School Thy Feelings - #336

January 11-13

I couldn't find a performance of this hymns, but watch a talk from President Monson called as this hymn, "School thy feelings, O my brother"

1. School thy feelings, O my brother;

Train thy warm, impulsive soul.

Do not its emotions smother,

But let wisdom’s voice control.

School thy feelings; there is power

In the cool, collected mind.

Passion shatters reason’s tower,

Makes the clearest vision blind.

2. School thy feelings; condemnation

Never pass on friend or foe,

Though the tide of accusation

Like a flood of truth may flow.

Hear defense before deciding,

And a ray of light may gleam,

Showing thee what filth is hiding

Underneath the shallow stream.

3. Should affliction’s acrid vial

Burst o’er thy unsheltered head,

School thy feelings to the trial;

Half its bitterness hath fled.

Art thou falsely, basely, slandered?

Does the world begin to frown?

Gauge thy wrath by wisdom’s standard;

Keep thy rising anger down.

4. Rest thyself on this assurance:

Time’s a friend to innocence,

And the patient, calm endurance

Wins respect and aids defense.

Noblest minds have finest feelings;

Quiv’ring strings a breath can move;

And the gospel’s sweet revealings

Tune them with the key of love.

5. Hearts so sensitively molded

Strongly fortified should be,

Trained to firmness and enfolded

In a calm tranquility.

Wound not willfully another;

Conquer haste with reason’s might;

School thy feelings, sister, brother;

Train them in the path of right.

School thy feelings, train thy soul when it's warm and impulsive, Let wisdom and not emotions control. It is normal that our feelings, impulsions and emotions might be those of a soul that has been hurt, offended, frustrated, hopeless, sad, overwhelmed, angry, exhausted, and other negative feelings/impulsions/emotions. But we don't have to let them govern. We have the capacity to control and teach ourselves to react in a positive way instead of letting the natural man in us taking over. We are promised that we can put away that natural man, which mean that this is something completely possible. President Monson taught: "To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan. No one can make us angry. It is our choice. If we desire to have a proper spirit with us at all times, we must choose to refrain from becoming angry. I testify that such is possible."

It is so easy to get caught in those impulsions. Sometimes they are founded on true facts, some other times on misunderstandings or on mistakes. I believe that most of the times our anger is unfounded, we suppose things, we believe something someone else say, we judge quickly, not knowing what exactly happened. Don't we look dumb when we make a big drama or something unfounded, to then discover that we were wrong or that it was an accident or unwanted mistake? It is much better to school our feelings, to hear defense, to calm down, and to talk patienly of what happened.

Schooling our feelings is even harder when we are right, when we are truly being the target of emotional attacks, of abuse, of mockery, of gossip, or when we see people not doing things as they should, not following for example church instrunctions on the manual, or causing contention among members of a family or a ward. It is really hard to accept those situations and to keep our calm, not complaining, not geting mad, frustrated. But even in those circumstances, we must leave the natural man behind. As President Monson said, falling in the trap of anger is to yield to the influence of Satan. Although other make mistakes, do we really want to yield to the influence of Satan. Is it really worth it? 

"Noblest minds have finest feelings". That's the kind of mind and feeling we must have! We are not simple animals following our instincts - We are CHILDREN OF GOD, with godly attributes in us waiting to be developped and used! We have to potential to become gods, but how would we if we get angry so easily. Remember the Christ. He was persecuted, he was betrayed, he was mocked, he was crucified. All because he was living a perfect life, leaving us an example, and he was trying to accomplish a mission to be able to save us. What did he do? "Forgive them; for they know not what they do". If he, who suffer more than any of us in earth, was willing to forgive, why not us? Of course we are not perfect as he was, but we have that potential in us, so we must at least try, do an effort to avoid anger control our lives. Instead, we must use widom, patience, understanding, calm tranquility, love. By doing our best to do that, we might avoid worse circumstance, and receive more blessings for trying to be like Jesus.

I am not saying it is easy and that I never let Satan win; but the more we try, the more we practice Christlike attributes, the more we desire to have the pure love of Christ in us, the more we can have the ability to remain calm, and this ability help us to solve many of those misunderstandings, and to remain "in the path of right".

Watch this extract from Music and the Spoken Word about anger.


Scriptures
Alma 38:12

"Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness."

