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- Very nice opening him. Thank you, Brandt.
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We had to get the groove going. Jenny, we have to get in the mood, you know, and I just heard that. And it was like, this is this is what we need for today.
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#SabbathGroove.
Good morning, everyone, thanks for joining us this morning for the Mormon News Report podcast. We are doing our Come Follow Me lesson that we do weekly here on Facebook. My name is Jenny and I am joining you from Utah, along with my friend and co-host Brandt Malone, joining me from Detroit, Michigan. Good morning, Brandt.
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Good morning, Jenny. Good morning, good afternoon and good evening, everyone. Thank you to Jenny and John for picking up the slack. Last week I decided to, I don’t know, crazy thought for the holiday weekend go on a trip up to northern Michigan where Wi-Fi was was not readily available.
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So thank you to the two of you. And I’m really excited. It seems like this has been a running theme for us these past few weeks, because as we get further and further into the Book of Mormon, as we get closer and closer to really the end point of the Book of Mormon, it’s going to go really quickly. And we’re seeing some big dramatic stuff happen in the Book of Mormon that that kind of has a lot of parallels to what’s happening today.
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Yeah, it’s really interesting, isn’t it? And the whole thing about history repeating itself, what not. Yeah, you’re absolutely right.
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And like you mentioned, we are also joined here to my right by my husband, John Day.
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He is the one who is responsible for all the cool graphics and pictures and questions that you see any time a line comes up on the screen. Someone’s comment, he’s the one who is doing all. He’s basically our producer.
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I think it’s it’s fair to say the producer extraordinaire, we would not have this wonderful livestream if it wasn’t for John doing all of his magic behind the curtain. Quite. Or we would, but it would not be what it is for sure. It would not be that good. Come on, everybody.
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John is sharing comments right now from people who are tuning in and letting us know a way where they are watching from. So thanks, everyone, for for doing that. I see some familiar names and places. Thanks, everyone, for forgetting that. Chris in Vegas, hello. You mentioned that we are getting toward the end of the Book of Mormon here and our and our weekly lessons, which I was thinking about this morning. We’ve done I mean, except for general conference, we’ve done every week since March, beginning of March, mid-March.
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Yeah.
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We up and credit to you because I know that there have been a few times that a few of us have been under the weather or just not really feeling it. And and you’ve been the driving force to say, no, no, this is important that we do this, especially because a lot of people just don’t have the opportunity to go to church and worship and do a Sunday school together. This is important. And so all credit to you, Jenny, for being the really the driver behind this whole thing.
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That’s nice of you to say, especially because this morning I was like, I’ve got a sore throat. I don’t know how this is going to turn out today, but and I’m glad you brought that up, too, because that’s actually gathering together as part of the lesson today and exactly what you said. A lot of what we’re seeing here can easily update. We are living our lives today.
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Quick side note or word business, if you will, class business announcements for those of you who are listeners to our podcast. Apologies, we did not get one recorded last week because of the holiday and other things going on, but plenty of new announcements have come out. And so I think it’s safe to say that we will have an episode of the Mormon News or podcast this week, and it will be chock full of announcements and whatnot. Yes, it will.
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And especially with I mean, with the church making some big announcements about trying to get back to normalcy between a prominent United States senator calling for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints to sell KSL. And it’s not for the reasons that you might think it’s going to be a big news show. So I’m thinking, Jenny, probably early this week you and I should get together and record it, because it’s we’re getting close to general conference season.
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And when general conferences and runs around, there’s always a lot of stuff that we’ve got to pay attention to. That’s true.
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That’s true. So speaking of speaking of all the things, today is Sunday, September 13th.
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Twenty twenty at our lesson today is covering the chapter, the chapters in thirty five, the beginning of thirty eight chapters, one through seven. The title of the lesson is Lift Up Your Head and be of good cheer. And as you read through or listen, if you’re someone who likes to listen to the scriptures, you do do audio recordings as you go. It’s interesting that that is the title lesson because as we start out, things can start to look a little discouraging for the people here.
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Yeah, you know, Jenny, something that something that really stood out to me was we knew this was going to happen. We knew there was going to be this escalation of things that happened. And you could tell that off. They have a big transition that goes on. Nephi the elder leaves. I guess he goes on a walkabout. And all we have in the scriptures is he’s gone and he’s no longer in the picture. We don’t know where he went.
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We don’t know what happened.
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We could all assume that he probably left to pass away. But I think it’s very interesting to see that he knew that for his son to take over as the new spokesperson, as the new prophet in that area, that he needed to leave.
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He needed to be out of the picture. And so his son takes his son is now in, I guess, in the position of prophet.
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And he’s having a hard time with some of the stuff that’s going on, because you can see down there in inversed for there began to be greater sins and greater signs of greater miracles wrought among the people. And so you’re seeing he knows something’s happening. And and while it seems like this is human nature, when there’s times that there’s incredible good going on, there’s and there are times that are that can have incredible back going on as well. And I think that that was really weighing on him.
