The Passover and the Sacrament

I gave a talk on the symbolism in the Biblical Passover and how it applies to the Atonement and our ordinance of Sacrament today. I thought I would post it here in case it was of interest to anyone. :)

PASSOVER

“The Lord instituted the Passover celebration at the time of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, to commemorate their release from slavery after the angel of death slew the firstborn of Egypt but “passed over” the Israelite homes. However, as the symbolism of the Passover is reviewed, it will be clear that the Passover ceremony is not only symbolic of the redemption of Israel in bondage, it also was in similitude of the redemption of mankind from death and sin by the Lamb of God.” (Pratt, “Part 2” E 7/85)

Galatians 3:24 – “The Law [of Moses] was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.”

Mosiah 16:14 – “[The] law of Moses… is a shadow of those things which are to come – teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord.”

Alma 25:15 – “They did look forward to the coming of Christ considering that the Law of Moses a type of His coming, and believing that they must keep those outward performances until that time he should be revealed unto them.”

“The more we understand and appreciate the Passover service as the Jews observed it in Jesus’ day, the more deeply we can understand our sacramental covenants and marvel anew at the infinite love and sacrifice of our Brother, the Lord Jesus Christ… In the 3,000 year history of the Passover ceremony, very little of it has changed. The basic symbols present in the biblical Passover remain and the order of the service and meaning of the symbolic menu are the same.” (Treseder, Passover Promises Fulfilled in the Last Supper, E 4/90)

“We no longer include a supper with this ordinance, but it is a feast nevertheless.” (Holland, This Do in Remembrance of Me,

LAMB/SACRIFICE

When the Israelites were held in bondage by the Egyptians as slaves, Moses asked the Pharaoh to give them liberty. The Pharaoh declined, and the process was repeated 9 times as different plagues punished the Egyptians for his pride. On the night before the 10th Plague, the Israelites were to sacrifice a lamb and spread its blood over their door. The angel of death would “pass over” any homes with this sign, but would slay the first born sons of any home without it. After this final blow, the Pharaoh told Moses to take his people and leave. Because of this deliverance, the Lord commanded the Israelites to celebrate the Passover, centering on the paschal lamb.

Symbolic:
- Jews: through the blood of the lamb, the angel of death passed over the first born sons of the Israelites.
- Christ: through the blood of the lamb, the angel of darkness passes over each of us.

Isaiah 53:7 – “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.”

1 Peter 1:19-20 – “You were… redeemed… with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

Mormon 9:6 – “Perhaps ye may be found spotless… having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.”

According to the Law of Moses, certain things had to happen to the Paschal Lambs in preparation for Passover:

1. Chosen:
Jesus was chosen at his triumphal entry into Jerusalem when he was hailed as Messiah (which means “anointed” in Hebrew)

2. Examined: to strictly adhere to their guidelines.

Some requirements for sacrificial animals: (Ballard, The Law of Sacrifice, E 10/98)

• Chosen & anointed by the laying on of hands
• Have its life blood spilt
• Without blemish – totally free from physical flaws, complete, whole, perfect
• Clean and worthy
• Domesticated – not wild, but tame & of help to man
• Firstborn
• Male

“Interestingly, the chief priests questioned Jesus in an attempt to find fault with Him at the same time that the Passover lambs for the year were being checked for faults. Thus symbolically the Savior had already begun acting in His role of the lamb for the Atonement’s great and infinite sacrifice.” (Treseder, Passover Promises Fulfilled in the Last Supper, E 4/90)

Similarly, at the joke of a trial, both Pilate and Herod found no fault with Christ.

3. Slain: within a 2 hour period on the day preceding Passover, approximately between 3:00 and 5:00 pm, by a priest at the temple. (This was possible because it had become the custom to perform these sacrifices on two successive days due to the high volume of people attending; and could be why Jesus and his disciples had their Passover meal the day before).

The Lamb was to be killed by “the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel” on the Day of Preparation (the day before Passover). The multitude who had assembled in Jerusalem for Passover later consented to his death when they “all” cried out, “Let Him be crucified!”

