A friend of mine shared some thoughts that have gotten me thinking.

She talked about how much she loves nature. She and her husband love to take walks outside (when they were younger, they hiked a lot). As for so many of us, she finds being in nature soothing to her soul.

For those of us who believe in Jesus Christ, He is found in nature. He is the Creator of the earth. He is the Creator and source of light in sun, moon, and stars. The peace we can find among His creations is His peace.

My friend built on this idea and made a spiritual connection to the notion of the tree of life. She explored the idea of staying at the tree — like the one mentioned in the Book of Mormon in Lehi’s vision of the tree of life.

The tree there represents Jesus Christ. To stay at the tree — to be a tree-hugger spiritually — is to stay by Jesus. That vision given to Lehi has many elements to it, and staying at the tree is one of the key protections against things like mocking voices and the shame that can come from listening to them. (I think about how easy it is to listen to shame from hamster-wheel thoughts in my own mind; I don’t need external mocking voices to feel toxic shame. Keeping Jesus close in my thoughts can help, especially when I remember that His voice is one of love and care and gentleness.)

Reflecting on my friend’s thoughts made me think of John 15 (see also Isaiah 27) about Jesus being the true vine. To truly stay by the tree is to be connected to Him as the Source of life (both now and forever). He is the Source of breath for our bodies. He is the One who makes resurrection possible for us all. His life as the True Vine showed us the Way, and His death (on a tree, as it is sometimes said) and resurrection made the Way for us to be forgiven and someday to return back to our Heavenly Parents.

My friend also talked about her love of family history. More trees to hug! I, too, love doing family history and discovering more about my family tree, and helping use the wonders of technology to build family trees in tools like FamilySearch and Ancestry. When I do family history, I feel like I sometimes can get a glimpse of how personally each of us is known to God. Even in a few records, I can learn more about a person — what they looked like, what their profession might have been, perhaps where they lived and how they died. When I find someone in the records who hasn’t yet been represented on a family tree, sometimes I stop and just say their name out loud. “I see you.” I sometimes wish I could give them a hug! But helping their stories be told feels like a way to show love for them. These people are not dead to God, and building family trees in records helps me remember that. Like in the Disney movie Coco (about el Día de los Muertos — a movie about family history!), they need not be dead to us. We benefit when we remember them and tell their stories (and let records help us do that).

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, building family trees in records also connects us to the temple. My friend talked about this, too — about the peace she finds in the rootedness of the temple. In the temple, sacred ordinances are performed to bind families together. The crowning ordinance performed therein is called the sealing ordinance — where husband and wife can be married for time and eternity — not just “until death do us part.” The authority to bind families together in this way was committed to Joseph Smith shortly after the dedication of the Kirtland temple when Elijah the prophet — the one who spoke anciently of hearts of fathers turning to children and children to fathers — came (just as other ancient leaders had done earlier to restore the power to baptize (John the Baptist) and to confirm the Holy Ghost (Peter, James, and John).

Once people receive temple ordinances for themselves (some of them symbolic of ordinances received in ancient times), then we can act as “proxies” for those who have passed on. In a favorite film of mine, called “The Mountain of the Lord,” President Wilford Woodruff is portrayed speaking to a newspaper reporter, who scoffed a bit at this idea of doing proxy work for the dead. I like how President Woodruff’s response to the reporter was represented.

“Many people believe in some form of vicarious work for the dead. The Atonement of Jesus Christ was a vicarious work. Whoever accepts Jesus as the Savior also accepts the principle of vicarious proxy.”

Since these ordinances require a physical body, we who have physical bodies act as proxy for those who do not have bodies anymore, as death separates body and spirit until the time of resurrection. And then those who have had ordinances performed on their behalf have the opportunity to choose to accept or reject them.

You can learn more about Jesus’ visit to the spirit world after His death (as referred to in 1 Peter 3:18-19), in Doctrine and Covenants 138.)

