1 Nephi 17:41 “He prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look, and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.” As I was working on the manuscript for Patterns of Light, Step 7, this […]
My Covenant with Christ
The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are children of the covenant— (3 Nephi 20:26) I have seen so many people suffering from addiction who feel like they must be the scum of […]
Never Cast Off
That they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever. (Book of Mormon Title Page) Christ has covenanted to never give up on me! That “they” may know. I am part of “they.” That I may know that I am not cast off forever. I pray that I may retain […]
Seeking the Mysteries of God
…and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God. (1 Nephi 2:16) For the first several decades I was in the Church, I occasionally heard solemn, fearful admonitions to avoid the “mysteries.” I leaned on that borrowed testimony from others and believed it—hook, line, and sinker—until I began to search, pray and […]
Running from Pillar to Post
But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender 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 deliverance. (1 Nephi 1:20) To make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance. Do those words pull at […]
Chosen by Our Choice
But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender 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 deliverance. (1 Nephi 1:20) Harboring guilt and shame under a facade of outward church activity twisted my interpretation of […]
My Life in Light of the Book of Mormon
One day, many years ago, after my recovery had begun, I was reading the Book of Mormon and came to these words in Jacob 1:4: And if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them […]
A Great Knowledge of God’s Goodness
Coming to Know the Goodness of God. In the light of 12-step guided scripture study, I began to realize that in spite of all my outward professions of belief in God over my lifetime, I had serious doubts about His goodness. As I have recovered a closer consciousness of God since coming into recovery, I […]
Owning the Truth About My Childhood
Before I began to get rigorously, deeply honest with myself about my 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. He kept sharing, but I quit relating. My mind sort of shut down, my eyes glazed over, […]