Thank You and 2 Nephi 26 - Jacob 5

Dear Sisters of the Parleys Stake,

I wanted to thank all of you that helped with our Fall Service Project. It was a huge success thanks to each of you. I truly appreciated your support as did the Friends of the Library. We completed all 2000 bags and are grateful for your service. Thank you!

2 Nephi 26 - Jacob 5

Charles Dickens wrote . . . "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.” Thus is the story of the Book of Mormon. We have so many examples in The Book of Mormon of the blessings (best of times) we can receive if we do what is right, or the destruction (worst of times) that will come if we do not following its teachings.

I love the teachings of The Book of Mormon, they are clear, concise and give us hope! I take great comfort in the scripture found in 2 Nephi 27:23, “For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever;” I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that is constant, loving and kind.

2 Nephi 31:20 “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the work of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father,: Ye shall have eternal life.”

Delivering a final message to the people, Nephi taught the doctrine of Christ. He taught that we must follow the example of Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. This “doctrine of Christ” was revealed by the voice of Jesus Christ and confirmed by the voice of the Father. Nephi declared that as we follow the doctrine of Christ, we will receive eternal life. Continuing his message, Nephi encouraged us to “feast upon the words of Christ”, “receive the Holy Ghost”, and “pray always”. Nephi concluded his message with a plea that we believe in Jesus Christ. He taught that when we believe in Christ, we are prepared to receive His words in the scriptures.

One of my favorite scriptures in Jacob is Jacob 3:1 ‘But behold, I, Jacob would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause . . “

The Book of Mormon can help us be strong against the false teachings we encounter in the latter days.

Jesus the Christ - Progression, Individuals, and the Atonement

As I have contemplated what this experience has brought to my life, I wanted to write a little about the general impact, not necessarily specific chapters in the reading. Admittedly I got off to a late start on the reading and had to catch up to the schedule, but it has worked for me since I am approaching this book a little differently this time.

In this reading of Jesus the Christ, I am approaching the book with a focus on themes and patterns, rather than specific factual knowledge. The further into the book I get, it is becoming clear how everything is based on progression. So far, in the reading Christ progressed from the infant born in Bethlehem to a teacher and worker of miracles. Because I know how the mortal ministry ends, the book will continue to show Christ progressing towards fulfilling the atonement for us.

As my reading has progressed to where we are now, watching the ministry of Christ unfold, I am struck more forcefully how individual His ministry was. While He did some teaching to multitudes (such as the Sermon on the Mount), there are numerous examples and stories of Christ interacting with people one on one. He consistently takes the person from where they are and lifts them up to a higher level. He supports them in their need, and yet it seems that He also focuses on how to help them become "better". For example, Nicodemus talked with Christ about the need to be born again. We have this great teaching because of a personal interaction.

This week in the reading, Christ talked with the Samaritan woman. In this discussion, we learn many key principles of the importance of Christ's mission. He talks of being the living water, the importance of spiritual worship, and the declaration that He is the Christ. In the example of the nobleman's son, we learn the power of absolute faith in Christ and His power. The leper was healed physically, but then next healing discussed, related to the palsied man. The palsied man was carried to where Christ was staying by his friends. Here the man was healed spiritually first when Christ told him "thy sins be forgiven thee". Then Christ healed the man physically with "arise, and take up they bed, and go they way into thine house."

Christ has moved us from doctrinal knowledge (be born again), to addressing mortal needs (physical healing), to spiritual needs (sins forgiven). To me, this illustrates some of the aspects of the atonement. The atonement works for each of us on varying levels from supporting us in our physical needs to helping us heal and progress spiritually.

As I try to apply this to my life and my learning, I find that to follow Christ, I need to look at it on two levels. First, how do I personally increase my faith, and continue to be healed spiritually. Second, how do I help others around me, as individuals, on their journey and as we all continue to progress through mortality.

One great lesson, Christ will take us from where we are today. As we use the atonement in our lives and rely on Christ, He will help us move forward. As we continue to grow in faith and reliance on Him, He will support and guide us. This help and guidance isn't always provided directly. It may be through others that our needs are met. For example, the palsied man would not have been healed had his friends not taken him to Christ. As we support each other, friends looking to help and assist, it allows all of us to continue to progress and move forward.

