A Great Exercise

Moroni 7:45-47

"wherefore he must needs have charity..."

In these verses identify 13 attributes of charity, what it is and is not?

Literary Pattern

Did you know that most chapters in the Book of Mormon on average contain 25 verses, that is roughly about 3 and 1/2 columns.  I have found that in most chapters, the authors in the book, made it a point to highlight three verses in each chapter, one in the beginning and in the end, and one in the middle- the middle the most important. It was a literary pattern that they followed.  I will demonstrate this with Mormon's epistle to his son Moroni, Moroni chapter 9:

verse 4...wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased striving with them...

verse 11-13... how can a people like this...
(he repeats this theme for a few verses-a warning)

verse 25... My son, be faithful in Christ...but may Christ lift thee up...

Season Cycles

You take your jotter card and chad your accomplishments on the jotter sheet. That's it! The colored circles are the seasons- green/spring, yellow/summer, orange/fall, blue/winter, the time your goal or endeavor- your working on.  The red chad completes the season cycle.

                                                             

TM

Jottering

One of the challenges toward the end of the year is completing your lesson reading assignments; ending this years and beginning for next years; slowdown, plan your time and track- when to study. Use a technique I call "jottering" as displayed, filling in dark or colored spaces like these examples above.

Diadem

From scripturegirl (my daughter) to scripture man.

3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

Isaiah 62:

Angel Words

I love these words from one Angel to another angel Mother in scripture, "with God nothing shall be impossible", and "behold, the handmaid of the Lord".

Light the World

"This Christmas season I invite you to seek opportunities to “Light the World.” Beginning December 1 and continuing through Christmas Day, you can learn how to “light the way for others” by visiting mormon.org. Feel free to share appropriately your experiences on social media using the hashtag #LIGHTtheWORLD so that others can learn about the “good news”7 of the Savior’s birth, His life, and His perfect Atonement for all mankind."

David A Bednar

To Stand

Doctrine and Covenants 27
Blessing given to Joseph Smith, Jr. following his dispensation of keys from the Lord, and his servants.

Thanksiving Daily

38 That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.

Alma 34:

For Future Generations

 2 And he saith: These scriptures, which ye had not with you, the Father commanded that I should give unto you; for it was wisdom in him that they should be given unto future generations.

3 Nephi:

Christ Jesus gave us these words, his wisdom- through scriptures. May we ever be thankful for his written words of courage, faith, and love.

Gathering Chapters

Some of my favorite verses are in 3 Nephi of the Book of Mormon.  In these chapter's 20-24, Christ speaks of his mission- His gathering, " to prepare the way, that they may call upon the Father in my name", of the world to his fold.

Elder Neil L. Andersen: "Each of us is a piece of the puzzle and each of us helps to set in place other important pieces."

Inward/Outward Expressions

"Sacred spaces"- Temples have important significance, as well as "sacred vestments"- Clothing. Mormons wear sacred vestments next to their body, explained Patrick Mason, Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies and Interim Dean at Claremont Graduate University, representing a divine injunction that “we are literally clothed with divinity. … These garments give us daily reminders that our bodies are the most sacred thing that God has given us, so we should not only respect our bodies, but the bodies of others.”

Edina Lekovic, a consultant for the Muslim Public Affairs Council and formerly a national media spokeswoman for Muslims, said the outer garments that Muslims wear like the hijab — a scarf covering a woman's head and hair — not only denote modesty but a personal devotion to God and a witness of the Muslim faith. While the hijab has subjected Muslim women to violence and hate crimes, “when a woman wears a hijab she is showing courage.”

The deep, blue of the waters of Mormon (Guatemala, Mosiah 18:8-10) symbolize a solid individual, commitment to covenants- to come unto the fold of Christ , and hold a desire to covenant and serve him.

The Deep

...the waters of Mormon.

Spiritual Spears

We need to hold this image, in a spiritual sense-
how ethiopian warriors use their personal two spears:
1) a shorter one to use to throw, when hunting and attacking, and
2) the longer one to use to grip, when holding and defending ones ground and position.

To me spiritual spears- are:

1) receiving a remission of your sins, and
2) retaining a remission of your sins. As discussed in...
Mosiah chapter 4.

Receiving and Retaining are each ones long and short spears, helping us through life's journey. We receive one at Baptism, and the other by partaking of the sacrament each week.

