Book of Mormon Reading: Helaman 6-8

More so than any other time I have read the Book of Mormon, I have noticed the teaching and the doctrine of the gathering of Israel. It is as real. It is a global and spiritual as it is personal and temporal.

In his October 2006 General Conference talk, then Elder Russell M. Nelson said,

The Book of Mormon is central to this work. It declares the doctrine of the gathering. It causes people to learn about Jesus Christ, to believe His gospel, and to join His Church. In fact, if there were no Book of Mormon, the promised gathering of Israel would not occur.

Here's how the scattering and the gathering is real to me.

Scattering is when I send my children out to serve full time missions to Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia- - -

Gathering is when those dear children of mine preach and invite and baptize those who are eager to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sin is a form scattering. Sin scatters us abroad, like chaff in the wind.

Repentance is a form of gathering. Repentance gathers us together in Christ.

And as President Nelson says

 . . . Gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty. And if you choose to, if you want to, you can be a big part of it. You can be a big part of something big, something grand, something majestic!

Book of Mormon Reading: Alma 19-20

It is amazing to me at what happens to the Lamanites once they exercised their faith in Jesus Christ, repented, and fully embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ. Very quickly, they changed their names to Anti-Nephi-Lehies, they began to be a very industrious people, they were friendly with the Nephites, and the curse of God did no more follow them

How could so much good happen in such a short amount of time because of one decision?

It made me think of what happens when a smoker quits smoking cold turkey:

Within 20 minutes
Blood pressure, pulse rate and the temperature of hands and feet return to normal.

Within 8 hours
Nicotine in bloodstream has fallen to 6.25% of normal peak daily levels, a 93.75% reduction.

Within 12 hours
Blood oxygen level increases to normal. Carbon monoxide levels drop to normal.

Within 24 hours
Anxieties peak in intensity and within two weeks will return to near pre-cessation levels.

Within 48 hours
Damaged nerve endings start to regrow; Sense of smell and taste begin to return to normal. Cessation anger and irritability will have peaked.

Within 72 hours
Entire body will test 100% nicotine-free.
Lung bronchial tubes leading to air sacs (alveoli) begin to relax in recovering smokers.
Breathing becomes easier and lungs' functional abilities are improving.

Within 2 weeks to 3 months
Heart attack risk begins to drop. Lung function noticeably improves.

Within 1 to 9 months
Smoking related sinus congestion, fatigue or shortness of breath decreases Cilia has regrown in trachea (windpipe), increasing the ability to sweep dirt and mucus out of lungs. Body's overall energy has increased.

Within 1 year
Excess risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke drop to less than half that of a smoker.

Within 5 to 15 years
Risk of stroke declines to that of a non-smoker.

What happens to us physically, also happens to us spiritually.

"Even as we feel godly sorrow for our actions, when we choose to repent, we immediately invite the Savior into our lives" -Dale G. Renlund (italics added).

Book of Mormon Reading: Mosiah 10-12

Two thoughts from today's readings.

The first is, how do I want to know God?

Abinadi prophecies:

The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Do I want to know God through famine, pestilence, burdens, hails, winds, insects, destructions, great abominations, and iniquities?

Or, do I want to know Him by the intimations of the Holy Ghost, by recognizing His hand in my life in small and simple ways,  and by exercising faith on His name?

* * *

My second thought is about repentance.

In reading these words Abinadi teaches to the wicked Nephites, he says:

I say unto you, wo be unto you for perverting the ways of the Lord! For if ye understand these things ye have not taught them; therefore, ye have perverted the ways of the Lord.

I noticed the word pervert.

Pervert means to "turn from truth" whereas repentance means to "turn back toward God." 

Thus, in a real sense, pervert and repentance are opposites because perverting the ways of the Lord takes me away from God and repenting turns me back towards Him.

This week, my missionary son serving in Bolivia sent this thought to me:

This week I read in Helaman about Samuel the Lamanite (Sam the Lam haha) and in his three or four chapters he mentions repentance 26 times. I'm learning that I need to do a better job at crying repentance. And that doesn't mean they have to be doing something bad or wrong, but to change.

Along these same lines Neil L. Andersen taught:

The invitation to repent is rarely a voice of chastisement but rather a loving appeal to turn around and to “re-turn” toward God. It is the beckoning of a loving Father and His Only Begotten Son to be more than we are, to reach up to a higher way of life, to change, and to feel the happiness of keeping the commandments. Being disciples of Christ, we rejoice in the blessing of repenting and the joy of being forgiven. They become part of us, shaping the way we think and feel.

