tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19430204879128443222024-03-14T01:00:10.164-04:00"In My Days"(A Scripture Journey)
A daily blog as I liken God's Word to my everyday life. I enjoy nature, family, and music and pull many of my analogies from these life perspectives. If you love the scriptures and love to write about what you learn I extend an invitation to you to join me.L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.comBlogger197125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-83752987234973498182015-09-09T11:37:00.000-04:002015-09-09T11:38:45.298-04:00Charity and the Apostles 1 Corinthians 11-16<div class="MsoNormal">
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1 Corinthians 11-16</div>
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In the past few months I have taken the challenge to read
and reread the words of our modern day Apostles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a few of the prized quotes I used some of my photos to
create image meme’s that help to share the deep emotion their words bring. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dufQyqtinjw/VfBIj6bh1MI/AAAAAAABxRk/2VcY2asjjzI/s1600/robdadmeme.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dufQyqtinjw/VfBIj6bh1MI/AAAAAAABxRk/2VcY2asjjzI/s640/robdadmeme.JPG" width="640" /></a>My quest began with the April 2015 General Conference
addresses. As I pondered the varied topics and realized that not one of these
men are assigned the topic of their talks but rather speak from their own
hearts, my love for these men began to grow. For the first time I saw them as
men whose lives have not been without tribulation but rather have
been given in service, sacrifice and as examples to the rest of us as how to
live in this dispensation of gospel time, ho<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">w to live midst the trial and difficulties we must all face. </span></div>
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The Apostle Paul who lived almost two thousand years ago said
it best, </div>
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Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”</div>
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These men have chosen to be followers of Christ. Their
actions, their service, their leadership of family, and their lives of
integrity reflect their high moral characters and the true desires of their
hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While many of the topics
of their talks are universally pertinent, a few could not be found in the
indexes of our sacred scripture. Topics such as social media or “The
Proclamation on the Family” are distinct to our social time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I read their words, my hope
returned and I saw that if they could learn to serve our Savior through all of
their trials then I could, in this time and place, do the same. While I revere
the testimony of the many ancient prophets and their words will forever ring
true, the words of the modern day prophets give needed direction for the choices we
face in our day and time. </div>
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When Paul spoke to the Corinthians, it was if he was
speaking at a General Conference. He spoke on the topics that were pertinent to
the church during his time. He spoke of the need to preserve marriage
(11:3-15), of the accepted length of a woman's hair, reverencing the sacrament ( 11:20-30), of Spiritual gifts
(12-14) and of the resurrection. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oRfOJpH1Tao/VfBInyxgQ_I/AAAAAAABxRs/s5kzy4gY2eo/s1600/motherlindaerinjacobmeme.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oRfOJpH1Tao/VfBInyxgQ_I/AAAAAAABxRs/s5kzy4gY2eo/s400/motherlindaerinjacobmeme.JPG" width="400" /></a>This past weekend we had the privilege of visiting our
daughter’s congregation where she, as the Sunday School Teacher, taught a
beautiful lesson. She grabbed the class’s attention by asking what topics of
discussion had been covered at the last General Conference of the church and comparing Paul's teachings in Corinthians to a General Conference. As
the class responded I pondered all of the topics I had studied. The list was
long and varied. </div>
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And I began to marvel at how the Lord in his infinite wisdom
has drawn on the diversity of the church to feed and reach those members who
seek his love. I thought if only the Prophet had spoken, we would have only
learned about temples and the priesthood. No doubt these are pertinent subjects
but how many more souls were lifted up by being able to hear about the Young
Adults, or integrity, or Elder Teixeira’s talk on<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> "</span>Seeking the Lord" amidst the myriads of social media
distractions. I am always amazed at how at least one or two talks seem to be directed at my life and serve to answer to the difficulties I am facing.<br />
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My daughter’s genuine smile is large and contagious. As she
led our class through the many lessons of Paul she kept reminding us of the
upcoming October conference and how once again we will have the privilege of
hearing wise words of our Apostles meant for our day. As she taught I felt her
joy for the gospel and I felt gratitude for the grace of God that we have such
a church which gives us not only instruction for our day, but opportunities for
growth and learning. </div>
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I truly felt God’s charity for me and my family. As I
enjoyed the lengthy class discussion on charity and the many other gifts of the
spirit, I found a renewal of my faith to seek charity within myself and share
it with others in my family and social circles. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_J66I2vo0q4/VfBJizXGh5I/AAAAAAABxR8/ulvMFMnagfc/s1600/IMG_8906meme.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_J66I2vo0q4/VfBJizXGh5I/AAAAAAABxR8/ulvMFMnagfc/s400/IMG_8906meme.JPG" width="265" /></a>Paul’s words on charity remind us that of all the gifts this
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It has to do with how charity changes both the giver and the
receiver. While the gift of tongues bridges cultural communication gaps, it cannot
change hearts the way charity can. And while some are given to wisdom and
others knowledge, miracles, or prophecy all of these call attention to the
bearer of the gift, but charity alone gives back what it receives and bonds the
giver to the receiver. Still, all gifts, like all parts of the body are needed.</div>
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I love to think about how charity brings us closer to God,
for we truly cannot have charity without having a relationship with God. We
need God’s love to help us suffer long, to be kind, especially in difficult
or negative relationships, to find contentment in our possessions and social
situations, to not puff ourselves up. Charity teaches us to be humble and to be
strong in the midst of provocation. It teaches us to think only good, even when
evil is present. We may recognize the evil, but we choose to think only good. </div>
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Charity rejoices in truth and through the power of he
atonement learns to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and
endure all things. </div>
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And that is when I realized that from the Apostles at
General Conference I found charity. Charity for my weakness for they have had
to live through their own. Charity for my lack of knowledge for I am still a
toddler in the gospel. Charity for my wisdom for I err in my judgment often.
Charity is the gift that the Lord Jesus Christ gives us when he instructs and nurtures
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Now as we begin to prepare for yet another conference of
topics that come from the heart of these chosen men of God, I will look for
answers to my prayers that these men will speak to our day yet again. And that
they will borrow from the wisdom of the ages and the experience of this day and
age and give me the guidance to help me follow them, even as they follow
Christ.</div>
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L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-73784418427305154242015-05-11T13:53:00.001-04:002015-05-11T16:33:15.442-04:00"Because I drew him out of the water" Exodus 1-2 Moses' mother Jochebed<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jochabed and Miriam send Moses Off </td></tr>
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Yesterday was mother's day. I was able to spend it with my Mother, in her 83rd year and feel grateful for the joy that she has given me. On Saturday, I drove her to the store, purchased seed and flowers and planted her a garden, and then helped her shop for food. Sunday I drove her to church and afterward we, with my husband enjoyed a delicious meal together. Afterward as we walked by the water's edge near her home together we felt peace and joy. <br />
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Through the years she has protected me from the world. She has fed, loved and instructed me, placed limits on me, given me opportunity to play and grow and learn, and all she has asked in return is my love and respect, plus some shared moments of time here and there. A little more time as she matures and her body slowly fails her. Time is my gift of love to her. Time is the greatest gift.<br />
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Is she perfect? No. Is she humble about her imperfections. Not really. Does she still have her wit and humor? Yes, delightfully so. Does she try to make my life better? Always. Has she always done the best that she knew how? Yes. Does the life she has lived teach me to live by faith? Most assuredly.<br />
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Motherhood gives us the gift of time. Time to learn, to grow, to mature, to become. It gives us the gift of living water that comes from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.<br />
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I am thinking now of Moses' mother. I have never really thought of her before. I knew what she did to save Moses, but when you put it all into perspective, it is really amazing what she did and why?<br />
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Of the house of Levi, Jochebed had migrated with Jacob's family to Egypt. She knew the pharaoh's decree to kill all of the male children, to destroy the Hebrew family. She knew of his fear that the Hebrews would grow so numerous that they would threaten the Egyptian culture. Still, She, Moses' mother, feared God more.<br />
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She feared God more than Egypt, more than the soldiers who would have surely killed her if she had been caught. She feared God and chose to help her son live. She chose faith over fear. She needed time to ensure his safety and time to listen to God's love as it taught her what to do, so:<br />
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<li>She saw that he was a goodly child</li>
<li>She hid him three months </li>
<li>She made an ark (a boat) of bulrushes </li>
<li>She coated it with slime and pitch</li>
<li>She put the child in it </li>
<li>She put the ark near the river's edge</li>
<li>She pushed it towards the Pharaoh's daughter who was bathing </li>
<li>She set her daughter Miriam to be near by</li>
<li>She had Miriam arrange for the Pharaoh's daughter to hire her for pay to nurse her own son. </li>
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With God's help, Jochebed devised a plan. With faith in God she knew that she would not be killing her son, nor allow others to do so. She employed her mother's love to conquer the fear that ruled the day. <br />
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Not only did she want to protect him from the world that would drown him in the river Nile, she also desired to carve out a place where Egypt and the world could see his worth and learn to revere his life, his family, his culture, and his God.<br />
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Jochebed both created life and crafted life. By faith she released him into the water and by faith she prayed him drawn out again. She defied the Egyptian laws, she defied the midwives orders, she defied the lack of compassion in a world gone mad, and she prayed in faith for guidance. She prayed in faith for hope in a plan that would save her son and her family. </div>
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What did she rely on? The rules of men? No. The rational of men that lived in fear? No. Jochebed relied on compassion. Compassion born of faith and inherent to women. Compassion for the gift of life and for a better way. Compassion that does not live by rules but rather by the hope for emotional security. </div>
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The Pharaoh's daughter was not alone when she discovered the ark in the bulrushes. She was with her handmaid's, who knew of the command of her father. And because her party was without the presence of men, she was empowered to choose compassion over obedience. Men might have been strict to the law, they might have denied her the right to exercise her compassion. Driven by compliance to the Pharaoh's edict, a man would have seen the child with different eyes. A mother's love is eternal.<br />
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The maids drew Moses from the water and Miriam, who watched nearby to both protect her brother and aid her mother's plan, came quickly to disclose that she knew of a Hebrew woman who had recently given birth, but was without child and could nurse the child. She had sent Miriam to guide the ark, to watch over. Another part of her plan to protect him, like she had protected him with pitch.<br />
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Why did she put pitch on Moses' ark? To protect him from the water that would cause the small boat to sink. The pitch kept the water out and Moses dry. What does this mean metaphorically? The pitch that Jochebed used to cover the ark that she would place her son in can be likened unto the love and faith that she was exhibiting in sending this child forth into the waters. She knew she could not keep him, for as he grew he would certainly be discovered, but she could protect him with her love, her faith, her good works, her songs and her craftsmanship, and then, once protected send him forth and rely on God's love to continue what she had begun. The pitch both protected him physically and spiritually. </div>
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And it worked. Her foundation of faith that God would protect her son worked to not only save his life but the lives of all of the Hebrews whom he delivered from captivity eighty years later. </div>
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The faith of a mother. What she will not do to stand between the evil that will destroy her child and the living water that will deliver him. How diligently she will pray and problem solve. So great was Jochebed's love that she would have, if needed given her own life.<br />
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For every day that she kept him alive was not her life in peril? For every day that his voice grew within him and he cooed in comfort and cried in hunger was not her life and the life of her family in peril? Yet she did this for three months. Each day praying for one more day before the day she must let him go. Praying for a plan that would ensure his survival in a world that certainly wanted him dead. </div>
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And think of her plan to save him, was it not born of God's love for both her and the Hebrew nation? Would a realistic plan have encouraged the hiding of her son in the household of those whom wanted him dead? Only the Pharaoh's daughter could convince her father to allow the child to live. Only the Pharaoh's daughter would pay Jochebed a wage to nurse her own son. Did the Pharaoh's daughter know the bond between mother and child? I think so, for true compassion can never be naive, but requires an eye of empathy. </div>
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I wonder what Jochobed knew of the Pharaoh's household? Were his wives allowed to bear children? Was it a house of faith or one of desperation? How well did she know the goings on within the palace that she knew to send her son into this home? What faith she must have had to do such a thing. </div>
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And the surprise of course is that because of Moses being raised within the household of the pharaoh as his adopted son, he knew the governmental weakness and he alone was the one who could stand before him and declare the Lord's command, "Let my people go." </div>
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Moses' name means "drawn from the water". And it is too the water that many people go to renew themselves, to cleanse themselves, and to find peace and answer. Consider how Jochebed sent him into the water. Think how and why the Pharaoh's daughter visited the water edge: to find peace, to give peace, to pray, to seek answer. Think how she she sent Miriam to stand within the water, and how Moses not only came from the water, but because of a mother's faith in the living water of our Savior, Jesus Christ was saved not from the water but because of the water.<br />
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I am grateful to all mothers that do for their children what Jochebed did for Moses. For those who must give their child up for adoption, for those who do not but strive all of their lives to place pitch in their child's boat before they send them out upon the waters of life, so that they like Moses might be drawn from the waters to save not just himself but all of his family.<br />
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L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-26728578590161986972014-09-09T07:28:00.002-04:002014-09-09T07:32:12.611-04:00Safety and Security in Covenants Mosiah 18:10 <div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penny is waiting for me as we take a walk through the back woods near our home.<br />
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I’m sitting in my writing chair. My walking companion of
nearly twelve years now is tucked in close beside me, her long red nose,
peppered with white is resting on my knee. She is patiently waiting for me to
rise from my morning scripture time to walk with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure she is dreaming about the scent of rabbits or the
adventure of a chase. Every now and again her deep restful breathing will
change and she will raise her head and sigh deeply as if to say, “I’m here, but
can we go yet?” I have promised to walk her, she has promised to make sure I get my exercise and to protect me. </div>
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Her presence comforts me. I am aware
of the safety in her friendship and as I watch her warm body rising and falling
to the rhythm of life, I am reminded of her loyal companionship. As long as her
mortal body will allow, she will not leave my side. She will come to me daily
for love and to remind me of my daily need for friendship. Her role
in our family is to offer not only love but also protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Now I reach my long fingers behind her ears and scratch them
until her ears flop loosely atop her head. As I read I let my
fingers move in circles on her shoulders. I hear her audible sigh of
contentment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a level of
trust and understanding that exists between us. She helps me see how good friendships bring safety, how loyalty is love, and how trust is security. </div>
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So I begin to think about the scriptures and what they bring
to me. I begin to think about friendships and how good friendships and family
ties bring me safety and security. I begin to see that each of us wants this
from life, safety in our relationships with one another, the ideal that we can
enjoy peace and loyalty in our friendships. </div>
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As I read my scriptures I was reminded about Abraham and how
fearful life was for him. Wanting not only security from the lack of civility
in a lawless and fearsome world, Abraham sought peace through the covenants of
Lord. He sought to have a family that followed the counsel and laws of God. Nephi,
who understood and lived by the covenants of Abraham wanted all of his family
to feel of this safety, but he too had to leave the land of his inheritance to
flee from his brother’ hatred. It seems that security cannot be found in the selfish
ways of the world, but must first come in understanding the laws of God. </div>
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It’s time for me to rise and exercise my body. My dog loves
the idea and now sits ready at the door, waiting for me to put my shoes on, to
gather her leash and to fulfill my promise to her. </div>
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I realize that family is about promises. Promises we make
with God, who is our measure of integrity and promises we make to one another.
But of what use is the promise to one another if we love not God. If we love
money, or idols or fame or any other fleeting promise what safety is secure? </div>
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That is why I walk my dog, because she has trusted me to
love her and her love brings safety and security to my long day ahead. That too
is why I read the words of God’s holy prophets, because they too bring an
eternal perspective to the safety and security of my day. They help me
understand the eternal importance of my family and the security and strength
that their presence brings to my existence<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
.<span style="text-align: center;"><i>Mosiah 18: 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-72067972993572834222014-09-09T07:10:00.000-04:002014-09-09T07:33:44.269-04:00Gratitude 1 Thessalonians 5:18 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ae1-KRkwBPg/VA7eoL7XG6I/AAAAAAABnxI/ldntSo4jM1I/s1600/IMG_6186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ae1-KRkwBPg/VA7eoL7XG6I/AAAAAAABnxI/ldntSo4jM1I/s1600/IMG_6186.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I love sunsets.Do you know what makes a beautiful sunset? Clouds. The darkest clouds bring the most vibrant of color. I like to think that sunsets are how God takes the conflicts and the darkest moments of our day and frames them with his divine light. We first think that the day is ending but in reality if we follow the color,, the color that is created by the reflection of the sun's rays, His sun, it will lead us into another glorious day of brightness and hope. I like to think that a beautiful sunset, bathed in deep reds and oranges, framed by majestic hues of purple is not and ending, but God's way of reflecting his love across the horizon of all of our tomorrows. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-58214110946410371552014-04-01T10:22:00.000-04:002014-04-01T10:22:11.794-04:00In our bodies we shall see God. 2 Nephi 9<div class="MsoNormal">
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I pulled the dripping green wand upward from the small plastic
bottle, puckered my lips and blew. Oodles of bubbles swam dreamily through the air between my thirteen month old grandson and I. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I watched as h</span>is face froze in amazement. He gasped<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and then his little voice began to trill
a series of staccato giggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
not sure who was more amazed, he or I?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I saw him tremble with delight and then stomp his feet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As his giggles grew louder, the sounds
of his pleasure soon filled the room with raw delight.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLxND2HZsY0/Uzq7ILI1heI/AAAAAAABm2M/rZwmKZh2Mus/s3200/IMG_4667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLxND2HZsY0/Uzq7ILI1heI/AAAAAAABm2M/rZwmKZh2Mus/s3200/IMG_4667.JPG" height="177" width="200" /></a>Just a few moments before, while searching for something to
ward off his boredom, I had discovered the unopened bottle of bubbles. I <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was both amazed and bewildered,
over-joyed and mystified, happy for the opportunity to touch one, so round and
shiny and new, and then sad when with a barely audible pop they
disappeared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By touching the
fingertips of both of his hands together, he signed his desire, “more,
more”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I laughed and laughed and
then took another breath and blew.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TeL0K8TFrio/UzrLNvNWEzI/AAAAAAABm2w/6y-tCJ1GKEg/s3200/IMG_4596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TeL0K8TFrio/UzrLNvNWEzI/AAAAAAABm2w/6y-tCJ1GKEg/s3200/IMG_4596.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a>I had not realized that this was the
first time he had seen bubbles. He took queue from our dogs Penny and Hobbes
and began trying first to touch them and then to eat. </div>
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Bubbles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
are something to behold aren’t they? They are magical, light, and beautiful. They
swim through the air, and in the right circumstances we can both see, hold and
dance with them. They are transparent, wet, colorful mirrors of the air around
us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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And they fill us with wonder. They remind us that we need our bodies to
experience joy.<br />
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Watching my young grandson experience joy for the first time
helped me recognize on a deeper level, the purpose of our bodies. I see my
grandson explore, touch, think, ponder, and reach for every new experience that
his parents and grandparents will allow. I watch daily as his language,
physical strength, and love for all of his surroundings grows. And I consider
the time I have here on earth. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mUpbbwVCoeo/Uzq6go2jpsI/AAAAAAABm1o/TEO0bTwQTzY/s3200/IMG_4616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mUpbbwVCoeo/Uzq6go2jpsI/AAAAAAABm1o/TEO0bTwQTzY/s3200/IMG_4616.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a>Jacob taught the people about their time on earth and how
they too could experience not just a fleeting joy but also a more eternal joy.
