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the same patriarch Side by Side |
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patriarchs in 2016 2010 2000 1981 1960 1958 |
Brother *****, through the office and calling of Patriarch and by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, I lay my hands upon your head to pronounce upon you your Patriarchal Blessing and to declare unto you your lineage. In humility I pray for guidance as I serve our Heavenly Father in giving you this blessing. Read it often, become familiar with it and use it as it is intended - to be a guide, comfort and protection to you throughout your life. As you become familiar with your blessing, you will feel the love your Heavenly Father has for you, the mission you were sent to earth to fulfill and the joy you will receive through living the commandments and following the counsel that is given by the Prophets and those who lead us in these days of concern. You are of the blood and loins of Ephraim, son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt. I counsel you to study the blessings given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Being of this same name, understand the importance of his life and his great influence upon those around him. Pattern your life after the things he did as he served his family, his fellowmen and his Father in Heaven. You have an important mission to fulfill in life. You were faithful and valiant in the spirit world. You had experiences there that prepared you for this life. You held the Priesthood, knew the gospel well and felt the love your Heavenly Father and spirit mother have for their children. You associated with many special spirits, even your elder brother, Jesus Christ. You stood for that which was right, made covenants and were foreordained to positions of responsibility that will unfold as you proceed through life. Because of your faithfulness, your time was appointed to come to earth. It is a time when leadership is needed and when blessings are being realized as never before among the children of our Heavenly Father. It is also a time when affluence in society is great and many remember not the one from whom these blessings come. There is much wickedness in the world around you. I warn you of this and counsel you to avoid all that is degrading and unwholesome, even the very appearance of evil. So much of this influence is found in the things that are seen, heard, read and felt. Be selective in your search for knowledge and help others to guard against the tremendous influences that appear as light and knowledge that come from the adversary. I bless you with power over the adversary and with the ability to move forward with an eye single to the glory of your Father in Heaven. Through your obedience, faithfulness and willingness to follow counsel, you will avoid the pitfalls into which many of our Father in Heaven's children are succumbing. Be patient and teachable in your youth. Be understanding of others as you reach out with an arm of love and concern to those around you. You are an important member of your family circle. Love your parents, help them, be good to each other and establish bonds of love, concern, appreciation and strength. These will extend into the eternities. You will be the means of helping your father and those of your family who need encouragement and strength. You are looked to as an example by not only your family, but others. Your Heavenly Father has a great work to be accomplished. Much of your life will be spent in positions of responsibility and leadership in the Church. You will be recognized for your contributions to the vocation you choose. You will be the means of helping others to gain understanding and intelligence. Continue to value education and work toward accomplishing the goals you are desirous of reaching. Your Heavenly Father will bless you in your endeavors as you strive to maintain a proper balance between your vocation, your family and your Church responsibilities. Recognition will come to you. Accept it humbly and gratefully and always do the things that would set a proper example for those with whom you associate. Choose friends who will make it easy to live the gospel and remain faithful as you live your life. Joy comes through serving your fellowmen and bringing the Savior into your life. Your Heavenly Father is always available to hear and answer your prayers and bless you according to His will. Strive always to know the will of your Heavenly Father and then do all within your power to do His will. Observe the Sabbath day faithfully, attend your meetings and magnify the callings that come to you. Pay your tithes and offerings. Observe the Word of Wisdom. Be morally clean in both thought and deed and help others understand the importance of living a virtuous life. Keep your mind pure and in tune with those things of an eternal nature. Be a friend to all yet stand firm in your righteous convictions, even though you may stand alone at times. Forgive and forget at needed times and repent quickly should mistakes be made. You will appreciate the importance of the great principles of repentance and forgiveness, understand more fully the plan of our Heavenly Father and know that He is at the helm and will forgive His children, bless them and help them learn important lessons in life. The way will be made open for you to reach your goal of accepting a call from the Prophet to serve as a missionary. I bless you with the ability to continue to prepare yourself and to be able to make proper adjustments at the beginning, during and following your mission. You will not only do much good, but will establish a strong foundation upon which you can stand throughout your life. There will be other missions in life at different times and of different nature that you will serve. Take advantage of opportunities for education and training. Study the scriptures daily. See that your testimony grows. Appreciate your good mind and healthy body and care for them. Strive to develop a close relationship with your Savior. Make Him a part of your life, remember Him and serve Him. Appreciate His example, life and especially His sacrifice for all mankind - giving them the opportunity to realize full benefit of the Plan of Salvation. Understand and help others to realize the importance of the atonement - that full benefit comes through repenting and being obedient to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Understand that your Heavenly Father will answer your prayers and you are promised blessings. Realize, however, that through free agency, life is not always easy. There will be challenges, tests, trials, temptations and obstacles to overcome. Opposition and adversity