Lesson Summary from August 9th

Joseph Smith Lesson Chapter 38

The Wentworth Letter

"Mr. John Wentworth, Editor and Proprietor of the Chicago Democrat, requested information for his friend, Mr. George Barstow, who was writing the history of New Hampshire. Mr. Barstow did not include the Prophet's account in his history because he decided to cover events only through the year 1819 in his book. But the Wentworth Letter has immense value to Latter-day Saints. It is an original account by Joseph Smith testifying of his sacred call from God, his visions, and his ministry and teachings. It recounts the rise and growth of the Church and the persecutions of the Saints. It contains a prophetic declaration of the Church's future success in the earth under the protective hand of the Great Jehovah. It also contains several important details not found elsewhere in the Prophet's teachings, including a description of the gold plates and a sketch of the contents of the Book of Mormon. Significantly, it is the first time that Joseph Smith himself published an account of his First Vision. Concluding with the 13 declarations of the Church doctrine now called the Articles of Faith, it stands as a powerful witness of the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith."

"The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done."


This lesson was taught by Kathy Bradshaw

Link to lesson on LDS.org

Lesson Summary from August 2nd

Presidency Message

How important is the Temple?

What can we do to maintain a love for the temple throughout your life?

How can we prepare before we go to the temple? What attitude should we have so we can prepared to attend? How can the temple be a place of education?

“The temple ceremony will not be fully understood at first experience. It will be only partly understood. Return again and again and again. Return to learn. Things that have troubled you or things that have been puzzling or things that have been mysterious will become known to you....”

We should ponder the temple experience each day. Remember that the center of all temple worship is the Savior, Jesus Christ. Why is it important for us to have the temple centered in our lives? These are just a few questions to think about. Ponder them and ask yourself how important is the temple to you! President Greer has asked us to attend the temple often. I had a stake president in New Mexico who asked us to double our temple attendance. I can testify the blessings will outnumber anything you will imagine if you will make the temple important to you and your family.

Taught by Barbi Holden

Joseph Smith Lesson #37

Joseph Smith Lesson Ch 37 - Charity, the Pure Love of Christ

If asked what would be some of the chief characteristics to be like God what would you say? Kind, loving, all knowing, charitable. Charity is the pure love of Christ. Who do you know that is very charitable and what did they do to become that way. "Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race." pg 426

Section 2 of this chapter is titled, "We have a special obligation to love and care for those in need." Joseph Smith goes on to say that as a member of the Church we need to have charity in our hearts. It is not the total responsibility of the church to seek charity needs, but it is an individual responsibility. We also need to show charity to everyone, LDS or not.

The next section highlights the attitude and state to mind that is connected with charity. We need to not be judgmental of those in need. But perhaps if we put ourselves in the situation of those in need and serve together as sisters, we will be better able to overcome our fears and difficulties and develop a greater appreciation for another's virtue.

Finally, Mosiah 2:17 is a beautiful scripture that highlights how God feels about service to others. Charity is the backbone of Christ's message and vision. When we practice charity, our souls are enlarged. We act towards others as Christ would. As Joseph Smith say, "The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast sins behind our backs...."428-429



This lesson was taught by Michaela Huso
Link to the lesson on LDS.org

Joseph Smith Lesson #35

Joseph Smith Chapter 35- Redemption for the Dead

This lesson begins by telling us about Joseph Smith's older brother Alvin whom becomes very sick and dies. His family asked a Presbyterian minister to officiate the funeral. At which the minister makes it very clear during his sermon that Alvin will go to hell for not being a member of his church. "...but he was a good boy and my father did not like it."(403) How do you think Joseph's family felt during this funeral?

"God judges men according to the use they make of the light which He gives them." What does Joseph Smith mean by "light"? What is another word to use instead of light?