I have had numerous occasions (more than I care to share) where the voice of His chastisement has been a loving appeal for me to turn around and return to Him. I'm grateful for the joyfilled news of repentance.

Garbage Days

Mondays are our designated garbage days.

For the record, taking out the garbage is THE LEAST favorite chore in our house. My children murmur without hesitation when it is their turn to empty and line garbages and take the cans out to the street. . . Which, I don't quite know why. Garbage duty is less time consuming than doing dishes, much more pleasant than cleaning toilets, and is so much easier than making PB&J sandwiches.

And today is Monday.

And it snowed last night.

Being it the 2nd day of the New Year and "technically" considered a holiday in some parts, I didn't know if today the garbage truck was coming around this morning. But, by 9:00 a.m. I decided it would be a good idea to place the garbage and recycling cans at the curb just in case . . . because all four of them were plumb full.

After shoveling snow in order to get the cans to the curb, I realized that I hadn't checked any of the trash cans in the house. And suddenly, those murmuring words that I often always hear my children gargle when it's their turn for garbage duty entered into my mind: "I don't really want to go around and gather garbages and then go outside again and brave the cold! If I wait long enough then I can get someone else to do the dirty garbage work! Why do I always get stuck with garbage on cold, snowy days?" The excuses went on and on . . .

Oh, the thoughts make reason stare!

And because I really don't like reason staring me in the face, I decided I would go around the house and empty trash cans whether I wanted to or not! As I did, the number of garbage bags increased with every room I entered. And as the garbage kept accumulating, I began my pondering on the importance of daily repentance and the cleansing power of partaking weekly of the sacrament.

Can't I see that waiting to take out the trash even later today only means I hold on to it for another week?

Why is allowing last year's garbage (sins) to linger just one more day in my house acceptable?

When it comes right down to it, the only person who can take out my garbage is ME!

I ended up with five--FIVE--big bags of garbage to add to the already full cans at the curb.

Oh, how grateful I am for the blessings of the sacrament of being able to remit sin, to clean my soul, and to realign myself with God on a regular and weekly basis.

And today, I was profoundly reminded that, if done correctly, my personal, designated, put out-my- spiritual-trash-canon-the-curb-days is on Sunday, when I partake of the sacrament.

What Molting Has Taught Me

I have been studying THIS TALK from General Conference. And here is what I am learning.

Molting is like like repentance. It doesn’t happen just once in a lifetime, it happens over and over and over again. Most living creatures go through a molting/shedding process that not only allows new skin to replace old skin, it allows the new skin to develop with the growing, changing body.

The word molt is derived from the Latin word “mutuare” which means to “to be shed” or “to change.”

For example, dogs shed their fur twice a year. Spring to get rid of their thick, winter coat; fall to get ready for the thick, winter fur to come back in.

Birds molt. Some birds, such as ducks, swans, and pelicans, molt ALL their feathers at the same time and remain vulnerable for a two week period and cannot fly during this time. Other birds partially molt. Their feathers are gradually lost and replaced. For some breeds, this molting process takes several years. Molting keeps birds in their top flying condition.

Reptiles shed. Snakes shed their skin in one piece, while lizards shed their skin in patches. Depending on age and rate of growth, shedding takes place on a regular basis and is usually facilitated as a reptile rubs against hard twigs or stones.

Arthropods (crabs, lobsters, krill, arachnids) grow an exoskeleton and regularly molt when the body has outgrown the outer shell. Arachnids regularly grow and their molting period is usually accompanied by long periods of fasts and reclusiveness. In arthropods, the new exoskeleton is soft and begins to harden after the molting has taken place. A butterfly’s cocoon is a form of molt.

Amphibians shed regularly. Some shed every three months (once a season) and the process takes a day. Most amphibians eat their skin after it has been shed.

Humans shed. We shed dead skin everyday – over a million skin cells every 24 hours! The process of getting a new layer of skin takes about a month. The skin we have right now is not the same skin we had a 30 days ago!

I find it interesting that it is natural for the bodies of living creatures to change. Almost without us doing anything, our bodies find ways to become new: new skin, new hair, new fingernails. We do virtually nothing to facilitate these changes. They are a natural and phenomenal part of being alive.

Repentance is a process just like molting. Elder Vinas reminds me that, “It is important that we realize that just like the remission of sins, repentance is a process and not something that happens at one particular moment. It requires consistency in each of its steps (italics added).”

Much like molting, there is a process that happens before new skin is made and old skin is replaced. Yet, unlike the natural occurrence of shedding or molting, repentance needs to be sought after, continued, and regularly (daily) applied. Elder Vinas teaches, “The moment we begin to remember Him and keep His commandments every day—and not just on the Sabbath day—is when the remission of our sins begins to gradually take effect and His promise of having His Spirit with us begins to be fulfilled.”

