One of the interesting things I took from this chapter was when Nephi stated that he was having to set good examples for his older brothers and he didn't know why he needed to do that. I find it interesting on the dynamics of that statement. Usually when we think of people who are setting examples for us it is our elders or people who are older than us. But as we see many times through out the history of the church that isn't always the case. Look at Joseph Smith he was just a boy when he had his first vision and with this vision came great responsibilities. I am sure in his day that it was hard for people who were older than Joseph to actually listen to him and to know and believe he was a prophet of God. Think about the way we sometimes in our own lives today dispel what children have to say or don't listen to what children are saying because we chalk it up to well they are just kids what could the possibly know... Maybe this is something we should think about the next time we are approached by a child.
Also I found it incredible how once again his brothers and others this time tried to kill him again. It is amazing to me how fickle his brothers are towards Nephi and as he stated in these verses they had even seen an angel and still they doubted and hardened their hearts towards God and still in the end he forgave them. Just think if we had this kind of compassion towards one another in today's world how would this world be a different place for you and I to live in? Do you think it would be a better place?
That is all I have for this time friends but I look forward to your feedback and comments.
Till next time,
Mr. S
Monday, October 19, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
1 Nephi - Chapter 6 - Versus 1 thru 6
This chapter was a short chapter in the Book of Mormon but I do think there are a few interesting things to point out.
1. Nephi does state that we are descendants from Joseph.
2. Nephi does state what his intent on this earth is and what he sees as his mission to complete while he is on earth.
Why do think Nephi would not give us the genealogy of his fathers? What do you think the purpose of not providing us with that information was?
As always please feel free to leave your comments.
Till next time,
Mr. S
1. Nephi does state that we are descendants from Joseph.
2. Nephi does state what his intent on this earth is and what he sees as his mission to complete while he is on earth.
Why do think Nephi would not give us the genealogy of his fathers? What do you think the purpose of not providing us with that information was?
As always please feel free to leave your comments.
Till next time,
Mr. S
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
1 Nephi - Chapter 5 - Versus 1 thru 22
In this chapter there are two major themes that I picked out.
1. Sariah's lack of faith in Lehi that he was commanded of God to send their sons out to recover the plates. Up to this point in the Book of Mormon we haven't heard to much about any women. There have been mentions of them, but never any mention of their thoughts or fears. Sariah is complaining to Lehi about what he has sent their sons to do and she is doubting him for doing it. She begins to question Lehi if he is truly a man of God or are they wondering in the wilderness because he is crazy? I like that Sariah was able to go and talk to Lehi about her concerns and her feelings even if they were of doubt of him and what he was trying to do. I like that instead of getting mad at Sariah he was able to sit down with her and talk to her about why he was doing what he was doing and that it was important that it be done. I am thankful to see that after they had their conversation that Sariah was able to have enough faith in her husband to wait with him and I am sure comfort not only herself but also Lehi as they waited to see what was going to happen to their sons. I can only imagine the relief Sariah must of felt when she saw her sons come back to them in the wilderness and how that must of strengthen not only her testimony of prayer, but also her faith in God and in her husband.
2. The genealogy of Lehi and his fathers. I can imagine how important this was for Lehi to discover and to know. I think some of us search our whole lives to know where we came from and I think it is important for all of us to realize how important genealogy is to each and every one of us. I know that the church has always told its members how important genealogy is and that we should be diligent in doing our own genealogies to make sure that our ancestors are able to receive the blessings they need but what does that mean to you and I? Does that mean we should just do a couple of generations and call it quits? Or does it mean we should make this a part of lives and do as much as we can while we are here on this earth? I think that it is for all of us to decide but I also think it is very important that at the very least to know how important genealogy is to the Book of Mormon.
So I leave you with these questions:
How can this scripture of Sariah and Lehi be an example to all of us who from time to time have doubts not only about ourselves but about our loved ones?
What does Genealogy mean to you? and how do you make it a part of your life today?
Till next time,
Mr. S
1. Sariah's lack of faith in Lehi that he was commanded of God to send their sons out to recover the plates. Up to this point in the Book of Mormon we haven't heard to much about any women. There have been mentions of them, but never any mention of their thoughts or fears. Sariah is complaining to Lehi about what he has sent their sons to do and she is doubting him for doing it. She begins to question Lehi if he is truly a man of God or are they wondering in the wilderness because he is crazy? I like that Sariah was able to go and talk to Lehi about her concerns and her feelings even if they were of doubt of him and what he was trying to do. I like that instead of getting mad at Sariah he was able to sit down with her and talk to her about why he was doing what he was doing and that it was important that it be done. I am thankful to see that after they had their conversation that Sariah was able to have enough faith in her husband to wait with him and I am sure comfort not only herself but also Lehi as they waited to see what was going to happen to their sons. I can only imagine the relief Sariah must of felt when she saw her sons come back to them in the wilderness and how that must of strengthen not only her testimony of prayer, but also her faith in God and in her husband.
