Archive for September 2010
Brethren, Please Visit the Blog @ http://plainvieweq.blogspot.com as this post does contain a video!
For any of you who are getting this notification by email, just save yourself the trouble of trying to understand it in a certain way, and just do me this favor, right now. Visit the Branch Blog (Same link as above) http://plainvieweq.blogspot.com to view this blog as I have the desire to have you listen to the video as you read the blog. Then, I want some feedback!
Assuming you are now on the blog, I want you to pray about the Vision of the Vine that President Shumway has introduced to the Stake, and truthfully ask for the witness that it is indeed the Lords Vision given through President Shumway for our stake. Now, below, hit play on the video below and then read the text that I have to write to you concerning the Vision of the Vine.
As I ponder the relative significance of what this miraculous vision means to me, I can’t help but wonder how much it should mean to all of us as members of this Stake in Zion. I saw the Lord’s hand so ever deeply involved in my life and saw the Vision of the Vine play into effect so quickly and miraculously that I scarce could believe it as I saw it develop over just one week!
I watched as a family, who was on the verge of collapse, found a sturdy foundation on the Lord Jesus Christ and managed to start to save themselves, knowing only that Jesus Christ can help them through this with their pledge to do all they could.
I watched this past fast and testimony meeting, as a flood of the Spirit overcame me in an instant so fast that I nearly denied my eyes a second time…this time a man I love so dearly…. a man I know who loves the Lord Jesus Christ so dearly, came in as I was breaking the bread of the Sacrament. I have not seen this man in Church prior on his own accord in more than 9 months. I have tried to visit this man, as I have been his home teacher for years now and only recently in August got to talking with him again. But he was there! I was happy.
Yes I was thrilled this man was there, because that is where he should be. Like President Shumway has taught us, from the beginning of his calling as a Stake President, “If you are here now, you are meant to be here.” As is clearly highlighted in a favored document, “The Shumway Sequence” – Number Five says “If you are here now, you are foreordained to be here.” (Followed by a reference to Alma 13:3)
What blew me away, was his going to the stand on Fast and Testimony meeting to bear his witness of the truthfulness of the Gospel. It consumed me with joy, and I could not help but weep as I felt joy in his desire to come back into the fold and to be with the flock. It was truly inspiring. He touched many there, and the Spirit was ever so powerful, it prompted many to come bear their testimony as well.
The last thing that absolutely inspired me, and made me happy, also giving yet another confirmation to the Vision of the Vine was another individual. As I try to do sometimes, I will stand outside the doors of the chapel with the Missionaries and greet people after they have entered the building, and prior to going into the chapel (Note we have a 2 phase building- not a stake center). In the performance of this, I saw a woman peer in at the back end of the hall (At the farthest entrance from the chapel) and seemed if but for a moment she knew not where to go. She was certainly nobody I knew, nor anyone out in the hall at that time. Nevertheless the Spirit prompted me to go greet this kind woman and welcome her. I gave her my name and she gave me her name. I asked her if she was visiting, and she declared quickly, (nearly word for word) “No, I’ve lived in Plainview for years, was raised a Mormon but stopped going to church ten years ago. I just felt that I should come back.” This made me want to weep with joy, for I knew again, yet another confirmation, that the Vision of the Vine was real, unique and truthful.
There is a special Spirit over the Lubbock Texas Mission right now. The Lord is granting the additional power to help make us more able to perform his work and I know it to be true.
President Shumway also once declared that this Vision of the Vine was not a recent Vision, but one he had some time back that the Lord was making him aware of.
Finally, I know the Lord’s hand is this work, and is behind this vision, because he made it possible for Plainview to change me for the better and help me become an eternal family with my wife and kids. No other place, or Spirit has been able to change this sinner before…. so it is here I must express my love to the Stake, and even indeed most especially, the Plainview Branch. God Bless us as he has hitherto done, and pray we will live worthy of this additional Spiritual power given us of the Lord.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
**Lubbock Texas Stake Announcements:
Friday, October 1st Through 5th – Temple Closed
Saturday, October 2nd- General Conference Telecasts 11:00a.m. & 3:00p.m.
**PLEASE , Invite a friend to a General Conference Session!**
Saturday, October 2nd Ice Cream Social @ 6:15p.m.
Saturday, October 2nd Priesthood Session @ 7:00p.m
Sunday, October 3rd General Conference Telecasts @ 11:00a.m. & 3:00p.m.
Tuesday, October 5th Relief Society @ 6:30
Sunday, October 10th @ 8:30a.m. Branch Council
**Submit Your Testimony To Share On http://plainviewreview.blogspot.com by sending your story, missionary moment, inspiring thought or conversion story with testimony to PlainviewEldersQuorum@ldsliving.com**
*****************Plainview Branch Elders & High Priest Lessons By Date:
10-3-10 : General Conference
10-10-10 : Chapter 19 Gospel Principles Manual “Repentance”
10-17-10 : Chapter 20 Gospel Principles Manual “Baptism”
10-24-10 : “Helping Hands, Saving Hands” – By Elder Koichi Aoyagi – April 2010 Conference
10-31-10 : Joint Meeting With Priesthood
11-7-10 : “To The Home Teachers Of The Church” By President Ezra Taft Benson – April 1987 –
11-14-10 : Chapter 21 Gospel Principles Manual “The Gift Of The Holy Ghost”
11-21-10 : Chapter 22 Gospel Principles Manual “The Gifts Of The Spirit”
11-28-10 : “That Our Children Might See The Face Of Our Savior” – By Cheryl C. Lant – April 2010
12-5-10 : “Only An Elder” – by Elder Bruce R. McConkie in 1974
12-12-10 : Chapter 23 Gospel Principles Manual “The Sacrament”
12-19-10 : Chapter 24 Gospel Principles Manual “The Sabbath Day”
12-26-10 : To Be Announced
Brethren, please visit http://plainvieweq.blogspot.com ! This post contains videos!
This Mormon Messages Video Comes from the most recent General Conference (April 2010) and the underlying idea comes from the talk given by President Uchtdorf – “Continue In Patience”.
Be ready to smile, and feel the spirit as you watch this video!
**Lubbock Texas Stake Announcements:
Friday, October 1st Through 5th – Temple Closed
Saturday, October 2nd- General Conference Telecasts 11:00a.m. & 3:00p.m.
**PLEASE , Invite a friend to a General Conference Session!**
Saturday, October 2nd Ice Cream Social @ 6:15p.m. Just prior to Priesthood Session Start
Saturday, October 2nd Priesthood Session @ 7:00p.m
Sunday, October 3rd General Conference Telecasts @ 11:00a.m. & 3:00p.m.
Tuesday, October 5th Relief Society @ 6:30
Sunday, October 10th @ 8:30a.m. Branch Council
**Submit Your Testimony To Share On http://plainviewreview.blogspot.com by sending your story, missionary moment, inspiring thought or conversion story with testimony to PlainviewEldersQuorum@ldsliving.com**
*****************
Plainview Branch Elders & High Priest Lessons By Date:
10-3-10 : General Conference
10-10-10 : Chapter 19 Gospel Principles Manual “Repentance”
10-17-10 : Chapter 20 Gospel Principles Manual “Baptism”
10-24-10 : “Helping Hands, Saving Hands” – By Elder Koichi Aoyagi – April 2010 Conference
10-31-10 : Joint Meeting With Priesthood
11-7-10 : “To The Home Teachers Of The Church” By President Ezra Taft Benson – April 1987 –
11-14-10 : Chapter 21 Gospel Principles Manual “The Gift Of The Holy Ghost”
11-21-10 : Chapter 22 Gospel Principles Manual “The Gifts Of The Spirit”
11-28-10 : “That Our Children Might See The Face Of Our Savior” – By Cheryl C. Lant – April 2010
12-5-10 : “Only An Elder” – by Elder Bruce R. McConkie in 1974
12-12-10 : Chapter 23 Gospel Principles Manual “The Sacrament”
12-19-10 : Chapter 24 Gospel Principles Manual “The Sabbath Day”
12-26-10 : To Be Announced
Brethren,
The final talk given that wonderful night of edification among the General Priesthood on 8-22-10 was truly inspiring. Taking the pulpit in a dignified and inspired manner, President Shumway began to address the body of the Priesthood.
First, he said, “I’d like to thank my Counselors, Brother John Brown,” (2nd Speaker) and then, mentioning a worthy recruit for Missionary work, he thanks, “Brother McCullock (Not sure on spelling of name- 1st Speaker) for being found worthy.”
