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