Ensign August 2011 Highlights part 2

This article from the August Ensign particularly interested me. Over the past year, I have been pondering the propriety of few things such having a Tea Party at church (even if TEA is not served), supporting another church's Fundraiser over the pulpit even though it is held on the Sabbath, some suggesting that we are not being Christians if we do not open our door to trick-or-treaters on the Sabbath, among other things.

After reading this, I felt the reaffirmation that we need to pay attention to appearances, and do the right thing no matter how others see us. I feel strongly that we need to decide what our standards and values are, and stick to them, even when we are the odd man out.

The Tradition of a Balanced, Righteous Life by Elder L. Tom Perry

Elder Perry outlines 4 things that the Lord expects of us:

1. Keep [our] wonderful physical bodies pure and holy as temples of God.

2. Place preeminence on spiritual learning and knowledge from God.

3. Be a trusted generation and use the foundation of eternal gospel truths to establish standards and values.

4. Seek learning from the eternal truths contained in the holy scriptures.

"Sometimes we may feel that people will not be as accepting of us because of the high standards we have set for ourselves. Still, there are things we just don’t do. We have the Word of Wisdom, which helps us to live a healthier life, a type of life that is conducive to our growth and well-being. We have standards, ideals, and a way of living that are the envy of much of the world. I have found that if you live the way you should live, people notice and are impressed with your beliefs and you have an influence on the lives of others.

"I spent my career in the department store business. Because I was part of a management team, it was important for me to interact socially with local business organizations. The meetings with most of these organizations always started with a cocktail hour. It was a time to mix and get acquainted with the men who belonged to the organization. I have always felt uncomfortable in these social hours. At first I started asking for a lemon-lime soda. I soon discovered that lemon-lime soda looks like many of the other drinks. I could not build the impression I was a nondrinker with a clear soda in my hands. I tried root beer. It had the same problem.

"Finally I decided I had to have a drink that would clearly mark me as a nondrinker. I went to the bartender and requested a glass of milk. The bartender had never had such a request. He went into the kitchen and found a glass of milk for me. Now I had a drink that looked very different from the alcoholic beverages the others were drinking. Suddenly I was the center of attention. There were a lot of jokes made of my drink. My milk was a conversation piece. I met more business leaders that evening than I ever had before at a cocktail hour.

"Milk became my drink of choice at the cocktail hours. It soon became common knowledge I was a Mormon. The respect I received really surprised me, as did an interesting event that started to occur. Others soon joined me in a pure milk cocktail!

"Dare to be different. Live up to the standards we are taught in the gospel.

"“Good physical and spiritual health can help us to stay on the straight and narrow way,” said Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “The Lord gave his code of health in the Word of Wisdom, ‘a principle with promise’ that modern medical science continues to substantiate. (D&C 89:3.) All of God’s commandments, including the Word of Wisdom, are spiritual. (See D&C 29:34–35.) We need to nourish ourselves spiritually, even more than physically.”²

"How grateful we should be for gospel teachings on the importance of keeping our physical bodies pure and worthy of housing our eternal spirits."

For the complete talk, go here.

Ensign August 2011 Highlights part 1

"Our Heavenly Father knew that being a member of a family provides each of us the best opportunity to be loved and cared for while on earth. Families work together to learn self-control, sacrifice, loyalty, and the value of work. They also strive to learn to love, to share, and to serve one another (see Mosiah 4:14–15). Children learn to show love for their parents, to be obedient, and to try to live the kind of life that will bring honor to their family name.

As family members give encouragement and praise to one another, feelings of confidence and love grow. Successful families show hope and persistence in sustaining each family member in individual needs and in helping each other learn and work together in love. Their goal is to become a joyful, eternal family unit." page 10

“The measure of our success as parents … will not rest solely on how our children turn out. That judgment would be just only if we could raise our families in a perfectly moral environment, and that now is not possible. … When parents keep the covenants they have made at the altar of the temple, their children will be forever bound to them.” Boyd K. Packer, page 16


Elder Ballard said, “We’ve got to be so solidly anchored in our testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ that, regardless of what may come next, we will not waffle; we will stand firm in our belief; we won’t question the doctrines that are part of our belief." page 30

Ensign July 2011 Highlights

"There is a difference between intention and action. Those who only intend to commit may find excuses at every turn. Those who truly commit face their challenges squarely and say to themselves, “Yes, that would be a very good reason to delay, but I made covenants, and so I will do what I have committed to do.” They search the scriptures and earnestly seek the guidance of their Father in Heaven. They accept and magnify their Church callings. They attend their meetings. They do their home or visiting teaching." ("Brother, I'm Committed," by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, p. 4-5)




"Bob and Suellen Weiler of Georgia, USA, have learned through many years of marriage that while some things are nonnegotiable, that doesn’t mean 'family time' can’t be redefined. When it comes to date night, they know that the activity isn’t the most important part.

"'As a couple, we have had to redefine "date night" many times over the years,' Suellen says. 'Now and then we actually do the dinner-and-a-movie thing, but many times we count running errands together, an emergency visit to one of the families he home teaches, or going to the hospital to give a blessing as our date. Our experience is that a chat over ice cream can make any outing a "date"!'” ("Redefining "Date Night", p. 14)

"We can teach our children these important principles by holding family prayer and family home evening, going to church, keeping the commandments, reading the scriptures together, and keeping the focus of all these activities on the temple.

