Talk: Reverence

Introductory Story


President Spencer W. Kimball wrote:

“We are a richly blessed people. The Lord has given us everything: the gospel of Jesus Christ, the light, the priesthood, the power, the promises, the covenants, the temples, our families, the truth. We should be the happiest people on earth. We should also be the most reverent people, but here I think every individual and every family should take a look at themselves. Are we a reverent people? Do our actions in the home and at church show reverence for our Creator?

“Sometimes we wonder. We attend sacrament meetings and conferences where children wander unrestrained in the aisles. During the service, we notice adults talking with their neighbors, people dozing, and young people gathering in the foyers. We see families coming late and filing noisily to their seats, and groups engaged in loud conversation in the chapel after the meeting.

“Our thoughts turn to investigators, friends, and those whose testimonies are fragile and developing. Are our meetings the powerful missionary tools they can be, where the Spirit of the Lord reigns and penetrates hearts? Or to sense the Spirit must we first block out many needless distractions?

“Let us examine reverence, not only its meaning and importance in the lives of Latter-day Saints, but some possible ways we can teach reverence to our children and improve our performance.

First off, what is reverence?

The Church’s website defines it as: Profound respect and love. A reverent attitude toward God includes honoring Him, expressing gratitude to Him, and obeying His commandments.

What does it mean to be reverent?

The book “True to the Faith” (2004, 145) says:

As people show reverence for God, they also show reverence and gratitude for His blessings, His commandments, His prophets, His Church, His ordinances, His priesthood, and His plan for His children. A reverent attitude includes self-respect and personal purity. It leads to proper worship and right conduct. Reverent behavior includes prayer, scripture study, fasting, and payment of tithes and offerings. It includes having wholesome thoughts, wearing modest clothing, and using clean, wholesome language. The depth of a person's reverence is evident in his or her choice of music and other entertainment, in the way sacred subjects are spoken of, and in the way the person dresses and acts when attending church services and worshiping in the temple. Reverence also includes making righteous choices even when no one is watching. Reverence for the Lord leads to serving other people and treating them with kindness and respect. Reverence leads to a quiet transformation in life. The Lord will pour out His Spirit more abundantly on those who are reverent. They are less troubled and confused. They are able to receive revelation to help them solve personal and family problems.

The Melchizedek Priesthood manual from a few years ago said this about reverence:

“Reverence has been defined as a ‘feeling or attitude of deep respect, love, and awe, as for something sacred.’ To describe it as devotion to God is another way to express the meaning of reverence.

“Many of our leaders have expressed regard for reverence as one of the highest qualities of the soul, indicating it involves true faith in God and in his righteousness, high culture, and a love for the finer things in life.”

From the material that we have presented so far let’s look at what it means to be reverent and what affect it has on our lives.

Reverence for the Lord:

• Action

Reverence and gratitude for His blessings, His commandments, His prophets, His Church, His ordinances, His priesthood, and His plan for His children

• Affect

Quiet transformation in life, self-respect and personal purity, proper worship and right conduct, more abundance of the Spirit

• Behaviors

Prayer, scripture study, fasting, and payment of tithes and offerings, having wholesome thoughts, wearing modest clothing, and using clean, wholesome language, making righteous choices even when no one is watching

Learning about and showing reverence at Church is important though that is not where it begins. Reverence starts in the home. School and Church are great places for learning though they do not replace the influence and impact that comes from learning in the home. Assuming that our homes are a place where our children can find solace from the world and many of their cares then it provides an ideal place for them to be able to ask questions and receive answers without concern for ridicule or censure. A place where the Spirit can dwells, and as Moroni from the Book of Mormon tells us the Spirit can teach us all things (Moroni 10:5).

Is being reverent easy?

Many times life gets in the way and redirects our minds from things that we want to do to things that we have to do and we at times forget the things that we are working on to improve.

Now the hard question that we must ask now is how can we be more reverent and how can we help our children to be more reverent?

There are many suggestions and helps that people have provided to help with this. The thing to remember is that everyone has different behavioral and emotional challenges that they have to overcome. As a result different methods need to be employed. The proper approach you take or teach would need to be evaluated and prayed about.

Story about David.

Here are some suggestions that I found on the Church’s website.

In the pamphlet, We Should Be A Reverent People, President Spencer W. Kimball gives some advice on how parents can help their children enjoy church meetings.

