Seminary Rocks

by Kari Diane Pike

I'm baaack!

In the whirlwind of end-of-school activities, out-of-town guests, family weddings, birthdays and unexpected doctor appointments, I completely forgot about popping in here. Making time to write anything has never been more challenging. I even scheduled writing sessions on the calendar and left myself reminder notes. You know that saying, "Life is what happens when you're making other plans"? Life happened. And I'm so glad it did. Life is magnificent - even when it's hard.

So, in between doctor and dental appointments and scurrying around to find last minute items for my trip to Europe (insert a squeal of excitement here) I have to share the sweetest experience we had in seminary last week.

During our study of the book of Revelation, I testified to the students about how learning to hear the Spirit speak to them and then acting on that personal revelation is the greatest skill they can learn. Actually, it's a principle we discussed all throughout the year. Near the end of each class period, I've been asking my students if anyone would share their thoughts on a doctrine or principle that stood out to them. What did the Spirit teach them during class? I'll wait for a minute or two for someone to speak up, but most of the time they just ponder for a bit. Pondering is good. But I really wanted them to share with each other.

Last week  something finally clicked. I asked the usual questions. I heard the usual silence. But just as I opened my mouth to ask a student to offer the closing prayer, Nathan sat up straight and grinned. "Oh! I have something to share. I had an epiphany yesterday."

"That's great, Nathan. What happened?"

Nathan hesitated for a moment and ducked his head. "Well, maybe it wasn't really that big of a deal. Never mind."

"Nathan! We would love to hear your thoughts. Please share it with us. You never know how what you learned might help someone else. That's what this class if for. Go ahead."

"Well, okay. So, It was getting hot outside and I got really thirsty. I wanted a root beer. I opened the fridge and I thought about how great that root beer was going to taste. It would be cold and sweet and fizzy. But then, out of nowhere this thought came to my mind. I could drink that root beer and it would be good, but after I drank it I would still be thirsty. What I really needed was water. And that's when it hit me. That was kind of like the gospel! People look for happiness and solutions to their problems, and they can drink that root beer or Sprite, but while they might enjoy it, it won't solve their problem. They need the Living Water of the gospel to really find the answers that will bring them real happiness. So, yeah. That was my epiphany."

It took all of my self control to keep from jumping over the table and giving Nathan a great big hug. The entire class buzzed with excitement. They could relate to what Nathan said. They felt the Spirit witness to them the truth of what Nathan shared.

I couldn't stop grinning. "Did you write your experience in your journal?"


Nathan looked me right in the eye and said, "Oh, I'll never forget it."

I gave him my best glare. "Nathan, write it down."

We had our last day of seminary yesterday. Even though it was a treat to sleep past 4:30 a.m. I already miss those sleepy faces and the amazing things I learned from them each morning. I can't wait to witness more of these special moments next year.

Bring on summer!

Hugs~

Gratitude and Tender Mercies

By Kari Diane Pike

I have never been so grateful to be assigned to speak in church. Sounds crazy, right?!

My previous "every other Thursday" post made mention of how our bishopric called Doug and I while we were out of town and asked us to speak in Sacrament meeting - the Sunday we had planned on driving back to Arizona. I think we took about two seconds to move our travel plans up a day and agree to share some thoughts on the topic of gratitude. I've always felt strongly about supporting and sustaining our church leaders, whom I know are called to their positions by inspiration from Heavenly Father. I had no idea we would be showered with so many tender mercies and blessings of protection as a result of that simple choice.

Had we waited until Sunday to leave Provo, we would have been caught in a terrible snow storm. No snow tires and pulling a trailer in that kind of weather would have been horrendous. Saturday we had sunshine and fluffy clouds from dawn to sunset. Doug and I listened to General Conference messages (when we could get cell service) and scriptures about gratitude and discussed which aspects of gratitude each of us would include in our talks.

An hour or so after we passed through Las Vegas, the Durango's speedometer waggled back and forth, or sometimes quite working all together. At the time, we were in the middle of nowhere because we had decided to avoid the mountains to get through Kingman, Arizona and took the long route over to California and down to I-10. We pulled over a couple of times to fuel up or get something to eat and each time we started back on our journey everything worked again. Until we reached Tonopah.

An hour past sunset and just a little over eighty-four miles from home, Doug checked his rear view mirror. The lights of the car pulling up behind us revealed smoke billowing up from under our car. Doug pulled to the side of the road as quickly as he could. Holiday traffic roared past us as Doug checked under the hood and then walked around the car and trailer. He couldn't see anything wrong. We didn't see smoke any more, but the acrid smell of burning oil seeped into the car and turned my stomach.

