I am reading about the SQ3R technique and it is a technique to help with retention using the following:
Survey
*Read a chapter title.
*Go over the introduction.
*Read section headings and opening sentences.
*Read pictures and their captions.
*How many pages are in the chapter?
*If there is a chapter summary, read it.
*Does anything about the chapter stand out to you?
Question
Use who, what, where, when, how, and why to make questions for yourself that will make your studying more productive.
Read
Read the material to find answers to your questions and any other pertinent information.
Recite
Recite your questions aloud and also recite answers aloud to practice retention.
Review
Review your questions and also review the answers so they stick in your mind.
I am now looking at the following scriptures and learning what they have to say about work.
Moses 1:39 - God's work and God's glory is to give us the Atonement and the Plan of Salvation so that we might have immortality and eternal life.
Exodus 35:2 - The Sabbath, which is Sunday, is for resting from the work we do the other six days.
Psalms 90: 17 - The Lord gives us gifts and abilities in which we can do His great work and the work we are meant to do to glorify Him and our journey of growth. We are the beauty of the Lord and when we work for good, we become more beautiful and more like Him.
D&C 42:42 - Man is not meant to be lazy. We are meant to work and not be idle with our time or with the abilities that God gave us to do great things. We cannot benefit if we put forth no effort.
Mosiah 4:27 - We shouldn't try to work beyond our abilities nor seek to do things beyond our capabilities. We should apply consistent effort to doing our best in all that we can do and not focus on applying shoddy efforts to that which is beyond our abilities.
D&C 75:3 - Go forth with what God has given you and do not hesitate to do good, nor do not find safety in idleness simply out of fear that you may fail.
D&C 58: 26-29 - If we don't gather knowledge and use our agency to take some initiative, we will not accomplish anything and no reward will be given to us. We should be anxiously engaged in doing good and living well because our efforts can bring forth much good. However, we are responsible for ourselves and if we wait until we are commanded to do good, how much are we cheating ourselves out of blessings that could have been ours had we done good by our own motivation?
Excerpt on Work and Self Reliance - D&C 60:13 - Don't waste our time being idle; invest our time in doing productive things and living a righteous life to the fullest.
Reflections on a Consecrated Life - Elder Christofferson
A consecrated life is:
-full of labor
-All true work is sacred.
-work sustains and enriches
-only work that inspires, motivates, uplifts, sustains, and benefits others is work worth doing.
The Value of Work - Bishop J. Richard Clarke
What is work?
-A blessing from God.
- Fundamental to spiritual and temporal salvation.
-A challenge AND a blessing.
-Honorable
-Good therapy
-a matter of integrity
-a way to set high personal standards for ourselves.
-A way to invest in personal development
-A blessing.
-A way to teach responsibility.
-Our divine heritage
-A part of our theological doctrine and future state of existence.
I then read a talk by Bishop H. David Burton called 'The Blessing of Work'
Study: Noted vocabulary word, "See the end from the beginning."
Question:
*Who: We can all work if we desire to improve ourselves.
*What: Knowing how to work can allow an easier time at finding work in challenging times.
*Where:
*When:
*How:
*Why:
I also practiced the study skill by reading a talk from President Uchtdorf called "Two Principles for Any Economy:
Study:
Things that stood out:
"It is often in the trial of adversity that we learn those most
critical lessons that form our character and shape our destiny."
"The Lord loves the laborer! He
said, “In the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread,”
“The laborer is
worthy of his hire."
“Thrust in your sickle with all
your soul, and your sins are forgiven
you.”
"It’s in the doing, not just the
thinking, that we accomplish our
goals."
"Strive to increase your
knowledge of all that is “virtuous,
lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.”
11 Seek knowledge “by study and
also by faith.”12 Seek with a humble
spirit and contrite heart.13 As you
apply the spiritual dimension of faith
to your study—even of temporal
things—you can amplify your intellectual
capacity, for “if your eye be single
to [God’s] glory, your whole [body]
shall be filled with light, . . . and [comprehend]
all things.”
Question:
*Who can use and benefit from these principles? Anyone who wants to learn how to work and does it.
*What are the principles? Work and Learn
*Where can we apply the principles? Everywhere and anywhere.
*When should we use these principles? All the time.
*Why are these principles important? Work is an antidote for anxiety, an ointment for sorrow, and a doorway to possibility, according to the talk. Learning helps us to face life's challenges gracefully.
I then watched a video called 'A Work in Progress' that is a personal testament to hard work.
When we put God first, He WILL bless us even if we don't see it right away!
I got 19.5 out of 20 on my second attempt at the quiz, as I misread a question the first time. 98%!
