Tuesday, December 31, 2024

How Best to Help Parents and Children who are Grappling with Difficult Topics in Church History

 




This is important to understand and with a proper doctrinal framework, then it will be easier for children and parents to approach this subject.


As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we believe in the doctrine of Dispensations, Apostasy and Restoration. We also have an article of faith #9 that teaches, “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.” As such, we know that Polygamy was practiced anciently and Joseph Smith, as a dispensational father, had the responsibility to usher in the dispensation of the fullness of times. This meant if there was a true doctrine and practice that existed anciently, then according to God’s will and timing, it had to be again practiced in our dispensation. Living in the dispensation of the fullness of times also means that in addition to living every true and ancient practice as revealed through our prophet, we will need to live all that God desires to reveal. This means new truths will be taught and restored through proper priesthood keys and channels.

The Prophet, President Nelson has clearly stated that we live in a church that believes in the continuous restoration. This has corrected the understanding of many Church members. What is important in this issue is to understand what the real issue is. The issue isn’t about polygamy and how it was introduced and that those required to live it struggled too. The issue is when we do not have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ our spiritual foundations are easily shaken when taught hard yet true doctrine.

For a long time we have had a behavioral approach to gospel instruction, and while there can be a lot of good accomplished with that method, we cannot properly introduce more crowning doctrines like these with enough spiritual depth that way. Gaining a bedrock understanding and testimony of the nine basic doctrines is crucial to our success in melting away the issues that arise when our fallen nature is asked to understand celestial law.

The real issue is we have triggered an entire generation of parents who do not have testimonies of the basic doctrines or the practice of polygamy so introducing those truths to their children is quite uncomfortable or even traumatic. The solution is simple, put Moroni’s challenge to the test and find out for yourself if the principle is true and then God will bless you, in His time and way, with an understanding and answer through His Spirit.

We also need to understand that the Lord is hastening His work and we no longer have the luxury of time to linger in our doubts. Children are being exposed at an alarming rate, due to access to the internet, to false teachings and anti material. There are people in your own communities that are teaching and attending classes on how to destroy the faith of members of our Church. The only defense is to know by the power of the Holy Ghost the truth of all things, because no person regardless of their intelligence or social ranking, can equal an answer from heaven.

We can take comfort that we have a loving Heavenly Father that does everything for our benefit and eternal progress. We have a living prophet who desires the same, and we don’t have to worry about this Church, His Church. All we need to do is gain a bedrock understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ and take every challenge to God in prayer, grow in the principle of revelation and serve others. It is simple, and happy. Why not invite children to do the same?

Saturday, October 5, 2024

My Publishing Journey

 



When I was a child, I loved to read the storybook, The Little Red Hen. It made me think deeply. I found myself wondering why no one would help that hen. “Were they all just lazy and apathic? “Did they not trust in her efforts to yield the wonderful bread?” “Could it possibly be that they were intent to profit from her labor later on?” Regardless of the reason, I was grateful for the Little Red Hen and what she taught me! That little hen didn’t give up, instead she did the work herself. When it was time to eat the bread, everyone was ready to help in that process, but the Little Red Hen wasn’t about to share. When I was young, I wondered if her act at the end of the book was an act of selfishness, or was the Little Red Hen withholding forgiveness and compassion in order to hold onto a grudge? Only with age and a few painful life lessons did I understand the lesson being taught, or at least what it meant for me. She wasn’t selfish and she understood the law of the harvest. You reap what you sow. I also learned that it is important to do the work we are called to do, invite others to help (even if they will refuse), and never give up regardless of the effort needed and the obstacles encountered. So, it is with my story of publishing. Much like that poor hen, I found myself with a task that everyone who should have been able to help, chose not to. Yet even though my dream was almost shattered by some shocking opposition, I was determined to finish the task God had given me and God sent compensatory blessings to help me out.

