MaeLyn's Musings

This morning, our Stake Adult Furthering Religious Education Class (aka Institute for Old People) resumed. I'm not going to write about everything we discussed today. I have other things to do today. There was one verse that particularly stood out to me. It was D&C 1:10. It says, "Unto the day when the Lord shall come to recompense unto every man according to his work, and measure to every man according to the measure which he has measured to his fellow man." When I read this, my mind first went to part of the Lord's prayer and commentary in Matthew 6:12,14-15. The Lord said, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors... For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." We will be judged the same way that we judge the people around us. If we are critical and unforgiving, then the Lord will be critical and unforg...

Today was the final institute class for this school year. (Technically, it is called Adult Continuing Education, but it is a lot easier just to call it institute.) To round out the year, we spent the last half hour or so discussing what we have learned from the Book of Mormon this year, what made a difference to us, what we take with us going forward. Each week, I've come home and written about something that I learned from class that week. Here is a very brief outline of what I have learned (the dates are links to what I wrote for that week) : Sept 17, 2013 Purpose of the Book of Mormon - to convince the world that Jesus is the Christ. The Lord is merciful. When we are earnestly striving to be obedient in spite of the difficulties and trials, that is when God will endow us with power. That is when the miracles will come. Sept 24, 2013 Lehi's dream relates to the entire human family. Elder Neal A Maxwell : "So it is that the laughter of the world is me...

Several years ago, I had an image stuck in my head. I sketched it. I painted it. I drew it in Photoshop. Still, that image haunted me. It was the image of a single candle bravely burning, while hands reached out from darkness to pinch it out. I was reminded of this image today during institute, as we read Moroni 7, and talked about the Light of Christ. The Bible Dictionary describes this Light: The light of Christ is just what the words imply: enlightenment, knowledge, and an uplifting, ennobling, persevering influence that comes upon mankind because of Jesus Christ. For instance, Christ is “the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world” ( D&C 93:2 ; see John 1:9 ). The light of Christ fills the “immensity of space” and is the means by which Christ is able to be “in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things.” It “giveth life to all things” and is “the law by which all things are governed.” It is also “the light that quicken...

Several months ago, I read Lectures on Faith, and my understanding of what faith is deepened. I wrote about it here . In Institute this morning, as we were reading Ether and Moroni's words about faith in Ether 12, I had another one of those "ah-ha" moments. Someone in class said that there was a time in her life that she was waking up at 4:30am fully alert, and she was able to use that time to really study the scriptures, and so she had the Spirit with her throughout the day, guiding her and teaching her. Someone else commented that a returned missionary complained that after returning home, he didn't feel the Spirit as powerfully as he had when he was a missionary. It was brought up that maybe we don't need to feel the Spirit so strongly all the time. Sometimes the Lord trusts us to make good decisions without his guidance shouting in our ears. Sometimes the rewards for us are greater when we are walking on our own, in faith. There have been times in the ...

At Institute this week, we discussed the first few chapters of Ether - the whole bit about the tower of Babel, the languages being changed, and Jared and his brother and their families and friends leaving and traveling to a promised land. It's a fun bit. One thing that was brought out in class that I hadn't really contemplated before was the importance of working and doing our part. First of all, you have the tower, and God changing the languages of the people and scattering them all over the earth. Jared and his brother didn't just sit around and wait to see what was going to happen to them. In other words, they didn't wait to be acted upon, they took action themselves. First of all, they decided they didn't want to have their language changed so they went to the Lord in prayer to ask to be able to keep their language. They didn't just settle for that, either. They thought about who else they would like to be able to communicate with, and then prayed to the L...

At institute this morning someone mentioned that "how to be happy" (or variations on the theme) was one of the most searched for topics on Google. Curious about what kind of things would come up, I tried searching for "how to be happy" myself. As I finished typing this phrase into the search box, several suggestions popped up below the box: how to be happy alone, again, single, at work, in a relationship, with yourself, after a breakup, and everyday. The results that came up were interesting too. Amongst the 494,000,000 results, there were 12 step programs and 7 step programs, scientifically proven ways to be happy, 10 things not to do, 10 things to do, secrets, tips, and myths. There were blogs and articles, books, products, apps and games. Suggestions included everything from looking beyond imperfections, choosing to be happy, and being grateful, to spending time outside, improving your physical health (improving eating, sleeping, exercising habits), and spendin...

