1. …speak, for thy servant heareth
…speak, for thy servant heareth

2. True Story?
It was time for sacrament meeting to begin and a mother couldn't find her son. She searched all through the meetinghouse; then she looked outside. Finally she found him sitting on the curb with his head in his hands. "Son, we have to go in now," she said. "Church is about to start."
"I don't want to," he said.
"Why not?"
"Because nobody likes me. Nobody cares if I'm there or not. I'll bet you can't give me one good reason why I should."
"Oh, yes, I can," said the mother. "You're the bishop!"

3. Elder Eyring Questions
A few may wonder about the requirement to listen to other people [at church] and ask, "Why do I have to get my directing and teaching from somebody else? Why can't I go to God for myself and get my own revelation? Why can't I have the Holy Ghost inspire me? Why does every call to lead, in fact, call others to listen? Why are we all, therefore, called to listen? Why should even a prophet have a home teacher?"
Listen Together, 1988 CES Fireside

4. Elder Eyring Continues
Clearly, my problem and your problem is to hear the word of God from and through imperfect teachers and leaders. That is your test and mine. And it is our opportunity. All of us--today, next week, and for the rest of our lives--are going to be sitting somewhere while someone leads us or teaches us who will seem weak and simple because they are human, like us.
God has said that if we are going to make it home again, we must not only hear his voice privately by our own effort, but also through the voice of his servants who, when the speak by the power of the Spirit, speak as if it were his voice.

5. President Hinckley
Unless there is loyalty toward the bishop and stake president on a local level, there will be an absence of harmony, there will be suspicion and hesitation to serve with fidelity, there will be that kind of division which is always destructive of faith.
Let it ever be remembered that no President of this church, no counselor in the Presidency, no General Authority, no member of a stake presidency or of a bishopric or of an elders quorum presidency is there because he wished to be there and requested the privilege. Each is there because he was "called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof."
Loyalty to leadership is a cardinal requirement of all who serve in the army of the Lord. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Unity is basic and essential

6. From Judges to Kings- Flawed Leaders
Eli
Samuel
Saul
David
Solomon

7. Eli, The High Priest, and his sons
12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD [but they were temple priests!].
17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.
22 ¶ Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
23 And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD's people to transgress.

8. Question
If we set a bad example in our calling, how does that effect other church members?
How do we avoid not being negatively effected by a church leader’s “flaws”?

9. Can you really do better?
D&C 67:5
Your eyes have been upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and his language you have known, and his imperfections you have known; and you have sought in your hearts knowledge that you might express beyond his language; this you also know.

10. Samuel’s Call
1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep.
4 That the Lord called Samuel; and he answered, Here am I.
5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me And he said, I called not; lie down again….
6 And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord ye revealed unto him.
8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.
9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down; and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle.
12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house
13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
Note:
Like Samuel, sometimes the Lord speaks to us muliple times before we
recognize His voice and,
2) and commit to listen.

11. Question-
When the Lord is trying to communicate with us, why wouldn’t we recognize it?

12. Elder F. Enzio Busche
There seems to be, inside of us, the capability to be spiritually illiterate, in spite of the brilliant knowledge that we may have about the facts of the Restoration, the plan of salvation, and the organizational part of the restored gospel.

13. Old Christian Preacher
If you will here stop, and ask yourselves, why you are not as pious as the primitive Christians were, your own heart will you, that it is neither through ignorance nor inability, but purely because you never thoroughly intended it!
William Law, quoted in C.S. Lewis The Problem with Pain (P. 66)

14. Especially of church members and leaders who have offended us!!!
Elder Busche Cont
Especially of church members and leaders who have offended us!!!
In my humble understanding, it can be said that there are only two elements that separate us from the Holy Spirit:
First, our lack of desire to repent, and
Second, our lack of desire to forgive.