Here is a great quote that I found in the Old Testament institute manual. It's by President Joseph F. Smith:
"One of the highest qualities of all true leadership is a high standard of courage. When we speak of courage and leadership we are using terms that stand for the quality of life by which men determine consciously the proper course to pursue and stand with fidelity to their convictions. There has never been a time in the Church when its leaders were not required to be courageous men; not alone courageous in the sense that they were able to meet physical dangers, but also in the sense that they were steadfast and true to a clear and upright conviction.
"Leaders of the Church, then, should be men not easily discouraged, not without hope, and not given to forebodings of all sorts of evil to come. Above all things the leaders of the people should never disseminate a spirit of gloom in the hearts of the people. If men standing in high places sometimes feel the weight and anxiety of momentous times, they should be all the firmer and all the more resolute in those convictions which come from a God-fearing conscience and pure lives. Men in their private lives should feel the necessity of extending encouragement to the people by their own hopeful and cheerful intercourse with them, as they do by their utterances in public places. It is a matter of the greatest importance that the people be educated to appreciate and cultivate the bright side of life rather than to permit its darkness and shadows to hover over them.
"In order to successfully overcome anxieties in reference to questions that require time for their solution, an absolute faith and confidence in God and in the triumph of His work are essential." (Gospel Doctrine, p. 155)
I love this quote because we all are leaders. As parents we are leaders, as friends we can be leaders as we stick to our convictions, as grandparents and family we are all leaders. By influence we can lead those around us to the true Leader, Christ. And since we can all be leaders, this quote applies to us in a particular way.
I believe that if we truly have faith in Christ, then despite what others around us may do with their agency, we can still have hope. This is possible because Christ has already overcome the world for us.
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Sunday, March 9, 2014
A Sunday citation
Here is another good quote from Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith:
"We are not dependent upon the testimony of anyone else for this knowledge for we know through the Spirit that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of the world." (Chap.2, pg 54)
"We are not dependent upon the testimony of anyone else for this knowledge for we know through the Spirit that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of the world." (Chap.2, pg 54)
Sunday, December 22, 2013
A Sunday citation
This is a quote from last October's General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Edward Dube said it in his talk, Look Ahead and Believe.
"Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who sees from the beginning to the end, knew very well the road He would travel to Gethsemane and Golgotha when He proclaimed, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). In the sight of the Lord, it is not so much what we have done or where we have been but much more where we are willing to go."
"Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who sees from the beginning to the end, knew very well the road He would travel to Gethsemane and Golgotha when He proclaimed, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). In the sight of the Lord, it is not so much what we have done or where we have been but much more where we are willing to go."
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
30 day song challenge: Day 24
"I Know That My Redeemer Lives" is a hymn that I've heard since I was a very small child. The more I grow, the more I appreciate and understand that hymn.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
30 day song challenge: Day 22
I hope you love it as much as I do!
Sunday, October 20, 2013
A Sunday citation ... or a few, actually
These quotes about creation and the theory of man's origin from the animal kingdom really struck me. I think they are definitely worth considering.
"It is held by some that Adam was not the first man upon this earth, and that the original human being was a development from from lower orders of the animal creation. These, however, are the theories of men. The word of the Lord declares that Adam was 'the first of all men, and we are therefore duty bound to regard him as the primal parent of our race. It was shown to the brother of Jared that all men were created in the beginning after the image of God; and whether we take this to mean the spirit or body, or both, it commits us to the same conclusion: Man began life as a human being, in the likeness of our heavenly Father." (First Presidency [Joseph F. Smith, John R Winder, Anthon H. Lund,], as cited in Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, 4:205.)
I have often thought that we are just beginning to understand the processes of the earth, and that to think that the theory of evolution is the absolute, whole truth of the beginning of the earth is narrow-minded. We learn more every day in science. Here is a quote that supports my thoughts:
"Any theory that leaves out God as a personal, purposeful Being, and accepts chance as a first cause, cannot be accepted by the Latter-day Saints. ... That man and the whole of creation came by chance is unthinkable. It is equally unthinkable that if man came into being by the will and power of God, the divine creative power is limited to one process dimly sensed by mortal man." (Widstoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, 1:155.)
