Insight From the Scriptures

  It was an inspiring, incredible evening.  I'm still sort of basing in the glow of what we learned. Roland Hart gave a talk using slides telling about Behind the Scenes at The St. George Temple Dedication.  He talked about how many people were involved; what needed to be done, etc. Here is just a smattering of the slides he shared with us on Tuesday night; 

 I find this so astonishing.   In 3rd Nephi, the people are going to put the believers of Christ to death because he hasn't come in the time that was prophesied.  That's insane.  If it doesn't happen - which it did, luckily, why should the people even care?!?!?!?! They could just laugh and say, "See, we told you!"  But, no they want to put the people TO DEATH.  It amazes me about people and their craziness. Having said that, however, I will just say again, that I love the Book of Mormon.  It brings me joy and I try to listen to it every day!

 Reading the Book Mormon.....many people left the church and joined Amlici in his quest to be the leader. Early Mormon History.....my relatives joined the Strangites and went to Michigan.  (Although some did return to the church and head to Utah.) So, sitting here in St George, Utah, I always wonder if I had been around in those two events in time, which would I have chosen?  Would I have been fooled by an interloper who said he had the right answers?  Or would I have had the strength to stick with the REAL PROPHET?  Oh, I'm just not quite so sure.   But, I know now, that I do love being a part of the TRUE, Restored Gospel.

 I am listening to the New International Version of the Bible. I am not very far; in Leviticus to be exact.  The Israelites are complaining about not having meat to eat.  They wish they were back in Egypt where they had meat.   Now, the thing is, I just HEAR MYSELF IN THAT situation. Murmur, murmur, murmur....mumble, complain, murmur some more. And, I don't like knowing that about myself. I'm just so grateful to live in this day and age.  I have so much to be grateful for and yet, I still find myself grumbling at times. When will I ever learn?

 I have read the Old testament once in my life.  I recently started listening to the NIV of it.  And, I have come to the conclusion that it is definitely R rated.  Yikes; it's pretty bad.   But, perhaps there will be lessons to be learned...right?!?!?!? Else, why would we be supposed to read it. On another higher note.  I listened to 2 Nephi, chapter 4 on the way to the gym the other day.  My goodness; that was so inspiring.  I was so moved by that great chapter and said to myself, I will listen to that again. Then at the gym, I was listening to Taylor and Tyler ( a youtube video where they explain the week's church lesson) and Tyler said that he has about 4 or five chapters that he reads when he gets particularly discouraged.  And, guess what, 2nd Nephi chapter 4 is one of those chapters that buoy him up.   I felt like that was just a little tender mercy for my day...... I do love the scriptures, except the R-rated ones.  H AHAHAHA...

 I've listened to the Book of Mormon multiple times.   And, I always gain insight and learn something. So, this morning, driving to the gym,  I listened in 1st Nephi as Lehi discovered an object outside his tent door.  It was the Liahona, which, of course, I knew about.  It directed them in their travels.   But the thing I had forgotten was that it also had actually messages on it.  I hadn't remembered that. Imagine getting written instructions from the Lord.  Wouldn't that be marvelous...oh wait, we have that already with the Book of Mormon, Bible, modern talks of the prophets.  We do live in a miraculous world. I also realized that kids today wouldn't even think anything of a director to guide us as we travel.  They have grown up with GPS systems, but to those of us who didn't grow up with a GPS, it is a modern miracle.   I love the Book of Mormon!

 Okay, so I get a daily dose of the Book of Mormon...which I love. However, the last chapters of Alma and the last chapters of Helaman are all WAR, and then even more WAR, hatred, bloodshed, etc. So, to come to Third Nephi is so refreshing.  The Saviour comes; he talks, he heals, he serves, he preaches and it's so refreshing and so REAL. I love third Nephi.

 On Sunday, July 2, I was reading and listening to the Book of Mormon.  I'm in Helaman; lots of war chapters in there.   The distinct feeling came over me, as it has in the past, there is NO WAY that Joseph Smith could have written this book.  It's so complicated; so many groups, so many places, so many people....he would have gotten confused.  I WAS SO CONFUSED. So, how could one man sitting at a desk telling another man across the table come up with the stories; hundreds of pages of them.  No writer's block, no hesitation to try to figure stuff out...because he wasn't make things up; he was literally translating!  Not making anything up. It was such a profound moment; and it has happened before, but I gained such a testimony of that MARVELOUS BOOK!   I'm so very grateful for Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and of course, the Saviour.

 WOW!  WOW!  WOW! What an incredible chapter; mainly it is on Faith, Hope, and Charity. It is so inspiring.  How do the prophets even write such amazing and inspiring words/ My new favorite chapter.

 From 3rd Nephi 21:17 thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands; Oftentimes, I will look back at the cards I have made.  I will stare and ponder, and okay, admire these home-made cards. Oh, there are lots of times I am very critical of them, but often, I just ADMIRE them.  I hope I don't worship them, but it's a good reminder that I'm not so great at any thing. The really great Creator is the one whose works I should  continually admire.  Which I do.

 ...because I have insights on my way to the gym each morning as I listen to the Book of Mormon, but then I forget and don't write them down. But, one day I will write some things down.  And, I'll be glad I did.

