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Segment 1

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Let's just say you're going through a really hard time and you need some answers to your questions. You get the chance to talk to God, and he says, oh my sweet child.

I know what you're going through. And even though it doesn't make sense right now, lay it to heart and receive that which will follow. Now, what does lay it to heart mean, and why would that be his answer? Indoctrinate covenants sections 58 through 59, the saints are really struggling and that which was coming was bigger and better than they could have even imagined.

The Lord tells them to lay it to heart. So what do you need to lay to heart and what will follow if you do? God gets it and has a bigger and better plan for you. Welcome to the Sunday on Monday Study Group, a Deseret Bookshelf Plus original, brought to you by LDS Living where we take the come following lesson for the week and we really dig into the scriptures together.

I'm your host, Tammy Uzelac Hall. If you're new to our study group, please follow the link in our description and it's going to explain how you can best use this podcast to enhance your come Follow Me study, just like my longtime listening friend, Melissa Ryther. Hello Melissa. I hope you enjoy this episode.

Now, another awesome thing and my favorite thing is each week we're joined by two of my friends, so it's always a little bit different. And today we have two fabulous people. I'm so excited. I mean, just it was electric the minute we got on the Zoom, it's gonna be so fun. We have Bonnie ElHalta and Ryan Blohm.

Hello. Hello, Tammy. Hello Tammy. Good to see you, sister. Okay. How do you two know each other? Oh, shoot. Howdy. I ran, Ryan and I live in the same neighborhood. We have participated in every kind of girls camp, boys camp, uh, youth conference for years. I don't know how many, but many, many, many. Ryan's also my, uh, state Farm agent, so get a little insurance, a good name.

State Farm is there. [00:02:00] He is a good, you're welcome. And he now is my bishop. Um, yes, Bishop Bloom, and most of all he's my friend. And, um, I'm grateful for his friendship over the last many, many years. So I would echo that completely. Bonnie is just the best. We were definitely partners in crime for a little while when Bonnie was, uh, young men or young women's president.

I was the young men's president in our ward when they still had that. And, uh, yeah, we, uh, you know, they say sometimes that those two callings don't get along together, but I feel like me and Bonnie. We were like peas and carrots. So yeah, we had a good, we had a good time. We, we did love. We love the kids.

Ryan is amazing with the youth and he makes everything super fun and I make everything super yummy, so it works. That's the best combination ever right there. Yes. Fun and yum. Good, humble, fun, and yum. You guys should have a shirt that says that except, and in fact, right before I was Bishop, I was serving as Steak young men's president and we had about 400 kids in this massive stake, and guess who I called to come and feed all those kids?

Yep. I've got to go to Boy Scout. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Listen, I think Bonnie should just be loaned out to different stakes for different events, honestly, because she needs like a church-wide food calling because she does things. She's, she's got a gift. She's done it her whole life. I heard a rumor that someone was thinking of calling my husband and I to do food for girls camp, which if that ever happens, I'm gonna be calling.

Yeah, we're eating cheese every day. No, I'm gonna, I'm gonna say, can you call Bonnie from a different steak? Does, does that work okay. In the church? Oh my gosh. Yeah. Awesome. Awesome. Super fun. Okay. And how fun is this? So Bonnie, longtime friend, longtime listener, longtime guest, she's been on since we started.

And I always love having you on. It's such a treat. Thank you. And I reached out to her and I said, okay, sis, it's time to be on the podcast again. And I just threw it to you and it's like, who do you know who should be on? And you really thought it through and I love who you [00:04:00] chose. I think Ryan is going to be, especially again, I didn't know anything about Ryan.

When you said this and we, and you were already assigned to these sections, and now we know about Ryan and I'm like, he is the perfect guest, like the two of you. This is gonna be awesome. I'm gonna have, we're gonna have a good time. So everybody, if you wanna know what my friends look like and you wanna know more information about them, check out their bios, which are in our show notes.

You can find those at lds living.com/sunday on Monday and grab your scriptures. And we're gonna dig in to sections 58 and 59 oh. And make sure you have something to mark them with. 'cause we are gonna mark them up. Okay. You two from the beginning, tell me what did the Holy Ghost teach you as you were studying these two sections?

So what popped out to me actually was in section 59 and it's verse four of 59 and it reads, and they should be crowned with blessings from above. Yay. And with commandments, not a few. And with Revelations in their time, they that are faithful and diligent before me. So what hit me was we're crowned with blessings.

Commandments and revelation were crowned with commandments. And so that really struck me as Tammy. We've talked about this before and I always go to the business mind of things, but we're given that playbook again to be successful. We have been promised the blessings and crowned with the laws and ordinances that are necessary for us to receive the blessings and revelations.

And that's what Oh, I like that. That's what came to me when I read that. I was, I was really impressed with the thought of, we're crowned for commandments. It's not, it's not a bad thing. It is really something that is a blessing for us to be able to inherit all that can be ours. Oh, thank you. I, I love that too, Bonnie.

Um, I think you're right. So often we think of commandments, especially people outside the church or maybe young people as like a negative or like [00:06:00] something that we have to do or a chore, right. When, I mean with this verse, it's like the commandments are some of the, it's, it's a crown. It's like some of the greatest things that we can actually be given.

Right? We're we're giving all the things to make us be most, most successful on high. Yeah. It's such an incredible way to reframe commandments. Like I'm picturing teaching youth and I would bring in like, you know, burger King crowns and I would put them on your head and put all the blessings. I'd write 'em all over and I'm like, let's add something else to this fabulous crown.

Now we're at all the commandments. 'cause you're right to see that visual, that it's like a good thing. It's a status symbol to be able to keep commandments. It's almost like royalty. It's awesome. So what a great way to reframe that. You know, it's a gift, right? Yeah. To help you. And it's not that I'm trying to keep you out of heaven.

I'm not trying to make this difficult. It's really a gift to say, come follow me. Like it's here. Here's the path, here's the rules. You, you've got it. And you can be really successful. And, and the other two crowns that you have are revelations and blessings. Yeah. It's all so good. Yeah. There's three crowns that you're given in this one verse, uh, all these wonderful gifts.

Mm-hmm. And so commandments is a gift. And if you think about it, the commandments are coming from heavenly father, right? Which is the guy that has the ultimate plan to help us progress and be happy. So like, if you put this in terms of like, like a, uh, like an earthly term, right? Or like a mortal term. It's like you wanna be, you know, the best basketball player.

It's like you get to go get coached by, you know, Michael Jordan whenever you want, and he's going to, he's gonna give you all the steps to do to become a good basketball player. Like those are the commandments, right? Mm-hmm. Or like, you want to be a good quarterback. You get, you get Tom Brady's like your personal coach, or Eddie Van Halen is your, is your guitar coach, whoever it is, right?

Yeah. Like we are literally getting the guidance [00:08:00] from. This being that knows our father, that knows more than any of us could ever know about how to be a successful, eternal being. Oh, I love that. I think it's awesome. And knows how to teach you. Like that's pretty cool. Knows how you learn. Oh, that's so good.

Wow. Good one. Holy cow. Bonnie. That was great. Okay. Brian? Yeah. What do you got that's gonna show me up? That's, Bonnie's is way better than mine. You should have gone first, Ryan. I should have gone. I'm just kidding. And especially 'cause I knew Bonnie had been on before. She's deceased of pro. I definitely should have gone first.

But I loved, and I love, I already loved these scriptures, but the section like, um, in 58 when we're, uh, like 26 through 29, and I know this is in the, you know, on, on the docket for later. But I love verse 28 and I've all loved this verse for a long time. So for the power is in them, right? I, I just. I love that Heavenly Father has enough trust in us to like, to make decisions, knows that's how we're gonna learn and, and knows that we don't, it not necessarily need to be guided every step, but it's not good for us to be guided.

Every step. Like we need to make decisions for assault and learn and go from there is from those decisions. But I love that the power is in them. That's us, right? The power is in us wherein their agents unto themselves and in as much as men do good, they shall in no wise lose their reward. And I have just, I just love the fact that, um, we're children of God.

This should give us confidence to be able to make decisions when we're struggling. I, I'm a big proponent of praying to believe father and asking for guidance, but I am also a big proponent of like soul searching, digging deep. Being like, okay, what does Ryan need wanna do in this situation? Like, what do I think is good?

Heavenly father has told me that the power is in me. I got the power [00:10:00] to, to do this. You know, I need to do it. So I've always, I've always loved that scripture. So when I got to it again, I was like, yeah, I remember why I love this one so much. And Ryan, I love that I circled mine too, for the powers within them.

And I think that you, and I think very similar that way. And especially when we're talking with the youth that you can, there was something in my life, we never got to say I can't. Um, it was always, how are you gonna do it? Figure it out, make it work. Mm-hmm. But this I can't is a, as a roadblock that I think too many people use.

