Reading Sections 70-76

I think these few sections were great ones to end on. The first explained what being a steward meant, a thing that most of us are probably a little hazy on. I liked how it explained that stewardships involve both spiritual and temporal needs, not just one or the other. In the next sections I liked how it explained the true role of debate in the church. I have overheard people debating over different gospel principles and I just wonder, what is the point of that? You are just raising contention, you are not actually teaching or preaching the gospel. I like how Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, "...Almost always a debate entrenches each contestant and his sympathizers more firmly in the views already held." That is a great thing to keep in mind. The other sections then went on the talk about the duties of a bishop, the revision of the Bible, a great and marvelous thing I take for granted, little children being holy, and how we shouldn't be idle, but should enjoy the work we are given and do are best at whatever task is thrown our way. All of the sections were good, but I think my favorite was the last section, 76. It was just so informative I almost couldn't handle it. Every question I could ever think to ask about the degrees of glory was answered in this great section. I am now more educated on the subject then I ever have been. I am extremely gratefu for this reading and all that I learned.

Reading Sections 64-69

One of the biggest themes I got out of these sections is that of forgiveness. To me, forgiveness seems easy enough, but it is actually quite a struggle. People can say they forgive or are forgiven, but do they mean it? I think a lot of people tend to hold grudges or get offended easily, and that is why forgiveness is so important. I remember a few conferences ago when Elder Bednar gave a talk on letting go of offenses and focus on the importance of the gospel. A lot of people leave the church because someone or something offends them. This goes hand in hand with forgiveness. We need to learn to forgive completely. We can't let what seems like a little thing get in our way of salvation. Just like section 64 says, for us it is required to forgive ALL men. Not just the ones you like, but all of them. It seems that people have been struggling with this concept for quite sometime. That is probably why it is mentioned so often in the scriptures. That fact is tied into what is written in section 68, the important role the scriptures play in salvation. Can you imagine what this world would be like without the scriptures?! I can't. It would be utter chaos. It is already pretty crazy with the scriptures available to us, so it would be much worse without them. We obviously would be lost on the subject of forgiveness. I love how everything you read in the Doctrine and Covenants connects with itself. It is truly amazing. Instead of searching for connection and understanding, you have to search to lose it. I love reading this section of scripture. I have read it before, but you learn so many different things each time you read that it doesn't even matter. You don't get bored, just more enlightened! I love it!

3 Goals REFLECTION

My first goal is dealing with prayer. Usually I am really good about praying, but lately I have been neglecting it, and I can tell that my life isn't as full as it once was. I don't know if it is the start of school or what, but praying, sincerely to my Father in Heaven has been harder to do. I am making excuses, too tired, too much homework, I forgot, etc. This has got to stop. It is bad enough that I am not praying often enough, but it is worse that I can tell I am not praying enough. That being said, my first goal is to pray, morning and night, sincerely, for the next six weeks, or until I feel my life is back in order. I will know I have accomplished this goal when I am back on the same level with Heavenly Father that I was before. I will feel it. To help me accomplish this goal I am going to schedule my life more. Get a routine going so I am not rushing to get everything done all the time. I am also going to make reminders for myself and hang them in my room. My favorite quotes about prayer, a rock, whatever it takes. I know overcoming the exhaustion of student life is going to fight against me constantly, but with determination and faith I know I can accomplish this goal.

I am happy to report that I accomplished my first goal. This was probably the most important goal to me personally. I was important to me because I usually am very good at praying, morning and night. I was taught at a young age how important prayer is and gained a strong testimony of it through different experiences. So when I was struggling with it, I was kind of worried. But I learned that if you prioritize your life and have a goal in mind, you can do anything. I organized my life and made sure that prayer and scripture study were my highest priority. Since doing that, everything else seemed to just fall into place. It just goes to show that if you have the right things in mind the Lord will surely bless you. It also helped that my lesson plan was on the subject of prayer. Not only was I actually praying daily, but I was also studying prayer in the scriptures and in talks. It was great to read about prayer and how it important it is in life while actually doing it and receiving the blessing I was learned about. If I could give any advice to others it would be make prayer a priority in your life. Life is hectic and it will probably always be hectic in some way, but it was comforting to know that anytime I felt overwhelmed I could just get on my knees and ask for guidance and support. It is a great way to calm down and re-evaluate your situation. I would also remind them that the Lord is always there, no matter what. You can always count on the Lord, and I have learned that through prayer.

