Family Home Evening with Sister Dalton - January 14, 2019

Don't turn back in the middle of a hill

Elaine Dalton likes to run with her husband, and sometimes their morning runs get a little competitive. One morning, they started running up a hill and her husband got way ahead of her. Elaine decided instead of chasing him up the hill, and losing the race against him, she would turn around.

She said to her husband, "Honey, I'm done. I'm just going to turn back around and head down the hill." As she turned, he also turned around and caught up with her running down the hill. He stopped her and said, "Elaine, never make a decision to quit or turn back when you're in the middle of a hill."

Keep climbing. Don’t get discouraged. Press forward. It’s one step forward at a time. Don’t give up. If you do, Satan has won.

She shared some commentary from a New York Times article about President Nelson when he first became prophet. It was very skewed article and talked about how he wouldn't change much for the church with how old he is.

The Lord doesn't want us in comfort zones

The Lord doesn’t like us to be in comfort zones as that's how we grow and do great things. That’s why life changes. Don’t resist change. Change in ourselves and change in others. Embrace changes going on in the church.

Never be afraid to be chastened

Through chastening, we become more pure. Don’t be afraid to repent as it gives us access to all of the spiritual power we need and it shows our Savior how grateful we are for his atonement.

If we aren’t feeling the spirit or reaching our potential, we need courage to change.

“We live far below our privileges” because we are in a world that Satan wants us living below our privileges. We’re surrounded by things that can bring us down and separate us from the spirit.

Return to Virtue

We all make mistakes and can return. Don’t dwell on mistakes or past history. Keep an eternal and positive perspective on the future.

Do all we can to have the spirit fully in our lives

If we can have the Holy Ghost with us, we have power to do all things. We have the advantage and pure source of power. Pray and live worthy for spiritual gifts. If we don’t use gifts we're given, we’ll lose them.

Most promptings we receive are to minister to others. Act immediately and be an instrument in the Lord’s hands.

You are never alone. The veil is so thin.

Mormon message about Sister Dalton - You're Never Alone

"Fear not I am with thee" These words came to Sister Dalton when she was having a hard time finishing the Boston marathon. She couldn’t remember what hymn it was and thought it was the title of a song. It wasn't until she was having a difficult time one Sunday and while sitting in sacrament the congregation started singing How Firm a Foundation that she realized the words “Fear not I am with thee” came from this hymn.

We are custom made

You have a unique, divine mission to perform on this earth. Pray to find out line upon line what that mission is. He will answer every single prayer. He literally directs every step.

Being in the temple, we will find true happiness.

Be an eternal optimist

Each morning that Sister Dalton saw Elder Perry in the church office building parking lot, she’d ask how he’s doing, his response was always the same, “I’m great. Just great. I’ve never had an unhappy day in my life.” Elder Perry was living after the manner of happiness.

Our happiness doesn’t depend on circumstances. It depends on our focus. Keep our eye on the Savior and the finish line.

Tempe Fireside with President Oaks & Lynn G. Robbins

Elder Greer

James 2: Faith without works is dead. Faith is an action word – meaning you must move your feet and focus on the Lord Jesus Christ.

How do we increase our faith?

1. Arrive early before sacrament to focus on the spirit of the meeting
2. Listen to the prayers that are said
3. Law of common consent - sustaining vote
4. Sing the hymns
5. Partake of the sacrament
6. Focus on speakers. When you have a difficult time focusing on the speaker think to yourself, how would I teach this principle?

Elder Lynn G. Robbins

o The blessing of hymns and great music in our lives is to give us courage to face difficult challenges.

o We all have faith and a strong testimony in the gospel that must be nourished. Otherwise if we aren’t careful, we will lose sight of the gift we have.

o How many differences of opinion come up between a husband and wife? Thousands of differences. This is also true of the first presidency and apostles as they must have a unanimous voice. When the voice is not unanimous, they table the decision and research the topic more in depth. 

o A husband and wife should never finalize a decision and move forward until both are in agreement. It may require more thorough research.

o As a couple works to develop Christlike virtues, their marriage will be more stable. Their outlook, aspirations and spiritual beliefs will be more aligned.

o Stop looking for your soulmate. Couples can get caught up with infatuation while dating believing they are falling in love, but then that chemical rush tapers off. Love is an action verb. It’s not just going to happen.

o Both people should be willing to work and follow the Savior. For couples that say they fall out of love, they can fall back into love by founding their relationship upon Christ.

