Coming to Christ...

Coming to Christ (the true purpose of your life)...

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 00:12:00 +0000

This was one of the more impressive (weren't they all though?) talks I heard at our recent General Conference. I found it to be inspiring and thought provoking. I have been refelcting on it since I first heard it.

I invite you to view it again (and see what else the Holy Ghost tells you):

Here are the key nuggets I valued (these are all direct quotes from Elder Renlund):

“The greater the distance between the giver and the receiver, the more the receiver develops a sense of entitlement.”
The concept—“the greater the distance between the giver and the receiver, the more the receiver develops a sense of entitlement”—also has profound spiritual applications. Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are the ultimate Givers. The more we distance ourselves from Them, the more entitled we feel. We begin to think that we deserve grace and are owed blessings.
While the unfairness can range from trivial to gut-wrenching, when we are distant from God, even small inequities loom large. We feel that God has an obligation to fix things—and fix them right now!
The closer we are to Jesus Christ in the thoughts and intents of our hearts, the more we appreciate His innocent suffering, the more grateful we are for grace and forgiveness, and the more we want to repent and become like Him.
As the Savior told the Nephites following His Resurrection:
“And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, …
“And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me.”
To draw closer to the Savior, we must increase our faith in Him, make and keep covenants, and have the Holy Ghost with us. We must also act in faith, responding to the spiritual direction we receive. All of these elements come together in the sacrament. Indeed, the best way I know of to draw closer to God is to prepare conscientiously and partake worthily of the sacrament each week.
A priesthood holder came in. He knelt down, blessed some bread, and handed her a piece. She ate it. He knelt down again and blessed some water and handed her a small cup. She drank it. Thereafter, Diane had two thoughts in rapid succession: First, “Oh, he [the priesthood holder] did this just for me.” And then, “Oh, He [the Savior] did this just for me.” Diane felt Heavenly Father’s love.
“And I give unto you a commandment that ye shall do these things [partake of the sacrament]. And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my rock.
“But whoso among you shall do more or less than these are not built upon my rock, but are built upon a sandy foundation; and when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall fall.”
Jesus did not say “if rain descends, if floods come, and if winds blow” but “when.” No one is immune from life’s challenges; we all need the safety that comes from partaking of the sacrament.
The sacrament truly helps us know our Savior. It also reminds us of His innocent suffering. If life were truly fair, you and I would never be resurrected; you and I would never be able to stand clean before God. In this respect, I am grateful that life is not fair.
Through God’s compassion, kindness, and love, we will all receive more than we deserve, more than we can ever earn, and more than we can ever hope for.
I invite you to draw nearer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, the Ultimate Benefactors and Givers of all that is good.
I invite you to attend sacrament meeting each week and partake of the holy emblems of the Savior’s body and blood.
I invite you to feel God’s nearness as He is made known to you, as He was to the disciples of old, in the “breaking of [the] bread.”
As we draw closer to God, the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ will come into our lives. And, as with the disciples on the way to Emmaus, we will find that the Savior has been nearby all along.

Thirteen incredible nuggets of truth which if followed will draw you closer to those who love YOU the most. I know they are real and indeed real close if we will but allow it...
PDL

parting shot:

His Grace IS Sufficient

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 15:31:00 +0000

Brad Wilcox in his book "The Continuous Conversion" talks about the power of grace in our every day lives. In the great latter-day anthem "Come Come Ye Saints" millions have sung the line "grace shall be as your day".

Have you ever thought about what that means?

Have you ever thought of grace as a day?

When we accept the Lords atonement we become as one with Him. Brother Wilcox points out that just as we don't earn a sunrise or sunset we can't earn the blessings and Grace of the atonement; we just need to accept them. He states "the enabling power of heaven is-constant.

That's some seriously great news in my opinion. No wonder the gospel is by definition the good news!

Opposition and Trials

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 18:32:00 +0000

If you are familiar with Trigonometry, this analogy given during my Elders Quorum class a few Sundays ago may be interesting:

Life is a sine graph. Sometimes we are up, sometimes we are down.

The number in front of the sin(x) function is the coefficient of opposition. The greater our trials, the lower we may feel. But, as we overcome our trials, our joy becomes as exquisite as our sorrow was. The trials we work through increase both our sorrow and our joy.

