Greetings! I hope you all are doing well out there in the universe. I'm doing okay after being snowed in for the weekend (Yes, we are on the East Coast!) Four feet of snow and a driveway with a 60 degree incline can cause a bit of havoc. At any rate, here is the Gratitude List:
1. Blow Dryers
(They come in handy when you have to warm up the pups after taking them out to potty! The snow had them drenched, poor things.)
2. Snow Boots
(My sweet husband talked me into buying boots that had killer traction. I'm very grateful to him because the boots I was going to buy were higher in cut but had no grip on the bottom. These new boots keep my feet fairly warm and are sturdy little creatures!)
3. Snow Days!
(It has been amazingly nice to have my husband home from work and to have the peace of mind of knowing he is safe and sound. I worry a great deal when he is on the road and the fact that ice forms so quickly ... I'm really happy his school district made the right call, for both their employees and their students!)
4. The Gospel
(This has been an amazingly hard January. My heart has been weighed down by a lot of sadness. Several friends have left the church. A close family member is considering doing the same. There have been deaths, both of people I knew personally and some I only admired from afar. All of these heavy matters have been pulling down on me ... which is why I am so grateful for the gospel and the light that it provides. People may deny truth, whether they allow themselves to be blinded or not, but that does not change the nature of what is true. Our bodies may pass away but our souls are eternal. And there is much comfort in the gospel for those who seek after Christ.)
5. My Writing Partner
(I know I've mentioned her before, but our stories are such a good outlet for my creative mind. She was able to resurface for a bit and write with me a little while this week and I had an enjoyable time and I feel less frustrated with how this particular story is progressing.)
The Gathering
This week we did something different at the Gathering on Thursday. We broke up into groups and worked on making a skit based on a specific set of scriptures. My group worked on Captain Moroni's battle with Zarahemnah. For those not in the know, Moroni was the captain of a host of people, known as the Nephites, who were being attacked by another group of people, known as the Lamanites. Moroni was twenty five when he was put in charge of the armies of his people. Can you imagine having such responsibility at such a young age? I can't. But he took the position and he set up part of his army, before going to ask the Prophet Alma to please ask the Lord where the Lamanites were going to attack next. Alma did so, and Moroni took the information and positioned the rest of his army so that he effectively surrounded the Lamanites and cut off their retreat. He gave a stirring speech to his own men, reminding them of their wives, their children, their land, and their freedom that they were frighting for. They were outnumbered, two to one, and even though they were scared, they fought courageously and they defeated their enemy.
Now, there is more to this story. For one, the Nephites wore armor. We're talking helmets, chest plates, gauntlets and the like. This armor protected them from the weapons of the Lamanites, who did not wear armor. The Lamanites came at them with a fury, but their lack of protection proved a very bad decision. Also, their choice of leader was not so great. Zarahemnah, when the fighting came to a standstill, was offered a chance to surrender by Moroni. He declined and when the battle continued, one of Moroni's men scalped him (literally). After losing his hair, he retreated and was later killed.
What struck me the most, about this particular story, which is found in the Book of Mormon, is that Captain Moroni offered the Lamanites a chance at peace. He was on the winning side. He stopped the fighting to offer them a chance to surrender (hand over their weapons and swear an oath to never return and make war upon the people of Nephi again). He did not delight in shedding blood, although, you can see from the strategies he employed (recon scouts, armoring his fighters, etc.) that he was very good at it. He had the patience to allow those who chose to walk away from the battle the chance to hand over their weapons and go home. I think that was both wise and noble. Even after the fighting recommenced, when it was clear that Moroni's army had won the day, he called for a halt and, again, offered the chance to surrender, which was taken on the second go round. I was really touched by how compassionate he was, even in the midst of battle and bloodshed. I don't think I can actually recall, anywhere in history, where the victor offered their enemy a chance to surrender (that didn't lead to bondage or enslavement). Usually, in cases like this, the winner ends up slaughtering the opposition, because they had been given the chance to stop the fighting once already. I think more leaders should be like Moroni, careful, calculating, yet still holding to the principles of compassion, treating everyone with respect.
In our skit, we talked about the superiority of the armor of the Nephites. We demonstrated the drawbacks of the Lamanites being so exposed to the weapons of the Nephites. We spoke about Moroni's offer of peace to Zarahemnah and his enemy's refusal to accept that peace. Being a part of the scenario helped me to think more deeply about the event itself. We were also able to watch the skits performed by the other members of the class. One of them read the speech Moroni makes when he tears his coat and writes upon it: In Memory of our God, our Religion, and Freedom, and our Peace, our Wives, and our Children. Then he put the coat upon a pole and used it as a banner to draw the people together, at which point he dropped to his knees and prayed "mightily unto God, for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren" ... The standard is called the Title of Liberty and it was very inspirational to hear those words read out loud with passion and deep feeling.
