Helaman 10

Read it HERE.

Summary: The Lord gives Nephi the sealing power—He is empowered to bind and loose on earth and in heaven—He commands the people to repent or perish—The Spirit carries him from congregation to congregation. Between 23 and 20 B.C.

I can just picture how forlorn and alone Nephi feels as the Nephites divided and he was left completely alone in the midst of them. Yet, as he walked home he did so in deep, heartfelt thought (pondering) the things the Lord had shown him. Then, the voice came. Does this happen to you? When you're in the shower, the car, laying in bed, sitting in church, on your way to/from Visiting Teaching?

I love that the Lord comforts Nephi so completely with His words:
4 ^aBlessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with ^bunwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine ^cown life, but hast sought my ^dwill, and to keep my commandments.

5 And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that ^aall things shall be ^bdone unto thee according to thy ^cword, for thou shalt ^dnot ask that which is contrary to my will.

6 Behold, thou art Nephi, and I am God. Behold, I declare it unto thee in the presence of mine angels, that ye shall have power over this people, and shall smite the earth with ^afamine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people.

7 Behold, I give unto you ^apower, that whatsoever ye shall ^bseal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.

As a humble and obedient servant, Nephi, after hearing these words, IMMEDIATELY returns to the multitude of people and tells them what the Lord shared with him about their destruction if they would not repent. (I feel this way as a mother with my children so often.... to a much less extreme.)

Unfortunately the Nephites still would not listen and began to threaten slaying him and tried to cast him into prison. Interestingly, the Lord was with him and they could not take him and he was "...taken by the Spirit and conveyed away out of the midst of them" (v 16).

Yet his continued ministering caused more contention and divisions among the Nephites and they began slaying each other. Poor Nephi. He was doing his job as a righteous servant and elicited so much hate and pride out of those he loved and was trying to save. Makes me wonder if our missionaries and General leaders of the Church don't feel this way in their ministering.

That darn pride cycle:

Helaman 4

Read it HERE.

Summary: Nephite dissenters and the Lamanites join forces and take the land of Zarahemla—The Nephites’ defeats come because of their wickedness—The Church dwindles and the people become weak like the Lamanites. Between 38 and 30 B.C.

This chapter can be quite depressing and yet inspiring. Amazing how the scriptures, particularly the war chapters do that, isn't it? As I read about the Nephite dissention (in not many years) from the Church it saddened me, and yet I found how similar it is to our day. I hear of and know of so many faithful members of the Church who temporarily or permanently lose their faith and dissent from the Church. I selected several words and phrases from this chapter that paint the picture well of how and why this happens.

(Ask yourself if you don't witness these things daily among Latter-day Saints and other God-fearing people... not in a judgemental way, but in the spirit of recognizing that we all have need for the Atonement and our trials and struggles are different and come at different times and seasons. We need to love and serve each other as Christ would rather than assist in the dissention of His children.)

The Helaman 4 Dissention word/phrase list:
contention, bloodshed, rebellious, slain, driven, stir up to war, afraid, stirring up to anger, preparing for war, battle, the work of death, slaughter, wickedness, abomination, profess to belong to the church of God, pride of their hearts, exceeding riches, oppression to the poor, withholding food from the hungry, withholding clothing from the naked, smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which is sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, adultery, great contentions, deserting away into the land, boasting of their own strength, did not prosper, afflicted, smitten, lost possessions/lands, stiffnecked, set at naught the commandments of God, altered/trampled the laws, corrupted laws, withdrawl of the spirit.

Sad state of affairs, isn't it? I love the verbage of verse 23: "...and the judgements of God did stare them in the face."

Essentially all the dissention of faithful Nephites caused the church to dwindle. They eventually saw their strength matched with that of the unfaithful Lamanites and it scared them. Moronihah preached unto them and they repented and when they did they prospered again. The miracle of Christ's infinite Atonement. The Nephites recognized their weaknesses and were allowed to change and gain faith again. They began to remember the prophecies of Alma and the words of Mosiah from long long before their time.

Alma 37

Read it HERE.

Summary: The plates of brass and other scriptures are preserved to bring souls to salvation—The Jaredites were destroyed because of their wickedness—Their secret oaths and covenants must be kept from the people—Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings—As the Liahona guided the Nephites, so the word of Christ leads men to eternal life. About 73 B.C.

