Come Unto Christ

This is the final post in this blog before I publish it for Christmas gifts for those who contributed. I have titled this post "Come Unto Christ," because that admonition is given in the final verses of the book and it is what the purpose of the Book of Mormon is- to help us come unto Christ.

Little did I know when I issued the challenge in December of last year what a blessing it would be in my life. For me, personally, to study daily in the Book of Mormon and then share my insights increased my faith. My testimony increased additionally as I read the what family members gained from their reading.

There is no doubt in my mind that the whole experience better prepared me for the humbling calling this past July to be bishop of the Shamrock Park Ward. It increased my spirituality and put me in a better position to accept the calling. The amazing thing is that as I talk with ward members who need comfort and council, the scriptures that I have underlined and written about in the blog from the Book of Mormon have come powerfully into my mind and have proven to be just what was needed.

I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and join Joseph Smith in proclaiming that it is the most correct book on earth and that a man or woman will come closer by abiding by its teaching than from any other book. It is the word of God.

Great Fathers in the Book of Mormon

Today is Father's Day and I have been thinking about lessons we can learn from the great fathers in the Book of Mormon.

My thoughts go first to Father Lehi. Right in the first verse of the Book of Mormon Nephi pays tribute to his father, as he writes about being born of goodly parents who taught him. I am impressed throughout the account of their wanderings in the wilderness and journey to the promised land with Lehi's love for his children, even when they were not all behaving very lovable. I have always been touched by the phrase in 1 Nephi 8:37 "And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent." That's something I think only parents can experience when they want their children so badly to understand the lessons of the gospel.

King Benjamin is another example of a parent who taught his children in the gospel. In Mosiah chapter one we read how he taught his three sons in the language of their fathers so they could read the plates. His most important advice to them is advice I would pass on to my children,

"And now my sons I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land." (Mosiah chapter 1)

Alma the elder teaches us the value of faith and prayer on behalf of children. When an angel appears to Alma the Younger to chastise him the angel says: "Behold the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant Alma, who is they father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth.." (Mosiah 27:14) Sally and I know what's it's like to pray daily for the welfare of our children with all our hearts, and are inspired by the example of Alma.

And finally I'm sure that Mormon must have been a wonderful father to Moroni. We don't read about it specificially, but at a time when just about everyone had abandoned their faith, Mormon is somehow able to keep his son, Moroni obedient and true to the faith. We read how Moroni fulfills the commandments of his father to take the plates. With very little room left on the plates, Moroni chooses to write in Moroni Chapter 7 the great discourse of his father, Mormon, on faith, hope and charity. We can surmise that there must have been a very loving relationship there.

There are other fathers mentioned with inspiring stories. Father Adam who chose to fall that man may be. Father Abraham who was willing to sacrifice his son to be obedient and with whom the Lord made the Abrahamic covenant - a covenant that we are a part of and can pass on through celestial marriage.

I'm grateful for my father who taught me as did Lehi and for the opportunity to be a father and grandfather. I'm grateful for my children and grandchildren - each with their own special spirits and talents and gifts that bring me great joy. And I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon and the lessons it teaches about fatherhood.

2 Nephi 4:27-30

We have reached our 100th Post. There have been so many great things written on this blog and I am so excited to continue to read it!

Last night as I was reading in 2 Nephi 4:27, it says,

"27: And why should I yield to sin because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?"

"28-30: Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.

Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.

Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord. and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God and the rock of my salvation."

How true this all is. There are so many times I get caught up in the busy world and instead of rejoicing and being happy everyday, I dwell on things that have gone wrong in my life. The part that stood out to me was "the enemy of my soul" Now this was a little strong for what I was thinking because it's not really that someone it is my enemy but sometimes in my life I dwell on what someone did to me, or the way someone made me feel. When we do this I feel like this only makes it harder for us to be happy and enjoy our day. We are going to go though out lives where someone may hurt us or make us frustrated but we need to remember the important things in life. The Savior and what he has given us to enjoy: His Son Jesus Christ that sacrificed for us and that we can remember and be more like everyday, family, friends, homes, nature, and so much more. I hope that I can be better each day by rejoicing about what I have and what I have been given and let the non important things roll off and enjoy the happy things in life.

King Benjamin

I love listening to or reading about King Benjamin's talk to his people. I was reminded again this week about how we are all beggars. We have had several beggars set up on the street corners lately here in Idaho Falls. I saw one of them smoking the other day and was tempted to think that if I gave him money, he would probably buy cigarettes. I have a tendency to judge the motives of these people and try to decide how needy they really are and wonder why they don't just get a job. King Benjamin teaches that it is not my place to judge. I cannot always stop in the middle of a busy intersection to give a beggar some money but I am going to try much harder not to be critical or judgmental. As the scriptures remind us, "With what judgement ye judge, ye will also be judged". Maybe in God's eyes, I am just as needy and helpless as those beggars on the street corners!

Agency

I have been pondering agency lately and would like to share a few thoughts, although it does not have to do specifically with what I am reading in the Book of Mormon. I was listening to a CD with songs from the 2005 primary program the other day and there was a phrase that stuck out to me from the song Agency which was an Ensign song picked for that year. IT goes something like, "I will use my agency to choose the right today." Now this may seem simple, but I was struck with the thought as I listened; my agency is a tool. It is something that I have been given to help me return to my Father. I always had viewed agency in the past a gift, or even a privilege, but never as a tool.

Amazingly, I was flipping through my gospel principles manual last night and turned to lesson 4, a lesson I had missed and never read, so I decided to take a few minutes and look over it. It is entitled Freedom to Choose. (Do you think Heavenly Father is trying to tell me something?) The following paragraph jumped out at me.

Agency makes our life on earth a period of testing. When planning the mortal creation of his children, God said, 'We will prove them herewith to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their Gos shall command them.'

I have been taught before that this life is a test, but as I read this paragraph, I viewed things in a way I never had before. I think that someimes rather than trying to excell at keeping the commandments and living righteously, I just try and glide by. I would never do this on a test for school or personal training, etc. My nature is to excel. The tool I can use to excel on the test of life is agency. Every day I am faced with dozens of choices; how to spend my time, how to treat my family, am I going to go visitng teaching, etc. Sometimes I choose good things, but not the best things and sometimes I make downright poor choices. The key word being my. Agency means not only that we are able to make choices, but that we must own them and be graded on them!!!! I pray that I will get an A and that I will be able to hear the words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant."

