Mormon Bloggers

U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, D.C. The first week in May our youngest daughter, Merilee will embark on her LDS mission to the Washington D.C. South Mission. There is a sweet irony in her call to serve for this father who regularly writes about politics and religion. She will likely want to discuss politics before she leaves, but what she doesn’t realize is that she will have no need of it for the next eighteen months. Instead, Merilee’s mission will focus on the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. All she needs is laid out for her, and for that matter, all the world to see and understand in the four works of scripture published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: The Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price. She will have the glorious privilege and matchless opportunity to ignore politics, even while she is living serving others voluntarily in the “belly of the beast.” When she was born,... Read the rest of this entry »

As a kid, did you ever use a magnifying glass to fry a grasshopper on the sidewalk during a hot sunny day? Well, that is the power of focus. Over a broad area, the sun provides light and warmth. But when harnessed through a small lens, it can fry a bug. 2 Nephi 28:30 (Book of Mormon) “For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have” 1 There are multiple components to an effective financial plan: Budgeting, emergency savings, debt elimination, etc. Much like a magnifying glass, having a good plan help you harness your power and focus on getting out of debt, building wealth, and achieving financial independence. Plans such as Dave... Read the rest of this entry »

Just after Jesus Christ ascended into heaven after His resurrection, angels proclaimed to His disciples that He would return again one day to reign on the earth for 1,000 years. From that time to this, Christians throughout the world have eagerly awaited His return. The period of time just preceding Christ’s return is called the “last days.” It is the specified time, period, or age in which the necessary prerequisites to the Second Coming will occur. The Last Days The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to at times as “The Mormon Church” by the media) teaches that we are now living in the last days. The last days are the days of the dispensation of the fullness of times that is referred to in Ephesians 1:10, when God will gather together in one all things in Christ. Through Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of Mormonism, all the truth that was made known to all the holy prophets since the world began has been gathered together... Read the rest of this entry »

When I was a high schooler, I had one special quality that would drive my father absolutely crazy.  I wouldn’t get out of bed on time. He would come into my room, and happily wake me, sometimes in Spanish, and tell me it was time to get up.  I would mumble and stir and he would leave.  I would then immediately fall back asleep. He would come back a little later, a little less happy, and a little louder.  Same result.  Finally, he would come thundering in –  much louder, unhappy, and sometimes with a cup of cold water. I would get up, and ironically, be irritated at him. I have four sons. I have since been repaid. When I see my father again, I will sincerely apologize. As we are working our way through the Book of Mormon at home and at church, I have noticed my little wake-up routine described in the scriptures. The earliest mention is with when Nephi was getting after his older brothers for being so rebellious and difficult during their time in... Read the rest of this entry »

Mormon churches meet in congregations organized geographically called “wards”.  8-10 wards combine to make a “stake”.  Every six months the LDS, or Mormon Church organizes a meeting where the stake called “Stake Conference”.   At the stake conference, leaders of the stake (the Stake Presidency, organized by a president and 2 counselors) addresses the congregation on matters they feel that are necessary for the members of the stake. The theme chosen by our stake presidency was charity. Typically, when we think of charity today, we think of giving money or means to people suffering.  This is charity, indeed, but the scriptures show that charity is deeper than that. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 13 (KJV), Paul states that charity is the greatest gift to have, even greater than that of knowledge, prophecy, and faith. In the Book of Mormon, in the book of Moroni, chapter 7, the prophet Mormon shares some thoughts on charity that are similar (almost verbatim... Read the rest of this entry »

This post is a wonderful topic. It can also be used for Book of Mormon – Lesson 7 in Sunday School… Snippets for Sunday School 2012. Use search term Book of Mormon to view more for this week or for other weeks. In 2 Nephi, chapter 4 – Nephi shares a personal, inside glimpse of the sufferings of his soul. I’ve heard these verses referred to as “Nephi’s Psalm”: 17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth 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 beset me. 19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. “I know in whom I have trusted.” Priceless words and priceless direction for the rest of us. Sometimes, we LDS Saints find... Read the rest of this entry »

