Family Sabbath Observance

This is a talk that I gave in Sacrament Meeting on 9 August 2015:

After God created the world, He rested on the seventh day. This became the Sabbath. During this time, Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. So the Garden of Eden was not only a place, it was a time. It was a day of rest, worship, spiritual instruction, and learning, before Adam and Eve were sent out to face the lone and dreary world together.

"And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

"And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made" (Genesis 2:2–3).

Once Adam and Eve left the garden, they continued to follow God's commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy.

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

“Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

“But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8–11).

After the children of Israel were led out of Egypt, the Lord explained to Moses that if the people would observe the Sabbath day, it would be a sign between God and them of His covenant (see Exodus 31:13) . Surely, a people delivered from bondage would have been happy to be allotted a day without work. We can see that the Sabbath day isn't new, but do we also see that it is not antiquated?

No, this law given by our Father in Heaven is not out of date. It pertains to us here and now. In fact, we are promised in our day that if we observe the Sabbath that “the fulness of the earth” will be ours (D&C 59:16-20).

Can you imagine how different the world would be if everyone kept just this one commandment? Can you imagine how different it would be if even all the Latter-day Saints observed the Sabbath day to keep it holy? I believe that through the keeping of this commandment, we will be much better prepared to keep the first two great commandments of loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind and of loving our neighbors as ourselves. There are some steps each of us can take individually and as families to improve our Sabbath day worship.

So how do we do it?

I think that it is important that we don't become like the Pharisees in Christ's day by just creating long lists of do's and don'ts. That misses the mark. It doesn't really benefit anyone, and it does not show gratitude to our Heavenly Father. But there are some fundamentally important things that we must never forget.

If we want to learn how to observe the Sabbath day better, we can find a lot of clues from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. He worshiped in Synagogues on the Sabbath. He taught; He healed; He served.

So first, if keeping the Sabbath day is a sign of our covenants with God, we need to remember our covenants and renew them. We can't do this on a golf course, in the mountains, or at the beach. Why? Because the sacrament is not typically served in those places, by someone holding authority and authorization to institute it. If we are to worship Heavenly Father in Spirit and in Truth, we must do this in the manner that He has commanded us.

Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-13:


“And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High; Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times; But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord. And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.”

How can partaking of the sacrament on Sundays give us focus for our worship that day and strength for the week ahead?

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, a recent member of the Quorum of the Twelve said: “Windows must be washed regularly to clean away dust and dirt. … Just as earthly windows need consistent, thorough cleaning, so do the windows of our spirituality. … By partaking of the sacrament worthily to renew our baptismal covenants, we clarify our view of life’s eternal purpose and divine priorities. The sacrament prayers invite personal introspection, repentance, and rededication as we pledge our willingness to remember our Savior, Jesus the Christ" (Talk given Oct 1995).

Maybe, and probably so, if we do these things as families, our eyes will be more clearly opened as to how we can progress together as families towards our goal of eternal life. While another important part of Sunday Church worship is meeting with our fellow saints and strengthening one another, today we are going to concentrate more on how we can use the Sabbath day to strengthen our own homes and families.

The best starting point should be for us to look at what is working for us now and also to seek the Spirit to determine what we need to incorporate into our Sabbath day observance to pay devotion to the Lord better and to strengthen our families more. One thing to remember is that the Church is here to support us in teaching our children the gospel and not the other way around.

So if you are not having family scripture time or family home evenings, Sunday would be a good place to start. I know that when my husband worked six days a week, we did have family night on Sundays.

Are we reevaluating our own lives and our goals? Sunday is a great time to review our Patriarchal blessings. It is also a great time to help our children learn to set goals, referring to our church's programs of Faith in God, Duty to God, and Personal progress, allow with long-term educational and temple worthy goals, such as vocations, missions, and temple marriage; plus, short term goals of personal interest. When we set goals, reviewing progress and accomplishing milestones, the Lord is pleased with us; and we feel the satisfaction of our growth through the validation of His Spirit. As we help our children through this process, they will experience those same feelings, which will increase the binding of their relationships with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and with us as their parents. As we teach our children to rejoice in each other's accomplishments and to aid each other in their goals, they will also grow in unity.

