Upcoming Events
Sat 22 Sep, 7:30am at the Chapel - RS Breakfast. Come join us for a yummy breakfast and some fun and inspiration.
Sun 23 Sep - RS YSA Class - Relief Society has its own YSA class. Join us for opening exercises, then join Sister Arahi Taylor in the Stake President's office for a lesson just for YSA.
Thu 27 Sep, meet at chapel before 10am - RS Temple Trip
Fri 28 Sep, 7pm, at the Temple - YSA Temple Baptisms
Fri 28 Sep - last day of school - kiddlie-winks off for two weeks.
Mon 1 Oct - Queen's Birthday - public holiday
Sun 7 Oct, 6pm at the chapel - General RS Broadcast. Join us for inspirational talks.
13-14 Oct - General Conference
Sat 13 Oct - Temple Closed for Conference
19-21 Oct - YSA convention
Thu 25 Oct - RS Temple Trip
Fri 26 Oct - YSA Temple Baptisms
Sat 27 Oct - Trash & Treasure - Details TBA
Sun 28 Oct - RS YSA Class
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Forgiveness
Some of you have asked for my notes from my First Sunday Inspired Lesson for September.
Here you go. May they bless your life.
1
Forgiveness is letting go of the negative emotions within. And that's all-- nothing more.
Forgiveness had nothing to do with another person. It is wholly an act of self.
The cause of the negative emotions has nothing to do with you letting them go.
2
Sometimes some people mistakenly believe that to forgive a person who hurt you means to mitigate what they did wrong, to lessen or even eliminate the wrongness of the action. That's not what it does. Sometimes the Adversary tries to use our sense of rightness and justice against us to prevent us from practicing forgiveness.
"I forgive you," is not the same as "I accept what you did as okay," or "I absolve you." To forgive someone is not saying that you are acknowledging what happened between you is acceptable. What they did might be very wrong. The nature of the wrong will not change if you forgive them. What changes is you, and for the better.
3
Physical effects of unforgiveness: stress, anxiety, muscle tension, nail biting, the fidgets, inflammation, increased blood pressure, poor digestion, poor sleep patterns, headaches, disrupted diet, lack of focus, poor health.
Emotional effects include anger, depression, hopelessness, inability to think straight, defensiveness, argumentativeness, being easily offended, lack of patience, frustration, apathy, insensitivity and more. Perceptions may change, errors in judgement may be made. It creates 'baggage' that can hinder future experiences.
Release your feelings and be freed.
Once you have released the emotions, then you can proceed with a clear mind.
4
How you feel is a choice.
We experience Emotions because of our thoughts and experiences. Sometimes they come unbidden, and we may not realise we are experiencing a particular emotion at first. But once we do, we have a choice: continue experiencing that feeling, or change it.
To be a forgiver is to be able to let go of negative emotions. It takes practice. Sometimes to let go of a particular feeling permanently can take some time and vigilance. But it can be done. Get into the habit of undoing negative feelings as soon as you encounter them. Do not dwell on them, or let them grow like weeds. Experienced forgivers find it easier to forgive.
5
Do not let forgiveness interfere with justice. You can let go of the anger of someone breaking into your house, but you can still report it to the police. Let justice be fulfilled for justice's sake, and not out of a need for revenge. Getting even is not true justice.
Do not let your forgiveness depend on seeing justice served. Man's justice is imperfect, and mistakes will happen in its course.
Eventually, our Heavenly Father will sort out everything. But that will take time, and you will need patience.
6
Forgive 7 times 70 means that every time you feel hurt, let it go. Look upon it each time as an act of freedom.
Any time you have a negative emotion, release it, regardless of the cause.
7
But it also means that you should not put yourself in the way of repetitive pain. If you find that you are having to forgive for an offence that happens over and over and over, take some action to change the circumstances. If it's a case of self-forgiveness, change your pattern. If it's a case of forgiving someone else, take appropriate steps to change the situation.
Sometimes this can be as simple as having a productive talk with the person. But sometimes, if all other attempts at diplomacy fail, it might be that you need to distance yourself from this person.
Protect yourself. You are a precious soul that needs to return to Heavenly Father.
Here you go. May they bless your life.
1
Forgiveness is letting go of the negative emotions within. And that's all-- nothing more.
Forgiveness had nothing to do with another person. It is wholly an act of self.
The cause of the negative emotions has nothing to do with you letting them go.
2
Sometimes some people mistakenly believe that to forgive a person who hurt you means to mitigate what they did wrong, to lessen or even eliminate the wrongness of the action. That's not what it does. Sometimes the Adversary tries to use our sense of rightness and justice against us to prevent us from practicing forgiveness.
