Dress: No blue jeans
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Nov Presidency Message - Reverence
Blessings of Reverence
The Lord gives clear direction regarding His expectation for reverence in Leviticus 19:30, where He states, “Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.”
Much of what we say in the Church about reverence usually focuses on being quiet in places of worship, with special emphasis on children being quiet. Certainly, quiet is a key part of reverence, but the full, rich meaning of the concept of reverence includes much more than the absence of noise and commotion. Quiet does not necessarily equal reverence.
The core words most often found in scriptures associated with reverence are respect, love, and honor. Using these standards, we can see that reverence reflects activity of the heart, not just inactivity of the mouth.
David O. McKay puts the topic of reverence in clear perspective: “Reverence is profound respect mingled with love.”
L. Tom Perry - Serve God Acceptably with Reverence and Godly Fear
While I believe that reverence is often exhibited through reverent behaviors, it is not behaviors that concern me now. I want to discuss reverence as an attitude—an attitude of deepest respect and veneration toward Deity. Of course, reverent behaviors follow reverent attitudes, but it is the attitude of reverence that we need to cultivate first among our members. Reverent behaviors without reverent attitudes are empty of meaning because they are performed for the praises of men, not God.
The scriptures remind us constantly of the goodness that is centered in the heart. Those who put on an appearance only to receive the honors of men, but have unclean hearts, are called hypocrites. It is not enough to behave reverently; we must feel in our hearts reverence for our Heavenly Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Reverence flows from our admiration and respect for Deity. Those who are truly reverent are those who have paid the price to know the glory of the Father and His Son. As Paul admonished in Hebrews, “Serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” (Heb. 12:28.)
If reverence is an attitude towards Deity, then it is a private feeling. It is something we feel inside our hearts no matter what is going on around us. It is also a personal responsibility. Reverence is not just a Sunday word or principle. It is something we can feel and express everyday. I would like to suggest three things that will help increase our personal reverence.
Prepare/Plan - Reverence is home-grown and a desire for reverent behavior and attitude prompts us to plan.
Sing the hymns - Boyd K Packer - Reverence Invites Revelation
DC 25:12 - my soul delighteth in the song of the heart, yea a song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads. .
Reverent Language - Boyd K Packer - Reverence Invites Revelation
We are drifting from the use of reverential words in our prayers. Familiar terms such as you and yours are replacing thee and thine in prayer. Teach the children and gently inform new members that we use reverential terms when addressing our Heavenly Father in prayer.
“Hallowed Be Thy Name” - Elder Howard W. Hunter There are wide areas of our society from which the spirit of prayer and reverence and worship has vanished. Men and women in many circles are clever, interesting, or brilliant, but they lack one crucial element in a complete life. They do not look up. They do not offer up vows in righteousness, as the requirement is stated in the Doctrine and Covenants, “on all days and at all times.” (D&C 59:11.) Their conversation sparkles, but it is not sacred. Their talk is witty, but it is not wise. Whether it be in the office, the locker room, or the laboratory, they have come too far down the scale of dignity who display their own limited powers and then find it necessary to blaspheme those unlimited powers that come from above.... Reverence is the atmosphere of heaven.
I have often wondered if my efforts to instill this attitude of reverence in our family has yielded any fruit. Most times I consider us, my family as a whole, still a work in progress. As for me personally though I know reverence has increased my faith, gratitude and knowledge, whispered hope and peace to my weary soul and shouted joy to me spirit. Reverence invites revelation and through this revelation I have come to know God.
Marion G. Romney, “Reverence,” Ensign, Oct 1976, 2
Reverence is the soul of true religion. Its seedbed is sincerity. Its quality is determined by the esteem in which one holds the object of his reverence as evidenced by his behavior toward that object. When that object is God, the genuinely reverent person has a worshipful adoration coupled with a respectful behavior toward him and all that pertains to him. The want of such appreciation or behavior smacks of irreverence.
Judged by their superior knowledge of God, Latter-day Saints should be the most reverent people in the world, and I believe they are.
Order is a part of reverence. So is cleanliness—cleanliness of person, of apparel, of speech, of action, and of thought and impulse. So also are courtesy, respect for one another, and kindred virtues. True reverence for Deity induces one, by self-imposed control, to do the will of God at all times and in all places.
Revelation - Boyd K Packer - Reverence Invites Revelation
“No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration. The spirit of reverence can and should be evident in every organization in the Church and in the lives of every member.
Parents, stake presidencies, bishoprics, auxiliary leaders, teachers: maintain a spirit of reverence in meetings, encourage participation in congregational singing and the use of reverential terms in prayers.
While we may not see an immediate, miraculous transformation, as surely as the Lord lives, a quiet one will take place. The spiritual power in the lives of each member and in the Church will increase. The Lord will pour out his Spirit upon us more abundantly. We will be less troubled, less confused. We will find revealed answers to personal and family problems without all the counseling which we seem now to need.
And in the spirit of reverence, I bear testimony that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that the Holy Ghost—our comforter, our teacher—will come to us if we will maintain a spirit of reverence, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
We act in reverence not because we are important, but because the Lord is important to us. Heartfelt reverence is an important part of our worship of our Heavenly Father and of the Lord. In all of the activities and thoughts of our lives each day, may we avoid that which reflects a lack of reverence toward Them. In all of our worship activities, may we seek to expand and enrich our feelings of respect, love, and honor toward our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. These feelings are tokens of a true Christian character.
Smiles,
Corinne
The Lord gives clear direction regarding His expectation for reverence in Leviticus 19:30, where He states, “Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.”
