God's Prophet Today

I have some really great news for you guys. We have a modern prophet today! He is called of God to declare His word to us.

No, no, no, wait. Didn't God stop calling prophets after Jesus Christ came? Aren't the days with prophets over? No. Why would they be over? Why would God call prophets for thousands of years and then all of a sudden stop calling them? If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then doesn't that mean His ways don't change? God has always given His children prophets to lead and guide them and tell them God's word. 

Each of God's prophets is unique and came from different circumstances. In the Bible, no two prophets were the same. Adam was the first man on earth, Noah was 600 years old when he was called to build an ark, Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son as a test, Moses was raised with Egyptian royalty and was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Samuel was chosen as a boy to be a prophet, Jonah was swallowed by a whale, and Daniel was thrown into a Lion's den. I will go ahead and let you all know right now that although each prophet is called of God, none of them are perfect. Only Jesus was perfect. Don't act so shocked. 

There have been many periods of time when there was no prophet on the Earth because of the people's unbelief but God loves us and always calls another prophet when the people are ready. You can find this pattern all throughout the Bible. The last time that this happened was when Jesus was born. The people rejected Him and His apostles and killed them. After this, the Earth didn't have any prophets for many years because of wickedness and because people simply weren't ready to have a prophet again. When the world was ready to once again have a prophet, one was called and Jesus Christ's church and authority was restored to the Earth after being lost and altered for so many centuries. This prophet was Joseph Smith. 

After Joseph Smith died, God continued to call prophets through revelation. The next prophet was Brigham Young. Then we had John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Joseph F. Smith, Heber J. Grant, George Albert Smith, David O. McKay, Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee, Spencer W. Kimball, Ezra Taft Benson, Howard W. Hunter, Gordon B. Hinckley, and now Thomas S. Monson.

Today instead of wearing robes and crying repentance in cities, the prophet wears a suit and carries a brief case and speaks to the world about following Jesus Christ. Even though they live thousands of years apart, they were all called of God to bless His children and to do a specific work here on the earth. 

The way that a new prophet is called is inspired of God. These men were chosen before they were born to be one of God's prophets. "And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born"(Abraham 3:23).

President Monson was born in 1927 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1948 with a degree in business management and later received his MBA degree from Brigham Young University. He also served in the United States Navy near the close of World War II. He married his wife, Frances Beverly Johnson, in 1948 and they have three children. He also has had a distinguished career in publishing and printing. He is a past president of Printing Industry of Utah and a former member of the board of directors of Printing Industries of America. 


President Monson also has served faithfully in the Church his whole life. He served as president of the Church's Canadian Mission from 1959 to 1962. He also served as a Bishop of a ward in Salt Lake City. He was called to be an Apostle in 1963 and was later called to be a counselor to three prophets. In 2008, after President Gordon B. Hinckley's death, he became the next prophet of the Church. 

Each prophet is a humble man who has done his best to serve God. Every calling in the Church is voluntary and that includes the calling of the prophet. President Thomas S. Monson is not paid for his service and neither are the apostles, bishops, missionaries, or Sunday School teachers. A prophet is not voted for by the people. When a prophet dies, the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles becomes the next prophet. If Thomas S. Monson were to die today, President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles would become the next prophet. 

Although the process of "becoming" a prophet may seem simple, it is divinely inspired of God. No one will become a prophet unless he is called of God. Everyone who is called to be an Apostle of Prophet serves for the rest of his life. They are faithful, God-fearing men who do their best to serve God and His people. We are promised that if we follow the prophet, we will never go astray. Following the prophet is always right, even when it isn't generally accepted. Anyone who has picked up a Bible can attest that following the prophet has never been a popular decision. However, it has always been the correct decision that has led to peace and salvation. 

I love President Thomas S. Monson. He is a true disciple of Jesus Christ and he has spent his whole life trying to serve him in the best way possible. I know that heeding the words of God's current and past prophets will bless us and help us to know God's will. 

Go here to read President Monson's recent sermons from last month. 

"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"(Jacob 4:6).


Amen.