I love patterns and symbols, and appreciated my friend’s invitation to think about trees today, and all the many ways I can be a tree hugger.

The post Be a tree hugger! On earth and for heaven’s sake appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

She is not yet twelve years old, but her talk in sacrament meeting stirred my soul. (A sacrament meeting is a bit like a Latter-day Saint version of Mass — in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members of the congregation give talks (or sermons or testimonies) every week).

She talked of her recent experience at Young Women camp, and it reminded me of my experiences as a youth, sitting around the campfire, wishing I could take the feeling home in a paper bag. I didn’t know then that I didn’t need to feel that swelling of warmth in my heart all the time.

I felt my heart fill again today as this young woman spoke.

And then, she reminded me of the story of how Brigham Young, the second prophet of The Church, finally decided to become a member of the Church. I smiled. Ah, yes, it’s the simple things! Like listening to a talk at church.

Brigham’s parents had already accepted The Book of Mormon as scripture, as had siblings and other relatives. But Brigham was skeptical of any and all religions, and he was skeptical of this book, and he remained unattached to “Mormonism.”

What was it that finally helped Brigham Young feel that he could believe the Book of Mormon? Following are his words:

“If all the talent, tact, wisdom, and refinement of the world had been sent to me with the Book of Mormon, and had declared, in the most exalted of earthly eloquence, the truth of it, undertaking to prove it by learning and worldly wisdom, they would have been to me like the smoke which arises only to vanish away. But when I saw a man without eloquence, or talents for public speaking, who could only say, ‘I know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of the Lord,’ the Holy Ghost proceeding from that individual illuminated my understanding, and light, glory, and immortality were before me. I wasencircled by them, filled with them, and I knew for myself that the testimony of the man was true…. My own judgment, natural endowments, and education bowed to this simple, but mighty testimony. There sits the man who baptized me, (brother Eleazer Miller.) It filled my system with light, and my soul with joy. The world, with all its wisdom and power, and with all the glory and gilded show of its kings or potentates, sinks into perfect insignificance, compared with the simple, unadorned testimony of the servant of God.” (Journal of Discourses 1:91).

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In my professional life, my work is to explore how we can be well in a digital world. There are so many facets to wellness — mental, physical, emotional, social, spiritual. We talk about civic wellness as well — about the impact of digital life on our ability to talk about hard things and solve hard problems.

For me, this continual interest in understanding wellness is not just my job. I’ve long been fascinated with human nature and behavior (my background is in Psychology and studying the human side of organizations and systems). But beyond all of that still is something deeper.

And once in a while, in my networking and study and reflection for work, I come across material that stops me in my tracks.

I recently learned about a new initiative called AI and Faith, seeking to bring the perspectives of people of faith into discussions about and design of Artificial Intelligence. In talking with one of the leaders of this organization, I learned about some of the work of Andy Crouch. Crouch is an author of several books; he was the executive editor of Christianity Today for four years; he’s involved in other organizations like Fuller Theological Seminary and the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

I’ve only started his newest book, but the following video gives a glimpse into what he sees as the antidote to the negative impacts of technological advances. To be sure, progress has its upsides, but, as he notes, it also has its paradoxes.

How he connects some of his thoughts into Romans 16 is thought-provoking and inspiring. I’ll never look at the chapter the same again (which, as Crouch helped me see, was not written by Paul, but by a person named Tertius.)

In addition to the video below, I wanted to share a snippet from his newest book that I just started (this share is not promotional, it’s emotional; what he said moved me deeply).

In the first chapter, he shares his perspective on what early Christianity was: a radical kind of social revolution, a movement toward the truest kind of inclusion in divisive times.

Much like the struggles of our day, there was increasing fragmentation and stratification of society as the quest for wealth and power became more of a focus in an “ever-more complex and urbanizing empire.” But, Crouch notes, “The Roman empire was a lonely place for almost everyone, powerless or powerful.” So what was the countercultural movement about?

