I am all astonishment....

Is it just me, or is the word "astonish" and forms of that word used a lot in the Book of Mormon?

astonish |əˈstäni sh |
verb [ trans. ]
surprise or impress (someone) greatly : you never fail to astonish me | [ trans. ] it astonished her that Mrs. Browing could seem so anxious | [as adj. ] ( astonishing) an astonishing achievement.
DERIVATIVES
astonishingly adverb : [as submodifier ] an astonishingly successful program.
ORIGIN early 16th cent. (as astonished, in the sense [stunned, bewildered, dismayed] ): from obsolete astone [stun, stupefy,] from Old French estoner, based on Latin ex- ‘out’ + tonare ‘to thunder.’

*
3 Nephi 20:44

As many were astonished at thee—his visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men—
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Alma 31:19

Now it came to pass that after Alma and his brethren and his sons had heard these prayers, they were astonished beyond all measure.
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Alma 12:19

Now it came to pass that when Alma had made an end of speaking these words, the people began to be more astonished;
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Alma 49:5

Now at this time the chief captains of the Lamanites were astonished exceedingly, because of the wisdom of the Nephites in preparing their places of security.
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Alma 49:9

And it came to pass that the Lamanites, or the Amalickiahites, were exceedingly astonished at their manner of preparation for war.
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Alma 11:46

Now, when Amulek had finished these words the people began again to be astonished, and also Zeezrom began to tremble. And thus ended the words of Amulek, or this is all that I have written.
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Alma 2:23

And it came to pass that on the morrow they returned into the camp of the Nephites in great haste, being greatly astonished, and struck with much fear, saying:
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Helaman 3:25

And so great was the prosperity of the church, and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure.
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Helaman 9:4

And now behold, when they saw this they were astonished exceedingly, insomuch that they fell to the earth; for they had not believed the words which Nephi had spoken concerning the chief judge.
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Helaman 9:30

And he shall stand with fear, and wist not what to say. And behold, he shall deny unto you; and he shall make as if he were astonished; nevertheless, he shall declare unto you that he is innocent.

*
Alma 17:37

But behold, every man that lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword; for he did withstand their blows by smiting their arms with the edge of his sword, insomuch that they began to be astonished, and began to flee before him; yea, and they were not few in number; and he caused them to flee by the strength of his arm.
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Alma 58:29

And it came to pass that when the armies of the Lamanites did arrive near the city, and saw that we were prepared to meet them, they were astonished exceedingly and struck with great fear, insomuch that they did flee into the wilderness.
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3 Nephi 1:15

And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.
*
3 Nephi 1:17

And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.
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Alma 10:12

And now, when Amulek had spoken these words the people began to be astonished, seeing there was more than one witness who testified of the things whereof they were accused, and also of the things which were to come, according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them.
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Jacob 7:21

And when the multitude had witnessed that he spake these things as he was about to give up the ghost, they were astonished exceedingly; insomuch that the power of God came down upon them, and they were overcome that they fell to the earth.
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Alma 14:6

And it came to pass that Zeezrom was astonished at the words which had been spoken; and he also knew concerning the blindness of the minds, which he had caused among the people by his lying words; and his soul began to be harrowed up under a consciousness of his own guilt; yea, he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell.
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Alma 20:27

And I will also grant unto thee that thy brethren may be cast out of prison, and thou and thy brethren may come unto me, in my kingdom; for I shall greatly desire to see thee. For the king was greatly astonished at the words which he had spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni, therefore he was desirous to learn them.
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Alma 18:10

Now when king Lamoni heard that Ammon was preparing his horses and his chariots he was more astonished, because of the faithfulness of Ammon, saying: Surely there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been so faithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them.
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3 Nephi 2:1

And it came to pass that thus passed away the ninety and fifth year also, and the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen—

*
Helaman 9:14

We ran and came to the place of the judgment-seat, and when we saw all things even as Nephi had testified, we were astonished insomuch that we fell to the earth; and when we were recovered from our astonishment, behold they cast us into prison.
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Alma 17:36

But Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yea, with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; and thus he slew a certain number of them insomuch that they began to be astonished at his power; nevertheless they were angry because of the slain of their brethren, and they were determined that he should fall; therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him.
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3 Nephi 3:11

And now it came to pass when Lachoneus received this epistle he was exceedingly astonished, because of the boldness of Giddianhi demanding the possession of the land of the Nephites, and also of threatening the people and avenging the wrongs of those that had received no wrong, save it were they had wronged themselves by dissenting away unto those wicked and abominable robbers.
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Alma 20:26

And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Because this is all that thou hast desired, that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son may retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more—
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Alma 18:2

And when they had all testified to the things which they had seen, and he had learned of the faithfulness of Ammon in preserving his flocks, and also of his great power in contending against those who sought to slay him, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Surely, this is more than a man. Behold, is not this the Great Spirit who doth send such great punishments upon this people, because of their murders?
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Alma 57:26

And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.

