Dear Family and Friends
I pray that today’s post finds each one of you healthy and doing well!!! I know that there are different types of doing well, so I hope and pray that each of you are doing as well as your body will allow you:) I know for me this new type of wellness changes from day to day and some days I think minute by minute.
The doctor said that the chemotherapy should help with the pain. If this is the case then I should be getting more relief soon as i did my first round of this new chemotherapy this afternoon. I have been off of the old chemotherapy for about 9 weeks or so. The doctor said that the side effects from the new chemotherapy should be similar to that of the old.
Remember that you can always encourage your family members and friends to remember the Lord. You must do this just as Nephi of old was there to encourage his people to remember the Lord. It's kind of fun when we can really apply in our daily lives what we are learning in the scriptures as we study
Nephi, Lehi, and others had “many revelations daily” (Helaman 11:23). Frequent revelation is not just for prophets—it’s available to you, too. Recording your impressions can help you receive revelation more consistently.
Nephi’s father, Helaman, had urged his sons to “remember, remember”: he wanted them to remember their ancestors, remember the words of the prophets, and most of all remember “our Redeemer, who is Christ” (see Helaman 5:5–14). It’s clear that Nephi did remember, because this is the same message he declared years later “with unwearyingness” (Helaman 10:4) to the people. “How could you have forgotten your God?” (Helaman 7:20), he asked. All of Nephi’s efforts—preaching, praying, performing miracles, and petitioning God for a famine—were attempts to help the people turn to God and remember Him. In many ways, forgetting God is a bigger problem even than not knowing Him, and it’s easy to forget Him when our minds are distracted by “the vain things of this world” and clouded by sin (Helaman 7:21; see also Helaman 12:2). But, as Nephi’s ministry shows, it’s never too late to remember and “turn … unto the Lord your God” (Helaman 7:17).
You know as I was watching my students at play this morning. One of the parents stopped by. She was not here to pick up her child which was good because her child was not ready to go. The mother had only stopped by to say hello to her child and to let her know that she had brought cupcakes for her brother's birthday.
If all of the children finish their lunch they would each be able to have one of those cupcakes. The children were all excited now because they all wanted to receive a cupcake. Of course they did!!! The Mom said as she was leaving that the key was that they needed to eat their lunch before they received a cup cake:)
It is always extremely nice when a parent is on the same page with you in your teaching. She told them that they could each have a cupcake after they have eaten their lunch:)she stepped back into the classroom and said ”the key is to eat all of your lunch then you can each have a cupcake”
So, it is when we are on the same page with our spouse or our family members and friends as we are studying the gospel of Jesus Christ together each day! This week we are studying Helaman 7–12.
As a family study group we want to share with one another what we are learning within the selected chapters. You may want to get out your poster board and write down the gospel principles which you and your family members and friends have found within these chapters.
Your headings could be “Gospel Principle” and in column 2 could be ”location of Gospel Principle” for discussion later. It might look something like the following:
“Gospel Principle” “location of Gospel Principle”
Be sure to include the gospel principle you and or your family members and or friends found in the first column and where they found it in the second column!!!
Helaman 7–11
Prophets reveal the will of God to the people.
Let's begin our lesson here by having you and your family members and friends read together “Prophet” in the Guide to the Scriptures (scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org). As you are reading, have them each one, to be listening for, the roles and responsibilities that are mentioned in the above readings.
Then have your family members and friends write these principles down on your poster board and where they found them. The next stop will be to have you and your family members and friends read together through Helaman 7–11 searching for the roles and responsibilities of prophets.
Remember to write them down on your poster board as you find them so that you will have them for your following discussions. Ask your family members and friends to identify the roles and responsibilities of the prophet each of the following chapters: Helaman 7–11.
You may want to have them look for just how Nephi did fulfill those roles which you have listed on the poster board from these chapters. Now i have a couple more questions for you and your family members and friends to answer:
How do our living prophets and apostles fulfill these roles and responsibilities today? How can we as members sustain them in their individual roles and responsibilities? How has studying about the roles and responsibilities help you and your family members and friends learn from Helaman 7-11 about the roles and responsibilities of prophets and apostles?
Why do prophets sometimes have to speak with boldness like Nephi did?
Now you might consider asking your family members and friends to read through Helaman 7:11–29, looking for the warnings Nephi gave and the reasons he had to be so bold in giving them.
What prophetic warnings have inspired us to repent and come to the Lord? In the following experience you will find a metaphor that Elder Neil L. Andersen used to help us understand the dangers of ignoring prophetic warnings.
Listen to the guidance of the prophets.
Elder Neil L. Andersen shared the following experience:
“Those who choose to serve the Lord will always listen attentively and specifically to the Prophet. …
“… Let me illustrate with an experience. Our family lived for many years in the state of Florida. Because Florida has a high concentration of sand, lawns there are planted with a large broadleaf grass we call Saint Augustine. A formidable enemy of a Florida lawn is a small, brown insect called a mole cricket.
