Doctrine and Covenants 60-62

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ICEBREAKER

For an icebreaker then, I like to start with some bad travel advice. I consider myself fortunate in that I've been lucky enough to be able to travel a bit and I can tell you that there is good advice and bad advice out there. Well, here is some of the worst travel advice I could give you:

· 30 minutes is more than enough time between flights.

· If you drink the tap water, your system will get used to it quicker.

· Find accommodations as you go. It's more fun that way.

· Don't worry about eating anything before you get on the plane. Airline food is delicious.

· The best place to keep your money and your passport is in your back pocket.

· The airport is a very comfortable place to sleep.

· Why visit the real thing when you can see the Disney replica instead? It's safer.

Now please, by all means, don't believe any of this or you may never want to travel again.

TRANSITION

Now that we've gotten the bad advice out of the way, we're going to spend the rest of the lesson taking a look at some GOOD travel advice. Life is a journey, and the Lord has some great travel tips for us as we go. This is the kind of travel advice that you can trust, because he knows the way. In fact, he is the way, the truth, and the life. The scriptures have a number of what I would call "journey narratives" in them. Accounts of God's people taking some kind of epic journey, usually to a "promised land" of some sort or a better life. Some examples: You've got the children of Israel leaving Egypt and traveling to the promised land. Lehi and his family as they journey to the Americas. The Jaredites, Noah, the early pioneers-all describe a journey a group of faithful people embarked on. Anytime you have a journey narrative in the scriptures, God invites us to draw a comparison between their physical journey and our spiritual one. Just as they traveled to their promised land, we learn how to travel to our own, to exaltation or celestial glory. Here, in Doctrine and Covenants 60-62 we have a mini journey narrative. These are revelations that Joseph Smith received on his travels from Jackson County back to Kirtland. Now this is on a much smaller scale than our other journey narratives, but I think we can still apply the same technique. As we study sections 60-62, we're going to look for Traveling Truths or Voyage Values--travel advice for the journey of life. If you want some evidence of this, just look how many "travel terms" we have in these sections. Some form of the word journey shows up at least 19 times in these sections. Then you also have terms like travel, return, trip, moving, course, arrive, and on their way. Perhaps the best title for this lesson could come from 61:24. Behold, I, the Lord have appointed a way for the journeying of my saints. Today we're going to study that appointed way by looking at six specific Traveling Truths.

#1 PREACH MY GOSPEL AS YOU GO

Our first travel tip shouldn't really surprise us. It's a theme that has come up over and over and over again in the Doctrine and Covenants and this week is no exception. There is something that we must do as we travel. As we encounter other people along our way, we should Doctrine and Covenants 60:13? What is it? As you travel, preach my gospel. Remember the phrase we looked at a few weeks ago in Section 52? That they were to preach the gospel by the way. Now this week's sections seem to focus more on how not to share the gospel than on how to share the gospel. So to examine these ideas, you know me, every once in a while, I find a little crossword puzzle can be a good way to pick out ideas from the scriptures. I entitle this one "How NOT to share the Gospel". And since this is a bit of a smaller puzzle, and to make it more challenging, I'm only going to give you a list of the possible places you can find the answers, but not give you the exact reference where each phrase is found. So here we go.

2 Across: Mouths

So the answer for 2 across comes from 60:2 and is MOUTHS. Don't close your mouths as you travel. One of the biggest things that gets in the way of us sharing the gospel with others is that we're not quite sure what we're going to say. The Lord says, open your mouths, and they shall be filled. If we are willing to make the effort to know his word and have it be in our hearts, then when we open our mouths, he promises that words will come.