o Love has to do with the mind, rather than the heart. It’s a decision to love and it grows. It’s not something that just happens to you.

o We are taught to teach a child to love – this is an example of how love has to be an act.

o Ephesians 5 – Husbands love their wives, even as Christ loves the church. Bring Christlike love into your relationship.

o Christ describes the behavior of love – it is kind, it suffers long, not puffed up

o Only 1/3 of the population say “I love you”

President Dallin H. Oaks

o The Lord loves YOU. 

o Testimony of the mantle President Nelson has received. Elder Oaks has known President Nelson for 34 years and said that President Nelson is a different man since he’s become prophet.

o The gospel is a process that leads us to be what Heavenly Father wants us to be.

o The reality with relationships and marriage is that there are thousands of different opinions and it won’t always be smooth sailing.

o How you resolve your differences is key to your marriage. Example: Kristin Oaks squeezes toothpaste bottle from the middle. President Oaks squeezes it from the bottom. They found a solution – get separate toothpaste bottles.

o Soulmate – Look up talk “Agency or Inspiration – Which?” – Bruce R. McConkie

o Make adult decisions – we live in a world that isn’t focused on the eternal perspective

o World popularizes sports, athletic ability – bigger headlines than world problems. Is athletic ability necessary for salvation? The mortal Savior was despised of men. He didn’t standout but his appearance was typical of those he associated with.

o World honors money and property – lay up treasures in Heaven

o Be careful to not be drawn aside by priorities of the world. Knowledge puffeth up. No reason to be proud of knowledge but we need to gain knowledge. There isn’t much salvation in the things of the mind.

o Avoid starving yourself spiritually – Don’t let the mind be overfed with priorities of the world. The Lord’s commandments are associated with blessings. Our intellect isn’t the only source for knowledge but knowledge is given through the Holy Ghost.

o Many of us fail to ask, where will this lead? A group of people were watching a dog stare down a fox squirrel running around a tree. Suddenly the dog catches the squirrel and people say, oh no, this is horrible. Yet no one did anything prior to it happening while they just stood there and watched. 

o Love & Law – We need to look at both sides of the coin when working with people. We put much emphasis on love which is great, but we cannot forget the law.

o Temple brings great value to our lives. In the temple, we are taught, make covenants, and receive blessings that sustain and strengthen us.

o It’s important to outlive challenges. Hang around longer than they do. 

o How do we build hope in our lives? Seek out the things of the Lord and wait upon the Lord. Sometimes we may not get an answer because we are asking the wrong question – should I A or B? At times it isn’t an answer to should I A or B.

o Did you send a subpoena to the Lord? President Oaks asked his son one time when his son was trying to quickly receive an answer on his own time. Answers come line upon line as we do our part. It may be that it isn’t the right time to fully receive the answer or that our hearts need to be more prepared. Or the Lord may need you to serve while waiting for an answer. His will. His timing. Wait upon the Lord.

o Alma 7:11 – The Lord knows our afflictions and can strengthen us.

Silicon Valley Education Conference 

April 17-19, 2015

Clayton Christensen - Building the Kingdom of God

1. Great books for all of the saints – missionaryleader.org and Tongan Saints by Eric Shumway
2. When it comes to the impact we have on others, we only see about six inches of what is in front of us.
3. Tell God what we need Him to do for us. Similar to the Brother of Jared when he asked for the stones to be able to provide light. Then, we tell God what we will do when we receive the answer.
4. Clayton Christensen will be baptizing U.S. Senator, Larry Pressler, tomorrow morning in D.C. Clayton Christensen had an instrumental role with the Senator’s conversion. Read the story here.
5. A ward has geographic boundaries where every person who lives within these boundaries is a member of the ward. Clayton Christensen learned this from a Bishop who had a dream of the Savior telling him to recognize that ward members consisted of everyone in his area.
6. How do people become members?  Mark 8:35 – By feeling needed. It’s hard to teach people that they need the church, but best to help them see that the church needs them. Clayton Christensen’s book the Power of Everyday Missionaries talks about this throughout with the personal stories he shares.
7. Invite nonmembers to serve with us. This way they have the opportunity to feel the Holy Ghost.
8. Teach nonmembers to lose their life for the sake of the Savior.