Here is another fascinating quote:
"I say most emphatically, you cannot believe in this theory of the origin of man, and at the same time accept the plan of salvation as set forth by the Lord our God. You must choose the one and reject the other, for they are in direct conflict and there is a gulf separating them which is so great that it can not be bridged, no matter how much one may try to do so. ...
"Then Adam, and by that I mean the first man, was not capable of sin. He could not transgress, and by doing so bring death into the world, for, according to this theory, death had always been in the world. If, therefore, there was no fall, there was no need of an atonement, hence the coming into the world of the Son of God as the Savior of the world is a contradiction, a thing impossible. Are you prepared to believe that?" (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:141-142.)
"It is held by some that Adam was not the first man upon this earth, and that the original human being was a development from from lower orders of the animal creation. These, however, are the theories of men. The word of the Lord declares that Adam was 'the first of all men, and we are therefore duty bound to regard him as the primal parent of our race. It was shown to the brother of Jared that all men were created in the beginning after the image of God; and whether we take this to mean the spirit or body, or both, it commits us to the same conclusion: Man began life as a human being, in the likeness of our heavenly Father." (First Presidency [Joseph F. Smith, John R Winder, Anthon H. Lund,], as cited in Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, 4:205.)
I have often thought that we are just beginning to understand the processes of the earth, and that to think that the theory of evolution is the absolute, whole truth of the beginning of the earth is narrow-minded. We learn more every day in science. Here is a quote that supports my thoughts:
"Any theory that leaves out God as a personal, purposeful Being, and accepts chance as a first cause, cannot be accepted by the Latter-day Saints. ... That man and the whole of creation came by chance is unthinkable. It is equally unthinkable that if man came into being by the will and power of God, the divine creative power is limited to one process dimly sensed by mortal man." (Widstoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, 1:155.)
Here is another fascinating quote:
"I say most emphatically, you cannot believe in this theory of the origin of man, and at the same time accept the plan of salvation as set forth by the Lord our God. You must choose the one and reject the other, for they are in direct conflict and there is a gulf separating them which is so great that it can not be bridged, no matter how much one may try to do so. ...
"Then Adam, and by that I mean the first man, was not capable of sin. He could not transgress, and by doing so bring death into the world, for, according to this theory, death had always been in the world. If, therefore, there was no fall, there was no need of an atonement, hence the coming into the world of the Son of God as the Savior of the world is a contradiction, a thing impossible. Are you prepared to believe that?" (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:141-142.)
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Sunday citation from General Conference!
I love General Conference! It's one of the best times of the year because the we get to hear the words of God through his prophet and apostles. I learn more at General Conference, sometimes, than I do in a whole year of daily gospel study.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Nicolas Copernicus and understanding truth
I was reading The Story of the World vol. 2 a couple of weeks ago when I came across a most intriguing story. It was about a man named Nicolas Copernicus, who was born in 1473.
Copernicus was a Polish scientist who went to study at the University of Bologna. At the time, people believed that the sun and stars rotated around the earth, and the Catholic church believed that this meant that man was at the center of God's plan. This theory mainly came from the writings of a man named Claudius Ptolemny, who was born about 90 A.D.
But Copernicus found errors in Ptolemny's writings, and from his observations, he hypothesized that the earth rotated around the sun. He even wrote a book about it and published it just before he died.
The Catholic church denounced this theory and claimed that it proved that man was not the center of God's plan, and therefore couldn't be true. They put the book he wrote on a list of literature good Catholics should never read.
This story intrigues me. It shows me how narrow humankind can be, and just how little we know. The Catholic church was right that man is at the center of God's plan. From modern revelation, we know that God's work and glory "is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) And because they didn't understand everything, they rejected a very important truth ... that the earth went around the sun, not the other way around.
We also now know from modern revelation that God has created worlds without number, and that His works and glory have no end. His plan for man is far bigger and grander than anything the people in the 16th century could have understood without divine revelation.
This teaches me something, and it reminds me of a quote I once read:
"I regularly encounter students (Latter-day Saints, Baptists, Muslims, atheists--students of all sorts) who are so determined to shield their faith and their perspectives that they seem closed to fundamental discovery. They believe it their job to hold onto their secular or religious faith as if holding their breath, no matter what they experience. Some avoid, fight, or tip-toe through certain courses, not really engaging in them, afraid or angry that they may confront a topic or a fact that threatens their understanding. ...