2 Nephi 2:11, in the Book of Mormon, says:

11. For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.

Opposition and trials are a part of our life. They are the coefficient before the function. And when we experience hard times, it is then that we can appreciate the good times. Without trials and opposition, we would just be the graph y=0. This is not what we want. So, bring on the trials!

- Samuel Bradshaw

Provo, UT

Our Heritage

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 18:31:00 +0000

We are to become Gods; that is our purpose. For this reason our Eternal Father has blessed us with so many opportunities to become like Him. Before we came to Earth, we were taught truth and knowledge, but we were also given the ability to choose. Agency is an eternal gift of our Father in Heaven, but his Justice will be given to us if we deserve it; that is why Christ, the Great Mediator, has been prepared before the world was, to be our Savior. Do you think that we were perfect in the pre-mortal life? I would say not, we sinned and fought against truth a little, and others more than us, but we found forgiveness through Christ, who was yet to come to Earth and atone for our sins. Our faith in Him, and in God's plan, allowed for us to become better spirit sons and daughters; it allowed us to ask forgiveness, and for that forgiveness to be granted, even though Christ had yet to come to Earth and atone for our sins. God knew what was to come, and Christ accepted the call. May we always be grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, who carried out, and is continuing to carry out, His plan so perfectly that He gave His Only Begotten in the flesh; a literal Son, to die for those who could be considered filthy and vile in comparison to Him.
Joseph Mullikin Navarre, Fl.

186th World General Confernce

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 01:19:00 +0000

We had a great weekend enjoying all the sights and sounds General Conference.

It can get a little hectic with so many people trying to get in all the same places at the same time. We attended in person on Saturday and watched remotely (aka home viewing) on Sunday. So many great talks. What was your favorite?

Image from the Saturday AM Session. (Terrace level)

As always many colorful characters outside as well.

And it Came to Pass...

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:58:00 +0000

FYI I am/have moved the Coming to Christ Blog to another server. The blog "Coming to Christ" can be found here. The SitRep Blog is now being hosted over at WordPress as well. Follow this link to get there (and please make a note of the new location). Take a minute or two to look around the site(s) and let me know in the comments what you think about the look and feel of the pages. As always the breadth of TeamLaws' content can be accessed on Dipity here. Cheers! http://teamlaws.wordpress.com/ http://comingtochrist.wordpress.com/

His House

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:50:00 +0000

This is a really nice slideshow of the Temples of the Lord Jesus Christ presently on the earth. Enjoy! The Lord's House(s) Thanks to Patriarch McArthur!

Sunday IS the 1 day!

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:59:00 +0000

I am grateful for Sunday. It is such a blessing to lay aside the cares of the world and to reflect on the multitude of blessings that flow from God to me in my life. Sundays rock!

Coming to Christ Word Cloud

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:22:00 +0000

These are really neat. They can be created at Wordle. Here are some variations from this blog and my other one SitRep. Give it a try with the text from General Conference. It will give you a good idea about what the General Authorities are talking about most! Wordle

The Latest Tender Mercy

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Today was an amazing day. Read on to find out why...

Sacrament Talk Kingsland Ward P.D. Laws

“The Goodness of God Times Three”

We worship a personal God.

A being who rules and governs infinite space but at the same time is intimately aware of each of His children…

A Father whose divine love is more immense and deeper than our ability to comprehend. A loving parent who delights to bless His children, often wildly beyond what they deserve or have earned. I have been the partaker of His goodness throughout all of the days of my life. Today I wish to share three examples of His manifest love for me. And in so doing cast a spotlight on His unspeakable love for each of us His cherished children. The first two examples are intended to point to the utility of the third to each of us.

I desire that you will pardon the personal nature of my remarks and choose to focus on the greater message, not the incidents cited. Reflect and see for yourself if your experience has not been similar to mine. I will proceed in reverse chronological order beginning with today.

As many of you know I am new to the Ward and am currently separated from my family who are in Pensacola Florida awaiting the sale of our home there prior to joining me here in Kingsland. This is for me an exercise in controlled misery; I miss them terribly and feel constantly handicapped and joyless in their absence. In such circumstances it has been fairly easy and convenient to feel sorry for myself and to neglect my relationship with Father. This last Sunday Father reached down through the irritation and frustration and blessed me with the most excellent “Tender Mercy”.

As of the last statistical report issued by the Church in the April 2008 General Conference Church membership stood at 13,193,999 (Just under 13.2 Million) with 52,686 Missionaries serving full-time in 347 Missions.