Chapters 36-39 are Alma's testimony expressed to his sons Helaman, Shiblon, and Corianton. I love that we have these accounts... especially as I will soon have 3 sons of my own I take personal courage and insight into bearing simple, profound testimony to my sons.

Essentially I learned these things:

* We need to keep a record of "our people" (family). The good, bad, ugly, and sacred.
* "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise" (v.6). Think of a small object such as a nail, bolt, or our small children.... they are small and simple but do great things. What might happen if we didn't have these things in our lives?
* What are some small and simple things that hold our families together?
* We need to enlarge our memory of the past in order to live in the present and control the future.
* Ammon couldn't have had the success he did as a missionary without the preservation of the plates/record. ... and we can't have missionary experiences without knowing the scriptures either.
* REMEMBER, REMEMBER... God's commands are strict, but if we keep them, we prosper.
* God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words.
* Teach an everlasting hatred against sin and iniquity.
* "Life is fragile, handle with prayer." Counsel with God in all thy doings...

Alma 37:36-37:
36 Yea, and ^acry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy ^bdoings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy ^cthoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

37 ^aCounsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for ^bgood; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the ^cmorning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

* Our promised land = eternal life
* "...do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way... The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever" (v.46).
* Look to God and live!

Bucket Filling Success Passed On!

I hope you all don't mind that I'm posting this here, but I had to share! (I'll post it on my family blog too). I recently returned from a week-long Cousins Camp (an annual family tradition) where usually only the cousins get to camp with the grandparents for a whole week in the summer at our family cabin in AZ. Well this year it was a reunion of sorts and all the families came to California over the 4th! As part of the camp my mom always has a treasure hunt and "trophies". This year the theme was "Like a Lighthouse", referring to Christ as our eternal beacon of light when we are on stormy, or calm, seas. The kids all got their own pocket-sized copy of the Book of Mormon as their trophy.

My 2-year old was ecstatic. Our nap and bedtime routine had been to read 2 library or other books and then Jeff or I would tell him a made-up story about a boy named Makai (who was actually him). He loved it and looked forward to sleepy times twice daily. Well, when he got his Book of "Norman" he told me, "Mommy we need to read Book of Normon stories before bed." Well, I'd been wanting to do that with him, but wasn't sure if he was ready. His request was gladly granted and every night since we've been home (and in our new house) we now read a chapter out of the illustrated (and highly condensed version) of the Book of Mormon as Corbin holds his own little Book of Mormon trophy treasure! It not only fills his bucket each night but mine too!
If you're not reading this with your kids yet because you think they're too young.... try it! You might be surprised how ready they are. And it's great to refer to it during the day when situations arise.... such as, "Are you acting like Nephi or Laman and Lemuel when you don't share with your brother?", etc. He gets it! Let's just hope it sticks! So, I'm curious, what do you do to fill your kids/families' buckets?

Alma 13

Read it HERE.

Summary: Men are called as high priests because of their exceeding faith and good works—They are to teach the commandments—Through righteousness they are sanctified and enter into the rest of the Lord—Melchizedek was one of these—Angels are declaring glad tidings throughout the land—They will reveal the actual coming of Christ. About 82 B.C.

First of all I have to apologize for going MIA for the past 2 weeks. I was on vacation... and unfortunately I VACATED this important responsibility in my life. I missed it. I'm sorry. I'm back!

Now... That being said, I love how every time I read the Book of Mormon I feel God's love for ME! Even when I read about other people in another time, I feel that God loves me and is speaking to me through this account of His people in the Americas who witnessed His Son. I have recently opened a new chapter of my life... moved to Utah and am settled in our new house and ward (as of the last week) and this chapter is so fitting in our transition process.

Alma speaks many bold things in this chapter as he teaches Zeezrom and others in Ammonihah about the plan of redemption, the priesthood, and foreordination. Some great doctrinal topics. As Alma calls men as high priests he teaches them that this calling they were "ordained--being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowlede of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works..."(v.3). A great quote from the Book of Mormon Sunday School Study Guide explains further: "The Prophet Joseph Smith said, 'Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was'" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 365). How profound is that? What does that tell us about our husbands who choose good over evil and accept callings to serve and teach to the inhabitants of the earth?

