Creative Kidstuff

LaFawn's Art in The Children's Friend

2011-06-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

I spent several hours today at the Church History Library scanning Mom's artwork in old copies of The Children's Friend magazine.
Prior to the new library, you could only print from old microfiches and the quality of the pictures was poor due to bad lighting and bleed-through from the reverse side. Now they let you do high quality scanning from original magazines, which you can save to a thumb drive or SD card. I only finished 2 1/2 years worth and will need to go back again. Lots of memories in the pages I skimmed today. I will be posting all of LaFawn's Children's Friend artwork and activity pages on this blog.

The Children's Friend was the official magazine of the LDS Church for children between 1902 and 1970. May Anderson, a convert and immigrant from Liverpool, England was the first editor-in-chief of The Children's Friend, as well as the second general President of the Primary. During her tenure, Anderson initiated the Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake. I well remember the Primary penny collection fund drives to support Primary Children's. Mom did the artwork for at least one fund drive.

The women I remember Mom working with in the 1950's were LaVern Parmley and Erma Gardner.

Parmley served as Primary president until she was succeeded by Naomi M. Shumway in 1974; in total, she served 23 years as president and 32 years as a member of the presidency.

During Parmley's tenure, Scouting was integrated into the Primary program for boys ages eight through eleven. The Primary curriculum was also revised and became more centered on teaching doctrines of the LDS Church, as did the magazine. "I Am a Child of God", written by Naomi W. Randall, was introduced to Primary in 1957 as part of the annual Primary sacrament meeting program. It was first printed in the same issue as Mom's first artwork in The Children's Friend, June, 1957. From 1951 until 1970, Parmley was the final editor of The Children's Friend. Parmley oversaw its phase-out and the launch of the church's new magazine for children, The Friend.

Erma and Harold Gardner lived near our Wyoming Street home. They had about 12 kids and owned a fruit farm on the east bench of Salt Lake City and sold bedding plants and fruit for many years. I remember watching the kids make lunches in their kitchen in an assembly line : sandwiches from homemade bread at the two picnic tables they used for meals.

Erma served on the Primary General Board, Adult Correlation Committee and Children's Writing Committee. She wrote Three Steps to Good Teaching, which Mom illustrated, numerous lessons for family home evening and other parenting articles in the Children's Friend, which Mom illustrated, and primary manuals, especially the new manuals for the girls 8-11: Gaynotes, Firelights and Merrihands. LaFawn worked on covers and interior art for all three; her favorite was the Gaynote manual, for which she did the cover artwork. Karen found that Helen Stay, her other grandma, had torn off and saved the cover from that manual in her Primary files; it was beautiful.

Sadly, Mom was never called to the General Board, as Dad was not a full-tithe payer during the years she served, but she had a tremendous impact on Primary by improving the quality of artwork and increasingly using Gospel-related materials in the curriculum and magazine rather than talking animals and fairy stories.

Day 11 : The Wise Men

2010-12-17T20:37:00.000-08:00

Matt. 2:1-23

No doubt there were many back east - where everyone is so much smarter - who thought the wise men were foolish for setting out on their journey on such slim evidence. Piecing together hints from the scriptures, these scientists believed the new star they had found marked the coming of the King and decided to fulfill prophecy by taking Him gifts (Read Isaiah 60: 1- 6, 9-10, 14, 17). They had to cross deserts and mountains and rivers and endure scorching sun by day and cold winds at night. Danger confronted them all the way: wild animals, wild men and robbers, sickness and exhaustion, it was a struggle just to find water to drink. But they knew what they had seen, and they knew what it meant so together they traversed the wasteland and were led to the home of the king.

He probably wasn't what they had expected. After all, they went to the palace first. But they had eyes of faith to see the star and ears to hear the angel's warning voice. So they presented their gifts to the child of the poor couple: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The gold was a kingly gift. Some of it have been used to pay for the family's flight south to Egypt out of harm's way. Maybe there was enough left to tide them over until Joseph reputation as a good carpenter spread around enough for him to provide income for his growing family. Or maybe they used a lot of the gold to hire a tutor from the college town of Alexandria or buy some prophetic scrolls that their very bright son could learn to read. His Father knew what they would need and He provided it through some wise men who listened.

The frankincense was a priestly gift: it was the incense which was burned at the temple every day. The smoke rose toward heaven from the altar in the Holy Place, symbolically carrying with it the prayers of the saints. An appropriate gift for the Lamb, who, upon His death, returned to His Father in Heaven, bearing our pleas for mercy.

And the myrrh was appointed for that death. It is an aromatic resin which when melted becomes an amber liquid which gives a lovely scent to olive oil it is blended with. It was used to anoint the bodies of the dead. And the Babe of Bethlehem was born to die. Not that year, in Herod's slaughter, but in the meridian of time, a death without which, life would have no meaning.

Jesus came into the world to die. The painting "Destiny" by an anonymous artist depicts the child Jesus in the carpenter's shop with Joseph. He casts the shadow of a cross.

From the beginning, He came to give us life. And the wise men knew it: gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for the Lamb who must die that we might live. Against all odds they sought Him to offer their all.

Wise men still seek Him.

GIFTS OF SELF
Ardeth G. Kapp
It was Christmas Eve. The magic of Christmas seemed more real this year, not so much from the lights and tinsel but the feeling of excitement from the inside out. Family members had gathered at our house. After our traditional family dinner, Grandpa gathered us in the living room where he opened the Bible and read once again the Christmas story from Luke.
"And it came to pass in those day, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus" (Luke 2: 1), and the story continued. I noticed his hands trembling as he held the sacred record. Grandpa's voice was weaker now, but strong in the message that he and Grandma knew in their hearts and had taught us through the years. After the stockings were finally hung and treats left for Santa, the children reluctantly, yet eagerly, doubled up in beds trying hard to get to sleep while listening intensely for any sounds from the expected night visitor. Finally, one by one, each family member had slipped off to bed. The fire was burning low. Now if my husband, Heber, would just go to bed, I could finish my gift for him. I needed about three more hours to complete the plan I had been so excited about and working on for months. But in spite of my encouragement for him to leave, he lingered. It was evident he would wait for me. I decided to go to bed and wait until he dropped off to sleep, then slip out and finish my project for him.
With the lights out and the house quiet, I lay in bed looking into the dark. I was too excited to sleep. I waited to hear his heavy breathing announcing that it would be safe to slip away. To my amazement, and after only a little time, he whispered, "Ardie." I didn't respond. A conversation now would only delay the time before I could finish my work. When I didn't answer, he slipped out of bed as cautiously as I had planned to. What was he up to? I would go to sleep, I decided. If I could sleep now and awaken about 3:00 A.M. I could still finish my project before six o'clock in the morning, the time Grandpa Ted had agreed we should all gather around the tree.
I woke up off and on during the short night, glanced at the lighted clock, saw that Heber was still not in bed, and tried to doze off. But I didn't want to fall too soundly asleep and spoil the plan I had been working on so diligently.
Finally, I again woke up, and this time I realized Heber was getting into bed ever so quietly. It was only minutes until his heavy breathing assured me that he was sound asleep. It was 3:00 A.M. If all went well, in three hours I could still complete this special gift on time. I knew he would be pleased. "But what in the world kept him up half the night?" I wondered. In just a few hours, I would know; but for now I must concentrate and work fast.
Months ago we had talked about the forthcoming Christmas and made the traditional gift list that ranged from ridiculous to the sublime. At the top of my list was a wish that we could have more time together for him to teach me of his great understanding of the gospel. But I was driving two hours each day to BYU, and his schedule was very busy. Our time together was precious.
Heber's list of wants was short, as usual; but he did express a concern for the responsibility he had as a stake president to lead the way, and it bothered him that his family history was not compiled. His family group sheets were incomplete. While the information was probably available from aunts and uncles, his own brothers and sisters had little or no information. He felt anxious about this, but wasn't sure it was a Christmas list item, at least not the kind you could get from the mail-order catalog or even ZCMI. That was months ago, and now my prayer was being answered. The hands on my watch seemed to stand still while I worked. Everything was coming together so beautifully.
The gift was finally wrapped. I could hardly believe I had done it, but there it was—the evidence of hours and hours of work. I hurried back and slipped into bed. It was 5:45 A.M. I had made it! It didn't matter now, and it's a good thing, because children's voices were heard from the other room. "Grandpa says it's time we can get up. Hurry, hurry. We can't wait," they said. And neither could I. There were so many gifts for everyone.
Heber handed me a package. What in the world could it be? I opened it. It was a box of cassette tapes. On the top of the box was a message, "My dear Ardie. While you are traveling each day, I will be with you and will teach you. As you know, the Doctrine and Covenants has been a special interest to me over the years. I have enjoyed reading and recording for you the entire book. Reading it with the purpose of sharing it with you, I have endeavored to express my interpretation and feelings so that you might feel what I feel about this sacred book. I finished it only a few hours ago. It has been a most rewarding experience for me. Remember the Lord's promise, "Therefore, if you will ask of me you shall receive; if you will knock it shall be opened unto you. No, as you have asked, behold, I say unto you, keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion; Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that has eternal life is rich.' (D&C 6:5-7.) May these tapes add to you wisdom and help unfold the mysteries of God and prepare us for our eternal life together."
I immediately thought of my friend who had recently lost her husband with cancer and wondered what price she would pay for such a gift, to be able to hear her husband's voce read the scriptures to her and her children over and over again, even in his absence. What a priceless gift! No wonder some of his meetings had seemed to last longer than usual. How could I ever thank him enough?
I handed Heber my gift. He tore off the cover. A book. A book of remembrance—full. Pages and pages with pictures and stories never before recorded, a result of many secret trips to Ogden while he was in his many meetings, interviewing relatives and sorting through records and histories. The first page of the gift began with a letter, "Dear Heber. As I have copied, reviewed, and prepared these sheets and interviewed family members, your ancestors have become very real to me, and I have an increased appreciation and understanding of the greatness and nobility in the man I married. In interviews with those who knew and remembered your parents, I learned that your father always wanted your mother to be with him, in the fields if possible, and even wherever he was in the house. You must have inherited that. Although I never met your father, and your mother only once, when we meet, I know I'll love them and know them better because of this gift I have prepared for you, which really has been a gift for me."
I don't remember any of the other gifts that year, but Heber and I will never forget the spirit of that glorious Christmas celebration.