Kendall Cooper – Power Play/Strategic Partnering

1. “Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans.”
2. Tender and inspiring story of Derek Redmond, Olympic sprinter, who tore his hamstring during a race, but kept on going to complete the race. Watch it here.
3. As we run into obstacles, we develop a much stronger skill set that will stretch our capacity.
4. 2 Kings 6:16 – Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

Richard Turley - Don’t build your testimony on a rocky foundation

1. There are certain stories that are confused in Church history.
2. Story of elevator shafts being added to the Salt Lake temple before elevators existed is inaccurate.
3. Elevators were starting to be seen in buildings during the time of the temple construction.
4. Story of Emma having a son was misread in the script it was written in. It really read, “Emma was sick and had a chill,” rather than Emma was sick and had a child.
5. The Lord expects us to be discerning and make our own decisions. Some people work on the intellectual, but forget spiritual knowledge.
6. To learn through the Holy Ghost, we must overcome the natural man and allow the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion. If we assume we don’t need God, he will leave us alone and we will fail.
7. We can start to feel spiritually rotten.
8. Scriptures are personal liahona and help to balance the heart and mind to receive revelation.
9. Prepare ourselves to be ready for blessings. D&C 11:13

Jennifer Finalyson-Fife – Maturing in Relationship to Self and Others

What is healthy self-esteem? The capacity to recognize inherent worth.

We can’t treat others unkindly when we have a genuine respect of our self. We are incapable of having a relationship when we have no self-esteem.

What are boundaries? Where you end and the world begins –psychologically speaking.

Protective Boundary – protect ourselves from the outside world. We’re respectful to ourselves.

Walled off – Invest little and receive little. This is dangerous to relationships. Must become more authentic and engage more in relationships.

Boundary-less – Needy, controlling, too vulnerable. Those who are boundary-less may have grown up with walled off parents. Boundary-less people must learn to self-regulate and see themselves as valuable.

Steve Young – Sense of Timing as LDS

We learn to have absolute confidence that we are where we need to be.

Steve Young has experienced social anxiety throughout his life. He almost turned down the opportunity to become a professional football player because of anxiety. He often questioned and wondered if he was doing the wrong thing.

During hard times with decisions, he would meet with church leaders and the best advice they would offer is, “good luck and we love you.” He always hoped the apostles would introduce him to his wife, simply say “here she is.”

This is a good example that we are working out our own salvation. Have you prayed your way to where you are today?

Steve Young learned that by being 38 years old when he finally married that it is all about God’s timing. We have much to learn and life events occur precept upon precept or step by step. Do we believe that God has our timing in mind?

If we want to be useful to the Lord, the time is now and we move forward in faith. All things work together for our good. Sanctify our timing today. God can’t change any part of our lives that we don’t allow.

D&C 50:40 – We cannot bear all things now. Line upon line.

We need and are blessed with many shepherds to make it through life.

What makes people successful? - Mitt Romney from AZ YSA Conference

What makes people successful? There is no formula. People may go thru the same motions to become successful, but some succeed and some don't. Worldly success is by chance.

If we define our lives by the success of the world, it can be out of our control. In God's world success is measured by loving and serving God's children. This type of success is in our control. We serve in our homes, neighborhoods, church callings, etc. The scale of our service isn't the measure of our success. Serve God, for that is the measure of our success under God's law.

We want to be successful. However, if we define success by the ways of the world there is only a lot of chance and serendipity. 

Spoken by Mitt Romney on Jan 11 at the AZ YSA Conference

Learn all we can about absolute truth - Sheri Dew from AZ YSA Conference

Learn all that you can about absolute truth to discern information that is constantly being thrown at you.

What is influencing you? When you know who you are as a child of God, everything about your thoughts and behavior changes. The greatest foundation any of us can seek after is the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Conversion requires immersion in the gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ. God wants a powerful people.

An absolute truth is that we have a divine errand. We are here to serve with a purpose. God held us for the last days because we would have the courage and determination to face the world and be fearless in building Zion. Read about the noble and great ones found in D&C 138:55-56. Ask God how he feels about you. By doing so and realizing God's love, you will be able to deal with challenges and insecurities that trouble you.

An absolute truth is that the Lord has blessed us with access to his power. There is power in the Lord to become who we want to become. When we immerse ourselves in his will and gospel, we can handle anything that comes our way. How do you learn a new language? Immerse yourself in the language.

Total happiness always comes through complete immersion in the gospel of Jesus Christ. What we're given is not always what we expect. The Savior was the son of a carpenter not a roman ruler. Moses was supposed to be God's spokesman but needed his brother to speak for him. What we expect as great or wisdom is often in contrast from what the Lord has in mind.

