This is my all time favorite talk. Love you all! March 10, 2014

His Grace Is Sufficient

By Brad Wilcox

From a devotional address given at Brigham Young University on July
12, 2011. For the full address, visit speeches.byu.edu.

How does God's grace really work?

A young woman once came to me and asked if we could talk. I said, "Of
course. How can I help you?"

She said, "I just don't get grace."

I responded, "What is it that you don't understand?"

She said, "I know I need to do my best, and then Jesus does the rest,
but I can't even do my best."

I said, "The truth is, Jesus paid our debt in full. He didn't pay it
all except for a few coins. He paid it all. It is finished."

She said, "Right! Like I don't have to do anything?"

"Oh, no," I said, "you have plenty to do, but it is not to pay that
debt. We will all be resurrected. We will all go back to God's
presence to be judged. What is left to be determined by our obedience
is how comfortable we plan to be in God's presence and what degree of
glory we plan on receiving."

Christ asks us to show faith in Him, repent, make and keep covenants,
receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. By complying, we are
not paying the demands of justice--not even the smallest part.
Instead, we are showing appreciation for what Jesus Christ did by
using it to live a life like His. Justice requires immediate
perfection or a punishment when we fall short. Because Jesus took that
punishment, He can offer us the chance for ultimate perfection (see
Matthew 5:48; 3 Nephi 12:48) and help us reach that goal. He can
forgive what justice never could, and He can turn to us now with His
own set of requirements (see 3 Nephi 28:35).

Grace Transforms Us

Christ's arrangement with us is similar to a mom providing music
lessons for her child. Mom pays the piano teacher. Because Mom pays
the debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for something.
What is it? Practice! Does the child's practice pay the piano teacher?
No. Does the child's practice repay Mom for paying the piano teacher?
No. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for Mom's
incredible gift. It is how he takes advantage of the amazing
opportunity Mom is giving him to live his life at a higher level.
Mom's joy is found not in getting repaid but in seeing her gift
used--seeing her child improve. And so she continues to call for
practice, practice, practice.

If the child sees Mom's requirement of practice as being too
overbearing ("Gosh, Mom, why do I need to practice? None of the other
kids have to practice! I'm just going to be a professional baseball
player anyway!"), perhaps it is because he doesn't yet see with Mom's
eyes. He doesn't see how much better his life could be if he would
choose to live on a higher plane.

In the same way, because Jesus has paid justice, He can now turn to us
and say: "Follow me" (Matthew 4:19); "Keep my commandments" (John
14:15). If we see His requirements as being way too much to ask, maybe
it is because we do not yet see through Christ's eyes. We have not yet
comprehended what He is trying to make of us.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said,
"The repenting sinner must suffer for his sins, but this suffering has
a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is change"
(The Lord's Way [1991], 223; emphasis in original). Let's put that in
terms of the child pianist: The child must practice the piano, but
this practice has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its
purpose is change.

The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can live after we die
but that we can live more abundantly (see John 10:10). The miracle of
the Atonement is not just that we can be cleansed and consoled but
that we can be transformed (see Romans 8). Scriptures make it clear
that no unclean thing can dwell with God (see Alma 40:26), but no
unchanged thing will even want to.

The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can go home but
that--miraculously--we can feel at home there. If Heavenly Father and
His Son did not require faith and repentance, then there would be no
desire to change. Think of your friends and family members who have
chosen to live without faith and without repentance. They don't want
to change. They are not trying to abandon sin and become comfortable
with God. Rather, they are trying to abandon God and become
comfortable with sin. If the Father and the Son did not require
covenants and bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost, then there would be
no way to change. We would be left forever with only willpower, with
no access to His power. If Heavenly Father and His Son did not require
endurance to the end, then there would be no internalization of those
changes over time. They would forever be surface and cosmetic rather
than sinking inside us and becoming part of us--part of who we are.
Put simply, if Jesus didn't require practice, then we would never
become Saints.

Detail from Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, by Heinrich Hofmann,
courtesy of C. Harrison Conroy Co.; background iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Grace Helps Us

"But don't you realize how hard it is to practice? I'm just not very
good at the piano. I hit a lot of wrong notes. It takes me forever to
get it right." Now wait. Isn't that all part of the learning process?
When a young pianist hits a wrong note, we don't say he is not worthy
to keep practicing. We don't expect him to be flawless. We just expect
him to keep trying. Perfection may be his ultimate goal, but for now
we can be content with progress in the right direction. Why is this
perspective so easy to see in the context of learning piano but so
hard to see in the context of learning heaven?

