Mosiah 20

Limhi's people were given greater burdens because of the wickedness of the the priests of the King of Noah. For they had captured 24 daughters of the Lamanites. So the Lamanites blamed Limhi's people and went to war with them. But Limhi's people had no idea why the Lamanites battled with them. Especially since they had kept their oath.

In one battle Limhi's people won and the king of the Lamanites was found among the field injured. They fixed him up and then asked him why they fought with them. That's when they learned about the actions of the wicked priests. And a good man named Gideon said, "And now let us pacify the king, and we fulfill the oath which we have made unto him" (22).

Fulfill the promises you have made. Make righteous promises. Make good ones. and keep them.

Mosiah 19

King Noah was an extremely selfish man. He avoiding being killed by saying he had to protect his people. But then he convinced everyone to run. Then when they ran, he convinced the fathers to leave their wives and children. Most of them choose to stay with their wives and children. I can only imagine the horror of the situation and the feelings of those families who fathers' ran to save their own lives. How can a person do that? Leave their families to what seems like certain death. Wouldn't you want to do all you can to protect your families? What cowards!

I expressed my frustrations with my roommates, and one of them said in all sarcasm, "My hero!"

Which I totally agree with. When those men killed King Noah, burned him, they came back to their families to see if they were alive. If they weren't, the men who abandoned them were bent on revenge. Probably because they couldn't face the truth in themselves. However, they discovered their families were alive.

But I wonder how those families received their fathers and their husbands. I would think it would be such a great hard thing to give forgiveness. My lesson here is on Forgiveness. Could I forgive? I may be able to forgive. But I'm not sure I'd forget. Especially as the people were given great burdens after and were forced to humility. And I bet it took a lot for those men to forgive themselves.

But it can be done. Through the Atonement.

Mosiah 18

In Mosiah 18, Alma, who had been one of the wicked priests of King Noah, had been converted and brought the doctrine to the people. He taught them about baptism and what they should do in order to be keeping their covenants with the Lord. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said:

“Alma began baptizing all who wished to make a covenant with Christ. He asked that they ‘serve [God] and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly’ upon them. These new disciples would also demonstrate their faith by: 

“Coming into the fold of God. 

“Being called his people. 

“Bearing one another’s burdens. 

“Mourning with those that mourn. 

“Comforting those who stand in need of comfort. 

“Standing as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places. 

“Entering into a covenant to serve God and keep his commandments. 

“This declaration by Alma at the Waters of Mormon still stands as the most complete scriptural statement on record as to what the newly baptized commit to do and be” (Christ and the New Covenant [1997], 106).

This is how we each should be. Each of us that are baptized. We each have a covenant to keep. And what is spoken of in Mosiah 18 is how we go about accomplishing it. We become God's people and we call ourselves after him. We support and care for one another. We give charity one to another. We comfort one another. We mourn with those that mourn. We stand as a witness of God at all times, in all things, and in all places.

Mosiah 17

Abinadi ended up being burned alive for the words he said unto the priests and King Noah.

Yea, and I will suffer even until death, and I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a testimony against you. And if ye slay me ye will shed innocent blood, and this shall also stand as a testimony against you at the last day (Mosiah 17:10).

Abinadi became a martyr. There has been so many martyrs in history. There was Joseph Smith, Jr. There was Stephen, Paul and Peter. Even the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Spencer W. Kimball gave a talk entitled "The Pattern of Martyrdom." Martyrs were for a great cause. They lived to complete their work. Their lives were given voluntarily. As Kimball said, "In every instance the martyr could have saved his life by renouncing his program." The testimony of those that died were sealed in blood.

And now, when Abinadi had said these words, he fell, having suffered death by fire; yea, having been put to death because he would not deny the commandments of God, having sealed the truth of his words by his death (Mosiah 17:20).

"But martyrs do not die. They live on and on," continues Kimball. "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church."

"And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal" (D&C 98:13).