Doug got back in the car and pulled on to the freeway. The smoke returned almost immediately. That's when we spotted the first gas station we had seen for miles and miles. And it was only about two hundred yards off the freeway. Doug drove into the parking lot and found a place where our vehicle and trailer would be out of the way. He pulled out his phone and called our insurance agent and a tow company. We both choked a little (or maybe a lot) when we heard an estimate of $600 - $800 dollars to tow us home, but somehow it didn't seem to matter. Even when the mechanic handed us the final tow bill of $1200, we shrugged our shoulders. Okay, to be completely honest, there may have been some gagging noises and a couple of Facebook rants, but neither of us felt overly upset about the situation.

Doug and I held hands as we watched the tow trucks pull away. When we turned to walk into the house, I looked up at my dear husband in amazement and grinned. "We were so focused on gratitude and recognizing all the tender mercies in this trip, we forgot to get into an argument!"

Doug laughed. We both knew that our past experiences with cars almost always resulted in some kind of disagreement. Fatigue, fear, and worries about money lead to shortened tempers and perceived offenses. But this time was different. It was different because our hearts and minds were focused on gratitude. Gratitude for not breaking down in the middle of nowhere without phone service or a safe place to park. Gratitude for the fact that even though there was smoke, there was no fire (We had burned up the rear differential so bad that the housing for the speedometer had completely melted down. Huh. No wonder the needle waggled!). Gratitude for having put aside emergency funds so that we were able to pay for the tow. Gratitude for lovely weather. And most of all, gratitude for each other.

Needless to say, we had plenty to share when we spoke in church the next day. I find it interesting that in seminary we also happened to be studying John, chapter 9, which teaches us that God can use our adversities to show forth His works and His power. And, as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, our spiritual vision and understanding become clearer. All of these things together gave me a greater understanding of another challenge that had been plaguing me and another aspect of gratitude to share in my talk.

For the past year, I have struggled with the loss of my voice. About a year ago, I had to quit singing because of the pain it caused, not only to my throat, but to ears of those who had to listen. Even talking takes a tremendous amount of energy. For a long time I felt cheated. I also felt like my worth as a person had diminished. But this lesson in gratitude enlightened my mind and changed my heart. I remembered that as a daughter of God, my worth is inherent. Even though I will always be an "unprofitable servant", I can always be a recipient of the Savior's mercy and grace because He loves me. He knows my heart. My worth doesn't come from my abilities, but from my Father in Heaven. He created me.

After our church services ended, an elderly gentleman reached out to me and shook my hand. With tears in his eyes, he thanked me for sharing my loss and how I learned to find gratitude. He had been struggling with his own losses because of a brain tumor and he hadn't been able to understand why he had lost so much. Because I was able to share my experience he found the peace he had been seeking. Oh, how I love being a witness to how Heavenly Father used my adversity to help someone else. He truly knows us by name and knows our every need. He hears and answers prayers and sometimes we get to be part of that answer.

Life is magnificent. Share the Light!

Hugs~

Finding Strength

by Kari Diane Pike

When Theresa Sneed introduced me to American Night Writers twenty-one years ago, I had no idea what was in store. Through ANWA I’ve not only had the opportunity to improve my writing skills, but made lifelong friendships. Those friendships have given me strength when I’ve felt weak, courage when I’ve been afraid, and hope when I couldn’t see beyond the challenges.

That’s the biggest reason, when asked by Deb Eaton if I would be willing to step in and serve in the treasurer position, I had to say yes, even though I had zero bookkeeping experience (Don’t worry – I am being trained by highly qualified mentors). Deb’s comment that the experience would look great on my resume may or may not have played a tiny part in my agreeing to give it a try. Of course, there’s also the opportunity to hang out with some pretty amazing ladies behind the scenes and soak in their wisdom and wit. Sometimes they even share chocolate. Was I scared? Definitely. I still am. But I know it will all work out.

The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 is one I have read and pondered on multiple times, but every time I study those words, I gain a new perspective. My most recent encounter came while preparing to teach a seminary lesson. In Matthew 25: 14-30 a wealthy man, before traveling to a far country, gives of his goods to his servants. To the first he gave ten talents, the second, five talents and to the third, one talent – “…to every man according to his several ability.” The rich man then left on his journey and during his absence, the first man took the five talents with which he had been entrusted and “traded with the same and made them five other talents.” The man who had received two talents put them to work and made two more. The third man, afraid of losing what he had received, buried his talent in the earth and did nothing with it (You can also watch a great video portrayal here).

