Reading the Book of Mormon with a purpose

I mean, there is always a purpose to reading the Book of Mormon.  To know that it is true.  Moroni, the last Book of Mormon prophet, left a promise at the end of the Book of Mormon, that when you read the Book of Mormon, with the intent to know that it is true, and then pray to Heavenly Father, He "will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost."

(If you are interested in a free copy of my favorite book, click HERE!)

I have read the Book of Mormon numerous times.  Each time I read it, I am at a different point in life and so I see and understand different things.  The Book of Mormon meant one thing to me as a missionary, and another thing to me as a mother, for example.  Recently I started reading the Book of Mormon with a different focus or theme so that I see even more than I have seen before.

In mentioning that to another tweeter, she mentioned a way that she is reading the Book of Mormon, and I really liked it.  But now I am about four Books of Mormon out, and I don't want to forget the ideas, so I figured this is the perfect place to start a list of ideas of ways that I want to read through the Book of Mormon. 

* Reading through three times
* All references to the Temple
* Keeping track of who is speaking
* The names of Jesus Christ
* The references to us

I am going to keep adding to this list as I think of or see new ideas.  If anyone has ideas that they have done or seen, please share in the comments!

Prayer Journal

I know that this doesn't immediately sound like it is related to scripture study, but prayer and scripture study are essential to each other, so it is. : )

I know there is a quote somewhere that says that our journals are basically the scriptures of our lives.  What we write in our journals is recorded in the heavens.  President Spencer W. Kimball said, in a talk entitled President Kimball Speaks Out On Personal Journals (December 1980), said:

From time immemorial the Lord has counseled us to be a record-keeping people. Abraham had a book of remembrance, and Adam had one. Early in the American life of the family of Lehi, his son Nephi said: “Having had a great knowledge of the goodness and mysteries of God, therefore, I make a record of my proceedings in my days. …

“And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.” (1 Ne. 1:1, 3.) This great record included not only the movements of his people, but his own personal life.

When the Savior visited this continent following his resurrection, he commanded the Nephites and Lamanites to bring their records up to date. He said to them: “Behold, other scriptures I would that ye should write, that ye have not.

“And it came to pass that he said unto Nephi: Bring forth the record which ye have kept.

“And when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them before him, he cast his eyes upon them and said:

“Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so?

“And his disciples answered him and said: Yea, Lord, …

“And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?

“And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written, … therefore it was written according as he commanded.” (3 Ne. 23:6–13.)

You should continue on in this important work of recording the things you do, the things you say, the things you think, to be in accordance with the instructions of the Lord. Your journal is your autobiography, so it should be kept carefully. You are unique, and there may be incidents in your experience that are more noble and praiseworthy in their way than those recorded in any other life.

What could you do better for your children and your children’s children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved? Some of what you write may be humdrum dates and places, but there will also be rich passages that will be quoted by your posterity.

We hope you will begin as of this date. If you have not already commenced this important duty in your lives, get a good notebook, a good book that will last through time and into eternity for the angels to look upon. Begin today and write in it your goings and your comings, your deeper thoughts, your achievements, and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. We hope you will do this, our brothers and sisters, for this is what the Lord has commanded, and those who keep a personal journal are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives.

A while ago, a friend that I follow on Twitter, Ashley Frederickson, tweeted about her Prayer Journal.  She had written a post on her blog and was talking about how it was benefitting her life.   Being the journaler that I am (is that a word?), I loved the idea of keeping a better record of what I have been praying for and how the Lord has been answering my prayers.

So, I got a journal and started writing.  It has been a marvelous experience, as, with my preparation, I feel that I have received answers to my prayers in ways that I might not have recognized previously.  I highly recommend it!

Answers from General Conference

This weekend was AMAZING!!! I was incredibly uplifted and strengthened! I LOVE General Conference weekend!!

