tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-748643946540735132024-02-06T21:22:55.980-07:00My Soul Delighteth in the scriptures
<center> "for my soul deligheth in the scriptures,<br>
and my heart pondereth them,
and writeth them <br>for the learning
and the profit of my children"</center>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.comBlogger366125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-16912380333608383542023-01-13T09:54:00.006-07:002023-01-13T09:54:54.677-07:00Come Follow Me January 9-15 Matthew 2; Luke 2 Part 1<p>I need a way to really dig into Come Follow Me. I used to blog when I studied the scriptures, and when blogging kind of fell out of favor (because now we have all this video/audio content) I kind of stopped blogging regularly. There was also the complication of the tragic end of my marriage, my remarriage to a man who gave me three extra kiddos, and then raising all those kids. Ha ha. Well, things have slowed down, and now I am going to really get back to blogging.</p><p></p><blockquote>From the day of his birth, it was clear that Jesus was no ordinary child. It wasn't just the new star in the heavens of the joyous angelic proclamation that made Jesus' infancy remarkable. It was also the fact that such a variety of faithful people - from different nations, professions, and backgrounds - felt immediately drawn to Him.</blockquote><p>Isn't this so remarkable? That so many people from so many different backgrounds came unto Him. Will I be drawn to Christ when He comes again? Am I drawn to Him now? </p><p>The Nativity story is such a familiar story, sometimes it looses its wonder. <a href="https://humanparts.medium.com/how-to-experience-wonder-as-a-grown-up-753904635456" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I am trying to remember to never lose my sense of wonder, as the song goes</a>. I want to find wonder in all the familiarity of the world. </p><p><b><i>Luke 2:1-7</i></b></p><p><b><u>Jesus Christ was born in humble circumstances.</u></b></p><p>What is the significance of the Savior being born in humble circumstances? The scriptures talk about how the Savior knew exactly how to succor us, because of his experiences. We tend to have more empathy for people when we have similar experiences as them. Beyond just the idea of empathy and succoring, the prophets of old prophesied that the Savior would be born in the circumstances in which He was born.</p><p>The Come Follow Me manual suggests "ponder what [the Luke 2:1-7] account of His birth teaches you about Him. Try to identify details or insights in this story that you hadn't noticed before." Here goes:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>It had been prophesied that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem. The census happened at just the right time for Joseph to be able to take Mary to Bethlehem. Heavenly Father allow things to happen at just the right time, in just the right order for the Savior to be born in Bethlehem.</li><li>I often think about how Joseph and Mary decided that Mary should go to Bethlehem. I doubt Joseph was required to take Mary. He probably could have left her home to have the baby, but instead, they both went. I imagine that Mary and Joseph were not ignorant of the prophecies of the Savior's birth. When the decree went out to be taxed, they were likely not surprised that they would be going to Bethlehem so near to Mary's delivery. Maybe they had a little conversation and said "Look, God said that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Let's pack the donkey and get ready to have this baby in Bethlehem." In fact, I doubt that the birth in Bethlehem was unexpected. They probably knew it would happen, and likely carried provisions for the birth, and possibly event traveled with midwives or other birth attendants.</li></ul><div><b><i>How does noticing these things affect your feelings toward Him?</i></b></div><div>It is comforting to know that He knew. That He knew he would be coming to a lowly, humble stable. He knew, and He wanted to do it. He was willing to do it to fulfill the prophesies, and to better understand how to succor his people.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stay tuned for Part 2 (and probably Part 3, etc) of my Come Follow Me study this week!</div><p></p><p></p>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-9604160421842602342022-10-27T20:28:00.006-06:002022-10-27T20:28:52.277-06:00I Will Walk with Jesus - harmony part and C instrument obbligato<p> I wrote this for my family to sing/play for our Primary program in November. We have a tiny Primary, so our ward typically has families participate in the Primary program. Feel free to use this arrangement. I only ask that you do not sell it.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">To listen, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xnBmNetFZowax4dPnopbWuyfRp1-cz3S/view?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MhDPfR9zgsXKLqvd6gaqHwDVFaZg0oE4/view?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="816" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinUgL-Dzs_AqKxoAGEi7BnmGq2VgozJjs2EutN4dJdnPPXB6sx0w11PeSYm5ta6iJEs9Dgf-n20dwwN4YJVniJwAlZ-cbK8s2iV9l3iQwkKeSp1gqhDJ6WgiJgZ8UMaWccBCF0jANJbUwYPC-O6dX2Dv4uYsqbnotbuP74BdgOHdgOln_aY572GpVljg=w287-h372" width="287" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For the score and parts<a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KOK9gph9AjPaEv4TRR1KU0c9O3rJNrXI?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> CLICK HERE.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Please leave a comment and let me know how you liked it, or if you have any feedback!</div><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-77167564178533509812022-06-14T20:34:00.003-06:002022-06-14T20:34:49.687-06:00The Lost Women of the Old Testament (June 13-19)<p> The title is a little tongue-in-cheek. The women are there. Just not in the Come Follow Me curriculum. But that's okay! Because it isn't the end-all-be-all of gospel study. It is meant to be a unifying curriculum, which is awesome, but sometimes we need a little more. So here we go.</p><p>Tonight I am going to be studying:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Phinehas's Wife</li><li>Michal</li></ul><div><b>Phinehas's Wife</b></div><div>When I skimmed the scriptures at the beginning of Heather's chapter on his particular woman, I knew I had zero context for the story, so I headed over to 1 Samuel 4 to figure out what was going on when this woman was mentioned. Turns out the Israelites were at war with the Philistines, and the Philistines won and captured the ark of the covenant (you know, that super important sacred symbol from the tabernacle that represents the throne of God? Yeah, the same one). Eli (the priest who raised Samuel the boy prophet) and his sons die (in fulfillment of a prophecy from a few chapters previous), and then Phinehas's wife dies in childbirth. (Phinehas is one of the sons of Eli). This is a pretty tragic story, but we can learn a lot from it.</div><div><br /></div><div>When Phinehas's wife dies in childbirth, she names her son "Ichabod" or "Where is the glory?" because she is so weighed down by the grief of her husband's and father-in-law's deaths, and the capture of the ark of the covenant. This was a really rocky time for the Israelites, and I can imagine birthing a child during this madness was probably a little overwhelming. Heather points out that not too far in the future, if Phinehas's wife hadn't died in childbirth, she would have seen the great prophet Samuel, King David, King Solomon, and the beautiful temple being built.</div><div><br /></div><div>Heather points out "We can trust that when the Lord begins a 'birthing' in our life, when we feel the pangs of travail in our minds, our souls, and our bodies, that there will also one day be a deliverance - a day when our pain will cease, our souls will rejoice, and we will hold new life in our arms." I recently bore my testimony about this concept. I have been through some really dark times in the past several years. The scripture that has kept me going has been Psalms 30:5 "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." I know that is true - even if the joy doesn't come in this life, it will come. Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ joy will always come. His sacrifice swallows up all suffering and pain. He is the true Comforter.</div><div><br /></div><div>President Spencer W. Kimball wisely taught, "If we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors." There has to be opposition in this life. It is what we chose in the pre-existence. We knew there would be pain. I don't know that we fully understood what that meant, but we chose it. We wanted to be like our Father and Mother in heaven and we knew that we would have to endure suffering to obtain that.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Michal</b></div><div>This is a fascinating story that I honestly had never heard before. Michal was the first wife of David, before he was king. It sounds like she was young and probably pretty smitten with David, and even helped him escape from her father, Saul, who wanted to kill him (David). However, once David escaped it appears that he disappeared and never really came back for Michal. So Saul married Michal to another man, and it appears that she lived happily with her second husband. But then David came back as the king, and ordered Michal to come back to be <i>his</i> wife.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thinking about what that might feel like gives me all sorts of feelings. To think your husband was dead, or had abandoned you, then find happiness with another marriage, and then have that husband come back as a king and order you to move in with him again. I would feel pretty used and abused. It sounds like they didn't have a good relationship when she came to live with him as his queen. I can't really blame her. What a rough situation!</div><div><br /></div><div>------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div>I wanted to study a few more women tonight, but it's getting late, so I'll probably study them this weekend (Abigail and Ahinoam of Jezreel).</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-77620298916612146302022-06-14T19:43:00.002-06:002022-06-14T19:43:52.482-06:00Come Follow Me and Women<p> Some friends and started the year getting together and discussing the women in the Old Testament as we followed the Come Follow Me curriculum each week. Things got busy for some of us (me) and the group kind of dissolved, but we are trying to resurrect it. They got together tonight, but unfortunately I wasn't able to make it because I am getting ready to leave for Girls Camp tomorrow and all my clothes are in the wash. A silly excuse, I know, but to make up for it, while the laundry was running, I went through Heather's book <i>Walking with the Women in the Old Testament</i> and tried to correlate all the women in her book with the Come Follow Me curriculum. I was surprised to find that the majority of the scriptures that mention women in the Old Testament have been completed left out of the Come Follow Me curriculum. As I skimmed over those chapters, though, it was pretty clear why. Many of the verses don't mention much about the women, and almost all of the stories are pretty tragic, or deal with some seriously heavy topics (incest, dying in childbirth, etc). Not exactly stuff you want to bring up in Sunday School.</p><p>But for us women, I think talking about these circumstances and the women who endured them is incredibly valuable, so I made a schedule so we can study them. Some of them I was able to match up with the Come Follow Me curriculum, but the majority are in books that we have already covered at this point in Come Follow Me, so we'll have to play catch up later.</p><p>Because I am not with my friends, I decided I would type out my thoughts about the women that fit with Come Follow Me this week. But I think I'll do it in another post, so look for that one to show up tomorrow (if anyone is even still reading this blog - ha ha ha. I highly doubt it. Although I do plan to write more on here. I've forgotten how much I love writing. Maybe some day I will write a book.</p>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-38713192467407466942021-01-10T16:56:00.002-07:002021-01-10T16:56:58.666-07:00Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words to Each Other<p> Today I had my family write an essay about the hymn, <i>Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words</i>. They said I had to do the essay as well.</p><p>I sat with my 7 year old and talked through the meaning of the lyrics with him. I have always loved this hymn, but the words area so beautiful and I was reminded of that today.</p><p>This hymn really describes how words can be magic - literal magic. Kind words can give courage and hope, and bring happiness. On the other hand, disparaging words and harsh tones can stir up anger and hate, as we have seen all too much in our society. True followers of Christ will desire to use kind words that can soften hearts and awake souls to good cheer! In Proverbs 15:1 we read, "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." </p><p>I love the imagery in this hymn, and I used that with my 7 year old. We closed our eyes and imagined the "warblings of birds on the heather" and felt the happiness and cheer when we heard those little birds. We closed our eyes and imagined the "sunbeams of morn on the mountains" and felt the warmth of the morning rays of sun and the beauty of the mountains. We closed our eyes and listened to the "murmur of cool, pleasant fountains" as the water fell, and felt peace in our hearts and minds. If we can evoke those kinds of feelings with something as simple as kind words, why wouldn't we <i style="font-weight: bold;">always</i> speak kind words?</p><p>Further, kind words last much longer than the moment they are uttered. Because those kind words produce such rich and powerful emotions, "the kind words we give shall in memory live and sunshine forever impart." Those we share kind words with will remember those kind words <i style="font-weight: bold;">forever</i>, and maybe years later, when we aren't around, they will need encouragement, peace, and cheer, and they might hear the kind words we spoke in those moments, bringing them the sunshine anew from the time we spoke those kind words. </p><p>Sometimes it can be difficult to use kind words. We may be impatient, tired, hungry, stressed, any number of negative things can be going on in our own lives. It is in these difficult moments that we must take a step back - even put ourselves in timeout (I put myself in timeout quite frequently) and ask our Father in Heaven to soften our hearts. I am not as good as I should be about stopping myself before I use grievous words, but I am making a commitment today to use kinder words. I want the words that last in my children's minds and hearts to be the kind ones I speak. Sometimes when I am impatient or stressed I am harsh. Sometimes when my children are stubborn and/or disrespectful, the angry words bubble out. When I am anxious or worried, I also have a hard time with kind words. </p><p>I believe in the power of prayer, and so today and for the rest of the week I am going to make a commitment to pray for kind words - that I will find kind ways to speak to my family members, my children, my spouse.</p>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-80761258726680226712020-08-02T10:01:00.002-06:002020-08-02T10:02:07.012-06:00The Gift of Time<div><b>Originally Written March 22, 2020</b></div><div><br /></div><div>