Day 10 : Anna and Simeon at the Temple

2010-12-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

Luke 2.-21-39
These two old people are often overlooked or forgotten in the telling of the Christmas story. Old people often are. But not by the Lord.
Simeon was a good man. He had a testimony and had tried to be a good member all his life. He had learned how to recognize the Spirit and had probably often been prompted to go help some widow with her sickly donkey or a broken door hinge. It was because of a life-long habit of listening to and obeying the Spirit that Simeon happened to be at the temple on the day Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to be redeemed.

And his old eyes were opened and he knew who Jesus was. He offered Mary a priesthood blessing: he could see how hard yet rich her life would be. Like Eli of old, he blessed parents who had given their son to God, blessed them with more sons and daughters. And his old mouth was filled with marvelous words. And the service of his whole life was paid in full in that moment in the temple.

He was not alone. Anna (named for Hannah, the mother of Samuel) was also at the temple. Lots of old widows are, serving day and night with fasting and prayer and washing and ushering and folding clothes and welcoming people to the house of the Lord. And in that instant she too rejoiced and, like so many of our sisters, told EVERYONE she met about the marvelous babe

12 Days of Christmas - Day 9: Shepherds

2010-12-17T18:15:00.000-08:00

Luke 2:8-20

Did you ever wonder why shepherds were given the great opportunity to go see the baby Jesus?

Why not the cooks in town? This was Bethlehem (Hebrew for "house of bread"). [I once had a rabbi tell me there must have been famous bakery there.] I say/go read John 6, esp. 35).

Or maybe blacksmiths: there would be one or two around the local stables, surely.

But instead God sent the angelic message and choir to the shepherds. They were out on the hills, watching the sheep by night because this was spring, the lambing season, and they would need to witness the births of the lambs in order to separate out and mark - perhaps with a scarlet cord tied around the neck - all the firstborn lambs, which would then all belong to the Lord and His temple (Ex. 13:2).

So, this was their job: to witness the birth of the Lamb of God, His Firstborn who was slain before the foundation of the earth.

Oh, and did you know that ra'ah, the Hebrew word for shepherd, also means friend? Who better than His friends to witness to the rest of the world of the birth and rebirth of the Lamb?

12 Days of Christmas - Day 8: Baby Jesus

2010-12-14T07:19:00.000-08:00

We think that this card, printed in The Children's Friend sometime in the 1950's is one that Grandma might have drawn. It certainly has the feel of the work she was doing at the time.

THE BABY JESUS

Luke 2:7 and 12

I was wondering how swaddling clothes could be a sign to the shepherds. Weren't all babies wrapped up in clean cloths? And even then, what might it mean?

So I looked up the Hebrew and Greek and, of course, there is so much wonderful symbolism drawing on earlier Biblical imagery. It seems the word for "swaddling" (Hebrew chatal) is used only in three places in the Old Testament and each refers to a different "infant."

First, Jeremiah refers to the "swaddled infants" - literal innocent newborn children in Judah - who were killed by order of the King of Babylon in Lamentations 2:22. Some scholars point out that Luke's not mentioning the slaughter of the babies by Herod is a glaringly irreconcilable difference between his record and Matthew's, but this word may have been his way of "getting past the censor's" of the Roman society he lived in. A JEW reading his book would catch this reference and remember Herod's infamous order as copying the slaughter by the King of Babylon.

Next, Ezekiel (16:1-14) records the Lord speaking of the birth and nativity of the whole House of Israel. He reminds them that they were an unwanted newborn girl, left unwashed, unanointed, and unswaddled, left to die in an open field. But then the Lord passed by and, in spite of all the blood and pollution, He caused Israel to live. He swaddled her, nourished and carried her all the way to Sinai where Israel (now the grownup bride) was again washed, anointed and clothed, this time in marriage (Hebrew chatan) garments, to make covenants with the bridegroom on the mountain temple there.

Finally, in Job 38, the Lord reminds Job of the birth of the earth, when the sea broke forth as if it [the earth]issued out of the womb. Then the Lord swaddled the newborn pure and innocent earth with clouds and soft darkness. Recall that in the Old Testament, clouds are a common symbol indicating the presence of the Lord. Later He would send the Dayspring (see Luke 1:78) to bring light and, after shaking the wicked off the earth, He would press His name into the soft clay of the earth, sealing (Hebrew chatam) it His.

Birth and death, marriage and sealing, washing, anointing and clothing, real and restored innocence: it's all there in the sign of the swaddling clothes.

What an awesome opportunity for Mary and Joseph, to wash and anoint and clothe, to nourish and carry and teach the very LORD of heaven and earth. But is not every child born in His image and through His tokens of blood and water and spirit (see Moses 6:59)? Every parent can swaddle and cuddle and sing lullabies with the angels to their own divine children, for each comes 'trailing clouds of glory from heaven, which is their home.' (Wordsworth)

__________________________________________________

This next activity is from Jeni Brinton Gouchnour's book, "24 Days 'Till Christmas." Please do not use it for any commercial purpose.

This fold-up manger is a good one to use with the family service activity where you put a piece of hay on the manger for each act of service you do, making His bed soft.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 7: Innkeeper

2010-12-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

INNKEEPER

Luke 2:1-7

Many poems and songs have been written of the lost opportunity of the innkeeper who turned away Mary and Joseph, of how his perspective may have changed once he knew who the Babe was. But have you ever thought that he was not alone in his rejection; surely there was more than one inn so close to the Holy City. Was there no one else who noticed that Mary needed a place to rest? No residents or shopkeepers or fellow travellers with friends in the city? And ignorance is no excuse: his ignorance did not spare the innkeeper the loss of welcoming and hosting Jesus.

Nor will ignorance spare us the blessings awaiting us if we but make room in our lives for those who need help, space to rest, a listening ear, a hot meal in a warm home. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these ... ye have done it unto Me."

I've included this activity here because it has the stable provided by the final innkeeper. I personally like to focus on the one who came up with a creative solution to give them a private space even though it seemed impossible at first glance.

This activity comes from a Ross and Guyman "Primary Partners" book.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 6: Joseph

2010-12-12T08:34:00.001-08:00

JOSEPH

Matt 1:18-24

Joseph must have struggled with God, asked Him some tough questions. "Dear God, the woman I am engaged to is with child and it is not mine. Now what?" Typical of life to toss some tough questions with no easy answers.

Then the angel arrives, a message is received. "Joseph, it's OK. Be at peace. My Son is in the middle of this. Everything will be fine." Then the pieces began to fall into place: Elizabeth's son, shepherds who saw angels, foreigners bringing the money to pay for schooling. Joseph himself was a key piece in the plan: a faithful and loving foster father to protect, instruct and wonder at God's Son.

When Jesus is at the center of our lives we can forgive and be at peace, we can move ahead in faith even on dark nights.

His Father's Eyes

by Christy Riches Hinkson

A manger cradle, a brighter light.
Light of the world is here tonight.
Angels singing praises of joy.
Welcoming the newborn boy.
Mother sings lullabies.
Look, he's got his Father's eyes.
Those eyes see blessings in the pain.
They see sunshine in the rain.
They see love behind the lies.
Yes, he's got his Father's eyes.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 5: Mary

2010-12-12T04:52:00.000-08:00

Luke 1:26-36, 46-55. 2:19

How far ahead did Mary look the night the angel came? How to tell her parents and Joseph, how to survive the next nine months probably filled her thoughts. But when her Son was visited by shepherds and worshipped by kings, she pondered many things in her heart. All too soon she would need to share Him with - no, give Him to - the lame and blind, the priests and scribes, the garden and the cross. But for one night sheltered, in a barn, for the moment, He was hers.

Real meaning of season comes in lending helping hand
BY TERRI FLETCHER
FT. MYERS, FLA.
I have always had a desire to be dose to the Savior, but often in December — the month we celebrate His birth — was a time when I felt the least close to Him. I was too busy doing things getting ready to celebrate His birih. There simply were not enough hours in the day left to reflect upon His life, His example and what I should be doing to follow Him. That would have to come after Christmas.

