17: “All That the Lord Hath Spoken We Will Do” (Exodus 18–20)

Tammy 0:00

Have you ever had a "watershed" moment in your life? This is an idiom for a historic moment. Well, today's discussion of Exodus chapters 18-20 contains what some scholars believe to be one of four watershed revelatory experiences in salvation history.

Welcome to the Sunday on Monday Study Group, a Deseret Bookshelf Plus Original brought to you by LDS Living, where we take the Come Follow Me lesson for the week and we really dig into the scriptures together. I'm your host, Tammy Uzelac Hall.

Okay if you are new to our study group, we just want to make sure you know how to use this podcast. So 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, oh my gosh, all of my friends in the Farr West, Utah, stake. Hi friends! I loved meeting you and all of you were so lovely and wonderful and thank you for coming on a regular night when I know you had so many other things to do. It was just the most awesome women’s conference, so thank you, thank you, and I love Farr West.

Okay, another awesome thing about our study group is that each week we're joined by two of my friends, so it's always different. And today is totally different. No recurring people. These women are brand new, and I cannot wait to introduce you to Jen Cocciamillio and Laura Reese. Hi, ladies.

Laura Reese 1:11

Hi.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:12

Hi.

Tammy 1:12

Okay. This is so exciting. Here's how I know these two women. We met via Facebook years ago when we first started the podcast. And we've kind of been talking back and forth. And then they invited me to a Bible study group that they do together, a group of women get together, and they study from the Podcast and the scriptures. And then COVID hit, and we never got to meet. And then as fate would have it, Jen, we found each other at a restaurant just a few weeks ago, right?

Jen Cocciamillio 1:39

Yes. Fate intervened.

Tammy 1:42

Totally intervened. I'm like, Jen, we've been trying to - Oh, my gosh, I want you guys on the Podcast. And Laura reached out to me a long time ago too and told me about your study group. So I'm like, “Well, we have to have Laura.” So ladies, how do you two know each other?

Jen Cocciamillio 1:54

So Laura and I were minivan twins, carpool pickup for several years. So I kind of had my eye on her. And then I moved into her neighborhood. And ever since then, it has just been a beautiful friendship. We actually just kind of casually knew each other. And then I was called to serve in the Young Women’s and was so lucky and blessed that Heavenly Father knew I couldn't do it without Laura. So she came and became my right-hand man. And our friendship has just grown since then, and now I can't live without her.

Tammy 2:27

Oh, that's so sweet.

Laura Reese 2:29

Yes, working with Jen in Young Women's, it was one of those little gifts that you get sometimes, right? And imagine getting called as a secretary to someone who you admire so much. You kind of have those moments where you're like, “How can I possibly bring anything here? She can literally organize me.” But when you're humble Heavenly Father creates amazing things, and we've just been able to have such a divinely blessed friendship is how I would explain that. So I just, I could not adore Jen more.

Tammy 2:58

How long have you done the Bible study group?

Jen Cocciamillio 3:00

Okay, it has been two years. Yeah.

Laura Reese 3:03

Yeah. I think it's been about two years. And I, it's one of the, one of those divinely blessed gifts.

Tammy 3:10

Oh my gosh, well, that is awesome. So those of you listening, that's how you do it. Start a Bible study group, find your friends, find your people. How perfect then that you're going to join me today for the Bible, because this is going to be such a great discussion. So if you want to know more about Laura and Jen, you can find all their information in our show notes which are at LDS living.com/sundayonmonday.

So we are going to dig into Exodus chapter 18-20. So here's what I want you to do: everybody grab a pen, a journal, something to write with, and your scriptures. And we're going to talk about what some scholars call a watershed moment. So here we go. Grab your scriptures, and let's dig in.

Alright, ladies. I'm gonna start out with this question: What does delegation mean to you? What does that word mean? Because some people call it the art of executive sanity, and I have to agree. What is it to you?

Jen Cocciamillio 3:59

Sharing the burden.

Laura Reese 4:02

I think it's like the authority to act on behalf of someone else and to like, work in his name.

Tammy 4:10

These are good answers. I'm writing them down. Such good answers. Okay, I think that's awesome because I want us to be thinking about this word as we discuss the effect that it had in this segment in Exodus chapter 18. And at the very end, I'm going to be asking you if you have an experience that you could share where delegation played a role, maybe in your life with family or callings or work or anything like that, so kind of be thinking about that.

But let's jump into Exodus chapter 18. And here's what happens: so the children of Israel have come through the Red Sea, and they're eating manna and Moses provided them with water out of a rock. Now they've pitched their tents. And in Exodus chapter 18, verses 1-2, Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had heard all that the Lord has done for Moses. So he brings Moses' wife Zipporah, and Moses' sons back to him. And how much do we love the sons' names? In verse 3 is Gershom, which means 'to drive or cast out'. And then in verse 4 is Eliezer, which means 'God is help'. So it's, I, kind of read those verses that their names are in because Moses tells us why he named his sons that.

So then we go back. And in Exodus chapter 4, verse 20, Moses sent his wife and sons away, which is why Jethro is bringing them back to him. He was like, you guys go away because he knew what was about to come and he didn't want them around for all of the plagues. Okay. Now remember, Jethro is the great high priest of Midian. And it's who Moses received the priesthood from, and who Moses lived with, making Jethro the head kinsman. So look at Exodus chapter 18, verse 7, and we get to see this blessed reunion between Jethro and Moses. Laura, will you please read verse 7 for us.

Laura Reese 5:45

18:7 "And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent."

Tammy 5:53

Thank you. I want us to mark that word 'obeisance', because what it means is 'to bow down'; isn't this awesome? Moses goes to his father-in-law and bows down to him. Moses is the Prophet, you would think Jethro would bow to Moses, right? But this is a beautiful example, again, of this kinship. Remember, we've talked about this, the tent, and who's in charge. And Jethro was the kinsman over Moses and all of his family. And Moses recognizes that. So Moses kisses Jethro, bows down before Jethro, and then he explains everything that happened.

It's so fun in verse 8, because it says, "Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and [to] the Egyptians." I would have loved to have been there for that conversation. Can you imagine? Moses is like, “And then this happened. And then this, and then, then.” I just imagine Jethro, you know, if he's on a chair and he's leaning back, he's just like, “Oh, my gosh!” I mean, what are you imagining when you see this story, ladies?

Laura Reese 6:48

Well, there's no email, there's no texting. So what a moment to be able to reconnect and share these miracles. Like, I just think that's powerful that he hadn't been able to tell him before now.

Tammy 7:02

I love how you said that - there was no way to communicate what had happened. And boy, I love nothing more than telling a story. And when you've got a good story, and no one's heard it before?

Jen Cocciamillio 7:11

Well, and it just keeps getting better. I mean, you start with, you know, the water turned to blood, and then there were frogs. And then we had all the cattle die. And then guess what? I parted the Red Sea. And then I smote a rock and water came out. I mean, it's pretty, pretty amazing.

Tammy 7:27

It's so amazing, in fact, that in verse 9, the very beginning it says, "Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done...". And then I love verse 11. Jen, will you just read the first line of verse 11?

Jen Cocciamillio 7:40

18:11 "Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods."

Tammy 7:44

I mean, Jethro's like, that's his testimony of God, how cool, how simple, how succinct. After they hear this incredible thing that happened, verse 12. Laura, will you read that for us?

Laura Reese 7:55

12 "And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God."

Tammy 8:08

I love this verse, because Jethro, Moses just stands back and knows his place. He's like, “Oh, I mean, yes, I'm the Prophet.” But Jethro's the great high priest. He's the head kinsman, and he lets Jethro perform this ordinance, this burnt sacrifice. And he knows Jethro is in charge. It's just, it's so incredible to see him do that. And then verse 13, Moses sat to judge the people. Let's underline that. For those of you who remember, last week we talked about how there were over 600,000 - just men - that were counted in this group. That didn't include children or women. So they believe that there's well over a million people that Moses is going to sit and judge. Now that is a lot of people to judge and Jethro, in his wisdom, asks Moses in verse 14:

14 "What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning to even?"

And then he says in verse 18:

18 "Thou wilt surely wear away"....and "this thing is too heavy for thee."

Don't you just love Jethro so much that he recognizes: Moses, you're doing a lot; you're taking on way too much. And so Jethro teaches Moses all about delegation, the word we started with. So bracket off verses 19-23, and write to the outside of those verses, "How to govern and organize the people.......delegate. And let's start with the first word in verse 19. Because this word is so important to Jethro's instruction. Jen, what is that first word in verse 19?

Jen Cocciamillio 9:36

Hearken.

Tammy 9:37

Yes. Jethro says, "Hearken now unto my voice." And we know that means more than just listen. He's saying, obey what I'm about to tell you to do, because it's going to help you a ton. And here's where delegation comes into play. He says, you're going to want to have people help you do this. And let's read verse 21. Jen, will you read verse 21.

Jen Cocciamillio 9:55

21 "Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

Tammy 10:14

Let's highlight the groupings that he wanted him to put them in: we have rulers of 1000s, 100s, 50s, and 10s. There's a really cool connection to this and to our lives today: we could liken the 1000s to a stake president, the hundreds to a Bishop, the 50s, to the Elders Quorum or Relief Society President, and then the 10s is ministering. So we can see how this works today in our own lives. Jen, go ahead. I love it because you had a visceral reaction.