I also posted on the discussion board.
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Application Activity
The work I completed was serving a mission from March 2013 to March 2014, but there was a great deal of work involved in just getting to the point where I was actually able to go and do the work as one of the Lord's missionaries. My story is about how attitude may stop the Lord from sending you on a mission or giving you blessings even though He knows you want them and would benefit from them. It's hard enough to prepare for a mission, but it's even harder to actually give the attitude that you are willing go wherever the Lord should choose to send you, even if it is the LDS Welfare Services Field Office Bishop's Storehouse in the town where you currently live. I originally wanted to serve a mission in 2009 after spending time with missionaries helping them with their work, but I wanted to go away from home and not be at the storehouse, as I was influenced by locals who said that going to the Bishop's Storehouse isn't a real mission and that one doesn't serve a real mission unless they go away from their home. The influence of those mocking voices and desire for the notoriety that came with serving any type of mission away from home made my thoughts and heart go against serving where the Lord wanted to send me and made me demand my will over the Lord's.
I ended up applying for a mission three different times, but nothing worked out and I was very frustrated and not realizing that my attitude was the problem. Like Joseph Smith when he first came across the plates, my mind and heart were not in such a place where I was ready to take on the work of the Lord and I was given what I consider a merciful reprieve of four years, as Joseph was, to have many experiences that would be temporally difficult, but bring me closer to the Lord. After getting denied for a mission in 2009, I applied to go to school away from home so I could work on being away from home and learning how to survive away from home, but I was denied admission. After that I decided to make myself better by volunteering at the extended care facility at the local hospital and later at the assisted living facility when it was built. Because of the volunteering, I was able to grow in my love for helping people and making them happy and that led me to pursue education in the Therapeutic Recreation field in 2010.
Unfortunately, because of the prejudice that comes to people with disabilities in that people don't wish success for them, that schooling only lasted until 2011. I had been doing fairly well in the general subjects, but found difficulty among peers and teachers who did not take the time to understand or make accommodations for my type of disability. That was a great blow to my confidence, but I engaged in a brief employment that enabled me to get on to disability after being let go for not keeping pace with what was expected. As a result of the job, I also moved away from my family dwelling in Raymond into Lethbridge where I was able to experience living with other people and living away from home. Living away from home helped me to have confidence and learn self-reliance skills that I would later use on my mission. I also attended a lot of Institute to help build my spiritual strength and it also helped me develop social skills. I even had and took the opportunity to truly forgive my dad for what he had put me through because of his drinking and that truly opened my Spirit to being taught whatever the Lord wanted to teach me.
When the later months of 2012 approached, I finally had an opportunity to approach my current bishop about a mission and this was in a family ward, as I had stopped attending a YSA ward at 25 due to a prompting from the Spirit that I had done all I needed to do there. Because of my disability, all the bishop would offer me was a service mission, but my attitude had changed and I was very ready to go wherever the Lord would send me on a mission for however long He wanted me to serve.
After I had decreed that willingness to serve the Lord's way to both myself and my bishop, the process of filling out papers and getting them submitted went surprisingly fast. I had gone through the temple in 2010, I had gotten my driver's license, and even though it wasn't really necessary for my type of mission, I also managed to get my wisdom teeth pulled. Not long into 2013, I received my call to serve at the LDS Welfare Services Field Office and Bishop's Storehouse for a period of no less than 12 months.
From the moment I was set apart as a missionary, an event where my mom, dad, and brother were present, I strived to make the most of my mission and cherished every moment that I wore that nametag. I was able to meet and work with so many wonderful missionaries and also help so many people who were in need of physical nourishment. Not too long into my mission, there was a very devastating flood in High River, Alberta and the storehouse sent many supplies out to the area so that the storehouse in the Calgary area wouldn't become overwhelmed. Not only did I help with that, I also was able to go to High River twice as a missionary and help with clean up efforts, which were much appreciated. There were so many wonderful experiences that I had in my mission that I kept a blog of everything in addition to my journal so that I wouldn't ever forget any part of it. It took so much time and humility to get on a mission that I didn't want to waste one second of it not being grateful for it, as a year goes very fast when you give yourself to the work of the Lord.
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Teach A Friend
I again taught my mother this week while we were doing our laundry at the local laundromat. I began by first going over the SQ3R study technique which is Study, Question, Read, Review, and Recite, which are interesting ways to study. I then turned my focus to the topic of work by talking about Moses 5:1 and how before Adam and Eve fell, they were taught about work so they would have the opportunity to create a sense of unity with one another. After the Fall, Adam and Eve had the opportunity to actually come together in unity in order to complete work that was not only essential to their survival, but also essential to the continuation of man.
