October 2022 Sunday Morning Thoughts
ROUND FOUR! LET’S GO!
The last several years I have felt like we as members of the Church have been scared of the cross - more out of tradition than out of doctrine. We worship the Living Christ but we reverence what took place on the cross. It personally doesn’t bother me at all to see someone wear a cross, but I do appreciate when Elder Holland quoted Gordon B. Hinckley is that the lives of our people are the symbol of our faith. "In every land and age, he has said to us all: 'if any man (or woman) come after me, let him take up his cross and come follow me….This speaks of the cross that we bear, rather than the one that we wear." I’m honored to be part of Elder Holland’s continuation of his 50 year old conversation.
How many wounded individuals do we have among us? Do we add to their burdens with our judgement? I love what Sister Dennis said, “Nothing you do makes much of a difference if you do not have charity.” There are so many unseen wounds, so many invisible illnesses and differing abilities.
We must react with Charity, Love, Compassion to everyone we meet. Assume better intentions from others, seek to take away unnecessary burdens.
Best Tweet that I saw, “You may have the cleverest tweets or the best counter arguments, but if you don’t have charity, it will profit you nothing.”
I love the demeanor and delivery of Elder Gong. So pleasant! I’ve read a lot in the scriptures lately about having hope for the future, regardless of what the present or even the past may look like. The atonement can bring peace to our past and hope to our future. A bent branch does not mean a bad tree. Happy and forever are not the stuff of fairytales... they are the very essence of God's plan for us. We find Heaven’s sociality in each other. God’s work and glory include bringing to pass happy and forever.
“Humility inclines the heart of the disciple towards repentance and obedience. The Spirit of God is then able to bring truth to that heart, and it will find entry." What we do at home is the crucible of enduring and joyful discipleship. Thank you, Elder Sitati
My boys loved their experience with FSY, so I appreciated the words of Brother Lund. It is easy to be a member of the church while you are at FSY, EFY, Seminary, trek, camp, church, etc. but the trick is to harness that power after the experience is over. Those experiences gives us the courage to stand upright against the shifting moral tectonics of our time. Our discipleship shouldn't just be a slogan on a T-Shirt; it should be a part of our life. Lasting discipleship is quite a worthy goal.
My boys responses to this...
"First day of FSY: I don't know a single person here…what am I going to do?”
"Last day of FSY: I would die for each person here without a second thought."
The Parable of the Royal Marriage Feast (Matthew 22) is a great story and Elder Bednar took it to a deeper level. How often do we want the blessings of the Gospel of Christ but want it not by the way Christ has set forth but based on our own opinions? It's not just about the wedding garment, it's about the inner rebellion against the king. Pleasure, prosperity, and popularity shouldn’t be our primary focus Loved the shoutout to Haggai 1 - “Consider. Your. Ways.” 🔥🔥🔥
At 98, President Nelson is only getting sharper! We are living in perilous times in this “sin-saturated, self-centered, and often exhausting world”, but “so many wonderful things are ahead. In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen.” That’s a bold statement since the Lord has done some pretty incredible things so far. Making and keeping covenants actually makes life easier because they have increased access to the power of Christ. The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way."
Because Jesus Christ overcame this world, you can too.
His whole talk was phenomenal - can’t wait to study it.