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Show k PRIESTHOOD Let's Talk About The opportunity to have the priesthood is, in my humble opinion, perhaps the greatest blessing to accrue to me by virtue of the gospel and my membership in the Church. Appraising this blessing our Lord and Savior said: . . .all they who receive this priesthood Begin Organizing Thoughts When Asked To Give Talk receive me. . . And he that reoeiveth me receiveth my Father; And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Fathers kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given When you are called upon to talk you begin immediately to mentally organize your thoughts. This action is natural and common. Whether five minutes before or five weeks before your talk, you must begin the process of (1) deciding what you will speak about, (2) what the purpose of your talk will be, (3) how you will begin it, (4) what you wish to say, and (5) how ycu will close. A good talk is not prepared in ai day. Actually you will spend all of your life gathering knowledge and experience for any talk. Many times you will be assigned to discuss a specific or general subject. There will also be times when you will be free to choose your own subject. In either case take these steps: 1. Write down the purpose of the talk. 2. To the extent you are permitted: choose a topic that is familiar to you. 3. Be sure the topic chosen is (a) appropriate to the occasion and audience and (b) that it will be of particular interest to your listeners. him. (DRC M:M, 37() Obviously, all that the Father hath will not acrue to men here in this mortal sphere of everlasting life, but when did our Father ever place a limit on the number of blessings mortal men might receive in time and place of need provided they honor their priesthood? Ettfr William J. Critchiow those who ordain you will have the authority direct from God. I did not realize at the time the magnitude of what he said, but through the years I have reflected on it many times. I have come to realize that by virtue of the priesthood which we hold, we do have more power to save ourselves and ultimately others than any earthly ruler, for power to move oneself or others toward exaltation comes only from God from whence this priesthood comes. Our obligation as young people is to honor the priesthood and maintain the high standards of the Church. Jr. great Archimedes of Syracuse exclaimed to his king, Give me a lever and a place on which to refit it, and I will move the world. (100 Great Lives, p. 526.) It is the I loly Priesthood, likened unto a lever, placed upon and entrusted to worthy men, that is bringing forth the mighty The M.I.A. Elder A. Theodore The Priesthood was first given to Adam . . .He obtained it in the creation, before the world was formed . . .He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the scriptures . . .The Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years. Joseph Smith Speech Committee "The Best Red Book" work of God. Bishop John H. Vandenborp What is the priesthood for? It is to administer the ordinances of the gospel, even the gosiel of our Father in heaven, the eternal God, the Elohim of the Jews and the God of the Gentiles, and all He has ever done from the beginning has been performed by and through the power of that priesthood,- - which is without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, ard the administration of His servants holding tliis priesthood is hinding, being the savior of life unto life or death unto death. Wilford Woodruff It is the priesthood that will give you character, renown, wisdom, power, and authority, and build you up here below among the children of men; and above, exalt you to peace and happiness, to thrones and dominions, even through countless eternities'. - Lorenzo Snow Thirty-fiv- e years ago down in Manti in a testimony meeting when I was twelve years of age, several of us boys were to be ordained deacons in the Aaronic Priesthood. We were called to the front of the chapel where we stood as our names were ented. pres- During the testimony meeting which followed, I remember that my grandpa Beal bore his testimony. I remember only one part of his testimony, but it made an indelible impression on my memory. As he turned to us young boys, he pointed his fin- ger at us and said: Young men, I want and never to forget you to remember that when you are ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood as deacons, you will hold more power than the king of Tuttle England, because For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two' priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies. They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God. And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord; For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me; And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Fathers kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him. And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood. Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved. Doctrine and Covenants, A Pioneer Calling Card Solid Rock, 193 Feet High MUDDY GAP, WYO. for early travelers in western Wyoming. i . , . WEEK ENDING JUNE 7, 1969 Independence Rock, rising 193 feet above the valley floor near here, was a popular stopping place for early travelers as they crossed the Wyoming prairie. The smooth granite surface was ideal for travelers to inscribe their names and the date of their stop. As early as 1841, the rock was called The Great Record of the Desert by P. J. De Smet, an earty Catholic missionary, because of the many names that were scratched on the rock. In 1847, Brigham Young and the first pioneer party visited the rock. A bronze plaque is mounted on the rock to honor the Mormon pioneers w;ho passed on their way to the Great Salt Lake Valley. In 1855 some Mormon pioneers with stone cutting tools and an eye for business came forth with the idea of engraving travelers names on the rock at the rate of $1 to $5 a name. As many as 50,000 names were scratched in the granite hut most have been worn away by wind and weather. It is believed that the rock was named on or about Independence Day by the first white travelers to approach it. Robert Stuart saw it in 1812. John K. Townsend made mention in his diary in 1834 that he was at the rock. As the traffic Increased, so did the names and so did the Interest in the rock. Explorer John C. Fremont described it in 1842, Ever) where within six or eight feel from the ground, where the surface was sufficiently smooth, rnd in some places 60 or 80 feet above, the rock was inscribed with names of travelers. Fremont engraved a with a black preparation from the wind and rain. on the west end of the large cross and covered it of India rubber to protect it The cross which was carved rock has disappeared. Some historians suggest that the piece of rock on which it was cut may have become detached by a gunpowder explosion which was part of the celebration held by 1,000 Oregon and California immigrants on July 4, 1847. Fremont became and the fact that, he ence Rock was used against him. The rock coveres a candidate for the presidency carved the cross on Independto influence Protestant votes 27 acres near the Sweetwater River, which flows on its way through Devils Gate a few miles west. Independence Rock is located about midway between Rawlings and Casper, Wyo. on Highway 220. A scenic marker designates the area and several plaques are fastened to the rock. In addition to the Mormon Pioneers, other plaques honor Ezra Meeker, founder of the Oregon Trail Memorial Association; Narcissis Prentiss Whitman and Eliza Hart Spalding, the first white women to cross Wyoming; the Rev. De Smet; and to unknown pioneers who passed. |