Fortification

A few days ago, in my quest to read the {Book of Mormon} again, I came to {Alma 49}. They are in the midst of the war years during this chapter. What struck me this time was the measure of the Nephites' attack preparation. They did one of two things during this time period: fought or prepared to fight.

They never once asked if the fight may or may not happen. They knew, one day, it would happen--- so they prepared. They didn't waste a moment making sure their families and cities could withstand the imminent Lamanite invasion. When the invasion occurred in Chapter 49, the Nephites' fortifications worked. Now, the Lamanites tried numerous ways to get through the Nephites' defenses. They didn't just stop after the first attack, they kept going. With the guidance of Moroni, the Nephites prepared for more than one attacks. Even though the Lamanites kept trying to get in, the Nephites stood strong through their protection.

Such is the same today. We may not be in a physical war, but we are in a spiritual war. Satan and his followers will try to get at us in more than one way; they won't give up because they want us to be miserable like them. Does that mean we should give up? NO! We must follow the example of the Nephites and prepare! Use our time to strengthen ourselves and others through the gospel---so that when our trials come (because they will) we will stand strong and be able to fight off the foe!

The best part about this whole reading was in Chapter 50 verse 23:

But behold there never was a ^ahappier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni, yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges.

Just because they spent time preparing for the battles in life, didn't mean they couldn't be happy. Not just happy either--- really really happy. We can find joy in fighting for the truth because it is that--- the truth!

I needed this message now because it reminded me that the little things I do for myself, others, and my family matter. If I'm doing the right thing, then I'm helping the fortification become that much stronger and we become that much happier. :)

Book of Mormon/ You Tube Challenge

Don't forget to go and watch Elder Holland's testimony of the Book of Mormon. Like and comment on the video so it's popularity increases. Here's the {LINK} and here's the video:

The FHE post

For FHE tonight, Nick and I are writing a post together. We found the recent conference talks online. And we decided to listen to Elder Christofferson speak because we like him. (We like all of them, but we like him a lot because we know him on a more personal basis.)

His talk centered around the scriptures and the story of William Tindale and all of the efforts made hundreds of years ago in the publishing of the Bible. Also he spoke of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and how in times past people who had a Bible in their house were considered very lucky or privileged. They were hard to come by. And William Tindale was executed for translating the Bible into English.
Hearing this talk made me feel a bit ashamed for not being more thankful for my scriptures and not reading them and cherishing them more often. Also during the talk I thought about how we can be like prophets of old in our writings and have something to pass onto our future generations. We may or may not have many of the writings of our ancestors but our progeny will sure have much from us! How blessed we are to live in this day and age where all of this is possible to us. Not only can our writings be much more easily kept and organized for our future generations but also for the current generation. How fast doth information flow these days with the internet and so much technology!

From my (Nick's) point of view... this was a most excellent and invigorating piece of elocution. I think the main point that struck home to me was that we are all so familiar with so many stories from the scriptures - ranging from the Old Testament prophets like Moses, through New Testament and Book of Mormon prophets like Peter, Nephi, or later Joseph Smith.
Then I got thinking about how much we would really know today about God without the scriptures... basically nothing. Or rather, we would possibly know the theory and principles of the gospel through inspiration in our time, but we wouldn't be able to put them into context as easily as we can today. It is so much easier to think about Faith when you've read about the example of a seed growing into a tree, and it is so much more simple to talk about what kind of man Jesus was when you can read about his teachings and miracles.
So I guess I'm just echoing Trish's thoughts - stop taking what you know for granted and go back and learn more. The more you read these revelations the more you open your mind and heart to receive other revelation that is on a much more personal level.

Wow that was a fun activity! Do you and your spouse (if you are married) study the scriptures together? It is also fun writing spiritual blog posts together about the scriptures! Try it sometime!

More about God's Message

To add on to Tricia's thoughts, today in Primary we had a special lesson on the Book of Mormon. Our Primary president is a pretty awesome lady and she was telling us about a goal she had to read the Book of Mormon before her youngest son's birthday and she had been lagging behind a bit so the few days before she was reading up to 50 pages a night. She gave this great analogy about how she feels when she keeps up with her scripture reading.

