A stone cut without hands

Yesterday's Sunday School lesson was on the vision recorded in Daniel about the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, rolling and filling the earth.  Here are some statistics shared:

                        1830            1880              1930               1980             1995               2000                 2010
 Members            6        133,628         670,017     4.6 million    9.3 million    11 million +    14 million +
 BofM Lang.       1                 10                  16                   44                 88                 100        107 (2008)
 Stakes                 0                 23                104              1,218            2,150              2,581                2,890
 Missions            0                 10                  30                 188               307                 334                   340
 Temples              0                   1                   7                   19                  47                 102          134 (157)

I thought of that as I was reading this in an article entitled Becoming A Zion Society by R. Quinn Gardner:

This vision of the glory and brilliance of the fully developed Zion is truly inspiring, even overwhelming.  Wisely, however, the Lord refracts the light of this vision, permitting us to see it line upon line.  In His wisdom, He helps us go about establishing Zion step by step.  Because Zion matures in phases, we may not always recognize its growth but a survey of recent developments in the Church assures us that the process is proceeding at an ever quickening pace.

This was written in 1979.  I wonder what Brother Gardner would say today about the quick pace of the Church.  I wonder what he would say about the maturation of Zion.

What I've been doing...

We had a family challenge for the month of September to read the Book of Mormon before General Conference.  It was a wonderful experience for all of us!  The Spirit in our home was incredible.  And the children listened to Conference more than ever before.

I've adopted a scripture from Psalms 51:10 as my personal motto.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

And I wrote a song:

They Knew His Name

Teaching our Children from the Scriptures

The August Ensign is a treasure for parents who teach their children the gospel.  I especially enjoyed the article by Sister Lant, Teaching Our Children from the Scriptures.

There are a number of good ways to teach children from the scriptures. I’ve found this pattern to be particularly effective after reading a scripture:

1. Clearly identify the doctrine.

2. Help the children understand the doctrine.

3. Help them apply the doctrine to their lives.

4. Encourage them to pray for a witness of the Spirit that what they are learning is true.

That last point has become an area of focus for me, and my family.

I also appreciated the sidebar suggestions from mothers who are teaching their children. 

From my personal experience, I know my children love the scriptures.  The more time we spend in them, the more they love them!  We have been reading Psalms lately, the praising ones.  And what a joy it is!