Lesson from the Scriptures: Keeping Our Lights Bright

The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Romans 13:12

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I have been trying to walk a mile every morning for the past week or so so that I can get outside and get some exercise.  I like to listen to something (a podcast, general conference talk, etc.) while I walk. During my walk yesterday morning, I listened to a BYU devotional talk called The Armour of Light. I thought it was so interesting and inspiring.  I have been so fascinated with learning about light over the past year or so.  

I loved a lot of things from his talk (and I'll probably do some other posts about those things) but one part that really stuck out to me at the end was Dennis Largey's challenge...

"I would like to issue a challenge: Sometime today take a piece of paper and divide it into two halves. On the right side list things that could intensify light in your life: temple attendance, attendance at all Sunday meetings, scriptures, prayers, repentance, service, and so forth. On the left side list things that you think, desire, do, say, view, or even places you go, that diminish light from your life. Then ask yourself in all honesty, “How can I improve in those things that intensify light, and what can I simply let go of that takes light away?” As in the story of Achan: “What accursed things do I do, say, think, or hold onto that drain my power?” This list can be compared to a dimmer switch that controls the intensity of light within our homes. Turn the dial to the right and light increases. Turn the dial to the left and the light dims. The decision as to which way we turn the dial is up to us."

When I heard him talk about a dimmer switch, it made a lot of sense to me.  So later on that morning, I was talking to the kids about this principle of light.  I asked L if he knew what at dimmer switch was.  He didn't really know.  So I just downloaded a quick app on my phone that has a dimmer switch on it.  I took the kids into the bathroom (no windows so It's completely dark) so that I could demonstrate the dimmer effect and teach them about this principle.  

I taught them about how everyone is born with the Light of Christ.  We all have this light that is in our minds, bodies, and spirits.  When we make bad choices (sin), and don't repent, the light slowly (or more quickly, depending on the sin) fades and we become darker and darker inside.  Eventually the light inside us gets so dim that we can no longer see clearly.  I demonstrated this by listing off random sins and slowly turning down the level of light on the dimmer switch.  When the light was down at it's lowest - almost completely dark, I asked the kids if they could see certain things in the bathroom.  They said that they couldn't.  

I talked to them about how this internal darkness produces misery for the person.  

I then taught the kids about repentance and how it is always possible to repent.  It is never too late.  God is always there, reaching out to you, waiting for you.  I then demonstrated what happens if the person repents and steadily makes good choices, line upon line.  I turned the light slowly up until it was at it's brightest again.  I then asked the kids to look around the bathroom and tell me if they could see things again.  They said that they could.  

I talked to them about how the light of the gospel helps us to be able to see things more clearly - as they really are.  This internal light produces a radiant peace, love, and joy in the person's life. 

Even though it is always possible to repent and come back from a state of internal darkness, it is far better to never have to get to that point.  It is better to obey Heavenly Father's commandments in the first place and to not only keep the light bright, but to work towards making the light even brighter.  This is where Dennis Largey's challenge comes in.  “How can I improve in those things that intensify light, and what can I simply let go of that takes light away?”

After this demonstration I talked to the kids about how, now, when they are little, is the time to practice this principle - when the choices and consequences are little.  Now is the time for them to practice repenting when they make mistakes.  And now is the time to practice obeying Heavenly Father's commandments (which includes obeying their parents.)  

After this little teaching moment, the boys wrote about what they learned in their Gospel Experiences books.  

L's entry (pg. 1)

 L's entry (pg. 2)

 P's entry

During my morning routine this morning, I sat down and made the list that Dennis Largey suggested. On one side of the page I wrote down things that intensify light in my life.  I'm not necessarily super good at these things all the time, but when I do include these things in my life, they do intensify my light.  

On the other side of the page, I wrote down some things that I struggle with that diminish my light.  I am sure that there are other things that I will remember and I will add those to this list as I think of them.

I am going to be more intentional about doing more of the things that intensify the light in my life and doing less of the things that diminish the light.   

My Story: Discovering My Passion for Personal Growth (Part 1)

So I thought that I would write up my story and how I came to discover my passion for personal growth.  I think that I've always been interested in improving myself but I feel like the real birth to this passion started with the birth of my second child, P.

I gave birth to P naturally (no pain medication).  But this was unintentional.  I had an epidural when I gave birth to L (my oldest) and I loved it.  That was my plan for P's birth as well.  My job was just to show up at the hospital and the medical staff would take care of the rest.

Well, P had other plans.  P was due on February 21, 2012.

On February 7th, I thought that I was going into labor.  So I went to the hospital.  Labor stalled so I was sent home.

On February 14th, I again thought that I was going into labor.  So I went to the hospital again.  No progress so they sent me home.

