Sunday, March 21, 2010
Woodbadge Breakfast and Eagle Awards Ceremony in Sheridan Wyoming 2010
Collin receiving recognition for his Eagle Award.
All of us at the luncheon.
David with two friends from his Woodbadge patrol.
David, Collin, and Hans with the author of the Scout Handbook. He was the keynote speaker at the luncheon.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Sacrament Meeting Talk on “Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts”
I have thoroughly enjoyed studying and pondering the topic Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly.. as given to me by Brother Cauffman. It is my pray that as I speak to you today the Holy Ghost will testify of the truths that each of us needs to apply individually to our lives. We all must work out our own salvation. We are not saved as couples, families or as a ward, we each must stand alone before our Savior to be judged according to our thoughts, our deeds and our actions in John 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. In Alma Chapter 28:13 And thus we see how great the ainequality of man is because of sin and btransgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning cplans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men.
14 And thus we see the great call of adiligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the blight of Christ unto life.
As we have a clear picture of what we desire, a clear understanding of our purpose of life, which is to keep the commandments, so we may receive eternal life. The more we focus on this purpose the easier it will be for us to… Let virtue garnish or thoughts unceasingly.
Alma 29:4 I ought not to harrow up in my desires, the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their adesire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their bwills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.
5 Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is ablameless; but he that bknoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of cconscience.
My daughter had just finished reading in D&C 76:112 and Ephesians 3:21 where it talks about worlds without end, her thought was that in the highest kingdom we continue to have endless possibilities, however in the other kingdoms our progress will eventually be damned. We thought how wonderful to continue with worlds without end or endless possibilities as opposed to having our progression limited, not being able to become like our Heavenly Father. That is great motivation for having virtuous thoughts, keeping the end or the endless in mind.
I believe that Focusing on the purpose of life naturally instills virtuous thoughts.
Aristotle defined a virtue as a balance point between a deficiency and an excess of a trait. The point of greatest virtue lies not in the exact middle, but at a golden mean sometimes closer to one extreme than the other. For example, courage is the mean between cowardice and foolhardiness, confidence the mean between self-deprecation and vanity, and generosity the mean between miserliness and extravagance.
A virtue is always positive, thus it is not always a balance point between a deficiency and an excess of a trait.
Virtue is a prerequisite to entering the Lord's holy temples and to receiving the Spirit's guidance. Virtue "is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards."6 It encompasses chastity and moral purity. Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind. It is nurtured in the home. It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions. Virtue is a word we don't hear often in today's society, but the Latin root word virtus means strength. Virtuous women and men possess a quiet dignity and inner strength. They are confident because they are worthy to receive and be guided by the Holy Ghost. President Monson has counseled: "You be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone. Have the moral courage to be a light for others to follow. There is no friendship more valuable than your own clear conscience, your own moral cleanliness—and what a glorious feeling it is to know that you stand in your appointed place clean and with the confidence that you are worthy to do so."7
Elaine S. Dalton Young Women General President in a talk she gave titled A Return to Virtue she said…
I truly believe that one virtuous young woman or young man, led by the Spirit, can change the world, but in order to do so, we must return to virtue. We must engage in strict training. As the marathon runner Juma Ikangaa said after winning the New York Marathon, "The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare."12 Now is the time to prepare by exercising more self-discipline. Now is the time to become "fit for the kingdom."13 Now is the time to set our course and focus on the finish. A return to virtue must begin individually in our hearts and in our homes.
She goes on to ask the question.
What can each of us do to begin our return to virtue? Sister Dalton stated the following for her personal training program from instructions found in the scriptures: "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly."14 "Cleave unto [your] covenants."15 "Stand … in holy places."16 "Lay aside the things of [the] world."17 "Believe that ye must repent."18 "Always remember him and keep his commandments."19 And "if there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, … seek after these things."20 Now more than ever before, it is time to respond to Moroni's call to "awake, and arise" and to "lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing."21
I believe we would all benefit by following this counsel found in the scriptures.
An idea can be powerful. First comes a thought, then an act. The act begins in the mind. We do what we think of doing. Whether we plan to do good or evil, the plan and the act begin in the mind.
"Clean thoughts, high ideals, thinking of love in the true sense, temperance, helpfulness, cheerfulness, all are principles that will contribute to development of character. Thinking of self, harboring ill will against a neighbor, thinking of some opportunity to gratify appetite by smoking or drinking, will lead the individual to commit those things" ("Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness," Instructor, Mar. 1965, 86).
President McKay said: "'tell me what you think about when you do not have to think, and I will tell you what you are.' Latter-day Saints have the responsibility of thinking pure thoughts, of cherishing high ideals. As long as they do, their actions will be in accordance with those ideals" (Instructor, Mar. 1965, 86).
Elder Dean L. Larsen counseled us to practice constructive thinking: "In order to sustain constructive thinking, it's necessary for us to have something worthwhile to think about, to have in reserve, … some items, some problems, some challenges, to which we can turn our minds, to think our way through to a solution" ("Thoughts about Thoughts" in 1976 Devotional Speeches of the Year [1977], 120).
In a scene from the musical The Sound of Music, Maria, a governess, comforts the children in her charge during a thunderstorm by helping them think of their favorite things. By creating pleasant thoughts, the children forget their fears. Pleasant thoughts push out unpleasant ones.
