Sometimes we spend a lot of time and energy on activities which are not aligned with our goals and priorities. We can reduce that waste with a little self-reflection and self-discipline. "Consider your ways," said the prophet Haggai to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. "Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough;... Continue Reading →
Neither to the Right Hand nor to the Left
As Moses prepared his people to enter the promised land, he warned them multiple times not to turn "to the right hand or the left," but to stay focused on keeping God's commandments (Deuteronomy 5:32, 17:11, 20, 28:14). After Moses' departure, the Lord reiterated this charge to Joshua, who extended it again to the Israelites... Continue Reading →
Quail
Be careful what you wish for. And how much you wish for it. And how you allow that wish to influence your decisions. As the children of Israel traveled to the promised land, some of them "fell a lusting" (Numbers 11:4). They wanted meat, and they wanted it now! The manna, which miraculously appeared six... Continue Reading →
“Faster Than He Has Strength” – Mosiah 4:27
The first movement of Robert Schumann's Piano Sonata number 2 (Op. 22) is labeled "So rasch wie möglich" (as fast as possible). Near the end of the movement, he writes "Schneller" (faster), followed shortly after by "Noch schneller" (even faster). It's an exciting piece to listen to (I recommend this performance by pianist Tiffany Poon),... Continue Reading →
Stirred Up
What would possess a group of people to invade and occupy their own Capitol Building while their elected representatives were conducting official government business on their behalf? How could they convince themselves that this action was morally acceptable, or that it was even helpful to their cause? The troubling events this week in the United... Continue Reading →
“Go Ye Forth of Babylon” – 1 Nephi 20:20
"The world is too much with us," wrote the poet William Wordsworth. He meant that our lives are influenced more than we realize by the society in which we live, leaving us unable to properly perceive "things as they really are" (Jacob 4:13). As Elder David R. Stone explained: Our culture tends to determine what... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to Be “Temperate in All Things?”
The prophet Alma told the people in the city of Gideon that he wanted them to be "temperate in all things" (Alma 7:23). He later gave the same counsel to his son Shiblon (Alma 38:10). To be temperate is to be restrained, moderate, self-controlled, or disciplined (Oxford English Dictionary). The apostle Paul taught the Corinthians... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to Be “Temperate in All Things?”
While serving as high priest over the church, Alma delivered a series of sermons in different cities. He admonished the people in the city of Gideon to be "temperate in all things" (Alma 7:23). He later gave the same advice to his son Shiblon (Alma 38:10). The apostles Paul and Peter both emphasized the importance... Continue Reading →
How Is Jesus Both “the Father and the Son?”
The atonement of Jesus Christ was a real victory. Even though He was the omnipotent God, He was subject to the same weaknesses we experience as mortals.
And Also from Everlasting Death – 2 Nephi 10:25
25 Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen. (2 Nephi 10:25) I've been thinking today about physical and... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 