Sunday Lesson, Sept 25th

Our last Teaching For our Times lesson from the April 2016 Conference was on Elder Dallin H. Oaks talk entitled, Opposition in All Things. Elder Oaks explains to us from the Family Proclamation to the World the purpose of mortal life...."to provide experiences needed to 'progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.'" We progress as we make choices. We are tested, and in order to be tested we must have agency to choose between alternatives. In order to have alternatives, there must be opposition. In 2 Nephi 2:11 and 15 the prophet Lehi tells us, "It must needs be, that there in an opposition in all things. If not so,. . . . . . righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad."

In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve were in a state of stagnation. They were in a state of innocence, "doing no good, for they knew no sin" (2 Nephi 2:23). Opposition was necessary in the Garden of Eden.  Agency and opposition were the key ingredients to our Father's plan. Satan wanted to fulfull our Father's plan without agency, choice, or opposition. "There would be no test, no failure, and no success. There would be no growth to attain the purpose the Father desired for His children." Satan wanted to gain the glory, honor and power for himself. Because of this he was cast down and 1/3 of the hosts of heaven followed him. Elder Oaks teaches us: "So it is that the evil one, who opposed and sought to destroy the Father's plan, actually facilitated it, because it is opposition that enables choice and it is the opportunity of making right choices that leads to the growth that is the purpose of the Father's plan." 

Opposition is also the way that we experience growth in mortality. Lehi teaches us in 2 Nephi 2:24-25, "Behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy."

It is difficult to understand opposition, especially when it comes even when we are not sinning. None of us can escape opposition in this life. It is what permits us to grow toward what our Heavenly Father would have us become. Pres. Monson has explained, "We are all acquainted with other kinds of mortal opposition not caused by our personal sins, including illness, disability, and death. Some of you at times have cried out in your suffering, wondering why our Heavenly Father would allow you to go through whatever trials you are facing  . . . Our mortal life, however, was never meant to be easy or consistently pleasant. Our Heavenly Father . . . . knows that we learn and grow and become refined through hard challenges, heartbreaking sorrows, and difficult choices. Each one of us experiences dark days when our loved ones pass away, painful times when our health is lost, feelings of being forsaken when those we love seem to have abandoned us. These and other trials present us with the real test of our ability to endure."

Elder Oaks illustrates to us the opposition of temptation by using the scriptures, the Book of Mormon to be exact. In 2 Nephi 28:20-24 it describes three methods the devil will use in the last days, the days we are living in now. "First, he will 'rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good. Second, he will 'pacify, and lull [members] away into carnal security,' saying 'Zion prospereth, all is well'. Third, he will tell us 'there is no hell; and. . . . I am no devil, for there is none' and therefore there is no right and wrong. Because of this opposition, we are warned not to be 'at ease in Zion!'"

When we are feeling the heavy influence of opposition in our life, we need to remember our Savior, His atonement, and the promise of the Plan of Salvation if we stay true to the covenants we have made. Elder Oaks concludes his message by saying, "God rarely infringes on the agency of any of His children by intervening against some for the relief of others. But He does ease the burdens of our afflictions and strengthen us to bear them."

Sunday Lesson: Sept 18th

We Believe in Being Honest, Chp. 18,  was our lesson for Sept. 18th. Most of us were surprised to find out how much more honest we can be after our discussion in class. The Lord admonishes us to be honest. Some common examples of dishonesty include stealing, cheating, violating the Word of Wisdom, and even violation of traffic ordinances. One of the 10 commandments is, 'Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.' Pres. Hunter teaches us that, "Any untruth which tends to injure another in his goods, person, or character is against the spirit and letter of this law." If we covet something we are also being dishonest with ourselves. To covet means to desire, to long for, to crave that which belongs to another person. Pres. Hunter again teaches us: "The desire to acquire good things is not a violation, but the desire to take them away from another unlawfully is a wrong."

We cultivate honesty in the little, ordinary things of life. We must be honest in the little things, as well as the big. Just like a building which has to have a strong foundation, our character needs to have the same kind of foundation built upon the principle of honesty. There is no happiness in violation of the law, whether it be God's law or the laws of society.

We can serve God by being honest and fair in our personal and business dealings. Pres. Hunter reminds that the true principles of Christianity cannot be separate from business and our everyday affairs. What an amazing world we would be in if we were all 100% honest with one another. We would all "have perfect confidence in each other in personal and business dealings. There would not be ....distrust between labor and management. There would be integrity in public office and in government affairs, and nations would exist in peace rather than the turmoil we presently know in the world."