 In this chapter, Alma has gone into hiding and is teaching some of the people about Abinidai's message.  It's a beautiful chapter and I'm so impressed and inspired that Alma could remember the words that Abinidi had spoken.  I can't even remember what the speaker said in church on Sunday. Alma wants to baptize the people and they say in verse 11:  And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts. They've been living under a very unrighteous king, but they are yearning for this goodness to find them. Also, Alma names  the  church and  organizes  it: And they were called the church of God, or the  a church  of Christ, from that time forward. And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church. 18  And it came to pass that Alma, having  a authority  from God,  b ordained  priests; ev...

  (and I cannot write but a   a little   of my words, because of the   b difficulty   of engraving our words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain I have often wondered about that; how the writers in the Book of Mormon could write such lengthy words because it would be so difficult to carve them in the plates.  But, the irony of this sentence is that after Jacob wrote this, he went on to write a rather lengthy section on the allegory of the olive tree.  Seems ironic that he would write so long just after telling how difficult it is, but before that allegory, he says this, which is so beautiful and profound: 2  But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon  a plates  must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers— 3  Now in...

 ...is a challenge to read because there are so many wars, and then more wars.  Brother against brother and son against father; bad guys against good guys, and on an on. As I listened today, I just kept wondering... WHERE ARE THE WOMEBN IN ALL OF THIS?  WHY DON'T WE KNOW WHAT THE WOMN ARE SAYING AND THINKING?  WHY AREN'T THE WOMEN GIVEN A VOICE TO SAY... STOP! STOP! STOP! I just can't quite believe that women would allow their fathers, brothers, sons, grandsons to continue to wage wars when no one wins.  Everyone loses. I hope I remember to ask this question to St Peter when I get to the Pearly Gates.

 So, while listening to the Scriptures this morning on the way to the gym, I was in Ether 6.  The brother of Jared and Jared were getting close to death, so the people want to appoint a KING.  It seems like an unwise thing to do. But all the sons of the brother of Jared refuse.  They have no desire to be king.  But one son of Jared accepts the kingship.   Orihah becomes king, and hew walks humbly before the Lord. In the next several chapters, however, MANY desire to become king.  The chapters are filled with cunning, deceit, murder, kidnapping, imprisonment, captivity and evil designs. It always makes me wonder, WHY DO PEOPLE WANT A KING SO BADLY? And, I do know the answer; it's because the people who would be king see it as an opportunity to have others work for them, for the king to lead a richly lifestyle, and be set up in majestic palaces.  They want no constraints on their behavior, or their evil desires.   Let's face it, some of those c...

 While going to exercise one very early morning, I drove heading to this lovely home.  I was listening to 3rd Nephi and thinking about Jesus being the LIGHT of the world. It's wonderful that here we are 2000 years later, and we still celebrate HIS birth by lighting up our homes, yards, churches, buildings, cities, hospitals.   All in HONOR of HIM!   Yes, he IS THE LIGHT.  And, HIS light glorifies the world. I love 3 NEPHI where the Saviour has come to the Americas.  Such a profound section of scriptures and so few people know it and believe it.  

 The last part of Alma and first of Helaman is all about the many wars fought between the Lamanites and Nephites.   Every time I read them, I dread them.  So many lives lost, so much destructions, so much hatred.  It's difficult to read. It makes me realize how grateful I will be to have PEACE when the Saviour comes.  It cannot come soon enough for me.

Allen doesn't really believe in the story itself.  He thinks it is a story to prove a point.  He asked the other night in our scripture reading time; what can we learn from this? Well, I DO believe it's real.  If God could part the RED SEA, he could have a giant fish-like creature  whale and cause the whale to spit Jonah out on the land.  So, I believe in the story. But it's also important to think about what the story means. To me, it means, we CAN NEVER RUN AWAY FROM GOD........and that's a good thing actually....because the rest of the story tells us that God follows us and allows us MERCY.  He is willing to give us second chances; He is willing to forgive us....HE wants us to follow HIM. And, when we do, we are blessed.  Not that we won't have trials, but that he will always be there in our trials.

  19  Now Zerahemnah, when he saw that they were all about to be destroyed, cried mightily unto Moroni, promising that he would covenant and also his people with them, if they would spare the remainder of their lives, that they  a never  would come to war again against them. Once again, this scripture points out the WILL TO LIVE!  Zerahemnah makes a promise he is not likely to keep because of his strong desire to LIVE.  Life is so precious... I know that I want to live, but I want to LIVE with Heavenly Father in the hereafter.  II've made so many stupid decisions in my life that I don't want to blow this one last final decision... TO LIVE WITH GOD!  That is my heart's desire, most of all.

 Recently Allen and I watched a movie about a man who was an alcoholic.  He had lost a wife and a son, and had one son living.  During one of his lowest moments, he thought he would be better off he were not living.  But, then he realized HE WANTED TO LIVE!  HE WANTED LIFE! It reminded me of what I had just been reading in Alma 20.  King Limhi's father is angry with Limhi for not going to his big feast, but instead was traveling with a NEPHITE!  The father becomes angry and tries to strike Ammon, but is not able to do so.   " 21Now when the king saw that Ammon could slay him, he began to plead with Ammon that he would spare his life.... " 23Now the king, fearing he should lose his life, said: If thou wilt spare me I will grant unto thee whatsoever thou wilt ask, even to half of the kingdom." The king was willing to give up HALF HIS KINGDOM to a NEPHITE if Ammon would spare his life.  That is so significant and shows how precious LIFE is. I'm ...