We're taking a brief hiatus from posting this week, due to moves, pregnancies, sick families, and many other things that have somehow occurred simultaneously.

Join with us again next Monday, when we'll resume our posts with Mosiah chapter 3.

In the mean time, go here to read the Church's latest General Conference addresses.

Mosiah 2

I love reading King Benjamin's address to his people. There are several key things about this chapter that stuck out to me.

1. The people came to visit the temple at King Benjamin's command. It says that they did this for three reasons: to hear the words of their king and prophet, to offer sacrifices unto the Lord, and to give thanks unto the Lord. I think we could do well to remember these things when we go to the temple. We go to give thanks, to hear the word of the Lord, and it usually it is a sacrifice to go. My husband and I have been getting better at going now that our daughter is older, but is still is a 2.5 hr drive to get there and then we have to switch off who babysits. I think that this makes me appreciate these visits more than when I lived in Provo, but even then it usually felt like a sacrifice to give up the time needed. But if it weren't a sacrifice, we wouldn't receive as many blessings, right?

2. King Benjamin emphasizes that he is a mortal man, just like his subjects, and has his own weaknesses and frailties. But the important part was that the Lord had blessed him so that he could be a great ruler. He accomplished this by serving the people. I think that any of us in a leadership position can learn from Benjamin. He did not think of his position as king as just power over the people, but instead, he felt an incredible duty to love and serve them. I think that he was definitely very Christ-like in this attribute.

3. I love verse 17- "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God." I think that in the area of service, we can always do better, whether it is through serving our own families or serving other people. It's not really an optional part of the gospel--it's one of the key parts of the gospel.

4. He tells us that even if we could "render all the thanks and praise which [our] whole soul has power to possess", that we would still be "unprofitable servants." The Lord does want us to show gratitude, but he doesn't want us to only do that. Instead, he asks some simple things of us. He asks us to keep his commandments and to serve other people.

5. He warns us to not obey the evil spirit, and that if we at any time stop following the Holy Spirit, then we are therefore following the evil spirit. He also tells us what happens to a person who dies in their sins, having a knowledge of good and evil. It's really chilling and it definitely helps motivate me to not slack off!

Speaking of slacking off, I must apologize for always being so late and missing last week. My excuse is mostly forgetfulness or procrastination, but also because I am 3 months pregnant and still feel pretty sick! But I will definitely try to do better. :]

-Tori

Omni

Welcome to the dying blog! hehe jk...I hope! What happened to everyone?

I never noticed before that Omni felt like a wicked man. "I have not kept the statutes and commandments of the Lord as I ought to have done." What I love about this is that he is aware and is able to acknowledge where he is at spiritually. I feel like we are in a time where we are less aware of where we should be spiritually, and, not to be depressing, but we don't know how wicked we are. I mean that figuratively. I feel like I have become so lazy, and I do not give enough time to feeding my spirit. We sort of talked about this in Stake Conference last week. The speaker raised the question: "How many hours can you sit in front of the television a day, and then forget to pray or read your scriptures?" "How many days do you plan out on your calendar, and then forget to go to the temple that month?" It took hearing that for me to realize...wow I am doing those things! So that is the point I was trying to make. I promise I wasn't trying to call anyone wicked! hehe.
Verse 6 teaches an awesome principle: "For the Lord would not suffer, after he had led them out of the land of Jerusalem and kept and preserved them from falling into to the hands of their enemies, yea, he would not suffer that the words should not be verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: In asmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the land." Like any parent, I believe that Heavenly Father does not want to punish us nor see us suffer, but He is bound by certain laws, and He is bound by what He says. We can't pick the consequences, and in a way, neither does He. He has laws set in place, and He cannot spare us from the consequences of our actions.

This chapter/book talks about the people of Zarahemla joining with the people of Mosiah. They escaped at the time of the Babylonian captivity and were brought to this land by the hand of the Lord. It is just amazing to me how perfectly the Lord has things planned out, and He will always provide a way whereby they may be accomplished. It is so easy to doubt that when you are standing at the end of a dark tunnel and cannot see the light on the other side. But I do believe that, if the Lord knows we need to do something, or are destined to do something, He will make it possible. We must have that faith in him.
This book also talks about Coriantumr and the tower of Babel?? where the languages were confounded.

There is a powerful verse at the end (26): "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."

What more can I add to that...
I love the Book of Mormon!

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.

Jacob 4

I hope it's ok that I post today. I have another busy day tomorrow and I don't want to forget!
Summary: All the prophets worshipped the Father in the name of Christ—Abraham’s offering of Isaac was in similitude of God and his Only Begotten—Men should reconcile themselves to God through the atonement—The Jews shall reject the foundation stone.

I love this chapter! The first section reminds me of the importance of keeping a journal:
3 Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents.
They knew the importance of engraving upon the plates so their children could learn from them and know of their testimonies. Our children will want to read our journals. When I write in my journal, I think to myself, I want Brooklynn to read this and know how much I love her, and that I have a testimony.

Verses 6 and 7 teach some very powerful principles:
6 Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.
7 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.

