Establishing the Cause of Zion

I was impressed by last week's Priesthood lesson, "Establishing the Cause of Zion." One section of the lesson seemed particularly applicable to our goal of being a Zion family: "We build up the cause of Zion by becoming a people who are pure in heart and by working diligently with one heart and mind."

Some of the specific counsel Joseph offered us includes:

"… We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object. … The time is soon coming, when no man will have any peace but in Zion and her stakes."

"There will be here and there a Stake [of Zion] for the gathering of the Saints. … There your children shall be blessed, and you in the midst of friends where you may be blessed."

"Anyplace where the Saints gather is Zion, which every righteous man will build up for a place of safety for his children."

"[We] pray our heavenly Father that you may be very prayerful, very humble, and very charitable; working diligently, spiritually and temporally, for the redemption of Zion, that the pure in heart may return with songs of everlasting joy to build up her waste places, and meet the Lord when He comes in His glory [see D&C 101:18]."

I am certain that we can establish the cause of Zion in each little eternal segment of our family, in our various homes and communities, wherever we are, as we diligently come to Christ, accept and obey his counsel, serve each other with love.

Love,

Dad/Mark

Beyond Checklist Prayers

Don't you love how Elder Bednar takes important gospel subjects and breaks them down into specific things we must do? He summarized the message of his last conference address as follows. I added used bullet items, highlighting and italics for emphasis.

We can move beyond routine and “checklist” prayers and engage in meaningful prayer as we:

• appropriately ask in faith and act
• patiently persevere through the trial of our faith
• humbly acknowledge and accept "not my will, but Thine, be done"

Elder David A. Bednar, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Ask in Faith, April 2008 General Conference, Sunday Afternoon Session

By following Elder Bednar's counsel, I pray that we all can learn how to communicate more effectively with our Heavenly Father.

Love,

Dad/Mark

I Delight in Miracles

I was inspired this morning as I listened to Sister Tanner's talk from the last general conference. It is particularly fitting as we are praying for miracles to occur in the lives of loved ones and rejoice to learn when prayers are being answered, step by tiny step.

"In the Book of Mormon, Nephi speaks often of delight. He delights 'in the things of the Lord,' ... We too should delight in the things of the Lord for it will 'lift' our hearts and give us cause to 'rejoice' (2 Nephi 11:8). ...

"I delight in the Lord’s mercies and miracles (see 'Bless Our Fast, We Pray,' Hymns, no. 138). I know that His tender mercies and His miracles, large and small, are real. They come in His way and on His timetable. Sometimes it is not until we have reached our extremity. Jesus’s disciples on the Sea of Galilee had to toil in rowing against a contrary wind all through the night before Jesus finally came to their aid. He did not come until the 'fourth watch,' meaning near dawn. Yet He did come. (See Mark 6:45–51.) My testimony is that miracles do come, though sometimes not until the fourth watch.

"Right now I am exerting my faith and prayers and watching for miracles in behalf of loved ones who are physically sick, emotionally bereft, and spiritually astray. I delight in the Lord’s love for each of His children and in His wisdom to allow us individually tailored earthly experiences."

Susan W. Tanner, Recently Released Young Women General President, My Soul Delighteth in the Things of the Lord, April 2008 General Conference, Sunday Morning Session.

Thank you, Sister Tanner, for the miracle of hope and inspiration you bring to us.

Love,

Dad/Mark

Concern for the One

President Wirthlin's talk in April General Conference was entitled "Concern for the One." He highlighted President Monson as a shining example of this Christlike focus on individuals.

"I have known President Monson for a long time. He is a mighty man of Israel who was foreordained to preside over this Church. He is well known for his captivating stories and parables, but we who know him best understand that his life is a practical and exemplary model of the application of those stories. While it is a compliment to him that many of the great and mighty of this world know and honor him, perhaps it is an even greater tribute that many of the lowly call him friend.

"To his core, President Monson is kind and compassionate. His words and deeds exemplify his concern for the one."

