Monday, December 12, 2016

Ether 9:1-22

Cycles of Great Prosperity and Tragic Wickedness.

 Notice in Ether 9:5-12 that the rise of secret combinations again led to the destruction of many people.  Verses 15-35 show a pattern that is repeated many times throughout the Book of Mormon.

1.  The people prospered exceedingly during the righteous reigns of Emer and Coriantum (see vv. 15-25).

2.  The people began to join together in secret combinations and turn to wickedness under the reign of Heth (see vv. 26-27).

3.  The Lord sent prophets to warn the people of their great wickedness (see v. 28).

4.  The people of Heth rejected the prophets (see v. 29).

5.  The judgments of God fell upon the people (see vv. 30-33).

6.  The people humbled themselves and repented and the Lord again blessed them (see vv. 34-35).

In the midst of these cycles of prosperity and wickedness, the Jaredites demonstrated that a people can be wealthy and remain righteous.  It seems that the Jaredites were able to remain in a condition of righteousness and prosperity for over 100 years ( see vv 15-25).  King Emer was even rightoues enough to see the Lord (see v. 22).  

GC:  For Our Spiritual Development and Learning by Elder W. Mark Bassett

"In order to understand the mysteries of God, or those things that can be understood only through revelation, we must follow the example of Nephi, who said, "Being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold He did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father." The Lord Himself further explained that Nephi had exercised faith, sought diligently with lowliness of heart, and kept His commandments." 

Cutest angel I have ever seen.

This morning I picked up Charlotte and we went shopping at Deseret Book.  Afterwards we went to lunch at Olive Garden.  I told her this was my Christmas present to her.  We both got the chicken and scampi and shared the little mini desserts.  I put in an order of stuffed mushrooms for James.  He told me he did not want me to buy him lunch so I figured an appetizer would do.

My dream "pretzel" house.

When I got back to Cathi and Terry's it was time to pack up and get ready to come home.  Cathi gave us an article to read called: "Heavenly Manifestations" about a stake president in Idaho who had a vision of the afterlife.  We read it for F.H.E.  

Joshua is singing a solo in his ward on Christmas day and Cathi and Terry said they would go to hear him since we couldn't be there.

My Christmas tree a couple of years ago.

On our way home we stopped in Payson for drinks and James ordered a New York dog.  I read to him from "He Is Coming."

Bill V. called and said a bunch more stuff was stolen from the construction yard last night.  He said because James has most of his stuffed moved that he didn't need to pay rent this month.  That is great news!

Joshua and Evan in 2011 when they were 5.

I love how Joshua is looking at Evan!

This evening we watched "Love You Like Christmas" and then read "Heavenly Manifestations" for FHE.  

Sunday, December 11, 2016

I ministered to children today by teaching Primary.

Ether 8:18-26

What warning did Moroni issue to the people of our day, and what are the consequences of heeding or ignoring that warning?  

* The Prophet Joseph Smith declared: "The devil has no power over us only as we permit him; the moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power" (BMSM, 372).

GC:    Abide in My Love by Elder D. Todd Christofferson

" From the Book of Mormon we learn that the intent of Christ's 

suffering - the ultimate manifestation of His love - was "to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice,

and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. (See Alma 34:15-16.)

Bishop Miller's parents were the speakers in sacrament meeting today. They did a great job.  Sister Miller talked about receiving comfort from our prayers and said we need to keep praying until we feel peace and comfort.

We had a visitor in our class today.  His name is Trace and he is Curtis's friend.  Curtis had a birthday this week.  He turned 9 on December 7th.  Our lesson was on Moroni's promise in Moroni 10:3-5.  

Sister Hall led the music in Primary today.  She brought soft, furry snowballs and the kids had a snowball fight.  She also played Sing or Dare.  The kids could either choose a song or a dare.  We did not sing very many songs today because most of the kids chose the dare.

I love my nativity set

For lunch James and I both had a green chili mix burro from Burger House.  We saved them for today.  We left for the valley around 2 p.m.  Our family Christmas party is at Sheri's and starts at 5:30.

Our new "Bufi" cups traveling together.

I talked James into going the Payson way.  It took us right around 3 hours.  I slept most of the way and did a little reading from our book, "He Is Coming."  We unloaded our suitcases at Cathi and Terry's and then went down to Sheri's for the party.  