And women? Well, here's another great quote from the same source: "President Spencer W. Kimball taught: 'Before we came here, faithful women were given certain assignments while faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood tasks. While we do not now remember the particulars, this does not alter the glorious reality of what we once agreed to. You are accountable for those tings which long ago were expected of you just as are those we sustain as prophets and apostles!'" ("The Role of Righteous Women," Ensign, Nov. 1979, 102).

So... give us strength according to our faith in Christ to the things we came to earth to do. I think we are all working hard at fulfilling two major assignments called ETERNAL COMPANIONSHIP and MOTHERHOOD... among our other Church and personal callings and assignments.

Alma makes a great explanation about the holy order of the High Priesthood and how those who come into this Melchizedek Priesthood do so on account of their "exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish" (v.10). I find this an interesting perspective of how the Priesthood brethren, and those who support them, make their personal decisions to serve others.... it's out of a desire to work righteousness rather than perish.

Another highlight for me was verse 20: Now I need not rehearse the matter; what I have said may suffice. Behold, the ^ascriptures are before you; if ye will ^bwrest them it shall be to your own destruction.

Plain and simple. We have the scriptures right in front of us. If we do not read and understand them it will be to our destruction.... almost like the people of Moses' time with the golden staff who would just look and live. Makes me glad I'm part of this BUCKET FILLER blog, it helps me not to "wrest" my scriptures.

Finally, Alma speaks of the Coming of Christ and I love his emotional expression in verse 25: And now we only wait to hear the joyful news declared unto us by the mouth of angels, of his coming; for the time cometh, we ^aknow not how soon. Would to God that it might be in my day; but let it be sooner or later, in it I will rejoice.

AND verse 27:
And now, my brethren, I ^awish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great ^banxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not ^cprocrastinate the day of your repentance;

What a kind and loving teacher and leader Alma was. Amen, Alma and may I have only a part of his courage and conviction in teaching and living.

Mosiah 24

Read it HERE.

Summary: Amulon persecutes Alma and his people—They are to be put to death if they pray—The Lord makes their burdens seem light—He delivers them from bondage, and they return to Zarahemla. Between 145 and 120 B.C.

I LOVE the Book of Mormon. I love how it relates to my life and I feel empowered by its words and the feeling of peace and love I get when I read it. This chapter is one of those that I completed related with TODAY for selfish, self-pity reasons.... because the Lord shows His great love for His people and delivers them from their bondage and burdens. It's always a testimony builder to me that He really is a part of our everyday lives.... he cares about the good and the bad that happens to us and wants us to be HAPPY. He will deliver us from the turmoil and burdens of our lives if we are faithful in Him.

Here are a few of my favorite verses that illustrate this with Alma and his people:

12 And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.
13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.
14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.
15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.
16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

And the deliverance and thanks:

19 And in the morning the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep.
20 And Alma and his people departed into the wilderness; and when they had traveled all day they pitched their tents in a valley, and they called the valley Alma, because he led their way in the wilderness.
21 Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God.
22 And they gave thanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God.

-Holly

Mosiah 18

Read it HERE.

Summary: Alma preaches in private—He sets forth the covenant of baptism and baptizes at the waters of Mormon—He organizes the Church of Christ and ordains priests—They support themselves and teach the people—Alma and his people flee from King Noah into the wilderness. About 148—145 B.C.

This chapter shows how righteous of a soul and how much God loves and is willing to protect his children who willingly choose good and follow him. Alma, a servant of the wicked King Noah, was converted by the words of Abinadi and realizes he needs to remove himself from his environment and position.... so he flees. How scary that must have been knowing that he could have been caught and imprisoned and killed... but he felt and knew too much to stay in his wicked state. He is kept safe at the hand of the Lord and repents and then immediately begins to teach (privately) the words of Abinadi to people he meets in the wilderness. I would say that is true conversion!

In the private place Alma taught these people there was a fountain of pure water.... where he hides himself in the thicket of trees from the searches of the kings... and where he begins baptizing about 240 souls! A new convert preaching, teaching, and baptizing hundreds of new converts! Sounds like amazing missionary work.

