Daily Scripture

 "...but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 
  1 Corinthians 10:13

Daily Thought

 Testing Your Courage to Endure

 “Even when you feel the truth of [the] capacity and kindness of the Lord to deliver you in your trials, it may still test your courage and strength to endure. The Prophet Joseph Smith cried out in agony in a dungeon: “ ‘O God, where are thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?’(D&C 121:1–2). . . .“The Lord’s reply has helped me and can encourage us all in times of darkness. Here it is: ‘My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes’ (D&C 121:7–8).”    
Henry B. Eyring, “Adversity,” Ensign, May 2009, 24–25

Alma 23-29 Nancy Baird - April 26, 2011

QUOTES FOR ALMA 23-29

"It is not the sins that people do that causes burn-out in psychiatrists.  What causes burn-out is that they won't give them up."
Scott Peck, psychiatrist, (paraphrased).


The name Anti-Nephi-Lehi could indicate the joining together of the descendants of Nephi and those who followed him, with the other posterity of Lehi: "The name 'Anti' of 'Anti-Nephi-Lehi' may be a reflex of the Egyptian nty 'he of, the one of.' Thus, rather than having the sense 'against,' it has the meaning 'the one of Nephi and Lehi.'"
 Stephen D. Ricks, Book of Mormon Reference Companion, 67.


"Their minds were clean to the deepest level." [Speaking of Jesus Christ and Buddha.]
"I said, "How does one get one's mind that clean?"
"Live a good life.  Help people.  Meditate...Don't hurt.  Don't hurt.  Don't hurt."
 (Roland Merullo, Breakfast with Buddha, 218.)



Much of the emotional pain that we have doesn't come from the love we weren't given in the past, but from the love we ourselves aren't giving now.

    Nearly every day someone will do one of these:  belittle us, be insensitive to us, be indifferent, make us feel insecure, humiliate us, frighten us, abuse us, inconvenience us, criticize us, disappoint us, lie to us, damage us in some way.

    But how are we ever going to learn Christ-like love unless we have a chance to practice in the face of opposites! To learn to forge the divine nature in ourselves.

    There are all kinds of dysfunctional relationships in the Book of Mormon.  And all kinds of people who get through these relationships. The people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi are perhaps the most profound example of learning Christ-like love under extreme circumstances.

    Our thoughts and feelings have an energy of their own. (Remember the quotes from David O. McKay? - about how we radiate out our thoughts, for good or bad).

    Our thoughts affect others, but mostly they affect the person from whom they originated.

Thoughts are probably a rudimentary form of the power of creation which you and I will have in the hereafter. The more we can control and discipline them here, as the scriptures say a lot about, the greater the power we'll have to create the things we want around us.

    What happens to us matters, but what has a more powerful effect on us, is what we send out of us in response. For example: perhaps someone does something to you.  You feel that negative ripple go through you and you have to decide what your response will be.  You have the power to neutralize the negative effect, letting it pass through you harmlessly,  or to let it intensify, affecting others with its darkness.  Or, you can choose to return love.
    Mark 7:20    "That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man."

These thoughts are from a talk by M. Catherine Thomas, "The Book of Mormon, Scripture Reading and Personal Revelation," (private files of Nancy Baird), and from Nancy Baird.




"It may be infinitely less evil to murder a man than to refuse to forgive him.  The former may be a moment of passion, the latter is the heart's choice."
George McDonald


Alma 23-29 - Nancy Baird - April 26, 2011 (Audio)

Daily Scripture

Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works.   Jacob 4:10

Daily Thought

“If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.”
  President  Thomas S. Monson

Daily Scripture

22.  And now, after the many testimonies which  have been given of him, this is the "testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
23.  For we saw him even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the only begotten of the Father -
24. That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.
D&C 22-24

Rejoice, the Lord Is King! 

Rejoice,  the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore!

Mortals, give thanks and sing And triumph evermore

Lift up your heart! Lift up your voice! Rejoice  again I say, rejoice!

Lift up your heart! Lift up your voice! Rejoice  again I say, rejoice! 

The Lord, the Savior, reigns, The God of truth and love.

When he had purged our stains, He took his seat above.

Lift up your heart! Lift up your voice! Rejoice  again I say, rejoice!