When I think of a lamb, I imagine a soft, tender, loving and gentle creature. And I feel that Christ’s actions as the Lamb of God only showed those characteristics. He spent his time ministering, teaching, healing, showing his love, and encouraging righteous actions. Some of His very last words showed nothing but those tender, loving attributes: “Behold, thy mother.” “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And even… “It is finished,” which is the final representational statement for every action, every teaching, every moment in his 33 perfect years of condensation and sacrifice for each of us.

“[Then on] the day of crucifixion [and preparation], our Lord, the real sacrifice of which all earlier altar victims had been but prototypes, died on the cross while the Passover lambs were being slain at the temple.” (Talmage, Jesus is the Christ,). (see also John 19:13-14)

4. Hurriedly Prepared: before sunset, after which would begin the first day of Passover.

The body of Jesus had to be hurriedly prepared for burial before sunset, because not only was it the first day of Passover, but also Saturday, the weekly Sabbath, and ironically, that “high” day was too sacred to be doing something such as dealing with leftovers from the crosses on Calvary. The Priests manipulated Pilate to command the Roman soldiers to break the legs of the men on the cross to speed up their death. They were surprised to find Jesus already dead, and thus fulfilled prophecy by keeping his bones intact and piercing him with a sword in the side instead.

“Of course, at the triumphal entry the multitude did not understand that they were choosing the Lamb of God to sacrifice; but believed they were choosing a King whom they expected to liberate them from Roman rule. And at the crucifixion they were unaware that they were sacrificing the Lamb of God, but believed they were slaying an impostor who could not even save his own life.” (Pratt, “Part 2” E 7/85)

In essence, after nearly 1500 years of tradition, these Jews missed the point. Christ was missing. As mentioned, the purpose of Law of Moses was to draw men to Christ! The Nephites understood, and recognized Him when he came, will we? Are we casually partaking of our “symbolic menu” and “feast”? Are we simply going through the outward motions just like the Jews in Christ’s time? Is Christ missing from our actions too?

The Law of Sacrifice:

Leviticus 1:3-4 – “[One should] offer [his sacrifice] of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.”

Even then, under their “old law” the purpose of a sacrifice was for an atonement. Symbolically, they cast their sins and weaknesses upon the animal acting in similitude of Christ.

Now that the true Lamb had been sacrificed, a burnt offering was not needed. But we still have an essential role.
3 Nephi 9:20 – “[Now] ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit…”

Contrite = “apologetic, remorseful.” Continually awake to our faults and desperately willing to become better.
Broken Heart = humble.

“So it is that real, personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the altar and letting it be consumed! Such is the sacrifice unto the Lord of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, a prerequisite to taking up the cross while giving away all our sins and in order to know God for the denial of self precedes the full acceptance of Him.” (Maxwell, Deny Yourselves of All Ungodliness, E 4/95).

“The Law of Sacrifice provides an opportunity for us to prove to the Lord that we love Him more than any other thing. As a result, this course sometimes becomes difficult since this is the process of perfection that prepares us for the celestial kingdom.” (Ballard, The Law of Sacrifice, E 10/98)

Our will, our agency, is the only thing we truly own. What do we do with our time? That shows where our true treasures lie.

BITTER HERBS

Symbolic:
- Jews: the bitterness of bondage of slavery
- Christ: drank the bitter cup (bitterness of the bondage of sin)

3 Nephi 11:11 – “And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world…”

Scriptural examples. These men have experienced true heartache and bitterness changed into joy.

Mosiah 27:29 – “My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss, but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment, but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.” (Alma the Younger)

Job 3:20 – “Light is given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul.”

Moses 1:20 – (Just saw God, and now Satan is visiting him) “…Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell. Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength, and he commanded saying: Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship, which is the God of glory.”

Are we experiencing bitterness in our lives? From life’s trials, or from our own sin, or maybe from our judgement and resentment of others? Are we causing bitterness in our lives from refusing forgiveness to another? Christ drank the bitter cup, and removed it from our “feast” because we shouldn’t partake of the bitterness. As we can see from these examples, bitterness only comes from Satan, and we must allow Christ to turn our bitterness into something sweet.

