Oh boy!  Sometimes my outspoken mind gets me in a bit of trouble.  I wrote the following post and only kept it up for a day or two.  Only to discover someone got a hold of it and it's posted on the internet forever.  After re-reading it, I decided to give it a permanent home here.

Please note I have no authority to assess, consult with, or speak for the LDS Church as a whole and my opinion and observations come from a limited perspective...from someone on the ground.  The following are my words alone, they are an opinion based on my understanding at this point in my life, so please take them with a grain of salt.

*****

June 2014

I got a letter this morning from a sister who was complaining about the Church growing too fast and the detached, unattended wards and stakes coming apart at the seams.

Dear Melissa (name changed),

I agree with several of your sentiments. The Church is experiencing growing pains and there is too wide of a gap between outlying wards/stakes and SLC. A lot of members are falling into the vacuum in between and going inactive. Stakes and wards are sometimes not run the way SLC intended and the religious experience in "ward land" can be far less than the ideal.

We're great at missionary work, but not so great at retaining members once they get here.  The declining quality of the church experience at a ward level really needs to be looked into.

With an out-of-reach Church leadership in SLC, otherwise good and faithful people have no where to turn when matters get mismanaged or difficult.  And with no real checks and balances for stake leaders (who are simply humans with learning curves) - and with no available way to report and resolve and mediate missteps, mistakes and abuses, they get frustrated and disheartened and go inactive.

To be balanced and fair - it's a logistical problem for SLC - those few leaders cannot maintain personable contact with 15,000,000 members.  Not too many decades ago, they kept a more direct finger on the individual stakes - but they can't anymore.

Our faithful side wants to lay the blame entirely at the inactive's feet - for lack of faith and weak testimonies.  But realistically, and too often - D&C 121 (many called, few chosen) is in full play and claims its victims.  It's a growing trend.

My amateur theory from the ground level is we need lots more localized, regional general authorities available.  I don't think it would be very hard to do either.  Like an additional leadership layer or another couple of seventies quorums in between the current Area presidencies/regional reps and the detached stakes to fill the sizable gap.  Perhaps these could be appointed councils of former stake presidents and mission presidents - who are knowledgeable and accessible - that members can turn to when things go wrong and can't be resolved first on a stake level.

Who would also offer the much needed checks and balances for outlying, stake leadership as well as regular, more frequent, live training sessions for stake leadership just like bishops and high priests get.  

Most people step up to the plate a little better, and are more careful when they know someone is actually watching - even if it's just occasionally.  I know it would have helped tremendously here.  This more hands-on, frequent contact would prove invaluable because of the trickle-down affect it would have on the wards and branches (i.e and on small folk like us) as the regular training and collective knowledge base of resolved issues are passed on down.

And think of what wonderful bishops and stake presidents these more local regional authorities would make themselves once their tenure was up!  They would have experienced, discussed and addressed so many real-life challenges through the regional councils they served on.

We don't need and are not asking for direct access to SLC, just more reasonable access to someone who represents SLC.  Who is somewhere in the chain of authority (even if several layers removed), when it's time to resolve issues the stake can't resolve on it's own, or time to identify stakes' collective blind spots, deviations and learning curves which really need to be helped along sooner rather then later (or never).  And more importantly, someone who can keep a direct finger on what really goes on out here on the ground.

I guess it's the Jethro principle.

Nonetheless, Christ is in charge and through inspiration and revelation, however this problem needs to be solved - it will eventually come to pass.

Thank you for your candor and for your brain-storming.

Meanwhile it is up to you and I to help push the Kingdom of God along and do our best to make it more like Zion for those around us. Sometimes the Kingdom of God is still in the wilderness, but nonetheless - Jesus is still the Christ and the Church is still His.  We owe Him every loyalty and every bit of being we have.

Kind regards,
Shawnie

My granddaughter modeling true joy.

I'm giving a lesson to RS and YW (combined) but this Conference talk (April 2014) was a bit hard for me to prepare from, mostly because it catered to a younger audience but also because there were several different ideas in this one talk and for me, several were barely, haltingly connected together, if at all.

I won't fault the speaker (Linda K Burton).  She has a beautiful, classy spirit.  It's just hard to speak publicly.  Which happens to be why I'm blogging about my lesson today.  I write better than I speak, and definitely better than I speak in front of groups.

The words fly off my fingers as I type, but do not, by any means, come naturally and smoothly out of my mouth.

The first idea from this lesson which can become an effective discussion starts with a single sentence quote:

"We too can know of our own divine heritage as beloved daughters of God and the vital work He has for us to do."

Our divine heritage is spoken of so many times it may become cliche, taken for granted or like background noise even though no one means for it to be so.  We've sung "I'm A Child Of God" countless times as well, so the words and the message don't always sink down very deep.

Because when they do, this divine and mysterious truth is quite riveting.

So my first lesson objective?  Make it one of "those" moments when the idea takes root.

Lorenzo Snow, one of my absolute all-time favorite early church leaders (outdone only by Joseph Smith) expressed this idea which has clung to my soul ever since the first time I read it a couple of years ago:

"We were born in the image of God our Father; he begat us like unto himself. There is the nature of deity in the composition of our spiritual organization; in our spiritual birth our Father transmitted to us the capabilities, powers and faculties which he himself possessed, as much so as the child on its mother’s bosom possesses, although in an undeveloped state, the faculties, powers and susceptibilities of its parent."

"I believe that we are the sons and daughters of God, and that He has bestowed upon us the capacity for infinite wisdom and knowledge, because He has given us a portion of Himself. We are told that we were made in His own image, and we find that there is a character of immortality in the soul of man..."

"We have divinity within ourselves; we have immortality within ourselves; our spiritual organism is immortal; it cannot be destroyed; it cannot be annihilated. We will live from all eternity to all eternity."(Lorenzo Snow, Lesson 5)

This is pretty big if you ask me. We already have this vague idea we were created in the image of God, but have you ever stopped to contemplate how MUCH we were created in His image? Or how direct the connection and parent-child relationship is with God? We literally have his spiritual DNA imprinted on us inside.

Lorenzo Snow had an absolutely, glorious manifestation from heaven which he later summed up:

"As man now is, God once was:
"As God now is, man may be."

Yes, Lorenzo was the one who originally coined the phrase .

This same inner spiritual being and essence we now have is the same like kind Heavenly Father himself started with, and still has (thought greatly developed). This is both a sobering and an empowering thought for me.

How does knowing and understanding our relationship to Heavenly Father influence your perspective and attitude about yourself?

How is your attitude influenced in regards to others around when you're right in the middle of these kinds of thoughts?

Which brings us to our next great understanding...

"Love thy neighbor as thyself."

"As I have loved you, love one another."

Because if we really internalized who we are, and contemplated who others around us are, it follows we would probably be a lot more conscientious about how we treat and serve others.

This truth is so essential and paramount, Christ included it when making a distinct point about how we will be judged, and whether we end up on His right hand or His left when He comes again.  I believe this to be one of the most central set of verses in the Bible, and certainly in the top ten:

31 ¶When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Usually everyone stops here, but I have found the next five verses far more powerful!

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.  [Friendless and you invited me not]

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.  (Matthew 25:31-45)

One of the most powerful discoveries I've ever had from these verses is the understanding about who the "least of these" are.  The "least of these, thy brethren" are whomever you personally think the least of.  And how we treat them is counted the same as if it were Christ.

Pause.

Why does Christ emphasize this point?  So much that it plays a major part in how we will be judged?  I believe it's because He is regal and royal beyond description, and He is reminding us, the rest of us are of the same heritage and family and some of the same royalty runs in us as well.  The message?  Take care when we mistreat or exclude someone and look the other way.  The heavens make a note of it.

Which brings us to another important element of our life now and how our hearts and hands affect the eternities...

Karma is real.  The Book of Mormon explains it beautifully:

13 O, my son, this is not the case; but the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful.

14 Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.

15 For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all. (Alma 41:13-15)

I bolded the obvious "karma" phrase.  The upside of karma is the concept of hope and well-being from "sending out" the good - whether it be actions, words or thoughts. One of the messages of the gospel I love is the encouragement to be pro-active and anxiously engaged in a worthy cause.

What we send out comes back to us and the energy of it becomes a part of us.  We attract to ourselves, in large measure, what we put out. When we stand before the Savior, our actions, thoughts and words will be right there as well.  If we put out generosity, the energy and experience of generosity comes back and finds us.  If we put out kindness, the same comes back and finds us.  If we put out stinginess of our means or emotions, the same comes back to us again.  Whether we put out uptightness or patience, we invite the same back into our lives.  Whether we shut others down or take the time to uplift and develop others, those same energies and experiences will come back to us as well.

12 And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, and being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works.

13 Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned.

14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.

These verses give me pause and help me contemplate on that final moment of judgment and what will be found with me.

Karma is one of Heavenly Father's master tools of teaching. We learn so much by receiving in like kind, what we send off to others.

There are several different aspects of why we serve, this post covers just a couple of them.  For example, we haven't even touched on charity ~ a quality we are lucky to truly possess.

There's a lot more to this lesson, but I thought I would share these few parts which are essential to my understanding of the gospel and our connection to those around us.

Happy New Year!

1)  Prepare 3-4 Lesson Points. Do not ever be tempted to "march" through all the material with your class.  Meaning do not try and cover every point and quote and verse made in a lesson.  This is not effective teaching.  Jeffrey R. Holland tells us there will always be more in a lesson than we can use:

“[Avoid] the temptation to cover too much material. … We are teaching people, not subject matter per se; and … every lesson outline that I have ever seen will inevitably have more in it than we can possibly cover in the allotted time” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Teaching and Learning in the Church,” Ensign, June 2007, 91).

My mission president taught us if you emphasize more than 1-2 scriptures at a sitting, the verses will mutually compete with each other, dilute themselves and soon be forgotten.  Scripture chains are seldom effective.  On the other hand, people will remember beautiful points scored on just one or two verses for quite a while.

The point of being a teacher is to pick out those 3-4 lesson points which inspire you most, include plenty of discussion and cover them in a way, they will stay with your class members.  This is truly a situation where less is more.  Those fewer lesson points you cover will have deeper impact and the sisters will retain more after they leave class.

You were called and chosen to teach this lesson for a reason.  Have confidence in what aspects of the lesson resonate with you most.

2)  Be A Discussion Leader (Not A Lecturer).

I aim for about 50% discussion.  When those hands to go up, that's the best you could hope for and you want sisters participating.  Self-expression is spiritually therapeutic and thought-provoking discussions are one of the most valuable tools we teachers have.  So prepare some discussion-promoting questions.  There are some listed at the end of each lesson in the manual and sometimes I'll sprinkle a few in the post.  Be sure to ask some of your own.

Avoid phrases like "We have to move on," or "That's later in the lesson," or "That's not what I had in mind, " or even "No, that's not right." These kinds of teacher responses will detract from the good will of your lesson and discourage participation.   It's ok for the lesson to flow out of the planned order.

From "Teaching, No Greater Call" (Lesson 14)  "Meaningful discussions are fundamental to most gospel teaching. We invite the influence of the Spirit when we teach the gospel to one another and give respectful attention to one another."

"Discussions can bring results that seldom occur without them. For example, they can:

• Promote diligent learning. Through well-conducted discussions, learners’ interest and attentiveness are increased. Each person present can be encouraged to become actively engaged in the learning process. As you and those you teach ask questions, search the scriptures together, and listen to one another, all who are present will be able to gain skills and motivation that can help in individual gospel study.

• Encourage unity among those you teach. As they share their own insights and experiences and listen and respond to one another respectfully, they become more unified and create a positive atmosphere for learning.

And if it means, due to the number of comments, you cover only half of what you prepared, but meaningful thoughts were shared and validated ~ you've completely won.  This is the kind of rich learning atmosphere which invites the Spirit, encourages deeper comprehension and sends out vibrations all week long.

3)  Remember The Glorious Pause!  "Pause after you ask a question and after you ask class members to share experiences. “Do not be afraid of silence. People often need time to think about and reply to questions or to express what they are feeling” (Teaching, No Greater Call, 67)."

You've put quite a bit of thought into your lesson topic, but most sisters haven't yet.  And if it is a deeper, more introspective question - sometimes it requires more time to get the discussion going.  Two Sundays ago, I subbed for RS and had about the longest pause I've ever had.  I stood there calmly with a smile on my face, but once it got going...it ran.  Don't let some initial silence spook you.

4)  Fear Not Their Faces.  Standing in front of a group of peers can be quite intimidating, even for the most seasoned of us.  And some groups are more hard-hearted than others.  Don't despair!  When I first moved to this small town Oregon place 12 years ago and taught my first RS lesson, I actually had a couple of sisters give me disapproving, and ridiculing looks as I stood up front and taught (it's hard to imagine, isn't it?).  It was a shock.  It completely undid me and I lost most my confidence and barely stumbled through the rest of the lesson.  So I love this exchange between the Lord and Jeremiah:

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. ["They'll think I'm an idiot."]

7 ¶But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. [There will always be some who are not so friendly, or receptive ~ don't pay them any mind.]

17 ¶Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces.. [Don't expect to derive your confidence and validation from others, the Lord is already behind you.]  (Jeremiah 1:6-8,17)

5)  It's Okay To Say "I Don't Know." If a question comes up and you're not sure how to answer, some possible responses are,"Wow, that's a great question and I don't have an immediate answer for that.  Does anyone here have some thoughts?" Some of the best class discussions I've ever led came when I appealed for help in answering someone's question.

If it is an especially difficult or a distracting question, "Let me study up on that one and get back to you." And then move the class on.

6)  Use Videos Sparingly.  The Church and others have made some glorious videos and they can have some real impact.  However, just like a hearty meal sticks to the ribs longer, your personal experiences, heart-felt class discussion, and allowing the sisters to self-express will stay with their souls much longer than even the best videos.  Our mission president made us put our film projectors away and said...just talk.  I was incredulous, but he turned out to be right.  More happened when we spent more time expressing ourselves and connecting personally.

Videos also interrupt the crescendo and flow of your lesson-building.  So if you feel strongly to use a short video, try using it near the very beginning as an ice breaker, or a warm-up.  You'll find class participation generally slows down if you use it in the middle and videos are poor substitutes for personalized, bearing of testimony or wrapping up the most important thoughts of the class yourself at the close.

I share video links here sometimes as references for study and to help create the mood of the topic.  Nonetheless, your personal impact is greater than any video could be.  Trust it.

7)  Share Something Personal.  Somewhere in the lesson, be bold enough to share an experience, vulnerability or learning curve of your own which relates to the lesson.  And not just the inspiring triumphal moments or the rare miracle stories.  Because so often the stories and personal experiences with the greatest impact are those about struggles, doubts, hardships, personal fails which had to be worked through.  It lets the sisters know they are not exceptional and alone in their daily difficulties and weaknesses.  It gives them courage and reassurance.  You will also find them more willing to share precious, vulnerable treasures of their own when you are willing to share yours.  Even better, it does wonders for camaraderie.

8) Assign Questions Ahead.  Whenever possible, assign one or two of the general questions from your lesson ahead of time to a couple of sisters.  You'll get higher quality responses when you do ask the questions in class, which in turn will jumpstart participation and promote other sisters to raise their hand and add to a valuable discussion.  I often choose to make those assignments to sisters who don't speak up as much, because we can usually count on the less bashful ones.

9) Read ASAP & Read Again. Read the lesson to the end, as soon as possible, even if it's just a casual read-through. I know teachers who read the next lesson, the very same day after they just gave the current one.  Reading ahead gives you a chance to marinate in the topic, it also leaves time for the Spirit to work on you. You'll not only warm up to the concepts better, you'll often find some of the lesson prep will work itself out for you.   Life has a way of opening our eyes right when we need it ~ to both greater understanding and even new inspirations, if we leave a door open.