People from all walks of life and social strata came together — such as the group greeted and seen and acknowledged by Paul in Romans 16 — around a shared belief. “They had come to believe, against all evidence and social convention” (and in the face of oppression in the culture and in the political power structure), “that they were in fact fully persons and that they had discovered the way to a flourishing life together.” (Of course we who are Christians know that that belief was not fabricated by them, but instilled by their belief in Someone who sees all as equals, and Who gave His life for each one.)

If you have ever seen a portrayal of the kind of excess and social inequality found in these ancient times, you can imagine the contrast he draws as he describes what early Christians did instead.

“[G]roups of men and women, Jews and Greeks, slaves and free…enjoyed a very different kind of meal. In halls that were accustomed to to feasts that signaled the status and significance of the host, this community would pass a single loaf of bread from hand to hand, in remembrance of someone not present. In place of reverent toasts to the emperor, they would sing songs both ancient and new that spoke of a different king and kingdom.” (The Life We’re Looking For, p. 17)

I won’t ever think about my church’s sacrament in the same way, either.

The post Romans 16: an oft-ignored chapter of the Bible that holds insight into digital and civic wellness appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

“And it came to pass that Abram looked forth and saw the days of the Son of Man, and was glad, and his soul found rest.” JST Gen. 15:12

Some in the scriptures, like Abram (Abraham) or Isaiah had the chance to see the days of Jesus Christ in vision. Others had the opportunity to see and experience the Savior personally while He was on the earth (such as is recorded in the Four Gospels). Others were able to see Jesus when He visited people after His resurrection.

For the rest of us, we have the scriptures as a way to see some of “the days of the Son of Man.” I’m also grateful for the way that I can “see” some of what it might have been like to see His days in vision or in person through media like The Chosen. The more I can see of Christ, the more I can visualize who He is, the more glad I am, and the more rest I feel. As the scriptures teach, He will come again. I want to get to know Him as well as I can now so that when He comes again, He won’t be a stranger to my mind and heart.

I’ve started watching The Chosen again to prepare for Season 3 that will come out this spring. (Did you get to see the bonus Christmas episode they created?) But it’s also a way for me to “come and see.” As I started Episode 1 over the weekend, I was reminded that those at The Chosen encourage us to read the Four Gospels, to go to the text to learn more of Jesus.

Multiply Goodness is an interfaith Bible study group that encourages women to join in small group Bible study and discussion. See if there is a Bible study group near you, or you can start one!

If you would like a free copy of the Bible, or would like to study the Bible with missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you can go to ComeUntoChrist.org for either option.

Get a free copy of the Bible.

Study the Bible with missionaries

…Or consider different ways you can study the Bible in a way that works for you or fits your needs right now.

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The post “Come and See” – Learn more about Jesus Christ through The Chosen (“People must know!”) and Bible Study appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Last night, I watched last year’s “Christmas with The Chosen” again, and I’m excited that tonight is the night that the 2021 “Christmas with The Chosen” livestream event is happening.

The Chosen took their Christmas special first to theaters this year. The director and producers of The Chosen hoped to at least be able to sustain two days’ presence in theaters (only one showing per day), but the record-breaking response has extended the time “Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers” will be in theaters: until December 16. [Edit to that…it looks like it will be running in some places all the way through Christmas Eve.]

But director, Dallas Jenkins, has never wanted this to be about making it big. He wants the message to go big, but his first focus is still on the intention to keep The Chosen available for free. He says on the YouTube link for tonight’s livestream:

When the theater chains told us they wanted to extend our run in theaters, our response was, “That’s great, but those who can’t see it in theaters have waited long enough.” So we’ll see you LIVE Sunday night, Dec. 12, 8:00 ET, for “Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOTkTBxTxEA

If you haven’t had a chance to watch last year’s “Christmas with The Chosen,” it’s also worth a watch. The show includes powerful narration as well as guest musical appearances from For King & Country, Zach Williams, Mandisa, Chris Tomlin, Hillsong United, Joshua Aaron, The Bonner Family, The Piano Guys, Stephen McWhirter/Jason Clayborn, Phil Wickham, and Matt Maher.

