessons through economic adversity, what we learn now, in our present circumstances, can bless us and our posterity for generations to come.

Depression Effect
The generation that grew up during the Depression tended to have very thrifty habits regarding the spending of money. They learned during those days the importance of living within your means. It is quite possible that our nation may go through several years of rough economic times. By having our children participate in our scaling back and living providently, they will remember it and become blessed by it for years to come.

Debt and Addiction
It is interesting to note that Elder Hales places debt in the same category as addiction. In a very real sense, debt is often caused by our unwillingness to exercise self control. Failure to exercise self control is the stemming cause of individuals being caught in the snares of addiction to foods, drugs, pornography, and other patterns of behavior that diminish ones self worth. When we get caught in these snares, we must turn to the Lord and follow his commandments. We must repent.

What is a Provident Provider
Provident living means:

• Joyfully living within our means
• Being content with what we have
• Avoiding excessive debt
• Diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies

By living providently, we can provide for our families and also follow the Savior’s example to serve and bless others.

On Budgeting, Love and Personal Growth
It has been shown that in most families, one person runs the budget and the other simply follows in it (hopefully). It is very important that both spouses in the marriage go over the budget together.

Quite often people want to show their love to their spouse by buying things for them. However, it is not wise to blindly do these purchases. Sometimes the words “I love you” are very important whereas the words, “we cannot afford it” are an even greater expression of love. The budget needs to be a joint activity.

Tithing and the Fast Offering is another way that we learn provident living. By paying our tithes, we develop our faith in the Father and the Son. Tithing helps us to overcome the desires for the things of the world as we willingly make sacrifices for others.

While the Tithing money goes straight to Salt Lake City, the Fast Offering is used locally. The Bishop pointed out the joy that he receives when members of the ward have called him in their need and he has been able to draw from the Fast Offering to provide that immediate “Real Need” for the family.

Priesthood Lesson - Dealing With Adversity

Yesterday, I was priviledged to give the lesson in our ward for Priesthood Meeting.  I was asked to pick one of the talks from Geneal Conference and expound on it.  When given the assignment, I immediately remembered a talk which included a story about a woman during World War II who was force on a long evacuation trek in the dead of winter.  She had already lost her husband and started with several children, all of whom died, one by one on the trek out of starvation and cold.  Her last child died a short distance from the final destination.  Upon arriving, she was said to be in the advanced stages of starvation herself.  She no longer had any desire to live.  But she decided to stay alive because the spirit whispered to her the eternal truth that if she kept her covenants on earth, then she would be reunited with her family in the eternities.  So she did so. 

I searched through numerous talks, but could not find that particular talk.  I ended up printing off 4 different conference talks - all about dealing with adversity - and made the best of it.

In the class, we all commonly agreed that the main thread in the conference was that many of us are going through hard times right now.  But if we will keep our covenants with the Lord, he will watch over us and be with us to overcome the trials.  We must also be reaching out beyond our family circle to find ways to help others.

I was surprised to find in the lesson that when I asked the men, how many of them are personally going through hard times right now, about 2/3 of them raised thier hands.  I thought to myself, the problems of today are deeper than I thought.  Then we discussed the different trials that people may be going through.

Aside from the obvious trials of today’s harsh economic times, there are people who are struggling with loneliness.  I pointed out that it is very possible to be lonely while being very married. 

President Holland gave a really unique talk in conference called None Were with Him. He taught in that lesson a concept about the atonement that I had never heard before. Here is an excerpt from that talk.

Of course others among the believers had their difficult moments as well. Following the Last Supper, Jesus left Peter, James, and John to wait while He ventured into the Garden of Gethsemane alone. Falling on His face in prayer, “sorrowful . . . unto death,”8 the record says, His sweat came as great drops of blood as He pled with the Father to let this crushing, brutal cup pass from Him. But, of course, it could not pass. Returning from such anguished prayer He found His three chief disciples asleep, prompting Him to ask, “Could ye not watch with me one hour?” So it happens two more times until on His third return He says compassionately, “Sleep on now, and take your rest,” though there would be no rest for Him.

Later, after Jesus’s arrest and appearance at trial, Peter, accused of knowing Jesus and being one of His confidants, denies that accusation not once but three times. We don’t know all that was going on here, nor do we know of protective counsel which the Savior may have given to His Apostles privately, but we do know Jesus was aware that even these precious ones would not stand with Him in the end, and He had warned Peter accordingly. Then, with the crowing of the cock, “the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord. . . . And [he] went out, and wept bitterly.”