WINE/WATER

- Jews: Drink 4 glasses symbolic of 4 verbs – “bring”, “free”, “redeem”, “take” throughout their feast.
- Christ: His “redeeming” blood

Exodus 6:6-7 – “I am the Lord, and I will BRING you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians, I will FREE you from being slaves to them, and I will REDEEM you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will TAKE you as my own people…”

This verse can exactly be applied to us with only the names changed:

“I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of [the devil], I will free you from being slaves to [him], and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgement. I will take you as my own people…”

When we think of the redeeming blood that Christ spilt for us, we think of his actions in Gethsemane.

Christ described his experience: D&C 19:15, 18 – “I God have suffered these things for all…which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit…that they might not suffer if they would repent.”

Gethsemane = “oil press” (Hebrew)

“The olive branch is universally regarded as the symbol of peace. The tree provides food, light, heat, lumber, ointments, and medicine. It is now, as it was then, crucial to life in Israel. It is not a deciduous tree, but everbearing – always green. Even if the tree is chopped down, life will spring from its roots, suggesting everlasting life. Jewish tradition often refers to the olive tree as the tree of life….There, olives had been pressed under the weight of great stone wheels to squeeze precious oil from the olives. So the Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane was literally pressed under the weight of the sins of the world. He sweated great drops of blood – his life’s “oil” – which issued from every pore.” (Nelson, Why This Holy Land?, E 12/89)

Messiah = “anointed” (Hebrew)

“In our day, as it was in His day, the ordinances of administration to the sick [or sacred temple ordinances] include anointing with the consecrated oil of the olive. So the next time [you witness an ordinance using olive oil,] remember what that original consecration cost… remember the redemptive power of healing, soothing, ministering to those in need. Remember, just as the body of the olive, which was pressed for the oil that gave light, so the Savior was pressed. From every pore oozed the lifeblood of our Redeemer.” (Nelson, Why This Holy Land?, E 12/89)

After eating The Last Supper with His disciples, Christ led them into the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked 3 of them to walk a little further with him into the Garden, and “watch with [Him].” After suffering a while He came back out and found the 3 disciples asleep and said, “What, could ye not watch with me one hour?”

Matthew 26:41 – “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Are we asleep? Do we partake of the “symbolic menu” on Sunday, then go right on out into our daily lives and fall spiritually asleep? We learn that even if the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, we can watch and pray for help. Is that not the whole purpose of “gaining a body” on this earth? To become disciplined with our mortal tool? I am sure that it is no coincidence that “disciple” and “disciplined” are from the same root word.

UNLEAVENED BREAD

- Jews: leaving Egypt with haste, and experiencing freedom from slavery
- Christ: His “freeing” body

Unleavened bread contains no yeast and can therefore be baked without waiting for it to rise. The upper chamber would have been purged of leaven. No products containing leaven could be present anywhere in the house during the Passover.

Leaven (yeast) = evil/sin

Luke 12:1 – “… beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”

1 Corinthians 5:8 – “…let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

How perfect then, that the bread represents Christ’s body? He is without hypocrisy, malice, and wickedness, and is the perfect example of sincerity and truth. When we come to the sacrament table and partake of “The Bread of Life” do we “hurriedly” recognize and “hastily” run away from the bondage of sin? Do we quickly use the atonement to bring ourselves freedom?

“Matzah is the symbol of freedom – the Israelites having left Egypt so hurriedly that bread could not properly rise. The bread still represents freedom – from death and sin, but also represents the medium through which that freedom is won.” (Treseder, Passover Promises Fulfilled in the Last Supper, E 4/90)

Perhaps there is another symbol in “partaking” of the Savior’s body. He also continually calls to us to:

Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Alma 7:12 – “And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and his will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities… that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance…”

When we truly offer up our whole selves – our will, our time, and the animal inside each of us – onto the altar, he can strengthen us. That is what it takes to really “yoke ourselves” with Christ, that is really taking upon the name of Christ, because we are indeed following his example of saying, “Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.” We can be lifted, strengthened, and our burdens can be light. 

Our Sacramental Feast still has 4 parts, even if two foods from the menu have been removed. 