The post Celebrating “Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers” 2021: Livestream appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

See that spike right there? That’s what happens to our traffic on this website around Halloween. People really wonder if members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrate Halloween. I hope that those who wonder got a little more insight into that answer (short answer — the if, how, and how much varies for everyone, but on the whole, the answer is yes).

I hope we will have fewer people wondering about whether or not we celebrate Christmas (although some still may wonder, given the pagan connections to some of the Christmas traditions).

At the very heart of our faith is Jesus Christ, so when the birth of the Son of God is celebrated around the world, you can believe that we celebrate with the world! To us, He is the the Life and Light of the World. Once again, when it comes to how individuals and families might celebrate the Christmas season, that will vary.

But this post is about one way we as a worldwide church community celebrate the season. It’s called #LightTheWorld.

The intention is to turn the Christmas season into a month-long focus on service. This year, the #LightTheWorld effort has been expanded to say “Light the World with Love.”

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist

There’s a calendar of service ideas if you and/or you and your family would like to join in along the way. Or you can create your own service calendar. There’s also a child-friendly service calendar for those who have little ones.

And although the pandemic is still here with us, this year, the #LightTheWorld Giving Machines are back.*

If you haven’t heard of the #LightTheWorld Giving Machines, you can read more here. What started as an experiment a few years ago has expanded into a continually-collaborative effort in multiple cities across the United States, with nonprofits that serve people around the world. 100% of donations go to help the charity you choose, and the charities with which the Church collaborates all care about helping people one by one, just as Jesus did.

All credit card fees are covered by the Church of Jesus Christ to also serve the nonprofits to which you are donating.

“Imagine swiping your credit card at a vending machine—but instead of buying a candy bar for yourself, you’re buying a sheep for a family in a third-world country. Or a polio vaccine. Or a pair of shoes. Or 100 meals for your local food bank. With the #LightTheWorld Giving Machines, that’s exactly what happens. The Giving Machines provide a way for people to follow the example of Jesus to help those in need and make the Christmas season a little more meaningful for themselves and for countless others.“

You can also give online by donating to one of the charity partners working with the Church to do more good, together. Or, of course, feel free to donate to your favorite charity, with time or goods or funds or a social media share or whatever feels right for you.

“The organizations featured in the Giving Machines represent a wide variety of global and local causes—all with pressing needs and the goal of helping people one by one. If you’re wondering what you should donate, consider spending a bit of time learning about the charities before visiting the machines or donating online. You might find a cause or item that resonates with you. As you give that gift, remember that your donation is truly helping someone in need.“

#LightTheWorld starts on November 30 by encouraging people to participate in #GivingTuesday. There are so many ways to share more light and goodness and love. Although we can’t measure it here, we hope that this Christmas season, there will be a spike in service and good will as we each try to find ways to #LightTheWorld.

*As COVID is, unfortunately, still causing issues around the world, and there are those around you whose bodies may be more at-risk, please be cautious and considerate of others if you choose to use the machines and as you are out and about this Christmas season.

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~by Michelle

I can’t even remember now how I found out about The Chosen. Have you heard of it? If not, I highly recommend it.

I have been a Christian my entire life. I love the scriptures. I love learning about Jesus.

But I haven’t always understood how, as the scripture say, to let Him carry my burdens or lighten my load. I think this has bee complicated by the fact that I have dealt with dysthymia (low-level depression) and some degree of anxiety for most of my life. I’ve struggled with perfectionism. I have understood about Jesus in my head, but haven’t always known how to access and feel and surrender to His love and help.

This is an ongoing journey for me, and God is continually helping me discover more about what it means to let Jesus into my life more fully.

The Chosen is one of the ways He is helping me.

