Sisters, we wish you all a Happy New Year - if you have a moment this Mormon
Message video has a wonderful message for us all...
~ Look Not Behind Thee ~
Wednesday 31 December 2014
Sunday 28 December 2014
What will 2015 bring for you? It is YOUR choice!
At this time of year we naturally begin to turn our thoughts to the coming year and what changes we want to make.
The lesson in Relief Society today was based on the General Conference talk by Elder Jorg Klebingat entitled "Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence". He spoke boldly but kindly of some of the choices we currently make and may what to change.
The talk can be viewed HERE
Listen to the questions Elder Klebingat posed to us:
* One a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your spiritual confidence before God?
* Do you have a personal witness that you current offering as a Latter-day Saint is sufficient to inherit Eternal Life?
* Can you say within yourself that Heavenly Father is pleased with you?
* What thoughts come to mind if you had a personal interview with your Saviour one minute from now?
Maybe you feel there is something you could improve on? As you go through this talk, maybe you will find the Spirit prompting you as to what some of those goals for the coming year could be.
Elder Klebingat said this:
"Whenever the adversary cannot persuade imperfect yet striving Saints such as you can abandon your belief in a personal and living God, he employs a vicious campaign to put as much distance as possible between you and God. The adversary knows that faith in Christ - the kind of faith that produces a steady stream of tender mercies and even mighty miracles - goes hand in hand with a personal confidence that you are striving to choose the right. For that reason he will seek access to your heart to tell you lies - lies that Heavenly Father is disappointed you, that the Atonement is beyond your reach, that there is no point in even trying, that everyone else is better than you, that you are unworthy, and a thousand variations of that same evil theme."
Sisters - does that sound familiar?
So many of us feel we are not good enough, clever enough, anything enough. Those feelings are NOT from the Lord. And as the talk went on to share "as long as you allow those voices to chisel away at your soul, you can't approach the throne of God with real confidence. Whatever you do, whatever you pray for, whatever hopes for a miracle you may have, there will always be just enough self-doubt chipping away at your faith - not only your faith in God but also confidence in yourself..."
It doesn't have to be this way.
We can CHOOSE to make things different. Elder Klebingat offered 6 suggestions that can offer us the peace we all look for. He said them in such a wonderful way we have quoted him below....As you read let the Spirit guide your thoughts in what YOU need to do to allow that peace and confidence to come. Pick one area and let it become part of your life in 2015.....
1. Take responsibility for your own spiritual wellbeing - Stop blaming others or your circumstances, stop justifying and stop making excuses for why you may not be fully striving to be obedient. Accept that you are free according to the flesh and free to choose liberty and eternal life. The Lord knows your circumstances perfectly, but He also knows perfectly well whether you simply choose not to fully live the gospel. If this is the case, be honest enough to admit it, and strive to be perfect within your own sphere of circumstances.
2. Take responsibility for your own physical wellbeing - Your soul consists of your body and spirit. Feeding the spirit while neglecting the body, which is a temple, usually leads to spiritual dissonance and lowered self-esteem. If you are out of shape, if you are uncomfortable in your own body and can do something about it, then do it! Elder Russell M Nelson has taught that we should 'regard our body as a temple of our very own' and that we should 'control our diet and exercise for physical fitness'
President Boyd K Packer has taught 'that our spirit and our body are combined in such a way that our body are combined in such a way that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and the foundation of our character.' Therefore, please use good judgement in what and especially how much you eat and regularly give your body the exercise it needs and deserves. If you are physically able, decide today to be the master of your own house and begin a regular long term exercise program, suited to your abilities combined with a healthier diet.
3. Embrace voluntary, wholehearted obedience as part of your life - Acknowledge that you cannot love God without also loving His commandments. The Saviour's standard is clear and simple, 'if ye love me, keep my commandments'. Selective obedient brings selective blessings and choosing something bad over something worse is still choosing wrong. You can't watch a bad movie and very bad one. Faithful observance of some commandments doesn't justify neglecting others. Abraham Lincoln rightly said 'when I do good I feel good, when I do bad I feel bad.'
expect to feel virtuous because you did not watch a
Also, do the right things for the right reasons. The Lord who 'requireth the heart and a willing mind' and who 'is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hearth' knows why you go to church - whether you are present in body only or truly worshipping. You can't sing on Sunday 'O Babylon, O Babylon I bid thee farewell, and then seek to tolerate it's company again moments later. Remember that casualness in spiritual matters never was happiness. Make the Church and the restored gospel your whole life not just a part of your outward or social life. Choosing this day whom you will serve is lip service only - until you actually live accordingly.
