Teachings of the Living Prophets †Theology Essay

Teachings of the Living Prophets – Theology Essay Free Online Research Papers Teachings of the Living Prophets Theology Essay In a spiritually turbulent world, General Conference is a wonderful haven. The messages from the General Authorities never fail to bring the Spirit and inspire us to draw closer to Christ; it is clearly evident from their pleadings that they who speak in Conference desire nothing greater than our eternal happiness. The April 2002 meeting certainly was no exception. Those who spoke chose a myriad of topics with which to focus their message, but a general theme appeared in every talk- the world is spiritually dangerous, but Christ’s example and Gospel give us the sole means by which we can fight the influence of Satan, improve, and progress. The meeting opened with President Hinckley’s characteristic optimism. It was the first Conference since the Olympics took place in the same city, and our Prophet had nothing but good, inspiring news about the Church’s positive influence and growth as a result of that international event. He tells us, â€Å"out of all of this came something wonderful for the Church† (Ensign, May 2002 5). The media, which in general had outdated and otherwise prejudiced concepts of the Church, quickly discovered that they were mistaken. They wrote kind things about our institution that were not only positive but accurate. In a spiritually treacherous world, President Hinckley has given us hope and assurance that we are on the right team- that we who follow the Church of Christ are doing what is going to be not only temporally but eternally beneficial. Elder Hales also spoke of the benefits of the last Olympics. His talk centrally concerned the concept of emerging into light out of darkness; the Church has certainly accomplished this with the recent events in Salt Lake City. However, Elder Hales continues to expound on this concept of â€Å"marvelous light† by explaining that the ultimate example of light is Jesus Christ. â€Å"I bear my special witness that Jesus Christ ‘is the light and the life of the world’† (Ibid. 71). Only by pursuing and looking toward our Savior and His teachings as the ultimate light source can we survive the turbulence of the worldly forces around us. In the following talk, President Hinckley enhances this point by likening the darkness to the unknown in front of us. He says that faith is the light by which we can progress into that unfamiliar. â€Å"We reach toward the unknown, but faith lights the way. If we will cultivate that faith, we will never walk in darkness† (Ib id. 73). Elder Russell M. Nelson speaks of this faith as a foundation against the stormy darkness of the world and the burdens it can cause. This foundation is two-tiered. First, of course, there is the immovable foundation of the Lord’s gospel- our Savior’s teachings in amalgamation as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But on a second level, our individual faith is a foundation. Elder Nelson says, â€Å"We know that God lives and that He loves us. Standing on that firm foundation, we can reach up and find strength to endure the heavy burdens of life† (Ibid. 76). Certainly, building a foundation of faith in Christ’s gospel is essential to withstand the buffetings of the world. Faith as a foundation is fundamentally important, but how do we progress from there? Elder Scott expands on the principle of faith with the concept of â€Å"full† or â€Å"true† conversion. He tells us, â€Å"Stated simply, true conversion is the fruit of faith, repentance, and consistent obedience† (Ibid. 25). Not every member of the Church is fully converted; conversion and Church membership are not synonymous terms. However, by building the foundation of faith, repenting when necessary, and striving to be obedient in a consistent manner, we can attain â€Å"full conversion.† Being fully converted means that we are fully equipped to combat Satan and his influence. But more importantly, Elder Scott stresses the point that this process brings about what the prophets ultimately desire- our happiness. Often heard coupled with this â€Å"happiness† is that wonderful word â€Å"peace.† What an ephemeral concept in these turbulent days! Nevertheless, Elder Ballard reminds us how to obtain peace despite our tremulous surroundings. Peace is not found through unchaste activities, or through actions devoid of charity, pleasurable as they may be. Peace is not found in any manner of wickedness. â€Å"Peace- real peace, whole-souled, to the very core of your being- comes only in and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ† (Ibid. 88). Though location of this peace may be difficult at times, the Lord is always willing to help us obtain it, and the greatest way we obtain help from the Lord is through prayer. We all need the Lord’s help. It is all fine and great to preach obedience and champion progression, but we cannot really go too far without assistance from our Heavenly Father. Luckily, we have His help when we need it. James E. Faust teaches, â€Å"[prayer] is recognition that we need help beyond our own ability† (Ibid. 59). Most assuredly, this is true. God has allowed us to be on the Earth at this time, but He has not done so without promise of His loving assistance. Heavenly Father cannot assist us, however, without an action to assist. President Monson relates how the success of the Tahitian sea captains can be attributed to a single poignant phrase- â€Å"They pray and they go.† In other words, they do not pray for safety and success and then sit at the docks. Faith for them is how it should be- a belief and an action. President Monson later admonishes, â€Å"Let us †¦ be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Let us pray; then let us go and do† (Ibid. 51). Through faith in the Gospel and subsequent application of that faith, we will be able to withstand the storms of this world just as the Tahitians navigated the tempests of their islands. Never has correct application of our faith been so important as it is today. President Hinckley speaks of the tragic evils of spouse abuse, abuse of the elderly, and the malevolence of child abuse. Molestation and abuse of children is a terrible problem; Elder Boyd K. Packer’s talk on children gave an even further assurance that this evil is one of the greatest plagues of our modern era. The Prophet counsels that our behavior and actions â€Å"must be above reproach† (Ibid. 52). Although he is speaking specifically to priesthood holders, this council certainly has universal application. No one, of course, is perfect. The Lord loves us anyway. Elder Maxwell assures us that â€Å"the Lord has said consolingly, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’† In addition, â€Å"He has also promised to make weak things strong† (Ibid. 38). And Elder Holland, in his talk on the â€Å"other prodigal,† makes it clear that Heavenly Father loves us- â€Å"insecurities, anxieties, self-image and all† (Ibid. 64). In addition, we are given friends to help us progress in our quest to become like Christ, as Elder Eyring points out. Sometimes these friends bring us to the Gospel and sometimes they provide reinforcements in the battle against the world. The battle against the world is raging fiercely in these latter days and the Gospel of Jesus Christ provides the only true and lasting counsel against its onslaught. Elder Dallin H. Oaks reflects in his talk that he is â€Å"grateful for the warnings of the scriptures and Church leaders on things to avoid† (Ibid. 35). He then describes the importance of taking on the â€Å"whole armor of God† to be able to withstand the last days. The rest of his talk is also wonderful in its description of the ability of the Church to assist in our progression. He makes it clear that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way by which we can truly improve and fight against the evils of pornography, alcohol, drugs, and gambling, to name a few. Elder Wirthlin calls these vices â€Å"nets,† and likens them and other addictive or worldly pursuits to the nets of Simon Peter when the Lord called out to him, â€Å"follow me.