"Thy Kingdom Come"

"Many have asked, 'How is it that the Prophet Joseph Smith, age 14, could go into a grove, never having prayed before vocally, according to his own account, and in that first prayer receive such great and marvelous blessings?' Does that mean that he simply had far greater faith and worthiness than the rest of us?
"One response is that the visitations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith weren't just an answer to his own prayer, but to the prayers of literally millions, maybe even those beyond the veil, who had been seeking and reaching for generations for the restoration of the gospel and the reestablishment of the kingdom of God on the earth; fulfillment, in fact, of a phrase offered by billions, 'Thy kingdom come.' (Matthew 6:10.)
"That is an important insight. You and I pray not alone. We pray as part of a great modern movement and, in effect, we can be empowered in that very process. And if we care - or even care enough to try to care - to be instruments, unique privileges descend upon us, among them the authorities and gifts and blessings of the Holy Ghost and the crowning blessings of the priesthood." - Truman Madsen

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Questions and Links for CHFT 29-30

This Thursday, January 31, we will discuss chapters 29-30 in Church History in the Fulness of Times. Here are a few study questions and a couple of links to articles on the subject matter in these chapters. Chapter 29 - "The Utah War" 1. What two issues were at the center of the Church's conflict with the federal government? 2. Why didi Church leaders declare martial law in Utah Territory in 1857? What other defensive measures were put in force? 3. Why was the Francher Train massacred at Mountain Meadow? Who participated in the massacre? What can we learn from this today? 4. Who were the "Mormon Raiders" and what was their role in the Utah War? 5. Why did settlers north of Utah Valley leave their homes in 1858 and "move south"? How long did it take? How many Saints were displaced? BONUS: What became of the Salt Lake Temple foundation as the Saints anticipated the arrival of Johnston's army? Chapter 30 - "The Civil War Period" 1. How were the Saints blessed in being driven from their homes in Illioinois? 2. What service did members of the Church render the Union cause during the Civil War? 3. What military leader became known as the "father of Utah mining"? 4. Who was Walter Murray Gibson and how did he exceed the bounds of his authority in the Hawaiian Islands? 5. How many European converts were brought to Utah between 1861-1868? What percentage of the population of Salt Lake City was foreign-born as of 1870? Links: "The Mountain Meadows Massacre" - Ensign Sept. 2007 "Abraham Lincoln's life is meaningful to Mormons" - Deseret News Feb.21 2011 "Abraham Lincoln, God's Humble Instrument" - Mormon Channel (audio)
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