Tag Archives: scripture

What’s Most Important with Church Music?

When you’re in charge of church music, the saying ‘you can’t please all the people all the time,’ is never truer. Everyone has an opinion! I remember one woman complaining one song was ‘an awful noise.’ What she meant was the song wasn’t to her taste, even though the truths in it were scriptural. Is it any wonder churches end up splitting over church music? Church music is as varied as the people who attend church. When Queen Angie asked about church music on a forum she got answers that ranged from traditional and bell choirs to jazz or contemporary/pop. … Continue reading →

The Power of Music

Until last week when we sang it at church, ‘Made me Glad,’ was a song I had never heard and certainly hadn’t sung. But after singing it, I found an interesting thing happened. This week that song stayed with me, the lyrics imbedded in my head appearing at various times of the day and night. Throughout a busy week those words under girded each day. Some examples were: When I had to do something I had not attempted before When I had to stand up for what I believed against a number of others When I was sad because plans … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: The Value of the Old Testament

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You may think a blog on the value of the Old Testament may seem a bit out of place in the middle of our study of the New Testament. Part of the inspiration, I’m sure, comes from my new calling as Seminary teacher; I have been considering how to emphasize the importance of the Old Testament to teenagers this year. Perhaps that is why the scriptures expounded by Christ caught my eye. Many times, we tend to neglect the Old Testament in favor of the New. We figure that most of what it teaches us we can get much more … Continue reading →

Why Memorize?

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Yesterday, I suggested that you work on memorizing (or rememorizing) the scripture mastery verses. You may have asked, why? What is the purpose of memorizing scriptures? I would recommend everyone, from the youth down to retired folks, take the time to memorize some scripture. These verses can come in very handy. We know that the Lord speaks to us through scriptures. A non-LDS, Christian friend I know calls the Bible “God’s love letter to us.” What a wonderful way to think of scriptures! We know, too, that the Book of Mormon was written by prophets of old especially for our … Continue reading →

Chapters and Verses in the Bible

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I referred you to BYU broadcast a few months ago, and I would like to now share something with you that I learned from a recent talk. The talk, entitled “Books, Paragraphs, Chapters, and Verses in the New Testament,” was given by David R. Seely during the Sperry Symposium. It was a bit difficult to follow because the speaker obviously had handouts to illustrate his point. Also, it was very academic and a touch dry. However, there was one point that really stuck out to me. The point that Seely made was that the verse and chapter breaks we have … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine & Relief Society Week in Review: January 7-13

Well, it’s Saturday, and every Latter-day Saint knows (or should know) that “Saturday is a special day, it’s the day we get ready for Sunday” (Children’s Songbook, pg 196). Part of getting ready for Sunday means finishing up your reading of the Sunday school and Relief Society/Elder’s Quorum lesson. If you’ve been following the LDS families blog throughout the week, you’ve been able to read each segment of the two lessons as they have been published. However, for those who are running a bit behind – or who procrastinated their lesson study until this week, I’d like to provide you … Continue reading →

Scripture Study Schedules

Does your family, like many, struggle with studying the scriptures together? Perhaps the problem isn’t desire but instead simple technical difficulties. A shift in your routine might make for a more pleasant, spiritual experience. We have often been counseled by our leaders to spend time as a family each day feasting on the words of Christ. Many times I have heard parents emphasize that even if your family grumbles through the study, the important thing to do is to build good habits. And I agree. Yet I wonder how much considering the individual needs and personality of our family might … Continue reading →

From the Standpoint of the Bible

If you are a frequent reader of the blogs I write for Families.com, you have probably noticed that I spend a good majority of the time writing about the Word of God. In fact, I would probably say that 90% of my writing deals with the Word of God, or approaches the subject matter from a Biblical perspective. I am of the very strong belief it is impossible to know the Lord without knowing His Word. I want to look at everything in my life from the standpoint of the Bible. Below I have listed just a few of the … Continue reading →

Devotions of Knowledge

Knowledge is a necessity for any Christian. I know without a doubt that studying the Word of God must be an active part of a Christian’s walk in this life. God has given us His Word that we might know Him. And not only has God given us His Word that we might know Him, but that we might know what He has done, what He will do, and what He expects us to do. It seems like there are a lot of people in the world who say they know about the Word of God. However, if one engages … Continue reading →

Memory Verses for Adults

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You might recall that I did a couple of blogs over memory verses and memory verse crafts for children. Knowing the Scriptures is just as important for adults as it is for children. As adults will have the opportunity to speak with those who want to know more about the Lord. However, we might not always have a Bible on hand (although they now make small versions that could easily fit into a purse) and it would be very helpful to know what the Bible says. In 1st Peter 3:15-16 the Bible states: “. . .always being prepared to make … Continue reading →