Teachings for our times - lesson snippet

Sis. Kendall taught today and the conference talk her lesson was created from was Claim the Blessings of the Covenants by Sis. Reeves. 

One interested thing she brought up was she asked us,
"If you were to die today which kingdom of Heaven do you think you would go to?" 

She didn't have us answer but merely to think about the answer. She said in her Institute class lately their instructor has asked this same question in a lessons before. He would pass around slips of paper and have people anonymously write down which Kingdom they thought they would go to. Most didn't put the Celestial Kingdom. This is what he taught them: 

Covenants of Salvation: you need these 4 things -

1. Faith

2. Repentance

3. Baptisnm

4. Gift of the Holy Ghost

5. Endure to the End

How are you doing in this area? 

Then he listed out the Covenants of Exaltation: you need - 

1. Endowments

2. Sealing

To get to the Celestial Kingdom these 2 lists of things is what you have to do. 

There are degrees within the Celestial Kingdom as we know. But looking at the lists.....how are you doing now? It seems a little more attainable right? 

Joseph Fielding Smith said, "It is necessary, not merely that we believe, but that we repent," and he also taught that when we perform good works in faith until the end, we will receive the reward of the faithful and a place in the Celestial Kingdom of God." 

Lesson on the Temple

Sis. Mark taught the lesson this Sunday about the Temple. She mentioned a great interview that Sis. Beck did answering questions about the temple. Here is the link she promised to share: 
 
Episode 17: Temple Covenants
How can we prepare to enter the temple? After we’ve attended a session in the temple, where can we go with our questions? In what ways can the temple bring us closer to the Savior? Join us as Sister Julie B. Beck answers your questions about preparing to enter the temple and honoring the covenants we make there.
 http://broadcast2.lds.org/ldsradio/ReliefSociety/2011-08-0170-temple-covenants-64k-eng.mp3

Lesson Snippet - #3 The Plan of Salvation

Sis. Pressler taught the lesson today from the manual- #3 The plan of salvation. 

I honestly don't know when I have enjoyed a lesson on this so much. We will miss her as she now goes off to serve in Primary but we know there is where she is needed most at this time. 

The lesson had a wonderful story it that was worth sharing: 

 

A man walking along the road happens to fall into a pit so deep and dark that he cannot climb to the surface and regain his freedom. How can he save himself from his predicament? Not by any exertions on his own part, for there is no means of escape in the pit. He calls for help, and some kindly disposed soul, hearing his cries for relief, hastens to his assistance and by lowering a ladder, gives to him the means by which he may climb again to the surface of the earth. This was precisely the condition that Adam placed himself and his posterity in, when he partook of the forbidden fruit. All being together in the pit, none could gain the surface and relieve the others. The pit was banishment from the presence of the Lord and temporal death, the dissolution of the body. And all being subject to death, none could provide the means of escape.

 

The Savior comes along, not subject to that pit, and lowers the ladder. He comes down into the pit and makes it possible for us to use the ladder to escape.

In his infinite mercy, the Father heard the cries of his children and sent his Only Begotten Son, who was not subject to death nor to sin, to provide the means of escape. This he did through his infinite atonement and the everlasting gospel.

Joseph Fielding Smith

Sis Griffin gave this lesson this Sunday. Since we are learning from Joseph Fielding Smith all year from our manual she spotlighted this life. There are 32 pages at the beginning of the manual that talks about his history. She focused on his family, the people who he came from that taught and influenced who he became - especially the women in this life. 

A wonderful quote about him from the manual says this, 

"President Joseph Fielding Smith “used three great words that I can never forget,” recalled President Gordon B. Hinckley. Those words were “true and faithful.” President Hinckley said, “In his public addresses, in his private conversation, in his prayers to the Lord, he pleaded that we might be true and faithful.” President Thomas S. Monson shared a similar memory: “Even in his advanced years, [he] always prayed, ‘May we be true and faithful to the end.^"

“True and faithful.” For President Joseph Fielding Smith, this was more than an often-repeated phrase. It was a heartfelt expression of his hope for all people. It was also a description of his life, from his childhood through his service as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Lesson #2 summary - manual

Sister Melow taught our lesson today - 

Our Savior Jesus Christ

 She read and briefly talked about the 4 main headings in the lesson but Sister Melow put her focus on the attributes of Christ. She reminded us how easy it is to see these attributes in others but not so easy in ourselves. She handed out this Attributes activity paper that can be found on LDS.org

It lists 9 different attributes with supporting "explanations" and scriptures. Instead of focusing where we lacked she asked us to set aside our humility for the reminder of the class and name one thing in each category that we are already doing that displays this attribute. 