Thus, of divine necessity, the supporting circle around Jesus gets smaller and smaller and smaller, giving significance to Matthew’s words: “All the disciples [left] him, and fled.”15 Peter stayed near enough to be recognized and confronted. John stood at the foot of the cross with Jesus’s mother. Especially and always the blessed women in the Savior’s life stayed as close to Him as they could. But essentially His lonely journey back to His Father continued without comfort or companionship.

Now I speak very carefully, even reverently, of what may have been the most difficult moment in all of this solitary journey to Atonement. I speak of those final moments for which Jesus must have been prepared intellectually and physically but which He may not have fully anticipated emotionally and spiritually—that concluding descent into the paralyzing despair of divine withdrawal when He cries in ultimate loneliness, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

The loss of mortal support He had anticipated, but apparently He had not comprehended this. Had He not said to His disciples, “Behold, the hour . . . is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me” and “The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him”?

With all the conviction of my soul I testify that He did please His Father perfectly and that a perfect Father did not forsake His Son in that hour. Indeed, it is my personal belief that in all of Christ’s mortal ministry the Father may never have been closer to His Son than in these agonizing final moments of suffering. Nevertheless, that the supreme sacrifice of His Son might be as complete as it was voluntary and solitary, the Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. It was required; indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind—us, all of us—would feel when we did commit such sins. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone.

The book of James in the New Testament was written by the brother of Jesus. The main theme of that book was about overcoming trials. In considering that this was a topic so close to his heart, I personally believe that family life in the home of Mary and Joseph could not have been easy. They were likely pushed around and persecuted from every side on a continual basis by supporters of the adversary. Joseph Smith’s family had their exceedingly serious share of trials; however, their trials probably paled greatly in comparison to the trials experienced in Jesus family. Unfortunately, we have no record of it. It is just something that I personally believe.

I ended the lesson in talking about the fast offering. Our previous bishop who was recently released briefly stood up in Sacrament Meeting announcing that there are many families in the ward really struggling financially today. He asked us to be very generous in our fast offerings - money which the bishop turns around to give to the families in the ward who are in need. While the bishop has since been released, I was recently riding in the car with a member of the bishopric who mentioned to me that there are so many families in the ward who are really struggling right now. I asked the members that in light of all that is going on that they seriously consider that if they have the means, then dig deeper to give generously to the fast offering. For that is one way that we can today live the law of consecration while helping those in need through these difficult times. Instead of building our kingdom on the earth, where moth doth corrupt and rust doth cancor, let us instead build up our riches in heaven by sharing of our means helping others with their needs.

General Conference - Sunday Sessions - October 2008

I have to continue to state that my favorite two weekends of the year are the weekends of General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is difficult to put in words why that is. It really comes down to just the feelings that I feel as I listen to the inspired talks.

This series of talks seemed a little different than lately. There were no talks on pornography and gambling. There were no talks on the importance of attending the temple. There was a big push on helping people as we all go through economic hard times.

Here are some of my notes on certain speakers. I will leave the names of the speakers out for brevity.

Families need to pray together day and night.
Joy comes when blessed with unity.
Don’t criticize the bishop.
Respond to attacks in a Christ-like manner. But what is a Christ-like manner? To Herod, he was silent; to Pontius Pilate, he bore testimony; to the Roman soldiers, he showed forgiveness; to the money changers in the temple, he threw over their tables.
Be Christ-like when defending the Kingdom against attacks.
Use the internet to repond to blogs and to discussion forums.
Meekness is the badge of Christian courage.
Don’t confuse confidence with overbearance.
Help others to understand the truth by bearing testimony in love and meekness.
Don’t be judgemental of others.
We all need each other.
Sometimes it is best to just walk away.
Share unconditional love.
Love your neighbor.
We are all neighbors.
Fast offering is heaven’s help.
Prayer will help you.
Display a banner signifying a return to virtue.
We must return to virtue if we want to change the world.
Lay aside the things of the world.
God’s work cannot be frustrated, only the work of man can be frustrated.
1 millionth missionary was called last year.
Carry on the traditions of those who began the church by being consecrated to the work showing no superficiality.
(Monson) Don’t let the most important things pass you by. Find time for the important things now. Don’t let problems be mor important than someone we love. Gratitude and thankfulness is a noble virtue.
For harmony in marraige, minimize personal demands and maximize loving harmony.
The three keys to teaching are:
1. Show love and call them by name.
2. Cause to ponder what was taught as pondering invites personal revelation.
3. Use and quote the scriptures.
Go back and get the less active. Many will come back. Many still have the flame, the flame is just weak.
A testimony of the gospel comes in the still small voice. It may not be grand or loud.
Some of our trials have lasting repercussions; but, not every cloud rains.
(Monson) Pull together and get through the trials.