Heavenly Father loves all of us and we are all his children, think of him as our parent. He knows of all the things created in this world, He knew of the Fall of Man and his redemption. He knew the plan of salvation, knows of the living and the dead and gives as many opportunties as possible to be redeemed. "God is perfectly just and merciful to all people living and dead." (407)

The final section talks about our application. It is our duty and privilege to be baptized and confirmed for those who have died with out the gospel. Why is our duty to perform this work for those who have died? How can we benefit from doing this? With the plan of salvation we were sent here to get a body and be tested. The test includes making and keeping covenants here on earth. We have a merciful and just God that want so be fair to all and to do the same for all. That is why we need to do the same work for those whom could not do it for themselves. Scriptures that go along with this chapter include, Isaiah 24:21-22, John 3:5, 1Cor 15:29, Isaiah 49: 8-9, Isaiah 61: 1-3, John 5:25.


This lesson was taught by Michaela Huso
Link to lesson on LDS.org

Lesson Summary from July 5, 2009

Sis. Margaret S. Lifferth taught in the last April General Conference that “We teach in our homes, in missionary settings, and in the chapels and classrooms of our churches. We prepare and invite the Spirit to be with us. But to truly be able to feed His lambs and nourish His sheep with testimony and the Spirit, we must also cultivate in our homes and classrooms respect for each other and reverence for God.”

“When we exemplify respect for others, we instill in the hearts of our children that teach each of us is truly a child of God and we are all brothers and sisters through eternity”.

“We are a friendly people and we love each other, but reverence will increase if our socializing is done in the foyer and if sacrament meeting begins with the prelude music, not the opening prayer”.

“Reverence is profound respect and love. A reverent attitude toward God includes honoring Him, expressing gratitude to Him, and obeying His commandments. Reverence leads to a quiet transformation in life. The Lord will pour out His Spirit more abundantly on those who are reverent. They are less troubled and confused. They are able to receive revelation to help them solve personal and family problems. Just as reverence brings an individual close to God, irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary. Satan will tempt people to follow the world’s trend to more noise, transitory excitement, and contention and to less restraint and quiet dignity.” (lds.org, Gospel Topics, Reverence)

This lesson was taught by Kathy Bradshaw.

Lesson Summary from March 22, 2009

"The Truth of God Shall Go Forth"--Elder M. Russell Ballard

In our responsibility as Latter-day Saints, are we living our lives as we should? Or do we have double standards?

We need to believe, work, serve, and overcome.

We can "spring clean" our lives by taking a look at our values and priorities and attitude and do an inventory:

• put people up
• have faith
• stop labeling people
• talk to family members as if a guest in the home
• teach others to be the best they can be
• develop a sense of belonging
• call people by their name and talk with them
• live good, honest, moral lives

This lesson was taught by Karen Adair.

Lesson 29 Summary

Joseph Smith Lesson #29

Living with Others in Peace and Harmony

The beginning story about Joseph Smith tells a time when he went to visit his parents home in Far West and was met by angry men that had come to kill Joseph. By the end of their conversation the men were ready to act as Joseph's body guards and wanted to keep him safe! This story illustrates Joseph's ability to bring good out of evil. How have you turned evil into good in your life?? This chapter also addresses..." living in harmony in our communities by respecting the freedom of all people to believe according to their own conscience."(pg 344) How does agency allow us to live in harmony with people we don't agree with? Joseph Smith also tells us that he is willing to die defending the rights of anyone, no matter what their belief is, because the same trampling of rights would affect the Saints. How do we defend the rights of others today?

The ideas in this lesson are a strong companion to missionary work. We should all respect others for their earnest desires to worship God in their own way. Our interactions with others of different faiths should be based on mutual respect and peace. Only with this foundation is it possible to find true friendship and the Spirit of Christ.


This lesson was taught by Michaela Huso.

Here is a link to the lesson on LDS.org

LESSON SUMMARY FROM MARCH 1

"In our search to obtain relief from the stresses of life, may we earnestly seek ways to simplify our lives. Perhaps when difficulties and challenges strike, we should have these hopeful words of Robert Browning etched in our minds: 'The best is yet to be'". "For us to prosper in these times, spiritual light must burn within us."