4. Become really, really good at repenting thoroughly and quickly - Because the Atonement of Jesus Christ is very practical, you should apply it generously 24/7, for it never runs out. Embrace the Atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance as things that are to be welcomed and applied daily according to the Great Physicians orders. Establish an attitude of ongoing, happy, joyful repentance by making it your lifestyle of choice. In doing so, beware of the temptation to procrastinate and don't expect the world to cheer you on. Keeping your eyes on the Saviour, care more about what He thinks of you, and let the consequences follow.
5. Become really, really good at forgiving - 'I the lord will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men'. Forgive everyone, everything, all the time or at least strive to do so, thus allowing forgiveness into your own life. Don't hold grudges, don't be easily offended, forgive and forget quickly and don't ever thing that you are exempt from this commandment.
6. Accept trials, setbacks and surprises as part of your mortal experience - Remember that you are here to be proved and tested 'to see if you will do all things whatsoever the Lord your God shall command you' and may I just add 'under all circumstances'. Millions of your brothers and sisters have been or are being thus tested, so why should you be exempt? Some trials come through your own disobedience or negligence. Other trials come because of the negligence of others or simply because this is a fallen world. When these trials come, the adversary's minions begin broadcasting that you did something wrong, that this is a punishment, a sign that Heavenly Father does not love you. Ignore that! Instead, try to force a smile, gaze heavenward and say I understand Lord. I know what this is. A time to prove myself, isn't it? Then partner with Him to endue well to the end.
It is our choice Sisters - we truly can become more confident before the Lord and more ready to meet with Him again. What do you need to do? Will you do it? Here is to a wonderful, peaceful and content 2015.
The lesson in Relief Society today was based on the General Conference talk by Elder Jorg Klebingat entitled "Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence". He spoke boldly but kindly of some of the choices we currently make and may what to change.
The talk can be viewed HERE
Listen to the questions Elder Klebingat posed to us:
* One a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your spiritual confidence before God?
* Do you have a personal witness that you current offering as a Latter-day Saint is sufficient to inherit Eternal Life?
* Can you say within yourself that Heavenly Father is pleased with you?
* What thoughts come to mind if you had a personal interview with your Saviour one minute from now?
Maybe you feel there is something you could improve on? As you go through this talk, maybe you will find the Spirit prompting you as to what some of those goals for the coming year could be.
Elder Klebingat said this:
"Whenever the adversary cannot persuade imperfect yet striving Saints such as you can abandon your belief in a personal and living God, he employs a vicious campaign to put as much distance as possible between you and God. The adversary knows that faith in Christ - the kind of faith that produces a steady stream of tender mercies and even mighty miracles - goes hand in hand with a personal confidence that you are striving to choose the right. For that reason he will seek access to your heart to tell you lies - lies that Heavenly Father is disappointed you, that the Atonement is beyond your reach, that there is no point in even trying, that everyone else is better than you, that you are unworthy, and a thousand variations of that same evil theme."Sisters - does that sound familiar?
So many of us feel we are not good enough, clever enough, anything enough. Those feelings are NOT from the Lord. And as the talk went on to share "as long as you allow those voices to chisel away at your soul, you can't approach the throne of God with real confidence. Whatever you do, whatever you pray for, whatever hopes for a miracle you may have, there will always be just enough self-doubt chipping away at your faith - not only your faith in God but also confidence in yourself..."
It doesn't have to be this way.
We can CHOOSE to make things different. Elder Klebingat offered 6 suggestions that can offer us the peace we all look for. He said them in such a wonderful way we have quoted him below....As you read let the Spirit guide your thoughts in what YOU need to do to allow that peace and confidence to come. Pick one area and let it become part of your life in 2015.....
1. Take responsibility for your own spiritual wellbeing - Stop blaming others or your circumstances, stop justifying and stop making excuses for why you may not be fully striving to be obedient. Accept that you are free according to the flesh and free to choose liberty and eternal life. The Lord knows your circumstances perfectly, but He also knows perfectly well whether you simply choose not to fully live the gospel. If this is the case, be honest enough to admit it, and strive to be perfect within your own sphere of circumstances.
