Relief Society Lesson - Priesthood Power

The Power of the Priesthood
President Boyd K. Packer
April 2010 General Conference

John the Baptist confers the Aaronic priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on May 15, 1829

Peter, James, and John confer the Melchizedek priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.

Priesthood is the authority and the power which God has granted to men on earth to act for Him.

When priesthood authority is exercised properly, priesthood bearers do what He would do if He were present.

Authority in the priesthood comes by way of ordination.

Power in the priesthood comes through faithful and obedient living in honoring covenants. It is increased by exercising and using the priesthood in righteousness.

President Joseph F. Smith made this statement about the priesthood in the home: “In the home the presiding authority is always vested in the father, and in all home affairs and family matters there is no other authority paramount. To illustrate this principle, a single incident will perhaps suffice. It sometimes happens that the elders are called in to administer to the members of a family. Among these elders there may be presidents of stakes, apostles, or even members of the first presidency of the Church. It is not proper under these circumstances for the father to stand back and expect the elders to direct the administration of this important ordinance. The father is there. It is his right and it is his duty to preside. He should select the one who is to administer the oil, and the one who is to be mouth in prayer, and he should not feel that because there are present presiding authorities in the Church that he is therefore divested of his rights to direct the administration of that blessing of the gospel in his home. (If the father be absent, the mother should request the presiding authority present to take charge.) The father presides at the table, at prayer, and gives general directions relating to his family life whoever may be present.”

While parents are equal partners in the home, it is the father’s responsibility to be the patriarch, or head of the house. If the father is not present, the mother presides no matter how old the sons are or what priesthood they may hold. -Family Home Evening Resource book, lesson 20

Healing the Sick
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
April 2010 General Conference

There are five parts to the use of priesthood authority to bless the sick:

(1) The anointing

(2)Sealing of the anointing

(3) Faith

(4) Words of the blessing

(5) The will of the Lord

We must always remember that faith and the healing power of the priesthood cannot produce a result contrary to the will of Him whose priesthood it is.

College Football Picks Week 4 Results

1. Tammy -19
2. Michael -20
3. Dad -22
4. Lisa -23
5. Mom -24 tiebreaker 56 actual 61
6. Juliet -24 tiebreaker 52 actual 61
7. Mercedes -30
8. Richie -31

Quote of the Day

"For those who eschew evil and live good lives, who strive for a brighter day and keep the commandments of God, things can get better and better even in the face of tragedy. The Savior showed us the way. From Gethsemane, the cross, and the tomb, He rose triumphant, bringing life and hope to us all. He bids us, 'Come, follow me' (Luke 18:22)."President Thomas S. Monson has counseled: 'If we are to walk with head held high, we must make our contribution to life. If we are to fulfill our destiny and return to live with our Father in Heaven, we must keep His commandments and pattern our lives after the Savior. By so doing, we will not only achieve our goal of eternal life, but we will also leave the world richer and better than it would have been had we not lived and performed our duties' (Thomas S. Monson, used with permission)."

Keith B. McMullin, "Our Path of Duty," Ensign, May 2010, 13

College Football Picks Week Three Results

1. Michael - 15
2. Tammy and Mom -18 Tammy tiebreaker 53 Mom tiebreaker 35 actual 44 (both nine off)
4. Lisa - 23
5. Richie - 27
6. Juliet -28 tiebreaker 55 actual 44
7. Dad - 28 tiebreaker 57 actual 44
8. Mercedes -32

Formula for Success

"Always be active in the Church.  I will give you a formula which will guarantee to a large extent your success in fulfilling that commitment. It is simple. It consists of just three words: Pay your tithing. Every bishop could tell you from his personal experience that when the members of the Church pay tithing, honestly, faithfully, they have little difficulty keeping the other commandments of God. I call it a benchmark commandment.

Lasting happiness is found only when we live the teachings of the gospel."
- Thomas S. Monson, September 7, 2003, CES fireside

Unfathomable

As I was watching Good Morning America this morning, I read something that is quite disturbing. As the news scrolled across the bottom of the screen, I read that an Ohio mother is accused of teaching her two-year-old daughter to smoke pot.

I have two nephews who are also two years old, and I can't imagine anybody harming them in such a way, least of all their own mothers. That is just unfathomable.

It is a mother's responsibility to nurture, and protect her children. Not to harm them. It is a mother's responsibility to teach her children correct principles. Not to teach them to break the law by using illegal drugs. But this goes way beyond that. This is a two-year-old baby whose own mother is not only damaging her delicate young body and growing brain by making the child smoke marijuana. But is also teaching her that putting harmful substances into her body is what she is supposed to do.

A two-year-old! Her own mother teaching her to smoke marijuana! I just don't have words to describe how horrible/terrible/unbelievable/unfathomable/sickening this is. It makes my heart hurt.