Bridle your passions, be filled with love towards those who might offend us. When we let anger that over, we are being idle, we are not making the effort that is needed to love others and to solve problems righteously. 

Proverbs 16:32

"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."

I love this! Can you see the power of schooling our feelings? There truly is power in the cool, collected mind.


About the author:

Charles William Penrose (4 February 1832 – 16 May 1925) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(LDS Church) from 1904 to 1911. Penrose was also a member of the First Presidency of the church under church presidents Joseph F. Smith and Heber J. Grant from 1911 until his death.

Penrose was born in London, England. It is said that he learned to read the Bible by the age of four. Penrose was introduced to the LDS Church and baptized at the age of eighteen on 14 May 1850, in London. (1)

Charles W. Penrose was called as a missionary not long after his baptism in England. A decade later as he was finishing his missionary labors and preparing to emigrate to Utah Territory, he noted, “A sort of quiet slander had been circulated concerning me in Birmingham by an elder from Zion and it had cut me to the quick.”

When he had moved to head the Birmingham Conference, he had taken family furniture and other belongings with him and had used them to furnish the office.

It was intimated by one of the Elders from Zion that I was endeavoring to lay claim to the property that belonged to the Birmingham Conference… I had labored then over ten years in the ministry, most of the time as traveling elder, literally without purse or scrip. I started that way and had continued, suffering a great many hardships and difficulties and trials that I need not refer to now, and this touched me right to the heart. I did not know how to bear it.

He continued:

I did not care how much I might be scandalized by enemies of the Church; I had become accustomed to that. I used to say that my hide had got as tough as a hippopotamus; I did not care what an enemy said about me.
But when an elder in the Church did that it cut me to the heart, and I felt like retaliating. But I sat down and wrote that little poem, “School thy feelings, O my brother, Train thy warm, impulsive soul,” and so on. And that was for me.
I did not intend it for anybody else, but it was giving a little counsel to myself.

Penrose’s little poem was shared and shared again and became widely circulated in the Church. “President Brigham Young…later told [an author] that he had it read to him several times when he had a deputy marshal guarding him in his house.” (2)

You can learn more about his life on the Mormon Channel.

Should You Feel Inclined to Censure - #235

January 10, 2018

Lyrics

1. Should you feel inclined to censure

Faults you may in others view,

Ask your own heart, ere you venture,

If you have not failings, too.

Do we feel incline to censure others? Sadly yes, we do, too often. At least I do. It is so easy to see what others "do wrong". We have our vision and ideas of how things should be and it can be frustrating to see others not living in a way that WE believe is the best, not doing things as WE thinki they should be. But as we have that inclination, we must sincerely ask ourselves: Am I right? Am I free of sin to throw the first stone? Do I have a beam in my eye that impedes me to pull out the mote in my brother/sister's eye?

Let not friendly vows be broken;

Rather strive a friend to gain.

We must not break relationships because of our judgements, because we believe we do/believe/know/understand/obey/etc. more than others. Instead of focusing on the bad others do, why not strive to gain friends, to be nice, to cheer up others for their efforts to do what they believe is good, why not showing others that we are proud of the good they do according to their understanding of things. 

Many words in anger spoken

Find their passage home again.

How I understand this sentence is that things that we say in anger might come back to us: those we judge and censure instead of being nice with us might simply do as we did and do the same with us. Is it the kind of relationships we want to have?

2. Do not, then, in idle pleasure

Trifle with a brother’s fame;

Idle pleasure - I love how the author portrays the "pleasure of trifling with someone's reputation and fame: an IDLE pleasure. What is hardest to find the bad or the good in others? Isn't it so easy to find everything bad others do? It is so easy, that people who are not industruous, who are not doing good, who are lazy, who have nothing more important to do, fall on the trap of criticize others. To ruin the reputation of others, to gossip, to judge, shows how lazy we are that we just find the easy way: criticize instead of making the effort to understand, to get to know better the person to feel in his/her shoes, to try to imagine the circumstances the person goes through and the efforts they's making to do the best they can. Are we choosing the easiest way? Let's choose the hardest right instead! ;)

Guard it as a valued treasure,

Sacred as your own good name.

