Mormon Life - Virtue tag

FHE: Standards

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0700

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "May we ever be courageous and prepared to stand for what we believe." - Thomas S. Monson Conference Talk:
For more information on this topic read “Dare to Stand Alone”, by President Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov. 2011, 60.

Thought:
I recall a time . . . when the standards of most people were very similar to our standards. No longer is this true. . . . May we ever be courageous and prepared to stand for what we believe.

(President Thomas S. Monson, “Dare to Stand Alone”, Ensign, Nov. 2011, 60.)

Song:
“Stand for the Right,” Children’s Songbook, p. 159

Scripture:
Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed.
(3 Nephi 18:24)

Lesson:
Show your family a picture of Daniel and his friends rejecting the king’s food and wine, such as Gospel Art Picture Kit, 114. Ask:

• What appears to be happening in this picture?
• Have you ever been in a similar situation, where you were offered something that was against your standards?
• What made it easy or difficult to resist the offer?
• What blessings have you received for keeping your standards?

Tell your family that the person in this picture is the prophet Daniel and that he was in a situation which made it particularly difficult for him to keep his standards. Take turns reading Daniel 1:1–20 and use the questions below as you read to help your family understand the story.

• What did the king of Babylon do to Jerusalem? (Verses 1–2, conquered it and carried away the treasures of the temple.)
• What happened to Daniel? (Verses 3–6, he and others were carried away captive and trained in the king’s palace.)
• Why would it be difficult for Daniel and his friends to refuse to eat and drink what was offered? (Verses 1–7, they were captives in a foreign land.)
• Which verse shows Daniel’s courage to keep his standards high? (You might want to explain that the king’s food and drink was first offered to the Babylonian idols. The law of Moses forbids Israelites to eat food that had been offered to idols.)
• How was Daniel blessed for his desire to keep the commandments? (Verse 9.)
• What was the prince of the eunuchs afraid of? (Verse 10.)
• What did Daniel propose as a test? (Verses 12–14. See footnote 12a to see what “pulse” is.) • How did Daniel and his friends appear after ten days? (Verse 15.)
• What other blessings did Daniel and his friends receive from the Lord? (Verses 16–20.)

After discussing the story, ask your family to think about why Daniel and his friends were so much wiser than the others. Write the following statements where everyone can see them and ask them which statement seems most correct:

• They were healthier and wiser because they ate grains and seeds.
• They were healthier and wiser because the Lord blessed them for their obedience.

Help your family understand that there is truth in both statements. The Lord blesses us when we are obedient, and there are reasons for the things He commands us even when we do not always know the reasons.

Role play some situations (age- appropriate for your family) to allow your family to practice refusing the temptation to do things they know are wrong.

(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Old Testament, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2009], p. 222.)

Story:
The chore I most hated as a boy was fixing fence. It was a hot, miserable job, and it was extremely boring. Hour after hour we would walk the miles of barbed-wire fence lines. We would stop where the cattle had stretched the wires or broken the posts and repair the damage. I knew how most of the holes and broken posts had been made.

It didn’t much matter where you put the fence; the cows always felt there was better grass on the other side. I’m convinced that the expression “The grass is always greener on the other side” was invented by a cow. The middle of the meadow could be full of good, green, grass, but the cows would wander the fence line looking greedily through the wire and eat the grass on the other side. Slowly the wires would stretch.

Not satisfied with this, they would eventually push against the wore, stretching their long tongues out as far as they could, and lick the grass into their mouths. In time the fence would break down, the posts would weaken, and huge holes would appear up and down the line.

The Lord has built some fairly sturdy fences to protect His children. There is plenty of good, green grass in the middle of His meadow, but far too often we look longingly through His fence to the entertainments, pleasures, ambitions, fashions, and desires of the world. Many Church members would never think of actually breaking out of the Lord’s protecting fence, but they see no harm in poking their heads through the wires t reach outside as far as possible. Occasionally some even want the Lord or His prophets to move the fence for their convenience.