I just re-watched what may be my favorite episode of the series so far, if it’s possible to have a favorite. Just yesterday, I was having one of those days where heaven felt far away. I have lived long enough now to know that these kinds of days come for me, and they go. As I keep showing up for my days the best I can on any given day, God always has a way of showing up, in His time and way.

Yesterday, He broke through the clouds and let me know I was seen. This sweet experience came through a conversation with a fellow traveler on the road of faith who is also seeking to understand more how to lean on God for healing help. She doesn’t practice a religion, but believes strongly in the Bible and in God. In our conversation, patterns emerged, mostly about having eyes to see — eyes to see ourselves with more love, eyes to see (and ears to listen to) others, and eyes to see how God can turn all things for our good.

So to finish my day, to let that feeling of being seen settle a little more in my heart, I watched “I Saw You” (Season 2, Episode 2). As has been the case throughout the series, I felt things beyond words, and was taught and nurtured by God’s Spirit. I’d forgotten some of what was in this episode (it’s been several months since I last watched it). It felt good to remember.

I’m grateful to those who use their talents to share their faith, to bring art like The Chosen to the world. I’m especially grateful for how this unique show helps me see and feel and experience more of what it could have been like to walk with Jesus when He was on earth — and to understand more what it can feel like to let Him walk with me in my life now.

p.s. While I was looking up the video to embed, I discovered that tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (1:00 a.m. on Monday, GMT) there will be an update on The Chosen‘s holiday plans. Last year’s Christmas special was incredible, and this year, from what I have heard, they have more gifts to share. I won’t be able to attend the special in-theater experience for health reasons (please be sure to mask up if you go), but I look forward to see how and when they will, as they always do, bring what they have created, to their app and YouTube channel.

Note: I receive nothing for posting about The Chosen. It’s just something I want to share.

The post What’s your favorite episode from The Chosen? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Sometimes here at Women Seeking Christ, we share stories about men seeking Christ, too. This story is also about a woman sharing about her faith in way that changed someone’s life. [It ended up changing hers, too, but that isn’t the story today.)

My daughter shared this video with me and I thought it was worth passing along. It is an interesting interview with Andy Rosenberg, a 17-time Emmy award winning NBC sports director, who talks about his journey from being Jewish to atheist to eventually learning about and joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But he talks about a lot more as well. If you like sports, you will likely enjoy his lens on sports as an expert in bringing sports moments to life for viewers. The video includes many images from sports moments in the Olympics and in other sports realms. [For some reason, sports is a theme as of late, but what drew me to his story was his religious journey. I had no idea I was going to learn so much about sports broadcasting as well! My daughter is a sports fan, so I’m sure she also loved that part of the interview as well.]

https://www.facebook.com/FindHisLightFlorida/videos/899388221003150

If you don’t have a Facebook account (and I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t), you can read a little about his story here. https://www.thechurchnews.com/archives/2001-09-08/olympic-visitors-are-in-for-a-treat-112613

Rosenberg was first introduced to the Restored Church of Jesus Christ at the Seoul, Korea Olympic games. He was introduced to a colleague working on graphic design at the Games, and she was introduced as a “Mormon.” His first instinct was to think she was probably a “religious freak” and he didn’t think much of it, until he saw that she was just another person doing her job. He started to ask her questions. He quietly observed. He read and learned from people like Jan Shipps outside the faith to ensure it wasn’t a cult. He opened up to the missionaries. His friend invited someone who had been Jewish before joining the Church so he could connect with someone about what it meant to him to come to believe in Jesus Christ. He read the Book of Mormon, committing to read the whole book before he would consider joining the Church. He could see that this book would be the lynchpin. The Book of Mormon talks directly about Jews, and at first that threw him off. But he tried again and “the book was just covered with blue ink” as he marked things that stood out to him. He could feel the voice of God in the text.

