Sharing Time-- given 9/28/08 in Riverside Ward

Begin by welcoming the children to sharing time and commenting on their primary program.

Display a shoe box. Who can tell me what this is? [A shoe box] Pull out a paper girl and boy Sunday shoe. Do you have special shoes for Sunday? What type of things do we do in our Sunday Shoes?

Pull a paper flip flop out of the shoe box. What kind of shoe is this? What types of things do you do in flip flops?

Pull a sneaker/athletic shoe out of the shoe box. What kind of shoe is this? What types of things do you do in sneakers?

Pull a cowboy boot out of the box. What kind of shoe is this? What types of things do people do when wearing cowboy boots?

Share a story called Muddy Boots in your own words—abbreviate where possible. Have a pair of paper boots prepared that can act as a visual aid during the story.

What did we learn from that story? [It’s good to help others, helping others is more important than shiny boots, Heavenly Father wants us to help others.] The cowboy in the story was acting as if the Savior stood beside him.

“I am going to show you some more shoes, but instead of telling me what you do when you are wearing them, tell me How would your actions be different if you knew the Savior stood beside you?”

What if you were at home, maybe wearing slippers? How would you behave differently if the Savior came to visit?

What if you were wearing your school shoes and the Savior came to your school? What would you do differently? Would you sit by Him at lunch? Would He want to visit you in class?

What if you were barefoot at the swimming pool? What would you do differently?

We would behave differently if the Savior was beside us—we would try to always be better people. The Savior may not be physically standing by us, but He is always watching over us. Sometimes we make mistakes. Does that mean Jesus doesn’t love us? No. Jesus always loves us.

Heavenly Father also loves us and we can always talk to Him and He will always listen. How do we talk to him? [Pray.] Bishop H. Burke said “I want you to know that I know that whenever one of Heavenly Father’s children kneels and talk to him, he listens. I know this as well as I know anything in this world—That Heavenly Father listens to every prayer for his children. . .No matter what we may have done wrong, he listens to us. I also believe he answers us. (Ensign, June 1981, 73) When we pray for help, Heavenly Father helps us make the right choices.

We are going to discuss ways that Heavenly Father and Jesus love us. We will pass around the shoe box until the music stops (like hot potato—these are the same shoes you took out earlier), that person will get to choose a shoe. On the back of the shoe is a clue you can use to guess the song we will sing. (I had the songs listed on the chalk board, so it was like a multiple-choice question.)

Flip flop—Joseph Smith JS-H 1:16-17

"We thank the, Oh God, for a Prophet"

Athletic shoe— Enos (Enos 1: 3-5)

“A Child’s Prayer.”

Boot—The story of muddy boots

"If the Savior Stood Beside Me."

Slipper— Ammon Alma 17: 22-25

“When Were Helping”

School shoe boy—Matthew 5:16

"Do as I’m Doing"

Barefoot—Joseph Smith testified that “the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” (History of the Church, 4:461.)

"Book of Mormon Stories"

Girls Sunday Shoe—Mosiah 28:1-2

"Called to Serve"

Boy Sunday shoe— Article of faith #8 (We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.)

"Scripture Power"

Testify, mentioning that the Savior loves us, no matter where we are, what we are doing, or which shoes we are wearing. Refer back to the story “Muddy Boots.” We will hand out three paper boots to each child with instruction to do three good deeds and leave the cowboy boot behind.

Muddy Boots

Marli Walker, “Muddy Boots,” Friend, Apr 1998, 28

When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God (Mosiah 2:17).

Daniel’s eyes lit up as he tore the last of the wrapping paper off the box. He lifted off the lid, then shouted, “Yippee! They’re just what I wanted!”

Inside the box were a pair of shiny, new cowboy boots. They were black and had a white design stitched on them. Daniel had wanted cowboy boots for a long time.

“Try them on,” his five-year-old brother, Steven, said.

“Yes! Yes! Try them on!” echoed Daniel’s three-year-old sister, Sara. Carefully he lifted the right boot out of the box. He turned it over in his hand, feeling the smooth black leather.

“I hope you like them,” Mom said. “Dad thought that they would be just right for you.”

Daniel nodded happily. “Wow!” he exclaimed as he admired them. He gently pulled the boot onto his right foot, lifted the other boot out of the box, and pulled it onto his left foot. He wiggled his toes inside the boots. Then he stood up, stomped his feet, and jumped twice. They fit perfectly!

