Who Will Teach My Children?

by Lynette Robinson

Ministry of Angels by Kerri Guthrie 2011

I recently attended the Christ Centered Energy Healers Conference at Weber State in Ogden Utah.  It was my first and I was excited to learn and open my heart to some new possibilities.  I wasn't disappointed and each presenter was truly inspired and filled me with light.  There were many booths representing modalities and talented people.  

I happened upon one exhibitor displaying a picture that I had seen a few times come across my Facebook feed called "Ministry of Angels The Promise of the Scriptures for you! "and I was immediately drawn in. The painting depicts a man, a family or a young woman (there are different versions) sitting in a library reading the scriptures surrounded by sword wielding angels suggesting that we draw divine protection and power when we study the word of God.   I met the artist Kerri Guthrie and felt an immediate love for her as she showed me some prints of her work.  She was especially proud of a painting of Joseph Smith and Emma under a tree.  She is so humble yet insanely talented!  I had to have some of her work.  When I purchased my print, she gave me a sheet of paper describing some of her thoughts about the painting.  "The shelves have symbols.  Ye are the light of the world.  Bread and pure wine of the vine represents the Atonement.  The temple on the hill is a beacon of hope, a place for eternal promises.  Pictures of family."  And then I read about the first empty shelf representing us and what we choose emulates who we are.  "What do you want to put on your shelf?"  she asks.  "The second empty shelf represents our posterity throughout time.  Will they have the gospel in their lives?  Who will teach them?" 

Jeffrey R Holland

Jeffrey R Holland of the Quarom of the Twelve quoted his friend and colleague, Joe Christensen, in a BYU talk "That our Children May Know in August 1981 that  "we are one generation from extinction." and "the parents and the guardians in the Church of Christ must not wait—it is all important that children, to become good should be taught so.” If we don't teach our children, who will?  There is also a statement that has made its way around the web.  "If we don't teach our children to follow the Lord, the world will teach them not to.

We live in turbulent times.  Our homes and families should be a place of learning, love, safety and power.  A haven from the world.  There are so many wonderful people and opportunities for us, but our children also need a compass by which they can navigate around danger and trouble that will take them off course.

Who Will Teach Them?

 

There has been a recent uproar about the clarification of the policy to have children of same sex couples wait until they are of legal age to be baptized because the Lord doesn't want children put at enmity between what they learn in church and what is practiced at home and It made me think about how many children that I have known who have been baptized and sent to church by one or more non attending parents and where the gospel is not taught nor exemplified in the home. In fact, often parents are living in direct conflict to one or more gospel principles.  Some of the finest people I know are in this predicament but how is a child supposed to sort that one out?   How confusing that must be for these children.  Will it be a matter of time before parents will be asked to commit to raising a child in a gospel environment if they are to be baptized?  

These are only my thoughts but relevant because My early childhood was in a wonderful, loving home where my non church attending, hard working, caring, awesome parents smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol.  I learned at Primary that my parents could die because they smoked and drank.  We even sang a song about it.  There were three boys named Scott.  One Scott's mother said that coffee is not good for growing girls and boys.  The next mother said that cigarettes were not good and so on.  This was a lot to deal with and I remember as a 10 year old child, finding a pack of cigarettes on the dining room table, took them in to the bathroom and flushed them down the toilet.  When my mother found out I had taken them I remember her shaking my shoulders and frantically asking me why I did that.  I told her through my tears that I didn't want her to die.  I really did think that if my parents smoked they would die.  Fortunately, my mom and dad eventually gave up the practice, returned to church activity and have served in many wonderful capacities including missions and temple work.  

I grew up in a time where my parents really didn't have to worry that I would go astray in our little southeastern Idaho community because the parents of my friends would be just as likely to kick my butt as my dad if I got out of line.  

This is not the world our children are navigating.  We can't trust our schools, neighbors and the parents of their friends to set proper examples and expectations.  Our children need examples of faith, service, church attendance and a sense of where they came from, why they are here and where they are going because we can't rely on the world to teach that for us.  