In light of the worthy examples put before the young men, President Shumway did the unthinkable and called the young men to the stand by Aaronic Priesthood groups of Deacons, Teachers and Priests. He then asked them to take the new challenge and commitment put forth by President Hinkley not too long ago, and they ALL agreed to take on this challenge.
He stated some of the things that President Hinkley spoke concerning the rise in Missionary Standards:
** Raise The Standards : The Lord calls us; Serving a Mission is not a right of passage. [It is a focus] Requiring us to be worthy in every aspect. Live above the low standards of the world, and regardless of sin, know that “We love you regardless.”
Continuing on, President Shumway declared, “You must prepare now; Change & make a commitment to live your life in a way you are always worthy… the sooner you change your life the better.”
With an obvious feeling of love and charity, he then humbly declared, “There is nothing you can share with us, that will cause you to fall out of our love. The Mission of the Church is to save souls. There is no greater work.”
President Shumway closed with two additional items: Missionary Work & The Confirmation Of The Lord.
What stood out to me the most, and which caused me to make it the Title of this entry, is the short yet powerful phrase “The Lord Can Confirm : Touch The Ball.” – I can take that of myself as an admonition to get involved, be a part of the work of the Lord. As we become involved, we partake of the Spirit and therefore are blessed in all times of our lives. This truth applies even to any outside the Lubbock Texas Mission, but can be our Gold Standard here in Texas. The Lord is smiling over us when we do as commanded… I know this to be true, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
**Lubbock Texas Stake Announcements:
Saturday, September 25th @ 7:00 p.m. – General Relief Society Telecast @ Stake Center (** ATTENTION, SHOULD A BROTHER HAVE A WIFE THAT CAN NOT DRIVE TO LUBBOCK, CONSIDER LOADING IT UP ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HOME. IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, CONTACT PRESIDENT BEARDSLEY **)
Sunday, September 26th @ 8:30 a.m. – Welfare Meeting
Friday, October 1st Through 5th – Temple Closed
Saturday, October 2nd- General Conference Telecasts 11:00a.m. & 3:00p.m.
**PLEASE , Invite a friend to a General Conference Session!**
Saturday, October 2nd Ice Cream Social @ 6:15p.m.
Saturday, October 2nd Priesthood Session @ 7:00p.m
Sunday, October 3rd General Conference Telecasts @ 11:00a.m. &a 3:00p.m.
Tuesday, October 5th Relief Society @ 6:30
Sunday, October 10th @ 8:30a.m. Branch Council
**Submit Your Testimony To Share On http://plainviewreview.blogspot.com by sending your story, missionary moment, inspiring thought or conversion story with testimony to PlainviewEldersQuorum@ldsliving.com**
*****************Plainview Branch Elders & High Priest Lessons By Date:
10-3-10 : General Conference
10-10-10 : Chapter 19 Gospel Principles Manual “Repentance”
10-17-10 : Chapter 20 Gospel Principles Manual “Baptism”
10-24-10 : “Helping Hands, Saving Hands” – By Elder Koichi Aoyagi – April 2010 Conference
10-31-10 : Joint Meeting With Priesthood
11-7-10 : “To The Home Teachers Of The Church” By President Ezra Taft Benson – April 1987 –
11-14-10 : Chapter 21 Gospel Principles Manual “The Gift Of The Holy Ghost”
11-21-10 : Chapter 22 Gospel Principles Manual “The Gifts Of The Spirit”
11-28-10 : “That Our Children Might See The Face Of Our Savior” – By Cheryl C. Lant – April 2010
12-5-10 : “Only An Elder” – by Elder Bruce R. McConkie in 1974
12-12-10 : Chapter 23 Gospel Principles Manual “The Sacrament”
12-19-10 : Chapter 24 Gospel Principles Manual “The Sabbath Day”
12-26-10 : To Be Announced
Brethren,
Just now a day past one month ago, the body of the Priesthood, both Aaronic and Melchizedek, gathered for counsel from our inspiring leaders here in the Lubbock Texas Mission. Many powerful presentations and talks were given, testimonies borne, and affirmations of truth made to compliment what we did already know… and for some, create understanding for that which was not known.
As has been previously noted in my attempt to list these wonderful talks, I will try to list with as much accuracy as possible, the word for word quotations. Yet on this particular talk, I have the help of the Holy Ghost and my heart, because there was a profound question asked in the talk that caused me to seriously ponder many things. This question I speak of, is the title of this Blog Post.
“Do we heal the room?” What an incredible question. Let me now build up to where he asked it, and why.
It was no secret that in this Priesthood gathering, the topic (So I say) was personal worthiness and our missionary work. That being so, President Kimball took the stand and said this quickly,
“To be Virtuous is to be morally excellent. The Virtuous ways of our lives affect others. I am grateful for Virtuous men. They can do many amazing things – as we come into the lives of [our] members, our families, each other…… Do we heal the room?”
“Our influence we have as Virtuous men can and will change the lives of others!”
There was some commentary in after this, that he gave in expressing his love and admiration for the Virtue he knew to be in the heart of each of the men who spoke before him, and yet who would speak. Of myself, I frequently looked back over that quote I just wrote as it fell from his lips over that pulpit, and marveled at the simple… yet profound question “Do we heal the Room?” It was just amazing. I’m fairly certain then, I heard him relate to the story where the Lord was walking in the streets and the woman who had the blood disorder of 12 years touched his clothes and he felt “Virtue” go out of him… and it healed her.
“For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.”
“And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.”
” And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?”
” And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole;”
(See Mark Chapter 5)
Then President Kimball shifted back to the need for Virtue, and to emphasize his desire to revisit the topic, he said,
“The Lord needs virtuous men in the Lubbock Stake.”
He then started to share some ideas and topics for other ideas to accomplish (Many I have, and many more I have not) and he said, “Are you leading out?”
“1) Pray about names, write the names of who to invite….down.”
“2) Write the assignments down;”
“3) Set a date.”
“4) Hold yourself accountable.”
“5) Repeat the process.”
The most interesting points of this talk came in the next two suggestions which utterly blew me away. Not knowing it at the time, anyone who had not listened to previous counsel, lovingly heard President Kimball say,
“6) Repent and give the Lord a chance to work it in your heart, your life.”
“7) (Still referring to repentance) Please do it for yourself, for others, and for the Lord.’
Finally, he shared two powerful sentences, which I caught, where he said;
“Be grateful to walk through the trials and adversity [of life].”
And…
“Through the hammer of adversity, God makes us Virtuous.”
I felt his wonderful spirit and confirmed the truthfulness of his words and counsel through the Holy Ghost. May we all remember those lessons, and apply them in our lives is the prayer I have for us all, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
**Lubbock Texas Stake Announcements:
Saturday, September 25th @ 7:00 p.m. – General Relief Society Telecast @ Stake Center (** ATTENTION, SHOULD A BROTHER HAVE A WIFE THAT CAN NOT DRIVE TO LUBBOCK, CONSIDER LOADING IT UP ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HOME. IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, CONTACT PRESIDENT BEARDSLEY **)
Sunday, September 26th @ 8:30 a.m. – Welfare Meeting
Friday, October 1st Through 5th – Temple Closed
Saturday, October 2nd- General Conference Telecasts 11:00a.m. & 3:00p.m.
**PLEASE , Invite a friend to a General Conference Session!**
Saturday, October 2nd Ice Cream Social @ 6:15p.m.
Saturday, October 2nd Priesthood Session @ 7:00p.m
Sunday, October 3rd General Conference Telecasts @ 11:00a.m. & 3:00p.m.
Tuesday, October 5th Relief Society @ 6:30
Sunday, October 10th @ 8:30a.m. Branch Council
Tuesday, October 12th @ 6:00pm Elders Quorum Social @ Branch Building
– From 6pm to 7pm Play Horseshoes
– From 7pm to 8pm Cook Out & Eat Hot Dogs & Hamburgers
Tuesday, October 26th @ 6:30pm “Joseph Smith The Prophet” Musical DVD Presentation
– From 6:30pm to 8pm : This is for ALL the members of the Branch, as well as their guests.
**Submit Your Testimony To Share On http://plainviewreview.blogspot.com by sending your story, missionary moment, inspiring thought or conversion story with testimony to PlainviewEldersQuorum@ldsliving.com**
*****************Plainview Branch Elders & High Priest Lessons By Date:
9-26-10 : Lesson Will Be Given By Spirit Of Inspiration After Visitation To Stake Presidency
Lessons After To Be Listed Soon
Utah’s Constitution Day Celebration
Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Utah
September 17, 2010
“Fundamentals of Our Constitutions”
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
Introduction
I feel very privileged to be invited to speak to this great audience on Constitution Day. I appreciate the University of Utah Hinckley Institute’s invitation and its sponsorship of this and other community events over the last 45 years.
