GOD IS AT HELM - A General Conference address from Elder M. Russell Ballard from October 2015

"Commandments and covenants are priceless truths and doctrines found in the Old Ship Zion, where God is at the helm." 

 Our scripture for today came from Sister Bev Ricksecker. She told us about a time, years ago, before she and Gerry were members of the church, when she was searching for a church to join. Gerry told her to show him a church set up like the church that Christ established and they would join that one. One scripture that reminds her of this is found in 3 Nephi 27:3-5, 7 as follows:

"And they said unto him: Lord, we will that thou wouldst tell us the name whereby we shall call this church; for there are disputations among the people concerning this matter.

"And the Lord said unto them: Verily, verily, I say unto you, why is it that the people should murmur and dispute because of this thing?

"Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day;"

"Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake."  

It was announced that Sister Andrea Buchan is scheduled for back surgery on March 7th and will be in need of much assistance with meals, household chores and other compassionate service opportunities.  Sister Kathleen Libbey will be coordinating a list of helpers and contacting us to see how we can serve the Buchans during Andrea's recovery period, since Neil's health is also suffering right now. Please be as generous as you can. 

Please note:  The inspirational thought now posted on our message board is "Intentionally speak kind words to each other."  An excellent directive!

Sister Marylyn Murray taught us today from Elder M. Russell Ballard's address from October 2015 General Conference. 

One year ago, in the October 2014 General Conference, Elder Ballard invited listeners to "stay on the Old Ship Zion, which is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and to hold on with both hands." He tells us that many listeners, including family, have asked him the question: "What's the Old Ship Zion that we should hang on to?" He has responded with the statement that  "President Brigham Young said: "We are on the old ship Zion . . . [God] is at the helm and will stay there . . . He dictates, guides and directs. If the people will have implicit confidence in their God, never forsake their covenants nor their God, He will guide us right."

Elder Ballard further stated that it is clear our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ "have outfitted the Old Ship Zion with clear and simple eternal truths that will help us stay the course through the troubled waters of mortal life . . ."

Sister Murray then told a story from Elder Ballard's 2014 talk, "Stay in the Boat and Hold On!", in which a friend and his son had taken a trip down the Colorado River through a gap called Cataract Canyon. This canyon has 14 miles of white-water rapids that have the potential to be quite hazardous. These two men did their homework and reviewed the important information on the National Park Service website and made their preparations accordingly. 

At the beginning of the trip, an experienced river guide reviewed the safety information and emphasized the three rules that would ensure their safe travel through the rapids:

RULE #1 - Stay in the Boat
RULE #2 - Always wear a life jacket
RULE #3 - Always hold on with both hands

The guide then repeated, even more emphatically, "Above all, remember rule number three: stay in the boat!"

We all have episodes of white-water in our own lives - President Brigham Young is quoted as having said "We are in the midst of the ocean . . ." We face dangers of severe storms and dangers of being distracted in the calm and peaceful times, as well. But we also have 'seasoned river guides' to help us through. The prophets and apostles of the Lord, our inspired local priesthood and auxiliary leaders will guide us with inspiration because they have been tutored by life experiences and, most importantly, by the Lord himself. 

Elder Ballard reminds us that: The Church of Jesus Christ has always been led by living prophets and apostles . . ." This is one of the "clear and simple eternal truths".  He speaks of having been a personal witness to the prophets and apostles being led by inspiration and profound revelation throughout his 40 years as a general authority. Our leaders are human and are not perfect, but they receive divine direction on the ways the Lord would have his Church guided. If it were not for the first Apostles appointed by Jesus Christ, we would not have "an eye-witness account of His teachings, His ministry, His suffering . . . and His death on the cross" that is given to us in the New Testament of the Bible. We also would not have "an apostolic witness of the empty tomb and the Resurrection."

Elder Ballard says that, "Focusing on how the Lord inspires His chosen leaders and how He moves the Saints to do remarkable and extraordinary things despite their humanity is one way that we hold on to the gospel of Jesus Christ and stay safely aboard the Old Ship Zion."

A second truth is the Doctrine of the Plan of Salvation.  With the Restoration of the Gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith, God gave us the Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and many more teachings including a knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. By this Plan we know where we came from, our purpose here on earth, and where we are going after this life. We know that we are God's spirit children, we have an understanding of Him and our relationship to Him and to His Son, Jesus Christ. Their commandments and the sacred covenants we make with Them will lead us back to their eternal presence.  Jesus Christ is represented in every step of the Plan.

A third key truth in the Church is that Heavenly Father created Adam and Eve "for a lofty purpose". They were charged with the responsibility to create mortal bodies for God's spirit children so we all could experience mortality. Here we learn and grow through earthly experiences with the care and guidance of heavenly messengers and apostles sent from God to teach us about the Savior and his role in the Plan of Salvation.  

Apostles and Prophets throughout history have warned people of the dangers before them. Elder Ballard spoke of the time, twenty years ago, when the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued "The Family, A Proclamation to the World." That inspired document speaks of the value of the family in today's world, but it also contains warnings that those who violate covenants, abuse family members and fail to fulfill family responsibilities will eventually stand accountable before God.  It also warns that the disintegration of the family will bring calamities upon all people and nations of the world as foretold by ancient and modern prophets.  We all need to remember that "commandments and covenants are priceless truths and doctrines found in the Old Ship Zion, where God is at the helm." 

A fourth important truth is to Observe the Sabbath Day and make it a delight. In keeping the Sabbath Day holy, we can better remain unspotted from the world, we can obtain physical rest from our daily labors, and receive spiritual refreshment. We should delight in the Sabbath Day by showing our love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in our worship and in partaking of the sacrament to renew our baptismal covenants and remember the great sacrifice of our Savior and His atonement for us.  Elder Ballard mentions that, "The recent emphasis of making the Sabbath a delight is a direct result of inspiration from the Lord through the leaders of the Church."

Elder Ballard reminds us that these important truths exist within the Old Ship Zion and encourages us to "stay on board and remember that, by definition, a ship is a vehicle, and the purpose of a vehicle is to take us to a destination.

"Our ship's destination is the full blessings of the gospel, the kingdom of heaven, the celestial glory and the presence of God!

"God's plan is in place. He is at the helm, and His great and powerful ship flows toward salvation and exaltation." 

"Exaltation is the goal of this mortal journey, and no one gets there without the means of the gospel of Jesus Christ: His Atonement, the ordinances, and the guiding doctrine and principles that are found in the Church.

We can view the Church as our life jacket and know that it strengthens us against the storms of life.  What are some things the Sabbath Day can do for us? Suggestions were that it helps us to refocus on what we need to be doing; it helps us to remain unspotted from the world; it helps us to remember who we are; what we do and don't do; it separates us from the other six days of the week and offers us different peaceful activities; it helps us to make wise choices.

We need to remember to do all these things with a joyful heart, to bring delight to ourselves and our families on the Sabbath.

In summary, we agreed that we need to stay focused on simple things, move forward and be watchful of Satan's enticing.

As Elder Ballard encouraged us in his talk, we should be grateful for the beautiful Old Ship Zion. We need to hold tight and sail on within the glorious ship, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to reach our eternal destination.

Your Bloggess,

Karen