Lesson for May 28, 2017

Today our lesson was given by Kristine Hansen on Russell M. Nelson's conference talk, "Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives." Kristine also spoke briefly in sacrament meeting on this lesson. She does believe that if we draw this power into our lives it helps us with everything. Christ never intended for us to go through the troubles in this life alone. He intended for us to get power for help. There are six ways to draw this power into our lives. The first is to learn about Him She is taking the challenge of reading about everything in the Topical Guide about Jesus Christ. She asked five sisters to take the challenge with her and keep track of their feelings and insights and how it influenced. It helped these sisters to love Him more and understand who He is. Using technology of computer or paper and pencil helped the sisters understand the scriptures better Jayne picked uplifting parts of Christ's ministry. She found that if you don't take notes, you don't remember what you read. Then go back and see what you learned. What Jayne learned that in the OT there was nothing about Christ being an exemplar, but there was about Him being a Good Shepherd Jayne was led on a scripture hunt, such as going from being the Word to being the Light. She found many great and powerful words with the most important being to rejoice. McKenzie said she took the challenge as she tried to wean her baby. She found that all the scriptures helped her in many aspects of her life. One of her favorites was the Atonement and it was beautiful. She read the part about how Christ is the Advocate and the Comforter. One verse John 14:8 said I will not leave you comfortless. She felt Christ'S help all week. Heavenly Father is the perfect example to us as He was a perfect parent. She loved that Heavenly Father introduced Christ by saying He was well pleased by Christ. So, positive things all around. Lisa Anderson said she apppreciates the opportunity to read through by topic. She chose those things that help her remember the Savior. She loved that all things are created in the Spirit first. She was comforted that Christ did not give in to temptation. Jeanette said she has been doing it for some time now. It has reflected her whole month. In the temple, the matron challenged them to do what Elder Nelson wanted them to do. She said in the temple, she had a witness of the Holy Ghost that there were angels in the room assisting people who needed help and blessings in that session. She felt she was a witness that angels do come when we need them. Learning about Christ helps us broaden our understanding and deal with our lives. The Lord is there to strengthen us.Elder Nelson also encourage us to study "The Living Christ" and see how it affects us. Elder Nelson also said to put the Savior at the center, not his deeds or teachings, but the Savior himself. It is doctrinally incomplete to talk of the Atonement without saying the Atonement of Jesus Christ because it is the Savior who delivers us from physical death and our sins. His atoning sacrifice shows his commitment to Him. We should get into that habit so He is who we look to for our help. The third thing he recommended is to have faith and then act on it--to follow him. Do you have the courage to speak up when someone badmouths the Church. Lana said she went to college and had to stand up to her English professor who wanted her to read something inappropriate. We need to find a way to do it with kindness and love, especially on Facebook. When we act on that faith, we get more power. Finally, keep covenants. People slack off on keeping their covenants. They feel they can become casual and maybe life would be easier. These decisions make us go inactive We need to put Christ at the center of our lives and remember we made our covenants with Jesus Christ. We will. Less prone to slacking off. When we are given the ordinances, we are given access to great power. Ask, why you would remove yourself from the blessings? We might pray to recognize what we receive and to avoid confusion. There is so much deception all around us and not be deceived. We can also stay unspoiled from the world. It's not true that we are not good enough, or pride, or cynicism, and we need to understand what our standards are and how it should be enacted in our lives. Justification of our beliefs is important. We need to remember what is normal and what is OK to be normal and what is not. We need to reach out to Christ for help and know how to handle our problems. If the Lord's power is in our lives it is as if a drowning person reaches out for safety If Christ knows we are sincere we can draw the power of Christ into our lives. We can feel optimism and strength and happiness.

