The Word Of Wisdom

 Today we discussed the Word Of Wisdom revealed to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, February 27, 1833.  This revelation is found in Doctrine and Covenants Section 89.

Before we talked about this revelation and how to teach it, we had several people share what they found during the week in their personal scripture study.  We testify that the spirit was in abundance because of the things that you shared and found.

Hunter shared Matt 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world..and had it memorized!  

Hayden- Alma 17:2-3 The sons of Mosiah waxed strong and were of sound understanding.  This is our ideal to strive for as missionaries. But this is not all! Read these verses!

 Jack- Moroni 7:45,  He shared this scripture in Seminary and felt that when you share a scripture that means something to you, it helps you as well as those you share it with.

Taylor- Mosiah 24:12, Alma and his people were persecuted and they pour out their hearts to God.  They SINCERELY asked God for help.

Ashley B.- 2 Nephi 26:25. 26, 33 Gods love...We need to feel it.  He invites all to come unto him even in iniquity.

Ryan- Book of Ether, He had been studying about the Jaredites.  As they were righteous they prospered and followed the prophet. Even if you think you have a better idea, Follow the Prophet!

We saw that God is there to talk to each of us individually.  The windows of Heaven opened up as you taught us by the spirit!  Thank you.  Please continue to come prepared to share those gems you found during the week.

After we talked about the history of the Word of Wisdom, how it was revealed and what it is, we practiced teaching it to each other.

Loni Hooker, Ashley Nicholes, Bro. Hooker, Ryan Jensen, Packer Wilkes

Hayden Cannon, Drake Taylor, John Lee, Spencer Bradford

Krista Johnson, Sammy Meyer, Alex Richards, Nathan Eddington

Ashley Bouwhuis, Sarah Holyoak, Jack Taylor, Taylor Kofford

Brandon Bouwhuis, McCoy Rowley, Hunter Osmun, Tyler Hunt

Michael Johnson, Travin Lomeli, Alejandro Diaz, Corbin Neider, Simon Taylor

All of these groups did a great job, jumped right in and opened their mouths and they were filled!  

What did you learn?

Please share in  your families about your experience.

In Chapter 10 of Preach My Gospel "How Can I Improve My Teaching Skills"  it says:

While others talk to you, avoid the tendency to think about what you are going to say. Make sure you are really concentrating on the person speaking rather than planning your response. 

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught: “More important than speaking is listening. These people are not lifeless objects disguised as a baptismal statistic. They are children of God, our brothers and sisters, and they need what we have. Be genuine. Reach out sincerely. Ask these friends what matters most to them. What do they cherish, and what do they hold dear? And then listen. If the setting is right, you might ask what their fears are, what they yearn for, or what they feel is missing in their lives. I promise you that something in what they say will always highlight a truth of the gospel about which you can bear testimony and about which you can then offer more. … If we listen with love, we won’t need to wonder what to say. It will be given to us—by the Spirit and by our friends” (“Witnesses unto Me,” Ensign, May 2001, 15; italics in original).

When people have addictions, we must be sensitive to them and offer support not condemnation.  As they strive to live the Word Of Wisdom it most likely will not happen overnight.  Help them and love them by listening to them sincerely and acting on the promptings of the spirit to assist them.

Assignment for the next 2 weeks. 

 No Class Next week

Here is a  talk we would like you to read and talk about in your families. 
All Things Testify of Him:  Understanding Symbolism in the Scriptures, Ensign Jan 1981, By Lenet Hadley Read

We will be studying The Restoration Lesson again, but we will be drawing on other chapters in Preach My Gospel to enhance our study.  Chapter 10 "How Can I Improve My Teaching Skills" would be a great one to start to read!

We also want to thank the 13th ward for letting our class teach "The Commandments Lesson" in your ward.  They had a great experience and learned a lot.  We hope more of you can join us next month when we get this opportunity again!

The Law of Chastity

We want to THANK YOU! for following President Pynes challenge last week by inviting others to come with you to class.  We had several new faces in class today and felt your testimonies and desire to hasten the work of the Lord here in our Cedar Hills Stake.

These two friends had some exciting news to share.  Caiden Neider on the left will be his last day in class.  His day to report to the MTC has finally arrived.  More later...., And Alejandro Diaz announced that he received his mission call to the England, Leeds Mission!  How exciting.  He will leave in June.  Their smiles tell it all!  

Next we heard from the class experiences they have had with studying on their own and living the gospel.  

 

We learned that Nathan was able to give his best friend a priesthood blessing who has been diagnosed with leukemia.  Jack tried something different with his journal writing to include good things he noticed in people and then praying for them.  Alex has been reading 3 books to help him increase his understanding of the gospel and Jesus Christ to help him be more valiant.  Brandon started to read and mark his scriptures with someone in mind he could share them with.  It helped him become more aware of what he was reading.  

Will shared an example of studying with an investigator in mind. We hope you will continue to come and share these kinds of experiences.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is alive in all of you!

Next we discussed the Law of Chastity.  What is it and why are we teaching it to people?  Caiden shared Boyd K Packer's description as "guardrails on the highway to love", and to not hand out your kisses like costco samples :-)  (Just love this class!)
We learned in Jacob 2:28 that God hates it when we break this law.  Strong words that we must learn to teach with confidence and clarity.  Sometimes we think we are clear, but in fact are not.

We watched the District 2 video about 2 elders teaching the Law Of Chastity to German.  We discussed what they did wrong, and how they could have improved.  The District DVD's are an excellent way to familiarize yourself with actual un-scripted mission experiences and learn valuable lessons for teaching. 

