Tony Pullen led our lesson on simplicity, taken from Elder Perry's Oct. conference talk entitled Let Him do it with Simplicity. He framed the lesson based on Elder Perry's reference to Henry David Thoreau's theory that all one needs to survive is food, clothing, shelter, and fuel. Tony then drew a chart on the board with these four things on the far left and two columns beside them titled "simple" and "benefits". We explored what it meant to live simply in these four areas and what the benefits of this kind of life are.
FOOD: follow Word of Wisdom, store some away ---> health, peace of mind
CLOTHING: dress modestly ---> less focus on self (humility)
SHELTER: living within means ---> peace of mind, minimal debt
FUEL (spiritual): knowledge, experience, love ---> testimony, blessing to others
It was commented that with clothing and shelter, in particular, these tend to differentiate or divide us as people, rather than unify us. And, further, that while these four areas are eminently tangible, the benefits are mostly intangible.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Lesson 26: Elijah & the Sealing Power
Today's lesson was on the restoration of the sealing power through Elijah. We discussed the remarkable events that occurred the week prior to the April 3, 1836 revelation to Joseph and Oliver. The Kirtland temple dedication and the spiritual manifestations associated with this event were a great blessing to the saints. Yet, the Lord had more in store for them. A week later, the Savior, followed by Moses, Elias, and Elijah, appear to Joseph & Oliver in the temple. The latter restored the keys of the sealing power thus enabling the Church to have the authority to bind in heaven what is bound on earth.
We puzzled over why this restoration of sealing powers came so late after the re-organization of the Church, and why it was that Elijah (rather than another prophet, or the Lord Himself) was the messenger of this great power.
Finally, we discussed the great unity that comes from the restoration of this power to seal. What Elijah brought was not simply a heightened spirit of family history work, or even the ability to seal parents and children together for the eternities. In fact, through this divine power, the entire family of God can be united - past, present, and future. Jesus prayed to the Father more than once that we would be one as They are one. Coming to a "unity of the faith" (Eph. 4:13) is inextricably tied to the establishment of Zion. The sealing power is a merciful gift from heaven made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ and committed into the hands of His faithful servants for the unification of His Father's children. Without this, the Lord would(as Malachi states) "smite the earth with a curse" (Mal. 4:6).
We puzzled over why this restoration of sealing powers came so late after the re-organization of the Church, and why it was that Elijah (rather than another prophet, or the Lord Himself) was the messenger of this great power.
Finally, we discussed the great unity that comes from the restoration of this power to seal. What Elijah brought was not simply a heightened spirit of family history work, or even the ability to seal parents and children together for the eternities. In fact, through this divine power, the entire family of God can be united - past, present, and future. Jesus prayed to the Father more than once that we would be one as They are one. Coming to a "unity of the faith" (Eph. 4:13) is inextricably tied to the establishment of Zion. The sealing power is a merciful gift from heaven made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ and committed into the hands of His faithful servants for the unification of His Father's children. Without this, the Lord would(as Malachi states) "smite the earth with a curse" (Mal. 4:6).
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Lesson 27: Apostasy
Today's lesson on apostasy was led by Brandon Westover. He started by discussing the difference between "inactivity" and "apostasy". It was posited that inactivity is passive neglect whereas apostasy is pro-active antagonism. Brandon quoted a passage from C. S. Lewis's The Great Divorce which basically made the point that a man's road to apostasy is paved with good intentions, that a person can get to a point where they sincerely believe in what they're doing even if what they're doing is wrong.
Two points were made to help as a defense against apostasy. First, examine your motives and discern what kind of spirit you are feeling when you are finding fault with church leaders or doctrine. Is the criticism made in a spirit of love, humility, and a desire for the well being of the church/leader? Or, is it made in a spirit of contention, pride, and a desire (above all) for being right? Second, remember that despite the many faults and weaknesses of our leaders, they have been anointed and called by the Lord. Respect the calling and the Source of that calling.
I will give you one of the Keys of the mysteries of the Kingdom. It is an eternal principle, that has existed with God from all eternity: That man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way, while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly, that that man is in the high road to apostasy; and if he does not repent, will apostatize, as God lives.
Joseph Smith (July 2, 1839)
Two points were made to help as a defense against apostasy. First, examine your motives and discern what kind of spirit you are feeling when you are finding fault with church leaders or doctrine. Is the criticism made in a spirit of love, humility, and a desire for the well being of the church/leader? Or, is it made in a spirit of contention, pride, and a desire (above all) for being right? Second, remember that despite the many faults and weaknesses of our leaders, they have been anointed and called by the Lord. Respect the calling and the Source of that calling.