2. The genealogy of Lehi and his fathers. I can imagine how important this was for Lehi to discover and to know. I think some of us search our whole lives to know where we came from and I think it is important for all of us to realize how important genealogy is to each and every one of us. I know that the church has always told its members how important genealogy is and that we should be diligent in doing our own genealogies to make sure that our ancestors are able to receive the blessings they need but what does that mean to you and I? Does that mean we should just do a couple of generations and call it quits? Or does it mean we should make this a part of lives and do as much as we can while we are here on this earth? I think that it is for all of us to decide but I also think it is very important that at the very least to know how important genealogy is to the Book of Mormon.
So I leave you with these questions:
How can this scripture of Sariah and Lehi be an example to all of us who from time to time have doubts not only about ourselves but about our loved ones?
What does Genealogy mean to you? and how do you make it a part of your life today?
Till next time,
Mr. S
Thursday, August 20, 2009
1 Nephi - Chapter 4 - Versus 1 thru 38
When I was reading over these versus I was impressed at how Nephi didn't want to Laban. He really struggled with if he should kill Laban or not. In the end we know what he decided to do but I can only imagine how hard that must of been on Nephi to have to make that decision. I was also impressed with the thought process that Nephi went through to make this decision. I hope and pray in my own life that if I was ever posed with this same situation I would have the faith and foresight to be able to do what God wanted me to do and to know that what I was doing is right.
My question for the day is this - Have you ever been in a situation like this? If you have do you feel you did the right thing?
Till next time,
Mr. S
My question for the day is this - Have you ever been in a situation like this? If you have do you feel you did the right thing?
Till next time,
Mr. S
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Relief Society Lesson Today
Today in church we had a very good Relief Society Lesson. Before reading the lesson today I wasn't aware of all the things the Relief Society does for the ward. I have always known they are an important part of the ward but I didn't have any idea how they got started or what they did in the early days of the church.
I am very thankful and grateful that such an organization exists in the church. One of the brothers today told a story of when his mother had needed a surgery and was laid up for 3 weeks. During this time his father needed to continue to work to pay the families bills and wasn't able to stay at home with the children. What a pressure and strain that must of put on that family. But he continued his story to talk about how the Relief Society President had heard of this and had made a point to make sure that sisters from the ward rotated through out the day in and out of the house to watch the children, cook meals, and clean the home till their fellow sister could get back on her feet and do these things on her own again for the family. No where else in my life besides the military have I ever seen an organization that takes care of their members like this.
What an inspiration that story was to myself and I am sure the other brothers who were listening to this story. I am very thankful for the Relief Society and all they do for our wards and families each and every day and hope that as I go forward in my journey that I will always remember this story this brother shared with us today and that I will always be able to remember that everyone in the church has something to offer each and everyone of us. I am thankful for the church and for our wards. I pray that each of you will take a moment out of your day to thank your Relief Societies the next time you see them and I pray that as we all go forward we will strive to remember the parts that each of us play not only in our families but also in our wards and in the church.
*Last but not least I would like to ask you to leave a comment about a time in your life when the Relief Society has helped you or your family and what that meant to you.
Till next time,
Mr. S
I am very thankful and grateful that such an organization exists in the church. One of the brothers today told a story of when his mother had needed a surgery and was laid up for 3 weeks. During this time his father needed to continue to work to pay the families bills and wasn't able to stay at home with the children. What a pressure and strain that must of put on that family. But he continued his story to talk about how the Relief Society President had heard of this and had made a point to make sure that sisters from the ward rotated through out the day in and out of the house to watch the children, cook meals, and clean the home till their fellow sister could get back on her feet and do these things on her own again for the family. No where else in my life besides the military have I ever seen an organization that takes care of their members like this.
What an inspiration that story was to myself and I am sure the other brothers who were listening to this story. I am very thankful for the Relief Society and all they do for our wards and families each and every day and hope that as I go forward in my journey that I will always remember this story this brother shared with us today and that I will always be able to remember that everyone in the church has something to offer each and everyone of us. I am thankful for the church and for our wards. I pray that each of you will take a moment out of your day to thank your Relief Societies the next time you see them and I pray that as we all go forward we will strive to remember the parts that each of us play not only in our families but also in our wards and in the church.
