Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Kaylee Marie Hightower
I'm so excited that she is here! You can all see her now and I can wear normal clothes ;-)
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Tuesday Treating!!!
This Tuesday for our combined Activity we will be "Treating" those in our ward who need a visit. Please dress up and make this night a special time for those who may not get to enjoy the Halloween experience. Remember, masks are not allowed, and modest church dress is required for any costume. This will be a fun and memorable experience if you help to make it so. Happy Halloween!!!
Consecration and Sacrifice
Today we learned about the law of consecration and sacrifice, and as I read my scriptures tonight, some more thoughts on the subject came to my mind. I'd like to share them with you.
First, I was reading in Alma Chapter 1 about Nehor and how he went around the land teaching false doctrine and establishing churches for the purpose of getting gain. Alma talks about the differences in the people who believed in true doctrines versus those who follow Nehor's false doctrines.
Those last verses really caught my attention. We know that we are blessed through our obedience, but these verses really emphasized just how much the Lord blessed his people when they consecrated and sacrificed all that they had.
From there, I thought of Nephi and how he and his family were asked to leave all that they had to go into the wilderness. Later, they gave all their precious things to Laban in an effort to get the Brass plates. We know that Lamen and Lemuel murmmered but Nephi's response was "I will go and do". And while we don't know what exactly he said to his father when Lehi announced to his family that they were leaving Jerusalem and their home, and taking only provisions for the trip, we can know that Nephi's response must have been something similar to what he said when asked to go back and get the plates.
I struggled to know whether or not I could do what Nephi did. Nephi was asked to sacrifice all he had, and he did it. I wondered if it was hard for him to say "I will go and do", or if it came easy to him. When I read verses 12-16, I was comforted. "And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their afather. And they did bmurmur because they cknew not the dealings of that God who had dcreated them..... And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the amysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did bvisit me, and did csoften my heart that I did dbelieve all the words which had been spoken by my efather; wherefore, I did not frebel against him like unto my brothers."
I imagine that it was hard for Nephi to "go and do" but his strength to obey came from a sure knowledge given to him by the spirit that his father was a prophet.
I realized that we too can have the Lord visit us and soften our hearts and cause us to believe if we but ask. When our hearts are right, and we truely desire to do what the Lord wants us to, and to know that what we are being asked to do is coming from God, we will be given the faith necessary to "go and do" just as Nephi did.
While right now the idea of giving up all that I am and have to the Lord, being able to walk away from every earthly possesion, turn over all my time, talents, money, etc to the building of the Kingdom seems daunting and I question my capacity to do so, I take comfort in knowing that my desire to obey will be magnified. Through my testimony of God's prophets, the truthfulness of His church, and with an extra witness of the spirit, I have faith that the Lord will provide a way for me to live the law of consecration and sacrifice.
First, I was reading in Alma Chapter 1 about Nehor and how he went around the land teaching false doctrine and establishing churches for the purpose of getting gain. Alma talks about the differences in the people who believed in true doctrines versus those who follow Nehor's false doctrines.
27 And they(members of the true church) did aimpart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the bpoor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly capparel, yet they were neat and comely.
28 And thus they did establish the affairs of the church; and thus they began to have continual peace again, notwithstanding all their persecutions.
29 And now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly arich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of bsilk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely ccloth.
30 And thus, in their aprosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were bnaked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon criches; therefore they were dliberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no erespect to persons as to those who stood in need.
31 And thus they did aprosper and become far more wealthy than those who did not belong to their church.
Those last verses really caught my attention. We know that we are blessed through our obedience, but these verses really emphasized just how much the Lord blessed his people when they consecrated and sacrificed all that they had.
From there, I thought of Nephi and how he and his family were asked to leave all that they had to go into the wilderness. Later, they gave all their precious things to Laban in an effort to get the Brass plates. We know that Lamen and Lemuel murmmered but Nephi's response was "I will go and do". And while we don't know what exactly he said to his father when Lehi announced to his family that they were leaving Jerusalem and their home, and taking only provisions for the trip, we can know that Nephi's response must have been something similar to what he said when asked to go back and get the plates.