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And and I don’t really have the scripture up in front of me, but the pleading that he does with the Lord and the opening remarks that the Lord gives to him where he says, lift up your head and be of good cheer.
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That’s something that I try and remind myself a lot, especially as we go through some difficult times that we need to.
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I guess live in the moment that there is a bad time going on, but let’s not stay in that moment. Let’s lift up our heads and be of good cheer. I’m glad that you said that, Brandt.
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And we’ll go right ahead to those scriptures.
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It’s actually in third if chapter one and the first nine verses of the chapter give kind of a summary that you were just saying.
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That. MI five percent of Hillman just left and left, giving charge to his son Nephi, so he said this If I had all the the records and the prophecies began to be fulfilled. And we see here in third Nephi, verse five, but there were some who began to say that the time was passed for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel L. Ammonite. And they began to rejoice over their brethren, saying, behold, the time has passed and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled.
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Therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing has been vain. And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which have been spoken might not come to pass. And then in verse says, But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day, which should be as one day as if there were no night.
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And I’m just going to stop here for a second to just say, you know, as we as the lesson that we had last week with Samuel blame and making his prophecies, we’ve got a case here where the unbelievers and there was a pretty, I think, distinct divide there, it seems. And they were in there like, OK, time’s up. Where’s your where’s your prophecy? Where’s your land day?
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And then and the believers, like you said, they were sorrowful, but they kept their faith. They kept watching for that day, for that sign.
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And then we see in verse nine now, it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death, accept the science should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the Prophet.
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Now, sure, everybody.
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But would that be like to sit there and go, OK, well, it’s going to happen on what’s today of September 13th.
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You better have it by September 15th or we’re going to kill you honestly, like as we always try to do to like in the scriptures to ourselves. Can you imagine, I mean, something that extreme? I mean, again, with the times up, it didn’t happen.
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And again, for people who weren’t even you didn’t believe who weren’t Envestnet, it’s just it’s a very interesting concept to me. And then as you were talking about in third Nephi, chapter one, starting in verse ten. Now, it came to pass that when MiFi, the son of the I saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful and it came to pass that he went out and bought himself down upon the earth and cried mightily to his God and behalf of his people.
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Yeah, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers. And it came to pass that he cried mightily until the Lord all that day. And behold, the voice of the Lord came on to him saying, and here it is in verse thirteen, lift up your head and be of good cheer for behold. The time is at hand. And on this night, shall the sign be given and on the morrow come into the world to show onto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have cause to be spoken by the just accidentally turned my page on the Scriptures, by the mouth of my holy prophets.
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Behold, I come on to my own to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the father and of the son of the father, because of me and of the son, because of my flesh and behold.
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The time is at hand. And this night so shall the sign be given.
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So, Brandt, I think it’s not uncommon when we have these lessons, when we have these discussions, especially when it comes to the scriptures and the prophets, that when we compare ourselves to to what we read about and what we study, that we we think about our own roles for those of us who are parents and.
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And when I when I think about that, when I think about. In verse 10, you know, in verse 11, where it says that if I was his heart was exceedingly sorrowful and I mean. I don’t want to be dismissive by saying, well, your kids are just young and my kids are older, and so I have experienced a sorrowful heart, and you have because that’s not a thing. I mean, there there’s any number of reasons to to feel sorrowful when it comes to parenting.
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For some, it’s the struggle to to become parents. For some, it’s the challenges that happens. For some, I I’m sure we all have friends whose whose babies have had to have been ill and have required things like like invasive surgeries and and other scary things. And even if not still just the anxiety of the weight of having oh my goodness, I have the responsibility for the small person who relies on me completely. That is a lot. And when I think of that and I think of that because I can’t relate to the role of being a prophet, but it makes me think about the prophets that we’ve been familiar with.
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I think about I think thing about President Hinckley and just his tender heart in the messages he would share when he would speak. I can say that I really felt the love that he had. And and while I can’t speak to any of the the amount of sorrow in his heart at any time or another, I can say that I, I feel like he is someone that I can imagine profit wise who who would cry to the Lord on our behalf.
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Definitely well, and that’s a much more serious road than I was going to go down because I read that and originally my first thought was, boy, you thought it was tough waiting for Christmas when you were a little kid. Now you’ve got this on your plate. How are you going to go to sleep that night like you’re not going to be able to? Well, I can’t do anything. Well, and and then it was going to be like I mean, this is also waiting for Christmas.
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Yeah. Yeah. I mean, yeah, I guess I guess it all works out in the same thing. But Jenny, I’m reminded of I remember watching the press conference when President Monsen of Hinckley had passed away and President Monson was announced as the new president and prophet of the church. And I don’t know if you remember it, but I remembered the look on his face. It was as if you could see the weight of that calling weighing heavily on.
