Mormon Fair-cast

Why God Let the Israelites Worship the Golden Calf by Autumn Dickson The infamous golden calf incident; that is one of the stories we read about this week. Moses is gone a long time speaking with the Lord. The people grow impatient and tell Aaron to build them a god. He took their earrings (the ones the Lord told them they could take out of Egypt), melted them down, and formed them into the calf. Here is one of the details I noted this week that I didn’t recognize before. Exodus 32:7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: I have a feeling that the Lord knew when and why the people were making the golden calf. While He worked with Moses, He knew far ahead of time that they were going to make an idol for themselves. What I’m trying to imply is the fact that He could have purposefully sent Moses down earlier to prevent the entire debacle. It never needed to happen…or did it? I suppose that depends on how you d

Parted Waters, Messy Leadership, and Miracles by Autumn Dickson The story of Moses freeing the Israelites through the power of God is an incredible parable for the atonement of Jesus Christ. It’s probably the most important lesson we can pull from that story. However, it’s not the only story we can learn from it. There are other principles at work too. Let’s talk about one of them. Within the story, we find Moses exhorting the people to have faith in God and His ability to deliver. We’ve come a long way from Moses being worried about talking to Pharaoh. After exhorting the people to believe and trust, he turns to the Lord. The Lord tells him to move forward, and there would be a miracle. Moses listens. Exodus 14:21-22 21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall un

  Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 14–18 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Delivered…But Pharaoh Came Again by Autumn Dickson I love the story of Moses and the Red Sea. There is a reason it was used as an example time and time again throughout the history of the scriptures. There is so much goodness. One of the parts of the story that used to stick out to me was the fact that Pharaoh released them, but then he came after them again. Here are some verses about it. Exodus 14:8-9 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. 9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea… I believe that the Lord is in the details, so what do we learn from this idea that the Israelites were free but then once again in danger? I used to think it had something to do with the fact that Christ suffered in Gethsemane and on the cross. He suffered twice as part of the atonement. Was that some

Find Joy in the Wilderness by Autumn Dickson When I was studying the Doctrine and Covenants last year, my pattern revolved around learning about the people who were receiving the revelations and how they were feeling so that we could better relate to them and receive the same comfort in the revelations that they did. As I’ve studied the Old Testament thus far, I’ve found a different pattern for learning principles from God. Namely, I look at the details in the class Old Testament stories, and I find the parallels for our day. It’s been powerful and helpful. So without further ado, here’s another detail from the Moses and Plagues story. The God of the Hebrews is working to free His people from slavery in Egypt. There are some questions that we could ask as to why He didn’t jump right in with the death of the firstborn, but those questions can be asked another time. As the Lord continues on with His work through Moses, Pharaoh appears to relent a couple of times. He tells Moses, “Take back the frogs, and I’ll

  Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 7–13 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Magicians, Satan, and Cheap Imitations by Autumn Dickson This week we get to read about some of the plagues that occurred in Egypt before Pharaoh finally released the Israelite slaves. It’s a classic Old Testament story that has been told time and time again. It teaches us about Jesus Christ delivering us from sin, and there are many details that add rich layers to our understanding. Let’s talk background to the verses I want to talk about today. Moses has told Pharaoh to let the people go, Pharaoh refused, and he gave the Israelites more work. Moses told Pharaoh to release them again, and then Moses turned the river to blood. Here is one of those details I want to talk about. Exodus 7:22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the Lord had said. The magicians mimicked Moses. They turned more water into blood. We don’t know all of the details of how that occurred, but let’s explore another relevant detail. Pharaoh did

A Passover Question For You by Autumn Dickson For my last post this week, we talked about some specifics of Passover in order to better reflect on our free status because of Christ. I really love the Passover. My sister does a Passover meal for Easter each year, and there are so many beautiful traditions associated with it that can teach us about Christ if we choose to explore the symbolism. So I want to talk about a different aspect of Passover. In Exodus, the Lord teaches His people to keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Passover) in Canaan. Exodus 13:8 ¶ And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. The Israelites were commanded to teach their children about their deliverance. Some of the traditions that formed as a part of this commandment are wonderful. As the Jews do their Passover meal, they begin with strange ways that are different than any other day. This is meant to provoke curiosity in children. As th

  Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Reclined. Redeemed. by Autumn Dickson This week we celebrate Easter, and with it, the ability of the Savior to redeem us. Because we are studying the Old Testament this year, I’d like to look at the predecessor to the holiday of Easter: Passover. There is a lot of symbolism that comes with the Passover; let’s talk about some of it. Here is a verse that talks about one specific part of the first Passover that happened in Egypt. Exodus 12:11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover. On the first night of Passover, the Lord commanded the Israelites to eat in haste. They were going to need to leave Egypt quickly once the Pharaoh said they could go. This commandment to eat in haste was just for the first night though. Throughout time, it changed to the opposite. The Israelites ate unleavened bread to remember the haste in which their ancestors had to flee, but rather than eat their own Passover

