Notes on John 13-17, "Continue Ye in My Love," CFM lesson for June 3-9

This week's reading covers four dense chapters in John.  These chapters include the washing of the feet, Christ foretelling His betrayal by Judas and the denial by Peter, three chapters of Christ's last discourse to his disciples, and finally, the Intercessory Prayer in John 17.

Christ Washes the Disciples' Feet, John 13:1-18

• John's gospel differs from the other three in the timing of the last supper.  Instead of it being the Passover meal, John says it happened before the Passover.  His timing seems designed to dramatically illustrate that Christ was killed as the Passover lamb. Eric Huntsman says of this discrepancy, "The synoptic Gospels seem to suggest that the Last Supper was a Passover meal, whereas John is clear that the Passover began at sundown of the day when Christ was crucified. John’s account seems to bear the most historical verisimilitude: a criminal would certainly not be crucified during the Passover feast itself. Additionally, the Johannine imagery is strong: the day before Passover was a Preparation Day, and between 3:00–5:00 the Paschal lambs were slaughtered in the Temple. Accordingly, Jesus died on the cross at 3:00 at the very moment the first Passover lamb was sacrificed. Although scholars have proposed a number of ways to resolve the apparent discrepancy, the most likely answer is that Jesus, knowing that he would be dead before Passover began, celebrated the feast early with his friends."  
• John also omits the story of the first sacrament but is the only one to include the washing of the feet.
• John 13:1 tells us that these things are happening, "when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father"  If you knew that your hour of death was close, what would be your priority?  Christ shows us the perfect example of setting aside His own pain and anguish and serving those He loved.  He washes their feet, tells them some of what is to come, teaches them lovingly the most important principles of the gospel, and encourages them to have faith and courage.  Then he prays for them.
• The rest of the verse says, "having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."  I love the thought of Christ loving "His own" unto the end.  Who are His?  Those who keep his commandments and those who try to do so.  Christ reserves His greatest teachings for those who are ready to hear it.
• Much of what is to follow will be done without Judas being present, but Judas does have his feet washed by Christ.  Many people point to the words on the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" as the ultimate measure of Christ's forgiving, loving character.  That is a powerful moment, but to me, the picture of Christ washing the feet of Judas on the very night of his betrayal, knowing all the while what that man would do later, shows His greatness and humility.  
• Christ could have stopped Judas and escaped or delayed his own death, but he doesn't.  Instead, he foretells the betrayal, shows Judas quietly that He knows what is in his heart, and lets the betrayal happen.

• Wayment points out that "Jesus would have removed his tunic and cloak and thus he would have been dressed like a slave in a loincloth or underclothing."  
• Remember how John the Baptist said he wasn't even worthy to unlatch the sandal of Christ? I quoted this commentary by Lynn Wilson when we talked about those chapters. It also puts the foot-washing by Christ into perspective:  "The Roman Empire maintained a clear social stratum. It carried over to Jerusalem where one half the population was slaves or servants. One of their jobs was to wash people’s feet. Walking on dusty roads left one’s feet so dirty that the cultural decorum required one’s feet to be cleaned when entering a house. Washing callused, filthy, and often sore feet was such a demeaning job that it was left to society’s lower classes: women, children, servants, and slaves. Interestingly, in a tutorial setting, students or disciples of a master teacher often chose to do everything they could for their teacher in order to spend more time together (like feed and dress him). Everything, that is, except foot care. The rabbis specifically forbid disciples to wash their master teacher’s feet because it was too demeaning."
• Thus, the washing of the feet represented the full condescension of Christ, that as He said, He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.  He acted the part of the lowliest slave and said that we should do likewise.  
• I have been thinking this week about how put out I have been about the workload that falls to me.  Adjusting to having all the kids home during the day, managing the chore lists and doing the constant clean-up has made me a little cranky.  If I really saw the work I do for my family as an opportunity to serve like Christ, how will that change my attitude?  And how do I help my kids see the daily work that way and not resent it?  I fear that my resentful attitude might contribute to theirs.
• Christ commands his disciples to follow His example of service.  They are to be servant-leaders who do not see themselves as above the people they serve.  Then He says, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them."  I have felt the joy of serving others in seemingly small ways.  It is a happy way to live.  This verse also reminds us that it isn't enough to know about Christ, we have to act!  Scholars and academics who study the scriptures in depth are not any better off than those who are illiterate but are trying their best to live what they believe.  Knowledge is good, but only if it is followed by acting on that knowledge.  
• Christ says that the disciples won't understand fully what He does for them "now, but thou shalt know hereafter."  Bruce R. McConkie and D&C 88 refer to the washing of feet as an ordinance.  Lynn Wilson also references it.  It seems to be one that cleanses from the sins of the world.  Dan Peterson pointed out in a podcast that in the ancient world, it didn't matter how recently you had bathed, your feet would always need to be cleaned again.  Just walking on the streets would make them dusty.  I love the symbolism that a final cleansing of the feet might represent.  To me, it shows that the Lord knows that in our daily walk, without even meaning to, we are going to be affected by the world and act in ways that we shouldn't.  We need that final cleansing of our feet in order to be fully clean.  

