Forgiveness

Dear Family,

I have added a few people to my weekly email message. I learned of this idea from my Mission President earlier this year when I visited him for his 96th birthday. He calls his email "no empty chairs". I believe this idea to weekly share a short testimony and a message about a gospel topic is a powerful way to show each of you my love for you without being overbearing and have a hope that we all will share our desires to sit at the same eternal table and feast on the words of Christ with God for all eternity. 

I hope you have had a good week.  This week’s message is from our most recent General Conference.  The talk focuses on the how healing it can be when we forgive those that have trespassed against us.  We are commanded to forgive others.  When we do, we are exercising our trust in God and we can be freed from carrying that burden with us.  I am grateful for each of you!

I Love you all so Much

DaD

“As victims, if we are faithful, we can take great comfort in knowing that God will compensate us for every injustice we experience. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin stated: “The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. … Every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.”

As we strive to forgive others, let us also try to remember that we are all growing spiritually, but we are all at different levels. While it is easy to observe the changes and growth in the physical body, it is difficult to see the growth in our spirits.

One key to forgiving others is to try to see them as God sees them. At times, God may part the curtain and bless us with the gift to see into the heart, soul, and spirit of another person who has offended us. This insight may even lead to an overwhelming love for that person.”

Elder Kevin R. Duncan, of the Seventy

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/the-healing-ointment-of-forgiveness?lang=eng

Warning Devices

Dear family

I hope that you have had a great week.  Today’s message is about things that have been created to keep us safe from danger.  There are many things that have been established to keep us safe from spiritual danger.  Parents, scriptures, the Holy Ghost, prayer, church leaders, and many more.  As we choose to rely on these tools to guide us, we can follow God’s will for us and become the people he needs us to become.

I Love you all so much!!

DaD

Warning Devices

Men have invented certain safeguards to warn us against danger. When I served in the navy, sonar was in its infant stages. Those of you who have been in the service know that sonar is the device whereby we are warned of an impending vehicle or ship or other obstacle. It has a beep, and the operator becomes accustomed to listening for that beep. When it becomes other than the normal pattern, he knows that danger is at hand, and he can warn the captain and the course can be changed.

When I went to school, many young men had white sidewall tires on their automobiles. These automobiles were equipped with what we called “whiskers”—a little metal device that was attached to the fender of the car. As the car would pull in against the curb, those whiskers would hit the curb, rather than the curb scraping the white sidewall tires, and they would warn that the driver could not go any closer to the curb without damaging his tires.

If man can invent sonar to warn against disaster, and if he can invent whiskers to put on automobile fenders for the protection of white sidewall tires, doesn’t it sound reasonable that the Lord would place a warning device within His children to warn us when we are on a detour, away from His pathway? I bear you my testimony that we have a guiding light. It is foolproof if we will but use it. It is known, as you know and as I know, as the Holy Ghost—the still small voice.

Consider the Blessings by Thomas S. Monson

Blessings of the Temple

Dear Family,

I hope you have had a great week.  This weeks message is dear to my heart, I have a great love for the temple. I know that as we attend the temple consistently we will be blessed beyond measure.  

As each of you prepare to attend the temple some for the first time and others for your regular attendance, I would encourage you to not let distractions of this world  discourage your temple attendance. This distractions come in many forms. Temptation, time, frustrations, anger. 

I encourage you to reflect on your temple attendance and try to make it a priority in your life.  I have great love for you all so much! 

Love 

DaD


"If we are to receive all the blessings God so generously offers, our earthly path must lead to the temple. Temples are an expression of God’s love. He invites us all to come, learn of Him, feel His love, and receive the priesthood ordinances necessary for eternal life with Him. Each covenant is made one by one. Every mighty change of heart matters to the Lord. And yours will make all the difference to you. For as we go to His holy house, we can be “armed with [His] power, … [His] name … upon [us], … [His] glory … round about [us], and [His] angels have charge over [us].”"

—Jean A. Stevens, "Covenant Daughters of God

Blessings of the Temple

“I think there is no place in the world where I feel closer to the Lord than in one of His holy temples.”