"Think of it as like a faucet. When I'm doing okay with my scripture reading it's like the handle is turned a little bit so there's a little stream of the spirit coming into my life. When I'm doing really well with my scripture reading, though, the handle gets turned all the way and I feel the Spirit begin to fill my life."

I loved her testimony and I know exactly how that feels. I know what Tricia says is true also, it's in those times when we're doing really well that we can see that God is answering all our questions through his inspired words. I can't remember who said this in General Conference a few years ago, but I remember it so clearly. "When you want to talk to God, get on your knees and pray. When you want him to talk to you, open your scriptures."

Alma & Korihor

How did your scripture challenge go? Honestly, I missed one day---but that's a big step for me---so keep chugging!

Yesterday I was reading in Alma 30 about the encounters with Korihor and two things really stuck out to me:

1. Even though Korihor's beliefs were contrary to the ways of God, there was no law in the land to forbid him to believe so---and Mormon points this out in verse 7-11. Why would Mormon make sure to point this out? Because, in a God-fearing land, there should and will not be laws against agency---making sure not to force beliefs on others. Now, this can get complicated in the world today, but if you use the Spirit to recognize when your beliefs, and others' beliefs, are in jeopardy, then all will be good.
2. Korihor would not let up about Alma needing to show him a sign of God's existence. Finally Alma says this to him (verse 44):

   Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of ^aall these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the ^bearth, and ^call things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its ^dmotion, yea, and also all the ^eplanets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.

   In simple terms Alma was trying to tell him that ALL THINGS on this earth point to the existence of our Heavenly Father. We do not need to see Him to know he's there; we just need to look around. We just need to reach out and recognize the good within ourselves and the world around us.

Korihor ended up being struck dumb for his lack of faith and dying in an accident. Once he noticed his wicked ways, Satan abandoned him; he didn't care about the fate of Korihor. But, we should. Since we have his example in the scriptures we are able to be reminded of the blessing it is to have agency and EVERYTHING else around us to show us just how much our Heavenly Father loves us. Even though what happened to Korihor stinks for him, his example can make sure it won't stink for us---or anyone else around us.

Scripture Study Recharge

I want to echo what Trish mentioned about the Ensign; we are so blessed to live at a time where we can easily access, study and ponder the messages from Church leaders. We have the ability to sit down and read the words of the prophets through church publications and the scriptures. What other time on this earth had that ability? None.

So, today, I ask do we take advantage of not only the Ensign/Liahona, etc., but also having our own personal scriptures? Do we set aside a time to recharge our spiritual batteries through scripture study? If we don't, or have room to improve (I know I do), how do we get started?

Elder David A. Bednar suggests five principles to more effectively studying the scriptures:

1. Pray for understanding and invite the help of the Holy Ghost: Always begin scripture study with prayer. Ask for understanding as you study. Express gratitude for the chance to study.
   
2. Work: Pay the price of regular and diligent study---take the time!
   
3. Be consistent: Set aside a specific and scheduled time each day---don't let anything else replace it!
   
4. Ponder: Think about the truths, experiences, and lessons in the scriptures. Take time—pondering cannot be forced, hurried, or rushed.
5. Write down impressions, thoughts, and feelings: Record what you learn, think, and feel. Invite the Holy Ghost to continue instruction.

David A. Bednar, “Because We Have Them before Our Eyes,” New Era, Apr 2006, 2–7

So, we've got the how---but WHY? Elder Bednar answers that questions too:

Why is studying the scriptures so important? Sincere study of the scriptures helps us progress in the process of coming unto Christ and becoming more like Him. Through daily feasting, we can gain a testimony of the gospel truths for ourselves and learn to hear and follow the voice of the Lord.

We become more in tune with the Lord when we take the time to study the scriptures. I definitely notice a difference between the days when I study and when I don't. For some reason, I've always struggled with keeping it up; being consistent. I know the importance of personal study, but I justify by doing other 'important' things. But, when I do this, those days never go as planned. I hardly ever finish my 'to-do' list of the day.

