Sketchbook: More or less

This quote from Elder Kearon's fireside stood out for me. Hope scrolling beats doomscrolling any day!
 

Power sources

This could very well have been my big brother telling me little known facts about things back when we were kids.

And for those who are thinking that the remodel is taking an awfully long time, remember that the original construction took 40 years!

As we get ready for General Conference, it’s time again for the Ward Cartoonist’s semiannual General Conference Activity Pack! Download your copy today — and use it next week!

Found 'em!

It's been a LONG time since I've done anything with Zarahemla Times. But as I've been pondering this first week's contents of our Come, Follow Me study, I keep thinking back to some of my old cartoons.

In 1 Nephi 5:22, it says that it's "...wisdom in the Lord that we should carry them (the scriptures) with us as we journeyed in the wilderness..." I don't know how it is in your family, but not too many years ago we were like these guys. Searching the scriptures meant trying to find them. Now we're able to carry a whole church library on our phones in our pockets. We carry them with us. 

It seems significant to me that as Nephi is writing to our day that he would include that emphasis. Maybe it is important for us to carry them with us. Always.
 

The riches of eternity

The scripture is D&C 67:2. It's been a favorite of mine ever since I was a missionary. It's one that touched the heart of one of our investigators and directly led to her baptism. It's one of my go-to scriptures in my spiritual first aid kit.

I also spend a lot of time worrying about what's for dinner.
 

Burnt offerings?

The reference is, of course Doctrine and Covenants 9:8: "...and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you..." 

You can also get points if you went to Isaiah 50:11: "Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire..."

 

True colors

I substituted in Primary last week. One of the seven-year-olds in my class told me he was really upset. He thought he had a red marker for his scriptures, but instead he had a brown one! Something like that can really throw off your scripture study!

I also learned why cats have long whiskers. That was bonus information!
 

And he did not cease to call upon the Lord

Maybe this one should have stayed in the Sketchbook — but I liked the implications of a long battery life (almost an entire year with one charge!) and the great connectivity they must have had.

I might need to repent from this one, IDK.
 

Search, ponder and ponder some more...

This may have come up during my personal study recently...

A little heavy reading

The tempest is raging

I was watching a weather forecast from North Carolina about Dorian's potential impacts to the Carolina coast.

"The winds have dropped to 105 miles per hour," she said. "But to tell you the truth, there's not an appreciable difference between 105 and 110 mph!"

Power tools

They warned us there was going to be some sort of test.

Life is but a dream

It probably would have helped my GPA had I stayed awake in math class more often!

Blockbuster season

Normally I wouldn't run two Mission President cartoons in one week. But this is kind of an exception: tonight is our ward's missionary movie night! Ward members were asked to come up with a short video — most are between 30 seconds and one minute — that describes a verse in the Book of Mormon. The missionaries have received about 26 of them (at last count), and they each offer a unique perspective of the Book of Mormon. Some are very professionally done, some are...less so. Yet there's a great spirit about them!

Come on by and join us! It starts at 7 at the stake center. Bring a dessert and share some scriptural insights!

Search the scriptures

One of my favorite General Conference addresses ever was Elder Richard G. Scott's "The Power of Scripture" from October 2011. In it he says that scriptures are like packets of light that can lighten our way.* "To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship," he said.

There's a lot we can learn from the scriptures. There are good examples, and as Santa knows, there are bad examples.


*Interesting that it's Rudolph who shows up on the Christmas countdown today!

The power of the word

Have you ever read the scriptures to help you fall asleep and then have the completely opposite effect?

Caption Contest Winner!

It was hard to choose from so many good entries, but here's the winner to our latest caption contest!

Congratulations to faithful reader Bobby, who wins a copy of You're on a Slippery Slope, Elder!, a collection of missionary-related cartoons.

Thank you to all who entered!

Subtlety

Parents of teenage boys, am I right?

Power up!

It's General Conference time! Be sure to participate — there are plenty of opportunities to watch!

Be sure to come back and see my sketch notes from conference. I'll have them posted after the sessions.

What's in your locker?

Everyone needs one of these.

The Land of Desolation

For one of my sons, it's a clean room when we can see a patch of the carpet.