Scripture Study

By and large, scripture study feels like a colossal failure. There are always little fights breaking out among the girls, someone isn't following along, someone else is touching her sister with her toe, you get the idea. We don't do scripture study because it leaves us just brimming with the Spirit. I think at this point Brent and I are doing it because we have been promised blessings if we do it. Interestingly enough, if we miss a day, one of the girls always comments on it- even though it seems like they are barely engaged. Brent and I are always trying to make it better and bring more insights, but we are far, far, far from perfect. Every now and again, we have a win. Here are some of those wins.

Matthew 27: 57-60 Thank goodness for Joseph of Arimathea- for the undertakers and funeral directors of this world! Those who are not afraid to deal with the business of death and be prepared for it. Death is a part of our progression! We should strive to be prepared for it.

Mark 6:22-26 Liesel: What kind of dance did she do?
Ireland *clearly considering her options* Yeah, was it ballet?

Mark 9:17-27 Note the transition of asking about the individual- the son- to also asking about the father. Parenthood test faith and the Lord is aware of mother's and fathers who are trying. Our children's struggles become our struggles.

We had an FHE on forgiveness and wrote things we need to let go of on helium balloons and then released them into the sign as we sang "Let it Go." I wrote that I needed to be better about forgiving the girls when they are naughty. Ireland noticed while I was writing it and said, "Why don['t you just forgive us now?" She didn't want me to wait 2 hot minutes to finish writing and then release my balloon in the driveway.

Luke 2:21 Brent explained circumcision to the girls and can I just say having daughters is the best! Tried to "liken the scriptures" and tell the girls it's similar to wearing garments- an expression of our covenants with God.

Ireland: Well I'd just rather wear garments!
Me: They didn't exactly have stores to buy them, back in the day.
Ireland: Then I'd make some!!!
Liesel: Dad, were you circumcised?

Brent: Yes I was.

Liesel: Wow. I'm sorry Dad.

Luke 3 (final verses). We challenged the girls to see how far back they could name their maternal lineage (ie Liesel is the daughter of Danika, the daughter of Margaret, the daughter of Grace...). They were actually excited to rush down to breakfast so they could use their fan chart placemats. Brought home how incredible it is to have Christ's lineage traced all the way back to Adam!

I can tell this one is old based on how, ahem, full Brent looks. He was helping Sydney read and you can see it's just twilight. He's tired, not a morning person and Sydney is grumpy but they are trying to figure out this verse together.

Luke 8: 22-25 Brent and I busted out into Master the Tempest is Raging (me in English and Brent in Spanish) because it's one of the rare songs were the music really matches what's going on in the scriptures. The notes go higher and higher like waves on the sea, then the soothing "peace, be still." Like Dvorak's Humoresque, the moods in the music are so evident.

Luke 8: 43-48 Discussed how spiritual experiences are physically exhausting (hello mission!) and how Joseph Smith collapsed trying to cross the fence the day after he had repeatedly been visited by Moroni throughout the night.

For FHE we talked about the armor of God and this is the closest we came up with (Gita is holding our sled as a shield- haha!). The girls got to throw crumpled up paper at her. I also love how her feet are shod with my Uggs and our Danish ancestors would be proud that her helmet is of Viking ilk. 

Luke 18:11-12 We had the girls read these verses like stuck up valley girls. 

Luke 22: 10-13 Brent pointed out that carrying water was typically a woman's job so this man would have stood out in the crowd.

Before re-reading the Book of Mormon for Sydney's baptism, we delved into the New Testament. I love my past notes about how 1 Thessalonians 5:6 pertains to parenthood. So true!

On this morning, Gita just caught me with how tiny she looked, all curled up with her scriptures!

On this morning I was praying that we would come across a scripture that might help Whitney as she is going through IVF. This one hit me like a Mac truck:

Another one for Whitney on another day she was really struggling:

The "do not aks for that which you ought not" really caught me in this verse:

There's a scene in the animated Mulan where Mushu is supposed to bang a gong to wake the ancestors. I imagine the same kind of thing here where we are essentially banging a gong every morning to these prophets, asking them to teach us of their wisdom and share their testimonies. Nephi! Alma! Ammon! Moroni! Get uuup!!!

I find it so interesting as the girls are squabbling about whatever ridiculous thing they manage to find to squabble about in those early morning hours, how often the scriptures encourage us to be like children.

Reagan is working at an addiction recovery center and has talked about how often their patients are really good people just caught up in drug addiction. She sent a picture of one man whose skin was disintegrating from all the needles and drugs and he still kept using- the open wound all over his forearm actually made it easier for the drugs to get into his system. That story really made me ponder this verse about how there will be a day when Satan will not have power to tempt any man.

1 Nephi 3: 22-25 Brent jokingly told the girls they probably had American Girl things in their stash of gold, silver & precious things and that's why Laban lusted after it.

This is such a beautiful promise- to have a light in the wilderness. Reminds me of the promise Dumbledore made to Harry Potter, "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

1 Nephi 17:11 Liesel misread this as "that I might have wherewith to blow ME fire." We laughed that now that Nephi is building a ship, he's also become a pirate. Shiver me timbers! Where shall I blow me fire? Aaaurgh!

There are times during scripture study when I can tell the girls aren't absorbing anything so Brent and I try to throw out questions to get them a bit more engaged. This one ended up being pretty hilarious as I asked the girls what they would do if they needed to go "gain favor" so they could bring husbands with them. They threw around ideas- cook? Dance? Play board games?

2 Nephi 5: 1-4 Ireland: So basically they're saying, "Dad's dead, we can kill him now!"
2 Nephi 5:14 Like Tim who is interested in learning how to make swords
2 Nephi 5: 15-16 Nephi knew how to build because he had already made a boat and Liesel pointed out he was good at listening to the Lord in learning how to build things.

During FHE where we were discussing the testimony of Joseph Smith at the beginning of the Book of Mormon and how he didn't tell his father of Moroni's visit until Moroni returned and again told him to go directly to his father and tell him. I asked the girls to think about what they know of boys age 14-17 and what are they like? Liesel put her hands up by her face, said, "They're kind of..." and waved them in little circles. Best definition of a teenage boy EVER! Also, I love that Joseph Smith states he delivered the plates back to Moroni and he "has them to this day." It made me think of that things I can say with absolute certainty I know exactly where they are. Really just our passports in the safe deposit bod. Joseph Smith must have developed a relationship of trust with Moroni to the point he could say with complete assurance that he still has the plates.

Mosiah 6:7, Gita: What's contention?
Me: Fighting, squabbling, bickering. What would our house be like if there was no contention for 3 years? It would be...

Ireland: ...not our house.