So, this week, I find myself once again studying and comparing the miracles performed by Christ. I compared two similar instances where the people were gathered to be healed and taught by the Lord, and they were there so long that it was necessary for them to receive nourishment so the Lord provided a way so they would not have to leave. I realized there was a lesson here for us about how we need to rely on the Lord when we fall short.  

Here is my comparison chart of the separate stories:

	Matthew 14:14-21	Matthew 15:32-38
How many people were present?	5 thousand	4 thousand
What did they need?	“victuals” or food	food
What were they able to offer in an effort to meet the need?	5 Loaves & two fishes	7 Loaves and a few little fish
What words or phrases describe the Savior’s feeling toward the multitudes in their time of need?	Moved with compassion	He had compassion
What words or phrases describe what the Savior was able to provide for the multitudes?	“Looking up to Heaven, He blessed, and brake, and gave…” “And they did all eat and were filled”	“gave thanks and brake them, and gave…”     “And they did all eat and were filled…”

In each story, the available food was insufficient to feed the multitude, yet with the help of the Lord, the insufficiency was overcome. In Romans 3:23, we read that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In this way, all human effort is insufficient in receiving the glory of God. According to Ether 12:27, we learn that the Lord helps us overcome this insufficiency  when we come to Him in humility and in our weakness, then He will make our weaknesses strong.

In life, I have found that while we can reach out to others and receive some help and strength in our trial and endeavors, it is not until we come to Christ that we find true healing and strenght to overcome our obstacles.

This week, I am studying Matthew 5-13, Mark 2-5, and Luke 5-8.
I decided to write up a chart showing Christ's miracles and the faith of those who preceeded them.
The day I decided to do this I ended up having five different opportunities to study the scriptures and articles written from General conference concerning topics such as hope as an anchor to the soul, the word of God, Pressing forward and being steadfast, and others that were all related to faith. It gave me hope.

1.        

Unit 1 Choice 2   Matthew 8-9; Mark 2   Miracles Are Evidence of Faith and God’s Power

References                         Miracles of the Lord                                 Who Demonstrated Faith

Matthew 8: 1-4                     Cures a Leper           The Leper who said “… thou canst make me clean”

Matt. 8:5-13              Heals a servant of palsy         The Centurion who says “…Speak the word only”

Matt. 8:14-15          Heals Peter’s Mother-in-law from fever                 The mother-in-law

Matt. 8:16              Cast out spirits and Healed the sick                    The people who came to be healed

Matt. 8: 23-27            He rebuked the winds and sea                            His disciples

Matt. 8:28-34                Cast out devils                                                  Those who were possessed

Matt 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34  Healed a woman from a blood issue  The woman who touched His 

                                                                                                            garment

Matt. 9: 27-31              Caused the blind to see           The blind men who sought Him out to heal them

Mark 2: 1-12   Heals one sick of palsy & in need of forgiveness      the one sick of palsy & those 

                                                                                                            who carried him

                                                                                                                         

2.       It was an interesting day when I did this assignment because I ended up reading from many different passages that had to do with this same topic about faith preceeding the miracle. I am thankful that I have had so many experiences with seeing the result of my faith as I held on and receiving the blessings and rewards of doing so. I think that I needed to be reminded of this principle in a huge way as the things I have had to endure this past year have really taken a toll on me. My diligence in doing the things I know I should has waned and I know my Father is letting me know what I need to do. I am grateful that no matter what happens, my God is bigger than any adversity I face. With Him on my side, all things are possible.  