These are the people who attended:  James and I, Paul, Stacy, Adam, Michael, and Joshua, Kim and Brian, Sheri, Ian, Ben, Max, and Evan, Darrel, Trina, Addy, Rowan, Ruby, and Lola.  Also Amanda, Alexis, and Kaitlin.  Joe, Alex, Jared Ammon, and Dallin all had to work.  Here are some pictures:

First we all got our numbers.  Everyone got a number,

including Lola.

Of course Lola wanted to sit by Evan.

They are so cute together.

Alexis got the Taylor Lautner poster.

Amanda had carefully hidden it in a plate of cookies.

From the look on her face she seems pretty happy about it.

Not sure why Michael is smiling.

Stacy got the megaphone that Ruby brought.

Ruby made a Christmas tree for me.

Lola wanted to help.

Beautiful!

I brought five gifts and James and I each came home with one.  Ian got the best gift I brought, virtual reality viewers that you use with your smartphone.

It was so nice that Sheri had dinner ready for us.  We had pulled pork sandwiches and salad.  She also made two kinds of cookies.

Megan W. opened her mission call this evening.  She is going to Knoxville, Tennessee and reports on January 25th.

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Ether 8:1-17

Why are secret combinations so dangerous when they are established in societies?

GC: "Look to the Book, Look to the Lord" by Elder Gary E. Stevenson

President Ezra Taft Benson: 

"There are three ways in which the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion.

It is the keystone in our witness of Christ.

It is the keystone of our doctrine.

It is the keystone of testimony."

After my gospel study I sat down and watched a Christmas movie,

"A Family for Christmas" starring Lacey Chabert.  It was a good one and reinforced the fact that life is all about the choices we make.

We made a trip to town today to get cash and cards for Michael and Ben's birthdays.  While I was at Walmart James went to Home Depot and Harbor Freight to get serial numbers on some of the items he had stolen at Bill's construction yard.  He also stopped at Firehouse Subs and got us some lunch.

We finished reading our book, "United We Stand" and started the next one, "He Is Coming."

This afternoon I worked on my Primary lesson, "Moroni and the Book of Mormon Promise."  I also typed some quotes for James's Gospel Doctrine lesson tomorrow.  

I watched "Let It Snow" starring Candace Cameron Bure and Alan Thicke while blogging.  

Grand Canyon

Later on I cut James's hair and then he put up the outside Christmas lights.

Family and Friends

The Lemmerman family

New Years Day 2016

Cousin Power and Amanda

Christmas afternoon

Shopping at Bass Pro Shop using his

Christmas gift cards.

Friday, December 9, 2016

Ether 7:1-27

How can I better listen to and obey the words of the prophets?

     In His kindness and mercy, the Lord sent prophets to warn the people of Shule's kingdom.  As first they reviled and mocked the prophets; however, the prophets were protected by the righteous king's proclamation.  Shule's people then heeded the prophets' warnings and repented, thus avoiding the destruction that would have come as a result of their rejection of the prophets' message.

     President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency explained why the Lord warns His children of their wickedness: "Because the Lord is kind, He calls servants to warn people of danger.  That call to warn is made harder and more important by the fact that the warnings of most worth are about dangers that people don't yet think are real" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 40). 

     Why do prophets often get mocked and reviled?  Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

"Prophets must often warn of the consequences of violating God's laws.  They do no preach that which is popular with the world...

"Why do prophets proclaim unpopular commandments and call society to repentance for rejecting, modifying, and even ignoring the commandments?  The reason is very simple.  Upon receiving revelation, prophets have no choice but to proclaim and reaffirm that which God has given them to tell the world" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1996, 52).

     Elder L. Aldin Porter of the Presidency of the Seventy explained another reason people often reject the prophet's counsel.  He explained that people erroneously believe that prophetic warnings interfere with their agency: "Some complain that when the prophets speak with clarity and firmness, they are taking our agency away  We are still free to choose.  But we must accept the consequences of those decisions.  The prophets do not take away our agency.  They simply warn us of what the consequences of our choices will be.  How foolish it is to fault the prophets for their warnings" ( in Conference Report, Oct. 1999, 82 ).