My second goal is dealing with the gift of Knowledge. I know I have been blessed with this, but lately I feel as if I have lost it. Reading in the student manual it says, "the gift...comes by study and obedience." Two things I am also trying to work on. My goal is to get no grade lower than a B. I will know I have accomplished this goal when grades are posted. This is probably going to be my hardest goal because it requires a lot of things. Obedience, knowledge, good study habits, faith and prayer, just to name a few. There is also going to be a lot of things going against me. Time, tests, classes, work, callings, etc. However, I know if I am doing everything I can to follow the teachings of the Gospel as well as prioritize my life, I can accomplish this goal.

Although grades have not been posted yet, I feel like I am on track to accomplish this goal. As I predicted when I first posted about this goal, it has been my hardest. Luckily for me, the other goals I chose helped me a lot in fulfilling this goal. There were a few times where I thought I wasn’t going to make it, but prayer, obedience, diligence and support both from the Lord and my friends and family have helped me get through. I feel like be choosing this goal I have not only been blessed in getting good grades, but I have learned a lot more. Good study habits which are key to getting good grades have helped me become more knowledgable of all the subjects I have been studying. Learning to manage my time was also a huge part in accomplishing this goal. However when I felt there were not enough hours in the day I would step back, prioritize, pray and everything would get done in time. I was surprised at first, but soon I learned that if you were doing everything you were supposed to be doing, the Lord had your back. I was blessed this semester, I have no doubt about that. Because of this goal I will continue to do well in school because I have implemented proper study habits in my life and now know how to organize and prioritize my life. I would suggest that others who are having trouble in their studies learn how do the same. Have a schedule, learn to prioritize and to say no to some things, and most importantly put the Lord first in your life. He will bless you.

My third goal is obedience. I am going to have to work on this one if I want to fulfill my other to goals. My goal for obedience is going to deal with church. I am going to attend all of my meetings, on Sunday and otherwise for the rest of the semester. This sounds simple enough, but it is hard for me. Not so much for my Sunday meetings, but all the other ones. I am extremely disobedient when it comes to attending meetings other than on Sundays, but I know if I start attending my life will be richer. Not only will I meet people in my ward, I will be enriched with lessons and experiences beyond measure. The main problems of this goal are homework, being tired and friends. To overcome these obstacles I plan to schedule my time so my homework is done before 8, go to bed early so I get enough sleep, and invite my friends to attend with me.

This was a super struggle for me. I was doing well at first but then I wavered a little. I missed a couple of family home evenings. We changed to FHE groups a few weeks into the semester and that is when I missed. I was too lazy to figure out where my group was meeting, so I just didn’t go. There is no excuse. However, when I was reading over my goals and realized attending was one of them, I changed my ways. I learned where my group was meeting and started going again. FHE might seem like a trivial meeting, but like all other meetings the Spirit is present and I have learned some quality things while in attendence. The spiritual thought is usually just something short, but important. It was also nice to meet and get closer with some of the people in my ward. Being away from home, you rely on your ward to be your family and that is what happened through all of the meetings I attended. I became closer with my family. I was even asked to give a talk in sacrament meeting about the importance of attending church meetings and was able to challenge others to attend and share some of my experiences I have had by attending meetings. It has been a great experince and I hope to continue to attend all of my meetings, not only here on campus, but where ever I end up in life. I would hope that others would do the same. Meetings are held of us. Even if you think nothing in the meeting applies to you, chances are it does. Maybe not immediately but eventually you will understand all that is said in church meetings. They are a great way to be spiritually guided and uplifted.

