From Fasting to Feasting

For years I have been trying to share this information by going through verses in 1 and 2 Nephi but it seems that the point is always lost. So, instead of trying to teach verse by verse, I am sharing a very general overview of what to look for and how to see. Then I hope you will take these things and study and read 1 and 2 Nephi for yourselves. In the books of 1 and 2 Nephi, we read so many wonderful stories full of incredible truths and doctrine. Among the virtues and principles we learn are humility, obedience, repentance, and consistency. We see deeply throughout those books two kinds of love - the love for God and the love for family. We learn about the sweetness of drawing near to Christ and the bitterness of turning away. We learn how consistent actions bring about mighty changes. The lessons go on and on. We also learn one very important over-arching lesson which is what I’d like to focus on. We learn what it takes to enter back into the presence of the Lord. Nephi, as an old m...

The last verse of 1 Nephi 1 and the first two verses of 1 Nephi 2 read: "But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender  c mercies  of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of  d deliverance . "For behold, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek to  a take away  thy  b life . "And it came to pass that the Lord  a commanded  my father, even in a  b dream , that he should  c take  his family and depart into the wilderness." We again see that God often communicates in dreams. This is a very normal way for us to begin to see and understand the revelations God has for us. Most nights I find myself praying to have revela...

 In the very first verse of the Book of Mormon we learn that what we are about to read is written by an old man, reviewing his life and choosing out of his life the experiences which taught him that which was most essential in order to achieve the thing he felt was of the most worth. What is the first thing that Nephi teaches us? We find it in verses 4-5:  4 For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, (my father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days); and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed. 5 Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people. In other words, when big “P” Prophets speak, little “p” prophets get on their knees.  This is the first lesson Nephi gives us and as he writes, he repeats the essential, basi...

 Over the years, as I’ve talked with people about the Book of Mormon and especially about Nephi, I always hear the same things. It goes something along the lines of, “The stories are good, but those Isaiah chapter…” And that seems to be what people get from 1 and 2 Nephi.  At one point I thought to write a book about how I see and understand those pages of scripture. But let’s face it, I’m me. Writing a book takes organization and that is something I really do not do well. So instead I’m going to try to pull things together here.  To me, the first 117 pages of the Book of Mormon are the manual for how to enter into the presence of Christ, not when I die, but here in this mortal world in this mortal body. But to convince you of this, I need to first explain what I feel it means to follow Jesus Christ. For as long as I can remember I was told to follow Jesus, to do as He did. As a little girl I wondered how in the world I was going to be able to walk on water, or cause the ...

A treatise on words and creation. The words we use convey meaning. Sometimes this meaning is powerful and deep. Other times this meaning hurts and is painful. The meanings may fill us with joy. Still, other times it fills us with dread. How? How can words have such powerful meaning? How do words start and end wars? How do words make or break relationships? How does someone not saying a particular phrase bring peace or pain? Why do we share words with each other? Is it not, in it’s essence, for connection? Words help us understand each other. They propound to others that which is internal and unseeable, unknowable in any other way. Words are one of the highest expressions because they allow me to convey my brightest or most noble thoughts, my base and shameful feelings, my fears and triumphs, my sorrows and my joys; words allow me to take all of these abstract things which do not exist in reality and carry them forth into a moment and make them known to all who hear me. Words, in pe...