Monday, September 9, 2019

Scripture Study- How even our lamest efforts can help us connect to the Lord


I only had a few days to prepare this Sacrament talk on the Power of Scriptures
However, the message came pretty strongly- that the Lord wanted me to share that He loves us for any effort we make to draw His power in to our lives. I know regardless of our limitations and situations He will reach back  in so much mercy and with so much encouragement, to connect with us. I had a few people ask if I had my talk to share, so even though I haven't touched this blog in a while, I decide to put it up here. I hope it can help encourage someone to just try. I know if we do, the Lord will surprise us with His merciful responses. 


Power of the Scriptures Sacrament Talk                             
Chelsea Bowen Bretzke


Do you know where you were Saturday Morning April 5th, 2014?
I do. I was 10 days away from having my 4th child. Hadley Pearl, our first girl, that I never thought we’d have after 3 boys (it’s still so strange that we’ll be almost even after this third girl arrives in December). I was probably wearing my red zip up house coat, that I tend to wear way too often when I’m pregnant (I wore it while I typed this talk!)
Ben’s work still required a lot of travel at that time. Aaron was almost 8, and I was busy balancing home and school therapies for him, McKye was in kindergarten (with those awesome half day pickups) and Levi was a crazy little 3 year old.
And I was stressed.
It was conference weekend.  We most likely had lego out, sometimes I’d have conference coloring sheets, but they usually only lasted a few minutes with my active boys.
I often tell people 3 kids was my hardest. Ironically, I now have twice that many, 3 littles at home and 3 in school, and it’s still crazy, but I’ve grown more into it, but at that stage I was completely overwhelmed.
I was trying to listen to the talks, sitting as comfortably as any 9-month pregnant woman can.  Sister Linda K. Reeves was speaking, and she started a story that got my attention.
“Some of you have heard me tell how overwhelmed my husband, Mel, and I felt as the parents of four young children.”
Four kids? Overwhelmed? She might as well of been sitting beside me on the couch talking only to me.
“As we faced the challenges of parenting” she said “nd keeping up with the demands of life, we were desperate for help.”
I was desperate for help!
“We prayed and pleaded to know what to do.”
I had approached this very conference hoping for answers.
“The answer“she said, “that came was clear:”
I grabbed my notebook, ready:
“It is OK if the house is a mess and the children are still in their pajamas and some responsibilities are left undone. The only things that really need to be accomplished in the home are daily scripture study and prayer and weekly family home evening.”
I was bawling as the Spirit confirmed this was our answer too.
She continued: “We were trying to do these things, but they were not always the priority and, amidst the chaos, were sometimes neglected. We changed our focus and tried not to worry about the less-important things. Our focus became to talk, rejoice, preach, and testify of Christ by striving to daily pray and study the scriptures and have weekly family home evening.”  ( https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2014/04/protection-from-pornography-a-christ-focused-home?lang=eng )

This became my mantra for years. The thing I held to when I was tempted to get after myself for the many things I felt were getting left undone. It’s okay, I’m doing the only things that really matter.

Today I’ve been asked to speak on the power we gain from scripture study.

I love the scriptures. I have had times in my life, as perhaps you have, when I devoted a lot of  time to study. Before and during my mission for sure. I sat at a desk. I had reference books, and scripture markers, and wrote quotes on sticky notes and filled the margins with ideas, and cross references. 

And I learned a lot.

I have also had times when it seemed all I could do, is lay in my bed and press play, and let the words of the scriptures wash over me, hoping their light could dispel a bit of the darkness that seemed to envelope me.

And I learned a lot then too.

In both cases, I learned that the scriptures have power. And that it is a power the Lord WANTS us to access. They are the words of Christ and His Power makes His words powerful.

Pres Benson described this power, specifically speaking of the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon “There is a power in the book,” he said” which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called 'the words of life' (see D&C 84:85),… When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance." (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, Nov. 1986, p. 7)

Those years when we decided the most important thing was those spiritual priorities, the other areas of our lives were so blessed.
And times when we have let those priorities slip I can feel myself becoming frustrated, desperate again, seeking but never finding satisfactory answers or guidance. 

