Here is a copy of the talk I gave in church a couple weeks back. Due to a lack of time I had to make some cuts. That can happen when you are the third speaker if the first two people take a little extra time. I copied and pasted directly from the word document so there may be some minor tics in the copy below.
Tithing, A Test of Faith
The gospel of Jesus Christ is like an action movie. I’m a personal fan of action movies and watch them all the time much to my wife’s dismay. That poor, poor woman.
The other day I recorded the Mel Gibson classic “The Road Warrior” on the DVR. In this movie, Mel plays the wanderer Max trying to survive and kicking butt in the post apocalyptic Australian outback. He’s a man of action and actions speak louder than words.
Guys generally like action movies because people aren’t sitting around talking about something for hours on end, they are doing something. They are being real heroes, slaying dragons, fighting injustice, and doing what is right in the face of incredible odds and certain death.
We all like to believe that when push comes to shove we will stand up and do what is right. Some in life are able to do this while others fall short but we all like to believe that should the great tests of life come our way that we will rise up and not fail to act.
Human beings thrive on challenge and being tested. Our own mortality is nothing but one long test to see if we will follow the Savior. A test we learned about from our parents, missionaries, gospel study, prayer, and exercising faith but a test that was planned before the earth was even formed.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has given us everything. This world, our physical bodies, our families and everything else we value but his greatest gift to us is his atoning sacrifice and the power of forgiveness. It is by his grace that we are saved through faith in him.
But how do we manifest our faith? Is it enough to think that we believe and think that we accept his sacrifice? Is it enough to say it out loud in our homes, from the podium of our chapel, or even on the streets that we believe and have faith? This is a good start but true faith requires nurturing, cultivation, and time.
In Alma chapter 32, Alma talks about planting the seeds of faith. We read that if we plant the seed and if it is a good seed it will begin to grow. But in versus 34 through 36 we read:
34 And now, behold, is your aknowledge bperfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your cfaith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your dmind doth begin to expand.
35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is alight; and whatsoever is light, is bgood, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?
36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.
So planting the seed is just the beginning. We have to move beyond just putting the seed in the dirt. We must nurture it, cultivate it, water it, and give it opportunities to grow.
Faith is not just believing it is doing. You have to do more than just put the seed in the ground otherwise all you end up with is a pile of weeds and not the kind that you can sell by the kilo.
During his mortal ministry, the Lord asked Simon Peter three times if he loved Him. We read in John chapter 21 that on the third time Peter replied, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.” The Lord said, “Feed My Sheep”.
A simple action the Lord asked of the man that would lead his church. This is what he asked of Peter to show that he truly loved the Savior. This action would speak louder than words the love that Peter had for the Savior. When we act on faith to follow the Lord’s will, we are showing our love for Him. We are showing our faith in Him and His Atoning Sacrifice. We are showing him that we are willing to follow Him even when it is difficult or we do not understand completely why.
Many of the commandments we are given strictly prohibit some sort of behavior. The law of chastity prohibits us from having sexual relations except within the bounds of marriage. There are many such laws prohibiting the bearing of false witness, murder, taking the Lord’s name in vain, etc.
Some of the best laws that our Heavenly Father has given us require us to do something instead of refraining from something. We are commanded to spread the gospel, to serve our fellow man, to love our enemies, do our home and visiting teaching, and forgive others. Sometimes we want to forgo the doing and emphasize the not doing because it is much easier to sit back and not do something rather than go out and be actively engaged.
I can almost imagine after mortality ends, reporting back to the Savior on our experiences here. Perhaps like an interview with the Bishop. Maybe we will be seated across from His desk and he will ask,
“Brother Orton, tell me what you did in mortality.”
“Well Master, I didn’t smoke, I didn’t drink, I didn’t lie cheat or steal, I didn’t watch R rated movies, I didn’t look at dirty magazines or internet content.”
The he kindly interupts, “That is very good Brother Orton. I am very pleased that you did not do those things. But the question still remains, “What did you do?”
Many of the things we are asked to do by our heavenly father are not easy. They may take us out of our comfort zone, be difficult or challenging at times, or be something we would rather not do.
Recently, we were asked by a Prophet of God to volunteer our time and means to the efforts to pass a ballot measure protecting the sanctity of marriage. It was difficult for many of us. It is not easy walking to the homes of perfect strangers and talking about difficult topics. Sometimes they responded with harshness. But many, many saints pushed on day after day showing the Lord through doing that they love Him and have faith that He speaks through a prophet today.
One of the first things we are asked to do when we become member’s of Christ’s church is to pay tithing.
Elder Robert D. Hales in the Nov 2002 Liahona wrote: “Tithing has been established in these latter days as an essential law for members of the Lord’s restored Church. It is one of the basic ways we witness our faith in Him and our obedience to His laws and commandments.”
Tithing: A law and a basic way that we witness our faith in him and our obedience.
Often things like obeying the law of tithing can be difficult requiring sacrifice and faith. Sometimes we refer to these opportunities to express our faith as tests of our faith. Why is tithing a test of our faith sometimes.
Tithing in this day and age involves money. Money is a funny thing. You cannot eat it. I guess if you had a lot of duct tape and patience you could build yourself a shelter from it. It cannot transport you anywhere. But it is the means of obtaining most physical things in life. Many of us work not because we find it intrinsically more enjoyable to work than it is to do other activities. We spend our whole lives trying to aquire enough that we don’t have to worry anymore but no matter how much we accumulate the worry and desire for more never subsides.