Well, that covers most of the two Sunday meetings.

General Conference - Saturday Session - October 2008

Yesterday was the Saturday sessions for the October conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I did not keep very good notes; nevertheless, I would like to jot down some of the items discussed (or at least my thoughts) by some of the speakers. The Sunday session is later today as right now it is Sunday morning while writing this post.

One of the talks touched on being generous during the upcoming tough economic times. It is important that we be willing to give to those in need. This particular topic is one that has been heavy in my heart lately as I personally have gone through several years of difficulties. The difficulties were not all financial. There were many emotional challenges and even spiritual challenges regarding worthiness that have plagued me throughout this time. But now my challenges are nearing an end and I am seeing people that are important to me also going through challenges and the question of how to best help them weighs heavy on my heart. Nevertheless, the message is quite clear that we need to be willing to reach out and help those in need. The speaker who impressed me on this subject was Brother Christopherson on the saturday afternoon session.

Two individuals gave similar talks today on modest dress and appearance. As part of thier talks one item they both touched on was dealing the the administration of the sacrament. As Priesthood holders are administering the sacrament, there should be nothing about thier appearance that detracts from the sacred ordinance of the sacrament. It was even suggested that the youth (or all others) who participate in the ordinance should be wearing the uniform of the white shirt symbolic of the dress when baptized and later to be worn while serving a mission. The concept of modesty went far beyond just dealing with the youth. In general, we were told to treat our bodies as sacred and not to defile them (suggesting not doing tatoos, crazy hairdos, and such). We are also to dress modestly in general. A joke was made referencing the making of two dresses out of the material normally used for one.

President Eyring spoke of being overworked. He said when he was a junior apostle, one of the members of the presidency pulled him in his office and asked him if it had happened regarding the instruction on how to cope with the stress of how to get everything done. President Eyring had been quite overwhelmed with his responsibilities. The counselor here did not tell him how to cope with it. He simply told him to get his answers from him (pointing his finger to the sky). President Eyring pointed out that it seems the busiest are often the ones called on the most because they get things done. And he pointed out that the harder you work at getting the Lord’s work done, the more strength he gives you to get the work done. And he compared it to simply working out and building up your muscles. It was pointed out that many people don’t want to get involved in the work. This should not be the case. We need to work at our callings to push forward the kingdom of God. There was a story given of a group of people needing to move a grand piano from the chapel to the cultural hall (different speaker). One person told everyone to stand where they were and lift. They all did so and the impossible task became as though the piano moved itself. We must be doing the same. Everybody stand where you are and fulfill your church callings. Do your home teaching. Prepare your lessons well. Do whatever it is you are required to do in the church and then some and the God’s work will get done and you will be rewarded with the Spirit. Another story on this topic was given of a man who migrated from Europe and joined the saints in the Salt Lake Valley. He built a home twenty miles away and was later hired to do stonework for the temple. Every monday morning, he woke up about 2:00 am to walk to the temple site. On Friday he would walk home and get home about midnight. One day, a cow kicked him and broke his leg. With the limited medical care, his family amputated his leg. Soon, through much pain, he built a wooden leg and soon began his weekly trek to the temple to do his stone cutting work. We need to have dedication to the work, a willingness and a desire to do the work, and we need to work together to do the work. In doing so, we will all reap Gods blessings of fulfillment and exhaltation.

Another good talk I recall was by the first counselor in the Relief Society. This talk was on missionary work. Everyone can and should be involved in the work. I don’t think the message was anything new. Nevertheless, it was a reminder to us that we all need to be willing to actively share the Gospel with those we are in touch with.

The saturday sessions were good. In fact, they were just as they always are.