All Creation Testifies of Christ

It's amazing to contemplate that the creation of everything ("all things") was created to testify of Jesus Christ, who is the Savior of the world.
In Job 12: 7-9 we read how all creation is evidence of its Maker:

“But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?”

We can continue in Nephi 11:4 learning that all things typify Christ:

Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him.

Finally, Jehovah bears witness of this same truth as recorded in Moses 6:63:

And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.

Education Week Video

I once heard a talk from Education week on this subject. The speaker went through a long list of things that testify of Christ. I finally found the talk--it's by Todd Parker given in 1997. If you follow this link and fast forward to about 25 minutes into his presentation, you'll hear an awesome section on how "all things testify of Christ." Lots of amazing symbolism; I know you'll enjoy it.

Here's an article in the BYU Life Sciences Magazine entitled In All Things that you'll enjoy as well.

Here's another great video entitled The Will of God. Elder D. Todd Christofferson narrates a story by Hugh B. Brown who uses a parable of pruning a current bush to help him see God's role in his life.

This lesson focuses on how prophets are types of Jesus Christ. Abraham and Joseph are examples of men whose lives exemplify and foreshadow many of the experiences and qualities of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Joseph and Jehovah

How does Joseph’s experience parallel the life and mission of Jesus Christ?
As Nephi said, all things from the beginning of the world were given to typify, or symbolize, Christ (see
2 Nephi 11:4; Moses 6:63).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught that all prophets are types of Christ:

A prophet is one who has the testimony of Jesus, who knows by the revelations of the Holy Ghost to his soul that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. In addition to this divine knowledge, many of them lived in special situations or did particular things that singled them out as types and patterns and shadows of that which was to be in the life of him who is our Lord.’ (The
Promised Messiah, p. 448.) 

Likewise, the life and mission of Joseph typifies the life and mission of Jesus. Consider the following:

1. Joseph was the favored son of his father; so was Jesus (see Genesis 37:3; Matthew 3:17).
2. Joseph was rejected by his brothers, the Israelites, as was Jesus (see Genesis 37:4; John 1:11; Isaiah
53:3; 1 Nephi 19:13–14).
3. Joseph was sold by his brothers into the hands of the Gentiles, just as Jesus was (see Genesis 37:25–
27; Matthew 20:19).
4. Judah, the head of the tribe of Judah, proposed the sale of Joseph. Certain leaders of the Jews in Jesus’ 
day turned Jesus over to the Romans. Judas (the Greek spelling of Judah) was the one who actually 
sold Jesus. (See Genesis 37:26; Matthew 27:3.)
5. Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver, the price of a slave his age. Christ was sold for thirty 
pieces of silver, the price of a slave His age. (See Genesis 37:28; Matthew 27:3; Exodus 21:32;
Leviticus 27:5.)
6. In their very attempt to destroy Joseph, his brothers actually set up the conditions that would bring
about their eventual temporal salvation—that is, Joseph, by virtue of being sold, would become their 
deliverer. Jesus, by His being given into the hands of the Gentiles, was crucified and completed the
atoning sacrifice, becoming the Deliverer for all mankind. 
7. Joseph began his mission of preparing salvation for Israel at age thirty, just as Jesus began His ministry
of preparing salvation for the world at age thirty (see Genesis 41:46; Luke 3:23).
8.. When Joseph was finally raised to his exalted position in Egypt, all bowed the knee to him. All will
eventually bow the knee to Jesus. (See Genesis 41:43; D&C 88:104.)
9. Joseph provided bread for Israel and saved them from death, all without cost. Jesus, the Bread of Life, did the same for all men. (See Genesis 42:35; John 6:48–57; 2 Nephi 9:50.) Old Testament Student Manual

All Prophets are Types of Jesus Christ

Our current prophet, Thomas S. Monson, is an example of Christ. He deeply cares and serves the most vulnerable of our society--the widows, the sick. I am grateful for his continued strength and example.
Where do you see testimonies and witnesses of Jesus Christ all around you?

Chastity & Sexual Purity: A No-Brainer!

The Lord's law of chastity is universally dismissed as irrelevant and old-fashioned in most of the modern world. In fact, it's viewed by many as an archaic form of sexual oppression from which we are blessedly free today.

Fools mock but they shall mourn. And we'll see why.

