Relief Society Lesson 4/25/10

---And upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit---

Today's Fast Sunday lesson was given by Sister Steele. The lesson was based on Sister Beck's Conference talk from the Saturday morning session of this past General Conference.

You can read Sister Beck's talk by going HERE.

Relief Society Lesson for 4/11/10- The Holy Ghost

The Holy Ghost Came to Adam and Eve

• Why did Adam and Eve need the guidance of the Holy Ghost?

After Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, they began to till the earth and work at other tasks for their living. They had many children, and their sons and daughters also married and had children (see Moses 5:1–3). Thus, spirit children of our Heavenly Father began leaving His presence to come to the earth as they had been promised (see Abraham 3:24–25). As they came to earth, the memory of their heavenly home was taken from them. But our Father did not shut them away from His influence. He sent the Holy Ghost to comfort and help and guide all of His spirit children.

Adam and Eve called upon Heavenly Father in prayer. He spoke to them and gave them commandments, which they obeyed. An angel of the Lord came and taught Adam and Eve the plan of salvation. The Lord sent the Holy Ghost to testify of the Father and of the Son and to teach Adam and Eve the gospel. (See Moses 5:4–9.) Through the power of the Holy Ghost, Adam “began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God” (Moses 5:10). Because of the witness of the Holy Ghost to Eve, she said, “Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient” (Moses 5:11).

• How is our need for guidance from the Holy Ghost similar to that of Adam and Eve?
Attributes of the Holy Ghost
• How does the Holy Ghost differ from the Father and the Son? Why is that difference important to us?

The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead (see 1 John 5:7; D&C 20:28). He is a “personage of Spirit” (D&C 130:22). He can be in only one place at a time, but His influence can be everywhere at the same time. Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are called the Godhead. They are unified in purpose. Each has an important assignment in the plan of salvation. Our Heavenly Father is our Father and ruler. Jesus Christ is our Savior. The Holy Ghost is the revealer and testifier of all truth. The Holy Ghost is our Heavenly Father’s messenger and is a special gift to us.

The Mission of the Holy Ghost

• What are some of the truths that the Holy Ghost reveals to us?

The mission of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness of the Father and the Son and of the truth of all things. The Holy Ghost will witness to us that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer (see 3 Nephi 28:11; D&C 20:27). He will reveal to us that our Heavenly Father is the Father of our spirits. He will help us understand that we can become exalted like our Heavenly Father. (See Romans 8:16–17.) The prophets of the Lord have promised, “By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5). Without the Holy Ghost, we could not know that Jesus is the Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote, “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Corinthians 12:3). The Savior Himself said, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John
17:3). It is by the power of the Holy Ghost that we are led to understand and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. The convincing power of the Holy Ghost is so great that there can be no doubt that what He reveals to us is true.

President Joseph Fielding Smith said:
“When a man has the manifestation from the Holy Ghost, it leaves an indelible impression on his soul, one that is not easily erased. It is Spirit speaking to spirit, and it comes with convincing force. A manifestation of an angel, or even of the Son of God himself, would impress the eye and mind, and eventually become dimmed, but the impressions of the Holy Ghost sink deeper into the soul and are more difficult to erase”

President Smith also said, “Through the Holy Ghost the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten”

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we should make ourselves worthy to receive this special messenger and witness of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

• Think about times when the Holy Ghost has helped you grow in your testimony.

**A talk by Henry B. Eyring was also referenced during the lesson. You can read that HERE.

Relief Society Lesson 3/28/10

What Have I Done For Someone Today?
President Thomas S. Monson
October 2009 General Conference

President Monson said he had felt prompted to share this message with us.

President Monson spoke about a doctor, Jack McConnell, who was one of the seven children of a Methodist minister and a stay-at-home mom. He said that at the dinner table, his father would ask each of the children, "And what did you do for someone today?" The children wanted to have something to report, so would try each day to serve someone else. Dr. McConnell called this exercise his father's most valuable legacy because it inspired the children to serve throughout their lives. Dr. McConnell went on to help in the medical field by helping with the development of Tylenol and the MRI, among other things. After he retired, he volunteered 60 hours a week and found a satisfaction that he had never before found in his life.

President David O. McKay made this statement in the Octiber 1963 general conference: "Man's greatest happiness comes from losing himself for the good of others."