Reading Sections 59-63

This weeks reading was good. Some of the highlights for me were the reminder of keeping the Commanments. If seems so simple when you just say it, but it actually something a lot of people struggle with. However, if you are reminded of the great blessings you are promised for keeping them, you will surely try harder and obey the Commandments of the Lord. I like how it says that if you are righteous you are promised peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come. The first blessing is what hit me the strongest. Peace in THIS crazy world today?! Awesome. Something else that struck me was the commandment to not idle thy time away or bury thy talent. I am afraid I struggle with both of these, but I am working on it. It was hard at first because after a long day of class and work all I want to do is idle my time away, but I know I need to still be productive. I have made commitments that I need to honor and do my best to work hard. We also need to be aware of our talents and not bury them. I always thought I was talentless, but just because I can't play the piano, doesn't mean I don't have any talents. I just have to look a little deeper and bring them to the surface so I can develop them and not bury them. I also enjoyed reading about signs coming by faith, especially because I just read a lesson on that subject. Studying that lesson really helped me understand that part of the doctrine. Overall I learned a lot in these few sections and as always, I have a lot to work on, but it is worth it for all of the blessings that come along with being obedient to the word of the Lord.

Reading Sections 52-58

When I was reading these sections something hit me. I don't think it is a coincidence that these sections fall in the order that they do. The first few sections talk about the selfishness some of the Saints were suffering from. They were giving into the secular world instead of focusing on the things the Lord was commanding them to do. For example the problem the Colesville branch was suffering from. The saints who were already established in the area offered the incoming saints land in which they could use and build upon. Then, they went back on there word and left the Colesville saints high and dry. I don't think this is something the Lord would ever command us to do. A promise, or covenant, was broken in this situation. Then as you read on in further sections is talks about tribulations coming upon the Lords people. I wonder why.... In the manual it states that tribulations, "sometimes come to the saints as a chastisement when they disregard the Lord's consel..." I think but kicking saints off of land that you had promised them to use would definitelt qualify as disregarding the Lord's counsel. Although that can be a factor of receiving trails, it is not the only one. There was another quote I liked in the manual. It reads, "Tribulation provides the Saints with opportunites for spiritual growth and character development." I think that is something we could all benefit from. So from these sections the two things that stuck out most to me were is follow the Lord's counsel and all will be well and if you happen to come upon a trial in your life, which happen to us all, just remember that the Lord is trying to strenghen you. He wants you to get through it and come out a better person.

Sections 47-51

I would just like to start this post off with saying how grateful I feel to have a strong testimony of the gospel. The things that happened to the saints back in the day are shocking to me. Having false spirits around you and Satan working on you constantly is frightening. I know that we are continually tempted by satan today, but I guess it just sounds worse when you read and hear stories about it. I am also grateful to be going to this school where the Spirit is strong and helps ward off those temptations that are being thrown at as constantly. Anyways, back the the reading. There was good information in this reading on how to discern between the Spirit of the Lord and that of the devil. This is very important information to know because we are being tested all of the time. The saints were new to the idea of bad and good spirits so it seemed that they had a bit of a harder time discerning than we do know. However, Satan is getting more deceiving everyday so it is important to be careful. It was also very interesting to read about the Shakers and the mission that the church did with them. This section relates to modern times really well. Missionaries tell stories all of the time about investigators that know the church is true, yet they can't become truly converted because their old beliefs or habits still play a strong role in their lives. The missionaries tried to teach the shakers as best they could, but they just couldn't get rid of their traditions. Lastly it was good to read about the the role of a bishop and also the law of consecration. A lot of questions get asked about the law of consecration and this section pretty much answers them all. One of the highlights of this section for me was the explanation of why God goves us laws and Elder Richard L. Evans stated, "He has declared his work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. This is the ultimate objective. This is the whole purpose of the Gospel he has given." You can't get any clearer than that.