So what is the law of chastity? And where is it taught in the Old Testament?
Simply put, the law of chastity mandates that all sexual expression and activity is reserved for within the bonds of marriage. Kids used to be taught that.
Now their taught to use condoms and given a free supply at most schools starting in Jr. High.

Joseph Flees from Potiphar's Wife

In Genesis 39 we read the story of Joseph's success as a manager. He is given responsibility to oversee all of the affairs and business of Potiphar's house and the Lord blesses the Egyptian because of Joseph's skill and righteousness.

However, Potiphar's wife has other ideas:

 And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

 But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth [knoweth] not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Notice that Joseph tries to reason with her, saying in essence, "I have earned a position of great trust with your husband and he has given me oversight of and access to everything, except you, because you are his wife."

And then Joseph says something that demonstrates that he understands God's law of chastity:

"how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"

 

Chastity from the Beginning to Now

When God created Adam and Eve, it is apparent that he taught them about chastity:

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

Generations after Joseph, the Lord reiterated this law in the Ten Commandments:

"Thou shalt not commit adultery."

"Thou shalt not covet...thy neighbor's wife."

It was obvious that the Jews of Jesus' time taught the law of chastity because they were willing to stone a woman taken in adultery.
But Christ taught an even higher law in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5):

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 

In The Book of Mormon, the importance of chastity is taught in several places. There is the story of Alma's son Corianton who had gone on a mission with his father and brothers to preach to the Zoramites. However, during that time, he had given into the temptation to engage the services of a well-known harlot named Isabel. When the Zoramites discover his bad example, they stopped listening to all the missionaries. Alma chastises his son and calls him to repentance in Alma 39.

"Know ye not, my son, that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost?"Now my son, I would that ye should repent and forsake your sins, and go no more after the lusts of your eyes, but cross yourself in all these things; for except ye do this ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."

Pornography is the Great Counterfeit

I think it's ironic that I'm going to teach this lesson on the same weekend that I'm attending an anti-pornography conference in SLC, UT. Pornography teaches false lessons about the true purpose of sex. It teaches that

• love and intimacy are unimportant; self-gratification via exploiting another person is what's most pleasurable
• violence and rape are other deviant acts make things interesting and women secretly enjoy being disrespected and abused
• there are no negative consequences to unprotected sex

In essence, pornography normalizes sexual harm. That's what our kids are learning from the Internet these days and it's leading to dysfunctional relationships, an increase in sexual crimes and addiction.
Many people don't understand how viewing pornography can become an addiction, but the science is beginning to document just that. In fact, it's becoming clear that a sexual addiction is harder to overcome than a drug addiction. I don't have time to go into all of the brain science here, but check out my blog if you'd like to learn more about the process of pornography addiction. Read these posts:
You Have Two Brains!
Addiction and the Brain's Corrupted Reward System
The Ice Cream Truck and Addiction

WARNING: Shameless plug for book follows (which I don't feel badly about because I believe it will truly help protect many innocent children and since this is a personal blog, I have no problem posting about it here. Just don't buy the book on Sunday, OK?)

Please consider an invitation to check out my book that just got published and became a #1 Best Seller in it's category in the first week! And we sold over 200 copies in a few short hours at the Utah Coalition Against Pornography's annual conference! I know it sounds like I'm bragging, but I'm not. I'm truly excited that this resource is now available for parents and grandparents to read to their kids. Parents are hungry for an easy and comfortable way to approach this difficult topic. And they've got to do it or their kids are left to the pornography industry wolves, and believe me, they are predators!

Here's a cool video that I had done to introduce the book.
Making it was a very interesting new experience!

Studies show that viewing pornography leads to earlier and more risky sexual activity among teens. That's why we've got to intervene even earlier and educate our kids about the risks.

What does breaking the law of chastity get you?

Here is some info from the book Girls Uncovered which my friend Claudine sent over to me when she heard I was teaching this lesson...thanks Claudine!

Depression/Bonding

“In a study that controlled other factors, researchers found that sexually active girls are three times as likely to report being depressed as virgins…In a different study, sexually active boys were found to be twice as likely to be depressed as their friends who were virgins. Even more startling and sad was the finding that sexually active girls were three times as likely to have attempted suicide as their virgin counterparts. The sexually active boys, however, were eight times as likely to have attempted suicide as their virgin friends.”

