Sis. Wright's Seminary Journey

Moroni's Last Words

2010-05-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

I have completed the year! My seniors have had their last day of seminary for the rest of their lives (until they're called to be seminary teachers)! I have 14 seniors graduating this year, and I am so proud of them. I wasn't too diligent with blogging my lessons toward the end. But here are my last thoughts for the book of Moroni.

As I was reading the book of Moroni, I noticed that the entire book had a theme; the Holy Ghost. Chapters 2-6 are instructions on how to operate and organize the church. Basic church ordinances are mentioned, and they are all to be performed by the power of the Holy Ghost or in preparation to receiving the Holy Ghost. Chapters 7-8 give us direction on how to discern good from evil by the Spirit of Christ. Each of us is born with the light of Christ. By following this light, we can be led to lay hold upon every good thing, which good cometh of Christ. We're also taught to exercise faith, hope, and charity, and how those things bring the Holy Ghost to dwell with us continually.

In contrast to the previous chapters, Chapter 9 shows us what happens to a society of people who no longer have the Spirit to dwell with them after being a Zion people. This chapter probably hit me the hardest. Mormon is describing a people (the Nephites) who have degenerated to canibalism, hatred, family abuse, sexual offenses, perversion, murder, and torture. They are without civilization and are "past feeling". They are beyond being affected by the Holy Ghost.

In Moroni 10:4-5 (one of our Scripture Masteries this year), Moroni promises us that if we read the Book of Mormon and ponder the words we read in our hearts, God will manifest the truth of the book to us by the power of the Holy Ghost. We must specifically ask Him if it's true. We must be sincere and have true intentions to act upon what we have read (which is an exertion of our faith). Because the Book of Mormon IS TRUE, our faith will access this power! That's a promise from a prophet of the Lord, who is the keyholder of the record of the Stick of Ephraim. Moroni was the principle figure in the transmission of the record to this dispensation, and the protector of this record.

I prefer my class work through their impressions and figure things out on their own rather than me feeding them my thoughts. So I asked my class, "Why do you think the Book of Mormon ends with so much emphasis on the Holy Ghost?" Here are a few of their answers:

* It's really important, in these last days, for us to discern what is true from what is not, and that will be taught to us by the Holy Ghost.

* By qualifying for the presence of the Holy Ghost, it protects us from becoming hardened, so we don't become like the Nephites and Jaredites.

* The Holy Ghost keeps us from being deceived by Satan. Sometimes what looks good to our eyes is deceiving. If we listen to the Holy Ghost with our hearts, regardless of what "looks" good, we will always be led to good.

* The Holy Ghost will teach us the truths in the Book of Mormon, which was written for us. We don't always understand everything we read in the Book of Mormon, but if we keep the Holy Ghost with us, He will keep teaching us new things as we are ready to learn.

* Moroni knows that we need the Holy Ghost, more than anything, to bring us to Christ.

It was pretty profound for them to realize how important Moroni's last words were to them. I'm so proud of this class. They have progressed through the year beautifully. They've grown to think for themselves and apply the principles of the gospel to their every day lives. They've learned to sift through the scriptures for what's important and to "see" more clearly. I'll miss them and seminary in general. Class, I love you and wish you all the best!

It's All About the Land!

2010-05-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

The more I read the Book of Mormon, the more I recognize how the Lord requires the inhabitants of this highly coveted Promised Land to be worthy of it's possession. This free land has been preserved for a righteous people for a specific purpose. The work of the gathering of Israel was meant to originate from this land in the latter-days, and the freedom of this land must be protected. The restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ occurred on this land. Records of the early inhabitants of this land were buried in this soil. The Lord requires us to serve Him while on this soil, or be swept off of it. The Book of Mormon contains a record of two groups of people who were swept from this land because of their refusal to worship God.

Today we discussed the sad scene at the end of the book of Ether of a king named Coriantumr. He has been educated on the "arts of war and all the cunning of the world" (Ether 13:16). He refuses to repent of his worldly ways, and so do his people. Secret combinations are prevalent everywhere, war is continual, and many lives have been lost. The prophet Ether has been sent to Coriantumr and warns him that: "if he would repent, and all his household, the Lord would give unto him his kingdom and spare the people— Otherwise they should be destroyed, and all his household save it were himself. And he should only live to see the fulfilling of the prophecies which had been spoken concerning another people receiving the land for their inheritance; and Coriantumr should receive a burial by them; and every soul should be destroyed save it were Coriantumr."

As recorded in Omni 1:21, Coriantumr did, in fact, live to see another people (Nephites & Lamanites) receive this Promised Land as their inheritance. The priviledge was taken from the Jaredites. Coriantumr's pride to be the most powerful, worldly king overshadowed his judgment to honor the land and the God who blessed him with it.

The Book of Mormon has made me more aware of the land I live on. The Lord gave the Children of Israel the land of Canaan as their inheritance if they would worship Him. They were scattered from it because of their wickedness. There are priviledges associated with honoring God on the land He's given us. The land doesn't come free of obligation. He needs us to serve Him and build the kingdom of God on the earth. Our blessings come through the land. Our prosperity is revealed through prospering with the growth of families and relationships on the land. As the righteous gather, they are required to build temples, make covenants, and receive instruction on how to rise above worldliness and become more like Him, with the promise of exaltation to follow.

Something I learned, and something to ponder.

Seeking the Savior

2010-05-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Today I let the natural man take over. Before class, I hid several dollars worth of money in bills and coins throughout the classroom. I hid them under shelves, under chairs, on the side of picture frames, under the piano bench, under my ipod dock, over the chalkboard; everywhere. I wrote the word "SEEK" on the chalkboard, and told them they had 5 minutes to scour the room for as much money as they could find. And yes, they could keep what they found. (I spend more on them buying them a box of donuts than I did on this lesson.) I can never predict what they are going to do with these object lessons, so I watched and observed them as they were busy searching.

My observations:

- The students who usually fall asleep were up on their feet.

- One of my quiet boys, I discovered, is a chatterbox.

- One young lady found a dollar bill and sat down.

- One young man got discouraged after finding a dime and sat down.

- 5 students didn't leave their seat ("Mormons do too many object lessons").

- Everyone who looked for money found something, even if it was just a penny.

- The longer they looked, the more they found.

- After the 5 minutes were up, I revealed another 75 cents they hadn't found.

In Ether 12, the prophet Ether teaches us so beautifully about FAITH and HOPE (an expectation of something in the future); and not just faith itself, but faith in God and His power to bless us. Moroni adds his own testimony on faith to Ether's in our Scripture Mastery verse Ether 12:6: "And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." Moroni then shows us that Christ SHOWED HIMSELF to MANY PEOPLE, including the Nephites at the Bountiful temple, because of their faith. It was their faith that allowed them to see Him. There had to be a point where they SOUGHT AFTER HIM in order to have Him manifested unto them.

Moroni himself then tells us at the end of the chapter, "And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things; And only a few have I written, because of my weakness in writing. And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever." (Ether 12:39-41)

Moroni has challenged us to SEEK HIM. How do we go about doing that? That's where our object lesson comes in. My question to the class was, "What did it take to SEEK and find the money in the room?"

Some points they brought up were:

-They knew me and that I wouldn't lie to them so they KNEW the money was there, somewhere even if they couldn't see it.

-They wanted the money (DESIRE)

-They had to get up off their chairs and move (WORKS)

-They had to KEEP LOOKING (persistence, endurance)

I asked them to apply this to themselves with the money representing a blessing/prompting from the Lord. Using prayer and scripture study as an example, the young lady that found a dollar bill and sat down might reflect someone who prays for something, receives an answer, and doesn't pray again until she needs to. One student said this would be someone who reads her scriptures only when forced to in class. Or perhaps even someone who reads for 10 minutes a day just to say she did it rather than to get a message out of it.

I asked them what was the difference between that person and someone who took the entire 5 minutes to carefully search every inch of the room for any coin he could get his hands on? What might that young man be like with regard to his prayers and scripture study? They shared that his prayers would be more carefully worded. He would be consistent and more reverent with his prayers. He would take the time to express gratitude and not just ask in this prayers. His scripture study would involve searching for an answer to his prayers and SEEKing for ways to live more like Christ.

I shared with them how I prepare to go to the temple. This was my example of SEEKing the Lord. I told them that before I enter a session, I take a few minutes to pray for the Lord to teach me something. I don't always go with something specific on my mind. But I do want to be open to what He has to teach me. This prayer opens my senses. I hear better, see better, think better, and I feel more from my experience there. There have been times where I've left not feeling I had been taught by the Spirit.........only to have an impression come to me days later as a result of my temple experience. The prayer I have before entering the temple, is an exertion of my FAITH that the Lord CAN and WILL teach me what I need to know. It is my way of SEEKing Him.

My challenge to my class was to SEEK the Lord throughout their day. Pay attention to small blessings He grants them through their FAITHfulness. Acknowledge those blessings in prayer frequently. Before leaving home for seminary, pray for Him to teach you through the Spirit what you need to hear. Do the same for Sunday instruction and in sacrament meeting. Petition to be taught. I think they'll be amazed at the inspiration and small miracles they are open to receiving if they do this.

In our object lesson today, those who were only looking for dollar bills missed out on all the smaller coins because they weren't looking for them. There were more smaller coins in the room than there were bills, and the value of the coins exceeded the value of the bills. There are smaller blessings everywhere if we look for them. Those who never "get up and look" will never "find". If you "look" daily, you'll "find" daily. As we notice the blessings in our lives, our FAITH in the Lord's power increases. Will we be able to receive the "larger" blessings, like the one Moroni had in seeing the Lord face to face? I believe it's possible, if it's the Lord's will. But we won't if that's all we look for.

Destined to Meet

2010-05-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today we covered a small chapter in the book of Ether. Chapter 5 left an impression on me. Moroni speaks directly to Joseph Smith and gives him a bit of instruction. He also eases his heart. The instruction was that Joseph Smith was not to touch the sealed part of the golden plates once he had them in his possession. But he would be able to show the plates to people who would testify of what they saw. "And behold, ye may be privileged that ye may show the plates unto those who shall assist to bring forth this work; And unto three shall they be shown by the power of God; wherefore they shall know of a surety that these things are true." (Ether 5:2-3) Up until this point in his translation of the plates, he had not been allowed to show them to anyone, thus carrying a tremendous burden by himself. Reading, and translating, these words must have eased this burden for him.

The eight witnesses, whose testimonies are in the front of each Book of Mormon, testified that they had seen, felt, and held the plates, therefore being physical witnesses.

The three witnesses (this picture shows Joseph Smith with Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer with the angel......Martin Harris separated from them at this time), testified: "And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true." These three men received a spiritual manifestation of them and were spiritual witnesses.

Moroni also tells Joseph Smith that the Book of Mormon will stand as a true testimony against the world at the last day. The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear record of the truthfulness of it, and Moroni also bears record of the same. Powerful stuff. Joseph must have felt a great priviledge, responsibility, weight on his shoulders, and importance of the work of translating these plates, all at the same time. But what a relief he must have felt having the support and guidance of these "beings" in his calling as prophet.

This chapter made me sit and wonder what it must have been like for both of these men, who were destined to meet. This message was from one prophet/editor/compiler to one prophet/translator who were separated by centuries of time, yet working on the same "project". They would meet, and one (as a resurrected being) would be a mentor to the other. Moroni possessed the keys of the record of the Stick of Ephraim (D&C 27:5) He was assigned to oversee the work. He would groom Joseph Smith over years of teaching to understand the importance of his role in the restoration of the gospel and the translation of the tool which would be used to gather Israel in the last days.

What a great chapter!

Scriptures = Parenting 101

2010-05-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today, as we studied Ether 2, I couldn't help but share with the class some thoughts from my viewpoint as a parent. (I want the parents to know that I always plead their case and cheer for them in my lessons to their youth!!!) I find it so fascinating to learn about the feelings of the Lord through being a mom. I feel I am growing closer to Him by reading about how he deals with "His children" in the scriptures. I feel what He feels. This photo of my 4 daughters was taken 7 years ago. The oldest is almost 23 now, and the youngest is 12. They're all so different. I love each one! My parenting has been individualized towards each separate spirit/personality. What works for one doesn't work exactly for another. My comments to my class about my daughters were that the Lord also deals with us on an individual basis. None of us are the same. He gives each of us the opportunity to discover what we are capable of doing by seeing us through our adversity. He knows us from the pre-mortal existence, thus knows our strengths before we can discover them here on earth. We've forgotten, but He hasn't. In Ether 2, we are able to see how the Lord answers prayers for the Brother of Jared according to his abilities and needs, and according to the Lord's will.

In Ether 2, the Lord gives the Brother of Jared specific instructions on how to build the barges which will take them to the land of promise. He follows the Lord's instructions, exactly. But now that the barges are built, there are three challenges to overcome: How will they breathe, steer, and have light in the barges while they are in them? "And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish." (Ether 2:19) Interesting that the Lord has him build these barges with the problems built into them too. It is a part of the Lord's design for the Brother of Jared to inquire of the Lord and petition for His help. What the Lord is really doing is requiring the Brother of Jared to qualify himself spiritually so that through his faith, the Lord can use His power to help him.

The Lord answers the Brother of Jared with 3 different responses which show us just how the Lord answers prayers. (Ether 2:20-25)

PROBLEM #1: No air in the barges.

SOLUTION: Make a hole in the top and bottom (tells him exactly what to do).

PROBLEM #2: Can't steer.

SOLUTION: "I will bring you...." (requires him to trust Him and in his power to deliver them).

PROBLEM #3: No light.

SOLUTION: "What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?" (wants him to work on his own for the answer of how the Lord can use His power to help him).

The reason I thought of my own daughters when I was preparing this lesson was because I can see the Lord's intent in having the Brother of Jared grow through this experience. He's showing the Brother of Jared what he can do for himself and by himself. There are times when I want to do everything for my daughters to help them. But having them reason their way through situations on their own first, strengthens them. I gauge their abilities to handle situations, and then help them with what they are incapable of doing themselves. Sometimes they surprise themselves! In the process of maturing, they learn more about themselves than they would have if I had done it for them. The ideal situation is for them to lean less on me, and lean more on our Heavenly Father. We, as parents, serve our children best by pointing them to Him as the real source of help and strength. We won't always be around to help them, but He will.

The Lord answers our prayers according to our faith. Sometimes He tells us exactly what needs to be done, sometimes He will take care of our needs and requires our trust to do so, and other times we're left to do further work on our own before He can help us. We have the promise of the confirmation in our heart from the Holy Ghost if our choice is according to the Lord's will, and an absence of that feeling if it is not. I see the Lord's wisdom in the eternal plan for us to become parents. We see a glimpse of what it's like to see through his eyes. What a gift.

Scriptures = Parenting 101

Sister Wright's Feeling Lazy

2010-05-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

I have been so lazy with this blog lately. I cruised through Mormon with my class. I found Mormon to be a sad, but necessary, book to cover. We're in Ether right now. I see the parallel and the purpose behind the insertion of this book at the end of the Book of Mormon. If I find the energy, I'll blog about tomorrow's lesson in Ether 2. I have a good point to make in our lesson. 'Hoping the Spirit will help me get that point across to them.

I have been spending at least 10 minutes each day with my class preparing for our annual Scripture Olympics. This activity is for all the youth in our stake that are enrolled in seminary. We compete as classes. We review Scripture Mastery for the year and although it's meant to be fun, there are those of us who are competitive by nature who will not settle for anything but WINNING. Win or go home! Argggggg! I've been working on memorizing all 25 SM with my class, but I have to say, the Book of Mormon SM are the hardest of all 4 years. It's hard work but worth every ounce of energy.

Just wanted to let y'all know that the lazy in me has prevailed, but I'll catch my second wind and be back to blogging my lessons soon. I'll be concluding my blog this month. This is my last year teaching seminary. It has been quite a journey. It's true. The teacher always learns the most. Very true.

