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Brothers and Sisters, I hope you have had a good week this past week and that you and your family are feeling well and staying safe during this difficult time. This week’s lesson is entitled “Preserved by His Marvelous Power”. This lesson focuses on Alma Chapters 53-63, which concern many of the military battles between the Nephites led by Chief Captain (General) Moroni (aided by Chief Captains Lehi and Teancum and followed by his son Moronihah) and the Lamanites led by Amalickiah, his brother Ammoron. Of Moroni, we learn in Alma 48:17 that if all men and women had been and ever were like Moroni the powers of Hell would be shaken and the Devil would have no power over us.

Some members have wondered why the Book of Mormon which focuses on what the Lord wanted us to learn that was most important for our time relating to spiritual matters deals so much with war in these chapters. For others like myself, who have been lifelong students of military history and have served in the military, these chapters are of greater interest. These chapters and others on war in the Book of Mormon, are important because they teach us more about the principles of just war–that wars are only justified by the Lord if they are fought in self-defense or in the defense of others. We have been told by modern Prophets that soldiers are held guiltless by the Lord in killing enemy combatants, however no such promise is given if they deliberately target and kill innocent civilian men, women and children. Some people mistakenly believe that the laws of God forbidding the shedding of innocent blood are somehow suspended during war and that the deliberate mass murder of non-combatant civilians and other great evils promoted by the Devil are somehow justified by God during wartime. Nothing could be further from the truth. The laws of God forbidding the shedding of innocent blood can only be expressly suspended by our Supreme Creator himself who is the author of all life and then only very specifically through the Living Prophet as was the case of the Caananites.

The Book of Mormon also teaches us that initiating wars of aggression are expressly forbidden by the Lord and in Mormon Chapter 4, it states that had the Nephites not started a war of aggression against the Lamanites, the Lamanites could have had no power over them and could not have destroyed them. This is important to understand as our nation has embarked upon many wars over the past couple of decades some of which may have been justified under the laws of God and some of which may be. While the lessons we learn in the Book of Mormon, as well as in Doctrine & Covenants Section 98, concerning the fighting of just wars may seem to be of little application in our own individual lives, I believe that this lesson is especially relevant for us in our time. In Alma 58: 10-11 it states that the Nephites poured out their souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies. Similarly, in our times of great need or tribulation, we can turn to the Lord for support and deliverance from our trials. If we are diligent in our prayers and exercise great faith, He will bless us in our time of need and send the Holy Spirit to comfort us and give us peace and assurance that our burdens will be alleviated and our lot will improve. While Utah has not been as hard hit by the COVID19 pandemic as other states, I believe that the time is soon coming when we will need the marvelous and protective power of the Lord to protect our families from the terrible tribulations that have been prophesied will precede His Second Coming which we have been told will likely occur during our lifetimes. If we are strictly obedient to the counsel of the Prophet of the Lord, God will protect us and our families.

The Prophet Helaman followed the example of his father Alma the Younger in helping to lead the righteous Nephites into battle against the invading Lamanites. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the commanding general of our enemies was appointed by the Prophet of the Lord to lead our troops into battle during America’s past wars as the Nephites had during their times of righteousness and the Lord could fight our battles? I believe our nation enjoyed this great blessing under General George Washington during the War for Independence. While our nation and its people are too unrighteous to have that occur right now, but perhaps one day in the not so distant future we may be blessed to see this happen again.

In Alma 56, it talks about Helaman’s stripling warriors consisting of over 2,000 of the Ammonites who had broken away from the Lamanites and were too young to have taken the oaths their fathers had taken that they would atone for their past killings in the Lamanites past wars of aggression against the Nephites by burying their weapons of war and covenanting to take them up no more even in self-defense. In Alma 53:10-17, we learn that the Ammonites were very faithful in keeping this covenant, so much so that over a thousand of them were willing to be slain by the Lamanites without taking up arms to defend themselves, and were blessed by the Lord for so doing. These scriptures teach us the importance of keeping our own individual Temple Covenants and following President Nelson’s admonition to “Stay on the Covenant Path.”