Often we live side by side but do not communicate heart to heart. There are those within the sphere of our own influence who, with outstretched hands, cry out, "Is there no balm in Gilead?"

I am confident it is the intention of each member of the Church to serve and to help those in need. At baptism we covenanted to "bear one another's burdens, that they may be light." How many times has your heart been touched as you have witnessed the need of another? How often have you intended to be the one to help? And yet how often has day-to-day living interfered and you've left it for others to help, feeling that "oh, surely someone will take care of that need."

Too often we spend most of our time taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes.

President Monson shared this poem:

I have wept in the night
For the shortness of sight
That to somebody's need made me blin;
But I never have yet
Felt a tinge of regreat
For being a little too kind.

President Monson spoke about how for he told a reporter that the ideal birthday gift for him would be to "Find someone who is having a hard time or is ill or lonely, and do something for him or her."

He was overwhelmed by the letters he received from members of the Church telling him the service they had done as a birthday gift to him.

*Sister Dunford gave this beautiful lesson. We had a beautiful discussion on service. We talked about how the giver and the receiver are both blessed and that sometimes we are on the giving end and sometimes we are on the receiving end. No matter what side we are on, we should allow the service to be done so blessings can be received. Sometimes we don't have the health or strength to serve like others may be able to, but we can all serve in one way or another. Our service may be a kind word or sharing words of wisdom with another. It may be as simple as pulling a neighbor's weed or making a phone call. When we serve others, we are really serving God. President Monson has been such a wonderful example of giving service. May we be more mindful of others and serve each other daily.

Relief Society Lesson for 3/21/10- The Fall of Adam and Eve

God prepared this earth as a home for His children. Adam and Eve
were chosen to be the first people to live on the earth (see Moses
1:34; 4:26). Their part in our Father’s plan was to bring mortality into
the world. They were to be the first parents. (See D&C 107:54–56 .)
Adam and Eve were among our Father’s noblest children . In the
spirit world Adam was called Michael the archangel (see D&C
27:11; Jude 1:9). He was chosen by our Heavenly Father to lead the
righteous in the battle against Satan (see Revelation 12:7–9). Adam
and Eve were foreordained to become our first parents. The Lord
promised Adam great blessings: “I have set thee to be at the head; a
multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over
them forever” (D&C 107:55).

Eve was “the mother of all living” (Moses 4:26). God brought Adam
and Eve together in marriage because “it was not good that the man
should be alone” (Moses 3:18; see also 1 Corinthians 11:11). She
shared Adam’s responsibility and will also share his eternal blessings.

When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, they were
not yet mortal. In this state, “they would have had no children”
(2 Nephi 2:23). There was no death. They had physical life because
their spirits were housed in physical bodies made from the dust
of the earth (see Moses 6:59; Abraham 5:7). They had spiritual life
because they were in the presence of God. They had not yet made
a choice between good and evil.

God commanded them to have children. He said, “Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have domin-
ion over . . . every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Moses
2:28). God told them they could freely eat of every tree in the
garden except one, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Of that
tree God said, “In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”
(Moses 3:17).

Satan, not knowing the mind of God but seeking to destroy God’s
plan, came to Eve in the Garden of Eden. He tempted her to eat of
the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He assured her
that she and Adam would not die, but that they would “be as gods,
knowing good and evil” (Moses 4:11) . Eve yielded to the tempta-
tion and ate the fruit. When Adam learned what had happened, he
chose to partake also. The changes that came upon Adam and Eve
because they ate the fruit are called the Fall.

Because Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge
of good and evil, the Lord sent them out of the Garden of Eden into
the world. Their physical condition changed as a result of their eat-
ing the forbidden fruit. As God had promised, they became mor-
tal. They and their children would experience sickness, pain, and
physical death. Because of their transgression, Adam and Eve also
suffered spiritual death. This meant they and their children could
not walk and talk face to face with God . Adam and Eve and their children
were separated from God both physically and spiritually .

Some people believe Adam and Eve committed a serious sin when
they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, latter-
day scriptures help us understand that their Fall was a necessary
step in the plan of life and a great blessing to all of us. Because of
the Fall, we are blessed with physical bodies, the right to choose
between good and evil, and the opportunity to gain eternal life.
None of these privileges would have been ours had Adam and Eve
remained in the garden.