However, Christmas 1985 was different. More accidentally than particularly planned for, I had my Christmas shopping completed and wrapped, packages to distant relatives mailed: baking and decorating all under control by the first week of December. It just sort of happened. Because of that, I had the time to give some meaningful service to someone truly in need. It ended up being a wonderful way for me to draw close to my Savior that December. I was able to babysit for a family of four little children, one of them a tiny 3-month old baby, while a frantic, distraught and overwhelmed mother attended to a hospitalized child. The family emergency had come up 10 days before Christmas. I was in a position to be able to help the mother, and I felt so good tending those children. I rocked for hours that fussy nursing baby, and I felt so close to my Savior. The scripture in Mosiah 2:17 in the Book of Mormon came to my mind: "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

I knew that as I was rocking that child I was in the service of my God. I felt enveloped in His warm spirit. How grateful I was that I was organized and prepared for Christmas that year. If I had been my usual disorganized December self I would have panicked if I had been asked to tend four little ones, and one of them a new baby, so close to Christmas.

I might have done it, but I know I would not have felt spiritually strengthened from the experience. I would have felt only overburdened, maybe even resentful. Oh, but I did not feel that way at all! I felt so in tune with my Heavenly Father's spirit. I remember when the mother came to pick up her little ones she commented on how peaceful and calm I looked. I looked that way because I felt that way.

I could only thank the mother for the wonderful, wonderful opportunity she had given me to serve her, and by so doing to draw closer to my Savior. I tried to explain that because of her I felt so "Christ-masy." I felt filled with the genuine spirit of Christmas, which is loving and caring as the Savior has commanded us to do. I knew that this was the right way, the Savior's way, to be spending my December

Since that experience I have tried — not always successfully — to be organized for Christmas before the month of December. My intent is to not be so overwhelmed and burdened with the shopping, baking, programs, parties, etc., of Christmas, but do I have energy and time left to meet those unexpected service needs that others may have during December. I know that by meeting those needs we can really feel the true spirit of Christmas and emulate Him whose birthday we are celebrating.

Terri Fletcher, her husband Don and their five children are members of the Ft Myers 1st Ward, Ft Myers Florida Stake. She is on the ward activities committee and teaches the family relations class in Sunday School.

Keeping Baby Warm

by Lynda H. Laughlin

It was an inexpensive dime-store Nativity set, and he was only three years old. His back was toward me, but I could see that his chubby little hands were busily working on something at the old table.

"What are you doing?" I asked him impatiently, annoyed at him for touching the decorations after he had been told not to.

As I started toward the scene of his latest mischief, he turned toward me with wide blue eyes filling and a single tear starting down his cherubic cheek. Then I saw it. a carefully folded tissue had been tenderly placed over the small ceramic infant.

"Baby Jesus was cold. Mommy," he whispered.

Ten years have passed, and the tiny Nativity has been replaced by a much larger one. But this year, as every year, I found a carefully folded tissue covering the baby Jesus. I think I know who did it, and I hope he never stops.

TONIGHT HE IS YOURS

Tonight He is yours, Mary.
For this is the hour of His birth.
Count His little toes one by one -
A million mothers have counted newborn baby toes,
A million times before.
Marvel at His baby feet.
Tomorrow He will walk the shores of Galilee,
And there's a long hard hill ahead to climb called Calvary
But tonight He is yours.
See Him curl His tiny fingers around your own.
Out in the darkness of the night.
The deaf, the sick and blind await his touch -
But tonight His little hands are yours, alone.
Tenderly trace the outline of His lips.
Tomorrow flow the words of Life Eternal.
The world awaits the story of the lillies -
But baby lips were made to be caressed.
Touch His birth-wet hair and,
Kiss His soft, warm baby cheek.
Tomorrow the crushing multitudes will
Press and push and reach to
Touch the hem of His garment -
But tonight He is yours.
Hold Him, oh so close, to your heart.
Tomorrow He must be about His Father's business,
And all the world is waiting for salvation.
But tonight He is —
Listen! Can you hear the angels singing?
And look! The star's already shining.
Wrap Him in swadling clothes, Mary,
And lay Him in the manger
For shepherd will be knocking at your door.

-Leotha Wade Slagowski-

12 Days of Christmas - Day 4: John

2010-12-11T22:45:00.000-08:00

CES SYMPOSIUM HANDOUT 1996

JOHN THE BAPTIST: A BURNING AND A SHINING LIGHT

Robert J. Matthews

Prepared for the CES Symposium on The New Testament, Brigham Young University

[an Ensign article on this subject can be found here]

OVERVIEW

"Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist" (Luke 1:28).

"John . . . bare witness unto the truth. . . .

"He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light" (John 5:33, 35). With these words the Lord Jesus Christ praised the work of his friend, John the Baptist.

This lecture focuses on qualities that made John great. His privileges exceeded those of any other prophet. His was the one-time-only honor of preparing the way before the Lord himself, of baptizing the Son of God, of announcing to the Jewish nation that their Messiah was at that very moment among them, and of identifying the Lord in person to the people. He was also the tutor of several future Apostles.

John filled every responsibility of his mission. He alerted and aroused the nation to an awareness of their Messiah and introduced the New Testament dispensation. His short life bridged two dispensations; he was (1) the living embodiment and representative of the Aaronic Priesthood and law of Moses and (2) the first prophet of the dispensation of the meridian of time.

John's public ministry occupied less than a year and was followed by months of imprisonment and probable torture in the dreariness of a dungeon cell. His violent death in his early thirties was due to a weak and lustful king being manipulated by an infuriated, scheming queen and a charming dancing girl. In 1829, as a resurrected being and still holding the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, this same John ordained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, thus helping to establish the dispensation of the fulness of times. The full significance of John's restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood in this dispensation has yet to be unfolded.

A CHILD OF PROMISE

John's mission was so important that it was made known to prophets and seers hundreds of years beforehand. His forthcoming birth was announced by the angel Gabriel and was attended by miraculous circumstances.

John's work is spoken of by Isaiah (see Isaiah 40:3-5; compare Matthew 3:1-3); Malachi (see Malachi 3:1; compare Luke 7:27); Lehi (see 1 Nephi 10:7-10), and Nephi (see 1 Nephi 11:27; 2 Nephi 31:4, 8). Although these prophecies do not mention him by name, there can be no mistaking that John and his mission is the topic.

John had unusual privileges. He alone was selected to baptize Jesus, see the Holy Ghost descend, and hear the voice of the Father (see Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 275-76). Because John was entrusted with such a great mission, Satan was on hand to destroy him if possible. John was born to trouble. No average man could have succeeded in fulfilling his assignment. His life was almost immediately threatened when King Herod issued the edict to destroy the babies in and around Bethlehem (see Matthew 2; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 261). Thirty years later, Herod's son was successful in slaying John.

WHY JOHN WAS OF THE LINEAGE OF AARON

The Prophet Joseph Smith explained: "The spirit of Elias was a going before to prepare the way for the greater, which was the case with John the Baptist. . . .

"The spirit of Elias is to prepare the way for a greater revelation of God, which is the Priesthood of Elias, or the Priesthood that Aaron was ordained unto" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 335).

For John to fulfill his divinely designated role as the Elias— forerunner and witness of the Messiah—some careful selections had to be made. First, the mortal lineage through which John's foreordained spirit would come to earth was governed by ancient law and procedure in order for him to be legally entitled to the priesthood of Aaron. Only direct descendants of Aaron could be priests in the Aaronic priesthood (see Exodus 40:15). The Prophet Joseph Smith explained, "The Levitical Priesthood is forever hereditary—fixed on the head of Aaron and his sons forever" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 319). Second, to hold the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood John had to be of the firstborn lineage among the sons of Aaron (see D&.C 68:16-18). Third, to be the one designated to use that priesthood to prepare the way for and to baptize the Messiah required a premortal appointment. Fourth, John was to be the living embodiment of the law of Moses—which was the "preparatory gospel" functioning under the Aaronic Priesthood (see D&.C 84:26-27). John was to do as a man, literally, what the law of Moses was to do as a statute, which was to prepare the way for the presence of the Lord by teaching the first principles of the gospel and performing baptisms as called for in the law of Moses.

Under the law of Moses, heavy penalties were affixed if sacred rites, sacrifices, and duties were performed without the proper authority (see Numbers 16:1-40; 1 Chronicles 13:7-10; 2 Chronicles 26:16-21). Since it was necessary for a man to be a priest of the lineage of Aaron in order to offer the sacrificial symbols of the Messiah, how much greater the necessity that John, the actual forerunner of the Messiah in person, be of the proper priestly lineage and authority!

The Lord therefore chose Zacharias, a priest of the family of Aaron, and Elisabeth, his wife, of the "daughters of Aaron" (Luke 1:5), to be the mortal parents who would provide the right lineage to complete the inheritance—to bring about the proper combination of body and spirit.

John's birth into this world was accompanied by signs and wonders. When Zacharias was visited by the angel Gabriel nearly a year before John's birth, he was struck dumb and maybe also deaf (see Luke 1:62-63). The people in the temple and Zacharias' family and friends knew he had seen an angel, and they knew he had become dumb, and then after the birth of John they knew Zacharias could speak. These miracles caused the people to say in their hearts, "What manner of child shall this be!" (Luke 1:66).

John was the designated final representative of the law of Moses in its capacity as a schoolmaster to bring men to Christ. He bridged two dispensations by being the last legal representative of the law of Moses and at the same time being the preappointed one to specifically prepare a people for the coming of the Lord.

The law of Moses specified that a priest should begin his ministry at age thirty (see Numbers 4:3; 1 Chronicles 23:3). Therefore, when John was about that age the word of God came to him in the wilderness, authorizing him to begin his work (see Luke 3:1-3; John 1:29-34). Through the years the Holy Ghost had prepared John's mind for his ministry. He had the Holy Ghost from the time of his mother's womb (see Luke 1:15; D&.C 84:27), and no one can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelation (see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 328). John was "baptized while he was yet in his childhood" (D&.C 84:28) and received a setting apart to his mission from an angel when only eight days old. He later would receive the full powers of the Aaronic Priesthood, which include the keys of the ministering of angels (see D&C 13). Having such keys, it follows that John would receive the visitation of angels during these preparatory years.

