Personal Online Journal

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

One Eternal Round

Scriptures that use the phrase "one eternal round"

"I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round." (Alma 7:20

"And it may suffice if I only say [The Book of Mormon records] are preserved for a wise purpose, which purpose is known unto God; for he doth counsel in wisdom over all his works, and his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round." (Alma 37:12)

"For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round." (1 Nephi 10:19)

"For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round." (D&C 3:2)

"Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal round, the same today as yesterday, and forever." (D&C 35:1)

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I also found this YouTube video by Greg Matsen who is "the founder of Cwic Media" and "has a strange passion for ancient history & religion." He talked about how the round is a symbol of the higher law and some of the ancient history of circles. Also how it related to the square and the lower law. 

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In addition, I found this from Scott R. Braithwaite, assistant professor of psychology at BYU, BYU Campus Education Week Sep 2014. "Deliberate practice is so intense you can only do it for one to four hours a day. It also involves seeking critical feedback targeted at improvement from an unbiased mentor." ("Improvement and Progression: One Eternal Round")

A study of students at the Academy of Music in Berlin was set up to determine what separated the best students from the average students. All of the students were extremely talented. “The key was not how many hours were spent in total because they all spent the same amount of time,” said Brother Braithwaite. “The key was how they spent their time. Elite performers spent 3.5 hours practicing alone and the lowest skilled musicians spent 1.5 hours.” The best students also worked in two defined periods at a deep level and took a nap and rested in between periods. The worst students were busy all day, never rested and never got intense, deliberate practice.


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Vulnerability

"I define vulnerability as uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure." (Brené Brown, Daring Greatly, p 34)

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Worth Versus Worthiness

I am having an issue with how Brené Brown uses worthy and how my church uses it. “Am I worthy to have a temple recommend” does not jive with Brené’s definition. She might use “Am I recommended to have a temple recommend” Following use words different than worthy in a Latter-day context. 

- Can I answer all the temple recommend questions affirmatively?

- Am I congruent with the temple recommend questions?

- Am I aligned with the temple recommend questions?

- Am I straight with respect to the temple recommend questions?

- Am I loyal to the temple recommend questions?

- Am I to be trusted that I live the gospel to the extent that I can attend the temple?

- Am I living the gospel to the extent that I can attend the temple?

In contrast, in a Latter-day context what Brené Brown defines as worthiness is closer to being of worth or being deserving or being of value. This song shows our belief of individual worth. "I am of infinite worth" Janice Kapp Perry & Joy Saunders Lundberg, I Walk By Faith (2010)


“if we are continuously repenting and improving, then we are worthy to partake of the sacrament.” (“The Beauty and Importance of the Sacrament,” General Conference, April 1989).


What is the difference between being worthy and having a sense of my individual worth?

“Let me point out the need to differentiate between two critical words: worth and worthiness. They are not the same. Spiritual worth means to value ourselves the way Heavenly Father values us, not as the world values us. Our worth was determined before we ever came to this earth. “God’s love is infinite and it will endure forever.”3

On the other hand, worthiness is achieved through obedience. If we sin, we are less worthy, but we are never worth less! We continue to repent and strive to be like Jesus with our worth intact. As President Brigham Young taught: “The least, the most inferior spirit now upon the earth … is worth worlds.”4 No matter what, we always have worth in the eyes of our Heavenly Father.” ("Value beyond Measure", Joy D. Jones, Oct 2017)

Instead of asking “Am I worthy?”, ask “Am I of worth?”


Thursday, March 18, 2021

Come Follow Me Podcasts that I listen to

Come Follow Me for Us
Melanie Stroud is the host of Come Follow Me for Us. Here is the Book of Mormon Daily Study program. Here is the link to the podcast. 

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/3vCK5Xkn8WnybenySfrHv7?si=qTwLmQEsQASTXJF7fRUK8w

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/come-follow-me-for-us-podcast/id1448229352

Come Follow Me Insights
Here is the YouTube list for Doctrine & Covenants. 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhfh21X9suLfDM0oD8LbEDjFKiKd_Cu_T

One of the hosts is Tyler J. Griffin. He is an Ancient Scripture professor at BYU. 

Another is Taylor Halverson. He is an Associate Teaching Professor of Entrepreneurship in the BYU Marriott School of Business