I know this world is no better than Sodom and Gomorrah was. I know we live in an extremely wicked time. I know people do horrible things all the time. I just hate to hear about it. It makes me sick.

That's my two cents.

Quote by Christopher Columbus

I know Columbus day isn’t until October. But I really like this quote, so I thought I would post it. Mom and I have been reading, “No One Can Take Your Place” by Sheri Dew. This is a quote, by Christopher Columbus, from her book.

"Our Lord unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my enterprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed. But who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me?" (Wasserman, Columbus, Don Quixote of the Seas, 19-20).

Isn't it wonderful and interesting that the Lord had a hand in Columbus' voyage? And he recognized it, and wrote it in his journal. And isn't it wonderful that the founding fathers of our great nation, were also guided by the hand of the Lord?

It's nice to know, that even before the gospel was restored in its fullness, that the Lord was guiding Columbus, and others, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

That's my two cents.

[To refresh everyone's memory, Columbus landed in the Americas on October 12, 1492]

College Football Picks Week Two Results

1 - Tammy (-12)
2 - Michael (-13)
3 - Dad (-15)
4 - Lisa (-18)
5 - Mom (-20, tiebreaker 42, actual 49)
6 - Derrinda (-20, tiebreaker 40, actual 49)
7 - Juliet (-24)
8 - Richie (-31)
9- Mercedes (-32)
10 - Dallas (-33)

I got one! Another fun week with crazy upsets. Good job everybody.

CES Fireside

On Sunday, September 12, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific daylight time, Elder Richard G. Scott will speak at a CES fireside for young adults.

I love CES firesides. They are always very inspirational and well-written talks. They are my favorite devotionals to watch. If you can't watch it tomorrow, set your DVR.

Facebook Users Have Low Self-Esteem

I came across an interesting piece of information today. Here's the first line of the article:

"TORONTO: Facebook is used mostly by narcissists and those with low self-esteem, says a Canadian study. "

Granted it was a study done by a graduate student at York University in Canada. So, it wasn't the most well-designed study. But nonetheless, the results were interesting and, I believe, accurate.

I did a blog post a while ago about Facebook. I have always said, "cool people don't do Facebook".

Anyway, it was nice to see a study that backs up what I already believe.

That's my two cents.

Old-fashioned Blackberry Peach Cobbler

We had some wild blackberries picked by my nephews, and some fresh peaches that needed to be used up. So I found a recipe online for some Blackberry peach cobbler. Dad made it, and it turned out wonderfully. It’s especially good with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top.

Old-Fashioned Blackberry Peach Cobbler
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 pounds (about 5 cups or approximately 567grams) fresh blackberries
2 pounds fresh peaches (6 medium or 4 large peaches or approximately 907 grams), peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks/8 oz./226g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/4 cups milk

Topping:
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar (for sprinkling on top of the dough) [we used about 1/4 cup]

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Spray a 9 x 13-inch (22cm x 33cm) glass or ceramic baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cornstarch and the 1 1/2 cups sugar. Add blackberries and peaches and toss to combine well. Transfer to baking dish and bake until just bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Leave oven set to 425°F/220°C.

While fruit is baking in oven, in another large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; then blend in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and stir just until a dough forms.

Drop 12 mounds of dough (about 1/3 cup each) onto hot fruit mixture, then sprinkle dough with the 1 tablespoon of sugar. Bake cobbler in preheated 425°F/220°C oven until top is golden, 25 to 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or non-dairy whipped topping.

College Football Picks Week 1 Results

1. Dad -9
2. Michael -10
3. Tammy -14 tiebreaker 43 actual 55
4. mom -14 tiebreaker 28 actual 55
5. Lisa -20
6. Derrinda -25
7. Juliet -26
8. Richie -29 tiebreaker 53 actual 55
9. Mercedes -29 tiebreaker 17 actual 55
10. Chanelle -32

It was a great opening week for college football. The Boise State game ruled supreme! Actually, there were several wonderful games. My alma mater, Utah State, gave Oklahoma a scare. (That's what ESPN called it) But couldn't pull out the win :-(. And of course, BYU beat Washington! Jake who? There were 67 games on the picks this week. So good job everybody! Congrats to Dad for winning week one!

Missionary Profile

I was browsing LDS.org yesterday and saw a link to create my own missionary profile on Mormon.org. So, that's what I did yesterday. It was pretty fun actually. I don't think my profile is up yet because they have to review it. But when it is, I think if you click on that icon on the right of my blog that says my faith, it will connect you to my profile.

Any of you, who are members of The Church, can create your own missionary profile by clicking on this link. I would encourage you to do so.

That's my two cents.