Autumn Dickson: articles and tips | FAIR
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Why God is Quiet Sometimes
by Autumn Dickson
Let us tell the story of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
Ezekiel was 30 years old, far from the land of his fathers, and standing beside a man-made canal amongst other exiles. As he stood there, a magnificent vision opened up to him. H...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Why will ye die?
by Autumn Dickson
Just to give some context on where we’re at in the biblical timeline here…we just finished reading in Jeremiah and Lamentations where Babylon attacked during King Zedekiah’s reign. Babylon emptied Jerusalem and set it on fire at this point in the timeline.
Before that, Babylon had attacked Jerusalem earlier. The Babylonians won and took a bunch of Jerusalem’s elite into Babylon; we will be reading about one of these exiles, Daniel, in the future. He followed the Law of Moses instead o...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Jeremiah 31–33; 36–39; Lamentations 1; 3 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Keeping Christ at the Center
by Autumn Dickson
One of the books we study this week is called Lamentations, and there is a really good reason it is called Lamentations. Jeremiah was a prophet who had pleaded with the people to repent. He pleaded with King Zedekiah to listen, but Zedekiah refused. Jerusalem was surrounded and sieged. The fall of Judah was…awful. It was known as one of the worst sieges and disasters in ancient history. It was brutal even by the standards of the ancient Near East. There is evidence of the...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Jeremiah 31–33; 36–39; Lamentations 1; 3 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Jeremiah Bought Nothing; Christ Bought Us
by Autumn Dickson
Jeremiah was the prophet at a time when the Jews were to be conquered by Babylon. He was called to be a prophet and cry repentance. He was to warn the Jews about what was coming, and he also gave messages of hope. The Jews would one day be restored to the land.
The Lord also gives Jeremiah a peculiar object lesson.
Babylon had already started to take over the land of the Jews and were making a siege against...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Why You Can’t Just Repent Later
by Autumn Dickson
Why can’t we just repent on the other side? Why can’t we do what we want here and then change when we enter the spirit world? Do we believe in deathbed repentance?
There is a verse in Isaiah that sparked some of these thoughts today.
Jeremiah 17:1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of you...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Your Own Wickedness Will Correct You
by Autumn Dickson
My family watched Treasure Planet last night. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and it was awesome sharing it with my kids last night. In the movie, we see Jim, a rebellious and angry teenager. His mom is trying to take care of him on her own because his father abandoned them, but Jim makes it pretty difficult. He is remarkably intelligent, but in the beginning, the image is formed that he has repeatedly gotten into trouble.
His m...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 58–66 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
What is the “acceptable year of the Lord?”
by Autumn Dickson
In Isaiah 61, we find a mission statement for Jesus Christ. In those verses, Christ talks about the reason His Father sent Him here to the earth. There are many prophecies about Jesus Christ, but He chose this prophecy specifically when the time came for Him to announce His divine Sonship and mission during His mortal life.
Isaiah 61:1-2
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the m...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 58–66 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Fasting is Not Just About Food
by Autumn Dickson
Do you feel like you’re doing everything right but find yourself overwhelmed with your own burdens? Do you feel like you’re doing everything the Lord wants you to do, but He is silent and not noticing?
Because the Lord has a response for you chapter 58. There are many ways that the Lord responds to these kinds of questions and feelings, so internalize this message with wisdom. He may be speaking to you, or maybe He sent this message to me this...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 50–57 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
He Has Done Much More With Much Less
by Autumn Dickson
Are you feeling completely torn down? Are you feeling discouraged about what you have to offer? Do you feel hollowed out after a time of refining fire?
Isaiah includes many warnings to Israel. The Lord allowed them to be smitten and scattered and left without anchor for a while in order to turn them back to Him. These warnings are good reminders for us in our day as they can contribute to our desire to repent. We can observe patterns...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 50–57 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
As If He Nailed Himself to the Cross
by Autumn Dickson
In Isaiah 50, we find a profound message of Christ’s voluntary suffering. Not only does He suffer for us, but He does so completely willingly. There is a very careful message being given. The words are meticulously chosen so that we can understand the exact nature of what Christ truly did for us.