Marriage: The Institution of God

Originally for this blog post I was going to type something about social class in relation to families. However, I then stumbled upon the following video and I felt I had to say something about this.

I believe he's on to something. He has some truths in here.

The diagram to the right is something I've learned. When a husband and a wife are both striving for the goal of reaching Heavenly Father, striving to become closer to Him and His son, Jesus Christ, they automatically become closer to each other. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is what you should build your foundation on. A husband and a wife are partners.

Devotional with L. Tom Perry

One thing that's so great about attending BYU-Idaho is the wonderful spirit that resides here. Every week on Tuesday at 2:10, we have devotional in our year old BYU-Idaho Center. The speaker could be a faculty member, someone from BYU, or someone from the church. The talk is always centered around spiritual matters and our lives. It used to be that devotional would be held in the Hart building's gymnasium and broadcasted to the Taylor Chapel, the Hinckley Chapel, the Snow building, and the Kirkham building.

The BYU-Idaho Center was in the process of construction when I arrived here for my first semester in Winter 2010. I had never really been on that side of the campus because of all the construction until the following Sophomore year. The BYU-Idaho Center was dedicated December 17, 2010. My brother, who's on his mission right now, was able to attend that dedication. Apparently it was extraordinarily full. But you have to figure that President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as Elder Russell M. Nelson and Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were all in attendance.

Mosiah 16

Abinadi calls for the priests to "teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord" (Mosiah 16:15). I think it's something that every teacher should be teaching no matter the subject. It can be brought out in anything. The Plan of Happiness, the atonement, is fundamental to everything in life. It's why we are here on Earth. We can use it to work through hard times that come along. It's what can give us everlasting joy. Why wouldn't we want to teach it?

Mosiah 15

Mosiah 15 speaks about how glorious our Savior, Jesus Christ is. He saves us all from death. Everyone who was born into mortality will be resurrected.

However, you want to be resurrected in the first resurrection.

Those who are resurrected in the first are: prophets, all those that have believe in their words; all those that have kept the commandments of God; any who died before Christ came, in their ignorance, not having salvation declared unto them; little children.

The First Resurrection began when Christ was resurrected and will continue until the end of the millennium. The Second Resurrection will begin at the beginning of the Millennium and end at the end of it.

From The Book of Mormon Institute Manual

Mosiah 14

Abinadi quoted Isaiah 53 in Chapter 14. He gives us the entirety of Christ's atonement for us.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (5).

Elder M. Russell Ballard said:

“What peace, what comfort this great gift is which comes through the loving grace of Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind. . . . 

“. . . Even though His life was pure and free of sin, He paid the ultimate penalty for sin—yours, mine, and everyone’s who has ever lived. His mental, emotional, and spiritual anguish were so great they caused Him to bleed from every pore (see Luke 22:44; D&C 19:18). And yet Jesus suffered willingly so we might all have the opportunity to be washed clean—through having faith in Him. . . . Without the Atonement of the Lord, none of these blessings would be available to us, and we could not become worthy and prepared to return to dwell in the presence of God” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 86–87; or Ensign, May 2004, 84-85).

Mosiah 13

"But I must fulfill the commandments wherewith God has commanded me"

(Mosiah 13:4, emphasis added).

I wish I had that sort of dedication. I must fulfill the commandments wherewith God has commanded me. There are so many things we have been told to do. "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37). "Love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 22:39). We are asked to keep the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89). Today, prophets tell us a great many things we should be doing (General Conference). There's a huge list. But basically we are asked to be righteous.

I must fulfill the commandments wherewith God has commanded me. There are covenants we make throughout life: baptismal and temple. When we are extended a calling from God, we know what we should do for it through the resources and personal revelation.

I wish to have the dedication Abinadi has for his calling. For the commandments of God we've all been given. I wish to have such a great desire and understanding of eternal consequences to say, I must fulfill the commandments wherewith God has commanded me.