He says that he has read the words of Isaiah so that they might know of the
covenants of God and understand that because of God’s great love for us, he
wants to bless us so that when we die we will see Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wants them to understand that our
bodies are our connection to God and to eternal joy. He spoke about spiritual
laws that bind us to heaven and to earth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He taught, “In our bodies we shall see God.”(vs 4)</div>
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When I read these verses for the umpteenth time… I’ve read it,
I’ve been taught it in Sunday school, I’ve probably even taught it, … this time
I had to stop and consider that I’ve never considered that for all those who
have passed on, for all of my deceased family members, the plan of salvation
allows them to stand on the day of their judgment in a resurrected body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to think about this because in my
mind I have this picture of my body remaining in the earth. I had to question?
… How many resurrected beings do I know? And remember that all of the prophets
of Jesus Christ have taught that in our bodies we shall see God. </div>
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So I considered this marvelous chapter in 2 Nephi and I read
about the plan for those who have not known God and I read about those who know
God and rebel. And for all of them..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> they </span>shall see God in their bodies. As I read I considered my grandson’s joy
and I considered how important our bodies are! </div>
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These verses helped me realize the importance of bodies, of
temple work for those who are separated from their bodies, and for missionary
work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And, i</span>t made me love my body
more. </div>
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It means that the temple work we do is so that when they
stand before God, they will have the opportunity to stand within a clean body:
one that has been baptized and given the opportunity to utilize the power of
the Holy Ghost. </div>
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Resurrection is for every body. It is for all who have lived
on the earth or who will ever live on the earth. It is part of God’s great plan
of happiness. If we are resurrected back into our bodies, now is the time for
us to learn to love our bodies and accept them as the gift that they are. </div>
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I love my body. It is not as thin as the models on the
tabloid magazines, but it is healthy. I cannot eat all that the world would
tempt me with for it does not bounce back from glutinousness bouts of frenzied
eating, but I can still enjoy the aroma and tastes of cinnamon apples. When I
look into the mirror the image no longer reflects a youthful smile, but it
walks gracefully beside my eternal companion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I have aged it has continually increased my bodily limitations:
it does not run without pain, it requires and I mean requires eight hours of
regular sleep, though it still enjoys exercise it rebels at the mention of
excessive exercise, it creaks in new places and causes me to slow down even
when my mind wants to move, move, move. But as the years have progressed, I
have learned to love my body more.</div>
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Having a body… what was the Lord thinking? Consider how all
that we know comes from our body: the sweet smell of lilac on a spring day or
the sound of a rhythmic rain storm, the way colors magically turn into
happiness, the way a tender touch upon our arm warms our heart and how when we
reach out to hold a loved ones hands it connects generations, and the way well
prepared foods burst their flavors into memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joy comes to us because of our bodies. </div>
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When our spirits learn to appreciate all that our bodies
offer as testimony to God’s love, we then begin to open up to the possibility
of eternal joy. </div>
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L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-71854784902169288232014-03-03T10:00:00.002-05:002014-03-03T10:01:17.976-05:00"Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn" 2 Nephi 8 Isaiah 51,52<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bfr1FW7H7jQ/UxSMaBCvayI/AAAAAAABmpQ/tjCet_54ywo/s1600/2012+08+Aug+Road+Trip-13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bfr1FW7H7jQ/UxSMaBCvayI/AAAAAAABmpQ/tjCet_54ywo/s1600/2012+08+Aug+Road+Trip-13.JPG" height="235" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our rock is strong and steady. It casts upon our world the light of God's law. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5m1If5mcxco/UxSNT8w_5OI/AAAAAAABmpw/4ITyEmugeHM/s1600/1986JulyConkeyReunion-41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5m1If5mcxco/UxSNT8w_5OI/AAAAAAABmpw/4ITyEmugeHM/s1600/1986JulyConkeyReunion-41.jpg" height="138" width="200" /></a>Yesterday I received an email from my brother. His grandson had become very ill and was not responding to traditional treatment. His email requested that our family include his family members (grandson and parents) in our prayers and because it was the first Sunday of the month, also in our family fast.<br />
<br />
My brother was looking unto the rock from when we were all hewn. Our family has great strength because of our testimony in the Lord Jesus Christ. He understood that our combined faith could only add strength to his own. His email and this reading from 2 Nephi 8 made me reflect on our families rock.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P1wRIrXBX10/UxSM1FTI0fI/AAAAAAABmpY/3DMYbgIEQX4/s1600/1986JulyConkeyReunion-29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P1wRIrXBX10/UxSM1FTI0fI/AAAAAAABmpY/3DMYbgIEQX4/s1600/1986JulyConkeyReunion-29.jpg" height="215" width="320" /></a>One line is nearly 100 % Scottish and as such as given us the strength through a culture that values friendships and faith. My Grandmother Conkey was a woman that used her great moral authority to be a powerful force in the community. When I think of her and look to her example, my resolve to do more, to do better is strengthened. I am reminded of how she "knew righteousness," and how the Lord had written his law upon her heart. (vs7) She never feared the reproach of men nor was she afraid of their reviling(s). (vs 7) Instead, she led the efforts to build a State Park, to improve her small farm community, and to encourage her husband to run for public office. In a day and time when women did not have many educational opportunities, she formed a women's social group that met solely to improve their lives through education. She also helped others in need and through her smile and love for each of us, instilled a bright "gladness and joy."<br />
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My Grandfather Conkey's line, also nearly 80% Scottish also has taught me to "put on the strength and arm of the Lord." His faith in me was unfettered. I still have numerous letters of encouragement from him urging me to express my voice, to write and experience the joy of the creativity. His life was not easy and though he never formerly proclaimed his allegiance to religious faith, his life speaks to differ. Through perseverance and faith in one another, he and grandmother built their own Eden from the Michigan wetlands. They established the base for my father's family history work, created strong family ties between their children and showed all of us how to find the joy midst the angst of hard work. What I remember most about him was how his love for my grandmother stood above all other loves and desires in his life. His example of faith and devotion to her is a rock we all attempt to emulate.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0yysrBwUiXg/UxSNE-ga6lI/AAAAAAABmpo/guCXucKqIKQ/s1600/1986JulyConkeyReunion-18_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0yysrBwUiXg/UxSNE-ga6lI/AAAAAAABmpo/guCXucKqIKQ/s1600/1986JulyConkeyReunion-18_edited-1.jpg" height="223" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandmother taught me that women<br />
have within them the power of a great moral force. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Other family lines bring their own stories of faith. Each family has it's own rock to which we may look as we journey out into the pathways of our lives. My mother's line stands strong with English and German rocks. These stories bring renewed commitment and remind us of our God given strengths and gifts. Some family rocks stand taller and stronger, but no matter the strength or the height each has its own purpose. Isaiah helps us remember to remember the solid foundation that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ brings to our lives. Isaiah wanted us to remember that the God of Abraham brings us security, comfort, joy, gladness, strength and above all eternal salvation.<br />
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In the illness of their child, my niece had a need that made us reflect on our own immortality and the struggles of life. Recognizing the strength that comes from a family of faith, they realized the strength of their own rock was being tested. Rather than trying to withstand their trials alone, they chose to utilize the strength of their parental rock. Her parent then utilized the strength of the extended family rock. We all responded with our own prayers and faith imparted for their behalf. The power of prayer knows no distance.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isaiah wrote prophecies for all time</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This particular section of 2 Nephi has been taken from Isaiah 51 and 52. Nephi wanted his brethren to understand their relationship to Abraham and Sarah and remember the foundation of their families strength. Isaiah reminds us that Abraham and Sarah were once in need, once considered a waste place, a wilderness, but the Lord comforted them. (vs 3) I was reminded of their story and how Sarah struggled to conceive, how in more ways than one the Lord brought this first family of faith safety, comfort, thanksgiving, how he dried the red seas (vs10), and made the waves roar for them, for us.(vs15)<br />
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Yesterday in Fast and Testimony meeting our Bishop remarked on the importance of viewing life through an eternal lens. Isaiah speaks to this and reminds us how the Lord's "righteousness shall be forever and my salvation from generation to generation."<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FzhtSJ6ha30/UxSN7R_k2fI/AAAAAAABmqA/c0ggbJw9tH0/s1600/prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FzhtSJ6ha30/UxSN7R_k2fI/AAAAAAABmqA/c0ggbJw9tH0/s1600/prayer.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prayer helps us draw strength from our rock of faith</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As I thought about this next generation and how our family has chosen to be "redeemed of the Lord,"(vs 11) I realized the great blessings and joy that our family has received because of this great rock of faith that we have been hewn from. I realized the great strength that we have garnered first from the Lord and secondly from our beloved family members. I am grateful to family who have chosen to remember "lift their eyes to the heavens," and who "wait pun the lord and put their trust in his arm." (vs 5)<br />
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I realized that Isaiah knew our day. He understood that the Lord's law will be a "light for the people." (vs 4) He knew that the eternal path of righteousness leads us out of the desert and into the garden. A garden wherein a rock of great stature stands. A rock that we all were hewn from and from whence flows the fountain of eternal life.<br />
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<br />L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-63636975208901748842014-02-18T02:13:00.000-05:002014-03-03T10:00:46.261-05:00“And the Lord is near” 2 Nephi 7 Isaiah 50 <div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Be8K9k4PDko/UwMA28JjWAI/AAAAAAABmoA/AMyzSqHVxno/s1600/TheLordIsNear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Be8K9k4PDko/UwMA28JjWAI/AAAAAAABmoA/AMyzSqHVxno/s1600/TheLordIsNear.jpg" height="302" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Lord is at hand"</td></tr>
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My daughter keeps a blog about her families activities and lessons
they share with one another. Recently she posted on the importance of <a href="http://kmduff.blogspot.com/2014/02/fhe-faith-and-doubt.html">faith and doubt</a>. She commented how doubt is a part of being human. President Uchtdorf
spoke on this subject last fall in General Conference and taught how we should “doubt
our doubts” before we doubt the Lord. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"the Lord is nigh"</td></tr>
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Doubts seem to come when trials darken our paths, when
strength weakens or social acquaintances thin, or when clouds of gloom block
our eternal perspective. But we must remember that we do have light if we will
but open our eyes and cast them upward. We can find God's light and spark our own light by learning “set our face like a flint.”
(v7)(Isaiah 50:7) Isaiah’s reference means that we can be determined to see
God’s love and to follow through on our commitment to God as God has followed
through on his commitment to us.</div>
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Living for the Lord requires strength and determination. The views
of the world infuse every aspect of our lives; they don’t have to be sought out, for they come to us in a myriad of ways. The Lord’s love, however, no matter how subtle and constant its influence may be,
must be answered by a welcoming heart. For those who have sense to perceive, it
grows in the trees, rides in the breeze, sings on the bird’s song and finds
passage to our heart through the gift of service or the familiar echo
of truth’s testament.</div>
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Isaiah spoke of the Lord’s willingness to find presence in
our lives.(2Nephi 7). As I read this chapter and reread Isaiah’s words that
spoke of the Messiah, I began to think of how our doubts creep into our daily
lives and rob us of our access to the Lord’s redemptive power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"the Lord is nigh"</td></tr>
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Isaiah conveys to us, to Israel, the power of God’s love for
us. He helps us to see that when we do not feel God in our life, it is not
because he is not there, for he “came,” and “there was no man,” he “called” and
“there was none to answer,” (2), and if we are not redeemed it is not because
he “has no power to deliver.” </div>
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The Lord’s power is omnipotent and omniscient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I thought about this I realized that
the veil between God and man is only as thin as it needs to be. Not as thick,
but as thin. God does not want to keep us apart from Him; he wants to draw us
as near to him as he possibly can. By keeping the veil as thin as possible, as
thin as it can be, we are able to reach for and call upon the redemptive powers
of the Lord. We are able, if we believe and live a life that puts belief before
doubt. </div>
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I have a dear friend who is going through some very rough
times. She has a strong faith in the goodness of man and of God. But this has
not availed her in the times of her trial. She is learning of God’s love for
her. She is learning that God's love is there to help her discover the strength within.</div>
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When I read verse 7 I had to share it with her. I wanted her
to believe that the power of God’s love lies within each of us. And that is the
beauty of faith; faith builds strength, personal strength that Isaiah speaks
of, the kind that helps us overcome our own trials through the redemptive power
of the atonement. </div>
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When “the Lord is near” and I seek to be near him, I am
justified. I am measured full and my shortcomings are forgotten. For the Lord
God will help me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He helps all who
seek him, who feel his presence, who understand truth. </div>
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But, what about the doubt? What about the world that will
condemn me for my faith? Well faith is an eternal gift, for the eternal soul.
Those that condemn me for my eternal view and faith in an eternal God who will
stand beside me, will wax old and be eaten by the moth. (v9) </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VhqKPY76h9o/UwMBfM4zWLI/AAAAAAABmoI/fAdlKWon56s/s1600/you-are-not-alone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VhqKPY76h9o/UwMBfM4zWLI/AAAAAAABmoI/fAdlKWon56s/s1600/you-are-not-alone.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes when I walk with nature I feel close to God.. I suppose it's because<br />
I am in the midst of his creations. It's hard to feel alone when you are in awe. </td></tr>
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I think of doubt differently now. It’s purpose is to derail
my journey of joy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am learning
how to doubt my doubts first… before I doubt my faith in the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
want to be there when he calls, to open my heart to him when he knocks and
above all to kindle the sparks of the fire of my testimony upon “my face ..