The Vineyard (Annabelle)

For behold, thus saith the Lord, I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a tame olive-tree... jacob 5:3. In this chapter there is a vineyard, olive-tree, a master, and a servant. In the vineyard there is good soil and bad soil. The vineyard represents the world. There are some places better set up for the teaching of the gospel than others. Such as the promised land/the americas. The olive-tree is also the world. At first it brings forth good fruit, representing that the gospel is on the Earth. It begans to decay, the gospel is still on the Earth but not as much. The master and the servant try to prune the tree and nourish it for some time. Then they try to graft in branches from another tree. The tree starts to bring forth evil fruit, none of it is good, the gospel is no longer on the Earth. The branches have over come the roots of the olive tree, the gospel has been totally removed from the Earth. They yet again try to save the tree. This time they graft in branches from the mother tree. It starts to bring forth good fruit, the gospel has been restored to the Earth. Then it talks about how after a long time of good fruit the bad will come into the vineyard yet again, and he will gather up the good and the bad branches, and preserve the good branches, while he will burn the bad branches in a fire.

He Will Take Upon Him the Pains of His People

I had an experience this week that helped enlighten me about the atonement. We read in Alma chapter 7 how the Son of God would take upon him the pains and sicknesses and infirmities and sins of His people. We sometimes focus mostly on Him taking on Himself our sins, but he also took upon Himself our pains and sicknesses and infirmities.

Here's my experience. Monday Michael was driving from Boise to Logan for a very important modeling job. He had told me before that being late to these things was not even an option so he always gave himself plenty of time. I learned from Mom that Michael's tire blew out near Mountain Home. He called Mom to express how distraught he was by the whole ordeal - not only was there the expense of the repair, but the problem would delay him enough that he would be late to his appointment. I felt so bad for Michael. In fact, I sometimes think when our children are in distress, the parents feel it worse than the children.

Then I made the connection. Just as I felt so bad for Michael, even though the experience wasn't happening to me, the Savior has suffered that same pain for all of us. Not only that, he took upon himself Michael's pain and my pain, and multiply that by millions, because the Savior has experienced the pain and suffering of every human being who has lived, who is now living and who will yet live upon the earth. He did it all the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. The magnitude of what Jesus Christ did for us through the atonement struck me by that simple comparison.

Not only did He do it, but he did it willingly. In addition, we don't even need to bear our burdens, because if we are suffering in mind or spirit he invites us to "cast our burden upon the Lord and he will sustain thee." I am, and forever will be so grateful for the atoning sacrifice of our Lord, Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

I was listening to Enos today and had an interesting thought. When Enos first prayed, it was for himself. After his sins had been forgiven, he prayed for his people. Finally, he prayed for his enemies. I think that the more sin we have in our lives, the more self-centered we are. As we become more righteous, we begin to turn outward and think more about others, It is only when we are extremely righteous that our hearts are turned to our enemies. Only then, are we truly Christ-like. We can pray, as Christ did on the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do".

Deny Yourselves of All Ungodliness

As I've been pondering certain phrases verses that especially impress me in The Book of Mormon I had some thoughts about Moroni 10:32 which begins:

"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness..." I thought, to "deny" ourselves of something is not to partake of something that may be tempting. For example we might "deny" ourselves of that second piece of cake. It may be satisfying for the moment but it's not good for us. So to deny ourselves of all ungodliness would mean not doing anything that would be contrary to what God would do, no matter how tempting it is. Now, I think most of us do a good job at denying ourselves of ungodliness when it comes to big things, like in the Ten Commandments - we don't murder or steal or those kinds of things.

But what about things that might not seem so major. What about things like envy, jealousy,

laziness, anger, hate, forgetting to say prayers, not being grateful. The list goes on. My conclusion is that as I go throughout daily life I need to be more mindful of things I do or say or think that would not be what God would do, and do a better job of denying myself of all ungodliness.

Studying

When I finished the Book of Mormon I decided to start over but take my time on it. Sometimes during Hannah's naps I will get on the computer and go to LDS.org and read my scriptures on there. As I was getting on today I saw an option called Study Helps. I figured hey why not? I clicked and there is an option called Guide to the Scriptures. In here you can click on a letter and look for a topic. I clicked on Patience and the first thing I read was this,

"Calm endurance; the ability to endure affliction, insult, or injury without complaint or retaliation."

Then it continues on with a bunch of scriptures all about patience. You can click on show references and it has other words that you can click and go to.

One of the scriptures I read while under the topic Patience was D&C 67:13

"Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, ^acontinue in patience until ye are ^bperfected."

What a huge roll patience has in our lives. I know I am not perfect when it comes to patience, but I have made an effort to continue to get better.

I am so grateful for all the resources we have to become closer to our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. Also to make us stronger and better in our lives. We are very lucky to have Prophet Thomas S. Monson as our Prophet to lead and guide us through this world as the Lord would have him do. He is a true Prophet and loves each of us dearly. I know the Book of Mormon is true, and we can learn so much from the scriptures if we take the time to study and learn from them. Which it is so neat that we have resources such as this one on the LDS.org website to help us with that. I love the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I am very happy to be a member of the true church!

Faith, Hope and Charity

For my continued study of the Book of Mormon I decided to take a totally different approach than I've taken the last three months. I had been trying to read the entire book fairly quickly, about six pages a day, underlining verses that stood out, finishing it in 90 days. It was very rewarding and gave me a great perspective of the chronology and story of the book. My new approach is to take some time and ponder and cross reference just a few verses a day selected from the ones I underlined. And I'm starting in Moroni chapter 10 and working my way back to the beginning.

There's a lot of talk in the last few chapters of the Book of Mormon about faith, hope and charity. I've learned that to have faith means to truly believe that the Lord will come through for us and answer our righteous desires - whether it has to do with challenges our kids are having, problems we are having - just having complete and total confidence in Him and His promises.

Regarding hope, I've learned that if we have faith, then we can hope for better things to come, and that if we don't have that hope we are likely in despair and despair cometh because of iniquity.

And I've learned that charity is the purest, noblest kind of love there is and if we don't feel it we should pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart that we may be filled with this love.

I'm working on increasing my faith by cultivating that attitude of total trust and confidence in the Lord and increasing my charity by praying for it with all energy of heart.

Confidence in the Lord

I didn't want to start over from the beginning of the Book of Mormon right now so I just got out a CD from the middle the other day and started listening to it. I ended up in Alma listening to the story of Ammon and Lamoni. After Lamoni's conversion, Ammon told Lamoni that he had to go to the land of Middoni to rescue his brethren who were in prison. When Lamoni asked Ammon how he know his brethren were in prison, Ammon responded, "No one hath told me, save it be God." I thought about how spiritually confident Ammon was to recognize the voice of the Spirit and to act on it without questioning. In my own mind, I sometimes question or doubt when I receive an answer, trying to think of why it is not reasonable or wondering if it is just something I have created in my mind. I think that Ammon must have had much practice in both hearing the voice of the Spirit and in acting upon it in order to have developed the faith and confidence to know when he was being directed by God and to be able to separate those promptings from his own thoughts and fears and doubts.

1 Nephi 12

It amazes me as I have been starting in 1 Nephi again that even though I just read I am picking up new insights again. It is truly is remarkable how the Lord works and that the Book of Mormon everyday can teach us something new.

