posted
The last few years I've been very conscious of conference talks etc. that talk about how sacrament meeting is a worship service and that you should never have a meeting without talking of Christ.
I've been asked to give a talk on "physical preparedness". Have any ideas of how to combine the two?
I have two ideas, but they aren't quite gelling for me. One is that Christ has prepared for everything - you can see that in the scriptures, but nearly everything talks about preparing for spiritual things. (DH is supposed to cover spiritual preparedness).
The other idea is that we can't help others if we haven't prepared ourselves, but I don't think that is the entire point of physical preparedness.
I wouldn't have any trouble talking about this in SS, RS, enrichment etc. It just feels like it should be different for Sacrament meeting.
posted
physical preparedness helps us develop the skills we may need to survive, and knowledge of what is really important and what is expendable. And once we know our own needs will be met and how to do it (and how to conquer obstacles), we are then free to lift others and be at peace when things hit us.
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posted
Physical preparedness is actually a fairly dangerous doctrine for the Church to teach. It runs the risk of getting us focused on temporal safety rather than eternal salvation. It is a rich source of Gospel hobbies.
Yet it is a doctrine the Church must teach. For, if we do not obey the basic principles of material stewardship, we will never have the material means to build temples and bring salvation to our dead therein.
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quote: How blessed we are to be taught in these times of plenty that we might prepare for times of need without undue haste. Even more wonderful is the realization that we can prepare ourselves without fear because we know that God lives, that He knows and loves each one of us, and that He is giving us direction in these latter days through a living prophet.
God loves us so much that He allows us to come to Him at any time with our personal requests for help and direction—that our eyes will be opened and we will learn to live with wisdom and patience in times of austerity, that we might learn by the Lord’s influence to identify our real needs.
What a comfort it is to read His revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” (D&C 38:30.)
quote: The next element of a happy life is in verse 14 [2 Ne. 5:14]—preparedness. Nephi “did take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords, lest by any means the … Lamanites should come upon us and destroy us.” Nephi was preparing for possible skirmishes with the Lamanites and we must likewise prepare for our battles of life if we hope to lead happy lives. If we are prepared we not only do not fear (see D&C 38:30), but we actually enjoy and derive considerable happiness from the events of our daily lives.
My children and I have been blessed and made very happy by my wife’s preparations for marriage and motherhood. She came with the fundamentals of spiritual preparation, education, cooking, sewing, gardening, reading, music, and game playing all in place. I would probably have loved her just as much without all these credentials, but I doubt that our children and I would have been as happy!
Those who have had some savings and a little food storage during a period of unemployment or who have been consistently treasuring up the “words of life” (see D&C 84:85) and have been called on to speak extemporaneously in stake conference will know the happiness (and relief) that comes from being prepared. The Boy Scouts and their motto, “Be prepared,” have it right. Someone once asked Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, “Be prepared for what?” “Why,” said Baden-Powell, “for any old thing.” That’s just the idea, and Nephi knew it too.
quote: When we speak of preparedness, often our first thoughts center on temporal or physical preparations—food, clothing, shelter. While these preparations are important and necessary, they are not all-inclusive.
There is a crucial balance between the temporal and the spiritual aspects of this principle. The Lord has said, “All things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal.” (D&C 29:34.)
snip
Our physical preparation—including a clean, orderly home—makes it possible for the Spirit to be present. Likewise, the Spirit of the Lord brings an atmosphere of peace and contentment to our orderly home.
snip
We learn from this that we also prepare by serving, teaching, nurturing, and helping others prepare. As we work daily to attain righteousness and a spiritual way of life, we have a responsibility to elevate others, to help them realize their divine potential, and to be an instrument in the hands of God.
posted
Fasting, in my opinion, is a way to be physically prepared. After eating a heavy meal, it is difficult for me to concentrate on the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.
Christ showed us the importance of sweeping our temples (bodies) clean in anticipation of a visit from the Holy Spirit. Physical preparation is vital to the next speaker's topic; spiritual preparation.
posted
What are your two ideas? You are probably feeling the promptings you should follow. What is it you wish to teach/express about physical (or do you mean temporal) preparedness?
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posted
If a person's needs aren't taken care of physically, then he or she won't be too interested in the spiritual. A starving man worries more about the pangs in his belly than whether or not the Book of Mormon is true. It's kind of Abraham Maslow's, heirarchy of needs, Mormon style.
posted
Thank you everyone! You've given me quite a few ideas that I hadn't thought of. I'm going to look into them and see how this all mixes together.
