Virtue-June 2015 Bookmark

Hello from Logan Utah. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and am enjoying learning

g about the Attributes of Jesus Christ. As I follow his teachings I am happier and more grateful for all that I have and enjoy in this life.

I liked learning that more than one woman was healed by just touching the Savior in Luke chapter 6. I think of the times that I have reached out and tried to touch the Savior in prayer and when I do He healed me in some way or other. I am still imperfect and living in a difficult world but I testify that the Father and Son love us, will help us in all that we do. Let us each be virtuous, lovely and do good that we may be happy in this life and the next.

I love you my family and friends. Visit teach with love and virtue this month. 

Love, Pat

Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Virtue     reliefsociety.lds.org.

“Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven” (D&C 121:45).

What is virtue? President James E. Faust (1920–2007) said: “Virtue in its fuller sense encompasses all traits of righteousness that help us form our character.”¹President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) added: “Love of God is the root of all virtue, of all goodness, of all strength of character.”²

Of the relationship between women and virtue, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “Women bring with them into the world a certain virtue, a divine gift that makes them adept at instilling such qualities as faith, courage, empathy, and refinement in relationships and in cultures. …

“Sisters, of all your associations, it is your relationship with God, your Heavenly Father, who is the source of your moral power, that you must always put first in your life. Remember that Jesus’s power came through His single-minded devotion to the will of the Father. … Strive to be that kind of disciple of the Father and the Son, and your influence will never fade.”³

Additional Scriptures

Psalms 24:3–5; Philippians 4:8; 2 Peter 1:3–5; Alma 31:5;Doctrine and Covenants 38:23–24

From the Scriptures

Today, virtuous women, full of faith, reach out to the Savior. In Luke 8 we read of a woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years that could not be healed. She sought healing when she “came behind [Christ], and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood [stopped]. … And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue⁴is gone out of me.” This virtuous faithful woman fell down before Him, declaring “unto him before all the people” that “she had touched him” and “was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole” (seeLuke 8:43–48; see also 6:17–19).

Through His virtue,⁵ Christ can heal, enable, strengthen, comfort, and cheer when we choose with courage and faith to reach out to Him.

Visiting Teaching Bookmark - May 2015

I chose the talk by Bishop Gerald Causse because  we all have times when we forget to MARVEL and WONDER at the blessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His talk motivated me to begin not just a daily scripture reading but a daily scripture immersion into the Life of My Savior... Here is the monthly bookmark and the beginning of his talk at April 2015 General Conference. There is a link at the end to view the entire talk.

My wife and I had the great joy of rearing our five children near the magnificent city of Paris. During those years we wanted to offer them rich opportunities to discover the marvelous things of this world. Each summer, our family took long trips to visit the most significant monuments, historic sites, and natural wonders of Europe. Finally, after spending 22 years in the Paris area, we were getting ready to move. I still remember the day when my children came to me and said, “Dad, it’s absolutely shameful! We've lived here all our lives, and we have never been to the Eiffel Tower!”

There are so many wonders in this world. However, sometimes when we have them constantly before our eyes, we take them for granted. We look, but we don’t really see; we hear, but we don’t really listen.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus said to His disciples:

“Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:

“For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”¹

I have often wondered what it would have been like to live at the time of our Savior. Can you imagine sitting at His feet? feeling His embrace? witnessing as He ministered to others? And yet so many who met Him failed to recognize—to “see”—that the very Son of God was living among them.

We too are privileged to live in an exceptional time. The prophets of old saw the work of the Restoration as “a marvelous work … , yea, a marvelous work and a wonder.”² In no previous dispensation have so many missionaries been called, so many nations been opened for the gospel message, and so many temples been built throughout the world.

For us, as Latter-day Saints, wonders also occur in our individual lives. They include our own personal conversion, the answers we receive to our prayers, and the tender blessings God showers upon us daily.

To marvel at the wonders of the gospel is a sign of faith. It is to recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives and in everything around us. Our amazement also produces spiritual strength. It gives us the energy to remain anchored in our faith and to engage ourselves in the work of salvation.

But let us beware. Our ability to marvel is fragile. Over the long term, such things as casual commandment keeping, apathy, or even weariness may set in and make us insensitive to even the most remarkable signs and miracles of the gospel.

Watch Is it still Wonderful to You?

