The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ does not teach me of a God who needs me to prove my worthiness before He will respond to my need for Him in my life. I know a God who runs to meet me in my need. A God who rescues me because of His goodness, not mine. […]
New and Everlasting All at Once?
This is a new and an everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning. (D&C 22:1) How can something be “new” and “everlasting” at the same time? Isn’t that a paradoxical, even irrational combination of words? I mean, if something is “everlasting,” eventually it won’t be new any longer. If I have an everlasting […]
The Lord Alone
THE LORD ALONE Step 1 – day 2 (p.13) 2 Nephi 12:11 – And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. From the first 12 step recovery meetings I […]
Eternal Human Development
Dear Friend, You might think that I’ve forgotten our line of conversation about coming unto our Savior and beginning to experience and even retain more and more consistently a sense of His peace–that peace that passeth understanding (Philippians 4:7), (in other words, that peace that makes no sense because it is with us even in […]
A Serious Study of the Book of Mormon, Pt 6
Coming to Know the Goodness of God 1 Nephi 1:1 — “ . . . having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God . . .” As I sat still and allowed Nephi’s words to find their way to the depths of my heart, I began to realize that in […]
Awakening to a Serious Study of the Book of Mormon, Pt 5
1 Nephi 1:1 continued The Reality of Paradox in Mortality: having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; . . . “ . . . having seen many afflictions in the course of my days”! Now here was a concept I […]
A Serious Study of the Book of Mormon Pt 4
Owning the Truth About My Childhood: “. . . having been born of goodly parents, . . .” Before I began to get rigorously honest about my very challenging childhood and allowed myself to grieve the deficits and losses I experienced in it, I was “put off” by Nephi from the second he introduced himself […]
Awakening to a Serious Study of the Book of Mormon, Pt3
Slowing Down and Finding So Much to Ponder In Just One Verse So it is that, in all humility, I would like to share here, the richness and depth of five personal applications/insights that the Lord opened to me in just the very first verse of the Book of Mormon—1 Nephi 1:1 and convinced me […]
Awakening to a Serious Study of the Book of Mormon (pt 2)
Finding the Headlines, Applying Them to My Own Story One day, as I was correlating the teachings of the Book of Mormon with the principles in the Twelve Step program of recovery, checking the steps against the most correct book ever written, with the hope growing in my heart that there could someday be an […]
Awakening to a Serious Study of the Book of Mormon (pt 1)
There is a power in the [Book of Mormon] which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and […]