1. There is still a sacrificial Lamb, and we remember and recognize Christ as that Lamb when we allow Him to change us. Our part in that sacrifice is to give him a broken heart and a contrite spirit. 

2. The bitter cup has already been drunk. We are not required to partake of it, but are to turn over all of our bitterness to the One who drank. We allow Him to turn our bitterness into something sweet.

3. We do partake of the Living Water, symbolic of the redeeming blood his spilt for us. When we remember the freedom, the redemption from sin and Satan's grasp, we allow him to "take us as His people."

4. We also partake of the Bread of Life. We remember the perfect sincerity and truth He embodies, and we want it to become part of us as well. We have access to His perfect strength, persistence, charity, and all other divine traits by yoking ourselves with Him. 

“This is the majesty of the Atonement and Resurrection, not just a “pass over” from death, but a gift of eternal life by an infinite sacrifice.” (Hunter, Christ, Our Passover, E 5/85). 

Our Book of Thanks

One of my very favorite holiday traditions is our Thankful Jar. I love seeing those colorful papers add up in the jar throughout the month. Every year, after Thanksgiving is over and I am switching all of the decorations from Turkeys and pumpkins over to Christmas trees and stockings, I am kind of sad to throw away our collection of papers inside the jar.

A few years back, I read this post on eighteen25 about a book they keep every year. While their tradition only takes place on Thanksgiving day, and incorporates all of the guests they have over for dinner, I was inspired to create a book just for our family. Luckily, I had saved our papers for a couple of years! 

Here is our Book of Thanks...

I just designed the outer cover, and printed the inside blank.

Each year gets 2 pages. I usually snap a picture of all of us on the couch right before we leave for dinner somewhere, and then I hand copy all of the things we wrote and added to our Thankful Jar on the opposite side. Even then, there are always a couple of papers I can't part with that the kids drew on or make me smile. So I just glue them on. 

I love looking at it as I bring it out every year. Not only to read through things we are thankful for, but to see where our family was at that moment. Or to remember the time I burned my forearm pulling the rolls out of the oven right before we took this photo...

Or to remember the little turkey onesie I made for Max this year (and that in the chaos of getting everything ready to go I forgot to take our annual photo on our couch)...

That was also the year that every single one of Avery's papers looked like this.. 

And the year Harvey went from drawing pictures to writing words...

Time flies. And it feels good to slow down a little and appreciate all of the little things we have and do together. It fills my heart. :)

DIY Canvas Car Playmat

So, my baby turned two yesterday.

And I just KonMaried my house and I am SO. OVER. the toys. And the kid clutter. Plus he has both a big brother and a big sister, and they have toys that cover all the basics. But we still have loads of birthdays and Christmases in our future, so what in the world am I going to give? Anyway, my internal brain rant ended when I came up with this idea. It meets all of my current criteria:

1. It is durable. 
2. It is open-ended and fosters imaginative play.
3. It folds up small and can be stored with like-items in our toy storage system.
4. It encourages cooperative play.

My hubby had a mat like this one when he was a kid, so I asked my mother-in-law to give me some details on how to make our own. I bought 60 inches x 45 inches of duck canvas and ran a zigzag stitch down the raw edges. Then, (after planning out the city on graph paper measured and accurately scaled proportionately, then folding the canvas to help rescale my plan) I drew in the city using some permanent sharpie markers.

I seriously can't stop looking at it. I love it so much! Maybe even more than the kids, although all three were delighted when Max opened his gift.  Justin has a tin of Micro Machines from when he was a kid and they are absolutely adorable on the mat. But I sized the roads so the regular Hot Wheels cars can fit on either side, and Max's Melissa & Doug Car Carrier will also (barely) fit on the whole road. They will need security to block off the other lanes of traffic. ;)

Before I started, I asked Harvey what places I should add to our city and he surprised me when the first thing he mentioned was the temple. I have to admit, it never crossed my mind, but I added it because he wanted it. Just a little thing that made me smile.

I added a little neighborhood, a church, grocery store, school, and bank.

 Another must-have was an airport -  with a landing strip, a gas station and a restaurant.

