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When I was a teenager, I thought I understood the purpose of the book of Job. In my mind, Job modeled how to calmly and uncomplainingly accept everything God allows to come your way. My takeaway was that I should strive to be as mellow as possible about my trials, and I’d recognize I had achieved this when I didn’t even feel upset if something painful came my way.

The story of Jonah and the whale may be one of the best-known stories from the Old Testament, delighting young Sunday School students around the world almost as much as Noah and his menagerie. Much is made in the lesson of the size of the fish – what kind of animal could it have been? – and how Jonah would have survived.

Hosea is a metaphor, and metaphors are powerful things – easy to remember, great at making complicated subjects simple, and capable of expanding our perspective on a given topic. Christ’s parables still resonate nearly two thousand years later.

We’ve had a lot of convert baptisms in our ward this year, so that nearly every second Sunday another new person is confirmed during sacrament meeting. I can’t help sitting up a little straighter when I hear those words, “we say unto you, receive the Holy Ghost.” They make me wonder how the Spirit will show itself in the life of this just-baptized person.

I look around my house as I read this accusation in Isaiah 3:14. My mind wanders through my kitchen cupboards—small and crowded—through my children’s shelves of toys, through closets full of clothing and shoes.

The prophecies of Isaiah contained in this week’s passages contribute to a rich scriptural tapestry of symbols, in this case, relating to Christ, women, trees and light.

These heavy chapters begin with God’s words of comfort to His covenant people. We are given to see the end from the beginning—all the crooked byways of the earth will be made passable and humanity will participate in one great theophany. All flesh will see the glory of the One Lord together!

Sometimes, we throw up our arms and give up before we’ve even started with Isaiah. We will never begin to understand the value of Isaiah, if we continue in our ways of learned helplessness. To be pragmatic: get a new translation

Neylan McBaine founded the LDS Women Project and published the first interview in September 2009. She has since worked on multiple projects such as publishing the book “Women at Church” in 2014 and leading the non-profit Better Days 2020. She continues to promote women’s visibility and empowerment in the Latter-day Saint sphere.

Susan Jackson shares her story of growing up in Utah, raising a large family, and volunteering extensively, including teaching seminary and serving in various Church roles while living across the U.S. and internationally. She also details her unique experience volunteering at the Kirtland Temple with Community of Christ, the deep relationships she built there, and her emotional response to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchasing the site.

In the spirit of the book Let Me Tell You My Story, I approach this lesson supplement with my own very personal experience, born of humility, not hubris, for I only have my own knowledge of scriptures as I have likened them unto me, but these are the things as they are. So, forgive the anecdotal nature of this essay.

In this lesson, we learn about the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah lived during a time of wickedness when the people were in complete apostasy. Jeremiah’s efforts to raise a “voice of warning” earned him a lot of persecution as he was rejected, hated by his friends and relatives, beaten and unjustly put in prison. Yet, Jeremiah remained faithful and true to his convictions.

My husband is not a person who shares my faith. However, there is one key thing we both agree on— we both feel that the most important aspect of spirituality is staying connected to the divine. For me, the divine is my Heavenly Parents and Christ. As my husband always says, if you are connected to the divine, you don’t have to worry about any other decision.

In the 34th chapter of Ezekiel, Ezekiel gives counsel on shepherding or as we now call it ministering. This is an area where I have much learning, growing and practicing to do – so much! I was terrible at doing visiting teaching. I gained an intellectual testimony of visiting teaching but never gained an experiential one (because I rarely did it). I want to change.

Ezekiel was a Judean taken captive during the early days of Babylon’s assault against Jerusalem. His prophecies date from 593 to 571 BC, all written from the exiled Hebrew community of Tel-abib. During the early years of his exile, Ezekiel directed his prophecies to the remnant inhabitants of Jerusalem, giving them dire warnings to repent, that destruction was imminent.