After the Fall, Eve said, “Were it not for our transgression we never
should have had seed [children], and never should have known
good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life
which God giveth unto all the obedient” (Moses 5:11).

The prophet Lehi explained:
“And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have
fallen [been cut off from the presence of God], but he would have
remained in the Garden of Eden . And all things which were created
must have remained in the same state in which they were after they
were created . . . .

“And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have
remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no
misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin."

“But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who
knoweth all things.

“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have
joy” (2 Nephi 2:22–25) .

Relief Society Lesson for 3/14/10- The Creation

When we lived as spirit children with our heavenly parents, our
Heavenly Father told us about His plan for us to become more like
Him. We shouted for joy when we heard His plan (see Job 38:7).
We were eager for new experiences. In order for these things to
happen, we needed to leave our Father’s presence and receive
mortal bodies. We needed another place to live where we could
prepare to become like Him. Our new home was called earth.

Jesus Christ created this world and everything in it. He also created
many other worlds. He did so through the power of the priesthood,
under the direction of our Heavenly Father. God the Father said,
“Worlds without number have I created; . . . and by the Son I created
them, which is mine Only Begotten” (Moses 1:33). We have other
testimonies of this truth. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw Jesus
Christ in a vision. They testified “that by him, and through him, and
of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof
are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:24).

The earth and everything on it were created spiritually before they
were created physically (see Moses 3:5). In planning to create the
physical earth, Christ said to those who were with Him, “We will
go down, for there is space there, . . . and we will make an earth
whereon these [the spirit children of our Father in Heaven] may
dwell” (Abraham 3:24) .

Under the direction of the Father, Christ formed and organized the
earth. He divided light from darkness to make day and night . He
formed the sun, moon, and stars. He divided the waters from the
dry land to make seas, rivers, and lakes. He made the earth beautiful
and productive. He made grass, trees, flowers, and other plants of all
kinds. These plants contained seeds from which new plants could
grow. Then He created the animals—fish, cattle, insects, and birds of
all kinds. These animals had the ability to reproduce their own kind.
Now the earth was ready for the greatest creation of all—mankind.
Our spirits would be given bodies of flesh and blood so they could
live on earth. “And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which
was with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness; and it was so” (Moses 2:26) . And so the first man,
Adam, and the first woman, Eve, were formed and given bodies
that resembled those of our heavenly parents. “In the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27).
When the Lord finished His creations, He was pleased and knew
that His work was good, and He rested for a time.

God’s Creations Show His Love

We are now living in this beautiful world. Think of the sun,
which gives us warmth and light. Think of the rain, which makes
plants grow and makes the world feel clean and fresh. Think of
how good it is to hear a bird singing or a friend laughing. Think
of how wonderful our bodies are—how we can work and play
and rest. When we consider all of these creations, we begin to
understand what wise, powerful, and loving beings Jesus Christ
and our Heavenly Father are. They have shown great love for us
by providing for all of our needs.

Plant life and animal life were also made to give us joy. The
Lord said, “Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the sea-
son thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to
please the eye and to gladden the heart; yea, for food and for rai-
ment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven
the soul” (D&C 59:18–19). Even though God’s creations are many,
He knows and loves them all. He said, “All things are numbered
unto me, for they are mine and I know them” (Moses 1:35).

Relief Society Lesson 3/7/10

Provident Living: Self-Reliance

Boni Peterson gave our Presidency message today. It was on provident living and self-reliance. Self-reliant means to be able to take care of yourself and serve others. We can be self-reliant in a number of areas in our life, such as: spiritual, education, food storage, and physcial. We had a great discussion on being self-reliant. As we are more self-reliant, we can better give of ourselves to serve others. It was a great lesson. Boni challenged us to pick an area in our life where we could become more self-reliant.