† In other words, they may be difficult to leave becau se they are so comfortable, addictive, or pleasurable. We can imagine it was a big thing for Peter to leave his nets- they were, after all, his livelihood and he was no destitute fisherman by any means. Elder Wirthlin summarizes his point by telling us, â€Å"Jesus the Christ is ‘the way, the truth, and the life: no [one] cometh unto the Father, but by [Him]† (Ibid. 17). Basically, following Christ is the only way to avoid the pitfalls of the world and come â€Å"unto the Father.† Just as he opened optimistically, President Hinckley exuded similar hope and faith in his brief closing remarks. Probably the most significant of those remarks was his hope that, â€Å"Each of us should be a little better for this rich experience. Otherwise, our gathering has been largely in vain† (Ibid. 90). Implicit in this statement is the inference that the purpose of the General Conference was to help us improve and progress. Obviously, then, we should not ignore or passively take in the talks given at Conference. Even in this world, with its spinning tempestuous wickedness and plummeting standards, our ultimate goal still remains to progress toward eternal happiness by following the teachings of Christ. It may be more difficult than it has been. It may require a little more effort. But this is why we have prophets today: to guide us and teach us the Gospel of Jesus Christ- the only path to attain joy on Earth and happiness in the eternities. 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A Level System Supports Positive Behavior

A Level System Supports Positive Behavior A level system for behavior contract is in many ways a sophisticated system for improving and shaping students long term behavior. By establishing levels, much as in a rubric for academic performance, you can shape students behavior by slowly increasing the expectations for meeting each level. This system is particularly good for secondary students, and can help a student in a single class or across classes. Creating a Level System Choosing Behaviors to Monitor Begin by identifying which behaviors will pull the cart of the students behavior. In other words if you successfully identify behaviors that are pivotal for improving a students over all performance and behavior in your class, focus on them. Behaviors need to be explicit and measurable, although data collection is not your primary focus. Still, avoid general, subjective terms like respectful, or attitude. Focus on the behaviors that will eliminate the attitude. Instead of shows respect for peers you need to identify the behavior as Waits to be called on or Waits rather than interrupts peers. You cannot tell your students what to feel. You can tell them what their behavior should look like. Choose 4 or 5 behaviors that will define the levels: i.e. PunctualityConforming to rules.Completing assignments,Participation Some people would include listening but I find that some secondary students who appear to be ignoring the teacher may actually be listening. You can ask for certain kinds of academic behavior that show whether a student has been attending or not. You cannot actually see students listening. Define the Behaviors for Each Level Describe what is excellent, good, or poor punctuality. Excellent may be on time and ready to learn. Good might be on time. And poor would be late or tardy. Determine Consequences for the Students Behavior Positive consequences can be given weekly or daily, depending on the age and maturity of the student or the intensity or inappropriateness of the behavior. For students with grossly inappropriate behavior , or who have a long way to go, you may want to reward performance daily. As a student participates in a behavior support program, over time, you want to thin reinforcement as well as spread it out so that students learn eventually to evaluate their own behavior and reward themselves for appropriate behavior. Consequences can be positive (a reward) or negative (loss of privileges) depending on the number of excellents or the number of poors each student earns. Decide Who will Provide the Reinforcement I would try to get parents to do the reinforcing if at all possible. Secondary students are especially gifted at working teachers against parents or parents against teacher. When you have parents on board, you are more likely to get the cooperation of a student. It also make lessons learned in school generalize to the students home. There is also nothing wrong with double dipping, providing one level of reward at school (i.e. a privilege earned for so many excellents) and another at home (a trip to a preferred restaurant with the family for so many excellents in a week, etc.) Evaluate and Re-evaluate Eventually, your goal is for students to learn to self-evaluate. You want to Fade from supporting the students behavior. You want to achieve these by. Increasing the time you evaluate, from daily to weekly.Raise the level of behavior you want the student to exhibit for each behavior (especially academic behavior. Tools for a Level Behavior System A Contract: Your contract needs to lay out the who, what, where, when, how of your system. Who: The students who will perform the behavior, the parent(s) who will reinforce the appropriate behavior and the teacher(s) who will evaluate the students behavior.What: Behavior you want to see increase. Remember, keep it positive.Where: all classes, or just one where the student is struggling? Do mom and want to continue the plan at home? (include levels for cleaning the room, say, or touching base with parents when out with friends?)When: Daily? Each period? Weekly? Remember to make it often enough to quickly increase the behavior, but understand that you will eventually be thinning reinforcement by spreading the incidence of reinforcement over longer intervals.How: Who is the evaluator? Will you give the student input on evaluation, or will it all be on you? Monitoring Tools: You want to create a tool that will make it easy for you or for general education teachers who may be evaluating students. I offer you models for A contract for a single class with a key.A blank contract for a single class.A week for a self contained program.A week for multiple classes.