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

Truth and Consequences

Truth will stand, eternal and unchanging. As I read bloggers and comments all over the internet spout opinions about my religion I remember Galileo. He was arrested, tried and convicted of heresy because he taught that the sun is the center of the solar system, not the earth. He was not the first to teach this truth, and of course he was not the last, but in his day the truths he espoused were not accepted. The truth did not change because of this non-acceptance, it stood the test of time and with the proper instruments to view to solar system the truth is now universally accepted.

The truth that members of The Church of Jesus Christ is Latter-day Saints are in fact, word and deed Christians followers of Jesus Christ, is not universally accepted. But that doesn't change the truth and someday with the "proper instruments" to view the beliefs and practices of the church it will be an accepted truth.

I've always wondered why seekers of facts or truth don't go directly to the source. It would be like a person wanting to know about Subaru automobiles going to the Ford dealer. Would you get the straight scoop? Would anyone wanting to know about the Massachusetts Institute of Technology go to University of Nevada, Las Vegas for information. If I want to know about the Baptists I sure wouldn't go to the Lutherans.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not lie about it's theology, practices or customs. We do not brainwash individuals or force anyone to do anything against their will. All are welcome to attend our meetings and speak with members and missionaries. Look around the walls of our buildings and listen to the hymns we sing, the prayers over the Sacrament and then tell me that you believe we are not followers of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

One commenter said that the Book of Mormon was simply the rantings of a deranged mind (wonder where he heard that) and I wondered if he/she had ever read the book.

I do know that human beings are generally afraid of what they don't know and that fear tends to show itself as dislike. I can tell you about that from my own experience. As I was preparing to serve a mission I so hoped I would not get called to an Asian mission. I didn't like the food or the music or costumes or the strangeness of it all. I hadn't been introduced to the Asian cultures and found them to be odd at first glance. I wasn't sent there, I went to the deep South and learned to love the people of the Bible Belt, along with speaking Southern. After my mission I had experiences that opened my eyes a little bit and I could see that the Orient had wonderful things to offer. But it wasn't until many years later when our daughter Noble introduced me to all things Korean that I let go of my prejudices and opened my heart to learn of a people and culture rather different from mine.

Followers of Jesus Christ in other churches saying that Mormons aren't Christian are like me saying that Asians aren't human beings because they have customs and habits that are different than mine. We don't have to have the same customs, habits and tastes to value and appreciate each other as human beings; nor do we have to be the same in beliefs and customs to value and appreciate each other as followers of Jesus Christ. We have more in common than we are different. I can learn from you and you can learn from me. We can help each other and our communities if we unite in our commonalities and strengths rather than emphasizing our differences.

A Latter-day Captain Moroni

We are almost finished with Alma in our family Book of Mormon reading. It's one of my favorite parts of the Book of Mormon because it is so relevant to our day.

Reading chapter 46 gave me goosebumps! Here is the chapter heading:

Amalickiah conspires to be king--Moroni raises the title of liberty--He rallies the people to defend their religion--True believers are called Christians--A remnant of Joseph shall be preserved--Amalickiah and the dissenters flee to the land of Nephi--Those who will not support the cause of freedom are put to death.

A wicked man, Amalickiah, gathers dissenters around him by flattering them; "And there were many in the church who believed in the flattering words of Amalickiah, therefore they dissented from the church; . . . Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one. Yea, and we see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men." (Alma 46:7-9)

Mormon's commentary "Yea, we see that Amalickiah, because he was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, or which blessing God had sent upon the face of the land for the righteous' sake."

At this time Moroni, who was made chief captain over the Nephite armies at age twenty-five, got fed up and rent his coat then wrote upon a piece of it "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" and then he fastened it to a pole, calling it the title of liberty. (Alma 43:17, 46:12, 13)

He rallied the people to a remembrance of their blessings, the commandments and instilled in them a desire to protect and maintain their liberties. Moroni took his army to stand against Amalickiah and the dissenters who followed him. Amalickiah saw that Moroni's army was more numerous than his own so he fled into the wilderness with a small number of his men. The rest were taken back to Zarahemla and forced to chose - either enter into a covenant of peace or be put to death. (The final solution!) It's interesting to note that "there were but few who denied the covenant of freedom." (Alma 46:35)

I especially like verse 38 "And Helaman and the high priests did also maintain order in the church; yea, even for the space of four years did they have much peace and rejoicing." (Emphasis mine.)

Now turn over to chapter 48, verses 11 - 13, and 17 for a description of Moroni:

And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery; Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people. Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his right, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood. . . .Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. 

Why would Mormon include so much detail with this story? Well, he saw our day and knew what we would be facing. I believe we are at a moment in history very similar to the one Captain Moroni faced. Our current President is a cunning, flatterer who was elected by people who didn't really know who he is and what he wants to do to this country. It's as if he desires to be a king!

On to the scene comes a man like unto Captain Moroni in the form of Mitt Romney! I just finished his book No Apology and am convinced that this is the man brought up to raise the title of liberty and rally the American people to save this country. His world view is through the lens of the gospel and the Book of Mormon. He understands the unique mission and destiny of this land of freedom. He doesn't want to be king, or be in charge for the money or power he could accrue, he wants to serve and save this nation, returning it to a land of liberty and opportunity! He has the knowledge and the experience to do the job. The most recent impressive endorsement comes from a group of 400 economists, including five Nobel Laureates. They believe his policies are the ones that will turn around the economy and put us on the right path to greatness again.

I've never been so passionate about an election before. I've even put my money where my mouth is, contributing to Romney's campaign. I truly believe that he has come to the nation for such a time as this (see Esther 4:14).

I was singing in the rain

"If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season. . ."
(Leviticus 26:3-4)

Our prayers were answered this week with a fabulous rainstorm on Tuesday night. I've tried to find out how much rain fell but can't find a source for that information without paying, which I'm too cheap to do. So. Anyway, it was lots!

The temperature Wednesday and today, Thursday, has been so much cooler too, such a relief after the horrible heat wave of the last few weeks. We've had the windows open with a lovely breeze blowing through the house. I love the way old house have windows on all four walls so that a breeze can blow straight through. I've lived in modern houses with absolutely NO WINDOWS on the side of the house that gets the prevailing wind and find that those are the hottest, most stuffy houses. I like fresh outside air whenever I can get it.

Blessed, Honored Pioneers

Handcart Pioneers by Torleif Knaphus

Happy Pioneer Day - July 24th!

This stirring statue, on Temple Square, Salt Lake City, was sculpted by my mother's uncle, Torleif Knaphus.

I've been drawn to pioneers since I was a little girl. I think I must have watched them from heaven, cheering them on and praying mightily for their success. Last night for Family Home Evening we watched 17 Miracles, a film about the Willie handcart company. Our hearts swelled with gratitude and love while our eyes leaked tears as we saw the portrayal of these pioneers.

Re-enactment of Pioneer Trek of 1847

As far as I know, none of my ancestors crossed the plains in a covered wagon or handcart. They migrated later and rode on the train. But, I still claim the pioneers as mine. I love them for their faith, fortitude and perseverance.

Although we can recreate the trek, down to the smallest physical detail, it is impossible to capture the feelings of those Mormon Pioneers, cast from their homes traveling to an unknown destination where all that awaited them was a whole lot of hard work.

I'm so grateful they did it laying a firm foundation for our day. We are indebted to them and today is the day to our gratitude.

Thank you!