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And it’s been interesting as I’ve been older and I’ve seen these press conferences and how different individuals have happened, because I I’ve seen a few prophets now. It’s interesting how they all react to it. It seemed like when President Nelson was called his prophet, he was energized, almost as if I have something that needs to be done and I’m ready to go and do it because I know it’s got to get done.
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I believe if I recall, he was physically like physically sitting on the edge of a seat, leaning forward. And that was the crazy thing because it’s like, bloody well, let’s go down here, OK?
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Like, but at the same time, I mean, just the individual, the differences is really astounding. Yeah. Well, and the other thing, too, is so you see how they react differently. But the other thing is and I know when we do our usual weekly podcast, the nature of commenting on Mormon news and being a commentator is we need to look at all sides of things. And oftentimes we try and give voice to the side that might not get the most attention based on a lot of different factors.
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And so what I’m trying to say is sometimes that involves critique. And I don’t ever want my critique when it comes to things like the leaders of our church to be viewed as well. I could do better because that’s the thing I can I cannot imagine some of the burdens that they are fearing, not just in their personal lives, but also having to hear and with the tapes. And when they go to places that have been ravaged by natural disasters, by fires, by famine, by by whatever you want to call it, to have that weighing on their souls and petitioning to the Lord, asking for a reprieve, I can’t imagine what that feels like.
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And so when I think of Nivi in this position, knowing knowing that there is a group out there that said I will kill, we are going to kill all of you believers if this doesn’t happen by this day, to have them petitioning, saying they’re doing the right thing, they’re there believing and they’re they have faith. We’ve got to give them something. And for the Lord to finally hear those prayers and say, yes, it is coming tonight. And as we see, we see miracles.
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We see a day with a night. A day without a night, essentially the life times all night long, and if you talk to people who live in places like Alaska the first time, it’s pretty cool after that. It’s not so cool. But is and this is a great picture that John’s got up here to see the sun never go down is really interesting. And I just wonder, as I look at this picture, I wonder the kids, they’re probably thinking this is this is awesome.
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This is so cool. But I wonder what the parents might be thinking in a moment like this to say it’s coming, that we have had faith.
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And he is he is here.
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Yes. I love that. And that’s that’s a great point. I I’m trying to again, like, imagine things that might be similar. I just think about a few years ago, the eclipse. Yeah, definitely.
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That for anyone who was in any sort of region where where the eclipse, you could see it in any kind of totality. It was actually that was that present Monson’s Earth Day.
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It was 20 August. So that’s pretty much. Yeah. And just in the middle of the day and where we were in Salt Lake, it was not a total eclipse. And however, I saw for people who did go like a Rexburg was a hot spot for that. They said just for that brief moment and just how stuff like I actually have chills just thinking about it, how the Earth responded to it, that that the animals got quiet, that that the crickets, you know, like like things that only happen at night happened here in the middle of the day because that’s what the sun was doing.
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And just how what we’re reading about in the scriptures when that miracle when that sign came to pass, it wasn’t for a brief moment like the like the eclipse that we experienced or that we can. And again, in a couple of years to that man, it like like you said, Brandt, like to think about like the adults, like, OK, here we are. And as we turn to the scriptures, back to third MiFi, chapter one.
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It came in verse 15, it came to pass that the words which came down if I were fulfilled according as they had been spoken for, behold at the going down of the sun, there was no darkness.
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And the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came. And there were many who had not believed the words the prophets. Again, here are the unbelievers who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead. With which I’m guessing is just like they were so surprised, like, oh, man, can I ask you repeated, can I comment on this too now? There are so many instances in the Book of Mormon where people, when they’re surprised, they fall to the earth as if they were dead.
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This is is this cultural? What what do we have going on here? Right.
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I wonder if it is part of the translation. I mean, like it like like a feinting. Like, have you ever fainted? Have you fallen to the floor and said, I have fallen to the floor and surprise. I have like, the kind you know, there’s a reason why the phrase is weak in the knees is a thing like you really like, because it’s not just like surprise. It’s like, oh, swearword, this happened.
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Well, yeah, I just I just think it’s funny with Lamone, his wife, his father, her his wife, it’s just this seems to be a motif which which is to two quick thoughts.
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So there are some cultures where and I don’t think this is this is being any sort of I don’t think this is being derogatory, but there are some cultures out there that their emotions are very much a part of.
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What am I trying to say? They are emotions run very, very high and their emotions are very near to the skin. And so especially with with major events that happen, there are there are cultures where when someone passes away, you wail as loud as you can, and that’s just part of their culture. So it could be that. The other thing, if I’m going to put on my really nerdy church hat here. Is if we look at even in modern times when dramatic spiritual things have happened, you know, when Joseph had his experience in the Grove as he was walking home, he tried to go over a fence and he actually passed out.
