Feeling Inspired

                In April I was asked to outline the RS lessons to correspond

with Come Follow Me lessons. 

I had only my notes and the titles of the 2020 “Don’t Miss This” Episodes.

It was right after general conference and so I didn’t have the titles of

the talks we had picked,

only the speakers.

Of course I prayed for inspiration on where to put the 11 or 12 conference talks that

we had picked for our lessons. 

There were six that were definitely set in stone but wasn’t quite certain

how to place the other talks. 

This week’s theme was spot on as the reading in Come Follow Me was on the Strippling Warriors (starting here) and the RS lesson was from this talk.  

You are on Your Own - Though You Don't Have to be

                The year that the Church had come out with the “Come Follow Me” program is the same year that having three meetings at the church was cut back to two meetings and strongly suggested to continue study that third hour but at home with the family.  Richard’s calling kept him after church and so Jaime and I would come home and read the manual and watch videos together.  Read scriptures with discussion, but that tapered out.  We weren’t so diligent about studying together quite as often.

          I continued to study the manual and watch videos though not as diligently as this year or even in 2022 with the Doctrine and Covenants.  Good until summer hits and slowly have gotten back on track during fall – except for the Old Testament which I wasn’t so diligent about.  But I have gotten much better this year.  I try to study each week as though I will be giving the lesson.

          Sunday school is held every other week altering with Relief Society – which I have been a part of since September 2019.  There are some people who study the Sunday school lesson only for the weeks that Sunday school is held – but I do all weeks regardless of what week it is.

          I do remember one Sunday school instructor attempting to incorporate both weeks of reading.  That’s a lot of material for that short of time.  I think she handled it well, but I would choose to focus more on covering one or two things than attempting to touch on all of it.  Hopefully directed by the Spirit and not rely so much on myself.

          It was during the Old Testament that Richard had the calling of Sunday school president.  Whenever the adult Sunday school teacher couldn’t make it to the Sunday meeting, I was often asked to teach.  I would start with questions about last week’s lesson, this week’s lesson.  Provide a synopsis and ask the class what they learned or would like to go into more depth about.  It doesn’t seem as though I had any takers on one subject over another and so I would teach what resonated with me most – which was usually from the week prior. 

          During the months of April and October there is no Sunday School – not that I can remember anyway.  If we should have a 5^th Sunday during the month we might have a Sunday school lesson. But not tomorrow.  Tomorrow is Easter and we have only one meeting.

In the past we have always had stake conference two weeks after general conference.  Only this year our stake conference was last week and general conference is next week.  We will be having Sunday school on April 21.  But for the alternating Sundays and those missed due to conference (and now Easter) we have only ourselves to rely on to finish up 2^nd Nephi and to study all seven chapters of Jacob.  I am so grateful to those who share their wisdom through all forms of media that I may study with them.

I am thoroughly grateful for the Come Follow Me program, the messages of stake conference and the opportunity of hearing His words through his servants next week.  How grateful I am for all my Savior has done for all of us.

I am now going to watch Saturday Night Seder here which I have made a tradition since 2020 (so grateful it is still on the air)

What Oddities Dream Collection

                Last night I had a dream that we had gone to the Enchanted Forest and somehow ended up with a book of names.  The names were written in my father’s handwriting – or so I believed.  The only name I can remember was Priddy Meaks – who is an ancestor on my mother’s side.  So maybe it was my mother’s handwriting?  I, of course, do not remember the details as I had when I initially woke up.  I remember telling Jaime that we should collect all the pressed pennies that we could for they each had the names of our forefathers.  Lies.

               First of all, Enchanted Forest didn’t even exist when Priddy Meaks crossed the plains with the pioneer company.  There is some monument or structure that bears his name.  I have never seen it but my mom said she did when she was in Illinois.  It is not in Oregon.  It is not in the Enchanted Forest.  I think the furthest west that Priddy had ever gone was Salt Lake City, Utah. 

               Odd dream.  Though I can figure out the triggers.  I just recently looked up the schedule for Enchanted Forest.  They MAY be open March 24 – but no other info is available.  Both Come Follow Me and the lesson for this Sunday’s RS lesson focus on genealogy.  Jamie has been collecting pressed pennies for a number of years.  Apparently my mind encompassed them all into a single focus.  Weird.

