Last updated on October 27th, 2024 at 11:57 pm
October 20, 2024
Here is the best thing I heard (What?), saw (Eye.), and read (Read.) this week, as well as the best idea (💡) I developed.
What?
- “President James E. Faust taught: ‘We do not consciously realize the extent to which ministering angels affect our lives. … Their ministry has been and is an important part of the gospel.’
“So who are these angels? Many of them are our own ancestors. President Joseph F. Smith wrote: ‘When messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred [and] friends.’ President Joseph F. Smith also taught: ‘Our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters, and friends … may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again.’
“So let’s combine the idea that our ancestors are among the angels watching over us with the statement from Elder Holland, who taught that when facing difficult circumstances, we should ‘pray without ceasing. Ask for angels to help you.’ Adding ‘we should pray for angels to help us’ to ‘our ancestors are among those angels who are ministering to us’ equals ‘we can find great power in praying for our ancestors to help us.
“To be clear, I’m not saying we should pray to our ancestors. Rather, we pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, and we can ask for our ancestors to help us with specific challenges we face. And I am definitely not the first person to suggest this approach. Sister Wendy Watson Nelson wrote that she prays for ‘those on the other side to be ‘dispatched’ … to assist us,’ and said: ‘Perhaps a departed loved one could be sent to help you with whatever you need.’ …
“I know we can find great strength as we pray and ask for the help of our ancestors. Even right now as I’m sharing these insights in the Master Class, I’m thinking about some problems and challenges I’m having in my life right now, and I’m realizing this is probably something that I could pray to Heavenly Father about and ask if there are any ancestors that I have that would be interested in this problem that could come and assist. My wife and I have seen this in our own lives as we’ve faced difficult challenges in our family and in other areas of life where we’ve prayed for angelic support, for ancestors to come.
“We have seen miracles that we can only attribute to divine intervention, help that we honestly believe came through the direct assistance of our ancestors. Remember, just as our hearts turn to our ancestors, their hearts are turned to us. When we face serious struggles, we have heavenly help.”
Eye.
Thy Will vs. My Will – True Millennials – Instagram:
- [Parker Walbeck] “The speakers at general conference combine to give us the mind and will of the Lord each six months. The prophet has urged us to study the talks and look for what the Lord is wanting us to know and learn. It was apparent to me that ONE of the themes from this conference (and therefore one of the things we could all probably do better at), is putting God’s will above our own will. We live in a society that is increasingly self-centered. As we pursue our own paths due to prosperity causing us to forget God’s hand, or knowledge/wisdom causing us to think we know better, we risk falling away and losing eternal life. But, as we humble ourselves, allow God to reign over us, and seek to align our will with God’s, he can make much more out of our lives than we ever could on our own and lead us to the ultimate reward, eternal life.”
- [Elder Ulisses Soares] “I pray that each of us, in our time and turn, will be able to declare with covenant confidence to our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, that what works for Thee, works for me.”
Read.
“The Anatomy of Peace (Fourth Edition): Resolving the Heart of Conflict” by The Arbinger Institute:
- “Unfortunately, listening is often thought of as a burden we impose on ourselves for the benefit of others – as if it is a ‘gift’ we give to others. But real listening is primarily a gift we offer ourselves. One that opens us up to others, and allows us to live and work free of prejudices, biases, and false assumptions. What’s more, this kind of listening will most often lead to a sense of something we can do to help things go right. Whatever role we play in our organizations, the influence we have and the actions we take will be, in large part a function of the degree to which we allow ourselves to be influenced by others. And more often than not, this kind of listening helps us see where we can engage in the most important correction of all – the correction of ourselves.”
💡
To take action on one of President Russell M. Nelson’s general conference invitations, post on social media and ask for book or other resource recommendations that can help me to increase my understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
- “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again“, President Russell M. Nelson, October 2024 General Conference: “I urge you to devote time each week—for the rest of your life—to increase your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”