Angels do not come on trivial errands, to deliver books for occasional light reading to people whom they do not really concern. The matter in the Book of Mormon was selected, as we are often reminded, with scrupulous care and with particular readers in mind. For some reason there has been chosen for our attention … Read more
“The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are … Read more
I recently taught the LDS Gospel Doctrine Sunday School class (adults). The lesson was on the first six chapters of the Book of Isaiah. Section one in the lesson manual had a very interesting and important list of “warnings and prophecies” that the church manual said applied both to Isaiah’s day and to our own. … Read more
“We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion” (Doctrine and Covenants 121: 39). After King Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam was to became king of all Israel. … Read more
Psychologist Eric Berne taught that people sometimes get caught up in interactions that follow a pre-defined pattern and progress to a predictable outcome. He called these interactions “Games” and described a number of these games in detail in his 1964 best-seller, Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relationships. One game that is common in … Read more
“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am … Read more
“And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:21) In the Pre-Earth Council in Heaven, when Lucifer offered to be the redeemer of mankind, he said, “I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost.” (Moses 4:1). … Read more
This past Sunday, I taught a lesson on the martyrdom of Joseph Smith to the Gospel Doctrine class in my ward. Rather than use the manual, I created a timeline using the History of the Church, Volume 6, as my primary source. (I have added this timeline, and the related class resources I compiled, to … Read more