Elder L. Tom Perry, "Let Him "Do It with Simplicity", Ensign November 2008


Elder Robert R. Steuer, "The Power of Light and Truth", Ensign May 2008

This lesson was taught by Kathy Bradshaw

LESSON SUMMARY From February 22

Celestial Marriage: Elder Russell M. Nelsen and Elder Paul H. Dahl

The proclamation on the family helps us realize that celestial marriage brings greater possibilities for happiness than does any other relationship.

First we must realize that each marriage starts with two built in handicaps. It involves two imperfect people. We need to frequently discuss our goals on our relationship, temple attendance, FHE, family prayers,....and make sure we're "walking in the same direction".

Second: We can write down our spouses spiritual gifts and write down our weakness. Where one is strong, the other is weak and visa versa. We compliment each other. Press. Hinckley stated: "Respect each others' differences".

Third: We need to pull together.

Fourth: We can let go of the petty differences.

We need to Act as if ... and we will become and Treat him as if... and he will become. We need to treat our husbands as if he were a Valiant Son of God.

How to have a more celestial relationship:

1. Strengthen our relationship with our Father in Heaven.

2. Spend time alone together.

3. Listen to each other.

4. Develop a friendship with our spouse .

5 . Do something special for our spouse everyday

6. Share with our spouse those things in our marriage that heave been most meaningful to us.

7. Take a second honeymoon, even if it is for only a day. Just be together. No phone. No family. No acquaintances.

8. Share a new experience together.

This lesson was taught by Karen Adair

LESSON 27 SUMMARY

Joseph Smith lesson #27

Beware the Bitter Fruits of Apostasy

This weeks lesson is on apostasy which is a tricky thing. We might be tempted to make many assumptions about apostasy an about those who have fallen into apostasy, but what Christ would have us do is the very hard work of loving and having compassion for those who are struggling with issues of belief. Early Saints had many challenges to their faith that today's members may have a hard time relating to. The Church today is relatively safe and mainstream. But there are still many issues and circumstances which can bring about a crisis of faith. Leaders of the Church must treat these critical members with the necessary love and respect that even a normal stranger would receive. We must support and sustain our leaders. I'm sure that we have all been in a calling where we were criticized or not supported by ward members. We need to cease criticizing each other, we need to support and sustain each other in our callings. Finally, we need to build bridges of understanding with those who are struggling with faith. We need to act as Christ would with this situation and build a bridge of understanding and uncondional love. In dealing with a loved one who has lost faith in and/or left the church there is a balancing act that must be done; working our the best ways to be true to your own beliefs while respecting the experiences of the other.

This lesson was taught by Michaela Huso.

Here is a link to the lesson on LDS.org

LESSON 25 SUMMARY

JS Lesson #25:

Truths from the Savior's Parables in Matthew 13.

This lesson taught how Joseph Smith studied and loved the scriptures. He studied Hebrew daily so that he could have a better understanding of the Bible. Which was amazing considering he had the ability to translate by the power of God and yet was interested in learning ancient languages to better improve himself. This lesson went through a few of the parables that the Savior taught. It helped us to better understand why Christ taught in parables, not to confuse us but to help us relate to the lessons being taught. We learn of the parable of the wheat and tares, which ..."will grow together until the end of the world, when the righteous will be gathered and the wicked burned." God doesn't keep the wheat "pure" by removing the tares. We were sent to this earth to learn and have responsibilities now and in the time before the judgment. We need to ask ourselves what our responsibilities are regarding the tares as well as the wheat. In the parable of the mustard seed, JS teaches that the church today is like the developing tree of the mustard seed. He also shifts the metaphor to a rock to show its solidness and strength.

This lesson was taught by Michaela Huso.