You do have the power within you. You can figure it out between you and Heavenlys father, you can make it work. Um, I can't repent. I can't go to church. I can't be as good as so and so I can't, you know? Speak like so and so, and that's not, that's the adversary telling us you don't have the power, you're weakling and it sucks to be you.

Mm-hmm. Um, which is a total lie. It's a total lie. Yeah. Yeah. It's a total lie. Heaven father has given us the power to be agents unto ourselves to use our knowledge, our power, our thoughts, our feelings, and have him as our coach so we can Yeah. I think that's great, Ryan. I love it. And, and our family, not so much with the older kids, but especially with my two younger we have, uh, whenever they're like, I can't, I'm like, I mean, you can't right now, but maybe you can next week or in two weeks.

I can't do a backhand spring dad, and I'm never gonna get to be a cheerleader. Well, you can't do it right now. How do we get it to do it so that you can, right? Mm-hmm. And so I think that that's huge. Absolutely. I, I only have one moment like this that stands out to me and it truly was from Heavenly Father because my youngest said that I can't do something.

And the only reaction that was in me was truly divine. 'cause I went like this. Who? Who told you that? Did someone tell you that you couldn't do it? What? Wait, who is it? Who of I'll [00:12:00] call them. I will hunt them down. And she looked at me and she's like, no one told me that. And I go, oh, then it's not true. Okay.

And I just imagined like that was God saying to her like, of course you can. But now how much more do I love Verse 28. I wish I'd had that in my arsenal. I'm sorry. Let me just turn to doctor in. Come at section 58, verse 28. You have the power in you. How many times have I read that verse, Ryan? I've never seen it that way.

I just circled power. I put big lines coming out from it with yellow sharpie, all yellow highlighter. So that word power stands out. That is awesome how you frame that. The power is in them. And then I wrote next to it, confidence to make decisions like he believes in us. That is so cool. Oh my gosh, look at that.

You guys just shared what the Holy Ghost taught you. We haven't even gotten in really to these sections. You, I know this is gonna be so great today. I am so excited. Okay, so let's do this. In the next segment we're just gonna dive into section 58 and we're only gonna talk about five verses. So we'll show you what they are next

Segment 2

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in your scriptures, turn to doctrine and covenant section 58, and we are going to mark, bracket off, highlight whatever you wanna do. These are such good verses two through six. Now listen to me. I want you guys to tell me what did you learn about tribulation and challenges from the Lord's words in these verses?

I'll read just verse one to get us started. I know I didn't, I told you not to bracket off verse one. It's okay if you do 'cause we're really gonna focus on two through six. But here's one, harken, OE elders of my church and give ear to my word and learn of me what I will concerning you and also concerning this land unto which I have sent you.

Okay, so they're in Missouri, they're finding Zion now. Tell me, what did you learn about tribulation in trial from the Lord's words in verses two through six? Hit it, Ryan. I am. Okay. I will hit it. Um, I, I think that I was scared of this section because I think that I am, I am, I [00:14:00] don't know if I'm the best person to ask these this question too.

I, I, why consider my, well, I'll tell you why. Okay. I gotta tell you guys the secret. I'm, I'm lucky. I'm a, I'm a lucky person. I wish you could see his face right now. It's so great. Like, whatcha gonna do? Um, I am, I don't mean to be, um, but I, to be honest, I actually, when I read scriptures like this, it terrifies me.

'cause I haven't, to be honest, I haven't had a lot of trials and tribulation in my life. I've had some mm-hmm. Small things, little things, I mean, but I'm, I met like the girl, my dreams. We have four awesome kids. We've been married for 25 years. Everything is still awesome at, hopefully right. But, um, uh, at least as far as I know.

But, um, so this is what I thought when I read this and I knew you were gonna ask me this, Tammy, and so I thought, what, what can I learn? So what came to my mind was the scriptures in Mosiah about mourning with those who mourn and standing with those who need comfort. I try to do that. So, um, hopefully I'm not just like making everyone who has had a large trials in their life just hate me and feel so, um, unlucky.

And I know that there are a lot of people, but, um, that's kind of what I learned for me when I, when I hear Ryan say that, I think it's in the attitude for Ryan. Like I just, I was just gonna ask that I can take a look at some things in his life that might be hard. Um, but I think he's got this attitude that come what may and love it and we'll get through it.

And so when it says you can behold with your natural eye for the present time, the design of your God, I think that he's keeps focused on what's next and looking forward to the blessings. Mm-hmm. Um, and yeah, I think he's a pretty lucky sucker too. But, you know, Bonnie's probably had more tribulation than me.

I know. I know she [00:16:00] has. So I'd be interested in what Bonnie has to say, but I don't see it. I think of it the same way. If I compare my life to, to other people, well, yeah, shoot, I missed, I guess I do have tribulations, but it's my life. Mm-hmm. And I am an agent unto myself and he does give me the power within.

And so I take it as that's my learning curve that I need. Mm-hmm. I love verse four when it says, for after much tribulation come the blessings. And when you asked us to think about that question of why blessings come after the tribulations, I think it's because we appreciate the blessing better. Mm-hmm.

Um, if I can use a really, a really earthly example, please do. And Ryan, Ryan knows this. My car died in July, died. I was taking Hadley to girls camp and my going up the mountain, the car died. For seven months, it sat in the back of my neighbor's yard and then one day this guy came by and goes, Hey, what's up with the Hyundai Beth there?

And my neighbor's like, oh, it's Bonnie's and it's dead. We got in junket or something. And he goes, no, it's got a recall on the engine. What a recall on the engine. So within the next three weeks, I get a brand new engine for free, an $18,000 drop into my car. So the joy after that tribulation of not having a car for eight months now, had the car not broken down.

And I just got this thing in the mail that said, oh, by the way, you've got a recall on your engine. Oh, my engine's fine. Yeah, okay. Take it in. Right. It was no big deal at that point. But after the trial of, mm-hmm. I'm stuck. It was a hundred and something 10 degrees up the mountain, you know what I mean?

I've got all the gear packing for girls camp and the car dies. I have to get rescued, I have to come down the mountain, I've gotta get, you know, and then it sits in the yard for months because I count afford $18,000 [00:18:00] to get it fixed. Yeah. And then this miracle happens. Right. So I think that's just my example of we don't appreciate as much, I don't think, opposition in all things.

Mm-hmm. If there wasn't the sorrow. What we know the good. And I think that we are given those opportunities to really understand and see for ourselves God is good. And going back to verse three, that you can't even imagine with your natural eye, if we're just doing our daily stuff and life is dandy, we don't get that vision of what truly, how blessed we are and what could be.

Okay, what you said, just prompted a thought in my mind and I wanna ask Ryan this question. Ryan, would you say, have you had miracles in your life? A 100%. A lot. I would say a lot. Well, you know what that tells me what, he probably had a lot of trials because it can't be a miracle. Lucky, but he's lucky.

That's true. But like it can't be a miracle if there wasn't a nec, a need for it to happen. That that's what I got outta what Bonnie said. No, that's a great point. Like if the engine hadn't broken down, the fact that she got this new engine wouldn't have been a miracle for her to go. God is so good. And for her to recognize that.

'cause if you had just taken your car in to get fixed 'cause of the recall notice that's not a miracle, right? That's just like your engine's busted and they're telling you to go get it fixed. But I think maybe a way to look at this is every time we do have a miracle in our lives, I think it's it's because it's an answer to something that was otherwise it wouldn't be a miracle.

Right. That's true. That's a hundred percent true. So maybe you've had tons of little trials. You're thinking of catastrophic trials. I, I guess I, I think maybe that's what I think. Yeah. I have some friends, especially right now, going through a massive mm-hmm. Trial, right? And so I look at that and I sometimes I think it's so unfair.

Why, why do I, why do I not have to do that? Yeah. But, um, but you are right. I mean, I mean, stake young men's [00:20:00] camp was a miracle that actually happened, and no one, and that's a trial for a lot of people. Well, and that calling, that calling was a trial and the, the camp was a trial. And yes, there were tears shed by me multiple times before the camp and through the camp.

Um, when, and, um, yeah, so, no, I, you're right. I, I shouldn't say that. I've had no trials. I think sometimes when I see these massive trials, yeah, it feels like almost unfair. And I feel. Just so grateful. You know, I, and that's good. I'm going to love when we get to the grateful part. Yeah. And I think that's, yeah.

That's gonna be really good. That will be your, you're gonna shine on that one. I'm gonna shine on that. Mm-hmm. But I'm with you, Ryan, because I think in my own life, you're right, there are people around me and the catastrophic thing hasn't happened to me. 'cause the thing that would be the worst has happened to people I know, right?