As a little experiment I typed the word “Money” into google. I got over 1 billion results for that term, more than I could possibly ever read in a lifetime. We even write songs about it including Money, Money by Liza Minelli, Money for Nothing by Dire Straits, Money by the Flying Lizards, Money Money Money by ABBA, She Works Hard For the Money by Donna Summer, Take the Money and Run by the Steve Miller Band, and my personal favorite Money by Pink Floyd. Not to leave out the younger crowd in the room there is also the Kanye West classic Gold Digger.
There is actually a web site listing the thirty best songs about money. One website actually had a guy bragging about his mix tape with the 10 best money themed songs from the 80s. I read online that money is the topic second only to love to be enshrined in song and since I read it online, it’s gotta be true.
Many are obsessed in our society with money. The media worships fame and it’s accompanying fortune. We refer to it as the root of evil even while we wish we had more.
There is very little in this world that you cannot buy for money. Wars have been fought over it. For many their wealth and material possessions have even become their god.
So how does the Lord tell those who love money from those that love Him? Or perhaps a better question is how do we know if we love the Savior more than we love money. Perhaps keeping the law of tithing is one of the tests of that faith and love for the Savior.
Joseph F. Smith stated this about tithing, “By this principle [of tithing] the loyalty of the people of this church shall be put to the test. By this principle it shall be known who is for the kingdom of God and who is against it”
The law of tithing is a celestial law. Elder Robert D. Hales has stated,
“The law of tithing is part of a celestial law which we must live if we are to attain eternal life and exaltation in the celestial kingdom.”
In section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants we read:
38 And unto every kingdom is given a alaw; and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions.
39 All beings who abide not in those aconditions are not bjustified.
22 For he who is not able to abide the alaw of a celestial kingdom cannot babide a ccelestial glory.
The law of tithing thus is not just a test of our faith in the Savior and our love for him, it is a test to see if we are to attain eternal live and exaltation in the celestial kingdom.
There are great blessings to be had from keeping the law of tithing.
In Malachi 3: 10 we read,
“Bring ye all the atithes into the storehouse, that there may be bmeat in mine house, and cprove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not dopen you the ewindows of heaven, and pour you out a fblessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it “
There will be both blessings in this life and in the life to come but it should not be for reward that we keep this commandment but because we love and have faith in the Savior. That we trust in his infinite goodness and mercy. That we believe what he tells us and value the things of God over the things of man.
I want to share with you a few of my favorite examples from the scriptures of sacrifice. The first was Adam. In Moses chapter five we read:
5 And he gave unto them commandments, that they should aworship the Lord their God, and should offer the bfirstlings of their cflocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was dobedient unto the commandments of the Lord.
6 And after many days an aangel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer bsacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.
The angel taught Adam the meaning of his sacrifice but what is truly amazing is that Adam was willing to follow the commandments even though he had no understanding why. This my brothers and sisters is a true example of faith in following the commandments. After the test of his faith, it was then and only then revealed unto the man Adam that what he did was in the similitude of the sacrifice of the only Begotten.
Another great sacrifice story is told of Abraham and Issach. A truly great test wherein God commanded him to sacrifice his only son on an altar. Without explanation or understanding, the man Abraham did as he was told but was stopped by an angel. The test of sacrifice was once again a tool to teach about the sacrifice of the Savior of the world.
The last story and greatest story of Sacrifice is that of the Savior himself who gave his own life that we might be saved.
Elder Melvin J. Ballard said of this sacrifice:
“How do I appreciate the gift? If I only knew what it cost our Father to give his Son, if I only knew how essential it was that I should have that Son and that I should receive the spiritual life that comes from that Son, I am sure I would always be present at the sacrament table to do honor to the gift that has come unto us, for I realize that the Father has said that he, the Lord, our God, is a jealous God—jealous lest we should ignore and forget and slight his greatest gift unto us.”
Our Father in Heaven has given us the greatest gift he can give us, even his only begotten son to save us. A gift that requires us to act on faith, to do something, to sacrifice our desires for earthly treasures for those of heaven. When we pass the test of tithing we prove to him and ourselves that we can and do choose him over the things.
I have spoken of tests and sacrifice. When we sacrifice of our means we are outwardly expressing our faith in the savior. For some the test is difficult. As we go through life we should be striving to cast off the natural man and become Christlike. This means that we must begin to value the things of eternity over the things of mortality. It is a test of our faith and willingness to sacrifice not because of our means but because of what our hearts are set on.
In Luke 21 we read about the story of the widow’s mites and I’m not talking about the kind mites that reek havoc on your flowers. The Savior was in the temple and watching the people going in and out.
1AND he looked up, and saw the arich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two amites.
3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
It may seem like a great sacrifice to those who have little means but the sacrifice can be a test of our faith no matter what our station in life. It can even be more difficult for someone who has great means. I am reminded of the story of the rich young ruler in Luke 18 who asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. After telling Jesus how he had worked to keep the commandments, Jesus said,
22 …”Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the apoor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.”
I like to think that the young man after some time passed the test of faith.
If we can pass the test of our faith regarding tithing we can overcome the desires of mortality and become more like the Savior. We can be like the people Alma wrote about in Alma chapter 1:30.
