the treasure box

we all have some kind of treasure box, scrapbook or something that we keep our precious memories in.



you can go back and open the box and remember those things again. it's like reopening a gift.



a journal is like a memory box. you fill it with inspiration, trials, lessons learned, and sacred moments. those things can be opened again to remind you of precious and sacred times in your life.

cataracts and the Spirit

my dear aunt recently had surgery to remove cataracts from her eyes.   i commented that i was so glad she would again be able to see the beauty of life.   she responded in the best way possible.

"I am appreciating the brightness that I once had and didn't realize that I was losing. The cataract grows so slowly and takes your sight so slowly that I didn't realize what I was losing. I'm sure there's a metaphor for sin in this experience. And I am having to adjust to the bright light. Many times I have to shut my eye because it hurts. I guess that is like trying to be in a spiritual place when you are not worthy."



what a great comparison!   (you can see what an awesome aunt i have)

this thought process started me thinking a bit more about stories of missionaries sharing something and the person is frightened or uncomfortable with the spirit.    it's like her eye that was no longer used to the bright light.   my aunt has been covering her eyes sometimes because the light hurts it.    it takes time to reacquaint yourself with the spirit you grew up with as a premortal spirit.  it hurts to have that strong light suddenly glaring on you instead of a slow and gradual increase.  

i had always wondered how the Spirit could be frightening to someone.   now i understand.   it doesn't take long either.   think about coming out of a movie theater into the daylight.   you cover your eyes and blink to let your eyes get used to it.   my aunt's eyes  have been shadowed for a long time, so her eyes have been taking days or weeks to get used to normal light.  


it is the same spiritually.   the longer we have been away, or the darker our lives have been, the harder it is to come back into the light.    it can hurt, be scary, or just not feel good at first.    

as my aunt keeps allowing her eyes opportunities to slowly get used to the light, allowing them time to adjust and rest when needed, the same holds true for our spiritual light.   it takes time.   it doesn't have to happen all at once.   it may be uncomfortable at times.   we may need to just rest where we are for a while.


In the end, we are all pilgrims seeking God’s light as we journey on the path of discipleship. We do not condemn others for the amount of light they may or may not have; rather, we nourish and encourage all light until it grows clear, bright, and true.   

The Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Chapter 6: The Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

i have a gift for you today, some assembly required

paper -

the first piece is a piece of white paper. i know, it's an expensive and impressive gift.

what can you do with it?????????

you can fold it and cut it and crumple it up but that isn't what it was invented for. that isn't its purpose. paper is for writing on. it is for recording information.

this paper actually represents something you already have, or rather what you are. this piece of paper represents your spirit. it is clean and white and waiting for information to be written on it. it is waiting for experience.

pencil -

what can you do with the pencil alone????????

you can throw it and poke your neighbor with it, make some kind of craft with it, but that isn't its purpose either.

a pencil is for writing or drawing. it is for recording information.

the pencil represents your body. the body is sturdy and makes a mark on anything it touches. the body moves through mortality having experiences and recording this experience on your spirit. that is why we are here.

just as a pencil and paper are meant to be together, so are a spirit and body. neither can fulfill their true purpose without the other.

2 Nephi 2:23

And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

#1

“In the glorious dawn of Easter morning, when the thoughts of the Christian world are turned to the resurrection of Jesus for a few fleeting moments, let us express appreciation to our Heavenly Father for the great plan of salvation that has been provided for us.”

this is the plan of salvation. our spirits came to earth to receive bodies. in life we experience joy and sorrow. we learn new talents and commit sin. our spirit papers are waiting for experience.

i'm going to give you a moment to write down at least one of each of these that are important in your life right now.

at least one joy, one sorrow or worry, one talent you are using or developing, and one sin you are struggling with. these are yours, we are not sharing them so it should be things that are personal and meaningful to you.

----------time---------

keep these things in mind today and apply the lesson to those things.

pres hunter loved the holy land. he was often there. as he shares his thoughts when visiting special places there, we will travel with him and hopefully gain a deeper understanding and testimony on our journey.

my next gift to you.

blood / sacrament

#2

I have stood in the garden of Gethsemane on many occasions. I’ve contemplated in my mind the suffering, the agony of the Savior—that agony that was experienced when our Heavenly Father permitted him, in a way our minds cannot even comprehend, to take upon himself the pain and sins of all mankind. My soul was filled with sorrow as I’ve thought of his great sacrifice for mankind.

