Sunday Attire...Is It Appropriate for All Day?

A question that has been reoccurring through my life is whether you should wear your Sunday clothes all day or just those few hours immediately around your Sunday worship services?  I don't know that I have the answer, but I do have my answer.

It seems to me that the Sabbath is a full day, 24 hours, from midnight to midnight.  However, I don't believe in extremes.  So you don't need to sleep in your Sunday clothing but I think you should wear it longer than just to worship.  To me the Sabbath is a day to put aside earthly whims and desires and focus more on the spiritual.  I find this hard to do at church with many class members not prepared for the lesson (however, I can't say that I'm always prepared either).  But if you can't focus on the spiritual at church what is going to change things towards God at home?

It doesn't seem like too big of a sacrifice to get up in the morning, get dressed in your Sunday best, attend your worship services and then stay dressed the rest of the day.  When it is night, get ready for bed.  Staying in your Sunday clothes helps to temper the activities of the day and gives you the advantage of remembering it is the Sabbath, whether you spend time praying, reading scriptures, or any of 100 different activities deemed appropriate for Sundays.

Would I consider it a sin to wear jeans on Sunday.  No, not really, but I don't imagine that you'd catch me wearing them very often.  However, we should keep in mind that if we're doing activities that distract us from the spiritual then you'd be walking a fine line.  In my mind, clothing helps set the mood and attitude.  So whether you wear jeans or a tux, ultimately it doesn't matter; what matters is if you can keep yourself focused on the spiritual aspects of the Sabbath day.

Thoughts from (135) Stake Conference (Sunday Session)

Sunday session we were forced to find seating in the overflow (Little Theater) of our Stake Center. I guess than can happen when you get 135 stakes meeting together and you arrive just 10 minutes before the session begins. Although we found these seats initially we discovered that the very front row in this room was available (I think someone left) so we quickly relocated to the very front of the room. This allowed us to be virtually undistracted by the others in attendance (and hopefully we weren't too much of a distraction to them).

This session was broadcast from the BYU Marriott Center and was hosted by the 22 BYU stakes. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf presided at the meeting and was the concluding speaker. Elder Boyd K. Packer (president of the quorum of the 12 apostles) and Elder Marlin K. Jensen (of the 70) were also in attendance and were featured speakers. Here are some thoughts that impressed me at this session of conference:

Sister Dibb (of the Relief Society) - real vs counterfeit. We have become so used to imitations and counterfeits that we don't know what were missing (example: store bread vs homemade bread). The world (Satan) creates imitations that don't have lasting value (pleasure vs happiness) and tries to convince us that its the real deal. When we reflect on the memories, if we have the wonderful feelings of the experience it was real but if we have regret or sadness then it was a counterfeit. Satan can never have a family so he wants YOURS! She also related a story of a newly rich person who bought himself a nice Porsche Boxter with his new-found wealth. He then discovered he was discontent because his richer friend has a nicer car. At that point he made the conscious decision not to be in the "race" and sold his car and bought a Toyota (we all have to fight the devil inside each of us).

Elder Marlin K. Jensen (of the 70) - loving those who are "different." Different has many meanings, physical, social, spiritual, educational, racial, etc. The leaders of the church have been called to teach gospel ideals and can never do otherwise. We don't apologize for the ideal and it is something that each of us should strive for but it can't be a measuring stick for our eternal worth (because we will all fall short of ideal). There are many who have fallen short and aren't living all the gospel standards but we should be open and love them (especially love them as we try to help them back to the gospel). Our discipleship could be evaluated by how well we love those who are different. No matter what our calling or position, at one time or another we can all be considered the lost sheep that another must find and bring back to the fold. And spiritual gifts are for those who keep the commandments (AND for those who seek so to do).