Sections 43-46

It seemed that these sections focused a lot on false prophets, revelations, and doctrine that were and would continue to pop up in the church. I think it would be hard to live in the time when the church was just getting started for that very reason- the falsities. I know we have them now, but there are also a lot more members to teach and reinforce the true doctrine. Also with the technological advancements we have today the Prophet and his many talks are just a click away if we have any questions. I learned something new when I read the hostorical background for section 43, when it talked about Mrs. Hubble, who claimed to be a prophetess with many revelations. It seems outrageous but things like that really happen, everyday really. We just have to remember the teachings of the church and steer clear of false prophets and revelations. Going along the lines of section 44, every conference we are able to hear revelation and teachings from our Prophet and gather with other saints to learn and grow. Section 45 was a doozy! There was a lot of good information within this section. I liked reading about the parables-that of the fig tree and the ten virgins. Parables make me think more, so the doctrine within them sticks with me more. I also enjoy reading about the Millenium, specifically about Satan being bound. Section 46 was also a good read because sometimes I forget that we have all been best with gifts from on high, but it is up to us to develop and use them accordingly. I never think that I am talented because I can't play an instrument, sing, paint, play a sport, or anything like that. But this section helped me realize those aren't the only gifts you can be blessed with. Those are more temporal talents. We can be blessed with much more useful gifts like the gift to know Jesus is the Christ-awesome, the gift to believe on the testimony of others, the gift to discern spirits, the gift of tongues and the list goes on. Overall these were wonderful chapters and although I was a little behind in reading, I learned a lot from them and am glad I took the time to study them.

Current Event

The concept I have chosen is "Thou shalt not speak evil of thy neighbor." I think this is a problem that most people underestimate. A lot of conflicts, big and small, could be fixed or prevented if we followed this counsel and stopped talking ill about our neighbors. The current event that I found is about a conflict brewing between Venezuela and Colombia. It seems this two neighboring countries are on the brink of war, and why? Because of speculations, lies, and rumors. This is just what the concept is warning us of. If we speak evil of our neighbors, it will create contention and wars that could be avoided if we just treated each other with love, like brothers and sisters. This correlates directly with the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament. In the Doctrine and Covenants 42:27 it reads, "Thou shalt not speak evil of thy neighbor, nor do him any harm." If the respective governments of Venezuela and Colombia would adopt this concept, there would be no worry about going to war. This whole thing seems to have started with rumors about each country but if you speak no evil of your neighbor then rumors would cease to exist. These countries would be able to live in peace and even help each other out since both economies are struggling. As always, this concept doesn't just apply to Venezuela and Colombia. We each need to adopt this and apply it in our lives. I am sure everyone has been involved in a rumor of some kind whether it be about you or talked about around you. It is not a good feeling. World Peace? Easy fix if no one would speak evil about their neighbors. The world just needs to realize this and many, if not all, of the conflicts worldwide would be solved. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hCIKDzMk3thB2iiP8uhH7lXThSCQD9BT2PQG0

Categorizing Sections

I chose to categorize the sections alphabetically. I went through and wrote down the most important priciples or themes in each of the sections and then put them in alphabetical order. There are about 20 categories because the principles in these specific sections don't start with every letter of the alphabet, however some sections go under more than one category because they contained two or more important principles.
I thought of a few other ways of categorizing the sections like by people, places, commandments, etc. but when I tried organizing the sections into their respective categories, it seemed chaotic and confusing. I am an organized person, so this was not at all appealing to me. So when I thought of doing it alphabetically, it fit perfectly. Each section had its own special place and was easy to find.
I wouldn't say that people should study the Doctrine and Covenants alphabetically, that would kind of be like reading the dictionary. However, I do think it would be convient if you are studying it by topic. Then you could just choose a topic, maybe one you were taught on Sunday, and then look it up alphabetically and there would be a list of the sections you could study for the week. It would be very convient.
I personally like how the Doctrine and Covenants are organized now. It is very logical. I am able to study the revelations and also visualize what the saints were going through at that specific time. Chronological order is perfect for the Doctrine and Covenants.

