The Temple - One of Lifes Greatest Blessings

Todays lesson was taken from The Teachings of President Ezra Taft Benson, Chapter 13: Priceless Blessings of the House of the Lord.

President Benson shared his early memories of the importance of the temple is his own home as he spoke of his mother:

"I can still see her in my mind's eye bending over the ironing board with newspapers on the floor, ironing long strips of white cloth, with beads of perspiration on her forehead. When I asked her what she was doing, she said, 'These are temple robes my son.  Your father and I are going to the temple.'

"Then she put the old flat iron on the stove, drew a chair close to mine and told me about temple work - how important it is to be able to go to the temple and participate in the sacred ordinances performed there.  She also expressed her fervent hope that some day her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren would have the opportunity to enjoy those priceless blessings."

The Temple is the nearest place to heaven on mortal earth - how much do we allow that to permeate our daily lives?  This beautiful video was shared with us last year at the General Sisters Meeting - do we feel this way ourselves?

"The things that endure, the things that are real, the things that are important are those things represented in the Temple of God."

"Go to the temple - our Father's House - to receive the blessings of your fathers that you may be entitled to the highest blessings of the priesthood...For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live (D&C 84:22)"

President Benson shared many of the wonderful blessings of the temple:

BUT the temple is far more a priceless blessing to our immediate families - "These...ordinances apply to both the living and the dead.  If we fail to be sealed to our progenitors and our posterity, the purpose of this earth, man's exaltation, will be utterly wasted so far as we are concerned."


 
 

"When I think of genealogy, I see people - people who I love who are waiting for our family, their posterity, to help them gain exaltation in the celestial kingdom....How many thousands of our kindred yet await these sealing ordinances?"

"It is well to ask: Have I done all I can as an individual on this side of the veil?"

"I promise you that with increased attendance in the temples of our God, you shall receive increased personal revelation to bless your life as you bless those who have died.

"In the peace of these lovely holy temples, sometimes we find solutions to the serious problems of life.  Under the influence of the Spirit, sometimes pure knowledge flows to us there.  Temples are places of personal revelation.  When I have been weighed down by a problem or a difficulty, I have gone to the House of the Lord with a prayer in my heart for answers.  These answers have come in clear and unmistakable ways."

 

"Let us make the temple a sacred home away from our eternal home."

 

Is it time you made a journey to your home? 

Learning Self-Reliance the Practical Way!!!

Our Sisters in Chelmsford 1 & 2 Wards had a great camp recently learning self-reliance in a very real way.  Activities included learning to gut deer, hare, rabbit and fish, gathering around the camp fire and singing and staying our overnight.

 

Well done Sisters - looks like you had a great time !!

Self Reliance

Sisters, for todays RS and PH lessons we studied Principles 6 and 7 in the My Foundation book. 

Please refer to the Self Reliance tab at the top of the page where these principles have been updated.

Principle 6: Solve Problems

Principle 7: Become One: Work Together

Is the Holy Ghost a part of your life?

Today's lesson was taken from The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, Chapter 12: Seek the Spirit In All You Do which you can read HERE.

 

One piece of counsel that President Benson gave on a regular basis was this: 

 

"In this work it is the Spirit that counts....the Lord is close to His servants, even within whispering distance."

 

Several years after Joseph Smith was martyred, he appeared to President Brigham Young with a very similar message..."Tell the people to be humble and faithful and be sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right.  Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach you what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom.  Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it."

 

President Benson was sure to make it very clear this was not just a message to the Brethren and leaders of the Church, this was a message to all.

 

As we are taught "the most important thing in our lives is the Spirit",

... do you feel it in your lives Sisters?

 

We can know by the way we feel..."The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance" Galatians 5:22-23

 

"When you DO good, you FEEL good, and that is the Holy Ghost speaking to you.  The Holy Ghost is a wonderful companion.  He is ALWAYS there to help you."

 

"Seek the spirit in all you do.  Keep it with you continually.  That is our challenge"

 

"The Holy Ghost causes our feelings to be more tender.  We feel more charitable and compassionate with each other.  We are more calm in our relationships.  We have a greater capacity to love each other.  People want us to be around us because our very countenances radiate the influence of the Spirit.  We are more godly in our character.  As a result, we become increasingly more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and thus able to comprehend spiritual things more clearly."

 

President Benson counsels three ways to ensure the Spirit is part of our lives.

 

1. Sincere Prayer & Fasting

2. Daily Scripture Study

3. Obedience to God's Laws

 

 

We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet

Today's lesson is taken from The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, Chapter 11: Follow the Living Prophet which you can read HERE.

