"There will be no more doctrine."

2 Nephi 32:5 states:

"... if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do."

Following is verse 6 -

"... this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh."

Footnotes show that Nephi is here talking about the first coming of Christ to the earth.  So the question is, if there is to be no more doctrine until Christ comes, what additional doctrine relating to 32:5 will come?  I understand that when Christ came he did away with the Mosaic law, but this seems to be talking about something different, that somehow when he comes something in relation to the Holy Ghost will change.

I didn't even know where to start with this question.  Any ideas?  Am I reading too much into it? Thanks.

Amicus brief in same-sex marriage case

Amicus brief in same-sex marriage cases in Oklahoma and Utah. Provides a foundation for the support of traditional family marriage, not as an opposition or animus to homosexuals, but as a vital institution that maintains the importance of child rearing and having both a mother and a father to raise children.  This topic inflames passions on both sides, as each hold very strong opinions on what should happen.  So often I have grappled with this myself, trying to formulate the reasoning behind our opposition to altering the definition of traditional marriage.  I like this brief because it is focused on just that: Maintaining the definition of traditional marriage.  It doesn't say at all that homosexuals would be bad parents or that children of homosexuals would turn out to be bad eggs.  Instead, it focuses on how important the different roles of fathers and mothers are to children. Its argument is that changing the definition of marriage will fundamentally change how society views marriages and discourage traditional marriage between men and women, thus effecting children in that there will be less and less households with both a father and a mother.

Family Reunion Date

Okay, here's the ziti.  I am setting the family reunion for the 25th and 26th of July.  HOWEVER ... there are other options, so if you know you can't come on that date, PLEASE LET ME KNOW immediately.  People are taking work off for this, and they might not be able to change it once it is set. Thanks!

Just a bit of Violin and Guitar

It's the girl's one year music anniversary!!  They have progressed so much in just 12 months.  We are so proud of thier musical abilities.  

A Difficult Topic

I wanted to post a quick note about something that I've been thinking a lot about lately and that I've come to feel very strongly about. I've only worked at my current job for a little over two months, and I've already seen, in my school and others, what kind of unthinkable situations can arise in a school environment.

Yesterday at my high school we had a lockdown drill. Even though I knew the drill was coming, it was a little scary to think about and carry out, but I'm SO GLAD we did it. Throughout the rest of the day, teachers, staff, and students all had important, meaningful, mature conversations about the topic of safety at school, and we learned a lot about how to improve.

I was saddened, however, by a mother who was at my desk just before we started the drill. She found out we were about to go on lockdown (which would have necessitated her staying in the school until the drill was over), and acted as if it were a huge inconvenience. I understood that something like this could throw off her plans for the day, but I wished that she (and some others I have talked to) could understand the importance of preparing and empowering the school's staff and students in case of a tragedy.

I bring this up because during the lockdown, the discussions we had throughout the day, and our staff debriefing, I was struck with the thought that I hope everyone I know who is involved with a school (teachers, parents, students, etc.) was getting as much preparation as I was.

So this post is to encourage you to please be involved with this issue. Find out what your children's districts are doing to prepare for violent situations that, unfortunately, are more and more common in public places. It's easy to say that these things have never happened in our area, in our district, in our school; they're just things that happen in other places. Unfortunately, living in America these days means living with the possibility of violence, no matter where we are. School districts that have never had a fire still require schools to do fire drills. We should be preparing teachers, staff, and kids for other potential emergencies as well. No one ever expects anything like so many of the recent tragedies to happen to them. But the reality is that they do happen, and it's better to prepare for them, rather than wait for them to compel you to be prepared. The main reason that there weren't more victims of the recent Arapahoe shooting is that the kids at that school had been doing lockdown drills from the time they were in elementary or middle school. They, and the teachers and staff, knew how to react to keep themselves and each other safe.

This is a difficult issue. No one likes to think about extreme violence happening in a school. But again, I encourage you to find out what your kids' schools are doing to prepare them and ask how you can help prepare your kids as well. Or advocate for improvement if necessary.

I apologize if this post sounds preachy or paranoid. In today's world, I feel so burdened by so many of the goings-on, and I generally try to maintain a positive, hopeful attitude. But I believe that the society we live in is only going to get scarier and more dangerous, and I want the people I care about to be safe.

What am I to understand about God's role in the scriptures?

I was reading in 2 Nephi 31 and Nephi talks about how Christ speaks to him and expounds the doctrine of baptism.  Then, in verse 15, he says that he hears the voice of the Father, testifying that what Christ says is true.

So it got me thinking about God the Father and his appearances in scripture.  From what I could find, he mostly appears to testify of Christ and the truthfulness of Christ's teaching (Matt 17:15; John 1:29-34; JSH 1; 3 Ne. 11:7).  The only real time that I could find when the Father is said to expound doctrine is when Christ speaks of the Father's teachings (of course Genesis/Moses are filled with God the Father doing things and teaching and whatnot).

I understand that Christ and God the Father are so inextricably linked that to worship one is to worship the other and to know one is to know the other, but why is it that God doesn't speak more about his doctrines in the scriptures, instead deferring to Christ?  If God is to be that one Eternal Being that we ultimately worship, why did he set up a plan where we worship him through another person? (Is it like the Aaron-Moses spokesperson deal? Maybe because of the Fall God works more through Christ?) I have always found this interesting and would love to hear any thoughts/scriptures/teachings you have developed or found on the subject.

Brant turns 12

 I try not to do posts that just brag up my kids- because that's what we have our family blogs for, but this is going to be a little bit of that.  But even more so- it's going to be a warning to all you mom's out there.  When your boys get close to turning 12 you realize that your time with them is all of a sudden very limited.  Last week I subbed in primary, and Brant asked if I could come in again this week.  WHAT?  Well, he explained, I think I am probably more reverent if you're in there.. and today is my last day in primary and I would just like you to be there.  Of course I came.  What neither of us knew, the YM were coming in during sharing time to get him.  As these much older boys (the next youngest to Brant is 18 months) came in and sat on the itty bitty chairs I realized that he was no longer a boy, but truly a Young Man.  They invited him to the front, he ceremonial broke is primary name stick, and then was asked to choose his favorite primary song to sing as a farewell.  His choice was "I hope they call me on a Mission".  As he stood up and sang with all of his heart, I realized that in a few short years he would be leaving on a mission.  I can't hardly stand to have my kids gone to sleep overs with out missing them so much, so the thought of 2 years will reduce me to tears in an instant. 
Moral of the story- hold on to your little ones.  It's crazy and hard and you're running non stop from sun up to sundown (and all through the night if you're at my house) but I am telling you, it doesn't feel like that long ago that he was my cute little toddler.