 

In order to explain my experience I need to flashback a few years and give some most important details. My quest to publish began 25 years prior when I was about 24 years old. I had returned from serving a mission for my Church and was attending BYU. For some reason, perhaps because I had been helped by so many authors myself, I wanted to write. Wanting to write and being able to produce a useful book though was not aligning at that time. I was young and inexperienced. In order to overcome my inadequacies I decided to strengthen an area of weakness. The idea had come to me while shopping at the local bookstore. While there, I noticed the qualifications of the authors attached to their books. I instinctively knew if I wanted to write I needed to work on building a resume that would help me gain the trust of my audience. Since the only things I really felt passionate about was the gospel, cooking, and family, I decided I would pursue writing a religious book. I began working as an MTC Instructor, from there I became a full-time Seminary Teacher who dabbled in teaching at area training meetings, as well as teaching an Institute class here and there. Simultaneously I worked as an EFY instructor, and I thoroughly loved it. After years of serving and teaching with EFY I was asked to be part of Best of EFY. Building a resume was a lot of hard work and effort, but I was learning a lot. The experience I was gaining naturally led to collecting book ideas in the back of my mind. My biggest preparation, that launched my ability to write, happened when I was admitted into the Religious Master’s program. There, I had intensive instruction in both research and writing. There I was tutored and mentored by some amazing Religious Scholars, and I wrote my first book. A Thesis to be exact ~ this lengthy effort satisfied that desire to write for a time and led to working for another department of Continuing Education at BYU, Education Week. I still planned on writing a book, but in a matter of speaking, working on my weak areas had paid off. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, I had become a Little Red Hen that could do the work herself.

 

Education Week brought with it publishing opportunities. By this point I had the much-needed resume, and offers to work with publishers. It seemed to be all I had wanted professionally, personally my life was changing with an unexpected proposal by a widower. Much like the plot-line twist to a virtuous Hallmark movie the choice between marriage and publishing seemed obvious. I chose love and family like those Hallmarks. Unlike the movies, the harsh reality, and little known fact, of that choice was due to my weakened physical condition I could not choose both options. I had just completed an intense thesis project with the general young women’s department while working full-time in S&I, the strain of doing both had injured my health. I knew I didn’t have the energy to do it all. I felt it best to devote my time to improving my health and devoting my time to helping my family heal from the loss of their wife and mother. I too was taking on my new roles as wife and mother and needed time to navigate that world. Somehow a year later, and even with all the strain of my new family life, I was not only blessed with two adult sons, I was also miraculously blessed with a beautiful bouncing baby boy. In the past, my doctor had told me my condition made it so it would be impossible for me to have children. I knew he was a miracle! Due to the way policy with S&I was written at the time, the birth of my son meant an end to my career and contract. There was no surprise there, for me, and I found myself content and busy with family life. Fast forward five years and you would find me as I was gaining new skills in marketing and managing my husband’s office. During this time I was also teaching Institute again, but this time I was a volunteer. Working as a volunteer meant it was my church calling. I would often joke about the irony that it was so nice of the Institute to let me do for free what I used to get paid for doing. I was usually the only one laughing, but Jesus had blessed me with a joyful heart and good sense of humor. I truly loved teaching and being in the classroom again. I really enjoyed meeting the young adults and using my skills of teaching I fought long and hard to achieve. Working as a volunteer was spirit filled and I loved every minute.


While teaching I felt the prompting to write again. So I did. I felt I was true to the promptings I had been given, but when I submitted my efforts, my book was rejected not just once but three times. Since I had been approached to publish by one of those companies, I was given a little more of an explanation for this rejection. I was told that marketing turned down my proposal…to them it was too expensive and very unlikely it would sell enough copies to be worth the effort. For a while I was content with the fact that I tried and there was nothing I could do if the publisher wasn’t going to publish it. I was content and moved on. I said I WAS content! All until the day came and I had a prompting that disturbed me. It was, “You did the wrong thing with your book.”

 

The prompting telling me I had done the wrong thing felt calm and peaceful initially. Yet, the more I thought about it though I found myself becoming uneasy…I don’t like to do wrong things, or feel that I let the Lord down! I pondered and searched for the meaning to that prompting. As I prayed for understanding more information was sent and the knowledge I needed to move forward began to unfold. Thanks to some help from important and experienced friends I began to navigate through the difficulties of knowing what to do. Further information and interviews with the company that had reviewed my book led me to understand that after my manuscript had been lost for months, and it was discovered that the manuscript had been lost, they requested that I resubmit it by email leaving out some of the much-needed details for categorization. Through a series of unfortunate errors my submission was wrongly categorized then subsequently evaluated according to that wrong categorization. Quite frankly, the way it was evaluated even I would have turned it down. Also, since I was new at the whole process, I had made certain assumptions that had also cost me. This was the worst disappointment of my career. Disappointment with my career was not unfamiliar. I was one of the few women in a male dominated field, and in that atmosphere, I can honestly say, it was a recipe for having more than a few unhappy moments. Learning what happened both shocked and devastated me to the core…mostly because now my concept was being published by the very company that I had trusted my concept with two year prior. (This information was given in an unofficial investigation by the former editor of the company I spoke with). While I was assured by the publisher that our concepts were different and the inspiration for theirs had developed differently, I felt uneasy with their explanation. Regardless of how I felt I chose to give them the benefit of the doubt. The improved view of what happened clearly revealed my mistakes but it didn’t change the sad facts of the mishandling of my submission or return to me the opportunity to publish my concept with my preferred publisher. Most importantly my mistake was, I realized I had forgotten to push forward like the Little Red Hen. I realized I had accepted the answer from a person, or company, as an answer of what to do instead of checking with God, the one who inspired me to write it in the first place. Why did I not pray to see what to do after the rejection? How could I have been so unwise? Nephi taught in the Book of Mormon that if God has something we need to accomplish, He’ll also provide the way for us to do the work. I wouldn’t let Him down twice.

 

At the point of complete sadness, it appeared that there wasn’t a good solution for me. The way I saw it, I wouldn’t have a publication because I couldn’t interfere with their publication. After all, my end goal of helping children understand doctrine seemed to be their goal too. Helping children to understand doctrine was most important to me. Learning from my first mistakes I decided to resubmit my book, with a few alterations as to not compete with the other company, while still remaining true to my original concept I submitted in 2017. God inspired me on who to connect with to make my book even better, and thankfully they were all very gracious and helpful! After I had improved and clarified my original work I resubmitted it to the parent company of the first company I worked with. Again, I was rejected and not just once but I was rejected by all publishers who had any connection to the first company. I was left not feeling like there was another option. I felt these particular publishers had the best skill for the kind of publication I had. I was concerned about what to do next. I had been told that our concepts were not the same, yet other evaluators said they were similar enough to mine to make them uninterested, thus the reason for the subsequent rejection. 


Even though I felt nothing could be done at that point, thankfully my associates didn’t. The Lord helped me through them to not quit. I was prompted to keep going by an unexpected friend and contributor to my book. All my artists agreed to stay with the project regardless of who published it, that too was astonishing to me. I chose to have hope and I chose to turn to the Lord. To help you understand the desperation I felt, I would liken my predicament to be very similar to our Red Hen.  All the farm animals that she approached seemed to have the time and skill, but chose to do nothing helpful, and it really didn’t matter why. Yet unlike the Hen, I knew I couldn’t do this myself. The feeling of devastation, along with the wound that came from mistrust, burned in my soul. I felt emotionally gutted and spiritually injured. Yet, at this low point I still chose to trust the Lord, and I turned my pain and desires over to Him. I knew what to do, I chose to ask Him for His guidance.