5 Across: Wrath

Don't teach with wrath. Christ always taught in a spirit of meekness and invitation. Don't share with a condemning or a prideful attitude. Nobody actually wins a Bible Bash, it's always the Spirit that loses. Maybe you've noticed this if you've ever gotten into a religious disagreement with friends or family. Did you leave with a positive feeling from that interaction? I remember near the beginning of my mission running into someone who wanted to disprove our faith through the Bible. Well, I kind of got into it with him and back and forth we went, him sharing one verse, and me sharing another. In the end, neither of us had come any closer to convincing the other that we had the truth. The atmosphere as we left was contentious and cold. I remember walking away from that experience resolved to never get into that kind of a discussion again. From then on, if I sensed that anybody just wanted to argue with us, we would stop the discussion and invite them to come to church if they were ever interested in learning more about our beliefs. We will never succeed in missionary work when we allow ourselves to get caught up in strifes of words and tumults of opinions.

7 Across: Doubting

From 60:7 We should teach without wrath or doubting. How might a missionary share with doubting? There are three things they might doubt. The missionary might doubt themselves, the message, or the investigators. I think I struggled with all three at the beginning of my mission. I'm forever grateful to my first companion, Elder Billings, who taught me this very important lesson on my first day in the field. I know you've heard me talk a lot about my experiences as a missionary in Brazil, but I also served the first few months of my mission in Oregon, while I waited for my visa to be approved. So this was in Silverton, Oregon. We went tracting door to door, and my companion did the first few to kind of show me an example of how it worked. Then he turned to me and said, OK, Elder Wilcox, it's your turn. And oh, I was super nervous and timidly went up to the door and rang the doorbell. Well, this woman came to the door and was so upset. She started yelling, and telling us to leave her alone, and how she was sick and tired of people coming to the door to try and change her, and I kind of backed away and said, "Oh, we're sorry. So sorry for bothering you, we didn't mean to upset you", and then she slammed the door. Now as we walked away, my companion turned to me and very sternly said "Elder Wilcox, don't ever do that again". And I said "What? What did I do wrong? She was the one who freaked out!". And he said "Don't ever apologize for trying to share the gospel with someone. All you're doing is trying to share a message of joy and hope and truth. All you're doing is trying to bless their lives. There's no need to say sorry for that. We're always polite, but we never apologize." And after that day, I never did again. So when we share, we should do it without doubt. Without doubt in the power of the message to do good for people, without doubt that people can change, and without doubt in ourselves, that we can be instruments in God's hands to share his gospel message with the world.

8 Across: Idle

From 60:13 Don't idle away your time. When it comes to sharing the gospel, don't be lazy about it. Look for opportunities and put forth the effort it demands.

1 Down: Brethren

This is a unique one and I like it. 61:32 says

32 And from thence let them journey for the congregations of their brethren, for their labors even now are wanted more abundantly among them than among the congregations of the wicked. I think that's an interesting distinction drawn here. You've got the congregations of our brethren and the congregations of the wicked. Both need our labors. Though proselyting is a priority in the church, sometimes, the best use of our teaching time will be among our very own congregations. Sometimes our labors are more abundantly needed among believers rather than investigators. We need to preach the gospel AND perfect the Saints. Sometimes missionaries may only want to focus their time on new conversions rather than on retention of past ones. All souls are precious in the sight of God. and both congregations need our time and labor.

3 Down: Hide

60:2 Open your mouth and don't hide your talent because of the fear of man. That's usually the reason a lot of us shy away from opportunities to share the gospel. We're afraid of how others might react. Since this is a topic that we've already covered extensively so far this year, instead of giving a lot of commentary, I'd actually like to recommend a book to you. Besides the scriptures and the Preach my Gospel manual, it's the best advice and counsel on doing member missionary work that I've been able to find. It's called "The Power of Everyday Missionaries" by Clayton M. Christensen. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It can really help instruct you on how to open your mouth and not hide your talent because of the fear of man. I'll put a link to where you could get it in the description below. https://amzn.to/2QtCO1n

4 Down: Loud

That's from 60:7. I don't think that means that we need to stand up on a box and shout repentance to the world, but it does suggest enthusiasm, boldness, and urgency.