On February 20th, I was having contractions again and this time I thought it was for sure the real deal.  I went to the hospital.  When I got there, I asked the resident doctor if they would be able to just induce me if my labor stalled again.  This was my 3rd time at the hospital and I was getting tired of it.  And I had an induction scheduled for 3 days later anyway.  The resident doctor said that he couldn't say for sure, but he didn't think that they would let me stay if I didn't make any progress within 2 hours.

So I waited the 2 hours.  When the doctor came back to check me, I had barely progressed.  But not enough that I thought they would admit me.  I was bummed, but then another doctor came in and said that I could stay.  My real doctor (who was pretty high up) had told them that I could be admitted.

So the plan was for me to labor on my own throughout the night (it was late evening by this time) and if I needed some help then in the morning they would give me some pitocin.  I was fine with that.  As long as I got my epidural, I didn't really care how the rest played out (of course, I cared about the health of me and the baby the most though.)

So I labored all night, with little progress.  I was still only dilated to 3 cm.  

At about 7:30, they got me hooked up to pitocin and it started to increase the frequency and intensity of my contractions. They definitely got to the point where I had to breath through them and they were pretty uncomfortable. But it felt good to feel like I might actually start progressing and have my baby sometime soon. 

Around 8:00, my nurse came in and was talking to me. I was asking her what the plan was for my next cervix check and we were talking about when I would be able to get an epidural. She said that they would probably check me soon and I could ask about an epidural then if I wanted to. She also said that they might consider breaking my water sometime and if I wanted an epidural then I should probably ask for one before they did that since contractions can get more intense after your water breaks. 

A couple minutes after we got done talking, I heard/felt a big pop and a gush. My water broke. It was 8:20 am. I went into panic mode in my head and said to the nurse "umm... my water just broke. Can I get an epidural as soon as possible?" The nurse went to go see if the anesthesiologist was available and my contractions immediately started getting VERY intense and close together. She came back in a few minutes later and said that the anesthesiologist was doing a C-section and wouldn't be available at the moment. They paged my doctor but while he was on his way over, they pulled in a nurse/midwife and she checked me. I was dilated to a 7, 100% effaced, and zero station. 

My contractions continued to get more and more intense and I didn't really know what to do. I wasn't planning on a natural birth. The nurse/midwife had me turn on my side a few times to help the baby's heart rate and a couple minutes later, I blurted out "he's coming out!" I could feel that the baby's head was about to come out and I could not control the urge to push. They quickly moved me onto my back and I started pushing...and making all of those dramatic noises that you imagine pregnant women making when they are giving birth. Yes, the screaming and all. I was squeezing J's hand pretty hard and I kept thinking/saying "I can't do this!" The nurse/midwife was really good though and tried to help me breath through my contractions. They had to put an oxygen mask on me because I was breathing so fast and hard. I just wanted to get the baby out of me. It happened really fast though and I only pushed for a couple of minutes before he was born. My doctor didn't even make it. The nurse/midwife delivered the baby.  He was born at 8:41 am - 21 minutes after my water broke.  

I remember that right after I had P, the nurse midwife tried to hand him to me, but I could barely hold him.  I couldn't even open my eyes for what felt like several minutes because I was still in shock and feeling the intensity of what had just happened.  I was finally able to calm down and hold my baby and my thoughts were "That was miserable.  I never want to give birth naturally, ever again."

"I can't believe I just survived that." 

     

I'll explain the rest of the story, but as an aside, a few months ago, it dawned on me that the tools and skills that I have acquired (and am continuing to acquire) through my passion with personal growth are not only to help me.  Of course, I will use (and have already used) these tools for the benefit of my family and others around me, but it occurred to me that P's birth set off this chain reaction to help me discover the tools that I need in parenting and helping him.  P is very deep and needs a lot of help with learning emotional intelligence and how to deal with his emotions in a healthy way.  I feel that he has inherited some less desirable traits (less desirable only when channeled incorrectly) from certain family members and in a sense, I feel like these tools that I am learning and teaching him will help to cleanse and heal some of those wounds in our family line.  And I have been realizing that the tools that I am learning are helping me to teach him how to handle and process his strong emotions in a healthy way.  I am faaarrrr from perfect at this (I have to do my own emotions coaching work with myself as well), but I'm trying and I'm practicing and when I remember to use the tools, I see great benefits for both of us.

...  

Fast forward to the summer of 2013.  We were thinking about trying to get pregnant again.  So naturally, I started to think about giving birth again.  And I decided that I didn't want a repeat of Porter's birth experience.  I didn't want to chance being caught unprepared again.  So even though I still didn't want to give birth naturally, I felt that I should at least put some effort into preparing for it, just in case.

One day that summer I was reading a blog that I really like, written by Heather Farrell.  On the side of her blog, she had a link to a book that she was one of the authors for called The Gift of Giving Life: Rediscovering the Divine Nature of Pregnancy and Birth.  The title of this book interested me so I decided to buy it and read it.  When it came in the mail a few days later, I spent pretty much all of my free time reading it.  I loved what I was able to learn from that book.  It was so inspiring.  It is a compilation of birth stories and of essays about pregnancy and birth.  The birth stories aren't all about unmedicated/natural births, but many of them were.  As I read this book, I started to feel a desire grow in me.  I started to feel that instead of preparing for a natural birth, just in case, I was seriously considering having a natural birth the next time on purpose.