In 1 Nephi 12: 17 it says,

"And the ^amists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which ^bblindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into ^cbroad roads, that they perish and are lost"

I love this part of the vision. How it is referring to the mist of darkness being the temptations of the devil. In our lives if we aren't doing what we are suppose to we have that mist as well. We are a lot more stressed, overwhelmed, unsure on things. I know that when i am not reading my scriptures I am a lot more edgy and feel a lot more stress. I know that if I have contention in my life it is the spirit of the devil and I can't focus fully on what I need to.....I have mist covering my way a little.

Peer Pressure

A while ago I read about Abinidi and wicked king Noah. As it often is, something new stood out about that scripture account and I have been pondering about it for the past week. King Noah did not want to kill Abinidi after hearing him out, but his priests (with the exception of Alma), gave him such a hard time that he decided to go through with it anyway. Because King Noah sucomed to peer pressure and commanded that Abinidi should suffer death by fire, Abinidi told the wicked king that he would be hunted and burned too, which eventually came to pass.

I thought of my past experiences and some of the times that I have been "burned" because I ignored a bad feeling, or put myself in a bad situation, because I was afraid of hurting someones feelings or telling them no. I also think of the many times that I have been blessed because I have stuck to my standards. I am thankful for the gospel and I have a testimony that I am blessed as I make good choices.

Why Keep Studying The Book of Mormon

Listening to conference a couple weeks ago I was very impressed with a statement Elder Bednar made about The Book of Mormon. I waited until the text of the talk came out on the internet to share it with you. Part of the talk explains why the Book of Mormon is so powerful and why we need to keep reading it. He listed several ways for families to protect their children in these wicked time. The very first one he listed was to read the Book of Mormon as a family. Quoting from his talk here was his reasoning.

"The Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth because it centers upon the Truth even Jesus Christ, and restores the plain and precious things that have been taken away from the true gospel. The unique combination of these two factors—a focus on the Savior and the plainness of the teachings—powerfully invites the confirming witness of the third member of the Godhead, even the Holy Ghost. Consequently, the Book of Mormon speaks to the spirit and to the heart of the reader like no other volume of scripture.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that abiding by the precepts found in the Book of Mormon would help us “get nearer to God” than any other book. Regular reading of and talking about the Book of Mormon invite the power to resist temptation and to produce feelings of love within our families. And discussions about the doctrines and principles in the Book of Mormon provide opportunities for parents to observe their children, to listen to them, to learn from them, and to teach them.

Youth of all ages, even infants, can and do respond to the distinctive spirit of the Book of Mormon. Children may not understand all of the words and stories, but they certainly can feel the “familiar spirit” described by Isaiah."

There were several things that impressed me about his statement - one was that even infants just listening to the Book of Mormon feel its power. The other is the apostolic promise that regular reading of and talking about the Book of Mormon (which is just what this blog does) gives us more power to fight temptation and power to produce more feelings of love in our families. And who doesn't need that!

I had been thinking about suggesting that as you complete this reading of the Book of Mormon you write in the this blog about your insights into other standard works. But after Elder Bednar's talk I would like to challenge you (at least for a while longer) to continue to use this blog to do what Elder Bednar suggests - continue to talk about the Book of Mormon. Even if your study includes the other standard works, let's keep including some study of the Book of Mormon. You may want to start reading it again, perhaps with a more specific focus on a particular doctrine. Maybe you want to study a certain topic from the topical guide. Maybe you just want to randomly open the book and read whatever chapter it falls open to. As for me, I think I discuss more in depth some of the verses I underlined.

I hope you will all accept my challenge to keep writing in this blog from time to time (my goal will be weekly) and uplift the rest of us with your insights and feelings about what you are reading in the Book of Mormon.

I will finish the Book of Mormon challenge this week. I am happy to meet my goal but a little sad to lose this part of my daily routine. I hope that everyone will take Julia's suggestion that we keep the blog going. At the end of the Book of Mormon, many of the prophets are saying their goodbyes and giving their last words of advice. I think that if I were in a position to give my last advice to my friends and family, it would be similar. I would say the following:

*Wickedness never was happiness.

*When you do good, you feel good. When you do bad, you feel bad.

*You can not overestimate the importance of the ordinances and covenants you enter into.

*The Word of God is the iron rod. Hold onto it. Don't let go.

*The family is the most important organization in the Plan of Salvation. It is essential to our salvation and it will always be under attack.

*Repent daily. Don't put it off.

*Heavenly Father is anxious to bless us. He loves us more than we will ever know.

*Look for chances to serve other people. How we treated people will be the most important factor on the judgement day.

*The Spirit of the Lord cannot dwell where there is evil or contention.

*Faith and fear cannot exist in the same person at the same time. Replace your fear with faith.

*Go to the temple.

*Follow the Prophet.

These are some of the most important things I have learned from my study of The Book of Mormon. I will be trying for the rest of my life to remember and implement these ideas.

Always Abounding in Good Works

There are certain phrases in the Book of Mormon that stand out to me and have great meaning in just a few words. Ever since I heard Elder Bednar's talk on the "tender mercies of the Lord" I feel compelled to ponder some of these phrases to get their full meaning and find out how they can help me change my life for the better. One of those phrases that appears a few time in the scriptures is "always abounding in good works." I underlined it in Ether 12:4.

As I thought about it, it occurred to me that this is a goal I need to work toward more. I felt it meant more than just doing what is right, that somehow it meant being proactive and going out of my way to help others- not just occasionally but always. But I was still having trouble really nailing down the full meaning - I knew what "always" meant, but I was a little hazy on the definition of "abounding." And I wasn't sure if I totally comprehended the extent of the meaning of "good works."

So I went to LDS.org and searched talks that mentioned that phrase. I found the following portion of a short talk by Elder Faust that gave me exactly the answers I was looking for. Here's what he said and how he defined the terms.

Abounding

Abounding—having in large numbers or great quantity

Good Works

How can your life be “always abounding in good works”? Here are a few ideas:

• Pray for opportunities to serve others, and then look for those opportunities.

• Write in your journal each day the things you did that were kind, helpful, or spiritually uplifting.

• On a Sunday, make a list of good things you think you could accomplish that week. Put the list where you can see it every day to remind yourself of your goals, and then review the list on the following Sunday to see how you did.

Good Works

“When faith springs up in the heart, good works will follow, and good works will increase that pure faith within them.”

President Brigham Young (1801–77), Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young (1997), 57.

There was my answer. To implement the scripture in my life I need to pray for opportunities to serve, write down those experiences, and make weekly goals of good things I can accomplish in the coming week. I plan to do that and would challenge you to do the same.