are a part of life. They may cause concerns, stretch your soul and even take you to your knees, humbly seeking guidance, direction and answers. As you handle these experiences properly, with faith, courage, prayer and fasting and a desire to overcome you will rise to greater heights of understanding and be grateful for the growing experiences that come. You will realize why even the Prophets have tests in their lives. You will be strong and in a position to help others in giving counsel and direction as they face their challenges. Make the Temple an important part of your life, in your youth as well as in your adult years. You will be fortified against the influences of the world and sanctified through regular Temple worship. Prayers will be answered and concerns of life lessened. You will appreciate the closeness between this life and the spirit world and understand more fully the importance of the genealogical work that must be done. Use your Priesthood to bless your life and the lives of those around you. Develop your faith and strive to have spiritual experiences upon which to draw in times of weakness and concern. Establish quiet times in your life to ponder, study, pray, and listen for the spirit to whisper to you to enlighten your mind and quicken your understanding. I bless you with confidence and courage, with direction and understanding in your life. Ponder often your position, your feelings, concerns, your love and concern for those around you, your desire to serve your Father in Heaven and especially your preparation for the things that are to come. Should changes need to be made, make them so that you can always stand as a worthy son of your Father in Heaven, in a position to move forward under His guiding hand. You will experience many changes in the world around you. The gospel will spread throughout the earth. Knowledge of great importance will continue to develop. You will be the means of helping knowledge be implemented and helping our Father in Heaven's Church move forward. Hearts will fail due to the influences of the adversary, but many will stand firm and stalwart awaiting the blessings promised to those who endure in righteousness. You will be involved in the gathering of Israel and in the preparation for the building of the New Jerusalem here upon the earth. I bless you to come forth on the morning of the resurrection, enjoying eternal life - having lived a full life, having been married and sealed to your eternal companion and rearing children who will learn from you and from whom you will learn. You will have a large posterity who will be grateful for the example you have set for them. They will appreciate the home you have provided for them, your love, the gospel and the many good things of life that were provided. Through your faithfulness you will be caught up to meet and greet the Savior and take part in the great work of the millennium of uniting families. All of these blessings are based upon your obedience and faithfulness. May you always have the strength and courage to do those things you know to be right. Many unmentioned blessings await you - continue to prepare for them. This blessing is sealed upon you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. |
Brother ***, by the authority of the Priesthood and through the office and calling of Patriarch, I lay my hands upon your head to seal upon you your Patriarchal Blessing and to declare unto you your lineage. I humbly ask that our Heavenly Father bless me as I serve Him in giving you this blessing, to be used as a guide, comfort and protection to you throughout your life. You are of the blood and loins of Ephraim, son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt. I counsel you to read of the blessings given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because being of this lineage you are entitled to these same blessings. Prior to your mortal birth you lived in the world of spirits. It was there that you prepared for mortality. You associated with many great and important spirits. You grew to maturity and exercised your free agency, made covenants and were foreordained to positions of responsibility that are being shown to you as you proceed through life. Your time was appointed to come to earth - a time when strength and leadership are needed, not only within the Church but in the society in which you live. Your Heavenly Father loves you and has much in store for you. I counsel you to move forward and bless you to this end, with the ability to know the will of your Heavenly Father and then proceed to carry out the things you were sent to earth to perform. You are part of a family that love and appreciate you and look to you for many good things throughout your life. They are grateful for you and for the life you live and with your Heavenly Father they are working to assist you in your life to develop your talents and abilities. Appreciate the bonds that exist within your family and do all you can to keep them strong because they will be important to you throughout the eternities. You are a member of a choice generation whose blessings are numerous but whose temptations and tests are great. You must be strong and continue to live with an eye single to the glory of your Heavenly Father. Recognize the power of the Priesthood and the importance of the gospel. Be aware also of the great influence of the adversary upon mankind, of its purpose and the concerns in the world today because of these influences. I bless you with power over the adversary and the ability to make correct choices. I promise you that life will unfold many important and rewarding things for you. You will rejoice as you see and feel the hand of your Heavenly Father guiding your life and enjoy the peace and comfort of the Holy Ghost as it works with you. At the same time you must realize that even though He is a loving Father and has promised many blessings, He will allow you to be tempted, tried, tested and proven in many ways. Obstacles will be placed before you. Through handling these situations properly you will gain understanding and be in a position to help others to understand the purpose of life. You will have many opportunities to teach the gospel. You are a missionary as you live your life in the things you do and say and the example you set. Continue to be faithful. Seek friends who will help you live the gospel. In turn you will have a positive influence upon their lives. Together you will be a strength and can move forward to touch the lives of many. There are those who are watching you and will desire to pattern their lives after the things they see in yours. Continue to be faithful. Attend your meetings faithfully and keep the Sabbath day holy. Pay