It was also through this book that I was really introduced to meditation.  Of course I had heard of meditation before, and I know that the scriptures mention meditation, but I had never really known how to meditate and I hadn't ever thought of doing a formal meditation practice before.  I began to be fascinated with meditation though and felt really drawn to it.  I started learning everything that I could about it, from the scriptures, from the prophets, and from other books and sources.  I began my own meditation practice that has changed and improved over time since then.

A couple months later, I got pregnant with E.  I had learned from The Gift of Giving Life book about  a childbirth method called Hypnobabies and I felt really drawn to this method.  So when I was a few months pregnant, I borrowed the Hypnobabies home study program from a friend and practiced the techniques and skills throughout the rest of my pregnancy.  Throughout my experience with this program, I learned a lot more about affirmations and meditation and the mind/body connection.  E's birth (May 2014) was an amazing experience.  I was able to use the Hypnobabies skills to help me to have a very positive and spiritual unmedicated/natural birth.  The skills that I learned even had a very positive effect on the end of my pregnancy with her and also on the postpartum period.

This post is already long enough, so I'll continue the rest of my discovery of my passion for personal growth on the next post...

Remember: The Importance of Recording Spiritual Experiences

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If an angel appeared to you, do you think it would be a pretty powerful experience?  I think so.  It would probably be one of those experiences that is so amazing that it would be burned into your mind forever, right?  You would never forget it, right?  

Well, this wasn't the case for two guys named Laman and Lemuel.  They saw an angel.  It was probably a powerful experience.  But they quickly forgot.  They also forgot about the great things that the Lord had done for them.  They forgot about faith and that God can do anything.  

1 Nephi 7:

10 How is it that ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?

11 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record?

12 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.

Yes, you could argue that they didn't "forget" these things - but that they just didn't see them as important in the first place.  Their hearts were hard.  

I think that's true to a certain extent.  But I bet at some point in Laman and Lemuel's lives - maybe when they were younger, they had testimonies and faith in God.  But over time, they forgot these feelings.

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This is one reason why I am so passionate about record keeping and journaling.  Especially in this modern day and age where our minds can easily be overloaded with the information that comes at us all the time.  It's just so easy for our minds to get overloaded.  There's no way that we can keep everything solely in our memory.    

I really feel that it's important to keep a record of our experiences with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It's too easy to just forget them if they aren't recorded.  

And this sounds counterintuitive, but my personal feelings are that the more sacred and spiritual an experience is, the easier it is for us to forget it.  I think that experiences that are less mundane and "normal" are easier for our minds to doubt.  I have personally had a few experiences in the recent past that were some of these small but sacred moments.  And the interesting thing is that only a little while after having these experiences, I was already starting to doubt if they actually really happened or if I just made them up in my head.  I am really glad that I immediately sat down with my journal after these moments and recorded my thoughts, feelings, and experiences.  If I hadn't written these experiences down, I am sure that overtime I would doubt that they even ever happened.      

Here is a thought that I recorded in my journal a few months ago...

January 28, 2017

As I was reading my scriptures this morning, I read Alma 37:8. Alma is talking about the record and how it is important that it is kept and preserved. Then he says "for behold. They have enlarged the memory of this people." I like that. This is one reason why I believe in record keeping and documenting. Journaling and documenting through photos enlarges the memory. We aren't able to keep EVERYTHING in our minds at all times. Yes, the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance, but I think that sometimes (or often) in order to do that, He points us to records that will bring those things to our remembrance. Often this is the scriptures, but sometimes this is our own personal records - our own journals and our own photos.

I view my journal as an "external hard drive" of sorts where I can keep precious memories, thoughts, feelings, and experiences, without having to worry about them getting deleted from my mental memory.    

Mosiah 1:

3 And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.

4 For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.

5 I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the traditions of their fathers, which are not correct.

6 O my sons, I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are true. And behold, also the plates of Nephi, which contain the records and the sayings of our fathers from the time they left Jerusalem until now, and they are true; and we can know of their surety because we have them before our eyes.

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Scripture Thoughts: Hearing the Voice of the Lord through the Book of Mormon

*This is the third and final post in this series where I discuss my thoughts about the Scripture essay in Adam S. Miller's book, Letters to a Young Mormon.  You can find posts the other two posts here and here.  

