Suz's Tribute to the Book of Mormon

2nd Nephi Chapter 14

2009-07-19T20:43:00.006-05:00

(compare with Isaiah Chapter 4)
6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and a covert from storm and from rain.

The millennial day will be an exciting time! Christ will reign personally upon the earth and Satan will be bound. We look forward to this time as a time where much work will be done to prepare people, both living and dead, for the ordinances that they need to be prepared to live with God and our families for the eternities.

We have a taste of that time here on earth right now. In our temples. We can be doing our part here and now of the things we'll be doing during His reign. Are we excited? Do we have a sense of urgency about the work, and a burning sense of desire to share what we know with others?

Can you join the church based on the programs of the church? Sure! It emphasizes strong families, has a great youth program, and high moral standards for all to live by. And these are all great reasons to join the church, learn and grow each week.

But what about all that other stuff? Did Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ truly visit the earth in our day and restore the gospel to the earth again? Did they truly lead us to additional scripture that complements the Holy Bible? Was the authority and power of the holy priesthood of god truly brought back to the earth, along with living prophets that will lead and guide us til the millennial day? These are things that cannot be determined through scholastic analysis and logical determination since the events occurred not by the physics of this earthly life but through God's miraculous power.

If we truly want to know, and we do our part to honestly seek to find out for ourselves through fervent, personal prayer, our lives will change. Our thinking about the church will change. We will become like prophets of old who taught from their rooftops, wanted to trumpet like the angels to reach more people, set aside all worldly riches and power to walk upon the humble and meek to share what they know about the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel here upon the earth.

We will want to share what we know with our family and friends. We will want to do our part to make sure we have done all we can for our ancestors who will have the opportunity to accept the gospel. Our refuge from life's trials and tribulations can be found in the temple. Is the temple somewhere we yearn to be? Are we excited for the next time we have the opportunity to go?

If not - why not?

2 Nephi Chapter 13

2009-05-26T23:09:00.003-05:00

13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.

There seems to be quite a few high profile court cases in the news these days. I know that compared to many countries, we are extremely blessed and lucky to have the judicial system that we have. It is hard to believe, however, that justice is truly being served when some defense attorneys join a case just for the notoriety and self proclamation it will bring to themselves. Whether the client is guilty or not guilty is almost irrelevant to their desire to "win" the case and get their client freed. The same argument could go for some prosecutors also. And what about the judges? Couldn't the same be said about many of them?

Isn't it amazing that the Savior Himself, who laid down his life, and bled from every pore to pay for my sins would be the person that pleads my case for me? Then, that same perfect person is also the person that will be my judge on judgement day. No ulterior motives, no self gratifying reasons. He already paid the ultimate price and humbled himself to the lowliest of lows for me.

It is comforting to know that He will be there on judgement day...as both judge and juror....as both defense and prosecutor. I put my trust in Him and His righteousness.

I try to live my life to honor the price He paid on my behalf...and to honor the fair and merciful judgement that will beset me.

2 Nephi Chapter 12

2009-03-01T20:59:00.004-06:00

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Nephi was so excited to share more of Isaiah with us, and he begins with Isaiah teaching us about the temple. I love the symbolism in verse 2 of us flowing upward to the mountains. This defies the natural gravitational forces set upon our earth except by a higher force. We will get very little out of temple worship if we do not believe there is a Supreme Being who has more power than any earthly being or entity.

The temple is a place of worship. A place of learning. A place of seeking direction to make sure our paths in this life are pleasing unto the Lord.

I think of a time that I was engaged to be married. I was beginning to feel that I was not engaged to the person I was supposed to marry. I had already been engaged once before, so I didn't know if I was just getting cold feet or had real reasons to call things off.We were getting our engagement pictures taken the next day, and I was feeling I needed to find out if we were doing the right thing. I decided I needed to go to the temple and earnestly seek an answer if I was following the path the Lord wanted me to take. I went to the Jordan River Temple the next day by myself to do Baptisms (this was pre-mission). I felt the Spirit during my time in the temple, but it wasn't until I was waiting to do the Confirmations that I received a clear answer come to me. I received a strong and clear voice in my mind tell me that this was not the person that I was to marry, yet I was loved very much. I consequently felt a spiritual hug of love and warmth surround my entire body that I truly can not describe in words. I then left the temple so grateful for an answer to my prayers, yet very sad (and embarrassed) at the situation I would then face in facing a second broken engagement. To keep the story accurate, he had received his own similar answer and thus it was ended in a mutual decision that we both knew was correct for both of us.

Many years later as I was happily married yet struggling with infertility issues, I would spend many times inside the temple; wishing, hoping, and praying for a specific answer to tell me which direction we should pursue... yet that answer never came.

Now when I look upon these two different events, I see the need for a quick, specific answer in the first situation and not in the second. The young man I was engaged to was a fine RM who always upheld high standards and there was no reason for me to know on my own that he was not the person for me to marry. In the second instance, I was already on the correct path, and nothing was actually needed but the courses we were already taking and time.

There is no peace in this life, I believe, than living your life on the path the Lord wants you to be on. And there is no better place to receive counsel and direction in this life than upon the mountain of the Lord's house.

2nd Nephi Chapter 11

2009-02-15T20:34:00.007-06:00

5 And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death.

Why does Nephi’s soul delighteth so much? Why is he so happy to prove the existence of Christ?

…grace of Christ Both Nephi and Jacob comment that this should “cheer our hearts” and “delight our souls”. Grace through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ - everyone who has lived will be resurrected—our spirits will be reunited with our bodies, never again to be separated. This is a free gift that we have to do absolutely nothing to obtain here upon the earth. Don’t we all love free gifts? Sometimes we take things for granted that we receive without effort. Through His grace, the Lord also enables those who live His gospel to repent and be forgiven. Jacob and Nephi want us to remember how wonderful these gifts are and how we’d never be able to progress eternally without them. I think of an analogy of college. Say you need to take College Algebra to get the degree you desire. You work really hard, you go to class, you do your homework, and you pass the class. You then earn your degree. But what if College Algebra hadn't been offered that last semester when you needed it? No matter how hard you were willing to work...if it wasn't offered...you wouldn't be enrolled in the class and you would not earn your degree. Same outcome if the class if offered, you sign up for the class, but you don't attend, you don't do the assignments, or pass the tests. Even though it's offered...you don't pass the class or earn your degree. You blew your opportunity to pass the class and earn your degree. It is through the grace of God that we are resurrected. The free gift. It is through the grace of God that we have the opportunity to live with our loved ones and Heavenly Father through all eternity. It is up to us to take advantage of that opportunity.