Several months ago one of my oldest and dearest friends Tim, whom I consider literally my brother, a man with whom I shared the restored Gospel in 1986 and had the privilege of baptizing a member of the Church and his wife sent their oldest son on a mission.

He became one of the Lord’s 52 thousand warriors sent forth to declare His word in anyone of 347 missions that literally dot the earth. When I heard Tim & Karrie’s son had accepted a mission call, I was overjoyed. WOW!!

Little did I know this was only part 1 of a much greater blessing…

This last Monday, Elder Kemper, son of Tim & Karrie Kemper, was transferred to the Kingsland Ward.

So what are the chances? I am led to answer as Nephi did:

“I do not know the meaning of all things” (but) “I know that he loveth his children”! (1 Nephi 11:17)

Incident #2:

In 1991 our little family, then composed of my wife, two daughters, and I, were transferred to Homestead AFB in South Florida. Shortly after arriving I was serving as the Ward Mission Leader of the Leisure City Ward. One Sunday in Sacrament Meeting I gave a talk about “the power of example & planting seeds”. As part of the talk I recounted a brief incident from my Basic Training 6 years earlier where another trainee and I had had several discussions about the Gospel and I shared a small ”Articles of Faith” card I had left over from my full-time missionary days. I told the Ward I had no idea what had ever happened to Roy Cannonizado but that I felt good about the encounter. I continued with my remarks blissfully unaware of the amazing thing that had just occurred. After the meeting was over it was revealed to me by the amazed members that Roy and his wife, to whom he was sealed, had been members of the Leisure City Ward prior to our arrival! Even later I found out the Cannonizados had also been in my younger brothers Ward in California! God is aware of every on of His sons and daughters…all of the time!

So how does our omniscient, omni-loving Father encounter us most directly and personally over the weeks, months, and years of our mortal lives? How does He lead us back to His glorious presence? The answer is simple. He does it through the ordinance of the Sacrament.

A few more numbers for you to consider:|

From Friday, July 21, 1972 to Sunday, December 28, 2008 is

13,310 days (36 years, 5 months, 8 days)

13,310 days is ~1901 weeks (rounded down)

21 Jul 1972 was the day I was baptized a member of the Lord’s Church and the second of course is today!

Accounting for 2 General Conferences a year, 2 Stake Conferences, and a conservative 6 additional missed Sundays for illness or military duty (10 missed per year for 36 years)

1901 weeks Less [10 X 36 = 360 less 5=] 355 = 1546 weeks!

So I have personally partaken of the Sacrament over 1500 times!

Was each as significant to me as the first on Sunday the 23^rd of July 1972 in the Winnsboro Branch or the last on Sunday the 28^th of December 2008 in the Kingsland Ward?

Do I “remember” each of the intervening occasions?

Clearly I do not…But Jesus Christ does!

His Father who notes every “sparrows fall” (Matt 10:29) “remembers” every last one. He who notes and blesses the intersections of our lives with priceless memories desires to bless us with the covenants of salvation and exaltation. Rest assured they have not for a moment forgotten! This is why the Sacrament is such a direct embodiment of God’s love for us His children. Through this ordinance each of us maintains our standing in His Plan for the salvation and exaltation of His children.

“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say;”

(D&C 82:10)

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed [it], and brake [it], and gave [it] to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave [it] to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

(Matt 26:26-28)

It is expedient that the church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in the remembrance of the Lord Jesus;

And the elder or priest shall administer it; and after this manner shall he administer it--he shall kneel with the church and call upon the Father in solemn prayer, saying:

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

The manner of administering the wine--he shall take the cup also, and say:

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

(D&C 20:75-79)

AND it came to pass that Jesus commanded his disciples that they should bring forth some bread and wine unto him.

And while they were gone for bread and wine, he commanded the multitude that they should sit themselves down upon the earth.

And when the disciples had come with bread and wine, he took of the bread and brake and blessed it; and he gave unto the disciples and commanded that they should eat.

And when they had eaten and were filled, he commanded that they should give unto the multitude.

And when the multitude had eaten and were filled, he said unto the disciples: Behold there shall one be ordained among you, and to him will I give power that he shall break bread and bless it and give it unto the people of my church, unto all those who shall believe and be baptized in my name.

And this shall ye always observe to do, even as I have done, even as I have broken bread and blessed it and given it unto you.

And this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.