"Don't balk at this responsibility or hand it off to church leaders. Our minds go dark and our hearts go cold when we set this work aside. "Your minds in times past have been darkened," the Lord told Joseph, "because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received - which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation" (D&C 84: 54-55). Our minds go dark because we've treated this responsibility lightly. We don't sit down with the scriptures and we don't study them out in our minds. And, to our discredit, we've often dismissed the world's best books rather than translate them. As a result, we'll "remain under condemnation" until we "repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon" (D&C 84:57) 

The Book of Mormon is this new covenant. It is itself what God promises you. It is given to you as a Urim and Thummim, as your own personal seer stone. Look into it and learn how to see the world by its light. And as you do, you'll be shown not only how to say but to do what the Lord requires."

The responsibility that Adam is referring to is the work of us personally translating the scriptures.  See the two other posts for more explanation on that. 

Below is an entry from my journal that tells the story of an experience that I still think about often. And combined with this excerpt from Adam Miller's essay on Scripture, I think it teaches a great principle.

October 23, 2011

A little over a month ago, we had a Stake Relief Society activity where we had a luncheon and then 3 hours of classes. We could chose 3 out of 5 topics –Family, Scriptures, Sacrament Meeting (Sabbath), Temples, and Prayer – and attend the corresponding class. I decided to go to the Sabbath, Scriptures, and Temples classes. 

All of them were really good, but I especially enjoyed the scriptures class. The class was taught by a sister in our Stake named Evangelina Ledesma. I think that she was Hispanic (or part Hispanic) because she spoke both English and Spanish. She also said that she was raised Jewish but joined the church when she was in her 20’s. It was one of those classes where at first you are wondering where in the world the teacher is going with what they are talking about and you have to double check to make sure that you are in the right class. She started out by saying that she had prepared 3 different lessons (for the 3 different hours) because as she was praying and preparing she had felt impressed that the people who would attend her classes were there for a reason and they all needed individual, specific things. 

The first part of her class was spent teaching us about Mary (the mother of Jesus) and how she had learned about the scriptures throughout her life. She kept bringing up this term “Shema” which is really prevalent and important in Judaism. It means “Hear” – but more than just listening and physically hearing, it is a deeper, more heartfelt, to-the-core hearing. 

She then talked about how when Jesus was tempted by Satan, He rebutted him with scriptures (found in Deuteronomy) – scriptures that he had been taught by his mother. 

She also told us that in Judaism, they don’t call the Old Testament books by the same names that we do (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) – they are named after the most important word in that book of scripture. In the case of Deuteronomy, it is named “Devarim”, meaning “word” (word of God). So if you put them (Shema and Devarim) together, you get “Hear the word”. 

She had been speaking English for about half of her lesson when all of a sudden, she decided to switch to Spanish. The second counselor in the Stake Relief Society presidency is Hispanic and happened to be in our class, so she translated into English what the teacher was teaching in Spanish. It definitely added a different feel to the lesson. I almost think it was easier to feel the spirit when she was speaking in Spanish because you could see that she was better able to express what she was feeling. 

Towards the end of the class, she paused for a minute and then said that she felt impressed to share a story with us that she hadn’t shared in the previous class. She said that she grew up in the country so she didn’t really interact with very many people when she was really young. When she was 6 years old, she went to school and was exposed to kids of other faiths for the first time. When it got close to the end of the year, the other kids started talking about Christmas. She asked them what Christmas was and they told her about celebrating Christ’s birthday. She got really excited and said “the Messiah has come!” She couldn’t wait for the school day to be over so she could go home and tell everyone the good news. When she got home that day, she ran up to her house saying “the Messiah has come!” Her parents weren’t too happy about this and had to explain to her the difference between Christianity and Judaism. They tried to convince her that the Messiah hadn’t actually come yet – despite what her friends had said. She dropped the topic, but always kept this feeling in her heart that what her friends said was true. As she grew up, she began to search for this Jesus Christ – the Messiah (probably not to her parents’ knowledge). When she was introduced to the church and read the Book of Mormon, she knew that it was true. She said that she knew that it was true because she recognized the voice of in the book – it was the same voice that she had been taught to hear (Shema) throughout her life. The God of the Old Testament (or Torah), was the same God of the Book of Mormon (and other scripture). Her mother hadn’t realized when she was teaching her Shema that she was teaching her to hear that same voice. 

I loved this story and the spirit was really strong as she told it and bore witness of the truthfulness of the gospel. Everyone in the room was crying. 

She finished by emphasizing that it is important for us (as women and mothers) to learn to hear the voice of the Lord. Not only for ourselves, but because we need to teach our children to hear the voice as well. In these two stories (Christ being tempted and her finding the church), they were both greatly influenced by the teachings of their mothers (from the scriptures).

I loved this class. I was so glad that I had chosen to attend. It strengthened my testimony and determination to teach my children to not only know that the church is true, but to really come to hear (Shema) the voice of the Lord. It also strengthened by desire to better study the scriptures myself so that I can personally learn how to hear the Lord’s voice.

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Adam Miller's Scripture essay reminded me of this experience and gave me a new way to think about the Book of Mormon.

"Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”" (Introduction to the Book of Mormon)

I know that the Book of Mormon gives us a greater view of the gospel.  Gospel principles are clearer and more complete than in any other book of scripture that we currently have.