“It looks like they’re just the right size,” Dad said.

“Thanks, Mom and Dad! They’re just what I wanted!” Daniel leaned forward on his feet, then rocked back. He balanced on one foot, then the other.

“I think he likes them,” Dad whispered to Mom.

“Just be careful with them,” Mom cautioned. “If you get them in the water or get them muddy or scuffed up, they won’t look new anymore.”

“I’ll take real good care of my boots!” Daniel promised as he bent over and ran his hand along the shiny black toe.

He did take good care of his cowboy boots. He always jumped over any water on the sidewalk. He never skipped through any mud puddles, and he always walked very carefully so that he wouldn’t make scuff marks on them. Every night when he took them off, he shined them with a soft cloth, then placed them side by side next to his bed. The cowboy boots stayed black, shiny, and new-looking.

Early one morning, as Daniel was finishing his breakfast, his mother asked him if he would go to the post office and mail a letter for her.

“Sure, Mom.”

“Be sure you wear a jacket, Daniel. It looks like the wind is picking up.”

After he put on his jacket and hat, he took the letter from his mother and started out for the post office.

The sky was overcast, it was windy, and it looked like it might rain. But Daniel was so happy to be wearing his new boots, that he didn’t notice. He skipped down the sidewalk and soon reached the post office. He mailed Mom’s letter and started home. The wind was blowing hard, so he zipped up his jacket and adjusted his hat so that it would not blow off. Then he started to jog. He passed Mr. Campbell’s bakery and Mrs. Goodson’s little sewing shop. He hurried past the Tuckers’ house and the Andersons’. By then, the wind was so strong that leaves and bits of paper were flying through the air, and dust was getting in his eyes.

Suddenly he stopped. He saw something very strange—a large white object flying by him! He blinked the dust out of his eyes and looked again. The flying white object was a man’s shirt! It fluttered, twisted, and flopped, then came to a stop right in a huge mud puddle!

“Catch that shirt!” A breathless voice exclaimed behind him. “I’ve been chasing it for five minutes! Oh, look at it now!”

Daniel turned around just as Mrs. Tucker caught up to him.

“I hung my laundry out on the clothesline this morning,” she said, panting from her run. “The breeze was quite nice, and I thought that it would dry my clothes quickly.” She took a deep breath. “But it suddenly got so windy! Now look at the shirt!” she moaned. “My husband needed to wear it tonight. Oh, now what am I going to do?” She threw her hands up in the air.

“I’ll get it for you, Mrs. Tucker,” Daniel quickly volunteered.

Mrs. Tucker’s face brightened. “Could you do that?” She looked hopeful. “I have to get the rest of my laundry off the clothesline before anything else blows away! Thank you so much!” Mrs. Tucker was already hurrying home.

Daniel stepped cautiously toward the huge mud puddle. It was starting to rain, and he didn’t want any mud splashing on his boots. The shirt had landed in the middle of the muddy water. He bent down and tried to reach it, but his arms weren’t long enough. He stood up and looked around for a long stick that he could pull the shirt out with. There were no long sticks anywhere, but he saw a short one a few feet away. He picked it up. It might work, he thought.

He squatted and reached out over the puddle as far as he could, but the stick wasn’t quite long enough. He inched closer to the water and stretched the stick out a little farther. But it was just too short. The shirt was still out of reach. He tried again, stretching the tiniest bit farther. …

Suddenly Daniel lost his balance. He tried to keep himself from falling, but he couldn’t stop himself and fell face first into the muddy water!

He stood up, grabbed the shirt, and jumped out of the dirty puddle. He was soaked! Mud and water dripped from his head and arms. His hat was crooked and it had dirty water dripping from the brim. As he wiped a dirty sleeve across his face, he looked down at his feet. His wonderful boots were wet and covered with a thick layer of mud! Daniel couldn’t even see the white stitching on the sides. He began stomping his feet on the sidewalk to shake the mud off of his boots, but not much came off. He wiped his jacket sleeve across the toe of each boot. It came away muddy, and it didn’t help much.

Upset, Daniel tucked the dirty white shirt under his arm and walked slowly to Mrs. Tucker’s house. It was still raining a little, but he didn’t even notice. All he could think about was his boots. No longer were they black, shiny, and new-looking. Now they’re ruined! he thought.

