Week 6 Sept. 4, 2020

This weeks readings were James ch.1-5, 1 Peter ch. 1-5, 2 Peter, 1,2,3 John.

While reading I came across these verses, I had read them before but they seemed to be more 

relevant today as I see both sides of a debate being heated and ugly, 

 

James 3:4-6 “Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce 

winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. 

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter 

a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our 

members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set 

on fire of hell.”

 

I see both sides thinking they are right, justified, in their anger and hatred for the other side. 

How messed up is that that people feel justified in hatred.  I really like what it said about this 

verse on bibleref.com "Human words are powerful. Our tongues are small, but they are capable 

of wreaking great havoc. Any person who could perfectly control their words would be in perfect 

control of their entire bodies. Instead, as sinful human beings, our tongues are untamable. Our 

words are fire, igniting the entire course of our lives. Blessing God and cursing people should 

not come out of the same mouth;"

If we trully followed Christ our words should be of love and respect. We should be kind in the 

words we use on Facebook and in person.

 

Mosiah 4:30 “But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, 

and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the 

faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, 

ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.”.  I love the last part, "Oh, please 

remember so you don't perish!"

Week 5 Aug. 29, 2020

The reading for this week was 2 Timothy, Titus and Hebrews.

I decided to focus on Hebrews. From the website st-takla.org Matthew Henry said, "The design of this epistle was to persuade and press the believing Hebrews to a constant adherence to the Christian faith, and perseverance in it, notwithstanding all the sufferings they might meet with in so doing. They needed to believe in the transcendent excellency of the gospel above the law. He needed to take them off from the ceremonies of the law, to which they were so wedded, of which they were so fond, that they even doted on them, and those of them who were Christians retained too much of the old leaven, and needed to be purged from it." 

Hebrews 6:1,2 "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment."

I also found in my study that they were, some of them, stuck on Moses and the laws that he put forth. I believe this is how we can be sometimes when policy changes in the church. We can't quite let go of how it "was" done

Hebrews 8:10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my ^alaws into their ^bmind, and write them in their ^chearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:"

Irinna Danielson said on her blog from the church website, "It’s easy to think of “the Church” as a big, global institution. But, really, “the Church” is you and me. It’s the people and their individual acts of love, service, and devotion to God that make all the difference. It’s individuals over institution. When we think of it that way, the responsibility is clear. Our future, as disciples of Jesus Christ, is unprecedented and unparalleled. This is a hinge point in the history of us as individuals to build up what’s ahead—the Savior’s Church for when He returns again."

Week 4 Aug. 19 2020

 This weeks readings were Romans 9-16, Acts 21-28, Ephesians, Phillippians, 

Colossians, 1 Timothy, and Philemon.

I found that the main theme of these chapters is Paul writing to different groups of people putting out little fires and trying to get everyone on the same page. 

He wanted people to not focus on the laws so much and just be good people. The Israelite's had all kinds of laws and it didn't seem to do them any good. What makes us better is our belief and love for Christ that then in turn want to follow the law.

Romans 14:3 "Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him."

Romans 15:6 "That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the ^aFather of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the whole ^aarmour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

Be one, a new person, family under God. We are all different individuals but one entity in God and Christ. Put on armor, habits, that help you grow into this Family unit. Put on the layers that are going to protect you.

Week 3 Aug. 14

 

This week's readings were 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and Romans ch. 1-8. 

As I was reading in Romans ch. 8:36-39 caught my eye and I really liked what it said,

“As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep 

for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that 

loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 

nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other 

creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our 

Lord.” That is a beautiful thought that I think we need to be reminded about. 

It reminds me of a conference talk The Laborers in the Vineyard by Jeffery R. Holland he 

said, “I do not know who in this vast audience today may need to hear the message of 

forgiveness inherent in this parable, but however late you think you are, however many 

chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or 

talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel 

you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is 

not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.”

 

I may not always feel worthy of this kind of love but I still always know it's there 

and I'm grateful for that.

Week 2 Aug. 3

This weeks reading was Corinthians and Thessalonians.

