Articles of Faith #13
[I] believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, [I] may say that [I] follow the admonition of Paul—[I] believe all things, [I] hope all things, [I] have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, [I] seek after these things.

I have had a hard time for the past few years. Life events have stretched my hope and strength nearly to the breaking point. This Article of Faith has been on my mind a lot during this time. In particular, I have been thinking of what virtue means to me.

To me, virtue is something that keeps you standing tall, even if you feel tattered, ragged and besmirched with mud thrown from misunderstanding hands. It is an inner loveliness that surmounts all other forms and measures of beauty. It incorporates integrity, faith, duty, dedication, the Spirit of God, seeking everything praiseworthy, and all the things mentioned in this Article of Faith.

More than anything, I think it is the power derived from all these things.

Several times in scripture, the word “virtue” is used almost interchangeably with “power.” When the woman touched Jesus’s hem, He perceived that the virtue had gone out of Him—that some sort of power had gone from Him to her, healing her. In The Book of Mormon, in the book of Alma, they “try the virtue of the word of God“—preaching had more power than any other source of power they knew to change the hearts of men.

In one final example, Joseph Smith, the prophet through whom the Church was restored, tries to teach us how God’s power, the priesthood, is channeled; it comes through virtue and living according to virtuous principles.

I believe these principles apply to accessing the power of God in our individual lives. There is no true power except that which is gained through integrity, faith, and pure charity.

I am slowly being taught by the Spirit that by doing my best to follow God’s will, to live true to my faith in Him and my covenants, despite my failings, I can have access to the Savior’s virtue, and thus become, through His grace, more virtuous in my life. I can become changed — purified, sanctified, and eventually exalted.

Interestingly, I feel the struggles and pain I have been experiencing are helping me understand the virtue and power of God more. I am grateful for that. I am seeking to draw upon that power for hope and strength to face my trials, and to become better.

The post We Believe: Virtue as Power appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Read thoughts from some of this year’s artists here. Find past years’ exhibits here. Enjoy an interview with one of the artists, Rose Datoc Dall, here.

And, speaking of art, enjoy some examples of faith-promoting pieces now on display in the art exhibit, “Types and Shadows: Intimations of Christ.”

We know most of you will not be able to visit these exhibits in person, so we like to bring what we can to your home.

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And, speaking of art in your home, if you are interested in some of the more well-known art pieces we use to teach our children at home and at church about the scriptures and basic gospel principles, you can view the Church’s Gospel Art book online. Pictures are available for personal use. The book includes art for several Old and New Testament stories, and also for Book of Mormon, LDS Church History, Gospel in Action, and Latter-day Prophets. Online, you can find scripture references for each picture.

Find information about the Gospel Art book in multiple languages.

The post Links We Like: Inspirational Art appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Amanda

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sunday is a sacred day. It is the Sabbath day, a day that we worship the Lord. We meet together with our congregation (ward or branch) for three hours. We spend the first hour in a sacrament meeting. In this meeting, we pray, sing hymns, take the bread and water in remembrance of the Savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ; and we listen to each other speak on certain topics and bear testimony.  The second hour for those 12 and up is spent with others our age in Sunday School classes where we learn about basic gospel principles. The last hour, for adults, is spent in Relief Society or Priesthood Meeting. Youth spend the last hour in Young Men or Young Women classes (ages 12-18) or in Primary (ages 3 to 11). (Primary also runs during the second hour — children are organized into younger and older groups, and each have a class time and a group singing and gospel discussion (sharing) time.)

Genesis 2:2-3 reads:

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God had created and made.

We believe that we are to make Sunday a day that is different from the other days. We are commanded to “keep it holy.” This can mean different things for different members. In our family, our children don’t attend birthday parties. We don’t play in or attend sporting events that fall on Sundays. We don’t shop at the store, or fill the car with gas. We do all we can to avoid working on Sundays. We don’t take our boats our to the lake. We don’t stop for dinner at a restaurant.

But there is more than just the “don’t”s. In a book called The Miracle of Forgiveness , Spencer W. Kimball says:

The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, sleeping, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day to which he is expected. To fail to do these proper things is a transgression on the omission side.”

We take time to be with our families. We visit family and friends. We write in our journals. We read our scriptures. We pray. Some people nap. Some people play games. We try to take the day to be closer to the Lord. We plan out the rest of the week. We listen to hymns. We write letters. We work on our family history or genealogy. We give service to others. We perform missionary work.

Elder James E. Faust (then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) said:

Why has God asked us to honor the Sabbath day? The reasons I think are at least threefold. The first has to do with the physical need for rest and renewing. Obviously God, who created us, would know more than we do of the limits of our physical and nervous energy and strength.

