Gospel Principals - 6/17/12 - Bro. Lovell

Who has been on a date? Who has felt that giddy infatuation? Who has had a disagreement with that person? Entropy = things that move towards continuous disorder. Personal relationships. What happens to your house over time? Entropy is a real problem. How do you go from giddy to disagreement? Familiararity. We like to discover...we get bored over time when there's nothing else to discover. Don't need to try so hard. Why do we do that? Human nature. If you don't have the lows, you can't appreciate the highs. Relationships start out fun, then it ends up where it needs to be functional..and it's not always fun. Priorities. Shared values matter. Is marraige so much work? Be commited. The world says, "If it doesn't work...DIVORCE!"
We spend more time talking about how important it is that we're married "forever." we just talked about how much work it is. Why is it so imporant to be married for eternity? 1)God said so. 2)creation / create 3)Be like God. The point of the world is to become like Heavenly Father. Something we do here, always has a point. Life on this earth = college. Move away from family (home in Heaven) Move to college (earth). You will make decisions you will deal with forever. Here to figure it out on our own. There are things that have long term consequences. Marraige is one of them. How do you get married? out of the church - legal agreement - 2 ppl become one - AKA, ok for sex. What's the advantage of being married? (out of the gospel) Marriage is a commitment. We have a yearning to want to feel close to another person. God gave us that feeling, for marriages. We Want to feel loved! We want someone who will love us, for who we are.
Gestaldt (German)  = something that is more than the sum of it's parts. 1+1 = 3
In the Gospel, marriage = ordinance. Means much more than just through a contract. (D&C 132:15-16) You can't become like HF (Heavenly Father) without being married. (18) through one with authority. Right place, right person, right time. It's about you, your spouse and God. You become more than just a contract, you become more like God. (19-20) Shall be Gods because they eternally create. It's about making people. About becoming like God. Just because you get sealed in the temple...it's not perfect from then on out. Marriage is hard / difficult, but is easier through the gospel. Commit yourself for eternity. Recognize it for the blessing that it is.

~Bro. Lovell

Sacrament Meeting

Tassji's talk - Agency - Something we are endowed with. Your choice. An important gift. We are expected to use it, and ask God for help / inspiration. Gave three examples on how ppl used agency. (D&C 8:1-3) Oliver Cowdrey wanted to translate the book of mormon. Spirit of revelation. Pray and ask in faith. Don't ask for something you know you can't have. (D&C 9) You can't expect God to give you everything you ask for. Things to ask God for help with / inspiration - Who we date; music we listen to; movies we see, etc. Ask God for approval. Use your agency to make the right choices. Listen to the still small Voice.

Sis. Nikki Szarka's talk - Following the promptings of the Holy Ghost - Why is it important? (John 14:16) He can help us as a teacher. (2 Nephi 2:35) He can be our guide and lead us on a safe path. We are entitlted to personal revelation. Act on the promptings. It's a blessing to recieve daily inspiration. Do your part and be worthy. Just by doing or saying something wrong...he could leave us. You could save someone by following the promptings given by the Holy Ghost. The Lord speaks to you through the spirit. It's a thought or a feeling. You will not make a major mistake without first being warned by the spirit. (D&C 8:2-3) spirit of revelation. Don't be too busy to pay attention to the spirit. (Moroni 8:26) pray, study, live righteously, repent, serve = are the ways we can invite the holy ghost into our lives. The spirit testifies to us of Christ. The spirit can comfort us. (D&C 127:7-8) Will uplift us, inform us (D&C 100:6) Restrain us. Often comes by surprise in restraining. Confirms, impails. Rare to impail, yet significant when it does happen. When we follow that still small voice, we'll find answers, joy, and safety. Sometimes, it's hard to recognize if it's your thoughts, or the spirit.

Bishop Reading's talk - Talks about personal experience with his father. Everyone should have a childhood memory with their father. There are differences between fathers in and out of the gospel. It's the perspective. how do you teach? What about? Eternal perspective plays a big part in how a father teaches / guides his family. Fathers work hard on protecting their children. "Just Say No." Just as there are physical dangers out there, there are also spiritual dangers.