—President Thomas S. Monson

In addition to the closeness we feel to the Lord when we are in the temple, we can continue to receive blessings even after we have returned to our everyday lives. Attending the temple gives us a clearer perspective and a sense of purpose and peace. President Thomas S. Monson described temple blessings as follows:

“As we go to the holy house, as we remember the covenants we make therein, we will be able to bear every trial and overcome each temptation. The temple provides purpose for our lives. It brings peace to our souls—not the peace provided by men but the peace promised by the Son of God when He said, ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’”

President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, described additional blessings of attending the temple:

“When members of the Church are troubled or when crucial decisions weigh heavily upon their minds, it is a common thing for them to go to the temple. It is a good place to take our cares. In the temple we can receive spiritual perspective. There, during the time of the temple service, we are ‘out of the world.’

“Sometimes our minds are so beset with problems, and there are so many things clamoring for attention at once that we just cannot think clearly and see clearly. At the temple the dust of distraction seems to settle out, the fog and the haze seem to lift, and we can ‘see’ things that we were not able to see before and find a way through our troubles that we had not previously known.

“The Lord will bless us as we attend to the sacred ordinance work of the temples. Blessings there will not be limited to our temple service. We will be blessed in all of our affairs” (“The Holy Temple,” Ensign, Feb. 1995).

Do Your Best

Dear Family,

I hope you have a good week ahead of you.  Today’s message is about doing our best.  May we focus our efforts on improving ourselves.  It is not needful to compare ourselves to others around us.  We are each navigating our own spiritual journey.  I pray that you will turn to the Savior for guidance.  He truly is waiting to assist you.  He loves you and wants what is best for you.

Love you so much

DaD

Do Your Best

Do your best, be good, work hard." Each morning, those words cheerfully rang out from a young mother as she sent her children to school. And, year after year, those same words of encouragement continued. That motto of sorts has now passed to a second generation as her children send their children to school with the same refrain.

"Do your best, be good, work hard." This common-sense slogan echoes, in slightly different words, from the pages of The Agony and the Ecstasy, Irving Stone's classic novel about sculptor and artist Michelangelo. The talented, young Michelangelo sought advice from his spiritual leader one day and received this counsel: "Do the best that is in you, or nothing at all. There is only a God-given numbers of years in which to work and fulfill yourself. Don't squander them." When he died many decades later, Michelangelo had, indeed, become one of the most prolific artists of all time. And it was Michelangelo's contemporary, Leonardo da Vinci, who cried out: "O Lord, thou givest us everything at the price of an effort." 

No matter what our level of talent, education, or experience, we can still "do our best"—within the realm of our capability. In so doing, we need only be concerned with getting ahead of ourselves, not others. Perhaps the Lord also would counsel: "Do your best, be good, work hard."

At times, however, we fail. But, as long as our effort was honest, diligent, and to the best of our ability, it cannot be considered a failure. After all, as the old saying goes, the way to succeed is to double your failure rate. For instance, in the same year Babe Ruth set a major league baseball record for home runs, he also set a record for strike-outs.

Of course, that young mother's admonition to "be good" is no less important than her call to "do your best" and "work hard." For, undoubtedly, God is interested—first and foremost—in how well we obey His commandments. As author Victor Hugo once suggested, "Good actions are the invisible hinges on the doors of heaven." 

One of Christianity's beloved hymns asks, "Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need? Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad? If not, I have failed indeed." 

As we begin each day, let us then pause and consider the words of encouragement offered by a wise, young mother to "do your best, be good, and work hard." 

May Peace be with You  Messages from "The Spoken Word"

The Power of Prayer

Dear family

 Today's message is about the importance of prayer.  I know that as we use prayer we can more closely connect with our Father in Heaven.  He wants to be involved in the details of our life.  Personal prayer will help you establish an intimate connection  with our Father in Heaven and will help you to have a relationship you need to have with him. If we don't feel comfortable with godly things we may want to review where we stand. Companionship prayer will bring the sweetest love that can ever felt between a husband and wife. Without this prayer between you, your spouse and God you will be left alone to ward off the temptations that destroy families. With prayer there is power, faith, discernment, peace, passion, direction, revelation, unity and many other blessings that God wants you to enjoy and can only be given to obedience to this principle.
As we turn to him, he will create miracles in our life.

I Love you all so much!