The second reason is, in my opinion, of far greater significance. It has to do with the need for regeneration and the strengthening of our spiritual being. God knows that, left completely to our own devices without regular reminders of our spiritual needs, many would degenerate into the preoccupation of satisfying earthly desires and appetites. This need for physical, mental, and spiritual regeneration is met in large measure by faithful observance of the Sabbath day.

The third reason may be the most important of the three. It has to do with obedience to commandments as an expression of our love for God. ….

I am grateful that we have a day to be with our families. Sometimes my children may feel disappointment that they won’t be able to go to parties or sporting events that are held on Sundays, but I enjoy knowing that no matter what we have a day set aside to be together as a family and I like that it is never a question for them. They know that this is what we do (or don’t do) on Sunday. We are able to learn more about the gospel, and strengthen our relationshipes with each other, and with our neighbors.

To Mormon women: Please share with our readers how honoring the Sabbath Day has enriched your life. What things do you enjoy doing on Sundays to strengthen your spirit and relationships with loved ones in your life?

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**Please note: The answers in “Ask a Mormon Woman” and (other content on this site) reflect the thoughts and perspectives of the administrators at Mormon Women. Although we strive to have our content consistent with the Church’s doctrine and teachings, we do not speak officially for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For official information about or from the Church, please visit www.mormon.org or www.lds.org.
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For more Ask a Mormon Woman questions/answers, please click here.

Do you have a question you would like to submit? Simply include a comment below, or send an email at gmail with the username ‘mormonwoman’ or ‘mormonwomen’.

The post Ask a Mormon Woman: What do Mormons do on Sundays? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Interested in seeing what a conference is like? You can do it from the comfort of your own home. See this page for more details, or this page for additional broadcast options.

General Conference Traditions

Our semiannual conferences tend to include church unit and family traditions for many of us, which add to the anticipation and excitement we feel.

For example, read what several women recently shared about their General Conference traditions here.

Other traditions are described here and here.

General Conference “Packets”

Parents often try to find creative ways to keep their children engaged in listening to and enjoying General Conference. In recent years, there have been people who have created “General Conference packets” that circulate around via email and websites. The Church has created one this year, which can be found here. Other packets can be found here and here.

This packet might be worth a glance if you are curious about the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The packet contains tidbits of information about each of the fifteen men whom we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators in our day.

History of General Conference

Curious about the history of Mormon General Conference meetings? They started in 1830, with 27 members! Read more about that here, or glance at a timeline here.

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To you who will be listening over the course of the weekend, we invite you to share some of your thoughts and insights (or questions) here.

The post Links We Like: LDS General Conference Weekend appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

My ward (congregation) loves to party. One of our annual ward parties is the Ward RoundUp. Here was the flyer for this year’s RoundUp. I love the Ward Round Up!

I have attended over 20 RoundUps in my life and every one was memorable. My favorite Ward RoundUp memory was when I was eight years old the Primary handed out squirt rings at the Go Fish! station and all of the kids my age would fill them with fountain water and squirt each other when we found each other during a game of hide and seek in the ward building.

Our Ward RoundUp is an annual activity that has a country theme and anyone who has ever lived in the ward is invited to come back – thus the name “RoundUp.” A lot of people who grew up in the ward come back to visit with us. It is always fun to see who shows up! Every year, the RoundUp has activities for the kids, dinner for over 200 people and yummy fried scones with honey, jelly, and powdered sugar.

As part of our traditions our ward hosts:

• Hay rides behind an ATV in the parking lot
• A Cake walk
• A Petting Zoo

One year, there was square dancing with a professional caller! That was great — tons of people there joined in the dancing.  There were over 50 people doing the “electric slide” which was hilarious because I’ve known these people for decades and had never seen many of them dance. As always, the entire community, not just LDS Church members, were invited.

OK, you Mormon women who are lurking –share with our readers! What are some of your ward’s traditions? How do having traditions bring communities closer? If you aren’t Mormon, tell us about the kinds of parties/gatherings/community events you enjoy. Does your community do things that bring people closer together and help offload the stresses of life?

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**Please note: The answers in “Ask a Mormon Woman” and (other content on this site) reflect the thoughts and perspectives of the administrators at Mormon Women. Although we strive to have our content consistent with the Church’s doctrine and teachings, we do not speak officially for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For official information about or from the Church, please visit www.mormon.org or www.lds.org.

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For more Ask a Mormon Woman questions/answers, please click here. To submit a question, simply leave a comment, or email us at gmail with the username ‘mormonwoman.’

The post Ask a Mormon Woman: What Are Some Of Your Ward Traditions? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.