I think about the birds that molt all their feathers as once and have to stop flying for a short period of time. Sometimes, that is what is required of me when I have had to go through certain periods of repentance. I have been blessed that stronger, feathered birds have protected me during these vulnerable times so that I had enough time to grow back my wings to fly.

I also think about the shedding of snakes and lizards. Sometimes repentance cannot be complete until I face and acknowledge issues that are very hard and very difficult. Shedding myself of practices or attitudes that have caused hurt to others or habits that have been long embedded into my soul can only be brought out and sloughed off with the help of others as they pull me and push me through the necessary rough terrains, leaving me to feel bruised and broken for a while.

Much like arthropods, repentance makes way for the development of a new structure on which I can build. Periods of fasting and finding quiet places of solitude to ponder and receive divine guidance assists me in the process. Eventually, the correct process of repentance transforms me, and I enjoy flying more than I enjoy hanging around. Repentance makes me more at home as a butterfly than wrapped up in a cocoon.

Then there are those amphibians - eating their skin. Sometimes, repentance requires that I swallow my pride. All of it. In one big gulp.

I am learning, ever learning, that the replacement of my spiritual skin (repentance), gives an opportunity for me to have moments when I can see God reflected in my countenance. Repentance gives me the desire for His Spirit to influence more of my spirit more often than it does. Repentance gives me more hope in His goodness, in His grace, and in His holiness.

I may not be able to change the world, but through repentance and faith on the Lord, I can certainly change myself. I can become a very good molter!



Check out these cool websites about molting and shedding:
National Geographic
Skin
Reptile Skin Shedding
About Birds
Insects
Molting-Birds

Ah, the Smart Phone!

Today three of my high school boys had a basketball conditioning practice dealio after school. I still had some errands to do, so I took the remainder of my tribe to Costco for gasoline AND to score on the free samples.

Just as I was at the checkout (cashing out our week's savings on necessities of chocolate chips, brownie mix and almonds), my phone started ringing. I didn't recognize the number that called (twice!) so I sent it to voice mail with a text message . . .

Here's the entire text conversation:

Me: I can't talk now, but I can text :)

Me: I can't talk now, but I can text :)

Texter: Who is this?

Me: Didn't you call me?

Texter: Nope

Me: Did you call for an inspection? Leave a VM?

I schedule home inspections for my husband and had noticed a voice mail had been left after the call was made.  I checked my recent calls. I hadn't called the number - the number had called me!  I was dumbfounded!

Texter: Sons

Ah, that's when I realized that my boys were texting me from someone else's phone to let me know they were finished with their practice. And then this expressive text came  -

Texter: I think your sins might have called you

Wow! Major smartphone typo, and yet a lesson in disguise. I responded

Me: You are right . . .My sins are always calling me to repentance :) thx!

Texter: Yeah, . . . they just finished conditioning. Your welcome :) (sic)

I don't think my sons' friend even knew the lesson his smart phone taught me

Conference Pondering Quotes

How quickly General Conference comes and then goes . . .  I have a lot to apply, a lot to implement, a TON of repenting to do!!

I'm looking forward for the written word so I can mark, study, ponder, and apply and then and mark, study, ponder and apply some more!

Below are just a handful of pondering quotes because, with a houseful of nine children ages 2-16, things weren't exactly all that reverent and quiet in our home.

But, this year I surprisingly didn't have to turn on the Closed Captioning . . . :)

"The permissiveness afforded by the weakening of laws of the land to tolerate and legalize acts of immorality does not reduce the serious spiritual consequence that is the result of the violation of God's Law of Chastity.

-Boyd K. Packer

"The power of the Priesthood can bless, vitalize and revitalize our lives!"

- M. Russell Ballard

"Stay on the Lord's side and you will win every time!"

-Richard G. Scott

"Proper use of the ability to create life are vital elements in the Father's Plan.  How we feel about and use that Supernal Power will determine in large measure our happiness in mortality and our destiny in eternity."

-Elder David A. Bednar

"Marriage is a gift from God to us; The quality of our marriages is a gift of us to Him."

-Elder Whitney L. Clayton

"What words would you write to your children if you have 25 words or less?"

-Sister Rosemary M. Wixom

Family Home Evening - Repentance

Tonight we took our lesson from HERE.

To begin, we assessed understanding and had a great family discussion by asking these two questions:
1. What is sin?
2. What is repentance?

Then we divided our family into three groups.  Each group was given a piece of paper and a pen.  On one side of the paper they were to write: Sin is like and on the other side they were to write Repemtance is like.