This reading of Jesus the Christ continues to fortify my testimony of Christ, who He was in mortality, what His mission was on earth, what His mission is, and how much He loves each of us. He wants us to progress and move forward.

The Second Coming of Christ and the Atonement

Christ's 2nd Coming and The Atonement

1 Nephi 22- 2 Nephi 9

I'm glad that I waited to blog on this section until after we had our RS lessons on the 2nd Coming of Christ. This tied in perfectly with the lessons and added new insight to me.

1 Nephi 22: This chapter talks about how Nephi was prophesying about how Israel would be scattered and eventually re-gathered. We now know that has happened. The 12 tribes of Israel were scattered over all the earth. Today most of the tribes have been accounted for in individual patriarchial blessings but that scattering divided and spread the Israelites among the Gentiles. Nephi also saw the day when the Israelites would be regathered. We know that that has happened now both literally (in 1947 when Israel became it's own country and was partitioned off from Palestine, many jews reconvened together there) and figuratively (with the baptism of a gentile, that person is adopted into the house of Israel making our Wards and Stakes places of spiritual gathering). Nephi goes on to describe the actual 2nd coming where Christ will appear in that "Great and Dreadful Day" and institute His government and take his rightful place as the leader of the Earth. The wicked will be removed from the Earth (burned as stubble) and only the righteous will remain. Satan will be bound because the world will only have righteous people living in it and they will not succumb to Satan's temptations and Satan will therefore have no more power over the people.

Many people fear that day but in verse 22 it states, "the righteous need not fear for they are those that shall not be confounded". We have heard from many of our Prophets the same message that "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear". President Hinckley quoted that over and over especially in regards to food storage and spiritual emergency preparedness. If we do what we should be doing now, we have no reason to think that we will not be saved with the righteous when Christ comes again.

2 Nephi 1-9 These passages are beautiful and speak about how God set up The United States of America as a choice land where its inhabitants could have agency and learn how to choose right from wrong for themselves and how that was crucial in preparing the way for Joseph Smith to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ into a land that allowed freedom of religion and that men and women could choose for themsleves what they believe.

Nephi also talks about the 3 different men named Joseph (Lehi's son, Joseph of Egypt and Joseph Smith and how they each were seen in visions by the others and how they wereinstrumental in furthering God's work. He also describes in Chapt 5 how the Lamanites descented from the Nephites and they were smitten with a curse and their skin was darkened.

In Chapt 8-9 the Atonement is the focus and how God's grace and mercy are required for us if we are ever to live with Him again because we can never make it on our own. The Atonement was the single greatest gift ever given to the world and Christ as our brother, loved us enough to die for us so that we may utilize the Atonement so that after all our own efforts, the Lord's grace will make up the difference.

The whole chapter 9 is a beautiful testiment of how perfect a plan our Father in Heaven has created for us. I know this was long but there were a lof of really important parts in this reading. I want you each to know that I know that this Gospel is true and that we are each important to our Heavenly Father. He loves us and wants us to be happy. He has given us church leaders, scriptures, media and even this blog so that we can share our convictions with others. I love that I can be a part of trying to serve and further his work. I'm humbled by the opportunity to serve in my calling and know that each of us will be blessed each time we try to better our lives or the lives of those around us.

Book of Mormon Chapters 2Nephi 10-25

I hesitate to add to this blog so soon after Sister Corinne Cannon's Comments. I hope everyone had a chance to read her comments yesterday. Please make sure to read her blog on the reading assignment for Jesus, The Christ.

These are a few thoughts I had on the Book of Mormon reading this past week. In 2 Nephi 10:3, Jacob tells us of the atonement of the Savior and introduces the name "Christ" for the first time.

"Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ--for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be His name--should come among the Jews,"

In 1 Nephi, Jesus, had been referred to as "Messiah", "Savior" and "Redeemer", but now, as Jacob tells us in this scripture, we know Him as the "Christ". It's not until Chapter 26, that Jacob actually refers to our Savior as, "Jesus, the Christ".

Then, in 2 Nephi Chapter 11, Nephi takes over the narrative again. These chapters of the Book of Mormon are compared to the Isaiah chapters 2 to 14 in The Old Testament.