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And then he came to. Right. And there was another experience where Joseph was with Oliver. And they have this miraculous experience. And Joseph came out looking fine and Oliver looked really, really rough. And I remember I cannot remember where I read it. I think it was in the Truman Madson lecture. But he said something along the lines of someone saw Oliver and saw what happened with you. And Joseph said all we just have this experience. And he said, Oliver isn’t as used to it as I am.
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Or maybe it was Sidney. But I think that there’s something to it to say when you’re hit with some of these things. It could just it could just hit you. But ask John if you could can you go back to the what did you learn this week picture? Because there’s something in that picture that stood out to me.
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And as you’re as you’re going to it, the thing that stands out to me is if you look on the left hand side, you see people who are kneeling and praising. And what I really like is if you look at the bottom, it’s almost as if you have this group of people that have all come together and they’re trying to think what’s going on here, what is this? And need to go back to your story about the eclipse. I think that was the other thing about the eclipse it captured, at least in the United States, because the eclipse went through the United States.
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It captured everybody. Everybody at my work.
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I remember seeing on Twitter that that it was happening in certain parts of the country and people were taking pictures. This was something that that affected everybody and it was this communal experience that happened. And that’s why it’s so interesting.
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And I’ll plant my flag and we can come back to this. It’s so interesting.
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As we go to the next chapter, there’s things that happened there that we see, even though there’s this great community thing that happens. We see how quickly people forget these things.
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Yes, that’s that is true.
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And I go back to what you were talking about, rant about even in in modern times and done what you were talking about in the scriptures. And this isn’t doctrine. I but I remember one of my first youth conferences, if not my first youth conference.
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And thank you to Jacob Ostler.
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It was simply because they were upstairs in the John Johnson home August. Twenty sixth. The the three.
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Yeah. I remember learning at night when my first news conferences about how how sometimes if you’re in a testimony meeting or any sort of meeting where the spirit is really present.
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And again, this is this might be sort of a left turn, but but the part of that communal feeling of a collective feeling of the spirit that’s available is from each of us who are in attendance, part of our spirits contributing to it, which. If if you are expending energy, then that’s going to make you kind of tired. Yeah, well, and that goes back to this idea. It goes back to this idea that you and I have had, that there is something to be said about worship and these communal experiences that we have together.
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There is something there. I think there’s a reason why when we go to the temple, we don’t go individually. We are with a collective group of people. There’s a reason why when we have and John showing a great picture here, when we do have sacrament meeting and we do bear our testimonies, it’s a communal experience and it’s usually an experience that people remember for the rest of their lives. And I just think it’s it’s really interesting. If you don’t mind, I’m a I’m going to go ahead and grab the steering wheel and we’re going to go down a different road.
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But it’s really interesting that when you look in verse one of chapter two, they have this fantastic experience. And it seems like the entire community of the laminitis, the Nephites, come together and there’s a little pocket of stuff that’s out there. But for a few years they’re doing OK. This happened in year ninety to the birth of Christ. By the time we hit chapter two of four thirty five, verse one, it says something interesting. And the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all that was they had heard and seen.
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And when I first read this. I thought to myself, come on, man, you got to be kidding me. How could you forget something like that? But if you don’t mind, I’d like to do a little test of everyone’s knowledge. OK, ready for this, Jenny? Oh, what could go wrong? All wrong. All right. So 9/11, the anniversary of 9/11 was on Friday.
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9/11 happened on September 11, 2001. How many years ago was that? Do you know, 19, 19 years ago? Do you know that 9/11, 9/11 was closer to the fall of the Berlin Wall than it was to today? Yes, because our time gets really skewed based on the times and seasons which we live. Here’s here’s a couple other ones that that that stand out to me that as I was thinking about this, trying to understand how this could happen.
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Do you remember the song Nineteen Seventy Nine by the Smashing Pumpkins that was produced that was released in nineteen ninety five.
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That’s equivalent to a band today writing a hit song called Two thousand four Nirvana formed in nineteen eighty seven.
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That was thirty three years ago, which is really crazy for four people who are older like you and I, because we remember when Nirvana was a big deal, this new up and coming band. That was thirty three years ago. SpongeBob SpongeBob first aired in nineteen ninety nine and this blew my mind. Some high schoolers today have never lived in a world without SpongeBob.
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Oh yeah. And the big one, the big one that I almost had to call bullcrap on this one. That 70s Show came out in nineteen ninety eight and was based twenty two years in the past. If it came out today, it would be about a high school set in nineteen ninety eight. Wow. So I think what I’m trying to say with all those little facts and nuggets about time is I think because we get so wrapped up in our own world, two things happen.