Christ Foretells His Betrayal, John 13:19-30, 13:36-38 (see also Matthew 26:20-25, Mark 14:12-21, Luke 22:14-23)

• It probably isn't nice of me to put the foretelling of Judas' betrayal with Peter's, but the fact is they are both in the same chapter of scripture and perhaps there is meaning in that.  Peter's denial of Christ didn't rise to the level of Judas' betrayal with a kiss, yet nevertheless all four gospels include it.  Perhaps there is a message there for us.  Peter, despite all the best intentions, faltered in a moment of weakness and yet repented and became stronger because of it.  Judas, on the other hand, betrayed Christ for whatever reason but did not repent.  The prophecies are also slightly different.  Of Judas, the prophecy is that he will betray Christ, while Peter is predicted to "deny" Christ.
• In what ways are we tempted to deny Christ?  
• In verse 
• In verse 19, we learn that the purpose of prophecy is to increase belief in Him.  In John 14:29, Christ reiterates this, that He is foretelling what will happen, "so that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe."  Prophecy increases our faith.  In these chapters, Christ not only prophecies of the betrayals, but of the separation to come, persecution, and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
• Jesus prophecies that one who eats with him will betray him. 
• This is the second reference to Judas holding the bag, or keeping track of the money the disciples had.  In John 12:6, John implies that Judas was a thief who was embezzling the money.  Whether that was really true or if in hindsight, John assumed it must have been true is an open question.  If he was embezzling money, that might give some clue to his character and potential reasons for the betrayal.
• Some have suggested that Judas might have been a zealot who wanted to free the Jews from Roman rule.  When it became clear that Christ wasn't going to do that, he might have felt disillusioned.  Alternatively, he could have betrayed Christ thinking that would force a show-down between Christ and Rome in which Christ would come off conqueror.  But then Christ dies and he is overcome with guilt.  But it is all speculation.  John himself blames the influence of the devil, and that is definitely the case.
• Also in this section, Christ says that if we receive those Christ sends, we receive Him.  What a comforting promise He is giving to the Apostles who will soon have to take over the lead of the Church.  They will have the power to act in Christ's name and Christ will be with those who follow them.  

A New Commandment, John 13:31-35

• In verse 33, Christ calls his disciples "little children."  After all that they had seen and experienced with Him, He still saw them as little ones.  He loved them the way a parent loves their child, and He also knew that they were just infants in their understanding of the gospel still.  Christ's words remind me of D&C 78:17-18, "“Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;  And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.”  These words are echoed in the words that Christ tells his disciples.  There is more for them to grasp and learn, but they will have to experience the grief of parting and the power of the resurrection and be led along the way.  
• The commandment given here isn't the "new" part.  Christ has spoken often of the two great commandments.  The new part is the higher standard.  The disciples are commanded not to love others as they do "themselves" but to love the way Christ loved.  Living up to that standard is the work of a lifetime.