Thank you for joining me and I'll do my best to set a good example.

Here is a lovely YouTube video of Kerri Guthrie

Watch Kerri on YouTube

A Loaf is Born!

by Lynette Robinson

Honey Wheat Bread

My dad once told me that his mother baked once or twice a week and as the boys came in from the field on the farm they could smell that sweet yeasty aroma all over the house.  They would head for the kitchen and claim a loaf for themselves, cut the top off lengthwise and smother the still warm loaf with fresh butter and sweet field honey. He would eat half of it and then sneak in later for the other half.  As he told me I could feel and see that this was a very tender memory and it took him back to that time.

My mother was also a wonderful bread maker but she didn't start out that way.  You see, mom was only 16 and dad was 18 when they married.  Mom too, being the fourth daughter had spent most of her time working in the fields of the family farm also and really didn't get the polished skills of the bread making process.  In fact, dad said her first attempt yielded a flat loaf more resembling a brick than bread and after unsuccessfully attempting to eat it he finally gave it to the pigs and they rooted it around in the pen for days. 

I will say with great pride that my mother DID in fact become a wonderful bread maker and as a child I spent many hours at her side intensely watching her bake with no measuring cups or spoons only gauging the amounts with her hands and her eyes.  One time my sister tried to mimic her baking style and we ended up with a batch of gray cookies because they were made with grape jelly in the mix.  They actually tasted pretty fine and beings as there were six kids in our family they didn't last long and were happily consumed.

My dad didn't feel that a meal was complete without bread, butter and milk.  We also had a cow.  I'll tell about that later.  Dad worked out of town during the week and many suppers were home bottled fruit, bread, butter and milk.  I grew up on the best!

When I was about 12 years old I started breaking out with hives on my skin.  The rash was usually confined to my arms and legs and we deduced that I was allergic to the sun.  I have since come to the conclusion that the sun was detoxing the things my body couldn't deal with.  

My bouts with hives got worse as I grew older and by the time I was in mid adulthood I had some allergy blood work done and was shown to be allergic to gluten and yeast.  Oh no!  My favorite food was now off limits.  I battled with the dilemma of eat bread and feel lousy or not eat bread and miss what was once a big part of my diet.

About a year ago I was introduced to natural yeast which is very much like a sourdough start but doesn't produce the tangy flavor because of the way that it is fed and the fact that it lives in refrigeration.  My sister, Brenda Mouritsen who lives in Montana had known about this for a while but I guess it wasn't my time to learn about it.  My dear friend, Jeanne Harold, was teaching a class that I was in and she told us that even many people who have Celiac problems can eat what is known as fermented breads without problems.  I was all ears.

I got my natural yeast start from another friend who had gotten hers from Jeanne, named her Jaarda Victoria after my great grandmother and began my journey into the world of baking with natural yeast.  There are a lot of recipes out there that call for sourdough starts but the secret is in the "sponge" as I was told it is called, which is the process of allowing the dough to rest at room temperature for 6 to 12 hours to reduce the levels of phytic acid. (See this report) where the conclusion was that by sponging one could reduce the phytic acid to around 10% or the original amount.  Click here to see why phytic acid is a problem. I think sponging also improves the taste.  I ond3 had a batch of bread that I had to put in the frig for 3 days and it was some of the best I have ever made.

My Favorite Bread Book

I can't really remember where I found out about the book The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast by Caleb Warnock and Melissa Richardson but I was so excited.  I didn't have to make my own start which Melissa outlines how to do so in her book,  and so glad of that because it can be a little daunting, especially if the first attempt isn't successful.  I was telling my sister, Brenda about it and she said she had that book and also told me about Melissa's second book Beyond Basics.  Both of her books are full of information, instructions and recipes using the natural yeast that I keep so lovingly in my frig.

I've heard people say so many times "I used to have a start but it took so much time to care for and it died."  Years ago I bought a sourdough start from a sourdough pancake house in West Yellowstone Montana and yes, it died due to neglect or lack of knowledge, or both.  I was a little tentative to take this on but Jeanne spoke so highly of how easy this little one was to care for and I so missed eating bread without guilt and knowing I would suffer for it.

