Ten years ago I had some colleagues from China visit who had never been here before. They wanted to see some of our world famous National Parks. We picked them up early in the morning, and as we drove along I-15 There were excited voices coming from the back of the car and the sound of camera shutters clicking. I didn’t think too much of it but as we passed through Utah county the camera lenses continued ticking away. I wondered what they were taking so many pictures of. As we were nearing Nephi and the lens shutter clicking became more incessant, I had to know. What are you taking so many photos of? They informed me that they had never seen such amazing mountains before. I looked out and for the first time since I had started driving I noticed the mountains. Mt. Nebo was breathtaking. In my mind I thought, wait until you see the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon. There had been an early snowstorm that year and there was snow on the ground and a beautiful clear blue sky overhead as we pulled into the parking lot at Bryce. I could hardly wait for them to see the beautiful contrast of the white snow on the red rock formations. We hurried them out of the car and I took off walking. I soon realized that they were not following me. They were stooped down picking up snow. They had never seen it before. So I went back and taught them how to make snow angels and have a snowball fight. When that was out of their system I thought “finally – we can get to what we came for.” I started walking again to get to the rim for the view, and I heard shutter noises again. “Are you kidding me? There is nothing to take pictures of yet. I turned around and they had their cameras pointing at the sky taking pictures. They had never seen such a blue sky before. I’m a slow learner, but the lesson finally hit home. I had seen and been around mountains and snow and clear blue skies for so long that I no longer noticed them – or took the time to think about them. I had become blinded in a way.
Matthew recounts this experience with the Savior:
Two blind men sitting by the wayside when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out saying, Have mercy on us O Lord, thou Son of David
And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
My hope is that as we are taught by the spirit today that our spiritual eyes may be opened – and as we talk about things that we may take for granted because they have always been a part of our everyday lives, that we will see our blessings in a new light. And that the spirit will prompt us to act.
Our Father in Heaven planned the coming forth of the Founding Fathers and their form of government as the necessary leading to the restoration of the gospel. Recall what Jesus Christ said nearly two thousand years ago when He visited this promised land: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth” (3 Ne. 21:4).
The Declaration of Independence which declares God’s natural non-transferable laws - affirmed the Founding Fathers’ belief and trust in God in these words:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The Doctrine and Covenants states, “We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life” (D&C 134:2). Life, liberty, property—mankind’s three great rights.
The years immediately preceding the Constitutional Convention were filled with disappointments and threats to the newly won peace. Washington was offered a kingship, which he adamantly refused. Nephi had prophesied hundreds of years before that “this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land”
Between the years of 1783 and 1787, an outsider viewing the affairs of the United States would have thought that the thirteen colonies, who were different in so many ways, could never effectively unite. The world powers were confident that this nation would not last.
But Nephi taught that “The Lord knoweth all things from the beginning, wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men”
Four months after first meeting, the Constitutional Convention delegates had completed their work on September 17, 1787. Exactly 236 years ago today.
I met my Chinese friend Adrian Zhao in 2005. On June 4 , 1989, Adrian was a college student in Tiananmen Square, participating in protests against the communist government and calling for, among other things greater government accountability, constitutional due process, democracy, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech. He witnessed firsthand the scene many of you are familiar with of the brave student who stood in front of an oncoming tank as thousands of troops killed hundreds and injured thousands of the protestors. Many of them friends of Adrian, young men and women who wanted the rights that we here in the United States have always had.
Adrian recounted to me many times that he wished that he had been born in America so that he would have the freedoms that we have
Things we take for granted like how many children can we have in our family
What schools can we go to and even our career choices - freedom to talk about God outside of our own homes.
What Adrian was really talking about is agency
It was what we fought for in heaven, and was the father’s plan accepted by Jesus Christ and all of us
The Ideal was expressed in the Declaration of Independence – the God given natural law. The Founders believed that in a perfect world, positive law would be the same as natural law. In an imperfect world that is impossible, but we should try to make positive law approximate natural law as closely as feasible.
The inspired attempt by the Founding Fathers to codify into man-made positive law resulted in our constitution. A document which has been the model for the constitutions of 110 countries., As Melinda mentioned, although these were imperfect men, God used them to write this document so His work could go forth. These inspired men acknowledged God’s hand in the process.
James Madison
“It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution.”
Alexander Hamilton, said: “For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system, which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interest”
In 1833 the Lord said the following:
“According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established;... That every man may act in doctrine and principle…according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, ... And for this purpose I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose.(D&C 101:77-80)
We know that Jesus Christ is the source of freedom upon the earth and its greatest advocate. Nephi taught this truth:
And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon
At a bicentennial celebration Elder L. Tom Perry said the following.