Reading Sections 38-42

It seemed to me that these particular sections contained a lot of heavy stuff. When reading them, it was a lot to take in. It first started out with a kind of warning. Be prepared and you have nothing to fear. This seems like a pretty easy concept to follow. However, a lot of us don't follow it. Most of us, just like with school work or other tasks, put things off until the last minute. Section 38 is a warning to do the opposite of that. We need to start preparing now in order to be ready for Christ's return. It also warns us about pride and the riches of the Earth. We are repeated warnedd about pride throughout all of the standard works, so obviously it is an important concept to understand. We need to heed these warnings from the Lord and do everything we can to be prepared because if we do, we will have nothing to worry about and that is a great feeling. When I started to read about the revelations to James Covill I mostly felt disappointed. How could a man like James Covill, who knows the things he was been told are true, just ignore the commandments of God like that? Then I think about people today. There are millions of people who do that same thing everyday. They know the church is true, yet they let worldly things stand in their way of happiness and eternal life. We can definitely learn from James Covill. The last sections was extremely heavy. The Law of the Lord. Wow. I enjoyed reading about all of the blessings we can get by following the law, but I didn't enjoy reading and realizing how many areas I am slacking in. It was a nice reminder of how you constantly have to be working on improving yourself to become more Christlike. I liked the quote in the manual by President Kimball when asked if there is a time when each person is to die. A lot of us are shocked when a loved one dies and wonders if it was "too soon." But we know that according to President Kimball,"God controls our lives, guides and blesses us, but gives us our agency....I am positive in my mind that the Lord has planned our destiny." That is very reassuring.

Reading Sections: 30-37

These sections were filled with a lot of information and and revelation. It starts out with the Lord rebuking David Whitmer. I like how the manual pointed out that anyone of us could replace David's name with our own and the doctrine would still apply. We need to remember that the Lord wasn't just rebuking David Whitmer, but all of us. In the next section we hear about Thomas Marsh, the family being an essential unit in God's work, and the blessings you can receive for being righteous. In Thomas Marsh's case, he was able to be eloquent in his speech which made preaching the gospel easier. I would really like that blessing! The next couple of sections talked about the first mission to the Lamanites. There was a lot that went into spreading the gospel to the Lamanites. Lucky for the missionaries a lot of them accepted it with open arms. When I first read section 33, some parts confused me, but after reading the manual and seeing how key phrases related to the parable of the ten virgins, it all fell into place. If you can relate what you are reading to something else you have read, it makes understanding all that much easier. These sections also contained a lot of revelation directed to specific people. Orson Pratt, Edward Partridge, Sidney Rigdon, etc. What a great blessing it is to have this revelation recorded for us to read! A lot of these men received answers to questions that we ask today, so it is nice to know that they are right here in these sections. Lastly,we have the revelation given to the Saints to move to Ohio. To me this seems bittersweet. With all of the persecution the Saints were getting, a new gathering place was needed. However, the members were alresdy established and to just pick up and move like that is a great sacrifice. It shows a deep testimony of the Saints to heed the word of the Lord when he commanded them to go to Ohio, and I am grateful for that.

Reading- Sections 21-29

As always, there was a lot of good information in this weeks readings. I live reading the Doctrine and Covenants because it is full of great counsel and answers a lot of questions pertaining to the Gospel. When I was reading this week the section that stood out to me most was section 25. I have been in Relief Society for almost 2 years now, and this section is a favorite when it comes to lessons in there. You think someone would get tired of hearing references to the same section every lesson, but new insights come out of it everytime.
A few years ago I decided to do a little research on Emma Smith. I had been studying Joseph Smith for a little, and I was wondering what it would have been like to be his wife. After a little research I learned that she eventually left the church. I was shocked. I knew she knew it was true so why would she leave? I then read Section 25. It all became clear. I finally understood her reasoning for leaving the church, even though she always had a testimony of it. Emma did a lot for the church. In section 25, we learn how she compiled the first hymn book. One of my favorite scriptures, D&C 25:12 is a great example of worship. Emma made it easier for us to sing praises unto God. God called Emma and "elect lady," how could I ever argue with that?

Reading Sections 17-20

Like the sections prior to these, important stuff was explained throughout sections 17-20. Section 17 told of the Three Witnesses, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris. Section 18, contains one of the simplest yet very powerful scriptures about the worth of souls. Section 19 gave great insight into the gift of repentance we were so graciously given and section 20 tells of how the Church is to be run in specific circumstances.