In 2002 I had the opportunity to travel with my family to Guatemala with my sister's mission president on a "Book of Mormon lands" tour. It was amazing! As we were in the middle of the gorgeous green jungle somewhere in Guatemala President Mask (now a member of the 70) took us to the place HE thinks is the Waters of Mormon... the very place spoken of in this chapter. We sat there near the water and read the account in the scriptures and I felt that it very well could have been the place. He let us form our own opinions based on our experiences. I tell you what, it was neat, but I don't know any better now, having stood in that place, than I did before that the Book of Mormon is true and that the prophets and doctrines found therein are real and applicable for our modern lives.

As the chapter continues to unfold we see how Alma, after converting and baptizing so many, Alma continued to establish the Church complete with teachers and priests.

21 And he commanded them that there should be no ^acontention one with another, but that they should look forward with ^bone eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts ^cknit together in unity and in love one towards another.

Somehow the wicked King Noah discovered the movement among the people....

33 And now the king said that Alma was stirring up the people to rebellion against him; therefore he sent his ^aarmy to destroy them.

34 And it came to pass that Alma and the people of the Lord were ^aapprised of the coming of the king’s army; therefore they took their tents and their families and ^bdeparted into the wilderness.

35 And they were in number about ^afour hundred and fifty souls.

Mosiah 12

Read it HERE.

Summary: Abinadi is imprisoned for prophesying the destruction of the people and the death of King Noah—The false priests quote the scriptures and pretend to keep the law of Moses—Abinadi begins to teach them the Ten Commandments. About 148 B.C.

Abinadi is quite tricky here to think of dressing in a disguise in order to prophecy to the wicked people of King Noah. The Lord uses very potent words here to describe his anger, such as: "fierce", "bondage", "smitten", "slain", "and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh." Would you call that poetic? He continues to describe King Noah's life as the value of a garment in a hot furnace. (A little ironic foreshadowing going on.) Sounds awful. Can you imagine being smitten by the Lord for your iniquities so much that you would howl all the day long? Not only their physical bodies and spirits would be smitten and slain, but also their lands and their grain.

Verse 8 is one that is written for us:
8- And it shall come to pass that except they repent I will utterly ^adestroy them from off the face of the earth; yet they shall leave a ^brecord behind them, and I will preserve them for other nations which shall possess the land; yea, even this will I do that I may discover the abominations of this people to other nations. [That is for US!] And many things did Abinadi prophesy against this people.

Hence, after all this prophecy from the Lord the people are upset and take Abinadi and bind him before King Noah. The servants of King Noah try to justify themselves as well as their King and claim that Abinadi has falsely accused them and prophesied evil and in vain. So, Noah puts Abinadi in prison and asks the priests to gather in council in order to decide what to do with him.

During questioning the priests tried to cross Abinadi but he answered boldly and withstood all their questions.... so much that he confounded them. Begs the question of us... are we strong and wise enough in our testimonies to not "be crossed".... so much that we can withstand the questions of others and confound them? Food for thought.

One priests then asks Abinadi about the writings of Isaiah... "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings;...." (v. 21-24) Abinadi then catches him and asks... "Are you priests, and pretend to teach this people, and to understand the spirit of prophesying, and yet desire to know of me what these things mean?" (v.25).

This leads Abinadi into scolding the priests for perverting the ways of the Lord and not applying their hearts to understanding. Abinadi turns the interrogation on them and continues to question them about the Law of Moses and why they have not kept it and taught the people correctly. He then pierces their heart by saying, "Yeah, ye know that I speak the truth; and you ought to tremble before God" (v.30).

This was a powerful sermon given by Abinadi to the servants/priests of King Noah who had not correctly taught the people. It's inspiring to me to see how the Lord strengthens his servants in the very hour they need it.... and he does the same with us. Even as a prisoner Abinadi finds the strength and conviction and words/strategy to turn the interrogation on the false priests in order to teach them and humble them. I know He can and does provide us with that same spirit and revelation in order to bring about His work. Such a powerful chapter. Reminds me of a few things I need to do:

1- Be well read in the scriptures so I can quote them, reference them, use their stories in conversations with others.
2- Be in tune with the Holy Ghost/spirit in order to gain revelation in the very hour of need.
3- To be BOLD in my speaking and questioning with others.... in a LOVING way.

I'm grateful for Abinadi and his powerful example.

Mosiah 6

Read HERE.

