Not So Random Thoughts

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday afternoon session of the April 2010 conference.

Elder L. Tom Perry - The leaders of the Church spend a great deal of time thinking about how to improve teaching in the Church. Why do we invest this time and effort? It is because we believe in the immense power of teaching to increase the faith of individuals and strengthen families.

During my service as a Relief Society president I asked the Branch President if we could use the Sunday School time for all of the adults in the branch to participate in the teacher improvement course. His response was that he couldn't stop the whole branch to do that. He felt that too many of the adults would never become stellar teachers. I said that probably was true but they could become better students, better Sacrament Meeting speakers, and better Family Home Evening leaders in their own homes. Nope, he wouldn't consent to do it. So we plowed on ahead with untrained, inadequate teachers in just about every class. I felt so bad that he didn't see the value of "sharpening the saw" in the branch.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson - The word of God, as Alma said, is like a seed planted in our hearts that produces faith as it begins to grow within us (See Alma 32:27-43; see also Romans 10:13-17). Faith will not come from the study of ancient texts as a purely academic pursuit. It will not come from archaeological digs and discoveries. It will not come from scientific experiments. It will not even come from witnessing miracles. These things may serve to confirm faith, or at times to challenge it, but they do not create faith. Faith comes by the witness of the Holy Spirit to our souls, Spirit to spirit, as we hear or read the word of God. And faith matures as we continue to feast upon the word.

In my life I had some wonderful teachers to ignite my love of the gospel through the scriptures, beginning with my father and grandfather. Seminary and Institute teachers guided my study for a half dozen years before I served a mission and delved deeper into the word of God each day in preparation for teaching it to others. Before I ever heard Elder Bednar teach it, I found patterns and connections in the scriptures that spoke to my heart and I felt the confirmation of the Spirit of their truthfulness.

Elder Bruce A. Carlson - . . . strict obedience to God's laws brings His blessings and failure to abide by His laws leads to foreseeable consequences. . . . faithful obedience, regardless of the apparent size of the task, will bring the Lord's guidance, assistance and peace.

We are commanded to study the scriptures and teach them to one another. Is it any wonder that the Church invests time and effort to help us? Why are local leaders to reluctant to utilize the help available and more firmly encourage improvement? I do not understand it.

Elder David A. Bednar - Such learning requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion and not just passive reception. . . . What a glorious opportunity for family members to search the scriptures together and to be tutored by the Holy Ghost. . . . The spiritual discernment and inspiration you will receive from the combination of these three holy habits [Reading and talking about the Book of Mormon, Bearing testimony spontaneously, Inviting children to act] will enable you to stand as watchmen on the tower for your families--"watching. . . with all perseverance" (Ephesians 6:18)--to the blessing of your immediate family and your future posterity.

Oh how we need to be better learners and teachers. Many come to church hungering and thirsting for doctrine as well as strength and fellowship. I know I do! I don't want gospel "twinkies", I want a rich spread to feast upon and discuss with others as we share our insights, testimonies, and experiences.

Families

First, a little PSA: Please remember the lessons we learned during the pandemic and do not bring sick children to church! Thank you!

(I've been sick three times since September from the children in my Primary class. NO MORE!!)

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday morning session of the October 1999 conference.

Each year I choose a "word of the year", something that I want to work on in my life. This year's word was contentment. But I decided that has been the wrong word. In one sense I need to be more content with the things that I can not change, but in another sense I can't be content to remain as I am. So the part of me that wants to be and do better is more active in my brain, and it spills over into everything; hence, the tendency to complain, murmur, criticize, etc. 

What does this have to do with Elder Neil L. Andersen's talk, Prophets and Spiritual Mole Crickets? Glad you asked. I was surprised to find this talk in this week's reading because I remember this talk and didn't realize it was so long ago. My how the years fly swiftly by.

This talk was about listening to and acting upon the counsel from the prophets and apostles. He relates an experience when a neighbor warned him of mole crickets in his lawn, but when he looked around he couldn't see any evidence. What he didn't know was that they were underground, and only active at night. By the time he noticed the results of the infestation it was too late to do anything about it, except through the huge expense of replacing all the sod.

Elder Andersen, then of the Seventy, told of a letter from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve sent to every member of the church, earlier that year, regarding families. 