And so I have come to think as Peter “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)

Who else are we going to turn to, google? Netflix? others many and contradictory opinions? Once we have experiences gaining guidance and strength from True Messengers-- from the scriptures and words of living prophets-- none of the other counterfeits will ever be even close to satisfactory- because they lack the power of Christ, the power of the Holy Ghost, the very powers of Heaven.

As Nephi taught: ”Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” (2 Nephi 32:3)

Sister Reeves was nothing less than an angel to me that day, she delivered a message from God to me, and I know angels are ready to help you find the messages and answers you seek as well.

But it won’t happen if we do nothing.

Ben’s mission president and his wife changed the old adage “anything worth doing is worth doing well” into
“Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly”
Don’t wait to read your scriptures in only ideal circumstances.
We need the power now and any amount of effort is better than nothing.
I bare witness of the blessings of sometimes the bare minimum.

 I know a woman who at the height of her crazy years with lots of children, would just sit and hold her scriptures. I have another friend who after her busy toddlers and ripped one too many pages out of her physical scriptures began reading from her phone, but worried that her kids would think she was just playing games or something. One day her little boy picked up her phone and said “Look! I’m mommy. I’m reading my scriptures”

I have had times when our family scriptures was in the van while we did the morning drop offs (which is actually awesome because they are strapped in) somedays we would have great discussions, others, I would  put in those illustrated scripture book, they turned into the little slide show movies. Do you know how many times, there were little phrases that answered my prayers from those simple, simple scripture stories, and my rather merger efforts?

One night I laid down with Hadley, and she pulled out her little New Testament stories book. I was exhausted, and I coped out, saying, how about you just look at the pictures and tell me the story. Then to my surprise, she went through almost the whole book, and with each page, said, “Oh this one! This is the one where Jesus does this…” Trust that our small and simple efforts are being magnified by the Lord and that He and his Spirit are working with us to help us teach our families.

The best rule I’ve ever heard comes from my favourite sister Julie B Beck. She simply says that her rule it to spend “Sometime in the scriptures each day”

Isn’t that so doable?!?

I love the mercy of our leaders, who knowing how powerful the scriptures are, are basically begging us to spend even the smallest amounts of the time reading the Words of Christ.

I was just down at BYU education week in August and Elder Stevenson was the devotional speaker. He encouraged us to take some of our  “precious screen time” and give  it to time in the Book of Mormon. “It really is simple.” He said and then pulled out his own phone and hit play. He then asked if we would be willing to spend 10 minutes in the Book of Mormon.  (https://news.byu.edu/faith/byu-devotional-the-ongoing-restoration )

10 minutes. Many of you can look at your phones right now and pull up a little chart that shows you your daily and weekly screen time usage.
I’m guessing we all have a lot more than 10 minutes a day.
The brethren are willing to give us these bare minimum invitations, because I believe they know if we will start to just do something, feeling the power of the word will make us want more.

And so today, as I invite anyone who needs to just start somewhere, to just begin, I also bear witness, of the blessings of striving to increase our efforts. 

Back to Sister Reeves talk.

“A friend recently cautioned, she said, “When you ask the sisters to read the scriptures and pray more, it stresses them out. They already feel like they have too much to do.”
Brothers and sisters, because I know from my own experiences, and those of my husband, I must testify of the blessings of daily scripture study and prayer and weekly family home evening. These are the very practices that help take away stress, give direction to our lives, and add protection to our homes. Then, [when] challenges do strike our families, we can petition the Lord for help and expect great guidance from the Spirit, knowing that we have done what our Father has asked us to do.
Brothers and sisters, if these have not been practices in our homes, we can all begin now. If our children are older and refuse to join us, we can start with ourselves. As we do, the influence of the Spirit will begin to fill our homes and our lives…” End quote.