The reputation and fame of others and ours must be valued, treasured, sacred. Why? Well, are we not children of God? We are brothers and sisters, we are of great worth, we are gods in embryo, we are God's most loved creatures. Our Heavenly Fathers loved us so much that He sent his Only Begotten Son to save us. He believed in us. He gives us the opportunity to change, to become better, through repentance. The Atonement is real and can help us change and start a new life. Can you see the sacraedness of life? Who are we, simple humans, to decide if what others are doing is right or wrong? God is the only to know our hearts, let Him judge, while we treasure others and we strive to form and keep sacred relationships.

Do not form opinions blindly;

Hastiness to trouble tends;

Those of whom we thought unkindly

Oft become our warmest friends.

What a true statement! Hastiness to trouble tends!  As I said above, the only one who knows our hearts is Heavenly Father. We can't judge what others do and why because we don't know their intentions, their situations, their experiences, their comprehension, their weaknesses, their strengths. I believe it is okay to form an opinion of someone, but when we are quick to do so, we might be doing it blindly. Instead, we must take the time to open our eyes and "develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become", as taught President Monson.  President Monson tells on that talk about a successful missionary. When asked the reason of his success, he explained that he "would picture in his own mind what that man [or any person he contacted] would look like under a different set of circumstances." He then testified: "When I look at someone that way, I have the capacity to bear my testimony to him in a way that can touch his heart". Often the reason why we judge and criticize others is because we see they doing something different of what they should be doing, because we believe that by criticizing them they will learn the right way to do things and they will change. Sadly most of the time what happens is that people feel hurt, offended, and they ended up doing the exact opposite. If we really want to help, if we really want them to do good, to do right, to be as "perfect" as we think we are (which we are absolutely not!) thant maybe we should see them as how they can become, and having this vision in mind, we can be kind with them and that will invite the Spirit in the relationship and touch heart, helping all of us to become better and do better.

May we be kind with others, thus helping us to make new friends, from whom we might learn and grow.

Scriptures

Matthew 7:1-2
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

Of course we are free to judge instead of censure. But remember, we shall be judged in the same way we judged others. No one is perfect, but if we expect others to live as WE think is the best way to live, and that we judge them because they are not doing what WE think is right, well, if WE fail to live according to that ideal we have fixed for others, we shall be judged according to that same measure. Just be kind! It will keep you away from regrets ;)

D&C 88:124
"Cease to find fault one with another"
Simply, do as President Utchdorf said: STOP IT!


About the author
The most famous author wrote this song: ANONYMOUS ;)
I can't wait to meet him/her someday and to thank him/her for this deep creation ;)

I Have Work Enough To Do - 224

Lyrics

1. I have work enough to do,

Ere the sun goes down,

For myself and kindred too,

Ere the sun goes down:

Ev’ry idle whisper stilling

With a purpose firm and willing,

All my daily tasks fulfilling,

Ere the sun goes down.

There are too many things to do in a day. We have so many tasks to accomplish, both for ourselves and for our families. Are we taking the time everyday to complete those task. Are we giving our days a purpose, or are we just living the day without doing anything meaningful?

2. I must speak the loving word,

Ere the sun goes down.

I must let my voice be heard,

Ere the sun goes down:

Ev’ry cry of pity heeding,

For the injured interceding,

To the light the lost ones leading,

Ere the sun goes down.

What kind of meaningful things can we do in our day? Well here are some examples: 

• Speak the loving word
• Let our voice be heard
• Heed every cry of pity
• Intercede for the injured
• Lead the lost ones to the light

Those are wonderful suggestions of things we can do to have a meaningful day! How can we lose our times watching TV, playing video games, on Nextflix and chill nights, or scrolling through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? Maybe we can commit this year to first do these meaningful things before the sun goes down, and then if we have more time, we can do all those other fun but less important things.

3. As I journey on my way,

Ere the sun goes down,

God’s commands I must obey,

Ere the sun goes down.

There are sins that need confessing;

There are wrongs that need redressing

If I would obtain the blessing,

Ere the sun goes down.

What would be other important things to do in our day, "ere the sun goes down", not only on each of our mortal days, but on our day of this life? Here are some more suggestions:

• Obey God's commands
• Confess sins
• Redress wrongs

This is the time to learn to obey god, to repent of our sins and to repair what we have done wrong. If we don't do it now, it might be harder in the next life. 

Are we taking each day the time to repent, the time to obey, the time to do good, to time to bless others? Are things simple but meaningful things on our daily check lists, or are we filling it with worthless tasks that won't take us anywhere.

