Gratitude Brings a Calming Peace

“In some quiet way, the expression and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature. Gratitude brings warmth to the giver and the receiver alike,” Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said.

“Gratitude, expressed to our Heavenly Father in prayer for what we have, brings a calming peace,” he said, “a peace which allows us to not canker our souls for what we don’t have. Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure. Gratitude on a daily basis means we express appreciation for what we have now without qualification for what we had in the past or desire in the future.”

Counting Blessings

Elder Hales listed some of the blessings for which he is most thankful: “How grateful I am for the scriptures, which give examples of Jesus’ expressing thanks to his Heavenly Father. … I am grateful for the opportunity to serve with the Lord’s anointed and for the opportunity to give testimony of those who have been called to lead us as prophets, seers, and revelators in this dispensation.”

“As the years pass, I become more grateful for my parents. They lived the gospel, studied the scriptures, and bore testimony of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ,” Elder Hales said. “I am thankful for a brother and sister who love the Lord and have remained true and faithful. … I love my dear companion, Mary, my two sons, Steven and David, and their families. … I express appreciation for all the joy they have brought into my life.”

“My deepest gratitude is for the atoning sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Elder Hales said. “I bear my testimony in all gratitude for the knowledge that our Savior lives, that he was resurrected, that there is a redemption and a salvation through the Atonement for all mankind—that all will be resurrected. I am thankful for that knowledge.”

Be Thankful for Each Experience

Elder Hales stressed that we should never forget to thank Heavenly Father for the blessings, gifts, and talents He has given to us. He also taught: “We [should] express thankfulness for what happens, not only for the good things in life but also for the opposition and challenges of life that add to our experience and faith. We put our lives in His hands, realizing that all that transpires will be for our experience.”

These comments on gratefulness were included in an address given in general conference in 1992. In his October 2011 general conference address, Elder Hales also said that if we endure with a grateful attitude, then that which we endure will strengthen us. “We realize that the purpose of our life on earth is to grow, develop, and be strengthened through our own experiences. … Tests and trials are given to all of us. These mortal challenges allow us and our Heavenly Father to see whether we will exercise our agency to follow His Son,” he said.

Elder Hales concluded, “I express gratitude that ‘in my Gethsemane’ (“Where Can I Turn for Peace?” Hymns, no. 129) and yours, we are not alone. He that watches over us ‘shall neither slumber nor sleep’ (Psalm 121:4).”

"A Book of Mormon Story" Video

On LDS.org this week, they have posted this video as one of their featured stories.  Its called "A Book of Mormon Story" and in this video, a young bishop in England describes how the Book of Mormon came to life for him and changed his perspective forever. 

Throughout the video, he also narrates some beautifully animated stories from the Book of Mormon.  It is just five minutes long and definitely worth watching with your family!

Have a wonderful weekend and we'll see you on Sunday!  (And don't forget to read through your lesson manuals when you have time.  I have put links to the LDS.org online manual under the "Lesson Schedule" page for those that need them.)

A Successful Family Home Evening

It's Monday!  Time to get our Family Home Evening lessons prepared!  Check back here on our ward blog for FHE lessons in the coming weeks.  Ideas and comments are very much appreciated!

On LDS.org, they have a Family Home Evening page.  Click here to see that page.  They have links to lesson resources, activity ideas, music & videos, Gospel art and much more!  There are also countless blogs and other websites that are hugely helpful and I'm planning on posting more information about those in the future. 

For our first FHE post on this new ward blog, lets go over the FHE basics together! 

• Start and end with prayer. This invites the Spirit, increases love, and teaches your family how to pray.
• Learn from the scriptures and the words of latter-day prophets to help your family live the gospel.
• Add music, such as hymns and Primary songs, to create an atmosphere of love, peace, and joy. Visit the LDS.org music site →
• Make it fun by playing games, acting out scripture stories, and making treats. Keep the atmosphere light and loving.
• Be consistent. Monday nights are set aside by the Church for family home evening. If that doesn’t work, find a night that does.
• Add variety. Help a neighbor in need, hold a lesson at the park, or go for a walk as a family.

President Thomas S. Monson had this to say about FHE:

"We cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program. It can bring spiritual growth to each member of the family, helping him or her to withstand the temptations which are everywhere. The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest.”

November Bishopric Message

Written by Brother Travis Wilde

Over the UEA break, we took some time to sneak up to a family cabin.  We always love to be away from the crazy rush of our lives, and spend some time together.  For me, this is time away from my phone, the internet, work, and other distractions of life.  Being away from the daily grind allows me to think about other things, like, finishing chinking the logs, plumbing issues that need to be addressed, and a leaky roof that I am too afraid to climb on.  This trip was a little bit different.  It was colder and that meant more time in the cabin.  The main source of heat in the cabin is a pot-belly stove.  Having a fire to heat the cabin requires frequent checking on how the logs are burning.

This particular trip it took a while to heat up the cabin and get it comfortable inside.  Sally and the kids had gone up early in the day and left me to work and come up later.  When I arrived, I found them huddled around the fire reading.  They had the fire going but it didn't seem to be heating up the cabin very well.  I quickly discovered the problem - they only had a few logs on the fire.  I explained to them that it was important to stack the fire full of wood to get the maximum heat.  After a short time, the cabin got considerable warmer.  Before going to bed that night, I once again stacked the stove full of wood to keep us warm.  Sometime during the night, Sally woke me up and said, "Travis, I need you to light the fire.  It went out."  In my slumber I asked if it was all the way out.  She told me all the wood had burned down.  Luckily for me, when I opened up the stove and blew on the ashes, I saw what I knew would be there - hot ashes.  Within a short time of putting some more wood on the fire and blowing on the ashes, the fire lit back to life. 

I couldn't fall back asleep after being up for a bit.  I couldn't help but think about the experience.  For some reason, in the middle of the night, I had an epiphany.  The cabin fireplace was truly a symbol of my testimony of others.  As I thought about the experience and how important it was to "stack" the fireplace, I wondered what wood I was adding to my fire.  Was my fire putting out enough heat to be of benefit to myself and others?  I realized how important it was for me to continue to check on my fire and make sure I was continuing to add fuel to my testimony.  I thought about how, when the fire appeared to be died out, with a little coaxing, the fire could quickly be brought back to life. 

The prophet Alma asked, "If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" (Alma 5:26)  Our testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ need our constant attention.  May we continue to put the fuel on our fires, so our testimonies might give the light and warmth to ourselves and others.