How Do You Hear the Savior?

In the scriptures, there are very few sacred instances in which the voice of God the Father has been heard.  So, when He says something, we really need to listen.  Repeatedly, He has personally introduced His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, with a specific charge to “Hear Him!”

Have you ever stopped to ask, “Why?”  Why is our Heavenly Father so insistent—and consistent—in His plea that we should hear His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ?

Jesus answered this question Himself.  He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”

Our Father loves us and yearns for each one of us to choose to return to His holy presence.  He pleads with us to listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, whom the Father anointed and appointed as our Mediator, Savior, and Redeemer.

In this special year as we commemorate the 200th anniversary of the First Vision, I invite you to think deeply and often about this key question: How do you hear Him?  I also invite you to take steps to hear Him better and more often.  Throughout this year, we will focus in a special way on the historic event that took place in the Sacred Grove.

I invite you to be proactive and look for opportunities to share your feelings about the Lord Jesus Christ with your family and friends, including inviting your friends to join you in worshiping Him on Easter Sunday.

Now, as one of the Lord’s special witnesses, I bless you in your efforts to get on and stay on His covenant path, and strive with all your heart, might, mind and soul to Hear Him!
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The World's Second Chance (2 Ne 26-30)

The World's Second Chance to Choose Christ
2 Nephi 25:26, 29

Come unto Christ, enter His path, join His church, and receive His Holy Ordinances that we may qualify for Eternal Life -

2 Nephi 25:17 - And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.

2 Nephi 26:16 - For those who shall be destroyed shall speak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust.

2 Nephi 27:6 - And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto you the words of a book, and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered

2 Nephi 27:26 - Therefore, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid.

2 Nephi 29:2 - And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel.

2 Nephi 26:33
All are alike unto God
The gospel is for everybody
God invites all people to come unto him

2 Nephi 25:23 - For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

Romans 1-6 starting at 22:40



These chapters are Nephi's commentary on Isaiah's words which we studied last week, many of which taught how we can defend ourselves from Satan's attacks. Here Nephi delivers in a plain and simple manner the ways that Satan tries to fool and trick us with his deceptions. Some of Satan's Tricks exposed in 2 Nephi 28:

• CONFUSION - 2 Nephi 28:3-4 - this is what Joseph Smith was facing, and what we all face today in a world of so many voices and so many instant answers, what is the truth?
• HEDONISM - 2 Nephi 28:7 Life is for pursuit of pleasures, YOLO you only live once. Encourages greed, gluttony, lust as enjoyable, but he masks the truth of the consequences: hangovers, addictions, aimlessness, shallow and shortened relationships, disease, and the negative impact on families and children. 
• RATIONALIZE & EXCUSE SIN - 2 Nephi 28:8 This is a more measured and subtle approach than Hedonism. 
• PRIDE - 2 Nephi 28:9-15 - this is the big one with the most description, it is the great and spacious building. God has made us all different and wants us to recognize and appreciate the differences. We should not put one gift or talent or trait above or below those of another. 
• ANGER - 2 Nephi 28:20 - Contention is of the devil 3 Nephi 11:29. people get offended and angry about many things.
• PACIFY & LULL - 2 Nephi 28:21 - Pacifiers and lullaby to distract us from what we wanted, keeping us quiet and putting us to sleep, this is a very careful, slow, and measured approach. It's easier to bind us and trap us if we're asleep! (Think of the best time to play pranks on someone during camping trips)
• THERE IS NO DEVIL & NO HELL - 2 Nephi 28:22 - There are no eternal consequences for our choices. 
• WE HAVE A BIBLE AND DON'T NEED MORE SCRIPTURE - 2 Nephi 29:3 - the Book of Mormon is evidence that God loves all of his children, he remembers all nations. 

WHY DO WE NEED THE BOOK OF MORMON? 2 Nephi 29:7-11

Winning Arguments with God

Corey shared this article with us at scriptures tonight, I thought it was great - from Meridian Magazine: How to Win an Argument with God, sponsored by the Corona Virus - by Jeff Lindsay.
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Ever since I participated in debate competitions in high school and maybe before, I have relished the occasional thrill of winning an argument against a smart opponent. Forgive me for bragging, but I can rightfully boast some pretty impressive victories, especially my many victories against the smartest opponent of all: God. That sounds pretty amazing, I know, but I’ve discovered that it’s relatively easy to win arguments against Him. In fact, I won several in a row in the past few weeks.

The key to winning the argument is first listening so you can know what to argue against. Prayer is a great way to get started. Pray and seek for guidance in some aspect of your life. Humbly sense that guidance. Feel free to write it down. And then, think carefully of all the reasons why it is ridiculous and doesn’t apply to you. Strong logical skills are a plus here if you want a decisive victory. Provide your reasons, dismiss His suggestion, and voila, you are likely to win because I’ve found that He often doesn’t do much of a rebuttal.

God, in fact, is a terrible debater. No offense, but it’s true. In debate, after one side critiques your proposal, it’s important to carefully respond to and rebut each argument they have raised. God, I’m sad to say, is rather week in this regard. Although He’s the Ultimate in intelligence, His mastery of debate techniques seems to pale in comparison with the skills most of us mortals have.