However, when I study my scriptures before anything else, I feel my time open up to me. Are those days perfect? No way; but I remember to have more patience with my toddler because I read about Alma's patience and prayers with Alma the Younger.

Take one of the principles above that you need to work on and focus in on it as you study the scriptures this week---I'm going to work on being consistent. The scriptures are there for us. Let's not forget to use them.

The Book I have grown to Love

I opened up my Book of Mormon this morning for the first time in quite a while, and it always amazes me just how good it feels to open that book- how refreshing it feels to know you are about to read God's words, and that He may even speak to you personally in His own way through that book.
I am so thankful for all of the prophets who contributed their writings, and for Mormon's dedication in prayerfully compiling all of it for us, and choosing just the right stories out of so many years of writings.
I am thankful for Joseph Smith's dedication under so much of a refiner's fire to keep that book safe, and to translate it for us to read. It is amazing how much sacrifice went into that book that just sits around our house, so often unappreciated. That we have several copies lying around, untouched, after all the work that went into that very first publication. I have gained a love for that book so many times in my life when I have consistently read from it's pages, and that love and desire to open it up is always in the back of my mind. It is so comforting to have our Heavenly Father's complete gospel in front of us, and to find answers to whatever we are struggling with. I know the Book of Mormon is true, and that it has come to us by the good will of God and humble men who were willing to do His will. And I am so thankful for all of those who sacrificed so I could have it on my nightstand, ready to open up the windows of heaven whenever I read.

Nephi's Psalm

Last week, as I was studying my scriptures I came to the point in 2 Nephi known as Nephi's Psalm. This was right after Lehi passed away and, as always, Laman and Lemuel's behavior causes Nephi to reflect on theirs, and his, fate. If you haven't read it lately, here it is, if not skip down (2 Nephi 15-35).

15 And upon ^athese I ^bwrite the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul ^cdelighteth in the scriptures, and my heart ^dpondereth them, and writeth them for the ^elearning and the profit of my children.

16 Behold, my ^asoul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my ^bheart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.

17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great ^agoodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O ^bwretched man that I am! Yea, my heart ^csorroweth 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 ^abeset me.

19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have ^atrusted.

20 My God hath been my ^asupport; he hath led me through mine ^bafflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

21 He hath filled me with his ^alove, even unto the ^bconsuming of my flesh.

22 He hath confounded mine ^aenemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.

23 Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me ^aknowledge by ^bvisions in the night-time.

24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty ^aprayer 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 ^acarried 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 ^avisited men in so much ^bmercy, ^cwhy should my ^dheart 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 ^ayield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to ^btemptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my ^cpeace and afflict my soul? Why am I ^dangry because of mine enemy?

28 Awake, my soul! No longer ^adroop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the ^benemy of my soul.

29 Do not ^aanger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.

30 Rejoice, O my ^aheart, 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 ^brock of my salvation.

31 O Lord, wilt thou ^aredeem 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 ^bsin?

32 May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my ^aheart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may ^bwalk 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 ^arighteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine ^benemies! 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 ^atrusted in thee, and I will ^btrust in thee forever. I will not put my ^ctrust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his ^dtrust 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 ^aliberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ^bask ^cnot amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the ^drock of my ^erighteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.

I absolutely love these verses. Nephi was willing to express the deepest feelings of his soul to the Lord and to us. He knew the plates would be translated in our day, so why would he put some of his truest feelings for us to read?

For me, it's nice to remember that Nephi was human. Usually, we depict Nephi, and other Book of Mormon (and Latter-day) prophets as these superhuman men who do nothing but choose the right. When the reality is that they do sometimes make mistakes, but they always return back to the Lord.

In his psalm, Nephi shows us how he struggled with feelings of inadequacy, anger and jealously, just like I do. But did he dwell on these feelings? No--He prayed. Verses 30-35 are a beautiful prayer in which Nephi proclaims his faith and trust in the Lord. Nephi knew and understood that even though times may get tough, the Lord is always on our side, as long as we are on his.

What else sticks out about Nephi's Psalm?

How Can I Be?

I enjoyed this song and thought you guys would enjoy it, too.

