My First Talk!

Last week as I was wrestling my 2 year old, Leah, trying to get her to SIT during Sacrament Meeting, I wondered how much longer I could get away with NOT giving a talk. Doesn’t it always seem to work like that? Last Sunday evening, the phone rang; I asked my husband what the Caller ID said. “Matthew Highwood” was his response. I picked it up expecting to hear Kadarah’s voice… but it really was Brother Highwood, asking me to give a talk. So, here I am.
I know many of you, but not everyone. My name is Brooke Rosen, and my children are Hannah, she turned 7 a few weeks ago, Elijah, who is 4, and Leah is 2. I’ve been a member of the church for a little over 18 months, but I attended regularly for more than 6 months before that. My husband, Peter, is not a member, but maybe someday.

The Apostle Paul talks to us in Ephesians 6 about putting on the whole armor of God:
Ephesians 6
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

When I was in elementary school, I went to a VERY small, private, Christian school. There were about 100 kids from kindergarten to 12th grade. All the classes had three grades per classroom. So, when I was in kindergarten, my class consisted of 5 kindergarteners (all girls), 5 first graders, and 3 second graders (all boys!). As a kindergartener, I was taught to recite all the books of the Bible. By first grade we were expected to participate in ‘sword drills’. A Sword Drill is where the teacher calls out a book, chapter, and verse from the Bible. The first student to find it would stand up and read the verse.

I certainly didn’t understand at the time why the teacher was calling the Bible a sword. That didn’t make any sense. How could a book be a sword? Somewhere along the way, someone explained that the Word of God was part of our defense against evil.

The allegory of the armor of God makes for great song lyrics! We used to sing one called “I’m in the Lord’s Army”

I may never march in the infantry
Ride in the cavalry
Shoot the artillery
I may never fly over the enemy
But I’m in the Lord’s army (YES SIR!)

That was an all time favorite in my class!

Another that I always love to sing is “Onward Christian Soldier”

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle see His banners go!

I was happy to find that one in the hymn book here and wondered if it would be one of the hymns for today.

One of the songs the Primary children sang in the Primary Program a few weeks ago is called “Scripture Power” I know my kids enjoy this song a lot, and Leah often requests “picture power” when we are in the car listening to CDs

I’ll find the sword of truth in each scripture that I learn.
I’ll take the shield of faith from these pages that I turn.
I’ll wear each vital part of the armor of the Lord,
I’ll fight my daily battles and win a great reward.

Arming our children with the Word of God has got to be one of the most important jobs a parent can have. I know I need to do a better job of it, and that’s probably why I got to give this talk! Learning how to use the Scriptures, getting into the habit of reading them every day, and memorizing key verses will go a long way in fighting against evil.

We are surrounded by so much evil today. There is an unbelievable amount of filth on TV, the internet, and even the radio. We have to make sure to turn away from offensive things so we can remain sensitive to the Spirit. We have been counseled many times by the General Authorities to “unplug” ourselves, find a quiet time to read and meditate on the Word of God.

How else can we equip our children with the armor of God? The shield of FAITH stands out. How can we teach our children to have faith? We can start by bearing our own testimony to them… often. I have never stood up here and born my testimony. I use my children as an excuse NOT to come up here every month. So, today, I would like to bear my testimony. I know this Church is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet who saw God the Father and Jesus Christ his son. I know that the Gospel has been restored. I believe in the power of the Priesthood. I know that Thomas S. Monson is our prophet, seer, and revelator on Earth today.

I knew for a long time that I was supposed to be a part of this Church, long before I had a testimony. Even when I was baptized I was still waffling on certain issues. It’s only been recently that I realized that I TRULY have a testimony of everything about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I took the words in Alma 32 to heart, I tried believing it, and it was good and it grew and grew.

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

It doesn’t matter what the world throws at us, if we have faith we’ll be able to shield ourselves from it. That’s some pretty vivid imagery. All the ugly, wicked things that you might hear or see just bounce off the shield of faith.

President N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982), First Counselor in the First Presidency said this back in 1979

Are we studying the scriptures so that we can increase our knowledge and faith and testimony regarding the gospel? Do we keep the commandments? Are we honest and truthful in our dealings? Do we keep the Sabbath day holy? Do we observe the Word of Wisdom? Do we pay an honest tithing? Do we attend our meetings and respond to the calls made of us by our authorities? Are we virtuous and clean and pure in heart and mind and deed?
Do we fight against the evils around us—pornography, abortion, tobacco, alcohol, drugs? Do we have the courage to stand up for our convictions? Can we truly say we are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ? Do we live peaceably with our neighbors and avoid gossip and backbiting and spreading unfounded rumors? Do we truly love our neighbors as ourselves?
If we can answer yes to these questions, then we will have on the whole armor of God, which will protect us from harm and preserve us from our enemies. If we must answer no to these questions, then our armor is weak, there is an unshielded place which can be found, a vulnerable area for attack, and we will be subject to injury or destruction by Satan, who will search until he finds our weaknesses, if we have them.
Examine your armor. Is there an unguarded or unprotected place? Determine now to add whatever part is missing. No matter how antiquated or lacking in parts your armor may be, always remember that it is within your power to make the necessary adjustments to complete your armor.
Through the great principle of repentance you can turn your life about and begin now clothing yourself with the armor of God through study, prayer, and a determination to serve God and keep his commandments.


The times when I’ve thought “I just don’t want to go to church this week” are always when I’ve failed to read my scriptures for a few days. I always come, and it revitalizes me. I’m always glad I came! Even when I spend the entire Sacrament meeting wrangling kids who don’t want to sit quietly and I end up missing most of the talks. Somehow, I still take away something positive and uplifting.

Preparing this talk has challenged me to think about how I’m arming my children against evil. So far, I’m not doing a very good job! I have lots of room for improvement, and I’m thinking of ways that I can remedy the situation.
I challenge you to re-evaluate what you are doing to arm you own children, future children or grandchildren.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!