And so I'm like, oh, I don't even know what a trial is. Yeah, but in light of what Bonnie said then I'm kinda like, actually, I've had several little trials and then several little blessings. And it's not always turned out like I thought it would, but it has always turned out for my very best, which goes back to what you said, Ryan, because God is the greatest basketball player or the greatest coach ever, and he knows how to teach Tammy and he knows how to teach Ryan, and he knows how to teach Bonnie.

And that's what makes him God. And so when he's talking to the saints, I wanna know what your thoughts are about this verse five, because then he says, remember this? Which I tell you before that you may lay it to heart and receive that, which is to follow. What do you think he's saying by that when he is talking about trials and blessings?

And then this is, I just, that really struck me like, and lay it to heart. What do you think that means, Bonnie? Go for it. I don't, I have no idea. I, yeah, I don't either. I think, I think it goes two ways. Like let it rest. Mm. Let it rest. Stop worrying about it. And the other part of me says, and then she pondered it in her heart.[00:22:00]

Oh yeah. I like that. Right. So I think when he says, remember this, which I tell you before that you may lay it to heart and receive that, which is the follow Mm. Come what may and love it. And what is the follow like in verse six, this is kind of cool, right? Because it says that your hearts might be prepared to bear testimony mm-hmm.

Of the things which are to come. So, I mean, I don't know if that's the things that come after, but that's the blessings that come after. Maybe it's, it's, you go, you, you lay it to heart. You like, okay, you accept it. Mm-hmm. Right. You, you are like, I gotta, I gotta, I gotta dig into this and just have peace through it.

And then you're able to bear testimony like Bonnie just did about her car. Yeah. You're totally right, Ryan. I don't know. That's a perfect connection right there. I'm gonna ask this question on social media. For those of you listening, what do you think it means to lay it to heart? I'd love to know what everybody thinks, but I think we may have figured it out, but there might be other opinions.

Let's hope so. I, yeah, absolutely. But I do love that connection that, that their hearts might be prepared to bear the testimony of the things which are to come. That is so perfect. And there were things that were going to come, like it wasn't going to get easy. Right. Yeah. They had to go on this mission and things are gonna happen and they're gonna fight.

Um, and the elders are gonna get called out for doing certain things. And I just think the Lord's preparing them right here in this moment. I mean, the church is still, again, it's so young. It's only one year and four months old. And I just think of all the stuff the Lord's trained to teach them in their, this just young infant church.

And this is such a great message right here. After the tribulation, come with the blessing, lay it to heart and, and all the blessings that come from our trials and just this whole discussion. This has been really, really cool. And for these saints, after the tribulation, iss gonna come the testimony, and then it's gonna come some more tribulations.

No kidding. Right? Like we, we have the benefit of knowing what's gonna happen after this, right? It's like you said, [00:24:00] Tammy, it's not gonna get any easier for quite some time. Right. But also, don't, don't hold onto it. I think part of that is, and, and lay it to heart, is that if you're so caught up and I'm offended or it's wrong, or I'm hurt.

You don't get to see those blessings. You don't get to testify. You don't get to see the miracles because you're kind of holding a grudge or a chip on your shoulder. Yeah. You don't just lay it to heart. Yeah, lay it to heart. Lay it to heart and pay attention. I kind of feel like that's like the overall theme for this whole episode.

Like everything we're gonna study is a lay it to heart moment. Everything. We're gonna the, the words, the word of the Lord to us, wherever it falls, just kind of lay it to heart. 'cause there might be some stuff that you're like, Ugh, or, I'm not sure about that. But lay it to heart and I, I like how you just said that, Bonnie.

That was awesome. Okay, well let's do this in the next segment then we are gonna talk about more tribulation because those of us who are tabbing and are experiencing tribulation or waiting for the miracle, we can take it to heart that the instruction that the Lord gives to the early saints is particularly important for us.

And we're gonna dig into more of that in the next segment.

Segment 3

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So many Saints, including a group from Colesville, New York. They had recently arrived in Jackson County, Missouri, and they desired to help the savior build this Zion that they had been hearing about and they were so excited, but they were just unsure of what to do. So let's go to doctrine and covenant section 58.

We're gonna look at verses 26 through 29. And Ryan kind of set these up for us already. So now we get to really discuss them. And this is the Lord's instruction to these saints. He gives some other instruction to Edward Partridge and to some other things in here, but we're really gonna focus on these verses.

So 26 through 29. So let's read them. And Ryan, will you read verses 26 through 29? You got it. For behold, it is not me that I should command in all things for he that is compelled in all things the same is a slothful and [00:26:00] not a wise servant. Wherefore he receive with no reward. Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause and do many things of their own free will and bring to pass.

Much righteousness for the power is in them wherein they are agents unto themselves and in as much as men do good, they shall in no wise lose their reward. But he that do if not anything until he is commanded and receive with a commandment, with doubtful heart and keep it that with slothfulness, the sames damned.

Okay. Now I feel like the saint's question is a fair one. How do we do this? How do we build Zion? And then the Lord comes in with this. What do you think he's trying to teach them and us for that matter? I think that the big thing for me is you need to ask and follow the spirit. Mm-hmm. I think that there's not a checklist of how to build Zion.

There's not a checklist of how to do much in life. Um, but that you need to be thoughtful and, and be sincere in asking. Then do be anxiously engaged. Um, I, I've always loved being anxiously engaged. Um, my own little mantra in my life is to add value every day. And if I can add value like that every day, then I feel like I've been successful that day.

And, um, being anxiously engaged in a good cause. If you're out. Okay. These people came from their homes to, there's nothing Zion Shion, there was nothing. Yeah. They came to, it's kinda like when Ryan and I moved to Eagle Mountain, Utah, there was nothing. Right. Nothing. There was absolutely nothing. And it's like, oh, build a ward.

We were going to church, you know, 20 miles away, which I know for some people that's very far. But here in Utah, that's really far. Mm-hmm. Um, and we get a chance to build and build a community and that takes work. And that takes. [00:28:00] Side by side, working with each other, with neighbors and understanding each other and caring for people.

And that's what the Lord's telling them is that it just doesn't, you are not landing into Zion. You have to build Zion. Yeah. And oh, that's good. You, you have to do the work. You have to do the work. So pull up sleeves and get ready to go and look around, look to the left, look to the right and be anxiously engaged in figuring out how we're gonna get this done.

He is not gonna give you that checklist and say, you know, and if you need that, then you're kind of a soft ball. And not my servant. He says, Ryan and I, I, you know, I do think too, like, like as you said before, Tammy, the church is so young, right? It's barely getting started. And I think Heavenly father is, uh, laying this out for like, Hey, get ready 'cause this is how it's gonna be.

You know, you are going to be expected to come up with ideas on your own. Yes, I'm gonna be here to help you and guide you, but you're gonna be expected to be anxiously engaged in a good cause. You're gonna be expected to come up with your own ideas. Mm-hmm. It reminds me, it takes me back to like the, um, and I am not an Old Testament scholar, but like the olden times when like, um, the Jewish people had these, uh, strict guidelines of what they could do like on the Sabbath.

Right? Right. They could only walk a certain amount of steps on the Sabbath and it was actually like, people look at that and like maybe nowadays and like, oh, that'd be so horrible. Honestly, I think that like there are a lot of people within the church that might even like that. Like just tell me exactly what to do on Sunday so that I know I can keep the Sabbath day.

Holy. Right. Yeah. It's almost better like, okay, I can only take 72 steps. Perfect. I know when I got my 72, I can check it off and be like, I did it. I'm done. And heavenly father is saying no. That, that does not help you learn and grow. [00:30:00] And that's not how my church is really meant to be designed. And so we're not going to set this checklist.

And if you guys have noticed our church throughout the time, and even up until now, there are very few like set, set things that you are, you know, quote unquote supposed to do. Right. It's, it's all about this. It's being anxiously engaged in a good cause. It's, it's about coming up with yourself. Yeah. I just have to say what I've learned from both of you right now, I'm having this aha moment and you summed it up really nicely and I thought of it when you said this Bonnie, this is right here, the.

The, the blueprint for how God deals with prophet apostles, our church. Because there are so many times when the church comes up with ideas that probably weren't the best. Like, but I really think it's God saying, well, what do you think? How are you gonna solve this problem? And they come up 'cause they're mortal men and they try to think of how, what is the best way we can do this?

And here's what I love about God, and I've learned about this about him recently, is when I first became a mom, I was the queen of, here's what you need to do and here's how you need to do it. Like that is, I just assumed that's how I was gonna get kids to do things. And I was so good at it that I, every day I'm like, have you done this, this, this, this?

Here's what you need to do and here's how you're gonna do it. Da dah, dah, dah, dah. And I remember getting so frustrated because I had done this for a while, and finally the two youngest, at the time, I hadn't had the babies yet, but the two I married into, they turned to me and they, they were like nine and.