My Eight Copies: Part 4

[This is the 4th and final part in an essay about the many copies of the Book of Mormon I have owned and how they have influenced and mirrored my life.]

My favorite copy of the Book of the Mormon that I own is one I received while working for BYU. Each Christmas, the First Presidency gives Church employees a small gift.

One year, I received a beautiful, leather triple combination. In the letter that came with it, the First Presidency wrote,

“It is our sincere hope that your study of the scriptures will continue to be a source of inspiration, guidance and peace in your life. As you read, your mind will be enlightened, your spirit will be lifted, and there will come into your heart an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord. There will come a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to the Lord’s commandments, and there will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”

I took this as a personal challenge to read more consistently, study more diligently and ponder more deeply. Every promise made in that letter was realized, and my life was changed yet again.

The final copy of the Book of Mormon that sits on my shelf is new. In it is a pamphlet about the Restoration that missionaries use with new investigators. I got it from the missionaries a few months after moving to St. Louis two years ago. I had intended to give it away to a coworker, but never did. I look at it and feel regretful that I chickened out. I had a treasure to share, and I chose to keep it to myself.

Elder Hugh W. Pinnock of the Seventy said,

“We need to open our mouths in order to communicate to others the spiritual lifesaving principles found in the Book of Mormon, as well as the importance of reading that wonderful book.”

The best way to find courage to share the Book of Mormon is to read it ourselves—daily. For those among us who are more casual, inconsistent readers, Elder Scott says,

“If you have not yet drunk deeply from this fountain of pure truth, with all of my soul I encourage you to do so now. Don’t let the consistent study of the Book of Mormon be one of the things that you intend to do but never quite accomplish. Begin today.”

I know that if we do not neglect our study of the Book of Mormon, but read consistently, daily-- we will be blessed with both knowledge and inspiration.

Our bishop always promotes the "Five Verses A Day" plan. Read at least five verses (that's it!) every day. Nobody can say they don't have time for five verses! Even when I am dead-dog tired and don't want to read, I can't ever say to myself, "I'm not going to read. Five verses is too much."

As for "How the Book of Mormon Changed My Life"?

I grew up in the Church, learning about the Book of Mormon, so it is true that there has been no dramatic change in my life. No moment when I found the Book of Mormon and went from lost and wandering to found and directed. That is why I had such difficulty finding a place to begin my Sacrament meeting talk.

The Book of Mormon didn’t change my life in a singular moment; the Book of Mormon changes my life a little bit every time I read it—grounding me in the faith, guiding me through this treacherous time that Mormon prophesied of, and always testifying of Jesus Christ, bringing me nearer to Him and our Father in Heaven.

My Eight Copies: Part 3

[This is the 3rd part in an essay about the many copies of the Book of Mormon I have owned.]

My next set of scriptures came when I started seminary. This set lived at the church building and were there on the cart to greet every morning at 5:45. They are nearly unrecognizable as scriptures. The bindings are so bent and they are so full of quotes that my triple combination is the same size as a standard Bible. These particular scriptures taught me to diligently study them and to find strength in their pages. Up until this point, I had never been a consistent scripture reader, but at this point in my life I developed the habit of reading the scriptures daily. Building on these daily interactions with the scriptures, I gained my true testimony of the Book of Mormon.

President Ezra Taft Benson declared:

“Every Latter-day Saint should make the study of this book a lifetime pursuit. Otherwise he is placing his soul in jeopardy and neglecting that which could give spiritual and intellectual unity to his whole life.”

During my freshman year at BYU, I had the opportunity to focus my scripture study on the Book of Mormon. Naturally, I bought myself a new copy before the class began. I had excellent teachers and was uplifted and inspired during each class session. I was constantly being presented with interpretations and views that were new to me. There was a lesson to be learned in every chapter.

However, the lesson that changed my life the most was that the Book of Mormon was written for our day, for us. In Mormon 8:35, Mormon says:

“Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.”

Thinking of the Book of Mormon this way, that it was written specifically for our hazardous times, brings great comfort to me and makes me anxious to seek advice from it. Elder Richard G. Scott said it so plainly:

“The Book of Mormon holds answers for the problems we face in everyday life."

