Beowulf

I watched this movie on DVD last night (it is a couple of years old now).

Being an English major, I remember reading Beowulf when I was at BYU in the mid-90s. The movie was an adaptation, but I really enjoyed it. Great storyline and good action (all CGI might I add).

So, why am I blogging about it on LDS Insight? Well, there were many themes in the movie (some apparent and others less apparent) about how power corrupts. The three kings in the movie were all good examples.

In this way, it made me think of this scripture in Doctrine and Covenants Section 121:

41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile
43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.
45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

True authority and power come from God. When we, as fallible men, think we are the source of power and our heads and egos enlarge, that forebodes our personal fall.

How Home and Visiting Teaching REALLY get done!

Need a good laugh (but also a mirror on how the process usually occurs in our Mormon culture)?

Watch this!

Remember, it is always good to laugh at yourself! Don't be offended.

I had an opportunity to re-watch Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin's last General Conference address this week. What a great message!

Our attitude and how we react to certain situations can really determine our happiness. We cannot control all the variables in our lives, but we can control how we react to encountering those variables. Keep your chin up and follow the advice given in the 3-minute plus clip below.

Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

For ward conferences, I have been asked to speak to the youth on keeping the sabbath day holy.

I found some insightful comments from Elder Holland on the subject, and they are below . . .


Elder Holland reviewed the Sabbath from three historical perspectives:

CREATION
We learned that the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and hallowed it.

In Exodus 20:11, we learn

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

This is insightful in a few ways:

1. God Felt The Need For Rest
If our Father found renewal and strength in reflection, we would do well to follow His example. It allows us an opportunity to ponder things and refocus ourselves.

2. God Hallows (makes holy) the seventh day
We read that God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.
When God looked upon the wonders of creation, he decided to stop and spend one day to renew. Shouldn't we do the same?


EXODUS
We know the Lord led the children of Israel out of Egypt.

As they had been slaves to the Egyptians, they had not received any rest from their overseers. When they were freed, this one day became a reminder from the Lord of all He had done for His people.

As such, the Sabbath became a perpetual covenant between the Lord and His chosen people.
Exodus 31: 17 reads:

It is a sign between the Lord and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

He asked His people to observe Sabbath; it would help them remember that God led them out of Egypt and bondage and formally remember his providential hand in their lives. This would help elicit their gratitude for His deliverance.

It would also serve as a reminder that God is good and life is good.

ATONEMENT
The most important reminder for Sabbath observance is the Atonement. Just as the Children of Israel received physical liberation from the Lord as he led them out of Egypt, so did the atonement provide spiritual liberation from death and hell.

Also, Sunday marked Jesus' release from tomb, and is known as "the day of the risen Lord."


Elder Holland also discussed three applications for Sabbath observance:
1-Physical rest and renewal
Our mortal bodies need rest

2-Regeneration of our spiritual being

It is hard to focus on more than keeping mortal things done during the week; sometimes, this makes us like salves of the flesh. The Sabbath heloped us refocus and consider things of eternity.

In D and C 59:12, it reads:

But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.

3-Know God and Express Our Love For Him

D and C 59:9 reads:

And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;

What does "unspotted" conjure up?

Consider this: for one day, we are not in the world being tarnished by the things we hear and experience. We can focus on our spiritual selves and "polish" ourselves spiritually.