I think we should all strive to be more like Captain Moroni. We should recognize that there are things worth fighting for, that we have a duty to protect our families, our lands, and our religious freedoms. We should also recognize that it is a strength to show mercy, and that we need not lose ourselves in the anger and rage of warfare. We need not become hardened by the world around us. You can still stand up for the right thing and be a just person. (I wish we had leaders that ascribed to this ideal).
That is all I have to share with you today, my lovelies! I hope you have all had a restful (and warm and dry) week! If you are interested in the Pathway program, drop me a note in the comments section and I'll direct you to where you can get more information on the subject! Til next time, stay safe and be kind to one another!
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Attitude of Gratitude (You Know You Missed Me!) and Putting It All Together (Again!)
Greetings Folks!
It's been a few weeks, did you miss me? I am currently missing some of you! (You know who you are!) I have returned to share with you some more gospel knowledge and thoughts. As always, we will start with our Attitude of Gratitude list and then move on to talking about Pathway and The Gathering!
Attitude of Gratitude
1. Kindle Fire
(My husband bought me the $50 Kindle Fire for Christmas. It wasn't the present I was expecting to get ... but as Heavenly Father tends to know our needs better than we do, it turns out my husband is very intuitive in his assessment of my needs! The Fire has a larger screen then my tiny iphone and I can now read the scriptures at an amazingly fast pace - while still utilizing my magnification and accessibility options! I am very grateful for this device and the new versatility it brings to my life!)
2. Weather
(I know other places have had horrendous snow and rain but, so far, we have had mostly rain here, and snow that does not stick! I am glad of this because it affords me the opportunities to still travel to the Gatherings on Thursday nights - something that snow would not do, due to our location and living 'out in the country' as we do. I also still need to purchase snow boots, so Winter holding off a little bit longer has been a financial blessing, as well, as the resources for such things are a bit tight!)
3. My Husband
(I've posted this one before but it comes true in new ways, all of the time. I am grateful for his great spiritual example, his willingness to talk things over with me, offer me helpful advice and kind words when I am feeling sad or lonely. His enduring positive attitude and his playful nature, while they sometimes drive me nuts, they always uplift me and remind me to see the beauty in life and seek after good things!)
4. Christmas
(I love this time of year. People act better and kinder to one another during this season. The world will try and commercialize it and twist our hearts into material things but, overall, people still extend more kindness during this holiday than one normally sees and it is one of the beautiful things about this particular holiday and celebration. I had the opportunity to see my Dad play Santa for the little children at church ... it was such a beautiful thing ... it occurred to me that Santa, in and of himself, is an archetype of Christ. Many children may not know Jesus, but a lot of them know of the legend of Kris Kringle ... a kind man who brings love and joy and gifts to those who believe ... Granted, Jesus was the gift but the idea still holds true ... that there is someone who embodies perfect kindness, perfect love.)
5. Mom
(She has been more lighthearted of late. Easier to joke with. Less exacting in her standards of how things 'should be done' and I am grateful for the love and kindness (and the random hugs) that she has shown towards me, and my spouse, in recent days. I love hear dearly. She is the reason I learned about the Church and the gospel, and from her hath stemmed many good and wonderous things in my life.)
BONUS
6. Friends
(At the moment, I am missing my soul sister, who is working on some things of her own, but even though she is not with me, in spirit, she is still in my heart, everyday. Her influence is here, and I am trying to keep up the connection, on my end of things, by sending her loving, positive thoughts, quotes, and words, each day. Also, I was very happy to return to the Gathering and see everyone again. I have missed many of them. I rejoice in their successes and sorrow in their struggles. And I am excited for my friend, Pam, who will celebrate her second baptiversary tomorrow!)
GATHERING
As always, it has been very joyous to return to the Gathering and see everyone again. The tone is a bit different, with a few people having departed from our group, and our Pathway missionaries having been exchanged for a new couple. The adjustments are a touch rocky but nothing that won't smooth out in a few weeks time, I think. The Read's are decent people and I hope to come to love them in the same manner that I loved the Barths (though their respective approaches to the positions differ).
