Old Testament #2

Here is another post about the Old Testament. First I just want to say how much I'm loving the chance that I have to bear my testimony on principles of the gospel. So here we go…

(a) Read the following scriptures and list the miracles the Lord performed through the prophet Elijah in each case:

• 1 Kings 17:1- Elijah seals the heavens or causes a drought/ famine in the land. He states "not be dew no rain these years", so no rain.
• 1 Kings 17:2–6 The Lord had ravens bring Elijah bread and meat when he hid from those that rejected him. 
• 1 Kings 17:8–16 The Lord was able to provide flour and oil for many days when there was only enough for one meal. 
• 1 Kings 17:17–22 Elijah was able to bring the widows son back to life. 
• 1 Kings 18: 31–38 The fire of the Lord came down… so I think this is fire came from Heaven or just poof there was fire and consumed the burnt offerings. 
• 1 Kings 18:41–45 Elijah was able to cause a storm to come to bring rain to drink. 
• 1 Kings 21:17–19; 22:34–38 Elijah foretold the future. He said the dog would lick the blood, and they did. 
• 2 Kings 1:9–14 Fires from Heaven were called down and consumed many soldiers. 

(b) Write a paragraph that gives examples from what you read of how the sealing keys can both bless and curse.

One of my favorite lines in the scriptures is what is bound on Earth is bound in Heaven. I love this line because it gives so many opportunities to keep what we have in this life in the next life. The power to seal families is one of our greatest blessings. That was one thing that really drew me to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love my family so much I want to be with them for eternity (well sometimes… haha) Another great blessing from the sealing power is the covenants that I make are bound. I have promised Heavenly Father a few things and he has promised me a few things well those things continue because they are bound. There is only one draw back to sealing keys that I can think of and that is if I don't do my part I don't get the blessings. Really if you think about it that makes sense, but lets say one of my family members doesn't do their part… then they don't get the blessings and I kind of lose them too, because I won't be able to be with them.

Old Testament

As this being my last semester at BYU-Idaho I decided to take advantage of the great religion classes and take the second half of Old Testament. Here are a few questions and my answers from what we studied this week. We studied 1 Kings. 

Why do you think Solomon asked for an understanding heart? Why do you think his choice was pleasing to the Lord? What would more worldly people have asked for?

I feel that Solomon asked for an understanding heart because the task before him seemed very daughtning and he wanted to make sure that he was doing it to the best of his ability. I know for myself I make my own judgements about people without really thinking about it I just judge them, so to have an understanding heart would help me just as a regular person I can't imagine how it would help a king. I feel that the choice would be pleasing to the Lord because he saw he true desires of Solomon's heart. Just as it states in 1 Kings 3:11 Solomon didn't asks for a longer life or riches, but he asked for a way to help his people through his judgements. More worldly people would have asked for riches or a longer life.  How did Solomon demonstrate that he had received this spiritual gift at the beginning of his reign? 

Solomon demonstrated that he received his spiritual gift through his judgements with the two mothers. He used wisdom to determine that the true mother would not want to hurt he child so she would give it up to save it. He understood the heart of a true mother. How could this spiritual gift help you in your life? What do 1 Corinthians 12:31 and Doctrine and Covenants 46:8, 28, 30 explain about how you could develop more gifts of the Spirit?  

I feel that this gift would prevent me from making judgements on someone I don't know. I also think it would help me slow down and think about people and their situations. I feel that it is so easy for us to get mad and upset at people without really knowing the whole situation. In fact I had an experience this week dealing with just that. I had to tell a friend that I didn't know the whole situation, so I couldn't make a judgment. In 1 Corinthians 12:31 it says to covent the best gift, so strive for the best gifts. There is no reason we can't have an understanding heart. In fact you can ask the Lord for an understanding heart and he will probably help you. Again in Doctrine and Covenants it say to seek out the best gifts and to ask for them. How do 1 Kings 4:1–25 and 1 Samuel 11–20 relate to each other?

Solomon used the sons of Samuel's court as his court. 1 Samuel lays the foundation for Solomon's court. 

From this section of scripture I learned a lot about my self and how I need an understanding heart. I feel like this is something that the whole world needs actually. I feel that now one understands each other, and we make judgements about situations and people with out really thinking about it. I hope that I can be more like Solomon and have an understanding heart. 