Much of what we say in the Church about reverence usually focuses on being quiet in places of worship, with special emphasis on children being quiet. Certainly, quiet is a key part of reverence, but the full, rich meaning of the concept of reverence includes much more than the absence of noise and commotion. Quiet does not necessarily equal reverence.
The core words most often found in scriptures associated with reverence are respect, love, and honor. Using these standards, we can see that reverence reflects activity of the heart, not just inactivity of the mouth.
David O. McKay puts the topic of reverence in clear perspective: “Reverence is profound respect mingled with love.”
L. Tom Perry - Serve God Acceptably with Reverence and Godly Fear
While I believe that reverence is often exhibited through reverent behaviors, it is not behaviors that concern me now. I want to discuss reverence as an attitude—an attitude of deepest respect and veneration toward Deity. Of course, reverent behaviors follow reverent attitudes, but it is the attitude of reverence that we need to cultivate first among our members. Reverent behaviors without reverent attitudes are empty of meaning because they are performed for the praises of men, not God.
The scriptures remind us constantly of the goodness that is centered in the heart. Those who put on an appearance only to receive the honors of men, but have unclean hearts, are called hypocrites. It is not enough to behave reverently; we must feel in our hearts reverence for our Heavenly Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Reverence flows from our admiration and respect for Deity. Those who are truly reverent are those who have paid the price to know the glory of the Father and His Son. As Paul admonished in Hebrews, “Serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” (Heb. 12:28.)
If reverence is an attitude towards Deity, then it is a private feeling. It is something we feel inside our hearts no matter what is going on around us. It is also a personal responsibility. Reverence is not just a Sunday word or principle. It is something we can feel and express everyday. I would like to suggest three things that will help increase our personal reverence.
Prepare/Plan - Reverence is home-grown and a desire for reverent behavior and attitude prompts us to plan.
Sing the hymns - Boyd K Packer - Reverence Invites Revelation
DC 25:12 - my soul delighteth in the song of the heart, yea a song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads. .
Reverent Language - Boyd K Packer - Reverence Invites Revelation
We are drifting from the use of reverential words in our prayers. Familiar terms such as you and yours are replacing thee and thine in prayer. Teach the children and gently inform new members that we use reverential terms when addressing our Heavenly Father in prayer.
“Hallowed Be Thy Name” - Elder Howard W. Hunter There are wide areas of our society from which the spirit of prayer and reverence and worship has vanished. Men and women in many circles are clever, interesting, or brilliant, but they lack one crucial element in a complete life. They do not look up. They do not offer up vows in righteousness, as the requirement is stated in the Doctrine and Covenants, “on all days and at all times.” (D&C 59:11.) Their conversation sparkles, but it is not sacred. Their talk is witty, but it is not wise. Whether it be in the office, the locker room, or the laboratory, they have come too far down the scale of dignity who display their own limited powers and then find it necessary to blaspheme those unlimited powers that come from above.... Reverence is the atmosphere of heaven.
I have often wondered if my efforts to instill this attitude of reverence in our family has yielded any fruit. Most times I consider us, my family as a whole, still a work in progress. As for me personally though I know reverence has increased my faith, gratitude and knowledge, whispered hope and peace to my weary soul and shouted joy to me spirit. Reverence invites revelation and through this revelation I have come to know God.
Marion G. Romney, “Reverence,” Ensign, Oct 1976, 2
Reverence is the soul of true religion. Its seedbed is sincerity. Its quality is determined by the esteem in which one holds the object of his reverence as evidenced by his behavior toward that object. When that object is God, the genuinely reverent person has a worshipful adoration coupled with a respectful behavior toward him and all that pertains to him. The want of such appreciation or behavior smacks of irreverence.
Judged by their superior knowledge of God, Latter-day Saints should be the most reverent people in the world, and I believe they are.
Order is a part of reverence. So is cleanliness—cleanliness of person, of apparel, of speech, of action, and of thought and impulse. So also are courtesy, respect for one another, and kindred virtues. True reverence for Deity induces one, by self-imposed control, to do the will of God at all times and in all places.
Revelation - Boyd K Packer - Reverence Invites Revelation
“No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration. The spirit of reverence can and should be evident in every organization in the Church and in the lives of every member.
Parents, stake presidencies, bishoprics, auxiliary leaders, teachers: maintain a spirit of reverence in meetings, encourage participation in congregational singing and the use of reverential terms in prayers.
While we may not see an immediate, miraculous transformation, as surely as the Lord lives, a quiet one will take place. The spiritual power in the lives of each member and in the Church will increase. The Lord will pour out his Spirit upon us more abundantly. We will be less troubled, less confused. We will find revealed answers to personal and family problems without all the counseling which we seem now to need.
And in the spirit of reverence, I bear testimony that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that the Holy Ghost—our comforter, our teacher—will come to us if we will maintain a spirit of reverence, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
We act in reverence not because we are important, but because the Lord is important to us. Heartfelt reverence is an important part of our worship of our Heavenly Father and of the Lord. In all of the activities and thoughts of our lives each day, may we avoid that which reflects a lack of reverence toward Them. In all of our worship activities, may we seek to expand and enrich our feelings of respect, love, and honor toward our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. These feelings are tokens of a true Christian character.
Smiles,
Corinne
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Worthy cause - Christmas service project
Karrie Giustini is helping her brother and sister-in law organize donations to help various needy families in the NE part of the city to give them a Christmas.
She will be collecting items at her house: 166 Chapalina Rise (or she will pick up if you need) until Dec.16.
Please contact Karrie if you would like to help or want more information.
She will be collecting items at her house: 166 Chapalina Rise (or she will pick up if you need) until Dec.16.
Please contact Karrie if you would like to help or want more information.
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