Scripture Squiggle: Helaman 3:21; 5:5-7

"And it came to pass that he had two sons. He gave unto the eldest the name of Nephi, and unto the youngest, the name of Lehi. And they began to grow up unto the Lord."

"For they remembered the words which their father Helaman spake unto them. And these are the words which he spake: Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that is is said, and also written, that they were good. Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them."

Helaman chose his sons' names carefully. He wanted them to remember the examples of Nephi and Lehi and try to pattern their lives after these valiant men. As I read these verses I thought of my own children and the names my husband and I chose for each of them. Each name has meaning to us and we have tried to share these special meanings with our children, as Helaman shared with his sons. But I was also reminded of another name, not a name that we are given, but a name that we earn through the waters of baptism--the name of Christ.

Nephi and Lehi, Helaman's sons, were wonderful representatives of their Savior's name. Helaman 11:18-19 tell us that the people "did esteem [Nephi] as a great prophet, and a man of God, having great power and authroity given unto him from God. And behold, Lehi, his brother, was not a whit behind him as to things pertaining to righteousness." Through their faithfullness, the people were brought back to the Lord and peace was established in the land.

We don't have to be prophets to represent Christ. Jesus allows all of us who join his Church to be called after his name, to be an example to others and show the way unto him. Yet how often do we remember that we have this responsibility?

Scripture Squiggle: Mosiah 25:11

"And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls."

King Mosiah had just finished reading the records of Zeniff and the account of Alma and his followers after they fled from King Noah. The people of King Mosiah experienced mixed emotions over what they heard. This verse shows their sorrow over the Lamanites. Yes, the Lamanites are their brethren, but they are also their enemies. Yet, the Nephites were not merely sad about the Lamanites' sinfulness, they were "filled with pain and anguish." I know I'm not usually very bothered when I hear that bad things have happened to bad people, or even to someone I don't particularly like. Usually, at these times, I hear that inner voice that tells me I'm a better person and they deserve what they got.

These Nephites were true followers of Jesus; they had charity. Instead of allowing the Lamanites' wickedness to make them feel better about themselves and justify any actions they had to take in defending themselves against them, they worried over their souls, fearing for their eternal salvation.

Fictional Story: 1 Nephi: 17:41

Lehi walked slowly down to the seashore. He was anxious to see how far the boat building had come, but he was also worried about his sons--not Nephi with his obedience and quiet strength, but his older brothers, Laman and Lemuel. Those two were quick to disbelieve, with a gift for pointing out the weaknesses in others. As if on cue, Lehi heard his two older sons' raised voices carried on the breeze off the water. Their tones were taunting.

"Thou art like unto our father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart..." The gust died out and took the rest of Laman's and Lemuel's ridicule with it. Lehi shook his head; his heart felt tight with familiar disappointment. He loved his two stubborn sons, but so far he had found no way to reach them, at least not permanently.

When he finally reached the edge of the trees, Lehi stopped. Laman and Lemuel were sitting on logs, dragging sticks through the sand as the casually listened to Nephi lecture them. Although he could feel the Spirit of the Lord in his son's words, Lehi could tell that Laman and Lemuel did not.

"For they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished."

How right, Nephi is. Lehi thought to himself. They have hardened their hearts. Looking to the Lord and putting our trust in him and his gospel is such a simple task, but they refuse to raise their eyes that they might not perish. Instead they allow themselves to be bitten by the temptations of that serpent, Satan.

Lehi turned away from the scene before him: Laman and Lemuel's angry faces as Nephi continued to teach them, the beginnings of the boat the Lord had commanded Nephi to build, and the soft lapping of the water against the sand. Maybe, if we, like the water pulling on the sand, never stop trying to turn them to the Lord, they will one day Look.

Scripture Squiggle: 1 Nephi 17:41

"And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished."

Up until a baptism I attended a few weeks ago, I had always thought that "straiten" meant that the Lord got them back on a straight path, figuring that the missing "gh" was some strange biblical spelling. But at this baptism, someone pointed out that "straiten" means to put in a difficult situation, to narrow or confine. The iniquity of the Israelites caused the Lord to straiten them; He sent serpents that made their lives difficult. Such is the nature of sin. When we stray from the path that the Lord has set for us, we actually limit our freedom and "straiten" ourselves by creating more difficult circumstances for ourselves than we would have faced without the sin. But just as the Lord provided a way to free the Israelites from the serpents' bites, He provided a way for us to be freed from our sins--the atonement of Jesus Christ.

To be cured, the Israelites had to do no more than look upon the brass serpent that the Lord had commanded Moses to make. They didn't have to profess belief, change their ways, dye their hair, build a monument...they just had to look upon it.