Lesson for May 21, 2017

Our lesson today is given by Camille Maynard on "The Precious Gift of Testimony," chapter 9 in the Teachings of Gordon B Hinckley Camille asked about events that solidified our testimonies. Some sisters too of times when they were younger and realized tha they have testimonies. It is good to know that we have that gift. President Hinckley tells of his first memory of spiritual things when he had an ear infection at age 5 and heard his father giving him a blessing and felt the Spirit. He also remembered saying his prayers as a teenager and getting into bed and recognizing the gift he had received of knowing he had a testimony. We all had those first feelings of knowing a testimony. How can our testimony contribute to the worl-wide church. Like little drops of water we fill up the lamps of the church. How we fulfill our callings also contributes. We carry a light with us that influences others. Some people are more able to reach people in the way that speaks to them and it's different for each person. We have become a great family in different circumstances, but we have common testimonies.President Hinckley said: This thing which we call testimony is the great strength of the Church. It is the wellspring of faith and activity. . . . It is as real and powerful as any force on the earth. The Lord described it when He spoke to Nicodemis and said, "Yhe wind Bowery where it listens, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). This thing which we call testimony is difficult to define, but its fruits are plainly evident. It is the Holy Spirit testifying through us. It has the power to change lives and actions. He also said that personal testimony is what motivates us to sacrifice for the gospel and make change in our lives. It is heard from all factions of members in the Church. Life is purposeful and we are on a common journey of achieving security in the fact that God lives and we have places and things to go and do. Camille had us read five stories about testimony and its effects. One story was but David Casteneda and his poor farm and walking in poverty until the elders contacted them and baptized them. They grew in prosperity and as a family. Over 200 people have joined the church because of them. Another story was about a naval officer from another country. He was being trained in the USA an he was attracted to some other officers who had light. The Spirit touched his heart as they taught him and he joined the Church. He knew his family would cast him out and he thought he might lose his career. He said "It's true, isn't it, then what else really matters?" Lisa Merrill taught a man on her mission and when he returned home from going to school he found that his family had joined the Church. The third story is about an engineer whose wife wante to join the Church and he grew angry about time and money it woulD cost. He walked the street swearing and angry, but a voice came to him and said, "It' true" and peace came to him. He went home to find his wife praying. The things he was upset about were no longer a problem to him. Some people who look up the Church do so academically, but others are not concerned with costs and want the truth, so the things that academically are barriers are no problem with the right attitude The fourth story is about an intellectual woman, major in the Army, who spoke to a military group in Berchtesgaden about when the missionaries came to see her. They were so impressive she offered to buy anything they were selling. They told her of the gospel and her testimony is now the most precious thing her life. Now she just wants to serve others. President Hinckley said it is the same with hundreds of people a over the world, no matter their economic status or education. We all have our own stories of how we have to stand on our own feet. Suzy said on her mission she met a combative man who complained about Joseph Smith. She said that by testifying about Joseph Smith, she gained a certainty of Joseph Smith. Camille said she had a similar experience hearing a missionary testify of Joseph Smith. When we have fears, we can pray to be reassured. As parents, we can teach our children to ray to overcome their fears. Our children may lean on our testimonies until they are sure of their own. How has your testimony sustained you in your life and influenced others? Did your mother help you pray? Remember the parable of the 10 virgins and fill your lamps with oil by going to the temple and praying and studying scriptures so we can be grounded in the gospel. In the New Testament when Jesus fed the 5,000 and telling the people the gospel, but some people thought it was too hard. Some left, but some disciples said, "You have the truth. Where could we find it elsewhere?" The gospel gives us the chance to have a testimony. What a blessing.