I struggled to know whether or not I could do what Nephi did. Nephi was asked to sacrifice all he had, and he did it. I wondered if it was hard for him to say "I will go and do", or if it came easy to him. When I read verses 12-16, I was comforted. "And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their afather. And they did bmurmur because they cknew not the dealings of that God who had dcreated them..... And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the amysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did bvisit me, and did csoften my heart that I did dbelieve all the words which had been spoken by my efather; wherefore, I did not frebel against him like unto my brothers."
I imagine that it was hard for Nephi to "go and do" but his strength to obey came from a sure knowledge given to him by the spirit that his father was a prophet.
I realized that we too can have the Lord visit us and soften our hearts and cause us to believe if we but ask. When our hearts are right, and we truely desire to do what the Lord wants us to, and to know that what we are being asked to do is coming from God, we will be given the faith necessary to "go and do" just as Nephi did.
While right now the idea of giving up all that I am and have to the Lord, being able to walk away from every earthly possesion, turn over all my time, talents, money, etc to the building of the Kingdom seems daunting and I question my capacity to do so, I take comfort in knowing that my desire to obey will be magnified. Through my testimony of God's prophets, the truthfulness of His church, and with an extra witness of the spirit, I have faith that the Lord will provide a way for me to live the law of consecration and sacrifice.
Young Women in Excellence--A Wonderful Night
Last week, as you know, was our Young Women in Excellence program. And, thanks to many people, it was a wonderful night. Sister Alta Taylor gave an incredible talk (an hour long!) about what life was like when she was in the MIA program. Everyone in attendance was edified by her sweet testimony, and I'm sure, like me, left with a gratitude for our many blessings and a desire to be the best we can be. Christa and Katelyn had a great musical number, and much was said about Bro. Hawker's chocolate chip cookies (thank you a million times over for making those)!
Because of time, I had to forgo giving my talk, but I will just share a few brief thoughts now. Every girl's treasure chest was just amazing. I am so proud of you girls for all the work you put into both your projects and your box. I hope that you will continue to gather the treasures that are of eternal value both into your hearts and throughout your lives.
President Monson wrote an article called "Treasures of Eternal Value". In it, he offers three pieces to a "treasure map" that will bring us joy in this life, and eternal joy in the hereafter. The first thing he says is to learn from the past. Sis. Taylor shared with us her life experience. I hope that you can learn from her example. Do not put of being a friend with some today. Reach out to those who are not coming to church and bring them in. Do now what you can do and do not put it off until tomorrow. Give love to those around you. Be a friend to everyone.
The second piece of the treausre map Pres. Monson offers is to live in the present. That may sound easy. Afterall, you're not Marty McFly in Back to the Future. But to live in the present means more than just breathing and being awake. To live in the present means we take advantages of opportunities we have now, such as opportunities to learn knowlegde and skills, develop relationships and make memories. It means having your body and your attention in the same place. It means not procrastinating things until tomorrow. It means enjoying life while you are living it. Do not rush your life, age yourself, or skip ahead of your youth. Time goes fast enough and you will miss the days you have now soon enough. Do not hasten the time when you look back and wish that you were young again. Live now so that you will not have regrets later.
The lastt piece to the map is to prepare for the future. To prepare for the future, we must know our potential and what we are striving for. Julie B. Beck, the General Relief Society President has said, “Oh, that every girl and woman would have a testimony of her potential for eternal motherhood. … Female roles did not begin on earth, and they do not end here. A woman who treasures motherhood on earth will treasure motherhood in the world to come, and ‘where [her] treasure is, there will [her] heart be also’ (Matthew 6:21). By developing a mother heart, each girl and woman prepares for her divine, eternal mission of motherhood” (“A ‘Mother Heart,’ ” Liahona and Ensign, May 2004, 76). And Elder Russell M. Nelson has said, “A woman’s richest rewards will come as she rises to fulfill her destiny as a devoted daughter of God. To all faithful Saints He has promised thrones, kingdoms, principalities, glory, immortality, and eternal lives. (See Rom. 2:7; D&C 75:5; 128:12, 23; 132:19.) That is the potential for women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is exalting, everlasting, and divine” (“Woman—Of Infinite Worth,” Ensign, Nov. 1989, 22).