Summary: King Benjamin records the names of the people and appoints priests to teach them—Mosiah reigns as a righteous king. About 124—121 B.C.

I find it extremely interesting that after preaching and teaching and committing the people, King Benjamin felt impressed to record the names of those who entered into a covenant with God to keep His commandments. In reality this does occur quite literally when we are baptized members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and take His name upon us and covenant to always remember Him.... those actions are recorded in the Book of Life by the angels in heaven. But I am pretty sure (and hopeful) the last "post" about my commitment and covenants to my Heavenly Father was not on my 8th birthday (the day I was baptized). Hopefully the angels have found more recent actions of mine worthy to enter in that same book (i.e.- a fortified testimony, receiving my own endowment in the temple, my temple sealing/marriage, the birth/blessings of my children, each testimony I bear, the times I re-commit to my covenants during weekly sacrament meeting, my daily actions, etc.)

In this chapter all the people (except little children) were seen to have covenanted with God. I can't imagine what that would FEEL like to live among such a Christlike/God-fearing community. Then again, I think that is how it feels when I attend church and am surrounded by other members, especially other mothers who keep the same schedule/agenda I do. (i.e.- YOU LADIES).

Mosiah thoughtfully prepares for his own death by consecrating his son Mosiah to be the next ruler over the people, giving him all the charges concerning the kingdom. He then appoints priests to teach the people (stir them up to remember their covenants), and then DISMISSES the multitude unto their own homes.

Hereafter Mosiah's son, Mosiah, begins to reign and after 3 years Mosiah the elder dies (about 121 B.C. or 479 years after Lehi left Jerusalem). King Mosiah continued to walk in the ways of the Lord and (I love this... something I'm dying to work on when I move into my new house):

vs 7 - And king Mosiah did cause his people that they should till the earth. And he also, himself, did till the earth, that thereby he might ^anot become burdensome to his people, that he might do according to that which his father had done in all things. And there was no contention among all his people for the space of three years.

Isn't it interesting how Mosiah himself tilled the earth (gardened/farmed) along with the people, in order not to be a burden to his people..... he didn't want them waiting on him, he got down and worked along side them. This reminds me of the work ethic/love of our modern-day prophets. Kind of a fun note to end on. So, GET YOUR GARDEN IN!

Jacob 5

Read it HERE.

Summary: Jacob quotes Zenos relative to the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees—They are a likeness of Israel and the gentiles—The scattering and gathering of Israel are prefigured—Allusions are made to the Nephites and Lamanites and all the house of Israel—Gentiles shall be grafted into Israel—Eventually the vineyard shall be burned. Between 544 and 421 B.C.

This is that LONG allegory of the olive tree chapter. At first read/impression it can seem long and dreary, boring and confusing; but if you read with real intent and with a better understanding of the bigger metaphor and meaning, it gets very interesting. There are a lot of familiar lines in it from the Pearl of Great Price and from some of our most important church doctrine. I realized some great missionary messages, family messages, warnings, blessings, insights into the Godhead, a greater understanding of the Abrahamic Covenant, and the preparations before the Second Coming of the Savior. This is a beautiful chapter and of Jacob's most important contributions in the Book of Mormon.

Ralph E. Swiss, director of physical facilities and real estate in the Church Educational System wrote a great explanatory and insightful article, The Tame and Wild Olive Trees--An Allegory of Our Savior's Love. In this article Swiss points out,

"Most of Christianity has yet to learn of Zenos’s allegory of the olive trees. Indeed, if it hadn’t been for the combined efforts of four prophets, separated by thousands of years, the allegory might have been lost entirely. The prophet Zenos wrote it in Israel, Nephi’s younger brother Jacob retold it to the Nephites, Mormon preserved it for latter-day readers, and Joseph Smith translated it into English" (Swiss, 1988, p.50).

Swiss continues to explain the symbolism and the use of 7 scenes (historic periods of time), and 5 locations in the vineyard (places in the world):

Tame olive tree = House of Israel
Wild olive tree = Gentiles
Lord of the vineyard = Jesus Christ (or God the Father in some interpretations)
Lord of the vineyard's servants = Christ's disciples, the prophets
Good fruit = those people bringing forth good works
Bad fruit = those people bringing forth evil works
Grafting in = baptism

Scene 1 = Time of growing decay, or "...the period following the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon when the glory of Israel was greatly lessened by growing wickedness and evil" (Swiss, 1988, p. 50).