Book of Mormon Stories - Nephi and His Family Cross the Ocean

Time: 600 BC
Place: The wilderness, the ocean, and the American continents
Reference: 1 Nephi 17, 18
Characters:
Lehi: Father of the family and a prophet.  He enjoys fearlessly preaching repentance to the Jews, receiving death threats, reading books obtained in strange ways, dreaming crazy dreams, trekking through the wilderness, and dwelling in tents.
Sariah: Wife of Lehi and a worried mother.  She enjoys spending time with family, bearing children in the wilderness, matchmaking, and gardening.
Nephi: Legendary younger brother and heroic prophet.  He enjoys archery, playing with swords, building ships, hiking to high mountains, writing poetry, and confounding his brothers.
Sam: Faithful but sometimes forgotten middle child.  He enjoys long walks through the wilderness, campfire stories, sailing, and playing with God's compass.
Laman and Lemuel: The two peas in a pod rebellious older brothers.  They enjoy antagonizing their brothers, eating raw meat, making new friends, dancing with hot women, and uttering tribal cries.
Zoram: Promise-keeping servant of Laban. He enjoys playing hide-and-seek in the dark, hitch hiking, reading in the libraries of Laban, and skinning beasts.
Ishmael: Adventure-seeking Jerusalem father. He enjoys playing matchmaker, listening to stories, going on trips with his family, and building camp fires.
Sons of Ishmael: Strong, rude, party animals. They enjoy bullying, building alliances with others, practicing robe knotting, and arm wrestling. 
Hot daughter of Ishmael: Sweet, spiritual, beautiful woman. She enjoys shopping for clothes, saving people's lives, and being married to Nephi.
Writer: Nephi
Background information: Nephi and his family were commanded to leave Jerusalem before it was destroyed by the Babylonians. After traveling in the wilderness for 8 years, they arrived at the ocean. In this popular story, Nephi builds a ship, confounds his brothers again, and they sail across the ocean and arrive in the promised land despite Laman and Lemuel's attempts to stop their progress.
Previously on Book of Mormon Stories: After Nephi and his brothers brought back Ishmael and his family, Laman and Lemuel and some of the sons of Ishmael tried to rebel and turn back. Thanks to the power of God and Nephi's hot future wife, they were all able to return to Lehi in the wilderness and the day was saved. Lehi had a dream about the Tree of Life which he relayed to his family. Nephi was confused about the dream so went and prayed and an angel of the Lord appeared to him and explained it to him. Now we all know that we need to find this delicious fruit and I graciously let you know that it's right here in the gospel of Jesus Christ ready for you to enjoy. You're welcome. (Click here to read the full story.) 


Our story continues as Lehi and his family continue their journey through the wilderness. We learn that the children of Ishmael marred the children of Lehi which was one thing that Laman and Lemuel did't complain about. Unfortunately, Ishmael died along the way and was buried in the land of Nahom. (To learn about evidence for The Book of Mormon that comes from this, go to this post, point number 5.) 

As they took their journey into the wilderness, Nephi tells us that their women bore children.  They also lived off of raw meat but the Lord blessed them with strength "and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings." Yuck. I think if this was written from a woman's perspective instead of a man's it would've said: "And it came to pass that my husband is making me eat raw meat while I'm pregnant and breastfeeding in the middle of a wilderness and I'm supposed to be grateful and feel blessed by the Lord. And I esteemeth my husband as crazy and I gave him the silent treatment for 2 weeks."

Eventually they arrived in a land they called Bountiful, "because of its much fruit and also wild honey." Yummy. They pitched their tents there and were "exceedingly rejoiced" to be there at the seashore after their many difficulties. 

After many days, the voice of the Lord came to Nehpi and told him to get into into a mountain. He obeyed and went up there to converse with God because this is now a normal thing for him. The Lord said to him: "Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters." And Nephi, bless his heart, said: "Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?" He didn't even question the Lord but just right away was like, "k cool, tell me what to do." What a stud. 

The Lord then told Nephi how to construct the ship and he right away got to work. Unfortunately, Nephi has some really annoying older brothers. Laman and Lemuel found out what he was doing and started making fun of him, saying: "Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters. And thou art like unto our father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart;"

 

"And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the the Lord."

Nephi then testified to his brothers that he had been instructed of God and that they are being thick-headed: "Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time...but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words...O, then, why is it that ye can be so hard in your hearts? Behold, my soul is rent with anguish because of you, and my heart is pained; I fear lest ye shall be cast off forever."

Surprisingly, Laman and Lemuel weren't happy about being accused of doing iniquity and being cast off forever. They were "desirous to throw [Nephi] into the depths of the sea" but "as they came forth to lay their hands upon [him]" Nephi said to them: "In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed." That scared them.

For the next couple of days Laman and Lemuel avoided Nephi out of fear. ("Our brother is insane, for he thinketh he can electrocute us.") The Lord then said to Nephi: "Stretch forth thine hand again unto thy brethren, and they shall not wither before thee, but I will shock them...and this will I do, that they may know that I am the Lord their God." Nephi gladly obeyed and shocked his brothers. Laman and Lemuel were adequately freaked out and humbled. They then acknowledged that God is with Nephi and from that point on they helped him build the ship. 
  
