{sifting process}

"I am thankful that God allows those who do not keep his commandments to fall away, so that his Church may be cleansed, and, in this respect, this Church is different from any other that is upon the earth... The sifting or weeding process has been going on from the commencement of this Church until the present time."

President George Q. Cannon

Ensign, November 1993, Neal A. Maxwell's talk

{FHE: forgiveness}

I made this for this Primary lesson. Feel free to use it. Click on the picture to see it larger.

{FHE - worshiping at church}

 I made this image for my Primary lesson: Primary book #3, Choose the Right B, ages 4-7, lesson #40

The illustration can also be used for FHE. Talk about Sunday worship and the four ways to worship (listen, sing, pray, sacrament). Put the star in a gift bag and give everyone an opportunity to pull the star out of the bag. They are then to answer the question about the word on the point of the star they are holding.

listen: Who are some people we should listen to at church?

sing: Name one song you like to sing at church.

pray: Name one time we offer a prayer at church.

sacrament: Name one thing you can do during the sacrament.

The children can color this scripture and draw a picture of their family singing in the church.

Click the pictures to see them larger.

Click here to see the entire Primary lesson.

{we need to be prepared - now!}

"I believe it is time, and perhaps with some urgency, to review the counsel we have received in dealing with our personal and family preparedness. We want to be found with oil in our lamps sufficient to endure to the end. President Kimball, "In reviewing the Lord's counsel to us on the importance of preparedness, I am impressed with the plainness of the message. The Savior made it clear that we cannot place sufficient oil in our preparedness lamps by simply avoiding evil. We must also be anxiously engaged in appositive program of preparation."

I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel. I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over. With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness.

...The instability in the world today makes it imperative that we take heed of the counsel and prepare for the future."

Elder L. Tom Perry

October 1995 General Conference

imperative = not to be avoided or evaded, expressive of a command

synonyms: mandatory, necessary, obligatory

{being consecrated}

We need to consecrate ourselves and not be casual members of the Church.

Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, November 1992:

"Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus!"

"But is being consecrated and "swallowed up" a threat to our individuality? No! Heavenly Father is only asking us to lose the old self in order to find the new and the real self. It is not a question of losing our identity but of finding our true identity!"

"Increased consecration is not so much a demand for more hours of Church work as it is for more awareness of Whose work this really is!"

"Only when things begin to come into focus "with an eye single" do we see "things as they really are"! What a view awaits!"

"Becoming more like Jesus in thought and behavior is not grinding and repressing, but emancipating and discovering!"

"More members need the immense relief and peace which can come from being "settled" without which those individuals will be like "the troubled sea, when it cannot rest."

"There is another special reason to become settled: we will live in a time in which "all things shall be in commotion." The uncertainties, upheavals, and topsy-truviness of today's world will be such that those who vacillate and equivocate will be tossed about by severe turbulence."

"Brothers and sisters, whatever we embrace instead of Jesus and His work will keep us from qualifying to enter His kingdom and therefore from being embraced by Him. May we be settled and prepare now for that marvelous moment then..."

orthodoxy = the quality or state of being orthodox

orthodox = confirming to established doctrine esp. in religion

synonyms: regular, formal

antonyms: casual, informal, irregular

emancipate = to free from restraint, control, or the power of another

= to free from bondage

vacillate = to sway through lack of dquilibrium, fluctuate, to waver in mind, will, or feeling, hesitate in choice of opinions or courses

equivocate = to avoid committing oneself in what one says

{the book of mormon}

President Ezra T. Benson:

...If they saw our day and chose those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask ourselves, “Why did the Lord inspire Mormon (or Moroni or Alma) to include that in his record? What lesson can I learn from that to help me live in this day and age?”

And there is example after example of how that question will be answered. For example, in the Book of Mormon we find a pattern for preparing for the Second Coming. A major portion of the book centers on the few decades just prior to Christ’s coming to America. By careful study of that time period, we can determine why some were destroyed in the terrible judgments that preceded His coming and what brought others to stand at the temple in the land of Bountiful and thrust their hands into the wounds of His hands and feet.

From the Book of Mormon we learn how disciples of Christ live in times of war. From the Book of Mormon we see the evils of secret combinations portrayed in graphic and chilling reality. In the Book of Mormon we find lessons for dealing with persecution and apostasy. We learn much about how to do missionary work. And more than anywhere else, we see in the Book of Mormon the dangers of materialism and setting our hearts on the things of the world. Can anyone doubt that this book was meant for us and that in it we find great power, great comfort, and great protection?

Ensign, November 1986

{continually hold the rod of iron to endure to the end}

Elder David A. Bednar talks about the two groups in Lehi's vision who held on to the iron rod and made it to the tree of life.

"It is significant that the second group pressed forward with faith and commitment. They also had the added blessing of the rod of iron, and they were clinging to it! However, as they were confronted with persecution and adversity, they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost. Even with faith, commitment, and the word of God, this group eventually was lost - perhaps because they only periodically read or studied or searched the scriptures. Clinging to the rod of iron suggests to me only occasional "bursts" of study or irregular dipping rather than consistent, ongoing immersion in the word of God.

In verse 30 we read about a third group of people who pressed forward continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree. The key phrase in this verse is continually holding fast to the rod of iron.

...Perhaps it was the spiritual nourishment and strength provided by continually feasting upon the words of Christ that enabled this group to heed not the scorning and mocking of the people in the great and spacious building. This is the group you and I should strive to join."

Ensign, October 2011, page 35