Scene 2 = The master grieves for the tree and has His servants pluck of the decayed branches to be burned in the fire, or "...the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests of Israel" (Swiss, 1988, p. 50). At this point I think the Savior's love for his people is manifest when he has some of the branches carried off to other parts of the vineyard to be grafted in and preserved (the beginning of the great explorations across the sea.)

Scene 3 = After a long time, the Master returns to inspect the vineyard only to find the tame olive tree has borne tame fruit despite the wild branches that were grafted in from its trunk. "Perhaps this corresponds to the tremendous growth of the Church during and after the Savior’s mortal ministry. A great many among the Gentiles, including numerous Samaritans, were converted and lived the gospel as though they had been born of Israel" (Swiss, 1988, p. 50).

Scene 4 = Master returns, finds entire vineyard in decay, none of the fruit is good, or the time period of the Great Apostasy. I love how the Master asks, What could I have done more for my vineyard? Showing his great love and concern for all people.

Scene 5 = Master's decides to spare the vineyard a little longer, "...he and his servant begin to restore the natural branches to their parent trees, destroying the worst of the branches to make room" (Swiss, 1988, p. 50).

Scene 6 = Master finally reviews the vineyard he finds the fruit good and no more corrupt. "Such a period of peace and bounteous harvest could correspond to the Millennium" (Swiss, 1988, p. 50).

Scene 7 = Master refers to time when evil will come into the vineyard again.... and he will separate the good from the evil, "...like the final cleansing of the earth" (Swiss, 1988, p. 50).

Just as Swiss discovered as he researched the allegory, it is "...not so much a story about trees, branches, grafting, and fruit as a wonderful witness of the messiahship of Christ and his love for mankind" (Swiss, 1998, p. 50).

So, what did you learn? What stood out to you? Don't all these insights make you want to go back and read it again to gleam some more. I'm so grateful for Zenos, Jacob, Mormon, and Joseph Smith for their efforts in writing and preserving and translating this allegory as beautiful way of teaching about our history, the need for our current righteousness, and for what's to come.

2 Nephi 32

Read it

Summary: Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost—Men must pray and gain knowledge for themselves from the Holy Ghost. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

Wow, it seems that my "assigned" chapter for the week is always perfect for me, for that time. I LOVED this chapter because of its sweet simplicity. It's a short one, but its poignant. The main topic/doctrine is: PRAYER. In my patriarchal blessing it states: "Prayer is one of the most repeated commandments our Father has given us to keep us safe and to ward off the fiery darts of the adversary. Forget not to pray." Nephi is reminding us in this chapter, the power and purpose of prayer and the pattern of the Holy Ghost's enlightenment.

I love how the chapter begins speaking of pondering. I think this is how all prayer and revelation and communications with the Lord should and do begin. We think and review ideas and thoughts in our mind before we verbally express them to others or before we begin searching for answers/clarification. The pattern continues with speaking (as with the tongue of an angel), feasting upon the words of Christ (which tell you all things what ye should do), then asking (knocking).... then the Holy Ghost will show (or confirm) unto you all things what ye should do. The simple pattern of personal revelation is thus:
1- ponder
2- pray (speak)
3- feast (read/study)
4- act
5- pray again (ask)
6- listen (for confirmation from Holy Ghost)

The doctrine of personal revelation, as explained in verse 6:
6 Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall ^amanifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.

What a simply beautiful passage and reminder of how to pray and seek answers. In verse 7 Nephi expresses remorse over the actions of men (their unbelief, wickedness, ignorance, stiffneckedness, etc.). Sound familiar? Yet, he concludes with a powerful summation of the doctrine of prayer:

...For if ye would hearken unto the ^aSpirit which teacheth a man to ^bpray ye would know that ye must ^cpray; for the ^devil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.

9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must ^apray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall ^bpray unto the Father in the ^cname of Christ, that he will ^dconsecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the ^ewelfare of thy soul.

Pray Always Sisters

2 Nephi 26

Read it HERE.

