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.

Lesson for April 16, 2017

Lesson for April 16, 2017 Today our lesson was given by Maggie Kopp about chapter 6 in the manual about “How Great is a Thing of Prayer?” Maggie asked us if there is a person in our lives who is easy to communicate with. Why is that person that easy to communicate with? They assume the best about us. They listen without judging. They are interested in what we say and in us. They are good listeners. They are trustworthy. Not only are they good listeners, they have good things to say. Related to prayer, we need to think of what we need to do. We need to draw near to God and maintain a close relationship. We need to be grateful. We need answers and comfort. President Hinckley mentioned praying for protection, for help for our loved ones, for strength to do what we need to do. It is personal and individual. Ask for what you need and the important things we need in our lives. How do we prepare ourselves to pray? Have enough time to pray and receive an answers. Don’t be so worried about finishing quickly, for example, to go to bed. Think beforehand about what there is to pray about to avoid those vain repetitions. Getting rid of distractions so we can pray—leave the phone in another room, turn off the television, and make sure kids are in a state where they are calm. Pretend that when we kneel down, that we are held by our Heavenly Father. Mary Jane Woodger said her prayers are more meaningful by remembering the attributes of Heavenly Father and who he is. During family prayer we have to remember that the blessings may not be readily apparent. It is a time to be loving and not require that we or our children need to be perfect. We need to be flexible and change according to the age of our family. Small children are not the same as teenagers. We may have to change the time when family prayer takes place, even having it in shifts. The scriptures say that fervent prayer avails us much. A fervent prayer is a passionate prayer and can be work. We can combine meditation and prayer so we can focus on what is covered in a prayer. One thing that can make our prayers more fervent is to really ask that the Lord will forgive our sins, and that opens us up to the Spirit. A barrier could be being embarrassed to admit failures to Heavenly Father, rather than treating Him like our closest friend. We can admit how we’re feeling, because isn’t that what Jesus did in His prayers. Humility, and sincerity could be admitting that we cannot do some things on our own without His help. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out if what we want is just what we want but is not what our Heavenly Father wants for us. It is a wrestle to know what His will is. We are not informing God, but we are figuring things out for ourselves and hoping for inspiration. Sometimes the changes it makes in ourselves can make us more open to becoming better and making our prayers more meaningful. As we listen to the Spirit, we can be more open to our Heavenly Father and the influence of the Spirit. Prayer can help us and change our hearts. Lesson

Lesson for 26 March 2017

Today our lesson was given by Kristine Hansen on “Am I Good Enough?” by Elder Cornish. Kristine asked all of us to visualize a place we want to visit and a benefactor would pay for the trip. This is analogous to the Atonement because Christ wants to offer us a free trip to the celestial kingdom. We can go there to live forever. You don’t earn the celestial kingdom. We go there by the grace of Jesus Christ and we have to do our part so we can qualify. Elder Cornish has a formula we can follow--formula R: Don’t rationalize. Don’t rebel. Do repent. Do rely on the grace of Christ. Do really try. We need to understand that the Atonement is for sinners. It is also for saints. It is through the grace of the Lord that individuals gain the strength to do the good to qualify for the celestial kingdom. All we have to do is ask for it and do what we are supposed to do. Grace can help us do righteous things. Emily Campbell said through the death of her daughter, her divorce, and all her troubles, she feels she is strengthened. Dorothy Francis said we all notice that Emily has come to church throughout her troubles and told the Lord that she is ready and worthy. Suzy Sullivan said she feels strengthened to serve the sisters of our ward. Andrea Gerber said she sees people in her family who claim to be too broken to go to church, but others who allow the grace of the Lord to lift them and heal. Kristine said she was called to serve in a young married ward to be the wise older person. When she was set apart, the man said she needed to move out of her comfort zone and make herself available to those people. She said it became a wonderful calling. We can remain in our victim status or we can access the atonement and triumph through gratitude. We might also think we’re not good enough or too good and those judgments prevent us to be humble and victorious. Sometimes we are lazy. Sometimes we feel like we have such big goals we may be discouraged, or too comfortable to try to improve. Sometimes we are distracted or too busy to think of formula R. Our faith gets weak or we don’t have the knowledge of the gospel we should. Camille read a piece that said we can always repent no matter how many chances we have thrown away before. There is no sin that is worse than what Christ atoned for. Kristine has been a teacher of college-aged students for 41 years. In the last few years, she’s seen more students debilitated by depression and anxiety. It is a real handicap. More and more she sees students using this as excuses for not performing. A psychologist came to the English Department about what is being seen for serious distress, suicidal thoughts, psychotic episodes and worse is rising so high that students have to wait 3-4 weeks for counseling. The top reasons are depression, relationships, suicide, perfectionism, and alcoholism. One thing that struck her is that students are constantly comparing themselves to others and keep their cell phones with them at all times. They will spend hours crafting a Facebook image of themselves. People just need to unplug. We need to enjoy the process. We need to rely on the grace of Christ. Have the right foundation for your life like sleeping, eating right, trusting in the Lord. There is a life clinic in Provo. They say you should not sleep with electronics within 3 feet of your body. The electronic fields can affect our bodies. The internet is a good tool, but it can be used incorrectly. Elder Cornish said “We must stop comparing ourselves to others We torture ourselves needlessly by competing and comparing. We falsely judge our self-worth by the things we do or don’t have and by the opinions of others. If we must compare, let us compare how we were in the past to how we are today--and even to how we want to be in the future. The only opinion of us that matters is what our Heavenly Father thinks of us. Please sincerely ask Him what He thinks of you. He will love and correct but never discourage us; that is Satan’s trick.” Emma Campbell said she actually downloaded and app that encourages her to stay off her phone and it helps her. We need to put our relationship with Christ first, repent, and we will eventually be good enough to return to the celestial kingdom. Heavenly Father wants to work with us to help us qualify.

