We Listen To A Prophet's Voice And Hear The Savior Too

As our primary children so beautifully reminded us in their recent program, “We listen to a prophet’s voice and hear the Savior too” (Hymn22).

What a blessed time we live in. While there are perils at our fingertips in this technologically rich modern day, there are, too, great advantages reaped from this same technology: we have the unique opportunity, in our time, to easily listen to the Prophet’s voice. There is no need (as the account in Mosiah chapter 2 recalls) to gather our families together, to pitch our tents in a multitude so great that most of us could not even hear the prophet King Benjamin speak. We do not have to travel a great distance. We do not have to purchase tickets and wait in line on Temple Square. We don’t even have to wait for the church magazine, the Ensign, to publish the Prophet’s and other General Authorities’ words. In fact, all that is required of us is to travel a short distance, to the Tullahoma ward building, sit on a cushy church pew, and listen to the loud and clear voices of President Thomas S. Monson and other General Authorities.

In the first section of Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith, “Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (verse 38). And so, it is true that as we sit there on that cushy church pew and listen, we will hear, loud and clear, the words of the Lord.

The Lord also revealed in Doctrine and Covenants, speaking of his appointed elders, “Whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture” (68:4). Again, what a blessed time we live in. That we can gather and, in real time, hear scripture revealed by the Lord to those He has appointed is nothing short of miraculous.

The 184^th Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints will be broadcast live at the Tullahoma ward building, 112 Old Shelbyville Hwy.

Saturday 11:00 am – 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Saturday evening 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm for Priesthood members

Sunday 11:00 am – 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

“Attend, ye earth! The prophet speaks; come listen and obey” (Hymn 22).

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here is an invitation to not get caught up in the commercialization of the day or to not go completely anti-Valentines day. Instead, cleave unto your other half and celebrate your love. Yes, you should do that every day, but more often than not the world takes away the focus on your sacred relationship with your eternal partner. Whether it is work, kids, or other obligations we often find ourselves void of the special efforts (see video) that help build our relationship. So celebrate today as a day to put responsibilities aside and focus on that special someone.

Love seems to be the central theme to Valentine’s Day. Love is a powerful emotion and evokes powerful desires/feelings that can either bring you closer to our Heavenly Father or burden you with guilt. One of the best lessons on this was given in a 1988 devotional by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments . Elder Holland starts out his talk by discussing the neglect of sexual purity and the consequences that are wide-spread in our great nation (remember this talk was in 1988). How much better or worse is it today? Elder Holland then goes on to state that he doesn’t want to focus on the social issues, but rather a gospel-based view.
With that theme in mind he discussed human intimacy as related to: 1. The Doctrine of the Soul 2. A Symbol of Total Union 3. A Holy Sacrament.  It would be hard to replicate or deliver a more powerful message than Elder Holland; so please do read his talk. Click here to read it!

Love One Another

As we approach mid February our minds are turned to love. We think first of our spouses, our children, perhaps extended family members. But do we remember the strangers around us, our spiritual brothers and sisters?

In a talk given in April of 1999 by Robert J. Whetten of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, he spoke of the role that love plays in the life of a true follower of Christ. He said, "Alone in that upper room with the eleven, Jesus [used the] last teaching moments of His mortal ministry to teach: 'A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you...By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.'" John 13:34-35

How exactly do we go about loving one another?

Elder Whetten gave us some insight when he said, "Jesus' unconditional love for us motivated His atoning sacrifice for our sins....How He lived His life is the example we should follow. His way should be our way. 'Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.' 3 Nephi 27:27 He showed us that we must go about doing good, that the spiritual and physical welfare of our fellowmen is as important as our own and that we should show genuine concern and compassion for all of our Heavenly Father's children."

Elder Whetten encouraged us to try every day to follow the Savior's example. He said, "Love must be exercised to grow....As we deny ourselves and reach out to serve others, the Spirit will refine us and teach us and we will come to learn what Paul meant: 'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.' Ether 12:34 Our compassionate service to others will grow into diving love and change us, 'and when he shall appear we shall be like him.'" Moroni 7:48

"As His true followers, the Savior wants us to love others as He loves them - more unconditionally, more purely, more perfectly."