Overbooking our activities with our children will not be relaxing to them or to us. So we should allow for quiet, reflective, renewing time for everyone. But Sabbath days should also concentrate on family togetherness. So family dinners together are extra important on this day. We can also share our thoughts on the past week's activities and our schedules for the new week. We can discuss church meeting topics and our feelings about talks and lessons. Even when we don't agree with presentation, we should remember to be kind and not to demean our leaders or fellow worshipers.

Some things our own family has done on Sabbath days: when we are on vacations, we always still make it a point to attend church, especially Sacrament meeting; and to observe the Sabbath in the best way we can, even if we are visiting with those who don't attend church. Last month, after church and a family dinner, we drove to see four of the Utah temples and to feel the spirit on those grounds. We often drove to the Redlands temple site on Sundays while it was being constructed. I believe that this did not only mark the growth of the temple, but the growth of our children's testimonies of the importance of the temple.

Bob has been doing indexing for years, and we have followed in his example to do some indexing on Sundays. Sunday is a great time to work on our own family history, including genealogy research and journal writing. It is also a great day for writing letters to extended family, or phone calling, or Skyping.

Many times we have visited with extended family or friends on Sundays as well. Sometimes we have had others over to sing around our piano. While we might not have scripture time every single evening, we are sure to do so on Sunday, and on Monday as part of family night. If we are going to make visits with other people, whether socially or as home or visiting teachers, we need to make certain that we are not imposing upon their observance of the Sabbath day.

I know that the Butlers watch Bible stories with their children on Sundays. The church has great videos with stories from the life of our Savior. We can all watch and benefit from them. They are readily available at mormon.org, or we an purchase the set from Distribution for a excellent price.

As our children grow older, it is still important for us to still have Sabbath day rules in our home, but it is also important to allow for agency. The best way to lead is always by example.

I hope that we can all feel the importance of Sabbath day worship and gain the Spirit of that worship in our own families. I know that Heavenly Father will bless us as we keep His commandments and honor the covenants that we have made with Him. Each Sunday we make promises to always remember His Son and to keep His commandments. That is a wonderful gift and protection for us as we start our new week. We need to remember that Sunday, our Sabbath, is the Lord's day, so we need to center our thoughts and activities around Him throughout the day, worshiping Him and serving as He would have us do. In doing so, He will bless us.

This is a picture of our family taken on 17 July 2015:

Thanksgiving, Family, and the Great Plan of Happiness

Thanksgiving, Family, and the Great Plan of Happiness

I feel honored to be speaking on Thanksgiving week; plus, it is a privilege to be able to speak about families. In a way, I feel like I am giving my own eulogy. This talk will definitely be about my family and about the great Plan of Happiness. You may learn more about me than you wanted to know; but, I hope that what you really leave this meeting with is a greater appreciation for your own family and for our Heavenly Father’s love for us.

Bob and I were privileged to be born into Latter-day Saint homes. By this, I am not just saying that we belonged to Mormon families, but that we belonged to families who were truly trying to live the gospel. Our parents loved the Lord, and they did everything they could to serve Him and to serve their families. I know that my own parents made many sacrifices on behalf of their children, so that we could have the wonderful opportunities that they were not afforded themselves.

I believe that this love from parents to the Lord and from parents to their children extended way back in our family history. Those grandparents, close and further removed, who did not hear the restored gospel in this life or before they reared their families, still wanted to do their very best, and they still felt accountable to God. This is true for most of us here today. From our own current families back to Ephraim (or the Patriarch whose line you tie into), then to his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; back to Noah, and on back to Adam, parents have cared for their children and wanted the best for them, and they have felt an accountability to God for their actions towards their families.