Another thing that I have come to feel is that it is through the Book of Mormon that we learn to hear the voice of the Lord the most clearly.  The more we read the Book of Mormon, the more we will get to know God's voice.  And then when we read other books, or consume information in any other way, we are able to sift through the information and decipher what is truth.  We will be able to recognize God's voice anywhere that it is present.  Light is light.  Truth is truth.  "All things which are good cometh of God." (Moroni 7:12-13) 

I really like how Adam says about the Book of Mormon being "given to you as a Urim and Thummim, as your own personal seer stone. Look into it and learn how to see the world by its light."  We can "look through the lenses" of the Book of Mormon to be able to recognize truth and error in other books/sources.  

Scripture Thoughts: Deepened Interest

*This is the second post (of three) in this series where I discuss my thoughts about the Scripture essay in Adam S. Miller's book, Letters to a Young Mormon.  You can find posts the other two posts here and here.

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"You'll need faith to undertake these translations as acts of repentance. You'll have to trust that the books can withstand your scrutiny and you'll have to trust that God, despite their antiquity, can be contemporary in them. The Lord counseled Joseph that, "as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning even by study and also by faith" (D&C 88: 118). This is good, though circuitous, advice. On one hand, if you lack faith, seek wisdom out of the best books. On the other hand, if you lack wisdom, seek learning by faith. Your ability to translate with power will depend on your faith and it will be amplified by your familiarity with the world's best books. The wider you read in Laozi, Shakespeare, Austen, Dogen, Plato, Dante, Krishna, Sappho, Goethe, Confucius, Tolstoy, and Homer, the better off you'll be. The more familiar you are with Israelite histories, Near Eastern archeologies, and secular biblical scholarship, the richer your translations will be rendered. Don't be afraid for scripture and don't be afraid of these other books. Claim it all as your own. Doubtless, the world's best books have their flaws, but this just means that they too must be translated. You'll need to translate them so that they can contribute to your own translations. As long as these other books help you to translate repentance, then you're still doing it right."

I have definitely found this to be true for me personally.  Over the past few years I have read a lot and learned a lot through other resources (podcasts, online classes/programs, etc.)  Reading other books  and learning from other sources (besides the scriptures) deepens my desire to read my scriptures.  When I am actively pursuing knowledge from wholesome "worldly" sources, I find that my scripture study is enriched.  And vice versa, I find this to be the case as well.  When I am actively studying my scriptures, and really seeking to to translate them for myself, I find that my learning through other "worldly" sources is enriched.  

I also feel these similar feelings when it comes to temple attendance.  My temple experience is enriched and enlivened when I am intentionally and actively studying my scriptures and seeking knowledge from other wholesome sources.  And when I am gaining knowledge and inspiration through the scriptures and other sources, I have a greater desire to go to the temple.  

"President John Taylor, the third President of the Church, said: “We ought to foster education and intelligence of every kind; cultivate literary tastes, and men of literary and scientific talent should improve that talent; and all should magnify the gifts which God has given unto them. … If there is anything good and praiseworthy in morals, religion, science, or anything calculated to exalt and ennoble man, we are after it. But with all our getting, we want to get understanding, and that understanding which flows from God” (The Gospel Kingdom, sel. G. Homer Durham [1943], 277)." link

I like how Adam Miller points out that "as long as these other books help you to translate repentance, then you're still doing it right."  This gives me comfort and helps me to move forward with confidence.  If the things that I am learning from non scripture sources are moving me forward on the path back to Heavenly Father and they are motivating me to repent and become better, then I am doing it right.    

Scripture Thoughts: Translating Repentance

*This is the first post (of three) in this series where I discuss my thoughts about the Scripture essay in Adam S. Miller's book, Letters to a Young Mormon.  You can find posts the other two posts here and here.

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A few years ago I heard about this book called Letters to a Young Mormon by Adam S. Miller.  I bought the book, read a couple of the essays in it and then forgot about it.  My husband randomly thought about this book the other day.  He picked it up and ended up reading the entire little book in one sitting.  

After he got done reading, he told me that there were a few of the essays that he really liked and that I should read.  One of those was an essay called Scripture.  

I really liked how the author passionately talked about the scriptures and why it is important for us to study them.  I had so many thoughts and insights after reading this essay so I thought I'd break my thoughts up into 3 posts.  

This first post is about the importance of translating the scriptures into our own personal languages and making sure that we are translating repentance.

Ok, guys, I tried really hard to paraphrase this, but I just couldn't.  Adam's explanation is just so much better than I could come up with on my own.  Why reinvent the wheel, right?  So here is a good chunk of the Scripture essay...