6 Down: Haste

This is from 60:14 Don't teach in haste. When we teach, we need to slow down. Jeffrey R. Holland said "An unrushed atmosphere is absolutely essential if you are to have the Spirit of the Lord present in your [teaching]. Please don’t ever forget that. Too many of us rush. We rush right past the Spirit of the Lord trying to beat the clock in some absolutely unnecessary footrace." Jeffrey R. Holland "Teaching and Learning in the Church" Ensign, June 2007. Since this channel is geared towards teachers in the church, we would all do well to keep this in mind. I know I've made this error many times in trying to pack too much into a lesson at one time. Slowing down and feeling the Spirit is more important than speeding up and covering a lot of material.

TRAVELING TRUTH

So our first traveling truth here is to Preach the Gospel as you go.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

· Have you ever caught yourself falling into one of the preaching pitfalls we've just discussed?

· What could you do to overcome it?

#2 SPEED UP, SLOW DOWN

Our second traveling truth

I noticed some interesting phrases that kept coming up in these sections. I want you to compare and contrast the instructions in the first set of scriptures with those in the second set. Do you notice anything?

· 60:1 return speedily

· 60:14 speedily return,

· 61:7 be in haste

· 61:21 take their journey in haste, take journey in haste

· 60:8 not in haste

· 60:14 not in haste

· 61:3 Not needful that this whole company of mine elders to be moving swiftly upon the waters

Perhaps you saw that in each of the first set of scriptures you have the Lord encouraging the travelers to hurry up. To go speedily. To be in haste. But then the verses in the second section all seem to say, "slow down". Don't go in haste. It is not needful that the whole company be moving swiftly.

That begs the question then. Which is it? What should we do in life, slow down or speed up? The answer is: It depends! Depending on our situation we may need more of one than the other. For some people, God needs to tell them to speed up a bit--to take their journey in haste. Get moving! Stop idling away your time! Remember section 58? Don't be a slothful servant. Be anxiously engaged in a good cause. Maybe we're too distracted by our phones or Netflix, video games or social media and we're letting things that matter most be monopolized by things that matter least. Maybe we've let a little laziness creep in when it comes to our church calling, or taking care of our homes, our health, or our relationships. A good example of this principle comes from the journey of the Jaredites. Remember when they get to shore of the ocean. It says that they remained there for four years, and then the Lord chastises the Brother of Jared for not praying to him. I don't think it's very likely that the Brother of Jared stopped praying altogether during those four years, but I think it was he may have stopped looking for instruction on how to proceed from there. Life was probably pretty good there on the beach. The ocean was scary, the way not clear, but the beach was comfortable and familiar. Sometimes we may get to those kind of points in our lives--where everything seems to be ok--where we kind of begin to plateau spiritually. But God may need to remind us at times that we haven't come this far, to just come this far. We're not to the promised land yet. So speed up a bit. Don't idle away your time on the beach of life. Get building barges, shove off from shore. Your promised land still lies on the other side of the ocean.

On the other hand, sometimes God may need to tell us to slow down a little. Perhaps we're running faster than we have strength. Perhaps our priorities need to be adjusted. Look at 61:3

it is not needful for this whole company of mine elders to be moving swiftly upon the waters, whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief.

So, here it's, "You're moving too quickly. There are people that need you. They need your time and attention. They're perishing." I know that I've gotten that impression before from my Father in Heaven. Sometimes I get a little too caught up in a project or a goal when there are important people in my life that need my time and attention. So the Lord has had to gently remind me: slow down a little. You don't need to be so busy all the time. You're overextending yourself. It's not needful for you to be moving so swiftly. Your family needs you right now. Your ward members need you right now. Your students need you right now. People are more important than projects. Or sometimes it's you need some time to rest and relax. It would be good for you to take a nap right now, to go on a walk in nature, to watch a silly TV show, to go and spend some time at the temple. Perhaps you've overcommitted yourself to too many things and you need to say no a little more often or remove some things from your schedule.

