Lord, who made the lion and the lamb,You decreed I should be what I am;Would it spoil some vast eternal plan,If I were a wealthy man? Tevye from “Fiddler on the Roof” In our daily trials and troubles, it is not uncommon for us to think, like Tevye, “Oh, if only I were rich! I … Read more
I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries … Read more
The Book of Mormon did not come to us easily. Nephi hand made a set of plates out of gold (which he had mined and refined) and engraved the record of his people upon them (1 Nephi 19:1-6). He even made a duplicate set of plates, for a reason he did not know, because the … Read more
3 And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible. 2 Nephi 29:3 I was an LDS missionary in the mid-1970s in the Southern United States — the Bible Belt. We missionaries had a special connection to … Read more
In a great sermon near the end of his life, the prophet Nephi outlined Satan’s plan of action for the last days. It has three parts: 1. The devil will stir up the members of false churches to anger against that which is good 18 But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of … Read more
Why is it that the first thing an angel always says is, “Fear Not.” Shouldn’t seeing an angel be the most beautiful, amazing, wonderful, delightful, inspiring, experience of one’s entire life? In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve hid themselves from God, Adam admitted that they were afraid because they were naked. The … Read more
We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious. The constant availability of social media and a 24-hour news cycle bombard us with relentless messages. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation. … Read more
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraged to read the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, often. In our weekly Sacrament meetings, we listen to talks on scriptural topics. In Sunday School we discuss sections of scripture that we have (presumably) been studying at home during the prior week. Yet … Read more