Opportunities to Do Good

President Henry B. Eyring proclaims a clarion call to all Latter-day Saints to renew and strengthen our commitment to act by helping those in need. In his talk entitled "Opportunities to Do Good" from April 2011 General Conference, he reminds us that the Lord's way to help those in temporal need requires people who out of love have consecrated themselves and what they have to God and His work. The Lord loves His children in need and also those who want to help.

He has invited and commanded us to participate in His work to lift up those in need. We make a covenant to do that in the waters of baptism and in the holy temples of God. We renew the covenant on Sundays when we partake of the sacrament.

President Eyring shared a timely quote by Melvin J. Ballard when he said, "A person cannot give a crust to the Lord without receiving a loaf in return." When we are generous to Heavenly Father's children in need, He is generous to us.

Come and celebrate this season of giving as you reflect on this lesson about serving to enable you to join in a discussion on how to draw your family into this great work of service. We are scripturally commanded to seek out the poor. How do we find those in need? Your preparation and thoughts on this lesson will enhance our learning experience as we teach each other gospel principles of truth.

Debra Newcum
RS President

December Calendar

We've made it to December! We can't wait to celebrate the season with you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Feast of Carols - Saturday, Dec. 7

Click to enlarge the invitation.

Fit For A King

If you had told me that two hours of vacuuming could be a spiritual experience, I probably would have laughed at you. Housekeeping is not exactly my strong suit and vacuuming is my least favorite part of housekeeping. However, vacuuming in the temple affords an entirely different experience altogether. During the work, I couldn't help but wonder if the Savior himself would visit this temple. What if he walked on the floor that I cleaned? What would the Savior think of his house and how it was maintained? The temple is spotless because it is a house that is fit for a king. Maybe if I more fully realized my own divine nature I would be better able to maintain my own household.

Rachel Roark

Rich in Contentment

Immutable & Unchanging

Obedience to Law Is Liberty

From the beginning of time, the world has been at war. Not a war between countries, but the Great War against sin. Satan and his armies are working fervently to win. He is attacking the most important and essential gifts to man, marriage and family. Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated, "The strength of the family is deteriorating at an alarming rate ... [and] is causing widespread damage to society. ... As we give up commitment and fidelity to our marriage partners, we remove the glue that holds our society together."

So, how do we fight this war? How do we free ourselves from Satan's captivity? Obedience. Obedience to the laws set forth by God. We read, in 2 Nephi 2:27:

"Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."

On Sunday, we will discuss Elder Perry's conference talk, "Obedience to Law Is Liberty", and how obedience to God's commandments is the path to freedom and happiness. It is the only way to keep the sanctity of marriage and family intact. It is a shield and protection for us and our family against Satan and his minions.

Marcia Lindley

The Thick of Thin Things

Lorenzo Snow, Ch. 20: The Kingdom of God Moves Forward

Sisters, will you imagine that the year is 1844, in late June, and you are living in Nauvoo. You have just arrived from Denmark after joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You were disowned by your family, and you are so anxious to come to Zion and meet the Prophet Joseph Smith. Or, imagine you are Lorenzo Snow, and you are serving a mission in the Central States.  Then, you receive word that the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum have been martyred. Can you imagine the feelings that existed among the saints after so much persecution, and then the martyrdom?

Remember, that at this time the succession of the Prophet of the Lord had not been clearly established. How has our little band of members been able to grow and flourish to 15,000,000 members today? Read Lorenzo Snow, Ch. 20: The Kingdom of God Moves Forward, and get a feel for those days in Nauvoo. How did our growth as a church fulfill prophecy? How did being tried in the "fire of affliction" affect the Church? Where did the Saints gather their strength from?

I look forward to our discussion Sunday of all the blessings we are heir to by being baptized in the glorious Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Karen Bateman

Thank the Lord Thy God

Daffodil Bulb Planting on Saturday!

Join us on Saturday, November 16, as the Ward plants daffodil bulbs along the Meandering Way Trail! We'll meet at 9:00 a.m. to plant approximately 4,000 daffodil bulbs at four spots along the trail to help beautify our neighborhood. The assigned locations along the trail are:

1. Beltline and Meandering Way - Last names A-H
2. Roundrock and Meandering Way - Spring Creek Elementary Student Council & families
3. La Cosa and Meandering Way - Last names J-P
4. Brentfield and Meandering Way - Last names R-Z

Please invite friends and neighbors to join us for this fun service project! Also, please feel free to bring any planting tools you have (bulb augers, shovels, gloves, etc.). We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

It Shall Be Given

Save the Date - Dec. 3!

Save the date for our Relief Society Christmas Party!

"What Shall We Give Him?"

7:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 3

Herzog Home

We hope you will join us!!

Lorenzo Snow #19, Missionary Work: "To Reach Every Human Heart"

On Sunday, we will be discussing Lorenzo Snow lesson #19, Missionary Work: "To Reach Every Human Heart".  Our discussion of missionary work will be broadly construed to include lifting others to higher spiritual ground -- both those who are covenant members of the Restored Church and those individuals who have not yet been baptized.

For example, for the first category, covenant members, I recently read an article in the Ensign magazine written by a female member of the Church who had been married in the temple for more than twenty years. After more than two decades of what she thought was a happy marriage that included raising children in the covenant, this woman's husband told her that he no longer wanted to attend church meetings, pay tithing or attend the temple because he did not believe in the doctrine taught by the general authorities. This was shocking to her at first and then devastating because the person she loved the most no longer had a testimony and their eternal sealing was in jeopardy. She sought priesthood blessings in which she was told simply to continue loving him and to keep living the commandments, regardless of what he did or thought. In other words, she was told to be a missionary for her husband.

For those who have not yet been baptized, we will discuss "seeking to understand before being understood" as a way to approach others. In my experience, the foundation of successful missionary work is a love and interest in others coupled with a love of Christ and what He taught. On Sunday, we will discuss missionary work as both a "lens to view the world" and as "attempts to persuade others to 'Come unto Christ' for healing and spiritual growth."

Kari Stouffer

Gratitude In Our Actions

Strong Faith