After the ship was finished, everyone loaded in and they set sail. After many days, Nephi's brothers, the sons of Ishmael, and their wives "began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness." When he writes "dance" and "sing" here, he's not talking about this:   

He's talking about this:

In a boat. With a bunch of men who haven't showered. Sounds like a party. Whatever they were doing exactly, it wasn't OK and it wasn't in line with the Lord's commandments. 

Nephi started to get nervous and was like "the commandments! the commandments! we need to keep the cOmAnDmEnTs!" The party-goers weren't impressed. "Behold they were angry with me, saying: We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us." And then they proceeded to bind him with cords "and they did treat [him] with much harshness." Nice, right? 

After they bound him, their compass which the Lord had given them stopped working so they didn't know which direction to go. To make matters worse, a huge storm started. For three days they "were driven back upon the waters...and they began to be frightened lest they should be drowned in the sea." Laman and Lemuel threatened anyone who would help Nephi and not even the tears of Nephi's wife or children softened their hearts. 
 
Eventually, Laman and Lemuel realized that there was a higher power at work there and that they were going to die. They released Nephi and he grabbed the compass and started praying to God. "And after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm."

Nephi guided the ship and after many days they arrived in the promised land (the American continents). There they settled and planted seeds and hunted. And that is how Nephi and his family arrived in Jerusalem. Cool story, right?

Although Nephi went through a lot of hardship, he never complained to the Lord. He trusted in Him and was willing to obey Him even when it seemed crazy or hard. Nephi is a prime example of keeping the commandments and we can all learn from him.

Next time on Book of Mormon Stories we will learn how the problems between Nephi and his brothers escalated until they separated and grew into two huge civilizations that battled each other for 1000 years. Talk about sibling rivalry.

"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love"(John 15:10). 

Amen.

"Mormonism is Insane" and Other Accusations

I recently received a comment on my Facebook post where I was sharing my blog when I got a great comment from someone we'll call "Dane." He said, "Mormonism is insane. It's not really Christianity either (which is crazy enough as is). But Mormonism is far and away completely bonkers. You believe that God was once a person and that he's from a planet called Kolob, and you believe that everyone will get to be a god when they die. Also, you believe that Jesus came to America to visit a Hebrew civilization here that there is no evidence for (and every bit of evidence against). It's completely and absolutely nuts; the only thing Mormonism does is show just how much you can delude people in mass numbers." 

Wow I've never heard that before (sarcasm). I'm just going to cover each of these topics one by one if that's alright.

1. "Mormonism is insane." 

I get it, you all think we're a bunch of weirdos. We are all VERY aware of what the world thinks of us. The Lord Himself said: "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be an peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth"(Deuteronomy 14:2). God's people have never been very popular in the world. From the beginning the world has persecuted and killed them. They even thought Jesus was mad, called him "gluttonous" and a "winebibber," and killed Him. (Matthew 11:19)

I will let you all know that the Mormon church teaches its members that nothing is more important than family. Family is central to God's plan. We teach people to have good values, be honest, love one another, be self-sufficient, care for the poor and needy, etc. Next time there's a national disaster, check and see who some of the first responders are. American Red Cross, Mormons, and other religious organizations. Regardless of how "insane" people think we are, we do our best to follow Jesus Christ and love and serve everyone. 

2. "It's not really Christianity either." 

Oh Dane, if only you'd read my blog post found here. I explain why we are Christian but why some people think we're not. Our church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We worship Jesus Christ. Not Mormon or Joseph Smith or Satan or Mitt Romney.

3. "You believe that God was once a person... and you believe that everyone will get to be a god when they die." 

Correct.. mostly. The Bible teaches us many times about this concept: 

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if it so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together"(Romans 8:16-18).

"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ"(Galatians 4:7).

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne"(Revelation 3:21). 

God's plan for His children is for us to come to Earth in families to gain a body, be tried and tested, and return to live with Him again if we were faithful. If we follow Him and do our part, we can one day inherit all that the Father has. Essentially we can become as He is, a God. Not everyone will get to become gods because not everyone will follow Him and qualify. So we don't believe that everyone will get to be a god, only the faithful will as outlined in the scriptures.

This process is how God Himself became a God. He went through the same process we did on some other world. He overcame and was able to become a God. Lorenzo Snow, the fifth prophet of the Church today, said: "As man now is, God once was; as God is now man may be." This adds a whole new round of questions and for the answers to those I will direct you here.

4. "You believe... that [God is] from a planet called Kolob."

In case you haven't noticed, Mormons have two additional books of scripture besides The Book of Mormon. It's the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. We just learned about additional scripture called The Book of Mormon and now I'm throwing more at you? Yes. I think if we can use more of anything in the world it's more of God's word. God loves us and likes to speak to us through more mediums than just the Bible. Get over it. Anyway, in the Pearl of Great Price is the book of Abraham. This Abraham is the same one in the Bible. This is where Kolob is mentioned. Abraham says:

"And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it; 

"And the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones; and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me, for I am the Lord thy God: I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.