We counsel parents and children to give highest priority to family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities. However worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform.

Perhaps we need another reminder for the current generation of parents of young children. Of the seven families represented in my Primary class, only two families study the scriptures daily with Come Follow Me. A few more have Family Home Evening, and some pray at least once a day. All of the children are sent to public schools, which I think is the scariest part of the whole situation. But that's another topic. 

How can parents send their precious children out the door without the spiritual armor and inoculation that comes from daily feasting on the word of God, without a prayer for protection and guidance, without making family time the highest priority? 

Of course, there are no guarantees to parents, because our children have agency too and when they are old enough they exercise it. But the promised blessings are real. He quotes the First Presidency from 107 years ago (84 at the time of the conference):

"If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influences and temptations which beset them."

I recently asked our oldest, a daughter what she remembers about Family Home Evening. She said she couldn't remember any specifics, just that we had it and we enjoyed it. I asked if she remembered it being, as others have described it "the only family fights that open and close with prayer"? No, she didn't remember it that way at all. Neither do I, but I wanted to check that my memory wasn't selective. I remember having good times and it being rather enjoyable with lots of laughter. 

All of our five children are adults. Two chose not to be active in the church after they left home. They are not antagonistic, they just leave it alone. I hope that someday the teachings of their childhood will be brought to their remembrance and their hearts will be changed. In the meantime, we do have the blessing of increased love. It is a joy to get together. My boys all call me with their good news, engagements, promotions, awards, etc. They call me for help with recipes or household questions, or just to talk. 

It is my firm belief that the more time a family spends together, especially in spiritual pursuits, the closer the family will be no matter what. The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. We have most of those in spades!

 

Mother's Day

This is a talk I gave two years ago:

The Eternal Nature of Mothers

Twenty-one years ago preparations were underway and reported on in the news for an upcoming World’s Conference on Women, to be held in August 1995 in Beijing, China. Many voices clamored for recognition, and spouted slogans demanding increased rights for women, including abortion on demand, freedom from the slavery of marriage, and recognition of the validity of same-sex relationships.  After listening to radio reports and reading newspapers and magazines, I longed to hear what the Lord had to say about all this, knowing he would speak the truth through his prophet.

Days and weeks went by and no statements were forthcoming from the church. I had a heavy heart and a thirst for the word of the Lord.  I kept a prayer in my heart that the Lord would make his will clearly known concerning the issues the world found so troubling.

Tears of inexpressible gratitude fell as I sat in the chapel for the General Relief Society Broadcast on September 23, 1995 and listened to President Hinckley read: The Family - A Proclamation to the World.  I knew the Lord had answered the deepest longings of my heart.  Here was the bread of life for a world in the midst of a famine of the word of God; Living Water for a drought stricken people; a sword of truth to cut through the war of words.

We are so blessed to have pure, simple and true doctrine about the family, about men and women’s roles as husbands and wives, and as fathers and mothers. We learn that these roles are not temporary for earth life, but are part of an eternal continuum stretching from before we were born, through earth life and on into eternity after we die.

The family, beginning with a man and a woman married in a covenant relationship, is an eternal pattern. We are spirit children of a Heavenly Father, who obviously is not alone, but partnered with a glorified and perfected woman. The story of the creation in the book of Abraham refers to Gods, plural, who participated in creating this earth and all things on it.

“So the Gods went down to organize man in their own image, in the image of the Gods to form they him, male and female to form they them.” (Abr. 4:27)

Eliza R. Snow, sister to the Prophet Lorenzo Snow, penned these lines:

I had learned to call thee Father, Thru thy Spirit from on high,

But until the key of knowledge was restored, I knew not why.

In the heavens are parents single? No, the thought makes reason stare!

Truth is reason; truth eternal tells me I’ve a mother there.

(Hymns #192)

Throughout the scriptures are stories of great mothers. They are not considered great because of their education, careers or other worldly attainments. Their greatness comes from their obedience to God and their faithfulness to the Plan of Happiness.

Eve

Eve was the very first mortal mother on this earth. She was given the ability to bear children when she partook of the forbidden fruit and was cast out of the Garden of Eden with Adam, her husband. She was given the name Eve “because she was the mother of all living.” (Genesis 3:20) In fact, Eve means “life” in Hebrew.