Mirk - The first was how Christ and Heavenly Father prepare for everything. Since getting this calling I have been honestly amazed at how much everything has been prepared - how the earth was prepared, how we were taught before we came here, how Christ was prepared to come here to atone for us, the prophecies not only of Christ's coming, but just the prophecies that Christ quoted, how the church was prepared to come in the latter-days.
I think, but am not sure, that should be the main idea of my talk. Part of where I am hesitant on it is in giving scriptural examples. OK, maybe not. There is Joseph in Egypt. There is Captain Moroni building the fortresses and training the men etc.
Hmmm. Writing about that I wonder if my biggest problem is that I'm wondering if my feelings are different from what I think the bishop wants of my talk. I'm also wondering if this is just my own personal resistance to giving a talk on what I think they want. I need to talk to him and get a clear understanding.
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quote: Hmmm. Writing about that I wonder if my biggest problem is that I'm wondering if my feelings are different from what I think the bishop wants of my talk. I'm also wondering if this is just my own personal resistance to giving a talk on what I think they want. I need to talk to him and get a clear understanding.
Yungmom, this is not about what the bishop wants you to talk about. This is about what you and the holy spirit want to talk about. My suggestion is, leave the bishop's opinion out of it.
I am a new member (less than two years). One of my big hot buttons in this church is the diversity with which we preach the gospel. Once you have been assigned a topic, it is up to you (and the spirit) to decide what to say. Otherwise, we are just like the Baptists, listening to one man's interpretation of scripture week after week, thinking little for ourselves and seeking a kinda-sorta perfection based upon what one man thinks. I think your bishop would agree.
posted
It's not the bishop's opinion I am wondering about. It is the bishop's inspiration for the ward I am wondering about.
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posted
Rather than trying to receive revelation for the ward, I'd trust your bishop.
That said, I'd call my bishop and ask him if it was okay if I talked about a topic I felt strongly about... explaining that I keep getting this "feeling" that I should be talking about it.
If he says, "Go with it" then go with it. If not, then don't.
posted
yungmom, If you google "temporal salvation" (with the quotes) and/or search for temporal salvation at lds.org, you should turn up some interesting stuff. Good luck.
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posted
rayb, She would not be receiving revelation for the ward. The Bishop has, using his keys, delegated the responsibility of teaching the ward to yungmom. She is, thus, entitled to revelation for her assignment. That is not to say that she should ignore the Bishop's instructions, but it is clear that she is not doing that.
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posted
I'm not purposely going against what he is saying, I'm just not sure if we have the same thing in mind.
Normally this wouldn't be a problem for me except for my last experience. Before we moved here they had the Joseph Smith celebration year. Before this I'd heard how Christ should always be talked about in Sacrament Meeting. Our ward went literally months without a single mention of Christ in Sacrament Meeting except for prayers.
Meanwhile, on my other message board there was a big deal about whether we are Christian or not. Many non-members or former members mentioned coming to sacrament and not hearing about anything about Christ. I knew there was a good possibility of that since it was happening in my own ward. Week after week we heard only about Joseph Smith. I wish I could say I was exaggerating, but I'm not.
So when we moved here we were asked to speak and my topic was...Joseph Smith. Instead of following the Spirit I put off preparing for it till Saturday. Instead on listening I determined that I was going to make sure Christ was the important part of my talk. In and of itself that isn't a bad thing to do except I was doing it because of stubbornness and not because the Spirit directed me. So I didn't speak with the Spirit and I sincerely regret that.
I don't want a repeat of that. I want to make sure I am listening to the Spirit. If the bishop and I are thinking along the same lines then I am OK and I can concentrate on what the Spirit tells me. If we are not I need to work on my heart to accept what the Spirit has directed the bishop to ask of me.
posted
Regarding temporal commandments, God doesn't give them. All things have a spiritual component. Further all good testifies or leads people to Christ, so including a witness of Christ and turning the hearts of the people to Him is by very definition "good".
I still believe that if you believe you're going to be at odds with your bishop by something you present, you ought to just call him and let him know you feel strongly about it. I am fairly certain he'll inform you that you're being prompted by the Spirit to do good.
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