The turning point came when he came to Alma 32 about planting, and growing, and nurturing a seed of faith. He kept “testing and reading” and finished the book and knew then that he was ready to be baptized. But even with those feelings, he was concerned because he was more liberal and more accustomed to a more liberal sociocultural environment. He was worried he wouldn’t feel like he belonged. But of his choice to join the Church and of Shari’s willingness to share it with him, he says, “she got me into something terrific.” [He ended up marrying Shari Conover, the design expert who was in Seoul at the same time he was, also working as a freelance graphics operator for the Olympics.)

Hear his story and also many of his experiences working with NBC for 30 years, trying to give the viewer an experience with sports that is “better than a front row seat.”

He shares lessons he has learned from a some world-class athletes like Roger Federer (he summarizes the character of “truly great” athletes who are great because they are “great as a human being” — the who they are transcends what they do. He uses a quote on the outside of the Wimbledon clubhouse where a line from Rudyard Kipling’s “If” stands to illustrate what he means:

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same…

Rosenberg talks about memorable sports moments with people like Michael Johnson in Atlanta in 1996, or Usain Bolt having fun with the camera right before a competition, or one of Michael Jordan’s last games, or Magic Johnson wanting to “win for the team” (Rosenberg connects this idea to the gospel of Jesus Christ — that it’s for everyone).

I was especially moved as he talked about his experience going to church with Via Sikahema (former National Football League (NFL, American football) during the Athens Olympics. Meetings were held in a 7th-story building that the Church was renting. Rosenberg says,

“Needless to say…[channeling an idiom] it was all Greek to me! But in and amongst that [which was foreign to me] were lots of visitors who were there for the Olympics as well as lots of Olympians from [many] different countries…dotting the globe who had taken time from their day, from their practice, to come to church, to show reverence to God, to commune with God….And then when it came time for the hymns, the bulk of the congregation sang…in Greek. We [who were visitors] each sang it in the language we knew. The spirit that I felt, irrespective of the language was enormous…to know that’s what it’ll be like when we get to the other side, beyond this life, to teh other side of the veil when we’re all together. We’ll all be together as one, we will have come from all these totally different backgrounds, totally different languages, but we’ll be all there with our Heavenly [Parents]. Is there anything more glorious than that?”

In a world where we often define and divide ourselves, I thought his reflections from that church experience in Greece were valuable to remember. We are all children of God, each having our own experiences on this earth. Even if we share faith (or even if we don’t) our lives are unique and the language God uses to speak to us can be unique and our journey to find our way and to find truth and to find God is unique. Someday we will all see beyond what we can see and will be able to see and understand more about what we were blind to here. But this interview reminds me that I want to do what I can to try to see beyond the dividing lines while on this side of the veil, too. Thanks for the reminder, Brother Rosenberg.

The post From Jew to Atheist to Christian appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Shawna

When I was 15 years old, I studied the Book of Mormon in my sophomore seminary class [a released-time religious study class for youth ages 14-18). I gained a testimony of its truthfulness and learned to love it. I’ll never forget when I read the following verse in 3 Nephi, chapter 11:

“Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified should come into the world.”

Every prophet [on the American continent, as had Jesus Himself in John 10:16] had prophesied of this moment, and every believer had looked forward to it – and finally –here it was. Here He was, and I think it’s significant that the first thing He said was that His coming was a fulfillment of prophecy. This is a major theme of the Book of Mormon – that the Lord will fulfill every prophecy and every promise. Whether He gives them Himself or through the mouths of His prophets.

In 1986, President Ezra Taft Benson gave a promise about the Book of Mormon. He said:

There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of it. You will find greater power to resist temptation…and avoid deception…you will find life in greater and greater abundance.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1986/10/the-book-of-mormon-keystone-of-our-religion?lang=eng

President Benson also quoted Marion G. Romney, who promised that reading the Book of Mormon would increase love and respect in our homes.