This week's class was lead by Pam (who is one of my favorite people, ever!) She volunteered to teach the first lesson for religion class (and prompted me to volunteer to teach the next week's lesson, as I decided to follow her good example!) She shared with us an experience that happened to her at work. She spoke about a lady that had been in her line, at the store she works at, who had had a less than perfect experience. Pam, being a sensitive and kind person, took the time to take this lady aside and listen to her complaints. In the process, she found out that this woman had a friend who was dying of cancer. She asked the lady if she could say a prayer with her, and the woman said yes. So, right there in the store, she prayed for this woman, whom she did not know, and the beloved friend that she was losing. When she looked up, the rest of the people in line had fallen silent, some of them had tears in their eyes. (I seriously admire her courage and her willingness to be an Ambassador of the Lord to other people. I am not sure I would have had the courage to offer a prayer, at work, as where I used to work would likely have fired or censored us from such actions). I am so glad Pam took the time to make a difference in this lady's life. She pointed out that that is what prayer does: makes a difference. That we have the control to change the situation we are in for the better, through prayer and through following the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
Next, we moved on to our Study Skill for the week. The study skill that was presented was Cause and Effect. We talked about how, in Alma 30, it talked about the law and how there were punishments for the crimes of murder, theft, lying, etc. but that there were no punishments for not sharing in the religious beliefs of the people. That if you did not worship in the same way, there was no law against such a thing, as the people had free agency to choose for themselves their manner of worship (so long as they did not break the laws). This was a fairly straight forward representation of Cause and Effect.
We broke up into groups for our next assignment. For our Directed Study, we did not use the print-out that is included in the folder for the lead student. Instead, we used a hand-out from the gospel doctrine teacher's manual. Our Lead Student, Pam, felt that this series of questions offered more opportunity for the students to be able to get more in depth with the subject matter and also fit better with our time constraints. My group worked on Option I. This option dealt with Alma teaching the Zoramites to exercise faith and give place in their hearts for the word of God to flourish and grow strong. We answered questions from the hand-out as a group. First, we were asked why Alma had great joy when the Zoramites came to him. This was because they had been cast out and they were humble. They came to him with open hearts and open minds, they were ready to be taught and learn the gospel. Then, we were asked why it was a blessing that the Zoramites were compelled to be humble. This was a blessing because they had become teachable. However, it is more important to try and humble yourself, rather than be forced into humility, because we tend to learn things more quickly when we are not compelled and forced into learning them. If we desire to learn them on our own, and are humble enough to learn, then we gain that knowledge more quickly than when we are pressed into learning things we have less interest in. Next, we were asked what Alma taught the Zoramites about having faith. He taught them that having faith meant planting a seed inside your heart. It meant taking these doctrines and nourishing them, living them, and seeing if they grow and take root within you. That you had to experiment upon the word, in order for that faith and knowledge to grow. You had to test out what you were learning, in order to gain a testimony of it. Lastly, we were asked what it meant to 'awake and arouse' your faculties and experiment upon the word of God. This means to be consciously living the gospel principles, to be mindful of the commandments. When asked about our personal experiences with such things, I gave the examples of tithing and prayer. I gained a testimony of tithing by paying it and seeing the blessings unfold in my life. (They were not, necessarily, financial blessings, but there were blessings!) I also talked about prayer and how, unfortunately, I had slacked off on conversing with God on a daily basis, over the holidays. I spoke about the difference in my life, that I noticed, between the last few weeks, and the semester before that. How much of a contrast there was between the two. I was relieved to learn that I was not the only one to fall into lethargy but, having seen the difference, my fellow classmates and I are now trying to shift our focus back to more spiritual things.
As we shared what we were learning with the rest of the class, a few things stuck out to me. One was that the work of redemption must be Infinite and Eternal, hence it could only be done by Christ, who is both of those things. That mankind could not save itself (or the rest of the Earth or the creatures herein) but that Jesus was needed in order to perform the Atonement and reconcile us with God (and His justice). The second idea that I liked was that it is a blessing to know where our salvation comes from. That not everyone has such knowledge and that knowledge, in and of itself, is a gift. We should cherish it. The third idea was that the staff and the serpent, lifted up by Moses, being an archetype of Christ, is more of a significant lesson than it appears on the surface. Think about it: all the people had to do was LOOK at the serpent and be healed. A glance. A stare. A moment. But some of them refused even that. How can you be so devoid of hope that you wouldn't even dare to believe or dream of the possibility that such a thing might work? I cannot imagine being so far gone, so far in the depths of your own knowledge, that you would write off the mere possibility that something might save you, when your life and existence depended upon it! Even if we do not fully believe that Christ can change us, can lift our hearts out of the fear and doubt and sorrow that consume us ... As long as we hold onto a glimmer of hope, a spark of light ... the merest desire for peace, for love, for salvation ... That's all where it starts. A desire. A tiny little pinprick of light.
