Dreaded Isaiah has been a little bit easier for me to understand in my Book of Mormon studies with "Isaiah Made Easier in the Bible and Book of Mormon" by David Ridges. My mother-in-law recommended this book and it has been very helpful. The book analyzes every chapter of Isaiah both in the Bible and Book of Mormon verse by verse with in-the-verse notes and translations. It's cleared up a lot of the confusion for me about who is speaking at what time, who they are speaking to, and what all the symbolism really means. Here's an example so you can get an idea of how the book flows:
2 Nephi 7
Note: This chapter speaks of the future as if it had already happened.
1 (The Lord asks the question, "Did I divorce you or did you divorce me" i.e., "Did I leave you or did you leave me?") Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away (divorced you), or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you (i.e., Was it I who sold you)? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves (i.e., you brought it upon yourselves!), and for your transgressions is your mother (your apostate nation; Hosea 2:2) put away.
There may be better Isaiah helps out there - I don't know because this is the first I've ever tried. But it has been helpful and is worth my recommendation. You can find it for about $14 at Deseret Book.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Growth of the Church by Stakes
Four years after the church was organized Wilford Woodruff attended a meeting with several of the Priesthood brethren and the prophet Joseph Smith. He recalled that they were all called upon to bear testimony and that at the conclusion of the meeting the prophet remarked "Brethren, I have been very much edified and instructed in your testimonies here tonight, but I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother's lap. You don't comprehend it...It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America - it will fill the world." We are witnesses to the continued fulfillment of that prophecy today.
The attached video shows the growth of the church by stakes represented by a flash of light and if you've never seen it you have to check it out. Even if you have seen it its worth watching again. Because this video was produced in 2007 the official numbers are off. As of the April 2008 General Conference the number of stakes is 2,790 not 2,745. Also, the total church membership as of the same date was 13,193,999 instead of 12,868,600. Just goes to show how quickly the church is growing.
The video is found on http://www.videos.lds.org/ if you want to download it and save it on your own computer...its a little more impressive when viewed on a full screen as opposed to this little tiny one.
The attached video shows the growth of the church by stakes represented by a flash of light and if you've never seen it you have to check it out. Even if you have seen it its worth watching again. Because this video was produced in 2007 the official numbers are off. As of the April 2008 General Conference the number of stakes is 2,790 not 2,745. Also, the total church membership as of the same date was 13,193,999 instead of 12,868,600. Just goes to show how quickly the church is growing.
The video is found on http://www.videos.lds.org/ if you want to download it and save it on your own computer...its a little more impressive when viewed on a full screen as opposed to this little tiny one.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Under the Umbrella
Tonight I got to escape the house for a little while and go to Relief Society Enrichment Night. This is a rarity for me. I think the last time I got to go was just before Valentine's Day. The theme was "Under the Umbrella" and it was all about preparedness. We had progressive hors d’oeuvres at three different homes and at each stop we learned something about a different kind of preparedness.
At the first stop we had chips and salsa from Chili's (that right there was worth leaving the house for) and a yummy frozen slush punch. The subject at that home was emergency preparedness and food storage. I actually learned some new things but honestly, when it comes to food storage, I still feel really overwhelmed. Where do you even begin? They had some good ideas and hopefully I can put them to good use. Probably the best suggestion is not a new one, and that is to store what you use on a regular basis and simply rotate your supply. Turns out they are also learning now that food lasts a lot longer than previously thought. The nutrients diminish over time but the calories stay the same and when you are eating to survive, you need calories.
At the next stop we learned about spiritual preparedness and there were no surprises there. Pray, read the scriptures, obey the commandments, attend the temple, have faith - pretty much everything that directs us to the Savior. She did have a really great analogy that I hadn't heard though. She likened our lives to the sacrament prayer which we all know has to be exact. But every once in a while, the Priest will get the prayer wrong and then the Bishop will nod and the Priest has to start over again. And sometimes he gets it wrong again and has to start over once more. And what happens if he gets it wrong again? The floor doesn't open up and swallow him. He's allowed to try again and keep trying until he gets it right. The Savior gives us the opportunity through the Atonement to keep trying until we get it right. She also reminded us that getting it right is a continual process which we begin here and will finish up in the eternities. At that house we sampled fresh fruit and veggies with dip.
At the third house we learned about emotional preparedness. We started off with out-of-this world homemade spinch artichoke dip with french bread. The sister centered her presentation from a talk by Elder Ballard in which he talked about all the things in life that are required of us and how we have to keep them all in balance. Too much of any one thing can throw us off just the same as not having enough of the things that are really important. She gave the easy-to-understand analogy of likening our lives to a car which when all four tires are balanced will take us down the road smoothly. But if just one tire is off or is flat the road is bumpier. She also mentioned how Elder Ballard spoke of being grateful for the trial of going through cancer because it forced him to take a look at where he was compared to where he should be in his life. I too have learned over the last few years to be grateful for trials. Some of the greatest blessings in my life have come through the most difficult trials.
We had a pretty good-sized group of sisters and I really enjoyed getting out and visiting with them. If there's one thing I'm learning about the women in my ward its just how strong and smart they all are. It seems for every trial I've gone through someone in my ward has been there and done that or at least something similar and they are always willing to offer advice but more importantly, support and friendship.
At the first stop we had chips and salsa from Chili's (that right there was worth leaving the house for) and a yummy frozen slush punch. The subject at that home was emergency preparedness and food storage. I actually learned some new things but honestly, when it comes to food storage, I still feel really overwhelmed. Where do you even begin? They had some good ideas and hopefully I can put them to good use. Probably the best suggestion is not a new one, and that is to store what you use on a regular basis and simply rotate your supply. Turns out they are also learning now that food lasts a lot longer than previously thought. The nutrients diminish over time but the calories stay the same and when you are eating to survive, you need calories.
At the next stop we learned about spiritual preparedness and there were no surprises there. Pray, read the scriptures, obey the commandments, attend the temple, have faith - pretty much everything that directs us to the Savior. She did have a really great analogy that I hadn't heard though. She likened our lives to the sacrament prayer which we all know has to be exact. But every once in a while, the Priest will get the prayer wrong and then the Bishop will nod and the Priest has to start over again. And sometimes he gets it wrong again and has to start over once more. And what happens if he gets it wrong again? The floor doesn't open up and swallow him. He's allowed to try again and keep trying until he gets it right. The Savior gives us the opportunity through the Atonement to keep trying until we get it right. She also reminded us that getting it right is a continual process which we begin here and will finish up in the eternities. At that house we sampled fresh fruit and veggies with dip.
At the third house we learned about emotional preparedness. We started off with out-of-this world homemade spinch artichoke dip with french bread. The sister centered her presentation from a talk by Elder Ballard in which he talked about all the things in life that are required of us and how we have to keep them all in balance. Too much of any one thing can throw us off just the same as not having enough of the things that are really important. She gave the easy-to-understand analogy of likening our lives to a car which when all four tires are balanced will take us down the road smoothly. But if just one tire is off or is flat the road is bumpier. She also mentioned how Elder Ballard spoke of being grateful for the trial of going through cancer because it forced him to take a look at where he was compared to where he should be in his life. I too have learned over the last few years to be grateful for trials. Some of the greatest blessings in my life have come through the most difficult trials.
We had a pretty good-sized group of sisters and I really enjoyed getting out and visiting with them. If there's one thing I'm learning about the women in my ward its just how strong and smart they all are. It seems for every trial I've gone through someone in my ward has been there and done that or at least something similar and they are always willing to offer advice but more importantly, support and friendship.
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