Armed with Power

Hello family:

As I was reading the following verses from the dedicatory prayer on the Kirtland Temple on the airplane last night, I thought of Ryan recently receiving his endowment in the Mesa Temple in preparation for him entering the mission field armed with power, bearing the name of Christ and being empowered by the Savior's glory. As Ryan leaves for Croatia in July, we can be confident that angels will have charge over him as he bears "exceedingly great and glorious tidings, in truth, unto the ends of the earth."

22 And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy ^aname may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine ^bangels have charge over them;

23 And from this place they may bear exceedingly great and glorious tidings, in truth, unto the ^aends of the earth, that they may know that this is thy work, and that thou hast put forth thy hand, to fulfil that which thou hast spoken by the mouths of the prophets, concerning the last days.

(Doctrine & Covenants 109: 22, 23)

May we always treasure the miraculous power of Jesus Christ that comes into our lives in the House of the Lord.

Love,

Dad/Mark

Covenants Protect Us

Dear Family:

Friday night, Ryan was endowed in the Mesa Arizona Temple. Being with him and other endowed members of our family that night brought unspeakable joy. In contemplating the significance of the covenants Ryan entered into that night, and knowing that five of our six children and all three of our married children's spouses have experienced the same covenants, I was inspired by reading the following quotations.

The first, from Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Council of Twelve Apostles:

"A covenant made with God is not restrictive, but protective. Such a concept is not new. For example, if our water supply is not clean, we filter the water to screen out harmful ingredients. Divine covenants help us to filter out of our minds impurities that could harm us. When we choose to deny ourselves of all ungodliness, we lose nothing of value and gain the glory of eternal life. Covenants do not hold us down; they elevate us beyond the limits of our own power and perspective." (Russell M. Nelson, “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings,” Liahona, Jul 2001, 37–40)

The second, from Sister Bonnie D. Parkin, Relief Society General President:

"Covenants—or binding promises between us and Heavenly Father—are essential for our eternal progression. Step-by-step, He tutors us to become like Him by enlisting us in His work. At baptism we covenant to love Him with all our hearts and love our sisters and brothers as ourselves. In the temple we further covenant to be obedient, selfless, faithful, honorable, charitable. We covenant to make sacrifices and consecrate all that we have. Forged through priesthood authority, our kept covenants bring blessings to fill our cups to overflowing. How often do you reflect that your covenants reach beyond mortality and connect you to the Divine? Making covenants is the expression of a willing heart; keeping covenants, the expression of a faithful heart. ...

"May our individual covenants that bind us to our loving Heavenly Father guide us, protect us, sanctify us, and allow us to do likewise for all His children."(Bonnie D. Parkin, “With Holiness of Heart,” Ensign, Nov 2002, 103)

I know this to be true. I have experienced the protective power promised by our Savior. Our covenants with God do protect us in this troubled world. May we always be mindful of the covenants we have made and do all in our power to keep those covenants. Then, the great promises of protection, enlightenment and joy the Lord promises to the faithful will be ours.

Love,

Dad/Mark

Bring Again Zion

Hello family:

Today in Priesthood meeting, our High Priest Group Leader, Wayne Cardon, quoted from a talk Spencer W. Kimball gave in the April, 1978, conference, entitled, "Becoming the Pure in Heart." Although President Kimball was talking to the Church as a whole, I believe we can apply this directly to our Zion Family:

"May I suggest three fundamental things we must do if we are to “bring again Zion,” three things for which we who labor for Zion must commit ourselves.

"First, we must eliminate the individual tendency to selfishness that snares the soul, shrinks the heart, and darkens the mind. ...

"Second, we must cooperate completely and work in harmony one with the other. There must be unanimity in our decisions and unity in our actions. ...

"Third, we must lay on the altar and sacrifice whatever is required by the Lord. We begin by offering a “broken heart and a contrite spirit.” We follow this by giving our best effort in our assigned fields of labor and callings. We learn our duty and execute it fully. Finally we consecrate our time, talents and means as called upon by our file leaders and as prompted by the whisperings of the Spirit. ...

"My brothers and sisters, if we can do this, then we will find ourselves clothed in the mantle of charity “which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

"'But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.' (Moro. 7:46–47.)

