CCFM NT WEEK 09

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[00:00:00] INSIGHTS INTRODUCTION

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Welcome back you guys. This is week nine of Creative. Come follow me for the New Testament and this week we are back in the synoptic gospels. We have got two lovely weeks in the Sermon on the Mount, and now we have to kind of pick up the pace a little bit. So we're gonna bounce around the, today we're gonna be in Matthew and Mark and Luke, and we're gonna study a whole smattering of good stuff.

It's, it seems a bit disjointed, especially in parts of Mark where it goes so fast. But one of the lovely things about this week is I really think there. Common threads between them. For me, the biggest common thread between all of these chapters, you're gonna be in Matthew eight, mark two through four, and then also Luke seven.

And some of those chapters are gonna be familiar to you. In fact, some we've even already studied in the New Testament this year. But I kind of see that gospels almost like a really great Netflix series that you watched the first [00:01:00] time and you loved it and you, you know, ate it up. And then the second time you see it, you notice all these things you didn't see before.

So for me, instead of worrying about finding a perfect harmony of the gospels, I just delight each time I come upon them. I look for new things and I'll try to point them out to you as we go. The common thread that jumped to the surface for me this week was all about stealing. So in addition to the big epic stealing of the storm that we'll study in two different places this week, you'll also see storms of the heart.

You'll see, you'll see the savior still storms for gentiles, lepers, sinners, even scribes and Pharisees. You'll see him teach and still storms outside and inside anyone who comes to him. And I just think his methods and. Compassion for all of those people, no matter what walk of life they come from, the very fact that they are coming to him gives him a chance to bring peace and to still those storms.

[00:02:00] So you're gonna wanna dive deep there. There's a lot of goodness to study. The other thing I think is really powerful about this week is you see the savior as this master teacher. You're gonna see miracles and parables this week. And I kind of love that they're woven together because I feel like that's what a great teacher can do as the savior, as a master teacher.

He's able to teach with physical objects around them as they walk around the dusty roads and Palestine. And as he performs miracles, he teaches in every situation he's trying to teach. He's trying to help people. Elevate, just like we saw with the Sermon on the Mount. Now, as he's down on the ground helping people in these everyday moments, he is continually inviting them to elevate and you're just gonna love it.

So grab your scriptures, grab your notes. Let's get started.

[00:02:56] MATTHEW 8

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You guys, we have so many chapters to cover that I'm gonna have to breeze [00:03:00] through some of these, but don't forget that the notes are at your disposal. I went pretty much versed by verse in the notes. There's a lot of pages of notes so that if there's any area that I don't quite get to, you can find it in the notes.

But let me show you a few highlights at Matthew eight that you just don't wanna miss. First off, we start with distilling of the storm of the leper. So remember how I told you that when you approach the gospels, you can't get too tied up? chronology, like all of them arrange things differently. In Matthew, we have, this is where you see the story of the leper who comes to the savior and is touched and then immediately healed.

And then there's this interesting part, I don't know if I didn't see it there last time, we studied it just a few weeks ago, but this time I saw it. I, at least I read it. Differently. So it talks about when the savior gives him direction after he's healed, he says, tell no man. This is in verse four, but go that way and show thyself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.

So the Lord directs him to fulfill the law of Moses and go through the same right so that [00:04:00] he can be declared clean. And in the past I read that and assumed that was a way for the Savior to protect himself a little bit, so that there, if he tells no one, then there's not gonna be a big, you know, colony of lepers coming after the Savior.

And maybe that's true, but in this case, I started to think about the savior's compassion for this man. The same way he touched him and gave him dignity, like we talked about in the last one. I feel like in this choice, Asking him to tell no man. He gives him a different kind of dignity because what would inevitably happen to him socially?

I think if he went back to the priest at the synagogue and asked to be made clean, is this, the priest is gonna ask him, how did this happen? How did you become clean all of a sudden? And by following the directive from the savior to tell no man. He doesn't have to tell him because honestly, if he had told the priest at the synagogue who healed him, especially knowing how much hatred was building for Jesus, it may have made him a whole different kind of social outcast.

So I feel like this is kind of a lovely, [00:05:00] compassionate way that the Savior gives this man a chance to blend back into his family and his neighborhood and his friends, without having to make a big, bold statement about anything. Yet, I, I wonder if a piece of that compassion is rooted in his desire to let this man just.

Flow right back in to where he's been hoping to be. Uh, it just sounds like the savior to me. After you read about the lepar, you're gonna see about the centurion. So this is the next part of chapter eight. What's interesting about the centurion is that's a Roman soldier, so he's a Gentile, he's not a Jew, and he seeks healing for his servant from the savior.

So if you go in the verses you see in five, this is someone who would be over, well, Centurion means you're over a hundred soldiers, but lots of people estimated somewhere between 50 and maybe even 150 soldiers. He's, he's an important guy and he is seeking help for a servant of his that is sick with palsy.

And I just, this is between five and six. My brain just all of a sudden was like, how does he, how does he turn to [00:06:00] the savior for this? You know? I don't know how he has encountered the savior. I don't know what he knows, you know? Later reading when we get to it, that he's someone that's friendly to the Jews.

But I kind of see this moment where he chooses to turn to the savior instead of whatever Roman healing is available as the same sort of moment we see with Peter on the water. One of the things I love about the story of Peter when he is trying to walk on the water is that in that moment when he starts to sink, he doesn't swim back to the boat.

You know, I mean, if I've been a fisherman my entire life and I'm so comfortable in the water and I start to sink, my gut reaction would say, swim to the boat. . You know, he knows boats. He's always known boats, but because Peter at this point knows the savior and knows his capabilities, he reaches to the savior for safety, I feel like that's kinda what's happening with this century and whatever has happened in his life or in the recent history where he's come to know the savior.

Instead of reaching for what is familiar and what is [00:07:00] socially acceptable, he reaches for this rogue teacher, this Jewish healer that he's heard of, and that turns the tide. And so you see the Lord graciously heal because of his faith. In fact, he'll, he'll declare the root of it as because of the centurion's faith.

It's really interesting to see how it plays out. So if you go on eight, the Centurion basically asks for Jesus to come heal his servant and then tells him, please don't worry about coming into my house. And then uses He. The example he gives is that he is a soldier, and I think it, it might have something to do with authority and rank that he knows that someone who is in, in a position of authority over him, he doesn't have the right to demand that they come to him.

He as. Junior should seek out the Saviory. I I wonder if his military training has caused that mindset for him. But I think it shows a lot of respect and faith in Jesus. Remember, he's from the same town that the nobleman was from. [00:08:00] Remember when we studied about the nobleman who had a son who was healed from a distance?

So I, I wonder if that story has spread or if this century and has heard it, and he believes, he believes this servant can be healed from a distance. So he sends that message to the savior. It's almost the exact opposite of what we see in the Old Testament. Remember when we were studying Naman together and Elisha is in the house and he sends out a servant to Naman?