President Boyd K. Packer (Pres. of Apostles) - the priesthood is confered in whole, not pieces. Every Melchizedek priesthood holder hold all the priesthood that the apostles and the prophet hold; however, different keys are given in the use of that priesthood. The priesthood must be bestowed in person (it can't be transmitted over the internet or by audio/visual broadcast). This church is getting large (13 million people) and the only way that the apostles can visit each stake is through the broadcasting system; it just isn't practicle for personal visits to all the stakes. Training & teaching, visits and interviews can all be done through video conferencing and broadcasting and can be done instantaneously. Even paperwork can be transmitted to distant locations but gospel ordinances and priesthood must be bestowed in person.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (2nd Counsilor, 1st Presidency) - spiritual flightplan. Pilots are given coordinates to their final destination but they are also given reference points along the flight path. We know our ultimate destination, to return to the celestial kingdom, but we are given reference points along the path to make sure we are still heading in the right direction. Some of those reference points include: baptism, sacrament, priesthood ordinations, endowment and temple sealings, etc. As we pass these points in our spiritual path we can know we are on the path to exaltation. Missionary work is very important and should be one goal (reference point) for every young man. Those who have not made that decision should be encouraged to make an inspired decision to go on their mission. Missionaries affect people and families for generations.



These broadcast meetings are surprising inspirational and I am certainly grateful that I had the chance to attend this meeting with my family. My boys did their best to be reverent for 2 full hours (plus 10 minutes prior to the start of the meeting) and did a remarkable job; while they didn't sit perfectly still for 130 minutes they were very well behaved and was pleased with their efforts. From this weekend's meetings I know that I need to start having morning AND evening prayer with my family and consistent FHE.

Thoughts from Stake Conference (Sautrday Session)

We had our Stake Converence this morning (and yesterday evening). The evening session was presided over by our Stake President, Gaylun Smith. This morning we joined the other 134 stakes in a regional stake converence presided over by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf and broadcast from the BYU Marriott Center to our stake center. We arrived just 10 minutes before the start of the broadcast and had to find a seat in the overflow (Little Theater) but at least we got the front row. That way our boys weren't distracted by the comotion of so many people. And my boys were amazingly reverent for all 2 hours (the last 30 minutes was really getting tough for Donovan; Michael and Aleky slept through parts to pass the time). Here are a few thoughts that made an impressions on me this conferece (in my own words):


President Smith (Saturday Evening Session) - our homes can be like temples. If we think about what makes temples special we can includes those elements in our homes: be dedicated, have appropriate artwork, uplifting music, and clean; gospel principles are taught each day.



President Willis (Saturday Evening Session) - "Stay away from the churning waters." He related a story about how the fish processing plants used to dispose of the unused fish part by dumping them into the bay; this disposal method attracked the Lemon Sharks to feeding. The feeding sharks caused the churning waters in the bay. Some teenage boys took notice and decided to investigate by building a raft of the driftwood and paddling out to the churning waters. From their vantage point over the churning waters they decided to hit the sharks with their sticks and paddles. As the time passed the wood began to get wet from the splashes and one boy lost his footing, hit his head on the raft and fell into the churning water. His friend immediately dove in and save him but not before both boys recieved many shark bites. While the second boy showed extreme bravely by immediately diving in to save his friend we learn several valuable lessons. 1) there are many things in life that attract our interest but are not safe; 2) stay away from the temptations and don't justify ourselves in approaching temptations and problems; 3) we can be rescued from our own mistakes but not before we receive many injuries to ourselves, both physical and spiritual.



Sister (Stake Relief Society President) - reminded us of "good, better & best." She referenced a talk from our last general conference about how our lives are too full of good things and that just because something is good isn't enough justification to do it any more. We must discriminate between something that is just good and something that may be better or best for our time. Specifically, we need to read our scriptures, have famiy prayer, attend our church meetings and and family home evenings. These things qualify as best things and cannot be left undone without serious consequence.



Stake Primary President - we must listen to our church leaders and spend our time pondering how their council applies in our lives. Too many times we try to convince ourselves that we are the exception to the rule or that certain council may not apply to us; this is the wrong perspective. We should spend our time figuring out how the rules and council apply to our lives.



This Saturday evening session was especially delightful because Aunt Cheyenne came down and babysat our 4 boys. So we were able to attend this session alone! We could actually pay attention to the speakers and it really helped Michelle and I to feel the spirit.

