by byustudent | Apr 24, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
This week we read in Ether chapter 2 about the Brother of Jared. He was building a ship in order for the people to cross the waters. When constructing the boat, they built all the walls to be “tight like unto a dish” (Ether 2:17). The fact that the Lord had them build sturdy, protected ships that were “tight” completely relates to our own lives. Just as their boats were tight, we must be “tight” in our friendships, marriages, and testimony. We must have strong faith that allows us to be unbreakable, just as their boats were. Just as the boats were their mode of transportation to make it to their destination, the gospel is the vehicle by which we return to live with our Heavenly Father.
Another interesting lesson we can learn from this chapter is how God answers prayers. There are many ways we can receive revelation, including step by step instructions, agency, and guidance through humility. The Brother of Jared receives step by step instructions regarding how to solve the problem of having no air in the boats. When he inquires about how to steer the boats, the Lord tells him not to worry, that He, the Lord, has it covered. Here God recognizes the brother of Jared’s faith and humility and grants him a chance to not worry. (more…)
by byustudent | Apr 24, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
Many times, and more so now in college than in any other time of my life, the people around me are constantly inviting me to YOLO or live according to the motto “You Only Live Once”. They, and often I too, think that happiness can be found in a brief moment of thrill or excitement.This instantaneous rush leads them to act on impaired judgment and sudden impulses. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but often leads to pursuing the “lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16).
John teaches in his first epistle that these things are “of the world.” He goes on to teach that we must “love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him… And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:15). My New Testament teacher had us think back on a time when our parents left us at home for a while with a list of chores to do, and more specifically, of a time when we didn’t obey. Try it. Remember how it felt? What did you do when you heard the garage door open when they got home? Run and hide? Now, compare that with a time when you did do all the chores, and maybe you even surprised them and did extra. How did you feel when you heard that garage door open this time? Even so will it be when we are brought back to the presence of our Heavenly Father. (more…)
by byustudent | Apr 24, 2013 | About Mormons
This is part of an email I wrote to my brother who, as far as I know, has not read the scriptures in a pretty long time.
I have been taking a New Testament class, and today we read and talked about the book of James. As you probably know, this is the book that has the famous verses that Joseph Smith Jr. looked at which brought about the restoration of the gospel and the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When we talked about the book of James as a whole, my professor mentioned how many good little pieces of advice can be found there. And this is true; there are dozens and dozens.
However, after we talked about that, I thought about how all scripture can have just as many good bits of advice as the book of James has, even if it is not as obvious. We can all have experiences like Joseph Smith’s where we come across a piece of scripture, and it changes our lives. Of course, it probably will not be as dramatic as having Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ themselves come down to talk with us, as they did with Joseph Smith. Even in the war chapters of the Book of Mormon, or the really confusing verses of Isaiah, we can find ways to relate something to our lives and have it teach us something important. (more…)
![Earth Day: Celebrating God’s Creation]()
by Keith L. Brown | Apr 22, 2013 | About Mormons
Each year, 22 April is set aside as the day for the observance of Earth Day, a day on which people around the world through different events and venues demonstarte their support for environmental protection. Earth Day is celebrated in more than 192 countries, and is coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network. Individuals view the significance of this day, and celebrate the day in various ways. For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to by the media and others as the Mormon Church), Earth day becomes another day to celebrate God’s magnificent creation.
History of Earth Day
The following information was obtained from Wikipedia.
The date of 22 April was officially designated as International Mother Earth Day by a consensus resolution in 2009 which was adopted by the United Nations.
The name and concept of Earth Day, however, is credited to John McConnell who pioneered the idea in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, California. He proposed that the 21 March 1970, the first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere that year, to be designated as Earth Day. A month later another Earth Day, first held on 22 April 1970, was founded as an environmental teach-in by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson. Although the United States was the focus of this 22 April Earth Day, Denis Hayes, the original national coordinator in 1970, took it to an entirely different level. In 1990 the observance of Earth became an international event in 141 nations. (more…)
by byustudent | Apr 11, 2013 | About Mormons
As school comes to an end, I really feel like the messages that I continue to learn through my study of the Book of Mormon become stronger and stronger. I can tell that the Lord wants me to prepare for what life has ahead of me.
This week, I was pondering the question, “Why does the Book of Mormon contain so much war and fighting?” Specifically, I wanted to know how do these stories of battle apply to us. It was this thinking that brought me to an answer found in Ether 8. In verse 26, Moroni (whom after studying so much I have found to be a great writer and very influential on me) states,”… am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men…” Once again, Moroni makes no doubt in his words. He has been commanded by the Lord to tell us about these wars for our own recognition of evil. The Lord wants us to be able to know the difference between right and wrong and this is one way in which he can reinforce it. (more…)
Another interesting lesson we can learn from this chapter is how God answers prayers. There are many ways we can receive revelation, including step by step instructions, agency, and guidance through humility. The Brother of Jared receives step by step instructions regarding how to solve the problem of having no air in the boats. When he inquires about how to steer the boats, the Lord tells him not to worry, that He, the Lord, has it covered. Here God recognizes the brother of Jared’s faith and humility and grants him a chance to not worry. (more…)