Bro. Hooker reminded us to search the scriptures and teach from them as your first witness.  1 John 5:9  "If  we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son".

Here is our final farewell picture of Caiden Neider!  He has patiently waited many months to serve the wonderful people in Costa Rica.  He is excited to go and more importantly, he has become a missionary already.  We have great confidence in his ability to teach the gospel and love the people he will serve.  We wish you the best and will be praying for you!  See you in 2 years :-)

                      Here are some great resources to help you further learn and teach the Law of Chastity.

Law of Chastity- The Pamphlet

Mormon Channel discussion about Law of Chastity by John Hilton III

A great example to help understand the Law of Chastity- 

What are the limits? (from lds.org)

This from Preach My Gospel Page 77 under the lesson "The Commandments"

Live the Law of Chastity

God delights in chastity and hates sexual sin. Chastity includes strict abstinence from sexual relations before marriage and complete fidelity and loyalty to one’s spouse after marriage. Those who live the law of chastity enjoy the strength that comes from self-control. They enjoy confidence and trust in their family relationships. They can enjoy more fully the influence of the Holy Ghost in their lives. Those who break this law are subject to a lasting sense of shame and guilt that burdens their lives.

Chastity requires faithfulness in thought and action. We must keep our thoughts clean and be modest in our dress, speech, and actions. We must avoid pornography in any form. We should treat the God-given procreative power and our bodies as sacred. Baptismal candidates are to live the law of chastity, which prohibits any sexual relations outside of a legal marriage between a man and a woman. They are not to participate in abortions or homosexual or lesbian relations. Those who have committed sexual sin can repent and be forgiven.

Couples Living Together

Men and women who are living together but are not married may not be baptized without first getting married or separated. Those who are married to more than one person at a time may not be baptized. Seek counsel from your mission president, who will give you specific direction in each case.

Scripture Study

• Jacob 2:28
• Mosiah 13:22
• Alma 39:3–5
• 3 Nephi 12:27–30
• D&C 42:22–24
• D&C 63:16
• Matthew 5:27–28
• Romans 1:26–32
• Ephesians 5:3–5

Commitment

• •
  Will you live the law of chastity?

Baptismal Interview Questions That Apply

• •
  What do you understand of the law of chastity, which prohibits any sexual relationship outside the bonds of a legal marriage between a man and a woman? Are you willing to obey this law [before your baptism]?
• •
  Have you ever participated in an abortion? A homosexual relationship? [Note: A person who answers yes to either of these questions must be interviewed by the mission president before being baptized.]

Assignment for next week:

 Please study the "Word of Wisdom", Preach My Gospel page 78, and read the pamphlet that goes with this lesson.  

Next sunday we will be tracting and teaching Lesson 4 "The Commandments" at 4:30-5:30 pm. We have not gone over all the commandments lesson in class but you are invited to read the whole thing.  You can just teach "The law of Chastity" and/or "The Word of Wisdom" when we tract though.  

Effective Study

I apologize for slacking in updating this sooner.  This class is such a joy to participate in and we gain so much from each one of you.  Thank you for all you do and sacrifice to come and be prepared to discuss and learn.

This week we did something a little different.  We talked about using our scriptures more effectively when we teach.  We started by taking a section in the lesson "The Commandments" and finding scriptures that would help teach each doctrine.  We also talked about different ways to mark your scriptures so you can refer quickly to what you found. 

On page 24 of Preach My Gospel there are several suggestions for marking scriptures.  The class discussion about what is helpful for them included some of these ideas:

1. Start studying with a person or question in mind. An example might be a person who can't stop smoking.

2. Studying is a process.  Stick with it and be consistent and it will become a great joy to you.

3. Write things down.  Keep a study journal.  Possibly an alphabetized one that you can record thoughts and scriptures under a specific topic to refer to quickly when needed or to add to.

4.  Make a scripture chain.  Connect your learning and understanding together in the scriptures.

5.  Use the footnotes.

6.  Color code the verses by lesson or topic.

7.  Find the stories in the scriptures that will help you teach.

8.  Love your scriptures. This will come as you spend time finding answers to your questions and hearing the voice of the Lord speak to you personally from His words through the Spirit.

9.  Record your inspired questions about a topic.  

We had the pleasure of  a few visitors today.  Bro. Brisk from the High Council, Jamie Pyne

and President Pyne.  Thank you for the spirit you brought and your helpful comments and challenges.

Pres. Pyne challenged the young men to pray about someone they can invite and bring to class.  He would like to see the class size double.  We have plenty of room :-)! Your contribution matters!  We are not complete without you!  We need each other to learn and be more prepared to share the gospel.  Thank you for making the effort to be here.  We know how hard it is so early in the morning!  But this is real mission prep!!!

 Bro. Brisk reminded them to read Elder Bednars talk about "Becoming A Missionary" Oct 2005.  We dont have to wait until we are called, we can become a missionary now, every day.  And we will continue to be missionaries after we return.  This is such a great talk.  Dont miss it!

We love it when we get to hear from Elders as they just return!! This is Elder Flake.  He served in the Washington, Seattle Mission.  He shared his testimony and some powerful advice for our class.  He encouraged us to not just learn the information so you can repeat it over and over again, but to really speak from the heart.  Be real when you talk to people.  They can tell when you are just going through the motions and when it really matters to you.   Thank you for sharing your love of missionary work with us!!

So now what?  Lets put into practice this week what we discussed.

Next weeks assignment:

Study the Law of Chastity.  It is found on pg. 77 of PMG, and read the pamphlet.  It is short and you can do it!  As you study this topic and its importance you will become more comfortable teaching it and will be able to help others keep this vital commandment.