Mission Call!

Randy and I have been called to serve an 18 month mission as area welfare specialists in the Europe Area!

We will spend two weeks in the Provo MTC and leave for Frankfort, Germany in early April.

The Europe Area includes about 30 countries from Greenland in the northwest to Greece in the southeast.  The current area specialists tell us that much of the humanitarian work is being done in the Balkans, including giving help to orphanages and refugee centers.

Academy for Temple Studies Conference : ALL Videos now available

Videos of ALL the proceeds of the Logan conference are now available here.

For a real treat, first download John Welch's handout PDF and then watch the video.  There is enough material to direct your own scripture study for a couple of months at least!

“Enoch and the Temple” Conference with George W. E. Nickelsburg

From the website of  The Academy for Temple Studies 

The Academy for Temple Studies and the USU Religious Studies Program are very pleased to announce a distinguished co-sponsored program on “Enoch and the Temple,” with a keynote address by George W. E. Nickelsburg, emeritus professor of religion at the University of Iowa, member of the Enoch Seminar, and highly recognized expert on 1 Enoch. Among his many publications on the Enoch traditions is his landmark two-volume Hermeneia commentary on 1 Enoch. The second volume was published in 2012 by Fortress Press.

Please plan to attend. The public is invited. There will be no charge for this event, although voluntary contributions are welcomed.

This program will be presented at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, at 4:30-7:00 pm, on Tuesday, February 19, 2013, in the Geology Building, Room 105. The keynote presentation will be introduced by Jared Ludlow and will be followed by papers by David Larsen and Jeffrey Bradshaw. The program will conclude with a panel discussion on temple themes and religious messages in the Enoch literature, and there will be time for questions and discussion.

This program will be repeated and the discussion will continue at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, from 1:00-4:00 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013, in 303 JRCB, the Law School Moot Court Room, with a few additional participants on the panel. Watch for further details.

This is BIG.  You seldom get a chance in Utah to hear someone this well-known and respected in Biblical Studies.  Note that there are TWO sessions: one in Logan and one in Provo.  Both will REPEAT the same presentations, but, obviously, the questions and discussions will be unique at each.

"Mormonism and the Temple" Conference Videos now Online

Great news from the Temple Study blog : videos are now available FREE online from the "Mormonism and the Temple" conference.  It was held in Logan on Oct. 29, 2012, sponsored by the USU Dept. of History/Religious Studies. The speakers included Margaret Barker, Laurence Hemming and John Welch.   "Some of the videos (listed below) are now available for free in 1080p HD resolution on the Academy for Temple Studies YouTube channel, the Academy’s TempleStudies.org website, as well as on the TempleStudy site. The rest of the presenters’ videos are forthcoming." The conference was marvelous: if you did not get to attend, by all means block out some time to watch some of these videos! Introduction – Gary N. Anderson & Philip Barlow Panel Discussion – “Introduction to Temple Studies” John Welch, John Hall, Margaret Barker, Daniel Peterson, and Laurence Hemming Margaret Barker – “Restoring Solomon’s Temple” Questions & Answers – Margaret Barker & Laurence Hemming John W. Welch – “The Temple in the Sermon on the Mount and the Gospel of Matthew” Daniel C. Peterson – “A Divine Mother in the Book of Mormon?” Danel Bachman, “A Temple Studies Bibliography” Final Panel Discussion – Margaret Barker & Laurence Hemming

The 12 Days of Christmas

The 12 Days of Christmas are traditionally between Christmas and Epiphany, the 6th of January, when the arrival of the Wise Men is celebrated.

On my other blog, Creative Kidstuff, I posted stories, poems, songs and children's art activities for each of these 12 days back in December of 2010.  You'll find Day 12 : Trees in December of 2012

You will also find a Christmas activity my mother, La Fawn Holt, drew for "The Children's Friend" available for download.

Enjoy!

Hebrew Terms for "Prophet"

There are several Hebrew terms used for"prophets" in the Old Testament and there were "true" ( or kosher) and "false" (or treyf) prophets in the Bible. The titles used in the text indicate whether someone was acceptable to God or not.

Acceptable or Kosher Prophets:

נָבִיא  nabi'                  prophet   (Genesis 20:7)

רֹאֶה   ro'eh                seer   (I Samuel 9:9)

חֲזֹון    chozen             visionary  (Isaiah 1:1)

אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִֽים   'ish 'elohim man of God (I Samuel 9:10)

Unacceptable or Treyf Prophets (see Deut.18:9-14):

                qacam qacamim               diviner, soothsayer, or magician

                m'nachash          enchanter, whisperer

                m'keshef             to whisper a spell, or enchant for money

                m'onan                 to cover, or cloud over; act covertly

                chober chabar   to join, couple, fascinate with spells or enchant

                sheol "ob             to mumble, or a hollow sound; to call a father from sheol (hell)

                yada'ni            a knowing one; a conjerer or wizard

              doresh 'el-hamotim        to tread or frequent, to seek or ask or enquire after the dead

For the later rabbis, prophecy was only possible for an Israelite speaking Hebrew and living in

Eretz Israel (the Promised Land).              '

Widows, Orphans and Strangers in the Land : DONATE

Deu 10:17-18   For the LORD your God [is] God of gods, and Lord of lords, . . . He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.

Deu 14:28-29 . . . thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: . . . and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which art within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

Deu 24:19-21  When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.         When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.  When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

Lev 23:22             And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.

WIDOWS : The YWCA has a wish list of items most needed by the women they serve.  Their biggest needs are new women's underclothing (all sizes), socks, and winter clothing.  You can learn more about the YWCA programs here.

 

ORPHANS:  Lincoln School is just one of the schools in the Salt Lake School District that have children who need coats, gloves, hats and boots for the coming winter season.  All sizes are welcome from toddler up to 12 years of age.  You may also contact the principal about other needs : Christine Pittam christine.pittam@slcschools.org

Donors Choose is a great program to connect people who want to donate to specific classroom needs with teachers.  You might enjoy seeing all the amazing projects teachers are in need of funding for.  You can donate DIRECTLY  through their website.

STRANGERS IN THE LAND:  The Good Samaritan Program administered by the Cathedral of the Madeline feeds about 8000 people a month.  They make sack lunches daily which are given away freely to anyone who asks.  The lunches only contain dessert when patrons donate STORE BOUGHT desserts.  You can also donate your time and help pack the lunches.

THE POOR:  Tabitha's Way, in Spanish Fork, provides wide-ranging services to the poor in Utah County.  Their 'Back to School' program provided clothing, shoes, haircuts, toothbrushes, and backpacks full of school supplies to over 600 children this year alone.  The food pantry is in need of all kinds of food: perishable fruits and veggies, staples, and canned goods (even up to 5 years PAST last date of use).

(for some reason, the links don't want to work, so go to:  http://www.chamberorganizer.com/spanishforkchamber/mem_Tabithasway/how_to_help)