Matt 26:27 - 28

And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mosiah 3:7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

----------time----------

the next piece of your gift-----------cross / nails------

#3

I’ve stood beneath Golgotha, the place of the skull, and contemplated the humiliation of the crucifixion which led to our Savior’s mortal death, but which brought to pass his and all mankind’s immortality. And again my soul has been subdued.

John 10:17-18

17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

John 19:28 and 30
28 ¶After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

i did a lot of studying trying to find one or two scriptures to represent the crucifixion. 2 stuck out to me.

over and over, it says, "that the scripture might be fulfilled". these things were not done to Him outside of His control. He allowed it. not only did he allow it, He made sure every mortal and spiritual obligation was fulfilled. He made sure His death prepared the way for us, down to the tiniest detail. He was filling list of the demands of justice, that we might have mercy.

#4

Think of it! When his body was taken from the cross and hastily placed in a borrowed tomb, he, the sinless Son of God, had already taken upon him not only the sins and temptations of every human soul who will repent, but all of our sickness and grief and pain of every kind. He suffered these afflictions as we suffer them, according to the flesh. He suffered them all. He did this to perfect his mercy and his ability to lift us above every earthly trial.

----------time-----------

-----------------tomb-------------gift---------------

#5

And I’ve stood in front of the garden tomb and imagined that glorious day of resurrection when the Savior emerged from the tomb alive, resurrected, immortal. In that contemplation my heart has swelled with joy.

#6

Without the Resurrection, the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a litany of wise sayings and seemingly unexplainable miracles—but sayings and miracles with no ultimate triumph. No, the ultimate triumph is in the ultimate miracle: for the first time in the history of mankind, one who was dead raised himself into living immortality. He was the Son of God, the Son of our immortal Father in Heaven, and his triumph over physical and spiritual death is the good news every Christian tongue should speak.

although the tomb is empty, all of the things Christ did are contained in it.

just as Christ left behind His mortality when He emerged immortal from the tomb, we leave all of our sorrows, sins and pains of this world behind as we partake of the sacrament and His atonement.

--------------blood and nail in tomb----------

#7

Christ’s resurrection ushers in the blessing of immortality and the possibility of eternal life. His empty tomb proclaims to all the world, “He is not here, but is risen.” (Luke 24:6.) These words contain all the hope, assurance, and belief necessary to sustain us in our challenging and sometimes grief-filled lives.

we will someday also rise from the tomb. we will leave our mortal life behind to be immortal and live with Him forever.

------------spirit and pencil in tomb------------------

----------passalong card----------------https://www.mormon.org/easter

my last gift to you, is an invitation. i invite you to search the scriptures and read about Christ's Atonement. search for the many details and effort Christ went to to pay for us fully.

i encourage you to share this gift with others.

#8

It is the responsibility and joy of all men and women everywhere to “seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have [testified]” (Ether 12:41) and to have the spiritual witness of his divinity. It is the right and blessing of all who humbly seek, to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness of the Father and his resurrected Son.

it is my testimony that no matter how dark the hour, day, weeks may seem, Jesus Christ has taken the path before us. He has carried it all before He has asked us to. He carries the majority of the load if we will but allow Him to.

**************how to****************

if anyone wants to make their own set, i just copied and pasted the sacrament prayers from doc and cov 20 .   77 is the bread and 79 is the water.  i changed the wine to water to make it what it is today.   (less miraculous in this case than it was biblically)      i used craft pins, not a sewing pin for the nail in the prayer for the bread and drop of red paint watered down for the red spot to represent the blood.   

the tomb is a coloring page from the church i edited it so i had a top to put on the envelope flap.   

you can see in the picture that the top of the tomb would be gone with the stone in place, the envelope closed without that extra piece.   i got two on a page by printing them as 5x7 size . . .  .( i think).   i had to play with the size a bit so it would fit my envelopes.   envelopes with a triangle flap work better so you have room for the top of the tomb and the stone to overlap.   

we used wood, bricks and stones to color on.  i made 50 for my lesson so the different under textures let us mix it up a bit.  

if possible, leave time at the end for testimonies, be sure to bare your testimony.  

i hope you enjoy this lesson and can feel the Spirit of the Lord in it.   

helaman 1 continued

helaman 1

15 - 21 Coriantumr is a really big and really smart dude. the king of the lamanites figures he can send Coriantumr in and he will totally wipe the floor with the nephites.

 he starts to because of all the chaos that has been taking place with the 3 brothers arguing over who will be chief judge. everyone is taken by surprise. Coriantumr marches right into the heart of the land and into zarahemla itself, finds the last of the 3 ring circus of brothers that caused this mess in the first place and kills him. (now, the pahoran family has lost 4)

23-29 Coriantumr figures he has the nephites on the run so he just keeps plowing the road. the leader of the nephites sees this and decides he better nip this thing in the bud. lehi and his army are sent to head off the lamanites and succeed in keeping them from doing further damage. whew! that was close! 