I noticed while taking care of cattle as a boy that more often than not the cows did not go through the holes they created in the fence, but the calves did. Sometimes we would ride up the fence line and find a calf separated from its mother. Often it would be half starved and bawling to get back inside the fence next to the mother. The calves seemed to know how to escape through the holes the older cattle had made, but rarely did they know how to step back through those holes. If they were not found, sometimes they died.

This is the true tragedy of [resisting] the standards and counsels of the Church. Parents must be careful in their own pushing of the limits not to create holes that their children will slip through. Compromising, for example, on the type of movies we watch may create a hole that our children will crawl through to their own destruction. One generation’s exception becomes the next generation’s rule, as standards of behavior deteriorate. If the cows had stayed in the center of the meadow, no calf would have ever been lost.

(S. Michael Wilcox, Don’t Leap with the Sheep, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2001], p. 131-133.)

Activity:
Play “missionary tag.” All the players are paired up except the person who is it. The pairs link elbows and run as a team. If the person who is it manages to catch the team and link arms with one of the players, the other player has to let go and becomes it.

Refreshment
Million-Dollar Cookies

2 cups shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond flavoring 4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Grease a cookie sheet and set aside. In a large mixer bowl cream shortening, sugars, eggs, vanilla, and almond flavoring till fluffy. In another bowl sift flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar together. Add gradually to creamed mixture. Chill. Mold dough into 1-inch balls. Place onto prepared cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie with bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar. Bake for 10 minutes at 350° F. Cool on wire rack. Store in covered container. Makes 5 dozen cookies.

Variations: Add chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or raisins to batter before chilling. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake as above.

(Lion House Desserts, [Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2000] p. 131.)

To get the PDF version of this lesson, click here.

Businessmen can be virtuous, BYU professor says at conference

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 10:57:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

Consider the new executive who chooses to eat the gray slop from the employee's cafeteria, and then implements better dietary standards companywide, or the busy CEO who takes time to provide water filters for each family in a small town affected by a chemical spill that may or may not be coming from his factory.

"Business people can have a mortal ministry that allows for the development of virtue," BYU professor Brad Agle said during a recent BYU conference about "Virtue and the Abundant Life." "They do it in the same way anyone else does it, in service to others. Business is about providing goods and services to one's brother and sisters on earth."

During the two-day conference, sponsored by the Wheatley Institution and BYU's School of Religious Education, speakers addressed various aspects of virtue, from developing honest and ethical business behaviors to extolling sexual purity and developing virtuous traits by participating in the arts.

Young Women Lesson 21: Virtue

Tue, 25 May 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Elaine S. Dalton
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Editor's note: This lesson is titled "Sustaining Missionaries through Letters" in the lesson manual; however, LDS Living titles it "Virtue" because of this counsel in the manual: "Teach lesson 21 as a midweek activity rather than during Sunday instruction. On Sunday, teach a lesson on virtue." Last general conference, I was called by President Monson to be the new Young Women general president. As I stood in the presence of a prophet of God and was given this sacred trust, I pledged that I would serve with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. Prior to this calling, I had a small plate inscribed with a motto that read, "I can do hard things." That little plate bearing that simple motto gave me courage. But now if I could change that motto, it would read: "In the strength of the Lord, I can do all things."1 It is on that strength that I rely today as I stand at this sacred pulpit.

Last April, two days after general conference, we held our first meeting as a newly sustained presidency. We hiked to the top of Ensign Peak, and as we looked on the valley below, we saw the temple with the angel Moroni shining in the sun. For each of us, it was clear. The vision for our presidency was the temple. And our responsibility was also clear. We must "help prepare each young woman to be worthy to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple."2

The temple is the reason for everything we do in the Church.3 The temple was the reason our pioneer ancestors left their established homes and came west. It was the reason they suffered privation and even death. Temple covenants were the reason that, although babies were buried along the way, those pioneers could sing:

Come, come, ye Saints, No toil nor labor fear; But with joy wend your way.4

Some lost everything but came into the valley with everything, really - temple ordinances, sacred covenants, and the promise of eternal life together as families.

Just two days after the Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young and his associates hiked Ensign Peak. Atop that peak they unfurled a banner - a yellow bandana tied to a walking stick, which symbolized an ensign or standard to the nations.5 The Saints were to be the light, the standard. Last April, atop Ensign Peak, we three women also unfurled a banner which we made from a walking stick and a gold Peruvian shawl. It was our ensign, our standard to the nations - our banner calling for a return to virtue.