We know from the book of Moses that Adam and Eve had many more children than Cain, Abel and Seth. “And Adam knew his wife and she bare unto him sons and daughters, and they began to multiply and to replenish the earth.” (Moses 5:2) The Book of Moses also gives a deeper description of the type of woman Eve was. We learn that Eve labored with Adam; that she knew the Plan of Salvation for she says, “Were it not for our transgression we never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.” We learn that Eve taught her children all that she had learned. (Moses 5:12)

The scriptures do not record Eve’s reaction when Cain killed his brother, Abel, but I imagine that she was devastated. I also imagine that she still loved Cain with all her heart. She knew that Cain had the agency to make his own choices.

That is probably one of the hardest things about motherhood, letting our grown children make their own choices, even when we know the choices they are making are wrong and will bring sorrowful consequences. I expect that Eve continued to pray for Cain and love him every day for the rest of her life. I’ve no doubt that her righteous posterity brought her great joy.

What can we learn from Eve? We must work alongside our husbands in creating our homes and raising our children. We must have a clear understanding and a strong testimony of the Gospel. And we must teach our children the truths of the Gospel, and then allow them to make their own choices; but we never give up on our wayward children.

Jochebed

Jochebed, the Mother of Moses, is mentioned briefly in Chapter 2 of Exodus; and by name in chapter six. We can number her among the brave women of the Old Testament. Moses was born during a time when the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians and the Pharaoh had commanded all newborn Hebrew sons to be killed. Jochebed did not allow that to happen to her son. First, she hid Moses for three months. At the point when she could no longer hide him, she made an ark to lay him in, and put the ark on the banks of the river. She then had her daughter watch over him. Pharaoh’s daughter found Moses and decided she wanted to raise him as her own son. Jochebed was then hired to nurse him until he was old enough to return to live with Pharaoh’s daughter.

It is unclear if either the servant who hired Jochebed or the Pharaoh’s daughter knew that she was his biological mother. Either way, it most certainly was not a coincidence for Moses to spend the first years of his life with his biological mother before being turned over to Pharaoh’s daughter.

What can we learn from Jochebed? We should physically protect our children from evil, and we sometimes need to make sacrifices in order to protect them. What can we learn from Pharaoh’s daughter? We can be mothers to other children as well, whether we adopt, foster, or simply act in motherly ways toward the children in our wards and neighborhoods.

Naomi

The story of Naomi focuses on her relationship with her daughter-in-law, Ruth. This story is especially important because modern entertainment too often finds humor in portraying a negative relationship between mothers and daughters-in-law. It is disheartening to hear real-life stories about difficult relationships with in-laws; so Ruth and Naomi’s story can be beneficial for all of us whether we are the daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, or both.

When Naomi’s sons died, she told their wives, Orpah and Ruth, to return to their families as she was going to return to Bethlehem. Both women wanted to remain with Naomi because they loved her. She again advised them to return to their own families, which Orpah did, but Ruth refused to leave Naomi, so Naomi allowed Ruth to accompany her.

Naomi began calling Ruth “my daughter”, as she absolutely considered Ruth her family. Naomi encouraged Ruth to remarry and advised her to ask Boaz for help in finding a new husband. When no one would take Ruth as a wife, Boaz did. He and Ruth had a son, Obed, and Naomi helped take care of him.

Naomi could have been upset that Ruth moved on from her first husband, but instead she was the one who encouraged and planned it. She even cared for Ruth’s son with whom she had no biological connection, as Boaz was a relative of Naomi’s husband.

What can we learn from Naomi? We should love and respect our daughters-in-law. We should support them in their righteous endeavors, and help care for grandchildren. What can we learn from Ruth? We should love and respect our mothers-in-law. We should listen to their advice and guidance, and allow them to be a part of their grandchildren’s lives.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus

Mary, the mother of our Savior, answered God’s call to bear His son knowing that she would be condemned for being pregnant outside the bonds of marriage. She probably believed that her engagement to Joseph would end. But God with His greater wisdom followed the eternal pattern of family and sent an angel to tell Joseph that it was right to take Mary to wife, providing Jesus with an earthly father.

