He is Risen!

The passages of scripture about Gethsemane are found in Matt 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-46; 2 Ne 9:21-22; Mosiah 3: 5-12; and D&C 19:1-24. To study more about the Savior's life go to the Bible Dictionary and look under "Gospels, Harmony of". There, you will find the order to read about Christ's life so that it is all chronological. It makes Christ's life make so much more sense.

This is such an amazing video. It had me in tears as Christ was breaking bread and they continued throughout the rest of it. As I learn more about my Savior I become more and more grateful for the Atonement and the sacrifice He made for me. What an amazing gift! Easter, to me, is the most important holiday. Christmas is the one that people make a big deal out of. Honestly, everyone is born to this earth but the significance of Christ happens after he is born and the most life changing event is celebrated and remembered at Easter time. I know the pain I feel when I make a wrong choice. I can't imagine all that pain for every sin I've ever made felt all at once. And then, multiply that for every person who has ever lived or ever will live on the earth. Incomprehensible!

I am so grateful for Christ's life and example for me. I know that He lives and He loves me far beyond my ability to comprehend. I am so fortunate to have such an incredible older brother who set the perfect example for me and showed me how I should live my life daily and who sacrificed so much so I could return to live with Him and my Father in Heaven. He willingly volunteered for this task -- amazing!

What an amazing video!

Lunch and a Play 2012

Previously:
2011
2010

To continue the tradition, we went this past week. YAY! :)

Ryanne (making a goofy face) and Collin eating their lunch!

The youth wing from the local community playhouse performing a collection of fables.

Collin's friend was there. We didn't know he would be but we saw them and they were so excited to see each other. Of course, by this point they were both pretty hot and sweaty so they weren't quite as excited as they were at the beginning. They just wanted to drink fluids. hehe!

This was Ryanne relaxing in my lap with my unglasses. ;) Silly girl! She was hot and tired too.

We walked around a bit afterwards and found a rat snake! That was exciting. Especially when Ryanne decided to reach out and almost touch it's tail. Eeek! That startled me. I just kept repeating in my head "non-venomous, non-venomous, non-venomous" and it was all okay. hehe!

So, that was our exciting Lunch and a Play for 2012. Collin and I were both sunburned by the time we got home and even though it looks like they were unhappy in these pictures they had a great time and couldn't stop talking about how fun it was and how much they loved the show. hehe!

Kitchen remodel part I: Removing of the tile

This is where we started -- well, almost. You can see that we started removing some in that far corner.

The kids had fun crackling up the tiles so we could remove them. Yes, those are socks on my children's hands. They had no work gloves so socks were used instead. ;)

This kitchen will certainly not win any beauty contests anytime soon  but I'm excited that we got the tile off.

Now we get to decide if this is worth saving or if we should go with laminate flooring.... oh the decisions!

I Will Go

Scriptures to study:

• Genesis 22:23; 24:29; 28:5; 29:12; 35:8; 49:31
• Romans 9:10-13
• Doctrine and Covenants 132:37
• Bible Dictionary pg 760

 "Rebekah, truly she is one of the most noble and glorious of women!" (McConkie, Ensign, Jan 1979)

Obviously, this post is on Rebekah. Even if you don't study any of the others, I absolutely recommend studying Rebekah. I find her absolutely amazing!

Bruce R. McConkie also said,

"What a marvelous example Rebeka has set for all the women of the church. Not only did she pray and get personal revelation when she needed it, but she so influenced hr husbad and her son that they did what was necessary so that Jacob married in the church and w/ his beloved Rachel, gained eternal life." (New Era, May 1978).

Bruce R McConkie seemed to be a big fan of Rebekah. I have several quotes from here. Here's another one:

Rebekah, whom Isaac loved

By Bruce R. McConkie

Elder of the Council of the Twelve

I think Rebekah is one of the greatest patterns in all the revelations of what a woman can do to influence a family in righteousness. Here, among other things, is what happened in her life:

“And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” (Gen. 25:21)

The man and the woman have a great problem: they desire posterity; the united faith of both of them is involved.

“And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord.” (Gen. 25: 22)

Now note it well. She did not say, “Isaac, will you inquire of the Lord. You are the patriarch; you are the head of the house,” which he was. She went to inquire of the Lord, and she gained the answer:

“And the Lord said unto her [the woman], Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.” (Gen. 25:23)

That is to say, “To you, Rebekah, I, the Lord, reveal the destiny of nations that are to be born which are yet in your womb.”

