Parents, Families, and Kin: A Father’s Day Homily « By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog. Two weeks ago a bishopric counselor asked me to prepare a talk for the upcoming Father’s Day sacrament meeting. Now, I’ve made no secret of the fact that I have some problems with our current (and past) discourse on gender, sex, and gender roles. These problems are trenchant, and definitely not the mere product of self-consciously sexist attitudes on the part of current LDS leaders (indeed, sexist attitudes are much more the products how we talk about these topics and the kinds of things that our talk about them takes for granted).
Still there have been some important shifts in the past generation. Setting aside, for the time being, the question of Church administrative hierarchy and structural injustices (which are certainly problems) the language of familial patriarchy has been placed, in recent decades, alongside an emerging language of parental equality within the home. The solution was a government of counterbalancing powers. Kinship is a mutual relationship of being. Memorize The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Two years ago my children and I memorized The Living Christ as a Christmas gift to my husband.
It is now a wonderful addition to our Christmas and Easter celebrations. Gearing up for our annual celebration on The Family: A Proclamation to the World, I have created memorization cards to help my children memorize the Proclamation. When we memorized The Living Christ two years ago the things that helped us the most were small cards we put on rings {each child had their own to carry around} and posters to hang up near our dining room table. We wanted the same type of thing to help our children memorize The Family Proclamation. {You can find the Living Christ study helps here.} I have divided up the Proclamation into twelve weeks {actually eleven with the last week for review}.
Each weekly file contains four posters and a page that has four cards. The Family Proclamation Memorization Helps Download The Family Proclamation Week 01 cards and posters. Booklet Covers for the Larger Cards. Faith. This will be short. I am sick and feel just awful! (I'm such a baby!) I don' have scripture references, or talks or any quotes to share. It was my intention to- but it didn't work out. But, I do have one thought to share: I went water skiing a few years ago for the very first time. Finally, nearly an hour into I, I made it up onto the skis. It was brilliantly simple........so I got scared.
So I let go of the ropes. Life can be a struggle. But, when we practice faith, God can help us rise above all of that. Living in faith is easy. Now- this doesn't meant that life won't be hard. When I was finally up, I let go. Faith, to me, is turning my fears and doubts over to Him makes my life easier. When I was skiing, I still had to hold on the rope. Anyway- just the thought that's been stuck in my head this week. Guided Scripture Journal Pages: The Plan of Salvation. Guided Scripture Journaling Pages: The Godhead. For Relief Society, I am creating Guided Scripture Journaling Pages each month in an effort to help us all get into the habit of scripture study and to get the gospel to those who don’t make it on Sundays. Since the work is already done, I thought it would be easy to share a new topic page with you each month.
There is a front side and back side. Print accordingly. These pages are great for children (preteen & up) and yourself - of course. The topics will include basic fundamental doctrines such as The Godhead, The Restored Gospel, The Plan of Salvation, The Atonement of Jesus Christ, etc. These guided pages can help meet specific requirements for the Personal Progress Program and the Duty to God Program for your youth. Here are a few close-ups of my scripture journal pages, just to get your ideas flowing…. Front page Pretty straightforward. Back page This page is for additional thoughts, comments or your testimony.
Additional study Download then print! 7 Times 70. When Peter asked the Lord "how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? " Jesus answered "I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. " (Matthew 18:22)I think it's pretty clear that Jesus was saying that we shouldn't place limits on how many times we forgive someone. Here's something else I got from it: to forgive someone repeatedly, especially when it's someone close to you (which are the ones who are most likely to hurt us over and over again, even if not intentionally) means that we can't hold on to the pain and the anger. To truly forgive in a way that goes beyond the petty scorekeeping of "seven times seventy" means that we have to do our best to not only forgive, but also to forget what was done to us.