Too many are giving up on the Church because they are tired of
constantly feeling like they are falling short. They have tried in the
past, but they continually feel like they are just not good enough.
They don't understand grace.

There should never be just two options: perfection or giving up. When
learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall
or quitting? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes
time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is
long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a
pattern in our lives. When we understand grace, we understand that the
blessings of Christ's Atonement are continuous and His strength is
perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). When we understand
grace, we can, as it says in the Doctrine and Covenants, "continue in
patience until [we] are perfected" (D&C 67:13).

Grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is
exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source. It is not the
light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the
tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received
right here and right now.

Grace Is Sufficient

The grace of Christ is sufficient (see Ether 12:27; D&C
17:8)--sufficient to cover our debt, sufficient to transform us, and
sufficient to help us for as long as that transformation process
takes. The Book of Mormon teaches us to rely solely on "the merits,
and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah" (2 Nephi 2:8). As we do, we
do not discover--as some Christians believe--that Christ requires
nothing of us. Rather, we discover the reason He requires so much and
find the strength to do all He asks (see Philippians 4:13). Grace is
not the absence of God's high expectations. Grace is the presence of
God's power (see Luke 1:37).

God's grace is sufficient. Jesus's grace is sufficient. It is enough.
It is all we need. Don't quit. Keep trying. Don't look for escapes and
excuses. Look for the Lord and His perfect strength. Don't search for
someone to blame. Search for someone to help you. Seek Christ, and, as
you do, you will feel the enabling power and divine help we call His
amazing grace.

Key Ideas

*

We are saved through the grace of Christ, who paid the price of our sins.

*

Our works, such as repentance and keeping the commandments, do not
save us, but they are requirements set by the Savior to help transform
us.

*

God's grace is divine power to help us with all of our shortcomings
and is available to us at all times.


http://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/09/his-grace-is-sufficient?lang=eng


-Sister Peterson

Email from Tate, Mar 6, 2014

February 2014: The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Good Shepherd
Visiting Teaching Message

The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Good Shepherd

Prayerfully study this material and seek to know what to share. How
will understanding the life and mission of the Savior increase your
faith in Him and bless those you watch over through visiting teaching?
For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

Faith, Family, Relief

This is part of a series of Visiting Teaching Messages featuring
aspects of the mission of the Savior.

Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, taught:

"What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them,
doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after
that which is lost, until he find it? ...

"I say unto you, that ... joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that
repenteth" (Luke 15:4, 7).

As we come to understand that Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, our
desire increases to follow His example and serve those in need. Jesus
said: "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of
mine. ... And I lay down my life for the sheep" (John 10:14-15). Because
of Christ's Atonement, none of us will ever be so lost that we cannot
find our way home (see Luke 15).

President Thomas S. Monson said, "Ours is the responsibility to care
for the flock. ... May we each step up to serve."1

From the Scriptures

Psalm 23; Isaiah 40:11; Mosiah 26:21

From Our History

Elizabeth Ann Whitney, who attended the first Relief Society meeting,
said of her conversion in 1830: "As soon as I heard the Gospel as the
Elders preached it, I knew it to be the voice of the Good Shepherd."2
Elizabeth followed the voice of the Good Shepherd and was baptized and
confirmed.

We too can hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and share His teachings
with others. President Monson said, "We are the Lord's hands here upon
the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children."3

Just as a shepherd seeks out a lost sheep, parents may seek after a
child who has wandered. President James E. Faust (1920-2007), Second
Counselor in the First Presidency, said: "To those brokenhearted
parents who have been righteous, diligent, and prayerful in the
teaching of their disobedient children, we say to you, the Good
Shepherd is watching over them. God knows and understands your deep
sorrow. There is hope."4

What Can I Do?


1.
How does knowing that the Savior is the Good Shepherd bring peace into
our lives?

2.
How can I support parents whose children have wandered from living the gospel?


http://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/02/the-divine-mission-of-jesus-christ-good-shepherd?lang=eng


-Sister Peterson

Email from Tate March 6, 2014

February 2014: Preparing to Be an Eternal Family
Our Homes, Our Families

Preparing to Be an Eternal Family

By Marco Castro Castro

There is no magic recipe for success in marriage, but the ingredients
are always the same.

