I was late arriving today but I understand Sister Kristin Collins daughter, recently returned from her mission in Brazil, was with us as was Sister Regina Pangerl's daughter. Welcome! Welcome!
Sister Barnes' sacrament talk was a perfect introduction to our Relief Society lesson today! Sister Joanna Beck reminded us of the importance of having the Holy Ghost in our lives as she reviewed two Conference talks with us. Elder Larry Wilson's talk "Take the Holy Spirit as Your Guide" and President Russell M. Nelson's talk "Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives" were the Conference talks reviewed.
Elder Wilson's story of Ensign Frank Blair provided a real-life example for how we can receive the Spirit's guidance more frequently in our own lives. The FIRST GUIDELINE we learned is to receive revelation we must properly tune our receiver to heaven's frequency.
Sister Beck asked what that meant to us. Kristen Winter said her first thought was that sometimes our will is not always aligned with God's so if we tune our receiver to heaven's frequency we will be more in sync with God's will. But then she said she thought maybe it had to do with preparing ourselves and our environment to be ready and prepared for inspiration and attending the temple is one way to be better prepared. Dana Sue Kast Janulis talked of the importance of listening to the still small voice. It is easy to not be still enough to hear the messages that are trying to get through. Vicki Ashton said she can pray all day long for someone else but she realizes she needs to pray what she can do to help that person. Rachael Bonnell Inman was reminded of the adage she heard in her youth to "Pray like everything depends on the Lord and then work like everything depends on you." Sometimes we do one or the other when both are needed. Ellie Pace noticed this time as the story was shared that Ensign Blair first attached a lifeline around himself before he went out into the storm. Daily reading the scriptures and daily prayer are our lifelines that will help us to navigate the storms in our lives. These lifelines will help us be properly tuned to heaven's frequency.
Janice Neering and Joanna Beck both shared personal experiences they have had where they were tuned to heaven's frequency. Sister Neering's experience was from her youth. She was in charge of watching her father's 6,000 turkeys. On one occasion when she was around 8 years old, she had started the walk back home when she noticed two fishermen up ahead of her. She was nervous for her safety and returned to camp and prayed. She asked Heavenly Father if it would be okay for her to walk home past these men. She received an answer of peace and she knew she would be safe.
Sister Beck's experience was more recent and the process spanned eight months. Joanna is trying to be more aware and receptive to spiritual promptings in her life. In January she received an impression that she and her husband should go to Education Week and that she should invite her brother and his wife, who live in Washington, to join them. In May, she made the necessary arrangements. Then, in July, her husband needed surgery on his neck. He would have a month to recover before Education Week so she was hopeful that all would still work out. A couple of weeks following surgery it was apparent that recovery was going to take longer than anticipated and that the trip was not going to work for him. Joanna was quite upset. She was not sure why she had received that impression and why she felt she should invite others to join them. If her brother hadn't made plans to join them then she would have just canceled. Now she was conflicted. After working in the temple, she had the impression that she needed to invite her sister-in-law to join her. She wasn't sure her sister-in-law could arrange to leave for the eight days but after discussing with her husband she decided to try. Her sister-in-law was surprised at the invitation but wasn't sure it would be possible for her to make all the arrangements. Joanna offered a prayer that if they were to go that the arrangements would be easy. They were! So they made the journey to Utah where Joanna discovers that her sister-in-law had been struggling with some serious issues for months and had been searching for answers. Within the first two days of Conference, her sister-in-law had received answers to all of her concerns. Heavenly Father is involved in the details of our lives! His timing is everything. Joanna was so grateful that she followed through with the impressions she had even when it didn't seem to work out as she thought it was supposed to. Jen Sharp pointed out that Joanna was able to recognize the role of service in her life and that she was able to see this experience as a good experience even though she was an instrument in God's hand to help her sister-in-law be where she needed to be.
