The Savior Said: A Come Follow Me Podcast

Episode 43 (Nov. 4 - 10) Jesus Christ, “the Author of Eternal Salvation”

This week we discuss who *really* wrote the book of Hebrews (and does it matter???), y'all get to meet my sister Christie, and I talk a bit about balancing my CFM studies with my reading of the Book of Mormon. 

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October 2019 General Conference Wrap Up Episode

This is the Bonus Content episode that will get us back on track with the Come Follow Me Schedule. In it, I discuss some of my thoughts surrounding the new changes and my top 5 Favorite Conference talks.  What were your favorites?  Let me know at TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com!

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Episode 42 (Oct. 28-Nov. 3) “Be Thou an Example of the Believers”

Who were Timothy, Titus, and Phileomon?  What happened to Paul? WHY why WHY did he write 1 Tim 2:9-15??? I can still wear my pearls, right??  We address all this and more in this week's episode.

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Episode 41 (Oct. 21-27): "Be Not Soon Shaken in Mind, or Be Troubled"

This week we talk about how to be better ministers, holiness, the Great Apostasy/Dark Ages, and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

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Episode 40 (Oct 14-20): I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me

In this episode (brought to you by the power of friendship!) my friend Kansas takes over The Savior Said for the week.  My schedule was a little crazy this past week and I knew I didn't have time or mental energy to get everything AND the podcast done.  So I thought, "Hey, why don't I ask Kansas to sub in for me?" Little did I know, I was playing right along with Heavenly Father's plan the whole time!  Find out why it was so important for Kansas to immerse herself in the scriptures this week, the balance between Grace and works, the sacrifices we make for Christ, and finding joy in every circumstance. Again, a big THANK YOU to Kansas for sharing her time and experiences with us this week!

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BONUS CONTENT: Alternate Ending to Episode 39, or instructions on how to use modern pieces of armor

This is the alternate ending to Episode 39.  It's got info on how I used these files during a workshop on the Armor of God at Girls Camp this summer.

A folder full of printables of the different pieces of the Armor of God: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oS6qXJePejsA5gzvCD7FMHXjfQCTQZBy?usp=sharing

A spreadsheet where I have explanations for each piece of armor, some modern correlations, conference talks that kind of pertain to that piece of armor, and the women of the scriptures I identify for each piece.  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ed7xWARmltv8eiB5xSxzTzscuOQvPoPyBgqnNPlLO7E/copy?usp=sharing

Enjoy!

Episode 39 (Sept. 30-Oct. 13): For the Perfecting of the Saints

This week we talk about being one under Christ and the Armor of God.  A lot about the Armor of God.  A WHOLE 25 minutes about the Armor of God and different women in the scriptures who remind me of each piece!!!

Also I have goodies for your Family Home Evenings/Lessons!  Here's a folder full of printables of the different pieces of the Armor of God: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oS6qXJePejsA5gzvCD7FMHXjfQCTQZBy?usp=sharing

Here's a spreadsheet where I have explanations for each piece of armor, some modern correlations, conference talks that kind of pertain to that piece of armor, and the women of the scriptures I identify for each piece.  Do with it what you will 😊  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ed7xWARmltv8eiB5xSxzTzscuOQvPoPyBgqnNPlLO7E/copy?usp=sharing

Also keep an eye out for Bonus Content where I explain how I saw each piece of modern armor as relating to Paul's Armor of God.

Episode 38 (September 23-29): Walk in the Spirit

Rabbit trails.  So many rabbit trails this week.  First we Sister Frizzle is up with Galatians- who were they? Why was Paul writing to them?  Then the first rabbit trail hits: I get interested in Galatians 4:13 and Paul's eyes.  When I get back on track, we start with CFM and the first section has us scripturally spelunking through the footnotes of Galatians 5:1 (what is Freedom in Christ???) We also talk about the Abrahamic Covenant, Fruit of the Spirit, and Law of the Harvest.  

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BONUS CONTENT: Talk on Grace

This is a talk I gave in the Monte Sano Ward on September 8, 2019.  Content is copyrighted.

"Brothers and Sisters, this morning I want to talk to you about the Grace of Jesus Christ.  

Now, I only have 5 minutes to do this in and Grace is a subject that I could talk about for hours.  So today I would like to focus on one of the aspects of Grace: enabling power, the strength and assistance, that we receive to do good works and overcome obstacles we otherwise would not be able to do on our own.  In other words, I want to talk about how Grace applies when we start to think, “I can’t do it.” “I’ll never be good enough.” “Life is too hard.”