“One evening as my neighbor and I stood on the front steps, he noticed a little bug crossing my sidewalk. ‘You better spray your lawn,’ he warned. ‘There goes a mole cricket.’ I had sprayed the lawn with insecticide not too many weeks previously, and I hardly felt that I had the time or money to do it again so soon.
“In the light of the next morning, I examined my lawn closely. It was lush and beautifully green. I looked down into the grass to see if I could see any of the little bugs. I could see none. I remember thinking, ‘Well, maybe that little mole cricket was just passing through my yard on the way to my neighbor’s yard.’ …
“The story, however, has a sad ending. I came out the front door one morning, about 10 days after the conversation with my neighbor. Shockingly, as if it had happened overnight, brown spots covered my lawn. I ran to the garden store, bought the insecticide, and sprayed immediately, but it was too late. The lawn was ruined, and to return it to its former state required a new crop of sod, long hours of work, and large expense.
“My neighbor’s warning was central to my lawn’s welfare. He saw things I could not see. He knew something I did not know. He knew that mole crickets live underground and are active only at night, making my daytime examinations ineffective. He knew that mole crickets did not eat the leaves of the grass but rather found nourishment in the roots. He knew that these little inch-long creatures could eat a lot of roots before I would ever see the effect above the ground. I paid a dear price for my smug independence. …
“… There are spiritual mole crickets that burrow under our protective walls and invade our delicate roots. Many of these insects of wickedness appear small, at times almost invisible. …
“Let us not follow the pattern I showed in dealing with my Florida mole crickets. Let us never ignore the warnings. Let us never be smug in our independence. Let us always be listening and learning in humility and faith, anxious to repent should it be necessary” (“Prophets and Spiritual Mole Crickets,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 16–18).
Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
Helaman 7–11
Prophets reveal the will of God.
There are many prophets described throughout the Book of Mormon, but Helaman 7–11 is a particularly good place to learn what a prophet is, what he does, and how we should receive his words. As you read these chapters, pay attention to Nephi’s actions, thoughts, and interactions with the Lord. How does Nephi’s ministry help you better understand the role of the prophet in our day? Here are a few examples. What else do you find?
Helaman 7:17–22.
Prophets cry repentance and warn of the consequences of sin.
Helaman 7:29; 9:21–36.
Prophets know by revelation from God what the people need to hear.
Helaman 10:7.
Prophets are given the power to seal on earth and in heaven (see also Matthew 16:19; Doctrine and Covenants 132:46).
Helaman 10:4–7, 11–12.
Create a Note
How do these verses affect how you feel about our living prophet? What has he taught recently? What are you doing to listen to and follow his direction?
Helaman 9:1–20; 10:1, 11–15
Faith must be built on more than signs and miracles.
If you were to divide your family members and friends into two groups. This will be one way for you all to discuss. You could all read Helaman 9:1–20. One group could imagine themselves to be the same place either as the five chief judges or the five men.
It could have been people. But usually during this time it was the men who were judged for any crimes against their house. Here are a few questions that you can ask each group: What might these people have felt?
What may have influenced each group to respond differently to the same miraculous prophecy? How can we ensure that miracles build our testimonies but do not become the only basis for them? How can we determine whether the prophet’s words in our day are true?
Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
Helaman 9–10
Signs and miracles are helpful but not sufficient to build enduring faith.
If signs or miracles were enough to change a person’s heart, then all of the Nephites would have been converted by the remarkable signs Nephi gave in Helaman 9.
Instead, “a division among the people” (Helaman 10:1) arose because many of them “did still harden their hearts” (Helaman 10:15).
How do the wicked often react to signs and miracles? (see Helaman 10:12–15; see also 3 Nephi 2:1–2).
What is the danger of making signs the foundation of a testimony? (see “Signs,” Gospel Topics, topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Helaman 10:1–12
The Lord gives power to those who seek His will and keep His commandments.
Have you ever taken a few moments to write down your blessings for a week, a day or even a few days? You might be surprised at how the Lord has blessed you -- so much -- in just one day!!! You can find just such an account of the Lord blessing Nephi in Helaman 10.
You and your family members and friends might want to dive right in with verse 1 … and continue right on through verse 12.
It could be really good for you to read it all together,verses 1–12. You might consider asking them to be looking for what Nephi did to gain the Lord’s trust and how the Lord blessed him. What did these verses teach us about what Nephi did???
In studying Helaman chapter ten you and or your family members and or friends may be inspire to be more diligent in seeking and doing the Lord’s will. After having endured an experience or two they maybe could then share other examples of people who sought and did the Lord’s will …
Who are those people who sought and did the Lord’s will … “with unwearyingness” (Helaman 10:4), either from the scriptures or yours and /or their own lives. How did the Lord bless these people with power to “cast down” (Helaman 10:9)
This being their figurative mountains which were in their lives? It is always important to remember to give time to your family members and friends to ponder on some ways that they too can better seek the Lord’s will and keep His commandments.
Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
Helaman 10:2–4
Pondering invites revelation.