This year I worked very hard to prepare for Conference before it started. I had questions and concerns that I was bringing before the Lord and I wanted to be able to receive the answers through the talks in General Conference. I wrote my thoughts and questions in my prayer journal and I fasted and prayed for two Sundays in a row that included our local Stake Conference and General Women's Meeting. I did not want to exclude any possible avenue for guidance from the Lord.

One of my questions, I will admit, was a little on the whiney side. Basically, "if I am doing what You have asked of me, why am I still struggling so much?" Other questions were more about how I can improve myself and help others in their struggles. One was about how I can improve my newly-developing business.

During Stake Conference, especially, I was inundated with answers to how I can help others in their struggles, and a firm strengthening of my testimony that Heavenly Father knows of my questions and concerns and cares about them.

As General Conference arrived, I was excited for the answers I knew I would receive from the Lord. As is my habit, I watch General Conference with my laptop, tabs open on Drive (to keep notes), Twitter, and lds.org. After each session, I kept seeing tweets from people saying how their prayers and questions had been answered by a particular talk. I always responded to them, saying how wonderful that was, and then thought to myself, next session I will receive my answer! I even watched the Priesthood Session, again, not wanting to exclude any possible guidance I might receive.

I received a great deal of guidance from the Lord, about all kinds of different things, just as I always have with every General Conference I have ever listened to. I heard a lot of counsel to not let worry and hardships test my faith, to turn to the Lord for strength to get through them. I know all that. I know it to be true. But, I don't want to have strength to continue to bear up this burden, I want it taken off my back, for good!  I wanted the Lord to speak TO ME!

In the 3rd to the last talk of General Conference, Elder Larry S. Kacher, of the Seventy, spoke about where we look for answers to our questions. He told us to turn to a loving Heavenly Father. Then he said: Choose to set aside doubts, allowing the Lord to answer in his own time.

The Spirit spoke to my heart and mind.  I KNEW that was the Lord speaking TO ME. I was humbled.

Elder Kacher followed with this scripture, Doctrine & Covenants 50:40 - "Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth."

I read beyond that and read the next six verses:

"Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me;

"And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost.

"And the Father and I are one. I am in the Father and the Father in me; and inasmuch as ye have received me, ye are in me and I in you.

"Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd, and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall. (emphasis added)

"And the day cometh that you shall hear my voice and see me, and know that I am.

"Watch, therefore, that ye may be ready. Even so. Amen."

Three times during General Conference I was excited to hear my favorite Book of Mormon scripture quoted, Helaman 5:12!

And here it was again: "He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall."

I don't have to worry about WHEN the Lord will answer my question, as long as I am built upon the rock of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and rely on His Atonement for grace, mercy and strength.

My question has now changed to: Please allow Your grace to help me bear up my burdens, to find peace from the relentless stress of my burdens, by continually guiding me in how I can better learn from, change (especially change!), and accept my circumstances, in recognizable and sustainable ways.

Now I am going to take the things that I have learned from General Conference and LIVE them!  I am going to take my notes and make goals for ways that I can improve, change and draw closer to my Heavenly Father and His will for me!  I can't wait for the November ENSIGN to come out so I can re-read the talks and study them in greater depth!

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I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who chastens me and reminds me who should be in control of my life.  I am in these stresses and problems because I chose to made decisions without asking Him for guidance and direction, and relied upon my own meager "wisdom".  When I allow the most omnipotent and powerful being in the universe, who knows me better than I know myself, to guide my life according to His will and His timing, I will ALWAYS be blessed beyond measure!  I will ALWAYS find the greatest happiness!  I am grateful for the Prophet and Apostles who prayerfully speak the words that the Lord would have them say to us, right now, at this time, when we need them the most!  This gospel is a marvelous and beautiful blessing!!

General Conference - October 2014

Saturday, 4 October 2014 -- 10am Mountain Time and 2pm Mountain Time

Sunday, 5 October 2014 -- 10am Mountain Time and 2pm Mountain Time

lds.org  or BYUtv.org

General Women's Conference 2014

Receive Remember Apply

(image source)

This applies to our scripture study too, but as I prepare for General Conference, I wanted to remember this!