I will give you one of the Keys of the mysteries of the Kingdom. It is an eternal principle, that has existed with God from all eternity: That man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way, while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly, that that man is in the high road to apostasy; and if he does not repent, will apostatize, as God lives.
Joseph Smith (July 2, 1839)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
1/25/09 Lesson: Sacrament meeting
Keith Dionne led a fantastic discussion about sacrament and sacrament meeting. We agreed on the premise that our main purpose for being at church each week is to participate in the ordinance of the sacrament. A discussion of the following topics ensued:
- How can we help our children be reverent during the sacrament? Ideas: Quietly whisper to them stories about Jesus, be an example of reverence ourselves to show them how sacred this time is.
- What else can we do to make this weekly ordinance more significant in our lives? Ideas: take turns as families making (or at least, buying) the bread, offer more MP holders the opportunity to bless the sacrament.
- How should we handle the partaking of the sacrament with our non-member friends? Explain that it represents our willingness to follow Christ and invite them to participate if they feel comfortable doing so, explain before the meeting that the sacrament represents our re-commitment to our baptismal covenants, use the "do no harm" litmus test (is the offense of not being permitted to participate going to overwhelm the good of them being in attendance?).
- How can we help our children be reverent during the sacrament? Ideas: Quietly whisper to them stories about Jesus, be an example of reverence ourselves to show them how sacred this time is.
- What else can we do to make this weekly ordinance more significant in our lives? Ideas: take turns as families making (or at least, buying) the bread, offer more MP holders the opportunity to bless the sacrament.
- How should we handle the partaking of the sacrament with our non-member friends? Explain that it represents our willingness to follow Christ and invite them to participate if they feel comfortable doing so, explain before the meeting that the sacrament represents our re-commitment to our baptismal covenants, use the "do no harm" litmus test (is the offense of not being permitted to participate going to overwhelm the good of them being in attendance?).
Saturday, January 17, 2009
1/11/09 Lesson: Our duty as Priesthood holders
As part of our ward conference, Pres. Lazenby led a discussion in priesthood meeting about our duty as men and priesthood holders, playing off the message about duty from Pres. Low's talk in sacrament meeting.
First and foremost, we should be living in a way that enables us to receive and understand the messages from our Heavenly Father, through the Holy Ghost, about how we can best fulfill our various responsibilities in this life. It is critical that we be spiritual leaders in our homes - taking responsibility for ensuring that family home evening, prayer, and scripture study are happening regularly in our families. We should also be seizing opportunities to teach our children gospel principles, realizing that the best opportunities are rarely ones that we plan for!
There was considerable discussion around the issue of priorities. What should take precedence over what in our lives? Pres. Low suggested that we put our wives first, children second, jobs (providing for family) third, and church activities fourth. Bro. Wingate referenced Elder Oaks' talk "Good, Better, and Best" from the October 2007 conference as a good reminder that we need to focus on the best ways to use our time.
First and foremost, we should be living in a way that enables us to receive and understand the messages from our Heavenly Father, through the Holy Ghost, about how we can best fulfill our various responsibilities in this life. It is critical that we be spiritual leaders in our homes - taking responsibility for ensuring that family home evening, prayer, and scripture study are happening regularly in our families. We should also be seizing opportunities to teach our children gospel principles, realizing that the best opportunities are rarely ones that we plan for!