30-34 Moronihah, the nephite leader, comes in with his army behind coriantumr and together with lehi and his army, they totally kick lamanite booty. that was no easy task and it was pretty close.

i am all for plunging into things to try them out. some things are a totally fabulous and some are fabulous fails. at least i learn what not to do. somethings, are better left untouched though. we hear about addictions of all kinds spreading like wild fire. why is it best to stay clear? well, you'll end up in the middle of enemy territory and end up hurtin'. 

so . . . what if you are already in? you have plunged in, and now, you are knee to neck or more deep. the nice thing about the Atonement is there is always a way back out. it might not be fun and it will require a lot of work, but God is willing to pull you out. we have all gone into some kind of sin and needed back out. none of us will get through life without that situation happening often. it may not be addiction, but some kind of addictive sinful behavior. (some are not something you can actually stay away from. swearing, lying, unkind or unclean words come out of your own mouth! those are hard habits to break as well) so, just think of the big smart dude that still ended up dead and remember that you can still turn back, there is a way out, no matter how deep you get.

alma 39 - 41

alma 39 - 41

in chapt 39, alma talks to his son corianton about his sins and what effect they had not only on himself but on those around him. this conversation has always felt so personal and such a precious conversation between father and son to me. it is a good model of how we should speak to our children and ourselves. 

1-3 he points out the sin but then in 4 he tells him that although many were doing it, "he knew better" what others were doing was no excuse. 

in 5-6 he tells him why its a problem. there is great kindness in his words. 

7-9 he says that he wished his son had not committed so great a crime but now that its done, he should not try to hide it but instead that he needs to turn to God for repentance. i love the caring and genuine concern that can still be heard in his words to his son.

 in 11 he tells his son to not suffer himself to be led away. he tells him to guide himself and not allow others to lead him. 

in 10 he tells him to look to his brothers and counsel with his brothers but ultimately, he is told to guide himself and not just follow others. 

this is a pretty important lesson for today. we are led unconsciously. the wickedness surrounding us every day dulls the senses into "everyone else is doing it" to the point that we don't realize that we are doing it. it is important that we counsel with those who are aiming for the same things we are. i find that likening the scriptures is a great way to counsel with some of the greatest examples and big brothers we could ever have. look for your counselors, choose them wisely. in the end, guide yourself and don't allow others to take the lead.

alma 34-36

alma 34 - 36

34 the zoramites have lost all sense of reason and want to fight. 

1-6 they find out who in the land likes what alma and amulek have said and then throw them out.

7-9 of course the people of ammon take them in and their relief society holds a clothing drive, the elders quorum finds or builds places for them live, the young men go prep lands for them to till, and the young women baby sit and help out all the new families coming into the ward. 

10-13 this kindness just irritated the zoramites. they huffed and puffed and threatened the people of ammon and they just went about continuing their service. the zoramites have a totally insane anger because they are not getting their way so they decide to go to war over some people that they didn't want to be around them anyway. the people of ammon and all those who fled and joined them get out of the way so the army can take over and protect them. 

14-16 alma sees the zoramites throwing a temper tantrum and being totally unreasonable and just basically jerks. instead of going out and calling them jerks and making nice hand signs at them, he sorrows over them. he sees past their actions into their hardened and empty hearts. 

in chapter 36 alma explains this to helaman. 3-4 alma tells heaman that he needs to rely on God when these trials come. 

6-24 alma gives a more personal account of his wickedness, the angel, his three day torment and his repentance. 