One of my favorite things about the original mat was the mountain scene, and river flowing into a lake so there could be bridges on the streets. I added the dirt road going to the mountains... complete with a little camp site at the end. And since the river is close by, I drew in a couple fish for another recreational activity.

I couldn't forget the "city center" with a round-about and a little fountain in the middle. It is surrounded by the city pool, office (aka "the place where Daddy works"), a police station and hospital, with a landing pad for the life-saving helicopters.

And last but not least, the river ends in a lake, with a beach and a little dock so the cars can watch the sun set over the water before they head back to their cul-de-sac for bed.

To make sure it lasts... (and it better last generations! Ha.) I ironed it to set the ink during washing. And I've got to remember to only wash in cold water.

Total cost: $13.50
Duck Canvas: $6.50
New Sharpies: $7

Quote Pictures

I was so happy when the Young Women asked me to take pictures for them for their Evening in Excellence night. I mean, as much as I'm loving Relief Society... I miss my girls.

The YW Pres asked each of the girls to choose their favorite picture, and their favorite quote and then I put them together. I had a lot of fun:

 

 

 

Study Stickers

Okay, I promise this is my last post about General Conference for a while! All of these things have been on my mind for a while, and I just want to get them checked off my to-do list...

As I searched through my Conference Journal a couple of weeks ago in preparation for my talk, I started thinking how fun it would be to make stickers for my side margins instead of just writing my impressions. I didn't think I would have time to make some up before this session, but I was too excited to let them slide. :)

(Aren't they cute?) I made these stickers specifically to go in my Conference Journal, but they are open-ended enough, you could probably use them for any study journal of sorts. I printed this .pdf on a full sized clear sheet of sticker paper, then cut out the individual stickers.



Here is an alternate link to download the file: Conference Journal Stickers

After I finished those up, I started thinking about what I want to get out of Conference this session... and my church calling (a volunteer "job" in the church for right now) kept coming to mind. I currently serve with the Young Women, and I want to be a better example to the girls (ages 12-17) I serve with. One of the ways I want to do that, is to recognize the young women values in my scriptures and in my life more often, as well as topics in the Come Follow Me lessons.

 

To help, I made up some more stickers... I went through the list of scriptures in the personal progress book, and marked each one with the color pencil in the coordinating value color and added the little value sticker in the margin. I love them! I also included a little silhouette of Christ with "Come Follow Me" on it to add next to an amazing scripture shared during one of the lessons. I think I am going to make some for my girls. Hopefully you can get some use out of them, too!


Here is an alternate link to download the file: Young Women Value Stickers

For more ideas on preparing for General Conference, click HERE.

Our General Conference Center.... New and Improved

I've been wanting to add a few things to our Conference Board, and I finally made the time to sit down and get it done. I'm so excited for my kids to use the updated board in a couple of weeks!

Here is the whole board, so you can see where I added new items:

I wanted to change the music section a little, because I noticed that Harvey didn't really do anything with it unless I prompted him. I figured it was probably because he couldn't read the words, so now that section is non-reader friendly. I split the two arrows up - one for the choir, and one for who is singing (men, women, or both). I also added little pictures of an organ and a music stand. I also included both a male and a female guest conductor, and a guest organist.

I also added a map. Jen Lund had a map on her original board, and I went back and forth on including it due to space, but I finally decided to make it work. I added an airplane, like she has, to move around any time a country is mentioned. I also added 5 of our favorite temples, so my children can place them on the map wherever new temples are announced.

I also liked her idea of placing her family members in attendance on their couch watching Conference, but I couldn't figure out where to add that feature due to space. Now I have added a picture of our family on the couch to move from session to session instead of the temple. (This isn't included in the download... for obvious reasons.)

I also wanted to add a little more diversity to our anonymous Quorum of the 70s guys, since there are men called from all over the world, after all. I added a couple more skin colors.

Lastly, I added a spot for my kids to write in a couple of the statistics given during General Conference; total members of the church, full-time missionaries, and total operating temples in the world. (Don't trust those numbers, I just guessed for the pictures.) The dry erase marker will wipe off the contact paper with a tissue.

