New quotes

I've been following Gene & Pauline Esplin's blog, "Called to Serve." They are serving as humanitarian missionaries in the New Delhi Mission. It includes the northern portion of India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan. They are in Kathmandu. Pauline posted this quote & I liked it, so I snagged it.

"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions."

~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

I finished reading the Institute of Religion's Old Testament: 1 Kings - Malachi Student Manual (Religion 302) tonight & snagged some thoughts from Chapter 35 for my scripture journal.

“I am convinced that each of us, at some time in our lives, must discover the scriptures for ourselves — and not just discover them once, but rediscover them again and again"

~ President Spencer W. Kimball

I found this to be true when reading the OT & again when reading the BOM this year, after just reading it last year.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught:

“. . . It is not reading alone; it is reading, pondering, and praying so that the Spirit of the Almighty gets involved in the study and gives understanding.”

~ “Drink from the Fountain,” Ensign, Apr. 1975, pp. 70–71

Willingly follow Christ

Today's quotes seem to center on families, parenting. It reminded me of an entry from my cousin Loraine's blog as she recounted her busy January, a new grandchild, her mother's cancer surgery, her in-laws' health problems & taking them to a grandson's mission farewell.

But the season of my life is to take care of family members. All this other will get done in its own due time.

President's Faust quote fits so perfectly:

"No matter what circumstances you sisters experience, your influence can be marvelously far-reaching. I believe some of you have a tendency to underestimate your profound capacity for blessing the lives of others. More often than not, it is not on the stage with some public pronouncement but in your example of righteousness and the countless gentle acts of love and kindness done so willingly, so often on a one-to-one basis."

--James E. Faust, "You Are All Heaven Sent," Ensign, Nov. 2002, 110

"… countless gentle acts of love and kindness …" shows she is willingly following Christ as President Kimball exhorts us.

"Follow me," the Savior said. And we realize that to follow him is not impossible. The miles which he traveled, each of us can travel, for he took them one step at a time, one journey at a time. You could walk from Jerusalem to Nazareth. You could walk to the Sea of Galilee from Nazareth. You could follow Joseph and Mary and Jesus to Egypt. You could walk to the Mount of Transfiguration and back and forth from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, the Dead Sea, Bethany, the River Jordan. All these, you could do. But this is not the kind of following that he expected. He meant for us to follow his teachings and his example. Anyone with normal health can walk those miles and climb those hills and ford those streams. But it is quite another thing to be "even as I am," (3 Ne. 27:27) as he said to the Nephites."

--Spencer W. Kimball, "A Gift of Gratitude", Tambuli, Dec 1977, 1

One of last night's quotes is a repeat from Bishop H. Burke Peterson quoting President McKay & speaking of mothers here.

"As parenting declines, the need for policing increases. There will always be a shortage of police if there is a shortage of effective parents! Likewise, there will not be enough prisons if there are not enough good homes."

--Neal A. Maxwell, "Take Especial Care of Your Family," Ensign, May 1994, 88

The heartbreak of parents as their children end up in jail, wondering, "Where did I go wrong?" We have been sheltered in Cache Valley. It has been so idyllic with the rural values of the LDS community, yet the world infiltrates us even here. As Dumbledore said:

"It takes much bravery to stand up to our enemies but we need as much bravery to stand up to our friends."

— J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)  

Service to others

"Service to others deepens & sweetens this life …" says President Spencer W. Kimball here. And

"When we invite the Holy Ghost to fill our minds with light and knowledge, He "quickens" us, that is to say, enlightens and enlivens the inner man or woman. As a result we notice a measurable difference in our soul. We feel strengthened, filled with peace and joy. We possess spiritual energy and enthusiasm, both of which enhance our natural abilities. We can accomplish more than we otherwise could do on our own. We yearn to become a holier person."

--Elder Keith K. Hilbig, "Quench Not the Spirit Which Quickens the Inner Man", October General Conference 2007

And the way we can invite the Holy Ghost to fill our minds with light & knowledge is by study & prayer.

Tasks of life

The quotes tonight seem to be "spot on" for me. I have been dodging the "tasks of life." Getting a late start on reading when I've got an early morning & a busy day is one way of dodging those tasks.

"Let us remember, too, that greatness is not always a matter of the scale of one’s life, but of the quality of one’s life. True greatness is not always tied to the scope of our tasks, but to the quality of how we carry out our tasks whatever they are. In that attitude, let us give our time, ourselves, and our talents to the things that really matter now, things which will still matter a thousand years from now."