*Last but not least I would like to ask you to leave a comment about a time in your life when the Relief Society has helped you or your family and what that meant to you.
Till next time,
Mr. S
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
1 Nephi - Chapter 3 - Verses 10 thru 31
First I would like to start out by apologizing for not making any posts last week. I know I have committed to try to post 3 posts a week and I am sure all of you readers can understand how sometimes our lives can get very busy and distracting. I know that this is something that I want and need to do and I know as a reader of this blog that you want to go on this journey with me so I apologize for not posting last week. I will try to do better going forward. Also if I am going to be gone for a little while I will let you all know in advance next time so you will know when to check back to read the next posting. :)
For this posting I read verses 10 thru 31 and have thought about and prayed to be able to feast on the words that I read in the Book of Mormon. Hopefully the Holy Spirit will help me to understand and to learn more about this book as I continue to read.
Many thoughts have come to mind while I have been reading these verses some of them I have listed below.
1. How hard that must of been to go to Laban and give him all of our worldly riches to have him only throw you out and then send his servants out to kill you to get the riches from you anyway. People never stop amazing me.
2. Taking a rod to your own brother and then having an angel appear to you and telling you to stop because he has been chosen to be a "ruler" over you. Only to have your brothers turn right around and start murmuring again and watching the doubt and disbelief building back in their hearts right after they had just been visited by an angel. How hard that must of been on Nephi to have to witness what his brothers were doing and knowing at the same time that they were free to make their own choices not realizing how they were hurting themselves in the long run.
3. Also knowing that after a man just tried to kill you and your brothers that you are being asked to return to him and he will be delivered into your hands. That would take a lot of faith and obedience to return to a person who just tried to kill you and expect that they wouldn't try again. I am sure it is trials like these that sets these men apart from all the others and helps prove not only to themselves but also to everyone else that these men truly are men of faith.
Let me know what your thoughts are about these verses and as you know by now your comments are always welcome.
Till next time,
Mr. S
For this posting I read verses 10 thru 31 and have thought about and prayed to be able to feast on the words that I read in the Book of Mormon. Hopefully the Holy Spirit will help me to understand and to learn more about this book as I continue to read.
Many thoughts have come to mind while I have been reading these verses some of them I have listed below.
1. How hard that must of been to go to Laban and give him all of our worldly riches to have him only throw you out and then send his servants out to kill you to get the riches from you anyway. People never stop amazing me.
2. Taking a rod to your own brother and then having an angel appear to you and telling you to stop because he has been chosen to be a "ruler" over you. Only to have your brothers turn right around and start murmuring again and watching the doubt and disbelief building back in their hearts right after they had just been visited by an angel. How hard that must of been on Nephi to have to witness what his brothers were doing and knowing at the same time that they were free to make their own choices not realizing how they were hurting themselves in the long run.
3. Also knowing that after a man just tried to kill you and your brothers that you are being asked to return to him and he will be delivered into your hands. That would take a lot of faith and obedience to return to a person who just tried to kill you and expect that they wouldn't try again. I am sure it is trials like these that sets these men apart from all the others and helps prove not only to themselves but also to everyone else that these men truly are men of faith.
Let me know what your thoughts are about these verses and as you know by now your comments are always welcome.
Till next time,
Mr. S
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
1 Nephi - Chapter 3 - Verses 1 thru 10
While I was reading and pondering these versus last night and this morning I was blown away by the simplicity and powerfulness of versus 7. I have included verse 7 below just in case you don't have access to it while reading this posting.
Verse 7 from Chapter 3 of 1Nephi in the Book of Mormon:
7. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I awill go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no bcommandments unto the children of men, save he shall cprepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
What a powerful and insightful statement this is. I have read it over many times in the last two days as I have thought and ponder this single versus.
I remember as a child and a young adult often wondering to myself if I could ever live my life by following all of the commandments? I use to view the commandments as a punishment of sorts and something my parents would use to try to keep me in line when there was something else in my life that I really wanted to do, but that didn't fit their idea of something I should be doing at the time. I grew up not fully understanding all of the commandments and thus looking at them as a form of punishment and parental control. I use to think to myself there isn't anyone who can live all the commandments all of the time, and if you can't be perfect in trying to do this then why even try to live your life according to the commandments?