"Faith is a precious thing, the first principle of the gospel. I sympathize with this impulse to protect it at any cost. However, spiritual and mental tragedy can come not only through loss of faith, but also through inauthenticity, ignorance, and fear.
"Faith does not exist in a vacuum, and not all faith is healthy or righteous. After all, terrorists, on the basis of faith, fly airplanes into tall buildings filled with innocent people. What is wanted is not the rigid, uninformed, closed, and cocksure faith assertions of the fanatic, but a thoughtful and open trust, an organic and living faith, born of love and welcoming of growth, inquiry, new perspectives, and adjustment.
"In this light, it helps to remember that our Father in Heaven is the Lord of Truth. ... For if our God were not a God of truth, He would, as the Book of Mormon puts it in another context, 'cease to be God.' Even if powerful, such a god would be worthy of neither our trust nor our worship. 'But God ceaseth not to be God' (Alma 42.23). Among other things, this means that God is unafraid of truth, including any human truths we might encounter in our study.
"Of course, alleged facts can be dangerous for inexperienced minds lacking sufficient context and means of testing and explaining them. It is essential to realize that what we take to be facts are properly contested in the academy. One purpose of an education, indeed, is to deepen the ability for informed and critical thought that is increasingly able to discern the credibility of arguments, alleged facts, and their proper contexts. Moreover, to accept something as "fact" is not the same as assigning that fact a meaning. 'So what?' is an excellent question. We should be wary of our own and others' (including our teachers') perceptions, weaknesses, tendencies to leap to conclusions, or sneering or condescending attitudes that may cast a false pale over even legitimate facts. But the proper response to all this is further study, conversation, testing, experience, thought, discipline, and prayer--not avoidance. The ongoing pursuit of truth--rather than an expressed or unstated boast that we already possess and comprehend it in its fulness--can and should be at one with hungering and thirsting after righteousness. God and truth are perfectly aligned." (Barlow, Phillip, "Balancing the life of the mind and spirit on campus," A Twenty-Something's Guide to Spirituality. 2007. 138-139.)
There are absolute truths that God has given us through His prophets and His scriptures. Because we know He is all-knowing and that He is teaching us on a level that all can understand, we can use those truths as guides when we seek for truth in other areas of study. We know that knowledge is complete when it is in line with God's revealed truths. If they seem inconsistent with God's revealed word, we know that we are either only seeing part of the truth or misconstruing the truth, and there is more to discover.
Anyway, we have to be careful of closing our minds to truths that we don't understand. It can actually undermine our faith and leave us in confusion in the end.
Copernicus was a Polish scientist who went to study at the University of Bologna. At the time, people believed that the sun and stars rotated around the earth, and the Catholic church believed that this meant that man was at the center of God's plan. This theory mainly came from the writings of a man named Claudius Ptolemny, who was born about 90 A.D.
But Copernicus found errors in Ptolemny's writings, and from his observations, he hypothesized that the earth rotated around the sun. He even wrote a book about it and published it just before he died.
The Catholic church denounced this theory and claimed that it proved that man was not the center of God's plan, and therefore couldn't be true. They put the book he wrote on a list of literature good Catholics should never read.
This story intrigues me. It shows me how narrow humankind can be, and just how little we know. The Catholic church was right that man is at the center of God's plan. From modern revelation, we know that God's work and glory "is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) And because they didn't understand everything, they rejected a very important truth ... that the earth went around the sun, not the other way around.
We also now know from modern revelation that God has created worlds without number, and that His works and glory have no end. His plan for man is far bigger and grander than anything the people in the 16th century could have understood without divine revelation.
This teaches me something, and it reminds me of a quote I once read:
"I regularly encounter students (Latter-day Saints, Baptists, Muslims, atheists--students of all sorts) who are so determined to shield their faith and their perspectives that they seem closed to fundamental discovery. They believe it their job to hold onto their secular or religious faith as if holding their breath, no matter what they experience. Some avoid, fight, or tip-toe through certain courses, not really engaging in them, afraid or angry that they may confront a topic or a fact that threatens their understanding. ...