Besides, isn't that what the Lord does for us? In telling Peter to forgive seven times seventy times, He was giving Him a lesson in love and forgiveness that goes far beyond the natural capacity of a man. Our Blue-Eyed Savior | Feminist Mormon Housewives Our Blue-Eyed Savior | angry activists with diapers to change. Recently, our up and coming blogger, Petunia, daughter of mfranti, asked this question: So, out of curiousity, why is Jesus ALWAYS depicted as white? He was born in israel and anyone who comes Israel now or then does not usually come to be of a lighter complexion. Or is He depicted as white because He wasn’t born from His mother and father genetics but from the Lords? The more I come across photos of the Lord, the more it provokes me to wonder, why is He depicted this way?
I have to say, I was not that precocious as a 16-year old. I really never thought about the cultural meaning behind pictures of Jesus until I was directly prompted to do so while teaching a seminary class a couple of years ago. “See that picture of Jesus behind you? Taken a little by surprise, I muttered a quick reply: “Well, Jesus was actually Jewish, so he probably looked just….. Utter teaching fail, I know. There are many different branches of liberation theology now, including feminist (!) Jesus is Black. Like this: Mothers in May – The Mothers of the Stripling Warriors « That Good Part. Happy Mother’s day! So…one of my favorite examples of mothers given in the scriptures are the mothers of the stripling warriors. We don’t get to read their narrative. We don’t read their testimonies, per se.
We don’t know much about them, specifically, yet these mothers play an integral role in the history of the Nephites. When we learn about their sons, we also learn about the mothers. The Stripling Warriors This is what the scriptures teach us about the stripling warriors: “And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. The stripling warriors were young. Stripling means “youth”. The stripling warriors were also exceedingly courageous, strong, and true in whatever they were entrusted. These dudes were awesome. Helaman explains: I have to admit, I’m working on all of this. I love the example of these women. Like this: Pride vs Charity Journal Entry. May 04 2012 I have shown a similar journal entry like this before I switched over to my printed journals, so I had to re-do it in my new journals!!
Honestly, studying PRIDE and CHARITY side by side has absolutely impacted me. It has been one of the great “ah-ha’s” in my life. As I have struggled to overcome the oh too many elements of pride that I have, I have learned that when I hold it up to charity, I know what I need to do. I have clarity. So… the first thing I did was study the two. I looked up scriptures and I read talks. This talk must be read by everyone. And then, because I am a ridiculously visual learner, I drew the this. The girl on the left is my hero and my goal. She is motivated by love and she sees everyone as Christ sees them and has His pure love for them. The girl on the right is motivated by pride. She is in a constant quest to lift herself up above others. Now, these ladies are the extremes. And let me just say… I think THIS MAKES THE BEST DATING LESSON! And now for this girl. Now More than EVER We Need Living Prophets.
Among other issues, last week's blog post has brought into crystal clear focus the need for living prophets - today, more than ever before! Incredibly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) boldly declares, to the world, that a young boy, named Joseph Smith, was called of God to restore ancient Christianity, as established while Jesus Christ, Himself, was upon the earth.
And today, by succession, the Church continues to function under the direction of President Thomas S. Monson, whom its members sustain as a prophet, seer and revelator. Mind you, this is no small matter -- and its importance must be acknowledged in the face of much confusion and controversy that surround us daily. "Because Heavenly Father loves His children, He has not left them to walk through this mortal life without direction and guidance", said Dieter F.
Watch New Video: We Need Prophets Today It is not surprising that much of what prophets teach is not well received by the world. tDMg Kathryn Skaggs. My Sacrament Meeting Talk Today about "The Creation" Since I had to take my oldest daughter to Utah yesterday and return to Carson City in time to speak in church tomorrow (a round trip of just over 1,100 miles in a total of 28 hours), I didn't write my normal weekend New Year's Resolution Post. Instead, I am posting the outline of my talk tomorrow about "The Creation". (I joked that I was going to guarantee never being asked to speak in my new ward again by talking exclusively about evolution and procreation [making babies], but I decided not to do that. My wife was pleased with that decision.) I almost always write my talks in concept outline form, think about the outline up until I give the talk, jot down any specific thoughts that hit me while I'm sitting on the stand and then speak about each item in the outline in the talk itself.
