November Calendar

It is November already and Thanksgiving is quickly approaching! Here is our calendar for this month.

"But If Not..."

On Sunday, we will be discussing Elder Dennis E. Simmons' talk from April 2004 General Conference, "But If Not...". Elder Simmons reminds us of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego's refusal to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's golden idol. He teaches that when Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw them into the fiery furnace, furiously demanding, "And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" (Daniel 3:15):

The three young men quickly and confidently responded, "If it be so [if you cast us into the furnace], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand." ... But then they demonstrated that they fully understood what faith is. They continued, "But if not, ... we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." (Daniel 3:17-18, emphasis added). That is a statement of true faith.

What is true faith? Do we have this kind of faith in God? Do we trust Him, even when things don't turn out the way we hope they will, or think they should? On Sunday we will discuss true faith and what we can do to develop it, so that when we face challenges, we are able to say, "Our God will deliver us, but if not ... we will trust in the Lord."

Mastering the Scriptures - Tuesday Night!

Sisters, please join us on Tuesday night, October 29 at 7:00 p.m. in the Relief Society room for the next scripture study class in our series, Mastering the Scriptures. This week we are pleased to have Sister Jeanne Grant sharing her ideas with us about how proper context and understand of the time period and customs can help us put scriptures stories into perspective and make them relevant and applicable to our own lives. Hope to see you on Tuesday!

Painted On Our Hearts

It's a Miracle

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of miracles. We know the life of Christ was filled with miracles from his birth, as the world watched and marveled at the new star that appeared in the night, angels appearing to the shepherds, but also as he walked the earth and made the blind see and lame walk. Even at his death when he resurrected. And then the risen Christ directed his apostles to continue his ministry to “go ye unto all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Was this even possible? It was undeniable that through Christ all things are possible and as the apostles went forth they continued to see the miracles as they baptized those who believed.

And miracles continued as the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored upon the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Was it not a miracle that he was able to translate the Book of Mormon in just 60 days? And did he not continue Christ’s direction to “go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them”, sending missionaries to England and the Pacific when they restored church was just a few years old. Was it not a miracle that Elder Wilford Woodruff found and baptized several hundred believers his first month at Benbow farm in England. Even with the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, the gospel did not die. It has thrived.

Today, we are witnessing miracles as more missionaries than ever before are sacrificing two years of their life to preach the gospel. We are reaching more countries than ever before. There is much work yet to be done and we all must be willing to sacrifice for Jesus Christ. As we took upon us the name of Jesus Christ when we were baptized, we must be willing to share that gospel. We must all do our part to see that this gospel goes forth. "It’s a Miracle", by Elder Neil L. Andersen, is this Sunday’s topic in Relief Society, discussing how we paint upon our heart a missionary badge “not of ink, but with the Spirit of the living God”.

Marcia Lindley

His Most Important Purposes

Visiting Teaching Conference

We had a wonderful Visiting Teaching Conference during Relief Society yesterday. Thanks so much to all those who participated and helped with this, especially to the Priesthood Brethren who took over Primary and Young Women's so that we could all be together.

Click HERE if you would like to review and rewatch the talk we shared yesterday, "Visiting Teaching: Beyond Statistics" by Sister Mary Ellen Edmunds.

Visiting Teaching Conference

Don't forget that this coming Sunday will be our Visiting Teaching Conference. All of the sisters in the ward will meet together during the third hour in the Institute Room. We are very thankful for the priesthood brethren who will be teaching the Primary and Young Women so we can all be together for this!

Serving the Lord

The Lord's Side

Lorenzo Snow Lessons 17 and 18

Please study Lessons 17 and 18 in the Lorenzo Snow manual on your own during the month of October.

In Lesson 17, Priesthood -- "for the Salvation of the Human Family", President Snow teaches:

Purity, virtue, fidelity, godliness must be sought ambitiously, or the crown cannot be won. Those principles must be incorporated with[in] ourselves, woven into our constitutions, becoming a part of us, making us a centre, a fountain of truth, of equity, justice, and mercy, of all that is good and great, that from us may proceed the light, the life, the power, and the law to direct, to govern and assist to save a wandering world; acting as the sons of God, for and in behalf of our Father in heaven. We expect in the resurrection to exercise the powers of our priesthood -- we can exercise them only in proportion as we secure its righteousness and perfections; these qualifications can be had only as they are sought and obtained, so that in the morning of the resurrection we will possess those acquisitions only which we secured in this world! Godliness cannot be conferred but must be acquired, a fact of which the religious world seem[s] strangely and lamentably unconscious. Seek to benefit others, and others will seek to benefit you; and he that would be great, let him be good, studying the interests of the whole, becoming the servant of all.

President Snow speaks specifically to the brethren here, but how do these principles apply in our lives as women? Aren't these qualities that we must also cultivate if we wish to "win the crown"?  Don't we also have responsibilities to cultivate "the light, the life, the power and the law to direct, to govern and assist to save a wandering world"? We as women must also seek to acquire all of the qualities and characteristics of godliness in this life, so that in the resurrection, we are found possessed of the godliness necessary to exercise the Lord's power and continue in His work.

In Lesson 18, Church Leadership and Selfless Service, President Snow teaches:

... Let those who preach in the midst of [the] Saints, realize what the Priesthood was placed upon them for; let them know and fully sense why they were appointed to fill such and such an office, viz., that they should act in the spirit of our Master, a servant of all, that they learn to consider and esteem in the same affectionate interest, the welfare of all, as they do that of themselves. ... Then will they enter into the spirit of the two great commands upon which, said the Saviour, "hang the law and the prophets," namely, loving the Lord with all our might, mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves [see Matthew 22:37-40].

Do we fully realize the reasons why we have been appointed to our callings, or even to our privilege of membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? President Snow is clear in explaining that we are here to "act in the spirit of our Master, a servant of all" and to learn to "consider and esteem in the same affectionate interest, the welfare of all". Our purpose here is to learn the great commandments, to love the Lord and to love our neighbors. How often do we have opportunities to practice these commandments? We serve and interact with others constantly, in our daily activities, in our work, in our families, in our church callings, and in our Visiting Teaching. How often do we consider those we serve with the same "affectionate interest" with which we consider ourselves? If we can begin to change our hearts, then as President Snow promised, "God will give [us] revelation upon revelation, inspiration upon inspiration," and we "will never be at a loss how to magnify [our] office properly, nor will ever lack the power of God to bring about His wise purposes."

Feel free to share your thoughts about either of these lessons in the comments!

Stake Conference this Weekend

Just a reminder, our Stake Conference will be held this weekend. The adult session of Stake Conference will be at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 12. The general session of Stake Conference will be at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 13 at the Richardson Stake Center. If you need the address of the Stake Center, send us an email or leave a comment on the blog. Hope to see you there!

Because of General Conference, I will...

After listening to General Conference, what have you been inspired to do, or change, or become?

Because of General Conference, I will____________________.

General Conference Countdown: Come Listen to a Living Prophet

Click HERE to watch Conference online.

General Conference Countdown: Don't Forget!

Click HERE to watch Conference online.

General Conference Countdown: As We Gather Once Again

General Conference Countdown: "We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet"

General Conference Countdown: The Blessings of General Conference

Click HERE to read or watch Elder Paul V. Johnson's October 2005 talk, "The Blessings of General Conference."

General Conference Countdown: Conference Highlights & Gospel Classics

Click HERE to review highlights from April 2013 General Conference.

Click HERE to find links to classic addresses by Prophets and Apostles, from Elder Heber C. Kimball, to President Thomas S. Monson.