Thus Ended

Mentioned in the Book of Mormon, the reoccurring phrase reads, "and thus ended also the ...ty and ...th year of the reign of the judges". Then a descriptor verse proceeds or follows saying, "thus were", "there was", and "there were". It describes a place in time and the condition of the time. Such a reference of the date keeps the reader directed.

What would we say by repeating in our mind, a personal or cultural condition, "and thus ended my ...ty and ...th year of the reign", and "thus were" my days..and...

of Helaman 16:14, it declares "and angels did appear unto men, wise men, and did declare unto them glad tidings of great joy: thus in this year the scriptures began to be fulfilled".

Normalizaton Of Deviance

My blog today is mostly thoughts from my viewing the movie, “Deepwater Horizon”.  I have taken excerpts from an article, from Slate, BP is to blame for Deepwater Horizon, and my comments.

Below:

About 40 minutes into the new movie Deepwater Horizon, there is a scene in which crew member Jimmy Harrell is suddenly called into the dining area on the floating drilling platform of the same name. “Mr. Jimmy,” played by Kurt Russell, was the offshore installation manager (essentially the crew boss) on the vessel, and he’d been summoned to receive a special award for the rig’s excellent safety record. Like most of the scenes in the movie, this one is closely based on actual events the night of April 20, 2010, when the actual Deepwater Horizon was destroyed by an uncontrolled eruption of oil and gas. The explosion killed 11 crew members and set off the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Continued...

The Dutch pilot-psychologist Sidney Dekker, one of the pioneers in studying large technological breakdowns, has written that the true cause of most disasters is not so much the initial accident “but the failure to identify the accident early in its birth.” The blowout of BP’s Macondo Prospect well was a case study in how a series of small mistakes and miscalulations.

The reality is that both BP and Transocean had grown dangerously overconfident and were pushing too close to the edge (mistakes were snowballing for catasphropic disaster).

Similarly...

And there is. After the loss of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, sociologist Diane Vaughan began a long investigation into the accident. Her findings would challenge many of our easy assumptions about how disasters occur. We like to think that accidents happen because bad people knowingly and carelessly let them happen. Vaughan discovered something more troubling: that even organizations staffed by smart, seemingly moral people can slowly slide into dangerous and unethical behavior.

“Managers were, in fact, quite moral and rule abiding as they calculated risk,” she writes. And yet they were flat wrong. “Following rules, doing their jobs,” she concludes, “they made a disastrous decision.” The managers weren’t “amoral calculators,” Vaughan says. Instead, they were fundamentally deluded about the risks posed by the leaky boosters. What’s more, over the years they had systematically deluded themselves, through a process she calls the “normalization of deviance.”

Musings...

Do we sometimes fall into spiritual “normalization of deviance” regarding our own, real life, serious daily, living calculations?  The Nephites certainly fell into this trap- those “gadiantons” in their society who influenced, slowly their liberty and morality, even getting the righteous into their deluded “amoral calculators”. Are we personally falling into these traps, or do we not rotate through the known nephite cycle from pride to repentence, yet remaining or comforted by personal or secular pride?

Heleman 10:1..."insomuch that they divided hither and thither and went their ways". Have hope to stand with Nephi, who the people left alone at that time, because of their "thithering" ways.

Seeing You Soon Again

Saying goodbye to parting loved ones is heart pulling.  But I like this thought to soothe the tug:

"I always miss you until seeing you soon again"

Such longing makes living all worth it.  And how do I know this, like unto this servants faith:

Helaman 7:

29 Behold now, I do not say that these things shall be, of myself, because it is not of myself that I ^aknow these things; but behold, I ^bknow that these things are true because the Lord God has made them known unto me, therefore I testify that they shall be.

Names

I came across these names on FamilySearch:
Pleasant Wave & Prosper Patch
Their parents certainly had something in mind for them.  Nephi and Lehi were counseled- See
Helaman 5:6-7

6 Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first ^aparents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were^bgood.

 7 Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them.

Meme

A favorite General Conference habit of mine is to watch it while following Twitter @ldsconf.  As people tweet, they create memes through the subject matter of the talks.  It can be an entertaining as well as a fun way to remember message content. Try this method yourself.  Elder Russell M. Nelson said: "only a man who has paid the price for priesthood power will be able to bring miracles to those he loves and keep his marriage safe, now and throughout eternity".  Now complete a meme with this content, see below:

"Paying the price for priesthood power will provide miracles and safety to those you love."