DaD




"As important as it is to leave home every day with a full charge on your cell phone, it is far more important to be fully charged spiritually. Every time you plug in your phone, use it as a reminder to ask yourself if you have plugged in to the most important source of spiritual power—prayer."

—Randall L. Ridd, "The Choice Generation"

3 Principles of Prayer  from "Pray Always"

by Elder David A. Bednar

Principle #1. Prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel with the Lord in all our doings (see Alma 37:37).

Principle #2. Prayer becomes more meaningful as we express heartfelt gratitude

Principle #3. Prayer becomes more meaningful as we pray for others with real intent and a sincere heart.

For the full talk click here:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/pray-always?lang=eng&_r=1

Life after Death

Dear Family,

I am so Grateful for all your Kindnesses shown to me this last week as we celebrated Father's Day. Each of you are a blessing to me as I see the greatness in you develop more each passing day. 

 Today's message is about our rewards in the eternities.  I know that there are great rewards ahead if we choose to live how God wants us to.  I love you and I pray for you all daily.

Love

DaD

"It is a great source of spiritual power to live lives of integrity and righteousness and to keep our eyes on where we want to be in the eternities."

—Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "You Can Do It Now!"

What Do We Know about Life after Death?

By David A. Edwards
“If a man die, shall he live again?” Yes! But then what?

Throughout the ages, countless people have asked the question posed by Job: “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14). To shout “Yes!” in answer to such a question is the great privilege of those with a testimony of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection.
Yet many around us are passing through this life “without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12) and must navigate between various facts and beliefs regarding death. For one, there’s the evidence of their eyes, or the “harsh reality” that death is universal and absolute—they’ve never seen anyone come back. Then there are the widespread reports of near-death experiences, with remarkable consistencies between them. And then there is the fact that human cultures all over the world have always had a concept of some sort of afterlife, another consistency that begs an explanation.
But the assurance that our lives don’t end at death comes from God, who has revealed it from the beginning through numerous witnesses, including prophets, apostles, and, most important, the Holy Ghost.

From the Beginning

The plan of salvation was first taught on this earth to Adam and Eve, our first parents. They learned about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how to return to Heavenly Father’s presence—and they understood that returning meant that we had been with Him before. So, from the beginning, Adam and Eve knew very clearly that this life isn’t all there is. They knew—and taught their children—that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, they would be resurrected after this life and, if they were obedient, receive eternal life (see Moses 5:10–12).
Secular theories posit that the belief in an afterlife is an independent outgrowth of some universal psychological need. But the widespread idea of life after death instead constitutes a sort of ancestral or collective memory (if not a premortal memory) of what was revealed in the beginning and then passed from generation to generation. What President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918) once said about some common religious practices also applies to common beliefs such as life after death: “Undoubtedly the knowledge of [it] … was carried by the posterity of Adam into all lands, and continued … through Noah … to those who succeeded him, spreading out into all nations and countries” (“Discourse,” Deseret News, Feb. 19, 1873, 36).
Thus, the idea of a life beyond this one is so universal because its origin coincides with the origin of the human race itself.

Plain and Precious Truths

As Latter-day Saints, we can help bring hope into the lives of those living without God in the world by confidently bearing our witness of the truth about our existence: death is not the end. In addition, we can answer many questions about life after death because of the plain and precious truths of the restored gospel that have been revealed. Here are brief answers to a few such questions.

What happens to us right after we die?

At the time of death, our spirits separate from our bodies and then enter the spirit world (see James 2:26; Alma 40:11).

What are our spirits like?

Our spirit bodies look like they did in premortal life: human bodies in a perfect adult form (see Ether 3:16; Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 131–32). After death, our spirits will have the same attitudes, appetites, and desires we had at the time of our physical death on earth (see Alma 34:34).

What is spirit?

Spirit is a kind of matter, only “more fine or pure” (D&C 131:7).

What is the spirit world like?

There are two major states or divisions among the spirits in the spirit world: paradise and spirit prison. Righteous spirits go to paradise, which is “a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow” (Alma 40:12). The spirits of people who haven’t yet received the gospel of Jesus Christ are said to be in spirit prison (see 1 Peter 3:18–20). They can still choose good or evil and accept or reject the gospel. The spirits in paradise can preach the gospel to them (see D&C 138). Those whose spirits and bodies are separated for a long time view this separation as “a bondage” (D&C 45:17; 138:50).