"And thus there shall be the reckoning of the time of one planet above another, until thou come nigh unto Kolob, which Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord’s time; which Kolob is set nigh unto the throne of God, to govern all those planets which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest"(Abraham 3:2,3,9).

And that's about all we know about it. Kolob is a planet that is nearest the throne of God and the time of Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord's time. So we don't believe that God necessarily lives on Kolob, we just believe that it is a planet that is nearest to God. You can read the rest of that chapter in Abraham for further information.

5. "Also, you believe that Jesus came to America to visit a Hebrew civilization here that there is no evidence for (and every bit of evidence against)."

Yes we do believe that Jesus Christ came to visit the Americas after His resurrection and appearance to His apostles in Jerusalem.  Jesus told His disciples: "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd"(John 10:16). Jesus Christ Himself said that there are other people besides the ones in Jerusalem that He's going to visit. It's possible that the Americas were one of many other civilizations He appeared to. The account of His visit to the Americas can be found starting in 3 Nephi 11. 

As for evidence for the Book of Mormon. God of course doesn't give us evidence for everything He does because He expects us to have faith in Him. However, there is a bit of evidence for The Book of Mormon. For example, the idea of writing on metal plates was once ridiculed, but in recent years numerous examples of sacred writings on metal plates -- some hidden in stone boxes -- have been found. 

Linguists have noted Book of Mormon words and phrases that sound awkward in English but make perfect sense in Hebrew and related languages that would have been known by the people of the Book of Mormon -- languages young Joseph Smith did not know. 

In 1 Nephi 16:34, a man named Ishmael died, "and was buried in the place which was called Nahom." Cool. Where's Nahom? A group of Latter-Day Saint researchers found evidence linking a site in Yemen, on the southwest corner of the Arabian peninsula, to the name "Nahom." They located a stone altar that professional archaeologists dated to at least 700 BC. This altar contains an inscription confirming "Nahom" as an actual place that existed in the peninsula before the time of Lehi. Can you imagine Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey "writing" the Book of Mormon and Joseph says, "hmmm, let's have this guy Ishmael die. And we'll have them bury him in a place called 'Nahom'. Make the 'h' silent. Yeah, that sounds great. I bet they'll dig up evidence for that one day and we'll totally get them!"

Lastly, there are many small evidences found in the cultures and traditions of North and South American people. When Christopher Columbus came, the Native Americans thought he was a god because they had been told that a white god would come to visit them. Can it be possible this same "white god" they were thinking of was Jesus Christ who appeared to their ancestors 1400 years before? Many Latter-Day Saints have traveled to South America on vacation and learned that some of those people's ancient beliefs sound very familiar to our beliefs about the Plan of Salvation. 

Essentially, the Book of Mormon has been around for over 200 years and no one has been able to prove it's false. However, millions now can attest to its truthfulness. And that brings us to our last point made by our friend Dane. 

6. "It's completely and absolutely nuts; the only thing Mormonism does is show just how much you can delude people in mass numbers." 

In 2013 the Church had 282,945 convert baptisms. How do we "delude" people in mass numbers? Because it's true. There are thousands of missionaries that go out every day to teach people about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and The Book of Mormon. Missionaries don't force anyone to believe. All they do is teach them and ask them to pray to know if it's true. Those who receive an answer to their prayers are baptized into the Church. That means that 282,945 people last year received the answer from God that this is true. The promise is there: "Ask and ye shall receive." God says it over and over again. He's not kidding. Anyone can know if it's true if you are willing to experiment to see if it's true. I promise that anyone who reads the Book of Mormon and prays and asks God with faith and real intent will receive an answer. 

I know it is true and so does God and 15 million others with that number growing every day. If it wasn't true, this church wouldn't have survived. How could a silly 14 year old with a crazy book and a band of destitute followers ever survive and grow into a church with millions of followers and 88,000 young adults traveling the world to tell everyone that it's true? It could never happen unless this is God's work. And I testify that it is.

And there you have it. Six arguments against the church laid out for you. Now are you going to take my word for it or some other guy on the internet or are you going to ask God if it's true? Here's the Book of Mormon. Read it. Then pray and ask God. Once you receive your answer, let me know. (:

"And by the power of the Holy Ghost you shall know the truth of all things"(Moroni 10:5).

Amen.

Why Do a Lot of Mormons Live in Utah?

Currently there are over 1,975,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints living in Utah. That is 68% of the state. There are a little over 15 million members worldwide and about 6.4 million in the United States. That means that 31% of Church members in the United States and 13% of members worldwide live in Utah. That is quite a chunk. How come so many live in Utah? Is it because the Church started there? Nope. It was organized in up-state New York.

