Aug

29

About Parley P. Pratt

August 29, 2006 | 2 Comments

I was reading yesterday the autobiography of the Elder Parley P. Pratt, one of the first members of the quorum of the Twelve Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church).

There are several things amazing about his story but in chapter 15 I have found something that really impressed me about his calling to the apostleship. This is a excerpt from the charge given by Oliver Cowdery to Parley P. Pratt soon after he was ordained an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ:

“You have been indebted to other men in the first instance for evidence; on that you have acted; but it is necessary that you receive a testimony from Heaven for yourselves; so that you can bear testimony to the truth of the Book of Mormon, and that you have seen the face of God. That is more than the testimony of an angel. When the proper time arrives, you shall be able to bear this testimony to the world. When you bear testimony that you have seen God, this testimony God will never suffer to fall, but will bear you out; although many will not give heed, yet others will. You will, therefore, see the necessity of getting this testimony from Heaven.

“Never cease striving till you have seen God face to face. Strengthen your faith; cast off your doubts, your sins, and all your unbelief, and nothing can prevent you from coming to God. Your ordination is not full and complete till God has laid His hands upon you. We require as much to qualify us as did those who have gone before us; God is the same. If the Saviour in former days laid his hands on his disciples, why not in latter days?

Perhaps this is something most members of the Mormon Church believe, but still other don’t. And still even those who believe it may not realize the full extent and consequences of this charge and promise given to him.

Oliver asked Parley: “Have you desired this ministry with all your heart?” If you have desired it, you are called of God, not of man, to go into all the world.

It is obvious that not everybody who desires such a thing will obtain it, but I believe that those who have obtained it have desired it with all their hearts. This is probably true of every good thing we obtain from the Lord.

Aug

28

About memory

August 28, 2006 | Leave a Comment

I have read this article about memory on BYU News. More on the same subject can also be found at Deseret News.

This is about remembering:

According to Higbee, names tend to be harder to remember than other words. He suggests this occurs because names are not as meaningful as most words. Whether seeking to remember names and faces or perform well on an exam, tools like recitation, repetition, organization and association will help.

Higbee provides this system for remembering people’s names:

1. Make sure you get the name.

2. Make the name meaningful.

3. Focus on a distinctive feature of the person’s appearance.

4. Associate the name with the distinctive feature.

5. Review the association.

To “make sure you get the name,” focus during personal introductions and use your new acquaintances’ names during conversations. This may include repeating the name, spelling it aloud, asking about its origin or writing it down. According to Higbee, last names like Holland or London, Hershey, Dodge, Barber or Cook already carry meaning and making such an association helps to recall the name later. Next, focus on the first physical or character trait of your acquaintance that catches your attention and associate it with her name. For example, “Noelle has a large nose,” or “Barry is balding.” Finally, review and repeat. Higbee suggests going over faces and names after you have left the setting in which you met the people. Research has shown that using these steps can improve name recollection up to 80 percent.

This is about being effective when studying:

Higbee also makes suggestions for effective study habits: reducing interference, spacing out study sessions and reciting material learned.

Studying in different rooms and diversifying subject matter helps students to better learn and recall information. He also asserts that spacing study sessions a few hours or a day apart helps in retention of information.

“The culture of cramming before an exam does not help students learn or remember the material nearly as well as spaced study sessions,” Higbee said.

In Your Memory Higbee cites a study of students who 50 years earlier completed three years of Spanish language study. Those who studied continually, or in spaced sessions, retained 72 percent of the vocabulary in comparison to those who crammed. The procrastinators retained less than 10 percent. Higbee attributes the inefficiency of cramming to various factors including people’s inability to concentrate for long periods of time and their inability to consolidate or absorb information while cramming. Spaced study sessions, on the other hand, increase the likelihood of studying in a situation similar to an exam, which allows for better recall. Spaced study also decreases the amount of study time needed to learn the material.

Aug

24

Agora o negócio esta’ ficando complicado, mas eu quero escrever este blog em pelo menos três línguas, e talvez mais se eu aprender mais espanhol ou francês.Aqui neste blog vou falar de coisas interessante relacionadas á minha religião ou famílias ou qualquer outra coisa que eu queira… e’ o meu blog!

De qualquer maneira eu trabalho para a Fundação para o Melhor e se alguem quiser saber mais basta somente seguir o link ou voltar a ler o meu blog mais na frente.

Aug

24

In Italiano

August 24, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Il tempo e’ sempre limitato ma cerchero’ di mantenere questo blog in varie lingue. Questo e’ il primo tentativo in italiano. Sono un membro della Chiesa di Gesu’ Cristo dei Santi degli Ultimi Giorni e attualmente sto finendo un dottorato all’ universita’ Brigham Young in Provo, Utah. Sto anche lavorando per la Fondazione per il Meglio che cerca di diffondere informazione corretta riguardo la Chiesa Mormone.

Aug

23

Beginning

August 23, 2006 | Leave a Comment

This is the beginning of my Blog. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I currently work for the More Good Foundation.

More later.

Aug

15

Hello world!

August 15, 2006 | Leave a Comment

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