Yesterday as our family knelt in family prayer I was overcome with the feeling that God is giving me a gift. It is a gift he is giving me to prepare my children for whatever is coming next. </div>
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In the past several months - really probably the past several years - I have been wishing that I could just have <i>more time</i>. More time to teach my children the gospel, more time to talk with them and get to know them, more time to slow down and play with them. When you have seven children there is never enough time. And being a teacher-mom means I have had even less time with each child.</div>
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I feel like I have been given a great and powerful gift with the current global pandemic. The gift I have been given is to have my children in my home full time, insulated from the attacks of the adversary, and in my care so that I can more intensely nurture them and prepare them. While our home has been a little chaotic this past week, I have also noticed some incredible God-given changes. My children are kinder, and more soft spoken. They are more helpful, and more spiritual. I get to control, for the most part, what happens in our home, and I have chosen to make sure that there are a lot of calm, peaceful interactions. Children must be <i>taught</i> to be calm, and the world doesn't teach them to be calm. We must teach them that calm and peace within the walls of our home.</div>
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Each interaction with my children this week has been precious to me. There is no rushing, just being together. I have honestly savored every moment. Let me throw a little reality in there, though... when I took my 16 year old son out driving, we got in the car and shut the doors and just sat for a moment. Then I said, "It's <i>so</i> quiet!"</div>
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Having all seven children home full time reminds me of the first few times my husband and I got our families together. The scene as chaotic, but full of joy. We called it "joyful chaos". Those two words are the most accurate description of our family life.</div>
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Today while we were participating in the ordinance of the sacrament with our family in our "home church", I had a beautiful vision. Our home was encased in great shield, not unlike the ones in a science fiction movie. I felt a power surrounding our house, keeping out the evils in the world, and increasing the love and strength inside our home.<div>
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We live in a confusing time, and for a lot of people, a scary and disappointing time. I feel incredibly blessed to have the peace that we have.</div>
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Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-70155306383497060872020-08-02T10:00:00.001-06:002020-08-02T10:00:12.388-06:00Staying Focused"Being self-reliant does not mean that we can do or obtain anything we set our mind to."<div>
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I read this sentence for the first time last fall. It rocked my world. I have always believed that if I wanted anything, all I would need to do is work hard and stay focused, and I could obtain it.</div>
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I have been working hard my entire life to be financially secure and to have a strong family. And there I was, in a very precarious financial situation, blending a family and co-parenting with an ex-spouse. My life is so much not what I have been working for.</div>
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To be completely honest, I was beginning to get burned out. Working hard for so long and not achieving what I thought I would be able to achieve has been exhausting. I thought I was self reliant because of this mindset that if I just work hard I can do anything I put my mind to.</div>
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So if self reliance is not being able to do or obtain anything we set our mind to, what is it? The Church's <a href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/personal-finances-for-self-reliance?lang=eng" target="_blank">Personal Finances for Self-Reliance</a> course book describes it this way:</div>
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"Rather, it is believing that through the grace, or enabling power, of Jesus Christ and our own effort, we are able to obtain all the spiritual and temporal necessities of life we require for ourselves and our families. Self reliance is evidence of our trust or faith in God’s power to move mountains in our lives and to give us strength to triumph over trials and afflictions."</div><div><br /></div><div>My focus had been on my own abilities, rather on the enabling power of Jesus Christ and having faith in God's will for me. I have been trying to be more focused on God's will in my life. One aspect of this was resigning as a school teacher. Being a stay at home mom has always been one of my life goals, and yet I always found reasons why it wasn't possible. When the global pandemic hit and schools were shut down and teachers were expected to teach from home, I was able to "test drive" my dream. It was beautiful. I loved being home with my kids, and it made me want it more than anything else. So I resigned. It took a lot of faith, because without my income, we wouldn't be able to pay the bills. But God will provide, and has. Going to Air Force basic training this summer allowed us to save a LOT of money, pay off some debts, and prepare for my exit from the full time workforce. It also gave my husband some time to figure out how to increase his earning power to be able to replace my income. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes we loose focus, and rely on our own abilities, rather than the grace of God. I hope I can learn to stay focused on that grace, and on God's will.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Have you ever lost focus? What did you do to refocus yourself on the things that matter most? How have you learned to rely on God's will rather than your own ability?</i></b></div>
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Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-31311422396307064052019-08-05T13:00:00.000-06:002019-08-05T13:00:03.613-06:00Outward Performances and the Law of MosesAs I began to study the <a href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-individuals-and-families-new-testament-2019/31?lang=eng" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Come Follow Me lesson for this week</a>, my attention was drawn to the section titled "My outward actions must reflect and increase inner conversion." The early Saints after the Savior's death still believed that they were required to practice the rites and rituals of the law of Moses to obtain salvation. I was then intrigue by this assertion in the manual:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2pNuVv1vOymiM6dIKqFBNUwUGRcuvkCbMfsaDfO-9afsJ4xALc5Rex_ovWOH01DvM7j7e-oVJlvr_REf45blzbfA2CsI3mGsXlwyCYMoluerqGmSHyZJuxR6-hgtQaliAKrGgNdYM_FV/s1600/law+of+moses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="800" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2pNuVv1vOymiM6dIKqFBNUwUGRcuvkCbMfsaDfO-9afsJ4xALc5Rex_ovWOH01DvM7j7e-oVJlvr_REf45blzbfA2CsI3mGsXlwyCYMoluerqGmSHyZJuxR6-hgtQaliAKrGgNdYM_FV/s320/law+of+moses.jpg" width="320" /></a>This may seem like a problem that doesn't apply any more since we don't live by the law of Moses. But as you read Paul's writings... think about your own efforts to live the gospel.</blockquote>
This got me thinking about all of the rites and rituals we perform or participate in as members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ. <i>Why, if the law of Moses has been fulfilled, and we profess to follow Jesus Christ, do we continue to participate in rites and rituals?</i><br />
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The first thing I did was head to Doctrine & Covenants Section 132 for a little refresher on the New and Everlasting Covenant (which is really most of what the temple rites and rituals are about). As I studied about the marriage covenant and sealing power and authority I was reminded that the New and Everlasting Covenant is in regards to <i>exaltation</i> rather than <i>salvation</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/pages/salvation-and-exaltation?lang=eng" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Salvation vs Exaltation</a></h4>
In Moses chapter 1 verse 39, the Lord tells Moses, "Behold, this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_LE8jzM4xxuBGki6KlrVLGEkpOACkXcxqU4z4QfIQQ1mdqoEKOlkfkjKNOggZG2UKenM_5uVVNPacruciDaIaQ2WlOCaf1q3kch5b7VQqznDLVmKZqsB9D-wpEJjIpRC3ZMCJoQDiGe0/s1600/children-songbook-art-153009-gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="596" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_LE8jzM4xxuBGki6KlrVLGEkpOACkXcxqU4z4QfIQQ1mdqoEKOlkfkjKNOggZG2UKenM_5uVVNPacruciDaIaQ2WlOCaf1q3kch5b7VQqznDLVmKZqsB9D-wpEJjIpRC3ZMCJoQDiGe0/s320/children-songbook-art-153009-gallery.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/04/salvation-and-exaltation?lang=eng" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">President Russell M. Nelson taught</a>, "To be saved - or to gain salvation - means to be saved from physical and spiritual death." This salvation comes because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and His atoning sacrifice. We are all saved. This is what fulfilled the Law of Moses - Christ died for us, and made that eternal sacrifice so that we can all be saved. The Law of Moses was a way to remind the Jews that Christ would come and would die for all the world.<br />
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President Russell M. Nelson continued, "To be exalted - or to gain exaltation - refers to the highest state of happiness and glory in the celestial realm." This is different from salvation because it is not something that just comes to everyone - we have to make certain covenants and promises, and we make those covenants and promises through rites and rituals that are reminiscent of the Law of Moses.<br />
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Rites and Rituals</h4>
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When we make covenants and promises with Heavenly Father toward our exaltation, such as baptism, receiving the priesthood for worthy males, and making temple covenants, we do so only <i>once</i> for ourselves. We are baptized only once ever for ourselves, and we participate in temple covenants only once for ourselves. Unlike the Law of Moses, where the rites and rituals had to be performed regularly, we only perform those rites and rituals once for our own exaltation, or eternal life. The only rite or ritual we perform multiple times for ourselves is the sacrament. However, partaking of the sacrament, while an important practice for remembering the Savior, is not essential for exaltation.</div>
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Outward Symbols of an Inner Commitment</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ABVGJFO10fJ6SO79sqN_egENuEnoySE98s2wHhj1950Y0w1soNGdcbALh6kKOnm8fairIiJqwHy63_vjLu12Zf88yP4om7SSWMXkboUcHhDeIPY03kR7EPwqF2_aA0bQkZo2SWVFrcTN/s1600/deacon-passing-sacrament-1107042-gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="298" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ABVGJFO10fJ6SO79sqN_egENuEnoySE98s2wHhj1950Y0w1soNGdcbALh6kKOnm8fairIiJqwHy63_vjLu12Zf88yP4om7SSWMXkboUcHhDeIPY03kR7EPwqF2_aA0bQkZo2SWVFrcTN/s320/deacon-passing-sacrament-1107042-gallery.jpg" width="213" /></a>So why all the rites and rituals? What is the point, if we believe the Law of Moses has been fulfilled and that salvation is given to all men, regardless of what we do?</div>
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The Book of Mormon gives a stirring account of some early Saints who lived prior to the life of Christ <i>but knew of Him and the fullness of His gospel</i>. Essentially, they already knew that Christ would come and that He would give us the beautiful gift of the atonement. However, they were still required to live the Law of Moses and participate in those rites and rituals.</div>
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Yea, and they did keep the law of Moses; for it was expedient that they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was not all fulfilled. But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and believing that they must keep those outward performances until the time that he should be revealed unto them.</blockquote>
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Now they did not supposed that salvation came by the law of Moses;<i><b> but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ</b></i>; and thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation, relying upon the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come.</blockquote>
The Saints in the Americas did not keep the Law of Moses because they thought they needed to do all of those things in order to gain salvation. They kept the Law of Moses because they used those rites and rituals to <i>strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ.</i><br />
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Likewise, we are not required to take the sacrament, or participate in temple ordinances. Even if we have made covenants for ourselves in the temple, there is no requirement to return to the temple for our own exaltation. We did what was required. So why go back? Why take the sacrament? The Book of Mormon gives us this beautiful explanation and admonition: "to strengthen [our] faith in Christ."<br />
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It is easy to think of partaking of the sacrament and attending the temple as some kind of check box. Each week we take the sacrament on Sunday, "check"! Each time we attend the temple to perform vicarious works for the dead, "check"! We will probably get a lot more out of the rites and rituals that we perform regularly if we approach it as the Saints did in the Americas - as a way to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ.<br />