Light, Darkness

This is how darkness feels:

Helaman 5:34 And it came to pass that the Lamanites could not flee because of the cloud of darkness which did overshadow them; yea, and also they were immovable because of the fear which did come upon them.

This is how light feels:

44 And Nephi and Lehi were in the midst of them; yea, they were encircled about; yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not, neither did it take hold upon the walls of the prison; and they were filled with that cjoy which is unspeakable and full of glory. U

His Heart Did Take Courage

I love this phrase. It is so descriptive. It has been coming up in my reading of the Book of Mormon. I searched it to see how many times it says this in the Book of Mormon. Here are all the times it is used, except I left out one where Coriantumr's heart took courage, because he was a bad guy.

Alma 15:4

Now, when he heard that Alma and Amulek were in the land of Sidom, his heart began to take courage; and he sent a message immediately unto them, desiring them to come unto him.

Alma 17:12

And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God.

Alma 62:1

And now it came to pass that when Moroni had received this epistle his heart did take courage, and was filled with exceedingly great joy because of the faithfulness of Pahoran, that he was not also a traitor to the freedom and cause of his country.

Helaman 5:24

And when they saw that they were encircled about with a pillar of fire, and that it burned them not, their hearts did take courage.

I just read this one in Helaman 5. That was the last one listed. How sad, I won't be reading about anyone's hearts taking courage the whole rest of the Book of Mormon. Apparently, it is not said anywhere else in the scriptures.

Denying the spirit of prophecy and revelation....

In Helaman's day, the church members had a problem with denying the spirit of prophecy and revelation. That made me think of the scripture that says:

Moroni 7:35

And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?

I was just wondering about how, in our day, we would deny the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Do we lack sufficient faith? Do we use the help and resources that Heavenly Father provides for His children? Is not reading the scriptures a form of denying the spirit of prophecy and revelation? Is not praying denying the same power?

Just something to think about. It reminds me of the quote that says "People who don't read have no advantage over people who can't."

REMEMBER

If I were going to give a one-word summary of the Book of Mormon, that word would be "remember". If I could state the greatest lesson from the Book of Mormon in one word, it would be "remember".

The Book of Mormon is a record of people that were either remembering God and the great sacrifice of Jesus and the great things They had done in helping them and preserving them in their lives or they forgot or didn't remember the importance or the necessity of these things.

That is the Book of Mormon in a nutshell: REMEMBER.

A few years back, the Young Men and Young Women in our ward did a Book of Mormon reading marathon. This is a great activity that I would highly recommend. We read the Book of Mormon in a weekend. We started on Friday after school and read until midnight. Then we got up early the next morning and read all that day and finished in the evening. It is a bit strenuous but when you are done, you really feel like you accomplished something.

It is a very interesting experience to read the Book of Mormon so quickly. You can see the themes and the stories easier. The word remember is the word that emerged from that experience. It greatly strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon and I know it had a great impact on the youth that had that experience, too.

Helaman 4

I am reading in the first part of Helaman now. It is amazing how fast the people of Nephi go from righteousness to wickedness and back again.

11Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of God.

12And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites—

13And because of this their great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands.

The part that got my attention as I read were some of the things the Nephites were doing that was wicked and were calling down the wrath of God on them. Many of the things are not surprising. They are what you would expect from people making wicked choices, but there were two listed that I thought were interesting: making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation. Hmmm.... Denying the spirit of prophecy and revelation- why would you want to do that? These things tell me that the people weren't praying or reading their scriptures. These are things that help us to remember God in our lives. The sad part is that because they denied the spirit of prophecy and revelation, they were not given help and they were left to their own strength. When that happens, things don't go so well.