Humanizing Gideon and Samson – in a nutshell

        I started watching clips of the Bible Project when I was teaching Valiants in primary.  I never shared the illustrations with the class though I am fascinated by the short videos.  The book of Judges (here) is referred to as disturbing – which it is – as we explore in this week’s reading of “Come Follow Me”.  As we are limited on time and to spare all the gore (and there is A LOT of it) it has been suggested to study only certain scriptures (which still contain gore, stupidity, arrogance, violence, murders, and so forth)

https://meetinggodinthemargin.com/2017/06/02/first-
reading-of-judges-11-12-jephthah-his-daughter/

       Chapter one gives us the account of the land of the twelve tribes – a recap if you will.  Where mortal corruption and child sacrifice is acceptable.  Chapter two gives the account of the cycle that each generation experiences starting with sin, oppression, repentance, deliverance and peace only to sart the cycle all over again but with a set of different judges (or delvers).  Some judges are mentioned by name.  Chapter three gives us a small account of a judge named Othniel followed by Ehud.  Chapter four gives us an account of Deborah and Barak and Jael. 

Chapter 5 sums up the accounts in poetic form.  The English Bible writes in poetry form which doesn’t seem so gruesome when compared to the rest of judges.  But it is not required as part of the reading.  So while all the judges thus far share chapters, Gideon has four chapters just by himself. We learn of humility and the ability to follow God’s plan and what miracles may come.  Weapons used?  Lanterns and horn blowing.  That was it.  It was a scare tactic that worked like a charm.  A somewhat gruesome charm – but that was on the Midinites.  Gideon and his people shed no blood. 

Gideon’s story reminds me so much of others that we have already read.  Called to serve but with reluctance reminds me of Moses and the Battle with horns – though not wall crumbling – does remind me of Joshua.  And faith almost like Abraham because even though he seems reluctant still abides. That covers chapters 6-8.  That is what we are expected to read or study.  Chapter 9 is not a part of the reading.  Gideon apparently becomes weak and turns to idolism.  That part reminds me of Aaron – giving in to the weakness of the children of Isreal.

We skipped over the three chapters that introduce Jephthah and go right into Samson.  Hollywood has made countless movies about Samson.  What an idiot.  That’s what I thought about him the first time I heard about him in primary.  Every four years I have found a new reason to dislike the dude.  I roll my eyes each time I hear his name.  But perhaps we need to learn about him to remind ourselves that the world is full of imperfect people – even leaders.

I am certain that Hollywood has taken liberties with every Bible story that is portrayed.  Though there was still a lot of violence (because let’s face it, an R rating Bible would still not do justice for many parts) I did appreciate how this 2018 version did try to incorporate humaneness into the Samson character who would sin, oppress, repent, become humble . . . well, to a degree.  

He started out trying to do the right thing but would give into temptation when he was bullied.  He would lash out and try putting others in their place . . . just went about it the wrong way.

I told Richard to focus more on Gideon and less on Samson – and to remember to teach the fourteen year old youth and not be focused so much on the lesson.  Incorporate a lot of prayer.  What do the class members need to learn – not what wild mistakes do we pick up from reading about all these clueless people?

So that’s my take on Judges in a nutshell.  Aren’t you glad you read this post?

Water Fitness

        The largest sized classes 
take place in July.  By

mid-August the number dwindles

as there are several who

are instructors and have

already started their

        “back to school”.

There were only six of us

in the pool yesterday. 

          Usually toward the end of class

children will start staggering in

for their swim lessons which

follow our water fitness class. 

          There was no staggering and

I wondered if maybe they had

discontinued with the lessons as

several life guards may be

returning to school as well.

          Then they came.  A heard of

children entered just as our

class was coming to an end.

I guess that means summer is

          coming to an end as well.

I'm sad that Dottie is 
          no longer with us.  I 
think of her each time I 
          park as we would park in
the same area.  Her dogs 
          would always bark at me.
I miss Dottie.  I don't
          miss her dogs.

And the Downward Spiral Begins . . .

            When it was announced that church meetings would be cut back to only two hours on Sunday so that the third hour could be spend with families, neither Jenna nor I believed it would last.  It has been left up to each family or individual to study the "Come Follow Me" program to prepare for the following Sunday.  I could hear Jenna's moans - wishing that would happen but predicting that it would not.

