I'm doing something a little different for my personal scripture study. I am going by topic rather than reading straight through a book of scripture. It is exactly what I need! I found this gem while reading about Rebekah and Isaac.
"...and she became his wife and he loved her..."
Genesis 25:67
I immediately thought of my sweet Jonathan after I read this verse. It only took a few weeks of dating for him to know he loved me, while I on the other hand, took much longer to realize that I really did love him. Thankfully, he patiently gave me the time I needed. Our story is not one of love at first sight. Our love is much deeper. Our love is deliberate.
Since today is Good Friday, I would like to share portions of The Living Christ. It is the written testimony of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the
Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father,
He was the creator of the earth. 'All things were made by
him; and without him was not any thing made that was
made' (John 1:3)."
"Though sinless, He was baptized to
fulfill all righteousness. He 'went about doing good' (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a
message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow
His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing
the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He
taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal
existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential
for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come."
"He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great
atoning sacrifice. He was arrested and condemned on
spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced
to die on Calvary’s cross. He gave His life to atone for the
sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in
behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth."
"We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all
human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded
on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only
Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world."
"He rose from the grave to 'become the firstfruits of them
that slept' (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Risen Lord, He visited
among those He had loved in life. He also ministered
among His 'other sheep' (John 10:16) in ancient America."
"In the modern world, He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, ushering in the long-promised 'dispensation of the fulness of times' (Ephesians 1:10)."
"Of the Living Christ, the Prophet Joseph wrote: 'His
eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white
like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the
brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the
rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying: "I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am
he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father" ' (D&C 110:3–4).
Of Him the Prophet also declared: 'And now, after the
many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the
testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and
we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only
Begotten of the Father— That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds
are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are
begotten sons and daughters unto God' (D&C 76:22–24)."
"We testify that He will someday return to earth. 'And
the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall
see it together' (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of
Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall
bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before
Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according
to our works and the desires of our hearts."
I know that Christ was with our Heavenly Father before the earth was created. He was born of Mary. He suffered in the garden of Gethsemane for my sins and weaknesses as well as yours. He allowed himself to be killed. He died. Three days later, He rose from the tomb. He truly lives! He loves each and everyone of us. That is why He did all that was required of Him. He wants us to be happy and He knows that true and lasting happiness comes from following God's plan.
I am grateful for the scriptures. It's such a blessing to have them. There are so many stories of faithful men and women facing challenges and through the Lord make it. There is a power that is in this book that can help us grow and better understand God and ourselves. One of my all time favorite scriptures is Leviticus 3:12-13. After listing all of the temporal blessings for keeping the commandments it says
"And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yolk, and made you go upright."
I know that this is true. If we keep the commandments, we can have a strong relationship with our Heavenly Father. He can lighten the yolks we carry with us. Whether it's from braking the commandments or emotional or physical pain. He will always be there with us through these experiences. The scriptures help remind us of His perfect love for us. I am so grateful for this wonderful book and those that wrote it, protected it, and translated it.
Eleven years feels like a lifetime ago. I was an 11 year old in 6th grade and Jonathan was 18 starting at Sierra. So much has changed in those years. I remember the unity of this country in the aftermath. We were all unsure of what the future held and it made us cling to the things that are most important in life.
I sometimes wonder why those feelings have waned and have been replaced with increased contention. There seems to be a free pass to anyone who mocks and degrades things that most Americans feel is sacred. It's hard living in a country that I am regularly told what I believe and that I am a bigot.
I have been so blessed to be born into a country where I can practice whatever religion I choose, I can go to school every day and not worry about it being blown up by an extremist that believes women should not be educated. We all lived extremely comfortable lives compared to most of the world and yet we can't have calm and rational discussions on our disagreements. No, we have no choice but to run around calling each other horrible, awful names to get our point across.
When I started this post, I was planning on going in a different direction, but these are the words and feelings that came out. I have been feeling these things for about 4 years and it feels right that I share them today. These feelings will not go away over night, but I have hope that things will get better in this country. Everyone needs an added measure of patience and a lot less judgement. I trust that we can reunite like we did 11 years ago. I know that this can happen without another attack happening. I want to share a scripture from the Book of Mormon that one of my friends shared this morning on Facebook.
"Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.
"Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever..." Alma 26:35,37 The Book of Mormon
I am so grateful to know that our Heavenly Father lives and his greatest desire is for us to return to Him. I know that He loves each and everyone of us equally. I love this country and the men and women who are willing to sacrifice all to protect our freedoms.
Last month, my ward had an activity for the women to celebrate the Relief Society's 170th birthday. The Relief Society is the name of my church's woman's organization. It started out with only 20 members and has grown to more than 6 million women! I read this article about the Relief Society's birthday. Here's a few quotes that I really liked.
It is appropriate to celebrate "the glorious heritage of Relief Society, which has ties back to the ancient Church during the time of Jesus Christ," Sister Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president told the Church News. "This year marks 170 years since Relief Society was established in this dispensation. The sisters were given authority to preside over the unique work that would help build the kingdom of God and would make a significant contribution to the Lord's work of salvation. The purposes of Relief Society have remained constant through all time."
"We truly are a society of women — a great worldwide sisterhood — who know how to provide relief as our Savior defined it," she said. "We have always been loved and trusted by the Lord and His leaders. We testify that the Lord speaks directly to His daughters who seek for and qualify for personal revelation."
"Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve said, "Latter-day Saint women, strong in faith and testimony, have truly been given the 'errand of angels.' Every sister in this Church who has made covenants with the Lord has a divine mandate to help save souls, to lead the women of the world, to strengthen the homes of Zion and to build the kingdom of God" (Daughters in My Kingdom, p. 25).
Women have a unique role to play in God's plan. We can reach out to people in a way that is like nothing of this earth. It is such a blessing to know that Heavenly Father accomplishes so much good through His daughters. Women reach out and help one another more naturally and when they are organized, there is such a heavenly power there.
In my ward's Relief Society celebration, we had a lovely dinner and learned a little bit about each of the General Relief Society presidents. It was interesting to learn about them and the needs during the time of their presidency. During the 1930's and 40's, there was a focus on organizing the Church's own welfare program. In recent years, the focus has been on making Relief Society a place where women of all ages would feel at home and find a bond of trust, friendship, and support. (My ward does a really good job of that!)
After talking about the history of Relief Society, they brought our focus onto something that our Stake President has been encouraging us to do. He has invited us to read the scriptures and keep a scripture journal as we read. Then while you read, you have the opportunity to record any promptings from the spirit or maybe some different ways you can apply the scriptures in your own daily life. As a gift, they gave each of the women their own scripture journal. I was so thrilled! I wanted one of my own, but for whatever reason was procrastinating on getting one.
I decided to start reading the Book of Mormon again from the very beginning and record some factual things like who is in that chapter and where they are to personal applications. It is such a blessing to have the scriptures and I am glad that I now have the opportunity to get even more out of my personal study!
Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the more commercial aspects of holidays. Bunnies, colorful eggs, yummy chocolate, and baby bunnies and ducks... none of those things add up to what the real celebration of Easter is all about. It is about the final days of Jesus Christ before His death and resurrection.
Jesus gave us the Sacrament, so we would remember Him and be able to renew our covenants that we make at baptism.
Later that same night, He went to the garden of Gethsemane and suffered unimaginable pain as He took my sins and your sins. He did it because He knew there was no other way to return to our Heavenly Father. Because of the atonement, we all can be made clean through repentance.
After suffering for all of mankind, He was treated so badly, scoffed and scorned, and he never once complained. How often do we complain when we get cut off while driving or get upset when someone treats us poorly? Christ was treated like the scum of the earth and bore it,
I think we all can pull strength from His perfect example.
Jesus, the only perfect man to walk this earth, was condemned to death.
And He did not fight it.
He finished His mortal mission while hanging on the cross. His spirit was separated from His body,
but not for long.
His body was laid to rest in a tomb for three days.
His spirit was reunited with His body to never be separated again.
Christ is our master and savior. All He asks of us is to turn to Him and
strive to emulate His perfect example.
He was truly resurrected. His body was made perfect just like ours will be.
Christ truly lived and suffered unimaginable pains for
you and me. He died and rose on the third day,
forever defeating death.
It is only through His atonement and love that
we are able to return to our Father in Heaven.