And so it is with our earthly family. We are all linked together, with Adam and Eve as our first parents. They were overjoyed when they heard the great Plan of Happiness, and they covenanted to be obedient and faithful so that the Atonement would be affective in their lives. But like Adam and Eve, all of their children have had agency. Some have followed the pattern that leads to happiness, and others have not. Satan would have us all believe that all is lost when we stray from the path, but Heavenly Father offered His Son so that nothing is lost. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

It is important that God sent us to live in families here on earth. That is His design. We lived with Him in Heaven during our premortal life, and there He taught us our first great lessons while we lived with Him as His Spirit children. Families are central to God’s plan for our happiness, and He intends for us to seek to live happily together as families now, so that we can be worthy to live as families eternally. His grand mission statement reads as follows, “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Eternal life is not only life with God, but it is life like God’s. We will be blessed to have eternal increase, if we enter into the obligations, ordinances, and covenants that are necessary, and if we live up to those covenants, especially in how we treat one another.

I grew up in a family with seven children. My parents were not born in the United States. They were from far different European backgrounds from one another; but, they did have the gospel in common. They were blessed with strong-willed children, and they were strong-willed as well. But they always did their best to provide a loving and happy home. That does not mean that things were perfect. I have the perspective of the middle child. Those who are middle children will know what I mean.

My sister Kathy, who was nearly three years older than me, enjoyed annoying me. I mean it; she really did. One day when I was vacuuming the family room, she kept unplugging the vacuum. To begin with, I was singing while vacuuming. But after she unplugged the vacuum a few times, I lost my temper. Her response was something like, “My, you must be having a bad day.” She never held grudges though.

My brother Ed, who was two years younger than me, had some health issues as a baby and then developed rheumatic fever when he was young. As he grew older, he was just as healthy, if not healthier than the rest of us; but, he was often babied; and I was often asked to do things for him that he should have done for himself. I resented that.

As a youngster, I can remember thinking, I’m not sure that I want our family to be together forever. I was in a hurry to grow up and get out. But as we all continued to grow, we became good friends. These two siblings have returned to heaven, and I can tell you now that I am thankful for the knowledge that I have of the Plan of Salvation. I am grateful for the Lord’s love for me that He would atone for all of us and make it so that our family is a forever family.

When you believe in the gospel plan, you must take the decision of whom to marry very seriously. You will want to marry someone who shares your values, who is equally yoked with you in your understanding of the gospel, and who will be willing to commit all that they have and are to the Lord and to you and your children. And that is why I married my dear Bobby. I knew that he loved the Lord and I knew that he loved his family and he loved me. Also, it helped that his family members were active in the church and supportive of us and our goals. These are important things to consider, since eternity is weighed in the balance.

We have been blessed with six wonderful children. They are bright and capable, and they all have a desire to do what’s right. Like their parents, they aren't perfect; but they are on the right path. Bob and I have also tried to make sacrifices for our family so that each member could progress and excel and be happy. Also, we taught our children the importance of cheering for each other and being proud of each other’s accomplishments. In a family, we should not be contestants to outdo and oust each other, but we should eagerly help and persuade each other to be his or her best.

We have had great joy in watching our children progress from stage to stage. Life is a miracle. And for God to entrust us with his precious spirits, and to give us the time and the lessons to both teach them and to learn with them is the most incredible gift. It’s beyond comprehension. We've made our mistakes, but we've also made our apologies. Isn't it a great thing that our generation as parents has been allowed to apologize to their children and not lose face, but gain more faith and trust in doing so? And since God is so quick to forgive, we should also all be quick to forgive one another.

There are trials in rearing a family. No one can escape them. While some of them are similar for all of us, some are quite different; and all of them give us opportunities for growth. Some families experience health problems; others infertility; some women miscarry many children; some children have real physical or mental or emotional or social problems. But in our own unique families, it is important for us to realize that our combination is right, and God is at the helm.

Our first daughter was born with diastrophic dysplasia. While her dwarfism may have limited some of her life’s choices, it by no means has limited her capacity to grow and excel and be happy. From her early days, she was loved and treated as a capable individual. It was hard to recognize that Cathy was ever really a baby. She has such a mature adult spirit and nature. Bob and I know that we were extra privileged to have her come to our home.

