"Service" by Dan

Another Krazy Day with Katie....

Just wanna say "To all the pregnant women out there I hope you all feel better!

My husband Dan gave a lesson today on service. I thought it was really good so I thought I would share it with you.


Our Bishop asked me to give a lesson on Service in our combined 3rd hour, 5th Sunday meeting today. I thought you might like it. -Dan

Service Lesson: Has anyone here been taught the value of work? By whom? How about the value of Service?

Q- Who knows the names of any of the 2000 Stripling warriors? Pres. Uchtdorf taught about the Example of Helaman’s 2,000 Stripling Warriors. Individual recognition is rarely an indication of the value of our service. We do not know the names, for example, of any of the 2,000 sons of Helaman. As individuals, they are unnamed. As a group, however, their name will always be remembered for honesty, courage, and the willingness to Serve. They accomplished together what none of them could have accomplished alone. Also, I would add, they had someone leading & teaching them. A father-figure, Helaman. Elder HALES said: The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that we have “an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation” (D&C 123:11). For all of us, doing our duty to God as parents and leaders begins with leading by example, consistently. This takes daily determination, diligence and desire. For youth, there is no substitute for seeing the gospel lived in our daily lives. The stripling warriors did not have to wonder what their parents believed. They said, “We do not doubt our mothers knew it” (see Alma 56:47–48). Do our children know what we know? Do they do what we do? I (Dan) personally, do not question what my Mother knew. What she taught is what she did! I know the same of the Mother of my children and wife, Katie. She is a beacon of Service. The Proclamation on the family says, “Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.” Elder Oaks taught in the last General Conference, “Desires dictate priorities, priorities shape our choices and choices determine our actions!” I ask - Do we have a desire to serve? Are we instilling the desire to serve, or the aversion for or dislike for Service? Are we stopping our children from serving because of our own selfish motives? What do we desire? What do our actions say? Can we do better? Elder Hales continues.. We should understand the hearts of our youth and connect with them. And connecting with them means not just conversing with them but doing things with them too. (Like serving with them and ALLOWING them to serve.) In these perilous times it is not enough for our youth to merely know. They must do. To truly choose the Lord’s way, they must know His way. And to truly know His way, we must teach& lead them to act, to participate, to do. From Pres. Uchtdorf’s talk “You Are My Hands”, We Are the Hands of Christ, our hands can embrace, our hands can comfort, our hands can Serve. True love requires Action, we can love as He does. The Savior revealed the perfect priorities for our lives, our homes, our wards, our communities, and our nations when He spoke of love as the great commandment upon which “hang all the law and the prophets.” We can spend our days obsessing about the finest details of life, the law, and long lists of things to do; but should we neglect the great commandments, we are missing the point and we are clouds without water, drifting in the winds, and trees without fruit. Without this love for God the Father and our fellowmen we are only the form of His Church—without the substance. What good is our teaching without love? What good is missionary, temple, or welfare work without love? Love is what inspired our Heavenly Father to create our spirits; it is what led our Savior to the Garden of Gethsemane to make Himself a ransom for our sins. Love is the grand motive of the plan of salvation; it is the source of happiness, the ever-renewing spring of healing, the precious fountain of hope. As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. Pres. Monson has said that, “We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children.” What does the Story of the piano, Pres. Uchtdorf’s simple concept, “lift where you stand” mean? He said, “Although it may seem simple, lifting where we stand is a principle of power. Most of the priesthood bearers I know understand and live by this principle. They are eager to roll up their sleeves and go to work, whatever that work might be. They faithfully perform their priesthood duties. They magnify their callings. They serve the Lord by serving others. They stand close together and lift where they stand. However, there are those who sometimes struggle with this concept. And when they do, they seem to fall into one of two camps: either they seek to lead, or they seek to hide. They covet a crown or a cave. Those who seek to lead may feel they are capable of doing more than what they are currently asked to do. Some might think, “If only I were a bishop, I could make a difference.” They believe that their abilities far surpass their calling. Perhaps if they were in an important position of leadership, they would work hard at making a difference. But they wonder, “What possible influence can I have as merely a home teacher or a counselor in the quorum presidency?” Those who seek to hide may feel that they are too busy to serve in the Church. When the chapel needs to be cleaned, when the Mendez family needs help moving, when the bishop calls them to teach a class, they always seem to have a ready excuse. Twenty years ago, President Ezra Taft Benson shared reports from bishops and stake presidents that some members “are turning down calls to serve claiming they are ‘too busy’ or they ‘haven’t got time.’ Others accept such callings, but refuse to magnify those callings.” President Benson went on to say, “The Lord expects each of us to have a calling in His Church so that others may be blessed by our talents and influence.” Oddly enough, often the root cause of both of these tendencies—seeking to lead or seeking to hide—may be the same: selfishness. There is a better way, taught to us by the Savior Himself: “Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.” Mosiah 2:16-19 16 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God. 17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. 18 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another? 19 And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King! He continued... When we seek to serve others, we are motivated not by selfishness but by charity. This is the way Jesus Christ lived His life. The Savior did not care for the honors of men. In spite of this shining example, we too easily and too often get caught up in seeking the honors of men rather than serving the Lord with all our might, mind, and strength. When we stand before the Lord to be judged, will He look upon the positions we have held in the world or even in the Church? Do you think He will care how packed our schedule was or how many important meetings we attended? The Lord judges so very differently from the way we do. He is pleased with the noble servant, not with the self-serving noble. Remember the 2000 Stripling Warriors. That is a lesson for us, brethren and sisters. When we stand close together and lift where we stand, when we care more for the glory of the kingdom of God than for our own prestige or pleasure, we can accomplish so much more. Pres. Monson taught: “My brothers and sisters, we are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness—be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to Serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.”

This is Katie again. I know service is important. I am trying to serve more now that my life is not so crazy. I am really focusing on a girl in my ward who just had a new baby. She has three young kids and one of them is a very active little boy. It makes me feel good to know I am helping her make it through life. So for all of you out there help someone today (except all you sick prego women let someone help you). And for those who know Rindi invite her over for dinner on Sunday so she doesn't have to cook and her kids don't get too crazy. :) Happy Service everyone!