In the beginning, Christ rebukes Israel and declares that He never sold them out. He has only ever been loyal to them. He demands that they show Hi...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 40–49 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Become Living Evidence
by Autumn Dickson
In the last post for this week, we talked about the Lord calling out idols for being useless. He challenges them to prophesy or explain past things as He does. He invites Israel to come and judge with Him. He tells them to come and see whether these manmade idols have any worth, to discern for themselves that the Lord is the only God.
He does that in Isaiah 43 again, but there is a little addition that I want to cover.
Isaiah 43:9 Let...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 40–49 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
The Lord Invites Us to Discern
by Autumn Dickson
Isaiah 41 has a couple of different messages from the Lord to Israel, but there is one in particular that I want to focus on. In order to do that, I want to squish a couple of verses together.
Isaiah 41:1 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.
The Lord is telling the pagans to remain quiet. He is calling upon...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Choosing Faith Beforehand
by Autumn Dickson
Have you ever felt quiet confidence in the Lord? What did that look like? What were you doing in your life that you felt that way? Do you still feel it?
Isaiah 30 warns Israel that they will be scattered for rejecting the prophets and trusting in Egypt. The children of Israel want the prophets to “prophecy not” and to “speak unto us smooth things.” They want the seers to “see not,” and they want prophets to “prophesy deceits.”
They want lies from the prophets so they...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
You Have Forgotten Him
by Autumn Dickson
We’re going to talk about Isaiah 22 for this particular post. Isaiah is prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem. He wrote it during the time of Hezekiah; during Hezekiah’s reign, the people are miraculously saved by an angel coming forth and destroying the Assyrian army. They were saved at that critical moment, and yet, Isaiah’s writings often simultaneously point to the future. Isaiah’s prophecies did not come true during Hezekiah’s time period, but they did come true later on.
So destruction of Jerusal...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 1–12 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Isaiah Called Out the Daughters of Zion
by Autumn Dickson
There is a passage in Isaiah about the daughters of Zion. Not gonna lie…it can be a hard one to read. It calls out the women in Zion for their pride in the form of outward ornamentation, and it prophesies of their downfall.
And though it’s a difficult topic, I want to talk about this passage and its insights into modesty.
Isaiah 3:16-18
16 Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 1–12 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
He Doesn’t Want Your Sacrifices; He Wants You
by Autumn Dickson
The Lord, Himself, encourages us to study the words of Isaiah. Therein, we will find messages for our day and more specifically, for ourselves. Isaiah is full of hope for the righteous and warnings for the sinner. Both types of messages are filled with love for His children.
Here is one of the warnings for His children who have gone astray. This is the Lord’s voice we’re listening to.
Isaiah 1:6, 11, 13-14
6 From the sole o...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
The Only Success You Can Guarantee
by Autumn Dickson
I really like Ecclesiastes. It’s like the Eeyore of books of wisdom in the bible. Where Proverbs encourages man to follow after wisdom and do well; Ecclesiastes starts its lecture on wisdom by pointing out futility and vanity of life. Where Proverbs expresses the idea that it’s worth following wisdom; Ecclesiastes likes to show us how useless it is to follow anything else. Proverbs liked to show how good patterns of living often bring good results. Ecclesiastes likes to point out that this...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Soft Answers Start With Soft Hearts
by Autumn Dickson
Proverbs is full of little bits of wisdom that push us on to paths that can make life easier. Mortal life was never meant to be externally easy, but taking heed of some of these proverbs can help you to escape more difficulty than you would otherwise meet. It likewise puts your heart in a state where you recognize the reality of both your mortality and the eternities ahead.
One of those bits of wisdom is found here.
Proverbs 15:1 A s...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Where do I find peace?
by Autumn Dickson
Mortal life is not for the faint of heart. Though it can have breaks in the difficulty where the sun shines for a while, we often get thrown back into the waves so that we can achieve our purpose of growing. It’s a necessary exercise. It was the purpose of mortal life. However, despite opposition being one of the main tools of the Plan of Salvation, it can be exhausting.
Here is a verse in Psalms that helped me to reflect on th...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
God Sits With You in the Dark
by Autumn Dickson
Psalm 102 is a chapter that reminds me a bit of one of the chapters we already discussed in psalms. The psalmist feels weary and broken, but despite the hardship the psalmist still praises the Lord. When we discussed the similar psalm last time, we spoke about the faith-building activity of praising the Lord after pouring our hearts out to Him. I want to approach it from a different angle this time.