I will speak about the written constitutions of the United States and its 50 states. As I give examples of various issues under these constitutions — matters on which respected public officials have taken controversial positions — please remember that I am not referring to the persons who hold the various offices under those constitutions. I am speaking of the “institution” of constitutional government. The principles I describe apply regardless of who holds the offices and regardless of party affiliation. Our loyalty is to the institution. If we oppose persons who hold particular offices or the policies they pursue, we are free to vote against them or work against their policies. But we should not carry our opposition to the point of opposing their offices, or we weaken the institution of constitutional government.
Some of the things said by various persons in recent public discourse cause me to urge that we be more careful in the way we throw around the idea that something is unconstitutional. A constitution should not be used as a weapon to end debate. A public policy or a proposed law that is unwise is not necessarily unconstitutional. Even if it is a stupid proposal, it is not necessarily unconstitutional. A constitution gives the people and their elected leaders the opportunity to make many decisions that are unwise or even reckless. When that happens — when the government or one of its officials engages in some kind of action that we consider to be wrong — we should engage in vigorous public debate about it. But we should not use up a constitution by attempting to strike down every ill-conceived act of government or to discredit every unwise official. A constitution is the ultimate weapon, and we preserve that weapon best by using it sparingly and carefully. If we call some action unconstitutional, we should be prepared to explain what provision or principle of a constitution it violates. In this way, a constitution can be used to stimulate discussion and to seek unity.
We should, of course, always be vigilant to insist that our governments and their executives, lawmakers and judges stay within the limits prescribed by our constitutions. That is part of the rule of law, and all of the blessings enjoyed under our constitutions are dependent upon it. President J. Reuben Clark, an honored authority on the Constitution, declared that “our allegiance run[s] to the Constitution and to the principles which it embodies, and not to individuals. All that we say about the Constitution and our reliance upon it depends upon the rule of law and not of the men or women who hold the offices under it.”[1]
There is need for public praise of our constitutions and their principles. A rising generation of influential opinion makers seems to place a lesser value on the United States Constitution. An example of that was related to me by a recent law graduate. In a panel discussion at the Harvard Law School, a professor of constitutional law criticized the United States Constitution in harsh terms. Another faculty panelist speculated that if his colleague’s criticisms were valid we might as well just take our written constitution and “roll it and smoke it.” That kind of disdain for our national constitution is more than concerning.
The United States Constitution is the oldest written national constitution still in use. It has served Americans well, enhancing freedom and prosperity during the changing conditions of more than 200 years. Frequently copied, it has become the United States’ most important export. After two centuries, every nation in the world except six have adopted written constitutions,[2] and the United States Constitution was a model for all of them. Consequently, if we abandon or weaken its fundamental principles, we betray our own national ideals and we also weaken our global neighbors.
Now I will proceed to discuss four major fundamentals of the United States Constitution. In an earlier setting, under Church sponsorship, I referred to these fundamentals as the divinely inspired principles in the Constitution,[3] and I here affirm my belief that they are. But in this setting of a community program I will only refer to these as the great fundamental principles of our Constitution.
As I speak of these great fundamentals, I wish to take the long view. I do not wish to be understood as endorsing or condemning specific actions or proposals on current issues. I know that some will apply what I say — one way or another — to issues currently being reported in the media. But I do not seek to be heard for the short term. Drawing on over 50 years of observing a multitude of controversies over the application of constitutions, I am trying to describe fundamental principles that will be meaningful for decades to come. I leave to my listeners the task of agreeing or disagreeing with my description of the great fundamentals and — if they wish — trying to apply them to the very complex issues of this day and the different issues of the days to come.
I. Popular Sovereignty
I mention first what is probably the most important of the great fundamentals of the United States Constitution—the principle of popular sovereignty: The people are the source of government power; it is they who consented to a constitution that delegates certain powers to the government. I stress this fundamental by emphasizing what are not the sources of sovereign power. Sovereignty is not inherent in a state or nation just because it has the power that comes from force of arms. Sovereignty does not come from the divine right of a king, who grants his subjects such power as he pleases or is forced to concede, as in the Magna Carta. And sovereignty does not rest in an aristocracy of self-appointed wise men who think that their high birth or prestigious education gives them the right to prescribe what is best for everyone else. Sovereignty is in the people as a whole, and their sovereignty is supreme, subject only to a few crucial limitations that I will discuss in a moment.
Sovereignty in the people necessarily implies responsibility in the people. Instead of blaming their troubles on a king, on a cabal of military leaders, or on some distant group of wise men, citizens who are sovereign must share a measure of the burdens and responsibilities of governing. I will say more of this later.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention did not originate the idea of popular sovereignty, since they lived in a century when persuasive philosophers had argued that political power originated in a social contract. But the United States Constitution provided the first national implementation of that principle.
After two centuries in which Americans may have taken popular sovereignty for granted, it is helpful to be reminded of the difficulties in that pioneering effort. A direct democracy was impractical for a country of four million people and about a half million square miles. As a result, the delegates had to design the structure of a constitutional, representative democracy, what they called “a Republican Form of Government.”[4] They also had to decide how minority rights could be protected when the government was, by definition, directed by a majority of the sovereign people. Part of that effort was to resolve whether a constitution adopted by popular sovereignty could be amended, and if so how.
The government of the United States had to be ultimately responsible to the will of the sovereign people, but it also had to be stable. Without stability against an aroused majority, government could not give individuals or minorities protection against overreaching by the ruling majority, a reality most evident when an outraged public calls for immediate punishment of one accused but not yet shown guilty of a crime. Government policies should not be tossed about with temporary swings in public opinion. The Constitution had to give government the power to withstand the cries of a majority of the sovereign people in the short run, but it had to be subject to their direction in the long run. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention achieved the required balance among popular sovereignty, stability, and protection of minorities through a power of amendment that was ultimately available but deliberately slow. It required the action of very large majorities — two-thirds in the Senate and the approval of three-fourths of the states.
II. Division of Powers in a Federal System
Another great fundamental of the United States Constitution is its federal system, which divides government powers between the nation and the various states. This principle of federalism is at the heart of our Constitution. Unlike the next two fundamentals I will discuss, which were adaptations of earlier developments in English law, this division of sovereignty between two government levels was unprecedented in theory or practice. In a day when it is fashionable to assume that the national government has the power and means to right every perceived injustice, we should remember that the United States Constitution limits the national government to the exercise of powers expressly granted to it. The Tenth Amendment provides:
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited to it by the States, are reserved to the States respectively or to the people.”
This principle of limited national powers, with all residuary powers reserved to the people or to the state and local governments, which are most responsive to the people, is one of the great fundamentals of the United States Constitution.
In my lifetime I have seen much neglect of this fundamental constitutional principle. For example, the power to make laws on personal relationships is one of those powers not granted to the federal government and therefore reserved to the states. Thus, the ordinary laws governing marriage and family rights and duties are state laws, subject to the power of national law to govern the extent to which the law of one state is binding on others. The dominance of state law in these personal matters would have been changed by the Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.) proposed about 30 years ago. The dominance of state law will also be changed if, after full review, federal courts decree that a state law on marriage is invalid under the United States Constitution. Whatever the merits of current controversies over the laws of marriage and child adoption and the like, let us not forget that if the decisions of federal courts can override the actions of state lawmakers on this subject, we have suffered a significant constitutional reallocation of lawmaking power from the lawmaking branch to the judicial branch and from the states to the federal government.
III. Bill of Rights
A bill of rights, the third great fundamental of the United States Constitution, came by amendment, but I think almost all Americans look upon these first ten amendments as an essential part of the original Constitution.
The idea of a bill of rights was not new. Almost 600 years earlier, King John had been compelled to sign the Magna Carta, which contained a written guarantee of some rights for certain of his subjects. Later, the Magna Carta was relied upon by the English Parliament in guaranteeing additional rights against royal power in the English Bill of Rights of 1689. In the century that followed, many of the charters used in the establishment of the American colonies included some written guarantees of citizen liberties and privileges. And in the rush of constitution-making that followed the Continental Congress’s 1776 invitation, almost all of the 13 colonies developed these guarantees further. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were familiar with this history and made brilliant application of its principles in framing a Bill of Rights suited to the needs of the people of a new nation.
There are several supremely important guarantees in the Bill of Rights, including the freedoms of speech and press. I have chosen only one to discuss in detail.