This is another one of those balancing truths that I'm always talking about. An area where we need to seek the middle way. In life, sometimes we need to pick up our pace, and at other times, we need to slow down. And sometimes that can even be different for different areas of your life. Maybe you need to speed up a bit when it comes to your spirituality, but slow down when it comes to work. Maybe you're very balanced when it comes to taking care of your home and health, but you need to speed up when it comes to giving time and attention to your spouse. Whatever role or area of life we find ourselves in at any time, look for that balance.

TRAVELING TRUTH

Sometimes we need to speed up, and sometimes we need to slow down. Be attuned to the Spirit in order to know which.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

· Which of the two messages do you need most at this time? Do you need to speed up or slow down?

· What specifically could you do today to make that up or downshift?

#3 BEWARE OF DANGEROUS WATERS

ICEBREAKER

I want to spend a little more time on this next principle. It's an important one and is the major focus of section 61. In fact, I'd like to even give it its own icebreaker. I would begin a discussion of this section by showing part of the following Church video. It's entitled "Blessed and Happy are Those who Keep the Commandments of God". It depicts a story told in General Conference one year from a talk given by Elder Von G. Keetch of the Seventy. He talks about running into a group of surfers on the beach who are complaining about a large barrier stretching across the mouth of a bay and keeping them from enjoying the large waves just beyond. As they complain, an older gentleman with a pair of binoculars approaches them and invites them to examine the barrier a little closer. Well to their astonishment, with the binoculars, they can see the large dorsal fins of numerous sharks feeding just beyond the barrier. It hadn't been placed there to keep them from enjoying themselves, but to protect them. They were dangerous waters, and it would be foolish to venture into them. I would just show the video up to time stamp 2:34 seconds and then pause it. It may be a good idea to show the rest of the video at the end of the lesson.

TRANSITION

Section 61 of the Doctrine and Covenants also talks about some dangerous waters. Back in the early American frontier, the nation’s waterways were its highways. They were the quickest and most practical means of travel. However, river travel did have its dangers. Natural and man-made. As Joseph and his companions are traveling back to Kirtland, they find themselves canoeing the Missouri river. The Missouri river was considered a bit more of a dangerous river to travel than say, the Mississippi. It wasn't as wide, it was swifter moving, and it had lots of snags and submerged obstacles. There were also many man made dangers on the rivers: con men, foul language, river pirates, alcoholism, gambling, prostitution, thieves. If you've ever read Huckleberry Finn, you get a sense of these dangerous conditions. At one point in the journey, the canoe Joseph and the others are paddling hits a submerged tree and almost capsizes. The men were terrified, and Joseph ordered them off the river. The section heading also tells us that William W. Phelps had had some kind of vision on the river. It says that he saw the destroyer riding in power upon the face of the waters. Now exactly what that means or what exactly he saw, I'm not sure. And I'm not sure that "the destroyer" necessarily means Satan either.

There is a bit of a church urban legend that has grown up around this section. It goes something like this. Satan has control over the water in the last days making them inherently dangerous. That's the reason why missionaries aren't supposed to go swimming, because if they do, Satan could get control of them and drag them down to a watery grave. Now, I don't believe that, and I've never seen any official church statement warning us of the danger of water. We don't have to have special filters on our faucets to keep the evil spirts out. I imagine the reason missionaries aren't allowed to go swimming is because of safety concerns. Swimming and water sports can often be risky, and mission rules usually prohibit higher risk activities. Missionaries aren't allowed to go rock climbing, skydiving, or skiing either. It also just doesn't make much sense to me that God would turn over such a large portion of the surface of this earth to the power of the adversary. The earth is his creation and his dominion. So yes, you can go swimming and boating, and scuba diving without any concerns for your soul. In fact, there are a number of verses within this section itself that suggest that water is not a problem for members of Christ's church.

· :6 If you are faithful, you don’t have to worry about the water.

