- Finding joy now. We shouldn't continually be awaiting a time when things will be better. There are things we can enjoy now, even if things are tough.
- Focusing on what's important. What makes the journey great is the people we connect with.
- Finding joy in generational change. President Monson put it this way.
If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.
Likewise, we should enjoy the change we experience as we get to take care of people who once took care of us, like parents or grandparents. - Being grateful. We should be thankful for everything God blesses us with--not just the stuff we asked for. Keith shared a story of friends with a severely disabled child, whom they considered a blessing for many reasons, including that their friends, neighbors, and members of the church gathered together to serve them.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Lesson, 11/23/2008
We were combined with the High Priests today. Keith Dionne taught from President Monson's talk, "Finding Joy in the Journey." Keith focused on four elements of the talk.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Reframing Quorum Duties and Membership, Handout
What follows is from a handout from Jonathan Clark in his first lesson as President of the Elders' Quorum. His objective is to have us re-frame our role as a quorum.
Elder Russell M Nelson:
“All Church activities, advancements, quorums, and classes are means to the end of an exalted family.”
President Henry B Eyring:
(1) “I have learned over the years that the strength in a quorum doesn’t come from the number of priesthood holders in it. Nor does it come automatically from the age and maturity of the members. Rather, the strength of a quorum comes in large measure from how completely its members are united in righteousness. That unity in a strong quorum of the priesthood is not like anything I have experienced in an athletic team or club or any other organization in the world.”
(2) “Priesthood quorum members are taught in more ways than by lessons in a class. The quorum is a service unit, and the members learn in their service. A quorum can give greater service than the members could give alone. And that power is multiplied by more than their numbers. Every quorum has a leader with authority and responsibility to direct priesthood service. I have seen the power that comes when quorums are called to move out to help in times of disaster. Time and again I have had people outside the Church express surprise and admiration for the effectiveness of the Church in organizing to give help. It seems to them like a miracle. In all priesthood service the miracle of power comes because leaders and members honor the authority of those who direct the service in priesthood quorums across the earth.”
“Miracles of power can come as quorums reach out to serve others. They come as well when the priesthood service is to members within the quorum.”
(3) “One of the hallmarks of a strong quorum is the feeling of fellowship among its members. They care for each other. They help each other. Quorum presidents can build that fellowship best if they remember the Lord’s purpose for unity in the quorum. It is of course so that they will help each other. But it is more, much more. It is so that they will lift and encourage each other to serve in righteousness with the Master in His work to offer eternal life to Heavenly Father’s children.
“Understanding that will change the way we try to build fellowship in the quorum… Understanding why the Lord wants fellowship can change the way an elders quorum party is planned. I’ve been to a party where the man who planned it was a convert to the Church. Finding the gospel was the sweetest thing that had ever happened to him. So neighbors and friends not yet members of the Church were invited to the party. I still remember the feeling of fellowship as we visited with them about what the Church meant to us. I felt in that party more than fellowship with brothers in the priesthood. The Master invited His disciples to His first Quorum of the Twelve in His mortal ministry this way: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”8 And so that night at a party, I felt that I was in the fellowship of the Master and His disciples, becoming what He wants us to be.
“I was blessed with that same feeling of fellowship by a priesthood leader when I was in the Aaronic Priesthood. He understood how to build priesthood fellowship that can last. He arranged with the owner of a woodlot for us to spend an afternoon chopping wood and putting it in bundles. The bundles were for widows so that they could have a fire in the cold of winter. I still remember the warmth of fellowship I felt with my priesthood brethren. But even more I remember feeling that I was doing what the Savior would do. And so I felt fellowship with Him. We can build that precious fellowship in our quorums in this life and then we can have it forever, in glory and in families, if we live according to the covenants.”
President Stephen L Richards (1879–1959):
“A quorum is three things: first, a class; second, a fraternity; and third, a service unit. Within it the men of the Priesthood learn of the principles of the Gospel, establish true brotherhood, and carry forward the work of Christ. It is a God-given association from which they derive more of lasting advantage than from any other fraternal organization in our society. Its prime purpose is to encourage and safeguard the individual.”