If you're not immediately comfortable with the material, re-read it a few times if possible. Each time will open your eyes and heart.  You'll then be able to give the lesson with more confidence.  I usually read the lesson at least four times before I blog about it.  This allows thoughts and understandings to wander around in my sub-conscious pondering place and they network with each other.  This leads to deeper, broader understandings which I'm more enthusiastic to share.

Snippets for Relief Society 2015 :) Use search term Ezra Taft Benson to view more for this week or for other weeks.


Ezra Taft Benson summed this lesson up in a single quote:

"The biggest business of any life is making decisions. While one of the greatest gifts of God to man is … the right of choice, he has also given man responsibility for these choices. … We put our own lives in the direction of success or failure."

It needs to be said, doesn't it?

Here are a few related keywords which may be helpful as we study this lesson: agency, desire, will, choices, and responses.  They're all intertwined and come from the same inner heart-shrine place.  They also comprise the principle of agency or freedom of choice as President Benson teaches it.

Why add "desire" to this list?  Here I am in Southern Oregon - which is about 97% white, with almost no visible minorities.  Nonetheless, our bishop, Gabriel Maciel happens to be from Venezuela, and he has that deep Latin, fire-in-the-belly thing going on.  Trust me, it is so lovable.  When he speaks, he can bring the Spirit in like no other.  Literally, the ground  moves and the walls vibrate.  Some of you will know just what I'm describing.

Today Bishop Maciel spoke in Sacrament meeting and he said something which resonated and I knew it had to find its way into this lesson prep.  He was talking about going back to the temple if it has been a while and he was prepared to help anyone overcome any obstacle.  And because of Christ we could.  Then he said, "...but you have to bring your desire, which only you can decide to have.  This is your agency."

So beautifully said.

Desire could also be thought of as our will.  The gospel, in order to work for us, requires us to desire (or want) to align ourselves with God.

Freedom of choice is an empowering principle.  I couldn't help but notice the underlying message of this lesson:  agency, choice and accountability exist so we would develop the ability to fly to great heights.

It's taken me a lifetime to glimpse this picture.  When we're younger, agency and accountability are more about: rules, restrictions, guidelines, fear of God, and consequences.  But at this point in my life, I totally get that every experience has the capacity to elevate us higher...as in all events, the good, the bad and the ugly.  Why?  Because life isn't about what happens to us, it's about how we respond which exalts us.  The measure of our life is manifest by how we make choices, how we choose to respond and how we spend our discretionary resources of time and means.  It's definitely not about circumstances, or about the worldly statuses of wealth, power, beauty, education and acclaim.  And as cliche and optimistic as the bolded words above may sound, this has become one of my favorite understandings about our time here during the second estate.

Borrowed From Pinterest.

We make both choices to act (i.e. to create, to set in motion, to make happen, to bring to pass) and choices of how to respond to events and circumstances which come our way.

Interestingly, by turning the emphasis inward to our responses and choices, instead of outward on our current circumstances, the effect on us personally seems to be a lot more peaceful and strengthening.  Introspection instead of blame, refocuses and calls upon our inborn resilience and takes the sting out of disappointing, hard times.  Resolve is a motivating force.  The scriptures teach us the Lord made survivors (obstacle overcome-ers) and not victims.  Focusing on my own responses and my choices also helps me to quit obsessing over what's happening on the outside and be a lot more concerned and careful with what's happening on the inside.  Isn't conquering ourselves the greater triumph?

Questions (to be asked wherever they seem to fit):  Why are our responses and choices more important than our circumstances?  What do difficult situations give us the opportunity to do?  As much as we dislike hard times and tribulations, what would life be like, or what would happen to us if we had no trials or difficult choices?

One of the best perspectives about the nature of choices and commandments I've ever read comes from George Albert Smith (lesson 18):

"[The Lord has said]: “I cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;” not with the least degree of allowance [D&C 1:31]. Why? Because He knows that if we partake of sin we lose a blessing that we would enjoy if we did not forsake the pathway that leads to that blessing."

"...The Lord himself has said that we must keep his commandments: “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated.” (D&C 130:20.) The gospel of Jesus Christ is to teach us how to earn that blessing."

President Benson touched on those same ideas when he said:

"Every law kept brings a particular blessing. Every law broken brings a particular blight. Those who are heavy-laden with despair should come unto the Lord, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light."

It may seem like the gospel is about "should" or "not being able to" due to restrictive gospel principles ~ but the truth has always been, "this is how you have more, achieve more and have a happier life."

Question: Why do we or others sometimes view commandments and gospel principles as restrictive or confining?  How can we teach our youth or anyone they're actually opportunities?  How would you explain this principle?  What happens to us when our perspective changes about the gospel, from obligation to opportunity?

Ezra Taft Benson frequently taught about agency:

"His teachings about the principle of agency included more than just a reminder to “choose between right and wrong.” He spoke of agency as the ability to “make important decisions that will have bearing on our salvation” and that will “affect our happiness in eternity.” He encouraged Latter-day Saints and others to use their agency to “act on their own,” without waiting to be commanded in all things. The principle of agency, he said, “runs like a golden thread throughout the gospel plan of the Lord for the blessing of his children."

Agency is a golden thread!  It's present in our lives every single day.  By and large we write our own story with this golden thread too.

On November 18, 2014, Mitt Romney gave the devotional at BYU.  I loved the following comment he made:

“At the beginning of a campaign you experience a great deal of what I’ll call unwelcome anonymity. Nobody knows who you are…

“The anonymity is soon lost and in some remarkable ways. During my last campaign I was taken aside by one of our national security agencies and I was informed that all my emails were being monitored and closely read by a foreign government. In fact the same was true for all the people who had emailed me, my staff, my friends, my family. All of their emails were also being monitored by the government of that nation. And believe it or not the words of a hymn came to my mind, ‘Angels above us are silent notes taking, of every action, then do what is right.’

“The government involved was no angel, but our words and deeds may well be recorded in heaven and so I presume are the pages we open on the Internet and the sites we browse. Our anonymous surfing may not be recorded on earth but it surely leaves an imprint in the book of life. Remember every day you’re writing your autobiography.”

What a thought-provoking analogy.

Ezra Taft Benson does a superb job of explaining where agency comes from and what it means to us now during our turn at mortality:

"The central issue in that premortal council was: Shall the children of God have untrammeled agency to choose the course they should follow, whether good or evil, or shall they be coerced and forced to be obedient? Christ and all who followed Him stood for the former proposition—freedom of choice; Satan stood for the latter—coercion and force."

This conflict became the war in heaven, which President Benson says is still going on here...

"Freedom of choice is a God-given eternal principle. The great plan of liberty is the plan of the gospel. There is no coercion about it; no force, no intimidation. A man is free to accept the gospel or reject it. He may accept it and then refuse to live it, or he may accept it and live it fully. But God will never force us to live the gospel. He will use persuasion through His servants. He will call us and He will direct us and He will persuade us and encourage us and He will bless us when we respond, but He will never force the human mind."

So here we are!

"This life is a probation: a probation in which you and I prove our mettle, a probation that has eternal consequences for each of us. And now is our time and season—as every generation has had theirs—to learn our duties and to do them."

Got to love that phrase "prove your mettle"!  According to the dictionary, mettle means: strength of spirit, ability to continue despite difficulties, vigor and strength of temperament, staying quality.

This word would make a great mini-lesson for teenagers and pre-teens.

The lesson then goes on to frame the history of agency, where it came from, why we have it and to establish what it means in our present lives.  There is a LOT of material here, and after reading it multiple times, knew anyone would have a really hard time trying to fit it all into one class session.

So let's look at a couple of those points which I believe will reach people.

Even though the lesson doesn't frame the following questions directly, President Benson answers them directly.  And they are some of the most challenging and important questions any person has to face after tragic and, especially hard-hitting life experiences.

"If there is a God, how could there be so much evil in the world"?

"Why me"?

"Why is there so much misery and suffering in the world"?

"Why doesn't He do something"?

"If God loved or cared, He wouldn't let this happen to me."

In regards to the presence of evil and/or tragedy and its sorrowful consequences, President Benson teaches:

"That the Lord is displeased with wickedness is true. That He desires that it not occur is also true. That He will help those who oppose it is true. But that He allows wickedness to occur at all through His children here in mortality is proof of His having given them their freedom to choose, while reserving for Him a basis for their final judgment."

"There is no evil that [Jesus Christ] cannot arrest. All things are in His hands. This earth is His rightful dominion. Yet He permits evil so that we [and others] can make choices between good and evil."

"There are boundaries beyond which Satan cannot go. Within those bounds, he is presently being permitted to offer an unrighteous alternative to God’s righteous principles, thus allowing men to choose between good and evil and thereby determine the station they shall occupy in the next life."

But then...what about those of us who make mostly good choices, and yet we're afflicted by those who make bad choices because of agency? What is the purpose in innocent people suffering the abused agency of others?

President Benson's answer isn't quoted in this particular lesson, but Neal A. Maxwell addressed this some years back.  Let me share something here a lot of you will appreciate. It comes from a page on this blog [Having A Bad Day?] and it's one of my most important understandings of this life's injustices.

*****

A couple of years ago, during a flood of overwhelming problems and perplexities -- I had my tunnel vision opened up. I gained knowledge of what is probably one of the more important understandings of my life. And it is recorded in my journal:

"I finally got it -- Neal A. Maxwell said one of our greatest mortal objectives was to learn patience in the face of irony, injustice and persecution. And so we came to earth; an existence that doesn't abide by the eternal system of order nor where justice and mercy exist in perfection and balance -- we're in Satan's realm."

"We're here to understand what happens without the heavenly patriarchal system, without laws and without obedience, without justice and without mercy. And we bang and bump into each other and afflict each other in this miserable state. And it happens over and over. And we're exhausted by it all and we wonder why it won't stop - why we don't get a reprieve?"

"It is so we deeply become acquainted with the effects of sin, the consequence of evil. In order that when we spend the rest of eternity in a wonderful place of order, of mercy, of justice in balance, and we are settled in that heavenly home -- we will always appreciate why heaven is such a desirable place and we will remember and understand the effects of evil. What evil feels like and how it comes about. We will deeply value the structure and bliss that obedience, mercy and justice affords us. There will be no desire to return back to this vale of tears or allow its return into our existence. We will keenly understand what leads to this awful state."

"It is important that we understand just what evil is, for our understanding to be complete. And with that complete understanding we will never tolerate this world's current condition to repeat."

*****

Some Additional Lesson Topics

This lesson is jam-packed with material, as in overwhelming even for me.  Please don't let the amount of material discourage you.  You may have to prayerfully choose which sections and topics to emphasize.  I'll summarize the rest of the lesson,  but would never expect to get all of this into one class session myself.

Satan, A Reality Check

"We must keep in mind that individuals do matter and that decisions they make may greatly affect the lives of others."

Sometimes we get a little casual or conditioned to some common, though serious sins and allow them into our lives or look the other way when it finds its way into our family.  Fortunately President Benson reminds us just what Satan is really all about and what the consequences of sin actually do to us and those we care about:

"Your Father in heaven is mindful of you. He has given you commandments to guide you, to discipline you. He has also given you your agency—freedom of choice—“to see if [you] will do all things whatsoever [He] shall command.” (Abr. 3:25.)

"Satan is also mindful of you. He is committed to your destruction. He does not discipline you with commandments, but offers instead a freedom to “do your own thing.” … Satan’s program is “play now and pay later.” He seeks for all to be miserable like unto himself[see 2 Nephi 2:27]. The Lord’s program is happiness now and joy forever through gospel living."

"While a man may take some temporary pleasure in sin, the end result is unhappiness. “Wickedness never was happiness.” (Alma 41:10.)Sin creates disharmony with God and is depressing to the spirit."

Satan's chief tool is the enticement and the seeming freedom of poor choices as well as the delay of consequences.  Perhaps we ourselves underestimate the lasting effect of poor choices sometimes as well.  In fact President Benson reminds us of this when he said:

"Life is a testing time in man’s eternal existence, during which he is given … the right to choose between right and wrong. … On those choices hang great consequences, not only in this life, but, even more important, in the life to come."


Question:  Why do we sometimes underestimate Satan or forget how active he is DAILY, with his purposes to destroy our unique chance at happiness?  Why is it important for President Benson to reaffirm he is there and what his goals are? [Opposition is both a great teacher and a great motivator.]

Difficult Decisions

Somewhere, we all come face to face with an unusually difficult decision.  We have our agency to choose, and we have the gift of the Holy Ghost to aid us.  But sometimes, even with our best understanding...we're not sure what the best choice is!  Or which direction to take?

I love how President Benson assures us this is normal, and laboring through some choices doesn't mean we didn't know enough or that the righteous should expect all choices to be straightforward.

Listen to Ezra's wonderful advice:

"If we are to make proper, Christ-like decisions, we must first of all live so we can reach out and tap that unseen power without which no man can do his best in decision making."

"Wise decisions are usually arrived at following work, struggle, and prayerful effort. The Lord’s response to Oliver Cowdery’s ineffective effort makes this clear: “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.” (D&C 9:8.)

"Let us begin, therefore, by saying that earnestly seeking our Father in heaven, having faith that he will answer our prayers, is a comforting base on which to begin. … The Lord will not take water from a dry well, so we must do our part. Sometimes attempting to find a correct decision takes great amounts of energy, study, and long-suffering."

"In decisions of crucial importance, fasting combined with prayer can bring great spiritual insight."

Thought provoking questions: What are some of the tools the Lord has given us when we we have important decisions or choices to make? Have you ever had a hard decision or important choice to make in your life? How did you approach it and what helped you to be successful?  (This is probably one of those questions which is better to assign ahead of time to 1-2 sisters...even if it's right after Sacrament meeting.  Usually, the longer they have to contemplate the question, the higher the quality of responses.)

Anxiously Engaged

This next quote probably frames the crowning jewel of what agency is for, and what the Lord is hoping for each of us to gain from agency:

"Usually the Lord gives us the overall objectives to be accomplished and some guidelines to follow, but he expects us to work out most of the details and methods. The methods and procedures are usually developed through study and prayer and by living so that we can obtain and follow the promptings of the Spirit. Less spiritually advanced people, such as those in the days of Moses, had to be commanded in many things. Today those spiritually alert look at the objectives, check the guidelines laid down by the Lord and his prophets, and then prayerfully act—without having to be commanded “in all things.” This attitude prepares men for godhood."

This is part of our divine nature ~ to create, to set in motion, to make happen, and to bring to pass.

"Sometimes the Lord hopefully waits on his children to act on their own, and when they do not, they lose the greater prize, and the Lord will either drop the entire matter and let them suffer the consequences or else he will have to spell it out in greater detail. Usually, I fear, the more he has to spell it out, the smaller is our reward."

"We should be “anxiously engaged” in good causes and leave the world a better place for having lived in it."

This is a rich, full lesson with lots of great points to discuss with your sisters.  Ironically, you yourself will have to make prayerful choices on what to cover.  Many blessings to you as you prepare to teach, and may the Spirit delight you with his guidance!

Possible Hymns:

Know This, That Every Soul Is Free #240 (Hand-picked by Ezra)

Choose The Right #239

Do What Is Right #237

Lesson Quotes To Share:

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8 Tips For Memorable Teaching:

1)  Prepare 3-4 Lesson Points. Do not ever be tempted to "march" through all the material with your class.  Meaning do not try and cover every point and quote and verse made in a lesson.  This is not effective teaching.  Jeffrey R. Holland tells us there will always be more in a lesson than we can use:

“[Avoid] the temptation to cover too much material. … We are teaching people, not subject matter per se; and … every lesson outline that I have ever seen will inevitably have more in it than we can possibly cover in the allotted time” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Teaching and Learning in the Church,” Ensign, June 2007, 91).

My mission president taught us if you emphasize more than 1-2 scriptures at a sitting, the verses will mutually compete with each other, dilute themselves and soon be forgotten.  Scripture chains are seldom effective.  On the other hand, people will remember beautiful points scored on just one or two verses for quite a while.