Daniel returned the shirt to a very grateful Mrs. Tucker. She thanked him and gave him a homemade chocolate chip cookie. He took a little bite as he walked home. But even though chocolate chip cookies were his favorite, he could barely taste it. All he could think about was his boots.

He felt so miserable that he didn’t see the little girl standing under a tree. He did hear her crying, though. It was Katie. She played with his sister, Sara. “What’s wrong, Katie?” he asked.

“My kitten climbed this tree when it started to get windy, and I can’t get her down.”

“I’ll help you.” Katie pointed to the top of the tree where a frightened kitten was clinging to a branch, and Daniel started to climb the tree. The wet branches grabbed at his jacket and scraped his legs and hands as he climbed toward the kitten. Finally he reached her. He gently lifted her off the branch, tucked her into the front of his jacket, and climbed down the tree.

Katie was very happy to have her pet safe and sound. She thanked Daniel and ran off cradling the kitten in her arms.

Daniel felt good. He was glad that he had helped Katie. But as he looked down to zip his jacket, he saw his boots—they were not only wet and muddy, they were also scratched and scuffed! Daniel sighed sadly. He was sure that his parents wouldn’t be very happy when they saw his boots.

He was going up the lane to his house, when he saw Dad trying to herd the new lambs back into their pen. “Do you need some help, Dad?” Dad gave him a long look. He noticed Daniel’s dirty face and muddy, wet clothes. He saw the scratched cowboy boots. “It looks like you’ve had a busy afternoon.”

Daniel glumly nodded.

“Well, I could sure use some help getting these lambs back into their pen. There’s a hole in the fence, and they found it!”

Daniel climbed over the fence into the lamb pen. Then he took the lambs when his father handed them over the fence. Soon all the lambs were back where they belonged. Then he helped his father fasten new wire across the hole in the fence so that the lambs couldn’t get out again.

“Thanks for the help, Son. Let’s go back to the house. It looks like it’s going to rain really hard in a few minutes!”

Daniel climbed up the fence and swung his leg over. He heard a ripping sound. He looked at his right foot in dismay. A loose wire had torn three inches on the side of his right boot. His eyes filled with tears.

Dad helped him down from the fence. “I think I can fix that with some heavy thread,” he said as he examined the tear.

Daniel just nodded slowly. His cowboy boots were really ruined now, even though he had tried hard to take care of them.

Later, in the warm kitchen, Daniel sat at the table with a cup of hot chocolate. It tasted good, but it didn’t do much to warm his spirits.

Mom put down the dish towel she had been using and sat by him. “Do you want to tell me what happened to your boots?” she asked gently.

Daniel told her about getting the shirt out of the mud puddle for Mrs. Tucker, about rescuing Katie’s kitten, and about helping Dad put the lambs back into their pen. “I’m sorry, Mom,” he said as a tear rolled down his cheek. “I really tried hard to take care of my boots.”

“I’ve noticed how well you take care of your boots,” she told him. “I’ve seen how gently you polish them and how carefully you take them off and put them away. It makes me very happy to know that you are so responsible.” She reached over and took his hand. “I’m also very pleased that you helped Mrs. Tucker, Katie, and Daddy today. Your boots may not be as shiny as they used to be, but it was only because you were serving others. That’s what our Savior wants us to do.

“You were always happy to wear your new boots because you had taken care of them. They may not look as new or as clean as they used to now, but every time you wear them, you will remember why.” She reached over and hugged him. “You know, Daniel, helping others is more important than clean, shiny boots.”

Daniel thought about that and felt happier.

“Let’s go clean your boots,” Mom said. “Then Daddy can sew up the tear. Of course,” she said with a twinkle in her eye, “they won’t be as bright or shiny as they used to be, but we’ll know the reason why, won’t we?”

“Yes—my boots are muddy because I was helping people, like Jesus wants me to!”

Talk given at Stake Confrence, 5/18/08

Talk given at Stake Confrence, 5/18/08

Nick was a boy with many blessings. Unfortunately, Nick was so finicky that sometimes, his family called him “Picky Nicky.” He was picky about his clothes. He was picky about his toys. And he was especially picky about his food.

One day Mom made Nick’s favorite dish—macaroni and cheese. She served it to him in his favorite bowl, gave him his favorite spoon to eat it with, and expected him to say, “Yum! Yum! My favorite!” But all Nick said was, “It isn’t cheesy enough.”