What might have been a day just like any other day ended suddenly when the sky darkened, like a thick blanket was tossed over the sun, blocking its light. The air felt thick and heavy, and the world suddenly became silent, as the animals and even the elements braced themselves for the tempest to come. With a crack of lightning and a resounding thunderous boom that shook the planet, the skies opened and down plummeted the deluge. Water poured down in torrents, quickly flooding the earth, followed by hurricane strength winds with a force that brought down buildings and trees. Fires begun by lightning and fanned by the torrential winds raged in spite of the rain, and entire cities were quickly engulfed. Some cities were swallowed up in gaping sink holes while others were buried as mountains drunkenly staggered over them. Ocean waves heaved out of their beds to drag towns and villages out to sea. After three hours of heaving and tossing, the land finally settles, the rain eases, the winds ...

Have you ever arrived at a class late, and never felt like you entirely caught on to what was going on? That was me this morning. Usually an older lady who lives down the street from me gives me rides to institute on Tuesday mornings. This morning she called me to let me know that she wasn't going to make it. So I called another lady in our ward who lives nearby and usually goes to institute, and she told me she could give me a ride. She picked me up, and then dropped her young daughter off at her sister's home, but got caught up talking with her sister for a little while and we ended up arriving at class about fifteen minutes late. (*Please note, I'm not complaining. I'm grateful that I was able to attend institute at all.) When we arrived, someone was reading a quote about how materialism is the opposite of spirituality, and how pride is forgetting that everything we have comes from God, or something like that. I figured out that they were in the last chapters of ...

A long time ago, a God had a people who he loved very much. He gave them a good land to live in with good soil for their crops. He made the sun shine down on them and blessed them with rain so their crops would grow and they would have plenty of food to eat. He showed them where they could find pasture land for their herds and precious metals to shape into beautiful things. He helped them in battle when their enemies rose up against them, and they won their battles, even when they were outnumbered. And the people had peace and were happy. But in their happiness and peacefulness, the people forgot about their God. They forgot that it was their God who had given them the good soil and the rain and the food, and they did not share their food with those who were hungry. They forgot that their God had protected their herds and given them metals and made them rich, and they did not use their riches to help those who were in need. They forgot that their God had helped them win their battles...

When I was a child, I heard the words "take offense" and understood them as "take a fence", and I wondered why people would want to take a heavy fence and carry it around with them just because someone said something that they didn't like. After all, life is much simpler and easier without a fence strapped to our back! I'm older, and I realize the mistake of my youth, and yet I still appreciate that life is a lot easier without adding loads onto our backs, whether or not the person who said the words intended to hurt us or not. In institute this morning, we spent the majority of the time discussing chapters 60 and 61 of Alma. Chapter 60 is the one where Captain Moroni writes a harsh and condemning letter to Pahoran, accusing him of neglect, slothfulness, idleness, of sitting on his throne in a state of thoughtless stupor, and calling him a traitor to his country because Pahoran, as the chief judge and governor of the Nephites, had not sent the much...

At institute this morning we discussed the war chapters of the Book of Mormon. Here are a few of things I came away with. 1. Covenants. These are powerful and important things: The people of Zerahemnah would not make a covenant that they feared they would break, in spite of the fact that they were wicked, power-hungry Lamanites. (Alma 44:8) The Title of Liberty that Captain Moroni was a symbol of a covenant with God. The torn coat represented the coat of Joesph (who was sold into Egypt), and the promise that a remnant of Joseph's posterity would be saved. (Alma 46:23-27) A similar symbol today might be a picture of a temple in our home. The Nephites (and presumably other Jews as well) would tear or rend their garments as a token that if they broke the covenant that they were making, that God would rend (or destroy) them. (Alma 46:21) The Anti-Nephi-Lehies, or Ammonites, had made a covenant to never again shed blood. They had been willing to die rather than to break this cove...

Today I was able to attend institute again after not being there for three weeks, and I realized that I have really missed it. One week the carpets at the church were being cleaned so class was cancelled, the next week my ride had a funeral to go to and I wasn't feeling well so I skipped it, and last week our teacher was sick so she cancelled it. Because of the cancelled classes, we've gotten a bit behind schedule, but today we covered Alma chapters 31 through 42. The main theme that I got from today's lesson, was prayer: how, where and what to pray for. 1. The Zoramites (Alma 31:8-23) The Zoramites met once a week. In the center of their synagogue, they placed a high stand, the top of which could hold only one person, and one at a time, each person would mount the stand, raise their hands to the heavens, and recite a set prayer in a loud voice. The prayer which they recited was proud boasting, thanking God for choosing them, for making them better than other people, d...