And it came to pass that when he said these words, he commanded his disciples that they should take of the wine of the cup and drink of it, and that they should also give unto the multitude that they might drink of it.

And it came to pass that they did so, and did drink of it and were filled; and they gave unto the multitude, and they did drink, and they were filled.

And when the disciples had done this, Jesus said unto them: Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done, for this is fulfilling my commandments, and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you.

And this shall ye always do to those who repent and are baptized in my name; and ye shall do it in remembrance of my blood, which I have shed for you, that ye may witness unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.

And I give unto you a commandment that ye shall do these things. And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my rock.

(3 Ne 18: 1-12)

With what was the multitude filled?

But he truly gave unto them bread to eat, and also wine to drink.

And he said unto them: He that eateth this bread eateth of my body to his soul; and he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled.

Now, when the multitude had all eaten and drunk, behold, they were filled with the Spirit; and they did cry out with one voice, and gave glory to Jesus, whom they both saw and heard.

(3 Ne 20:7-9)

Is the experience you and I just had with the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper any different than these described in scripture? Are we any less the recipients of the “Tender Mercies of the Lord” when we worthily partake of the emblems of His “Great and last sacrifice” (Alma 34:10)? Of course not. The very Sacrament before us carefully laid each Sabbath day is a tactile reminder of infinite realities so sweeping and important the Lord commands us to:

…meet together oft to partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus.

(Moroni 6:6)

…that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;

For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;

Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times;

But remember that on this, the Lord's day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.

(D&C 59: 9-12)

An “oblation” is a gift or sacrifice presented in worship or sacred service. The oblation our Savior seeks from us is a “Broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:20).

For each of us the path to His presence consists of the same requirements, the same process. For each of us the Sacrament is the constant companion of our spiritual lives. Partaking of the emblems of His matchless sacrifice reminds us of our standing before God. It reminds us of the constant need we have of the Savior’s atoning blood. It invites us to do better, to sin less, to “remember” more. As we do so this divinely appointed bellwether of spiritual fitness invigorates and informs us of what we yet lack. In my opinion the Sacrament provides a most personal and intimate form of spiritual union with our Father and our elder brother Jesus. Lest we forget His ever-present concern He stridently reminds in the words of the ordinance that we are to “always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them”.

I seek and have sought this blessing more and more as I continue to learn about and appreciate the scope and breadth of God’s love for me. Today I have explored but 2 of hundreds of examples of this virtue in my life. For you and I of one thing there is little doubt: The “tender mercy” of the Sacrament of the Lord supersedes them all!

Media: Elder Kemper Short Version Pictures (Facebook) Hi Res Pics (Flickr)

Great Song, Great Price

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:50:00 +0000

The song "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" is currently free on iTunes. If you haven't heard any of Enya's stuff you should give it a try. I love her sound. ethereal is the word I'd use to describe it... (if for some reason you can't get it from iTunes let me know and we'll see what we can work out...)

The "Deep Waters" of the Lord's House

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

One of my favorite passages from the book "House of Glory" by S. Michael Wilcox:

In his vision, Ezekiel is instructed to wade into the river and measure its depth. The first time he enters it, "the waters were to the ankles." Now, an ankle-deep river is nothing to get excited about, but Ezekiel is instructed to walk down the bank a little farther and wade in again. This time "the waters were to the knees." He is told to continue down the bank and measure the depth again. "The waters were to the loins." Ezekiel's last description of the river's depth contains a beautifully symbolic truth of what the temple can become for all of us if we wade into its waters again and again. "It was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over." (Ezekiel 47:3-5.) The water is now over his head, and he can immerse himself in its cool freshness. The first time we enter a temple, we barely get our feet wet. We are barely introduced to the Lord's light and love. What a tragedy it is when members of the Church judge the temple to be shallow or not deeply refreshing based on that first experience. Yet all of us know that on a hot summer day, wading even ankle deep in a cool stream brings instant refreshment and a hesitancy to leave the flowing water to return to our shoes. In light of this, it is not difficult to feel Moses' sense of wonder when he was told to "put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." (Exodus 3:5.) Elder Widtsoe cautioned that it is not fair "to pass opinion on temple worship after one day's participation followed by an absence of many years. The work should be repeated several times in quick succession, so that the lessons of the temple may be fastened upon the mind." ("Temple Worship," p. 64.) Little do the casual waders know that down the river, if they will patiently persist, are life-giving, healing "waters to swim in." For the water rises each time we wade. Little do they realize the power of those waters to heal the disharmony of our lives, our families, and eventually the world.

