Jamie and I met at USU while going to school, we were in the same ward. He was fresh off his mission and I was fresh out of high school first quarter back to school. I was pretty jaded about the returned missionaries always talking about themselves and wasn't interested in the ym still needing to go on missions. I had seen Jamie and summed up he was pre- mission not interested. He had seen me too. I learned he was Returned, YAY! and coincidentally needed math tutoring and he was willing. we dated for 2 months and got engaged. we have been married 21 years officially longer with each other than with our parents. we have three children Katelyn 19 is our sweetheart always wanting to help out and take care of others she is studying nutrition dietetics at USU and is headed to Uganda in Jan for a humanitarian trip, Savanah 16, is an artist and has great comedic timing making us laugh all the time, Garrett 14 he has questions about any and everything. I am often saying to him i don't know, im not an encyclopedia. Together enjoy road trips, day hiking, board games, and laughing at silliness.
Sacrament Talk -October 13, 2013
How can i use the scriptures to help other become more Christlike?
when given my topic i couldn't get past the first statement. ** trying to figure out what this statement meant to me. praying and pondering for 4 weeks, THANKS Bro Bean i really do need several weeks…… I have written 4 talks, seriously, ask Katelyn. she thinks im ridiculous. An experience i had several years ago kept coming to mind, and it just keeps making its way into the forefront of my mind.
**How? first bullet point: Prepare yourself SPIRITUALLY.
Jesus Christ is the best example of teaching. He uses the scriptures to teach His gospel. Latter Day prophets have instructed us that there is no substitute for scriptures and words of living prophets when we teach the gospel to others. To teach from the scripture we must STUDY THEM FOR OURSELVES. Then we can those stories and examples and help those we teach liken the scriptures to themselves.
I grew up in Utah. all of high school LDS except for 3-4 that i knew of. Moved to AZ as a young married couple. I went as far as giving out a couple of Books of Mormon . Good right? I was doing everything on the 'checklist of good member'
Several years ago while living in AZ we found friends of another faith and became quite close. We scheduled the regular playdates, coordinated together for rec classes and pre schooling and organized a neighborhood lunch group. Turns out Bill wanted to learn more about our faith, Mormonism. he had friends as a youth that were Mormons and our friendship reminded him of some values he admired. He sought out the missionaries on his own. They invited the missionaries over and had some preparatory lessons. we were eventually invited to have the missionary discussions taught in our home. I was so excited to learn this; to have the opportunity to share a part of me that blesses my life, give me purpose and guided direction, peace and comfort. I didn't give much thought to what I could actually offer in the discussions. I had studied the scriptures in seminary, i was prepared in the respect of the checklist. I soon learned or felt rather that I wasn't prepared, not enough.
Fact of the matter I could rationalize my lack of prep. by my circumstances;
I was still adapting dealing with a newly diagnosed chronic illness;
or that Bill was only curious not sincerely seeking truth,
or I was too young to have real experiences with the scriptures
or even blame the missionaries for being ineffective.
All things Ive said to myself in an attempt to alleviate the guilt/disappointment that i just wasn't prepared to share about the Savior and how those scriptures were specifically teaching and influencing me.
I hadn't really taken the time to UNDERSTAND.
in retrospect there is a lesson for me. HF was showing me that I needed to be better prepared. I have to know exactly how each and every story/parable applies to me and my life experiences. I have to gain a testimony of it all, individually, not just collectively. Because collectively I knew/know its true, good, helpful - all that good stuff.
this way i can help liken the scriptures to my life and live as a better more true disciple; and be a facilitator in likening the scriptures to lives of others.
Bill and Lynn are a good Christian family, they have many of our same values and even adopted a few more. They did not accept baptism on this opportunity, but continue to be some of our best friends. I probably won't ever get the opportunity to sit with them in missionaries discussions again I am sad about that, that was too big of a lesson to me. HF probably wants to remind me of that forever. But we continue to be friends, good friends where we can share with each other good values and truths. Hopefully, i have a least nourished a 'mustard seed'.
Elder Holland: we all know that the success of the gospel depends upon its being TAUGHT then UNDERSTOOD and then LIVED in such a way that its promise of happiness and salvation can be REALIZED.
so in an effort to understand scriptures what scriptures have you used recently to teach/learn a gospel principle?
Carlos Asay April conf 1980
Matthew 5:13, 3 Nephi 12:13
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under the foot of men.
the scripture appears to me to be sending an endearing message, that being salt is good quality
-unless he loses Savor? good for nothing? cast out? trodden under foot? not seeming so lovely to me (YE) I don't think i want to be 'salt of the earth'
Savor = taste, pleasing flavor, ingest quality
Salt = flavor, heal, preserve, other functions
chamist: Salt never loses its savor with age; an eternal property; salt never goes bad
what i know about salt in that is sterilizes=purifies the earth/soil. so this makes perfect sense now. I do want to be like salt and purifying and unblemished :)
what makes me and you good or spiritually delicious/pleasing/preserved/healed is our purity.
chemist: Savor is ONLY lost through Mixture and contamination!
*If you entertain ideas dishonesty
*you participate in inappropriate entertainment
*mingle in questionable circles of friends
*you mix and contaminate your spirit and physical mind that are trying so hard to stay clean and pure.
More recently, I have pondered/studied a couple other stories/scripture accounts.
--Too often we are offensive/combative to strangers and maybe even to our loved ones at times. Jesus responded to offenses with tenderness, Jesus avoided giving offense. He didn't wish to judge, he took no pleasure in others iniquities.
24 ¶And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay atribute?
tax for each person that enters
25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus aprevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the bkings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
- implying that as the Lord, He is exempt from paying the tax for utilizing His own house.
26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of amoney: that take, and bgive unto them for me and thee.
Now for the likening: sometimes when i am driving my personality changes :) I am really working on this one.
Have you said to yourself or out loud "its's my right of way" or mumble something unflattering to someone that just cut you off in traffic. -notwithstanding i'll make room for you, go ahead.
at home: "I didn't make that mess, I shouldn't have to clean it up, it's NOT MY JOB" notwithstanding, I will clean it up.
Jesus was not offensive or combative. He was tender and accepting. He allowed those he met to speak and act according to their own conscience and He reacted with tenderness.
JOHN 8:
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a awoman taken in badultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
--how embarrassing for this woman to be caught in the act and dragged into the public eye for everyone to take pleasure/interest in your weaknesses. This still happens, its part of me and i wish it wasn't. we all battle this. There is a whole industry dedicated to exploiting people. Loads of magazines and newspapers, news casting television thrive on it. pointing out and exploiting some other of God's children in their time of weakness and transgressions.
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the alaw commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger awrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
-- as though he didn't hear them, he didn't want to be entangled in this finger pointing and judging. he literally removed himself from their stature and stooped perhaps this is where the woman was -on the ground.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without asin among you, let him bfirst cast a cstone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
- again stooped to remove himself from them so they could act on their own……
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own aconscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I acondemn thee: go, and bsin no cmore.
Now this is part of our Human nature. we sometimes get caught up and do take interest and even pleasure in others weaknesses and iniquities. Jesus teaches us to stoop down, remove ourselves perhaps and pretend 'as though we heard them not'. What a powerful statement to others and for ourselves if would be as tender and accepting to those that need it the most.
By preparing ourselves spiritually, we can follow Elder Holland's council, I can be prepared for my friends/children/ church assignments when they have questions or interest in knowing Jesus our Savior a little more: we all know that the success of the gospel, and sharing with others, depends upon its being TAUGHT then UNDERSTOOD and then LIVED in such a way that its promise of happiness and salvation can be REALIZED.
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