Reaching Out -Thomas S Monson -Nov HT - Finding Joy in the Journey

Finding Joy in the Journey

Thomas S. Monson, October 2008 General Conference

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows."

Sunday, 8:45pm, 11/29/15

Hello Home teaching families, (this letter is brought to you by, VJ and Eric Yunker.)

I love all three of you families and my partner. I traveled up to Ogden Wednesday evening and back on Friday evening. The evenings are long these days, have you noticed that?

I was quite concerned about the roads a number of times and my prayers were a regular part of my travels! It is so nice to have a HF that likes to hear from us even when we are in need. Thank Heavens.

Silly sidelight: I bragged to my sister last month in a daily vmail, that I could recite all 7 verses of A POOR WAYFARING MAN OF GRIEF in 7 breaths. At her Thursday morning family devotional she asked if I would demonstrate at some point during my stay. After the devotional I said, let's get this over with. Why not now? When I am trying to say something perfectly I close my eyes so I can concentrate and not be distracted. I took and deep breath and did the first verse. Another and did the second and a third. I opened my eyes and said is that good enough? I was the focus of everyone's rapt attention. She has 3 children 16, 13, 9. Of course they wanted me to finish. I did. I flubbed up a couple of times but still had breath to fix it and go on. Success!

I had told them I could recite it but not sing it. I was tiring on the drive home. WE all try stuff to bring back the alertness when we feel the blankets of sleepiness descending when we are driving. I dove into a quick paced rendition of YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE. Then I asked myself, why not try my 7 verses at the SUNSHINE pace? It took some getting used to but I succeeded eventually. Then I did WAYFARING from beginning to end 2 more times. I was out of breath when I finished and very awake! So now I have a new skill. Want to hear? Just Kidding.

I listen to General Conference one year after another all the time. I am not a very trusting person but I trust the apostles. Today I was listening to President Monson the Conference right after Pres Hinkley had passed away. His voice was vibrant, young and alive still. The tone was the same as always. I detected no more urgency than before he was President, and the love and encouragement was pervasive in his sentences. His voice has aged like crazy since becoming prophet. After being in for 50 years I thought he would last forever but even he is declining. He doesn't cry much in his addresses. But he almost sings to us in his loving encouraging voice.

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I begin by mentioning one of the most inevitable aspects of our lives here upon the earth, and that is change. At one time or another we’ve all heard some form of the familiar adage: “Nothing is as constant as change.”

Throughout our lives, we must deal with change. Some changes are welcome; some are not. There are changes in our lives which are sudden, such as the unexpected passing of a loved one, an unforeseen illness, the loss of a possession we treasure. But most of the changes take place subtly and slowly.

This conference marks 45 years since I was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. As the junior member of the Twelve then, I looked up to 14 exceptional men, who were senior to me in the Twelve and the First Presidency. One by one, each of these men has returned home. When President Hinkley passed away eight months ago, I realized that I had become the senior Apostle. The changes over a period of 45 years that were incremental now seem monumental.

This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.

I am what my wife, Frances, calls a “show-a-holic.” I thoroughly enjoy many musicals, and one of my favorites was written by the American composer Meredith Willson and is entitled The Music Man. Professor Harold Hill, one of the principal characters in the show, voices a caution that I share with you. Says he, “You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.”

Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.” 3 We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.

Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”

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This last year I wanted to add some permanence to my words of love and encouragement to others. I have done that by blogging. You can read all of my letters to Brandon Perry Smith on adventurebill1 Blogs can almost be like the book of life. And if you record your testimony and efforts of living life by giving and serving it might serve to inspire someone in the present or future.

Whether you save it in a blog or not, kind words spoken or written to others can bless their lives and yours /ours. Many used to do Christmas Cards this time of year. My family of origin used to tape them all up and the reaching out from others was almost tangible.

Reach out as best you can. Spread light and hope and faith and testimony if you can. If this inspires you to reach out to one person you might not have, then this message will have been rewarded.

AS you know I am unexpectedly retired. Reaching out has become the major service of my life. I was not planning on that being this month's message but it seems to be where TSM was pointing.

