The Oquirrh Mountain temple was dedicated this weekend. We got to attend the Sunday morning session. It is wonderful to have another House of the Lord available to find quiet refuge and feel His Spirit!
There were several good talks at the dedication. Sister Lifferth of the Primary presidency talked about helping children feel close to the Lord. Elder Johnson and Elder Jones of the Seventy followed with similar themes. There was a great choir of people from local stakes that added much to the spirit of the meeting.
Elder Bednar related his experience growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, and what it meant to him to attend the dedication of the Oakland Temple with his mother in 1964 at age 12. That temple sits on a prominent hill near his boyhood home, so he saw it daily and it helped him keep focused as he grew up. I can certainly relate. I grew up about 4 miles from the temple in Los Angeles and as a teenager went to the grounds many times to find peace. That helped me survive what I thought were very turbulent times . . . (and they were)
President Uchtdorf told of the history of the area that the temple is in, particularly the faithfulness of the early pioneers who settled that part of the Salt Lake Valley, and related that back to the temple dedication. He also challenged us to write our feelings of this day in our journals. :)
President Monson then gave a beautiful dedicatory prayer. What I will remember most about this day is how wonderful I felt for the 2 1/2 hours I was there. I include the hour we were there before it started where we saw pictures of the various rooms and listened to Tabernacle Choir music. What a wonderful spirit of reverence that brought!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
President Hinckley speaks on Women
I found and subscribed to "Mormon Messages" on YouTube today. Here is the 2 1/2 minute video that was forwarded to me in my e-mail that brought this service to my attention. It is by President Gordon B. Hinckley and is a wonderful message on women. I hope you will enjoy it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkUwh1YUMtE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkUwh1YUMtE
Monday, August 17, 2009
Pray (and work on) Charity, The Pure Love of Christ (See Moroni 7)
Moroni, chapter 7, is devoted to quoting a sermon given by his father which is perhaps one of the greatest discourses on faith, hope, and charity ever recorded. I especially enjoy the last four verses of this chapter:
Moroni 7: "45 And (a)charity suffereth long, and is (b)kind, and (c) envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily (d)provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." It is worth noting the similarity here to the 13th Article of Faith, ". . . indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul--We believe all things we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."
46 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail." This inspired the theme of the powerful women's service organization, the Relief Society, "Charity Never Faileth"!
47 "But (a)charity is the pure (b)love of Christ, and it endureth (c)forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him."
48 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, (a)pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true (b)followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall (c)be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be (d)purified even as he is pure. Amen."
This is very powerful! Charity is the pure love of Christ. It endures forever. We should pray with all the energy of heart so that we can be filled with this love (and filled with charity). This interconnection between charity, love, and prayer is the key to becoming purified as Christ is pure!
I love to ponder on this chapter and especially these four verses, allowing the words to pass through my mind repeatedly three or four times. The power of these inspired words increases and flows purely into our hearts with each repeated reading and pondering!
Moroni 7: "45 And (a)charity suffereth long, and is (b)kind, and (c) envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily (d)provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." It is worth noting the similarity here to the 13th Article of Faith, ". . . indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul--We believe all things we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."
46 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail." This inspired the theme of the powerful women's service organization, the Relief Society, "Charity Never Faileth"!
47 "But (a)charity is the pure (b)love of Christ, and it endureth (c)forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him."
48 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, (a)pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true (b)followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall (c)be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be (d)purified even as he is pure. Amen."
This is very powerful! Charity is the pure love of Christ. It endures forever. We should pray with all the energy of heart so that we can be filled with this love (and filled with charity). This interconnection between charity, love, and prayer is the key to becoming purified as Christ is pure!
I love to ponder on this chapter and especially these four verses, allowing the words to pass through my mind repeatedly three or four times. The power of these inspired words increases and flows purely into our hearts with each repeated reading and pondering!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
More on My Testimony of Christ, His Prophets, His Scriptures, and His Love For Each of Us Individually
The prophet Mormon, who lived in the American continents from about 310 to 385 AD, and who abridged most of the scriptural record and testimony of Christ we call today The Book of Mormon, witnessed the downfall of his entire nation when they rejected Christ and instead pursued a life where all they cared about was themselves and what brought them pleasure at the moment. He wrote one chapter after concluding his account of their destruction and before he himself was killed. Here are a few verses in which he testifies of Christ and His vital importance to each of us . . .
Mormon 7: "5 Know ye that ye must come to the aknowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and bbelieve in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the cvictory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.
6 And he bringeth to pass the aresurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his bjudgment-seat.
7 And he hath brought to pass the aredemption of the bworld, whereby he that is found cguiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to ddwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the echoirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are fone God, in a state of ghappiness which hath no end.
8 Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the agospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles bfrom the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles cunto you."
The prophet Mormon sacrificed much throughout his life to give us his testimony of Christ. I am thankful for him and especially for our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I wish to give my personal witness that the Book of Mormon is truly another witness for Jesus Christ with the Bible. Both of these scriptural records give testimony of Christ and His teachings given to numerous prophets throughout history. It also describes the application of His Gospel in the lives of real people--how they are blessed when the follow Him and keep His commandments, and how they suffer when they reject Him and instead live according to their own whims and pleasures.
I have been greatly blessed in my life when I have truly followed Him and I have found peace when I have repented from the times I didn't follow Him and when I have strived to turn my life to Him. I know that He loves each of us individually and has paid the ultimate price for each of us--if we will but acknowledge and follow Him.
Mormon 7: "5 Know ye that ye must come to the aknowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and bbelieve in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the cvictory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.
6 And he bringeth to pass the aresurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his bjudgment-seat.
7 And he hath brought to pass the aredemption of the bworld, whereby he that is found cguiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to ddwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the echoirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are fone God, in a state of ghappiness which hath no end.
8 Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the agospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles bfrom the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles cunto you."
The prophet Mormon sacrificed much throughout his life to give us his testimony of Christ. I am thankful for him and especially for our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I wish to give my personal witness that the Book of Mormon is truly another witness for Jesus Christ with the Bible. Both of these scriptural records give testimony of Christ and His teachings given to numerous prophets throughout history. It also describes the application of His Gospel in the lives of real people--how they are blessed when the follow Him and keep His commandments, and how they suffer when they reject Him and instead live according to their own whims and pleasures.
I have been greatly blessed in my life when I have truly followed Him and I have found peace when I have repented from the times I didn't follow Him and when I have strived to turn my life to Him. I know that He loves each of us individually and has paid the ultimate price for each of us--if we will but acknowledge and follow Him.
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