In Alma 53 we learn that these stripling warriors were young men who “had been taught by their mothers that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them” and thus they had “exceeding faith in that which they had been taught” and were thus protected “by the miraculous power of God.” As a result in Alma 57, we learn that even though they were all wounded in battle, they all survived. We know that God is a God of miracles and if we have similar faith, God will answer our prayers and bless, preserve and protect us. Just as Helaman’s stripling warriors were taught by their mothers to be men of faith and righteousness, so we can teach our children (and other dear family members and friends) to be men and women of great faith, spiritual strength and power who love and serve the Lord. By so doing, we can fulfill the purpose of our creation to save ourselves and our families so that we may be sealed together as families in the Eternities.

In Alma 62:41, it states that many Nephites were hardened by their many wars with the Lamanities but many others were softened and humbled before God because of their many afflictions. When we suffer great trials and tribulations in life, each of us has a choice to respond to our tribulations by drawing closer to God and seeking redress or pridefully using our tribulations an excuse to be angry at Him and turn away from Him and disobey His commandments.

In Alma 58 and 61 it teaches us that we can choose not to be offended. In the case of Captain Moroni, he was not receiving sufficient support for his armies and Pahoran was falsely accused by Moroni of withholding that support even though it was the king-men, who were responsible for blocking that support. Chief Judge Pahoran, who was the leader of the Nephite government, chose not to be offended by Moroni’s accusation. Similarly we can free ourselves of pride and be meek and humble choosing not to be offended by the actions of others which may or may not be intended to hurt or offend us. Most importantly, we must always remember that while the organization of the Lord’s Church is perfect, individual Church leaders and members are not so we must never allow ourselves to fall away and apostatize over their actions/inactions or those of other Church members for which the Adversary might tempt us to take offense. Elder David A. Bednar gave an excellent regard in this regard, entitled “Meek and Lowly of Heart” in the May 2018 Ensign.

In the Come Follow Me Lesson, it compares the Nephites being outnumbered by the Lamanites in their many wars to us being far outnumbered in the war between good and evil that continues on Earth today both in our own individual lives and in the world at large. Even though members of the Church on Earth number less than 17 million today (scarcely more than .0.2% of the population of the world), we have the absolute assurance of knowing that the Lord and His righteous followers, both Church members and all of our brothers and sisters who have faith in God and are striving to live just and honorable lives, will be triumphant over Satan and his wicked followers in the end.

I am very grateful for all the many lessons of the Book of Mormon which we can apply in our time in our individual lives and for teaching us how we might better stay on the Covenant Path which leads to salvation and Eternal life. I am grateful for the knowledge that if we live to see the Lord’s blessed Second Coming, then all of our physical, mental and emotional infirmities and those of our family members will be done away during the Millennium. The war in Heaven was fought not only over agency, but more importantly over whether we would be obedience to the commandments of our Beloved Heavenly Father. This mortal life is the final test of our obedience. I know that if we but remain faithful and keep the commandments of the Lord, and follow the example of the righteous Nephites, and teach our children and other family members to do likewise, the Lord will bless us with joy and happiness far beyond our comprehension, if not in this life than during the life to come.

Brother Pyne

Hello Friends!  I hope that you are all well enough.  I hope every month that we will return to a “normal” church schedule so that I can stop writing my thoughts by letter.  I sincerely miss having an actual discussion with you so that I can hear your thoughts and learn from you.  I feel bad that you have to read my ramblings, however, you are stuck with me!  

There were a few prevailing themes that ran through my head as I read this week’s readings.  The first was “Fathers” and the second was “How the Lord blesses us”.  I will start off by sharing my thoughts about Fathers. 

Ezra Taft Benson said, “The sacred title of ‘Father’ is shared with the Almighty.   …Fatherhood is not a matter of station or wealth; it is a matter of desire, diligence and determination to see one’s family exalted in the celestial kingdom.  If that prize is lost, nothing else really matters.”

Elder D. Todd Christofferson said, “Perhaps the most essential of a father’s work is to turn the hearts of his children to their Heavenly Father.  If by his example as well as his words a father can demonstrate what fidelity to God looks like in day -to-day living, that father will have given his children the key to peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come.”