“The source of America’s greatness is not a new doctrine to us. The Book of Mormon has declared over and over again that the blessings of heaven on this land are contingent upon the righteousness of its people. In fact, this teaching has been attested to in almost every age. … in 1831…the famous French historian Alexis de Tocqueville said:
“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
So – I would propose that one of the best ways we can defend and uphold our constitution is to do and be good.
What does it mean to be good? Both sides of the political aisle seem to think that they have a monopoly on goodness.
I love thinking about the word “Good” I believe that being good is better than being great. Think about the use of the word good in the scriptures.
King Benjamin said:
“Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his.
The Savior said,” Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.
It seems that in these two scriptures the words good and work go hand in hand. So what is this “good work” that the Lord would have us do?
The story of the good Samaritan is a perfect example. You all know it well _ Let’s see if we can view it with different eyes today. A certain man – a Jew – went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves. He was stripped of his raiment and wounded – leaving him half dead. A priest and Levite passed by on the other side. But the Samaritan came where he was and had compassion on him.
OK – the hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews had begun around 1000 years before the Savior told this story. That is a long time for hatred and mischaracterizations of each other to fester. So lets’ apply it to us
Someone we absolutely disagree with maybe even hate (we have only been a country for 250 years, a lot less time to foment bad feelings than the Samaritans and Jews had) this person we despise falls on hard times. How do we react? This person disagrees with us politically, religiously, culturally.
Here is what our living prophet has said regarding this.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to be examples of how to interact with others—especially when we have differences of opinion. One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people.
If a friend on social media has strong political or social views that violate everything you believe in, an angry, cutting retort by you will not help. Building bridges of understanding will require much more of you, but that is exactly what your friend needs.
The Samaritan came to where the wounded man was. That means we try to understand where the person we disagree is coming from – how are their experiences different from ours. We go to them and figuratively bind up their wounds – pour in oil and wine – set them on our own beast and take care of them - and then we go the extra mile – we ask others to also show compassion – others who may also disagree with our wounded friend- we ask them to also love and care for him, and then we come back and do it again.
One of the names of the Savior is the Good Shepherd.
How do we emulate the Good Shepherd? – We do what he did - and what did He do? Paul tells us He went about doing good – there’s that word again. Modern testimony teaches us the following:
His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead.
So how we do the things He did? We cannot literally do everything the Savior did, but we can use His life as type. He walked the streets of Palestine - He went out and look for opportunities to serve - We can do that - we can walk the roads of the Forest Hills ward and pay attention wherever we are for opportunities to serve.
Healing the sick - we can do this – again not always literally, but by following the promptings of the spirit we can be the words, presence and hands of He who is the master healer. We can bring His presence with us into the lives of those who are struggling and suffering.
Causing the blind to see - We may not have the opportunity to give literal sight to the blind, but we can help others see Christ through our example and service
And raising the dead - We cannot universally overcome death, but we can make our relationships and our families live. We can give life to our church callings, to our ward and to our neighborhood.
I believe that our purpose here on earth can be summed up by the 2 great commandments - Love God, love our neighbors as ourselves. Why? Because on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. So if you have a question on how you should act in any situation, ask yourself how your actions will fulfill these 2 commandments, and then proceed accordingly.
President Nelson has given us a promise, and I have a testimony of prophetic promises.
In the Old Testament we read of Naaman who was a leper. He heard that there was a prophet in Samaria that could help him, so he went with money hoping to purchase the healing
Elisha the prophet sent out a messenger telling Naaman to go and wash in Jordan seven time and he would be cleansed. Naaman was so angry – he supposed that the prophet would come out to him and call on the lord and heal him of his leprosy.
He was headed back to Damascus, but his was servants reminded him that if the prophet had asked him to do some great thing he would have surely done it, so why not give this a try.
We all know how it ended – Naaman washed seven times and was cleansed of his leprosy. Why? Not because of any magical properties of the river Jordan, but a prophet of God had said it would be so.
Here is what our living prophet of God said:
“Brothers and sisters, we can literally change the world—one person and one interaction at a time. How? By modeling how to manage honest differences of opinion with mutual respect and dignified dialogue.”
One way we can do this is by knowing who we are. Who are we? This is one of my favorite quotes by President Boyd K Packer:
You are a child of God. He is the father of your spirit. Spiritually you are of noble birth, the offspring of the King of Heaven. Fix that truth in your mind and hold to it. However many generations in your mortal ancestry, no matter what race or people you represent, the pedigree of your spirit can be written on a single line. You are a child of God!
When we see not only ourselves as children of Heavenly Parents, but also open our spiritual eyes and see everyone else that way we will treat them differently. As Melinda said we need to remember that even our enemies and those we disagree with are children of God.
