My stake called an “Emergency” meeting, they gave less than 24 hours heads up, and they requested every man 21 and up be there. Here are some of my notes from this meeting. This is not meant to be a transcript, and I tried to the best of my abilities to quote them correctly. (The meeting was 3/12/2015)
Safety in priesthood keys.
President Clayton, 2nd counselor in the Eagle Mountain East Stake.
“There is safety when you listen to, and obey Priesthood keys. Listen to those who hold keys. The Prophet, Stake Presidents, Bishops, Elders quorum Presidents, Teacher quorum Presidents, and Deacons quorum Presidents. These offices hold keys. Follow the keys of revelation and provide safety for your soul.”
“Why are we broken up into Stakes?”
25 And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years…
26 For this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized. Doctrine and Covenants 68:25-26
“The reason we have Stakes is to help parents teach their children how to prepare and receive ordinances.”
“We (the eagle mountain east stake) existing to bless families and to be a defense and refuge to them.”
“Choosing to be here tonight has shown you are willing to follow priesthood keys.”
“President Spencer W. Kimball said that “the progress of the church will be paralleled by a growing wickedness among mankind” and, citing Brigham Young, “in proportion to the spread of the gospel among the nations of the earth so would the power of Satan rise””.
“88,000 missionaries go to proclaim the Gospel. The rise of ISIS, corrupt Governments, and sexual immortality grow, remember the words of Isaiah.”
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
“And remember the words of the the Prophet, the one who hold Keys.”
The face of sin today often wears the mask of tolerance.
President Thomas S. Monson
“Whom do you fear!? Would you rather be right with men!? or with God? God is all powerful, and He speaks to the Prophet, who holds the keys. Listen to the Prophet! Follow what he says, it will provide safety for your soul, and the souls of your loved ones. ”
Watchmen on the Tower.
President Udy, 1st counselor in the Eagle Mountain East Stake.
“It is remarkable to see everyone here to night, only last night did our Stake President call this emergency meeting. Many have speculated what tonight’s meeting is about. It has been entertaining to see the speculation on social media.”
“Some said “this meeting to to split the stake”, or “it is to announce a temple” or my personal favorite “this meeting is to announce we are headed back to east to build Zion”. None of these things are the reason for today’s meeting”
“It is sad that it would take an emergency meeting to get a turn out like this. If everyone treated the Gospel as they should, we would not need to hold a special meeting to pack the house. If we understood the Gospel, every Sunday the house would be packed.”
“To those who’s wife are wondering. you can tell them why we are here tonight. “The purpose of this meeting is to help you prepare and become better husbands and fathers”, go ahead tweet it, text it, facebook it, this is the goal for tonight.”
“Let us look into the Scriptures. Doctrine and Covenants 101:44-53”
44 A certain nobleman had a spot of land, very choice; and he said unto his servants: Go ye unto my vineyard, even upon this very choice piece of land, and plant twelve olive trees;
“The spot of land for you is this stake, and the olive trees we plant are our families, and our children.”
45 And set watchmen round about them, and build a tower, that one may overlook the land round about, to be a watchman upon the tower, that mine olive trees may not be broken down when the enemy shall come to spoil and take upon themselves the fruit of my vineyard.
“The Lord has set those with Priesthood keys round about us to be watchmen. For when the enemy shall come, there is no doubt the enemy will and is coming. Do we listen to those with keys? Do we follow the watchmen?”
46 Now, the servants of the nobleman went and did as their lord commanded them, and planted the olive trees, and built a hedge round about, and set watchmen, and began to build a tower.
“We must build a hedge around our children. We do so by living the Gospel. Honoring our priesthood, Temple and family history, Home teaching, Attending church, Prayers, FHE
Scriptures. The list goes on.”
47 And while they were yet laying the foundation thereof, they began to say among themselves: And what need hath my lord of this tower?
“We must not become slothful, we must stay faithful.”
48 And consulted for a long time, saying among themselves: What need hath my lord of this tower, seeing this is a time of peace?
“The Temple and Church are the tower. And we are in a time of peace. But we know what is coming”
When he said this, this thought came to me *We prepare now, because it is a time of peace. When the war happens to time to prepare is over.* (Back to what he said).
49 Might not this money be given to the exchangers? For there is no need of these things.
“Some will feel like the church is wasting money, it is not.”
50 And while they were at variance one with another they became very slothful, and they hearkened not unto the commandments of their lord.
