Creativity in the Clouds

Yesterday, I detoured on the way home from work and went the "long" way down residential roads instead of toward the freeway because I spotted a really cool cloud to the east, and I wanted to get a better look. I took a grainy picture of the cloud while I was at a red light:

It was totally worth the extra minutes I added to my commute. What do you see? I see a gorgeous cloud that looks like it is erupting out of the mountain - but I also see a baby laying on his back, his right arm crossed over his chest, cocooned in fluffy blanket. I love the first wonder of seeing a striking cloud, followed by the art the unfolds when I look closer.

This afternoon, I used a one-minute break between calls to hop up and take this picture of the view outside my window at work (the white lines are reflections in the glass):

What do you see? At first, I see a gorgeous cumulus cloud, but then I see two faces in profile, looking to the north (left), one looking like an early period dandy, the one on the right more wide-faced - I almost think I'm looking at the human versions of Lumiere and Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast. 

This evening, while walking to my parking spot from the office, I stopped to gape and took this photo:

What do you see? A stratus cloud is usually less obvious to me. I just see beautiful patterns but sometimes, I see a crowd of people or a row of teeth. Toward the top right, I see a monkey facing right and holding his right arm up like he's getting ready to go into a boxing match but doesn't really know how to box. 

To me, clouds are as noteworthy as seeing the aurora borealis (though I would pause a lot longer if I ever had the opportunity to witness that in person). Each cloud is so distinctive and can change so much. Each one is a gorgeous work of art.

I love challenging children to tell me what they see in the clouds, and making up stories about the cloud art. The same challenge can be applied to adults. Apparently, some people don't see the people and dancing animals every time they look at a cloud, ha! Enjoy the next set of clouds that come your way and challenge yourself, and the people you are with, to be creative, and look for the cloud art. 

Application to teaching music:

This is a fun way - you can cut out giant, fluffy clouds, and place them all around the room, then hide things beneath them - the song to sing, an action for the song, a trivia question about the song - I hid a cloud on the ceiling once, and it was so fun to help the kids figure out where I hid the last cloud.

The Superheroes of Acts 6-15

I taught in church today about Acts 6-9 and 10-15, which is the last two weeks from the Come Follow Me program. I have developed a new love for Acts!

Recapping the start of this new book - it's such a strange time for the twelve disciples (with the twelfth being Matthias, who replaced Judas after his betrayal and death). They've lost their Savior here on earth but woah, he came back after dying, taught them for forty more days, then dramatically is taken back up to Heaven in a cloud. These guys have witnessed so much in their time with Jesus. They have received power from the gift of the Holy Ghost, and they have promised to "be witnesses unto me both in Jersualem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8). They are going to face huge trials - in fact, though not all of their deaths are recorded in the Bible, I've read that they most likely were all martyrs, like the Savior. They know they are walking into danger, pain, hatred - but they know who they are, and they cannot deny their Savior, and the everlasting piece and joy of the gospel.

In fact, Saul and Barnabas are successfully teaching the gospel to people in Antioch when they get booted by dissenters of Chris, and how do they respond? 

"And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost."

Wow.

Fast forward to Acts 6. What's happening at this point? I absolutely love it because it's the forming of a team! Thing "Avengers" or "Guardians of the Galaxy" - there are so many more examples, but in these movies that are capturing fans everywhere today, people with different strengths and weaknesses come together, and make a super team. Well, the disciples of the Lord are a super team, and we get to learn about so many of them in Acts.

Who is added to "the team" in Acts 6-9? See the red names below.

Who is added to "the team" in Acts 10-15? See the new red names below.

There's a lot that can be learned from each of these individuals. When I taught today, I barely even talked about Saul and he's one of the most well known of the new disciples of Christ.

Dieter F. Uchtdorft gives a really great message about Saul and what it means to ask "What Wilt Thou Have Me Do?" I highly recommend the full talk, but also, this "Mormon Message" about it.