My Theater Professor used a quote in a production that centered around light and shadow, and it is applicable here:
"There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle." -Robert Alden
It is true. The darkness is strong and threatens to overpower us, but no amount of darkness can keep back the light. So too, no amount of Satan's machinations can outweigh or subvert the truth of the gospel and the light it gives to your life.
That is all I have for you today! I look forward to writing you all again, in a few weeks. I send my love and I encourage you to cultivate love and beauty and righteousness in your own lives!
It's been a few weeks, did you miss me? I am currently missing some of you! (You know who you are!) I have returned to share with you some more gospel knowledge and thoughts. As always, we will start with our Attitude of Gratitude list and then move on to talking about Pathway and The Gathering!
Attitude of Gratitude
1. Kindle Fire
(My husband bought me the $50 Kindle Fire for Christmas. It wasn't the present I was expecting to get ... but as Heavenly Father tends to know our needs better than we do, it turns out my husband is very intuitive in his assessment of my needs! The Fire has a larger screen then my tiny iphone and I can now read the scriptures at an amazingly fast pace - while still utilizing my magnification and accessibility options! I am very grateful for this device and the new versatility it brings to my life!)
2. Weather
(I know other places have had horrendous snow and rain but, so far, we have had mostly rain here, and snow that does not stick! I am glad of this because it affords me the opportunities to still travel to the Gatherings on Thursday nights - something that snow would not do, due to our location and living 'out in the country' as we do. I also still need to purchase snow boots, so Winter holding off a little bit longer has been a financial blessing, as well, as the resources for such things are a bit tight!)
3. My Husband
(I've posted this one before but it comes true in new ways, all of the time. I am grateful for his great spiritual example, his willingness to talk things over with me, offer me helpful advice and kind words when I am feeling sad or lonely. His enduring positive attitude and his playful nature, while they sometimes drive me nuts, they always uplift me and remind me to see the beauty in life and seek after good things!)
4. Christmas
(I love this time of year. People act better and kinder to one another during this season. The world will try and commercialize it and twist our hearts into material things but, overall, people still extend more kindness during this holiday than one normally sees and it is one of the beautiful things about this particular holiday and celebration. I had the opportunity to see my Dad play Santa for the little children at church ... it was such a beautiful thing ... it occurred to me that Santa, in and of himself, is an archetype of Christ. Many children may not know Jesus, but a lot of them know of the legend of Kris Kringle ... a kind man who brings love and joy and gifts to those who believe ... Granted, Jesus was the gift but the idea still holds true ... that there is someone who embodies perfect kindness, perfect love.)
5. Mom
(She has been more lighthearted of late. Easier to joke with. Less exacting in her standards of how things 'should be done' and I am grateful for the love and kindness (and the random hugs) that she has shown towards me, and my spouse, in recent days. I love hear dearly. She is the reason I learned about the Church and the gospel, and from her hath stemmed many good and wonderous things in my life.)
BONUS
6. Friends
(At the moment, I am missing my soul sister, who is working on some things of her own, but even though she is not with me, in spirit, she is still in my heart, everyday. Her influence is here, and I am trying to keep up the connection, on my end of things, by sending her loving, positive thoughts, quotes, and words, each day. Also, I was very happy to return to the Gathering and see everyone again. I have missed many of them. I rejoice in their successes and sorrow in their struggles. And I am excited for my friend, Pam, who will celebrate her second baptiversary tomorrow!)
GATHERING
As always, it has been very joyous to return to the Gathering and see everyone again. The tone is a bit different, with a few people having departed from our group, and our Pathway missionaries having been exchanged for a new couple. The adjustments are a touch rocky but nothing that won't smooth out in a few weeks time, I think. The Read's are decent people and I hope to come to love them in the same manner that I loved the Barths (though their respective approaches to the positions differ).
This week's class was lead by Pam (who is one of my favorite people, ever!) She volunteered to teach the first lesson for religion class (and prompted me to volunteer to teach the next week's lesson, as I decided to follow her good example!) She shared with us an experience that happened to her at work. She spoke about a lady that had been in her line, at the store she works at, who had had a less than perfect experience. Pam, being a sensitive and kind person, took the time to take this lady aside and listen to her complaints. In the process, she found out that this woman had a friend who was dying of cancer. She asked the lady if she could say a prayer with her, and the woman said yes. So, right there in the store, she prayed for this woman, whom she did not know, and the beloved friend that she was losing. When she looked up, the rest of the people in line had fallen silent, some of them had tears in their eyes. (I seriously admire her courage and her willingness to be an Ambassador of the Lord to other people. I am not sure I would have had the courage to offer a prayer, at work, as where I used to work would likely have fired or censored us from such actions). I am so glad Pam took the time to make a difference in this lady's life. She pointed out that that is what prayer does: makes a difference. That we have the control to change the situation we are in for the better, through prayer and through following the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
Next, we moved on to our Study Skill for the week. The study skill that was presented was Cause and Effect. We talked about how, in Alma 30, it talked about the law and how there were punishments for the crimes of murder, theft, lying, etc. but that there were no punishments for not sharing in the religious beliefs of the people. That if you did not worship in the same way, there was no law against such a thing, as the people had free agency to choose for themselves their manner of worship (so long as they did not break the laws). This was a fairly straight forward representation of Cause and Effect.
