Neal A. Maxwell –“Behold, the Enemy Is Combined” (D&C
38:12)
- Yet we must not be intimidated or lose our composure even though the once morally unacceptable is becoming acceptable, as if frequency somehow conferred respectability!
- “If the hunger for liberty destroys order, then hunger for reorder will destroy liberty.”
- No wonder the adversary steadily promotes all the ancient sins, not because he is uninventive but because his harvest is so constant.
- What is the lasting advantage of becoming streetwise if one is on a street to nowhere.
- Even with its flaws, the family is basic, and since no other institution can compensate fully for failure in the family, why then, instead of enhancing the family, the desperate search for substitutes?
- We can reach for “hands which hang down,” even if some refuse our proffered hands of friendship. We can hold to the iron rod even if others slip away and a few end up mocking us from “the great and spacious building.”
Gene R. Cook –Receiving Divine Assistance through the Grace
of the Lord
- We should have great hope in knowing, however unworthy we may feel or week we may be, that if we will do all we can, He will come to our aid and provide for us whatever we may lack.
- Christ can repair our flaws and failings that otherwise are not repairable.
- A repentant heart and good works are the very conditions required to have grace restored to us. When someone pleads fervently in prayer for an answer, the answer may be more conditioned on repentance of personal sins than any other factor.
- The Lord’s assistance to us—whether we have strong faith or weak faith; whether a man, a woman, or a child—is not based just on what we know, how strong we are, or what we are, but more upon our giving all that we can give and doing all that we can do in our present circumstance. Once one has given all he can, then the Lord, through His grace, may assist him.
- To obtain grace, one does not have to be perfect but he does have to be trying to keep the commandments the best that he can. Then the Lord may allow him to receive that power.
- Let no trial or affliction, my brothers and sisters ever separate us from the love of God and the true love of Christ.
Neil L. Andersen –“Whom the Lord Calls, the Lord Qualifies”
- She makes goodness look easy, and the purity of her spirit keeps our family focused on the simple yet saving truths of the gospel.
- “Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies.” I know this is true, and it gives me hope looking beyond my own inadequacies.
D. Todd Christofferson –I Know in Whom I Have Trusted
- Our Lord’s cause sanctifies us. Whether it is performed in the glare of the public eye or in a quiet corner known only to God is of no consequence. What matters is that we do serve.
- I am particularly gratified, and it is of great significance to me, that I may at any moment and in any circumstance approach through prayer the throne of grace, that my Heavenly Father will hear my petition, that my Advocate, him who did no sin, whose blood was shed, will plead my cause.
Chieko N. Okazaki- Cat’s Cradle of Kindness
- We meet many people. With some, the association lasts for years. With others, the association is very brief. But in either case, we can make the pattern a beautiful one by making our encounter a kindly one, filled with the desire to serve.
- We may not know what contribution our small thread makes to the great tapestry. We may not understand the pattern that our lives make as they intersect, connect, separate, and intersect again, but God does.
- You are part of this pattern. And the Savior is part of the pattern. In fact, I like to think that the Savior is the spaces in the pattern, for there would be no pattern at all without them.
Tai Kwok Yuen –“He Maketh Me to Lie Down in Green Pastures”
- Ofttimes we become anxious and fearful as we confront the complexities of life. If we seek divine guidance and follow the gospel path, we will be led to our final destination. Sometimes adversity may seem so overwhelming that we feel powerless to continue. If we appeal for help with humility and faith, our Heavenly Father will provide a way to lovingly help us through.
- Through the gospel, hatred can turn into love, pride into humility, wickedness into righteousness, sorrow into happiness, and fear into peace. It promises us hope of returning to the presence of our Heavenly Father.
Lowell D. Wood –Come unto Christ
- The first required action: “hear ye him.”
- If we are to come unto Christ, we must first listen to him.