The point of being a teacher is to pick out those 3-4 lesson points which inspire you most, include plenty of discussion and cover them in a way, they will stay with your class members.  This is truly a situation where less is more.  Those fewer lesson points you cover will have deeper impact and the sisters will retain more after they leave class.

You were called and chosen to teach this lesson for a reason.  Have confidence in what aspects of the lesson resonate with you most.

2)  Be A Discussion Leader (Not A Lecturer).

I aim for about 50% discussion.  When those hands to go up, that's the best you could hope for and you want sisters participating.  Self-expression is spiritually therapeutic and thought-provoking discussions are one of the most valuable tools we teachers have.  So prepare some discussion-promoting questions.  There are some listed at the end of each lesson in the manual and sometimes I'll sprinkle a few in the post.  Be sure to ask some of your own.

Avoid phrases like "We have to move on," or "That's later in the lesson," or "That's not what I had in mind, " or even "No, that's not right." These kinds of teacher responses will detract from the good will of your lesson and discourage participation.   It's ok for the lesson to flow out of the planned order.

From "Teaching, No Greater Call" (Lesson 14)  "Meaningful discussions are fundamental to most gospel teaching. We invite the influence of the Spirit when we teach the gospel to one another and give respectful attention to one another."

"Discussions can bring results that seldom occur without them. For example, they can:

• Promote diligent learning. Through well-conducted discussions, learners’ interest and attentiveness are increased. Each person present can be encouraged to become actively engaged in the learning process. As you and those you teach ask questions, search the scriptures together, and listen to one another, all who are present will be able to gain skills and motivation that can help in individual gospel study.

• Encourage unity among those you teach. As they share their own insights and experiences and listen and respond to one another respectfully, they become more unified and create a positive atmosphere for learning.

And if it means, due to the number of comments, you cover only half of what you prepared, but meaningful thoughts were shared and validated ~ you've completely won.  This is the kind of rich learning atmosphere which invites the Spirit, encourages deeper comprehension and sends out vibrations all week long.

3)  Remember The Glorious Pause!  "Pause after you ask a question and after you ask class members to share experiences. “Do not be afraid of silence. People often need time to think about and reply to questions or to express what they are feeling” (Teaching, No Greater Call, 67)."

You've put quite a bit of thought into your lesson topic, but most sisters haven't yet.  And if it is a deeper, more introspective question - sometimes it requires more time to get the discussion going.  Two Sundays ago, I subbed for RS and had about the longest pause I've ever had.  I stood there calmly with a smile on my face, but once it got going...it ran.  Don't let some initial silence spook you.

4)  Fear Not Their Faces.  Standing in front of a group of peers can be quite intimidating, even for the most seasoned of us.  And some groups are more hard-hearted than others.  Don't despair!  When I first moved to this small town Oregon place 12 years ago and taught my first RS lesson, I actually had a couple of sisters give me disapproving, and ridiculing looks as I stood up front and taught (it's hard to imagine, isn't it?).  It was a shock.  It completely undid me and I lost most my confidence and barely stumbled through the rest of the lesson.  So I love this exchange between the Lord and Jeremiah:

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. ["They'll think I'm an idiot."]

7 ¶But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. [There will always be some who are not so friendly, or receptive ~ don't pay them any mind.]

17 ¶Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces.. [Don't expect to derive your confidence and validation from others, the Lord is already behind you.]  (Jeremiah 1:6-8,17)

5)  It's Okay To Say "I Don't Know." If a question comes up and you're not sure how to answer, some possible responses are,"Wow, that's a great question and I don't have an immediate answer for that.  Does anyone here have some thoughts?" Some of the best class discussions I've ever led came when I appealed for help in answering someone's question.

If it is an especially difficult or a distracting question, "Let me study up on that one and get back to you." And then move the class on.

6)  Use Videos Sparingly.  The Church and others have made some glorious videos and they can have some real impact.  However, just like a hearty meal sticks to the ribs longer, your personal experiences, heart-felt class discussion, and allowing the sisters to self-express will stay with their souls much longer than even the best videos.  Our mission president made us put our film projectors away and said...just talk.  I was incredulous, but he turned out to be right.  More happened when we spent more time expressing ourselves and connecting personally.

Videos also interrupt the crescendo and flow of your lesson-building.  So if you feel strongly to use a short video, try using it near the very beginning as an ice breaker, or a warm-up.  You'll find class participation generally slows down if you use it in the middle and videos are poor substitutes for personalized, bearing of testimony or wrapping up the most important thoughts of the class yourself at the close.

I share video links here sometimes as references for study and to help create the mood of the topic.  Nonetheless, your personal impact is greater than any video could be.  Trust it.

7)  Share Something Personal.  Somewhere in the lesson, be bold enough to share an experience, vulnerability or learning curve of your own which relates to the lesson.  And not just the inspiring triumphal moments or the rare miracle stories.  Because so often the stories and personal experiences with the greatest impact are those about struggles, doubts, hardships, personal fails which had to be worked through.  It lets the sisters know they are not exceptional and alone in their daily difficulties and weaknesses.  It gives them courage and reassurance.  You will also find them more willing to share precious, vulnerable treasures of their own when you are willing to share yours.  Even better, it does wonders for camaraderie.

8) Assign Questions Ahead.  Whenever possible, assign one or two of the general questions from your lesson ahead of time to a couple of sisters.  You'll get higher quality responses when you do ask the questions, which in turn will jumpstart participation and promote other sisters to raise their hand and add to a valuable discussion.  I often choose to make those assignments to sisters who don't speak up as much, because we can usually count on the less bashful ones.

Snippets for Relief Society 2015 :) Use search term Ezra Taft Benson to view more for this week or for other weeks.

Seriously my new motto.

This lesson has several quotable gems.  The two meme's used for Lesson 3 (photos with words like the one above) actually turned out to fit this lesson better, and I had no clue of this when I made them.  By the way, even if you don't teach lesson 3 ~ it's a keeper.  One you can read over and over whenever life is disheartening.  Wonderful perspectives on hardship.  These two lessons (3 & 4) are almost like a part one and part two of "How to handle life and come out ahead."

Speaking of which, this video is for you today!  It sums up the whole lesson in 3 ½ minutes.  Honest. It made me both laugh and cry.  If you want to prime your heart up for this lesson quickly ~ please watch.  You might try using the closed caption option (click the little "cc" box on the bottom right).

"Come What May, And Love It"

Joseph B. Wirthlin had gifted insights into people and social dynamics.  I'll never forget the General Conference when he said:

"I am not aware of any sign on the door of our meetinghouses that reads “Restricted Entrance—Perfect People Only.” (April 2008 - Concern For The One)

President Benson is also lovable and a JOY to read.  His wisdom is quite amazing.  If you are a teacher this year, then the heavens smiled on you!  Teaching this year is one of life's tender mercies.

The opening stories about President Benson are heart-touching.  They are the kind of stories which remind us, in general, how good we have it.  Some of the things I find to get upset over feel quite foolish as I read these accounts.

For example, while grocery shopping yesterday, my husband bought $140 worth of meat at prices my budget is not comfortable with.  It really set me off.  Truth is, we can handle it and he deserves it.  Too bad I let the irritation get under my skin and have its way!  Today I regret it and fully get the smallness of that moment.

Yes, I told my husband I was sorry and why.

This lesson teaches the skill of having joy ~ a rare commodity in today's world.  When we finally turn  the corner of understanding the gospel, not as a set of restrictions and sacrifices, but rather as a how-to "Ace Mortality & Get The Most Out Of It" guide  ~ when we reach this enlightened perspective, then come those powerful gifts we can feel, see and appreciate.

The gospel brings me rich and joyful moments.  This lesson is about how to have them more often.

At some moment, maybe because we get older, we notice how MUCH the heavens have been working in our lives.  Such as putting events and circumstances in our path which have the capacity to elevate, strengthen, polish, give relief, teach, shed clarity and in general, make us wiser for the wear.

I'm sure Elder Uchtdorf, as a young boy in Nazi-occupied Germany - among all the dangerous, hard-luck, impoverished circumstances his family endured - never dreamed he would end up where he did.

It's a great story!  It needs its own post but you can read it here as told by Russell M. Nelson.

Elder Uchtdorf's life was a process.

Ours is too.

The opening quote from the top of the lesson manual refers to that instance our eyes open and our perspective of life's challenges finally makes more sense to us in the grand scheme of things.

Such a different place then feeling picked on, ill-favored or passed over by the Powers above.

“Happiness here and now consists in freely, lovingly [as in not begrudging or pouting], joyfully acknowledging God’s will for us—and doing it in all ways and all affairs big and small.”

At first pass, this might seem like a tall order, but what President Benson is really describing here is trust. Trusting the process of both good and hard times, that they all lead to the same place...back to the Father. Trust is one of the greatest gifts we can give back to God.  It's something we decide to do.

Trust also brings great peace and help our trials to have a different, more manageable look and feel to them.

Trust God.  Trust the process, there is happiness in doing so.

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend." (Mosiah 4:9)

And believe this earth life was meant to bring you great understanding and valuable experiences even though they are often blessings in disguise!

I'm in my early 50's so I've had time to arrive at this point. Looking back, I can clearly see even the worst, most awful parts of my life were made to be conquered and overcome (even the ones I imposed on myself because of poor choices). In the end they made something more out of me.

Would I choose hardship purposely?  No.

Would I pray for adversity because of how much growth comes of it?  No.

Would I go through afflictions again knowing the rewards?  Probably not.

Did they happen, and did I survive and did I come away with much more?  Yes.

I get it. And so now I trust. Trust brings with it feelings of well-being.  When those big setbacks come, they feel much different than they felt when I was younger. I look to the heavens and say "what now Lord"? instead of "Why me"?

As a result, my approach is different and I feel more equal to what I face.  Sometimes, I'm even greater than what I face.  The gospel knows how to make a powerful people out of us.

Possible Questions: How do our attitudes and perspectives on hardships and trials affect the outcome?  What happens to us internally when we trust God as opposed to when we doubt He cares or notices?  How can we as sisters make life better for those who are suffering through life's low points?

Ezra adds:

"Of all people, we as Latter-day Saints should be the most optimistic and the least pessimistic. For while we know that “peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion,” we are also assured that “the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst.” (D&C 1:35–36.)

HOWEVER...

What President Benson is not saying is we're supposed to feel at the height of joy all the time.  Sometimes I've heard it put forth that if we're sad, conflicted, troubled, agitated, frustrated or anything else short of joyful, it must be because we're not living the gospel right or our testimony hasn't matured.

We're going to cry, worry, feel pain and be frustrated.  President Benson (thankfully) says:

"We will all have disappointments and discouragements—that is part of life. But if we will have faith, our setbacks will be but a moment and success will come out of our seeming failures. Our Heavenly Father can accomplish miracles through each of us if we will but place our confidence and trust in Him."




First, that is a stellar quote!

Second, it's ok to cry, to sorrow, to grieve, to worry, to be troubled or any other way we respond  to hard trials (as long as it doesn't hurt others). What makes those responses not okay is choosing to hang out in sad land for extended periods of time, to be inconsolable, to embrace victimhood, to call the chips on our shoulders by name, and to wallow in homemade bitter sauce. In those cases, we probably missed what mortality is meant to show us.

Third, trust that all trials lead back to the Father IF we place confidence and trust in God. "...success will come out of our seeming failures."

Understanding where trials and afflictions lead us (even the self-imposed, hard consequences type) are one of life's secrets to success.  We emerge from the other end with something significant gained if we trust enough to hold God's hand while enduring them.

"And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." (Mosiah 24:14)

President Benson shares another tool to success when he quotes D&C 10:5 ~ Pray always, that you may come off conqueror..."

(Lesson 2 is an awesome review of just what prayer is.)

Indeed, the scriptures teach us how to be survivors and conquerors, not victims.

And who would know more about afflictions and deep waters than Joseph Smith? I love this story from the lesson:

"When George A. Smith was very ill, he was visited by his cousin, the Prophet Joseph Smith. The afflicted man reported: “He [the Prophet] told me I should never get discouraged, whatever difficulties might surround me. If I were sunk into the lowest pit of Nova Scotia and all the Rocky Mountains piled on top of me, I ought not to be discouraged, but hang on, exercise faith, and keep up good courage, and I should come out on the top of the heap."

There are times when you simply have to righteously hang on and outlast the devil until his depressive spirit leaves you. As the Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.” (D&C 121:7–8.)

Possible Questions: Are trials and afflictions manifestations of unworthiness? (No!)  How are trials and afflictions to our benefit?  What words of comfort would you offer another sister who feels shut off from the heavens while passing through significant adversity?

Snippets On Cultivating Joy

Ezra Taft Benson outlines ways we can bring more joy into our lives.  I love how frank he is on this matter:

"Happiness must be earned from day to day.  But it is worth the effort."

He puts the responsibility for happiness on my shoulders.  It is empowering to contemplate how happiness and joy is an effort and a decision ~ because I think I could probably help myself with that.

Happiness is an attitude.  And what holds the attitude in place despite turmoil and the chaos of others is our trust in God and our outlook.

*****

What really struck me from the lesson today was considering what it meant when a powerful prophet who has lived many years tells us:

"We have no cause to really worry."

Seriously?  With children, finances, marriages, health, adversarial people, (and the list goes on) we have no cause to worry?

It's possible and dear Ezra tells us how.

Live the gospel.  (In other words, embrace it and increase it in your life.)

Attend to your prayers night and morning in your home. (Lots of consistent prayer is key.)

TRY AND LIVE CALMLY AND CHEERFULLY.  (Make a conscientious effort to do so.  Practice makes perfect.)

*****

President Benson mentions more sure sources of joy:

[Press] on in noble endeavors.

"Pressing on in noble endeavors, even while surrounded by a cloud of depression, will eventually bring you out on top into the sunshine."

At Education Week once I heard Mary Ellen Edmunds say true joy comes from using our gifts and talents on behalf of others. This has turned out to be very true in my life.  This blog, for instance, is my ray of sunshine and brings me fulfillment and satisfaction.  Find your passion which includes benefitting others and make it happen.

Possible Questions: What kinds of service or kindness to others has brought you joy?  What happens to our worries when we busy ourselves with service and kind moments for others?

*****

"While you are going through your trial, you can recall your past victories and count the blessings that you do have with a sure hope of greater ones to follow if you are faithful."

Does this remind you of the hymn "Count Your Blessings"?

What Ezra shares is a prophetic promise and one I've seen fulfilled in my own life.  The blessings get more significant as we press on through difficult phases in our life.  It's a pattern we start to become aware of as we get a few decades under our belt.

*****

President Benson admonishes us:

"Be cheerful in all that you do. Live joyfully. Live happily. Live enthusiastically, knowing that God does not dwell in gloom and melancholy, but in light and love."

Remember in the video referred to above when Elder Wirthlin said when you start feeling angry, laugh instead? He was serious. I've challenged myself to experiment with this and see what happens. In fact, my teenage kiddos will be seeing the video tonight for FHE. Teaching our children to choose positive emotions is probably one of the greatest gifts we could send them into adulthood with.

What struck me about the last quote was how God does not dwell in gloom and melancholy. Yes, that's a pretty obvious statement, but what a succinct truth! God is Happiness. He is Light and Love. He is Enthusiasm.  And even more importantly, He is the source of those things.  Yes, we know he has consternation and even feels sadness over His children, but in what balance?  If God is doing it, then I should live enthusiastically and joyfully too.

"To live perfectly is to live happily.  To live happily is to grow in spiritual strength toward perfection."

Another source of happiness is to increase our dedication to gospel living.

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President Ezra Taft Benson summed up the whole idea of joy and how to obtain it with this simple, elegant truth.  See how it strikes you:

"Let us remember that the real source of our strength and happiness is beyond the reach of men and circumstances."

Possible Closing Class Discussion:  What is the lasting source of our strength and happiness?  Where can we go when we need more?  What happens to us when we develop a prayerful, close, trusting relationship with God?  What are some of the effects?  What can we do to make conscious contact with God every day?