These six objects were placed on a table so each member of the family could see them.  We were instructed to discuss in our groups what item would be placed under which list and why.  The objects were:
1. Soap
2. A pair of scissors
3. A bottle of oil
4. A lighter
5. Ice
6. Neosporine

After group discussion we shared what we learned as a family.  WOW!  I was impressed with some of the things my children came up with.  And what we found was that most of those items could represent either sin or repentance.

In the end we were able to testify of the purifying power of the Atonement that allows each of us to repent from sin and be cleaned.

New Year's Adam

I've been thinking about Adam and Eve.

Because if tomorrow's New Year's Eve, tonight is New Year's Adam . . .

But seriously folks, I really have been thinking about Adam and Eve

And their relationship.

One of the things I have pondered is Adam's willingness to eat of the fruit only after knowing Eve had partaken of it.

He didn't have to eat it.

He could have easily said, "Eve, how much I loved you and how much you've disappointed me! I didn't come into this covenant marriage to marry myself a sinner. But it looks like I have!! And frankly, honey, I can't go on like this with you blatantly disobeying and breaking Father's commandments. You know, the important one where we couldn't eat from the fruit of that tree. So, Eve, you go on your merry little way, off into the wild blue yonder where I hear it is terrible and lonely, and I'll stay put. Right here. Right here in this beautiful garden where sinners aren't permitted."

But that is not what Adam did.

And I don't believe it was even close to what he thought, either.

For because of the covenant marriage he and Eve shared, that Adam chose to partake of the fruit to accompany his wife into that wild blue yonder we affectionately call mortality.

And while I am not saying that every husband or wife should stick with their spouse under every, single circumstance of disobedience, I'm under the strong impression that Adam and Eve serve as an example of how a husband and wife can successfully and happily work things out in a covenant marriage.

Together.

In this wild blue yonder we affectionately call mortality.

Laundry 101

I do a LOT of laundry!!

Five, six, seven loads on most days.

Except Sundays, of course, when I rest from all my labors (including laundry). But believe me, I pay for it BIG TIME come Monday morning.

So, as you can imagine, I do my fair share of thinking about laundry while sorting, soaking, washing, drying, sorting, folding and putting away . . .

And even MUCH more time thinking about laundry when I have to match socks (times eleven) and, without fail, always come up matchless in the end.

Of all the batches I wash, The Whites are the ones on which I spend the most time.

There's the careful sorting, of course.

And a spot wash here and there.

Then the soaking and scrubbing.

Then there is the cold rinse/wash followed by the hot wash, which is occasionally enriched with a bleaching process.

And that doesn't include the time I spend ironing.

So after all these years of laundry, laundry, laundry, last week I got to thinking about laundry on a bigger scale.

Like the eternal picture of laundry.

And I have decided that I am part of God's Big White Laundry Project.

Because I'm not so white and clean and stain-free as He would like me to be.

And He would like me to be.

And I want to be. Because if I'm not, I don't get to live with Him someday.

And while I am slow to learn, I am beginning to figure out that the soaking and the scrubbing and the cold and hot washes and the whole bleaching process are not only very good things for me, they are vital for me in coming clean and pure before Him.

But there is one thing that surpasses all of my meager understanding.

It is the way (the only way) that I can become the clean.

Clean without spot.

For while a blood stain on white fabric is difficult or impossible to remove (although hydrogen peroxide does a great job), it is the very blood of the Son of God that cleanses me from all stain, from all blemish, from all sin.

It is His blood that can make me, as Isaiah says, "white. as. snow." (Isaiah 1:18).

I don’t pretend to understand how God does His laundry. . .

But boy, am I grateful and indebted to be a part of it.

Sunday Morning Session of General Conference in Six Words

Conversion = Death of all things unrighteous


What six words describe what you learned during the Sunday morning session of General Conference??

Cleaning Closets

New Year’s Resolution #364 – Clean out every closet and every drawer in the house.

Ha.

Okay, double ha.

But today I did clean out the two (out of HOW MANY?) drawers!

They belonged to my five and six year olds.

And it really wasn’t that bad.

I ended up with a great, big Papa Bear pile of clothes for the thrift store.

A medium-sized Mama Bear pile of clothes for rags.

And a teeny, tiny Baby Bear pile of clothes to give away to cousins.

And when I finished, I stepped back and felt SO, DARN EXTREMELY GOOD about my two-drawer organizational ability.

Because when it comes to cleaning out closets and drawers, the one who cleans it is the one who’s most satisfied.

Which made me recognize that repentance is like cleaning closets.

Because only I know the mess that is inside of me.

Only I know what needs to be thrown out, changed, cleansed, replaced, purged.