Lift up your heart! Lift up your voice! Rejoice  again I say, rejoice! 

His Kingdom cannot fail; He rules o'er earth and heav'n.

The Keys of death and hell to Christ the Lord are giv'n.

Lift up your heart! Lift up your voice! Rejoice  again I say, rejoice!

Lift up your heart! Lift up your voice! Rejoice  again I say, rejoice!

Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788

Music: Horatio Parker, 1863-1919

LDS Hymn Book

Daily Thought

 What think Ye of Christ? By Bishop Robert D. Hales

Daily Scripture

  Learn of me and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit and you shall have peace in me.
  D & C 19:23

Daily Thought

         Special Witnesses of Christ

Daily Scripture

...look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your  afflictions...   
 Jacob 3:1

Daily Thought

   

Easter Mormon Mesage Testifies of Christ in Simple, Powerful Way

Daily Scripture

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:  because fear hath torment.  He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
 1 John 4:18

  No class Tomorrow April 19.

Daily Thought

“there appear to be three things the Lord requires of us. First, to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. Second, to go to the house of prayer and offer up our sacraments. And third, to rest from our labors. . . . Let us remember the blessings and opportunities that are ours as we attend sacrament meeting each week in our wards and branches. Let us prepare to conduct ourselves in a manner that will call down the blessings promised us upon ourselves and our families.”
 Elder L. Tom Perry

Daily Scripture

  Learn of me and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit and you shall have peace in me.
D & C 19:23

  No class April 19 - Spring Break

Daily Thought

“Our women are not incredible because they have managed to avoid the difficulties of life—quite the opposite. They are incredible because of the way they face the trials of life. Despite the challenges and tests life has to offer from marriage or lack of marriage, children’s choices, poor health, lack of opportunities, and many other problems, they remain remarkably strong and immovable and true to the faith. Our sisters throughout the Church consistently succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”
  Elder Quentin L. Cook

Daily Scripture

"But unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life."  
D&C 63:23

Alma 17-22 Diane Adair - April 12, 2011

This weeks lesson was on the Atonement in preparation for Easter.

 The Greatest Week in History

(This is the information that was in the handout that Sister Adair provided in class.)

Sunday

Mark 14-16
1 Nephi 11:9-24

The Greatest Week in History by Daniel H. Ludlow, Ensign April 1972

Monday

2 Nephi 2 & 4
2 Nephi 9:5-26
2 Nephi 19:5-26
2 Nephi 25:26
2 Nephi 26:24
2 Nephi 31:20
2 Nephi 32:3
2 Nephi 33:6

The Way of the Disciple by President F. Uchtorf, Conference April 2009

Tuesday

Mosiah 2:41 & 3:1-8
Mosiah 14 & 15

Words on Atonement (Prophets) 

Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that he can make a lot more out of their lives than they can.  He will deepen their joys, expand their visions, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace.
Ezra Taft Benson

"The more we study, pray and ponder the awesome Atonement, the more we are willing to acknowledge that we are in His and the Father's hands.  Let us ponder therefore, these final things.  When the unimaginable burden began to weight upon Christ, it confirmed his long-held and intellectually clear understanding as to what he must now do.  His working through began, and Jesus declared, "Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say?  Father, save me from this hour."  Then whether in spiritual soliloquy or by way of instruction to those about him, he observed, "But for this cause came I unto this hour."
"In Gethsemane with the suffering, Jesus began to be "sore amazed", or in the Greek, "awestruck' and astonished."  Imagine, Jehovah, the Creator of this and other worlds, "astonished".  Jesus knew cognitively what He must do, but not experientially.  He had never personally known the exquisite and exacting process of an atonement before.  Thus, when the agony came in its fullness, it was so much, much more worse than even he, with his unique intellect, had ever imagined.  The cumulative weight of all mortal sins - past, present, and future - pressed upon that perfect, sinless and sensitive soul!  All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow, too, a part of the awful arithmetic of the Atonement.  The anguished Jesus not only pled with the Father that the hour and cup might pass from him, but with this relevant citation, "He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me."  His suffering, as it were, enormity multiplied by infinity, evoked his later soul cry on the cross, and it was a cry of forsakenness.  Even so, Jesus maintained this sublime submissiveness as he had in Gethsemane.  "Nevertheless not as I will, but as though wilt." While bearing our sins, our infirmities, our sicknesses, and bringing to pass the Atonement, Jesus became the perfect Shepherd, making these lines of Paul's especially relevant and reassuring:"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or feminine, or nakedness or peril, or sword?  Indeed, we are in his hands, and what hallowed hands! The wondrous and glorious Atonement was the central act in all of human history.  It was the hinge on which all else that finally matters, turned.  But it turned upon Jesus' spiritual submissiveness.  May we now, in our time and turn, be "willing to submit."
Neal A. Maxwell


