Brightening My Light

Part 1 of my talk from August 21. Read Part 2  and Part 3 . I was asked to speak on my favorite conference talk. My favorite was Elder Holland's , but it didn't feel like the right one. Every day I read a different talk, and each one was wonderful. I couldn't choose! It wasn't until Friday that it all came together. I picked two that went together perfectly. In fact, they were given one right after the other in conference. The first one I'd like to share is "To the Rescue: We Can Do It" by Elder Mervyn B. Arnold . He began, The Savior clearly understood His mission to rescue our Heavenly Father’s children, for He declared: “The Son of man is come to save that which was lost. … “ [For] it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” . . . Let me share four principles that will help in our rescue efforts. Principle 1: We Must Not Delay Going to the Rescue Elder Arnold shared a sad st...

Some people say they are spiritual but not religious; they don't believe in organized religion. With so many scandals across denominations, it is understandable why people avoid joining churches. So many are run by corrupt leaders or have judgmental members. Such evil has been found even in our church, unfortunately. So why did Jesus organize a church when He was on earth and have it restored through Joseph Smith? Why organized religion? A House of Order To receive exaltation we must make covenants with the Lord through special ordinances performed by one who has the authority to do so. We know who can do it and how they should do it because "mine house is a house of order" ( D&C 132:8 ). The Lord reveals everything we need to know through the proper channels: to the prophet for the whole church, to other leaders for their respective areas and callings, to parents for their families, and to individuals for their own lives. By following this order, we ensure that...

I got to watch the General Relief Society Meeting Saturday night, something I have not had the privilige of doing the last couple years. I was excited to meet the new presidency, and they are wonderful! They are so loving and sweet, so meek and mild, and very tenderhearted. I enjoyed and learned from each of their talks. Linda K. Burton, President, talked about cheerfully keeping our covenants. She also shared an excellent analogy on self-worth another woman shared with her: a $20 bill, though it may be torn, dirty, worn out, wrinkled, and used, is still worth $20. Carole M. Stephens, First Counselor, talked about being wide awake to our duties. She shared an experience she had on a pioneer trek she did with the youth. On a part of the journey called the women's pull, the women had to push the handcarts up a hill without the men's help. A young woman who had already pushed her cart up came back down and helped Sister Stephens and her companion with their car...

Do you know what the Perpetual Education Fund is? “Ten years ago President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) outlined a problem—the inability of many returned missionaries and other worthy youth in developing areas to escape poverty—and provided a solution: the Perpetual Education Fund (PEF). A revolving fund that would be established using donations from members and friends of the Church, the PEF would supply educational loans to young people with the expectation that they would prepare for gainful employment in their communities and repay the loans so that others could have similar opportunities. . . . “As of February 2011, nearly 90 percent of those who have sought work after completing their schooling have found employment. Some 78 percent of those now employed say that their current employment is an improvement over what they had before receiving training. The average income after schooling for PEF participants is three to four times greater than income prior to schooling, re...

Primary means "1. first or highest in rank or importance; chief; principal ; 2. first in order in any series, sequence, etc; 3. first in time; earliest; primitive." When we think of the Church Primary program, we think it so named because of definitions 2 and 3. But I believe the first definition is most accurate of the Primary program. Primary children, including those in Nursery, are building the foundation of their testimonies now . The experiences they have at church while young will affect their attitude toward church when they are older. The Nursery manual states , The purpose of the nursery class is to help children learn the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and live it. The nursery class should help the children increase their understanding of and love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, have positive experiences in a Church setting, and grow in feelings of self-worth. This statement applies to all ages of Primary. The other Primary ...