It is also interesting to think about our actions toward God. Do we give Him the reverence He deserves? Are there things that we do in our lives that could look like mocking things that are sacred?

Here are more scriptures in the same chapter:

23And because of their iniquity the church had begun to dwindle; and they began to disbelieve in the spirit of prophecy and in the spirit of revelation; and the judgments of God did stare them in the face.

24And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples—

Changing the subject a little, it is important to remember that at this time, though many in the church are acting very wickedly, there is a small core that are staying close to the Lord and trying very hard to keep the commandments and get the others to repent. That would be a hard job. It is hard to be good when nobody around you is being good and persecuting you for being good.

Quiet Time

Since I am such a proponent of quiet reflective time, I thought I will use this post as a place to collect quotes about quiet time to read scriptures, pray, write in journal, and reflect/ponder/think.

We improve our relationship with our Heavenly Father by learning of Him, by communing with Him, by repenting of our sins, and by actively following Jesus Christ, for “no man cometh unto the Father, but by [Christ].”10 To strengthen our relationship with God, we need some meaningful time alone with Him. Quietly focusing on daily personal prayer and scripture study, always aiming to be worthy of a current temple recommend—these will be some wise investments of our time and efforts to draw closer to our Heavenly Father. Let us heed the invitation in Psalms: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Of Things That Matter Most, November 2010 Ensign

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Second Counselor in the First Presidency

Elder Neil L. Andersen, "Never Leave Him", November 2010 Ensign, quoted the prophet from the May 2009 Ensign:
President Monson has promised, “Your testimony, when constantly nourished, will keep you safe.

Elder Andersen the adds to that promise by saying:

We push our spiritual roots deep, feasting daily on the words of Christ in the scriptures. We trust in the words of living prophets, placed before us to show us the way. We pray and pray and listen to the quiet voice of the Holy Ghost that leads us along and speaks peace to our soul. Whatever challenges arise, we never, never leave Him.

Reading glasses, an analogy.....

I was just trying to read the small print on some baking instructions for something I want to make for dinner today. It is hard to read but I just didn't feel like taking the time to track down some reading glasses. I finally decided to just go grab some. I was able to read the directions clearly and I was on to the next task. I have had this same experience and tried to read the instructions when I was making a cake and put in way too much water. It didn't turn out too well. If I would have just taken a minute to go grab my glasses, it would have prevented the mistake I made. It made me stop and think a bit....

Using those reading glasses is like taking the time to ask for the Spirit and then waiting for feelings of inspiration. It really isn't that hard to have the Spirit but sometimes we are just lazy and don't feel like going through the process. Whether we utilize the help of the Spirit is up to us and and we have to do the task whether we get help or not. So why don't we just go ahead and use the help available to us?

Be strong and of a good courage....

I am really going to miss the YM/YW scripture theme for this year:

Joshua 1:9
Be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, withersoever thou goest.

I am excited for the theme for the new year, which is the 13th article of faith, but this scripture in Joshua has been great. It is an important scripture and it has given me much encouragement throughout the year.

Be Still My Soul

One of my favorite things in the whole world is hymns! I love to hear great hymns and read the words to great hymns. They speak to my spirit.

I have been thinking about the words to this particular hymn. Though there are lots of verses, I am only including the first two. They are good to remember that our Heavenly Father guides and directs our lives and will always be there for us.


Be Still My Soul

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Thought from Elder Holland

Here's a thought from Elder Holland's October Gen. Conference talk:

In whatever country you live, however young or inadequate you feel, or however aged or limited you see yourself as being, I testify you are individually loved of God, you are central to the meaning of His work, and you are cherished and prayed for by the presiding officers of His Church. The personal value, the sacred splendor of every one of you, is the very reason there is a plan for salvation and exaltation. Contrary to the parlance of the day, this is about you. No, don’t turn and look at your neighbor. I am talking to you!

Thanks Elder Holland!

Have a good day! :)

Scriptures online changes- very cool!

As I have mentioned before, I read the scriptures online quite a bit. When I opened them this morning, I see that they have changed a bit. I knew they were re-doing LDS.org but I didn't know that included the scriptures site, too.

If you have read the conference talks online, you see that they have quite a few study aids to help you. If you log in, you can even put in your own notes as you read the talks. Now I see that they have done the same thing with the scriptures! How great! Before, I was adding my notes to a separate word document. Now they will be all together. You can mark your scriptures and take notes just like you would your regular hard copy of your scriptures.