17-21 are especially beautiful. i gave this to a friend of mine when he said he couldn't forgive himself.   might give it a read of you feel you can't forgive yourself too.

the lesson in these chapters is two fold. we have to look into the base of why people do things and not just wave our fists and call them names. but see past the actions to the child of God in need of something. the next is that we have to be just as kind to ourselves. we have to look past our sins (once we have repented) and find the place in us that needs mending so we can take positive action instead of just continuing to tear ourselves down.

alma 10-11 - zeezrom

alma 10 -11
my highlight pick - alma 11: 21 - 46
zeezrom is a lawyer who goes around stirring up trouble in order to get people to sue each other and thereby getting hired to do some "lawyering". basically, just wants to earn a living doing anything besides work honestly. he tries to bribe amulek who is alma's missionary partner but amulek is supported by the Spirit and knows zeezrom is up to no good and calls him out. zeezrom is taken back by this and starts questioning amulek again, but this time you can see his questions turn from smart mouth trying to get the best of the missionaries to actually seeking answers.
it is a beautiful example of how we can make a difference in people's lives. no matter how against us they may seem, truth can have an effect.

the footstool story

when i was 18, i met my father for the first time.   one of the first stories he told me was of the footstool.   he made me a small footstool for a necklace and i wore it for a long time.    although the necklace has been lost to moving and time, the story has stuck with me.   i prefer the memory since it is the only one of the two i can take with me.

the story goes something like this - (it has been a few years since i heard the story so the details may be off but the gist is the same) -
every night my dad would need to get up in the middle of the night.   you know how that goes.   well, he tried to not wake the house full of kids and wife, so he didn't turn on the light.   this would normally be great and not a problem.   he knew where the furniture was.  certainly a man can navigate his own home in the dark, right?
yes, unless you have kids.   the kids were pretty good about the toys, but there was this little footstool that was just the perfect height.   it was great for climbing up, sitting down, hopping over, driving cars under.   everything!  that meant that it got used a lot.   that means it was never in the same place twice.   so, as my dad would carefully and quietly make his way through the house . . .thump!  found the footstool with his toe, banged into it with his ankle or just tripped over the darn thing. . . e v e r y night.  

you would think that at some point he would turn on a light, get a flashlight, light a candle, something.   no!   this was becoming a matter of pride!   this was war!   he was bound and determined to get through the house without the stool beating him!   it's just a footstool, right?   right!

night after night, my dad stubbornly stubbed his toe.   then, he finally decided that his toe was more important than his pride.   toes tend to hurt more than pride after a while.   he turned on a light.   the funny thing is, by turning on the light, he won.   his toes won!

it has always reminded me of how silly our pride, our competition, our stubbornness makes our lives harder, sometimes even painful.   we work so hard at doing something the way we want to do it, that we miss the simple answer that will allow us to move forward.

look around, turn on the light and really look at what is causing you pain, what is it that is making your life harder than it really needs to be?   what is it that just needs a little light?  

the dirty sock

during our weekly meeting with missionaries, they gave us two great lessons on the Holy Ghost.

the first was the dirty sock!  
they pulled out a wet, sandy, stinky sock . . (they are young males so i doubt they had to look far. . . still love you guys).

your foot represents the Holy Ghost.

the sock, represents you.

do you want to put on a dirty stinky sock?  yeah, neither does the Holy Ghost.   when you sin, you become dirty.   the Holy Ghost will not stay in dirty places so you have to try to not sin.   when you do sin, you need to repent as soon as possibly.   if that sock had been washed after the first day, after it got into mud, after it was dropped, whatever happened to it - it wouldn't be so bad.   even in this nasty stinky state, the sock can again be clean.   add some soap (the Atonement) and some water (baptism or renewal of covenants) and some work (repentance, Christ will even do most of it for you if you put it in the washing machine . . you do have to do your part) and you have a nice clean sock again ready for the Holy Ghost to put you back on.

moral : you have to keep yourself clean for the Holy Ghost to stay with you.

missionary lessons for kids #2 - plan of salvation

the plan of salvation is an interesting one.   i searched high and low for some pictures for the kids to color while listening to the lesson as well as activities and some visuals without words.   here are several links and the finished product i came up with.

the coloring pages i used- downloadable pdf 

  http://www.sugardoodle.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8403

the no words version for the visuals - also downloadable

http://ayearoffhe.blogspot.de/2011/10/2011-wk-42-plan-of-salvation.html

i had to make it a jpeg so i could paint out the words and translate it to german.   i added the resurrection to it as well. 

i took the plan of salvation maze from these conference packets - http://simple2url.com/GeneralConferencePackets
the maze is in the senior primary version.   love these packets.

allow the kids to color while they listen to the lesson.   you can ask the to color the part you are talking about, what do they think it would look like?   you can color your own version too.   i think it's less of a lesson when you are just "coloring together".   then you can cut them out after explaining it and ask them to put their version in order.