And I am the only one that can choose when and how to clean myself out.

Not that the cleaning and organizing the inside of me is easy . . . or enjoyable.

But after I do the dirty deed and step back to look at my work, I can feel so darn extremely good knowing that – at least on this type of cleaning – through the infinite love and godly sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Savior, He was able to take my meager two-drawer organizational ability and make my closet clean again.

His type of clean.

The type of clean that is next to Him.

Until I realize that I’ve collected too much junk and need Him to help me clean out my closet - again.

His Image. My Countenances.

Today in Sacrament Meeting one of the speakers read excerpts from from Alma 5.

I call that chapter "The Personal Evaluation Chapter.” Because Alma asks important questions pertaining to my standing before God.

And when I evaluate myself honestly, it hurts enough to want to repent!

The first three questions Alma asks are:

1. Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? (In other words, for me, “Do you remember the sacrifices of the early Saints? Their persecutions? Their journey west?”)

2. Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance His mercy and long suffering towards them? (Are you learning enough and consistently about those early Saints, and even new members of the Church today who have been guided and protected and led by the Lord’s hand to HIs gospel?)

3. Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance that He has delivered my soul from hell? (Umm, I think that one is self explanatory).

But today, this question, “Have you received His image in your countenances?” made me think of this question more than just looking at myself in the mirror and taking an accounting if I have His image in my countenance.

Because, if I would have noticed before, the word countenances is NOT singular, it's plural.

Which got me to thinking that it is certainly A LOT easier for me to see His image in my countenance (singular) when I’m feeling high on the Spirit!

Like when I am in a testimony meeting at Girls’ Camp,

Or serving someone who is in need,

Or watching General Conference . . .

Ahh!  His image in my countenance.

But . . .

when I’m frustrated with disobedient children,

or impatient with the cashier because I’m #8 in line and I was supposed to be somewhere else 20 minutes ago,

or when my ideal circumstance has been crushed by the weight of adversity . . .

I’m pretty positive I cannot see (and neither can He) His image in my countenances (plural).

Eek!

Which means, essentially, I really haven’t experienced the MIGHTY change of heart necessary that would (or could) allow me to look up to God with a pure heart and clean hands.

Not with those countenances (plural), anyway.

Because a mighty change of heart engraves His image upon my countenances at ALL times, and in ALL things, and in ALL places.

And repentance is the key.

Because He does want to see His image in ALL of my countenances (plural).

Day 8: Jesus is . . .

Jesus Is The Door of the Sheep

(John 10:7, 9)

Often, this question comes up in our family: “Did Jesus need to baptized?”

One answer is NO! He did not need to be baptized for the remission of sins. He was perfect. The only perfect man to every walk the earth. He did not need to be washed clean.

However, the other answer is YES! He did “need to be baptized by water to fulfill all righteousness” (1 Nephi 21:5). Although He was perfectly obedient to all of His Father’s commandments, He needed to fulfill all the commandments given to man in order to receive the fullness of His Father’s glory.

600 years before the birth of Jesus, Nephi taught his people to, “Do the thing which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and Redeemer should do,” even baptism by immersion, repentance and standing as His witness. “That ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water” (1 Nephi 31:18).

When Christ was on the earth, He taught the Jews: “I am the door of the sheep.” He said “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

The door – or gate – by which we enter His kingdom – is that of baptism into His Church. It is the way that leads us to truth and to life.

What I remember of my baptism day was that it my 8th birthday!! It was one of the birthdays I remember the most.

I remember the warm water.

I remember my father baptizing me.

And I remember pretentiously thinking that I would never, ever do anything bad from that moment forward.

Ha.

Double ha.

Because I’m pretty sure I hit one (or both) of my sisters just a few moments after leaving the baptismal services.

Which meant my clean-ness, my wholeness, my purity didn’t last for very long at all!

And I knew it.

And it hurt because I knew I couldn’t go back a few moments and erase what I had done because I had already done it!

My first day of being eight and I already had one - okay TWO - marks against me . . .

But over the years my hurts have turned to gratitude to know that through theb ordinance of baptism, coupled with faith and repentance, He will always be The Door and I will always be His sheep.

Day 6: Jesus is . . .

Jesus is My Example of Holiness

Moses 6:57

In ancient times the cry “Unclean!”

Would warn of lepers near.

