1 Nephi 2:7

"And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God."
Lehi was grateful, even though he had to flee for his life. He still remembered God in gratitude.
http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/2.7?lang=eng

Marriage After Death

During a recent internet search, I discovered a startling fact: Christian experts don't know what the state of marriage and family will be in heaven! Or, based on scripture, they indicate that there will be no marriage in heaven.

I read questions like these submitted by grieving spouses:

    Will I be reunited with my spouse in heaven?

and

   Since the recent death of my wife, a godly "Proverbs 31" woman, I have been wondering if our marriage will continue in heaven.

The answer to this question is made clear by the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus makes this promise to Peter: "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." In modern times, Jesus spoke these words to Joseph Smith:

"All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead."

The keys promised by Jesus to Peter have been restored. That which was lost been brought back. This is consistent with the scriptures and the restoration of all things, spoken of by the prophets.

I know that these keys have been restored. I am a witness. Marriages and families sealed by Jesus will last forever, even after death. This promise, like all others, is conditioned upon our faithfulness. Today, these seeking keys are exercised in the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

General Conference

Twice a year, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds a World General Conference. Members of the Church gather to hear the words of living prophets and apostles of Jesus Christ.

My wife and I have chosen not to have a television in our home. And, so, at conference time, we actually gather around a radio! Wow. Is that old fashioned, or what? However, my children have come to appreciate this tradition. Our oldest is averse to watching the conference on television or on the internet. She prefers the old family tradition of conference on the radio.

What is Love?

I have often asked myself, "what is love?" As a veteran of thirteen years of marriage, I think I'm beginning to understand.

To love is to serve

To love is to serve. Love is not selfish. 

“Strong Like Unto Moses." 1 Nephi 4

Nephi is quietly determined to accomplish God's will. Because he knows God and has perfect confidence in his assignment and its source, threats to his life and multiple failed attempts are insignificant. He tells his brothers they should be, “strong like unto Moses."

How was Moses strong? Moses had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus gave Moses a directive: go and free my people Israel. The Savior promised to grant Moses everything he would need for the mission, including miracles. So the question is, how can we be, “strong like unto Moses"?

Begrudging Obedience

Begrudging Obedience (1 Nephi 2:11, Book of Mormon)

The Book of Mormon recounts the journey of a man named Lehi who left Jerusalem in 600 B.C. and came to the Americas by ship. Lehi had six sons. The oldest two sons, Laman and Lemuel, felt enough cultural or religious obligation to honor their father, that they followed him into the Arabian wilderness. But the pair complained almost incessantly. It's as if they are saying, "O.K. The 10 Commandments say we're supposed to honor our father that our days may be long upon the land (Exodus 20:12), but this guy is crazy!" Lehi was a visionary man. Laman and Lemuel's younger brother Nephi, who wrote the record, writes that Lehi, "hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children," (1 Nephi 1:16). So, the older, rebellious sons follow their father into the wilderness, begrudgingly.

The question for me is, how often do I go through the motions in response to my cultural and religious traditions while harboring resentment towards God, Church leaders or family members? 
#tradition #obedience #prophets #BookofMormon

A conversation with a Friend about Book of Mormon personages Laman, Lemuel and Nephi

I had a good conversation with a friend recently about the difference between the Book of Mormon prophet Nephi, and his rebellious brothers Laman and Lemuel. I was about to shoot off this email about our conversation when I realized this would make a very nice blog post. I have removed the friend's name to protect his identity. Enjoy!

Hello [friend],

I was looking at my notes from our conversation the other morning. At a regional conference (a meeting of multiple stakes) recently, one might say that Elder Jeffery R. Holland laid into us as church members for coming to conferences or church meetings, and going home and doing nothing about what we heard. He admonished us to become, "doers of the word and not hearers only" (see James 1:22). I've been trying to be better about doing that. I was impressed as I read over my notes of our conversation of how much of it I forgot already!

Here's a brief summary:

Bryce: "What do you think made the difference between Laman and Lemuel and Nephi (see the book of 1 Nephi  in the Book of Mormon)?"

[friend]: "The way they turned out?"

Bryce: "Yeah."

. . .

I read starting in 1 Ne. 15:7: Nephi's brethren are arguing about what the things their father taught mean. They couldn't understand the analogy mentioned in verse 7. In verse 8, Nephi asks, "Have ye inquired of the Lord?" Their response, "We have not, for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us." Nephi's response, "How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord?"

I didn't realize it, but my recounting of our conversation is not that dissimilar to Nephi's recounting of his conversation with his brethren!

Is Nephi saying that if we are not asking God questions that we are not keeping the commandments? (see v. 9-10) 

Bryce: "Basically, it looks like he's saying if you: (Verse 11): a) don't harden your heart, b) ask in faith, c) believe you will receive, d) and diligently keep the commandments,  d) God will answer our questions and teach us--he will speak to us and communicate with us."

[friend]: "Sounds easy enough."

Bryce: chuckles. "Sounds easy enough."

Bryce: "So, it looks like prayer and keeping the commandments made the difference [between Nephi and his brethren]. 

Why does prayer and keeping the commandments make the difference? Prayer attunes our hearts to God. Our obedience allows God's spirit to work on us and in lives. [My thought this morning as I reviewed this: God is very respectful of our agency. He will not meddle in our lives uninvited. Prayer and obedient striving are how we invite God into our lives. Through prayer, we can explicitly ask God to help us. I, and I think you, know that God is intimately aware of us. The scriptures say that his arms are stretched out to us. Prayer is how we reach out to him and take his hand. God's greatest desire is for us to take his hand and become like him. But, God will not intrude upon our agency. If we do not ask, he cannot assist. If he violated our agency, he would cease to be God. So, in short, God's greatest desire is to help us. His arm is stretched out still. But for him to tamper with the agency we fought for in the war in heaven would be contrary to to his eternal plan. God longs to help us, but eternal law requires that we ask. Does that make sense?]

I think I'll leave off there for now. I would like to report that my prayers have changed since our conversation. I have been blessed to take time to pray and my prayers have been sincere. I know that God knows everything. He knows my struggles in all aspects of my life. He knows and loves me and my family. I know that if I will seek him in prayer, he will guide me in the best ways to overcome and face the challenges I have in my life. I want to be increasingly grateful for God's attentive care. But, as I've stated above, it takes effort to reach through the veil and take God's hand. I pray that you and I can be faithful. I pray that we can and will seek God in prayer. God's promise is that if we seek him diligently, we will find him. I invite you to join me in seeking God in prayer (also see this talk, "Draw Near unto Me," from a General Conference of days gone by).

Bryce