Virtue is a prerequisite to entering the Lord's holy temples and to receiving the Spirit's guidance. Virtue "is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards."6 It encompasses chastity and moral purity. Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind. It is nurtured in the home. It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions. Virtue is a word we don't hear often in today's society, but the Latin root word virtus means strength. Virtuous women and men possess a quiet dignity and inner strength. They are confident because they are worthy to receive and be guided by the Holy Ghost. President Monson has counseled: "You be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone. Have the moral courage to be a light for others to follow. There is no friendship more valuable than your own clear conscience, your own moral cleanliness - and what a glorious feeling it is to know that you stand in your appointed place clean and with the confidence that you are worthy to do so."7

Could it be that we have been slowly desensitized into thinking that high moral standards are old-fashioned and not relevant or important in today's society? As Elder Hales has just reminded us, Lehonti in the Book of Mormon was well positioned on the top of a mountain. He and those he led were "fixed in their minds with a determined resolution" that they would not come down from the mount. It only took the deceitful Amalickiah four tries, each one more bold than the previous, to get Lehonti to "come down off from the mount."8 And then having embraced Amalickiah's false promises, Lehonti was "poison[ed] by degrees"9 until he died. Not just poisoned, but "by degrees." Could it be that this may be happening today? Could it be that first we tolerate, then accept, and eventually embrace the vice that surrounds us?10 Could it be that we have been deceived by false role models and persuasive media messages that cause us to forget our divine identity? Are we too being poisoned by degrees? What could be more deceptive than to entice the youth of this noble generation to do nothing or to be busy ever-texting but never coming to a knowledge of the truths contained in a book that was written for you and your day by prophets of God - the Book of Mormon? What could be more deceptive than to entice women, young and old, you and me, to be so involved in ourselves, our looks, our clothes, our body shape and size that we lose sight of our divine identity and our ability to change the world through our virtuous influence? What could be more deceptive than to entice men - young and old, holding the holy priesthood of God - to view seductive pornography and thus focus on flesh instead of faith, to be consumers of vice rather than guardians of virtue? The Book of Mormon relates the story of 2,000 young heroes whose virtue and purity gave them the strength to defend their parents' covenants and their family's faith. Their virtue and commitment to be "true at all times" changed the world!11

I truly believe that one virtuous young woman or young man, led by the Spirit, can change the world, but in order to do so, we must return to virtue. We must engage in strict training. As the marathon runner Juma Ikangaa said after winning the New York Marathon, "The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare."12 Now is the time to prepare by exercising more self-discipline. Now is the time to become "more fit for the kingdom."13 Now is the time to set our course and focus on the finish. A return to virtue must begin individually in our hearts and in our homes.

What can each of us do to begin our return to virtue? The course and the training program will be unique to each of us. I have derived my personal training program from instructions found in the scriptures: "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly."14 "Cleave unto [your] covenants."15 "Stand . . . in holy places."16 "Lay aside the things of [the] world."17 "Believe that ye must repent."18 "Always remember him and keep his commandments."19 And "if there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, . . . seek after these things."20 Now more than ever before, it is time to respond to Moroni's call to "awake, and arise" and to "lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing."21

Recently I attended the blessing of our newest granddaughter. It was a holy sight to me as my husband and our sons, along with many other loved ones, encircled this little infant. She was so elegant all dressed in white - and it didn't hurt a bit that she was named after her two grandmothers! But the thing that touched me most was the blessing given by her father, our son Zach. He blessed little Annabel Elaine that she would understand her identity as a daughter of God, that she would follow the examples of her mother, grandmothers, and sister, and that she would find great joy as she lived a virtuous life and prepared to make and keep sacred temple covenants. In that sacred moment, I prayed that every young woman might be encircled, strengthened, and protected by righteous priesthood power, not only at the time of birth and blessing but throughout life.