In this week’s readings we conclude the blessing that Alma is giving his sons with the words that he shares with Corianton.  I noticed that Alma does not give Corianton a long list of how Corianton did not listen to him.  Alma got straight to the point about what Corianton had done wrong (vs 2-4), conveyed to Corianton what the spirit had directed Alma to say (vs 12) and then taught Corianton beautiful doctrine.  This allowed for the Spirit to teach Corianton at a level that Corianton could understand due to his life experiences.  There was a teaching moment in this for me as I parent my children.  I know that the Book of Mormon Videos are artistic interpretations of “What could have happened” but I was touched by the embrace between Alma and Corianton at the beginning of the meeting.  Teaching with Love, Being Submissive and Humble, Allowing the Spirit to guide:  These are all attributes that I feel Alma possessed as I read his words.  The outcome of the meeting with Corianton wasn’t anger or frustration, it was a desire to change.  Alma had a responsibility as the Prophet but also as a father to teach his sons.  He had to correct the behavior and still preserve the relationship with his son.  Alma knew what the ultimate prize was and he had shown his sons by his own actions how they should live their lives.  It wasn’t hard for the sons of Alma to hear the words their father spoke, because they knew Alma had lived what he spoke and thus believed every word. 

Our current climate in the world does not value or hold a high importance on Fathers.  Fathers have a difficult road to travel.   Fathers are responsible for many aspects of family life in a traditional family setting.  We do not give fathers enough credit for the many hats that they wear on a daily basis.  Fathers need to be supported and encouraged by their families.  We often overlook this important piece of the family dynamic.  I did not have a father in my home for much of my growing up years.  I did not have an active priesthood holder in my home until I married.  I am so grateful for the many leaders, ministering brethren and friends who have blessed me and my family through the honorable use of their Priesthood Authority.  I am grateful for The Family:  A Proclamation to the World, which clearly states the purpose and organization of families.  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world/the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng

The second theme I felt during my reading this week was “How the Lord Blesses Us”.  I had a strong impression as I read the chapters over the last two weeks that Alma is preparing his sons for what the Lord has told him is coming.  Horrific battles with the Lamanites are imminent.  In the next 74 years, Christ will be born, in a little over 100 years the risen Lord will show himself to the Nephites.  In about 500 years the total destruction of the Nephites will have occurred.  Alma knows his sons and their posterity will be a part in all of these events.  There are many scriptures that talk about how the Lord sends his prophets to warn us and help prepare us for the things to come.  I was reminded of conference addresses over the last few years that brought a remembrance to me of how the Lord has blessed me to prepare for what is happening in our world right now.   (There are about 100 of them, I pulled these quickly for reference!)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/04/the-sabbath-is-a-delight?lang=eng  The Sabbath is a Delight, President Russell M Nelson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/16eyring?lang=eng  A Home Where the Spirit of the Lord Dwells, Henry B Eyring

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/54bednar?lang=eng  Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing, Elder David A Bednar

How blessed we are to live in a time where we are given direction by our Heavenly Father by the guidance of the Spirit through our prophets and fathers and other leaders.  I know they love us!

There are so many great scriptures filled with rich doctrine in these chapters that I would be remiss if I didn’t touch on some of the verses that mean the most to me.  (Here is where I really wish I could hear your thoughts as all of you are in different stages of life!)

Chapter 39: 

Vs. 9 – The word “cross” if you look at the footnote relates to Self Mastery.  I thought it an interesting use of the word as we know it.  This footnote made me think of the cross that the Savior died on and that through our Saviors sacrifice we can overcome our weakness.  It is through the Atonement that we can gain strength and thus Self Mastery. 

Vs. 13 – Humility.  Did Alma and the Sons of Mosiah know a thing or two about this?  Yes.  It would be easy to avoid the land of the Zoramites but Alma knows that Corianton needs to return and acknowledge his faults. 

Chapter 40:

Vs. 23, 26 – To  ”die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness”, “consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works”.  I don’t want to sound trivial but I don’t think this sounds like a good time.  I look forward to having my soul restored to my body and not having my appetites or addictions be a part of my life.  Sometimes, I want to see people here on earth be punished for the pain and anguish they cause to others.  I know this is a fault of mine.  These verses explain that the wicked will be punished in the afterlife and it is severe.  I should remember to leave judgement of a person’s actions to Heavenly Father.

Chapter 41-42:  

I am going to share questions that are raised in our home frequently (it seems weekly):  If we have agency, why do people get punished if they don’t do what God wants them to do?  When we die, if “heaven” is what the scriptures say, why can’t we just repent and get all of the blessings?  Who decides that people are “good”?   Some people do “good” things but don’t believe in our church?  The verses in these chapters have been used to answer some of these questions.  Chapter 41:2-10 ending with “wickedness never was happiness” sums it all up for me.  We can’t try to change what the world says is good for what God says is righteous. 

