What is this blog?

In 2008 I stumbled upon a blog organized by a woman who wanted to read The Bible each day through the year and then comment and receive comments about the reading assignment. I decided to join and I really enjoyed the experience of discussing the passages. I wanted to continue that. I thought I would start a blog that follows the LDS Sunday School lessons, not in any way replacing them, but just to offer a venue to comment on the readings for those who don't like to/get to comment in class or don't get to go to class at all, or just anybody. 2009 was my first full year with this blog, reading the Doctrine and Covenants (all archived in 2009). 2010 I did my best to discuss the Old Testament but fell off in the fall. 2011 is a review of The New Testament, but I was even less successful in continuing with that year, but I hope to fill those in during the year! During 2012 we discuss The Book of Mormon. I will post at least once for the week's readings. I will not post on General Conference weeks and will probably be behind your current reading due to our church schedule, but hope you can still find relevancy. Also, I probably won't proofread much, so please forgive me for errors, I'll be lucky to just get a post each week in. Feel free to comment on my current week or your class' current week. Enjoy! I do!

Friday, January 15, 2010

The Creation: conversion all over again

I really love the account(s) of the creation! When I taught the Sunbeam class one year, I realized that the lessons follow the plan of salvation, beginning with Heavenly Father and the creation. Though they follow the lessons creation by creation: sun, water, land, fish, bugs, etc.

As I thought about the creation this week and also attended the temple, I realized that in the scriptures, when a person is being converted to the gospel, they are taught about the plan of salvation beginning with the creation. The accounts that come to mind are: King Lamoni, King Lamoni's father, Abraham, Moses, Nephi (in asking to see the vision of the tree), attempts to convert Laman and Lemuel, conversion of his brother Jacob, the people of Mosiah, numerous people in church history since Joseph Smith and hopefully everyone the missionaries teach now.

So, I think it's pretty great that at least every four years we talk about the creation and for those who attend the temple, get a reminder of the creation every time they go. Why do I think it's so great? We are given the opportunity to humble ourselves, like Moses was:

"I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed." Moses 1:10

I think in out routine lives centered around ourselves, our duties, our families, our jobs, our food, our recreation, we tend to think we are something. When in an eternal perspective, we are nothing. But the irony is that in realizing that we are nothing, we become something. We become true children of God who realize that we are dependent upon Him for all that we are and hope to become. We also realize that everything has a purpose, even giraffes and praying mantis' and slugs. We have a purpose, and because we are a little more intelligent we have a bit of a say in what our purpose is. Will we fill the purpose of our creation? Will we even go to the right source to figure out our purpose? Hopefully the account of the creation will lead us back to our Creator every time we read or view it and hopefully that we are nothing without God.

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