His Tender Mercies

... 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 1:20

The Release

I have been anticipating this day for four years-my release. In our church the classes are taught by regular people the Bishop decides on. He prayerfully chooses who he thinks would be best in the open position and then will ask or "call" them to that certain position.

Four years ago I was asked to be our ward Sunday School teacher. I thought this very strange considering the audience-a few ex-bishops, mission presidents, high councilmen, etc-but I figured they would help me, and I would be the test to their faith-we would be a team. Besides, Sunday School Teachers are usually in for one year-MAX!

So, the first year I taught the Doctrine and Covenants. As I stood in front of the large group shaking and holding my typed out word for word lesson, I learned to love and respect the people of the early church. There strength and dedication was so inspiring to me! I loved the stories, I loved the faith, and I loved learning and studying about Joseph Smith.

I thought I would be released.

Second Year-Old Testament. I felt a bit more comfortable in front of the people, but had no clue about the subject. The lesson is on Hezekiah? Who is he? I spent endless hours studying on the subject so I could teach it. I learned about ancient faith and the Lords promises and commitments to his people. Wow I loved the Old Testament.

Then I thought I would be released.

Third year. New Testament. What an amazing subject-the ministry of the Savior! I loved learning and teaching about Jesus. What an honor and privilege. Talking about Him brought me peace, even in front of a large audience. We all learned together, and I feel as a group our love for the savior increased.

I really thought I would be released.

But they moved me into the RS room and gave me a Book of Mormon manual and I started again, hoping these poor people would not be too frustrated-I had no more fun life stories, all my clever things were used up. It was just me and the Book of Mormon.

So the whole point of this long winded post is this... I went through all the standard works. I spent years studying them and learning to love them! BUT, it was the Book of Mormon that strengthened my testimony and brought me closer to the Lord. There was a difference. I don't know what it is exactly, but The Book of Mormon brought me closer to God than the other books. It is hard to explain-it was a four year journey, but I am thankful that I was allowed the privilege to experience this. The Book of Mormon is a life changing book.

Today I was released. Now off to the Young Woman's.

Scripture Power

Today I read and listened to:

Because My Father Read the Book of Mormon
by Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis Of the Seventy

In it, he tells the story of his father's conversion:

I admire the courage my father had to be baptized into the Church in spite of
the circumstances he faced at the time. It was not easy for him. His wife did
not get baptized with him. The vices of drinking alcohol and smoking were strong
temptations for him. He was poor. His mother was against his joining the Church,
and she told him that if he were baptized, she would no longer consider him her
son. With fewer than 300 members in Brazil, the Church did not have a single
chapel there. I am truly astonished by my father’s determination and
courage.
How could he make such a decision in the face of so many unfavorable
circumstances? The answer is simple: it was because my father read the Book of
Mormon. When he read it, he came to know of the truthfulness of the message of
the Restoration. The Book of Mormon is a proof that The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints is true. Preach My Gospel teaches that “the Book of Mormon, combined
with the Spirit, is [the] most powerful resource in conversion” ([2004],
104).
President Gordon B. Hinckley declared: “Those who have read [the Book
of Mormon] prayerfully, be they rich or poor, learned or unlearned, have grown
under its power. . . .
“. . . Without
reservation I promise you that if you will prayerfully read the Book of Mormon,
regardless of how many times you previously have read it, there will come into
your hearts . . . the Spirit of the Lord. There will come a
strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to his commandments, and there will
come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God” ( “The Power of the Book of Mormon,” Ensign, June 1988, 6; see
also “The Book of Mormon,” Tambuli, Oct. 1988, 7).
These promises came true
for my father and for my family. In accordance with what we have been taught, we
read the scriptures as a family every day. We have done so for many years. We
have read the Book of Mormon several times in our home, and we will continue to
do so. As promised, the Spirit of the Lord has come into the heart of our
family, and we have felt a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His
commandments and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.

While I was serving as a missionary, myself, I found a consistent pattern with those individuals whom we taught. After each lesson, we would ask those we were teaching, to read, or continue reading the Book of Mormon.

In absolutely EVERY case, those individuals who continued their investigation of the church's doctrines, and chose to be baptized, were consistent in reading the Book of Mormon.

In absolutely EVERY case, those individuals who chose to stop meeting with us, first stopped reading the Book of Mormon.

Why does this happen? Simple. The Book of Mormon is about Christ. The prophet Nephi says it this way, "We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ and we write according to our prophesies.." As we study Jesus Christ, our faith in Him increases. And when that happens, a lot of things happen.

I think of this in my own life, and the life of my children. I know that staying close to Christ is an ongoing process, not a conversion that happens only once, but rather over and over, everyday our conversion can be strengthened or weakened. Just like the people who continued to progress toward baptism, were those who consistently read the Book of Mormon, I know that personally, for me to continue to progress toward Christ, I need to read the scriptures consistently. What a great talk this was, a good reminder for me of the blessings that come to my life from my study of the scriptures.

My kid's favorite song is Scripture Power. I haven't learned how to You Tube myself, so I found someone else's kid's singing it: Scripture Power.

Helaman 5:12 Always Remember Him- even at 5:30pm

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.

I am still interested in the phrase "no power over you." Last night my daughter would not do her homework, my kids would not put their soccer clothes on when I asked, my three year old took a bunch of toys out of the playroom and brought them downstairs (which is not allowed in my house). OK- so it might not seem like a big deal, but when all of this is going on, as I am trying to make dinner in a timely manner, to get the kids fed prior to soccer practice, it made me so angry. In my life, I am not concerned right now about "his hail and his mighty storm." Nor am I concerned about "the gulf of misery and endless wo." I would like to have my kids be disobedient, have my family running late for where we are supposed to be going, (this happens a LOT) and still have the spirit with me. I want to be able to be calm and peaceful inside. I do not want to stop caring about homework, obedience, and showing up on time. I fundamentally think these things are very important. However, in the sacrament prayer, I learn that I can "always have his spirit to be with me." Last night, at 6:30pm, after I burned my hand on some sauce, and was thoroughly upset with my children- I did not.

Bruce R. McConkie explained that Satan had no power over Christ because He had "overcome the world." (How can I do that?)

In Ezra Taft Benson's book, "A Witness and a Warning"- chapter8- Come Unto Christ- he says:

Nephi said, the Lord "hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh." ( 2Nephi 4:21.) Those who are consumed in Christ "are made alive in Christ." ( 2Nephi 25:25.) They "suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ." (Alma 31:38.) They are "clasped in the arms of Jesus." (Mormon 5:11.) Nephi said, "I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul." (2 Nephi 33:6.) Lehi said, "I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love." (2 Nephi 1:15.)
58Let us read the Book of Mormon and be convinced that Jesus is the Christ. Let us continually reread the Book of Mormon so that we might more fully come to Christ, be committed to Him, centered in Him, and consumed in Him.
58We are meeting the adversary every day. The challenges of this era will rival any of the past, and these challenges will increase both spiritually and temporally. We must be close to Christ, we must daily take His name upon us, always remember Him, and keep His commandments.

President Benson said some of the same things that President Monson did, and that I studied earlier.

• Read the Book of Mormon
• Take his name upon me
• Be close to Christ
• Always remember him
• Keep his commandments

I am pretty good at thinking about these things at 5:30 am- but by 5:30 pm- not as good. I need to be more like the Muslims who pray five times a day. I am going to add two more prayers to my schedule: 3pm- before school pick up, and another at 5:30- right before my melt down. Hopefully this will be the trick!