(S. Michael Wilcox, House of Glory: Finding Personal Meaning in the Temple, p.42)

A Book Unlike Any Other

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

Most books contained in libraries of the world were authored for contemporary readers. And they were generally written for profit, with royalties accruing from successful sales. Not so with the Book of Mormon. It was written anciently for our day. It reveals the endless Lordship of Jesus Christ in accounts of two ancient American dispensations, preserved for the benefit of us who live in this dispensation of the fulness of times. Certainly no royalties came to its authors. In fact, they paid dearly for their privilege of participation. What motivated them? Their devotion to God! The book's four major writers-Nephi, Jacob, Mormon, and Moroni were all eyewitnesses of the Lord, as was its martyred translator, the Prophet Joseph Smith. (Elder Russell M. Nelson, A Testimony of the Book of Mormon, Ensign (CR), November 1999, p.69)

Perfect Love

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

When filled with God's love, we can do and see and understand things that we could not otherwise do or see or understand. Filled with His love, we can endure pain, quell fear, forgive freely, avoid contention, renew strength, and bless and help others in ways surprising even to us. Jesus Christ was filled with unfathomable love as He endured incomprehensible pain, cruelty, and injustice for us. Through His love for us, He rose above otherwise insurmountable barriers. His love knows no barriers. He invites us to follow Him and partake of His unlimited love so we too may rise above the pain and cruelty and injustice of this world and help and forgive and bless. I know He lives. I know He loves us. I know we can feel His love here and now. I know His voice is one of perfect mildness which penetrates to our very center. I know He smiles and is filled with compassion and love. I know He is full of gentleness, kindness, mercy, and desire to help. I love Him with all my heart. I testify that when we are ready, His pure love instantly moves across time and space, reaches down, and pulls us up from the depths of any tumultuous sea of darkness, sin, sorrow, death, or despair we may find ourselves in and brings us into the light and life and love of eternity. Elder John H. Groberg, The Power of God's Love, Ensign (CR), November 2004, p.9

The Preface & Warning

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

There is only one book in the world that has a preface authored by the Lord Jesus. The book: The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
D&C 1:4-6 And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days. And they shall go forth and none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them. Behold, this is mine authority, and the authority of my servants, and my preface unto the book of my commandments, which I have given them to publish unto you, O inhabitants of the earth.

Overcoming

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

Often we are in turmoil in our daily lives. The enemy of our souls thrives on dissensions and strife hoping to engender in us a constant flux of spiritless agitation. Fortunately our loving Savior has other plans for us His younger siblings. He reminds:
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

National & Personal History

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

In the last 11 years December 7th has fallen on a Sunday 3 times (1997, 2003, 2008). This date which is "famous" for being "infamous" (FDR: "a day that will live in infamy") is also the day I was ordained a Bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In the intervening years while serving in this capacity and in other areas in the Church the 7th of December has taken on a dual purpose role both in cultural and national memory and in personal recollection. Countless are the reasons to be grateful for not only freedom borne of the sacrifices of so many but of the privileges of service afforded by such unfettered freedom. Critical to success in these endeavors has been a loving and supportive spouse and understanding children. It has been far from easy and many times long and hard, but as our family opens a new chapter of life and service December 7th continues to be a critical hinge of our lives. It is indeed a day that "lives in memory".

All Are Alike

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

Journal of Discourses, 26 vols., 10:, p.2 Our heavenly Father delights in his good children, he delights continually to bless them, yea, "He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." All are equally his children. We are all the children of our common Father, who has placed us on the earth to prove ourselves, to govern, control, educate and sanctify ourselves, body and spirit, unto him, according to his will and pleasure. When all that class of spirits designed to take bodies upon this earth have done so, then will come the winding-up scene of this particular department of the works of God on this earth. It is his will that we should prepare ourselves to build up his kingdom, gather the house of Israel, redeem and build up Zion and Jerusalem, revolutionize the world, and bring back that which has been lost through the fall.

It's Up to You!

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

Nelson, Russell M., Salvation and Exaltation , CR April 2008 Some years ago I met with a tribal king in Africa. When he realized that he was being taught by an Apostle of the Lord, he was deeply moved. He said that throngs of his people would be baptized if he were to give them such a mandate. I thanked him for his kindness but explained that the Lord does not work in that way. The development of faith in the Lord is an individual matter. Repentance is also an individual matter. Only as an individual can one be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. Each of us is born individually; likewise, each of us is "born again" individually. Salvation is an individual matter.