When the wicked King Herod set out to find and slay Jesus as a young child, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, being warned of God, fled to Egypt. Mary was willing to leave a land and culture where she had spent her entire life, and move to a new and strange place in order to protect her son.

Mary allowed Jesus to teach her. When Jesus was 12 years old, he stayed behind in Jerusalem, after the Passover feast. Joseph and Mary noticed he wasn’t in the company of travelers and went looking for him. It took them three days to find him. I know something of the fear and panic going on in Mary’s heart. When they found him Mary lectured Jesus, as Mother’s do, and Jesus answered that he was about his Father’s business. After that Luke writes that “[Mary] kept all these sayings in her heart.” (Luke 2:51)

When Jesus was grown, Mary knew that he had his own job to do. In fact, when wine ran short at a wedding, Mary came to Jesus for help. Jesus reminded her that his time had not yet come, but he would still help in his own way, and Mary allowed him to choose how he would help. (John 2:1-10)

At the end of Christ’s mortal ministry Mary had to go through one of the most excruciating experiences a woman can go through watching her son die. I have no doubt that she mourned him the rest of her life, but I also know that she knew she would see him again. She understood God’s plan, and believed in it.

What can we learn from Mary? We should follow Heavenly Father’s plan for our families and accept the children He sends us. As important as it is to teach our children, we should also be willing to learn from our children, and from our experiences parenting. I’ve often said that most of what I know and understand about Heavenly Father I’ve learned from being a parent myself. From Mary we also learn that if and when we are separated from our children, whether through missionary service, school, work, or death, we press forward with the knowledge that our temple covenanted family is forever and we will see them again.

Sariah

Sariah was mother to Laman, Lemuel, Sam, Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, as well as several daughters. She went from being a rich woman of society to a woman living in a tent in the wilderness. She watched her children argue and physically fight with each other. Her heart broke over the wickedness of her two oldest sons. But with all she went through, she remained faithful and loving.

In the first sentence of the Book of Mormon we learn from Nephi that Sariah – along with Lehi – was “goodly” and taught Nephi “somewhat in all the learning of [his] father”. (1 Nephi 1:1) Sariah knew that her husband was a prophet, and she went along with the family’s move into the wilderness. She did have a brief moment of weakness, as she went through her tests and trials, but it helped strengthen her testimony. She believed that her sons had been killed by Laban, and accused Lehi of being visionary. Instead of being angry, Lehi comforted her, and when their sons returned Sariah says:

“Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them.” (1 Nephi 5:8)

It was a mother’s love that caused this fear to come upon her. Her sons’ safe return was a testament to her that God will protect them and she can allow her sons to continue to do the work of the Lord. This is a great verse for missionary moms.

Sariah gave birth to Jacob and Joseph while in the wilderness.  She didn’t let their difficult new life get in the way of her family’s growth. When Laman and Lemuel bound Nephi while traveling across the ocean, Sariah and Lehi become ill from the stress of the wickedness of their sons. Nephi writes that they almost died because of it. Sariah’s heart broke because of her sons’ wickedness, but she never sent them away; she continued to love them.

What can we learn from Sariah? We need to teach our children the gospel, and follow the Lord’s plan for our families. It’s normal to have moments of weakness, but we can learn from them, and use them to strengthen our resolve to keep our covenants. When our children choose wickedness, we continue loving them and praying for them; and we keep living the gospel so we can be examples to them.

These five women serve as wonderful examples of good and faithful mothers. The common threads in all the lives of these mothers are obedience to God’s commandments, keeping sacred covenants, and teaching their children these things.

Their stories teach great lessons about following God and caring for our children. If we apply these messages to our lives we can better follow the heavenly pattern of family life. These stories were recorded to teach us and future generations. I encourage you to study motherhood throughout the scriptures and apply what you learn in your own families. I know that with Heavenly Father’s help we can become great and wonderful mothers to his beloved spirit children, our earthly children.

I know that God, our Father lives; he loves us more than we can understand. He sent his son to be our Savior and Redeemer. Jesus Christ lives! He stands ready to lift us, carry us, and help us as we repent and follow him. I testify that Jesus Christ’s spokesman on earth is Thomas S. Monson, prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the only true and living church on the face of the earth. The Book of Mormon is a true testament of the Savior and his mission. It was translated through the gift and power of God by Joseph Smith, the prophet of the Restoration.

I give my solemn and humble witness of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Retirement

After over thirty years of service my scriptures are being retired. They have been valiant warriors.

I purchased a quad, and am now in the process of transferring all my markings from the old to the new. I know that some, even general authorities, advocate not transferring and just marking as you read the new. I'm not of that school of thought. I transfer and refine my markings each time. The above triple was purchased in 1985 when I was called to be a Gospel Doctrine teacher and I gave up my beloved triple that I had used as a missionary.

I enjoy the process of marking a new set of scriptures as it gives me a chance to see again forgotten treasures, change markings to meet my evolving system, and wonder why the heck I ever marked that one! One change I'm making is that I'm no longer drawing a box around a passage and coloring it in completely. I'm simply underlining the passage.

I love the scriptures, they truly are a lamp unto my feet. Psalm 119:105

How to Study the Scriptures.

Diligently.

Oh, you wanted a longer answer? Okay, here are my suggestions.

Listen to them on tape or compact disc. CD’s are available from church distribution; tapes can sometimes be found at Deseret Industries or yard sales in Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California. The benefit of listening is two-fold. First you hear all the words and names pronounced correctly (or at least consistently), and following along in your book while listening to the reader uses two senses and therefore is more memorable. Second, you can get through quickly enough to have a good overall sense of the story. This is particularly valuable with the Old Testament, and the Book of Mormon. The Doctrine and Covenants doesn’t follow a story line so listening isn’t quite as fun, although still valuable.

Listening is great with young children who don’t yet read, and for reinforcing the emerging abilities of beginning readers. I like the tapes better because it is easy to stop, back up and repeat. When we came across the name Maher-Shalal-Hash-baz in the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 18:1), we listened to it four or five times because the children thought it was the coolest name they’d ever heard.

Study them in conjunction with the Sunday School lessons. Follow the reading assignments in the student booklet (including any chapters that are skipped, because reading more never is wasted) and come to class prepared with thoughts, impressions, questions and insights. The teacher will love you!

Study them topically. Choose a topic you want to know more about, look it up in the topical guide and read all the scriptures listed. As you read, look at what’s ahead of and after the verses so you get a sense of context and outcome. Follow the footnotes to find related verses. Write your impressions, thoughts and feelings in a notebook or journal as you gain understanding of the topic and how it fits in your life. (Maybe I should say see what changes in me are necessary to fit the scriptural standard.)

Study them for revelation. Begin at the beginning and read slowly for understanding and personal revelation to come to you. Ponder or meditate as you find something that touches your heart. Write in a journal or notebook to capture your revelation.

Study them as if on a quest. Right now I’m reading the Book of Mormon looking for examples of gratitude, thanksgiving and cheerfulness. I have an inexpensive copy and a yellow-green pencil to mark with, so as I find what I’m looking for I mark it. Without the distraction of my other markings I will be open to seeing new things within the stories and testimonies.

Study them chronologically. The Old Testament and New Testament were not put together in chronological order, rather they are ordered by type of “book”. History, law, prophecy, poetry, testimony, epistles, or whatever. Although it is a bit more work to do so, reading everything chronologically really helps understand what is happening and why things are said.  (This New Testament list shows chronology by when written rather than by when the events happened, but it's interesting nonetheless.) (Also, parts of the books of Moses and Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price are before Genesis) (Oh, one more thing, Joseph Smith said that Song of Solomon wasn't inspired scripture, so you don't have to read that.)

So, there are six ways to study the scriptures. I’m sure there are more. The important thing to remember and do is to study or read daily: Gather the manna daily; try to save it and it won’t last, it has to be gathered every day. Drink deeply of the living water and eat your fill of the bread of life daily! 

My thoughts (Which I hope are in line with His Thoughts)

My husband came home from General Priesthood Meeting relaxed and in a good mood; he shared with me some of the stories and themes from the talks they'd heard. He got on the computer while I rustled up some dessert for the men (they're all taller than me so I think of them as men now!). He has the ability to stay calm when reading things that make my blood boil. He found an article about the Ordain Women protesters and told me about an interview with a sixteen year old who said she wanted to be ordained because she had skills and talents that she wanted to be useful in the church. (Or something to that effect.)

