Studying to Learn

I'm one of two gospel doctrine teachers in the Ogden Valley Deaf Branch. I take turns teaching every two weeks with a wonderful sister in the branch. I love to sit during her lessons and learn from someone else's perspective. I am as guilty as the next person when it comes to comparing my teaching abilities with hers, and at times it leaves me feeling inadequate not only in the difference in teaching techniques but making it so that the information found in the Old Testament is accessible in American Sign Language to those that I teach. But I digress.

Since I am a little slow on the uptake at times (more often than I'd care to admit, actually) I have realized that this wonderful sister in the branch often contributes in my lessons as if she's read the lesson before coming to church. I decided to take an early look-see and read tomorrow's lesson. I pulled up the the Church's website and clicked on the links for tomorrow's lesson and also pulled up the scriptural references associated with the topic. Let's just say that Hosea was WAY over my head. So I thought I would try something...I hope I don't get struck by lightning for this...I googled "Bible translation" and pulled up a website that supports a different translation than the King James Version of the Bible, and voila! I was able to read all the references in plain old English. It helped me understand what was actually being said in Hosea. I read all the references to the lesson first, then went back and compared the important points in the lesson and the light came on. I am not dogging the King James Version of the Bible, please don't get me wrong, but sometimes that flowery language makes my brain do somersaults. I am hoping that aside from the straying off the path of recommended scriptural usage, I will be able to fully understand what is being taught, and to learn more about the gospel.

I feel like it's okay to look for a little help when it comes to understanding the scriptures. It totally enlightened me and put me a little more at ease. Now maybe I can look to more than just a couple of resources to not appear to be such a gospel retard when standing in front of a classroom full of people trying to explain something that even I don't get!