Bless you for being here and for your prep.  Your group of sisters greatly benefits from the time you put in.  Love and peace always!

Possible Hymns:

You Can Make A Pathway Bright #228 (great lyrics)

Count Your Blessings #241 (Of course)

Scatter Sunshine #230 (overcoming sadness with kind deeds)

Handout Ideas:

Miniature plaques ~ For the more handy of us.

Cute Free Printables ~ this is "prayer" but you can search other words too.

President Benson Quotes To Share:

Pinterest

Facebook

Conference Talk:

Elder Uchtdorf's Story

Video:

"Come What May, And Love It"

Teaching Tips:

Nine Tips For Memorable Teaching

This is a great read!

Snippets for Relief Society 2015 :) Use search term Ezra Taft Benson to view more for this week or for other weeks.


The topic repentance may not inspire immediate enthusiasm, but what a rich lesson anyway.  Bless your heart for teaching this lesson.  This is your hymn today:

Help Me Teach With Inspiration #281


We all need this lesson repeatedly ~ but you never know whose soul it is who needs the extra encouragement and invitation to apply repentance at this moment in their life.

President Benson received some interesting counsel from George Albert Smith (whom I love) when he was called as an apostle:

“Your mission from now on is to find ways and means to disseminate the truth and warn the people that you come in contact with in as kind a way as possible that repentance will be the only panacea for the ills of this world.”

Panacea (pan-uh-see-ah): a remedy for all ills or difficulties : cure-all

And our mission as teachers today is the same.  To bring this topic front and center, in as kind of a way as is possible.  What luck the lesson manual does a really good job of just that for us.

REPENTANCE IS A HEART THING

This is a major focus of the lesson today.  President Benson sums up the idea like this:

"The...important principle for us to understand if we would be true members of the Church is that repentance involves not just a change of actions, but a change of heart."

So let's explore this a bit...

The following Ezra quote is one of the best descriptions ever of repentance and how it works.  This truly sums up the essence and purpose of repentance:

“The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature. …

“Yes, Christ changes men, and changed men can change the world.”

So true repentance is something which takes place on the inside first.

In this lesson, President Benson repeatedly makes a note of one of the most important aspects of real repentance - the mighty change of heart spoken of in Alma 5:12-14.

"...And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved.

These teachings set the background for the next big thought which President Ezra Taft Benson shares about just whom the Lord considers a member of His Church:

"But the Lord defines a member of His kingdom in quite a different way. In 1828, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, He said, “Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.” (D&C 10:67) To Him whose Church this is, membership involves far more than simply being a member of record."

The verse Ezra Taft Benson just cited reminds me of a very similar one in Moroni:

Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven.  (Moroni 7:3)

Again, the Lord makes a distinction of just whom He addresses as members of His Church.  This time it is the peaceable ones.  (Not the agitated, high-maintenance ones).

Apparently the condition of our heart has a lot to do with being validated as a true follower in Christ's church.  President Benson is trying to show us that one important aspect of being a true follower is experiencing the mighty change of heart which comes with repentance.

Important point here...we need to be experiencing repentance and changes of heart in order to be real Saints.  It's part of the plan.

Possible Class question:  What does a change of heart look like and feel like?

Here is President Benson's description:

"When we have undergone this mighty change, which is brought about only through faith in Jesus Christ and through the operation of the Spirit upon us, it is as though we have become a new person. Thus, the change is likened to a new birth. Thousands of you have experienced this change. You have forsaken lives of sin, sometimes deep and offensive sin, and through applying the blood of Christ in your lives, have become clean. You have no more disposition to return to your old ways. You are in reality a new person. This is what is meant by a change of heart."

Another way to look at repentance which ties all this together, comes from Colleen Harrison's book "He Did Deliver Me From Bondage."

“The mighty change of heart does not bring us to a state of perfection, but rather convinces us of our own powerlessness to be perfect, and turns us to know and trust Him who is perfect enough for us all. The word repentance means literally to ‘turn again.’ As that process of turning again to God and to the principles of truth and righteousness becomes more and more consistent and continuous, our lapses from it grow shorter and shorter. They go from being years, months, weeks, or even days in length to only hours, eventually minutes, and ultimately nothing more than the turn of a thought, which is discarded instantly.”

This may be one of my favorite short definitions of repentance..."to turn again to God." In other words, to turn and face Him and be conscious of Him and bring Him back into our life and purposely seek to align ourselves with Him.

I can picture this process and it makes sense to me.

Possible Class Questions: How would you describe repentance?  What does it feel like before and after repentance?  What happens to our heart when we repent?  (You'll get all kinds of answers, validate them, but re-emphasize the ones closest to the purpose of the lesson.)

REPENTANCE IS A MEANS TO AN END

Love this particular angle President Benson expresses:

"I would therefore like to set forth important concepts that we must understand and apply if we are to truly repent and come unto the Lord."

"One of Satan’s most frequently used deceptions is the notion that the commandments of God are meant to restrict freedom and limit happiness. Young people especially sometimes feel that the standards of the Lord are like fences and chains, blocking them from those activities that seem most enjoyable in life. But exactly the opposite is true. The gospel plan is the plan by which men are brought to a fulness of joy. This is the first concept I wish to stress. The gospel principles are the steps and guidelines that will help us find true happiness and joy."

This is one of the greatest understanding the last few decades of life have taught me.  It 's one I share with my children again and again.  "I know the gospel and the commandments feels like a bunch of restrictions right now, but someday, your vision will open up and you'll totally get they were a life preserver all along and saved you from so much grief and many wasted dead ends."

When we turn the corner and understand the gospel are wings to fly with ~ a lot of its power and majesty will make its way into our life too.

President Benson cites the best verse and wraps this thought up beautifully:

"The understanding of this concept caused the Psalmist to exclaim, “O how love I thy law! … Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies. … Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. … Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.” (Ps. 119:97–98, 105, 111.)

"If we wish to truly repent and come unto Him so that we can be called members of His Church, we must first and foremost come to realize this eternal truth—the gospel plan is the plan of happiness. Wickedness never did, never does, never will bring us happiness [see Alma 41:10]. Violation of the laws of God brings only misery, bondage, and darkness."

We repent in order to align ourselves more with the gospel and the commandments.  They were the more powerful, happier path all along.  Sometimes it takes life to knock us or loved ones around before we start to fully realize these truths.

WHAT REPENTANCE IS NOT

I thought Ezra Taft Benson did a lovely job laying out the definition of godly sorrow, or the right kind of sorrow which leads to the more lasting kind of repentance:

"The fourth concept I would like to stress is what the scriptures term “godly sorrow” for our sins. It is not uncommon to find men and women in the world who feel remorse for the things they do wrong. Sometimes this is because their actions cause them or loved ones great sorrow and misery. Sometimes their sorrow is caused because they are caught and punished for their actions. Such worldly feelings do not constitute “godly sorrow.”

Well, that's a pretty strong statement. We certainly will have these kinds of emotions and sorrow, but true godly sorrow doesn't end there.  Next, Ezra gives us all something to ponder about godly sorrow. It's quite thought-provoking:

"Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering. Our sins caused Him to bleed at every pore. This very real mental and spiritual anguish is what the scriptures refer to as having “a broken heart and a contrite spirit." Such a spirit is the absolute prerequisite for true repentance."

Possible Class Discussion: What happens to our heart and our resolve when we experience the kind of godly sorrow President Benson just described? How does this compare to being sorry or embarrassed we got caught?  Which kind of "sorry" will have the most lasting impact?

REPENTANCE IS A PERSONABLE AND INTIMATE EXPERIENCE

Although repentance has its moments of remorse and sorrow, it is an empowering process.  One of  resolve, fortitude and of renewing our acquaintance with God.

I love this thought from President Benson:

"The next principle I would like to discuss is this: No one is more anxious to see us change our lives than the Father and the Savior. In the book of Revelation is a powerful and profound invitation from the Savior. He says, “I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.” (Rev. 3:20.) Note that He does not say, “I stand at the door and wait for you to knock.” He is calling, beckoning, asking that we simply open our hearts and let Him in."

Ezra then quotes Ether 12:27 and opens the verse up in a wonderful, personal way:

"In Moroni’s great sermon on faith, the principle is even more clearly taught. He was told by the Lord, “If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men.” It matters not what is our lack or our weakness or our insufficiency. His gifts and powers are sufficient to overcome them all."

"Moroni continues with the words of the Lord: “My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”

"What a promise from the Lord! The very source of our troubles can be changed, molded, and formed into a strength and a source of power."

We have a partner in our repentance process, one who will come to our side and to our aid once we have the determination to repent.  He comes to us with such an abundance of love and joy in His heart over our repentance, it's powerful enough to spill right into ours.

Going through the repentance process is cleansing, liberating and brings us the gifts of resolve and fortitude.  The whole process reminds me of the Phoenix rising from the ashes.

President Benson sums this process up:

"Brothers and sisters, we must take our sins to the Lord in humble and sorrowful repentance. We must plead with Him for power to overcome them. The promises are sure. He will come to our aid. We will find the power to change our lives."

REPENTANCE IS HOPE

The road to perfection is long and slow and we'll be at it our entire lives.  Repentance is the way we travel along that road successfully.  There is no stigma in having to re-set ourselves occasionally.  President Benson sweetly reminds us we're a work in progress:

"The sixth and final point I wish to make about the process of repentance is that we must be careful, as we seek to become more and more godlike, that we do not become discouraged and lose hope. Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible."

So don't give up...ever!

"We must not lose hope. Hope is an anchor to the souls of men. Satan would have us cast away that anchor. In this way he can bring discouragement and surrender. But we must not lose hope. The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him. Though we may see that we have far to go on the road to perfection, we must not give up hope."

Sometimes we could just kick ourselves all the way around the block.  Have you ever looked back with your 20/20 hindsight and said the words "should have" or "if only"?  We WILL do things we deeply regret, and make choices we wish we could reverse.  It's part of being mortal.  So I love this closing thought as President Benson counsels us not to be our own whipping post:

"I hope we will not live in the past. People who live in the past don’t have very much future. There is a great tendency for us to lament about our losses, about decisions that we have made that we think in retrospect were probably wrong decisions. There is a great tendency for us to feel badly about the circumstances with which we are surrounded, thinking they might have been better had we made different decisions. We can profit by the experience of the past. But let us not spend our time worrying about decisions that have been made, mistakes that have been made. Let us live in the present and in the future."

Wise, sage advice from a dear old soul!

Our intimate and personalble Savior can make a triumph out of any starting point we finally decide to give to Him. He is above any circumstance we can create. Repentance is another way of saying "I've made a mess, I need help, I'm laying it at your feet and I'm determined to do it Your way now."

Heart-changing repentance is a crucial moment we all need in our lives.  Very, very few of us will not need it on some issue or another right now...today.  Repentance is the process by which we work our way back to the Father.  It's how we grow and increase in stature.

Repentance carves out beautiful souls.

Good luck with this valuable lesson.  And thank you for sharing time and thought space too.

Possible Hymns:

Lead Kindly Light  #97

How Gentle God Commands  #125

With Humble Heart  #171 (This is a Sacrament hymn, but the words are so perfect.)

Handout Ideas:

"God doesn't care" quote

Light-hearted and cute

President Benson Quotes to share:

Pinterest

Facebook

Excellant Video: Come Unto Christ

Sometimes freedom comes from changing our own seemingly small choices.

"It just has one scene in it, the rest of the show is okay."

"It's not a big deal."

"We'll just fast forward it."

"Close your eyes."

"I'll just hold up my hand to block the scene and not watch this part."

At some point when I was much younger I made the decision not to watch "R" rated movies (hallelujah).  It's been honored so long it's just a habit without thought.

So it's easy to keep doing.  I don't watch the trailers and drool over the movie and I don't wrestle with all the justifications of why just this once, it would be okay.

(I wish I could say the same for a lot of other things in my life.)

But along came streaming video with a different rating system which I haven't paid much attention to.    I have Amazon Prime on my iPad, while my husband has streaming Netflix on his.  Not to mention Hulu, YouTube and Apple TV ~ there is so much to rifle through and watch and they all can be transmitted to the big screen.

Through it all, several shows which I'm sure are the equivalent of "R" have made it into our home.  Not the movies, but the TV-series type.  We've slowly become accustomed to them.

The ones we really fall for are of high cinematic quality, clever scripts and the like.

Sadly anymore, this is an automatic guarantee of questionable scenes mixed in with the rest.

Last night I watched an episode of one of my favorites.  Along came "the mature scene." They're not in every episode, but often enough.

My husband Joel said a short while back, "It's like playing Russian Roulette isn't  it?  You pull the trigger and hope the gun doesn't shoot this time."

Yes, there was a twinge of guilt and conscience, but it was quickly supplicated with self-talk like:

"It's not a big deal."

"It doesn't affect me."

"I'm an adult."

"As long as the children don't see this."

Last night I had a dream.  It was so influential that all desire to watch any of these shows again are gone.

It was a gifted change of heart.

The dream wasn't very long.  It was more like a vivid, real-time conversation with a Power present.

I was shown a scene much like ones I had been watching, not in detail but I knew what it was.  Immediately, I saw and felt my spirit groan and deflate.

The visual was tangible and three-dimensional.

I wasn't sensitive to this while watching the show earlier that evening, but in this moment I saw clearly what the effect was on me.

I said out loud, "I can see what this is doing to my spirit and I don't want to watch this."

And there appeared written on the air ~ a word.

"Good."

Good with a period on the end.  I'm a writer, so this was significant.

It meant the knowledge was given, the decision was made and it doesn't need to be re-visited.

I woke up this morning knowing it was over.  My love affair with all the clever, intriguing shows was done.  The granted resolve left me knowing it wouldn't be all that hard either.

Consider this quote clear back from Ezra Taft Benson Lesson 3~ it seems to fit perfectly:

"Sin creates disharmony with God and is depressing to the spirit. Therefore, a man would do well to examine himself to see that he is in harmony with all of God’s laws. Every law kept brings a particular blessing. Every law broken brings a particular blight."

I will take the time to understand and pay attention to the rating system.  And if it means I'm forever relegated to "How To Train Your Dragon" and "Pride and Prejudice," I can live with that.

In this day and age, there are so many options for wonderful, intriguing diversions, there is no need to get stuck to the "mature" media tar baby.

Line upon line, piece by piece, right?

Thanks for sharing time and thought space with me today.

Snippets for Relief Society 2015 :) Use search term Ezra Taft Benson to view more for this week or for other weeks.


In this lesson, President Benson takes us through some of the most fundamental building blocks of having an enduring testimony of Christ.

Warning ~ this lesson is ground-shaking and had a profound effect on me.  What a joy to share it with each other today!  There is also an unusual amount of discussion-worthy material, so we all have the difficult job of picking and choosing which parts we'll emphasize and teach.

The first read-thru or two, had me skimming through the first parts of the lesson quicker and contemplating the end of the lesson more.  But those first parts have since made their way to the center of my focus.  In fact, they have pretty much enveloped my emotions and thoughts this past week.

The truths Ezra touches on are majestic, but easy to take for granted and I've allowed them to become background gospel thoughts more often than not.

Christ's royal heritage as the Only Begotten is spoken of frequently,  yet for me it has become a "given," so I don't meditate on it so much.  But it is spoken of often for a reason (we'll get to that).

The resurrection is a guaranteed gift we don't have to do a thing for, so truthfully it doesn't get as much deserved pondering either.

While the Atonement is significant, talking about it is so second nature, it's been a while since it sank into the depths of my soul like it has the last few days.

And yet these basic truths are more tremendous than our words can frame and an important part of knowing Christ.

Thank you President Ezra Taft Benson for pointing the way! (Love this prophet.)

The first element of the lesson which struck me was a simple sentence which the lesson really doesn't emphasize much:

"I was reared in a home by faithful parents who earnestly believed in and testified of Christ, for which I am most grateful.”