Hugh Nibley believed there were only two virtues HF sent us down on earth to prove. The ability to repent and the ability to forgive. Reaching out can help us do both of those.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. I was blessed above any expectations. Yep, I got to reach out!

God bless you wonderful saints,

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Vern Jensen & Eric Yunker 9:32pm

Lachish letters endorsing Bible, Hugh Nibley awesome!

bps, I am going to send you two post cards today since I am up to 8k words. The last letter I sent included the talk from Sterling W Sill but missing the last bit. I listened to that one last night and it made me smile and laugh at a couple of points. I love techniques for remembering things. His was quite unique, and in my opinion, daring! I always wanted to use the hand as a way to remember something for my students in science. I never did. So watching how Sterling W Sill did it fascinated me. I could list all the fingers right now and tell you what they stood for because I practiced as I listened last night. Only problem: The concepts were not important enough to ever be repeated by another General Authority. Back in the 80's I created a way to remember all the prophets in order. I also created a way to remember all the then current apostles as well. I can still remember them. But the one for the prophets has been much more useful. “Say Your Testimonies With Simple Spirits. God Saved Man. Salvation Links Kindred Brethren. Hallelujah,Hallelujah, Monson! Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Joseph F Smith, Heber J Grant, George Albert Smith, David O McKay, Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B Lee, Spencer W Kimball, Ezra Taft Benson, Howard W Hunter, Gordon B Hinkley, Thomas S Monson. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Monson! Are the words I have had to add since then. I was lucky to have 2 H's in a row! @ I taught my home teaching families those Mnemonic devices. One of their kids, Paul Dunn had a photographic memory. When we sorted out the Apostle cards I made and played “go fish” on the living-room coffee table, he would always win in record time. @ Which reminds me. . . I bought some peanut butter on sale for a $1 a couple of months ago. I dropped two in their own sacks and put in the letter I wrote to my families and finally dropped them off at Yunkers, Carters, and Bruce Randall's house on Saturday. It took me all week to get up the motivation to make those deliveries. Bonnie and Quin Carter came to church yesterday and they were all smiles. I asked if they preferred creamy or extra crunchy? They said crunchy, so I had taken them the right one. Then the nicest thing: Bonnie texted me in gratitude. It was so nice to hear from a home teachee! I have so missed having a home teachee that was open and responsive! @ Since I am sending you 2 postcards this time I can include some emails I sent to my “friendly connections” list. @ I have been so desirous to share things I am learning from Hugh Nibley with my children. I was so pleased to discover the movie they made of him on Youtube! I was able to send the address and encourage them to at least listen to the first 2 minutes. He was such a wonderful explorer and defender of the church and I believe a dedicated, testimony filled, righteous man. As you know my trust doesn't come easily. But I trust him at least up to 90% and even more. So here come 2 items: Sterling W Sill's ending 1, Hugh Nibley bible evidence 2 ~@~ However, the big finger cannot say to the little finger, “I have no need of thee.” The little finger may come at the end of the line-up, but that is the quarterback position, and you don’t need a great big man to be the quarterback, providing the other members of the team are fully qualified and effectively functioning. That is, the thumb knows his business backwards and forwards and upside down and standing on his head. The pointing finger has some powerful, well-developed convictions about it; the big finger WANTS to do it, in capital letters; the ring finger gets great satisfaction from doing it; and all the little finger has to do is to do it. He is the worker. He is the one who takes care of the mechanics of production. He is the one that handles the checkup and does the follow-through. He is the one Jesus came calling for when he pleaded for “doers of the word” and not just hearers and talkers only. @Someone has said, “My, oh my, what miracles we could accomplish if our hands moved as fast as our tongues.” He said, “After all is said and done, there is usually a lot more said than done.” . . . [three more paragraphs-to be continued] gby- bltpjs- vjNext time. @As I sit here on this platform each conference and raise up my hand to make my personal covenant with the Lord, it is stimulating to me to remember that the President of the Church sits directly behind me and God is over my head, and I would not like to have either of them feel that my hand was not clean or that any of my necessary phylacteries were missing. And if I had the gift of speech and the power to plant a conviction that I would like to have, I would say to the millions of people in the world who are earnestly seeking to be disciples of the Master to hold up their hands to God and make a solemn covenant with him to keep all of his commandments. @And I would remind everyone of that thrilling occasion when Moses was leading the children of Israel in their battle against the Amalekites. Moses took the rod of God in his hands and went to the top of a sacred mount, where he held up his hands to God over the battle; and as long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed. But when he let his hands down, the Amalekites prevailed. And as Moses’ arms became heavy with weariness, Aaron and Hur stood on either side of Moses and helped him to hold up his hands until the battle was won. (See Ex. 17:8–12.) @If we all hold up clean, honest, industrious hands to God, then his work will prevail. And then it will not be long before the prayer of the Master is fulfilled wherein he said to his Father, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10.) And may God bless you, my brothers and sisters, that all of us together may effectively hold up our hands to God and that our covenants may be acceptable to him. For this I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

