Receiving Guidance From Apostles and Prophets

Our world's morals are decaying with each passing day causing confusion for many, especially our younger generations.  For centuries what was considered "good" is now being condemned as being evil.  On the flip side that which was taught as being "evil" is now being hailed as good.  The world is in a great need to hear the words of Christ.  To know what he would advise us and teach us if he were with us today.

Well my friends you can know what He wants us to know.  How?  By listening to his living Apostles and Prophets.

Thomas S. Monson
President and Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so

forth. (Articles of Faith 1:6)  Christ chose Peter to lead of His Church.  He also chose 12 apostles to carry his work into the whole world.  This organization was intended to continue forward.  After the death of Judas the remaining apostles met and selected Matthias as a replacement. (see Acts 1:23-26)

 

If ever there was a time in history where heavenly guidance was needed the most, it has to be right now.  In the restored Church of Jesus Christ, we are led by apostles and prophets.  Each of them called as "special witnesses" of the Savior Jesus Christ.  (see Doctrine & Covenants 107:23).  They have the same charge as the apostles of old, to go into all the world to preach His gospel.  (see Mark 16:15)  

This weekend, October 1st and 2nd, we have the opportunity to hear from our modern day apostles and prophets during the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  To hear their words of council, hope and peace that the Lord wants us to know today.  We invite you to join us in watching and listening to what they have to say.  Here are the details for you:

• Times: 9:00 am - 11:00 am & 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm on both October 1at and 2nd (Times are Arizona time - Pacific Day Light Time)
• You may stream each session live using this link: LDS.org webiste
• You may view all sessions live on BYUTV
• Dish Network Subscribers: Chanel 9403
• DirectTV Subscribers: Chanel 374

So we invite you to join us to:

Come, listen to a prophet's voice,

And hear the word of God,

And in the way of truth rejoice,

And sing for joy aloud.

We've found the way the prophets went

Who lived in days of yore.

Another prophet now is sent

This knowledge to restore.

LDS Hymnal #21

Submitted by:  James Tanner

The Sabbath Day

One of the ten commandments concerns sabbath day observance.  As recorded in Exodus 20:8-11:

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God:in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

I grew up in a home where the principles of honoring the sabbath day were taught by the example of my parents.  Each Sunday was filled with church attendance, rest, and family time.  Sunday was a time when we visited with extended family members in our home or theirs.  Looking back I found those days were as relaxing as any I have ever experienced.  Certainly a time of rest from the chores and duties of all of the other days of the week.

Even the small town I grew up in was a great example of sabbath day observance.  Businesses were closed on Sunday.  In the city park during summer months a band concert was held every Sunday evening.  Families would take blankets to spread on the grass of the park to sit and enjoy the music.

We certainly live in a much different day.  Now there are very few businesses who close on Sunday.   Business owners report that their busiest day of the week is Sunday.  As a society we have certainly lost the spirit of taking a day of rest.

In April 2015 Russell M Nelson, President of the Quorum of 12 Apostles spoke of sabbath day observance.  He said: 

"I am intrigued by the words of Isaiah, who called the Sabbath “a delight.”1 Yet I wonder, is the Sabbath really a delight for you and for me?

I first found delight in the Sabbath many years ago when, as a busy surgeon, I knew that the Sabbath became a day for personal healing. By the end of each week, my hands were sore from repeatedly scrubbing them with soap, water, and a bristle brush. I also needed a breather from the burden of a demanding profession. Sunday provided much-needed relief.

What did the Savior mean when He said that “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”?2 I believe He wanted us to understand that the Sabbath was His gift to us, granting real respite from the rigors of daily life and an opportunity for spiritual and physical renewal. God gave us this special day, not for amusement or daily labor but for a rest from duty, with physical and spiritual relief."

I can not think of a single person I know who would not welcome the chance to have a time of resting.  A time to have some relief from the daily grind that we face day in and day out. Proper sabbath observance can be one of the greatest blessings in our lives if we will allow it into our lives.

Will you join with me in finding ways to make the sabbath a delight in your life?  I know I will find my life be fuller, richer, and peaceful if I will do so.  And I know you will find added blessings to you and your family if you will give the sabbath day the proper attention that the Lord has asked.

You can watch all of President Nelson's talk on the sabbath day here:

Submitted by:  James Tanner

Remembering 9/11

Fifteen years ago today the United States of America suffered an attack on its own very own soil the ramifications of which we still feel today.  For those of us who are old enough to remember this event I doubt we will ever forget how we felt that day.  For me my feelings were a mixture of shock, fear, and gratitude.

Shock:  How could this possibly happen in US Soil?  Since becoming a nation we had never been attacked by a foreign country.

Fear:  Could this happen again?  When?  Where?  Two weeks later I would be sending my oldest son to a foreign country to serve as a missionary.  Would he be safe?

Gratitude:  For a period of time as a nation we were as one.  We united in ways as I had never personally witness before.  There was a great sense of patriotism that I had never seen before. Everyone treated each other with greater kindness.  We prayed for those who had lost loved ones in this horrible attack.  We prayed for those who worked around the clock searching for survivors.  We found new heroes in the emergency personnel who gave so much and sacrificed in ways I could never imagine.

On October 2, 2001 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints held its semi-annual general conference.  On that very day the United States launched it's first attack in response to the attack on 9/11.  During the conference Gordon B. Hinckley, then President of the Church said this:

 "I have just been handed a note that says that a U.S. missile attack is under way. I need not remind you that we live in perilous times. I desire to speak concerning these times and our circumstances as members of this Church.

Members of the Church in this and other nations are now involved with many others in a great international undertaking. On television we see those of the military leaving their loved ones, knowing not whether they will return. It is affecting the homes of our people. Unitedly, as a Church, we must get on our knees and invoke the powers of the Almighty in behalf of those who will carry the burdens of this campaign.

No one knows how long it will last. No one knows precisely where it will be fought. No one knows what it may entail before it is over. We have launched an undertaking the size and nature of which we cannot see at this time."

Now fifteen years later it appears that we are still waging the same battle.  Acts of terrorism have increased.  These acts not only have branched into other parts of the world but we have experienced acts perpetuated on Americans by Americans.  We truly live in perilous times that seem to become more perilous each and every day.

During that same talk in General Conference, President Hinckley gave some great advice.  He said:

"Occasions of this kind pull us up sharply to a realization that life is fragile, peace is fragile, civilization itself is fragile. The economy is particularly vulnerable. We have been counseled again and again concerning self-reliance, concerning debt, concerning thrift. So many of our people are heavily in debt for things that are not entirely necessary. When I was a young man, my father counseled me to build a modest home, sufficient for the needs of my family, and make it beautiful and attractive and pleasant and secure. He counseled me to pay off the mortgage as quickly as I could so that, come what may, there would be a roof over the heads of my wife and children. I was reared on that kind of doctrine. I urge you as members of this Church to get free of debt where possible and to have a little laid aside against a rainy day.

We cannot provide against every contingency. But we can provide against many contingencies. Let the present situation remind us that this we should do."

The economy was very fragile post 9/11.  The economy since then has been on a roller coaster with many more downs than ups.  President Hinckley's advice in 2001 is just as valid, if not more so, today.  Getting out of debt and having something set aside for a rainy day is something that would benefit each of us.

I recommend watching or reading the entirety of President Hinckley's talk by clicking here: 
Gordon B Hinckley Conference talk October 2001

May each of us find peace in our lives, homes, and families during the perilous times we find in our lives.

Submitted by:  James Tanner