Nine and 11. And they said, every time I would say, here's what you need to do, they would say, I know, I know. And then I would say, well, if you knew you would've done it. So here's what you need to do and here's how you're gonna do it. Da da da da da. And I walked outside to go in my garage, and as I was coming back in, I was like, refueling to G.

Go after them. Here's what you need to do and here's how I need to do it. And just as clear as day, the spirit said, stop micromanaging. The funny thing is, is I'm not by nature a micromanager. I wasn't micromanaged as a kid. I don't know where this is coming from. This is like mayhem for me. [00:32:00] And I had this, the thought because then I realized, well, if God is telling me as a parent that I can't micromanage that, I'm guessing he doesn't either.

And I had that aha. Like God has never once put me in a calling and said, okay, Tammy, well now here's what you're gonna do and then let me tell you how you're gonna do it. This is exactly how a relief society president looks, or a primary president or an award organist, which I'm still mad at him for, but like, I just think I love God because this is how he works with us.

Here's what I need you to do. Build Zion. Now how you gonna do it? Joseph, I trust you to figure this out. I agree a thousand percent. And what came to my mind, I wrote down on my notes, was, for me, in our lifetime, this is a difference between visiting, teaching and ministering. I. Oh yeah. So I remember having a companion and I'd love her to death, but she was, okay, let's call, let's make the appointment and we're gonna spend 15 minutes, we're gonna deliver the message, drop off the cookie and go Check mark.

Yep. Check, check and done. And it, it killed me every time. And so I would then sneak over and see this grumpy old man and his wife and um, and just stop by and say hello and just, and every time we went as the appointment, which there's nothing wrong with that, it just didn't sit with me, but it didn't sit with who I was trying to connect with.

Mm-hmm. Um, and so I remember asking the release high president, I said, is it okay if I just go by myself and just drop by. So she's like, of course. Right? And so it was really years ago this thought of just love them and it wasn't a set time and, and it wasn't a set scripture or set goodie. Um, I don't have to have a do on the table cloth that I could just go and love them.

And I think that's the message he's teaching us is that there's nothing wrong with the checklist. And we can, [00:34:00] we can get there. But does it really teach you what I need you to know? Yeah, it could be a tool, but don't let the tool be the answer, right? It it's, it's a tool. Bonnie, will you read this quote by Elder Holland?

'cause it perfectly describes what you're explaining. We suggest that you not wait for many more instructions. Okay. Just jump into the pool and swim head toward those in need. Don't be immobilized. Wondering whether you should do the backstroke or do the dog po the dog paddle. If we follow the basic principles that we've been taught, stay aligned with priesthood keys and seek the healthy spirit to guide us.

We cannot fail. Well, that goes exactly with what I was thinking. Tammy, thank you very much. That is right on totally i, how the spirit works. Yeah. Yep. Just, just go in and be eng I don't even have to say anxiously because that might give people a little bit of an anxiety of how, you know, do I have to be a hundred percent and be on all the time?

Um, but engaged. Yeah, engaged. Be present. Be mindful as a, as a brand new bishop, uh, this would be my dream for the entire war to do just that. Right. Don't, don't wait for Yes. For me or someone else to tell you. What to do, just jump in the pool and and start doing good things. I mean, that would be the most amazing.

Yeah. And swim to whatever stroke you're capable of. Swimming. Yeah, exactly. You like to do the breaststroke, do it. I don't care. I prefer the backstroke. I'm, I'm gonna backstroke I'm thinking of us on our missions too. Like this is the, these are the perfect verses of scripture for a missionary who's like, I don't know how to be a missionary.

Well, great. That's awesome. God doesn't need you to know, just get in and get busy and do the work how it works for you. And I, I love, I think that's the message of all these, and I think when it says anxiously engaged, I kind of change anxiously to excitedly men should be excitedly engaged in a good cause.

Like, [00:36:00] it's just so fun. All of this, the gospel, Jesus Christ building Zion may have been so scary for them, but we're still doing it. We're still building Zion. It hasn't been completed. And so he needs all of us, just like Ryan said, just start paddling, get in, everybody just come. Don't let, don't make me as a bishop tell you I'm not gonna micromanage you.

I'm not gonna do it. You know what, and and to that point, Tammy, when you were talking about, um, not like micromanaging your kids, and I think that could go like. A hundred percent to callings in the church. Yes. Right, right. If you're serving as the Relief Society president and you have, and you call the teacher, let that teacher pray, receive inspiration, and teach that lesson.

Right. I mean, you need to do a little guidance here and there, but, but don't tell 'em exactly how to teach the lesson. Yeah. That's their calling, right? Yes. And if you're the bishop, don't tell your young women's president exactly what to do. That's her calling. She's, she has all the rights to receive the revelation from the young women in that ward.

Let her do that. Right. Like, I just think that that goes so well into that type of a. Can I get an Amen? Yes. Amen. Oh, that was brilliant. Yeah. Oh my gosh, Tammy. Okay. I better tell you a funny story. Yes. So what you said about missionaries. So I actually wanted to go home in the MTC because, and thank goodness President Durant was like all sister.

But I was looking around and I'm like, okay, one of these things is not like the other, like I don't have the bouffant hair. I don't have the blue, blue eyeshadow. Sure. I mean, it was the eighties, right? I had no blue eyeshadow. I got no ruffle dress. I cannot do this. And President Durant looked at me and said, did God call you on a mission?

I'm like, yeah. Well then be you. Yeah, there it is. Yeah. Super fun. I ran into President Durant like 30 years later in a restaurant, and I just put my hands [00:38:00] around him. I said, I just want you to know that you changed the trajectory of my life, and you said to be you and Ryan. Ryan's like, yeah. Can you not be you so much?

Oh, I would never do that. But it changed, but it changed my life. Mm-hmm. When he said to be you and you know, and then to figure out what are your talents and how would you be engaged, how would you do this? Not that you have to follow this checklist. Yep. It, it was a huge difference. Amalia. Yeah. I, I 100 per, one of the strongest testimonies that I have is that the Lord puts the who, who we are, like where we go.

Mm-hmm. When we go, we are, we are put there because we are gonna be able to connect with people that, that another missionary might not have been able to. Like our personality. Yep, for sure. Like we, it had to be that missionary at that time to connect with that person. And of course the spirit does the teaching, but man, sometimes the personality's gotta be there to make the connections.

Yeah. Oh, I think That'ss. Good stuff. So true. Wow. Yeah. Never question where you get set on your mission. 'cause it's exactly where the Lord needs you. Even if it's Fresno, California or Spokane, Washington. Alright, lo Louisville, Kentucky High five. Look at US state siders. It was the best. That was fun discussion on those verses that was so powerful.

Okay, this is fun. All right, so in the next segment then we're gonna discuss more instruction that is applicable to every single one of us, and it's applicable on a daily basis. How about that? We'll do that next.

Segment 4

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We are still in Doctrine and Covenant Section 58. Now section 58, you guys, it mentions several men by name and the Lord is calling out their sins and telling 'em to repent. Oh, they now I just have to shout out to those men. Thank [00:40:00] you for being our examples. And here, you know, we have, first of all, if you would just wanna mark these verses 14 and 15, he calls out Bishop Edward Partridge tells him to repent.

Then in verses 38 and 39, he calls out Martin Harris. In verse 40, he calls out WW Phelps and in verse 60 he calls out Zeba Peterson. So there's a theme here. After we get done talking about tribulation and, and being anxiously engaged, then the Lord takes section 58 to say, oh, and by the way, I'm gonna need you to repent.

It seems like that is also the theme throughout the entire doctrine. Covenants like, repent. Repent. Because I'm sure there's a different viewpoint of how repentance looks for all the other religions they've come from. He's teaching this core value, this doctrinal truth about repentance and what it's going to look like for these people, and we get to see it firsthand right here in section 58, what he wants the saints to know about repenting.

We're gonna go to verses 42 and 43, and Bonnie, can you read those for us? You bet. Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven and I the Lord remember them no more. By this, you may know if a man repented of his sins, behold he will confess them and forsake them. Awesome. Okay, so I asked Ryan to come prepared to talk to us about this idea because I said, Ryan, you have a lot in common with Edward Partridge, and it's not the sin he's being called out for, but if you go back to section 58, if you look at verses 14 through 17, we have Edward Partridge.

He's called out for his unbelief in the blindness of heart. But verse 17 is what he has in common. Verse 17 says, and who? So Standeth in this mission is appointed to be a judge in Israel. Ryan's a judge in Israel. And Ryan, talk to us about what it's like to be a bishop. Well, being a bishop, um, is super awesome.

Actually. The judge in Israel part is a little humbling and intimidating, to be honest. [00:42:00] What does it mean to be a judge in Israel? So, you know, I'm still learning that Tammy, to be honest. But, um, as I meet with members of our ward, who I. Might be dealing with whatever, whatever struggle or or trial that they're going with going through right then, right?