Christ's Farewell Discourse to the Disciples, John 14-16

• These three chapters are so full of deep doctrine.  Books could be written on what is contained.  Wordy as I am, I don't have time to cover everything I want to here.  Instead, I will focus on a few of the themes I see woven throughout Christ's final speech.  

Prophecies of the Separation

• As the Savior tells of his coming departure, the disciples are troubled.  They want to know where he is going (13:36) and they want to follow (13:37, 14:5).  Thomas asks how they will know the way to go where He is.  Christ teaches that HE is the way, the truth and the life (14:6).  He says that the world will not see Him anymore, but that the disciples will and He will bring life to them.  
• Over and over, Christ promises that though He will leave them, they will not be alone.  He promises both that He and the Father will visit them and that the Comforter will be with Him.
• He also assures them that He is going to the Father and the Father's house, where there are many rooms for them.  He is going ahead to make a place for them to follow.  If they really understood where He is going, they would rejoice, because He is going to the Father (14:28

Themes of Comfort for the Grief to Come

• Christ promises them peace and comfort for the times ahead.  I love John 14:27,"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
• Eric Huntsman explains, "'comfortless' in John 14:18 is a translation of the Greek orphanous, literally 'orphans,' suggesting that the Lamb of God will not leave believers fatherless—that is, devoid of comfort or the means of life—but that He, after His sacrificial death, will come and be a father to them through the gift of eternal life."  What a beautiful image, that they, and we, are not to be left without loving parental guidance and care.
• Elder Holland says it as only Elder Holland can:“Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: ‘I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you]’ [John 14:18; see also verse 23]” 
• Christ tells them of persecution to come.  The world will hate them and kill them (John 15:18-25, 16:2-4)
• Verse 16:7 is interesting.  Christ says it is expedient, or necessary, that He should go away so that the Comforter can come to them.  It makes me wonder what things we fear that are actually necessary for us so that we can receive greater blessings?  What if we could hold on to the assurance that our greatest trials also bring us the very things we need?
• The image of the woman in travail is something I understand pretty personally.  I love that Christ uses a feminine image to describe what is going to happen.  The disciples will weep and lament but that pain will bring about joy similar to that of a mother with her new child.

Promise of the Comforter and Holy Spirit to Come

• Jesus describes the great gift of the Holy Spirit that He will give to His disciples after his coming.  The Comforter, or Spirit of truth, will abide with them forever (14:16-17)  He will teach them all things and bring things to their remembrance (14:26), testify of Christ (15:26-27), reprove the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, guide men to truth, show things to come, and glorify Christ (16:7-15).
• Christ also promises a second comforter, which is the visitation of Himself that will be given to the Apostles but not to the world.  At that point, they will see the unity of Christ in them as He is in the Father (see 14:10 and 14:19-21)
• I loved understanding more of what the Greek meant here.  Eric Huntsman explains, "Also central to these discourses is the promise that Jesus would send “the Comforter,” which is an early English rendering of the Greek term pareklētos, which literally means “one called to another’s side as a help or aid.” In most instances this term is taken to refer to the Holy Ghost, who not only comforts us but also serves as a teacher (John 14:25–26); as witness (John 15:26–27); as a prosecutor who convicts or convinces (KJV “reproves”) the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8–11); and as a revealer or guide that also brings all things to our remembrance (John 16:12–15). Jesus had been all these things to the disciples, but he would now send the Holy Ghost to perform these duties in his absence. Still, “Comforter” can refer to Jesus as well, who is “another Comforter” to those that keep his commandments and love him, who will have both the Father and Son manifest themselves to them (John 14:16, 21, 23; cf. D&C 130:3 and Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 149). This is a vital and comforting truth of the Easter message, as much to us now as it was to the first disciples on the eve of Jesus’ death."