We should treat our minds like a storehouse of good things, and we will find no room for anything else.
Look for good thoughts in the scriptures. They offer peace, knowledge, warning, advice, history, poetry, and other things to enrich the mind. The Church magazines offer uplifting articles and stories for our enjoyment and learning.
A healthy mind is always working. We need to keep our minds busy planning and thinking. We should try to focus on positive ideas. When we are motivated by good thoughts, there is no limit to the success we may achieve in this life and the world hereafter.
When the Holy Ghost prompts us to remember the teachings of the Savior, we are better able to direct our thoughts to be pure, leaving no room for bad thoughts. The Holy Ghost is called the Comforter because it is His mission to bring "solace, love, peace, quiet enjoyment, and comfort to the saints" (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 148).
We can be forgiven for thinking bad thoughts if we repent. A friend called me recently and was telling me that she was a little upset with some family members that had poked fun of her and wondered what I thought about what they had said. I told her if it made her feel bad to think about it, to stop thinking about it. A few days later she reported that she was surprised how much better she felt.
We cannot always avoid people whose opinions and actions are not in harmony with gospel standards.
We must try to avoid things that encourage unclean thoughts. We need to choose wisely our friends, television and video programs, movies, books, and magazines. We must be sure to plan wholesome channels into which we can direct our thoughts. Thoughts are like water. They run continuously and, if not directed, will wander through paths of least resistance into low places. We must keep the commandments of God and seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost. We must pray often, asking our Heavenly Father to guide us as we work to control our thoughts and keep them clean.
"Sow a thought, reap an act,
Sow an act, reap a habit,
Sow a habit, reap a character,
Sow a character, reap an eternal destiny" (William Makepeace Thackeray, quoted by David O. McKay in Treasures of Life [1962], 418).
For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).
Nephi gave us a clue to how he was able to live righteously when he wrote:
"For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.
"Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard" (2 Nephi 4:15–16).
James Allen once wrote:
"A man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.
"Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life. He also … understands, with ever-increasing accuracy, how the thought-forces and mind-elements operate in the shaping of his character, circumstances, and destiny" (As a Man Thinketh [1983], 15).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, "If we are pondering in our hearts the things of righteousness, we shall become righteous" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1973, 56; or Ensign, Jan. 1974, 48). Said another way, "The Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell" (Alma 34:36). When we have pure thoughts, the Spirit of the Lord will be with us; and if we have the Holy Ghost with us, our lives will eventually be purified.
It is not enough to keep our minds free from evil if we are to become like Christ. We have to keep our minds filled with righteous thoughts.
Whenever we can, we should think about the truths of the gospel. One of the best ways to do this is to keep the promise we make when we partake of the sacrament: to always remember the Savior.
When President Spencer W. Kimball was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, he said: "When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be 'remember.' Because all of you have made covenants—you know what to do and you know how to do it—our greatest need is to remember. That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every Sabbath day—to take the sacrament and listen to the priests pray that they '… may always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them' " (Circles of Exaltation [address delivered at seminary and institute summer school, Brigham Young University, 28 June 1968], 8).
The great prophet Alma gave wise counsel to his son Helaman that could help us always remember the Savior.
- 35 O, remember, my son, and alearn
bwisdom in thy cyouth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God. - 36 Yea, and acry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy bdoings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy cthoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
- 37 aCounsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for bgood; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the cmorning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
We must cultivate clean, righteous thoughts if we are to experience true happiness. "Real happiness is not dependent on external things. … The kind of happiness that stays with you is the happiness that springs from inward thoughts and emotions. … You must cultivate your mind if you wish to achieve enduring happiness. You must furnish your mind with interesting thoughts and ideas. For an empty mind grows bored and cannot endure itself. An empty mind seeks pleasure as a substitute for happiness" (William Lyon Phelps, quoted by Harvey Fletcher, The Good Life [1961], 137).
To keep our minds clean, we should always strive to think about the things of God. We should ponder the truths of the gospel and pray constantly. As we do these things, we are promised great blessings. The Lord has promised: "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God. … The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion" (D&C 121:45–46).
Several times a day think about the things of the Lord. Do your best to "always remember him." Decide on a way to channel your thoughts. You could memorize one of your favorite hymns, scriptures, or poems. Whenever you are faced with an unclean thought, immediately think through the words you have memorized to force the evil thought away.
Some of the ways that I like to channel my thoughts are to focus on what my stewardships are. First myself and my relationship with my Heavenly Father… how am I doing physically, mentally and spiritually. Second, my responsibility as a wife in my relationship with my spouse, to help me with this responsibility I memorized at one time part of the proclamation of the family to help me focus more clearly on this. "Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. 'Children are an heritage of the Lord' (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.
After considering these responsibilities I go on to my church callings, and study what my responsibilities are and pray for the inspiration to fulfill them.
As we study all truths we will be blessed to have the Holy Ghost with us. We have the ability to choose correct thinking. Understanding our purpose will help us to let virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly. Our possibilities are endless, I know that our Heavenly Father loves each of us, and His work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. It is my desire to help in this great work. Of our Heavenly Father's love for each of us I testify in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
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