    Study by Topic The Study by Topic section of LDS.org is a great resource when preparing a lesson, answering doctrinal questions or simply studying the gospel. Each topic contains an overview of the principle, as stated by the Church, as well as additional resources such as General Authority talks, gospel lessons and Church websites. Testers needed for new LDS Maps The Church needs volunteers to try out the new Maps tool on LDS.org. Some of the new features in the 3.0 version include a new map layer for seminaries, announced temples and tabernacles, as well as high resolution image display for Church temples. Learn how you can help on the LDS Tech blog. Seminary 100 Year Celebration Archives The video files for last week’s 100 year Seminary celebration are now available through the Seminary website. Files are available in ASL, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. New Mormon Message for Youth Sister Elaine... Read the rest of this entry »

Snippets for Sunday School 2012. Use search term Book of Mormon to view more for this week or for other weeks. There are several rich topics in this week’s lesson.  Beautiful gospel ideas.  In fact, there easily could be 5-8 blog posts from just this one lesson. In our Stake Book of Mormon class, we average 1.5 hours of discussion for only a few paragraphs and a few verses.  Fitting the depth and magnitude of everything in 2 Nephi 1-2 into 40 minutes AND do it all justice is not realistic.  In fact, for a better class, it’s never a great idea to push through so much.  So read the chapters, prayerfully read the lesson and what jumps out at you, what you have the most feeling for – is the direction you need to take the class.  You’re the teacher at this time because your focus, understanding and insights are the ones needed at this time. That goes for any lesson or any talk. Ok, opposition in all things…. For it must needs be,... Read the rest of this entry »

Well, let me explain. I don’t doubt that Lehi entered into the rest of the Lord. He was a prophet who served well and blessed his children by providing them exodus into a promised land; he taught of Jesus Christ, his mission and his ultimate sacrifice. I was reading an article in Meridian Magazine this week by Bruce Satterfield on 2 Nephi 1-2. As it happens, this same article appears to have also been printed earlier – it was uploaded in 2009 to Free Republic . In the article, Brother Satterfield writes: To his sons, Lehi said: Hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth. But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love (2 Ne. 1:14-15; emphasis added). Knowing that one’s soul has been redeemed from hell is scripturally referred to as having one’s... Read the rest of this entry »

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) was interviewed yesterday on a radio show. He was asked if “he had a horse” in the Republican field for the nomination. His response was classic: Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) At this point…I haven’t endorsed anyone, but if there were such a thing as an anti-endorsement I’d be tempted to bring out an anti-endorsement against Newt Gingrich. I’ve been appalled with the fact that he has, in effect, attacked other candidates, particularly Mitt Romney, based on the fact that he’s a capitalist, based on the fact that he’s been successful. He tried to pit one group of Americans against another and become a divider, much like our President is doing. It almost has a class warfare feel to it. And that doesn’t sit well with conservatives, or Republicans in general, and I don’t think it is going to work. When I read that this morning, it caused several responses within me. First, it resonated with the way I’ve been... Read the rest of this entry »

Snippets for Sunday School 2012. Use search term Book of Mormon to view more for this week or for other weeks. Nephi writes about Laman & Lemuel More of Nephi’s witticisms and insights into human nature. Laman and Lemuel leave us all shaking our heads, don’t they? They have been given every miracle, every manifestation, every chance to believe and desire to be faithful, yet they choose blackness, sullen resentment, rebellion and cruelty as their default setting. Nephi gives us a glimpse into their thought processes and motivations. After you finally get over the idiocy and irony of their reasoning and choices, one realizes there is a repeating pattern here which we’ve seen in other folk. 37 And Laman said unto Lemuel and also unto the sons of Ishmael: Behold, let us slay our father, and also our brother Nephi, who has taken it upon him to be our ruler and our teacher, who are his elder brethren. 38 Now, he says that the Lord has talked with him, and also... Read the rest of this entry »

Snippets for Sunday School 2012. Use search term Book of Mormon to view more for other weeks. My daughter’s first snowboard run yesterday (25 secs)…just posting for fun. There’s a lot of chapters with this lesson (seven) and a lot of class activity ideas. There won’t be time for all the material and ideas, so you get to pick what feels the best to you to present. Do not be tempted to put your class on a march and cover every point. This is not effective teaching. People only learn and retain one or two ideas/themes at a sitting. Nephi gives the Book of Mormon a wonderful beginning. How can anyone not love his candor? He tells the story of his life like it is, his troubling family dynamics, his difficult moments with people, his own self-doubts. I love Nephi for being so open and real with the world, and for not just telling us about his shining, better moments. Here is a list of Nephi’s observations of human nature, from the first two chapters (1... Read the rest of this entry »