That my job as a judge in Israel is mostly to help them walk through that themselves. And it could almost be anyone in the chair, to be honest. Um, it, it's really mostly between them and their heavenly bother, right? As they're working through whatever repentance process that they need to go through. Um, and so it took me a, a little bit first time around I was kind of a deer in the headlights.

First time I was kind of listening to someone tell me kind of what they're going through, right? And, um, luckily I am a hundred percent sure that I was guided by the spirit to reap a few things in the handbook, right? And there were some awesome questions and things and guidance there that, that the handbook has, that anyone can read, anyone can, can look that up and, and see those questions.

I was able to, to kind of facilitate and help them kind of talk through and help them come up with a plan to help, to help work through their repentance. So it's, it was really, really scary at First Jam. Really scary. I bet. Doing that kind of a thing. And keep in mind, I've only been a bishop for three months, so I'm not that far in, but, um, wow.

Even better. And brand new, brand spanking new. Wow. But as I've kind of worked through this, um, with a couple of our, uh, you know, members in our ward, it's been awesome for me, even in that short time to see some like, amazing changes and it's really, has nothing to do with me, has everything to do with the spirit and with the desire of this individual to get better.

Oh my gosh. Ryan, going back to verses 42 and 43. When it talks about, so he, when people [00:44:00] come in and they talk to their bishop, they're gonna confess and then they're gonna forsake the confess part is with you, and then they are going to forsake, which means not do it anymore. How do you know if someone should come in and confess to your bishop?

Great question. I would say if you are wondering and you're unsure, go talk to him. Yeah. It's, it's it, you know, and if it was something that you didn't need to talk to him about, your bishop's gonna be like, you got this. Yeah. You got this on your own. You don't, if it, if it happens again, go ahead and pray to your Heavenly Father and continue working on it.

Right. Your bishop is gonna walk through that with you. I actually, um, I know I'm not, maybe not allowed to do this, but I have a question for you two. Okay. Please ask. Yes. Why do you two think it is, or do you think it is important to. Confess your sin or confess to your bishop? Oh, I'll tell you, I, I thought a lot about this.

A lot. Um, and what came to my mind when I read this scripture about confess, 'cause that again, it's kind of like the repent word, right? It's got a negative. I think it's, it's just means acknowledge. Mm-hmm. You can't change something you don't acknowledge. And I think by saying it out loud, whether it's a small thing and I say it to my ugly father, or a big thing that I say to my friend who's now sitting across the table from me is my bishop.

Um, but I think it's that act of acknowledgement so that you don't do it again. And sometimes when we don't acknowledge we let it slide or it's not that big of a deal. Um, and I think that's why the prophet has guided us to daily repentance, acknowledge it and move on. Put it to heart. Lay it to heart, yeah.

To acknowledge it and lay it to heart and forsake it and move on. And if we're doing that [00:46:00] daily, then it's not this big buildup of should I, you know, does it get too, too big of a mountain that I can't move it? Mm-hmm. Um, but I, for me, Ryan, it's the confess is just acknowledging, and sometimes that's with somebody that's in an authority role or somebody that's not, or to my, just to my father.

But acknowledgement, I, I 100% agree. And I think that, that I, I know that there's a lot of, uh, questions out there. I've had conversations with, with friends, with youth. Um, why, why do I have to come in and tell my bishop this? Right. Like, what, that, why should I have to say this? And I actually was wondering that even myself, like as I was getting the call, like, who am I to hear this?

Yeah. Why, why should they have to tell me? Right. I think that what Bonnie said was a hundred percent right on it. It really doesn't have to do with, you know, having to tell some person. It really is the fact that you are acknowledging it to yourself and to your heavenly father. That person is just there to help you verbalize it.

That that really, that's what the bishop is there for. Well, and, and I just wanna say this, going back to what Bonnie said, because I love Bonnie's answer and I immediately thought Satan loves secrets. Like Satan takes that secret and he beats us down. He challenges our worth to the point that we're just scared to take care of that secret.

And so from my own experience, when we tell our bishop, or using Old Testament language, the judge in Israel who he ultimately is Jesus, but since Jesus can't be here, we need bishops to stand in the Savior's place so that that burden or that secret is completely lifted. So this is beautiful. When he says by this, you may know if a man repented of his sins, behold he will confess them and forsake them.

But I love verse 42. He who has repented of his sins the same as forgiven. And I, the Lord remember them no more. And I don't know if you've had that experience yet, Ryan, but from what I know, every Bishop, every state [00:48:00] president I have asked says they really don't remember what the person came to talk to you about when they're done with the repentance process.

I don't know if I've been a bishop long enough for that to happen. Probably not. But I, but I will say this, I have like, you can physically see the weight being lifted when someone comes in and is just like, Hey, I got this going on. Yeah. And it just is like, oh yeah, they feel so much better because they just, they were able to like just let that off of their chest.

Right. And then, and it's like you said. The bishop, you know that I'm gonna, I'm just gonna give him a hug and be like, we got this. Yeah. We can work with me, you and Jesus Christ. We got the atonement on our side. Like, we can do this. He's already paid for it. Let's just work through them. We, we, we can, we can get through this.

Yeah. And um, that's why I love what you said too, is like, just go, go. If you're worried about it, go talk to 'em. Uh, every bishop that I know is gonna be more than happy to sit down with any of their ward members and just have a chat and, and about whatever, you know, and, and, and, um, yeah, just go talk to him.

And I love how we started because I remember saying, I really hope to have a good discussion about these two verses, and we have, I have totally felt the spirit, but I love what Ryan said. He said, the whole goal is for my ward to love these verses and just come talk to me. Like, I thought that was so great.

I want the ward to know my door is open. Let's talk it out. And that was, I think every bishop feels that way. Yeah, I think they do too. I mean, I, I can tell you like one experience, like this one was so awesome, just like a super awesome person in our ward. I've known them for a long, long time. When I got called to be the [00:50:00] bishop, the old bishop came in and talked to me and let me know that they were working through something and if he'd kind of gotten laid low for a little while.

Right. And so, I mean, new bishop, right? I'm fired up and I know this person already. So, you know, I'm, I'm reaching out, not hearing back, reaching out again. I'm not hearing back. Uh, finally I'm reaching out again and I finally get a response back and yeah. And, um, finally set a time. They come in, we talk through a few things, and it, it was literally a brightness and, um, they were just so happy.

And, you know, and I, I felt like a champ because I'd reached out a bunch of times and they were obviously expressing like a lot of gratitude that I had done that. And I was feeling a little scared that maybe I was like overstepping my bounds, like maybe I, I being too annoying, you know? And, um, but I just was so happy to see how happy it made them to just get that off their chest and start really working through stuff.

Wow. Thank you. Wow. Thank you Ryan. And thank you Bonnie. And I think that that's what Jesus would've done. Just keep reaching out and reaching out. Tammy? One of the things I think about when I think about judging Israel, that I see Ryan do every Sunday. Again, I think we think the judge is being this harsh.

Mm-hmm. You know about the rules, but I, and I've told Ryan this before, but he listens to that sacrament prayer and then gives the nod yes or no Oh yes. To those young men, and they watch him and wait for him, and then when they need coaching, he gets up, he goes to the table, gives him a little coaching and going back.

And I, and that to me, when I think of a judge in Israel, he's not letting his people fail either. He's not just waiting to put down the hammer so good. Mm-hmm. Right. He's not just waiting to say, fail and, yeah. Guilty. Guilty. And it's, it's that, it's taking that mantle on [00:52:00] of being, like you've said before, the coach to help the people be successful.

And that's what a judge would say. Hey. You gotta stay on this path. You gotta, this is the right way. This is the wrong way. You know, here's what's going on. But I'm not just here to, to put the hammer down on you and that you're guilty. And I watch that every week. And it's, it is impactful. Um, I know, uh, for me, for the congregation and for the young men to know that he's got their back and helping them be successful.

And it's not, in a way that's okay. Dumb nut. You didn't do that. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Or he blew it again. And we're taking 10 minutes to, to read the sacrament prayer. That's so cool. But it's literally, I am here to be your advocate and to make you be successful. And that's what I see it as a judge in Israel.

I agree. Wow. Ryan, so much for laying low. That backfired. Trying to lay low. Trying to lay low. I especially a stickler on the sacrament prayer when it's my turn to speak in church. 'cause you know, it's a little bit more time. Little at less time. You make him just redo it just for the heck of it. Let's just waste some time.

