I shall find them . . I think. . .I hope. Ok, someone just pray for me! Maybe I'll get inspired to look some where!
On to Lesson 39!
His Foot Prints in My Sand |
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The lessons from mid June-mid October have gone missing! I knew I was asking for trouble when I misplaced my notebook and took paper! I'm sure they are in a safe a secure location--meaning we'll probably never see them again!
I shall find them . . I think. . .I hope. Ok, someone just pray for me! Maybe I'll get inspired to look some where! On to Lesson 39!
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So class began with a story.
A mom was walking up to the church and sees her son sitting on the curb, refusing to go in to the meeting. . . The mom asks him why, and he just shakes his head. She says, "Honey, you have to go in. You're the Bishop!" Now that's kind of funny, we always expect the bishop to be Happy and have all the answers and yet this poor man was besides himself and overwhelmed with all the responsibility and happenings in his Ward. And that brings us to the story of Eli. He was a priest and had 2 sons. These were not the best of sons. The rules were that they couldn't eat stewed meat (or meat of any kind) until the Sacrficed meat was done. And yet they threatened to take it by force. They stole from the lord and seduced women at the door of the Tabernacle. They helped evil influence the Temple, until the people didn't want to go. How awful that situation must have been. Today, we have our teachers give us lessons. They are imperfect. They read the lesson and try to give their best interpretation of that lesson. They are far from those Sons of Eli. And yet we, as class members, have difficulty accepting some teachers as the best there is to offer. So why does the leadership of the church have members teach us? When must we go to church to learn more? It is our test to learn from imperfect teachers so that we open our hearts and minds to learn from the Spirit. It is all in Trusting the Lord. Eli's sons honored themselves. They knew it all. They had it all. and they gave no thought to anyone but themselves. How do we honor ourselves?
Alma was the father, was a prophet, but he didn't let Alma the younger grow unchecked. He did discipline him. He did his job as a father. And though his choices as a parent ended up with the same result as Eli's choices--the fact that he did all that he could saved him. Even today, when two children are raised together, with the same parents--they don't always end up with the same morals or work ethic. Eli did nothing to fix the situation. he ignored it and let it get out of hand. So he was condemned for. For honoring his sons more than he honored the Lord. As parents we should love our children. But we need to draw a line and not do too much for them. If you don't teach the why--we just teach them what not to do in front of us. In what ways do we honor others more than God?
“There should [not] be any of us so unwisely indulgent, so thoughtless and so shallow in our affection for our children that we dare not check them in a wayward course, in wrong-doing and in their foolish love for the things of the world more than for the things of righteousness, for fear of offending them” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 286). And then we have Samuel. Remember Hannah from last lesson? Remember how faithful and true she was to her word? He was raised by Eli as well. But he had a mother that was his legacy. His heart was close to the Lord and he had an open spirit that listened for his words. When the people wanted Samuel as King--he went to the Lord and asked for his will. The Lord does not hearken until unrighteous please--because he knows: Power corrupts an absolute power, corrupts absolutely. Remember--no one chooses to be a bishop. They are called. Challenge: Think through how you are raising your children. Do you do too much? Are you preparing your children to make choices and understanding WHY we do things--not just out of habit? Also, see what you can do for your Bishop. His heart if full and often over flowing with aches for those he serves. Love him and be loyal to him. For he serves the Lord. During this lesson there are 4 people that we really need to understand the motives and characteristics of their nature. With this knowledge, the story really opens up to understanding.
For Ruth to lie at the feet of Boaz shows the type of woman she was. She tells boaz to "spread thy skirt over thy handmaid". But what is she really saying? She's saying to Guard me, Protect me, Take care of me. Now Boaz was NOT the next of kin, though he was kin to her husband. So he followed protocol. He had to get permission. King David is a descendant of this marriage. Hannah.