Instead of trying to keep two different posts updated with the free printables, I'll update the first post. Just head back to the original General Conference Center post to download and make your own. :) 

Max: 7 Months

Max often bites his lower lip. I think it's adorable.

I made the above baby book page using my Milestone Templates. Check them out!

Guess Who: General Conference Edition

**UPDATED 4/2/2019**

As part of my plan to help my children become familiar with the General Authorities and Auxiliary leaders, I created a version of Guess Who with their pictures.

I added the General Primary and General Young Women's Presidencies, mostly because I know that it is important to girls to have some girl options. But also because my children are or will be in their respective organizations (also including the General Young Men).

Harvey loves playing this game.. and without fail, always chooses to be the prophet. I love that he knows the Prophet, but maybe he will understand someday that this gives his opponent an advantage. ;) We ask questions about their hair, their ties, their glasses, or if they are smiling with their teeth or not. Then when we get down to a few, we start saying their names: "Is your person David A. Bednar?" I love hearing my kids say their names.

I have the new version of Guess Who which is very different from the one I remember growing up with, so I made my printable for that.

Anyway... hopefully this helps your family get to know our church leaders in the coming weeks until General Conference!

Here is an alternate link for downloading the file: Guess Who-General Conference Edition-New

For more ideas on preparing for General Conference, click HERE.

Talk: Conference Prep

Justin and I were asked to speak in church last Sunday. Our assigned topic? "Listen to the Prophet's Voice/Preparing for General Conference." Here's what I prepared:

I love Conference. More now than when I was younger, perhaps because I’ve matured a bit, but I think it is because of the preparation I now put in before each session. I think some temporal preparation is required before we can really reap the benefits of preparing spiritually, so I’ll start with that.

Temporal Prep:

 I always try to keep our schedule clear. I want my kids to grow up knowing General Conference is special and important. I try to go to bed earlier than usual the night before, so I'm not tired (or as tired... because it seems like I'll never get caught up on all my sleep) during the talks. I do my best to get all of my chores done by Friday; things like grocery shopping, house cleaning, etc.

-          

Preparing for Children:

If you don’t have children, or your children are grown and gone... don’t stop listening here, because I have gotten much more out of Conference myself by doing these things for my children, so maybe you can glean a little tip or two as well.

“It is when children are young that parents must be innovated in helping them develop good habits regarding conference participation. As our children are given opportunities to observe and learn the role of these special witnesses, they will receive a spiritual confirmation of the sacred calling of their church leaders and they will feel a deeper love for and interest in these leaders and their message.” – Neil L. Anderson

While I look for ideas for my children, I try to keep 3 goals in mind:

1. Help them  Get to Know the Speakers:

• Guess Who – replaced the original pictures with pictures of the Apostles and General Auxiliary. (Free printable...)

• Family Home Evening  – held the Monday before Conference. We listen/watch this song to learn the First Presidency and Quorum of the 12 Apostles names and interests, and we talk a little bit about each one and attach their pictures to the wall to display all week. 

2. Make Conference Weekend Fun and Special:

If you couldn't already tell, I love Holiday traditions. I love to make special meals - like a green dinner on St. Patrick's Day, and do fun activities like a glow in the dark egg hunt around Easter. My kids think holidays are exciting around our house, and often ask when the next holiday will occur. A few years ago, it occurred to me that the Prophet was being trumped by the Easter Bunny. That needed to change - General Conference Weekend could be exciting too! 

• I often make cinnamon rolls, or a breakfast casserole (reserved for "special" Sundays and holidays) for breakfast, and I think it would be fun to do a dinner of everyone's favorites as well. 

• My hubby attends the Priesthood Session with his brothers and father, then they go back to his parent's house for ice cream or banana splits afterward. Even when a brother or two hasn't really wanted to go to Priesthood, often the family time and dessert has been bribery enough to attend. :)

• Plan a fun family outing in between sessions. I hope that even as my kids grow older and friends become so important, that they will love spending time with our family and choose us that weekend.

• I try very hard to have the right attitude – not “making” them, but “inviting” them. I love Conference, excited to listen to the Prophet and Apostles, and hopefully they can see that. When I remember to pray for the right attitude during Conference, it goes so much better, and I find I am not getting upset when they aren't focused, but instead I am able to kindly redirect them and the Spirit continues to reside in our home.

