Are you sleeping through the restoration?

What Is the restoration?

restoration [res-tuh-rey-shuh n] Show IPA

noun
1.
the act of restoring; renewal, revival, or reestablishment.
2.
the state or fact of being restored.
3.
a return of something to a former, original, normal, or
unimpaired condition.
4.
restitution of something taken away or lost.
5.
something that is restored, as by renovating.
Texas Berclair Manision.
-Drive by everytime we went to victoria
Built in 1936 by a 75 year old woman
-childhood house had burned down and she promised that she would
build a fireproof house
-10,000 a basement which is unheard of in Texas
-Lived with her 4 sisters in a 22 room home
After the sisiters Passing the family donated the house to Beville
historical society

The sisters occupied the 22-room house and quickly filled it with
endless treasures - a mirror from Napoleon Bonaparte's family, a
lost painting from Europe, vases from Queen Victoria's Diamond
Jubilee, beds belonging to European princesses and more.
3 of the sisters passed away including the owner and she willed
the home to her 2 remaining sister
-when they passed it was willed to the only Niece
she refused to live in the house so it remained vacante for 20
some years
-she passed and left it in her will that she wanted the home and
all that was in it destroyed. The next inline to inherit the home

was 2 nephews I think they were through marriage. She dident

want them to have it so she would rather destroy it.
Texas government stepped in and broke the will and the Beeville
cultural arts society got the house.
Rumor has it they sold the lost painting for around 10 Million and
that paid for the restoration.
Fantasitic story right!! Did anyone sleep though it?
Are we sleeping though the restoration of the Gospel?
Is the restoration of the Gospel complete?
One of the article of faiths tells us this

all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and the
many great and important things that He will yet reveal.
Pres Ockdorph said when he was address the priesthood
When our time in mortality is complete, what experiences will we
be able to share about our own contribution to this significant
period of our lives and to the furthering of the Lords work? Will
we be able to say that we rolled up our sleeves and labored with
all our heart, might, mind, and strength? Or will we have to admit
that our role was mostly that of an observer?
Yikkes!
What are some of the resaons that we may be sleeping though
the restoration?
SELFISHNESS
Addiction
Compiting prioritys
We are going to talk about 3 of these that pres Ukdorfe talked on
First if Selfishness.
I have one sweet child in our home that has turned a very special
age and has turned Into a the world revolves around me
Monster. Rumor has it its a stage. But I find myself constintaly

reminding him that its not all about him all the time. This is
when the teacher becomes the student. Haha As I was reading
over this talk I was feeling more and more ummmm Guilty of this
exact thing. But I will get back to that
In one of elder Christensens talks he mentioned this little Prayer
Dear God,
So far today I have done all right. I havent gossiped, havent
lost my temper, havent been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or
overly indulgent. But in a few minutes, Lord, I am going to get out
of bed, and from then on, I am probably going to need a lot more
help.
How many of us are guilty of Any of these?? With out raising our
hand
Pre ukdorf said
When we seek self-service over selfless-service, our priorities
become centered on our own recognition and pleasure.
My Truth
I very specifically remember Not to to long ago I was out giving
service and I was so grumpy about it. I had other things going
on, I wanted to be doing my own things. And the way they were
doing this specific service was Dumb (haha ) IT Was not my way
of doing it so its not the right way. I went home complaining to
my very Patient and tolerant hubby. And I said to him Im not
even getting blessings for this because Im being so grumpy
about it.
I have since gotten over it (it doesent take long) But after
reading this Lesson, It makes me realize that Its only myself
thats holding me back from all the blessings that we can recive
through the gossple.
Pres ukdorf
Past generations had their struggle with variations of egotism and
narcissism, but I think today we are giving them serious

competition. Is it any coincidence that the Oxford Dictionary

recently proclaimed selfie as the word of the year? 3
Naturally, we all have a desire for recognition, and there is
nothing wrong with relaxing and enjoying ourselves. But when
seeking the gain and praise of the world4 is a central part of our
motivation, we will miss the redemptive and joyful experiences
that come when we give generously of ourselves to the work of
the Lord.
So what is the remedy for Selfishness??

Mark 8:3435 This is the answer

Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall
lose his life for my sake and the gospels, the same shall save
it.5
Those who wholeheartedly turn their lives over to our Savior and
serve God and fellowman discover a richness and fulness to life
that the selfish or egotistic will never experience. The unselfish
give of themselves. These may be small gifts of charity that have
a grand impact for good: a smile, a handshake, a hug, time spent
in listening, a soft word of encouragement, or a gesture of caring.
All these acts of kindness can change hearts and lives. When we
take advantage of the unlimited opportunities to love and serve
our fellowmen, including our spouse and family, our capacity to
love God and to serve others will greatly increase.

Ok on to the 2nd reason we could be sleeping through the

restoration..
Addiction
Addictions often begin subtly. Addictions are thin threads of
repeated action that weave themselves into thick bonds of habit.
Negative habits have the potential to become consuming
addictions.