Summary: Christ shall minister to the Nephites—Nephi foresees the destruction of his people—They shall speak from the dust—The gentiles shall build up false churches and secret combinations—The Lord forbids men to practice priestcrafts. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

Nephi speaks of the destruction of his evil and prideful people and it pangs his soul... but I love verse 7:
7 ^aO the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my people! For I, Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the presence of the Lord; but I must cry unto my God: Thy ways are ^bjust.

The part that scares me perhaps the most is verse 11:
11 For the Spirit of the Lord will not always ^astrive with man. And when the Spirit ^bceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy destruction, and this grieveth my soul.
I think being separated from the spirit might be more intolerable than any physical destruction. Sin separates us from the spirit and we must constantly be setting ourselves back "at-one" with Him through repentance and the sacrament.

This makes me grateful for the Book of Mormon as another witness of Jesus Christ and of a people who experienced similar physical and spiritual burdens that we now face in the last days. It is our generation that Nephi is speaking of and for... and verse 16 provides some insightful comfort:
16 For those who shall be destroyed shall ^aspeak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust.
This verse helps provide one logical rationale (although none is necessary beyond my testimony and spiritual witness) as to why I read and study the Book of Mormon... because those who lived in it and who recorded it are a voice speaking to me to remind me and warn me daily to do and be better so as not to be destroyed at His Second Coming.

In closing Nephi gives an account of the faults/temptations of all people, both righteous and wicked and then reminds us of the goodness of God, of Jesus Christ's love and redemption and salvation; and that we must spread the truth of all things to all men, keep the commandments, come unto Him, and labor in Zion. I love his farewell comment in the last verse; a fitting reminder for our day:
...and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he ^ainviteth them ^ball to ^ccome unto him and partake of his goodness; and he ^ddenieth none that come unto him, black and white, ^ebond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the ^fheathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile (v. 33).

What did you learn?

2 Nephi 20

Read it HERE.

Summary: Destruction of Assyria is a type of destruction of wicked at the Second Coming—Few people shall be left after the Lord comes again—Remnant of Jacob shall return in that day—Compare Isaiah 10. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

Another interesting Isaiah chapter where the Lord compares the destruction of Assyria to the destruction of the wicked at the time of his Second Coming. The seed of Jacob will return and
The "WO's"/warnings to the wicked are: to those who make unrighteous decrees; to ignore the needy, poor, widowed, fatherless; to hypocritical nations; and the greedy and prideful leaders and armies.

The remnant of Jacob will be gathered, meaning the gathering of Israel or the righteous.... and they will not have to depend on their evil leaders, but the Holy One of Israel. The Lord tells the righteous to not be afraid of the wicked. The high and haughty leaders will be hewn down and humbled. That is a relief!

This chapter seemed to be a metaphor for the destruction of the wicked and a preservation of the righteous at the Second Coming... and although difficult to understand at times I find comfort in these words:

"The Book of Mormon is a book of scripture. It is another testament of Jesus Christ. It is written in biblical language, the language of the prophets. For the most part, it is in easy-flowing New Testament language, with such words as spake for spoke, unto for to, with and it came to pass, with thus and thou and thine."
"You will not read many pages into it until you catch the cadence of that language and the narrative will be easy to understand. As a matter of fact, most teenagers readily understand the narrative of the Book of Mormon. Then, just as you settle in to move comfortably along, you will meet a barrier. The style of the language changes to Old Testament prophecy style. For, interspersed in the narrative, are chapters reciting the prophecies of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. They loom as a barrier, like a roadblock or a checkpoint beyond which the casual reader, one with idle curiosity, generally will not go."
"You, too, may be tempted to stop there, but do not do it! Do not stop reading! Move forward through those difficult-to-understand chapters of the Old Testament prophecy, even if you understand very little of it. Move on, if all you do is skim and merely glean an impression here and there. Move on, if all you do is look at the words..."
"... The Lord had a purpose in preserving the prophecies of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, notwithstanding they become a barrier to the casual reader. Those who never move beyond the Isaiah chapters miss the personal treasures to be gathered along the way" (Boyd K. Packer, in Conference Report, Apr. 1986, 76-77; or Ensign, May 1986, 61; or Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Class Member Study Guide, p.6-7).

Despite my apparent lack of complete understanding I still get impressions and see the purpose of Isaiah's writings/prophecies. Someday I hope to have a more full understanding, but until I'm glad we're all plugging through together and I'm grateful for your thoughts and impressions.