So behind on updating ... these are a few of my last readings for the semester.

(135) I really love this section, It shows how much respect John Taylor held forJoesph Smith. We should revere him just as high.

(135:3) "... brought forth revalations and commandments which compose this book of docterine and covenants." What inspiration. I'll bet he knew this would eventually end up in the D&C. It says that it was a document written by John Taylor. Did he know it would be included in the D&C one day, It wasn't initially. Interesting.

(Manual 136:28) You would think the saints would be too weary to play music. I sure would be. I can almost imagine some young boy with a little energy left after a long days walk starting to play his harmonica and get everyone in the mood for some dancing and singing. Making them forget their trials for just a moment. I love how the Lord stressee the importance of good music, even before things like rock and rap came to be.'

(Manual 136:22) “So, I feel justified in saying that this accomplishment [The pioneers traveling across the country] has no parallel in the history of the world.” That struck me really hard. I have heard their crossing compared to the ancient Israelites, but I never realized how different it really was. Yes they were similar, in a sort of bondage and leaving to a promised and saved land. But hee makes some valid arguments. The Israelites came to a land already established and set up for them. The pioneers came to desert and had to toil to establish something. He goes on to say more. I just liked that quote.

- Just a question. All over in the manual there are quotes and "according to"'s of Smith and Sjodahl. Who are they? And what did they do to get quoted so many times?

(Manual 135:3) They listed 42 marvelous things and there is STILL more that Joseph did. He did it all in his short 22 years of life, I'm halfway through 19 and all I can say is that I've done baptisms for the dead. Granted that is a great work, but my piont is that Joseph could not have done any of that without divine intervention.

(131:7) There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; Matter is anyhing that takes up space. I've never thought of spirits as matter. They've always been immaterial matter to me. That to me is so interesting. I've been taught that we have discovered all the matter there is to discover. There isn't. We stil don't know the fullness, there is still so much to learn and discover. There is a lot that we don't know.

(132:50) This was given a little less than a year before Joseph's death. "Go therefore and I make a way for you to escape, as I accepted the offereing of Abraham of his son Jacob." I feel like this is implying that Jeseph had done nothing but obey the will of the Lord. The Lord finds it acceptable and is letting Joseph leave the world.

(138:18-22) It seems as though this takes you through the different kingdoms. 18 is representing the Celestial kingdom where Christ will visit and commune. 19 is about the Terrestial world where Christ can visit and be ammong the people, but He'll be teaching instead of "mingling." 20 represents the Telestial kingdom in the fact that Christ can see them, but He won't be talking to them or ministering to them. The Holy Ghost will be doing that. Then there is 21&22 where Christ will not speak nor look upon them. That would be outer darkness. 'nuff said. ;)

(138:60) This wasn't a vision of the spirit world itself, it was a vision of the redemption ofthe dead. This vision wasn't of a place, it was about a principle, and understanding.

(Moses 1:5) I kind of had to chuckle at this one. If we want to see ALL of Christs works, we have to die. The first thing I thought of was, "If I tell you, I have to kill you" How true though. We in our puny human minds cannot comprehend all that Christ has made and done. It would probably kill us to see it all in our human sense or at least make you go crazy.

(Moses 1:25) I wonder if Moses chuckled to himself when he parted the Red Sea and said "oooh that's what He meant!" I probably would.

Monday and Wednesday's readings (91, 111, 115, 118-120 & 121-123, 127, 101)

(11:5) As true today as when it was written

(Manual 11:8) "When we follow the spirit, we know where the Lord wants us to be.

(101:10&11) Indignation (according to Strong's Hebrew lexicon) means a splinter, twig, broken twig. Rage, raging, storming. Anger vexation (irritate annoy provoke, torment, trouble) grief, and frustration. I like grief for this definition. I'm sure the Lord is vexed and not angry, well at least not angry in the sense that we as humans put on it. I'm sure He's angry, but more like how a vexed man would behave on Earth. I'm sure He shows a lot of grief in us too.