WHAT ARE SOME FORMS OF AdDICTION?

pornography, alcohol, sex, drugs, tobacco, gambling, food, work,
the Internet, or virtual reality.
Last Sunday I was at my moms ward and they had someone come and
spent the last 2 hours of Church in the gym with everyone 12 and up
talking about Pornorgraphy. He only got through a portion of his
information but it was the most eye opening experience for me as a
mother. We try to be very open in our house about everything but
some of the information that he was presenting made it that much
more important and clear as to the course of addictions how
damagning they can be and How important early intervention is.
And thats not just with Pornography That is with everything.

What is the remedy?

The first thing we must understand is that addictions are so much
easier to prevent than to cure. In the Saviors words, Suffer none
of these things to enter into your heart.6
Online on LDS.ORG there is a whole section on this This is what it tells us for prevention

Prevention
Parents have a sacred duty to teach their children and instill
righteous values in them. Parents who have open discussions
and talks with their children about intimacy and its role in
our Heavenly Fathers plan help protect their children from
the influence of the adversary.
We need to understand that it is a adction like narcotics are, It messes with the brain in similar
ways.and not make it a thing of shame. If people feel shame they will hide it instead of getting
help.
And the final thing that Pres Ukdorf touched on was

Competing Priorities
Dallen H Oaks quoted this in his talk

Jesus taught about priorities when He said, Seek not the things
of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and
to establish his righteousness, and all these things shall be added
unto you (JST, Matt. 6:38, in Matt. 6:33, footnote a). Seek
first to build up the kingdom of God means to assign first priority
to God and to His work. The work of God is to bring to pass the
eternal life of His children (see Moses 1:39), and all that this
entails in the birth, nurturing, teaching, and sealing of our
Heavenly Fathers children. Everything else is lower in priority.
The ultimate Latter-day Saint priorities are twofold: First, we seek
to understand our relationship to God the Eternal Father and His
Son, Jesus Christ, and to secure that relationship by obtaining
their saving ordinances and by keeping our personal covenants.
Second, we seek to understand our relationship to our family
members and to secure those relationships by the ordinances of
the temple and by keeping the covenants we make in that holy
place. These relationships, secured in the way I have explained,
provide eternal blessings available in no other way. No
combination of science, success, property, pride, prominence, or
power can provide these eternal blessings!
The perfect story to go with this is the story of Martha and Mary
Jesus Christ and his disciples stopped at the house of Martha in
Bethany, about two miles from Jerusalem. Her sister Mary lived there,
along with their brother Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the
dead.
Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened to his words. Martha, meanwhile,
was distracted with preparing and serving the meal for the group.
Frustrated, Martha scolded Jesus, asking him whether he cared that
her sister had left her to fix the meal alone. She told Jesus to order
Mary to help her with the preparations.
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset
about many things, but few things are neededor indeed only one.
Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from
her." (Luke 10:41-42, NIV)

How many of us are Marys? How Many are Marthas?

Some of us tend to be more like Mary in our Christian walk, while

others resemble Martha. It's likely we have qualities of both within us.

We may be inclined at times to let our busy lives of service distract us

from spending time with Jesus and listening to his word. It's significant
to note, though, that Jesus gently admonished Martha for being
"worried and upset," not for serving. Service is a good thing, but
sitting at Jesus' feet is best. We must remember what is most
important.

The following story is one thats been circulating for awhile. I believe it
holds a very important message regarding appropriately setting
priorities in our lives.A professor of philosophy stood before his class
with some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he
picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with
rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the
jar was full.They agreed that it was full.So the professor then picked
up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar
lightly and watched as the pebbles rolled into the open areas
between the rocks. The professor then asked the students again if
the jar was full.They chuckled and agreed that it was indeed full this
time.The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
The sand filled the remaining open areas of the jar. Now, said the
professor, I want you to recognize that this jar signifies your life.
Pres Ukdorf says
Even in Church service, it is easy to spend a lot of time just going
through the motions without the heart or the substance of
discipleship.
Brethren, we as priesthood bearers have committed to be a
people who love God and our neighbor and who are willing to
demonstrate that love through word and deed. That is the
essence of who we are as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Those who live up to these principles will not sleep through the
Restoration.
Im going to wrap up this lesson with a little Story from Pres
Ukdorfs Talk

Nearly 200 years ago, the American short story Rip Van Winkle
became an instant classic. The main character, Rip, is an
unambitious man who is very good at avoiding two things: work
and his wife.
One day, while wandering in the mountains with his dog, he
discovers a group of strangely dressed men drinking and playing
games. After accepting some of their liquor, Rip becomes drowsy
and closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens his eyes again,
he is surprised to find that his dog is gone, his rifle has rusted,
and he now has a long beard.
Rip makes his way back to his village only to discover that
everything has changed. His wife has died, his friends are gone,
and the portrait of King George III in the tavern has been replaced
by a portrait of someone he does not recognizeby General
George Washington.
Rip Van Winkle had been sleeping for 20 years! And in the
process, he had missed one of the most exciting periods in the
history of his countryhe had slept through the American
Revolution.