Now, one more episode from Rebekah’s life. When “Esau was forty years old, … he took to wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite: Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.” (Gen. 26:34–35)

That is to say, Esau married out of the Church; Esau did not marry in the everlasting covenant revealed to Abraham; Esau chose to live after the manner of the world, rather than to keep the standards of righteousness which the Lord had given them. In the light of all this, the account says:

“And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?” (Gen. 27:46)

In effect she is saying, “If Jacob marries out of the Church as Esau has done, what good is there left for me in life?” And having been encouraged and impelled to step forward and assume his responsibility, this is what Isaac did:

“And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan” [which means, “Thou shalt not marry out of the Church”].

“Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.”

And then Isaac gave Jacob, in effect, a patriarchal blessing which promised him the blessings of Abraham, his father:

“And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;

“And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee.” (Gen. 28:1–4)

Rebekah—truly she is one of the most noble and glorious of women!

 In case you tend to get the wives of the ancient patriarchs mixed up, let me refresh your memory. Rebekah is the wife of Isaac and the mother to Esau and Jacob. She was told while pregnant with them that the younger would have the birthright. As she watched her sons grow she saw Esau continue to make poor choices... He slept with women, sold his birthright to Jacob and married out of the covenant. Through inspiration from the Lord, she knew Jacob was to receive the birthright and not Esau so she made sure that happened. Afterwards, she feared for Jacob's life so sent him away to find a wife so he could marry in the covenant. I'll put a timeline below to make it all a little more clear. :)

• Isaac is born to Abraham (100) and Sarah (90)
• Isaac is offered as a willing sacrifice
• Isaac (37) loses his mother, Sarah (127)
• Abraham sends servant to find wife for Isaac
• Isaac (40) and Rebekah marry
• Abraham marries Keturah and has six more sons
• Esau and Jacob are born to Isaac (60) and Rebekah (after 20 years of trying to have a baby)
• Isaac (75) and Ishmael (89) bury their father, Abraham
• Esau (40) marries 2 Hittite women (Isaac 100)
• Rebekah guides Isaac to give Jacob the birthright
• Jacob departs for Padan-aran to find a wife
• Esau marries a daughter of Ishmael
• Ishmael dies (137)
• Isaac dies (180) 

 One of my favorite things about Rebekah is the story of Eliezar , the servant, finding her. She shows a compassionate heart when she offers to water his camels... there were 10 camels. Did you know that one camel can drink 25-30 gallons of water at one time? Can you imagine how many times she had to dip her jug into the well, scoop up the water, and walk back and forth between the well and the camels?  Also, in this story we learn of her faith. When the servant of Abraham asked Rebekah's family if he could take her back to Canaan to marry his master's son, they insisted on letting her stay but the servant wanted to leave immediately. They called in Rebekah to find out and her response was simply, "I will go." She knew this was what Heavenly Father wanted and even though she had never met Isaac and she didn't have time for a proper send off or a proper farewell, she knew what she was supposed to do and did it. What faith. This reminds me of Nephi. He is always used as an example, I mean, there's even a song for it, "I will go, I will do the thing the Lord commands..." (now that song will be stuck in my head all day) but Rebekah showed just as much faith with her simple, "I will go." She was just amazing and continued to amaze me through her story.

"We each have to ask ourselves, 'What will I create of my life? My time? My future?' First, go where the Spirit directs. Be still and listen. Your Heavenly Father will guide you as you draw near to Him. Immerse yourself in the holy word of the prophets, both ancient and modern and the Spirit will speak to you. Be patient, ask in faith, and you will receive guidance in your creative efforts.
"Second, don't be paralyzed from fear of making mistakes. Thrust in your hands into the clay of your lives and begin, I love how Rebekah of old responded to Abraham's servant in search of a wife for Isaac. Her answer was simple and direct, 'I will go,' she said.
"Rebekah could have refused. She could have told the servant to wait until she had the proper send-off, a new wardrobe, until she lost a few pounds, or until the weather was more promising. She could have said, "What is wrong with Isaac that he can't find a wife in all of Canaan?' But she didn't. She acted and so should we.
"The time for procrastination is over. Begin! Don't be afraid. Do the best you can. Of course you will make mistakes. Everyone does. Learn from them and move forward." (Smoot, Ensign, May 2000)

Time for the questions:

What is unique about Rebekah and her story?
How does she fit into the time period she lives in?
What Christ-like qualities does she exemplify?
What would I ask her if I met her?
How can I relate to her?
What can I learn from her?

1- What is unique about Rebekah's story?
Among the wives of the patriarchs, she is the only one who is in a monogamous relationship -- even though she was barren for 20 years. Barrenness seemed to be the trigger for several relationships to marry another woman. She is also a more active character in the scriptures. I love her individuality and spunk!

2- How does she fit into the time period she lives in?
She was a hard worker, willing to serve others and a true servant of God. When given a task, she wouldn't back down but would say, "I will go."

3- What Christ-like qualities does she exemplify?
I love her attitude of serving others. In Genesis 24:19 she offers to water TEN camels for Elizer. We've already discussed that amazing act. :) Also, her obedience. We've discussed these examples as well. :)

4- What would I ask her if I met her?
I'd ask her to bear her testimony. I bet it was an amazing one.

5- How can I relate her her? (see next question)

6- What can I learn from her?
I love, love, love the fact that when Rebekah had a question she turned to the Lord (Gen 25:22) and asked and received personal revelation. She wasn't a follower, she found things out for herself. She didn't go to her husband, the patriarch of the family, and ask him to pray for her (of course, he already was praying about having a baby). Instead, she went to the Lord herself to get an answer for herself. What an amazing example for all women.

I hope that we can all be more like Rebekah as we serve others without being asked and obey the Lord unconditionally and discover the truths for ourselves instead of leaning on the testimonies of others. It is so important to have our own testimony so we can continue to learn and grow.

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

 Scriptures to look up:

• Genesis 11:27- 13:1; 16-23; 24:36; 25:10-16; 49:31
• Isaiah 51;2
• Romans 4:19; 9:9
• Galations 4:21-31
• Hebrews 11:11
• 1 Peter 3:6-7
• 2 Nephi 8:2
• Doctrine and Covenants 132:34-35, 65
• Abraham 2
• Bible Dictionary pg 769

I found this poem from the March 1977 Ensign and thought I'd share because it pretty much sums up Sarah's life.

Sarah’s Trial

By Carol Rollins

I’m 26, almost 27 …

all of my friends are married,

sisters have children

and the few I’m

compatible with

become fewer …

Now Sarai,

Abram’s wife, bare him no children.

maybe

if I

reordered my priorities …

And she had a handmaid,

an Egyptian,

whose name was Hagar.

And Sarai said

unto Abram,

Behold, now, the Lord

hath restrained me from bearing;

I pray thee go in

unto my maid;

it may be

that I may obtain children by her. …

and Sarah

saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian,

which Hagar had borne unto Abraham,

mocking;

and she was troubled.

yes,

I know what the

Patriarch

blessed me with …

And God said unto Abraham,

as for Sarai thy wife,

thou shalt not call her name Sarai,

but Sarah thou shalt call her name.

And I will bless her,

And I will give thee a son of her;

yea, I will bless her,

and she shall be blessed,

The mother of nations;

kings and peoples shall be of her.

… with

and for

mate,

children,

posterity, and the Temple …

And God said, Sarah thy wife

shall bear thee a son,

and thou shalt call his name Isaac;

and I will establish

my covenant with him also. …

and I want my children

raised, blessed, healed

by their father, a

covenanted patriarch … but

I want children! …

and I’m afraid

to wait

until I’m ninety … I don’t

believe … they

know what it’s like … asking

me to wait … and remain

single …

Sarah thy wife shall have a son.

And Sarah heard him,

in the tent door.

And now

Abraham and Sarah being old,

and stricken in age;

therefore it had ceased to be with Sarah

after the manner of women;

Therefore

Sarah laughed within herself,

saying,

After I have waxed old shall I have pleasure,

my lord being old also?

but Bishop …

“I bless

you if you will trust

in the Lord, waiting

His due time …”

And the angel of the Lord

said unto Abraham,

Wherefore did Sarah laugh,

saying,

Shall I of a surety bear a child,

which am old?

perhaps he’s not

right with the Church, but …

I love him!

and Sarah laughed within herself

and her faith waned …

“but …”

but

Is anything too hard for the Lord

And Abraham was an hundred years old,

when his son Isaac was born

unto him.

And Sarah said,

God has made me to rejoice;

and also all that know me will rejoice with me.

And she said unto Abraham,

Who would have said that Sarah

should have given children suck?

For I was barren,

but the Lord promised,

and I have borne unto Abraham

a son in his old age.