Christ lives and loves each and everyone of us.
Take this time to come unto Christ and learn more about His work.
“He it was who died on the cross to atone for our sins. He became the firstfruits of the Resurrection.
Well, Jonathan and I started our spring break with some excitement. On Saturday (after the morning session of General Conference), I got a saying that someone tried to write a personal check to get a tattoo with my account. I quickly got ready and out the door to see my car was not where I had parked it. At first, I was really panicky, but was able to calm down and call Jonathan and then the police. Within a half hour a police officer came over and got all of my information and told me it would probably take a week to get my car back. It may or may not be able to run depending on how good the person was at hot wiring my car.
Throughout the entire rest of the day, I was stuck at home, but I was fine and calm about what was going on. I was never scared or angry; I mostly hoped that my car would come back to me in running condition. Jonathan was not happy about my car being stolen and was thinking he would need to come home to help me with the police write up and make sure I was okay. Thankfully, work got really busy with customers, so he was distracted from what was going on.
On Sunday (after the morning session of General Conference), I got a call from the CHP. My car had been found in Carmichael and there was an officer there waiting for us to come pick up our car. We quickly ran out the door and I called my mom to let her know the car was found and it turns out it was left in her Grandma and Grandpa Fisher's neighborhood. Weird!!! Well, my car was completely out of gas, the battery was dead, they apparently tried (and failed) to take my windshield (random), they tried (and again failed) to take my stereo, and they stole my spare tire and two hubcaps (I didn't even have nice ones). Let's not forget what they left: their toothbrush (disgusting!) and the scent of pot. I was very sad to see that they didn't steal my Book of Mormon, they could really use it. So, the weirdest part of all this is my car seems to run better than it did before it was stolen. Thanks whoever did this because it's almost like driving a different car.
I was so very grateful that things turned out the way they did. I have my car again and I was able to stay calm while it was gone. My mom and I both feel like I was able to stay calm was because I was focusing on things that are infinitely more important. I was actively watching and applying the lessons that were being taught during General Conference. I was hoping things would turn out well with my car, but I knew I couldn't do anything about it. There is a peace that comes when we choose to focus on things that are lasting whether it's turning off the TV to spend quality time with your family, working on eliminating a bad habit, or choosing to study uplifting things. We are blessed when we try to use our time more wisely.
A few days before my car was stolen, Jonathan did this for me.
I was mostly upset that this note and another note Jonathan wrote me was stolen when I realized my car was gone.
I am so excited for this weekend! The entire world has the opportunity to listen to living prophets speak to us. When I was little, I mostly liked it because I got to stay in pajamas and watch church on TV. Now that I'm older, I love hearing the various messages and seeing how they apply to me and my family. (Though, I still watch in my pajamas.) Most of the men and women that speak are significantly older than I am and because of that, they have so much more to share. They have seen so many fads and trends that they can look past that and share what is lasting and most important to the younger generation. I love their wisdom and that they are willing to share it with the whole world. They are men and women of God and they share what we need to hear, not necessarily what we want to hear.
A talk that had a big impact on me was given in April 2009 by Elder David Bednar. The title of it is "Honorably Hold a Name and Standing". The talk focuses in on the importance of the temple and the covenants that are made there. Now I didn't remember hearing this talk when it was given, but a little over a year later I was asked to give a lesson on the temple. At first I felt overwhelmed because I had not yet gone through the temple, so I didn't feel like I could teach about it. Thankfully, those feelings of doubt didn't hold me down. As I was preparing, I found this talk and it opened my understanding of the temple. The temple is more than a beautiful building that is dedicated to God. In the temple, worthy men and women make covenants with the Lord and because they are willing to do so, they are blessed with immeasurable strength. I still remember the feeling as I taught this. I knew that the words I was sharing were true. It penetrated my very soul. The Lord blesses His children with power to resist the adversary as they stay true to the covenants they make. After that lesson, I wanted to drive straight to the temple and knock on the temple President's door and ask him if he would open the temple so I could make those covenants. I knew that I would have wait, but thanks to Jonathan I only had to wait a few months.