Themes of Love, Friendship, and Commandment

• In addition to the commandment to love the way Christ loves and serve the way He served in the example of the washing of the feet, Christ continues to tell them to love.  If they keep His commandments, they will be filled with his love, also translated charity.  No greater love is there than to lay down your life for your friends. (John 15:13)
• Wilson points out, "John’s uses the Greek word agape here—the same word Paul uses for charity (1 Corinthians 13). Here, it is used in the present tense or “continuous character,” agapan, which gives “the connation of love made manifest.”"  This isn't any ordinary love, but the love that suffereth long, is kind, etc.
• Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin says this about that love, "“Love is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the pathway of discipleship. It comforts, counsels, cures, and consoles. It leads us through valleys of darkness and through the veil of death. In the end love leads us to the glory and grandeur of eternal life."
• Christ says that His Apostles are His friends because they keep His commandments and He has been able to reveal Himself to them and give them knowledge of Him and the Father.  Will we be His friends by doing likewise?
• In 15:16, Christ says the Apostles didn't choose Him, but He chose them.  I think that has important reference to their calling as Apostles.  They didn't call themselves to these leadership positions, Christ did.  With that assurance, that Christ called them, they can feel reassured that He knows what they are to do and will help them with their task.  We, too, can feel reassured that when Christ asks us to do hard things, He will be with us, strengthening us.  The tasks might seem beyond our ability and talents, but "whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies." 

Themes of Unity and "At-One-Ment" with God

• There are many temple themes in this address and the prayer to follow.  This article by William Hamblin helped me to better understand the imagery Christ uses and how his disciples would have seen it.  He explains:

In a sense, then, the rest of the last discourse, John 14–17, is an answer to Thomas’s questions, “where are you going?” and “what is the way there?” The answer is that Christ is returning to the presence of his Father in the celestial temple, and [Page 64]the way there is the Christian Way, or hodos. Remember that Christianity was originally known as “the Way” in the first decades before non-Christians started calling Jesus’s followers Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26).7 The Way of Christ is the Way to the presence of the Father in the celestial temple, as is expressly stated in Hebrews 10:19–20 (cf. Hebrews 9:8). “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19–20).

The phrase where I am occurs four times in the New Testament, only in John, and always as a technical term describing Jesus’s return to the Father.8Jesus repeatedly claims that he has “come down from heaven” (John 6:38), and that the Father has sent him.9 He also frequently alludes to returning to “him who sent me” (ho pempsanta me),10 a clear allusion to the Father. In Greek “where I am” is hopou eimi egō, and may be related to the esoteric “I Am” (egō eimi) statements of Jesus in John.11 Jesus tells his disbelieving critics, “You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come” (John 7:34, 36; see also John 8:21; 13:33). On the other hand, he says [Page 65]to his disciples at the beginning of his Last Discourse, “where I am there you may be also” (John 14:3, 12:26). Likewise, at the close of the Last Discourse, Jesus prays that the disciples may be “may be with me where I am, to see my glory” (John 17:24).

The where I am language clearly refers to being in the presence of the Father in heaven. Thus, as I understand these passages, the “Father’s house” is the temple by which means Jesus returns to the Father’s presence. In the context of first-century biblical traditions, this can only mean the celestial temple. If most modern Christians were to consider where the Father dwells, they would probably say “in Heaven.”12  By this they generally don’t mean the visible sky—which is the literal translation of the biblical terms for heaven13 —but an ultra-dimensional place beyond time and space.14 On the other hand, if you were to ask a first-century Jews or Christians where God dwells, they would undoubtedly respond, “in his temple in the sky.” The vast majority of modern Christians have lost an understanding of the mythos of the celestial temple, even though it is central to the biblical traditions.15 In the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 11:4 is explicit: “Yhwh is in his holy temple (hêkal); Yhwh’s throne is in heaven.” The Psalmist likewise tells us that God “has looked down from the height of his holy place/temple (qodeš), from heaven Yhwh beholds the earth” (Psalm 102:19). The clear idea [Page 66]behind these passages and related passages16  is that God dwells in a temple in heaven.17 If anything, this idea is even more clear in the New Testament, particularly in Hebrews 8–10 and in scattered passages throughout the book of Revelation, which is set almost entirely in the celestial temple.18 This is where Christ is going to prepare a place for the disciples, who are called the “pillars in the temple of my God” (Revelation 3:12), who will sit enthroned beside the throne of God.19

