Memorization

Scriptures:

September Principle: If you seek God first, He will bless you with what you need

Scripture: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." -Matthew 6:33

October Principle: If our heart is not full of Christ's love, our actions cannot be right.

Scripture: "For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing." -Moroni 7:6

November Principle: What holds my attention holds me

Scripture: "Remember the great and last promise which I have made unto you; cast away your idle thoughts and your excess of laughter far from you. Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will." -D&C 88:69,68             

January Principle: The moment you act in faith, God blesses you with power

Scripture: "And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them" -1 Nephi 17:3

February Principle: You will tune into God's voice by separating yourself from things that are not of Him.

Scripture: "And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things... and now I say unto you that the good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold, and ye are his sheep." -Alma 5:57, 60

March Principle: Your words have the power to build up or tear down the kingdom of God.

Scripture: "Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels: And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost: Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore; they speak the words of Christ."   -2 Nephi 32:2-3    

April Principle: We will find peace If our daily path is leading us closer to Christ.

Scripture: "For behold, it is easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land. ..for just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course,  to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise."

 -Alma 37:44-45

Poetry:

    September: The Whole Armor by Connie C. Bratcher

  

We are to put on the "Whole Armor of God",

    And having done so - stand,

    As the forces of evil seek to destroy

    God's work and perfect plan.

We gird ourselves with the "Truth"-

    Christ Jesus - Lord of all;

    And as our minds are stayed on Him,

    We're safe whatever befall.

We put on the "Breastplate of Righteousness"

    As we face the daily fight,

    Shunning all the works of iniquity,

    Standing for what is right.

Our feet are shod with the "Gospel of Peace"

    As we walk on the battle ground,

    Leaving footprints for others to follow,

    That true peace would be found.

We take with us the "Shield of Faith",

    Trusting God each day -

    Defense against the fiery darts

    Satan sends our way.

We take the "Helmet of Salvation"

    For protection of the mind -

    A guard against all accusations,

    And a witness to the spiritually blind.

We take the "Sword of the Spirit",

    Just as Moses took the rod;

    It is the most powerful tool upon the earth -

    The Word of The Living God.

When we wear this spiritual armor,

    We're prepared for any battle that comes our way;

    "No weapon formed against us shall prosper"-

    God gives us victory every day.

October: Life is but a Weaving by Corrie Ten Boom

    My life is but a weaving

    Between my God and me.

    I cannot choose the colors

    He weaveth steadily.

    Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;

    And I in foolish pride

    Forget He sees the upper

    And I the underside.

    Not ’til the loom is silent

    And the shuttles cease to fly

    Will God unroll the canvas

    And reveal the reason why.

    The dark threads are as needful

    In the weaver’s skillful hand

    As the threads of gold and silver

    In the pattern He has planned

    He knows, He loves, He cares;

    Nothing this truth can dim.

    He gives the very best to those

    Who leave the choice to Him.

November: What Dark Days Do by Everard Jack Appleton

    I sorter like a gloomy day,

        Th' kind that jest _won't_ smile;

      It makes a feller help hisself

        T' make life seem wuth while.

      When sun's a-shinin' an' th' sky

        Is washed out bright an' gay,

      It ain't no job to whistle--but

        It is--

          When skies air gray!

      So gloomy days air good fer us,

        They make us look about

      To find our blessin's--make us count

        The friends who never doubt,

      Most any one kin smile and joke

        And hold blue-devils back

      When it is bright, but we must work

        T' grin--

          When skies air black!

      That's why I sorter _like_ dark days,

        That put it up to me

      To keep th' gloom from soakin' in

        My whole anatomy!

      An' if they _never_ come along

        My soul would surely rust--

      Th' dark days keeps my cheerfulness

        From draggin'

          In th' dust!

January: If by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

February: Let the Lower Lights be Burning by Philip P. Bliss

   

Brightly beams our Father’s mercy,

From His lighthouse evermore,

But to us He gives the keeping

Of the lights along the shore.

Dark the night of sin has settled,

Loud the angry billows roar;

Eager eyes are watching, longing,

For the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;

Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,

Trying now to make the harbor,

In the darkness may be lost.

Let the lower lights be burning!

Send a gleam across the wave!

Some poor *struggling, fainting seaman

You may rescue, you may save.

March: "The Oyster" -author unknown

There once was an oyster            

Whose story I tell,

Who found that some sand

Had got into his shell.

It was only a grain,

But it gave him great pain.

For oysters have feelings

Although they’re so plain.

Now, did he berate

The harsh working of fate

That had brought him

To such a deplorable state?

Did he curse at the government,

Cry for election,

And claim that the sea should

Have given him protection?

No – he sad to himself

As he lay on a shell,

Since I cannot remove it,

I shall try to improve it.

Now the years have rolled around,

As the years always do,

And he came to his ultimate

Destiny – stew.

And the small grain of sand

That had bothered him so

Was a beautiful pearl

All richly aglow.

Now the tale has a moral;

For isn’t it grand

What an oyster can do

With a morsel of sand?

What couldn’t we do

If we’d only begin

With some of the things

That get under our skin.

April: It Couldn’t Be Done by Edgar Albert Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done

      But he with a chuckle replied

That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one

      Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin

      On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

      That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;

      At least no one ever has done it;”

But he took off his coat and he took off his hat

      And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,

      Without any doubting or quiddit,

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

      That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

      There are thousands to prophesy failure,

There are thousands to point out to you one by one,

      The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,

      Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing

      That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.