I could brag about my children one by one. But I’ll spare you that today. The main thing about seeking happiness in family life is to remember to have a good attitude. Do all the important things together, especially praying together. The church provides so much good material and direction. Don’t ignore the established program of Family Home Evening. If your little boys are throwing punches, that’s okay; at least you are all together. And they will all learn to value that time. Reread The Family: A Proclamation to the World. It truly is an amazing document of scripture, written by prophets, and inspired by God.

Our family learned in a deeply personal way that families are forever when our fifth child Robert Jr. passed away. Everyone was looking forward to the birth of this dear baby boy, but it was followed closely by his death; and his siblings did not even get to see him alive. But they felt his spirit, and they all had experiences through the power of the Holy Ghost that let them know that Robby was their brother and would be forever. How sweet to hear Eliza, so young and small herself, comforting her little brother Tommy, “You’re still a big brother, Tommy. You’ll always be a big brother.”

Now I have children all over the country. Cathy still live is SLC, Utah. John and his wife are in Florida. Eliza and her husband are in Texas. Tom is in American Fork, Utah. And Christine, are special daughter that completed our family is with us for a short time yet. We can’t all be together for every holiday anymore. But we stay close through praying for one another and talking to each other by phone, by Facebook, and by letter. It is wonderful to see our children making temple covenants and beginning forever families of their own.

When Tom and Whitney got married, Jacob was just one-year-old. Tom loved Jacob from the time he started dating Whitney. And Jacob has always loved his Daddy. It was a wonderful blessing that Jacob’s birth father allowed for Jacob to be sealed to Tom and Whitney on their wedding day. I know that the Spirit was involved in this process, and I will ever be thankful to the birth father for allowing that blessing to take place. After Tom and Whitney were married, the temple sister brought Jacob into the very full sealing room. Little Jacob had the biggest smile on his face as he looked around the entire room from one person to the next. Yes, I believe he felt the significance of that event that day. The Spirit was strong. And Jacob is our first grandchild. Currently, Tom is in the process of adopting him. We are blessed and thankful. And Jacob’s little sister Amanda will be one year’s old in a few days. What a beautiful, loving granddaughter. The titles of “Mom” and “Grandma” or “Hamma” as Jacob says, are the most important titles to me. “Wife” is right up there, too.

I am thankful for family—past, present, and future. I am thankful that God would send us to families and entrust us to have families. May we value each other and live together in love, so that we will ever be privileged to do so.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sunday Morning Stake Conference, 3-24-13

3-24-13 Sunday Morning Stake Conference

(These are my notes; they have not yet been revised)

President Kinser—sustainings

President Garvin

Deep appreciation; thankful for kind acts of service. Spirit bore witness of Elder Garne’s goodness and the necessity of following his counsel.

Daughter developed interest in ice skating. Impressed with symmetry of paired skaters. Wife had interest in BYU ballroom dancing. Pairs impressive. Unity expressed in step moving at times. These cannot approach husband and wife working together with in harmony with the gospel in their homes and raising their families. Synchronized swimming also impressive. The beauty and greatest of a family working together acting in harmony with the gospel. Some families find themselves under water, but they continue to work together as one.

We have the tools to work together in harmony.

1. Come unto Christ effort.
Family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, and the blessings of church activity.

Rodgersons—recently sealed in the temple. Together than can weather adversity well, and they can come off conquerors.

Remember the times when all of us knew that home was a part of heaven, and the dews of heaven distilled upon our family.

Prayer is, as it were, the breath of life to my soul. President Garvin

Tears shed in happy unity of purpose.

Grateful for the scriptures; iron rod that has blessed my life. Reread chapter in Book of Mormon over and over again; received strength to do what previously had seemed impossible. Comforting assurance that we can achieve the oneness that is expected of us. Blessings will come as you see your children married in the temple. (Gold medals) As you join with them in blessing their children. Etc. Surely there couldn’t have been a happier people.

Sister Amy Shellhouse

God lives and we are His children. Christ lives and has made it possible for us to return to Heavenly Father. Standards. The church stands as an anchor in a world of shifting values. D&C 115:5: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard to the nations.

Rise to higher ground. Be so sure of our faith that there is no room for any doubt.