Matthew recounts this experience with the Savior:
Two blind men sitting by the wayside when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out saying, Have mercy on us O Lord, thou Son of David
And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
My hope is that as we are taught by the spirit today that our spiritual eyes may be opened – and as we talk about things that we may take for granted because they have always been a part of our everyday lives, that we will see our blessings in a new light. And that the spirit will prompt us to act.
Our Father in Heaven planned the coming forth of the Founding Fathers and their form of government as the necessary leading to the restoration of the gospel. Recall what Jesus Christ said nearly two thousand years ago when He visited this promised land: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth” (3 Ne. 21:4).
The Declaration of Independence which declares God’s natural non-transferable laws - affirmed the Founding Fathers’ belief and trust in God in these words:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The Doctrine and Covenants states, “We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life” (D&C 134:2). Life, liberty, property—mankind’s three great rights.
The years immediately preceding the Constitutional Convention were filled with disappointments and threats to the newly won peace. Washington was offered a kingship, which he adamantly refused. Nephi had prophesied hundreds of years before that “this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land”
Between the years of 1783 and 1787, an outsider viewing the affairs of the United States would have thought that the thirteen colonies, who were different in so many ways, could never effectively unite. The world powers were confident that this nation would not last.
But Nephi taught that “The Lord knoweth all things from the beginning, wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men”
Four months after first meeting, the Constitutional Convention delegates had completed their work on September 17, 1787. Exactly 236 years ago today.
I met my Chinese friend Adrian Zhao in 2005. On June 4 , 1989, Adrian was a college student in Tiananmen Square, participating in protests against the communist government and calling for, among other things greater government accountability, constitutional due process, democracy, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech. He witnessed firsthand the scene many of you are familiar with of the brave student who stood in front of an oncoming tank as thousands of troops killed hundreds and injured thousands of the protestors. Many of them friends of Adrian, young men and women who wanted the rights that we here in the United States have always had.
Adrian recounted to me many times that he wished that he had been born in America so that he would have the freedoms that we have
Things we take for granted like how many children can we have in our family
What schools can we go to and even our career choices - freedom to talk about God outside of our own homes.
What Adrian was really talking about is agency
It was what we fought for in heaven, and was the father’s plan accepted by Jesus Christ and all of us
The Ideal was expressed in the Declaration of Independence – the God given natural law. The Founders believed that in a perfect world, positive law would be the same as natural law. In an imperfect world that is impossible, but we should try to make positive law approximate natural law as closely as feasible.
The inspired attempt by the Founding Fathers to codify into man-made positive law resulted in our constitution. A document which has been the model for the constitutions of 110 countries., As Melinda mentioned, although these were imperfect men, God used them to write this document so His work could go forth. These inspired men acknowledged God’s hand in the process.
James Madison
“It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution.”
Alexander Hamilton, said: “For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system, which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interest”
In 1833 the Lord said the following:
“According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established;... That every man may act in doctrine and principle…according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, ... And for this purpose I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose.(D&C 101:77-80)
We know that Jesus Christ is the source of freedom upon the earth and its greatest advocate. Nephi taught this truth:
And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon
At a bicentennial celebration Elder L. Tom Perry said the following.
“The source of America’s greatness is not a new doctrine to us. The Book of Mormon has declared over and over again that the blessings of heaven on this land are contingent upon the righteousness of its people. In fact, this teaching has been attested to in almost every age. … in 1831…the famous French historian Alexis de Tocqueville said:
“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
So – I would propose that one of the best ways we can defend and uphold our constitution is to do and be good.
What does it mean to be good? Both sides of the political aisle seem to think that they have a monopoly on goodness.
I love thinking about the word “Good” I believe that being good is better than being great. Think about the use of the word good in the scriptures.
King Benjamin said:
“Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his.
The Savior said,” Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.
It seems that in these two scriptures the words good and work go hand in hand. So what is this “good work” that the Lord would have us do?
The story of the good Samaritan is a perfect example. You all know it well _ Let’s see if we can view it with different eyes today. A certain man – a Jew – went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves. He was stripped of his raiment and wounded – leaving him half dead. A priest and Levite passed by on the other side. But the Samaritan came where he was and had compassion on him.
OK – the hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews had begun around 1000 years before the Savior told this story. That is a long time for hatred and mischaracterizations of each other to fester. So lets’ apply it to us
Someone we absolutely disagree with maybe even hate (we have only been a country for 250 years, a lot less time to foment bad feelings than the Samaritans and Jews had) this person we despise falls on hard times. How do we react? This person disagrees with us politically, religiously, culturally.