When John went forth to preach, he was ready. He knew precisely what his mission was and what he must do, and he had the authority to go about it.

['Baptism' is by J. Kirk Richards]
RESPONSIBILITY OF A FORERUNNER

The term forerunner is descriptive. Anciently, forerunners would run before the king's chariot, clear the path of rocks or other obstacles, and loudly proclaim the coming of the ruler. As the divinely appointed herald, John was both a preparer of the path and a proclaimer of the majesty of Jesus.

Being the forerunner was not simply an honorary title. Difficult and dangerous work needed to be done. Priestcrafts and iniquities at Jerusalem made that generation the worst in the world (see 2 Nephi 10:3-5). Into this maelstrom John, a mere mortal—armed with the Aaronic Priesthood, a divine commission, personal righteousness, the truth of God, and a huge amount of courage—was launched on his ministry to prepare the way for the Son of God.

JOHN'S THREE-FOLD MESSAGE

John's ministry consisted of three parts: (1) to testify that the Messiah would soon come, (2) to testify that he had indeed come, and (3) to identify Jesus as the Messiah and to persuade the people to follow him. The books of Matthew (see chapter 3), Mark (see chapter 1), and Luke (see chapter 3) contain John's vigorous preaching to prepare the way, saying that the Messiah would soon come. These records present John's teaching before he baptized Jesus. The book of John, however, contains the Baptist's testimony after he had baptized Jesus, had seen the dove, and heard the voice of the Father. Thus, in John (see chapter 1) he proclaims that the Messiah has already come, and he identifies Jesus as that Messiah.

Having first aroused the nation and, second, having publicly proclaimed and identified the Messiah among the people, John then began the third phase of his ministry: to persuade his converts to follow Jesus. John was very popular with the people, yet his humility and loyalty to Jesus were dramatically illustrated when some of his disciples brought the news that Jesus was even more popular than he Oonn) na^ been and that many of his converts were following Jesus (see John 3:25-26). John's response was to the point; "Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. . . .

"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:28-30).

Among those who learned about Jesus from John the Baptist were several future Apostles (see John 1:35—41; Acts 1:21-26).

Having magnificently completed the fundamental purposes of his earthly appointment, John's public ministry would diminish, while Jesus' would rise and enlarge. John would soon be cast into prison, be executed, go into the world of spirits, be resurrected, and await the fulness of times, when he would again participate in the Restoration of the gospel upon the earth.

ARREST AND MARTYRDOM

Herod Antipas recognized John as a holy man, but when John criticized Herod's clandestine marriage to his niece Herodias, Herod was offended and imprisoned him at Machaerus, near the northeast shore of the Dead Sea (see William Whiston, trans., The Works ofjosephus [1980], 540). Herodias' hatred even exceeded Herod's anger and she plotted to have John killed. This she accomplished by appealing to Herod's sensuous lusts, aroused by a provocative dancing girl named Salome, who was her own daughter by former husband, Philip (see Josephus, 541; see also Mark 6:14-29). After nearly a year in the dungeon and probable torture (see Matthew 17:12-13), John was beheaded. His disciples buried him (see Mark 6:29), and he rose from the grave after Jesus' resurrection (see D&.C 133:55)

RESTORATION OF AARONIC PRIESTHOOD

As a necessary part of the restoration of all things in the fulness of times, John the Baptist came to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on 15 May 1829 near Harmony, Pennsylvania, and ordained them to the Aaronic Priesthood. This holy priesthood will continue in the Church as a permanent function, not only as at present, but also among future literal descendants of Aaron (see D&C 13; 58:17-19; 68:14-21; 84:18)

ADDITIONAL READING

Bible Dictionary, s.v. "John the Baptist." Ludlow, Daniel H., ed. Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 5 vols. 1992. 2:755-57.

Matthews, Robert J. Behold the Messiah. 1994. 41-67.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 3: Elizabeth and Zacharias

2010-12-11T22:32:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth and Zacharias

Luke 1:8-17, Luke 1:39-45

Elizabeth must have been the envy of many women of her day. Her life promised to be a good one. Even her name meant "God keeps His promises." She had a good marriage with Zacharias, a temple priest. Both of them were 'upright in the sight of God,” so they were 'temple recommend holders' trying to choose the right. Elizabeth came from a priesthood family, the right lineage being so important socially. She was a cousin of Mary, the future mother of the Lord. Right family, right marriage, right character and moral fiber. What more could she want?

Well, a child, actually. The Bible says Elizabeth was well 'along in years’ and had had no children in a culture where childless women were disparaged.

And old Zacharias, her husband, had also been praying for years for a son. All day at the temple, a son was on his mind - and it probably wasn' t always GOD' s son he was hoping would come soon.

So is it just coincidence that he was chosen to offer the incense that midwinter day* when all looked so bleak? With God, there is no coincidence.

God did send a Son. To everyone in this story. A son for Elizabeth and Zacharias, to be sure, who would prepare a way for God's own Son. But it is Jesus who is at the center of the story. Without Him, there is no story. He needs to be at the center of our stories as well... at the center of our sweet Christmas season.

*Since John was 6 months older than Jesus, he would have been born in early October, thus conceived around the end of December.

This is a carol our family loves. Try singing it together this year, but be sure you sing thru to the last verse.
You can sing along with the Gloucester Cathedral choir

They even show the words on the screen. Enjoy.

12 days of Christmas - Day 2: Angels

2010-12-11T21:44:00.000-08:00

The Angel's Announcements

Luke 1:19, Luke 1:26-38, Luke 2:9

Everyone in heaven knew that Jesus was about to be born, but I wonder if Gabriel wasn't a bit let down by the plan of announcing His birth. To only tell an old, unknown priest, an aged, barren woman, a young woman, a poor carpenter and a hillside of shepherds of the coming of the Messiah, the King of Kings? Surely it should be more majestic than this. Get the media involved, inform the political figures of the day. But no, these few unknowns were the right ones for God's plan... just as you and I are the right ones to carry out God's plan today. He picks ordinary people like you and me to send forth and make the Savior known to the world.

The angel was Gabriel – his name geber-el means mighty man, or warrior, of God – thus it may be more appropriate to think of him not with wings and a halo, but dressed in the whole armor of God.

Joseph Smith taught that Gabriel was the prophet Noah in mortality. Why Noah? My brother Doug Holt suggests that since Noah was the prophet who presided over the baptism of the earth, it was appropriate that he announce the birth of John the Baptist to Zacharias in the temple. Noah and John, in mortality, each act in the role of forerunner to the Lord, Him who was anointed to preside over the earth's baptism by fire. Perhaps Noah/Gabriel came because he had presided over a judgment, when everyone on earth was judged. The righteous were taken up with Zion, the city of Enoch; the wicked died in the flood. Noah then led the earth through a re-birth, as it came forth from the water a new creation. Christ will preside over the judgment of the earth when all will be judged at the end of time. The wicked will then die in a world-wide judgment of fire, the righteous will be taken up to meet the Lord. The earth will be born again and come forth in her millennial, paradisiacal glory.

Angel Christmas Ornament

For more on Angels, you might want to read :

Temple Themes in Luke’s Account of the Angels and the ShepherdsJeffrey Bradshaw
http://www.ldsmag.com/church/living/article/419?ac=1
Meridian Magazine, 17 December 2009.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 1: The Prophets

2010-12-11T20:53:00.000-08:00

The Twelve Days of Christmas are the festive days beginningChristmas Day (25 December). This period is also known as Christmastide andTwelvetide. The Twelfth Night of Christmas is always on the evening of 5January, but the Twelfth Day can either precede or follow the Twelfth Nightaccording to which Christian tradition is followed. Twelfth Night is followedby the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January. [Wikipedia]

Among Mormons, the Twelve Days of Christmas are from the 12days before Christmas, beginning on the 12th or 13th of December and goinguntil Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Often small gifts are secretly given to a lucky recipient on each of thedays.

I am posting these 12 Days early enough that you couldfollow either tradition, or make up one of your own.

Karen here: A few years ago, Mom (Rebecca) put together a set of readings and activities for the 12 days before Christmas. I think it must have been for Mike and Doug on their missions, because I remember reading these by candle light with my college roommate Jenny in about 1996 or 1997. Mom spent all day today scanning and typing, so she asked me to post what she did here on the blog. In hard copy, there are a few separate pages each day, without much introduction or explanation. I'll try to add a little context (in italics), and possibly a few more pictures for sparse days, but otherwise, it'll just be as she presented it. I started to link all the scriptures to LDS.org, but then it got too late, so I quit (sorry).

Rebecca here: when I first put this together, I was inspired by a pamphlet I picked up in an airport chapel. Each day of December focused a devotional on some one person or group of people from the Christmas story. I have used some paragraphs from that pamphlet, but have lost the original so I cannot credit it properly. I apologize for that.

Day one is about Prophets. [Karen speaking:]If you've spent any time around Mom, you'll know that a major focus of her study and teaching is finding Christ in the Old Testament.