Adapted from President Monson's talk "Charity Never Faileth " given in the Relief Society broadcast for General Conference October 2010. I begin with a short anecdote which illustrates a point I should like to make. A young couple, Lisa and John, moved into a new neighborhood. One morning while they were eating breakfast, Lisa looked out the window and watched her next-door neighbor hanging out her wash. “That laundry’s not clean!” Lisa exclaimed. “Our neighbor doesn’t know how to get clothes clean!” John looked on but remained silent. Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, Lisa would make the same comments. A few weeks later Lisa was surprised to glance out her window and see a nice, clean wash hanging in her neighbor’s yard. She said to her husband, “Look, John—she’s finally learned how to wash correctly! I wonder how she did it.” John replied, “Well, dear, I have the answer for you. You’ll be interested to know that I got up ear...

The top of a tithing slip reads "Tithing and Other Offerings." Most of us are good tithe payers, but we usually forget about the "other offerings" besides fast offerings. The other funds listed on a tithing slip are: Ward missionary : helps young men in your ward serving missions elsewhere General missionary : helps missionaries all over the world, including their training at MTCs Book of Mormon : pays for printing and other costs Humanitarian aid : helps people in need worldwide, especially after natural disasters Temple construction : pays for building temples and buying the lands upon which they are built Perpetual education : helps people escape poverty by loaning them funds to get an education Other (specify) : for example, a newly established one is the general temple patron assistance fund , which helps people who are poor or far away get to the temple so they can receive their ordinances Of course regular tithes go to these funds and much more ...

An Extensive Sphere of Action The Lord, His Church, families, and communities need the influence of righteous women. In fact, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that “every sister in this Church who has made covenants with the Lord has a divine mandate to help save souls, to lead the women of the world, to strengthen the homes of Zion, and to build the kingdom of God.” 1 Some sisters may wonder if they can accomplish such lofty aims. But as Eliza R. Snow (1804–87), second Relief Society general president, explained, “There is no sister so isolated, and her sphere so narrow but what she can do a great deal towards establishing the Kingdom of God upon the earth.” 2 Sister Snow also taught that Relief Society was organized “for the accomplishment of every good and noble work.” 3 Participation in Relief Society enlarges our spheres of influence by giving each sister opportunities to build faith, to strengthen families and homes, and ...

Service does not have to be big or time consuming. Sometimes the best service is small, random acts of kindness. These little but meaningful acts brighten other people’s day and make them feel loved. Try one of the following ideas to surprise a stranger, friend, neighbor, or family member. FOR STRANGERS: Put coins into a parking meter running low. Return stray shopping carts in the parking lot so that they don’t damage cars. Pay for something for someone waiting behind you in line. Give up your seat on a bus or in a waiting room. Hand out or randomly leave treats for students studying in the library during midterms and finals. Hold open the door for people and help them carry in packages or other loads. Give $5 gift cards for fast food places to homeless people. Smile and say hello! FOR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS: Doorbell ditch, leaving behind treats, a small gift, or a kind note. Shovel your neighbor’s driveway, weed their yard, or wash their car. ...

I received this story from my father, who got it from his bishop. It has been edited for usage and clarity. Names have been changed for privacy: This is an amazing story, a miracle really, that happened right here in the loving Lake Elsinore Ward. There was a very less-active man married to a very active woman: the Smith family. They lived in Horse Thief and had three little children. Sister Smith held callings and juggled her kids and was as active and faithful as could be. What an example she was. Brother Smith was a good guy, but just didn't care much for the Church.  They asked us to help them move out when Brother Smith found his dream job across the country on the E ast Coast . As always, our sweet priesthood brethren and our Relief Society sisters jumped in without hesitation to assist in the move.  The Lord works in mysterious ways! Here's the rest of the story as written in a Facebook message from Brother...

photo from lds.org Our religion focuses on hope. We are constantly reminded to count our blessings and be positive during trials. However, I think we then sometimes forget to be compassionate toward those who are struggling or suffering. We spout off doctrinal phrases and optimistic comments that are insensitive. For example: "You can have more children." "It's about time you marry/remarry." "It's not like that is a major sin." "You need to stop thinking about it." "I went through the same thing and it turned out ok." We should validate what others feel, even if we think they are overreacting, obsessing, wallowing, etc. To them, their thoughts and emotions are very real. We cannot dictate what they should feel or when they should feel it: everyone responds to trials differently, and what we think is right may not be right for someone else. If we think someone is being self-destructive, we should inform the bishop. He ha...

