Great Stories From Family History - Honesty

Above is a picture of Greatgrandpa and Greatgrandma Robison. They have 4 children, 19 grandchildren, and 16 greatgrandchildren as of today. On Sunday, February 1, 2009, Greatgrandpa Robison and his oldest grandson Reid Justin blessed Justin and Lisa's twins, Henry and James. The photo was taken on the blessing day.

Grandpa Robison was born 57 years ago next month in Delta, Utah. It was on the 27th day of March. Grandpa's mom and dad had been married almost a year and Greatgrandpa Robison had just been employed by the Farmers' Home Administration, a branch of the Federal Government that made loans to farmers.

Here is a story related by Aunt Elizabeth, who recently had the opportunity to talk to Greatgrandpa Robison about what it was like at the time he was hired:

"When he first started his job in Delta, the office would sent him out to hold office hours at different county field offices so borrowers could come in an ask him questions about their loans and the rules, regulations and climate conditions, crop advice etc. Most of the time no one came. So he was paid to sit there for hours and hours waiting.

What would you do with the time? Would you read a book, the newspaper, a magazine, the scriptures? Would you prepare a church lesson and justify that you were doing something religious on work time? Greatgrandpa Robison said the time did not belong to him. Greatgrandpa Robison felt it wasn't honest to do something non government related with the time they were paying for.... so he memorized the Farmer's Home Administration rule manual. No one else went to that effort. Whenever he was up for a promotion, they would interview him and ask him questions about the
agency, and he knew the answers right off the top of his head. He became the unofficial "rule expert" because he knew the rules and how to apply and interpret the rules without even looking them up. No one in the agency knew the rules like he did.

When Jim Lee, a big official in the head office came out from Washington D.C. the leaders of Farmers' Home Administration in Montana wanted to impress him so they assigned Greatgrandpa Robison to work with him. Mr. Lee realized what a gem Greatgrandpa was knowing the agency from start to finish and took him to Washington D.C. as a national rules expert."

This was all because greatgrandpa Robison did not "steal time" from the government by sitting idle while on the payroll. And he did not tell Aunt Elizabeth this experience. She dug it out of him because they were driving by one of the old field office territories in Fillmore and he said that he used to spend a lot of time here and Aunt Elizabeth asked why and finally got the story out of him.

Don't Judge Too Quickly

Probably, the best known of the scriptures on not judging is "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (3 Nephi 14:1, Matthew 7:1). We must hold back from making final judgments on people, because we don't have the knowledge and the wisdom to do so. We would even apply the wrong standards by which to judge people. Unfortunately, in this day and age, the way of the world is to make comparisons between winners and losers. The Lord's way of final judgment will be to evaluate us with his perfect knowledge of the law a person has received and to judge us on the basis of our our own circumstances, motives, and actions throughout our whole life (see Luke 12:47­48, John 15:22, 2 Nephi 9:25). My mission president's daughter spoke frequently at BYU devotionals. Her husband Rex Lee, was the president. She once said: "The Lord does not grade on a curve." He will judge us in terms of "qualities," not "quotas" (in Janet G. Lee, "The Lord Doesn't Grade on a Curve," BYU 1994­95 Devotional and Fireside Speeches [Provo: Brigham Young University, 1995], pp. 91, 93).

Look at each of the following video clips and notice everyday examples of how people judge innocently but how the people they are judging did not do anything wrong:












In the June 1991, Ensign, I remember a story about not judging shared by a BYU profess, Arthur R. Bassett. He stated that while teaching an institute class, “I was troubled when one person whispered to another all through the opening prayer. The guilty parties were not hard to spot because they continued whispering all through the class. I kept glaring at them, hoping that they would take the hint, but they didn’t seem to notice. Several times during the hour, I was tempted to ask them to take their conversation outside if they felt it was so urgent—but fortunately something kept me from giving vent to my feelings.