This is because of hormones that are designed to create attachment during a physical relationship so that we can bond to our spouse. When we bond, and then break up we have tremendous emotional pain (which shows up on brain scans like physical pain.)  When we bond, break up, bond break up, ….it is like sticky tape.  We can do this a couple of times, but each time we bond and pull away we lose our capacity to bond again.  Kids “hooking up” is creating a generation of people who lack the ability to bond.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI's)

Chlamydia is the most commonly reported STI (more than a million cases a year.)  Many more are undiagnosed.  The highest rate is in 15-19 year old girls.   90% of girls who get this DO NOT HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS!  If diagnosed, it can be treated with antibiotics.  But usually it isn’t diagnosed early and getting antibiotics later CANNOT REVERSE damage already caused.  This STD damages fallopian tubes.  After 1 episode of this, 8% of women will be infertile.  After 3 episodes, 40% are infertile! This disease is devastating to millions of girls who want to have their own children some day and NO ONE IS WARNING THEM!  Why are they told they need calcium in health class, but the real risks of being sexually active are NEVER discussed. SO MANY women are upset that no one ever told them about this.

It's sad to see kids and their futures compromised because they aren't living this very helpful and healthy law.

I am very grateful that I have been taught and blessed by living the law of chastity. It's awesome! It's freeing! It's empowering! 

What Mormons Believe about the House of Israel

The Descendants of Israel

The House of Israel is a family--the family descended from Jacob, re-named Israel by the Lord. Jacob was the grandson of Abraham and an inheritor of the blessing that Abraham received that "all the families of the earth" would be blessed through his seed or lineage.

When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and they eventually settled in the land of Canaan, each tribe, except for Levi, was given a land inheritance. In the course of time, the tribes of the north (headed by Ephraim) split off from the tribes of the south (headed by Judah). The southern tribes maintained their distinct identity, for the most part, and are now knows as modern-day Jews.

The northern tribes were dispersed and we believe they have mingled with all the peoples of the earth.

The House of Israel in the Latter Days

But in the latter days, these tribes have a work to do in preparing the earth for the return of Jesus Christ. We believe that, beginning with the restoration and re-establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ via the prophet Joseph Smith, that the gathering of the House of Israel has begun through missionary work.
Ephraim and Manasseh
Ephraim and Manasseh were the two oldest sons of Joseph, Jacob's 11th son. When Jacob blessed these two boys (his grandsons), he included them as among his very own sons. But he crossed his arms and gave the greater blessing to the younger son, Ephraim. And Ephraim's posterity in the latter-days have the responsibility of carrying the light of the gospel to all the world.

See the Bible Dictionary for more info on the richly blessed tribe of Ephraim.

Patriarchal Blessings

As Latter-day Saints, we have a unique privilege in receiving our patriarchal blessing. It's like personalized scripture as well as a declaration of our house of Israel lineage. In this video, Elder Faust explains how people from the same family can be from different tribes, and how converts are adopted in to a tribe and given the same blessings.
Thomas S. Monson speaks about the importance of our blessings as our own personal liahona here.
Elder Bussey, who recently spoke at our stake conference, said that he reads his blessing every week. Sounds like a good idea!

Our Responsibilities as the House of Israel

In Abraham 2:11, we learn about our blessings and our responsibilities:

 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed (that is, thy Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal.

In the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis, we get a clearer view of our privileges:

For thou shalt be a light unto my people, to deliver them in the days of their captivity, from bondage; and to bring salvation unto them, when they are altogether bowed down under sin. (JST Genesis 48:11) 

I love this scripture and I hope that I can be a light unto the people within my sphere of influence.

Talk to People

One way is to learn how to naturally help people learn about the restored gospel. Here is a very helpful list of articles on How Missionary Work Can Change Your Life. 
But I think this webpage may be even more helpful. It lists videos and scriptures that you can share with friends who have specific questions and situations. For example, do you have a friend who is undergoing a health challenge? Share this video with them. The webpage is called Sharing the Gospel Naturally. It's focused on youth, but an excellent resource for any member.
Bishop Baird asked us to widen our circle of friends. Here's a very inspiration video that will give you something to think about: I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go.
Another video, By Small and Simple Things, shows how one young woman invited a friend to come for dinner and eventually introduced him to the church. It may be just as simple as a dinner invitation.