Then attach your meme to a picture, portraying perhaps eternity. And finally, share it.

"Man down!"

At the conclusion of reading the war chapters in the Book of Mormon, ending with Alma 63, this is a "strategem", as Moroni would say, clip.

Not Doubt

Alma 56:

 47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

 48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

This obtained teaching from their mothers to "not doubt" certainly delivered them, and they received the "strength of God" v. 56

We can certainly apply this teaching to our own personal, confronted life's battles.

A Javelin

The last couple of weeks have been brutal reading the Book of Mormon war chapters; Gospel Doctrine reading assignment 30 & 31, a total of 22 chapters.

The stratagem of Moroni really shines through in defense of his people.

Be patient and forge through your reading assignment, chapter by chapter- build a "reading stratagem".

Highlight these cited words: scourge, secure, defend, fortify, and strengthen.

Just as the writings apply to war, they can be applied to life's battlefront.

Like this applied verse, from the Old Testament: Exodus 17:8-12-  Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.  So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek.  Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand".  So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.  Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.  But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put if under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

Add the word "steady" to the cited words.

But I love this battle moment: Alma 51:34...And it came to pass that Teancum stole privily into the tent of the king, and put a javelin to his heart; and he did cause the death of the king immediately that he did awake his servants.

A Javelin, One On One Side

The last couple of weeks have been brutal reading the Book of Mormon war chapters; Gospel Doctrine reading assignment 30 & 31, a total of 22 chapters.

The stratagem of Moroni really shines through in defense of his people.

Be patient and forge through your reading assignment, chapter by chapter- build a "reading stratagem".

Highlight these cited words: scourge, secure, defend, fortify, and strengthen.

Just as the writings apply to war, they can be applied to life's battlefront.

Like this applied verse, from the Old Testament: Exodus 17:8-12-  Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.  So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek.  Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand".  So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.  Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.  But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put if under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

Add the word "steady" to the cited words.

But I love this battle moment: Alma 51:34...And it came to pass that Teancum stole privily into the tent of the king, and put a javelin to his heart; and he did cause the death of the king immediately that he did awake his servants.

A Constant Renewed Stream

What's in a source? Two people where searching for sources to add to a relative in FamilySearch. No sources were being found.  However, from a yearbook picture it was identified that a person "Phila" short for Phyllis was found, and from a World War I, II enlistment record it identified "Emily Jane" as his spouse. This small opening in these sources expanded ancestry lines with additional siblings and parents.

When the 1915 yearbook picture was viewed on Ancestry.com, a match was identified as the same picture a sister had sent of Phyllis, now Phila to her older sister.  The family for years could find no significant record.  From this episode with a simple yearbook picture, a census record linked Phila to her sister, a brother and her Mother, who in the mind of the granddaughter had been lost, and never able to be found.

An open and clear mind truly expands a wave of revelation.

1978

Excerpt
"Meeting the Challenges of our Day" Neal A. Maxwell

The doctrine of foreordination, therefore, is not a doctrine of repose; it is a doctrine for the second-milers; it can draw out of us the last full measure of devotion. It is a doctrine of perspiration, not aspiration. Moreover, it discourages aspiring, lest we covet, like two early disciples, that which has already been given to another (Matthew 20:20–23). Foreordination is a doctrine for the deep believer and will only bring scorn from the skeptic.

When, as Joseph F. Smith said, we “catch a spark from the awakened memories of the immortal soul,” let us be quietly grateful. And when of great truths we can come to say “I know,” that powerful spiritual witness may also carry with it the sense of our having known before. With rediscovery, what we are really saying is, “I know—again!” No wonder that, so often, real teaching is mere reminding.

God bless you and keep you, my special friends, to the end that you will each carry out all of the assignments given to you so very long ago. You have been measured and found adequate for the challenges that will face you as citizens of the kingdom of God; of that you should have a deep inner assurance. Be true to that trust, as all of us must, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

"i"

The Lord is involved in our every detail, even the minor ones.  As an infinite, eternal law was fulfilled.

A jot is the horizontal mark on the letter "t", and a tittle is the dot above an "i" or a "j".

When writing cursive, these marks are made after the entire word is penned sometimes causing one to overlook their placement.  He is certain, so sure to go over every jot and tittle, as our loving, eternal Heavenly Father.

Alma 34:13-14

13 Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away.