Modesty in Clothing

"Some Latter-day Saints may feel that modesty is a tradition of the Church or that it has evolved from conservative, puritanical behavior. Modesty is not just cultural. Modesty is a gospel principle that applies to people of all cultures and ages. In fact, modesty is fundamental to being worthy of the Spirit." (Elder Robert D. Hales)
As I read Elder Hales' article on modesty in the August 2008 Ensign there were a couple of things that hit me. Modesty is something that most people can easily justify and rationalize themselves away from. Most of the world glamorizes less-modest and immodest clothing and it is becoming increasing difficult to find modest clothing is the common retail outlets. Regardless of the wordly trend as Latter-day Saints we need to be more concerned with our relationship to God than with each other.
What constitutes immodest clothing? According to Elder Hales, "clothing such as short shorts, miniskirts, tight clothing, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and other revealing attire are not appropriate." He continues, "Men and women...should wear clothing that covers the shoulder and avoid clothing that is low cut in the front or back or revealing in any other manner. Tight pants, tight shirts, excessively baggy clothing, wrinkled apparel, and unkempt hair are not appropriate. All should avoid extremes in clothing, hairstyle, and other aspects of appearance. We should always be neat and clean, avoiding sloppiness or inappropriate casualness."
Why should we care about modesty? Again, Elder Hales says, "Modesty is at the center of being pure and chaste, both in thought and deed. Thus, because it guides and influences our thoughts, behavior, and decisions, modesty is at the core of our character. Our clothing is more than just a covering for our bodies; it reflects who we are and what we want to be, both here in mortality and in the eternities that will follow." Everything we do and say is a reflection of the person we are inside; correspondingly, what we wear is also an expression of our true self, who we are and what we think of ourselves.

Grace or Works?

There has been a battle among Christian religions regarding the place of grace and works as they relate to salvation. I have heard extreme explanations regarding both. One denomination believes that with a simple declaration of faith that the grace of God will save a person, nothing else. One the other extreme there are some that say that you need to doing all manner of good works in an effort to earn your salvation, somehow working your way to heaven. I feel that any extreme takes you away from the truth.
I believe that both grace and works are necessary in our Heavenly Father's great Plan of Salvation. That is why both grace and works are discussed through out the scriptures. But what do we mean by grace and what do we mean by works?
Grace in this context refers to a gift from God through no merit of our own. Works refers to the deeds done by people while living their lives. So how does this fit together? If you have to do good deeds then there would seem to be some form of merit earned but Grace is a gift through no merit of our own. Here is how is works in my mind...
Jesus died so that we could live again (resurrection). Every person born into this work will die and every person, whether good or evil, male or female, old or young, etc., will be resurrected. It is a free gift to every member of Adam's family, a gift from God through no merit of our own. Therefore it is through the Grace of Jesus that we are saved from death through the miracle of resurrection. It turns out that those who believe this are absolutely right but they generally forget to explain what we are saved from and mistaken think that we are saved from hell (a hot place of fire and brimstone, or something like that).
After we are resurrected we will stand before God to be judged for our works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. Those who have done what Jesus asked of them, repented of their sins and strived to live a "Christian" life will be rewarded with a place at the right hand of God and will gain entrance to "heaven." Those who have rejected the teaching of Jesus and been evil will be rewarded for their deeds with a place on the left hand of God; these people will realize too late that they could have been blessed by following Jesus and will be in a state of anguish which can be termed a "hell."
This is the part that most people don't fully understand, the reward system relating to your works and deeds in life. Obviously no one has ever been perfect except Jesus so no one can qualify for the right hand of God on their own. But because Jesus suffered the atonement for our sins, those who accept Jesus can be forgiven and have their sins washed away. This is done when one declares their faith in Jesus, are baptized for the remission of their sins, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (which will tell them all things that they should do), and exercise their faith in Jesus by trying their best to live their lives as Jesus would have them do (good deed and works). These people receive the highest reward and will be with people like Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Those who live okay or mediocre lives also are reward for the good that they did do but they don't deserve to be rewarded the same as the great prophets of old; these people are already going to be resurrected and they will be blessed in heaven but not to the same degree and those who completely followed Jesus. Finally, those who might be termed evil have done some good in their lives and deserve some measure of blessing however small that may be.
There are a relatively few that will truly deserve "hell" and have disqualified themselves for any blessing at all. This group is so small compared to the rest of humanity that I won't spend time discussing it now.
So we can discover that neither the grace only group nor the works are necessary groups are absolutely correct. We can only be saved by the grace of Jesus. And if we truly have faith then our works and our deeds will be manifested through out our lives.