I was intrigued by Stephen, who taught about Moses and tried to help the Jewish leaders understand that Jesus changed the law of Moses and made it better. They leaders chose to ignore the Holy Ghost though, and as a result, Stephen was stoned. However, Stephen was faithful until the end, even asking the Lord not to judge them too harshly for their sins. Then there was Philip, who obeyed the prompting of the Lord to go Gaza, and to teach an Ethiopian. Already, the disciples were beginning to change, to understand that there was a better way. I also wanted to highlight Tabitha, because we don't hear about the great women in the scriptures as often, but they are there, quietly doing good deeds and good works, like Martha, Ruth, and so many others. Tabitha was an early version of the Relief Society, whose motto is "Charity Never Faileth."

A few suggestions for exciting ways to study the scriptures:

1. Assemble the team - look for the heroes, the villians, and like any good superhero movie, the bystanders that often end up adding to the story. 

2. Follow the works of Peter. He has been truly converted to Christ at this point, from his earlier failure in the Gospels where he denies knowing Jesus Christ three times. He is brave, and he performs the kind of miracles that Jesus performed while he was here on the earth. 

3. Trace the missionary moments. 

Lastly, think about how the Lord teaches us "line upon line, precept upon precept" so that we can take baby steps and learn.

I made a game that lists most but not all of the main new people and stories that show up in Acts 1-15. I missed a few just because I didn't have time to get to another set of nine cards but I want to share what I have here. 

https://singingmagic.blogspot.com/2019/07/come-follow-me-game-book-of-acts-for.html

"Come Follow Me" Game - Book of Acts - For Families

To encourage families to dig into and get excited about the Book of Acts the way that I have, I made a little board game that I can see being used for one Sunday afternoon activity or one Monday Family Home Evening. It focuses on getting to know some of the people in Acts in Acts 1-15, and how the people featured in this game were (or weren't!) disciples of Jesus Christ. Each card includes the scripture references that apply to them. I designed this game to move fairly quickly as I want families to be intrigued and enlightened by the wonderful stories in Act, rather than feel like they are doing homework.

Each player draws one of the cards pictured here, reads about a person mentioned in Acts, and based on if that person was a follower of Jesus Christ or not, they either move forward, stay in the same place, or move back. I have rules for easy play (for Primary kids) and for advanced play (for teenagers and adults that might know some of these stories better after personal study).

I have tried many different ways to distribute material on my blog, mostly just having people send me their email addresses. I'm going to try Etsy this time so people can get the files right away, without waiting for me to reply, for the "hefty" fee of 50 cents, ha, ha. I want you to be able to distribute to your students on Sunday, play after church with your families and friends, etc. while we are studying Acts so it was important to me to have this game done and ready to access by Saturday morning!

Find the game on Etsy here.

Bringing the Great Outdoors to Children - Music, Books, and Hikes

I've been thinking lately about how much easier it was to be part of the great outdoors when homes were smaller and we had fewer luxuries. People had to go outside, if for no other reason, then to fill a bucket with water and to take care of some basic bodily functions. They probably also didn't mind going outside so kids wouldn't go stir-crazy in one-room house all day long. While I'm grateful for modern conveniences, I'm also ecstatic that the great outdoors are so accessible to me here in Utah. I'm a firm believer that "mountain time" or "forest time" or "meadow time" is part of the reason that I'm a consistently happy person.

Here's an article I just read about how some studies show that there is a direct co-relation between mental health and getting a decent dose of exposure to the outdoors: https://www.outsideonline.com/2397694/nature-mental-health.

One quote from this article, and then you can go to that link to read the rest, "... nature tends to result in reduced circulating levels of the stress hormone ... It is also associated with lower blood pressure ... and lower short-term levels of anxiety and depression."

Music about the Outdoors
To help pump children up about heading into the outdoors, here are some thoughtful songs from the Children's Songbook: (Have children pluck leaves off a tree with one of these songs on the back of each leaf to sing or learn.)

• My Heavenly Father Loves Me
• I Think the World is Glorious
• In the Leafy Treetops
• Thank Thee for Everything

Books for Children about the Outdoors
Here are some books to help children think about and appreciate some of the treasures in the outdoors:

• Explore the Great Outdoors by Mercer Mayer
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Weslandia by Paul Fleischman

  

Family-friendly Adventures in Utah County
Finally, if you live in or near Utah County, here are some of the outdoor activities that I've done that are family-friendly. They all revolve on water since it's so hot during the summer months.