Sacrament Attendance 3 February 2014

Have you ever thought about the significance of what hand you partake of the sacrament with? Is it necessary to take the sacrament with one’s right hand? Does it really make any difference which hand is used? Read here to find out

After sacrament, according to the meeting schedules, we have 10 minutes prior to the start of Sunday school. What do you do with that time? What do you do with the time just prior to the sacrament meeting? Do you always sit in the same spot, visit with the same people? Do you ever look around for someone you don’t know, or sit somewhere different and visit with someone knew? What about looking for new faces, investigators or less-actives, and approaching them to say hello? The latter are things that we may be able to do a better job at as a Ward to help others build their testimony. Do you recollect your conversion? Do you remember your testimony then, as compared to now? Do you remember those that reached out to you and helped you strengthen your testimony along the way? Well it’s time to Pay It Forward; reach out to those that are looking for answers, those that have found answers and are still developing their understanding. Brothers and Sisters Hasten the Work thrust in your sickles and rejoice in the harvest! In the spirit of fellowshipping I found this talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard and posted some takeaways below. Feel free to read the talk on your own and share your thoughts with us.

The Hand of Fellowship

·         Brothers and sisters, the topic I wish to address is one about which the Brethren are deeply concerned. I have titled my remarks “The Hand of Fellowship.”

·         Limiting or withholding our fellowship seems to me to be contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Savior offered the effects of his atoning sacrifice to all mankind. He said, “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” (D&C 18:10.)

·         We know from years of experience that the first contacts new converts have with members in wards or branches are critical to the conversion process.

·         Brothers and sisters, we must ever keep in mind the time, effort, and other resources that missionaries and others spend to find and teach one of our Father’s children. Surely, every one of us ought to be alert, looking for ways to be of service to the newcomer. 

·         Brothers and sisters, we members must help with the conversion process by making our wards and branches friendly places, with no exclusivity, where all people feel welcome and comfortable.

·         Brothers and sisters, my message is urgent because we need to retain in full fellowship many more of the new converts and return to activity many more of the less active. I urge you to increase the spirit of friendship and pure Christian fellowship in your neighborhoods. A new convert or recently activated member should feel the warmth of being wanted and being welcomed into full fellowship of the Church. Members and leaders of the Church should nurture and love them as Jesus would.

·         We must not be too selective in identifying those we feel are worthy or appreciative of our attention. The spirit of true Christian fellowship must include everyone. Our understanding of the gospel should help us see clearly that all people are our brothers and sisters, children of our Heavenly Father. 

·         I encourage you to build personal, meaningful relationships with your nonmember friends and acquaintances. Interest in the gospel may come later as a natural extension of a good friendship. Invitations to participate in gospel-related activities often will strengthen relationships with acquaintances. If they are not interested in the gospel, we should show unconditional love through acts of service and kindness, and never imply that we see an acquaintance only as a potential convert. Members must understand that when a nonmember declines one invitation to investigate the gospel, he has not necessarily rejected the gospel.

Why do we post sacrament attendance? We post sacrament attendance to encourage us to be member missionaries; to provide motivation to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those around us. To also rejoice when the Gospel is accepted!

 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

Sacrament Attendance 26 January 2014

“Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come; and your tongue shall be loosed, and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation” (Doctrine and Covenants 31:3).

Following the Sacrament ordinance, two to three members of the Church give talks. Sometimes the topic is assigned and other times members are free to choose their own topic. Either way we want to make sure that we prepare in a way to invite the Spirit to the meeting, and center our meeting on the Savior. Personally I have a Sacrament talk topic come to me well in advance of ever being asked to speak. And I find that shortly after having received the topic I’m asked to speak. I have found that having a Sacrament topic in my mind and pondering helps me prepare for when I am asked to talk. So if you were asked to talk in Sacrament do you know what you would speak on? Will you have sufficient time to ponder and prepare? Pondering a topic in advance of being asked will help you prepare in the needed time. When speaking I try to focus on speaking loudly and clearly to ensure everyone can hear what I am saying. There are several things that I do to prepare and those along with other suggestions are mentioned in resources online. Here are some comments that I saw. Feel free to comment on the post and share some of the things that help you prepare a Sacrament talk.

For members of the Church, speaking in sacrament meeting is not an uncommon occurrence. Even young people are often asked to speak. It’s part of the culture. “It doesn't have to be dry,” said Sister Witt. “To begin with, don’t describe the process of how you were asked to give a talk by the bishop, and don’t tell everyone the topic you've been asked to speak on.” (lds.org)

The following 8 tips are from ldsliving.com.