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "Concern for the One," April 2008 General Conference, Saturday Morning Session.

I pray that each of us might follow the examples of President Monson and our own perfect example, Mama Clodhopper, and have concern for individual people with whom we interact. That concern for the one will bring unity and happiness to us all.

Love,

Dad/Mark

Our Family is an Orchestra

One of the biggest surprises of fatherhood to me was to realize how different each member of our family is. Each of us came to earth with unique and wonderful personalities.

Elder Wirthlin's talk from April General Conference reminded me of this when he spoke of:

"... the erroneous belief that all members of the Church should look, talk, and be alike. The Lord did not people the earth with a vibrant orchestra of personalities only to value the piccolos of the world. Every instrument is precious and adds to the complex beauty of the symphony. All of Heavenly Father’s children are different in some degree, yet each has his own beautiful sound that adds depth and richness to the whole.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Concern for the One, April 2008 General Conference, Saturday morning session.

What a great analogy! I like to think of our family as an orchestra, each unique and special, everyone contributing immeasurably to the beauty of the whole.

Love,

Dad/Mark

A pure heart and clean hands

I was cleaning the carpet today when inspiration hit.

Armed with a brand-new can of Spot Shot, I aimed to rid my bedroom carpet of baby spit stains, dirt, and other random junk that has accumulated over the last 2 1/2 months. The soiled carpet has been bothering me for several weeks now, and I hoped it wasn't too late to remove the stains. To my great relief, the cleaning process worked like a charm. My only regret was not attending to the mess sooner.

As I scrubbed the floor on my hands and knees, the words of Alma came to my mind. They were fresh, since we read from Alma 5 this morning as a family. To put the passage in context, Alma had just embarked on his mission to the Nephites, hoping that the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ would help them change their ways. Beginning in verse 26, he said:

26 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a ^achange of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the ^bsong of redeeming love, I would ask, ^ccan ye feel so now?

27 Have ye walked, keeping yourselves ^ablameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently ^bhumble? That your garments have been ^ccleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to ^dredeem his people from their sins?

28 Behold, are ye stripped of ^apride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.

29 Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of ^aenvy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare ^bquickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless.

30 And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a ^amock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?

31 Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the ^atime is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!

32 Yea, even wo unto all ye ^aworkers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!

33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto ^aall men, for the ^barms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.

My mind turned to Ryan's farewell address, when he challenged all of us to repent daily. I felt a renewed sense of urgency to do better with daily repentance. Like my carpet, I can still be washed clean if I neglect my spirit for a while, but the process is longer and more challenging. How much better it would be if we tackled our dirty spots daily with the healing balm of the Savior's sacrifice and feel welcome in His arms.

Love,

Heidi

Safe Place Traditions

I really love Sister Cheryl Lant's talk about righteous traditions from the last conference. I was particularly impressed with her comments on how righteous traditions can help us build "safe places" for our families.

I would invite all of us to take a moment to reflect on the traditions in our lives and how they might be affecting our families. Our traditions of Sabbath day observance, family prayer, family scripture study, service and activity in the Church, as well as patterns of respect and loyalty in the home, will have a great effect on our children and on their future. If our parenting is based on the teachings of the scriptures and of the latter-day prophets, we cannot go wrong. If every time there is a challenge our hearts turn first and always to our Father in Heaven for direction, we will be in a safe place.

If our children know where we stand and we always stand on the Lord’s side, we know we are where we need to be. Now, the important thing is that we consistently work to do these things. We will not be perfect at it, and our families will not always respond positively, but we will be building a strong foundation of righteous traditions that our children can depend on.

Cheryl C. Lant, Primary General President, Righteous Traditions, April 2008 General Conference, Saturday Morning Session

Love,

Dad/Mark

Zion Family: Building Blocks of Faith and Testimony

In our Ward Conference today, Bishop Cameron McKay was extraordinarily emotional as he spoke. His wife has been battling cancer for over a year and is currently enduring yet another round of painful treatments. He had not planned to attend the meeting and had provided Brother Jones with the text of the message he wished the ward to hear. But Bishop McKay did come and gave a powerful talk about seeking to be perfect in Christ through the power of the atonement.

