O.Y.P.E.N.T

Duff was home when we walked in after church.  Yay!  It's kind of interesting:  I love when he goes because I seem to get a lot more done for some reason, but I hate it when he goes because I just like it when he is home.  It's complete that way.

The kids were all over for our monthly Sunday dinner and FHE.  We finally got to do our Preparedness Kick-off lesson.  Maybe it was better timing after all.  Duff started the lesson:

If the Savior came to visit you and said he had some counsel for you which would give you peace, would you listen and obey his counsel?

The Lord has said,  "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken and I excuse not myself;  and t hough the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."

This scripture refers to the Lord's servants, also know as prophets.  Our living prophet is the Lord's mouthpiece today and when he speaks, he is speaking the words of our Savior.  If the Savior stood before us and shared a message, we would heed his counsel.  Likewise, we should heed our prophet's counsel.  One of the Primary songs says:  "Keep the commandments...Words of a prophet, keep the commandments. In this there is safety and peace." 

Our prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson, as a member of the first presidency, recently released a pamphlet outlingin a preparedness plan for members of the church.  It states:  "We encourage Church members world wide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.  We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings.  Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once.  With careful planning,  you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."

President Monson also said, "Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year's supply of food...and were debt-free.  Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse:  they have at least a year's supply of debt and are food free."

As I reflect upon the current economic crisis we are experiencing, I have been reminded of the words of our prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, which he shared at General Conference in October 2001, soon after the 9-11 terrorist attacks:

"Occasions of this ind pull us up sharply to a realization that life is fragile, peace is fragile, civilization itself is fragile.  The economy is particularly vulnerable.  We have been counseled again and again concerning self-reliance, concerning debt, concerning thrift.  So many of our people are heavily in debt for things that are not entirely necessary.  When I was a young man, my father counseled me to build a modest home, sufficient for the needs of my family, and make it beautiful and attractive and pleasant and secure.  He counseled me to pay off the mortgage as quickly as I could so that, come what may, there would be a roof over the heads of my wife and children.  I was reared on that kind of doctrine.  I urge you as members of this Church to get free of debt where possible and to have a little laid aside against a rainy day.

"We cannot provide against every contingency.  But we can provide against many contingencies.  Let the present situation remind us that this we should do.

"As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time in case of need.  But let us not panic nor go to extremes.  Let us be prudent in every respect.  And, above all, my brothers and sisters, let us move forward with faith in the Living God and His Beloved Son."

Later in that same talk he stated:  "I cannot forget the great lesson of Pharaoh's dream of the fat and lean kine and of the full and withered stalks of corn."  He was referring to Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dream in Genensis.  After hearing Pharaoh's dream, Joseph told him that there would be 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine.  I find the timing of President Hinckly's talk interesting.  Seven prosperous years after President Hinckley gave this talk, suddenly banks began to fail, major brokerages went belly-up, the stock market dived and businesses closed shop.

Recently on a radio program where a well-known financial commentator was talking about the current financial crisis that has led to a credit crunch and great losses in employment.  Here is one of his striking comments:  "No one knew what was coming.  No one couldhave ever anticipated what would happen."  But our prophet knew and we were warned well in advance to prepare by staying out of debt, buying modest homes, setting money aside for a rainy day, and storing food and water.  We were promised peace if we did so.  (For the complete text, go to this link from Preparedness Matters )

We had passed out quotes to be read.  Here are the ones we used and discussed:

1--Too often we bask in our comfortable complacency and rationalize that the ravages of war, economic disaster, famine, and earthquake cannot happen here.  Those who believe this are either not aquainted with the revelations of the Lord, or they do not believe them."--President Ezra Taft Benson

2--"  Many areas of the world have experienced difficult economic times.  Businesses have failed, jobs have been lost, and investments have been jeopardized.  We  must make certain that those for whom we share responsibility do not go hungry or unclothed or unsheltered.  When the priesthood of this Church works together as one in meeting these vexing conditions, near miracles take place.  We urge all Latter-Day-Saints to be prudent in their planning, to be conservative in their living, and to avoid excessive or unnecessary debt."--Pres. Thomas S. Monson, 10/08 Priesthood Session

3--"Avoid the philosophy that yesterday's luxuries have become today's necessities.  They aren't nexessities until we make them so.  Many enter into long-term debt only to find that changes occur; people become ill or incapacitated, companiesfail or downsize, jobs are lost, natural disasters befall us.  For many reasons, payments on large amounts of debt can no longer be made.  Our debt becomes as a Damocles sword hanging over our heads and threatening to destroy us."-- President Thomas S. Monson, 4/06 General Conference.