The Bill of Rights begins with what many believe to be the most important guarantee in the United States Constitution. The First Amendment reads:.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
The prohibition against “an establishment of religion” was intended to separate churches and government, to prevent a national church of the kind found in Europe. In the interest of time I will say no more about the establishment of religion, but only concentrate on the direction that the United States shall have no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. For nearly a century this guarantee of religious freedom has been understood as a limitation on state as well as federal power.
The guarantee of the free exercise of religion, which I will call religious freedom, is one of the supremely important founding principles in the United States Constitution, and it is reflected in the constitutions of all of our 50 states. It is the first expression in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. As noted by many, this “pre-eminent place” identifies freedom of religion as “a cornerstone of American democracy.”[5] I maintain that in our nation’s founding and in our constitutional order, religious freedom, and the freedoms of speech and press associated with it in the First Amendment, are the motivating and dominating civil liberties and civil rights.
The American colonies were originally settled by people who, for the most part, had come to this continent to be able to practice their religious faith without persecution, and their successors deliberately placed religious freedom first in the nation’s Bill of Rights. So it is that our national law formally declares: “The right to freedom of religion undergirds the very origin and existence of the United States.”[6]
This principle was affirmed impressively 22 years ago when a group of prominent citizens assembled at Williamsburg, Virginia, and signed what was called the Williamsburg Charter. I was privileged to sign that charter in behalf of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its stated purpose was to celebrate and reaffirm religious liberty as the foremost freedom in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The Williamsburg Charter states:
“The First Amendment Religious Liberty provisions have both a logical and historical priority in the Bill of Rights. . . . In sum, as much if not more than any other single provision in the entire Constitution, the Religious Liberty provisions hold the key to American distinctiveness and American destiny.”[7]
The free “exercise” of religion obviously involves both the right to choose religious beliefs and affiliations and the right to “exercise” or practice those beliefs. But in a nation with citizens of many different religious beliefs the right of some to act upon their religious principles must be qualified by the government’s responsibility to protect the health and safety of all. Otherwise, for example, the government could not protect its citizens’ person or property from neighbors whose religious principles compelled or justified stealing or taking human life.
The inherent conflict between the precious religious freedom of the people and the legitimate regulatory responsibilities of the government is the central issue of religious freedom. The problems are not simple, and over the years the United States Supreme Court, which has the ultimate responsibility of interpreting the meaning of the lofty and general provisions of the Constitution, has struggled to identify principles that can guide its decisions when government action is claimed to violate someone’s free exercise of religion. As would be expected, many of the battles over the extent of religious freedom have involved government efforts to impose upon the practices of small groups like Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. Recent experiences suggest adding Muslims to the category of threatened religious minorities.
Unpopular minority religions are especially dependent upon a constitutional guarantee of free exercise of religion. We are fortunate to have such a guarantee in the United States, but many nations do not. The importance of that guarantee should make us ever diligent to defend it. And it is in need of being defended. During my lifetime I have seen a significant deterioration in the respect accorded to religion in our public life, and I believe that the vitality of religious freedom is in danger of being weakened accordingly.
A recent book illustrates this danger. In Freedom From Religion, published by the Oxford University Press, a law professor makes this three-step argument:
- In many nations “society is at risk from religious extremism.”[8]
- “A follower is far more likely to act on the words of a religious authority figure than other speakers.”[9]
- Therefore, “in some cases, society and government should view religious speech as inherently less protected than secular political speech because of its extraordinary ability to influence the listener.”[10]
He concludes:
“[W]e must begin to consider the possibility that religious speech can no longer hide behind the shield of freedom of expression. . . .[11]
“Contemporary religious extremism leaves decision-makers and the public alike with no choice but to re-contour constitutionally granted rights as they pertain to religion and speech.”[12]
I hope that those who might be persuaded by these arguments will consider how easy it would be over time to manipulate the definition of “religious extremism” to suppress any unpopular religion.
Religious belief and preaching must be protected against government action, even while the practice of that belief must have some limits, as I suggested earlier. But unless the guarantee of free exercise of religion gives a religious actor greater protection against government prohibitions than are already guaranteed to all actors by other provisions of the Constitution (like freedom of speech), what is the special value of religious freedom? Surely the First Amendment guarantee of free exercise of religion was intended to grant more freedom to religious preaching and action than to other kinds of speech and action. Treating actions based on religious belief the same as actions based on other systems of belief should not be enough to satisfy the special place of religion in the United States Constitution.
IV. Separation of Powers
The fourth great fundamental of the United States Constitution and of our state constitutions is the principle of separation of powers. This principle puts our national government on a significantly different foundation than the parliamentary systems of most western governments. The idea of separation of powers came out of the English experience, when parliament wrested certain powers from the king in the conflicts of the 1600s, thus achieving some separation of legislative and executive authority. But the United States Constitution carried this separation much further.
The concept of separating the executive, legislative, and judicial functions was established in the American colonies in the 1700s. A commentary on the Massachusetts Constitution of 1778, of which John Adams was a principal author, explained the basic principle.
“The legislative, judicial, and executive powers are to be lodged in different hands, that each branch is to be independent, and further, to be so balanced, and be able to exert such checks upon the others, as will preserve it from dependence on, or a union with them.”[13]
Thus, we often refer to the principle of separation of powers in terms of the checks and balances each branch exercises upon the others.
If the idea of checks and balances is to work properly, each branch of government must preserve its independence from the others. Moreover, the powers of each of these three branches must be exercised in a good faith effort to serve the interests of the public, rather than to dominate the others or to enhance the personal position of a particular official. Politics, revenge or personal gain must never be the primary driving force in the application of checks and balances.
For checks and balances to work properly, and for the fundamental principle of separation of powers to be honored and perform its proper function, each branch of government must fulfill its duties fully, and each must refrain from attempting to exercise the functions of the others. For example, Congress should perform its duty of making the laws and specifying the principles—even politically difficult principles—and not dodge this responsibility by delegating this function to regulations made by the executive branch. The courts must limit themselves to interpreting the Constitution and the laws and not stray into the legislative function of law-making. In contrast, we are all aware that in our day the actions of courts on major issues of public policy receive great attention in the media, and are frequently represented and understood as the actions of those who make laws rather than those who merely interpret them.
These are, of course, very broad assertions, and in practice these ideas are complex and controversial. I will attempt to express my thoughts about them without getting into too much technical legal jargon. If my remarks seem to deal excessively with the judicial branch and the conduct of judges, you will understand that I choose to elaborate on that subject because the judicial branch is the one with which I have had my greatest experience.
V. The Judicial Branch’s Role in Separation of Powers
There are two different views of the role of the judicial branch of government in our constitutional system. One maintains that the genius of the American system is its expectation that the courts will resolve very difficult and important questions that the legislative and executive branches of government have been unable to resolve. For example, it was the Supreme Court of the United States that compelled this nation to resolve the problem of racially segregated public schools, after many decades in which the nation’s elected lawmakers were unwilling to recognize this injustice or unable to resolve it. Other examples could be given. The important thing is that many believe the courts have a legitimate function in lawmaking when the problem is large and urgent enough and the legislative and executive branches have shown by inaction or ineffective action that they are unable to perform their functions to resolve it.
The opposite point of view argues that the courts should stay entirely out of the domain of legislative lawmaking, leaving this function to the popularly elected legislative bodies and the elected chief executives who presumably reflect the will of the people. A generation ago a prominent legal scholar described this position:
“Outside of a few important, well-defined personal liberties set forth in the document, the Constitution allows the people to make public policy through their elected representatives. When the Court ventures into policymaking in the guise of constitutional interpretation, it oversteps the role assigned to it under the Constitution.”[14]
The differences in these approaches will not be resolved. Both will be followed in their time, with the ebb and flow of judicial appointments, politics, and legal thought. But it is important to note that we currently have widespread public dissatisfaction on this subject. The 2006 Georgetown Conference on Judicial Independence considered a Princeton survey finding that 62% of Americans say the courts in their state are legislating from the bench rather than interpreting the law. This reveals a widespread public feeling that the courts are revising the moral and cultural life of the nation by making policy determinations that should be made by lawmakers in the elected branches.
Judicial Independence
What concerns us most about this widespread public dissatisfaction is that if not attended to it will threaten the independence the judicial branch must have to perform its function in our system of separation of powers. In the last few years, retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has performed a great service by leading a series of conferences at Georgetown University on the state of the judiciary. They focused on this question of judicial independence.