Chapter 41:14-15:  Our reward in heaven is to have mercy, justice, righteous judgement and goodness restored to us if we practice these things to others here on earth. 

Chapter 42:27: “Whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosever will not come the same is not compelled to come, but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds.”  We do have a choice and the consequence of our choice will be restored to us.

I hope that you have enjoyed the readings this week.  The Book of Mormon is a precious gift.  I hope that we never fail to take the opportunity to share our testimony with our families regarding the truths that we find in the Book of Mormon.  Hang in there, our families depend on it! 

Sister Rooley

Brothers and Sisters, I hope you have been doing well this past month and that your families are staying safe. I know many of us including my own family have been having to endure unique health challenges which we did not have to endure before which have made life more difficult for us. It has been a challenging time for all of us as we have been restricted in attending Church and most especially from attending the Holy Temple during the past four months or so. I hope you are all continuing to enjoy the sweet Spirit that comes from holding Church at Home.

This week the Gospel Doctrine lesson is on Alma 30-31 which is titled “The Virtue of the Word of God.” Alma testified of the powerful effect of the word of God. One of my favorite scriptures is in Helaman 5:17-18 and 51-52 where it talks about how Nephi did speak with such great power and authority to the Lamanites, who were the enemies of the Nephites and had captured and occupied half of the lands of the Nephites in war, that they were converted to the Lord by the power of the word of God and gave up the lands of the Nephites and made peace with them. That is the power of the word of God to change lives and convert individual souls to Christ, convert enemies to friends and replace wars with peace.

In Alma 30, it talks about an anti-Christ named Korihor who tried to deceive as many Nephites as he could to apostatize from the Church. We are taught that an anti-Christ is someone who preaches a counterfeit to the true Gospel or plan of salvation and that openly or secretly works in opposition to our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is how Satan works to deceive us by setting himself up as a counterfeit to God and his teachings. Sister Julie Beck, former Relief Society General President taught that “Any doctrine or principle we hear from the world that is anti-family is also anti-Christ.

This chapter states that Korihor taught the same teachings as Nehor and not only denied that Christ would come to atone for the sins of the world but denied the very existence of God. Korihor taught that there was no such thing as sin leading many of the Nephites to commit sexual sins in the belief that when we die there was no afterlife and no God to judge us for our sins. Eventually, Korihor was bound and brought before Alma, who was the High Priest or leader of the Church, and also before Nephihah who was the Chief Judge to be judged for his crimes. Korihor told Alma that unless he showed him a sign he would not believe in Christ. Alma responded that all of the Holy Scriptures and Earth and all things upon it testified that there is a Supreme Creator. He then told Korihor that if he denied the existence of God again, he would be struck dumb which he was. Korihor then wrote that he always knew there was a God but he was deceived by the devil who appeared to him in the form of an angel to preach to the people that there was no God. After he was struck dumb, Korihor was forced to go from house to house begging for food and subsequently was trampled to death by the Zoramites showing that the Devil does not support his followers but instead drags them down to Hell.

I was recently contacted by a former member of my ward who called me to ask me what we can do as individuals to combat the ‘doom and gloom’ on social media that are saying the prophecies for the End Times for our nation and the world are set and that there is nothing we can do to change them. He asked me as someone who has served as a political party leader, who has spent much of my life studying how to solve national and world problems, what I think we can do to make a difference at this time of crisis, when we are suffering from the pandemic, a major economic recession and violent rioters seeking to overthrow our freedoms to help save our nation. I told him that I have always been a believer in the power of individuals to make a difference for good but that the most important thing we could do to try to stay the judgments on our nation is to first save ourselves, then our family and then everyone we know by preaching the word of God and converting them to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is nothing more important that we can do.

In Alma 31:5, it states that “the preaching of the word (of God) had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just, yet it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword or anything else.” Studying the Holy Scriptures and heeding the words of the Prophet and the other General Officers of the Church will help us discern truth from error on various issues of contention and concern in our time. The Book of Mormon in particular stands as a guide and an answer to what we should do in our lives today. My favorite modern-day Prophet, President Ezra Taft Benson taught that the Book of Mormon can fortify us against “the evil designs, strategies and doctrines of the devil in our day. The type of apostates in the Book of Mormon are similar to the type we have today. God, with His infinite foreknowledge so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious and philosophical concepts of our time.”

