I am making another post for my FDREL 121 class. I really enjoyed the lead student's presentation this week. He showed some clips of a living scripture video about Alma the younger. I am really having a similar experience as Alma. Even though it is not my child, it is the person I was supposed to spend eternity with. About a year ago my husband of 18 years left me with no warning but a text at 2:30 in the morning. It was such a shock and I had a difficult time processing what was really happening. It has been a difficult year but I am getting far enough away from the shock now that I have more perspective. I was just telling a friend of mine yesterday that I don't hate him. I hate Satan. My ex has been hijacked by Satan. He left everything that Heavenly Father had blessed him with for the pleasures of the world. He has adopted the philosophy, "Eat, Drink and be Merry for tomorrow we die!" Having a family and responsibilities was just too much effort. He wants to just enjoy life and do what he wants to do when he wants to do it. What he doesn't realize is that as time goes by he will have nothing to show for his "fun". He has lost the trust of his wife and children as it says in the scriptures. It is very important that we remember what is important in this life. I know this post is for our religion class but it seems to intertwine with our GS 120 class. We were learning about family relationships in that class this week. Even in the proclamation to the family it talks about how our family relationships are central to our Creator's plan. Our family is our most precious gift. I am grateful for the example that Alma set as he never gave up on his son. Even though there is no chance of reconciling with my ex I do hope the best for him and hope eventually he decides to come back to the gospel. All we can do is love those that wander and set a good example.

This week for my religion class the assigned reading was Enos - Mosiah 3. These are some of my favorite chapters. I am inspired by Enos's sincerity as he pleads for forgiveness. I enjoy reading the counsel from Jarom, Omni and Mormon. I love the first few chapters of Mosiah. I had a seminary teacher who talked about how when it came time for general conference he would make tents in his living room facing the television so that they could listen to the prophet like the people had listened to King Benjamin as he stood on the tower. This was a very vivid memory for me. I remember it even now, twenty one years later. I think about it every conference. I love to listen to the prophet and general authorities speak. I believe that they are true messengers from Heavenly Father and that they are His mouth here on earth that can speak the things He would have us know. They give us guidance to help us navigate the perils of this world. I am so grateful for the scriptures and for a living prophet. I am grateful to know that Heavenly Father still speaks to His children today. If we listen to the counsel given to us in the scriptures and by the prophet and to the promptings given to us by the Holy Ghost, I know we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again.

I found this week's assigned reading to be very thought provoking The assignment was 2 Nephi 28-33. I really enjoyed discussing 2 Nephi 28:19-22. It is talking about Satan and all the ways he tries to entice us to follow him. The lead student gave us the definition of pernicious. Pernicious means "having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way." That is definitely the way Satan works. He is not going to just get someone to rob a bank but he can slowly get us to stop saying our prayers or going to church. This leaves the door open to start doing things we would have never considered doing before and then it becomes a downward spiral. Eventually we could get to the point where we really would rob a bank or at least steal. In verse 21 it says that "the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them carefully down to hell." I think it is interesting that he leads us carefully down to hell. There is a quote that I find very profound. It says,"The devil does not come dressed in a red cape and pointy horns. He comes as everything you've ever wished for. Pray for wisdom and discernment." In the "Digging Deeper" videos, there was one called "Feast Upon The Words of Christ". It talked about a quote from Pres. Benson that pointed out one of the purposes of The Book of Mormon is to expose the enemies of Christ. Here are some examples of Satan's lies: There is no God. God is no longer a God of Miracles. Eat, drink and be merry. He teacheth a man not to pray. He stirs the children of me to anger against that which is good. With everything going on in the world, the only way to survive is to cling to the gospel and to the teachings of Christ. We must rely on the Spirit to guide us and direct us through the figurative darkness. We must have faith and trust in our Prophet. He will not, he cannot, lead us astray. If we will do these things then we will receive the promise found in 2 Nephi 31:20. "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." This has always been my favorite scripture because I feel like it sums up all the teachings of the gospel and the plan of salvation in one verse. I want to live my life so that I can return and live with my family and my Heavenly Father again. That is all that really matters in the end!

FDREL 121 Post #2

The reading assignment for this week was 2 Nephi Chapters 9-16. I had a difficult time getting through these chapters. They are "Isaiah" chapters. That has always intimidated me. The lead student, Ruth Anne, showed us a book by John Bytheway called "Isaiah for Airheads." I think I really need to get that book. She says it has really helped her. I might not have gotten as much as I had hoped out of my reading for the week but I really did enjoy the gathering. I learned a lot from the study skill Ruth Anne presented. She chose "Principles and Doctrine." She gave us a handout (pictured below) that really had some great points. My favorite are the points of what doctrine and principles are. Doctrine is: synonymous with the truths of salvation, unchanging truth, eternal laws and fundamental beliefs. Principles are: enduring truth, laws, rules that lead to obedience to God and they are portable. I liked the discussion the class had about how principles are portable. They are true anytime, anywhere and in any circumstance. Ruth Anne said how grateful she was to be able to teach the lesson and how much she personally learned and gained from it. I will definitely be looking for more principles and doctrine in my daily reading.

FEDREL 121 "Putting It All Together" Assignment

This has been a really fun excuse to get on to my blog. I haven't posted in 4 years. Life has sure changed a lot in those 4 years. Due to the changes in the last year I am now working more than part time, after being a stay at home mom for 12 years, and have entered the Pathway program with the intention of finishing my degree. I am excited to share what I have learned from this week's class. The reading assignment for this week was 1 Nephi 15-22. Nephi had built the boat and they were traveling by sea. Laman and Lemuel became angry and bound Nephi to a pole. Nephi was very concerned about the fate of the ship and the family. He knew that they were not worthy of the guidance of Heavenly Father when they were being wicked. The Liahona was no longer working and the ship was without direction. He had been bound so long that his arms and legs were sore and swollen. One of the most important things I learned was that through all of these trials and afflictions Nephi did not murmur. He praised God in gratitude. My classmate used an example of how when he was doing his classwork, he tried swiping the screen of his iPad and it didn't immediately cooperate. He was frustrated and began complaining. He compared that to Nephi and his real difficulties. He talked about how he wanted to become more like Nephi. Our lead student also talked about wanting to be like Nephi. He talked about how Nephi was Christlike. I realized for the first time that one of the ways that Nephi was Christlike was that he gave honor and glory to his earthly Father and his Heavenly Father. He never took the credit himself for anything. Christ also gave all the glory to his Father. We should all strive to be more Christlike in all ways but this was a similarity between Christ and Nephi that I had never seen before.