Mom took a deep breath, “Nick, I have had enough! You don’t like gelatin because it keeps falling off your spoon. You won’t eat tomatoes because they have seeds. Now you’re even complaining about macaroni and cheese! Starting tomorrow, you are in charge of the cooking!”

When Nick went downstairs the next morning, Mom, Dad, and Tyler were already at the kitchen table.

“We’re waiting for breakfast. We would like some pancakes, please,” Mom said.

“I don’t know how to make pancakes. How about cereal?”

“I don’t want cereal today,” Mom said.

“Me either,” Dad said.

“I want pancakes,” Tyler said.

“Get the pancake mix out of the pantry and read the directions on the box,” Mom said. “I’ll help you if you don’t understand them.”

Nick was upset. Why couldn’t they just eat cereal? But everyone was staring at him, so he got out the pancake mix.

Mom helped him figure out what to do, but it still wasn’t easy. As he put the pancake mix into a big bowl, he spilled some onto the counter. And when he cracked two eggs into the mix, pieces of shell fell into the bowl too. It took a while to fish them out—yuck! Finally he added the milk and stirred everything together. He scooped up some batter with a measuring cup and poured it on the hot, oiled griddle Mom had gotten ready for him.

“Remember,” Dad said, “I like thin, little pancakes—lots of them.”

“And I like fat, round pancakes,” Tyler said.

“I want big, brown, crispy ones,” Mom said.

After a few minutes, Nick looked at the pancakes on the griddle. None of them was thin and little, or fat and round, or brown and crispy. One pancake was flat but big. Another was round but lumpy. And the biggest one was brown, all right, but it looked soggy in the center. He put the pancakes on three plates. He gave one to Dad, another to Mom, and the last to Tyler. Then he got out the syrup and butter and put them on the table.

“This isn’t thin and little,” Dad said. “It’s flat and big and not even round. And there’s only one!”

“My pancake looks lumpy,” Tyler said.

“And mine looks soggy in the center,” Mom said. “Maybe you’d better make some more for us.”

“Maybe they’ll be OK once you put on the butter and syrup.”

“We’ll try them,” Mom said.

Nick was getting upset. They were just being picky. “Oh!” He thought, that is what I do.

While the rest of the family ate their pancakes, Nick ate his favorite cereal in his favorite bowl with his favorite spoon. No one said anything more.

After breakfast Nick helped Mom clean up the kitchen. As he was putting the last plate into the dishwasher, Mom was wiping off the table.

“Mom,” he said softly, “will you make the sandwiches for lunch? Any kind will be OK.”

Mom smiled. “OK, Nick,” she said.

This story of “Picky Nicky,” was adapted from a story that appeared in the Feb 1993 issue of the Friend.

Today I am speaking mostly to the primary children. I am proud of all the things our children do to help those around them. I have heard children tell stories of sharing the gospel, helping at home, and loving their brothers and sisters. In primary each child is learning that they are a son or daughter of God and they can follow His example.

I would like to talk about one way primary children can help strengthen their families. That is by saying thank-you.

President Hinckley told us, “There are two little words in the English language that perhaps mean more than all others. They are “thank you.” (A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth. Ensign Jan 2001)

When you say thank you to your family for the things they do for you, your whole family is blessed. When my son says “Thank you” for taking him to the park, I know that I will want to take him fun places again. This week, after I finished unloading the dishwasher, my almost 2 year old daughter peered into the empty dishwasher, clapped her hands and said “Yea Mommy.” The times that my children are thankful are the times that a spirit of peace can be felt in our home. You can help bring that same feeling into your home by saying Thank you.

Saying thank you is a way to show your family that you love them.

One primary song has very simple words, but a powerful message. This song is called “I am glad for many things.” (pg 151)

I am glad for many things, many things, many things.

I am glad for many things that are mine today.

Thank you, thank you, my heart sings, my heart sings, my heart sings.

Thank you for the many things that are mine today.

Heavenly Father does not want us to be “Picky” like the beginning of the story of Picky Nicky. He wants us to recognize the things others do for us, just like Nick was at the end of the story. In D&C 46:32, Heavenly Father tells us “And ye must give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with.” And in D&C 59:7 he says Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things.