Make your own start: Instructions  Ask among your internet friends and you might find someone with a start or in Melissa's book she also offers dehydrated starts by mail, or if you live in Utah you can get one from me,

Care of your start: 

Jaarda Victoria, my start.

Your storage bottle needs a lid that will keep the top moist but allow for air circulation.  Here is what I have from Ikea.  Upon receiving your start, it should have been fed. If not, add as much fresh ground flour as you have start. Add almost as much water. Use wooden spoon to mix thoroughly. Your mixture should be quite thick.  Compare to sticky bread dough.  (I wipe any extra on the sides of inside of the jar with a wet paper towel as it tends to harden.) Use only a glass container and a wooden or plastic spoon to mix it. I keep the start in glass jar (Ikea) with a loose lid that doesn't tighten, keep in fridge.
You can use these grains to grind and feed:
White Wheat
Spelt
Kamut
Winter Wheat
  You can grind your flour and then store it in the freezer because it lasts longer that way.
Every third feeding, I suggest using white unbleached organic flour. (Wheat Montana) 

It helps to increase the fermentation of the start. For the 2 other feedings I use Spelt Flour (Bob's Mill) which isn't usually GMO but you can buy both these at your local store.  I've found them at my grocery store and at Natural Grocers.  You can also use anything that is comparable but please stay away from regular white bleached flour that is bromated.  It lacks the proper nutrition for your start.  Feed it about every three days if you wish to make bread often. It can go a week or two without feeding.  If you let it sit too long without feeding, it will develop a grey watery liquid on top, a grey crust will also appear, This indicates that your start is out of food and needs more.  Just pour off any liquid, If there is a crust which I have never seen, use your wooden spoon and scrape off the top layer, this will cause it to be more sour for your bread if left to soak in. Underneath it's still all good. Feed it again. Let sit a couple of days and proceed to make your bread.

I take my start with me because I use it and also because I want it healthy.  I can usually go up to 10 days before it needs to be fed.  When you first get it don't be surprised if it wants to eat within just a day or three.  Moving your start can be unsettling.  I have no such problems when I go from my home frig to my RV frig.  Your natural yeast start is a living organism and has a spirit of her own.  Send her love and gratitude for all the wonderful food you can make for yourself and those you love.  

Recipes to follow.  Please follow so that you will know when I post more and share with your friends.

Have a glorious day!

Compassion

by Lynette Robinson

Send Love and Compassion

We live in a vastly populated world with many people whose paths cross ours daily.  These people have differing belief systems based on upbringing and life experiences.  It would therefore make sense that we will sooner or later meet and communicate with someone with a different opinion from us.  Sometimes we and they are respectful of each other allowing both sides to be heard and an agreement is made to respect each side even when we don’t necessarily hold the same attitude towards that one situation.  The ideal outcome would be for both to walk away at peace but in my life I have more often than not been left troubled and sorrowful that the other person was so misguided.

In this world of tremendous personal disconnection and conversations that often happen in the vast space of the electronic world, anonymous attacks on intelligence, character and morals happen on a daily, hourly, minutely (is that a word?) basis and feelings can be trampled by complete strangers. 

We are mortals and humans.  We feel more comfortable with people who share our attitudes and values.  We believe that truth as we know it is the only truth there is and another opinion can’t possibly be right.  God or our place of authority says such and such and anybody who deviates from that ideal is wrong! Period!!  Our values can only be defined by our view because that is the way we see it. 

I have held that attitude for many years and found myself in conflict with another from time to time. I thought that holding my position on what I believed meant that others needed to agree with me because it was truth as I knew it.  Only after I started on my journey that is far from over, to find peace and harmony in the face of disagreement I am finding that I have much to learn.