I will admit, sisters, that these "Isaiah" chapters, while so beautifully written, have been chapters that I often "leap frog" through because I am a simple girl and I don't always understand what Isaiah is saying! So, imagine my surprise that this would be my reading (and blogging) assignment this week!

These chapters vividly describe the consequences for the wickedness and folly of the nations of the world. And yet, in Isaiah's writings, I see two major highlights; the events leading up to the birth of the Savior, and the events leading up to His second coming. While I do not always understand everything that Isaiah writes, I do understand the importance of knowing the Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His birth, ministry, atonement, resurrection and His second coming. I'm sure that each of you have other thoughts on these chapters and saw things with deeper clarity. What were some of the highlights for you in this reading?

In 2 Nephi 25:26, Nephi writes, "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."

I hope that each of you will take a few minutes to add your thoughts to this blog. I am grateful for the extra study allowed me this week to contemplate these chapters of the Book of Mormon. I love that the women of the Parleys Stake are "talking" of Christ, rejoicing in Him and preaching of Him, in this weekly blog. I testify of my love for the Savior and of my love for these sacred scriptures.

Dear Sisters,
What a wonderful time of the year it is to conclude our summer activities and spend more time contemplating our many blessings. I am grateful to have the scriptures in my life--particularly the Old Testament because of the many great prophets who so diligently wrote and preserved them for thousands of years so the Word of God would continue to teach us in these Latter Days. And with these writings we can find so many types and predictions of Jesus Christ.
I loved Chapter Five of Jesus the Christ "Earthly Advent of the Christ Predicted".
Brother Talmage reminds us that the Old Testament was available 'long before the time of Christ's birth...[with] the utterances of divinely commissioned prophets,...records of appointed historians, and the songs of inspired poets"
We first see in the Creation Story how "through the seed of the woman should come the power to bruise the adversary's head."
He reminds us of Jacob's blessing to Judah in Gen. 49:10--The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come(a name regarded by many biblical scholars as a prophecy of the coming of Messiah and further discussed in his Chapter Notes #2); and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."
Moses instigated laws of sacrifice to remind the people that "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken." (Deut. 18:15-19) Brother Talmage says: "The paschal lamb...was a particular type of the Lamb of God who in due time would be slain for the sins of he world." He gives many foot-notes of scriptures from the New Testament and Book of Mormon that give further enlightenment of Christ as the Lamb of God.
He then goes on to describe scriptures from Job, songs from David's Psalms, passages from Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Micah, Zechariah and Isaiah that prophecy of Christ.
It is interesting to read his Note #1 in this chapter on 'The Antiquity of Sacrifice as a Prototype of Christ's Atoning Death' as he discusses the various pros and cons of Messiah predictions in the Old Testament.
The sixth Ward presented a fireside on Monday night featuring the great-granddaughter of Brother Talmage who gave us better insight into his life, diligence and devotion to the Savior--insights that will be discussed in later posts. There is one correction I would like to make from my first post: that Talmage lived in the temple while he wrote his book, Jesus the Christ. His great-granddaughter said that this is erroneous--he went home late every night!
I hope you are enjoying reading Jesus the Christ or The Book of Mormon with our stake. I think it creates a wonderful spirit among us, and I appreciate your many wonderful thoughts and comments.

We want to hear from you!!!!

We have had some sisters that have wondered exactly HOW to comment on the blog, so we have prepared a short tutorial which will also be available on a card from your Ward RS President. Until then, here is the text portion for your edification.

How to Comment on the Blog...

1. On your computer, go to parleyswomen.blogspot.com (Congratulations! You are already here!!)

2. Read through the beautiful, thoughtful blog posts that are there from the Ward RS Presidents and Stake RS Presidency.

3. Ponder your own reading

4. Choose a post(s) you would like to add your comment on

5. Scroll down to the bottom of the post and find the line that says "Posted by...". To the right of that, it says "comments" - preceded by a number.

6. Click on the word "comments" and a window will open up with a place for you to type in your comments (and read all previous comments)! Please be kind and thoughtful and add your full name to your comment.