“After the class, one of them came to me and apologized that she hadn’t explained to me before class that her friend was deaf. The friend could read lips, but since I was discussing—as I often do—with my back to the class, writing at the chalkboard and talking over my shoulder, my student had been ‘translating’ for her friend, telling her what I was saying. To this day I am thankful that both of us were spared the embarrassment that might have occurred had I given vent to a judgment made without knowing the facts” (“Floods, Winds, and the Gates of Hell,” Ensign, June 1991, 8).

In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin cautions us about judging without knowing all the facts:

Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just--

But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. . . .

And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance. [Mosiah 4:17,­18,22]

Activity:

Discuss ways we can not be quick to judge.
Evaluate each of the video clips and recommend how the observer could learn not to judge.
Learn out to always assume the best of people. Remember this French saying: "it is a very thin crepe that does not have two sides." Discuss the meaning of this quote.

Follow Up Lesson to the Parable of the Ten Virgins

Lamps - lamp of testimony
Oil - oil of conversion

Reread the Parable of the Ten Virgins by adding those words and it gives new meaning

Lesson: They who were foolish too no oil with them.

Were the five virgins who had oil selfish?

Ponder this - oil of conversion can not be borrowed from someone else. The peace the gospel brings is seldomly transferred to someone else.

Each of us must get our own oil. The oil comes one drop at a time. There is no shortcut available. Line upon line. Precept upon precept.

We must come to a knowledge of the truth and be converted unto the Lord. In so doing, we will never fall away.

Preparing for Family Home Evening - Comp Study

Missionaries are supposed to study together for an hour every day.

We have tried and tried...

...just not possible!

But occasionally we hit it hard

Want to see what a Mom and Dad study session looks like?

Our topic was 'conversion'

We researched the question: What are we asking investigators to do for enduring conversion?

We looked at Lehi's dream:

Continually holding fast to the word
Fell Down
Ate Fruit
Heeded not the people mocking them

We studied Enos's story:

Words of Christ sunk deep into the heart
Cried for Soul - Repented
Received forgiveness
Began to Pray for Others

We then went to King Benjamin's Discourse

Prepared to hear as families
Gave thanks
Prepared by the king to listen to the words of an Angel
Fell to the earth
Viewed their carnal state
Asked for mercy through atonement
Received joy, remission of sins, peace of conscience through knowledge of God and the Atonement
Cared about others
Hearts were Changed
Made a covenant to Always remember Christ
Took their names - appointed Priests and Teachers to stir them up to remembrance

Then over to Alma the Younger:(also look at Alma Sr. - taught by revelation, realized he was wrong and went about the repentance process)

Almas the Younger was - Taught revelation by an angel
Fell Down
Tribulation torment, wracked with pain
Prayed for mercy
Remembers pain no more
soul filled with joy
Went out to help others

Studying the impact on the people Alma taught:

Heard words spoken by Alma
Humbled
Hearts changed
Trusted God
Faithful to the End

Now, look at the story of King Lamoni:

Inspired by Ammon
Ammon discerned his thoughts, taught him doctrine
King believes
Cries for Mercy
Falls Down
Dark Veil of Unbelief was cast away - Light comes

Finally - examine the story of King Lamoni's father:

Hard-hearted
Seeds the goodness of Ammon
Wants to learn
Taught doctrine and scripture
Repents Calls on Christ in Faith
Falls down

Whoops - one more: Anti-Nephi-Lehis:

Freely hear missionaries (learned doctrine and scripture)
Convinced of the wickedness of fathers
Brought to knowledge of the Lord
Believe New Traditions
Brought to Knowledge of God
Taught by Spirit of Revelation and Prophecy
Had Miracles in Them
Converted Unto Lord
Never Fell Away
Weapons Buried Deep

Now to make connections to all of these experiences, we need a framework on which to hang these points:

Look at the Description of Conversion in Moroni 8:25-26

Repentance brings baptism brings faith unto commandments brings remission of sins brings meekness which brings lowliness of heart which brings a visitation of the Holy Ghost which brings hope and love which brings diligence which brings prayer unto God with Love of God.