In the 2007 April Confrence, Sister Bonnie Parkin shared the following story. “A family was going through a difficult time. It was hard for them not to focus on their challenges. The mother wrote: “Our world had completely crumpled, so we turned to Heavenly Father for guidance. Almost immediately we realized that we were surrounded by goodness and were being cheered on from every side. We began as a family to express our gratitude to each other as well as to the Lord daily. A close friend pointed out to me that our family’s ‘blessing basket’ was overflowing. From that conversation came a sort of game, which my children and I grew to love. Before family prayer each night we would talk about how our day had gone and then share with each other all of the many blessings that had been added to our ‘blessing basket.’ The more we expressed gratitude, the more there was to be grateful for. We felt the love of the Lord in a significant way as opportunities for growth presented themselves.”

The family in Sister Parkin’s story grew closer together as they expressed gratitude.

Primary children, please think right now of someone in your family that loves you and serves you. The next time you talk to that person, please tell them “thank you.” You will be happier as you thank your family.

Parents of primary children, please encourage your children to regularly say thank you to their primary teachers, Cub Scout leaders, achievement day leaders, and all the other members who serves them in primary. Your children will have a better experience in primary if they appreciate their teachers and leaders.

All of us receive blessings for which we can thank our Father in Heaven. As we look for things each day to be thankful for, our lives will be happier. Each day when we pray, we can thank our Heavenly Father for sending Jesus Christ into the world and making it possible for us to live with him again. We can thank him for church, the world, and our families. Children have the wonderful ability to be grateful for the small things in life. We can learn from them when they thank their Heavenly Father for such things as a friend to play with on the playground, the night time story that was read to them, or the ice cream they had for dessert.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my Heavenly Father. I am grateful for the atonement and the opportunity it gives me to keep trying again. I am thankful for the knowledge that I am a child of God. I am thankful to know that all of us are children of our Heavenly Father. I am grateful for everyone who holds and magnifies a calling in primary. I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for loving me even during the times I find myself to be picky rather than thankful. May we all take the time to express our thanks to our families, our teachers and our Heavenly Father.

Notes for RS lesson given on 5/4/08

The following is a story given by Carlfred Broderick, as written in the book “My Parents Married on a Dare.” Brother Broderick has served as Stake President and spoken at Education week.

While I was serving as a stake president, the event occurred that I want to use as

the keynote to my remarks. I was sitting on the stand at a combined meeting of the stake Primary board and stake Young Women's board where they were jointly inducting from the Primary into the Young Women's organization the eleven-year-old girls who that year had made the big step. They had a lovely program. It was one of those fantastic, beautiful presentations—based on the Wizard of Oz, or a take-off on the Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy, an eleven-year-old girl, was coming down the yellow brick road together with the tin woodman, the cowardly lion, and the scarecrow. They were singing altered lyrics about the gospel. And Oz, which was one wall of the cultural hall, looked very much like the Los Angeles Temple. They really took off down that road. There were no weeds on that road; there were no munchkins; there were no misplaced tiles; there was no wicked witch of the west. That was one antiseptic yellow brick road, and it was very, very clear that once they got to Oz, they had it made. It was all sewed up. Following that beautiful presentation with all the snappy tunes and skipping and so on, came a sister who I swear was sent over from Hollywood central casting. (I do not

believe she was in my stake; I never saw her before in my life.) She looked as if she had come right off the cover of a fashion magazine—every hair in place—with a photogenic returned missionary husband who looked like he came out of central casting and two or three, or heaven knows how many, photogenic children, all of whom came out of central casting or Kleenex ads or whatever. She enthused over her temple marriage and how wonderful life was with her charming husband and her perfect children and that the young women too could look like her and have a husband like him and children like them if they would stick to the yellow brick road and live in Oz. It was a lovely, sort of tearjerking, event.

