Category: Book of Mormon (Page 1 of 2)

If you’ve ever read the Book or Mormon before you may, like me, feel that once you get done reading about Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob that comprise the first 130 pages of the book, and then come to the books of Enos, Jarom, Omni, and the Words of Mormon that you take huge jump forward in time and fast forward from the stories of Nephi to the account of Mosiah, Abinidai, and Alma and his son. Because that is actually what happens, from the beginning of Enos till the end of Omni you have traveled 400+ years in time where not much is written that hasn’t already been written by the preceding prophets and writers of the book.

The Olive Tree

During a Sunday Sacrament meeting in the Provo Missionary Training Center (MTC), the wife of one the MTC presidency members gave a talk to all 3,000+ Elders and Sisters. The talk was regarding the Allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob chapter 5 of the Book of Mormon. She mentioned that this was longest chapter in the entire book and that we should bare with her as her remarks would be long. I honestly do not remember what she talked about after her introductory statement, however this week while studying these chapters I realized that I missed out on a lot!

Seek the Kingdom of God

In the first chapter of Jacob, we see that his brother Nephi dies and leaves the records, his people, and a prophet’s work in his care. Right away two subjects weigh heavily on Jacob so much so that it burdens his soul. As all prophets, Jacob received “…help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth” and is able to “..tell [you] concerning [your] thoughts, how that ye are beginning to labor in sin.” “…It truly had been made manifest unto [Jacob] concerning [his] people, what things should happen unto them.” He was able to clearly understand the things the people are about to have problems with, or have already started to do, and desires all to come unto Christ. The two subjects are Riches and Morality.

Feast upon the words of Christ

The first two books of Nephi begin and end so quickly, there is so much there on those 117 pages, and then you get to this weeks chapters and don’t want Nephi’s story and testimony to end. Nephi inspires me, he endured a lot … a lot; backbiting, death threats, and held the family together during some seriously challenging times. But hey, the reverse of his challenges were simply amazing experiences that can seem not even real, like escaping king Laban, escaping his brothers, single handedly providing for his family in a desert, building a ship, and successfully arriving in the promised land, and all this before he was maybe 30 years old. After a life’s work Nephi plainly wanted us to know a couple very important things: to Feast and to Pray.

The Lord’s work is not done

I served as a missionary for my church in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd regions of Chile. I had only been in the country for about four and a half months and was in the city of Arica, which is located at the northern most point where Peru is clearly in view, I had been assigned to work with an Elder from Sandy, Utah. We dubbed ourselves Batman and Robin, I can’t quite remember why we gave ourselves such titles, I guess we believed that were were superheros, maybe … I don’t know, but we did become pretty good friends, so much so that we asked our mission president to stay together for three “combios” (changes/transfers) which is one more that the customary two.

Anyways … It was a very warm summer day, winter at home, and in fact very close to Christmas time when we were knocking on some doors and while we did,

The Isaiah chapters

I distinctly remember being 10 years old laying on the floor of my bedroom that I shared with my three brothers, there were two bunk beds with clothes and toys all over the floor. I must have been challenged by my parents or a church teacher to read the Book of Mormon on my own from cover to cover. I started reading, I didn’t get too far in the first chapter before discovering we had audio cassettes that I could listen and someone could read it to men. I enjoyed listening about Lehi and Nephi and his brothers, when I arrived at the”the Isaiah chapters” and I don’t remember reading much more because I really could not follow along to what Isaiah was trying to say. I had a flashback this this experience one September day in 2002 when I was sitting with my companion across the table for and old Chilean lady where her mouth was moving a thousand miles a minute and I didn’t understand a thing!

The two deaths

This week we taught our kids about monsters, …yep monsters. Not the one eyed, green kind or the large, blue and purple kind kids may see in their rooms or on tv, but an actual monster. A monster that is our common enemy, one that we must guard against and not allow near us.

I actually didn’t realize till today that the Book of Mormon had this word written in its pages. Monster for some reason in my mind seems more contemporary than ancient. It actually appears two other times. In Alma when the Lamanites thought that Ammon was a monster sent by the Nephites to torture them, and then later when the people of the Brother of Jared were crossing the seas it reads that the Lord guided them and no sea monster could break the barges they traveled in.

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Heavenly Father’s plan is Happiness

When I was in 9th grade I started going to Seminary, I talked about 9th grade seminary in a previous post here: http://www.adamorgill.com/swipe-and-liken/ . In this same class and with this same teacher we had a lesson that has stuck with me all these years, interestingly enough it was an object lesson about a candy bar I still haven’t eaten to this day… an Almond Joy. I really don’t like them, I don’t like almonds nor coconut, but I do like the chocolate.

Two weeks before a lesson was given about 2 Nephi chapter 2, my Seminary teacher painted a large tree on butcher paper and hung it in the classroom, on the the branches he had taped fun size Almond Joy candy bars. He gave us a challenge that is some one could figure out what scripture the tree and bars represented then he’d give them all the bars. I took on the challenge but didn’t come up with anything. Some of my classmates thought they had figured it out, but we all tried in vain. Bro Christensen had stumped us.

The Lord’s Promises in the Wilderness

This week we read that the Lord commanded Lehi to move on from their place near the River Laman. Even though this place was in the wilderness and seemingly uninhabited, Lehi’s family was able to thrive during the times when Nephi and his brothers obtained the Plates of Brass and later brought the family of Ishmael down to the valley of Lemuel. The commandment to leave initiated a chain of events that show the Lord fulfill promised blessings.

Right away the Lord fulfilled His promise, in the same way that Nephi had testified to his father when he was commanded of the Lord to go back to Jerusalem for the Plates of Brass;

.. I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

1 Nephi 3:7

I served in the Chile, Antofagasta mission. It is located in the driest part of the world, the Atacama desert. Although it was in a desert, every night I was able to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean. As beautiful as the sunsets were, the people were most beautiful. I was able to enjoy their food and culture and their love for the Savior.

I met a stake president in Antofagasta and found out that among his many hobbies he was an artist and works in copper. Continue reading