Mosiah 12

"Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?"

Mosiah 12:27

As you may know, I have been called as one of the Relief Society teachers. Teaching is something I really love to do. Especially when it's as close to my heart as the gospel is. To help me become a better teacher, there is a class I attend during the Sunday School hour. It's basically a class to help teachers become better teachers. We received a manual entitled Teaching, No Greater Call: A Resource Guide for Gospel Teaching.

For a teacher to teach what something means, the teacher needs to understand it. For a teacher to understand it, the teacher needs to desire that understanding, seek it, and then apply it. Then when you teach, you have a testimony of it.

"Personal example is one of the most powerful teaching tools we have. When we are truly converted, all our thoughts and motivations are guided by gospel principles. We testify of the truth through everything we do" ("Living What You Teach").

What Abinadi says to the priests of King Noah in the above quote has a lot to do with living what you teach. The priests of King Noah were not living righteously. Nor do I think they really wanted to look closely at the meaning of the things they taught. So what are they teaching the people when they say things to the people, and then act a certain way?

For me to become a more effective teacher, I have to prepare for my lessons by practicing what I will be teaching. This way I can testify what I've learned. Plus, I can continue to give an example of what I've taught throughout life.

Mosiah 11

King Noah, in Mosiah 11, "did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart" (2).

In my Creative Writing class, we are discussing how every character needs a desire. The bad guys have the bad desires and the good guys have the good ones. However, the best character has two desires that conflict.

In mortality, we are tempted with desires to do bad. There are numerous amounts of temptations that I can't even list them all. But the temptation to cheat to get a better grade or prestige is one such example. The thing is that we are to realize and follow our true desire: to live with our families forever with our Heavenly Father. When we keep that desire in sight we find that our desire and Heavenly Father's is the same: we both want us to be joyful forever.

So when you walk after your own desires, not having aligned your will and desires up with God's, then your in a bit of a pickle. You have a problem.

The commandments are something you should love. They are commandments that are for us. They are step by step instructions on exactly what we should do to be happy. They aren't limiting us. They are freeing. They help us reach our true desires.

Mosiah 10

The Lamanites have traditions that have caused them to hate the Nephities. In my Marriage and Family Studies classes, we've talked about the importance of righteous traditions. When families have traditions that are not righteous they could be rather detrimental to the family members. In the Book of Mormon Institute Manuel it speaks of Elder Richard G. Scott who taught what we should do when a family or cultural tradition conflicts with God’s plan or standards. He counseled us to carefully examine our lives to determine what traditions may differ from the teachings of the Lord:

Mosiah 9

"In the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle," Mosiah 9:17 reads. They did cry mightily to the Lord for deliverance and they remembered the Lord and what he could do.

"In the Strength of the Lord," Henry B. Erying said:

We need strength beyond ourselves to keep the commandments in whatever circumstance life brings to us. For some it may be poverty, but for others it may be prosperity. It may be the ravages of age or the exuberance of youth. The combination of trials and their duration are as varied as are the children of our Heavenly Father. No two are alike. But what is being tested is the same, at all times in our lives and for every person: will we do whatsoever the Lord our God will command us? 

Knowing why we are tested and what the test is tells us how to get help. We have to go to God. He gives us the commandments. And we will need more than our own strength to keep them.

We need to keep and follow the commandments. Pray to the Lord. Ask for help. Endure to the end. When we have a difficult moment, we need to turn to the Lord to gain the strength needed to endure to the end.

Family Dynamic Theories

There are four types of theories or explanations of how marriage and the family works that my Family Relations class studied in our textbook, Marriage & Family: The Quest for Intimacy.

