Thursday, June 2, 2016

I may have posted this before, but in case I didn't, here it is.

Cathi has this in her office and I love it!

James posted a sweet note regarding our anniversary on Facebook yesterday and he got 125 responses.  Romance is not dead!

Alma 10:1-16

My notes:

1 - Amulek preaches and gives his genealogy and reputation.  He also tells of the angel's message to him regarding Alma.

12 - The people are astonished because of Amulek's witness.  They thought Alma stood alone.

14 - The lawyers seek to destroy Alma and Amulek.  They are a bad bunch.

I love the new manual "Teaching in the Savior's Way."  At first when I heard that we should focus on the people not the lesson, I was a little confused.  Now I understand.  

I have to share this excerpt from the book I am reading, "Christ in Every Hour."  This is found in the chapter 'The Strengthening Power of Christ' on pages 94-95.  The subtitle is: 'Nephi's Thesis:

God Will Make Us Mighty:

"Like a good writer, Nephi provides a thesis statement in his introductory chapter of 1 Nephi: 'I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance'( 1 Nephi 120).  His general theme is not just obedience to God, but what obedience provides us: divine power to overcome obstacles.  In the subsequent chapters of his first book, Nephi provides no less than five examples - fleeing from Jerusalem, obtaining the brass plates, God freeing him from his brothers' murderous plot, successes and failures with the Liahona, and the women being made strong like unto the men - to illustrate and support his thesis that God gives divine strength and enabling power to the faithful to overcome difficulties.

After recounting these five major events, Nephi concludes:

"And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled.

And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them" (1 Nephi 17:3).  Is it any wonder, then, that after these varied experiences, when the Lord asked Nephi to build a ship, Nephi so confidently accepted the challenge?  Nephi had learned of, accessed, and experienced the strengthening power of Christ - the divine power that enables us to do things beyond our natural capacity - and thus was able to boldly bear the burdens, trials, and temptations with which he would be faced throughout the remainder of his life.  Like Nephi, if we are to face and overcome our modern tests in their varied and distinct forms we must daily tap into and receive this same enabling, strengthening grace from our Lord, Jesus Christ."

I love Nephi.  Do I have enough faith and obedience to tap in to this enabling power?

James built another bird house.

This was has a bigger entrance.

Two bluebirds have already moved in to the first house.  James saw the female with pine needles having a difficult time getting through the hole. Now we can sit on the deck and watch our bluebirds and the humming birds at the feeder.

My new Zep floor cleaner works really well and so does the polish. The floors look beautiful!

We went in to town this evening to wash the car and to satisfy my craving for a New York dog.

I love this picture of Dallin that Stacy posted on Facebook

Three months old with lots of hair

and personality.