The talks that are shared are filled with the spirit of God. These are things that the world needs to hear at this particular time. I am so grateful that we live in a time that there are living prophets on the earth to give us counsel and direction. I hope that you take some time and listen to the words of these men and women. They speak the truth and can't help but share it with the entire world.
Jonathan and I finished reading the Book of Mormon last night! It took a little over a year, but we did it. It was very interesting reading with Jonathan. We had a number of interesting discussions as we made our way through the book. I love the Book of Mormon. It may have been written thousands of years ago, but the teachings can be applied to our day. I love the plain and simple truths that it contains and that it is another testament of Jesus Christ. If you want to know more about the Book of Mormon click here.
Jonathan and I are going to start reading the New Testament tonight. I'm really excited about it!
For the past few days, I have been in a funk. I get into these weird moods every so often and I struggle with them for a few days. The fastest and easiest way to get out of them is to go to the temple. When I am there, I feel like the weight of the world is removed and my thoughts are raised to a higher, heavenly level. It reminds me of Isaiah 55:8-9 (thank you 4 years of seminary for helping remember this wonderful scripture)
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
The temple provides clarity for what is truly important. When I have my priorities straight everything else falls into place. While I was pondering about various things going on in my life today, I started to realize that I was asking the wrong question to a problem of mine. It was wrong because the answer wouldn't have helped me grow and develop. It would merely bring me peace today. I thought for a few minutes about what would the right question would be. It was so much better because I instead focused on my own weaknesses and sought to help improve them into strengths. In my heart, I still want that first question to be answered right now, but I know that with patience I will be better for waiting.
This is my second home.
I also took a peek into the room where Jonathan and I were sealed before I left. As I was standing in the door way, I could feel the spirit of the Lord pour over me. It was an amazing moment. I know that the temple truly is the house of the Lord and that He is there. I am so grateful that I live so close to the temple. It is one of the biggest blessings in my life.
Here's a video that explains more about our temples and shows the interior of them. They are incredibly beautiful and yes, they are always that clean.
I love Sunday. I get to go to church and learn and teach and sing for 3 hours. Today was a special day because the children presented their Primary Program. They work all year long and this year was about the importance of the scriptures. It was so wonderful to listen to the songs and lessons we can learn from the scriptures. Not only do we learn about Christ and prophets, but we can learn to be better people. We can read the stories and see how we can follow the good examples there. I am so grateful that I was raised in a home that read the scriptures. This didn't happen by accident either. Both of my parents were raised in homes that read the scriptures. When Jonathan and I have children, they will know the scriptures. I don't know what kind of person I would be if I didn't have the scriptures in my life. However, I do know that I wouldn't have the same perspective and subsequently the same goals. I feel like I can handle whatever challenges will come my way because I know that our Heavenly Father will help me. That help can come in various ways, but it will come.
I am grateful for the Book of Mormon. It is a book of scripture and works with the Bible to teach us about Jesus Christ's mission. It is a book that the spirit flows out of the words. You can learn so much about the purpose of our lives here on the earth. It gives me direction and strength to do what I know is right in spite of all the opposition around me. It's helping bring me closer to Jonathan as we read it. We each share our different insights about what we have read. I love this book and the people that sacrificed so much so that I can read it. We live in a marvelous time. When the Book of Mormon was first printed, there were only 5,000 copies in one language, English. Now the book is available in 107 languages and over 3 million copies are printed each year. I also now have the scriptures on my phone. I am never without them and that is such a wonderful blessing. I added a video about one man's experience with the Book of Mormon and how it has changed his life.
Today I am so grateful for Institute. (If you want to know more click here.) It is such a wonderful place that I can learn more about the gospel and have my own insights on what I need to be doing. It also has some wonderful memories with friends. It's also where Jonathan proposed. (Was that really a year ago?)
Todays class was in the Old Testament. (I LOVE the Old Testament!) We were talking about how sometimes we, like the children of Israel, take the long route. It didn't need to take them 40 years to get to the promised land, but it did because of the choices they made. It got me thinking about my life and when I've taken an extra long route. There is one that comes to mind for me especially. I am grateful for that experience. It has made me aware of all the blessings I put on hold for myself. It is also helping me to trust in the Lord's timing. There are things that I want right now, but I know that things will work out better if I relax and have faith.
I am so grateful for the blessings that come from attending Institute!