Institute this morning was on Alma 17-24. Here are some of the things we discussed: Ways to prepare to serve as a missionary: (See Alma 17:2,3,11)    1. Search the scriptures    2. Pray    3. Fast    4. Develop patience    5. Develop long-suffering    6. Become dedicated    7. Learn to serve (v. 25) Gifts we can receive through our preparation: (same verses as above)    1. Gift of Prophecy    2. Gift of Revelation    3. Power and authority    4. We become good examples    5. We are instruments in God's hands    6. Be able to speak with boldness (Alma 18:24) It was pointed out that the great missionaries of the Book of Mormon taught three main things (See Alma 18:36-39 and Alma 22:13-14):    1. The Creation    2. The Fall of Adam    3. The Atonement When the king of the Lamanites found his mortal life was t...

Institute resumed today after a three week break for the holidays, and the subject matter was Alma 8-16. Here are some of the thoughts that I came home with. Alma 8:14 - When Alma was weighed down with sorrow, wading through tribulation because of his troubles in doing the Lord's work, the Lord sent an angel to encourage him. The Lord supports his servants when they are striving to do his work. Alma 8:18 - Even though he had been reviled and cast out of the city of Ammonihah, when the angel told him to return, Alma returned speedily to the city. We receive the blessings when we are quick to obey. Because Alma was quick to obey, he received not only a meal when he was hungry (v.20), but also a companion in his labors and they were both filled with the Holy Ghost. (v. 30) Alma 13:3 - Men were called and prepared from the foundation of the world ... with a holy calling. I, too, was given certain callings and missions to fulfill in this life. A comment was made by a class m...

We had a great Christmas, spent enjoying great gifts, good food, and each others company. We didn't take many pictures (and I can't find the camera right now in the mess) so I'm not going to post pictures right now. I hope everyone else had a wonderful Christmas too!

In institute this morning we discussed Alma 1-7. Here are a few of the things we discussed, along with some of my own thoughts and connections. ______________________________________________________ Alma 5:14 - "And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"  "Have you spiritually been born of God?"   Alma is referring to a spiritual conversion, a change of heart, repentance - or bringing our will into alignment with God's will. It is a change of our being in which we have no more desire to sin, but to do good continually. (See Mosiah 5:2 ) When we read about the apostate Nehor in chapter 1, we read verse 4 which says, "And he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; ...

In Institute this morning, the main topic of discussion was Alma the Younger's conversion. (See Mosiah 27 ) Some interesting points were brought up: 1. Alma had a great gift for speaking. He was "a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people." (v. 8) After his conversion, he was able to use this gift to do a lot of good, as he strove to repair the injuries he had done before. I didn't mention this in class, but this actually reminds me of a Veggie Tales movie: " Lord of the Beans ", where a boy is given a gift (a magic bean) and goes on a journey to discover what that gift is for, and how he can use it to bless others. 2. Frequently, wickedness arises among the "rising generation" because they aren't familiar with everything with which their parents are familiar. Alma's generation wasn't familiar with the words of King Benjamin because they had been too young at the time they were given. Our teacher mentioned how th...

In institute this morning we discussed more of the book of Mosiah, particularly chapters 7-17. These chapters mostly talk about the people of Zeniff, who went back to the land of Nephi to live in the land they had first settled, which had been taken over by Lamanites. Much of our class time was used in making sure we understood when and where the various events here took place. In summary: This is the institute picture... Click on it to see it larger. My numbering isn't quite the same as theirs, since I include Amulon's group, and my list is in chronological order. 1. In approximately 200 B.C., Zeniff is a spy for a group of Nephites who journey from Zarahemla to the land of Nephi. Zeniff sees good among the people and doesn't want to destroy them, but the leader of this expedition is bloodthirsty and commands that Zeniff be slain. Family members fight, most of their army is destroyed, they return to Zarahemla. (Omni 1:27-28; Mosiah 9:1-2) 2. Zeniff really, really w...

In Institute this morning, one of the things we discussed was the importance of keeping records. In the Book of Mormon, we learn that one of King Zedekiah's sons escaped from Jerusalem when Zedekiah's other sons were killed and Zedekiah himself was carried away captive into Babylon in 587BC. This son's name was Mulek. (see Hel 8:21.) Mulek and his people journeyed in the wilderness and were eventually led to the Promised Land (See Omni 1:15-16), arriving in the northern part of the land (See Hel 6:10). His people settled the land, had families, had wars and contentions, and lived their lives for about 300 years before they were discovered by the Nephites. They named their land Zarahemla. (See Mosiah 25:2 and Omni 1:14) When the Mulekites left Jerusalem, it was probably in haste because of the Babylonian attack. As a result, they didn't bring any records with them. Because they had no written records, a couple important things resulted: Their language was corrupted...