Hello folks! It's been a while since I have written on my blog, but I signed up for another class on the New Testament so here I am! I guess I am doing this backwards because the last class was about Christ's apostles and their teachings after He is crucified. This class focuses on Christ's teachings and ministry while he was here on the Earth.
So, this is the first week and I studied John 2:1-22. In this chapter, Christ performs his first miracle. I find it interesting that it was at the request of his mother. Also, what I found intriguing is that of all the things or times to choose to perform a miracle, it is to turn water into wine at a wedding. I figured there had to be a message there to teach us of the significance in that.  In reading the student manual through my church, I realized that He must have regarded marriage an important occasion. What impressed me most about what He did though, was that He literally changed one substance into something totally different. That to me, speaks volumes of who He is, and what He is capable of. He has power to change and transform the elements. He truly is the Creator of the world! Knowing and understanding what He just did leads us to realize why He has the power to take us and transform our carnal nature to a righteous state of being. I think there is significance in the fact that he did this with stone vessels which, through Jewish tradition, they retain their purity. Could there be significance in this too as we realize His power to change and purify us?
In John 2:4, Christ addresses His mother as "woman". In our day and age it would have come across as an insult, but back then, according to the study guide, it was a term of endearment from a son with great meaning of honor, love, and respect. I have to say, I had learned this quite a while ago. Somehow, my Husband at the time came across something explaining this. It was significant to us because in the beginning of our marriage, he started calling me woman. My mom hated it -which made him call me that more when he was around her. Then, it just evolved into a term of endearment like any other word- like the overused "babe" which he also called me. When he explained the way Christ used it, the way we perceived its meaning changed for us and it became something special to us that only we understood and enjoyed.
The Savior's actions as He cleanses the Temple are symbolic of what He wants for us. We must keep ourselves holy and cleanse our inner vessels as well. If we are to enter the "House of the Lord" we should shed ourselves of irreverence and worldliness. we need to keep ourselves clean so we can feel the peace He wants to give us instead of the chaos in the world. I have really learned a lot just in this chapter. I plan to work on being more reverent in my home, at church, and teach my children to be more reverent and respectful too.

The theme for this week's reading is "Keep Yourselves In The Love of God" form the Epistle of Jude.It is believed that Jude is the half brother of the Savior. He extends a multiplication of mercy, peace, and love to those he addresses as those preserved in Christ and called-referring to those in Christ's church. How can we multiply these virtues in our lives? I think that for every time one extends these to others, it is extended to that individual and continues to be multiplied as we show mercy, peace, and love to our fellow men. It becomes reciprocal and builds upon itself. The more we are willing to give, the more we receive these blessings. And what does it mean to "content for the faith"? I think it means to stand firm the ground we have of the truths, faith, and knowledge given us from those in authority when those people and situations come into our lives which try and mock us. I liked the example of president Wilford Woodruff when he was young searching for the true faith that He knew in his heart was right:

“I read the New Testament. I learned verse after verse and chapter after chapter. … It taught me the Gospel of life and salvation; it taught me a Gospel of power before the heavens and on the earth. It taught me that the organization of the Church consisted of Prophets, Apostles, Pastors and Teachers. …

“These are the things which I learned, and they made an impression upon me. I believed in them; yet I had never heard them taught by any clergyman or divine upon the earth. … On one occasion I attended one of those great meetings which were sometimes held in Connecticut, at which forty or fifty ministers of various denominations were gathered together. … At this meeting permission was given for anybody to make remarks. I was quite young then. I arose and stepped into the aisle, and I said to that body of ministers: ‘My friends, will you tell me why you don’t contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints? Will you tell me why you don’t contend for that Gospel that Jesus Christ taught, and that His Apostles taught? Why do you not contend for that religion that gives unto you power before God, power to heal the sick, to make the blind to see, the lame to walk, and that gives you the Holy Ghost and those gifts and graces that have been manifest from the creation of the world? …’

“The presiding elder said: ‘My dear young man, you would be a very smart man, and a very useful man in the earth, if you did not believe all those foolish things’” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff [2004], 35–36). President Woodruff later joined "the faith" when he heard it preached by one with authority. 

From Jude 1:6 and Jeremia 1:5, along with the footnotes, we see that the doctrine referred to by the phrase "first estate" means that Heavenly Father knew us before we came to the Earth. It makes reference to a pre-existence. According to the New testament manual for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, "“estate” refers to a person’s rank or position. Because these spirits rebelled against the Father, they lost their standing before God and did not qualify for the privilege of coming to mortality—our second estate.

