Because I Kept a Scripture Journal

Today something really cool happened to me at church. I got to Sunday School with my friends and we were waiting around for our teacher to come. We technically don't have a teacher right now because our previous one was just released, so we were waiting for the sub. But a while passed and no one came. My friends asked me if I would teach the lesson. I agreed, even though I hadn't prepared anything. So, I pulled out my scripture journal. Inside of it, I take notes when people give talks, at firesides, during lessons, general conference, etc. I opened to a random page, skimmed it, and was able to teach from the notes I had taken on a talk given in sacrament meeting five months ago. There were scripture references, analogies, and impressions I had felt. I used my own thoughts, impressions, and knowledge as well to give the lesson fluidity. We referenced the scriptures several times and drew upon at least three stories from the scriptures. Our teacher finally came in with only twenty minutes left of the class and let me continue teaching.
This was a very cool moment for me. I felt the Spirit confirming that Heavenly Father was proud of me. And I'm proud of me, too. I'm happy that I was able to take notes and that I could teach by using the promptings of the Holy ghost. I felt the Spirit in my lesson. It was so special because I knew the things to say and teach, even though I had only a list of bullet points in front of me. I truly know that Lord is mindful of us and loves us dearly. He wants to bless us and He wants us to be happy.

This is a slightly goofy picture of me with my study journals. The middle two are completely full. The journal on the left is halfway full, but I got bored of using it. Haha. And the notebook on the far right is my current notebook.

Seriously though, study notebooks are the coolest things ever. You can record impressions you receive during scripture study, info from talks, etc.

Here's a typical page in mine. I use different arrows and indentations and bullet points to keep things organized. And, notes don't have to be perfect.

You can even glue in handouts from class.

Here's a page in a past study journal where I really wanted to learn a lot about faith. So I printed out some information about faith from True to the Faith and glued it in. Then, I methodically went through and looked up every scripture reference and even some of the footnote scriptures of those scriptures. I recorded other scriptures I found and impressions I received.

I ran out of room on that page, so I glued in a piece of paper to fold down. The writing is on the other side.

 If you don't already have a study notebook, you should consider keeping one. You can use it however you want. You don't have to keep yours like mine. Everyone is different. But I am always so grateful that I record this information and the sacred impressions I receive from the Holy Ghost while studying. And I know that the Lord blesses us with more spiritual experiences if we show Him we treasure the ones he gives us by writing them down.

If you want ideas for starting a scripture journal or have any questions, let me know!

A Note on Progress

As I was laying in bed last night I was pondering the mysteries of the universe. Okay, not really, but I was thinking deeply about my current life. Lately, I've felt stagnant. I'm not digressing or doing anything wrong, but I haven't truly been progressing. And that's why we're in this mortal state- to progress! As I was mulling over the cause of my lack of movement I had an epiphany. Here's what went on in my head:

Whitney's Mind: "Why do I feel like I'm not progressing? It's so frustrating! I hate it when this happens. What can I do to start accomplishing things? I know! Maybe tomorrow I can do this certain thing. That will help me in this goal in my life. Oh, but wait. Man, I don't like doing that. It's out of my comfort zone. Hold on!!! Wait a minute! Duh! That's the key to growth! You have to step out of your comfort zone! Woah! That makes so much sense! Oh, and didn't I hear a talk about that a while ago? Yes, yes I did. Wow! I think I just discovered the key to success!"

And there was much rejoicing. In fact, my brain might have even danced a jig or something. It's completely possible.

Also, I did hear a talk about progression that mentioned leaving our comfort zones. Here are some profound things I learned form it:

• When we reach plateaus, that's when Heavenly Father sees if we really want to grow.
• As we take the sacrament each week, Father asks us, "My child, what did you do this week to grow?" He doesn't expect perfection, just growth.
• If we are going to stay above the growing evil, we have to keep growing!

So, today I applied my principle that stepping out of our comfort zones brings growth. I was practicing viola. I just got the music for an opera last night and I started practicing it today. Let me tell you- it is the hardest music I've ever played!!! I really didn't want to start practicing that music this morning. It seemed so scary!  But, I remembered that I needed to step out of my comfort zone if I wanted to grow musically. So, I practiced it. And yes, it was uncomfortable. I didn't really love it. But, I know for sure that I am that much closer to mastering the music, and that my skill in general increased ever-so-slightly because I exercised faith in that principle. I finished practicing with satisfaction and the beautiful feeling of being proud of myself.

It makes me wonder- what could each of us do if we stepped outside of our comfort zones? How would you grow? What could our world accomplish?

Great Vid

 

This video is great!  I really felt the spirit when I watched it!! I learned a lot about youth temple dedicatory performances. It was amazing to see the light on their faces! I really sincerely hope that we can do this when our temple is finished!!!