Should I Stay or Should I go? That is the Question!

The story in 3rd Nephi 28 of the three Nephites choosing to tarry on the earth until Christ would come in His glory always fascinates many people for several different reasons. The thought of these three (and John the Beloved--see John 21:21-23) still living on the earth for almost 2,000 years is enjoyable to ponder over. Where are they? What do they look like? Do they go two by two? How do they get around? And so forth.

Some may have heard their Uncle Jebediah tell of the time he was driving in a terrible blizzard back in the winter of 1957 and then got a flat tire. As he was changing the tire, three men appeared out of nowhere and offered to help. As Uncle Jebediah was putting the jack back in the trunk, he turned back to thank the men for their assistance and to his utter astonishment, the men had disappeared into thin air. It must have been the three Nephites coming to his rescue. Cool story. Could it be possible? Sure. But should Uncle Jeb's story be taken as gospel truth? Probably not.

Here is a little quote from the Seminary and Institute website to add some authority to the issue of spreading Mormon Urban Legends.

President Harold B. Lee said ―Rumor and gossip . . . when once started, gains momentum as each telling becomes more fanciful, until unwittingly those who wish to dwell on the sensational repeat them in firesides, in classes . . . without first verifying the source before becoming a party to causing speculation and discussions that steal time away from the things that would be profitable and beneficial and enlightening to their souls (in Conference Report, Oct. 1972, 125; or Ensign, Jan. 1973, 105; emphasis added). Quoting spurious material is detrimental to the Spirit and will not bless the lives of the students. As we teach students the gospel, we must reach past their emotions to their spirits and let the Holy Ghost, not the sensational, bring them to Christ.

The main reason for my post is not to speculate about the whereabouts of the three Nephites or any of the particulars that are fun to contemplate, but to highlight some insights I came across while preparing and presenting chapter 28 for a seminary lesson recently.

In verse seven, Jesus says to the three disciples who have desired what John had desired, that "more blessed are ye..." Why would these three be more blessed than the other nine who desired to come back into the Father's presence when their mortal life was over? The answer can be found in verse nine, which says, "...for ye have desired that ye might bring the souls of men unto me..." It seems that the Savior is confirming his teaching in Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16 where he states that great shall be your joy if you bring one soul unto Him, but how great shall be your joy if you bring many souls unto Him. It was a great thing the nine disciples desired, but even greater to desire to minister to all mankind until Christ comes a second time. The lesson of the three Nephites seems to be that we are blessed when we seek to bring souls back to our Heavenly Father and the way we can be like these three, is to spread the gospel in every way possible.

One final thought. In verse 17, Mormon says that he doesn't know whether the three Nephites are mortal or not. But, if you look at verse 37, he says that he "inquired of the Lord" to know more about their translated state as opposed to an immortal or resurrected state. The point is that Mormon didn't know and then prayed to know more clearly what their status was. We may do the very same thing. We may not know all things at a certain time, but as we continue in faith, the knowledge we seek is given to us. And until we receive the answer we seek, we move forward in faith until an answer is given.

The three Nephites are cool to think about, but the lessons embedded in this account are meant for us to liken to ourselves and the situations of our time. May we inquire to know the will of the Lord in our lives and may we share with others these pearls of great price we have been blessed to have in our lives.

"Get A Grip"

In Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life, he describes four groups of people. The first (vs. 21-13), was pressing forward on the path to the tree. Mists of darkness caused this group to lose their way. The second group (vs. 24-25 & 28) pressed forward and caught hold of the rod of iron and made it to the tree and partook of the fruit, but while looking around they became ashamed. This was caused in part by those who were in the great and spacious building and as a result this second group fell away.

The third group (vs. 26-27 & 31-33) are those in the great and spacious building who represent the pride of the world (1 Ne. 11:36) who mock those who are pressing forward toward the tree. This group seems to represent the largest number of people. This shows that those who follow what the foundationless low-class building has to offer need company to feel comfortable, much like a group of teenage boys need peers to play in the fountain at the mall. Whereas, if they were by alone, they would never think of doing something like that.

Group four (vs. 30 & 33) holds to the rod, presses forward, "continually holding fast" to the iron rod, and partaking of the fruit of the tree. And despite the pointing finger of those in the great and spacious building, they "heeded them not." Two things here. The first is that when they made it to the tree, they fell down. Why? Third Nephi 11:12 recounts that when the Savior appears to the Nephites for the first time and states who He is, the people fell to the earth as they remembered that He was the one the prophets has testified would come. Also, in 3 Nephi 17:10, the people fell at Jesus' feet in worship after he healed those who were afflicted. the second thought is that each of us is surrounded by the pride of the world or the "worldliness" of the world and it will be imperative for our personal salvation to hold fast to the rod and not give heed to the seductive, natural man and woman temptations that are offered to each of us constantly.

The question to ask ourselves is, what group do I fit in?