Jen Cocciamillio 10:43

An AHA face? Well, I just love that we see that this is the organization that He has always used. And that, you know, it's, it's evidence that we aren't to carry things alone. And I also must have to think that that's probably the organization in heaven.

Tammy 10:58

So here's my thought, then: how has this played into your own lives? How does delegation work for either of, do you have a story where you let them? Or maybe you didn't let them? What does that look like for you?

Jen Cocciamillio 11:00

You know, I, I kind of had a pit in my stomach when you first mentioned the word delegation, because I'm admittedly horrible at it. Like, I feel like it's

Tammy 11:09

Why?

Jen Cocciamillio 11:09

It's hard for me to ask people to help, especially if I think, well, I mean, I could do it, you know? I, so I feel bad burdening other people sometimes. But I do see the wisdom in it because it certainly is just not God's way that we do it alone. And I've been in certain callings where I have done it alone. And it hasn't been as effective as when I've reached out for help. And in humility just said, “Hey, can you help me with this?” And what's so tricky about it for me is that I think about even not so much delegating in a calling, but even delegating responsibility to my kids or my husband, when I have an exact idea of how I want something done. You know, like, “Here, you take care of this, but do it step by step exactly how I want, and I will tell you how it needs to be done.”

And it takes a lot of letting go to allow somebody the ability to create for themselves, and to not necessarily think that my way is the only way. And I think Heavenly Father is the perfect, generous example of that. Because He delegates so much responsibility to us and allows us so much freedom to use our own talents; to use our own thoughts and feelings and to do it in our own way, seeking for His help. But a lot of times, you know, He allows us to kind of do it the way that we think is best. And that's hard for me. So like in the beginning of verse 22 when He says, "Let them". Sometimes that the letting is the hardest part of delegating.

Tammy 12:55

Oh, my gosh, I think that's so cool. Hold on, I'm underlying that. "Let them". Oh, that is awesome. That's a great application of that. In fact, I think it's so beautiful in verse 20, because Jethro says to Moses, 'Listen, here's what you're going to do. You're going to teach them ordinances and laws, and you will show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.' I mean, doesn't our Prophet do that? Didn't he just do a wonderful job of that at this last General Conference? That's what our prophet does for us is verse 20.

But Jethro is like, “You don't have time to do this for all your people. So let's organize it this way.” And then He gives them this little caveat in verse 26. He says, “for all the hard causes that they bring.” Moses, that's your job. But for every small matter, let these other people judge and let them judge of themselves. And that's how you're going to do this, and you're going to be able to breathe. So we can see how delegation really does play out to Moses' benefit; he couldn't have possibly been in charge of that many people.

And so when the Lord uses delegation, He's building a relationship of trust with us, and we with Him, and that is what you guys have talked about. That's the divine pattern. It's, it's what heaven is about. And it's so cool. It's all coming together, I think, better than I imagined. Seriously, you guys, your thoughts are so great, like I had never connected and that, Jen, that "Let them"? Oh my gosh, that is so powerful.

Jen Cocciamillio 14:14

Well, it's just, you know, like I kept thinking about. So when I was a missionary in Italy, you know, there's, there's 6 of us for this giant area and my companion and I would take a bus to visit this one newly baptized member, and you would just see apartment buildings on the hillsides. You couldn't count them and thinking for each apartment building how many people are living in those, and my companion and I are responsible for bringing the Gospel to all of those people. And I remember just feeling really overwhelmed, thinking this is a really inefficient way to do this. Two sisters in their like, jumpers, with their imperfect Italian trying to get inside and teach the gospel.

But I just think the Lord isn't interested in efficiency. He wants to give us experience. And He's delegated that huge responsibility of bringing His gospel, but also because He wants us to know what it feels like to have that responsibility and that we learn from that. And how do you become like Him? It's because you care outside of yourself to your 10s, and then your 50s, and then ultimately, the 1000s.

Laura Reese 15:23

I mean, Jen, that's why if you let them, you're giving them the experience to growth. So then you beautifully allow people even if they don't do it right; even if they totally screw it up, they are getting the chance to grow and do the will of our Father.

So one of the things I was thinking about is I hadn't really, first I was like, oh, no, I haven't really had a leadership position. I don't, really, I've never been over someone. But then I realized, most of life you're doing delegation, just as being a mom or anything that you're doing. But I also noticed like, it's a divine pattern. I love looking for divine patterns, because then you can sort of be like, I should be doing that, I should follow that. And that kind of came to me because the line from "The Living Christ". It says "He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His father, He was the creator of the earth." So Jesus Christ created, we know He created the earth, but He did it under the direction of His Father. So He was delegated that responsibility.

And so that got me thinking just like, how much we see that in Christ's example in His life, that He was working, and then constantly realigning through His prayers to Heavenly Father; we just see him constantly doing that. And so shouldn't we be doing the same thing? Shouldn't we be willing to allow people to be delegated to and then also trying to realign ourselves with what God wants. And so for my mind, I just began thinking about ministering, and how it's like a divine network. Like this is how the work can get done in a neighborhood. Not just the ward, a whole entire neighborhood, filled with people who have needs.

My husband recently was released as Elders Quorum president; he could not have run that calling without a ministering brother, or very most often, a sister who's telling them about someone's need and someone's want. And those, if the system is working the way it should, you're not having to mind-read people. The ministering sisters and brothers are working with Heavenly Father in this divine pattern that just reaches out over all these people.

And my current calling is over the service - I'm the Service Coordinator - and I could never run that calling. I can't tell you how many times I ask people to provide a meal and they've already got one in their freezer. Or someone, I go to call someone to bring a meal and they've already brought it to the person because they're, their ministering sister. So that was my thought is just the ministering network is a divine pattern of delegation.

Tammy 21:24

I think that's beautiful, Laura, how you connected it to the creation. Like God first showed us how to delegate, that was so cool, thank you. Oh my gosh, Jen and Laura, seriously, this idea of letting leads beautifully into Exodus chapter 19 because the Lord, His mind He's like, "No, I'm going to let them hear my voice. I'm going to let them see me. I'm going to let them have these opportunities." And we're going to find out what they do with that. So in the next segment, we are going to talk about Exodus chapter 19 and we're going to see what the children of Israel do with this "let them" experience.

Segment 2 21:24

....

Tammy 21:28

So I thought of this picture as I was preparing for this segment; it's just a great shot. For those of you listening, go to our show notes so you can see what we're looking at. And ladies when it comes up, describe to the listeners what you see.

Jen Cocciamillio 21:40

Oh, hey, that's, that's base camp.

Tammy 21:43

Oh, nice job.

Jen Cocciamillio 21:45

Hundreds of tents at base camp.

Tammy 21:48

Yes! And it's base camp where?

Jen Cocciamillio 21:50

Mount Everest.

Yes. Okay. Go see this picture. There are hundreds of tents at base camp of Mount Everest. Let's see how this picture applies to Exodus chapter 19, verse 2. Let's go there. Jen read for us Exodus chapter 19, verse 2.

19:2 "For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount."

Tammy 22:15

So they are set up and they are camped out at Mount Sinai. This is where they're going to stay for about 11 months. And they're going to live here and have these incredible experiences. And so the first amazing experience we have is in Exodus chapter 19, starting in verse 4. Moses will go up and down Mount Sinai 7 different times. That's a lot of hiking. I would, I love Moses. I think at some point I'd be frustrated: 'Again? I gotta go back up again?' He goes up 7 times! I mean, listen, I love a good hike, but that just seems like a lot to me.

And I did, on Sunday, I was really tired. And I was getting ready for church, putting on my dress and I have this thought pop into my head that was like, maybe we could just once a year have a Sunday that we dedicate to remembering Moses hiking to the top of the mountain. We'll call it Sweaty Sunday, and everybody comes in sweats. Would that be, I just

Laura Reese 23:07

That would be Jen's favorite thing. She would, she loves to hike. She would love that.

Tammy 23:11

Sweaty Sunday. Everyone come and we'll just remember that Moses climbed Mount Sinai 7 times, and all the things that happened. So there you go. I'm hereby saying I am going to push for a Sweaty Sunday, if anybody can help me out with that, that'd be great. We're gonna go to Exodus chapter 19. And we're going to read verses 4-6 and we'll each take a turn reading a verse. We'll start with Jen, then Laura, then me. And as we read these verses, get something to mark your Scriptures with. I want you to underline or highlight what stands out to you that the Lord wants the children of Israel to hear.

Jen Cocciamillio 23:39

4 "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagle's wings, and brought you unto myself.

Laura Reese 23:46

5 "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine.

Tammy 23:58

6 "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation: These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel."

Okay, what stood out to you? What do you like about what the Lord wants us to know?

Jen Cocciamillio 24:10

Well, I love starting in verse 4, I love how intimate He made it by showing that He was personally involved. Look what I did. I did unto the Egyptians, and I bare you, and brought you unto myself. And, and I was really curious about eagles. I mean, it's funny because I don't know if you've seen "Lord of the Rings", and this admits that I'm sort of a nerd and I

Tammy 24:36

Sure, sure. I love it.

