Reaching my goal and looking back

I am so glad to hear that Jocelyn is going to continue having Book of Mormon forum blog hops after this month because I enjoyed posting about the Book of Mormon. 

I have been really immersed in it this month and it has been a great experience. However, there were so many things I still meant to post about. I sat down numerous times over the past two weeks to write out an idea I had and the inspiration just wouldn't come. I didn't want to write anything if I didn't feel that push to it. I hope that makes sense. But there was one more thing I really wanted to write about and since today is the last day of October.. today is the day!

I had a goal to finish the Book of Mormon by today. There were days when I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. I finished yesterday. Like I have said before, even though I have read it before many times, this time felt like the first time for some reason. It has changed me. I still have so far to go. As Jo in Little Women says, " I am hopelessly flawed." but I feel like this experience has given me a new perspective and a stronger desire to work on those flaws.

I had so many testimony building moments over these months. I have had so many in just the past few days. I know this Book is true and therefore I know this Church is true.

I have found a happiness and purpose that I never had before. 

I want to thank Jocelyn for allowing me to be a part of the Book of Mormon forum. She truly does an amazing work with her blog and I feel blessed to have been a part of something like this no matter how small a part it was. 

If you haven't read the Book of Mormon, I urge you to. If you have but it has been a while or you have stopped believing, please pick it up again. 

I was inactive for quite a few years in my twenties and I never prayed to know if the church or scriptures were true at that time. I never asked Heavenly Father if I was on the right path because I didn't want to hear His answer. But I have prayed this time. And I received confirmation. I know it to be true. And you can know too.

'Whose' Are You?

There is so much emphasis in this world on 'finding yourself'. Everyone is on a quest to find out who they are. The problem with this isn't that we want to know who we are, but that we tend to look in the wrong places to find the answer.

"I need to go out into the world and find out who I am." 

"I need to go make my own mistakes so that I know who I am."

"I need to leave my family so that I can find out who I am."

In my scripture workbook during my study of Mosiah 5 it stated, 

"It seems to be a common concern of many people to find out 'who' they are. King Benjamin emphasized that a more important question would be 'whose' you are."

In order to fully comprehend just who we really are we need to understand where we came from and 'whose' we are.

 To answer that question we don't need to look any further than the scriptures and a simple Primary song my children and I sing every day.

"I am a child of God."

Nephi 17: 36 "Behold the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it."

In this months Ensign in the article The Book of Mormon: A Witness with the Bible we can read scripture verses from each book about the same topic. In that article we find these verses:

Acts 17:28 "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."

1 Nephi 11:17 "I know that God loveth his children"

When we understand that we are children of God we can begin to understand what that means.
I really can't put into words how much I love my daughters and I know that our Heavenly Father feels the same way about us.
When I was in high school I had an amazing seminary teacher. His name was Brother MacDonald and his influence at my life at that time is still present in my life today. In my yearbook he wrote, "If there is a mission on this Earth for Cheryl, it is to let others know that God loves them."
At the time that meant a lot to me and it made sense because I was one of those happy all the time, off the wall energetic, really outgoing people.
But as I have grown older I have become a lot more reserved. I am more often than not very shy. It is a lot harder for me to get out of my comfort zone to talk to people I don't know let alone let them know that God loves them.
It is something I have thought about a lot. How do I fulfill that type of mission?
One way is in how I treat them. I need to try to push past the limitations that my shyness has created to show those around me how His love has helped me. That is one reason I have been so happy to spend this month blogging about the Book of Mormon.
The knowledge that I am a daughter of God and that He loves me, even when I feel like I don't deserve it, is life changing. It is what has got me through the challenges I have faced so far in this life and will continue to get me through them as they come.
Our Father in Heaven loves us.
Each one of us.
More than we can comprehend

The Book of Mormon also teaches us about this love.

These are some of my favorite verses: 

Alma 24: 14 "... he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children."

4 Nephi 1:15 "And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people."

2 Nephi 1: 15 "But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love."

Everyone wants to be loved. This life is hard and we need to know that we are never alone. We need to know that our Heavenly Father is always there for us

Your Heavenly Father is aware of you. He knows what you are going through. He wants to help you.  

You are His child.

He loves you.

I urge you to also read the article in this months Ensign by Elder Russel M. Nelson entitled "What the Book of Mormon teaches about the love of God." 

It is sacred to me

"..I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it is sacred..." -1 Nephi 19:6

I don't always take life seriously. I think I have a pretty good sense of humor. I don't get offended easily. So, why is it that there are certain things that I don't think should be taken lightly? 