May we understand that we have work enough to do, and prioritize that work each day of our lives, that we may be ready to obtain the blessing "ere the sun goes down".

Scriptures

Alma 34:32-35

For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.

This is the time to prepare, this is the time to work on that work we have to do. Let's not procrastinate, but do good and repent every day.

D&C 88:123-125

See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires. Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than in needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated. And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.

I love this. Because we have so much work to do, there are many things that we must avoid because they might be taking to much of this precious time. How much time we lose being covetous, being idle, unclean, finding fault in others, sleeping longer than is needful, being weary? Instead we could just love others, impart one to another, arise early with invigorated bodies and minds (which will help us to be more productive). Can we understand the importance of this scripture when we have just study that hymn. There is a lot of work to do, cease to be idle! Cease to lose your time in those behaviors that are taking our time away.

Instead, "clothe yourself with the bond of charity". Do we want to perfect ourselves to be more like our Savior? Do we want peace? Than we must have charity! Charity is a magnificient work to do in this life that will bring us blessings today, and for eternities. May we use our time with charity that our lives may have a meaningful purpose.

About the author

Josephine Pollard (1834-1892)

An american hymn writer, author and poet. She published over a hundred hymns, and wrote numerous popular children's books mostly on religious and historical topics. She worked as an editor for the Sunday School Times and worked for the Methodist Book Concern, where she edited a magazine intended for African Americans. Pollard also wrote for the other children's magazines such as The Little Corporal. Her poetry was published in a number of magazines. Some of her children's poetry was collected in the book Elfin land published in 1882. 

She was born in New York City, one of seven children of architect Calvin Pollard and his wife Electra. She atended the Springler Institute, an exclusive girls' school. She was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church, and attended the North Presbyterian Church on Ninth Avenue. She was a founding member of the professional women's club Sorosis. She never married. She died after a long illness.

Improve the Shining Moments - Hymn #226

January 8th, 2018

Lyrics

1. Improve the shining moments;
Don’t let them pass you by.
Work while the sun is radiant;
Work, for the night draws nigh.
We cannot bid the sunbeams
To lengthen out their stay,
Nor can we ask the shadow
To ever stay away.

French

Mettons à profit le temps

Pendant le jour qui luit

Et employons chaque instant

A l’œuvre avant la nuit!

Portuguese

Prolongue os bons momentos

Time flies! Specially good times, those shining moment, good moments. They can come so quickly and if we don't enjoy them, they might be gone before we can even notice them. We must take those times to improve them, to get the most from it, to make them last. 

Because time flies, there is work to do. As Joseph in Egypt with the seven years of plenty and seven years of famine, this is the time to work befor the night comes. Now is the time to work. All our efforts to gain some time won't work, because time will be gone, and if we haven't work, we will suffer the consequences from it.

2. Time flies on wings of lightning;
We cannot call it back.
It comes, then passes forward
Along its onward track.
And if we are not mindful,
The chance will fade away,
For life is quick in passing.
’Tis as a single day.

French

...D’un pas égal emportant

Nos projets d’avenir.

Have you seen the lightning? I quickly comes and goes. I've tried to get shots of lightning and if I am not paying attention, I miss them. That's how fast times flies, and it won't come back just because we want to get a good shot of them. That's why we must be mindful, we must take that time and our opportunities to work, to improve, to do something good, to enjoy life, before all of our projects and plans for the future remain as simple dreams because the time is gone and we never worked to accomplish them.

3. As wintertime doth follow
The pleasant summer days,
So may our joys all vanish
And pass far from our gaze.
Then should we not endeavor
Each day some point to gain,
That we may here be useful
And ev’ry wrong disdain?

French

Ainsi, parfois, nous voyons

Venir l’adversité.

Efforçons-nous de faire

Chaque jour un progrès.

A secourir nos frères

Montrons-nous toujours prêts. 

Portuguese

É, pois, medida sábia

Boas obras praticar,

Lutar a boa luta

E o prêmio conquistar!

Good and abundant times can quickly be gone as summer days. Wintertime always come. What will we do, complain about it? Why not endeavor each day to prepare? Adversity will come, so we must be wise and progress everyday, that we may be ready to perform good works and help others in times of trouble. As we prepare, we shall be ready to fight with success and to receive our reward.