President Monson admonishes youth to build testimony which will keep them safe. Be firm in faith, so when trials come, we will know what we believe. My beliefs define who I am.

Truly felt Savior’s love and her testimony was strengthened. We never know who we can touch. If even one is touched, the trials are worth it. We can be the difference, and we can bring the change. I know that God lives, and I am His daughter. I know that Christ lives, and that He is my older brother.

Sister

Isaiah 2:2-3

Mountain of the Lord. We go to the temple to receive revelation, our own endowments, others endowments, to have our prayers answered.

D&C 87:8 Stand in Holy place and be not moved. Stand strong. Don’t let things of world pull us away. Remember that we have made covenants and that we must keep our covenants.

D&C 97:15-16 Don’t suffer uncleanness in Lord’s house. Glory will be upon it. See God.

We need to keep the commandments and do our best to live as disciples of Christ. Striving for perfection.

Howard W. Hunter—Temple loving people. Hasten to temple as time and means allow.

Place of beauty, revelation, peace, house of Lord, holy to Lord, should be holy to us.

Mosiah 2: People gather together, go up to temple. Pitched tents round about with door towards to temple. We need to center our lives around the temple. Do we center our lives around Jesus Christ and around the temple?

Sealed as family in Mesa Temple. Second experience travelling with youth from San Diego to Mesa for baptisms. (Her husband was on one of those buses, but they didn’t know it.)

Stand in holy places—for it cometh quickly saith the Lord. Timothy 4:12. Gather together and stand in holy places.

President Faust says we stand in so many unholy places; strive to stand often in holy places. Temples, place of holiness and comfort. Take our families; search for records of kindred dead. Holiness is a strength of the soul—faith and obedience.

Fear not, I am with thee, O, be not dismayed.

Draw near unto me, and I will draw near unto you.

Sister Godwin

Grateful for people in this stake and how good we are to the missionaries.

Painting of person carrying so many things. Rod of iron over his head. He can’t let go of any of his possessions to grab the iron rod.

The missionaries let go of the things of the world when they come out to serve the Lord. It is difficult for them to do that. But they have a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s why they come.

Blessings and physical evidence of miracles in missionaries lives because of their level of commitment. Their commitments are intensified with the experiences that they have. “This diligence and obedience stuff that you are always talking about is finally kicking in.”

We are all away from home for a season. We need to realize our commitment as well, and let the things of the world go behind.

Mormons believe in Christ. We believe in living prophets. Do we remember what he has said?

Little boy wanted to shake the prophets hand; Sister Kapp shook his hand so he could say that he shook hands with someone who had shaken hands with the prophet.

We have the opportunity every week to take the sacrament.

President Godwin

Touched in heart when President Garvin said this will be their last Stake Conference here.

Elder Ballard in Hisperia: lifted hand and asked everyone else to; then they shook hands together.

Alma 29: O that I were angel. Missionaries are a trumpet crying repentance and love.

Faith—the first principle of the gospel. Faith is an oasis in the heart that cannot be realized by a caravan of learning. Faith comes from experiences in which you have hope. Faith—things that are hoped for and not seen. Declare our hope, our desire for something. Go about doing something to bring it about.

Exercising faith is more than having faith. Physically manifest it. Holy Ghost can testify of truth of something you are doing. Holy Ghost will testify, not as we are thinking about it, but as we are doing.

Missionaries—be prepared to teach a lesson and go to that lesson. If they weren’t there, there would be someone else very close prepared to receive that message. The missionaries went about 200 yards to teach the very lesson to a man in an apartment building. Tears came; they brought an answer to his prayer. They left him a Book of Mormon and passalong card to Mormon.org. They went back the next day. He had read 36 chapters. He went to Mormon.org for 2-3 hours. What did you learn? I learned that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth, and that the prophet Joseph Smith was called to restore the gospel, and that there is a prophet on the earth today, Thomas S. Monson. I know by what you’ve taught and by what I’ve studied that these things are true and I want to be baptized. He was baptized 3 or 4 weeks later.

Matt 14—Savior teaching on desert hills. 5 loaves and two fishes. God and feed the multitude. 5,000 men + women and children. They fed everybody. 12 baskets of fragments left. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; He said go and do, and they did.