As I have cheered these efforts from the sidelines, I have thought of how our system contrasts with that of the now defunct Soviet Union. During my years as president of BYU (1971–80), I hosted the chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union, who was touring the United States in that Cold War period. In a private one-on-one discussion, I asked him how the Soviet system really worked in a highly visible criminal case, such as where a person was charged with an offense like treason or other crimes against the state. He explained that on those kinds of cases they had what they called “telephone justice.” Judges conducted the trial and heard the evidence and then went back to their chambers and had a phone call from a government or party official who told them how to decide the case.
I am grateful that, whatever difficulties we have in our system of justice — and there are many — we are still far away from what he called “telephone justice.” What stands between us and that corruption of the judicial system — what stands between us and the destruction of a vital check and balance in our system of separation of powers — is the independence of our state and federal judges.
I speak of state as well as federal judges because in most citizen encounters with the law state judges are by far the most important representatives of the judicial branch. I thought of that as I listened to our Utah Chief Justice, Christine M. Durham, speak to a group of lawyers last month.[15] She told them that in a recent year there were 384,000 cases filed in the federal courts, but the state courts had over 47 million. This is about 123 state court cases for every single case filed in the federal courts. She reminded her audience that “state courts are closer to everyday life where the legal meanings of such elemental concepts as birth and death and family take shape.” It is in the state courts where family law issues are adjudicated, where foreclosures take place, and where injured persons come to recover damages. When we speak of the importance of judicial independence, we must not neglect the important role of state courts as a co-equal branch of government.
Chief Justice Durham cited three troubling recent developments that put the judicial independence of state courts at risk. One of these she called “the politicization of state judiciaries.” This is the subject Justice O’Connor’s various conferences have pursued so persuasively with various recommendations, including judicial selection and tenure, judicial salaries, and limits on judicial campaign contributions.
As I give my strong endorsement of judicial independence, I am conscious that many in this audience will have observed or personally experienced court decisions with which they disagreed. I have also had that experience. In endorsing judicial independence, I do not approve every court decision it makes possible. What I advocate are the conditions necessary to preserve the institution of judicial independence, which is essential to the principle of separation of powers. We must defend judicial independence. We must not tolerate existing laws or support new laws that would make judges the servants of the legislative or executive branches or of any private interest.
At the same time, we must acknowledge that there are limits. Judicial independence does not mean that judges are free to decide controversies or cases according to their personal preferences.
Our constitutions and the acts of our legislative bodies are the paramount and most obvious examples of restraints upon judicial independence. In interpreting these and in applying the common law on subjects where there are no legislative enactments, judges are constrained by the precedents of prior judicial opinions. Less obvious, and subordinate to these restraints, are those elusive but very real community and personal standards of right and wrong that comprise what we might call the moral framework that defines what is workable or appropriate for persons living in an organized society. In total, these constraints should prevent a judge from having his or her personal interests take command of the decision-making process to augment personal power, property, prominence or prestige.
Judicial Activism
Unfortunately, the constraints I have described do not always hold judges within the limits imposed by our constitutional order. The label many put on judicial decisions that break free of these limits is judicial activism. It could just as well be called judicial arrogance. It has a variety of causes, including misinterpretation of the law and excessive reliance on personal predilections in the decision of cases. But neither of these should override the framework of the law, especially in those cases where the judicial branch should make no decision, but leave the matter to popularly elected lawmakers.
In criticizing judicial activism, I am not agreeing with those critics who define judicial activism as a circumstance where a judge makes the law rather than merely interprets it. That is an over-simplified definition. Our system of law clearly contemplates that judges will make law as well as interpret it. Appellate courts inevitably make law as they interpret legislative enactments that are ambiguous or contradictory. Judges make law by giving meaning to legislative language that is deliberately vague, such as laws using words like “fair” or “reasonable” or “obscene.” Appellate courts make law gradually on a case-by-base basis as they define and apply the common law, which consists of the decisions of courts on subjects not treated by the legislature. None of these lawmaking functions of judges is subject to criticism as judicial activism, because if the popularly elected lawmakers don’t like these judicial actions, they can change them by legislation.
In my opinion, the judicial lawmaking that has been legitimately criticized as judicial activism concerns the interpretation of state and federal constitutions. This kind of judicial action is not reversible by the popularly elected lawmakers, and cannot even be changed by the sovereign people except in those unusual circumstances in which a constitutional amendment is feasible. If such judicial action sets aside laws enacted or approved by a direct vote of the people, it offends two fundamentals: separation of powers and popular sovereignty.
Constitutional adjudication is the kind of activity that requires the highest exercise of the judicial talent and should cause the greatest soul-searching on the part of judges. On the one hand, the compelling traditions of common law adjudication show that the law — even constitutional law — can grow gradually to meet the problems and challenges of a new day. On the other hand, the overriding requirements of stability in the law forbid judges from using their office to enact their own personal preferences and moral framework in the way they could justifiably do as legislators. The question that should always be asked in constitutional adjudication is, “Is this a matter that the sovereign people in our democracy ought to decide through their popularly elected lawmakers, or is it a matter that our constitution clearly assigns to judges not directly accountable to the popular will?”
In the end, the only complete remedy for judicial activism is judicial restraint. Only judges can make judicial restraint a reality. The rarest kind of power in our troubled world is a power recognized but unexercised. Yet that is what the people have a right to expect from the judicial branch, which must define the limits of all government branches, including its own. I maintain that the same branch of government that has defined the power and forged the tools of judicial activism should decline to exercise them.
VI. Citizen Responsibilities.
I conclude with some suggestions about our responsibilities as citizens. We have a great Constitution whose fundamental principles many believe to be divinely inspired. Therefore what? I will suggest five responsibilities that I believe are appropriate for all citizens—whatever their religious or philosophical persuasion.
- Understand the Constitution
All citizens should be familiar with its great fundamentals: the sovereignty of the people, the structure of federalism that divides powers between the state and the federal government, the individual guarantees in the Bill of Rights, and the principle of separation of powers among the various branches of government. We should take alarm at and consider how to oppose any action that would infringe these fundamentals.
- Support the Law
All citizens should give law-abiding support to their national, state, and local governments. My religious faith expresses this principle in an official declaration of belief:
“We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them. . . .
“We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside” (D&C 134:1, 5).
- Practice Civic Virtue
Those who enjoy the blessings of liberty under our national and state constitutions should promote morality, and they should practice what the Founding Fathers called “civic virtue.” John Adams, the second president of the United States, declared, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”[16]
James Madison argued in the Federalist Papers that “republican government presupposes the exercise of these qualities [of virtue] in a higher degree than any other form.”[17]
Citizens should also be practitioners of civic virtue in their conduct toward our states and our nation. They should obey the laws. They should be ever willing to fulfill the duties of citizenship. This includes compulsory duties like military service and the numerous voluntary actions they must take if they are to preserve the principle of limited government through citizen self-reliance. For example, since U.S. citizens value the right of trial by jury, they must be willing to serve on juries, even those involving unsavory subject matter.
Then there is the matter of voting. I have been alarmed at the steady decline of voter turnout in many parts of the United States, including Utah. Voting is a fundamental right and responsibility that must not be taken for granted. Political participation can be inconvenient. It requires sacrifices of time and resources, but it is essential to our democratic society. Without substantial voter turnout, the people abrogate the great fundamental of popular sovereignty.
It is also part of civic virtue to be moral in our conduct toward all people. We believe with the author of Proverbs that “righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). The personal righteousness of citizens will strengthen a nation more than the force of its arms.
- Maintain Civility in Political Discourse
If representative government is to function effectively under our constitutions, we must have civility in political discourse. We currently have an excess of ugliness and contentiousness in our communications on many political issues. I don’t need to give examples; we have all been exposed to it, and some of us have occasionally been part of it. We all bear some responsibility for the current political polarization and the stalemates that have resulted from it. We ought to tone it down. Meaningful debate and discussion about policies, programs, and procedures is essential to a democratic society. But contentiousness for the sake of division is bad for democracy. It is bad for law observance. It is bad for neighborly relations. And it is particularly destructive as an example for the rising generation, who, if not taught better, will perpetuate and magnify its ugliness and divisiveness for generations to come.
A year ago our Church published a statement called “The Mormon Ethic of Civility.” I quote from that statement:
“The Church views with concern the politics of fear and rhetorical extremism that renders civil discussion impossible. . . . Our democratic system [should] facilitate kinder and more reasoned exchanges among fellow Americans than we are now seeing.”[18]
Our President, Thomas S. Monson, has said, “When a spirit of goodwill prompts our thinking and when unified effort goes to work on a common problem, the results can be most gratifying.”[19]
- Promote Patriotism
Finally, the single word that best describes a fulfillment of the responsibilities of citizenship is patriotism. Citizens should be patriotic. My favorite prescription for patriotism is that of Adlai Stevenson, the Illinois governor who was twice the Democratic candidate for President:
“What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? . . . A patriotism that puts country ahead of self; a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”[20]
Conclusion
I close with a poetic prayer. It is familiar to most Americans because we sing it in one of our loveliest hymns. It expresses gratitude to God for liberty, and it voices a prayer for continued blessings:
Our fathers’ God, to thee,
Author of liberty,
To thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light.