51 And the enemy came by night, and broke down the hedge; and the servants of the nobleman arose and were affrighted, and fled; and the enemy destroyed their works, and broke down the olive trees.
“We must be united, we must be together, and hearken to the Lord. Or the same things will happen. Our children and families will be broken down.”
52 Now, behold, the nobleman, the lord of the vineyard, called upon his servants, and said unto them, Why! what is the cause of this great evil?
53 Ought ye not to have done even as I commanded you, and—after ye had planted the vineyard, and built the hedge round about, and set watchmen upon the walls thereof—built the tower also, and set a watchman upon the tower, and watched for my vineyard, and not have fallen asleep, lest the enemy should come upon you?
“Satan is among us. Now is a time of peace, don’t become slothful. We are here to be warned. And for a wake up call.”
“I want to share some of the words of President Howard W Hunter. (Oct 1994).
A man who holds the priesthood shows perfect moral fidelity to his wife and gives her no reason to doubt his faithfulness. A husband is to love his wife with all his heart and cleave unto her and none else (see D&C 42:22–26). President Spencer W. Kimball explained:
“The words none else eliminate everyone and everything. The spouse then becomes pre-eminent in the life of the husband or wife and neither social life nor occupational life nor political life nor any other interest nor person nor thing shall ever take precedence over the companion spouse” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969, p. 250).
(He then went on to read most of the talk, you can read it in its entirety here)
“Our Stake President has declared “Our fathers need to take an active role in their sons life”
“The number one thing in our homes our Children must understand is the Atonement. They must know how to repent. They must understand we all have need to repent. And you should never be ashamed to use the Atonement.”
Wolves are among us.
President McMurtrey Stake president Eagle Mountain East Stake.
“You hold power you do not understand, and abilities if fully developed that can help your family gain exaltation in Fathers kingdom”
“In Revelation chapter 12, it teaches us about a war in heaven, a war that caused 1/3rd of the host of heaven to fall.”
Brethren, the war goes on. It is as it was in the beginning. There may not be the intensity, and I am grateful for that. But the principles at issue are the same. The victims who fall are as precious as those who have fallen in the past. It is an ongoing battle. We of the priesthood are all part of the army of the Lord. We must be united. An army that is disorganized will not be victorious. It is imperative that we close ranks, that we march together as one. We cannot have division among us and expect victory. We cannot have disloyalty and expect unity. We cannot be unclean and expect the help of the Almighty.
President Gordon B. Hinkcley
“There are wolves that have crept in among us. We move now, we can’t wait, we move to defend and take care of problems.We must act as if Eternal Life depends on it, and it does.”
The wolves among us.
The first wolf has been, and continues to be, “sexual sins”. These things can not be. We have to get above them.
The body is an essential part of the soul. This distinctive and very important Latter-day Saint doctrine underscores why sexual sin is so serious. We declare that one who uses the God-given body of another without divine sanction abuses the very soul of that individual, abuses the central purpose and processes of life, “the very key” to life, as President Boyd K. Packer once called it. In exploiting the body of another—which means exploiting his or her soul—one desecrates the Atonement of Christ, which saved that soul and which makes possible the gift of eternal life. And when one mocks the Son of Righteousness, one steps into a realm of heat hotter and holier than the noonday sun. You cannot do so and not be burned.
Please, never say: “Who does it hurt? Why not a little freedom? I can transgress now and repent later.” Please don’t be so foolish and so cruel. You cannot with impunity “crucify Christ afresh.” “Flee fornication,” Paul cries, and flee “anything like unto it,” the Doctrine and Covenants adds. Why? Well, for one reason because of the incalculable suffering in both body and spirit endured by the Savior of the world so that we could flee. We owe Him something for that. Indeed, we owe Him everything for that. “Ye are not your own,” Paul says. “Ye [have been] bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” In sexual transgression the soul is at stake—the body and the spirit.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.
“Sexual sin brings shame, heartache and sorrow.”
“Let us get rid of this wolf. Let us put measures in place to protect our family from pornography. There is other sexual sin that is accruing. We do not tell you what to do, and not to do in the bedroom. But if with your wife one of the following 2 ever happens STOP.
1 She does not want to do it.
2 The Spirit says do not do.
DO NOT PRECEDE IT IS SIN.”
“1st take away. Put measures in place to prevent pornography, from entering your home.”
“Teach your sons that they are sons of God, remind them often. Teach them this so that when faced with sin, they can say “my father taught me who I am! I am a son of God!””