It appears from the reading that Michael the Archangel contended for the body of Moses. It would seem odd to me for this to occur.But upon further pondering, study and enlightenment, I learned that Moses was translated and Michael was given charge to burry his body properly. Knowing the significance in why Moses was translated is key to understanding why Satan would oppose this. In the New Testament Manual from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it states: "This was necessary so that Moses could appear on the Mount of Transfiguration two thousand years later with his physical body and lay his hands on the heads of Peter, James, and John to give them priesthood keys (see History of the Church, 3:387)".

In Jude 1:14, we learn that Christ will come with tens of thousands of His saints when He comes again. How exciting! It makes me wonder who will be the "saints" that accompany him? 

From studying Jude 1:17, 20-25, I learned that we need to remember the words of Christ spoken by the apostles and listen to the prophet and apostles of our times to keep from being lead astray from false teachers and doctrines in the last days. We must continue to build our faith up relying on the Holy Ghost to guide us and from verse 21, " Keep [our]selves in the love of God..." By doing these things, we can avoid the evils that come from following false teachings.

Well, that about covers this week's lessons on Jude. I hope you find it as interesting and insightful as I have. It has given me renewed strength to "contend for the faith"  and stand strong my ground as I listen to the prophet and apostles for counsel from false teachings.

"The Trial of Our Faith is More Precious Than Gold" I really liked what I studied this week in my New testament class. I studied 1 Peter 1-4.We have all had to suffer a trial at some point in our lives. In fact, I am sure there are many for all of us to endure. Some are harder than others. Some are trivial and fleeting. Then there are the ones that have the potential to shake you to the very core, like divorce, or loss of a child. When these trials come, how do we hold on and not lose our faith? In 1 Peter 2:21-25, we see that Christ is the example for us. He leads the way. In these scriptures, we see that He knows and understands our pain when we are falsely accused because He was free of sin, yet found guilty of false accusations. How much more so should we be free of guile as He was who are not perfect and free of sin?  And how often do we snap back at those who persecute us with a quick tongue and full of angry bitter words that condemn us whereas Christ "when...reviled, reviled not again...". How easy it is for us to threaten when we are threatened, but Christ did no such thing. Instead, he Turned to His Father who "...judgeth righteously". Christ, who atoned for our sins and "by whose stripes we are healed" will bare our suffering with us (1 Peter 4:13).

So why do we need to go through these trials? They are to refine and prepare us to be with God again.  Elder Neil L. Andersen of the quorum of the twelve apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints gives some advice on why they are necessary and what we can do to endure them,  “These fiery trials are designed to make you stronger, but they have the potential to diminish or even destroy your trust in the Son of God and to weaken your resolve to keep your promises to Him. …

“How do you remain ‘steadfast and immovable’ [Alma 1:25] during a trial of faith? You immerse yourself in the very things that helped build your core of faith: you exercise faith in Christ, you pray, you ponder the scriptures, you repent, you keep the commandments, and you serve others.

“When faced with a trial of faith—whatever you do, you don’t step away from the Church! Distancing yourself from the kingdom of God during a trial of faith is like leaving the safety of a secure storm cellar just as the tornado comes into view” (“Trial of Your Faith,” Ensign orLiahona, Nov. 2012, 39–40).

I testify of these truths which Elder Neil L. Andersen spoke of for I have gone through more than one of those great trials that had the potential to destroy my faith and trust in the Lord, but I have "doubt[ed my] doubts" (president Dieter F. Uchtdorf) and "[held]fast to what [I] already [new] and [stood] strong until additional knowledge [came]" Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. In the name of my loving Savior, Amen.

So this week, I studied Titus 1-3 the Epistle of Obedience. Titus was born to Greek parents and coverted to the Gospel by Paul who took him under his wing. Titus labored with Paul to help spread the Gospel and organize the church. He was left in charge of  leading the branch in Crete in the face of much opposition and was given the responsibility to call new bishops to the island.