your tithes and offerings. Obey the Word of Wisdom. Be honest in your dealings with your fellowmen. Stay morally clean in both thought and deed. Should there be those who may trespass against you, forgive and forget. Should mistakes be made, repent quickly so as to appreciate and enjoy the blessings that come through repentance and forgiveness - knowing that your Heavenly Father always loves you, He will forgive you and above all, important lessons in life will be learned. I counsel you to continue to move forward in preparation for the future. Acquire education and training that will prepare you to earn a livelihood and be in a position to share with others your means, time, talents and that which your Heavenly Father has blessed you with. See that your testimony grows and that your knowledge of the gospel increases. Through studying the scriptures and daily prayer, become familiar with the life and mission of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Study also the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith and those who sacrificed so much to make it possible for us to have the blessings of the gospel. A responsibility rests upon you to reach out in a missionary and pioneer effort to prepare the way for those who will follow you. You will sit in positions of responsibility. Stay close to your Heavenly Father and live in such a manner that the Holy Ghost will be your constant companion. You will be directed and inspired. The scriptures will be at your fingertips and you will be able to present yourself in a comfortable manner and touch the lives of many who will listen to you. They will appreciate and respect you. This will not only be within the realms of the Church, but in your vocation and the communities in which you live. Stay abreast with the signs of the times so as to recognize prophecy fulfilled and scriptures unfold. Continue to prepare yourself for the time when you will be called to serve a mission as a young man. There will be other missions and responsibilities that you will be called to carry out. You will be a part of the movement that is taking place in preparation for the second coming of the Savior. I bless you with the ability to prepare and make the necessary adjustments at the beginning, during and following your mission. You will touch many people. You will not only teach the gospel, but will teach leadership. In the process you will establish a strong foundation upon which to stand to assist you through throughout your life as you perform other responsibilities. Your gifts will be added upon at needed times. Your mind and body will be quickened and you will be able to respond to calls and requirements that will be placed upon you. Be diligent, humble and prayerful. You have the promise that through being obedient to the principles of the gospel, you life will be full and rewarding and you will rejoice in seeing the work of our Heavenly Father move forward in many ways. You will sit with leaders. You will see changes take place in the lives of mankind as the doors are opened for the gospel to be spread throughout the earth. You will also see wickedness run rampant and hearts that will fail. You will stand firm and stalwart to reap the blessings of those who endure in faithfulness. You will be protected and will not want. You will have the blessings of those who magnify their callings and use the Priesthood as it is intended - to bless your life and the lives of your family and those over whom you will have a responsibility. You will witness miracles and rejoice and bear testimony to the truthfulness of the gospel and the blessings of a loving Father in Heaven. A time will come in your life when you will desire to take a chosen companion - your sweetheart - to the temple to be married and sealed for time and eternity. Prayerfully approach this time in your life when you will make temple covenants with your eternal companion. Blessings of joy and contentment, as well as concerns, will come to you as you raise a family and help them take their place in the society in which they live. Support your wife as she will faithfully sustain you. I bless you with the ability to recognize the needs of your family and those over whom you will have a responsibility. Satan is real and his influence is great. It may touch your family. Through the teachings and direction that is given in your home, strength, comfort and peace of mind will come, adjustments will be made and you will rejoice and be grateful for that which you enjoy and are able to accomplish as a family. Be patient. Develop your faith and use your Priesthood. Go to the temple often where you will renew in your mind the covenants that are made there. Always be true to the covenants you make in life. You will be sanctified through regular temple worship and fortified against the influences of the world around you. You will do genealogical work and help to accomplish the missionary work that is so important for not only the living, but the dead. You will realize that the veil between this life and the spirit world is thin. Continue to be involved with the youth of the Church. Be mindful also of the elderly and those who are struggling. Share your testimony and be a strength to those who are wavering - those who stand in need. You will be involved in the gathering of Israel and in the preparation for the building of the New Jerusalem here upon the earth. I counsel you to strive to have spiritual experiences that you can draw from in times of concern and as you work with others to give them encouragement, strength and support. Understand and teach that the full benefit of the atonement comes through repenting and being obedient to all the principles and ordinances of the gospel. Realize that in the last days the saving forces will be the Priesthood and the testimony of individual members. You will be grateful for the life you have lived and be in a position to be found among those who will stand in the robes of the Priesthood, during the millennium when families are united and a great work is accomplished prior to the time when you will enter the presence of your Heavenly Father from whence you came. I bless you to come forth on the morning of the resurrection, clothed with eternal life and associating with those whom you have longed to see - being caught up to meet and greet the Savior. All of these blessings are yours, based upon your obedience and faithfulness. May you always have the desire and the strength to live as you have been taught and know is right. There are many unmentioned blessings that will come to you in due time as you are prepared for them. This blessing is yours, sealed upon you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. |