Unique Book of Mormon Storyline/Timeline

2010-04-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

My Book of Mormon seminary year is almost over and I'll be taking down my boards in the classroom in about 4-5 weeks. I thought I'd take my camera to class today and take a picture of this before I take it down. My CES Director passed along this storyline/timeline to us. The idea came from a seminary teacher, but I don't know who she is. I drew out this timeline with a Sharpie marker with my own icons and in a way that made sense to me, laminated it, and stapled it to my rolling bulletin board for reference throughout the year. THIS HAS BEEN SO HELPFUL! We refer to it frequently. It helps us to remember what we've studied, and also what to look forward to in upcoming chapters.

It starts on the left and moves to the right. We begin in Jerusalem ("J" with the castle wall) in 600 B.C., and the "zig-zag" is Lehi's journey in the wilderness for 8 years. The "r.i.p." is for Ishmael who dies before they get on Nephi's boat and sail to the Promised Land. The next "r.i.p" is for Lehi who dies before "Nephi & Co." settle in the land of Nephi ("N" with the castle wall) after a separation from Laman and Lemuel. That places us roughly around 2 Nephi 5.

The "Z" at the top of the timeline stands for Zarahemla. There are 3 kings who reside in Zarahemla (Mosiah I, Benjamin, and Mosiah II), and 3 kings who end up in the land of Nephi (Zeniff, Noah, and Limhi). The kings are represented by the crowns.) Zeniff's people travelled to the land of Nephi and ended up being in bondage to the Lamanites until Limhi's people were brought back to Zarahemla, thus the "squiggly lines". This takes us to the end of the Book of Mosiah.

The "r.i.p" after the kings is for the death of King Mosiah II. He was the last king before they switched to a system of judges, which explains the "no kings" and "gavel" icons. During that period, we have the 4 sons of Mosiah doing missionary work with the Lamanites in the land of Nephi for 14 years, and concurrently we have Alma (the younger) and Amulek on a mission to re-activate saints in the Land of Zarahemla. This leads us up to Alma 42.

The flag with the "T" represents Captain Moroni's Title of Liberty. The "2000" shield represents Helaman's Stripling Warriors, and the stick figure standing on a wall being shot at with stones and arrows represents Samuel the Lamanite. That takes us through to the end of the Book of Helaman. The resurrected Christ visits the Nephites (3 Nephi), 200 years of peace (4 Nephi), Mormon and Moroni fight for their lives (Mormon), and the end of the record leaves us at 421 A.D. (Moroni). I didn't include the Book of Ether, which is placed between Mormon and Moroni, because those events happened centuries before and not on this timeline.

I am a visual learner and it helps for me to see something like this drawn out for reference. I photocopied all of these icons, reduced them in size, and cut them up. I gave each student in my class a miniature version of this storyline/timeline in a plastic bag. Periodically I hide my bulletin board and I have them take their timeline pieces out and put them in order from 600 B.C. through 421 A.D. It's good review and I KNOW IT HELPS THEM!!! Again, this timeline wasn't my idea, but I sure love it. I'm happy to share my version with you if it helps you to better understand the events in Book of Mormon.

A Disintegration of Zion

2010-04-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

Most of the youth in my class attend Murrieta Valley High School. One is home-schooled and one attends a private school in the neighboring city of Temecula. For most of them, Murrieta Valley High is their little world. In preparation for discussion for 4 Nephi, I decided to ask them about the different "groups/cliques" at the school. As they named the groups, I wrote them on the board and asked for some detail on them. Some were distinguished by ethnicity and I wanted to be clear that there was no offense meant nor taken in us identifying them by their race. They assured me that this is just what they're called and known as, and they even call themselves by these names.

Some are separated by interests/clubs:

- Drama kids

- Athletes, "jocks", also separated by sport (track, football, basketball, tennis, etc.)

- Choir kids

- ASB

- Band kids

- Mormons

- Skaters

- Hacky Sackers

- (Surfers are never in school, which I thought was funny...)

- Geeks (those who enjoy computers)

- Freshmen

- Classroom sitters

- and many more........

Some are separated by their appearance/culture:

- Mexicans

- Asians

- African Americans

- (no White groups, I noticed...)

- Emo's

Then you have a few groups which I will not mention by name, but let's just call them "standards offenders" (moral and Word of Wisdom). The groups listed above are just some of the ones mentioned today. My class told me that each group has a small section of the school designated as their "area/territory/home-base". It's a "safe" location each group can count on finding their clique. I wanted to know how these groups interacted with one another. How do they get along or don't get along? I asked if any of the groups "bully" other groups. They pointed out a few, but generally, the groups leave each other alone. I asked if any of the groups are found to be "victims of bullying". Again, they named a few. (A little contradiction, there.)

I wanted to know what they thought could be done to unify these groups. One student who is involved with ASB mentioned that this is the goal of ASB; they work to dissolve the social (and sometimes physical) barriers to unify the school. I asked them to imagine what it would be like to have a school without social barriers. I also wanted to know from them what could be done to change the current environment at their school. They said that first of all, it would be "weird". They are comfortable with the way things are. They like that they can go to a location at the school and find people with similar interests. (I agree on that.) But there are hundreds of students they don't know and probably never will while they attend this school because of this. Each group has an opinion of "who is better than who"; class distinction. They agreed that in order for the barriers to come down, everyone would need to WANT to cooperate. It would require effort from EVERYONE, and EVERYONE would need to see the NEED FOR IT.

In 4th Nephi, Mormon condenses roughly 287 years of history into one book which spans 4 pages. That averages out to about 72 years per page. And the 287 years is just over 1/3 of the length of time that the Book of Mormon covers. He's making clear what he wants us to see, which is the disintegration of a Zion society based on the Gospel of Christ, to a society of hate and deceit under the power of Satan. From verses 1-18, Mormon describes what a Zion society is; there was approx. 200 of peace. The rest of the book of 4 Nephi, shown in the remaining 31 verses, is a series of steps taken by the people which led them away from the Church, the Spirit, and from Christ and His gospel; a disintegration of Zion. Everyone once considered themselves as "children of Christ." Over time, they developed into a group of "-ites"; Lamanites, Jacobites, Josephites, Zoramites, and Nephites. Somewhere along the line, someone chose to put "self" before "others". Class distinction. Pride. Rebellion from God.

I challenged my class to have the attitude of living a "higher law" at school. I wanted them to simply be aware of the cliques at school and to be someone who could move outside their own comfort zone; open their eyes to the possibility of getting to know others regardless of which "group" they belonged to. We are"children of Christ." We represent Him and even if we can't create a Zion on our own, we can have the attitude of a Zion people and open ourselves to welcoming all as Christ would.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: "Family members bear the family name; by it they are known and called and identified; it sets them apart from all those of a different lineage and ancestry...and so it is that the children of Christ, those who are born again, those who are spiritually begotten by their new Father, take upon themselves the name of Christ. By it they are known...it identifies them and sets them apart from all others. They are now family members, Christians in the real and true sense of the word. They do carry his name and are obligated to bear it in decency and dignity. No taint of shame or disgrace, no sliver of dishonor must ever be permitted to attach itself to that name...the saints of God must remember who they are and act accordingly. "The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ" (1978), p 363.

Being "children of Christ" is a separation of ourselves from the world of some sort. But it's an ALL-INCLUSIVE group! All are welcome.

Game Show Friday

2010-04-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

This is one of the game shows I used to watch as a kid. I found a great idea online from another seminary teacher using the concept of this game to teach 3 Nephi 28. I usually have to take these online ideas and morph them to accomodate my class size and personalities. What we re-named "Seminary Student Squares" turned out to be a great way to learn this chapter. I have to admit, we're all pretty wiped out by the time Fridays roll around. This game was a welcome change from the norm.....

I set up one of our long seminary tables at the front of the room. In front of that, I set up 3 classroom chairs, and in front of that, I set up 3 little children's chairs. (I teach in the Primary room, so the little chairs are readily available.) I had 3 students sit on the table, 3 in the regular chairs, and 3 on the Primary chairs so they formed a slant downward facing the rest of the class. Those were our "celebrities" who would form our Tic-Tac-Toe grid. The other students were separated into two groups; "X's" and "O's". They worked in these two groups to be our "contestants".

I started class by having them all read 3 Nephi 28:2-9. When they were finished, we started Round 1. I had 9 "celebrities" move into the Tic-Tac-Toe grid, I handed them the list of 10 questions AND answers from the scripture block, and we started the game. I gave them the questions so they would be prepared for what I would ask, and I gave them the answers so they could think of an alternate answer just in case they wanted to fool the "contestants". The "X's" began by choosing a "celebrity" in the grid. I'd ask that person a question. He/she would answer the question with a true answer, or an answer they made up. The "contestant" would either AGREE or DISAGREE with their answer (based on their knowledge of the scripture block they just read), and we'd give the "celebrity" either an "X" or an "O" to hold based on whether their answer was right or not. This ended up being tons of fun, and in between questions, we were able to discuss details of the chapter.

We continued the game playing a total of 3 rounds, covering the entire chapter. We actually brought out quite a bit of lesson material about the twelve Nephite disciples/apostles, the three Nephites, and translated beings. This account is quite fascinating. We discussed the blessings which were given to these men, and what was so special about the desire the three Nephites had that they would be promised eternal life. We discussed the difference between tranfiguration and translation, and I discounted every strange and weird rumor/speculation they had heard about the three Nephites. Hahaha.

I know how hard it is to get up early each day to come to seminary. It's a sacrifice for everyone. But one which brings blessings. With that in mind, I don't believe in wasting their time by just playing games at seminary. I promised my class that I would always have something significant to teach them, even on a game day. Today was no exception. I left seminary with a great feeling that they had learned the material in a fun and unique way. I believe the youth need to relax and PLAY together as a part of growing close to one another. Personalities come out, shyness disappears, laughter wakes us up, competitiveness turns to fun, and memories are shared of a fun time with good people.

"Milk or Meat?"

2010-04-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

I brought a glass of milk and some beef jerky on a plate to class today and put them side by side. We discussed what we would be able to ingest if we had or didn't have teeth. The milk goes down easier and it is easier to digest (if you're not lactose intollerant). No teeth necessary. The jerky has more flavor, is more filling, and sustains you longer, but it would be a struggle to ingest without teeth.

3 Nephi 26 is so fascinating to read. I love hearing Mormon's little inserts in his writings here and there in the Book of Mormon. He is abridging some amazing things in this account of the Savior's visit to America and wants to share ALL of it with us. He's commanded not to because we (the readers of the Book of Mormon) are not ready for those sacred things yet. We don't have the teeth to read them yet. Mormon is only able to give us a teeny tiny part. In verses 6-8, he says: "And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people; But behold the plates of Nephi do contain the more part of the things which he taught the people. And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken."

In verses 9-12, the reason these treasures of knowledge are being held back from us are explained: "And when they shall have received this (the Book of Mormon), which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them. And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation. Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people. Therefore I, Mormon, do write the things which have been commanded me of the Lord. And now I, Mormon, make an end of my sayings, and proceed to write the things which have been commanded me." Our faith isn't sufficient yet to receive those "greater things". We discussed in class what it would take for us to grow the teeth necessary to receive those "greater things" we're withheld from reading.

Someone in class said that we probably wouldn't understand those "greater things" if they were included; we'd set them aside as unimportant. Most of us wouldn't be able to distinguish sacred from unsacred. Another said that we should have to earn the study-time with what we have before we are given more. THAT'S FAITH!!! Study + DOING = teeth. I have a brilliant class.

As a whole, our faith isn't sufficient.....................yet. Currently, we're not DOING what's commanded of us as revealed in the Book of Mormon. "Faith without works is dead." The DOING shows our faith. If we aren't willing to do the simple things (milk), then why should we be given the bigger things (jerky)? It's part of our earthly test. We, as a class, didn't think that it would be fair for those who WERE DOING what was commanded, to be withheld from the knowledge of those "greater things". I don't believe we are. We receive, through revelation, as we're ready. Those who do put in the time and effort into studying the Book of Mormon will receive as they live what they read. I believe God reveals those sacred things to us as we exert our faith and grow those teeth necessary to chomp on the jerky! "Line upon line, precept upon precept."

The lesson originally called for me to bring a steak to class and set it next to the milk. Hahaha. I'm a devoted seminary teacher, but.................umm, no.

A Broken Heart.....

2010-04-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

I was contemplating what a "broken heart" was, and I thought of Harley.

Isn't he beautiful? We adopted Harley a few years ago. Our family absolutely LOVES this dog! When he came to our home, he was an escape artist. He could dig or chew his way out of our yard fairly easily. We have other dachshunds but we've never had to secure the perimeter of our property from escape like we've had to for Harley. After some major fortifications, we re-introduced him to the boundaries of our home/yard, and made him certain of our expectations of him. He came to trust us and, over time, has become willing to observe and respect our boundaries. He finally came to a point where he stopped trying to escape. I saw his "rebellion" as insecurity and distrust. Now that he is sure of how much we love him and care for his safety, Harley has become submissive, tame, loving, trusting, and willing to be led. He lets us care for him and love him. Because of the change I observed in Harley, he is what I thought of when I considered what a "broken heart" might be.

We, as God's children, are like Harley. The more we come to know God (scripture study & prayer), the easier it is for us to understand our relationship to Him and become submissive to His will. He has a tremendous love for each of us and only has our best interests at heart. His commandments are our boundaries, which are for our safety and are to teach us discipline as we progess to become like Him. Today in seminary, we discussed the sacrament. In 3 Nephi 18, the Savior institutes the sacrament with the Nephites. Because he has fulfilled the Law of Moses, they no longer are required to offer animal sacrifices but are required to offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit when they partake of the sacrament. I showed my class this movie clip from the Old Testament seminary year.....

When we understand what a broken heart and a contrite spirit is, then we can focus on presenting that offering to him each week in sacrament meeting. It means letting go of our will in exchange for His, being submissive to Him and allowing Him to lead us by our faith in Him. It means being continually repentant, softened, humbled. Being truly repentant means godly sorrow for our sins to the point where we no longer want to take them up again. As we partake of the emblems of the sacrament, we recommit ourselves to keep the Lord's commandments, remember Him always, and take upon us His name. He promises to give us His Spirit to stay with us. With the Savior's sacrifice on our minds in sacrament meeting, we are brought into a state of humility and understand of our dependence on Him for our salvation. Gratitude.

There is so much more to the sacrament to be said. So much I'm leaving out. Trust me, I had a STACK of notes that I took with me to class on how to teach the sacrament to my class. I decided to linger on the topic of the broken heart and contrite spirit and take a chance (or follow the Spirit) that this was what they needed to hear.

Preparation Precedes POWER!

2010-04-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

"The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life." Sister Julie B. Beck, General Conference Apr. 2010

I obviously have General Conference on the brain. Every lesson I prepare can be supported by a General Conference talk within the last year. Yesterday it was Elder Christofferson; today it's Sister Beck. Our lesson today was on how 3 Nephi 17 shows us a pattern on how to receive revelation from God.

My hope is always that my class will take what they learned in seminary and practice those skills, like in a laboratory, at home or in the real world. Better yet, hopefully they were taught this stuff at home, it was reinforced in seminary, and THEN they can go out and use it!

In 3 Nephi 17, the resurrected Christ is about to leave the Nephites to show himself to his "other sheep", the lost tribes of Israel. He has just delivered an information packed, highly spiritual sermon to them. It was a lot to absorb in one sitting, I'm sure. He says to them in verse 2, "I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time." (Isn't this exactly like us after listening to 5 sessions of General Conference?) The Savior gives them a pattern on how to absorb, assimilate, remember, process, and comprehend all that he has said. They will need the help of the Holy Ghost as they follow these steps...

In verse 3 he says, "Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again."

It's interesting that he sends them home. We talked about why he would send them home to start the revelation process. They were sent back as families to possibly discuss together what they heard. Family prayer could have been how they chose to exert their faith in receiving revelation. Maybe that's where the parents were able to further instruct their children within their family stewardship. We're comforable in our homes. It was a place of privacy for them.