I enjoyed reading all of these sections, but one thing in particular stood out to me. It was actually from the manual but it relates to Section 17. The manual tells the story of Lucy Mack Smith and what she remembered when Joseph came home after seeing the plates again with the Three Witnesses. When Joseph came home the first thing he did was go to his father and mother and tell them the news. This alone shows what a great man Joseph Smith was. He honored his father and mother to the highest degree. What a great example! But what hit me the most was when he said, "...now they know for themselves, that I do not go about to deceive the people, and I feel as if I was relieved of a burden which was almost too heavy for me to bear, and it rejoices my soul, that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world." What strong feelings Joseph had! He had one of the heaviest burdens imaginable and had been doing a great job at bearing it, but still it was hard. I can't even fathom what it would have been like. But when the angel appeared and showed the plates to Oliver, David and Martin, Joseph could finally breathe easy. Before in was alone in the world, but now, his burden was lifted, if only a little, every little bit counts.

Reading Sections 7-16

What great sections! Where do I even begin! In these selected sections it talks a lot about the field being white and ready to harvest. So true. Now is the time to get out and preach the Gospel to all the corners of the earth. We are all member missionaries, and we have to remember that. I had a Sunday School teacher and every single week he ended the lesson, no matter what it was, with a challenge for us to share our testimony with a nonmember. Being in Utah County and all, it was hard for me, but the few times that I succeeded in the challenge, were strengthening beyond anything I have ever experienced.
Section 10:5, is probably one of my favorite scripture mastery scriptures. I love how it says, "pray always that you may come off conquerer..." What strong words! Conquerer. Haven't you always wanted to conquer something? I know I have. You can do it, all you need is prayer. SO simple, yet so empowering.
Sections 14,15 and 16 are also wonderful. I like to think about the Whitmer's when I read these sections. This family had helped tremendously with translation, and helped Prophet Joseph a lot. Imagine inquiring of the Lord and getting actual answers from the Lord through the Prophet, then writing them down and publish them in the book. Their names are forever in the Doctrine and Covenants. Awesome. Not only that, but the answers to their questions are mighty helpful. Endure to the end. That is something we all need to do.
Can I just say that I love reading the Doctrine and Covenants! There are great thruths in this book and I learn new things every time I pick it up.

Lesson Proposal

I have decided to teach a lesson on prayer. As of late, this has not been my strong suit and it is making me uneasy. Prayer is our direct line to Heaven Father and if you neglect it, you will eventually lose contact. In the lesson I hope to teach people how important prayer is not just every once in awhile, but always, continually with a prayer in your heart. The student will come away from this lesson with a new understanding of prayer i.e. the language of prayer, sincerity of prayer, and how to recieve answers to prayers. They will be able to pray with confidence, sincerity and gratefulness. There are many resources to use to accomplish this criteria, but my favorite would have to be the scriptures. Scripture upon scripture tells of the importance of prayer in the Gospel. It is our way of communication. We give thanks with prayer, we ask questions with prayer, we repent through prayer. It is an extremely important gospel principle I think a lot of us take for granted, me included. Other resources I will use are talks from church magazines. My mother not to long ago referenced a talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks entitled "Language of Prayer." It was a great reference on appropriately talking to Heavenly Father. There are other talks given that would great resources for a lesson on prayer. Hopefully by the end of the lesson people will understand how important prayer is in their lives and the gospel. I would hope they would start applying what they learned in the lesson to their lives and see how much they improve. I will know they have learned when I can look at them and see their countenences glowing with the power prayer gives them. I plan to find at least 5 scriptures to share and expand on dealing with prayer by the end of the week. Then I will move onto talks. I will find at least 3 talks and pick out the best quotes and teachings from each of the talks and integrate them with the scriptures I found. Then I will ponder on my life and see how prayer has blessed and influenced my life throughout the years and write down a couple experiences to share. Then I will come up with a challenge to present to the students and hope they will accomplish it and develop a testimony of prayer, just as I have.

