2005
What’s Up?
February 2005

“What’s Up?” New Era, Feb. 2005, 38–39

What’s Up?

“The most important thing every one of us can do is to examine our own commitment and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.”
—Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “How Is It with Us?” Ensign, May 2000, 31.

Scripture Study: How Dedicated Are You?

Are you a scripture whiz or “Scriptures? What?” kind of person? This quiz will clue you in. Use the key at the end to find your score.

  1. You’re about to begin reading your scriptures. The first thing you do is:

    1. Check to see what time it is, so you make sure to read for at least 10 minutes.

    2. Get on your knees and pray to understand what you read through the Spirit.

    3. Wonder if Laman and Lemuel will still murmur as you read 1 Nephi again.

  2. You receive an impression to do something while reading the Book of Mormon. You make up your mind to:

    1. Write it down, so you don’t forget. You always knew that scripture journal would come in handy!

    2. Do your best to remember it for at least a week.

    3. Read your scriptures more often so you’ll get more impressions like that, but then forget what you were supposed to do by the next day.

  3. You get home from school. You’re tired and you have a load of homework to do, so you:

    1. Take a nap, eat dinner, and do homework until you fall asleep.

    2. Do homework, eat dinner, and study scripture mastery verses for your seminary quiz in the morning.

    3. Take a nap, do your homework, eat dinner, and go to bed. You already read your scriptures in the morning when you were awake.

  4. If someone picked up your set of scriptures, they would most likely say:

    1. Wow. Why are all these pages still stuck together?

    2. Hey, your bookmark is in Mosiah. Aren’t we studying Alma in seminary now?

    3. There is a lot of underlining, and the binding is worn. You must use these a lot.

See how you did!
1. a=2 b=3 c=1
2. a=3 b=2 c=1
3. a=1 b=2 c=3
4. a=1 b=2 c=3

1–4 points: Scripture Hungry

Well, at least it sounds like you have scriptures. Now it’s time to open them and feast on the words of Christ. There’s a lot to learn, and much comfort can be found in the scriptures. Just read them and you’ll see!

5–8 points: Scripture Seeker

You’re trying to read your scriptures. Good job! But you still have some work to do. Set aside some time to really get into the scriptures, and remember to pray before you study.

9–12 points: Scripture Powerful

There is so much to learn from the scriptures, and you’re making a great start. Keep up the good work. Remember to study the scriptures daily and to start sharing them with others to stay “Scripture Powerful.”

It Happened in February

February 16, 1832 Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon received a vision of the Savior on the right hand of God and a magnificent revelation on the three degrees of glory, recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 76.

February 8, 1846 Brigham Young, then President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, dedicated completed portions of the Nauvoo Temple in a private ceremony. Many Saints received temple blessings before being forced out of Nauvoo, Illinois (above).

February 20, 1977 The Brussels Belgium Stake was organized, becoming the first stake in Belgium.

February 13, 1981 President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) broke ground for the Papeete Tahiti Temple.

February 21, 1990 Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004), of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, dedicated Swaziland, in southern Africa, for the preaching of the gospel.

It’s Great to Delegate

Learning to delegate assignments is an important part of being a leader. In the Book of Mormon and in the New Testament, Jesus Christ offered the perfect example of involving His disciples. He shared work with them, He gave them specific things to do, and He trusted them. By following the Savior’s example and delegating to your class and quorum members, the job will get done and everyone will grow in ability.

You can delegate effectively if you …

  • Know and understand the assignment.

  • Ask someone to accept the assignment.

  • Are specific: Explain exactly what needs to be accomplished.

  • Set a date for completion.

  • Have the person report to you after completing the assignment.

“One on God’s side is a majority.”
—Wendell Phillips (1811–84), in John Bartlett, comp., Familiar Quotations, 14th ed. [1968], 659.