· :16 Those that are upright in heart will be safe upon the water.

· :22 Doesn’t matter if you go by water or by land. (So, if water in and of itself was dangerous, why would the Lord say here that it didn't matter to him if they went by water or by land on a future journey)

· :28 Follow the commandments whether you are on the water or the land.

So no, this section does not suggest a ban on water travel or activities. Rather, it probably suggests that those particular areas of the Missouri river weren't as safe for Saints traveling to Zion to be on. Ok, well then, what do we do with this section? Is it kind of an anomaly with a message that's only applicable to the men that were there at that time? Or is there possibly a broader message that can be more widely applied? I believe the latter.

The dangerous waters can be symbolic here as well. There's a big hint at this in verses 14. He says:

14 Behold, I, the Lord, in the beginning blessed the waters; but in the last days, by the mouth of my servant John, I cursed the waters.

What's he talking about there. He's referring to a prophecy made by John in the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation is a very symbolic book. And the waters in the Book of Revelation are a symbol for the people of the world. Seas and waves of people. And Satan comes up out of the waters in the Book of Revelation, showing that he would have great control over many people and nations in the last days. Now that makes sense doesn't it. Satan may not have dominion over the actual water of the earth, but he definitely has dominion over many people, over much of mankind. Only those that are upright in heart can ever hope to navigate those dangerous waters safely.

That begs a great discussion question. Why is turbulent water a good symbol for Satan and his kingdom?

Rough and turbulent waters are powerful and can drag you away in its control, much like sin. Call me morbid, but I make it a point to read all the Search and Rescue reports in my area. I like to be aware of the dangers that people encounter in areas that I like to recreate in hopes that I will be able to avoid similar occurrences. Every spring in Big and Little Cottonwood canyons, people drown in the rushing streams that form from the spring snowmelt. Though the rivers really aren't that wide, they are deceptively swift and powerful. Unfortunately, every year, people underestimate the power of those waters, and they are sucked in, pinned against rocks and logs, and drown. Do you remember the symbol the Lord used in Lehi's dream to show him the consequences of sin or the depths of hell? He saw a raging filthy river which caught up many and swept them away to destruction. Once we are pulled into the waters of worldliness, our spirits and faith are deprived of spiritual air and we suffocate. Oftentimes, addictions work this way. The water seems ok, it looks refreshing, how dangerous can it be. People dip their toes in, walk a little further from shore, and before they know it, they are being pulled down river in a current that seems impossible to resist. Another reason, water is unstable. Have you ever tried to stand up in a canoe or a kayak? It's easy to get flipped in. Satan's kingdom is unstable, the ways of men are unstable, the standards and values of the world are constantly shifting and moving. Another reason, water can often hide the dangers beneath its surface. Like in the video at the beginning, sharks may lurk there. Or with Joseph and the Missouri river, submerged logs or snags that threaten to tip our canoes. I did a kayaking trip with my family down the San Rafael river a few years ago. At one point in the trip, my sons were paddling ahead of me and on the surface of the water we could see only a small branch sticking out of the middle of the river. But what was hidden from our view was a much larger tree trunk just below the surface of the water. When my older son came to that spot, his kayak got stuck on the edge of the log and flipped it completely over. Well, my other son, who was following close behind, came to the exact same spot, and sure enough his kayak flipped over. So now I had two boys in the water and two kayaks to try and retrieve all at the same time. I obviously prioritized making sure that both boys were OK, and then watched our kayaks swiftly float away from us on the river. Luckily, about a mile downstream somebody was able to stop them and pull them onto the shore. But we were very worried for a long time that we had lost all our supplies and kayaks.

Well, what's the Lord's advice for the dangerous waters of the world then? What message do you pull out of the following verses?