From a lesson I gave last week, I learned that during the time of Christ, one talent equaled about 10,000 denarii (Roman currency) and that a common laborer typically earned one denarius per day. Can you imagine being handed one talent (the equivalent of twenty-seven years of labor) let alone two or even five and being trusted to take care of it for someone?

When the lord of those servants returned to reckon with them, he gave the same response to the first two servants, “Well done thou good and faithful servant,” and made them rulers over many things. Their blessing was the same because they had used their gifts to the best of their abilities and fulfilled their purpose. Even though the third servant didn’t lose the talent his lord had given him, it was taken away from him because he let fear keep him from using the gift and increasing it.

Elder Sterling W. Sill of the Seventy said, “[The third servant’s] loss was not because he did anything wrong, but rather because his fear had prevented him [from] doing anything at all. Yet this is the process by which most of our blessings are lost…When one fails to use the muscles of his arm he loses strength….When we don’t develop our abilities, we lose our abilities. When the people in past ages have not honored the Priesthood, it has been taken from them. Neither spiritual, mental, nor physical talents develop while they are buried in the earth” (The Law Of the Harvest [1963], 375).

Another little story taken from the Savior’s life helped me better understand what it can mean to not be afraid to share what gifts we have, as insignificant as that contribution may seem.

When Jesus learned about the death of his beloved friend and cousin, John the Baptist, He crossed the Sea of Galilee and took Himself “into a desert place apart” (Matthew 14: 13-21). When the people discovered where He had gone, they followed Him. Even in His own time of sorrow, Jesus took compassion on them and healed their sick. The hour became late and being “in a desert place” there wasn’t a place close by where the multitude could find food. Andrew told Jesus that there was a young lad with five barley loaves and two small fishes, “But what they among so many?”

The Savior instructed his disciples to bring the bread and fishes to Him. He gave thanks for the food, blessed it and brake it and gave it to His disciples to distribute among the people. Everyone all ate until they were filled and twelve baskets full were left over.

In the past, I’ve always focused on the compassion the Savior had and the miracle He performed in providing for some five thousand people. I hadn’t thought about the young boy giving all he had, even though his offering seemed meager and wholly inadequate. And then the Savior used His power to make the young boy’s sacrifice enough and to spare – a wondrous miracle indeed.

The Savior has given me gifts according to my abilities. Every talent carries tremendous value, but I don't need to be afraid to use them because I know more than ever that the Savior accepts whatever I can give, no matter how insignificant my offering may seem. All He asks is that I try. He makes my effort enough.  He makes me enough. Through His atoning sacrifice He cleanses, heals, enables, redeems, inspires, strengthens, and helps me become what He created me to be.

Life is magnificent. 

hugs~

A Gift of the Spirit

by Kari Diane Pike

What would you do if you knew that you could not fail?

I asked my seminary class that question last year. I noticed several pairs of eyes open wide. Wheels started turning. Sleepy heads lifted up off the tables. Faces lit up.

"I'd retake my English final."

"I'd start up a business."

"I'd apply to medical school and become a neurologist."

I wanted to bottle up the energy that snapped and crackled in the room. A warm, tingly feeling reminded me of a time I stood on the sidelines of a soccer field in Flagstaff, Arizona, my trusty umbrella shading me from the intense July sun. A magnificent thunderhead mushroomed up from the horizon and before I knew it, an army of fierce looking cloud warriors had joined him, flashing their lightening swords behind their backs.

I pointed out the weather front to my husband. He took his eyes off the game and glanced around for a moment before looking at his watch. No worries. Only ten minutes left to the game. Besides, the sun shone bright above us and miles of blue sky still separated us from the storm. All was well.

That's when I felt it. Every hair on my arms stood straight up and my body tingled from the tips of my toes to the crown of my head. Before I could even process what that meant, a blinding flash of light accompanied by a deafening crack hit the fence surrounding the field. A nanosecond of stunned silence evaporated into shouts as players and parents yelled out to each other and sprinted to their cars for safety, leaving behind a ghost town of shade canopies and tipped-over camp chairs.

The feeling in our seminary class was every bit as powerful, but in a much different way. The lightening made my hairs stand on end, but the result was chaos and fear. The energy I felt when the Holy Spirit testified truth to our class-the truth that Heavenly Father loves us and sent us here to succeed-brought us hope and strength and determination to act.The witness we received that morning reminded us of who we are and why we are here. While players and patrons scattered, our class became more unified. While I have no desire to be that close to lightening ever again, I seek the closeness and the witness of the Spirit every single day.