…and in his justice Why do infants die? Why do righteous people have terrible things happen to them? Why? Why? Why? Isn’t this the universal question? Isn’t this the question that really puts doubt in some people’s minds about the existence for a Supreme Being when unrighteous people seem to reign unbridled while the righteous suffer trials and tribulations? How can this be right? Nephi wants our souls to delight in the knowledge that the Day of Judgment has not come yet! Christ’s justice will prevail. No human judge or jury. No human prosecutor or defense attorney...but an All Knowing God who will judge in perfect righteousness. Isn’t that wonderful? Isn’t that something to be excited about? Nephi thinks so.

….and power How? How? How? This is very hard for some people to comprehend…that humans don’t know or understand how everything about how the universe works. That there are some things which are hidden mysteries that we cannot comprehend completely in this life. That God holds knowledge and power that we can’t even wrap our brains around. Now this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to learn and find out all we can, but that we should be able to accept that there is a Supreme Being that has power to be able to do and create things that we can’t explain the “how” to. I tell my students that teachers lie to their students all the time. "What???" they say. You mean on purpose? Yes! I tell them. On purpose. You learn to count and like my 2 year old, you start with 1,2,3. Then someone teaches you about 0.Then, you learn 0 isn’t the first number either, and that each counting number (whole numbers) has an opposite (the integers). You go several years with this information, and then all of a sudden a teacher teaches you about numbers in between counting numbers (rational numbers) and you go quite a while thinking there couldn’t be anything else. Then what happens? You get to high school and your math teacher teaches you about a whole other realm of numbers called irrational numbers, and then about numbers that don’t exist on a number line (complex numbers). How do you think that would go over in kindergarten class sitting Indian style around the rug, as the teacher tells Johnnie that he’s wrong and the number 1 is not the first number? She then begins to talk about these complex (or imaginary) numbers with a negative in the radicand and how there’s also an infinite number of real numbers between 0 and 1. “What do you think about that Johnnie?” the teacher asks. Can you imagine the blank stares she’d be receiving around that circle rug about now? Nephi says we should delight in the knowledge of how powerful God is and all that he can do that we can’t even comprehend. Yet. Line upon line…precept upon precept.

…and mercy Haven’t you ever heard someone say they wish they could be baptized again to be clean and pure again like the day of their baptism? Yes… that would be a nice experience to go through again…but we can! Every Sunday! Too many of us don’t understand the true meaning or significance of the sacrament that we take each Sunday. To renew our covenants we made on our baptism day. To relive our baptism ordinance each Sunday. To repent of our sins, faults, weaknesses of the week and promise to re-commit ourselves to live the gospel and be examples of Christ in all we do. I think if we truly were aware of how many ways we are imperfect and fail to live up to our covenants each week, we would truly weep at the mercy of Christ and the opportunity to be forgiven each week. And that’s just for the day-to-day sins! When we realize our weaknesses and how merciful Christ is in giving us the opportunity to become clean again is when our soul truly rejoices.
I feel a true kinship to Nephi as he geometrizes his proof of Christ by using The Law of Syllogism. It’s so sad when people look upon religion as restrictions and limitations. It’s freedom from the bondage of sin! It’s learning that when we are serving others we find true happiness! It’s learning that through the true Priesthood of God, we can gain exaltation.

See just some of the ways our souls have to be delighted? So does Nephi. And he’s so excited to have Isaiah teach us even more…

2nd Nephi Chapter 10

2009-02-15T19:44:00.006-06:00

23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.
24 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.
25 Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen.

See? Cheer up! It's so easy! Or is it?

2 Nephi 2:16 teaches us that we couldn't act for ourselves save it should be that we are enticed by the one or the other. Satan is real. He is as real as Christ. His enticings are as real as the promises of Christ. We must accept this truth and be prepared to be tempted as much as we rely on the promptings of the Holy Ghost. "If we are prepared...we shall not fear."

As we learn to recognize the temptings of Satan, we will be able to see the distinction between thoughts put into our minds through Satan and his followers, our own thoughts, and those impressions by the Holy Ghost. As we familiarize ourselves with these 3 distinct entities...we gain power in our life and in the ability to recognize the promptings we should heed and those that we must shun.

And this....is what Jacob is teaching us will give us true happiness that will cheer our hearts in this life and in the life hereafter.

2 Nephi Chapter 9

2009-01-21T20:48:00.008-06:00

1 And now, my beloved brethren, I have read these things that ye might know concerning the covenants of the Lord that he has covenanted with all the house of Israel—
50 Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
51 Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.
(also Isaiah 55:1-2)

Isn't one of the most common questions in the church....why is Isaiah quoted so much in the Book of Mormon? Why is it there, as a "brick wall" to some... hard to get past?

Jacob tell us why! He quotes Isaiah to teach us the covenants of the Lord that He has made with us. And then, after he so beautifully testifies of the truthfulness of the great plan of our Creator, he quotes Isaiah at the end to solidify his teachings.

Isn't that how we're taught to teach a given gospel topic? Relate the topic with a personal story or experience, teach audience about the topic, give scriptural references on given topic by the prophets, and bear our testimony about said topic?

Jacob warns us of Satan's plan to try to defeat us. He warns us of our own weaknesses and carnal desires, yet he ends with the beautiful hope and reassurance that nothing in this life is sweeter or more fulfilling than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Nothing we can buy will give us the happiness in this life or the next that we can gain through the Abrahamic Covenant of salvation through baptism and exaltation through Celestial Marriage.

2nd Nephi Chapter 8

2008-11-29T12:52:00.011-06:00

also Isaiah Chapter 51:3

3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

Thanksgiving is upon us. A time for traditional comfort food, comfortable clothes, comfy snuggling on the couch blankets and loved ones. We watch traditional football, basketball, or movies, and give thanksgiving for the blessings that we have.

The Lord wants us to feel this sense of comfort and thanksgiving all the time. Even when life is full of trials and tribulations, we can feel His comfort in our lives when we are on His path and working towards our eternal goals. Even if we're still in debt...if we've begun the process of spending less and cutting back...we will feel the comfort of being on the right path. Even if we still lose our temper, or are battling with addictions, we will be comforted if we are taking steps towards breaking those addictions and resolving to have more peace and harmony in our lives.

As we leave Thanksgiving and head towards Christmas, may our hearts be on drawing our lives and relationships closer to our Heavenly Father and His Son, and not farther away towards debt, gluttony, addictions, and selfishness.

2nd Nephi Chapter 7

2008-09-14T19:35:00.010-05:00

also Isaiah Chapter 50
10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light?
11 Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow.