There was considerable discussion around the issue of priorities. What should take precedence over what in our lives? Pres. Low suggested that we put our wives first, children second, jobs (providing for family) third, and church activities fourth. Bro. Wingate referenced Elder Oaks' talk "Good, Better, and Best" from the October 2007 conference as a good reminder that we need to focus on the best ways to use our time.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A Letter to the quorum
Belmont 2nd Ward Elder’s Quorum,
As a quorum presidency we believe there is no greater joy in life than the joy that can be found as we come unto Christ and walk in his footsteps. The scriptures describe those footsteps: "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan." (Matthew 4:23-25)
Of course what followed was the Sermon on the Mount. The Savior’s life was spent teaching and strengthening those around him, inviting those not of the fold to come unto him, and healing and blessing those in need. He is the model for how we should engage in our own personal ministries as we teach and strengthen our families and each other, share the gospel with those around us, and seek to bless the lives of those in need. Though much of this work is carried out on an individual level, President Henry B. Eyring has said, “A quorum can give greater service than the members could give alone”. It is our sincere desire that we realize our potential both as a quorum and as individuals. To this end, we will be introducing an initiative (see blog post below) designed to engage every member of the quorum in developing ideas for how the quorum can achieve its potential in three major areas:
1) Strengthening our families and each other,
2) Sharing the gospel, and
3) Serving members of our community
J. Reuben Clark, a former member of the first presidency, once said, "When the Savior came upon the earth he had two great missions; one was to work out the messiahship, the atonement for the fall, and the fulfillment of the law; the other was the work which he did among his brethren and sisters in the flesh by way of relieving their sufferings...He left as a hertiage to those who should come after him in his Church the carrying on of those two great things; work for the relief of the ills and the sufferings of humanity, and the teaching of the spiritual truths which should bring us back into the presence of our Heavanly Father". Though the three areas outlined above are certianly not mutually exclusive, the first two are aimed at the latter, while the third is aimed at the former. We invite each of you to prayerfully consider how we as a quorum can more fully walk in the footsteps of Christ through our activities in these three areas. We know that as we do so that the Lord will bless us in our efforts and that we will experience a unity and brotherhood that is only possible through him.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Clark
David Sundahl
Stephen Harris
As a quorum presidency we believe there is no greater joy in life than the joy that can be found as we come unto Christ and walk in his footsteps. The scriptures describe those footsteps: "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan." (Matthew 4:23-25)
Of course what followed was the Sermon on the Mount. The Savior’s life was spent teaching and strengthening those around him, inviting those not of the fold to come unto him, and healing and blessing those in need. He is the model for how we should engage in our own personal ministries as we teach and strengthen our families and each other, share the gospel with those around us, and seek to bless the lives of those in need. Though much of this work is carried out on an individual level, President Henry B. Eyring has said, “A quorum can give greater service than the members could give alone”. It is our sincere desire that we realize our potential both as a quorum and as individuals. To this end, we will be introducing an initiative (see blog post below) designed to engage every member of the quorum in developing ideas for how the quorum can achieve its potential in three major areas:
1) Strengthening our families and each other,
2) Sharing the gospel, and
3) Serving members of our community
J. Reuben Clark, a former member of the first presidency, once said, "When the Savior came upon the earth he had two great missions; one was to work out the messiahship, the atonement for the fall, and the fulfillment of the law; the other was the work which he did among his brethren and sisters in the flesh by way of relieving their sufferings...He left as a hertiage to those who should come after him in his Church the carrying on of those two great things; work for the relief of the ills and the sufferings of humanity, and the teaching of the spiritual truths which should bring us back into the presence of our Heavanly Father". Though the three areas outlined above are certianly not mutually exclusive, the first two are aimed at the latter, while the third is aimed at the former. We invite each of you to prayerfully consider how we as a quorum can more fully walk in the footsteps of Christ through our activities in these three areas. We know that as we do so that the Lord will bless us in our efforts and that we will experience a unity and brotherhood that is only possible through him.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Clark
David Sundahl
Stephen Harris
Introducing a Quorum Initiative
It is our hope that the initiative introduced in the letter above will operate on two levels.
(1) Individual level: We ask that each of us prayerfully consider how we can individually improve our activities in the three areas described in the letter above. We specifically encourage you to stretch your capacities in these areas. Everyone's capacities are different, and we will know we are stretching them when we start to feel at least a little outside of our comfort zones. We know that as we do so and thereby exercise faith in the Lord that He will guide and bless us.
(2) Quorum level: As President Eyring has said, “A quorum can give greater service than the members could give alone”. To that end, we would like to organize the quorum into three groups, each assigned one of the three areas described in the letter. Each group is assigned a leader whose responsibility is to facilitate participation, discussion and learning within the group. Group leaders and their assigned areas are listed below along with a description of the collective charge given to each. Group membership will be assigned in the coming weeks.
In order to facilitate integrating our individual and group efforts across the entire quorum we will begin holding semi-annual quorum meetings at general conference time. These meetings will provide an opportunity for the groups and individuals to report on their progress and engage the entire quorum with their ideas. These meetings will also provide us an opportunity to gather the entire quorum together in a spiritual setting and provide a forum within which we can develop brotherhood and support each other in our efforts to walk in the footsteps of the Lord.