(101:21) I've always wondered why they were called stakes. What a random name. But it's because stakes are anchors for the saints. Why not wards and branches being called stakes then? There are more branches than stakes. When the entire load is spread out to too many areas, when one fails, it goes unnoticed. However, when a ward fails or grows weary, it affects the whole stake, It goes noticed. That stake is then noticed. That line goes a little slack. It can be fixed now. It's like holding up a tent with 1,000 stakes versus 5. With 5, if one loses slack, then it is noticed and fixed right away, but if one of the 1,000 goes slack, it is unnoticed and soon others join and the tent collapses.

(131:6) The difference between innocence and ignorance is "I don't know and I don't care." When you have the knowledge and you choose not to obey the command, you are displaying pure ignorance. You refuse to be saved.

(132:24) Why is live plural?

(132:46) I forget who said this but they described our first moments in Heaven as sitting in front of a movie with bishops, angels, and God. But the movie is your life. The parts of your life you repent of, are edited out of the movie. How comforting.

(132:54) "And I command mine handmaid, (Brittany Nethercott), to abide and cleave unto my servant (Aaron), and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law." Daaannng.

Handmaid (in Strong's lexicon) means servant, female slave, of humility; female version of one who gives (herself) up to another's will. Devoted to another (i.e. God) to the disregard of one's own interests. A humble servant to the Lord

Abide & Cleave (lexicon) - To remain, stay; to cling; stay close, keep close, stick to, stick with, follow closely.

Fridays Readings (indipendant Study) JS-H

(6) Keeping up with the Jones'. It's true today too. Religions have hard feelings towards others and it seems as though they must rake in more people.

(8) I like how Joseph left it to a matter of logic and faith and not persuasion. Had he left it for persuasion, he probably wouldn't have gone to the grove to pray.

-There are 7 steps to help us pray (I learned this in a Sunday school lesson)

1.) Realize Problem (Vs 8)

2.) Go to scriptures (VS 11)

3.) Feast upon scriptures (Vs 12)

4.)Pray and exercise faith (Vs 14&15)

5.) Lnow of the opposition (Vs 16)

6.) Prayers answered (Vs 19)

7.)Act upon revelations (Vs 20 and on)

- Satan's powerful and he is smart. He's been trying to stop Joseph from the time of his birth. Satan knows his potential. He even tried to have him believe the true religion was already on the earth, he just had to find it. But Joseph overcame that and turned to the Lord.

(32) Fear and faith cannot coexist. Fear is of the devil and the presence of Moroni expelled that fear.

(39) I like that Moroni included the word promises. For some reason that is left out of the Bible. It isn interesting that such a tiny word could have so much meaning. It must have been left out on pupose from Satan, because when I read it, to me it implies action. With that word, It goes from a thought to a real action. Instead opf my heart being turned to my actual ancestors and thinking "What great people, I should do something for them." I think " What great people, I promised to do their work and I need to uphold that very promise. I feel like it goes from obligation to grattitude.

(50) I've always admired Joseph's father. It's so wonderful that he would encourage Joseph when his father's peers were pursicuting his son. It would be so easy for him to disregaurd it and say "Boys will be boys" Or "What an imagination." But his father had tremendous faith and was close to the Lord.

(Astereict in 71) It is hard to read these beautiful paragraphs filled with faith and awe and know in the back of my mind that this very man went off the deep end and turned away from the church.

Wednesday's readings (103&105)

(103:17) It's interesting that the Lord would describe them as in bondage. Is the persicution they are facing their bondage?

(105: 4) I never thought of unity as a Celestial law. I mwan I guess I knew it was, but I never really put it in that light before.

(105:25) When I initially read that, I read "redress us of our wounds" but wrongs can be wounds and like all wounds, if no properly bandaged can get worse. The Lord needs to dress our wounds/wrongs and ig we don't let Him the first time and play our own doctor, we need to let him redress it.