During the solemn assembly last conference when President Uchtdorf called for the sustaining of our new prophet and First Presidency, I watched the entire congregation of priesthood brethren arise and stand. I felt your strength and your priesthood power. You are the guardians of virtue. Then I was overcome with emotion when he said, "Will the young women please arise?" From my seat, I saw all of you arise and stand together. Today there could be no more powerful force for virtue in the world. You must never underestimate the power of your righteous influence.

I testify that a return to virtue is possible because of the Savior's example and the "infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice."22 I testify that we will be enabled and strengthened not only to do hard things but to do all things. Now is the time for each of us to arise and unfurl a banner to the world calling for a return to virtue. May we so live that we can be instruments in preparing the earth for His Second Coming, "that when he shall appear we shall be like him, . . . purified even as he is pure."23 In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Notes 1. See Alma 20:4.

2. First Presidency letter, Sept. 25, 1996.

3. See Russell M. Nelson, "Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings," Liahona, July 2001, 37; Ensign, May 2001, 32.

4. "Come, Come, Ye Saints," Hymns, no. 30.

5. See Gordon B. Hinckley, "An Ensign to the Nations," Ensign, Nov. 1989, 52; Boyd K. Packer, "A Defense and a Refuge," Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2006, 85.

6. Preach My Gospel (2004), 118.

7. Thomas S. Monson, "Examples of Righteousness," Liahona and Ensign, May 2008, 65.

8. See Alma 47:4-12.

9. Alma 47:18.

10. See Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man, epistle 2, lines 217-20.

11. Alma 53:20; see also Alma 56.

12. Juma Ikangaa, quoted in Michael Sandrock, Running with the Legends: Training and Racing Insights from 21 Great Runners (1966), 415.

13. "More Holiness Give Me," Hymns, no. 131.

14. D&C 121:45.

15. See D&C 25:13.

16. D&C 45:32.

17. D&C 25:10.

18. Mosiah 4:10.

19. D&C 20:77.

20. Articles of Faith 1:13; see also Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Jacob 4:6; Alma 37:36; Moroni 10:32.

21. Moroni 10:30-31.

22. "The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles," Liahona and Ensign, Apr. 2000, 2.

23. Moroni 7:48; emphasis added.

Young Women Lesson 36: The Importance of Truth in Living a Virtuous Life

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Elaine S. Dalton
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Sometimes we think we can live on the edge and still maintain our virtue. But that is a risky place to be. On one of the trails in a canyon near my home, there is a sign that says Stay on the Path. As one embarks on that trail, it soon becomes very clear that this is sound advice. There are hills and turns and steep drop-off areas. In some places the ground beyond the path is unstable, and during certain seasons of the year, an occasional rattlesnake appears. My message to each of you tonight is the same as the message on that sign - Stay on the Path.

Several years ago I went on a backpacking trip in the Teton Mountains of Wyoming with a group of young women. It was a difficult hike, and on the second day we arrived at the most dangerous part of the hike. We were going to hike along Hurricane Pass - aptly named because of the strong winds which almost always blow there. We were instructed by a ranger to stay in the center of the path, stay as low as possible on the exposed part of the trail, secure everything in our packs, and move quickly. This was no spot for photographs or for lingering. I was very relieved and happy when each one of the young women had navigated that spot successfully. And do you know - not one of them asked how close to the edge they could get!

Sometimes as we walk life's paths, we want to loiter in dangerous places, thinking that it is fun and thrilling and that we are in control. Sometimes we think we can live on the edge and still maintain our virtue. But that is a risky place to be. As the Prophet Joseph Smith told us, "Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue" (History of the Church, 5:134-35).

The Lord's advice to Emma Smith in Doctrine and Covenants section 25 is His advice to all of His precious daughters. There we are given a code of conduct and counseled to "walk in the paths of virtue" (v. 2). Virtue "is a pattern of thought [or] behavior based on high moral standards" (Preach My Gospel [2004], 118). So what are the high moral standards that help us to be virtuous?

