Book of Mormon – Page 8 – Letters from Home

Current study

I set out to find the “causes” of righteous behavior in the Book of Mormon. Beginning with the first verse and moving through each chapter, I began writing down things that led to righteousness: good parents, visions, dreams, the influence of others, determination to fulfill a covenant, rejoicing in the Lord’s hand in life, etc. Within a very short time, I found the goodness of God linked to the power of people to be good. With every effort shown by people, God was there, helping, guiding, inspiring, and strengthening. He is the source of the spiritual gift of faith. It is in Him that people can find a worthy placement of their faith. He sends blessings with perfect timing. He softens hearts. His Son’s atonement enables, purifies, and gives hope. He manifests himself in word, power, and deed. He is everywhere righteousness is happening. He is the “cause.” To be righteous is to allow His influence in.

I have had detracting voices to my religion throughout my life, some very close. My deep study is one reason I love my church with confidence. The Book of Mormon is true. As I have made it a manual for my life, I have felt its power. I have come to know to know what my religion is by dissecting chapter, verse, and words. It is good.

Yesterday I found a phrase I have not considered. “…all men shall reap the reward of their works, according to that which they have been…” (Alma 9:28)

What have I been to others? Have I been a light? Have I been a gentle place to land?

What have I been to God? Have I been a source of joy to Him? When needed, have I been able to reflect His light to others?

What have I been to myself? Am I as forgiving and patient with myself as I am with others? Is my focus on becoming or doing? Is my priority people or processes?

I have days when I am limited in what I can accomplish. On these days, I erase my to do lists. I have learned that my identity is not just tied to my productivity. There are very few essential things to do each day: pray, read scriptures, love others, repent, eat, and sleep. Righteousness is an identity more than a resume.

Takes Pains, Sicknesses, Death

One page of the Book of Mormon

I pause at the corner store near my grandmother’s home in California when I visit and feel gratitude for the store owners who simply gave a Book of Mormon to each of their neighborhood customers. The Book of Mormon they gave to the Sanchez family sat on a shelf for years before my dad, a teenager, decided to read it.

Sometimes I think we forget that the biggest tool to bring people to Christ is the Book of Mormon. I loved this account of a BYU advertising project which asked people of all faiths to read one page of the Book of Mormon, highlight references to God, and tell what they thought and felt as they read. The responses were remarkable.

Here is what a few people said after reading:

Danny, Christian, page 4

I’ve never heard of the Book of Mormon before. But it wasn’t foreign. It was more familiar reading it. It’s like I was listening to a song that was familiar, but I couldn’t remember what it was called or who it was by…It makes me want to find out more.

Amna, Pakistan,Muslim, page 397:

This [experiment] is a brilliant idea. You should take out an ad and tell people to be here. I woke up and turned on the TV today, and all I saw was war, refugees, violence, and problems. The world needs to see this [experiment]. To see that there is hope and love in the world and that God is good…I am so grateful to be part of this project today. The whole world needs to see it. Thank you!

The full (short) article is here:

https://magazine.byu.edu/article/an-experiment-upon-the-word/

My words

Someone asked us at church to come up with a word that described our individual focus for the year. It was just an exercise and she wasn’t saying that a theme word should have to be a thing we do. But it is a good exercise to get you thinking. Some examples women came up with: acceptance, kindness, patience, love, and joy.

I couldn’t think of one word, so I chose this phrase from Alma. This has been in my head this year, and some good has come from it. Unfortunately, it hasn’t had an effect on my exercise habits.

And this little letterboard makes me really, really happy.

I like this.

My friend recommended this to me and now I am telling you. It’s The Book of Mormon, 2013 edition, organized by events, not chapters. Nothing has been taken out and it is still written in the same order.

I like it because:

It is easier to read than normally formatted scripture, as it is written in paragraphs. (Verses and chapters are still visible.)
The authors’ and speakers’ names are written in the left margins so it is clear whose voice you are reading.
There are large margins for notes.
Dates and places are in the right margins, making it easier to place the events.
Because the authors are identified, and I think for the most part the editors are accurate, I have been able to see Mormon’s efforts in greater detail. I read more emphasis into the words that are directly from the Lord, and like isolating the doctrines from different prophets. I am coming to know each prophet better.
The book has a nice feel; it’s not too light, and opens flat, even though it is a paperback.

Let me know if you give it a try and enjoy it.

What does it mean to do your best?

I found a journal entry from 2004 which had a post-it note with this list of scriptures on it with the title, “How can we know we are doing our best?”

I used this list as part of my scripture study this morning. It was a good exercise in self-assessment. If our Father in Heaven is the standard for perfection, and we aren’t perfect, how are we to judge if we are worthy of his grace? These scriptures were reality check and gave hope. Thank you, 2004 me.

Mosiah 4:26-27; 30

Proverbs 3:5-6

Ether 12:27

Exodus 20:3-17

D&C 20:77, 79

2 Nephi 25:23

Moroni 10:32

2 Nephi 31:20

Ecclesiastes 9:10-11

D&C 10:4

Exodus 18:18

Numbers 11:14

I added Matthew 5. Alma 5 would be good, too.

Also, THIS.

Favorite Things

Last week for a Relief Society activity, we did a modest gift exchange, keeping our purchases around $5. The gift was supposed to represent some of our favorite things. For the gift I brought, I included an extra fine point pen, some Jelly Bellies and some lipstick. Into the bag also went this paper with a few favorite scripture verses. I ran out of room before I could do much from the Bible. Trust me, there are lots of favorite Bible verses in my life.