While there, Titus receives a letter from Paul instructing and strengthening him in his assignment. The men he calls to be bishops must have certain characteristics in order to qualify for this leadership position in the church. Here is a list I complied from my reading in Titus 1:6-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7: blameless, only having one wife, have faithful children who are obedient and not riotous or unruly, a steward of God, not self willed or arrogant, quick tempered or angry, not one who drinks or is drunken, no striker or a bully or violent person, no filthiness,obtaining money through dishonest means hospitable, lover of goodness, sober, vigilant, of good behavior, apt to teach, not greedy, patient, not a brawler, not covetous, just, holy, temperate or self-controlled, one that ruleth well his own house having his children in subjection (meaning being a good father and husband and taking care of his responsibilities in the home towards them)otherwise how well can he rule in the church? Also, not a novice in the Gospel ( not a new convert) that he won't be lifted up with pride and fall into condemnation of the devil, holding fast to the faithful word he has been taught so he will be able to exhort and teach to convince the gainsayers and those that deny the truth of the doctrine.  Well, that is one tall order to become a bishop! I think the only way to have those qualifications is with time and faithfulness to the teachings of the true Gospel principles.
There were many problems that existed among the Saints in Crete. The Cretians had gained a reputation of being greedy liars who  were dishonest and lazy, gluttonuos people. The saints had been lead to believe in some Jewish teachings that certain things ( rituals) were either pure or unpure and had to be corrected in knowing that if they were pure, they would remain spiritually pure no matter what they touched. 
In Titus 2:1,Paul encouraged Titus to speak of and teach things of true and sound doctrine and that this will help guide the behavior of the saints. It will help the "aged" men and women have a desire to be true followers of Christ and set an example to the young men and women in the church who will then also follow Christ and His teachings. the teachings of true doctrine, understood,  can change many  behaviors such as: being sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, charity, and patience. It can also help them become holy, not false accusers, teachers of good things, to love their spouses and children, to be discreet, chaste, for womento be keepers at home, good, obedient, havinga pattern of good works, uncorruptness, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned. Sharing a favorite quote from  President Boyd K. Packer further illustrates the power of teaching through the spirit the true doctrine of the Gospel: “True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior.

“The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. Preoccupation with unworthy behavior can lead to unworthy behavior. That is why we stress so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the gospel” (“Little Children,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 17).

When new members of the church do or say things that may be contrary to the teachings of the doctrine, we can be patient with them and remember that we were once in their shoes and "babes in the Gospel" not knowing or fully understanding the teachings and doctrine and help them through our faith and diligence and examples. 

Through studying Titus 3:5-7; 2 Nephi 2:6-8; 10:24; Moroni 6:4; 10:32-33, and D&C 45: 3-5 I learned that the Role that the Lord's grace plays in our lives is that he is our advocate to our Father, pleading our case before Him as long as we have faith in Him who is mighty to save and repent and show our humble obedience and good works. it is only through and by Him and His merits and mercy that we will be saved.

In Titus 3:9, it talks about "foolish questions, genealogies, and contentions. I think this means that we need to avoid those that would oppose our believes and want to stir us up and cause contention. We need to not revile against them and keep the peace, not getting into disputes about doctrine we don't fully understand and just have faith.

I can stay grounded in sound doctrine and avoid "foolish questions" by staying close to the Lord and following His example. I will listen to the prophet and use the leaders of the church as my guides to teach me sound doctrine and go to the scriptures and kneel in humble prayer for answers to my questions allowing the influence of the spirit to guide me to truth and not any other.