The SECOND GUIDELINE is to not expect God to solve our problems but to instead ask how we can be part of the solution. Vicki Ashton pointed out that often answers are given one step at a time. Sister Kristin Collins said she likes to think that we are standing in a spotlight and sometimes we need to take a step out into the darkness and only after we do does the spotlight follow us. Vicki Ashton reminded us that sometimes we don't even recognize that we are being led to be part of a solution. She used the example of "The 20 mark note" from the life of Elder Bednar as a young missionary in Germany whose impression to give visiting Elder Boyd K. Packer a 20 mark note as he departed on a train was the means that allowed Sister Packer to proceed with her husband. Elder Bednar did not know following his impression had been a solution until many years later when he was serving as a stake president and Elder Packer shared this experience over the pulpit. Chrystalyn Jones Trimble added her testimony that if we are living our lives as we should the Spirit will always direct us even if we don't know or recognize it.
The THIRD GUIDELINE from Ensign Blair's story is that he had obviously learned how to recognize the voice of the Spirit by following a pattern he had used many times before.
This guideline was illustrated from the life of President Nelson as shared by his wife Sister Wendy Watson Nelson. He has been well schooled in recognizing and listening to the Spirit and then acting upon those promptings. President Nelson shares the pattern, the same one used by the Prophet Joseph Smith, that we too can follow that will open up the windows of heaven for us. 1. Find a quiet place where you can regularly go. 2. Humble yourself before God. 3. Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. Turn to Him for answers and for comfort. Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses--yes, the very longings of your heart. 4. Listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and 5. follow through with actions you are prompted to take. "As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will 'grow into the principle of revelation.'"
Does God really want to speak to us? President Nelson's emphatic "Yes!" can give each us the encouragement to be more diligent in seeking personal revelation on a more regular basis.
(The Words of "A Child's Prayer" come to mind as I have reviewed this lesson...they weren't shared during class but I'll add them here....)
Heavenly Father, are you really there?
And do you hear and answer ev'ry child's prayer?
Some say that heaven is far away,
But I feel it close around me as I pray...
Pray, he is there;
Speak, he is list'ning.
You are his child;
His love now surrounds you.
He hears your prayer;
He loves the children.
Of such is the kingdom, the kingdom of heav'n.
Sister Barnes' sacrament talk was a perfect introduction to our Relief Society lesson today! Sister Joanna Beck reminded us of the importance of having the Holy Ghost in our lives as she reviewed two Conference talks with us. Elder Larry Wilson's talk "Take the Holy Spirit as Your Guide" and President Russell M. Nelson's talk "Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives" were the Conference talks reviewed.
Elder Wilson's story of Ensign Frank Blair provided a real-life example for how we can receive the Spirit's guidance more frequently in our own lives. The FIRST GUIDELINE we learned is to receive revelation we must properly tune our receiver to heaven's frequency.
Sister Beck asked what that meant to us. Kristen Winter said her first thought was that sometimes our will is not always aligned with God's so if we tune our receiver to heaven's frequency we will be more in sync with God's will. But then she said she thought maybe it had to do with preparing ourselves and our environment to be ready and prepared for inspiration and attending the temple is one way to be better prepared. Dana Sue Kast Janulis talked of the importance of listening to the still small voice. It is easy to not be still enough to hear the messages that are trying to get through. Vicki Ashton said she can pray all day long for someone else but she realizes she needs to pray what she can do to help that person. Rachael Bonnell Inman was reminded of the adage she heard in her youth to "Pray like everything depends on the Lord and then work like everything depends on you." Sometimes we do one or the other when both are needed. Ellie Pace noticed this time as the story was shared that Ensign Blair first attached a lifeline around himself before he went out into the storm. Daily reading the scriptures and daily prayer are our lifelines that will help us to navigate the storms in our lives. These lifelines will help us be properly tuned to heaven's frequency.
Janice Neering and Joanna Beck both shared personal experiences they have had where they were tuned to heaven's frequency. Sister Neering's experience was from her youth. She was in charge of watching her father's 6,000 turkeys. On one occasion when she was around 8 years old, she had started the walk back home when she noticed two fishermen up ahead of her. She was nervous for her safety and returned to camp and prayed. She asked Heavenly Father if it would be okay for her to walk home past these men. She received an answer of peace and she knew she would be safe.
