Nurture through Compassionate Service
How Can I Develop and Increase in Compassion?
Moroni 7:48: "Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ."
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency: "Disciples of Christ throughout all ages of the world have been distinguished by their compassion. . . . In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance. Let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair; let us feel the silent prayers of others around us, and let us be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to answer those prayers" ("Happiness, Your Heritage," Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2008, 119, 120).
Barbara Thompson, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency: "We need to rescue 'all that is finest down deep inside of [us]' so that as daughters of God we can do our part to build the kingdom of God. We will have help to do this. As Joseph declared, 'If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.'
"Let us bear one another's burdens, mourn with those who mourn, comfort those who stand in need of comfort, and thus keep the covenants we have made [see Mosiah 18:8–10]" ("Now Let Us Rejoice," Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2008, 116).
How Can I Nurture through Compassionate Service?
D&C 81:5: "Succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees."
Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: "The Good Shepherd said, 'Feed my lambs.' (John 21:15.) So a woman feeds her loved ones, providing succor and sustenance just as the Savior would do. Her divine gift is to nurture, to help the young, to care for the poor, to lift the brokenhearted.
"The Lord said, 'My work and my glory [is] to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.' (Moses 1:39.) So His devoted daughter-disciple may truly say, 'My work and my glory is to help my loved ones reach that heavenly goal.'
"To help another human being reach one's celestial potential is part of the divine mission of woman. As mother, teacher, or nurturing saint, she molds living clay to the shape of her hopes. In partnership with God, her divine mission is to help spirits live and souls be lifted. This is the measure of her creation. It is ennobling, edifying, and exalting" ("Woman—Of Infinite Worth," Ensign, Nov. 1989, 22).
Silvia H. Allred, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency: "The Lord has blessed women with divine attributes of love, compassion, kindness, and charity. Through our monthly visits as visiting teachers, we have the power to bless each sister as we extend our arms of love and kindness and give the gifts of compassion and charity. . . . It is my prayer that we will pledge an increased commitment to extend our arms of love and compassion to bless, help, and strengthen each other as we go about doing our visiting teaching with a willing and joyful heart" ("Feed My Sheep," Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2007, 113, 115).
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
“Live in Thanksgiving Daily”
By Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
From a devotional address given at Brigham Young University on 31 October 2000.
Think for a moment, if you will, of someone you know who is truly happy. We’ve all met those who seem to radiate happiness. They seem to smile more than others; they laugh more than others—just being around them makes us happier as well.
Now think of someone you know who isn’t happy at all. Perhaps they seem 10 years older than they are, drained of energy—perhaps they are angry or bitter or depressed.
What is the difference between them? Does he or she live in thanksgiving daily?
President Joseph F. Smith proclaimed: “The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 263).
One thing I can tell you with certainty is this: You cannot predict happiness by the amount of money, fame, or power a person has. External conditions do not necessarily make a person happy. The Brethren who have had assignments in poorer countries report that despite the abject poverty, the people are very happy. The fact is that the external things so valued by the world are often the cause of a great deal of misery in the world.
Those who live in thanksgiving daily, however, are usually among the world’s happiest people. And they make others happy as well.
Gratitude turns a meal into a feast and drudgery into delight. It softens our grief and heightens our pleasure. It turns the simple and common into the memorable and transcendent. It forges bonds of love and fosters loyalty and admiration.
Living in thanksgiving daily is a habit that will enrich our lives and the lives of those we love. But how do we make this part of who we are? May I suggest three things that will help as we strive to live in thanksgiving daily?
First, we must open our eyes.
The second thing we can do is open our hearts.
The third thing we can do to live in thanksgiving daily is open our arms.
Don’t wait to start. Open your eyes, open your hearts, and open your arms. I promise that as you do so, you will feel greater joy and happiness. Your life will have a new level of meaning. You will forge relationships that will transcend this life and endure through the eternities.
I am grateful for this experience of mortality. I am grateful for the gospel and for the life and testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I am grateful for my wonderful wife, my dear children and grandchildren. I am grateful for the support and love shown to me by countless friends and members of the Church throughout the world. I am grateful for life and even more grateful for the glorious promise of eternal life to come.
Not everyone can be a star quarterback; not everyone can be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company; not everyone can win a gold medal at the Olympics; but everyone—everyone—can live in thanksgiving daily.
As a special witness, I bear solemn testimony that Jesus is the living Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. He asks that we believe in Him, that we learn of Him, that we strive to follow His teachings, and that we adhere to the teachings of our prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley. He inspires him in the direction needed for this life and life eternal.
May we follow our Savior in all we do is my humble prayer.
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
From a devotional address given at Brigham Young University on 31 October 2000.
Living in thanksgiving daily is a habit that will enrich our lives and the lives of those we love.