Elder Russell M Nelson

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has offered us some ways to avoid contention: (1) “show compassionate concern for others”; (2) “bridle the passion to speak or write contentiously for personal gain or glory”; and (3) “in humble submissiveness, truly [love] God.”¹ Then we can have the Spirit of the Lord with us, not the spirit of contention. Russell M. Nelson, “The Canker of Contention,” Ensign, May 1989, 70–71.

When we come from a place within ourselves of balance, peace, gratitude and self-worth, the comments and attitudes of others is less likely to create negative emotions within us. We feel less inclined to attack.  We really don’t know the level of self-confidence or fragile feelings of the other and when we are unkind we often reinforce the idea that people are all just plain mean.

 The word compassion is defined as:

1. Sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.

"The victims should be treated with compassion"

synonyms:		pity, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, care, concern, solicitude, sensitivity, warmth, love, tenderness, mercy, leniency, tolerance, kindness, humanity, charity "Have you no compassion for a fellow human being?"
antonyms:	indifference, cruelty

I looked this up in the online dictionary and I think that there is one more definition that has been missed and that is when we have compassion we try to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes, try to see the situation from their perspective and understand why they might have come to that conclusion.

We can lift those around us.

I also love the antonyms “indifference and cruelty.”  When we have no compassion we are indifferent and/or cruel.  I’m not sure we want that.

I also think of the vibration of each word.  Can you say “Compassion?”  How does it make you feel deep down inside?  Now say the word “Cruelty.”  Do you feel a different type of vibration? You could even try muscle or sway testing these two words to see how your subconscious feels about them.  Are they positive or negative?.   If you aren’t sure what muscle testing is, look up videos on Youtube.com.

Think of your most important person in the world.  Do you always find yourself in agreement?  Would you want to always agree?  Actually, we learn a lot from people who don’t agree with us.  A difference of opinion gives us a wonderful opportunity to do two things.  First, it allows us to step into that person’s shoes and see what they might be challenged with.  Second, it offers a challenge to learn things we hadn’t necessarily thought about studying more.  The people who love us are not usually those who would intentionally lead us astray.  They often are those who have our best interest in mind and want us to do our very best.  Sometimes, our loved ones see us better than we see ourselves and encourage us to look at ourselves and our path so that we can make course corrections to avoid danger, disappointment and lost opportunities.

Sometimes our disagreements happen with complete strangers.  We're tired, annoyed or want to set the record straight.  A flip comment in the wake of misunderstanding gives negative energy to someone that will carry it until they get an opportunity to dump it on another.

In my retail store a customer would be difficult, contrary or sometimes downright mean.  It would have been easy to be upset at the encounter but our management would explain that when someone enters our store “loaded for bear” it was often because of how they had been treated elsewhere and isn’t necessarily a reflection on us.  That wasn’t always the case and either way we tried hard to serve well.

Ripples of Compassion

I recently commented on a statement a friend of mine reposted on Facebook.  Almost immediately another comment was made accusing me of “butting in where I hadn’t been invited.”  My first reflex was that of anger.  I didn’t go out cruising for placed to comment.  My friend had posted that statement on her wall and I was a little shaken because I wasn’t sure how this person was even connected to the post.  In the past I might have written something in defense of my position but instead I deleted my comment and consciously reached out to the Spirit for an infusion of peace and love which I envisioned sending out from my heart to this individual.  I was amazed at how it calmed my heart and I found compassion for that individual.  I was no longer caught up in what I considered his mistaken opinion but thought about the vibration that might have caused him to lash out at a complete stranger.  Interestingly, before I could get my comment deleted, a female also commented in support of his statement.  I wondered if they were related since they had the same last name and found myself sending love to her also.  I am grateful to know that I can change myself and my reaction to those who throw fiery darts.  I hope that this is a once in a life time thing for them and that they were just having an off day.  

The Spirit tells us that we are all brothers and sisters.  We are literal Spiritual offspring of God with magnificent heritage and potential.  We must lift the arms that hang down, brighten the heart of those who lose hope and bring light to a dim and dreary wilderness. 

Thank you for joining me on my quest for light and truth.  Please feel free to share.

Lynette Robinson