Semi-annual quorum meeting

About a dozen of us gathered on Sat. morning to talk about prayer, scripture study, and the temple -- as a follow up to the recent EQ/HP anonymous survey that was conducted in these areas.

Steve Bullock talked about the scriptures and began by sharing statistics on how long we can survive without water, food, and air and then posed the question "how long can we spiritually survive in a wicked world without reading the scriptures?" He shared a quantitative study he did that showed that the scriptures mention the word "commandments" more than any other word (other than articles, prepositions, etc.). Further, he said that more mention is made in the scriptures to "keep the commandments" than it is to outline exactly what those commandments are - perhaps signifying that the Lord cares more about our heart and behaviors than even about what we know.

Jeff Gritton discussed the topic of prayer by beginning with the question: Why don't we pray?
Are we just viewing it as a means to an end, or as an opportunity to build a relationship with our God? As with any conversation, it's important to LISTEN, not just talk. One person suggested thinking about what we want to talk with Heavenly Father about BEFORE we even begin praying to Him. Another talked about how he sometimes visualizes the Father and the Son talking with him when he prays. Jeff read from Alma 34, where Amulek talks about "crying unto the Lord" and asked if we put that kind of feeling into our prayers. He also reminded us that action and faith make for the most effective prayers.

Steve Harris then talked about the temple. He used the plight and deliverance of the ancient Israelites as a metaphor for the plight and eventual deliverance that we experience in mortality. With the Israelites the Lord instructed them to build a tabernacle and that was a way for Him to preserve His people, keep them united to each other and to Him until they arrived in the promised land. Shouldn't the temple today do the same thing for us?

Dave Sundahl talked about habits and behavior. He pointed out that habits are behaviors that are decoupled from desires and intentions. Developing good habits (like studying the scriptures, praying, and regularly attending the temple) means that we have good things to easily/naturally turn to when we're bombarded by the evils of the world. He encouraged us to build situations and contexts that further our development of good habits. Our Creator has made us in such a way that much of our actions stem from habits - so, why not work within this reality and work on developing good habits, rather than bad ones?

Jonathan wrapped up the meeting by talking about the importance of coming to Christ through these things that were discussed during the meeting. He referred to the parable of the seed in Alma 32 and the need to nourish that seed of faith constantly. Cultivating good thoughts and being in the right places throughout our lives will give us the Lord's protection. None of us are perfect in our study of the scriptures, our prayers, or our temple attendance, but the Savior can make up the difference as we sincerely work to keep His commandments.