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No. One, the the unusual becomes usual. It if all of a sudden you’re seeing the signs, but then you see signs all the time, the usual becomes usual. You go back to nineteen ninety eight and you tell someone we’re going to be able to do these live broadcasts in, in crystal clear HD and we’re going to have these computers in our pocket that can do more than anything that the biggest computer that they have, they’re going to be like, are you kidding me?
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But yet for us it’s normal. But the other thing, too, is we also misconstrue the entire passage of time. And I think that that’s the benefit of having some who are older in charge of the church is they can quickly rely back on times that they lived in because they lived it. You know, if you lived through world wars and major developments, you have the context for that. At the same time, what that also does is things begin to to smush together, and I’m not saying that about what the leaders of our church, but what I’m saying is for we as people, when I realized that that 9/11 happened 19 years ago and doing the math in my head, I’m thirty six years old.
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I was 16 when it happened.
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Wait a minute here. That doesn’t know I was 15 when it happened. That almost doesn’t compute. No, I was 16. I was 16 because.
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OK, OK, no, 70. You were on your first date.
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Got it. You went on your first seven years old. I was a junior in high school, 17 years old. But the point of it is to sit there and say five only. Only five years. No, only three years had passed. What went on during those three years that you got to a point where people quickly began to forget those things?
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I think that’s the right thing to do.
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Well, and to a point that you often make rent, you always say that if you could give any advice to missionaries going out, it would be to write in their journals. And I feel like keeping records, keeping personal records as we see the importance of that’s exactly what we’re studying when we studied the scriptures. That helps us to remember to remember our experiences.
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I’m I’m sure there are any time I even this past week, I saw some tweets and posts from people that are like, oh, my goodness, I found my journal from this year. And man, is it funny.
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But but it is important that when we when we have these experiences that we write them down so that we can remember the word remember is in the Book of Mormon and one of the two hundred and twenty five times that many, many times and for good reason because of the importance of the importance of what you’re just talking about forgetting.
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And and the result, of course, is that when the people forget the signs and wonders of the year, when they are when it becomes more common, they become less astonished. It becomes like it can I shouldn’t say it does. It can become less of a special thing. And that all relates to our conversion. It relates to to our relationship to the savior. And I want to just take a minute. People have been so great about letting us know whether they’re watching us from.
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So thanks to everyone for doing that. I want to put a question out there and I’d love to get some feedback of you in back to Chapter one. Just the end. Toward the end of it, it talks about the. The bullet, let’s go to chapter one versus twenty seven through 30. And and it talks about the rising generation, it says, and it came to pass that the ninety third year did also pass away in peace, save it or for the Guardian and Roberts, who dwelt upon the mountains, who did infest the land for so strong, where their holds and their secret places that the people could not overpower them.
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Therefore, they did commit many murders and didn’t do much slaughter among the people. And it came to pass that in the ninety fourth year they began to increase in a great degree because there were many dissenters of the Nephites who did flee under them, which had caused sorrow, and to those Nephites who did remain in the land. And there was also a cause of much sorrow among the laminitis.
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For Behold, they had many children who did grow up and began to wax strong in years that they became for themselves, which I feel like we should we could talk about for half an hour, just that phrase became for themselves and were led away, led away by some who were dormice, by their lyings and their flattering words to join those Gottingen robbers, and thus were the laminitis afflicted also and began to decrease as their faith and righteousness because of the wickedness of the rising generation.
[00:32:23.950]
Now, I want to just ask those who are participating, how can we not only help our own faith in our own process?
[00:32:40.720]
We’ve talked about how conversion is an ongoing process, but also those who are of the rising generation. I’m not going to go so far as to say that the rising generation is wicked, because I don’t think that that is a thing. I don’t think that generations generally at this point are are wicked or not.
[00:33:00.520]
But I also am aware that we’ve talked a lot about the research that this generation has done about the millennials and how they are, how their experiences in a variety of aspects of church activity and such.
[00:33:20.800]
It is clear I don’t even think we need to enumerate the challenges that this generation has that previous generations did not face, and it is a lot.
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I’m not saying it’s more or less, but it’s a lot and it’s constant. It’s an onslaught of challenges that they are facing.
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How can we help the rising generation stay true to the gospel? And I’m just going to go right ahead and just say, well, actually, I’m not going to do that. I do want to go to to a comment chaired by Chris who says, I’ve learned to write down spiritual experiences. When my husband died, a friend gave me a journal which really helped me to write my thoughts and feelings. During that time, I faithfully kept a journal now for more than 15 years.
[00:34:06.490]
That’s really special. I, I know that we’re coming up on almost 20 years when when my son passed away. And and at the time I remember being in that the moment, being able to to at least have enough presence of mind to say, I need to write down what happened. And I did. And it was excruciating and it was also healing. And and as I’ve returned, there are details when when a big thing happens, maybe especially when a catastrophic thing happens, we think we’re going to remember.