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded , for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

Jeff and I have decided to read one verse or a few verses from the New Testament and from the Book of Mormon each day. As I was reading in the Book of Mormon and reading in 1 Nephi I came across I think a very popular scripture for a lot of people. The line that really stood out to me this time was "for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them..." The reason it stood out was because over the last couple weeks Hannah has been struggling with naps really bad, I thought I couldn't do it and that I was done. Now I know this is not a commandment but I know that Heavenly Father does not give us anything he knows we can not handle, even if sometimes we don't think we can handle it, he will help us through it and a weakness can become a strength. Every person I have talked to or book I have read has said kids need naps until 3 or 4 years of age. Now every kid is different so I almost thought she was done with naps until at night she was very grouchy and before lunch she would rub her eyes and you could just tell she was tired. So finally I broke down (almost giving up) and called my sister that has struggled a little with naps with her son. She said both of her kids went through a stage where they tried to refuse naps. She knew they were still tired and needed naps so she figured out why they were struggling and worked with them. With her son it was because he missed her and would rather be with her than sleeping. They introduced Mr. Bear to give him something to comfort him during naps. With her daughter she just needed something to relax her so she gave her books and then she would fall asleep on her own.

Today I was also reading a talk from the General Young Women Meeting by Mary N Cook ( http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,2298-1-426-39,00.html )

In this talk there is a story of them taking some of their grandchildren to Timpanogos Cave National Monument. There was a 9 year old and 6 year old. She was a little worried how the 6 year old would do. Before reaching their destination the 6 year old sat down and said, "I give up! I can’t go any farther!" They sat down and came up with a plan. The plan helped the 6 year old and they accomplished the goal. In there is a line that says, "Have you ever been afraid and discouraged as you’ve faced a challenge that seemed far beyond your ability? Have you ever wanted to give up?" This immediately made me think of yesterday when i broke down and said I couldn't do nap times anymore, and that I didn't know what to do anymore. After talking to my sister and getting a little extra hope again I decided that after dinner last night I would start a fast to help with naps and getting them figured out quickly. The Lord truly does work miracles. I knew I couldn't do this all on my own anymore and needed his help. I had faith and knew if anyone could figure Hannah's naps it would be me telling myself we could do it and turning to the Lord for help. Today as I laid Hannah down for her nap I made sure she knew I loved her and when she woke up we could play. I told her that baby doll would be with her and she could cuddle with her. I left and didn't hear anything from her. 4 or 5 minutes later she started screaming. I went in didn't talk to her or make eye contact with her (so she didn't think it was time to play or talk) I laid her back down gave her baby doll and blankets and left the room. She was fine and went to sleep for 50 minutes but woke up screaming and still sounding very tired. I went in did the same thing where I laid her back down. She cried right at first but settled down and now is still sleeping and it is 2:42 (I lay her down at 1). Much better than 30 minute naps!

Sorry this has become pretty lengthly but I know without a doubt that if we ask and have faith the Lord will be there to help and guide us. He knows our hearts and he knows what we can handle and where he needs to help, but we have to ask first!

Finished But Not Done

It's a great feeling to set a goal and achieve it. Tonight I accomplished my resolution to read the entire Book of Mormon and comment on it from time to time in this blog. But while I have finished this reading, I am not done studying the Book of Mormon, nor am I done sharing my thoughts in this blog.

There are so many things I could comment on from Moroni chapter 10 alone, but tonight I will choose just one. I am struck by the peace Moroni obviously feels as he comes to the end of his mission on earth - knowing he has done his duty, able to face death without fear. In fact he looks forward to "go to rest in the paradise of God." In a small way I felt similar feelings peace when I finished my mission in Germany. I still remember the last day of my mission in Dortmund, feeling very emotional while reading in 3rd Nephi about the savior's visit. I knew that wonderful experience was coming to a close, but I felt good about how I had served and it was an awesome feeling. Similarly, Moroni seemed to feel that but to an even greater extent as he wrote his last words in the Book of Mormon.

It's my hope that all of us can live our lives in such a way that when we come to the close of our missions here on earth and at some time join Moroni "before the pleasing bar of the Great Jehovah" that we will hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Scriptures

I know that some people are starting to finish up the Book of Mormon and some are still reading everyday as much as they can. I thought that it would be neat to continue on with the blog. As people go on and read maybe the Old Testament, New Testament or through the Book of Mormon again that we could continue to share our thoughts with each other. Give us the opportunity to continue to learn from each other and get other insights on scriptures we have read before. I know that this blog has helped me personally to learn more by writing it down. Let me know what you guys all think.

Before the Appearance of Christ

It is truly amazing to me that the Nephites were clearly and indisputedly shown the sign of Christ's birth and yet, just a few short years later, Satan had convinced the Nephites that the sign was a trick and the people had fallen into unrighteousness. Right before the appearance of the Savior, there were so many signs and wonders but Satan had again stepped up his efforts to deceive the people. In 3Nephi7, it talks about the many miracles performed by Nephi. In verses 19 and 20, it says "And in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did he raise from the dead...And the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power." I think the real lesson for us is that Satan will try to deceive us and will step up his efforts when he sees that we are on the verge of something really important spiritually. He will try to get us to believe that our promptings are just a trick of the mind and he will do whatever he can to steer us away from the right course. If we listen to him, then we will be filled with regret like those in 3Nephi8:24 who cried, "O that we had repented before this great and terrible day."

Moroni 9

As I was reading Moroni 9 with Jeff last night right before we started he said, "this chapter is going to make you sad." I thought to myself, "It is probably just about more wars which is sad but it's not going to make anymore sad than the wars have already made me." As we stared to read Mormon speaks so clearly and it is so easy to understand. Jeff was right it made me very sad to read about what they did to the Women and Children and to the male figure of the household. Mormon says in verse 13, "But O my son, how can a people like this, whose delight is in so much abomination." It breaks my heart to hear how far away from the Lord they were. I am so grateful for this Scripture Challenge. As I reach the end of he Book of Mormon it makes me very grateful how close to Heavenly Father and the Savior I've become. It has been a great experience for me and I want to continue to read the the scriptures and learn more each day.  At the very end of Moroni 9, Mormon says to his son Moroni (verse 25-26), 

"25 My Son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ life thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life rest in your mind forever."

"26 And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of his power, until all things shall become subject unto him, be, and abide with you forever. Amen."

In this world there is so much "bad" going on, but one thing I know that is through Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ I can be safe and loved. I have a testimony that this the one and only true church. That Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ love us all and want us to be happy and enjoy life. I know without a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true and the keystone of our religion. I know that Prophet Joseph Smith is a true Prophet and restored the gospel on the Earth. I know that Prophet Thomas S Monson is the current Prophet and was called of the Lord to guide us. I love my Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ. 

Digging Deeper

It occurs to me that the scriptures can be understood on many different levels. First, there's the story of the scriptures, like the Jaredites building barges to carry them across the sea. Then there are the obvious spiritual teachings, like the brother of Jared having so much faith he saw the Lord. Then there's the "digging deeper" level - truly pondering the scriptures, looking for deeper, hidden meanings that the Lord will reveal to us to teach us and enlighten our understanding.