[This coloring page is pg 211 of the Primary OT manual, with a few alterations to make it Old Testament specific]

Isaiah 11:1 - A governing Rod would arise from Jesse, the father of King David and
ancestor of Jesus

Jeremiah 23:15 - from David would come a righteous Branch, a King who would reign and prosper.

Isaiah 7:14,9:6 - A virgin shall conceive and the Child will be called the Prince of Peace

Micah 5:2 - out of little Bethlehem would come forth one who would be ruler In Israel.

Numbers 24:17 - a Star would arise in Jacob.

Hosea 11:1 (see also Exodus 4:22-3) - God's Son would come out of Egypt [Matt. 2:15]

Genesis 49:10 - Jacob prophesied that Shilo, the lawgiver bearing the scepter (sign of kingship) would be a descendant of Judah.

Job 38:7 - Job prophesied that all the morning stars would sing and all the sons of God would shout for Joy at the 'laying of the Cornerstone' and at the birth of the earth

The Baby Jesus Story

2010-12-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

In 1957, Lafawn was working as an artist for the Children's Friend magazine, published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She was trying to come up with an activity to tell the Christmas story. She had ideas for pictures of Mary and Joseph, the Shepherds, the Manger and the Wise Men, but spent days thinking and thinking about how to turn it into an activity. Then, she woke up in the middle of the night with an idea of making four windows to show the pictures and story through. She sketched out where the windows should go, and by the end of the day had most of the work done.

She often told me that the idea for and mechanics of the window sheet was an inspiration given to her from God. "I'm not mathematical," she said, "I never would have figured it out."

The activity was printed in the Children's Friend in December 1957, and was later reprinted, with new art, in a large (about 2 feet square) format, on heavy cardboard, for use in the Merry Miss (or some other iteration of the older girls' class) in Primary.

Building God's House : To Be LIke Him

2009-09-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

This is a talk that I gave last week. My friend, Susan, who is temporarily confined to her house (go to her blog for details :http://gremhogs.blogspot.com/ ), typed it up from my very messy notes. So thank her for this.

BUILDING GOD’S HOUSE : TO BE LIKE HIM

BTW : it may help to know that the speaker before me was Sister Littlefield, who told about the great experience the Elyria Ward had when they decided - as a ward, under the direction of Bishop Steve Huff - to build a house for a disabled member of their ward. That was followed by a song written by Sally De Ford and sung by Mary Beth and Jeanette , accompanied by Jill . Mary played prelude music on her violin. Mary Beth on piano and Catherine on cello played their own arrangement of some Primary songs as the opening song.

[Talk given by Rebecca Holt Stay, September 11, 2009 : Westlake Stake Center : Cleveland Ohio Stake Relief Society Meeting]

Thank you, sisters, my good friends, for the wonderful music this evening which has done so much to bring the spirit here to touch and to teach us.

And thank you to Sister Littlefield and the whole Elyria ward, for so literally helping to build the Kingdom of God.

“They built a house that they dreamed of together.
The built a house with sturdy wall of prayer.
They built a house where riches are now measured
By memories that linger everywhere!”

[note: these are adapted lyrics from the song, Build this House with Me from Sally DeFord’s play, Built Upon the Rock. See her website for details]

The scriptures often use the metaphor of house building.

For example: In Exodus, the two Egyptian midwives refused to obey Pharaoh’s command to kill the Israelite babies. They loved babies. The were MIDWIVES! And saved them so “God dealt well with them. He built them houses.”

I thought about that: what kind of house did God build? A Colonial? A Split Level? Is that what Ex. 1:21 means? NO! of course not. It means He gave them sons and daughters: built them houses.

Since the creation of the world, women have been central in building houses for God’s children—His Sons and Daughters.

When Adam and Eve were married in the Garden, I believe it was under the same everlasting covenant that God offers each of us. The terms of the covenant are that God will give us Land and Seed if we are faithful to Him.

Adam…whose name means “soil, dirt” . . . got some great land: The Garden of Eden: fruits and flowers grow spontaneously. But Eve - her name (Chava in Hebrew) means ‘living things’ = LIFE (L’chaim like in “Fiddler” to Life, to Life, L’Chaim). Eve had no seed; She could not have children in the garden. I personally think that’s why she chose to eat the fruit: in order to bear fruit.

And after the Fall, look at what God commanded each to do: Adam was to labor in the fields to feed his family. Eve to labor in child bearing to create a family.

Same imagery is in the Proclamation to the World: The Family. Father are responsible to provide the necessities of life. Mothers primarily responsible for the nurture of children. We do these together – as Even labored with Adam in the fields and together they taught their children.

Moses 6:58-9 tells us one of the things we are commanded to teach our children – I think it’s a good idea to pay attention when God commands you to do something –

58 Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:
59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten. . .

Did you catch that: Mothers perform what I call the ordinance of BIRTH: blood and water and spirit are there. And in an ideal world, Fathers would all perform the ordinance of Baptism - being born again of the blood and water and spirit. Now, Which is more important? They are equal before God.

Jesus often used the metaphor of men laboring in the fields or vineyards to talk about building God’s kingdom. The fields are white, ready to harvest = missionary work

There are Two ways to Build God’s House—
1) Give birth to children 2)Baptize new converts

Which is more important? They are equal . We are ALL born and we are all to be BORN AGAIN.

As Paul said: Eph. 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

We are to be temples (HOUSES) for God to dwell in. But what kind of house are you building? Is it built upon the Rock of Christ? What kind of house did Jesus build? In his mortal lifetime? He was a carpenter, after all. What do the scriptures tell us about how he spent his time and effort?

We know the kind of houses Herod built; Jerusalem temple : one of the wonders of the world….Masada fortress : incredible murals and terraces

We are not told much about Jesus’s political or social, academic or economic success in the scriptures – stuff we can read and know abou Caesar or Herod, Pilate or Midas. We are not told about some fancy interior decorating He did.

We do know what Jesus taught… to Love One Another.

See, that is REAL interior decorating: filling the rooms of our heart with kindness and charity. Think of the scripture stories. Did you notice the pictures on the walls during dinner? [Lots of pictures of Christ with people, healing, teaching,etc]. These show us what HE filled his LIFE and time with. He went about doing good. Building people UP. Loving and Caring for his Father’s House.

The focus is not on what He HAD but what He DID. He healed the sick, like Peter’s mother in law.
The dead He raised : those emotionally or spiritually or LITERALLY dead.
He fed the hungry….the 5000 in the field or the Twelve on a Lake Galilee beach

At that time he said to Peter, If you love me, feed my sheep
If you love me, keep my commandments
If you love me, Love one another.

Jesus said: I do only that which I saw my Father do. Will our children say as they serve, “I do only that which I saw my MOTHER DO”?

Ye are my friends, if you DO what I ask. What incredible friends Elyria turned out to be.

They responded just like the Children of Israel when Moses asked them to help in Building God’s house in Exodus. 35:

4 ¶ And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying,
5 Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord; gold, and silver . . .
10 And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the Lord hath commanded; [bringing] his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets,
21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering dto the work of [building the House].
22 And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, . . .every [one] that offered offered an offering . . .[offered it] unto the Lord.

Willing and wise hearted friends. Friend is actually a COVENANT title.

The Old Testament talks about two people named “FRIEND”
JETHRO was also called Reuel – friend of God . He was Moses’ father in law; he ordained Moses to the Melchizedek priesthood and taught him how to serve in the church, how to share the burdens and the blessings with others. ‘Friends’ are the High Priests in your ward, the quorum leaders…being good shepherds who train other men to lead and to serve, care for the widows and the orphans.

And RUTH – the feminine form of the name ‘Friend”: I think it’s a new name she took when she converted to belief in Jehovah. (Like Moses’ Egyptian mom: she left Egypt , walked thru the Red Sea and became one of the covenant people taking a new name : Bithyah, which means ‘daughter of Jehovah”.). When Ruth said: Wither thou goest I will go. Wither thou lodgest I will lodge. Thy people shall be, my people and Thy God, my God” she was expressing her testimony.. MY PEOPLE is a covenant name of the House of Israel. Ruth’s mother in law, NAOMI, was an older, widowed woman..a member all along. Naomi had a wise heart, she shared practical advice as she encouraged Ruth in her new life in the church.

This is rather like today’s RS sisters who teach Sunday lessons and enrichment and share their wisdom and visit teaching and become friends.

Naomi taught Ruth how to get a job so she could feed herself and Naomi. Ruth went to work for Boaz who noticed her hard work and asked around and found she was taking care of Naomi. He noticed her charity and He chose to be charitable in return. He gave her seeds ; a whole bushel full.

Boaz is called a Near Kinsman which could better be expressed as ‘ Covenant Friend’.

As members of the covenant, we offer to care for one another:
Like in the Book of Mormon
We bear one another’s burdens, comfort, and mourn together, strip wallpaper for a friend, talk to each other, drive to doctor’s appointments, ask about kids and health and job. Comfort…………Mourn….Bear burdens like helping pack 16 tons into moving pods).

Boaz was a covenant friend to Ruth and Naomi

Naomi also taught Ruth social customs and mores, how to let Boaz know she was interested in him as a possible husband ;Ruth returned the kindness Boaz had shown: Ruth found Boaz attractive: She went to him at night on the threshing floor where he and all the workmen were sleeping to protect the harvest. She pulled his cloak over her. He got cold and noticed And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near akinsman. He understood. She was interested in Marrying him.

Ruth 3:10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.

He was astonished and highly complimented. She could have had any of the younger men….buff and tan. Boaz was older, maybe balding, with a bit extra weight.