Now I know there can be many different ways to comprehend the versus above, and I know it can mean many different things to many different people. To me it means just starting with the basics in our lives of the 10 commandments and trying to live those commandments each and everyday. As it states above he will never command us to do anything that he hasn't already prepared a way for us to accomplish the thing which he has commandeth of us.
I know I am not perfect and I know I may never live all the commandments every day of my life but I now know also about the process of repentance and of the atonement of Jesus Christ for our sins. I know that each day I strive to live the commandments and strive to be a better person that Heavenly Father will make a path for me through all of these worldly trials and tribulations to be able to realize my end goal in life which is to be with him again someday.
I want to leave you with a question. Tell me how this one simple versus might of helped you in your life? or how it might of changed the way you look at things in your life?
Till next time,
Mr. S
Verse 7 from Chapter 3 of 1Nephi in the Book of Mormon:
7. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I awill go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no bcommandments unto the children of men, save he shall cprepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
What a powerful and insightful statement this is. I have read it over many times in the last two days as I have thought and ponder this single versus.
I remember as a child and a young adult often wondering to myself if I could ever live my life by following all of the commandments? I use to view the commandments as a punishment of sorts and something my parents would use to try to keep me in line when there was something else in my life that I really wanted to do, but that didn't fit their idea of something I should be doing at the time. I grew up not fully understanding all of the commandments and thus looking at them as a form of punishment and parental control. I use to think to myself there isn't anyone who can live all the commandments all of the time, and if you can't be perfect in trying to do this then why even try to live your life according to the commandments?
Now I know there can be many different ways to comprehend the versus above, and I know it can mean many different things to many different people. To me it means just starting with the basics in our lives of the 10 commandments and trying to live those commandments each and everyday. As it states above he will never command us to do anything that he hasn't already prepared a way for us to accomplish the thing which he has commandeth of us.
I know I am not perfect and I know I may never live all the commandments every day of my life but I now know also about the process of repentance and of the atonement of Jesus Christ for our sins. I know that each day I strive to live the commandments and strive to be a better person that Heavenly Father will make a path for me through all of these worldly trials and tribulations to be able to realize my end goal in life which is to be with him again someday.
I want to leave you with a question. Tell me how this one simple versus might of helped you in your life? or how it might of changed the way you look at things in your life?
Till next time,
Mr. S
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
1 Nephi - Chapter 2 - Verses 1 thru 24
While reading this chapter I couldn't help but think to myself what would it be like to give up all of your worldly possessions and go into the wilderness and live? I can only imagine how hard that would be and here Lehi just did what was asked of him to do. What a man of great faith. He probably didn't understand fully why he was being asked to move his family but in his mind it was an easy decision to make. He picked up everything and went into the wilderness to live because he had been asked by God to do so.
It never once mentioned that Lehi worried about how they would live or survive he took the essentials with him and went to find his new home. In this day and age that would seem like a crazy thing to do. If you witnessed your friends or family just all of sudden one day pick up a few belongings and go off into the woods to live you would think they had lost their minds. But Lehi didn't even think twice about what he needed to do he just did it. What a time this must of been in his life and the life of his family as his family didn't know if they would live or die in the wilderness but they had to have faith in Lehi that he was doing what he was told to do. I am sure it took a lot of faith and courage on the part of his wife and his children to follow him away from everything they had ever known and loved.
I often wonder if I would have enough faith if this was asked of me to do? Could I up and leave "everything" if this is what was asked of me from our Heavenly Father?
As always feel free to share your thoughts and comments on this topic.
Till next time,
Mr. S
It never once mentioned that Lehi worried about how they would live or survive he took the essentials with him and went to find his new home. In this day and age that would seem like a crazy thing to do. If you witnessed your friends or family just all of sudden one day pick up a few belongings and go off into the woods to live you would think they had lost their minds. But Lehi didn't even think twice about what he needed to do he just did it. What a time this must of been in his life and the life of his family as his family didn't know if they would live or die in the wilderness but they had to have faith in Lehi that he was doing what he was told to do. I am sure it took a lot of faith and courage on the part of his wife and his children to follow him away from everything they had ever known and loved.
I often wonder if I would have enough faith if this was asked of me to do? Could I up and leave "everything" if this is what was asked of me from our Heavenly Father?
As always feel free to share your thoughts and comments on this topic.