"The restoration restored scripture. God showed himself to Joseph Smith first as flesh and bone and then as ink on paper. When he appeared in the sacred grove, Jesus quoted scripture. When he appeared in Joseph's bedroom, Moroni quoted scripture and then sent Joseph to unearth more. Joseph translated the Book of Mormon. and then he retranslated the bible. And then he revealed the Book of Abraham. Then Joseph went back and started again. He never stopped working on his translation of the bible. And then he revealed the Book of Abraham. Then Joseph went back and started again. He never stopped working on his translation of the bible. Brigham Young even seemed to suggest that, if Joseph were still alive he might try a fresh translation of the Book of Mormon. 

Joseph always expected more revelations, and "translation" was one vital name for the hard work of receiving them. For Joseph, translation was less a chore to be done than a way, day by day, of holding life open for God's word. Translating scripture is a way of renewing life. In translation we lend our lives - our minds, our ears, our mouths - to the local resurrection of old texts, dead words, and lost voices. We put down our stories and take up theirs. And as we give voice to them, they, for a time, rejoin us in the land of the living.

Joseph produced, as God required, the first public translations of the scriptures we now share. But that work, open-ended all along, is unfinished. Now the task is ours. When you read the scriptures, don't just lay your eyes like stones on the pages. Roll up your sleeves and translate them again. Every morning and every night, we are each commanded to sit down at our kitchen tables, spread out our books and notes and papers and pens, and, with a prayer in hand, finish what Joseph started. It is not enough for Nephi to have translated Isaiah into reformed Egyptian or for Joseph to have translated Nephi into King James English. You and I must translate these books again. Word by word, line by line, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, God wants the whole thing translated once more, and this time he wants it translated into your native tongue, inflected by your native concerns, and written by your native flesh. To be a Mormon is to do once more, on your own small scale, the same kind of work that Joseph did.

To succeed, you'll have to pray always. You'll have to study it out in your mind. You'll have to listen to the beating of your heart. You'll have to consult the best books. You'll have to take careful notes. And then you'll have to bring all these raw ingredients to bear on how God wants you to retranslate the next verse you'll read. Led by word and Spirit, you'll be empowered to do it and when you're done, you must ask the Lord if- for you, at this time, at this place - you've done it right.

You'll know if you've done it right if, as a result of the work, you repent. "Say nothing but repentance unto this generation," the Lord told Oliver Cowdery when he came to help Joseph translate the Book of Mormon (D&C 6:9). This is your charge too: translate nothing but repentance. When you're reading them right, the scriptures will bring you up short. They'll call you into question. They'll challenge your stories and deflate your pretensions. They'll show you how you've been wrong and they'll show you how to make things right."

I just love so many things about this section of the essay.  I like how Adam says that "for Joseph, translation was less a chore to be done than a way, day by day, of holding life open for God's word." I think that it's easy to feel like scripture study is a chore, just something to check off the to do list.  But if we think about our task as a task of translation, it becomes more exciting, more individual.   

I love the idea that when we study the scriptures we should be translating them again - into our own personal languages.  Interestingly, I was just looking up the definition of dialect and ran across the word "idiolect."  Idiolect is defined as "the speech habits peculiar to a particular person."  So we should be translating the scriptures into our own idiolects.  The term idiolect probably doesn't even describe this deeply enough because we're not only talking about literal, vocal speech habits.  I think that our own personal languages are made up of spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical dimensions.  The term "idio" means "distinct; private; personal; own"  We each have our own distinct, private, and personal languages - no one's is the exact same. 

I also love how Adam points out that we will know that we are translating the scriptures correctly if they move us to repentance.   

I personally feel that all learning should lead us to a desire to improve and/or to develop our personal/spiritual gifts that we can then use to bless our own lives and the lives of others.  And this is particularly true when we learn through the scriptures.  The scriptures should motivate us to improve, to change for the better, to repent.  

A couple months ago I listened to a podcast from my life coach, Jody Moore.  This podcast is called Automated Blessings from God and Jody talks about how she feels that obeying the commandments (she discusses 5 in particular), gives us automated blessings.  (I highly recommend this podcast episode by the way.  I loved it.)    

In this podcast, one of the commandments that Jody discusses is scripture study.  Here's what she says...  (again, why reinvent the wheel?  I'm just going to post the part that I transcribed from her podcast...)

"So, when we read our scriptures, I think that the reason this is so powerful for us, is because of what behavioral scientists call "cognitive dissonance". 

So cognitive dissonance means that our brains want to see our behaviors line up with what we believe is right or true or good. If our behaviors don't line up with our beliefs, then we are going to experience cognitive dissonance, and that is going to be uncomfortable, and so human nature is that we will either change our behaviors, or we will change our beliefs until the two align. So, as human beings here on earth, we are imperfect. So we are not going to live perfectly. We are not going to make perfect decisions all the time. We are going to make mistakes. We are going to make some really foolish, ridiculous choices, even, at times. And then the brain is going to feel dissonance. And then we are going to have to decide, "am I going to change that behavior? or am I just going to change what I believe?" 