Lesson for March 19, 2017

Today our lesson was given by Maggie Kopp on chapter 5 of the Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, “Daughters of God.” Yesterday, Maggie went to a funeral of a family friend--in-laws--she always made the family feel welcome and stepped in to help. It was fun to see how big an impact she made. Maggie asked about women we admire. Some of them we can be like and some not, but we can always try to be like them Some sisters talked about a mother or grandmother who had positive attributes that we can look up to. This week is the 175th anniversary of the Relief Society. The General Presidency invited us to think of our eternal role as a daughter of God, to know we are valued, and that we are sisters. So, our identity, our purpose, our examples of other female disciples, and our value. The women in our lives who inspire us. How have they helped us to become a better disciple. Diana Barker said that as she grew up she knew a woman who went on a mission and it inspired her to go on a mission. Lisa Anderson said she had a missionary companion who always believed Lisa was the best she could be and it inspired her to be better. Our identity as a daughter of God is basic. We sing I am a Child of God and it is explained in Church, but how does it give us strength. Emily Campbell said that she knows that if she is here and has things to do, so she will be able to do them. Another sister said it makes her feel special that she has qualities from someone who is so great. There is so much more to us than people think We have a spark of divinity. It helps us to treat others different from how we would otherwise. We should remember who we are at all times and who others are. It helps us not beat them up. If Heavenly Father loves them, too, then maybe we can, too. We can reflect on being patient, agreeable. We can know that Heavenly Father can take care of our loved ones, so we don’t need to be as worried about them. Joseph Smith said that if we live up to our promises, we can expect blessings The Relief Society reflects the relief we can receive if we are ill or need help. We are all each others’ blankets and the sisters wrap you up. It is the place where you can learn life skills. The community we have that enfold us. We can move anywhere in the world and go to Church and have friends and even babysitters. In our history, we learned that Godhood also meant womanhood, so our history is that we can do great things. We can take care of others, get an education, teach others, build cities, take care of our families, and a knowledge of people on the other side who are interested in us. In this life, we are the ministering angels in our spheres. President Hinckley said tremendous is our faith and great is our work. Rise to the great potential in us and don’t nag ourselves or beat ourselves up with our failures. How does that help us become more like our Savior? As we serve others and do our visiting teaching, we become more Christlike. The Relief Society is there to assist us, teach us, love us.

Lesson for March 5, 2017

Today our lesson was given by Andrea Gerber on Fasting. It has always seemed archaic and to indicate sorrow associated with sackcloth and ashes. But the fasting part is one of the most important principles to commit to. Andrea said that she had not done it well before because of blood sugar issues. But she decided to try it and found that after 18 hours, she really felt inspired and chastised herself for missing out. Trying to set up the fast so that the sacrament meeting is in the final hour of the fast, was an important part of her fast. When one sister was on her mission, she learned the value of fasting. She remembers a moment of truth in her mission when she needed to fast. She could feel more of the Spirit that very day and she was able to share referrals and share her testimony. She found benefits and miracles happened when she fasted. Heather Cantrell told about a military travel trip that they fasted and prayed for and got bumped, but were able to go the next day. It turned out that there was very bad weather. Miracles are brought about by fasting and sincere prayer. Lorenzo Snow on his mission in Italy stayed with a family who had an ill three year old. He fasted and prayed to be able to bless the child. A few hours later, the child was much better. He told the parents that the God of Heaven had done that for them. A family had a child who had fits and Joseph Smith said that if a head of the house would fast three days, the child would be healed. The father fasted and the child was healed. Sometimes, though God has a different plan and we need to recognize that God has His own plans. Perhaps praying to know what the plan is. Remember that those who are appointed to death are not to be healed. We do have a great power of faith and blessings. Andrea said that she prayed to know if she should marry her husband. Her mother told her that marriage is hard and life is hard so getting that answer is what can carry her through the hard times. So Andrea decided to fast and pray and the next day she would eat and then do it again. On the very first day with the very first prayer, she got a burning unmistakable answer She felt that the answer came with fasting and prayer combined. Other comments came about times when putting off the natural man and rising above the physical body would help. However much we can do to fast, God notices. We have to be willing to accept how God works and make the sacrifice of our wills. Andrea feels like fasting is a secret weapon. Prophets have mentioned the when and the why we should fast. For example, blessings of health, answers to prayers, inspiration, finding jobs or on a job, gaining confidence, for gratitude. One sister remembers her ward fasting for rain during fires and it rained the next day. Scientists are now recognizing the benefits for our bodies in fasting. If we are humble, God gives us the confidence we need to do hard things or guide our families. Fasting gives us the courage to do something hard so we know we can do something else that is hard. Fasting also gives us clarity of mind. Fasting can help us know the lord is on our side. In Isaiah 58:6-11 has many promises that come from fasting. It can do many wonderful things for us. In our homes,it can strengthen marriage bonds, lessen conflict between siblings, and strengthen our character and control of our appetites. The greatest promise is that then the Lord shall come when we call and comfort us. She challenges us to experiment with fasting and its blessings.