“Unclean! Unclean!” the words rang out;
Then all drew back in fear,
Lest by the touch of lepers’ hands
They, too, would lepers be.
There was no cure in ancient times,
Just hopeless agony.
No soap, no balm, no medicine
Could stay disease or pain.
There was no salve, no cleansing bath,
To make them well again.
But there was One, the record shows,
Whose touch could make them pure;
Could ease their awful suffering,
Their rotting flesh restore.
His coming long had been foretold.
Signs would precede His birth.
A Son of God to woman born,
With power to cleanse the earth.
The day He made ten lepers whole,
The day He made them clean,
Well symbolized His ministry
And what His life would mean.
However great that miracle,
This was not why He came.
He came to rescue every soul
From death, from sin, from shame.
For greater miracles, He said,
His servants yet would do,
To rescue every living soul,
Not just heal up the few.
Though we’re redeemed from mortal death,
We still can’t enter in
Unless we’re clean, cleansed every whit,
From every mortal sin.
What must be done to make us clean
We cannot do alone.
The law, to be a law, requires
A pure one must atone.
He taught that justice will be stayed
Till mercy’s claim be heard
If we repent and are baptized
And live by every word. …
If we could only understand
All we have heard and seen,
We’d know there is no greater gift
Than those two words—“Washed clean!”

-Boyd K. Packer

 

Sunday Thoughts

I remember long ago, before I had children, having a conversation with a co-worker. He came from a large family, with all of his siblings very close together. He related a story that once, during the times of such close pregnancies, his mother wondered aloud to a friend, “Why right NOW? Why do I have to be pregnant RIGHT NOW?” The response this mother received was taken with great surprise:

“This pregnancy is not about you. It’s the Lord who needs this child to be on earth NOW. Maybe the now-time for his mission will be shortly after his arrival, but maybe it will be 19 years down the line when the Lord needs your son to be in the right place at the right time to do something that only he can do in the place the Lord has appointed!”

Little did I know then that I would have 8+ children of my own and that conversation would repeat many times in my heart as a sweet reminder of Whose these spirits are.

* * *

Throughout my life I have wondered “Why am I where I am right now?”

Today that question floated through my mind as we listened to a young man in our ward who will leave Wednesday for the MTC on a full-time mission. I supposed that thought passed my mind as I realized that today marks year one of being in our “new” ward. And in these past twelve months my boys have been able to witness five missionaries leaving for full-time missions and one who returned home.

So this morning I thought that maybe I am where I am right now because my boys need to see and feel the power of worthy young men prepared and leaving on full-time missions for the Lord!

* * *

When I went to church today I had just place a brand-spanking new eraser into my mechanical pencil.

Which only needed to be replaced 6 months ago. . .But since 95% of my pencil is used for scripture marking, the eraser does go a long ways.

But I was still so elated to take to Church a new eraser attached to my old, mechanical pencil!

Well, I let me seven year old use the pencil during Sacrament Meeting. And every now and then I glanced down to see him drawing quite the intricate picture with mountains that were shadowed and trees with many leaves and a sun with very thick rays.

Near the end of the meeting I peered over his shoulder to see what had become of his picture and saw that he now had a clean, white sheet of paper.

Except, upon second glance, it wasn’t a new piece of paper. . .

No, it was his mountain/tree/sun with many rays picture that now had been meticulously erased WITH MY NEW ERASER. . . which, no longer looked new at all!

My eyes began to bulge and I was just beginning to feel some intense surges of provocation when there was a thought placed ever so tenderly and softly in my mind that said something like this, “Ahem, isn’t that what an eraser is for? That is why I came to earth.  I came to die for you you so that you could become as clean as that paper.  My Atonement is your eraser.  It is I who makes you clean."

And humility filled me as all the pencils that we have in our home flashed before my eyes and I realized that none of them have any eraser left on them!

Because in our house the eraser is the part of the pencil that goes first. And usually, when I find pencils without erasers, I throw away those darn pencils away because what good are they without erasers, anyway??

But today I figured it out.  Without Jesus Christ I would have been thrown out a long, long time ago.

Christ is my Eraser.

Five Thoughts About This Week

1. Wasn’t the Chilean Miners’ Rescue incredible? I was in the right place at the right time to watch the rescue of the first miner and the last miner. I was moved with emotion in part by the miraculous circumstances around the rescue and also the determination and bravery of the rescuers.

When I was the age of my children I remember being told that when the Savior comes again the WHOLE world would know of His coming. My little, finite brain could not wrap understanding around that. How? In those days there was TV, but no satellite, no Google earth, no cell phones, no Internet. How could the whole world know? As I watched the proceedings of the miners’ rescue, I wondered, “Will the Lord allow man-made technology to be a part of the glory of His Second Coming? Is that a way in which the whole world will know that He is here? Or will He use His means, His power - in a way that I cannot comprehend but know is possible - to testify to the world that He is again on earth?”