The Lord is always there for us. It is us that leave the closeness and oneness that we can feel with Him. It is us that decide to live our lives in ways that pushes out the time needed to talk to our Heavenly Father and listen to His answers.

Some people show their decision to be far from Heavenly Father overtly...by how they dress, what they do on Sundays, or by things they say. Others, it is not as easy to know how they are doing and what they are feeling on the inside.

I think there are many callings in the church which we can opt to spend a ton of time, run around like a mad person on Sundays,be a perfect administrator of our callings and yet we may not have had a spiritual moment for weeks on end. Being good at callings in church does not, in my opinion, always correlate with how close we are feeling with our Savior.

I do not feel it is an accident that the two most common answers on how to draw closer to our Heavenly Father are things that are done where others do not know if we are doing them or not... praying and reading our scriptures. We get no fame, glory, praise at church for the awesome job we did that week on our personal prayers and our personal scripture study.

I feel this chapter is teaching us that we are never alone. He is always there for us. It is us that leave Him. We can work ourselves to a frazzle in callings or in life in general, but if we're trying to do it without the Lord's help....we are just giving off sparks of fire, while He's there wanting us to have the entire bonfire that He has to offer us.

But we must ask. We must humble ourselves, plead for His forgiveness of our misdeeds and ask for His help. We must listen to His servants and heed their counsel. We must serve.

...and we will never be cold.

2 Nephi Chapter 6

2008-07-29T15:51:00.007-05:00

3 Nevertheless, I speak unto you again; for I am desirous for the welfare of your souls. Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye yourselves know that it ever has been. For I have exhorted you with all diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father; and I have spoken unto you concerning all things which are written, from the creation of the world.

4 And now, behold, I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come; wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah. And they are the words which my brother has desired that I should speak unto you. And I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your God.

I'm not very well versed in geography. My dad and sister still like to tease me about the time (in my much younger years) when we were naming cities and states and I thought that Cincinnati was a state. And West Virginia? I thought John Denver was singing about the western portion of the state of Virginia. Who knew? Certainly not this Southern California gal. And just this summer, my 8 yr. old daughter and I were discussing how big Texas was during restroom break on our road trip. I educated her on Texas being the largest state in the continental USA and what that meant. Then, she started asking questions about the largest continents and well, I was suddenly in uncomfortable territory...mumbled something about China being quite large and quickly shuttling her out of the crowded restroom. Now if we'd been at home, I would have casually (secretively) ambled over to the computer and my beloved "google", and come back with a vast display of knowledge on the said topic. Unfortunately, the rest stop restrooms in Texas are still not wireless.

So, besides my embarrassment taking me to google at the next available chance and seeing that I should have said Asia and not China, I really haven't spent that much time learning, studying, memorizing, and understanding the different states, countries, and continents of the world because of that experience.

But what if a prophet told me to do so? Would that help prompt me in my study? What if this same prophet had not only beheld the glory of God, but had great anxiety over me and had exhorted me with all of his diligence to teach what was important for me to know to get through this "trial of life" successfully? What if he tells me that by studying what he tells me to study that I can learn and glorify God?

He has. They have. And they keep turning to Isaiah to teach us. It is not enough any longer to just "read" Isaiah and "get through it". We must diligently study it, understand it, and put it's teachings into practice in our lives. I know we can, because Jacob told us we could.

2 Nephi Chapter 5

2008-07-16T08:40:00.008-05:00

27: And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.

Wow. Isn't that the Lord’s goal for us? To have true joy in this life? Here Nephi and his people have reached that joyous state. How did they do it?
I want that for my family:

Verse:
1: Nephi prays onto the Lord to receive counsel concerning their current tribulations.
6: Nephi heeds the Lord’s counsel.
9: They believed the prophet was the voice of the Lord.
10: They followed the commandments of the Lord.
11: The Lord was with them, hence they were continually praying and seeking the Lord to be a part of their lives. They worked to feed their families.
12: They read the scriptures and followed the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
13: They raised their families.
14: They defended themselves.
15: Their prophet taught them and they learned from him.
16: They attended the temple.
17: Their prophet told them to work hard and they did.

It’s one thing to pray, and it’s another to actually follow the promptings we are given. It’s one thing to listen to the prophet’s voice, and it’s another to actually follow the counsel we are given. I pray that my family and I can heed the example of Nephi and his people… to do what we need to do to have true happiness in this life.

“I am an optimist! … My plea is that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life, we ‘accentuate the positive’ ” Gordon B. Hinkley

2 Nephi Chapter 4

2008-07-13T23:26:00.006-05:00

Psalm of Nephi

16 Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.
17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.
18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.
19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.
20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
21 He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.
22 He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.
23 Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time.
24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me.
25 And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.
26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
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 Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.
29 Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.
30 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.
31 O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?
32 May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!
33 O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.
34 O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.

I was 21 and my life was a mess. I'd broken off my first engagement, my "missionary" had dumped me after being home 2 weeks, and the guy that I'd steadily dated the past year and I had mutually decided to "just be friends". I hadn't been on a date in weeks; and it'd been months since I'd been on a date with anyone I was even slightly interested in. I was a junior in college and had no idea what to major in. I'd already switched majors at least 3 times. My decision to go on a mission had ended when I was sure it was going to work out with either the missionary or the steady beau. Now my mom and I weren't on the best of terms, I was in credit card debt due to college tuition and living on my own in an apartment with girls that I didn't even know.

I was sitting on my bed one evening having a pity party and thinking "Woe is me." I had been reading my patriarchal blessing, and felt so far away from the blessings and promises made to me. I got out my scriptures and I happened to come across what I later learned was called the "Psalm of Nephi". I read it, then I read it again. Then I read it again. It was the scriptural buoy that I so desperately needed right then.

I knew that I just needed to stay close to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, stay worthy to enter the temple, and things would work out. Nephi helped give me the strength I needed at that moment to not be discouraged, not submit to temptations, and to live in such a way that I could receive the bounteous blessings the Lord had in store for me.

2 Nephi Chapter 3

2008-07-07T15:07:00.012-05:00

11 But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins—and not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them.

12 Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.

No matter which math course I'm teaching, we always review the Transitive Property: if a = b, and b = c, then a = c.

On occasion, my dad had my sister and I listen to cassettes in the car debunking Joseph Smith as a prophet of God. I guess they had an impact on me. During my early teen years after the divorce and prior to high school, I remember hoping that the church was true, but I didn't buy that Joseph Smith story. This seemed to work for me. I didn't see a real problem. I guess I hadn't learned the Transitive Property yet.