:4-5

4 Nevertheless, I suffered it that ye might bear record; behold, there are many dangers upon the waters, and more especially hereafter;

5 For I, the Lord, have decreed in mine anger many destructions upon the waters; yea, and especially upon these waters.

:15

15 Wherefore, the days will come that no flesh shall be safe upon the waters.

:18-19

18 And now I give unto you a commandment that what I say unto one I say unto all, that you shall forewarn your brethren concerning these waters, that they come not in journeying upon them, lest their faith fail and they are caught in snares;

19 I, the Lord, have decreed, and the destroyer rideth upon the face thereof, and I revoke not the decree.

What would you say is the Lord's message about dangerous places then?

Stay away from them at all costs. Travel with great caution. There are many snares upon the waters of the world. Don't travel in dangerous waters. Stay away from places where temptations lurk, and Satan's power is strong. You may not need to worry about going swimming at the lake because you're worried that Satan has dominion there, but you do need to worry about going to other places where Satan really does have dominion. Can you think of any examples of dangerous waters? Environments or places where temptations abound, and Satan's power is evident? What are some of the dangerous waters of today? Can you give me any examples?

Sitting alone with unfiltered access to the Internet can be dangerous waters.

Certain parties can be dangerous waters.

Spending time alone or flirting with a person that is not your spouse can be dangerous waters.

Bars, casinos, certain dance clubs or shows can be dangerous waters.

Spending a lot of time with a group of people that swear, drink, smoke, do drugs, or talk about inappropriate things can be dangerous waters.

A good example of this principle comes from the life of Peter. Perhaps you remember the savior’s prophecy that he would deny him three times before that night was over. The smartest thing Peter could've done would be to go home and lock himself in the closet until the rooster crowed. Instead, he Went to the absolute worst place he could've gone if he wished to avoid being caught in a situation where he would be tempted to deny the Savior. He went to Caiaphas palace. A place that was swarming with the enemies of Christ. He went into dangerous waters.

There are a lot of snares that surround us, and we would do well to stay away from them. I like this short quote from one of my favorite movies "A Man for All Seasons": A man should go where he won't be tempted". Not only should we not go to these places, but we should forewarn each other about the as he said in verse 18. Now, what do you think we should do if we ever find ourselves traveling in dangerous waters? We should get out! Head to shore. Seek to travel on the of bedrock of terra firma and avoid the instability of the turbulent torrents of temptation. Joseph of Egypt is a good example of this. When he knew that Potiphar's wife was after him, he tried very hard not to be around her. He sought to avoid the dangerous waters. But when she corners him, what does he do? The scriptures say that "he fled and got him out". We can do the same.

So a final activity. Number off your students from one to four and assign them a verse. Look in your verse for advice on how to avoid dangerous waters.

Suggestions for staying out of the water

· :10 Be faithful, and you will be preserved. Make sure you have a strong foundation of faith on your journey. Pray, study, worship. These things will keep your faith strong and your resistance to temptation secure.

· :37 humble yourselves. Pride cometh before the fall. I recently read a story in the news where a social media star was trying to get an impressive selfie near a large waterfall. Sadly, they slipped and lost their life. We've got to be humble and recognize the power and danger of Satan's waters and stay far away from them.

· :39 This is a verse that seems to solidify in my mind the idea that this chapter is much more about spiritual dangers than physical ones. This is the final verse of the section, and it doesn't contain a warning about water, or rapids, or submerged logs. It says, pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming. So prayer will help us to avoid temptation. If we ever find ourselves being tempted to enter the waters of the world, we should pray for strength that we enter it not.

· And that leads up perfectly into 62:1, What does the Lord teach us about temptation here?