Do my children know how I feel about Christ? When was the last time I purposely and conscientiously testified of Christ and re-affirmed my strongest understandings?

Our family will be having a sit-down either this Sunday or Monday and we're going to discuss what we know, what we believe and what we understand of Christ.  Whether it's a spouse, children or other close friends ~ it's a conversation we all want to have at least occasionally.

The lesson!

Although Ezra names a list of vital truths to know about Jesus, he expounds on them in a different order so we'll follow his train of thought, rather than the order of the list.

He was able to accomplish His mission because He was the Son of God and He possessed the power of God.

"No mortal being had the power or capability to redeem all other mortals from their lost and fallen condition, nor could any other voluntarily forfeit his life and thereby bring to pass a universal resurrection for all other mortals."

"His unique heredity made Him heir to the honored title—The Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh. As the Son of God, He inherited powers and intelligence which no human ever had before or since. He was literally Immanuel, which means 'God with us.'"

President Benson also mentions Jesus was born in such a way to preserve His godhood. He had a mortal mother and an immortal Father.

For me, what really helped me understand just who was this Man is, and what are His credentials to be THE ONE born with such a mother and Father came from a mind-bending description quoted in an old retired New Testament manual:

"President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., said, “Astronomers now yield what they did not formerly yield, that there may have been many, and probably were, many worlds like ours. Some say there were in this galaxy perhaps from its beginning, one million worlds like unto this one."

“‘Worlds without number have I created,’ through ‘mine Only Begotten Son.’ I repeat, our Lord is not a novice, he is not an amateur; he has been over this course time and time and time again."

“And if you think of this galaxy of ours having within it from the beginning perhaps until now, one million worlds, and multiply that by the number of millions of galaxies, one hundred million galaxies [now documented to be billions], that surround us, you will then get some view of who this Man we worship is.” (J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Behold the Lamb of God, Deseret Book Company, 1962, pp. 16–17.)

Among the billions of creations, He created our very Earth with all its mountains, valleys, rivers, sunsets and creatures before He was born.  On top of that, He was God of the Old Testament (Jehovah) with all the comings and goings and the makings of a God accomplished in Him already. It wasn't just anyone selected at random to have a mortal mother and an immortal Father in order to pull off what He did ~ it was HIM with an unimaginable résumé and stature already intact.

I just love His name from the Old Testament ~ I AM.

Possible Questions: How does learning about the Savior's origins help us worship and revere Christ?  Does it inspire trust?  What happens to our faith when we decide to accept and trust the Savior?  (For me, it brings me great joy to know just who my Redeemer is.)

Jesus came to earth to do our Father's will.

Perhaps one of the most important examples Jesus set before us is His singular purpose for being here.  He came to teach, suffer, lead, endure, love, atone, resurrect and everything else because our Father wanted Him to.

The question becomes....how much could our own lives emulate this?

"Even though He was God’s Son sent to earth, the divine plan of the Father required that Jesus be subjected to all the difficulties and tribulations of mortality. Thus He became subject to “temptations, … hunger, thirst, and fatigue.”

Christ, who had the power to be born in any circumstance of wealth, privilege, or status chose to appear among the most humblest.  He was born in an animal stall and slept in a feeding trough.  Today, we use romantic words like manger and stable to soften it up, but the fact is, it was anything but romantic.  Especially among all the smells of what animals do.

Now that's a STATEMENT.  It is the epitome of irony for the Creator of the Universe to choose such lowly trappings for His mortal life.  There's a message there. Perhaps it's not about having the big, beautiful Martha Stewart house?  (I've had one of those - on the modest side - for the last seven years so I get to ponder this honestly.)

In fact, President Benson makes a bold comment later in the lesson, one which has the capacity to bring great happiness, clarity, direction and well-being to our lives.  But it's hard even for dedicated and wonderful Saints to hear and face straight on.

"That [person] is greatest and most blessed and joyful whose life most closely approaches the pattern of the Christ. This has nothing to do with earthly wealth, power, or prestige. [Christ made this very point quite clear through the example of His own life.] The only true test of greatness, blessedness, joyfulness is how close a life can come to being like the Master, Jesus Christ. He is the right way, the full truth, and the abundant life."

The majority of people I know, including my own household spend a fair amount of time chasing worldly success like wealth, education, social status, etc.  So no judgments here, just some hard-earned introspection of how much I'm gong to look back and regret not spending a greater portion of time on lasting endeavors.

We really won't be taking our bank accounts, beauty contest trophies, certificates of achievement, FB friend lists and houses with us.   No wonder Christ made sure His life had nothing to do with those things.  I heard it said somewhere, "you were born naked and will go out of this world the same way." The only thing we take with us is the essence and condition of our souls.

President Benson's point?  When we look at Christ and get to know Christ, how much of His life and His priorities are reflected in ours?

Boy, that is the question of the day isn't it?

Jesus also knew rejection, persecution, accusations, ridicule, grief, disappointment, temptation, abandonment, irony and injustice.

But all such mortal challenges lead somewhere significant.

"To qualify as the Redeemer of all our Father’s children, Jesus had to be perfectly obedient to all the laws of God. Because He subjected Himself to the will of the Father, He grew “from grace to grace, until he received a fulness” of the Father’s power. Thus He had “all power, both in heaven and on earth.”

Our "will" is of divine origin which Jesus spoke of over and over and modeled what to do with our wills.  I love this description from Neal A Maxwell and then one from Lorenzo Snow:

“The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. It is a hard doctrine, but it is true. The many other things we give to God, however nice that may be of us, are actually things He has already given us, and He has loaned them to us. But when we begin to submit ourselves by letting our wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him” (Ensign, Aug. 2000).

Neal A Maxwell artfully sums up the essence of will. The beautiful result of submitting our will like Christ - is the empowered, confident soul it produces in each of us who understands this principle and then applies it.

Lorenzo Snow adds:

“We should bring our wills into subjection to the will of the Father, and feel to say, what is the will of our Father, whom we are here in the world to serve? Then every act that we perform will be a success.” (Lorenzo Snow Lesson 11)

Possible Questions: How does worldly success often claim more notice and praise than success in Christ-like living?  Would contemplating the Father's will in "each act that we perform" make a difference in how your day is spent?  Or how you interact with others?

He came with a foreknowledge that He would bear the burden of the sins of us all.  He knew he would be lifted up on the cross.

President Benson quotes a rather poignant verse from Isaiah:

¶Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. [In other words, He appeared without favor and quite insignificant to us, relatively few people would recognize His true stature.]

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Jesus was an often-dismissed person with feelings and pain.  There's a similar message there as well.  The notice and acclaim of the world is not the pinnacle of being in God's world.  The "meek and lowly shall inherit the earth." It will probably surprise quite a few of us just who ends up with the larger stature, the brighter countenance and higher levels of nobility and greatness on the other side of the veil.

Ezra Taft Benson frames the Atonement for us:

"That holy, unselfish act of voluntarily taking on Himself the sins of all other men is the Atonement. How One could bear the sins for all is beyond the comprehension of mortal man. But this I know: He did take on Himself the sins of all and did so out of His infinite love for each of us. He has said: “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; … which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink.” (D&C 19:16, 18.)

"In spite of that excruciating ordeal, He took the cup and drank. He suffered the pains of all men so we would not have to suffer. He endured the humiliation and insults of His persecutors without complaint or retaliation. He bore the flogging and then the ignominy of the brutal execution—the cross."

This gives one pause doesn't it?

When I was really young, my grandfather used to fascinate my brother and I with a rock polisher he made from a coffee can attached to a motor.  We would put pretty rocks in and they would came out beautiful, shiny and polished.  They became our important treasures.

Inspired words have a way of tumbling around in our inner most places of understanding, and working their magic on us.  I suppose that's why we're supposed to study regularly...so that process can have a chance to take place.

Ezra said something about the Atonement in lesson 5 which has tumbled my heart and soul around inside of me ever since.

"Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering. Our sins caused Him to bleed at every pore."

The deep realization that I, Shawnie, have put many stripes on the Man's back over the years, hit me like it has at no other time.  I've repented, been sorry and reformed myself ~ but I don't think I've ever stopped to contemplate how it actually made Jesus FEEL.  Even though He was capable of atoning for us, and offered it ~ He is a person with feelings and He hurt.  Isaiah used the words "wounded, bruised, chastised, and stripes" (marks left from whipping).  I personally gave Him pain and contributed stripes to His back.

Have I ever directly said sorry for hurting Him?  When have I ever said a purposeful thank you in recognition of how much my fails, follies, and liberties must have agonized and stressed Him?

If you have any tears right now, welcome to my world.  I can send my tears His way through prayer, but I achingly want that moment to face Him and say so sorry and thank you so much all in the same breath.



Sometimes when we're counseled to apply the Atonement in our lives, we're not fully counseled just how one accomplishes this task successfully.  Fortunately, the Only Begotten Son established the Sacrament ordinance to walk us through those steps.  He literally puts the Atonement in our laps every week.

Elder John H. Groberg made a compelling observation about Christ's last moments of suffering on on the cross:

"I love the Savior. I feel that as he hung upon the cross and looked out over the dark scene, he saw more than mocking soldiers and cruel taunters. He saw more than crying women and fearful friends. He remembered and saw even more than women at wells or crowds on hills or throngs by seashores. He saw more, much more. He, who knows all and has all power, saw through the stream of time. His huge, magnanimous, loving soul encompassed all eternity and took in all people and all times and all sins and all forgiveness and all everything. Yes, he saw down to you and to me and provided us an all-encompassing opportunity to escape the terrible consequences of death and sin." (General Conference April 1989)

We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

This short video perfectly sums this up so far:  Favorite Christ Video (2 ½ minutes)

Possible Class Discussion: Now would be a perfect time to express how you personally feel about the Savior and why?  Invite the other sisters to do the same.  It enlarges our souls to share testimonies of the Savior with each other.

He was born to be the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind. 

Looking up "redeem" in the dictionary turned up these three definitions:

redeem : to make (something that is bad, unpleasant, etc.) better or more acceptable

: to exchange (something, such as a coupon or lottery ticket) for money, an award, etc.

: to buy back (something, such as a stock or bond)

Using these three definitions we could define Redeemer as : another name for Christ.  He exchanged himself in our places and took our stripes, in order to buy back our eternal lives and to make a terrible outcome turn into a much better, glorious one.

In the lesson manual, President Benson specifically uses "Redeemer" when referencing the resurrection.  He also talks about resurrection as one of the greatest events in human history:

"The greatest events of history are those that affect the greatest number of people for the longest periods. By this standard, no event could be more important to individuals or nations than the resurrection of the Master."

"The literal resurrection of every soul who has lived and died on earth is a certainty, and surely one should make careful preparation for this event. A glorious resurrection should be the goal of every man and woman, for resurrection will be a reality."

By a means I don't entirely comprehend, Jesus made the resurrection happen.  What do we know?  Only a perfect being with god-like stature could reunite his own spirit with his body and give it eternal life.  Once He opened this portal, others could all be resurrected as well.  Somehow He bought us back.

Resurrection is pure gift and truly a remarkable concept.  When you and I stop to explore the idea of resurrection, it manifests itself as one of those magnificent promises we have complete good fortune in.  It's not owed to us, it's an opportunity we shouted for joy over - once upon a time.

Perhaps someday there will be an abundant amount of soul-felt thanks for this as well.

Possible Class Discussion:  Why is the resurrection comforting and strengthening?  What would happen to the meaning of this life if there were no resurrection?  Would you live your life differently?

He was willing to accomplish His mission because He loves us.

President Benson asks pertinent questions:

"Why is it expedient that we center our confidence, our hope, and our trust in one solitary figure? Why is faith in Him so necessary to peace of mind in this life and hope in the world to come?"

"Our answers to these questions determine whether we face the future with courage, hope, and optimism or with apprehension, anxiety, and pessimism."

Nothing helps having faith in Him along, than knowing how much He loves you already.

Let's change the last word in the sub-title above to "me."

"He was willing to accomplish His mission because He loves me."

Sometimes it's hard to picture the Savior being so keenly interested in specifically just you...directly.  We wonder how He could possibly distinguish us or take too much notice of us from among a sea of souls.  And given our mortal natures, we don't always naturally feel so close to Heaven either.

Nonetheless the Savior is very personable, which He reveals through His invitations made directly to you:

62 And again, verily I say unto you, my friends, I leave these sayings with you to ponder in your hearts, with this commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall call upon me while I am near—

63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (D&C 88:62-23)

And a well-known one:

28 ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Here's another powerful one:

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

There's more!

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne (whoa, right?)  even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

This next one is mind-bending...I mean made equal?  With Him?  That's pretty personalized esteem right there:

107 And then shall the angels be crowned with the glory of his might, and the saints shall be filled with his glory, and receive their inheritance and be made equal with him. (D&C 88:107)

He extends more than salvation, and exaltation.  Jesus personally extends the invitation to become His joint-heir (Romans 8:17).  To live with Him and dwell with Him for billions of eons and beyond.

So a lot of love and esteem there.  What is Christ's motivation?  To do His Father's will and because He wants to give you just what He has.  All of it.

Why is comprehending this love so important?

Most Saints understand the Atonement, the Garden of Gethsemane, the resurrection and Christ's sacrifice for us. It is the offer of an everyday Christ that gets under-utilized or perhaps never learned. He will indeed become one with us every single day, as we strive to be near Him. It is He who enlightens our minds, our understanding and sends ideas and revelation our way (through the Spirit - D&C 88:6-13).

His companionship is warm and uplifting, endeared and faithful. As we strive to bring the Spirit into our lives, as we open up our hearts to the possibilities of His influence and presence, we will enrich and deepen the quality of our spiritual experiences and our lives.

President Benson says it so wonderfully:

Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him. As God, He has infinite power, intelligence, and love. There is no human problem beyond His capacity to solve. Because He descended below all things (see D&C 122:8), He knows how to help us rise above our daily difficulties.

Mortality is hard.  It is SO hard!  But we are not left without rich resources to draw on, with the Savior being our greatest asset.  Understanding who Jesus is, what He purposes for us and what He has done already ~ helps us to better know Him and take advantage of all He offers us.

Possible Class Discussion:  What are some of the ways you have felt your Savior's love?  How could you help someone else feel His love?  We are counseled to develop a personal relationship with the Savior ~ what are some ways we can do this?

Possible Hymns:

God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son  #187 (Perfect hymn! Verses 1-4)

I Stand All Amazed  #193

I Know That My Redeemer Lives #136  (Very sweet)

Possible Lesson Handouts:

Cute & Quick Object Lesson

Fun Treat

Share Lesson Quotes:

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Video:  Favorite Christ Video

Nine Tips For Memorable Teaching

Why SLC is such an awesome town.

This post is off the wall and won't be for everybody.  Sometimes when I tackle hard things publicly, it's because a lot of my friends deal with similar circumstances...which suggests a lot of us in this world do as well.

We all deal with dysfunctional people at some point.  Either a) the family we were born in, b) the family we marry into, c) the family we raise or d) the family our children marry into.  Work, church and school has its fair share too.  Somewhere, sometime...SMACK.  Here it comes - the quandary of unhappy, unbalanced people.  The crazy-makers.  Some downright just fall short of a trip to the asylum.

My extended family is not too exceptional, and some of the issues we deal with are widespread.

One of the things which comes with mortality is dealing with...mortals.

I have a fabulous family event coming up.  My two youngest children (of six) are graduating in June with both their H.S. diploma and their Associate's degrees.  They actually went to college for all of their college classes.  They are 18 and 17 (come June).  It's been hard work all around and a glorious milestone for us.

We'll make a big day of it and expect it will be very memorable for our family.  I could not be more pleased with my children.  All of them either have degrees, or are in varying stages of winning one.

Yet I have a quandary.  Sprinkled among my family are those who are given to behaviors which are sure to spoil any event, I don't care how hard you try to prevent it, they just cannot help themselves.