Recently, as I was reading about the brother of Jared, I was reminded of a speech one of my public speaking students, Richard, gave who related an experience where he took the time to dig deeper by simply asking, "why." He had just read Ether 3:1.

"And it came to pass that the brother of Jared (now the number of vessels which had been prepared was eight) went forth unto the mount, which they called the mount Shelem, because of its exceeding height, and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stone, and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass, and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount and cried again unto the Lord..."

We all know the rest of the story, how the Lord touched the stones so they glowed and the Jaredites had light in their vessels. Let me quote Richard's speech and the profound deeper meaning he found in this event.

"So the question that began what for me became a spiritual experience which I'll never forget was simply, "why 8 barges and 16 stones?" Knowing that often times numbers are symbolic of something greater, I searched and found out that 8 is a symbol for eternity, and I made the connection between those vessels as being families, because families are eternal. Their destination was the Promised Land, as is ours. And then I thought again about how there were 16 stones and how naturally there would be two in each vessel. Well, I thought about how through marriage, two become one, just as these two stones reside in one vessel. This is where the spirit started to take over, and to me ... it was just amazing, because then things started to unfold before me. Next I thought, "where did Jared take them?" - to the top of the mount, which we know is a symbol of the temple. Then I asked, "What kind of stones were they?" - They were "white and clear, even as transparent glass." That's just how we need to be before we enter the House of the Lord. And what is it that happens in the House of the Lord? Well, Jared asks the Lord "touch these stones O Lord, with they finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness... that we may have light while we shall cross the sea." In his holy temple we are touched, and we are given light that we may shine forth in darkness. All this came about because a question was asked, and a heart longed to know." -Richard Gneiting

I'm on track with the goal I set at the beginning of the year to to complete the Book of Mormon is three months - finishing it just before General Conference. This is the timetable President Hinckley challenged us to do several years ago. For me there has been value in moving along fairly quickly, about six pages per day, to appreciate the full story of the rise and fall of the Nephites. And my mind and heart have been enlightened by many passages that have touched me and I've been able to use in my daily life. But once I've finished this reading of the Book of Mormon, I think I'll go back and really study and ponder certain chapters and verses and "dig deeper" like Richard did, and ask "why?"

Whatever method you choose to study the scriptures, at whatever level, I would encourage you to do as President Benson taught - to make the Book of Mormon as least a portion of your daily scripture study. I'm impressed when I visit Allison and Riley that they gather the family together morning and evening to read the scriptures. My experience has been that they read from the Old Testament or the New Testament or other standard works for one of those times, but the other time it's the Book of Mormon. I see how their family has been blessed by doing so and I'm sure we'll all be blessed if we follow their example.

Alma 36

This chapter was first introduced to me by dad at a very hard time in my life. He had a great way of explaining the immense joy that can follow the godly sorrow felt by sin. Ever since then, this chapter will always hold a special place in my heart and give comfort to me in times of imperfection.

First take a look at what vs 12-13 says "But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins. Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments." He had murdered God's children and tried to lead people away from the gospel and the following verses explain his pain. "Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds. And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul." His pain is obvious but then he goes on to say "I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

It is the following verses that bring hope to us all and really bring to light the great power of the atonement..

"now as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: o Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I though this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!"

I am so grateful to have the knowledge I do of the Gospel and to be able to use this gift of the atonement in my life. I am so grateful for the truly Christian teachings that come from the great Book of Mormon. I want to echo the following verse in my life as I go forward...

"Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost."

I know that "he will raise me up at the last day, to dwell with him in glory; yea, and I will praise him forever..."

The Fall of Adam and Eve

As I was reading over the lesson we are having today in Relief Society and Priesthood. In 2 Nephi 2, verses 12-26. It gave me a greater love for the Fall. It can be looked at as Adam and Eve sinned, or it was apart of the plan all along. Heavenly Father created all things! Without the Fall,  Adam and Eve would have stayed in the Garden. I really enjoyed reading verses 22-26 which says,

"22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. 

23 And they would have had no children wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. 

26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem."

I am very grateful for the Fall. For without it I would not be here. I would not have an incredible husband who works so hard everyday so I can stay home with our daughter. I wouldn't have Hannah who brings so much joy in my life. I wouldn't have my family or extended family. I am grateful to know that the Fall was apart of the plan and that Adam and Eve were our first parents. They are a great example to me. From the very beginning we were taught that this life would be full of repentance and choices we would have to make. We have to have the opposites to be able to make our choices. 

God of miracles

  I have had a very interesting past few weeks.  Julia and I placed our house on the market again recently, and I had a "head hunter" approach me about a job in Indiana.
   The house has been getting some good activity, but we kept losing potential buyers to some newer townhomes that are closer to campus and around the same price.  I just found out a few days ago that there are about eight more of these for sale, which means that those will probably all have to sell before ours.  Then, yesterday I got a call from our relater who said that there was a couple who wanted to do a lease to own.  After having our house on the market for basically the past year this came as very exciting news.  I informed him to call back the couple and tell them we would be interested in allowing that to happen.  Great news!
  The "head hunter" and I had been in contact several times and just two days ago she sent me an email saying that the head of marketing for a company in Indiana was very interested in me, and wanted to have a phone interview.  It was scheduled for Wednesday of this week.  I had the call and felt it went very well. The job would be a substantial pay increase and a great jump start to my marketing career!  Great news!
 Julia and I were feeling so blessed.  We have been reading our scriptures and saying our prayers.  We have been serving others and attending the temple. We have felt such an increase of the Spirit in our lives.  Then, to top it all off, last night I was reading the Book of Mormon in Mormon 9:10-11

"And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.
  But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are."

  Now, I was feeling amazing at the prospect of our house selling and getting a new incredible job!  I was ready for my miracles.
  I got a phone call today from the "head hunter" who informed me that I didn't get the job in Indiana.  They really liked me, but my training in marketing has only been a year and they were looking for someone with more experience.  I decided since I was a little bummed to call the relater and find out if he had heard back from the couple interested in leasing our house.  He informed me that he had made a mistake and that they were actually asking about  another listing in our complex which he was selling.  I was feeling at this point like everything was falling apart....Then I got an email from Julia.  It was so full of faith and hope that I was humbled and converted.  She told me that everything would work out, and pointed out all of our blessings.
   In Finding Faith in Christ someone says, "perhaps faith isn't really faith unless it has been tested."
    I don't know what will happen with my job or with our house, but I do know that Heavenly Father knows, and that if I trust in Him, and live righteously, He will take care of it.  I don't know when or how, but HE WILL TAKE CARE OF IT.  I declare as did Nephi, "nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.  My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions...He hath filled me with his love."
   Lesson:  Sometimes we won't know right away why God lets things happen the way He does, and sometimes we may not even know in this life.  But, I believe that faith is trusting that He knows what we need and when we need it.  His view is not limited to the here and now, but rather it spans the eternities. And, if we are doing what we are suppose to, and if we trust Him, then HE WILL NOT LEAD US ASTRAY!  We are His children and He loves us.  I bare testimony of this truth.
  Finally, I love the message in D&C 123:17
"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

Becometh as a Child

Today I read Mosiah 3:19, which states that we need to, "becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

I love this verse! As a parent, I have come to understand the meaning of it to a greater extent. Riley and I "inflict" chores on our children and we don't always give them what they want right away, or even at all. We love them, but we know that if they do not learn to work, or if they do not have consequences for their actions, they will not be successful as adults. I think it is the same with our father in heaven. He loves us so much, but if he rescued us immediately from every trial, or we did not have consequences for our choices, we would not be able to learn the things we need to learn, like being meek, humble and patient, so that we can live with Him again.