1. Participating in Sunday School and sacrament meetings with their children.

2. Making preparation for meetings pleasant and unhurried.

3. Arriving five to ten minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin.

4. Sitting together as a family.

5. Discussing a talk, message, musical number, or other aspect of the meeting afterward

For parents with small children you could try:

1. Help children understand what is happening.

Young children may be able to occupy themselves quietly with a coloring book or workbook, but it is important to help them understand as much as possible about the meeting. An occasional whispered comment to clarify ward business or the speaker’s message may help the child to relate to what is happening. For example, the father could whisper, ‘That is Gordy’s daddy speaking now. He’s talking about pioneers.

2. Emphasize the songs.

Singing can be one of the most enjoyable parts of the meeting for children. Encourage a child’s interest in hymns by singing simple hymns at home and by teaching them to the child. The ward music director may be able to furnish a list of hymns to be sung in future meetings.

3. Reinforce etiquette learned at home, in Primary, and in Sunday School.

Help children remember to fold their arms and bow their heads during prayers and to sit quietly during the sacrament. Children should understand that it is discourteous to play in the aisles or to walk in and out of the chapel during the meeting.

4. Set the example.

Set a good example by showing interest in the meeting, communicating only when necessary and only in whispers, and encouraging children to do likewise.

5. Ensure that children are ready for meetings.

Visits to the restroom and drinking fountain should take place before the meeting begins

Talk: Importance of Seminary

Story of the rich man and his servant


A rich man and his servant were out hunting ducks one day. While waling the rich man said to his servant, I do not believe in God and you do correct? Why is it then that I have so much and you have so little? The servant told his master that he would need to think on that question and would give him an answer later. A short time later the master sighted two ducks, killing one and wounding the other. He instructed his servant to go after the wounded one first since it still had the chance to escape and that the dead one was not going anywhere. After retrieving the ducks the servant told his master that he had an answer to his question. He said that the he had so little because Satan was trying him since he, like the wounded duck, might still be able to get away from him and that the master was dead already and was not going anywhere.

There is no doubt that these are the last days. There are debasing temptations all around us. Similar to the servant in the story, Satan is after anyone who might get away and is using every means to try to get him or her.

He is not stupid he knows that our formative years are when we are young. He knows that if he can plan one addictive tendency in the hearts and minds of our youth then he just might be able to claim him or her.

The Church knows this as well. This is why it puts such an emphasis on the youth. Over half of the Church encouraged programs are geared towards the youth. In addition to regular church attendance we also have:

• Mutual
• Duty to God/Young Women in Excellence
• Scouting
• Youth Conference
• Seminary/Institute
• Youth Camps
• Family Home Evening

We could spend days talking about each of these items though as many of you probably guessed I am only going to speak on one of these items.

What is the purpose of Seminary?

I asked that in class one day and one of my students said that it was pointless. That makes this person’s day worse due to losing sleep. The individual mentioned that they have many home and school obligations already and being forced to attend seminary was negatively impacting this person’s school performance.

Obviously this was not the answer I was looking for. I will circle back to this comment in a moment, though first I want to provide some comments from our general authorities as to what they think the purpose of Seminary is.

Teaching the Gospel: A Handbook for CES Teachers and Leaders [1994], 3

“The objective of religious education in the Church Educational System is to assist the individual, the family, and the priesthood leaders in accomplishing the mission of the Church.”

Brother Joe J. Christensen, Associate Commissioner for Religious Education, Aug 1978

“…the purpose of the seminaries and institutes is to assist the home in cultivating and nourishing the divine nature of the youth of the Church.”

What is the mission of the Church? The mission of the church is to help fulfill Christ’s mission. Christ told Moses “For this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

How do we do that; well it first starts in the home. As Brother Christensen said, seminary and institute are there to assist the home in cultivating and nourishing the divine nature of the youth of the Church.

How does it do that?

First let’s talk about what is involved in Seminary.

1. First it involves our youth to sacrifice their time and sleep.

2. Second it provides an opportunity for spiritual enrichment each day

3. Third it promotes personal scripture study at home

4. Fourth it encourages the learning and memorizing of scriptural passages that the Church leadership has determined would provide us benefit in times of trial.

Now like the analogy that a person can lead a horse to water but cannot make them drink. Parents can encourage or even force their students to wake up and go to church. What they cannot do is get them to have the desire to stay awake in class and listen to the lesson and hopefully open themselves to the Spirit.

Now back to the comment that my student made. It is true that there is a certain amount of sacrifice that goes with attending Seminary. The sacrifice is not just on your end, but is on the end of your parents, priesthood leaders and teacher.

In one of our lessons we discussed the situation of how two people can experience the same event and yet feel completely different about it. It all comes down to understanding and desire.