Then my life got to a point where I needed to know for sure if the church was true. I needed to know for myself it was true, or decide that it wasn't and stop going and being a member. Either way, I'd be disappointing one parent and making the other parent happy.

I went on a reading frenzy. I was going to read the entire Book of Mormon. Some parts were boring, and some parts I really liked. The important thing was that the Spirit bore witness to me that what I was ready was true. I couldn't deny it. The Transitive Property began to dawn on me, and I realized that I couldn't believe in the Book of Mormon if I didn't believe the "whole Joseph Smith story". Thus my heart was softened to the things I learned about Joseph Smith and I began to view him as the seer and prophet that he is.

I am grateful to Joseph Smith for bringing forth the Book of Mormon and the peace it has brought into my life and the Lord's covenants that it has taught me.

2 Nephi Chapter 2

2008-07-05T12:22:00.008-05:00

6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.

7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

I like lists. To Do lists keep me on track. Grocery lists keep me from having to return to the store unnecessarily. I've read the Book of Mormon with little boxes to check off when a chapter is read. Back in the Franklin Planner era, I had oh so many more lists to check off; financial, work, spiritual, housecleaning, projects, in that huge Monarch Brown Leather Binder.
Check. Check. Check.

If we think the way to heaven is to fulfill our spiritual checklist each day; then we will be stressed, guilt ridden, overworked, overtired, cranky, and we will fail miserably no matter how many checks that we have. Why? No amount of checks can lead us into the presence of God. We cannot do it on our own. Does that mean we're off the hook and don't need to do anything on our part? Of course not. But if we try to "do" every commandment that's ever been written or spoken over the pulpit, then we will fail. So how to we know what to do? What's the most important thing to be doing? How do we know we're on the right track without feeling guilty for the things we're not doing? Reread the verses above.

When we have a contrite heart and a broken spirit, the Holy Ghost can lead us, whisper to us, mold us into what and who we need to be. When we're on the "strait and narrow" path, our eyes are focused solely on doing God's will. That's where our heart is. That's where we find the peace and comfort that we're doing what we should be doing, even if everything isn't checked off our lists....thanks to the merits, mercy and grace of our Holy Messiah.

2 Nephi Chapter 1

2008-07-01T12:36:00.006-05:00

9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.
23 Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.
28 And now my son, Laman, and also Lemuel and Sam, and also my sons who are the sons of Ishmael, behold, if ye will hearken unto the voice of Nephi ye shall not perish. And if ye will hearken unto him I leave unto you a blessing, yea, even my first blessing.

The priesthood in our lives is a wonderful thing. Some are lucky enough to have it in their homes, others are not. But we each have a bishop of our ward.

My bishop growing up was Bishop Christensen. He was also my "church dad", such as accompanying me to the "Daddy/Daughter" activities in Primary. He was always at girl's camp, and I grew up thinking you had one bishop forever. He moved up from California to Utah sometime after I moved, and I even asked him to speak at my missionary farewell. He also came to my temple wedding and was one of the witnesses.

This Sunday was the 5th Sunday, where our bishop speaks to all of the adults during the last hour of church. The YW/YM take care of the Primary. He gave a lesson about each of us having Faith....to Repent....to Immerse(Baptism)......to have the Spirit....and to Endure. And if we find ourselves not Enduring in the Gospel, we need to go backwards and gain the Spirit back again.....and if we can't we need to Immerse ourselves in the Sacrament....and if that isn't enough to Repent....and if that's not working than work on having more Faith. We can work on having more Faith by both physical and spiritual experiences. He then closed by doing something that the 72 year old woman behind me (my mother) whispered to the woman next to her that she'd never experienced before; he gave us a Bishop's Blessing for the Ward.

If you'd like to know what his blessing was, just reread this chapter and read it as your bishop speaking to your ward. Replace the word "land" with "ward". Whether vocally or quietly on their knees in closets, I'm sure that each bishop has given this blessing for their ward many times.

I love my bishop. I also think he's very cute! :)

1 Nephi Chapter 22

2008-06-27T18:18:00.008-05:00

2: And I, Nephi, said unto them: Behold they were manifest unto the prophet by the voice of the Spirit; for by the Spirit are all things made known unto the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men according to the flesh.

30: Wherefore, my brethren, I would that ye should consider that the things which have been written upon the plates of brass are true; and they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God.

31: Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen

Now you have to give Nephi's brethren a break here...I mean don't most of us need a little clarification with Isaiah? I'm glad they asked. Nephi explains to them how Isaiah received these revelations in verse 2.

He then explains Isaiah's words to them. Many of the things that will come to pass will be scary. But both Isaiah and Nephi assure us that there's a way to be safe. At the end of the chapter, he bears his testimony to them of the truthfulness of the scriptures. He then tells them that they can receive this same testimony. How? By the Spirit. And he teaches them that the way to receive personal revelation and receive this safety is through repentance and obeying the commandments of God (verses 30 and 31).

It is through the Spirit that we know the church is true. The gospel is true. The scriptures are true. I just finished reading the book "Life of Pi". In the book, the main character embraces many different religions because he "just wants to love God". At the end of the story after he's been rescued from a lifeboat after 227 days in the Pacific Ocean, he tells two different accounts of what happens, and tells them that since they can't prove either, to "choose the better story".

That's how many people choose which church to go to. Which story do they like the best? Which is the easiest to live? Which is the most dynamic? Fun? Entertaining? The one they grew up with? Tough. Tough to know.

That's why the Lord has given us the Spirit to personally testify to each of us the truthfulness of His everlasting gospel. Not just for prophets, but for each and every one of us. Do each of us want the Spirit to give us personal revelations each and every day? Or just to testify the church is true? That, is where it's up to us and how we live our lives.....

1 Nephi Chapter 21

2008-06-25T06:48:00.003-05:00

verse 4: Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain; surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.

Last night I took advantage of having teenagers by letting them babysit my younger ones and I went to "Ladies Night Out" with the Relief Society sisters. It was wonderful.

We learned a little more than most of us knew about the conversion of one of our sisters in the ward. She's been a member now for many years, been sealed in the temple, has a wonderful husband and 3 fabulous children. She is beautiful on both the outside and the inside. She was telling how the sister missionary that was mainly responsible for her conversion went home with her as her "only" conversion. This missionary was depressed that she didn't have closer to 20 like some of the other missionaries. My friend, almost ten years later, still had tears glistening from her eyes as she related trying to let this sister missionary know how important her work as a missionary had been.

Isaiah is teaching us that the Lord wants us to help in the gathering of Israel. My friend will be eternally grateful for this sister missionary. Her previous and post generations will also be eternally grateful. I am truly grateful for this sister missionary whom I've never met...how great must be the Lord's joy in her service?