I've agonized over how this will affect our big day.  The conflict is between being gracious and honorable with extended family members OR not inviting them in order to preserve a near perfect day.

The thought came to me to be truthful and honest with them about what my aphrehensions were.  Part of my problem has been taking it laying down for decades and not being more direct in situations where I should have been.  Even though I'm not that person anymore, I have no wish to make points, drag around baggage or be vindictive either.

Then I realized, almost everyone I know has stuff like this going on in their family.  Personality disorders, bi-polar, narcissism, sullen and unkind people, right along with rivalry and the old green-eyed monster.  So I thought I would share with you what I came up with.

It's not perfect, but it brought peace of mind to put my finger on "it."

This is an attempt to be assertive without being aggressive.  It's an attempt to lay down some boundaries which are long overdue and put it all on the table.  It's an attempt to let people know they are loved and welcome, but certain behaviors need to be kept in check.  By putting the awareness of it on everyone's table and letting everyone know we'll all be watching for it ~ it takes the leverage of poor behavior away.

And perhaps, some people are not as aware as we would suspect as to how their behaviors come across and what people are thinking.  They may not understand why others avoid them.

So along with the invites, family members will get some version of this note inserted as well.  I will be terribly unpopular with a few, but from my perspective, this is necessary to clear the way for any possible progress for the rest of us.

(P.S. A humorous moment occurred when I realized these "rules for family events" could be posted just about anywhere:  church, work, school, etc.  Which is why it found its way to the blog.)

*****

Dear Family,

I love you and will always love you. We would also love to have you join us and be a part of this magnificent day in our family history. We are so excited.

There are some ground rules which need to be laid down for this event. For a few of you, these will be common sense and you will be nodding your head. I sent them to everyone to be fair.

No passive-aggressive maneuvers, which means no intrigues and behind-the-scenes stuff.
No jockeying for victimhood or martyrdom championship points.
No king-of-the-mountain. Either to pull others down or keep others' head down.
No awkward surprises or putting people on the spot.
No tug-of-war over favoritism or popularity - especially by the use of embellished or manipulated stories.
No jealousy over the relationships others attempt to have.
No lobbying for alliances or lobbying to decrease the good opinion/relations of others.
No trying to make this day all about you, when in reality, it is for the children.
No monopolizing the conversation with your many maladies, both physical and emotional.
No drama.
No baggage or points to prove.
No crusades to re-write history.  It doesn't work anyway, because history and patterns cannot help but to repeat themselves.  Truth surfaces in the end.  Sometimes it takes years, even a decade or two, but it does....
No snide or heavy or bitter.

We welcome all straightforward, loving relationships with our children. We would love to have you be popular with them and have close aunt, uncle, cousin and/or grandparent relations with them.

However as soon as you turn it into a competition to be more preferred by our children, as in seeking to increase your relationship by undermining our relationship with them - it becomes obvious to all of us, including them as they grow older.  It's just makes us all want to run.

These children are more savvy and intuitive about people than we ever were at the same ages. All the rules stated up above...they see those things.  They have conversations with each other we never had. They have made observations, the depths of which have quite surprised me. A couple of them are more aware about people games than a lot of us typically are. What flew in our generation doesn't fly in theirs.  For example, your choosing to ignore them or snub them is a reflection on where you are at and they will more likely, simply move on without you. 

Same with myself (finally).

We (siblings and parents) are the older generation and the family culture and the quality/style of relationships we established, invested in or abused, took time for or did not take time for are on our own heads. In short, the parents and older adults own the family culture and dynamics. From the oldest on down.

This has long needed to be said.

If we're your cup of tea, you're welcome around our campfire anytime. Please feel no obligation to us - only come and be with us if this is a relationship you're interested in.

There are no expectations.

Again, I feel love for you and always will,  We now have six grown children and a son in-law to love and grandchildren to mentor and we are willing to welcome any sincere family soul who wants to be a part of that.

Warm regards,
Shawnie

Perspective!



This photo was taken from my deck this very morning.  We are so LUCKY because our family lives above the fog a lot of the time out here in Southern Oregon.

Yet, nearly all my friends and fellow ward members here see the weather outside their windows as grey and overcast instead of this glorious scene.  They're down in the fog.

This scripture fell across my eyes this morning:

"And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." (Mosiah 24:14)

The gospel gifts us with a very different view of tribulations and difficulties.  And perspective is everything!  The Lord will make us equal to what we face ~ if we ask ~ so it looks and feels different than despair and hopelessness.

It can look more like the scene above.

Life is much more manageable when we can see above and beyond the current challenge, when our perspective is broader and is infused with the brightness of hope.

Brightness of hope.  One of the most treasured gifts of the Spirit.  If it has escaped you and you're down where most of the townsfolk are in this picture (i.e. negative thinking patterns) ~ I invite you to start looking for and noticing rays of hope.  It takes effort at first, but if you ask in prayer to see them, you will.

Writing them down REALLY helps too.

And don't forget to pray to become equal to what you face, because those prayers are always answered.  The ones which are not answered are where we ask the Lord to zap people or make them  disappear.  (I would know.)  Or make trials disappear.  Once in a great, great while disappearing trials are a miraculous gift we do get.  But most of the time the Lord would rather we traverse the challenge successfully.

The Lord designed life to be a series of obstacles which are conquered and overcome, not escaped (as much as we would love that).

So take on this view, like the one above - one of strength and hope:

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Revelation 3:20-21)

Many blessings to you...always.

Who knows why this incident from more than four decades ago stands out in my mind so vividly?

Yet it left a lasting impression.

Sherry was my best friend.  Her picture is on a special page in my baby photo album, "Shawn's First Best Friend."

It was the middle 60's and I was four going on five.

Sherry was half black and half white.  And for the life of me, I can't remember which parent was which.

Sherry and I met and became fast friends while living at the University of Utah, where my dad was getting his engineering degree.

For those of you old enough, you'll remember mixed marriages and their children were highly taboo during that era.  They were rejected and mistreated by both the black and the white communities across America.

For whatever reason, even though my parents grew up in small, isolated towns - prejudice was not given a place in our home.  My parents embraced Sherry as my friend.

I had no clue whatsoever about contempt and skin color.

My little friend Sherry was having a birthday party.  She was turning five and I was so over-joyed to get to go to her party.

I told the neighbor lady (University housing) Sherry was having a birthday party and I was going.

She said, "You can't go to her party, she's BLACK."

I looked straight at her and said, "No, she's not...she's BROWN."

The neighbor lady argued with me, but I knew my colors.

I marched into our little apt. up on the second floor where my mother was in the kitchen.

"Mommy, the neighbor lady doesn't know her colors and you need to teach her."

"Of course she knows her colors"!

We then got into an argument over what colors she was getting wrong and whether my mother should go and teach her.

I'm sure my mother never knew where this most non-sensical conversation came from.  And at the time, my little four year old person interpreted the problem with what I knew about the world and life so far.  So it made perfect sense the core of the problem was the lady didn't know her colors.

A decade later, after several yearly Martin Luther King lessons in grade school ~ I understood it.

And so it goes.  Each decade looks back on the last with a much bigger and clearer picture.  The good news is the process never stops (if we allow it to take place).

The wisdom which comes with age is for real.  Looking back over the last five decades ~ the progress of my understanding and perspective is pretty clear.  Older people's observations and experiences are a treasure, including what they found out from the school of hard knocks.  It's a smart thing to listen to them and consider where and how their perspective came to be.  Enough times, they really do know something you don't...yet.

Don't get me wrong.  People aren't automatially better because they're older.  And they're definitely not smarter nor do they have more IQ.  I wouldn't pretend this for a moment.

It's just that life teaches an open soul things which smarts, logic, reason, IQ, education and even common sense can't.  The wisdom of time is like an extra seasoning, which comes on its own.

It cannot be googled nor imitated.

So I really sat up straight when I read the then 61 year-old apostle Ezra Taft Benson's words:

"We have no cause to really worry.… Happiness must be earned from day to day. But it is worth the effort."

Umm...how about money, relationships, children, and health?  Not to mention the future and world chaos?

Yet Ezra is one of those wise, old souls.  He's tried and proven.  What is he telling us?

A decade ago, I would have a really hard time absorbing those sage words, but not anymore.

For all the tribulation, heartache, pain, suffering, injustice, hardship, loneliness, agony, and what all else...here I still am.

And every trial, all the ones which didn't end my life...made me stronger.  They have added depth, perception, stature, stamina and taught me volumes about myself.

Would I go through them again, knowing all the benefits?  Most assuredly not.

Yet I did.

And through it all, I agonized, chose fret and misery, and worried far, far more than was productive or necessary.

It took a long time to get to a place of trust like I am now.  Trust the Lord, trust the process, and trust that every experience (yes, every single last one) propels us somewhere where we gather strength and perspective we would not otherwise have.  If we allow life to work on us this way.

Hardship pushes us out of our comfort zone.  It moves us.

And every trial we endure, we become a stronger, more capable creature for the next round.

I get it.

We can worry a whole lot less if we trust Christ.  He purposely made us survivors and conquerors.

If you have not seen this delightful little video from 91 year-old Joseph B. Wirthlin (two months before he died) ~ please do, it is nine-decades worth of sparkling wisdom in 3 ½ minutes.  (Try turning on "closed caption" by clicking the little "CC" symbol on the bottom right.)

"Come What May, And Love It"

We'll see what the next decade brings.

Snippets for Relief Society 2015 :) Use search term Ezra Taft Benson to view more for this week or for other weeks.


Joseph Smith, what a great lesson topic!

I asked my family what they thought of Joseph Smith, my youngest son, a man of few words, said:

"Willpower, perseverance and obedience in abundance...don't forget the word ABUNDANCE, mom."

(He knew this would make it to the blog.)

My husband Joel said, "He died so young, at an age when most people are just getting started.  Yet he was so productive and did many things we all benefit from greatly."

These days, it seems like a good idea to have a significant conversation about Joseph Smith, for several pivotal reasons:

A - The First Vision is fundamental to our whole religion. It revealed ground-breaking truths to our world which haven't been on the earth for centuries.  Specifically the physical nature of Heavenly Father and Jesus, as well as their relationship to each other.  This told us volumes about ourselves and our destiny.  By understanding Christ's relationship with the Father, we understand our own with Him.  By understanding their physical nature, we also understand our destiny.  We wouldn't be Mormons without these truths.

B - The Book of Mormon, which Joseph translated and brought to the world, is the keystone of our faith and a rich source of treasured, intimate and powerful spiritual experiences.  In fact, this is most likely the best place to start if one wants a testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith.  Or if a testimony needs to be re-gained.

The very miracle here, that prophets, angels, modern scriptures, revelations, and current contact with God  actually exist - greatly sets our Christianity apart from the rest of today's religious world.

Yet how extremely important to know, and our great fortune to know, about prophets and apostles and a tangible God in touch with His children!

Either the First Vision and The Book of Mormon happened as Joseph Smith said they did...or they didn't.  All else pivots on those two events.

C - The other reason we need to talk about Joseph Smith is because the world is talking about him more than ever, and very badly. Which is one of our modern society's best skills ~  to cast someone horribly through the artifice of words, and to put light for dark and dark for light.

The murmur mill has been humming at high pitch from the time Joseph was 14.  The difference is now a lot more of us are experiencing it first or second-hand because of anti-mormonism posted online both in media and the internet in general.  And if you're not grappling with Joseph's defamation yourself, for sure your children and a good percentage of your fellow sisters are.

A lot of degrading scorn is accomplished by taking quotes and stories such as translating methods, polygamy, wife age, etc, out of context.  Especially common, is ignoring the culture of the time and assuming intent and thought processes we're really not privy to.  Along with projecting the worst possible motives one can think of and then banking on them as representing Joseph Smith's character ~ based purely on the merits that one can speculate about them and then vocalizing it makes it so.

If it interests you or you have time - here is a perfect example:

The Urban Legend Of Adam Lightner

Trial by online comment thread juries.  Don't fall for it.

Our modern culture excels at slander, spins, bad-mouthing, ridicule, discrediting, obscuring and tearing down in general.  It's the collective hobby of our media newsrooms, court systems and online comment sections.

Two Mormon Elders pose in front of a movie poster in England in 1922 (Same time Ezra was serving his mission).  The gist of the movie was the Mormon Elders were there to trap girls and make slaves out them in the guise of plural wives and transport them back to Utah.

Everyone loves a good slam and a conspiracy theory.  It sells.

I know something about this personally.

You could take any one of us, and put our fails, follies, past weak moments, poor choices of words, once-mistaken beliefs and learning curves on display and make any individual one of us look like complete idiots.  No one is immune.  And this despite us, perhaps, being very good, accomplished and honorable people as a whole and worthwhile most of the time.

Let me share an experience which I've never publicly shared.  In fact,  it may have never really been privately shared either.  It was so unwelcome, nightmarish and painful, it's been left way back in the past and almost never re-visited.

I was divorced in 2001, and became a single mother to six young children.  The oldest was 11 years-old.  Life was difficult and trying financially and emotionally.  There were untold volumes of heartache and disappointment during those years.  My ex-spouse was officially diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder and later as bi-polar also.  Court was his glorious circus of entertainment.  He thrived there.  It didn't matter whether he won or lost, he was madly in love with the whole experience.  It was like he was on stage with a captive audience.  He took me there many times, much more than normal, both out of vindictiveness and with the intent of wearing me down.  How I survived those five years in California's crippled justice system, and then a half a dozen more in Southern Oregon's I still can't say.  It was sheer madness.

Loud drama people do well in court.  It's a sad, modern failing of our time.

On one of those occasions, he filed a lawsuit against me suing for custody of our six children based on my being an unfit mother.  There were 47 accusations in all which I stood trial for.  Let me quickly say I won and kept custody, but not without passing through an excruciating process which left me stunned and flattened.

As a background, there really are no winners in the California family court system.  Everyone is scarred for life.  They are unfortunately comfortable with keeping families as ripped up and in distress as long as is possible.  The average divorce case lasts five years in the county we were at.  It really is a conflicted justice system.

Back to the story - of those 47 items on the agenda, some were embellished and exaggerated, some were stories taken out of context, some were completely fabricated and some were...embarrassingly true.

What was noticeably missing were the 470 things I did right.  In other words, the court wasn't interested in looking at me as a whole or considering whether I was a fit mother based on what I accomplished as a parent or anything of merit.  They only wanted to spend tens of thousands of dollars in lawyer money debating each and every negative item, true or not.  I was on the stand and questioned mercilessly.  I felt terrible and near worthless when the process was over.

So I recognize this same process happening within the modern media as well as other anti-mormonism sites about Joseph Smith.  They trip over themselves in a race to the headlines to publish any unsavory bit they can frame.  The myriad good, great and worthy elements of this prophet's character and accomplishments are rarely spoken of or alluded to.  Which leaves the naive public with a very different feel for who the man Joseph actually was or what he is about.  A prophet who sacrificed almost all comfort, safety and dignity to bring the gospel back to our world, which is pretty much Satan's playground now.  All forces of the adversary fully zoned in on this man and his earnest, youthful efforts to establish the Lord's work.

Questions not to ask in class: If you were Lucifer (thank goodness this is completely hypothetical) who would you target?  And how much effort and energy would you put into the endeavor given your destructive goals?  Would a prophet like Joseph be left in peace?  Not a chance.  The fact there is so much commotion surrounding Joseph, even 171 years later after his death is evidence of how threatening he is to Lucifer's end-game.  You can bet Satan is writhing in his cunning art of words to defame and take Joseph Smith down.  Look how many souls Lucifer could confuse if he were successful.  The fact Joseph Smith could create such significant vibes in our media even still today needs to be pondered.  For example, who has been beating this drum of scorn and ridicule for so long?

Moroni told Joseph his name would be had for good and for bad among all nations.

The test of our faith is here and growing.

To note, if you had read the 47 claims made about me those 14 years back, you would have no idea who I was nor could you possibly fathom how my six children turned out in any semblance of normal.