Jen Cocciamillio 24:36

We know, we like to watch those shows. You know, at the very end - and spoiler alert - I mean, the movies have been out for 20 years. So if you haven't seen it, I'm sorry but, you know, at the very end the Eagles pick them up and deliver them home and I kind of think, “Well, why couldn't eagles have done that from the very beginning, you know?” Save us a lot of steps. So, but I looked at what an eagle represents, and something jumped out at me. It said that eagles represent resurrection.

Tammy 25:01

Huuuh, wow.

Jen Cocciamillio 25:03

So I was really interested in this. And I thought, okay, so 'I bare you on eagle's wings'. So there's the resurrection right there, and 'brought you unto myself.' And the way that we are able to come unto Christ and fully enter His presence is through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. And so there we have physical and spiritual death overcome together and kind of represented in this really simple little verse.

Tammy 25:29

I think that's incredible. I'd never connected that to resurrection before. For me, the connection was, the 'bare on eagle's wings' would be a mother eagle carrying her eaglets, her little baby eagles on her wings as they're learning to fly for the first time. The imagery for that is what I had learned. And, and so I think this idea of resurrection, and then bringing Him back into Himself is powerful, Jen. So good, thank you. Laura, what did you find in these verses?

Laura Reese 25:54

So it did, that same verse stood out to me just that, that He wants to remind us what He's done for us, because He wants to declare His love for us. I feel like if you know that God loves you, you can do anything.

Tammy 26:10

Oh, absolutely.

Laura Reese 26:11

I mean once we understand like, how God feels about us, what is His nature? When you wake up in the morning and everything is bad, you can still do it. Because you know, God is good, and that God loves you. And so I just love that in verse 4. He was reminding them like, 'I love you, like, “This is what I've done for you.” So that stood out to me. And then in verse 5, I just love what you have taught us about the word 'peculiar'.

Tammy 26:38

Oh, yeah, tell us about that.

Laura Reese 26:40

So just the understanding that it means like 'a jewel' or 'a treasure'. I mean, He's worked pretty hard for each one of us. He's paid the highest price possible, and to view ourselves as His treasure - to me that's just really humbling,

Tammy 26:58

It is humbling. I love that our prophet, President Nelson, about that word he has said to be called 'peculiar' is one of the greatest compliments of the highest order - to be His treasure. And now I get it, Laura, that's exactly what you said. It is, it is compliment of the highest order. So thank you. Go ahead, Jen.

Jen Cocciamillio 27:16

I was just thinking about, you know, a treasure is something that is valued, and it's something that is bought at a price. And think about the ultimate price.

Tammy 27:26

Yes. Cross reference it, go ahead and put I Peter chapter 1, verses 18-19. That literally says we were purchased through the blood of Christ. I'm so glad you brought that up, Jen. I Peter chapter one, verses 18-19.

Jen Cocciamillio 27:42

Well, and then Tammy, you've taught us to look for "if/then" statements.

Okay, so it's, it's similar to the Sacrament prayer, you know, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenants, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me. And so there we go, we're entering into this covenant relationship. And we do it by keeping commandments, listening to Him hearkening to Him, and doing the things that He's asked us to do. And if we keep our covenants we, we're in this relationship with our Savior and then we can take advantage of all of the blessings that are available to us because of the price that He paid for our salvation.

Tammy 28:24

Wow

Laura Reese 28:24

Jen, I love that you used the word, like how you pointed that out with the obedience. Because sometimes obedience can kind of set me into this area of like, trying to be too perfect. And I loved how you included the word relationship. Because when I switch obedience and start to see it more as me choosing to align myself, choosing to have a relationship? He wants, all He wants is a relationship to each one of us. And He wants to meet us where we are. So you can kind of just get rid of a bit of those checkboxes or the negative feelings we have about the word obedience, and just focus on alignment, not all of our outward actions, but focus on our alignment with Heavenly Father. And then everyday just realigning ourselves. And if we do that, then......

Tammy 29:14

Laura, I am so grateful for what you just shared, because I have a quote right here by Elder Holland. And he basically sums up what you said, Laura. Cuz I think we do get a little overwhelmed with the word obedience, but it is about a relationship with Him. And so Laura, will you read this quote from Elder Holland.

"If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites. We are human. May we refuse to let our own mortal follies and the inevitable shortcomings of even the best men and women around us make us cynical about the truths of the gospel, the truthfulness of the church, our hope for our future, or the possibility of godliness. If we persevere, then somewhere in eternity, our refinement will be finished and complete, which is the New Testament meaning of perfection."

Thank you, Laura. Let's talk about this quote.

Laura Reese 30:03

That quote is just so beautiful, because I think it just reminds us that our ability to be perfect isn't all left up to us. It's left up to Him. It always was. It's left up to Jesus Christ. And we can be easier on ourselves, we can be easier on the people we work with, we can be easier on our leaders. We can place our faith in the person it's supposed to be placed in, which is Jesus.

Tammy 30:29

Right. Thank you for sharing that. And I'm struck by that because here's the Lord saying to these children of Israel, who by the way have already murmured and complained. They've already been like, 'We're going to starve, we aren't going to have food, it would have been better if we'd stayed in Egypt.' And here's the Lord saying to these humans - I love how He says we're not hypocrites, we're humans. Like yeah, and guess what? 'I think you can also be with me forever. In fact, I have such a great plan.' This is awesome and it leads perfectly into Exodus chapter 19, verse 6. He says in verse 6 because of all this:

6 "....and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation."

Highlight "kingdom of priests", because this is my thing. This is what I loved. So this does not mean a kingdom of male priests, you guys. In Hebrew, it is a collective plural, meaning it includes men and women; we become a kingdom of priests and priestesses. And so what the Lord is saying here, and this is temple wording, this is Melchizedek priesthood wording. And so what He's saying right here is, 'You will be unto me a kingdom of priests and priestesses, a holy nation, meaning I'm going to give you the Melchizedek priesthood. I'm going to give you all the highest ordinances.'

In fact - this is kind of cool - He's really saying, 'I'm really hoping you'll become the next city of Enoch, because I think you can. I really believe in you. Look at all that we've just gone through. There's no doubt in my mind, if I let you, I'm going to let them choose to become this incredible kingdom of priests and priestesses, a holy nation, another city of Enoch.' And for the word priests or priestesses, the reason why He uses priest here is - this is so cool, I thought this was neat. And we're going to talk a lot about this next week.

But here's what you need to know: the priest's job was to go into the tabernacle, and to do all of the ordinances for/on behalf of the people. And then one day out of the year, on Yom Kippur, he was allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies. He was allowed to speak God's name. And he was able to speak to the Lord in a way that nobody else was in among all the children of Israel. He had an actual relationship with God. And right here, when He is saying "a kingdom of priests", He is inviting all of us in to the Holy of Holies to commune with Him. And I just think it's amazing, because He's like, 'And you can. I believe it, I believe that you are ready to do this.' And it's just this incredible imagery right here.

So God is so excited. He's like, 'You're going to do this, and I'm gonna let you, and we're going to have an incredible time. And you're going to come back up, and you're going to live with me and have the Melchizedek priesthood. And'.......in the next segment, we're going to find out how the children of Israel responded to these three verses.

Segment 3 33:03

....

Tammy 33:06

Okay, so let's find out how the children of Israel responded, I think this is incredible. Scan your eyes over verse 8 and underline what their response was.

Jen Cocciamillio 33:16

Their response was: all that the Lord has spoken, we will do.

Tammy 33:20

Yeah, like, it's the Hurrah for Israel moment. I always think of that, like we're doing it. Yes, we totally can! And so in Moses, the Lord says to Moses, 'Okay, great, I knew you could. So, here's what I need everyone to do. You've got to get prepared for this experience that we're going to have.' And He gives them some very careful instructions in Exodus chapter 19, verses 10-13, and then verse 15. So we're going to look at what He wants them to do to prepare for this moment to become a kingdom of priests and priestesses. We're going to start in verse 10. Jen, read verse 10 for us.

Jen Cocciamillio 33:53

19:10 "And the Lord said unto Moses, go on to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow and let them wash their clothes.

Tammy 34:02

So the word 'sanctify' means 'to make holy' or 'to help become holy'. Becoming sanctified or holy is a big ask, like, that seems like a very daunting request. And what I've learned is it looks different for every single one of us. So let's talk about this. Like Jen, how would you prepare yourself to become sanctified or holy?

Jen Cocciamillio 34:31

My first thought is to pray. And then to read the scriptures. I know they are such simple things but, you know, those are everything.

Tammy

I think it's that easy.

Jen Cocciamillio

I do. It's that little brass serpent that we sometimes really think won't make a difference. But I love how you connected that. So here we have Moses, the Prophet and I think President Nelson has that same responsibility. In his General Conference talk in October, he talked all about the temple. And so here is a prophet helping sanctify us and teaching us the pattern on how we can prepare ourselves for things to come.

Tammy 35:00

Excellent. Laura, how would you sanctify yourself?