Bishop H. Burke Peterson said, "May I suggest that the steps we can take to dispel fear and bring peace and power are really very simple. The teachings of the gospel are not complicated. They are not hard to understand. They need not be confusing" (Ensign May 1975)

We tend to make the gospel more complicated than it really is; we get caught up in activities, meetings, scouts, choirs, etc. and forget the simple cure that comes from reading our scriptures, praying, and striving to know Jesus.

Elder Rex D. Pinegar counseled, "Just as a few simple elements combined in a proper way form a sturdy foundation for a house, so do the simple teachings of the gospel bond together to make a strong foundation for our lives" (Ensign Nov. 1994)

Book Review: "Family Home Evening Adventures" by Rebecca Irvine

I've been holding FHE in my home for nearly fifteen years, and I have to admit, a quality, preplanned lesson is a mother's best friend. In her new book Family Home Evening Adventures Rebecca Irvine provides twelve wonderful time saving lessons. As I read through each lesson, I became excited at the prospect of teaching each one; the activities were easy, yet attention keeping, and I loved the fact that the lessons provided ample opportunity for incorporating the scriptures. Rebecca makes it easy to adapt her lessons for younger or older children.

In her introduction, Rebecca offers some sound advice on advance planning FHE lessons for the year and even provides a guide sheet for accomplishing this. I can't wait to fill it out!

Rebecca shows a great understanding of children and their learning needs. I tried her December lesson out on my family and was very pleased with the results. My older children loved looking up the verses and reading them aloud and the younger children couldn't wait to move Mary and Joseph along the path to Bethlehem. In fact, my eight-year old, who is often quiet and reserved during FHE, was volunteering to read and answer questions.

Anyone striving to teach their children gospel truths can benefit from Family Home Evening Adventures.

Fictional Story: Alma 14:26

When Alma finished speaking, Amulek felt a warm power flow through his arms. He pressed against the strong cords that encircled his wrists and the ropes snapped apart. Bending down, he tugged on the bonds around his ankles and they, too, broke free. Amulek looked at Alma and saw the pile of torn cords lying on the ground at his feet. He opened his mouth to ask Alma a question but before he could utter a single word a loud rumble shook the prison. The chief judge of Ammonihah and the teachers and lawyers, who only minutes before had smitten them and mocked them as they stood helplessly bound, had now fallen to the earth, frozen into fear, unable to exit the prison.

The prison walls swayed and cracks began to spiderweb through the structure. The men on the floor screamed in terror as pieces of stone and wood crumbled down upon them. Groaning with the Lord's anger, the earth continued to shake until the entire prison lay in ruins; everyone within its walls slain, except for Amulek and Alma.

When they emerged from the dust that rose from the rubble, Amulek turned to Alma. "How did you know that the Lord would answer your prayer to free us, when He chose to take the women and children unto Himself?"

Alma's lips pressed into a thin line at the mention of the martyred believers. "Through the Spirit. The Lord whispered to my soul that our mission is not yet complete. He told me his will, and that is what I prayed for."

Amulek sighed, "Will I ever be so in tune with the Spirit?"

Resting his hand on Amulek's shoulder, Alma replied, "Your testimony is still young. Nurture it, allow it to grow. As you do this, you will learn to recognize the Spirit every time it speaks to you."

A crowd had gathered around them, but as the dust began to settle and the people realized that the chief judge and his fellowmen were dead, they fled in fear from Alma and Amulek. Alma again addressed his companion. "Even now the Spirit speaks. We must leave this city at once."

Amulek nodded, the slightest hint of contentment touched his mouth. "This time, I feel it as well."

Scripture Squiggle: Ether 15:34

"Now the last words which are written by Ether are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if is so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God. Amen."

This is Moroni speaking. After bidding farewell at the end of his father's record, Moroni decided to abridge the Jaredite record. Moroni was alone at this time, without family or friends, hunted by the Lamanites. How these words of Ether's must of comforted his soul! He knew that he was not the only person who had wandered alone. Did he thrill to know that the Lord was aware of him and had guided him to these words of comfort? This scripture is only one verse, but it yields so much about Moroni, about his feelings and testimony. Study it--what do you find?

What is a Scipture Squiggle?

In fifth grade, my teacher used "squiggle stories" to promote creativity and enhance our writing skills. Each week she handed out papers with a few squiggly lines on them for us to turn into a picture and then write a story about the picture. This activity is what sparked my desire to be a writer. In my first novel, "Abish: Faith Among the Lamanites," I drew from four verses found in Alma 19 to create a fictional story designed to uplift and inspire--these four verses were my scripture squiggle, the basis for my story.