that is .. like a flint.” It is my hope that when darkness comes, and it will
come, that I may have the sense to remember that “the Lord is near,” and that
it is I that must turn to him to spark the light that will guide me through so
that I might feel and know without a doubt of the strength of his love. </div>
L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-87510082623567826482013-12-31T03:48:00.001-05:002013-12-31T03:50:02.345-05:00for your sakes 2 Nephi 6 Elizabeth Smart My Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O8lApn1i_mY/UsKAupQmI3I/AAAAAAABmk8/mYXBDbGcHDE/s1600/Service+Learning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O8lApn1i_mY/UsKAupQmI3I/AAAAAAABmk8/mYXBDbGcHDE/s200/Service+Learning.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Tonight my son tonight gave us all a great lesson on service. It was a simple lesson. He read a wise quote on how service to one another brings us closer to God and then he had us discuss why and how we can serve one another. What benefits do we receive and why does service make us feel so good? Why do we do it?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacob teaches words of Isaiah</td></tr>
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Somewhere in our discussion the thought came to me that when we teach one another, as my son did tonight, we are serving one another. We want others to learn of God. We want them to glorify God. and we want our loved ones to know to whom we can "depend for safety" (vs. 2 ). During Jacob's time, it seems the people had looked to Nephi as a king, but mostly as a protector and someone who would provide them with safety. Jacob points out that he had been ordained and consecrated by Nephi to serve the people through the teaching of the word of God. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZlGelb3xuSE/UsJ__bf4JQI/AAAAAAABmkw/S8rbp8cL_vc/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZlGelb3xuSE/UsJ__bf4JQI/AAAAAAABmkw/S8rbp8cL_vc/s400/images.jpg" width="262" /></a>All of this made me think of Elizabeth Smart. I recently read her book, "My Story." As I read this chapter where Jacobs teaches the people about safety from those who do not believe, and how the Lord will protect them that do believe, her story kept playing in my mind. </div>
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I recognized how the words of her father, mother, her grandfather and even her Sunday School teacher were spoken in service, "for her sake." How they were spoken with sincerity and love and backed up with good works of caring. Their words gave her strength to endure and continue to believe in a God who did not forsake her. When it came down to the very base of her trials, it was the words of the prophets and the faith she had in those whom had served and taught her that gave her the strength to carry on. Through the midst of her trials, she would gain her own witness that what they had taught her was true. </div>
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Jacob speaks for the "welfare of souls, with great anxiety and with diligence." (vs 3) He taught them the words of his father Lehi and of the prophets of old that told of the world's creation. He taught them of present truths and of future truths. He speaks of Isaiah that they "may learn and glorify the name of your God." (vs 4) </div>
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We all hope that the words we hear will sink in and we can know their truth based on the experiences of others. No one signs up to be the messenger of our own experiences. We all hope we can learn from others. Elizabeth had experiences that no other child her age should ever have to endure. And as I think of her story, I realize how her story relays to us how faith in God precedes our modern day miracles.</div>
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She was like Isaiah described when he spoke of the Gentiles who believed in Christ, "they shall be saved; for the Lord God will fulfil his covenants which he has made unto his children." And she knew, like the Gentiles after their trials, "of the Lord" and she was not made to be "ashamed." For there is no shame in her trial. She bore it with courage, and strength and a faith that most girls her age have not been taught how to cultivate. Because of the love of her family, because of the service of her community of which she both partook and received, she learned to trust that a higher power would bring her home to her place of safety. </div>
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Isaiah speaks of those who wait on the Lord. He says "for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me." </div>
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I believe that those who believe in Jesus Christ as Jacob goes on to teach about - his birth and life here on earth - those who believe in him have learned to serve and to nourish their faith with patience and temperance. They have learned to combat the tug of war of life with service through word and deed. </div>
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We all look for safety in this world. We build our homes, we create networks of friends and associates for safety, we attain an education, we seek shelter from storm and financial crisis, and we strive to prepare for all that might go wrong. But what Jacob was teaching was that the best safety comes from believing in a the power of the covenants that we make, as children of Israel, with God. He wants us to know that in the end of our trials, if we have kept our covenants and kept our hearts pure, we need not be ashamed, "and the people of he Lord shall not be ashamed." (vs 13) </div>
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I was struck by Elizabeth's story in a most amazing way. You would have imagined that after her return home, she would had needed untold hours of therapy and counseling. That she would not have been able to return to school or a "normal" social life. That because of what someone tried to take from her she would have naturally felt great shame. But if she was ashamed, she did not show it, nor does her story convey it. Why? I believe it is because she never gave up on her God. And God responded to her faith, providing her with miracles that continued long after her rescue, guidance and opportunity to regain her life. </div>
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On the third night of her thirst, when her tongue was thick and dry, while her captors suffered in their sleep, she awoke to a tall glass of cold ice water. In a camp where there was not one drop of water and where the spring was a distance down the trail, God had sent her manna from heaven. And when her captor had left her for 7 days without food or water, God sent rain to fall only on her tented secluded valley. God heard her prayer and knew the sanctity of her pure heart. There were many miracles that spoke to the relationship between her and her God. As long as she kept God in her trial, she had no need to be ashamed. </div>
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And consider verse 14. "he will manifest himself unto …the destruction of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him, none will he destroy that believe in him. Elizabeth knows that statistics that she should have been. The miracle of her life is that she has lived to tell us. Seventy-four percent of abducted children who are ultimately murdered are dead within three hours of the abduction and twenty percent of those reported abducted by non family members are not found alive. (Child Abduction Facts, www.parents.com) </div>
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Elizabeth was kept safe by powers higher than the world is capable of defining. Jacob believed that teaching the people about safety through the words of Isaiah was a good way to convey the strength of the Lord's power. Isaiah taught about the destruction and eventual regathering of Jerusalem so that the people would know that God will protect his covenant people, "for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord: I will contents with them that contendeth with thee." (vs 17) </div>
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All this so that we might know… for our sakes… that "all flesh shall know that I the Lord am they Savior, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." (18) </div>
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I wonder how Elizabeth's story might have been different if she had not been served in her parents teaching, for her sake. Or if she had not listened to the words of her Sunday School Teacher or felt the sincere love and faith of her parents and grand parents? I wonder if she might have had the faith to survive and endure all that she had to suffer. I wonder how differently the story might have been if she had not known faith as a child? </div>
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Her words were not defiant or rebellious. Her story was one of hope and deliverance for those who have ever felt a trial of unspeakable terror and fear. Her story was given with grace and with dignity that only a woman of God and of faith could give. </div>
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I watched a few interviews and again I was taken back by the courage she portrays. She was not bitter nor angry but emitted an aura of faith and sureness that comes deep from within the heart of a person who has known of God's love and safety. </div>
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And that is what Jacob wanted us to know. That is what Elizabeth wants us to know. That faith can be taught through words and service, and how once taught and learned well it can help us all to "learn and glorify the name of our God." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How the word of God is the best safety. And it is given with a hope that it will save not only our sake, but the sake of our families. The word of God is after all as Jacob taught "for our sakes." </div>
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L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-90580638720351642392013-12-16T11:21:00.001-05:002013-12-31T03:51:08.090-05:00We lived after the manner of happiness 2 Nephi 5 <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ytkIzmWP_ls/Uq8namusvcI/AAAAAAABmjo/Rkvd5AQ-900/s1600/IMG_3074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ytkIzmWP_ls/Uq8namusvcI/AAAAAAABmjo/Rkvd5AQ-900/s320/IMG_3074.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Policeman writing his report and making arrest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The doorbell rang. It was mid-afternoon. Standing before us was a young man in search of his car?<br />
He had lost it the night before. Could we help?<br />
<br />
It seems he was unhappy about loosing it? His car. But was that all he was searching for? Surely he had the police report? Why did he feel the need to ring our door? Was there more he wanted from us? Answers maybe to how his search for happiness the night before had ended badly?<br />
<br />
Happiness, it seems is fleeting. Many believe it can be discovered in experiences, bought or like the "Tips for Jesus" benefactors, gifted. Very few understand that happiness is a state of being that must be cultivated, planned for and disciplined. Happiness is a discipline that must be refined within us.<br />
<br />
So did we have answers for this young man of 19?<br />
<br />
After crashing a raucous neighborhood party the night before, he had left for home, but had lost his way. While preparing for bed just before 1:30 I noticed him as he drove his car into our driveway. I watched him from a window as he played on his phone and honked his horn, all the while acting very confused. Soon after I called the police he decided to drive his car around our truck and off the driveway into the trees behind our house. The police pursued him and soon all three vehicles needed to be towed out of our very muddy backyard. This took until about 4:30 a.m.<br />
<br />
The nice police officer who arrested him and his backseat buddy told us that they had been called to the party of nearly 500 for noise and many other sundry violations. Both of the boys were found with 2 empty Bacardi bottles and other substances of abuse. Both had no idea where they were or how they had gotten here, so when he showed up looking for the car, it was of little surprise to us that he had no memory of the previous nights activities. It appears we were not the only house he had inquired at.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ROIlnq3VIjk/Uq8n-r7DVdI/AAAAAAABmjw/ycrgIn5Lkvc/s1600/IMG_3102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ROIlnq3VIjk/Uq8n-r7DVdI/AAAAAAABmjw/ycrgIn5Lkvc/s320/IMG_3102.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tow truck shows up 3:30 am</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I thought of this young many and many like him who believe that happiness can be found in wild parties, drugs that falsely lift the emotions, or idleness. I thought of how this kind of happiness does not bring on a manner or a state of happiness that Nephi and other prophets spoke.<br />
<br />
I noticed that Nephi sought happiness and because of the anger of his brethren he was unable to cultivate it. The Lord told him to flee and those that also believe in the "warnings and revelations of God" went with him. They went because they wanted a more lasting kind of happiness. Unlike the event or momentous happiness that most of the world seeks, Nephi and "the people of Nephi" sought a more lasting state of happiness, one that would bring prosperity and joy. (Alma 27:18)<br />
<br />
Nephi as a student of the Old Testament would known of the Psalms or of Proverbs. He might have read:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Psalm 128: 2</b> For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: <i>happy shalt thou be</i>, and it shall be well with thee.<br />
<b>Psalm 146: 5 </b> <i>Happy is he</i> that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:<br />
<b>Proverbs 13:3</b> <i>Happy is the man</i> that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.<br />
<b>Proverbs14: 21 </b>He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, <i>happy is he.</i><br />
<b>Proverbs 16:20</b> He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, <i>happy is he.</i></blockquote>
Nephi recognized the hardness of his brothers hearts, "Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief." (Proverbs 28), and he realized that this would never bring happiness to him and those that worshipped God.<br />
<br />
I realized that all men search for happiness. Even Nephi. I realized that few find it. And I realized that, like Nephi the greatest happiness has come when I have been obedient to the counsels and laws of God. (vs10). It is interesting to see how Nephi compares his lifestyle to that of his brethren. He describes how after leaving his brethren he and his people of Nephi did:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
did sow seed, did reap again in abundance. raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind. (vs 11)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
build buildings, work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores (vs 15)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
they did build a temple (vs 16)</blockquote>
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industrious, and to labor with their hands. (vs 17)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
priests and teachers (vs 26)</blockquote>
<br />
Nephi also understood the wisdom of the proverb that teaches the importance of vision: Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (Proverbs 29:18) Using this vision given to him of the Lord, he not only brought the records with him (vs 12) but he began to write and keep records (vs 29, 30). Records give us vision into our past and help us plan for the future.<br />
<br />
As I thought about my state of happiness I began to realize how important Nephi's recipe of happiness is to my life. For what he teaches brings harmony and peace and cultivates talent and skills necessary for mortality.<br />
<br />
I am happiest when I am with my family, when I have a quiet understanding of God's vision for me. I am happiest when I adhere to a daily routine that ensures cleanliness, nutrition and exercise of both my body and spirit.<br />
<br />
Happiness is a state that we need not seek, for it will find us when we learn to cultivate it. As a genuine feeling of peace it will attract others who also have a deeper understanding of the "warnings and revelations of God."<br />
<br />
When I take time to consider the "manner of happiness" that I have experienced in my life it all revolves around my obedience to God's laws and plan of happiness for me. I have discovered this happiness in my patriarchal blessing, in temple worship and service, in family moments where we share one another's talents such as song, or book reading or sport, in scriptural reading where revelation brings me new insights, in service to others and community, in gaining skill or education, and in doing all things that are "pleasing unto God" (vs 32).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time lapse shot of tow truck leaving</td></tr>
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I have discovered that the greatest happiness comes in partaking of the fruit of God, for " it is "most sweet, above all that I have ever before tasted," (1 Nephi 8:10-11)<br />
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Additional scriptures on happiness<br />
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John 13:15-17<br />
Romans 14:22<br />
James 5:10-11<br />
Mormon 9:14<br />
Proverbs 28<br />
Mosiah 2:41<br />
Mormon 9:3<br />
2 Nephi 9:43<br />
Mosiah 2:41<br />
<br />L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-91369728162239062532013-10-16T10:37:00.000-04:002013-10-16T10:37:55.566-04:00Shine in the darkness.. Ether 6:30<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Yg7wH8uLSM/Ul6eza9bMmI/AAAAAAABmbw/k3N7CNKfW2E/s1600/woman-looking-in-mirror2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9Yg7wH8uLSM/Ul6eza9bMmI/AAAAAAABmbw/k3N7CNKfW2E/s400/woman-looking-in-mirror2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, <br />to give light unto men, women, and children, </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ether 6:3</span></span></td></tr>
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All the world is a mirror and we reflect ourselves upon it.<br />
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I believe our lives reflect back what we take in. When we sow goodness we reflect goodness. Whatever we sow, we reap. Our hearts reflect what we take in and what we cultivate.<br />
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How do we learn to let the Lord touch our lives and then reflect his light on to others? How do we learn to shine like the stones that Ether used to cross the darkness of the sea?<br />
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What we choose to listen to and to view affects us. People will say that it does not matter but it does.<br />
What we allow into our mind becomes a part of us - for good or bad. It becomes us and when we go out into the world, we reflect our views back onto those we interact with.<br />
<br />
<b>Health</b><br />
<br />
When I was growing up there was a big controversy about our health and what we ate. My grandfather, who lived to be 98 3/4 years old, was very adamant that diet was key to health and he not only watched what and how much he ate but also believed in the power of exercise and vitamins. He understood the workings of the body. He understood that what we put into our body affected the performance of not only our bodies but our mind and ultimately our spirit. <br />
<br />
Naysayers at the time (and there were many) did not believe that diet would affect one's heath to such a great degree but that we were slaves to our DNA programming. So we were born to be heavy or slow or fast or whatever. <i>My question is where does our choice figure in?</i> Most criticizers ignore the power of choice in our lives knowing full well that the advertisers depend on their ability to sway our choice and direct us toward their money making schemes.<br />
<br />
Today of course we've learned how cigarettes, with undeniable certainty, cause cancer, as does chewing tobacco. And we've learned that certain foods laden with sugars and heavy on starches affect our hormones and metabolism leading to early onset of preventable disease. Of course this is mostly all relative to our age and activity level. The point is that food affects our bodies, our moods, our health and our lifestyles. But the producers of processed foods and drugs don't want us to know this. They want us to continue to buy all that they sell. They want us to give up our power to choose what is good for our bodies and because of the addictive nature of many products, we do.<br />
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<b>Mind</b><br />
<br />
Our minds are affected by the content we allow in - not too unlike how our bodies are affected by the food we eat. What we put in reflects back on the world we live in. But if we live in a virtual world where real emotions do not affect real people then what we say and participate in does not matter. Or does it? Where we go on-line is separate from our life off-line. Or is it?<br />
<br />
When we choose activities and material that does not value the affect upon our hearts and our minds we loose our ability to choose. There are activities and materials that purposefully want us to give up our power to choose what is good for our bodies and our minds, and because of the addictive nature of these activities, we do.<br />
<br />
<b>A light in the darkness</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
What if we choose to digest good material? to listen to good music and good words and strong truths? And beauty? Do we also loose choice? No because good choice reflects light. Just like when the brother of Jared asked the Lord to touch his stones. He asked for a source of goodness so that he would have a source of goodness to bring light and the reflection of goodness into his darkened world. Goodness brings light to the darkness of the world.<br />
<br />
We too can seek for and ask the Lord to touch our heart with goodness that will in turn reflect goodness upon our days. We too can use the light of the Lord's stones to help us through our days where darkness prevails.<br />
<br />
<b>A real world</b><br />
The real world is where we use all of our senses: hearing, touch, smell, taste, vision, emotion, and so many other wonderful senses that help us feel alive and warm and full of unmeasured joy. Beauty can be cultivated and reflected back onto those that we love and those that we interact in the real world.<br />
<br />
And what a joy it is to be around, or to listen to those that cultivate the beauties of this world. What a joy it is to understand that we can surround ourselves with the reflections of others who also cultivate all that is good and joyful. To see the light of their stones that the Lord has touched for them and to share in their goodness of ideas, of service, of music, of art, of friendship, of kind words, etc.<br />
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I like the idea that our lives are reflections of our hearts desire. And I love the idea that if I ask the Lord to touch my heart so that I might have light He will. And I love that when I look into the world I can use the light of the stones and see the goodness and love reflected back at me.<br />
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<br />L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-33763942860546729472013-10-03T18:51:00.000-04:002013-10-03T18:51:13.775-04:00Search, Ponder, Study the Scripture 1 Nephi 5, 19, 22; 2 Nephi 9, Omni, Jacob 4
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">a day of clouds and thick darkness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against <b>the high towers</b>.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Zephaniah 1:14-16</span></div>
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The two towers fell and the destruction was great. I
remember this day like no other because it had personal ramifications for my life. And afterwards while everyone was trying to figure
out what it meant I remember my father’s words that this great event had been
foretold by the prophets Isaiah and Zephaniah. I remember picking my mouth up off the floor and not really understanding what he was trying to tell me? It was a defining moment for me - one when I knew I had to know for myself what it meant. I had to have my own interpretation. I had reached the point in my life, like Nephi, when prophesied destruction would not convince me. I had to study it- for myself. (1 Nephi 11-16)</div>
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The scriptures are not just predictions of man’s doom, nor are they stories about his most unsavory mistakes. I have heard the Old Testament described as a lurid script for a
common day soap opera. And while the descriptive sagas captivate our
imaginations and help us to see the uglier side of mankind, their intended
purpose is to warn and teach us of man’s need to reverence God and His
commandments. They are meant to admonish us to live a holier more refined life filled with charity.</div>
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God's charity toward us can be found in the preservation of his word through scripture. The Bible is God's word that teaches us through story about man's past errs and triumphs. We have it because men of God obeyed his counsel and wrote it down. The entire purpose of the Book of Mormon was to keep a
record of Lehi’s family’s journey and relevance as a branch of the Israelites.
It's testimony acts as a second witness to the Bible in declaring the sacred
mission of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Its entire purpose is to teach us
the importance of studying the scriptures of God so that we might learn to work
out our own salvation.</div>
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Every Book of Mormon prophet writes to not only record the
truth of God’s love, but to also leave a witness to the divinity of Christ. This divinity can best be learned through the study of the prophets written word; their purpose was to teach us to learn for ourselves through our own personal scripture study. </div>
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After sending his sons back to Jerusalem to retrieve the brass plates which contained the 1<sup>st</sup> five books of what we now know as
the Old Testament, Lehi searches them and rejoices. In them he found his
genealogy, the prophecies of all the prophets through to Jeremiah, Adam and
Eve’s story, and the commandments of Moses. Lehi prophesied that the plates would go forth to all
nations, never perish or be dimmed by time, and rejoiced when he realized
their worth:</div>
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And we had
obtained the records which the Lord had commanded us, and searched them and
found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that
we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children.<br />
1 Nephi 5:21
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In 1 Nephi 19 Nephi has begun to read the “1<sup>st</sup>
five books of Moses” and begins to share some of what he learns. He is instructed
to become like the scribes of ancient Jerusalem and preserve his civilizations’
most precious truths upon plates of ore. He shares his readings with his
brethren and in hopes of helping them understand Isaiah’s writings he teaches
them that the best way to understand scripture is to liken it unto ourselves. (1 N 19:23) </div>
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Like Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Omni, King Benjamin, Alma the
Elder, Zeezrom, Ether, Mormon, and Moroni all encourage the personal reading
and study of the scriptures. From Abinadi we learn what happens to a culture that puts
aside the commandments of Moses and do not teach them. Of all of these many
examples my favorite comes from Omni and Mosiah 25.</div>
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Omni first tells us of people who settled and built up the
land of Zarahemla. Mosiah had discovered the Mulekites when he heeded the counsel of the Lord and fleed to the land
northward where he discovers the land of Zarahemla. This people had
come, like Lehi’s people, from Jerusalem – only their
saga began at the time King Zedekiah was carried away into Babylon. They too
had traveled across the waters but they had not brought with them historical records of their people. Nor had they kept any records. </div>
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Great was their rejoicing at their discovery of Mosiah’s
people. They rejoiced because of the record of the Jews, the history that the people of Mosiah brought
with them. </div>
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And they
discovered a people, who were called the people of Zarahemla. Now, there was
great rejoicing among the people of Zarahemla; and also Zarahemla did rejoice
exceedingly, because the Lord had sent the people of Mosiah with the plates of
brass which contained the record of the Jews.<br />
Omni 1:14</blockquote>
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And they rejoiced because of the interpreters they carried.
