Saturday, November 20, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 20, 2010

"If we can look back through the generations, we see those who helped us to get where we are now—those who forged the way before us, whether they were members of the Church or not. And in the restored gospel we realize even more deeply our responsibility to link them to us through the ordinances of the temple. In a letter from the Prophet Joseph Smith to the members of the Church, we read: 'These are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over. . . . For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, . . . they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect' (D&C 128:15; see also verse 18)."

Neil L. Andersen, "Looking Back and Looking Forward," New Era, Aug. 2009, 5

Friday, November 19, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 19, 2010

"We will each face times of difficulty, and the question is not when we will face them but how we will face them."

James B. Martino, "All Things Work Together for Good," Ensign, May 2010, 101

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 18, 2010

"A testimony is not thrust upon you; a testimony grows. We become taller in testimony like we grow taller in physical stature; we hardly know it happens because it comes by growth."

Boyd K. Packer, "The Quest for Spiritual Knowledge," New Era, Jan. 2007, 4

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 17, 2010

"In a world where everyone is granted agency, some of our loved ones may stray for a season. But we can never give up. We must always go back for them—we must never stop trying."

Bradley D. Foster, "Mother Told Me," Ensign, May 2010, 99

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 16, 2010

"Presidents Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball tried to discourage Thomas B. Marsh's murmuring, but to no avail. A repentant Brother Marsh later said of that time:" 'I must have lost the Spirit of the Lord out of my heart. . . ." 'I became jealous of the Prophet, . . . and overlooked everything that was right, and spent all my time in looking for the evil; . . . I thought I saw a beam in Brother Joseph's eye, but it was nothing but a mote, and my own eye was filled with the beam; . . . I got mad and I wanted everybody else to be mad. I talked with Brother Brigham Young and Brother Heber C. Kimball, and I wanted them to be mad like myself; and I saw they were not mad, and I got madder still because they were not. Brother Brigham Young, with a cautious look, said, "Are you the leader of the Church, Brother Thomas?" I answered "No." "Well then," said he, "why do you not let that alone?" ' "Laborers in the Lord's vineyard who murmur over life's inequities, declared Jesus, murmur 'against the goodman of the house.' (Matt. 20:11.) The goodness of the Lord is attested to in so many ways—mansions await!—yet we ungrateful guests still complain about the present accommodations."Those of deep faith do not murmur. They are generously disposed, and they are reluctant to murmur, even while in deep difficulties."

Neal A. Maxwell, "Murmur Not," Ensign, Nov. 1989, 83–84

Monday, November 15, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 15, 2010

"Joseph Millett, with his large family, was suffering through very, very difficult times. He wrote in his journal: " 'One of my children came in and said that Brother Newton Hall's folks was out of bread, had none that day. " 'I divided our flour in a sack to send up to Brother Hall. Just then Brother Hall came. " 'Says I, "Brother Hall, are you out of flour?" " ' "Brother Millett, we have none."" ' "Well, Brother Hall, there is some in that sack. I have divided and was going to send it to you. Your children told mine that you was out." " 'Brother Hall began to cry. He said he had tried others, but could not get any. He went to the cedars and prayed to the Lord, and the Lord told him to go to Joseph Millett. " ' "Well Brother Hall, you needn't bring this back. If the Lord sent you for it you don't owe me for it." ' "That night Joseph Millett recorded a remarkable sentence in his journal: " 'You can't tell me how good it made me feel to know that the Lord knew there was such a person as Joseph Millett' (Diary of Joseph Millett, holograph, Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City). "The Lord knew Joseph Millett. And He knows all those men and women like him, and they are many. Theirs are the lives that are most worth recording. "This rank and file of the Church—150 years of them—have brought the truth to this generation. It is planted where it is most likely to bear an abundant harvest—in the hearts of the ordinary people."

Boyd K. Packer, "A Tribute to the Rank and File of the Church," Ensign, May 1980, 63

Sunday, November 14, 2010

I Love to See the Bismarck North Dakota Temple

By Bobjgalindo [CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0
(www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
The Bismark North Dakota Temple is the 61st Operating Temple in the Church. Announced on July 29, 1998, it was dedicated on September 19, 1999 by Gordon B Hinckley. The dedication marked the first visit to North Dakota by President Hinckley, the only state he had not yet visited.