• The word translated as "mansions" doesn't mean a great big house the way our modern use of it would mean.  Instead, as Lynn Wilson points out, "The early Christian Fathers quoted this first passage in the plural, “with my Fathers.” The word “mansions” is from Tyndale’s Old English; the Greek word meant: “a staying, abiding, dwelling, abode.” In AD 202, the early theologian Irenaeus used “dwelling place.” Another early Church Father from the third century, Origen, understood it as stations on the road to God. Origen sounds as though he is describing Eternal Progression, especially as he spoke of a premortal life. Other early Christians discussed it as “places (or situations) where the disciples can dwell in peace” with the Father.  It had no connotation of a stopping place. Moving forward to the restoration, in an extemporaneous sermon in Nauvoo, the prophet Joseph purported that “mansions” should be translated as “kingdoms.”"
• Christ is leaving them but He has provided the way to follow Him.  He is the way.  He it is that will bring them through the veil into the presence and unity with the Father.  He will cleanse them from sin, provide the living sacrifice, and answer their pleading prayers.
• John 14:9-11 discuss how Christ glorifies the Father and helps us see Him.  Likewise, if we go out as we are commanded, we show Christ, and therefore the Father,  to those who receive us  (see John 13:20, 14:10, 14:20).  What a privilege to be part of the work!
• In verse 12, Christ promises that they will do even greater works than He.  Is it the ongoing nature of the work and the early missionary work He refers to?  What greater works will they do?
• The image of Christ as the True Vine in John 15:1-8 is beautiful and emphasizes further the unity that we find as we follow His way and bring forth the fruit He desires of us.  We are the branches that are to abide in Him.
• Elder Jeffrey R. Holland beautifully describes what it means to "abide in me," “Abide in me” is an understandable and beautiful enough concept in the elegant English of the King James Bible, but “abide” is not a word we use much anymore. So I gained even more appreciation for this admonition from the Lord when I was introduced to the translation of this passage in another language. In Spanish that familiar phrase is rendered “permaneced en mi.” Like the English verb “abide,” permanecer means “to remain, to stay,” but even gringos like me can hear the root cognate there of “permanence.” The sense of this then is “stay—but stay forever.” That is the call of the gospel message to Chileans and everyone else in the world. Come, but come to remain. Come with conviction and endurance. Come permanently, for your sake and the sake of all the generations who must follow you, and we will help each other be strong to the very end.  “He who picks up one end of the stick, picks up the other,” my marvelous mission president taught in his very first message to us. And that is the way it is supposed to be when we join this, the true and living Church of the true and living God. When we join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we board the Good Ship Zion and sail with her wherever she goes until she comes into that millennial port. We stay in the boat, through squalls and stills, through storms and sunburn, because that is the only way to the promised land. This Church is the Lord’s vehicle for crucial doctrines, ordinances, covenants, and keys that are essential to exaltation, and one cannot be fully faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ without striving to be faithful in the Church, which is its earthly institutional manifestation."