Lessons of 3rd Nephi Chapter 18

Three concepts struck home to me in 3rd Nephi chapter 18 that I wanted to share.

First, after Jesus administered the sacrament to the people he said:

"Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done, for this is fulfilling the commandments,

and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you." (verse 10) The meaning I got from this is that when we do what the Lord asks it shows that we're willing to keep His commandments. We may not even understand the reasoning behind it, but we do it simply because it's a commandment, and when we show the Lord that willingness to follow Him all the way we are blessed. I can't count the number of places where I've underlined the idea that when we keep the commandments we prosper.

Second, two things that struck me about prayer in verses 18 - 20.

"Ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation, for Satan desireth to have you." This reminded me that we can never let down our guard against Satan and the way to do that is watch and pray always. I also think it's neat that "whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you." There are two conditions - it has to be right in the big picture of the Lord, and we have to have faith, and believe it will be given us.

Third, there's this short and simple sentence in verse 34. "And blessed are ye if ye have no disputations among you." It's so sad when family members argue and fight. Usually it's because of stubbornness or selfishness. That doesn't mean there won't be differences of opinion, but those need to be worked out with love and respect, not with anger, loud voices or pouting.

My Joy Is Full

What a glorious day this has been. I will forever remember March 14, 2010 as among the best days of my life. It began with the privilege of witnessing Michael's patriarchal blessing. It was a wonderful blessing from an inspired patriarch. Next we went to stake conference where the spirit was again in abundance, with Elder Lance B. Wickman of the seventy presiding. All the talks were inspiring and the institute choir was magnificent. Their song, "Take Time to Be Holy" touched us all. But one of the real tender mercies of the Lord was the overpowering feeling in Bishop Wrigley's office right after conference when I had the great blessing of ordaining Michael an Elder. I truly felt the presence of the spirit in the ordination and then especially as Michael bore his testimony afterwards. And to experience it all with people I love and care about - Sally, Allison & Riley, Annabelle, Adelyn, Davis, Clancey and Terrica, was truly one of those tender mercies of the Lord.

Then being able to spend time with Julia and Hannah on the car ride home and arriving home only to be greeted by the rest of my family, Jeffrey, Kent and Giness, Emily and Cameron who had prepared a delicious dinner just capped off a perfect day. I just feel so blessed and grateful. How does this all apply to the Book of Mormon, you may ask? Throughout the day I reflected on the scriptures that talk about joy; scriptures like like Alma 26:11 - ..."my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy." And then in verse 16, "Behold I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." Tonight I feel I understand a little more clearly the meaning of those verses.

Technology and The Lord (Annabelle)

I wasn't really understanding what I was reading in the Book of Mormon so I went back to the place I last really understood what was going on. Those chapters were the ones that talked about Nephi's vision. The one where the angel showed him our time. How difficoult would it be to compare the technology. The vast difference of the two time periods made it almost uncomparable. As I was reading I thought about how after the apostasy not much was being invented. Then, Boom Joseph Smith has his vision. He starts spreading the Gospel. Not only did the church start to grow with it grew technology. Suddenly we have all these huge inventions. Televisions, radios, computurs and so much much more. Technology can help us and hurt us. We have so much at our fingertips the good and the bad. Hopefully people will run into the good things more than the bad. Maybe someday we won't have to use technology to fight with other people. Hopefully someday the world can be at peace, but it won't happen without our help. Amen.

War and Peace

As I've been reading through the war chapters, I have noticed something that has slipped by me before. As great as Moroni and Helaman were as warriors, they never delighted in the shedding of blood. Each time they had an advantage over the Lamanites, they gave them the chance to give up their weapons of was and make an oath not to fight anymore. If the Lamanites were willing to do those things, Moroni was happy to let them go in peace. If not, then he had his armies slay them. That reminds me that sometimes there are things that we have to do that are not pleasant, like disciplining children or correcting someone we supervise at work but we don't have to delight in causing people to be disappointed or sad. When I need to discipline children at work, I try to remember the counsel in the Doctrine and Covenants to "show forth an increase of love towards him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be thine enemy." I think that Moroni was very willing to show mercy and to be fair in the very difficult situation of war. I wonder if he enjoyed his job!

How Quick To Forget the Lord Their God

Is anyone else amazed by the cycle in the Book of Mormon how in one chapter the people are righteous and prosper and in the next chapter it seems they become proud and wicked and forget the Lord their God? And yet upon closer examination I wonder if that doesn't happen to some extent in our lives. I choose this subject to write on after reading in Helaman 7:6

"Now this great iniquity had come upon the Nephites in the space of not many years." I thought I'd take a look at just how quickly it did happen to them and how we can keep it from happening to us.

My first example comes from Alma 45:1, right after the Nephites had been delivered from a great army of the Lamanites: "therefore they gave thanks unto the Lord their God; yea, and they did fast and pray much and they did worship God with exceedingly great joy." And yet later that very same year (about 73B.C.) there were many even in the Church "who believed in the flattering words of Amalickiah" who wanted to be a king over them and they dissented from the church. Chapter 46, verse 8 laments, "Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one."

Another example comes around 43 B.C. We read about this in Helaman 3:24-25.

"And it came to pass that in this same year there was exceedingly great prosperity in the church, insomuch that there were thousands who did join themselves unto the church and were baptized unto repentance. And so great was the prosperity of the church and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure."

But then only five years later in bout 38B.C. the Nephites suffer a great loss at the hands of the Lamanites because, as we read in Helaman 4:11,

"Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of God. And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches."