Perhaps some of you remember vaguely hearing about the Mormon pioneers in your United States History classes. Some man believed that God and angels appeared to him so he started a church with a weird book but then everyone thought the members, nicknamed Mormons, were crazy, devilish polygamists who were taking over their towns so they drove them out from everywhere they tried to settle so the Mormons trekked across the plains until they arrived in Utah. That's it in a nutshell. Now let's expound on these teachings. 

In 1830 The Church of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth with the proper Priesthood Authority of God complete with prophets and apostles just like in Biblical times. Many people joined the Church after that and it started expanding. Many Saints (we call Church members Saints. Not that we think we're amazing or anything, it's just what we're called.) moved to Ohio. Others moved to Missouri and Illinois later on.

When the Mormons settled in Jackson, Missouri, they were very excited and started up their own little town with more members arriving every day. Soon, the locals grew very uneasy. They were nervous about the growing influence and were afraid they would soon be outnumbered. Ministers, merchants, and politicians especially resented the intrusion. There was also a slavery issue which we all know was a huge deal during this time. The old settlers liked their slaves but the Mormons brought their abolitionist views and there was fear of a black rebellion. Soon, committees were meeting together discussing how to get rid of the Mormons. One of these meetings turned into a mob that destroyed stores owned by the Mormons and tarred and feathered Mormons who wouldn't denounce their beliefs at the public square. Later, mobs killed many members of the church and told them that if the Mormons didn't leave then every man, woman, and child belonging to the Church would be whipped. Eventually all of this conflict led to more and more violence until the Mormons were brutally driven from the state. 

Governor Boggs, the governor of Missouri, issued the infamous "Extermination Order" ordering that Mormons must be treated as enemies or exterminated. Many people took this to heart.

One of the most violent events happened at Haun's mill in Missouri on October 31, 1835. A mob attacked the village, shooting at everyone regardless of age. One ten year old boy was hiding during the attack when one of the mobbers found him and blew off the upper part of his head. The man later said, "Nits will make lice, and if he had lived he would have become a Mormon."

Many more incidents like this occurred throughout the 1830s and 1840s. The Saints lived in Kirtland, Ohio for a few years until being thrown out as well as in Nauvoo, Illinois. They managed to build a temple in both Kirtland and Nauvoo before being forced out. The Nauvoo temple was burned down and was rebuilt over 150 years later but the Kirtland temple is still standing today and is owned by a different church.  

The leaders of the church weren't getting any help at all from the federal government and it was eventually made clear to them that they had to leave the United States in order to have peace. Although the Mormons left the United States, they responded to the call when James K. Polk, then President of the United States, requested 500-1,000 Mormon men to assist in the Mexican War. This became the longest infantry march in history with the men marching approximately 1,850 miles to help defend the country that denied them their rights. We call this the Mormon Battalion.

The famous Mormon Pioneers trekked across the plains and the first group, Brigham Young being with them, arrived in the Salt Lake valley on July 24, 1847. Utah celebrates this day as a state holiday. Throughout the coming years, thousands more of the Saints arrived from eastern United States and Europe, a lot of them going through a lot of difficulty to get there. They built up Salt Lake City and had members of the church settle neighboring communities. They built temples there and the Headquarters of the Mormon church have been there ever since. 

The Church has expanded a lot during the years and now there are more Mormons living outside the United States than in but Utah is still the main place for Mormons because of their pioneer ancestors. We acknowledge that our ancestors weren't perfect and made mistakes, but so has every person who has ever lived besides Jesus Christ. We revere our ancestors for their sacrifice and bravery.

Most Mormons living in Utah can trace their ancestry back to the Mormon pioneers. My ancestors on my mother's side were Mormon pioneers. My ancestors on my father's side consist of the mobbers who killed the pioneers. One of my father's ancestors in particular was part of the mob that murdered Joseph Smith and his brother. 

And that is why so many Mormons live in Utah. The majority of them have stayed from when their ancestors arrived there. Many have come for other reasons. It isn't a perfect state and we keep church and state separate but it was founded on Christian values. I love Utah. The Salt Lake City Temple is beautiful as are the surrounding mountains. It's also famous for having great snow for skiing and snowboarding which brings in thousands of people each year. If any of you are ever passing by Utah, stop by Temple Square in Salt Lake City. There are buildings and museums there with lots of history of the Mormon pioneers and also the Native Americans who lived there as well. 

President John F. Kennedy visited Salt Lake City, Utah on September 29, 1963, 55 days before his assassination. He delivered a speech, found here. He praised the Mormon Pioneers and said, "Of all the tales of America's pioneers and settlers, none is more inspiring than that of the Mormon Trail."