In a past post of mine titled, "Keep It Simple", we reviewed the pattern of how one receives his/her own personal revelation and testimony from hearing someone else's. This pattern that we find in 3 Nephi 17 relates to that. When truth is being taught, and in this case by the Savior himself, the Holy Ghost is able to teach the recipient through the exertion of their faith. The pondering, praying, and preparation to receive is one long gesture of faith. In looking ahead in the Book of Mormon, these Nephites DO REMEMBER all that he teaches. It stays with them long enough to last through a few generations of a zion people. This is a pattern for us to receive the "power" through revelation that they received!

If you've listened to Sister Beck's talk, you'll know that she was addressing the sisters. But her message is valuable to anyone within the sound of her voice. Receiving personal revelation from God is a skill that takes practice. Revelation is personalized, individualized and specific. We're building a closer relationship with God. He empowers us to "see" spiritually when we can't "see" physically. I see our youth having to block out annoying, loud distractions in the world and fine tune their ability to hear the voice of God through the Spirit. It will take practice and much "laboratory experience". I pray they are doing their "lab homework"..............after all, practice makes perfect (ripe, whole, complete; see yesterday's lesson.)

Living A Celestial Law In A Telestial World

2010-04-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

As I prepared today's lesson on the Savior's Sermon at the Temple to the Nephites, I kept thinking about Elder Christofferson's talk from the October 2009 General Conference titled "Moral Discipline". It is a most excellent talk. The standards of the world we live in have lowered significantly in the last few decades, but the Lord's standards have not......and will not. This simply means that it gets tougher for us to uphold His standards as time progresses. But if we ARE able to uphold his standards NOW, and continue to do so, as the world decays, our perfection develops through our endurance. We're being asked to live a celestial law in a telestial world. Not easy.

In 3 Nephi 12-14, the Savior delivers a sermon to the baptized members of his newly organized church in the New World. The picture above is the Savior delivering this same same sermon to his disciples in the Old World. Same sermon; different group of people. His message wasn't accepted in the Old World as well as it was accepted in the New World. He teaches them how to overcome the flesh, how to consecrate themselves, and how to draw near to Him in order to perfect themselves. He gives them a higher law, with moral discipline that, if lived with exactness, would help us develop into "Christ-like" beings. We become as He is.

To perfect ourselves = to become ripe, whole, complete

The process of becoming perfect happens through the Savior. I used to stress about the checklist of commandments and requirements in the gospel. I've learned not to do that since I understand this better. I hope I was able to express this to my class the way I intended. Once we learn what the Lord's commandments are, we are required to live them. We receive help from Him through the covenants we make with Him. We are required to do our personal best. As long as we are doing our best, the Lord is able and willing (through the Atonement) to make up the difference for what we are lacking through his righteousness. We become perfect through Him. Our "ripening", perfection, occurs as we DO what we have covenanted to DO.

If this is what we are to become.............

Then maybe this is us in the pre-mortal existence? (heeheehee)

Strait & Narrow

2010-04-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

I never remember to bring my camera to class, and if I had, this would be a much more interesting post. Today we studied 3 Nephi 11:20-27. In preparation for it, I blocked off a section of my classroom beginning with the door where my class enters. I created a very simple obstacle course with these guidelines/requirements posted in at least 6 different places in the room.

1. Sign in

2. Walk on the long wooden board

3. Weave through the cones, following the arrows

4. Sit on the bench

5. Write your name on the chalkboard

6. Put a ball from the basket into the bag

7. Walk in

Again, it was very simple, and I put arrows and signs everywhere along the way. These were my requirements to enter into my classroom. My class exhibited the exact reaction I needed for my lesson.

A few were very careful to heed the signs and followed the instructions exactly as described.
A few didn't see any signs and were sent back to the door to read the instructions and re-enter.
A few followed some guidelines and missed other guidelines. They were sent back until all requirements were met.
A few were lazy and went the wrong way, or skipped past some steps. They, too, were sent back until all requirements were met.

When they didn't see the purpose behind the activity (or gave me the "it's-6:00 a.m.-and-I'm-too-tired" look), I simply asked them, "Would you like to join the rest of us in class?" If they answered yes, I asked them to follow the simple steps outlined and they would be allowed to enter with the rest of us. Everyone eventually complied.

Now that Christ is with the Nephites in the New World, he begins to establish his Church. He calls 12 men, including Nephi the prophet, and gives them the authority to baptize. "On this wise shall ye baptize; and there shall be no disputations among you. Verily I say unto you, that whoso repenteth of his sins through your words, and desireth to be baptized in my name, on this wise shall ye baptize them—Behold, ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them. And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying: Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water. And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one." (3 Nephi 11:22-27 )

Jesus Christ has specific guidelines which must be followed for entrance into His church. The baptism must be done under the proper priesthood authority by a worthy priesthood holder, the person being baptized must repent and have the desire to be baptized, both parties must stand in the water, the baptism must be performed in the name of Jesus Christ, exact wording is given for the ordinance, and the baptism must be a full immersion of the individual receiving the ordinance. The same way I required my class to meet my requirements in order to enter into my classroom today, the Lord requires us to follow specific guidelines and requirements to enter into His kingdom. Although my requirements were not difficult, they each had to be followed. The ordinance of baptism is necessary for our salvation and a requirement to enter into the celestial kingdom. What we do on earth once we have been baptized affects our future beyond this life.

We had a very good discussion today. In 3 Nephi, we are watching and observing carefully as the Savior reveals, piece by piece, how to obtain salvation. There is a "part 2" to this lesson as we continue on with 3 Nephi. More furniture moving for me. We will watch the Nephites naturally form a zion after the resurrected Savior's visit. I plan on showing them how we can model their behavior. 'Looking foward to it!

The Day We Were Nephites

2010-03-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

When I was about six or seven years old, my parents bought me 2 baby chicks for Easter. They were pretty cute. My dog, Spike (German Shepherd mix), was about a year old at the time. Those chicks were around Spike quite a bit, and he ended up raising these chicks for me. My dad grew up on a farm so he knew how animals would react to one another and he created an environment where the animals were docile with each other. Strange to me, but it worked out just fine. Spike herded and played with these chicks as if they were his own. The chicks grew up to be roosters who had a dog for their mother. When there were strangers around, Spike would put himself between the stranger and the chickens and bark so the chickens would scatter to the back of the house. They were very loyal to Spike. Still strange, I know! When I read the words of the Savior in 3 Nephi 10, I immediately understood it from my experience with Spike and the chickens. I'll explain in a minute. Anyways, today we pretended to be Nephites.......

In 3 Nephi 8-10, we are approaching the arrival of the Savior. Tempests, earthquakes, fires, whirlwinds and physical upheavals attest to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the Old World while we, as Nephites, are experiencing the movement of the earth in the New World. I blocked out all light from the outside of my classroom. I had previously downloaded all sorts of natural disaster sounds on my iPhone (iPod), and plugged it into my lovely speaker dock. When class started, I turned out the lights and had my class sit and listen to the sounds of a convulsing earth. It lasted for close to 12 minutes. As students walked in late, which many do, they were instructed to find a seat, sit quietly, and just listen. I was trying to give them the "full effect" of being a Nephite during the time of the signs of Christ's death prophesied by Samuel the Lamanite.

We kept the lights off, and discussed what had just happened; the signs testified of Christ's death on the cross in the Old World. Only faithful Nephites would have recognized those signs and would have had their faith strengthened by them. We discussed that the storms and earthquakes lasted 3 hours, and then there was total and complete darkness for 3 days, signifying the death of the light of the world. The lights were still off. Since I also have the Book of Mormon downloaded to my iPhone, I played the portion of 3 Nephi 9 beginning with verses 2-22, which is when the voice of Christ pierces the darkness and proclaims the destruction of many people and cities because of their wickedness. Still sitting in the dark, we discussed why he destroyed all of the cities mentioned in these verses and that the Law of Moses has been fulfilled. Instead of burnt offerings, he has asked us to offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

There was silence in the land for many hours (a few minutes for us as Nephites), and then the Lord spoke again. I played for them 3 Nephi 10:4-7.

"O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you. And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not. O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart. But if not, O house of Israel, the places of your dwellings shall become desolate until the time of the fulfilling of the covenant to your fathers."

Chicks who know the voice of their mother will heed the call when it comes. Loyalty is inbred through nurturing, love, and repetition. A mother hen accounts for all of her chicks and knows if one is missing. She will sacrifice her life to protect them. When danger threatens, she gathers the chicks under her wings for protection. In a similar way, the Lord loves His people, the House of Israel. He gave His life for His people and has sought to gather them together so he could protect and nourish them. On many occasions, however, Israel has chosen to forsake the Lord.

We are the chicks. We turned on the dim classroom lights and continued to discuss the resurrection and our preparation to His coming. At this point, we switched from being Nephites to latter-day saints. We are preparing for His arrival. He still calls for us to keep His commandments, to keep our covenants, and remain loyal to Him so that when He calls for His elect, we will hear and heed. There are consequences to our actions if we don't heed. If we are unrighteous when He calls, we take the chance of not hearing His call. This is a great message to us to try to be as faithful as we can at all times. We always want to be ready.

I couldn't find a picture of Spike with the chickens in my scrapbook. But I found these funny pictures online so I thought I'd post it for your pleasure. Honestly, if I hadn't seen this same sort of thing with my own eyes in my back yard, I wouldn't believe it either.

What Flattery Will Get You...

2010-03-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 20:19 - "He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips."

Proverbs 26:29 - "A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin."

In my wise old age, I have learned how to discern someone who is trying to influence me for my own good from someone who is influencing me to my detriment through flattery. I do not naturally have this gift for discernment. I have learned the hard way. I've been known to be gullible. I'm getting better at it than I used to be. I'll share with you one painful example of how I allowed flattery to influence a decision I made. See below....

It pains me to even discuss this car. I used to own one of these. It was something I was "smooth-talked" into buying. I didn't feel or see the flattery coming. "Blah, blah, blah." I wasn't forced into anything. This ended up being my nightmare packaged as a bargain beauty. I won't even discuss how. Trust me. Flattery lured me into buying this "rotten, red tomato". Ugh. It still hurts.

Here's a good attempt at flattery! Once a salesman came to my door and told me I looked like some movie star he knew. (Hahahahaha.) I don't even remember what he was selling because I was so intrigued with his unique door approach. He probably told all my neighbors they looked like movie stars. Tammie? Did he come to your door?

President Ezra Taft Benson has said, "The record of the Nephite history just prior to the Savior’s visit reveals many parallels to our own day as we anticipate the Savior’s second coming." Today we had a great discussion on FLATTERY. In 3 Nephi 1:29-30, the youth of the church, or the rising generation, were growing older, and "they became for themselves" (selfish), and were being led away by the Zoramites (anti-Christ apostate Nephites) by their lyings, and flattering words to join the Gadianton band. They began to decrease in their faith and righteousness, leading them to be wicked. I pointed this out to my class because of the sadness I felt in reading this. I wanted to see if they felt that this reflected our youth of today. We talked about ways they have been influenced by flattery and we shared examples of "masked flattery". Sometimes we aren't aware of the influence of flattery until it's too late.

In 3 Nephi 3, Lachoneus, the chief governor of the Nephites, has received an epistle from Giddianhi, the leader of the Gadianton Band. Giddianhi uses what I call "insulting flattery" to get Lachoneus to give up the land, cities, and possessions of the Nephites. He disguises his "requests" (demands) to sound civil. In actuality, Giddianhi intends to take what he wants regardless of Lachoneus' decision to keep or retain their possessions. A person who attempts to flatter us, thinking that his flattery will work, really shows how little he thinks of us. Giddianhi tries to make the deals he's proposing sound better than they really are. Lachoneus, being a "just and brave man" couldn't be frightened by Giddianhi's threats or demands and chooses to fortify the Nephites. This is what he has them do:

1. Cry unto the Lord for strength (spiritually)

2. Gather together their people, provisions, flocks, substance in one place (unity)

3. Fortify and protect themselves (temporally) with armies and guards.

It was crucial that the Nephites follow a righteous leader, who wasn't susceptible to the deceivings of flattery. I was important that they exert their faith in God; the source of their strength. They also received strength from each other through unity. To have contention with one another would diminish their strength. They needed to temporally prepare and work together to help each other. The Nephites ended up gathering enough provisions to survive off of for 7 years from their preparation. The Gadianton band eventually was extinguished.

As latter-day saints, we're fortunate to have the scriptures and living prophets to teach us how to prepare for troubled times. Everything we discussed today about flattery and how to avoid being influenced by it can come in quite handy. I want to believe all of the youth in my class can avoid becoming like the youth described in 3 Nephi 1:29-30. We'll be going through 3 Nephi with a "fine-toothed comb" as a class. This is important stuff!

This is my sensible set of wheels. It helped me get over the "sting" of the red MGB. Lesson learned.

What One Man Can Do...

2010-03-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

This is what we had for breakfast at seminary. This has nothing to do with my post. Just information. =)

This is actually what has been on my mind. We've been studying Helaman 13-15, Samuel the Lamanite prophesying of the signs of the birth and death of Christ. If we were among the believers in Zarahemla, (as I'd like to think I would have been), these signs would have brought us peace and strengthened our faith. In Helaman 14:15-19, Samuel teaches us why it was necessary for Christ to die. This was the completion of his earthly mission to bring to pass our resurrection in order to enable us to overcome spiritual death. Samuel proceeds to give the Nephites the sign of his death, shown in the tumultuous earth and the absence of light, and then he speaks of righteous saints being resurrected. In verse 25 it reads: "And many graves shall be opened, and shall yield up many of their dead; and many saints shall appear unto many." We know that Christ was the first to be resurrected, but the Nephites wouldn't have been able to witness His resurrection with their physical eyes. The resurrection of the righteous on the American continent ministering to their own people would have been a sure testimony to them of His divinity; something they could "see" so they could "know" for themselves. The fulfillment of Samuel's prophecies, found in the book of 3 Nephi, testifies of the same.

I also found this very interesting from another part of the Book of Mormon. In 3 Nephi 23, once the resurrected Christ is among the Nephites, he asks Nephi to bring him the Nephite records. As he looks at them he notices that the testimony and prophecies of Samuel the Lamanite have not been written. His Nephite disciples confirm to him that Samuel did prophesy unto them and all of his prophecies had been fulfilled. The Savior then commands Nephi to have them written. Nephi obeys, and that record makes up chapters 13-15 of Helaman. Had the Savior not specifically requested those words to be recorded, we would never have heard of Samuel the Lamanite.

This made me think of how it would have changed the Book of Mormon to not have had Samuel's prophecies in it. Kinda makes you wonder..........The Savior's concern for this record to be written was expressed in 3 Nephi 23:9 : "Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them...." It was important that the ministry of those resurrected saints was recorded to testify of His resurrection (which preceeded their resurrection) and glorify the name of the Father. Their resurrection also means that our resurrection would happen as well. We wouldn't have known that from the Book of Mormon if Samuel's record hadn't been recorded.

We have no record of where Samuel came from; we only know he was a Lamanite. We don't know how old he was. We don't know if he had a family, how he was converted to the gospel, how long he lived or where he went after he fled Zarahemla. He is never heard from again. But as a servant of the Lord, following the voice of the Spirit, he served an important purpose. His testimony was important enough to the Savior for him to command another one of his servants to record it for posterity. Now Samuel's account, prophecies, and message is read all over the world bringing people unto Christ.

This is a little of what I taught my class today. I didn't think they'd catch all of that by just reading the Book of Mormon cover to cover. So we ate green bagels and talked about Samuel. Just another day with my cool juniors and seniors at seminary.