Containing 2 ordinance rooms and 2 sealing rooms, this 10,700 square foot Temple sits on 1.6 acres of land. The exterior has a Granite veneer brought in from Quebec.

I Love to See the Helsinki Finland Temple

By Teveten [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons
The 124th Operating Temple is the Helsinki Finland Temple. When this Temple, the second northernmost in the Church, was dedicated, its Temple District stretched 2 continents and 12 time zones.

Announced on April 2, 2000, the Temple was dedicated on October 22, 2006. It was the last Temple dedicated by Gordon B Hinckley.

Containing two ordinance rooms and two sealing rooms, this 16,350 square foot Temple sits on 7.4 acres. The exterior is light gray Italian granite.

Daily Thought -- November 14, 2010

"We know we are successful if we live so that we qualify for, receive, and know how to follow the Spirit."

Julie B. Beck, "And upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit," Ensign, May 2010, 12

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 13, 2010

"The purpose of our missionary work is to help the children of God fulfill a condition prescribed by our Savior and Redeemer. We preach and teach in order to baptize the children of God so that they can be saved in the celestial kingdom instead of being limited to a lesser kingdom. We do missionary work in order to baptize and confirm. That is the doctrinal basis of missionary work."

Dallin H. Oaks, "Why Do We Do Missionary Work?" New Era, Sept. 2009, 2

Friday, November 12, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 12, 2010

"A stronger personal faith in Jesus Christ will prepare [your children] for the challenges they will most surely face."

Neil L. Andersen, "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus," Ensign, May 2010, 110

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 11, 2010

I deeply appreciate those who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of human liberty. … There are no better Latter-day Saints anywhere on earth than many of those in uniform, and there are faithful representatives of this church in the armed forces of many nations.”

—President Gordon B. Hinckley, “In Grateful Remembrance,” Ensign, Mar. 1971, 20–21.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 10, 2010

"The central purpose of all scripture is to fill our souls with faith in God the Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ."

D. Todd Christofferson, "The Blessing of Scripture," Ensign, May 2010, 34

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 9, 2010

"Even though the Prophet was haggard, pale, and penniless after his long confinement [in Liberty Jail], it did not take him long to make his leadership felt. He found a swamp where the Mississippi makes a horseshoe bend. It was practically deserted; there were only a half-dozen houses. It was a place in which nobody seemed to have a great interest. The owners of this mosquito-infested swamp were happy to sell the land to the penniless Saints for promissory notes, payable over a term of years. " 'Characteristic of the Prophet, he renamed the place to meet his desires. Not what it was, but what, with the faith and work of man, the region might become—"Nauvoo, the City Beautiful" ' (William E. Berrett, The Restored Church, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1965, p. 149). "The faith of the Prophet rallied the people, and a special zeal seldom witnessed in all of man's history swept over this people. 'That deep and abiding strength was to change a swamp into a great city; miserable shelters into splendid houses; penniless people to the most prosperous citizens of Illinois. That missionary zeal was to carry the gospel into many lands and double the membership of the Church. And all of this in the short time of five years! " 'What a program. And what an accomplishment! A people stripped of all earthly possessions, money, homes, factories, lands, rebuilt in five short years, a city-state which was the envy of long-settled communities' (Berrett, The Restored Church, p. 150). A miracle had occurred!"

L. Tom Perry, "Nauvoo—A Demonstration of Faith," Ensign, May 1980, 74

Monday, November 8, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 8, 2010

"It is a privilege to enter the holy temple. If you are eligible by the standards that are set, by all means you should come to receive your own blessings; and thereafter you should return again and again and again to make those same blessings available to others who have died without the opportunity to receive them in mortality."

Boyd K. Packer, "Come to the Temple," Ensign, Oct. 2007, 19

Sunday, November 7, 2010

I Love to See the Rexburg Idaho Temple

By Pavili255 [CC-BY-SA-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
The Rexburg Idaho Temple is the Church's 125th Operating Temple. Located on 10 acres adjacent to the campus of BYU-Idaho, it is the third Temple in the state of Idaho.

