P52 | Week 8: Black & White

This week was a crazy one. The youth basketball team that Bruce coaches had their big tournament Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings which is so much fun to go watch, but takes up a big chunk of time. Then we were asked to speak in church today. Yup- that's right. I spent my 31st birthday speaking in church. My topic was the power and purpose of the Book of Mormon and the preparation was nerve-racking for me. There was so much information and not enough time to absorb and ponder it all, never mind put it into a 20ish minute talk. 

As I was studying for my talk and also thinking about the fact that I needed a photo for this week's project, it occurred to me that the theme of Black and White went along perfectly with the things I was pondering for my talk. I ended up focusing on the importance of understanding that the Book of Mormon was written for us, specifically for our day and time. The last days are ugly- Mormon described our days as being filled with wars and rumours of wars, earthquakes in divers places, great pollution upon the face of the earth, murders, robbing, lying, deceiving and all manner of abominations. He was right! Yet, the Book of Mormon offers us peace and guidance, direction and hope. It is a black and white guide to living righteously in these latter days. 

This past week we started a new practice in our family... one we've been talking about since the beginning of the year but only just put into action. We decided that instead of reading the Book of Mormon during our already chaotic evening routine as we have done for years, we would instead get up half an hour earlier, eat a big breakfast as a family then study the Book of Mormon around the dining room table. It has been so much fun! It is hard to get up at 6am. I don't love it, but I love sitting around the table with my family and hearing the girls take turns reading verses. Even Man Cub wants to be part of reading. He insists on having his own Book of Mormon opened in front of him and he repeats a verse or two, one phrase at a time so he can read like his sisters. It has been such a blessing. Our mornings are more peaceful and so much less rushed, despite having added several new aspects to our routine. I love feeling the Spirit first thing in the morning. It helps me to do the things I know I should be doing and be quicker to repent when I do things I know I should not, like raise my voice or speak unkindly. I love that I then spend the day thinking back on the things we've read and reminding myself and my children to "be like Alma", the prophet we are currently reading about. 

Despite the craziness of basketball and talk preparation, I am grateful for the moments of peace we've had during our morning scripture study this week. I am so so grateful for the Book of Mormon and its black and white principles for living righteously and drawing closer to God. I hate speaking in church but I really did enjoy the chance to learn more about the Book of Mormon and strengthen my testimony of its divine purpose. Now, time to go to bed! 6am comes early. Ü