Lesson 43 Quotes

Hello, dear readers. I've posted the quotes from today's lesson here in case you would like to reread. Put in any requests for anything else you would like to see on here.

QUOTE #1 First Presidency
“The Lord’s law of moral conduct is abstinence outside of lawful marriage and fidelity within marriage. Sexual relations are proper only between husband and wife appropriately expressed within the bonds of marriage. Any other sexual contact, including fornication, adultery, and homosexual and lesbian behavior, is sinful” (First Presidency letter, 14 Nov. 1991).

QUOTE #2 Elder Richard G. Scott
“Any sexual intimacy outside of the bonds of marriage—I mean any intentional contact with the sacred, private parts of another’s body, with or without clothing—is a sin and is forbidden by God. It is also a transgression to intentionally stimulate these emotions within your own body” (Ensign, Nov. 1994, 38).

QUOTE #3 President Gordon B. Hinckley
“You must not fool around with the Internet to find pornographic material. You must not dial a long-distance telephone number to listen to filth. You must not rent videos with pornography of any kind. This salacious stuff simply is not for you. Stay away from pornography as you would avoid a serious disease. It is destructive. It can become habitual, and those who indulge in it get so they cannot leave it alone. It is addictive” (Ensign, May 1998, 49).

QUOTE #4 Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
“One of the most pervasive deceptions in recent years is the notion that immorality is normal and acceptable and has no negative consequences. In truth, immorality is the underlying cause of much suffering and many other problems that are prevalent today, including rampant disease, abortion, broken families, families without fathers, and mothers who themselves are children” (Ensign, Nov. 1994, 76).

QUOTE #5 President James E. Faust
“Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving” (Ensign, Nov. 1996, 41).

QUOTE #6 For The Strength of Youth: Honesty
Be honest with yourself, others, and the Lord. When you are honest in every way, you build strength of character that will allow you to be of great service to God and others. You will be blessed with peace of mind and self-respect. When you are honest, you will be trusted by the Lord and by those around you.
Dishonesty hurts you and usually hurts others as well. When you lie, steal, shoplift, or cheat, you damage your spirit and become less able to do good things. Be honest in your job, giving a full amount of work for your pay.
Don’t rationalize that wrong is right, even though many people around you may think there is no harm in being dishonest. Being honest requires courage and commitment to do what you know is right

QUOTE #7 For The Strength of Youth: Language
How you speak says much about who you are. Clean and intelligent language is evidence of a bright and wholesome mind. Use language that uplifts, encourages, and compliments others. Do not insult others or put them down, even in joking. Speak kindly and positively about others so you can fulfill the Lord’s commandment to love one another. When you use good language, you invite the Spirit to be with you.
Always use the names of God and Jesus Christ with reverence and respect. Misusing their names is a sin. Profane, vulgar, or crude language or gestures, as well as jokes about immoral actions, are offensive to the Lord and to others. Foul language harms your spirit and degrades you. Do not let others influence you to use it.
Choose friends who use good language. Help others around you use clean language by your example and by good-naturedly encouraging them to choose other words. Politely walk away or change the subject when others around you use bad language.
If you have developed the habit of swearing, you can break it. Begin by making a decision to change. Pray for help. If you start to use words you know are wrong, keep quiet or say what you have to say in a different way

QUOTE #8 Dallin H. Oaks
“Profanity and vulgarity … are sins that separate us from God and cripple our spiritual defenses by causing the Holy Ghost to withdraw from us” (Ensign, May 1986, 52).

QUOTE #9 Joseph B. Wirthlin
“[Satan] seeks to find any chink in the armor of each person. He knows our weaknesses and knows how to exploit them if we allow him to do so. We can defend ourselves against his attacks and deceptions only by understanding the commandments and by fortifying ourselves each day through praying, studying the scriptures, and following the counsel of the Lord’s anointed” (Ensign, Nov. 1988, 35).

Lesson 1: Introduction

Here are the notes from this week's lesson. It's primary purpose is to introduce the lesson materials, course subject and also to set the classes expectations with regard to participation.

I felt it was important to review the student guide with the class, as it has some really good stuff in it.

There is a "proper" lesson, albeit a shorter than usual one at the end.

I'd welcome your feedback in the comments section.

Well Adam, you have a new curriculum

It's the start of a new year and a new curriculum. We'll be studying the Doctrine and Covenants this year. I realise that I began slacking off with the blog posts, however all the lesson material for the Book of Mormon course is available here.

So we begin with the Introductory Course for the Doctrine and Covenants - I'm hoping for a good year, although if I'm honest - I'm a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of material that is available to draw upon. I will try to follow the counsel given in a scripture (D&C 1:37) from this week's lesson in my preparation each week to "search these [words]".

The lesson material this week tries to focus the students minds on what they wish to get out of the year ahead, to familarise them with the material we're studying and to cram in a bit of a lesson, as I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on D&C 1 - which is probably one of my favourite sections.

I'll conclude this post with the conclusion from the lesson, as I found it quite inspiring:

The Lord needs more than onlookers who cheer from the sidelines; we must ask ourselves if we are keeping pace and doing our part as families and as individuals.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “This is a season of a thousand opportunities. It is ours to grasp and move forward. What a wonderful time it is for each of us to do his or her small part in moving the work of the Lord on to its magnificent destiny”