Several sisters shared and it was a wonderful way of building ourselves up in a good way and a way to better our self talk. 

Print off the sheet - it would make a wonderful FHE!

2014 - Sending out an SOS - our theme for the year

Dear Adams Park Ward Sisters-

Welcome to 2014! A year we hope is filled with opportunities and blessings for your families!

As we reflect back on our Relief Society theme last year: "Find JOY in your journey", we felt 

like it was important to keep our focus on joy (because counting our blessings should always 

be important in our lives), but narrow our direction to the source of true joy -- Jesus Christ. So 

throughout this next year we hope to support one another in a more concentrated focus on a 

journey to Seek Our Savior. (SOS)

We encourage you to create a personal SOS plan to develop a closer relationship with the Savior this year. All of us face different life circumstances and situations. We all need strength in dealing with them. This strength comes from faith in the Savior's love and in the power of His atonement.If we truly Seek Our Savior -- daily, weekly, monthly, and let it become a part of us -- we will be happier, our testimony will increase, and we will draw closer in our relationship to our Savior.Remember: "When you choose to follow Christ, you choose to be changed." -Ezra Taft Benson

May we each feel of His loving guidance and influence-

Sister Snow

 

Windows of Heaven - teaching for our times lesson

Sis. Ashman taught our lesson today from the conference talk - Windows of Heavens

He mentions the small the significant blessings. 

What does that mean? What are the small yet significant things you have seen in your life? 

Elder Bednar says it's a simple plan that the Lords has for us. 

"Sometimes we may ask God for success, and He gives us physical and mental stamina. We might plead for prosperity, and we receive enlarged perspective and increased patience, or we petition for growth and are blessed with the gift of grace. He may bestow upon us conviction and confidence as we strive to achieve worthy goals. And when we plead for relief from physical, mental and spiritual difficulties, He may increase our resolve and resilience."

Lesson 22 snippets

Lesson 22 - Lorenzo Snow Manual
This lesson focused on making our heart and home a more heavenly place.
In this endeavor, everyday we should try

• To be a little more faithful
• To be a little better
• To have more love and affection for our neighbors
• To b e a friend to everyone, everywhere
• To extend our charity and labor in the interest of all mankind
• To be upright, just and merciful
• To exercise the spirit of nobility and goodness in all our act and dealings
• To cutlivate a spirit of charity
• To be ready to do for others more than we would expect from them
• To be ambitious to be great in the eyes of God
• To love the Lord they God with all our hear, mght, mind and strength
• To try to love mankind because they are our brethren
• To pray for the spiit of philanthophy

This looks like an overwhelming list, just try one thing a day, a week, or a month...progress is what's important
 
A person never can enjoy heaven until he learns how to get it and ac upon it's princples - President Lorenzo Snow

Snippets from Sundays lesson

Sister Amy Pressler gave the lesson, "The Kingdom of God Moves Forward" -- lesson 20 from the Lorenzo

Snow manual. What a wonderful lesson to go along with the emphasis our leaders are directing our

focus to in Hastening the Work.
President Lorenzo Snow said: "This work is built on a sure foundation, being founded on the rock of

ages….No matter who are lost by the way and make shipwreck of their faith, the Church will go on. This

Church will stand, because it is upon a firm basis….it has come directly from the Lord."

We discussed that with so many things in life that are unpredictable -- it is comforting to know we have

a gospel that is unchanging.

After being taught by our leaders this past general conference, may we feel the same desire that

President Snow felt after the October 1898 conference when he said: "Let us decree in our hearts,

let us inwardly testify to the Lord, that we will be a better people, a more united people at our next

Conference than we are today. This should be the feeling and determination of every man and woman

present in this solemn assembly. I feel in my heart that I will try to be more devoted than I have been in

the past to the interests of the kingdom of God and the carrying out of His purposes."

Great council from this lesson:

It is time for us to humble ourselves before God and accomplish the work He has entrusted to us.

"It is the business of those who profess to be engaged in [God's] work to move on, to go forward….So

long as there remains a step forward to be taken, that step should be taken."

Be of good Cheer - lesson summary

Sis. Murdock taught the lesson last week for the Teachings for our Times. Here's a few "nuggets" from it: 

- In the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. 

 - Difficult times may lie ahead but you can still have joy.

- Sometimes we concentrate to much on our trials. 

Here's a great video she shared as well. It really helps put things in perspective.