It says that he knows our weaknesses and he knows how to succor those that are tempted. Succor means to rescue. Or if you break the word down into its Latin roots, it means to run to help you. The other place I've seen that word in scripture comes from Alma's description of the atonement back in Alma 7:11-12. Those verses describe all the things the Savior felt or experienced during his sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane and the cross. They tell us all the things that filled his bitter cup. One of them, you'll notice, is temptations. Christ felt our temptations. So he knows what it feels like to be tempted. And therefore, he knows how to help us through it! That is part of the enabling power of the Atonement. We can receive and be rescued by that power, if we pray and turn to Christ in those moments that we are tempted. 1 Corinthians 10:13 to mind:

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

The atonement is Christ's means of helping us to escape our temptations. He comes to rescue us and give us the strength we need to overcome. Have you ever experienced that enabling power in your own life? There may be times when we look heavenward and say, "I'm just not strong enough, Lord". And he says "I know, you're not. But I am, and I can give you power to escape. Turn to me, rely on me, and I will rescue you from your temptations and weaknesses". And he can. And he does. I really believe it's that straightforward. When you're tempted, pray. Ask for help. Be humble enough to recognize that you can 't do it on your own. Draw strength from Christ and his succor will come.

TRAVELING TRUTH #3

Stay away from dangerous waters. Avoid places where you might be tempted.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

· Are there any dangerous waters you've been wading into lately?

· What are you going to do to avoid them in the future?

A great way to conclude this portion of the lesson would be to show the remaining minutes of the video we started with. Elder Keetch does a great job of driving this message home.

#4 DON'T TRAVEL ALONE

Traveling Truth #4. A shorter one here. Look at the following verse and see if you can find a traveling truth in it. How should we travel? 61:35

61:35 The Lord tells them journey together, two by two. The truth: It's not good to travel alone. Sometimes you need a Samuel Smith to travel with. Companionship and friendship are eternal principles of travel through life. Therefore, God has provided us with many possible traveling companions. Ideally, we travel as families, or we travel as husbands and wives, or we travel as fellow ward members, or in companionships and friendships. But completely alone is not good. Like the Lord said to Adam "It is not good that man should be alone". Now I'm not talking about being single here. I'm talking about isolating ourselves from others and the outside world. In order to find happiness and safety in life, it is wise to travel with good companions.

These sections suggest some other travel companions we can travel with as well. Who do we have in 61:10, 36?

61:10,36 We can travel with the Savior. Christ promises us that he is with us and in our midst. Don't forget to make sure that Christ is traveling with you. Like the apostles on the Sea of Galilee, the only way Jesus was able to still their storm was because he was there with them, in their boat. Well, make sure that Jesus is in your boat! Don't shove off the shore without a place for him. Reserve a nice bench for him. Remember there may be times when it seems like he's sleeping in the middle of your storms, but it's OK, he won't let you sink. We may not always see him, but he's there.

And then another great companion to take with you. Who in 62:8?

8 These things remain with you to do according to judgment and the directions of the Spirit.

Make sure you have the Spirit with you. The Spirit will provide you with relevant and timely inspiration for your journey. Like a GPS recalculating your route. Sometimes the situation at hand requires new input and factors to consider and the Spirit can be there to help navigate those difficult situations. He can also warn you of danger, help you to recognize truth, and comfort you in troubling times.

One more thought. When it comes to making friendships or creating relationships it's always good to ask yourself two questions. Both are important, but it's absolutely critical that you ask them in the right order. The first question is, "Where am I going?" The second one should be, "Who am I going with?" Be sure to determine where YOU are going first, then use that information to help determine the answer to the second question and the kinds of people that you decide you'll travel with. Some people ask, "Who am I going with?" first. And that can be an unfortunate decision at times. Because what if that individual has an entirely different destination in mind? Either you will be taken somewhere you never intended to be, or there may be a painful parting later.

TRAVELING TRUTH #4

Don't travel alone. Be sure to fill your boat with the right companions.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

· What travel companions are you grateful for?

· What could you do to show them your appreciation?

#5 BE OF GOOD CHEER

Another short one. How should we travel according to this verse?