I'm grateful for the Mormon pioneers and for their faith and sacrifice. Every hardship they went through was worth it for them to be able to follow God and do what they believed to be right.
 

 

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
"And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes"(D&C 121:7-8). 

Amen.

Book of Mormon Stories - The Tree of Life

Time: 600 BC
Place: Jerusalem and the surrounding wilderness
Reference: 1 Nephi 7,8,11,12
Characters:
Lehi: Father of the family and a prophet.  He enjoys fearlessly preaching repentance to the Jews, receiving death threats, reading books obtained in strange ways, dreaming crazy dreams, trekking through the wilderness, and dwelling in tents.
Sariah: Wife of Lehi and a worried mother.  She enjoys spending time with family, bearing children in the wilderness, matchmaking, and gardening.
Nephi: Legendary younger brother and heroic prophet.  He enjoys archery, playing with swords, building ships, hiking to high mountains, writing poetry, and confounding his brothers.
Sam: Faithful but sometimes forgotten middle child.  He enjoys long walks through the wilderness, campfire stories, sailing, and playing with God's compass.
Laman and Lemuel: The two peas in a pod rebellious older brothers.  They enjoy antagonizing their brothers, eating raw meat, making new friends, dancing with hot women, and uttering tribal cries.
Zoram: Promise-keeping servant of Laban. He enjoys playing hide-and-seek in the dark, hitch hiking, reading in the libraries of Laban, and skinning beasts.
Ishmael: Adventure-seeking Jerusalem father. He enjoys playing matchmaker, listening to stories, going on trips with his family, and building camp fires.
Sons of Ishmael: Strong, rude, party animals. They enjoy bullying, building alliances with others, practicing robe knotting, and arm wrestling. 
Hot daughter of Ishmael: Sweet, spiritual, beautiful woman. She enjoys shopping for clothes, saving people's lives, staring at hot boys, and batting her eyes at Nephi.
Writer: Nephi
Background information: This is a popular story in the Book of Mormon. This story teaches us about God's love for all of us and what more we can do to come closer to Him. It also teaches us about the danger of temptation and the importance to hold fast to what we believe.
Previously on Book of Mormon Stories: Nephi and his brothers were commanded to return to Jerusalem to obtain the brass plates. Nephi was adamant about keeping the commandments and knew of the blessings that come from it. Along the way he learned an even deeper lesson on keeping the commandments. He slew Laban, took the brass plates, and brought a new friend, Zoram, back to Jerusalem with them. They all rejoiced to be able to have the scriptures with them in their travels. (click here to read the full story) 


After Nephi, Laman, Lemuel, and Sam's arduous journey to Jerusalem and back to get the brass plates, the Lord once again commanded them to return to Jerusalem. The Lord needed them to return to bring Ishmael and his family into the wilderness so that Lehi's children could have someone to marry. It's interesting to note that no complaining took place this time. The sons gladly hiked back to Jerusalem to get some hot wives.

"And it came to pass that we went up unto the house of Ishmael, and we did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael, insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord. And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household, insomuch that they took their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent of our father." 

As they were travelling back, "behold Laman and Lemuel, and two of the daughters of Ishmael, and the two sons of Ishmael and their families, did rebel against us." Oh how surprising: his brothers are rebelling again. They wanted to go back to Jerusalem instead of going on a crazy trip into the wilderness. Nephi tried to testify and be like "guys..commandments..promised blessings..you saw an angel..Why aren't you guys getting this?!" Laman and Lemuel weren't impressed and they proceeded to bind Nephi with chords and leave him there to die. But faithful Nephi prayed to God and God loosed the bands so that he could stand and continue preaching. Then his brothers were super angry, but one of Ishmael's daughters and her mother and brother all pleaded for them to spare his life. They then realized that they were being jerks and asked for forgiveness and they continued on their way. A few chapters later, Nephi married this cute, brave daughter of Ishmael. ("And it came to pass that I, Nephi, took one of the daughters of Ishmael to wife...And also, I, Nephi, had been blessed of the Lord exceedingly" "because I have a hot wife" [1 Nephi 16:7-8].) 

After they had all been travelling in the wilderness together, Lehi came to his family one morning and told them he had had a dream. Super. Lehi's dreams are so fun. He told them that in his dream, he saw a "large and spacious field...And I also beheld a strait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood...And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood." So there are tons of people in this huge field who are holding on to this rod of iron trying to get to this tree. 

Why is this tree so important? "And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted.. And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy.." 

