Testimony of Book of Mormon

Dear Family,
I have prayed and received answers to the chalenge found in Moroni chapter 10.
The Book of Mormon is true, it's an inspired book wriiten by Prohpets of old. it was brought to us by Joseph Smith, and is the word of our Lord and Savior. I know this to be true by the answers given me from the Holy Ghost, and know everyone can also receive their own answers. Joseph saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the sacred grove. It's all true.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

I'd like to thank Cliff for this reading challenge. It has been a blessing.

Love,
Dad

Atonment and Faith and Hope

Moroni 7:41-43
We must hope that the Atonement will save us, our faith is the key. After this you must have charity. This is a great chapter.

Dad

Judging and Angels

Moroni 7:15 We are called to judge and clearly see good from evil. May we all have the blessing to judge righteously.

Angels have a ministry and are called to a purpose, and the saints can be visited by them, if you have enough faith, see; Moroni 7:29-31

Dad

Prophets are blessed

Ether 12:39 I believe Prophets have their calling and election made sure during their service, and they are able to see Jesus face to face, like Moroni did in this verse.

I would love to have that blessing.

Dad

Power Writing

See Ether 12:24 - the brother of Jared was able to write with the Lord's help, so powerfully that a person reading would be overcome. I wish I could share my thoughts so clear as to convey the storng emotions of eternity for all to chose the right and follow the Savior.

Writing can be very powerful.

Dad

Faith.

The Brother of Jared saw the finger of the Lord not because the Lord "showed" it to Jared. Jesus probably just touched the stones as he normally would, but it was because of Jared's faith that he was able to see his hand.

Ether 3:9 And the Lord said unto him: Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me ^aflesh and blood; and never has man come before me with ^bsuch exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger. Sawest thou more than this?

Christ therefore was not astonished but alerted of the fact that Jared was able to see him. It was then that the Savior was able to show Himself, because He knew that Jared's faith was sufficient.

I always thought the Savior showed His hand to the brother of Jared on purpose, but in actuality Jared just had sufficient faith to see.

Adamic language

Ether 1:35 the launguage of Jared his family was not confounded. I was reading a book by Truman Madsen and he states; this means the people of Jared spoke the Adamic language.

Cool, right!

Dad

Atonement and more details

In Mormon 7:5 it states we need to learn of our "fathers" and to become familiar with what happened before. And then, he adds to repent ...

It looks like the affects of sins of the fathers seem to go down four generations in the scriptures, and for a generation to rid themselves, they must be familiar with the past, and not repeat the sins of the fathers.

It's an interesting note.

Dad

Thoughts from Reading

3 Nephi 26:9 we are given only a little to try our faith, there is much more to learn

4 Nephi verse 3: at the pinnacle of obediance, a society obeys the celestial law mentioned here.

Mormon 3:19 - states we will be judged by 12 apostles from our time.

Any comments

Bearing Record

Here are my thoughts. I am currently studying this topic, any help would be appreciated

In 3 Nephi 23: 11-13, Jesus says

11And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not ^awritten this thing, that many ^bsaints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them? UAdd a Note

12And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written. UAdd a Note

13And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be ^awritten; therefore it was written according as he commanded.

Christ has always been insistent that records are kept. Records of everything. In heaven there is a record called the Book of Life where EVERYTHING is recorded. In Revelation we know that we will be judged out of the things written in the books.

Question: Is there a parallel between the record keeping aforementioned and the function of the Holy Ghost to "bear record" of the Father and the Son. What about the Savior "bearing record" of the Father? Ideas?

ps- Happy Birthday to Callie and Julianna!

What's Truly Important to You?

I decided to post a little something I was thinking about while reading 3rd Nephi. It touches on what Cliff posted about Fear vs. Faith. I know I’m far behind on my reading, so don’t judge!

I noticed how in 3rd Nephi the people went through phases when it came to their commitment to the gospel. At first they were empowered and excited about living the gospel, but as time went on they started to get comfortable with their lives and rebel. And once they started to notice the signs of the birth of the Savior, some would repent because they knew they weren't living as they should. Later, they started to separate themselves into different classes or ranks because of their pride. I feel like this reflects our world perfectly. We shouldn't only repent because of fear. We get too comfortable with our lives and get so consumed with TV, worldly possessions, and keeping up with the Jones’, that we need to re-think our priorities. It's easy to get caught up in the world.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, I’m not a good example of this, but I hope to be better. When Cliff first challenged us with this reading assignment I thought, “Well doesn't Cliff know we have lives and babies to raise?!” (I’m only joking Cliff J…don’t be mad). But after reading some more, I’m humbled. The question should be, “How could I NOT have time to read?” So thank you Cliff!