30 And thus, in their aprosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were bnaked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon criches; therefore they were dliberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no erespect to persons as to those who stood in need.
May we each be able to pass the test of our faith and become men and women of action, living as the Lord has commanded, setting our hearts upon the things of God. May we each observe the Celestial law of tithing and thus gain eternal life is my hope and prayer.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
New Temple Visitor Center Model
Added a new temple visitor center to My Mini Life at http://www.myminilife.com/homes/3786121-temple-visitors-center
All three of my LDS building models have cool multi media goodies you can access by clicking on certain objects within the models. To access the models for the Temple, Temple Visitor Center, or the under construction LDS Chapel you can use the links on the left hand side of this blog page under the LDS News Gadget. I hope you enjoy it. In researching the multimedia goodies I found some really cool LDS videos on Youtube. Some I had never seen before.
All three of my LDS building models have cool multi media goodies you can access by clicking on certain objects within the models. To access the models for the Temple, Temple Visitor Center, or the under construction LDS Chapel you can use the links on the left hand side of this blog page under the LDS News Gadget. I hope you enjoy it. In researching the multimedia goodies I found some really cool LDS videos on Youtube. Some I had never seen before.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Nec Aspera Terrent
When I was in college it was my privilege to take Latin from the great doctor Victor Davis Hansen. He took an old dead language and made it interesting for us. Under his tutelage, I gained a love for old Latin mottos. Latin mottos appear in many places such on a family’s coat of arms, government seals, money, school buildings, military emblems, and the logos of organizations. They can tell us a lot about the people who were there in the very beginnings of those groups and organizations as well as times they lived in.
One particular Latin motto that has caught my attention has particular relevance to our lives here in mortality as we struggle to live up to the ideals established by our Savior in His Gospel.
The motto is: Nec Aspera Terrent
Before I reveal the English translation of the motto I want to tell a little story to help illustrate its meaning.
Prior to the 19th century, military service was akin to a death sentence. Enlistments were typically for life in most countries, and the majority of deaths were not caused by bullet, blade, or cannon fire but by disease, exposure to the elements, and the rigors of service.
The rank and file troops often found themselves far from home in strange lands completely cut off from any contact with loved ones. They suffered horribly just traveling to their destination which was often in terrible conditions aboard ship. In one such trip a soldier despairingly jumped overboard and sank to the bottom of the sea, never to be heard from again. Such was the life of a soldier.
A group of about 2,400 soldiers made such a trip and found themselves on the field of battle. They wore the Latin motto, Nec Aspera Terrent, on their caps. At the end of the day approximately 1,150 would fall, nearly half their number.
Three times the men were ordered to charge a small hill into a hail of bullets. They did it each time without flinching or protest because they had their orders were loyal to their country and each other. The gunfire was incredibly intense that day. A few of the army units that made up the 2,400 that day would lose all but one or two men, making them effectively destroyed as combat units. Even after two failed assaults up the small hill they charged again eventually taking the blood soaked ground.
The battle was won but the war was not over. It would continue for several years. History remembers the battle not as a victory for the British who three times charged up Bunker Hill that day but as a great psychological victory for the colonists who would eventually gain their independence. But the British soldiers lived up to their motto that day and many days after that.
Nec Aspera Terrent translates as: Hardships Do Not Deter Us.
When I think of those who have faced great hardships and were not deterred, I am reminded of people like Joseph Smith, Moroni, Nephi, and countless others. They experienced great hardships but did not falter. The greatest hardships were faced by Him they served, even the Savior Jesus Christ whose birth we celebrate this time of year. He faced incredible hardship and trial such that he bled from every pore.
In Mathew 26:39 we read: “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
He accepted His Father’s will and was not deterred by the hardship he faced. His sacrificed saved us all. May we each follow the example of the Savior and make it our motto also that Hardships Will Not Deter Us.
One particular Latin motto that has caught my attention has particular relevance to our lives here in mortality as we struggle to live up to the ideals established by our Savior in His Gospel.
The motto is: Nec Aspera Terrent
Before I reveal the English translation of the motto I want to tell a little story to help illustrate its meaning.
Prior to the 19th century, military service was akin to a death sentence. Enlistments were typically for life in most countries, and the majority of deaths were not caused by bullet, blade, or cannon fire but by disease, exposure to the elements, and the rigors of service.
The rank and file troops often found themselves far from home in strange lands completely cut off from any contact with loved ones. They suffered horribly just traveling to their destination which was often in terrible conditions aboard ship. In one such trip a soldier despairingly jumped overboard and sank to the bottom of the sea, never to be heard from again. Such was the life of a soldier.
A group of about 2,400 soldiers made such a trip and found themselves on the field of battle. They wore the Latin motto, Nec Aspera Terrent, on their caps. At the end of the day approximately 1,150 would fall, nearly half their number.
Three times the men were ordered to charge a small hill into a hail of bullets. They did it each time without flinching or protest because they had their orders were loyal to their country and each other. The gunfire was incredibly intense that day. A few of the army units that made up the 2,400 that day would lose all but one or two men, making them effectively destroyed as combat units. Even after two failed assaults up the small hill they charged again eventually taking the blood soaked ground.
The battle was won but the war was not over. It would continue for several years. History remembers the battle not as a victory for the British who three times charged up Bunker Hill that day but as a great psychological victory for the colonists who would eventually gain their independence. But the British soldiers lived up to their motto that day and many days after that.