7. Click on the button below the window to the left that says "Publish Comment"!

8. You did it! It's that easy and we hope you will share with all of us so that we can get to know you better!

Book of Mormon Chapters 1Ne 12-21

Hi sisters,neighbors, friends,

How I have loved sharing the joys of reading the Book of Mormon and Jesus the Christ together. Wonderful experiences, results of consistent study of the Savior and His grand and glorious purposes have been topics of discussion among us for these past weeks. I am trying to read both works and one certainly gives insight to another.
I would like to comment on the Book of Mormon reading of two weeks ago, of Nephi chapters 12-21. And though it is past reading it contains such poignant lessons that I cannot let it go by. There are so many exciting teachings in these chapters, but I want to focus on just two of the standout parts.

1. The name of the book, The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Christ. The subtitle , Another Testament of Christ, is most often omitted when making reference to this book of scripture for convenience sake. I am reminded of its importance, though, when I read about the necessity of another testament of Christ in 1Nephi. Chapter 13 speaks specifically of the Bible, or the record of the Jews, that contains "the covenants of the Lord which he hath made with the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets. . . wherefore they are of great worth unto the gentiles." The angel of the Lord speaking to Nephi goes on to say "when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord" but over centuries of time and in Satan's efforts to "pervert the right ways of the Lord. . . there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book. . . (and) because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book . . . an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea insomuch that Satan hath great power over them." 1Ne 13:23,26-29 This same angel of the Lord then says to Nephi in the words of the Savior, "I will be merciful . . . I will bring forth. . . in mine own power, much of my gospel, which shall be plain and precious. . . These last records. . . shall establish the truth of the first . . . and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them and shall make known to all. . . that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him." 1Ne 13:34,40 I love this explanation of the need for the Book of Mormon Another Testament of Christ.
2. The other standout verse of these chapters that I would like to mention is something we teach our children and need to be reminded of ourselves. It is the simple admonition to "liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning".1Ne 19:23 It took me some time to understand how literally this is to be taken. About 8 or so years ago I was serving with some remarkable women in our stake. They were women of inspiration and understanding. They were wordsmiths and poets. Masters of metaphor. It is from them that the light of symbolism went on in my soul. They were able to dissect and make plain the precious truths and I was able to 'see' with spiritual eyes what the lives and experiences of ancient people and not-so ancient people had to do with me. I learned about symbolism. I learned about metaphor. I learned about types and shadows of Christ. About noticing the evidences of the Creator in all things. It was so exciting! They taught me to 'see'. I have not read the scriptures or learned of gospel principles the same way since. I will always love these women and what they taught me. I am knowing and loving our Savior, Jesus Christ more deeply, and seeing Him more clearly. I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!!!
   

These are only 2 of the myriad of insights I am gaining as I read with you all. What have you 'seen' in recent readings? Please share. Please teach me more!

love to all of you.

Shawn Morgan

Jesus The Christ

Dear Sisters of the Parley's Stake

I appreciate the oppurtunity to read "Jesus The Christ". I have started reading before, but haven't read the entire book. I enjoy having a schedule and motivation to finish this time. I'm sure as each sister reads about the Savior, his life, and his ministry, they will come to know our Savior on a personal level. I feel this is the most important reason to read this book. The more we know and understand the Savior's mission, the more we can come to feel of his spirit and direction in our lives.

The first seven chapters outline the preexistence and foreordination of Jesus Christ. Two of those chapters were especially inspiring to me. Chapter three, "The Need of a Redeemer", was very personal to me. It testifies to me of a loving Heavenly Father who knew, as hard as I try, that I would make mistakes and sin. I felt my Heavenly Father's love as quoted on page 17 and 18 "It was necessary that a means of redemption be provided, whereby erring man might make amends, and by compliance with established law achieve salvation and eventual exaltation in the eternal worlds. The power of death was to be overcome, so that, though men would of necessity die, they would live anew, their spirits clothed with immortalized bodies over which death could not again prevail."

Devine revelation and prophecy of Jesus Christ was outlined in Chapter 5. It testifies to me of the inspiration and truth of the Holy Scriptures. I loved reading about the prophecy of Christ's birth by prophets in the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament. On page 51 I quote, "At a later time Nephi writes, not as his father's scribe, but as a prophet and revelator voicing the word of God as made known to himself. He was permitted to behold in vision and to declare to his people the circumstances of the Messiah's birth, His baptism by John and the ministration of the Holy Ghost with its accompanying sign of the dove....". It only strenghtens my testimony to the divinity of the Book of Mormon as another testament of Jesus Christ.

