We all need a break sometimes. We talk about needing to recharge our battery, unwind, get some R&R, or have some downtime. We have many ways of describing this, but the core reality is universal: we can't drive full-speed all the time without burning ourselves out. If we want to stay at peak performance, we... Continue Reading →
How Can I Be a Better Father?
Today is Father's Day, and I'm thinking about what I can do to be a better father. Here are ten principles the Book of Mormon teaches about being an effective father: 1. Give your children assignments, and trust that they can complete them. Behold I have dreamed a dream, in the which the Lord hath... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Being an Effective Parent?
From the first phrase in the Book of Mormon, the importance of parents is emphasized (1 Nephi 1:1). What can we learn from the Book of Mormon about how to be a good parent? 1. "With all the feeling of a tender parent" Lehi and Sariah loved their children. Even though some of their children... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to Be “Past Feeling?”
Sensitivity is good. Callousness is not. The Book of Mormon is very clear on that point: After sharing a spiritual dream with his children, Lehi "did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent" to keep the commandments of God (1 Nephi 8:37). At the end of his life, Lehi spoke to... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Anger?
As we've discussed the last couple of days: We feel sadness when something bad happens to us or to someone we love. We feel fear when we think something bad is likely to happen to us or to someone we love. Anger is also triggered by a negative experience. But unlike sadness and fear, anger... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Repentance?
Some version of the word "repent" appears 360 times in the Book of Mormon. In comparison, in the King James Version of the Bible, the word appears 46 times in the the Old Testament and 66 times in the New Testament. Clearly, repentance is a major theme in the Book of Mormon. Nephi opens the... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to Be “Long-Suffering?”
The word "longsuffering" (without a hyphen) appears 17 times in the King James Version of the Bible. The word "long-suffering" (with a hyphen: the modern spelling of the word) appears 17 times in the Book of Mormon. What does it mean? In the Old Testament, it is a translation of the phrase erek appayim (אֶ֥רֶךְ... Continue Reading →
What Is the Significance of the Phrase “a Tabernacle of Clay?”
Before casting Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, God explained to them how their lives would change. Eve would bring forth children in sorrow. (As Lehi explained to his sons, Adam and Eve were not capable of bearing children before this time: 2 Nephi 2:22-23.) Adam and Eve would now have to labor... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Grace?
The word "grace" appears 31 times in the Book of Mormon. Today, I reviewed each of those passages and learned the following principles: Grace is an attribute of Jesus Christ. It is often listed with other attributes, including: mercy, truth, patience, equity, justice, power, and long-suffering (2 Nephi 2:6. 2 Nephi 2:8, 2 Nephi 9:8, 2... Continue Reading →
“We Have a Labor to Perform” – Moroni 9:4-6
4 Behold, I am laboring with them continually; and when I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they harden their hearts against it; wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased striving with them. 5 For so exceedingly do... Continue Reading →