Nec Aspera Terrent translates as: Hardships Do Not Deter Us.
When I think of those who have faced great hardships and were not deterred, I am reminded of people like Joseph Smith, Moroni, Nephi, and countless others. They experienced great hardships but did not falter. The greatest hardships were faced by Him they served, even the Savior Jesus Christ whose birth we celebrate this time of year. He faced incredible hardship and trial such that he bled from every pore.
In Mathew 26:39 we read: “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
He accepted His Father’s will and was not deterred by the hardship he faced. His sacrificed saved us all. May we each follow the example of the Savior and make it our motto also that Hardships Will Not Deter Us.
Ich Dien
Ich Dien
In 1346 King Edward III of England landed in France with 12,000 men on a punitive expedition against the French who invaded English possessions in the south of France. His objective was to draw off the French forces from that region.
The French reacted in force under King Phillip and gathered together an army of between 30,000 and 40,000 men to drive out the English invaders. Edward had burned and pillaged his way almost all the way to Paris when the French armies arrived.
Edward with nearly 1/3 fewer troops than the French had few options. He decided to make a stand on rising ground that offered protection to his flanks with a river on one side and a dense woodland on the other.
The French army charged 15 times beginning at sunset until the dark of the early morning of the next day. Each time the famed English archers unleashed a storm of arrows leaving the French in disarray.
With the French army that day was John the King of Bohemia who was old and blind. He was arrayed on his finest war horse and wearing his best armor. He ordered his body guard of knights to lead him into the battle so that he could strike one blow with his sword. The little group with their horses reins tied together to guide the blind king made it through the archers and charged the English men at arms who were on foot. There King John of Bohemia fell with all his knights save two who cut their way back to the French lines to tell the tale. The bodies were found the next day, horses still tied together with their king.
The English defeated a superior force that day and the battle became legendary in the history of warfare.
The English Prince of Wales who commanded one of the flanks was so moved by the valor, determination, and sacrifice of the old Bohemian king, that he adopted the King’s crest and motto as his own. The crest was made up of three feathers and the motto Ich Dien which translates as: I Serve.
Over 650 years later, the Prince of Wales and several Regiments in the English army still carry this symbol and the motto, Ich Dien-I Serve, as a reminder of their duty to each other and their country.
We serve the King of Kings and have a duty to him as well. In Mosiah 2:17 we read: “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.”
May we all be able to report back to Him who has given us all we have, even His very life, that we also made it our motto: Ich Dien- I Serve!
In 1346 King Edward III of England landed in France with 12,000 men on a punitive expedition against the French who invaded English possessions in the south of France. His objective was to draw off the French forces from that region.
The French reacted in force under King Phillip and gathered together an army of between 30,000 and 40,000 men to drive out the English invaders. Edward had burned and pillaged his way almost all the way to Paris when the French armies arrived.
Edward with nearly 1/3 fewer troops than the French had few options. He decided to make a stand on rising ground that offered protection to his flanks with a river on one side and a dense woodland on the other.
The French army charged 15 times beginning at sunset until the dark of the early morning of the next day. Each time the famed English archers unleashed a storm of arrows leaving the French in disarray.
With the French army that day was John the King of Bohemia who was old and blind. He was arrayed on his finest war horse and wearing his best armor. He ordered his body guard of knights to lead him into the battle so that he could strike one blow with his sword. The little group with their horses reins tied together to guide the blind king made it through the archers and charged the English men at arms who were on foot. There King John of Bohemia fell with all his knights save two who cut their way back to the French lines to tell the tale. The bodies were found the next day, horses still tied together with their king.
The English defeated a superior force that day and the battle became legendary in the history of warfare.
The English Prince of Wales who commanded one of the flanks was so moved by the valor, determination, and sacrifice of the old Bohemian king, that he adopted the King’s crest and motto as his own. The crest was made up of three feathers and the motto Ich Dien which translates as: I Serve.
Over 650 years later, the Prince of Wales and several Regiments in the English army still carry this symbol and the motto, Ich Dien-I Serve, as a reminder of their duty to each other and their country.
We serve the King of Kings and have a duty to him as well. In Mosiah 2:17 we read: “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.”
May we all be able to report back to Him who has given us all we have, even His very life, that we also made it our motto: Ich Dien- I Serve!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Christmas Talk and Temple Model
Recently I created on online temple model that is similar in floor plan to the Fresno temple. I was limited on building materials and furnishings but I think it came out well. You can click on certain items in the temple and watch youtube video clips or Ensign articles. You can lower the walls to see things easier by using one of the buttons on the left hand side of your screen as well as mute the music.
Here's the link: http://www.myminilife.com/homes/3732103-temple
Also, I thought I would post a talk I made on the holiday season last Christmas.
How to Avoid the Commercialism of Christmas
One of my favorite things about the holiday season is watching the original classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. In one scene, Charlie Brown is talking to his friend Linus:
Charlie Brown says, “I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel.
I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed.”
Later, as Charlie Brown struggles with these feelings, good old Lucy offers an unsolicited opinion.
“Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.”
Charles Schultz put into words probably what many of us often feel during the holidays. I remember walking into a store prior to Halloween and they were putting up the Christmas displays already. It’s enough to make a person lose their lunch. The holidays for many people becomes a time of stress instead of a time of joy. What is supposed to be a time of peace and good will towards men turns into full contact brawls for tickle me Elmo. The holiday becomes too commercialized and the real message gets drowned out.