"Let us unite and pray with all the energy of heart, that we may be sealed by this bond of charity; that we may build up this latter-day Zion, that the kingdom of God may go forth, so that the kingdom of heaven may come."

I would encourage each of us to read the entire talk and hope that all of us can apply this to our efforts to build an eternal Zion family and prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior.

Love,

Dad/Mark

The Abundant Life through Service

Some great advice from President Monson about finding joy through service:

"To measure the goodness of life by its delights and pleasures is to apply a false standard. The abundant life does not consist of a glut of luxury. It does not make itself content with commercially produced pleasure, mistaking it for joy and happiness. To find real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves. No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellowmen. Service to others is akin to duty, the fulfillment of which brings true joy."

(Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, May 1990, p.92)

Doesn't this attitude of selfless service remind you of Clodhopper?

Love,

Dad/Mark

God Knows You Individually

Dear Family:

I was impressed with this quotation from Neal A. Maxwell that dropped into my email box this week:

"God has known you individually . . . for a long, long time (see D&C 93:23). He has loved you for a long, long time. He not only knows the names of all the stars (see Psalm 147:4; Isaiah 40:26); He knows your names and all your heartaches and your joys! By the way, you have never seen an immortal star; they finally expire. But seated by you tonight are immortal individuals--imperfect but who are, nevertheless, 'trying to be like Jesus'!"

(Neal A. Maxwell, "Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been," Ensign, May 2004, 46)

It is an honor and blessing to be in the family of "immortal individuals" who are "trying to be like Jesus!"

Love,

Dad/Mark

Prayer - a Joyous, Lifetime Experience

Dear Family:

As I have studied the book of Enos during this past week, I have thought much about power of personal prayer. This week's Zion Family quotation comes from President Spencer W. Kimball (Spencer W. Kimball,'Pray Always’,Tambuli, Mar 1982):

"There is a knowledge that our Father in Heaven wants each of us to have, and that is a personal knowledge that he hears and answers our prayers. I have always had very tender feelings about prayer and the power and blessings of prayer. And for this I thank our Heavenly Father and my dear parents and teachers, who taught me by word and example about righteous and heartfelt prayer.

"I am sure that if we pray fervently and righteously, individually and as a family, when we go to bed at night and when we arise in the morning, and around our tables at mealtime, we will not only be closer or more united as loved ones but we will grow spiritually through communion with our Heavenly Father.

"We each have so much need for his help as we seek to learn gospel truths and then live them, as we seek his help in the major decisions of our lives, decisions involving schooling, marriage, employment, place of residence, raising our families, serving with each other in the work of the Lord, and seeking his forgiveness and continual guidance and protection in all we do. Our list of needs is long and real and deeply felt.

...

"Learning the language of prayer is a joyous, lifetime experience. Sometimes ideas flood our mind as we listen after our prayers. Sometimes feelings press upon us. A spirit of calmness assures us that all will be well. But always, if we have been honest and earnest, we will experience a good feeling—feeling of warmth for our Father in Heaven and a sense of his love for us. I have felt sorrow because some of us have not learned the meaning of that calm, spiritual warmth, for it is a witness to us that our prayers have been heard. And since our Father in Heaven loves us with more love than we have even for ourselves, it means that we can trust in his goodness, we can trust in him; it means that if we continue praying and living as we should, our Father’s hand will guide and bless us."

I hope that all of us can seek the "joyous, lifetime experience" in prayer that President Kimball challenged us to find.

Love,

Dad/Mark

P.S. A complete archive of all the Zion Family Quotations are on the "We are a Zion Family" blog.

Overcome Selfishness through Service

Hello Family:

This week's quotation is from James E. Faust (Ensign, Dec 1999):

"At the heart of the message of the Savior of the world is a single, glorious, wonderful, still largely untried concept. In its simplest terms the message is that we should seek to overcome the selfishness we all seem to be born with, that we should overcome human nature and think of others before self. We should think of God and serve Him, and think of others and serve them."

Thank you all for the many, many ways you have given service to each other, to us as your parents and to so many others. May the Lord bless you for your goodness and charity.

Love,

Dad/Mark