But Ruth saw behind the façade. Saw a GOOD man: Gave Boaz what he needed most. The love of a good woman. She desired him. Soon they married. Ruth and Naomi gave Boaz LAND and he gave them Seed; both food and family.

Ruth gave birth to a son whom she shared with Naomi: Obed who was the grandfather of David.

Children cannot have too much love; find a Naomi in your ward and invite her into your life, your home, your family. Invite her to your sons’ Priesthood Ordinances, forward emails of dating adventures, take her along when your children receive their temple endowments, share their letters and she will be there at the airport holding signs at their mission return and will arrange the flowers at their weddings.

Did Ruth KNOW when she chose to befriend Naomi that she would become the grandmother of King David? Did she know that in building a home, she was building a PALACE?

CS Lewis speaks of this in his book ‘Mere Christianity’ :”Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself (c.s. lewis, Mere Christianity, 174; book 4, chapter 9 paragraph 10)

Ruth, the convert, became the ancestor to Jesus Christ, Himself. He was able to come into the world because of her good choices.

He still comes into the world, and into the lives of our friends because of our choices.

As Ruth got a new name at her conversion and baptism, so we take a new name—HIS NAME: To BE LIKE HIM. And what is His name?

In Exodus 34, Jehovah shared his name with Moses, on the mountain top, at the time Moses went up to receive the 10 commandments the second time :1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.
2 And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in theatop of the mount.
4 ¶ And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.
5 And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, [but] will by no means clear the guilty. . .

As baptized Christians, that is the NAME we have covenanted to take upon ourselves. And we renew that covenant each week as we partake of the sacrament:
Do we keep that promise? Are we each week becoming MORE LIKE HIM? MORE patient and merciful with each other? MORE Gracious and long suffering? More forgiving?

Let us build in our lives and our homes a House of God

Let’s build a house where faith is our foundation
And furnish every room with heaven’s peace

Let’s build a house where hearts are turned to heaven
To God on whom our hopes and dreams depend
He will be our help in all our labors
And make this house a mansion in the end

And we’ll leave a priceless heritage behind us
To bless our children’s children yet to be
With the master Builder’s plan
To guide our willing hands
Won’t you come and build this house with me?

[Sally DeFord]

Happy Birthday, Mom

2009-04-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Today would have been Mom's 85th birthday. We bought Mom some roses, which we are enjoying. They are sitting on the dining room table since we can't get them to her today. My brother Steve should be delivering three carnations - two of one color for Doug and Steve, one of another color for me - to her grave in Salt Lake.

We will also be eating a freshly baked cherry pie this evening from Momma Joe's pies. That was Mom's favorite pie.

In the meantime, we've wished Marty a happy 6th birthday since he shares this day.

If you haven't yet read Karen's blogpost about LaFawn, take a minute and enjoy it.

Conference Packet Updates

2009-04-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

Lauren Olsen - from my ward here in Ohio - sent this link for a great kids conference activity packet. Enjoy
http://theideadoor.com/General%20Confrence/2009AprilConferencePacket.pdf

I Love You, Mom

2009-03-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

LaFawn Carol Graff Holt – Daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, friend - passed away March 18, 2009 in Amherst, Ohio from complications of a fall which occurred in 2005. LaFawn and her beloved husband, Roland, were living with their daughter, Rebecca, at the time of LaFawn's death. (Well, technically Mom was a resident of the Golden Acres Extended Care Facility in Amherst : the sledding hill was visible out her bedroom window.)

LaFawn was born April 16, 1924 in Salt Lake City to Milton T and Anna Holmquist Graff. She was a brilliant woman with a disarming sense of humor; she loved poetry and old movies. She graduated from East High School in 1942, joined Alpha Chi Omega at the University of Utah and graduated in Home Economics in 1947, receiving the John A Widstoe Award.

She was teaching at Irving Jr High when she met Roland A Holt at an Institute dance. They married June 9, 1948 in the SL Temple. They shared 60 choice years together and were blessed with 3 children – Roland Douglas Holt (Jeri Curtis) of Safford Arizona, Steven Graff Holt (Susan Higbee) of Salt Lake, and Rebecca Ann Holt Stay (Randall W.) of Amherst Ohio.

LaFawn was an artist, using pen and ink, clay, copper, paint and fabric. She did hundreds of illustrations for The Children’s Friend magazine. She loved playing with her children, making doll houses and playhouses, doll clothes, wooden cowboys and indians, games and costumes for them. She created the first Quiet book - which she sold patterns for as a fundraiser for Alpha Chi Omega -, a play rug, and superfriend capes. 100s of these play ideas were published, sold at Mormon Handicraft and used in classes at BYU. To help pay for her sons’ missions, LaFawn travelled selling fabric and as a rep for the Utah Dairy Council, but she preferred to freely give away all her creative ideas, especially to young moms with children. With her generous spirit, LaFawn was never lonely.

She had an abiding testimony of the restored Church and a deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. She served in all LDS auxiliaries and loved the nursery and Cub Scouting. She served as a member of the Primary lesson manual and teacher training writing committees. She did the artwork on the Gaynote lesson manual cover. Roland appreciated her constant support through the many years he was scoutmaster over 50 boys and Bishop of the East Mill Creek 7th Ward (750 active members!).

LaFawn was preceded in death by her parents, her baby brother Dean, her Swedish Grandpa, granddaughter Chrissa Lee Holt and others. She is survived by her husband, Roland, her 3 children, her sisters Mary Matheson and Shirley Ann Graff , both of Salt Lake, 13 loving grand children and 15+ great-grand children.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00AM, Saturday, March 28, 2009 at Mountain View Memorial Estates Cemetery Chapel, 3115 east 7800 South in Cottonwood Heights. Viewing Friday March 27, 6-8 PM and at 10 AM Saturday at the same facility. Burial will be at that Cemetery near her loved mountains and granddaughter.

No flowers, please. Fawnie would prefer that you contribute generously to your favorite gospel charity. Condolences may be sent care of Steven Holt, 8051 Demerest Rd., SLC 84121.

Handy Turkey and Pilgrims

2008-11-26T20:45:00.000-08:00

Trace your hand and make a turkey. This is the traditional Thanksgiving art activity. Mom took it a step further and let us trace our hands to make Indians and Pilgrims as well. This card is pretty self-explanatory and simple.

I remember being given art projects to do to keep us kids busy at Nana's house on Thanksgiving (and Easter) while our moms and Nana fixed the food. I have no memory of what the men were doing.

There are lots of other variations on this theme. Here are a couple I have seen:

Have the children paint the palm of their hand and thumb brown and each of their fingers different colors. Have them press their wet hand on paper, a white paper plate, or on a cut-out wooden hand (like you see above) to make a colorful hand print. Add a beak, eyes, waddle, and feet with markers and you have a turkey hand print.

Here is a cute variant which uses handprints of everyone in the family. Trace each person's hand on a piece of different colored construction paper and cut them out. Layer them with the biggest (probably Dad's) on the bottom up to smallest on top. Add a big circle for a body, a smaller circle for a head, a beak, wattle and eyes.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

While looking for Hector the Halloween Cat, I found all these pumpkins made YEARS ago by my sons. I thought you'd all enjoy seeing how artistic they all were . . . are.

These are Mike's.

This one is from Doug, nicely signed on the back.

And notice the great animation on this one from Steve: see how the eyes move?

Weren't we amazing in our fine technologically advanced artwork?

I couldn't find David's pumpkin, but he did make this nice Mayflower. See his name in the waves?

What is halloween without bats and ghosts?

Mike did the bat.

Doug drew the complicated scene with ghosts and mummies.

The mom and baby ghost are unsigned.
Anyone claim them?

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Cat

2008-10-26T17:16:00.001-07:00

"Hector the Halloween Cat" is a story I remember really well from my childhood. Does anyone else remember Hector? We once had one my mom had made with lots of glitter all over the mask.

After going back and re-reading the actual story this week, I realized that I remember the CAT fondly, but not the story.

Here is the story which officially accompanies the cat: see what your think.

Did you notice the tiny little drawing and the set of directions at the bottom of the story card? Hector is actually made out of four pieces of black posterboard (or, better, the newer black foamcore board if you can cut it) threaded onto a long (hotdog-shaped) balloon.

One sheet of posterboard is sufficient to make one Hector, with one piece of colored paper for the mask. Below are the four shapes you need to make: be sure and blow up your balloon and measure the diameter BEFORE you cut out the holes!

Here is a 50 year old schematic of how to assemble the cat.

Note that you actually have two options with the 'belly' piece. You can have the belly hang down or twist it upward so that Hector is arching his back.

As to the story, I think there is a play on the idea of being a 'scaredy cat' : is Hector fearsome or fearful? But I now rather dislike the scary part of Halloween and am not sure I'd want to teach little kids HOW to be more scary.

So maybe a better use of Hector would be to explain why people are wearing masks and help them be more comfortable with masks by taking off the scary mask to find the friendly cat beneath.

Hector also makes a great table centerpiece. Add a bowl of "catfood" - peanuts, candy corn, or M&Ms. You can also make really cute, individual Hectors by using balloon animal balloons: cut out much smaller body pieces - maybe just 4" x 8" - and only blow up the balloon a short way, leaving the tail long, maybe tying a ribbon on the tail.