I both missed the shirt in there. Let's just do that one more time. Oh, that's awesome. You're so funny. Okay. Okay, let's move on then. What we'll do then in the next segment is we're gonna read about something that Cindy Riggin did that was pretty significant, that led the way into section 59. I'll show you what it is in the next segment,

Segment 5

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In Doctrine and Covenant section 58. Go to verse 57. You wanna highlight this, I'm gonna have you write something next to it. So verse 57 says, and let my servant Sidney Rigdon consecrate and dedicate this land for the spot of the temple unto the Lord. Well, he did that the next day, on August 2nd, 1831, he dedicated the very spot for the temple or Zion in Missouri, even though they'll never have the chance to build it, it has been dedicated and we know that.

And we believe it [00:54:00] now, right after this dedication happened then. And so we wanna turn the page, go to doctrine and Covenant section 59. So he dedicates the land. And then four days later, Ryan, will you please read for us the section heading to section 59, Uhhuh. Revelation Given through Joseph Smith, the prophet in Zion, Jackson County, Missouri, August 7th, 1831.

Preceding this revelation, the land was consecrated as the land had directed and the site for the future temple was dedicated. On the day this revelation was received. Poly Knight, the wife of Joseph Knight, Sr. Died the first church member to die in Zion. Early members characterize this revelation as instructing the saints, how to keep the Sabbath and how to fast and pray.

Thank you. Let's just take a moment and talk about Poly Knight. Bonnie, I'm gonna have you read this quote about Polly. So Polly Knight was 57 years old when she died super young. That makes me sad. She was originally from the Colesville, New York branch. Then this is cool because that branch was organized in her home under the guise of her and her husband.

And here's what her son had to say about her. She quietly fell asleep in death, rejoicing in the new and everlasting covenant of the gospel, and praising God that she had lived to see the land of Zion and that her body would rest in peace after suffering as she had done for from the persecution of the wicked.

Thank you. That's all kind of, we know about her, but after she died, then we get into these beautiful verses of section 59, and let's start with verse four, because it's your verse, Bonnie. So read verse four for us. I think this is so perfect coming off the heels of a woman who's the first person to die in Zion, who just wanted to do that.

She wanted to see the land of Zion. She saw it, and now we get verse four. And they shall also be crowned with the blessings from above. Yay. And with commandments, not a few. And with Revelation in their time, they that are faithful and diligent [00:56:00] before me. Thank you. And our discussion on this verse was so perfect.

They just FYI. Everyone listening, they had no idea I was gonna talk about verse four, and that's what I wanted to talk about. So you already did it. That is exactly what I wanted us to say. That commandments are equal to revelations and blessings. So here's what struck me though, when I read verse four and I thought about that there is a commandment that I had never considered before, and it's in verse seven.

And then we're get connected to verse 21. Because listen, I pride myself, Ryan, here's the fun fact about me. I pride myself on knowing the 10 commandments in order one through 10. You can ask me any one of them and I'm gonna tell you, go ahead, try me. Ask me what commandment. Four door. Four door. Four door don't.

It's keep the Sabbath day. Holy. Come on. Gimme a hard one. Ryan. Gimme a number. Ah. Nine. Nine. Ugh. Not to, um, bear wi false witness after your neighbor. Not to gossip or lie or any of that stuff. Impressive. Tammy. Mm-hmm. I know. Nine. 'cause it's the telephone line in that you're gossiping. I've also taught all my listeners how to memorize them in order, which these five mnemonics eight gate eight gates.

Don't steal. Don't steal. Six is the best. What's six? Bonnie? A six. Uh, sticks. Don't kill. Imagine beating two peop. Imagine two men chasing each other with sticks to beat each other to death. Don't kill. I think I'll remember six from now on. Yeah. Six sticks. Forever. Forever. Every teenager I teach that does.

Yeah. So we have the 10 commandments and the Lord goes over them. Starting in verse five, he's going to revisit the 10 commandments. Not all of them, but some of them. But verse seven was one that really struck me. 'cause this is not listed in the 10 Commandments, and maybe it should be. This is so cool. So verse seven, highlight it.

Bonnie, will you read that for us? I, I love this one because it, it starts up thou shout. Mm-hmm. Thank the Lord by God in all things. There it is. Thou shall wording, command the wording. Yep. Thank the Lord thy God in all things. What? That's a commandment. And now here's the reason and what happens if you don't look at verse 21.

Ryan, will you read that for us? For sure. And just go and cross reference at the end of verse seven. Put verse 21. And in nothing duff [00:58:00] manen, God or against none is his wrath. Kindle save those who confess not his hand in all things and obey not his commandments. What I mean, I've never heard a verse that Venge field of wrath for not confessing his hand basically for not giving thanks in all things.

Why do you think giving? Why is he commanding us to give thanks in all things? I can take this one. Um, I think because it makes us feel happy. It makes us a happier person. Because we are acknowledging and verbalizing all the awesome things in our lives. I took a sales training, quick story, tiny story. I took a sales training like a few years ago for this, for my job.

And one of the very first things that they had us do was to start keeping a gratitude journal. I thought that was very, very interesting. Right? So we had to write and at, uh, once a week everything we were thankful for. And then we just keep that journal and, um, I was like, you know, this is, this is crazy.

This is something that, like, we've been taught our whole lives, but yet here are all these guys paying tons of money to go listen to these sales training, to, uh, it was like, I guess a self slash leadership training. Mm-hmm. And it was, uh, just teaching me something that I probably learned in primary. Right.

I was like, you're like, I prayed to, I paid to go to church. Gimme a break. Exactly. So I thought that was super interesting. But I do think that like acknowledging the awesome in our life and, and being grateful for that, it just is generally gonna make us a happier. Person that's more likely to be able to be a tool in our Heavenly Father's hands.

1000% agree. Absolutely. I like how you added at the end though, to be a tool in Heavenly Father's hands. He's gonna use happy people. He use happy people, he's gonna use people who are grateful for what they have. If you are not grateful or if you are always focused on the negative, you, you really aren't in a good spot.

You don't have the capacity then to go out and, and help with someone else. 'cause you got, you're too worried about yourself. I think [01:00:00] it, yeah. It's spirit blinding, right? Like it It does, it does. Yeah. Put your damper on things, I think. Ooh, that's good. There's a quote by, um, elder Faust and it says, it is clear to me from doctrine covenants 59 21, that to thank the Lord thy God in all things is more than a social courtesy.

It's a binding commandment. A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness. It is the expression of humility. It is the foundation. For the development of such virtues as prayer, faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love and wellbeing. Oh, please. I like how he said a grateful heart is the beginning of greatness.

Oh, that's good. Can I share my favorite gratitude quote, Tammy, please do. Hey, this is not, uh, by a church member, but I love literature. Um, Thornton Wilder, who wrote the Play Our Town, this is a quote from him. It's not from our town, but it could have, could have went in there. But anyway, he said, we can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

And I just think that's so beautiful and I love Thornton Wilder anyway, but like, I just think our hearts are conscious of our treasures. That's when we feel most alive. I just love that. Hold on. We're gonna read some more quotes. This is fun. I love that we all came with quotes and we'll just go back and forth.

I'll start with the first one. President Monson in general conference 2010 said, quote, gratitude is a divine principle. And then he literally quoted the two verses we just read, verse seven and verse 21. In general conference. Bonnie read the next one. Alda Huxley wrote, most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.

Mm. Ryan read one by Joseph F. Smith. Got it. One of the greatest sins of which the inhabitants of the earth ark guilty. [01:02:00] Today is the sin of in gratitude. There we go. Elder Lloyd p George said, I presume most of us have not thought of that as a serious sin. There is a great tendency for us in our prayers, in our pleadings with the Lord to ask for additional blessings.

Sometimes I feel we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received. Of course, we need the daily blessings of the Lord, but if we sin in the matter of prayer, I think it is in our lack of expressing thanksgiving for our daily blessings. God is not pleased with the inhabitants of the earth, but is angry with them because they will not acknowledge His hand in all things.

And then Bonnie, president Hinkley, when you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and consent and egotism. You walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives. Thank you. So what are some ways we can be more thankful? I love the idea of a gratitude journal, Ryan.

Yeah. It's surprising when you, um, practice that and keep that. And every day you're kind of thinking of different things that you might could write down that you're grateful for. You start digging deep 'cause you wanna say the same thing over and over again. Yeah. And when you're digging deep, sometimes, you know, um, it's fun because you're, you're like, wow, that really is an awesome, you, you start off with all the things like, I'm grateful for my health and my family and the, and the gospel and like all the things that come really super easy, right?

Mm-hmm. But then you kind of blow through those and then you gotta be like, well, I'm thankful for my car. That starts up every, that starts every morning, right? Yeah. You don't think about that. 'cause that's something we think maybe should just automatically happen, right? Till it doesn't. I'm thankful for my neighbor that helped me with my car.

I'm thankful, you know, this is, it wasn't just the car for me at this, in this example, right? My neighbor came to my rescue. I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful that I didn't get hurt on the highway. I'm thankful that my niece didn't get hurt on the hi. Like that one tribulation, [01:04:00] right? Mm-hmm. When you look at it, there's again, when the tribulation happens, are you being mindful of the blessings though?