• Hike To Donut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon. I have done this hike with a six-year-old. You end at the bottom of a lovely waterfall and can wade in ankle deep water.  The lovely photo on the website I linked to at the top of a mountain of rocks with a big sign that says something like "danger, keep out" that everyone ignores. I just want to call that out now - but whether you choose to hike past that part or not, the stream below it, and the views, are quite lovely. The parking lot is small and fills up quickly during peak season. You might need to either plan to get there early, or have the family runner drop everyone off at the trailhead, then run back up the road :)
• Hike to Stewart Falls in Provo Canyon. This hike takes you to the bottom of the falls where you can walk around in a shallow stream. 
• Play at Deer Creek. This is my favorite lake for wakeboarding and paddleboarding. However, with kids, I have often seen families go to the Deer Creek Island resort dock where they can set up picnic blankets and play on the shore. This is essentially your local land-bound "beach." Another similar option is at Tibble Lake Reservoir in American Fork.
• Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon. I sometimes run or bike to this waterfall from my house in a neighboring city so depending on where you live, you could plan a bigger activity with teenagers. For a family with young children, you can park in the Bridal Veil Falls parking lot and take a very short walk to the falls in probably five minutes. It's fairly safe for kids to wander around in the pool of water at the bottom of the falls (but NOT on the opposite side of the trail, where the river is running a lot faster). 

Come Follow Me at Home and at Church

It has now been seven months since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reduced church on Sunday from three hours to two hours so that families could spend more time together at home, learning as a family.

How are you, your family, and the people you influence, doing with studying the scriptures at home, and trying to make sure that the one hour you "got back" is being used wisely? If you teach a class at church, it's a great question to ask to encourage folks and solicit ideas. I'd love to ask the Primary children this question as part of Singing Time on Sunday because I think some of them would share surprising, and fun new insights, that could be shared with other parents, and it would also give the children opportunities to be missionaries and share ideas that excite them with their family.

You could even make this part of a Singing Time game - sing a song while passing an object. When the pianist stops, you can stop and have the child holding the item share something they like about scripture study at home. Or, instead of sharing an idea, the child can choose from a box in the front of the room that has other people's ideas already in them. Then, children in the room can raise their hand if their family does the idea that is listed. Ideas include: acting out scriptures, having a child take turns and teach a lesson, playing a game each Sunday describing a scripture story and having family members guess the names of the people in the story, etc.

A single friend shared that she typically calls her parents that live in a different state every Sunday, and they discuss the scriptures and that week's lesson in the Come Follow Me manual together over the phone.

A parent of a family with children ranging from elementary school to high school age shared last Sunday that they realized there was too much material in the manual to try to get through every point with their children so instead, they tuned into a key thought, and focused on that piece. This also allows them to focus on material in a way that could complement their varied ages and perspectives in life. 

The kitchen table where I like to study scriptures. After a "first pass" I then pull out my laptop and add cross-references or look up additional materials and questions on churchofjesuschrist.org. (This is not a staged photo. I just took a picture of what I had left out on the kitchen table from last night's study.)

Personally, the weeks that we are on top of it, the scriptures become so exciting for me. I am finding myself cross-referencing, going back to re-read a scripture from two lessons ago as I make personal parallels between stories. I want everyone to have those exciting ah-ha moments. I don't think you need to beat yourself up if you don't get them every time, but when you do, it will give you a boost to try harder on weeks when it seems like you're not quite getting to your scriptures.

For example, one week, I read about how Thomas, famously known as "Doubting Thomas" because he needed to see the marks on Jesus' hands and feet to be confident that it was the Savior - was also the one that bravely said, let's go back to Lazarus (who had died, and who the Savior wanted to see, even though it was very dangerous for him to return to Lazarus' town at that time) and if we die, we die. He really should have been known as Brave Thomas. The other disciples were all there when Jesus first appeared, so for all we know, they might have had the same reaction as Thomas. Later, when I reached the scripture about Thomas not knowing if it was really the Savior that had come back, I thought of him as Brave Thomas and was better able to relate to him personally in being very human to have a moment of doubt. The heroes in our scriptures typically have the common theme of being very brave, very heroic, and very capable of human error. It's a great reminder to us that we are following in their footsteps and that we aren't expected to be, and aren't perfect either - the Savior makes up the difference for us.