                Like many New Year's Resolutions, there is diligence within the first month, perhaps a couple, but then we start to taper off from what we started and had every intention of keeping.  Jenna and I have been pretty good about going over the manual first thing when we get home.  She stops me and asks lots of questions or rewords the message (or scripture) according to her own understanding.  During the course of the week we have tried to set up appointments with others so that we may research together and establish (or strengthen friendships) and hopefully gain new insight.

                There are YouTube videos that have ideas on how to teach or how to learn.  I've watched a few of "Come Follow Me" program covering various chapters.  I love Bible Project videos.  They are highly entertaining and explain a lot.  It's like a crash course of whatever book or chapters.  I referred to Bible Project all the time when I was teaching the Old Testament as it was more helpful than the manual has ever been.

  

                I had asked Roland if he would like to set up an appointment with another family in the ward.  He said we didn't have to read the lesson this week as Sunday School is only every other week and today is Priesthood.  Really?  I am appalled with that attitude.  We were given the extra hour a week to study - every week not jut every other week.  Primary lessons happen every week.  We don't rotate weeks.  The guideline is the same each week.  I know Danny and the chorister (who happens to be Danny's mother) would be okay with alternating lesson and singing time.  

               Take this weeks lesson for example - the scriptures featured the temptations of Christ AND the fishers of men.  Danny decided to do her lesson on temptation.  I would have gone for the fishers of men as twenty minutes does not seem adequate for covering both accurately.

Christmas, Primary, Theatre and other thoughts

          The ward Christmas dinner is tonight - it's going on right now, actually.  And so is the light parade - which I will be missing this year - am missing.  It's barely past 6:00 and I am hearing fireworks - are you kidding me?  Why so early?  I suppose the answer to that would be because we have more hours of fog than we have seen - this being our forth Christmas in Myrtle Creek. 

                It's been so dry, only a few days of rain,  and the fog lingers so much longer than I have ever seen.  Sometimes we have a couple of hours of sun but once it goes down (quite early by the way) the fog makes its way back.  I think there may pieces of smog mixed up in it.  Perhaps that is why it lingers.  It doesn't look as clean as it used to. Anyway, I guess if they don't set the fireworks off right now, they won't be able to see them.  Fog is already starting to thicken.  We'll most likely be covered by 8:00.

                The ward dinner is being held at the Grange this year.  That is where it was held last year.  I thought it was tight - like on conference when they pack us in tight like sardines.  I didn't wish to deal with that this year - though I enjoyed seeing the light parade with my ward friends last year at the Grange.  I was hoping to see it from Riddle this year, but something disagreed with me this morning and so I have not left the house all day.

                Tomorrow is the primary program.  I don't recall ever having a primary program in December before.  Holy Cow.  We haven't had to prepare lessons for the last two weeks due to practice nor do we have to have one for tomorrow as the stake leaders have promised treats for the primary and they will be watching a movie (possibly Daniel and the Lion's Den?) while eating ice cream.  I remember how overly crowded it felt in primary last year - with no clue as to why.  We have a small primary.  Those who come to see the kiddos perform need to be sitting on the right side of the chapel.  The pulpit will block the view for anyone sitting in the middle.

                There are a few of us that purposely do not sit in the middle due to weird lighting.  It seriously hurts my eyes to try and look at the speaker from the middle section.  Roland and Jenna have a performance tonight at the local theatre.  I took my friends to the dress rehearsal. They enjoyed the first half of the play but didn't seem as spirited during the second half.  I don't know if it's because it was late or if they thought it was lame humor.  I think they needed to shorten it by cutting out a few of the acts. 

                Looking forward to the "Come Follow Me"outline for the next four years and losing an hour of primary. 

I Would Rather Hear It Fresh

            I have mentioned before that both my mom used to  use her children as her sounding board before giving a talk or presenting a lesson.  For my mom, it was a lack of confidence in herself.  She needed the feedback, the practice, the input to build up her confidence.  She yearned for ideas on how to improve.  She would go over it again and again until we knew it better than she did - or at least in the case of Corey and me.

            Roland does the same thing - only he does not lack confidence.  I thought he did it for validation - but he says it is because he values my opinion.  Talks and lessons are one thing, but lately his ideas and thoughts have had to do with his participation at the theatre.  I am not in the theatre.  I am not part owner in the theatre.  I don't manage, perform or have any input with the owners.  I know my personal preference varies with theirs and certainly with Roland's. 