Back to Joseph's character on trial.  Question is...where will you stand?  Some of the stuff they come up with about Joseph is pretty damning and daunting at first pass and even at second pass.  And if you're not a tireless researcher type, their ridicule and clamor may be hard to reconcile with.

We need to be ready for this prominent, faith-depleting challenge of our day, in regards to the Prophet Joseph Smith. It appears the time has come for all good Saints to stand up and decide where they will be counted.

So let me say passionately,  I for one, stand by Joseph Smith.  Despite his mortal moments, he is a prophet of God.  In fact he is a principal and extraordinary prophet.  He opened our current dispensation...the seventh and last one.

I'm making a point to notice the 470 things he did right (I'm sure the number is far higher), and at such a dear sacrifice.  What about how much goodness and happiness those 470 things have brought into my life?

Question of the day...where will you stand when the darts are thrown at Joseph Smith?  Even ones which feel like they hit the mark?

The First Vision and The Book of Mormon are exactly as the prophet Joseph recounted to us ~ a sublime historical event which ushered in our dispensation, and the Book is proven to be full of Spirit and enlightenment.

Joseph remains a prophet still and died as a worthy and honorable man to the last.  How do I know?  We'll talk about this more in a bit.  In fact Ezra Taft Benson mentions it later in the lesson.  But I'd like to follow Ezra's train of thought.

Ezra shares a touching experience relating to his mission.  He had prepared himself to talk to a chapel full of interested people on one topic for a hopeful, but doubtful 15 minutes.  After he sat down from speaking, he realized he just filled 25 minutes easily about Joseph Smith and never even mentioned what he had prepared.  The words flowed on their own with influence and power.  Afterwards a fair number of people told him how much his sermon meant, because Joseph Smith was the exact question in many people's minds and Ezra had testified beautifully.  A good number of baptisms resulted in a time and place where missionary work was all but shut down.  This experience so touched President Benson as a young man, he cried.

President Benson went on his mission in 1922.  If the Spirit is still teaching, validating and testifying of the prophet Joseph Smith 78 years after his death ~ is there a message about Joseph Smith for the rest of us?

Book Of Mormon

Even when I read this book fast, perhaps for an 80-day challenge or something, it enlarges my inner being and brings in light.  I can actually feel and notice the swelling within me over the course of reading the book.  And sometimes the enlightenment isn't specific to any one subject, but just a general, overall increase in well-being and spiritual confidence.  It's an effect I can't help but register.

This is what makes this lesson so enjoyable.  We get to talk about the Book of Mormon and our experiences and testimonies of it.

President Benson says:

"The most singular evidence in support of Joseph Smith’s claim to being a spokesman for Almighty God was the publication of a scriptural record, the Book of Mormon."

It's also the easiest to way to access a testimony. Why? The book has it's own power and testifies of itself. Any sincere reader, who is willing to read it just between themselves and God will, at some point, feel the divinity of the book.

If we attempt to "read" the book by reading someone else's synopsis of it, good or bad, it won't work. For a truly welcome experience, only you and God may be present. If we leave the door open to the possibility the book may be a true work, it will gladden, embolden and lift the heart. The book gifts us with a greater sense of well-being as well.

Listen to this sweet invitation from Ezra:

"We invite you to test the validity of our witness about the origin of the Book of Mormon. You can do this by reading it and asking our Heavenly Father if these things are true. I promise you, if you are sincere, you will receive a confirmation of the truthfulness by the Holy Ghost. Millions, with soberness and sincerity, testify they know it is from God."

Natural Class Discussion: How many of you have read the Book of Mormon? What does the Book of Mormon mean to you and why? Have you had any treasured experiences with the Book of Mormon you feel to share with us? (Great question to ask ahead of time to a couple of sisters.)

The First Vision

If we're going to talk Joseph Smith, we've got to talk First Vision. Not as a repetitive story, but as an exciting, extraordinary event.  Each of us have been promised to know of it's surety if we seek to.

I have a beautiful treasured experience of the Spirit bearing powerful witness of this event myself. It only happened about seven years ago. For some reason I wasn't aware we were to seek a special manifestation of this one event. Once I did, it became one of the most spiritually clarifying events in my life.

The YW site has an excellent resource for teaching about how to get a specific testimony of the First Vision.  You may want to skim this for lesson ideas or for yourself.

President Benson says:

"The prayer of a boy fourteen years of age, in the Sacred Grove, opened a new gospel dispensation."

"This restoration of the gospel, the bringing back of light and truth, is intended for the benefit and blessing of all God’s children. And so, humbly and gratefully, our missionaries go out into the world to proclaim that there has been an apostasy from the truth, but that through the goodness of God the heavens have again been opened and the gospel revealed unto man through Joseph Smith, the Prophet."

Possible Class Discussion: What truths did the First Vision teach us about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?  Why is this so important to our own understanding? (See point "A" at the top of this blog post for ideas.)  Why would we be counseled to have a specific testimony of the First Vision itself?  (see YW site for ideas to expand this discussion if you feel you'd like to emphasize it.)

Joseph Still A Prophet Today

Sometimes it's helpful to look at repeating patterns from the past, to help us understand what is happening now.

Joseph has been discredited and targeted from his youth.  It's a pattern which would repeat itself over and over.

President Benson tells us:

"Simultaneous with the early development of the Church was a spirit of opposition and persecution. Wherever the tiny “mustard seed” was planted, attempts were made to frustrate its growth."

"The fourteen-year-old boy stood true against the world. God knew his son when he was chosen. He knew he would be loyal and true even to death."

Ezra Taft Benson continues:

"Some treated [Joseph Smith’s] testimony with great contempt and began to incite false stories and persecution against him. The young prophet, like the Apostle Paul of old, would not recant his testimony, but defended his claim in these words:

“I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.” (JS—H 1:25.)

If the persecution from the outside world wasn't enough, early in Church history, those around Joseph Smith including some apostles, would eventually claim he was a fallen prophet.  Friends from his inner circle who were supposed to be closest to him, turned on him and betrayed him.  At various times and for various reasons.  He knew a lot of personal grief.

We know a couple of the three witnesses eventually came back, got re-baptized and apologized later on...but the issues people chose to discredit him over were oftentimes pretty superficial agendas.  For example disappointment over bank failures or the proper use of seer stones or competition over who should lead.

The whirlwind of darts was always present and seeing it today is history repeating itself.

But let's take a look at some of the 470 things the man did right?

Printing of the Book of Mormon

By the time he died, he had gathered approximately 15,000 Saints to Nauvoo along with all the comings and goings of building up the civic infrastructure of a town and their religious community.  (And this after having already migrated from place to place with only primitive conveniences.)  He (and his scribes) painstakingly wrote the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine & Covenants by hand.  Went over every word.  He managed to get the books published and sent missionaries through several parts of the world.  He went himself on occasion.  He had nine children.  He formed the Mormon Battalion and marched with them.  His sufferings were great and frequent, both physically and financially at the hands of mobs and thugs.  He was vexed often by ruthless men in court.

Yet...

He also saw and spoke with heavenly messengers at least 139 times (the number recorded).  He saw the Savior at least 10 times (incidences recorded).

What a testimony to how the heavens regarded him! They found him worthwhile enough to keep company with him often and this says something.

President Benson shares a piece about Joseph which is really touching and significant:

"Joseph Smith the Prophet went willingly to his death. He sealed his testimony with his life—his own blood. On that fateful day in Nauvoo, Illinois, as he looked back upon his city and people whom he loved, on his way to Carthage Jail and his martyrdom, he declared: “This is the loveliest place and the best people under the heavens; little do they know the trials that await them” [History of the Church, 6:554]."

"Later the Prophet said feelingly, but calmly and courageously, “I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am as calm as a summer’s morning. I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men. If they take my life I shall die an innocent man, and my blood shall cry from the ground for vengeance, and it shall be said of me, ‘He was murdered in cold blood’” [History of the Church, 6:555]."

He gave it all.

Whatever fails, follies, mis-steps, learning curves, and mistakes the Prophet Joseph made, he took care of them and had reconciled with the Heavens. The Doctrine & Covenants records his chastisements several times as well as his repentance.  He was a man, and yes he stumbled, but this does not change the fact that when it was time to establish our dispensation, and our doctrine, and lead our Church, this is whom the heavens chose. And whom Heaven keeps choosing.

Good luck with this lesson!

Possible Hymns:

Praise To The Man  #27

Joseph Smith's First Prayer  #26

We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet  #19

Nine Tips For Memorable Teaching

Snippets for Relief Society 2015 :) Use search term Ezra Taft Benson to view more for this week or for other weeks.



How great sharing time and thought space with you and these lessons!

Unfortunately, my life is as upside down as it could ever be.

We are moving to Salt Lake City!  We've never been residents of Utah before (except for a couple of years of school for just one of us).  This is a big adventure.

Not only am I now in the frantic stages of getting a house ready for market and trying to de-clutter and get ready to pack...we are moving a business with a few employees as well.  And that's harder than any of the other stuff.

Plus there are two kids graduating in June.  Along with myriad other items competing for my attention.

I was troubled over how to get this lesson up and the thought came through clearly...answer the questions at the end.

So this will truly be just a few "snippets," today but hopefully they're enough to make this connection worthwhile and be a good experience while you prepare.

Thank you for teaching this lesson. It's one of my all-time favorite topics.

Questions:

• Consider what President Benson said was “an answer to the great challenge of our time” (section 1). In what ways can this answer help us meet the challenges we face?

President Benson rehearses Lehi's dream with some commentary of his own. It's a great image, the iron rod. He talks about how peace will be taken from the earth, and of all the chaos and calamity. They are the mists of darkness and the lost paths. What will get us through is the iron rod, and holding onto it firmly.

Of course, the iron rod are the scriptures.

We certainly feel the unrest and unhappiness in this world, don't we? Not only in the world as a whole, but in our individual lives. We ourselves are sometimes in commotion dealing with all the things mortals around us do, not to mention what we do ourselves.

The scriptures give us something stable to stand on while the rest of the ground around us shakes, moves and changes. When confusion and difficulty envelope us, the scriptures are solid as an iron rod to help us know what to do and maybe even more especially...life will eventually be okay.

There was a conference talk given just a week ago at General Conference by Elder Kevin W. Pearson, "Stay By The Tree." It is a rich resource and resonates with this lesson completely.

If you have time to watch the video or read it ~ please do!

Personally, I know what inspired words do to me. They work on me in the background, and if I read regularly, I get worked on regularly. Here's a small phrase I came up with one day, and it about sums this whole lesson up:

Inspiration in, inspiration out.

In other words, if I keep on reading and make it a point to grab a hold of that iron rod ~ I'm not overcome by the tribulations and challenges of this world. I get answers and inspiration of how to navigate more smoothly and even quickly as well.

Sometimes it's not so much about what prayers and scriptures bring into our lives as much as what it saves us from...bitterness, darkness, anger, confusion, ego, pride, despair & selfishness to name a few.

Not only that, peace, confidence and well-being are gifts of the Spirit.  Regular, habitual scriptures are a sure way to  increase the Spirit in our lives and those benefits come along as well.

• Review the results that President Benson said will come “when individual members and families immerse themselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently” (section 2). Why do you think scripture study leads to such results?

First, the results I've found:

"the sweet whisperings of the Spirit." (And that's the point, isn't it? They really are sweet and worth repeating again and again.)

"Testimonies will increase." (Testimonies are treasures, we're so lucky to have them.)

"Commitment will be strengthened." (In other words, we'll get better at being a Saint and it won't seem like as much effort as it used to.)

"Families will be fortified." (Hallelujah!!!! ~ this includes the quality of the relationships.)

"Personal revelation will flow." (And the sweet whisperings which leave us with contentment and joy.)

Maybe the reason the scriptures lead us there is explained by the lesson title "Power Of The Word." The Word of God is somehow divinely engineered to be a moving force in our lives.  Inspired words have a power and presence of their own and they hang out with us and around us through the day, if we choose to hang out with them by reading them first.

Elder Scott once said scriptures can become our best, loyal friends.  Great imagery there.  This is believable too, because they somehow have a personality of their own.

• President Benson said that scripture study is a blessing, not a burden (see section 3). What blessings have come to you and your family through scripture study? What advice might you give to someone who feels that scripture study is a burden?

Well now.

Our family scripture study is a great tradition.  And if you keep at it long enough, even your teenagers will expect it and not give you such a hard time over it.

It brings a dependable tradition to our home, a time to all sit in one place and contemplate the Universe over one topic or another.  It's stabilizing and unifying.  And that's saying a lot for my collection of kids.

We're currently using "Preach My Gospel." What a great resource for studying with older children.  It asks questions and then gives you 4-8 verses to look up and then we have a discussion on the question.  The book is well put together.

As far as the burden...I remember feeling this way, like reading scriptures were a checklist item and not feeling too drawn in by the words.  Scriptures don't always make themselves easy to absorb.

Maybe "practice makes perfect." And for all the scriptures do for us and as wildly and personally benefitting they are, it is worth cultivating the art of loving and knowing the scriptures.  Perhaps start small?  Like a few verses until you hit something inspirational and then contemplate that thought.

I don't think it matters how much you read, but much more that you do read and do it everyday.

• What are some dangers of treating the word of God lightly? (See section 4.) What are some things we can do to give the word of God greater attention?

This seems to go back to President Benson's statement 'where much is given, much is required." The scriptures were given to make use of and to unlock the doors in our lives. We won't have a lot of excuses if we don't take advantage of them. They have what we need to succeed in this life and they are freely given and the invitation to read them is broadcast constantly.

Could it be we just plain miss out on a lot of life that could have gone so better and so much easier because of the strength scriptures lend?  Ignoring them is not really getting out of an obligation as much as it is shooting yourself in the foot and then insisting on hobbling through life unaided.

You can...but is it really that great?

I've found that reading scriptures first thing, brightens a greater percentage of my day. If we wait until we "have time," it usually doesn't happen. So here is an awesome Ezra Taft Benson quote which directly relates to the scriptures, because putting scriptures first is very much like putting God first!



Don't we need this in our daily lives?

Sweet blessings to you as you prepare this lesson!

Due to extensive DIY home remodeling projects (getting ready to sell the house), moving this summer and our business going through some major phases ~ my blogging life is regrettably, achingly on hold.

This post may not seem like it matches the blog title at first, so please bear with me for a couple of paragraphs or so! I believe these thoughts will come around full circle in a meaningful way.

In fact, the best part of this post for me are the last two paragraphs, but let me lead up to them.

A couple nights back, a phrase popped up during family scripture time, referring directly to the Savior.  The words stood out and begged to be pondered:

And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man. (D&C 45:39)

Son of Man. What an intriguing word choice.  More often we hear "Son of God." It hit me right then how much meaning "Son of Man," communicated just by capitalizing the letter "M." Why?  Because it clearly refers to Heavenly Father...and refers to Him as a Man.

This is not a definition we explore or expound on too often, yet "Man" has become one of my favorite titles for Heavenly Father.  In fact, it is quite sacred and abounding with spiritual vibes.

These kind of vibes could potentially increase the quality and depth of personal prayer time.

How?  Maybe because the title "Man" is a more direct, visual description of the Father as a three-dimensional, touchable person in our image, albeit a glorified, tangible version.

Incidentally, Heavenly Father is the only personage the scriptures refer to when using the capitalized version of Man.

"Son of God" is the default phrase we tend to use to describe Christ's role and while it's accurate, "God" as a word can be less tangible in our heads.  Perhaps it's because "God" in the scriptures refers to both Christ and Heavenly Father in turns.  It's an either/or thing.  Quite frankly, most of the time we don't distinguish between Christ & Heavenly Father when we hear the word God or Lord. Instead, we sometimes tap into our fuzzy, mix-the-two-together concept of Deity inside our brain somewhere.  As long as it's one of the two, it's fine.

"Man" is much more specific.