This woman's faith and commitment to that faith inspires me. Hannah was childless. And in her desperation for a child she made promises to God. Haven't we all made foolish promises in our moment of desperation? I remember one year as a young teen that I promised that I would never do any thing bad ever again if God just got me out of the trouble I was in. I hadn't done anything really bad, but I knew how my parents were going to react and I was terrified. Needless to say, I had to face that consequence. It never dulled my faith that there was a God, even though he didn't answer that youthful plea. And it didn't bother Hannah. She waited. She prayed and stayed faithful to the lord. And her promise? If she were to have a son, she would give him to the Lord all of his days. She was: Faithful, patient, prayerful, and grateful. And she was rewarded with a son. She made offerings and sang praises to the Lord. And when it was time to fulfill her promise? She didn't begrudge the lord or regret that promise that she made. She followed through. How many times have you followed through on those promises you've made? How many times have you been grateful for that opportunity to share your gratitude for the Lord's blessings? Challenge: Choose one character trait of Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, or Hannah. Focus on it. Help it make a difference in your life. These will bring our families together & bring us closer to Heavenly Father. The lesson ended with words read from Hymn # 171 With Humble Heart Lyrics
This is the main resource that I have been using other than Red Headed Hostess' blog. It has a lot of great stories, quotes, and family home evening lessons to bring the study to life. I have not been using it to it's fullest potential, but I have been using it to further my understanding of the scriptures.
http://deseretbook.com/Scripture-Study-Latter-day-Saint-Families-Old-Testament-Dennis-Leavitt/i/5021774 Sis Taylor drew a picture of a tree. She told the story of Pres. Hinkley and his walnut tree and how he hurriedly finished his task and didn't take the time to securely bolster the trunk. She said that had he taken the time to add guide lines and stake it to the ground, the tree would have grown strong and firm with deep roots and tall branches. However, He didn't do that. He rushed, meaning to return later to finish the task. Unfortunately, later never came. Life came and went and the guidelines were forgotten. Years later the tree had to be cut down. The branches were heavy and in danger of falling on the house. Sis. Taylor than drew 4 guidelines on the tree. She said that we have access to 4 things that help us to grow strong and true to Heavenly Father. They are: Righteous Parents, Righteous Friends, Faith in God, and our Covenants. Righteous Parents:
We need to be reminded how He parts the waters. Righteous Friends: Judge Deborah--remember it is the Lord that defeats the army. Judge Deborah is a true friend. She reminds us of the Lord in our lives, in our daily moments. The great miracles--like defeating the great army; the small mercies--like making it through a rough day. Faith in God Judge Gideon: Story of Valor The enemies out number the israelites "they Come over the hill like locusts". Gideon was a man of faith. He gathered the tribes. The Lord helped them--Remember to give the Lord his credit. 32K Israelites. And yet, the Lord said it was too many--Sent home those that may be afriad. Down to 10K Israelites And yet, the Lord said it was too many--A challenge was issued, and they were told how to drink--those that didn't follow the command were sent home. . . . only 300 followed the command. 300 out of 32K were chosen. To be one of those men would require so much faith to face the enemy. Why would the Lord require such a paring down of the army? To remind them that HE is the reason they will win this battle. Not sheer numbers, not great skill, but their Faith in Him. And, through this--the Lord helped conceal them and cause a commotion--the enemy fought themselves. So let's bring this lesson to our lives now: Today's Battles: Marital Problems Children Drugs/Alcohol Pornography Temptations Anger We win our battles though our Faith in God. Covenants: We didn't quite get to this point, but if you consider it--when we keep the promises that we made either in the temple, or during prayers, or through ordinances (such as baptism or Sacrament) we draw closer to the lord. We then gain strength and our faith grows. We can become consumed by the desire to rely on the Lord. Challenge: Write down the names of all of your friends. Are they like Deborah? Am I like Deborah?
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Old Testament
I am making a scripture journal based off of The Redheaded Hostess' website! As I delve deeper, I will be adding my journal entries to each book of scripture. Archives
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