            It isn't his job to write the skit, but he was asked to emcee and somehow feels obligated to contribute more.  He'd like to do a "Burns & Allen" type skit while reading a story to a seagull puppet.  I suppose my input was helpful as Roland's first choice of story was out of the Bible and suggested he change it to "Twas the Night Before Christmas" as it is a familiar one, and cracking jokes (even a childish innocence) after every other line would go over better with the audience than offending several audience members with lines like "Why did the wisemen bring gold and frankenstien and not diapers?" or "espoused wife?  you mean they weren't even married?"  and gear his jokes toward Santa Clause and the reindeer.

            Some of the jokes were funny.  I smiled at a few of them, but never laughed out loud.  I certainly wasn't providing a belly laugh that I suspect Roland was looking for.  Jenna provides more sincere laughter, and is able to re-laugh at a joke she's heard before - but each time he tells the same joke, I give a weak smile and sometimes roll my eyes when he isn't looking.  The freshness has worn off for me.  Though he is proud of his contribution and shares the praises and compliments he's received for creating laughter, it has gotten stale.  I don't even smile anymore.

            When Corey and I give talks, we practice on ourselves.  It's rare for each of us to call on another to sit through something that he or she will be sitting through in church or elsewhere.  We want it to be fresh for them just as we would like to hear it fresh.  Neither way is wrong or right.  They are just different is all.   

Coincidence or By Divine Design - Relief Society

            When I'm teaching primary, I'm sitting down.  When I taught RS, I was standing up.  The sisters have decided to put themselves in a circle, which has its benefits.  I thought I might try walking around and pace myself back and forth as I've seen another instructor do - but my voice doesn't seem to carry as loud as hers nor did I have much of a voice on Sunday and so had to stand behind the microphone.

            NONE of the shoes that I wear on Sunday are very comfortable and so my feet hurt as I neared the end of my lesson and later on that night I was experiencing back pain.  I blame the shoes.  I think Roland would blame my weight.  Probably a combination of the two.

            There are posts on either my own or my brother's blog which provide several reference to everything I discussed in my lesson - well almost everything.  

Dear Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin spoke of an occasion when President Thomas S. Monson said to him: “There is a guiding hand above all things. Often when things happen, it’s not by accident. One day, when we look back at the seeming coincidences of our lives, we will realize that perhaps they weren’t so coincidental after all.”

            After I had passed around the photos of my mom and dad found in this post, I shared an experience that Roland and I had while he was a realtor.  He had made appointments for showing clients houses that were still occupied by their owners.  The clients noticed a newly listed house across the street that hadn't been on Roland's agenda because  he hadn't known about it, but as it was also occupied, he might have to make arrangements for another appointment and return at a later date.  As it turned out, the owners were gone and we were able to go inside.

            The interior of the first house seemed to have dark walls in most of its rooms.  No photos on the wall.  Just a couple on a night stand.  I thought it seemed poorly lit. The house across the street was the same exact floor plan except in reverse.  And with brighter walls.  A great big picture of an LDS temple (though I forget which one; the picture was definitely the largest I have seen - exceeding the entire length on the couch) LOTS of photographs and "families are forever" themes. It was roughly 20,000 more than any other house they looked at.  But it's the one that they wanted.  Was it a coinsidence or divine design?

  

"But remember, He has always used ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things" - Ronald A. Rasband,  Oct 1, 2017

            I'm sure that to most people my dad was as ordinary as they come.  He was a very quiet man which I have mentioned in a post I created  the year that I started my blog. Even though we lived in the same house for over 30 years, talking to dad was often like pulling teeth.  Most of what I had shared with the sisters was second or third hand information from sources other than my dad.  I shared a bit about my dad's upbringing and his not having a testimony of the gospel - or perhaps it was just the church itself that he had strayed from.

            He was quite studios and a very good student.  In 1955 he'd been offered a full scholarship to BYU but had turned it down in order to join the navy - which he loathed.  He had joined the navy choir and had enjoyed that.  The nation was between wars and so he was never involved in active duty.  I don't think he had even left the country, but I could be wrong. Overall he really did not appreciate his time in the service.  Since he didn't talk about it, we can only speculate about what we think it was.  I think he may have found the vulgar language and lack of ethics among many of the sailors to be upsetting.