Laura Reese 35:02

I think it's just about realigning. And so for me, this year, the word repentance has changed for me as like realigning myself. And so it's just everyday trying to do better. And trying to fix the humanness in us, right? And so I think it goes back to what Jen said about prayer. It's just making sure we're having that relationship with God. He just wants a relationship with us. And then He meets us where we are, and He's going to take us.

Jen Cocciamillio

And one thing that really strikes me about what these people said, you know, they want to do everything that the Lord asked them to do. And I want that, too. And it gets really frustrating when I find myself falling short. I just fall short a lot. And it's frustrating because my heart is so willing, but it's so awesome to me to know that that's all that the Lord requires. Like, just be willing. He just wants our heart. And He, He can manage the rest.

Laura Reese 36:06

Isn't that so perfectly said when you say, 'We are willing, but He is able?'

Jen Cocciamillio

Yes. Yes.

Tammy 36:13

Why do you think we fall short?

Jen Cocciamillio 36:15

That's such a good question. And you know what, maybe I feel like we're harder on ourselves than we need to be. And I feel like Satan's biggest tool for me is discouragement on what I consider to be weakness, when I feel like Heavenly Father looks at me and sees potential and effort.

Tammy 36:35

Hold on. I have to write some things down. You ladies are hitting it right on the head. What about you, Laura?

Laura Reese 36:40

I think we were meant to fall short. I think we were sent to earth; He knew we could not do it on our own. Yet, we're so hard on ourselves every time we can't meet those expectations. And like Jen said, every day, like I could literally go to the temple and then on the way home, I'm not nice sometimes. Like, and it's so disappointing because you're like, I should be changed. And I actually think my husband might think sometimes like, “Wow, she studies all this stuff. Like, how come she can't be better?”

Tammy

That's funny. You read the scriptures a lot, why are you such a jerk? My kids probably think that.

Laura Reese 37:16

Like, I mean, that's the reality of our humanness. And I think we're just so hard on ourselves. Because the entire plan of salvation was based around the fact that we could not do it by ourselves. We were not meant to; like Jesus was coming. He's going to make up the difference, all we have to do is ask. Again, like, if we are willing, He is able. And so I think we're just, we just forget to include Jesus in our story.

Tammy 37:46

Ummm. I'm writing so much stuff down. Okay, let's go back into Exodus chapter 19. And we're going to find out then what happened with the children of Israel. So they were told to sanctify themselves. He also says, to wash their clothes. This is really common throughout the Levitical law: they're required to many times clean their clothes, wash their clothes, put on new clothes. And it's going to prepare their hearts to receive a law. There's so much symbolism that, in wearing something nice and clean, it's changing from old to new. And then He says to them, in three days in verse 11, get ready against the third day, and on the third day, the Lord will come. And three is so symbolic in Scripture. In fact,

Laura Reese

I've been waiting for you to teach us about the three.

Tammy 37:50

It's over 50 times in Scripture, the mention of a third day or three days, you're gonna find over 100 times in Bible. It is so often. When the number 3 in Scripture is used, it frequently serves to emphasize the Divine involvement, backing, or influence. So there's a Divine involvement right here when He says I'm coming in three days. So number 3 is divine involvement, He's going to help us, and it goes back to what you said, Jen, this idea of being sanctified: it only can come through Him. And we're gonna wash our clothes.

An interesting one is found in verse 15. He also says, "Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives." What this means - and I thought this was really interesting - is that in many ancient rituals, there were sexual rights that were used as a way of entreating the gods to bless their lands and fertility. And so when He says right here, "come not at your wives", what the God of Israel is doing is He's separating sex from worship. He's teaching them like that has nothing to do anymore with this Egyptian worship rights that you've always believed in.

And you'll read later on where He'll say, come not at certain gods. There is a God of sexual rights. It's really fascinating. So He's just, He's not saying sex is bad at all. What the Lord is doing here is getting rid of any lingering practices or beliefs that the children of Israel picked up in Egypt. And we'll see how important it was for the Lord to do this when we talk about the golden calf next week. - Spoiler alert, eh, heh. - And then we get to verses 16 and 18. And wow, what an experience they're having! In fact, I want Laura to read verse 16. And then Jen, let's read verse 18 and find out, and I want you to tell me, like what's going on that would cause the children of Israel to react the way they did. So go ahead, Laura.

Laura Reese 40:04

19:16 "And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

Tammy 40:20

Wow, craziness. Now Jen, verse 18.

Jen Cocciamillio 40:23

18 "And mount Sinai was all together on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly."

Tammy 40:36

Wow. And then in verse 19, the trumpet gets louder and louder. I mean, so much is going on. How do you imagine they're reacting to this right now? Oh, how would you react to this?

Jen Cocciamillio 40:46

It would be terrifying. I mean, it would be so scary, I just can't imagine. But then also at the same time, like here, I mean, you've had so many crazy experiences. But here is like literal proof of the existence of God.

Tammy 40:59

Right.

Jen Cocciamillio 41:00

I mean, that's just got to be so awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time.

Tammy 41:06

You're totally right. And going back to that question like, why do we sometimes fail when I asked that, like, what plays into that? And Jen, I love how you said, for you it comes by way of discouragement, in light of potential. Like, the Lord's saying you can do all these things, and you get discouraged. And I just wonder at this moment, because what happened was the children of Israel freaked out. And then go to verse 21. And the Lord is saying, “Look, they're not ready, they're freaking out.” And we know this through a Joseph Smith translation. Look down below, it will say that the wicked cannot see my eyes. But let's cross reference verse 21 with Doctrine and Covenants Section 84, verses 21-24. That tells us the rest of the story, what's going on here.

So again, Doctrine and Covenants Section 84, verses 21-24. And let's turn there, and let's find out what really happened. I'll give a little background: in verse 20 the Lord is speaking, talking about the importance of ordinances. And verse 21 talks about the importance of ordinances and the priesthood, that without the power of the priesthood, we can't have the power of godliness manifest unto men in the flesh. And then we have in verse 22, "for without this, no man can see the face of God, even the Father." And now look at 23 and 24. And Jen read those for us.

Jen Cocciamillio 42:19

24 "But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of is glory."

Jen Cocciamillio 42:19

23 "Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God;”

Wow. So tell me why you did that. Why do you go 'wow'?

Well, it's just so fun to connect things that we studied last year, to things this year and understand. But I guess I'm just kind of confused why a natural reaction to being afraid of these terrifying demonstrations of God's presence and power, like why that would be considered a bad thing?

Tammy 43:06

Whoa, that's a great question. Holy cow! I love that you're pointing that out because it would be a natural reaction, right? Like, naturally they were like, no, no, no. Well, we might as well just go to Deuteronomy chapter 5, because there's another retelling of this story in Deuteronomy 5, and it's verses 23-27. Because we don't have the whole story right here, that's why we have Deuteronomy. It's a retelling of the story that we're reading right now. And we're going to look at verses 22-27. Twenty-two gives us the background, there they are, they're at the camp, they heard the voice, and they're going to hear so many things from this voice. But look at 23-27. Can we read these and Laura, we'll each take a turn reading the verse?

Laura Reese 43:44

23 "And it came to pass when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that you came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;”

Jen Cocciamillio

24 "And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God does talk with man and he liveth.

Tammy 43:57

25 "Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, then we shall die.”

Laura Reese 44:17

26 "For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire, as we have, and lived?”

Jen Cocciamillio 44:26

27 "Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee. And we will hear it, and do it."

Tammy 44:29

They're saying to Moses, “Look, you just go, you go instead of us. We can't. Listen, we can't take any more of this. We're gonna die, it's too much, we're overwhelmed.” So now tell me about your connections.

Jen Cocciamillio 44:46

Okay, well, that makes a lot more sense. So it isn't just them being punished for being worried. I mean, they've been through a lot, these people. You know what I'm saying? So that's really interesting that they, they didn't want to receive the word directly, but they wanted Moses to do it for them, and go

Tammy 44:46

You go back up Moses, because we're, we're afraid if we go up there we'll catch on fire and die. They saw the fire and they're like, 'I know what fire does, I don't want to burn.' There was no relationship of trust yet.

Jen Cocciamillio 45:18

It's just that they didn't understand who God was. So maybe He's saying that they are not ready. If they can't understand that they are safe with me, then, then perhaps it is best if I just talk to you, and you teach them.

Tammy 45:34

That's exactly it. We're seeing the humanity in all of us through this story, because they didn't know a lot. They had not been raised - I mean, they had, they knew some about but they also have this, this culture, this Egyptian culture that was a part of them too, where those gods were scary. And they were sacrificing people, you know, I mean, this is a scary time. And so they're like, 'No, we're not going to go up there. Moses, you go instead.' And it goes back to what you said, Jen, this idea of potential versus discouragement. I mean, they, the gods, God saw their potential, like, 'No, you really can just be this awesome and this great', and they just weren't ready.

Tammy

And I just, what I love about this as a parent's standpoint is that the Lord saw their potential, whereas it would have been for me: I already know my kid isn't ready for something. I'm like, no, we're not even going to try. I'm not even going to give them the opportunity. Let's just start with simple stuff, right? And the Lord's like, “No, let's just start with the big stuff first; let's see if they can do it.” And He just loves us so much that He, He's like, “No, they're great enough to do it.” I don't know, in my mind, it played for a long time, because as a parent you wouldn't do that. You know your children's limits, right?