Do we live in a great age of technology or what??!!
To take notes, etc. you need to create an account. You need your membership number, which is listed on your temple recommend or the membership record you usually get at tithing settlement. I think it will also want your confirmation date, which is on the same membership record. If they didn't hand it out at tithing settlement, you can still ask your ward clerk for a copy.

The church's website gets better and better! What a fantastic resource!
Here is the link to the scriptures: http://lds.org/scriptures?lang=eng

And if you want more, here is a link to the gen. conf. talks: http://lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2010/10?lang=eng

Pahoran, Moroni, and Charity

Alma 61

9 And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free.

I love this scripture. It says so much. Doesn't it make you want to be like Pahoran? It is a wonderful lesson on forgiving others and not being offended easily, but it is also a lesson in charity or Christ-like love. He was more concerned with listening to what Moroni was trying to say, than how he was saying it. (Forgiving others and not being offended easily are qualities of a person with charity.)

It reminds me of this quote by Elder Marvin J. Ashton, which I have quoted before, but which I need to read over and over again:

"Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other."

It is good to put in the scripture in Moroni 7:45 that tells us what charity is:

45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

(It is also in 1 Corinthians 13, starting with verse 4)

I like the verses from Moroni that follow verse 45:

46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.

When I read Alma 62:11, which reads:

11 And thus ended the thirtieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi; Moroni and Pahoran having restored peace to the land of Zarahemla, among their own people, having inflicted death upon all those who were not true to the cause of freedom.

It made me wonder what would have happened if Pahoran had not reacted to Moroni's anger the way he did. He responded with love and charity, and they were able to work together to accomplish great things. If someone's ego had gotten in the way, or someone were to hold a grudge, etc. they would not have been able to solve the problem. They would have made their problems a lot worse. By responding with charity, Pahoran was able to retain the Spirit, which helped him to find a solution to their problem.

I also wanted to include a talk given by Bonnie B. Parkin and also the original talk that Marvin J. Ashton gave that includes his famous charity statement:
http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-401-33,00.html

http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1992.htm/ensign%20may%201992%20.htm/the%20tongue%20can%20be%20a%20sharp%20sword.htm?fn=document-frameset.htm$f=templates$3.0

More on Pres. Monson and Oct. Conference 2010

Pres. Monson asked us to:
Sat. am session
1. May we continue faithful in attending the temples, which are being built closer and closer to our members.
2. I repeat what prophets have long taught—that every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve a mission.

3. To those of you who are not yet to the season of life when you might serve a couples mission, I urge you to prepare now for the day when you and your spouse might do so.

Priesthood Session

4. I plead with you to make a determination right here, right now, not to deviate from the path which will lead to our goal: eternal life with our Father in Heaven. Along that straight and true path there are other goals: missionary service, temple marriage, Church activity, scripture study, prayer, temple work. There are countless worthy goals to reach as we travel through life. Needed is our commitment to reach them.

May we keep our eyes, our hearts, and our determination focused on that goal which is eternal and worth any price we will have to pay, regardless of the sacrifice we must make to reach it.

5. I plead with you to correct your mistakes. Don’t put your eternal life at risk. If you have sinned, the sooner you begin to make your way back, the sooner you will find the sweet peace and joy that come with the miracle of forgiveness.

Sun am session

6. My brothers and sisters, do we remember to give thanks for the blessings we receive? Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love.

Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings.

7. it is my prayer that in addition to all else for which we are grateful, we may ever reflect our gratitude for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

8. Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His words. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude.

9. I hope that we will take the time to read the conference talks....for they are deserving of our careful study.

10. He will help us and bless us as we call upon Him in our prayers, as we study His words, and as we obey His commandments. Therein is found safety; therein is found peace.

UAdd a Note U

The stripling warriors

These are all the scriptures that deal with Helaman and his stripling warriors. Two things that we tend to overlook when thinking about this story is that their fathers were involved with helping and encouraging them, too. Not just their mothers. (See Alma 56:27) and there were more than 2,000 stripling warriors. There were 2,060. (See Alma 57:6) I think it would be interesting to know the story behind the 60 who didn't come at the beginning, but came to join them later.