"No matter how busy we are, these efforts will make a difference. As Lisa Ashby explains, 'Finding time within our callings or responsibilities to include the family brings great strength, deepens testimonies, softens hearts, and builds a strong foundation of faith and service.'” ("Together Forever" p. 15)

“'Rules and regulations and commandments are valuable protection. If we need revealed instruction to alter our course, it will be waiting along the way as we arrive at the point of need.'

' To those of you who are waiting upon the Lord for guidance in your lives—who need help with a major decision or question—I give you this challenge: Prayerfully and carefully use your own intelligence and your own resources to choose a path that seems right to you. Then become anxiously engaged in walking that path (see D&C 58:26–28). When the time for course correction comes, He will be there to help you and to guide you.'" ("Start Moving", quoting President Boyd K. Packer, p. 19).

"The Savior was clear when He stated that in following Him we should take upon ourselves a cross—not the Roman cross that was the instrument of death but our own cross, whereby we present a sacrifice to the Lord of our own heart to be obedient to His commandments.

"'And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me,' Jesus said, 'is not worthy of me' (Matthew 10:38).

"In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul indicated that the 'preaching of the cross … is the power of God' (1 Corinthians 1:18). We understand through this scripture that the meaning of the cross is much deeper than just a symbol or outward sign, especially for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the preaching of what happened on the cross that is more important than the symbol of the cross....

"...He clearly indicated that the cross He expected them to take upon themselves was that of denying themselves the sins of the world....

"The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes what happened on the cross, but this message and meaning is within each of us and requires no external symbol to manifest our faith. Our cross is the giving up of worldly sins and following the Savior with a humble heart and an obedient spirit....

"The blessing of what happened on the cross is witnessed in our behavior, our families, and our standards. We are Christians in the true inward sense, and we display Christ to the world through our lives, our message, and our love rather than through a symbol whereby we are identified...." ("The Meaning of the Cross for Latter-day Saints," by Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer, p. 26-28)



"Persisting in doing what is right—in spite of opposition—is required of the Lord’s covenant people. However, the Lord promises great blessings to those who are diligent in prayer, in keeping the commandments, in heeding revelation, in searching the scriptures, and in laboring in His work." ("Islands of Faith: A Story of Diligence," by Adam C. Olson, p. 33)

“However much faith to obey God we now have, we will need to strengthen it continually and keep it refreshed constantly. … Learning to start early and to be steady are the keys to spiritual preparation. Procrastination and inconsistency are its mortal enemies.” (President Henry B. Eyring, "Spiritual Preparedness: Start Early and Be Steady", Nov. 2005, p. 38)

"Pray a little more, study a little more, shut out the noise and shut down the clamor, enjoy nature, call down personal revelation, search your soul, and search the heavens for the testimony that led our pioneer parents. Then, when you need to reach down inside a little deeper and a little farther to face life and do your work, you will be sure there is something down there to call upon....

"The single strongest indicator of activity and service, of devotion and loyalty in this Church continues to be the presence of strong family ties....

"But the fact is that faith is better nurtured and more protected and longer lasting when there is an entire family to reinforce it. So after standing alone if you have to, work diligently to see that others in your family don’t stand alone. Build your family and see that faith is strong there....

"This can be done wisely and well only when the other 99 lambs, including our own little flock, are safely folded while we search...." ("Faith to Answer the Call," by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, p. 54)



"If we believe that God will shield us from tribulation because of our obedience and then adversity strikes, we may be tempted to accuse God of not hearing our prayers or, worse, of not honoring His promises. Obedience to God is not insurance against pain and sadness. Challenges have always been included in God’s great plan to test our faith and to help us grow in humility and compassion....

"We may come to believe that we can and should trust in our own efforts rather than humbly acknowledge God. This is self-righteousness. When we look through the lens of our righteousness and take comfort in our good efforts, the idea of depending wholly on Christ (see 2 Nephi 31:19; Moroni 6:4) seems a bit risky....

"Cheerfulness in the scriptural context connotes a divinely assured optimism, “a deep trust in God’s unfolding purposes,” a grounded conviction that God will always keep His promises. When Christ proclaims, “Be of good cheer,” He is not requesting a naïve, Pollyanna-like response to life’s cruel twists and turns. Nor is He promising a pain-free life of constant bliss. Trial is no respecter of persons. Tragedy and hardship do not discriminate. Our world sees opposition among rich and poor, men and women, the righteous as well as the wicked. The Savior specifically prayed that God would not take us “out of the world” (John 17:15). “In this world your joy is not full,” He taught, “but in me your joy is full” (D&C 101:36). True happiness and satisfaction are found only by turning away from the world and coming to Christ....

“'Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come' (D&C 68:6)." ("Be of Good Cheer: Choosing Happiness" by Camille Fronk Olson, p. 56-59)

“In managing the affairs of the Church, we have tried to set an example. We have, as a matter of policy, stringently followed the practice of setting aside each year a percentage of the income of the Church against a possible day of need.

“I am grateful to be able to say that the Church in all its operations, in all its undertakings, in all of its departments, is able to function without borrowed money. If we cannot get along, we will curtail our programs. We will shrink expenditures to fit the income. We will not borrow." ("Free Yourselves from Bondage," by President Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 65)

For the complete talks, go here.