A few weeks ago I was called to be a Relief Society Instructor in my ward and was assigned to teach on the fourth Sunday of the month, which is Teachings For Our Time.

Each lesson is taught, in both Relief Society and Melchizedek Priesthood, using one or more talks from the most recent General Conference. The talks, found in the November and May Ensigns, are selected by a ward's Stake President or Bishopric. The Ensign can also be found in multiple formats and languages online.

It's been over 12 years since I've taught Relief Society (except as a substitute) and I'm really excited to have this opportunity to be a tool in the Lord's hands. After receiving my call I flipped through my November Ensign and read the section on "Teachings for Our Time," located at the back on page 126. One of the things it says is:

"Those attending fourth-Sunday lessons are encouraged to study and bring to class the latest general conference issue of the magazine."

So I highly encourage all of you, if you haven't been doing so already, to start the New Year by studying the talks assigned by your local leaders. Also, make sure to bring a copy of the talk (either the magazine or a printed copy from online) when you attend Priesthood and Relief Society on the fourth Sunday of the month.

This will spiritually help prepare you to apply the gospel principles being taught. It will also help those teachers who'd like to ask people to read specific passages from the talk, or share their thoughts and experiences.

Note: Most wards and stakes will notify you ahead of time (through newsletters, ward programs, bulletins, etc.) which talks have been selected for upcoming Teachings For Our Time lessons.

Merry Christmas! I love Christmas and what it means because I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. Stop for a moment and ponder the birth of Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus Christ? What has he done for you and your family?

To bring the Spirit of Christmas into your home take a few minutes and watch these touching videos by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They will help bring the Spirit of Christ into your heart:

• A Light Unto All: A Christmas Gift
• Christmas Spirit

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). May you enjoy the Christmas Season as you and your loved ones celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

See more Christmas videos at the Church's official Christmas Site, or find other uplifting videos at Mormon Messages.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints every person is a descendant of Abraham through one of the twelve tribes of Israel, either by blood or through adoption, and a member's lineage is declared in their patriarchal blessing.

A huge percentage of members are from Ephraim and Manasseh (the tribes chosen to preach the gospel to the world) but there are members around the world who are from the other tribes.

If you are a member of the Church and have received a patriarchal blessing, what tribe are you from? Since the poll could only hold ten answers I've split it into two. The first has the names of the three tribes through Israel's wife, Rachel; Benjamin and Joseph (which was split into Ephraim and Manasseh). The tribes in the second poll are given in the order of birth. (See the Lineage of Abraham and Israel.)


Previous Poll: Have You Met a Prophet of God?

In my personal scripture study I finished reading the Book of Mormon and Pearl of Great Price so I decided to study the Old Testament as that's what we'll be studying next year in Sunday School.

To help supplement my study, I've been using the Old Testament Student Manual from the Church's Institute program. The manual is full of fabulous information, quotes, maps, charts, and other resources. This morning as I studied about Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac I read a quote by George Q. Cannon that increased my understand of why God tests us.

President Cannon (1827-1901), a former counselor in the First Presidency, said:

"Why did the Lord ask such things of Abraham? Because, knowing what his future would be and that he would be the father of an innumerable posterity, he was determined to test him. God did not do this for His own sake for He knew by His foreknowledge what Abraham would do; but the purpose was to impress upon Abraham a lesson and to enable him to attain unto knowledge [what] he could not obtain in any other way. This is why God tries all of us. It is not for His own knowledge for He knows all things beforehand. He knows all your lives and everything you will do. But He tries us for our own good that we may know ourselves; for it is most important that a man should know himself" (Gospel Truth, 1:113). Quoted in Chapter 6: Abraham- A Model of Faith and Righteousness.

The manual then references Genesis 18:17-19, to see God's knowledge of Abraham's righteousness before He tested him. Then we're asked the following question, "What does His foreknowledge of Abraham have to do with His knowledge of you?"

God tests us so that we will come to know ourselves: our strengths, abilities, weaknesses, etc. He already knows us- completely. God knows what we will do, but we do not. It is essential to our eternal salvation that we come to know our characters, and develop them, through life's tests, temptations, and challenges, and God has given us the agency to choose the things we think, say, and do.

Learn how to have faith during trials, and overcome addictions and destructive habits, or see these other resources for overcoming adversity.