3. Make Watching Conference a Meaningful Experience:

When Harvey was younger, I tried to find activities that would entertain him during Conference, so he would leave me alone and I could enjoy watching. But I had an ah-ha moment and realized that I didn't want to train him not to listen... I wanted to encourage him to participate and learn how to get something out of Conference as well. So I changed my strategy. Instead of looking for activities that distract, I look for activities that involve my children in General Conference. 

Elder Robert D. Hales gave me encouragement when he said, "“Children and youth love to be included. We make a serious mistake if we assume that the conference is above their intellect and spiritual sensitivity.”

Our kids really can be taught how to get something out of General Conference. It is always a learning process, and we are still evolving, but here are some things that I have done that have helped my children actively (key word here) participate in Conference.

• Speaker Stickers - simply remove the centerfold (with pictures) from the previous Conference edition of the Ensign magazine. Tape it to the wall, and let the kids find the picture of the speaker, and attach a sticker his/her face. 

• Conference Wall - tape up pictures that represent subject that you think might come up in Conference. I choose common ones like scripture study, Jesus Christ, and temples so the kids can point often. Encourage your kids to point to or tally mark (on a sheet protector with a dry erase marker) on the pictures when they hear those subjects. 

• Treat Buckets - Set out a few buckets or bowls with small treats inside. Add a word to the outside and each time you hear that word you can get a treat. Or, visit the link to see how I incorporate it with our Conference Center Board

• Conference Center Board - Our interactive center where they can follow right along with just about everything that happens during Conference. It is pretty involved, so check out the post for all the details (and free printable to make your own). 

• Journals - I have found endless ideas for children's journals online. I have taken what I feel is the best from many of them, and assembled them into binders for my children. (Most is just rearranging what other's have designed, so I don't feel it's appropriate for me to share the files here. Sorry about that.) But they include: coloring in ties, tracing letters in the apostles names, tally marks on different subjects, and a space to draw or write a little blurb on what each speaker talks about. I hope to include this more as my children get older. 

I find that as I spend time with my children during Conference working with these activities, they stay more involved than if I just set it out and leave them to do it on their own. I am still able to take a break and write down things here and there in my own journal, and we are both paying attention to the speakers. 

I know Conference is long, but I am amazed at the success of my efforts with my children. Even my active little Harvey loves Conference. When he was younger, I pushed back his nap a little so it would overlap the afternoon session. When he saw that conference was starting and I said it was time for his nap he said, “No! I don’t want to take a nap! I want to watch the Prophet!”

Okay, now that our chores are done, the house is clean, and the kids are engaged... what about us?

Spiritual Prep: 

We are entitled to personal revelation as we listen and study the inspired words spoken in Conference. We are told in the D&C, 

“You must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you…” 

General Conference is the same way – we need to study out in our minds what we need and desire from Heavenly Father. I ponder questions that I need to have answered in my life. I pray before Conference to understand and apply the things that I will be taught.

 “If we teach by the Spirit, and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you.” – Jeffery R. Holland

I have a personal General Conference journal, but I don't take notes in it like I did in school. I don’t write down everything I hear, because probably within hours we can access the words of our prophets through the website, or LDS App, and we can get a copy of the Conference Ensign just a couple of weeks later. Instead, I write down specific counsel that touches me. Sometimes it is just what the speaker says, and other times it is an impression or feeling or even a totally unrelated thought that comes. I often label my notes in the margin – “call to action,” “love this quote,” “scripture journal,” “challenge,” and stars next to specific answers to my questions. I also like to summarize each talk into 1 or 2 words so I can find what I am looking for faster as I come back to my notes later. It is important to write it down!