Easter Journals 2017

How do you teach children to rely on the Savior? How do you help them see a need for a relationship with Jesus Christ? What teaching method will work for ages 10-17? How can I share my testimony in a way they will hear it?

These are a few questions I have been thinking about. I know that these questions can’t be addressed with a one-time effort, but I wanted to make something our family could do each day leading up to Easter to bring us closer to Jesus Christ.

I made an Easter journal for each family member with a scripture to read and a question to answer each day for five days. I printed out questions and art and mounted them in the journals to help inspire writing.

We promised each writing activity would only require 10 minutes. We shortened it to 5 minutes after one day. We read the scriptures aloud and then set a timer for each of us to write in our little journals. I promised I wouldn’t make them share what they wrote and we wouldn’t read what they wrote. We had a short discussion after each journal entry, sharing experiences and ideas. I gave them each a container of Jelly Bellies to eat as they wrote. Richard and I also wrote in journals.

How did it go?

I don’t know what went on in their hearts, but there was a good feeling in our discussions after we wrote.
We couldn’t make it happen every day. We had to double up a few times when we had everyone together, in a good mood, and awake.
They ate a lot of Jelly Bellies.
We had fun talking about many other things once the activity was over each evening.

These were the scriptures I chose, based on our family’s needs. They are Book of Mormon scriptures to compliment the Bible verses we read every Easter.

Alma 7:11-12 …That he may know… how to succor his people
Alma 26:12,16 In his strength I can do all things.
Alma 38:8-9 No other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Jesus Christ…
Moroni 9:25-26 May Christ lift thee up [over difficult circumstances]
Mosiah 16:6-9 He is the light and the life of the world.

Here are a few things we said about Jesus Christ this week in our family:

He is in every genuine smile, true friendship, beautiful scene, and good family relationship; he is in every act of patience, kindness, and generosity.
He knows what it’s like to be “us.”
When he bore our infirmities, this means he took on everything that makes us fall short of perfection.
Repentance is a joyful thing, and easier than carrying guilt.
Repentance is simple, like the children of Israel looking to the brazen serpent to be saved from the snakes.
Repentance is also like Namaan being told to wash in the Jordan 7 times. It is basic and we can be clean.
He helps us do difficult things like learn a language, be a missionary, and take tests.
Because of him, can see our family members again who have passed away.
He is accessible through good music, acts of charity, walking in nature, and taking time to be still.

Happy Easter!

Study Notes

Here are some of my notes from last month’s study of the Book of Mormon. You may have noticed that my scripture projects are always evolving. This last complete reading of the Book of Mormon, I chose to focus on four topics and write down references and quotes related to each. I chose the following topics: faith, prayer, family challenges, and the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Of the four topics, the biggest number of references were about the atonement. I wrote 11 pages of notes about it. The other topics supplied 6 pages of notes each.

Here are a few basic things I gained from this exercise of seeking deeply by topic:

The Book of Mormon is what it claims to be: another [powerful] testament of Jesus Christ. There were nearly twice as many references about the atonement compared to the other topics I studied.
Abinadi is my new favorite Book of Mormon prophet because his message is so heavily centered on Jesus Christ. I wrote more of his words (and his Messianic quotes from Isaiah) under the topic of “atonement” than any other Book of Mormon prophet.
There are no ideal families in the Book of Mormon. What I found in Book of Mormon families was sometimes heartbreaking, but I focused on what parents did in response to the challenges. This was so helpful.
A common word used to describe how to pray is “pour”, e.g. we need to pour out our souls in prayer. The meaning of this grows as I ponder this simple word.
I saw that acts of faith always brought miracles, and always required incredible courage. Miraculous outcomes do not always manifest themselves as immediate physical protection. I need to embrace this concept.

These ideas seem simple and basic, but that’s how it is with profound things. Truth is simple. It’s deep, but discernable. I am learning to love the Book of Mormon this year more than I have before.

Some truth to replace a lie

So far, my 2017 has been about rededication about my use of time. It’s been about simple things like putting my phone down and keeping it on silent. It’s been longer and deeper study of the Book of Mormon each day. I gave up some screen habits that have been numbing me to what is going on.

Along with my feelings of needing to rededicate my life to good things, it has been a rocky few months at home. We have some family concerns which seemed to justify the creeping notion that it is impossible to be a good wife and mother and be a good Relief Society president at the same time.

Things are getting better now, some simple truths having won out.

On Sunday as I partook of the sacrament, it became clear to me that it’s a lie that it’s impossible to be a good wife and mother and serve in the Church.

The truth is, the Lord just needs my dedication to living commandments and for me to give simple acts of love and he will work miracles. I have seen many.

People feel my love when all I can do is pray for them each day.

Deep scripture study has given me answers to impossible questions and helped me articulate answers to dilemmas in meetings.

I have felt a heightened awareness of who I need to talk to, sometimes based on a simple expression on a face and no verbal cues.

I have felt the power and influence of good counselors and a secretary to know who to serve each week.

Writing a short note has been a powerful way to communicate with those who are not open to a visit or when I can’t visit. Short notes don’t take much time. They just require love.

The names, direction, and action items that come to my mind when I partake of the sacrament on Sunday are incredibly accurate. When I act on these impressions, I see that God is making me a better wife and mother, minister, and witness.

Next to my relationship with God, being a wife and mother is my most important work. As I improve my relationship to God and family, I feel more confident in my church service. There is no way to measure a person’s influence for good in the lives of others, but I believe it grows as I draw closer to the Lord. I am grateful to a few friends who reassured me of this on Sunday. I feel a new energy to keep trying.