(105) I love how many times Joseph os paralelled with Moses in this chapter. They were both great and amazing prophets who woked so many might miracels among their people.

(Manual 103:15-20) I think that is so cool! The Lord in modern times will lead us could by day and pillar by night. Just like th ancient Israelites.

This is what was said in class ...

"If you could see in cision, Who you are destined to become ... you would rise up and never be the same."

"Now is the mose important time in all eternity for it is the time which we have any control" ~ A La Var Thornock

"We only have this moment sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake" ~ Marie Van Beynon

Friday's readings (102)

(1-6) Sounds a lot like congress rules. Which affirmed to me that the founding fathers were truly inspired men. We hear a lot about them being men of God, and these few verses kindof reminded me of that.

(21) So far, this seems a lot lokw a judical hearing type thing. Until this verse and verse 23. When I intially read this verse I interpreted it as revelation. It just looks like business, business, business .... Unless the spirit prompt otherwise .... business, business, unless the Lord says otherwise ... business ect.

It seems as though diciplinary councels are set up like these high counsels. Was this the basis for the workings of a diciplinary councel?

*off topic a little* In the D&C especially, you see the word ensample a lot. I originally tucked it into the back of my head as example and subsituted example for ensample when I read it. But then I wanted to learn more, did it have another meaning? There is a lexicon that tells what the english translated words once ment in greek and hebrew. It's really cool, and each word has like 4 or 5 meanings. You click on the little number next to the word and it tells you that word's meaning given its original context. Click here for what I found. You can look up things yourself by going to http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html. It's really cool. Any how, The definitions i found were impressing. A figure for meditation; to be imitated. And example to be imitated. A pattern or warning. I liked it because, Christ doesn't use an ordinary word like example. Examples are to be concidered and looked at, ensample is to be imitated. When Christ gives an ensample, it is a voice of warning to be followed. End of story.

Section 93

I really like vs 33 For man is ^aspirit. It says, "The elements are ^beternal, and ^cspirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fullness of joy;" With out physical bodies are spirit cannot have a fullness of joy. This is why Father in Heaven sent us here, so we can find a fullness of joy. This scripture can be referenced to 2 Nephi 2:25 "Adem fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy."

Wednesday's Reading (98, 101, 134)

(98:2) "The Lord hat sworn and decreed that [your prayers] shall be granted." That's comforting. You knowt he Lord wont go back on His promises. This is appplicable even now. The Lord swears to answer our prayers, if we are humble and righteous.
(98:26) This was my train of thought whe Aaron said: "Man, I wish I had this much persictuion, fourfold blessings?!" That would be nice. I did suffer a lot of persicution, but not as rough or as long as the saints. I have recieved fourfold blessings from that. What about Aaron? He didn't get teased in highschool about being Mormon. He recieved different trials. We all recieve different trials. We are all blessed fourfold for our trials because we are tried indifferent ways and tried to our abilities.
(98:) I think it's amazing how Joseph could listen and receal such things to the saints. They needed to hear comforting words from him. Even though he did not know the severity of what the saints were experiencing. He just knew what to say from the Lord and that's what the saints needed. I'm so glad that the Lord hears and answers my prayers today. He is so generous and kind. I know I don't deserve half the things I ask for and don't ask for, but I get them anyways. I think he is trying to teach me grattitude, and boy is it working!
(101:4) Substitute "I" for "they." We all need to be chastened at some point or another, and we ALL certanily must be tried. It "builds character" as some would say, but it also build spiritual gifts and awareness.
(101:80) This land was made for all of us. God ordained this land and He preserved it. He had the righteous people create the condtitution. He gave us that freedom and inspired the men that wrote it. It's affirmed in 2 Nephi 1:6&7
(101:85-89) I think these verses imly that we need righteous leaders.