Month: April 2019

Elders,

Here we are again. I just finished listening to the Jazz lose to Houston in the NBA playoffs. It is never easy to see your team’s season end. The speculating can begin as to whether or not the season was a success or not. The talking heads will talk and debate over every trivial thing. Some will say that Jazz are better than last year and others will point out that they went out of the playoffs earlier than last year so the season is a failure. We need more shooters, more X, Y, and Z. It seems to be what we do best…

Last Sunday in Sunday School – and throughout all last week, we celebrated the final week of our Savior’s life. There were scenes that were exciting and cheerful. Some were painful and poignant. Others were distressing and depressing. In the end He truly was crucified and three days later arose from the grave – the “firstfruits of them that slept”. He became our Savior and Redeemer. He paid the price that nobody else was capable of. He did it for you, for me, for everyone.

What is interesting is that just like the end of the season for the Jazz, the Savior’s life was scrutinized and dissected. There were those that believed in the resurrection and the good news and saw the Savior’s life as a success. Others criticized him for pushing too hard, going too far to disrupt, and throwing his life away. Others saw him as a fake and fraud as well. Throughout the intervening 2000 years, the talking heads haven’t stopped speaking. They search to prove by intellect and reason any number of theories concerning the Savior.

What are we to do? There are so many conflicting opinions and messages. We are inundated by “information”. Jesus gave the answer himself. He said to “Come follow me” and do the things he said / did. As we do the things he said and try to develop a relationship with Him, we will come to know him, find true happiness and joy, and ultimately receive life eternal. He sent the comforter to “teach us all things”. We need to use all our faculties to answer the questions we have, but also add the Holy Ghost into the mix. We can feel and know the truth about the Savior despite all the noise and confusion.

Was the Jazz season a success? I don’t know. It was fun. I think they made progress, but have a ways to go. Was Jesus all that he and his followers claimed? Yes, he was that and more. I’m grateful for my testimony of his life and mission. My relationship with him is growing and I couldn’t be happier. Ultimately, this Jazz season will fade and forgotten but I hope that my feelings for the Savior never fade or dim – that I can continue to grow my relationship with him.

This Sunday we get to hear from Nick Bassett, not as Gospel Doctrine teacher, but as our Ward Temple and Family History Leader. He is going to help motivate and instruct us in the possibilities of Family History. Come hungry to learn about Family History. It will be a great discussion and learning opportunity.

ALSO, after the block on Sunday (28th) we will have “Sunday Snacks”. Bring a simple treat to share and spend some time with friends and neighbors in the cultural hall. It will be a fun opportunity to meet some of our newer neighbors and strengthen ties with long-time friends. 

May 2nd we have an Elder’s Quorum activity over at the clubhouse. Mildred Barlow is going to share “Her Life, Laughter, & Learning”. The dinner and program will be at the clubhouse Thursday at 7:00pm. Please contact either Doug Moore 801-231-2636 or Scott DuVall 801-808-6505 to RSVP and get a food assignment.

There are many in our quorum with challenges and problems – health and otherwise. Use your skills as priesthood holders and ministers to lift and bless the lives of those around you. Pray for them. Minister to them.

Thank you for all you do. We have a wonderful quorum. You Elders are the best.

Thanks,

President Oldroyd
801-573-6828

Elders,

We have a few days of great weather, but as I sit here and write this, the Jazz are getting blown out of the building for the second time in a row. It may not be a sweep, but if very easily could. Hopefully things turn around soon.

Wasn’t Stake Conference great? I miss partaking of the sacrament, but back to back weeks of conference were good too. There are many things to reflect on and many things to be thankful for.

This Sunday is Easter. I hope that you are enjoying the Holy Week. We are following along with the last week of events in the Savior’s life. Take a look at https://www.mormon.org/easter and follow along. It is a nice addition to our Come Follow Me curriculum and helps to pace the final events in the Savior’s mortal life. On Easter Sunday, I encourage you to come to our Sacrament meeting hungry, not only to partake of the ordinance of the Sacrament, but to be filled with a beautiful Easter message as well. Bring your family. Bring your friends. Share the good news of our Savior’s Resurrection and love.

In Stake Conference, President Williams highlighted the “prophetic imperatives” that President Nelson has shared in his tenure as President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Depending on how you count there were nearly 20 imperatives with at least a third of them repeated several times. They are all worth discovering and studying. President Barlow took that list and narrowed it down to 4 imperatives that we as a stake should rally around.

1. Draw the power of Jesus Christ into our lives – get to know the Savior better
2. Prayerfully study the Book of Mormon each day. A chapter, verse, or word – whatever you can do, just make it a daily habit.
3. Be in the temple on a regular basis – Make and keep an appointment with the Lord, he will bring you the miracles he knows that you need
4. Evaluate where you spend your time – Where is your heart? Where is your energy spent? What should you shift around to align our time with our priorities?

I hope that you will review these imperatives and decide out how to incorporate them into your lives. I believe that our lives will be blessed as we follow the words of our prophet.

Elders, you are great men and I appreciate you and the efforts you make to do better and be better. Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with. We are all in this together.

Thanks again. We’ll see you at noon on Easter.

Best wishes,

President Oldroyd
801-573-6828

Elders,

Wow, who dialed up the winter weather all of a sudden? One of the news stations mentioned that this was one of the wettest starts to a new year in a long time – maybe even record-setting (I was at the gym on a treadmill at the time and only saw parts of the closed-captioning as I huffed and puffed my way along).