So how does this apply to us in our day? I think if we're not careful, it gets to the point where we're slow to remember the Lord our God, especially when things are going well. We probably all know of people who have been strong in the Church but have fallen away, even return missionaries. How does it happen? I think they gradually stop doing the things the kept them strong - they stopped daily scripture study and daily prayer, then started skipping going to church and they didn't remember the blessings in their lives that came from the Lord. In the example above from Helaman it may have only been two pages between righteousness and wickedness, but it was actually five years. A person can slip a lot in that amount of time. I'm grateful for our family scripture challenge and the motivation it's been to me to really study the scriptures with a consistency and intensity I've probably not done since my mission. But I can testify that the consistent scripture study combined with consistent temple attendance has brought me incredible peace and blessings -blessings not only to me but to my family. I find my confidence waxing stronger. I only hope I can continue to do these things so I don't make the mistakes of so many of the wicked Nephites, but rather follow the pattern of the righteous Nephites in Alma 62:49:

"But notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him. Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them."

The one true church of God

I have been listening to the BOM on CD in my car to and from work lately and I am currently in second Nephi. It is nice to hear some of the things that I have recently read to have it re-iterated. I am often times confused when I try to explain to others why I believe that our church is "better" than theirs. I hate to use that terminology and I sometimes think that I am too lenient in my thinking about the other faiths. In second Nephi it is constantly talking about how there is only two churches- the church of God and the church of the Devil, the whore of all the Earth. This seems harsh to me but I think it is great to realize how much different the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints really is. We are a faith that is constantly raising the bar and our unique "guidelines" and doctrine are the key to happiness and joy in this life and the next. We are not asked to follow the laws and words that we are so that we feel restricted, these are set forth for us to become like our father in heaven and attain the highest degree of glory both here on earth and in the heavens above.

I can easily compare this to my clients at work. When I first started I was very lenient on the "rules" that i ask of them because they would complain about how hard it was and I felt bad and didnt want to be mean. I found that my clients were not seeing results and ended up unhappy and unlikely to renew my services. Now on the other hand, I am very stern with my clients despite any tears shed or curse words that they describe me by. I do this because I know that they will be very happy when they see the final picture and that all the sacrifices will seem so small when they attain the goals that they desired. These are the clients that renew my services and want to go tell the whole world about me so that they can experience the same joy. I think my recent mindset compares to the LDS church and my old training mindset compares to other churches. I believe there intentions are not flawed but the end result is. I am thankful for the knowledge that I have of the uniqueness and beauty of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

How to be Happy

I didn't make a whole lot of progress this week with my scripture reading but what I did read made me optimistic. I read Mosiah chapters 3 and 4. vs 6-11 reminded me that Christ did go through even tougher trials than I have ever gone through, and has been hated more than anyone has hated me but still atoned for the sins of everybody. Even those who did persecute him.

In the a few other verses, it tells us what to do to be happy. Vs. 13 says that whoever believes that Christ will come, might receive a remission of their sins and have exceedingly great joy. Then in chapter 4 vs 2-3, the people cried out for mercy and received a remission of their sins and had a peace of conscience because of their exceeding faith in Jesus and were filled with great joy. Again in vs 20, you have been calling on his name and begging for a remission of your sins. Then he will pour out his Spirit upon you and this causes your hearts to be filled with great joy. Receiving a remission of our sins means that we believe that Christ will come, we have a peace of conscience, and the Spirit has been poured upon us and we have great joy.

But It Mattereth Not

I don't want to seem like a "blog hog" by posting more than my share of comments, but I got a little flash of inspiration tonight and I thought before I forget it I would briefly write it down, and what better place to do it.

I was so impressed with Pahoran's reaction to Moroni's epistle, where Moroni just goes off on Pahoran falsely accusing him of being a traitor who sits in idleness and comfort and safety in the heart of the country and doesn't send the much needed food and reinforcements to Moroni's army, while Moroni and his men suffer on the front lines of the war. (turns out Pahoran was dealing with a rebellion of his own)

Now if someone accused me falsely and so harshly of something like that, I would be upset to say the least. My reaction would be to lash back at that person with a stinging rebuke. But what does Pahoran say? He says in Alma 61:9, "And now in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart." Imagine that! Pahoran says, I'm not angry - it doesn't matter, and then he even compliments Moroni!

It made me realize, how many times are there when I get upset, and I should just think; you know, this is no big deal, it doesn't really matter in the big picture. I hope I can be better at following Pahoran's Christ-like example and when it's tempting to get angry about something or at someone to just say, "It mattereth not."

Thy Will Be Done

There have been a couple scriptures and concepts I've been reading about in Alma that have impressed me and that I've been wanting to write about, but tonight as I was preparing my Sunday school lesson I came across a doctrine from 1st Nephi that was such and eye-opener and so powerful I felt I just had to share it with you first.

This goes back to a very good comment Annabelle made in this blog about how hard it must have been for Nephi to kill Laban, when it went against all that he'd been taught. The Sunday School lesson is about Abraham's willingness to be obedient to the Lord's command to sacrifice his son, Isaac (even though he didn't have to actually go through with it). In researching obedience I discovered a devotional address by Elder Holland. He talks about how Nephi's obligation to slay Laban is one of the most unsavory moments in the Book of Mormon - one that enemies of the Church criticize and even faithful members are uncomfortable with.

Elder Holland goes on to say that since the plates were so important to obtain there could have been other ways - easier ways to get them. He says perhaps they could have been accidentally left at the plate polishers one night or maybe even fallen out of the back of Laban's chariot on a Sabbath afternoon. For that matter, Elder Holland goes on to say, "Why didn't Nephi just leave this story out of the book altogether? At the very least he might have buried the account somewhere in the Isaiah chapters, thus guaranteeing that it would have gone undiscovered up to this very day?" But, Elder Holland says, it's right there at the beginning of the book on page 8 so that we will see it and deal with it. Then Elder Holland makes the point that really hit home to me. Said he, "I believe that story was placed in the very opening verses of a 531 page book in order to focus every reader of the record on the absolutely fundamental gospel issue of obedience and submission to the communicated will of the Lord. If Nephi cannot yield to this terribly painful command, if he cannot bring himself to obey, then it is entirely probable that he can never succeed or survive in the tasks that lie just ahead." I had never thought of that story in those terms before.

Then at the end of the talk this powerful quote: "We must be willing to place all that we have - not just our possessions (they may be the easiest things of all to give up), but also our ambition and pride and stubbornness and vanity - we must place it all on the alter of God, kneel there in silent submission, and willingly walk away."

There's no question for most of us about following the Lord's will when it comes to the commandments found in the scriptures. It might be a bit harder for some to follow the counsel of prophets and apostles when it comes to things we don't want to give up. But the real test, the trial that really shows our commitment, comes when we're in a position to seek and follow revelations for us individually, as happened with Abraham and Nephi. We may not be asked to sacrifice a son or slay a man, but when it's a question of if we should move, or if we should accept a certain job, or whom to marry, or what to say in a blessing to a dying loved one - when our will is telling us one thing, the real test is to seek and then obey the Lord's will no matter where it leads us at the time; for surely, in time, it will lead us back to our Father in Heaven.