Let me be clear I don’t want to come across as anti retail. I’m in retail and let me tell you we have some great deals on toy tractors right now. Being in the retail business, I can totally understand retailers trying hard to sell. That’s what they are in business for and the holiday season often is the time of year that retailers actually go from having a loss to a profit. Also, blaming businesses for the way we feel can act as a copout or excuse for us not to make the decisions and changes we need in our life to feel the holiday spirit. God’s greatest gift to man is free agency.
1. In 2 Ne. 10: 23 we read
Therefore, acheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are bfree to cact for yourselves—to dchoose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.
Now I admit that my choices sometimes get me into trouble. I’m what you call a 24 hour shopper. Which basically means I don’t shop until I am within 24 hours of the actual gift need. It’s something in my male genetic code and I know I’m not the only one in church today with this affliction. I’ve seen members of this ward of the male persuasion who are also 24 hour shoppers and I look forward to seeing you guys again on December 24th!
But as a result of my shopping habit and the huge retail influences present in the great city of Stratford (population 500), I do feel a bit fortunate that I’m not bombarded with the sales pitch 24 hours a day with the Buy, Buy, Buy message that gets hammered over and over again accompanied by the synth pop Rudolf the Albino Ardvark playing in the background. But we all can use our free agency to make choices to lessen the commercial influences we feel including:
1. We choose not to read things that constantly remind us of the commercial aspects of the holidays such as newspaper ads and try not to view them on the television. Tivo and DVR are wonderful tools for this because you can just zip through the annoying images of Santa riding an electric razor through the snow or polar bears drinking sugary cola drinks which is pretty surprising since, according to Al Gore, the polar bears are under a lot of stress right now with the ice melting from global warming. Maybe if they have the time and money to drink cola we’ve got bigger problems than global warming.
2. We can choose to focus on the traditions and true meaning of the Savior this season. This doesn’t mean I have to push out everything from the world. A Charlie Brown Christmas, the various tellings of the Dickens Classic, A Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life and other inspired things from the world can help us remember the holiday season. Many outside of our faith have been inspired to write, create, and promote music, books, movies, and television programming that is uplifting and shares the holiday spirit.
3. We can participate in holiday service activities to help keep us focused on the real meaning of the season or magnify our current home teaching and visiting teaching callings to emphasize the reason for the season.
4. We can immerse ourselves in the carols, scriptures, the church magazines, and other religious sources that focus on the real meaning behind the Christmas.
5. We can also avoid things that force our attention away from the good aspects of the holidays or that drive away the spirit.
Sometimes though, the difficulty isn’t just with us. Most of us are dealing with family situations and frankly with all the candy and bright, flashy, lead laden toys from China it can be a difficult challenge to get the whole family focused. Just ask my wife who is dealing with all five of us children on a daily basis.
Cute, but it’s important that this girl really understand that Christmas isn’t so much about the getting as it is about celebrating the Savior’s birth and recommitting ourselves to being more Christ like now and after the holidays.
So how do we teach our children about the real spirit of Christmas?
1. Serve others both as individuals and as families. In Mosiah 2:17 we read, “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn awisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the bservice of your cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”
President Monson in the December 1987 Ensign: Told a story of service as a young elder visiting primary general hospital close to Christmas.
“As we entered the large front door, we noted the Christmas tree with its bright and friendly lights. Carefully wrapped packages were spread beneath its outstretched limbs. Then my heart was penetrated and my spirit subdued as I read a specially prepared message that had been framed and placed on the wall:
I wonder, what does Christmas mean,
With its stars and shiny balls?
Is Christmas more than Christmas trees
And toys and games and dolls?
Of this I’m sure: There’s something more,
For I’ve heard many say
That in a strange and far-off land,
A child was born this day.
And Christmas is to celebrate
His coming from above.
He showed us how we all should live
And told us we should love.”
President Monson Continued,
“We walked through the long corridors in silence. It was a hallowed scene. Tiny boys and girls—some with a cast upon an arm or upon a leg, others too ill to stand or sit—stared with looks of appreciation. We walked toward the bedside of a small boy, who greeted us with the question, “What are your names?” He then asked, “Will you give me a blessing?” The blessing was provided, and, as we turned to leave his bedside, he whispered a reverent “Thank you.” We walked a few more steps and then heard his feeble call, “Brother Monson.” We turned and heard him say, “Merry Christmas to you,” and a bright smile flashed across his countenance. That little one had the Christmas spirit. It was contagious. We walked from the hospital more appreciative of our priesthood callings, more grateful for our blessings. We had received the Christmas spirit.”
2. Another thing we can do is emphasize the Savior During Time with Family. Family Home Evening is a wonderful opportunity to sing songs of the Savior’s Birth and read the Christmas story. In our family we have a family home evening tradition where we have a special nativity puppet show where the children and adults each have a puppet of one of the key characters from the Nativity and we read the story from the scripture of the Saviors birth. This is something we look forward to every year as a family and it helps everyone in our family develop a greater appreciation for the true meaning behind the holiday. Which brings me to the next thing we can do.
3. Create Family Traditions: Elder L. Tom Perry in the May 1990 Ensign stated:
“If we will build righteous traditions in our families, the light of the gospel can grow ever brighter in the lives of our children from generation to generation. We can look forward to that glorious day when we will all be united together as eternal family units to reap the everlasting joy promised by our Eternal Father for His righteous children.”
