Student Choice Assingment, Week 6, New Testament Class

Choice 1: Romans 12-16. Live as Saints Should Live

   1.      Review Romans 13:11 and look for what is “nearer”. Read Ezekiel 3:20; Doctrine and Covenants 14:7; and explain in writing what we must continue doing to work out our salvation.

Our salvation is nearer than when we believed. In order to work out our own salvation, we need to continually work through our stumbling blocks, such as our weakness (sins) we need to work at removing from our lives, we need to turn towards righteousness, we need to keep the commandments, and we need to endure to the end..

   2.      In Romans 12-13 Paul gave much counsel that leads to salvation. Read each of the following verses and list what Paul taught would help lead to salvation:

·         Romans 12:1: Live your life in the service of the Lord.

·         Romans 12:2: Keep your thoughts clean and pure.

·         Romans 12:9: Love all your fellow men. Cling to the good in this world.

·         Romans 12:13: Give freely of what you have.

·         Romans 12:16: Avoid being prideful by not looking down on others.

·         Romans 12:21: Overcome Evil with good.

·         Romans 13:1: Allow all men to be blessed by God’s power.

·         Romans 13:3: As long as you are doing what is good, you will have to reason to be afraid of authority.

·         Romans 13:8: Avoid debt and love others.

·         Romans 13:9: Love your neighbor, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, no not bear false witness, and do not covet.

    3.      Review Romans 14:1-13; 15:1-3. Then write answers to the following questions:

·         What cautions did Paul give about judging? It is not our place to judge others, we have not been given that authority. We will all stand before the Lord to be judged someday.

·         People may have different opinions and practices, but what is most important to remember? We need to love one another and look past those differences of opinions and practices and instead, we need to build each other up so we may all become stronger in the Lord.

·         What additional insight comes from reading Doctrine and Covenants 38:25-27? We need to see everyone as our equal and strive to become one by serving and loving one another.

    4.      Review Romans 15:25-26, 31, 16:2, 15. Write the term Paul frequently used to refer to members of the Church in his day.

He referred to them as saints.

October Happenings

 October is always a busy month with all the fun fall activities, this year was not exception. Life got busier with Kinley beginning to walk. She is into everything and has earned the new name of Re-locator because she relocates anything she can get her hands on to a different location. Her most favorite thing to relocate is shoes. Why shoes?

Before she began walking, she taught herself how to go down the stairs backwards. I was upstairs folding laundry when I looked over and saw her a few stairs down scooting her way backwards. It seemed odd to me that she began going down the stairs before she began walking. Here is a video I got as soon as I realized she could go down the stairs. The video is a bit dark, but you can still see her.

 Who needs toys when you have empty toilet paper rolls?

 Mason had to make an underwater vessel for school. Jeff always does a great job to taking on these extra projects with the kids. I really appreciate it for a few reason, (1) I am not that creative when it comes to that stuff and (2) I really don't have time to do these projects.

Every year our school does "Doughnuts with Dad". Jeff didn't tell the boys he was taking the day off to go with them. So when they woke up that morning they said to me several times how they wished Dad could have taken the day off. Little did they know, Jeff and I devised a plan to surprise them last minute by having him hide in our room until it was about time to go and I so I got up with them like it was any other day and got them ready. They were so excited that Jeff was home and was going to make it after all.

 A new way of eating?

 Cup stacking, one of Mason's favorite pass times. Shiloh loves to try her hand at it too.

I find countless pics on the camera/phones, all thanks to Shiloh.

 I see you!

Carving Pumpkins

How did Halloween sneak up on us this year. Last night we realized that it was only two day until Halloween and we still had not carved our pumpkins, so that is what we did after dinner. Mason did not want to put his hand inside the pumpkin AT. ALL. Cooper, on the other hand was all over it and even took a little time to tease Mason about it, okay, he actually took a lot of time to do that.

 Our finished pumpkins: Tinkerbell, Ninja Turtle, and Bowser (from Mario).

Student Choice Assignment, Week 5, New Testament Class

Choice 3: Romans 6. Baptism

      1.      Review Romans 6:1-13 and answer the following questions in writing:

·         What must be done with sin before baptism can occur?

We must let go of our old sinful self and become free from sin.

·         What events from Christ’s life are symbolized in baptism?

The death of Jesus Christ, his burial, and resurrection.

·         Considering this symbolism, why couldn’t someone be baptized by sprinkling?

If our baptism is meant to symbolize the death of our former, sinful self, then we need to be fully “buried” in the water. When someone is sprinkled with water, they are not fully immersed in the water, so that act does not symbolize the death of our old self.

·         What do these verses teach us about how we can maintain the newness of life?

Just as Christ overcame death when he was resurrected, we can overcome sin when we are baptized. After we are baptized, we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost to help us avoid sin. We will not be perfect and so we will have the need to repent of our sins. Each week we are given the opportunity to renew our baptismal covenants when we partake of the sacrament.

·         According to Mosiah 3:19, what part of us would ideally die at baptism?

Ideally the natural man inside of each of us would die at baptism.

      2.      Study Romans 6:14-23. Write a paragraph that describes how we know whose servant we are. Then write a statement identifying the true source of freedom.

There are only two masters, the Lord and Satan. We know who we are serving by the choices we are making. If we choose to continually sin, we are serving Satan. If we choose righteousness by keeping the commandments, we are serving the Lord.

The true source of freedom is the source that when we follow it, we are not limited or tied down because of those choices.

Siemers Farm 2013

 We usually go to the Harvest House during October to get their pumpkin doughnuts and do some of the fun fall activities there. The Harvest House is always so packed, so we decided to try another farm this year. We ended up going to Siemers and loved it. They too have pumpkin doughnuts, but they also have huckleberry ones too. 

Partaking of doughnuts was our first stop.

Next we let Mason, Cooper, and Shiloh slide down the big slide. Shiloh did not want to do it by herself, so I went down with her.

Just sittin' around...

 Overall we had a great morning and as we left, we were glad we went as early as we did, the line of cars just to get to any of the several farms was at least 2 miles long. Yikes!

Student Choice Assigment, Week 4, New Testament Class

Choice 2: 2 Corinthians 2:1-11. Forgiveness

Review 2 Corinthians 2:1-11; Matthew 6:14-15; Doctrine and Covenants 649-10. Then respond to the following questions:

·     What were the people of Corinth commanded to do “if any have caused grief”?

To forgive and comfort the sinner, lest he be swallowed up with much sorrow.

 

      What blessings do we see if we forgive?

Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will forgive us.

Satan will not have power over us.

Love for others and love for ourselves.

·     What is the danger in failing to forgive?

The Lord will not forgive us, and in turn we have then committed the bigger sin.

We are judged with the same judgment we have judged others with.

Satan will take advantage of you.

Student Choice Assignment, Week 3, New Testament Class

Choice 6: 1 Corinthians 10, 11 The Sacrament

Study 1 Corinthians 10:16–21; 11:20–29 and compare it with 3 Nephi 18:6–11, 28–29. Then respond in writing to the following items:

 1. Read Luke 22:19 and identify the important word Luke used in describing the sacrament that          Nephi also used but Paul did not.
     Luke and Nephi both say "given", while Paul says "broken".
2. What is different between what is taught in 1 Corinthians 11:27–29 and 3 Nephi 18:28–29 with         regard to the counsel about when to not partake of the sacrament?
   Christ says it is a commandment and that if ye shall know a man is unworthy, you should forbid him. (both      in 3 Nephi) In Corinthians he says to examine yourselves.
3. What did Paul teach that explains why we don’t want to partake of the sacrament unworthily?
    If you partake of the sacrament unworthily, you eat and drink damnation to yourself.
4. What can you do to make the sacrament a more meaningful experience in your life both on             Sundays and during the week?
    I know I need to reflect more on my weaknesses during the week, strive to correct those weaknesses,           and make more of an effort to repent of those weaknesses each day so I can be more worthy and                 prepared to partake of the sacrament each week.

Student Choice Assignment, Week 2, New Testament Class

Choice 1 Acts 19-20. Proper Authority and Ministering to the People

Study Acts 19:1-12; 20:7-12; and list five priesthood ordinances Paul performed.

     1.      Baptism

     2.      Gift of the Holy Ghost

     3.      Sacrament

     4.      Administering to the sick

     5.      Priesthood blessing to raise Eutychus from the dead.

Answer the following questions in writing:  

     1.      What did Paul do for the Corinthian saints because it hadn't been done right the first time?

     Paul baptized the Corinthian saints with the power of the priesthood and blessed them with the gift of the        Holy Ghost.

     2.      How does this help answer the question many nonmembers have about the need of being                  baptized when they have already been baptized?

     In order to receive all that the Father has, one must be baptized by the proper authority. Our church is the      only church on Earth with the proper authority, which is the priesthood.

     3.      In what way did Paul bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost?

    Paul bestowed the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.

     4.      On what day of the week did the saints meet to break bread? What evidence is there in John          20:1, 19 for why the Sabbath day was changed?

    The saints met to break bread on the first day of the week. It was changed because Christ appeared to         the Apostles that same day that He was resurrected.