--Spencer W. Kimball, "A Gift of Gratitude", Tambuli, Dec 1977, 1

 And the next one

"Even though the tasks of life become heavy, and although sorrow thrusts a drooping burden upon us, the light that emanates from our Savior beckons us on, undismayed."

--Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin; Ensign, November 1994, Page 77

Unless we choose to ignore that light.

Do not fail the Lord

President Spencer W. Kimball was a very awesome man. When I worked at the LDS Church Office Building, it was during his tenure as prophet. I worked in the Missionary Department & got to see him personally occasionally. One thing on Mother's bucket list is to meet a prophet of God.

"I say to everyone within the sound of my voice, 'Do not fail the Lord.' We must accept the truth that the gospel principles are not on trial but that we are."

--Spencer W. Kimball, "Fortify Your Homes against Evil," Ensign, May 1979, 4

And ...

"You are sent to this world with a very serious purpose. You are sent to school, for that matter, to begin as a human infant and grow to unbelievable proportions in wisdom, judgment, knowledge, and power. That is why you and I cannot be satisfied with saying merely 'I like that or want that.' That is why in our childhood and our youth and our young adulthood we must stretch and grow and remember and prepare for the later life when limitations will terminate so that we can go on and on and on"

--Spencer W. Kimball, "the Matter of Marriage", from an address delivered at University of Utah Institute of Religion, 22 Oct. 1976, 2

A key to happiness

This afternoon when I was posting some quotes, Nick was standing behind me & finally he said, "What does that word say at the top of the screen?" I said, "Quotes." He answered with, "Isn't quotes spelled wrong?" Well, yes, I answered, quotes is spelled wrong. But I used to have a web page called Thoughts to Ponder. When I tried to name my blog that, it was taken. I decided combining quotes & thoughts would be unique enough it wouldn't be taken, LOL. Thus, Quoghts.

"Selflessness is a key to happiness and effectiveness; it is precious and must be preserved as a virtue which guarantees so many other virtues."

--Spencer W. Kimball, "Privileges and Responsibilities of Sisters", Ensign, Nov 1978, 101

I would have been working at Church Headquarters in Salt Lake when this talk was given.

Guard against the adversary

Today's quotes:

"The way for each person and each family to guard against the slings and arrows of the Adversary and to prepare for the great day of the Lord is to hold fast to the iron rod, to exercise greater faith, to repent of our sins and shortcomings, and to be anxiously engaged in the work of His kingdom on earth, which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

--Spencer W. Kimball, "The Lord Expects Righteousness", Ensign, Nov 1982, 4

And another one:

"There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they purge, they purify, and thus they bless."

--James E. Faust, "The Refiner's Fire," Ensign, May 1979, 53

Life events

I'm trying to catch up on my Old Testament reading & so, I requested 2 reading assignments today.

"Closely related to our own obligation to repent is the generosity of letting others do the same...In this we participate in the very essence of the Atonement of Jesus Christ...We don't want God to remember our sins, so there is something fundamentally wrong in our relentlessly trying to remember others' sins...It is one of those ironies of godhood that in order to find peace, the offended as well as the offender must engage the principle of forgiveness."

--Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Peaceable Things of the Kingdom", Ensign, Nov. 1996, 82

They were LOONNG quotes today:

"Sadness, disappointment, and severe challenge are events in life, not life itself. I do not minimize how hard some of these events are. They can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining center of everything you do. The Lord inspired Lehi to declare the fundamental truth, "Men are, that they might have joy." That is a conditional statement: "they might have joy." It is not conditional for the Lord. His intent is that each of us finds joy. It will not be conditional for you as you obey the commandments, have faith in the Master, and do the things that are necessary to have joy here on earth."

--Richard G. Scott, "Finding Joy in Life", Ensign, May 1996, 24

I only saved one quote from the first request. This one:

"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven"

--Orson F. Whitney, in Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, 98

Words of the prophets

"Service to others deepens and sweetens this life while we are preparing to live in a better world. It is by serving that we learn to serve. When we are engaged in the service of our fellowmen, not only do our deeds assist them, but we put our own problems in a fresher perspective. When we concern ourselves more with others, there is less time to be concerned with ourselves! In the midst of the miracle of serving, there is the promise of Jesus that by losing ourselves, we find ourselves!"

--Spencer W. Kimball, "Speaks Out on Service to Others", New Era, Mar. 1981, 47

And

"Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine."

--Gordon B. Hinckley, "Words of the Prophet: The Spirit of Optimism", New Era, July 2001, 4