10-20-12 Saturday Evening Adult Session San Bernardino Stake Conference

10-20-12 Saturday Evening Adult Session San Bernardino Stake Conference

To let the reader know, many of the following notes are my thoughts concerning what the speakers had to say. I followed the talks that were being given, but I wrote down my impressions, or how they would relate to my understanding and to me.

The Lord is My Light

Prayer—Brother Shellhouse

Brother Eric Ewell

22 or 23 years ago, they were at a crossroads in their relationship. They prayed together, and then they were married in the temple. Today’s moral standards have deteriorated. There is a big gap between rich and poor. The real question of course is about cause and effect. When people make family and commitments to gospel principles first, other things follow, including education and more prosperity.

He decided to not work or study on Sundays. They were committed to family, Sabbath worship, and making sacrifices to do what the Lord wanted them to do. Are there hobbies or goals that are interfering with what we want as an end result. Keep the goal in mind. Family first.

Heads of family—this is a joint role. “I need your help to save the family and the nation.” Hypothetical statement from President Monson. Wake up! Use your priesthood power and authority to help save your family. We need righteous men (and women) to step forward now. Provide, preside, and protect.

Strengthen and support your wife; wife, strengthen and support your husband. You will be prospered if you put each other, your family, and the Lord (and His church) first. Do not allow Satan’s whisperings to get you depressed. Rely on the Spirit of the Lord during times of trial. Unemployment can be a devastating trial. Integrity can be on trial. Keep doing those things that will build your esteem. Have a set schedule; study; read scriptures; stay physically fit. Stay away from media entertainment that keeps you from your main purposes.

Providing for the family should be the role of the husband, wherever possible.

Think about the leaders of the church that are in presiding positions. Patriarch—father, ruler—should preside in home over prayers, scripture study, family night, counsels, and interviews. Do this with patience and love unfeigned. Give your children a father’s blessing when they begin a school year. His youngest son had the opportunity to recognize the Spirit at he gave him a blessing. Nothing greater than treating your wife and children with the respect of the priesthood.

We should not send our children out into the world to deal with Lucifer. We should not allow evil influences in our homes. We need to equip them to deal with the world. Pray for inspiration to know one need that each child has, and then try to address that need and serve them accordingly.

Learn to understand each of your children, male and female. The best way for a father to bless his daughter is to love her mother. Set an example of what that daughter should look for in her future husband. (Take her out to dinner and do things with that daughter individually.)

Looking into the faces of our newborns, we are overcome with our responsibilities and with the powerful spirits that have been entrusted into our care. Stay on the right course ourselves, so that we do not lead the little lambs astray. There is no greater joy than to see your children walk in truth. (Awesome feeling to greet your returning missionary.)

Sister Alison Brady

Making the Savior the center of our homes. What is your favorite way of inviting the Spirit into your home. What challenges are arising in your family’s lives? Take the time to invite the Spirit into your lives. The Spirit will help you add a new habit in to your life, one thing at a time. The Lord brings about great things through small means. The Lord will teach us how to manage difficulties in our lives. He will teach us through scriptures, conference talks, etc. It is important to have family prayer, scriptures, night, interviews. Our trials can bring us closer to God. We can become more like Christ through having trials and turning to God to help us through them. We can also become more like Him through serving our children and other people. We need to set a good example for our children: forbearance, forgiveness, kindness, etc. These things all go a long way.

Family history can help us on our path to be more like the Savior. This became her favorite way of promoting the Spirit in her home. In our pre-mortality, we agreed to our Father’s plan, and we covenanted to work in our own sphere as saviors on Mt. Zion.

The Spirit can teach you to be unfailingly kind. (Wow, I need to do that.) It’s not always easy to be unfailingly kind, especially when loved ones use their agency in rebellious ways. “Kindness and gentleness will greatly enlarge thy soul.” (How priesthood should be used properly.) Have the kind of faith that can make things happen. Imagine a day when all of our family members’ faith will be strong. This kind of faith moves people and things. It is marvelous. Children need to know that they are loved and wanted. They need to feel this from both their parents and their siblings. (President Benson) Give children opportunities to pray. Discern discord quickly, and help turn things back to kindness and love. We need to come to Christ as families. We can create a synergy and make it easier for everyone to want to do what is right. What if our whole families did that? What if our ward and stake did that? What if the entire church could do that? We could change the world.

We can choose whether we invite Christ into our homes or not. We have great promises if we invite Christ into our homes and hearts. “And all of thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children.” “Then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God.”

More Holiness Give Me

President Andrews  

A Thousand Dollar Bill—what would you do with it? This bill is counterfeit. It is insufficient. Even in all of its similarity, it fails.

There is a clear and distinct difference between being a member of the Church and being a Saint and disciple of Jesus Christ. We need to know Him as our Savior and Redeemer, which is a process of a lifetime. “The natural man is an enemy to God….unless he yields to the enticing of the Holy Spirit… putting off the natural man… and becoming a saint.” Use the atonement to wash away our sins; and then, to change our very natures from the inside out. Grow in the gospel, move from grace to grace, and have your nature change to become more Christlike, more Godlike.