Naiman comes, he's another Gentile in a position of power in the military. And he comes to the prophet hoping for healing of his leprosy. And the answer he gets is from a servant of the prophet who tells him to go wash in the river. And Neiman's response is like, you know, Shocked that that's how this was gonna play out.

He's not even gonna come out and talk to me. The centurion is almost the opposite of that. He feels so unworthy to even ask Jesus to come in, that he basically says, you don't even have to come close. You just say the word and I know my servant will be healed. And because of that faith, he doesn't need to wash himself seven times.

You know, I, he doesn't, [00:09:00] his servant is healed. In fact, you'll see it in the verses 10. The Savior says, barely. I say unto you, I have not found so great faith. No, not in Israel. And then because of that great faith he testifies to this century and that this gospel message is gonna go out to everybody. So he talks about how soon this is gonna message is gonna go out to the east and the west.

It, it almost reminds me of the brother of Jared. You know how he, when you hear about the Lord and the, the exchange with the brother of Jared where he sees his finger, it's almost like the Lord is surprised. . I'm sure he isn't, but you know what I mean? Like he's almost like, I'm so glad you're here. You, there's just this almost surprise in it.

And I feel like that's, that's what you're seeing with the Centurion as well. He is delighted at this Gentiles faith, and so he, he teaches him, he adds light and knowledge to his story and I just love it. And so then in 13 go thy way and as thou has believed, so it be done unto the, that's the promise.

Whatever we choose to believe that the Savior is capable of, he [00:10:00] will be capable of because he can do all things. And so if we live humbly and if we come to him as his un ended, we're promised that same offering. And so his servant is healed at the very hour from a distance, just like we saw with the no woman son.

Another verse, you don't wanna miss the combination of 16 and 17. I really loved. So at the end of 16, he talks about how he healed all the sick that came to him, and then 17. You see why, and I've never caught this before. So it says then it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiahs or Isaiah, the prophet saying himself took our infirmities and bear our sicknesses.

I'd always read those words as applying to the atonement of Jesus Christ. You know what happens in Yosemite and Calvary in the resurrection, that that's when he takes upon us his infirmities. And I loved that. Taking healing Miracles is almost like a type and a shadow of what will come. The reason this connected for me is I was thinking about the woman with the issue of blood.

Remember when she touches the hem of his garment and he kind of [00:11:00] stops everyone and talks about how virtue has gone out of him. I think it's almost a, a. That piece, these miracles that he does for everyone who comes to him take something from him and he chooses to let that happen. I, I think he has an endless supply of virtue to pull from, but there is a gift in it, and I think it's supposed to be a type and a shadow for the atonement that will come.

And I just love that piece. Do you remember at the very beginning of the year when we started talking about the Discipleship Dojo and this idea of when, when people see the savior do these great miracles, they want to follow, you know, the same way in a martial arts movie, when they see the master do some amazing thing in the streets, they all of a sudden want to be his students.

And when you see it, the second half of Matthew eight is this. Warning about the cost of discipleship. He welcomes anyone to be a follower. If they want to come with him. They are more than welcome, but there is a cost. And so you can see him warning them about those [00:12:00] costs in those next few verses. So there's a couple disciples or followers who come and want to follow him more devoutly, and they're seeking information about that.

So in 19 it says, master, I will follow the wither. So that go, and his response is about how are you sure? You know? He, he, he talks about how he doesn't have a home. He says, foxes have holes and birds in the air have nest, but the son of men have not wear to lay his head. I think he's, he's trying to be really upfront like, you are welcome and you will find joy here and there will be goodness, but you need to understand what you have to give up in order to come.

It's the same thing that Peter had to do to set down his nets and all those other fishermen, apostles, that they had to set something down in order to come. So it seems as with this particular disciple who wants to follow, he's warning, you're gonna need to set something down, and it will be that you won't have a home to go back to.

You won't have a, a resting place or a place to take a, a break. You will need to be all in. And we don't know what he does, we just know that that's the savior's response. [00:13:00] And the other, the second one is even more interesting to me. This is one where it sounds like the follower who wants to be a more dedicated disciple, has a father to bury.

And so he says to him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him in 22, follow me and then let the dead bury their dead. , this seems like a really, really kind of harsh response, especially for the savior who is pro-family in every way and, you know, honors Jewish traditions and certainly would never try to hurt all those things.

I, I just think he's trying to make it really clear. You have to give place like there, it's like we talked about with Elma 32, that idea of if you're gonna plant this seed, there has to be space for it. And so he's trying to warn like, I, you have to put God first. If you can put God first, then other things will fall into place.

We saw this really personally with Hannah. So when Hannah left for her mission in, I think it was 2018, Jason's health wasn't great. His first cancer came in [00:14:00] 2016 and came back in 2018. And it was a little bit scary, to be honest, to send Hannah on her mission because even her putting in her papers, I felt very, very vulnerable cuz we just didn't know how things were gonna go and I didn't know if she was gonna be assigned halfway around the world or.

Or what and part of me was like, you know, it's not mandatory for you. Are you sure? ? But she was resolute and she knew it was right for her. And so we prayed about it and we chose to, you know, support her. And of course you are right, but there was a, a legitimate fear. And I think what gave me comfort in that is I knew Jason wouldn't want her to be anywhere else no matter what happened.

Like there wouldn't be a better environment for her to be in than deep into the gospel of Jesus Christ, that that would center her if things didn't go well. And that gave me peace. And sometimes I wonder if maybe that's what this verse is about, that it's not so much that he's saying, you know, step aside from all family responsibilities and come follow me.

I think what he's saying [00:15:00] is, in order for all your family responsibilities to line up the way you really need them. You need to follow me first. And I wonder if we could talk to his dad in the spirit world, you know, assuming he's passed on, if his dad would've wanted him anywhere else. You know? So I just think it's the cost of discipleship and it's, it seems heavy from the outset, but there is peace in it and rest.

And I think that's what the Savior's trying to offer him a little bit further. You see how discipleship goes for those who stay, you know, I don't know if these two stay, but those who stay, those apostles have an interesting encounter on the water. So they're on the Sea of Galilee and this is the stealing of the storm.

So they, there's a ship, they're on the ship and it is covered with ways. We're gonna read this in two different places. So you're gonna see a few different versions of this, and I'll just point out a few different things in each one, but I do. what you know about him? That he is asleep. So you know that the savior is so tired.

In fact, I read a book from Elder [00:16:00] Holland where he talked about how tired must you be in order to have to be completely asleep in, in a ship that's filling with water. But I think that's, that's the strain that it puts on the savior to be doing these miracles and serving at all times. There is a cost and he's, he's tired and the this, the apostles wake him up after they've been toiling on the boat for a while.

And I found myself thinking, I wonder how often I do this. You know, how often I like row for hours with my measly mortal oars when I have God in the boat, , you know, I just, why didn't they wake you up sooner? Or why didn't they, you know, they've seen. , they know his track record. They know what he can do. And so of course he's not gonna perish in the water, but they row and beat against these waves with their mortal means for a a season.