General Conference is coming soon!

I love this time of year, as we get ready for General Conference!  We are blessed to be able to sit at the feet of the Prophet and Apostles and leaders of this Church and hear what the Lord needs us to know RIGHT NOW!  (For anyone unfamiliar, General Conference is a world-wide broadcast that allows the leaders of the Church to talk to all of the church membership at the same time.)  Our Stake also has Stake Conference this weekend, so I always feel doubly blessed to have so much counsel in a short period of time!

I am happy to say that this year I have studied the words that we heard in General Conference more than I ever have before!  It has been a very strengthening experience for me, as it has affected all aspects of my life.  I feel closer to my Heavenly Father and more in tune with His guidance than I ever have before.

For the past several years I have tried and tested several different ways of experiencing General Conference.  I have taken written notes. I have followed Twitter and Facebook as General Conference was being broadcast.  I have taken no notes at all and just listened.  I have kept notes on my laptop, while following Twitter and Facebook.  I did not like it when I took no notes.  I heard more, but I don't believe that I retained as much.  It is much more distracting to follow Twitter and Facebook, but I feel more a part of a world-wide gathering of Saints when I do, and if I miss a quote, someone out there heard it and posts it and I really appreciate that!  So, in a few weeks I will be sitting on my couch, watching General Conference with my laptop and my phone.  

This year I want to prepare better BEFORE General Conference even starts.  

From a talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf comes the following story:

     A fine member of the Church was talking with a neighbor who was not of our faith. When the topic of discussion turned to general conference, the neighbor asked, “You say you have prophets and apostles? And twice a year in a worldwide conference they reveal the word of God?”

     “Absolutely,” the member replied with confidence.

     The neighbor thought about that for a moment. He seemed genuinely interested and then asked, “What did they say in the last general conference?”

     At this point the good member of the Church went from feeling excited about sharing the gospel to feeling embarrassed. Try as he might, he couldn’t think of the details of a single talk.

     His friend found this troubling and said, “You mean to tell me that God speaks to man in our day and you can’t remember what He said?”

     The brother felt humbled by this exchange. He vowed that he would do better to remember the words spoken by the Lord’s servants in general conference.

     We all know how hard it is to remember every message of general conference, and I’m confident that we need not be embarrassed if we don’t remember everything. Nevertheless, there are messages in each general conference given as a gift and a blessing from heaven specifically for our personal life situations.  (General Conference - No Ordinary Blessing, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, ENSIGN, First Presidency Message, September 2011)

I want to be prepared not just for what Heavenly Father has to say to us, but what Heavenly Father has to say to ME.  And, I want to be able to retain that knowledge through the next six months, not have it just filter back into the rest of the information I have bouncing around in my head all day.  In the talk linked above, Pres. Uchtdorf goes on to give us three steps that will prepare us to "better receive, remember, and apply the words spoken by the Lord’s servants."  

I discovered a page on lds.org that talks about how we can prepare for General Conference.

There are two things that I plan to specifically do to prepare for General Conference.  

One, is to pray about the things that I would like guidance and direction on in my life.  I will write them down in my journal, and then this Sunday I will fast and pray about them as well.  Then I will follow up by writing in my journal what the Lord revealed to me during General Conference in answer to those prayers.

Two, in Family Home Evening this week, we will discuss as a family the things that we would like to receive guidance to as we watch General Conference.  I want my children to understand this principle as well.

I am excited! I am looking forward to Women's Conference on 27 September and General Conference on 4-5 October 2014.

" If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you.” —Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

" I promise that if you will listen, you will feel the Spirit well up within you. The Lord will tell you what He wants you to do with your life. In conferences we can receive the word of the Lord meant just for us." —Elder Robert D. Hales

(I will be following and tweeting to #WomensMeeting and #LDSConf  -- @LTNehring)