The other scripture that gives the pattern of all these stories to illustrate conversion is Helaman 15:8

Note also Alma 23:6 - converted unto the Lord, never did fall away











It kind of reminds us of that nice 'seminary study room' we had in Millcroft with all the chalkboards

We are going to have FUN with you at home!

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

In interpreting the parables of the Savior, we need to be careful to not put our own interpretations on display in such a way that might detract from what the Savior intended. However, we believe in prophets, seers and revelators. When they interpret scripture, we are on solid footing.

Today, Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed the saints of the Caribbean in a Regional Conference and spoke of the difference between testimony and enduring conversion. The Parable of the Ten Virgins is an excellent lesson to use in illustrating the importance of not living merely on the testimony of our conversion. In likening the scriptures to us, he added the words "of testimony" to references to "lamp' and "of conversion" to references to "oil."

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps of testimony, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps of testimony, and took no oil of conversion with them:
4 But the wise took oil of conversion in their vessels with their lamps of testimony.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps of testimony.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil of conversion; for our lamps of testimony are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Questions:

1. Were the 5 wise virgins being selfish in not sharing their oil with the 5 foolish virgins? Why?

2. Is conversion something that can be postponed, or do we need to be adding to it constantly? How?

Summary:

The oil of conversion cannot be borrowed from someone else. Each of us must earn it for ourselves. Oil of conversion comes one drop at a time. There is no shortcut available. We must learn line upon line, precept upon precept.

A House of Order

Elder and Sister Bednar were recently visiting one of their married children and his family. When they were leaving, their son said, as is the custom in their family, "Dad and Mom, Do you have any suggestions for us that we could improve upon?"

Elder Bednar said, "well, your home is clean but cluttered. The Spirit of the Lord can not dwell in a cluttered home. You have a baby. You are raising that baby where the Spirit of the Lord can not be felt."

When they arrived home in Salt Lake that night, there waiting on the internet were photos of their son's apartment. They had gone to the local Home Depot and purchased shelving units and had reorganized their living quarters.


For Family Home Evening, I thought you might consider this topic - Making a House of Order. As a Latter-day Saints, we are very interested in putting our own homes in order, and in having peace through order.

Here is sample language "Tonight we are going to talk to our two-year-old about how and why we clean up. Then we will go through his dresser and pull out all of the clothes that are too small and store them. The lesson also suggests other ordering activities."

Lehi's Dream - FHE Activity

Lehi's Dream

Do you remember the picture Jeremy chose at the Church Museum of Art. We were on a trip to Utah and let him pick out a poster. The one on Lehi's dream is the one he picked. So, here is the drill: Gather the family round about the kitchen table for this activity. Come stocked with pencils, markers, crayons, stickers etc. You will also need a large poster board or piece of butcher paper and the scriptures.

As you read the story of Lehi's dream (1 Nephi 8) to the family, have everyone take part in recreating the vision on paper. All the family will enjoy participating in this. The youngest children are skilled enough to scribble in a believable mist of darkness. Everyone can add a piece of fruit to the tree. If you have an aspiring artist, let him or her create the large and spacious building with intricate architecture. The mathmetician in the family can make sure the strait and narrow path is precise. And so on for all the parts of the dream.

It really doesn't matter if the youngest kids add their touch to the entire paper. Just ask the older kids to figure out creative ways to incorporate the little scribbles and odd markings into their design. When the poster is done, it can be hung up as a good reminder of the lesson for the week. Hopefully upon seeing it, everyone will remember to hold to the rod!

While the story is being told, or after the picture is completed, discuss Nephi's experience with Lehi's dream (1 Nephi 11)so that all can know the interpretation of each item drawn.

A good treat for this activity would be some new types of fruit that your family hasn't tried before or doesn't get to have often. Make sure that it is a good, yummy sweet fruit!

A good song choice is "The Iron Rod" on page 274 of the hymn book.