Here is what our living prophet has said regarding this.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to be examples of how to interact with others—especially when we have differences of opinion. One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people.
If a friend on social media has strong political or social views that violate everything you believe in, an angry, cutting retort by you will not help. Building bridges of understanding will require much more of you, but that is exactly what your friend needs.
The Samaritan came to where the wounded man was. That means we try to understand where the person we disagree is coming from – how are their experiences different from ours. We go to them and figuratively bind up their wounds – pour in oil and wine – set them on our own beast and take care of them - and then we go the extra mile – we ask others to also show compassion – others who may also disagree with our wounded friend- we ask them to also love and care for him, and then we come back and do it again.
One of the names of the Savior is the Good Shepherd.
How do we emulate the Good Shepherd? – We do what he did - and what did He do? Paul tells us He went about doing good – there’s that word again. Modern testimony teaches us the following:
His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead.
So how we do the things He did? We cannot literally do everything the Savior did, but we can use His life as type. He walked the streets of Palestine - He went out and look for opportunities to serve - We can do that - we can walk the roads of the Forest Hills ward and pay attention wherever we are for opportunities to serve.
Healing the sick - we can do this – again not always literally, but by following the promptings of the spirit we can be the words, presence and hands of He who is the master healer. We can bring His presence with us into the lives of those who are struggling and suffering.
Causing the blind to see - We may not have the opportunity to give literal sight to the blind, but we can help others see Christ through our example and service
And raising the dead - We cannot universally overcome death, but we can make our relationships and our families live. We can give life to our church callings, to our ward and to our neighborhood.
I believe that our purpose here on earth can be summed up by the 2 great commandments - Love God, love our neighbors as ourselves. Why? Because on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. So if you have a question on how you should act in any situation, ask yourself how your actions will fulfill these 2 commandments, and then proceed accordingly.
President Nelson has given us a promise, and I have a testimony of prophetic promises.
In the Old Testament we read of Naaman who was a leper. He heard that there was a prophet in Samaria that could help him, so he went with money hoping to purchase the healing
Elisha the prophet sent out a messenger telling Naaman to go and wash in Jordan seven time and he would be cleansed. Naaman was so angry – he supposed that the prophet would come out to him and call on the lord and heal him of his leprosy.
He was headed back to Damascus, but his was servants reminded him that if the prophet had asked him to do some great thing he would have surely done it, so why not give this a try.
We all know how it ended – Naaman washed seven times and was cleansed of his leprosy. Why? Not because of any magical properties of the river Jordan, but a prophet of God had said it would be so.
Here is what our living prophet of God said:
“Brothers and sisters, we can literally change the world—one person and one interaction at a time. How? By modeling how to manage honest differences of opinion with mutual respect and dignified dialogue.”
One way we can do this is by knowing who we are. Who are we? This is one of my favorite quotes by President Boyd K Packer:
You are a child of God. He is the father of your spirit. Spiritually you are of noble birth, the offspring of the King of Heaven. Fix that truth in your mind and hold to it. However many generations in your mortal ancestry, no matter what race or people you represent, the pedigree of your spirit can be written on a single line. You are a child of God!
When we see not only ourselves as children of Heavenly Parents, but also open our spiritual eyes and see everyone else that way we will treat them differently. As Melinda said we need to remember that even our enemies and those we disagree with are children of God.
I wrote a 4th verse to I am a Child of God that helps me remember this.
I am a Child of God
And so is everyone
This truth helps me to love and serve
Just as His Firstborn Son
We are in a great sisterhood and brotherhood and our challenge is to treat each other as the Good Samaritan treated his wounded brother – for we are all wounded and in need of a Healer.
One more promise from President Nelson:
As you demonstrate the charity that true followers of Jesus Christ manifest, the Lord will magnify your efforts beyond your loftiest imagination.
The gospel net is the largest net in the world. God has invited all to come unto Him, “black and white, bond and free, male and female.”24 There is room for everyone.
Said another way:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
My prayer is that as we strive to protect the freedom and agency we currently enjoy by doing good, that God will crown our good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
I am a Child of God
And so is everyone
This truth helps me to love and serve
Just as His Firstborn Son
We are in a great sisterhood and brotherhood and our challenge is to treat each other as the Good Samaritan treated his wounded brother – for we are all wounded and in need of a Healer.
One more promise from President Nelson:
As you demonstrate the charity that true followers of Jesus Christ manifest, the Lord will magnify your efforts beyond your loftiest imagination.
The gospel net is the largest net in the world. God has invited all to come unto Him, “black and white, bond and free, male and female.”24 There is room for everyone.
Said another way:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
My prayer is that as we strive to protect the freedom and agency we currently enjoy by doing good, that God will crown our good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
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