And then they wake him up and his response is interesting. It's a little bit different in the two different sections we're gonna study, but in this one it says in [00:17:00] 25 they say, Lord, save us, we perish. And in 26 he say a unto to them, why are you feel fearful? Oh ye of little faith. And then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was this great calm.

What I love about this is this is very different than what we saw with the centurion, right? These are apostles who know the savior. They know him intimately and it is hard . They, it is hard even as an apostle to hold, perfectly steady faith. And they're shaking in this moment. They're struggling. And I think his phrasing of Oh ye of little faith is actually really kind because from what we learned in the Sermon on the Mount, this idea of.

They're trying to become perfect and he knows that they are the acorn version of themselves and they're gonna get to the oak tree version over a long span of time. So when I hear that phrase, little faith, I don't think of it as like him putting them down. He, I think he almost sees them like an acorn.

Like your faith is little. It's gonna need to grow. I think there is, [00:18:00] um, some power in this pattern. I started to wonder if maybe this is one of those situations. Remember when we were reading in John and he had looked back on the encounter that he heard. Remember he, the savior, had talked about how he could raise his, the temple up in three days and John kind of looks back on that and says, oh, that's what that meant.

He was talking about his body. I wonder sometimes if these verses are so that the apostles can look back, because down the road when the savior isn't with them, they're gonna have really rough waters and they're gonna wonder why is God asleep? , they're gonna wonder why they can't. feel him or hear from him in certain moments, and they're gonna struggle against the storm.

And I wonder if this vivid memory of being on the water will come back to them and they'll, I, I wonder that just simply from my own personal experience, there's times when I go through these bouts of no revelation or no understanding, and I wonder like, is God asleep? What, why? [00:19:00] Why isn't he talking to me?

And I think he needs, I think he needs us to develop spiritual stamina like we've talked about in the past. I think there is this, there are times when he will pull back so that we can step forward so that we can seek after him and find him. And I wonder if, if this very memorable moment on the water is so they can look back on it in the future and say, I know it seems like he's not here, but he's right in the boat.

He's right here with me. There's a great talk from Sister Hartness that's all about this. In fact, it's linked in the Almi manual. You should go read it, but there's a bunch of quotes in the notes as well. But I love his promise. He, he basically reassures them. He calms the sea and there is peace.

[00:19:47] MARK 2

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When you jump into Mark two, you're gonna see a familiar story we just said he did a few weeks ago. The story of the man with palsy, who is let down through the roof and his epic friends who make this happen. In fact, in Mark, you learn that this is four friends, so one on [00:20:00] each corner who are letting this thing down.

And I'm, we're gonna talk about this in the object lessons because I really think there is value. In understanding how hard this would've been and because it's so hard, I think it teaches us something about their love for their friend. And like I mentioned before, I just think this is an incredible story about bringing people we love to Christ, both spiritually and physically.

I just think there's something about this, like, I'm gonna put my arm around you and even if you don't feel worthy or welcome, I am bringing you there. You know, like he almost doesn't have a choice. And what I love about that is what happens in the middle. So the, the Savior's first reaction to this, the man with palsy is to heal him of his sins, to forgive him of his sins.

It just makes you wonder if that whole time he's being carried, Towards the savior for, I don't know if it's miles or blocks, if his mind is reeling with why he's not worthy, and if his friends, even if they know about his hesitation and his weakness, they're like, [00:21:00] I don't care. You're coming anyway, . I just think it is, it tells you that they know something about the compassion of the savior, that they understand the kind of man he is.

And I, I wonder, there was a great conference doc, I, it's in the notes, but he talked about like when the savior says thons are forgiven, he wondered if the people who had let down the bed are like, wait, what? ? You're like, that's not how we brought him here. But it's the savior knows what your friends need.

What I love about this is I think he understands our intention. I think Elder McConkey said this in conference as well, but he, the, the friends might not have known the bandwidth palsy story or what he really needed, but the savior did, and what I love about that, . It's just an invitation to me to not worry about trying to fix all my friends and my family.

My, it's like an open invitation. Just bring 'em to Christ because he'll know what they need and he will help them. If you can get them in the place where they can feel the spirit and get closer to Christ, he will know how to deal with all the little details that you don't know about. So I [00:22:00] just think there's peace in that.

Just get people to Christ and he'll take care of all the small things. Another thing that's in the Mark account that I didn't notice before is I really love what he says to the scribes and Pharisees, those onlookers who are saying like, do you have, like, do you have the authority to grant forgiveness of sins?

What's interesting to me is he says, why reason you these things in your heart? This is in verse eight. The reason that's jumped out at me this time is I wonder sometimes if what he's asking here is not so much like, why are you being a hypocrite? Why are you thinking these things? I wonder if he's saying to them, why is it stuck in your heart?

If you have questions for me, ask them out loud. I, I listened to Elder Bradner give, um, Instagram Live this week, and he was talking about Jacob a three and he talked about how the Holy Ghost prompts us with questions, not just answers. And I wonder if that's what the savior is referencing here, that he's saying to them like, you have questions ask.

Because then as soon as he gets outta that and he talks about asking and seeking, in [00:23:00] fact a lot of his parables are gonna be about coming to know there's this great, it's a be, there's a BYU devotional and a women's conference address from Steven Harper. I really love him. He does a bunch of different talks on being a seeker and so there's some in the notes if you wanna go check it out.

But I love his message of. . It's supposed to be hard. It's supposed to be taxing spiritually. And you're like, you're supposed to use your brain and your spirit together. And I wonder if that's what this verse is referencing. Like why are you holding all this in your heart? If you have questions, ask, dig, seek.

And there are answers to be found. It was just instructive to me cuz there are some things that I just kind of wrestle with internally and I'm like, maybe I just need to be more open about that and ask and seek and knock from lots of good sources. So I love that reminder. And then he talks about the fruits.

So this is where he's just told us in the sermon on the mouth that by the fruits you shall know them. And I feel like the fruits of. , his being able to provide forgiveness are the fact that this man can [00:24:00] stand. So he invites him to arise. This is in verse 11. He says, arise, take up th bed and go th way into the house.

And this is like we talked about last time, this is the invitation for this man to his friends have taken them, taken him as far as they can without his being able. This part where he has to choose to have faith in the savior and stand on his palsy legs is, is his moment of faith. And when he can stand, it is evidence to him that all those other promises are true, that his sins really are forgiven and he is clean before God.

I just love that piece of it. I think there's power in, I think God wants to give us evidence of his reality, and I think he finds ways that are catered to us to do just that. And you see that with the man with pals. When you go a little bit further, you're gonna see a Matthew being called and this opening of the floodgates, right?

I know it seems like we're going back in time, but remember, time is a little fluid in the gospels, but now you're gonna see Levi or Matthew be [00:25:00] called and then this change, this invitation to the Pharisees. We're gonna go there next. I read a great quote from Joseph Smith this week, the full quotes in the notes, but this is the part I wrote in my margins.