Till next time,
Mr. S
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
1Nephi - Chapter 1 - Verses 1 thru 20
While reading this chapter last evening and early this morning I was able to reflect on it words and think about how that must of been for Lehi. How he must of felt during a time when a lot of people were claiming to be prophets and prophesying of things to come, to actually be chosen to be visited by God and shown many things about the people he lived among everyday, and of things to come for the those people. That in itself must of been an incredible thing for him to witness but then for him to also have to turn around and go amongst the people and tell them the things he had witnessed and have them mock him and not believe what he was telling them must of been even a harder thing for Lehi to endure.
How many times in our own lives have we seen others going down a path that we know isn't right or that we know can't end well for them and try to help them go down a different path only to watch them continue to choose to go down the wrong path? I guess that is where our free agency comes into play we all have the right to make our own decisions in life, but I think that some thing that is often overlooked by us about making our own decisions in life is the fact that we must always remember that with the power to make our own decisions also comes the flip side of making decisions... the consequences of our decisions.
While the consequences of our decisions may sometime be good and bad I think this world would be a lot different place today if we as a person could realize that for what ever reason we made that decision we are the ones who made it, and that the consequences that come with that decision are ours to own. So many times in life we try to find someone to blame for the bad decisions we have made in our lives and the consequences that have followed those decisions. There are many things that we can learn from this first chapter of Nephi but for today I would like to leave you this question.
What would this world be like today if we realized that with the power to make our own decisions in life also comes the power of ownership of the consequences of that decision?
Please as always feel free to leave your thoughts and comments about this post.
Till next time,
Mr. S
How many times in our own lives have we seen others going down a path that we know isn't right or that we know can't end well for them and try to help them go down a different path only to watch them continue to choose to go down the wrong path? I guess that is where our free agency comes into play we all have the right to make our own decisions in life, but I think that some thing that is often overlooked by us about making our own decisions in life is the fact that we must always remember that with the power to make our own decisions also comes the flip side of making decisions... the consequences of our decisions.
While the consequences of our decisions may sometime be good and bad I think this world would be a lot different place today if we as a person could realize that for what ever reason we made that decision we are the ones who made it, and that the consequences that come with that decision are ours to own. So many times in life we try to find someone to blame for the bad decisions we have made in our lives and the consequences that have followed those decisions. There are many things that we can learn from this first chapter of Nephi but for today I would like to leave you this question.
What would this world be like today if we realized that with the power to make our own decisions in life also comes the power of ownership of the consequences of that decision?
Please as always feel free to leave your thoughts and comments about this post.
Till next time,
Mr. S
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Purpose of this Blog
This is my first post on this blog. This blog is going to be about my journey through the Book of Mormon. I am going to try to post at least three times a week if not more about what I am reading in the Book of Mormon and what I think about what I am reading. Also I am sure some of my experience through out this time and other things going on in my life during this journey will enter into this blog also but for the most part this blog is setup to show my journey through the Book of Mormon.
I hope that you will enjoy reading about my journey and I hope that you will comment and make this a fun blog for everyone to read. I also hope that everyone that reads this blog can understand this is just my point of view and that we all continue to learn and grow each and every day so please cut me some slack as I get started on my journey.
I am sure some of the people that will read this blog have already read the Book of Mormon and may have a better understanding of its teachings and principals, but while this maybe the case I hope they can remember and respect that this is my journey through the Book of Mormon, and this blog will be about the way I see and interpret what I am reading, and how it reflects and interacts with my life.
So enough about the purpose of the blog lets get started on the journey. As a wise man once said "Every journey starts with the first step...." So please come back and visit my blog as I take that first step and start down what I am sure will be an enlightening path not only for me but also for you the reader as you follow and hopefully comment on my journey through the Book of Mormon.
Till next time,
Mr. S
I hope that you will enjoy reading about my journey and I hope that you will comment and make this a fun blog for everyone to read. I also hope that everyone that reads this blog can understand this is just my point of view and that we all continue to learn and grow each and every day so please cut me some slack as I get started on my journey.
I am sure some of the people that will read this blog have already read the Book of Mormon and may have a better understanding of its teachings and principals, but while this maybe the case I hope they can remember and respect that this is my journey through the Book of Mormon, and this blog will be about the way I see and interpret what I am reading, and how it reflects and interacts with my life.
So enough about the purpose of the blog lets get started on the journey. As a wise man once said "Every journey starts with the first step...." So please come back and visit my blog as I take that first step and start down what I am sure will be an enlightening path not only for me but also for you the reader as you follow and hopefully comment on my journey through the Book of Mormon.
Till next time,
Mr. S
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