Sunday, December 31, 2006

Accomplishments

Back at RedCliff the basic skill all students began their program with was fire making. It was essential for making food and keeping warm. We used the Bow Drill form of making fire. It is hard to learn and hard to master, but most staff could make fire within a few weeks of working. I understood all the elements of bow drill fire making. I was very good at teaching students how to make fire. But for the life of me I couldn’t make a fire of my own. After a month or two of trying it became embarrassing to not know how to make fire. Nathan or a student would always make the daily fire and it was unknown to anyone beside Nathan that I couldn’t make fire. Believe me, I tried, and tried, and tried, and tried to make fire. I’d spend days on our off shifts trying to get it. I knew how to make fire. I’d bow until I had bloody knuckles and blisters on both hands to no avail, I didn’t have sufficient down-pressure to make a coal. I have arthritis-like problems in my left wrist. The left hand is the down-pressure hand and because I couldn’t put sufficient weight on my wrist I couldn’t get the friction I needed between the fire board and spindle to produce a coal. After trying for so long to no avail I basically gave up my fire making attempts.

Sometime after I’d worked at RedCliff for something close to a year a bold student announced to the group that he’d never seen me make a fire and said that I probably didn’t know how to. We laughed at him (yeah right, how could a staff not know how to make fire?!) but the comment got me trying to make fires again.

Nathan had broken in a perfect fire set for me. He found and cut a special fireboard made out of cotton root (softer than the regular sage). He’d made me a perfect bow, and skinny spindles (requires less down-pressure). I still remember the moment precisely. I’d gone away from the group a little bit while they were making dinner. I probably lied and said I was breaking in a new fire set. I got to bowing and the fireboard started smoking. Then it smoked more and more and for the first time ever I yelled, “COAL!” No one paid much attention (a staff getting a coal isn’t newsworthy), but I saw Nathan beaming from one ear to the other as I put the coal in the nest and a few moments later yelled, “FLAME!”

I stomped it out and made another fire. I stomped it out and made another, then another. From that day forward making a fire was never hard, even later when I started working with sage on sage kits. My wrist was stronger and the mental block was finally gone.

A couple months later was the big quarterly Shindig where all the groups get together for a big wilderness party. Most of the entertainment is a series of competitions between the students. The last competition of every Shindig is the Staff Bow Drill Competition. It is the big finale. I entered the contest with at least 15 other staff members. We started in the “regulation” pose, standing over our equipment. Stone Bear yelled “GO!” and we all huddled down and started bowing. Surprising even myself, a few moments later I yelled “COAL!” I carefully dumped the coal into the nest and stood up as I blew into the nest. My group and Nathan were excitedly screaming encouragement. I knew I had it. A moment later I yelled “FLAME!” and Stone Bear yelled “Timber wins with a 25 second flame!!! This might be a record!” I dropped the flaming nest and ran to hug Nathan.

That moment of winning sticks out in my memory as one of the most paramount moments of my life. It was the culmination of countless hours of hard work. No one besides Nathan knew the blood, tears and sheer frustration I’d put into making fire. No one knew how ridiculously long it had taken me to make that first fire. No one knew the downright achievement it was for me to win a competition like that. If there was ever a moment in history where the underdog won, it was the moment I yelled “FLAME!”

As I look back on this year, I think of that moment in my life. I’ve always wished that I could have gone on a mission. I wish that I could have set myself apart and studied and taught and felt that missionary Spirit that Nathan and Amy and Cari all wrote home with. I’ve always held a sad spot for missing out on that one unique experience. It’s a feeling somewhat like how I felt about wanting to make fire and being frustratingly incapable. What I learned this year, and what will make 2006 stand out for the rest of my life is that this is the year that I gained a missionary-like understanding.

I set the goal of doing the CES independent study coursework for the Old Testament. I dedicated an average of 1 hour per day to the study of scripture. On some days I studied for something closer to 4 or 5 hours. It was hard to study that much and keep on track. But I can easily say that what I gained was far greater than what I expected. I found that same Spirit of the Lord that missionaries find on their missions. Like those on their missions I carried that Spirit with me every day. I can’t say that I effectively taught a single person this year, but I gained more insight than I have ever before in my entire life. I understand the Gospel better. My testimony is stronger. My love and supreme appreciation for my Savior deepened. I know that my Savior loves me. I don’t have to look beyond Nathan’s car accident to know that we are being watched over and protected. There is nothing more central in my life than this feeling of joy.

Today marks the end of one of the hardest goals I have ever set for myself. As I closed the final CES book and Bible I felt something like a missionary stepping off the airplane and realizing that everything I poured myself into for so long is now over. But unlike the missionary, a new chapter has already begun for me. Today begins next year’s study of the New Testament. If there is any one thing I learned from my hours of study in 2006, it is this: The Spirit I feel is worth it.

Quote of the Day

“I am convinced that each of us, at some time in our lives, must discover the scriptures for ourselves—and not just discover them once, but rediscover them again and again.”