This is the question I have asked myself on occasion.

It was no surprise to me when the makers of South Park decided to put together a musical poking fun at The Book of Mormon. But it bothered me. 

I have watched South Park. I found it to be pretty hilarious sometimes. But there were episodes when they really crossed the line. I stopped watching it because I just stopped thinking it was funny.

What did surprise me was that the musical became so popular. I watched a clip from it that someone I know posted and I honestly felt sad watching it. 

I felt this way because, for the sake of entertainment, they are making a mockery of something I believe to be sacred.

Last week I was studying chapter 4 in Helaman. In this chapter the Nephites are defeated because of their wickedness. They become weak. In verse 12 it lists many of the ways that they became wicked and the one that stood out to me on this reading was ".. making a mock of that which was sacred..."

I kept thinking about that all week. 

I feel strongly that there are some things that are off limits when it comes to jokes and everyday conversation.

As has been the pattern during this Book of Mormon forum, as I thought about this subject I was bombarded by messages that reinforced it. 

Over the weekend I opened my October Ensign and was reading the article ,"The Book of Mormon: Keystone of Our Religion". It is an address given by President Ezra Taft Benson in the October 1986 general conference. 

In it he states, "In 1829, the Lord warned the Saints that they are not to trifle with sacred things. Surely the Book of Mormon is a sacred thing, and yet many trifle with it, or in other words, take it lightly, treat it as though it is of little importance."

As I finished the article, the next one caught my eye because of the title. It is called ' A Sacred Work' by David A. Feitz. He tells of visiting a man as a young missionary and as he tried to hand the man a Book of Mormon, he got up and left the room.

They didn't know what to do. Then they noticed the man was washing his hands in the kitchen. When he came back into the room he picked up the Book of Mormon and said, "My people always wash their hands before they touch something sacred." 

I was so impressed when reading this. Here was a man that didn't even have a testimony of the scriptures and yet he treated it as sacred. 

A few hours later I sat down to watch The Amazing Race. I wasn't expecting to learn anything but I watched as two of the racers stopped to ask if they could run on the Borobudur temple grounds in Indonesia. In that moment I thought how great would it be if everyone respected the things which are sacred to others. 

I don't have to believe in something to know that if it is sacred to someone else it deserves my respect. 

The Book of Mormon is sacred to me.

Every last word of it.

When I am reading it I know I am savoring a precious gift. 

I know that I need to treat it as such. 

It is sacred to me.

I believe

Today there is a Book of Mormon Forum blog hop going on. Check it out here .

I wanted to have the links to all the posts here on my blog but for some reason the blog hop code wasn't working. You should really go check out the posts from there!

I was going to blog today about how I gained a testimony of The Book of Mormon for the first time but instead I am going to mention something else. 

I will save the other post for another day.

The reason I want to do this is because of my post from yesterday. 

I was reading in 3 Nephi last week. I kept thinking about how much of the Book of Mormon is testifying of Jesus Christ. Over the weekend every time I sat down to read I would get the idea in my mind of writing a post about being a Christian. 

Yesterday afternoon the feeling was so strong. 

So, that is what I wrote about.

I had no idea that the news was full of stories about that subject. Then I started noticing posts here and there about the same topic. I got on facebook and started noticing people were talking about it there. Then I saw the news. 

I know that I posted that for a reason. 

I know that my study of The Book of Mormon is what has helped me to be more receptive of those moments of inspiration.

I know without a doubt that Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know that He lives.

I know that The Book of Mormon is the word of God. 

I believe.

But more than that.... I know.

I am a Christian

When I looked up the word Christian in the dictionary it gave these two meanings: 

1. one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ 2. of, pertaining to, believing in, or belonging to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ. 

I belong to a church that is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I know that there are many of other faiths that don't consider Mormons to be Christians. Every time I hear someone say this it really troubles me to my core. Everything I believe is centered around Jesus Christ as my Savior. 

On the title page of The Book of Mormon it reads that one of the reasons this great book was written is " to convince the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ". 

In 2 Nephi chapter 25 there are some scriptures about Jesus Christ that I would like to quote from : 

Verse 20: "...as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved."

Verse 23: " For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

Verse 24: "... we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled."

Verse 25: "...we are made alive in Christ because of our faith;..."

Verse 26: "..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."

Verse 28: "...for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not..."

Verse 29: "...I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul..."