4. Improve each shining moment.
In this you are secure,
For promptness bringeth safety
And blessings rich and pure.
Let prudence guide your actions;
Be honest in your heart;
And God will love and bless you
And help to you impart.

French 

Mettons à profit le temps!

C’est notre activité

Qui, si nous l’employons bien,

Nous fera prospérer.

Aux faux désirs, préférons

Droiture et sainteté.

La voix de Dieu écoutons,

Il saura nous aider!

Portuguese
Prolongue os bons momentos,

Pratique a boa ação,

Retenha a alegria,

Que é o sol do coração!

Humilde em sua prece,

Prudente ao decidir

Terá as muitas graças

Que o céu faz efluir.

So we must improve each of those times of goodness, times of blessings, times of plenty. As we do it, we will be secured, we shall prosper, we shall find joy, we shall find safety, and keep that joy  and peace in us for the troubled times to come. Let's act with prudence, being honest, being wise, discerning our worldly desires from righteousness and holiness, taking decisions with the guidance of God. If we listen God's voice and we prepare for troubled times, improving each shining moment of our lives, we shall see His blessings coming upon us, we shall see His helping hand, and we shall have our hearts full of gratitude for his tender mercies upon us. All, because we improve our shining moments.

Scriptures

Alma 34:32-33
For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

This hymn is not only about our moments here on earth. What I understand after reading this scriptures is that this hymn can be applied to our afterlife. Our time on earth will come to an end - Would we be ready to meet our creator? Perhaps many of us won't, because we haven't prepared enough, because we have followed the "eat, drink and be merry" philosophy, and we have not do enough good to be prepare to be with the Lord after this life. So today is the time to prepare. We can't wait until we're old, we're sick, we're on our last minutes on earth, to start improving our lives - we must do it now, and enjoy every single moment of our lives as if it was the last. I agree with the YOLO thing... we only live once... that why we must make the best of it... and the best doesn't mean what people who embrace the YOLO ideology think it means, bu it actually means to work in the kingdom of God, to serve others, to repent each day and to try every single day to be more like our Savior and to help others to feel his love. So YOLO for Christ! ;)



Psalm 119:60

I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.

O, may we all have that attitude, to obey and keep the commandments without delay. This is actually what president Monson did, never delaying a prompting from the Spirit. He is a perfect example of improving the shining moments, he certainly didn't had to fear of not being ready to meet the Lord  :)

About the author
Robert B. Baird (1855-1916)
He was an LDS hymnwritter. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and was one of 13 children. He, along with some of his siblings, immigrated to the United States in 1863 and settled in Willard, Utah. He apparently was not baptized until 1876. The same year he married Anne Gwenthlyn Davis. Baird recieved his musical education from Evan Stephens, who spent much of his youth in Willard. In 1884 he was made the director of the Willard Ward Choir. He would later work as a public school teacher and for the Oregon Shortline Railroad. He also served for a time as a member of the city council of Willard.

Come along, Come along - Hymns #244

January 7th, 2018

Hymn "Come along, come along"

Lyrics

1. “Come along, come along” is the call that will win,To lead us to virtue and keep us from sin;

The call that will win. What does it means? In this hymn I think is referring to how we lead, to that call that we must make to those we have a stewardship upon, that call we must make to our families. Basically is that call we must do to come to Christ, which is the purpoe of missionary work, which is a work that all members must be involved.

So how can we lead better? I like what "The Beasley Project" says about it:

"We'll have greater success when we lead, rather than coerce. By inviting others to "come along", we invite them to a place where we are, instead of trying to push them a place we will not go."

To be better church, family, and even professional leaders, we must invite others to walk on that path with us, doing their best, but not requiring of them perfection. Yes, there are sacrifices to make if we want success, but we all have our struggles and our limitations, and we must keep going forward, but not running faster than we have strength. I actually love that scripture on Mosiah 4:7 because it says that we must be dilligent, do our best, but not faster that our strength. And is what this hymn invites us to do.

What would be the result of this call? According to this hymn, it will lead US to virtue, it will keep us from sin. I love that it is not saying that all those we lead will necessarily have those results in our lives, but it actually says that WE, those who lead, we'll be the ones affected by it. Yes, how we lead can certainly have that impact of those we are leading, but first of all, the greater impact will be on us. Is what happens when we serve, when we do good, when we teach others to do good: the joy and the greatest learning are the reward of the leader, of the teacher. We might do it because we love others and we want to do our best for them, but whether the recipients take it or not, when we do our best in our service, when we call to "come along", we are the firsts to learn, to grow, to feel blessed. 