Relief Society Lesson 2/28/10

Search, Ponder, & Pray

Today was our Ward Conference and we had the priviledge of hearing our sweet Stake Relief Society Presidency talk to us in Relief Society. The Spirit was very strong as they spoke to us and counseled us. They each talked about the importance of searching, pondering, and praying, which was the theme of our Ward Conference. We all need to take the time in our lives to come unto Christ. We do this as we search, ponder, and pray. We can find answers to our problems and comfort in times of need as we read the scriptures, which are the words of Christ. The scriptures are written for us to help us in our daily lives. As we build a foundation on Christ, we will be able to better face the demands and trials in our lives. How grateful I am for the scriptures where I can learn more about Christ and find the strength and answers I need to meet the challenges of my life.

Relief Society Lesson 2/21/10

Freedom to Choose
(Excerpts from Chapter 4 of Gospel Principles)

Agency is an eternal principle....In our premortal life we had moral agency. One purpose of earth life is to show what choices we will make. If we were forced to choose the right, we would not be able to show what we would choose for ourselves. Also, we are happier doing things when we have made our own choices.

Agency was one of the principal issues to arise in the premortal Council in Heaven. It was one of the main causes of the conflict between the followers of Christ and the followers of Satan.

When we choose to live according to God's plan for us, our agency is strengthened. Right choices increase our power to make more right choices.

As we obey each of our Father's commandments, we grow in wisdom and strength of character. Our faith increases. We find it easier to make right choices.

Satan does all he can to destroy God's work. He does not love us (emphasis added). He does not want any good thing for us.

Even though we are free to choose our course of action, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.

Heavenly Father has told us how to escape the captivity of Satan. We must watch and pray always, asking God to hep us withstand the temptations of Satan. Our Heavenly Father will not allow us to be tempted beyond our power to resist (see 1 Corinthians 10:13; Alma 13:28).

God's commandments direct us away from danger and toward eternal life. By choosing wisely, we will gain exaltation, progress eternally, and enjoy perfect happiness (see 2 Nephi 2:27-28).

*Sister Marsden gave a beautiful lesson and we had a wonderful discussion on moral agency. She said (from something she had heard from President Monson) that the things we learn in church should cause us to change and be better. We should "think about, feel about, do something about living gospel principles" not just learning the principles. We all have been given the Light of Christ, whether or not we are members of the Church. From this we all know what is inherently right and wrong. And we have been given the gift of moral agency to choose right or wrong. God allows there to be opposition. He allows Satan to tempt us because he would never take away Satan's agency or anyone elses. We are free to choose for ourselves. This is an eternal gift from God.

Relief Society Lesson 2/14/10

Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts

Bishop H. David Burton

(Excerpts from October 2009 General Conference Talk)

"Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God" (Doctrine & Covenants 121:45).

"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul--We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things" (13th Article of Faith).

Today I wish to speak about personal traits we call virtues....The spelling in English of many individual virtues concludes with the letters ity: integrity, humility, charity, spirituality, accountability, civility, fidelity, and the list goes on and on. Relying on literary license, I refer to the virtues ending in ity as the "ity" virtues. "Ity" is a suffix that means quality, state, or degree of being.

We need only look around us to see what is taking place in our communities to realize that personal traits of virtue are in a steep decline.

....We need not be a part of the virtue malaise that is penetrating and infecting society. If we follow the owrld in abandoning Christian-centered virtues, the consequences may be disastrous.

We need to stand tall and be firmly fixed in perpetuating Christlike virtues, even the "ity" virtues, in our everyday lives. Teaching virtuous traits begins in the home with parents who care and set the example. A good parental example encourages emulation; a poor example gives license to the children to disregard the parents' teachings and even expand the poor example. A hypocritical example destroys credibility.

President James E. Faust suggested that integrity is the mother of many virtues. He noted that integrity can be defined "as a firm adherence to a code of moral values." He also suggested that "integrity is the light that shines from a disciplined conscience. It is the strength of duty within us." It is difficult for a person to display virtuous traits if he or she lacks integrity. Without integrity, honesty is often forgotten. If integrity is absent, civility is impaired. If integrity is not important, spirituality is difficult to maintain.

President Thomas S. Monson reminded us a few years ago that "most people will not commit desperate acts if they have been taught that dignity, honesty and integrity are more important than revenge or rage; if they understand that respect and kindness ultimately give one a better chance at success."

Virtuous traits, especially the "ity" virtues, must never be forgotten or set aside. If forgotten or set aside, they will inevitably become the "lost virtues." If virtues are lost, families will be measurably weakened, individual faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will soften, and importantn eteranal relationships may be jeopardized.