1. Give Yourself Time: Use your scripture study during the days or weeks leading up to your talk to study about the topic. References such as the Bible Dictionary or Topical Guide can be great helps, as are talks from general authorities on the subject. It always helps me to create a master list of scriptures, quotes, stories, and examples that I may want to include in the talk.

2. Decide on the Main Idea of Your Talk: Narrow in on the main idea or point you want to come across.  It might even help to brainstorm a title for your talk. For example, general authorities’ talks usually aren’t titled just “Revelation” or “Conversion,” but rather “How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life” or “Conversion to His Gospel through His Church.”

3. Think About Your Audience: Ponder and pray about the people you will be speaking to and think about their needs and how you can address them. Seek inspiration through study and prayer as to what this specific group of people needs to hear.

4. Create an Outline: Just like writing an essay, it’s important to determine the main points you want to hit in your talk. The points should all tie in to the main topic, and ideally should all build upon each other. Think about what questions your audience could have and how you can address them as you outline your points.

5. Weave in Scriptures, Quotes, and Examples: Look at your master list and decide where to plug in different scriptures, quotes, and examples. Make sure that you have a good balance of all three to add variety to your talk. Have you ever noticed how the congregation perks up when the speaker is about to tell a story? President Monson is a master at weaving in stories with doctrine.Read more about how you can follow his example and do the same effectively here.

6. Use Humor: Using humor is okay, as long as it doesn't distract from the doctrine. Notice how Elder Holland included humor in his talk from October 2012 General Conference when he said, “What a bright prospect that is—downing another quart of pickle juice every time anyone around you has a happy moment!” He let the congregation have a quick breather, but he immediately moved on to the doctrine.

7. Testify: Testimony meeting shouldn't be the only meeting where we hear testimony. Throughout your talk, testify of the principles you are teaching. The conclusion of your talk is a good place to testify of what you talked about and share how you have changed as a result of studying and living this topic.

8. Pray: Don’t forget to pray throughout the whole process. Pray for the people you will be speaking to and that you will be inspired to say what they need to hear. Pray that the Spirit will guide you to what you need to say and help you say it in an effective manner. Pray that you will be confident and peaceful as you give your talk.

Sacrament Attendance - January 19, 2014

Have you ever woken up on Sunday and debated whether or not to go to Church? Have you ever thought about why Satan is working so hard to keep you from attending Sacrament? What do you think about while the Sacrament is being passed? What does the Sacrament mean to you? These questions may be some of several you’ve often asked yourself.

Growing up, one member’s behavior stood out to me during the passing of the Sacrament. This person kept their arms folded the entire time with their head bowed in a state of reverence seemingly pondering the Savior and his sacrifice or reflecting on their sins and gratitude for the Atonement. This is how I modeled my behavior during the passing of the Sacrament or at least until I had kids. Now I try to maintain my reverence along with teaching my kids to be reverent and reflect on the Savior.

Let’s highlight some content from the teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith: Chapter 6: The Significance of the Sacrament. Click here to read the complete chapter

 “We have been called upon to commemorate this great event [the Atonement of Jesus Christ] and to keep it in mind constantly. For this purpose we are called together once each week to partake of these emblems, witnessing that we do remember our Lord, that we are willing to take upon us his name and that we will keep his commandments. This covenant we are called upon to renew each week, and we cannot retain the Spirit of the Lord if we do not consistently comply with this commandment. If we love the Lord we will be present at these meetings in the spirit of worship and prayer, remembering the Lord and the covenant we are to renew each week through this sacrament as he has required it of us…It is our duty to carefully and thoughtfully consider the nature of [the sacrament] prayers when we hear them offered in our meetings. There are four very important things we covenant to do each time we partake of these emblems, and in partaking, there is the token that we subscribe fully to the obligations, and thus they become binding upon us. These are as follows:

1. We eat in remembrance of the body of Jesus Christ, promising that we will always remember His wounded body slain upon the cross.

2. We drink in remembrance of the blood which was shed for the sins of the world, which atoned for the transgression of Adam, and which frees us from our own sins on condition of our true repentance.

3. We covenant that we will be willing to take upon us the name of the Son and always remember Him. In keeping this covenant we promise that we will be called by His name and never do anything that would bring shame or reproach upon that name.

4. We covenant that we will keep His commandments which He has given us; not one commandment, but that we will be willing to “live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.” [D&C 84:44.]

 If we will do these things then we are promised the continual guidance of the Holy Ghost, and if we will not do these things we will not have that guidance.”