This Temple was announced on December 12, 2003. Dedication was scheduled for February 3, 2008, but that was delayed due to the death of Gordon B Hinckley. It was dedicated on February 10, 2008 by Thomas S Monson.

It has four ordinance rooms and five sealing rooms in its 57,504 square feet. The exterior consists of precast concrete panels with white quartz rock finish.

I Love to See the Kansas City Missouri Temple

The Kansas City Missouri Temple was announced on October 4, 2008. Ground was broken on May 8, 2010. It will sit on 8.07 acres of land.

Daily Thought -- November 7, 2010

"As we look heavenward, we inevitably learn of our responsibility to reach outward. To find real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves. No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow man. Service to others is akin to duty, the fulfillment of which brings true joy. We do not live alone—in our city, our nation, or our world. There is no dividing line between our prosperity and our neighbor's wretchedness. 'Love thy neighbor' is more than a divine truth. It is a pattern for perfection."

Thomas S. Monson, "The Joy of Service," New Era, Oct. 2009, 4

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 6, 2010

"As men have attempted to assess the Church at a given period of time, in many instances they have not been able to see its forward movement and potential. The growth of the Church, like the growth of grass or trees, has been almost imperceptible to the eye, but little by little, line by line, precept by precept, the Church has matured. "Simultaneous with the early development of the Church was a spirit of opposition and persecution. Wherever the tiny 'mustard seed' was planted, attempts were made to frustrate its growth. But notwithstanding all the efforts to destroy the work—even the murder of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother—the Church prospered and grew. There were those who thought the Church would fail with the deaths of the martyrs Joseph and Hyrum, but they did not perceive, as Daniel foretold, that this latter-day kingdom should 'never be destroyed' (Dan. 2:44). "Just before the Prophet's death, Brigham Young said, 'The kingdom is organized; and, although as yet no bigger than a grain of mustard seed, the little plant is in a flourishing condition' (History of the Church, 6:354)."

Ezra Taft Benson, "A Marvelous Work and a Wonder," Ensign, May 1980, 32

Friday, November 5, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 5, 2010 - Hinckley on Revelation

"How wonderful it is that we believe in modern revelation. I cannot get over the feeling that if revelation were needed anciently, when life was simple, that revelation is also needed today, when life is complex. There never was a time in the history of the earth when men needed revelation more than they need it now."

Gordon B. Hinckley, "Inspirational Thoughts," Ensign, Sept. 2007, 6

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 4, 2010 - Cook on Being a Saint

"What does it mean to be a Saint? In the Lord's Church, the members are Latter-day Saints, and they attempt to emulate the Savior, follow His teachings, and receive saving ordinances in order to live in the celestial kingdom with God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ (see 2 Nephi 9:18)."

Quentin L. Cook, "Are You a Latter-day Saint?" New Era, Dec. 2009, 2

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 3, 2010 - Wirthlin on Loving the Lord

"Why must we love the Lord? Because as we do so, we become refined, pure, and holy. When we love the Lord, the benefits of the Atonement can wash away our earthly stain. Though our sins be as scarlet, they can become white as snow (see Isaiah 1:18), and we can become new creatures, filled with new life, new thoughts, and a renewed desire to do good continually."

Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Two Guiding Lights," Ensign, Aug. 2007, 66

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 2, 2010 - Scott on Understanding

"Our understanding of and faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ will provide strength and capacity needed for a successful life."

Richard G. Scott, "He Lives! All Glory to His Name!" Ensign, May 2010, 77

Monday, November 1, 2010

Daily Thought -- November 1, 2010 - Faust on Happy Singles

"Being single does not mean you have to put off being happy. As President Harold B. Lee (1899–1973) once said: 'Happiness does not depend on what happens outside of you, but on what happens inside of you. It is measured by the spirit with which you meet the problems of life.' "

James E. Faust, "Welcoming Every Single One," Ensign, Aug. 2007, 8