Love

I'm not one who is an expert on love, or even one who knows very much about love. Lately I have come to notice that I think I have a very different view of love. I feel that love is something that happens once. Don't get me wrong I love lots of people, but I feel that I want to love just one time. I want to love someone with all my heart, with every fiber of my being, the love of life time just once. I want to have what my grandparents had. Maybe I am too much like my name sake my Grandpa Lynch who died of a broken heart. The story goes that Grandma Lynch died and my Grandpa survived long enough to see my sister be born, but the whole time he was miserable without his love. I want to love someone so much that I would be miserable without them. That living without them would be just surviving.

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE chick flicks. I pretty much watch the same chick flicks over and over again. I have my staples, and I stick to them. As I have been watching these chick flicks over the years I don't think I ever thought I want a love like that, because it seems like the people in these movies go from one love to the next. This theory on love does make great movies though. In one of these movies it talks about how love fades… if love is love does it really fade? I think that if it truly is love it only grows stronger.

Well these are just the thoughts from one single girl about love…

PRAXIS & The End of The Semester

Here is the big news….
I PASSED THE PRAXIS!!!!
No more state tests!!! No more stressing!!! I'm so close to being a real teacher!!

I have been counting down till the end of the semester for a while now, but I think I will make this official. ONLY 14 MORE DAYS!!! I'm actually kind of sad about this. I know crazy right!! I came back from Thanksgiving break and realized that I missed my 4th grade students. I don't want to leave them! I also don't want to leave my Rexburg family! Finally I don't want to be an adult… ok yeah I'm old and I'm technically an adult, but I don't know what my life is going to be like without getting up and going to class everyday. I don't know what I'm going to do when I don't have a teacher to be mad at. I don't know what I'm going to do when I can't go to my favorite teacher's class. I don't know what I'm going to do when I'm not a student anymore. Rexburg has become my home, and even though it may drive me crazy I have come to love the people here. BYU-Idaho and Rexburg will always have a special place in my heart, because the things I have learned and the people I have met.

ANYWAYS only 14 more days!!!!

Day 11

Day 11: Today I'm thankful for a few things. First and probably most important I'm thankful for the veterans and for those that are currently serving our country in the military. Second I'm thankful for being able to work out. I have really come to love it! I glad that I finally have the drive to do it too!!

What happens when you go off the deep end… (ohhh and I'm thankful for)

Ok so this last week I made a goal to loose 30 pounds before graduation. Graduation is in April I can do that no problem right. I just need to exercise and eat better. I decided that I would start November 1st and I did. I'm using this really great app (because I'm all about the apps, free apps that is) called my fitness pal. It's great you just put in what you eat and when you excersice and it does the rest. Well the first week was going great… and Thursday came. Thursday is usually a hard day for me I'm in class from about 7 AM till 6 PM, and most of the day I'm teaching. Well I was going pretty well until I came home… I decided I was too tired to work out and then I saw rolls and just couldn't help myself. Since Thursday I have been a little crazy, but not too bad. I have been working out and going just a little over on my calories. It's ok though because I lost my two pounds for the week, so it's ok to go off the deep end everyone in a while.

Day 5: I'm so grateful that I have pick a career that I will love for the rest of my life. I know that teaching is the job for me, and I'm so excited to be with students all day everyday!!!

Day 6: I'm thankful for my sister Patty! She is such an inspiration, and teaches me everyday to be a little better. I'm so proud of her and I'm so excited for all that she has a head of her.

Day 7:  I'm thankful that we have chances to grow and become better. I'm thankful that I can improve.

Day 8: I'm thankful for my Mom!! She helps me so much all the time. I may not talk to her a whole lot, and we may disagree about some things, and we may fight BUT I LOVE HER WITH ALL MY HEART!!!

Day 9: I'm thankful for temples. I'm thankful that every week I can serve in the Lord's house for five hours. I'm thankful that we have the opportunity to be in the Lord's house!

Day 10: I'm thankful for my sister Amy. I'm thankful that she is constantly serving me and thinking about me. I'm thankful that she sends me mail. I'm thankful that she love me!

Day 4

Today I'm grateful that this is my last semester. I have really love my time here at BYU-Idaho, but man all this homework is starting to kill me. Plus another benefit to this being my last semester is I finally get to be a teacher. I finally get to have my own apartment. I finally get to be an adult. (well kind of I don't think I will ever really be an adult) I finally get to get away from the freezing cold of Rexburg. I grateful that I only have 45 more days!!!