(Acts 15:36-18:22; 1 and 2 Thessalonians)

God promises to provide powerful blessings when we live the law of tithing. But the fruits of obeying this commandment aren't always what we expect.

It was a Saturday night on the crowded streets of Oldham, England. Inez Knight and her companion, Lucy Jane (Jennie) Brimhall, along with a group of elders, found a corner on the street and started singing hymns and offering a prayer. As the large crowd stopped and listened, a missionary, Brother McMurrin, announced that the “real live Mormon women” would be speaking the next day.

I am going to include an article written by Elder McConkiehere as an introduction. I recommend that you read it along with these materials. It is wonderful. Some of the concepts will be repeated in the lesson I have written, but the “second witness” will be worth the double exposure. It is called, “The Story of a Prophet’s Madness.” It was published in April 1972 in the New Era. The beginning of the article is shared here, but the complete article can be found on lds.org.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Editor’s note: The following excerpt comes from a book about special witnesses of Jesus Christ. You can read this chapter in its entirety at truthwillprevail.xyz as well as other chapters as they are posted. This excerpt is republished here with permission.

Daniel, Pilate's wife, Lehi—there is definitely more than one recording in the scriptures of people receiving revelation through dreams.

Little Paxton, our grandson, was born with a very rare chromosomal deletion, a genetic disorder that distinguishes him, literally, as one in hundreds of millions. For our daughter and her husband, an uncharted, life-changing journey began when Paxton was born. This experience has become a crucible for learning special lessons tied to the eternities.

From children to adults, everyone has hobbies—activities they particularly enjoy doing. But sometimes the types of hobbies we pursue, the amount of time and money that is spent on them, and how helpful or relevant our hobbies are can influence our decisions about which hobbies to pursue. Often, our hobbies stem from our talents. In the scriptures, we are told that “every [one] is given a gift by the Spirit of God” (D&C 46:11) and that these gifts, also known as our talents, are given to us “for the benefit of the children of God” (D&C 46:26). One interpretation of several of Christ’s parables (Matthew 5:15-16, Matthew 25:15-30) implies that we are to improve and share these talents with the world. It doesn’t matter what your talent is—kayaking, dancing, public speaking—we are given these talents so that others may see our good works and glorify God. No one talent (or hobby) is greater than any other. The what of our hobbies matters little when compared to the how and why we do them.

1. The founder of the program experienced a crisis of faith during his schooling.