These next two I sent to "friendly connections" I somehow wanted to share them with my family but I didn't want to buy them all the book (6x15=$90). I was super excited to find 14 of the 19 books on line! So they can read them for free and I can get excerpts easily! [I tried over and over to remove the formatting. I repeated work, which I really dislike! So I am out of patience for separating the double words.]vj

http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1112&index=20

~@~Chapter 18 The Lachish Letters* The Lachish Letters are the best evidence so far discovered for the authenticity of Bible history. @friendly connections @Chapter 18 @The Lachish Letters @About twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem in Lehi’s day lay the powerfullyfortified city of Lachish, the strongest place in Judah outside of Jerusalemitself. Founded more than three thousand years before Christ, it was underEgyptian rule in the fourteenth century B.C. when the Khabiri (Hebrews) hadjust arrived. At that time, its king was charged with conspiring with thenewcomers against his Egyptian master. A later king of Lachish fought againstJoshua when the Israelites took the city about 1220 B.C. In a third phase,either David or Solomon fortified it strongly.The city’s strategic importance down through the years is reflected in theBabylonian, Assyrian, Egyptian, and biblical records. These describe a successionof intrigues, betrayals, sieges, and disasters that make the city’s storya woefully typical Palestinian “idyll.” Its fall in the days ofJeremiah is dramatically recounted in a number of letters found there in 1935and 1938. These original letters, actually written at Jeremiah’s time, turnedup in the ruins of a guardhouse that stood at the main gate of the city—twoletters a foot beneath the street paving in front of the guardhouse, and theother sixteen piled together below a stone bench set against the east wall.The wall had collapsed when a great bonfire was set against it from the outside.The bonfire was probably set by the soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar because theywanted to bring down the wall, which enclosed the gate to the city. Nebuchadnezzarhad to take the city because it was the strongest fortress in Israel and layastride the road to Egypt, controlling all of western Judah. Jeremiah tellsus that it and another fortified place, Azekah, were the last to fall to theinvaders (see Jeremiah 34:7). An ominous passage from Lachish Letter 4:12–13reports that the writer could no longer see the signalfires of Azekah—thatmeans that Lachish itself was the last to go, beginning with the guardhousein flames.The letters survived the heat because they were written on potsherds.They were written on potsherds because the usual papyrus was unobtainable.It was unobtainable because the supply from Egypt was cut off.The supply was cut off because of the war.The letters were in the guardhouse because they were being kept as evidencein the pending trial of a military commander whose name was Hoshacyahu.He was being court-martialled because he was suspected of treason.He was suspected of treason because someone had been reading top-secret dispatchessent from the court at Jerusalem to the commander at Lachish, whose name wasYa’ush.Hoshacyahu was a likely suspect because all the mail had to pass throughhis hands.It had to pass through his hands because he was in command of a fortifiedtown on the road between Jerusalem and Lachish, probably Qiryat Ye’arim. Hisduty, among other things, was to forward the king’s mail—not to readit.That the confidential letters had been read was apparent because somebodyhad tipped off a certain prophet that he was in danger.He was in danger because the king’s soldiers had been put on his trail.They were on his trail because he was fleeing to Egypt.He was fleeing because he was wanted by the police in Jerusalem.He was wanted by the police because he and other prophets were consideredby the king’s supporters to be subversives.They were considered subversives because they were opposing the official policyand undermining morale by their preaching. As Jeremiah puts it: “The princes[the important people] said unto the king: We beseech thee, let this man beput to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remainin this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them”(Jeremiah 38:4). As Lachish Letter 6:5–6 puts it: “The words of the[prophet] are not good [and are liable] to loosen the hands.” The Bookof Mormon adds another reinforcement: “In that same year there came manyprophets, prophesying unto the people they they must repent, or the great cityJerusalem must be destroyed” (1 Nephi 1:4)—distressing news indeed.The prophet who was tipped off to escape “was surely Uriah of Qiryat Ye’arim.”1The Lachish Letters are the best evidence so far discovered for the authenticity ~@~of Bible history. [. . . 