Building and Maintaining Our Wall

2010-03-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

I don't usually get into too many "artsy-fartsy" lessons because I end up spending way too much time for little result. But today we did revert back to our elementary school days and played with brown contruction paper. I gave each student at least 2 rectangular pieces of paper (shaped like "bricks") and asked them to write on each paper something they have learned in church, or something they have read in the scriptures that has helped to build their testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They could pick any principle, doctrine, standard, or commandment they wanted.

I asked each student to come up and tape their paper "bricks" to the board. As they did that, I had them share with us what they wrote as they contructed our "testimony wall". I adapted this activity from another teacher and decided to try it. When I incorporated this into my lesson, I kept thinking that this activity was too childish for my juniors and seniors. They're beyond this elementary school stuff. I thought they might have felt silly doing it. I pushed through my doubts and continued. As they brought up their "bricks", I could see who had a testimony of what. I loved seeing that. Some of the "bricks" they brought to the board were: God lives, tithing, daily scripture study, the power of the Priesthood, prayer, modesty, the Atonement, service, attending church, the Holy Ghost is real, etc.

In Helaman 13-15, Samuel the Lamanite had the confidence of the Lord behind him to boldly stand on this wall in Zarahemla. The Spirit of the Lord protected him as he called the Nephites to repentance. There was nothing the Nephites could throw or shoot at him that would deter him from accomplishing what he was sent to do. Samuel's testimony was based on the foundation of Christ, making Samuel "steadfast and immovable". My interactive object lesson was designed to show them what their "testimony wall" consists of and how to maintain it.

During our discussion, we talked about how each time we attend church and seminary, we layer our learning and add mortar to our structure. With each "brick" representing a doctrine or principle we learn, and the mortar representing a confirmation from the Holy Ghost of the truthfulness of those things, we build a solid "testimony wall" to stand on.

I was so happy to see that several people wrote prayer on their "brick". They have a testimony of prayer; absolutely wonderful. I used those "bricks" to show how our wall can crumble. I asked them to imagine how the strength of the wall would be compromised if we just took away one thing. As I pulled away the prayer "bricks", it left holes in the wall. This visual alone was worth the elementary school activity. I validated them in knowing how hard it is to live righteously in a world with so much opposition. I also told them that it doesn't get any easier. They must press on doing what they're doing, and don't lose any "bricks". Once you gain a "brick", it just needs reinforcement. The doctrines and principles will always be true. We simply need to continue in our obedience, study and faith to strengthen our mortar. No one expects them to build their wall in a day. The layering is done over time. The idea is that when they are called to stand on their wall, they can do so with confidence in the Lord and his gospel, knowing that it won't crumble beneath them.

I see so many quiet students in my class who have such valiant testimonies. With a larger class, we don't get to hear from them. From now until the end of the seminary year, I really would like to create an atmosphere where we get to hear them bear their testimonies. I think that would add mortar to many students' walls.

A Prophet's Concern

2010-03-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

This is my lesson planned for tomorrow; Samuel the Lamanite. I taught a lesson today that had a similar bold prophet whom the Nephites rejected. Nephi, the son of Helaman, had just called the wicked Nephites in Zarahemla to repentance. They are heavily infiltrated with Gadianton Robbers throughout their society. Their righteous are being persecuted, and their morals and government laws have been corrupted. Nephi, without concern for his own position, or safety, boldly declares the truth.

Over the last week or two, I have been listening to a podcast that I subscribe to on iTunes. It is called "Conversations: A Mormon Channel Original". Conversations features interviews with people of interest to the LDS community—General Authorities, Auxiliary leaders, and faithful Latter-day Saints. The interview I listened to this week was conducted by Sister Sheri Dew interviewing Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Sister Kristen Oaks. Sister Dew commented that Elder Oaks seemed very bold, clear, and direct, yet kind in how he teaches principles of the gospel. She asked Elder and Sister Oaks to comment on how Elder Oaks is able to speak with such clarity, boldness, and fearlessness.

In paraphrasing Sister Oaks' response she said that as an Apostle of the Lord, he's called to speak the TRUTH, especially in these times of great darkness. It is difficult for people to hear, and it will become more difficult to hear as time goes on. He, and all the leaders of the Church, are worried for the welfare of souls. He'll be a spokesman for the Lord because he carries it in his heart.

Elder Oaks stated that he is most worried to do what is right, and not much worried about pleasing other people (audience, peers, or anyone else). He's only worried about pleasing the Lord. "I want to know what He wants me to do, and I don't have much concern about my own position or positioning myself for my own personal advantage." When he has had opposition to some of the things he's taught, that has not bothered him. "I'm just concerned about whether I've done what the Lord wants me to do, and done it as well as it can be done by me."

I played a short 5 minute exerpt from this interview for my class today so they could hear Elder Oaks' voice for themselves. I believe they were impacted by his sincerity and candor. As we go through the scriptures, we can list the many prophets who have been sent to teach the principles and doctrines of Jesus Christ to the world. As some of them have called a specific group of people to repentance, many of them have been criticized, persecuted, and even killed because of their testimonies. As men who are called to speak truth, I am grateful for their documented testimonies in the scriptures and I admire their courage. Our modern day prophets are no different. They are just as courageous (if not more), and there is no doubt in my mind that they are sent to declare truth to us and the world for the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Since I'm teaching Samuel the Lamanite tomorrow, I had to show you this awesome idea. Isn't this a great excuse to make Rice Krispy Treats????? My "Samuel" is going to be a little Playmobil indian instead of this cool figurine, but it'll get the job done.

Warnings From Mormon About Secret Stuff

2010-03-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

I saw this movie back in the 70's with my dad. I started asking my class if they had ever seen this movie, and then stopped myself, thinking they were too young. (If they hadn't seen "Indiana Jones" movies, then they certainly hadn't seen "The Sting".) I was wrong; some of them had seen it. As I was deciding on how to teach about the signs people give to one another in a secret society, this movie came to mind.

Just as a side note, here is another example of a secret society shown on the big screen. They're everywhere, if you look for them, in dark places, where no light can be found. (God = light, Satan = dark) Part of the problem with the Nephites in the Book of Helaman was that they were so preoccupied with division within their nation that they were vulnerable to attack from the Lamanites and secret combinations from within.

In "The Sting", starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Robert Shaw, con artists target a wealthy man from New York. They create an elaborate, secret sting operation to get this man to trust them enough to bet his money on a false horse race. There is a group of them working together to pull this off, who will eventually get their share of worldly wealth for participating. Every layer of deceit and lying by these con men lures this man into a false sense of security. They communicate in public with a rub of the nose which is only known to those within their secret group of cons. The wealthy man's greed for money and power eats at him to participate in this transaction, which eventually ends up in his loss of his money.

In Helaman 1, Kishmumen, the murderer of Pahoran II, entered into a covenant with other supporters to overthrow the Nephite government for power and gain. They agree to keep all of their acts of evil unknown to the public, only communicating through signs. In verse 12 it reads: "Therefore, Kishkumen was not known among the people of Nephi, for he was in disguise at the time that he murdered Pahoran. And Kishkumen and his band, who had covenanted with him, did mingle themselves among the people, in a manner that they all could not be found; but as many as were found were condemned unto death." The Nephites worked to exterminate these secret bands, later led by Gadianton, but their secrecy kept them virtually undetectable.

Mormon makes it clear to us at the end of Helaman 2, that "...In the end of this book ye shall see that this Gadianton did prove the overthrow, yea, almost the entire destruction of the people of Nephi." Clearly, his message to us is to protect ourselves from the evil that surrounds us. Staying faithful in dark times is our mission. The Lord offers us a protection from the evil around us through the Spirit. Today's lesson helped us to open our eyes to the sly way that Satan creeps into/through our society. It is always easy to point out faults in others rather than ourselves. With that in mind, we have the Book of Mormon to reveal to us the weaknesses of the Nephites. We're meant to notice those weaknesses so we don't repeat them. Those weaknesses exist in us as well, and we would be well to take the warning of this prophet, Mormon.

We've only scratched the surface in the Book of Helaman in singling out how the Nephites mirror our society. More tomorrow..........

Ridding Ourselves of Satan, "City By City"

2010-03-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

This is the most dramatic picture of Helaman I've seen. Isn't it awesome? My last post was spurred by a map of the Promised Land that I use in class. I have even shrunk a copy down to fit into my scriptures so I can refer to it often as I read the Book of Mormon. Well, today as Cody, Chelsea, April, Scott and Brad presented their chapters of Alma 54-58, I had an impression that I shared with them at the end of class. I love when the Spirit teaches me things "on the spot". That's one of the most amazing blessings of being a teacher.

As we were going through the chapters, we came across Helaman's epistle to Captain Moroni. In his epistle, he shares which Nephite cities the Lamanites have obtained by the shedding of blood. The cities he mentions are Manti, Zeezrom, Cumeni, and Antiparah. If you look on the map, these are centered around the south west part of the land, next to the south wilderness. It's as if the adversary and his influences have infiltrated through the main body of Nephites, creating a poison they must rid themselves of possessing. Helaman's mission is to re-acquire these cities one by one, without the shedding of blood, if possible.

Helaman's army of the sons of the People of Ammon, have "entered into a covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites, yea, to protect the land unto the laying down of their lives; yea, even they covenanted that they never would give up their liberty, but they would fight in all cases to protect the Nephites hand themselves from bondage." (Alma 53:17) Helaman persuaded their fathers to keep their original oath never to take up their weapons of war. Helaman shares with Moroni in his epistle, "But I would not suffer them that they should break this covenant which they had made, supposing that God would strengthen us, insomuch that we should not suffer more because of the fulfilling the oath which they had taken." (Alma 56:8) The covenant the People of Ammon made is what gave Helaman's army their strength. Their success in cleansing the land of the Lamanites depended on the People of Ammon keeping their oath. Power in covenants.

As Helaman's epistle continues, he details to Moroni how his army contributes to re-acquiring these cities one by one, city by city. Each acquisition is done carefully, with deliberation, purposefully, with patience and thoughtful prayer. The righteousness of the young men in this army contributes to their success. They were "firm and undaunted", "obeyed to perform every word of command with exactness", they had "exceeding faith in a just God", and expressed gratitude for their success and safety.

This is the part I shared with my class. If the Lamanites represented the influence of Satan and each city represented a part of you, then could we safely say that these scriptures reveal a pattern for us to follow on how to cleanse ourselves of evil? If we are struggling with living the standards or we have something in our character that needs to be changed in order to be in line with God's will, it's possible for us to change and repent little by little, and focus on changing one thing at a time. Each time we take back our agency to conquer Satan, we gain strength. These young stripling warriors set the example for us of how to tap into the power of the covenants we've made, and the level of commitment to God we must have.

Covenants + Righteousness = Power/Strength

The Lord blesses me daily for my service as a seminary teacher. What I wasn't aware of when I accepted this calling was the amount of light and knowledge I would gain on a personal level. When the Spirit teaches me something, I don't question it. I just teach. My "happy moment" is when I see their understanding of what was taught light up in their eyes. Being a part of that is waaaaaaaaaaaay cool!

Don't Leave Your Strongholds!

2010-03-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

My husband Joe is a map guy. He was a cartographer for the National Guard many years ago. I've always thought maps were boring. We've been married for 25 years. I've been told that when you've been together with the same person for a long time you begin to take on the other person's traits; you start to think alike, dress alike, and in some cases, look alike! To be honest, I have been startled a few times when we've come out of our closets wearing the same colored clothes! Well, he's rubbed off on me in many ways. In reading the Book of Mormon this year, I have been enamored with this map! I have followed the Nephites and Lamanites meticulously through this map since Nephi's ship landed on the Promised Land. Absolutely fascinating!!!

This whole week, my class is presenting the war chapters in the Book of Mormon. One student per chapter. Today, I was very intrigued with Hailey's chapter, Alma 52. When you watch the movement on the map, it brings the story to life. I have a large black and white copy of a map, like the one above, against the chalk board in my class. I have two colors of sets of magnets; one color for the Nephites and one color for the Lamanites. I place them on the map according to where we are in the scriptures and they move around as the storyline progresses.

In Alma 52, Moroni has a plan to get the Lamanites to release control of the city of Mulek, a Nephite city that they wanted to reclaim. The Lamanites had fortified the city well so there was no way Moroni was going to get in, thus Moroni's plan in verse 21........ "And it came to pass that Moroni, having no hopes of meeting them upon fair grounds, therefore, he resolved upon a plan that he might adecoy the Lamanites out of their strongholds." He commands Teancum to take a small number of his men and march past Mulek so the Lamanites would see them. The Lamanites pursue them as they travel north towards Bountiful, where Lehi's army is waiting. Meanwhile, back at Mulek, the Lamanites have left the city "exposed and vulnerable", which is when Moroni swoops in and takes possession of it. The Lamanites left their stronghold.

Teancum continues to lure the Lamanites into the hands of a fresh Nephite army led by Lehi who were left to protect Bountiful. Moroni is in pursuit of the Lamanites from behind. The Lamanites find themselves surrounded by the Nephite forces on both sides. Many Nephites and Lamanites are killed in the battle, but most of the Lamanites lay down their weapons of war and concede to be prisoners of the Nephites.

As demonstrated in the scriptures, letting go of your stronghold even just once could result in the adversary attacking you when you're least expecting it, making yourself vulnerable to losing control and falling into temptation. It only takes once. I asked my class what they considered to be their strongholds. The first thing I heard was friends. Next they mentioned listening to uplifing music and lyrics, keeping the law of chastity and not putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation that you can't get out of. Sticking to the Word of Wisdom, only owning and wearing modest clothing, being loyal to your family, and keeping away from movies that chase away the Spirit. I liked this last comment because it's not enough to stay away from only rated R movies. There are some PG-13 movies that offend the Spirit, and we have to remember that these are the world's (not the Lord's) ratings on movies.

The charting of the Lamanites and Nephites on the map that we did today simply illustrated how the Lamanites had their weakness exposed. Their focus was on power, physical strength, and bringing the Nephites into bondage. They took action without thinking, and didn't realize that their adversary had designed for them to fall into temptation all along. The map showed that the Lamanites were surrounded by the adversary who took advantage of them at their weakest moment. Had they stayed back in Mulek within their fortifications, there would have been no way for the Nephites to overtake the city.

This time through the Book of Mormon has been magical for me (and hopefully for my class). Because I'm a visual learner (thus all the pretty pictures in my blog), my depth of understanding has increased tremendously through following this map. I'll never admit to Joe that maps are extremely interesting! I'm trying to avoid the "I told you so". The day I do admit that to him will be the day he agrees to sit and knit with me.

Hoisting of A Reminder

2010-03-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

My youngest daughter, Jordan, plays soccer for the Hawks in Temecula, CA. We drive her all over the state and pay way too much money for her to play soccer. I keep waiting for her to get tired of soccer.............nope. Hasn't happened yet. There are times when I drive her to tournaments where there are dozens of teams to sift through in order to find her team. If we're not familiar with the fields, we have to drive around and scour for a familiar face/uniform. Just a few weekends ago as we were trying to find where we belonged, I saw the Hawks flag go up. The team manager was at the field they would be playing at and she hoisted the flag on a pole. She did that to draw the players to the field. She also did that to make a statement that the Hawks were taking that side of the field as their own. Now we could see where Jordan belonged. When we saw the flag, I told her to go to it and she would find her friends there. Once she saw the flag, she felt comfortable and reassured. I knew that once she got to the flag, her coach, her friends, and other parents on the team would be there to welcome her. The Hawks flag symbolizes a commitment she made to this team. I'm reassured when I see it because I know there are people at that flag who have made a similar commitment as Jordan.

What young woman doesn't want to marry a "Captain Moroni"? This man never sleeps (hard-working & diligent), he never gives up, he stands for what he believes in, and he's confident in his faith in Christ.
"And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery; Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people. Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood." (Alma 48:11-13)

Captain Moroni, in seeing how easily the Nephites forget the Lord, creates a "flag" to unify them through a covenant. He rents his coat and writes "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" (Alma 46:12) on it and fastens it upon the end of a pole. All those who were true believers of Christ, Christians, entered into a covenant that they would never forsake God (keep his commandments, not fall into transgression, or be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ). They swore this with their lives. Captain Moroni hoists this Title of Liberty up for all to see on every tower. It draws the Nephites to it. Where this flag waves, there they would find people who have made the same covenant/commitment.