It made him so happy that he wanted his family to have some too. He gestured to his family to come eat the fruit and Sariah, Sam, and Nephi did and they were also filled with joy. But when he beckoned Laman and Lemuel to come, they did not. Instead, they were on the other side of a river in a "great and spacious building...And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit."

There were lots of other people there other than the ones in the building and the ones eating the fruit. There were some who would hang on to the rod for a while but eventually let go and were lost in the darkness. Others actually partook of the fruit but then were ashamed because of those laughing at them so they left the tree and were lost. Many were wandering around in the darkness, either making their way towards the great and spacious building or simply not knowing where to go and were also lost.

The number of those actually on the iron rod was few, but they were strong and knew what they wanted and where they were headed. "And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not."

Now you may be wondering, what does this all mean? So were Nephi and his brothers. Nephi went and prayed to the Lord and the Spirit of the Lord appeared to him and told him what the things in Lehi's dream meant. Here I will give you a cheat sheet of what the elements in the dream symbolize. 

Tree of Life: The love of God "Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.. Yea, and the most joyous to the soul."

Rod of iron: The word of God.

The mists of darkness: The temptations of the devil, "which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost."

River: The depths of hell. Ouch.

The great and spacious building: The pride of the world. "And it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great...Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb."

I love the story of the tree of life. I have tasted of the fruit and I know that it is so desirable above all else. Maybe there is a huge great and spacious building with fingers pointing at me and mocking me for my beliefs but I know what I have felt and seen and I know that this is true. I want others to be able to have it as well. That is why I am a missionary and I go and teach others about the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are so many people out there who are lost and don't know where to go. I am trying to find those who are willing to come to the iron rod so that they can be brought to the love of God and enjoy the fullness of His gospel. This gospel is the only way and it brings me so much joy and happiness. Nothing in that great and spacious building can even compare to the incredible love of God and gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that as we all hold on to the iron rod by reading our scriptures, praying, going to church, keeping the commandments, and heeding the words of the prophets and apostles, we can all make it to the tree of life and rejoice together. 

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it"(Mosiah 2:41).


Amen.

Book of Mormon Stories - Nephi and His Brothers Get the Brass Plates

Time: 600 BC
Place: Jerusalem and the surrounding wilderness
Reference: 1 Nephi 2,3,4,5
Characters:
Lehi: Father of the family and a prophet.  He enjoys fearlessly preaching repentance to the Jews, receiving death threats, reading books obtained in strange ways, dreaming crazy dreams, trekking through the wilderness, and dwelling in tents.
Sariah: Wife of Lehi and a worried mother.  She enjoys spending time with family, bearing children in the wilderness, matchmaking, and gardening.
Nephi: Legendary younger brother and heroic prophet.  He enjoys archery, playing with swords, building ships, hiking to high mountains, writing poetry, and confounding his brothers.
Sam: Faithful but sometimes forgotten middle child.  He enjoys long walks through the wilderness, campfire stories, sailing, and playing with God's compass.
Laman and Lemuel: The two peas in a pod rebellious older brothers.  They enjoy antagonizing their brothers, eating raw meat, making new friends, dancing with hot women, and uttering tribal cries.
Laban: Grumpy nobleman who's a descendant of "Joseph and the amazing, technicolor  dream coat." He enjoys family history, treasure hunts, commanding armies, partying with his brethren, sword fighting, and wine tasting.
Zoram: Promise-keeping servant of Laban. He enjoys playing hide-and-seek in the dark, hitch hiking, reading in the libraries of Laban, and skinning beasts.
Writer: Nephi
Background information: This story teaches us some great principles: the need to pray and ask God to receive answers, the blessings from keeping the commandments, and the importance of trusting God even if we don't understand.
Previously on Book of Mormon Stories: Lehi received a vision from God that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed. After unsuccessfully preaching to the people, he and his family were commanded to leave Jerusalem and depart into the wilderness. Two of his sons, Laman and Lemuel, complained a lot against their father because they did not believe that God had commanded them to leave. Nephi was probably similarly upset but we will see what Nephi does different that helps him to receive a testimony that Lehi really had been commanded of God. (click here to read the full story)


Nephi is a funny guy. You get to see a bit more of the character of him in this story. He starts off by saying in verse 16 of chapter 2, "I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God.." So here we learn what's important to Nephi: that he's a big, buff dude and that he's curious about God. Great. Next he says that "I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers." Hold on. He prayed and received an answer from God. You mean all you have to do is pray and God will answer you? Crazy! It's not like we're told that a million times in the scriptures. Nephi was able to receive an answer from God because he asked in faith and really wanted to know. God doesn't always pay us personal visits, but He always answers our prayers.

The Lord then gave Nephi a promise that becomes a repeating theme throughout The Book of Mormon: "And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands" He's also told, "And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren." What exceedingly young and large in stature guy doesn't want to be led to a land of promise or be a ruler over his brethren? Sign me up!