1. Systems Theory: focuses on social systems and how their interdependent parts maintain order. Or in other words, the different unspoken family rules your family has.
2. Exchange Theory: views social interaction as a cost-benefit analysis in which people try to keep their costs lower than their rewards. Instead of keeping track of exactly what's owed me, I expect to have my investment returned to me in some way in our continuing relationship.
3. Symbolic Interaction Theory: views humans as cognitive creatures who are influenced and shaped by their interaction experiences. Different actions, words mean different things to separate individuals because of the way it was used in your family life; basically a difference in family cultures.
4. Conflict Theory: focuses on contradictory interests, inequalities, and the resulting conflict and change. People want or need different things that sometimes come into conflict, so compromises or arguments could result. 

Mosiah 8

And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God. 

But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known. 

Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings. (Mosiah 8:16-18).

A seer is something I do not fully understand. But there's not a greater gift to be had. A seer can know of the things in the past and the future. A seer will have hidden things manifested unto him. A seer has this great gift given to him. A man, through his faith, may work miracles. The blessings given to him are for the benefit of man.


Elder John A. Widtsoe described a seer as one who “perceives the meaning of that which seems obscure to others; therefore he is an interpreter and clarifier of eternal truth. He foresees the future from the past and the present. This he does by the power of the Lord operating through him directly, or indirectly with the aid of divine instruments such as the Urim and Thummim. In short, he is one who sees, who walks in the Lord’s light with open eyes” (Evidences and Reconciliations, arr. G. Homer Durham [1960], 258).

Mosiah 7

Sometimes we get ourselves into trials and tribulations, get ourselves into "bondage" because of our not listening to the prophets and God's words. We don't obey Him. We don't do the things we should be doing. We've been asked to pray continuously, study and ponder the scriptures, listen and obey the Holy Ghost, and a bunch of other things. But sometimes we don't do those things and may actually refuse to do them. We can get ourselves into "bondage" as the people of Limhi did in Chapter 7 when they didn't listen to the prophet they had.

We have to suffer the consequences of such an action. However, we can "lift up [our] heads, and rejoice, and put [our[ trust in God" (19). We can repent and turn ourselves back to God. We can rejoice in the power of the Atonement and the power we have to be clean once more.

Mosiah 6

King Benjamin "appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the oath which they had made" (3).


Those with the Aaronic Priesthood have responsibilities. Too often I think that the sisters in the ward are not aware of them and thus cannot properly encourage the young men and men to develop and become better than they are. In the Church Administration handbook under Aaronic Priesthood, it covers what those responsibilities are:

Mosiah 5

For Mosiah 4, I spoke about getting to know God. In Mosiah 5:13, it reads:

For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?

How can you know the master you haven't served? How do you know if he's good or keeps his words, or treats you well? How do you know him if you haven't served him? If you haven't been obedient? Many of you, I'm sure, have heard of Matthew 6:24:

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

 How can you know God if you have never served him? He's a much better person to follow. He wants what is best for us. He will guide us to Eternal life. He wants us to be the best we can be. When we follow Him, we are guided to be the best individual through work.

Mosiah 4

There's a lot I could cover in Mosiah 4. Many truths and depths I could explore.

One is that I should come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men (6). Basically, get to know God. Learn about my Father in Heaven and build a relationship with him.

Hunger for Knowledge

Within the innermost part of your heart, do you love to learn?

Don't just think about book knowledge. Do you love learning about different cultures by visiting them personally? Do you love learning more about the workings of a car to discover how to best improve it? Do you love to learn about your garden, to discover how to best protect it?

I love to learn. I don't ever want to stop.

In my Family Relations class, the teacher cited a Ken Bain quote, "Deepest learning occurs when students have questions that are important, intriguing, or just plain beautiful” (What the Best College Teachers Do).

Do I ask the right questions? Do I write questions that express my desire to learn?

Interestingly enough, in my Advanced Writing and Critical Thinking class, we covered this same idea. This particular teacher told the following story (with my own paraphrasing):

Mosiah 3

". . . Become as little children, . . .

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 2:18-19).

