MaeLyn's Musings

Yesterday, I got to teach lesson 11 and 12 of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, entitled Honoring the Priesthood Keys Restored through Joseph Smith and The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood. The priesthood is something that I've always appreciated, but as I was preparing to teach this lesson, I realized how little I actually know about how it works. I was grateful for a reason to learn more about this amazing power. Below is the outline I prepared to teach from. It includes some of the questions I asked as well as the sections of the lessons that we read out loud. Before I began, I showed the sisters the talk given by Dallin H Oaks in the most recent General Conference , as well as the article in this month's Ensign about the Priesthood and recommended that they read them because they explain so much about the Priesthood and how it works. What is the Priesthood? "The priesthood held by man is the power and authority of God delegated to ...

John passed the sacrament for the first time yesterday. It was an awesome feeling to have him pass me the sacrament trays. I am so pleased that he has lived worthily to be able to be a deacon, to hold the priesthood and be able to serve in this way. Way to go John! 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.  But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who  knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. ( 2 Nephi 2:23-25 ) I have no greater  joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. ( 3 John 1:4 )

John returned home from scout camp at 1:30 Saturday morning. (They decided to come home Friday night instead of Saturday morning, but by the time John woke up Saturday after the late night, it was about the same time he would have gotten home Saturday anyway.) He had a lot of fun there. Here are some of the highlights: John went to "the Crevasses" in Camp Deitler. The crevasses are huge rock things that have big gaps between them and some caves. John went through some of the gaps and climbed a large leaning rock. John made an electronic rectangle. It was made of a circuit board, two capacitors, four resistors, two LEDs, and two transistors. The LED lights blinked slowly when everything was put together and connected to a power source.  John participated in the "Polar Penguin" four times, which means that he got to jump in the lake right after breakfast, when the water was still cold.  He slept in a sleeping bag, inside a canvas tent that wasn't attached to...