It can't get much more straightforward than that! The Book of Mormon holds the answers. I hope you all may find the answers you seek in its pages.

To be continued...

My Eight Copies: Part 2

[This is the 2nd part in an essay about the many copies of the Book of Mormon I have owned in my life.]

Each copy I have ever owned has been special to me and has influenced or mirrored my life in some way.

When I was baptized at eight years old, I was given a full set of scriptures with my name engraved on the covers. They were beautiful to me. Now, these scriptures might be described as old, worn out, and falling apart. I prefer to think of them as loved, well-used, and full of character. There are stickers on the inside cover, the pages are marked with colored pencil, red pen, yellow highlighter and varying colors of crayons with glitter. The binding is falling apart because the book is bursting with Sunday School handouts, old Sacrament Meeting programs, indecipherable notes, postcards, a For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, and even some old photographs.

When I look at them, I see my life, my progression in the gospel. I went from clumsily marking my scriptures with crayons to thoughtfully underlining key phrases and jotting impressions in the margins. I grew from a child, hanging on the testimony of my parents, to an adult, with spiritual experiences and faith of her own.

In the opening pages of the Book of Mormon, we learn that the primary purpose of the Book of Mormon is to convince all people "that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.” All people "must come unto him, or they cannot be saved" (1 Nephi 13:40). Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon is "the keystone of our religion, and a man [will] get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

My worn-out and well-loved scriptures did all that for me—convinced me that Jesus is the Christ, bade me to come unto Him, and brought me nearer to God by abiding by its precepts.

What have your scriptures done for you lately?

To be continued...

My Eight Copies: Part 1

[This was originally a really long essay I wrote, so I decided to break it into a series about the many copies of the Book of Mormon I have owned in my life. Today is about my very first.]

Recently, I was asked to speak in Sacrament meeting on the topic of "How the Book of Mormon has Changed My Life." While preparing, I was feeling at a loss of where to start. I have never had an exact moment of change that came from reading the Book of Mormon. I couldn’t even think of any particularly inspirational stories involving me and a Book of Mormon.

Panicked, I wondered if it even HAD changed my life at all! I mean, I know that I've read it-- enjoyed it even. Felt uplifted? Yes. Inspired? Yes. But truthfully, I've been a member my entire life... I was exposed to the Book of Mormon from day 1. How could it really change my life if I've always had it?

Finally, I decided to just open up a copy. Where better to begin than at the source? As I was looking on our bookshelf for a particular copy I had used during my study at BYU, I found another copy. And another. And another.

As it turns out, there are 12 copies of the Book of Mormon in my house. A couple of them reside on our nightstands, two more live in our scripture cases next to Bibles where they patiently wait for Sunday, the rest (eight of them) sit next to each other on our bookshelf.

I look at that bookshelf everyday, several times a day, but it never struck me until that moment that there were eight copies of the Book of Mormon sitting there. Now that I had noticed them, I looked them over and wondered how many of them were mine.

I opened the first copy and found, stamped inside: “This book belongs to Ashley.” I opened the next copy and found my name again, in my own handwriting from college! I looked through them all and discovered that 8 of the 12 copies we have in our house belonged to me at one point in my life or another.

Eight copies!

Anyone who knows me well can tell you how much I love books; they are, indeed, one of my passions. But I don’t own more than one copy of any other book. That thought struck me. If I own EIGHT copies of the Book of Mormon, surely that fact alone speaks of its importance in my life.

My first real copy of the Book of Mormon was given to me by my parents shortly after I learned to read. My name is stamped on the inside cover in neon pink ink. When my parents gave it to me, I remember feeling grown-up and important. I knew the book was something valuable by the way my parents treated it. They talked of it and read to us out of it, often. When I began reading it on my own, the language style was difficult to understand, but reading it made me happy. Looking at the pictures in the book and thinking about the stories they illustrated gave me the same feelings.

How grateful I am for parents who enabled those experiences and demonstrated a love and reverence for the word of God. Cheryl Lant, the Primary General President said,

“How blessed is the child whose parents base their lives on the teachings in the scriptures! There is absolutely nothing more important we can do for our families than to strengthen them in the scriptures.”