Alma 58
39 And those sons of the people of Ammon, of whom I have so highly spoken, are with me in the city of Manti; and the Lord has supported them, yea, and kept them from falling by the sword, insomuch that even ^aone soul has not been slain.

40 But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they ^astand fast in that ^bliberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come.

Alma 57

6 And it came to pass that in the *commencement of the twenty and ninth year, we received a supply of provisions, and also an addition to our army, from the land of Zarahemla, and from the land round about, to the number of six thousand men, besides sixty of the ^asons of the Ammonites who had come to join their brethren, my little band of two thousand. And now behold, we were strong, yea, and we had also plenty of provisions brought unto us.

19 But behold, my little band of two thousand and sixty fought most desperately; yea, they were firm before the Lamanites, and did ^aadminister death unto all those who opposed them.

20 And as the remainder of our army were about to give way before the Lamanites, behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted.

21 Yea, and they did ^aobey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their ^bmothers had taught them.

22 And now behold, it was these my sons, and those men who had been selected to convey the prisoners, to whom we owe this great victory; for it was they who did beat the Lamanites; therefore they were driven back to the city of Manti.

Alma 56
3 Behold, ^atwo thousand of the sons of those men whom Ammon brought down out of the land of Nephi—now ye have known that these were descendants of Laman, who was the eldest son of our father Lehi;

4 Now I need not rehearse unto you concerning their traditions or their unbelief, for thou knowest concerning all these things—

5 Therefore it sufficeth me that I tell you that two thousand of these young men have taken their weapons of war, and would that I should be their leader; and we have come forth to defend our country.

6 And now ye also know concerning the ^acovenant which their fathers made, that they would not take up their weapons of war against their brethren to shed blood.

7 But in the twenty and sixth year, when they saw our afflictions and our tribulations for them, they were about to ^abreak the covenant which they had made and take up their weapons of war in our defence.

8 But I would not suffer them that they should break this ^acovenant which they had made, supposing that God would strengthen us, insomuch that we should not suffer more because of the fulfilling the ^boath which they had taken.

9 But behold, here is one thing in which we may have great joy. For behold, in the *twenty and sixth year, I, Helaman, did march at the head of these ^atwo thousand young men to the city of ^bJudea, to assist Antipus, whom ye had appointed a leader over the people of that part of the land.

10 And I did join my two thousand ^asons, (for they are worthy to be called sons) to the army of Antipus, in which strength Antipus did rejoice exceedingly; for behold, his army had been reduced by the Lamanites because their forces had slain a vast number of our men, for which cause we have to mourn.

Alma 56
27 And now it came to pass in the second month of this year, there was brought unto us many provisions from the fathers of those my two thousand sons.

30 Now when we saw that the Lamanites began to grow uneasy on this wise, we were desirous to bring a stratagem into effect upon them; therefore Antipus ordered that I should march forth with my little sons to a neighboring city, ^aas if we were carrying provisions to a neighboring city.

43 And now, whether they were overtaken by Antipus we knew not, but I said unto my men: Behold, we know not but they have halted for the purpose that we should come against them, that they might catch us in their snare;

44 Therefore what say ye, my sons, will ye go against them to battle?

45 And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen ^aso great ^bcourage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.

46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will ^anot suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.

47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the ^aliberty of their ^bfathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their ^cmothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their ^amothers, saying: We ^bdo not doubt our mothers knew it.

49 And it came to pass that I did return with my two thousand against these Lamanites who had pursued us. And now behold, the armies of Antipus had overtaken them, and a terrible battle had commenced.

50 The army of Antipus being weary, because of their long march in so short a space of time, were about to fall into the hands of the Lamanites; and had I not returned with my two thousand they would have obtained their purpose.

Alma 53
10 And now behold, I have somewhat to say concerning the ^apeople of Ammon, who, in the beginning, were Lamanites; but by Ammon and his brethren, or rather by the power and word of God, they had been ^bconverted unto the Lord; and they had been brought down into the land of Zarahemla, and had ever since been protected by the Nephites.

11 And because of their oath they had been kept from taking up arms against their brethren; for they had taken an oath that they ^anever would shed blood more; and according to their oath they would have perished; yea, they would have suffered themselves to have fallen into the hands of their brethren, had it not been for the pity and the exceeding love which Ammon and his brethren had had for them.

12 And for this cause they were brought down into the land of Zarahemla; and they ever had been ^aprotected by the Nephites.