My wife and I observed with sadness and amazement as some of our
friends went through the process of divorce. The first thing we felt
was the fear that this would happen to us if we found ourselves facing
difficult challenges in our marriage. When a serious crisis did arise
in our marriage, we decided to give ourselves one last chance--but to
do it in the right way. We had already been trying for some time to
solve our problems by taking one another's thoughts and feelings into
consideration. Our relationship would improve temporarily, but after a
time our problems always returned.

Not until we realized that the Lord needed to play a prominent role in
our marriage did our marriage begin to change. We realized that we
were never going to be able to work through, much less solve, our
conflicts by ourselves. Putting aside our pride, we did something we
hadn't done before. We forgot our own opinions and asked the Lord what
He wanted of us. Only when we included Him did our marriage start to
improve--gradually and in His way and in His own due time.

It has now been several years since we knelt at the altar of the
Santiago Chile Temple, and we have faced many challenges and much
adversity. Looking back, we can say that everything we have gone
through has been for our good. The adversity has taught us to be
humble and has made us stronger. We are still learning how to put our
lives in order--both of us learning to work together as equal partners
in love and understanding--and the effort has been worth it.

There is no magic recipe for success in marriage. The ingredients are
found, as they always have been, in the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, as
a family, we have written a declaration that we use alongside the
proclamation on the family issued by the First Presidency and Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles.1 Our declaration, titled "Preparing to Be an
Eternal Family," begins with these words: "We, the Castro Martínez
family, testify that marriage is ordained of God and that family
relationships can be eternal through the Atonement of Jesus Christ if
we are obedient to the laws and ordinances of the gospel."

What follows are 17 principles that in our judgment encompass the
basic gospel values that will give us the greatest chance for success
in our marriage and in our family. Our list is by no means
revolutionary; it includes things such as personal and family prayer,
scripture study, weekly family home evenings, attendance at Sunday
meetings, regular temple attendance, treating one another with love
and respect, and giving service. We also realize that principles by
themselves have no effect whatsoever--we have to put them into
practice.

Putting aside our pride and incorporating the Lord and His will into
our marriage have put us on the path to becoming an eternal family.

The author lives in Valparaíso, Chile.

Built on the Foundation of Faith

"Successful eternal marriages are built on the foundation of faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ and adherence to His teachings [see "The Family:
A Proclamation to the World," Ensign, Nov. 2010, 129]. I have observed
that couples who have made their marriages priceless practice the
patterns of faith: they attend sacrament and other meetings every
week, hold family home evening, pray and study the scriptures together
and as individuals, and pay an honest tithing. Their mutual quest is
to be obedient and good."

Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy, "Marriage:
Watch and Learn," Ensign, May 2013, 83.


http://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/02/preparing-to-be-an-eternal-family?lang=eng


-Sister Peterson

I love you all 'snow' much. March 3, 2014 + Photos

Hola mi familia y tambien mi amigos,

These past two weeks have been pretty darn eventful, I'll tell you
what. Here are the highlights:

- Christy Hammer is going to be baptized! We were talking about the
blessings that come from being baptized and she looked at sister Dixon
and said, "okay, let's do this". And just like that she decided to be
baptized.

-  We've been trying and trying to get Phyllis to stop smoking and she
has finally agreed to do the stop smoking program again. We will have
to be on her like an obsessive girlfriend, but boy it will surely be
worth it. She is doing so well and we are very proud of the great
choices that she has been making.

- A man named Don whom the elders are teaching has been attending
church for a while now. At one of our study groups Elder Matthews
randomly decided to take Don's picture and asked, "now, wouldn't this
look better in white?" All it took was that one comment to touch his
heart. The Sunday before last he turned to the elders and said, "let's
talk baptism." He was baptized on Saturday March 1st and sister Dixon
and I gave a talk on the Holy Ghost together. Yep. We even share the
pulpit. His wife and him plan on going to the Nashville temple soon to
do baptisms. Happy happy happy.

- Last Thursday night sister Dixon experienced her first "tornado
warning" and I don't think we'll ever forget it. We had thunder and
lightning off the wazoo accompanied with 60mph winds. She saw that we
had to "seek shelter" so her first response was to book it down to the
basement. She was down there for 5 minutes until she realized that we
were already in shelter. She's the bomb.