To do this, I would like to make an analogy.  Years ago, my son decided he wanted to train to be an American Ninja Warrior.  For those of you who don’t know, America Ninja Warrior is a TV show where the contestants battle through an obstacle course that requires great athletic skill and ability.  There’s a gym in town that does offer Ninja Warrior training to kids so we signed up. He was doing well until he found an obstacle that was difficult to overcome. It’s called a Warped Wall and the goal is to run as fast as you can at a curved wall, to the point you run up the wall a little ways and then jump to reach the ledge at the top of the wall where you pull yourself up and over.  My son found that as he tried this obstacle, over and over again, he would run as hard as he could, get to the part where he needed to jump, and then splat face first into the wall and slide back down. This happened again and again, for weeks.

How does this apply to us in a spiritual sense?  I think we all have those specific weaknesses that we constantly find ourselves doing our best to overcome and yet splat into a wall time after time again.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf in his talk The Gift of Grace talks about the spiritual side of this when he says, “Though we all have weaknesses, we can overcome them. Indeed it is by the grace of God that, if we humble ourselves and have faith, weak things can become strong.23

Throughout our lives, God’s grace bestows temporal blessings and spiritual gifts that magnify our abilities and enrich our lives. His grace refines us. His grace helps us become our best selves.”   In short, we are not only SAVED by Grace, we are CHANGED by Grace.

Weak things become strong.  You see, while my son had been splatting over and over again he had also been inching up the wall.  His muscles had been developing, his dexterity and agility improving. There is a purpose in our mistakes and our need to rely on the goodness of our Savior’s Atonement and Grace. 
Elder Bruce C. Hafen has written, “The great Mediator asks for our repentance not because we must ‘repay’ him in exchange for his paying our debt to justice, but because repentance initiates a developmental process that, with the Savior’s help, leads us along the path to a saintly character” 

And this is where Grace enters into our analogy.  After a few weeks of splatting unsuccessfully against the wall, my son’s Coach came to me and said, “You know, it might help if he wore different shoes- shoes with more grip on the bottom”.  So at the next training session, he had the shoes. And it made a huge difference! He was able to get up much higher on the wall than he had before!  

This is like the Savior’s Grace that gives us strength and assistance that we receive to do good works we otherwise would not be able to do.  

Brad Wilcox, in his talk His Grace is Sufficient, has said, “The Savior’s gift of grace to us is not necessarily limited in time to ‘after’ all we can do. We may receive his grace before, during and after the time when we expend our own efforts”. Grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now. It is not a finishing touch; it is the Finisher’s touch.”  

But HOW do we access Grace like this? This enabling power?

Gene R. Cook’s conference talk entitled “Receiving Divine Assistance Through the Grace of the Lord” is a wonderful guide to accessing Grace.  He says, “To obtain grace, one does not have to be perfect but he does have to be trying... Then the Lord may allow him to receive that power.  Moroni sums up the doctrine of grace succinctly: “If ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you…

(Moro. 10:32–33.)“

Back at the training gym, while the shoes made a BIG difference, my son was still splatting against the wall.  Just splatting higher up and closer to his goal now. Finally the Coach climbed up to the top ledge and laid down across the top and extended his arms down to my son.  My son ran up the wall, jumped and reached for the top while the coach grabbed his hands and lifted him up to the top of the wall. He made it with the help of his coach! 

Because my son had a Coach who had personally conquered this obstacle and knew how it worked he was able to guide him over it.  However the Coach also saw the value in building strength and dexterity through failure, the strength and ability my son gained through all those splats. Then after my son had tried his hardest and expended his own best efforts, the Coach was able to help lift him up to overcome that obstacle.  

We have a Savior who has conquered the obstacles of this life, who knows the value in the struggles we face, and who gives us His Grace that enables us to climb and then finally overcome our weaknesses.  Do not be discouraged if it feels like you are constantly splatting and not getting any nearer to the top of your obstacle. Russell M. Nelson has said, “We need not be dismayed if our earnest efforts toward perfection now seem so arduous and endless. Perfection is pending. It can come in full only after the Resurrection and only through the Lord.”

We have a Savior who loves us perfectly and gives us the miraculous gift of His Grace to not only overcome the obstacles in our life, but also to one day return us back to our Father in Heaven."  

Episode 37 (September 16-22) "God Loveth A Cheerful Giver"

Y'all...this week I kind of go off on a rant about Grace and how important it is to understand the Grace of Jesus Christ.  Also what American Ninja Warrior training taught me about Grace.  We also talk about what Paul looked like and how important it is to teach our kids how to give. 

Talks/books about Grace referenced in this episode:
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, The Gift of Grace https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/04/the-gift-of-grace?lang=eng
Brad Wilcox, His Grace is Sufficient https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/brad-wilcox/his-grace-is-sufficient/
Bruce C. Hafen, book: The Broken Heart  Deseret Book, 1989
Dallin H. Oaks, book: The Lord’s Way Deseret Book, 1991

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