While they had traveled in the wilderness they had come across another group of
people who had, not withstanding their obedience in keeping a record, had not
lived the word of God and had self destructed. The interpreters proved helpful
in the translation of the Jaredite record and the understanding of how people
who do not reverence the commandments of God make their own demise. </div>
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These Mulekites relished history. I guess it’s because they
had lived without it. I call it the lesson of opposites. We value most what we
do not have.</div>
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Mosiah 25 helps us understand how those who have been
without the written word of history are affected by the written word. King
Mosiah had caused that the Mulekites join with the Nephites and that a record
of the people of Zeniff be read. Zeniff was the father of King Noah. He had left Mosiah’s
people and traveled down to his land of inheritance, the land of Nephi where
the Lamanites dwelled. Mosiah had the account of Zeniff’s people, the martyrdom
of Abinadi and Alma’s escape back to Zarahemla read to them:</div>
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And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records,
his people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and
amazement.<br />For they knew not what to
think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered out of bondage they
were filled with exceedingly great joy.<br />And again, when they thought of
their brethren who had been slain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow,
and even shed many tears of sorrow.<br />And again,
when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering
Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of bondage, they
did raise their voices and give thanks to God.<br />And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were
their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain
and anguish for the welfare of their souls.<br /><br />
Mosiah 25:7-11</blockquote>
<br />
In reading this I was struck with the powerful words of emotion used to describe their reactions: wonder, amazement, "they knew not what to think", many tears of sorrow, and pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls.<br />
<br />
I think of how the two burning towers of New York City brought such great emotion. I thought how I too did not know what to think? For at this time I had not read nor had I understood the scriptures. I was filled with great joy for those of our countrymen who were delivered that day, and with great pain and anguish for those who perished and suffered.<br />
<br />
And I want to always to be able to say that when I think of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering me and my family out of the hands of those who would destroy my life and put me into bondage, that I will like the people of Mosiah and the Mulekites raise my voice and give thanks to God. For as I study God's word I learn of his love and dealings with man. I learn to recognize his hand in my life and I am amazed.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WlhQuoSQrAw/Uk3xpGDFDfI/AAAAAAABmbM/V9GiQPQc-1Q/s1600/tchg-pix.nfo-o-124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WlhQuoSQrAw/Uk3xpGDFDfI/AAAAAAABmbM/V9GiQPQc-1Q/s320/tchg-pix.nfo-o-124.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nephi and Lehi study the words of Isaiah which testify of Jesus Christ<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">25 And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill,</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Isaiah 30:25</div>
</span></blockquote>
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<!--EndFragment-->L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-5336560806010987232013-09-25T10:13:00.001-04:002013-09-25T13:28:04.680-04:00The Gifts of Prayer Alma 31-33, Enos. JSHistory <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--hdK0Bzgkro/UkLVJLg-DNI/AAAAAAABmWU/Nlp-t1FwSlk/s1600/hannahBirthdays+7_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--hdK0Bzgkro/UkLVJLg-DNI/AAAAAAABmWU/Nlp-t1FwSlk/s400/hannahBirthdays+7_edited-1.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My three year old daughter expresses her joy at her birthday gift-<br />
a daisy dress with matching head band-a gift from her grandparents. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I love gifts. I love most how they change my life for the better. I love how they connect me to family and help create relationships. It seems we always remember the wonderful gifts given us.<br />
<br />
Gifts are lovely things. They entice us. They surprise us. They fill us with joy. Prayer is a gift and like a well presented gift it will surprise us with the joy of God's love in our life.<br />
<br />
Gifts were meant to be opened and prayers were meant to be given. When we take time to open the gift of prayer, the gifts of God make themselves "present" (no pun intended) in our lives. How many of us would receive a gift from a dear and loving friend and then say to them, I'll open it later. God gives us the daily gift of prayer so that he can bless us daily and lead our lives with the guidance of the gift of the Holy Ghost.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O7GNv8wVJhs/UkLrJw4axmI/AAAAAAABmWs/9qbOmBHsiBw/s1600/prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O7GNv8wVJhs/UkLrJw4axmI/AAAAAAABmWs/9qbOmBHsiBw/s200/prayer.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prayer is a gift that brings peace.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gifts present us with new opportunities and treasures. Prayer does the same. But we must learn how to open the gift of prayer and allow it to help us feel and see God's presence in our lives.<br />
<br />
Alma prayed that he and his brethren might have success in their Zoramite people. He understood that when we invite God to be a part of our desired goals, and then invite him through prayer, we invite success. (Alma 31)<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b5P8kZsukDM/UkLur9ucR9I/AAAAAAABmXQ/wxfFeoqDgts/s1600/friendlp.nfo-o-2940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b5P8kZsukDM/UkLur9ucR9I/AAAAAAABmXQ/wxfFeoqDgts/s200/friendlp.nfo-o-2940.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alma prayed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Alma understood the power that prayer brings to one's life work. Alma prayed for strength, (vs30), comfort and patience (vs31), success and the ability to bear their afflictions (vs 32-33), and power and wisdom (vs35) to help them help the missionary work.<br />
<br />
When Alma taught the Zoramites (Alma 32) on the hill Onidah in the land of Antionum, he said that he "had never beheld" such a manner of worship. The Zoramites had allowed their pride to alter their beliefs as to whom they prayed and ultimately their manner of prayer.<br />
<br />
All of the Zoramites had helped build their synagogues and their tower of prayer known as the Rameumptom. But only one person at a time on one particular day of the week was allowed to offer one rote prayer. And only those members who were rich enough, stylish enough, popular enough, or good enough were allowed to use the Rameumpton. It reminded me a little bit like our modern way of dealing with one another publicly- like playing "king of the Mountain," or a popularity contest.<br />
<br />
Their craft of worshiping did not allow for personal prayers, for the hope of redemption, or even for salvation for others not of their faith. In fact it really didn't allow for the salvation of many of the poor of their faith, but it did require the poor to help in the labor and maintenance of their synagogue.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VF5pF2_FyPc/UkLDspeXUUI/AAAAAAABmWI/tZwzJ52Ic6A/s1600/Preying+Mantis+6833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VF5pF2_FyPc/UkLDspeXUUI/AAAAAAABmWI/tZwzJ52Ic6A/s320/Preying+Mantis+6833.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Praying Mantis is so called because of his<br />
front legs that are ever ready to offer prayer. Anywhere.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When Alma discovers these poor who had been divided out from them and not allowed into the synagogue for worship, he rejoiced at the opportunity to teach them correct principles of prayer.<br />
<br />
He taught them that they could use the gift of prayer at any time, in any place, for any purpose <br />
and for any amount of time. He quoted the Old Testament prophet Zenos, "<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thou art merciful, O God, for thous hast heard my prayer, even when I was in the wilderness;...when I did cry in my field...thou didst hear me. and in my house, and my closet.<br />
Yea, thou art merciful unto thy children when they cry unto thee, to be heard of thee and not of men, and thou wilt hear them." Alma 33: 3-8</blockquote>
Alma goes on to explain how Zenos' prayers were heard by God in "congregations," or when "cast our or despised by mine enemies." As he explained that the gift of prayer did not require a specific setting or presentation of place, he helped them understand that prayer to God requires a simple sincerity and honesty of heart.<br />
<br />
He also explained how Zenos taught how prayer to God the Father is connected to his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ's life was more than an example, Jesus became the mediator between us and God. Zenos explained, "for thou hast turned they judgments away from me, because of thy son."<br />
<br />
Prayer is a gift that is given to us by our loving Heavenly Father. It requires that we thank him, our Heavenly Father for the blessing he sends, then ask Him for what we stand in need of, and then to close our offering in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.<br />
<br />
Prayer is a gift that is given to anyone who believes or desires to believe in God and his son Jesus Christ. It is not reserved for a select few. It is not only for the educated. All that is required is a sincere desire to have a personal relationship with God.<br />
<br />
Gifts often bring us new ways of looking at and appreciating the world around us. Sometimes we receive items that have instructions or require work. Prayer requires work. Enos tells us "I cried unto him in mighty prayer...all the day long..and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heaven."(vs4) Sometimes we don't receive answers in the time or manner that we expected. That is why the answers we receiveare a gift.<br />
<br />
Gifts are often misunderstood. In this era of entitlement many believe that gifts should be tailored to the desires of the one who will receive. But gifts were never intended to only appease the insatiable desires of a child's heart. When given and received with humility and with respect gifts can offer great insights into the givers heart. It can help the receiver to grow in ways he would not have known. In fact gifts are meant as a way of guiding us along our earthly journey of growth. They were first given not just for the joy of receiving the unexpected but also of offering needed items of sustenance and survival.<br />
<br />
Prayer is one of those gifts essential for survival. Again Enos taught "for he said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it." (v15) Prayer provides us with joy and with the opportunity for personal growth. It provides us with insights and new perspectives. But mostly it provides us with a window into God's truth.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VMArJY265yo/UkLsdwZbTpI/AAAAAAABmXA/5fakV8u_TcU/s1600/Conkeyfarmcornfield_edited-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="419" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VMArJY265yo/UkLsdwZbTpI/AAAAAAABmXA/5fakV8u_TcU/s640/Conkeyfarmcornfield_edited-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farmers are aware of the power of hard work, knowledge and prayer. Only God can give us all that we truly need.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The prophet Joseph Smith learned firsthand of the power of prayer when he read James 1:5, "If any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask of God who giveth to all me liberally (freely) and upbraideth not." Because he read and believed James invitation to pray, he walked into the woods near Palmyra New York and like Enos knelt in sincere prayer. He asked of God. And he received of God.<br />
<br />
Prayer changes things. It's a positive force for good in our lives. Prayer is the gift that keeps on giving.<br />
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<br />L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-45147189015163608522013-09-12T11:49:00.000-04:002013-09-12T11:49:07.627-04:00Obedience 1 Nephi 16-18 Building One's Own BoatIf the sun were me or I were the sun.<br />
I would shine my light for everyone.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TJovnrXdUI4/UjHb0PX0FII/AAAAAAABmTc/WrcqXBi-j0I/s1600/6402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TJovnrXdUI4/UjHb0PX0FII/AAAAAAABmTc/WrcqXBi-j0I/s400/6402.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I would not let the cold of storm<br />
keep the earth from knowing warm.<br />
<br />
I would not let the dark of night<br />
make me want to hide my light.<br />
<br />
I would not let the thick of cloud<br />
keep me from shining- shining - out loud<br />
<br />
I would shine on field and flower<br />
and help them know of God's power.<br />
<br />
I would not miss one single day<br />
to share my light - to brighten another's way.<br />
<br />
I would set my course..<br />
I would set my mind.<br />
I would set my path.<br />
I would shine. I would shine. I would shine.<br />
<br />
<br />
The sun comes up. The sun goes down. The world spins round. And, the sun shines. It lifts my soul, it brightens my way. It is one of God's creations that knows obedience. It is one of God's creations that displays it's purpose and power daily. It's sureness of path inspires and calms me.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X4g_y10lOB0/UjHc1Ou8xXI/AAAAAAABmTo/o9je7mkeUkw/s1600/37108_070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X4g_y10lOB0/UjHc1Ou8xXI/AAAAAAABmTo/o9je7mkeUkw/s320/37108_070.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">With God's help, Nephi knew he could build a boat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Like the sun that obeys God's design, Nephi knew the power that comes from obedience. He understood that God gives us commandments and sets us on a path because He loves us! God wants us to know who we are. He wants us to know our potential. But, unlike the sunshine, a knowledge of who we are is something that can't be given; It must be uncovered through our willingness to obey. The power of self is something that we have to discover.<br />
<br />
The only way we can actually discover who we are and the power of God that lies within us is to follow God's commandments. So I ask the question, "Why does God not politely ask us to obey his commandments?"He could ask, "Would you please keep the commandments?"<br />
<br />
The reason. God is Great. God is the creator of all things both in heaven and in earth.(17:36-39) He knows what is best for us. To ask is to suggest. Keeping the commandments is not a suggestion. It's a sure way. Like the sun, it's a path that is meant to teach us how to shine, how to give warmth, how to love, how to help all around us grow, how to learn consistency, how to stay the course and be still in an eternal realm where agency holds the key to eternal joy.<br />
<br />
Nephi was able to build a ship and he knew it. Not because of his own power but because of the power that comes from obedience to God's commandments. (1N17:49-51)" He understood that, "When we obey God - we follow the influence of the Spirit and choose to conform to His will." (PmGpg.72)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e-Xl1QgLyTY/UjHbAJixXxI/AAAAAAABmS8/uDmrBAYaIXo/s1600/FribergLiahona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e-Xl1QgLyTY/UjHbAJixXxI/AAAAAAABmS8/uDmrBAYaIXo/s320/FribergLiahona.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Lehi discovers the Liahona at his tent door</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But we are human. We are not the sun. We have weaknesses. When Nephi's bow breaks, Lehi and his family succumb to their hunger and begin to murmur. They had only just begun their journey when they forgot God's goodness - how he blesses us when we obey. God knows our weaknesses. He blesses us and teaches us line upon line.. precept on precept. (2 N28:30)<br />
<br />
To Lehi he gave a Liahona: a ball of curious workmanship whereby he might learn how God blesses us through our obedience to faith, and diligence to duty, and willingness to heed to the God's spirit.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TVbI5RQ-v8/UjHbHGvpqQI/AAAAAAABmTM/va4koYXZHgM/s1600/liahona+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TVbI5RQ-v8/UjHbHGvpqQI/AAAAAAABmTM/va4koYXZHgM/s200/liahona+.jpg" width="146" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">the Liahona </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1 Nephi 16:28 </span></blockquote>
<br />
To Nephi he instructed through prayer.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been in the land of Bountiful for the space of many days, the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying: Arise, and get thee into the mountain. And it came to pass that I arose and went up into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1 Nephi 17:7</span></blockquote>
Nephi was instructed to build a ship. Though his brothers mocked him and complained, he held sure in his belief that if God had commanded it, it was possible. His brothers had forgotten those who wanted to take their lives and the promised destruction of Jerusalem. Wanting to remember their ancestral heritage of God's hand in their lives, Nephi spoke to them of Moses. He asked:<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Do ye believe that our fathers, who were the children of Israel, would have been led away out of the hands of the Egyptians if they had not hearkened unto the words of the Lord? </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Yea, do ye suppose that they would have been led out of bondage, if the Lord had not commanded Moses that he should lead them out of bondage?<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1 Nephi 17:23-24</span></blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WaljnmUVe6M/UjHbDqq3KUI/AAAAAAABmTE/eQ7vPPwC_fM/s1600/journey+into+wilderness+.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WaljnmUVe6M/UjHbDqq3KUI/AAAAAAABmTE/eQ7vPPwC_fM/s200/journey+into+wilderness+.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Lehi's travels led them through dangerous dessert</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Keeping the commandments of God protects us. It was pointed out in last nights class that while traveling in the dessert the Lord commanded the family troop to not build fire. That seems like an odd thing - when fire is needed for warmth and the preparation of food. But by not building fire, the family was protected from marauding bands that would have robbed and carried them away. The light from a dessert fire carries long and far and offers no protections from the evil heart of man.<br />
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The only protection against man's choice for evil is man's choice for good. When we choose to live God's commandments we choose protection, power, love, light and eternal life. Alma taught about the commandments when he said,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Wherefore, he gave commandments unto men,...., knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good—<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Alma 12:31</span></blockquote>
But Keeping the commandments does more than protect us. It helps us discover our eternal spirit. It helps us discover and remember a purpose greater than survival. It helps us give light and warmth and become a source for good. It helps us learn to love as God loves and see the world as He intended it to be: a place for us to grow and learn - a place for us to share his love and bask in the warmth of his word.<br />
<br />
I can't be the sun. But I can be like Nephi. I can say..<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Wherefore, I Linda, did strive to keep the commandments of the Lord, and I did exhort my brethren to faithfulness and diligence.<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1 Nephi 17:15</span></blockquote>
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And like Nephi I can build my own ship of sure faith that will carry me. I am sure there will be times when God will ask things of me that others will mock. And I myself may question, but it is my prayer that the experiences I have will help prepare my heart so that it will not be hard, but willing - and that it will not murmur - but be filled with gratitude. And that it too - like the sun - will learn to shine, shine, shine and spread God's glorious love to all who will not only embrace it, but use it as a source of strength as they too learn the power that comes from keeping God's commandments.<br />
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L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-58338251770866355792013-09-05T08:07:00.002-04:002013-09-06T09:08:28.264-04:00Endure to the End Jacob 7, Enos and 4th Nephi 1-22<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_1CBQ8YUobI/Uihz5gAC4pI/AAAAAAABmRA/kRQ9_Y2WhxQ/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_1CBQ8YUobI/Uihz5gAC4pI/AAAAAAABmRA/kRQ9_Y2WhxQ/s400/images.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
Last night while walking I witnessed a display of mother nature's glory, an explosion of light. Brilliant flashes streaked the sky and at times was so bright that it lit my path. It filled me with wonder.<br />
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Above me lines and patterns of light emerged on the sky's dark palette. I marveled.<br />
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This display of nature reminded me of the patterns that God has placed in each of his creations. <br />
The sun, the moon, the seasons, the weather, the plants - all of God's creations were created by a pattern of design that not only determines its beauty and shape, but also sets its purpose and time. I thought how these patterns give us reassurance. We know that each day the sun will rise as a ball of fire in the east. And each month the moon will rise big and round and glorious. We know the birds will migrate each fall and again in the spring. God has instilled in each of his creations a pattern to live by- a pattern to ensure their existence on this planet.<br />
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But what about man? What pattern did he instill in us to ensure our survival? To help us endure our journey here?<br />
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Unlike God's other creations, man was given a higher degree of intelligence to choose his mortality- his morality -his own path. Unlike the migratory Robin who innately sings songs of gratitude, God has given man the agency to learn for himself of eternal joy.<br />
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Last night, in our class we read the stories of Jacob and Sheram, and Jacob's son Enos, and the people of 4th Nephi. We read and discussed how they took a pattern of life that God has given all men and put it to the test and found the joy and peace that comes through faith and repentance - God's pattern of life. We talked about how their lives exemplified a pattern of enduring to the end.<br />
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What is God's pattern for man? And why didn't God instill in us a programmed life - like he did the Goose, who as I write is flying overhead honking and squawking on his way? to where?<br />
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Man- like all of nature- can follow a path that will lead us to eternal life. For man however, it involves conscious choice. The ability to discern between good and evil. It involves faith not only in nature but first in the supreme creator Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism and following the Holy Ghost.<br />
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As we studied the lives of Jacob and his son Enos we found adjectives that described what they did to discover the peace the gospel brings. When Sheram challenged Jacob's testimony, Jacob recounted his "many revelations," his ministering angels, the many things that he had witnessed, and how the voice of Lord had instructed and comforted him. Because of all these things, Jacob could not be shaken. We considered Enos and his mighty prayer that released him from his guilt, and how the people of 4th Nephi were able to live in harmony for 200 years before time and pride erased the living memories of their experiences with the Savior Jesus Christ.<br />
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What I found interesting is that these men were given experiences that impressed upon their minds and their souls the eternal nature and love of the Savior Jesus Christ. The desires of their heart were to know of a truth that would guide them to peace. Their lives were not without danger, trial or discomfort. Peace does not mean you will not have trial. True peace comes when while in the midst of trial you have the power of faith in a true and living Savior who will wind your sails and calm your soul.<br />
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God has sent us many heralds of peace. Each day is a miracle of his love. Each day reminds us that he has given all of his creations a pattern to live by. This pattern is sure; it is eternal; it is beautiful.<br />
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I believe that it is why - when I see the night sky display its artistic brush or experience the sunrise or hear the bird song - I am reminded that God's love for all his creations is sure and steady. But for man... we must choose.<br />