 14 And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.

Verse Similarities

Alma 37:

 37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Alma 38:

5 And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Egyptian translation of “last day” means a point, movement in harvest or season, an event, e.g. flooding of crops.  This being lifted up at the last day, could be the final event, but it might even be a difficulty that we may be experiencing right now.

Verse Similarities

Alma 37:

 37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Alma 38:

5 And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Egyptian translation of “last day” means a point, movement in harvest or season, an event, e.g. flooding of crops.  This being lifted up at the last day, could be the final event, but it might even be a difficulty that we may be experiencing right now.

Turn To Him

“If you have been tempted to murmur, if you have had doubts that lead to unbelief, if trials seem more than you can bear, turn to Him.” —Elder James B. Martino, “Turn to Him and Answers Will Come”, and


"Prayer, combined with fasting, will provide so that when we “call, … the Lord shall answer; … [and when we] cry, … he shall say, Here I am.”

First Greats

The first great commandment: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.Matthew 22:35-40

The first great truth:
Jul 5, 2016 - "The first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength." @HollandJeffreyR

I Book Of Nephi

These Hebraisms present themselves at the beginning of the Book of Mormon, the beginning of many.  In your reading look for them?

-he pitched his tent in a valley by the side of a river of water.

 7 And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones- Chapter 2:

I Book Of Nephi

These Hebraisms present themselves at the beginning of the Book of Mormon, the beginning of many.  In your reading look for them?

-he pitched his tent in a valley by the side of a river of water.

 7 And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones- Chapter 2:

At Church

I overheard the funniest comment from a sister in our congregation, as she was talking to her neighbor, "You would tell me if I had curly hairs growing from my face".


Then a speaker gave this joke:


There was a doctor, an educator, a minister and boy on a plane.  The plane was ready to crash, and the pilot said that they only had three parachutes for use.  They decided?  The doctor said I will take this one because I can solve medical problems in the world, the educator said I will take this one because I will educate the world .  Then the minister said well the world needs redemption, I will take the final parachute.  “Oh, that will be fine”, said the boy, “I’ll take this one because the educator went out with my backpack”.

At Church

I overheard the funniest comment from a sister in our congregation, as she was talking to her neighbor, "You would tell me if I had curly hairs growing from my face".


Then a speaker gave this joke:


There was a doctor, an educator, a minister and boy on a plane.  The plane was ready to crash, and the pilot said that they only had three parachutes for use.  They decided?  The doctor said I will take this one because I can solve medical problems in the world, the educator said I will take this one because I will educate the world .  Then the minister said well the world needs redemption, I will take the final parachute.  “Oh, that will be fine”, said the boy, “I’ll take this one because the educator went out with my backpack”.

Humility

The Lord knew the traditions of King Lamoni.  So did Ammon. The servants presented them before the King because of the King's tradition. Ammon was elsewhere, tending to the King's flocks.

 9 And they said unto him: Behold, he is feeding thy horses. Now the king had commanded his servants, previous to the time of the watering of their flocks, that they should prepare his horses and chariots, and conduct him forth to the land of Nephi; for there had been a greatfeast appointed at the land of Nephi, by the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land.
Alma Chapter 18:

Waters of Sebus

Alma 17: mention of Sebus-

"SEBUS may reflect a West Semitic root śbs “to gather, assemble (persons),” and could possibly mean “Place of Gathering” for water, flocks or people (PYH)."

And the place of dis-assembling of arms.

 39 And when he had driven them afar off, he returned and they watered their flocks and returned them to the pasture of the king, and then went in unto the king, bearing the arms which had been smitten off by the sword of Ammon, of those who sought to slay him; and they were carried in unto the king for a testimony of the things which they had done.

A Missionary Being Set Apart- Alma

 2 Who art thou? Suppose ye that we shall believe the testimony of one man, although he should preach unto us that the earth should pass away?
Alma 9

Alma could answer with power, his mission, and purpose.

"And I stood with boldness to declare unto them, yea, I did boldly testify unto them, saying:

 8 Behold, O ye wicked and perverse generation, how have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers; yea, how soon ye have forgotten the commandments of God." cont...

" 21 Having been visited by the Spirit of God; having conversed with angels, and having been spoken unto by the voice of the Lord; and having the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and also many gifts, the gift of speaking with tongues, and the gift of preaching, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the gift of translation;".