Hearing the Voice of the Lord (Gerald N. Lund)

 

Our ward RS started a library and this was the first book I borrowed. I think this would make a great book to study as a group. It could lead to some great discussions. I think it's a good book to have on your shelf and go back to again and again when questions about hearing God come up. Luckily, as I was reading it, my husband reminded me that we do own a copy. LOL  There are a lot of great stories to help cement his points. I really liked that he takes a lot of time to address false revelations. We don't always hear a lot about that.

I'm not sure I have a resolution to why God seems to answers people's seemingly unimportant prayers (finding keys, remembering an important ingredient before you put something in the oven) versus the big ones like being prompted to check on your baby before they drown or choke or are lost to crib death or die in utero. The best answer I seemed to find is that sometimes people just aren't listening...which doesn't help with the guilt when bad things happen.

I didn't like the formatting of quotes scattered here and there through the text. It requires a break in following the thought to go to the side-bar and read a related quote. I would have preferred the quotes to be part of the text. They seemed quite random.

Quotes/sections I marked:

He has a little story of eaves dropping on his daughter playing with a group of friends. She had just finished kindergarten and was playing school. He says she said, "I'm going to teach you everything I know." and then starting teaching kids he letters of the alphabet to her rapt audience. He compares that to teaching religion classes. "As I stand before my religion classes and 'teach them everything I know' about the gospel, is that what Heavenly Father Does? Does He stand back and watch, smiling gently at my naive innocence" He said a few days later, he wrote this poem in his journal:

I know that next to God and His great wisdom,
My mind is "child", and there's much more to get.
Like children playing school in summer sunshine,
I barely know the basic alphabet.

I also loved his bit in chapter 28 about reducing the noise in our life. He ways when we can't hear someone we're speaking to we have four possibilities, and these are things we can consider with person revelation:

• I could have asked her to speak more loudly. obviously that option wouldn't apply if we were talking about revelation. It isn't our privilege to request louder - most distinct and more recognizable - forms of revelation from the Lord.
• I could have turned down or eliminated some of the other noise by turning off the movie, sending the kids outside, and so forth.
• I could have moved closer to her.
• I could have concentrated and focused on her and what she was saying, trying to  screen out some of the other noice.

Later in the book, he also talks about how important it is to filter out what is unnecessary - even in our church callings.

Occasionally, we fine some who become so energetic in their Church service that their lives become unbalanced. They start believing that the programs they administer are more important than the people they serve. They complicate their service with needless frills and embellishments that occupy too much time, cost too much money, and sap too much energy. They refuse to delegate or allow others to grow in their respective responsibilities. (From O Be Wise by M. Russell Ballard, p. 18)

Learning to hear:

He tells a story of playing some music for a group of people and then asks them to tell him everything they could about it. Some of the comments were:

• It's got some scratches in the record.
• It's classical music.
• I think it's a piece by Beethoven.
• Yes, it's the second movement from the Eroica Symphony (from a music major)

The principal is that the more we know and understand about revelation, the more we will be able to recognize it when it comes.

Goodreads says:

How can we navigate safely through our turbulent times? Personal revelation is one key! Elder Gerald N. Lund, million-selling author of The Work and the Glory, offers profound insights about how personal revelation 'works.' Learn how we can increase our ability to receive and recognize personal revelation, what we can do to avoid being misled, and many other ideas relevant to this tremendously important spiritual gift.

The Divine Center (Steven R Covey)

 

I received this book as part of a Christmas gift exchange....something someone had on their shelf that they didn't want anymore but couldn't just throw out. It appeared to be unread. It took me a while to get around to reading it, but I'm glad I did. It gave me a  lot to think about. It felt like the author got a little deeper into why the things the church teaches matter.

Notes

p. 21 Power is the faculty or the capacity to act.

Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agenda unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward (D&C 58:27-28)

...the capacity to change one's nature and to become, as Peter puts it, a partake of the Divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-8).

p. 109 The family is central in Heavenly Father's plan....the scaffolding is all other Church programs and activities.......The scaffolding is the extension of home life, so we should always be recommitting ourselves to the principles of gospel-centered living as well as to the outreach effort to take the scaffolding to all of our Heavenly Father's children so that they too can have the blessings

p. 114 Inactive or Active?
I was once home teaching a family whose son had strayed from "the Church," and the parents were beside themselves with grief over what to do. At one point, I said, "I notice that your son frequently visits with you, and this shows a lot of love and loyalty ot the family." The parents responded, "Yes, he's a very good person in that way. We only wish he would be more active in the Church."

