On a Personal Note

The Perils of the Digital Age

3 June 2010
Comments (0)
If you read just one article in the Ensign this month, this is the one to read.
“Things As They Really Are” by Elder David A. Bednar touches on a topic I feel strongly about. Over the past few years I’ve grown increasingly concerned about the disconnect we often feel when we allow too much media (internet, TV, etc) to take over our lives. I’ve experienced this myself with a private blog I’ve been running for a few years now. Too many times I was writing about my life instead of living it. Too many times I let hours slip away as I read one friend’s blog after another.
 
It’s an easy trap to fall into. One I’ve had to make a conscious effort to avoid time and again.
 
Elder Bednar explains why this is more than just a waste of time (which is bad enough). He relates this disconnect to the overall plan of salvation, illuminating why that physical disconnect is the opposite side of the coin from pornography and other physical enticements.
 
Both extremes minimize the blessings and purposes of having a body to begin with. An important part of our spiritual growth.
 
Eldar Bednar also addresses the fact that our moral guidelines should be just as steadfast in the cyber world as they are in the real world.
 
Thank you.
 
I’ve seen righteous women of God say things online they would never say in person. I’ve seen that snowball into more serious and devastating consequences. It’s a heartbreaking thing to witness and, unfortunately, an increasingly common situation.
 
There are positive uses of the Internet, to be sure. This month’s Ensign addresses that as well. But in all things, moderation. Temperance is a godly trait for a reason.
 
So here’s my little amen to the principles Elder Bednar teaches. It’s a worthly thing to discuss in our families. I’ll leave you with Elder Bednar’s chilling quote:
 
“I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls.
We would all do well to heed that warning.”

Working Alongside Our Children

30 May 2010
Comments (0)

One of our speakers in Sacrament meeting this morning discussed Elder Hales’ talk Our Duty to God: The Mission of Parents and Leaders to the Rising Generation (it is NOT only about the Duty to God program), and it got me thinking about this series of Sabbath Activity posts I’ve been doing. I thought it would be appropriate to take a little break from that series for today and share my thoughts instead.

He told the story of a woman who worked alongside her youngest daughter as she completed her Personal Progress requirements. It was more than just making sure her daughter did her requirements and signing things off, as she did with her first three daughters.

Which truly is a great start. I have to say, I’ve heard leaders complain that too many parents won’t do even that. My reaction is generally that a lot of parents don’t know what they’re supposed to do. It isn’t that they don’t care.

But I digress.

The woman in the story learned that doing the projects with her daughter was a blessing to her daughter, a blessing to herself and a boon to their relationship.

The same is true for joining our children as they complete their Faith in God, Duty to God and Scouting requirements, where appropriate.

It reminded me of my own experience with Personal Progress. I’m an adult convert to the Church so my first exposure to Young Women and the Personal Progress program was as a leader. I had so much fun with them and half the time felt like one of the girls myself, making up for what I never had the chance to experience at their age.

My first year in YW I served as counselor over the Beehives and decided to earn my Personal Progress medallion right alongside them. Naturally, that helped me gain an enthusiasm for and testimony of the program which I was able to share with the girls. But (selfishly) that isn’t what I cherish most about that experience.

The best part was the spiritual growth I felt as I truly put my heart into fulfilling those requirements. I learned first hand the truth of the saying “You only get out of it what you put into it.”

This is what we can teach our children. We can do it by example.

Encourage them to approach these requirements and experiences with an open mind and heart. Encourage them to ponder and to grow. Encourage them to stretch.

Be willing to do that yourself. Even the Faith in God program has activities which would benefit adults as well.

The Gospel reaches the heart at any age and there’s always more to learn. Learning is part of the fun.

Elder Hales encourages parents and leaders to work alongside their youth as they work on these programs. I want to add my amen to that.

So take another look at Sabbath Activities past. See what you can do alongside your children. Ask them to share their experiences. Listen to them. Then share your thoughts and feelings too.

Gee, I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy right now. Aren’t you?   ;)

P.S. I’m not sure exactly how many more Sabbath Activity posts I’ll do, but I do know I’m not going to do this indefinitely. Personally, when a list gets to be too long it starts to feel overwhelming to me and stops being useful. I think a manageable list of posts is a better resource, and if you need more ideas you can always browse the requirements in your children’s books or over at the America Jane website.

The Aftermath of the Art Post

26 March 2010
Comments (2)

I was quite smitten by Kathy Barbro’s site Art Projects for Kids. After writing the previous post, I went back to her site hunting for a project I could do with my kids.

Well, that’s what I told myself.

After about 30 minutes I came to the realization that I wasn’t there for my kids. I was there for myself.

I wanted to make a tissue paper collage.

I wanted to play with paints.

I wanted to make a Gustav Klimt drawing.

Most of all, more than anything else, I realized that what I really wanted to do was start an art journal.

You see, I love art. I love looking at art. I love thinking about art. The problem is, I’m no artist.

As you will soon see.

I like to play in that arena sometimes though. I’ve dabbled in it here and there before. I have a teeny collection of mandalas I’ve drawn over the past, oh, six years or so.

And, yeah, that’s about it.

But you see, there’s this tantalizing website. And I just happen to have a very cool, spiral-bound journal my mother gave me a couple years ago. I do like to journal but I’ve yet to write in it because the pages are unlined. It’s been sitting in my night table drawer, waiting for me to decide what to do with it.

Don’t you think those blank pages are just begging for an art project or two?

I thought so too.

« Previous Page