Virtue encompasses modesty - in thought, language, dress, and demeanor. And modesty is the foundation stone of chastity. Just as one does not hike trails inhabited by rattlesnakes barefoot, similarly in today's world it is essential to our very safety to be modest. When we are modest, we show others that we understand our relationship with our Father in Heaven as His daughters. We demonstrate that we love Him and that we will stand as a witness of Him in all things. Being modest lets others know that we "cherish virtue" ("Dearest Children, God Is Near You," Hymns, no. 96). Modesty is not a matter of being "hip." It is a matter of the heart and being holy. It is not about being fashionable. It is about being faithful. It is not about being cool. It is about being chaste and keeping covenants. It is not about being popular, but about being pure. Modesty has everything to do with keeping our footing securely on the path of chastity and virtue. It is clear that virtue is a requirement for exaltation. Mormon helps us understand that both virtue and chastity are "most dear and precious above all things" (Moroni 9:9). We simply cannot afford to be casual or get too close to the edge. That is dangerous ground for any daughter of God to walk.

We are counseled in Doctrine and Covenants section 25 that we must cleave to our covenants (see v. 13). Cleaving, to me, means to stick to, to adhere, and to really hold on tight to the promises we make with the Lord. Our covenants will strengthen us to resist temptation. Keeping our covenants will steady us on the path of virtue. As we keep the covenants we have made at baptism, we will remain in the center of the path. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland reminds us:

"Beginning with our baptism, we make covenants as we follow this path to eternal life, and we stay on the path by keeping them. . . .

" . . . The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine. We have three members of the Godhead - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost - helping us because of the covenants we have made.

"To remind us of those covenants, we partake of the sacrament each week. In the prayer offered on the bread, we 'witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that [we] are willing to take upon [us] the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given [us]; that [we] may always have his Spirit to be with [us]' [D&C 20:77]" ("What I Wish Every New Member Knew - and Every Longtime Member Remembered," Liahona and Ensign, Oct. 2006, 11-12).

Guided by His Spirit, you will be confident and happy, and virtue will garnish your thoughts unceasingly. The Book of Mormon describes what happened when a whole society kept their covenants and lived clean and virtuous lives: "And surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God" (4 Nephi 1:16). Guided by the Holy Ghost, you will also be a righteous influence on others.

I have in my office the pictures of the generations of women in my family - my great-grandmother, my grandmother, my mother, and my daughter, Emi. Their lives of commitment and faith in the plan have helped me climb higher and journey further. Looking at that picture now, I can see very clearly the importance of living a virtuous life. Today I not only have one daughter, but five daughters-in-law and five little granddaughters to add to that picture. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to live an exemplary life of virtue and holiness before them. Even if you are the first in the line of generations to come, you too have a responsibility to those that will follow you.

Recently, I embarked on that same hike in the Tetons I spoke of earlier, only this time with my husband and a group of friends our same age. When we started, it was thrilling and easy, but before we arrived at our destination, we were exhausted and I knew I was in trouble. I was not as prepared for the hike physically as I had been when I hiked with the young women years before - and I had packed my equipment carelessly and taken too much. The weight of my pack began to make me weary and ready to give up. The others were also feeling the rigors of the altitude, the steep terrain, and heavy packs. My husband sensed this and hurried ahead. I felt abandoned. However, after about an hour I could see my husband descending the trail on the other side of the valley. He was running toward me. When he reached me, he took my pack, dried my tears, and led me to the destination - a crystal clear lake surrounded by lofty pine trees. Then he turned around, went back down the trail, and did the same thing four more times for the other hikers. As I watched him, I was sorry I was so unprepared and even more sorry that I had so many extra things in my pack that had added to the weight he had to carry for me. But I was so grateful for his strength, for his unselfishness, for his preparation, and for his love.

As you climb the mountains of life, stay on the path of virtue. There will be others to help you - your parents, family members, bishops, advisers, and righteous friends of all ages. And if you are weary or take a wrong turn, change your direction and get back on the path of virtue. Always remember that the Savior is there for you. He will enable you to repent, strengthen you, lighten your burdens, dry your tears, comfort you, and continue to help you stay on the path.