One of the best things we can do for our children is to teach them from the scriptures! My daughter is yet too young to understand, but we read to her out of the Book of Mormon Stories book every night. She may not understand what we're saying, but at least she's in the habit and she recognizes the cover. ;-)

To be continued...

The Book of Mormon

So I am writing this post from New York City (well actually the JFK airport). My flight is delayed, and I can't wait to get back home. We have been on vacation the past 9 days and had the opportunity of visiting the church history sites in Palmyra, New York. We were there during General Conference and we got to listen to the second session on Sunday at the Hill Cumorah visitor's center. It was incredible.

Elder Holland's talk about the Book of Mormon was so powerful. Did anyone else feel the force? I think it was especially powerful, because right before that session Josh and I went to the building where the Book of Mormon was published. I absolutely loved Elder Holland's testimony that he shared and being at the site where the plates were given to Joseph Smith really strengthened my own testimony of the truthfulness of the words in the Book of Mormon. My favorite quote was this: "No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so."

I also loved this passage:

"As one of a thousand elements of my own testimony of the divinity of the Book of Mormon, I submit this as yet one more evidence of its truthfulness. In this their greatest—and last—hour of need, I ask you: would these men blaspheme before God by continuing to fix their lives, their honor, and their own search for eternal salvation on a book (and by implication a church and a ministry) they had fictitiously created out of whole cloth?

Never mind that their wives are about to be widows and their children fatherless. Never mind that their little band of followers will yet be “houseless, friendless and homeless” and that their children will leave footprints of blood across frozen rivers and an untamed prairie floor.9 Never mind that legions will die and other legions live declaring in the four quarters of this earth that they know the Book of Mormon and the Church which espouses it to be true. Disregard all of that, and tell me whether in this hour of death these two men would enter the presence of their Eternal Judge quoting from and finding solace in a book which, if not the very word of God, would brand them as imposters and charlatans until the end of time? They would not do that! They were willing to die rather than deny the divine origin and the eternal truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

For 179 years this book has been examined and attacked, denied and deconstructed, targeted and torn apart like perhaps no other book in modern religious history—perhaps like no other book in any religious history. And still it stands. Failed theories about its origins have been born and parroted and have died—from Ethan Smith to Solomon Spaulding to deranged paranoid to cunning genius. None of these frankly pathetic answers for this book has ever withstood examination because there is no other answer than the one Joseph gave as its young unlearned translator."

I highly encourage you all to listen to his talk again. Don't just read it. Listen to it! I think that your testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon will be strengthened by the wonderful testimony Elder Holland shares. Have a great week!

Favorite Scripture!

I feel so awful that I have missed my day to post the past two weeks. Last week my computer was down and I have been really sick with the flu this week. Anyway, I figured I would try to post today instead (sorry for two posts in one day). I wanted to share my favorite scripture with everyone.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." John 16:20-22

I love this passage of scriptures because it is such a wonderful reminder that although we may experience trials and sorrows in this life, we will have joy in the eternities if we prove ourselves faithful. Whenever I am struggling or going through something difficult in my life I turn to these scriptures and remember that I will only suffer for a short while and that once the trial is over I will once again have joy (joy that no one can take from me). So the next time you are struggling with something in your own life, turn to these scriptures. I know that they will bring you comfort as they have brought me comfort.

Power, love, and a sound mind

When I went to EFY when I was sixteen it was just after President Hinckley had shared with us the "6 B's". We were each assigned to do a devotional during the week using his quote about one of the "Be"s and find a scripture that went with it. I was given the following quote:

"You who are members of this Church must have a loyalty to it. This is your church. You have as great a responsibility in your sphere of action as I have in my sphere of action. It belongs to you just as it belongs to me. You have embraced its gospel. You have taken upon yourselves a covenant in the waters of baptism. This you have renewed each time you have partaken of the sacrament. These covenants will be added to when you are married in the temple. You cannot hold them lightly. They are too great a thing. This is the very work of God designed to bring about the immortality and eternal life of His sons and daughters."