(Scripture references from Inspired Version of the Bible, Genesis 16–21.) [JST, Gen. 16–21]

 A quote by Nibley, Old Testament, pg 99:

"It was... a pharaoh who sought the hand of Sarah, the true princess, in order to raise up a royal progeny by her. Upon a royal bed identical in form with the altar of Abraham, she too prayed for deliverance and was rescued by an angel while the king was constrained to recognize Sarah's true marriage and heritage, bestowing upon her regal insignia and a royal escort. At God's command, Abraham humbled himself to ask Sarah as a favor to declare herself to be his sister, eligible to marry another and thus save his life. This is only a part of the deference that Abraham had to make to his wife, and it left no place for his male pride. Sarah, on the other hand, with equal humility, went to Abraham confessing God's hand in her childlessness and actually begging him to have children by another woman. Can one imagine a greater test of her pride? When both sides of the equation are reduced, the remainder on both sides is only a great love."

I just loved this Nibley quote because it shows how much they both trusted, respected and loved one another.

Time Line

Abram is born to Terah (2000 BC)

Sarai is born (Abram is 10)

Death of Abram's brother due to famine in Ur - Abram and Sarai marry

Terah's clan moves to Haran

Abram (75) and Sarai (65) move to Canaan

Abram and Sarai go to Egypt

Abram and Sarai return to Canaan with Hagar

Hagar becomes second wife to Abram (85)

Hagar gives birth to Ishmael (Abram 86)

Abram pays tithes to Melchizadek

Names change to Abraham and Sarah

God makes covenant to Abraham (99) and Sarah (89)

Abraham and Ishmael (13) are circumcised

Sarah (90) gives birth to Isaac (Ishmael 14)

Hagar and Ismael (17) are sent away; God blesses them

Hagar finds Ismael a wife from Egypt

God commands Abraham to sacrifice Isaac

Sara dies (127) when Isaac is 37.

Isaac (40) marries Rebekah

Esau and Jacob are born to Isaac (60) and Rebekah

Abraham dies (175); Ishmael (89) and Isaac (75) bury him.

My Thoughts:

What is unique about Sarah's story?

How does she fit in her time period?

What Christ-like qualities does she exemplify?

What would I ask her if I met her?

How can I relate to her?

What can I learn from her experiences?

What is unique about Sarah's story? Sarah was pretty much a nomad most of her life. She and her husband were sent to dangerous places (ie Egypt) to share their knowledge of the Gospel (Abraham 1:11) Basically, they were missionaries during the early years of their marriage.

How does she fit in her time period? She is about to be the Mother of Israel.

What Christ-like qualities does she exemplify? FAITH! She has faith she and her husband will be safe in Egypt, that the covenants the Lord made will come true, and that she will have a baby at the age of 90.

What would I ask her if I met her? Were all those trials worth it?

How can I relate to her? Oh! There's a lot and some of it too personal for a public blog but I think Sarah is pretty much awesome! :)

What can I learn from her experience? The famous quote, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14) She learned first hand that with the help of the Lord and faith that He can truly do anything!

A glimpse into my scripture journals! :)

This is inside my TOPICS journal. This is the one on Repentance. On the left side I have scriptures and quotes that go with it. The papers in the middle are two talks that I really liked on the topic. I printed them out as pamphlets so that one talk fits on one piece of paper front and back and then I folded them in half and taped them to the middle. I love this trick b/c then I can organize all the incredible talks that I read. The right side of the notebook are my thoughts on the subject. It was really cool how things just came to me as I was reading and thinking of things. I was proud of me for listening to the spirit and writing intelligent things. 

 A few of my thoughts that I will share that ended up in the notebook. ;)

• The change must happen before Christ's Atonement will help us. We must do our part of the work before mercy will help us complete it. As stated in Helaman 5:10, Christ will save us from our sins but not in our sins.
• When change has truly taken place, we will no longer have a desire to continue in that sin, but shall feel true joy.

I have no artistic capabilities but this was my drawing on the similitudes of Abraham Sacrificing Isaac and the crucifixion/Atonement of Christ. I put drawings and graphs and things to give it some variety. ;)

I can't remember who this is... I think that says Hagar up there. I drew a family tree on this one too. There are scriptures, my thoughts, quotes...etc. You get the idea.

So, there you have it.... a glimpse into each of my three scripture journals... my regular scripture journal, women in the scriptures journal and my topic scripture journal. I tend to get distracted on things and study them a little more so I decided to add a topics journal about two days ago. It has really helped me to focus all that learning some place. LOL! :)