Purpose and Intent

It would be wonderful if there was one place we could look for pure truth, pure religion. And we are fortunate to have such a source...God! If you ask God any question He will always answer you completely truthful. The catch is that you need to speak to God and you need to be able to understand His answers.
Most people don't speak to God face to face on a daily basis (or any regular basis for that matter). Most religions teach some form of communication, prayer, mediation, etc., but even with those methods in use the answers from God aren't always interpreted exactly correct. The result is that we continue to gather partial truths here and there. And we somehow feel that with these partial truths we can make definite statements of fact. In reality we mix truth and religion with the philosophies of men. We use the partial truths to get started and then we mixed in our improvised theories to fill in the gaps of knowledge and truth that we don't know or understand.
This blog is for me to share my truths as purely as possible, leaving as many philosophies of men on the sidelines. But as a disclaimer, I have not reached all knowing status and so I may be prone to some error in exact truth or religion. Therefore, these ideas are my own, these beliefs are my own and you (as a reader) should do all you can to research out the truths and then go directly to God and ask Him for the ultimate answers regarding truth and religion.

Testimony

I know that God (our Heavenly Father) lives, that Jesus is the Christ (the promised Messiah), that Joseph Smith is/was a prophet of God in our dispensation and that President Thomas S. Monson is our living prophet today.

I know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for us called the Plan of Salvation. That plan started before we were born when all of us lived as spirit children with our Heavenly Father. Every one born into this world accepted this plan, that we would come to earth to receive our physical bodies, learn through experience to control these bodies and follow the teachings of our Heavenly Father, eventually die and be able to return to live with Him again.

I know that Jesus is the Christ, our promised Messiah. Every person will eventually die and every person will sin (make mistakes). Jesus Christ was born of his mortal mother (the virgin) Mary but his father is our Heavenly Father. From his mother Jesus inherited the ability to die; from his Father he inherited the power over death. As the only sinless man to ever walk this earth He was the only person who could perform the atonement, a payment for the sins of all men and women who will believe and accept him as their savior. Jesus was then taken by wicked men and crucified on Calvary's Hill; 3 days later He rose from the dead and broke the bands of death for all mankind. Because of His supreme sacrifice every man, woman and child will be resurrected and live again. Salvation comes to everyone because "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ." However, the condition forgiveness of sins depends on our own willingness to accept the teachings of Christ and the plan of salvation.

Joseph Smith, as a boy of 14 years, was called to be a prophet of God in our day. God has always had prophets through which He gives inspiration and guidance. In the old days some of these prophet's words were written down and preserved from generation to generation. We have a small collection of these writting in our book known as the Holy Bible. However, each generation faces different challenges and a loving Heavenly Father would not abandon His children so He calls new prophets to lead and guide His people. It is no more difficult for you and I to believe that God talks to people today as it was in the times of Moses, Abraham or even in Jesus' day. The message always sounds fantastic to the people who first receive it. But those who accept it find their lives are blessed out of proportion to their ability to give heed to the words of the Lord's chosen leader. Joseph Smith is such a man, such a prophet. He saw God (our Heavenly Father) and Jesus Christ and was chosen to do a very important work - to restore the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

That prophetic mantel has been passed to other righteous men and now rests on the shoulders of our current prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. Jesus said that "by their fruits ye shall know them" and we can see the fruits of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints through out the world. While any individual member will still make mistakes, the church is seen helping people change their lives, become better people, and make a difference in communities around the world.

This blog has been established so that I can share my thoughts, feelings, ideas and testimony. I can make no claim the absolute knowledge and truth but I can share the things that I know to be true. Just as any true religious leader will tell you, find out for yourself if these things are true. God is no respecter of persons and He wants everyone to return to Him. He will answer your prayers if you are sincere in your desire to know AND you are willing to accept what He tells you in your heart (through changing your life, thoughts and ideas).

I have not seen God nor have I seen any of His angels. However, I have felt His undeniable witness that these things are true. The Holy Ghost was whispered to my heart that these things are true: God lives, Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith is/was a prophet of God, and Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today.

(Pictures courtesy of LDS.org)