 

From a tiny child President Benson learned from his father that when "the Presidency has spoken, this is the word of the Lord to us!" and to always obey.  It was a lesson he went on to teach his own children and in turn the members of the Church.

 

He taught: "Learn to keep your eye on the prophet.  He is the Lord's mouthpiece and the only man who can speak for the Lord today.  Let his inspired counsel take precedence."

 

 

 

 

President Benson taught: " The most important prophet, so far as we are concerned, is the one who is living in our day and age.  This is the prophet who has today's instructions from God to us.  God's revelation to Adam did not instruct Noah how to build the ark.  Every generation has need of the ancient scripture, plus the current scripture from the living prophet.  Therefore, the most crucial reading and pondering that you should do is of the latest inspired words from the Lord's mouthpiece."

 

Can you remember what President Monson, our living prophet, has taught recently?  

 

If not, maybe now is the time to take a few moments and relook at his recent counsel.

 

"If you want to know how well we stand with the Lord then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain - how close do our lives harmonize with the Lord's anointed - the living Prophet - President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency."

 

"The story is told how Brigham Young, driving through a community, saw a man building a house and simply told him to double the thickness of his walls.  Accepting President Young as a prophet, the man changed his plans and doubled the walls.  Shortly afterwards a flood came through that town, resulting in much destruction, but this man's walls stood.  While putting the roof on his house, he was heard singing, 'We thank thee, O God for a prophet!'"

 

May we too follow the prophet and bring such blessings on our own families.

Smiles :)

Sisters, wasn't Stake Conference just amazing today!!!

 

We hope the messages we heard have touched your heart and will make a difference to both you and your families over coming weeks.

 

As you discuss Elder Holland's powerful testimony and teaching of the Book of Mormon with your family you may wish to review this video, where he shares his feelings (taken from his General Conference talk in October 2009):

Also, a little update on Big Hearts, our Stake RS Service Project.  At Women's Day we collected 88 strips which have been sent off to be made into blankets.  Along with the strips we have donated 5 boxes of other donations of knitted items and hygiene items to Rachel's Place in South Africa and the Kenya Children's Centre as well as a full box of angel baby items which are being sent to Preemies UK.

 

Just look at the smiles on these beautiful little faces when they receive a little teddy bear: it makes our hard work all worth the effort!!!

Being Genuine....

Todays lesson was based on President Uchtdorf's talk in the Priesthood Session from General Conference in April 2015: On Being Genuine.  You can watch / read the talk HERE

Have you heard of a Potemkin Village?

"In the late 18th Century, Catherine the Great of Russia announced she would tour the southern part of her empire, accompanied by several foreign ambassadors.  The governor of the area, Grigory Potemkin, desperately wanted to impress these visitors, and so he went to remarkable lengths to showcase the country's accomplishments. 


"For part of the journey, Catherine floated down the Dnieper River, proudly pointing out to the ambassadors the thriving hamlets along the shore, filled with industrious and happy townspeople.  There was only one problem: it was all for show! It is said that Potemkin had assembled pasteboard facades of shops and homes...Once the party disappeared around the bend of the river, Potemkin's men packed up the fake village and rushed it downstream in preparation for Catherine's next pass."

Is it possible that at times we are more concerned with how we appear to others than what is really in our hearts?

"There is nothing wrong with shining our shoes, smelling our best or even hiding the dirty dishes before the home teachers arrive!  However, when taken to extremes, this desire to impress can shift from useful to deceitful"


 
 President Uchtdorf gave us good news however which can give us a great deal of hope:

"Whether your testimony is thriving and healthy or your activity in the Church more closely
resembles a Potemkin village, the good news is that you can build on whatever strength you have.  Here in the Church of Jesus Christ you can mature spiritually and draw closer to the Saviour by applying gospel principles day by day. 

"With patience and persistence, even the smallest act of discipleship or the tiniest ember of belief can become a blazing bonfire of a consecrated life.  In fact, that's how most bonfires begin - as a simple spark."

Isn't that wonderful?  The Lord will accept us as we are now, with whatever we can give.  But, we can be assured that if we are not yet the Sister in the Gospel we want to be, then there is a way, there is hope - we can be all the Lord needs us to be - we just have to try and allow the Saviour to   help us !

 

Sisters - none of us are perfect and we don't have to try to be !!!   The Church is a place of healing, not hiding!!

 

"The church is not an automobile showroom - a place to put ourselves on display so that others can admire our spirituality, capacity or prosperity.  It is more like a service centre, where vehicles in need of repair come for maintenance and rehabilitation.  And are not ALL of us in need of maintenance and rehabilitation?" 

We just have to be willing to accept the Atonement each day of our lives, have patience and persistently live the gospel.  "Christ has the power to breathe life unto you" - will you let Him?