Nephi's Common Sense

Today as I read in 1 Nephi, chapter 17, I came across the verse (9) in which Nephi asks the Lord where he can find the ore to make the tools he needs to build their ship.  Don't know why it struck me, but the fact that he didn't just ask for the tools themselves, knowing God's all-powerful nature, really impressed me.  Nephi may have had a special relationship with the Lord, but he wasn't about to ask Him for favors that he knew he could take care of himself.  That's cool.

RIch LDS

So I learned at church that the LDS people, in the last days, will be the richest of the rich, according to several prophets, and I started wondering, what will make us rich? Is it because we are like the Jews, and we're stubborn, we work hard, and we stick together and network? Will we take over the financial sectors, and all be Donald Trumps? And then I realized, nope, we will not be rich in the world's sense of the word, right now, but we will be rich in gardens, food storage, water jugs, propane, self-sufficiency, quilts, sewing, etc....and there will come a time when those things will be valued much more than boats, mansions, and fancy cars. Interesting. They're already saying that because of the economic downturn, people are looking for houses that are sustainable, off the grid, and with land for gardens- instead of the trend before the bust.

hello hello

Anyone ever look at this? It's supposed to be this little cozy family site that motivates us to read the scriptures and share our insights. Hmmm, anyone reading these days? A man had a donkey and a carrot and a stick. His friend said he understood the motivation of the carrot, but why the stick. The man said, "That's to get his attention." What stick can I use to get some attention?

ZION IS FLED

I think that should be our new family motto. I was preparing my temple prep lesson tonight and one of the scriptures I looked up was Moses 7:69. "And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, ZION IS FLED."

I suppose that's what we are trying to do every day - flee the world. How neat would it be to achieve that level of righteousness to where we no longer need to be on the earth. That should be our goal - to walk with God each day and be so good that He can dwell in the midst of us. Let me know when you reach that level, and make sure you let me know when you're about to be taken up so I can come with you.

Book of Mormon challenge

Okay Sara and Jarem,
Where art thou in terms of B of M chapters read? How did you do the little Arabic sign Daniel? Cute. Way to go Dan and Elizabeth - you're chewing up the chart. Someone get after Dan Urbina and Joseph. Love you all. Mom

pride

I was reading in Alma 4 today verse 9. I noticed that pride was increasing among the members of the church. It states that their pride exceeded the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God. That surprised me because I always thought that it would be non-LDS people who would persecute the LDS.

In all my years in the Church I haven't seen a lot of pride among the members. I don't see members persecuting people who are not members. Maybe I am unaware of it since I am a member. Maybe I don't know what it would be like to be a non-member living in Utah. Generally I experience more anger directed at Mormons than I do the other way around.

Themes

Look what Elder Oaks says in his April Ensign article on the Atonement and faith: "Remember that our Savior Jesus Christ always builds us up and never tears us down. We should apply the power of that example in the ways we use our time, including our recreation and our diversions. Consider the themes of the books, magazines, movies, television shows, and music we in the world have made popular by our patronage. Do the things portrayed in our chosen entertainment build up or tear down the children of God?"

Notice the word "themes" (that I bolded)? That applies directly to me and the movies I watch. In the past I have always justified watching edited movies (ANY edited movies) simply because they were edited. More and more I have realized that just because they are edited, that doesn't mean they are clean. Many of Hollywood's themes really do tear us down. I'm going to be more careful about the edited movies I choose to buy.

No, that post doesn't have anything to do with my scripture reading. I'm still trying to find something interesting to share. :)