Seeing Through Anguish of Spirit by Autumn Dickson In our last post, we talked about how Moses turned to the Lord in despair. He had done what the Lord asked and told Pharaoh to free the Israelites. In response, Pharaoh gave them more work. Moses blamed himself and asked the Lord why He had been so cruel to His own people. In chapter 6, we get to read the Lord’s response to Moses. He comforts Moses with assurances. He tells Moses that it’s not over; Pharaoh will relent, and the Israelites will yet be free. The Lord then tells Moses to go and share this with the Israelites. Moses does so, and this is how the Israelites respond. Exodus 6:9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. The Israelites were suffering so much that they had a difficult time believing that Moses would deliver them. There is a lot of depth here. Let’s cover the first beautiful principle: The Lord saved them anyway. The Lord still kept sending Moses b

  Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Did God Send Me Here to Fail? by Autumn Dickson Moses was a prophet who delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. He was such a good prophet that the Jews held him up as a standard for a long time. He is still revered as a great prophet. And yet, despite his righteousness, his closeness with God, his foreordained role, Moses didn’t know everything. Moses was incredibly nervous to approach Pharaoh about freeing the Israelites, and the first time he approached Pharaoh, it didn’t go so well. Pharaoh did not release the Israelites. In fact, Pharaoh gave all of the Israelites more work to accomplish than they previously had. This led to the Israelites getting frustrated with Moses, and in turn, Moses turned to God. Exodus 5:22-23 22 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. Moses as

Judgment Day Isn’t What You Think by Autumn Dickson The story of Joseph teaches us so many things about Christ. There are poignant details that point us in the direction of Christ’s story. There are so many directions we could go. However, let’s talk about one principle. Joseph’s story can teach us about Judgment Day. For so long, I pictured Judgment Day as a time when Christ would weigh all the good I had done versus all the bad, and then He would weigh it against my privileges and disadvantages. That seems fair, right? I don’t think anyone would argue that this is unfair judgment. However, I have since learned that God doesn’t work that way at all. He does it better; He judges us by our hearts. Joseph’s story teaches this so beautifully. Here are a couple of details that prepare us to understand Judgment Day in relation to Joseph’s story. Joseph had the grain that saved everyone who came and partook of it. He saved everyone. If you move forward a couple of chapters, we see that receiving the atonement of

  Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.   The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 42–50 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

We Can’t Afford Grace by Autumn Dickson Last week, we talked about some of the symbolism behind Joseph’s story. He offered food that filled the bellies of the Egyptians and saved them. Christ offers salvation, and we should be actively paying attention to whether we’re bringing the bread home or internalizing it and letting it fill us. We expanded this symbolism to missionary work; if we are full, people will come and see just like other countries traveled to Egypt for food. This week, I want to expand upon that same symbolism again. So here are the quick details of that story. Pharaoh has a dream that Joseph interprets. This dream warns Pharaoh that there will be seven years of plenty and seven years of severe famine. Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of a food-saving program, and it works. The people are saved because a portion of food had been set aside during the years of plenty. When the land was desolate, the people came in and started to buy food from Joseph. When they ran out of money, they started givin

More Than Food Storage; Famine and Atonement by Autumn Dickson The Old Testament is full of stories, and oftentimes, those stories come as a type of things to come. They teach us about life. They teach us about our relationship with God and our dependence on the Savior. Joseph’s life is no different. We can look at the parts of his whole life and find incredible symbolism, and we can look at his life as a whole for symbolism. There is so much there. Let’s talk about just some of it. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. After a series of miracles and difficulty, Joseph is made a ruler in Egypt after interpreting a dream for Pharoah. Pharoah puts him in charge of gathering food to save up for a horrible famine that is going to spread throughout the land. Here is what happens when the famine hits. Genesis 41:54-57 54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 And when all the land of Egypt

  Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.   The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 37–41 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

When Doing What’s Right Brings Pain by Autumn Dickson It is no question that Joseph went through some tough stuff despite trying to do what’s right. Being betrayed by your brothers and sold into slavery, thrown into prison, being forgotten after helping someone. None of these things should be skimmed over or treated lightly. Those are the kinds of things that can really take a toll on a person, especially when it all happened because they were trying to do what’s right. I think that’s key here as well. These things didn’t happen despite doing what’s right; some of these things happened because Joseph was doing what’s right. I can imagine that would be frustrating. Let’s talk about a couple of these roadblocks. The first roadblock was when his brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery. His brothers didn’t just betray him; they betrayed Joseph because Joseph had received revelation from God that they would honor him. It was one of the reasons they chose to sell him (though their original plan was to kil

You Haven’t Ruined Your Life by Autumn Dickson My first message of this week was about Rebekah and Jacob tricking Isaac into giving Esau’s blessing to Jacob. Rebekah had received a revelation that the older would serve the younger, and she took matters into her own hands to make that happen. It worked, and Jacob was blessed. Unfortunately, Jacob also had to run for his life from Esau. He was sent to his uncle’s house far away to keep him safe. It had been prophesied that the younger would rule over the older, but there was also some favoritism going on. The bible literally tells us that Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob. Rebekah went above and beyond to make sure Jacob came out on top. Unfortunately, the opposite seemed to occur. Rather than ruling over his father’s house, Jacob ended up exiled. He was anything but a ruler for a very long time. Jacob’s uncle tricked him, and Jacob had very little power to protect himself. His wages were unfairly changed up on him. He was separated from his family, not