The Intercessory Prayer, John 17:1-26

• Eric Huntsman explains why this prayer is called the High Priestly Prayer, "Eternal life—the kind of life that the Father and now Christ have—enjoyed in their presence is the subject of chapter 17, which is, in fact, a prayer rather than a discourse. Commonly known as the Intercessory Prayer, since in it Jesus prays that believers may be one with Him and the Father as He and the Father are one, it is also appropriately called “the Lord’s High-Priestly Prayer.” As the high priest under the Mosaic order represented the people before God, interceding for them before sacrificing, so here Jesus intercedes for His people before His own sacrificial death. While the word atonement (Greek katallagē) does not appear in this chapter, His prayer for the eternal union of disciples with Him and the Father represents the very essence of being at one with God. As He rose from that prayer, He went forth to perform the very Atonement that would make that unity possible."
• As the High Priest would make intercession for the people by approaching the throne of God, offering himself and the blood of the sacrifice as entry into the Holy of Holies on just one day in a year, so Christ approached the throne of God on all of our behalf.  This prayer beautifully teaches of that.  
• This article by William Hamblin about the temple themes in John 17 is well worth the read.  It helped me understand things I didn't even catch were in the chapter until they were pointed out.  For example, I love how he expounds on the theme of glory and glorifying found in this chapter:  

There are a number of ways in which John describes the glory of Jesus. Christ had glory with the Father before the world was (John 1:14; John 17:5). Christ’s glory comes from “the one God” (John 5:44; John 8:54), but his glory is the glory of the “one Son” (monogenos, John 1:14). The miracles of Jesus manifest God’s glory.61 When John describes Christ as the “light of the world,”62  the overall context probably has at least partial reference to God’s shining glory/kābôd. This is reiterated by the fact that for John, glory is something that can be seen.63 The Father gives his glory to the Son, who will in turn give it to the disciples (John 17:22).64 On the other hand, the ultimate glorification of Jesus will only occur after the resurrection, for during his mortal ministry he “was not yet glorified.”65

What does it mean that Christ glorifies the Father? Christ does not make God more glorious, but reveals God’s already existing luminous glory to an uncomprehending world (John 1:5, 10, 14). [Page 76]When the Father makes the Son glorious, the Son thereby reveals the glory of the Father. One element of this concept is that the resurrection will reveal the glory of the Son, and thereby the Son will reveal the ultimate glory of the Father. “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once” (John 13:31–32). 

In other words, there is a reciprocal glorification of the Father and the Son. The glorification of Christ also comes in part through his departure out of this world (John 13:1)—where his glory is masked—and his return to the glory he had in the celestial temple with the Father before the world was. 

With this ancient temple context for the idea of kābôd/glory in mind, we can examine the importance of the concept in John 17. Remarkably, six of the twenty-six verses of John 17 speak of glory and glorification.

• “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you.” (John 17:1)
• “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.” (John 17:4–5)
• “All mine [the disciples] are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.” (John 17:10)
• “The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one,” (John 17:22)
• “Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24)

This glorification language in John 17 has three themes. (1) Mutual shared glorification of the Father, Son and disciples. (2) Through this mutual glorification comes mutual oneness (John 17:22). (3) The disciples will be where Jesus is, in the presence of [Page 77]the Father, where they will see Christ’s full glory. Among first-century readers this glorification language in John 17 would have evoked ideas of God’s glorious theophanies in the temple, and Christ’s postmortal glorification by the Father would imply a glory-theophany in the Celestial Temple.

• We are to be clothed in Christ's glory as He is in His Father's.  That evokes many temple images in my mind.
• I love verse 15, where Christ prays not that His followers will be taken out of the world but that they should be kept from evil.  As a mom, I feel that same desire for my children.  I know they are needed in a world in turmoil, but with so much hatred for truth and so much evil accepted, I want so much for them to avoid the stumbling and evil.  I don't worry for their physical safety, but for their spiritual.  To help them develop a sure and deep foundation and testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ so they can withstand temptation and stay faithful through trials is my constant desire.  The thing I keep coming back to is the need for all of us to be constantly nourished by doing the small things.  I constantly tell my kids that if they can just develop the daily habits of studying the scriptures and praying, they will be able to get through anything in this world.  

Videos for this week: