Reflections of a True Millennial

Christ's Visit to the Americas "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning." - 3 Nephi 11:10-11 Above all else, the central purpose of the Book of Mormon is to testify of Jesus Christ. In 3 Nephi 11-26, Christ personally visits the Nephites and Lamanites in the Americas some time after His resurrection. This visitation is consistent with Christ's words in the New Testament: "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." -John 10:16 These descendants of Lehi, departed from Jerusalem 635 years earlier were part of the other sheep Ch...

The Path between Pride and Prosperity "And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him." - Helaman 12:1 If you've ever had any class about the Book of Mormon, you have surely learned about the pride cycle. This pattern can be seen frequently among the Nephites and the Lamanites throughout the Book of Mormon, and is especially prevalent in the years leading up to Christ's birth. The pride cycle is usually divided into eight main steps, but can be expanded into eight as follows: Prosperity Pride Sin Destruction Sorrow Humility Repentance Blessings This cycle represents the actions of an average person, as they progress from prosperity to pride and through the rest of the steps, then repeat. In Helaman 11, the Nephites progress from destruction down to blessings in about four years. Then...

Learning Truth for Ourselves "And now, my sons, 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 you 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." - Helaman 5:12 As a member of the Church, you hear certain scriptures over and over again throughout your life. One example of this is Helaman 5:12, quoted above. This passage has a clear meaning that can be discerned easily from reading it once, or hearing it hundreds of times. Simply build your life on Christ and use that to withstand temptations and pain from the devil. But with this and other oft-quoted scriptures, we lose the real m...

2,000 Heroes in the Book of Mormon "Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them." - Alma 57:21  The end of the book of Alma principally recounts a series of battles and wars between the Lamanites and the Nephites, from which we can draw many applicable themes. Several valiant men fight for the Nephites and gain success as they follow the commandments of the Lord. They were lead by Captain Moroni, a valiant warrior, who outlined their purpose early on with the Title of Liberty. They were not fighting for gain or pride, they were fighting "in memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" (Alma 46:12). These six reasons inspired the Nephites to be courageous and fight. Perhaps the most devout group within the army were the 2,000 Stri...