As I was reading Chapter 32 of Alma, I was impressed with the thought that the Zoramites who accepted the Gospel were those who were poor and forced to be humble because of their circumstances. I remember Jeffrey talking about how much more teachable the poor people in Spanish Harlem were than those in the Stamford. Connecticut area which were so wealthy. The poor Zoramites were blessed because of their humility but Alma teaches that those who choose to be humble, rather than being compelled by their poverty, are even more blessed. He says, "blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart.." Even in my own life, I find that when I feel very important and proud, I am less likely to call on the Lord and recognize his hand in my accomplishments, When things are not going as well, I am much more diligent and prayerful. I hope that I can become one of those people that is humble in all circumstances and I especially hope that I am never guilty of having "stubbornness of heart"!

King Benjamin's Speech

Today I was reading King Benjamin's speech in Mosiah 2. I have read this passage many times and it is always humbling. I find it interesting that in vs. 9 it says"...and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand,..." Understanding comes from the heart. I relate this not only to the gospel but with my education.

Later in the chapter it talks about even if we serve the Lord with our whole souls, we will still be unprofitable servants. If we keep the commandments, we immediately get blessed and are still indebted to Him. This got me wondering, even though I can never relieve my debt to the Lord, how I can even begin to repay him. In this chapter in mentions service to our fellow beings is a way to serve God.

I noticed that I have been pitying myself lately and truly feeling bad for myself for dumb things. I lost in mariokart 3 times in a row, or I misplaced my wallet, or I have no money to spend on fun things. When I think about it, I am ashamed because I have so many blessings. In hopes to think about my own problems less and to serve the Lord, I am going to try to do at least one little act of service a day.

When Thou Risest In the Morning

Just a quick thought about a scripture I read last night. In Alma 37:37 there's the phrase:

"and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God."

Now, I had read that scripture many times before, but this time I thought to myself that I should actually DO what it said (a novel idea). So this morning when I woke up, the sun was shining through the window, I was in my warm, comfortable bed when the temperature was around five degrees outside, and I took a moment to be thankful for a new day and all my many blessings. I truly tried to to "let my heart be full of thanks unto God." It felt good, and started the day off right. Amazing how it works to actually put into practice what the scriptures tell us to do.

I hope I can do that every morning and I think I'll be a happier person because of it.

Isaiah

Okay, I admit I am guilty of occasionally skimming over the "Isaiah chapters" of the Book of Mormon. I rarely find that I can comprehend what they are speaking about without exerting more energy than I would like. Occasionally I have had great experiences when I feel my mind has been opened and I actually feel like I know what Isaiah was witting about. When they have occurred, those moments have been wonderful and very insightful. So, I do know that Isaiah was an inspired prophet, but, nevertheless, I have wondered a time or two why he is quoted so much by prophets in the Book of Mormon.
Yesterday, I had a free moment to read my scriptures before sacrament meeting started. I read this verse in which Nephi explains why Isaiah's writtings are so important to us.

...In the last days...the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled...Wherefore, they are of great worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not (me ocassionally), unto them I speak particularly...I know they shall be of great worth unto them(us) in the last days...wherefore for their good I have written them. (2Nephi 25:7-8)

I was humbled when I read these verses and I realized more fully the importance of Isaiah's words. They are there for our benefit and if I take the time to understand them, "it will be of great worth" unto me!

2 Post in 1

I have two different post that I am going to put in this one!

Post #1

As I was reading in Alma 37. One verse really stood out to me, was verse 6. It says,

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instance doth confound the wise."

This made me think that as I have been doing this scripture challenge and reading and praying everyday that we have seen blessings in our lives. We are told over and over again to attend our meetings, read our scriptures, to pray, attend the temple and more. These are simple things. If we do these simple things great things will come.

Post # 2

Alma 41: 10

"Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness."

Alma 41: 12-13 (definition of restoration)

In 13 especially it says, "the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish -- good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful."

Alma 41:14-15 (answer on what we can do)

14: "Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if you do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restore unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgement restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again."

It's neat the the definition of restoration is right here in the scriptures. That if we do the good things in life we will have the good things restored unto us again. Seems so easy saying it like that right? Why is it then that we struggle? Satan and the people that chose Satan's way are here everyday trying to ruin the family, to ruin marriages and more. He has been succeding in the world. How do we make it so he doesn't succeed with us? This takes me back to the post above. We do the simple and small things. We read our scriptures, say our prayers, attend our church meeting, attend the temple and much more. I hope that we can work on the small and simple things so that we can have the spirit with us at all times and will not allow Satan into our homes.

An Instrument in The Hands of God

Michael's last post in this blog where he talks about his hope that he can use his talents to be a tool in God's hands for good made me think of an oft repeated phrase I've underlined again and again in Mosiah and Alma - "an instrument in the Hands of God."

Mosiah 23:10

Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth.

Mosiah 27:36

And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer.

Alma 17:9

And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring ... the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth.

Alma 17:11

And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.

Alma 26:3

And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.

Alma 26:15

Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.

Alma 35:14

And Alma, and Ammon, and their brethren, and also the two sons of Alma returned to the land of Zarahemla, after having been instruments in the hands of God of bringing many of the Zoramites to repentance.

I figure if this phrase is repeated so many times I ought to ponder what it means and try to put it into effect in my life. So I looked in the gospel library on the church web site. A few quotes really stood out to me explaining this:

President Faust said, “You can be powerful instruments in the hands of God to help bring about this great work. … You can do something for another person that no one else ever born can do”

Wow! That really hit me - to think there are things we can do that no other person ever born can do! So how do we know what to do to be instruments in his hands. This concept from Don Clark of the seventy explained one way to do it:

"I have a little book that I carry with me, where I record the inspiration and thoughts that I receive from the Spirit. It does not look like much, and it becomes worn out and needs to be replaced from time to time. As thoughts come to my mind, I write them down and then I try to do them. I have found that many times, as I have done something on my list, my action was the answer to someone’s prayer. There have also been those times that I didn’t do something on my list, and I have found out later that there was someone I could have helped, but I didn’t. When we receive promptings regarding God’s children, if we write down the thoughts and inspiration we receive and then obey it, God’s confidence in us increases and we are given more opportunities to be instruments in His hands."

Kathleen Hughes of the relief society presidency added this that really struck me too.

"God knows the needs of His children, and He often works through us, prompting us to help one another. When we act on such promptings, we tread on holy ground, for we are allowed the opportunity to serve as an agent of God in answering a prayer”

My conclusion is that we need to actively be seeking for opportunities to be instruments in the hands of God by constantly being open to promptings on how to do it. It might be as simple as making a kind comment to a co-worker when inspired to do so, to something bigger, like establishing an exercise business so a struggling single mom you know can have a job.

It's my challenge to myself and to all of you to start this weekend actively looking for ways, each day to be an "instrument in the hands of God."