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The section from the Come Follow Me manual ends with these questions:<br />
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<b><i>Are your outward performances, such as taking the sacrament or attending the temple, leading you to conversion and strengthening your faith in Christ? How can you ensure that your outward actions are leading to a change of heart?</i></b><br />
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<br />Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-84171444952398599452019-08-04T14:09:00.000-06:002019-08-04T14:09:43.945-06:00Cut to the Very CenterToday in fast and testimony meeting I was thinking about my parenting in the past several weeks. I have been in lecture mode, and I was reflecting on ways I could teach my children (specifically my teenagers) without lectures. It is one of my life goals to raise my children, especially my teens, to be self-reflective, self-motivated, and hard working. I try to lead by example, but sometime I am afraid that my lectures are obscuring my example, and they become discouraged or disinterested in growth.<br />
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Then I was thinking about how as parents we spend a lot of time helping our children with course correction, and how they may not always appreciate that at this time in their lives. I know that I probably didn't appreciate the helpful criticism of my parents when I was a teen.<br />
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But now that I am in the position of parent I actually crave helpful criticism. It would be so helpful to have people in my life speak out and point out those areas in which I can improve. In the first book of Nephi chapter 16, Nephi admits that he has been lecturing his siblings, and that "the guilty take the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center." Every day I feel the need to be cut to my very center. I am not a finished product - far from it - and I need all the cutting down I can get.<br />
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I am in a stage of life where the people who speak truth to me are typically speaking truth in general terms and to a large group of people, and not specifically directed at me. It is up to me to reflect on my own life and personality and allow words of truth to cut me "to the very center". This takes a lot of humility, and an enormous ability to rely on and hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Both are areas of life that I struggle with and work on every day.<br />
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Perhaps as I work to teach my children about self reflection, self motivation, and hard work, I can use examples from my own life, and allow them to consider if the truth is cutting them to the very center, causing them the discomfort of growth. Then we can learn together, and I can focus on my own personal growth more than lecturing my teenagers.<br />
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<b><i>What do you use as a source of truth to help refine you and cut you to the very center? If you have teens (or if you were a teen) what strategies helped you teach (or learn) self-reflection, self-motivation and hard work?</i></b><br />
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<br />Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-60271726761040034012019-07-22T21:59:00.001-06:002019-07-22T21:59:38.702-06:00Answers ComeIn my last post I talked about not really knowing how to prioritize all that there is to do. <div><br></div><div>I still don’t know all the answers, but this quote from President Oaks showed up on my news feed the other day and I felt as if it was an answer to my prayers. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_4edd_5892_a801_717" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5geVXn7l_0W5xdukLtRc7Sq_OpaUg9rq2P6B6Ms4gOQObPEoiobneXIv6r0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 355px; height: auto;"></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">I have been trying to pray for that inspiration to know what things MUST be done, according to eternal principle. I am finding this inspiration harder to receive than I thought, but I did feel like I could at least name a few:</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">1.) scripture study (both individual and with my family)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">2.) prayer (both individual and with my family)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Beyond this I haven’t been able to come up with much else that is required by eternal principles. When I try to add to my list I end up going down a rabbit hole of “Well, if that is important, than so is this.” And I start getting in debates with myself, “What makes this more important than the other thing? Could I choose between doing these two things?” Because that thought process gets so mangled and complicated I feel that it is safe to assume that anything beyond those first two priorities falls in the “pray for wisdom to exercise our preferences” category. </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">I am still working on actually following these priorities. Having a clean house is incredibly important to me. But I wonder if it would become less important if I was studying the scriptures and praying more regularly on my own and with my children...? Teaching my children to work is important to me, but should it be more important than teaching them to study the scriptures and pray? I don’t think so. </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">And so I continue working on prioritizing my time and I spend a lot of time in prayer and counsel with Heavenly Father, beggin Him for the inspiration I so desperately need!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><b><i>How do you decide what is most important in your life? How do you discern what is required by eternal principles? How do you use wisdom to exercise your preferences for all the other things?</i></b></span></div><div><br><br></div>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-73610692272861176552019-05-13T10:00:00.000-06:002019-05-13T10:00:10.000-06:00What Lack I Yet?I have always identified with the young man who asked the Savior "What lack I yet?"<br />
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"And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth." (Mark 10:20)<br />
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Perhaps I have kept all of the "big" commandments, but we all have small things that we can change. My problems it not being unaware of my failings, but rather being hyper aware of all the things I can change or do differently. My struggle has always been figuring out what to prioritize.<br />
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As I re-read <a href="https://www.lds.org/study/general-conference/2015/10/what-lack-i-yet?lang=eng" target="_blank">Elder Larry R. Lawrence's talk from 2015 General Conference</a> I realized that I can ask Heavenly Father to guide me.<br />
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I am a planner, and I like having the next several minutes, hours, days, and months planned out. I am flexible and willing to make changes, but I like to have a "plan" as a starting place. Unfortunately, I think this tendency has hampered my ability to listen to and follow the spirit in quiet moments. I am so sure of my course that I have been relying on my own will, instead of listening to God's will.<br />
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As I sit here trying to make the commitment to seek and follow God's will in the small things, I am confronted with a few doubts:<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">1.) What if God wants me to figure things out on my own and He doesn't answer my pleas for "What should I do?"</span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">2.) What if I am not worthy of receiving God's will and inspiration?</span></i></blockquote>
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When I ponder these challenges I realize that these are the doubts I have been facing for years, if not decades. I don't know how to overcome these doubts just yet, but I will focus on overcoming them this week.<br />
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<b><i>What doubts do you face when trying to make a new commitment? Do you sometimes feel unworthy to receive revelation? Do you struggle to know if God wants to you figure things out on your own or if He wants to give you direct revelation?</i></b>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-86363452489046161482019-05-12T16:42:00.000-06:002019-05-12T16:42:59.164-06:00What Matters MostI am trying to figure out what matters most. In a large family with so much going on, even a "simple" life can seem very complex. I am trying to simplify, but not miss the mark. This era of raising children is a season, and I am trying not to overly complicate it.<div>
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Balance. I have trouble with balance.</div>
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In an effort to receive more personal guidance on the idea of balance, I am trying to focus on what matters most. I don't know how to best use my talents in the world, or even for my family, but I <i>do</i> know that what matters most is learning and teaching the gospel. So I will refocus my priorities to learn and teach the gospel.</div>
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Goal #1: Learn the gospel.</div>
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Goal #2: Teach the gospel to my children.</div>
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Goal #3: Receive inspiration to direct any other effort in my life, including #1 and #2.</div>
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I am coming back to blogging in an effort to achieve Goal #1. I studied the gospel much more fervently when I was writing about it. So today I will start writing about it. I will follow the Come Follow Me curriculum, and as I study I will be asking Heavenly Father to guide me in achieving Goal #2 with my children and not overly complicated things. I need to avoid distractions in my life, even ones that seem good.</div>
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<b><i>How do you achieve balance in raising a family? How do you focus on what matters most?</i></b></div>
Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-13464815285408057882018-12-29T22:36:00.000-07:002018-12-29T22:36:41.310-07:00Of Distraction, Death, and DrivingThe title of this post might sound like a PSA about distracted driving. A worthy topic, however, this post is about things of more eternal significance.<br />
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Today I was driving home from Arkansas, my childhood home state, where I attended the funeral of my beloved Aunt Shirley. This post isn't really about her, although her life would also be a worthy topic. This post is about more about how when people die we tend to remember better. Driving a long distance (5 hours) gives you a lot of time to contemplate life and the important parts of it. Especially after a funeral, and especially when you listen to General Conference talks the entire trip.<br />
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These three things together, the funeral for my aunt, the long drive, and listening to the general conference talks, allowed me to refocus and refine my life. It was a transformative five hours. Hence this essay.<br />
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My Aunt is an amazing woman. She left a wonderful legacy here on earth, and is joining an equally fantastic legacy among our ancestors in Heaven. What struck me this weekend is how easy it is to become distracted. I haven't thought a lot about my Aunt's life recently. Honestly, until she traveled to Houston to have heart surgery I hadn't really even though much about her. Not that I don't care, but I have been caught up in raising my own family, tending to my own life. Granted, many of my actions and choices are affected by the influence of my Aunt and her children, even if I am not consciously thinking about the cause and effect relationship that exists between my Aunt and my actions and choices.<br />
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As I sat with family and friends this weekend to celebrate the amazing miracle that my Aunt has been, I was reminded of so many gospel principles. The greatest principle I was reminded of was faith. My Aunt was a woman of fierce faith. When she endured radiation for Hodgkin's disease in the 70's, doctors told her that she would not be able to bear children. She said, "We'll see" and proceeded to fast and pray and fast and pray, and eventually had four amazing children who today are my heroes in every way.<br />
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My Aunt has endured several health challenges, in spite of her impeccably healthy lifestyle. She had breast cancer, diabetes, defective heart valves (all of these were most likely complications from the massive amounts of radiation she endured in the 70s). But through all of these health challenges she has maintained a patient, faithful, joyful outlook on life, and lived a life of selfless service to her children, nieces and nephews, and anyone else who cross her path. She did not make excuses, and she had good reason to make excuses.<br />
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I was humbled this weekend with a self-realization of the excuse making in which I engage. I make a lot of excuses for why this that or the other thing is hard for me to do. A lot of "if onlys"...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3oMvvFV_ldNBAj6EejmPbT913WvP5ZAzmk0TRpqUko9O9vG5zuGWbl2GSGn2vG4s79bEuQNgnnFs0thsv8x8JOXWewmbS8JwXXJrI2S5ZfHDKgtPvVSJhsMKkSGBj3aOBXYpKh1Tn51Y/s1600/ifonlyifonly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3oMvvFV_ldNBAj6EejmPbT913WvP5ZAzmk0TRpqUko9O9vG5zuGWbl2GSGn2vG4s79bEuQNgnnFs0thsv8x8JOXWewmbS8JwXXJrI2S5ZfHDKgtPvVSJhsMKkSGBj3aOBXYpKh1Tn51Y/s200/ifonlyifonly.jpg" width="155" /></a>I always have some kind of excuse for why I don't do more than I am doing. I have an excuse for why I don't study the gospel like I did before. I make excuses for why I don't attend the temple as regularly, I have excuses for why I don't have patience with my husband and my children. Some of them are pretty good excuses.<br />
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But what I realized after this weekend is that none of them are valid excuses. There <i style="font-weight: bold;">are</i> no valid excuses.<br />
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The Savior of the world suffered body, mind, and soul so that there would have to be no excuses. Because of Him and <i>through</i> Him I can be more than I am, and I can do more than I can. Not because I will be amazing or I will work hard, but because through faith in Jesus Christ I can do all things.<br />