“May I commend you faithful Saints who are striving to flood the earth and your lives with the Book of Mormon. Not only must we move forward in a monumental manner more copies of the Book of Mormon, but we must move boldly forward into our own lives and throughout the earth more of its marvelous messages. This sacred volume was written for us—for our day. Its scriptures are to be likened unto ourselves.”
~ President Ezra Taft Benson

1 Nephi Chapter 20

2008-06-22T10:25:00.006-05:00

verse 6: Thou hast seen and heard all this; and will ye not declare them? And that I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.

I got to go to Relief Society on Sunday! We were visiting relatives, so I wasn't in my ward with my normal calling. The teacher of the lesson talked about how she sure didn't know much when she was converted to the gospel, and that for many years she didn't do much to learn more than what the missionaries had taught her. Then she changed. She grew to love studying and learning all she could about the gospel.

My calling in church is currently working in the nursery. I get lots of hugs, give tons of horsey rides, and teach the kids to love and be grateful for the many things that God has given us. I love those kids with all of my heart. However, I don't get spiritually fed much the last 2 hours of church. This is part of the reason I chose to do this blog. I needed to push myself to have a reason to study, learn and grow in the gospel.

Like the verse above, I know that I've become complacent in the gospel when I have the "all is well" feeling. That I don't need to study more, I don't need to talk to my neighbors about the gospel, etc.

Isaiah warns us, the covenant people of the Lord, in this chapter about not holding true to our covenants and not submitting ourselves to Him. How are we doing in keeping the covenants we've made with the Lord and adhering to His counsel?

You are a part of this special generation. It is not by chance that you are here at this important time in the history of the Lord’s work. It is your opportunity to declare this message of the Restoration with greater force and effect than any of the previous generations. You have been preserved and prepared for your time on earth to be a part of this great army, to make this the most exciting period in the history of mankind in declaring the gospel of our Lord and Savior to our Father in Heaven’s children. You are better educated and trained for this responsibility than any of the other generations which have inherited the earth. If your declarations are to have any force and effect, your words must be backed up by your actions. The Lord has established the standards and values you must live by to receive His blessings. The world is struggling today to understand the benefits of living His standards. Elder L. Tom Perry

1 Nephi Chapter 19

2008-06-17T20:16:00.015-05:00

20: For behold, I have workings in the spirit, which doth weary me even that all my joints are weak, for those who are at Jerusalem; for had not the Lord been merciful, to show unto me concerning them, even as he had prophets of old, I should have perished also.

When I was in the 4th grade, I got a bad case of influenza. It got so bad I had to go to the hospital and spend several days there. While I was there, my arm stiffened up and they couldn't put the IV in. So I had the IV in my wrist the rest of the time. Months after this ordeal, I still couldn't fully straighten my arm or bend my fingers enough to make a fist. I was sent to a specialist to see what was going on. Before I went, two priesthood holders came to my house to give me a blessing. I don't know/remember who they were. I do remember the one giving the blessing blessed me that I wouldn't have pain or deformity, and that they would figure out what was wrong. The specialist took lots of bloodwork, ran countless tests, and my mother and I came back later for the results. I remember him shaking his head and saying he just couldn't figure it out....my bloodwork all came back showing JRA but I didn't have the amount of pain or deformity that I should have had for that diagnosis...but he made it anyway and thus began my chronic journey through Rheumatologists, Steriods, and Prescription NSAIDS.

I bring this up because I treasure my health because of this. I know that it is a true gift from God. A gift that comes and goes....never knowing how long it will be good, or how long it will be bad. It makes me grateful for each good day and humble each bad day. I never take my good days (which are many) for granted. I am truly blessed.

1 Nephi Chapter 18

2008-06-12T21:39:00.000-05:00

10: And I, Nephi, began to fear exceedingly lest the Lord should be angry with us, and smite us because of our iniquity, that we should be swallowed up in the depths of the sea; wherefore, I, Nephi, began to speak to them with much soberness; but behold they were angry with me, saying; We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us.

When I was on my mission, there was a certain sister missionary that everybody loved. The people in areas where she had taught, the other missionaries that had worked with her, and even the mission president spoke very highly of her. I wish I remembered more specifics of the event, but I remember that the mission president was unhappy with something that had recently happened in the district. I was new to the language and area, but I remember this sister's response to the mission president's reproach. She humbly apologized and took responsibility for what had happened. I must have known something about what had happened, because I remember thinking "What? She wasn't even involved! It was totally those other missionaries' fault!" The Spirit taught me right there and then that I, in my own personal life, had fallen into the "excuses trap", and that I needed to learn to be more like this sister missionary. I even heard the mission president talking about this sister missionary soon after this incident, and he still beamed while talking about this sister and what an excellent missionary she was.

I thought of this incident when I read this verse. Nephi called it "our iniquity". He was taking responsiblitiy for the situation at hand. We know the Lord had the same high praise for Nephi as my mission president had for my fellow sister missionary. The compass worked perfectly fine for Nephi once his brothers loosed him from the bands.

Another trap parents and teens often fall into is accusing, blaming, and taking offense. All of us make mistakes, but if we are constantly criticized or ridiculed, it becomes easy to begin looking at our failures not as simple mistakes but as occasions to be accused. And so we learn to defend ourselves, and we try to preserve self-esteem by inventing excuses that make it look like we aren’t to blame for our unhappiness—like we are being victimized by others or by circumstances. By taking offense or becoming emotional, we avoid taking responsibility for our mistakes.
The Fine Art of Raising Teenagers by C. Richard Chidester, Ensign July 1981

1 Nephi Chapter 17

2008-06-10T18:11:00.000-05:00

2: And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings. 3: And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.

I love strength training. I did my high school senior project on "Women and Weightlifting" which was much more unusual back in the 80's than it would be today. Even today, my favorite class at the gym is the "Power Pump" class where we lift weights together in a choreagraphed sequence with an instructor and music.

Whenever I've read verse 2, I've always thought it was just talking about the women's physical strength. They were as tough as the guys! Yes! I was so proud of them.

But this time reading, I was reading it as talking more about their spiritual strength. So many of the prophets (Lehi, Nephi so far....)are spent of strength after spiritual encounters and/or afflictions. Just in Ch 15 verse 6 Nephi gains strength back to speak to his brothers after seeing the future destruction of his entire people.

Wow...the footnote for strength in verse 3 of this chapter refers us to Mosiah 2:41, which lets us know that YES!! He IS talking about both temporal and spiritual!

