Here's a letter from Brian Taylor. He is always an inspiration to me.
5:38 PM (51 minutes ago)
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Dear Elder and Sister Scott,
I attended a meeting this morning where another great-grandchild was blessed, which makes me astounded at the rate the next generation is growing. I may have mentioned previously to some of you that I have 28 grandchildren and by the end of this year will have an equal number of greats. I look around the group and I marvel how mature these youngsters look and act. I know that the Lord has a special mission for each one--as He does for all our LDS youth. I contrast the program of the Church now as compared with my earlier years, and I marvel at the improvement! I almost wish I could plan to be around for a few more decades to witness rapid growth and improvement that are sure to come. That blessed process will be your pleasure to enjoy.
These thoughts made me turn to the writings of a recent author, whose ideas are most uplifting. He referenced the writings of President Lorenzo Snow over a century ago, as follows: "My hopes in reference to the future life are supremely grand and glorious, and I try to keep these prospects bright continually, and that is the privilege and duty of every Latter-day Saint. I suppose I am talking now to some Latter-day Saints that have been sorely tried and they have thought sometimes, perhaps like the Savior felt, that He had no friends, that His friends had all gone; and everything was going wrong, and everything was disagreeable, and His circumstances were continuing to get worse. . .We know that in the future after we have passed through this life, we will then have our wives and our children with us. We will have our bodies fortified, made free from every sickness and distress, and rendered most beautiful. There is noting more beautiful to look upon than a resurrected man or woman. . .There is no Latter-day Saint within the sound of my voice but certainly has this prospect of coming forth in the morning of the first resurrection and being glorified, exalted in the presence of God, having the privilege of talking with our Father as we talk with our earthly father."
I was just contrasting these very clear, understandable expressions with those which I had heard from members of other faiths in days gone by. I remember talking to a man while on my first mission who claimed to be a Christadelphian. He obviously did not believe many of the teachings we find in the Bible, for he claimed that when we die, our bodies are placed in the grave and that is the END. I also call to mind some of the so-called Christians who still believe that the righteous who die will go to heaven, where they will be playing harps eternally. What a condemnation! I love harp music, but not eternally. Some of you have been able to witness an LDS marriage in the temples of the Lord. Those eternal contracts are simply wonderful, understandable, and motivating!
We will soon be enjoying another general conference, where the Brethren will be giving us inspired messages that the Lord wants us to digest and apply. I trust that we will each listen with both ears--and our heart. Several years ago I heard the story of a missionary who had been telling a listener that we believe in continuous revelation. When the listener asked how those revelations were passed on to members of the Church, the missionary cited the fact that messages are printed in the church magazines for all members to read. The listener then inquired, "What revelations came in the most recent magazine?" The missionary then sheepishly confessed that he had not read it. In these days when our people need spiritual direction so very much, I can only hope that all of us will READ or LISTEN and OBEY.
May the Lord bless you with a rewarding week!
Love, Brian
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