So one of the things that was happening during this time was division among the people 

as to who they were going to follow "Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of 

Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified 

for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you," 

I think what is being said here is that Chirst needs to be the center of what and who we 

believe in. I thought about this with the prophest we have had or the ones we hear from 

at conference and we say to our selves I like this one or that one, what they said sounds 

better. What we need to remember is they all speak the same truth which is Christ.

A verse that I don't ever remember reading before caught my eye 1 Corinthians 3:6 "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." What we read, study, hear, or learn can plant the seed but we need to rely on the Lord to make the plant (us) into something.

Week 1 July 31, 2020

I took the 1st half of the New Testament a few semesters ago and really learned a lot.
I needed two more credits to complete my 26 extra credits that I needed so I thought I would
take the 2nd half. Our first set of reading was Acts 1-18.

What came to my mind as I read was what a hard job the apostle had. Not only did they
have only a few yrs with Christ to learn a lot of things but now they are doing (teaching)
it on their own and to more of the world. "The Twelve are to bear witness in Jerusalem, Judæa, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth" I have had years of learning and gospel in my
life and I'm ask just to share it with those close around me, my friends, I think that I can
certainly try to be better about that and do at least that much. The apostles gave up their lives
to teach the word the least I can do is be more open in talking to people.

"I'll be with you in a minute"

 

Does this scene look familiar?

• “The first cell phone hit the market in 1973. Some 40 years later, more than half the U.S. adult population was carrying a cell phone in their purses or pockets. Today (2019), that number is closer to 95 percent, with 77 percent of Americans owning a smartphone.” (Ryan, 2019)

Picture if you will, a quiet mountain home with a creek, trees, abandoned dam, road for riding bikes, bamboo forest to climb through, stories read or told, and togetherness. Just right for exploring. This is Grandma's house. Many of the grand kids would come and run and play in the great outdoors. Those days are long since gone. Sure the grand kids are older but what they have now are phones. Family get-togethers have become share what you found online moments. I used to feel left out because my phone was not as advanced as the others but I too have succumbed to the "new and improved". Welcome Moto Power, now I’m right there with them.

• “A mere 20 years ago, children used to play outside all day, riding bikes, playing sports and building forts. Masters of imaginary games, children of the past created their own form of play that didn't require costly equipment or parental supervision. Children of the past moved... a lot, and their sensory world was nature based and simple. In the past, family time was often spent doing chores, and children had expectations to meet on a daily basis. The dining room table was a central place where families came together to eat and talk about their day,... Today's families are different. Technology's impact on the 21st century family is fracturing its very foundation, and causing a disintegration of core values that long ago were the fabric that held families together.” (Rowan, 2017)
  

• “Pew Research Center survey in 2018 showed that 95% of teens now report they have a smartphone or access to one and 45% of teens now say they are online on a near-constant basis. This is an increase from the 73% of teens who said this in 2014-2015.” (Anderson, 2020)
  

A year ago, I let my phone occupy my thoughts outside while my nephew played with trucks beside me. I surfaced to find him not there. Calling his name got no results. Panic set in and the search was widened. No luck. Then our dog was spotted over at the neighbors, which is rare, and the thought came that my nephew might have tagged along. All ended well and everyone was back where they belonged but think of what I missed because of the phone.

This story ended well but there are times when it does not: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/08/15/child-drownings-linked-phone-distraction-among-parents-pools/998836002/

Some say this is not a problem, it's how we stay connected, learn things, and laugh. The phone is a library, photo album, school, game source, calendar, “what are we going to have for dinner?,” and “what is my dream house going to look like?” But what if we are connecting to the wrong thing? Is it an addiction just like drugs or alcohol, do you need it? Is it the first thing you look at in the morning? Have your children been ignored because you need to scroll just a little farther?, what if you missed something? These are just a few questions to ask yourself.

According to The Lake House Recovery Center here are some other things to look for:

• Neglecting areas of life that do not include technology
• Difficulty completing daily living tasks
• Losing track of time when emailing, surfing the web, reading Facebook posts, or tweeting
• Isolation from friends and family
• Experiencing euphoria with technology use (Admin.,2019)

If you said yes or even maybe? To any of these questions you might want to consider this challenge; put down your phone and reconnect with what matters. Challenge yourself to go a half hour or dare I say an hour without looking at your phone.