In conjunction with the previous post, I have listed below three articles that will help you accomplish some of the Christmas activities: How to Remember Christ during Christmas How to Have a Family Christmas Pageant How to Do Random Acts of Kindness Sharing Time: Any other ideas?

lds.org The Church runs on volunteered time and service, organized through callings. We choose to accept or reject these callings when Church leaders extend them to us. When we are faced with this choice we must remember the following: Church leaders truly are inspired from heaven. They know where we need to serve. We must not doubt them even if it is difficult not to. There are many reasons why a certain calling is right for us. Most obvious, we have the necessary qualities and skills for that position or, conversely, we need to develop the needed qualities and skills. Other reasons may not even be related to the calling. In my case, I needed to meet a certain person, who shared the same calling. We have since become close friends and blessings in each other's lives. When we magnify our callings, everyone benefits. We grow and the ward grows; we learn and the ward learns; we love and the ward loves us back. Every calling in the ward is important. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 e...

My friend shared this amazing video with me, called " Validation ." It's touching and funny and shows the best, easiest, fastest, cheapest way to make Heavenly Father's children happier and kinder. I try to live by this principle (making others happy). I hate seeing people sad or upset, because I know how painful it is to feel depressed or stressed or whatever other negative emotion. People want validation, and it's so easy to give. This small act has such huge results: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine . . ." On the flip side, small acts of unkindness also have huge results: " . . . but a broken spirit drieth the bones" (Proverbs 17:22; see also Proverbs 15:13 ). How can we not afford to be kind to one another? Smiles and compliments take little time and energy. And for every smile we bring to someone's face, we also bring a smile to Christ's. Challenge: Let's change this world one smile at a time!

Recently I had a disturbing nightmare, and the images bothered me all the next day. At bedtime I asked my very tired husband to give me a blessing. He readily agreed and gave me a beautiful priesthood blessing, saying that which I needed to hear and tenderly comforting me. The blessing not only filled me with peace, but also with intense love for my husband for caring for me and for using his priesthood to do so. Of course, I slept soundly that night. I am so grateful for the priesthood; it truly is the power of a loving God. I am also thankful for loving men who are willing to use this power properly to bless others. How blessed I am to have one of those loving men! The priesthood revolves around love: "No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned" (D&C 121:41). My husband's love for me brought him close to the Spirit; my love for him increased...

Ah, yes, everyone's favorite topic of guilt. And we have good reason to be guilty: visiting/home teaching results in more blessings than we realize, and when we do not do it we deny ourselves and others these blessings. Foremost, we learn more about the gospel from preparing the message and sharing our insights. We are supposed to discuss the message and edify one another. I think too often we do not give this part of the visit as much focus as needed. We provide or receive service by being or having a constant support system. We make friends! This is my favorite blessing of visiting/home teaching. It's fun getting to know others and becoming close to some of them. Also, the relationships we create strengthen the ward as a whole. If everyone were friends, there would be less drama, gossip, hate, and offenses. We would be unified and feel loved and cared about. We learn to be selfless by serving and we increase our spirituality by praying for those we teach. We grow closer to th...

One of the most memorable talks from this past General Conference was President Monson's on service, entitled "What Have I Done for Someone Today?" He shared how Saints all over the world answered his birthday wish for us to serve others, including one Primary who filled a jar with warm fuzzies for every act of service they did. Service is an enormous part of being a Saint. At baptism we covenant to "bear one another's burdens, that they may be light" (Mosiah 18:8). In the temple we covenant to give all our time, talents, and blessings in building up the kingdom of God, whether that be through Church callings, missionary work, humanitarian aid, or random acts of kindness. Throughout the scriptures we are counseled to bless others in whatever way we can. President Monson bluntly said in regard to this commandment, "I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives." Howev...