As we do our best to lead others by calling them to "come along" and walk by our side, we will become more virtuous. The Latin root word virtus means stregth. Virtuous women and men possess a quiet dignity and inner strength. They are confident because they are worthy to receive andbe guided by the Holy Ghost. That's the kind of leaders we can become if we make that call to "come along". Leaders with strength, with power. To do what? To succeed in our callings to invite others to come to Christ. The price of a virtuous woman (and any individual) is "far above rubies". Imagine what we can make of us if we simply follow this advice: lead others by inviting them to "come along".

It also keeps us from sin. How can this call keep us from sin? Elder Hales taught that virtue "is cleanliness and holiness in mind and body". Something that comes to my mind is that when we strive to be fair in our callings and to teach what we preach, inviting others to "come along", we try to have a worthy live in order to be better examples. By doing this, we do our best to repent and to follow the commandments. I remember when I was young I wrote regularly in my journal. I often wrote to my future children. I wanted my children to be faithful and to follow the Lord, so I wanted my life to be an example to them. I made many mistakes, but even in those moments, I always shared my testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how because of Him, the was hope for me to be forgiven. I often wrote about good things I was doing, about things I learned at church, about service projects, about meaningful experiences that strengthen my testimony. I realized that through my journals I was inviting my children to "come along", to walk on that path of discipleship, and I was showing them that yes, there were mistakes, but that Heavenly Father sent us His Son to make us clean again. I was shoing my future children that I too went through what they would be going through, but that as we avoid sin and when we repent from it, we can find peace and joy. That's how by inviting my children to "come along", I was being "kept from sin", and i what it can do for us as we serve in our callings. 

Most men can be led, but few can be driv’n

In shunning perdition and striving for heav’n.

It can be easy to "lead", but not all the leaders get to shun perdition and strive for heaven. Sometime in our desire to show how good leaders we can be, we let the Spirit aside, we forget the manuals, the policies, and we just try to show how much WE know, how much WE do, how smart WE are, how strong WE are, how people love US, how much success WE have. When we do this, and lead with a proud heart, we might be leaving the path of eternal life and not being the best leaders for those we call. That's why we must invite to "come along".

2. “Come to me, come to me” sweetly falls on the ear,
The word of the Lord full of comfort and cheer,
To bind up the broken, the captive set free,
In the good time that’s coming, we hope soon to see.

The Lord was the perfect example of leadership. He invited all of us to "come to me". That's the kind of leaders we must be, invite other to come to Christ by inviting them to take our hands and to "come along", that we may walk on that path to Christ together. Oh how much comfort, cheer, that calling brings: to know that despite our imperfections, Christ is more than willing to receive us and to heal us, to give us freedom. If Christ is willing to do that, shouldn't we, leaders, have that desire too?

3. Let us govern by kindness and never by force,All cheering and bright, like the sun in its course;Obedience will spring from each heart with a bound,And brotherhood flourish the wide world around.

So this is the invitation of that him: to lead, to govern, to teach, with kindness. Not by force, not by fear, not by intimidation, no by bulliying, not by threats. Sometime we want to show how powerful we are and we want to intimidate and scare others so they will listen to us. That never works. People might do what we ask, but they will never love us, and, specially at church, they might just give up our religion because of the abuse they receive from those who are supposed to lead and to love them. We must be cheering and bright, like the sun, like light - like the light of the world, Jesus Christ. May we all just be obedient, loving, caring, true disciples of Christ, that those under our stewardship will feel the love of God through us and will accept to walk on the path to Come unto Him, as we invite them to "come along".

Scriptures
D&C 121:45

"No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; by kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile."

How can we invite others to "come along"? This scriptures says it all, by persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, pure knowledge, and not with hypocrisy nor guile. In other words, being Christlike.

Isaiah 55:3

"Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David."