The Book of Mormon helps us resist the influence of modern-day anti-Christs who preach that the leaders of the Church are deceived and that God’s standard of absolute morality are outdated and must be modified and adapted to the world’s teachings to embrace and even be proud of those who engage in gross immorality which serve as Satan’s counterfeit to God’s laws. The world teaches us that we must abandon our support for traditional marriage between one man and one woman and that families and marriage should be defined anyway individuals want them to be. The world teaches morality is relative rather than absolute morality and that the greatest sin is intolerance of the immoral choices and lifestyles of others. Modern-day secular humanists, such as Communists in China and North Korea, teach there is no God but the all-powerful State and its leaders and that we should worship and obey them not God.

The Lord has declared great and terrible judgments upon the wicked but He has also promised to be merciful to those who love Him and are diligent in keeping His commandments and being strictly obedient to the counsel of the living Prophet. I continue to see misguided friends posting on social media that Church leaders are being deceived on one issue or another and that they are not supporting freedom like Captain Moroni did and therefore they feel justified in ignoring their inspired counsel because they believe they know more and receive more revelation than Church leaders. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Lord leads His Church and reveals His will for us through the Prophet and other general officers of the Church. We have been promised that He will never allow the Prophet to lead us astray. Therefore, we must humble ourselves to accept and obedient to the counsel of the Lord’s anointed Church leaders if we have hope to be saved in the Celestial Kingdom of God and reap the rewards of eternal joy and happiness.

In Alma 31, there is an account of Alma’s preachings unto the Zoramites. Alma taught that God’s word has the power to lead people to righteousness. The leader of the Zoramites, whose name was Zoram taught his people to worship idols rather than God. Alma feared that the Zoramites might dissent away to the Lamanites and join them in military aggression against the people of Nephi. The Zoramites went up to a place called Rameumpton and all prayed the same prayer which denied the existence and divine mission of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Zoramites were focused on the accumulation of the riches of the world and were filled with the pride of their hearts, which we have been taught is the foundation of sin.

Alma took the sons of Mosiah along with his sons Shiblon and Corianton to preach the Gospel of repentance to them to convince them of the errors of their ways. This scripture states that Alma blessed them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. It also says that “the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst and also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ” because Alma prayed in faith This is a wonderful scripture that gives us greater hope and faith that at this time in our individual tribulations relating to the pandemic, health issues, finances and other trials, if we pray in faith, the Lord can alleviate our afflictions as well and bless us with His Holy Spirit of peace, comfort and physical, spiritual and emotional healing especially for our noble children now serving on missions. I pray that it might be so in the Holy name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Message by Brother David Pyne

Good Morning Brothers and Sisters! 

Happy Independence Day weekend!  I hope that you have all recovered from one impressive Firework show last night!  It was wonderful to meet with a few of you last week for Sacrament meeting.  Sacrament meeting definitely filled a hole inside of me that I have been missing.  I look forward to when we will be able to meet together again.  I don’t have a specific story to tell this week, so I am touching on some of the scripture passages from this week’s readings that I found meaningful. 

The story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies is one of the most beloved in the Book of Mormon.  We often recite the end of the story with the 2000 Stripling Warriors marching into battle with Helaman.   I am grateful that our lesson this week focuses on the events of the parents of these young men who created an environment in their families to develop strong, valiant and brave children. 

Alma 23:  1-4.  I find it interesting that the first thing that the King of the Lamanites does when he is converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ is to proclaim religious freedom to his kingdom.  The king did protect Ammon and his brothers from harm and did allow Ammon unfiltered access to the people to preach freely.  However, the Lamanites were still given a choice on how they wanted to believe. We were just having a conversation in the car yesterday about tolerance and freedom.  I thought of the 11^th Article of Faith, “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.”  We do not have to look far in our current world situations to find examples where religious freedom (or any kind of belief) is not socially acceptable.  If your belief does not match what the world says it should, you could lose your job, your friends and your family to be made a public example.  The King of the Lamanites should teach us that when we are truly converted unto the Lord, we are not afraid to allow others to think differently than we do.  We can do all that we can to teach others about our beliefs but we teach with the Spirit.  We teach with kindness and love.  We teach and allow others to make their own choice.  Converted disciples are an example of the Savior in word and in action.