Taking digital notes on churchofjesuschrist.org.

Personally, my study methods change constantly. I'm sharing what I do right now but keep in mind that studying scriptures shouldn't feel overwhelming or intimidating. It might just be that one of these items resonates with you:

• I look at the recommended reading for the week and read my physical scriptures first, jotting down notes or questions to revisit at the end of each chapter.
• I then look up anything that caught my interest. 
• I supplement with the Come Follow Me manuals and The New Testament Study Guide: Start to Finish with Thomas R. Valletta as the General Editor for additional thoughts. They can also help me clarify things I didn't understand. I also really liked Living the Parables.
• Being flexible with following up on my questions and observations, rather than forcing myself to pound through a set of scriptures quickly and jump into a study manual too quickly, makes what I am reading so much more meaningful. 
• Sometimes if I felt I read something too quickly and want to think about a chapter further, or if I'm behind, I'll listen to the set of scriptures on audio in the my car while driving. Either way, I make sure to revisit with the physical reading. The combination of media - audio, digital copy, and hard copies, has made a profound difference on how much I get out of my scripture study. 
• I also draw what I learn sometimes. There are so many fun ways to make scripture study exciting, rather than a chore, and to bring it to life for children as well. I incorporate my love of writing and drawing into capturing notes on scriptures too.

Be Nice

I used to teach a little Sunday School class of ten year olds, and once taught a lesson about being kind to others. From that lesson on, and for the remainder of the year, I gave the children the opportunity at the start of class to talk about something they did to be kind to others during the previous week. I had a mother tell me that her son eagerly looked forward to finding opportunities to show kindness to others throughout the week as a result of that lesson and the weekly challenge. I remember some of the specific things he would share - seeking out a kid with no friends to join him during recess, etc. It was so rewarding to hear what they did that week, and feeling that they understand the joy of true kindness with pure intent. Of course, a lot of their kindness came naturally, but as they specifically focused on it and looked for new opportunities, they increased their kindness muscles and their awareness of opportunities to be kind.

I like having this conversation with children. What did you do to be kind to others? How was someone kind to you this week? I even shared one time I showed a kindness to someone else in a store (Costco), where he actually found me leaving the store 45 minutes and stopped to tell me, "You're a kind woman." I shared this with a class of about 40 kids not to brag, but to explain to them how good it felt to know that something that was so simple for me had been a significant kindness to another. It meant something to him, it warmed my heart, and I remember it almost a decade later.

I thought of this today as I read the news, and reflected on some of the kindness I have seen around me. Joseph Smith once wrote, "A man filled with the love God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race."

To celebrate kindness, here are two stories that I've been thinking about that inspired me recently - but the beauty of kindness is that when we pay attention, it's everywhere.

1. A man rescued a dog he found in the Salt Flats. He noticed the dog looked miserable - she had even lost her hair, she was in such poor shape - and took the dog to an animal rescue shelter. The rescue shelter took good care of this dog, then found her a good home. There are so many good samaritans in this story. Reading this story prompted me to write this blog post.

2. Team Hoyt inspires athletes to volunteer to push wheelchairs for other disabled adults and youth that want to experience the freedom of "flying" in their handicapped bodies. I talked about this in a recent post - sometimes we are criticized for serving others but at the end of the day, we will effect positive change if we stick with our beliefs.

There are three songs that I feel are very appropriate for a conversation around this:

• I'm Trying to be Like Jesus
• Kindness Begins with Me
• Love One Another

One fun way to think about kindness is to sing these songs, and ask participants to count how many times they hear the word "love" or "kind" in each verse. Or, pass an item around the room and start singing the song. Every time the piano music stops, or if there is no pianist, every time the singing leader raises their hand, the song stops, and whoever is holding the item is asked to share one example of way they can show kindness to others, one way someone has shown kindness to them, or one way they have shown kindness to another.