Think for a moment, if you will, of someone you know who is truly happy. We’ve all met those who seem to radiate happiness. They seem to smile more than others; they laugh more than others—just being around them makes us happier as well.
Now think of someone you know who isn’t happy at all. Perhaps they seem 10 years older than they are, drained of energy—perhaps they are angry or bitter or depressed.
What is the difference between them? Does he or she live in thanksgiving daily?
President Joseph F. Smith proclaimed: “The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 263).
One thing I can tell you with certainty is this: You cannot predict happiness by the amount of money, fame, or power a person has. External conditions do not necessarily make a person happy. The Brethren who have had assignments in poorer countries report that despite the abject poverty, the people are very happy. The fact is that the external things so valued by the world are often the cause of a great deal of misery in the world.
Those who live in thanksgiving daily, however, are usually among the world’s happiest people. And they make others happy as well.
Gratitude turns a meal into a feast and drudgery into delight. It softens our grief and heightens our pleasure. It turns the simple and common into the memorable and transcendent. It forges bonds of love and fosters loyalty and admiration.
Living in thanksgiving daily is a habit that will enrich our lives and the lives of those we love. But how do we make this part of who we are? May I suggest three things that will help as we strive to live in thanksgiving daily?
First, we must open our eyes.
The second thing we can do is open our hearts.
The third thing we can do to live in thanksgiving daily is open our arms.
Don’t wait to start. Open your eyes, open your hearts, and open your arms. I promise that as you do so, you will feel greater joy and happiness. Your life will have a new level of meaning. You will forge relationships that will transcend this life and endure through the eternities.
I am grateful for this experience of mortality. I am grateful for the gospel and for the life and testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I am grateful for my wonderful wife, my dear children and grandchildren. I am grateful for the support and love shown to me by countless friends and members of the Church throughout the world. I am grateful for life and even more grateful for the glorious promise of eternal life to come.
Not everyone can be a star quarterback; not everyone can be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company; not everyone can win a gold medal at the Olympics; but everyone—everyone—can live in thanksgiving daily.
As a special witness, I bear solemn testimony that Jesus is the living Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. He asks that we believe in Him, that we learn of Him, that we strive to follow His teachings, and that we adhere to the teachings of our prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley. He inspires him in the direction needed for this life and life eternal.
May we follow our Savior in all we do is my humble prayer.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Pumpkin Muffins
1 cup Canned Pumpkin
1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/4 cup melted Butter or Margarine
2 Eggs
2 cups All-Purpose Flour (or 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup whole-wheat flour)
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl or bowl of an electric mixer, mix or blend the Pumpkin, brown sugar, melted butter and eggs.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir or blend only until combined. Spoon the batter into a 12-cup muffin tin lined with paper liners. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes. Makes 10 to 12, depending on their size.
PUMPKIN-CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS: Stir 1/2 cup chocolate chips into the batter before scooping it into the muffin tin.
PUMPKIN-RAISIN MUFFINS: Stir 1/2 cup raisins into the batter before scooping it into the muffin tin.
PUMPKIN-SPICE MUFFINS: Sift 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg with the flour.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Winter Enrichment Night
When: Thurday, November 12, 2009
Time: 6:30pm
Where: Cultural Hall
Come join us for a warm dinner, a "snuggly" service project and a simple craft to help with the new year.
Nursery will be provided.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
November Announcements
Nov. 12 - Enrichment Night, 6:30pm @ the ward building
Nov. 18 - Book Club - 6pm @ the Ward building
Nov. 19 - Auxiliary Training, 7pm @ the Stake Center
Nov. 21 - Stake Temple Session, meet at 8am in chapel to attend next available session.
Nov. 21 - +31 Single Adult Fall Social, Thanksgiving dinner, 4pm, Stake Center. For single adults and their children. Please bring a salad or a pie.
Dec. 10 - Stake Temple Relief Society Night - 7pm - endowments
Nov. 18 - Book Club - 6pm @ the Ward building
Nov. 19 - Auxiliary Training, 7pm @ the Stake Center
Nov. 21 - Stake Temple Session, meet at 8am in chapel to attend next available session.
Nov. 21 - +31 Single Adult Fall Social, Thanksgiving dinner, 4pm, Stake Center. For single adults and their children. Please bring a salad or a pie.
Dec. 10 - Stake Temple Relief Society Night - 7pm - endowments
Happy Birthday!
1 - Janice Jessop and Marilyn Smith
2 - Michele Sargent and Norma Dimond
3 - Lois Kunz
4 - Karma Spaniol
5 - Helen Badger
6 - Michele Johnson and Laura Owen
7 - Mary Stogden-Ruiz
10 - Sue Wood
19 - Julie Branz, Merisa Carter and Beverley Nelson
24 - Sharon Lundell
25 - Sarah Jackson and Jennifer Bell
26 - Carol Hale
28 - June Allen
29 - Verna Price
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