A blog just for us! Please scroll down to see all that is here. Information will be updated often. Not an official blog of the LDS Church. All content is solely the responsibility of Laura Card. To post something, contact Laura Card.
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Sunday, February 8, 2015
Lesson for February 8, 2015
Lesson for February 8, 2015
Today our lesson was given by Maggie Kopp on Chapter 3 on “Freedom of Choice—An Eternal Principle.” What comes to mind when you hear the word “agency”? Choice. CIA. Freedom. Responsibility. Consequences. Accountability. Power. Rebellion. Conflict. Repentance. Respect. Willingness. Irrevocable. Influence. Example. Agency comes from a Latin word that means to do, to drive. It is the epitome of action. The lesson encourages us to use our agency wisely. Maggie gave us some stories and she wants us to gain insights, learn about making choices, and make application to our own lives. The first story is about the war in heaven in Moses. The Lord told Moses that Satan said he had a plan and not one soul shall be lost, but Jesus said his plan was God’s plan and it was the Father’s plan, so Satan rebelled and was cast down. From this story we learn about agency and that Heavenly Father did not make Satan do what he wanted him to. We learn that we need to make the right choice or we will have bad consequences. Notice that all of Satan's plan was centered around himself. Also, we think of heaven as a beautiful peaceful place, but there was conflict and being able to choose was so important that we fought to keep it. We need to honor other people’s agency. Converts have huge choices to make and they come with work and action. Randy Hickman was a bishop and two members handed him their temple recommends and said it was too hard and said they would be Catholics. Education is a huge part of helping people make informed decisions so knowledge is important. There are stages of giving our children and others their agency and education pays into that. We need to explain and warn and show the consequences. Developmentally important choices are things we as parents need to make. Rules can guide us as we make our choices and deal with others. Heather said she knew she was accountable for her actions. God will only hold us accountable for what we are able to understand, so teaching children before they are old enough to be held accountable. One sister was told by her parents that if she was going to live in their house, she would need to act according to their rules to keep a certain spirit in their house. One of the best things that happens for our children is for them to have children, so they can finally understand accountability. It is important to make good choices and create for ourselves a controlled environment. Life is a test and we need to use our agency to give ourselves an eternal life to look forward to. When working on a farm, something has to be put in to get something out. It’s the law of the harvest. President Benson learned that as a child and that there are some things that can be measured, although there are some things that can’t be measured. Sometimes you have to look back over a long time to measure progress. Staying together as a family and having that loyalty is important. We can’t control what our loved ones do, but we can control what we put into our relationships. Oftentimes in families it is a combination of effort and example. Living our lives as best we can, gives us the best results. There are no private decisions, so our decisions affect all our children and grandchildren and on down. Sister Lopez told her children that they have the same opportunities as any blonde-blue-eyed child, even if they have to struggle a bit. They can be forces for good. Sister Farnworth said that when her son went to medical school, he found that everyone is the same inside. Sometimes we have to let our children make their own mistakes and be perceptive about what the actual problem is, such as something about the problem that may seem little. Sometimes the correct option isn’t offered or taken away and we have to sit back and realize that we need to make a different decision. Sometimes we need to think outside of the box. We also need to trust in God and be active, rather than passive. So whatever is holding us back can be resolved through faith and action.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Lesson for February 1, 2015
Lesson for February 1, 2015
Today our lesson was given by Sarah Campbell. She said that as the secretary, she has to compile all kinds of numbers and wondered why. She learned that it is not numbers, it is about people. She found a talk by Elder Ballard about people who need fellowship “The Hand of Fellowship.” In the church we use the term “fellowship” to indicate our efforts to contact others and extend friendship. What can we do for the people in the sphere of our influence? What has made a difference for you? One sister said that one thing that happened is that her visiting teachers showed up two days after she moved in. They made going to church is very comfortable. Another sister said the sooner the better so fears don’t develop. Another sister said having someone sit next to you is very important. Receiving a calling shows us that we are part of the ward and we are needed. Learning names is also important. Elder Ballard said that we ought to be alert to reinforce the efforts of the missionaries. We all need to be more open and friendly and warm. People reaching out to others makes such a huge difference. Even being direct can work. All the people in the ward who don’t come to church have ward and visiting teachers, even if they don’t want them. Amy said there needs to be someone who has a stewardship over them to pray for them, not that we’re going to force ourselves on them. We are being Heavenly Father’s helpers to reach out to those people. We need to grow by being the kind of shepherds the Lord wants us to be. So we can be inspired friends, instead of just visiting teachers. People’s lives change and they may need friends or help, even if they don’t want to have visiting teachers. Joni Trewartha said that her son Jeff tried going back to church, but they felt judged and quit going again. Becoming friends who won’t give up on someone can help. We also have to reach out so we don’t feel left out. Sometimes small things will help. Some people are inactive because they feel judged and their lives are different. We are a church of sinners and we each have our own way of sinning, so we need to be accepting of others. Other people won’t come and ask you for help, so being aware of needs or offering treats or taking action and doing it. One visiting teacher asked what can we pray for you about, which was awesome. We can pray about what we can do to help. If we do that some awesome things will happen. When others fellowship us, we have a responsibility, too, to come and put ourselves out to others. Helping others and not giving up works, also. We can receive inspiration and become inspired to know how to approach people. We can find ways to show that we are friends. Outside of visiting teaching and home teaching, we should learn about how to approach others in our ward and learn how to help those who need help. The challenge of the ward is knowing what is going on. Elder Ballard said that missionaries are taught to be genuinely warm and interested in the people they meet, which does make a huge difference. The missionaries work with the members so the investigators will have permanent friends.
Stake Women's Conference Feb. 21
Stake women's conference will be on Saturday, February 21, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. with a luncheon at 12:00 noon at the stake center. Sunday dress is appropriate. No children's class will be provided.