Jen Cocciamillio 46:41

Oh, I think that is so good.

Tammy 46:43

It's just fascinating. Because as a real parent, you wouldn't, I don't know, it's like sending your kid to try out for the volleyball team when they haven't played volleyball before. They've seen it on TV, they've heard about it, but they haven't actually played in a game. 'You could totally make the team; go try it.' Yeah.

Laura Reese 47:00

I think that the cool thing about this, though, is we limit ourselves and sometimes we even limit those around us. But God doesn't. God wants to show them their potential and show them the big stuff. Even when He, He knows already they're not ready. But He is willing to show them because that does something for us. When we see what it's, what we can have.

Laura Reese 47:26

And I think that's why the Prophet in October, but also like when I was in the Young Women program, I read like the #1 thing we were supposed to teach those girls was to lead them to the temple to make covenants with Him. And that is what the prophet is emphasizing for a reason, because the Lord wants to show us the big stuff. This is the purpose of the church is to be able to make covenants with Him because He wants all of us back. So it's okay if we're not ready. He wants us to know what is waiting for us when we are.

Tammy 48:04

And in the end, it's we limit God. It's Satan's discouragement. It's his wording. It's his like, 'You couldn't go up there, you'll catch on fire and burn. It's ridiculous. Why would you put your…?

Laura Reese

It’s fear. I mean, they said they were, it's fear. I mean there are so many things I don't allow myself to do because of fear.

Jen Cocciamillio 48:25

Well, and it's that second voice, you know, that first thought that comes to you even on small things. Like, “Oh, I should send so and so a text.” And then immediately, “Oh, that person doesn't want to hear from me.” You know, and so we talk ourselves out of it, where I feel like very often God is speaking to us in that first voice. And then Satan is trying to cheapen it and water it down.

Tammy 48:45

Nope, that's exactly what's happening here. So good. I'm so glad you asked those questions. Okay, so they're afraid, they're not gonna go up. And so what's going to happen is in the next segment, the Lord will continue to speak to the people. They're going to hear His voice. And we're going to tell you what He has to say to them in the next segment.

.....

Segment 4 49:08

All right. So Jen, you have a question that you asked during the break, and we're just going to ask it right now, because it is exactly what we're going to talk about next. Go ahead.

Jen Cocciamillio 49:15

Okay, so I just was curious, when Moses receives the 10 commandments, where is he?

Tammy 49:20

Okay. Exodus chapter 19, verse 25. Verse 25 says,

Jen Cocciamillio 49:25

25 "So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them."

Tammy 49:26

So he goes down, and he's going to speak and he's going to say, All right, you're right. You can't come up now. You can't come and be with the Lord like He wanted us to. I will go for you every time. But before he goes back up, look what happens. Exodus chapter 20, verse 1 says,

And now God's speaking to Moses and all the children of Israel. So now they're going to hear His voice. And what is he going to hear? If you could label Exodus chapter 20 anything, what are we going to call it?

Jen Cocciamillio 49:57

The 10 Commandments

Tammy

There it is. Everyone write in big letters at the top of that page: The TEN COMMANDMENTS. Here they are you guys. It's one of my favorite things to teach. I'm so excited, I've been looking forward to this forever. So the children of Israel are going to receive the 10 Commandments, which apparently along the way kind of got forgotten. But this is it you guys, this is the watershed moment where the Lord speaks audibly to the children of Israel and gives them the 10 Commandments. So I have some really cool quotes that I want to share with us. And then we're gonna learn the 10 Commandments, and we're gonna talk about them, and it's gonna be so much fun. So here's the first quote, this is by Spencer W. Kimball. And this is what he has to say about the 10 commandments. So Laura, will you read this quote for us.

Laura Reese 50:39

"The 10 Commandments are fundamental rules for the conduct of life. These commandments were, however, not new. They had been known to Adam and his posterity, who had been commanded to live them from the beginning and were merely reiterated by the Lord to Moses. And the Commandments even antedated Earth life and were part of the test for mortals established in the Council of Heaven."

Whoa, yeah! Adam received them, that's what we need to know. This is not new. Adam lived by the 10 Commandments; Abinadi gave them in the Book of Mormon; the Savior included them in his teachings; and the Doctrine and Covenants reiterated them. So that's important to know, they've always been around. So pretty big, right? Pretty important that we're gonna do 10 Commandments.

Now, this was really fun. On May 31, of 1957, at the Commencement exercises at BYU, Cecil B. DeMille came and spoke to the graduating class. Now Cecil B. DeMille is the Hollywood producer and director for the movie, "The 10 Commandments". Yeah, it is a great talk, like I highly recommend you go read this talk. But I took this quote from his talk, and we have to read this. Here's what he had to say about the 10 Commandments. So Jen, will you read this quote.

Jen Cocciamillio 52:19

"Law has a two-fold purpose. It is meant to govern, edit, and it's also meant to educate. We must look beneath the literal, the surface meaning of the words; we must take the trouble to understand them, for how can we obey commands that we do not understand? But the Commandments, to have an educative function, which you can see in the life of anyone who keeps them, they produce good character. The 10 Commandments are not rules to obey as a personal favor to God. They are the fundamental principles without which mankind cannot live together. They make of those who keep them faithful, strong, wholesome, confident, dedicated men and women. This is so because the Commandments come from the same Divine hand that fashioned our human nature."

Tammy 52:33

Hmm. Anything you have to say? Jump. Yeah, jump in and say anything.

That's just a mic drop. (Laughter) I mean, I love where it says it's not a personal favor to God. I love that. And I love because it reiterates that, you know, the, being obedient is not a transactional process. We don't do it because we're trying to earn something. We do it because we love Him. And then we see the benefits of it. I mean, it changes our very nature, and helps us to live together as mankind. But cool that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And so to think that we were taught these things before we came here, that's really cool.

Tammy 53:59

And it makes sense for us. And so many of our laws today, this is the base. This is the foundation of what we live today. And it's religious. Isn't that crazy? It wasn't written by man. It was written by God. And yeah, we live by the laws today. So here's where you learn the 10 Commandments in order, I think it's so important for us. Now, we did this in the very first season of this podcast, but we're going to do it again. And I'm going to teach you the 10 Commandments in order 1-10. You will remember them for the rest of your life.

So here's how we're going to do this. Everybody put down your pens and pencils, you are not allowed to write a single thing when I teach this to you. Now, this was taught to me by Susan Easton Black, and I have remembered it since college, since I was a young 20 something. This is how awesome it works. And I teach it every time I have the chance to teach the 10 Commandments in order. So what we're going to do is we're going to do what's called pneumonic devices. I'm going to give you a picture to imagine, with a number, and then I'm gonna teach you the commandment. And then you're going to be able to say them to me, and we're gonna learn them in 5 minutes. You ready to do this? Okay, here we go. And I'm telling you have to trust me, don't write anything down.

I taught my friend Sandy Bacon. Hi, Sandy. She called me because she teaches Seminary back in Illinois. And she said, “How do I teach it?” And I said, “Okay, put everything down. I'm going to teach you the 10 Commandments in 5 minutes.” And she was like, “Ah, I don't know. I'm gonna write them down.” I'm like, “No, you're not.” So she followed my directions. And when we got done, I said, “How did that go?” She's like, “I was skeptical, I was like, there's no way I'm gonna learn these if I can't write them down.” And she taught them to her seminary students, and she said it worked wonderfully. Okay, here we go. Listen to me first.

1, son. 2, shoe. 3, tree. 4, door. 5, hive. 6, sticks. 7, heaven. 8, gate. 9, line. 10, Pen.

Now repeat after me. 1 son –

Jen and Laura

1 son.

Tammy

Picture a son in your brain. 2 shoe –

Jen and Laura

2 shoe.

Tammy

Picture a pair of Nike tennis shoes. 3 Tree –

Jen and Laura

3 tree.

Tammy

4 door –

Jen and Laura

4 door.

Tammy

5 hive –

Jen and Laura

5 hive.

Tammy

Picture a beehive. 6 sticks –

Jen and Laura

6 sticks.

Tammy

7 Heaven –

Jen and Laura

7 Heaven.

Tammy

8 Gate –

Jen and Laura

8 gate.

Tammy

9 line –

Jen and Laura

9 line.

Tammy

and 10 Pen –

Jen and Laura

10 Pen.

Tammy

Okay, now here we go. Don't try to remember, it's okay. I promise this'll work because I'm looking at Jen and Jen's closing her eyes, repeating them after her. If anyone else is doing that, trust me. Ya gotta trust the process.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:00:34

Thou shalt not lie.

Tammy 54:27

Six is my favorite one to start with, especially with teenagers. You'll never forget it. So 6 sticks. Imagine this is kind of gory, but it works. Imagine two men beating each other to death with sticks until the other one dies. The 6th Commandment is Thou shalt not kill. Okay, so tell me: if I say the number 6, what do you say? 6? 6. What's the Commandment?

Jen, Laura 56:58

Thou shalt not kill.

Tammy 57:00

Yep, no brainer. That's easiest one. Okay, here we go. We're gonna start with number one.

