Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples

April 2009 Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples

by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the First Quorum of the Seventy

Recently, in a stake conference, all present were invited by the visiting authority, Elder Glen Jenson, an Area Seventy, to take a virtual tour of their homes using their spiritual eyes. I would like to invite each of you to do this also. Wherever your home may be and whatever its configuration, the application of eternal gospel principles within its walls is universal. Let’s begin. Imagine that you are opening your front door and walking inside your home. What do you see, and how do you feel? Is it a place of love, peace, and refuge from the world, as is the temple? Is it clean and orderly? As you walk through the rooms of your home, do you see uplifting images which include appropriate pictures of the temple and the Savior? Is your bedroom or sleeping area a place for personal prayer? Is your gathering area or kitchen a place where food is prepared and enjoyed together, allowing uplifting conversation and family time? Are scriptures found in a room where the family can study, pray, and learn together? Can you find your personal gospel study space? Does the music you hear or the entertainment you see, online or otherwise, offend the Spirit? Is the conversation uplifting and without contention? That concludes our tour. Perhaps you, as I, found a few spots that need some “home improvement”—hopefully not an “extreme home makeover.”

C S Lewis

I have not read the Four Loves but I loved this quote. I don't think I've ever picked a place to live out of mere coincidence. The friends I've found, were put in my life for a reason.

"But in Friendship... we think we have chosen our peers. In reality, a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another, posting to different regiments, the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting – any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,' can truly say 'You have not chosen one another, but I have chosen you for one another.' The Friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others."
-C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Eternal Families

Elder Eyring, Eternal families
April 2016

As we are faithful in our service to help Heavenly Father’s children to go home to Him, we will qualify for the greeting we all so much want to hear when we finish our earthly ministry. These are the words: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21).
Among those “many things” is the promise of an endless posterity. My prayer is that we may all qualify and help others to qualify for that supernal blessing in the home of our Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

The promise of an endless posterity sounds so comforting. There are times itprobably would have overwhelm me, but now it is a quiet reasurement that postpartum depression isn't an eternal thing.

Alma 13: 28-29

Alma 13
28 But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;
29 Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.

Sunday Best

Elder Holland
Tomorrow The Lord Will Do Wonders Among You
April 2016

Brothers and sisters, do you have any idea—do you have any notion or inkling whatsoever—of how much we love you? For 10 hours you watch, fixed on one face at this pulpit sequentially, but for those same 10 hours, we seated behind this pulpit watch, fixed on you. You thrill us to the center of our soul, whether that be the 21,000 here in the Conference Center, or multitudes in meetinghouses and chapels, or finally millions in homes around the globe, perhaps huddled around a family computer screen. Here you are, there you are, hour after hour, in your Sunday best, being your best. You sing and you pray. You listen and you believe. You are the miracle of this Church. And we love you.

I've been contemplating this for 2 weeks. "in your Sunday best, being your best."

I am a Child of God By Elder Donald L. Hallstrom

I am a Child of God
By Elder Donald L. Hallstrom
Of the Presidency of the Seventy

Elder Holland said, “You can have what you want, or you can have something better.”

We are moving, and though physically I've worked so hard to get house on the market, emotionally I've been kicking my feet. I don't really want to move, I like my house and at least 16 potential buyers do not, at least not enough to buy it. I guess 10 liked it but went other ways. While probably 6 did not like it. So I like my house, I like where I live. I like the mountains. Etc etc
This would be what I want.
But I guess since the answers to prayer and fasting have been to move at some point the Lord has something better for me.

President Thomas S. Monson testified: “We are sons and daughters of a living God. … We cannot sincerely hold this conviction without experiencing a profound new sense of strength and power.”
This doctrine is so basic, so oft stated, and so instinctively simple that it can seem to be ordinary, when in reality it is among the most extraordinary knowledge we can obtain. A correct understanding of our heavenly heritage is essential to exaltation. It is foundational to comprehending the glorious plan of salvation and to nurturing faith in the Firstborn of the Father, Jesus the Christ, and in His merciful Atonement. Further, it provides continual motivation for us to make and keep our indispensable eternal covenants.

Two Weeks ago

On Sunday the High Counselor spoke. I was very grateful to hear his talk. It was about the importance of when to speak up and when to remain silent. The scriptures are full of examples when individuals remained silent in the present of opposition and examples of times when the spirit constrained someone to speak up.
It was a really great talk and I hope I remember it. I had been thinking about this topic lately. So I felt like to topic was especially timely.