President Boyd K Packer has taught 'that our spirit and our body are combined in such a way that our body are combined in such a way that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and the foundation of our character.' Therefore, please use good judgement in what and especially how much you eat and regularly give your body the exercise it needs and deserves. If you are physically able, decide today to be the master of your own house and begin a regular long term exercise program, suited to your abilities combined with a healthier diet.
3. Embrace voluntary, wholehearted obedience as part of your life - Acknowledge that you cannot love God without also loving His commandments. The Saviour's standard is clear and simple, 'if ye love me, keep my commandments'. Selective obedient brings selective blessings and choosing something bad over something worse is still choosing wrong. You can't watch a bad movie and very bad one. Faithful observance of some commandments doesn't justify neglecting others. Abraham Lincoln rightly said 'when I do good I feel good, when I do bad I feel bad.'
expect to feel virtuous because you did not watch a
Also, do the right things for the right reasons. The Lord who 'requireth the heart and a willing mind' and who 'is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hearth' knows why you go to church - whether you are present in body only or truly worshipping. You can't sing on Sunday 'O Babylon, O Babylon I bid thee farewell, and then seek to tolerate it's company again moments later. Remember that casualness in spiritual matters never was happiness. Make the Church and the restored gospel your whole life not just a part of your outward or social life. Choosing this day whom you will serve is lip service only - until you actually live accordingly.
4. Become really, really good at repenting thoroughly and quickly - Because the Atonement of Jesus Christ is very practical, you should apply it generously 24/7, for it never runs out. Embrace the Atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance as things that are to be welcomed and applied daily according to the Great Physicians orders. Establish an attitude of ongoing, happy, joyful repentance by making it your lifestyle of choice. In doing so, beware of the temptation to procrastinate and don't expect the world to cheer you on. Keeping your eyes on the Saviour, care more about what He thinks of you, and let the consequences follow.
5. Become really, really good at forgiving - 'I the lord will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men'. Forgive everyone, everything, all the time or at least strive to do so, thus allowing forgiveness into your own life. Don't hold grudges, don't be easily offended, forgive and forget quickly and don't ever thing that you are exempt from this commandment.
6. Accept trials, setbacks and surprises as part of your mortal experience - Remember that you are here to be proved and tested 'to see if you will do all things whatsoever the Lord your God shall command you' and may I just add 'under all circumstances'. Millions of your brothers and sisters have been or are being thus tested, so why should you be exempt? Some trials come through your own disobedience or negligence. Other trials come because of the negligence of others or simply because this is a fallen world. When these trials come, the adversary's minions begin broadcasting that you did something wrong, that this is a punishment, a sign that Heavenly Father does not love you. Ignore that! Instead, try to force a smile, gaze heavenward and say I understand Lord. I know what this is. A time to prove myself, isn't it? Then partner with Him to endue well to the end.
It is our choice Sisters - we truly can become more confident before the Lord and more ready to meet with Him again. What do you need to do? Will you do it? Here is to a wonderful, peaceful and content 2015.
Sunday 21 December 2014
Where is the Saviour?
As I sat in Sacrament meeting today in Ipswich Ward I heard a wonderful and thought provoking message -
Sister Lafevre told of her preparations for the Ward Christmas Party and the privilege of putting out many nativity sets for the display. As she carefully unwrapped the pieces of each set she began to notice a pattern, that the designers tended to follow a similar design. The wise men would often be placed on the right side, while the shepherds went to the left. Joseph would be faced slightly to the right with Mary facing inward the other side, both facing the central figure, the baby Jesus.
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It crossed her mind - why this would be? Why was the baby Jesus in the centre? What would happen if she decided to move the pieces....place Jesus off to the side and have a wise man in the centre, or a shepherd. But she realised she just couldn't do it. It was so very necessary that Jesus be in the centre.
The thoughts came as I listened to the questions then posed to us:
As a Latter Day woman where would I be in that scene?
Where is my relationship with the Saviour right now?
Where do I stand with Christ?
Is He at the centre of my life?
And so Sisters, we must each ask ourselves. Where is the Saviour in our lives? Is He still placed at the centre? Could we possibly have it any other way and still feel the peace and joy his coming brought to the world?
As we approach this Christmas period, what better time to take a moment and review where our hearts are and what state our relationship is with Jesus Christ.