Protect us by thy might,
Great God, our King! [21]
[1] J. Reuben Clark: Selected Papers on Religion, Education, and Youth, ed. David H. Yarn, Jr., Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1984, p. 43.
[2] See A. E. Dick Howard, “Making It Work,”
Wilson Quarterly, Spring 1987, pp. 122, 126.
[3] See “The Divinely Inspired Constitution,”
Ensign, February 1992, 68-74.
[4] U.S. Constitution, Art. IV, Sec. 4.
[5] Final Report of the Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad to the Secretary of State and to the President of the United States, May 17, 1999, p. 6.
[7] The Williamsburg Charter, pp. 11-12. The text of the Williamsburg Charter is reproduced in the appendix (pp. 127-45) of
Articles of Peace, the Religious Liberty Clauses and the American Public Philosophy (James Davison Hunter and Os Guinness, eds., Brookings Books, Washington, D.C., 1990).
[8] Amos N. Guiora,
Freedom From Religion (Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 27.
[13] Quoted in Gerhard Casper, “Constitutionalism,”
Occasional Papers from the Law School, The University of Chicago, no. 22 (1987).
[14] Michael W. McConnell, “Four Faces of Conservative Legal Thought,” University of Chicago Law School Record, Spring 1988, 12, 13.
[15] “State Courts and Justice for All,” BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School Founders Day Dinner, Salt Lake City, Utah, August 26, 2010.
[16] John Adams,
The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, ed. C. F. Adams (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1854), Vol. IX, p. 229, October 11, 1798.
[17] Federalist No. 55, February 13, 1788.
[20] Adlai Stevenson, speech given in New York City, 27 August 1952, quoted in John Bartlett,
Familiar Quotations, Boston: Little Brown and Co., 1955, p. 986.
**Lubbock Texas Stake Announcements:
Sunday, September 19th @ 8:30 a.m. – P.E.C.
Saturday, September 25th @ 7:00 p.m. – General Relief Society Telecast @ Stake Center
(** ATTENTION, SHOULD A BROTHER HAVE A WIFE THAT CAN NOT DRIVE TO LUBBOCK, CONSIDER LOADING IT UP ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HOME. IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, CONTACT PRESIDENT ROBERTS, SHARP, CALDERON OR BEARDSLEY **)
Sunday, September 26th @ 8:30 a.m. – Welfare Meeting
Friday, October 1st Through 5th – Temple Closed
Saturday, October 2nd Through 3rd – General Conference
Saturday, October 2nd Priesthood Sessioin
**Submit Your Testimony To Share On http://plainviewreview.blogspot.com by sending your story, missionary moment, inspiring thought or conversion story with testimony to PlainviewEldersQuorum@ldsliving.com**
*****************Plainview Branch Elders & High Priest Lessons By Date:
9-19-10 “Faith in Jesus Christ” (Gospel Principles, Chapter 18 – Page 101)
SALT LAKE CITY 15 September 2010 A new version of the Church’s LDS.org website will significantly improve its ability to provide mountains of information and resources to its 14 million members worldwide. The new site is presently at new.lds.org and in the coming months will replace the current LDS.org. New.lds.org is a more interactive, visually appealing and navigable website and the first major overhaul of LDS.org since 2007.
“In designing this site, we asked, ‘What do Church members need, and how can the Church help them?’” said Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Quorum of the Seventy.
For more than 10 years LDS.org has provided online information to a worldwide Church membership. Over the last year, pages on the current LDS.org website were viewed over 500 million times by over 26 million unique visitors.That massive audience represents Mormons and others from around the world who are seeking information about the Church, its teachings and its programs.
Next week a new version of the Church’s Newsroom.lds.org website, for the news media, opinion leaders and the public, will also launch. It is a major upgrade that will feature a new design and features making it easier for journalists and others to find public information about the Church.
New.lds.org emphasizes the teachings of Jesus Christ and the words of current LDS Church leaders. It allows Latter-day Saints and others to more easily study Church doctrines online, provides Church members with more ways to share portions of the site with others via popular social networking sites and e-mail and has greatly improved search capability to help users search the hundreds of thousands of pages available on the site.
“The transition goes from a repository of information to much more experiential content, rich video and media,” said Elder Christensen. “So it’s a complete movement of where we’ve been. We’re trying to meet the needs of each unique individual and family in the Church.”
The English site will soon be translated into 10 more languages, which, together with English, are spoken by approximately 90 percent of the Church membership: Cantonese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
Content on the site falls into five main sections, which can be found by clicking “Menu” at the top of any page:
(1) Our Heavenly Father’s Plan: This section contains a summary of core Church doctrines about the purposes of life.
(2) Family: Here users will find information to help individuals and families strengthen marriages and successfully raise and teach children.
(3) Church: This section provides information about the Church, including a “Church News and Events” page (for news of interest to Latter-day Saints) and an overview of the Church organization, LDS temples and Church history.
(4) Service: Church members will find information to help them carry out Church assignments, teach Church classes and participate in service projects.
(5) Study: This section contains a thorough library that includes Church scripture, general conference addresses, manuals, music, Church magazines and a topical index. This section will soon provide access to Church art, videos and audio.
Church members can use their LDS Account to access information about their respective wards and stakes (congregations), as well as create an online Church study journal and Mormon.org member profile.
On the official LDS Church Facebook page, the Church recently asked for user feedback about new.lds.org.
Click here to read all the Facebook comments on the new LDS.org.
Other resources:
Full Mormon Channel interview with Elder Craig C. Christensen:
http://radio.lds.org/eng/programs/conversations-episode-18
**Lubbock Texas Stake Announcements:
Friday, September 17th @ 8:00 p.m.- Branch Temple Day *Go out for Ice Cream at 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 18th @ 8:30 a.m. – Stake Merit badge clinic (ATTENTION ** THIS HAS BEEN RE-SCHEDULED TO OCTOBER 9TH @ 8:30 A.M. **)
Sunday, September 19th @ 8:30 a.m. – P.E.C.
Saturday, September 25th @ 7:00 p.m. – General Relief Society Telecast @ Stake Center (** ATTENTION, SHOULD A BROTHER HAVE A WIFE THAT CAN NOT DRIVE TO LUBBOCK, CONSIDER LOADING IT UP ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HOME. IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, CONTACT PRESIDENT ROBERTS, SHARP, CALDERON OR BEARDSLEY **)
Sunday, September 26th @ 8:30 a.m. – Welfare Meeting
Friday, October 1st Through 5th – Temple Closed
Saturday, October 2nd Through 3rd – General Conference
Saturday, October 2nd Priesthood Sessioin
**Submit Your Testimony To Share On http://plainviewreview.blogspot.com by sending your story, missionary moment, inspiring thought or conversion story with testimony to PlainviewEldersQuorum@ldsliving.com**
*****************Plainview Branch Elders & High Priest Lessons By Date:
9-19-10 “Faith in Jesus Christ” (Gospel Principles, Chapter 18 – Page 101)
Brethren,
It has been yet another blessed week here in Plainview, as I am sure it has been across the world and the alternate stakes of Zion. I am grateful for the special spirit of the Lord that has abounded our daily lives, and the chances of which I have had to serve others. This service has been making more out of me, than I could ever of done on my own. The Lord is capable of shaping loving, and capable individuals from all walks of life if they have but Faith, Hope and Charity. He can refine us all, and this I am grateful for.
As the Blog title indicates, “The Changes Are Nigh At Hand…” , surely I will elaborate. I do not know, how long this has been the case outside of my residence in the city of Plainview. I have lived in Plainview since May of 2008, and been a functioning, back to church individual only since October 2008. Since that time, there have been many occasions where I frequently, month after long month, would visit the Plainview Daily Herald’s Website to see all the Churches represented in the city of Plainview. (For there are a great many in this city of 29 to 32 thousand or so – 29,000 according to the 2000 Census)
When I would do so, month after month I never would see any representation of our Faith, never see any coverage of any items concerning us. Finally, two days ago I reached a point of thought where I knew that I needed to inquire and / or do something about this issue! So I got ahold of the Plainview Daily Herald, and asked them why they did not. They didn’t have any reason or information on us, so therefore no coverage. I supplied the lady with the information on the Branch, the official lds.org directed Branch Page, and she said she would fix it. Indeed she did fix it. Now, under the Community Links, and Under Churches, you will see an official representation of our faith here in Plainview. The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints.