http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1112&index=22

~@~Class distinction, rich and poor, educated and un, wealth and poverty is the warning message. @friendly connections @vern jensen <phonev6@gmail.com> @Chapter 20 @The Prophetic Book of Mormon @There are many prophecies in the Book of Mormon, far more than the casualreader would suspect. Some have been fulfilled; some have yet to be. I wantto talk about one dominant prophetic theme, which is for us here and now themost important of them all. The editors of the Book of Mormon, Mormon andMoroni, give this theme top priority and bring it to our attention as a matterof life and death. The whole Book of Mormon from beginning to end gives itmaximum emphasis. As we all know, that strange and powerful book is a voicefrom the dust, a message from a departed people, a step-by-step account ofhow all their deeds and accomplishments came to be expunged from the memoryof man while other far older civilizations in the Old World have survivedto this day.At the center of ancient American studies today lies the overriding question,“Why did the major civilizations collapse so suddenly, so completely, andso mysteriously?” The answer now given by the overwhelming majority ofthose scholars as contained, for example, in T. P. Culbert’s valuable collectionof studies on the subject, is that society as a whole suffered a process of polarization into two separate and opposing ways of life, an increased distancebetween peasant and noble, as W. T. Sanders puts it, that went along with growinghostility between cities and nations as resource margins declined.1 The polarizing syndrome is a habit of thought and action that operates at all levels, fromfamily feuds like Lehi’s to the battle of galaxies. It is the pervasive polarization described in the Book of Mormon and sources from other cultures which I wishnow to discuss briefly, ever bearing in mind that the Book of Mormon accountis addressed to future generations, not to “harrow up their souls,”but to tell them how to get out of the type of dire impasse which it describes. Moroni is explicit: “And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, . . . that ye may repent, . . . that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hithertodone” (Ether2:11). And again Moroni says: “Give thanks unto God that he hath made manifestunto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been”(Mormon 9:31).What we are to avoid in particular is that polarizing process that begins onthe first page of the Book of Mormon and continues to the last. In the openingscene it is Egypt versus Babylon, West versus East, with Lehi’s people caughtin the middle; and the book ends with the climactic confrontation at Cumorah,with Moroni caught between two wicked and warring peoples in a battle of annihilation.The Book of Mormon is the story of the fearful passage that led from the onesituation to the other. Every Latter-day Saint knows that it is a tale of Nephitesversus Lamanites, conveniently classified as the Good Guys versus the Bad Guys.In a book called Since Cumorah, I pointed out that a line drawn between thetwo peoples does not automatically separate the righteous from the wicked atall.2 Far from it—the Lamanites were often the good guys and the Nephitesthe bad guys; and they had a way of shifting back and forth from one categoryto the other with disturbing frequency. In the end, as Mormon sadly observesin letters to his son, it is a toss-up as to which of the two is the worse.

[ . . .bps, those were the beginnings of two chapters that I would love to intrigue my children into reading! I may be weird but I have asked myself over and over again through the years, is the bible really true? Couldn't it have been written just to control the masses? But it is true!!! Even the Lachish letters confirm it! 600bc. Wonderful!! Potshards. Gby-bps-vj