Here is a link to the lesson on LDS.org

LESSON 24 SUMMARY

CHAPTER 24:

Leading in the Lord’s Way

While the prophet Joseph Smith was helping the saints in Kirtland, Ohio, there was a lot of tribulation for the saints in Jackson County, Missouri. Under the Lord’s direction, Joseph organized over 200 men to march from Kirtland to Missouri—Zion’s Camp. Zion’s Camp experienced tremendous hardships along their journey: blistered feet, moldy bread, spoiled butter, maggoty bacon and cheese, and unclean water. Even with all of these trials and some near rebellions, Joseph managed to lead the men to Missouri, and then lead them back to Kirtland—over 900 miles total. Zion’s Camp had troubles and tribulations for 900 miles, but how long are our tribulations we face today? 900 minutes? 900 weeks? 900 months? Cheri Toolson pointed out that not only does it matter how long our trials are, but what we do with those trials while we face them. Many men in Zion’s Camp chose to complain about their hardships, but out of the 200 men that went, all of the 12 apostles and quorum of the 70 were men from Zion’s Camp. Orson Hyde (a member of Zion’s Camp) said of Joseph’s leadership, “[Joseph’s] bosom glowed with love, compassion, and kindness; and with a zeal and fidelity that became a devoted friend in [their] hour of peril, he personally ministered to the sick and dying; and aided in burying the dead. Every act of his during that severe trial gave additional assurances to the camp that with all their faults, he loved them still.” May we follow Joseph’s example and lead our families, children, and neighbors with unconditional love and kindness.

This lesson was taught by Melissa Gulbrandsen

Here is the link to lesson 24 on lds.org

Lesson Summary for Sunday Nov. 23rd 2008

Chapter 21

"The Second Coming and the Millennium"

Lesson #21 is about Joseph Smith's insight on the Second Coming. When we think of the Second Coming we tend to sign search, think of the evils of the world and assume the end is very near. But instead, try to read this chapter with the intentions of giving yourself a spiritual boost. We should try to become spiritually awakened and not asleep. To do this we need to put on our "armor of righteousness" or a feminine way of saying this would be to get our "purse of preparedness". Think of all the things that women carry in their purses to be prepared for any mishaps. Band-Aids, chapstick, aspirin, scissors, candy, etc. to name a few possibilities that may be in a woman's purse. By being prepared when we go out and face the world we are setting ourselves up to better succeed. We can look at the Second Coming in the same way. If we prepare ourselves to the best of our ability, (72 hr. kits, financial planning resources, spiritual strength and wisdom) we will be able to face a difficult world with our faith in Christ.

This lesson was taught by Michaela Huso

Here is the link to lesson 21 on LDS.org

Lesson Summary for Sun. Nov. 16th 2008

Chapter 20
“A Heart Full of Love and Faith: The Prophet’s Letters to His Family”

Joseph Smith was away from his family a lot during the span of these letters he wrote to his family. Even though he was gone much of the time, he still wrote to his wife and family using very tender and loving language. Some of the ways we can cultivate these tender feelings in our own families are by showing our family members gratitude for their service in the family and expressing our appreciation for them. Also, just telling them that we love them; it never hurts to hear a verbal reminder of how much we are loved. Finally, we can always pray for and comfort each other in times of hardship and trial.

Sometimes, life gets hard and we are uncertain of our situation. In one of Joseph’s letters to Emma, he shares some counsel on how to deal with such times, “I cannot learn much for certainty in the situation that I am in, and can only pray for deliverance until it is meted out and take everything as it comes with patience and fortitude.” As Joseph tells us here, sometimes all we can do in uncertain situations and circumstances is pray and then have patience and wait. Finally, Joseph offers us hope, “…be comforted and look forward to the day when the trials and tribulations of this life will be at an end, and we will all enjoy the fruits of our labor if we hold out faithful to the end...”

This lesson was taught by Melissa Gulbrandsen

Here is a link to the lesson on LDS.org Chapter 20