In that most burdensome moment in all human history with blood appearing at every pore, and an anguished cry upon His lips, Christ sought Him whom He had always sought - His Father. "Abba" He cried, "Papa" or from the lips of a younger child, "Daddy". This is such a personal moment it almost seems a sacrilege to cite it.  A Son in unrelieved pain, a Father, His only source of strength, both of them staying the course, making it through the night together.
 Jefferey R. Holland 

"Now, the Atonement of Christ is the most basic and fundamental doctrine of the gospel, and it is the least understood of all our revealed truths.  Many of us have a superficial knowledge and rely upon the Lord and his goodness to see us through the trails and perils of life.  But if we are to have faith like Enoch and Elijah, we must believe what they believed, know what they knew, and live as they lived."
Bruce R. McConkie

"Jesus is the Father's gift to all men.  In offering His Son as He did, our Father in Heaven has shown us our truest example of pure love.  Out of His divine love came a willingness to endure the sacrifice of His son, the incomparable suffering in Gethsemane, the abuse by Romans, and Jews, the  mocking of a trial, the pain and horror of a crucifixion.  Why?  Because our Father in Heaven loves us and knew that we could return to Him only through the Atonement of Jesus."
First Presidency New Testament Manuel

"May I invite you to join with me gaining a sound and sure knowledge of the Atonement.  We must cast aside the philosophies of men and the wisdom of the wise and hearken to that Spirit which is given to us to guide us into all truth.  We must search the scriptures, accepting them as the mind and will and voices of the Lord and the very power of god unto salvation.  As we read ponder, and pray, there will come into our minds a view of the three gardens of God -  the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Garden of the Empty tomb where Jesus appeared to Mary Magdelene."
Bruce R. McConkie

In Gethsemane we will see the Son of God ransom man from the temporal and spiritual death that came to us because of the Fall.  And finally, before an empty tomb, we will come to know that Christ, our Lord, has burst the bands of death and stands forever triumphant over the grave."
Bruce R. McConkie

"We offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice ... Of Him the Prophet also declared: "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the only Begotten of the Father - That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God."  We declare in words of solemnity that His priesthood and His Church have been restored upon the earth ... We testify that He will someday return to earth.  "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."  He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him.  Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.  We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles - that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of god.  He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father.  He is the light, the life and the hope of the world.  His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come.  God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son"
First Presidency

Wednesday

Alma 7:11-13
Alma 33:11-16
Alma 34:13-29
Alma 36:16-27
Helaman 5:12 & Chap 14

Applying the Atoning Blood of Christ by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Conference October 1997

Thursday

Luke 22-24

The Purifying Power of Gethsemane by Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Ensign May 1985

This Do in Remembrance of Me by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign November 1995

Words to Handel's Messiah

Friday

John 13-21
D&C 19:18-24

The Infinite Power of Hope by President F. Uchtdorf, Conference October 2008

None Were with Him by Jeffrey R. Holland, Conference April 2009

Saturday

Ether 12:41
Moroni 4 , 5 , 7 & 10
D&C 45:44-52
D&C 122:6-9
D&C 128:19-25

The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles

The Relief Society Declaration

Sunday

Matthew 26-28
Joseph Smith History 1:11-17
D&C 76:22-24
D&C 110
D&C 138
Moses 1:39

O, Divine Redeemer by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign November 1981


Safety for the Soul by Jeffrey R. Holland, Conference October 2009


Charity Never Faileth Thomas S. Monson President Of The Church, Conference October 2010


He Is Not Here, but Is Risen by President Thomas S. Monson, Ensign April 2011


"Trumpeted from The Summit of Calvary is that we will never be left alone nor unaided..."
Jeffery R. Holland