Herewith are my thoughts about ordaining women to the priesthood.

First: In all of the scriptures I have read, Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, God is absolutely consistent in following the Great Plan of Happiness. At different times and in different places his covenant people have had more or less of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but never a different gospel. And in all of the scriptures The Holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God has been given to men and men only. This is one of those instances where God our Father in Heaven could say "Because I said so," without any other explanation, like good parents can and do, and we should obey without question. At the time we are mature enough and ready we will understand the why.
(I will state right here that I have never questioned and have always "just known" that this was the correct order of things.)

Second: I doubt very much that the sixteen year old girl is currently fully using her talents and skills to build the kingdom of God. Does she hold a calling such as Laurel President? Are all of the Laurels under her stewardship active, temple worthy girls? Is she sharing the gospel with others to the point that they come to church, are taking lessons with missionaries and preparing for baptism? How many generations of family history has she completed? Is her own personal history up to date? Does she reach out to serve others without being assigned or asked? Does she have all the skills and talents she will need to raise and teach children, keep a home, and prepare children to serve missions? Are her prayers effective? She can do all of this and much more without being ordained to the priesthood. When women are perfect in their own sphere, then it might be understandable for them to look at another's sphere, but not until then.

Third: What do those women want to do? Conduct meetings? All presidencies of all the organizations and auxiliaries conduct meetings. Go Home Teaching? What's wrong with Visiting Teaching? (I once thought about having MiaMaids and Laurels serve with visiting teachers, but realized that perhaps it would be inappropriate because of confidentiality issues to have young sisters assisting.) Give blessings? My mother's prayers were heard and answered, sometimes instantly. When she prayed for something it happened. I suppose it was because of her purity, her virtue, her exceeding great faith, whatever it was, it worked! My father's priesthood blessings were no more efficacious than my mother's prayers of faith. I think what the priesthood has done for my father was give him reason to be virtuous and pure so that his blessings would be effective. Mom was that way already. Do those women want to prepare, bless and pass the Sacrament? They remind me of immature children who can't be content seeing what another has until they've taken it away, and once gotten, find it's not so fun after all. Why can't the men and boys have something that civilizes and ennobles them without some female getting in a snit because she can't have it too? Do they want to "run" things? Being a leader is not telling others what to do, believe me, I've learned the hard way. We set an example, encourage, teach and love, but cannot force or punish anyone. 

Fourth: The roles and stewardships of men and women are different yet complementary, they complete each other. One cannot be exalted without the other because it takes the two different halves to make a whole. Perhaps men would be more effective and efficient in church callings if more wives were taking responsibility for their homes and allowing their husbands time to study the gospel and leadership principles, serve in callings and spend time fulfilling their duties without having to work to support the family and then come home and be responsible for fixing dinner, doing dishes, cleaning up after the children and taking care of the children "so the wife can have a break." From personal experience of the opposite I would gladly never have a break if my husband was out doing the work of the Lord. 

Fifth: This is the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. Through Joseph Smith the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored and re-established. Many radically different doctrines were revealed and put into practice. Don't you think that if women were to be ordained to the priesthood it would have been so from the beginning? That it has not must say something about the order of things as they are now. I know that this is the true church of God and His Son on the earth today. We are led by a prophet, Thomas S. Monson, with other prophets and apostles to assist him. The priesthood is God's power and authority to give to whom he chooses after the order set in heaven. One day when all is revealed we will fully understand His order and realize how truly perfect it is.

I Like High Council Sunday!

I know there's a common joke that High Council speakers are boring, even referred to as Dry Council, but in our little Twig (Branch) I LOVE the High Council speakers, and yesterday's were wonderful.

We usually have only one High Councilman, who brings a companion of his choice to speak with him. Yesterday's companion was a youngish (anybody younger than me is young!) man who had served in Iraq in 2003, married with a few young children. He told his conversion story through the theme of Trust in the Lord. It was a great story! I hope he writes it down for his children. He told how the Lord had gently led him and sent people to guide him to the Church. He is excited to be able to baptize his oldest son, this spring. He also talked about the importance of sharing the gospel with those around us so they too will have the opportunity to feel the joy we feel and receive the blessings we have.