If you have ever felt downtrodden, anxious, or confused, you might learn an important lesson from Nephi’s example in Helaman 10:2–4. What did he do when he felt “cast down”? (verse 3).
President Henry B. Eyring taught, “When we ponder, we invite revelation by the Spirit. Pondering, to me, is the thinking and the praying I do after reading and studying in the scriptures carefully” (“Serve with the Spirit,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 60).
How might you create a habit of pondering? To read about one way to regularly ponder the word of God, see Brother Devin G. Durrant’s message “My Heart Pondereth Them Continually” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 112–15).
See also Proverbs 4:26; Luke 2:19; 1 Nephi 11:1; 2 Nephi 4:15–16; 3 Nephi 17:3; Moroni 10:3; Doctrine and Covenants 88:62.
Helaman 12
The Lord wants us to remember Him.
As you may know when we are baptized and become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we make covenants one of which is to Always remember Jesus Christ. Think about the ways in which you remember Jesus Christ each day.
Then ask your family members and friends to think about ways or things they do each day to help them to remember Jesus Christ.
What do each of you do to remember Jesus Christ every day? You might want to begin a discussion at this point in our lesson.
You may with this question for your family members and friends. Sharing with one another what things help each of your family members and friends to “always remember him” search through Moroni 4:3; Doctrine and Covenants 20:77.
As you are searching through these versus remember that it was during both in times of prosperity for these people and also in times of difficulty. Continuing on with your discussion you and your family members and friends could now search through Helaman 12.
In this chapter you will be looking for some of the reasons that some people tend to forget the Lord. now ir is question rime! You should ask your family members and friends the following questions: How can we overcome the tendencies described in this chapter?
How has adversity helped us remember God? (see Helaman 11:4–7). As you all must know, it really does take effort to remember something. remembering things comes to some much easier than it does or others. I have struggled with this all my life.
I have had to learn many different tricks for self preservation:) So with my already very weak memory structure. I guess for an illustration my memory structure would be like the house built upon the sand or if you can picture a house of cards or of toothpicks or pretzels
Then you add the mini strokes that I had in my mid-twenties, then you add age to this scene, and then you add cancer and all of the side effects from the surgeries, the radiation, all of which you must help heal the best as you can and oft times you are alone in this.
Of course there is all of the side effect from all of the chemotherapy treatments and the neuropathy and the lymphedema and the drugs to treat those side effects as well. As you can most likely tell, none of these things so far are conducive to helping my memory
And now with the newest memory swallowing item if this new chemotherapy, you add pain medications and all of its side effects to the pot an you stir, …, and stir, ,,,, and stir, … and stir, … oh, wait I think this is my stop!!!!
Let's see how you and your family members and friends' memories are. You can review with them or have them review the chapter alone or in pairs if this works for your family study group you can review Helaman 12.
After you have finished up with your review of the chapter you could ask the following questions : As you are asking these questions you will be able to tell how well you have remembered the material which you have previously reviewed.
Always make sure that you don't make anyone feel bad because they are not ‘smart enough.’ I was belittled and told that i was nothing and i would never amount to anything. How is this similar to the effort that is required to “remember the Lord”? (Helaman 12:5).
How is it different? You and your family members and friends could look to find a verse or a short little phrase from Helaman 12 that you and / or they could each display in their homes or your home. This is something that each of us could do to help us to remember Jesus Christ.
If we would take the time needed to memorize this chosen verse or phrase it could be to help to remind you and / or them to remember the goodness and power of God. we must take the time and effort to do this as it is for our own welfare and that of our family too!
Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
Helaman 12
The Lord wants me to remember Him.
In Helaman 12, Mormon, who was abridging the record, summarizes some of the lessons we can learn from the account of Nephi in the previous chapters.
Consider using his summary as an opportunity to examine your own heart. You might even make a list of the things Mormon says cause people to forget the Lord.
What helps you remember Him? What changes are you inspired to make based on what you learned?
For next week we will be studying about Samuel the Lamanite and His prophecies about those events which occurred or are associated with the birth of the Savior and His Crucifixion. These things can be compared to our day to day events which will certainly come to pass prior to the Savior’s Second Coming.
If you explain this to your family members and friends they may be more inspired to read Helaman 13–16, for next week’s lesson. I included the following for improving our teaching from the bottom of our come, Follow Me for Individuals and Families manual:
Improving Our Teaching
Express love. “Depending on your circumstances, expressing love to those you teach may mean giving them sincere compliments, taking an interest in their lives, listening carefully to them, involving them in the lesson, performing acts of service for them, or simply greeting them warmly when you see them” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 6).
I have never thought very much of myself as a person, as a daughter, as a young woman, as a wife, a mother, as a sister or friend. It has always been hard for me to feel good about the skin I'm in This has gotten much better over the years but I have to tell you I still struggle with this.
The progress that I have made came only after I became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter--day Saints and learned that I am a child of God. Learning this changed my life forever!!!! I hope and I pray that this knowledge will change your life as well until my next post, please stay safe and be happy!!!
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