___________________________________________________________________________________

 Notes from Class on 4/12/2011

 In that most burdensome moment in all human history with blood appearing at every pore, and an anguished cry upon His lips, Christ sought Him whom He had always sought - His Father. "Abba" He cried, "Papa" or from the lips of a younger child, "Daddy". This is such a personal moment it almost seems a sacrilege to cite it.  A Son in unrelieved pain, a Father, His only source of strength, both of them staying the course, making it through the night together.
 Jefferey R. Holland


The anguished Jesus not only pled with the Father that the hour and cup might pass from Him, but with this revelation citation He said, "Abba, Father, all things possible unto thee, take away this cup from me"... His suffering as it were, enormity multiplied by infinity evoked His later soul cry on the cross, and it was a cry of forsakenness.  Even so Jesus maintained this sublime submissiveness as He had in Gethsemane.  "Nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt" ... Indeed we are in His hands and what hallowed hands.  The wondrous and glorious Atonement is the central act in all human history.  It was the hinge on which all else that finally matters turned.  But it turned upon Jesus' spiritual submissiveness.  May we now in our time and turn be willing to submit.
Neal A. Maxwell


Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that he can make a lot more out of their lives than they can.  He will deepen their joys, expand their visions, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace.
Ezra Taft Benson

True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behaviors.
Boyd K. Packer


Jesus suffered for the sins of all . . . also our pains, afflictions, and temptations, sicknesses, death and infirmities so He may know how to succor His people.  For many years I thought of the Savior's experience in the garden and on the cross as places where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him.  Through the words of (Book of Mormon) prophets, my view has changed.  The Atonement was an intimate personal experience in which Jesus came to know how to help each of us.  He learned about your weaknesses and mine.  He experienced your pains and suffering.  He understands the way in which we deal with temptation.  But more than that, He know how to help us if we come to Him in faith.  The Book of Mormon has the power to draw all men and women to Christ.  Its references to the Savior's Atonement are the clearest on record with regard to its purpose and power.
Merrill J. Bateman

God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.
First Presidency and Quorum of Twelve


"Jesus is the Father's gift to all men.  In offering His Son as He did, our Father in Heaven has shown us the truest example of pure love.  Out of His divine love came a willingness to endure the sacrifice of His Son.  The incomparable suffering in Gethsemane, the abuse by Jews and Romans, the mockery of a trial, the pain, and horror of a crucifixion.  Why?  Because our Father in Heaven loves us and knew that we could return to Him only through the Atonement of Jesus."

 

Alma 17-22 - Diane Adair - April 12, 2011 (Audio)

Daily Thought

“As you appropriately seek for and apply unto the spirit of revelation, I promise you will ‘walk in the light of the Lord.’ Sometimes the spirit of revelation will operate immediately and intensely, other times subtly and gradually, and often so delicately you may not even consciously recognize it. But regardless of the pattern whereby this blessing is received, the light it provides will illuminate and enlarge your soul, enlighten your understanding, and direct and protect you and your family.”
Elder Bednar, General Conference, April 2011

Daily Scripture

"Ye endeavored to believe that ye should receive the blessing which was offered unto you; but behold, verily I say unto you there were fears in your hearts and verily this is the reason that ye did not receive."
D&C 67:3

Daily Thought

"The Lord is well aware of our mortality. He knows our weaknesses. He understands the challenges of our everyday lives. He has great empathy for the temptations of earthly appetites and passions."
Joseph B. Wirthlin; May, 1996 Ensign, pg. 46

Alma 13-6 Nancy Baird - April 5, 2011

                                 

                                            QUOTES FOR ALMA 13-16
                                         

"To believe in God is to believe that all the rules are fair and that there will be wonderful surprises."
  Catholic nun, Nancy Baird's personal files.

About the opera, The Coronation of Poppea:

""...Why do we want to stage a work which suggests that evil wins? ... The sublime love duet at the end of the opera is a celebration by the two most evil people on stage...  It's the absolute focus of the work...
What is the nature of evil and why does it succeed?  It is a formidable enemy...One reason that evil is so powerful is that it is so attractive.  Things we should not do are precisely the things that we want to do the most....[This opera poses] a very complicated question...why are the embodiments of evil so much more attractive than everyone else on stage?" 
Alexander Gelman,  "Opera on the Brink, stage notes.