Symbols can spur personal righteousness. I wear my CTR (choose the right) ring quite a bit. President Uchtdorf taught us that CTR could also stand for "current temple recommend". Since that talk, I wear my ring every day. It's a reminder of a commitment, a promise, a covenant. We need these constant reminders because it's in our nature to forget. This is why we take the sacrament weekly. This is why we meet for seminary every day. The covenants we make are always remembered by the Lord. We're the ones who need to be reminded daily so that it keeps us humble and focused.

I had to include just one more picture of Captain Moroni. (The artwork I've found on him is spectacular!) He wins my vote for being the coolest Nephite dude in a uniform.

Reverence for LIFE

2010-02-25T09:58:00.000-08:00

We're heading into the war chapters. Hallelujah! Before we do, I discovered a contrasting thought in the chapters written by Alma to his son Corianton. So that's what we covered today. I'm dragging my feet through Alma, I know. I'm supposed to be in Helaman by now, but we'll be there in a week or so. Patience.

Okay, I have a story. Brace yourself. A little kid asked me once, "Sister Wright, if I bought a goldfish from the pet store, then swallowed the fish alive, would there be anything wrong with that?" YES! There is something wrong with that! He continued, "But why? I bought the fish with my own money. It belongs to me. I can do whatever I want with it, right?" Agghhh!!! After I recovered from my shock, I talked to this little guy about the sanctity of LIFE, and reverence for all living things. Even a goldfish deserves some respect! I tucked that bizarre episode in the back of my mind and was reminded of it when I prepared my lesson for today.

Maybe no one else noticed this contrast but me, but here it goes.... In Alma 39-42, Alma speaks to Corianton about a serious sin he has commited; that of sexual immorality. He tells him in Alma 39:5: "Know ye not, my son, that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost?" Our class defined the word "abomination" in the scriptures as being anything that is greatly disliked or abhorred by the Lord. So basically,the opposite of anything that is an abomination to the Lord would be considered sacred. The three sins mentioned by Alma are:

*Denying the Holy Ghost

*Shedding Innocent Blood

*Sexual Immorality

All three of these sins have to do with the disregard for the sacredness of LIFE. Although Corianton was the son of the prophet and was probably taught right from wrong, he had somewhat of a "disconnect" between his actions and what he knew to be right.

Alma teaches us that denying the Holy Ghost is unpardonable (vs. 6). This is the destroying of the spiritual LIFE of an individual. Those in this state lose the power to regenerate as they live in darkness. No light. The shedding of innocent blood is the taking of LIFE from an individual, which we cannot temporally make restitution for. Sexual immorality is the tampering with the LIFE-GIVING process outside the bounds set by the Lord. It is the misdirecting of the power of creation, which is in complete disruption with the Plan of Happiness/Salvation.

The contrast I noticed was that these chapters are the preface to the war chapters in Alma, where individuals in the scriptures will be defending their LIVES for what they believe. We're going to see Captain Moroni defend all that is sacred to God. He'll defend the Nephites' religion and freedom, their peace, their families, and the sanctity of LIFE. He will fight a defensive war, as opposed to an offensive war. He will offer the Lamanites LIFE in exchange for peace and harmony. We're going to see the disregard for LIFE exhibited by the Lamanites led by apostate Nephites. This is another juxtaposition orchestrated by Mormon in the placement of these chapters.

I'm soooooo looking forward to teaching about this giant of a hero in the next several seminary lessons. Captain Moroni: Defender of all that is right and good. I'm sure he would have defended the right to LIFE of that poor little pet store goldfish as well.

The "Shiblon" Syndrome

2010-02-23T10:31:00.000-08:00

I showed a Pixar short film called "Partly Cloudy" to my class today. This film appears as a bonus feature to the Disney/Pixar movie "UP". I would have embedded it in this blog but didn't want Disney to come after me. This scrawny little stork has a job to perform day after day, and he does so with diligence. He reports to a gloomy cloud who creates non-cuddly creatures for him to deliver to their parents. Other storks have the job of delivering sweet, gentle, easily-lovable creatures, but that's not this stork's mission. As this faithful stork delivers each difficult creature, he suffers some sort of injury from the creature he carries. He reports back to his gloomy cloud a little more damaged and worn down from each trip, but still ready for another mission. Faithful, quiet, patient, long-suffering, steady.

This stork reminded me of Shiblon, son of Alma. Alma has 2 chapters (77 verses) directed to his son Helaman, 4 chapters (91 verses) directed to his son Corianton, and only 1 chapter (15 verses) directed to Shiblon. Why wasn't there more Alma needed to tell Shiblon? It appears that Shiblon got less attention than his brothers. In Alma 38, we gather more understanding of what Shiblon was like. Faithful, quiet, patient, long-suffering, steady. In verse 4, we discover that he suffered much during his mission to the Zoramites; he was put in bonds and stoned. Alma expressed to Shiblon that he had found great joy in his son; he was very proud of him. It seems as though Shiblon was simply a plain, faithful, non-flashy, low drama, teachable, average, humble, dilligent, hard-working member. Good for him............my kinda guy.

There are many other examples in the scriptures of faithful people who receive little mention. In our studies of the Book of Mormon, there's Sam, the brother of Nephi. And what about Omner & Himni, 2 of the sons of Mosiah whose missions we didn't hear about? There are people around us everywhere who serve the Lord diligently, without much recognition. They go through challenges like everyone else and serve just as hard as anyone, but go unnoticed or unrecognized. Not anymore.

We went around the room and talked about people they felt were like Shiblon, and the examples they set for us. They made notice of members of the Church who serve diligently no matter where they are called. Maybe this was their first chance to reflect on their examples, but it's valuable to know that the Lord needs us everywhere, anywhere we're called to serve in the Kingdom. Every calling we serve in somehow molds, shapes, and qualifies us to become like Him. Every calling has a purpose and every person needs a calling!

Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated: "You don't have to live a life that's truer than true. You don't have to have an excessive zeal that becomes fanatical and becomes unbalancing. What you have to do is stay in the mainstream of the Church and live as upright and decent people live in the Church---keeping the commandments, paying your tithing, serving in the organizations of the Church, loving the Lord, staying on the straight and narrow path. If you're on the path when death comes....you'll never fall off from it, and for all practical purposes, your calling and election is made sure".

Faithful, quiet, patient, long-suffering, steady.

So.............to all the Shiblons of the world, thumbs up on a "quiet" job well done. Just know that the students in Sister Wright's class have noticed you, are watching you, and are thankful for you.

Dr. Seuss Stuck In My Head

2010-02-22T10:27:00.000-08:00

I must have read this Dr. Seuss rhyme to my daughters dozens of times...........per daughter, and I have four of those. All of my daughters remember this rhyme. There is really no point to it. Just a furry guy with a droopy hat, gold teeth, a bird, and one shoe off. But the way this rhyme is presented and organized has made it memorable to me (and my girls). I have this memorized for the rest of my life. I can't forget it if I wanted to!!! What's funny is that once you learn the first part of it, it's easy to remember the second part of it. You just work backwards.

The way it starts is the way it ends. It's a chiasmus (pronounced ki-Az-mus)! A chiasmus is a literary writing form sometimes used by ancient Hebrew writers. It's effective because it follows a predictable pattern. What's cool about a chiasmus is that important ideas and words are emphasized through repetition and often located at the center. In Alma 36, Helaman is being taught by his father, Alma. This chapter has a very unique organization to it. There is a "build up" in the middle of the chapter, verses 17 & 18, and then it goes back the way it came.

Alma is bearing his testimony to Helaman of his conversion; he uses very descriptive words. You can feel the depth of his emotion and urgent tone as he recounts this experience. In verses 17 & 18, the center of this chiasmus, he states what his "turning point" was: "And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death." Just when his message seems hopeless, you feel light and the relief of pain as he recalls his father's words of a Savior who would lift his burden. You "feel" the turn.

Now the chiasmus heads back in the other direction. Repentance was the "turning point" for Alma. Once he reached the point where he could no longer bear his pain of guilt, he was able to ask the Lord to apply the Atonement to his life, promising never to go back to his former lifestyle. As Alma 36 continues, Alma's words retrace the same steps, but in a more hopeful way. He is forever changed, but rather than torment and pain, he describes joy, joy, and more joy.

I believe Alma taught repentance to Helaman this way so he would not forget it. As the upcoming religious leader of the Nephites, Helaman would need to teach this to the Nephites over and over again in order for them to remember their covenants to the Lord. I have very fond memories of sitting with my girls at bedtime reading these books. They'll always be in my home. I just never realized that Dr. Seuss would help me teach seminary. Go figure.

Appreciating Juxtaposition in Mormon's Words

2010-02-16T16:24:00.000-08:00

Mormon is an amazing editor. He puts the gospel of Jesus Christ before our eyes in such a way that we can't miss the meaning. One of the best ways he points out the ways of Christ is by contrasting them with the ways of Satan. By doing this, there is little or no misunderstanding.

For example, here are two buildings next to each other. They are very different in design, structure, size, and material. Capturing them next to each other brings out the differences in them so that you notice both of them more. The exaggeration of their differences shows the contrast. Mormon does the same with Alma 31.

This is one of the most bizarre findings in the Book of Mormon, in my opinion. The chosen, elite Zoramites, a group of apostate Nephites, take turns standing on this high platform in their synagogs and recite a set hypocritical prayer. (Alma 31:15-18.) They do this to "look good" to one another. It shows forth their pride as they stand, one by one, in front of each other in their expensive, beautifully adorned attire. Isn't this a little peculiar? (You couldn't get me to go up there, that's for sure. I'd be afraid my sandals didn't match my robe and someone would notice and think I wasn't HOLY!) These are people who once had the gospel of Jesus Christ. How did they evolve into thinking that this form of worship was acceptable to God? This was their form of prayer.

We, Us, & Our

Our class counted. We found the Zoramites mentioned the words, WE, US, & OUR in their prayer 21 times. (Thank you, Chase.) Their selfishness shows through their prayer. Our class discussed that their prayer excludes others, it teaches false doctrine that there is no Christ, it shows insincere gratitude and their self-proclaimed worldly pride. This is about as far off the mark as we could get from offering meaningful prayers to our Heavenly Father.

Contrast this with Alma's prayer in Alma 31: 26-35. He notices their pride and is grieved by how he sees the Zoramites mocking God in their worship. He unselfishly asks for the Lord's help for himself and his fellow missionary brethren (Amulek, Zeezrom, Omner, Ammon, Aaron, Corianton and Shiblon) for strength to be able to withstand their afflictions as they attempt to bring the Zoramites to Christ. "O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee in Christ. Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee."

I have learned much from Elder David A. Bednar's two General Conference talks on prayer. He gave one talk in April 2008 titled "Ask In Faith", and one in October 2008 titled "Pray Always". I found that Elder Bednar directs us to pray in ways that Alma did. We are to pray with an expectation to act, and not just to express. We have a dual obligation to both plead and perform, the requirement to communicate and act. Now that Alma expressed this prayer, his work to bring the Zoramites to Christ is supported by the power of the Lord through Alma's faith. Elder Bednar also teaches us to counsel with the Lord in prayer, express heartfelt gratitude, and pray for others. Alma shows this as his prayer resembles an intimate conversation with his Father. You can feel his gratitude within the reverence of his prayer for the sincere purpose of saving Zoramite souls.

Sometimes we overlook the subtle. The Book of Mormon explains the gospel so clearly so we cannot overlook or misunderstand. The good next to the bad helps us identify how to get on, and stay on, the Lord's side. Thanks, Mormon.

Support of a Covenant

2010-02-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

This is my beautiful San Diego LDS Temple. Our stake has a tradition twice a year. We call it our "Offering in Righteousness". Our adults commit to spending as much time in the temple as possible during that week. The personal sacrifice that you make is your own. There isn't a minimum requirement of time you must spend there in order for it to "count". Whatever you are able to offer is sufficient. Of course, it is hoped that our stake members would take this opportunity to give up as much of their leisure time, and perhaps valued time, in the temple. It's a tremendous week of service. There are many of us who spend close to 12 hours at a time during this week, and some attend multiple days. Some have taken time off of work to make this offering. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the blessings for ourselves and those we are serving.

There is much going on in the background during this week. Many of us are making sacrifices for each other in order for us to be able to attend the temple. Some of us can't make it there without help. Some of us need babysitters. Some need a ride. Some need families to be cared for and carpools to be driven. In order for this week to work for everyone, our stake members must support each other and pitch in. That "pitching in" is part of the offering. This is how we show respect for and support to covenants others have made in the temple. We, as a whole, make it possible for as many of us to get there that week. We need each other.

I was very touched by the Nephites who were willing to open their land to the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's (Alma 27). The Nephites accepted them into their land knowing of their covenant to the Lord to never shed the blood of men ever again. The Nephites gave them the land of Jershon to inhabit, and they set up their Nephite armies between Jershon and the land of Nephi, so they could defend them from being killed by the wicked Lamanites. The Nephites were in full support of protecting their brethren militarily. They stated, "...This we do for our brethren, on account of their fear to take up arms against their brethren lest they should commit sin." (Alma 27:23) The Anti-Nephi-Lehi's, now called the People of Ammon, in turn, supported their Nephite brethren by giving them a portion of their substance to assist them in maintaining their army. By the Nephites participating in defending the people of Ammon, they become a part of this covenant. It is a "pitching-in offering".

In seminary today, we talked about how we can support others who are trying to live righteously. How can we help our fellow "brethren and sisters" stay converted to the Lord? Maybe it is ourselves who need the help to stay afloat. Would we be willing to accept help from a friend without being embarassed or without taking it as someone being judgmental? Maybe by us "pitching in" and helping others keep their covenants, that keeps us on track as well. We concluded that we're in this together. You help me; I help you. This is how it works. This is how the Lord meant for it to work. This how we bear testimony to each other of the importance of covenants to the Lord.

Isn't this how we become like these people?

"Down" with the old, "Up" with the new

2010-02-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

I'm sure I'm in deep trouble, but it was all for my class. I promise never to do anything like that ever again. If someone tells on me I'll deny it. (I suppose that would be lying.) It wasn't that big. I made sure it was small and shallow. But it was sure worth it. Sorry.

In the rear of our church building there is a large grassy field. Joe, my partner in crime, helped me dig a hole off to the side, close to the bushes in this field late lastnight. It was small and shallow! This morning, as I taught Alma 23-24 about the amazing Anti-Nephi-Lehi's, I had my class write down a behavior of theirs, if they had one, which might be considered an act of "rebellion to God" on a paper sword. Examples of this could be: foul language, disobedience to parents, choosing not to listen to General Conference, immodest clothing, wearing the "messy" look, listening to inappropriate music, willingly breaking the Word of Wisdom, a bad attitude, watching an inappropriate t.v. show, etc. Their challenge was to pick one thing they were serious about stopping. I asked them to pick something they felt they could put aside.......forever. This would be a conscious adjustment for them. In the scriptures, as these converted Lamanites made a permanent change, they desired to unify themselves by taking on the name of Anti-Nephi-Lehi's and covenanting, as a group, to never take up their spiritual or physical weapons of war. My class made a promise together to work on letting go of the behavior they had chosen, and offer support to one another.

As we walked outside with our "weapons of rebellion" in hand, I brought them to the hole in the ground we dug lastnight. It was quiet as we laid our swords in the ground and covered them up with dirt. When I looked down, it struck me that this was really like burying something; like a person. It was a grave of some sort. We now had a fresh start. Isn't that what Jesus Christ does for us? He makes it possible for us to become renewed, alive again, forgiven, to restart! We put down our earthly, mortal weaknesses, and raise up a Christ-like countenance.