It was a trauma. Look at all the things that we didn't get hurt. And I'm not saying that it's always the case, but when you start to realize that it's the same thing we've been talking about. It's the acknowledgement, it's the paying attention, it's being engaged and all these things we've talked about today, I think Link, link together of that's how we show gratitude.

Yeah. Um, is we're anxiously engaged in watching and preparing and taking care of, and, um, and saying, thank you, thank you for this experience. Um, even when it's a hard experience, you can, you can stop later and say, Hey, I made it through. Um, uh, and, and we have that opportunity for other people. Ryan alluded to, we have a good friend that's going through a hard time right now.

The opportunity that we had to stop and be thankful for our friendship to fast and pray together as a group of friends. I was grateful for that opportunity. Me too. Not grateful. Not grateful for the trauma that our friend is having, right? But grateful that my brother put out a text through a group of people that I love and said, Hey, we know this works.

And we know that fasting and praying and showing gratitude to our heaven, father, for the blessings that we have, we can bless the lives of our friend. And what better opportunities to show gratitude to the Lord by saying thank you for the opportunity to be able to say, help us be with us. We know the gospel is there for a tool for us to be able to do this, and we are extremely grateful, extremely grateful.

I just had a thought. Would it be so cool? I wish I was in charge of an auxiliary. I do a grateful gratitude journal. If I was like Relief society president, I'd [01:06:00] pass it around every time we met and just let the women write things in there. They were grateful for that week. Or like in charge of young women.

You imagine starting every young women's class with a gratitude journal and everyone just wrote it. I know we do our highs and lows, but what if we started with just what were you grateful for? Write it down. And then when they become laurels, you go back and read what they wrote when they were beehives.

That'd be so fun. Or was a bishop. I was just gonna say yes. How fun is that? It has a gratitude journal around sacrament meeting and just let families fill it out, how everyone sits in the same spot. So you could just pick up where you left off last Sunday. Word Council. Yeah. Beyond Be Ready, rightward Council Gratitude Journal.

Yes. They're gonna hate you now, guys. I'm like, all right. Here comes the gratitude journal. But it is so fun to go back and read it. Right? Yeah. Because then you look back at those things and you're like, wow. Or to see what other people are grateful for because like you said, Ryan, then you gotta dig deep, but then you can go.

I've never considered being grateful for that. Yeah. Oh, that's fun. It is fun. And be grateful. I think about, we used to do that. I used to snug the girls in at Girls Camp, and we would snug each girl in and I'd say, how was your day? What were you grateful for? What did you learn? What can we do better tomorrow?

Wow. And again, it's that acknowledgement of just saying things out loud sometime and confessing your gratitude. That's what it is, Tammy. It's confessing your gratitude. I'm gonna do that with my kids. All right, I'm gonna, I'm gonna do that. Instead of saying get to bed, it is SN 10 30. You gotta snuggle 'em.

Yeah, you gotta Ugg go. I'm gonna go in and say, what were you grateful for today? I'm gonna try that. That is a good challenge. Thank you Bonnie. I love that. Okay, so we are supposed to give thanks. So put that in your scriptures, mark those verses. Set a goal to give thanks. Maybe that's my question at the end of the week.

What are you thankful for? That's what I want it to be. Let's tell me what you're thankful for because in the next segment we're gonna discuss another commandment that not only should we be thankful for, but apparently according to scripture, we should be joyful and cheerful about this commandment.

We'll do that next.

Segment 6

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[01:08:00]

We're still in section 59 and now we are going to this commandment right here. Oh my goodness. Bracket verses eight through 20. Because all those verses is gonna talk about this one commandment. Sum it up for me. Ryan, what are we talking about? Oh, I think we're talking about keeping the Sabbath day Holy.

Yes, that is exactly it. Now, as a seminary teacher, I used to always get this question, what can you do and what can't you do on a se on a Sunday? I'm like, lemme start with the first answer, which is there's no list, like you gotta figure it out. But I'll give you this one verse of instruction, verse nine, Ryan, read that for us.

You got it. And that thou may us more fully keep thyself, unspotted from the world. Thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day. So I'd say the first thing you need to do is make sure you're keeping yourself unspotted from the world. So whatever you do on a Sunday, try to keep that in mind.

The next piece of instruction is verse 10. Keep reading, Ryan. Okay. For Verily, this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors and to pay thy devotions under the most high. That's it my friends. That is your list of what you can and can't do, verses nine and 10. So you get to decide what it's gonna look like for you on the Lord's day is what verse 12 calls it.

Remember on that, on this the Lord's Day, thou shalt offer thy ablations and then the instruction is in verse how you should then receive this. Sabbath day is verses 13 through 15. Will you go ahead and read that for us, Bonnie? Yes. In 13 and on this day, thou shalt do none other thing. Only let by food, be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or in other words, that by joy may be full ve this is fasting in prayer, or in other words, rejoicing in prayer.

And in as much as you do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenance, not with much laughter. Oh, that's hard for, this is a sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful [01:10:00] countenance. Alright, you guys talk to me about these verses. Sabbath, a cheerful, rejoicing, glad, cheerful day. Do you rejoice when you're fasting?

What do you think about those verses How can we do that? I think what I alluded to earlier, when you have a purpose, I think there's a lot of joy in fasting. Um, if you're doing it just to go hungry because it's the first Sunday of the month, then that's gonna be a little harder for you. Um, but with true intent and being thoughtful and, um, putting things on the altar for the Lord, I think there is, there could be great joy.

Um, right now I enjoy Fast Sunday because, uh, I have to teach gospel doctrine on Fast Sunday. And so, um, there's always a, a prayer in my heart that that goes well. I'm sure it does. Oh, um, it's doctrine and covenants and it's not, I mean, I'm an Old Testament girl like you Tam, so mm-hmm. This has been a good learning experience, but I do think when we go in, um.

You know, with a singleness of heart and really stay focused, it can be a joyful experience. I, I think that's right on the, the having a purpose is, is super important. Um, I'll never forget my, he's 14 now, but my son Ezra, when he was probably like seven, was like, I'm gonna fast today. This is gonna be my first fast dad.

And I'm like, all right, I'm excited for you. We got home from tr, she's like, I'm never fasting again. Bryce's like, where's my food? Rick is so hungry. And he was just, uh, he like, we got to church and the all through Sacramento, he was just dying. He couldn't take it. It was hilarious. But, um, I love that. Um, but yeah, it's true.

But I think, right, if you're to Bonnie's point with no purpose. You're just going [01:12:00] hungry, right? Mm-hmm. You're just, you're just going hungry. So I, I think that, that, that's huge. Um, I do think that, and maybe it's just 'cause I'm an old man bishop now. I, I know that like when you're 14, if there are 14-year-old kids listening that maybe it's hard to be cheerful on the way to church.

I know it's hard for my 14 year olds, believe me. Especially if it's at nine in the morning. Oh boy. But oh boy. Right? Yeah. But, um, you think about what makes me happy about going to church and being so excited to keep the Sabbath day holy, and especially just starting at, not necessarily starting I guess, but like getting to church and making that kind of, everything around that mm-hmm.

Is I get to go spend some time with people that I love who are believing the same things that I believe and wanting to, to become better people. And you get all those people in a same group and. You can feel the spirit and you can feel, um, you can kind of feed off of each other and it helps you. It, I should say, it helps me, uh, get ready for the week and yeah, try to, try to, kind of what you said about that first firsthand, I can't remember which one it was, but like bleed that into the rest of our week.

Right? Like be more like we are on Sunday. On Tuesday. Mm-hmm. And, um, sometimes I think about like going to church, especially, maybe not the sacrament portion, but especially, um, like Sunday School on Elish Corman primary relief study as kind of like going to the gym. You're kind of like, you go in there, you're getting you, you're doing these hard things.

It's maybe not always that fun, and sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. But you're putting the time in and you're learning and you're feeling the spirit so that when you get out into the week. And you get a question or you're faced with something, you can do it. You're ready. You got it. Yes, you're ready.

Right? Like you did your pushup. So when it's time to lift the desk, you can lift it. Right? And so when someone says, [01:14:00] Hey, why do you guys believe that? Then you're like, I know why. And lemme tell you why it's cool, right? Yeah. And, um, because you put in the hard work on Sunday and I think that that can make a huge difference.

Oh, I like that. I love that analogy. You're like, oh, I just did weights with that two we two days ago. I know the answer. Yeah, I got it. I got it. I got you. Oh, that's good. That is good. Well, when it comes to this Sabbath day. What for you then give me one thing you do to keep the Sabbath day holy. Is there something you as a family have done or, I know Sabbath day observance for me has evolved and it's changed over all of the years.