When I looked for a scripture on being true, none of them really reflected the meaning that President Hinckley had intended. But when I looked up the word testimony I found a scripture that has strengthened and influenced me more than any other words in my entire life.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." 1 Timothy 1:7-8

Fear is not from God, it is a sign of wavering faith in Him. Be a partaker of affliction with strength and assurance that God will provide a way. He will make the weak things strong, the unfair things fair, and the sadness into joy again.

Cheerfully

Thanks for the theme this week, Trish!

My favorite scripture (of the moment) is Doctrine & Covenants 123:17, which reads:

"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."

I love this scripture because it reminds us to be happy! Not only must we work hard and do our very best, but we must do it with a good attitude. This is so much easier said than done!

Life is stressful and trying at times, but if we can just hang in there and do our very best with a smile on our face-- we will be much better off. There is a quote by Mark Twain that I like that says:

"There is nothing in life that cannot be made worse by complaining."

We should not complain about all the duties and responsibilities we have, but live our lives cheerfully and with joy.

May you all have a joyful week!

Turning weakness into strength

In order to assist my fellow blog authors in obtaining inspiration for this week, I have decided to dub this week "My Favorite Scripture Week". So choose a scripture you love, write it and tell everyone what is it that stands out to you and helps you.

Mine is Ether 12:27:
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their ^aweakness. I ^bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my ^cgrace is sufficient for all men that ^dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make ^eweak things become strong unto them.

I think there is more to this scripture than originally meets the eye. For example, it is not typical for people to think that God gives them weakness. Most people think that all good things come from God, and all bad things come from Satan (and they label weakness as bad). So this scripture can give us more understanding about that.

I like this scripture because to me it says God knows me so he gave me weakness. He wanted me to turn to him for help. He knew that if I had no weakness that I would not think about relying on him, and I wouldn't develop faith. What is funny is that I have weakness, yet sometimes I am convinced that I am all-amazing. Until I break out of this wave length of thought, I am stuck without His divine help in my life. I have to acknowledge His hand in my life always or I am alone and truly weak. I pray that I will always stay in a place where I will not be without His help.

Ebb and flow

I apologize for my lack of posting yesterday. I think my brain heard the word "holiday" and went on vacation. I just barely remembered this morning that I was supposed to post yesterday and didn't. So hopefully this will be fabulous enough to make up for my obvious lack of coherency.

Nick and I seem to have an ebb and flow with scripture reading. Right now we are having a flow. We are doing really well together. We read every night before we go to bed. Sometimes one of us isn't feeling well or is very tired. When that happens the other person reads the entire chapter. But usually we take turns reading every night.

I notice the same pattern happen every time the scripture study ebbs. Nick and I don't seem to have the same closeness and loving regard for each other. (Not to say we stop loving, we just aren't as loving.) Somethings get between us and threaten to push us apart. Tears ensue and bring overwhelming feelings of doubt and fear.

On the other hand, when the scripture study is flowing, our relationship is totally different. We are more understanding of each other. We feel more concern for the other person. It feels like we just got married again and back from our honeymoon.

I can personally acknowledge and bear witness that having daily scripture study brings a spirit into a marital relationship that nothing else can take the place of. This spirit binds you together and strengthens a marriage. It makes you happier. It saves a marriage from being torn apart. It strengthens your spirits so that it is easier to deal with challenges or problems that happen and can really try your marriage. No matter how many times you've read the scriptures, always make them a priority.

"Astonished Beyond Measure"

I just started into the book of Helaman in my personal scripture study, and the other day, I was reading toward the end of Chapter 3, where it talks about the righteousness (and resulting prosperity) of the Church. The Church was having such a time of prosperity that tens of thousands of people were being baptized (vs. 24, 26)

I was really struck with verse 25 in particular:

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.

This brings to mind two things: first, the Nephites recognized that their blessings came from righteousness, and second, that these blessings were so amazing and abundant, that the leaders were "astonished beyond measure!" The blessings were that wonderful.

I often marvel at the small blessings and tender mercies granted unto me by the Lord, but to be astonished beyond measure? I can't imagine what wonderful blessings they received. I hope to see such blessings myself someday as the Church continues to grow in faith and righteousness.