The Savior is the perfect example of virtue. When Jesus walked the roads of the Holy Land, He "went about doing good" (Acts 10:38). He healed the sick and caused the blind to see and raised the dead. "He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and [our] potential [as] . . . daughters of God in the life to come" (see "The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles," Liahona and Ensign, Apr. 2000, 2-3). One of my favorite scriptures says: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

I testify that this is true. He has not only marked the way, but He has even led me by the hand at times. "His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come" ("The Living Christ," Liahona and Ensign, Apr. 2000, 3). I bear you my testimony that He lives! He will hear your prayers and guide your steps. Jesus Christ is our Exemplar and our Guide. Stay on the path! Be modest. Cleave to your covenants, and be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. The Lord promises: "Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours" (D&C 78:18). Truly, I stand all amazed at "His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice" ("The Living Christ," Liahona and Ensign, Apr. 2000, 2; emphasis added). In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

FHE: Virtue

Sun, 10 May 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Conference Talk:

For more information on this topic read "A Return to Virtue," by Elaine S. Dalton, Ensign, Nov. 2008, 78-80.

Thought:

Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind. It is nurtured in the home. It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions.

(Elaine S. Dalton, "A Return to Virtue," Ensign, Nov 2008, 78-80)

Song:

"Hum Your Favorite Hymn," Children's Songbook, p. 152.

Scripture:

Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

(Doctrine and Covenants 121:45)

Object Lesson:

Materials needed: A beat-up, dirty, rusty hanger; a new unused hanger; and a beautiful delicate article of clothing.

Procedure: Display the hangers and the clothing. Ask on which hanger you should hang the clothing. Discuss why.

Explain that when we allow our bodies or minds to be used in an unrighteous or worldly way our spirituality becomes dirty and rusty. Just as we would not want to hang our best and most delicate clothing on this hanger (hold up the dirty hanger), the Lord does not wish to cloak us with some very sacred, beautiful experiences (temple, priesthood) until our lives are in order and we are ready to receive them. (You may wish to discuss repentance and what could be done to make the hanger ready to be used again.)

(Beth Lefgren and Jennifer Jackson, More Power Tools for Teaching, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1991], p.8.)

Story:

When I was about ten years old, we lived in a home surrounded by an orchard. There never seemed to be enough water for the trees. The ditches were always fresh-plowed in the spring, but after the first few irrigating turns, the weeds would spring up in the ditch bottoms and soon they were choked with water grass, June grass, and redroot. One day, in charge of the irrigating turn, I found myself in trouble. As the water moved down the rows choked with weeds, it carried enough leaves and grass and debris to lodge against the weed stocks and flood the water from the ditch. I raced through the puddles, trying to build the banks up a little higher, to keep the water in the channel. As soon as I had one break patched up there would be another one flooding over in another spot.

About that time an older brother came through the lot with a friend of his who was majoring in agriculture. He watched me for a moment, then with a few vigorous strokes of the shovel he cleared the weeds from the dampened ditch bottom and allowed the water to course through the channel he had dug.

"You will waste the whole irrigating turn patching up the banks," he said. "If you want the water to stay on its course, you have to make a place for it to go."

I have learned that thoughts, like water, will follow the course if we make a place for them to go. Otherwise, we may spend all our time frantically patching up the banks and may find that our "turn" is over and that we have wasted the day of our probation.

I want to tell you of one way you can control your thoughts. It is simple. It may seem so elementary that you will think it unimportant. But, if you will, it may help you. . . .

Let me suggest that you choose from among the sacred music of the Church one favorite hymn, one with lyrics that are uplifting and the music reverent. Select one that, when it is properly rendered, makes you feel something akin to inspiration.

Now, go over it in your mind very thoughtfully a few times. Memorize the words and the music. Even though you have had no musical training, even though you do not play an instrument, and even though your voice may leave something to be desired, you can think through a hymn. I suspect you already have a favorite. I have stressed how important it is to know that you can only think of one thing at a time. Use this hymn as your emergency channel. Use this as the place for your thoughts to go. Anytime you find that these shady actors have slipped in from the sideline of your thinking onto the stage of your mind, think through this hymn. "Put the record on," as it were, and then you will begin to know something about controlling your thoughts. "Music is one of the most forceful instruments for governing the mind and spirit of man" (William F. Gladstone). It will change the whole mood on the stage of your mind. Because it is clean and uplifting and reverent, the baser thoughts will leave.