To view this online, please visit the following link: Plainview Daily Herald Online- MyPlainview.com
I can feel the Lord behind us in this great work all the way! I know he is mindful of our efforts and is willing to bless those who try. He says, “Yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, that the field is white already to harvest; wherefore, thrust in your sickles, and reap with all your might, mind, and strength.” (D & C 33:7) Many of us may take this scripture too lightly, and this may be why immediately after the Lord says this, that in the very next verse he says, “Open your mouths and they shall be filled, and you shall become even as Nephi of old, who journeyed from Jerusalem in the wilderness.” (D & C 33:8)
So, in a world of sorrow and sin, of lower standards and critical review of any religious standards, we need but turn to the Lord to guide us for the direction in which way we should act. In All diligence, as “He” would have us do. How do we do this again? Let us review what Section 33 was for. Section 33 came because Ezra Thayre and Northrop Sweet asked Joseph Smith to inquire of the Lord as to how the Lord would have them proceed with many different things. But we know that we are to liken all scriptures unto ourselves. The Lord gives us them, for a reason… thus this scripture at the near end of the same above mentioned Section, “And the Book of Mormon and the holy scriptures are given of me for your instruction; and the power of my Spirit quickeneth all things.”
We can make it through the bad changes, and certainly can help bring about good ones! Such is my testimony to you Brethren, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
**Lubbock Texas Stake Announcements:
Friday, September 17th @ 8:00 p.m.- Branch Temple Day *Go out for Ice Cream at 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 18th @ 8:30 a.m. – Stake Merit badge clinic (ATTENTION ** THIS HAS BEEN RE-SCHEDULED TO OCTOBER 9TH @ 8:30 A.M. **)
Sunday, September 19th @ 8:30 a.m. – P.E.C.
Saturday, September 25th @ 7:00 p.m. – General Relief Society Telecast @ Stake Center (** ATTENTION, SHOULD A BROTHER HAVE A WIFE THAT CAN NOT DRIVE TO LUBBOCK, CONSIDER LOADING IT UP ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HOME. IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, CONTACT PRESIDENT ROBERTS, SHARP, CALDERON OR BEARDSLEY **)
Sunday, September 26th @ 8:30 a.m. – Welfare Meeting
Friday, October 1st Through 5th – Temple Closed
Saturday, October 2nd Through 3rd – General Conference
Saturday, October 2nd Priesthood Sessioin
**Submit Your Testimony To Share On http://plainviewreview.blogspot.com by sending your story, missionary moment, inspiring thought or conversion story with testimony to PlainviewEldersQuorum@ldsliving.com**
*****************Plainview Branch Elders & High Priest Lessons By Date:
9-19-10 “Faith in Jesus Christ” (Gospel Principles, Chapter 18 – Page 101)
Visit http://plainvieweq.blogspot.com ! This post contains videos!
“Chapter 18: Faith in Jesus Christ,” Gospel Principles, (2009),101–6
What Is Faith?
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel. It is a spiritual gift, and it is necessary to our salvation. King Benjamin declared, “Salvation cometh to none … except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Mosiah 3:12).
Faith is a “hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (Alma 32:21; see also Hebrews 11:1). Faith is a principle of action and power that motivates our day-to-day activities.
Would we study and learn if we did not believe we could obtain wisdom and knowledge? Would we work each day if we did not hope that by doing so we could accomplish something? Would a farmer plant if he did not expect to harvest? Each day we act upon things we hope for when we cannot see the end result. This is faith. (See Hebrews 11:3.)
Many scriptural stories tell how great things were accomplished through faith.
By faith Noah built an ark and saved his family from the flood (see Hebrews 11:7). Moses parted the waters of the Red Sea (see Hebrews 11:29). Elijah called down fire from heaven (see 1 Kings 18:17–40). Nephi called for a famine (see Helaman 11:3–5). He also asked the Lord to end the famine (see Helaman 11:9–17). Seas have been calmed, visions opened, and prayers answered, all through the power of faith.
As we carefully study the scriptures, we learn that faith is a strong belief of truth within our souls that motivates us to do good. This causes us to ask: In whom should we have faith?
- • Think about your everyday activities. What are things you act upon each day that you cannot see the end results of? How does faith move you to action?
Why Should We Have Faith in Jesus Christ?
We must center our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
(**I typically dont do video inserts with these lessons, but felt this appropriate.**)
To have faith in Jesus Christ means to have such trust in Him that we obey whatever He commands. As we place our faith in Jesus Christ, becoming His obedient disciples, Heavenly Father will forgive our sins and prepare us to return to Him.
The Apostle Peter preached that “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12; see also Mosiah 3:17). Jacob taught that men must have “perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel [Jesus Christ], or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 9:23). Through faith in the Savior and through repentance, we make His Atonement fully effective in our lives. Through faith we can also receive strength to overcome temptations (see Alma 37:33).
We cannot have faith in Jesus Christ without also having faith in our Heavenly Father. If we have faith in Them, we will also have faith that the Holy Ghost, whom They send, will teach us all truth and will comfort us.
- • How can faith in Jesus Christ influence us in our Church callings? in our family relationships? in our jobs? How does faith in Jesus Christ influence our hope for eternal life?
How Can We Increase Our Faith in Jesus Christ?
Knowing of the many blessings that come through exercising faith in Jesus Christ, we should seek to increase our faith in Him. The Savior said, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, … nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20). A mustard seed is very small, but it grows into a large tree.
How can we increase our faith? The same way we increase or develop any other skill. How do we develop skills in woodcarving, weaving, painting, cooking, making pottery, or playing a musical instrument? We study and practice and work at it. As we do so, we improve. So it is with faith. If we want to increase our faith in Jesus Christ, we must work at it. The prophet Alma compared the word of God to a seed that must be nurtured by faith:
“But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
“Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding. …
“Now behold, would not this increase your faith?” (Alma 32:27–29).
So we can increase our faith in God by acting on our desire to have faith in Him.
We can also increase our faith by praying to Heavenly Father about our hopes, desires, and needs (see Alma 34:17–26). But we must not suppose that all we have to do is ask. We are told in the scriptures that “faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17). The following story is about a man whose faith was shown by his works.
This man wanted to study the scriptures, but he could not read. He prayed for Heavenly Father to help him learn to read. In time a teacher came to his village, and he asked the teacher to help him. He learned the alphabet. He studied sounds and learned to put the letters together to make words. Soon he was reading simple words. The more he practiced, the more he learned. He thanked the Lord for sending the teacher and for helping him learn to read. This man has increased his faith, humility, and knowledge to such a degree that he has served as a branch president in the Church.
President Spencer W. Kimball explained, “There must be works with faith. How foolish it would be to ask the Lord to give us knowledge, but how wise to ask the Lord’s help to acquire knowledge, to study constructively, to think clearly, and to retain things that we have learned” (Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 205; italics in original).
Faith involves doing all we can to bring about the things wehope and pray for. President Kimball said: “In faith we plant the seed, and soon we see the miracle of the blossoming. Men have often misunderstood and have reversed the process.” He continued by explaining that many of us want to have health and strength without keeping the health laws. We want to have prosperity without paying our tithes. We want to be close to the Lord but don’t want to fast and pray. We want to have rain in due season and to have peace in the land without observing the Sabbath as a holy day and without keeping the other commandments of the Lord. (See Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 142.)
An important way to increase our faith is to hear and study the word of the Lord. We hear the word of the Lord at our Church meetings. We can study His word in the scriptures. “And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118).
- • What relationship do you see between our faith and our actions?
What Are Some Blessings That Follow Faith?
Through the gift of faith, miracles are wrought, angels appear, other gifts of the Spirit are given, prayers are answered, and men become the sons of God (see Moroni 7:25–26, 36–37).
“When faith comes it brings … apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, gifts, wisdom, knowledge, miracles, healings, tongues, interpretation of tongues, etc. All these appear when faith appears on the earth, and disappear when it disappears from the earth; for these are the effects of faith. … And he who possesses it will, through it, obtain all necessary knowledge and wisdom, until he shall know God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, whom he has sent—whom to know is eternal life” (Lectures on Faith [1985], 83).
- • What are some stories from the scriptures in which people have become stronger because they had faith in Jesus Christ? How have you seen this happen in your own life?
