Bishopric Message – January 2022

Dear Friends and Ward Family,

Sacrament Meeting on December 26th was wonderful to hear which hymn is your favorite and why then to sing the song as a congregation.  From the stand, we witnessed many tears as the spirit bore witness of the Love the Savior has for us.  His love is all-encompassing.  Because of his love for us we have the potential to return.

I wanted to share one of my favorite hymns.  There are many fond memories of hearing my father and his six brothers sing this hymn when the family would gather, “Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy”.

First, he shows his light of mercy:  Brightly beams our Father’s mercy, From his lighthouse evermore, But to us, he gives the keeping Of the lights along the shore.

Second, he tells us that sin is dark.  Sin doesn’t need to keep a grip on us if we but look toward him:  Dark the night of sin has settled; Loud the angry billows roar.  Eager eyes are watching, longing, For the lights along the shore.

The last verse of this song along with the chorus has always had profound meaning to me as the Lord asks us to always be watchful as we shine his light in a troubled world:  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 fainting, struggling seaman You may rescue, you may save.

2022 is here.  With a new year, we have the opportunity to start a new. 

Last week I thought a lot about how I hear him.  I listened to the messages from our Prophet and the Twelve on how They hear Him.  Each gives a different explanation of how they hear Him.  Might I ask the question; how do you hear him?

I hear him as I look outward toward others.  It is a wonderful blessing to be a Bishop because it provides a means to look outside myself, setting my own needs aside for the moment and extending a hand of friendship and love to others.  This is when I feel of His love.  Impressions come and I do my best to ack on these impressions.  I also hear him when I take a moment, silence the noise around me, and am still.

Might I ask, How do you hear him?  Are you willing to share your impressions?  I would love to have you respond and tell us how you hear him.

I testify that he is there.  He is aware of you and loves you.

Love,

• Bishop Jeff Anderson
• Highland 28th Ward
• 801-372-2072
• [email protected]

Ward Blog: www.highland28th.org

“Stay Humble, Work Hard, Be Kind, and Forgiving”

Bishopric Message – February 2022

Dear Friends and Ward Family,

There has been one overwhelming spiritual impression the Lord has blessed me with these last few years.  This impression has been difficult to explain or put into words.  It is easy to put a title on it, but not so easy to understand or truly comprehend unless you have experienced it or been blessed to see others experience it. 

The Joy of Receiving Forgiveness

We have all made mistakes in our lives.  Some mistakes are so huge that we can’t foresee a way to be forgiven.  The shame and the guilt we feel can carve a scar deep into our souls.  These experiences affect us and become part of us.  In our classroom of life, they teach us wonderful, painful lessons, but do not define who we are to become.  The offense of another can have the same effect on us, especially when trust is broken and the chasm of mistrust over time is so deep, the scar so raw, the pain has cut to our very core.

10 I, the Lord, will ^aforgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to ^bforgive all men.

Doctrine and Covenants 64:10

and

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all ^aknow me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their ^biniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 

Jeremiah 31:34

My experience is that receiving forgiveness and forgiving ourselves is much harder than forgiving others of their mistakes.  Here are a few stories from my life that demonstrate to me why.

Back in high school, I remember losing my temper with a good friend.  He wasn’t doing anything wrong.  He was simply interrupting me or doing something that irritated me at the time.  I lost it, pushed him up against the lockers hard.  I remember the details of what I did to him as if it was yesterday.  The interesting part about this event is that I don’t remember any detail about what irritated me.  Years later I have asked him for his forgiveness for what I did to him and he responded by saying he doesn’t even remember what I described to him as happening.  It didn’t scar him, it scarred me. 

This next story is a little harder to share because I’m still ashamed of my actions.  I was 13 and I was so excited for my brother to receive his mission call.  I was the only one home when the postman delivered the mail.  I couldn’t hold back the excitement when I saw the letter from “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” addressed to my older brother. 

I can hear your gasp as you read the words that I write.  Yes, I opened my brother’s mission call.  The feelings of shame still flood my heart as I write.  Let’s continue the story. 

My dear kind father who hated contention, who never raised his voice with me with the exception twice, this was one of those times.  I was being a lazy teenager laying on the floor watching TV.  When he got the news that I had opened this letter, his anger came out in a rage and this rage hit the roof.  He came over to me at the peak of this rage and kicked me in the side and broke two of my ribs.  Seeing me in my discomfort his rage immediately stopped and his kindness and compassion quickly returned.  Just the other day my brother and I discussed our father and the few very justified times in our father’s life when he spoke harsh words or actions.  We remember these times as learning experiences in our classroom of life but don’t hold any resentment toward our father for his losing his composure.  As we discussed the opening of his mission call, it was evident to me that my brother didn’t even remember that it was I that opened it. 

My father has now passed.  He experience a stroke about 3 years before his death and during those three years his temperament changed and his emotions were easier expressed as the stroke removed this filter from his mind.  My brother and I both experienced times during the last three years of my father’s life where our Father asked for our forgiveness of these few times when he lost his control in reaction to things that we had done in our lives. 