Virtue will not associate with filth, while evil cannot tolerate the presence of good.

At first this simple little procedure may seem to you so trivial as to be unimportant and ineffective. With a little experimenting, you will learn that it is not easy, but it is powerfully effective.

(Boyd K. Packer, Memorable Stories and Parables, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997], p.78.)

Activity:

Print the following on wordstrips:

Dating
Dress/Appearance
Friendship
Honesty
Language
Movies/Books
Music/Dancing
Sexual Purity
Sabbath Day

Place all wordstrips face down on a display area. Have a family member choose one wordstrip and read it to the family. Talk about choices that must be made in each area and discuss way that each of us can be a righteous example. Repeat for every wordstrip. If questions arise, use For the Strength of Youth as a resource.

(Beth Lefgren and Jennifer Jackson, Building Blocks for Better Lessons, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1998], p. 63.)

Refreshment

Yvoni's Pineapple Cake

1 yellow pudding-in-the-mix cake mix
1/2 cup cream of coconut
1/2 cup pineapple juice
4 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/2 to 3/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch cake pan.* Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except crushed pineapple. Blend well, then fold in pineapple. Place in prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Makes about 15 servings. Good topped with whipped cream and pineapple.

*Cake may be baked in any shape pan, such as a bundt cake pan or an angel food cake pan.

(Lion House Entertaining, [Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2001], p. 115.)

Click here to download the pdf version of this lesson.

Stifling Vain Ambition

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Robert Millet
source: MormonLife.com

It is so often the case that a virtue can, by a slight misuse or perversion, become a vice. So it is with ambition. We applaud those who are creative, who seek new and unusual ways to do their job more effectively. We teach our daughters to look carefully for spiritual strength, dependability, consistency, kindness, and yes, ambition in young men they date and may choose to marry. We recognize and honor those who are ambitious, who have a strong work ethic, and who know where they want to go in life. Indeed, people without ambition tend to wander, to hop from one attractive enterprise to another. They are unstable, bored, stagnant, and easily distracted. They have trouble focusing on a main idea and difficulty in moving down a planned pathway.

It is worth noting that though some of the dictionary definitions of the word ambition are positive and affirming, a surprising number are negative. For example, "an ardent (orig. inordinate) desire for distinction; . . . ostentatious; . . . display, pomp; . . . personal solicitation of honours; an aspiration to be, to do" (New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 64). We can thus gain some appreciation of why "vain ambition" is included in the sobering list of sins that prevent those who are called from being chosen. "And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men" (D&C 121:34-35, emphasis added).

Many are called, but few are chosen. President Harold B. Lee pointed out that even though we have our "agency here, there are many who were foreordained before the world was, to a greater state than they have prepared themselves for here. Even though they might have been among the noble and great, from among whom the Father declared he would make his chosen leaders, they may fail of that calling here in mortality" (Ensign, January 1974, 5). That is, they were called there but are not chosen here.

The vainly ambitious in the kingdom of God "aspire to the honors of men." Let us break this thought down. To begin with, there is nothing wrong with aspiring to greatness, aspiring to spirituality, aspiring to be the best we can be. There is surely no sin in seeking to be better, sharper, more proficient, more intelligent, more effective. In fact we really ought to work smarter in the Church and kingdom of God. And, secondly, there is nothing wrong with receiving the honors of men.

Many of our great Church leaders of the past have been acknowledged nationally and internationally for their gifts, talents, and contributions. Elder Ezra Taft Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was appointed United States Secretary of Agriculture in the Eisenhower administration from 1952 to 1960. Elder Richard L. Evans of the Quorum of the Twelve served as president of Rotary International. President Thomas S. Monson has received some of the highest recognitions offered by the Boy Scouts of American for a life of dedication to this marvelous organization.

And the same is true for many other members of the Church. Thousands of our youth serve as school or class officers; many of our women have been recognized as Mother(s) of the Year; and large numbers of our academic, political, military, and industrial leaders have become known and sought after, around the world, for their expertise. This is how it should be: the disciples of Christ, the Saints of the Most High, are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, to make a difference because they are different, to allow their influence to be felt.