This morning I listened to a speech given by Pres. Henry B. Eyring in 2006 called "Gifts of the Spirit for Hard Times." Pres. Eyring testifies that, yes, we can experience the companionship and personal revelation of the Holy Ghost every day if we will live worthy of it. He named three things in particular that help invite the Spirit of the Lord to be with us:

1. Faith in Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
2. Be Clean. 
3. Pure Motive. 

The third item, "pure motive" gave me a lot to think about. Why do I pray for the Spirit to help me with my writing and with teaching? Do I seek praise, adoration, and accolades, or do I seek to accomplish the will of our Father in Heaven? What I have noticed is that when I try to show the students how much knowledge I have, class time fails miserably. When I suppress my selfish desires and ask and listen to God's purpose, the students light up. They ask questions and volunteer answers. Love fills the room. 

What would you do if you knew you could not fail? I've asked that question in this forum before, but I've come to see the question from a different perspective. Life is magnificent!

Hugs~ 

Facing My Own Lion's Den

by Kari Diane Pike

Eight months ago I never dreamed that I would say this: I love teaching early morning seminary. I spent the first six months scared out of my mind. I fretted over every little detail in the lesson manual and spent countless hours trying to "memorize" the content. Every now and then I felt somewhat successful, but the energy in the classroom more often than not could only be described as "ennui." I told myself at the end of each lesson, that at least I wasn't being ripped into pieces!

Discouragement set in and I was ready to give up. But quiet inspiration came to me during an early morning seminary inservice meeting. I realized that I spent too much energy worrying about how the students perceived my teaching abilities and not enough time asking Heavenly Father about what the students most needed to hear and learn. There is not enough time each morning to discuss every single principle presented in the lesson manual. I have the responsibility to discern the best use of that time to strengthen testimonies and help prepare these amazing youth for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Last week we studied Daniel 6-12. I knew the student's were familiar with the story of Daniel and the lions' den and I prayed about how to help them apply it to their lives today. I studied the material in the lesson manual. I read the passages in the Bible. The night before class though, nothing stood out to me. When I entered the classroom that morning I still struggled to know how I could make the lesson more meaningful to the class. Minutes before class was to begin, I decided to test the projector and play a video clip suggested in the manual. The story tells about an experience that Joseph F. Smith had on his way home from his first mission to Hawaii.

 One evening a group of "drunken men rode into the camp threatening to kill any 'Mormons' that came within their path." Instead of running and hiding [as others had done] Joseph thought, "Why should I run from these fellows?" He boldly marched up to the campfire where one of the men angrily demanded,  'Are you a Mormon?' Joseph looked the man in the eye and said, 'Yes, siree; dyed in the wool; true blue, through and through.' Joseph's response completely disarmed the belligerent man who then shook Joseph's hand and said: 'Well, you are the [blankety-blank] pleasantest man I ever met! Shake hands, young fellow, I am glad to see a man that stands up for his convictions," (Life of Joseph F. Smith comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, [1938], 187-89)."

I turned to Daniel 6:3 and reread the words there that describe Daniel as being preferred above the presidents and princes, because "an excellent spirit was in him." While these passages have always taught me about being faithful in all circumstances, that morning I learned another principle - one that I knew the students could identify with and apply to their own circumstances as well. Being faithful includes choosing to be happy and developing a cheerful countenance - responding to people in such a way that they feel the Spirit and Heavenly Father's love for them when they are around me.

I asked the class, "Think of someone in your life who you really enjoy being around. Why do you like being with them? What do they do or say that makes you want to be around them?" All of the students could think of at least one person like that. Then I asked, "What made Daniel so special? And what would have happened if Joseph F. Smith had chosen to respond to the ruffian rudely?"

We had a great discussion about the pressure the students get from friends to do things that would break the commandments and go against the standards the Lord wants them to keep. They have a choice to respond with patience and kindness or to be rude and aggressive. What kind of person did they want to become?

We also talked about how this didn't mean we had to put on a happy face every minute of every day. Everyone has times when we feel sad or discouraged. That's part of life. But Heavenly Father wants us to know we can be happy and set a good example even when we face our own metaphorical lions or drunken ruffians. By not being afraid to show our obedience to the Lord, we can help others develop a desire to know more about Him so that they too can experience peace and joy.

Did I mention how much I love teaching early morning seminary?

Life is magnificent.

hugs~

A Lesson from a Pair of Chopsticks

by Kari Diane Pike

The best perk from teaching early morning seminary: witnessing the light turn on in the eyes of the students when the Spirit testifies to the truth of a particular doctrine or principle. A-ma-zing!