 

So, “What do I do now?” became what I needed to focus on.  As I prayed, I was given clear insight without any specific direct path. I was told, “Don’t focus on what they did wrong, focus on who the book is for.” I was also told, “You have everything you need.” I was not yet over the pain from the loss, because it was excruciating, but those words somehow soothed my soul and gave me purpose! In moving forward I desperately sought the Lord’s help and healing. At this point I felt completely abandoned by earthly help I sought to resolve the matter with, I felt the only way to heal was to forgive and leave the outcome in the Lord’s hands! I found healing as I worked towards the goal that God had blessed my heart to carry. As I pondered on what to do and sought heavenly direction, I did get it. I received further insights and spiritual drive to continue. I applied every spiritual direction I received. I sought to forgive and think of who this was for, it was then I remembered the publisher that had been contacting me for a month. This publisher had worked with members of my faith before, but they didn’t have the religious knowledge and skills I desperately needed. I also knew there were advantages working with this company and so I accepted the terms of the contract and found myself reaching beyond my comfort zone for three more years! 


Due to the fact that I needed help from those experienced in the doctrine and gospel of Jesus Christ, I set about hiring my own illustrator and religious content editors. This move was expensive for our family, but feeling a drive to help those children and at risk families, we invested our saving to make the best book we possibly could. There were plenty of issues along the way to work through, but I had learned my lesson to not quit or pause, but rather I was to push forward and trust the Lord. Along with the difficult days and heartbreaking delays added to the stress and pressure. I realized after three years of sacrificing my weekends, holidays, and vacations, because none of them came without me needing to spend significant time working on this project, then somehow, it was finished. Not to mention there were difficulties besides the publication. I had worked through difficult personal trials, the terminal diagnosis for my Dad, and need of my help in his treatment plans and death of my father-in-law. I continued to help with the farm, run our business where I worked full-time during the pandemic and supervised my young son’s education at the same time. Later, when the school opened again, I continued my volunteer work there and at the LDS Institute, and last but not least I produced and hosted a podcast called Gather in Christ. Somehow in the midst of everything I now had a beautiful book that not only described miracles inside its pages, but I knew the miracle the book was itself! I knew for a fact that when I helped others God lifted and helped me. I was grateful I had been true to my original prompting, and I knew that book had power to heal hearts. “Why did I have that confidence?” you may ask, because I was echoing God’s word and I had felt healed by those words myself.

 

“How are things going now?” you may curiously wonder. Well as any author knows, the book is only half of the battle…it takes getting the word of its release out there as well. I found that the Lord prepared me and my help not only for the writing portion of my book, but to assist in the marketing of it as well. While I still need His daily help and strength, He had blessed me with long history of marketing because I worked many years in a family business, and I had some amazing connections to professionals that were happy to help. After only a day of promoting my Ebook on Amazon it reached Amazon best seller status in three categories. I don’t even know how to process this. 


If I could pass on any wisdom it would be, if you would like to write a book…the best advice I can give you is to join with the Lord in all you choose to do and trust His promptings! Trust that He has a way for His words to be accomplished and when He prompts you, He trusts you to be part of the process! Understand that hardship doesn’t give you an excuse to quit. We need to understand that the adversary is seeking to destroy you and the Lord’s work. His opposition will always come when we seek to do what is right. I have also learned that God will send friends to help us and more importantly He will be with us.  May God bless you to do the Lord’s work and participate in Gathering Covenant Israel. Like the Little Red Hen we can persevere and gain new skills as we make the efforts that bring about eternal growth.


Thanks for taking time to read My Publishing Journey. I hope it helps you to understand how sometimes even the unexpected road can still be a good road.


If you would like you can order your book here!


https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/collections/amazon-bestsellers/products/gods-plan-book-1-of-the-true-doctrine-series



Thursday, September 26, 2024

Exciting News! I wrote a book!