Children are in awe of the world around them. Little children are bundles of joy and do all they can to please, even if they get themselves into mishaps. We should be the like for our Father in Heaven. He loves us. He wants us to be happy and find joy. He tries to teach us things so we don't get hurt and so we can return home safely. But we aren't always willing to submit to his will. I think I could be better at this myself. To be someone who is always willing to obey God and his guidance for me. It would make life so much easier for me to bear sometimes.

Mosiah 2

Here's a bit of wisdom King Benjamin shared with his people as he gave his last speech as king before handing over the reigns to his son Mosiah:

"When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17).

Elder Robert J. Whetten said:

“Conversion means consecrating your life to caring for and serving others who need your help and sharing your gifts and blessings. . . . 

“Every unselfish act of kindness and service increases your spirituality. God would use you to bless others. Your continued spiritual growth and eternal progress are very much wrapped up in your relationships—in how you treat others. Do you indeed love others and become a blessing in their lives? Isn’t the measure of the level of your conversion how you treat others? The person who does only those things in the Church that concern himself alone will never reach the goal of perfection. Service to others is what the gospel and exalted life are all about” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2005, 96; or Ensign, May 2005, 91). 

This is something I should constantly be improving on in life. I should serve everyone I come in contact with every day. Classmates, roommates, those I visit teach, my visiting teachers, my home teachers, etc. It will strengthen and deepen my relationships with them.

Mosiah 1

"And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers."

Mosiah 1:7

We should also study the scriptures and search them with diligence, because from the scriptures comes truths and inspiration that could help you in your daily life. When we come across instruction the scriptures we should also keep them, as well as all the other commandments of God. We will be blessed.

Words of Mormon 1

The Words of Mormon are basically editorial notes as to why Mormon added the small plates to his abridgment of their history. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said that the small plates provides more information than was lost on the 116 pages:

“At least six times in the Book of Mormon the phrase ‘for a wise purpose’ is used in reference to the making, writing, and preserving of the small plates of Nephi (see 1 Nephi 9:5; Words of Mormon 1:7; Alma 37:2, 12, 14, 18). You and I know the wise purpose—the most obvious one—was to compensate for the loss of the earlier mentioned 116 pages of manuscript. 

“But it strikes me that there is a wiser purpose than that. . . . The key to such a suggestion of a wiser purpose is in verse 45 of Doctrine and Covenants section 10. As the Lord instructs Joseph . . . he says, ‘Behold, there are many things engraven upon the [small] plates of Nephi which do throw greater views upon my gospel’ (emphasis added). 

“So, clearly, this was not . . . tit for tat, this for that— you give me 116 pages of manuscript and I’ll give you 142 pages of printed text. Not so. We got back more than we lost. And it was known from the beginning that it would be so. It was for a wiser purpose. We do not know exactly what we missed in the 116 pages, but we do know that what we received on the small plates was the personal declarations of three great witnesses [Nephi, Jacob, and Isaiah], three of the great doctrinal voices of the Book of Mormon, testifying that Jesus is the Christ. . . . 

“In fact, I think you could make a pretty obvious case that the sole purpose of the small plates was to give a platform for these three witnesses” (“A Standard unto My People” [Church Educational System symposium on the Book of Mormon, Aug. 9, 1994], 9–10; see LDS.org under gospel library/additional addresses/CES addresses).

Omni 1

"And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."

Omni 1:26

To come unto Christ and partake of his salvation and the power of his redemption, we are to offer our whole souls. We are to continue in fasting and praying. We are to endure to the end. Elder Maxwell said, “As you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to give” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 48; or Ensign, May 2004, 46).

Obedience to God and the Holy Ghost are helpful ways in learning to realign your wills with His. He knows the best for us. He can guide us to where we are most needed.

Jarom 1

"And it came to pass that they came many times against us, the Nephities, to battle. But our kings and our leaders were mighty men in the faith of the Lord; and they taught the people the ways of the Lord; wherefore, we withstood the Lamanites and swept the away out of our lands, and began to fortify our cities, or whatsoever place of our inheritance."