After the event was nearly over, the stake Primary president, who was conducting, made a grave strategic error. She turned to me and, pro forma, said, "President Broderick, isthere anything you would like to add to this lovely evening?" I said, "Yes, there is," and I don't think she has ever forgiven me. What I said was this,

"Girls, this has been a beautiful program. I commend the gospel with all of its auxiliaries

and the temple to you, but I do not want you to believe for one minute that if you keepall

the commandments and live as close to the Lord as you can and do everything right and fight off the entire priests quorum one by one and wait chastely for your missionary to return and pay your tithing and attend your meetings, accept calls from the bishop, and have a temple marriage, I do not want you to believe that bad things will not happen to you. And when that happens, I do not want you to say that God was not true. Or, to say, 'They promised me in Primary, they promised me when I was a Mia Maid, they promised me from the pulpit that if I were very, very good, I would be blessed. But the boy I want doesn't know I exist, or the missionary I've waited for and kept chaste so we both could go to the temple turned out to be a flake,' or far worse things than any of the above. Sad things—children who are sick or developmentally handicapped, husbands who are not faithful, illnesses that can cripple, or violence, betrayals, hurts, deaths, losses—when those things happen, do not say God is not keeping his promises to me. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not insurance against pain. It is resource in event of pain, and when that pain comes (and it will come because we came here on earth to have pain among other things), when it comes, rejoice that you have a resource to deal with your pain."

I don’t share this story to be a dooms-day predictor. In fact, there are many trials that we can avoid by living the gospel—trying our best to be honest, taking care of our bodies, striving for preparedness, and listening to the Holy Ghost can all help us avoid some of life’s problems. But, even with the gospel, none of us get through life without out some sorrow or pain, some of it quite severe. Our yellow brick roads have weeds. Sometimes, someone else has taken a jack hammer and ripped out a portion of our yellow bricks all together.

Today I’d like to talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a resource in our lives when the inevitable happens.

Not speaking spiritually, but temporally, what comes to mind when I say “resource” or “natural resource?”

According to the dictionary a resource is “a source of supply, support, or aid, esp. one that can be readily drawn upon when needed.” The first thing that comes to my head is oil. We have heard so much about oil lately and the rising costs. Some of us have tried to limit our oil consumption. But when it comes down to it, we need oil as part of our modern lives and we are willing to pay high prices to get it. Eventually, we may switch to another resource. But, we always need some kind of resource for our lives to function.

I would like to ask each of you, have you ever had an experience in your life that allowed you to take one of the basic aspects of the gospel and use it as a resource. I will share one of my experiences while you think, and then I will ask if anyone would like to share.

Several years ago, my husband was a student and I worked at a doctor’s office. Our first son been born. For his program in school, Taylor was required to spend two months on an internship in a different state. We lived in Utah at the time and he elected to do his internship in Oklahoma while I stayed behind with Brayden.

I was not excited. I didn’t want to work and take care of Brayden by myself. Also, I had never lived by myself and was nervous about my safety. Before Taylor left, he gave me a blessing. In this blessing he told me that through the next two months, when trials arouse, I was to think of the scripture stories I knew and draw from their example.

I was raising a young child and wasn’t always the best at scripture study. But during this period of my life, the scriptures became a source of power and a resource to help me through those two months. And they were terrible months.

Ask if anyone would like to share.

President Uchtdorf in his talk “Have we not reason to Rejoice?” Shares one of his own “resource” experiences:

I remember a time when things didn’t look good for our family when I was a child. It was in the winter of 1944, one of the coldest during World War II. The war front was approaching our town, and my mother had to take us four children, leave all our possessions behind, and join the millions of fleeing refugees in a desperate search for a place to survive. Our father was still in the military, but he and Mother had agreed that if they were ever separated during the war, they would try to reunite at the hometown of my grandparents. They felt this place offered the greatest hope for shelter and safety.

With bombing raids during the night and air attacks during the day, it took us many days to reach my grandparents. My memories of those days are of darkness and coldness.

My father returned to us unharmed, but our future looked extremely bleak. We were living in the rubble of postwar Germany with a devastating feeling of hopelessness and darkness about our future.

In the middle of this despair, my family learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the healing message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This message made all the difference; it lifted us above our daily misery. Life was still thorny and the circumstances still horrible, but the gospel brought light, hope, and joy into our lives. The plain and simple truths of the gospel warmed our hearts and enlightened our minds. They helped us look at ourselves and the world around us with different eyes and from an elevated viewpoint.

My dear brothers and sisters, aren’t the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and our membership in His Church great reasons to rejoice?

Please open your scriptures:

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-29).

“For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee” (3 Nephi 22:10).

“The lord knows how to succor his people” (Alma 7:12).

Because we have the capability and the resources, we are asked to Endure to the end. Sometimes it seems impossible, but with the help of the gospel, we can.

