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 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

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

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