What are the "sure mercies of David"? Elder Bruce R. McConkie teaches in his book "The Promised Messiah", p.452, it explains that they are the promise of the resurrection. In other words, if David, who committed adultery and on whose hands was found the blood of Uriah, will be resurrected, then all men should rest in the hope that they shall rise from the grave." What this teaches me is that the promises of God are upon all of us, and that as we come unto Him, we shall see those promises being fulfilled in our live, to ultimately resurrect and have not only immortality, but also Eternal life through our Savior. 

Isaiah 61:1

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;"

The things we can accomplish as leaders are great. It is amazing to have the capacity to do all of that. And this verse tells us exactly what we need to accomplish all that: the Spirit of the Lord upon  us! As we remain worthy of the Holy Ghost, we have the power to fulfill well our responsibilities and to succed in our calling to "come along"

About the author

William Willes (1814–1890) was an early Latter-day Saint songwriter and, along with Hugh Findlay, was one of the first Mormon missionaries to enter India.

Willes was born in England. He was well-educated and by the age of 22 became head of a boys' college in Cardiff, Wales. He lost his position as a result of joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1848.^[1] In 1851 he and Findlay traveled to India, where they met limited success. He sailed for the United States in 1855.

Willes served as a "Sabbath School missionary" after his arrival in Utah. He was an accomplished singer and premiered a song by Eliza R. Snow at the Salt Lake City 4 July celebration in 1861.

You can access more documents about William Willes here. There are links to his journals and other historic documents.

Guide us, O thou great Jehovah - Hymns # 83

January 6, 2018

Lyrics

1. Guide us, O thou great Jehovah, Guide us to the promised land.

We are weak, but thou art able; Hold us with thy pow'rful hand.

Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Feed us till the Savior comes, Feed us till the Savior comes.

French

Vers Sion, cité promise, guide nous grand Jehovah.

Que ta main nous y conduise, c'est toi qui nous sauveras.

Que tous ceux de ton Église soient prêts quand tu reviendras.

Portuguese

Dá-nos, Cristo, teu socorro e afasta a tentaçao!

Spanish

Danos, Cristo, tu socorro; líbranos de tentación.

Jehovah, God, Christ, is the great and powerful god who can guide us to Zion, his promised land. He can do it with his powerful hand, and save us, despite our weakness. Through his Holy Ghost, He can feed us with his gospel, he can prepare us for his return, he can himself give his relief and deliver us from temptation. As members of his church, we can receive the Holy Ghost and have the guidance to prepare for his Second Coming.

2. Open, Jesus, Zion's fountains; let her richest blessings come.
Let the fiery, cloudy pillar guard us to this holy home.
Great Redeemer, Great Redeemer, bring, oh, bring the welcome day, bring, oh, bring the welcome day!

French

Fais briller ta belle aurore, qui répandra ses bienfaits.

Sus Sion où vont éclore nos désirs et nos projets.

Notre Dieu, vois, on t'implore, conduis-nous à tes sommets.

Portuguese

Faz, Senhor, que se propaguem boas novas de Siâo.

Um pilar de fogo e nuvem nos será por pavilhao.

Ó Messias prometido eis a tua legiao!

Spanish

Danos, Cristo bendiciones que nos lleven a Sión.

el pilar y nube deja que nos guién en unión.

Christ can gives us blessings, he can let the rich blessings from his gospel, the good news of Zion, come upon us from his fountain of love, guidance that can guide us to Zion. It is when getting to Zion that we shall be able to see our deepest desires and dreams been fulfilled, and god will let the sunrise shine upon us in order to accomplish those desires and dreams.
As the Israelites, God can lead us through a pillar of fire or a cloud, or any other "form", he will always provide us the way to return to Him, to receive his blessings. His pillar of light (interesting, as the pillar of light seen by Joseph Smith) will be our pavilion, our way to Him (the restoration brought us that way... ;)) That pilar and cloud can guide us in unity to Zion - unity is important to take us there, because although salvation is personal, we can, with our service to each other, remain on that path.
God is the one who will bring that day of His return. We pray him that we might be there with him, that he will take us to the top of his mountain with him.
Christ can give us blessing to lead us to Zion: through his tender mercies and the reminder of his love we can keep the focus and the faith of where we want to be: home, with him.

3. When the earth begins to tremble, bid our fearful thoughts be still;

When thy judgments spread destruction, keep us safe on Zion's hill,

Singing praises, Singing praises, songs of glory unto thee, songs of glory unto thee.

French

Calme-nous dans la détresse, quand la terre tremblera.