I borrowed five questions that were asked during the gathering about work that implored us to think about who we know that is a hard worker, what evidence there was to support that they were a hard worker, what was admirable about them, what other desirable traits they possess, and how their work ethic relates to their other desirable traits. I then said that one can make work interesting by learning all that can be learned about it and that it is our attitude about what we do not necessarily what we do that matters.
My focus then turned to a discussion on the difference between leisure and idleness and I started by talking about how D&C 42:42 says that we should not be idle nor be rewarded for idleness. In my lesson, I used three questions that were brought up in class about if there is a clear difference between leisure and idleness, how we can know if we are being idle and when we are engaged in leisure, and how we can ensure that any leisure time we have doesn't slip into idleness. I actually think that sometimes, idleness can be a way for people to rejuvenate themselves after working themselves into exhaustion. I then concluded with a quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley that was read in class, which said the following, "Believe in yourselves, in your capacity to do something remarkable. The work of the world is done by ordinary people who have learned an extraordinary way."
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Mom said that what was taught in Moses 5:1 makes sense because if Adam and Eve wouldn't work, who would do the things that would help them meet the needs they had in the fullness of mortality? Because of the Fall, Mom said, Adam and Eve were told that they needed to work in order to achieve anything needed for survival. Mom also said that if for some reason, Adam and Eve couldn't work, the Lord would probably meet their needs just because God isn't one to let others suffer needlessly when they are giving it their all.
In terms of a person who Mom sees as a hard worker, she said that her friend from Raymond, Alvin Nickle, is a hard worker and evidence of his work ethic can be found in the fact that he is 73 years old and goes to work out at a farm nearly every day. Mom said she admires him because he honors his priesthood, he is a hard worker, and is very diligent when it comes to doing his family history. Mom also said that her friend is honest and believes in an honest day's work for a honest day's pay.
In terms of disliked jobs, Mom said that she has worked for a commercial laundry facility before and didn't enjoy it and also that we my brother and I were little, she would work alongside us when she needed us to do something because that was the best way to teach us. According to Mom's wisdom, a good way to learn how to like a job that you don't like is to do volunteer work because it teaches you how to not only like work, but to also appreciate what you have. Volunteer work also teaches us organization and Mom said that if we are not organized, we are muddled.
In conclusion, Mom said that there are activities that definitely qualify as idleness and that there are also activities that definitely qualify as leisure. Mom also said that engaging in leisure activities is more than likely to motivate you to have a good attitude while idleness is more likely to dampen your attitude, also adding that one has to firmly make their mind up about what they are not going to do with their time and they also have to make up their mind about how they can and will spend their time productively. She also said that sometimes, idleness is her way of rejuvenating after she has worked so hard that she needs a break from anything related to work.
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Learning Report
My goal this week was to apply for work, ask about volunteer opportunities, or do some sort of service. I am happy to report that applied for three jobs this week and even though I haven't heard back on any of the jobs as of yet, my effort applying for them has reminded me that I am certainly capable of applying for work. Even the simple act of applying for work shows the Lord, others around me, and myself that I am being valiant in the quest of not only carefully budgeting the money I get from disability, but also in the quest to find work so that I can add some money to an emergency fund and create less of a strain on my guaranteed income. I will keep looking for work and/or volunteer opportunities, as I enjoy being productive even on guaranteed income
The most important thing I did on Friday, which is when I began this assignment, was take time for myself after investing time towards getting an assignment completed. Since I am under 30 and still able to attend Institute whenever I wish,I took myself to Friday Forum at the local Institute building and enjoyed a nice lunch with a group of other people while we watched two segments of 'Meet the Mormons.' After Friday Forum, I went on the bus downtown to the local YWCA and selected a 'Stocking of Hope' for which I can buy Christmas presents for a family in need, as I always try to do something charitable for Christmas each year that will truly benefit others. I invested my me wisely by not only taking care of my mental/emotional health by going to Friday Forum, I also took time to access resources that will help me to perform some very meaningful service.
The most important thing I want to remember from this lesson is a quote from President Hinckley than came up during Thursday's gathering, which reads, "Believe in yourselves, in your capacity to do something remarkable. The work of the world is done by ordinary people who have learned an extraordinary way." I really like this quote a lot because it reminds us that like the truths of the gospel, we are plain, but very precious and because of the Atonement, we don't have to remain ordinary or plain. Because of the Atonement, we don't have to learn how to live in a state of plainness without hope of being able to do and be better; through the Atonement, we can become refined and learn how to live in a way that is beyond ordinary. We are children of God first and foremost and that means we are extraordinary and of a very royal heritage. However, we often forget that we are so much more than plain and we are very fortunate to have the ability and freedom to access the Atonement so that we can be reminded through and by Christ that there is more to us than we believe. That is one of our weaknesses as mortals; undervaluing ourselves because we are undervalued by others. We are beloved and precious by our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the Atonement enables us to not only remember that, but also helps us to live up to our heritage.