"The prompting that goes unresponded to may not be repeated. Writing down what we have been prompted with is vital." - Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Sometimes, I receive revelation during General Conference that doesn't pertain to what I was seeking. But it is needed nonetheless.  A couple of years ago, my mom asked me to check my dad's lines on NewFamilySearch. As I went though the names, there was a married couple, surrounded by so many ancestors whose work had already been finished, that had somehow been missed. They stuck out to me, and after double checking that their word had indeed not been done, I submitted their names for temple ready and received the cards in the mail. I put them in my temple bag to be sure to do the work for them the next time we attended... and life took over. A few months had gone by, and I was listening to General Conference. Elder Richard G. Scott was talking about genealogy and temple work, and said something to prompt me. I immediately thought of that sweet couple, and wrote the following in my journal:

“Ancestors are no doubt excited when their names are found and cleared for ordinance work… they are not happy when they have to continue to wait for you to go to the temple!”

Not to mention, I added a very BOLD "Call to action!" in the margin next to that one. Then, feeling a major urgency, I paused Conference, ran upstairs to make sure the cards were in my temple bag and told Justin that we needed to schedule a time to attend the temple. Yes, before we could continue watching Conference. We did attend the temple the next weekend, and it was such a special experience. I know that my sweet ancestor's spirit was with me, and that she was grateful to me for finding her name and completing her work. I'm so grateful that I was in the right place - listening to Conference - so that I was able to receive that prompting/reminder. 

EDITed to add: I made some study stickers to go in my journal instead of just writing my "tags" in the margins. You can download them in THIS POST.

After Conference is over... we aren't done. It is our responsibility to listen and apply what we learned. It is not enough just to know. The words spoken at General Conference should be a compass that points the way for us during the coming months. 

D&C 43:8-9  “And now, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that we may know how to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments which I have given. And thus ye shall become instructed in my law of my church, and be sanctified by that which ye have received,..."

Many of us say, "Oh that session of Conference was awesome! I felt like the talks were just for me." And we take notes in our journals, then place them on the shelf for the next 6 months. But that verse in D&C wasn't over. 

"... and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me."

That is the challenge. We need to incorporate those answers to our questions and problems into our lives and become more like Heavenly Father wants us to be - has instructed us to be through his living prophets.

Much of what Heavenly Father tells us through His prophets is intended to prevent sorrows for us individually and as a society (to teach, inspire, refine, or warn).

“The only safety we have as members of this church is to… give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through His prophet. There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your [personal] views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord Himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; … and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory’.” –Harold B. Lee.

I like that promise. When we follow the counsel given in General Conference, we will be blessed with protection from the powers of Satan. I know that as we decide to make General Conference a priority in our lives, listen to the words of Heavenly Father though his mouth piece (the prophets, apostles, and other church leaders), and apply those teachings into our lives, we will be blessed.

While preparing for this talk, I realized that while I do try to incorporate the teachings I glean from General Conference into my life, my kids are getting old enough that I should find ways to help them do the same. That is something I am going to try to do after this next session of General Conference. Some ideas I have so far include:

• Listen to a General Conference talk while we are getting ready for church each Sunday, then try to spend that week focused on incorporating some of the counsel into our lives.

• My friend records Conference on her DVR and watches a talk each week for Family Home Evening, and they discuss it as a family. 

What are you going to do to prepare for the next session of General Conference? :)

Valentine's Day

It has been a while since I took pictures of my kids with my L-O-V-E letters, and since I didn't have any with Max, I thought I would snap a few. I probably should have done singles like I did before because these kids were acting so silly. This was the best one of the bunch. I really need to get an 8x10 printed and add it into my Valentine decor.

For breakfast, we had pink heart pancakes with sprinkles, heart bacon, and apple juice in "fancy glasses."

I've never let the kids use these glasses before, so it was pretty exciting...

During the younger kids' naptime I took a shower, and while I was up there, Justin snuck in and brought flowers into the house. I was so surprised when I came downstairs and saw these beauties. And he knows me well... I love Gerber daisies.

I thought about giving the kids their gift from me (and Justin) during breakfast, but I knew they would want to eat them right away, so I waited until after lunch. They were thrilled! Harvey knew right what they were, but Avery took her time admiring the picture on the front before she opened them up to discover - she wasn't sure at first - chocolates. But now she keeps requesting more!

After Justin came home from work, we took a quick family photo and headed off to our traditional Valentine dinner date at PF Changs.