The Sublime Roundabout

When I was on my mission, I learned some great truths about the Gospel of Jesus Christ: 1. It is simple - there are no extraneous, unnecessary, or complicated things with relation to the Gospel. It is clear and easy to understand. 2. Because it is simple, it is easy to teach and to understand. Many of the complicated catechisms and dogmas of the various other sects and religions are wiped away, much like the convoluted explanations and mathematical formulas were wiped away once Copernicus noted that the earth revolved around the sun. Who knew?!? 3. It is also infinitely rich and powerful. Just because something is simple and easy to understand does not mean that there isn't a wealth of knowledge and experience to be gained from searching diligently the precepts and possibilities that are contained in the Gospel. Here it is: Man, in the beginning, lived with God as spirit children of a loving Heavenly Father. A plan was presented in which people were given the opportunity to come t

I've never been one to back down easily from a "discussion." I have also never been one to back away from a challenging task. In this regard, I feel a lot like Isaiah. Isaiah, when asked whom the Lord should send, immediately responded - Here am I; send me! His willingness to engage people in righteous "discussion" is inspiring. I have had opportunities to do this. On my mission, in particular, people seemed to go out of their way to find things to "discuss." These sometimes friendly conversations often devolved into something much more sinister and bleak. When that happened, I almost always ended the "discussion" and either moved on or left. I have found that nothing much ever comes of these heated "discussions" and that the Spirit is never there. But here's Isaiah saying - in essence - bring it on! Bring on the enemies, the doubtful, the deceitful. Bring on the proud and haughty, the learned and wise, the rich and powerful. Br

Nephi is so real to me. He struggles. He fights with his brothers (who want to kill him). He loses his dad. He has to run off and escape. He's a prophet and he's trying to do what he feels he should, but that gets him in trouble. About the only thing we don't know anything about in Nephi's life is his wife and children. But Nephi writes things on a very personal level that I can completely identify with: His struggles in the night over his past transgressions His struggles due to his weakness and frailties when he would rather rejoice His temptations and sins which encompass him and destroy his peace His ultimate faith and hope in the unfailing love of the Redeemer His shouts to himself to not give in to his anger His cries to the Lord to encircle him about in robes of righteousness His trust in the Lord. I can identify with Nephi in many of these things. I don't consider myself a violent or angry person, but I find myself with inner struggles that I probably should

What would you say to your children if you knew you were going to die? What words of wisdom would you leave? What kind of legacy would you like to instill in them? These sobering thoughts must have caused Lehi great concern. His recalcitrant sons gave him great fear - what would become of them after he was gone? With Lehi out of the picture, would his sons stay true to what they had felt and knew to be true? Would they stay close to the Lord or would they leave Him? Lehi, of course, being the prophet knew what was to come. He spoke to them extensively about rising from the dust and being men, shaking of the chains that would hold them down, and listening to the Spirit's gentle promptings. This, of course, they did not do. Lehi knew they wouldn't, but he felt it incumbent on himself to tell them one last time that they should fulfill their duty. Father Lehi left an indelible mark on his sons. We don't have the words of Lehi to Nephi. Some things are just too personal and sac

I heard often while I was growing up that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience. It often feels the other way around - that we are physical beings who occasionally have spiritual experiences. I am gratified, then, to hear that some things have dual meanings and can be understood on different levels. The winding up chapters of 1 Nephi are informative along those lines. He discusses the events surrounding the diaspora, the coming of the Messiah, and the eventual restoration of the 12 tribes in to the lands of their inheritance. This is literally true. The land of Israel has already become a place where Jews from all over the world can return home to the land that was promised them. They have suffered greatly from their long estrangement from this land, and now they have a place where they can gather and be at home (if not necessarily always at peace). But peel back the physical, temporal dimension of these things, and you come to understand that these things are really spi

I love Isaiah. Let me just state that for the record. It's my mission president's fault (thanks, President Nielsen!). I have always loved the Book of Mormon, but growing up we skipped the "Isaiah chapters" because my parents thought (perhaps rightly) that they were a little dense. So it wasn't until my mission that I really grew to love Isaiah and the Old Testament. Let me offer a few things that I have gained from my study - things that have helped me come to this appreciation for Isaiah and his writing: 1. Isaiah is tough. He is very profound and deep in the doctrinal area. Most of what he says has multiple meanings and applications and symbols that are meaningful in many ways. No study of Isaiah should begin lightly - get yourself a good study manual (the Old Testament religion course book is very good) and prepare to spend a lot of time studying. But like a dog gnawing that bone for the delicious marrow inside, once you crack Isaiah you're in and it will b

Ramses got you down? Need water in the wilderness? Or food? Or meat? Need to cross the Red Sea but have no way of obtaining boats for 2 million of your closest friends? Need to build a boat to get to the proverbial or actual promised land? Or... Do you want to draw closer to the Lord? Do you want to change your life and live better? Do you want to be more effective as a parent, child, brother, sister, spouse, teacher, professional, whatever? Do you want to find greater joy and happiness and peace in this life, with a promise to receive eternal exaltation in the next? With God, nothing is impossible. Though our sins be as scarlet, they can be as snow; red like crimson sins will be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. God can even take someone like me and make out of my rough and unrefined state a tool that He can use to further His work.

Nephi says - I took one of the daughters of Ishmael to wife. Next verse he states - I had been blessed exceedingly. Coincidence? I don't think so... Life is good, but it's better when we're yoked together with our best friend. And one day, this yoking will strengthen us and uplift us and ultimately exalt us.