One son. The 1st Commandment is No other gods before me. There is only One son, S O N. No other gods before me. Number one and God's like, I'm number one, no other gods. K.

Two Shoe. When Moses was up on the Mount receiving more information from the Lord for 40 days, the children of Israel are down below building a golden calf. Picture a golden calf in your mind and he's got on all four hooves: Nike tennis shoes. They built graven images. So the Second Commandment is No engraven images, or anything, other likeness of it. No graven images. So no golden calves wearing tennis shoes. Okay

Three tree. Picture a tree. And when you cut a tree, you see all of those circles. Those are like the veins of a tree or when you look at wood and you see all of the lines in that wood. You see those veins. The Third Commandment is to Not take the Lord's name in vain. Can't take His name in vain.

Four door. You go to church on Sunday, and you go to open up the chapel door and someone has shot holes all over in that door and that door is holey. So many holes in that Holy Door. Thou shalt keep the Sabbath day holy. Four door.

Five hive. Picture a beehive and inside the beehive, who's in charge of the beehive?

Jen Cocciamillio 58:21

The Queen bee.

Tammy 58:23

Yes, the queen bee, she's the mom, she's ruling. So five hive is Honor thy father and mother. You better keep the queen bee's rules. Five hive, Honor thy father and mother. Six sticks, what's six?

Jen Cocciamillio 58:33

Thou shalt not kill.

Tammy 58:34

Very good.

Seven Heaven is Thou shalt not commit adultery, and home cannot be a heaven on earth if the parents commit adultery. Do not commit adultery.

Eight gate. Picture a robber in your mind and he has a mask on and he's sneaking up in the nighttime, and he's going up to a gate and he's trying to pick the lock on that gate because he wants to break in and steal everything. Eight gate. Thou shalt not steal.

Nine line. Okay, picture your phone and you've just received notification that you have 25 text messages from one person. And you open it up and you see just these texts line after line after line. And it is the juiciest, awesomest gossip you've ever read. And it is just story after story about this specific person. It might not be true, it might be lies, but they sent you the text lines and you're reading them. The Ninth Commandment is Thou shalt not lie or bear false witness against the neighbor or gossip or say mean things. Okay? And then....

Ten pen. Oh my gosh. I'm gonna use Laura and Jen. Jen, you got the most beautiful gold pen for an anniversary. And Laura really wants it because you know, it could get her out of a couple of jams. She could turn that in for some cash. But she can't because you can't covet what other people have. So 10 Pen, “Don't covet Jen's beautiful gold pen.” Okay, now I'm going to call out the number and I want you guys to call out the Commandment. Here we go.

Number one, one son.

Laura Reese 1:00:01

No other gods before me?

Tammy 1:00:03

Great, Good job. Two shoe.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:00:05

No graven images.

Tammy 1:00:07

Three tree.

Laura Reese 1:00:10

Don't take His name in vain.

Tammy 1:00:12

Four door.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:00:14

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Tammy 1:00:16

Five hive.

Laura Reese 1:00:19

Honor thy father and mother.

Tammy 1:00:20

Six sticks.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:00:22

Oh, thou shalt not kill.

Tammy 1:00:24

Seven heaven.

Laura Reese 1:00:27

Do not commit adultery.

Tammy 1:00:28

Oh. Eight gate.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:00:30

Thou shalt not steal.

Tammy 1:00:32

Nine line.

Jen Cocciamillio 58:33

Thou shalt not lie.

Tammy 1:00:36

Oh yeah, no, no gossiping. And Ten Pen. Ten pen Laura.

Laura

Do not covet.

Tammy

Okay. Hello! For everyone listening, Jen and Laura, did you guys know this before we met?

Jen Cocciamillio 1:00:49

No, this is new to me today.

Laura Reese 1:00:51

No, this is new.

Laura Reese 1:00:51

I feel like a magician like I have to prove to you that they did not know before we met beforehand. You just learned the 10 Commandments in order; you officially know them. I can't tell you how many times this has come in handy for me as I have been teaching or noticing things. And I will say, “Well, you know the third Commandment is,” And then in my mind I'm like, “Three tree, don't take the Lord's name in vain.” It is awesome.

Tammy 1:00:56

When you know the commandments, you literally know them. Because before I would have said, what are the 10 Commandments? You could have named them, probably, but not in order. We just don't know 'em in order, and it, I love knowing them in order. This is huge for me. So, this has stayed with me forever. And now that we know them in order, now we can discuss them. Anything you want to say, any comments?

Jen Cocciamillio 1:01:29

I just think it's really significant how generous the Lord is that, you know, here in the previous chapter, they kind of gave up the opportunity to see His face and to be in His presence. But yeah, He still gave them the opportunity to hear His actual voice.

Tammy 1:01:45

Oh, yes. Okay, that is profound. It was the same in the garden. We learned that after Cain killed his brother, God spoke to Cain.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:01:55

So that means that there's nothing that we can do that makes it-us ineligible to hear His voice.

Laura Reese 1:01:54

Yeah.

Tammy 1:02:02

You're absolutely correct. That is true. And I'm grateful you pointed that out. Okay, well, now that we know the 10 Commandments in order, then we can talk about them. So in the next segment, we're going to do what Cecil B. DeMille challenged us to do: we're going to find the surface meaning of the words, and we're going to take the trouble to understand them. And we will begin with the first five Commandments in the next segment.

….

Segment 5

Tammy 1:02:22

So here's my question for you. What are people often jealous about? Or have you guys ever been jealous of something or someone?

Jen Cocciamillio 1:02:29

Oh, absolutely. Who hasn't been jealous? I mean, let's be honest.

Tammy 1:02:34

Yes, please do.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:02:36

I mean, isn't social media geared around stirring up those feelings? How can you not, even if you're trying so hard not to it's hard not to think, “Oh, wow, that that vacation looks so amazing.” Or “Wow, their house is always so organized and clean.” Or, you know, or “Wow, their kids are amazing.” I know. I feel that a lot.

Tammy

Way to call us out on that. That is exactly what we're feeling, that is jealousy, and you can't help it. You just can't. There's a little bit of like, ah, I just had to stop following people just because I was like that.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:03:09

Well, and jealousy is huge. Like for some reason it feels, it fills the space. It gets a really powerful emotion, and it can, it can overwhelm your mind.

Tammy 1:03:21

I appreciate that you said it's a powerful emotion because this talk about jealousy, we never talked about a commandment that says don't be jealous, right? But the word finds itself in the 10 Commandments. So let's go into Exodus chapter 20. And we're going to read a verse that talks about the word jealous. So here we go. Exodus chapter 20. We have starting out - we're going to number these now - in verse 3 is the first Commandment: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." So go ahead and number that 1. Verse 4 is Commandment number 2: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is" a, but like that. But look at verse 5:

20:5 "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them:" (speaking of the other gods.) "for I the Lord God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."

Highlight 'jealous'. And the footnote down below is awesome. If you go down to 5b, it says, In Hebrew, it's a word that is QANNAH, and it means 'possessing sensitive and deep feelings'. Isn't that interesting? Laura, what are you doing? Tell me about that face.

Laura Reese 1:04:31

That's just not how I define jealousy. So I thought that is, these footnotes? They change everything.

Tammy 1:04:37

They really do. And it's interesting when like God says, I am a jealous God. And so I've had students who've said, “Is he really jealous?” I'm like, “You bet He is 100%. He's God.” And it's not the jealous we think of though; it's not like being of a jealous boyfriend. It is, that, what does that tell us about Him that He has sensitive, deep feelings? What is that telling us about God with this verse?

Laura Reese 1:05:02

I think it just reminds us again of God's nature. And I really have been thinking - Jen knows this because I talk about all the time with her - but I just feel like we have to understand the nature of God. And it will inoculate us in our lives, it will inoculate our children. And what is God's nature is that He loves us, and that He wants good for us, and that He has sensitive, deep feelings for us.

Tammy 1:05:27

Yep. That's exactly it. And He wants that from us: to have deep sensitive feelings for Him. And that, and we do that through these first two Commandments. No other gods, no graven images. And then I think it's really cool and I'm so grateful that you brought up these deep, sensitive feelings for Him. Look at verse 6. It says, “And showing mercy unto of them that love me and keep my commandments.

I want you to highlight the word 'mercy'. This is a really incredible Hebrew word. It's HESED. And this word HESED, it's more than mercy. You guys, in Hebrew it is this deep-seated love that the Lord has for us; it is, it combines all these feelings of mercy, grace, kindness, love. It's, it is a Godly love how God feels towards His children. It's a kinship, love. It's the love where He says, “Come into my tent and let me take care of you. And let me provide for you and let me help you out of all of the stuff that's making life difficult.” And He's saying right here, if we can keep those first two commandments, He will show us mercy, He will show us HESED.

And it's kind of cool too, because the word mercy actually stems from the Hebrew root word for womb, a woman's womb. Like that love between a mother and a child, and then nurturing experience that the baby's receiving all of its nourishment, all of its protection from the mother, right? And think about that; isn't that incredible? that he's like, 'I'll do the same for you. I'll give you everything you need. Let me show that to you if you love me.'