According to Aaron (Alma 22:16), our change would be permanent if we:

* Had a desire to change

*Humbled ourselves

*Truly repented

*Asked for the Lord's help (Atonement) in prayer

The Anti-Nephi Lehi's fresh start included:

* Never falling away from the gospel of Christ

* Industrious and hard-working

* No longer cut off from God

*Softened hearts

*No longer had a desire to do evil

* Assurance of eternal life

I was really touched by the experience of burying our bad habits and behaviors in the physical earth. The Anti-Nephi-Lehi's had tremendous courage to put away the one thing that would preserve their lives temporally. They would be susceptible to being killed and consciously desired that rather than sin against God. They were spiritually saved through the Atonement of Jesus Christ brought through their sincere repentance and acceptance of Him. Truly inspiring.

If I get in trouble for the hole, so be it. It was well worth the experience with my class.

Gently Peeling Back the Layers

2010-02-05T09:38:00.000-08:00

I have a large class. I discovered that I also have a good number of shy students. It seems to me that many of the shy ones just don't feel comfortable blurting out comments or answers. I respect that. I was shy when I was a youth too.

I have found an outlet for my shy students to communicate to me that the lessons are reaching them. In a past post titled "Tender Hearts Discovered Through Tardy Make-ups", I outlined how I provide my students with opportunities to make up their tardies. I e-mail them questions from the lesson on the day I taught it. (I send them a "blind carbon copy" so they all receive it but it keeps their e-mail addresses confidential.) They simply reply "correctly" to the questions for credit. I have some students who stock pile the questions in a folder and answer them months later. That's fine, but usually they get the answers wrong because the lesson isn't fresh on their minds. (Hmmmmm. That could be useful for a possible lesson on procrastination! I'll have to remember that one.)

Reading these e-mail responses has revealed a sensitivity and spirituality that is not shown in a classroom setting. At least not with shy people. I've discovered that I have some shy spiritual giants. By allowing me to share in their insights, they are trusting me enough to allow me to see what they think and feel about the gospel. I see the shyness layers peeling back. There is some real substance there. What a gift! It's a gift to me because I'm grateful/blessed to witness it. You can't always tell from looking at them who has a strong testimony. But this is a way they can let me know that they are okay, and fine, and strong, and good.

There are always those days that you think lessons you've presented could have been much better than they actually turned out. I have more days like that than I don't. But in the few years I've taught seminary, I have learned to LEAN HEAVILY on the Spirit to teach my students what they need to hear. I still come prepared to teach as best I can, but there is a whole lot less pressure to do all or be all for each one of them.

The big question is, "When they leave the classroom, did the Spirit teach them something through your words or were they unaffected?" The students who aren't shy tell you when they "got" the lesson. The shy ones don't.....................................except through e-mail.

We Need It

2010-02-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

This was Joe's Christmas present this past year.

This was Joe's reaction to his present. If you couldn't tell, he was surprised and pleased all in the same moment. Joe loves to hike and we shower him with hiking gear and gadgets any occasion we can find. He appreciates all of it. He usually hikes all over Southern California by himself, which has worried me. He takes his phone, but many places he hikes has no cell reception. He always carries a compass so he knows in what general direction to hike. He has shared with me that on some of these hikes, he'll explore trails and doesn't always know what's ahead. He has to worry about his location in relation to where he started. He has to keep track of the sunlight so he can make it back to his car before dusk. I've asked him many times if he could use a GPS unit on his hikes, but he has always thought they were too expensive and since he was very capable with a compass and maps, he'd be just fine with that to navigate himself. Tough guy.

We bought him one anyway. Then we were asking ourselves the question, "Where's dad?"

We couldn't find him anywhere because he was gone with his little GPS unit exploring the neighborhood! He absolutely loves it and doesn't know what he did without it. He didn't realize how much he needed it until he had it in his hands. He uses it all the time, and wants to share with us what he knows about it so we'll understand how cool it is! He can't understand how anyone wouldn't want or need a GPS unit!

Similarly, the 4 sons of Mosiah desired for the Lamanites to understand how much they needed Christ and the Atonement. "Therefore, this was the cause for which the sons of Mosiah had undertaken the work, that perhaps they might bring them unto repentance; that perhaps they might bring them to know of the plan of redemption." (Alma 17:16) These 4 brothers understood the Atonement and the need for repentance in order to be saved, but how would they teach that to the Lamanites? How could they get the Lamanites to realize that they needed this?

The Conversion of a King: Ammon understands that King Lamoni has great influence among his people and has an understanding of some divine being. If he can get the king to understand the need for repentance unto his salvation, then his influence will spread to his people. So Ammon begins teaching the king about the nature of God, which leads to a discussion on the creation. As the king is learning and grasping each concept, Ammon teaches about man (Adam), which leads to The Fall. Once the king understands the fall of Adam, he's then able to understand man's need for an Atonement and that repentance is required in order to access the power of the Atonement.

This knowledge changes his life and his outlook on life. He has been truly converted to Christ. He now knows who to look to for salvation, and his softened and changed heart will set the stage for a permanent change in his people.

Like Joe and his GPS unit, King Lamoni now realizes the importance of the Atonement, and the joy that it brings him. He didn't realize how much he needed it until he had found it. Now that he knows about Christ (and has seen him), he can't wait to share this news with others. It has changed his life to the point where he will never go back to not having it or using it.

Oh, and to bring us back to where we started, if you're ever hiking in So. Cal. and see this handsome man with a cool GPS unit on the trail, just know that he knows EXACTLY where he's been, where he's at, and where he's going. Exactly.

"Live In Such A Way....."

2010-02-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

When Joe and I moved to Bakersfield, CA, 6 months after we were married, we moved into an elderly and established ward in a nice part of town. Sister Virginia Kyle was assigned to be my visiting teacher. She didn't have a companion; it was just her. She was in her 70's and I was in my 20's. My first thought was, "I wonder why I would be assigned a visiting teacher whom I had nothing in common with? What could I possibly learn from her?" I knew it was somewhat inconvenient for her to visit me. She struggled to climb the stairs to my apartment. She stayed home during the day. I worked until 5-6:00 p.m. so she had to visit me at night. In my naive eyes, this was a relationship that was not going to be mutually beneficial. How selfish of me. Over the 3 years she was my visiting teacher, she showed up consistently at my door every month. She never forgot me. My heart began to soften to who this woman really was and what her intentions were. She wasn't just filling her quota of visits for the month. She was serving me, and learning to love me. She was being Christ-like. She pryed my heart open through her sincerity. As she began to teach me, I began to be receptive to her monthly messages as taught through her eyes. I began to think back on Sister Kyle's example as I read Alma 17-18, and I found this quote:

"Live in such a way that people who know you but don't know Christ will want to know Christ because they know you."

I've always loved reading about Ammon. He's well known for cutting off the arms of the wicked Lamanites to defend King Lamoni's sheep. His strength is a humble one. He never claims his strength to be his own, but God's strength through his faith in God. He wants nothing but to serve the Lamanite king, but realizes all along that by being his servant, the king will be receptive to hearing more about God. King Lamoni's reaction to hearing of Ammon's great strength was as follows: "...and he learned of the faithfulness of Ammon in preserving his flocks, and also of his great power in contending against those who sought to slay him, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Surely, this is more than a man." (Alma 18:2) King Lamoni seeks Ammon to know more about where his strength comes from and eventually is taught that his strength comes from God. Ammon's faithfulness ignites God's power in him.

Ammon shows us in the scriptures how to sincerely serve. It was always his intention to teach the Lamanite people how their salvation was attained in, and through, Christ. He loved them first, and taught them by example. He was willing to stay with them as long as it took, even for the rest of his life, for them to know Christ and the plan of redemption. (Alma 17:9) The physical strength of Ammon through God's power definitely catches our attention. But the real power that changes lives is the quiet, whisperings of the Spirit brought through sincere love. It is always the Spirit who teaches.

Sister Kyle kept in touch with me even after we moved from Bakersfield. She lost her husband a few years after we moved. I was saddened by that news and ached for her. But I was tickled to hear that she had remarried soon after that and she was continuing her active life by being an angel to some other naive, young sister who needed to be loved.

I love you, Sister Kyle!

Understanding Tragedy

2010-01-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

Haiti has been on my mind. I have been reading the news about all the needed help being sent to the Haitians in their time of tragedy after the devastating earthquake on 1/12/10. There is a great need for food, medical equipment and doctors. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their homes and loved ones. Our lesson today brought this tragedy to mind.

Today I asked my class these questions, "What could be the Lord's purposes in allowing this to happen?" "What good have we seen, or could we possibly see, come out of this tragedy?"

A few things we discussed: The Lord humbles us through trials like these. When we are humbled our hearts are opened/softened, and we are more receptive to the Spirit. True service brings more love into the world. Through Humanitarian Services, the LDS Church collaborates with other organizations to provide "temporal" relief. Perhaps this may some day open the door for missionaries to assist with "spiritual relief". Those blessed with an abundance of temporal wealth have an opportunity to open their hearts and share that wealth with those who are in need of it, thus giving up some worldliness. Nations are working together in service.

In Alma 14, Alma and Amulek are forced to witness innocent women and children being destroyed by fire. These are people who believed on their words and are being killed because of their belief. Alma and Amulek are helpless to save them, except for the priesthood power of God which they hold. Describing Amulek's reaction in Alma 14:10, "And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained; and he said unto Alma: How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames."

Unlike the people in Haiti, this tragedy was inflicted upon the believers of Ammonihah by wicked unbelivers. But similarly, there are innocent victims in pain. Through the Spirit, Alma is able to give Amulek a response in verse 11:

"The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory" Those responsible for this crime will be held accountable, but those innocent believers were promised exaltation.

President Spencer W. Kimball has stated: “We find many people critical when a righteous person is killed, a young father or mother is taken from a family, or when violent deaths occur. Some become bitter when oft-repeated prayers seem unanswered. Some lose faith and turn sour when solemn administrations by holy men seem to be ignored. ... But if all the sick were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended.... Should all prayers be immediately answered according to our selfish desires and our limited understanding, then there would be little or no suffering, sorrow, disappointment, or even death; and if these were not, there would also be an absence of joy, success, resurrection, eternal life, and godhood."

Sometimes we don't see or understand the "big picture". Accounts in the scriptures like this one helps us understand that a loving, just, merciful God is in charge, and that brings me peace in my heart.

(Humanitarian Services Emergency Response donations.)

God's Power

2010-01-26T09:27:00.000-08:00

At first when I began reading Alma 13, I thought that this was a random chapter that Mormon included of the teachings of Alma to Zeezrom and the people of Ammonihah. Random. Truthfully, though, there is nothing random about the Book of Mormon. If I find it random, that means I'm missing the point of why it is there. This is a beautiful chapter on the Melchizedek priesthood. Alma explains that the purpose of the priesthood is "that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption." (Alma 13:2) Worthy Melchizedek Priesthood holders are commissioned to act in God's name for the salvation of man. They become a "type" of Christ. Their authority comes through ordination, but their POWER comes through obedience and worthiness. God's POWER, through your faith in HIM.

As a parent, sometimes it is difficult to relinquish control to a son/daughter. I really struggle with handing over my car keys to my teenage daughters. Whether they're safe drivers or not, I physically have an "uptight" feeling in my chest until they're home safe, and my undamaged car is back in the garage. Parents always worry about the safety of their children, other passengers, other drivers, pedestrians, or financial liability associated with driving a car. Realistically, though, I want my children to grow up being capable, responsible, well-informed, experienced, safe drivers. Someday, I'll be a grandmother and my daughters will be driving my grandchildren from place to place. I want all of them safe! I want my daughters to respect the POWER they control behind the wheel of a car. In order to do this, I must be willing to hand over my keys and let them practice driving. As they gain more confidence, experience and knowledge, they become capable drivers with control behind the wheel.

The Melchizedek Priesthood is God's POWER given to men to exercise according to their faith in Him. The period of time we spend here on earth is when we "practice" using this entrusted priesthood POWER. We do that by serving others, bringing others to Christ, sharing the gospel and guiding them to the temple. Through temple ordinances, men and women can receive the blessings of the Melchizedek priesthood and prepare to "enter God's rest". As we remain worthy, the Spirit sanctifies us through our service. The more we exercise this POWER, the more we develop a reverence for it. If we are to become like God, we must receive and exercise his priesthood or POWER as he exercises it.

Alma is teaching about the priesthood in preface to what is about to happen. The people in Ammonihah are practicing priestcraft, in contrast to the priesthood which Alma holds. One is of God, and the other of the devil. The people of Ammonihah are about to witness the POWER of God through the faith that Alma and Amulek have in Him (Alma 14). There will be no question where this POWER comes from. What a great chapter!

Subtle Message To The Teacher

2010-01-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

Today I put a scale like this one on the board. (Our CES director is always telling us that this is a good idea.) I handed out several pieces of paper (about 25) with descriptions of behavior on them.

- Helpful

- Quickly opens scriptures

- Can't help but participate

- Finds teacher boring

- Contributes, supports, builds teacher

- Won't open scriptures

- Volunteers for devotional

- Frustration; Don't want to be there

- Brings friends to church/seminary

- Non-participating

- Contributes to reverence in class

- Inappropriate laughter

- Etc.........

This scale represents our "readiness to receive inspiration and revelation". I asked my class, on a scale of one to ten, (one being non-receptive, ten being ready to learn by the Spirit), to tape the behaviors by the number on the scale that they felt most closely represented that specific behavior. No right answers, just opinions and impressions. We had a good discussion on this after evaluating our scale.

In Alma 12:8-11, Alma teaches Zeezrom about the "mysteries of God", and how we are able to learn them with a softened heart, through living righteously, keeping the commandments, prayer, and by following the counsel of living prophets. There are indications that we are ready to receive, or not, through the way we behave. This exercise wasn't about judging others' behavior, but it was more about noticing our own. Spiritual preparation precedes revelation. In looking at our scale on the board, we could tell that some days we show that we are not ready, yet on other days we may be. The point is to make a conscious effort to be on the high end of the spiritual preparation scale as much as possible.

I absolutely love my class. Everyone contributes to the feeling we have there. Each personality makes the mix richer.

While 2 young men were putting their behavior papers on the board, one of them said:

"Inappropriate Laughter? What does that mean?"

My answer was, "Well, it refers more to WHEN you laugh than HOW you laugh. In other words, laughing at an inappropriate time."

He said, "When would be an appropriate time to laugh?"

I said, "When your teacher says something funny."

He said, "What if your teacher says something she thinks is funny, but isn't?"

I said, "That's when you laugh!"

The other young man said, "You're supposed to laugh ESPECIALLY when she isn't funny."

Do you think they were trying to tell me something?

"Yippee!" for Scripture Mastery

2010-01-22T10:29:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, we do a lot with Scripture Mastery in seminary. In our stake, we challenge the youth to memorize all 25 Scripture Mastery passages so they can be recited from memory. It is not required, but the challenge is in place for those who seek to accomplish this. Many youth have set a goal for themselves to memorize all 100 over the span of the 4 years in seminary. At the end of each seminary year, any of the youth who have memorized 25 SM scriptures are awarded with a medal signifying their accomplishment. If any seniors have memorized the 100 over the 4 years, they receive an added medal.

This is the way we have chosen, in our stake, to acknowledge students who have taken the time to put these important scriptures to memory, but we also recognize that not all students have the ability to do this. It is just as important to be able to find/locate the scripture, understand the principles being taught, and to be able to apply the scripture in our lives. The medals are nice, but the real reward is what I witnessed yesterday. (I absolutely love when the work put into an effort produces a fruit that is sweet.)

One student expressed to me that she had amazingly recalled a SM scripture in a conversation to a friend who had asked her questions about the gospel. Without realizing it, because she had taken the time to memorize it, she could recite it to herself in her head, and then rephrase it in a way that her friend would understand the principle. Her face was beaming with pride.