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I have been distracted from faith these past several years. Maybe the last decade. It is so easy to become distracted from the things that really matter. Faith, endurance, charity, compassion. There are so many things in life that we <i>think</i> are important, and then when someone dies, we have the opportunity to contemplate our lives and our choices and we realize that all of the other things <i style="font-weight: bold;">do not matter</i> and what really matters was so simple, and we tried to make it so complicated in the name of philosophy, or deep thinking, or intellectual conversation.<br />
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What really matters really is very simple. Christ taught us that. It is in the scriptures. Let's go back to the scriptures and soak up the simple brilliance of the gospel and please let us <b style="font-style: italic;">let go</b> of all the complicated processes that distract us from what really matters.<br />
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<b><i>What things have distracted you from the simple parts of the gospel? What events or things in your life help bring you back to remembrance? How do you remember things without having to go to a funeral?</i></b>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-25592433100734692542018-07-04T12:28:00.001-06:002018-07-04T12:30:28.448-06:00The Most Important Thing<i><b>Note: </b>It is so easy to get wrapped up in criticism and philosophizing about lifestyles and choices and culture and doctrine and ... well, you get the point. </i><br />
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<i>While I would consider myself a covenant keeper, and I believe there is power in keeping covenants, I find myself occasionally miffed by the cacaphony of discourse that exists in the world. Recently my mantra has become “Why can’t we be friends” (complete with background music and a little side to side swaying with a snap). I truly believe the Beatles’ proclamation that “All you need is love.” Now, of course, we need to define what we mean by “love”, but in general I am using the “agape” version of love, which I interpret to mean “A profound regard for the welfare of another without any desire to control the other, to be thanked by the other, or to enjoy the process.” (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/549572-agape-love-is-a-profound-concern-for-the-welfare-of" target="_blank">Edward Nason West</a>)</i></div>
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<i>About a year ago I gave this talk about loving your neighbor, and in that talk I made the assertion that there is no commandment greater than the commandment to love your neighbor. Now, that isn’t actually my assertion - it comes from the Bible.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the New Testament, Mark recorded an exchange between the Savior and the scribes. The scribes asked the Savior “What is the first commandment of them all?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus responded, of course, that the first great commandment is to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength”. What he said next, though, is very interesting. He went on to say, “And the second is like” - this means that the second commandment is like the first one - “thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”. It is significant hat the Savior would teach us that loving our neighbor is similar to loving God. Later the Savior would teach, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of these least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” and in the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin taught that “When ye are in the service of your fellow being ye are only in the service of your God.” Loving our neighbor is like loving God because anything that we do to our brethren is like we have done it to the Savior, who is one with God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the Savior’s next statement recorded in Mark is what really stands out to me: There is none other commandment greater than these. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let me repeat that: There is none other commandment greater than these.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The commandments we are talking about here are, first, “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength”. The second one is “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is none other commandment greater than these.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But what about the law of chastity? You might ask. No other commandment is greater than the one that says to love God and love your neighbor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How about the law of tithing? Nope. Not more important.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Surely commandments the prophets give us to share the gospel are important. But not greater than the commandment to love your neighbor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What about the word of wisdom? Nope.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The law of sacrifice?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is no other commandment greater than to love your neighbor. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Matthew another statement is recorded, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” and in his epistle to the Romans, Paul explained, “and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself… therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” All of the other commandments are contained in this commandment to love thy neighbor. The words of the prophets can be held up against this standard. There is no other greater commandment than to love God, and to love thy neighbor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paul emphasized the importance of this great commandment when he wrote to the Corinthians, “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” If people cannot feel Christlike love emanating from us, then all our good works are for nothing. We must truly posses charity, the pure love of Christ. We cannot simply say that we love our neighbors, we must actually love them purely, without guile.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The importance of loving your neighbor is illustrated by this quote from Elder S. Mark Palmer of the Seventy. He said, “As we learn to see others as the Lord sees them rather than with our own eyes, our love for them will grow and so will our desire to help them. We will see potential within others they likely do not see in themselves… And we will never give up, remembering that those who are hardest to love need love the most.” Charity, or the pure love of Christ, changes the way we see people. When you truly love your neighbor you spend less time judging and more time on your knees asking for inspiration to serve. You spend less time wondering what people think about you and more time getting to know your neighbors and learning their needs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What does it mean to love your neighbor? When Jesus was asked this question, he responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan. A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. The Savior doesn’t explicitly tell us that the traveling man was Jewish, but since he was traveling from Jerusalem it is pretty certain. A bit of historical context that can help us better understand this parable is that the Jews and the Samaritans were something of political and religious enemies. The most illustrative modern example would be the relationship between Palestinians and Israeli nation in the middle east. In the parable, as this Jewish man was traveling to Jericho he was attacked, beaten, and left for dead on the road.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two Jewish men traveling along the same road passed by the wounded traveler. Both the priest and the Levite were not just ordinary people traveling, they were men ordained to priesthood offices. The person who finally stopped to help was actually the man’s enemy, a Samaritan, and not someone of his own faith. Not a fellow Jew, not a friend, but a Samaritan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After describing the parable to his listeners, the Savior asked the question back to them, “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?” The answer came, “He that shewed mercy on him.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Loving our neighbor means having mercy on those around us - whether they be our friends or our enemies, whether they be part of our circle of friends who are similar to us or people who are living contrary to our own beliefs and practices. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf recently taught, “let us serve and love our fellowmen. Let us do this with a natural confidence, with humility, never looking down on any other religion or group of people.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It can be easy to look down on those who live or believe differently than we do. We must resist the temptation to treat others with less compassion or less affection because we disagree with them. President Uchtdorf also taught, “In God’s kingdom, greatness and leadership means seeing others as they truly are - as God sees them - and then reaching out and ministering to them… The Savior loves all of God’s children regardless of their socioeconomic circumstance, race, religion, language, political orientation, nationality, or any other grouping. And so should we!” When we put people into groups or categories we create distinctions that make it hard to practice the second great commandment of loving our neighbor. Political parties, sexual orientations, gender identity, working vs stay at home, socioeconomic status, all of these groupings can cause use to pull away from our neighbors, rather than leaning in and loving our neighbors. If we are to follow the Lord’s great commandment there can be nothing that stands in our way of loving our neighbor - not political leanings, not gender, not race, not lifestyle choices - nothing. It can be incredibly difficult to look past these differences, but oh how we must learn to do this! We cannot keep the commandment to love our neighbor when we allow our differences to divide us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is a primary song that always seems to burn in my heart when I hear the words, “I know you, and you know me. We are as different as the sun and the sea. I know you you, and you know me, and that’s the way it is supposed to me. I help you, and you help me, we learn from problems and we’re starting to see. I help you, and you help me, and that’s the way it is supposed to be. I love you, and you love me. We reach together for the best we can be. I love you, and you love me, and that’s the way it is supposed to be.” Our differences should be a reason to love each other, rather than a reason to divide us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In General Conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave us a list of people who should be included as our neighbors, reminding us that in the gospel family “there is room for those who speak different languages, celebrate diverse cultures, and live in a host of locations. There is room for the single, for the married, for large families, and for the childless. There is room for those who once had questions regarding their faith and room for those who still do. There is room for those with differing sexual attractions.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes it can be tempting to want to show other people why we are right and correct them in their behaviors and lifestyle. We have experienced the joys of living the gospel and we know that if only they would change the way they believe or live or if only they would make different choices they would be happy. Unfortunately, we often let these types of attitudes change our relationships with those around us, and we look down on them, condemn them, treat them in condescending ways, block them, ignore them, or continually criticize them. We have to remember that, as Paul taught, “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.” Your spiritual gifts, your inspiration and revelation are of no use without charity. All the gospel knowledge in the world won’t help those you wish to help unless you first have charity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elder S. Mark Palmer of the seventy told a story in April General Conference about some missionaries he presided over who were struggling with living the mission rules. Elder Palmer knew the happiness these Elders would experience if they would learn to live the mission rules, but as Elder Palmer sought inspiration about changing the hearts of these young men he realized that what he really needed to do was love these young missionaries. He said,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“In that moment, I knew it was not just the hearts of some of our missionaries that needed changing. It was my heart as well. The question no longer was ‘How does a frustrated mission president get a struggling missionary to behave better?’ Instead, the question was ‘How can I be filled with Christlike love so a missionary can feel the love of God through me and desire to change?’”