Protect Our Nestlings

Sunday Lesson: Jan 25th

Sister Shelley Pack, our Stake Relief Society President, gave the lesson today on Prayer. Most of her lesson came from two talks, The Supernal Gift of Prayer by Elder Richard G. Scott, and Pray Always by Elder David A. Bednar. She wrote two questions on the chalkboard for us to think about during her lesson:

1) How has the routine of daily prayer been a blessing to you?

2) How has the routine of daily prayer inhibited your Spiritual growth?

These two questions may seem contradictory, but it helps you think about your prayers and how you go about communicating with your Father in Heaven. Prayer depends on us. We should ask oursleves how we are saying our prayers.

President Gordon B. Hinckley says, "The trouble with most of our prayers is that we give them as if we were picking up the telephone and ordering groceries - we place our order and hang up. We need to meditate, comtemplate, think of what we are praying about and for and then speak to the Lord as one man speaketh to another." Comments in the class also suggest that we have constant, heartfelt prayer; as we plead to our Father in Heaven we also need to have faith that our Heavenly Father is listening.

There is a sometimes overlooked connection between our prayers and scripture study. Sis. Pack asked us, "How can the Book of Mormon help us have a better communion with God?" We should be having an intimate conversation with our Father in Heaven, and meaningful scripture study can help us do that. As we study the scriptures it opens up to us a conduit to our own personal revelation. We may read something in scripture that opens our mind, or we may have a specific thought as we read that answers a question in our mind. 

When we receive answers to our prayers, what kind of feelings do we experience at that moment? We should feel gratitude that our prayers were heard and feel that Heavenly Father knows me and knows my need. Think of the characteristics of your prayers when it was offered. Our prayers should be sincere, persistent, and full of faith.

Elder Richard G. Scott shares an experience he had with prayer: "Once I had an experience that caused me immense anxiety. It had nothing to do with disobedience or trangression but with a vitally important human relationship. For some time I poured my heart out in urgent prayer. Yet try as I might, I could find no solution, no settling of the powerful stirring within me. I pled for help from that Eternal Father I have come to know and trust completely. I could see no path that would provide the calm that is my blessing generally to enjoy. Sleep overcame me. When I awoke, I was totally at peace. Again I knelt in solemn prayer and asked, "Lord, how is it done?" In my heart, I knew the answer was His love and His concern for me. Such is the power of sincere prayer to a compassionate Father."

As a class we read extensively in 1 Nephi chapters 17 and 18, when Nephi and his family had reached the land Bountiful and Nephi was commanded to build a ship. Nephi showed much faith and submitted his will to the Father when he did not hesitate about the enormity of building a ship. He even asked the Lord where he could find the material to make tools in order to build a ship. He had pure faith in his Father in Heaven that a way would be provided. If we submit our will to the Father, our "workmanship will be exceedingly fine" just as Nephi's was (1 Nephi 18:4).

Sis. Pack shared with us a Prayer Scale from Preach My Gospel that can be found at this link:

https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/images/gospel-library/manual/36617_000_004_03-prayerScale.pdf

Study this scale and privately evaluate your prayers. In your journal write answers to questions like these: Where would you place yourself on this scale? Where would you like to be on this scale? How are you going to change?

"It matters not our circumstance, be we humble or arrogant, poor or rich, free or enslaved, learned or ignorant, loved or forsaken, we can address Him. We need no appointment. Our supplication can be brief or can occupy all the time needed. It can be an extended expression of love and gratitude or an urgent plea for help. He has created numberless cosmos and poplated them with worlds, yet you and I can talk with Him personally, and He will ever answer." Elder Richard G. Scott

Sunday Lesson: Jan 18th

Sis. Kay Bashford always does such a wonderful job teaching from our manual. This past weeks lesson was Pray Always Chapter 2 from our new Ezra Taft Benson Manual. Opening the chapter Pres. Benson says, "All through my life the counsel to depend on prayer has been prized above almost any other advice I have received. It has become an integral part of me, an anchor, a constant source of strength, and the basis for my knowledge of things divine." He was counseled by his father that he could always reach out to his Heavenly Father and receive his aid through prayer. 