Additional Scriptures
**Lubbock Texas Stake Announcements:
Friday, September 17th @ 8:00 p.m.- Branch Temple Day *Go out for Ice Cream at 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 18th @ 8:30 a.m. – Stake Merit badge clinic (ATTENTION ** THIS HAS BEEN RE-SCHEDULED TO OCTOBER 9TH @ 8:30 A.M. **)
Sunday, September 19th @ 8:30 a.m. – P.E.C.
Saturday, September 25th @ 7:00 p.m. – General Relief Society Telecast @ Stake Center (** ATTENTION, SHOULD A BROTHER HAVE A WIFE THAT CAN NOT DRIVE TO LUBBOCK, CONSIDER LOADING IT UP ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HOME. IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, CONTACT PRESIDENT ROBERTS, SHARP, CALDERON OR BEARDSLEY **)
Sunday, September 26th @ 8:30 a.m. – Welfare Meeting
Friday, October 1st Through 5th – Temple Closed
Saturday, October 2nd Through 3rd – General Conference
Saturday, October 2nd Priesthood Sessioin
**Submit Your Testimony To Share On http://plainviewreview.blogspot.com by sending your story, missionary moment, inspiring thought or conversion story with testimony to PlainviewEldersQuorum@ldsliving.com**
*****************Plainview Branch Elders & High Priest Lessons By Date:
9-19-10 “Faith in Jesus Christ” (Gospel Principles, Chapter 18 – Page 101)
Visit http://plainvieweq.blogspot.com ! This post contains videos!
I was introduced to the composer Rob Gardner through an online acquaintance many in the “You-Tube World” know very well. This project here, called the “Lamb Of God” , has been one project that Rob has had the idea and foundation on for some time. Here is a launch clip preview that aired seven months ago.
Seeing this profound clip, stirs me to emotions near the surface. What is it that the life of the Savior does for us? What do we think of when we ponder the suffering in Gethsemane…. for us? Ponder that long, and hard. This following video was released on September 14th, 2010, with a live view of Rob Gardner conducting and leading the London Symphony Orchestra. Watch the video, and feel the power of the Holy Ghost that comes through this music. This is inspiring.
I hope you have seen and felt the Spirit in these videos. I now wish to show you the most reecent Mormon Messages Video, released live September 14th, 2010 in the afternoon. Ponder the message, pray about the message and then watch it again. As always, be prayerful for the Holy Ghost to continue to bear witness unto you of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I hope this message reaches all of you in the good health and strength of the Lord.
**Lubbock Texas Stake Announcements:
Friday, September 17th @ 8:00 p.m.- Branch Temple Day *Go out for Ice Cream at 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 18th @ 8:30 a.m. – Stake Merit badge clinic (ATTENTION ** THIS HAS BEEN RE-SCHEDULED TO OCTOBER 9TH @ 8:30 A.M. **)
Sunday, September 19th @ 8:30 a.m. – P.E.C.
Saturday, September 25th @ 7:00 p.m. – General Relief Society Telecast @ Stake Center (** ATTENTION, SHOULD A BROTHER HAVE A WIFE THAT CAN NOT DRIVE TO LUBBOCK, CONSIDER LOADING IT UP ON YOUR COMPUTER AT HOME. IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, CONTACT PRESIDENT ROBERTS, SHARP, CALDERON OR BEARDSLEY **)
Sunday, September 26th @ 8:30 a.m. – Welfare Meeting
Friday, October 1st Through 5th – Temple Closed
Saturday, October 2nd Through 3rd – General Conference
Saturday, October 2nd Priesthood Sessioin**Submit Your Testimony To Share On http://plainviewreview.blogspot.com by sending your story, missionary moment, inspiring thought or conversion story with testimony to PlainviewEldersQuorum@ldsliving.com**
*****************Plainview Branch Elders & High Priest Lessons By Date:
9-12-10 Combined High Priests & Elders; “The Church of Jesus Christ Today” (Gospel Principles, Chapter 17 – Page 95)
9-19-10 “Faith in Jesus Christ” (Gospel Principles, Chapter 18 – Page 101)
By R. Scott Lloyd
Church News staff writer
Published: Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010
Ensign and Liahona magazines subscribers soon will be greeted withsomething special in their mailboxes. In place of the regular Octoberedition of either magazine, they will receive a new, updated version of thebooklet “Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
IRI
As with previous editions, cover of new “Temples” booklet shows the Salt Lake Temple. Photos featured in the updated edition are recent.
The 81-page, full-color publication includes updated photos of many ofthe Church’s existing temples, plus doctrinal articles by President ThomasS. Monson and other Church leaders present and past.
IRI
In place of the regular October edition of the Ensign and Liahona magazines, subscribers to the Church magazines will receive a new, updated version of the booklet “Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” The booklet will be provided in 45 languages.
A wraparound cover that encloses the booklet for mailing purposescontains an explanatory message. It notes that the decision to revise thebooklet was made more than a year ago.
“The booklet was out of print in some languages, and members were askinghow they could get a copy,” the message explains. “Rather than reprint abooklet that did not contain a message from President Thomas S. Monson andignored the scores of temples that have been built since the last editionwas printed, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostlesapproved the creation of an updated edition.”
IRI
Displaying a copy of the new publication, Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi of theSeventy said the temples booklet originated as the November 1955 issue ofthe Improvement Era magazine, forerunner to today’s Ensign. Since then, ithas been updated eight times, the last in 1999, published in 30languages.
The updated booklet will reach Church members simultaneously in 45languages, Elder Kikuchi said. After it has been mailed out, it will beavailable for purchase from LDS distribution centers.
IRI
Elder Kikuchi highlighted these additions to this newest revision of thetemples booklet:
An eight-page photo essay of temples with quotesfrom Church leaders that tie temple work to Jesus Christ and HisAtonement.
New photos of several of the Church’s 134currently operating temples. (There are even exterior and interior photosof the temple in Kirtland, Ohio, the first one constructed in thisdispensation, but which is not currently operational.)
A new article, “Blessings of the Temple,” byPresident Thomas S. Monson. “The temple lifts us, exalts us, stands as abeacon for all to see, and points us toward celestial glory,” PresidentMonson declares in the article.
An article by Elder Russell M. Nelson of theQuorum of the Twelve, “Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple,” adaptedfrom an earlier article appearing in the March 2002 Ensign.
Another photo essay, “Things Pertaining to theHouse of the Lord,” featuring interior photos of temples.
Two articles, “Our Temple Marriage Was Worth AnyPrice” and “Our Boys Were with Us.”
Carried over from previous editions of the booklet are the articles “WhyThese Temples,” by President Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Holy Temple,” byPresident Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve, and “ATemple-Motivated People,” by President Howard W. Hunter.
IRI
IRI
“A History of Temples,” an article by Elder James E. Talmage, a memberof the Quorum of the Twelve from 1911 until his death in 1933, has beenshortened from previous editions.
A children’s section has been revised to make it more interactive andeasier for children to read, and a youth section has been revised to makeit more engaging. A list of “Commonly Asked Questions” has been updated.
Asked how Church members might best use the new booklet, Elder Kikuchi,who served as president of the Tokyo Japan Temple from 1994 to 1997 hadseveral suggestions:
For already endowed members, “it is an aid toremembering the sacred temple experience, the associated covenants andblessings, and the individual responsibilities of members to do familyhistory work to identify their ancestors and to provide essential templeordinances for them by actively participating in temple service.”
“It will be a wonderful review for a couple whoare planning to get married,” he said.
The booklet may be used in a ward or staketemple-preparation class.
“If people not of our faith ask what the templeis, this will be very great material to respond to their question.”
President Monson has made a point of urging the rescuing of those whohave fallen away, to help them come to the temple and be sealed as aneternal family, Elder Kikuchi noted, saying that the new temples bookletcould be used to help them in their return.
“For Church members, for children, for youth and for those not of ourfaith, this is a great product,” he said. “I can say that as you read it,you feel the warmth of the Spirit.”
rscott@desnews.com
*****Lubbock Texas Stake Announcements:
Sunday, September 12th @ 8:30 a.m.- Branch Council
Friday, September 17th @ 8:00 p.m.- Branch Temple Day *Go out for Ice Cream at 10:00 p.m.
**Submit Your Testimony To Share On http://plainviewreview.blogspot.com by sending your story, missionary moment, inspiring thought or conversion story with testimony to PlainviewEldersQuorum@ldsliving.com**
***Plainview Branch Elders & High Priest Lessons By Date:
9-12-10 Combined High Priests & Elders; “The Church of Jesus Christ Today” (Gospel Principles, Chapter 17 – Page 95)
9-19-10 “Faith in Jesus Christ” (Gospel Principles, Chapter 18 – Page 101)
The Vine In The Vineyard Of The Lord 