Well, this week, I am reading about Paul's courage and conviction. I don't know that any of us get away in this life without an opportunity to take a stand and be firm and immovable in something that we not only strongly believe in, but that we know we must go forward and act upon -even when those around you think otherwise, or would fear for their lives and back down when faced with the same circumstance.
In acts 21:10-14,22-25, we read that a prophet named Agabus prophesies that Paul would be bound by Jews if he enters Jerusalem. Upon hearing this, Those who were near Paul tried to persuade him not to go, but Pail said not only was he prepared to be bound, but die also for his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This showed conviction and unwavering dedication and determination and commitment to Christ. When his friends saw that he would not be persuaded and saw his valiance and courage, they backed down and said, " The will of the Lord be done".
So then, Paul goes to Jerusalem and upon entering the Temple, is taken, beaten, bound, and arrested. The accused Him of teaching the people against "the law" and brought Greeks into the Temple.
After that, Paul was persecuted and there was concern because of who he was-a Roman. The lord Visits him again and comforts him Saying," Be of good cheer." Wouldn't that be an awesome experience to have Christ Himself come and speak such comforting words to us when we are going through tough times? I remember one time in my life right after my brother died. I was really missing him and thought I needed him still, but then I had an amazing experience that comforted me as I knew that another brother- even Christ my Savior would be there for me instead and actually gave me a forewarning of things to come that would be painful-even worse than my brother's death.It was long before I realized the truth in this and there were times when I felt like I was not alone as I felt this great warmth surround me and a peace wash over me. It was when I felt so alone and helpless and thought I couldn't go on and cried out in mighty prayer that I would experience this. So anyways, back to Paul's experience- The Lord let him know that because he obeyed and came into Jerusalem to preach, he will also bear witness in Rome. I think that would be comforting because he knew then that he wouldn't be killed. Paul was then taken to see Felix, the Governor at the time. Paul preaches to him of righteousness, temperance, and the judgement to come which caused  Felix to tremble, but even though he wanted to have an excuse to let Paul go, he still chose to bind him as he wanted to please the Jews. When Paul appeals unto Caeser, Festus commands him to be kept until he can be sent to Caeser and talks to King Agrippa who is a Jew and he wants to hear Paul. When King Agrippa hears Paul, Festus, being a Roman.  thinks he is mad, but the king, being a Jew almost believes him. I think that when people hear truth and want to believe it, they hesitate because if it requires them to change their lifestyle or friends, it can be hard thing to give up.
I think Paul showed the greatest courage when he chose to go to Jerusalem in spite of a prophet telling him what would happen and his friends trying to tell him not to go. That takes exceptional courage because they are your peers. What they think of him  and how they feel matters  and affects him.
I can testify that we, too, can develope this kind of courage as we follow the Savior and become like him. we can be lead and be on His errand to be instruments in his hands to do great and marvelous things. When we know that we have his blessing and He has commanded us to act on His behalf, we can know, just like Nephi that we can go forward with faith and "go and do the things...know[ing] the Lord giveth no commandment save he shallprepare a way...". ( 1 Nephi 3:7 in the Book of Mormon)
Paul journeys to Rome in a ship. When sailing bacame dangerous, Paul admonishes the Master of the ship and the Centurion that the voyage could be deadly. The Centurion believes teh Master over Paul and they continue. You know, I ti s so easy to think that because one with the knowledge and expertise has so much experience, we can have a tendency to listen to them instead of lestening to leaders in the church. I think this especially happens when there doesn't seem to be any reason at teh time to follow their counsel that we can immediately see. I remeber when I moved to Califlronia and had food storage. we got ants and called for an exterminator. He told me it was rediculous to have so much food that we would never eat and wouldn't need for so long and advised me that the best thing to do was get rid of all of it. I chose not to and followed in faith teh counsel I received from our leaders in the church and instead, went and bout plastic containers to put it all in! Because Paul was one of God's apostles, he was told by an angel that all on the ship would be saved, but not the ship. He prophesied this to the captain and that is exactly what happened. They came to an island and used a boat from the ship to land there and the ship was then destroyed. While in Melita, Paul uses his preisthood power to heal the sick there. this power is given for the healing of the sick and those with whom have the faith to be healed.Once Paul got to Rome, He took every opportunity while he was imprisoned there to preach of Christ. For two years, he was a faithful witness of Christ even though he was under house arrest and was nor free. I thnk that shows that we can chose to find happiness and purpose in all that we do what ever circumstance we find ourselves in as we strive to be an example and witness of the truth s that we know from Christ. This has been inspiring to me as I see Paul reach his destination in Rome and see him be able to fulfill his purpose as he is guided by the Savior. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to read this passage and be riminded to be happy in our journey and trials and look for opportunities to serve Him.