Other Ways to Fulfill Our Responsibilities

I believe all of the work of the Church is preparing the earth for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Temple work, family history work, welfare work...the list goes on. If you are involved in any or all of these, you are helping to fulfill your duties as the House of Israel.

But, like me, you could probably do better. And it would make the Lord happy, so why not?

How can you better fulfill your divine responsibilities as members of the House of Israel?

Pilot Lesson: Living Righteously in Times of Wickedness

CONFESSION: I'm posting this AFTER teaching the lesson and here's my excuse: Last week I was recovering from the flu until Wednesday and then I flew off to a Writer's Conference in Phoenix, returning Sunday morning in time to teach. So yes, I'm a slacker. But please give me a break, because I'm also in the midst of trying to launch a book that will help kids stay free from pornography addiction.

EPIPHANY! My book will definitely help kids live righteously in a wicked world!

Wow, I love it when I have epiphanies!
PARENT & GRANDPARENT ALERT! speaking of keeping kids safe online, I've included a link below to a new technology to filter and monitor ALL Internet-enabled devices in your home. The son of a friend who is totally tech savvy says he thinks this is the best option out there.
OK, for those of you still interested, here are my thoughts on how we can make good choices while living (and being influenced by) people who are making bad choices.

The Scriptures

This lesson takes its cues mostly from Genesis 13-14 and Genesis 18-19.

Genesis 13-14

• Abraham and his family return from Egypt and settle in "the plain of Mamre, near Hebron" while
• Lot chooses to separate himself and live on the plains of Jordan, near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
• Five kings unite to attack and plunder Sodom and Gomorrah, taking Lot and his family captive
• Abraham finds out and mounts a successful rescue
• Abraham pays tithes to Melchizedek
• Abraham is offered the spoils of war by the Kind of Sodom, but refuses.

Genesis 18-19

• Abraham and Sarah are visited by holy men, who promise that Sarah will have a baby (she finds this humorous)
• The Holy men discuss plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah
• Abraham bargains to save Lot, his nephew
• The Holy men visit Lot and are threatened by the wicked men of Sodom who see an opportunity for some fresh victims of their sick and deviant appetites
• The Holy men (after cursing the Sodomite attackers with blindness) literally pull Lot, his wife and his two unmarried daughters out of Sodom before it's destroyed by fire and brimstone
• Lot's wife "looks back"  and was turned into a "pillar of salt" (Can you imagine how anguished she must have been leaving her grown children and her grandkids behind? I truly have empathy for Lot's wife.)
• Lot and his daughters hole up in a cave
• Lot's daughters get their father drunk, "lie with him" and get pregnant. (They obviously had adopted lenient attitudes toward incest from their Sodomite society.)

So what are we to learn from these two stories about living righteously in times of wickedness?

Giving Up Money and Worldly Rewards to Follow the Lord

Abraham had the courage to mount a rescue campaign to re-capture Lot and his family and others from Sodom and their goods. In those times, it was expected that the conqueror claimed the spoils of war--foodstuffs, animals, money and treasure. And the King of Sodom offered these to Abraham, only asking for his "persons." But Abraham refused.

22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

 23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine

Abraham has shown this ability to give up worldly advantages before when he gave Lot the first choice of land to settle in. Lot chose the well-watered plains of the Jordan River, leaving Abraham a less desirable location. But the Lord showed that he could still abundantly bless Abraham wherever he lived.

So, how does this ability to give up worldly things help us to remain righteous in a wicked world?

First, what does the world have to offer? 

Money, status, short term pleasure. 

What does the Lord have to offer? 

Enough, peace, eternal joy.

The world will always tempt you to sin in order to get what it has to offer. But if you're clear on what you want eternally (and if you want to make Heavenly Father happy), you'll learn how to forego these things when necessary and keep them all in perspective. 

Abraham was a wealthy man. But he achieved that wealth through prudent and righteous living. And he always put God first.

Notice how he describes God to the King of Sodom? He reminds the King that

God is "the possessor of heaven and earth."

 In other words, Abraham is affirming the truth that everything he has is God's. He clearly understands his stewardship which allows him to faithfully pay his tithes to Melchizedek.