 Jarom 1:7

The kings and leaders of the Nephites were "mighty men in the faith of the Lord." They weren't mighty by themselves, but mighty in the Lord. They taught their people their ways of the Lord. They strengthened their people through teaching them the principles of God which people would be blessed from.

We are each leaders in different ways. Perhaps you are responsible for a group project, or perhaps you lead your home. Maybe you are a leader in the workforce or political realm. In each of those instances and many more, you can incorporate moral values such as integrity, honesty, agency and accountability, charity, etc. It doesn't necessarily mean you have to preach to people your beliefs. It just means you put into practice and encourage righteous action, because doing what is right and good is always beneficial.

Enos 1

The Book of Enos is mostly about Enos praying. He's such an example to all of us. Often, when we pray we repeat the same sort of things over and over. Yes, they can be good if you really had thought about what to say and you ended up saying things that we use. But we should be more like Enos who told us of the "wrestle" which he had before God.

The Book of Mormon Institute Manuel about Enos 1:2 reads:

Enos did not wrestle with God. The record states that Enos wrestled before God in prayer. Such wrestling is the struggle to find and express one’s real desires under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Praying in this manner requires that a person eliminate vain, trite, or insincere repetitions and to pour the deepest desires of his or her heart into words. Each phrase becomes an expression of yearning and desire to do God’s will. Such prayers are assisted and guided by the Holy Spirit, “for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).

Jacob 7

In Chapter 7, Sherem denies Christ and says, if he's real then show me a sign. Basically, he's asked fro proof. But he doesn't understand what signs from God are. They are not for the unbeliever but rather to the believer.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

“Signs flow from faith. They may incidentally have the effect of strengthening the faith of those who are already spiritually inclined, but their chief purpose is not to convert people to the truth, but to reward and bless those already converted. . . . 

“Signs are sacred grants of divine favor reserved for the faithful and concerning which the recipients are commanded not to boast” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 713–14).

Every day we are each given signs. We only have to look for them.

Jacob 6

My favorite verse of all time (well, one of them) is Jacob 6:12:

O be wise; what can I say more?

There's not much to say after that. Be wise.

FAML 160: Family Relations Blog

This week has been pretty crazy. Currently, I'm trying to get all of my homework done so that I have an open weekend. One of my classes is FAML 160: Family Relations. For it, I'm supposed to have a blog where I post at least one significant entry each week. According to the assignment, this will be a place where I will share my thoughts, observations, concerns, and impressions regarding readings and discussions in this course. It's to be a blog so that class members, family and friends can all read and learn and hopefully contribute. Off in my list of blogs, I'm to include the blogs of my classmates so that we (and you) can easily check in on, learn from, and contribute to further our learning.

Also in the assignment was a portion talking about how since the blog will have my thoughts, observations, concerns, and impressions regarding the class it will be a bit like a journal. It used a quote given by President Spencer W. Kimball which I think is appropriate anyways, as I've always loved journals:

"Your journal is your autobiography, so it should be kept carefully. You are unique, and there may be incidents in your experience that are more noble and praiseworthy in their way than those recorded in any other life. There may be a flash of illumination here and a story of faithfulness there; you should truthfully record your real self and not what other people may see in you." ("The Angels may quote from it")

As a result of this assignment, since I already use this blog for pretty much everything, I'm using it for this class. I hope you learn as much as I do if not more. We'll learn together, you and I. This semester's going to be fantastical.

Jacob 5

The Allegory of the Olive Tree

(Jacob 5)

If you want to read the whole thing, that's great. It's really fantastic. It's basically a history of the gospel throughout time and in the future.

President Spencer W. Kimball said:

“I believe we find a great lesson in this regard in the parable of the vineyard found in the fifth chapter of Jacob in the Book of Mormon. . . . 

“‘. . . The branches have overcome the roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves. Behold, I say, is not this the cause that the trees of thy vineyard have become corrupted?’ (Jacob 5:47-48; italics added). 