Integrity protects us from evil, helps us be successful, and will save our souls. We would all be better off if integrity were used and fully available to us. "It would make us successful here and save our souls hereafter." If we have integrity we are personally responsible to God in all we do. We can be protected by integrity by the temptations of evil that continually surround us.

True joy results from being honest with ourselves, with others, and with God. Pres. Hunter tells us that there are two great blessing from being honest; having the companionship of the Master and the Spirit of the Holy Ghost with us. If we violate the code of honesty, these blessings cannot be granted us. The Lord knows our innermost thoughts. He knows every deed we do. We need to do our best so that when we meet him someday we can be proud of our actions and know that we have done our best. "Blessed are they who are honest....Blessed are they who are obedient to the Lord."

General Women's Broadcast

We hope you enjoyed watching the General Women's Broadcast. Here is a LINK for you to watch it in case you missed it or of course watch it again. Remember God made you and that you are wonderful!

General Women's Meeting

We hope you will join us in watching the General Women's Meeting this Thursday, September 24th. It will be broadcast at the Alkire Building from 6:00-7:30. Bring your friends with you and enjoy this special night with our church leaders.

image from LDS.org

Sunday Lesson: Sept 11th

Preserve and Protect the Family, Chp. 17, was the lesson that we studied this last Sunday. The Family is the most important unit in society, in the Church, and in eternity.  "The family is the most important unit in time and in eternity and, as such, transcends every other interest in life." It's interesting to learn of Pres. Hunter's teaching that the Church has the responsibility, and the authority, to preserve and protect the family as the foundation of society. In Psalms 127:3 it teaches us that children are a "heritage of the Lord." We also need to remember that not all families are the traditional family with a father, mother and their children. Each family, traditional or not, must receive priesthood watch care. 

Our teacher asked us all how we protect and strengthen our families. Some answers included: consistent teaching, saying 'I love you' often, having family prayers and dinners together, making traditions, and having fun together. 

Parents are partners in the leadership of the home and are under strict obligation to protect and love their children. As parents your greatest obligation is to teach your child how to return to their Heavenly Father. The results of our efforts have eternal consequences. In Proverbs 22:6 it says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it." How can you be united with your spouse in raising your children? Communication and compromise were the most common answers from the class.

Our homes should be places of love, prayer, and gospel teaching. The Family Home Evening program was designed specifically for teaching the gospel within our homes. We all recognize that there are great moments as well as not-so-great moments in FHE. The important thing is that we are consistent and try our best. If we do, our families will be blessed. When FHE was first introduced the First Presidency at the time said, "If the Saints obey this counsel [to hold family home evenings], we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influence and temptations which beset them." Family councils are also held so that parents and children can better understand each other. Thoughtful family councils strengthen family ties and teaches mutual respect for each other.

A successful parent is one who has loved, sacrificed, cared for, taught, and ministered to the needs of a child. Pres. Hunter says, "Don't give up hope for a boy or a girl who has strayed. Many who have appeared to be completely lost have returned. We must be prayerful and, if possible, let our children know of our love and concern.....Parents' hearts are ofttimes broken, yet they must realize that the ultimate responsibility lies with the child after parents have taught correct principles."

Our homes should be holy places where the principles of the gospel can be lived and where the Spirit of the Lord can dwell. Pres. Hunter so wisely says, "To be a successful father or a successful mother is far greater than to rise to leadership or high places in business, government, or worldly affairs. Home may seem commonplace at times with its routine duties, yet its success should be the greatest of all our pursuits in life."

Our Homing Impulse

A video on President Uchtdorf's love for flying and why he enjoys it. Keep reading below after you go to this link, he shares his experience as a young boy during the Cold War and when became determined to learn to fly.

Sept 8th Relief Society Meeting

RELIEF SOCIETY MEETING

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8^th at 7:00 PM – QUAIL BLDG

Please join us! It will be another nice evening together learning and sharing. We will have an interactive Jeopardy game and a gourmet cookie bar will be provided. Also, we will wrap up our service for the Louisiana Flood Victims. Optional - If you can and would like to, please bring a cash donation sealed in an envelope. The money collected will be used to purchase items such as pillows, sheets, etc. They will be sent through Amazon with free shipping. 

Call and remind those you visit teach and come together. Friends and neighbors are welcome. Please RSVP through the Evite to help us in our preparations. A nursery will be available.

See you there!

September Newsletter

Presidency Message by Lisa Lara
We recently went hiking as a family. As you can imagine, hiking with our five children can be a struggle at times. I'll admit, before we even left I wondered if I had the energy to tackle it all while we were out. My faith was weak in the task at hand. The hike proved to be beautiful, there wasn't much complaining, and the weather was wonderful. While we were hiking, our son's shoe broke, which meant he had to be carried the rest of the way. When my daughter saw his shoe, she said, "Oh Dad can fix it!" Her faith in her father and his ability to fix her brother's shoe was greater than my faith was in my family to have a successful hike. I learned that our faith can be strengthened if we just take that leap and try.

Someone who always kept trying was Theodore Roosevelt. As a child he was frail and nearsighted, always tormented by near-fatal asthma attacks. As a teenager, he worked to overcome his ill health through rigorous exercise, weight-lifting, and boxing. When he was in his 20s, his wife and mother passed away on the same day, leaving him heartbroken. After college he entered politics, winning and losing elections over the next decades. Through it all, he maintained a zest for life. He went on to become the youngest person ever to serve as president of the United States; he won the Nobel Peace Prize; and today, his image is carved on the massive granite of South Dakota’s Black Hills.

As Roosevelt said, “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” We see past that gray twilight whenever we keep trying, go forward, and take even one small step of faith. If our faith is anchored in our Savior, Jesus Christ, it will grow and we and those around us will truly be blessed.

Birthdays
1 Jonie Bowler
5 Kelly Kadunc
9 Anna Carbone
20 Sandy Crane
21 Mary Kay Bashford
23 Tiffanie Huntley
24 Carmae Hiller
27 Senta Miller

Lesson Schedule – (Howard W Hunter)
Sept 4 Presidency message by Marty Rozeski
Sept 11 #17 “Preserve and Protect the Family”
Sept 18 #18 “We Believe in Being Honest”
Sept 25 “Opposition in All Things” by Dallin Oaks

Upcoming Events
Sept 8 Relief Society Meeting 7:00
Sept 21 Ward Temple Day
Sept 24 Women’s Conference
Oct 1 & 2 General Conference
Oct 16 Ft Collins Temple Dedication

Other Opportunities
Sept 13 Lunch Bunch at 11:30 Panda Express
Sept 14 Book Club at 7:00 at Samantha Phillip’s “Ross Poldark #1” by Winston Graham
Saturdays 8 am basketball Stake Center
Mon & Wed 9 am Aerobics

Sunday Lesson: Aug 21st

Chp. 16 from our Howard W. Hunter manual, Marriage - An Eternal Partnership, was our topic of discussion this week in Relief Society. Pres. Hunter was married to Claire Jeffs for 42 years. "Their love deepened as they raised their sons, served in the Church, and faced their challenges with faith." For the last decade of Claire's life Pres. Hunter cared for her through her serious health problems. It was a 'crushing blow' to Pres. Hunter when she died and he lived 7 years alone before marrying for a 2nd time to Inis Stanton. She was a strength to Pres. Hunter and accompanied him on many travels. Elder James E. Faust spoke of the blessing Inis was to Pres. Hunter. He said, "We are grateful beyond expression to you, Inis, for your companionship and your loving and devoted care of him. You brought a sparkle to his eye and joy to him in the crowning years of his life and his ministry."

Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and is intended to be eternal. Pres. Hunter taught, "Life's greatest partnership is in marriage - that relationship which has lasting and eternal significance." "Just as baptism is a commandment of the Lord, so is temple marriage. As baptism is essential to admittance to the Church, so temple marriage is essential to our exaltation in the presence of God. It is part of our destiny. We cannot fulfill our ultimate aims without it. Do not be satisfied with anything else."

When deciding whom to marry, be patient, have faith, and stay worthy of receiving divine assistance. Again Pres. Hunter teaches wisely, "While waiting for promised blessings, one should not mark time, for to fail to move forward is to some degree a retrogression. Be anxiously engaged in good causes, including your own development."