President Uchtdorf said:

“Enduring to the end, or remaining faithful to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout our life, is a fundamental requirement for salvation in the kingdom of God. This belief distinguishes Latter-day Saints from many other Christian denominations that teach that salvation is given to all who simply believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ. The Lord clearly declared, “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7).

What does Enduring to the End mean to you?

Enduring to the end is not just a matter of passively tolerating life’s difficult circumstances or “hanging in there.” Ours is an active religion, helping God’s children along the strait and narrow path to develop their full potential during this life and return to Him one day. Viewed from this perspective, enduring to the end is exalting and glorious, not grim and gloomy. This is a joyful religion, one of hope, strength, and deliverance. “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25).

Enduring to the end implies “patient continuance in well doing” (Romans 2:7), striving to keep the commandments (see 2 Nephi 31:10), and doing the works of righteousness (see D&C 59:23). It requires sacrifice and hard work. To endure to the end, we need to trust our Father in Heaven and make wise choices, including paying our tithes and offerings, honoring our temple covenants, and serving the Lord and one another willingly and faithfully in our Church callings and responsibilities. It means strength of character, selflessness, and humility; it means integrity and honesty to the Lord and our fellowmen. It means making our homes strong places of defense and a refuge against worldly evils; it means loving and honoring our spouses and children.

If there is time, add this story:

Carlfred Broderick, in a talk given at a BYU Women’s Conference, tells of an experience of covenant keeping he had while visiting a foreign country. He was asked by a mission president to talk to a sister missionary who was determined to return home after serving only six weeks. When they met, this sister defiantly insisted that no one was going to talk her out of going home. He asked why and she told him. She had grown up in a poor Mormon family in Idaho. She had been terribly abused in about every way there is to be abused. She had sufered much even though she herself was innocent. She made attempts to discuss her situation but no one listened. Finally, at age 14, a teacher did believe her. Her Bishop took her into his own home where she finished high school, went to college and then left on her mission. Her father, even then, had taunted her before she left saying, “Well, let me just tell you something, girl, and don’t you never forget it. They can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”

That’s what she had decided. She was struggling on her mission with doubts about herself and felt that her father was right. She could finish high school, go to college and even go on a mission but that didn’t change what she had been taught she was- a sow’s ear. She was going home to throw herself away, to stop pretending she was someone she wasn’t.

Brother Broderick asked her, “Before you came on your mission, you went to the temple, didn’t you? You were anointed to become a queen, weren’t you, a princess in your Heavenly Father’s house? That’s no way to treat a princess. The Lord will not easily forgive you if you treat his daugher that way. You’re going to throw her away, a princess of our Heavely Father? Then what are you going to say to him when he says, ‘How have you handled the stewardship that I gave you of this glorious personage who lived with me, who is my daughter, who is a royal personage of dignity and of honor? I sent her down to the earth, and how have you brought her back to me?’

The sister stayed on her mission, and a few years later, Brother Broderick saw her in Provo. He asked her how she was doing. She answered, “I’m growing just as fast as I can.” Brother Broderick confirmed that her stewardship was to get that daughter home to Heavenly Father where she belonged. He concludes, “That’s the mystery of the kingdom, that’s the mystery of godliness--that we are our Father’s children.

This girls’s yellow brick road had been ripped out by someone else. Where was she supposed to skip? Yet, it was through the truths and love experienced by embracing the gospel of Jesus Christ that allowed her to start on her yellow path again.

Part of President Uchdorf’s testimony at the end of his talk:

“My dear brothers and sisters, there will be days and nights when you feel overwhelmed, when your hearts are heavy and your heads hang down. Then, please remember, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the Head of this Church. It is His gospel. He wants you to succeed. He gave His life for just this purpose. . .My dear friends, the Savior heals the broken heart and binds up your wounds (see Psalm 147:3). Whatever your challenges may be, wherever you live on this earth, your faithful membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the divine powers of the gospel of Jesus Christ will bless you to endure joyfully to the end.

Of this I bear witness with all my heart and mind in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

I would like to add my testimony. . .

Explaination

I am starting this blog to keep a record of the talks and lessons I give in church. (And to record the material I use in case I ever want to use it again.) And, I figure if I am ever asked to speak in a ward twice, I will be sure not to use the same material in the same place.

As I go through old files, I may add old talks, but for now, this is a record of this I've currently use.