Faith
Lesson Review:
"Freedom of Choice, an Eternal Principle"
Ezra Taft Benson - Chapter 3
Doctrine:
"Agency has been given to all of us to make important decisions that will have bearing on our salvation. Those decision affect our happiness in eternity."
Freedom of choice is a God-given eternal principle. The great plan of liberty is the plan of the gospel. There is no coercion about it; no force, no intimidation. A man is free to accept the gospel or reject it. He may accept it and then refuse to live it, or he may accept it and live it fully. But God will never force us to live the gospel. He will use persuasion through His servants. He will call us and He will direct us and He will persuade us and encourage us and He will bless us when we respond, but He will never force the human mind.
Invitation to Action:
Life is a testing time in man's eternal existence, during which he is given...the right to choose between right and wrong...On those choices hang great consequences, not only in this life, but even more important, in the life to come. There are boundaries beyond which Satan cannot go. Within those bounds, he is presently being permitted to offer an unrighteous alternative to God's righteous principles, thus allowing men to choose between good and evil and thereby determine the station they shall occupy in the next life.
Promised Blessings:
God loves you as He loves each and every one of His children, and His desire and purpose and glory is to have you return to Him pure and undefiled, having proven yourselves worthy of an eternity of joy in His presence.
Read or Listen to the entire lesson here:
FAMILY
Counsel Together Oft: Family Counsels for Couples
By Nichole Eck - January 2015 Ensign
Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taught that “family councils are ideal forums for effective communication to take place.” They are, he explained, a time to “talk about the needs of the family and the needs of individual members of the family, … solve problems, make family decisions, [and] plan day-to-day and long-range family activities and goals.”
If you haven’t had a family council, you can start today. If you have children living with you, you can include them. However, it is also important that husbands and wives have a separate family council where they can discuss family and personal issues privately.
Here are some principles and practical suggestions you can apply to your family councils between husband and wife:
1. Start With Prayer - “When communication with Heavenly Father breaks down, communication between spouses also breaks down."
2. Decide Together- "Consensus of the council members must be obtained, through prayer and discussion, to achieve that unity which is prerequisite to the Lord’s help.”
3. Evaluate Yourself- “Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” (Matthew 7:3).
4. Talk About Hard Stuff- “Every family has problems and challenges. But successful families try to work together toward solutions instead of resorting to criticism and contention."
5. Keep It Positive - "If you call family councils only “in times of stress … and never to recognize … achievements or to compliment [your family members] and show your love to them, then they will learn to dread family councils.”
6. Persevere- “Let us do the best we can and try to improve each day. When our imperfections appear, we can keep trying to correct them. We can be more forgiving of flaws in ourselves and among those we love.”
If you don’t know what to talk about in a family council, consider questions like these:
- How can we divide up the work so that each member shares home responsibilities and feels good about what he or she is doing?
- What sort of media will we allow in the house?
- What new skills can we learn as a family?
- What can we do as a family to eliminate quarreling?
- What activities will encourage us to keep the Sabbath day holy?
- How can we prepare for a natural disaster?
- How will we be more involved in our community?
- What new traditions can we start as a family?
- How can we be better about managing our finances?
- What can we do to spiritually strengthen our marriage?
https://www.lds.org/liahona/2015/01/young-adults/counsel-together-oft-family-councils-for-couples?cid=HPTH020515676&lang=eng
Elder and Sister Ballard also had a great article in the June 2003 Ensign
RELIEF
Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored. Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war. Ultimately, the statue remained without hands. However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words: "You are my hands."
"As we emulate His perfect example, our hands can become His hands; our eyes, His eyes; our heart, His heart." From the April 2010 General Conference talk "You Are My Hands" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Read or listen to his talk here:
Sweeping the Earth As If a Flood:
Relief Society Announcements:
There will be an adult fireside for all adults 18 and up onSunday, February 22nd @ 6:30 p.m. Elder Alan Batt of the Area 70 will be sharing a great message. Sunday dress.
"Becoming a More Holy Woman" - Stake Relief Society Fireside will be March 1 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at the Stake Center. Please dress Sunday best. There will be no nursery provided.
Lesson Schedule February:
February 1st - President's Instruction
February 8th - Ezra Taft Benson #3 - "Freedom of Choice, an Eternal Principle"
February 15th - Ezra Taft Benson #4 - "Living Joyfully I Troubled Times"
February 22nd - Teachings For Our Time
2015 Relief Society Curriculum:
Teachings of President's of the Church - Ezra Taft Benson
Recipes on the blog:
If you have a recipe you would like to share send them to: drbennett1@hotmail.com or call or text them to 208-351-7083. We would love to have your favorite holiday recipes!Visit the ward recipe blog: www.burton4threcipes.blogspot.com