The actual High Councilman also spoke about trusting in the Lord as we go through the trials of life. His wife died about two years ago and he had to learn to trust God and grow from his trial. His testimony was poignant and sweet, much like those of the handcart pioneers. He was grateful for his adversity because he grew to know and love the Savior through it.

The Spirit was so strong in the meeting; I felt refreshed and filled. I had gone to church fasting because I felt the need of some extra help in teaching the Relief Society lesson. The talks filled my reservoir enough that I could teach with the Spirit and lead a good discussion about Strengthening our Families.

On another subject: Last night for FHE we read a couple of chapters in Genesis as we had missed family scripture reading in the morning. Joseph, who was sold into Egypt made himself known to his brothers and sent for his father; then the generations of the family are listed. We ended up laughing ourselves silly as we read all the names, wondering how they ever came up with them. Our favorites are Muppim and Huppim, sons of Benjamin. Do you think they were twins?

Happy New Year!

In the back of my triple combination I wrote something I heard once somewhere. Forgive me for not being able to attribute it properly. I think it is appropriate for the beginning of a new year.

Abandon all hope of a better past. Repent, move forward and have hope of a glorious future.

And these two scriptures are appropriate for a New Year:

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:20)

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren [and sisters], let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. (Doctrine and Covenants 123:17)

We live in exciting times seeing the prophesies of the last days fulfilled almost daily. Hold fast to the Iron Rod, press forward with steadfast faith, and may God bless and guide us every step of the way. 

 

 

Here's An Example . . .

Here's an example of why the illiterate can't understand the scriptures.

Last year in our Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine class a sister read this verse of scripture:

Mosiah 19:1 And it came to pass that the army of the king returned after searching in the veins of the people of the Lord. (Were they looking for heroin or what?)

Bless her heart, she's one who constantly says she reads the scriptures but doesn't understand them and marvels at my knowledge and grasp of them.

Well, this is what the verse actually says: "And it came to pass that the army of the king returned, having searched in vain for the people of the Lord."

Big difference!! Can I rant for a moment? These good hearted brothers and sisters butcher every verse they read. They drop words, add words, mispronounce words, change words, and just generally make the scriptures unintelligible. And these are the same people who, suppossedly, would be offended at the offer of a literacy class. So we protect their feelings and offend mine!

The Gospel Doctrine class is taught at an elementary level. It is painfully boring for me to sit through it. I learn more on my own than in that class. I have never been to the Gospel Essentials class, nor would I want to as it is taught by another illiterate whose gospel understanding is based on her protestant upbringing. I feel for the newly baptized members in that class.

I enjoy many things about living in Iowa. The church is not one of them. I long to go back to a ward full of literate, educated brothers and sisters.

If the Glory of God is intelligence, in other words light and truth, why can't we have some of it out here in the Heartland? It is no wonder to me that the Branch here has been shrinking for many years. My friend, the YW's President tells that when they moved here about 18 years ago the branch was flourishing with a huge (40 children) Primary and they routinely took 10 or 11 girls to summer camp, the largest group in the Stake. What happened? A combination of factors, but I have to ask, how can a unit grow without literate members and a climate of excellence rather than one of mediocrity?

Line upon line, precept upon precept

I'm teaching Seminary again this year to just our two sons, which is a lot like homeschooling: We do things a bit differently. I don't follow the "song and dance" routines outlined in the Teacher's manual, opting rather for a more exegesistic approach (critical explanation or interpretation of a text, esp. of scripture). Years ago I came upon that word in a book about homeschooling, by the way, and had to look it up. Very good word.

We open with a song, prayer and thought. Pretty regular there. Then we read what the student manual says about the chapter we're going to read; usually the manual, designed for home study students, asks you to look for something as you read. So we do. Then we discuss it and answer the questions in the manual looking for the subtle clues that show a larger picture.

Reading just one or two chapters each morning and talking (or thinking and writing) about the doctrines and principles in them is a good way to receive personal revelation line upon line and precept upon precept. You truly do get a little here and a little there, nuggets to build with. Build your testimony, your knowledge, your understanding.

We are studying the New Testament, of which the Gospels are my favorites, and the blessings of modern technology in the form of Bible Videos available on demand in the internet is huge. Talk about bringing the scriptures to life!

May we study the scriptures "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Ephesians 4:13