We are repeatedly told that it is a commandment to diligently and faithfully seek the Lord. Nephi's brothers do not and thus find themselves in a position where they have no relationship with the Lord. As King Benjamin states (in Mosiah) how can we know a master we have not served and who is far from the thoughts and intents of our heart? The short answer is that we can't. But why? Laman and Lemuel had the same upbringing and access to information that Nephi had. Yet the assumed that the Lord would not let them know what they wanted. Were they lazy? Did they ask frivolous questions? Were they arrogant? Or were they doubtful? The record is unclear. What is clear is that we MUST seek the Lord. When I was growing up I was told by a fellow student that I must A.S.K. - meaning ask (and I will receive) seek (and I will find) and knock (and it shall be opened unto me). Seems pretty simple... Why don't we do these things? I have said it before - faith asks the question believing th

There once was a king who commissioned a great and beautiful crown made. It was made of pure gold and had only the clearest, most pure and precious gems laid in it. The crown took a long time to make, but once it was perfected the king wished to share his crown's beauty with his most trusted subjects, prior to his sharing it with the entire kingdom. The king invited everyone he could think of that would appreciate his crown and people he knew he could trust to a great feast. At the climax of the celebrations, he brought forth the crown and began to pass it around so that his subjects could appreciate it's beauty. At first, everything went well. But as the crown changed hands and moved further down the table and away from the king, it often passed to hands that were less worthy. People began to lust after the precious jewels laid in the crown, until one removed a small knife from his pocket and popped one out. The crown became imperfect, if still glorious. Once the trend was s

So Nephi, after having heard his father's dream, decided he wants to hear and see and experience for himself. It occurs to me that faith is the desire to know things, the belief that those things CAN be known, and the action required to obtain that knowledge. Sometimes it's as simple as being still and pondering - this has often been the case for me. Some of the sweetest experiences I've had in my life have come when I was pondering scripture, the words of Church leaders, my parents, or life in general. The communication that takes place between me and my Father in Heaven will often transcend verbal communication and I send Him feelings, hopes, desires, and even images from my mind. He gets them and responds in kind. The angel that is guiding Nephi through the visions he is having asks him if he knows the condescension of God. Condescension is almost always used as a negative term, as in - Oh, she is SO condescending... Where the implication is that someone is haughty and a

Lehi's dream, and Nephi's subsequent revelations in response to the dream, constitutes one of the major themes of this portion of the Book of Mormon. I can think of few passages of scripture that are as seminal to the Latter-day Saint experience than this. The Book of Mormon contains several such passages - King Benjamin's speech, the ministry of Ammon and his brethren amongst the Lamanites, the ministry of Alma and his companions, the final words inscribed by Moroni before burying the plates, and of course, the crowning event in the Book of Mormon: Christ's personal visit to the American continent. More on each of those will be forthcoming. The thing that interests me about this vision is it's uniqueness. The doctrines found in the other instances are relatively common themes found all over in the scriptures - loving each other, serving God, miraculous healings, and dramatic conversions. But Lehi's dream is interesting in that it is unlike any other vision reco

After having returned from the plate-saving mission, Lehi and his wife Sariah are overjoyed. Seems there's been a little dissension in the ranks - Sariah thought that Lehi sent the boys off on a fool's errand that would get them all killed. I am particularly interested in the fact that she complained (again, I love the earthy reality of these Old Testament figures) but I really appreciate how Lehi dealt with the complaints. He agreed with her. He spoke kindly to her, and gently reminded her that he was being led by the Lord. If she accepted that, she must surely also realize that the Lord would not abandon her sons. There are certainly moments of concern that arise in anyone's life - moments of weakness and doubt, moments where we complain and are frustrated, moments where we just need to vent. That's OK. That's normal. And anything less would speak of a certain level of apathy - especially where one's children are concerned - that is unrealistic. People in any

So there they were, having a good time, enjoying the desert air, when suddenly they get directed to go back to Jerusalem after the brass plates. Laman and Lemuel, who ironically didn't even want to be there in the first place, now don't want to leave... Nephi heads the trek back to get the plates. You know the story... Interesting insights in today's reading include: 1. Nephi must repeatedly convince/persuade/cajole his brothers into keeping the commandments. This must get irksome after a while, especially after they had been beating him with a stick... 2. Laban is a bad dude. The things he does - lying, stealing, attempted murder - are all capital crimes in traditional Judaic law. It has been suggested that the brass plates were not his, per se, anyway, and that he was just a care taker. This makes sense then, since their first approach was to just go and ask him if they could have them. 3. Could you kill someone if directed by the Spirit? I hope I never have to find out.

1 Corinthians 2:14 - But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Ah, Laman and Lemuel. These murderous, backsliding, and generally faithless men! They become the quintessential antagonist to our protagonists early in the Book of Mormon. You want to loathe them, but then, if you're like me, you often find yourself identifying with certain aspects of their nature... One of the interesting things that comes from the second chapter of 1 Nephi is how hard headed these young men are. Lehi, being their father, has to speak rather harshly to them in order for them to come along for the ride. Their complaints never really ever quit, and they eventually found the opposing nation to the righteous Nephites. The thing that grabbed my attention this morning was how they thought that their father was foolish for abandoning their lands and gold in pursuit of some kind of unkn

Obedience is something I struggle with. I am good for the first little while but staying the course on a long-term goal is difficult for me. I find my interest wanes and I struggle to stay on task. I prefer tasks that are quick and easy to accomplish. I don't think I'm alone in that, but it's something I wish I could do better. President Banks, our new Stake President, has asked us to re-read the Book of Mormon before our next stake conference (in six months). He suggested that we also keep a record of our feelings and inspiration as a result of this study. This is something I think I would like to do. I am going to try daily to keep a record of my impressions as I read the Book of Mormon and would invite any of you who are interested to follow along. I am going to take weekends off because I don't have internet at home. I am also not going to be perfect at this, but I am going to do my level best. To start off, I have read the Book of Mormon almost daily (again, I'