What is God Like?

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-06-01-joseph-smiths-first-vision?lang=eng

We all wonder what God is like. Some think He is a spirit who dwells in our hearts. Some view Him as a great Santa who grants all their wishes, but what is He really like? One of the best ways to know, of course, is through people who have actually seen God. 

What is The Book of Mormon?

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2015-00-1010-what-is-the-book-of-mormon-a-60-second-overview?category=mormon-beliefs&lang=eng

A friend of mine asked, "If there is the Old Testament and the New Testament, where does the Book of Mormon fall into this group, or does it not?"

Yes, the Book of Mormon is one with the Old Testament and the New Testament. Throughout time, God has given revelation, light and knowledge, to those who would listen. His revelations and the history of the people He gave them to are recorded in books we call scripture. The Old Testament and New Testament record God's dealings with the Israelite people who lived in the Jerusalem area. 

Before Nebuchadnezzar took over the land of Israel, God sent many prophets to warn the people to repent, so He could protect them and save them from being conquered. The people killed many of these prophets, but one, Lehi, was told to take his family and flee. Eventually, Lehi, his family, and another family made it to the "Promised Land", the Americas around 600 BC. The Book of Mormon is the history of this branch of Israel. 

Family Evenings Together

We’re not sure how it happened. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we tried formal family home evenings. Some went well, and some didn’t. At the same time we were reading scriptures and stories to our children most nights. They loved it and kept asking if it was “reading time” yet. We were amazed!

Gradually, what had begun as family scripture reading, evolved into something much more. We were spending more and more time discussing what the scriptures meant and how to apply them in our lives. We talked about Joseph of Egypt’s  integrity, and forgiveness; Daniel’s keeping the Word of Wisdom; Esther’s courage; Nephi’s faith; Alma the Younger’s repentance and humility; and of course, the example of love and perfection of the Savior. Abraham and Job made us ponder the purpose of trials in life. The Pearl of Great Price provided deeper perspectives into the Plan of Salvation.  The Doctrine and Covenants showed us the way to the Celestial Kingdom.

As we studied the lives of people in both ancient and modern times, we came to better understand the commandments; the joy of keeping them and the  consequences of disobedience.  Our love for the scriptures and for each other grew as we shared our experiences, insights, questions, and testimonies in a safe, informal, environment.   Finally, we realized that we were having family home evenings not just once a week but five to seven times each week! We were simply using the scriptures as our manual.

Our Scripture Study

My husband and I felt something was missing in our scripture study. When our children were at home, my husband read from the scriptures after dinner while we cleaned up the kitchen. The children welcomed the company and enjoyed having something to listen to while they did the dishes. We stopped frequently to explain what words meant and to summarize or rephrase sections. My husband might even insert a child’s name in the scripture. Amid protests of, “Dad, it doesn’t say that!”, he’d finally admit, “maybe it didn’t, but it could have.”  Sometimes, we shared an experience from our lives which related to the scripture, and often, they shared experiences with us, usually from school. As parents, we had the clear goal of trying to help our children relate the scriptures to their lives.

Now that our children are grown and have homes of their own, my husband and I continue to study the scriptures. We follow The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint’s course of scripture study for the year and attend our Sunday School classes where we appreciate the teacher’s insights. We read the small course guide which contains the reading assignments. We also read the footnotes in The  Church's edition of the scriptures, from the Bible dictionary, and articles which coordinate with our scripture study from the Ensign (adult magazine of The Church), occasionally sharing some thoughts from our study with each other. Though we learned a lot, we still felt that something was missing.

Grace and Works

I wrote this to answer a friend's question in 2011.

I have been thinking about when members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints talk about grace and works, and I agree that it can be confusing. On one hand they stress the necessity of ordinances and good works, but when you ask whether they believe they can be saved on their own merits, they are shocked.

I think what is happening here is a lack of common background. Most Christians have centuries of shared struggle as great, good men have wrestled with interpreting the scriptures. There have been many councils and reformations. Though the resulting sects do not agree on all things, there is a shared awareness of difficult issues and defining terms.

Reading Scriptures As a Family

As our youngest asks, "Can we have The Reading now?",  we realize that he really enjoys our family scripture reading. We also look forward to reading the scriptures with our children because it gives us a great opportunity to teach them the gospel and assist them in building their testimonies.  There are several things which help us to create this atmosphere for learning and closeness.

One thing we attempt to do is set a casual atmosphere where our children feel our love for them.  So we try to not push them beyond their attention span, expect them to hold perfectly still, automatically understand Old English, or grasp new concepts on their own.  As we relax, our children ask more questions and everyone feels more at ease in sharing personal experiences.  One question frequently asked by our youngest is, "What does that mean in other language?"  The "other" language is words he knows.  As our younger children draw, do a craft, or some other quiet activity, we use questions directed just to them to bring them into the discussion.  We gradually increase their involvement as they mature.  We begin with simple plot questions of "and then what did Ammon do?" and ease into questions which help them discover basic principles in the stories - such as courage and honesty.    Another way we keep our reading time more relaxed and enjoyable is by following our scripture reading with reading from other good books. We are careful, though, to clearly distinguish the "real" scriptures from the "pretend" stories.  This gives us more time together as a family, replaces most TV watching, encourages a love of good literature, and gives the children an extra incentive to remind us to have "The Reading", so we are more consistent.

Truth and Faith

When I was in my early teens I began to question organized religions. I felt that each religion had some truth, but many of the things they said just didn't feel right to me. I studied many religions including Far Eastern. I learned how beliefs were voted on at the Council of Nicea and later how Protestants leaders tried to reform and return to beliefs they felt were true. Religions were formed as people interpreted scripture and mixed it with what they thought was right. Though I admire these good people, this was not what I was looking for. I didn't want to just pick some religion that seemed the best of the lot, I wanted real truth. I wanted revelation from God. I don't understand how some people can just say, "This is what my religion says is true so that is what I believe".  I live by true principles and I test them out so I know they are true.

The Miracle of the Holy Bible

I am really enjoying the videos on utube Mormon Channel. The scriptures have been life a lifeline to me helping be get through rough times.

Words of Comfort

I think this music is beautiful and peaceful. Enjoy. We generally think of joy and happiness at Christmas time, but I know of some people who are suffering. It is especially difficult to be hurting when others are merry. I was sorrowing with a person I love, and as I read from the scriptures I began to feel peace. Here are some words of comfort for those in need.