No blessing will be denied to worthy individuals who are not married. "This is the church of Jesus Christ, not the church of marrieds or singles or any other group or individual. The gospel we preach is the gospel of Jesus Christ, which encompasses all the saving ordinances and covenants necessary to save and exalt every individual who is willing to accept Christ and keep the commandments that he and our Father in Heaven have given." Pres. Hunter goes on to say, "No blessing, including that of eternal marriage and an eternal family, will be denied to any worthy individual. While it may take somewhat longer - perhaps even beyond this mortal life - for some to achieve this blessing, it will not be denied . . . "

Successful marriage requires our best efforts to live the principles of the gospel. All of us know that relationships take work. This of course included marriage. "Marriage is a learned behavior. Our conscious effort, not instinct, determines the success. The motivating force stems from kindness, true affection, and consideration for each other's happiness and welfare." Something important to know and remember: "While it is true that worthy couples will obtain exaltation in the celestial kingdom, each man and woman sealed in an eternal relationship must be individually worthy of that blessing."

Husbands and wives should work together to strengthen the bonds of marriage. Pres. Hunter outlines 6 ways we can work on our marriages.

1) Charity and patience with imperfections

2) Oneness of heart

3) Fidenlity in thought, word, and deed

4) Tenderness and respect in intimacy

5) Attentive listening

6) Selflessness

Sunday Lesson, Aug 14th

Our lesson last week came from the Howard W. Hunter manual, Chp. 15, The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Our teacher summarized the story for us about Pres. Hunter when he was a young man and had turned 12. He had not been baptized yet and therefore could not receive the Aaronic Priesthood and be ordained a deacon. Young Howard was disappointed that he could not pass the sacrament with the young men at church. He recalls, "I sat in sacrament meetings with the other boys. When it was time for them to pass the sacrament, I would slump down in my seat. I felt so left out." Months after his 12th birthday young Hunter persuaded his father to let him be baptized. He was soon after ordained a deacon. "I remember the first time I passed the sacrament," he said. "I was frightened, but thrilled to have the privilege."

Years later as an Apostle of the Lord, Howard W. Hunter would regularly participate in the ordinance of the sacrament with other General Authorities in the Salt Lake Temple. Elder David B. Haight described the experience of hearing him bless the sacrament: "I wish the Aaronic Priesthood boys throughout the Church could have the same opportunity of hearing Elder Hunter bless the sacrament as we have had in the temple. He is a special witness of Christ. As I have listened to him ask our Heavenly Father to bless the sacrament, I have felt of the deep spirituality in his soul. Every word was clear and meaningful. He was not in a hurry, not rushed." Pres. Hunter had a lifelong reverence for the sacred emblems of Christ's atoning sacrifice.

The Passover declared that death has no permanent power on us. Pres. Hunter often help church members understand the significance of the sacrament by explaining it's connection to the ancient celebration of the Passover. "Passover is linked with the Christian observance of Easter . . . . The Passover [and Easter] testify of the great gift God has given and of the sacrifice that was involved in its bestowal. Both of these great religious commemorations declare that death would 'pass over' us and could have no permanent power upon us, and that the grave would have no victory."

During a feast commemorating the Passover, the Savior instituted the ordinance of the sacrament. After much preparations for the Passover meal for Christ and his disciples, Jesus sat down with them and taught them a newer and holier meaning of the bread and wine. "He took one of the flat, round loaves of unleavened bread, said the blessing over it, and broke it into pieces that he distributed to the Apostles, saying: "This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19).

Pres. Hunter says, "In this simple but impressive manner the Savior instituted the ordinance now known as the sacrament of the Lord's supper. With the suffering of Gethsemane, the sacrifice of Calvary, and the resurrection from the garden tomb, Jesus fulfilled the ancient law and ushered in a new dispensation based on a higher, holier understanding of the law of sacrifice....This is the majesty of the Atonement and Resurrection, not just a passover from death, but a gift of eternal life by and infinite sacrifice."

Pres. Hunter then teaches us, "How fitting it was during the observance of this ancient covenant of protection [the Passover meal] that Jesus should institute the emblems of the new covenant of safety - the emblems of his own body and blood. As he took the bread and broke it, and took the cup and blessed it, he was presenting himself as the Lamb of God who would provide spiritual nourishment and eternal salvation."

Our participation in the sacrament is an opportunity to review our lives and renew our covenants. We need to work hard to prepare ourselves to partake of the sacrament worthily. We should ask ourselves this question: Do I place God above all other things and keep all of His commandments? Pres. Hunter says, "To make a covenant with the Lord to always keep His commandments is a serious obligation, and to renew that covenant by partaking of the sacrament is equally serious. The solemn moments of thought while the sacrament is being served have great significance. They are moments of self-examination, introspection, self-discernment - a time to reflect and to resolve."

Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-10 says: "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."