Either way, it's kind of a painful, challenging process. But if I am consistently reading my scriptures, and it can also mean listening to conference talks from our church leaders, or anything that is spiritual, that reinforces my beliefs. Because Heavenly Father knows, that we're not always going to act in perfect alignment with our beliefs. But if I keep reinforcing my beliefs, by studying what I learn, by reading examples of how important, true, and powerful it is in people's lives, by reading the scriptures and studying it, then likely I will change my behaviors to line up with my beliefs, rather than the other way around. Brilliant. Right?"

So consistent scripture study helps us to spend more time strengthening our beliefs, and the more we reinforce those beliefs in our minds and hearts, the more our behaviors and our beliefs align.,  I love this idea, especially combined with translating them into our own personal languages and making sure that we are translating repentance - that our personal translations are motivating us to repent and become better.

A Matter of a Few Degrees

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This morning, I was in the basement with the kids and for some reason I started playing the piano.  I can't play that well, but I do know how to play a little bit.  I was playing some of the songs from the Hymns Made Easy book.  I started playing We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet and P started singing it with me.  When we got to the end of the third verse, these lines stuck out to me...  

While they who reject this glad message

Shall never such happiness know.

I started teaching to the kids about what it means to "reject the glad message" of the gospel and how when we reject the gospel (or pieces of the gospel), we aren't truly happy.  But then I taught them about how that doesn't mean that it's over or that we can never get that happiness.  We can change and decide to accept the gospel.  We can have our hearts changed through the atonement of Jesus Christ. That made me remember about a couple of verses from the Book of Mormon that I read during my scripture study this morning...  

Mosiah 27:

25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;

26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

I taught the kids about what this verse means.  I first asked them about what happens to our bodies when we die.  They said that it gets buried in the ground.  Then I taught them about what will happen when all of those people are resurrected - they will rise from their graves and come up out of the ground.  Their physical bodies will be re-born.  I demonstrated this with one of E's baby dolls.  We pretended that the doll died, and we "buried" it under a pillow.  And then we pretended that the doll was resurrected so it came up out of the ground.  I then demonstrated the motion (with the doll) of laying down and then rising back up.  I asked the boys what this motion reminded them of.  P said "baptism!"  He was correct.  I told the kids about how baptism is symbolic of death and re-birth.  

I have been learning about Kundalini Yoga lately and one of the meditations that I have learned is the Kirtan Kriya.  In this meditation, you just recite Sa, Ta, Na, Ma over and over again.  It means "birth, life, death/change, re-birth."  So I have been teaching the kids about this meditation and the gospel principles that it teaches, over the past few days.  

So after talking about the symbolism of baptism, I started talking about how right after we are baptized, we are completely clean - we are perfect.  But, that doesn't last long.  In fact, for me, I remember being so excited after I was baptized.  I told myself that I wasn't going to make any more mistakes, I was just going to stay clean and perfect.  Unfortunately, a few minutes after getting home from my baptism, my brother did something that I didn't like so I hit him.  I was so sad that I had ruined my purity already.  :(  

Something that I have been so grateful to learn (in more depth at least) since my baptism day 21 years ago is that if we make mistakes we aren't doomed forever.  It's not the end.  Change is possible.  And that change is made possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

I then started teaching the kids about how changing just a few degrees makes a big difference in the end - for good or for bad.    

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I remembered a story that President Dieter F. Utchdorf shared during his talk in the April 2008 General Conference.  

"In 1979 a large passenger jet with 257 people on board left New Zealand for a sightseeing flight to Antarctica and back. Unknown to the pilots, however, someone had modified the flight coordinates by a mere two degrees. This error placed the aircraft 28 miles (45 km) to the east of where the pilots assumed they were. As they approached Antarctica, the pilots descended to a lower altitude to give the passengers a better look at the landscape. Although both were experienced pilots, neither had made this particular flight before, and they had no way of knowing that the incorrect coordinates had placed them directly in the path of Mount Erebus, an active volcano that rises from the frozen landscape to a height of more than 12,000 feet (3,700 m).

As the pilots flew onward, the white of the snow and ice covering the volcano blended with the white of the clouds above, making it appear as though they were flying over flat ground. By the time the instruments sounded the warning that the ground was rising fast toward them, it was too late. The airplane crashed into the side of the volcano, killing everyone on board.

It was a terrible tragedy brought on by a minor error—a matter of only a few degrees.

Through years of serving the Lord and in countless interviews, I have learned that the difference between happiness and misery in individuals, in marriages, and families often comes down to an error of only a few degrees."

After telling the kids about this story, and how important it is for airplanes to have their coordinates accurate, I decided to demonstrate this principle using a couple toys that were laying on the floor next to me.  I first used the pretend slice of cake to symbolize an airplane and the pretend tomato to symbolize the destination.  I showed how the airplane would arrive at the destination if it was pointed in that direction and went straight there.  Then I demonstrated how if the airplane turned a few degrees, ever so slightly, then it wouldn't reach it's destination.  It would miss the mark.

