Sunday Lesson: April 24th

A beautiful lesson was given from two recent general conference talks, Choices by our prophet President Thomas S. Monson, and Do I Believe? by Sis. Bonnie L. Oscarson. 

Pres. Monson teaches us that, "The door of history turns on small hinges, and so do peoples lives. The choices we make determine our destiny." Notice that he talks about small hinges. It's not just the big choices that make a difference, but all the small choices will lead you to make the big ones. 

We should always remember that our Father in Heaven has given us the perfect tools to help us make those correct choices. Elder Nelson said, "As you you choose to live on the Lord's side, you are never alone. God has given you access to His help while you move along mortality's perilous pathway. As you diligently, earnestly pour out your heart to Him in daily prayer, He will send His angels to help you. He has given you the Holy Ghost to be by your side. He has given you the scriptures so that you can fully feast upon the words of Jesus Christ. He has given you words to heed from living prophets."

Pres. Monson reminds us of when Alice comes to a crossroads in the story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She asks the Cheshire Cat which path she should follow. The cat responds, "That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn't matter which path you take." Our dear prophet says, "Unlike Alice, we know where we want to go, and it does matter which way we go, for the path we follow in this life leads to our destination in the next life."

Pres. Monson also pleads with us to make the right choice, even when it is hard to do so. "May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong." He goes on to say, "As we contemplate the decisions we make in our lives each day - whether to make this choice or that choice - if we choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice."

Sis. Oscarson talks about the struggle that many of us face when knowing about the truths of the gospel and truly believing them. She says, "To believe, we need to get the gospel from our heads into our hearts!" "We have a knowledge of these things, but do we believe them? If these things are true, then we have the greatest message of hope and help that the world has ever known. Believing them is a matter of eternal significance for us and for those we love."

If we truly believe the gospel is true, that Heavenly Father has so many blessing in store for us if we are obedient, then making those right choices as Pres. Monson said will be that much easier. Our very natures will change and we will no longer have a desire to follow the ways of the world, but to please God.

Sunday Lesson, Apr 10th

A wonderful lesson was given today on The Law of Tithing, Chapter 9 in our Howard W. Hunter Manual. A beautiful story is told at the beginning of the lesson when Howard and Claire were about to be married. Pres. Hunter was interviewed by his bishop and it was soon realized that he had not been a full tithe payer. Pres. Hunter says, "Because my father had not been a member of the Church during my years at home, tithing had never been discussed in our family and I had never considered its importance." His bishop explained to him the law of tithing and he and Claire agreed that they would live the law fully in their marriage. 

The Lord's definition of the law of tithing is simple, stated as "one tenth of all their interest" (D&C 119:4). Interest means profit, compensation, increase. Pres. Hunter teaches us that the Lord said in effect, "Take out the decimal point and move it over one place."

The law of tithing existed from the beginning and continues today. Starting with Abraham, then Jacob, and down to Moses and the Levitical law, tithing was paid by all people and is a universal law from the Lord. At the end of the Old Testament in Malachi we read, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me know herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." (Mal. 3:8-10). After the gospel was restored in this dispensation a revelation was received regarding tithing: "And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord. (D&C 119:4).

We had a fun presentation with 3 volunteers during the lesson. We all learned that each time we pay our tithing, we not only receive the blessings we need, but we also get closer to the Lord as we do so.

Pres. Hunter explains and makes it very clear that: "The payment of tithing strengthens faith, increases spirituality and spiritual capacity, and solidifies testimony. It gives the satisfaction of knowing one is complying with the will of the Lord. It brings the blessings that come from sharing with others through the purposes for which tithing is used. We cannot afford to deny ourselves these blessings. We cannot afford not to pay our tithing. We have a definite relationship to the future as well as to the present. What we give, and how we give, and the way we meet our obligations to the Lord has eternal significance. A testimony of the law of tithing comes from living it."

Refresh Your Mind and Listen Again

Refresh your mind and listen again and again. Our leaders speak to us at conference and give messages that can and do speak to our souls. They tell us things that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to know. It is a blessing to each of us!