            I think my dad used Church as an escape from the navy.  One fast and testimony meeting he remembers a girl of about ten years of age (this is one of the few sources I have directly from my dad's own mouth) bore her testimony and said she knew the church was true, and he thought  - "If she can know, I can know."  And he devoted more time into finding God and getting reacquainted with the LDS faith.

          One night he was given permission to go to a Church dance.  There he met my mother.  They were married 14 months later.  They were married in Los Angeles Temple and had their wedding reception in the Church in the photo I had passed around where my father had had his picture taken 12 years before.  I don't know if my dad made the connection.  Probably not. I don't remember having seen the photo until my brother Corey posted it.  Had this all come about by coincidence or by divine design?

"Our lives are like a chessboard, and the Lord moves us from one place to another—if we are responsive to spiritual promptings. Looking back, we can see His hand in our lives" - Ronald A. Rasband,  Oct 1, 2017

             

              I then asked the sisters:  "How many of you have ever made plans about where your life was headed?  You work so many years of your life to stay on that path toward your goal and all of the sudden there is that fork in the road.  God may nudge you to go one way or perhaps you believe you made that choice on your own.  And one day you look over to where you could have been and compare it to where you are on the road right now and think:  "Hey, wait a minute.  I'm supposed to be over there on that path.  I don't think I like where this path is taking me"

            I asked the sisters if any would like to share an example.  When nobody did, I continued. The next example I shared was about Diane Ellingson. I had breifly mentioned her remarkable triumphant found here.  You can also hear her life story in her own words in a two part video fournd here.

"Sometimes life is hard and seems unfair but you are only defeated when you stop trying." - Diane Ellington Smith

" Most often, our good works are known to only a few. They are, however, recorded in heaven. One day, we will stand as a witness of our whole-souled devotion to works of righteousness." - Ronald A. Rasband,  Oct 1, 2017

            I also shared some examples about how often when we ask for blessings, God will send us the tools we need to acquire that blessing.  I used the example of Princess Merida from Disney/Pixar's "Brave"  here.

            I concluded with a poem Corey had written which could be used to desribe almost every "ordinary" person.  His poem can be found both here and here.

            Other references for my lesson include: 

Ronald A. Rasband

                                        talk found here

                my comments from talk found here

              

Mom &Dad

                                 great pictures here and here

                      dad's service in navy and awesome tribute by Corey/Cody here

               

Merida

                        trailer for Brave here       

No Such Thing as Coincidences

            Being in the primary has never been among my favorite of callings - which may be why I've been in it so long.  On Saturday there was a breakfast provided by the Relief Society for those who are visiting teachers.  While there, I was asked to teach a Relief Society lesson on this coming Sunday.  I made an impulsive decision to say yes.  I can still teach my primary class but will be missing singing/sharing time.  I'm certain that the primary leaders would much rather have me there than teaching a Relief Society lesson,  but sometimes I feel the need to be elsewhere.  On Sunday it will be in Relief Society.

            On Sunday I was given the subject of my upcoming lesson.  "By Divine Design" by Elder Ronald A. Rasband.  Hey, I remember that talk.  I had actually created a blog post (here) about it.  I obviously did not go into as much detail as I had felt at the time of the initial talk - but it was at a time when my head was full and my fingers weren't as able to work as quickly as what my mind was saying.

            I have to smile at Elder Rasband quoting Neal A Maxwell's words: "[God] does not do things by ‘coincidence’ but … by ‘divine design " and think of all the many times my brother Corey has said or written that "He doesn't believe in coincidences".  It made me think of these two pictures that he has posted more than once:

 

            Depending on how the Spirit guides me, I may or may not share this example, but if I do, I have placed the two photos side by side and have highlighted the etching above the arch to illustrate that it is indeed the same building though taken a decade apart. 

 

The family taken in 1947 are from Utah.  They were touring San Francisco and chose to have their picture in front of the church building.  The other photo is of the youth group who attended MIA (Mutual Improvement Association) and seminary at the Sunset Ward in San Francisco which met in the same building.

            The two circled heads are that of my dad and mom.  They were married in the Los Angeles Temple.  Their reception was at the building which is behind each of them in both photos.  This is one example of Divine Design.  I am looking very forward to giving this lesson.  I hope to have a lot of participation, but if not,  I have more material than I will have time.  Wish I could say the same of primary.