"What man is, God once was ~ what God is, man may be." (Lorenzo Snow, Lesson 5)

"Man" with a capital M points directly to the One whose image is much like ourselves, but also the one who has made the entire journey successfully to the end; the same path we presently have the opportunity to attempt.

"Man" holds a lot of truthful meaning.  Heavenly Father IS the capitalized, finished, glorified version of man.

*****

Someday soon, we will be in the same place with Heavenly Father, the Man, at a meeting or some gathering, looking right at Him in the room with us.  He will stand and sit, just like everyone else does.  We will have a direct relationship and a camaraderie with the Father.  He will be visually familiar to us, and a big part of our normal life.

Sometimes, when I'm feeling a bit disconnected while attempting prayer, it helps to visualize how three-dimensional and touchable Heavenly Father, the Man is.  Someone who has been down our road too.

Understanding God's path is the same one we've started down is an important truth.  By discerning who Heavenly Father genuinely is ~ it teaches us where we're headed and lends the guidance needed to follow the path here on this ridiculous, and sometimes crazy world among mortals.

What's interesting, this same phrase "Son of man," is used repeatedly in the New Testament (85 times), most often by Jesus using the words to characterize Himself.  It was one of His favorite self-descriptions.

But....

In the Bible, the "m" is lower case every single time:  Son of man.  Interesting what a big difference it makes, because in lower case, it appears Jesus is referencing just His humanity.

Yet, "Son of God" is mentioned only 46 times in the New Testament and even then, Jesus used it a scant five times to refer to Himself.  He many times preferred "Son of man." So do I, with a capital M of course.

In the Doctrine & Covenants, "Son of Man" appears 16 times and is capitalized every single time like the verse at the top of this post.

Myself, I think "man" was meant to be capitalized in the New Testament too, at least most of the time, and the capital M is one of the plain and precious truths lost.  Here are a few clues why:

The world does not often comprehend or acknowledge Heavenly Father beyond a nebulous cloud.  That He has a tangible, glorified body and is a distinct person, makes us very unique in Christiandom.  So it makes sense why translators and scribes would eliminate the capital "M." God, after all is not a man, and could not be alluded to as such.  Mortal reason percieves the "m" should be lower case and not ever referring to Deity.  When Christ used the phrase "Son of man," (according to their logic) Jesus simply wasn't attributing Himself as Son of God at that moment.

I seriously doubt all 85 instances were meant to be lower case, and after reading quite a few of them, guess most of them were better expressed with a capital M, just like in the Doctrine & Covenants.  "Son of Man" was such an important point and a relevant message in Christ's ministry.

Here are two problems with the lower-case "m" ~ first Christ was sent to testify of His Divinity, His Sonship, and to establish He was the Messiah who was promised.

Second, He wasn't really Joseph's son.  He was literally without any earthly father.  True he was son of a woman, but the most important characteristic which set Him apart, was His Paternal Heritage (notice the capitals).  In fact it was so singular and so spectacular, it doesn't follow He would be calling attention to Himself as a mortal most of the time. The world already had enough mortals. How would identifying himself as a mortal help anyone find Him or perceive His importance?

Here is a verse from the Old Testament, which is case in point.

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. (Daniel 7:13)

Here, Christ hasn't even been born yet, is not in a mortal state nor a mortal phase and is appearing to Adam (Ancient of Days). The capitalized "S" in Son makes perfect sense.  It would have made more sense to capitalize the "M" as well. Except that counters the precepts of men ~ namely God is a gas cloud or some non-discernable spiritual mass.

Note this verse from the Doctrine & Covenants 65:5 ~

Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth.

Now let's read a similar verse from the New Testament, and even though it clearly does not refer to the Christ during a human phase, but rather a triumphant immortal phase ~ the "m" is in lower case anyway:

"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (Matt 24:27)

Or how about Matthew 9:6?

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

Question? Why would Christ want to emphasize the importance of being a mortal while exercising the authority to forgive sins?

Son of Man - a really important distinction.  Both of those previous New Testament verses would have read better with the capitol letter version.  (says me)

Here's the most meaningful part of "Man" for me and it comes from our beloved Lorenzo Snow.

"We were born in the image of God our Father; he begat us like unto himself. There is the nature of deity in the composition of our spiritual organization;in our spiritual birth our Father transmitted to us the capabilities, powers and faculties which he himself possessed, as much so as the child on its mother’s bosom possesses, although in an undeveloped state, the faculties, powers and susceptibilities of its parent."

"I believe that we are the sons and daughters of God, and that He has bestowed upon us the capacity for infinite wisdom and knowledge, because He has given us a portion of Himself. We are told that we were made in His own image, and we find that there is a character of immortality in the soul of man..."

"We have divinity within ourselves; we have immortality within ourselves; our spiritual organism is immortal; it cannot be destroyed; it cannot be annihilated. We will live from all eternity to all eternity." (Lorenzo Snow, Lesson 5)

This is a very powerful connecting force for me.

Question: Have you ever stopped to contemplate how direct your connection and parent-child relationship is with Heavenly Father....the perfected Man? We literally have the his spiritual DNA imprinted on us inside.

You are a daughter (or son) of a glorified Man...your Father.  Feel His heritage within you, feel His tangible and three-dimensional nature!

Sometimes when we don't feel close to Him, it isn't because He is so very far, but because we need help to meditate and connect.

Your Father loves you and you are literally, by inheritance, His direct relation.  Picture the Man.

Does it feel a bit more tangible and three-dimensional today?

Timshel (thou mayest)

*****

Update!  Oh wow.  I'm not very original.  I just looked at all those verses in the JST and yep...they're all capital M.  I have the small fleeting satisfaction of figuring this out on my own ~ but dearest awesome Joseph Smith was miles ahead on this.  Capital M is no longer a speculation, but verified by the best.

What's interesting is, while researching this topic, I found NOTHING written by anybody.  Not in BYU's citation index, conference talks, google searches, etc.  There doesn't appear to be a lot said about the change in the JST translation and the significance of it.  In my whole church life, I've never heard anyone address this phrase.  Son of Man seems to be off the radar.  Hopefully something interesting will turn up.

.

When I refer to spirituality ~ it's the good kind where we feel connected, understanding and confidence. It's a well-being, sense of trust and oneness with the Universe. It's mostly manifested in our private moments.

When someone is "so spiritual," this has nothing to do with appearing pious, crying in public or using impressive words.  Though sometimes we mix up what "spiritual" really looks and feels like.

Spirituality is more like a coat hanging in our closet. We decide when to slip it off the hanger and as soon as we put it on, the Heavens reach back at us.

This is the amazing part for me, how fast and willing the Spirit is to accompany us.

Yet, we tend to face the blizzard of life in our bikini. Excuse the imagery, but can you relate? Have you ever been slow to kneel or have you ever fallen off the daily scripture wagon KNOWING life goes better with prayer and scriptures? Knowing how much investing in some spiritual connectiveness adds to your well-being over time?

Perhaps blizzards exist just so we will figure out how to kneel in earnest?  And how to question and how to reach and resolve life's difficulties in partnership with the Heavens.  Such prayers are the best, most game-changing kind.

Here are a few verses which express how much we ourselves are the gateway to the depth and height of our relationship with the Savior:

41 Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me;

If you're even interested enough to read something like this, then He is talking about you ~ you are Christ's prized prodigy and stewardship.

42 And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost.

He makes so much effort to go after the "one."

43 And the Father and I are one. I am in the Father and the Father in me; and INASMUCH as ye have received me, ye are in me and I in you.

In other words, we can have a strong relationship with the Savior ~ as much as we allow and make space for.

44 Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd, and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall.

He is right there, ready to be a part of our life. Very proactive. Which is something we hopefully figure out. He knows it is hard to have complete faith in Him but assures us the day will come...

45 And the day cometh that you shall hear my voice and see me, and know that I am.

46 Watch, therefore, that ye may be ready. Even so. Amen.  (D&C 50:41-45)

"Watch" is another word for conscientiously putting on the coat. Kneeling, reading, pondering, serving, tempering ourselves and reaching.

Inasmuch...we decide what level Christ's oneness with us will be.  How mind-boggling it is for me to comprehend He has already made the choice to be with me completely.  Even be as "one." Whether it happens or not (on any given day even) has everything to do with me.

Hope you have the luxury of a few connected, spiritual moments today.  Someday we'll all feel those deep moments together with each other at will.

Until then...

Just wanted you to know I'm working on this lesson.  Lesson 16 is the about the elderly in Church, and it's a pretty straightforward, easy topic.

Lesson 17 is the Law of Chastity ~ yikes ~ not always the favorite teaching assignment so we will start with this one.

And I love the thought of continuing lessons 18-24 as well.

It generally takes about 1.5-2 weeks to finish a lesson post. It should be up by the middle of August or sooner.

House is about to go on the market.  Kids are graduated.

Missed this blog!

Timshel

See also: 9 Tips For Memorable Teaching 

There's a certain kind of teaching or speaking in Church, which impacts us sister Saints long after the talk or lesson is over.  Whenever someone is candid about their life struggles & learning curves as related to the gospel, I find it frees me up to be more introspective. It also gives me courage, strength and resolve to live the gospel with more determination.

I noticed Joseph Smith had this same approach, in fact he may have introduced (or re-introduced) this style of communicating gospel teachings for our dispensation.

Joseph was never afraid to talk about or bring up his failings. Kind of like how Nephi was rather open about his dysfunctional family drama. In the same way, Joseph Smith was quite open about falling on his face.  Both in his day while speaking with his peers and as recorded in the Doctrine & Covenants.  In fact, the Doctrine & Covenants has several sections where Joseph endured sound chastisements over some significant and embarrassing stumblings.  For example, losing the 116 pages of Lehi's priceless manuscript through some vanity attempt at show and tell. (D&C 10)

Amazingly, Joseph Smith published those unflattering sections about himself in the D&C anyway.  Definitely the mark of a deep and wide soul.

I love, triply love when someone shares their fallibilities, learning curves, trials, etc and then also shares how they are facing the conflict, and sometimes even tackled and overcame said weaknesses and disappointments.  They essentially demonstrate the sanctifying process of applying the Gospel right in front of us.  Perhaps this is the best object lesson there can be?

Such soulful moments move me spiritually and energetically.

Could it be because it's so reassuring to know someone I respect or esteem or really like has struggles too?  What a relief I'm not the only one with disappointing experiences or rough spots in my character!  And it's especially helpful to hear how others faced...themselves.

So the following verses in D&C 52, the Lord outlines how to discern who is really sent from Him and bears His message.  The guidance He gives resonated profoundly with me:

14 And again, I will give unto you a pattern (template) in all things, that ye may not be deceived; for Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth deceiving the nations—

Even among our congregations, more great quotes on that thought in a bit.

15 Wherefore he that prayeth, whose spirit is contrite, the same is accepted of me if he obey mine ordinances.

Notice two qualifiers here: "contrite"& keeping ordinances.

16 He that speaketh, whose spirit is contrite, whose language is meek and edifieth, the same is of God if he obey mine ordinances.

So add both "meek"& "edifying to "contrite" and "ordinances."

Contrite: broken-hearted for sin; deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God; humble; penitent

I'm guessing here a contrite person won't be a prideful person, a rock star person, a show-boat, a pulpit pounder or anyone else who is full of themselves. In fact here is a wonderful 5-verse parable Christ Himself used to illustrate "contrite":

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 18:10-14)

Just this past week, on a particularly trying day, I poured out a heart-felt prayer where I tearfully expressed great disappointment over "the deep crevices of weakness in my soul."

Seriously, being mortal is so completely exhausting.

Note: The culture of the early Saints both in the New Testament and among our pioneer Saints made expressing faults and weaknesses to each other much easier and certainly more common. Everyone knew what was going on with everyone else.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. (James 5:16)

In the name of proud privacy, our modern culture has lost this wonderful feature of approachable sisterhood camaraderie. Instead, more often than not, we go out of our way to hide our faults and challenges. We bear them alone which can lead to feeling exceptional and lonely.

This is not the "hearts knit as one" formula Jesus prescribed or instituted in his Church. For example, the United Order wasn't just about having material and monetary statuses in common, it was about Zion ~ one heart, one mind ~ and having our souls in common too.

Can you imagine how wonderful it would be to go to Relief Society, and be known just for who you are, both for your gifts & your weaknesses?  And at the same time, knew everyone was rooting for you, praying for you? Accepted you as their own?

Now that would be Zion. The qualities of "contrite" and "meek" make that possible.

So please don't be uncomfortable with what I share with you next. Because some of you will COMPLETELY RELATE to me.

The shortcomings I'm pre-disposed to and still drag around and trip over repeatedly just leave me bleary sometimes.

I happened to read the publican prayer parable not long after my own prayer and it affected me deeply.

I know just how the publican feels.

Have you ever had one of those prayers yourself, cringed at a memory or wrestled with the angel?

Great, here come the tears again.

*****

Here's why the verses about the Lord's accepted teachers and leaders are so powerful & far-reaching ~

Let's look at the second word, meek, as described in "Doctrine and Covenants Reference Companion," I capitalized and share my weakness:

Meek, meekness:  "Mildness of temper; gentleness; NOT EASILY PROVOKED OR IRRITATED (the focal point of my prayer); forbearing; teachable; modest.  Many times in the Doctrine and covenants the Lord instructs both individuals and members generally to be meek in their attitudes and in their preaching of the gospel."

"...The revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants affirm the truth taught by Elder Neal A. Maxwell that "a true community of Saints...[has] a high ratio of those who are meek, being low demanders and high performers".

Love this definition of meek ~ because I had to swallow over "provoked'& "irritable." This has been in my head a lot the last couple of days. My attempts at "meek" need some serious renewed effort.

Light dawned on me as I could visibly grasp that whenever I was irritable, impatient or unkind with my words, I was putting other things (like projects, preferences and expectations) in front of my marriage, my husband and children.  In short, they've become more important than the people in my life at that moment.

When the well-being of my partner, the state of our relationship, the fidelity of marriage become my top priority ~ my reactions are greatly tempered and free me from later regret and the depleting self-talk dance of indignation and justification.

When I add being "contrite" and "meek," or in other words being fully conscious of my own "stuff" ~ to intentional and better placed priorities, my interactions and relationships are markedly more happy and successful.

When I experience being contrite and meek, my spiritual self is strengthened and freer to feel heavens' vibes.  It feels like my conduit is cleared out. and my spiritual connection is more direct.

The takeaway from all this?  As a teacher or a leader, try adding meekness and self-awareness (contrite) to your preparations, and in your actual teaching moments. The Spirit becomes your advocate and powerful witness as you share with others.

Clear back in 1982 during April General Conference, Gene R. Cook (a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy) hit on this perfectly when he gave 8 principles of teaching ~ here are the last two:

7. The teacher of righteousness will be anxious to glorify the Lord. He will refuse to assume any glory unto himself. He will not practice priestcrafts—that is, preaching and holding himself up as a light to the world for gain or for the honor of men. (See 2 Ne. 26:29; Mosiah 18:26.) He will be a preacher of righteousness speaking forcefully against sin, having an eye single to God, not to personal gain, honor, or popularity among men. He knows worldly aspirations leave the door open wide to apostasy.

8. The teacher himself will be in the process of continual personal repentance. (See Moro. 8:26.) He will be an example of meekness, charity, pure motives, dependence on the Lord. He will not just be teaching the doctrine, but also applying it. (See D&C 41:5; D&C 52:15–16.) All in all, it will be evident whom he represents.

"In summary, then, how does one keep himself from falling, as some have, into teaching and living semi-truths? Is it not by maintaining his own spirituality? What is true spirituality? Is it knowledge, intellect, academic learning? Perhaps more than anything else it is an ongoing, purifying condition of the heart. It is an eye single to God. It is a broken heart and a contrite spirit."

May you have deep-touching, and powerful publican moments.  May you have the chance to share them and edify someone else.

So thankful for the grace of Christ which saves us!