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have experienced for myself the contrast between these two approaches. As a parent I have observed that my children are much quicker to change their hearts and their actions when I focus on loving them rather than correcting them. When I criticize and point out their mistakes and actions we are left with hurt feelings and resentment. When I instead make a concerted effort to more effectively show my love - whether through a hug, a smile, a compliment, a thank you, a special trip, or kind words - I noticed that we all behave a little more charitably toward each other. Unfortunately I have done more of the criticizing and less of the loving, but I am renewing my commitment to show more love toward the people who matter the most to me. This principle applies to spouses as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Doctrine and Covenants contains my favorite explanation of when correcting is in line with God’s commandments. Section 121 reads, “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;” Love unfeigned means love that is genuine and sincere. You can’t fake charity. Charity is so deep in your heart, so pure, that you feel as if your heart will explode. The section continues, “By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile - reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost;” This last part is important - “when moved upon by the Holy Ghost”. As a mother I cannot remember a time when my reproving with sharpness was “moved upon by the Holy Ghost”. More often than not my reproving comes when I am moved upon by frustration, and the Holy Ghost doesn’t work through frustration. Remember, that it was not in the earthquake or the tempest, but in a still small voice. The majority of the time, our power and influence is more potent when we use persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, and love unfeigned. We are more effective examples of the Savior when we follow his second greatest commandment - to love our neighbor. But wait, there’s more! The instruction in Doctrine and Covenants continues, “and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved”. If we do reprove because we were moved upon by the Holy Ghost (which let’s be honest, rarely happens, right? Because persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness and love unfeigned usually do the trick) we must increase our love toward the person we have reproved. Increase (that means there was some love there to begin with). But remember - first we try persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness and love unfeigned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Within the church there are ample opportunities to love our neighbors. I encourage you to jump at the chance to serve as often as you can. Remember that the Savior can empower you and give you strength to serve in ways you may think are not possible for you right now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Visiting and home teaching is a built in way for us to learn love our neighbors - both for those visiting, and those being visited. Some people are excited for this opportunity to love and serve, while others may feel uncomfortable with the thought of, as I once heard it described, “forcing [your] way into people’s lives.” I think this is a valid concern that many of us might feel when first assigned to visiting teaching. As a recipient of the service of visiting teachers I can tell you that I have loved my visiting teachers “forcing” their way into my life. Even if I have not become lifelong friends with these sisters, I have loved their compassion, example, and experiences. Visiting teaching can help us engage with people we may not have ever been interested in getting to know, and we can learn so much from someone who is different from us. In our April General Conference, Elder Robert D. Hales taught, “Like the Good Samaritan, we cross the road to minister to whoever is in need, even if they are not within the circle of our friends.” Often, visiting and home teaching help us to reach out to those who are not “within the circle of our friends”, and we both profit from the relationship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had the opportunity to visit teach a sister in my previous ward who was unlike me in a many ways. Our personalities were different, our backgrounds were different, and she was much older than me. One month in the fall last year she and I were incredibly busy and we couldn’t seem to find a time to visit that matched up with both of our schedules. Eventually in our discussion about why we were so busy she mentioned that a charity she had organized was hosting a 5K and silent auction that month. I enjoy running races and so I signed up for the race and ran with a few of my kids and my husband and I was able to visit with her at the race. Although she and I were very different, this was a way that we could connect, and a way I could show her my love for her. We weren’t sitting on her couch, and it seemed unconventional for a visiting teaching appointment, but this experience helped me to understand that visiting teaching isn’t just about a monthly visit where we sit on the couch and chat. It was about getting to know a sister and finding common ground and connecting - truly loving my neighbor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps, though, the greatest opportunities come by loving our neighbors outside of the church. After all, the Jewish man and the Good Samaritan had differences that were both religious and political.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most of us might say to ourselves, “Well, certainly if I see someone beat up and bleeding on the side of the road I would stop and help!” But what if it was someone being verbally beat up on social media because of their lifestyle choices, which may be different than yours? What if it is someone being excluded from a game or gathering because of their political differences? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How do you treat people who are different from you in your day-to-day interactions, not just in the emergency situations? Do you speak with kindness or do you spread hateful speech on social media? How do you respond when people post points of view that are different from your own? How would you treat your child if they told you that they didn’t believe in the church anymore? What if your child told you they had a different sexual orientation or gender identity? What would you say to them to show them that you love them? In these situations are you focused on keeping the greatest commandments, or are you focused on presenting a sermon full of all the other commandments? There is a place for all of the other commandments - and as faithful covenant keepers we should definitely be obeying them. However, if we are being faithful to the second greatest commandment, to love our neighbor, then perhaps our actions and attitudes toward our fellow man would be different.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A hymn typically sung to prepare for the sacrament describes a humble plea, “Fill our hearts with sweet forgiving; Teach us tolerance and love.” Whenever I sing this hymn these words are heartfelt. I need my heart filled with forgiveness, which is so so sweet to me. I am still learning tolerance and love and I beg for them to be granted to me. Forgiveness, tolerance, and love are not part of the natural man. We must learn them and be granted them through the Savior’s atoning sacrifice. These are attributes that we obtain as we put off the natural man and become as children.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Children are naturally kind and compassionate. They don’t see differences as something to divide us, but rather as simply something that makes people interesting to them. When my parents moved to the south from Canada as a young family, my oldest brother who was about four years old met his first African American. His first reaction was to ask if the little boy’s skin was made of chocolate. One little girl saw an older gentleman in a grocery store and loudly told her mother than she liked old people because their skin was soft like hers. Children certainly notice similarities and differences between people around them, but they are more curious about those differences than judgemental. They do not look down on people who are different than them, and they don’t treat people poorly because of the differences. They are simply interested in the differences because they love so purely and want to know about the people they see around them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elder Dale G. Renlund spoke of the kind of behavior that can come when forget the great commandment to love our neighbor, “Persecution comes in many forms: ridicule, harassment, bullying, exclusion and isolation, or hatred toward another. We must guard against bigotry that raises its ugly voice toward those who hold different opinion. Bigotry manifests itself, in part, in unwillingness to grant equal freedom of expression. Everyone… has the right to express his or her opinions in the public square. But no one has a license to be hateful toward others as those opinions are expressed.” Persecution and bigotry are the antithesis to loving your neighbor. Where there is ridicule, harassment, bullying, exclusion and isolation, there cannot be love. When we truly love our neighbor there will be no room for these degrading behaviors. President Uchtdorf likewise testified, “Christ’s perfect love overcomes temptation to harm, coerce, bully, or oppress… Christ’s love will help us become a little kinder, more forgiving, more caring, and more dedicated to His work.” Loving our neighbor and developing charity prevents more than just unkind words and actions. Peter explained, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity preventeth a multitude of sins”. No only will we be kinder and more forgiving, but we can also stay pure from a multitude of other sins by practicing charity and focusing on the greatest commandments to love God and our neighbors. Paul expressed it this way, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let us remember that, while there are many laws in the restored gospel - and making a personal commitment to obey them is wise - there is none other commandment greater than the commandments to love God, and love our neighbor. We must not let our commitment to the other laws and ordinances of the gospel cause us to neglect the highest commandments of them all - to love God, and love our neighbor. I encourage you to find ways to increase your love for your neighbors - the neighbors in your home, the neighbors in your ward, and the neighbors all around you. I know that as you develop pure Christlike love for your neighbors you will have an increased power to resist temptation, and those around you will be able to feel Heavenly Father’s love for them through you.</span></div>
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Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-26506931679558525962018-04-17T22:51:00.001-06:002018-04-17T22:51:14.418-06:00Whenever I Think About Pioneers arrangement with Violin and ViolaI was trying to think of a way to make that title a little shorter but I kept coming up empty.<br />
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I arranged this for our senior primary (and some of the junior kids) to sing for Pioneer Day in July. I know that is <i>so</i> far away, or at least it seems like it, right? Ha. Don't be so sure! If you are planning to sing something for Pioneer Day it is going to sneak up on you.<br />
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Well, here it is, I hope you like it. This file includes the violin and viola part and a score.<br />
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Please don't sell my work, but if you like it, share it!<br />
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<br />Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-710370922581868652017-09-16T10:06:00.001-06:002017-09-16T10:06:29.692-06:00Which Child Do You Love The Most?I was looking through my memories on Facebook (I will honestly admit that the "On this day" feature is one of my favorite parts of Facebook) and I came across this comment I made on a friend's post about how first siblings are favored by parents. It was so good I decided that I needed to put it in a more permenant place.<br />
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<i>My parents did a really great job of helping us feel loved and accepted in a lot of ways. They nurtured our individual talents and taught us each that we were special and had an important job to do as a member of our family and society. They expected great things of all of us. </i></div>
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<i>All of us have or are working on bachelors degrees, and have done well outside of school. </i></div>
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<i>I think the best thing that parents can do to help siblings bond is to help their children have common values and goals, and give their children shared experiences as a family. That means you all go camping together, or you go to a concert together, etc. </i></div>
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<i>We did EVERYTHING as a family, particularly when we were young. But even when we were older, my parents made sure that we supported our siblings together as a family. We all went to concerts of a sibling or sports games or awards nights, etc. One sibling's achievement has been a family achievement. </i></div>
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<i>I think having a strong sense of family rather than focusing too much on the individual children can prevent a lot of sibling rivalry. When the whole family celebrates each child for what they are good at, siblings learn that they are important to their family, and they learn that their siblings are important to them. </i></div>
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<i>My siblings have always been my very closest friends.</i></div>
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If you want to read more about happiness and unity in family life, check out this proclamation to the world from my Church about 15 years ago. </div>
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng&old=true" id="id_a54e_e353_29fd_f79" target="_blank">The Family: A Proclamation to the Wor</a></div>
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<b><i>How did you parents help create unity in your family? How are you creating unity in your own family?</i></b></div>
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Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-88732813396083483452017-05-28T08:56:00.000-06:002017-05-28T08:56:21.989-06:00When to Give and When to TakeI had a conversation with my teenage daughter about the law of consecration and the United Order.<br />
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Before I describe the conversation to you I feel like you need a little bit of background on me.<br />
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I am something of a minimalist. I try to live by Sarah Lazarovi's "Buyerarchy of Needs" (a play off of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs).<br />
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This, along with the quote "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful" from William Morris are the guided principles of my consumerism.<br />
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My daughter was not familiar with the United Order, so I described it to her, definitely oversimplifying things, with this statement, "Basically you gave everything you had to the church, and then they would give you back anything you needed." I followed up with, "That didn't mean no one had nice things - but for example, if you needed a ball gown for a fancy dance, you got one. If you didn't need it, someone else got it."<br />
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My daughter's response: "That sounds like something you would <i>love</i>."<br />
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You have no idea how much I would love it. So so much.<br />