Ted Bundy, the serial killer, after his arrest, could not comprehend the fuss.  What was the big deal?...  an exasperated Bundy [was quoted saying,] "I mean, there are so many people."
Annie Dillard, For the Time Being, 21.

"Either life is always and in all circumstances sacred, or intrinsically of no account; it is inconceivable that it should be in some cases the one, and in some cases the other."
 an English Journalist, quoted by Annie Dillard, For the Time Being, 160.

"All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful.  By the vision of the Almighty I have seen it."
Joseph Smith, quoted by Daniel Peterson in Deseret News, March 17, 2011.

"There are spiritual disorders... and spiritual diseases that can cause intense suffering. The body and the spirit of man are bound together...very often it is very difficult to tell which is which."
Elder Boyd K. Packer, in Conference Report, Oct. 1977, 89.



TWO DAUGHTERS, MEETING IN PARIS

        All your children here,
        In their rags of light.
                          Leonard Cohen

This child glides through life
on dreams, whistling fingers;
titian-haired, leopard-eyed,
she masks her mind and heart.
The other, for all her fierce intelligence
hovers close to my arms,
eats hope for bread.

Fragrant breath on the pillow,
their childhoods vanished
as pipesmoke in the morning.
Precious clay, still fingered in innocence,
I tell you:
there are real dragons,
they will eat your heart
like a radish.

In the lens on a September morning,
the two of them, at five and six,
quiver to escape.
Imprisoned hair, lunch box, canary ribbons,
they are already slicking the road
with their flashing feet.
At nineteen and twenty
they skim the membrane of darkness, light,
move carefully through the crusty,
soil-filled cities.

I meant to tell them:
even the children of Lamech,
practiced in the secrets of Cain,
long for something real.
But this they have already learned
through my blood, flesh, and milk:
what is real,
if they have the strength to see,
if they can remember.

                 Nancy Hanks Baird



Alma 13-6 :Nancy Baird - April 5, 2011(Audio)

Daily Scripture

"... May God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son..."
  Alma 33:23

Daily Thought

“As you appropriately seek for and apply unto the spirit of revelation, I promise you will ‘walk in the light of the Lord.’ Sometimes the spirit of revelation will operate immediately and intensely, other times subtly and gradually, and often so delicately you may not even consciously recognize it. But regardless of the pattern whereby this blessing is received, the light it provides will illuminate and enlarge your soul, enlighten your understanding, and direct and protect you and your family.”
Elder David A. Bednar offered insights on the spirit of revelation and the patterns of receiving revelation, Conference April 2011

Daily Scripture

"...If ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."  
Alma 32:27

Daily Thought

I Know That My Redeemer Lives.

I know that my Redeemer lives.
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead.
He lives, my everliving Head.
He lives to bless me with his love.
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed.
He lives to bless in time of need.

He lives to grant me rich supply.
He lives to guide me with his eye.
He lives to comfort me when faint.
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears. 
He lives to wipe away my tears.
He lives to calm my troubled heart. 
He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives, my kind, wise heavenly friend. 
He lives and loves me to the end. 
He lives, and while he lives, I’ll sing. 
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.
He lives, and grants me daily breath. 
He lives, and I shall conquer death. 
He lives my mansion to prepare. 
He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives!  All glory to his name! 
He lives, my Savior, still the same. 
Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives. 
“I Know that my Redeemer lives!”
He lives!  All glory to his name! 
He lives, my Savior, still the same. 
Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:
I know that my Redeemer lives!

