How to Hasten the Hastening

In the April 2013 LDS General Conference, church leaders emphasized the need for members to hasten the work. It's taken some time, but I have begun to think about what it means to "hasten the work," and what I can do, personally, to hasten the hastening.

Angel Moroni by Karen

What Does It Mean to "Hasten the Work?"

The work refers to the work of salvation or four-fold mission of the Church: to proclaim the gospel, to perfect the saints, to redeem the dead, and to care for the needy. While the work refers to all four of these emphases, special emphasis has recently been placed upon the gathering of Israel. In the 2013 special mission presidents' training broadcast, Elder L. Tom Perry proclaimed, "the need and opportunity to share the gospel has never been greater." It is projected that the Church will have 100,000 full-time missionaries serving by December 2013; almost a 100% increase from the previous year. (Incidentally, the projection also claims that this bubble will burst and stabilize around 75,000 - 80,000 by the end of 2015.) The main impression I received from this global broadcast was that we, as Church members, need to take advantage of this precious two-year bubble by finding people for our full-time missionaries to teach. If ever there was a time to set goals regarding missionary work, it is now! These two are mine:

Love others.

Act in faith, now.

What Can I Do to Hasten the Lord's Work?

Desire — The lord magnifies the earnest efforts of his disciples. e.g. John's account of feeding the 5000. Whom can I pray for? This is a prayer that the Lord will always positively respond to. How can I help my neighbor?
Feast — Spend 10-15 minutes a day in the word of God. When you feast, there is more food than one person can handle.
Strengthen — Strengthen at least one person a day. As our thoughts turn to others' needs, the Lord will bring to mind those spiritual messages you have regularly been feasting on. Isn't the dynamic word of God incredible?

Sources:

President Spencer W. Kimball issuing the three-fold mission of the Church in 1981.
President Thomas S. Monson adding a fourth mission of the Church in 2009.

Comments

Rummi-"CUB" vs. Rummi-"CUBE"

The "Rummikub" Pronunciation Debate Affirmative Constructive: "Cub" For years, I have been a firm advocate and defender of the pronunciation, Rummi-"CUB". The game box I grew up with spelled it, Rummicub on the box. However, other productions of the game have variant spellings: Rummykub , Rummy Kube , Rummy Tiles , etc. Based solely on box spelling, the game's true pronunciation is open to interpretation. Therefore, Rummi"cub" is equally acceptable to any other given pronunciation. Negative Constructive : "Cube" My opponents argue that since the game originated over seas, we ought to respect and maintain its original pronunciation. Affirmative Rebuttal: Americanization of the Term When the game was brought to America and given Americanized rules, its name was also Americanized. Pronunciation loyalists then counter my rebuttal with, "there are lots of adopted foreign words that have retained their original pron...

The Secret Reason Why "Good Witch" Feels Emotionally Off

TL;DR It's the Botox. For the past 3 months, my wife, Stacia, and I have been watching Good Witch (via Netflix and Amazon Prime). Stacia adores winding down to "Hallmark-y shows." We can rely on Good Witch episodes to always resolve happily. The episodes are never too intense. The height of conflict revolves around things like someone's inability to locate the perfect spot to snap a romantic photo for a new tourism brochure. I consider my time watching these shows spouse bonding time , and emotional training. My favorite thing about watching feel-good shows with Stacia is getting to observe her facial reactions to the on-screen drama. When two people lean in for a long-anticipated kiss, Stacia tucks her knees into her chest and frowns with her forehead while lifting her chin and bottom lip. While I'm typically unable to suspend my disbelief, Stacia seems completely entranced by the various characters' emotions. Wishing I could join her in being swept aw...

Who's Got The Funk?

I am an amateur guitarist, and I've got no funk. My musical skills seem to lacking that special something . Great musicians have it . Those fortunate enough to have gotten hold of it , create timeless hits. While musicians without it fade into oblivion. After spending hours searching through Blues history websites and 1970's band documentaries online, I discovered what that special something is thank to a (70% Man, 30% fish) character from the BBC show "The Mighty Boosh" named Old Gregg. He identified that thing as The Funk ! But what exactly is The Funk ? Here is some dialogue from the show to help explain its origin and purpose: Old Gregg: You're a musician, yeah? Howard: Yes I am. Old Gregg: Butchya ain't very good, are ya? Howard: I'm one of the best in town. Old Gregg: Come on, I read your reviews. Hmm? You know what your problem is? Howard: What? Old Gregg: Ya ain't got the funk. You're all rigid. Hmm? You're l...

Tuesdays with Muerte

Search This Blog