Elder Russell M Nelson:
“All Church activities, advancements, quorums, and classes are means to the end of an exalted family.”
President Henry B Eyring:
(1) “I have learned over the years that the strength in a quorum doesn’t come from the number of priesthood holders in it. Nor does it come automatically from the age and maturity of the members. Rather, the strength of a quorum comes in large measure from how completely its members are united in righteousness. That unity in a strong quorum of the priesthood is not like anything I have experienced in an athletic team or club or any other organization in the world.”
(2) “Priesthood quorum members are taught in more ways than by lessons in a class. The quorum is a service unit, and the members learn in their service. A quorum can give greater service than the members could give alone. And that power is multiplied by more than their numbers. Every quorum has a leader with authority and responsibility to direct priesthood service. I have seen the power that comes when quorums are called to move out to help in times of disaster. Time and again I have had people outside the Church express surprise and admiration for the effectiveness of the Church in organizing to give help. It seems to them like a miracle. In all priesthood service the miracle of power comes because leaders and members honor the authority of those who direct the service in priesthood quorums across the earth.”
“Miracles of power can come as quorums reach out to serve others. They come as well when the priesthood service is to members within the quorum.”
(3) “One of the hallmarks of a strong quorum is the feeling of fellowship among its members. They care for each other. They help each other. Quorum presidents can build that fellowship best if they remember the Lord’s purpose for unity in the quorum. It is of course so that they will help each other. But it is more, much more. It is so that they will lift and encourage each other to serve in righteousness with the Master in His work to offer eternal life to Heavenly Father’s children.
“Understanding that will change the way we try to build fellowship in the quorum… Understanding why the Lord wants fellowship can change the way an elders quorum party is planned. I’ve been to a party where the man who planned it was a convert to the Church. Finding the gospel was the sweetest thing that had ever happened to him. So neighbors and friends not yet members of the Church were invited to the party. I still remember the feeling of fellowship as we visited with them about what the Church meant to us. I felt in that party more than fellowship with brothers in the priesthood. The Master invited His disciples to His first Quorum of the Twelve in His mortal ministry this way: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”8 And so that night at a party, I felt that I was in the fellowship of the Master and His disciples, becoming what He wants us to be.
“I was blessed with that same feeling of fellowship by a priesthood leader when I was in the Aaronic Priesthood. He understood how to build priesthood fellowship that can last. He arranged with the owner of a woodlot for us to spend an afternoon chopping wood and putting it in bundles. The bundles were for widows so that they could have a fire in the cold of winter. I still remember the warmth of fellowship I felt with my priesthood brethren. But even more I remember feeling that I was doing what the Savior would do. And so I felt fellowship with Him. We can build that precious fellowship in our quorums in this life and then we can have it forever, in glory and in families, if we live according to the covenants.”
President Stephen L Richards (1879–1959):
“A quorum is three things: first, a class; second, a fraternity; and third, a service unit. Within it the men of the Priesthood learn of the principles of the Gospel, establish true brotherhood, and carry forward the work of Christ. It is a God-given association from which they derive more of lasting advantage than from any other fraternal organization in our society. Its prime purpose is to encourage and safeguard the individual.”
Lesson, 11/16/08
Brandon Westover taught lesson 21 from TPC:JS (my shorthand): The Second Coming and the Millenium.
Highlights and questions
-Joseph Smith prophesied accurately the beginnings of the US Civil War.
-The second coming has, in some sense, started already.
-How do you understand the statements like "the moon will turn to blood"?
-As LDS, we believe in actively working to bring about the fulfillment of prophecies, not waiting around for them to happen.
-How can we be prepared to see and understand the signs of the second coming?
Highlights and questions
-Joseph Smith prophesied accurately the beginnings of the US Civil War.
-The second coming has, in some sense, started already.
-How do you understand the statements like "the moon will turn to blood"?
-As LDS, we believe in actively working to bring about the fulfillment of prophecies, not waiting around for them to happen.
-How can we be prepared to see and understand the signs of the second coming?
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