13 But it came to pass that when they saw the danger, and the many ^aafflictions and tribulations which the Nephites bore for them, they were moved with compassion and were ^bdesirous to take up arms in the defence of their country.

14 But behold, as they were about to take their weapons of war, they were overpowered by the persuasions of Helaman and his brethren, for they were about to ^abreak the ^boath which they had made.

15 And Helaman feared lest by so doing they should lose their souls; therefore all those who had entered into this covenant were compelled to behold their brethren wade through their afflictions, in their dangerous circumstances at this time.

16 But behold, it came to pass they had many ^asons, who had not entered into a covenant that they would not take their weapons of war to defend themselves against their enemies; therefore they did assemble themselves together at this time, as many as were able to take up arms, and they called themselves Nephites.

17 And they entered into a covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites, yea, to protect the land unto the ^alaying down of their lives; yea, even they covenanted that they never would give up their ^bliberty, but they would fight in all cases to protect the Nephites and themselves from bondage.

18 Now behold, there were two thousand of those young men, who entered into this covenant and took their weapons of war to defend their country.

19 And now behold, as they never had hitherto been a disadvantage to the Nephites, they became now at this period of time also a great support; for they took their weapons of war, and they would that Helaman should be their leader.

20 And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for ^acourage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

21 Yea, they were men of truth and ^asoberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to ^bwalk uprightly before him.

22 And now it came to pass that Helaman did march at the head of his ^atwo thousand stripling soldiers, to the support of the people in the borders of the land on the south by the west sea.

A Walking Advertisement....

I have been so impressed with the last few missionaries I have visited with that have recently returned from their missions. They are friendly, outgoing, happy, confident, and filled with the Spirit.
It is a walking advertisement for what immersing yourself in the Gospel can do for you. How can you look at these fine young men and not know that there is definitely something to this church?!

It reminds me of this famous quote by Pres. Ezra Taft Benson:

Yes, men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that he can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace.

Pres. Benson, BYU Devotional 10 December 1974

I would also like to add this quote:

True success in this life comes in consecrating our lives—that is, our time and choices—to God’s purposes (see John 17:1, 4; D&C 19:19). In so doing, we permit Him to raise us to our highest destiny.

D. Todd Christofferson, Reflections on a Consecrated Life, November 2010 Ensign

A thankful thought from LDS.org

The more often we see the things around us, the more they become invisible to us.

That is very true. The things we are most thankful for are the things that are around us on a daily basis that we take for granted.

The more I think about this scripture, the more I love it..

This is definitely in my top 10 list of favorite scriptures. I found it a while back when I was looking for a scripture that would help our family try harder to be kind. I printed it out and have hung it in various places around our house. I don't know if anyone else in the house even notices it, but I do. Every time I see it and read it, I love it more.

Ephesians 4
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

When I read this scripture, I always think of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's wonderful General Conference address entitled "The Tongue of Angels".


http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=662fb5658af22110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Happy...

Alma 50:23 But behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni, yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges.

I thought this was an interesting statement considering that they had been in wars with the Lamanites. It is interesting when it says there was never a happier time among the people of Nephi since the days of Nephi. Neither of those times were easy. There were very stressful things happening. *Nephi doesn't talk of being happy, does he? Anyway, it is interesting to think about what happiness means. I think these scriptures are telling us that in the midst of great trials, we can feel happiness. That comes from feeling supported by God in our trials and feeling His love despite what is happening in our lives. It comes from having the Holy spirit with us.

When I read this scripture in Alma, it immediately made me think of this one:

Mosiah 2: 41
And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

*I just found a scripture where Nephi does indeed talk about happiness. I stand corrected.

2 Ne. 5: 27
27 And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.

** I am still thinking about happiness and it reminded me of this great talk by Pres. Uchtdorf to the Young Women of the church:
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=bcf8ebf1f8a38210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Fighting the Battle of Bedford Falls

One of my favorite movies is "It's a Wonderful Life". In my scripture study and conference talk reading, a scene in the movie keeps coming to my mind. It is talking about George Bailey's life. His brother, Harry, becomes a decorated war hero. George was not able to go fight because he had lost the hearing in one ear. (He did it by jumping into a frozen pond to save his brother's life, but that's another story!)