Alma 23:6-7; 24.  “…as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away.  For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren.”  For some reason, when I read this passage this time, the order of the words made an impression on me.  When I read that the Lamanites, “… did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more”, it signified to me a spiritual change.  We know the Lamanites physically buried their weapons in the ground but they buried everything that kept them from God.  As I read these scriptures, the word “Conviction” kept coming to mind.  I feel that I am strong about certain things.  Some issues are not even a temptation for me.  However, there are things that I can rationalize about and say that they are not really a big deal.  Anything that keeps us from God should be considered a weapon of our rebellion and should be buried.  “Conversion means changing and becoming a new person through the power of God.”  Spencer W. Kimball said, “In abandoning sin one cannot merely wish for better conditions…He must be certain not only that he has abandoned the sin but that he has changed the situations surrounding the sin.  He should avoid places and conditions and circumstances where the sin occurred, for these could most readily breed it again.  He must abandon the people with whom the sin was committed.  He may not hate the persons involved but he must avoid them and everything associated with the sin.”  Elder Jeffrey R Holland said, “It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say, “I’ll change” and mean it.  Of course there will be problems to work out and restitutions to make.  You may well spend – indeed you had better spend- the rest of your life proving your repentance by its permanence”.  We can see the strength that this group of Anti-Nephi-Lehies had in their conviction to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  They drew strength from overcoming their past, strength from a hope in their future and strength from supporting each other.

Alma 26:15; 29.  “…and we have been instruments in his hands.”  I love reading in Chapter 26 – Ammon and Chapter 29 – Alma, about the testimonies of these great men.  These men had a past that wasn’t in harmony with the gospel.  They buried the weapons of their rebellion and were truly converted unto the Lord.  They spent the rest of their lives preaching the gospel and seeing others lives change because of the truth they had found.  Not only did Ammon and Alma see people change but the tide of the belief of generations turned and was brought back to the teachings of truth.  Ammon and Alma saw things happen by the power of God that everyone said would never happen.  Alma 29:10, “And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he has heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.”  This is true everlasting, eternal joy.

I hope that as we have read these scripture passages this week that we have been reminded of some of our weapons of our rebellion.  I hope that we will make a stronger resolve (with more conviction) to follow the Savior with more exactness.  We are building strong families not that are free from mistakes but who know how to overcome weakness, sin and rebellion with gratitude, humility and love. 

Brothers and Sisters, I am grateful for the gospel.  I love the Book of Mormon.  I love my Savior and know that I am a daughter of Heavenly Father.  I am so grateful for families for the teaching, healing and strengthening power that they can provide.

Enjoy your week!   The war chapters are coming.  I hope that you have fortified your defenses!

Sister Rooley

ORANGE – Restriction Level

Under the direction of the First Presidency and our Stake Presidency, Sacrament Meeting will resume on a limited basis, as per Bishop Harwood’s emails on June 1st & 5th.

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We have created a special page for the Phase:1 Back to Church phase, as there is a good amount of information. Please click the link below for further instructions!

Brothers and Sisters, I hope you have had a good week this past week and that you and your family are feeling well and staying safe during this difficult time. With all that has been happening, I was excited to hear the news that monthly Sacrament meetings will be resuming later this month! The Come Follow Me Lesson for this Sunday is Alma 8-12. I love the title of this lesson that our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would come to atone for our sins.

In Alma 8, we learn that our efforts to share the Gospel may require persistence and patience. While in High School, I had the missionary lessons taught to at least three of my friends but sadly not one of them chose to be baptized although one came close to doing so. Those of us who have served missions have learned this first hand. Missionary work involves a lot of rejection but it only makes our missionary successes and baptisms that much sweeter. As I have sought to share the Gospel with family members who are less active I have struggled to know what to say to try to share it in a way that they don’t feel judged or offended. Even Alma, who was the leader of the Lord’s Church in his time, experienced this rejection when he tried to preach the Gospel to the people of the wicked city of Ammonihah but the Lord sent an Angel to comfort him and tell him to return to the city where he met Amulek. The Angel told him that the people of Ammonihah were studying how to destroy the liberty of the Nephites, just as we have been warned in Ether 8:22-25 that secret combinations are doing in our own land today, and that if they did not repent of their sins they would be destroyed. Alma and Amulek were then given power to break their bands in prison and to prophesy unto the people with great power and authority from God.