4--Maintain a year's supply.  The Lord has urged that his people save for the rainy days, prepare for the difficult times, and put away for emergencies, a year's supply or more of bare nexessities so that when comes the flood, the earthquake, the famine, the hurricane, the storms of life, our families can be sustained through the dark days.  How many of us have coplied with this?  We strive with the Lord, finding many excuses:  We do not have room for storage.  The food spoils.  We do not have the funds to do it.  We do not like these common basic foods.  It is not needed--there will always be someone to help in trouble.  The government will come to the rescue.  And some intend to obey but procrastinate."--The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 375

5--All too often a family's spending is governed more by their yearning than by their earning.  They somehow believe that their life will be better if they surround themselves with an abundance of things.  All too often all they are left with is avoidable anxiety and distress." --Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

6--"Be prepared in all things against the day when tribulations and desolations are sent foth upon the wicked."--D&C 29:8

7--"Just as it is important to prepare ourselves spiritually, we must also prepare ourselves for our temporal needs....We have been instructed for years to follow at least four requirements in preparing for that which is to come.
"First, gain an adequate education.  Learn a trade or a profession to enable you to obtain steady employment that will provide remuneration sufficient to care for yourself and your family.
"Second, live strictly within your income and save something for a rainy day.  Incorporate in  your lives the discipline of budgeting that which the Lord has blessed you with.  As regularly as you pay your tithing, set aside an amount needed for future family requirements.
"Third, avoid excessive debt.  Necessary debt should be incurred only after careful, thoughtful prayer and after obtaining the best possible advice.  We need the discipline to stay well within our ability to pay.
"Fourth, acquire and store a reserve of food and supplies that will sustain life.  Obtain clothing and build a savings account on a sensible,well-planned basis that can serve well in times of emergency.  As long as I can remember, we have been taught to prepare for the future....  I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel.  I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over.  With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness."--Elder L. Tom Perry, 10/95 General Conference

8--I believe that the Ten Virgins represent the people of the church of Jesus Christ...They (5 foolish) had the saving, exalting gospel, but it had not been made the center of their lives.  They knew the way  but gave only a small measure of loyalty and devotion.  The foolish asked the other to share their oil, but...preparedness cannot be shared in an instant... This was not selfishness or unkindness....In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated frop by drop in righteous living."--President Spencer W. Kimball  

Then he turned the time over to me for a breakout activity.  I introduced our family theme for the next several months to a year:  'ORGANIZE YOURSELVES; PREPARE EVERY NEEDFUL THING'.

We divided by couples/families and had a worksheet for dinner menu ideas.  There were four categories on the front and four on the back:  Beef, Chicken, Pork, Soups, Salads, Sides/Vegetables, Breakfast (for dinner, yum), Other/Misc.  Each group chose which dinner dishes they liked,  could make, want to learn to make in each category.  The next step is to plan a weekly menu list for the grocery store so you know what you are having, what you need for it, can plan balanced meals and don't over buy at the market.  I don't know about you, but the more times I go into a store, the easier it is to buy extra things we don't really need.  If it is planned out, you can coordinate it with the rest of the calendar so you know which nights need a faster meal, or a crock-pot one, etc.  It is a great way to save money and use that to begin a storage plan.  You also learn what items you use more or less of and can plan accordingly.

Wow.  Everybody really got into it and what I allotted 10 minutes for ended up going for 30 plus and more after we ended.

So our plan is to focus on these areas of organization and preparedness this next year:  Home Storage, Financial, Emotional, Spiritual. Physical, Educational.  We talked about some 'field trips' we could do too with these ideas.  I think it went well, and I'm excited to have a family theme to work from.

I ended with:  "We have built grain storage and storehouses and stocked them with the necessities of life in the event of a disaster.  But the real storehouse is the family storeroom. [for all areas] In words of revelation the Lord has said, 'Organize yourselves;  prepare every needful thing'.--(D&C 109:8) President Gordon B. Hinckley

And Mike closed with this quote from Spencer W. Kimball:  "We encourage families to have on hand this year's supply; we say it over and over and over and repeat over and over the scripture of the Lord where he says,  "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say?"  How empty it is as they put their spirituality, so-called, into action and call him by his important names, but fail to do the things which he says."

So, we've started with a theme.  I kind of excited about it.