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And I am grateful for the lives of men like Jacob and Enos and the disciples of Christ who witnessed the resurrected Christ and showed by their lives that enduring to the end is a real possibility. It is not only a possibility it is what God wants for us. It is his pattern for our lives. It is what he promises in 2 Nephi 31:20:<br />
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20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. 2 Nephi 31:20</blockquote>
Even though we don't have a programmed migratory path we do have the law and the light of Christ for which we are promised eternal life if we will but endure. But for us we must look, we must endure, and then shall we know eternal life.<br />
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Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.<br />
3 Nephi 15:-1-9</blockquote>
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<br />L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-4560918051964300332013-09-02T00:21:00.000-04:002013-09-02T00:21:18.329-04:002 Nephi 4: 15-35 Testimony..."the things of my soul" <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is the first day of the month. But more importantly it is the first Sunday of the month. It is a day for shared testimony. I love this type of service because it elicits honesty of heart and because you can never prepare yourself for the tender moments of honesty or the sweet words of babes.<br />
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I love when favorite scripture is shared, but I especially love when stories of miracles given and blessings received are told. It helps me understand that everyone has problems but that God has room for all of our worries. God's love shows itself not only in the scriptures but also in our lives. It reminds me to remember "that God will give liberally to him that asketh." (vs 35)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nephi endured much trial by his brothers, but<br />this did not stop him from admonishing them and then<br />bearing testimony to them of the power and goodness of God. </td></tr>
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Nephi's life had it's share of difficulties, but he knew the power of testimony, of sharing his soul and of the healing that scriptures bring. In verse 15 he told how he wrote the "things of his soul" as well as many of the sacred scriptures. He understood how the scriptures bring us great moments of learning that help to profit our souls. " For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children."<br />
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Today my soul "profitted" while I listened to how God's love had changed lives, and how prayer had changed hearts. I listened to young eight year old children share without prompting the feelings of their heart.<br />
As I pondered what I heard today, I realized that this is why I too can say like Nephi did, that "my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord." For as you listen to the testimonies of those who share the "things of the Lord" in their lives it moves upon your heart to "pondereth continually upon the things" which you hear.<br />
I might have added my own testimony today but time ran out. But I too could have added the "things of the Lord," that I have both "seen and heard". At times when I consider all that I have to be grateful for, I too might not imagine how I could be worthy to receive the blessings that come down upon me, for temptations also "encompass" me and sometimes I falter.<br />
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As I read these verses this afternoon, I felt as if Nephi could have been standing at the pulpit bearing his testimony for all he had to be grateful for.<br />
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<ul>
<li>God's support vs 20 </li>
<li>God's guidance through the wilderness v.20</li>
<li>God's preservation upon the water v.20</li>
<li>God's love that fills him v.20</li>
<li>the confounding of his enemies v.20</li>
<li>God's listening ear by day </li>
<li>Knowledge through vision by night </li>
<li>ministering angles </li>
<li>vision</li>
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And after he extolled his gratitude he finished with what he was in need of, what he would ask for:</div>
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<li>redemption </li>
<li>deliverance </li>
<li>to shake at the appearance of evil</li>
<li>broken heart and contrite spirit </li>
<li>robe of righteousness </li>
<li>straight path </li>
<li>trust in the Lord </li>
<li>a voice that will forever ascend up unto God </li>
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At the end of our meeting, I was sad that I had not born my testimony. My day would have been stronger and more surer if I had chosen differently, for testimonies strengthen with each sharing. The flame of a testimonie grows with each fire it kindles. </div>
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I believe Nephi knew this and that is why he chose to share this on the brass plates. Like the testimonies that I heard today that helped remind me of my own frailties and shortcomings with the Lord, Nephi's testimony taught us that God's love for us grows as we ponder our blessings and then learn to ask for all that God wants to share with us. </div>
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<br />L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-44483075236003069372013-05-14T08:37:00.003-04:002013-05-14T08:52:30.874-04:00 the admonitions of the Lord. 2 Nephi 4:13<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carolina Chickadee</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Admonition: </b>gentle or friendly reproof....counsel or warning against fault or oversight. ... to reprove gently but earnestly, to counsel (another) against something to be avoided; caution. To remind of something forgotten or disregarded, as an obligation or responsibility. </span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Examples:</b> an admonition to be careful.... He offered words of advice and admonition.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Synonyms: adjuration, admonishment, advice, counsel, guidance, input. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Related Words: recommendation, suggestion; hint, pointer, tip; data, feedback, information; answer, solution; advisement, consideration, thought; alarm, alert, caution, cautioning, expostulation, forewarning, remonstrance, remonstration, urging, waring, judgment, observation, verdict; assistance, briefing, coaching, direction, instruction, mentoring, priming, prompting, teaching, tutoring; interference, kibitzing, meddling, moralizing, pontficating, preaching; exhortation, lecture, lesson, sermon speech, </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">I'm sitting on my back porch. It's mid morning and the Chickadees are having a row of it. Their happy "chick dee, chick dee" song has been replaced by a gargled "rasp- slink, tee tee tee tee" and even a "screamy- squeal." In the not to far off branches the parents are giving their fledglings a coaching, a lesson, a warning, a few pointers, i.e....some parental admonishment. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Occasionally the parents will lift off of the branch, fly to the feeder and return with food. I count at least four babies that are out of the nest and flitting in a flurry of wings amongst the branches, squawking at one another with a pestering chipping sound. They take their instruction with great excitement. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">I imagine if I could speak "Chickadee", I might hear some good preaching and teaching. Clearly from the ruckus of chips and screams coming from the fledglings, accepted wisdom comes easiest from parental chirps and perks, not from one another. I couldn't be sure but it appeared that the "mealy worm" treats from the feeder (that the parents were frequently gathering) were being used as added encouragement. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Admonishment is an art form practiced best by wise parents. Who else will a child suffer to teach them? Nephi spoke often of his elder brothers inability to take instruction from him, their younger brother. It did not matter that Nephi's gifts and talents and insights were uniquely different, as the eldest, they believed leadership was their right. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Admonishment is foremost a parental responsibility. Lehi did not take this responsibility lightly. Nephi tells us that Lehi not only gave his sons blessings and counsel often, but that he and Nephi tried fervently before Lehi's passing to speak to them. Shortly after Lehi passes away however, sibling animosity grows- first to anger then into hatred. Without the gentle counsel and sweet reproach of their father Lehi, the brothers focus more on their differences than on their love for one another. After only thirty years in the wilderness the family finally separates. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Chickadee cools off<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">I've read and pondered these verses for some time now. What I discovered is that much like the Chickadees ruckus that I heard this morning, not only is the design of the family one that requires parental guidance, but also parental encouragement. It appeared to me that the parent Chickadees were both reprimanding and rewarding their chicks. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">The Lord has told us that we should do the same, for correction, advice, reprove, caution are all difficult for young birds to take. When coupled with gladness and a happy tone, discipline becomes more palatable. And - if they don't learn from their parents while young, then who? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">In reading these few verses and preceding and subsequent chapters I gleaned a few things about Lehi's family. </span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Laman and Lemuel took instruction only from Lehi, they resented any instruction Nephi gave </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">The curse that was placed upon their heads came from their interactions with Nephi - not Lehi.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Lehi would reprove with great gentleness and love giving them encouragement and positive images to hold on to such as a river and a valley. (1 Nephi 2:9-10)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Nephi was prone to be drawn into his brother's anger rather than respond to it with loving encouragement. (2 Ne 5)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Lehi's love could not replace the experiences needed to bring his children to the Lord. But he did bless them that they would not perish and that their sins would be upon his head. (2 Nephi 2) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Once he dies, their faith dwindles and the brothers who were born and/or raised in the wilderness purposefully separate themselves from those that were born in Jerusalem. (2 Nephi 5) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Lehi spoke many words of instruction and encouragement to his sons. He admonished them often to draw near to the Lord and exercise their faith. </span></span></li>
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<b style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">And it came to pass that not many days after his death, Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael were angry with me because of the admonitions of the Lord.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">2 Nephi 4:-1-13</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> </span></b></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">The word admonition is used in this verse in context with Laman and Lemuel's anger, hence we tend to connect the two, but they are not meant to be connected. To be admonished is to be corrected and feel the love of the one who offers the admonition. Why didn't Nephi's brothers feel the Lord's love? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">I believe it is because they were prone to murmur and complain -not only against Nephi but also their father and his leadership. In looking back at Lamen's and Lemuel's actions murmuring always preceded their anger.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">And their anger clouded their ability to feel their father's or the Lord's love. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zc27_SxsIqo/UZIq0KXhjcI/AAAAAAABlzU/biKAeMN8A5c/s1600/chickadee+flying+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zc27_SxsIqo/UZIq0KXhjcI/AAAAAAABlzU/biKAeMN8A5c/s200/chickadee+flying+.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A chickadee flits toward the feeder</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">The Lord's love is long and merciful. Unlike the cruelty of nature where when a young bird refuses his parents council he perishes, the Lord's mercy is long and true. Lehi knew his sons were far from feeling the Lord's love and yet he blessed them that they would not perish. He knew that they would need experiences to bring them to a full understanding of his love for them and that they would not hear or understand what it was he so wanted them to learn. He understood that their eternal existence depended on their ability to learn and take instruction. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Once we learn to take instruction from the Lord, taking it from others is not a threat or a compromise of power. Our love for one another and the Lord's greater plan of happiness precedes our insecurities and gives us hope and security in what we cannot otherwise know. As the Lord admonishes those whom he loves we too are to love one another in a like manner. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">The Lord has instructed us to admonish one another. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: justify;">14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: justify;">Romans 15:13-14</span></blockquote>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Even those who refuse to listen, or obey:</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. </span><span style="line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.</span><span style="line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">2 Thessalonians 3:14-15</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: justify;">And of course I loved this last verse because it reminds me of my beloved Chickadee family that when they are not taking instruction or squawking about their reprimands they are singing to one another and me with "grace in ...their... hearts to the Lord." </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.818181991577148px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><i><a class="bookmark-anchor dontHighlight" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1943020487912844322" name="16" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #486fae; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"> </a>Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16</i></span></span> </blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A chipping sparrow admonishes us with his stare. </td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a joyful song the birds do sing. </span></i></span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such gladness to my heart they bring. </span></i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of wisdom and song they counsel youth</span></i></span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">with hymns of praise, words of truth.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">L.Conkey Shaw Copyright May 2013 </span></i></span><br />
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L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-75837528863504866542013-04-06T20:37:00.000-04:002013-04-06T20:38:43.713-04:00The Atonement of Jesus Christ: The Best Victory of all. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TYKtvx_linA/UWC3tL5gwXI/AAAAAAABk7I/qfy18wKnmJQ/s1600/IMG_0428_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TYKtvx_linA/UWC3tL5gwXI/AAAAAAABk7I/qfy18wKnmJQ/s400/IMG_0428_1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My daughter coaching her Lacrosse Team</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I was asked to speak on the atonement and its relevance to the Book of Mormon. I chose to use a sports metaphor as I believed it would reach the younger crowd in our ward.</i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Choose your Sport </b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2001, we moved to Georgia. Our daughter, who is now 28 was
then a Junior in High School. When she discovered that her new High School did
not have her beloved sport of Lacrosse.. she was not happy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While investigating the possibility of starting a Lacrosse
team, she was instructed(by her ex pro physician Dr. Kosobucki) that in the south there were only three sports. 1.
Football 2. Football and 3. Football. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I tell you this because sports play an important role in our
lives. For young people maturing and growing in our society they teach the
importance of rules and laws. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sports help teach the concept that rules help us achieve
goals. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sports also teach us how to feel the joy of winning.. and how
to handle the agony of loss. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are numerous analogies that be drawn between sports
and the game we call life. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Heavenly Father's Plan </b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Life however is not a game. Rules that are broken lead to players
being sidelined or even being permanently removed, ie. death. There are no rain delays and certainly
no tiebreakers in the game we call mortality. Mortality offers us no eternal security. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like the coaches that establish rules, draw up game plans
and put key players into the game, our Heavenly Father has given us eternal
laws, designed a plan of happiness for us and even given us a key player that
insures us joy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Games and sports allow for only one winner and many losers. Heavenly
Father’s plan of Eternal Happiness, however, was designed that all might know
the joy of success. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>A Key Play: The Atonement </b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This eternal plan of happiness as the Book of Mormon prophet
Alma called it (Alma 42:8), is otherwise known as the atonement. Jesus Christ
is the star and key player. Prophets both living and ancient bear witness of
his divinity, of his role in helping us all learn how to practice and find
eternal joy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Atonement in the Book of Mormon: Law </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Book of Mormon prophet
Lehi understood he could not travel into the wilderness of a new land without
the laws that taught of Jesus Christ’s divine mission and role in God’s Plan of
Happiness. Without the brass plates he would not be able to teach of his
father’s eternal covenants with God, of past prophets testimonies, of the Ten
Commandments, or of God’s love. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 1 Nephi 4:15 we read
:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Yea, and I also
thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the
law of Moses, save they should have the law.</i></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lehi was the first
prophet of the Book of Mormon to testify to the divinity of Jesus Christ’s role
in the Great Plan of Happiness. The Book of Mormon has multiple prophets
that testify of the atonement of Jesus Christ. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<b>GamePlan: Atonement</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The prophet Jacob
asked, </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“Why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect
knowledge of </i><i>him?” (Jacob 4:12)</i></blockquote>
<br />
<b>Kay Player: Jesus Christ </b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The brother of Jared shared the savior’s words to him : In
Ether 3:14 we read: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the
world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. </i></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To the list of Book of Mormon prophets who testified of Jesus
Christ and his divine atonement we can add Zenock, Neum, and Zenos ( 1 Nephi
19:10). King Benjamin, Alma the
Elder, Alma the Younger, Amulek, the sons of Mosiah, Captain Moroni, the
brothers Nephi and Lehi, Samuel the Lamanite, Enos, Jarom, Amaron, and Amaleki also
testified of the atonement.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Book of Mormon – another testament of Jesus Christ – contains
6,607 verses. 3,925 refer to Jesus Christ. It references the Savior’s atonement 39 times and speaks of
the resurrection of Jesus Christ 81 times. When you consider that Jesus Christ
is it’s principal character there can be little mistake that the Book of Mormon
makes the solemn declaration that Jesus is the Christ, our Savior and Redeemer.
<i>(A Testimony of the Book of Mormon)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of my favorite prophets is the courageous Abinadi. He
gives us a good understanding of the relationship between living the rules (law
of Moses) and in utilizing the atonement of Jesus Christ. After prophesying the people’s
destruction, he has been taken before the courts of King Noah to be questioned..
To Noah’s priest’s, Abinadi taught and testified: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>And again he
said unto them: If ye teach the law of Moses why do ye not keep it? Mosiah 12:29-31</i></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Noah and his priests soon are ready to be done with Abinadi,
but Abinadi is filled with the spirit of God and cannot be touched. He then
recites to them the Law of the Ten Commandments and tells them they are not
living them, nor are they written on their hearts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He continues to explain the atonement to them. From Mosiah 13: 27-28 we read: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come
by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall
make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably
perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.</i></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Mosiah
15:1-7 Abinadi continues: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"><i> </i></span><!--[endif]--><i>I would that ye should understand that God
himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.</i><i>And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the
children of men, he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming
subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of
the Father. </i></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><b> Mercy and Mistakes</b></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In learning how to play a sport mistakes are inevitable. And
mistakes ensure both a winner and a looser. Shots will be missed, fouls
incurred, rules and boundaries broken, and we might even score a goal for the
wrong team.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In life we
might commit what we perceive as an unforgivable sin, a no win situation, but
as Elder Marcus B. Nash of the Seventy points out, <i>“through the infinite
Atonement, God has provided a means whereby we can both overcome our sins and
become completely clean again. This is made possible by the eternal law of
mercy. Mercy satisfies the claims of justice through our repentance and power
of the Atonement. Without the power of the Atonement and our complete
repentance, we are subject to the law of justice. (</i>2006 April General
Conference, The Great Plan of Happiness)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Additionally Alma taught that “mercy claimeth the penitent”
(Alma 42:23) and that the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only
on conditions of repentance.” (Alma 42:13).<b> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Russel M. Nelson said that, “The resurrected Lord taught,
"This is the gospel which I have given unto you--that I came into the
world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me." (3 Ne.
27:13. Then He amplified that one-sentence definition: "My Father sent me
that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up
upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me." (3 Ne. 27:14) This unique mortal mission of the
Lord--the gospel as He defined it--we know as the Atonement., (<i>A Testimony of
the Book of Mormon Russel M. Nelson.)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The personal ministry of the resurrected Lord to people of
ancient America bears an unmistakable testimony of the Savior’s mission. To them He made this revelatory
announcement: "Behold, I am
Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all
things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. . . . ". . . The scriptures concerning
my coming are fulfilled. . . .
"I am the light and the life of the world. . . . ". . . Whoso cometh unto me with a
broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the
Holy Ghost. . . . ". . . I have
come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from
sin. "Therefore, whoso repenteth
and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the
kingdom of God. . . . I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again;
therefore repent, and come unto me, . . . and be saved." (3 Ne. 9:15-16,
18, 20-22) 1999 October General Conference, <i>(A Testimony of the Book of Mormon)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WCCE4glkPT0/UWC7CcGRcVI/AAAAAAABk7Q/z4xvJO5_CXU/s1600/DSC_2392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WCCE4glkPT0/UWC7CcGRcVI/AAAAAAABk7Q/z4xvJO5_CXU/s400/DSC_2392.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temp View High State Lacrosse Champs. My son as their coach. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have watched my children participate in many sport events.