Pres. Benson followed his father's advice, even to the White House. When he was appointed to serve as the United States secretary of agriculture, he "prayerfully and carefully" selected a group of men to work with him. At their meetings he asked if anyone would object if they opened the meetings with prayer. No one dissented, and from that time on for eight years they all took turns praying. One staff member later said, "We stumbled and fumbled for words, but the Boss [President Benson] never let on that he noticed. And after a few trials everybody was at ease."

President Hinckley served as President Benson's first counselor in the First Presidency. He had many opportunities to hear Pres. Benson pray. He said of the former prophet: "His prayers were always interesting. Almost without exception they consisted for the most part of expressions of thanks. He asked for very little. He expressed gratitude for very much." The Benson's also were very influential with their children regarding prayer. Their son Mark said, "When Dad knelt down to pray, he didn't rush things. There was meaning behind his words. It came through loud and clear that he was communicating with our Father and Heaven."

Our Savior taught us that we should pray always. In the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) Jesus taught us a pattern for prayer: "After this manner therfore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." In this dispensation the Lord admonished us, "Pray always lest that wicked one have power in you, and remove you out of your place." (D&C 93:49)

Sis. Bashford asked us, "What would your children say about your prayers? Do they know that their mother prays for them?" President Benson teaches, "The differences and irritations of the day melt away as famiies approach the throne of heaven together. Unity increases. The ties of love and affection are re-enforced and the peace of heaven enters."

There are five ways to improve our communication with our Heavenly Father:

1) We should pray frequently

2) We should find an appropriate place where we can meditate

3) We should prepare ourselves for prayer

4) Our prayers should be meaningful and pertinent

President Benson concludes his thoughts on prayer by saying, "It is my testimony, my brothers and sisters and friends, that God does hear and answer prayers. I have never doubted that fact. From childhood, at my mother's knee where I first learned to pray; as a young man in my teens; as a missionary in foreign lands; as a father; as a Church leader; as a government official, I know without any question that it is possible for men and women to reach out in humility and prayer and tap that Unseen Power; to have prayers answered. Man does not stand alone, or at least, he need not stand alone. Prayer will open doors; prayer will remove barriers; prayer will ease pressures; prayer will give inner peace and comfort during times of strain and difficulty. Thank God for prayers."

Sunday Lesson: Jan 11th

Sis. Debbie Orvin was kind enough to subsitute for our RS lesson today. The lesson was Chp. 1 of our new manual by Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, The Great Commandment - Love the Lord.  Sister Orvin pointed out to us that there are many kinds of love: love for our children, love for friends, love of food (or chocolate!), love for our spouse, and even love for things that aren't good for us. The most important kind of love there is, however, is love for Heavenly Father. Mark 12:30 teaches us, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

Pres. Benson said, "When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives." This prophet's life reflected his love for the Lord and his commitment to live the gospel. An extended family member once said, "To Ezra and his family religion is a complete way of life - something to be lived seven days a week." Just like our opening hymn says, "I'll go where you want me to go, I'll say what you want me to say. I'll be what you want me to be." (Hymns, no. 270), we would all be better people if we lived our lives this way. "If we could all do that, we would be assured of the maximum of happiness here and exaltation in the celestial kingdom of God hereafter."

The great test of life is obedience to God.

The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it.

The great commandment of life is to love the Lord.

"Come unto Christ," exhorts Moroni in his closing testimony, "....and love God with all your might, mind and strength" (Moroni 10:32). Pres. Benson says, "It is the pure love of Christ, called charity, that the Book of Mormon testifies is the greatest of all - that never faileth, that endureth forever, that all men should have, and that without which they are nothing." He also taught, "To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and stregth is all-consuming and all-encompassing. It is no lukewarm endeavor. It is total commitment of our very being - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually - to a love of the Lord."

We all know what the 10 commandments are, however, if we keep and follow the 1st and 2nd great commandments - Love the Lord and Love thy Neighbor - then the rest are all taken care of. If we truly love God we will want to keep all of His other commandments.

Think about your home. What is the condition there? Are we striving to put the Lord first and to please Him? How are we doing it? The primary answers that we are all familiar with will help us. If we pray, read the scriptures, hold Family Home Evening, keep the commandments and make sure we are worthy for the temple, His blessings will come in abundance.