~President Kimball

Thursday, December 28, 2006

New Testament Reading List 2007

OK! Here is the week-by-week list that I came up with. It's not flawless, and it's not totally chronological, but I tried my best to keep things together! (See the first post for links to each book)

~CES 211 = The Life and Teachings of Jesus & his Apostles.
~CES 212 = Same book, 2nd half
~PJC = Understanding the Parables of Jesus Christ
~JtC = Jesus the Christ
~UBR = Understanding the Book of Revelation
~The New Testament chapters to be read weekly are the ones congruent with the CES and Parry books (it lists them at the beginning of each chapter).

Email me and I'll send you an Excel copy of the list. It's easier to read and can be kept in the book to keep you on track!


WEEK,
READING MATERIAL

Jan 1 - 6
CES 211--Ch. 1,2,3

Jan 7 - 13
CES 211--Ch. 4,5,6

Jan 14 - 20
CES 211--Ch. 7,8,9

Jan 21 - 27
CES 211--Ch. 10,11,12

Jan 28 - Feb 3
PJC--Ch. 1,2,3

Feb 4 - 10
PJC--Ch. 4,5,6

Feb 11 - 17
PJC--Ch. 7,8,9

Feb 18 - 24
CES 211--Ch 13,14,15

Feb 25 - Mar 3
CES 211--Ch 16,17,18

Mar 4 - 10
PJC--Ch. 10,11,12

Mar 11 - 17
PJC--Ch. 13,14,15

Mar 18 - 24
PJC--Ch. 16,17,18

Mar 25 - 31
PJC--Ch. 19,20,21

Apr 1 - 7
CES 211--Ch. 19,20,21

Apr 8 - 14
PJC--Ch. 22,23,24

Apr 15 - 21
PJC--Ch. 25,26,27

Apr 22 - 28
CES 211--Ch. 22,23,24

Apr 29 - May 5
PJC--Ch.28,29,30

May 6 - 12
CES 211 25,26,27,28

May 13 - 19
JtC--Ch. 1-5

May 20 - 26
JtC--Ch. 6-8

May 27 - Jun 2
JtC--Ch. 9-11

Jun 3 - 9
JtC--Ch. 12-14

Jun 10 - 16
JtC--Ch. 15-17

Jun 17 - 23
JtC--Ch. 18-19

Jun 24 - 30
JtC--Ch. 20-21

Jul 1 - 7
JtC--Ch. 22-24

Jul 8 - 14
JtC--Ch. 25-26

Jul 15 - 21
JtC--Ch. 27-28

Jul 22 - 28
JtC--Ch. 29-30

Jul 29 - Aug 4
JtC--Ch. 31-32

Aug 5 - 11
JtC--Ch. 33-34

Aug 12 - 18
JtC--Ch. 35-37

Aug 19 - 25
JtC--Ch. 38-39

Aug 26 - Sept 1
JtC--Ch. 40-42

Sept 2 - 8
CES 212--Ch 29,30,31

Sept 9 - 15
CES 212--Ch. 32,33,34

Sept 16 - 22
CES 212--Ch. 35,36,37

Sept 23 - 29
CES 212--Ch. 38,39,40

Sept 30 - Oct 6
CES 212--Ch. 41,42,43

Oct 7 - 13
CES 212--Ch. 44,45,46

Oct 14 - 20
CES 212--Ch. 47,48,49

Oct 21 - 27
CES 212--Ch. 50,51,52,53

Oct 28 - Nov 3
CES 212--Ch. 54 UBR 1,2,3

Nov 4 - 10
CES 212--Ch. 55 UBR 4,5,6

Nov 11 - 17
CES 212--Ch. 55 UBR 7,8,9

Nov 18- 24
CES 212--Ch. 55 UBR 10,11,12

Nov 25 - Dec 1
CES 212--Ch. 55 UBR 13,14,15

Dec 2 - 8
CES 212--Ch. 55 UBR 16,17,18

Dec 9 - 15
CES 212--Ch. 56 UBR 19,20,21

Dec 16 - 22
CES 212--Ch. 26 UBR 22

Dec 23 - 31
Catch-up week!

Welcome!

Welcome to Theology 101. The goal for 2007 is an intensive study of the New Testament. I'm really excited about this goal and I look forward to sharing ideas with anyone who wants to come on this year-long trek with me!

I'm compiling a week-by-week reading list. Having it set in that format helped me out tremendously last year as I studied the Old Testament. The books I'm including in this years reading are:

~The New Testament (King James Version (online) & Joseph Smith's "New Translation" of the Bible[JST]) (online)

If you have other books that would fit in with this years study, please let me know.

I'll post the week-by-week guide as soon as it is done.

I'd like this to be a community blog. If you would like to join the discussion, email me at featherskyfalling@hotmail.com and I'll add you! More opinions make for a better study!