Holy Days

2008-10-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Humor me and read this summary of the Jewish Holydays which are today and tomorrow (October 20 and 21 this year): this came in an email today: [explanatory comments in brackets are mine]

"Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah in a Nutshell

Immediately following the seven-day festival of Sukkot [Feast of Tabernacles, above] comes the two-day festival of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

Shemini Atzeret means "the eighth [day] of retention"; the chassidic masters explain that the primary purpose of the festival is to retain and "conceive" the spiritual revelations and powers that we are granted during the festivals of the month of Tishrei [that means the High Holy Days, including Yom Kippur: for Mormons it would include Oct General Conf], so that we could subsequently apply them to our lives throughout the year.

The second day of Shemini Atzeret is called Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Torah") [or JOY in the Scriptures]. On this day we conclude, and begin anew, the annual Torah reading cycle. The event is marked with great rejoicing, especially during the procession, in which we march, sing and dance with the Torah scrolls around the reading table in the synagogue.

"On Simchat Torah," goes the chassidic saying, "we rejoice in the Torah, and the Torah rejoices in us; the Torah, too, wants to dance, so we become "the Torah's dancing feet."

Other festival observances include the special prayer for rain included in the musaf prayer of Shemini Atzeret, and the custom that all are called up to the Torah on Simchat Torah."

So, today I received another email from LeGrand Baker, a friend of Steve, Miriam, and Mike, and it included this comment about JOY and ATONEMENT, the themes of these Jewish Holydays:

"David Ries : Thoughts on the Atonement

Today I had a remarkable spiritual experience as I got ready for church.
I was thinking about the Primary song "If the Savior Stood Beside Me." I'm learning it to accompany the Primary program next Sunday. So I knew the music before I knew the lyrics. I was learning the lyrics. The 3rd verse says:
"He is always near me, though I do not see Him there
And because He loves me dearly, I am in His watchful care…"
I loved the line "He loves me dearly."

I was thinking about the Atonement. How His gift to us was the greatest gift, and how He took upon himself all our sin and pain and loneliness and inadequacies. To know all those things is ultimately intimate. No one in this life could know us so well, because they could not know all the pain of our lives as He did. Hence, no one on this earth could love us so well. He truly must "love us dearly," both because of how He knows us, and what He did for us.
I thought of His ultimate pain in taking all that upon Him. And then I thought, how nice it would be if, as recompense for that, He could experience all our joys and happiness, all our accomplishments and rewards. So I said a simple prayer and asked Heavenly Father to bless His Son, that He would know all our joys and accomplishments and loves.

Suddenly, I felt the Spirit very strongly. I felt an acknowledgment of that prayer. I felt as though this is the greatest wish I could have for the Savior, that He could know all the positives, as well as all the negatives. I felt blessed that I had wished that for my Redeemer. I felt these words in my heart: "Blessed art thou, for thou hast wished the greatest gift for My Beloved Son."

And then I felt that it was so. That our Redeemer, in addition to knowing all our pain, was also given to know all our joys. And that that is his great reward for performing that ultimate act. He is privileged to know all our joys and all our loves. That is the reward.
And of course, He knows us all the more, and loves us all the more, for knowing the good and the evil. As part of this experience, I felt His love. His dear love. I felt it strongly and warmly and richly.
There can be no greater witness of His existence, and His atonement, than to feel His Love."

I sent this response: "I think Christ's joy in us is doctrinal, or at least scriptural.
"This is my work and my GLORY"

"Blessed are you because of your faith; and now behold, MY JOY is full. and when he said these things, he wept. . . " 3 Nephi 17: 20-21

"How great is his joy in the soul that repenteth . . . And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me! D&C18:13, 15-16

23 And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. Alma 33:32"

Then, after a bike ride with Randy, I went upstairs to prepare my Institute lesson for tomorrow based on Ch 5 of Talmage's "Jesus the Christ." Wanting to look up a scripture reference, I realized my bible was still downstairs, so I picked up a NEW bible I bought just last week [see photo above]. I really just wanted the beautiful brown leather journal [right] that was sold as a set with the bible and since together they were only $6, it was worth it. So I opened the new soft red leather bible [left] and soon realized it was a new translation I had never read before: the Holman Christian Standard Bible. And I really like it.

I was reading about Ezra in Nehemiah 8-9 where he reads the scriptures aloud to the people returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian Captivity. Then the next verses/chapter tell how they celebrated Rosh Ha Shanah (this day is holy to the LORD v. 1-12), Feast of Tabernacles (v 13-18 : and there was tremendous JOY), and Yom Kippur (confession and worship) as they read from the book of the law. I enjoyed the translation so much I decided to re-read the whole OT this year : then the next verse was: 9:38 'in view of this we are making a binding agreement in writing on a sealed document. . . ."

I did not do any of this consciously on purpose because of the Holy Days. But still, there it is.
The LORD is good to me and so I thank the LORD for giving me the things I need...
Love Mom/R

Post Script: this psalm of David is sung every day during these High Holy Days. I think it is an excellent choice.

This is a Jewish translation: G-d is used in place of the sacred name of God.

Tehilim (Psalms)- Chapter 27
1. Of David. G-d is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? G-d is the stronghold of my life; from whom shall I be frightened?
2. When evildoers draw near to me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies against me -- they stumbled and fell.
3. If a camp encamps against me, my heart shall not fear; if a war should rise up against me, in this I trust.
4. One [thing] I ask of G-d, that I seek: that I may dwell in the house of G-d all the days of my life, to see the pleasantness of G-d and to visit His Temple every morning.
5. That He will hide me in His tabernacle on the day of calamity; He will conceal me in the secrecy of His tent; He will lift me up on a rock.
6. And now, my head will be raised over my enemies around me, and I will sacrifice in His tent sacrifices with joyous song; I will sing and chant praise to G-d.
7. Hearken, O G-d, to my voice [which] I call out, and be gracious to me and answer me.

8. On Your behalf, my heart says, "Seek My presence." Your presence, O G-d, I will seek.

9. Do not hide Your presence from me; do not turn Your servant away with anger. You were my help; do not forsake me and do not abandon me, O G-d of my salvation.

10. For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but G-d gathers me in.

11. Instruct me, O G-d, in Your way, and lead me in the straight path because of those who lie in wait for me.

12. Do not deliver me to the desires of my adversaries, for false witnesses and speakers of evil have risen against me.

13. Had I not believed in seeing G-d's goodness in the land of the living!14. Hope for G-d, be strong and He will give your heart courage, and hope for G-d.

Translation adapted from the Judaica Press edition of the Tanach by Rabbi A.J. Rosenberg

Tag! You're It!

2008-10-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

Susan tagged me. So here is the 4th picture from the 4th file in "My Pictures." That was 2002. This is Aidan - my only grandchild at the time - at his OTHER grandparents' home in Colorado Springs. Mike and Miriam were living there after Mike lost his job when the dot.com bubble burst. My Dad and I had driven there to visit them after dropping someone off at BYU and the Williams were most gracious. I love this photo because of the good lighting: that is the ONE most important thing I have learned about photography from Lesli. Those who knew him when he was young will recognize Mike's hair and cleft chin. Shortly after this photo, Dad and I drove off east to see the church sites in Missouri and Iowa on our way to Ohio and Mike and his family flew west to Auckland, New Zealand for a new adventure, a new job, a new school (U of Auckland), and a whole slew of wonderful new friends.

I'll tag Heather, Karen, Doug or Lesli, and Steve. Sorry: I still don't know how to imbed a link . . .

Autumn Arrives . . . Autumn Leaves

2008-10-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Autumn is here in all its glory! I spent much of the day outside digging up perenials, separating and replanting them. Would anyone like some free Japanese Iris? I have at least 100 extra tall white ones.

Fall is a great time to go out collecting leaves with your kids. For anyone living here in Lorain Co., pack a lunch and come on over to Beavercreek Reservation where there is a nice playground and Safetytown for the kids to ride their bikes around, all surrounded by glorious color. With two craft projects in mind, fill the now-empty lunch sack with lots of colorful leaves. Look for different shapes and sizes as well as colors. Talk about these things with your preschoolers while you walk and look and collect.

It took me a while to figure out what Mom was describing in that last sentence, cutting the corner and folding up the edges. Then I realized she's giving directions for making a paper frame around the leaf rubbings. These leaf rubbings are also fun to do with colored paper or with the leaves overlapping. Note that you need those old crayons that have been unwrapped by little fingers so that you can rub their sides over the leaves.

A second craft with the leaves is actually my favorite, but you'll need more supplies and adult help. You can make autumn place mats for your dinner table with those beautiful leaves by ironing them between layers of waxpaper.

Supplies needed: leaves, wax paper, scissors (ones that cut a decorative edge are great), old newspapers, cloth rag, iron and ironing board.

Set up the ironing board, plug in the iron and heat to a medium setting, no steam. Lay several layers of newspaper on the ironing board: this will absorb some of the hot wax from the wax paper. Next lay down a piece of wax paper, about 10 x 15 inches. Place a selection of leaves attractively all over the wax paper, leaving at least one inch of waxpaper uncovered at all edges. Top with another piece of waxpaper, then a sheet of newspaper.

Finally, cover the newspaper with an old cloth rag : this is to protect your iron from getting messed up by the wax or the newspaper ink. Set your iron on top and s-l-o-w-l-y heat the entire area of the waxpaper. Take your time and try to not move the whole stack around. After a while, peek under the newspaper: the two pieces of waxpaper should fuse together, locking the leaves in place. Carefully remove the cloth and newspaper and move the warm placemat to a table to cool: you'll probably want to cover the table with newspaper as well to protect it from wax. Make a placemat for each family member. After they are cool, use the decorative scissors to cut a nice edge.