My testimony continues to grow as I read and study. I love my Savior and I feel his love as I pray for continued understanding and direction through the words of this sacred book.

Liz Niederhauser Parley's 6th ward

Jesus The Christ

Dear women of the Parley's stake,


I have always wanted to read "Jesus The Christ" but felt a bit intimidated from comments I had heard about it being deep and intense. Albert Einstein said that James E. Talmage was one of the smartest men he had ever met. When the stake R.S challenged us to read it I thought, this is it! I am going to do it! Some of my favorite scriptures came to mind...Phillipians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me; D&C 6:36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not; Mark 10:27... with God all things are possible. Knowing that I had to blog about it made me even more nervous. Now that I am reading, I wonder to myself, what that was all about...fear can be so paralyzing.


I am loving this book and learning things I didn't know before!!! Isn't it interesting how you've been taught or known something all of your life and someone says it differently and it finally strikes home in a way that it didn't before. After reading chapters one through four, the following stood out to me.

.... Satan felt triumphant in tempting Eve to partake of the fruit in the garden of Eden(page 20). This passage gave me a new perspective on death...and life. Satan loves to see us hurting and weak, giving into his temptations. It makes me want to try even harder to not let him have any sort of power over me... to always keep my focus on the Savior, the Atonement, His eternal plan and the happiness it brings to my life.

...I liked this analogy on pages 27-28. "The need of a Redeemer lies in the inability of man to raise himself from the temporal to the spiritual plane, from the lower kingdom to the higher. In this conception we are not without analogies in the natural world." The plant, of a higher order than the soil, reaches for the soil to grow. The animal reaches for the plant, and man reaches for the animal. We need a Redeemer and Savior to reach down and lift us so we can obtain a higher condition of spiritual life...a higher kingdom.

...I love the idea that our Heavenly Father has a full knowledge of the nature and disposition of each of His children. (note no. 1 chapter 3). I am grateful for and feel strongly about the power of choice in my life. (note no 2 in chapter 3).

I bear testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ and I am grateful to have this opportunity to learn more of Him.

Mary Lee Warner... Parley's 4th

Nephi's Example

Book of Mormon -1 Nephi Chapter 1-11

What a privilege and blessing to read the Book of Mormon. I'm grateful for the time to read, pray and think about the teachings of Jesus Christ from these ancient prophets. What would our lives be like if we didn't have the opportunity to read about the prophet Nephi? First Nephi chapter 1-11 mentions many examples of Nephi's character I would like to share:

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  Nephi honored his parents.


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  Nephi was obedient to his father-the prophet Lehi's teachings.


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  Nephi was obedient to the Lord's commandment of returning back to Jerusalem, to obtain the brass plates and gather Ishmael's family to join them on their journey to the promised land.


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  Both commandments of returning back to Jerusalem, Nephi demonstrated great faith. He said " I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the things which he commandeth them." 1 Nephi 3:7


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  Obtaining the brass plates was not an easy commandment, but Nephi knew the Lord had all power, wisdom and nothing is too hard for the Lord. These truths about the Lord helped Nephi's faith, work & courage--all he could do to obtain the brass plates.


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  Nephi desired to know the things his father Lehi saw in regards to the "Tree of Life" vision. Through Nephi's righteous desires and sharing his desires to Heavenly Father, he received the same vision his father receive. Nephi came to know what the "Love of God" is-- His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Nephi also saw in vision Christ's birth, mission, death & resurrection 600 years before the event happend.


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  Nephi was obedient to record all his witnesses of Jesus Christ. Nephi's intent of his sacred record was to "persuade all men to come unto Christ." 1 Nephi 6:4

In closing, I would like to share my favorite scripture from these readings. In 1 Nephi 9:6, it states, " But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning, wherefore he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men, for behold he hath all power unto the fullfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen."

What are your thoughts about Nephi's example or your favorite scripture from your readings in 1 Nephi chapter 1-11?

Love, Staci Dearden--Parley's 7th Ward