As we exercise our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, He will make all things possible.

He will prepare us to return to Heavenly Father.

Patriarch Stehmeyer

A wonderful feeling to be standing before you. Opportunity to serve in this stake for 53 years. He’s seen Patriarchs whom he has thought very highly of. He never thought it would happen to him. He knows, like Nephi, that he’d never be called to any calling to which the Lord would show and help you with the calling.

He has a testimony. He asks for our prayers. That through the Holy Ghost those who receive a blessing will know that it come through Heavenly Father.

Coming up on 60 years of marriage. “The Lord will guide you. You will do whatever the Lord will ask of you.” “And I’ll try. I’ll humbly ask for His help in fulfilling this calling.”

Testimony.

Sister Garnes

No ‘greater gift that you can give to your parents than to be a faithful son or daughter of God. Align yourself with the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that you may give that sweet gift to your parents.

Heavenly Father is aware of our burdens; He knows our journey, and He knows what we need.

We are led in this church by a prophet of God. Elder Garnes watches the 7 presidents of the Seventy and does what they do. Prophet entered jovially. As that they came in, they stood; when they sat, they sat. Prophet peered around and winked at her. Great sensitivity that prophet has is real.

We have the true gospel of Jesus Christ led by prophets, seers, and revelators that are in tune with Heavenly Father’s plan. Obedience—first law of heaven. If we follow, we will be blessed.

She didn’t hear her husband’s command to move; the boat lost balance, and they all went under.

They prayed. A boat came out of nowhere. Two young men; they saw the children and came. One of the men helped right the catamaran.

Grateful for healing power in her life. Miracle to be healed of cancer. She prayed that the Lord will glance her way. She told the doctor that she knows that there is a God in heaven, and she knows that there is a Savior, and that they answer our prayers. We need to bear witness of them, no matter what the answers will be.

Be faithful, follow the prophet, we will be blessed and our families will return.

Elder Garnes

Godwins real dedication and consecration to the Savior. He was still Stake President as he became a Mission President.

Faulty—the more righteous we are, the fewer trials we’ll have.

The Lord will not take trials from us. Although, we will feel the Lord’s blessings for our righteousness.

He thought one little piece of sheet metal was insignificant to his car, but once there was a little strain, he realized differently.

If we are neglecting the little things, when trials come, we will not be prepared. We will overheat; something is going to happen and not work out. It is by the small and simple things that great things are brought to pass and that we have the strength to deal with the challenges in life.

The Lord has a line; it does not move. Hopefully, our line is moving closer to the Lord as we live His commandments.

The little things that we do in life, and try to justify that it’s okay; not the way it works; the Lord has a standard, and it isn’t okay to leave the little things out.

How does prayer fit it?

Youth curriculum—assuring that they have experiences that will develop faith and deeper conversion. They are being asked to take a step in life—not only knowing what is right, but being what is right. Youth are being asked to step it up and be prepared earlier. What does that mean to the rest of us?

D&C 88 I will raise up elders and send them unto you. I will hasten my work in its time. President Monson is fulfilling prophesy. We have a responsibility to be a part of this. We have a responsibility to make this happen, make sure that they are prepared.

We are not just seeking transfer of knowledge. We need to provide experiences that will change lives; that they will know in their hearts that the Savior lives and their testimonies strengthened. Change our ways and increase our capacity.

Obedience. The key to success here and throughout eternities. Hallmark of all great prophets, and source of their strength. The prophets understand the plight that we are in.

Mosiah 3:19: The natural man is an enemy to God. Become a saint. Willing to submit to all things as a child submits to His father. He understood how we feel today.

Paul –For the good that I would, I do not. But the evil which I would not, that I end up doing.

We can do it. The Lord will bless us with that strength.

Luke—those things that are impossible with man, are possible with God.

We need the Lord to be able to do the things that we should do.

Prayer of Faith

Please help me that I will be able to do more than I can do on my own. Our Heavenly Father is waiting in the wings to help us do those things that we cannot do on our own.