"Faith is a precious thing, the first principle of the gospel. I sympathize with this impulse to protect it at any cost. However, spiritual and mental tragedy can come not only through loss of faith, but also through inauthenticity, ignorance, and fear.
"Faith does not exist in a vacuum, and not all faith is healthy or righteous. After all, terrorists, on the basis of faith, fly airplanes into tall buildings filled with innocent people. What is wanted is not the rigid, uninformed, closed, and cocksure faith assertions of the fanatic, but a thoughtful and open trust, an organic and living faith, born of love and welcoming of growth, inquiry, new perspectives, and adjustment.
"In this light, it helps to remember that our Father in Heaven is the Lord of Truth. ... For if our God were not a God of truth, He would, as the Book of Mormon puts it in another context, 'cease to be God.' Even if powerful, such a god would be worthy of neither our trust nor our worship. 'But God ceaseth not to be God' (Alma 42.23). Among other things, this means that God is unafraid of truth, including any human truths we might encounter in our study.
"Of course, alleged facts can be dangerous for inexperienced minds lacking sufficient context and means of testing and explaining them. It is essential to realize that what we take to be facts are properly contested in the academy. One purpose of an education, indeed, is to deepen the ability for informed and critical thought that is increasingly able to discern the credibility of arguments, alleged facts, and their proper contexts. Moreover, to accept something as "fact" is not the same as assigning that fact a meaning. 'So what?' is an excellent question. We should be wary of our own and others' (including our teachers') perceptions, weaknesses, tendencies to leap to conclusions, or sneering or condescending attitudes that may cast a false pale over even legitimate facts. But the proper response to all this is further study, conversation, testing, experience, thought, discipline, and prayer--not avoidance. The ongoing pursuit of truth--rather than an expressed or unstated boast that we already possess and comprehend it in its fulness--can and should be at one with hungering and thirsting after righteousness. God and truth are perfectly aligned." (Barlow, Phillip, "Balancing the life of the mind and spirit on campus," A Twenty-Something's Guide to Spirituality. 2007. 138-139.)
There are absolute truths that God has given us through His prophets and His scriptures. Because we know He is all-knowing and that He is teaching us on a level that all can understand, we can use those truths as guides when we seek for truth in other areas of study. We know that knowledge is complete when it is in line with God's revealed truths. If they seem inconsistent with God's revealed word, we know that we are either only seeing part of the truth or misconstruing the truth, and there is more to discover.
Anyway, we have to be careful of closing our minds to truths that we don't understand. It can actually undermine our faith and leave us in confusion in the end.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
A Sunday citation
Women's conference last night was beautiful! So much of it touched my heart and taught me. For the Sunday citation today, I chose a quote that particularly struck me:
"My dear sisters, your Heavenly Father loves you--each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you're sad or happy; discouraged or hopeful. God's love is there for you whether or not you deserve love. It is simply always there.
"As we seek our Heavenly Father through fervent, sincere prayer and earnest, dedicated scripture study, our testimonies will become strong and deeply rooted. We will know of God's love for us. We will understand that we do not ever walk alone.
"I promise you, that you will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times, and you will realize that he was always there beside you. I know this to be true in the passing of my eternal companion, Francis Beverly Johnson Monson."
Those were the closing remarks of President Thomas S. Monson, our prophet. He knows that what he says is true, and the Spirit testified to my heart that what he said is true. I hope you can understand how very important it is to begin to understand these things.
"My dear sisters, your Heavenly Father loves you--each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you're sad or happy; discouraged or hopeful. God's love is there for you whether or not you deserve love. It is simply always there.
"As we seek our Heavenly Father through fervent, sincere prayer and earnest, dedicated scripture study, our testimonies will become strong and deeply rooted. We will know of God's love for us. We will understand that we do not ever walk alone.
"I promise you, that you will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times, and you will realize that he was always there beside you. I know this to be true in the passing of my eternal companion, Francis Beverly Johnson Monson."
Those were the closing remarks of President Thomas S. Monson, our prophet. He knows that what he says is true, and the Spirit testified to my heart that what he said is true. I hope you can understand how very important it is to begin to understand these things.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Learning the lessons of the past
Lately I've developed an obsession with ancient history. So when I read the article "The World Needs Pioneers Today" by President Thomas S. Monson, this part really stood out to me:
"We
forget how the Greeks and Romans prevailed magnificently in a barbaric
world and how that triumph ended—how a slackness and softness finally
overcame them to their ruin. In the end, more than they wanted freedom,
they wanted security and a comfortable life; and they lost all—comfort
and security and freedom.