I have been busy finishing a publication. It is interactive doctrinal children’s book. The book is finally finished. What a miracle!  It is titled, God’s Plan: Book 1 of the True Doctrine Series. Writing this series has been a labor of love and after seven years in the making I can’t believe it is finally ready! 


For those of you who are interested here is a little background; For years I longed to helped overwhelmed parents, new members, single-parents, part-member families, grandparents, aunts, uncles and really anyone who want to help their little loved ones learn the basic doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These doctrines are vital to spiritual safety and are the basic building blocks of scripture. 


My experience teaching in the Seminary and Institute gave me pause to think how nice it would be if younger children were given greater exposure to these basic life-changing doctrines. Knowing these concepts were complicated and sometimes intimidating, I sought to make them simple to teach and understand. So I got to work motivated with the thought, “when children better understand that God loves and watches over them their anxieties about life will ease.” As for myself, I took great comfort in the scripture, “If ye are in prepared ye shall not fear (see D&C 38:30).” 


Having a master’s in Religious Education, I knew about teaching these concepts to the youth with different learning styles. This book is simple enough that children ages eight to twelve can learn unassisted. Whether your child is a visual, auditory or hands-on learner, they will all be able to benefit from its illustrations, music, and guided experiences. Much like the method of learning a foreign language, I have created this book to be a doctrinal immersion experience. I know this method works because I taught, using it for years. This book will help these truths more easily unfold in the minds and hearts of your children. 


The Kindle Version of my book is now available on Amazon for ONLY $2.99! You won’t regret giving your young children a way of learning the priceless truths of The Godhead, The Plan of Salvation, and The Atonement of Jesus Christ. These three doctrines are foundational as well as crucial building blocks for children as they begin their quest to know God better. 


I would be so ungrateful if I didn’t mention that I had some amazing help compiling this book. This help came from people who really care about children and love the gospel! Major contributors were Leon Parson, my cover artist, Kelly Donovan created over 40 illustrations inside, Shawna Edwards wrote the music, and I have forewords from Susan Easton Black and Robert L. Millet endorsing our efforts. I am positive this book will help all those who are concerned with the important work of helping the next generation build their testimony on the pure doctrine of Christ. So check it out my ebook for just $2.99, or order a beautiful hardback book for just under $30.00. Either way you’ll be glad you did!


https://a.co/d/8aTQkc7


#gatherinchrist

#HearHim

#kellydonovanartistoftheoldwest

#shawnaedwards

#LeonParson

#RobertLMillet

#SusanEastonBlack

#DorranceBooks

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Priesthood Power and Healing Blessings


 This is a picture of a chair we use when participating in healing blessings. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints one receives blessing of healing by the laying on of hands. This means that one or more worthy male members, who have been ordained to the higher Melchizedek priesthood, anoints the individual with oil, by placing a very small drop of that consecrated oil on their head. They then place their hands upon the individuals head and seal that anointing by the power of the priesthood and pronounce a blessing as prompted by the Holy Ghost. The priesthood bearer when inspired by the Holy Ghost then has the ability to speak the healing words of Christ. (For more information see https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2010/04/healing-the-sick?lang=eng)


I have received many such blessings and I am always amazed that in every instance there is a positive change. Sometimes I have physically felt better immediately, other times I am prompted to seek proper medical attention in order to continue the healing process as the Lord directs. Yet regardless of the counsel I receive in that blessing my heart is lifted and I feel the love of my Savior and Heavenly Father.


One thing is also certain through these sacred experiences and this is that the holy priesthood power is a real force. Every time a blessing is extended to me I feel God’s love for me and His desire to bring His heavenly light and healing into my life, if I am willing to ask for it. I know He will do this same thing for all of His children. So remember that if life is dark and difficult, look to Christ and invite His help and healing through Priesthood power.


#HearHim

#gatherinchrist

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Trials are Blessings if We Seek the Lord's Perspective


Dyers Woad is a noxious weed. This dreaded flowering plant grows so vigorously that the efforts to get rid of it have been organized and intense. Did you know that it had a purpose that was good? The root of this plant is one of the strongest known herbal antiviral. Harvested in the Fall, the roots contain the greatest concentration of its medicinal properties. Who knew that this terrible weed could have helped with those that are struggling with colds and sicknesses of a viral nature.


Locally, you can see this plant pretty much everywhere in the valley I live in. I have heard neighbors recently complain about its infestation. It is surprising to learn that this noxious weed has the ability to heal. How ironic that during the pandemic global proportions when antivirals were becoming harder and harder to get, they were with us all along. 

With that said, have you ever thought your greatest trial viewed with proper perspective may become your greatest asset in providing the strength we need to face the struggles we have in life? Sometimes I have viewed my hardships as being quite unfair… now I’ve come to understand that when we forgive a debt owed by another who is harmed us, we receive compensating gifts from the Lord. Those gifts then accelerate our progression along the covenant path. Sometimes the very source of our burden becomes the vehicle by which we can have a better life. Because of the Savior, Jesus Christ, everything wrong and unfair deed will be made up. There is no stronger source of healing. He is the healing that comes with every trial if we are will to see Him there. Trusting in Him, and in Him promises will uncover blessings within the tragedy. 

#gatherinchrist
#HearHim
#burdenstoblessings



Monday, May 13, 2024

Motherhood, The Celestial Role Of Women Of God


 My journey to be a mom was filled with years of tears. I didn’t know then that the Lord was preparing me through these tender experiences to be sensitive and to expand motherhood’s sacred role in my soul. Before I entered what the world would see as the role of motherhood, I learned of my eternal identity. That in the eternities an exalted woman was a mother. I realize that I was already deepening and exercising the gifts and talents of motherhood as I loved my students, cared for and prepared my home to be a refuge from the world, supported friends, and served my neighbors. I found life could be fulfilling, even if I was never going to be able to bear my own children. I WAS HAPPY! I loved others that God placed in my life. As a single woman without children I learned motherhood was no longer an event, but part of my eternal character.


At age 36 I entered an eternal family whose Mother died of cancer. Each Mother’s Day was extremely tender and sometimes the saddest day of the year. I knew my family was aching for the mother they lost and while I desperately wanted to help ease that pain, only the Savior had the power to right that terrible loss in their hearts.


Now fast forward twelve years, and I can honestly say, of all the Mother’s Days I have experienced, this Mother’s Day was the best! My younger son and husband sacrificed a fathers and sons outing to help me prepare for a commercial shoot for my book and tend to our many chores on the farm. I would’ve never asked them to give up that fun activity since my son and husband have very little time for fun events. They sacrificed and worked hard to clean the house and help stage the several scenes that were recorded the next day. I worked two 16 hour days in a row, and that was not enough to be ready. Without their help I would have failed. They made the impossible task, possible. My husband even starred in the commercial…which is really not his thing. Then against all odds, my own parents came to be stars in the commercial and to wish me a happy Mother’s Day. I don’t remember the last time I got to spend Mother’s Day with my mom. It was lovely. 


Those two, my little son and husband didn’t stop there. They made me dinner on Mother’s Day and invited my friends to share the day with us. My husband didn’t just make dinner he washed two loads of dishes.😂 My older boys found ways to let me know that I was cared about and thought of. One day at a time Jesus has healed our family. As we wait upon Him for the time where all of our tears will be wiped away we can enjoy truly heavenly days.


My heart is tender for friends and family who wait upon the Lord for their righteous desires to be realized. I know the only one who can give us perspective and ease our pain is the Savior.  I am so thankful He is the answer to all our of problems. I know through Him we as women can embrace the sacred role of all women of God, that role is motherhood. The sooner we embrace our eternal identity as mothers, and seek to fulfill it in the Lord’s time and way, the happier we will be. I promise you gaining a celestial perspective is worth it.