Therefore, what I am posting now is the outline I will be using. 2-ne-9-journal.jpg 512×341 pixels. The First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel: What Do They Mean to You? My focus this month for my New Year's Resolution posts is principles and ordinances. I am late writing this first weekend post because of Easter last week, but I want to focus initially on a very simple explanation of what the "first principles and ordinances of the Gospel" mean to me. Next week, I will address why they are the fundamental principles and ordinances, but first I want to write a very simple post about what they actually are - at only the most basic level.
Our Fourth Article of Faith says: We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. In order, the most basic explanation of each of these principles and ordinances for me is: 1) "faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ" 2) "repentance" Jesus taught us to be and become different than we are and have been.
A) Baptism is symbolic. “What Think Ye of Christ?” « By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog. [Cross-posted to In Medias Res] Twice in the past week, I have been asked, in essence, this very question, though not exactly as it is recorded in Matthew 22:42. Once the question came from a student of mine, a young person, unfamiliar with the Mormon church but filled with questions, a person generally uninterested in Christianity; the other came from a fellow Mormon blogger, an academic like myself, trying to make sense of certain statements I’d made in response to some of the temple-related controversies which the Mormon Moment has thrust upon us.
I found myself responding as I did in both cases, I suppose, because I’m mostly unconcerned with, and admittedly sometimes outright dismissive of, many of the doctrines in question: the point of the church, for me at least, is to get close to God, and experience the condescension, love, and grace of Jesus, and I often find the need to justify or make sense of much of the rest of our teachings a distraction, at best. Who's the greatest? 46 ¶Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, 48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. (Luke 9:46-48) I had lots of questions about what Jesus said here.
How does one receive a child in Jesus’s name? Is that like when a woman bears a child? Or does that mean meeting and accepting a child for who they are? Or does that mean accepting a child into the church by baptism? Or does it mean accepting truth even if it is taught in the simplest way by a child? I think it could be all of these, but most especially I think it could mean accepting a child into the church at baptism, since that would best qualify as “receiving [a] child in [Christ’s] name.” What do you think? Church Organization in The Book of Mormon - By Study and Faith. In Mosiah 18 and Mosiah 25 we learn much about the proper organization and role of Christ’s church. Let’s set the context. An off-shoot of the Nephites were under the reign of a wicked man named Noah.
The king ordained priests who shared his love of wickedness. A righteous man, a prophet, Abinadi came among the people and testified of their wickedness. What did Alma teach and what do we learn about the organization of Christ’s church? What’s important is in these verse we learn the covenant that those who are baptized make. Bear one another’s burdensMourn with those who mournComfort those who need comfortTestify of God in all things and times (particularly through the example of their lives) Those in the church have a primary responsibility to take care of each other. As we continue through Mosiah 18 we understand more about the true nature of Christ’s church. The people of the Lord were then commanded to be unified and without contention (verse 21).
Ten Commandment Activity. We've done this simple activity with our children for years to help them understand how the ten commandments help us "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. " Download the pdf file: Ten Commandment Activity Cut out the heading and commandment strips. Take turns choosing a strip and placing it under the correct heading.
Does this commandment help me love others or love God? De-clutter with prayer. 10 LDS Conference Activities for Kids. What is Perfection? What is heaven like? Three Degrees of Glory | Jesus Christ. Name of Christ: Chief Cornerstone. Names of Christ Booklet.pdf - 4shared.com - document sharing - download. Reader. On Being Accountable: or, I Don't Believe in "The Final Judgment" Diapers and Divinity. A Broken Heart | Jesus Christ. Gratitude Challenge {Free Printable}
My Joy and My Great Thanksgiving | We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice In Christ. Arising from darkness – the miracle of forgiveness « By Study and Faith. By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog. Forgiveness How To | Latter Day Woman Magazine. Diapers and Divinity. Helping Those Who Struggle When You Struggle, Too. Attributes to Acquiring Happiness–Repentance | Latter Day Woman Magazine. Evidence of Things Not Seen. The Lord's Ways.
Turning To God and Trusting | Jesus Christ.