New find

Tonight I found a near app tjat iys called the lds citation index and iys the mobile version of scriptures.byu.edu. I was reading something very peculiar in the J of D. On Brigham Young relating how the plates were delivered back. Something about a cave full of othwr plates and the sword of laban...i had never heard this before.

Scripture Study Tips from Covey

Four Principles that will unlock our capacity to truly profit from the scriptures:

1. Purify your motive

"The highest motive in searching the scriptures is to come to Christ, to receive eternal life"

2. Pray

to for help in understanding and applying.

"True prayer is two-way. You speak, you listen, then you respond."

3. Ponder

"Take time to think, to meditate, to feast, to truly weigh and ponder."

4. Visualize

"See in your mind's eye the characters and events portrayed in the scriptures."

This helps illustrate the power of spiritual creation

Four Principles to overcome temptation:

1. Feast on the words of Christ

2. Pray for a heightened awareness of temptation and tempting environments

3. Promise the Lord that you will immediately turn away and do something worthy

4."See yourself in your mind's eye, confronting the temptation and replacing it with good

Ideas of spicing up scripture study

1. Study a specific subject, theme, index, concordance, cross references

2.Start with a need or problem that you are facing now

3. Read the book of Mormon 3x fast (1st for History, 2nd for References to Christ, 3rd for doctrine)--color pencil for each

4. Read along with the Manual for Sunday school and priesthood

5. Make a list of Inspiring Scriptures

6. Read when you get up to start the day right

7. Read right before you walk in the door to put you in a christ like mood for your family

8. Study short sessions when you dont have time, and longer sessions when you do, change up the approach

Two Quotes from Covey's talk that I loved:

"We need to arrange and manage our time for scripture study so that, as Goethe put it, 'things which matter most are not at the mercy of things which matter least.'"

"I believe in Christ as I believe in the rising sun--not because I can see it, but because by it I can see everything else."

For Covey's complete talk click here

Genesis 3:16. What Is the Significance of the Pronouncement upon Eve?

“The Lord said to the woman: ‘. . . in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children.’ I wonder if those who translated the Bible might have used the term distress instead of sorrow. It would mean much the same, except I think there is great gladness in most Latter-day Saint homes when there is to be a child there. As He concludes this statement he says, ‘and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.’ (Gen. 3:16.) I have a question about the word rule. It gives the wrong impression. I would prefer to use the word preside because that’s what he does. A righteous husband presides over his wife and family.” (Spencer W. Kimball, “The Blessings and Responsibilities of Womanhood,” Ensign, Mar. 1976, p. 72.)

A good talk on the Fathers Role which includes a section on what it means to preside = The Father's Role in Family Education: Preside, Provide, and Protect

Yesterday I read 1 Neph 1. As I was reading the main thing that stood out to me is the pillar of fire on a rock that came to Lehi. Visions are something that I would like to study. There seems to be visions that have to do with an actual being coming to the onlooker, and others that are like looking through a window and watching future events, there are also others that come in dreams. The ones in dreams.

Today,

I am reading in the manual and I came across a really neat quote that demonstrates the converting power of the Book of Mormmon. This is from the manual:

President James E Faust related an experience

shared by Elder F. Burton Howard of the Seventy

that demonstrates the converting power of the Book

of Mormon:

“Sister Celia Cruz Ayala of the Puerto Rico San Juan

Mission decided to give the Book of Mormon to a

friend. She wrapped it in attractive paper and set out

to deliver her present.

“On the way she was attacked by a bandit who stole

her purse and with it the wrapped copy of the Book

of Mormon. A few days later she received this letter:

“‘Mrs. Cruz:

“‘Forgive me, forgive me. You will never know how

sorry I am for attacking you. But because of it, my life

has changed and will continue to change. That book

[the Book of Mormon] has helped me in my life. The

dream of that man of God has shaken me. . . . I am

returning your five pesos for I can’t spend them. I want

you to know that you seemed to have a radiance about

you. That light seemed to stop me [from harming you,

so] I ran away instead.

“‘I want you to know that you will see me again, but

when you do, you won’t recognize me, for I will be

your brother. . . . Here, where I live, I have to find the

Lord and go to the church you belong to.

“‘The message you wrote in that book brought tears

to my eyes. Since Wednesday night I have not been

able to stop reading it. I have prayed and asked God to

forgive me, [and] I ask you to forgive me. . . . I thought

your wrapped gift was something I could sell. [Instead,]

it has made me want to make my life over. Forgive me,

forgive me, I beg you.

“‘Your absent friend.’

“Such is the conversion power of the Book of Mormon”

(in Conference Report, Apr. 1996, 58; or Ensign, May

1996, 42).

I also read 3 Nephi 26:12-13 and Mormon 8:34-35 and the book makes the point that when Mormon made editorial decisions, these two factors were his governing concerns: to write what he had been commanded (or sometimes he was commanded not to write things) and Mormon saw our day and our doings. The book of Mormon then contains scriptural instructions specific for our day. If ever we are confused or down on the happenings in our lives in the current world in which we find ourselves we can appeal to this book and find strength and answers.

Mastery of Good and Rejection of Evil

[imp] Today while I was reading for school about the Healthy People 2010 inititive I thought that its funny how it correlates to our ideas found in James of mastering the good and rejecting evil...also related to my lesson on virtue that I learned from E. Mickelson on my mission. The initiative talks about promoting health and preventing disease. There is a universal pull toward the negative in our lives, we see it with sin, we see it with clutter in our homes, we see it in the natural tendencies to anger or become offended. It was interesting to see it in a health setting, in my career. I love it when I can make gospel correlations to dentistry. I'm going to try to keep looking for those.

[imp] My second impression was that I am thinking with a gospel framed mentality today because I started the day with the Lord. That is a great principle.

Moroni's Promise

Moroni 10:5 is applicable to all the recent discussions we have had at church about personal revelation. I love this formula that he gives.

Read the Book of Mormon with a spirit of gratitude

Ponder its teachings

Pray with sincere heart, real intent, and faith in Christ

Feel the power of the Holy Ghost

Spiritual Knowledge/Revelation

Things I need to study:

I tried to be prayerful this morning and come up with a list of topics that the Lord feels like I should study. These are the topics that I was impressed to write down.

Redeem the dead

Perfect the Saints

Proclaim the Gospel

Leadership

Families

Virtue

Thoughts

Atonement

Friend

Priesthood

Temples

Restoration

Charity

Faith

Hope

Diligence

Moral Discipline

Steadfast/Consistent

Provident Living

Personal Revelation

Natural Man

Temptation

Sacrifice

Prayer and Fasting

Conference Talks