Traditions need not be fancy or expensive. It is that time spent together that is most important and will last. I have very few memories of the gifts I received as a child or even last year for that matter. I’m sure they were all nice things that friends and family put a lot of time and effort into but like all physical things of mortality they broke, went unused, and soon faded from my memory. But indelibly printed in my mind for all eternity are the times spent with family and friends, the traditions that we looked forward to every year, those memories, more precious than gold to me now come to mind this time of year and bring me more joy than the toy that now is part of a landfill somewhere. The warmth and joy I felt still warms my soul and the gospel lessons learned during those times influence who I am every day.
4. Finances can be a major stress and distraction during the holidays. Brothers and sisters I can tell you right now that should you have unlimited wealth and resources tomorrow, there would still be many who would never believe that they had enough. There is always something else I can want something else I must have. The wealth and things of the world can not bring true lasting happiness.
One of my personal favorite holiday traditions is Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol. I own two different written versions of the original story and eagerly look forward seeing the Patrick Stewart and George C. Scott versions of this classic tale. I also admit a sick fascination with the Muppet version of the tale also.
Old Scrooge for all his wealth and a life time accumulation of money is visited by three ghosts. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows the old miser his past as a poor apprentice in the business owned by Fezziwig, a jovial man who knew the Christmas spirit. Later the Ghost of Christmas present shows him the simple home of his nephew who he had earlier chastised for not pursuing wealth, opportunity, and a wife of better means. Later he sees the poor dwelling of Bob Cratchet and his family. Everywhere he went the true Christmas spirit was felt yet it wasn’t because of things or money. Happiness was found in the humble circumstances of the Cratchets, at his nephew Freds , and in his own life as a poor apprentice. What will you and your children remember about this holiday season 10, 20, or 30 years from now? The things they got or the time with family and the feelings of the true Spirit of Christmas they felt in your home.
5. Time is an ever cruel master whose stresses seem to be magnified during the holidays. It marches on day and night without mercy or respite. It is one of our most precious commodities in mortality yet we only have so much. It cannot be stored or saved for later, and once gone can never be brought back. In spite of this reality, we still feel compelled to fill countless hours of our time with activities and pursuits that offer nothing to fill our souls with the joys of the holiday season. I feel sorry for children who spend more time in airports or the back seats of cars during the holidays than they did with friends and family. Or the family that is rushing off to holiday party after holiday party while squeezing in one more shopping trip.
In Mosiah 4: 27 we read:
And see that all these things are done in wisdom and aorder; for it is not requisite that a man should run bfaster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
We need to ask ourselves if the stresses of the Christmas season are caused by the season or the decisions we make on how we spend our time. Choose wisely.
6. The last thing I want to talk about is what we are inviting into our homes. We are constantly bombarded by worldly influences yet sometimes we let our guard down and invite things into our families and homes that can directly affect the spirit that we feel there.
I would like to share with you something that I have come to call The Parable of the Predator. My family farms livestock and something we have to deal with is the predators taking from the herds. As you can imagine we have a shoot first, take no prisoners policy when it comes to predators. Many of the predators though are darn smart so I do something called predator calling.
Basically I put a remote controlled MP3 player out in an open area and play sounds that to a predator sounds just like a free meal. One I sat down by a tree and started playing the sounds of free predator dinner. After about a half hour I was finished with nothing to show for my time. I pushed the mute button on the remote control, turned off the sound, and started to get up from my seated position next to a tree.
At this point I noticed that a very healthy size Bobcat was staring at me only 15 feet away. I’m in full camouflage including a face net so he’s looking at me trying to figure out what exactly I am and if I’m worth eating. Many hunters have been attacked by a bobcat while calling turkeys and received serious injuries. I’ve even seen pictures of one taking down full grown adult deer.
I can simply end the story by saying that, I’m here and in good shape and he’s not so it all worked out, but I’ve often thought about what could have happened. I went out with the sole purpose of inviting a predator over for dinner and the predator showed up at the invitation.
Brothers and sisters, there is another predator out there that we want nothing to do with yet many people invite him into their homes through the choices they make in media and movies or in their choices and behaviors. Make your home a fortress in the wilderness against the Predator, a place where your family can be safe. Don’t send out a dinner invitation for him to come and prey on your family. In this way you can foster a greater spirit in your lives especially during the holidays but also throughout the year.
The holidays can be a great time to experience the love of the Savior, to remember him, and to become more like him. President Ezra Taft Benson in the 1993 Ensign was quoted as saying. “What a gift it would be to receive at Christmastime a greater knowledge of the Lord. What a gift it would be to share that knowledge with others.”
Christmas should be a joyous time of celebration of our Savior’s love but the choice is up to each of us. After Ebenezer Scrooge’s ordeal with the three spirits, he declared, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”
And may we each also pledge to honor Christmas in our hearts and strive to keep it all the year. Close.
Here's the link: http://www.myminilife.com/homes/3732103-temple
Also, I thought I would post a talk I made on the holiday season last Christmas.
How to Avoid the Commercialism of Christmas
One of my favorite things about the holiday season is watching the original classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. In one scene, Charlie Brown is talking to his friend Linus:
Charlie Brown says, “I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel.
I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed.”