That year, our oldest boys were 5, 4 and 1. My husband and I decided to begin a very simple study of the book with them. We just read and briefly talked about a few verses a day, which made for very slow progress. After an
entire year, we were only halfway through the book. The few minutes we spent were often chaotic, and I’m
sure I wondered: Why are we doing this?

Then one day, my son challenged me to a game of Memory. He said he’d been practicing, and he thought he
could beat me. He got his competitive spirit from me, and I’m ashamed to admit that I did a little bit of
trash-talking. To my 5-year-old. I’ll never forget his response: “Mom, the of Book of Mormon says you’re
not supposed to say you’re better than other people.”

Our son had drawn a real-life application from the story of the Zoramites and the Rameumptum. It was a small
thing, but it was also a great thing (see Alma 37:6). I am certain that unlimited real-life applications could be drawn from the Book of Mormon. No other book contains more truth or inspires more righteous living. No other book has more power to lead us to Christ. The Book of Mormon has been a help to me through all stages of my life. And I know many of my friends feel that same way.

In 2017, President Russell M. Nelson gave a conference talk on the Book of Mormon. In it, he asked the following
questions: “What would your life be like without the Book of Mormon? What would you not know? What
would you not have?”

I asked several friends to weigh in. Here are a few of their responses:
K: Without the Book of Mormon, I would not understand who Jesus Christ is!
J: I would not know the comprehensiveness of Christ’s atonement and mission.
F: I would be lost without the comforting knowledge that I can live with my Heavenly Father again
someday with no pain, no frustration and no contention.
C: Without it, I would still be searching for truth!

Others shared the following:

N: “I would not have the reassurance, every single time I read it, without fail, that life has a
purpose and all will be okay.”
L: “I learned to love the Book of Mormon in my youth, and I believe it prepared me for the greatest
sorrow of my life [her son was murdered]. Because of it, I have the peace of the promised glorious future for me and my family.”
S: “Without it, I expect I’d just be wandering, like many other people.”
And finally, M: “I would not have the answer I got that the Book of Mormon is truly what it claims to be, and to have that witness from God gives me an anchor that helps keep my feet planted in the Church of Jesus Christ.”

Why is the Book of Mormon such a powerful influence in our lives? Because it testifies of Jesus Christ. Scholars have suggested that Christ is referenced every 1.7 verses. That’s nearly 4000 times (see, for example, https://bookofmormonevidence.org/christ-in-the-book-of-mormon/). He is on every page, in every story.

That brings me to my answer to President Nelson’s question: Without the Book of Mormon, I would not know
how much Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us, and how involved they are in our lives. An unchanging
God could not be involved in the details of the lives of the people in scripture, but not ours.

The Lord was there to show Nephi where to find ore so he could build a ship, and He will help us find our way,
as well. He was there to change the hearts of King Benjamin’s people, and He will change our hearts as we
turn to Him. Like Alma the Younger, He can carry us from the darkest abyss into the marvelous light of God.
He will make our burdens light and deliver us from the bondage of sin and addiction. Like the 2000
inexperienced stripling warriors, He will help us fight battles we don’t know how to fight, and He will protect
us. Like He touched sixteen small stones and turned them into light, He will touch our lives and our efforts and
make them shine. He will also light our way every day. He has compassion on us, as He did on them, and He
will heal us and bless us – and He will bless our children.

I believe that when the story of each of our lives has been completed, we will find Jesus Christ on every
page, in every day, in every story. We will find that He was more involved in our lives than we knew.

In President Nelson’s talk, He reminded us that the book was written for us. He said, “Its prophets saw our
day and selected the truths that would help us most. This is the book that will help prepare the world for the
Second Coming of the Lord. The Book of Mormon is our latter-day survival guide.”

I would like to tell a story about one way in which it has become a latter-day survival guide for me.
Last year, on March 11, 2020, we gathered with our children and grandchildren at a restaurant in town to
celebrate my husband’s birthday. We were there for two and a half hours, and – wonder of wonders! – none of us
were on our cell phones. So when we emerged from that restaurant, we discovered that the whole world had
changed.