For sure. Listen, I come from a hardcore roast and potatoes, jello family, like that's our big dinner in the week, you know? And like I always joke that for Jewish people there is this little bag of. Potpourri that they smell when Sabbath begins. There's a smell associated with their Sabbath, which I think is so cool.

And I was laughing 'cause I'm like, we don't really have that. And then I go, oh sure we do. It's a smell of a roast. So, and when a roast is cooking, it makes me think of a sundae. But for me, the way it's evolved, and I maybe take this a little too seriously in verse 13, to prepare your food with a singleness of heart.

Listen, we're having nachos on a Sunday. All right? Because for me, yes, as a mom with little kids, I remember thinking, this is not a day of rest for me. I, this is hard day for me. I am dealing with little kids and everybody all day long with no respite. I had to find something for me that worked. But it goes back to again, when the lord's like very clear with us when he says, I'm not gonna tell you it is not meat that I should command in all things.

You've gotta figure out what Sabbath day looks like for you. And so that's what looked like, I wanna be the roast potatoes, jello mom. And I love families that do that, but. I was at a place where I'm like, listen, nachos and popcorn, what's your pick? And see Tammy, that's perfect, because for me it's exactly opposite.

For me, the greatest joy is being [01:16:00] able to prepare a Sunday dinner for my entire family. Love it. You know, that to me it's mm-hmm. Yeah. It is singleness of heart because I'm just gonna do it by myself. It's single. Oh, I just love, I love that opportunity to, that is my love language. Yep. It's, um, and I love that I get to have all my family that's near to come over.

I don't mind cleaning the house and preparing the dinner and letting my family have that family time. That, to me, is the best Sabbath and precious to me. Um, my dad was alive watching him sit on the chair and smile because everyone was in his house, was the best Sabbath. Best sa um, that's also blossomed into, I love to bake and cook and I go visit people.

Sunday's anxiously engaged day for me. Um, my rest is finding the joy in serving others and not studying. I I'm not a very good sitter. Um, and so for me, the Sabbath is always turned into who needs me. Who, who can I go see? Who can I go visit? Um, what can I bake? What can I do? Yes. Um, and that's fills my bucket for the week when I to go to work and have to drive in traffic and have to have to have, to have to, I bet all the have tos that I have to do to make money and to survive and to do my life on Sunday.

I don't have to. I get to, I get to, that's a perfect Sabbath. I love that to, so, I like to get to and not have to. What's it like for a bishop? So the longest day ever. Yeah. Some days are a little busy for the bishop, right? Yeah. They can be a little busy. So my, my typical Sabbath starts off at about 7:00 AM that's when we start Bishop Rick meeting.

And I'm usually done around four, depending on how many appointments I have that day. So Sabbath day for like me and my [01:18:00] family looks a little different right now, right? Because, yep. And usually when I get home at four 30 or five, I'm a little emotionally beat and just physically exhausted, Uhhuh. But, um, we do have a kind of a fun little thing, what we're doing right now, which is very short, but I still love it.

So I have two kids at home still and two kids that are out of the house. And my two little kids at home, they're 13 and 14. So our church is a funny time right now. We, we start at 1110. We have five wards in our building right now. What? Yes. Right. Two stake five building five wards. Right. So it goes from 1110 to one 10.

Right. Which is kind of an odd timing, but they do that to fit all five wards in the building. Wow. I tell my executive secretary that from one 10 to one 30 zippo. And that's when my kids come find me and get candy outta my office. And we, yeah. I ask them what happened in class and I give my wife a hug and a kiss and, and, um, everyone hangs out in dad's bishop's office for 15 or 20 minutes until the appointments start at one 30.

And so that's a kind of a tiny little fun tradition that we mm-hmm. Just sort of started and, um, it just sort of happened because my 13 year olds have just started coming in for candy and there's sometimes some friends in there too. It's not only like, sure, there's a lot of friends, there's a lot. I'm like, if I'm in your ward, I'm coming.

Then between 1 10, 1 30, I'll find your office. You can come find me. I bring, I bring in the candy. I always throw the candy. It's a party. And so, but that's kind of, because I leave usually before they wake up. Right? Yeah. And, uh, so, uh, but that's kind of our, our little like, family time for just a little bit on a Sunday to, to give dad a hug and hang out for just a little bit.

I mean, isn't that so fun? Yeah. That we saw, we practiced Sabbath Day, all three of us, us differently. Very. And that's okay. And I love that we've kind of gotten away from that because as I was a kid growing up, there were the checklists of how you keep a Sabbath day holy. And I'm so grateful. [01:20:00] Again, going back to that's what it looked like back then.

And the Lord let the, the leaders of the church do that, or people in the church. But I love how the Lord's like, okay. And, and the leadership's like, well, maybe we need to take this approach and make it more family centered and make it more of a fun day. And so I just think it's awesome. I, I, all of this is coming full circle.

Like everything we've studied today just makes perfect sense. And I just have to say at the end, like, the church is true. It just, how is it not? Like all of this to me is just like, yes, yes, yes. God is so good. It is awesome. So that's the end. We're done. You guys are so great. Thanks, Tammy. Okay. So gather your thoughts.

Think of everything we talked about, which was a lot, and what is an eternal truth that you learned today? What's something that stood out to you or that you reminded of? Whatever it is. And just when you have it, go for it. It's just a quick little thing if there's a note you took or anything like that. I just, it was a big testimony to me, the, um, just because I'm doing the bishop thing right now, and it's so new for me and I'm just, just really honestly getting my toes dipped in the water.

But, um, as we sort of had the conversation around the judge in Israel and hearing you guys verbalize what it meant to come in and confess and talk to the bishop mm-hmm. That was awesome for me to hear that and, and, and know that it's, it is, it is on me, but it's not all on me because it's, it's also on you and it's on and it's on Heavenly Father.

But I love the way that Bonnie said it, and I loved yours too, Tammy, going back to the Old Testament and just like, I can have my own relationship with Jesus Christ, and I got, I got this little helper, mediator in there, but, and that's great that he is there for me, but I, I can have my own relationship with Jesus Christ whenever I need to.

Yeah. And Bonnie talking about just how she, um, you know, verbalizing and acknowledging whatever it might be that you're working on, that to me, I think is gonna help me, um, [01:22:00] as I continue to, to meet with our board members. So I, that part was great for me. That was awesome. Spirit was strong with that. What about you, Bonnie?

I really am stuck on 58, 5, late to heart. Mm-hmm. Um, and then the verse afterwards it says, and then to bear testimony of these things. Yeah. Um, I, uh, need to be more thoughtful and mindful of my gratitude and bearing testimony and acknowledging. My gratitude for the things that I know and believe and have felt in my life, and lay the things that are burdensome down.

Wow. So for me, that's lay it to heart and trust in it, and then testify. Vocally acknowledge and express g gratitude. I think that's some development for me today. Absolutely. Okay. Mine is, uh, I'm gonna start with you Ryan, 'cause I loved when you taught us about section 58 verse 28 for the power is in them and how you related it to like the best coach for basketball or you know, football and guitar player.

Like God's just the best and he is going to teach you. But I love how you were just like, I've never considered that word power. The power is in us to do anything God has asked us to do. That was so powerful for me. And then Bonnie, for sure, when you shared section 59 verse four and the way you connected on your own without even me telling you we were gonna do it, I love it.

And that is for me, what makes it also another eternal truth. Two witnesses that this crowning idea is commandments are part of our crown, revelations are a crown, and blessings are a crown. So that was so cool. This whole discussion you guys, thank you for coming so well prepared. This was powerful. Can't wait to do it again.

Thanks for having That was a lot of fun you guys. Thanks, Bishop. That's how it works. Wow. Thanks Bishop. No kidding. Bishop. I am. Oh my gosh, I'm so happy. That was such a [01:24:00] fun discussion. Oh my gosh, I love that. Okay, what was your eternal truth? What did you learn? That is true. Go join on Facebook or follow us on Instagram to share what you have learned.

And then at the end of the week on Saturday, we're gonna post a question from this discussion. So comment on the post that relates to this specific lesson and share your thoughts. You can get to both our Facebook and Instagram by going to the show notes for this episode at ldsliving.com slash Sunday on Monday.

And it's not a bad idea to go there anyway, because it's where we have links to all the references and the transcript of this whole discussion. So go check it out. The Sunday on Monday Study Group is a Deseret Bookshelf plus original, brought to you by LDS Living. It's written and hosted by me, Tammy Uzelac Hall.

And today our incredible study group participants were Ryan Blohm and Bonnie ElHalta. And you can find more information about my friends at ldsliving.com slash. Sunday on Monday. Our podcast is produced by Cole Wissinger and me. It is edited and mixed by Cole Wissinger, and our executive producer is Erin Hallstrom.

Thanks for being here. We'll see you next week and please remember, you are God's favorite.