It is clear to me that my father remembered the details of his actions and had not felt forgiven or had not forgiven himself for his actions.  As we reflect on these events in our lives we have forgiven him years ago yet he held on to his guilt and shame and we still hold on to the guilt and shame of our actions.

One last story.  This past month, Heather and I, along with our two older children had the opportunity to be present when someone else experienced the Joy of receiving the forgiveness of another.  Many of you know that we traveled with Olivia our 19-year-old daughter to Philadelphia to meet her birth parents.  We adopted Olivia when she was about 5 weeks old and she has always wanted to meet her parents. 

We set up a meeting in a neutral location and arrived early.  When Olivia’s birth mother, Megan, arrived it was clear that this was not easy for her.  Her guard was up but she softened quickly as we all embraced and as we expressed gratitude to her for allowing us to raise the child she brought into the world.  She sat across the table from Olivia and they asked questions of each other allowing us to put some input in at times.  At one point, Megan leaned to ask for Olivia’s forgiveness for giving her up for adoption.  Olivia was so sweet with her response, “You have nothing to be forgiven of.” 

The next day Olivia went to the salon to receive a hair treatment with Megan.  When they were finished, I heard Megan say, “This is the best day of my life!” 

Thank you, Megan, for the future you gave her and the blessing she has been in our life.  There are two miracles that happened that day.  The true miracle is the growth Olivia has experienced by being so quick to forgive.  And, the joy of forgiveness Megan has received by accepting her forgiveness.  I can only imagine the years of pain that have been released.

I testify that the Joy our Savior wants us to feel comes from forgiving others.  Yet, he knows that even more Joy can be achieved when we receive forgiveness and allow ourselves our own forgiveness.  His Joy is great and he wants us all to experience it.

Love,

• Bishop Jeff Anderson
• Highland 28th Ward
• 801-372-2072
• [email protected]
• Ward Blog: www.highland28th.org
• Dave Summers, Ward Executive Secretary
• 801-361-9224
• [email protected]

“Stay Humble, Work Hard, & Be Kind”

Bishopric Message – April 2022

Dear friends and neighbors,

I was discussing with some co-workers this morning about people that have influenced them in their lives. 

In the spirit of April, it reminded me of my friend Russ.  He is lighthearted, has good moral character, is a great listener, is NOT judgmental, is really down to earth, is very knowledgeable, and has a firm grasp on reality.  He has always given me great incite on the future.

They say that hindsight is always 20/20 (relating to correct eye vision).  I’m not sure this is true!  It really depends on the perspective you use to look back. 

If I’m farsighted, then I might only see the events that I connect to from a distance, missing the messages from those closest to me. 

If I’m nearsighted, I might only see the events of the day or those that are directly related to me and can’t see the full picture.  “I can’t see the forest because of the trees.” 

Looking back at this past month with an eye focused on controlling everything in my life, I might see all the chaos in the world: the Russian invasion of Ukraine, inflation with price increases everywhere, the political posturing of elected officials, increasing interest rates, and/or the fear of the unknown.  These are all changes that we don’t have control over.  This perspective allows anxiety to take hold of us and leads us down a path of pain and regret.

I choose to look back with an Eternal perspective, looking back using the view of our Lord and Savior.  Listening to our Prophets to see more clearly the path He has prepared for us while turning down the volume of all the things the world would have us waste our time worrying about. 

The path might include doing a good job at work, meeting your boss’s expectations, finishing a large school project early, connecting with others, loving through kind words and actions, finishing honey duelist, thinking of others before yourself, expressing love and gratitude to those close and to the stranger in the store, and acknowledging all the good in the world. 

Some say this is being optimistic, but it is more than optimism.  It starts with what lens you choose to use to focus your perspective while being willing to see and understand the perspectives of others.  Being willing to listen without judgment, acknowledging the viewpoint of the other as their truth regardless of your opinion.

Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn. – Ben Franklin

Tune in and listen to my good friend Russell, this weekend.

Love,

Bishop Jeff Anderson

“Stay Humble, Work Hard, & Be Kind”

Bishopric Message – May 2022

What a wonderful Ward Conference.  It was wonderful to rub shoulders with our stake leaders and receive guidance from our Stake President. 

The theme of the conference, “Practical Application of the Holy Ghost in Your Life” 

I want share some of the thoughts I had while preparing for our conference.  The Stake President invited each Bishop to select our own topic.  I chose, “We are a Covenant Making People”. 

A covenant is different than a promise.  A promise is a one directional statement, like, “I promise to do the dishes.”  It is one sided, one party making a statement of agreement to another.  The other party has no responsibility to the promise.  The giving party has all the responsibility to perform. 

