The Parable of the Termites

Each month our church congregation distributes a newsletter with pertinent and valuable information regarding Sunday lessons, weekly activities, birthdays and...missionary addresses.  Included is also a personal messages from one of our leaders.  This month I was particularly touched by this message from our Bishop (congregation leader) who shared a personal message that is applicable to us all.  He entitled it "Faith, Testimony, and The World."  For this blog - I've titled it the "Parable of the Termites".  I share with his permission.

Faith, Testimony, and the World

picture of termites

This winter I undertook a project in my garage which necessitated a relocation of much of its contents.  As I removed a large sheet of Slatwall hanging against some unfinished drywall I noticed a small portion of drywall behind it and up against the ceiling with no paper facing.  This was a new development since I installed the Slatwall a number of years ago, so I examined the area more closely.  Dirt tailings, very small trails of black spots, and a nearly imperceptible dirt shelter tunnel leading from a crack in the floor up the foundation wall behind my refrigerator confirmed my suspicions.  I had termites!  Removing several sheets of drywall revealed the full extent of the damage  Fortunately, I had caught it early enough to stop the progress in its tracks.  Though damage was extensive in parts, the vital structural components of the home had not been compromised.  As I set about cleaning up and taking steps to arrest the progress of these small but insidious creatures, I was impressed by their capacity to undermine the integrity of a structure which had endured for decades, and which, with proper care, could last for many decades more.  I noted their aversion to light, and how they went to great lengths to create a world sheltered from the light.  There in the darkness, unnoticed, unencumbered, they went to work.  Left unchallenged it would only be a matter of time before the termites brought significant portions of the house down.

Favorite Conference One-Liners

Beautiful 'Temple Square' in downtown SLC, Utah

How do you encapsulate 10 hours of General Conference - including speakers, music and prayers into readable segments?  I'll do my best to share some of my favorite one-liners that touched my soul.  I hope that these will be enough to inspire a further reading of the full-texts of these talks for those who were unable to attend and a more in-depth-study for those who did.


Saturday Morning Session:
- This is His Conference.  (Jesus Christ)
- Study it out in your mind then ask if it be right.
- What I hear and feel is most important to me.
- The only safety we have is to give heed to His Prophets!

Be Prepared for Whatever Lies Ahead

I have a blog called "All About Preparedness." In it I've listed quotes and Prophetic statements concerning the day in which we live and the preparations that must be made before the return of the Savior to the earth - in all His glory.  I invite you to read from the talks below and consider your personal and family preparations.  There should be peace in our hearts and homes and faith (not fear) as we go forward.  I hope all who read this blog will sincerely consider the importance of heeding counsel in this regard; that is where the peace comes from.  At some point it will be too late.  For now, it's not.  Get started and set goals with urgency and obedience in mind. 

 "We encourage you to be more self-reliant so that, as the Lord has declared, “notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, … the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world” (D&C 78:14). The Lord wants us to be independent and self-reliant because these will be days of tribulation. He has warned and forewarned us of the eventuality".  Pres. Benson, 1980

"To the Boys and to the Men",  President Gordon B. Hinckley, 1998

"Lay Up in Store",  Bishop Keith B. McMillan, 2007

"Home Storage: Build on the Basics",  Ensign, June 1989

"Preparation for the Second Coming",  Dallin H. Oaks, 2004

"Prepare for the Days of Tribulation",  President Ezra Taft Benson, 1980

"Prepare Yourself for the Great Day of the Lord",  Pres. Benson, 1982

"Stand Independent above All other Creatures", Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 1979

The Second Coming and the Millenium,  Joseph Smith

Signs of the Times

Preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ,  Wilford Woodruff

Signs of the Second Coming

The Most Frequently Asked Questions about Home Production and Storage

Home Storage

Family Home Storage; A New Message

The Security of a Food Supply, Ensign 1972

Basic Principles of Welfare and Self-Reliance,  2009

Applying Principles of Self-Reliance and Preparedness," SpencerW. Kimball

"Prepare Ye",   Ezra Taft Benson,  Jan. 1974

Preparing for the Second Coming

Many of us have been preparing for The Second Coming of Christ.  We know not the exact hour but we do see the signs and are aware of the global changes in the world.  Part of being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - is in doing good to all men and helping them prepare as well.

Several years ago I started a blog called All About Preparedness.  I felt to list quotes from the brethren concerning our day and the ways in which we've been instructed to prepare.  These were teachings that I had known from my youth - but...I knew that there were others' who hadn't heard or studied these same prophecies.  I felt to share the voice of warning.

Later, I was called to be the ward Preparedness Specialist in a ward with a majority of single-adults, young married couples and young families.  After much prayer and consideration, I felt that the most-important thing I could do would be to share true principles and let them govern themselves.  I wasn't too surprised at the lack of preparation of these church members.  But, I was saddened by their seeming absence of concern about the warnings of Prophets.