Where we get into difficulty is not in aspiring, nor is it in receiving honors. It is when we aspire to the honors of men. That is, we cross the line of gospel propriety when we seek for the honors of others.

Let’s be realistic for a moment. Each of us wants to feel needed, to feel appreciated, to be told that our meager efforts make a difference and that we are genuinely valued. In short, we all would like to be counted as persons worthy of recognition and honor. As we mature in the things of the Spirit, however, we begin to find personal satisfaction in a job well done, a good deed rendered, a church calling magnified, even if those contributions are not publicly acknowledged. Ideally, we are content to know what we have done and to know that God knows it.

While it does not appear to be a significant problem, there are some within the household of faith who aspire to Church callings and assignments. In some cases, these desires are not all bad, because the individual would simply like to know that she or he is known by our Father in Heaven, enjoys his favor, and, frankly, is worthy to be called to such an important responsibility.

On the other hand, if a man wants to be bishop in order to have people think highly of him, his motives are impure. If a woman wants to be the Relief Society president in order to be in a position of authority and prominence, her desires are out of bounds. As President J. Reuben Clark Jr. stated so eloquently, "In the service of the Lord, it is not where you serve but how. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one takes the place to which one is duly called, which place one neither seeks nor declines" (Conference Report, April 1951, 154).

The warning is not simply against ambition but against vain ambition. Something is vain when it is empty, shallow, meaningless in the eternal scheme of things. We have been called to labor. We have been selected to make choices, to set priorities, to see to it that we value some things more than others. There are men throughout the world who labor long hours in making a living. Some spend the greater part of the day adding to their pile of surplus, expanding upon the affluence they have already attained. Others build houses that more closely approximate castles, residences that almost resemble cathedrals.

Every family, to the extent that it can do so, likes to enjoy the little comforts, luxuries, and niceties that make life pleasurable, but we must, at the same time, take seriously the words of our Lord: "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). "He who dies with the most toys wins" is not really true, especially in regard to eternal matters. As Elder Lance B. Wickman taught: "This life is not so much a time for getting and accumulating as it is a time for giving and becoming" (Ensign, May 2008, 105).

It is tragic to witness how often men who would never consider being unfaithful to their wives are less than faithful in their priesthood responsibilities; those who would not think twice about whether to pursue the sexual pollutions of our day who yield instead to the persuasions of pleasurable living and spend most of their time in the lap of luxury. I say all of this to remind each of us how desperately our wives and children and friends and neighbors need our righteous influence and our service, and where exactly peace and contentment are ultimately to be found.

We ask ourselves, though, shouldn’t we seek to excel? Certainly we should do the work of the Lord excellently. We should have an excellent record of home teaching, an outward indication that we are meeting regularly with our assigned families, strengthening our bonds of friendship and nurturing them by the good work of God. Certainly we should seek to hold excellent, as opposed to shoddy, family prayers, family scripture readings, and family home evenings. Certainly we should be excellent in our attendance at church meetings, a regular, active, practicing, and involved member of the body of Christ. And so forth.

What we do not want to do, however, is to "seek to excel," that is, to do things to be considered excellent, to gain the applause of fickle observers. "A desire for such approval is not all bad, especially among Church members, who generally reserve their approval for accomplishments having positive value," observed Elder Bruce C. Hafen. "But other people are not finally our judge, and making too much of either the affirmative or the adverse judgments of others can actually undermine our relationship with God and our development of sound values" (Broken Heart, 97-99).

Our Lord and Redeemer taught a deeply profound lesson in a few words: "I receive not honour from men" (John 5:41). He did not court favor and was no respecter of persons. With all the light and knowledge and power at his disposal, he did not do things to make a good impression; he did not manage appearances, so that the Jews or the Gentiles would be wowed by his presence or his precepts. He "went about doing good" (Acts 10:38), but he did not put on airs. He served his fellow beings on earth, but he did so without fanfare. He lived a life in which he was so constantly inconvenienced, but he never boasted of it. He was who he was, and he thereby stands as our Model and our Prototype. His ambition was sublime, the grandest and most profound of all ambitions, namely, to save every living soul.