Dress Ups

2008-10-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

That's what I called costumes: "dress-ups." Whatever you call them, I loved to dress up and pretend. Mom helped that happen, and it couldn't have been convenient for her.

Here's my earliest photo of me in costume, prefiguring Johnny Depp et al. This is my third or fourth (probably) birthday party. Mom had bandanas for everyone with one large earring attached to it : so much easier than piercing little kids' ears! My brothers are behind me to the left (Doug in the striped shirt; Steve next to him on the middle row) and to my left was my bestest friend in the world, Ann Kenney. We went to see Disney's Sleeping Beauty together TWICE : once when it first came out in the 50's and again when it was rereleased our senior year of high school. (I bought the paperdolls both times, too, and am sorely tempted to buy the new two DVD version: how well those marketing people know us!) Note that I am holding the treasure.

My brother Steve was my favorite playmate for years. He was very creative and inventive and tolerant of a younger sister. Here he plays Prince Charming to my Princess.

Both of the above photos were taken when we lived on Wyoming Street in Salt Lake City, the first house I remember living in . The Salt Lake Tribune ad for it, dated 29 August 1954, in the Homes for Sale column said :

"NO DOWN payment to qualified vet. 3 bedrms. 1,200 sq ft. Dead end street. New school. 7-1076 ."

Dad says he only had to pay $300 out of pocket to buy this house.

Left is a photo of me as the flower girl at my cousin Joan's wedding. I am told I spent most of the evening twirling around and around : evidently there is an old 8 mm film of this somewhere. What I do remember is playing dress ups with the hat and umbrella for years until they were both literally in tatters.

One more birthday party. This was from my 5th birthday, just after we moved to East Millcreek. The girls are, from L to R, Kathy Tolstrup, Kirsten Jensen, Becky Bromman, Ann Kenney, ?, me, my cousin Marilyn. Again, mom went to a LOT of work to make those crepe paper grass skirts. Thanks, Mom.

And all this work wasn't just for me: look at the cool wings Den Mother Mom made for Doug (left) and Steve (middle) who were Cub Scouts. I believe they were "Thunderbirds" - probably for a skit at the Pack meeting, which Dad, as Cubmaster, would have been in charge of. What great parents we have!

[Some of you may know that I have a collection of paperdolls. Mom started me on that when she gave me her original, uncut Ivory Soap set of the Dionne quintuplets. Occasionally I'll post paperdolls which relate to the topic, like this DRESS UP doll. Print them out and have fun with your kids.]

The Children's Friend

2008-10-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

Back in the 1950's, LaFawn was an illustrator for the LDS children's magazine, The Children's Friend. I will be posting many of those illustrations here as I get copies of them.

Mom began doing incidental drawings to accompany other authors' work, like the shoe, mother and children on this 1958 table of contents page (above), but the later activities, cut outs, puzzles and games best exhibit her amazing creativity.

Looking through The Children's Friend, I often recognize animals or people which Mom recycled into other projects. For example, animals on this activity page (above) also appeared on the back page of the cloth Busy Book which Mom made for me to play with at church.

Polio was still a deadly scourge in the 1950's, as evidenced by this activity page showing a boy in a hospital bed. I vividly remember taking pennies to Primary to help support the Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. Someone had created a cardboard model of the hospital and it was used as a bank that we would drop our pennies in each week in church after school on Tuesdays.

Note: Many of these first posted pictures are mine thanks to the kindness of my cousin Mark and especially his wife Kristine's family. They had saved old copies of The Children's Friend for 50 years and, upon her mother's death, Kristine inherited a box full of them. Last March, when Grandpa Roly and I were in Utah preparing for my son Steve's wedding, Mark and Kristine invited us to Easter Sunday dinner and surprised us with piles of these beloved old magazines. We sat around the table ripping out Mom's illustrations and sharing childhood memories. So, thanks again, Mark and Kristine!

Nativity

2008-10-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

Back before Scrapbooking became a multi-billion dollar industry, people kept scrapbooks.

This news clipping is from my Brownie scrapbook, ostensibly recording events of my years as a Brownie Girl Scout. On the fourth page is a newsclipping with this photo, one of my favorite photos of my mom, LaFawn Holt.

This clipping was sent to me in 1960 - six years after its publication - by Catherine Hatch, one of Mom's "Club" friends. ("Club" was a group of Mom's friends from her U of U college sorority, Alpha Chi Omega.)

That my mother made gingerbread doesn't surprise me: she was a cooking/home economics major, after all - but that she made a NATIVITY SCENE is wonderful to me.

Her focus on the Saviour, rather than secular Christmas imagery, is important to me this week in particular as I begin a new year of Institute classes. Karl Anderson, our CES coordinator, suggested that I teach the New Testament, so I chose to focus on the Life of Christ, especially using James Talmage's wonderful book, "Jesus the Christ".

There must be something in my genes - Joseph Smith called it the believing blood of Israel - urging me to teach of Christ, especially using visuals and imagery.

My grandfather, Harry Holt, personally knew James Talmage (left). On at least one occasion (I need to reconfirm the date for this again in the Journal History of the Church at the Church History library), they spoke together at the same Sunday evening fireside at the Salt Lake Tabernacle, Talmage giving a doctrinal address and Grandpa Holt providing a scriptural one.

This follows the pattern the Lord set out for Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon in their ministry together:

"It shall be given unto him to prophesy; and thou shalt preach my gospel and call on the holy prophets to prove his words, as they shall be given him." (D&C 35:23)

Harry Holt (right : photo from about 1950) gave other firesides on the Life of Christ throughout the Salt Lake Valley, usually illustrating them with lantern slides projected on the walls of the old chapels. My dad tells me that Grandpa had purchased slides of famous paintings - by men like Holman Hunt (see below his "Light of the World" from St Paul's in London) - of events in the life of Christ. (I went in search of those old slides, but that must wait for another post.)

Dad told me about the lantern slides after I told him of my making a slide show of paintings of Christ for my seminary classes to watch back in the 1980's or 90's.

My dad, Roland Holt, also told me this week that in 1959, the year before Mom made the gingerbread nativity, he was asked to teach the priesthood quorum lesson in the East Millcreek 3rd Ward. The topic was the Life of Christ and Dad used Talmage as his text.

I hope my little girls (and boys) - and their little girls (and boys)! - will not only enjoy seeing this photo of Grandma Holt, but that it will help to confirm in their memories that she has a deep love for Jesus Christ and a testimony that He is the Son of God.

I also hope that you will all join us this year in reading - or rereading - Talmage's "Jesus the Christ" as part of your own scripture study. I'd appreciate having another generation of disciples share insights and testimony with me.

General Conference

2008-10-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

Karen requested that I post my LDS General Conference activities for kids. Some are dated - they need new names and faces - and the pictures on some could be better, but having a big variety available will enable you to print off different activities for your kids for several years of general conference. I'll start with my favorite one: this can be used over and over again.

Below is a second version of the bingo idea, but here you create your own array of pictures. You can make several different cards and let your kids compete (no, I don't want to get into a discussion about competition at church, thanks) for who gets the first 'bingo.' Take stickers for prizes.

PS. My copy says this came from the April 1990 Friend, but it doesn't show up on an lds.org search. The authors/artists listed are Sheri Witlock, Beverly Webecke, and Scott Greer.

The third activity came from www.ldsworld.com years ago. (They may have lots of good stuff now. Go and see.) This wordsearch of "Words You Will Hear at Conference" is clearly for kids who can read fairly well.

And, finally, a crossword puzzle. This is very dated. Note the questions about the Tabernacle rather than the Conference Center and satellite was only available at Stake Centers. Clearly it was written in Utah (or thereabout) since you could watch conference on TV long before BYU TV. But kids won't care.

Meanwhile, parents could take a few notes - maybe, if you are lucky - on what is said. I had my seminary kids fold a piece of lined paper in half lengthwise and write at the top left "What the Speaker Said" and above the right column, "What the Spirit Said to me." I found this really helped me with application of the principles being taught.

Karen has posted links to lots more on her October 2008 Conference blog post at http://karenspoetryspot.blogspot.com/

Enjoy Conference!

Spoooon!!!!

2008-09-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

Kids (well, some of them) have rhythm at a very young age.
For example, here's Aidan - age 12 months - bum dancing at a wedding to rhythm of provided by Mary Beth using two plastic cups on a banquet table. Hey, make music with whatever you've got.

So, get out two wooden spoons (or anything unbreakable). Hand one to your kid and use the other one yourself. Two metal spoons each to whack together also sound great. So do pan lids for that matter, and they have handy little handles. Here are Karen and Steve - in Grandpa Roly's favorite photo from 1983 - having a good old time.

Put on some good music - like Leroy Anderson's "Syncopated Clock" - and start tapping.

Sandra Boynton cd's are also great music for this.

Low tables, floors, bottoms of pans or plastic tubs are all great to tap on.

100 Learning Cards

2008-09-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

In 1975, my mom, LaFawn Holt, published a set of 100 5x7 cards, each with a creative activity to do with your kids.

Each post on this blog will feature one of those ideas and perhaps a photo or memory of how I used it with my own kids.

Feel free to use these ideas in your own home or in a preschool or church nursery, but please do not republish or sell them without my permission.

PS: Happy Birthday, Heather!