Here's a lesson on how our muscles grow stronger:

"Nobody really knows how these hard bouts make muscles stronger, but the most likely theory depends on the fact that hard exercise damages muscle fibers. Then other cells release chemicals called cytokines that cause inflammation characterized by soreness (pain), increased blood flow to the injured fibers (redness), and increased flow of fluid into the damaged area (swelling). The damaged muscle cells release tissue growth factors to heal the damaged muscle fibers, and if the athlete allows the muscle soreness to disappear before exercising intensely again, muscle fibers become larger and increase in number by splitting to form new fibers. If the athlete does not wait until the soreness goes away before exercising intensely again, the fibers can be torn, the athlete becomes injured, and the muscles weaken.
Repeating bouts of muscle damage, and then allowing enough time for recovery, make the muscle stronger so it can withstand higher loads and is more resistant to injury." Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

That's why it's OK that we (verse 1:)"wade through much affliction in the wilderness" as long as we're holding onto the rod of iron! That's the key! Our afflictions will make us stronger if we let them. If we aren't holding onto the rod of iron, the afflictions will do the opposite effect and just weaken us.

Some afflictions are part of life, some afflictions are due to consequences of decisions we've made in our life or that loved ones have made in their lives. Whichever reason, by drawing close to the Lord, taking the steps needed to be in accordance with the commandments of God, we will be given strength that we know there's no way we could ever have gained on our own.

1 Nephi Chapter 16

2008-06-10T17:44:00.000-05:00

29: And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.

A couple times ago when I read the Book of Mormon cover to cover, I was very good about marking my scriptures. No big time "system", but certain words/concepts/phrases/punctuation were highlighted a certain color. I loved using my scriptures after doing this. I loved jumping to a chapter in church and having the word FAITH be jumping out at me 15 times in blue. It gave me a jump start what that chapter was about. Well....those scriptures started to come apart (I wish to say due to my heavy use of them...but they were a discarded seminary set to start with.). My set I use now, have nary a mark in them...very clean and pure. In some ways, I think that way helps with verse 29; lets the Lord highlight what we need at a particular time instead of what we felt was important last time we read. Same for our Patriarchal Blessings.

So for this go around, I'm purposely using "clean slate" scriptures. I have little blue missionary copies all around the house, by the pool, in the car, etc. Even if I happen to share an experience from my past, each chapter that I read, I ask myself before, during, and afterwards; "How can this chapter help me and my family NOW?" I keep reading it until I've received some sort of insight into my life NOW.

So yes...I'm realizing that reading each chapter multiple times and blogging each, I might not be done by Labor Day. So feel free to move on ahead and pass me up. My nickname in Cross Country was Penguin....I'm very used to being passed up! I'd still love for you to check in on me occasionally and share your comments. I've loved the comments left so far, and hope more of you that tell me you're reading will start sharing with us.

1 Nephi Chapter 15

2008-06-07T20:20:00.000-05:00

3: For he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought.
8: And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord? 9: And they said unto me: “We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.

I think it’s interesting that in verse 7 they are making a declarative statement that they don’t understand. Nephi has already said in verse 4 that their hearts were again hardened. It isn’t until verse 20 that the words of Nephi have sunk into their hearts “and they were pacified and did humble themselves before the Lord.” And THAT'S when they start asking questions! From then on, the chapter is not in lecture mode preaching anymore, but them asking Nephi questions and a dialog has begun. In both collegiate realms and the church education system, the question/answer type discussions are taught to be more effective in the learner grasping, retaining, and applying the principles taught.

I teach math part time at a nearby high school. I don’t give a lot of homework, but when I do, I expect it to be done. I also don’t give a lot of problems, and I usually throw in one or two that I know will be challenging for them.

It’s always interesting to see what happens the next day. There are those that come right into the rooom, demanding to know how in the world do you do problem #17. I ask to see their papers….there are those that attempted the problem; you can see their efforts on their paper. There are those that said they looked at it, knew they didn’t know how to do it and skipped it. There are usually a couple who quietly have the answer and just aren’t saying anything, and then there are those when asked, say: ‘What? We had homework?”

I am just as pleased with those that tried it on their own, didn’t get it, and then asked for help as I am with those that got the right answer on their own. I then walk everyone through the problem, step by step, and together we solve the problem.

I then collect their homework. Without a doubt, there will still be some that STILL left the problem blank EVEN when I went through it and GAVE them the answer! Their hearts are hardened. They just don’t care about problem #17.

Whether they knew the answer on their own, asked for help and I helped them arrive at the correct answer, they thought they knew the right answer so didn’t bother to watch me and my answer on the board, or whether they didn’t bother to write anything down at all...at the end of the day, problem #17 is graded on having the correct answer.

1 Nephi Chapter 14

2008-06-06T22:52:00.000-05:00

14: And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the lamb of God, and that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face the earth; and they were with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.

During Fast & Testimony Meeting this past Sunday, a tearful father was so very grateful for the priesthood of God upon the earth, and that he could call upon men who would drop what they were doing to meet him at the hospital to help give his son a blessing.

This reminded me of the movie “Sky High” which I had just watched on TV with my 8 year old daughter (excellent 80’s music, might I add). Like all stories of super heroes, they lead ordinary lives with ordinary jobs, yet when the call comes….they stop what they’re doing and race to the rescue.

What a parallel to the priesthood! Everyday men doing everyday jobs, yet when that call comes….these humble men drop what they’re doing when their priesthood power is needed.

1 Nephi Chapter 13

2008-06-03T01:12:00.000-05:00

8: And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the desires of this great and abominable church.

9: And also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity.

Verse 9 just jumped out at me as what I needed to think about. What's the "praise of the world" that's keeping me(us) from shouting from our rooftops the glorious message that we have? Why do we have vergüenza (shame/embarrassment)? How are materialistic things also keeping us from God?

Now I'm doing better; this blog for me is a major leap, and we did share a couple neighbor names with the missionaries this past month or so. As we learned to do as missionaries...we need to !abrir la boca!(open our mouths).

I think the last couple of chapters were showing us how wonderful our lives can be with the love of God, being pure and clean through the atonement of Christ, and now we're being shown all the stuff that can "get in our way" of our achieving that goal. So, we need to learn to not let this stuff "get in our way!" There...now isn't that simple? :)

D&C 121:34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? 35: Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson - 36: That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.

1 Nephi Chapter 12

2008-06-02T17:56:00.000-05:00

10 And these twelve ministers whom thou beholdest shall judge thy seed. And, behold, they are righteous forever; for because of their faith in the Lamb of God their garments are made white in his blood.

