When Mark became a missionary, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hug him while he was 19. What a small sacrifice in comparison to the growth and service we’ve seen from him this year. We won’t be celebrating with him, but we celebrate the good man he’s become.
Be sure that you don’t believe that you are the “true teacher.” That is a serious mistake… Be careful you do not get in the way. The major role of a teacher is to prepare the way that people will have a spiritual experience with the Lord.
Gene R. Cook, Teaching No Greater Call, p. 41, 1999.
I think this quote relates to many interactions in life, not just gospel teaching. Parenting, interactions with others, online presence…
When I’m in a teaching moment, my preparation matters, but only if I use it to point to Jesus Christ.
In my recent study of Exodus, I’ve focused on the symbols of Jesus Christ in the Passover, Moses’ ministry, and the means by which the Lord redeemed the children of Israel,
This morning I had the idea to place our small Covid-era sacrament trays in my scripture study area. Symbols of Christ surround us in all His creations, and I’m not sure where this visual reminder will lead my thoughts and feelings this week, but we’ll see.
Exodus= from Greek, meaning, “the road out”.
Spiritually, it connotes an escape from bondage to freedom through transformation.
I have a glimpse of family life for your reading pleasure? today.
We saw my parents and extended family on Saturday for my Mom’s Easter egg hunt, then came home to welcome Tim and Queenie who spent the night at our house. Richard mowed the lawn for the first time this season on Saturday evening, and the lawn, blossoming trees, and tulips are beautiful. We stayed up late that night talking to Tim and Queenie about their adventures. Queenie will complete her bachelor’s degree this month and Tim is busy helping his friend Josh build a house and has some stories to tell about being a property manager. They made a trip recently to Arches National Park and Goblin Valley, which were firsts for Queenie.
We had a freeze a few nights this week, and Richard protected his apple tree blossoms with a tarp and heater.
We had our middle kids with us on Sunday. Add to the energy and events of Easter weekend the four sessions of general conference, which we watched while eating cinnamon rolls, Chex mix, and peanut M&M’s. We also visited Daniel and McKenna’s newly remodeled house where they will live after Daniel graduates this month.
Although we didn’t get a complete family picture this Easter weekend, we almost had one on Sunday during a video call. Richard played with filters to delight our grandson.
In my excitement to be with my kids and extended family, I oversupplied them with desserts. After our Easter feast on Sunday, we read passages of scripture around the table to complete our long tradition of opening eggs which hold tiny objects and scriptures. Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Until this year, I’d never “given up something” for Lent. I’m not going to tell you what I walked away from and I’m not hinting anything with the above photo. Initially, it was a difficult change, until just a few days went by and I experienced positive results.
The effects of this life change have been the quieting of my mind and the softening of my heart.
I see people in my faith working to have a more holy approach to Easter. Looking back over my first year of taking 40 days to prepare for Easter, I’m glad I made the effort. I’m a river of emotion about Jesus this week.
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Ezekiel 36:26-28
The Come Follow Me curriculum for Easter has a beautiful scripture activity under the heading, “Because of His Atonement, Jesus Christ has the power to help me overcome sin, death, trials, and weaknesses.” There is a list of scriptures to study, write about, and help you reflect upon the Savior’s power. It brought a lot of peace and reassurance to me as I did this.
Interested? Here is a LINK. (Once you click the link, you will need to scroll down to find the activity and its scripture list.)
In Exodus 1, we read about two Hebrew midwives who defied the order of Pharaoh to kill all male children born to Hebrew women. Their names were Shiphrah and Puah (Exodus 1:15) and they have spectacular meanings*:
Shiphrah🌟: “Brilliant,” from the Hebrew word that means “to shine”. It also connotes “pleasing, calm, composed, beauty or loveliness; a canopy under which peace and stability may be achieved.”
Puah 🪩: “To glitter,” also, “splendid, radiant.”
These women were lights in a dark time because they feared God more than Pharaoh.
Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
And it came to pass, because the midwives feared [revered] God, that he made them houses [households].
-Exodus 1:20-21
Here are two takeaways,
*Name meanings taken from the Abarim publications website. Emily Belle Freeman also contributed to my appreciation of this passage of scripture.
This sister missionary is a friend and I have watched her grow up. This is an awesome musical number. Her voice and testimony have become so strong during her missionary service!
This was my Austin seminary class on the last day that I taught them in May 2001. Our house was their classroom for 3 years, from 6:00-7 am each school day.
As I study the Old Testament, a few of these kids come to mind like a reflex as I read the “scripture mastery” verses we rapped and sang together to help with memorization.
My heart aches for a few of them. If I could teach them all over again, knowing the things they would face in the future, we would sing even more. I’d have them share their impressions and testimonies more often. I wouldn’t lose touch with them during their adult years.
Even if I had been a better teacher, it was never my job to save them. It’s a comfort to know that the true Savior is still reaching out to them and helping them. I trust Him.
Grief lurks beneath the routines of life and finds its way out from time to time. This week I experienced a resurgence of some grief for Richard’s sister and my grandmother who both passed away 5 years ago, one day apart, during the first week of March.
As I studied Jacob’s dream recently, the detail of the angels stood out to me, perhaps because I have been living with these memories of loved ones. I like the imagery of the Lord directing and overseeing the comings and goings of angels.
Perhaps this dream is my reminder that the spirits of loved ones are busy, still progressing, and are allowed to minister to us from time to time, according to our needs and their life experiences, all under the direction of the Lord.
Jacob is experiencing a rough time. I like in this painting that more angels are coming toward Jacob than are walking away. He has a long path ahead, but it’s an ascent that leads to the Lord.
Maybe you’re discouraged about a loved one’s path and this image could be helpful to you.
Or, you might be the one in a wilderness, sleeping on a rock, looking for personal hope. I have seen that keeping my covenants with God really helps during these times.
As we keep our covenants with God, He promises great things,
-See Genesis 28:15