Some they have even coached and refereed for. I have witnessed their joy when
the scoreboard favored their team. I have wiped away tears when it did not. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Of all the victories that I hope my children will
understand and strive to win, I hope they will seek the victory of eternal life
that comes through the atonement of Jesus Christ. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jacob taught that without the
atonement we might all be like the losers on the sport field. We might all be
lost.He said: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>And
this is not all—it has been made manifest unto me, for I have heard and seen;
by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, I know if there should be no
atonement made all mankind must be lost. Jacob 7:12</i></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-txWzz1oq1Bc/UWC9qHJuqoI/AAAAAAABk7Y/cpHSCEukHpU/s1600/ATT039986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-txWzz1oq1Bc/UWC9qHJuqoI/AAAAAAABk7Y/cpHSCEukHpU/s400/ATT039986.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Book of Mormon testifies not only of the atonement, but
of its infinite power to bring us joy, no matter what the score board might
read. Through the Savior’s example of mercy and charity we all are given the power
to lift not only ourselves up to a happier state, but to also offer that same
score to our fellow saints and teammates. The atonement of Jesus Christ offers a
win win situation. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I bear witness that there is a power of goodness and healing that comes from reading the Book of Mormon. I believe this power stems from the pureness of God's atoning love and from the witness that is brings to us, the covenant people of Israel. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the name of Jesus Christ Amen. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-76975728484933196712013-02-18T14:16:00.001-05:002013-02-21T21:52:04.410-05:00"he will be merciful unto you..forever" 2 Nephi 4: 1-12<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WBH0njepXtU/USJ57o6U9cI/AAAAAAABkSA/-6jJMRVcjyo/s1600/4621011_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WBH0njepXtU/USJ57o6U9cI/AAAAAAABkSA/-6jJMRVcjyo/s400/4621011_orig.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lehi speaking to Laman and Lemuel in the Valley and by the River</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I cannot comprehend the love that Lehi must have felt for his son Laman, his first born. I can try but I am sure I will not come close. The love a parent feels for a child stands within its own realm. The love between father and son can be one of the greatest known to man. <br />
<br />
While reading the first verses of 2 Nephi 4, I was struck at the imposition Laman's behavior puts Lehi in. I was struck even more by how he manages to maintain his integrity of faith and still express his love for his firstborn son. Lehi understood that the love he felt for God could only magnify the love he felt for his son. A love and life that began in Jerusalem.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LhUtcpdGH3E/USJ6Oz-ydpI/AAAAAAABkSQ/-uvgzH9T1vk/s1600/lehi+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LhUtcpdGH3E/USJ6Oz-ydpI/AAAAAAABkSQ/-uvgzH9T1vk/s400/lehi+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Lehi's life before he left Jerusalem - what was it like? While we can really only give supposition to most of the facts, we do know that he had great wealth. (1 Ne 3:22-24) That this wealth did not bring him joy can be deduced from his desire to forsake it and find security in the God of Abraham. Although we don't know much that occurred before his prophetic call, we do not that after his call (1 Ne 1:6) he finds great joy in the Lord. So great was this joy that he describes it as being "encircled about eternally in the arms of His love."(2 Ne 1:15) All he wants is for his "seed", like Joseph of Egypt's "seed"(2 Ne 4:2) to have the same joy and peace. He wants his son to know of God's love as he has known of God's love.<br />
<br />
God's love is like that. It's joyful. It's life changing. When I read the scriptures and feel of their power, when I pray and feel of God's love in my life, all I want is for those I love to feel of it as I do. What I want most is to share the joy. Lehi's life changed and he only wanted to share the joy with Laman.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ym-l8n9r-Vo/USJ5OjH0diI/AAAAAAABkR4/Q2kPNdM3evk/s1600/Angel+Stopping+Laman+and+Lemuel.4-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ym-l8n9r-Vo/USJ5OjH0diI/AAAAAAABkR4/Q2kPNdM3evk/s320/Angel+Stopping+Laman+and+Lemuel.4-07.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Angel speaking to Laman and Lemuel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But how can Lehi convince Laman? Laman and Lemuel's behavior has caused great discontent, guilt, grievous sorrow, and even the promise of a curse. (1 Ne 2:23)<br />
<br />
The promise of this curse came not through Lehi, but rather through Lehi's youngest son Nephi, who like Lehi had "great desires" and a "softened heart"(1 Ne 2:16). His belief caused him to speak to his brothers about their behavior and to then hear God's word. Nephi, not Lehi is promised that if his brothers rebel against him the Lord will "curse them even with a sore curse" (1 Ne 2:23).<br />
<br />
Lehi must have taken Nephi's prophetic news with great disheartenment. He must have felt great sorrow with regards to the family discord. To suppose that the sibling rift was such that even his own impending death does little to convince them. Despite his disappointment he uses his faith to bestow blessings of promise upon his son. Despite his sorrow, he uses the power of prayer to sustain his faith and calls on the strength and promises of the prophets before him. (2 Ne 4:2)<br />
<br />
After reading the prophecies of Joseph of Egypt concerning his own seed, (Nephi tells us that "there are not many greater," ) Lehi wants to do as Joseph did and leave a blessing upon the heads of all of his children.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Lehi understood the Lord makes covenants with those who love him and that the Lord's blessings and promises are sure. He calls his sons forth and bids them to listen.<br />
<br />
As he contemplated the blessing he would give to Laman, Laman's contentious past must have given Lehi much pause. How many times had he and Laman and even a few of the sons of Ismael bound Nephi? or beat Nephi? or openly rebelled against Lehi? How often had he tried to teach them with his words? Only the fear of death and destruction keep them from returning to Jerusalem.<br />
<br />
Yet Lehi loved Laban. He was his first born. He was his son. He was his seed. He loved him and wanted only to bless him with the goodness of the Lord's love.<br />
<br />
This is where I realized that the love of Heavenly Father becomes our supreme example. Lehi realizes that he has taught them well. He quotes Proverbs 22:6 and tells them:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JYxZ--FGaDo/USJ8BqyCReI/AAAAAAABkSY/p8GyQGCnkeI/s1600/7357659588_85072987dc_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JYxZ--FGaDo/USJ8BqyCReI/AAAAAAABkSY/p8GyQGCnkeI/s400/7357659588_85072987dc_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I cannot go down to my grave save I should leave a blessing upon you; for behold, I know that if ye are brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it.</blockquote>
He draws on the hope of his and Sarah's parenting skills. He draws on the hope of his love and concern for his son. But what if Nephi is right? What if Laman's choices have caused him to be cursed and cut off?<br />
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This is when I realized that even the best intentioned parent cannot ensure their children's salvation. Life is a gift that we receive from our parents, but salvation is a choice we make for ourselves. Aware that he can't ensure Laman's salvation, Lehi seeks to buy him more time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Israel blessing Ephraim. Joseph is standing</td></tr>
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Lehi was aware of the many prophetic covenants within his family line. He was aware of the Lord's own promises to him. His love for his own son is such that he does not wish him to be "cut off from "the Lord's" presence." (2 Ne 4:4) His love is such that all of his days he has tried to bring him "up in the way" in such a way that he would "not depart from it." (vs 5) Yet what if Lehi had erred? What if the guilt lay upon the parent? What if while in Jerusalem he had not taught Laman all that was required?<br />
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Lehi 's love was such that he accepts the curse upon his own head. He says in verse 6<br />
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If ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents." </blockquote>
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The mercy he feels for is own son is akin to the mercy that had been extended to him by an all loving God. For what does our Father in Heaven do for us, but say that if we will but come unto him all that we have done wrong can be answered through the atonement of Jesus Christ?<br />
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Lehi is not sure if Laman will be "cut off." He can not be sure about Laman's future choices and if he will bring a cursing upon his own head. Likewise he cannot be sure as to who to put the blame of Laman's transgressions, but he can and does know that the Lord's promises to Lehi are sure. So he promises Laman and all of his children, that they will not perish, but rather "He will be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever."<br />
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The power of this blessing comes not from the fact that Laman's actions ensured his destruction, but rather that the love of Lehi for God ensured his existence. Lehi is aware of the difference.<br />
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He bestows the same blessing upon Lemuel's seed and then states "thou shalt not utterly be destroyed." To Nephi and Sam he promises that they will be "blessed in all thy days." The contrast between the two older sons blessings with their younger siblings seems small, but a lifetime of experience proves it to be much greater.<br />
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To the elder is given "mercy ...forever" and the promise of not being destroyed." To the younger the promise of the land and a blessing of "all they days."<br />
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Why couldn't Lehi simply bless all of his sons with great promises from the Lord? Security? Eternal life? Joy? Peace? Because it was not his to give. As a patriarch he is bound by the promises of the Lord. These promises come to those who desire to dwell within the Lord's presence. They come to those whose actions prove their love.<br />
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That Lehi loved his sons is apparent. That he worried about the err of their way is also apparent. As a prophet of God and a father what a wonderful blessing he gives to all of his sons. What a wonderful blessing of mercy he gives to those who have not yet comprehended the love of God.<br />
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I am grateful to have understood this aspect of Lehi's love. I am glad to have mercy extended to me and feel certain that Laman and Lemuel shared a love for their father, if only for the promise of mercy that he extends to them. What a blessing it is to see this mercy fulfilled later within the pages of the Book of Mormon. Jacob points out a time when Laman's children were "more righteous" than the Nephites (3 Ne 10:18). After Christ visited the continent there was even at time when the seed of Lehi shared no contention between them. (4 Ne 1:2).<br />
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<br />L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-74562902921757786532013-01-25T14:53:00.001-05:002013-01-26T12:58:49.713-05:00Like Father Lehi 1 Nephi - 2 Nephi<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UnGmzEgO_EQ/UQC5i07V-pI/AAAAAAABkM4/s5V9UvcJE7s/s1600/lehidetl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UnGmzEgO_EQ/UQC5i07V-pI/AAAAAAABkM4/s5V9UvcJE7s/s640/lehidetl.jpg" width="462" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawing by <a href="http://www.lds-images.com/detail.asp?iType=32&iPic=605">Chris White </a><br />
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Everyday I see new evidence that the Lord loves us -Really loves us. He has promised that if we will ask, with sincerity, that he will never leave us alone and that he will protect us and guide us to our promised land -like he did Lehi. In my class tonight we discussed this very principle. We talked about prophets and how the Lord uses prophets to establish his Kingdom on the earth. We talked about Lehi and how we can be like Lehi. </div>
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We learned that prophets teach us about spiritual truths, bear testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ and write the word of God into what we call Holy Scripture. Through prophets we have the power and authority given to men to act in God's name for the salvation of his children - the priesthood. They teach us wonderful patterns of behavior and principles of truth: like prayer, revelation, forgiveness, patience, temperance, etc. Prophets help us understand our relationship to God as we seek to obtain eternal life. The relationship between God and his prophets is a good one to model after. </div>
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So I asked the class to read the first few books of Nephi and to look for Lehi's relationship with the Lord. I found a few clues that I thought were pretty good, but as is usually the case when the spirit of God takes over the lesson, together we all found some that surprised us. And tonight the teacher became the student. </div>
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<b>Not a Prophet?</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As a Jewish merchant and citizen of Jerusalem <br />
Lehi listened to the many prophets as they <br />
testified of Jerusalem's destruction. </td></tr>
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As we listed many of Lehi's roles and characteristics on the board, one sister said, "and he wasn't a prophet." I asked her why she believed this and she described very accurately how he had been listening to the prophets prophesy, so how could he be a prophet? Okay... I didn't see that before. So we read on and discovered that indeed, in the beginning of his story, before he left Jerusalem, he was a merchant, a father, a Jew, a citizen of Jerusalem, a student of Hebrew but he probably was not always a prophet. Wow. </div>
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<b>Called to be a prophet</b> </div>
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But he believed the prophets! That set him apart. And because he believed, he gained a conviction to follow the pattern that prophets follow. He had to ask. So (if) he wasn't a prophet in verse 5 when he knelt by the rock and prayed "with all of his heart, in behalf of his people," certainly by verse 6 when he beheld a pillar of fire, he was on his way. I don't know about you, but I have never seen a pillar of fire "dwell" before me on a rock when I prayed. I believe this was his calling. God needed him to do what only Lehi could do. He would be called in his dispensation to lead a nation to a promised land. </div>
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We talked about the unlikeliness of being called as a prophet. Don't think so. But still there are things that we are called to do that only we can do. Things that the Lord knows. So no matter who we think we are, our wealth, our station, our place in life, God made it plain to Lehi that he knew who Lehi was and that there was a work meant solely for Lehi to do. Are we any different? Does God not have a job for each of us? A job that only we can do that will change the course of our family's life?</div>
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<b>Prayerful </b></div>
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Prayer - sincere heartfelt prayer - can open the heavens. Lehi was so filled with the spirit of God because of all he heard and saw, in answer to his prayer, that he trembled. Soon he had to go home. When he got home he fell on his bed and had a vision. His spirit had been touched by the truth of testimony and he had to know. He had to pray and ask for himself. And when he prayed he found out that God had a lot more in store for him than he might have thought. But mostly he found out that God loved him and that he didn't have to perish with all of Jerusalem. But .. he would have to share his new knowledge. and that's where life began to change for him and his family. </div>
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<b>Filled with the Spirit of Revelation </b></div>
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At home he was thus so “overcome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen, that he was carried away into a "vision.” (vs7-8) While caught up in his vision in which he sees God and his apostles, he is given a book that foretells of Jerusalem's destruction. He rejoices that he will not have to be destroyed. Why? Because he knows the truth. And now that he knows the truth he can obediently follow God's spiritual direction that will lead him to a promised land. </div>
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He thus had his confirmation of prophesy concerning the people and place that he had called home his entire life.</div>
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Later the Liahona is given to Lehi to direct their travels. Like a compass it worked strictly by the power of revelation and the Holy Spirit. When Lehi fails to ask God, the Liahona fails to work. Lehi was the only one who could use it. Not even Nephi could usurp his father in this calling as a prophet to interpret the direction his people were to travel.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L6Z1A9uWm34/UQLe963ymYI/AAAAAAABkNc/nUVghGD4NXY/s1600/lehi+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L6Z1A9uWm34/UQLe963ymYI/AAAAAAABkNc/nUVghGD4NXY/s200/lehi+%25281%2529.jpg" width="174" /></a><b>Goodly Parent <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Lets back it up a bit. Lehi was also a goodly parent, (1 Nephi 1:1) who taught his sons and particularly Nephi knowledge and the culture and learning of the Jews
through Egyptian Hebrew(1 N 1:2). He cared about the welfare of his family. He cared about the welfare of his neighbors. He questioned. He asked. He listened. He received. He educated his family and he worried about what would become of them. He was a father filled with great love and dedication to his family. Else why would he have prayed? If his heart was not set on the things of an eternal nature, why would he have cared?</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UgiYRurvqQs/UQLe-NZi2fI/AAAAAAABkNg/PllFfUL-o2c/s1600/lehi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><b>Dreamer and Visionary- <o:p></o:p></b><b>A Prophet </b></div>
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So in our class we talked about what makes a prophet a prophet. Lehi had asked to know. And when he asked God gave him: a pillar of fire, the spirit of God, a vision, revelation, understanding, a book that filled him with the Spirit, dreams, and knowledge about how our actions affect the paths that we are on. There are many of us who dream but this does not make us a prophet. Dreams need the power of revelation to be interpreted in truth. As a literal descendent of Joseph of Egypt, his propensity for vision and dreams came naturally. </div>
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Lehi's dreams and his visions give him guidance and strength in truth. Through his dreams and visions we learn of the tree of life, the dark and dreary wastelands, the large and spacious buildings, the iron rod, the book of life, God and his twelve apostles, the tender mercies of the Lord, the need to depart and travel towards the promised land, and many other truths.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UgiYRurvqQs/UQLe-NZi2fI/AAAAAAABkNg/PllFfUL-o2c/s1600/lehi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UgiYRurvqQs/UQLe-NZi2fI/AAAAAAABkNg/PllFfUL-o2c/s320/lehi.jpg" width="272" /></a>Lehi accepted his call to be a prophet when he courageously shared all that he had learned with anyone who would hear. Even though they had stoned and killed the prophets before him, he was not afraid. He understood that the "tender mercies" would give him "the power of deliverance." (vs 20) The revealed truth of God is powerful. It moved Lehi to change. It moves us all to change. It is the basis for the gospel of Jesus Christ. </div>
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<b>Grateful </b></div>
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Lehi reverenced God. His reverence for God and his omnipotent power is expressed in verse 14 and 15 when upon the realization of his Father’s love for him he extols his gratitude and praise upon God. He realizes God's love, power, goodness and mercy for him. He understands that God will not "suffer those who come unto 'him' that they shall perish." (1N1:14) As long as he gives all of his faith and obedience to God, God will protect him from destruction - destruction from stoning or from the destruction of Jerusalem. Who wouldn't be grateful at the realization of this source of eternal life?</div>
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<b>Optimistic</b></div>
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It was pointed out to me that Lehi, through all of his difficulties in Jerusalem, in prophesying, in leading his family always looked forward to where they were going. He didn't get bogged down with where they had been, where they were, or the problems they faced. (Okay he did murmur once when Nephi broke his bow. He was hungry(1N1:6)) Lehi's constant communication with the Lord kept him happy and optimistic about life. (My favorite prophet has always been President Gordan B. Hinckley because he exuded the epitome of optimism.) Even before his death Lehi could only bless his children with positive words of hope and prosperity. He is a man who gives full credence tot he promises that God has given him. His seed - though they will have difficulty - will not be utterly destroyed because God had made him a promise. </div>
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<b>Faithful and Obedient -</b></div>
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The first thing he does upon leaving Jerusalem and setting up camp is to build an altar to God and offer sacrifice and worship. (1 N 2:1) Religious rites keep our minds and bodies obedient to the laws of heaven. Lehi shows his obedience in many ways. I have to believe that he, like Nephi, was also of goodly parents who taught him the importance of strict obedience and respect for God's higher laws. </div>
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<b>Compassion and Sorrow<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Is it possible to have Godly mercy extended to you and you yourself not want to do the same for others? Lehi knew that all he had heard was true and he wanted to help
protect those with whom he lived and did business with, those with whom he had
grown old with and raised his family with. But he was mocked and “cast out” (vs
20). In 2 N 1:17 we learn that his heart was sorrowful for the fear that his family would be cut off and destroyed forever. I imagine it was difficult for him to learn that his children did not share his deep understanding of God's love. </div>
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<b>Family Problems<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Even Sariah murmured and two of his sons were disrespectful and rude. Were they not taught like Nephi? Sariah called him a visionary man and complained, but Lehi comforted her. He did not rebuke her. He did not become frustrated and distraught, he comforted her. He was a good husband and a strong family leader. Why? Because he drew his strength from his undeniable faith in God. Consider what he has asked Sariah to do? </div>
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<li>Leave the only home they had ever known. </li>
<li>Leave their family and friends,</li>
<li>Leave their material possessions, wealth, clothing </li>
<li>Bear at least two more sons in the wilderness, away from the strength of community</li>
<li>Travel to an unknown destination </li>
<li>Make your sons return at the peril of their lives to retrieve a book of history</li>
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Now consider how he can convince her and his sons that this is the right thing to do. He has no visual aid, no map, no travel guide, no plan. He only has his faith in God and this is what he must use to comfort and lead his family. </div>
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<b>Scribe</b></div>
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Lehi wrote. (1N1:16) The
Lord commanded him to write and keep records of all that he had seen and heard
and bear testimony of it. His record known as the plates of Lehi were first
given to Joseph Smith and were part of the original small plates of Nephi. The information on these plates were
very similar to accounts given in the other sections of the small plates of
Nephi so that when Martin Harris looses these plates of Lehi, the Lord does not
have Joseph Smith re-translate them.
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His words were lost to the world. 2430 years after he leaves Jerusalem, the Lord restores them as the Book of Mormon and they act as a second witness to Jeremiah, the prophet of his time. Though we do not have the actual words, Joseph Smith was told that the essence of their teachings were contained in the other books of Nephi. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-stnbe39i348/UQLe9nYf30I/AAAAAAABkNY/-zgzBlAqwp0/s1600/lehi-nephi-mormon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-stnbe39i348/UQLe9nYf30I/AAAAAAABkNY/-zgzBlAqwp0/s400/lehi-nephi-mormon.jpg" width="287" /></a> <b>Leader <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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He understood what would be needed for their trek in the
wilderness to the promised land. He was not leaving for fear for his life. He
was leaving because the Lord commanded him to so that the Lord might preserve
him and his family. As a leader of
a family he knew that they would need more than food and water and shelter to
survive. They would need hope of a better tomorrow. This would come from the
brass plates that contained the record of the Jews ( or the 1<sup>st</sup> five
books of the books of Moses .ie.
the Torah).</div>
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Leaders are not inherently strong, they receive strength from somewhere. Lehi's strength in leadership came from his deep understanding of scripture. Upon receiving the Brass plates, the first thing he does is to search them. (1 Neph 5:10.) Upon seeing the book in his vision, he reads it and is filled with the spirit of God. As a leader he understood the power of positive
reinforcement and he rehearses to his family the many things the Lord has done.
