Tuesday, January 8, 2008

joseph smith study

i am so stoked to study from the new Joseph Smith manual in RS for the next two years! it's going to be awesome... if only avery would give me 10 minutes of peace in the third hour of church... but that's another post. one of my goals for this year is to look over the lesson before church (and, no, checking it out during sacrament meeting does not count). this way even if i'm in the hall with a fussy kid during the lesson i won't miss out. i have such a strong testimony of Joseph Smith. i have been to the Sacred Grove and to the upper room in the Kirkland Temple and to Carthage and the School of the Prophets and Nauvoo and i have walked where he has walked, and my testimony of him comes from the spirit that i have felt in those places and the spirit that i feel when i sing Praise to the Man and the spirit that i feel when i read the Book of Mormon. when i look around at church or attend a baptism (like i was able to this weekend -- congrats Bolk!) i always think of the First Vision - a 14 year-old kid exercising faith and living up to his divine purpose in a grove of trees - and how far-reaching the consequences of that encounter have been. it's incredible! and i am so grateful for the prophet Joseph Smith!! anyway i just wanted to share that and hope that everyone is joining with me in getting prepped to pay some serious homage! my grandma clark even got my copy of the JS lesson manual spiral bound so it's easier to flip through and read and mark (thanks so much grandma!!), which i highly recommend since we'll be digging into this thing for two years. this week's lesson is on the First Vision- check it out...

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=da135f74db46c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=a0e720596a845110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1&contentLocale=0

2 comments:

Jane said...

thank you for that post. I was so excited on Sunday to get my hands on that bigger than usual Joseph Smith manual. Also one of my goals is to read the lesson the week before. I find I am ready and get So much more out of the lesson. Fantastic stuff that can never fit into an hour lesson. Love ya Mandy.

Melissa Braegger said...

You have inspired me to actually open my manual. I am in primary and just use that as an excuse, but now I am going to read the lessons. Miss you tons and I think that you guys should totally move here. Chris and I have already been reading scene it questions in the car to eachother so we will be ready for the next match! I'm sorry I forgot to give you that book but I think that you should still take the time to read it. Love Ya-See you at Casey's wedding:)