As I was cleaning up the seminary room yesterday, one young man stayed behind to mark off some SM scriptures he had memorized on a chart I keep in my closet. As we were chatting, he mentioned how he first thought that memorizing scriptures from seminary was hard and that he never thought he'd ever use them. (He's a senior this year.) But lately he noticed that "they stick in your head" and he is able to recall them as he reads his scriptures. He finds himself thinking about them and without knowing it, he's been able to understand the doctrine more fully.

As he's saying this, I'm thinking in my head, "YIPPEEEEEEEE"! This is why we spend so much time on these scriptures. This is the sweet and delicious "fruit"!

Changing Before Our Eyes

2010-01-21T11:19:00.000-08:00

Change is good, right? Apparently, according to this cartoon, change can sometimes occur in us unexpectedly!

Amulek

Today in seminary, we covered Alma 11, where Amulek stands forth to condend with a lawyer in Ammonihah by the name of Zeezrom. Zeezrom knows knows there is a God (Alma 11:24), but he tries to twist Amulek's words to make him contradict himself. In fact, he is attempting to lure Amulek to misspeak about the gospel in front of the crowd so he and Alma will stand condemned as liars.

Amulek teaches of Jesus Christ, the Godhead, the Atonement, the Resurrection, and of eternal life.

A change is occuring in Zeezrom "before our eyes"; unexpectedly as he listens to Amulek! Zeezrom cannot deny what he now feels and knows through the Spirit. "Now, when Amulek had finished these words the people began again to be astonished, and also Zeezrom began to tremble." (Alma 11:46) It's a remarkable, physical change which continues in Zeezrom as Alma then to "establish the words of Amulek". (Alma 12:1)

The reason for this change in Zeezrom..........

"True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. Preoccupation with unworthy behavior can lead to unworthy behavior. That is why we stress so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the gospel." (Boyd K. Packer, Conference Report, October 1986)

UNDERSTANDING the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ brings us peace. It softens the heart, and we behave differently because of what we know. President Packer's quote has been one I have embraced over the years. I have come to realize just how true it is through testing it. UNDERSTANDING true doctrine lays a solid foundation for a testimony, and it helps to change us from worldly beings to spiritual beings.

Yep, change is good.

Becoming A "Member" Again

2010-01-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

Today we started class by listing as many words as we could with the prefix "RE-". The rest of the word must be able to stand on its own. (For example, "re-new" as opposed to "re-spect".) Re-pair, re-breather, re-turn, re-mind, re-start, re-use, re-cycle, etc..................we found more than several! We determined that the prefix "RE-" prepares you to repeat or go back to the second part of the word. I then wrote a word on the board. Using the activity we just did, I wanted to see if they could interpret this word differently than they are used to reading it, and by using our rule of the prefix "RE-".

"Re-member"

We usually think of reaching back into our memory when we read "remember". In Alma 9, while the prophet Alma is speaking to the apostate Ammonihahites, he is definitely asking them to "remember" how the Lord has been merciful in bringing their ancestors to the promised land and brought them out of bondage many times; all due to their faithfulness. He wants them to "remember" how they felt when they, at one time, had the Spirit and were blessed with many gifts of the Spirit, light, and knowledge. Their hardened hearts have moved them away from the Lord and from "remembering" to keep his commandments.

But Alma also wants the Nephites in Ammonihah to "RE-MEMBER" themselves to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, become members again. He begins to teach them in verse 27, "And behold, he cometh to redeem those who will be baptized unto repentance, through faith on his name." Faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism. Rather than requiring them to be baptized again, he wants them to recall what they covenanted to do at their baptisms. He wants them to reflect on how they felt when they were converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and took upon them his name.

We, like the people of Ammonihah, need to be reminded of our covenants. We are reminded of our baptismal covenants each week when we "RE-MEMBER" ourselves to the Lord in sacrament meeting. We do this by humbling ourselves to bring a broken heart and a contrite spirit to sacrament meeting. We also promise to keep his commandments and keep Christ at the forefront of our minds, always. Alma speaks to us as he did to the people in Ammonihah. To heed his words would help us avoid the fate of these people.

Our Preparation

2010-01-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

It's interesting to assess where we are in life in contrast to where we used to be. It's important to take the time to recognize the "journey" as well as the destination. I think of life like a treasure map. Each of us has our own unique map; none is like another. We all have the same destination but we have different routes. There is a worthwhile treasure at the end (eternal life with Heavenly Father). We are going to come across many obstacles/distractions (temptations/worldliness) along the way and meander around with our compass (Holy Ghost) in hand. Sometimes the compass works and sometimes it doesn't (depending on our faithfulness). We are bound to get lost (wrong choices) several times. With our treasure map (scriptures, prophet, commandments, standards) in hand we can eventually get to our destination. Oh yes, and we must trust the provider of the map (Jesus Christ).

Our compass must be functioning properly, and we must follow the map, no matter what. To question the course route only slows us down.

Alma meets Amulek

In Alma 8, Alma goes to the city of Ammonihah. He is rejected by the hard-hearted people there who mistreat him and cast him out of their city. As he leaves, his discouragement leads him to earnestly pray for the Lord's help. He is visited by an angel who commands him to return to Ammonihah and call them to repentance. The Lord provides a way for Alma to accomplish his mission (1 Ne. 3:7) by sending him a man named Amulek.

Two Converging Paths

These two men were called by the Lord and prepared to do a great work. Each had his own treasure map to follow prior to meeting each other. Each had to accept their call in order for their paths to cross. Their converging paths created a powerful missionary companionship where they could teach by the Spirit. I'm pretty sure Alma and Amulek didn't know what was ahead of them. The Lord didn't tell them how their service to Him would affect so many souls. But they didn't need to know that in order to do the work. They simply needed to be worthy and willing.

None of us really knows what's ahead of us on our treasure maps. We, like Alma and Amulek, must be worthy and prepared to trust the Lord as He calls us on the many missions we have in life. We must trust his timetable and allow him to qualify us for the work. The course he sets for us will shape us into being souls who are prepared to receive the treasure!

"The Good News"

2010-01-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Life's not fair.

Things don't always work out the way we want them to. Just when we think we're getting ahead, something makes us fall behind. Sometimes our weaknesses get the better of us, pull us down and discourage us. Growing up in the Church, I was taught that through the Atonement of Christ, I can be forgiven of my sins if I sincerely repent of them. The Atonement can cover my sins. Later I grew to understand that the Atonement also covers my stresses and troubles which were not brought on by myself. Through Christ, my pains can be healed. Heartache, sorrows, worries, sickness, my inadequacies, weaknesses that I can't help, or in other words, my infirmities.

in·fir·mi·ty (n. pl. in·fir·mi·ties)

1. A bodily ailment or weakness, especially one brought on by old age.

2. Frailty; feebleness.

3. A condition or disease producing weakness.

4. A failing or defect in a person's character.

This is the gospel! (Gospel means GOOD NEWS!)

Because of my understanding of the Atonement of Christ, I feel an overwhelming amount of gratitude and love for Him. This is why we need Him. We're not alone. Through our covenants and our undivided devotion to Him, we are "yoked" to Him, and he provides the added strength we need to "endure to the end". He will make up the difference for what we are lacking. We must come to Him seeking his healing power through our faith in Him. Knowing this makes us want to live better, work harder, and appreciate Him more.

In Alma 6-7, Alma travels to the valley of Gideon. He is going from city to city in the land of Zarahemla, teaching the "GOOD NEWS" by the Spirit. He is "cleansing" each city as he establishes the Church, ordains priesthood holders, and teaches them about Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism in his name, to remember him and to keep his commandments. Alma tells the people of Gideon that there is one thing he wants to share with them which is of MORE IMPORTANCE THAN ANYTHING; "...the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people." Alma then teaches them about the Atonement and how the Savior will take upon him THEIR infirmities. By entering into baptism, they become "his people".

Knowing this, changes them from the inside out.

“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.” (President Ezra Taft Benson, Oct. 1985)

Life is fair. Our Savior makes it more than fair.

What Is Most Important To Us

2009-12-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

We had waffles for breakfast today. Pancakes, Muffins, Potatoes, Sausage, Bacon, O.J., Milk, and don't forget the Hot Cocoa. Syrup, Butter, Ketchup...........(I'm always amazed at how ketchup finds it's way to the breakfast table with teenagers). It was a most excellent meal together!

After breakfast, I asked everyone to share at least one of the following things with the class:

* Share your feelings about seminary this year.

* Share a personal experience you have had this year while reading the scriptures.

* Share your feelings about the Savior.

* Share what activity you have done at Christmas-time that brought you closer to the Savior

* Share with us the best Christmas you ever had, and why.

With a large class like mine, you can understand how intimidating it might be for us to share something so personal. But I think we've become comfortable with one another over the last several months to be able to share some of these personal thoughts. Here are some things they shared.

SEMINARY: Although there is a tremendous sacrifice involved, their day goes much smoother when they have gone to seminary that morning. They love being with each other and coming to seminary to be with other youth who have their same beliefs. They know that every school morning, there is always someone at seminary, and they like that they can count on that. They love the Book of Mormon and come to learn more about it. Seminary keeps us on track, keeps us reading our scriptures, keeps us focused on good things.

THE SCRIPTURES: I had a few students express their LOVE for the Book of Mormon! Reading their scriptures helps them to feel more spiritual. They are enjoying studying this book this year.

CHRISTMAS: Each person who spoke about their best Christmas shared that it involved isolated, private time with his/her family. It wasn't about gifts and getting, but it was the company they were with, and the memories they made with them. One person shared that the year her family did the most service was the year they received fewer gifts themselves and it was her favorite Christmas. One young man shared how his family is "secret Santa-ing" a needy family this year and how good that made him feel to help someone. One young lady shared how when her family couldn't afford much one year how someone had done something similar to them and how special that made her feel.

THE SAVIOR: The One who brings us together at this time of the year is Jesus Christ. One young man shared that all of the giving that happens at this time of the year is what is most important. It all boils down to a Christ-like feeling, and a love for each other.

This is me today.

The Tougher Mission

2009-12-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

Alma 5 led me to think about some young men in my ward who are currently out in the mission field. One is serving in Lima, Peru, another in Monterrey, Mexico, another in Montreal, Canada, and yet another in Ogden, Utah. They're all over the place. The 3 young men outside of the country are all speaking foreign languages, have had to adjust their diet, and immerse themselves in a different culture. They have had to really stretch themselves and grow. In some ways, they have had it "tough". Elder Bohne in Utah has had it tough in a different way. His mom shared with me that it hasn't been an easy mission for him. He's speaking his native language, food is pretty good in Utah, and he even has relatives there. He's doing an amazing job, but he meets people every day who have already heard his message and are not open to hearing it again.

This reminded me of Alma teaching the gospel to the members of the Church of God in the land of Zarahemla...........

while the 4 Sons of Mosiah were teaching the gospel to the Lamanites in the land of Nephi.

Alma's group has heard this message before. This same message of the gospel is new to the Lamanites. I don't know if it's fair to compare, but what do you think? Which of these men in the Book of Mormon have the "tougher mission"?

My class decided that although the sons of Mosiah have a more dangerous mission, Alma has the harder, tougher, rougher mission. In Alma 5, he's asking the members of the Church to assess their spirituality. Some of them have fallen into apostasy. These saints have been spiritually born of God at baptism, but now Alma is trying to help them re-"member". He wants them to recommit themselves to having a changed heart; to become a member again, to be born again, to have a spiritual conversion. This conversion would be strong enough to effect such a mighty change in them that they "have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." (Mosiah 5:2) Alma is trying to help them "turn back to the Lord", to avoid apostasy.

Alma asks a series of questions in this chapter. I counted over 40. The questions are to help the saints do a self-evaluation of their spiritual state. The way he poses these questions somewhat suggests where they should be spiritually. What I like about this is that it's as if he's asking each of us, personally. Similar to a temple recommend interview, I suppose. As we read the Book of Mormon, this gives us a chance to self-assess the conditions of our own hearts. Ironically, those who are humble enough to take the time to do this self-assessment are probably those whose hearts are already changed; softened. It's those who feel that their hearts are sufficiently changed, but need more softening, who will probably be the ones to overlook this chapter in Alma.

I feel like writing to some missionaries today. Do I dare send them some fruitcake? 'Tis the season!

Stepping-Stones or Stumbling-Blocks?

2009-12-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

This is my class. We're different shapes, sizes, and colors. But we're all stones, building the kingdom, one by one.

We identified a pride cycle in Alma 4 today. The Nephites had just been humbled by war with the Amlicites/Lamanites. They became "awakened to a remembrance of their duty". As they were successful in performing their duty (to "establish the Church more fully"), there were many souls baptized into the Church, and they were blessed with prosperity because of their faithfulness and righteousness. THIS IS WHERE THINGS GO BAD. Pride and arrogance follows just after they enjoy the comfort of their wealth. Their hearts are set on their riches and worldly things. Their inequality sets them apart from one another, and contentions build between them. I think we just found ourselves all the way around the pride cycle, on the verge of war again.

We noticed that when the saints were humble, they were stepping-stones to those who were not in the Church of God. Their positive examples, their duty to "bear one another's burdens, that they may be light" to "mourn with those that mourn" and to "comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places", brought others to Christ, as evidenced in the baptism of about 3,500 people (Alma 4:5).

But our other observation was that when the saints became proud, "there were envyings, and strife, and malice, and persecutions, and pride, even to exceed the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God." (Alma 4:9) Their negative examples became a stumbling block to those outside of the Church, leading them away from Christ.

A real struggle in this PRIDE CYCLE seems to be when we are blessed with prosperity. That is a big part of our test here on the earth. What will we do with what we've been given? Do we use it all on ourselves? What does keeping it do to us? How will it feel to give it away? Since that's a test we all have to face, you'll have to decide on an answer that suits you. But in the scriptures, those who have been promised exaltation while in mortality, have willingly let go of their worldly wealth and prosperity.

Entertain the thought of each of us, lining up together, side-by-side, bearing pure testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel, one by one. Picture yourself allowing others to lean on you and your testimony, using you as a stepping-stone to Christ. Imagine the strength of the Spirit as this is all happening, and the joy of those who are finding Christ for the first time through your example and the truth being taught. Try to imagine how uplifting and unifying it would feel to be a part of that! Now THAT feeling is "true prosperity".

How Do We "Mark" Ourselves?

2009-12-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

This was my seminary teacher uniform today. Levi's jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. I felt comfortable, yet uncomfortable at the same time. Physically comfortable, spiritually uncomfortable. What is expected of me as a seminary teacher is that I am to come dressed in "church attire"; basically, wearing a modest dress or a skirt. Coming to seminary dressed the way I did could be taken as a sign of rebelliousness. It would be a way of outwardly "marking" myself to separate myself from others who are like me. It's an outward expression of an inward feeling. By dressing this way, I am sending a message of being casual about the scriptures and sacred things.

In Alma 3, the Amlicites (who are apostate Nephites) have joined forces with the Lamanites in war against the Nephites. They have chosen to "separate themselves" from the people of God by marking their foreheads with red. Because they look just like the Nephites, they must distinguish themselves from them so they are not mistakened for Nephites in battle by the Lamanites. As far as I can tell, this is the first time in the Book of Mormon that there are a wicked group of people who have separated themselves from righteousness. In the past, the righteous have always separated themselves from wickedness.

In today's world, modest and immodest dress can be a "mark". We can also choose to "mark" ourselves by the jewelry we wear, the language we use, our diet, our choice of entertainment, our hairstyle, etc. Elder M. Russell Ballard warned: “There is an entire subculture that celebrates contemporary gangs and their criminal conduct with music, clothing styles, language, attitudes, and behaviors.... “I do not believe that you can stand for truth and right while wearing anything that is unbecoming one who holds the priesthood of God. To me, it is impossible to maintain the Spirit of the Lord while listening to music or watching movies or videos that celebrate evil thoughts and use vulgar language” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1997, 51–53; or Ensign, Nov. 1997, 38–39 ).