Alma 8-9 teaches us the importance of our responsibility to do everything we can to help the full-time missionaries with referrals to teach our friends, family members and neighbors so that they can enjoy the same blessings that we do as active members of the Lord’s restored Church here on Earth. With all the restrictions on proselyting due to the pandemic, I believe they need our help now more than ever. We don’t need to be called as full-time or ward missionaries to do missionary work. We can do so as member-missionaries. Sometimes it takes courage to take a stand and defend the Gospel from others who might ridicule our Church, Church leaders and Church teachings, particularly those relating to morality and the family, and persecute us for believing in the absolute truths which the Savior taught during his sojourn here on Earth. On this matter, Elder Holland has counseled, “Friends, especially my young friends, take heart. Pure Christlike love flowing from true righteousness can change the world…Be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don’t live it at all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and compassion but defend them.” We have been especially proud of our daughters who have refused to cave to peer pressure and have chosen to reject the counterfeit moral teachings of the world even when most of their friends have accepted them, in opposition to Church teachings.

Alma 9 teaches that God judges His children according to the light and knowledge he has blessed us with. Alma 9:18-30 talks about how the Nephites would be cursed to destruction if they did not repent of their sins because of all the blessings the Lord had given them. Nevertheless, we are taught that salvation is an individual matter and regardless of the fate of our respective countries which are to be cleansed of most of the wicked before the Lord’s Second Coming, if we are righteous the Lord will ensure our deliverance if not in this life than in the Eternities. This teaches the importance of always guarding against personal apostasy to ensure that we do not lose the Lord’s blessings of spiritual and physical protection for ourselves and our families.

Alma 11-12 teaches us about God’s plan of redemption for His spirit children here on Earth. Jesus taught that only the penitent reap the full blessings of his Atonement and for those who reject Him and refuse to repent it is as if no Atonement had been made and they will have to suffer in Spirit Prison for their sins. In Alma 11: 39-40, it says that the Lord “shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name…Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made except it be the loosing of the bands of death.” Though the Atonement of Jesus Christ all mankind receives the gift of immortality and resurrection and all but a few who live on this earth will be redeemed to a Heavenly Kingdom of Glory after Judgment Day. In Alma 11, we learn that when we are resurrected we will be resurrected to the same spirit we had in this life whether wicked or righteous to be judged according to our works.

I love the story of Zeezrom, who like Alma the Younger was a wicked man and an enemy of God early in life, but then in Alma 15 (in the next lesson) repented of his sins and served a full-time missionary with Alma. Their stories cause me to rejoice in the tender mercies of the Lord Jesus Christ and His atonement. They help me increase in my faith and truth in the Lord that all of us and our family members who might be less active and not keeping the commandments at this time might also be redeemed and forgiven of their sins if they but turn back to the Lord once more and repent of their sins.

In Alma 11, Alma teaches Zeezrom that there is only one God. The scriptures teach that the members of the Godhead, Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, are “one God” while still being separate beings because they are one and united in purpose. Similarly, the Lord has commanded us as members of our families and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to be one and united in purpose. Over the past couple of weeks, our nation has been racked by violent riots, sparked by racial strife and division, whose most extreme perpetrators have sought to burn down our cities, overthrow law and order, allow violent criminals to go unpunished, incite civil war and ultimately to overthrow our God-given constitutional republic. The following Church video teaches the importance of emphasizing our unity and common divine heritage as sons and daughters of a loving God:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxS89yZtAmM

Our beloved Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, recently provided a beautifully-worded statement in condemnation of all racism and prejudice as well as all acts of violence and unrest. The Prophet has called for unity and peace and an end to racial division in the realization that, regardless of skin color, we are all spiritual brothers and sisters of equal worth before God. The Church has taught that each of us have been blessed with the divine potential to become like our Heavenly Parents, regardless of our racial origins. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-shares-social-post-encouraging-understanding-and-civility

The Second Article of Faith states “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.” Here we learn that we are not guilty of crimes or offenses that may or may not have been committed by our ancestors from generations past, but rather will be held responsible before God solely for the individual acts of good and evil which we commit. I believe that is why racial prejudice and hating or resenting people because of their race, skin color or national origin has always been so wrong and so offensive to God because it is contrary to the Plan of Salvation and helps enable the Adversary to deceive us into denying our individual responsibility for our own sins and mistakes. At this time of increased racial division, hatred and strife, may we fast and pray that we may be filled with God’s love, increased compassion and greater understanding for others, particularly those of other races as the Prophet has urged us to do. As we strive to implement the Lord’s commandment to “love thy neighbor as thyself” by loving and serving others, may we be filled with increased happiness and joy and find more fulfillment while the Lord helps our individual trials and tribulations to be lightened and our sufferings to be eased.