It says, nothing is so much calculated to lead people, to forsake sin as to take them by the hand and watch over them with tenderness. And that's what I see when I see how the Savior treats those who are at this table. So Matthew, this newly called apostle hosts a dinner, Republicans and sinners to come and dine with Jesus like we've studied in the past.

And then there's these lurking scribes and Pharisees who question whether Jesus even understands who he's eating with. And I just think his tenderness towards them. is just powerful to study. He, he teaches them how he sees them. So in 17 he says, when Jesus heard it, he say a thing to them. They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick.

And I came not to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance. I wonder sometimes if he's answering this to the scribes and the Pharisees [00:26:00] or if he's actually saying it to the people at the table like, you belong here. I understand who exactly who you are. I know I see very fully and you belong at my table.

In the earlier part of that quote from Joseph Smith, he talked about how these aren't sinners anymore. They're people who are coming to Christ. They are reconciling and so he sees them with fresh eyes. The thing that the spirit brought back to my memory this week was, this was years ago when we were living in the Midwest.

We moved to a new ward and it was fast in testimony meeting on that first or second Sunday, and I heard a man stand up and bear a testimony that was so. I can still remember, it's probably been 15 years. And I, it was so pure and so humble and it was repentant. He didn't talk about any of his, what his sins were or the past he'd had.

You could just tell he'd had a mighty change of heart. And I remember leaning over to Jason being like, this is gonna be a good ward . Like it was so rich and so pure and so good. And then I went to release [00:27:00] society and it was really interesting because I was new and I had no perspective on who this guy was.

And apparently there was some, he had some connection to somebody in the ward and there were people who were talking about how dare he, like, how dare he talk about his repentance. Like, I, I don't even remember. And it doesn't matter. Like I don't, I'm not trying to judge either party here, but I remember thinking,

Oh, it's so nice to have fresh eyes. Like, I don't know any of his history. I don't know any of his mistakes. I can just hear that testimony and appreciate who he is today. I don't have any of the backstory, and I think that's how the Savior sees us every time. As soon as we sit at this table, whether we were Republican or a sinner or whatever it was, when we come to the table and we seek after him, we have a fresh eye.

He doesn't see us the way men see us. He doesn't calculate all the mistakes of the past. He sees you fresh and invites you somewhere higher. I, I just love that piece of that story. So he teaches that to the scribes in the Pharisees. [00:28:00] The next part of the chapter is you're gonna hear that same interchange we talked about with John and why they don't fast.

And the reason they don't fast is because the savior is there, but there will be a time when he won't be there. So you're gonna see some of those verses. I'm not gonna go into them here simply because I wanna make time for some new things that are coming that we haven't studied before, but you're gonna see old wine in new bottles and also guidance about the Sabo mate at the very end of Mark too.

[00:28:29] MARK 3

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There are definitely more moats and beams lessons to be learned. In Mark chapter three, this is when you're gonna see the story of the man with the withered hand that we studied before, that he's in a synagogue. He has a withered right hand, and it is healed by the Savior on the Sabbath. And of course that sets all the scribes and Pharisees of flame.

And I think what's really interesting to me is this understanding of the spirit of the law and the letter of the law and how, how to find balance between them. What I've learned over the course of time is I think it's one of the pivotal reasons we need the Holy Ghost. We talked about this a little bit [00:29:00] in the Sermon on the Mount, but I think the Holy Ghost helps, you know, where those lines are.

It's why when you look at the strength of the youth manual, the newer edition, that it invites you to turn to God and to pray and ask for what your discipleship is supposed to look like. Not that our discipleships are gonna be wildly different, but the visual that really helps me. I talked about this in the live a few weeks ago, but I always pictured those eye exams.

You know when you go to an eye doctor and they, they're trying to figure out your prescription, so there's letters over there on the wall and they put this great big thing in front of these and they ask you if you can see well, and then they have these little dials where they are like, do you like A better or B better?

And they're flipping between these lenses and you, as you answer those questions, they can narrow it down to your exact prescription. What I find really helpful about that analogy is that's kinda how I see discipleship. Like I think there are certain things that absolutely, for all people, will help you come closer to Christ.

You know, like increasing your temple attendance and increasing your scripture study and your prayers. Those are like those [00:30:00] great big , you know, that initial thing that the eye doctor puts in front of your face to help every person see better. And then he's gonna help you with the help of the Holy Ghost to tweak that.

You know, if I, if I want to go to the temple more often, how do I know if going more often is going once a week for me, or if it's once a month for me? Or how do I know if I wanna increase my scripture study? Does that mean I've got six kids under four? So that means I can only read a verse a day? Or is it, am I in a position where I can read three hours a day?

Like how do I know? And I really feel like that's what the Holy Ghost is. He's saying, don't stress about balancing the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. Turn to me and seek guidance and I will help you. And for me, that's literally what it is. Like sometimes I have to try out both options the same way.

I have to look through both lenses and say, I think I like a better that that's what happens. So if I feel like I need to get to the temple more often, I'll try a few different patterns. I might try once a week for a month, and then I might try every other week and I'll see did A feel better or did B feel better?

And that's how [00:31:00] I know what I love about that is the same way the eye doctor is something I have to go back to frequently to make sure my prescription is still accurate. That's the same thing that happens for me with the Holy Ghost. That prescription that I have today of going to the temple every other week might not fit a year from now.

So I have to go back and recheck and have the humility to say, okay, heaven, father, where do you need me? Now is A better or is B better? And I have to be willing to kind of go through that process. And I feel like that's what the Pharisees have missed. They're just assuming that all people should have the exact same prescription.

And what the savior is saying is it doesn't work like that. There has to be. , that's why we have to have a relationship. And so he's inviting them to dig a little bit deeper and they just miss it. But he invites it over and over again. When you go a little bit further, you're gonna see that crowds are starting to follow him.

So if you look around like 12, he's done some healings. His cast out unclean spirits, and then he has to go up to a mountain. So this is almost like that sermon on the mount timeframe. But when in the mark account, because he's teaching that in order to [00:32:00] get it back from the crowds, it's not that he doesn't have compassion on them or love them, it's the way they're approaching him.

So if he's he intent, it says they pressed upon him for to touch him as many as had plagues. I don't think this is, you know, the man at the beginning who, the leper, who hopes and prays that the god's will will be done. These are people who are simply just trying to touch. It's almost like paparazzi. When I picture paparazzi on a celebrity and they're.

They just want a peace that's, that's how I picture this phrase. So he needs to be apart and he goes up the mountain and then what happens is his apostles are called, so just like we studied in the last couple weeks as he prays all night, then he calls his apostles and you see them listed out here. The thing I loved this time that I didn't catch last time, this is just my theory.

I love that he prays all night after this experience with the paparazzi style healing. I wonder sometimes if what his prayer was about was how do I, how do I lift? , [00:33:00] all the burdens that are around me. His compassion I know flows to every single person who is injured and hurt and aching or with an unclean spirit is flowing to all those people.

He just can't simply be in all those places. And I wonder sometimes if that's the prayer, if that's the prayer on the mountain, and then God the father says, now is the time. Because what he offers these apostles is the gifts to do the things he's been doing. He says to them in 14, he's gonna send them forth to preach.