Like you, I've seen people who sadly are deceived. They chase worldly wealth and status and short-term pleasure and give up everything that really matters--eternal family relationships, a healthy, addiction-free body, freedom from the bondage of debt etc.

But even if we aren't in the clutches of materialism, we can all do better. The adversary is always tempting us to shortchange our blessings from God.

"The unexamined life is not worth living" questions:

• What worldly rewards have you given up to follow the Lord? 
• Are there worldly things and practices that are keeping your from enjoying more divine and eternal blessings?

I've heard of man who took a pay cut to move to a certain area, finding out only later the amazing blessings that God had in store for his family there. 

I know of someone who gave up a job in order to work on a very worth-while, though not lucrative, project to help others.

I know of many people who pay their tithing instead of owning a recreational vehicle or a more expensive home.

I know of people who sacrifice discretionary income to fund charitable projects.

I'll bet you know of many examples from your own life of sacrificing worldly things to live the gospel. 

Proactive Ways to Stay Righteous

It's noteworthy that Lot at first only pitched his tent facing Sodom. But he obviously moved into the city at some point. A city he knew was wicked. 

But most of us live in cities where wickedness abounds. Even in my fairly family-friendly, "conservative values" area, sex trafficking is a problem! Pornography is rampant on the Internet and cable channels. People waste endless amounts of valuable time and money being entertained instead of serving others.

So how can we keep from ending up like Lot, so attached to worldly pleasures that we resist rescue attempts from holy beings?

Here are my thoughts:

1. Always pay tithing so you don't get too greedy
2. Always pay a generous fast offering so you don't burn in hell 
   
3. Always thank the Lord for everything you enjoy, because it really is just on loan to you
4. Always go to church to be reminded of spiritual truths and to keep yourself "unspotted from the world." Set a goal for attending the temple as often as you can. 
5. Read the standards in For the Strength of Youth, especially for Sabbath Day observance and Entertainment and Media, and commit to follow them.
6. Establish family media standards! (Here's an article I wrote on Internet safety with some great ideas for developing media standards.) And manage/control access to the Internet-enabled devices in your home. (TIP: check out Skydog to customize and control the Internet use of all of your devices at home)
7. Do family history work. Elder Scott says this will help youth stay strong. 

“Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As you grow older you will be able to participate in receiving the other ordinances as well. I can think of no greater protection from the influence of the adversary in your life.”

There's a lot more, including praying, fasting, service, journal-writing. It all helps!

Making the World a More Righteous Place

So this is a two-pronged approach: protect yourself from evil influences, but get out there and do good! When Abraham heard of Lot's capture, he could have justified staying in his comfortable tent instead of going out to rescue Lot. Didn't Lot bring this on himself by moving to Sodom? But Abraham pulled together a small army of his own people and took on the risk of a military operation. He brought back both persons and goods from Sodom, in addition to Lot and his family and their goods.

Three Questions to Ask Yourself

1. What are you doing to increase righteousness in the world?
2. How does promoting good help to fight evil?
3. How does promoting good help to protect yourself from wicked influences?

One of my favorite scriptures is from Doctrine & Covenants 58:27-28

27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
 28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

The power is in us! We have more power than we think! Go out there and use your power for good! Satan may have a hissy fit, but your life will never be boring. Guaranteed.
Let's just end with my favorite photo. Men cleaning a bathroom...and enjoying it!

The Abrahamic Covenant

I have a confession: I never really understood the Abrahamic Covenant. The subject always intimidated me. I wondered, "Did God change the game plan that he had given previous prophets like Adam, Enoch and Noah?"
A second confession: I never really sought to understand it, until I was pretty much forced to as a Gospel Doctrine teacher. So that's pretty lame.
The good news is that I took on the challenge and have started to see the BIG PICTURE of the covenant Jehovah made with Abraham about 4000 years ago.

If you want to get a better understanding of why the Abrahamic Covenant is so important in God's plan for all of his children, including YOU, check these out:
"Abrahamic Covenant" in the Bible Dictionary. A very clear, concise explanation with references.
"Covenants" a General Conference talk by Elder Russell M. Nelson "When we realize that we are children of the covenant, we know who we are and what God expects of us."
Special Witnesses of Christ: In this video, Elder Nelson talks about the Abrahamic Covenant: it's blessings and responsibilities.
BYU TV Pearl of Great Price Discussions: The Abrahamic Covenant. Four BYU religion professors discuss how the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is bringing about the promises made to Abraham. This was very helpful to me.