First you need to understand why we have seminary and what it is for. We have discussed the purpose of seminary though I believe that there is more to it. Our youth are at a cross-road in their spiritual development where they have to wean themselves off of their parents and gain a testimony of their own. Gaining a testimony requires sacrifice and faith. These programs of the Church have been designed specifically to help our youth stretch themselves and gain faith through sacrifice.

Second is desire. Without desire a person is only going through the motions. If there is no desire then the person is not really receiving any benefit other than blessing of obedience. Desire is what drives us to gaining faith.

By increasing our understanding and desire we gain in faith and then can develop a testimony.

In 1992 Elder Wirthlin gave a talk in the October conference comparing our testimony to a fire. He started off talking about how many years ago in the Ukraine large packs of wolves roamed the country side and travelers had to build big bonfires and keep them going throughout the night in order to keep the wolves at bay. He them compared the wolves to the temptations of Satan and the fire to our testimonies. In order to be able to start a fire one must have kindling and a spark. The spark is faith and the kindling is the exercising of our faith. Kindling alone will not keep the fire going. We also need logs of all different sizes. The purpose of these logs is to keep the spark going so that the flame stays strong. The logs come in the form of attending church, saying prayers, reading scriptures, attending seminary, giving service and so forth. By choosing not to participate in these any of these we are limiting the number of logs that we have to throw on the fire and thus increase our chance of letting the wolves in.

Talk: Lengthening our Stride

April 1979 President Spencer W. Kimball

“The major strides which must be made by the Church will follow upon the major strides to be made by us as individuals. We have paused on some plateaus long enough. Let us resume our journey forward and upward.”

What does this quote mean?

Over the last 31 years the membership of the Church has increased by 325%. This is an indicator that the Church as a whole has had some strides.

Just because the Church as a whole has made some strides does that mean that all of us have also made great strides?

How has our stakes, wards or personal selves progressed?

How does an athlete work to increase their stride?

1. Determine their strike rate

2. Workouts/Exercises

3. Work on developing their breathing patterns and pacing techniques.

What would be the results for someone who tried to shortcut take a different approach to this pattern?

1. Quite often taking the wrong approach leads to a loss of stride and speed instead of an increase.

2. Not taking the time to evaluate where you are and what you want to accomplish will prevent from being successful, no goal = no success.

3. The wrong exercises could result no benefit or even cause negative results.

4. Not learning to control your breathing or pacing can cause you to become exhausted or prevent you from finishing what you started.

How do we lengthen our spiritual stride?

1. First we must make sure that we have the proper approach

Spiritual Progression Chart

2. Personal introspection about where we are at spiritually. Know where you are and where you want to be.

In order to know where we are, we must first know where we want to be.

Moses 1:39

For behold this is my work and my glory-to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

What is it that the Lord wants for us?

The atonement was designed to help us with this; Physical death, Spiritual death.

How can we help?

Three fold mission of the Church: Missionary work, Perfect the Saints, and Redeem the Dead

3. What activities do we participate in that build or destroy our faith?

a. Foundation activities

b. Covenants

What covenants do we make?

Baptismal Covenants:

• Come into his kingdom and keep his commandments

• Stand as a witness of God at all times and in all places

• Always remember him

Reward: His Spirit to be with us

Priesthood Oath and Covenant:

• Be faithful

• Magnify calling

• Give diligent heed to the words of eternal life

• Live by every word that proceeds forth from the mouth of God

Reward: Sanctified by the Spirit and receive all that the Father hath

Temple Covenants:

• Renewal of Baptism and Priesthood covenants

• Marriage Covenants

• Additional sacred covenants to more fully serve the Lord

Result: Salvation from sin

4. We must stretch ourselves but not go faster than we are able.

We must not push ourselves so hard that we burn ourselves out.

Endure to the end.

Life is not easy everyone has their own unique challenges. It is how we decide to handle these challenges that determine our stride.

“He will not ask us to bear more than we can bear nor thrust upon us that for which we are not yet ready. But likewise, we must not tarry too long when we are ready to move on

“It seems to me that basically there are two major causes for the holding back which we see in the Church: First, sin which results in disinterest or immobilization and guilt; and second, the reluctance of good members of the Church to stretch just a little bit more in the service, instead of being too slow to see the power of their example or too shy about letting their light shine. It is time for us all to take those seemingly small steps forward which will, when compounded, mean major progress for the Church!” (Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, Let Us Move Forward and Upward, May 1979, 82)

Talk: Daughters of God

Things My Mother Taught Me


My Mother taught me LOGIC…

“If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can’t go to the store with me.”

My Mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE…

“If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they’re going to freeze that way.”

My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD…

“If you don’t pass your spelling test, you’ll never get a good job!”

My Mother taught me ESP…

“Put your sweater on; don’t you think that I know when you are cold?”

My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE…

“What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you… Don’t talk back to me!”

My Mother taught me HUMOR…

“When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.”

My Mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT…

“If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up.”

My Mother taught me ABOUT GENETICS…

“You’re just like your father!”

My Mother taught me ABOUT MY ROOTS…

“Do you think you were born in a barn?”

My Mother taught me ABOUT THE WISDOM OF AGE…

“When you get to be my age, you will understand!”

My Mother taught me ABOUT ANTICIPATION…

“Just wait until your father gets home!”

My Mother taught me ABOUT RECEIVING…

“You are going to get it when we get home!”

And my all time favorite thing, JUSTICE…

“One day you will have kids, and I hope that they turn out just like you. Then you’ll see what it’s like.”

Talk by M Russell Ballard from May Ensign 2008 – Daughters of God

While women live in homes under many different circumstances—married, single, widowed, or divorced, some with children and some without—all are beloved of God, and He has a plan for His righteous daughters to receive the highest blessings of eternity.

There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be “full-time moms,” at least during the most formative years of their children’s lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part-or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.

In the words of the proclamation on the family, “Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children”

Story – I had the meanest mother in the world

We have enormous respect and gratitude to you mothers of young children. We want you to be happy and successful in your families and to have the validation and support you need and deserve. So today, let me ask and briefly answer four questions. While my answers may seem extremely simple, if the simple things are being tended to, a mother’s life can be most rewarding.

The first question: What can you do, as a young mother, to reduce the pressure and enjoy your family more?

First, recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.

Second, don’t over schedule yourselves or your children. We live in a world that is filled with options. If we are not careful, we will find every minute jammed with social events, classes, exercise time, book clubs, scrapbooking, Church callings, music, sports, the Internet, and our favorite TV shows…. Families need unstructured time when relationships can deepen and real parenting can take place. Take time to listen, to laugh, and to play together.

Third, even as you try to cut out the extra commitments, sisters, find some time for yourself to cultivate your gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that you would like to learn or do that will enrich your life, and make time for them.

Fourth, pray, study, and teach the gospel. Pray deeply about your children and about your role as a mother.

The second question: What more can a husband do to support his wife, the mother of their children?

First, show extra appreciation and give more validation for what your wife does every day. Notice things and say thank you—often. Schedule some evenings together, just the two of you.

Second, have a regular time to talk with your wife about each child’s needs and what you can do to help.

Third, give your wife a “day away” now and then. Just take over the household and give your wife a break from her daily responsibilities. Taking over for a while will greatly enhance your appreciation of what your wife does.

Fourth, come home from work and take an active role with your family. Don’t put work, friends, or sports
ahead of listening to, playing with, and teaching your children.

The third question: What can children, even young children, do? Now, you children, please listen to me because there are some simple things you can do to help your mother.

First, you can pick up your toys when you are finished playing with them, and when you get a little older, you can make your bed, help with the dishes, and do other chores—without being asked.

Second, you can say thank you more often when you finish a nice meal, when a story is read to you at bedtime, or when clean clothes are put in your drawers.

Third, most of all, you can put your arms around your mother often and tell her you love her.

Talk: Role of the Father

The role of the father is multi faceted. As I see it there are five aspects to this role, that of a husband, Example or Role Model, Disciplinarian, Protector and Comforter.


Husband

When I was younger I once heard, though I do not remember who said it or where it came from, that the best thing a father could do for his children was to love and cherish his wife.

For those of us that are married our wives are the most important persons in our lives. Eventually our children will leave home to make homes of their own and our sweet wives will be the only one that we will have. So we need to make sure that we love them, and continue to do those things to keep the spark, or love alive. That means that we need to make sure to spend quality alone time with them and make sure to take the time to show them our love and appreciation.

In my last ward our Stake President once told us that it is our responsibilities as a husband to pray nightly with our wives and that we should make sure to express our love one for another in these prayers. Make sure that they know we love them.

For those of us who are not married, make sure to start now and learn to show our appreciation for those wonderful daughters of God in our midst. Treat them with respect, love and dignity. Do not do anything to blemish them or yourselves. Keep yourselves clean and be an example for your future family. Remember there will come a time when you are older and your kids may be in dire situations and you will want to make sure that they can look at your youth as an example on how they should act.