2. I have contemplated much about the controversy the world has placed on President Packer’s General Conference talk. I found myself grateful to know that God does call prophets, seers and revelators on the earth today.

Anciently, servants of God have been hated, despised, ridiculed for preaching to the people of God’s law and the way to follow His law. Many prophets were stoned to death because they would not, could not take back the word of God. As I thought about the hateful rhetoric being violently cast at President Packer and ultimately the Church, what really is happening is a latter-day stoning! And instead of thinking “Shame! Shame on those people!” I look inwardly and ask myself, “What manner of a woman will I be? Will I obedient and faithful enough to be the one who'd rather be stoned than the one who casts the stones?”

3. Yesterday morning I checked out the book Driven. It is the autobiography of Larry H. Miller, known for his 42 Toyota dealerships and being the owner of the Utah Jazz. I finished the book last night. Because I couldn’t put it down. I was intrigued by his story and moved by his the things he learned from his experiences. Several things caught my attention. One was a statement made by his wife, Gail. She said of her husband, “Let me say right at the outset that, to me, Larry was not such an extraordinary person – at least, not in the beginning.”

Isn’t that what marriage and parenthood try to teach us? That somewhere, in our progression, in our learning, in our experiences with the afflictions and stresses of life, that in that somewhere we discover in those we love, the extraordinary-ness of who they really are. I believe that is one of the eternal characteristics of God – He is able to see the extraordinary in us. It is up to us to discover it. And we can do it with His help!

4. Our water heater bit the dust this week. Yup.  Leaking water all over the place. So for a few hours I was left with just cold water. But when I felt the tiniest urge to complain, I reflected on how grateful early settlers were to have a water pump outside of their homes . . . and then the day the pump came inside! They were happy to have water just to boil on that pot belly stove for cooking and laundry and bathing . . . ! Of all the modernizations over the decades of American civilization, I think I am grateful for indoor plumbing the very most!!

5. Our seven year old had his tonsils removed yesterday. His was a scene scripted exactly by Bill Cosby's Tonsils!! Yes, my son was dancing around ALL week long, touting his weekend indulgence in ice cream, Jell-o and homemade slushies. Well, today was a completely different story. He didn’t even want to think about food – let alone the medicine that he had to swallow. . .

Which makes me think about how painful repentance is. Because it is. It hurts. It hurts to take out that which is infecting or causing problems and it hurts to go through the process of healing! But in the end, if it is done correctly, everything is all better. Forever. Because of the Savior and His Atonement.

Boy, this week has been a great education for me!

Spiritual Heart Surgery

I’d like to think I have a Christ-like heart.

Pure.

Humble.

Without guile.

However, in reality, my heart is a sinner’s heart, and truly, it needs to purged more than every once in a while.

For because I am not always long-suffering.

Or diligent.

Or forgiving.

Or kind-hearted.

Which I why I am so grateful the Atonement extends long and far enough to prod and filter and cleanse my heart from the sticky thickness of my wickedness.

So today, as I partook of the sacrament, listening carefully to the sacramental prayers being offered, I was pricked enough in my heart to be grateful for the spiritual surgery repentance has to offer.

The Wise Man, the Foolish Man and the Ten Virgins

Three times in the course of the resurrected Savior’s teachings while visiting the Nephites, he uses the story of the wise man and the foolish man. The Wise Man builds his house upon the rock. The Foolish Man builds his house upon the sand.

The first reference is found in 3 Nephi 11: 37-40, just the beginning of Christ’s teachings after his appearance near the temple in the land Bountiful.

37 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.


38 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of @#!*% shall not prevail against them.

40 And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of @#!*% stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.

The second reference is found in 3 Nephi 14: 24-27, a little later in his teachings at the same time.

24 Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a arock—


25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand—

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Think the Great and Spacious Building!)

The third reference is in 3 Nephi 18: 1-13. This takes place after he prays with the children and heals them and as He institutes the sacrament among the Nephites.

1 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded his Disciples that they should bring forth some bread and wine unto him.


2 And while they were gone for bread and wine, he commanded the multitude that they should sit themselves down upon the earth.

3 And when the Disciples had come with abread and wine, he took of the bread and brake and blessed it; and he gave unto the Disciples and commanded that they should eat.

4 And when they had eaten and were filled, he commanded that they should give unto the multitude.

5 And when the multitude had eaten and were filled, he said unto the Disciples: Behold there shall one be ordained among you, and to him will I give power that he shall break bread and bless it and give it unto the people of my church, unto all those who shall believe and be baptized in my name.

6 And this shall ye always observe to ado, even as I have done, even as I have broken bread and blessed it and given it unto you.