In conclusion, I hope we all don’t get too comfortable with our lives and forget what’s truly important, especially during this Holiday Season.

Method of Baptism 3 Nephi 11:24-25

In 3 Nephi 11 :24-25, the method of baptism is given to the people by Christ.

How many other different methods of Baptism are recorded in the standard works?

Can you find 5 of them, can you find more?

Dad

Cycle of Wickeness - Chapter 5-6

In chapter 5, verse 3. They became righteous (after defeating the robbers).
date in verse 7 - 22nd year after Christ's birth.

Then in Chapter 6, verse 9 - they had 6 years of peace.

Then in Chater 6, verse 14 - they got so wicked the Church was broken up.
The year was 30 years after Christ's birth.

From fully righteous, to fully wicked in 8 years. WOW!

In our reading assignment, find a shorter period for this cycle?

Is there a shorter than 8 year example?

Dad

Fear vs. Faith

I figured I would get us started on this.... here we go

3 Nephi 1:18 -- "They knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years... and they began to fear because of their inquity and their unbelief".

Think of it: The most glorious sign that could have ever been given, the pronouncement of the birth of our Lord, and there are individuals who are fearing! Clearly, signs from heaven don't incite fear. In fact, there are probably a LOT of people who are rejoicing! It is a wonderful day! The sign has been fulfilled! Their faith is verified! Praise the Lord! However, the reason for the fearful few is given... they fear because of "iniquity and...unbelief".

Lesson I learned: When we sin, righteous actions/events/consequences make us afraid. For example, Adam, who was communicating directly with our Father in Heaven (a GOOD thing) became AFRAID to communicate only after he sinned. He hid himself. If he wasn't sinning, he would have received the Lord with gladness. Another example: The righteous couple happily married rejoice to find out they are expecting a new child. The sinful, iniquitous sleezeballs who find out they are expecting are naturally...Afraid. Shocked. Nervous. Frightened. Angry.

We need not fear. We need to trust. Be optimistic. Be confident. Be faithful. Fear is not in the mind of God. It is a direct fruit of SIN and UNBELIEF. Faith, on the other hand, is a direct result of righteousness and obedience. Fear is of the adversary. Paul understood this:

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind".
- 2 Timothy 1:7

Book of Mormon Challenge

Dearest Family,

I thought it might be fun during this holiday season to be united, as family, in things that matter most. Even though we may be far away, entangled with children to raise, or maybe just a single college student, all of us can share common ground on the Gospel. Here is the challenge:

1. Read the beginning of 3rd Nephi to the end of the Book of Mormon by December 25th.
2. Once a week, (or more if you would like), post on this blog insights or experiences you have had while reading. This will be a public blog where posts can be done, as well as comments.
3. While reading, highlight references to the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

You are all welcome to post insights from any topic, use additional resources, etc. Just be sure to finish by December 25th. Remember Elder Bednar's statement,

"One of the best ways to draw near unto Him and to both learn about and become more like the Lord Jesus Christ is to consistently study the holy scriptures—to daily “feast upon the words of Christ” (2 Ne. 32:3).

Please notice that I used the word study and not the word read. Studying and feasting suggest a focus and an intensity that reach far beyond casual reading or quick perusing. Studying and feasting, followed by sincere prayer and steadfast application of the truths and principles we learn, yield personal resolve, spiritual commitment, and the bright light of testimony. Studying, learning, praying, and appropriately applying gospel truths are all key elements in the process of coming unto the Savior."

and President Eyring....

"Our humility and our faith that invite spiritual gifts are increased by our reading, studying, and pondering the scriptures. We have all heard those words. Yet we may read a few lines or pages of scripture every day and hope that will be enough. UAdd a Note

But reading, studying, and pondering are not the same. We read words and we may get ideas. We study and we may discover patterns and connections in scripture. But when we ponder, we invite revelation by the Spirit. Pondering, to me, is the thinking and the praying I do after reading and studying in the scriptures carefully."

May the Lord bless you as you come unto Him in this season where He is the reason.

-Clifford