What a fantastic conference weekend it was. I hope that you were as inspired by the messages as I was. We were all anxiously waiting “the next big change” and it occurred to me that the big change needs to be me. From reverence in the chapel, to honoring the sacrament, to being a better __ , to missionary work, to deepening my understanding of the atonement, to keeping to the covenant path, to better follow Him… I need to be the next thing that changes and makes a difference. We all do. Individually. One by one.

While it is hard to say which talk was more impactful than others, one that certainly stood out to me was President Nelson’s talk in the Priesthood session ( https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2019/04/36nelson?lang=eng  ) I can’t wait to discuss this with all of you in a quorum setting but since that wont happen for a few weeks, I wanted to share a couple of my thoughts. When I first heard the talk, I thought it was all about needing to repent – and repent all the time. He went to great pains to explain that repentance is a process, but it somehow still felt punitive. As I listened to it over a few times that feeling went away however. The talk (for me) is about being a little better each day. He says “Brethren, we need to do better and be better because we are in a battle.” I love the imagery of a battle. Some of the ways we need to do better and be better include how we treat our bodies (cheeseburger anyone?), our wives, and the priesthood responsibility we bear. 

Every time after I come home from the priesthood session Kris asks me if they told me that I had to love her. Most times the answer is kinda, or yes – this time it was an emphatic yes. Elders, our wives and children need us to step up and be better men. We need to be real men that are full of love and priesthood power and not just nice guys that occasionally do the dishes without being asked. They need our time, attention, respect, partnership, and love.

I can’t express it better than President Nelson. He says:  

“The Lord needs selfless men who put the welfare of others ahead of their own. He needs men who intentionally work to hear the voice of the Spirit with clarity. He needs men of the covenant who keep their covenants with integrity. He needs men who are determined to keep themselves sexually pure—worthy men who can be called upon at a moment’s notice to give blessings with pure hearts, clean minds, and willing hands. The Lord needs men eager to repent—men with a zeal to serve and be part of the Lord’s battalion of worthy priesthood bearers.“

President Nelson

Those are some powerful words. What can you do TODAY to do better or be better? I’d love to hear from each of you. A quick email reply or SMS is all it takes. What will you do?

Just a reminder that this Sunday is Stake Conference. The Saturday evening session (always worth it) is at 7:00pm at the Stake Center. The Sunday session is at 10:00am at any of the stake buildings. Don’t show up at our normal starting time, you will have missed it. Lol.

Just writing this email has got me fired up. I hope that you catch the spirit and passion that I feel for General Conference and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Stake Conference will be great as well. I hope to see you there.

Elders, I love being part of our quorum. Thanks for your participation and testimonies. You are great men. Don’t forget to write and let me know what you are going to do today to be better.

Get after it,

President Oldroyd
801-573-6828

Elders,

Good evening – It is another fine spring day. It is fun to see friends and neighbors coming out of hibernation and starting to work in the yard and spend time outside. Weather changes minute to minute, but the draw of the outdoors is unmistakable. It just feels good to be out in the sunshine. This past Sunday afternoon we pulled out my Christmas present (a Spike Ball set) and attempted to play. While we certainly aren’t world-class players, we had a great time. There was more laughing and snorting as we bumbled and fumbled our way around the game than actual game play, but it was well worth it. If you haven’t played before, come borrow our set and have fun.

The Dalton’s led our lesson last Sunday. It was based on the talk “Stand Forever” by Lawrence Corbridge. There was good productive discussion about knowledge and truth – the things that are critical know and the universe of potential questions that can arise. Questions are good, it is how we obtain knowledge and learn truth. We have various methods of learning knowledge – the scientific method, the analytical method, the academic method, and the divine method. We use the various methods every day throughout our lives. The divine method encompasses and builds upon the other three. It doesn’t excuse or exclude them, but builds upon them and adds a witness from the Spirit. Elder Corbridge says: “Pay whatever price you must pay, bear whatever burden you must bear, and make whatever sacrifice you must make to get and keep in your life the spirit and power of the Holy Ghost” That spirit will guide you to truth as you make use of the other three methods.

Be aware, of course, that not all questions are of equal value and importance – some truths are far more valuable to learn than others. Some of the key foundational truths that we should learn include: 1) Is there a God who is our Father? 2) Is Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Savior of the world? 3) Was Joseph Smith a prophet? and 4) Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the kingdom of God on the earth? As we come to a knowledge of these core truths, the other questions we encounter can be put into their proper frame and context. They won’t necessarily go away, but we can more effectively live with them as we keep looking for answers. Yes, questions are good. I have plenty and I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and the framework it provides me to live a happy life.

This weekend is General Conference. Sessions are at 10:00am and 2:00pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday night at 6:00pm is the general priesthood session. The priesthood session will be broadcast at the stake center. I will be gathering with my dad, brothers, and sons up at my dad’s stake center. We will enjoy the session and then go out for dinner. I love the traditions we have built over the years. What traditions do you have around general conference? 

Conference is a fantastic time to ask questions and listen for answers in the words of the prophets. I love conference weekend – and not just because I can listen while in dressed in sweats. I hope that you will take the opportunity to fully participate.

Thanks as always. Let’s see what opportunities for change and personal growth that general conference brings,

President Oldroyd
801-573-6828