(2N 1:1). He understood the need of physical provisions so he had his family pack seed of every kind. (1 N 8:1) He was humble and did not take credit for that which was God's. His humble submission to God's will gave him problem solving skills, insight, the ability to know the future, and how to comfort those whose faith was not like unto his own. </div>
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<b>Patriarch/Historian</b></div>
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As a patriarch he gave all of his children blessings, much like the tradition of Israel. As a historian and genealogist he recounted his family history to his children often. He understood the need for a people to have and share a common story. The rich culture of the plates of brass gave him a rich heritage from which to teach his children as well as the lineage of his family. I was surprised to realize that Lehi had most likely never read the fullness of the brass plates before. Even though Laban was his cousin, he had kept the plates but had not shared their significance nor their faith value. </div>
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Lehi understood the need for the power of revelation. He understood that revelation begets revelation and that his ability to follow the Lord's guidance through the wilderness would require him to have the power of scripture. His life changed when he took that first step to listen, to learn, to live and to lead others to the gospel of Jesus Christ. </div>
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We too can be like Lehi. We too can search the scriptures and harvest from them not just the stories but the power of revelation that lives within them. We too can accept the tender mercies of the Lord and receive the protection that comes to them that follow him.(1N1:20) We too can be like Lehi and find our own promises of the Lord. We can find our own promised land of truth and peace and prosperity. We can look for the patterns of the prophets, the peace that exudes from their words and their actions, and we can use the conviction of truth to change what needs to be changed in our own lives. </div>
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Lehi has many notable characteristics. I am sure that others will find many more in the few verses that describe his relationship with God and his family. I am sure that as they do they will discover the power and wonder revelation brings into our lives. What a wonder it is that God loves us enough to call prophets who can see what we cannot. What a blessing it is to behold the Kingdom of God here on earth, to witness in the lives of those who testify. What a wonder God's love is to behold. </div>
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Today I am thankful, like Lehi, for God's merciful love for me. And I too want to share. I want to try to be like the prophets that first inspired Lehi. I want to try to be like Father Lehi.</div>
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L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-11990045757439441892013-01-15T22:05:00.000-05:002013-01-16T17:37:06.773-05:00ye shall prosper 2 Nephi 4:4 <div class="sblk" style="background-color: white;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper<br />
and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth 3 John 1:2</td></tr>
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<span class="ssens"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Prosper:</span></i></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i><i> Verb: to succeed in an enterprise or activity; especially : to acheive economic success; to become strong and flourishing, (14th century) From Middle English, Anglo-French prosperer, from Latin prosperare to cause to succeed, from prosperus favorable. flourish, thrive, do well, bloom, blossom, burgeon, progress, do all right for oneself, get ahead, get on, be successful; </i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A few weeks ago I gave a lesson in church on a talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland entitled <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/the-first-great-commandment?lang=eng"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: initial;">"</span><span style="color: blue;">The First Great Commandment.</span><span style="color: blue;">"</span></a> Elder Holland expounded on the feelings and thoughts of Peter just after the Savior's crucifixion. His words helped me understand the deepness of the Savior's love. He lived his life to set a pattern, and example for Peter (and me) to follow. He helped Peter learn about the power that we receive when we live our life for God and others. After the Savior ascended into Heaven for the last time, Peter was in charge of the young church. Peter had only the Holy Ghost and the experiences he had shared with the Savior to guide him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My studies led me to ponder and consider Peter's life as a follower of Christ. Elder Holland explains that the Savior had died and Peter did not know what to do, so he went fishing (<span style="color: blue;">John 21:3</span>) Like a scene from three years prior, the disciples joined Peter in the boat and all that night they caught nothing. In the morning the Savior walked on the shore but the disciples did not know who he was. He instructed them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. Again, like the three years previous, their nets were so full they could not draw them in.(John 21:6) Clearly the Lord knew how to fish.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Upon recognition of his Savior, Peter leaps from the boat to share a most joyous reunion. They count their 153 fish and then the Savior asks him, "Peter do you love me?" Peter answers three times in the affirmative. (John 21:15) And here is where Elder Holland's talk struck me. Here is where Elder Holland with great emotion in his voice, elaborates, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="color: #2f393a;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>“Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish? </i></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We all want fish. We like all of God's creations need fish, a means to live by. Peter was a fisherman. He fished. It was what he knew. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So how do we meter out the efforts that we must give to finding our fish of prosperity <i>and</i> serving the Lord? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What is prosperity? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I know this is one of the words we all read and it seems like a "no brainer." We all seek it. We need it in order to procure security. And the scriptures make it clear that the Lord wants us to have it. He has made a way for us to find true prosperity. We must only obey him? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But then I thought about all of the people I know who have prosperity and wealth but don't know God. What's that all about? Why don't they have to follow the commandments to find <i>wealth</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So I searched through the scriptures looking for all that I felt would help answer my questions. As I did the words Elder Holland believed the Savior might have said rang in my head. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"If I want fish, I can get fish." <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Lord of the earth is in charge, for "the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." (Psalm 24:1) And the "riches of the earth are 'his' to give;" (D&C38: 38-39) All he "requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.” (Mosiah 2:22) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I thought about this a bit and realized that wealth, riches and prosperity may not be the same thing? When we prosper we grow, we succeed in all aspects of our life. We have peace. Remember the psalmist who said, “Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.…Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.(Psalm 122:7-9) Most who seek wealth without God cannot find peace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">David spoke of the prosperity of the wicked in his 73 Psalm. He says they "prosper in the world" and are "un-godly" as they "increase in riches." <a href="http://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/ps/73?lang=eng"><span style="color: blue;">(Psalms 73:2-12)</span></a>. Nephi speaks about prosperity when he admonishes those who are "rich as to the things of the world," because they will "despise the poor, persecute the meek, and their hearts are on their treasures." He says, "<i>their treasure is their god</i>. And behold their treasure shall perish with them." (2Nephi 9:30) And Jeremiah asks us if the wicked do prosper? He asks, wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?" <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The difference is not what prosperity brings you, but what you love in order to obtain it, or what you love after you obtain it. Jacob taught us about perspective when he said, “But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.” (Jacob 2:18) And to the prophet Joseph Smith the Lord taught, “And if ye seek riches which it is the will of the Father to give unto you, ye shall be the richest of all people, for ye shall have the riches of eternity; and it must be that the riches of the earth are mine to give; but beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old. (D&C 38:38-39) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Pride in our wealth, in our success, in our station destroys our prosperity – it destroys our peace. When we love God first, we love others more than wealth, we love the joy and the feeling that comes from helping those in need more than we love the possessions our wealth brings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">President James E. Faust in his talk “What’s in it for me” reminded us the pitfalls of covetous pride.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Savior warned us, as recorded in the book of Luke: "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.</span></span></blockquote>
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<span class="ssens"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Luke 12:15-21)</span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">2002 October General Conference, What's in It for Me?</span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></i></span></blockquote>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Now when I think of prosperity as I read about it in the scriptures, I will not merely think of the acquisition of wealth and power. Prosperity- in my mind – has come to represent not only security and success but also the peace that comes from living a life filled with truth, integrity, service and gratitude toward God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Wealth does not always equal prosperity, and prosperity does not always equal wealth. Prosperous people are happy people. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> David teaches us that "Happy is that people,... yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.(Psalm 144:15) And John says "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."(3 John 1:1-2)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And they are happy not because of their temporal prosperity but because of their deeper understanding of spiritual joys. They are able to understand the eternal treasures that await those who learn to love God and eternity more than the riches of the earth. Alma explains this to his son Helaman.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>43 And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) <u>they did not prosper;</u> even so it is with things which are spiritual.</i></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.</i></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.</i></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>46 O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.</i></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>47 And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see that <u>ye look to God and live. </u>Go unto this people and declare the word, and be sober. My son, farewell.</i></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Alma 37:43-47</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span class="ssens">Prosperity then is not to be measured by our collected wealth, but rather by our desire to "look to God and live." I know that when I am looking toward my God and all the wisdom he desires to teach me, I have a wealth greater than all the riches the earth can bring. I have friendship. I have a feeling of peace that comes from helping others and I the strength and love of my family. Trust and integrity grow plentiful in my life and the lives of my children are not set upon the things of this world, but upon the prosperity that only God's love can bring. </span><br />
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<span class="ssens">For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall <u><i>prosper in the land;</i></u> and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence <b>2 Nephi 4:4</b></span><br />
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<span class="ssens">And now I, Mormon, would that ye should know that the people had multiplied, insomuch that they were spread upon all the face of the land, and that they had become exceedingly rich, because of their <u><i>prosperity in Christ</i></u>.</span><br />
<span class="ssens"><b>4 Nephi 1:23</b></span><br />
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest <u><i>prosper whithersoever thou goest</i></u>. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><b>Joshua 1:7</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">Behold, do ye not remember the words which he spake unto Lehi, saying that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall<u><i> prosper in the land?</i></u> And again it is said that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><b>Alma 9:13</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">I give unto you this privilege, this once; and behold, if you proceed to do the things which I have laid before you, according to my commandments, all these things are mine, <u><i>and ye are my stewards, and the master will not suffer his house to be broken up.</i></u> Even so. Amen </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><b>D&C 104:86</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may <i><u>prosper in all that ye do</u></i> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><b>Deuteronomy 29:8-9</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that <i><u>thou mayest prosper </u></i>in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><b>1 Kings 2:3</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">11 Now, my son, the Lord be with thee; and <i><u>prosper thou</u></i>, and build the house of the Lord thy God, as he hath said of thee</span></span><br />
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">12 Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God</span></span><br />
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">13 Then <i><u>shalt thou prosper</u></i>, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.</span></span><br />
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><b>1 Chronicles 22:-1-13</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">12 When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory: but when the wicked rise, a man is hidden</span></span><br />
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">13 He that covereth his sins <u><i>shall not prosper:</i></u> but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. <b> </b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><b>Proverbs 28:12-13</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">11 But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; <i><u>for they shall not prosper:</u></i> their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><b>Jeremiah 20:11</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">13 And it came to pass that we began to <i><u>prosper exceedingly,</u></i> and to multiply in the land. </span></span><br />
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><b>2 Nephi 5:12-13</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">31 And thus they did <u><i>prosper and become far more wealthy</i></u> than those who did not belong to their church.</span></span><br />
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">32 For those who did not belong to their church did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry or idleness, and in babblings, and in envyings and strife; wearing costly apparel; being lifted up in the pride of their own eyes; persecuting, lying, thieving, robbing, committing whoredoms, and murdering, and all manner of wickedness; nevertheless, the law was put in force upon all those who did transgress it, inasmuch as it was possible. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><b>Alma 1:31-32</b></span></span><br />
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<br />L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-85464271915327060562013-01-09T04:05:00.002-05:002013-01-09T04:05:44.685-05:00Concerning the prophecies 2 Nephi 4:1-4 <br />
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It's two a.m. and I am wide awake. My eldest son called me at 1 a.m. with a bit of news and I have not been able to go back to sleep. Not because I'm not tired but because I've had something stirring inside of me that only scriptural truths can cure. When my future becomes unsettled I like to find peace through understanding the prophecies of the past.<br />
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In these verses Lehi is about to pass through the veil that mortals call "death." I wonder what those who are not yet born call it? birth? I ask because the other reason I'm up with the owls has to do with my grandson, who is as I type, is working his way through the veil we call birth. By this time tomorrow morning he should have taken his first breath, his first look at the world. What will his life bring us? What can we give him to bless his sojourn on earth with God's love?<br />
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Lehi must have had similar thoughts concerning his grandchildren.<br />
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Birth and death seem to be the times of our lives when we think most about the past and the future. It's when we search for prophecies and when we consider our history. How grateful I am for the scriptures - for they provide perspective on our past and future. How grateful I am for prophets that put aside the things of this world to write the scriptures and listen to the spirit of revelation as it moves upon their hearts. And for the prophets that have the strength and courage to do God's will. It is what protects us.<br />
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And I had to think about these men we call prophets. When they wrote what God shared with them was there someone to read what they wrote? Did they know they were not writing for their time? Did they know that their words would shape nations? How many of the people they wrote for could read? Surely it takes great faith to write for people who do not understand much of what you write. No matter how great the prophecies are.<br />
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Nephi tells us that the prophecies of which Lehi spoke. He says, "there are not many greater." What were they? They were from the plates of brass and contained the first 5 books of Moses (1N5:11). (i.e. Old Testament .. ie Bible), a record of the Jews(1N5:12), a genealogy (1N5:14) and the prophecies "of the holy prophets", especially "of Jeremiah.<br />
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These prophecies were more important to Lehi than all of his gold and silver. These prophecies gave Lehi a hope for the future of his people. I have to consider that he has only recently left Jerusalem, the land of his birth. He has left all of his wealth, social ties, and put all of his hope for the future of his family into the power of the brass plates.<br />
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What is amazing is that he was not young when he did this. So he knew that he would not be around to control the situations of his children's lives. They would be ...without the brass plates... alone in the wilderness. Lost.<br />
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But with the brass plates they had stories to tell about their family and their history. These stories would be used to bring hope to the daily lives and inspire them and spur their imaginations. And with these plates they had prophecies that helped them see beyond their daily circumstances and exercise faith.<br />
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My daughter was asked to speak extemporaneously at church the other Sunday. She chose to speak about her love of prophets and of their guidance in our lives. She chose to bear witness to the power of hope and truth they bring to our lives. I join my daughter in gratitude for the role prophets play in safeguarding the prophecies of the past and helping us to understand our eternal nature by giving us prophetic counsel for our day.<br />
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And I join Lehi in studying the prophecies so that my children will know "give ear to" and find prosperity through the love of the Lord's prophecies. His greatest being that obedience brings prosperity .. not wealth but prosperity. For Lehi had left his wealth behind so that his children might have the commandments and find true prosperity through the "consideration of the prophecies."<br />
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L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-40632886163601429822012-12-31T04:44:00.000-05:002012-12-31T17:36:29.340-05:00Fruit of they loins 2 Nephi 3 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fruit of thy loins... </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">You can't buy it. ..</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> You can't invent it</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> You can't discover it.. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> You can't learn it... </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> and you will never own it. </span><br />
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It's a gift. It's a promise fulfilled.<br />
It's a sacrifice worth taking. It's where eternity lies. It's how God bestows on us our greatest joy.<br />
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2Nephi 3 is about how God protects our faith with his promises. How the covenants he makes with our fathers get passed down and are kept... by Him. Only we can break our covenants with God. God is faithful. He will always keep his promises. This chapter is a witness to the love of God to Lehi's family.<br />
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The gift of the "fruit of our loins" comes when we choose to share the love we have for God with our chosen companion, our eternal helpmate, our partner and spouse. It comes when we face a "wilderness of afflictions" and great sorrow and hold fast to our covenants. It comes when we, no matter the circumstances bear our children into mortality. The gift of the "fruit of our loins" is not meant to be confused with having offspring. Only children born under or blessed by the covenant can have the right to be esteemed as "fruit of our loins" because they alone are privy to understanding and respecting the power of the priesthood covenants. These priesthood blessings then allow us to bestow these blessings upon our posterity.<br />
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In reading through this patriarchal blessing that Lehi bestows on Joseph, I realized that Lehi wanted to give a great inheritance to his youngest son. <i>What could be greater than the gift of eternal perspective with regards to God's love for his family? </i>He promises him land and security.... if they (his seed) will keep the commandments of God. He promises that his seed will never be completely destroyed but will continue forward through the generations of his family toward the time when the Lord would answer the covenant that he made with their ancestor Joseph of Egypt.<br />
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And then from verse 4 clear to verse 24, as he teaches his son about the covenant he proceeds to use the phrase "fruit of thy loins" or a version thereof <i>some 23 times. I</i>f I were giving a blessing and wanted to emphasize the importance of something to a very young child, I might use the power of repetition to do it. Children and many adults respond to repetition. It echos within our mind like a song.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"the fruit of they loins shall write and <br />
the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write...<br />
and ....shall grow together" vs 12</td></tr>
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As I read this chapter and reread this chapter I began to see the power of God's love. It is manifest in the covenants that he makes with us so that we might have "security forever." It is manifest in his promise to bring us "our of darkness into light." It is manifest in the method of God's love as he chooses to show Joseph of Egypt his future seed and the many miracles that the Lord would preform for them. And he chooses to show Lehi so that Lehi can pass down this beautiful promise. I have to wonder about the amazing joy that Joseph Smith must have felt as he translated this chapter and how he might have pondered verse 15? or 12? <br />
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God's love is something the world has misunderstood. They have wanted it be found in fame, fortune, or even education. God's love revolves around his values. God values us. We are his children.<br />
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We live in a world where women are taught that their value lies in the making of money - not in bearing children - wear children are counted as a nuisance, an expense, a distraction from our "life work." Only after they have achieved monetary success do many women lend their efforts and desires to their unborn children. Where men are torn apart by their desire to protect their family from the ills of the world and find a measure and a balance of monetary success. We live in a world where precious covenants and blessings of family life are traded for handheld idols, recreation, and new found technological addictions. We live in a world where the security that comes from keeping our covenants with God gets washed away in a sea of discontent and need for material possessions or constant communication with those who idle their minds away on frivolous commentary. Where are their hearts? Where does the integrity of their hearts lie? When it comes to the "fruit of their loins" who will turn their hearts? Who but a prophet raised for this day?vs 7<br />
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I am so very thankful for the counsel of living prophets. When I was a young mother they counseled couples who were married to pay heed to their biological clocks and bear their families while they were young. Even though I was anxious about my own educational and life goals, I chose to follow this wise and eternal counsel. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Lehi blesses Joseph (Hawaii Temple)</td></tr>
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As I enter the meridian of my life, my greatest joy continues to be the blessings that each of my children bring to me. Each of them has a set of gifts that come from the well of spiritual life that defines them. Each has bestowed upon me a new perspective, a new level of joy, new opportunities to grow in ways I could have never imagined nor planned or programed or ever conceived. Each of my children love me in a way that only God could bless me with. How grateful I am for living prophets who counsel us to honor family covenants and bless our own lives and the lives of those we love with family.<br />
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And as I think and ponder the words of Lehi as he blesses his son Joseph, I can only hope that my own children will one day feel the joy and deep understanding that Lehi conveyed to his son Joseph - or that Joseph of Egypt knew when the Lord showed him the future accomplishments of his seed.<br />
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I can only hope that the covenants my fathers have made with the Lord will be fulfilled through my own "fruit," and that I too will have a place in this great work of love that God has chosen to bestow on families that honor the covenants they have made with him.<br />
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<br />L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-34444898498942575192012-12-14T02:19:00.000-05:002012-12-14T17:12:19.358-05:003 Nephi 3: 1-5 Family Covenants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joseph of Egypt shares his vision of dreams </td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"> I remember my Grandfather sitting in his office writing. He was always working on a novel - a western I believe. He let me read part of it once. I was taken back with all of the editing marks, but still I was impressed with his courage and effort. He was a writer (and a painter) and he wanted more than anything to pass this passion on to his descendants. ie. My father and me. And here I am. He did it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I don't believe that I will ever write a novel, but who knows? I have discovered the link between writing and inner peace. The ability to express my feelings on paper seems to be linked to my father and grandfather. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">So when I read this third chapter of 2 Nephi and began to comprehend it as a blessing of inheritance I of course had to think about my grandfather. One of my favorite memories is when he let me steal away to the second floor bedroom with his journal. When I read about my Dad's first steps, I was hooked. I not only saw, but felt the magic of his words. </span></div>
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Not too many years before Grandfather's time came, he tried to give me his journal. He tried to get me to take it home with me. I wrapped my arms around it's large binding and was overcome with joy. But soon the realization that these memories had rights struck me. I refused his offer on the grounds that it was not my place. My Aunt has rightful possession of it now. I believe inheritance should pay proper respect. </div>
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In it he spoke of the difficulties of farm life. Of the joys of his mother's love. So when I read Lehi's words about Joseph's wilderness of afflictions, I thought of my grandfather. And when later in the chapter I read about Lehi's descendants and ancestors and how the Lord had made covenants with them, how the Lord would bring them out of darkness, I thought of my grandfather. </div>
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His grandfather's came from Ireland looking for a "precious land" where his seed could find "inheritance ... for security forever."(vs2) if it so be it that they should keep the commandments of the Holy one of Israel. We have a Presbyterian Church in London Ontario that the Conkey Family donated the land for. Many of the first immigrant families are buried there. </div>
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Like Lehi, Grandfather's father's did not want their seed to be destroyed. They wanted to do whatever they had to do to ensure that "thy seed shall not utterly be destroyed." (vs3)</div>
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Grammpa Hal would sit and tell me about the days past. And like Lehi I could hear stories about distant ancestors who left the families homeland so that security could be found. Security from war, from famine, from sin. Security promised through covenants with God. </div>
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Joseph of Egypt was Lehi's g g g g (? how many) great grandfather. He had made a covenant with God and God had made promises to Joseph about his descendants. I have no doubt that my grandfathers were God fearing men who prayed a mighty prayer. I believe that the reason I am writing today is because of their blood that surges through me. I believe that there is great power in understanding what it means to be "the fruit of thy loins." When we understand the sacrifice, the humility, the prayer, the patience, and the honesty that our fathers fought for and lived for , it enlightens my resolve. </div>
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So I began to wonder about my own family? about the talents, gifts, blessings, strengths, weaknesses and darkness that exists in our gene pool. And I began to see that God loved Lehi's family enough to ensure their survival, "yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom." (vs5) And like Lehi I began to see how the Lord has blessed our family with the power to write words and speak what we believe. And I began to see how my own father's talent has guided me and has protected me and has become a beacon to bring his own descendants out of darkness, if only we will remember the covenants our fathers have made with the "Lord God." </div>
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Lehi's family had a major role to play in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His branch would go on to write a stick that would witness to the "stick of Judah". His family contained many prophets that would testify to the Lord Jesus Christ's divinity and would carry out a great work. And Lehi was able to share this with his son how? Because "Joseph truly saw our day," and "obtained a promise of the Lord." And because Lehi understood the importance of the<u> </u><i>written word</i><u> </u>to his descendants. As a prophet he had been commanded to write, as Joseph of Egypt had written. The power of these written promises serves not only to remind future generations but to motivate them to live for them. </div>
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My families gospel journey has just begun. With my father's conversion and baptism on 17 December 1960, our family's faith has continued to climb further and further out of darkness. Truth brings light and strength. With each truth revealed we gain new understanding. We have had many weaknesses made strong. We have learned the power of the written word. We have tested our faith. And because we have learned of our ancestors faith we have been able to further understand the promises of our Lord with our fathers. Great or weak.. It is the our beginning and, our journey. One that we grow increasingly stronger on. One that exists, I exist, I love, I breath because of the covenants of my father, and his fathers. </div>
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L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-84894329016597486092012-10-18T07:28:00.003-04:002012-10-19T06:47:32.519-04:00A Father's Letter 2 Nephi 2-3<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5POjtfblpsM/UH_mJAnIB6I/AAAAAAABfZM/V5ebCLxc5KA/s1600/100_6006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5POjtfblpsM/UH_mJAnIB6I/AAAAAAABfZM/V5ebCLxc5KA/s400/100_6006.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning to love the temple brings us to joy. </td></tr>
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The opportunity to write a letter to my son about his future recently presented itself in the form of a high school homework assignment. Wanting to impress upon her students the importance of family culture and religious belief in our lives (in relation to their world studies) she asked each parent to answer a series of questions concerning their hope for their child's marriage and educational goals. It was a very interesting experience and one that made me realize the importance of what Lehi was doing when he wrote letters to his very young sons Jacob and Joseph.<br />
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Have you ever considered that we don't have letters to Lehi, Nephi or Sam? Did he speak to them or did he hope that the words he used to convey his deep convictions to his younger sons would be heard by his older sons. Because there are several times in both letters where he refers to all of his sons I think the answer here is yes. (vs 2:14, 28, 30)<br />
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In this same spirit I have taken the letter that was originally written by both my husband and myself for our youngest son and placed it here for all of my children and younger members of our family to read.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hRyV2rn2sK0/UH_pB1_CDzI/AAAAAAABfZo/mecTE2Lw_Qg/s1600/100_6004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hRyV2rn2sK0/UH_pB1_CDzI/AAAAAAABfZo/mecTE2Lw_Qg/s200/100_6004.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Temple Open House with Great Grandpa</span></td></tr>
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With that I want to say how very joyful my life has been because of my children. From my children I have learned so many wonderful lessons and been given so many heavenly gifts. Surely there would have been no other way for me to obtain these gifts but through the trials and gifts of family life.<br />
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The diversity of life has never abounded more about me than when I am with my own family: to me they represent my love, life and hopes and dreams. Six beautiful children: each with their own view, their own hopes and their own dreams and yet each capable of understanding and living the laws of both heaven and earth and finding the joy that each law brings. I have a very unique perspective on life not necessarily because of my choice of faith, but because of the opportunity that each of my children have given me to exercise my faith.<br />
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To my daughters I ask for your indulgence while reading and understand that much of the message might be lost if I were to change all of the adverbs to read as neutral gender. As you read please make the adjustments needed to fit your life circumstances and know that if this assignment had been given while you were yet in high school, your father and I would have wanted to convey the same essence of meaning.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>To our child.<br /><o:p> </o:p>The days are quickly approaching that you will begin to
court and date young women. These days are important because they help you work
through and decide what characteristics you would enjoy in an eternal mate.