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This essay is about sacrifice. I think minimalism and the law of consecration are very much tied to the law of sacrifice. <b><i>But sacrifice is so tricky.</i></b><br />
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Young mothers tend to sacrifice so much that they don't get enough to eat, enough sleep, or enough mental health support. This leads to devastating outcomes like postpartum depression, and suicide.<br />
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Spouses of abusive partners tend to sacrifice so much that they stay in abusive relationships, which leads to depression, suicidal thoughts, and in some instances murder or suicide. When children are involved, the heartbreaking outcomes can be devastating for these kids.<br />
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Members of the church who make covenants to obey and live the laws of consecration and sacrifice often give so much of themselves that they become disillusioned with at least the church, and in extreme cases even deny the gospel of Jesus Christ.<br />
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The problem with sacrifice and the law of consecration is pride. Pride is a barrier.<br />
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Being a survivor of abuse I have found some bitterness in my heart toward the law of sacrifice. I sometimes find myself saying in my head "But I sacrificed everything, and it got me into an abusive relationship where I felt robbed of my very being, where my children's quality of life was diminished, where my safety and the safety of my children was not guaranteed. Why should I sacrifice? People will just take advantage of me." In my mind, living the laws of sacrifice and consecration were the gates to abuse. Indeed, very often they are. It is easy to be taken advantage of if you sacrifice and give. So how do we protect ourselves from abuse when we are living the law of sacrifice?<br />
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Here is the not-so-easy answer I have come up with: <b>we don't.</b><br />
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Oh, I believe in boundaries, definitely. But we have to be careful that our boundaries come from a place of Doctrine & Covenants 121:43 - "when moved upon by the Holy Ghost" - rather than from a place of pride.<br />
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The past several years I have been recovering mentally and spiritually from an abusive relationship. I have learned a lot about boundaries, and at the same time I have developed a lot of pride.<br />
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Ironically, pondering the law of sacrifice as I have been doing the past several months seemed to increase my feelings of pride. The elusive balance between sacrifice and boundaries was something I couldn't quite grasp until a month or so ago when I had this inspired thought:<br />
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The Savior gave everything. Not just His time and His talents and His love. He gave His very life. His <i>life</i>. And who appreciated him? Very few people. What happened to him? He was abused. In fact, in the words of my beloved Isaiah, "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."</blockquote>
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That thought was humbling, and I try to use it whenever I want to withhold something - time, money, love, compassion, my talents, whatever it is. I try to come back to that thought. <i>He gave everything - He sacrificed everything and He didn't stop when people abused Him.</i><br />
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Now, am I saying that you should find ways to be abused and taken advantage of? No way. Remember that the Holy Ghost might prompt you not to give - but you have to be very very in tune with that and make sure it isn't pride motivating your stinginess.<br />
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I <i>am</i> saying that when you find yourself in a position to give of your time, talents, energy, compassion, love, etc and you want to withhold because you are worried about being taken advantage of, or you start feeling those begrudging feelings of "But who is going to take care of my needs?", remember the Savior and give anyway.<br />
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<b>And then take.</b><br />
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Take the Savior's yoke. Take and take and take from the Savior. That is the place to take. No spouse, no friend, no child, no church leader, no human being will ever be able to give you everything you want and need (remember that thing about pride?). So you have to take it from the Person who is immune to Satan's tricks and lies. The only human who has no pride. Not one drop. The only person capable of giving you absolutely everything you need.<br />
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And sometimes the only thing you can get from Him is the assurance that some day you will be able to enter into His rest.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://reflectionsofchrist.myshopify.com/collections/wrapped-canvas/products/surrender" target="_blank">Surrender</a></i> by Reflections of Christ</td></tr>
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A friend of mine once said that she imagines our reunion with the Father will consist of us falling, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted into his arms, and He, with tears streaming down his face, will say, "That was hard, wasn't it? I am so glad you are safe at home with me now."<br />
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<b><i>How do you find a balance between sacrifice and mental health? How do you keep pride out of the picture? Have you learned to rely on the power of the Savior?</i></b>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-36872482568210682492016-10-09T17:51:00.001-06:002016-10-09T17:54:39.104-06:00What Did I do Wrong?The question "Why is this happening to me?" can be a soul expanding question when we ask it in humility and learn what God wants us to learn, sometimes that question can become debilitating if we ask it in shame or embarrassment or anger.<br /><br />It is easy to believe that your trials come because you were faithful enough. If only I had enough faith, if only I was more obedient, if only I had a stronger testimony.<br /><br />Prior to a major trial, you may have felt confident in your faith and testimony. I know that prior to my divorce I felt like I had unshakeable faith and never ending courage. In spite of the difficulties of my marriage I felt like if I pressed forward with faith my marriage could be saved and we could be happy. When that didn't happen, you can see how my faith might have been shaken.<br /><br />After my divorce I constantly questioned my testimony and my faith. In fact, three years later and I am still questioning my faith and testimony. Is it strong enough? Do I really believe what I say I believe? Do I have an unshakable testimony? Do I have enough faith?<br /><br />Satan wants us to believe that our faith isn't strong enough. He wants us to think our testimony isn't good enough. But those are lies.<br /><br />No matter the source of our trials, whether caused by our own sin and weaknesses, the sin and weaknesses of others, or simply this fallen world, the Savior's atonement can strengthen us.<br /><br />Maybe my testimony wasn't as strong as I thought it was. Maybe I don't have as much faith as I thought I had. But if I turn to the Savior during my trials my testimony and faith will be strengthened. As the father in the New Testament pled with the Savior, "Lord, help thou mine unbelief" so, too, can the Savior help strengthen our faith and testimony.<br />Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-22667168390492829982016-10-06T11:00:00.001-06:002016-10-06T11:03:47.896-06:00Wake Up! Don't You Know What We Have?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"Sometimes we sleepwalk on the path of discipleship."</i> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>- Pres. Uchtdorf</i> </span></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Saturday AM Session General Conference October 2016</span></i></blockquote>
One of those repetitive lessons that we hear over and over again is the plan of salvation. It seems like such a simple thing, such a plain truth, that it is easy to take for granted. <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/o-how-great-the-plan-of-our-god?lang=eng" target="_blank">In his Saturday morning address, President Uchtdorf explained</a> that when people would ask about the Church he would usually start with something about the word of wisdom, or draw parallels between our beliefs and the beliefs of other religions. However, he mentioned, explaining the plan of salvation to people had the biggest impact. He said:<br />
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<i>Some of my friends would say that this message felt familiar, even though such things were never taught in their religious upbringing. It was as if they had always known these things to be true, as if I was simply casting light on something that was always and deeply rooted in their hearts.</i></blockquote>
A few weeks ago, I came across this video - some missionaries in the Billings Montana mission rapping about the first lesson the missionaries usually teach - the lesson about the restoration and the plan of salvation. I enjoy rap in general (clean rap, which is hard to find!) but this song resonated with me in a way no other song outside of the hymnbook has ever been able to do.<br />
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<a href="https://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/bible-images-the-life-of-jesus-christ/final-events/bible-videos-jesus-resurrected-1426734-gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="John 20:24–29, Thomas sees the resurrected Christ" border="0" height="198" src="https://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/bible-images-the-life-of-jesus-christ/final-events/bible-videos-jesus-resurrected-1426734-gallery.jpg" width="400" /></a>I believe it is because the content is so powerful. The plan of salvation is such a powerful truth. I love President Uchtdorf's description of the plan of salvation in his talk. If you haven't read it I highly encourage you to read it. I may print it out and make a goal to read it at least once a week, even though it is so familiar to me. President Uchtdorf cautioned, "It seems to be human nature: as we become more familiar with something, even something miraculous and awe-inspiring, we lose our sense of awe and treat it as commonplace." I don't want to treat the glorious doctrine of restoration and the atonement and the gospel plan as commonplace! I want to adore it and appreciate it.<br />
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President Uchtdorf's sleepwalking comment hit me between the eyes. Do I sleepwalk on the path of discipleship? I think I have been sleeping walking for a while, and I want to wake up! Well, this is me waking up! What am I going to do to show that I am not sleepwalking? I am going to share the glorious message of the plan of salvation and the love of our Father in Heaven for us! I encourage you to do the same. Share the plan any time you can with whoever you can.</div>
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<i><b>"What shall we give in return for the flood of light and truth God has poured out upon us?"</b> (Pres. Uchtdorf)</i>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-63192106825515314932016-10-04T11:26:00.002-06:002016-10-04T11:26:31.351-06:00RememberSometimes, when studying the gospel, I get bored of the topics I am studying. Particularly at church in Sunday School and sometimes in Relief Society. I crave something new, something deeper. I get bored with the same gospel topics every week, the same discussions, the same comments, everything the same. I have always understood the value of these repetitive lessons for those who haven't learned the lessons, those who are new to the church, and such. But only recently have I learned the true value of those lessons for me.<br />
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As I was completing a requirement for Personal Progress with my youth age daughter, I came across <a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/2-pet/1.12?lang=eng#11" target="_blank">this scripture in 2 Peter 1</a><br />
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Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.</blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: <a href="https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/category/final-events-bible-images?lang=eng" target="_blank">LDS Media Library</a></td></tr>
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What a humbling verse of scripture. Peter <i>knew</i> that the Saints already knew these gospel topics. He wasn't trying to teach them something new. He simply understood the principle of putting people "always in remembrance" of the things that are most important - the plain and precious, simple parts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.<br />
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As a math teacher and a musician you would think that I already clearly understood this idea.<br />
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In order to be a good mathematician, you need to be constantly reviewing the basics - if you aren't constantly using your times tables, you forget them. If you don't frequently solve equations, or factor polynomials, you won't be very good at it.<br />
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Professional musicians will agree that in order to be a good musician, you still need to practice the basics, your scales, etudes, and so on. When practicing even an advanced piece, you should stop and practice intonation, bowings, fingers and such.<br />
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This principle of remembering is so vital to everything we do in life - even walking or using a muscle. A broken arm will need to remember how the muscles move after being confined to a cast or sling for so long. It's amazing to me that I didn't full recognize the importance of this principle until much later.<br />
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It has changed my perspective of repetitive messages in Sunday School and Relief Society lessons, and even in General Conference talks. I now crave the repetition, I need it to keep me straight and keep me grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ.<br />