Mosiah 5:2—This Spirit has wrought a mighty change in our hearts; we have no more disposition to do evil.” As our nature changes, our desire to sin diminishes. The quest for divine qualities needs to become our purpose and what we strive for. Especially, we need to seek to have charity, which is the pure love of Christ. Study the difference between testimony and conversion. Testimony=knowing spiritual truth by the Holy Ghost. Conversion=consistently being true to the principles of the gospel. There is great value in sincere self-reflection. Am I a testimony member, content to only know the truth and to just follow the motions? Or do I go further as a committed convert who feeds sheep? Am I a seeking saint seeking to become like my Master? Conversion is an on-going process and not a one-time event. Align your desires with the will of God. This will make the difference that will help us to passionately live the gospel of Jesus Christ. Where am I now? How can I move into a converted member? How do I put on the character of Christ? (DO my visiting teaching. Teach with the Spirit. Seek who needs my visits and my care. Continue to work on genealogy sheets.)

Study His life and character as found in the scriptures. “Search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life…” We will learn who He is and what He wants us to be in the scriptures. Get the testimony by searching the scriptures.

D&C 85:5-6

The Lord’s training on how we can effectively live the gospel. We each have our individual responsibilities. Succor the weak; lift up the hands that hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees. And then the promise. Succor, lift, and strengthen. That’s the Lord’s counsel to us. As we do so, we will experience the change of heart that the people of King Benjamin felt. We will begin to develop the nature of Jesus Christ in our own souls.

Bear one another’s burdens; mourn with those than mourn; one more. These are the things that we covenant to do at baptism. We will gain attributes that make us Christian. We begin to be more like Christ, and we become more like Him.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.”

Be careful to not hurt and offend others. This will happen. We cannot escape it. It is part of a fallen world. Learn how to let such things go. This is the Lord’s way. “We were sent here to be offended.” What we do in those moments may be the best indicator of our relationship to Christ and our devotion to our Father. Let’s let these things go, and let’s lift those who need lifting. Let us leave correction to those who have been given stewardship: parents; church leaders. It is their prerogative to correct. Showing forth afterwards an increase of love. “Love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus said, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples.”

Sister Scullen and Sister Brady “I Wonder When He Comes Again”

President Garvin

Legal proceeding downtown Los Angeles. He skipped breakfast; he got a burrito in Mt. Saint Clair. He slipped many sauces on his leg. He had sauce all over his tie and white shirt as well. He looked like a double for Pigpen instead of like a distinguished lawyer. He needed to buy new clothes; he felt that he was not ready, and he was in trouble. He showed up late, but appropriately.

The Second Coming of Christ. Elder Sill, the Second Coming of Christ is mentioned over 1500 times in the OT and 300 in the NT. If the Lord wanted us to know about this, He most certainly wanted us to do something about it.

Temple marriage was a day that we needed to prepare for. The scriptures talk about the marriage of the Lamb of God (the Savior, or the Bridegroom) and the Church (or the Bride). We need to be dressed symbolically in clean and white clothing. Have you put on the fine linen of righteousness? How are you dressed? Are you ready?

Go into the highways to bid people to the marriage, because those who were invited were not ready. Someone came without a wedding garment. “How came thou hither without a wedding garment?” The man was speechless. We will be examined separately and individually. How will we fare? Will we be speechless? Will we be ready? How are you dressed? What do you need to take care of to be ready? Those who plan to repent at 11 o’clock usually die at 10:30. “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” “He that is not purified shall not abide the day.” How can we be prepared?

Treasure up His word. Then you will not be deceived. The Son of Man will come with His Holy angels. Pay attention to modern-day prophets and the scriptures. Those who refuse to hear the Word will be cut off from among the people. We need to be taught by someone with experience and authority. Feast upon the words of Christ as He speaks to the prophets. “His word shall ye receive as if from my own mouth.” If we want to be prepared and dressed appropriately for the second coming, we must pay attention to all the words of the prophets.

We need to be watching. We know not hour what day the Lord is coming. It will not take the prepared as a thief in the night. If we are prepared, we shall not fear. Prepare yourself for the Day of the Lord. We have all been left to prepare for it as though it would happen during our own mortal lives. The signs are set and remarkably clear: The coming forth of the Book of Mormon; restoration of church; opposition; temples; commotion; disease; wars; signs in heaven and earth; gathering in Adam…. Watching for the signs is like putting together pieces of a puzzle. AS we see them occur, we will see things fitting together, and we will know the end is near, that He is coming. Search the scriptures; know the signs; watch and be ready.

Stand in Holy Places. Do not be moved. Stand of firm ground that the gospel provides, the rock of revelation and the testimony of Jesus Christ. The Savior teaches 5,000 people by miraculous means. The multitude were offended when He said He was the living manna. And they followed Him no more. His disciples said they would not leave Him. Where would they go? They knew He was the Christ.

Marriage between husband and wife is critical and it is the Lord’s way. No other can match or replace it. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the words of Eternal Life. Stay with the Church. Seek to stand in holy places: your home; sacrament meeting, temples. Etc. It is up to me to prepare to meet the Savior. I can’t plead ignorance. Preparedness is an individual opportunity that we cannot share. One can’t share attitudes, faith, or testimony. We must all obtain that kind of oil for ourselves. Our practices of righteousness add the oil drop by drop. Do we need more oil? Are we prepared, or are we in trouble?

“I wonder when He comes again.” The Savior lives; He will return to the earth. Treasure up His word; watch for signs of His coming; stand in holy places. We need Him to come. We should pray and work towards this with a desire to be prepared to meet Him. Revelations 22:20 “Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.

"Come, Ye Children of the Lord"

Closing Prayer--Rebecca Cuevas