How much room will you make for the Saviour this Christmas season and in the coming year? Will He be the centre of your life in 2015?
Friday 19 December 2014
A Tendring Christmas...
Sisters - we hope you are having a lovely run up to Christmas and finding a few moments to enjoy one another's company. The sisters of Tendring had a fabulous night of food, a quiz and games - in fact they had so much fun they couldn't get everyone to leave !!!
We would love to see what your wards have been up to ....
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| Tucking into Christmas Dinner |
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| A Musical Interlude |
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| Games and Laughs Galore! |
Sunday 14 December 2014
President Joseph Fielding Smith - Lesson 23
Individual Responsibility - Something to ponder on...
President Joseph Fielding Smith repeatedly taught the principle that, although Latter-day Saints should diligently help others receive the blessings of the gospel, salvation is an individual responsibility. He also encouraged the Saints to be self-reliant and to work industriously in temporal pursuits. 'This is what life is about' he said 'to develop our potential and especially to gain self-mastery.'
The words of President Smith are so very relevant to us today and the world we live in. As you may know the Church has introduced some changes within the Welfare Programme, specifically within the realm of Self Reliance, just as we were counselled above. Over 2015 as members of the Ipswich Stake we will be learning more about how to ensure these blessings become part of our lives, particularly using the newly introduced Twelve Principles of Self Reliance within our Relief Society lessons.
Please see the tab above for more details - this will be expanded as we go through 2015.
President Smith always taught by example and his continual efforts to improve himself spiritually could be seen by all. Could we not learn from his example?
As we look towards 2015 Sisters, what could we do a little better, what could we do a little differently that will bring us ever closer to our Saviour?
Sunday 7 December 2014
He is the Gift - #SharetheGift
Sisters,
Most of you will have now heard of the 2014 Christmas initiative shared with members around the world under the direction of the First Presidency "He is the Gift" . We wanted to share this information with you again in case any of you have missed it and to enable us all another chance to ponder with our families what we will do this Christmas season to share the message of the Saviour and his birth.
The Christmas season brings a variety of thoughts and emotions to God's children throughout the world. People grow increasingly weary of the stress and commercialization associated with Christmas. Many sense the true meaning of the Christmas season has been lost. Around the world. the Christmas season causes the honest in heart to reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ.
Under the direction of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the He is the Gift initiative focuses on the love of God for His children made manifest in the first gift of Christmas - the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Christmas is a time of reflection on what we can become because of God's sacred gift. As we discover the gift, we learn of the immeasurable love of God and our absolute need for a Saviour. As we embrace the gift, we strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, and desire to become more like Him. As we share the gift, we follow in the Master's footsteps who invited all to hear His message." - Elder Russell M Nelson.
As members of the Lord's church, we can share the gift by inviting family and friends to learn more of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
The initiative launched on November 28th and will include:
During December, inspiring messages and images will be made available for you to share with family and friends on social media sites. The Hyde Park visitor's centre will feature a month-long display inviting visitors to discover, embrace and share the gift. The full time missionaries can provide He is the Gift pass-along cards for you to share with your family and friends.
On the christmas.mormon.org website, visitors can view the video, learn how to discover, embrace and share the gift of Jesus Christ, and learn how to participate I the initiative.
Sisters, may we all take time this week to view the video and ponder on the following invitation from Elder David A Bednar:
"I invite each of us to flood the earth with the messages of righteousness and truth found in the He is the Gift initiative. Visit Christmas.mormon.org to find inspiring content to help discover, embrace and share the gift of God's love for us, made manifest in His Only Begotten Son. By using the hashtag #SharetheGift, we can sweep the earth with timeless - and timely - messages of the Saviour Jesus Christ."
Sisters - Will you discover the Gift? Will you embrace the Gift? Will you share the Gift?
with much love
Stake RS Presidency
Most of you will have now heard of the 2014 Christmas initiative shared with members around the world under the direction of the First Presidency "He is the Gift" . We wanted to share this information with you again in case any of you have missed it and to enable us all another chance to ponder with our families what we will do this Christmas season to share the message of the Saviour and his birth.
The Christmas season brings a variety of thoughts and emotions to God's children throughout the world. People grow increasingly weary of the stress and commercialization associated with Christmas. Many sense the true meaning of the Christmas season has been lost. Around the world. the Christmas season causes the honest in heart to reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ.