Many of my past posts have been lengthy, but I was slammed with a flu virus this past week, so although I studied the lesson, I did not have the energy to write much.

I will simply say that preparing this lesson helped me to put some puzzle pieces together so I could see a bigger picture.

The BYU TV episode helped me to see that the covenant made with Abraham was the same gospel covenant made with prophets and their followers since Adam. But as with the Melchizedek priesthood, God has used Abraham's name by which to call it. You can ponder on the reasons why.
This TV episode also showed how Joseph Smith was given line upon line over several years before he fully understood the Abrahamic Covenant and his (and the Saints') role in fulfilling it and being blessing by it.
I love their conclusion that part of the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant is that we don't have to do it alone--we have lots of help!

• The gift of the Holy Ghost
• The commandments and scriptures to guide us
• The Temple
• Ward members and other church resources
• Purpose in life

After reading through and viewing all of the above references, I came to see how my efforts

• to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
• perform sacred temple ordinances for my deceased family members (and others),
• and to teach the gospel to my family,

are all part of my contribution to helping the Lord fulfill his promises to Abraham.

And in fact, because of my Patriarchal blessing, I know my lineage in regards to Abraham's "seed." That plus my increased understanding, helps me to feel a part of something much bigger.

Did you know that researchers found out that when children know family stories and feel they are part of something bigger than themselves, they have better self-esteem and are able to handle the ups and downs of life?
It's true! I blogged about the amazing power of family stories and the research is fascinating. In fact, the Church linked the article about it to their family history lesson.

We are all part of the family of Abraham and can share in all the blessings he was promised as we do three things:

1. Be baptized and honor that covenant
2. Receive the blessings of the temple, including the everlasting covenant of marriage
3. Honor the Atonement of Jesus Christ to keep our covenants, exercise faith in Christ, and continually repent of our sins.

Did I miss anything?

Pilot Lesson: God Remembers His Promises

Scriptures to study: Genesis 6-7;17; 20; Moses 6-7
Articles/Talks: "An High Priest of Good Things to Come" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Video: Good Things to Come (based on the above talk by Elder Holland)

I love this lesson! I have come to know that God always honors His promises. I've had some very difficult years, but through it all, I've come to trust God. And that is a gift.

• Trusting God means you can say, "Thy will be done" when your son has a near-drowning accident and with every traumatized and grieving cell in your body, you just want him back to that adorable toddler he was the day before. But you say, "Thy will be done." (This one took me some time to achieve.)
• Trusting God means that when a loved one is diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer, at the end of your prayers, you say, "Thy will be done." (From the start!)
• It means you know God loves you.
• It means you know He'll bless you with what you need.

Enoch, Noah and Abraham all trusted God. They were all promised blessings, but did not see the realization of those blessings right away.

Here's a nifty chart to help you compare the promises made and the promises fulfilled.( The links are not active here, but they are for those members who have access to the pilot lesson website.)

Enoch

Enoch is living in a wicked society and God calls him to prophesy and warn his people of the hell they are headed towards.
What's Enoch's reply? He's a bit freaked out. Why me, Lord?

31 And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

But here come God's promises:

32 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good...
34 Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.

So what happened?
Enoch offends people. He gets on high places, like hills, and he cries with a loud voice and he makes people feel uncomfortable about their bad choices. In a word, they think he's a "wild man."

38 And they came forth to hear him, upon the high places, saying unto the tent-keepers: Tarry ye here and keep the tents, while we go yonder to behold the seer, for he prophesieth, and there is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us.

He obviously wasn't "slow of speech" when he was preaching the gospel!
We can surmise that some people wanted to get rid of him, shut him up. But for some reason not made clear, they were afraid to harm him. This is another promise clearly fulfilled: "No man shall pierce thee."

39 And it came to pass when they heard him, no man laid hands on him; for fear came on all them that heard him; for he walked with God.