11 And the angel said unto me: Look! And I looked, and beheld three generations pass away in righteousness; and their garments were white even like unto the Lamb of God. And the angel said unto me: These are made white in the blood of the Lamb, because of their faith in him.

Just like spiritual gifts... we are given physical gifts. Most women focus on their perceived negative physical characteristics and not their positive gifts. I am fortunate that my two physical gifts are quite obvious. I get a big head by people commenting on these two physical gifts and I really have to humble myself and be thankful that I was so blessed.

What are they? Well surely only those that don't know me are asking that question, so I will share my physical gifts with them. First, I have a REALLY nice set of ankles. I have absolutely no complaints about my ankles. Nope...none. Second, I get a mean tan. I'm a good girl and try to remember my sunscreen, but I still bronze up quite nicely.

What does that have to do with verses 10 and 11? Well, I was basking in the sun while I was reading this chapter, and realized how this chapter is teaching about our becoming white through Christ's blood through our faith in Him. It also reiterated to me that it doesn't matter how dark my awesome tan gets, my goal is that I continuously repent and live the ordinances of the gospel to have my garments become white through the atonement of Christ.

1 Nephi Chapter 11

2008-05-29T22:26:00.000-05:00

verse 22: And I answered him, saying; Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore it is the most desirable above all things.

I've always thought of Chapter 11 as just the translator of chapter 8. Lehi sees the vision in chapter 8 and chapter 11 is where Nephi tells us what everything stands for in the vision. The rod: the word of the God, the building: the world, the tree of life: the love of God, etc. etc.

But wow, the entire chapter is teaching us WHAT the Love of God is. What's Nephi learning about prior to verse 22 and after verse 22? He is taught about the entire earthly ministry of Christ. God loved us so he sent his Son (familiar song....right?). We are nothing without the Atonement. We cannot return into their presence without the Atonement. But what else? It's the most desirable and most joyous thing to our soul (vs: 22 & 23). So the Atonement isn't just something we need to return to Their presence, but it's through the Atonement that we can have true joy in this life...thanks to the Love of God.

It's hard with a small child, but I need to try to have that two way interaction during the sacrament; to remember, repent and renew my covenants. Along with prayer and reading the scriptures, this is a huge way to bring the love of God more fully into my life.

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 1 John 3:16-17

1 Nephi Chapter 10

2008-05-29T21:56:00.000-05:00

verse: 17 And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God-and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come-I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men.

I think this is teaching us more about faith....that the more faith we have in Christ...the more power we receive from the Holy Ghost. He continues that to get that additional faith in Christ, we must diligently seek Him.

This is where the vicious cycle of when we slack on praying and reading our scriptures, we aren't seeking Him, therefore the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives dwindles. Or we pray but we don't really pray with the intent of a two way interaction. Or we read our scriptures just to read...not asking questions or trying to apply them in our lives...not seeking that two way interaction.

The scriptures lead us to Christ. Christ leads us to pray for power and instruction from the Holy Ghost. As Nephi call this...."our gift of God". This gift will not only lead us back to live with Them for eternity....it will bless our lives with joy and happiness throughout the journey.

1 Nephi Chapter 9

2008-05-28T18:36:00.000-05:00

verse 6: But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen.

Nephi didn't know why he needed a second set of records. The Lord knew, and Nephi had faith in the Lord. Now the Lord could have told Nephi about Martin Harris and the lost 116 pages of manuscript, but would that have made sense to Nephi? That might not even be the entire reason, but it might be one reason.

Why did I start this blog? No idea. The Lord pricked my heart of my promise to read the Book of Mormon again this year in Tribute to the life of Gordon B. Hinkley, but I certainly could do that with no blog. But the idea came into my head, and it would not go away. No...better to say I'd try to forget about it and it kept coming back into my head. So whether it's to help me, one of my children, or maybe even a complete stranger, I don't know. But I have faith there's a reason so I'll continue as long as I have the confirming feeling that it's what I need to do.

So I guess you could say that faith in Christ is acting upon the promptings of the Spirit even if you sometimes don't know why. The Spirit will confirm to you if your action is in accordance with His will with comfort and peace.

1 Nephi Chapter 8

2008-05-27T17:01:00.000-05:00

verse 27: And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.

Boy, did my best friend and I mock those guys in college we knew who were trying to be seminary teachers. Oh brother. Don't they know they can be religious AND earn a decent living? And boy did we mock those girls we knew that were vying to be the wives of those silly boys wanting to be seminary teachers. You WANT to live on a seminary teacher's salary? Mock. Mock. Mock.

Be careful what you mock.

1 Nephi Chapter 7

2008-05-27T16:34:00.001-05:00

verse 7: And it came to pass in the which rebellion, they were desirous to return unto the land of Jerusalem.

Remember how I said I had some trials/tribulations in Utah before it turned into a "more wonderful" high school experience? Well, during that time I started at a different high school than I would end up (different story). The only two girl friends that I made were also "transplants" from CA and Hawaii. They knew what it was like to be the new kid and let me hang out with them. I also had a guy friend who I hung out with. Boy, did he get an earful. "In CA this....in CA that.....at my old high school this....at my old high school that. " Well, one day I guess he'd had enough. It was lunchtime and we were outside. I remember he turned to me and said "Suz...I have $200. You may have it to purchase a ticket to fly back to CA." I sat there speechless. I remember I then looked up at the gorgeous Rocky Mountains and my whole outlook changed. I remembered that the Lord wanted me there and I started focusing on the positive instead of the negative. My whole experience in Utah started changing for the better from that moment on.

We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.-Thomas S. Monson

1 Nephi Chapter 6

2008-05-27T16:12:00.000-05:00

verse 4: For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved.

We have now lived in "the South" for a little over two years. We love it here. "Being saved" is a highly talked about thing. The high school kids that I teach math to are very much interested in who is saved, who is wanting to be saved, who needs to be saved, etc. It is fascinating to listen to them. But the truth of the matter is....Nephi and I have the same intent that they have: to be saved and to help save others.

“The intensity of our desire to share the gospel is a great indicator of the extent of our personal conversion.”~ Elder Dallin H. Oaks

1 Nephi Chapter 5

2008-05-27T15:27:00.000-05:00

verse 16: And thus my father, Lehi, did discover the genealogy of his fathers. And Laban also was a descendant of Joseph, wherefore he and his fathers had kept the records.

