Thoughts and stories, by Pal

These images I took on a tour of Israel.    Chapter 5 – New Testament. Matthew 13 to 15.  These events took place at a time when Jesus Christ and His disciples were facing increasing opposition from many Pharisees.  Jesus began using a teaching method called parables to teach truths about the kingdom of Heaven. The word parable means “a comparison” or setting side by side.  Each compares the “kingdom of heaven” to a physical object, and could reach listeners at their individual levels of spirituality.  The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “I have a key by which I understand the scriptures.  I inquire what was the question which drew out the answer, or caused Jesus to utter the parable?”  In some parables the Savior Himself gave the interpretation, such as the parable of the sower and the wheat and the tares. Pres. Hugh B. Brown pointed out that the Savior’s parables most likely developed out of ordinary day-to-day experiences.  They were wor...

We had a child one time be lost -- actually left by accident, and we had to go back and find her! -- and it was really a panic.  This shows how Heavenly Father wants to welcome back anyone who has been lost from Him for a time. How the Lord Feels About Finding Lost Things By  Ted Gibbons  · January 29, 2019 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE Cover image: “The Lost Lamb” by Robert Theodore Barrett. Have you ever lost something important? How did you feel when it was found? Have you ever lost a small child, or been lost yourself? What feelings did you have as you searched for a missing infant, or when a missing toddler was found?   Part of the power of the teachings of the Savior was found in his ability to draw spiritual lessons from the common experiences of the people. Try to identify with these parables of the Savior that relate to the emotions of finding something valuable that you have lost? ...