As soon as Nephi was told that he will be blessed if he keeps the commandments, his father came to him and told him that the Lord commanded that Nephi and his brothers should return to Jerusalem and obtain a record on brass plates. This record was owned by a man named Laban and had the genealogy of Lehi's forefathers and records of ancient prophets. Lehi and his family had just traveled for probably over a month in the wilderness and now the sons were told to go back because their crazy dad received yet another vision that they have to go back and get scriptures from a rich, powerful, blood-thirsty nobleman. Sounds super fun. Nephi's brothers were understandably less than excited. Nephi, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "A commandment? Did you just say commandment? The Lord just barely told me that I need to obey those!!" He then proudly said to his father, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." And just like that he convinced his brothers to come with and they all headed back to Jerusalem.

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they cast lots (pick up the unlucky stick) and Laman was chosen to go to the house of Laban and ask for the plates. (Laman is Nephi's murmuring brother. Laban is the nobleman. Don't confuse the "M" and "B") Laman strolled into Laban's palace and was like, "Hey sorry man but God told my dad that I need to take your brass plates off your hands.. sorry I think he's crazy too but my brother is having a heart-attack about keeping the commandments." Laban was not impressed and tried to kill him so Laman ran away. 

For their next attempt to obtain the record, Nephi and his brothers decided to go back to their old home and gather up "our gold, and our silver, and our precious things" to trade Laban in exchange for the brass plates. Once again Laban tried to kill them and he stole their stuff. 

Laman and Lemuel were ticked. They had been almost killed (twice now for Laman) and now all their valuables were gone. They yelled at their younger brothers, Sam and Nephi, "and they did smite us even with a rod." Ouch. "And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod?" I wish an angel had appeared to my older siblings when they smote me. But that's beside the point. Anyway, Laman and Lemuel ceased their smiting after being chastised by the angel. They were still upset and didn't believe that God could help them but Nephi was like, "Seriously? You just saw an angel! And we need to keep the commandments!" 

Nephi then decided to try this own his own without his brothers. "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." He crept into the city into the house of Laban. He saw a man laying on the ground and approached him. "I beheld a man, and he had fallen to the earth before me, for he was drunken with wine. And when I came to him I found that it was Laban." This is another funny moment with Nephi. He just barely noted that it's Laban when he saw Laban's shiny sword. He then gives us a full verse about how cool Laban's shiny sword is: "And I beheld his sword... and the hilt thereof was of pure gold; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine, and I saw that the blade thereof..." Such a guy.  

The Spirit then nudged Nephi to remind him that he's standing over the unarmed, drunk man who has the plates and had tried to kill him. The Spirit next commanded Nephi to kill Laban. Nephi, understandably, freaked out a bit. "What!? But that's against the commandments and you said not to break them!" The Spirit then told him that "the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief." Nephi then realized that if he is to inherit the promised land, his children will need the commandments which are on the brass plates. If he doesn't follow the commandment to kill Laban, he can't obtain the brass plates, and if he doesn't obtain them then his children won't know the commandments. If Nephi doesn't kill Laban to obtain the record then he won't be obeying God's commandments. A-hah! Finally understanding, Nephi took Laban's shiny sword and killed him. Then he dressed up as Laban and went in search of the brass plates. 

Along the way, he met one of Laban's servants, Zoram. Zoram thought Nephi was Laban so he took him to the brass plates. After Nephi obtained the plates, he took Zoram with him to his brothers outside the city walls. As they approached, his brothers got scared and started to run away because they thought Nephi was Laban, but Nephi called out to let them know it was him. Zoram then started to tremble and run away but Nephi, the young but large in stature guy, grabbed him. He promised Zoram with an oath that if he will follow them, he will live and he can be part of their family and go to the promised land. Zoram vowed that he would stay with them and the five of them 
returned to their parents in the wilderness with 
the brass plates. 

Their mother, Sariah, had thought they had all died so she was extremely relieved when they returned. They gave thanks to God. Nephi ended by reminding us about the whole commandment thing and how obedient he had been: "And it came to pass that thus far I and my father had kept the commandments wherewith the Lord had commanded us." Good job, Nephi.



Nephi learned the importance of keeping all the commandments of God even when he didn't understand or when no one else wanted to. Obeying God isn't popular. Most of the world thinks that obedience to God's commandments limits us and makes us dumb sheep. On the other hand, it blesses and frees us. Nephi was in a scary situation and he could've easily given up, but if he didn't do as the Lord commanded then he would've lost the promises and blessings associated with obedience. We need to trust that God knows best and that if we do as He asks, He will help and protect us and bless us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Amen.