In fact, the people apparently could listen to him preach the word of God, but from a distance:

47 And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence.

As Enoch continued to exercise his great faith, he became a leader among his people. When their enemies came to battle against them, he used a unique military strategy (my husband came up with this one!):

TROD: Terrain Reconfiguration for Optimal Defense

13 And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.

14 There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea.

In these verses we get the fulfillment of the promises made before that "the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course."
We learn that while all the surrounding nations were at war, the people of Enoch lived in peace, and they were blessed to flourish "upon the high places" because the "fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people." And in fact, the Lord lived with them. (see Moses 7:17) This fulfills the promise made earlier in Moses 6:34 : "and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you".

Noah

Noah was promised that he would have a covenant with God. And furthermore, that he and his family would be saved from the destruction that the Lord would bring upon all flesh. (Genesis 6: 13-22)
And this was accomplished through the Arc.(Genesis 7: 15-24)
Note the important symbolic parallel between the Arc and the covenant. The Arc symbolizes the covenant's power to save us from the chaos of sin, as represented by the uncontrolled water (floods are chaos motifs--think tsunami!) We have to enter into the covenant as Noah and his family entered into the Arc.
Note also that "the LORD shut him in" which symbolizes the Lord sealing into his covenant to save us.

Noah was also promised that the Lord would never again destroy all flesh by a flood.

 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. (Gen 9:11)

So far, this promise has been fulfilled! None of the prophecies of the last days talks about large scale destruction by flood. (Fire, hail, plague--yes, but flood, no.)
It's also interesting to note that the Children of Israel carried around the tablets of the covenant in an "arc" referred to as the "arc of the covenant." Another instance where "arc" and "covenant" are tied together. Ponder on that.

Abraham

Abraham used to be Abram. And in Genesis 15: 1-6, the Lord promises Abram that he would have "seed" or progeny that numbered greater than the number of visible stars.

5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
 6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

In perfect dark sky conditions, with no modern light pollution and on a moonless night, it's estimated that the naked eye could see about 45,000 stars. So that's a lot of great grandkids!

In Genesis 13: 16 the Lord promises Abraham that his seed with be as "the dust of the earth "so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall they seed also be numbered."
In other words, he'll have to wait until computers are invented to actually number his earthly seed. But I digress...
In Genesis 17: 4, Abram is promised to be a "father of many nations." His name is changed to Abraham in verse 5 as a result. He is also promised that "kings shall come out of thee."
In verse 7, God promises to establish his covenant with Abraham and his seed. He is given a "promised land" of Canaan.
Abraham's wife's name is also changed...which is interesting. She goes from Sarai to Sarah. She is promised to become a very fruitful mother.

16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

We all know that, in Sarah's old age, she bore Isaac. And from him came a lot of people!
Abraham was 75 years old when he left Haran. At that point, God was promising him lots of "seed" but it hadn't happened yet. He had to wait decades before Isaac was born. 
If someone as faithful as Abraham had to patiently and faithfully wait for promised blessings, why not us?

I love this testimony from Elder Holland:

"Some blessings come soon, and some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."


Throughout the scriptures, we find records of promises made and promises kept by the Lord. We just need to remember that pattern when we're looking for blessings to show up on our own doorstep.

Challenge 

Consider these questions:

• What promises have I made to the Lord?
• What has He promised in return?
• How have I been blessed by these promises?

Your thoughtful answers would make a great family discussion or journal entry!

Pilot Lesson: Zion--The Pure in Heart

Scriptures: Moses 7
Article/Talk: "Come to Zion" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson (which I HIGHLY recommend)
Music Resource: Mormon Tabernacle music and other music from General Conference. Search, listen and download hundreds of songs for free!

Videos: Gather in Stakes; How Do I Love Thee (great for Valentine's Day!), Focus on Education (love this!); Be Anxiously Engaged (one of my favorite topics!)

Zion--The Pure in Heart

The prophet Enoch is only mentioned in a few verses in Genesis, but fully represented in the restored chapter of Moses from The Pearl of Great Price.
Here's all we get from Genesis on Enoch (Genesis 5: 21-24):

And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

And in fact, ZION is never mentioned in Genesis. 

Here's an interesting ZION word count summary; the word ZION appears

• 155 times in the Old Testament (twice as "sion")
• 7 times in the New Testament (as the word "sion")
• 41 times in the Book of Mormon 
• 14 times in the few pages of the Pearl of Great Price, and 
• 187 times in the Doctrine & Covenants 

So it must be a pretty important concept.

What exactly IS Zion?