I then taught the concept discussed above and explained that their son was active in certain aspects of the fundamental unit of the Church but was not at this point engaged in the scaffolding work. I told them that they should not condemn or label their son, because these labels tend to become self-fulfilling and they frequently are inaccurate anyway. By loving the son unconditionally and setting a good example themselves and trying to be understanding, I suggested, they would be modeling gospel values; then, little by little, with patience and prayer, they would probably see the son become increasingly active in the Gospel and on the scaffolding. And this did come to pass. 

Goodreads says:

A classic book available for the first time in paperback All of us at some point search for an organizing principle in life, one that is simple without being simplistic, that offers enduring direction. The book introduces, explains, and illuminates such a principle – centering one’s life on Christ. It examines twelve other "centers" and their effect on key dimensions of our our security, guidance, wisdom, and power. Although those other perspectives offer some value, only the "divine center" meets all the tests. This powerful principle is given life by an inspiring presentation of "how-tos" –imaginative, thought-provoking explanations of the divine-centering process and steps necessary to achieve the goal.

Mothering With Spiritual Power (Debra Sansing Woods)

I bought this book years ago and recently re-discovered it on my shelf. Since I have more time in the mornings these days because there is no seminary each morning, I have been spending the first hour(s) of my mornings reading. This book has been a joy to go to each morning. It's worth re-visiting again and again. I am going to add a note in gospel library so that when I come across each of the scriptures she starts each chapter with I can go back to it and re-read those chapters. I can see this being a good resources when preparing talks or lessons. The author has a sincere sappy-free approach to sharing her insights.

Goodreads says:

Mothering with Spiritual Power is an eloquent and heartfelt book that speaks to mothers of the sacred nature of motherhood and the awesome spiritual power available to them through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Using twenty-five favorite Book of Mormon scriptures as inspiration, Debra Woods shows mothers how they can find answers to a myriad of parenting questions and challenges as they raise their children in the latter-days. Through stories and experiences taken from her own life, she offers simple suggestions for making meaningful connections with your children - suggestions on how to turn weaknesses into strengths, ideas on how to foster an atmosphere of peace and harmony, ways in which mothers can support each other, and helps for the mother who must forgive her children, and herself. Mothering with Spiritual Power is a celebration of motherhood, family life, and the difference the gospel of Jesus Christ can make for mothers and families everywhere. 

Power From On High (Caldwell)

The title of this book was a draw for me. The more I read the more 'meh' I felt about it. I don't feel obligated to finish books I don't like, and I did end up finishing it, so that says something. However, it wasn't any different than anything I have heard at a long and dull stake conference or sacrament meeting where people rehash a talk that has already been given by someone else.

Goodreads says:

When the Lord's church was organized in this dispensation, the Savior . . . gave Joseph Smith power from on high that he might fulfill the Lord's purposes and accomplish His marvelous work. Just as Joseph Smith needed power from heavenly sources, so also are we dependent upon that same power in order to fulfill the Lord's expectations of us, be accepted of Him, and be welcomed back into His presence. In the pages of this inspiring text, Elder C. Max Caldwell, emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, explains that we don't have the power to personally overcome and transcend our mortal limitations. However, the redeeming power of the Savior not only saves us from permanent physical disabilities through the resurrection, but also repairs internal spiritual damages incurred when we fail to follow the narrow path leading home. Elder Caldwell then points us toward principles and practices that will connect us to the Lord's power plant—simple guidelines that will give us the power to overcome temptation and keep our lives focused on the Savior and the saving principles of His gospel. Filled with scriptural affirmations, powerful examples, meaningful quotes from General Authorities, and the author's tender and insightful personal experiences, this is truly a book to be savored, treasured, and referenced often.

Saints (Volume 1)

This is now available on the Gospel Library app and on www.lds.org  It is easy to read and touches on many things that people have had trouble accepting in church history. I am eager to read the following volumes! It will be useful for seminary next year, I'm sure.

There is no summary on Goodreads - but other people have written interesting things about it. I'm sure more will be added to Goodreads in time.