So to teach the word that he can't get out to every single place. And then to have power to heal sickness and cast out devils, isn't I? I just love that. I don't know if that's accurate, but I think. Of course there's gonna be times when he's gonna seek help from his heavenly Father saying, the burden is too heavy.

Help me. Help me find places to lift it. It's what I pray for all the time. like we're the chariots. I know there are chariots that I can't see. Please open my eyes so I can see the chariots that you must have sent to me. And I think in this case, the chariots are the [00:34:00] apostles that are just waiting to be lifted and brought to him.

So he gets an opportunity to call them and those burdens start to get lighter. Least I hope they do. Do you remember a few weeks ago when we made that samurai sword of and talked about fruit ninja where he can slice through the temptations of the adversary? I feel like you get a taste of that and Mark three, because these scribes are coming, they've come all the way from Jerusalem.

So they've made a journey to come and see Jesus and they are accusing him. Fueling his miracles with the power of the devil. And he slices through it like in this sharp quick motion. He's like, that doesn't make any sense. And his response is beautiful. It's in 23, and he called them Unam. So he, he invites the scribes to come close and like tries to help them understand it with this quick slice.

Why? That doesn't make sense. How can Satan cast out Satan? You know, he's been casting out devils and unclean spirits. People have witnessed it. How on earth would Satan do that to himself? [00:35:00] It, it can't make sense. So he talks about a kingdom being divided, and I just, I love his samurai moments. This is another one for me.

He also talks about the Holy Ghost and sitting against the Holy Ghost. You go in the notes and learn a lot more about this, but this, this unpardonable sin of having the brightness of truth in its surety and turning against it, but that all other things will be forgiven. And so he gives you some more guidance on that.

But my favorite part of this chapter, you guys, is at the very end. . Here's what's interesting to me. So basically what happens is his mother and his brothers are nearby and people see that they're nearby and they tell Jesus like Your mother and brother wanna see you, and he has this really interesting response.

So he says in 33, and he answered them saying, who is my mother or my brother in? And he looked roundabout on them, which sad about him and said, behold my mother and my brothern. And then in 35 for whosoever shall do the will of God, the same as my brother and my sister and my mother. at first glance. In fact, the first time I read this I was like, what

He loves [00:36:00] his mother probably more than any other person on the planet if, if Jesus does have favorites that way. So I, there's no way he is putting down his mother. And so I was kind of wrestling with these verses like, what does that even mean? And then I had a really interesting memory come back to my mind.

I love how the spirit can bring things back to our remembrance. Cuz this was years ago, you guys, like right after I had Violet and I was at the park in Suncrest and I, there was a lady who was there, she had one kid playing at the playground and I had Violet there and she was asking me about, you know, parenting advice.

She found out that I had six kids and she was like, okay, tell me about it. And we had this interesting chat. She. I don't think I could ever be you. And I was like, oh, okay, , I dunno how to take that. And she said, I think it's great what you do. I just could never divide my love from this one child into six.

And I, I didn't articulate a response very well that day. I remember thinking of all the things I should have said, but I remember being so surprised by that. I was like, that's not [00:37:00] how love works. You know, I think it's, I mean, all of you have experienced this, whether you're a parent or not. When you, your love is a, I really believe that love is a gift from God and any gift from God is not bound.

It's it multiplies and it is infinite and it's all dependent on us and our heart. And every time I have a new baby and I bring a new baby into our house, my. Multiplies. It doesn't get divided. My time gets divided, my energy gets divided. Even our finances get divided, but none of those things are eternal.

What is eternal is my love for that child. It expands. So what I think is really helpful for me to understand about the hospital is when the Savior talks about us loving others, what we have to remember is that to love other people doesn't mean we love the people close to us less. It means we're loving more like God does.

Because what He's teaching here is anyone who follows me, anyone who gets on [00:38:00] this covenant bath, you are in my covenant family. Now you are family. It doesn't mean that his mother and his brothers who are his biological family are any less loved. It just means that others rise up. I think it's kinda what you see in the parable of the laborers of the vineyard.

Remember, we haven't studied it yet, but. When he's talking to them. And there's some that get hired at the beginning of the day and their promise, a certain wage and some that come on the very last hour and they get the same wage and he's like, I didn't, I didn't sell you short. You got exactly what you were supposed to get and you should be content with that.

And I just think there's something powerful about that. For me, it's the same way chances are, if you get a calling in young women or my calling with the Y essays, as soon as they step in that door, my love expands. It doesn't matter who they are, how much I know about them. I feel an immediate love for them.

If you have a seminary class, if you, whatever it is, I, whatever your situation is, you've felt your love expand. And I think that's what the savior is teaching me here, [00:39:00] that when, when he sees his mother and his brothers, it is not that he, it's not that he's putting them down, it's that everyone else who chooses to.

Come to him, rises up and we become this beautiful family together. And isn't that exactly what the gospel teaches? I just love that message.

[00:39:26] MARK 4

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The Savior has to teach a lot of different people at a lot of different levels, the gospel. And in order to do that, he often uses parables. What I kind of love about that is that's exactly the spot where we're, you know, whether you're teaching in a family and you have a two year old and an 18 year old, or you're teaching in a Sunday school class or a seminary class, and you've got someone whose family reads the scriptures every day of someone who doesn't even own their own scriptures.

Like you're dealing with all kinds of different levels. And what he teaches is. . One of the ways you can bridge those gaps is by using parables because parables are stories that help people relate. You can go [00:40:00] in the notes and learn a lot more about parables and why the savior uses them, but to me it's kinda the same way we use object lessons and stories and games.

It's a way to connect hearts to, to find a thread between people and let them have an experience together and the people who have deeper testimonies can get richer experiences and the people who don't yet can begin. I think it's the same thing we see in the temple. It's, I actually wonder sometimes if parables are the savior's version of Temple Prep, where he's starting to help them understand symbols and story and the power of the narrative.

I, I dunno, I don't know, but one of my very favorite parables comes in Mark chapter. This is where you see the parable of the sower. And you can go into the notes and learn a lot more about this. But basically what you see in this is you're gonna see the savior teach the multitude. In fact, that's what it says in verse one, that he's, he's on the sea and he's teaching the whole multitude, anybody that will come.

So all these different levels of learners are here. So he teaches them the parable of the sower, and then later he actually has the apostles come [00:41:00] privately and ask him, master, what did that mean? . And so then he, he explains to them what it means so that they can then teach it to others. So you actually, in this scenario, get the parable and you get the interpretation from the savior.

So you have this really beautiful, almost like a test, and a key in Matthew four. The, the short version of the story is that there's a soer who's out planting seeds, and those seeds represent the word. In fact, you can see that in verse 14, the soer. So with the word. So the same way when you're thinking about Lehigh and his vision and the power of the word, and you're thinking about Alma and the seed in Alma 32, and that it is this word that can grow and bloom into something strong.