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<b><i>What things do you get bored of? Does the principle of remembering change your perspective?</i></b>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-90696592895266573852016-10-03T11:17:00.000-06:002016-10-03T11:19:47.669-06:00Nearer, My God, to Thee<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Christ standing outside and embracing Mary and Martha, with others watching in the background." height="213" src="https://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/bible-images-the-life-of-jesus-christ/nearer-my-god-to-thee/jesus-mary-martha-1617344-gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: <a href="https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/category/nearer-my-god-to-thee-music-video-bible-images?lang=eng" target="_blank">LDS Media Library</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
General Conference this weekend was exactly what I needed, exactly when I needed it.<br />
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Elder Ronald A. Rasband's talk really penetrated my heart. His reminder to never forget the spiritual experiences we have had struck me. When I was regularly studying the gospel, I had many spiritual experiences that I, thankfully, recorded in my journal. Lately I have been lacking in my study of the gospel, mostly because I went to grad school and spent all of my time on graduate studies. I tried to at least keep up on reading the Book of Mormon, although I didn't have much time to devote to the study of it. I just kept reading. I believe that helped me through what was a very stressful time in my life.<br />
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When I mentioned to my husband that I needed to find a time to study the gospel, he mentioned to me that I should spend my lunch period at work studying the gospel and writing in my blog. I have to pump on my lunch period because I am breastfeeding, so I am tied to my desk in my classroom. I have been having a little bit of a pity party about it the past few weeks because I like spending time in the faculty room with my colleagues, and I liked being able to take a break from work. But lately I have been working through my lunch since I am attached to my desk anyway. It is hard to stop and do something else. But this! <b>This</b>, studying the gospel. I can take a break from work for that!<br />
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So if you need a little lunch time pick-me-up, feel free to check out my blog around lunch time during the work week. I will likely post something every day. If it doesn't help you, at least it will be helping me!<br />
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<b><i>What messages hit you the hardest during General Conference? What changes are you planning to make in your life because of what you heard? Did you notice any themes?</i></b>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-32766892786634563102016-07-31T17:14:00.001-06:002016-07-31T17:14:20.237-06:00Naptime Epiphany<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoQ4dDzWHHJBAVcQMZT3NIMt5W4owWq-iU2Wp3XaH_oje_lJeGeTm7M5Ek0mREZt_9XbW84WFbRlIThsVXNlPiZGwpORBiSrxWYC7lDDncMH-Fk2McXgNxMmrysf_lTylkFJpKRFKWdx4/s1600/515416457_32574351ea_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoQ4dDzWHHJBAVcQMZT3NIMt5W4owWq-iU2Wp3XaH_oje_lJeGeTm7M5Ek0mREZt_9XbW84WFbRlIThsVXNlPiZGwpORBiSrxWYC7lDDncMH-Fk2McXgNxMmrysf_lTylkFJpKRFKWdx4/s320/515416457_32574351ea_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peasap/" target="_blank">peasap</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
(<i>I found this draft languishing on my blog dashboard and felt it needed to see the light. I wrote this about a year ago)</i><br />
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My two year old has (normal) autonomy issues. He only wants to do what <i>he</i> wants to do, and does not want anyone telling him what to do. To illustrate this point, today I told him it was time to go read in the rocking chair. He had a full on meltdown complete with kicking and screaming.<br />
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"I know it's really hard to do things that you don't want to do. But it's time for us to sit quietly and read."</div>
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kick-scream-tantrum "Le-GO! Le-GO!"</div>
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"If I let you go it will be to put you in your crib so that you can fall asleep on your own. Should I put you in your crib?"</div>
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kick-scream-tantrum "Le-GO! Le-GO!"</div>
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"Okay" I put him in his crib. "I will be right here in the rocking chair ready to hold you when you want to sit quietly." I sat down on the rocking chair next to his crib and watched as he turned beet red and tried furiously to climb out of his crib. I could tell when he realized his attempts were futile, and used the moment to offer my help.</div>
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"Would you like me to help you?"</div>
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scream-scream-scream</div>
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"Would you like me to hold you?"</div>
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calm</div>
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"I could help you get out and I could hold you in the rocking chair."</div>
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Him: "Hold you?"</div>
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So I picked him up and he snuggled right down in my arms in the rocking chair, apparently convinced that snuggling with mom in the rocking chair was better than attempting to get out of his crib while turning red in the face and screaming.</div>
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Four verses of <i>I am a Child of God </i>later, and he was almost out. And I felt a little wiser, because I had an epiphany.</div>
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Just as I, as a mother, did not force anything on my sweet, innocent two year old, and I did not punish him for not wanting to take a nap, Heavenly Father does not force His will on us, and He does not punish us for not abiding by His will. At the same time, He does not shield us from the natural consequences of our stubbornness and pride. He sits quietly by and waits for us to realize that our way is <i>not</i> ideal, so that He can quietly say, "Would you like me to help you? Would you like me to hold you?"</div>
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He wants us to <i>want</i> His way. He wants us to decide, on our own, that His way is better than our way (even though <a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/isa/55.8?lang=eng#7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">He has told us before</a>). But He doesn't force us, and He doesn't punish us. He just waits for us to come around, face our fears and give up our pride so that He can bless us and give us peace.</div>
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<b><i>How often do you, like a toddler, scream red-faced trying to get out of your prison? How have you learned to accept God's will and want it for yourself?</i></b></div>
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Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-67255368689143685532015-04-04T17:37:00.000-06:002015-04-04T17:37:40.479-06:00Deeply Understanding the Atonement<i><b>Note:</b> I wrote and gave this talk a year ago on Sunday, April 20, 2014. A sister in my ward asked me for a copy, and I kept putting off typing up the edits I made to it on the stand (as I am wont to do when giving a talk). But now here it is, in the form I delivered it. I hope you enjoy it this Easter season!</i><br />
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In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Nephi quoted Isaiah extensively. Afterwards, he recorded his own prophecies of Christ. He gave this explanation for such a record:<br />
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“For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God, for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do… and we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”<br />
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The source for the remission of our sins is our Savior, Jesus Christ, and my purpose in this talk is to “persuade [my] children, and also [you, my] brethren [and sisters], to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God”, and perhaps together we can come to better remember that source, Jesus Christ.<br />
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At a literacy conference I attended last month I learned something about how we come to remember things. One of the presenters was discussing techniques to teach reading comprehension to students. She said, “Children remember what they deeply understand.” I would say this applies to all of us as well. I wasn’t looking for a gospel connection at the time, but unexpectedly found one the following Sunday during a Relief Society lesson on the sacrament.<br />
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In that week’s lesson, Joseph Fielding Smith said, “To eat in remembrance of him. Does that mean that I would just remember that nearly 2,000 years ago wicked men took him, hung him on the cross, drove nails in his hands and feet and left him there to die? To me it has a far deeper meaning than that. To remember him—why was he on the cross? What benefit comes to [me] because he was on the cross? What suffering did he go through on the cross that I might be redeemed or relieved of my sins?” To remember the Savior means more than just to remember what happened. Remembering the Savior involves striving to more deeply understand this monumental gift we have been given.<br />
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For the past few months I have been studying the atonement with a greater purpose than I have in several years. In the years since I last made a meaningful study of the atonement, I have studied various principles of the gospel, and with great fervor. However, none of that studying as changed my heart and my life as much as the past few months have. Elder Tad R. Callister explained this change in his book, The Infinite Atonement, “Every attempt to reflect upon the Atonement, to study it, to embrace it, to express appreciation for it, however small or feeble it may be, will kindle the fires of faith and work its miracle towards a more Christlike life. It is an inescapable consequence of so doing.”<br />
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I would like to share a few of the things with you that I have learned about the atonement in the past few months - probably nothing new to many of you, but maybe, like me, you put your study of the atonement on the back burner for a while as you studied other gospel topics, and so a refresher might be nice. If these concepts seem new to you, and even if they aren’t new, I challenge you to immerse yourself in a study of the atonement of Jesus Christ and see if it doesn’t change your life for the better.<br />
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One of the most life-changing principles of the atonement is that it is infinite. The word infinite probably conjures up images of eternity, or the number of grains of sand on the beach. But when we talk about the atonement being infinite, what we mean is that the atonement covers everything. The atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ is so much more far-reaching than any one of us has probably ever experienced. But I am sure that if you look in your own life you can see the atonement touching you in many different ways.<br />
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If you have repented of a serious sin, you have experienced the atonement.<br />
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If you have lost a loved one and found peace after their death, you have experienced the atonement.<br />
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If you have been given what seemed like an insurmountable task and found motivation and strength to achieve it, you have experienced the atonement.<br />
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If you have suffered at the hands of another and been able to find healing and forgiveness, you have experienced the atonement.<br />
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If you have struggled through physical ailments or infirmities and received healing, or simply the fortitude to endure, you have experienced the atonement.<br />
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If you have ached because of the injustices of this life but been given the gifts of patience and compassion, you have experienced the atonement.<br />
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If you have struggled with the idea of being perfect, feeling like you can never do enough, and felt that burden of perfection lifted as you took upon you the Savior’s yoke, you have experienced the atonement.<br />
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I hope you can see the connection between all of these situations, even though they may not seem to have much in common. Committing a sin may seem different than suffering at the hands of an abuser, but the underlying theme is the healing, peace, and perfection that can come through the atonement of Jesus Christ.<br />
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In the New Testament is recorded a story about a young ruler who came to the Savior asking what he could do. The young man asked the Savior, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” The Savior proceeded to list the ten commandments, to which the young man, apparently free of any major sins, responded, “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” Of course, when the Savior responded with the higher laws of consecration and discipleship, the young man either decided that he didn’t have what it takes or he didn’t have the desire to make that kind of commitment, and so he left, sorrowful.<br />
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This young man had kept all of the commandments from his youth until the day he questioned the Savior. To me it appears that he had not committed any grievous sins, and had lived a reasonably good life. This young man had probably never needed to confess a sin to his bishop and work through the painful process of repentance for a serious transgression. But the atonement is so much more than just a tool for the abandonment of serious sin.<br />
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General Relief Society President Linda K. Burton taught, “Like the rich young man in Jesus’ day, sometimes we are tempted to give up or turn back because maybe we think we can’t do it alone. And we are right! We cannot do the difficult things we have been asked to do without help. Help comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the guidance of the holy Ghost, and the helping hands of others.”