What is heaven?

Heaven is generally understood to be the place where God dwells and where righteous people may eventually dwell. In this sense, it is different from the paradise of the spirit world.

What is hell?

In the scriptures, hell can refer to one of two things: (1) “the temporary abode in the spirit world for those who were disobedient in mortality” or (2) “the permanent location of those who are not redeemed by the Atonement of Jesus Christ” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Hell,” scriptures.lds.org). In a general sense, it is the spiritual condition suffered by those who have rejected the gospel. Joseph Smith taught, “The great misery of departed spirits … is to know that they come short of the glory that others enjoy and that they might have enjoyed themselves, and they are their own accusers” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 224).

What is resurrection?

Resurrection is the reuniting of spirit and body in a perfected, immortal state (see Alma 11:43).

Who will be resurrected?

All people who have lived on earth will be resurrected (see 1 Corinthians 15:22; Alma 11:44).

When will we be resurrected?

People will be resurrected at different times. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ ushered in the First Resurrection, or resurrection of the just. Some righteous people have already been resurrected since that time. After the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, many more righteous people will be resurrected. During the Millennium, other good people will be resurrected. After the Millennium, the wicked will be resurrected. (See D&C 76:32–112; 88:97–101.)

What are resurrected bodies like?

Resurrected bodies are flesh and bone (see Luke 24:39), immortal (see Alma 11:45), perfect (see Alma 11:43), glorious, and beautiful. “There is nothing more beautiful to look upon than a resurrected man or woman” (President Lorenzo Snow [1814–1901], The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1996], 99).

What happens after we’re resurrected?

After all people have been resurrected and the Millennium has ended, we will be brought into the presence of God to be judged according to our words, deeds, thoughts, and desires (see Revelation 20:12; Alma 12:14; D&C 137:9). Jesus Christ will be our Judge (see John 5:22, 27–29; Romans 14:10).

What happens after the Final Judgment?

After the Final Judgment, we will receive one of the following eternal rewards:
Celestial kingdom: the home of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and all those who have qualified for eternal life by making and keeping all the gospel covenants (see D&C 76:50–70). This includes those who accept the gospel in the spirit world who would have received it in this life but did not have the opportunity (see D&C 137:7).
Terrestrial kingdom: the home of those good people who did not accept the gospel of Jesus Christ but received it in the spirit world or who were not valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ in life (see D&C 76:71–80).
Telestial kingdom: the home of those who were wicked and did not accept the gospel of Jesus Christ, who were not resurrected until after the Millennium (see D&C 76:81–89).
Endless punishment: the final state of the sons of perdition, as well as the devil and his angels (see D&C 76:31–49).

What will people do in the celestial kingdom?

Those who inherit the highest degree of the celestial kingdom will be exalted, which means they will have eternal life, become like our Heavenly Father, and receive all that the Father has. To become like Heavenly Father means to acquire His attributes of perfection, including love and service.¹ It also means to share in His work and glory, which is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Exaltation includes being sealed in marriage for eternity, living in eternal families, and having eternal spirit offspring. (See D&C 76:59, 62; 130:2; 132:19–23.)

What will people do in the other kingdoms?

Those in other kingdoms will be angels, which “are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory” (D&C 132:16). They will not be married or have spirit offspring (see D&C 131:1–4; 132:16–17).

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2016/06/what-do-we-know-about-life-after-death?lang=eng

A Choice Land

Dear Family,

This week we are privileged to celebrate this blessed land. I hope you are able to spend some time with the people you love.  I also hope that you are able to take a moment and ponder on the many miracles that have made this choice land a possibility.  We are truly blessed to have our freedom, especially our religious freedom.  A special thanks to those serving in the military that continue to keep America the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Love you all so much! 

DaD

A Choice Land

Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ.

—Ether 2:12

I marvel at the miracle of America, the land which the God of Heaven long ago declared to be a land choice above all other lands.

I love America for her great and brawny strength, I love her for her generous heart. I love her for her tremendous spiritual strengths. She is unique among the nations of the earth—in her discovery, in her birth as a nation, in the amalgamation of the races that have come to her shores, in the strength of her government, in the goodness of her people.

God bless America, for she is His creation.

Stand a little Taller by Gordon B Hinckley