May we have the humility to take the opportunity to act upon our responsibility to deomonstrate our ability to do so, I pray in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

*Sister Caprice Erickson gave a beautiful lesson on living a virtuous life and remembering the virtues that are so important. It was a good to remember the individual virtues that keep our lives and communities intact. If we live a virtuous life, we can better our own lives, our families, and our communities.

For the full talk, visit the following website:
LDS.org - Ensign Article - Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts

Relief Society Lesson 2/7/10

Follow the Prophet

Sister Ashby gave a wonderful lesson on following the prophet. When we do follow the prophet we are blessed. When we don't follow the prophet, we don't have that protection or promise. Our latter-day prophets have asked us to do things such as: have a food storage, pay our tithing, and keep the commandments. When we sustain them, we are promising to also heed their counsel. If we are not going to do what we are told, then it really is not needful to listen to what they are saying. Let us all try harder to not only listen to what our Prophet and Apostles are telling us, but to also DO what they are telling us. I know we will be greatly blessed.

Relief Society Lesson 1/31/10

Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior

(Excerpts from Chapter 3 from Gospel Principles)

When the plan for our salvation was presented to us in the premortal spirit world, we were so happy that we shouted for joy (see Job 38:7).

We understood that we would have to leave our heavenly home for a time. We would not live in the presence of our Heavenly Father. While we were away from Him, all of us would sin and some of us would lose our way. Our Heavenly Father knew and loved each one of us. He knew we would need help, so He planned a way to help us.

We needed a Savior to pay for our sins and teach us how to return to our Heavenly Father. Our Father said, "Whom shall I send?" (Abraham 3:27).

Jesus was willing to come to the earth, give His life for us, and take upon Himself our sins....Jesus Christ was chosen and foreordained to be our Savior.

Because our Heavenly Father chose Jesus Christ to be our Savior, Satan became angry and rebelled. There was war in heaven. The Savior's followers "overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony" (Revelation 12:11).

By following [Christ's] teachings, we can inherit a place in the celestial kingdom. He did His part to help us return to our heavenly home. It is now up to each of us to do our part and become worthy of exaltation.

*Sister Dunford gave a beautiful lesson today. We have some amazing teachers in our ward. Today we talked about the plan of salvation and our ability to exercise our agency in making good choices. How blessed we are to know about the plan of salvation and have the gift of agency. Even more, how blessed we are to have a Savior who would give his life for each one of us. He makes it possible for us to one day return to live in heaven with those we love, if we would but follow him.

Relief Society Lesson 1/17/10

Our Heavenly Family

(Excerpts from Chapter 2 from Gospel Principles)

God is not only our Ruler and Creator; He is also our Heavenly Father...Every person who was ever born on earth is our spirit brother or sister. Because we are the spirit children of God, we have inherited the potential to develop His divine qualities. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can become like our Heavenly Father and receive a fulness of joy.

We were not all alike in heaven...We possessed different talents and abilities, and we were called to do different things on earth. We can learn more about our "eternal possibilities" when we receive our patriarchal blessings.

A veil covers our memories of our premortal life, but our Father in Heaven knows who we are and what we did before we came here. He has chosen the time and place for each of us to be born so we can learn the lessons we personally need and do the most good with our individual talents and personalities.

Our Heavenly Father knew we could not progress beyond a certain point unless we left Him for a time. He wanted us to develop the godlike qualities that He has. To do this, we needed to leave our premortal home to be tested and to gain experience.

Our Heavenly Father called a Grand Council...At the Grand Council...we learned that all of us would have trials in our lives...But we understood that these would be given to us for our experience and our good (see Doctrine & Covenants 122:7).

At this council we also learned that because of our weakness, all of us except little children would sin (see Doctrine & Covenants 29:46-47). We learned that a Savior would be provided for us...We learned that if we placed our faith in Him, obeying His word and following His example, we would be exalted and become like our Heavenly Father. We would receive a fulness of joy.

*Sister Coles taught this lesson and encouraged us to discover our talents, work to improve them (practice! practice! practice!), and share those talents with others. If you don't know what your talents are, you can pray for help in discovering them, ask others to point out some of your qualities, or look through your patriarchal blessing. We all have something to share and give.