There's a lot of parallels. In fact, if you go in the notes, you can see parallels between these three things. But my favorite way to study the parable of the sower is to think of it from a parenting and a teaching perspective. That our job is to sow, not to aim, just to sew . So if you look in the parable, basically he talks about four different types of ground.

I'm sure you're familiar with the [00:42:00] story. The first type of ground is by the wayside, and they cast out seeds and the birds immediately swoop in and take the. The same type of ground is stony, and in this one you might get a few little shoots, but the sun scorches those plants cuz they don't get root and so they fade fast and they're gone.

The third type of soil is a soil that has weeds. So these thorns. You know, just like happens in my flower bath that the winds like creep in and suffocate all the plants and so the plants die, and then the fourth type of ground is the good ground, and when seeds go here, they get 30 and 60 and a hundred fold blessings.

What's great about this is I used to see this as a story that all about aim. Like I used to think that this was teaching me I should aim for good ground. And I really feel like, especially knowing that the savior is teaching this to the multitude, all these different levels of learners, he's. Just so that's how I read it.

He's saying basically like, don't aim so much. Don't worry about finding just the good parts of ground. [00:43:00] So everywhere you can plant the word of God everywhere you can, and sometimes you have to prepare your heart for the fact that some's gonna be by the wayside. Sometimes you're gonna have a family prayer together or you're gonna teach a lesson and you're gonna think it's connected and it's gonna be great.

And then it will bird swoop in and take it like, I dunno how to say it. That's what happens sometimes. You're gonna plant a seed and you're gonna see your kids' testimony shoot up just a little bit and you'll be so excited cause you're like, yes, it's coming. And then the son of like some sort of adversity, like they have a friend who has left the church or something, and it will scorch that testimony and it will, and you'll just be like, wait, you just got started.

And sometimes you're gonna see on Stony ground or with thorns where their testimony starts to grow and then aposty and doubt starts to creep in and it chokes out all the good that was growing. What I love about this promise is that my job is not to find or seek out perfect ground. My job as parent or as a teacher, [00:44:00] or even just a disciple of Christ, trying to help other people see truth is just to sow, just so there is ample, in fact, eternal quantities of seeds.

And you don't have to worry about hoarding them. You can just so, so cast it out, cast out seeds of truth everywhere you can. My kids know this really, like I talk about scripture, a ridiculous amount in our family because this is basically what I'm doing. Like I have no idea when they're in good ground.

In fact, just this week in my book of Mormon City, I've been reading about Amon in the sense of moza out teaching the Leites. I can't think of a Stonier thornier patch of ground than the Leites . And basically what they said is like, we're just gonna go and we're gonna surf and we're gonna try and teach.

And they just so you see these, sometimes they end up in prison, sometimes they're beaten, sometimes they hit someone like King Lamone, and all of a sudden because of King Lamone and King Lam's father, thousands of people come to God. [00:45:00] That was a patch of good ground that didn't look like good ground, and that's I think why we need to sew.

We need to constantly be sewing, so don't worry so much about aim and just sew. That's what I love about that parable. When you go a little bit further, you're gonna see three other parables back to back, so we'll go there next. . I feel like the next three parables are sort of designed to curtail my doubts.

So if I'm worried about sowing seeds and my ability to sow seeds, these next three parables kind of help kick some of those doubts outta my mind. The first one is doubts that I might have about whether I'm bright enough to do this, whether I'm capable enough. This is the candle under bushel that you don't put a candle under a bushel, you put it on a candlestick so everyone can see.

And it's really lovely to think about that until you feel like you are exposed and seen by everyone and then you get really nervous. So that's why I feel like you have to read those verses with the few that come after it. So he says in 23, if any man have ears to hear, let 'em hear. And then he said unto them, take heed what you hear and what measure you meet.

It shall be [00:46:00] measured unto you and unto you that here shall more be given for he, that half to him shall be given, and he that half not from him shall be taken. So to me, this promise is about your light, that as you hold up his light and beam it out to the world. Whether you're doing it beautifully or imperfectly, as you make the attempt to put it up on a candlestick, it automatically burns brighter.

It is in that effort of discipleship that you beam brighter and the risk is if you choose not to, it dims. So he's saying, I know you're gonna do it imperfectly. I know that some of your seeds are gonna fall in the wrong places. It doesn't matter. Just begin. And if you do that, he will be the one that controls the light, cuz he is the light.

So I, I love that reminder, like, don't be stressed about your light level. The next one is don't be worried if you don't understand everything. You know, one of the things that holds me back from sewing seeds is I worry about. Questions and my limited understanding of things. You know, I, I think he is, he's trying to help me [00:47:00] feel comfort.

So this is a parable about someone who plants a seed and then it grows in the night and they don't understand how it grows. They just come and harvest the seeds and enjoy it. I feel like this is a really lovely parable to talk about things like the temple. There are a lot of parts of the temple I don't fully understand yet.

There are parts of the ceremony that I'm still figuring out there. There are parts of the gospel that I'm still figuring out the scriptures that I don't understand, and I feel like he's saying that's okay, . Like you don't, you can reap the blessings of goodness and the fruits that come from planting good seeds, whether you understand how it got from a seed to a fruit

Like it doesn't matter if you don't, if you can't explain all the steps in the middle, you can reap the goodness and enjoy the fruit. And I think that's a lovely promise, , because there's a lot of things that are gonna take a lot of time for me to really understand. And what he's saying is, You can come and harvest without having a full understanding.

Just trust. Trust that in the right soil, this seed will grow. And then you [00:48:00] can come and you can harvest. And then over the course of your lifetime, or maybe a long time after, you'll come to understand all the stages that happened in the middle. The last one is also about a seed, but this is about a mustard seed.

So we're gonna read this in a couple different ways in the different gospels. But in this particular case, in Mark, he's talking about the kingdom of God and that it will grow like a mustard bush. They call it a tree. But really in Israel, when you go see these, they grow wild. On the roadside, I put a video link in the notes, so you can check this out, but they're these huge bushes that are just vibrant yellow, and they have these seed pods on them, kinda like edamame, sort of skinnier than that though.

And then inside those pods, they're all the tiny little mustard seeds and it's just this promise of the kingdom of God will begin small. It will seem small, but inside it is everything it needs to be. Big. In fact, the comparison in the verses, I think it's A 32, is the bush will grow so big that birds can nest under it.

You know, they can find shade under it. And [00:49:00] doesn't that sound like the gospel of Jesus Christ, both in Jesus' ministry where it just began in this very small, tiny part of the world and expanded and in the restoration. When you think about, you know, those six initial members and that, you know, all that we studied in the doctrine covenants here, that very small beginning has everything it needs the same way.

If I took apart a mustard seeds under a microscope, I could see that it actually has everything it needs. If it's in the right environment with the right light and the right nourishment and water, it can grow to be this mighty bush. And that's the problem about the kingdom. We're back on the sea at the end of Mark four.

This is that same story about the disciples going out on the water with the savior who is asleep in the boat. You get a few additional details and this version in Mark. First you find out that the savior wanted them to pass over, so he's the one that initiated this idea of getting in the boat. So you see that in 35.