GC:  A Witness of God by Elder Neil L. Andersen

From the miraculous intervention of God to Daniel came the

prophesied future of the gospel of Jesus Christ being restored

to the earth, a kingdom that would fill the whole earth,

"never to be destroyed...but to stand for ever."

In 1831 the Prophet Joseph Smith received this revelation:

"The keys of the kingdom of God and the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth are committed unto man on the

earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of 

the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain'without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth."

GC:  Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus by Elder Quentin L. Cook

"The remarkable and celestial blessing of the Savior's Atonement is that through repentance, sinful conduct is blotted out.  After Corianton's repentance, Alma concluded, "Let these things trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance."

Instead of a selfie, we took a picture of the temple.

Christmas Nativity

Today was my 35th time at the temple this year.  I am so grateful that we have a temple close by so we can attend frequently.

James saw some old friends from high school which is always fun.  The former student body presidents.

We stopped at Sonic on the way home for some lunch.  I think I would have rather gone to El Cupidos but it was James's turn to pick.  

For some reason I was very tired when I got home so I sat down to watch a Christmas movie.  It was an old one, "Holiday Switch."  

I postponed my Primary party until next week.

Biosphere in Oracle, Arizona

I was grateful that James cleaned all of the dried mud out of the garage today.  While I was blogging I watched another Christmas movie, "Christmas Proposal."  

I got out some more Christmas decorations from downstairs.  James and I read by the fire and then we watched "Hearts of Christmas" a new movie about nurses in the NICU in a busy hospital.

Devil's Bridge in Sedona

Family and Friends:

Bluth family

Molly and Ruby last year after Christmas

Lola enjoying her Cheetos as a soccer game.

     

Thursday, December 8, 2016

This is probably the challenge that I do best!

Ether 6:12-30

We learn that the Jaredites were taught the importance of humility.  Modern revelation also teaches us the importance of humility:

"Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand and give thee answers to thy prayers" (D&C 112:10).  Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin explained that "humility is the recognition and attitude that one must rely on the Lord's assistance to make it through life" (CR, Oct. 2004, 110).

GC:  Am I Good Enough?  Will I Make It? by Elder J. Devn Cornish

"The God of heaven is not a heartless referee looking for any excuse to throw us out of the game.  He is our perfectly

loving Father, who yearns more than anything else to have all 

of His children come back home and live with Him as families forever He truly gave His Only Begotten Son that we

might not perish but have everlasting life!

Please believe, and please take hope and comfort from that eternal truth.  Our Heavenly Father intends for us to make it!

That is His work and His glory."

Calgary, Alberta temple

James ordered me a Christmas gift.  I saw the order when I was going over my credit card statement.  The name of the place he ordered from is called Diamond Pendant.  Sounds exciting!

I saw this on the back of James's deodorant container:

"Contains odor-fighting  atomic robots that shoot lasers at your stench monsters and replaces them with fresh, clean, masculine scent elves."  

This is the only deodorant I am going to buy for 

James from now on!

Well I had to go back into town today because I forgot to pick up my prescriptions yesterday.  I went to Walmart and bought more Christmas socks and picked up my prescriptions.  I also went by Firehouse Subs and got my favorite sandwich, a Hook and Ladder, and then went to Dollar Tree and got 8 snowman mugs and 7 Santa mugs.  I hope I am through shopping for awhile!

James made it home around 4 p.m. with burros from Burger House.  I sure do love him and I am so glad he made it back safely!  I always worry when he is pulling a trailer with equipment on it.  

I watched two Christmas movies today, one by myself and one with James, "A Christmas Wedding Date," and "I'll Be Home for Christmas," starring James Brolin.  James and I watched the last movie together.  It is a new one and we loved it!  It is always fun to watch movies with someone you love!

I absolutely love this picture of Shipley and Joshua

taken Monday evening when they went to look at Christmas lights.

Convert, Relief Society president, visiting teaching companion,

mother of two and wife of a fireman.

I love you Kaeli!

(She is the same age as Adam!)

I don't know what they are doing, but

these two are great buddies!

Five years ago at Joe's Farm Grill!

Time flies by when you are grandparents.

Lunch with some of my favorite people!