In this life, as in the pre-existence, God has blessed us with the freedom to choose good from evil and thus it is we who get to choose our own eternal outcome in terms of what Heavenly Kingdom of Glory we inherit. As President Monson stated, our “decisions determine (our) destiny.” Then as now, we have the choice to follow and serve God or Satan by faithfully keeping the Lord’s commandments or rebelling against them. If we choose the right, we are promised the blessing of enjoying the tender mercies of the Lord’s Atonement and receiving forgiveness for our sins but, if we do not then we are taught that we will be exposed to the demands of God’s justice and the mercies of the Lord’s Atonement will have no claim upon us.

In Alma 12:9-14, we learn that if we do not harden our hearts we can receive more of the word of God. As we strive to be diligent in keeping the Lord’s commandments and studying the Holy Scriptures, the Lord will bless us with greater understanding of Church doctrine and spiritual truths as he has done in the past with Church leaders past and present. We have been taught that the unrighteous choices of those who have apostatized from His Church cause them to lose the Spirit of discernment and enable the Adversary to cause them to forget the plain and precious Gospel truths that they once understood. The more we choose the right, the more of the Spirit of the Lord can abide with us and give us increased light and truth. If we choose wickedness the more blinded we become to the importance of God’s laws particularly those concerning the importance of morality and keeping ourselves virtuous and pure in our thoughts, words and actions, which are key to enabling us to increase in our individual faith and spiritual power.

As Church members we strive for a greater Celestial inheritance and have the hope and faith of one day being sealed to our families throughout all eternities and inheriting all that our Heavenly Parents have. While we have been warned of the extremely trying and difficult times to come as the Lord commences to pour out His righteous judgments upon the wicked, we can rejoice in the fact that we have been told by Church leaders that we are living at a time when most of us will live to witness the glorious Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and live to see the Earth transformed into its Millennial glory in the flesh. We have been promised that the Millennium will be a time of unparalleled peace without temptation or sin where all of our mental and physical disabilities, sicknesses and sufferings, which we have previously experienced, will be done away. With all my heart, I look forward to that blessed day!

I am so grateful to have been blessed not to have been born into the Church but to have been raised in the Church from a young age so that I might know the commandments of the Lord so I can keep them. I am especially grateful for being blessed with the knowledge of my Temple Covenants so I could keep them. I love the Book of Mormon and I know that it was written for us in our time to help guide us to follow the Savior and be obedient to His commandments. I pray that we might be inspired in the coming weeks to know who to share the Gospel with so that they might have this great knowledge and blessings in their lives as well.

Brother Pyne

Hello friends and neighbors,

It is good to have this opportunity to share a brief message with you.   In the readings for this week (Alma 5-7), Alma the Younger declares a powerful testimony throughout the land of Jesus Christ and the power of repentance and change.  

In Alma 5:14, Alma utters some simple yet profound questions to his people, questions that are every bit as important today for each of us to think about.  He asks “And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?”

In a 2009 general conference address, Elder Dale G. Renlund, a former cardiologist, talked about a change of heart (a heart transplant) that has been performed many times since the first successful operation in 1967.  This amazing physical process can “prolong life for years for people who would otherwise die from heart failure.”[i]  However, Elder Renlund explained that as incredible as this procedure is, there is another “ultimate operation” on the heart.  “The ultimate operation is not a physical but a spiritual “mighty change” of heart (i.e. the change that Alma inquired about of his people and to each of us).   Elder Renlund goes on to say “Through the Atonement of Christ and by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, we undergo this ultimate operation, this spiritual change of heart. As a result of our transgressions, our spiritual hearts have become diseased and hardened, making us subject to spiritual death and separation from our Heavenly Father. The Lord explained the operation that we all need: A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

Brothers and sisters, I challenge each of us, if we haven’t already done so, to ponder Alma’s questions in our own mind and hearts this upcoming week.  While our transgression may seem small and may even seem insignificant, without a change through the cleansing power of repentance we cannot be as close to our Heavenly Father, His Son, and the Holy Ghost as we would like.  We all need to continually make the necessary adjustments of heart that will lead us closer to and eventually back to our heavenly home.

Have a wonderful week and hopefully we see you soon.

Brother Mark Stewart

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[i] Preserving the Heart’s Mighty Change”  Elder Dale G. Renlund.  October 2009 General Conference.

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