I was reminded of Elder Rasband's talk in the last General Conference, testifying that our life experiences can provide building blocks of faith:

"Our personal journey through life provides us with many special experiences that become building blocks of faith and testimony. These experiences come to us in vastly different ways and at unpredictable times. They can be powerful spiritual events or small enlightening moments. Some experiences will come as serious challenges and heavy trials that test our ability to cope with them. No matter what the experience may be, each gives us a chance for personal growth, greater wisdom, and, in many cases, service to others with more empathy and love. As the Lord stated to the Prophet Joseph Smith in a reassuring way during one of his most significant trials at Liberty Jail, 'All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good' (D&C 122:7).

"As experiences accumulate in our lives, they add strength and support to each other. Just as the building blocks of our homes support the rest of the structure, so too do our personal life experiences become building blocks for our testimonies and add to our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."

Ronald A. Rasband, Special Experiences, April 2008 General Conference, Saturday Morning Session.

I don't wish for more trials to come upon any of us in our family or our friends, but they certainly will come. I hope and pray that each of us can take advantage of each trial or test or life experience to progressively build our testimonies and commitment to Christ. I am confident the Master Builder will magnify our small desires and efforts through the power of the Holy Ghost to make our building blocks eternal.

Love,

Dad/Mark

Keys of the Priesthood Bless our Families

Last night, when I spoke with Claudia from my hotel room in Overland Park, Kansas, she recounted how David had given Devlin a priesthood blessing prior to attending his first day of kindergarten, exercising his authority as a father and priesthood holder to serve his family. What a thrill it was to hear of a worthy son extending not only a family tradition, but taking the initiative to draw down the power of heaven on behalf of his family.

I also felt the sweet assurance of the spirit yesterday morning as Eric joined me to give Holly a blessing to start her first day back to school.

This morning, during my "walk with the giants," I listened again to President Eyring's talk from the last general conference. Three brief sentences the uttered in testifying of the reality of priesthood keys impressed me:

"Revelation and inspiration have come to him [President Monson] in my presence, which
confirms to me that God is honoring those keys. I am an eyewitness.
They are keys of a priesthood which is, in the Lord's words, "without
beginning or end."⁵


President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, The True and Living Church, Saturday Morning Session, April 2008 General Conference.

As he spoke those words, the Spirit whispered to me that a similar miracle had occured in Dent-Dixon homes yesterday. Keys and authority of the priesthood were exercised in faith. Revelation was received and spoken. God honored those keys. We are grateful witnesses.

Love,

Dad/Mark

Exaltation is a Family Matter

While in Washington, DC, this past week, I stayed at a riverfront hotel east of the city in a newly developed area called National Harbor. Early each morning I took a solitary walk along the shoreline while listening to conference talks on my iPod.

One morning, I was particularly impressed with this comment by Elder Nelson:

"In God’s eternal plan, salvation is an individual matter; exaltation is a family matter.

"As children of the covenant, we have met in this morning’s solemn assembly. Attention has been focused upon the sacred titles of prophets and apostles. But the final responsibility to prepare for salvation and exaltation rests upon each person, accountable for individual agency, acting in one’s own family, bearing another sacred title of mother, father, daughter, son, grandmother, or grandfather."

Russell M. Nelson, Salvation and Exaltation, April 2008 General Conference, Saturday morning session.

We are all in this together. While each of us certainly has responsibility to gain individual testimony and individually learn how to claim the promised blessings of the atonement, all of us in the Dent-Dixon family have the sacred responsibility to assist and lift and bless the lives of each other. It is extremely heartening to me to see this happening, day in and day out, within our family. Somehow, I think that is the sealing power in action, operational within our family, helping us all in our collective effort to return home to God.

Love,

Dad/Mark