Lesson for May 14, 2017

Lesson for May 14, 2017 Today our Mother's Day lesson was given by Bishop Greg Jolley on "We Look to Christ." Bishop Jolley drew a tree and called it a specimen tree that is the ideal for that kind of tree, the perfect tree. Because it is Mother’s Day and women everywhere like to feel they are perfect, so he is going to describe the perfect woman. Listed were Christ-like, courageous, nurturing, loving, patient, kind, there, prayerful, loves children unconditionally, clean house, great cook, forgiving, flexible, involved, listener, (righteous anger), respectful. We’re all working on the kind of person that we are. Bishop Jolley said the lesson felt more like an Easter lesson than a Mother’s Day lesson. But there could be something helpful for each of us. Bishop Jolley had Megan Williams read a story about the Mesa Arizona Temple as local clergymen visited. A Protestant minister asked about the absence of the cross. President Hinckley said the cross is the representation of the dying Christ and we worship the living Christ. He said that our symbol for Christ is our lives as we live the commandments of Christ. The take away from this message is that the lives of our people must become a meaningful expression of our faith. We can do this through visiting teaching as a way to serve. If everyone would do their teaching as it should be, it would lighten the load of the bishop. Bishop Jolley recognizes the good work of the sisters. Sisters who live their religion to the best of their ability actually look different from other people. The light shines through them and it is unmistakable. It doesn’t mean that we are all the same, but we can be that expression of what our Heavenly Father wants us to be. Being Christlike is something we work toward. Some of the accounts of what Christ did have special meaning, such as the story of Mary and Martha, the woman taken in adultery and forgiven by Christ without condemning her, woman who had the issue of blood and touched Christ’s hem and was healed, a Greek woman who asked for Christ to heal her daughter and said even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall, the daughter of Jairus, the Samaritan woman at the well and he was compassionate. Bishop Jolley said he’s lost a few family members over the last year. He realizes that our natural man makes us judgmental and critical. Perhaps we lose the understanding that people are struggling. When our bodies separate from our spirits, we become less judgmental because we are no longer the natural man who tends to judge others. How do we take these stories and make them change us. When we repent and gain humility, we try to do what we should do, we can teach others to repent. The idea is that the way Christ taught with an extension of love and boldness, it had an impact on individuals. It is almost impossible to attain all of Christ’s attributes, but we can choose one and work on that one, then choose another one and work on that one until we gain more Christlike attributes. We read those passages of scripture about Christ and we can come to recognize the traits we have, good and bad, and know what to work on. If we search for what we need, we can find it. A lot of the stories are connected to faith and the idea that Christ is seeking after all of us, so he doesn’t seem so far away. When we try to emulate him, Christ will be familiar to us. President Hinckley said although he experienced terrible things, but Christ was still able to say as he died, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” He said that even though he suffered tremendously. How many times do we think about that? Do we think that our problems are because of someone else or do we own our problems. Bishop Jolley told of his experience playing soccer for BYU. For the first game, his friend was jealous of the bishop’s starting position and purposely made him late to the game, so the bishop lost his starting position. He didn’t find out until much later. He found out when he was ready to forgive and not blow up at the young man. One of those attributes is to forgive and we need the time to learn that. Bishop Jolley asked when was the last crisis of faith each of us had, when things are difficult. Those crises of faith are more often than we might think. We think we have to be a perfect person, but in reality God only expects us to try. The acquisition of understanding and motivation to be better come from three things: (1) read the word of the Lord, (2) serve, (3) pray. This is the invitation and the promise is sure. We know not what is ahead of us. We live in a world of uncertainty. There is accomplishment, disappointed, good health, sickness, sorrow, but we do know there is the Redeemer of the world, and the Rock of our Salvation. If Christ is the focus of our lives, we can get through anything.

Lesson for May 7, 2017

Lesson for May y, 2017 We had a spotlight on Jennifer Atwood. Then there was a visiting teaching spotlight by Lisa Merrill with a video from lds.org. . Today our lesson was given by Charlene Farnwortrh as a member of the Relief Society presidency. It was on visiting teaching messages we are asked to take to our sisters. One of her favorite parts of visiting teaching is the discussion part. She wonders why we are asked to take specific messages. The reason we go visiting teaching is to become closer to Christ. She went through the messages we had so far this year. How does Relief Society prepare women for their divine roles?--January. She asked how does Relief Society help women fulfill Heavenly Father’s divine role for women? Inspiration. Strength. Knowing who we are. Purpose. Influence. Worth. Covenants. Connection. Unity. Then we had a discussion. Claudia Laycock said she’s glad she’s a woman. She has worked in a man’s world all her career and did a lot of firsts. Charlene handed out a sentence with blanks: “I will organize the women after the order of the priesthood” by Joseph Smith. She also used videos from mormon.org to illustrate certain points. How can we express our love for Jesus Christ’s Atonement? We know that all shall be made alive through Christ’s Atonement. Discussion came up with the message, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Charlene called on sisters. One said we could focus on the Savior during the sacrament Barbara Aldredge said at Women’s Conference at BYU they talked about accepting callings and asking for help from Christ to do those callings. Others mentioned serving. Others said to share what we know. March was about the enabling power of Jesus Christ to help our weaknesses become strong. We can help to lift the burdens of others. Christ can heal us. He sees us as glorious beings who can achieve great things. For the gospel to be effective in our lives, we need to be firmly attached to Christ. Christ invites us to come unto him and be transformed. Our faith can make us whole. Jesus said, I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left. Chelsey Jolley said that Greg made a commitment before he went to graduate school he said he wouldn’t do homework on Sunday. He kept his callings. He often woke up early to do his homework, but he did not break his commitments to the gospel and he was blessed to become good at his academic work. In April the message was about the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood. We need to know what it is. In D&C 84:33-44 is the oath. It is about the priesthood power used by Christ to create the worlds. Those who hold the priesthood become the sons of Abraham. He that receives Christ receives his father and receive the benefits of everything our Heavenly Father has. The love of Jesus Christ is our guide, if we are to become aware of those in need we can help.