How to Pass Seminary

80% attendance is passing. So it is PASS or FAIL.

I do not give A B C F grades.

I do let the bishop know how you do, how often you are tardy, and where you are in your reading. Both bishops from our two wards (and that is covering four high schools my students attend!) are quick to respond to reports about you. I know they care about you, pray for you, and are very interested in how you feel about seminary.

Your parents are getting the pass or fail information by this Sunday.

And some students are borderline %. Close. A few make-up days will make a big difference for passing seminary this year, and graduating, for many of you.

How to make-up a day:
1. Bear your testimony this coming Sunday. That equals one missed seminary day.
2. Fill in a heart/mind/strength/might form. (You can use your computer and EMAIL me: landbeck@verizon.net )


Susquehanna Seminary Student NAME:_______________________

During a recent General Conference, please pick out at least one quote/talk that focuses on counsel that applies to YOU, Your HEART, your MIND, your STRENGTH, your MIGHT.
Speaker:_________________________________ Scriptures used:______________________

Heart-
Mind-
Strength-
Might-

Application, what it means to ME, what I FEEL/DO/CHANGE/THINK/BE etc:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


TURN IN FOR CREDIT
=MAKE-UP FOR ONE MISSED SEMINARY DAY




The heart is a muscular organ pumping blood …in gospel terms: feelings and DESIRES; open heart; one heart =united; broken heart=HUMBLE; place where faith seeds planted; pure heart; change in heart =conversion; prayer in heart; understanding heart...

Mind refers to the aspects of intellect and consciousness manifested as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination…

Strength is the ability of an animal to exert force on physical objects using muscles. What you DO, ACTIONS, DEEDS

Might (mīt) n. The power, force, or influence held by a person or group.
(This is the missionary power you have, the atmosphere you create in your family, among your friends).

My Treasure

My experiences and struggles can turn into seminary lessons.

I told the students today about my trial on Saturday. How frustrated I was, burdened, upset. I drove down to Slaughter Beach and started putting stones in my pockets.

98 stones.

And how I received an answer to my prayer. How the Holy Ghost reminded me that prayer helps strengthen me. How I am supposed to cast my burdens on the Lord, and not let them weigh down my pockets.

I didn't tell them this, but how beautiful the rocks look when wet. Tears or salt water from the ocean.

I did tell them they are my treasure. How I thought of them as I picked up the rocks, thinking of their uniqueness, beauty, their testimonies, questions, enthusiasm.

And how I didn't want to be a stumbling block to them. I didn't want to fail and fall apart and lose faith because I know they are watching me.

And I know people are watching them. Challenged them to be a stepping stone for others, a way into the Church. A pathway to Christ, through their actions and example and testimony.




Fingernail polish makes the rocks permanently shiny. Permanet marker sealed with a second layer of polish preserves the message: Stepping Stone and Stumbling Block, sometimes shortened to "step" and "stumble" on the other side of the rock.

Dress Down

Me in my modest pink pajammas, seconds before the class walked in.

I used Sister Mueller's idea about dressing down for teaching seminary to point out the ways we communicate with our dress. How we appear matters. It communicates our attitude about the event we are attending. Shows our respect.

We talked about the Amlicites marking themselves. Discussed ways we mark ourselves to look like the world.

Party MONDAY January 4th

And there will be food!

Moses 6:63
"And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath; all things bear record of me."

Alma 30:44
"...the scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

Since we missed having our Christmas celebration due to snow days, tomorrow we will exchange our secret Santa gifts and have a devotional by you. Everyone will pick an object from the basket and tell how it relates to the life of Christ and could be used to testify and teach about our Savior.

Happy 11th day of Christmas tomorrow! Some families celebrate 12th Night and remember the gifts the wise men brought.

Gold
Frankincense
Myrrh

What gifts can we give Him now?

White Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Hope you have a clean, free-from-sin, repent-ful, white-as-snow, heart-ful Christmas celebration with your families!

Since school is cancelled then no seminary and YES class on TUESDAY so we can celebrate together, with our secret santa gifts (if you have forgotten the name, call or email me) wrapped and brought in brown anonymous lunch sacks--under $5 spent or one hour of creative making (don't knit a scarf for 10 hours for someone! But please personalize the gift to fit the student!).

Take your scriptures home over the break so you can read!

When we come back in January on the 4th, 5:55 am, we will pick up in Mosiah 18.

If you have time to check out "The Smile Challenge" over in the sidebar on the right, it is something I will introduce to you in January.






I love you guys! I love teaching and sharing the Gospel with you in the mornings.

Building Blocks for the Tower

Students each chose 5 Lincoln Logs or Legos and worked as a pair to build a tower, as tall and strong as they could. Some towers were taller, some stronger!

Then we had to figure out what the building blocks were from Mosiah chapters 1 & 2.

Here is the list:

literacy/education
scriptures
temple
family
righteous rulers
keeping the commandments
service (love the Lord; love your neighbor)
gratitude
humility
teaching others

Which blocks are the most important? Which do you feel like you need to work on more? What is the foundation under your tower? (What should it be?) Is your tower strong enough to withstand temptations, winds, storms of Satan?

We talked about being like a little child, teachable, submissive, curious, Christ-like, and the difference between child-like and childish.

Hey, and we were playing with blocks and having fun!

To be up-to-date on reading this week: Mosiah 5-10 before Christmas.

CHRISTMAS PARTY: Monday December 21st 5:55 am, my home! Bring your secret Santa gift (you have one week).

There will be chairs (we went without on Friday so the ward could set up the big Christmas dinner with them).

DEVOTIONAL week of 14th-18= Jameson!

SNOW days policy

If it is snowing, is there DAILY SEMINARY?

Since our county does not announce school delays or closings until 5:30 am (and some of you are awake by then, getting ready to come to class) we will establish a phone/texting tree to make sure you know seminary is being held on questionable weather days.

The policy is NO SCHOOL=NO SEMINARY. On a delayed day, no seminary. If you don't feel safe that early before roads are cleared or super icy, don't risk your physical safety.

But, I will encourage you to still spend some time at home with your scriptures open, reading and fortifying yourself for your day. Put on that armor of God every day!



Thank you to Bro. Landbeck and his mom for subbing for me while I was out of town working. We will start in MOSIAH Monday morning, December 7th!