FHE: Martial Arts & Missionaries

Saturday, my Netflix choices of DVD came and it was Kung Fu Panda and The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor; but we didn't pick up the mail until yesterday. Since the kids didn't have school today, I chose to do a cop out FHE and just let us watch Kung Fu Panda, have dinner and check it off.

Again, things don't work out the way you plan; and when you are still high from a spiritual experience, you seem to be a little bit more aware of how else you can be more spiritual. That's where Walmart comes in...

We needed to get groceries and I couldn't come up with a simple enough dinner that all would want (I forgot to thaw some meat and we just ran out of necessities). I left it up to Charlie and he says, "I want tacos." Sounds simple enough, but... the two little ones do not eat tacos so we had to get something for them. They requested nuggets- problem solved. As we walked around each aisle, I wanted to tie in our dinner and movie to our FHE; but how? We came home with only enough time to have some playtime for the little ones with friends, Lisa to do some review for school and Charlie to clean the ceiling fan blades and me, to eat lunch (whacked out sleep cycle). Five o' clock hit and I call everybody into the LR to start our FHE- watching Kung Fu Panda. Still no inspiration! I started dinner (sauteed ground beef and pork flavored with Taco Bell taco sauce mix) and cut up all the toppings after the meat was cooked (so everything was fresh). Charlie helped me cut the veggies, the kids set the table. Then, I started to think about our upcoming dinner with the missionaries and "voila!" (light bulb turned on above head).

I told the kids to gather their scriptures and look up a few words that they can associate with the movie: They came up with Discipline, Perseverance, Humility, Talent and Honor

Martials Arts need a perfect combination of the above words to master even one technique, but it always starts with humility and ends with honor. Sound familiar?

Then they looked up verses that may have used these words.

Job 36:9-11; D&C 127:4; 1 Peter 5:5; D&C 60:13; D&C 76:5
Of course, no FHE is complete without a treat.
I decided to tackle my fear of baking and try to make chocolate molten lava cakes from Kraft Foods, and I was so grateful that I also found a way to tie that into our "drawn out" lesson (no gathering in the living room here tonight! I was teaching from the dining room, Charlie's in the kitchen and the kids were on the couch.)

I told the kids that just like the cake, you'll never know what beautiful things you are made of inside, unless you...
let it out.
So how is this movie related to missionaries? Who else do we know that have to go through these stages in two short years, often in an environment foreign to even our own imaginations?
Each of our children gave examples of how each missionary can share their talents with those they teach; each missionary should honor their work; each missionary should humble himself to gain more inspiration and testimony; Ian even said that if they are disciplined, they can get a lot done while they are on their mission.

Each movie we watch, each show we choose on TV, with our children, is subject to scrutiny. Not just over language content or grossness level, but what gospel attributes we can extract from it so that we can share it with them to help each one see the same show or movie through a different set of eyes. It is Charlie and I's way of "being in the world, without being of the world." It certainly helps me sleep better at night.

How do you and your family fend off the world's influences? Don't be shy, and share.