some other ideas would be cut out some large puzzle pieces and let them glue their artwork to the puzzle pieces and put their puzzle together over and over.   we are gluing it to a strip of paper and hanging it up.

a few more references -
 http://www.sugardoodle.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4319
this is another version that looks like they have cut out a person and are moving the person through the plan.   you could also use a picture of the child to move through the plan.   if your family is dealing with a friend or loved one passing away, use a picture of that person.    you could do a lot of role play with pictures of family past and present to show how we all move through the plan at different times but all end up in the same place together.   the second link has cut outs in color and black and white to represent the body and spirit.   this concept could be used with family pictures as well to show that the spirit is still alive, just separate from the body.

the official church version -http://www.lds.org/friend/1994/03/sharing-time-the-plan-of-salvation-offers-me-peace?lang=eng&query=plan+of+salvation

patches

i was patching my favorite pair of jeans today.   i love these jeans!   i inspected them and kept finding places that needed little reinforcements before they tore out.   i am determined to continue patching these jeans until i am patching patches and there is nothing left but patches.   in an effort to better use my time, i was also listening to a talk by craig a. cardon entitled, the Savior wants to forgive

i took me until the end of the talk to realize the object lesson in this.  

"Peter once inquired how many times he should forgive his brother and then asked, “Till seven times?” Surely that would be more than enough. But the Savior’s response opened wide the door to His merciful heart: “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."

i realized that i was doing for my jeans, is what the Savior does for our spirits through the Atonement.   he patches, and patches, and patches, and patches.

as i was finding those thin spots, and applying some backing to strengthen them, i realized the same thing happens in our spirits as well.

"The Lord knows our weakness and the eternal consequences of “the world” upon imperfect men and women. ".   

ether 12:27  And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble 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.

 God strengthens us, He sees the weak spots and will bolster us so that those places do not completely wear through.     of course, we have to do our part.   like my jeans, passing through the heat of my iron, we have to read, pray, have faith, all of those simple primary answers that just seem too easy to have any effect.   all of those things put a patch on our weak spots.   the simple, daily things that God has asked us to do, strengthen us.    the Atonement repairs us.   Christ wants to patch us up, heal our souls, because he loves us.   He loves us more than i could ever love my jeans that i am putting so much work into.   He does so much more than patch.      

i don't know how crafty you are, but if you have ever have to patch a pair of pants, a tire, a stuffed animal, a roof, or anything else, use that moment to teach and learn something deeper.



the references for the underlined quotes from brother cardons talk
Matthew 18:21–22; emphasis added; see also Luke 17:1–4.

Doctrine and Covenants 64:2; emphasis added.

1 Nephi 20:9–11; Doctrine and Covenants 24:2; 50:41; 63:47;108:1–8.

a light in the dark

i heard an intersting comparative in church today.   it was mentioned briefly to illistrate doc. & cov. 45:7  
for verily I say unto you that I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the light and the life of the world - a light that shines forth in the darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not.    I've been rolling this around in my head all day and it has gained more and more meaning.   i have gained different points of perspective on it.   it has been opening up new possibilities of object lessons all day.  

i have expanded the brief idea and i'm including my few thoughts for object lessons.   you could use a candle in a candle holder or a little Christmas house with a light in it.  

think about a house in the middle of the darkest night.  the house has lights on inside.   if you open the door, the dark does not come in, instead, the light shines out.   the dark can not come into the light.   the light wins and penetrates the darkness every time.   scientifically, darkness does not exist, it is only the absence of light.


now, compare this to God's light.   satan cast himself out of the light, he is in the absence of God's light.

how about being in the world and not of it?   we can shine into the light without stepping into it.

the Holy Ghost being in more than one place at a time.   people in different places can see the lights in the house all at the same time, the house does not move, but the light radiates.   the sun has been used to illustrate this as well.   half the earth can see and feel the sun all at the same time, the sun sits still but still affects half the earth all at once.   the Holy Ghost does not withdraw, we simply turn away from it.

don't think of yourself as being in the dark, but rather in an absence of light.   you can change that!   this is amazing missionary thought.

how about that same line of thinking just with positive thinking?   there may be negative darkness all around you but you can shine positive light into it.

God's love is always extended to us.   we may move away from the light, but the house and the light stay put, with an open door, waiting for us to come back inside, and into the light.