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The atonement is the source of power that allows us to “do all things”, as the apostle Paul wrote, “through Christ who strengtheneth [us].” The atonement of Jesus Christ can give us strength to do those things that seem impossible to do. Former Relief Society president Sheri Dew said, “Our responsibility is to learn to draw upon the power of the Atonement. Otherwise we walk through mortality relying solely on our own strength. And to do that is to invite the frustration of failure and to refuse the most resplendent gift in time or eternity. “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed … and he receive not the gift?”” <br />
We must learn to access the atonement if we want to receive power to “do all things” and “be perfect.”<br />
But what about if we aren’t quite where the young ruler was yet? What if we aren’t ready to say, “What lack I yet?” because we are caught up in sin? What if we were once like the young ruler, able to say that we have kept the commandments from our youth, but today we have stumbled and fallen and now feel as if our perfect record has been tarnished?
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Former General Relief Society president Julie B. Beck said, “Everyone makes mistakes… I often hear about the chosen, royal generation of this dispensation, but I have never heard it called the perfect generation. Teenagers are especially vulnerable because the power of Satan is real, and they are making their first big, independent choices. Consequently, they are also making their first big mistakes.”<br />
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First, do not despair. Isaiah wrote, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” If you have ever spilled red punch on a white blouse, you know how hard it is to get those red stains out of that white cloth. More often than not, the white clothing is tarnished forever and good for nothing but a rag. Our lives are much more precious to God than a piece of clothing, and He has given us the ultimate stain remover. The atonement of Jesus Christ can surely erase those sins and cleanse our souls so that not only are we white again, but we can be even better than before. The only barrier between our crimson present and our pure white future is true repentance.<br />
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President Beck taught, “We are commanded to repent. The Savior taught that unless we repent and “become as a little child, … [we] can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.” We must not let one little cup of coffee, one bad habit, one bad choice, one wrong decision derail us for a lifetime.” When we take a step off the path, we must not let despair or feelings of failure keep us from continuing to step forward and allowing the atonement of Jesus Christ to change our very nature.<br />
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The repentance process can change us in a very real way, but true repentance requires us to really gain a deeper understanding of the atonement. True repentance cannot be reduced to a process with steps that we simply check off as we proceed through them. Teaching a five step process to children is useful, but later insufficient for us to develop the understanding of the atonement that we will need in order to truly change. Elder Callister describes repentance as “a melting, softening, refining process that brings about a mighty change of heart… It is a burning resolve to make amends with God at any cost.”<br />
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But even with that burning resolve, President Beck explained that, “It is not possible to make real change all by ourselves. Our own willpower and our own good intentions are not enough. When we make mistakes or choose poorly, we must have the help of our Savior to get back on track. We partake of the sacrament week after week to show our faith in His power to change us. We confess our sins and promise to forsake them.” We cannot change on our own. All the burning resolve in the world will not change us if we do not allow the atonement to change us. Elder Callister taught that the power of the atonement is key to that change, (quote) “If there were no atonement, there would be no opportunity to repent. Men might feel sorrow; they might change their behavior within certain parameters; but no divine rehabilitation process would be in operation. Simply stated, without the atonement, there would be no cleansing of the sinner’s soul regardless of any actions on his part.” (close quote)<br />
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We need the atonement in order to truly change and become more than we are, better than we were yesterday.<br />
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So how do we allow the atonement to change us, to change our lives? Whether we are seeking purification from a transgression, or healing for a wounded heart, or strength to become perfect through Christ, the power of the atonement can help us, if we can only figure out how to access that power.<br />
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I suggest that the key to accessing the power of the atonement is through studying the atonement. It seems like such a simple thing, to study the atonement of Jesus Christ - but the doctrine of the atonement is more complicated than one family home evening lesson, one Sunday school lesson, one Conference talk, or one read through of the Book of Mormon can unravel. There is a depth and breadth to the atonement of Jesus Christ that we will only come to understand as we make the atonement a focus of our regular gospel study. The prophet Joseph Smith taught, “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” Because the atonement of Jesus Christ is the central doctrine of His gospel, a study of that atonement can change our lives more than a study of any other gospel doctrine will change our lives. Elder Callister wrote, “As our vision of the atonement is enhanced, our motivation to embrace its full effects is proportionally increased.” An understanding of the atonement inspires us to live the gospel more fully. President Howard W. Hunter gave this promise, “As we come to understand [Christ’s] mission and the atonement which He wrought, we will desire to be more like him.” and Elder Neal A. Maxwell testified, “The more we know of Jesus’ Atonement, the more we will humbly and gladly glorify Him, His Atonement, and His character.” <br />
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If you aren’t convinced that a deep understanding of the atonement can change our hearts and our lives, let me leave you with an example of such a change. In Mosiah chapters 3 and 4 we find one of the most beautiful discourses on the atonement. King Benjamin taught his people about the atonement of Jesus Christ, about his life, suffering, death, and resurrection. After hearing King Benjamin’s teachings and testimony, his people shouted, “Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”<br />
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King Benjamin’s discourse brought the spirit into the lives of the people, and their hearts were changed by the power of his words and testimony. The evidence of their change of heart was that they had “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” We will find this evidence in our own lives as we study the atonement of Jesus Christ and come to more deeply understand that central doctrine of the gospel, is my testimony.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-44997870778270573952014-11-30T11:48:00.001-07:002014-11-30T11:52:33.240-07:00I Want To Understand<p dir="ltr">In conversations about the temple, particularly first temple experiences, at least one person mentions how awkward or strange they found their first temple experience to be.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I have been thinking about this as I have been studying the temple covenants and rituals in the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament. As I read the words of the scriptures my mind turned back to my first temple experience. I didn't understand everything - I still don't - but I remember having a fierce testimony of the importance of the temple before I even went for the first time. I knew that whatever was going to happen in the temple was going to be what needed to happen, and that I would certainly learn things - which is what I always expected I would do in the temple - learn new things.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So I think that there are two keys to a good first temple experience:</p>
<p dir="ltr">1.) A strong foundational testimony of the importance of the temple</p>
<p dir="ltr">and</p>
<p dir="ltr">2.) A strong desire to learn something new every day, an open mind, an attitude that if something seems strange it's probably because you don't understand it completely. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>What do you think are the important aspects of </i></b><b><i>preparing</i></b><b><i> for a good first experience in the temple?</i></b><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwVXY09OssKj8pbCQ3RQFJEpl136prt7FtuwN5ATfky-Wi8d-TtSOWiOuSO4n47_FdL1fF3TKO9dz_xAjqIGPXW-6H88wE_ao9qy7gjKJqc-frhT9NuDhlseDYtv0WlRxCjiK2r9bZteR/s1600/1417373345431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwVXY09OssKj8pbCQ3RQFJEpl136prt7FtuwN5ATfky-Wi8d-TtSOWiOuSO4n47_FdL1fF3TKO9dz_xAjqIGPXW-6H88wE_ao9qy7gjKJqc-frhT9NuDhlseDYtv0WlRxCjiK2r9bZteR/s640/1417373345431.jpg"> </a> </div>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74864394654073513.post-76614257053999816052014-11-20T21:41:00.001-07:002014-11-20T21:41:56.754-07:00Heard It All Before<p dir="ltr">I have posted before about inoculation - the idea of exposing members of the church to all of the possibly critical positions people might hold toward the church, and all of the less - appealing aspects of church history. There has been much discussion about whether or not it should be the church's responsibility to inoculate it's members again such question - raising topics.</p>
<p dir="ltr">On a slightly related note, I was reading in Alma 30 tonight about Korihor and as I read his arguments against God and Christ and the gospel I couldn't help thinking, "These are all of the same anti-religon arguments you hear today!"</p>
<p dir="ltr">And then the thought struck me. This isn't the only place in scripture where debates between believers and doubters is recorded. If we have studied the scriptures, particularly the Book of Mormon, we will be so familiar with this line of doubt and questioning that we will simply be able to wave our hands at those who would tear down our faith and simply say, "Pooh,  pooh - been there, done that, got the tshirt."</p>
<p dir="ltr">The best inoculation we can give our children is probably a love of the gospel and of the Book of Mormon and a deep understanding of those two things rather than a superficial familiarity with them. If we can help our children develop a deep love for and understanding of the Book of Mormon, all the naysayers in the world won't be able to sway our children from their testimony of the true and living gospel.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><i><b>What real-life </b></i><i><b>events</b></i><i><b> has </b></i><i><b>the</b></i><i><b> Book of Mormon prepared you for? How do you feel the Book of Mormon has </b></i><i><b>strengthened</b></i><i><b> </b></i><i><b>your</b></i><i><b> testimony </b></i><i><b>such</b></i><i><b> that it cannot be shaken and you are not tossed to and fro by every wind of </b></i><i><b>doctrine</b></i><i><b>? </b></i></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsxb57pmeQQnYrUsRqqMdZ9HWYwp4gbqP8ejqKPQnMrOiE7nkYGGpI3dYsgvloP4VAmVe2bLM_2qJVVzc8wTPa8u4-Kz7oJJJliH9l-IVA2P3OldqicbkRuLN4x5IxBq-a0WzOLkzA_sd/s1600/1416544773105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsxb57pmeQQnYrUsRqqMdZ9HWYwp4gbqP8ejqKPQnMrOiE7nkYGGpI3dYsgvloP4VAmVe2bLM_2qJVVzc8wTPa8u4-Kz7oJJJliH9l-IVA2P3OldqicbkRuLN4x5IxBq-a0WzOLkzA_sd/s640/1416544773105.jpg"> </a> </div>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01667724269493668949noreply@blogger.com1