Marriage is a serious commitment that if done with careful consideration will
bring you a lifetime of happiness and companionship.<br /><o:p> </o:p>Marriage is not to be taken lightly. Our faith teaches us
that the person we choose to marry will become our eternal companion. If you
choose to follow the credo of our faith and marry at the sacred alters of the Lord's temple, you will be making not only lifetime but eternal covenants between you,
your mate and God. These covenants
are an important step in helping both you and your mate understand the
seriousness of your commitment toward one another.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>While we don’t have a specific person, chosen </i><i>for you to marry,</i><i> (this practice went out of style
hundreds of years ago), we do believe that it is important for you to consider characteristics
that might be deemed important in a mate. A few that we have considered include:
loyalty, humility, willingness to serve others, a love of faith and family,
a cheerful and independent disposition, and one who is not afraid to work hard.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>
<o:p> </o:p>Work is one characteristic that the modern conveniences of
life have eroded the importance of. Long ago men and women married out of love
and need. A farmer needed a woman who could do the work necessary for survival.
A woman likewise depended on her husband to be able to work their land hard.
Survival depended on it. Today’s need for a relationship based on the merits of
hard-work may not be as apparent as it once was, but it is still equally as
important. What has changed is the type of work needed to make the marriage
successful.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>A successful marriage happens when both parties share the
work, do their part and learn to serve one another. Communication is hard work.
Planning for financial, spiritual, social, emotional, and educational needs is
hard work. Even planning for fun involves a commitment.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>It is often easy to confuse fun with love. When we have
enjoyable memories and experiences with a person we begin to develop fond
feelings for them. Love is more than fun. Be sure that you look for a young
woman who enjoys life and will help you enjoy life through shared experiences.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>We cannot tell you what age to marry. We would hope that life and its many
events will not prevent you from marrying as a young adult</i><i>.</i><i> While there are many unknown
experiences and insecurities that come with marrying at any age, a youthful marriage
when done with the correct spirit and intention can bring much happiness. Frugality breeds strength. And marrying with a youthful heart will help
you forge a bond of love as you and your spouse work through many of life’s
challenges. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>As we spoke about before, marriage, like our spirits has the
opportunity through the celestial temple marriage to be for time and all
eternity. It is our prayer that you will live a life worthy of such a lofty and
divine goal. When two partners believe that marriage is a covenant with God and
that they must qualify to enter this covenant they both learn to practice self-restraint
and self-improvement. When we enter into the bonds of marriage at the sacred
holy alter of the temple, we invite God to be the third partner of our marriage
and help us to overcome all of the obstacles that await to weaken your family.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>Marriage is a sacred covenant between man and woman that is
meant to bring joy. When children are allowed to come into this union the joy
that you feel is beyond any earthly feeling that you might ever know. We cannot
tell you how your life has come to influence my own. Your birth has been such
an eternal gift to us that we know we are, even now, unable to fully comprehend
it. This knowledge that we lived before we came to earth and will live after we
die is paramount in your making the choice to marry within the walls of the
holy temple of God. We pray that you will give it serious consideration.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>Even though we believe in your power to make wise decisions
regarding whom you will marry, successful marriage is dependent on both
partners willingness to work through their own problems in life as well as
those of their marriage. It is
important that you do all you can to assist your spouse patiently to work
through their difficulties, but if you find that your own safety, security, or
emotional stability becomes compromised because of your spouses unwillingness
to cooperate or make significant changes in their life choices, the ending of
your wedding vows would, while wrought with great heartache, be allowed. But this
decision is not made lightly nor without serious consequences to the lives of
all involved. Especially when children, young tender spirits who rely on the security of their parents union, have been born. Marriage is meant to be a place of refuge from the world; It
is meant to bring security and joy to both parties. Marriage and family is the classroom where we learn to
practice patience, love, charity, discernment, wisdom, service, communication,
companionship, sacrifice, and above all joy. Man is that he might have joy. This joy comes from understanding one's relationship to self, others and the spiritual laws that govern.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>Joy comes when we learn to make choices that empower us. Joy
comes when we learn how to attain self-actualization through education, service
and preparation for life challenges. My son seek learning for all of your life.
Seek a partner that likewise enjoys learning and has the ability to remain
flexible through life’s many changes.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>We have never told any of children who to date or what
to consider in a marriage partner and we don’t believe in meddling with the
matters of the heart. But if we were to see a prospective partner that gave us
serious pause as to their ability to bring you happiness we would, with great
consideration, want to speak to you about it. We would never forbid you to marry, but it is our hope that
you would choose a partner who would help you to foster a healthy extended
family relationship.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>Life is a journey. Who we choose to take with us on this
journey is critical not only to our survival but to our happiness. You are a
gifted and talented young person. You have great potential to do all that you
dream of. You are bright, disciplined, handsome, musically and artistically
gifted, and physically athletic. We are sure as you continue to foster your
love for learning your gifts and talents will continue to grow. You are
personable and love people. This talent shows as you interact and treat others
and young ladies of your acquaintance with respect and admiration. Many of
these friendships will help you as you consider your life path. We cannot
choose this for you, we can only support you in your endeavors and pray with fervent faith that as you stand at the crossroads your choices will reflect the values and love that we have attempted to instill in you and your siblings.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>As your parents we believe it is our job to help support you
and guide you on a path of wisdom and prudence. The gift of agency is yours to
use to the best of your ability. We are striving to help you learn how to use it well. The gift of
agency can assist you in many avenues of life. It can help you discover the
powers that want to weaken you and steer away from them. Likewise it can help
you discover the powers of faith that builds you up and empowers you.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>Our greatest dream and desire is to see you use your God
given agency in such ways as to create a pathway of possibilities and success;
to help you find joy. Joy is different from happiness. Joy comes through
spiritual encounters and when we touch our hearts with eternal truths. Our lives together has already taught
you of our fierce and often tough love for you. We would do nothing to rob you
of your agency, but will continually pray for you to have the strength to use
it in service to others and to your God. We will continually pray for you to recognize the markings of truth along your life path.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>We love you. You must know this by now. Though we realize
that at this young age you can not possibly comprehend the sacrifice and work we have given to keep you safe,
guide you and help you find the life that will bring you joy. As you are our youngest, you must be
aware that our life candles may not always burn beside yours. For this reason
you have many siblings to turn to. Though they are not your parents they are old enough to
guide you and offer you respectable counsel.<br /> <o:p> </o:p>If you remember nothing else from this letter, remember that your mother and father love you. We thank God for your presence in our lives. We
place great hope and desire in the idea that you will live in such a manner that
you will attract a bright and intelligent young woman. And that the two of you
with mutual respect for God and one another will want to marry not just for
time, but for time and all eternity. That you will want to bring children into
this world and that through the experience of raising a family you will forge
an eternal love that will bring you the eternal joy that your loving Heavenly
Father has intended.<br /><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>With love<br /> Your mother and father.<br /> aka Mom & Dad</i></blockquote>
<!--EndFragment-->L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943020487912844322.post-36033587707550921632012-10-12T10:42:00.001-04:002012-10-12T10:42:21.015-04:00It's about JOY : 2 Nephi 2
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family is a place where we learn to work and find joy. </td></tr>
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It’s about joy: where to find it, how recognize and then
cultivate it. It’s about a father’s love. And as such it is written with the
power and feeling that only a father’s perspective words to his son could
offer. </div>
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As I read and reread this second chapter of Second Nephi, I began
to realize how difficult it was to comprehend. I did a google search and discovered my perplexity had company. Lehi’s use of syntax and seemingly disconnection of ideas lead me
to sift through the truths that stand out and use them as best as I could. It was only when I stepped back and saw
Lehi’s message as a, “a dying father’s letter of inheritance to his young
impressionable son” that I began to understand a deeper purpose and the greater
whole of Lehi’s message. </div>
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This father's blessing is a deep and abiding plea for his son to
not only understand the joy that he carries within him but to appreciate and
cultivate it. And because Joy is unmistakably connected to and associated with
the correctness of law, Lehi chooses to leave his son with a discourse on the
power of our Savior’s love and the role it plays in our finding and accepting
something greater than "the will of the flesh", something greater than happiness – joy. </div>
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When I think about joy it is always connected with me doing
something right, or overcoming a challenge, or learning a new task. It's been a long time but I still remember when I mastered tying my shoes, or caught my first fish - without help. Joy is
undeniably connected to our experience of overcoming self. Happiness comes from
many things: smiles, good food, comfort, gifts, friendships etc, but Joy… comes
from a heart that has learned to understand the laws of heaven that govern
self.</div>
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As a parent I want nothing more than for my child to have
all of his needs met. The marrow of my existence works to secure my children’s
safety, happiness, and longevity of life. I want to pass on lessons that will
help my child’s life be better than my own. In my efforts to protect and provide for my child I sometimes fail to understand that while man is able to pass on temporal knowledge that improves the
quality of life and brings a greater sense of happiness,(fire, wheel, computer
etc) joy can only be found from choosing to live correct principals that lead us along a path of spiritual and
emotional growth. Joy cannot be passed on, it must be both earned (by
overcoming the law) and received (by acceptance of the Savior’s mercy and
grace). </div>
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My own mortality makes me sorrowful for what I cannot give
my children. Like Lehi I might from time to time look back on my children and
say, “thou hast suffered afflictions” that I could not protect you from. I
might feel sorrowful for not being able to always give you the basic needs in
life, for not always protecting you from affliction, sorrow, or "rudeness of they brethren"(v 1) or whatever it was I could not see or
understand. But when I reach above
my mortal state and recognize the power God’s love has given to each of us, I
am able to stand back like Lehi and say, “thou knowest the Greatness of God and
he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.” (v.2)</div>
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<o:p>It's not that I want my children to have affliction, I don't. But I know that through the process of selection and choice my children have experience. Experience will teach them what I cannot. A smart child will usually on put their finger into a hot flame but once. And thus they have learned how to gain from their affliction. But it is more than that. It is the power of God to help us accept our mistakes and move forward on our own journey of self discovery. </o:p></div>
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Each one of our children has
helped us along our journey of discovering truth. Recently while visiting my
eldest daughter I was impressed with the amount of peace and security that was
present in her home. Upon asking her about it she showed me how she had adapted
Lehi’s principles of self independence in her young children. Through using a token system that uses a child's need and want to help create an environment of self motivation, she had taught
them the value of work. I was impressed at how they were caring, kind, loving and selfless towards one another. Work instills confidence, dependability, obedience, responsibility, thriftiness, courtesy, independence, kindness, and bonding. </div>
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In today's world where children are whist away from us at an early age, where commercialism is instilled in them through many kinds of media, where selfish gain is taught over selflessness, it is easy for a parent to want to give their children what the world offers. It is easy to fall into the trap that we must do for a child with the child's only requirement that they give us the pleasure of their smile. The problem is that smiles come from happy children and children are happy because of how they feel about themselves and who they are becoming, not because of what they have been given. </div>
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Gifts have a place. They are for celebrations, for times when we cannot provide for ourselves, but they should never replace the child's ability to provide and do for himself what his maturity allows him to do. It is the parents responsibility to give the child the gift of self-reliance and self- actualization. For this is the greatest gift of all. And it is where true and lasting joy not only comes from, but grows and flourishes not just for this life, but for all of eternity. </div>
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When you read the entire chapter with the perspective that
Lehi is trying to impart the lesson of<b>
Joy</b> on his son Jacob you might realize: </div>
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Vs1 <b>–Joy through</b> <b>Sorrow</b> - Lehi is remiss for what he
could not protect his child from – affliction, sorrow, rudeness of his brethren
but this remembrance brings him to the realization from where Joy comes. </div>
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Vs. 2. <b>Affirmation</b>-
Joy comes to those who “know the greatness of God.” </div>
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Afflictions work with the law to help us overcome ourselves
and find Joy.</div>
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3 – <b>Joy through
Redemption</b>- Service brings
joy. Joy comes when we realize that we are not alone but have the
“righteousness of thy Redeemer” </div>
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4<b>- Joy through
Remembrance</b> – Remember the Joy when you “beheld in thy youth his
glory”. Inspiration, revelation,
understanding bring joy through learning how to receive the spirit that
prepares our way and brings us
salvation.</div>
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5- <b>Joy through the Law-
</b>In order for a law to have impact it must be taught. The law brings us the
possibility of Joy by giving us opportunity to use it to help us find joy.
However. The law will is exact. It will cut off. It will not justify. There
cannot be joy by the law alone. </div>
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6-10 <b>Joy through the
Messiah –</b> We find joy when we do all we follow the truth of the law and
receive the gift of grace from the Lord, Jesus Christ. </div>
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<b>11-15Joy through
Opposition- </b>Joy comes through righteousness. Righteousness comes through
having the opportunity to choose and seeking the “wisdom of God and his eternal
purpose”</div>
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<b>16-</b> <b>Joy through self actualization</b> - we must learn to act for ourselves
through choice that comes through oppostion </div>
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<b>17-24 Joy through
Repentance - </b> Adam fell that
man might have family and given probation. That we might make choice and repent
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<b>25- Joy</b> - Adam
feel that men might be and men are that they might have joy </div>
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<b>26-27 Joy through
knowledge</b> – Joy through knowing good from evil – Joy through using that
knowledge to act for yourself – Joy through using that knowledge to overcome
the punishment of the law – Joy through the freedom to choose - Joy through overcoming the “power of
the devil.” </div>
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<b>29-30 Joy through the
“welfare of your soul” - </b>Joy
is found when we understand the concept of the game of life that the power has
been given to us to control our own lives. </div>
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<!--EndFragment-->L. Conkey Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08975100986842139102noreply@blogger.com0