Jen Cocciamillio 1:07:01

That is so beautiful. I think about the instances that we have in Scripture that talk about Jesus weeping. And just that, how telling it is an affirmative, that we have this perfect person, this, this God, but that is capable of feeling so much emotion, even when He knows the end from the beginning. You know and that He knows how it's all going to play out. There really is no suspense for Him. But He is able to feel and connect with us so deeply. He, He weeps over the emotions of Mary and Martha when Lazarus dies, knowing full well that minutes later He is going to bring him back to life.

Or when He's teaching the Nephites, and that He is just feeling the love and just feeling towards them. That He would weep and cry with them. And sometimes that weeping tends to be related to a more feminine emotion. So I love how you connected that to 'womb', because He is all of those things. He is strong and powerful and a God that can conquer. But He's also a God that can be small enough to weep over our personal heartaches and our struggles.

Tammy

Jen, you perfectly summed up what HESED is; that is HESED. Laura, go ahead.

Laura Reese 1:08:29

One of the things Jen has taught me in some of my times of need is that Jesus is so personal that He will condescend into every one of our moments. And she's reminded me of that when I've needed that faith. When to feel like you don't remember that. And that He's that kind of God and that Jesus will come down from, and we, He proved that to us. He condescended and came to Earth and did all that and suffered so much, but He'll still do it now. Like, it didn't end there. It's still going on now. Every day He'll condescend into every part of our life, and He cares about all of it. Sometimes the things I pray about and want, they seem trivial. I know they are, but He cares about all of them. And I just so appreciate having a friend who reminds me of that when sometimes we just forget it.

Tammy 1:09:26

Beautifully said. Thank you, Laura, I appreciate that. Thank you, both of you for your comments. Let's go in and number more commandments. Verse 7 is Commandment number three: don't take the Lord's name in vain. Now this goes beyond saying His name. Oh my --- and then God. We're talking about an empty worthlessness in covenants that we make with Him. It's when you take an oath, when you agree to do something, and you don't. And my friend Sarah says it perfectly: Don't say you will if you only mean you might.

He's not just saying, and don't swear, by the way. When we go to Matthew chapter five, verse 34, you can cross reference verse 7 to Matthew chapter 5, verse 34. The Savior at the Beatitudes says, "But I say unto you, swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne." He's not talking about swear words, He's talking about taking the Lord's name in vain.

In I Nephi chapter 4, verse 32, after Nephi and his brothers get the plates, they're leaving, and Zoram's following after them. And Moses (Nephi) grabs on to Zoram and says, 'Listen, we'll take care of you.' This is a cool moment. This is a moment where he's saying, 'Enter into our kinship with us.' And he enters into this oath of all oaths. Nephi says, "As the Lord God liveth, and as I live, we will protect you." That is, Hugh Nibley says, the oath of all oaths, where you are taking his name. And if you take it in vain, that that would mean Nephi would say to Zoram, 'As the Lord lives and as we live we'll take care of you. And then Zoram says, 'Okay, I'll enter into a covenant with you.' And once that covenant's entered into Nephi, says, Yeah, just kidding, we're not going to do it- That's taking the Lord's name in vain.

And so think about we do that in the temple, when we enter into covenants in the temple, and then we don't live up to them. Wow, that's taking the Lord's name in vain. And He's asking us not to, but again, it goes back to what you said, Jen, even the children of Israel and all the choices they made, the Lord still spoke to them. And so it's if you do number seven, you're not out of the running, you're not out of the game. You're just, you're not a hypocrite, you're human. That may be the best part of that quote from Elder Holland. So that's what seven is. Any thoughts you guys have on that verse?

Laura Reese 1:11:37

So sometime last summer, I think it was when we were studying in D&C 63. If you go to D&C 63:61, it says, "Wherefore let all men beware of how they take my name in their lips; for behold, verily I say that many there be who under this condemnation, who use the name of the Lord and use it in vain." So when that was studied it for Come Follow Me back in I think it was June, we were kind of together. And so we discussed it a bit. And it just kind of changed everything for me, because I remember being a schoolyard kid, and I grew up in California, and some kid was using the Lord's name to swear. And I went over there and told them that they were swearing.

Tammy 1:12:23

I'm like, Was it me? No, I'm not from California, it could have been me. I'm not kidding. Oh, I was a potty mouth in elementary school.

Laura Reese 1:12:30

But I remember when I was, had kids growing up, right. And they, they do start to tell their friends like, “Oh, don't use that name.” But they kind of are like telling them like you just swore. And so it took a minute. And just when I studied it in June, I just unwound it the same way you did, which was that it's our opportunity to take His name upon us. So it's about what we're doing with His name. And every single Sunday we're renewing that covenant when we're taking the Sacrament to take His name upon us. And then we walk out of the chapel. And so what do we do with his name?

Laura Reese 1:13:07

And so I just was thinking about it like in our actions and what we're doing, if we just slow down and think of like, we have covenanted to take the name of Jesus Christ upon us, then it needs to influence our actions. And it needs to influence who we are, and everything we're doing. And so then we're not doing it in vain. And yeah, we're gonna screw up, but like, then we get to go back to church next Sunday. And take the Sacrament. It's one of the only ordinances that we're doing every week, and we're doing it in for ourselves. And so He wants us to keep trying,

Tammy 1:13:43

Oh, my gosh, that's exactly what verse 7 is about. Thank you, Laura. Okay, well, let's, let's number another one, then. Okay. The next commandment then is in verse 8. And that is commandment number four: to Keep the Sabbath day holy. This is the only commandment that has the explanation about what it means to do that. It's so important to the Lord. I mean all these other verses are quick and they're short. A little bit in verse like No Graven images, but keep the Sabbath day holy is verse 8, 9, 10, and 11. And He's basically saying, hey, remember manna? Remember when I had you guys do all of that, and you didn't know why I was having you gather double on Saturday so you wouldn't on a Sunday? This is it. This is the Keep the Sabbath day holy. And so He's going to explain how that works.

Tammy 1:14:23

And then we turn the page. And now we have a one of the last commandments that we're going to talk about which is verse 12. And it is Honor thy father and mother. This is the only commandment that has a promise given to it: "that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God hath given thee." Isn't that interesting? That's the only commandment with a promise. And what's fascinating to me, and I want to know your thoughts on this because here's what we know about the 10 Commandments: they're broken up into groups of five. The first five are about our relationship with God. The second five are about our relationship with man.

Why would number five be the transition one? Of all the Commandments, of all the orders we could have put them in, why would God put number 5 in the middle of relationship with Him leading into mankind? What do you think?

Jen Cocciamillio 1:15:03

Wow, I think about our first parents, and how they enabled all of mankind, and I think about my earthly parents, and how they enabled me to come to this earth. And I know it's not the case for everybody, so I want to be really sensitive to that. But my parents have helped me know what it will feel like to be in the presence of my heavenly parents. And, and so I think it's honoring them, the things that they've taught me, thinking back to my ancestors, you know, and how much they sacrificed to allow me to have the blessings and understanding that I have today.

But also honoring, too our Heavenly Parents, recognizing that we come from them. And so it's that connection that bridges the gap between heaven and earth, and all the generations in between. So it isn't just me, it isn't just Jen Cocciamillio. I am, I am a daughter of Jack and Dixie, the two most adorable people you would ever know in your life.

Laura Reese 1:16:08

Who come to her every single time she teaches a Sunday school lesson, Jack and Dixie - front row.

Tammy

What?

Jen Cocciamillio 1:16:13

They are front row in my Gospel Doctrine lessons, could you just die? How awesome is that?

Jen Cocciamillio 1:16:19

And then I have the responsibility to then be that kind of parent. And that's hard. Because I mean being a parent is really hard. I mean, it is and you, I mean nothing makes you feel more vulnerable. Because there's nothing that you care more about. It's about being somebody that your children can honor.

Tammy 1:16:38

Umm. Jen. Oh my gosh, ladies. Jen, you just succinctly described the perfect reason why that is this transition verse. Thank you so much. I'm imagining your cute parents on front row. I think Heavenly Mother and Heavenly Father would do that. They would be front row cheering us on. For our classes we're teaching, they are there.

Laura Reese 1:16:57

They are the front row parents.

Tammy 1:16:59

That is so sweet. I love it. Well, thank you for sharing your stories, both of you. That was powerful. And I definitely felt the Spirit. Like it just was a good peaceful feeling as both of you spoke in this segment. So thank you for sharing that. Okay, well in the next segment, then we're going to dive into the last five commandments.

Segment 6 1:17:16

.....

Tammy 1:17:17

All right, we are going to be in Exodus chapter 20. And we're going to look at verses 12 through 26. These are the last five commandments about our relationship with mankind. And so in 2003, we just have to kind of start with this because I think it's kind of funny. In 2003 President Monson, he shared a joke, kind of a story in his conference talk and his conference talk is called “The Bridge Builder.” And here's what, he said this.

"A bit of subtle humor is found in an account of a conversation between Mark Twain and a friend. Said the wealthy friend to Twain: 'Before I die, I mean to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I will climb to the top of Mount Sinai and read the 10 Commandments aloud.' Replied Twain: 'Why don't you just stay home and keep them?'" President Monson shared that in 2003. So, we're gonna continue our discussion of the 10 Commandments so that we can just go home and keep them.