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life."

Read from the Manual Here

Sunday Lesson: Jan 4th

Our first lesson of the year was given by Marty Rozeski. She did a wonderful job introducing us to President Ezra Taft Benson and the new manual that we will be using throught the year. It is interesting to note that the introduction to this dear prophet is 33 pages long; much longer than any of the lessons we will cover throughout the year. Please take the time to read about the life and ministry of President Ezra Taft Benson on your own.

As we read about Ezra Taft Benson as a boy growing up on his family's farm, we begin to understand about why he grew to be the amazing man that he was. He was taught at a very young age about the value of work and learned so many life lessons growing up the way he did. Some of these life lessons include:

• The Capacity to work
• Early to bed, early to rise
• Patience
• Being responsible
• Appreciation for creation
• The simplicity of life
• Dicipline
• Labor = Harvest
• Self-reliance

President Benson learned from the example of his parents as well. When his father was surprisingly called to serve a mission, leaving his wife and family of seven children and one on the way behind, he was expected to help run their farm and do more than most 12 year olds could ever imagine. From this experience young Ezra learned about family unity, obedience to the Lord, sacrifice, the strong love that can develop in a marriage, and of course the importance of missionary work. President Benson later said, "My Father knew a greater vision of love. He knew that 'all things shall work together for good to them that love God' (Romans 8:28)...While we missed him greatly during those years, and while his absence brought many challenges to our family, his acceptance proved to be a gift of charity...Yes, there came into our home, as a result of Father's mission, a spirit of missionary work that never left it."

Throughout his life President Benson had to learn how to balance his family life and the life of great service in the church. There are so many examples that we can read about where President Benson is serving in some capacity and he is overcome with love for those he served. Whether it be serving as a scout master, serving as a missionary, or serving in President Eisenhower's cabinet, President Benson always put the Lord's work first. He loved those he served and he always had his family's support as he did so. He teaches us that service equals love and that we always need to obey God's will for us. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2015

Just a reminder...
Sunday time change for the new year.

Sacrament meeting 11:00

Sunday School 12:20

Relief Society 1:10

See you there!

January Newsletter

Presidency Message by Jan Welling
For the message this month I would like to share thoughts given by Elder Jeffrey R Holland given in a BYU Devotional talk in 2009. He speaks so well and his message is applicable to all of us. We wish all of our sisters a wonderful, happy, and blessed new year.

“The start of a new year is the traditional time to take stock of our lives and see where we are going, measured against the backdrop of where we have been. I don’t want to talk to you about New Year’s resolutions, because you only made five of them and you have already broken four. (I give that remaining one just another week.) But I do want to talk to you about the past and the future, not so much in terms of New Year’s commitments per se, but more with an eye toward any time of transition and change in your lives—and those moments come virtually every day of our lives.

So, as a new year starts and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone, nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead, we remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives.

I pray you will a wonderful new year, and a wonderful life all filled with faith and hope and charity. Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away. Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today, tomorrow, and forever. That is a New Year’s resolution I ask you to keep, and I leave a blessing on you—every one of you—to be able to do so and to be happy, in the name of Him who makes it all possible, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.”

Love,
Marty, Lisa, Jan, Debbie, Jenny

Birthdays
5 Courtney Forbes
6 Ranya Kelly
9 Janet Bunn
9 Linda Spano
10 Nikita Bledsoe
14 Erica Carlson
23 Larkin Harman
23 Debbie Orvin
30 Suzanne Erekson
31 Susi Maximoff

Lesson Schedule – (Ezra Taft Benson)
Jan 4 Lesson by Marty Rozeski
Jan 11 #1 “The Great Commandment-Love the Lord”
Jan 18 #2 “Pray Always” taught by Kay Bashford
Jan 25 Ward Conference

Upcoming Events
Jan 19 – Feb 23 Temple Closed
Jan 25 Ward Conference

Other Opportunities
Jan 13 Lunch Bunch 11am at Wendy’s at 58th & Independence
Jan 14 Book Club 7pm at Pat Jentzsch “The Sugar Queen” by Sara Addison Allen
Thursdays 9:30 am playgroup
Saturdays 8 am pickup basketball
Mon & Wed 9 am Aerobics