Visiting Teaching Bookmark - April 2015

This month is a special one...we celebrate the atonement, death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. As you contemplate becoming more like Him by developing the attributes of  "without guile or hypocrisy." And please enjoy this bookmark I created for those I love beyond measure. thank-you for being in my life. 

Understanding that Jesus Christ is without guile and hypocrisy will help us faithfully strive to follow His example. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “To beguile is to deceive or lead astray. … A person without guile is a person of innocence, honest intent, and pure motives, whose life reflects the simple practice of conforming his [or her] daily actions to principles of integrity. … I believe the necessity for the members of the Church to be without guile may be more urgent now than at other times because many in the world apparently do not understand the importance of this virtue.”¹

Of hypocrisy, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said: “None of us is quite as Christlike as we know we should be. But we earnestly desire to overcome our faults and the tendency to sin. With our heart and soul we yearn to become better with the help of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”²

We know “we will be judged according to our actions, the desires of our hearts, and the kind of people we have become.”³ Yet as we strive to repent, we will become more pure—and “blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).

Additional Scriptures

Psalm 32:2; James 3:17; 1 Peter 2:1–2, 22

From the Scriptures

Little children are without guile. Jesus Christ said: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. … And he took [the children] up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:14, 16).

Christ also ministered to the children in the Americas after His Crucifixion. He commanded that the people bring their little children to Him and “set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; …

“… [And] he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them. …

“And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and … they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, … and the angels did minister unto them” (3 Nephi 17:12, 21, 24).

Consider This

What can we learn about being without guile from little children? (see Guide to the Scriptures, “Guile,”scriptures.lds.org).

March 2015 Visiting Teaching Bookmark

Visiting Teaching Bookmark February 2104

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, was the only one capable of making an atonement for mankind. “Jesus Christ, the Lamb without blemish, willingly laid Himself on the altar of sacrifice and paid the price for our sins,” said President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency.¹ Understanding that Jesus Christ was without sin can help us increase our faith in Him and strive to keep His commandments, repent, and become pure.“Jesus was … a being of flesh and spirit, but He yielded not to temptation (see Mosiah 15:5),” said Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “We can turn to Him … because He understands. He understands the struggle, and He also understands how to win the struggle. … The power of His Atonement can erase the effects of sin in us. When we repent, His atoning grace justifies and cleanses us (see 3 Nephi 27:16–20). It is as if we had not succumbed, as if we had not yielded to temptation. As we endeavor day by day and week by week to follow the path of Christ, our spirit asserts its preeminence, the battle within subsides, and temptations cease to trouble.”

Happy Valentines Day! I Love You All So Much!

Visiting Teaching Handout- January 2015

I'm addicted to making a handout for each visiting teaching message. The thoughts expressed are so relevant and moving I just have to add a photo and a few embellishments.  I hope you use and enjoy this months message! 

Love you lots and hope your New Year is filled with faith, family, friends, and  LOVE!

For the full visiting teach message click here

I was not available to create a November bookmark...in the hospital.  I'm much better now and here is the bookmark for December.

Here is the message from the website.

                                                                                                                           A Savior Is Born, by Joseph Brickey

“The Savior is the source of true peace,” said Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “Even with the trials of life, because of the Savior’s Atonement and His grace, righteous living will be rewarded with personal peace.”¹ Understanding that Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace can help us find inner peace and increase our faith in Him.

Jesus Christ said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Bearing testimony of that truth, Linda S. Reeves, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, said: “The Lord has been merciful to me and has helped make my burdens light. He has helped me to feel great peace.”²

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “The ideal place for … peace is within the walls of our own homes, where we have done all we can to make the Lord Jesus Christ the centerpiece.”³

Additional Scriptures

Isaiah 9:6; Luke 2:14; John 14:27; 1 Nephi 13:37; Doctrine and Covenants 59:23

From the Scriptures

Consider This

In what ways does the Savior bring peace to your life?

Isaiah prophesied of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace (seeIsaiah 9:6). In the Americas, Samuel the Lamanite told of signs that would accompany Christ’s birth five years later (see Helaman 14:3, 5). As the prophesied day approached, unbelievers threatened to execute all the Christians if these signs did not occur. The prophet Nephi “cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying: … On the morrow come I into the world” (3 Nephi 1:12–13). The signs appeared, and with the birth of Christ, “the people began again to have peace in the land” (verse 23).

In Bethlehem, Mary “brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger” (Luke 2:7).