Elder Richard G Scott has warned:
“Don’t yield to Satan’s lie that you don’t have time to study the scriptures. Choose to take time to study them. Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it!” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/general-conference/2014/10/make-the-exercise-of-faith-your-first-priority?lang=eng

And finally, from our Prophet:

“My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. Let this [Sunday morning] be a defining moment in your life. Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/general-conference/2018/04/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives?lang=eng


Let me share with you two stories of people who made the choice, to put in the spiritual work required. (sorry to my Book of Moron class sisters, who’ve heard me shar these before)

First is Sister Beck- who when she was the General Relief Society, she was a spiritual giant in my eyes, and I assumed she had always been an amazing scriptorian. Then I read this story she told in a general Young Women’s meeting:

“When I was a new bride, I asked my mother-in-law, who is a very good cook, if she would teach me how to make her delicious dinner rolls. With a sparkle in her eye, she replied that it took 25 years to learn to make a good roll! Then she added, “You had better start making some.” I followed her advice, and we have enjoyed many good dinner rolls at our house. At about that same time, I was invited to a lunch for all of the Relief Society sisters in my ward who had read either the Book of Mormon or a short Church history book. I had become casual in my scripture reading, so I qualified to attend the luncheon by reading the short book because it was easier and took less time. As I was eating my lunch, I had a powerful feeling that though the history book was a good one, I should have read the Book of Mormon. The Holy Ghost was prompting me to change my scripture reading habits. That very day I began to read the Book of Mormon, and I have never stopped reading it.” (“My Soul Delighteth in the Scriptures,” April 2004 General Conference)


I LOVE THAT… her talk goes on to compare learning to make rolls with learning to read the scriptures, it took lots of attempts, some failings, and lots of learning, but what I love is how she decided, I am going to be a woman who reads her scriptures . Because she wasn’t just magically Sister Beck, any more than Nephi or Pres. Nelson became Nephi and Pres. Nelson….they CHOOSE to do the spiritual work required.

My second example, is even closer to my heart
My sister Krista- called me up one day. She said, I think I should read my scriptures. I never have and I want to. Will you help me?
She said her mornings were crazy but around 10 o clock she could settle her toddler in front of a show and have a moment, she asked if I would text her around 11 each day and ask if she’d read and then we’d reward ourselves if we were consistent for 100 days by going to Calgary, attend the temple, shop at Ikea and go out for dinner . Now, my sister doesn’t really read- anything, let alone scriptures. Some learning struggles factor into that, but reading in general is quite difficult for her. She would not have considered herself, a scriptorian by any means. Then I watched my sister change. I saw her spirituality increase. On that trip to Calgary  (technically I didn’t earn, cuz I for sure missed a couple days) we’d be talking about life, like you do and she’d say, well that’s like so and so in the Book of Mormon! Me and my sister had never talked about spiritual things before. I saw the power of daily scripture study transform my sister into a woman of faith, with the confidence that only the Spirit can bring.

In closing, Pres. Nelson has asked:
“Does God really want to speak to you?  
And his answer was “Yes!”


I really struggle with sleep. For years, I’ve had babies and toddlers waking frequently though the night. I was at a camp a few summers ago sharing a tent with my sister and my sweet little niece sleepily asked in the morning, “Auntie Chelsea, why do you your kids scream all night?” Add in Aaron’s bizarre rhythms, and the fact that he may always have random nights he stays awake wandering the house all night long and my own bouts with insomnia, I can’t even blame on my kids, but sleep is a real issue in my life.

But a few months ago, as summer began, Eliza was sleeping a bit better, and we were swimming so much Aaron was having good nights too and I was actually enjoying some summer time sleep ins.
And then I started waking up at 6:30- on the dot. Morning after morning. I’d fall back asleep, until one morning, I felt a small voice say,
“Wouldn’t you rather spend some time with me?”
I began pulling out my scriptures instead of going back to sleep.

I know the Lord loves us so much and He wants to spend time with us, he wants us to feel His encouragement, His love, His power, His peace.  
He wants us to know what it feels like to live WITH HIM, not just eventually in the next life, He wants to walk with us right now, today, and I know His scriptures and the words of Prophets are a powerful way for us to access that power and feel Him with us day by day.

Please, if you are someone who hasn’t really read scriptures regularly before, just start. If you are someone who knows you could be sacrificing more, let’s all “choose to do the spiritual work required.”
I know we can all do this. And I know It is beyond worth it.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.






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