Swaddling Clothes and Mary's Prep

I totally stole this from my wife Instagram post she did today.
I was so impressed with her insight.

• nbradforI decided for the month of Dec I wanted to focus on learning more about the life of Jesus Christ. I came across a wonderful plan from @leslie_kawai where she has created a 30 day study guide to “Walk with Christ”. I am on day 6 and am loving this study. Today in particular was to study the birth of Christ. What I learned today has really touched my heart. When we learn of Christ’s birth we know that he was wrapped in swaddling bands. Honestly I never gave much thought as to what that was (it I’m being really honest, I just assumed it was something that they just had in hand). Today I learned that swaddling bands were special bands embroidered with symbols specific to the family lineage and used to wrap a bride and grooms hands under a wedding canopy. Then those swaddling bands were put away for use when the first son is born. What this tells me is that Mary lovingly prepared these bands and knowing she would likely give birth while they were away from home made sure to bring them on the trip to Bethlehem. They obviously couldn’t take much on their journey but she made sure to take what was needed to care for her newborn child, the Savior Jesus Christ. What an example Mary is of being prepared for the arrival of the Lord. How can I be like Mary and be prepared for that day when the Lord comes again?  #30daywalkwithChrist #lighttheworld

Marking Pens

This has been one of the biggest challenges I have faced in marking my scriptures.
Trying to find the right pen or marker that will not bleed through and yet will maintain it's brightness.

i first started out years ago with wax scripture markers or sometimes called Dry Highlighters.
These are basically like crayons and work well enough at the start. I have found years later that they have faded and in some spots melted to the adjoining page when I left the scriptures in my car too long in the summer.

I then tried  set recommended off the internet of Foray advanced ink Needle tip point
These worked well except they tend to bleed through to the other side.
They also seem to spread on the page

Lately I have started to use plain fine point  Ball Point pens. These seem to work well and bleeding through is not as bad as others.  Time will tell I guess.

New Set of Scriptures

So I finally broke down and bought me a new Quad.

I have had it for almost a year and had not started to mark in it.
I wanted to make sure it was the right process.
My last set is still very well used by me but I wanted to try something different that the tabs and topics I have done in the last 3 -4 sets I have had.


Several years ago our Stake started a year long study of the Atonement. They had study guides that were created and sent out monthly.

I saved all of them and printed them out to combine into one giant volume.

It is 499 pages of 9 point font, full of scripture reference and quotes from Leaders.

I decided to make this new set of Scriptures to be my Atonement Scriptures.
I am going through the study guide and marking the scriptures listed, adding in comments I like as well as marking up the study guide.

So far this has been thought provoking.







PENS for scripture Marking will be the next post. I had some thoughts and experience oaths topic.

My Father Dwelt in a Tent

Today I had the chance to teach not only my regular 13year old Sunday School class with the best team teacher around(my wife).
But also was asked to do High Priest Group and cover Pres Nelson talk on Joy and Spiritual survival.
Well as we started in Sunday School I realized I had left my notes and "Manual" at home. But it went well.
In High Priests we talked about finding joy even when things are going rough.
We talked about Lehi and how even with all that he went through he was able to say we need to find joy!
A Past Bishop and a man I greatly respect part up the verse "My father dwelt in a tent."
Now I have heard a lot of sermons around just that one verse but he part up something that I had not thought of before.
We are reminded that Lehi dwelt in a tent yet his joy was that in this tent it was a holy place. This is where he received revelation, it is here where his children came to be taught. It was his home even in the midst of his trials.

How much can we learn from this, even though the world is getting crazy and is a bit scary at times, especially when I think of what is waiting for Boo as she gets older. Our homes can be holy, they can be our refuge.
They can be a center of Joy in our lives!

Who told Nephi?

So I have a new calling. I am now team teaching the 13 year olds in Sunday School with my wife.
Best part is that these are the same group of kids I had in 11 year old Primary 2 years ago.

This year our Stake President has given us a challenge to take a new blank copy of the Book of Mormon and read\study it and finish by June 13th when our stake youth are heading to Book of Mormon Quest (Where they go and live out and re-enact stories of the Book of Mormon)
We started as a family and individuals.
Today as we were reviewing what we had read as well as how our class went my wonderful wife said, "Who told Nephi his mom was complaining?"
I said what?
"When they were gone getting the plates he wrote that his mom started to complain and get mad at Lehi, who told hi?
I had never thought of this before so we talked it over and have come to the decision, based on our own families that one of Nephi's sisters must have laid into him and let him have it when he got back. You can just see and hear her in his face saying
"Why were you gone so long? Don't you know how worried we were?
You made mom so worried and she even got mad a dad for dragging us out here.
Have you no compassion on your parents, etc. etc.

In reading I do not get the feeling that Lehi tattled on his wife and all the boys were gone. Nor do I see Sariah tattling on herself, even though Nephi would have seen and heard his mom giving thanks they returned safely and bearing her testimony that Lehi was a prophet, this is not enough to get the full story so someone tattled to Nephi...sounds like something a sister would do.