We know that the psalmist has a testimony of the L...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Keeping Silent
by Autumn Dickson
David was a good king who loved the Lord but fell. He chose to engage in very serious sin and commit adultery with Bathsheba. The real problem came when he chose to cover it up. When David brought Uriah home to be with his wife, Uriah refused in loyalty to his fellow soldiers. In response, David got even more nervous and sent Uriah to a dangerous part of the battle to have him killed.
David spends a lot of time suppressing his own guilt until Nathan...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Pain and Praise
by Autumn Dickson
One of the most emotional psalms found in the Old Testament was written by David. He was a king who worshipped and loved the Lord. He rejoiced in the Lord, and because of that, he sometimes found himself with enemies. His enemies were not just foreigners but within his own kingdom. This chapter often speaks of them. Though David pours out his heart over his suffering, it shifts towards the end of the psalm towards praise of the Lord.
Psalms 69:30-31
30...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Some Trust in Chariots
by Autumn Dickson
There are different kinds of scripture that reach us through different means. The Book of Mormon is filled with stories that teach us about the dealings of God with His children; it is also filled with sermons that teach doctrine. The Old Testament is likewise filled with stories that highlight our relationship with Christ. The New Testament teaches us about the character of Christ by helping us read about His mortal life. The Doctrine and Covenants show the voice of the Lord as He speaks to...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
A Double Portion Promise
by Autumn Dickson
I love the tangible. I love when Christ takes vast, spiritual concepts and puts them into human parables that help us better understand. Even if those earthly parables are imperfect in comparison to God’s plans for His children, they help me grasp things more solidly.
Biblical scholars argue whether Job was a real man or whether he is a piece of literature simply meant to teach us. Job may be a person who truly lived upon the earth, or he may be a par...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Integrity Under Pressure
by Autumn Dickson
Job is a profound biblical exploration of faith and loyalty to God. Job loved the Lord, and he stayed true to Him. In the midst of great tribulation as well as riches, Job kept himself close to the Lord. Here is a verse that tells us a bit about Job.
Job 2:3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Esther – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Her Hidden Names
by Autumn Dickson
Esther’s story is one of courage. She is a remarkable woman who was placed in humble circumstances and rose to save her people. In a land that often looked down upon Jews, Esther’s heritage should have prevented her from being able to save her people. And yet, she rose to prominence was guided by the hand of the Lord. Here is one verse that introduces Esther and sets the foundation for what I want to talk about.
Esther 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Esther – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Mordecai as a Type of Heavenly Father
by Autumn Dickson
The book of Esther is generally well-known. A Jewish orphan finds herself in the harem of the king, and she becomes queen after winning his favor. A plot against the Jews unfolds, and all of them are going to be destroyed. At the peril of her life, she stands before the king and invites him to the banquet to plead on behalf of her people.
It is very easy to see how Esther is a type of Christ. She intercedes on...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8– Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Covenants, Gospel, and Protection
by Autumn Dickson
In the readings this week, we find three changes for the Jews under the kings in Persia. There were three men who helped with these changes.
First, we have Zerubbabel, a Jewish governor who worked tirelessly to build the temple.
Ezra 5:2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.
Then we have E...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8– Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
95 Years of Waiting
by Autumn Dickson
I’m going to give you a bit of a timeline to help you follow what is going on with these chapters. The bible is not chronological, and so it can get confusing. There are different names for the same people, and different names for the same ethnicity of people. Ezra also jumps around which isn’t particularly helpful. So here is a brief timeline to help you keep track of where we’re at.
There are three main waves of Jews returning to Jerusalem.
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Turn Back to God
by Autumn Dickson
Time for another Old Testament story.
Jehoshaphat is a king of Judah. He is a righteous king who worked on pushing the hearts of his people towards the Lord. He tears down idols. He seeks out the will of the Lord. He’s a good man, though imperfect at times.
At one point in time, Jehoshaphat finds himself in Israel with his ally, the wicked King Ahab. Ahab wants to go fight Syria to recapture a city that was taken from Israel. Jeh...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
God loves to make us work for it
by Autumn Dickson
Asa is one of the kings we read about this week. He was a king of Judah, the southern kingdom. He starts out his reign really strong, tearing down idol worship and deposing his own grandmother who worshipped idols. He encouraged people to seek the Lord. Unfortunately, he also took a turn for the worse and started trusting in human solutions over God, and he died.