- As we come unto Christ, we must surrender our worldly ways, our pride, and our selfishness. As we yield to the promptings of the Holy ghost, we should experience a “mighty change in [our] hearts” and become willing to submit to our accept “all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us]”
- To yield to Christ means to put him and his teachings first.
- “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.
- Self-control and self-discipline are important virtues that need to be developed in the process of coming unto Christ.
- Any thought, activity, or action that is compatible with the name, the life, or the teachings of Jesus Christ is acceptable. Any behavior that is not compatible with his name, his life, or his teachings is not acceptable and should be avoided.
- Come back, come back now! Come unto Christ and enjoy the “fruit of the Spirit,” namely, “love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” and begin to “walk in the Spirit” and to “lay hold upon every gift.”
L. Tom Perry –Back to Gospel Basics
- A renewed emphasis on two basic gospel practices—daily prayer and scripture study—created a dramatic change and offered increased spirituality and works among the Saints there.
- As parents, it is clearly our duty to teach our children to pray, and regular family prayers establish patterns that literally bless future generations.
- It is so satisfying to know that God is mindful of us and ready to respond when we place our trust in Him. There is no place for fear among men and women who place their trust in the Almighty, who do not hesitate to humble themselves in seeking divine guidance through prayer.
- I know not by what methods rare But this I know, God answers prayer. I know that He has given His Word, Which tells me prayer is always heard, And will be answered, soon or late. And so I pray and calmly wait. I know not if the blessing sought Will come in just the way I thought; But leave my prayers with Him alone, Whose will is wiser than my own, Assured that He will grant my quest, Or send some answer far more blest.
- What the Lord has declared to be right will always be right. What He has declared to be true will always be true. What he has declared to be sinful will always be sinful.
- I promise you that daily family prayer and scripture study will build within the walls of your home a security and bonding that will enrich your lives and prepare your families to meet the challenges of today and the eternities to come.
Gordon B. Hinckley –“A
Prophet’s Testimony”
- The adversary is abroad in the earth. He would seek to destroy this work, but if we are united, all of us, his efforts will be of no avail. The work of the Lord will go on and grow in majesty and power and strength across the world.
- Those miracles—and miracles they are—are occurring all across this world. This is a work of miracles, and the power of the Spirit is resting upon the heads of men and women and boys and girls all across the globe. Someone has said that the Holy Ghost can teach us things that we cannot teach one another. How true that is. How wonderfully true that is!
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
The Dream
I was going through a bunch of job interviews at the school. I walked onto campus nearby the construction zone and ran into a few of my institute council friends -Clara, Ryan, Melanie, Stuart to name a few. And they were participating in this...'game' where you'd take a ride on the crane. They had a rig where instead of lifting up metal beams and such you would be hooked up in it's place and swung around and around in circles. Everyone else seemed into doing it...I kinda just wandered away as I really didn't want to do it...and I ended up in a counselor's office. She was interviewing me for some kind of job. I got the feeling that I went through a couple of interviews. On one I showed up and my brother was there, and she asked us questions comparing pictures of us and other things. I was heading towards yet another appointment with this woman...I headed towards the LA building but the hallways were dark...it seemed like it was late at night....so I didn't think she would be there, and I got distracted by the opposite side of the building. There was a riot/game going on at the baseball field. My brother was causing it. apparently he'd...idk...somehow convinced the judges that he would always be right and he was taking advantage of it. You could say he'd gone power crazy, pumping up the crowd and getting everyone on his side. This...made me angry. I went up to him and slapped him. Multiple times calling him nine different kinds of an idiot. I basically went on a slapping spree slapping coaches and everyone and finally ended up with the counselor. I lost it on her constantly slapping her face saying things like "Are you crazy?!?!" She couldn't understand what was wrong and I was like "This has happened before you dummy! You don't get my brother involved in this or he turns out like that!" Apparently my brother had joined the basketball team and a similar situation had happened and we hadn't wanted my brother to get involved in that kind of situation again....
Then the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....
and I became myself again. :)
-S.N.D
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