We can learn from the teachings of prophets, both in ancient times and in modern times. I love that he testifies that we can have such great faith that we can move mountains. I try to keep that in mind when I doubt the small things, or when my faith is lacking in general. I remind myself: If God has the power to move mountains, then surely He can help me with this. Sometimes it is so easy to doubt. But it is important to hold on to the miracles that occur in our lives everyday, to help remind us when we are having doubts. Heavenly Father will answer our prayers and fasts; we just have to have the faith to wait and that He will answer in His own way and time. Verse 7 brings an interesting perspective: Being aware of our own weaknesses helps us appreciate the miracles. How many times have you been lifted up beyond your own ability and strength? I know this has happened with me many times.

Verses 11 and 12 also teach some great principles:
11 Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh.
12 And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a resurrection and the world to come?

In these verses, we are reminded that it is thru Christ that we are made perfect both physically and spiritually. We would be nothing without Christ, and we would have nothing to look forward to in the next life without Christ. He gave us the gifts of eternal life and forgiveness. I also love that we are encouraged to learn of Christ, to increase our testimony of Christ. That is something I constantly feel the need to work on because sometimes I forget His significance in my life. He has given us so much--more than we can fathom right now. But I hope to gain a greater understanding and testimony of His love for us and His mission. We owe all we have to Christ, and we must never forget that.

Subtle Prompting

Do you ever have those experiences...those times that make you wonder how many promptings you really do receive during the day.....and also make you wonder how many you actually listen to? One happened to me yesterday.

We were in a rush to get to early morning church. My husband had to give a talk, and I had to participate in a musical number with the primary. We both wanted to be there a little early so we were getting ready as fast as we could. At the church, I stopped to practice my song, and my husband ran to sit on the stand.

Our practice was over just as church was about to begin. I hurried into the chapel and realized that I had not arranged for someone to take care of my baby while I went up for the musical number. But I spotted a young couple sitting on the side. An empty bench was open in front of them. They did not have any children, and we were only aquaintances, but I felt like I could ask her to hold my baby.

I whispered of my favor to her just as the meeting started. She responded with, "I'd love to." As the meeting progressed, I noticed that her husband's arm was around her and she was crying. I felt bad. It seemd to be a sad cry. I wondered about my request and if it was appropriate, but I felt like everything would be okay.

The time for the musical number came and she reached out for the baby. Her and her husband played and laughed with him through the song. She had a big smile on her face when she handed him back.

Then fast-forward. After all of our meetings were over, I ran into her and thanked her for holding him during Sacrament meeting. She told me that she was very grateful that I had asked her. She told me that she has been struggling with fertility issues, so has just started to get help from a doctor. All signs were pointing toward success and they were pretty sure that she had been able to be pregnant. Then, she found out just before she came to church, that she was not. She said she was very emotional because it was Mother's Day. She then told me that holding my baby was exactly what she needed and how grateful she was that I had asked her. She said that it was wonderful and really helped her. We both hugged and cried. I was grateful for the simple prompting to ask her for that favor...and didn't even realize that indeed it was a subtle prompting. I felt very grateful and very blessed.

Jacob Ch. 2

Read it HERE

Summary: Jacob denounces the love of riches, pride, and unchastity--Men should seek riches to help their fellow men--Jacob condemns the unauthorized practice of plural marriage--The Lord delights in the chastity of women.


This chapter talks a lot about the people's desire for riches due to--what else--pride! I think pride is one of those things, that, by its very nature, gives us reason to automatically think, "oh, that is a problem other people have". Do you ever feel yourself begin to think this? I do! But remembering to keep our pride in check is so, so important. N. Eldon Tanner pointed out that Satan's great sin was pride. He also says:

"... If individuals are more concerned with pleasing men than pleasing God, then they suffer from the same virus Satan had, for there are many situations where seeking the praise of men will clearly result in their hurting, not helping, mankind for they will do expedient and temporary things instead of those which are lasting and beneficial.

"How much more satisfying it is when we receive the praise of God, knowing that it is fully justified and that his love and respect for us will persist, when usually the praise of men is fleeting and most disappointing” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1975, p.115; or Ensign Nov. 1975, 76)."

Now, I don't think we need to go comparing ourselves to Satan, but we can take notice of how far his pride made him fall. It is very sobering to me to think of it this way.

The Institute manual points out something interesting with regard to pride and riches. It says:

Two basic relationships help determine our attitude toward spiritual and material things—

a. Our relationship with God. If we turn our hearts away from God, the things of the world become our top priority. This is why Paul called covetousness “idolatry” (see Ephesians 5:5 , Colossians 3:5 ).

b. Our relationship with our fellowmen. If we lose sight of the brotherhood of men, our desire for material wealth can lead us to such sins as dishonesty, covetousness, and neglect of the poor.

I heard a talk a while ago in Sacrament meeting where the speaker addressed the problem of pride. He pointed out that pride is not taking pleasure in having something--it is taking pleasure in having more of something than others, whether money, beauty, intelligence, or talent. That really rang true with me. Isn't that the root cause of so many problems we have in this world?

Verse 13 says, ". . .because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they."

So how does this apply to me? Well, it is easy to feel a different kind of pride--the pride from the bottom--when I see someone who might be doing something I know is not in accordance with her beliefs. For instance, Joel and I were at the Temple on Saturday, and we saw someone walk out in a dress that was a few inches above her knee. He commented on it, and I wanted to. Suddenly I was struck with how wrong that was. We were showing (perhaps) the most common form of pride!

Natalie, I remember you writing about texting during the end of Stake Conference and leaving during the closing song because of your sick children. If you have the time, could you post that here? That was such a great post, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it.