“It seems that some [Latter-day Saints] among us have this same problem; they want bountiful harvests—both spiritual and temporal—without developing the root system that will yield them. There are far too few who are willing to pay the price, in discipline and work, to cultivate hardy roots. Such cultivation should begin in our youth. Little did I know as a boy that daily chores in the garden, feeding the cattle, carrying the water, chopping the wood, mending fences, and all the labor of a small farm was an important part of sending down roots, before being called on to send out branches. I’m so grateful that my parents understood the relationship between roots and branches. Let us each cultivate deep roots, so that we may secure the desired fruits of our welfare labors” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1978, 113; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, 74–75).

I need to do my best to build my spiritual strength, putting my roots deep into the gospel making them firm. Have my foundation in the Savior.

Back at School

I love college. I really do. When I was in elementary school, before the No Child Left Behind, I loved school. It was the best thing ever. I was always so excited for it.

After those early years, I lost it. Mostly because everything began to focus on tests, which I didn't think I ever did well at. Plus, it felt like I was never really learning anything. It sometimes seemed like a waste of time. I almost believe that 2 hours could be taken out of every school day because that's how much time was totally wasteful.

But since then, I'm in college and I get excited for the first time I have a class. It makes me so cheerful! I make new friends. I learn things that I never thought about. College really teaches you how to think. How to look at the world around you and figure out what you can do to influence it. I absolutely love college. I really do.

Jacob 4

"Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things" (7).

Many times I don't want to know of my weaknesses. I'd rather be ignorant of them. However, it's not the smartest thing to do if you want to become better.

For example, if you were writing a paper and you gave it to someone to critic and edit it, wouldn't you like to have someone tell you what they liked, but also what you could do better to make it stronger or clearer?

Knowing what your weaknesses are helps you discover how you can develop them into strengths. We may think that a weakness is too large for us to overcome. Sometimes I look at my homework load and I just don't think I can get it done. I dispair. But there's something important to be learned. Our Heavenly Father can do anything. He can help us be inspired so that our homework may move more quickly. But we have to work. When we work as much as we can, when we give our all, our Savior can make up the difference. That's grace.

Don't dispare. Turn to God in prayer, asking for help, and continue working, knowing the Heavenly Father will do his best by you.

Jacob 3

We have to awaken from our state. I think that sometimes we become stuck in unrighteous actions or traditions and we do not even realize it. For example, do you have a habit of not saying your morning and evening prayers? Do you have a habit of not reading your scriptures daily? Those are habits that should be corrected.

Jacob said to his people:

O my brethren, hearken unto my words; arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may awake from the slumber of death; and loose yourselves from the pains of hell that ye may not become angels to the devil, to be cast into that lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death (11).

We are to listen to our prophets when they give us guidance in what we should do. They act in our best interest. They know the things we are struggling with and they know how we can get through our trials: daily scripture study, constant prayer. We are to wake up our souls and realize what we are doing and where those actions may lead us. We need to be aware before we can really change.

Jacob 2

"But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
"And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted" (18-19).

When you seek for the kingdom of God, when that's the first thing in your life. Everything else will work out. If after you work towards returning to God's kingdom, you seek for riches, you will find them and you'll use them in the best way.


President David O. McKay said:

“What seek ye first? What do you cherish as the dominant, the uppermost thought in your mind? What this is will largely determine your destiny. . . . You may win in this world almost anything for which you strive. If you work for wealth, you can get it, but before you make it an end in itself, take a look at those men who have sacrificed all to the accomplishment of this purpose, at those who have desired wealth for the sake of wealth itself. Gold does not corrupt man; it is in the motive of acquiring that gold that corruption occurs” (Treasures of Life [1962], 174–75).

Jacob 1

"And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day" (19).

When we are given a calling by the Lord, we are asked to magnify it. What does that mean though? President Thomas S. Monson said: