The Whole Armor of God

The other week, we had some friends over for FHE. We talked about the significance of each piece of clothing in the whole armor of God. I liked these quotes that we discussed:

The Whole Armor of God
“It is time to give ourselves to the Master and allow Him to lead us into fruitful fields where we can enrich a world filled with darkness and misery. Each of us, no matter who we are, no matter where we serve, must arise and make the most of each opportunity that comes. We must follow the counsel given by the Lord and His servants and make our homes houses of prayer and havens of security and safety. We can and must deepen our faith by increasing our obedience and sacrifice. Sometimes it may seem difficult to rise above the world to that level of righteousness. But as we strive to “take unto [ourselves] the whole armor of God,” we will “be able to withstand in the evil day (Smoot, Mary Ellen, “Rejoice, Daughters of Zion,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 94).

And...

How to Put on the Armor
President N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982), First Counselor in the First Presidency, observed that “those who are clothed in such armor, which means keeping all the commandments of God, are able to withstand the adversary.”
He continued: “Are we studying the scriptures so that we can increase our knowledge and faith and testimony regarding the gospel? … Are we honest and truthful in our dealings? Do we keep the Sabbath day holy? Do we observe the Word of Wisdom? Do we pay an honest tithing? … Are we virtuous and clean and pure in heart and mind and deed?
“Do we fight against the evils around us…? Do we have the courage to stand up for our convictions? Can we truly say we are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ? Do we live peaceably with our neighbors and avoid gossip and backbiting and spreading unfounded rumors? Do we truly love our neighbors as ourselves?
“If we can answer yes to these questions, then we will have on the whole armor of God, which will protect us from harm and preserve us from our enemies” (‘Put on the Whole Armor of God,'Ensign, May 1979, 44, 46).

It was lots of fun! We played a silly dress up game and had dessert. We found various props to represent each piece of the whole armor like sandals for the feet, a plastic sword, a hat for the helmet, etc. Then, we passed around a tray with dice in it. If you rolled 7, 11, or doubles, you started dressing up and tried to get the whole armor of God on before the next person could roll 7, 11, or doubles. The first person to get completely dressed up won. Super funny to watch. :)

Confessions of an Unlikely Teacher

Most of the choices I have had to make in my life have been between right and wrong, or a selection of one option among many. I haven't often been required to make choices of elimination where I have two great things, but must sacrifice one in order to keep the other. When I made the decision to apply to BYU, it was an easy choice. I could choose any university I wanted, but that was the only one I had interest in. I had always wanted to go there. My best friends all wanted to go there. I applied early. I was accepted. It was great. I was anxious of course to know whether I would get in or not, but I never had to act on my back-up plans. My choice to go on a mission was a little more tricky, but still obvious. I had wanted to serve a mission from the time I was 15, and although other opportunities presented themselves along the way, like school and boys, when the time came, there wasn't much to think about. ...

Music

" We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer." -J. Reuben Clark, 1936 I believe that is true. The majority of my most significant life events, especially those that have increased my testimony, have had something to do with music. Take a peek at some of my favorites. Perfect Love I Know That My Redeemer Lives O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Nearer My God to Thee Nessun Dorma Don't Give Up Hourglass Come Thou Fount As I Am My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee He (II) Rob Gardner A Little More Like Thee

"I call redo!"

Anytime we made mistakes playing games or doing anything really, as little kids (especially playing 4-square), we would yell, "I call redo!" This was the all-inclusive, error-erasing phrase that could never be contested, and always allowed one the chance to try again. You could use this phrase in many circumstances: when you messed up yourself, or when others messed up in a way that gave you a disadvantage. Either way, it was a saving grace throughout my childhood. Well, today, I call redo. Earlier this week, I posted about my thoughts on the "Wear pants to church" controversy that people were talking about all over Facebook and in the news. I had one friend who helped me to see that I hadn't really considered all sides of the story. I am grateful for the time she took to point out some of my unjust and partly ignorant thinking. Just because someone participated in, or even initiated this event did not mean that she was demanding to be given the Pries...

Pearls & Perfection Pending