But behold, [the Lord] did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him.
We've been reading a lot of scriptures about trusting God in our family of late and they fill us with hope! We memorized this one at the beginning of the month. Lucy loved marking it up in her scriptures and correcting us when we'd tease her with phrases like "because they cried lazily unto him he did deliver them" or "and thus doth the Lord work with his power in some cases"
Helaman 5:12
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Lucy learned How Firm A Foundation in primary last year and has been singing it non-stop lately. We suspected, however, that she didn't have any idea what it meant. So this week for FHE we started to memorize Helaman 5:12 and experimented with "firm foundations." We built block towers on top of various bases (a sturdy, heavy wooden box, a cardboard box, and a pillow) to see which foundation was the most secure. Songs included Lucy's "Firm a Foundation," and The Wise Man and the Foolish Man. We labeled our strongest foundation with a picture of Christ and then "built our life" on him with blocks labeled with Lucy's ideas about "following Jesus"(learn, obey, love, share, help, etc).
We have Gene R. Cook's Teaching by the Spirit book on tape in our car and it has been the source of much discussion lately. Anyone read it? We keep talking and talking about various sections...
Finally:
For Christmas, my mother-in-law gave each of her grandchildren one of these darling framed temple pictures. Such a simple idea - such a treasure! My kids love them and want to sing "I Love to See the Temple" every time they spot their picture on the dresser.
OK! That's plenty for one day!
Look forward to your thoughts/questions/ideas!
8 comments:
What a wonderful fifth Sunday idea! Thanks for sharing your scriptures and insights. Last week I read CHARLES AND EMMA: THE DARWINS' LEAP OF FAITH by Deborah Heiligman. The award winning book for children eight and up is the heartbreaking story Charles Darwin, a man who comes to believe there is no God, and Emma, his beloved wife, who never doubts. They loved and raised ten children, losing three before adulthood, shared a long life together and loved each other dearly. How such great thinkers can lose faith is sobering. God, the great scientist and creator, witnesses his work and testifies of his presence in all things: Alma 30:44 "The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." How grateful I was as I read to have the knowledge and testimony of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and understand "Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth. . ." especially our children and grandchildren.
Lu - I love that! Thank you!
We had a fabulous combined Sunday meeting today about stewardship and our responsibilities regarding the earth. It was intereting and sobering and motivating, all. One thing I loved was the thought that if this world was created, as you discussed, to witness of God and his majesty - then it follows that we should really be more aware of how our daily living impacts the earth, we should really consume less and conserve more. We should really be better stewerds of this witnessing world.
And on the note of witnessing. I just listened again last night to a talk i love by a favorite BYU professor. A section of his talk discusses the reality that ALL things testify of Christ. It's worth a listen:
http://www.byub.org/edweek/archive.asp?selectedYear=1997
(the talk is second to last on that page: "Take Upon You My Whole Armor..." by Todd Parker)
First I just have to say that I"m stealing your "how firm a foundation" lesson. I think my boys will love it.
And the pictures are a super cute idea. I'm going to keep that idea filed away!
For the past few years I've been working my way through the Old Testament. I wanted to say that I've read the whole thing through... and I did it but it's SO nice to be reading the Book of Mormon for my personal study again. I missed it! So I"m reading the Book of Mormon with my YW for the new Virtue requirement and you have to keep a journal as you read and it's made a difference in how I read it this time around. It's made my study a little more meaningful... and I've caught things that I hadn't seen before. For instance: 1 Nephi 15:8. Nephi just comes back from receiving his vision and he finds his brothers bickering about what their father told him and what the vision of the tree of life is supposed to mean. Nephi simply asks in this verse "Have ye inquired of the Lord?"
When I read that it hit me that I don't inquire of the Lord often enough. I had been trying to come up with a "theme" for New Beginnings but nothing felt right. I'd been talking to other people and looking online for ideas. When I finally asked the Lord I got the answer I was looking for. HE knows what the girls in my ward need. HE knows what will best help them. And while friends, family, and the internet can be great resources for YW or even for family matters--HE knows us best and we need to ask for His help. I forget that sometimes.
Anyway, sorry for this super long comment... it's just been on my mind for quite a while now... something I'm trying to work on.
Oh, Jeanine - thanks! That's so awesome! I remember hearing a teacher say once that sometimes we need to focus more on the SOURCE of truth (Heavenly Father) and less on RESOURCES (even though they can be helpful!) Thanks for sharing, friend! Your thoughts will be helpful for me in my own YW calling!! =)
Loved reading your comments! (Jeanine--yours is esp helpful to me just now!)
I shared this with Lor already, but this song has been a source of joy for a few weeks now:
Song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vGqOqo5gV0
Lyrics:
http://thankfulplace.wordpress.com/2007/12/27/carol-of-joy/
I am simply "delighting in fatness". Great minds. Wonderful ideas. Awesome people!
Lately, this scripture has been new to me again:
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their aweakness. I bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my cgrace is sufficient for all men that dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
Sometimes I think so much about my inabilities that I forget the Lord's abilities - his abilities to enable and magnify me and supliment my efforts. Remembering that really is empowering.
Lori-Can I just say that I love reading your blog. I LOVE the tribute to Grandma Bert & Grandpa, and I want to give those pictures out as a gift in primary...they are SOOO cute.
What a blessing it is to know "The Gospel's True & I love you!"
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