7 And this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.

8 And it came to pass that when he said these words, he commanded his Disciples that they should take of the wine of the cup and drink of it, and that they should also give unto the multitude that they might drink of it.

9 And it came to pass that they did so, and did drink of it and were filled; and they gave unto the multitude, and they did drink, and they were filled.

10 And when the Disciples had done this, Jesus said unto them: Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done, for this is fulfilling my commandments, and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you.

11 And this shall ye always do to those who repent and are baptized in my name; and ye shall do it in remembrance of my blood, which I have shed for you, that ye may witness unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.

12 And I give unto you a commandment that ye shall do these things. And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my arock.

13 But whoso among you shall do more or less than these are not built upon my rock, but are built upon a sandy foundation; and when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall fall, and the cgates of @#!*% are ready open to receive them.

So here’s the list I made of things that I found in regard to thees three references:

Building Upon the Rock = Wise Men (you could also think Wise Virgins)
Becomes as a little child
Is baptized
Repents
Hears and Does the sayings of Christ
Remembers Christ
Is a witness of Christ
Keeps the commandments
Has the Lord’s Spirit with him/her

Building Upon the Sand = Foolish Men (you could also think Foolish Virgins)
Embraces the Natural Man
Is not baptized
Does not repent
Hears but DOES NOT the sayings of Christ
Forgets God
Denies God’s power
Keeps not the commandments
Does not have the Lord’s Spirit with him/her

I am amazed at how the commitments to follow Christ increases. Thus, following the steps of the Wise Man brings strength and surety, while following the steps of the Foolish Man brings weakness and pacification.

Notice in the first reference. The Savior first teaches the necessity for us to become like a child. It is a reminder of the teachings of King Benjamin wherein he taught that the natural man is an enemy to God and can only overcome that by becoming childlike to the Father.

The Savior then teaches the first principles (faith and repentance) and first ordinance (baptism)of the gospel. For this is the way - the gate - the first steps back to Him and His Father’s kingdom.

The second allusion to the wise man/foolish man is when the Savior compares those who “Hear and Do: to those who “Hear and Do Not.” No more is He speaking to those outside the covenant people. He is speaking to me! I’ve been baptized. I’ve been confirmed. I’ve made baptismal covenants. I know April and October are the months for General Conference. I know when Church starts on Sunday. I know who the prophet is. Do I hear and do? (wise virgin) Or do I hear and do not (foolish virgin)?

Finally, the third reference to the story of the rock and sand is given when the Savior is instituting the Sacrament among the Nephites. Here he solidifies his previous teachings with the saving ordinance of the Sacrament. For because, having His Spirit to be with us is K-E-Y if we want to make it through this life being a wise man/wise virgin.

So the connection I made, of course, is with the parable of the Ten Virgins. And how one, who HAS rightfully acquired the necessary supplies as listed above, cannot give oil in reserve to one who HAS NOT acquired them for whatever reason.

That oil - that rock foundation - that ability to make, keep and live daily our sacred covenants comes slowly but surely as we build up and follow the words of the Savior.

Weapons of Rebellion

One of the covenant people mentioned in the Book of Mormon were the people of Ammon a.k.a. the Anti-Nephi-Lehies a.k.a. Lamanites.

Once they believed in the word of God, “and were converted unto the Lord, [they] Never. Did. Fall. Away.”

And in their covenanting, “they did lay down the weapons of rebellion.”

Up until the other night, I thought their laying down their weapons was because of the covenant they had made NOT to fight anymore.

But not to fight was only secondary to their allegiance and obedience to God and His word.

Alma 23:7 reads: “For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of rebellion, that they did not fight against God anymore, neither against any of their brethren.”

Fighting against God = wielding weapons of rebellion

Weapons can be gossip, jealousy, murmuring, laziness, sin, pride, immodesty, fear, unfaithfulness, ingratitude, lust.

Once those weapons are laid down – buried - put off, like the natural man - I become a righteous daughter of God.

Then "more used will I be" in fighting for His cause.

President Gordon B. Hinckley declared (ooh, how I love this):
"The war goes on. It is waged across the world over the issues of agency and compulsion. It is waged by an army of missionaries over the issues of truth and error. It is waged in our own lives, day in and day out, in our homes, in our work, in our school associations; it is waged over questions of love and respect, of loyalty and fidelity, of obedience and integrity. We are all involved in it—child, youth, or adult, each of us. We are winning, and the future never looked brighter.

"May our God bless us in the work that is so clearly laid out before us. May we be faithful. May we be valiant. May we have the courage to be true to the trust God has placed in each of us. May we be unafraid. “For [to quote the words of Paul to Timothy] God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord” (2 Timothy 1:7–8).