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And because of the passage of time, because of the experience as humans, we often do not. And so it is helpful for those to remember those things.
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But quickly, yeah, we talked about missions, and for me, that was one you would think you go on a mission and the big things you’re going to remember. But as I’ve gotten older, I forget more and more and more. The other thing is, for me, I didn’t have something as serious as what Chris had or what you had happen. I was I was in a fairly serious car accident when I was in college, where I was crossing the street.
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And I almost I almost died as a pedestrian.
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And it’s one of those experiences where I can go through and tell you everything that happened. But I think just being able to recite the facts, being able to tell you this is the road that it happened, that’s one thing. But it’s all the emotions and feelings is is the other thing. And I think that those are the things that we forget because they just become. Distant memories, and so by being able to document it, you can document everything that you’re feeling in that moment and not only in that moment, but in the days and the hours in the days afterwards, because it’s not just about that time, it’s about what happens afterwards.
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And Jenny, I’m sure with your son, you know, it’s not just when it happened, but a week, a day after it happened, a week, six months, a year. I mean, those emotions and feelings are all going to come back. And as I’m as I’m talking, I’m wondering, you talk about the rising generation. I wonder if that’s something that we really should recommend to them is is we need to be much better about documenting these things.
[00:36:20.950]
You know, Twitter is great. Facebook is great. Although we know young kids really aren’t on Facebook. Instagram is great. But that can’t you know. Because those are public basing platforms, you’re really not going to be truly honest and I wonder if that’s really what they need. They need the outlet to be truly honest and being able to have whether it be a phone, the notes app on your phone, you know, a cheap little laptop, pen and paper, whatever, something to document what’s going on because we truly do live.
[00:36:52.450]
I don’t mean to be a cliched marketing guy. We live in unprecedented times.
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And I say that because this is something that we haven’t experienced when we’re talking about coronavirus for 100 years. And I granted my kids are a little bit younger. But I think about this experience that I’m having with my daughter, where I’m working from home full time now, and she’s going to school virtually. And we share an office and and it’s it’s times and experiences like these that we all need to remember that are quickly going to be forgotten because they’re going to remind you of the happy times, are going to remind you of the the times in your life that you were blessed, that God was smiling down on you.
[00:37:28.570]
All those different things. Those are those are great. I mean, those are important. And maybe that’s what we need. The whole idea of remembering, remembering what’s going on, remembering the moment all those things will help us to see a little bit clearer through all the the murkiness of what’s going on.
[00:37:45.640]
Absolutely. Yeah, you’re absolutely right. And yeah.
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And to your point about like that, it’s one thing to have a public facing platform where you put your thoughts and another to have a private platform where you can be more authentic to your experience and what you want to remember, what you will remember, what you’re choosing to write down your number. It’s interesting, though, just, you know, even Snapchat, I mean, even though what’s shared on Snapchat never does go away forever, it it does for the users.
[00:38:23.770]
I mean, kids aren’t really mining data to recover their stuff. And so just that kind of just the the polar opposite of the immediacy and it being deleted to the legacy of of remembering what and we’ve talked a lot about art, partial and all the great work that she’s done with the Who We Lost project that was focused on the 1918 pandemic.
[00:38:47.980]
Being able to to have those records are just so valuable, not just for for historians, but for families as well, to be able to pass that along. And I’m really glad and this is another left turn.
[00:38:58.930]
I’m really glad that you mentioned that you did not want to put into the lump of the rising generation. All these things we got to fix with kids these days. You know, I’ve worked with the youth for for gosh, I mean, I’m going on eleven years now where I’ve almost been consistently working with the youth. Jenny, I know that you have a long experience working with the youth and with your children who are who are youth age as well.
[00:39:22.300]
There are so many times that these kids absolutely astound me and amaze me. Are there things out there that that they do that I’m not particularly keen on shore? I mean, I think that’s part of being old, right? John, you could probably tell me a little bit more about that. You know, look at my generation and say, wow, what are these? What are these?
[00:39:43.120]
But I think that that’s the thing that amazes me is, is the fact that they are so quick with technology, they are so much more accepting of each other, but they can also be brutal on each other.
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And and and so there are things there that I’m so proud of, but there’s things there that I’m very concerned of. Authenticity is one thing that I’m very concerned of with that generation. But I think through maybe some of the steps that we’ve talked about that will help to absolve some of those things. It’s not just about what’s public facing. It’s about what’s really going on inside of you. And are you are you recognising it and are you doing anything about it?
[00:40:16.840]
Yes. Yeah.
[00:40:19.270]
I want to share some of these comments that have been helpful. Jacob also says be an example of the faith and be as forgiving and as merciful as we believe the Lord to be when others stray onto dark paths or have an evolution of or even loss of faith.