I have a cousin who is not a member of the church. He is, however, very involved in genealogy. My father is also not a member of the church. Therefore, his side of the family had relatively no temple work done for them. Talk about the field being white already to harvest. My cousin shared the genealogy work that he had done, I asked permission from my father, and I set to work getting names ready to go to the temple. It was tough. We had a Macintosh Computer at the time and the church and genealogy did not go hand in hand with MacIntosh back in '92. I was newly married, very pregnant, very hot in June in SLC, trying to convert my information to GED com going back and forth from the Church Genealogy Library to the Church Administration Building. To this day....I don't know why I was so compelled to get it done right then. Probably just my stubbornness. But I did get it done and did give birth to a beautiful baby boy in early July.... 3 weeks early. My husband and I did the work for many very close relatives; uncles, aunts, grandparents. It was awesome.

I wasn't "compelled" like that for several more years to do more genealogy work. It was after my closest uncle on my dad's side died and also my step-mother's aunt. I was very nervous to ask her permission to do the temple work for her aunt. She is an atheist, and since she doesn't believe in an after life anyway, she said that was just fine with her if it would make me happy. Shouldn't that be the attitude of every non-believer? I mean if you don't believe, then what does it hurt? I was very grateful for her permission and glad I had the courage to ask her. It is thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law who worked countless hours on my behalf to get hundreds of names temple ready. It had been wonderful to do temple work for family members, and wonderful to know that complete strangers were helping me in the Memphis Temple to complete the names.

I was in the sealing room in the Orlando Temple about a year ago, and we were doing the sealings of my family members. During one of the sealings, I had the strongest statement come to me: You are not alone any longer. I don't know who, I don't know how many, but I do know that some of the family members whose names we have done have or will accept the gospel. My sister and I will not be the only members on my father's side. It's a great feeling.

What? You thought I'd talk about complaining to my husband about something? Oh please.....I'm too busy complaining about cooking to complain about anything on a spiritual matter he might say. Cooking is my least favorite part of being a wife and a mother. I hate it. And what do I get for doing it? Another meal right around the corner. It never ends. Yuck.

...no misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse -- Jeffrey R. Holland

1 Nephi Chapter 4

2008-05-26T23:49:00.000-05:00

Verse 3: Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians. 4: Now when I had spoken these words, they were yet wroth, and did continue to murmur; nevertheless they did follow me up until we came without the walls of Jerusalem.

I was on a "girls trip" with 8 really close friends. We were having a fabulous time. During one of our million discussions during the trip, the topic turned to the bishop of our ward. There was some murmuring going on and their was discontent with his handling of certain things. There was also murmuring as to why he hadn't called a certain person to a particular calling. I happened to know the person they were talking about had been dis-fellowshipped and couldn't hold a calling in the church at that particular time. I got a glimpse of the burden that bishops carry and the murmurings that they endure, whether beknownst to them or not.

I think it left such an impression on me to help me as my husband was called to be a bishop a little while after that experience.

“I have learned not to put question marks but to use exclamation points when calls are issued through inspired channels of priesthood government.”
~ Elder Russell M. Nelson

1 Nephi Chapter 3

2008-05-26T14:29:00.000-05:00

Verse 1: And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father.

This was a tough one....I must have read the chapter at least 10 times. There's of course verse 7, and I also thought about the record keeping/journal writing....but I kept turning back to verse 1. How after Nephi had such a powerful spiritual manifestation of talking to the Lord, he went to his father's tent. I hope when my children have spiritual experiences that they will want to come to my tent and share them with me. I know that many times they have....and for that I am truly blessed.

1 Nephi Chapter 2

2008-05-26T09:13:00.000-05:00

verse 16: And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften
my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.

I was 16 years old, a junior in high school, VERY busy in extra-curricular activities at the school, and my mom told me we were moving from Anaheim California to Salt Lake City Utah. To make a long story short...I did not want to go. My parents were divorced and I could stay with my dad and step-mother in CA. This is what everyone (including myself) thought I would do. Luckily I followed the example of Nephi and cried unto the Lord myself to find out if I was to stay or go. This was not easy to do because I very much wanted to stay. After much private soul searching prayer, I knew the Lord wanted me to go. I couldn't deny that he had given me an answer. So I went. I left a wonderful high school life and after a few trials/tribulations/bumps and bruises along the way...ended up having an even "more wonderful" high school experience in Utah. I will ever be grateful to Nephi's example and that I had the courage to follow his example.

1 Nephi Chapter 1

2008-05-26T08:54:00.001-05:00

vs: 20 and when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him;yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord and over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

I always wanted to go on a mission but no one "told" me to go so I kept facilitating between going and not going. I got engaged a couple of times, graduated from college, and finally decided to go with the help of D&C 58:26-29. I turned 23, got my call, went to the MTC, and all of my insecurities about going came rushing back as I didn't have a companion. What? A missionary with no companion? So my first night in the MTC was in a room with not the typical 3 other people....but no one but myself. The MTC President, Ed J. Pinegar had asked us to read 1 Nephi chapter 1 before we went to bed that first night. As I read the final verse (see above)....I knew that I would be alright and that I was where I was supposed to be. I ended up getting the most awesome companion ever, Hermana Harvey, and we had a wonderful time at the MTC. The Lord showed his tender mercies to me unto the power of deliverance.

“The Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ…The Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives, and it is often the Lord’s timing that enables us to recognize and treasure these important blessings.”
~ Elder David A. Bednar

Gordon B. Hinkley Quote

2008-05-25T21:45:00.000-05:00

“I would like to urge [everyone] to again read the Book of Mormon…There is nothing we could do of greater importance than to have fortified in our individual lives an unshakable conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Living Son of the Living God. And, my brothers and sisters, that is the purpose of the coming forth of this remarkable and wonderful book.”
~ President Gordon B. Hinckley

Tribute to Gordon B. Hinkley

2008-05-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

Like most....I was so saddened by the passing of our beloved prophet, yet grateful for the wonderful life he led and the joyous reunion he would have with his beautiful wife. Like many....I remember that I bore my testimony in church shortly after his passing and said what a wonderful tribute to the wonderful prophet if would be if we would each attend the temple more, and read the Book of Mormon. It has now been several months since his passing, and I was prompted this weekend of my testimony and how I hadn't personally reread the Book of Mormon since I had shared that testimony. My heart was pricked.

So as I make dentist and doctor app'ts for the kids this summer, plan and schedule their camps and outtings, I decided that I would take the challenge to reread the Book of Mormon cover to cover from Memorial Day Weekend until Labor Day Weekend. I would also comment on this blog of how each chapter has helped me in my life or how living it's teaching will help me in my life.

I invite you to make this challenge with me. Please leave comments as we go along how each chapter has helped you become a better, happier, more joyful child of God.