Later, as Charlie Brown struggles with these feelings, good old Lucy offers an unsolicited opinion.
“Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.”
Charles Schultz put into words probably what many of us often feel during the holidays. I remember walking into a store prior to Halloween and they were putting up the Christmas displays already. It’s enough to make a person lose their lunch. The holidays for many people becomes a time of stress instead of a time of joy. What is supposed to be a time of peace and good will towards men turns into full contact brawls for tickle me Elmo. The holiday becomes too commercialized and the real message gets drowned out.
Let me be clear I don’t want to come across as anti retail. I’m in retail and let me tell you we have some great deals on toy tractors right now. Being in the retail business, I can totally understand retailers trying hard to sell. That’s what they are in business for and the holiday season often is the time of year that retailers actually go from having a loss to a profit. Also, blaming businesses for the way we feel can act as a copout or excuse for us not to make the decisions and changes we need in our life to feel the holiday spirit. God’s greatest gift to man is free agency.
1. In 2 Ne. 10: 23 we read
Therefore, acheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are bfree to cact for yourselves—to dchoose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.
Now I admit that my choices sometimes get me into trouble. I’m what you call a 24 hour shopper. Which basically means I don’t shop until I am within 24 hours of the actual gift need. It’s something in my male genetic code and I know I’m not the only one in church today with this affliction. I’ve seen members of this ward of the male persuasion who are also 24 hour shoppers and I look forward to seeing you guys again on December 24th!
But as a result of my shopping habit and the huge retail influences present in the great city of Stratford (population 500), I do feel a bit fortunate that I’m not bombarded with the sales pitch 24 hours a day with the Buy, Buy, Buy message that gets hammered over and over again accompanied by the synth pop Rudolf the Albino Ardvark playing in the background. But we all can use our free agency to make choices to lessen the commercial influences we feel including:
1. We choose not to read things that constantly remind us of the commercial aspects of the holidays such as newspaper ads and try not to view them on the television. Tivo and DVR are wonderful tools for this because you can just zip through the annoying images of Santa riding an electric razor through the snow or polar bears drinking sugary cola drinks which is pretty surprising since, according to Al Gore, the polar bears are under a lot of stress right now with the ice melting from global warming. Maybe if they have the time and money to drink cola we’ve got bigger problems than global warming.
2. We can choose to focus on the traditions and true meaning of the Savior this season. This doesn’t mean I have to push out everything from the world. A Charlie Brown Christmas, the various tellings of the Dickens Classic, A Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life and other inspired things from the world can help us remember the holiday season. Many outside of our faith have been inspired to write, create, and promote music, books, movies, and television programming that is uplifting and shares the holiday spirit.
3. We can participate in holiday service activities to help keep us focused on the real meaning of the season or magnify our current home teaching and visiting teaching callings to emphasize the reason for the season.
4. We can immerse ourselves in the carols, scriptures, the church magazines, and other religious sources that focus on the real meaning behind the Christmas.
5. We can also avoid things that force our attention away from the good aspects of the holidays or that drive away the spirit.
Sometimes though, the difficulty isn’t just with us. Most of us are dealing with family situations and frankly with all the candy and bright, flashy, lead laden toys from China it can be a difficult challenge to get the whole family focused. Just ask my wife who is dealing with all five of us children on a daily basis.
Cute, but it’s important that this girl really understand that Christmas isn’t so much about the getting as it is about celebrating the Savior’s birth and recommitting ourselves to being more Christ like now and after the holidays.
So how do we teach our children about the real spirit of Christmas?
1. Serve others both as individuals and as families. In Mosiah 2:17 we read, “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn awisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the bservice of your cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”
President Monson in the December 1987 Ensign: Told a story of service as a young elder visiting primary general hospital close to Christmas.
“As we entered the large front door, we noted the Christmas tree with its bright and friendly lights. Carefully wrapped packages were spread beneath its outstretched limbs. Then my heart was penetrated and my spirit subdued as I read a specially prepared message that had been framed and placed on the wall:
I wonder, what does Christmas mean,
With its stars and shiny balls?
Is Christmas more than Christmas trees
And toys and games and dolls?
Of this I’m sure: There’s something more,
For I’ve heard many say
That in a strange and far-off land,
A child was born this day.
And Christmas is to celebrate
His coming from above.
He showed us how we all should live
And told us we should love.”
President Monson Continued,
“We walked through the long corridors in silence. It was a hallowed scene. Tiny boys and girls—some with a cast upon an arm or upon a leg, others too ill to stand or sit—stared with looks of appreciation. We walked toward the bedside of a small boy, who greeted us with the question, “What are your names?” He then asked, “Will you give me a blessing?” The blessing was provided, and, as we turned to leave his bedside, he whispered a reverent “Thank you.” We walked a few more steps and then heard his feeble call, “Brother Monson.” We turned and heard him say, “Merry Christmas to you,” and a bright smile flashed across his countenance. That little one had the Christmas spirit. It was contagious. We walked from the hospital more appreciative of our priesthood callings, more grateful for our blessings. We had received the Christmas spirit.”
2. Another thing we can do is emphasize the Savior During Time with Family. Family Home Evening is a wonderful opportunity to sing songs of the Savior’s Birth and read the Christmas story. In our family we have a family home evening tradition where we have a special nativity puppet show where the children and adults each have a puppet of one of the key characters from the Nativity and we read the story from the scripture of the Saviors birth. This is something we look forward to every year as a family and it helps everyone in our family develop a greater appreciation for the true meaning behind the holiday. Which brings me to the next thing we can do.