We broke up into groups for our next assignment. For our Directed Study, we did not use the print-out that is included in the folder for the lead student. Instead, we used a hand-out from the gospel doctrine teacher's manual. Our Lead Student, Pam, felt that this series of questions offered more opportunity for the students to be able to get more in depth with the subject matter and also fit better with our time constraints. My group worked on Option I. This option dealt with Alma teaching the Zoramites to exercise faith and give place in their hearts for the word of God to flourish and grow strong. We answered questions from the hand-out as a group. First, we were asked why Alma had great joy when the Zoramites came to him. This was because they had been cast out and they were humble. They came to him with open hearts and open minds, they were ready to be taught and learn the gospel. Then, we were asked why it was a blessing that the Zoramites were compelled to be humble. This was a blessing because they had become teachable. However, it is more important to try and humble yourself, rather than be forced into humility, because we tend to learn things more quickly when we are not compelled and forced into learning them. If we desire to learn them on our own, and are humble enough to learn, then we gain that knowledge more quickly than when we are pressed into learning things we have less interest in. Next, we were asked what Alma taught the Zoramites about having faith. He taught them that having faith meant planting a seed inside your heart. It meant taking these doctrines and nourishing them, living them, and seeing if they grow and take root within you. That you had to experiment upon the word, in order for that faith and knowledge to grow. You had to test out what you were learning, in order to gain a testimony of it. Lastly, we were asked what it meant to 'awake and arouse' your faculties and experiment upon the word of God. This means to be consciously living the gospel principles, to be mindful of the commandments. When asked about our personal experiences with such things, I gave the examples of tithing and prayer. I gained a testimony of tithing by paying it and seeing the blessings unfold in my life. (They were not, necessarily, financial blessings, but there were blessings!) I also talked about prayer and how, unfortunately, I had slacked off on conversing with God on a daily basis, over the holidays. I spoke about the difference in my life, that I noticed, between the last few weeks, and the semester before that. How much of a contrast there was between the two. I was relieved to learn that I was not the only one to fall into lethargy but, having seen the difference, my fellow classmates and I are now trying to shift our focus back to more spiritual things.
As we shared what we were learning with the rest of the class, a few things stuck out to me. One was that the work of redemption must be Infinite and Eternal, hence it could only be done by Christ, who is both of those things. That mankind could not save itself (or the rest of the Earth or the creatures herein) but that Jesus was needed in order to perform the Atonement and reconcile us with God (and His justice). The second idea that I liked was that it is a blessing to know where our salvation comes from. That not everyone has such knowledge and that knowledge, in and of itself, is a gift. We should cherish it. The third idea was that the staff and the serpent, lifted up by Moses, being an archetype of Christ, is more of a significant lesson than it appears on the surface. Think about it: all the people had to do was LOOK at the serpent and be healed. A glance. A stare. A moment. But some of them refused even that. How can you be so devoid of hope that you wouldn't even dare to believe or dream of the possibility that such a thing might work? I cannot imagine being so far gone, so far in the depths of your own knowledge, that you would write off the mere possibility that something might save you, when your life and existence depended upon it! Even if we do not fully believe that Christ can change us, can lift our hearts out of the fear and doubt and sorrow that consume us ... As long as we hold onto a glimmer of hope, a spark of light ... the merest desire for peace, for love, for salvation ... That's all where it starts. A desire. A tiny little pinprick of light.
My Theater Professor used a quote in a production that centered around light and shadow, and it is applicable here:
"There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle." -Robert Alden
It is true. The darkness is strong and threatens to overpower us, but no amount of darkness can keep back the light. So too, no amount of Satan's machinations can outweigh or subvert the truth of the gospel and the light it gives to your life.
That is all I have for you today! I look forward to writing you all again, in a few weeks. I send my love and I encourage you to cultivate love and beauty and righteousness in your own lives!
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