I’m sure you remember that day as well. And maybe you watched, as I did, too much of the 24/7 news
coverage of the worldwide pandemic, then later, footage of riots in the streets, political and social unrest –
and some things you never expected to see in the United States of America. And maybe those reports kept
you up at night, like they did me. Truth is, I obsessed over the flow of bad news.

One day I asked my husband, who had recently retired from a job where he worked closely with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, what he thought those leaders were doing. He said, “Well, I know what they’re not doing. They’re not standing around wringing their hands.” I took that as a bit of a suggestion.

And then, in July or August, when we were in Alma in our Come Follow Me study, and as I studied, I could see
parallels in what I was reading and what I was watching play out in the news. There in the books of Alma and
Helaman were wars and rumors of wars, the teachings of Korihor and other enemies of Christ, the earmarks
of a society in decline, the chilling evil brought about by secret combinations, and, on the other hand, the
courageous battle of the righteous to preserve their homes and their families.

To me, those parallels were evidence of the Lord’s love. I was reminded that He knows the beginning and the
end, and all that is transpiring has been prophesied. If His promises are sure – and I know they are – we can
say, like Alma: “I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and
their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.”

I wrote in the margins of my Book of Mormon: Because of what I know, I ought to be one of the most
hopeful, happy people on earth!

After that, I watched the news less. I worried less. I was less discouraged. I would remind myself – okay – this
is happening – but hey – I know the end of the story. It’s been prophesied and written in this book. And I
know this book is true. So I can stop wringing my hands and fretting over every new piece of bad news.
I have spoken a lot about several promises today. But to me, the most powerful promise of the Book of
Mormon is the promise that we can know it’s true. If we ask God with a sincere heart, with real intent, having
faith in Christ, he WILL manifest the truth of it unto us, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

And of course, when we know that the Book of Mormon is true, we know it’s all true: We know Joseph Smith
was a prophet of God, and the restored Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth again.

We know that Christ is who He says He is. We know His promises are sure. Including this one:

“The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing;
persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of
God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime,
swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great
Jehovah shall say the work is done.” -Joseph Smith

Every time I study the Book of Mormon –- every time — I am encouraged, strengthened and uplifted. It is the
best remedy I know for anxiety and fear.

I want to share one last great promise from the book of Helaman [chapter 5, verse 12]:

“Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must
build your foundation, that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind,
yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag yo
down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure
foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”

The post The Impact of the Book of Mormon appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Michelle (and her dad)

My dad recently sent out some notes to our extended family from a lesson he gave on the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I responded to the group, asking if anyone wanted to share thoughts, feelings, or experiences with the Book of Mormon.

This story from my dad’s days as a missionary is one I treasure.

I grew up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, faithfully following its precepts, beliefs, and the example of other wonderful members. My testimony was always strong, but as I approached accepting a call to serve as a full-time missionary for two years at age 19, I found myself praying often for a very personal and strongly spiritual confirmation that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet and the Book of Mormon is true.

Late one night, while at the Church’s Language Training Mission [now called the Missionary Training Center; the Language Training Mission link is from 1971], I got up and went to one of the classrooms and knelt in solemn prayer. The scriptures tell us that one of the ways to receive answers from God is through a “burning in the bosom.” That was my experience! The Spirit let me know that Joseph Smith, a prophet of the living God, did, in fact, translate The Book of Mormon, by the gift and power of God. It is ancient scripture, like the Bible, and is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Because of that answer to prayer, I knew then and know now, from very personal and sacred experience, that these things are true… and also that The Church of Jesus Christ, with Him at the head, has been restored and is on the earth today.

One of the wonderful things about the Book of Mormon, which truly carries a special spirit of its own, is a promise at the end that anyone can know of its truth. If you read, ponder and, “ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.” That happened to me!

The post How I came to know the Book of Mormon is scripture from God appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.