Month #5 2020-2021 Leadership Academy Apprentice

 APPRENTICE: Innovation

"Be still, and know that I am God."

- Psalm 46:10

Study/Learn

1. Read the chapter "Problem Solving" in "The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader" by John C. Maxwell.  Mark quotes you like in your book for the discussion.
2. Read and memorize Psalm 46:10.  Do we find this same scripture anywhere else?  Find me another reference.
3. Memorize this month's quote: "It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment." - Marcus Tullius Cicero
4. Read this pamphlet on Finances.  
5. Read these scriptures and paraphrase them in you CPB:
   
• Malachi 3:10–11
• Luke 16:10–11
• 1 Timothy 5:8
• D&C 19:35
• D&C 48:4
• 1 Timothy 6:10
• D&C 38:30
6. You make $1600 month (after taxes).  Put yourself together a serious budget to live with as an adult out on your own and bring it to class.  (This is your ticket into class, so don't leave it at home!) 

Know/Understand

Do both of the following:

1.  Read through the following principles of money and choose one to study in more depth.  Come to class with a creative way to show the class what you learned.  We will not be presenting, you will be hanging what you brought on the wire. Be creative! (You can find the original article here.) 

• True wealth is measured by relationships, not by dollars. Your faith and your family is always more valuable than your paycheck, so don’t compromise what matters most in the pursuit of wealth. It’s okay to have money, but never let money have you! Don’t kill yourself trying to get wealth only to miss out on real life in the process. Work hard to provide for your family, but don’t harm your relationships in the process. Your family can do with less “stuff” if it means having more of YOU! (Proverbs 23:4, Jacob 2:19)

• Debt is a form of slavery, so get rid of it as fast as you can. When we shackle ourselves up with
  
  
  the “golden handcuffs” of debt, we’re giving away part of our freedom to a debtor. God wants us to live in freedom; not in slavery. So, do everything you can to get out of debt and avoid going into more debt. Saving for a rainy day helps take away the "need" to go into debt when an emergency or unexpected expense comes up.  (Proverbs 22:7, D&C 19:35)

• Lasting wealth comes from consistent discipline, not “get-rich-quick” schemes. Our culture wants everything NOW, so many of us have a financial plan of winning the lottery someday or betting on a lucky stock. This is a poor approach, which is why so many lottery winners end up depressed and bankrupt. Lasting wealth is the result of a strong work ethic over a long period of time when applied with these other principles as well.  (Proverbs 13:11, Helaman 13:19)

• It’s ALL God’s money. We’re just managers of it. This principle changed the way we looked at “our” money and “our” stuff. None of it actually belongs to us. The only part that belongs to us is the responsibility to be good stewards of the resources God has entrusted to us. Once we learned we were managers of God’s resources; we stopped acting so entitled and immature in our impulsive purchases and we became more disciplined. Paying attention to your incoming and your outgoings and living off a budget is a good start to this principle. (Psalm 24:1, Mosiah 4:16, 19, 24)

• Money is NOT evil, but greed is.  People have often misquoted the Bible to say “money is the root of all evil” which is not what the Bible actually says. Money is a great resources for good when in the hands of people who follow the Bible financial principles, but when an unhealthy love of money becomes the primary desire of our hearts, it’s become an unhealthy idol, and greed can drive us to do barbaric things in the unquenchable quest for more. (1 Timothy 6:10)

• Generosity blesses both the giver and the recipient.  The happiest people I know are generous
  
  
  people and the most miserable are misers. When we’re generous, everybody wins. When we’re stingy, everybody loses. We know this already which is why every Christmas we all watch movies about Ebenezer Scrooge! Now, we just need to put the principle into action. (Matthew 7:2, D&C 1:10)

• You can’t take it with you, but you can shape eternity with it.  There’s never been a hearse pulling a U-Haul, because we obviously can’t take our wealth with us, BUT we can invest it into people and ministries that will create an eternal legacy. Commit to using your money to making a difference that will outlive you! (Matthew 6:19-21)

2.  As a family, prepare and bring a single college student/missionary friendly meal that is relatively healthy, easy to make and inexpensive.  (Do NOT bring Ramen or mac & cheese!)  Bring enough to share with the whole group as this will be lunch that day.  It can be a breakfast, lunch or dinner.  

One of the hardest things for college students/missionaries on their own for the first time is figuring out what to eat that fits their budget and is quick to make.  Even those who are good cooks and are used to cooking for their families have a hard time cooking for just themselves without eating the same thing for 2 weeks because they accidently made a huge pot of soup!  A temptation is just to eat fast food every day or yucky things like Ramen or mac & cheese so we want to help you avoid that.  

For example, the Cloward's will be bringing English muffin egg sandwiches that are individual, can be
made in bulk and frozen, include protein, are inexpensive and can be adapted to fit various taste preferences.   

Bring the recipe with you (or email it to Sis. Cloward) and I'll put them all on the blog to help you start a recipe book for when you move out.  

 

Become/Serve

President Ezra Taft Benson said in General Conference 1973:

“What are some of the calamities for which we are to prepare? In section 29 the Lord warns us of ‘a great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth.’ (D&C 29:16.) In section 45 we read of ‘an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land.’ (D&C 45:31.) In section 63 the Lord declares he has ‘decreed wars upon the face of the earth. …’ (D&C 63:33.) In Matthew, chapter 24, we learn of ‘famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes. …’ (Matt. 24:7.) The Lord declared that these and other calamities shall occur. These particular prophecies seem not to be conditional. The Lord, with his foreknowledge, knows that they will happen. Some will come about through man’s manipulations; others through the forces of nature and nature’s God, but that they will come seems certain. Prophecy is but history in reverse—a divine disclosure of future events.  Yet, through all of this, the Lord Jesus Christ has said: ‘… if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.’ (D&C 38:30.) What, then, is the Lord’s way to help us prepare for these calamities? The answer is also found in section 1 of the Doctrine and Covenants, wherein he says: [D&C 1:17–18, 37]. Here then is the key—look to the prophets for the words of God, that will show us how to prepare for the calamities which are to come [see D&C 1:38].” 

Go back to the Oct 2020 General Conference and read one of the 4 talks Pres. Nelson gave (Moving Forward, Embrace the Future with Faith, Let God Prevail, or A New Normal) and read it through looking for warnings he is giving and advice he is giving us to prepare for the future.  Listen to the Holy Ghost and prayerfully make a list of things you can do now to be better prepared both spiritually and physically for the future and for your adulthood.   Start working on your list right away.