I exhort you "with all the feeling of a tender parent" (v. 37) that I may "rejoice in the Lord" (v. 3) because of your efforts to be like those in group four. So, get a grip and don't let go!!!

"I was led by the Spirit"

I have always appreciated the words of 1st Nephi chapter four, verse six. I like the idea of being led to do something of value to bless another just by being willing to be guided and by striving to be worthy of inspiration from on high.

Nephi impresses me in this instance because he knew that it was imperative to get the Plates of Brass. He didn't know "how" the Lord would prepare the way, so with an active faith, he moved ahead until the way was shown to him.

Sometimes we just need to move forward and use our best judgement and step into the darkness a bit and we will find the way is lighted ahead (see Ensign January 1981 "The Candle of the Lord" Elder Boyd K. Packer). This has happened to me several times in the last year, especially in my current calling and it is a great feeling to recognize the times when "I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things I should do."

"I Will Go and Do"

It is likely that the most famous scripture in the Book of Mormon is 1 Nephi 3:7. In that light, I thought it best not to skip it and to add a couple insights on this great verse.

Number one, I believe, is that the key to the scripture is the phrase 'I KNOW'. Everything hinges on this simple statement of testimony. Nephi declares that he will keep all of the commandments because he has a testimony that those commandments are from God and that He will help him (Nephi) keep them. He knows that Heavenly Father wants us to keep His commnads and therefore, will give us assistance to keep them.

Point number two is a quote by Presdient Ezra Taft Benson which says, "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power." A sure sign of spiritual maturity is shown when a person recognizes that the commandments are meant to bless us and not hinder us in our pursuit of happiness. That recognition came for me sometime in my junior year of high school and I am grateful for that knowledge.

Now, go and do...

Do You Believe In Angels?

As members of the Church we definitely believe in angels. Joseph Smith's visits with Moroni concerning the whereabouts of the gold plates is a great example.

But today, on the eve of game 6 between the Bronx Bombers (NY Yankees) and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, you have to ask yourself, do you believe in Angels? The Yankeees lead the series three games to two and are playing in NYC in the cold and rain. Will the spirit of Nick Adenhart, who was killed by a drunk driver after his first start this year on April 9th at the age of 22, be in attendance and guide some Angel hits over the fence? Or will some of the guys in Yankee pinstripes inexplicably miss a ground ball or swing at a pitch and miss by millimeters because of some unseen help from above? Do you believe in Angels?

Kimber-noodle-bucket does! On Thursday night she went to bed before game five was completed (Angels won 7-6 to force game six). Early Friday morning she woke up at 3 a.m. and mom went in to check on her. As mom tucked her in the following short conversation ensued.

Kimber asked, "Did the Angels win?"

Mom: Yes.

Kimber: Good!

Kimber-noodle-bucket believes in Angels and so should you!

Here's looking to a game seven with a trip to the World Series on the line...

If You Wanna Be Happy For The Rest Of Your Life...

No, not the rest of that line, but 1st Nephi 2:20!

"And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise..." I like this verse because it is one of the major themes of the Book of Mormon and you can find it throughout the entire book. I enjoy seeing that this important message gets to the end of the row to many of the prophets and writers in the Book of Mormon. As you read, see if you can find as many as you can or variations of the same theme. Good luck!

I know that this promise works because I have seen it in my own life. I am certainly not perfect, but I do know that from my upbringing from my youth that striving to live the gospel fully brings prosperity (not just in a financial/material sense). I have been truly blessed in my life by my Heavenly Father because I have tried to follow this IF...Then...formula. May you be likewise blessed as you follow it in your life and then recognize those blessings as they come, even in the midst of difficult days. And, remember the promise ultimately is the Promised Land or symbolically speaking, Eternal Life.

Love, Dad

I, Nephi...

The most famous of all Book of Mormon passages must be, "I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents...". I love my parents and appreciate what they taught me, but what I wanted to share from this verse in 1st Nephi 1:1 is the importance of the word "therefore". Following this word, Nephi shares that he was taught "in all the learning of my father:"

What one does with a "therefore" or "wherefore" is to look at what follows and then look back to what preceded this connecting word to see the connection. In this case, Nephi was taught by his father, which then gives new meaning to Nephi's statement about being born of goodly parents. Nephi's parents are goodly because they taught him in all things.

So, as a parent, much of what one might term success in ones children hinges upon the effort to teach our children in all aspects of learning (secular and religious). I hope this all makes sense, but it has been fun to look for these in my scripture study this year.

Another example includes--1 Nephi 1:5. Why is Lehi praying? Because the prophets were telling those in Jerusalem to repent or be destroyed and Lehi was responding to their message. One other can be found in 1 Nephi 2:16--Find the word "wherefore" and after the word it says that Nephi "did cry unto the Lord". Why is he doing this? Look to what is before the "wherefore" and it says that Nephi "desires to know of the mysteries of God".

Have a great day!

Your striving to be a "goodly parent" DAD