"I forgive you," is not the same as "I accept what you did as okay," or "I absolve you." To forgive someone is not saying that you are acknowledging what happened between you is acceptable. What they did might be very wrong. The nature of the wrong will not change if you forgive them. What changes is you, and for the better.
3
Physical effects of unforgiveness: stress, anxiety, muscle tension, nail biting, the fidgets, inflammation, increased blood pressure, poor digestion, poor sleep patterns, headaches, disrupted diet, lack of focus, poor health.
Emotional effects include anger, depression, hopelessness, inability to think straight, defensiveness, argumentativeness, being easily offended, lack of patience, frustration, apathy, insensitivity and more. Perceptions may change, errors in judgement may be made. It creates 'baggage' that can hinder future experiences.
Release your feelings and be freed.
Once you have released the emotions, then you can proceed with a clear mind.
4
How you feel is a choice.
We experience Emotions because of our thoughts and experiences. Sometimes they come unbidden, and we may not realise we are experiencing a particular emotion at first. But once we do, we have a choice: continue experiencing that feeling, or change it.
To be a forgiver is to be able to let go of negative emotions. It takes practice. Sometimes to let go of a particular feeling permanently can take some time and vigilance. But it can be done. Get into the habit of undoing negative feelings as soon as you encounter them. Do not dwell on them, or let them grow like weeds. Experienced forgivers find it easier to forgive.
5
Do not let forgiveness interfere with justice. You can let go of the anger of someone breaking into your house, but you can still report it to the police. Let justice be fulfilled for justice's sake, and not out of a need for revenge. Getting even is not true justice.
Do not let your forgiveness depend on seeing justice served. Man's justice is imperfect, and mistakes will happen in its course.
Eventually, our Heavenly Father will sort out everything. But that will take time, and you will need patience.
6
Forgive 7 times 70 means that every time you feel hurt, let it go. Look upon it each time as an act of freedom.
Any time you have a negative emotion, release it, regardless of the cause.
7
But it also means that you should not put yourself in the way of repetitive pain. If you find that you are having to forgive for an offence that happens over and over and over, take some action to change the circumstances. If it's a case of self-forgiveness, change your pattern. If it's a case of forgiving someone else, take appropriate steps to change the situation.
Sometimes this can be as simple as having a productive talk with the person. But sometimes, if all other attempts at diplomacy fail, it might be that you need to distance yourself from this person.
Protect yourself. You are a precious soul that needs to return to Heavenly Father.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Homemaking Afternoon
Come join us for our Homemaking Afternoon on Wednesday 12 September, 11:30 on.
Bring along your unfinished projects to complete and a plate to share.
Alternatively, you can make a Temple Bag (see illustration). Sister Kneale will bring her bag along on Sunday so you can have a closer look.
This bag features a deep length (folds up for travel), interior pockets for shoes, etc and a zippered external pocket for holding your recommend, wallet and breath mints. Also, this bag can fold up to fit inside the small lockers.
You will need:
* 2.75m fabric (120cm wide)
* 2 meters bias bindingseam tape edited 11 Sept
* 1.2 m zipper
* 23cm zipper
* 60cm wooden dowel
* spool of matching thread.
Bring along a sewing machine, if you have one. Otherwise, you might be able to share.
Bring along your unfinished projects to complete and a plate to share.
Alternatively, you can make a Temple Bag (see illustration). Sister Kneale will bring her bag along on Sunday so you can have a closer look.
This bag features a deep length (folds up for travel), interior pockets for shoes, etc and a zippered external pocket for holding your recommend, wallet and breath mints. Also, this bag can fold up to fit inside the small lockers.
You will need:
* 2.75m fabric (120cm wide)
* 2 meters bias binding
* 1.2 m zipper
* 23cm zipper
* 60cm wooden dowel
* spool of matching thread.
Bring along a sewing machine, if you have one. Otherwise, you might be able to share.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
The Strengthening Power of Faith
A few sisters have asked for my notes from my lesson a couple of weeks ago.
Faith requires:
Faith is a gift from the Lord through which the righteous are empowered to do remarkable things.
Faith requires:
- Courage. It takes some courage to practice faith.
- Hope. Belief in things not seen requires a bit of hope that they are true.
- Steadfastness. Stay true and endure to the end.
- Farsightedness. Look beyond the moment to see the bigger picture.
- Trust. Can you place your trust in the Lord?
- Obedience. Give yourself over to the wisdom of our Heavenly Father.
Faith is a gift from the Lord through which the righteous are empowered to do remarkable things.
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