How we behave and dress in sacred places is also an indication of our reverence for and understanding of what is about to take place at that location. Elder Dallin H. Oaks has taught: "How we dress is an important indicator of our attitude and preparation for any activity in which we will engage.....Our manner of dress indicates the degree to which we understand and honor the ordinance in which we will participate." (Gen. Conf. Oct. 2008) This would apply to us if we were attending the temple or any church meeting, especially sacrament meeting. Reverence is an inner respect that is reflected in our appearance or behavior.

When we are out in the world, we can still hold onto this reverence and let it dictate how we present ourselves as Latter-Day Saints. Our attitude and behavior should still reflect the covenants we've made with the Lord, since we have taken upon us His name. We represent Him at all times, in all things, and in all places. Our attitude shouldn't change just because we're not at church. Perhaps we aren't aware that the way we appear matters to anyone, but it does. Perhaps we don't mean to "mark" ourselves as a sign of rebellion to rules, laws, and restrictions. If we just asked ourselves the question: "How would the Lord want me to represent Him?" The answer to that question should help us assess ourselves.

In my old age, I've notice that people change as their understanding matures. It must start with the inside and it begins to show outwardly. It's a countenance. In the following chapters of Alma, he will address this very topic with the Nephites. Stay tuned.......

In the mean time, back to my seminary teacher uniform tomorrow. I did miss wearing the nice shoes.

Look Out! False Doctrine Ahead!

2009-12-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

President Ezra Taft Benson's quote sticks in my head: "The Book of Mormon brings men to Christ through two basic means. First, it tells in a plain manner of Christ and His gospel.......Second, the Book of Mormon exposes the enemies of Christ." Whenever I come across an apostate in the Book of Mormon like Nehor, President Benson's quote reminds me of those orange traffic cones: Beware! Avoid! Caution! Pay attention to this! President Benson also adds, "The type of apostates in the Book of Mormon are similar to the type we have today. God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time."

In Alma 1, Nehor, an apostate Nephite, establishes his own church where he teaches:

Teachers and priests should be popular (priestcraft - 2 Nephi 26:29)
Teachers and priests should not labor with their hands, but should be supported by the people
All mankind are saved at the last day, and have eternal life (discounting the significance of, or need for, the Atonement of Christ)
"Men need not fear nor tremble, but lift up their heads and rejoice" (sin is okay, therefore, no accountability, no opposition)
No need for church standards

This just didn't make sense to us. As a class, we tried to imagine: "If we believed this, how would we live?" Just a few thoughts we had were:

We could act any way we wanted since we'd receive eternal life whether we worked hard for it or not. Why work at all? Why "serve" at all when you could get paid for the same work?
We could dress any way we wanted; standards are not necessary.
We could choose to be taught by the most popular teacher. What would that teacher need to offer us in order to win us over?

It was obvious that we were leaving out Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Everything comes down to, and through, the Atonement. The only way we can achieve eternal life is through Jesus Christ. Repentance is necessary in order to be cleansed of our sins because no unclean thing can dwell with God.

If we wanted Nehor's plan, we would have just sided with Lucifer in the war in heaven. Why make it all the way down here to earth, and then choose Satan's plan when we rejected it in the pre-mortal existence?

This type of church is easy to believe; easy to follow. It's appealing, BUT NOT TRUE!

Alma the Younger, the chief judge of the Nephites, wisely states: "and were priestcraft to be enforced among this people it would prove their entire destruction." (Alma 1:12)

Something to be aware of so we can avoid it.

Faith, Covenants, & Love

2009-12-01T08:52:00.000-08:00

Alma (the Elder)

One verse in Mosiah 27 caught my eye today; Mosiah 27:14. The account of the conversion of Alma the Younger is primarily the focus of Mosiah 27. But within this account, I am touched by the example of his father, Alma, most of all.

Mosiah 27:14 reads: "And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith."

I have no doubt that Alma the Younger was foreordained to do a great work. In Mosiah 27:8-10, he is described as a wicked young man who uses his abilities to influence others to turn away from God. While he was involved in seeking to destroy the church of God, his father, Alma, has "prayed with much faith" that his son would come to know the truth; to know of God. Because of Alma's faith, the Lord sends an angel to show Alma the Younger the Lord's power, which he cannot deny. The power from the faith of Alma (the Elder) and his people, was enough that God was moved to answer their prayers. Alma the Younger goes through a tremendous process of repentance and sincere transformation to become the great man that he was.

There is much to be said for the prayers of the faithful. Faith in God is a real power. God moves things and affects people according to the faith we have in Him, and according to His will. It's real. I have seen it and I have felt it. We are also strengthened by the covenants we make with Him. With those covenants come added strength and power as we are faithful. We come to trust in God and he honors our trust with the showing forth of his power. Alma's prayers were an exertion of his faith in God to be able to effect a change in his son.

It is all a manifestation of love. Alma's love for, and trust in, God. Alma's love for his son. God's love for Alma and a recognition of his faithfulness. God's love for Alma the Younger. Through Alma the Younger's transformation and maturity, he expresses his love and respect for his father, and develops a trust and love for God.

Although Alma the Younger is the focus of this chapter, I'm grateful to have been affected by the faithfulness of his "dad".

BUILDING the Kingdom

2009-11-30T09:21:00.000-08:00

We're here to BUILD the kingdom of God on the earth. The word BUILD means "to construct by assembling and joining parts or materials, to establish, increase, or strengthen." Does this mean that if we're NOT BUILDING, we are "weakening, deconstructing, or diminishing?" It's very interesting to observe how a little negative can put a significant dent in a lot of positive. Buying a new outfit and receiving multiple compliments on it could boost our spirits! But one negative criticism about it may dampen our desires to ever wear it again. Or, we might have given a great talk in sacrament meeting. But someone may have pointed out that we talked too fast or that we didn't look up enough while speaking. After hearing that, maybe our talk was just okay, instead of great.

Alma the Younger

In Mosiah 26:1-4, Mosiah 27:1-2 and 8-10, the "rising generation" were among the unbelievers. They couldn't relate to the words passed down to them from King Benjamin, being that they were small children during his time. They were disconnected from the teachings of the Church, so they began to tear it down. The four sons of King Mosiah (Ammon, Aaron, Omner & Himni), and Alma's son, Alma, were among the unbelievers. Alma the Younger was wicked, idolatrous, articulate and influential. "And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them. And now it came to pass that while he was going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king—" (Mosiah 27:8-9)

I brought some snap-together building blocks to seminary and asked a few class members to build me a structure of some kind......a castle, a fortress, a kingdom. I also privately asked one of them to be as annoying as possible (he had fun with that), and tear down what the others were BUILDING while they were working. It was so easy for him to tear down in seconds, what the others took several minutes to BUILD. What ended up being a small tower, could have been a kingdom. It only took one person to do the damage.

So what if Alma the Younger could harness his efforts to BUILD, rather than destroy? What would it take? A change of heart? What would it take for US TO BUILD, and how could we do it? I imagine that as we BUILD the kingdom of God here on the earth, a softening of the heart would need to occur to effect a change in us and others. This is what we considered.

Mosiah 2:17

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

(The "crown" helps us remember King Mosiah for the book of Mosiah, "two glasses" on his tray helps us remember chapter 2, we decided he looks like he's "17-years-old" to help us remember verse 17, and he's "serving others" which is what the SM is about.)

I kept pondering on how to help our class continually work on keeping our hearts softened, and BUILD the kingdom while doing it. This Scripture Mastery scripture kept coming to my mind. This then led me to think of President Monson's birthday request that he mentioned in this past General Conference (Oct. 2009). The ideal gift that members worldwide could give to him would be to "find someone who is having a hard time or is ill or lonely, and do something for him or her."

President Monson's Jar of "Warm Fuzzies"

President Monson received a large jar containing hundreds of "warm fuzzies" from a group of Primary children. Each "warm fuzzy" represents an act of service performed during the year by one of the children in Primary. Our class has adopted this activity in hopes of offering ourselves to the Lord in service by serving others. Each day we meet for seminary until the end of the school year, we will be logging our service and adding "warm fuzzies" to our jar. We will present this to "someone special" (to be revealed at a later date) at our seminary graduation in June. It's not about just filling the jar. It's about changing ourselves (our hearts) and those we serve. It's about becoming like Christ, and contributing to BUILDING his kingdom.

Maybe with a combined positive effort, instead of contructing a small tower, we could BUILD one of these!

They Know What They Need to Know

2009-11-20T23:29:00.000-08:00

Today I had some interesting demographics in the classroom. One girl. All others were boys. Why? Lastnight was the opening night showing at midnight of New Moon. (Funny.)

Today we covered Mosiah 23-26. I decided to ask the class to divide up into four groups. Each group was assigned a chapter to read. They were to select two verses from their chapter they felt would be the most important to share with teenagers. In other words, as a group, they had to choose two that most applied to THEMSELVES. Once they chose their verses, they had to be able to defend their selection. I also chose two verses from each of these chapters I felt most applied to them. I wrote my choices on notecards and taped them to the board, facing away from them so they couldn't be seen. At the end of class, we would try to see if their selections matched mine, just for fun.

Let me share with you a few of the verses they selected:

Mosiah 23:14 "And also trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments."
Mosiah 24:14 "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 25:18 "Therefore, Alma did go forth into the water and did baptize them; yea, he did baptize them after the manner he did his brethren in the waters of Mormon; yea, and as many as he did baptize did belong to the church of God; and this because of their belief on the words of Alma."
Mosiah 26:24 "For behold, in my name are they called; and if they know me they shall come forth, and shall have a place eternally at my right hand."

The best part of this activity for me, was hearing them defend their selections. They felt very sure and confident about what they chose. What I like about activities like these is that there isn't one right answer. As long as they could defend their verses, their answers were "right". They told me that it was important to be led by righteous men of God. They said that through our belief in the Atonement, the Lord will ease our pains and burdens. They shared how important it is for us to make covenants with the Lord, such as baptism, and that we receive strength from the Lord through our covenants. They shared how we belong to Christ as we take upon us his name.

And there was more.

It just made me leave class today with some "happy" in my heart to know that they are aware of what they need to cling to in these latter-days. They are so bright and intelligent. I love that about them. When I was their age, our leaders told us that we were the strong, rising generation. I still believe that was true. But now the people from my generation are the teachers of an even stronger, rising generation. What a priviledge it is for me to be their teacher.

Indiana Jones & Scripture Mastery

2009-11-19T10:47:00.000-08:00

This cute picture (as well as 24 others) was passed along to me by my CES Coordinator. I don't know who created these, so I can't give him his due credit, but whomever he is, he's got my gratitude and admiration. My class loves these, and they're very effective for remembering each Scripture Mastery scripture. This picture helps my class remember the Scripture Mastery verse Alma 32:21.

"And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."

As a seminary teacher, I'll do anything to get them to remember scriptures like this one. We play games, we repeat them over and over until we're able to recite them in our sleep, we use object lessons, we sing songs, we highlight them, we chase them, we act them out, we draw them out, we play more games, and on and on. I use this picture as a flashcard. When they look at it, they're able to tell that:

1. This scripture is found in "owl"-ma (Alma)

2. In the 32nd chapter, as indicated by the 32 oz. drink

3. (somehow we have to remember the "verse 21" part without a visual prompt)

4. And Indiana Jones helps us understand the two ledges/cliffs, and the meaning behind the scripture.

I'm constantly reminded that I'm from another generation than my class. Indiana Jones movies are a part of who I am! It makes perfect sense to me for the creator of this Alma SM picture to include the two cliffs to teach FAITH. Well................most of my class hadn't seen this movie clip because they're a lot younger than when Indiana Jones movies were popular. (Yep, I'm feeling older by the hour.) And obviously, the person who created this Alma SM picture is close to my age, poor old guy!

The most important part of learning Scripture Mastery scriptures is the application of them in our lives. If we can learn them so well (master them) that we can recall their meaning at crucial times in our lives, then it has been all worth the study and work. Coming to KNOW these scriptures changes who we are. As the doctrine in these scriptures settle in our minds and seep down into our hearts, we begin living the doctrine because it has become a part of us.

We can't always call on Indiana Jones to help us learn and remember each Scripture Mastery scripture, but aren't we lucky that we had his help with this one?

Awesome History with Stick Figures

2009-11-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

King Limhi

Today's blog is about an activity we did in class that I wanted to share with you. It's hard to understand the Book of Mormon without understanding the history and background information. In my opinion, this goes for any book of scripture. A scripture taken out of context is understandable, but when taken in context (knowing who the scripture was directed to and why, the culture, time period, location, etc.) it helps to deepen our understanding of what's being taught and how to apply it. No, seminary isn't a "history class". But the history is like the "scenery" in a play. It sets the stage for what's really going on.

(Sorry; bad lighting in my photo.) Today we covered a stretch of scripture; Mosiah 19-22, which involves Limhi, his people, and their escape from bondage to the Lamanites. We have four devotional groups in our class. I assigned each group one chapter to cover. Each group received one of the bags pictured above that corresponded to their assigned chapter.

In each bag are these little cardboard stick figures. I went through the chapters lastnight and labeled the characters ahead of time. Each group needed to simply read through their chapter, manipulate the stick figures any way they wanted to bring/act out the storyline, and then teach the rest of us what they found. This actually made the storyline quite interesting! As each group ended their chapter, the next group would continue where they left off, which made for a nice, continuous story.

They have an "at-home" assignment tomorrow. It covers more storyline in Mosiah 23-24 (Alma & his people). On Thursday, we'll bring it all together, and we'll discuss the notable principles in all of those chapters (Mosiah 19-24). We'll take a step back and "view the play with the amazing backdrop and scenery".

I'm very proud of my class! They "get it", and I guarantee you that they'll never forget how they learned their Book of Mormon history from sticks.

It All Goes Back to the Basics...

2009-11-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

A young man from my ward left on his mission a few months ago. Before he left, he was assigned to speak in sacrament meeting in various wards throughout our stake. When he spoke in our ward, his assigned topic was the 4th Article of Faith. "A very simple topic", I thought. As he began to speak, I realized how much this young man will need to lean on the truth of these principles and ordinances he's speaking of in the next few years of his life. He helped me reflect on the importance of revisiting the 4th Article of Faith, even many years after my baptism. After all, we do learn the Articles of Faith in Primary, and we're expected to know that specific Article of Faith by the age of eight in preparation for baptism. We've heard it over and over again. But I've come to realize that there are many levels to understanding the 4th Article of Faith. It reads:

"We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."

This is what we teach in our Church. These steps are listed in sequence, as each one builds upon the other. The most elemental, basic principle of the gospel is developing faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. As I was skimming through my November 2009 issue of the Ensign Magazine (the General Conference Issue), I looked to see whether I could find at least one of these four (Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism/Covenants, or the Holy Ghost) in each talk. What do you think I found?

In Mosiah 18, Alma has taken a group of "believers" to the Land of Mormon. They have physically and spiritually separated themselves from sin and the evil influences in the Land of Lehi-Nephi. Now they can enter into a covenant with the Lord and be cleansed from their sin as they are baptized in the Waters of Mormon. Alma taught them the words of Abinadi, "...and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord." (Mosiah 18:7) It's very simple and basic, and necessary. Once we've developed faith in Christ, repented of our sins, and demonstrated our faith by being baptized, we can then be given the gift of the Holy Ghost—referred to in the scriptures as the Comforter—to guide us as we strive to live a Christlike life. We're covenanting to be like Him as we are "...willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places." (Mosiah 18:8-9)

The first principles and ordinances of the gospel take on deeper meanings each week as we partake of the sacrament, and even deeper as we enter into temple covenants. We understand more as we're ready to receive more, for the Lord teaches us "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little" (2 Ne. 28:30)

And "thank you" to a young missionary who inspired me with a simple sacrament talk.