Eddie's talk in Church August 31, 2008

Sorry! I should have posted this before I blogged about Shoreline Village. We were so drained on Sunday, that I didn't blog at all.

So here we go. Sunday, August 31st, Eddie gave his 2nd talk in Sacrament Meeting. His first talk was given back in April of 2006 on keeping the Sabbath Day holy. It was a good talk, but he was very nervous back then. Before that he gave a few 2 1/2 minute talks in Sunday School back in the 70's.

He worked on this talk for 3 weeks. He spent a lot of time in the garage going over it and reading it outloud and putting in his own personal experiences. I knew the scriptures and quotes he was using, but not sure what experiences he was going to share! He was sweating bullets up until the time for the talk. To make life even more interesting....the guy who was supposed to talk before him, also in the Elder's Quorum presidency....didn't show!!!! So Eddie went from being the concluding speaker to the only speaker!

He actually did very well at stretching and adding in some stuff and he blended the talk quite well. The topic he was given to speak on was families. Here is the skeleton of his talk.
He started his talk out by telling the congregation that after he had been asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting, he had gone to the temple and while there had opened the scriptures and just read what ever popped out at him...this is what he found:

D & C 84:70 And the tongue of the dumb shall speak;

He wondered if Brother Shine had read this scripture before asking him to talk?!!!

Tender Mercies
Elder Robert D. Hales said, “Sometimes as parents we feel we have failed when our children make mistakes or stray. Parents are never failures when they do their best to love, teach, pray, and care for their children. Their faith, prayers, and efforts will be consecrated to the good of their children. . . . No family has reached perfection. All families are subject to the conditions of mortality. All of us are given the gift of agency--to choose for ourselves and to learn from the consequences of our choices.“
“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.” (As told by Elder Orson F. Whitney in Conference Report, Apr. 1929, 110.)

He then shared some thoughts on his return to church and on not being such a great Father to his 3 children, but that he prays for them daily.

1st Nephi 1:20 “But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance”

Elder David A. Bednar has said, “…tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ… Repentance and forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord.

He told the story of being in the temple and it was Covina Stake Temple day and there was a stack of family file names. He went through them and found one that was easy to pronounce. He then went to the session and lo and behold, the guy sitting next to him had the name of the brother of the guy he was going through for. It reminded Eddie of the day he took out his own endowments and his brother was sitting next to him. Luck? A coincedence? No...the tender mercies of the Lord!

Prayer

D & C 68:28 “And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “I submit that a return to the old pattern of prayer, family prayer in the homes of the people, is one of the basic medications that would check the dread disease that is eroding the character of our society. We could not expect a miracle in a day, but in a generation we would have a miracle.
A generation or two ago, family prayer in the homes of Christian people throughout the world was as much a part of the day’s activity as was eating… there is no adequate substitute for the morning and evening practice of kneeling together—father, mother, and children. This, more than soft carpets, more than lovely draperies, more than cleverly balanced color schemes, is the thing that will make for better and more beautiful homes.”

He was going to share a couple experience at this point, but he didnt', so he just went on to the next subject.

Priesthood
D & C 107:99 “Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence.”

President Monson has said, “Miracles are everywhere to be found when priesthood callings are magnified. When faith replaces doubt, when selfless service eliminates selfish striving, the power of God brings to pass His purposes.
The priesthood is not really so much a gift as it is a commission to serve, a privilege to lift, and an opportunity to bless the lives of others.” “Priesthood Power,” Ensign, Nov 1999, 49

He talked about the joy of service and honoring the priesthood. He talked about being asked to dress a deceased brother in the ward and what a pure act of service it was, and what an honor it was to be able to do it. He then talked about his experiences of giving his first priesthood blessing and not really understanding the process and about shaking the head of the person off. He then briefly told about being asked recently to give this same person a blessing and what a difference it was now understanding what it means to be a mouth piece for the Lord and the awesome spiritual experience he had in doing so.

Temples
In October conference 1998, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said, "The ideals of faith, hope, and charity are most evident in the holy temples. There we learn the purpose of life, strengthen our commitment as disciples of Christ by entering into sacred covenants with Him, and seal our families together for eternity across generations. Receiving our own endowment in a temple and returning frequently to perform sacred ordinances for our kindred dead increases our faith, strengthens our hope, and deepens our charity. We receive our own endowment with faith and hope that we will understand the Lord's plan for His children, will recognize the divine potential within each of us as children of our Heavenly Father, and will be faithful to the end in keeping the covenants we make. Performing temple ordinances for the dead is a manifestation of charity, offering essential blessings to those who have preceded us, blessings that were not available to them during their mortal lives. We have the privilege of doing for them what they are unable to do for themselves." Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Cultivating Divine Attributes," Ensign, Nov. 1998, 27

He talked about what a blessing and privelege it is to go to the temple and that we should all go a lot more and if you haven't gone, you should make it a goal to go!

Home

“The Lord’s standards for building a temple apply also to building spiritual strength in our homes: D&C 88:119 “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.”

President Monson has taught, “a home is much more than a house. A house is built of lumber, brick, and stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice, and respect. A house can be a home, and a home can be a heaven when it shelters a family.

He did a great job after this of cutting out part of Elder Wirthlin's quote and going straight to the verse in Helaman! It was awesome. I'll leave the whole quote though.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin counseled us, “The place to cure most of the ills of society is in the homes of the people. Building our homes as fortresses of righteousness for protection from the world takes constant labor and diligence. Membership in the Church is no guarantee of a strong, happy family. Often parents feel overwhelmed… The Lord has provided a plan that will help us to be successful in meeting every challenge that may confront us.
In the plan of salvation, all families are precious instruments in the Lord’s hands to help direct His children toward a celestial destination. The righteous molding of an immortal soul is the highest work we can do, and the home is the place to do it. To accomplish this eternal work, we should make our homes gospel centered. When peace and harmony abound, the Holy Spirit will ever be present. The storms of the evil one can be stopped at the very entrance of our homes.Let us be sure the spiritual foundation of each home is the rock of our Redeemer, as Helaman taught his sons: “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” (Hel. 5:12.) Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Spiritually Strong Homes and Families,” Ensig

He then ended his talk with his testimony and by saying that Moses had his Aaron and he has he Sandy.

I did find the quotes and scriptures, but he had veto power and he told me what subjects to find. He added all the personal experiences and add libs. It was wonderful. So many people came up to him after and told him how proud his mom is of him!!!!

For anyone who knows how crazy Eddie is....this was quite a different side to him. He's still kinda on a high from it all. It was a great experience. He doesn't remember what he said. Unbeknownst to him, I taped it, but I haven't listened to it. I know I left some of his adlibs out, but this is the general gist of the talk. I hope you enjoy!