*** Discussion Board Replies
The scripture verses I read in this week's lesson were very insightful and I have much to say about them and I have much gratitude for the insight they provided. It says in Moses 1:39 that God's work and God's glory is to give us the Atonement and the Plan of Salvation so that we might have immortality and eternal life. In order to do God's work, we have to be in a position where we can feel the spirit and that requires us to realize that we first need the Atonement for ourselves before we can share the knowledge of it with others. Along with the Lord's work, however, we are faced with doing temporal work that is expected of man on a daily basis in order to survive temporally. For six days, we do this work, but on the seventh day, we are commanded to rest and engage in things that will rejuvenate our body and Spirit.
The Sabbath, which is Sunday, is for resting from the work we do the other six days and without taking rest from our labors, we become overwhelmed and unable to function either temporally or spiritually. The Lord is very aware of the fact that we have both temporal and spiritual responsibilities, as we are given such responsibilities to test and try us that we might be able to become perfect by the personal that these opportunities do for us. The Lord gives us gifts and abilities in which we can do His great work and the work we are meant to do to glorify Him and our journey of growth.
We are the beauty of the Lord and when we work for good, we become more beautiful and more like Him. To neglect our responsibilities in favor of making ourselves comfortable and remain in our comfort zone, we exhibit both frailty and foolishness because we are not trusting the Lord to guide us as He has promised. We also exhibit frailty and foolishness when we try to go beyond our abilities without the help and instruction of the Lord, as we are trying to test God and His admonition that there is a proper season and path for everyone. We need to trust in God and work with what we has given us, as He will help us to make the most of what we have been given so long as we are willing to push forward in faith with our best efforts.
If we do not try our best, however, and use what we have to do what we can for the Lord, for ourselves, and for others, we are cheating ourselves out of opportunities that will help us grow and also blessings that we can receive for trusting the hand of the Lord to uplift our lives. The Lord is willing to help us if we ask, but He cannot and will not force us to take help that we are not motivated to ask for. If we do not ask of God, we will not receive. If we ask of God, we will receive.
I can apply these principles to my life by constantly being aware of what God has given me and that Christ' Atonement is allowing me to look beyond myself so that I can do great things. I can also use what God has given me to not only bless myself, but to also bless others who are in need of helping hands, as I never know how my talents might bless someone else. Most importantly, however, I need to continually realize that I cannot trudge through mortality alone and that I too have struggles that will need the help of the Lord and that I need to ask for His help more often and also trust that He will help me to feel his Spirit and see His hand in my life so long as I keep myself worthy to do so.
Before we engage in a work, we need to think about our motivating behind getting involved. We need to ask ourselves if our motivation is our own or if we are just doing the work because others expect us to even if we do not believe in it. We need to believe in a work and the good it can do for either ourselves or others before we engage in it, as engaging in a work is committing to it and we shouldn't make a commitment to something we don't have a belief in that is our own. The belief of another is not enough reason for us to engage in a work; we have to have the desire to do it and the belief that our contribution will mean something.
It is an awesome thing when someone is so motivated by their love of God and Christ that they want to good for everything and everyone out there. However, we need to remember that if we neglect our own well-being in the pursuit of doing good for everyone else, we will not have the Spirit to be with us and have it help us know who to help and how to help them. We need to put ourselves first, as the Lord has and always will put us first, and when we are strong enough to help others, the Lord will guide us to who He wishes us to help and show us how to do it.
There is nothing too great or too small when it comes to the work of the Lord and nobody is any more or less important than anyone else when it comes to getting involved. The Lord knows our hearts, our capabilities, and what we can grow into if we are given the opportunity and take full advantage of it when it is given. Even though others may see certain callings as being greater or lesser than others, the Lord knows where we will be best and when we will be best there and nobody knows anything better than the Lord. Christ gave us the Atonement so that we could look beyond our imperfections and strive to become our best self on the journey to perfection that we are all invited to undertake. Look at each work God asks you to do for Him as important, as all who are willing and worthy to participate in God's work shall be rewarded for their sacrifice. God does not exclude people from participating in His work, people exclude themselves from participating in the Lord's work by being unwilling to make necessary sacrifices or unworthy of the Spirit that will help guide the faithful in the work.
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