[00:40:35.730]
Chris shares, I agree, be a good example. Letting your beliefs love not being judgemental and loved ones are not living the gospel. And I’m Linda Shares. It’s important as parents in the church that you teach your children, starting at a very early age, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Teach your children to be respectful, caring, responsible, charitable, loving people to walk in the ways of the master and Jesus Christ and show your children these very same things by your examples.
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Always I want to share this.
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Is this in the manual from elder Valerii, the cordon of the seventy some some suggestions that he gave in the spring of twenty seventeen conference.
[00:41:17.950]
He said No one be being more diligent and concerned at home. Powerful teaching is extremely important to preserve the gospel in our families and it requires daily. It’s an effort we’ve been invited many times to acquire the practice of family, family and personal scripture study, many families that are doing this are blessed each day with greater unity and a closer relationship with the Lord. No. Two strong modeling in the home. It is not enough just to talk to our children about the importance of temple marriage, fasting and keeping the Sabbath day holy.
[00:41:48.920]
They must see us making room in our schedules to attend the temple as frequently as we can. They need to see our commitment to fasting regularly and keeping the entire Sabbath day holy and No. Three traditions. As families, we need to avoid any tradition that will prevent us from keeping the Sabbath holy or having daily scripture study and prayer at home. We need to close the digital doors of our home to pornography and all other evil influences. To combat the worldly traditions of our day.
[00:42:11.930]
We need to use the scriptures in the voice of our modern prophets to teach our children about their divine identity, their purpose in life and the divine mission of Jesus Christ. And I would I would just kind of point out here that in number one, where he talks about being more diligent and concerned at home and powerful teaching, I would say that the modeling that we do in our home, that the traditions that we espouse and and participate in in our home, those are all are all teaching moments to and for our children.
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I would even say that no matter what we’re doing, we’re teaching our children one way or another. And so so I think it would be if we as parents would do well to realize that we’re teaching our kids no matter what, and to consider what is it that we want to teach them, because because we’re we’re teaching them no matter what we’re doing. Yeah.
[00:43:03.180]
As I read as I read those three things, I agree with him.
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But I want to kind of use my own language here when I see him saying be concerned with what’s going on at home.
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When I read that, I read that as being actively involved and engaged with with your children. When I read things like model the behavior, B, be authentic B, B, real. B, if you’re going to be someone who like you says you can’t just talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk. And you and I and anyone around kids know this, they are extremely perceptive. They, they can and they can sniff out bullcrap very quickly.
[00:43:41.780]
And I will even say that this applies also to youth as well, even if you’re not their parent. And then traditions are important, too, because traditions are really it’s been amazing to see. With my little young family, how even some small traditions are, we are having a big effect with them and how it’s important for them. You know, we’ve got a tradition in our family where we want you to. My wife and I, for as long as we’ve been married on Christmas Eve, we always watch It’s a Wonderful Life.
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And I’m so excited for my kids to have that be a part of their tradition as well. It’s that repetition and not so much what you’re actually doing, but the fact that you’re all together as a family, that is the most important. That’s what you think about it in a church context as well. Yeah, he’s exactly right. Be be actively engaged and aware of what’s going on in your forums, in your groups, in your auxillary in your ward’s life.
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Be aware of people, be authentic. If you’re going to get up there and want to really tell someone, you know, what you need to do X, Y and Z to be able to get your life back on track. Well, gosh darn it, you better be doing X, Y and Z because people can tell if you’re not authentic. And then the traditions of just sometimes the repetition is something that people love to be in a routine and have a schedule.
[00:44:59.260]
And that’s a good thing for them. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Thank you. I don’t mean to take such a quick, sharp turn, but we’re running out of time. And I want to mention one more thing before we go. So yesterday my husband had to work all day. On Saturday, they had had a big week at work. And so when he was finished, he came home and picked me up and we went on a date.
[00:45:25.900]
And one of the things that we did was we went to a store to look at some things. Who is this again? I love it. Barbara Garrison. You mean me? Just kidding. I’m guessing that she means the that information. I just the thought that I shared. It’s elder Valerie, the cordon of the seventy. And that was in the spring conference of twenty seventy eight. So last night we were on a date. We went to the door to look for some things for our home, our new house that we just moved into.
[00:45:58.870]
Really the fancy high life there.
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Boy, we’re going to go to the we’re going to go to the store.
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We’re going to go into Coles on a Saturday night. What are you going to look, I know it’s what we do, but when we got back out to the car, my husband had something for me and he said, OK, he’s like, open your door is on the seat. And it was a jacket that he had gotten for me. And I put it on. I was a little chilly anyway. And I was like, oh, I’ll wear it.
[00:46:28.300]
And the other thing is there was a tag on the the zipper pull. And so I was like, oh, we’re going to you know, I want to make sure that I can get it off. And I said, do you have any scissors? And he said, no, I don’t. And so we kind of looked for just stuff that we had in the car that I could cut this string to get the tag off and and finally found a pair of tweezers.