Click here - 2016 April Conference

April Newsletter

Presidency Message by Jan Welling
Springtime is in the air! I love seeing the trees budding and plants peeking up through the ground. Soon there will be bright flowers showing off their colors all around us. With the beauty of the flowers we also see those pesky weeds. I heard someone share their testimony once that has always stuck with me. She and her family were pulling weeds out of their gardens. Her son asked her, “Why do we even have to do this?!” I love her response! She explained to him that if they don’t get the weeds out of the garden they will eventually take over, making it hard to see the pretty flowers. The weeds steal the plant’s water, nutrients, and light. In time, the weeds will win and choke out the good plants. The good plants will die. I think of this analogy often, but especially when I’m out working in my yard. We must take care of ourselves: testimony, spirit, body, mind, etc. If we are not making constant efforts to keep all of the commandments then eventually the bad around us will take over. We will lose sight. The light of Christ within us will dim. Our spiritual growth will become stunted. We must stand up for truth even when it is uncomfortable or hard. When we do this our spirits and testimonies will grow. Our good roots will become deeper and stronger.

The phrase, ‘Bloom where you are planted’ is encouraging for me. We all come from different homes and have different circumstances. No matter what they are we can make our surroundings beautiful. We can choose to sit back, let life happen around us and the weeds will fill in. Or we can choose to make the changes that will bring us eternal happiness. Get involved and make those uncomfortable efforts so you can grow in a positive direction.

You are all beautiful and loved! It can be hard to see our eternal potential, but it is there. I hope we can keep an eternal prospective as we make choices, grow and weed out the unnecessary things in our lives.

Ephesians 3 17-19: That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, [and] May be able… to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.

Birthdays
3 Karen Schmidt
6 Miriam Herrera
8 Jan Welling
9 Theresa Salankey
10 Amanda Curtin
10 Frieda Smith
11 Andrea Brewer
13 Wendy Gordon
13 Natalie Webb
15 Nicole Donovan
15 Tesla Miller
15 Marty Rozeski
22 Charlene Browne
22 Brittany Meehan
24 Pat Jentzsch
24 Jackie Milonas
28 Shawnell Webb

Lesson Schedule – (Ezra Taft Benson)
April 2&3 General Conference
April 10 #7 “Continuous Revelation through Living Prophets”
April 17 #8 “Taking the Gospel to All the World”
April 24 TFOT talk from General Conference

Upcoming Events
Apr 1&2 General Conference
Apr 10 Fast Sunday
Apr 20 Ward Temple Day

Other Opportunities
Apr 12 Lunch Bunch at Chick-Fil-A (Wadsworth & 52th)
Apr 13 Book Group 7 pm at Jaynie Mauger’s "The Secret Keeper" by Kate Morton
Apr 16 YW Camp Fundraiser Dinner Auction
Apr 21 Project Night at Jan Welling’s home
Thursdays 9:00 am playgroup (ask Jan)
Saturdays 8 am basketball Stake Center
Mon & Wed 9 am Aerobics

April Activities

GENERAL CONFERENCE 2nd & 3rd

LUNCH BUNCH

TUESDAY, APRIL 12^TH 11:30 AM – CHICK FIL A (52^ND & Wads)

Everyone is invited – Each person pays for their own.

BOOK CLUB

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13^TH AT 7:00 PM at JAYNIE MAUGER’S HOME

We will be discussing “The Secret Keeper” by Kate Morton.

You can come even if you haven’t read it.

YW CAMP FUNDRAISER DINNER AUCTION

SATURDAY, APRIL 16^TH from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the QUAIL BUILDING

TEMPLE DAY- APRIL 20^TH

PROJECT NIGHT

THURSDAY, APRIL 21^ST AT 7:00 PM at JAN WELLING’S HOME

4^TH OF JULY PENNANT – COST $3.00

Taught by Jennie Sleight – Money due by the 21^st.