As LDS we understand the term Zion to mean several things:

A LOCATION: 

• Enoch's city was called ZION or the City of Holiness (Moses 7:8-9) “And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is fled” (Moses 7:69)
• Solomon's temple was built on Mount Zion (1 kings 8:1)
  
• Jackson County, Missouri is called Zion throughout the revelations of the D&C
• The city of the New Jerusalem (to be built in Jackson county) is to be called Zion
• Stakes of the church are extensions of Zion. "Go ye forth unto the land of Zion, that the borders of my people may be enlarged, and that her stakes may be strengthened, and that Zion may go forth unto the regions round about." (D&C 133:9)
• A Refuge: “And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” (D&C 115:5–6). (See the video "Gather in Stakes" with Elder Oaks)

A CAUSE:

• "[S]eek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion." (D&C 11:6)

A SPIRITUAL STATE

• "Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion—THE PURE IN HEART" (dyc 97:21)

A PEOPLE

• "And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them." (Moses 7:18)
• Christ is the "King of Zion" (Moses 7:53)
• "For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened; yea, verily I say unto you, Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments." (D&C 82:14)

I think men will be cleaning more bathrooms in Zion

What is the opposite of ZION? Babylon!

The LDS scholar, Hugh Nibley, had a great deal to say about Babylon in his book Approaching Zion. Here's a quote from the Foreword of his book:

All my life I have shied away from these disturbing and highly unpopular--even offensive--themes [the uses of money]. But I cannot do so any longer, because in my old age I have taken to reading the scriptures and there have had it forced upon my reluctant attention, that from the time of Adam to the present day, Zion has been pitted against Babylon, and then name of the game has always been money--"power and gain."

How do we use our money? 

Like residents of Zion or residents of Babylon? Or maybe, as Neil A. Maxwell remarked, are we trying to establish our residences in Zion but keep a summer cottage in Babylon?

I struggle with this constantly, and I guess that's a good thing, to keep trying to pull out of Babylon. I am always impressed with people who earn a lot of money, but don't flaunt it. Or those who are quick to share their abundance with others. 

We have some wonderful neighbors who are very devout Catholics. They recently bought a (used) boat and when we were chatting with them about how much fun boats are, they offered to let us take it out any time we wanted to! They practically insisted that we take it out some day. And we plan to!

Law of Consecration Truck (the real one was white)

Another dear friend of ours (who has since passed away), owned an old truck and lent it out to anyone who needed it. We all called it the "Law of Consecration Truck" and it blessed the lives of many people. Another friend who has the means, keeps a third car in good working order to lend out to people that need a car for temporary use. Still another family owns a cabin and will let others stay there free of charge if they'll do a little maintenance work. The list could go on and on.

These are all examples of people who are using their resources to help and bless the lives of others. In my opinion, they will feel comfortable living in ZION.

What would it be like to live in a Zion community? 

I think most of us would love to live in Zion. Let's dream a little...

• Christlike love for each other (Excellent Mormon Message: How Do I Love Thee? by Elder Holland)
• Anxiously engaged in a good cause (See Be Anxiously Engaged by Elder M. Russell Ballard)
• Seeking education (See this awesome Mormon Message Focus on Education)
• Cooperation instead of competition
• No covetousness--all are seeking the good of his neighbor
• More time for studying the gospel and development of talents (fewer resources have to go to police, criminal justice system, law suits, military defense etc)
• No speed traps on hills...OK, maybe I'm dreaming a little too much!

How can we build Zion right where we are?

Elder D. Todd Christofferson makes this crucial point in his talk, "Come to Zion": 

We cannot wait until Zion comes for these things to happen—Zion will come only as they happen.

Elder Christofferson recounts the reasons the early saints failed to establish Zion: jarrings, contentions, envyings, strifes, lustful and covetous desires. 

But are we any better?

In order to establish Zion in our homes, wards and stakes, we must rise to the standard set in Moses 7:18:

“the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them” 

Elder Christofferson lists three developments that must happen if we want to build Zion:

1. to become unified in one heart and one mind; 
2. to become, individually and collectively, a holy people; and
3. to care for the poor and needy with such effectiveness that we eliminate poverty among us. 

Challenge: How can we build Zion right now?

One idea would be to discuss this list with our families and prayerfully consider one change which would move you closer to Zion.