I testify that the Personal Progess Program will help you reach your potential and prepare for your future, as mothers, wives, teachers, leaders, professionals, and whatever other righteous roles in which you may find yourselves. I testify that the leaders of the church know what we need to do to fulfill our divine potential and they have given us all that we need start out on the path that will lead us there through the fulfilment of Personal Progress Program. We can activly prepare for the future by doing Personal Progress now.
These three elements, these pieces of a treasure map, given to us by a Prophet of God will fill our hearts and lives with treasures of Eternal Value. May we each reach our potential and become Women of Excellence with the truths of the gospel treasured in our hearts by learning from the past, living in the present and preparing for the future.
Because of time, I had to forgo giving my talk, but I will just share a few brief thoughts now. Every girl's treasure chest was just amazing. I am so proud of you girls for all the work you put into both your projects and your box. I hope that you will continue to gather the treasures that are of eternal value both into your hearts and throughout your lives.
President Monson wrote an article called "Treasures of Eternal Value". In it, he offers three pieces to a "treasure map" that will bring us joy in this life, and eternal joy in the hereafter. The first thing he says is to learn from the past. Sis. Taylor shared with us her life experience. I hope that you can learn from her example. Do not put of being a friend with some today. Reach out to those who are not coming to church and bring them in. Do now what you can do and do not put it off until tomorrow. Give love to those around you. Be a friend to everyone.
The second piece of the treausre map Pres. Monson offers is to live in the present. That may sound easy. Afterall, you're not Marty McFly in Back to the Future. But to live in the present means more than just breathing and being awake. To live in the present means we take advantages of opportunities we have now, such as opportunities to learn knowlegde and skills, develop relationships and make memories. It means having your body and your attention in the same place. It means not procrastinating things until tomorrow. It means enjoying life while you are living it. Do not rush your life, age yourself, or skip ahead of your youth. Time goes fast enough and you will miss the days you have now soon enough. Do not hasten the time when you look back and wish that you were young again. Live now so that you will not have regrets later.
The lastt piece to the map is to prepare for the future. To prepare for the future, we must know our potential and what we are striving for. Julie B. Beck, the General Relief Society President has said, “Oh, that every girl and woman would have a testimony of her potential for eternal motherhood. … Female roles did not begin on earth, and they do not end here. A woman who treasures motherhood on earth will treasure motherhood in the world to come, and ‘where [her] treasure is, there will [her] heart be also’ (Matthew 6:21). By developing a mother heart, each girl and woman prepares for her divine, eternal mission of motherhood” (“A ‘Mother Heart,’ ” Liahona and Ensign, May 2004, 76). And Elder Russell M. Nelson has said, “A woman’s richest rewards will come as she rises to fulfill her destiny as a devoted daughter of God. To all faithful Saints He has promised thrones, kingdoms, principalities, glory, immortality, and eternal lives. (See Rom. 2:7; D&C 75:5; 128:12, 23; 132:19.) That is the potential for women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is exalting, everlasting, and divine” (“Woman—Of Infinite Worth,” Ensign, Nov. 1989, 22).
I testify that the Personal Progess Program will help you reach your potential and prepare for your future, as mothers, wives, teachers, leaders, professionals, and whatever other righteous roles in which you may find yourselves. I testify that the leaders of the church know what we need to do to fulfill our divine potential and they have given us all that we need start out on the path that will lead us there through the fulfilment of Personal Progress Program. We can activly prepare for the future by doing Personal Progress now.
These three elements, these pieces of a treasure map, given to us by a Prophet of God will fill our hearts and lives with treasures of Eternal Value. May we each reach our potential and become Women of Excellence with the truths of the gospel treasured in our hearts by learning from the past, living in the present and preparing for the future.
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