 These are just little bits of scriptures from one small chapter in The Book of Mormon. The entire book testifies of Him. 

I believe in the Bible. I believe in The Book of Mormon. I believe in Jesus Christ. 

I am a Christian.

Need an answer? Open this.

There have been many times that I have needed an answer for something and found it almost immediately in my scriptures. 

Over the past few months as I have been studying I cannot tell you how many times I have been reading and had an answer to something right in front of me. Sometimes it has been something I was wondering in that moment. Sometimes it has been something I have been wondering for years. 

All I know is I find my answers in The Book of Mormon.

In these moments I feel immersed in the Spirit. The air feels thick. I know that my Heavenly Father is aware of me. I know that He loves me. I know that The Book of Mormon is true and inspired.

I would like to share a moment I had Wednesday night. 

I have been thinking a lot about miracles.
As I was reading in the Book of Mormon of the signs of the birth of Jesus I wondered how so many of the people that saw those signs could still be in denial about them. That got me thinking about my own life. I have known people that have seen miracles and had experiences that should have left no question in their minds about the gospel and The Book of Mormon and yet they claim they don't believe.
As I was pondering this I opened up the workbook I have been using in my scripture study (the seminary workbook) and read the opening paragraph for the chapter I was about to read.

It read, "Signs do not convert people. They do strengthen and confirm truths for those who are already converted."

I then read 3 Nephi 2:1
"... 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-"

As I have prayed and wondered what I would write about during this month I have been amazed at the moments of clarity that have come to me. As I read this and had a greater understanding that seeing a sign isn't enough for you to believe in something unless you have already been converted I knew I wanted to share it.
I hope that all of you will turn to your Heavenly Father when you have need. I hope that if you have questions that need answers you will pray and then open the scriptures and find the precious truths that are waiting there for you.
I know you will find them.


Find more posts about the Book of Mormon here.
Check out the October Ensign about the Book of Mormon here.
To read more about this Book or order one for free go here.

Wait. What was I doing?

Distraction.

Something I deal with often. 

I get distracted easily. 

It is not uncommon for me to be in Target with Abi and have her suddenly say, "Mo-om! You're getting distracted." 

I will have my list but see something cute and wander over to it. And when this happens I usually end up spending more money than I want to or should. 

I have been thinking about distraction a lot lately. 

I recently used a new tool in my scripture study that I will be posting about a few times this month. It is a book by John Bytheway.

I remember going to Education week as a teenager and swooning over John Bytheway from the audience. We even got his autographs and pictures with him. Silly.

A few months ago I heard about this book. 

I was getting close to the war chapters in Alma and thought this might help in my study of it. 

It did!

I would read the chapter in the Book of Mormon and then read the corresponding chapter in this book. It added so much. 

The war chapters that used to just be drudgery to me all of a sudden became interesting and thought provoking and I learned so much from them. 

At the end of the book he has a chapter titled Aftermath. It gives an overview of a lot of the lessons learned in the chapters and then he gives a list of things he came up with that describe the Nephites when they were successful and the Lamanites when their armies failed. 

The first thing on this list is 'Distracted'. 

He then describes their distraction as "not doing nothing but doing something else".

He also quotes Elder Richard G. Scott, "Satan has a powerful tool to use against good people. It is distraction." ("First Things First," Ensign, May 2001,7)

After reading this I had to examine my life. How often am I getting distracted from what is important? Am I neglecting reading my daughter a story because I want to read my own book? Am I missing an opportunity to teach or play so I can surf the internet? Am I neglecting my scripture study so I can watch a tv show?

I don't believe we have to give up these things but it is important to try to recognize when they are coming before or instead of something that should be the priority.

The Book of Mormon is such a great tool in helping us figure out what these priorities should be.

I believe so much in the power of the Book of Mormon and the lessons we will learn from its pages that can apply to our lives today.

To read more about the Book of Mormon:

October Ensign magazine

The Book of Mormon 

The Book of Mormon forum

You may have noticed a new button on my sidebar. The month of October brings an exciting new adventure on one of my favorite blogs. Jocelyn at We talk of Christ, We rejoice in Christ is spending this month exploring the Book of Mormon. I am going to be taking part in this so I will be doing as many posts as I can about this great book. As many of you who read this blog regularly know, I have been studying The Book of Mormon in a way that I never have over the past 6 months. It has been one of the best experiences of my life. That is the main reason why I wanted to be involved in this. You can read more about what this Book of Mormon forum will be about on the original post on her blog found here.
I hope you'll join us!