There is one verse in the midst of his story that I want to...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Kings 16–25 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
When You Have Nothing but God
by Autumn Dickson
This week, we find a righteous but imperfect man surrounded by legitimate reasons to be afraid. How do you respond when you’ve been backed into a corner? Let’s talk about how Hezekiah responded.
Hezekiah was a righteous king especially when contrasted with his wicked father, Ahaz. When Hezekiah rose to the throne, he threw out all of the idolatry and tore down all of the false places and altars of worship. He was reforming Judah, and he was helping them repe...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Kings 16–25 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Learning to Accept the Lord’s Consequences
by Autumn Dickson
For a few weeks, two of my kids were really struggling. They would fly off the handle at little provocations. I would ask them to do things, and they would throw a fit (or throw other things). It was beyond normal kid misbehavior. I still don’t know whether it was a phase or something going on at school. I tried hard to figure it out, but couldn’t.
After trying to connect with them first, we ended up just spending a lot...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Kings 2–7 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
The Eternal Significance of Seven
by Autumn Dickson
There are many patterns in the Old Testament. The story of Naaman, the Syrian, falls right in line with one of these patterns.
Naaman was a Syrian captain. The Lord utilized Naaman to deliver Syria. He was a good man, but he was also a leper. A captured Israelite girl resided as a servant in his home. She audibly wishes that Naaman could visit the prophet in Israel because the prophet could cleanse him of his leprosy. The testimony of the captured servant g...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Kings 2–7 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Faith to Ask; Faith to Accept
by Autumn Dickson
One of our people from this week’s readings is Elisha. He is the prophet who was called after Elijah. We don’t get many of his words or sermons, but we do get to read about many miracles. One of those miracles includes a Shunammite woman who took care of Elisha.
The Shunammite woman recognized Elisha as a man of God despite the fact that she lived in an idolatrous nation. Elisha and the prophet before him, Elijah, both worked to addre...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 1 Kings 12–13; 17–22 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel
by Autumn Dickson
Do you ever feel like you’re desperately scraping at an empty barrel? Maybe it’s with physical resources to take care of your family, or maybe you feel emotionally or spiritually drained.
Well this week holds a story that can give us the key to finding peace with our barrel.
There is a huge famine in the land, and the Lord is providing for the prophet, Elijah. Elijah is living by a stream and getting water from it, and some...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 1 Kings 12–13; 17–22 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
The Deadly Lie of the Old Prophet
by Autumn Dickson
There are major themes throughout the stories we read in the Old Testament. Some of the more negative themes are idolatry, fear over losing power, disobedience, and corrupting influences. The Old Testament does not shy away from showing the fallibility of humankind. There is great hope in faithful stories in the scriptures; there are also important warnings in the stories of people who were not obedient to the Lord.
One of the stories we read this week shows themes of obedience...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Solomon’s Sword and Crazy Plans
by Autumn Dickson
This week, we get to learn a bit about Solomon’s reign. Solomon was known for his wisdom, a spiritual gift that was the direct result of a request he made as he was ascending the throne. The story of the two women and the baby is well-known and highlights this wisdom.
In the last post, we talked about how the Lord reflected Solomon’s heart back to him when the Lord offered to answer a prayer for Solomon. This week, we get to...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
What Would You “Wish” For?
by Autumn Dickson
Solomon, David’s son, has become king. Very early on in his reign, Solomon has a dream in which the Lord appears to him.
1 Kings 3:5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
This is a really incredible experience as Solomon is stepping into his kingship; the Lord appears and offers to grant a prayer to Solomon. Solomon asks for wisdom and discernment in judging his people. The Lord i...
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 1 Samuel 17–18; 24–26; 2 Samuel 5–7 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
David Fought Goliath Without Armor
by Autumn Dickson
In 1 Samuel 17, we read about one of the most famous stories in the Old Testament: David and Goliath. It’s an incredible story of faith that can teach us a lot about following Christ. The fact that David saved the Israelites was a big deal, but how he defeated Goliath is likewise significant. Let’s talk about a couple of those “hows.”
Goliath taunts the Israelites for 40 days. David comes forward and offers to battle Goliath. Saul agrees, and he even puts his own armor...