Sister Beck's experience was more recent and the process spanned eight months. Joanna is trying to be more aware and receptive to spiritual promptings in her life. In January she received an impression that she and her husband should go to Education Week and that she should invite her brother and his wife, who live in Washington, to join them. In May, she made the necessary arrangements. Then, in July, her husband needed surgery on his neck. He would have a month to recover before Education Week so she was hopeful that all would still work out. A couple of weeks following surgery it was apparent that recovery was going to take longer than anticipated and that the trip was not going to work for him. Joanna was quite upset. She was not sure why she had received that impression and why she felt she should invite others to join them. If her brother hadn't made plans to join them then she would have just canceled. Now she was conflicted. After working in the temple, she had the impression that she needed to invite her sister-in-law to join her. She wasn't sure her sister-in-law could arrange to leave for the eight days but after discussing with her husband she decided to try. Her sister-in-law was surprised at the invitation but wasn't sure it would be possible for her to make all the arrangements. Joanna offered a prayer that if they were to go that the arrangements would be easy. They were! So they made the journey to Utah where Joanna discovers that her sister-in-law had been struggling with some serious issues for months and had been searching for answers. Within the first two days of Conference, her sister-in-law had received answers to all of her concerns. Heavenly Father is involved in the details of our lives! His timing is everything. Joanna was so grateful that she followed through with the impressions she had even when it didn't seem to work out as she thought it was supposed to. Jen Sharp pointed out that Joanna was able to recognize the role of service in her life and that she was able to see this experience as a good experience even though she was an instrument in God's hand to help her sister-in-law be where she needed to be.
The SECOND GUIDELINE is to not expect God to solve our problems but to instead ask how we can be part of the solution. Vicki Ashton pointed out that often answers are given one step at a time. Sister Kristin Collins said she likes to think that we are standing in a spotlight and sometimes we need to take a step out into the darkness and only after we do does the spotlight follow us. Vicki Ashton reminded us that sometimes we don't even recognize that we are being led to be part of a solution. She used the example of "The 20 mark note" from the life of Elder Bednar as a young missionary in Germany whose impression to give visiting Elder Boyd K. Packer a 20 mark note as he departed on a train was the means that allowed Sister Packer to proceed with her husband. Elder Bednar did not know following his impression had been a solution until many years later when he was serving as a stake president and Elder Packer shared this experience over the pulpit. Chrystalyn Jones Trimble added her testimony that if we are living our lives as we should the Spirit will always direct us even if we don't know or recognize it.
The THIRD GUIDELINE from Ensign Blair's story is that he had obviously learned how to recognize the voice of the Spirit by following a pattern he had used many times before.
This guideline was illustrated from the life of President Nelson as shared by his wife Sister Wendy Watson Nelson. He has been well schooled in recognizing and listening to the Spirit and then acting upon those promptings. President Nelson shares the pattern, the same one used by the Prophet Joseph Smith, that we too can follow that will open up the windows of heaven for us. 1. Find a quiet place where you can regularly go. 2. Humble yourself before God. 3. Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. Turn to Him for answers and for comfort. Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses--yes, the very longings of your heart. 4. Listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and 5. follow through with actions you are prompted to take. "As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will 'grow into the principle of revelation.'"
Does God really want to speak to us? President Nelson's emphatic "Yes!" can give each us the encouragement to be more diligent in seeking personal revelation on a more regular basis.
(The Words of "A Child's Prayer" come to mind as I have reviewed this lesson...they weren't shared during class but I'll add them here....)
Heavenly Father, are you really there?
And do you hear and answer ev'ry child's prayer?
Some say that heaven is far away,
But I feel it close around me as I pray...
Pray, he is there;
Speak, he is list'ning.
You are his child;
His love now surrounds you.
He hears your prayer;
He loves the children.
Of such is the kingdom, the kingdom of heav'n.
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