Unfathomable

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

Mark 14:34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. (emphasis added). What do you suppose the Lord meant when He said my soul is "sorrowful unto death" to His disciples? I think we frame the actions of the Atonement in narrow bounds like "suffering for our sins" or "taking upon Him the sins of all mankind". What about the personal horrors Jesus encountered as he came to encounter the despicable outrages and heinous sins of every evildoer EVER? Inestimable, infinite, eternal are terms used to describe it; and with good reason... The Joseph Smith translation restores the verse as follows: And he taketh with him, Peter, and James, and John, and rebuked them, and said unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here and watch.

For Relief Apply Individually...

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

We worship a personal God whose care and concern is as infinite as His loving kindness. "Sadly, in today's world, a person's importance is often judged by the size of the audience before which he or she performs. That is how media and sports programs are rated, how corporate prominence is sometimes determined, and often how governmental rank is obtained. That may be why roles such as father, mother, and missionary seldom receive standing ovations. Fathers, mothers, and missionaries "play" before very small audiences. Yet, in the eyes of the Lord, there may be only one size of audience that is of lasting importance- and that is just one, each one, you and me, and each one of the children of God. The irony of the Atonement is that it is infinite and eternal, yet it is applied individually, one person at a time." (Elder M. Russell Ballard, The Atonement and the Value of One Soul, Ensign (CR), May 2004, p.84)

One Day

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

In the divine summation all things will be put aright and every debt will be paid. Justice will require all be compensated; both the wicked and the righteous. And I will punish the world for [their] evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. (Isaiah 13:11)

God's Armor

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

Put on the armor of God against wickedness. The great missionary Apostle, Saul of Tarsus, declares the reality of this individual spiritual warfare and urges us to arm for the conflict. Here are his words: " Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Ephesians 6:11-13.) Note carefully that his declaration implies that our real contest in life is not with human agencies that come with guns and tanks and bombing planes to destroy us but that our eternal struggle is with enemies that come in the darkness and that cannot be perceived by the human senses. Unless we put on the "whole armour of God" to battle against this "spiritual wickedness in high places" we shall not be able to withstand "the wiles of the devil." (42-02, p. 5) The armor of God protects us where we are vulnerable. [The] great missionary Apostle and a valiant defender of the faith [Paul] points out the principle parts of an armed warrior that are most vulnerable to the attacks of these enemies which strike in the night or in the darkness and which are not seen usually by the light of day. Four parts of the warrior are spoken of. The loins were to be "girt about with truth." (The loins, of course, are defined as that part of the human body between the hip bone and the false ribs, in biblical diction the loins denoting the location or seat of the organs of procreation, where human life is generated.) "The breastplate of righteousness," which would be placed over the heart which again in biblical language is regarded as the center or the seat of the spiritual or the conscience or the conduct of men. You will remember the Master had said, "[From] out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34). The next part to be armored was the feet, which were to be "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace," the feet denoting one's course in life, or the way of travel in his journey through life. And, finally, the warrior was to have a "helmet of salvation," which of course speaks of the intellect. (See Ephesians 6:14-17.) Thus the four parts most vulnerable to the attacks of the forces of Satan or the master of darkness are, first, one's virtue or chastity, which must be safeguarded by teaching the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our conduct must be as a breastplate over our hearts, to be guarded by righteousness that our lives may be kept clean and pure. Our feet are to be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, with the injunction to keep our eyes ever fixed upon that eternal goal of eternal life, which is life in that place where God and Christ dwell. The helmet of salvation is to guide the intellect, the head being the guiding center of our minds which controls our lives, "for as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). No man, said the Master, committed a murder unless he first became angry. No one committed adultery unless he had an evil or immoral thought. Just so, one does not steal unless he covets. So the evil act must he conceived in the mind before the act. (73-26) (Harold B. Lee, The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, edited by Clyde J. Williams, p.167-168)

Frequency

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:22:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered why the Sacrament is the most frequent ordinance we participate in? It seems to me it is because we are so forgetful of the Savior and His redeeming plan. The words of the prayer remind: O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen. (emphasis added) (D&C 20:77)

Incredible Master

noreply@blogger.com (Team Laws) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:22:00 +0000

John 21:25: And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. WOW!