Tuesday gifted me with one of those magnificent moments. The fact that the lesson we learned came about kind of "accidentally on purpose" made the experience even more poignant for me.

So here's what happened:

I try really hard to begin seminary right at 6:00 a.m. Sometimes (most of the time lately) that means I find myself singing a solo during the opening hymn. Most of the students walk in before the song ends. One of them gives the opening prayer and we get on with the lesson. Tuesday, the lesson focused on Ezekiel 37. The manual gave three principles to focus on: 1) "Jesus Christ has the power to resurrect us and when we are resurrected, our bodies will be made whole again." 2) The Bible and the Book of Mormon come together as witnesses that Jesus Christ is our Savior." and 3) Making and keeping temple covenants will enable us to become sanctified by the Lord."

The third principle really stood out to me.  I had a touching story to share about eternal families. I have a strong testimony of the blessings of making and keeping temple covenants. As I further prepared the materials, one of the object lessons suggested called for bringing two sticks to represent the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph. I didn't have any sticks, but I had a thought to grab a couple of chopsticks. I threw them in my bag along with the lesson plan and I was set to go.

Before class began, I wrote the lesson objectives on the board. While doing so, I felt impressed to shift my focus from principle #3 to #2. Many of these young men and women are preparing to serve full time missions and I assumed that was the reason for that prompting. We progressed through the lesson and I called two students, Karl and Leslie, up to the front of the class. I handed each of them a chopstick and asked them to tell me how they could bless the life of another person with that stick.

A student across the room declared, "Karl! you're a wizard!" The class laughed and bantered back and forth for a minute. I felt impressed to stand aside and let them work on the problem.

Karl grinned and pointed the chopstick at the class. A few ideas were tossed around, like using the stick to start a fire and keep someone warm. Finally, Karl said, "Well, I could try to feed somebody."

Leslie held up her stick. "No you couldn't! Well, you could, but it would be hard. You have to have two!" I instructed Karl to hand his chopstick to Leslie.

That's when I saw the light go on in Leslie's eyes. She looked at the chopsticks more carefully, lightly running her fingers over the Chinese script stamped in red along the edge. "Where did you get these. They are really cool." She looked up at me. "But you have to use the chopsticks together...just like the Bible and the Book of Mormon work better together."

Karl and Leslie sat down and I handed out strips of paper with phrases from Ezekiel 37: 15-17 - their new scripture mastery for the day. Once the class place the papers in the correct order, we read it together:

 ¶The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

I bore my testimony that I know the Bible and the Book of Mormon are God's words to us through His prophets. I challenged the students to feast on the words of Christ every single day. Class ended far too quickly. I wish we could have studied this principle more deeply. But perhaps I  was the one that needed it more right now. The more I study, the more in awe I am of and by the spiritual power I feel as I study the scriptures - both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I have this growing desire to study Hebrew and the Jewish culture so that I can better understand the words and analogies. It is true that understanding content and context gives greater insight into what the words are trying to convey. And then there's the witness of the Holy Spirit - the opening of my eyes and the enlightening of my mind that come to me as I prepare myself to receive such knowledge.

Since my study of the Old Testament this year, I see things in the Book of Mormon from a different perspective. I have a better understanding of where Lehi and Nephi came from and the challenges they faced as they and their families fled from Jerusalem and were lead by the Lord to the New World.

The Old Testament contains the preparatory gospel. The Book of Mormon teaches the fullness of the everlasting gospel (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine). Doctrine and Covenants 20:9 tells us that the Book of Mormon contains "the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and to the Jews also." The Old Testament gives us wonderful lessons from the Lord's ancient prophets and the Book of Mormon clarifies the relevant passages of the Bible where "plain and precious truths" have been removed or misinterpreted during translation.

These "sticks" brought together help us feast on the teachings of the gospel - like using chopsticks. In a devotional address at BYU in July of 1986, Bruce L. Brown shared thoughts on how the Bible prophesies of the scattering of Israel and its eventual gathering. The Book of Mormon teaches us about the Savior appearing to some of those people scattered as Babylon defeated Israel and Judah - such as the descendants of the prophet Lehi and Mulek who escaped captivity in Babylon.

Zechariah 10: 6,8:

I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them. ...I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them.

After Leslie returned to her seat, she kept whispering to the girls on either side of her. She held the chopsticks in her hand and expressed her testimony through one simple word. "Brilliant!"

I agree. The light of the gospel is brilliant. The witness of the Holy Spirit to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is brilliant. That brilliance shines in the eyes of my seminary students. Witnessing that brilliance is the best perk ever.

Life is magnificent...a-ma-zing...and brilliant.

hugs~