"Do
not yield to Satan’s enticements; rather, stand firm for truth. The
unsatisfied yearnings of the soul will not be met by a never-ending
quest for joy amidst the thrills of sensation and vice. Vice never leads
to virtue. Hate never promotes love. Cowardice never gives courage.
Doubt never inspires faith.
Some
find it difficult to withstand the mockings and unsavory remarks of
foolish ones who ridicule chastity, honesty, and obedience to God’s
commands. But the world has ever belittled adherence to principle. When
Noah was instructed to build an ark, the foolish populace looked at the
cloudless sky and then scoffed and jeered—until the rain came.
"Must
we learn such costly lessons over and over again? Times change, but
truth persists. When we fail to profit from the experiences of the past,
we are doomed to repeat them with all their heartache, suffering, and
anguish. Haven’t we the wisdom to obey Him who knows the beginning from
the end—our Lord, who designed the plan of salvation—rather than that
serpent, who despised its beauty?"
I don't know anyone who could have said it better. If only people would listen to wisdom like this ...
To read the entire article, click here:
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Some thoughts on motherhood ...
Being a new, first-time mom, I have been thinking a lot about how I viewed motherhood before and after the birth of my beautiful baby girl. I knew kids would be hard, but I didn't think one kid would be hard! :) Little did I know. It makes me nervous to have more!
But I have to remember something that sometimes I lose sight of among the dirty dishes, piles of laundry and spit-up spots on the couch. I think it is best illustrated by a conversation I had with a friend in one of my college classes ...
This friend wasn't a member of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But she was attending BYU-I. Being surrounded by Mormons, she was naturally curious about our faith. She learned that we believed in having lots of children, and that children are important. Why? she asked. Why would we want to have lots of children? It's hard to take care of a couple and to give them everything they need, let alone eight or nine. Wouldn't that make it so you couldn't give the children proper care and attention?
I feel like the Lord inspired me in my answer. "That's where faith comes in," I told her. "If the Lord is really there, and He really wants us to have children, then we can do it all."
This story came back to my mind because these last couple of days I've seen some miracles that have helped me do the most important things for my family. I guess I've begun the journey, and I can't lose sight of my Strength ... and the importance of what I am doing.
This isn't to say that we as members of the LDS church believe that women are baby machines. A mother is only supposed to have as many children as she can physically, emotionally and mentally handle. This is different for every woman. We see women as the heart of the home, where the family is the central unit of society. To know more about what our church believes regarding the family and parenthood, click here to read The Family: A Proclamation to the World. It is a wonderful declaration of our belief.
But I have to remember something that sometimes I lose sight of among the dirty dishes, piles of laundry and spit-up spots on the couch. I think it is best illustrated by a conversation I had with a friend in one of my college classes ...
This friend wasn't a member of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But she was attending BYU-I. Being surrounded by Mormons, she was naturally curious about our faith. She learned that we believed in having lots of children, and that children are important. Why? she asked. Why would we want to have lots of children? It's hard to take care of a couple and to give them everything they need, let alone eight or nine. Wouldn't that make it so you couldn't give the children proper care and attention?
I feel like the Lord inspired me in my answer. "That's where faith comes in," I told her. "If the Lord is really there, and He really wants us to have children, then we can do it all."
This story came back to my mind because these last couple of days I've seen some miracles that have helped me do the most important things for my family. I guess I've begun the journey, and I can't lose sight of my Strength ... and the importance of what I am doing.
This isn't to say that we as members of the LDS church believe that women are baby machines. A mother is only supposed to have as many children as she can physically, emotionally and mentally handle. This is different for every woman. We see women as the heart of the home, where the family is the central unit of society. To know more about what our church believes regarding the family and parenthood, click here to read The Family: A Proclamation to the World. It is a wonderful declaration of our belief.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Tragedy turned into a blessing
This is one of the most incredible stories I've ever heard. This man lost half his family to an accident, but by relying on God he came to know Christ through this tragedy. And then he was able to forgive and help the teenager who had caused the accident.
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