Goals

My first goal is dealing with prayer. Usually I am really good about praying, but lately I have been neglecting it, and I can tell that my life isn't as full as it once was. I don't know if it is the start of school or what, but praying, sincerely to my Father in Heaven has been harder to do. I am making excuses, too tired, too much homework, I forgot, etc. This has got to stop. It is bad enough that I am not praying often enough, but it is worse that I can tell I am not praying enough. That being said, my first goal is to pray, morning and night, sincerely, for the next six weeks, or until I fell my life is back in order. I will know I have accomplished this goal when I am back on the same level with Heavenly Father that I was before. I will feel it. To help me accomplish this goal I am going to schedule my life more. Get a routine going so I am not rushing to get everything done all the time. I am also going to make reminders for myself and hang them in my room. My favorite quotes about prayer, a rock, whatever it takes. I know overcoming the exhaustion of student life is going to fight against me constantly, but with determination and faith I know I can accomplish this goal.

My second goal is dealing with the gift of Knowledge. I know I have been blessed with this, but lately I feel as if I have lost it. Reading in th student manual it says, "the gift...comes by study and obedience." Two things I am also trying to work on. My goal is to get no grade lower than a B. I will now I have accomplished this goal when grades are posted. This is probably going to be my hardest goal because it requires a lot of things. Obedience, knowledge, good study habits, faith and prayer, just to name a few. There is also going to be a lot of things going against me. Time, tests, classes, work, callings, etc. However, I know if I am doing everything I can to follow the teachings of the Gospel as well as prioritize my life, I can accomplish this goal.

My third goal is obedience. I am going to have to work on this one if I want to fulfill my other to goals. My goal for obedience is going to deal with church. I am going to attend all of my meetings, on Sunday and otherwise for the rest of the semester. This sounds simple enough, but it is hard for me. Not so much for my Sunday meetings, but all the other ones. I am extremely disobedient when it comes to attending meetings other than on Sundays, but I know if I start attending my life will be richer. Not only will I meet people in my ward, I will be enriched with lessons and experiences beyond measure. The main problems of this goal are homework, being tired and friends. To overcome these obstacles I plan to schedule my time so my homework is done before 8, go to bed early so I get enough sleep, and invite my friends to attend with me.

Sections 1-6

Some say the most read scripture in the Church is 1st Nephi. Why you ask? Because as members we start to read the Book of Mormon and then we might slack a little so we start over and the cycle continues until we make reading a strong habit. Everytime we start over however, we once again read 1st Nephi. I feel this way about the Doctrine and Covenants also. I have started reading the Doctrine and Covenants many times, each time getting further and further until I start reading somewhere else in the standard works and decide to start over. Because of this, the first few sections are some of my favorite sections. In fact one of my favorite scriptures of all time is Doctrine and Covenants 3:2. It reads,"For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, niether doth he vary form that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round." I have loved this scripture from the first time I read it because it is so simple. I could actually understand what it was saying as a six year old girl. For me some scriptures are hard to understand. I have to ponder and pray about them a lot before I fully understand what they mean, but this scripture is black and white. The Lord has a path for me, and He won't stray from it. If anyone blows it, it will be me. However if I just follow what the Lord says I will return to Him because His course is eternal. It is extremely comforting to know this. If I think I am on following the wrong path I just have to evaluate how obedient I am being to God's plan and I will get my answer. Simple truths are simply amazing!

Readings...the 1st one.

Usually when I have read the Doctrine and Covenants I skip right to Section 1 overlooking the Introduction. What a lazy thing to do. Not to mention it doesn't benefit me in the slightest. The times I actually have read the Introduction I have learned new things. One of the things I enjoy about the Doctrine and Covenants is how close it is to my lifetime, if that makes sense. The Bible and Book of Mormon times were FOREVER ago whereas the Doctrine and Covenants were written in this dispensation. It is amazing for me to think that additions were being added to the Doctrine and Covenants just some 91 years ago. My grandpa is 91. Wow.
Along with the timing, the sacrifices that went into getting this book are astonishing. In the manual it mentioned how "we must remember that they were living in pioneer times...." It wasn't like the leaders of the church could just walk over to Kinko's and get 1000 copies of the revelations they had just received. It was a great, great sacrifice the Church went through to get the Doctrine and Covenants out into the world. And how blessed we are for it!