- Yesterday we had a big farewell type of thing for the Matthews. We
had 9 speakers that day. We had our mission president and his wife,
the stake president and his wife, our high councilman and his wife,
the bishop, and the Matthews. It was equivalent to a mini general
conference I think. All of them did such a fantastic job and you could
tell that they all prayed for inspiration on their talks by the way
that they touched the hearts of our investigators. We had 130 people
attend church btw :). MIRACLES.

- After 4 days of semi-nice weather, we got surprised with 4 inches of
snow/ice. Time to bring out the garbage bag sleds.

   Things I've learned this week:
   - patience is everything
   - you should never pet a dog without asking the owner if it's okay first.
   - Heavenly Father has a perfect life-plan set up for us.
   - McDonalds has free wifi.
   - you can ride your horse through the McDonalds drive-thru (this
actually happened).
   - you should never befriend brown cows, because they're beef cows.
I learned that the hard      way.
   - in the south you call toilets "commodes"
   - the scriptures really do have all the answers.

I love you all 'snow' much.

  Keep on keepin' on!
-Sister Peterson

Here are some pictures:

Elections are coming up and this sign is definitely one of our favorites.

Pictures of Awesomeness (Feb 24, 2014)

This is us in our basement wearing helmets and glow sticks after
getting a tornado watch in our area. We had winds up to 65mph that
night along with some crazy lightning.

Letter from Tate, Feb. 17, 2014 + PHOTOS!!

Hello family and loved ones! I hope that you all had a wonderful
valentines day and that you all are staying warm with all this cold
weather....

This week has been pretty darn great, here's the synopsis:

- A man named Chris who is paralyzed from the neck down has decided to
overcome his fear of water and be baptized. The Matthews have been
working with him for a while now, and Chris now has the faith that
everything will be okay.

-A lady who we have been teaching for a while now and her boyfriend,
thanks to pure inspiration, have decided to come to church!!!

-Amanda Brown's father walked in while we were teaching her about the
restoration and he paid very close attention (which is a first) and he
talked to Amanda about it after we left. He asked her about Joseph
Smith and he seemed amazed with all that our saints went through.

- We didn't let anything get in the way of Valentines Day... We had a
festive breakfast and baked cupcakes that we delivered to people and
we went out to dinner with Phyllis (one of our investigators)

- We were out in the middle of nowhere in a desperate search for gas
and we came by a very old gas station that had a manual pump and
everything!

-We found out that we will be moving into the Matthews house when they
leave. On the plus side, they have a washer and dryer downstairs (no
more scary basement) but even though we will be updating our living
circumstances we are really going to miss the Matthews- they have done
so much to forward the work here and we love them to pieces.

Love you all to pieces! Don't forget to "Let your light so shine..."!

 -Sister P.

Letter from Tate Feb. 10, 2014

Hello family members and loved ones! 

Here's a little update on how things have been going down here in snowy Tompkinsville. I love you all and I hope that all is well! 

-We have had ice/snow storms every day this week and it is getting a bit ridiculous.

-Amanda Brown is having her baby so soon! She has asked that me and Sister Dixon go with her when she has it and well, it was approved.

Never thought I would be asked that on my mission...

- we got iPads! We love them and use them all the time with lessons
now. The gospel library has all the lds magazines, videos, and
conference talks.Talk about awesome.

-Our ward had a "Wild Beast Feast" on Saturday night. It was a giant pot-luck and people

brought all different sorts of "beasts" to share. I can now check off my bucket list that I've eaten deer meat. Ha, only in Kentucky.

-Thanks to our wonderful senior missionaries, we have been asked to sing in pretty much EVERY meeting that we go to. Everyone

has told us that we need to go on tour after our mission. Yep, I can see it. I mean, we are only 2 hours from the music capital. So hey, it shouldn't

be that hard.

-Miracles, miracles, and oh hey... More miracles! We are definitely seeing the Lord's hand in everything we do in Tompkinsville. 

There is a woman here who left the church 5 years ago and has finally decided to come back. All it took was a little fellowship from the ward and she was set.

-We might be moving houses! The Matthews will be going home soon and they asked president if we could live where they are living now... They can literally see the church building from their house, so that would be wonderful if it ends up happening! 

Alrighty, love you all bunches! 

--Sister Peterson