So we already know what they are. And here's what we're going to do. We're going to talk about these last five. So let's start in verse 13. And we're going to number them. So verse 12, Honor thy father and mother. That was Commandment #5, just as a kind of recap. Verse 13 is Commandment number six, thou shalt not kill. Verse 14 is Commandment number seven, thou shalt not commit adultery. Verse 15 is Commandment number eight, thou shalt not steal. Verse 16 is Commandment number nine, thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, or lie. And Commandment number 17. Sorry, Commandment number 10 is verse 17. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's house.

Okay. These Commandments seem pretty obvious, right? Like how could there be anything deeper that we're going to talk about? But I want us to cross reference those commandments to Doctrine and Covenants, section 59, verse 6, because we talked about how all the 10 Commandments are reiterated in all of the standard works. And in Doctrine and Covenants section 59, verse 6, let's see what the Lord has to say about the commandments here, specifically, these last five. So 59, verse 6, and Jen, will you read verse 6 for us.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:19:13

D & C 59:6 "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, Thou shalt not steal, neither commit adultery, nor kill, nor do anything like unto it."

Tammy 1:19:22

Highlight "like unto it, nor do anything like unto it." So we're going to talk about what are the like unto it’s for all of these verses? Looking at verses, five through, and I let my guests know ahead of time. I asked you guys to look for what are the like unto it’s when it comes to the higher laws of verses 13-17. What did you come up with?

Laura Reese 1:19:42

So this was kind of a hard one at first.

Laura Reese 1:19:44

Cuz wait. Do I have to admit to you all my weaknesses?

Tammy

Yes, you do. This podcast is a safe space.

Laura Reese

So one of my special talents, it's like a little secret talent of mine, except it's not so secret and my family is that I can get deals. Like I'm really good at organized, planning, getting deals. I'm good at working with people when I need to like, make things happen. And so if something goes wrong for one of my kids like, I'm out there to fix it, and if like, I need to, like, fix, like, somebody's done an error to me, then I can, you're not going to, I can fix it. And because of this, like, all my life, I could get like, “We're gonna take a day off your hotel stay and we're gonna like, you don't have the view? Okay, we can fix that, we're not, you're not gonna get charged for the rental car all the way because of whatever reasons.”

Now, this is something I'm well-known for. But a couple years ago I had a moment where I started realizing that I had to be really careful. Because when you think of like not stealing, and then not bearing false witness, it can fall into the line of like, Am I honest all the time? Am I not taking advantage of other people? And I really had to dial it back and just think like, “Okay, I want to take His name upon me. I want to be a Christ-like person.”

Laura Reese 1:19:51

It's why we're here. But one of the ones that stood out to me as far as a like unto it is first of all - I was talking about this with one of my girls - like, we don't go from like, where we're like doing good every day, yay and then all of a sudden, like I killed someone. Like there's, there's, gonna be a bridge in between there. So what's that bridge? And I think the bridge is that word 'like unto it'. Like it's what are we doing in those little things that start bringing us a little bit into gray areas, and oh, man. Satan loves to help us justify everything right.

Tammy 1:21:40

Great examples. Wow, Laura. Thank you. It was awesome. What did you come up with Jen? Any like unto its?

Jen Cocciamillio 1:21:48

You know, honestly, when I read D&C 59: 6 I was a little bummed because I thought, well, these are the commandments that I can just always check off at the end of the day. Like, you know, when you're making an account of the Lord, like what? I didn't kill, I didn't steal, I didn't do any of these major things. So I'm keeping the commandments. I'm good. So I don't know if I want to know about the like unto its.

Tammy 1:22:09

I'm sorry. You're like, dang you Tammy.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:22:12

So the one that I thought of, which I've never thought of before, until you ask this question was the one about adultery, which I have not committed. But I thought about my relationship with my husband, who is so patient and kind. Sometimes I feel like one of my biggest struggles, is not putting the highest priority on that relationship. I think sometimes I put things ahead of it. So even like good things, I crowd my life with so many things, things that are good. I just found that I was so spent that I didn't find I was putting a high enough priority on giving him just that that attention that he needed, you know.

And at the end of the day, when you just want to turn off your brain and read random news stories, or just go, right, exactly. Like to just and I found like, you know what? Am I putting that more important than him? And so like, I really thought about that, like, how can I make that relationship the sacred relationship the most important thing? Am I putting other things, you know, giving them my heart over him? So it's really challenged me to rethink that.

Tammy

Me too, now. Jen. I think that's amazing.

Laura Reese 1:23:33

My husband agrees with you, Jen.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:23:37

Well, I like to hear that other people feel that way.

Tammy 1:23:39

Oh, yeah, I never considered that though, that committing adultery. You do, you think like, I'm not dating anybody else. I'm not having, but I think how subtle it is that when you do let things take over, take importance over your relationship. It's easy to just rationalize anything like suddenly then you're confiding in other people rather than your husband. And you're telling people your, I don't know, I just think that was such a great way, like unto it, to talk about committing adultery. Thank you for teaching us that. Whoa.

Laura Reese 1:24:11

What you said Jen is so important, because the entire story that we've read thus far about the Old Testament is: that He will keep His covenants. Even when Moses goes back and says, 'Did you know this isn't working?' He will keep His covenants. And if we keep our covenants, He will deliver us. So if you want to save someone around you, want to save yourself, your save your children, keep your covenants.

Tammy 1:24:39

Amen. Keep your covenants and it boils down to all these things we've talked about today. So ladies, thank you. That was an amazing discussion. Gather your thoughts and think about, let's discuss what our takeaway was from today. And I have so many. I can't leave how many notes I wrote. Holy mackerel. So when you have your takeaway, just jump in.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:24:59

For me it was HESED and mercy and the way that you described, Tammy, that our Savior and that our Heavenly Father has deep emotions and giant feelings towards us.

Tammy 1:25:11

Wow. "Deep emotions and giant feelings"; that's so good, so good. Hold on. Now your takeaway's a takeaway.

Laura Reese 1:25:24

Your takeaway is always my takeaway.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:25:33

And my second takeaway is Laura's ponytail is so cute.

Tammy 1:25:37

I'll concur that, I'll second that. Laura, what's yours?

Laura Reese 1:25:40

My takeaway, I have about 10 takeaways, but I'm going to show you one takeaway is when Jen reminded us about how when they didn't, they were too scared, they were too fearful, because I'm going to tell you, when the Lord tells me to do something, my first reaction sometimes is fear. So when they were too fearful, and they weren't ready, like how many times are we just not ready in our lives, but then He still spoke to them. He's so merciful. He is just waiting for us. He just wants to have a relationship with us. He'll meet you wherever you are. You do not have to check all the boxes.

Tammy 1:26:17

Oh, excellent takeaway. Both of you. Wow. So good. My takeaway: Jen, when you pointed out the very first, very beginning when the Lord said, "let them". I mean, that is so powerful. Just let them try. Let them do it. And that struck me because it's hard to let people do stuff. And then I think of God, like He's just letting all of us and we're all imperfect, and we're all messing up all the time. It's okay, it's okay. Holy cow. That was such a good discussion. So good. So before we go really quickly, I'm gonna throw this out to you. What's commandment number 6?

Jen

Sticks!

Jen and Laura

Do not kill.

Tammy

Yes, What's commandment number three?

Jen, Laura 1:26:59

Tree, veins. Don't take the name of the Lord in vain.

Jen Cocciamillio 1:27:02

This is like, friends, you know? And like Monica gets

Tammy 1:27:05

Yes, it totally is! Commandment # 10. Commandment #10.

Jen Cocciamillio

Uh, 10 Pen. Laura, do not covet my golden pen.

Laura Reese

Yeah, I'm not gonna covet Jen's golden pen.

Tammy 1:27:14

You guys, what a great day! We learned the 10 Commandments in order, the church is true, name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Jen, Laura 1:27:20

Amen. Amen. We loved it.

Tammy 1:27:21

Amen, Ladies. Well we would love to hear what your big takeaway was from this episode. What a fun episode! That was awesome. If you haven't already joined our discussion group on Facebook or on Instagram, go do it. Those are things you can follow, and it's going to be worth it because it's a great place to ask questions as you study and to read what everybody's sharing throughout the week, because people share their takeaways early, which is so fun. And then on Saturday, we do a post on Facebook and Instagram asking you to share your big takeaway. So comment on the post that relates to this lesson and let us know what you've learned.

You can get to both our Facebook and Instagram by going to the show notes for this episode on LDS living.com/sundayonmonday and it's not a bad idea to go there. You're going to want to because there are a lot of quotes and thoughts that we didn't even get to share today. And that's where we're going to have everything, as well as a complete transcript of this entire 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 is written and hosted by me, Tammy Uzelac Hall and today our awesome, incredible study group participants were Laura Reese, and Jen Coccamillio and you can find more information about these friends at LDS living.com/sundayonmonday.

Our podcast is produced by Katie Lambert and me; it is edited by Hailey Higham. It is recorded and mixed by Mix at Six studios, and our executive producer is Erin Hallstrom. Thanks for being here. We will see you next week.

And please remember, you sweet, peculiar souls, that you are God's favorite.