3. Create Family Traditions: Elder L. Tom Perry in the May 1990 Ensign stated:
“If we will build righteous traditions in our families, the light of the gospel can grow ever brighter in the lives of our children from generation to generation. We can look forward to that glorious day when we will all be united together as eternal family units to reap the everlasting joy promised by our Eternal Father for His righteous children.”
Traditions need not be fancy or expensive. It is that time spent together that is most important and will last. I have very few memories of the gifts I received as a child or even last year for that matter. I’m sure they were all nice things that friends and family put a lot of time and effort into but like all physical things of mortality they broke, went unused, and soon faded from my memory. But indelibly printed in my mind for all eternity are the times spent with family and friends, the traditions that we looked forward to every year, those memories, more precious than gold to me now come to mind this time of year and bring me more joy than the toy that now is part of a landfill somewhere. The warmth and joy I felt still warms my soul and the gospel lessons learned during those times influence who I am every day.
4. Finances can be a major stress and distraction during the holidays. Brothers and sisters I can tell you right now that should you have unlimited wealth and resources tomorrow, there would still be many who would never believe that they had enough. There is always something else I can want something else I must have. The wealth and things of the world can not bring true lasting happiness.
One of my personal favorite holiday traditions is Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol. I own two different written versions of the original story and eagerly look forward seeing the Patrick Stewart and George C. Scott versions of this classic tale. I also admit a sick fascination with the Muppet version of the tale also.
Old Scrooge for all his wealth and a life time accumulation of money is visited by three ghosts. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows the old miser his past as a poor apprentice in the business owned by Fezziwig, a jovial man who knew the Christmas spirit. Later the Ghost of Christmas present shows him the simple home of his nephew who he had earlier chastised for not pursuing wealth, opportunity, and a wife of better means. Later he sees the poor dwelling of Bob Cratchet and his family. Everywhere he went the true Christmas spirit was felt yet it wasn’t because of things or money. Happiness was found in the humble circumstances of the Cratchets, at his nephew Freds , and in his own life as a poor apprentice. What will you and your children remember about this holiday season 10, 20, or 30 years from now? The things they got or the time with family and the feelings of the true Spirit of Christmas they felt in your home.
5. Time is an ever cruel master whose stresses seem to be magnified during the holidays. It marches on day and night without mercy or respite. It is one of our most precious commodities in mortality yet we only have so much. It cannot be stored or saved for later, and once gone can never be brought back. In spite of this reality, we still feel compelled to fill countless hours of our time with activities and pursuits that offer nothing to fill our souls with the joys of the holiday season. I feel sorry for children who spend more time in airports or the back seats of cars during the holidays than they did with friends and family. Or the family that is rushing off to holiday party after holiday party while squeezing in one more shopping trip.
In Mosiah 4: 27 we read:
And see that all these things are done in wisdom and aorder; for it is not requisite that a man should run bfaster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
We need to ask ourselves if the stresses of the Christmas season are caused by the season or the decisions we make on how we spend our time. Choose wisely.
6. The last thing I want to talk about is what we are inviting into our homes. We are constantly bombarded by worldly influences yet sometimes we let our guard down and invite things into our families and homes that can directly affect the spirit that we feel there.
I would like to share with you something that I have come to call The Parable of the Predator. My family farms livestock and something we have to deal with is the predators taking from the herds. As you can imagine we have a shoot first, take no prisoners policy when it comes to predators. Many of the predators though are darn smart so I do something called predator calling.
Basically I put a remote controlled MP3 player out in an open area and play sounds that to a predator sounds just like a free meal. One I sat down by a tree and started playing the sounds of free predator dinner. After about a half hour I was finished with nothing to show for my time. I pushed the mute button on the remote control, turned off the sound, and started to get up from my seated position next to a tree.
At this point I noticed that a very healthy size Bobcat was staring at me only 15 feet away. I’m in full camouflage including a face net so he’s looking at me trying to figure out what exactly I am and if I’m worth eating. Many hunters have been attacked by a bobcat while calling turkeys and received serious injuries. I’ve even seen pictures of one taking down full grown adult deer.
I can simply end the story by saying that, I’m here and in good shape and he’s not so it all worked out, but I’ve often thought about what could have happened. I went out with the sole purpose of inviting a predator over for dinner and the predator showed up at the invitation.
Brothers and sisters, there is another predator out there that we want nothing to do with yet many people invite him into their homes through the choices they make in media and movies or in their choices and behaviors. Make your home a fortress in the wilderness against the Predator, a place where your family can be safe. Don’t send out a dinner invitation for him to come and prey on your family. In this way you can foster a greater spirit in your lives especially during the holidays but also throughout the year.
The holidays can be a great time to experience the love of the Savior, to remember him, and to become more like him. President Ezra Taft Benson in the 1993 Ensign was quoted as saying. “What a gift it would be to receive at Christmastime a greater knowledge of the Lord. What a gift it would be to share that knowledge with others.”
Christmas should be a joyous time of celebration of our Savior’s love but the choice is up to each of us. After Ebenezer Scrooge’s ordeal with the three spirits, he declared, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”
And may we each also pledge to honor Christmas in our hearts and strive to keep it all the year. Close.
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