En Sion, ô Dieu, nous laisse quand le jugement viendra,

là, un doux chant d'allégresse en ces jours s'élevera.

Portuguese

Ao sentir tremer a terra, dá-nos forças e valor.

E, chegando o julgamente, ergue o braço protetor.

Em teu reino, louvaremos o teu nome com fervor!

Spanish

Al venir Tus grandes juicios, cuidanos con tu amor.

He will come back - earth will tremble that great and abominable day for the wicked - may we be still, may he calm our troubled heart, may he gives us strenght and courage. How? Through obedience and faithfulness. As we follow him, he will give us his gifts and his peace, allowing us to know that we have remain worthy of His love, so when he shall judge us, we will know that we are protected through his love, that we will remain safe on his hill, in Zion, that we will avoid being destroyed, he will stretch his arm upon us to protec us. Oh this great day, we shall sing to Him, we shall sing songs of praises, songs of glory, song of joy, with fervour.

Original Welsh version:

Lord, lead me through the wilderness, me, a pilgrim of poor appearance,

I don't have strength or life in me, like lying in the grave:

Omnipotent, Omnipotent is the one who brings me to the shore. Is the one who brings me to the shore.

We are nothing, we are pilgrims, and he, the Omnipotent, is the one who can take us to the shore. 

Open the sweet fountains flowing from the Rock that is;

Give a column of fire to lead me at night, and give a column of fog during the day.

Give me manna. Give me manna, so that I shall not falter. So that I shall not falter.

He gives us water, he guides us, he feeds us with manna, that we shall not falter.

When I walk the bank of the Jordan, cause all my fears to sink;

Take me through the roughest waves over to Canaan, a cosy home:

Unending praise. Unending praise will be to Your name for this. Will be to Your name for this.

He can help us walk through waters without fears, he can take us accros rough waves. 

Oh how should we praise him for this.

— Verbatim English-language translation

Guide me, O thou great Redeemer, pilgrim through this barren land;

I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold me with thy powerful hand:

Bread of heaven, bread of heaven feed me till I want no more. Feed me till I want no more.

Open thou the crystal fountain whence the healing stream shall flow;

Let the fiery, cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through:

Strong deliverer, strong deliverer be thou still my strength and shield. Be thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,bid my anxious fears subside;

Death of death, and hell's destruction, land me safe on Canaan's side:

Songs of praises, songs of praises I will ever give to thee. I will ever give to thee.

— Hymns and Psalms

Although the LDS version (the one on the hymnbook) is more about the Second Coming and great judgment, I love how the original version is about the israelites' exodus and the mercy Jehovah had towards them during those hard travelings. He guide them, he protected them, he fed them, he gave them to drink, he delivered them, he guided them home, to their promised land. As with the israelites, God is doing exactly the same with us in our day, through our challenges as persons, through our progression as members of his church, through how he is preparing for his Second Coming. In any aspect of our lives, he is the One who will give us the greatest protection, blessings, love... He is the One we must praise with song forever.

Scriptures
Exodus 13:21-22

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

The Lord want to guide us, he wants to be there before us to take us to our promised land, and he won't take it away.

D&C 45:57

For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived -
verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day. 

God has given us that pillar of fire and a cloud, he has given us the means to receive his guidance: the Holy Ghost! If we keep ourselves clean and worthy to have the constant company of the Holy Spirit, we will feel his guidance, his protection, his support, his love.

About the author: 
William Williams 
"Williams Pantycelyn travelled throughout Wales (he is said to have partly supported his ministry by selling tea,)[4] preaching the doctrine of Calvinistic Methodism. He needed to be not only a theologian and an advocate for the new Connexion, but an organiser and administrator. His converts gathered in seiadau (fellowship meetings). Williams had to organise, and then maintain, these seiadau as he went around the country. Each successful visit to a new locality in turn required a new seiat. Although he was not alone in his mission, the workload and mental burden must have been considerable. By the same token, it must have been deeply rewarding to see the community grow and thrive over the years and to reflect on the alternative life he had forsaken, as the priest of some obscure rural Anglican parish in mid-Wales... Williams' virtuosity as a hymn-writer earned him the accolade: Y pêr ganiedydd (The Sweet Songster) - echoing the description of King David as "the sweet psalmist of Israel" (2 Samuel, 23:1)."