"For I am not ashamed..."

As many of you know a lot of chaos has been happening in California this week due to Proposition 8. With Elder Monk serving in the Burbank area, he has witnessed a lot of the excitement that has taken place. The church has taken most of the criticism for the marriage amendment passing and has been blamed by many for the reason the vote passed. As a result, Elder Monk has witnessed some of the opposition to the amendment passing within his area.

In his email to me this week he gave me a great scripture that has helped him deal with the opposition he and the other members may be experiencing:
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth...
We cannot be ashamed of what we believe in. We must stand up for our values and fight for what is right. This is the Church of Jesus Christ and we must hold fast to what is true.

Elder Monk also quoted a great talk from Elder Neal A. Maxwell that has helped him:
"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not they will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.'
"This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed ofthe gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . "
We must stand by our leaders and sustain them in all their decisions. We must stand by our values and beliefs and fight for what we KNOW to be true. This is a testing time but we must stick together and stand up!