Text - Samuel Medley 1738-1799
Music - Lewis D. Edwards 1858- 1921
LDS Hymnbook

Daily Scripture

"Wait on the Lord:  be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart..."
  Psalms 27:14

Alma 8-12 Diane Adair - March 29, 2011

Quotes from Alma 8-12

"Divine mercy can but be applied by Him who knows these things that only He can know…The quiet moments of courage in the life of His flock, the un-noticed acts of Christian service, the unspoken thoughts which can be credited in no other way except through perfect judgment...The self assigned gatekeeper is Jesus Christ, who awaits us out of a deep divine desire to welcome us as much as to certify us…  If we acknowledge Him now, He will lovingly and gladly admit us then."
Neal A. Maxwell


"And everything that has been given in the gospel and everything that has been in any way connected with it has been designed for the express purpose of bearing record of Christ, and certifying as to His divine. Mission."
Bruce R. McKonkie

"Every prophet that there has been in the world has borne record that he is the son of God, because in its very nature that is the chief calling of a prophet.  The testimony of Jesus is synonymous with the spirit of prophecy."
 Bruce R. McKonkie


Diane quoted from the "LDS Church News," September 19, 2009, page 3-5

                                                    

PREPARE FOR CONFERENCE

"When the audience has been expecting and praying for inspiration, speakers often find that they speak with power beyond their natural capacities.  It seems that the spiritual growth, inspiration, and satisfaction derived from conference are largely a personal matter."


STEPS IN PREPARATION

1.  List or identify major concerns or questions that you feel you need help with or answer to.  They do not just have to be spiritual matters, but anything that is weighing on your mind and heart. 

A.

B.

C.

2.  Personal prayers:  Pray for those who will speak in conference and that your specific concerns will be addressed.

3.  Spend at least one day of fasting and prayer to prepare you for the answers you will receive.

4.  Attend or watch conference as an active listener, taking notes on the talks that address your concerns.

5.  Read and study the talks through the conference edition of the Ensign that addressed your concerns and implement these answers into your daily life.

6.  Go to the Temple.

7.  Help someone….Serve

Alma 8-12  Diane Adair - March 29, 2011 (Audio)

Alma 5-7 Nancy Baird - March 22, 2011

DVD for this class is unavailable due to technical difficulties

QUOTES FOR ALMA 5-7

"The [Vatican Library's]     collection, which has been accreting since the mid-fourteen-hundreds, is so vast that even the people who run it haven't always known what they're sitting on top of. ..although the library was founded as essentially a public information resource, the Vatican itself has had a historically vexed relationship to knowledge, power, secrecy, and authority.  Its library may possess some of the most ancient manuscripts of Scripture in existence, but for centuries the Catholic Church held that ordinary people shouldn't be able to read the Bible -- that the Old and New Testaments themselves should be a kind of "secret history" for everyone but the scholar-priest trained to decipher the arcane tongues in which they were written."
Daniel Mendelsohn, "God's Librarians,"  The New Yorker, January 3, 2011, 25.

"Years before C.S. Lewis, the great theologian, became a Christian, he was strolling with his friend J.R.R. Tolkien, a devout Catholic and creator of "The Lord of the Rings."  After listening to Lewis voice doubts about faith, Tolkien stopped and looked at him.  "Jack," he said, "failure to believe is simply a failure of imagination."             
 Jerry Johnston, May 15, 1999, Deseret News


"I was never a beauty.  There was a time when I was sorry about that, when I was old enough to understand the importance of it and, looking in the mirror, realized it was something I was never going to have.  Then I found what I wanted to do in life and being called pretty no longer had any importance.
It was only much later that I realized that not being beautiful was a blessing in disguise.  It forced me to develop my inner resources."
Gold Meir, Prime Minister of Israel, 1969-74,

"Every...person who lives in this world wields an influence whether for good or for evil.  It is not what he says alone; it is not alone what he does.  It is what he IS...Every man has an atmosphere which is affecting every other man.  He cannot escape for one moment from this radiation of his character..."
President David O. McKay,  A fusion of two quotes on the same subject, from BYU, April, 1948, and The Instructor, October 1964.

"It is the soul which dies first. In men's minds there are great springs of poetry and music which nobody in ordinary life thinks of tapping.  Man is nourished by the invisible, he dies from preferring their opposites."
(from Jacques Lusseyran,  Against the Pollution of the I,  quoted on YouTube)

"Too late did I love Thee!  For behold, Thou wert within, and I without, and there did I seek thee;  I unlovely, rushed heedlessly among the things of beauty thou madest.  Thou were with me, but I was not with thee."           
St. Augustine

Alma 1-4 Morrissa Rich - March 15, 2011

Alma 1-4

 

Alma 1-4 - Morrissa Rich - March 15, 2011 (Audio)