“Abuse is spreading. And it must stop. The only way to prevent the spread is open communication lines. Your children need to feel comfortable with talking to you. If they don’t they will fall into sins and can be led into transgressions, and sometimes legal issues. Talk with your sons!”
“2nd Take away. Sit down and talk with your sons”
“You may not want to do it. You may have hesitations in checking your kids emails, social media and phones. To that I say. YOU ARE THE PARENT! Grab that phone, be the parent. They are your children, they are Christ’s. It is your duty”
“3rd take away. Check email and phone.”
As a husband, he would live with respect for his wife, standing side by side with her, never belittling her nor demeaning her, but rather encouraging her in the continued development of her talents and in the church activities which are available to her. He would regard her as the greatest treasure of his life, one with whom he can share his concerns, his innermost thoughts, his ambitions and hopes. There would never be in that home any “unrighteous dominion” of husband over wife, no assertion of superiority, no assertion of authority, but rather an expression in living which says that these two are equally yoked.
No man can please his Heavenly Father who fails to respect the daughters of God. No man can please his Heavenly Father who fails to magnify his wife and companion, and nurture and build and strengthen and share with her.
President Gordon B. Hinkcley
“Would our Heavenly Father ever abuse our Heavenly Mother? ABSOLUTELY NOT. So how can we abuse our wife or children, and think we are becoming like Him?
“If you struggle, ask for help. We must eliminate abuse, no child of God should ever fear abuse”
If only all children had loving parents, safe homes, and caring friends, what a wonderful world would be theirs. Unfortunately, not all children are so bounteously blessed. Some children witness their fathers savagely beating their mothers, while others are on the receiving end of such abuse. What cowardice, what depravity, what shame!
Local hospitals everywhere receive these little ones, bruised and battered, accompanied by bald-faced lies that the child “ran into the door” or “fell down the stairs.” Liars, bullies who abuse children, they will one day reap the whirlwind of their foul deeds. The quiet, the hurt, the offended child victim of abuse, and at times incest, must receive help.
A district judge, in a letter to me, declared, “Sexual abuse of children is one of the most depraved, destructive, and demoralizing crimes in civilized society. There is an alarming increase of reported physical, psychological, and sexual abuse of children. Our courts are becoming inundated with this repulsive behavior.”
The Church does not condone such heinous and vile conduct. Rather, we condemn in the harshest of terms such treatment of God’s precious children. Let the child be rescued, nurtured, loved, and healed. Let the offender be brought to justice, to accountability, for his actions and receive professional treatment to curtail such wicked and devilish conduct. When you and I know of such conduct and fail to take action to eradicate it, we become part of the problem. We share part of the guilt. We experience part of the punishment.
President Tomas S. Monson.
“Step up Brethren. Look over your house, if you see these wolves get rid of them! As the watchman I SEE THE WOLVES. We must get ride of them NOW.”
“In 10 years you will… Either regret not listening, and driving the wolves out. Or you will be glad that you did.We are in a great eternal struggle. We can do it, we will do it, we must do it.”
Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.
Doctrine and Covenants 27:15
“Feb 23rd 1945 the Raid on “Los Baños” happened. This raid was on a POW camp. To stop prisoner abuse, and to rescue them. It ended with the death of only 3 American Soldiers, and the rescue of over 2,100 souls. Of this raid General Colin Powell has said “that the rescue at Los Banos was a text book example of the correct way to conduct a rescue operation”. They had a plan and followed it.”
“Have a plan, and act the plan. What are you willing to do to rescue the prisoners? What are we going to do to stay clean? And stay united?”
“Prevent Pornography.
Talks with sons.
Check devices and internet.”
“BISHOPS As a protection to the family I have an assignment. Look at callings in your ward, and make sure they do not take away both parents in leadership roles. If you find that there are both parents serving in leadership roles that take them both away from the family unnecessarily… “Release them by this Sunday.””
“wolves can come in the form of meetings. Do not overload your life with unnecessary meetings.”
“I can see the wolves. Get rid of them. Completely.”
“Follow the prophet. Treat your wife and children kindly and they will love you forever.”
That is some ruff notes of the meeting. The Spirit was strong and powerful. To have the Stake President declare, I am a watchman on the tower (which he is). And then to say I see wolves, and because of that I’ve called this emergency meeting. It was stunning. It was refreshing to see a leader act with boldness. And to cry repentance. And let me say, not a single person who came regretted it. Truly it was an emergency meeting. For the watchman on our tower saw something and called us together to warn us about it.