Week 2


I loved using the Book of Mormon Student Institute Manual as a supplement to my reading. It really helped me get more out of these chapters. Learning about the Chiasmus in Alma 36 was so thrilling. I remember getting taught about this very thing years ago but I had completely forgotten. Alma is an amazing writer to use such fascinating literary elements. It's like he wrote in code and we have to find the hidden message. Reading the story of Alma the younger is always stirring for me. God is so merciful. Just yesterday my friend shared a quote on his facebook by Elder Holland that I really liked. Elder Holland says, "I heard many years ago that surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it." God loves us so much and wants to show us mercy by forgiving us and taking away our guilt. I have felt this in my own life as I have earnestly prayed to be forgiven by the Lord. Just as he did with Alma, he took away my pain and replaced it with peace and confidence in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I also liked the manuals commentary about the Liahona. I thought it was interesting that different general authorities related the Liahona to multiple things; the scriptures, our patriarchal blessing, and the Holy Ghost. Each of these means of revelation and direction are just like the Liahona; meant to guide us on our path in the direction that God would have us go. Each is meant to make our journey through our own wilderness possible. God will show us the easier way to happiness as we follow the Liahona.

The three themes that stuck out to me the most in these chapters in Alma were faith (Alma 32 duh), prayer, and the atonement. I love to read Alma 32 and ask myself those questions to gauge where my faith is at. I love the lesson that humility is required in order to have sincere faith. I also like in verse 28 that it says the word is like unto a seed. I always compared faith to the seed because of the primary song but one time one of my mission companions pointed out to me that it compared the word to a seed and not faith. The word and the Spirit begin to swell and grow and that's how you know that the word or the scripture/principle is good and comes from God. Once you see this prayer/experiment work then your faith will increase as well. Prayer was also a big focus in Alma 33. It’s crazy that they thought they could only pray on their rameumptom and nowhere else. Also, let me just say how bazaar there memorized prayer was. How did they stray so far so fast?? I love that they are so excited when they learn that they can pray to God even though they are outcasts. They can pray to God anytime and anywhere. This is such an amazing blessing and miracle. Can you imagine if we could only pray at church? How sad! The other big theme was the atonement. This is perhaps the most complicated of all gospel miracles. The atonement was the great and last sacrifice which fulfilled the Law of Moses. No more blood was to be spilt or animal sacrifices to be made. But the sacrifices we make are now a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We must submit our will to the Lords. We must keep His commandments and live in a way that pleases Him. I know as we do this God will bless us more than we can imagine and we will happier than we have ever been before.

Week 1

Oh how excited I am to study the Book of Mormon in depth this semester! I have come to love and cherish that book more than any other. Just attending our first class and discussing the Title Page and learning about the four key words “abiding by its precepts” has made me excited to look for the precepts and principles that each story teaches and apply them in my life. I know that as I abide these precepts that come from our Father in Heaven I will see the Spirit in my life increase and the happiness that it brings will be felt in more abundance.

This week for part of my studies I read a talk called, “The Book of Mormon: Man-Made or God-Given?” by Tad R. Callister. There are many things that stood out to me while reading and listening to the talk. Many of the arguments people have against the Book of Mormon that Elder Callister discusses were new to me. It’s interesting to me how contradictory to each other they all are. This in and of itself shows me how false they all are. It’s like when Jesus was put on trial and they couldn’t find anything to accuse Him of because no two accusations were the same. People were all just making up lies and no two could agree on one. Another thing that stood out to me is the quote by Emma Smith when she calls Joseph ignorant. She of all people knew him best and knew that he did not have the education necessary to write the Book of Mormon.

I have my own personal testimony of the Book of Mormon. I have read it. I have prayed about it. I have had countless experiences of receiving peace and revelation through it and I know that it is a true book. I know that it was written by ancient prophets of God. I know that through abiding by its precepts I will be happy and be able to return and live with God again someday.