Under the direction of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the He is the Gift initiative focuses on the love of God for His children made manifest in the first gift of Christmas - the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Christmas is a time of reflection on what we can become because of God's sacred gift. As we discover the gift, we learn of the immeasurable love of God and our absolute need for a Saviour. As we embrace the gift, we strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, and desire to become more like Him. As we share the gift, we follow in the Master's footsteps who invited all to hear His message." - Elder Russell M Nelson.
As members of the Lord's church, we can share the gift by inviting family and friends to learn more of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
The initiative launched on November 28th and will include:
- He is the Gift video
- Extensive internet and social media messaging and advertising around the world
- Promotion at the Hyde Park visitor's centre
- Christmas pass-along cards
- Christmas.mormon.org website
During December, inspiring messages and images will be made available for you to share with family and friends on social media sites. The Hyde Park visitor's centre will feature a month-long display inviting visitors to discover, embrace and share the gift. The full time missionaries can provide He is the Gift pass-along cards for you to share with your family and friends.
Sisters, may we all take time this week to view the video and ponder on the following invitation from Elder David A Bednar:
"I invite each of us to flood the earth with the messages of righteousness and truth found in the He is the Gift initiative. Visit Christmas.mormon.org to find inspiring content to help discover, embrace and share the gift of God's love for us, made manifest in His Only Begotten Son. By using the hashtag #SharetheGift, we can sweep the earth with timeless - and timely - messages of the Saviour Jesus Christ."
Sisters - Will you discover the Gift? Will you embrace the Gift? Will you share the Gift?
with much love
Stake RS Presidency
Saturday 29 November 2014
Welcome !!
Sisters,
Welcome to the Ipswich Stake Relief Society blog.
As a Presidency we have been discussing our goals for the coming year and what we would like to achieve and felt a great desire to reach out to the wonderful sisters in this stake, to get to know you better and to feel of your goodness. This is one of the ways we hope to achieve this.
Hopefully you will have seen us around the stake but a brief introduction:
Our Stake RS President is Michaela Nelson, who is in the Witham ward and been serving for 12 months in this calling.
She is supported by Shirley Allen from the Chelmsford ward as her 1st counsellor and Sara McCullum from the Ipswich ward as 2nd counsellor.
Beverly Roddie also from Ipswich is the secretary and thankfully keeps us all organised.
We will be updating this blog regularly and would love your input. Please send us your photos of the activities you are holding and share with us the wonderful experiences you are having. Let this be a time for us to come together as sisters in the Ipswich Stake and be as Lucy Mack Smith described:
"We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction that we may all sit down in heaven together."
What a beautiful blessing that would be to one day be able to sit together in heaven with our Saviour Jesus Christ.
We will be using this blog to share counsel we receive as sisters, training, testimonies and giving opportunities for us to come together to serve and care.
Please add your email address to the box on the top right of the screen so you receive emails each time the blog is updated.
Sisters, we love you dearly and look forward to working with you all.
Love
The Stake RS Presidency
Welcome to the Ipswich Stake Relief Society blog.
As a Presidency we have been discussing our goals for the coming year and what we would like to achieve and felt a great desire to reach out to the wonderful sisters in this stake, to get to know you better and to feel of your goodness. This is one of the ways we hope to achieve this.
Hopefully you will have seen us around the stake but a brief introduction:Our Stake RS President is Michaela Nelson, who is in the Witham ward and been serving for 12 months in this calling.
She is supported by Shirley Allen from the Chelmsford ward as her 1st counsellor and Sara McCullum from the Ipswich ward as 2nd counsellor.
Beverly Roddie also from Ipswich is the secretary and thankfully keeps us all organised.
We will be updating this blog regularly and would love your input. Please send us your photos of the activities you are holding and share with us the wonderful experiences you are having. Let this be a time for us to come together as sisters in the Ipswich Stake and be as Lucy Mack Smith described:
"We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction that we may all sit down in heaven together."
What a beautiful blessing that would be to one day be able to sit together in heaven with our Saviour Jesus Christ.
We will be using this blog to share counsel we receive as sisters, training, testimonies and giving opportunities for us to come together to serve and care.
Please add your email address to the box on the top right of the screen so you receive emails each time the blog is updated.
Sisters, we love you dearly and look forward to working with you all.
Love
The Stake RS Presidency
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