He said unto them, let us pass over onto the other side. And then he talked about there's other ships on the water and then in 37 and there arose [00:50:00] a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship. So it was now full . That's the detail we didn't have last time. It is full of water and they are to the point where they are.

Panicked. And so this is like that epic hymn line says Master Karak, that we perish. They wake him up, he's asleep on a pillow, they wake him up and they ask him this question. The question in Mark is almost more pointed. It is not so much Save us as it is, don't you care? Again, I think all of us can relate to those kind of prayers, those desperate, don't you care?

Like where are you? I think you know, when you think about Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail, it's a very similar sounding plea. Where are you in all of this? And don't you care that we perish? And then there's this interesting flip. So in Mark four, he calms things first. So he calms the wind and the seas, and then he talks to them about their faith.

And he says, and he said to them, why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? And I just. , [00:51:00] here's what I loved. So I was reading in Elder Holland's book and he talks about what's different in this part of Mark versus what we read in the other chapters. Is that what you see in 35, that this was the Savior's idea.

He said, let us pass over onto the other side. And when the savior has a plan to pass over to the other side, it doesn't matter how full that boat gets you guys, it will cross to the other side. And I wonder if that's his concern with them is maybe it even hurts 'em a little. That they, they would doubt his care for them.

That he, they would doubt his ability to get them safely across no matter how dark and stormy and full that boat seems. I just think there's power in remembering that for myself, that if the savior says it's going to happen, it's going to happen. It doesn't mean it's gonna be smooth ceiling. It means there are gonna be moments where my boat's full of water, but the promise is, It is, it [00:52:00] is.

You are safe. That is the promise you will cross. It applies at a big church level. You know, this idea of like this rough stone rolling that will come to fill the whole earth. That will happen cuz the savior said it in motion and it applies on a simple spiritual level individually for us. That promises that he's made to us about who we are and what we can become, can become.

If we choose to stay in the boat, if we choose to stay with the master, those things will come to pass. So thank goodness for Elder Holland and the way he taught me those verses.

[00:52:40] LUKE 7

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You can always count on Luke to give us the perspective of compassion of the savior, especially when it comes to women, and you get two of them in this chapter. So you're gonna love Luke seven. The first one is the widow of name. It. It begins with this, the story of the century and Servant. You get a little more detail there.

You can go in the notes and learn a little bit more about that. But I was hoping to focus more on these two women. So I'm gonna jump over the [00:53:00] Centurion servant and talk to you about the widow of Nain. It is important that he comes from healing the Centurion servant because that tells you that he was in Capernaum, and Nain is a whole different place.

So to get from Capernaum to Nain in one day is a 30, maybe even a 40 mile trek, and it's uphill you. It's a 1300 foot elevation gain. So this is a big. A big effort. And it's not just the savior, but his disciples, his apostles, all the followers who come with him are there to see this miracle happen. When they get to na, they see a woman, so says 12.

Now, when he came nine to the gate of the city, behold there was a dead man carried out. The only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And much people of the city were with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said unto her, weep, not, it's very similar to what you're gonna see with Gyrus and his daughter this direction to weep, not because the savior.

Same way with Gyrus, where he says she's sleepeth. I, I think, well, [00:54:00] frankly, when it comes to death and the savior, everybody who is dead is really sleeping. There will be, everyone will be brought back. And so I think he's trying to help her understand you don't need to weep and mourn. He will come back. And in this case, with this particular widow in this particular town.

He will come back now and it's because he has compassion on her. I, I, again, the same way I read the story of the miracle of water to wine in Cana, and I see Mary in it, like tucked in it. I see that in this story too. I don't know if it's accurate, this is just how I read it, but I feel like I wonder sometimes if this particular miracle happens so that Mary can look back, even though she's not here, the apostles are here, and John, who will be directed to take care of Mary, especially in those three days between his death and his resurrection, where her heart must be shattered, can remember this story because [00:55:00] Mary is a widow.

At least that's what most people assume. Since we don't hear about Joseph at all. So sometimes I wonder if the reason he has so much compassion on this widow is because he sees Mary in her, you know, someone who has lost her son, someone who. Is despondent because of that loss. And I, I just wonder, I wonder if the reason the apostles get to see this miracle play out in this very public space is so that they can remind Mary later that he brings people back, that this son came back, and that her son will also come back.

That there is a promise there. And so he has this young man rise means he, in 14, he touches the buyer that stretcher that a body would be on something that only family members were supposed to do. Cause it would make you unclean for like a week according to the love Moses. And he says, young man, Isaiah the Arise, and he that was dead, sat up and began to speak and he delivered him unto his mother.

I just think there's peace in that story. I [00:56:00] think whether it has anything to do with Mary or not, even if it's just him being a type and shadow of prophets of the Old Testament like Elijah and Elijah, who also raised widows sons up from the dead. He is. overflowing with compassion because that's just his nature.

That's who he is. And we have to be reminded of that over and over again. You're gonna see it again later in the chapter. So when you see him in the Pharisees house and the interchange he has with the woman who has the alabaster box, it's his compassion shines in a different way. So let's go there next.

In verse 36, you see that the Savior is having dinner with a Pharisee. I don't know if this was a setup or what's happening here, cause it doesn't seem like he's getting treated with all the respect he should get as a guest. But thankfully, another person comes in and closes that gap. So a woman comes into the Pharisees house, and this is the one with the alabaster box that she offers this incredibly generous gift and bathes his feet with her tears and you know, [00:57:00] wipes with her hair.

And it's just this big offering of gratitude and love. And so the savior compares the two. What's interesting is, It's a, it's a moats and beams situation cuz the Pharisees sees her as she was, and the savior sees her as she is and as she can be, the way he always sees all of us. In fact, I love the way it's phrased in 37 and behold a woman in the city, which was a sinner.

I don't know if that's, you know, like in the actual verbiage, if you translate it from Greek or whatever, that it will have that same effect. But doctrinally, this is accurate, right? The moment she comes to Neil before the savior and offer this gift and. It, it, she is no longer a sinner in that moment. She is a repentant disciple.

She's in the posture of repentance and she is coming to him, so he doesn't see her as a sinner. He sees her as someone who has weaknesses but not rebellion. Someone who is flawed, but worthy. You know, like there is a, [00:58:00] he sees her holy, but the pharis. He can't, he's got this big old moat in his eye and he, he can't see her clearly.

He only sees her as a sinner. In fact, he goes to the point where he accuses Jesus of not being a prophet, because he says, if you knew her story, you would never let her touch you. It's this very, you know, condescending, kind, ofone. And what I love is in that moment, he chooses to focus on her, the X savior.

Gives her dignity the same way he's given all others dignity, that he heals. He offers it to her by giving this parable. And this is where he talks about the debtors. So I don't think he's trying to push aside the Pharisees. Simon also needs to learn. And so I think what's wonderful about the way the Savior teaches and parables is he's able to teach the Pharisee and the woman at the same time, people who are in very different worlds and have very different spiritual understandings.

