The Rigby East "Eight"

Over the past three months I have been privileged to attend all of the ward/YSA branch conferences in my stake - all eleven of them. This past Sunday, I even got to attend my own ward - as it was the Rigby 8th Ward conference. (It was only the third time this year that I have attended my own ward - so it was nice to "be back". ) The theme of these conferences have been: "Come Unto Christ....With Full Purpose of Heart". The Rigby East "Eight" are the basics in achieving that.

1. Personal Prayer - EVERY morning and night.


2. Personal Scripture Study - EVERY day...not just five or six days a week. SEVEN days a week.


3. Family Prayer - EVERY morning and night.


4. Family Scripture Study - EVERY day...does not have to be long. 5 minutes is okay. Families with young children may not even do it that long. Includes words of the "prophets"...general conference talks.


5. Family Home Evening - EVERY week. This includes even people who are unmarried, divorced, widowed, etc. (I guess that means me, too.)


6. Prepare for and worthily partake of the sacrament EVERY week. (Exception for general and stake conferences.)


7. Home Teaching / Visiting Teaching - 100% EVERY month.


8. Regular Temple Attendance - Monthly attendance may have been enough in the past...it is NOT enough now.

These are basic. But they take a fair amount of effort to do consistently. I kind of draw a parallel with these basics and doing the basics, say, in basketball (because I have seen my share of basketball this year...and it's the "March Madness" time of year). By doing them amazing things can and will happen. If you can learn to handle the ball well, shoot with great efficiency, make your foul shots consistently, rebound, make good passes, take care of the ball, etc...if you can do these well over and over again, you will have great success. You may even win a championship. These things don't come without putting in the time and effort necessary in the gym during practice. I really believe that games aren't won in the waning moments of a game, they are won in the countless hours of dedication during practice.

The "Rigby East Eight" are the things that need to be done in the "spiritual" practice gym. Day in and day out. A basketball team would not be very successful if they only practiced two or three times a week. They wouldn't be the best by only doing those things that they "liked" to do or those things that came easy. Likewise, spiritual preparedness requires time and effort. Daily. Weekly. Monthly. Continuously. And if you diligently do these things, miracles WILL happen.