[00:46:51.640]
So what I did was I looked at the string and noticed that the string was made of three smaller strings. And so what I did was I pulled those three apart and then was able to use the tweezers to just kind of yank it and break it apart. My point being there was strength in the three strings together because with the three strings together, I couldn’t break it apart. But once I separated them, it was easier to break the strings to get the tag off.
[00:47:20.890]
And that’s just kind of what I think of when we talk about why it’s important to get there together when we can. Obviously, with a pandemic, we it’s it’s an emergency. We’ve been put in in March in the position where we had to to stop or at least slow the spread of the virus. We had to stop meeting together. And there are still many precautions in place. And in many areas, many people are still working and schooling and worshipping exclusively from home, whether that’s because of a local mandate, whether that’s because of a personal preference or or circumstance where you or a family member or someone you live with is compromised.
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And and even in our you know, again, you kind of tease this. But but we’ve had some announcements this week that we’ll talk about on our podcast this week about about meeting and and changes in recommendations for meeting four separate meetings and such. Even in the temples. Some are closed, some are open. Some are open at different stages, in different phases.
[00:48:33.140]
The goal is to is to be able to, you know, for those who can and for those who are able and where and when it is safe to worship together, because when we can worship with others, there is there can be strength in that. There’s a reason why many animals move and operate in herds.
[00:48:58.040]
There’s strength in numbers. And and that is at the crux also of why we do this weekly come follow me to reach as many people as want to join as I need this kind of community, even though it’s digital, even though it isn’t in person. We want to do it because because there can be strength in numbers and we want to provide that for anyone who who might need it, who, you know, maybe you are able to meet in person for worship on the Sabbath.
[00:49:33.980]
But this is something else that you want to do also. Awesome. Maybe you’re not able to. And this becomes a version of your church also. Awesome. Thank you all for being here. I just wanted to mention that about about the strength of numbers, because that is something that was also talked about in this in the study this week, that when the righteous gather, the Lord can strengthen and protect them in their valiant efforts as they strengthen each other as well.
[00:50:03.860]
Definitely, I don’t have anything to add. I think that was a great way. John. Well, just even to add to that, the the chapters go into that right, when you get armed robbers are going after the Nephites, that’s that’s when they decide to band together and and all come together. And again, that unity and strength come from being together. So some of some of the people had to give up their homes and their lands, but they all came together.
[00:50:35.540]
They basically entrench themselves for seven years. Right, to wait this thing out and see what would happen. But it was either that or joined the band of gang robbers or die. And so they did that. They understood that there was strength. So. Very good. So, again, thanks, everyone, thanks for all the comments.
[00:51:01.320]
I want to just quickly also mention that next week’s lesson, we’re going to meet again here online next week, Sunday, September 20th, 20. Which Jenny might have accidentally ended herself, but yes, we’re going to be meeting next Sunday, November or us on September 20th, 20 20. Jenny, you’re back. I stalled for as long as I could shoot.
[00:51:30.810]
What was the last thing I said? Can you hear me? All I heard was September 20th of twenty twenty.
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So we’ve gotten that in three times. We got we got that one. I just don’t know. Everyone knows what next week is super at 9:00 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time and 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time and all the times in between. But it’s really special lesson next week. It’s a rise and come forth. And to me, it’s next week’s lesson is thirty five chapters, eight through 11. It contains the crowning event of the Book of Mormon. And it’s it’s really special.
[00:52:02.640]
I’m really excited that we’re at this point in the Book of Mormon and that in our study and I really look forward to what everyone’s contributions and comments will be next week, because this is this is a beautiful part of the scriptures. So I’m really excited about it. And in all these these nine months leading up to this, this is what we’ve been focused on. This is this is, like you said, the crowning achievement of the Book of Mormon.
[00:52:27.720]
And after Christ comes to the Americas, it’s really going to go downhill quickly. But this these three chapters are probably three of the most special chapters. Everyone who’s been around a missionary who’s worked with the missionary knows that thirty four eleven is something that we really, really focus on. So I’m really excited to talk about that one. And yeah, I’m excited for everyone to be involved and to let us know what they think as we go through those chapters next week.
[00:52:52.740]
Yeah. Yeah. So thanks everyone for for joining us. Thank you, John, for all your production. Doing’s not even help or assistance, we’re just doing it. That’s what he does. That’s what John Doe does. Yeah, so and thank you, Brandt, and thank you to your family for loaning you to us for this. Our thanks to everyone who participated in the lesson, whether you left a comment or not. We’re glad that you’re here.
[00:53:17.480]
And again, next week’s lesson. Thirty five chapters, eight through 11, really hope that you’ll come back and even invite some people to join us if you feel so inclined. Thanks so much. And we will see you again next week.
[00:53:31.220]
Thanks, everyone.
Guest Author
dyejo