Groups
Strengthening our families and each other
Ryan Murphy, Group Leader
Sharing the Gospel
David Boyce, Group Leader
Serving members of our community
Jim Kelly, Group Leader
The charge of each group is to re-frame the work we do (or don't do) now in these three areas. Your re-framing might be simply a different (perhaps more inspiring) way of thinking about our activities in these areas. It may be a new idea or suggestion for how we inidivdually approach a task or it might be a proposed way for the quorum to collectively engage in activities in these areas. The purpose is to generate participation and dialog within the group and to come up with ways to stretch our individual and quorum capacities and performance in the assigned area. There are a couple of guidelines, though.
First, rather than planning or thinking of lots of different ideas or changes, focus on one at a time before (1) making it a standard, (2) abandoning it or (3) adding another idea or change. So, for example, if your group comes up with three great ideas for strengthening the quorum, push forward with the first one and evaluate before moving forward with another. We envision that this approach will allow for a learning and improvement process that will not overwhelm us in our existing efforts and responsibilities.
Second, act now. If you've got an idea worth testing, don't wait. If the idea will require a lot of coordination, think of a smaller-scale way to test sooner (perhaps even on your own or within your group). Our intention here is to encourage you to not allow yourselves to be paralyzed by uncertainty. We believe that as we move forward the Lord will bless us.
Finally, beyond the two guidelines above the only guideline is that we allow the Lord to guide us. Elder Clayton Christensen challenged us in a September sacrament meeting address to "re-frame" our responsibilities in the church. We think that is a directive to be innovative. But it is primarily a call to re-focus our efforts on the Savior and frame what we do within the bounds of His work and not simply the programs or activities we currently engage in. Accordingly, your efforts and ideas may be as simple or as radical as you see fit. Let the Lord be your guide.
(1) Individual level: We ask that each of us prayerfully consider how we can individually improve our activities in the three areas described in the letter above. We specifically encourage you to stretch your capacities in these areas. Everyone's capacities are different, and we will know we are stretching them when we start to feel at least a little outside of our comfort zones. We know that as we do so and thereby exercise faith in the Lord that He will guide and bless us.
(2) Quorum level: As President Eyring has said, “A quorum can give greater service than the members could give alone”. To that end, we would like to organize the quorum into three groups, each assigned one of the three areas described in the letter. Each group is assigned a leader whose responsibility is to facilitate participation, discussion and learning within the group. Group leaders and their assigned areas are listed below along with a description of the collective charge given to each. Group membership will be assigned in the coming weeks.
In order to facilitate integrating our individual and group efforts across the entire quorum we will begin holding semi-annual quorum meetings at general conference time. These meetings will provide an opportunity for the groups and individuals to report on their progress and engage the entire quorum with their ideas. These meetings will also provide us an opportunity to gather the entire quorum together in a spiritual setting and provide a forum within which we can develop brotherhood and support each other in our efforts to walk in the footsteps of the Lord.
Groups
Strengthening our families and each other
Ryan Murphy, Group Leader
Sharing the Gospel
David Boyce, Group Leader
Serving members of our community
Jim Kelly, Group Leader
The charge of each group is to re-frame the work we do (or don't do) now in these three areas. Your re-framing might be simply a different (perhaps more inspiring) way of thinking about our activities in these areas. It may be a new idea or suggestion for how we inidivdually approach a task or it might be a proposed way for the quorum to collectively engage in activities in these areas. The purpose is to generate participation and dialog within the group and to come up with ways to stretch our individual and quorum capacities and performance in the assigned area. There are a couple of guidelines, though.
First, rather than planning or thinking of lots of different ideas or changes, focus on one at a time before (1) making it a standard, (2) abandoning it or (3) adding another idea or change. So, for example, if your group comes up with three great ideas for strengthening the quorum, push forward with the first one and evaluate before moving forward with another. We envision that this approach will allow for a learning and improvement process that will not overwhelm us in our existing efforts and responsibilities.
Second, act now. If you've got an idea worth testing, don't wait. If the idea will require a lot of coordination, think of a smaller-scale way to test sooner (perhaps even on your own or within your group). Our intention here is to encourage you to not allow yourselves to be paralyzed by uncertainty. We believe that as we move forward the Lord will bless us.
Finally, beyond the two guidelines above the only guideline is that we allow the Lord to guide us. Elder Clayton Christensen challenged us in a September sacrament meeting address to "re-frame" our responsibilities in the church. We think that is a directive to be innovative. But it is primarily a call to re-focus our efforts on the Savior and frame what we do within the bounds of His work and not simply the programs or activities we currently engage in. Accordingly, your efforts and ideas may be as simple or as radical as you see fit. Let the Lord be your guide.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)