After demonstrating this using the airplane analogy, I made it more personal.  I told the kids that the piece of cake now symbolized each of us and the tomato (which we ended up switching to a plastic toy man) symbolized Heavenly Father.  I showed how, if we made mistakes, it turns us a degree (or more, depending on how big the mistake is), a little bit away from Heavenly Father.  If we keep making mistakes, and we don't repent, then our path keeps getting further and further away from Heavenly Father.  But, if we make a mistake and decide to repent, we are able to turn back towards Heavenly Father.  Little choices really do make a big difference in the end.

P and I made this little video to explain what we learned.

After this little gospel lesson, the boys wrote about it in their Gospel Experiences book (I'll do a whole post about these books sometime soon).  

L's journal entry

P's journal entry

Gospel Lessons from Minecraft: Being the Hardest to Kill

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Today during lunch L and P were talking about Minecraft. I overheard one of them say "The Wither is the hardest thing to kill in Minecraft. Because when you attack it, it heals itself." 

When I heard that, I received a little stroke of inspiration and took advantage of the moment to teach a gospel lesson. I said "you know what? You should be the hardest one to kill spiritually. Satan should be thinking "P (or L) is the hardest one to get. He's so hard because when he makes mistakes, he repents. He turns to Jesus Christ and asks to be healed. And when he has experiences with the gospel, he records them so he won't forget."

We talked about how our goal is to be to be like the Wither. We should be the hardest one for Satan to get. We shouldn't postpone repenting and healing. We should record our experiences with the gospel so we don't forget them.

L and P also told me about how, in Minecraft, they have to use their best weapons to kill the Wither. I asked them what the best weapon was and they said that it is the bow and arrow.  I thought that this was really interesting because in the scriptures we are warned about the "fiery darts of the adversary."  

So, it seems that one of Satan's best weapons is a symbolic bow and arrow.  

I taught the boys that just like how they have to use their best weapons on the Wither, this is the same with Satan and us. He uses his best weapons on the hardest targets. So we need to pay attention to our weak spots and wear extra armor there. We need to be ready to defend ourselves with the Armor of God.

1 Nephi 15:24

...Whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.

Doctrine & Covenants 3:8

Yet you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble.

Ephesians 6: 

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Doctrine & Covenants 27:

15 Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.

16 Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you;

17 Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked;

18 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen.

Lessons from the Book of Mormon: Experiment Upon the Word / Taste the Fruit

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So this morning I was reading the Book of Mormon with L. He is on Alma 32 now so we were reading about experimenting upon the word and knowing if something is good or not. Verse 35 mentions tasting the light. L thought this wording was a little bit funny. So then I explained to him what Alma means by "tasting" the light. I told him that if you eat a strawberry, but you are just mad that it's not watermelon, you won't really be tasting it. Also, if you just eat it really fast, you won't really be tasting it. But if you take a bite, savor it, think about how it tastes and feels in your mouth, smell it, etc. then you will really be tasting it.

It's the same with the gospel. Laman and Lemuel (and many other examples throughout the scriptures and also in every person's individual life at times) had bites of the gospel given to them. But they wanted something different. They didn't want to put in the time or effort to really savor the gospel. They didn't really taste it.

I then told the kids that we were going to do what Alma suggests and do an experiment. I told all the kids that I was going to play a song and we were all going to be really quiet and try to really listen to the song and see how it made us feel.

I played on of my favorite hymns - Savior Redeemer of My Soul.

About halfway through the song, L started complaining and asking when it was going to be over. After the song was over, I asked P how he felt (he had been really quiet the whole time.) He said "happy." I asked him if he had any feelings in his body and he said "warm." 

I asked L how he felt and he didn't really answer. He just had a grumpy look on his face. I then explained that L had chosen to be like Laman and Lemuel. He had been given the opportunity to feel the spirit and to taste the light of the gospel. But instead, he got annoyed that it was taking too long and started complaining. He gave up on the experiment before it had a chance to grow and bear fruit.

I think that this was a nice little experiment and helped to illustrate what Alma teaches in chapter 32. First we need to desire to taste the light of the gospel. Then we have to have the faith to plant the seed and to nourish it. And we have to be patient as the seed grows.

Its interesting because we are growing a little garden on our deck this summer. Yes, we have been able to "harvest" a tiny bit so far (a few tiny strawberries, some basil, some green onions, etc.) but for the most part, we are just waiting for the other plants (the tomatoes and peppers) to bear fruit. Even though we are looking forward to the day when we will get to pick a ripe tomato and eat it, it's still been fun to just watch the daily progress of the plants growing and discovering new little green tomatoes that are growing. I think that this can be related to the gospel. Ultimately, the fruit that we want to have the opportunity of savoring is eternal life. But until then, we can enjoy tasting the fruits of progress, of bits of enlightenment, of growth. I think savoring that process will make the ultimate fruit of eternal life even more delicious. :)