For the mothers, President Faust gives this advice: “Let every mother understand that if she does anything to diminish her children’s father of the father’s image in the eyes of the children, it may injure and do irreparable damage to the self-worth and personal security fo the children themselves. How infinitely more productive and satisfying it is for a woman to build up her husband rather than tear him down. You women are so superior to men in so many ways that you demean yourselves by belittling masculinity and manhood.”

Example/Role model

Brethren, we are the patriarchs and priesthood holders in our homes. We have been given an awesome responsibility to not only teach our children those things that they should do but to live it as well. There is no better teaching tool, than to teach by example.

If we are not living the way that the Lord has prescribed then more often then not our children will not as well. That does not mean that our children will always do what is right. I have seen this in my family. My father has always been a shining example on how we should live. He has not been perfect, but he has been perfectly repentant. Even with this example my siblings, and myself have had many struggles in regards to the church and life. Though more often then not his example has brought them back.

American General Douglas MacArthur once said: “By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder-infinitely prouder- to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentiality of death; the other embodies creation and life. And while the hoards of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battle but in the home repeating with him our simple daily prayer, ‘Our Father who art in heaven.’”

President Theodore Tuttle of the First Council of the Seventy once told a story of an elementary school teacher who had students write essays in hopes that it would motivate the fathers to attend a PTA meeting. The fathers came in $4,000 cars and $400 cars-bank president, laborer, clerk, salesman, meter reader, baker, etc.-“Every man with a definite estimate of himself in terms of money, skill, and righteousness or looks….The children’s essays were read at random. ‘I like my daddy,…he built my doll house, took me coasting, taught me to shoot, helps with my schoolwork, takes my to the park, game me a pig to fatten and sell.’ Scores of the essays could be reduced in essence to: ‘I like my daddy. He plays with me.’ Not one child mentioned his family house, car, neighborhood, food or clothing. The fathers went into the meeting from many walks of life; they came out in two classes: companions to their children or strangers to their children”

Elder Tuttle said again that the father is to be an example of the highest Christian values. To walk uprightly in the admonition of the Lord requires not only patience and forbearance, but an exercise in constant practice of all the Christian virtues by each family member. Perhaps the Lord knew this when he instituted the family. A man needs the responsibility of a wife and family. He needs the responsibility of being an example of righteousness. There is wisdom in this requirement. This kind of gentle persuasion is needed to keep a father “on course” and gently guide him towards perfection.

Disciplinarian

Discipline is part of the process of governing children. The Lord has told us how: Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, not anger, and then showing forth afterwards an increase in love towards him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy (D&C 121:43)

Protector

The father is the protector of the home. In the past the home was protected by locking and shutting doors. This protection only protected against the dangers of a physical being trying to come into your home. Now the task is much more difficult. There are many influences, via TV, music, magazines, the internet and friends that need to be guarded against, and the only way to do that is through teaching and enforcing correct Gospel principles, not as a dictator but as a loving teacher.

President Faust also mentions that we should protect our homes from the worries and trials at the office. We should leave those things at the door. I remember a portion of a story from when I was younger. I do not remember the premise of the story just one aspect of it. In the story there was a man that was providing shelter for an individual that was in the area for medical treatment. Everyday when they would come in to the home together the father of the home would touch one of the branches on the tree outside of their home. One day the stranger asked the father why he did that, and the father had mentioned that this was his worry tree. Every day he would touch the tree and leave the worries of the world with it so that he would not burden his family with those things to help to keep the spirit of the home.

Social Scientists agree that the degradation of the society in which we currently live can be pointed back to the times of the industrial revolution. They believe that it was during this time that the focus of the father changed. They believe that the focus shifted from the well being of the family to earning money to support the family.

Pulitzer Prize winning columnist William Raspberry wrote that “Social Scientists across the political spectrum tell us that father absence is a stronger predictor of criminal behavior than family income, education or…race.”

Comforter

As we all know life it not easy and is only gong to get worse. In these times of trial no one can go on alone. As fathers and priesthood holders we have the ability to help provide comfort to our children in many ways.

First of all we are to love our children and as such we should have the desire to console our children in times of need. Sometimes this is as simple as giving them a hug or just an open ear to hear what they are going through. Other times it may require more than that.

We also have the ability through the priesthood to provide our children with the great Comforter, the Holy Ghost. This will help our children when pressured against the world. In addition we can use our priesthood to give blessings of comfort and health.