GCBC Elder Richard G. Scott

Over at Diapers and Divinity she is hosting a General Conference Book Club (GCBC) where once a week she has one talk that we study and discuss. I have decided that instead of just sharing my thoughts on her blog I would also blog about each talk myself.

I have decided to do this for a few reasons:
     1. I ramble and do not want to take up too much space.
     2. I created this blog to share the Gospel. Having prophets and apostles on this earth today is amazing. I want to share their words with everyone.

So this week is Elder Scott's talk.

This talk was one that spoke so much to me! The imagery in his words are amazing:

"Packets of light."

"Stalwart friends"

"File cabinets with friends."

Just take a minute and picture each of those. Powerful huh?

My favorite line from the talk is "Learning, pondering, and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values and truths." As a shy person with only a few close friends, the idea of having a filing cabinet full of friends is exciting.

So there was alot from this talk that I felt I am needing to work on.

   1. I need to study more. I haven't been the most consistent in doing this. I find that I will study for like half a day than a few weeks later studying again.. So I am committing to a daily reading. - So far this is going good. Some days I have only got a few verses in but they are open daily.

   2. I need to read the Old Testament from cover to cover. This is a huge undertaking that I will start after I have finished my reading of the Book of Mormon from cover to cover. Hopefully starting sometime in November.

   3. I have the habit of running to others, and running to physiological books to get help when challenges arise in life. But I need to run to my scriptures and those examples in them before anyone else.

We are told we need to be self sufficient in all things. This means not just temporal things but spiritual and mental as well. I am not saying going to friends and other books is bad, but for me I need to remember to go to the scriptures. The way I know this would work for me is by seeking answers from them first.

As I have read through this talk. I have been amazed and my attention drawn to all the blessing the scriptures can bring to our lives as we search, ponder, pray and memorize:

• Illuminate our minds
• A place for guidance and inspiration from on high
• Key to open channel to communion with Father in Heaven
• Strength of authority
• Stalwart friends, not limited by geography or calender
• Always available when needed
• Foundation of truth
• Great power
• Memorizing forges new friendship
• Help in time of need
• Give inspiration and comfort
• Source of motivation
• Give great direction to life
• Foundation of support
• Willing friend who can help us
• Enduring friend who is not weakened with the passage of time
• Pondering is key to unlock revelation, guidance and inspiration
• Greater happiness, peace and attainment in this life
• Key ingredients to platform of truth
• Acts as a resource to share gospel

What a ton of AMAZING blessings from the Standard Works. It makes me want to go out and make the effort to study memorize and ponder more.What about you?

An Extensive Sphere of Action

Today was one of those days where it seemed like my to do list started out overflowing and as I crossed one thing off I had 2 more added to my plate. Any more it seems like everyday is like that but today for some reason was especially overwhelming. Maybe because my husband and I have been discussing bringing in more children and me going out and working outside the home for a short season. So looking at my to do list feeling overwhelmed how did i expect to fit in another child and a job or two.

Than I went out with my friend and we were discussing different things. One topic we discussed for a long while was how we wanted one day to be as knowledgeable as so and so, and able to sew like this lady, and as musical as this person etc. etc. We went on and on saying well hopefully one day. I came home and than read this article about how we need to be content with where we are right now. That maybe we aren't running marathons making all sorts of cute handouts for our lessons etc. Which got rid of most of the anxiety I had been feeling all day than I  read the visiting teaching message.

The title of message was enough to bring up all the anxiety and add some. Than I read down with this LIST of things to do like: "...save souls, lead the women of the world, strengthen home and family.... great deal towards establishing the Kingdom of God upon the earth." Are you kidding me I was starting to feel sick and like I would never measure up.

Luckily because I am going visit teaching in a few days I didn't stop there because than I read "need no be large and overwhelming, but they should be deliberate and consistent." and Elder Ballard's final quote reading:

           "Every sister who stands for truth and righteousness diminishes the influence of evil. Every sister who strengthens and protects her family is doing the work of God. Every sister who lives as a woman of God becomes a beacon for others to follow and plants seeds of righteous influence that will be harvested for decades to come."

Than I went and read 1 Corinthians 12:4-12 :

        "4.Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 
         5. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 
         6. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
         7. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
         8. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
         9. To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
         10. To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
          11. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit,  dividing to every man severally as he will. 
           12.  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ."

I also went on to read Mosiah 4:27 :

           "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."

So at this point I was feeling better about where I was and how I was doing. Than it hit me this all connected with part of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk to the Relief Society in September 2011. In this message he talks about the forget me not and his second one is about a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice. This quote  helped tie this lesson together for me:


          "Every person and situation is different, and a good sacrifice in one instance might be a foolish sacrifice in another. 
          How can we tell the difference for our own situation? We can ask ourselves, 'Am I committing my time and energies to the things that matter most?' There are so many good things to do, but we can't do all of them." 

Lastly I was reminded of Dalian H. Oaks talk October 2007 titled Good, Better, Best:

       "As we consider various choices, we should remember that it is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still others are best. Even though a particular choice is more costly, its far greater value may make it the best choice of all"

How great to know that yes the Lord wants us to do our best and always develop our talents and gain new ones, but we don't have to do it all at once and not every talent need we develop. Also that not only are we taught by small and simple things but we can bring about these lofty things that are required of us by the small and simple things.

Thank goodness.