A covenant is different than a contract.  Contracts have time and performance criteria.  The party that receives the contract agrees to complete  something within a defined expectation of quality and by a defined timeline or due date.  A contract defines a payment at the completion of the promised action.  Performance before payment then completion and closing of the contract 

A covenant is much more than a promise or a contract.  A covenant is a unilateral promise between two or more parties without a completion date.  It contains promises from all parties to perform regardless of the performance of the other.  Blessings are awarded independently and collectively.  

Our personal covenants made in a Temple of the Lord, can provide us with spiritual power and allow us to ‘enter into the rest of the Lord’ as we keep our covenants.   

In the temple we learn more about this mortal classroom of life, what is expected, enduring this estate well, keeping our first estate, and about the need for opposition.   

23 …. wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. 

24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. 

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. – 2 Nephi 2: 23-25 

Even the ‘Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil’ is in opposition to the ‘Tree of Life’ 

15 …it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter. – 2 Nephi 2:15 

The messages of the world today are misleading, manipulative, and deceptive – replacing good as evil and evil for good. 

20 ¶ Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! – Isaiah 5: 20 

7 The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. – Proverbs 27:7 

We need to be true to our covenants and show conviction to following our Savior, Jesus Christ by showing love, one to another.  Accepting others, respecting their agency to choose, by simply loving them. 

13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God. – Moroni 7: 13  

In Moroni chapter 7, Mormon addresses us of this time as peaceable.  We of the church need to remain peaceable.  Everyone wants to be treated fairly, feel safe, and have a sense of purpose.  These all start with been seen and heard.  Beware of anger and a forceful voice because it leads to the breakdown of communication and does not convey love and acceptance.  Speaking at someone with a loud or angry voice doesn’t produce an environment where trust can be established. 

Mormon continues: 

3 I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven.  – Moroni 7: 3 

Ben Franklin said: “Whatever is begun in anger, ends in shame.”  – Ben Franklin 

His rest comes upon us as we move forward with faith, being obedient to his commandments keeping our covenants, and testifying of truth.  Then He reassures us by providing peace, love, and joy. 

I testify that as we learn more about our covenants and keep them the Lord blesses us with his covenant to provide us with the ability to always have his Spirit to be with us, forgiveness of sin (Repentance & Forgiveness / Spiritual Death), and Eternal Life (Physical Death).   The Savior knows of your challenges and wants you to place them on Him and allow His atonement to be active in your life.

We love you, 

Bishop Jeff Anderson, Highland 28th Ward 

“Stay Humble, Work Hard, & Be Kind”  The S

Bishopric Message – August 2022

Let’s use the Lord’s new way of moving forward of “Love, Share, Invite”.  These steps are sequential, one leads to another.  These steps are the recipe for the long game, which lasts a lifetime.  Let’s apply this concept to everything we do in our lives and in our church service.

The Lord knows that as we do his will, in his way, we will have increased Joy.  He wants us to bask in this Joy! 

Let’s take advantage of this reset that the Lord has provided us with, don’t get stuck in the ways of the past.  Let us find better ways to fulfill our stewardship.  Doing things the right way is not always the fastest way, this might even feel slower which seems harder, but it isn’t harder.  It is more rewarding for all.

King Benjamin taught his people this important truth: “And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order” (Mosiah 4:27).

Have Faith and Lean on the Atonement of Christ.  Place on Christ’s atonement your fears, anxiety, doubts, and insecurities.  He wants to take it from you.

Don’t listen to the craftiness of man, but lean on him that is mighty to save.  Don’t let the world place shame upon you.  Shame comes from the devil, the father of all lies.  Do NOT look upon the large and spacious building for those within us the pride of the world to place shame upon you and tell you that you are not good enough. 

You are good enough if you continue on the covenant path, always turning toward him (Repentance and Forgiveness) and trusting in his mercy.

• D&C 64: 9-10:
  • 9 ​Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to ​​​forgive​ one another; for he that ​​​forgiveth​ not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.
  • ​​​10 ​I, the Lord, will ​​​forgive​ whom I will forgive, but of you, it is required to ​​​forgive​ all men.

Why does the Lord limit his forgiveness in this scripture or is he really limiting his forgiveness?  Extending forgiveness to others is a prerequisite for his forgiveness.  Think about this for a minute.  Let the spirit teach you truth.

Challenge for the Youth

Read the Book of Mormon in 100 days.  Start your day with scripture and you will find your day goes smoother.  The anxiety and worry you feel will be reduced, and challenges will feel more manageable.

Pray often and keep a prayer in your heart, asking for forgiveness so the spirit of the Lord, the Holy Ghost, can dwell with you throughout your day. 

Find a few minutes during the day to quiet your mind (turn off the distractions of the world) and ponder the things you read.  Then notice the feelings of love that come from the spirit.  Acknowledge them and thank the Lord in prayers for blessing you with his spirit.

Love,

• Bishop Jeff Anderson
• Highland 28th Ward
• 801-372-2072
• [email protected]
• Ward Blog: www.highland28th.org
• “Stay Humble, Work Hard, & Be Kind”