Spoken by Sherri Dew on Jan 10, 2014 at AZ YSA Conference

Silicon Valley Education Conference 2013 - Jeffrey R. Holland Fireside

When the Sun Goes Down in Difficult Times - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Remember, remember God loves broken things. The cycles of life are obtained through broken things – clouds break to bring forth rain, to hydrate wheat, to bring forth flour, to make bread, to feed us.

The Lord loves a broken heart and contrite spirit. Covenant children are required to sacrifice.

In night moments, we may ask, why am I doing this? What is going on? We must hang on, as those difficult moments will matter down the road.

Do not flee at your chance to make a sacrifice. Don’t flee a broken heart and contrite spirit. It’s your turn to put something on the altar. Don’t miss your chance to make your offering.

Somewhere inside us we try to avoid a broken heart and sacrifice, but when sacrifice comes, please see it through. Believe there is a plan and that it has meaning.

Dreams and plans are not gone, but trust that it is your turn to put them on the altar for the time being.

We may say, “I’m all for long-suffering, but I don’t want it to take long and I don’t want to suffer.”

As true disciples of Christ, wherever He walked we too must walk. Be committed to the idea of discipleship. We all have to spend some time in the Garden of Gethsemane to take on true discipleship.

Night does come, but this is not the time to fold your tent and leave. When you’re in the middle of those nights, endure and save yourself for days of happiness ahead.

Recognize we have blessings more than we have hard times.

Be strong, square your shoulders. This is a Church of happy endings, so hang on.

The path you say you can’t walk, you walk. The burden you say you can’t carry, you carry.

We have the seeds of God within us. We are being taught who we are, who God is, and recognize those seeds of divinity within.

Think of the Savior as He asked, “Is there any other way?” He too questioned during the night. How else are we going to find out who we truly are then through sacrifice?

Everything comes line upon line. We must live the life that creates divinity. We work and learn to achieve it with Heavenly Father’s help.

How do we learn patience, charity, and forgiveness? We get chances to practice all the time. Don’t resist when God gives you a chance to develop a Christ-like attribute.

Accept Mortality: Things get broken and bruised, but we must see it through.

The sun may seem like it will never come up, but it will. We require strength from God to learn through the process.

When difficult times come, I forbid you from saying, “Well, I guess God doesn’t love me.” That is blasphemy! Don’t ever say that to a God who loves us beyond measure! God loves us with every fiber of His divine soul. When we are in the darkest times, God loves us more than any other time in our lives.

Elder Holland shared the story of President Hunter dying of cancer. Elder Holland went to visit him, which is not allowed, but he strongly felt the need to do so. As Sister Hunter opened the door of their apartment, Elder Holland heard the most unearthly scream. Elder Hunter was very close to death and experiencing incredible pain from cancer. Each one of us suffers in this life.

Mark 4 - Apostles in ship come upon a strong storm. The apostles awake the Savior, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Who knows how the Lord looked at them….“Why are ye so fearful?” “How is it that you have no faith?”

Don’t you think God can fix it? He can take your little life and make it dandy. Why are we so fearful and how is it that we have such little faith?

God is looking for people who can manage the storm. We are going to get there and we need less fear and more faith.

This is the Church of happy endings. Storms do calm, winds do subside, and will do so sooner if we have less fear and more faith.

Closing Hymn requested by Elder Holland – Abide with Me ‘Tis Eventide

Wise are God's Purposes - Biggest Loser Winner

Words from a talk given by John Rhode, Biggest Loser Winner of 2011.

John relayed the gospel to his experience on the Biggest Loser. We can see the hand of God in all areas of our life - wise are His purposes. We must always remember that we are kings and queens of God and bend our will to the Lord's will. He discovered that as soon as he learned to let go, he finally was in control and became empowered.

If Christ is the center of our life, all that matters is that we do our very best. The Lord will make weak things become strong. It's okay to feel vulnerable and in doing so become stronger in our own lives. Don't be afraid to kick open doors in your life.
Put yourself first. Not in a selfish sense, but ensuring your own strength in the Lord, will make you strong for others. (Example of oxygen masks on an airplane - you must first put yours on to help another.)

If you want to institute change, you must be open and honest with others. You must share your whole self. If you want to change, be honest with yourself. Ask, what do I want and what am I willing to sacrifice in order to get it?

Recognize that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we become unstoppable. We need His help in this mortal life. Open our heart and mind to Him for assistance.