Anyway, instead of being a war hero like his brother, the narration says George stayed at home to fight the Battle of Bedford Falls. He collected rubber for the war effort and ran the black-out drills or something like that. Yes, a lot less glamorous, but just as necessary to the success of the war.

It makes me think about the conference talk by Pres. Henry B. Eyring called "Trust in God, Then Go and Do". He quotes the prophet, Alma, who says he wishes he could be an angel to declare repentance with a voice of thunder to the world. But he sins in his wish because he "ought to be content with the things the Lord has allotted him".

I also have been reading in Alma 48. This goes on and on about what a great leader Moroni (of Title of Liberty fame) was. He fulfilled an important assignment. Then it also adds the names of others that were "no less serviceable." They don't get the same write-up that Moroni did, but whether or not their names were listed in the Book of Mormon, what they did was just as important to the work of the Lord, though not as noticeable.

So, we need to find out what the Lord wants us to do and then go and do it. That is the most important thing any of us can do. We all have come to earth with different assignments and missions. We all ought to be content with the things the Lord has allotted to us. Sometimes we all need to just fight the Battle of Bedford falls!

A little nugget from Elder Richard G. Scott

Just chew on this for a while:

We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day.

This came from his most recent conference address, The Transforming Power of Faith and Character.

Pres. Monson and Gen. Conference 2010

My last post was so large that I thought I would give this last thought it's own post.
After our activity, I gave each Young Woman a little package of chocolate with a ribbon and this thought, taken from Pres. Monson's message:

Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it. Someone has said that “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

I also wanted to mention something else about Pres. Monson's message.

In the book of Matthew in the Bible, we have another account of gratitude, this time as an expression from the Savior. As He traveled in the wilderness for three days, more than 4,000 people followed and traveled with Him. He took compassion on them, for they may not have eaten during the entire three days. His disciples, however, questioned, “Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?” Like many of us, the disciples saw only what was lacking.

“And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And [the disciples] said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

“And [Jesus] commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

“And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.”

Notice that the Savior gave thanks for what they had—and a miracle followed: “And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.”4

We have all experienced times when our focus is on what we lack rather than on our blessings. Said the Greek philosopher Epictetus, “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

I have been thinking about this. There were 4,000 people. Seven loaves and two fishes were not even close to the amount needed to feed that crowd. Jesus didn't whine about it or just give up. He gave thanks for what they did have, and that's when the miracle occurred. That is definitely something to think and ponder about!

General Conference Jeopardy

I have been doing some thinking about Pres. Monson's talk on gratitude at this past General Conference and I was going to add some of my thoughts about that. That got me thinking about our combined Young Women activity last Wednesday,so I thought I would share what we did for that first.

Before General Conference, we challenged the Young Women to take notes at Conference in preparation for our activity which was General Conference Jeopardy. There are plenty of ways to check out conference afterwards if you weren't able to watch a particular session. (Look online for video, transcript, look in the Church News, etc.) We played the Young Women vs. the leaders. I took a chalkboard and divided it into 6 sections: Sat morning, Sat afternoon, Sun morning, Sun afternoon, Stats/Misc and Pres. Monson's messages. Then I made a grid with the points underneath each section. I had two Mia Maids keep score and one Mia Maid would erase the points on the game board when someone chose the points the points they played for.

Here are the rules we played:
1. A young woman and a leader come to the front. (We flipped a coin to see who went first.) The first person picks the category and points they want to play for.

2. We had two buzzers. You can't buzz in until the answer is finished. You can't buzz in until you have an answer. You can go back to your group to get the answer if you want.

3. You have to give the answer in the form of a question.
(example- Answer: This man spoke 4 different times during General Conference. Your "answer" would be in the form of a question: Who is Pres. Monson)

Here are the Jeopardy Answers we used. If you want to use these, there are a few that are more specific to us that you might want to change:
Saturday Morning

100- This is how much money was left in Elder Holland’s bank account when he got back from his mission. (All of it. Elder Holland’s parents never took any money out.)

200- This is the name of one of the 2 general authorities that mentioned a specific talk that Pres. Ezra Taft Benson gave 25 years ago on following the prophet. (Kevin R. Duncan, Claudio M. Costa)

300- Elder David M. McConkie’s message was to members who had ever been called to do this. (teach)

400- Elder D. Todd Christopherson opened his talk by quoting from this movie that was shown at the 1964 World’s fair in New York City. (Man’s Search for Happiness)

500 Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf began his remarks by talking about the growth patterns of these. (Trees)

1000- Sister Rosemary M. Wixom spoke of a young mother who encouraged her children to do this when they were traveling in a snowstorm. (pray)



Saturday afternoon

100- This was the topic of Elder Robert D. Hales’ talk. (agency)

200- This favorite movie of Sister King’s was mentioned in Elder Quentin L. Cook’s message on Light. (Amazing Grace)

300- This member of our stake spoke on the Temple Mirrors of Eternity (Elder Gerritt W. Gong)

400- Elder Richard C. Scott said that faith and this are intimately related. (character)

500- Elder Neil L. Andersen counseled us to choose not be these 2 things. (offended, ashamed)

1000- Bishop Richard C. Edgley said that you have to do this to faith. (choose it)







Sunday morning

100- This Book of Mormon prophet was quoted by Pres. Henry B. Eyring. (Alma)

200- Pres. Boyd K. Packer said that some people would like to do this to alter the designs of God’s laws and nature. (vote)

300- Elder Jay E. Jensen said that this book is saturated with the spirit of the Lord. (Book of Mormon)

400- Sister Mary N. Cook mentioned this aunt who made a big impact on her in her teenage years. (Carma Cutler)

500- Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke about these 2 communications lines with God. (personal, priesthood)

1000- Elder Packer says that Satan seeks to degrade the righteous use of the life-giving powers by tempting you into immoral relationships because he is this. (jealous)



Sunday afternoon

100- 25 years ago, Elder L. Tom Perry used this visual aid in his conference talk. (His eldest grandson)

200- Elder David A. Bednar said these four words are not a passive pronouncement; rather, they constitute a priesthood injunction. (Receive the Holy Ghost.)

300- Elder Larry R. Lawrence said that it takes this to be a parent. (courage)

400- Elder Per G. Malm told a story of his grandmother who suggested that they make these when the eggs her child brought home were broken. (pancakes)

500- Elder Jairo Mazzagardi opened his talk by talking about doing this with his granddaughter, Vicki. (Taking a walk)

1000- According to Elder Mervyn B. Arnold, each of us will have to give this to the Savior. (account for what we did with His name.)




Statistics/Misc.

100- These are the members of the first presidency. (Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Pres. Henry B. Eyring, Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf

200- The family choir in the Sat. afternoon session came from this area. (Sandy and Draper)

300- This is the number of talks Pres. Monson gave. (4)

400- This is the number of sessions the Tabernacle choir sang in. (3)

500- This scripture has always been quoted by at least one speaker for at least the past 4 years. (Matthew 11:28-30, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden…)

1000- These are the names of 2 of the 5 new temples announced in Conference. (Lisbon, Portugal; Indianapolis, Indiana; Urdaneta, Philippines; Hartford, Connecticut; and Tijuana, Mexico.)





President Monson’s Messages

100- In his opening remarks, Pres. Monson said that this is a priesthood duty. (missionary work)

200- This is the instrument Pres. Monson’s mother wished he had stayed with. (piano)

300- In Pres. Monson’s message on gratitude, he told the story of Jesus and 10 people who had this disease. (leprosy)

400- Pres. Monson said he hopes we will take the time to do this with the conference talks. (read them)

500- When Pres. Monson became the president of the church, he gave himself this assignment. (Adviser for the tabernacle choir)

1000- These are what the 3 R’s stand for in the message Pres. Monson gave in the general priesthood session when he spoke about the 3 R’s of Choice. (first, the right of choice; second, the responsibility of choice; and third, the results of choice)

Both teams determine how many points they want to wager. I had pictures of the 12 apostles and they listed them in order of seniority.


Jeopardy Question- These are the 12 members of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles listed by seniority. (Boyd K. Packer, L. Tom Perry, Russell M. Nelson, Dallin H. Oaks, M. Russell Ballard, Richard G. Scott, Robert D. Hales, Jeffrey R. Holland, David A. Bednar, Quentin L. Cook, D. Todd Christofferson, Neil L. Andersen)

At the end, we happened to end in a tie. I was glad. I told everyone there are no losers when it comes to general conference. Anyone who watched even a little is a winner. If you didn't get a chance to watch, you can still get the information by prayerfully reading the talks when they come out in the Ensign in just a few weeks.