61:36 He says, "Be of good cheer, little children, for I am in your midst". As we make our way through life, hopefully we can be of good cheer. It's important that we find joy in the journey--even with tribulation, even with dangers, even with persecution, joy is still possible. One of my favorite talks ever on this topic comes from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin from general conference of October 2008 entitled "Come what May, and Love it". He offers us some great and inspiring counsel on finding joy in the journey--in the ups AND downs of life. And by the way, he tells some hilarious stories in this talk. But here's just a snippet from that talk:

"How can we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can’t—at least not in the moment. I don’t think my mother was suggesting that we suppress discouragement or deny the reality of pain. I don’t think she was suggesting that we smother unpleasant truths beneath a cloak of pretended happiness. But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.

If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness."

Joseph B. Wirthlin

(Conference Report, October 2008)

Hopefully, we can find joy in life despite the hardships and trials that we may face. There's a lot to enjoy in this life. The taste of good food, the comfort of loving relationships, the beauties of creation, the fulfillment of hard work, accomplishment, or creativity, and so much more. Be of good cheer! Remember that men are that they might have joy!

TRAVELING TRUTH #5

Find joy in the journey! Be of good cheer. Despite the difficulties.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

What things in life bring you the most joy?

#6 REMEMBER GOD'S MERCY

Final traveling truth

Just like preaching the gospel, there is another major theme that comes up over and over in the Doctrine and Covenants. And that's the theme of forgiveness. In fact, it's almost like a Where's Waldo in each section. You're gonna find it in almost every section of the Doctrine and Covenants. So we're going to play the "Find Forgiveness" game right now. Be the first person to find it, and if you're teaching youth, you could throw out a treat to whoever finds it first.

60:7

7 And in this place let them lift up their voice and declare my word with loud voices, without wrath or doubting, lifting up holy hands upon them. For I am able to make you holy, and your sins are forgiven you.

In 61, you'll find it twice.

61:2

2 Behold, verily thus saith the Lord unto you, O ye elders of my church, who are assembled upon this spot, whose sins are now forgiven you, for I, the Lord, forgive sins, and am merciful unto those who confess their sins with humble hearts;

61:20

20 I, the Lord, was angry with you yesterday, but today mine anger is turned away.

62:3

3 Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you.

Once again, the principle of God's willingness and enthusiasm to forgive is highlighted. If you wanted to approach this section as a brief handout, you could place each of these verses next to each other in one and have them circle their favorite phrase and write a brief explanation of why. Probably my favorite of those verses is in 61:20. I was angry with you yesterday, but today mine anger is turned away. I love how quickly God is able to forgive. He gets over things really fast. People aren't usually like that; we hold grudges that can last days or even years. It kind of reminds me of how Nephi forgives Laman and Lemuel right after they've tried to kill him. The scriptures tell us that he frankly forgave them. It's almost like he says, "Ah no worries. Guys. Forget about it. You just tried to kill me, you know, no big deal. I forgive you. “ That’s seems to be how Christ forgives too. Frankly. Quickly. Easily. Willingly.

TRUTH

As you travel: Remember God's grace. God forgives, and he forgives quickly

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

How has the promise of God's grace helped you on your journey?

CONCLUSION

One final concluding activity here. A question for your students to ponder: Which of the 6 TRAVELING TRUTHS meant the most to you today and why? Perhaps you could have some of them share or you could just give them some quiet pondering time.

Well, I hope that your travels through life will be exciting, joyful, and both physically and spiritually safe. Even though the journey of life may be fraught with danger, God has given us the guidance and knowledge that will make it possible for us to safely return to our heavenly home. As someone who likes to travel, the metaphor works really well with me. Life is like a tour. There are amazing things to see and experience. Yet, at the same time you sometimes have long, tedious plane flights, sometimes you get lost, sometimes the food and accommodations are bad, and sometimes you just get exhausted. Overall, though, in the long run, the good stuff far outweighs the bad. I strive to enjoy life in the same way. Still, as exciting and joyful as traveling can be, really, there's no place like home. So until we arrive at our heavenly home, remember these traveling truths, remember that God has "appointed a way for the journeying of his Saints”, and endure to the end.