One who is repentant and one who doesn't even see that he needs repentance. And both of them can [00:59:00] learn the way they learn us by comparing them to debtors. So this is a parable of a debtors where he talks about, there were two people who were in severe debt, one was an incredibly severe debt and one had some debt, and both are frankly forgiven.

And he asked the Pharisee, which. We'll love more, which one will be more grateful. And of course, Pari knows the answer. So he says that it's the one who had the larger debt. And then he teaches him about her worth. And he talks to him. He talks to Simon about what she has done. And it's just really interesting to me, especially after what we just studied about the woman in name.

Because here's what happens. So in four, in 44, and he turned to the woman and sent onto Simon , this woman I entered into the house and now gave me no water for my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. I think it's really interesting that in this case, he doesn't tell this woman to weep.

Not this is a different kind of weeping. Um, I think from all the study I've done about repentance and forgiveness, I think this is broken. [01:00:00] Heart, spirit, even godly sorrow kind of weeping. And so he lets her weep and he lets her bathe his feet with her tears. Because I think it's the same thing that happens when you come to a bishop or when you try to resolve things just with the Lord.

there is a, there is a, a stage of pouring out your heart and letting your sorrow just sort of, pour out, and I think he doesn't stop her and he doesn't direct her not to do it. He, he lets it happen and there's just beauty in it. If you ask me and he talks about what she did, thou gave us me no kiss, but this woman says, the time I came in has not ceased to kiss my feet.

My head was oil that it's not anno, but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment. Where for I say the her sins, which are many are forgiven for she loved much, but whom little is forgiven. The same loveth little. He's teaching both of them. He's teaching her her value and her worth. He's teaching the Pharisee about her and himself that he also is a [01:01:00] debtor.

Even if it's less debt than this woman, there is a promise, right? It's salvation can't come from obedience. It has to come through the blood of Jesus Christ. It has to come through this broken heart and contrary spirit and reconciling yourself to. And so he promises her in 48 and he said to her, THS are forgiven.

And then when you go a little further in 50, and he said to the woman, thy faith has saved, go in peace. Xavier always gives dignity when he gives healing. And I just can't imagine the difference in this woman's countenance as she goes. And I think what I loved about it the most, you guys after all this study is this invitation to trust that whatever storms I'm feeling, he can still them.

Whatever storm she walked in with have become stilled because he, she gets the same message the apostles do on the water. Peace be still all your worries, all your fears about whether I would see you or judge you be. He can still [01:02:00] storms on the sea and he can still storms in the heart and he does it with compassion either way, and I just think it's beautiful.

In fact, I love, there was a great talk from Elder Anderson. It's at the very end of the notes and he ends with 35 9 13, where he says, will you not now return on to me as you know more about me as you've come to feel me in these verses, will you not now return onto me and repent of your sins and be converted that I may heal you?

That's his invitation. Every one of us has storms inside, outside things we can control and things we can't, and his promises come to me, repent, be converted, that I might heal you, that I might still those storms and give you.

[01:02:47] CREATIVE PREVIEW

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Welcome back guys. This is the creative side of week nine, so my goal here is to introduce you to three object lessons that can help you connect these spiritual dots for your families or your classes. Now, I'll give you an introduction for [01:03:00] those of you that are watching on YouTube or listening in the podcast.

And then for those of you in the full course, I'll take you through each one individually and help you know how to pull them off. Okay? Here's what I have in store for you this week, you guys. First off, I wanted to teach the story about the man with palsy being lowered down through the roof. There's a lot of beautiful application, especially when it comes to understanding how to work together in families, in classes, in quorums.

That's a great story to use to help your kids understand it, but it's hard to understand it without. Visual. So I decided we're gonna make a bed and we're gonna lower someone down. , since you can't really lower a person down without a little bit of danger, I decided we're gonna lower something else. So the idea here is you're going to print this printable bed, you're gonna attach some strings to it and let four people work together to move something delicate to a whole nother location.

For us, we were going big, so we used a raw egg , we, we broke a lot of raw eggs. So in addition to the raw egg strategy, you also could try something that's less fragile. Like you could use an Easter egg that's full [01:04:00] of candy, like one of the plastic ones from the store. You could use an apple, a lemon, anything that will fit into this well a little bit, so that as you maneuver this bed, you have a little.

Flexibility and safety in it. So you need string, a lot of string yarn would work. Anything you happen to have at home, something fragile and the printable, and that's all you need for that one. And then your second one is about stealing the storm. So just like I talked about the insights, I think what the savior demonstrates this week is not just stealing the storm on the water, but distilling storms in people's hearts as well.

So I'm hoping to reinforce that with a very clear object. . So you just. Soda for this one, I'm gonna teach you how to diffuse a storm in a can of soda. If your kids have ever shaken up or dropped a can of soda and you're terrified to open it, we're gonna use that feeling of fear and apply it to what the apostles must have felt, and then learn a trick to save yourself from it.

How can you steal the storm inside the can? So I'll teach you how to pull that off in the [01:05:00] second lesson, the third one, since it is tech week. This week on the chart, I'm trying to help you find ways to use your cool digital devices to teach the gospel instead of having your kids put your devices away all the time.

I think we have to help them understand how to use them to do good. And one of my favorite ways is a new app that the church put out. It's actually just a website that you're gonna go to that gives you an augmented reality view of the Holy Land. So since this week we're talking about NA and the Sea of Galilee and all these places that.

Very visual. I thought it would be cool to teach you how to use this app and then show you how you could use it to learn this week's stories and watch this week's video. So I'm gonna walk you through that coming up next. Okay? That's your introduction. For those of you in the course, stick around. There's a lot of more good stuff to come.

[01:05:46] WRAP UP

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See, I told you it's gonna be a good week. All right, you guys enjoy lowering eggs and apples. Enjoy shaking up soda cans and figuring out how to make them not explode and jumping into augmented reality to see the holy land. I hope you have a [01:06:00] blast this week. If you need any extra help, come join me on Instagram.

If you follow me at me mom life, you can, you'll get an alert when I go live on Monday morning at 10:00 AM Mountain Time, and I'll walk through some of the insights I couldn't quite fit in here, and then also chat through the object lessons in more detail so that you get an idea of what you have in store this week.

So come join me if you can't catch it live, you can always see it in my feed for the next week, and then it. , it disappears. So you have one week to track it down. In addition to that, I would remind you that you can find this content on YouTube if you wanna share it or watch it on YouTube, you can find the insights there.

You can listen to the insights in podcast form, just search creative. Come follow me in either of those areas. And then as always, those of you are in the course and are subscribers. You can also access the creative side of things in podcast form as well. You just need to message me either on Instagram or an email so I can send you your private link that will give you access to the full audio of both videos as well as all the links to the notes right there at your fingertips within your podcast app.

So that would be helpful to you. Message me and I will send [01:07:00] the link your way. Otherwise, I hope you have a blast this week, you guys, and then come join me on Monday. All right, you guys, have a good week and I'll see you soon.