For example, two months ago, in praying for guidance on the things I needed to do, I had a distinct impression: go to the Shanghai office of Woori Bank (a Korean bank that was said to be a relatively safe place to park some money in a world where many banks are now close to insolvency) and take out the money I had there in an unusual US dollar account. It wasn’t much, but wasn’t trivial. I actually wrote that down on my to-do list for that week. I would write it down again for two or three more weeks after that. I came close to going right before our recent trip to Vietnam, but fortunately was able to come up with some very logical reasons about why there was no need to do that. I would be 6 months before I left China and had plenty of time, and the time I took to do that in January would be time I couldn’t do some important things for my work, my callings, whatever. It just made no sense, and I provided persuasive reasons why I could delay that prompting. No rebuttal. God walked away. Bingo, I won! Such an easy victory. (I say that with all due respect.)

I had similar victories as I was packing and preparing for our short trip to Vietnam almost a month ago. I was repeatedly prompted to bring my journal, to bring a backup hard disk, to bring extra cash, to bring a an unnecessarily large supply of medication, and most strangely of all, to bring some of my collection of magic tricks that I use daily when I am around my grandchildren. My arguments were to the point and overwhelmingly persuasive: “There’s no way I’m going to be doing magic tricks for Vietnamese kids. There’s no need for extra cash in Vietnam and it could be stolen. I need to travel light, so my heavy journal will be a burden that I can deal with after my short trip. And bringing my backup disk puts me at risk of having it and my computer stolen while traveling — a disaster.” God just didn’t have any reply to such persuasiveness. Victory, victory, victory! So sweet.

On the other hand, now that the Corona virus has swept across China and made it impossible or unwise to return home to Shanghai after my short trip to Vietnam,  causing my wife and I to flee to the US as “medical refugees,” where we are now hanging out with family, I can somewhat admit that some of those illogical suggestions might have been slightly useful after all. Since I may not be able to return to China before my visa expires, I may not ever see that money at Woori Bank. I called them yesterday and they explained that for my protection, the only way they will ever let me access the US dollars in my account is to show up at their office in Shanghai with my passport (and visa, of course). The good news, though, is that if I die and my wife can provide proper documentation and evidence of death, she may have a chance of getting some of it if she also goes to China. The helpful employee I reached was chuckling over my situation and the impact of China’s and the bank’s regulations. Hilarious, I know! My other bank accounts have ATM cards that allow me to withdraw money here in the US, but not that special US dollar account with the appropriately named Woori Bank.

The journal, with some precious accounts, would have been nice. The medication would have been useful but I found some more in Vietnam. The hard disk would have been helpful, but I bought another. The magic tricks, well, surprisingly, they would really come in handy now that I am staying much of the time with a family of six grandchildren who are magic addicts and visiting another grandchild in Minnesota tonight who also loves magic. So, grudgingly, I can sort of see some point to some of my Opponent’s suggestions, but that doesn’t change the fact that I absolutely won the argument — and lost some valuable resources and time, while gaining some unnecessary worries.

I guess winning arguments is not always the best policy when dealing with God. Yes, I’ll acknowledge His awesome intelligence, but wish He were a more vigorous debater so it wouldn’t always be so easy for me to win.

Mercifully, we may have found a way to retrieve the journal and some other much-needed items. I’ll report on that story in a few days, which abounds in examples of the great kindness of some foreign and local friends in China who made that possible as an answer to prayer (it was also a rare example of me finally not arguing when there was a good argument to be made against an implausible suggestion). God may not be the best debater by human standards, but He often helps us find second chances or new paths forward after we make major blunders in our lives (sometimes as a result of a very persuasive win in our debates with God). Keep seeking Him and listening to His guidance, in whatever situation you are in. He may have some interesting things for your to-do list, whether it’s something small that might help you to bless your neighbor, relieve someone in distress, solve major problems in your life, or prepare to flee your home on your own journey to somewhere unexpected.
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Our Defense from Satan's Attacks (2 Ne 11-25)

Our lesson in Relief Society today was Elder Bednar's talk from last October 2019 General Conference "Watchful Unto Prayer Continually" Understand the intent of the enemy!

Satan is a predator, all day, everyday. "Understanding the intent of an enemy is vital to effective preparation for possible attacks."

I loved this list from Teaching with Power listing some of Satan's attacks and the ways he tried to deceive us from 2 Nephi chapters 12, 13, and 15

1. 2 Nephi 12:7 - Materialism
2. 2 Nephi 12:8 - Idolatry
3. 2 Nephi 13:1-3 - Relying on Man instead of God
4. 2 Nephi 13:5 - Persecution and Disrespect
5. 2 Nephi 13:9 - Open and Proud of their sins
6. 2 Nephi 13:14-15 - Taking advantage of poor
7. 2 Nephi 13:16-24 - Obsessed with having the right look, outward appearances
8. 2 Nephi 15:11-12, 22 - Drinking and Partying
9. 2 Nephi 15:20 - Calling good evil and evil, good
10. 2 Nephi 15:21 - learned but not wise
11. 2 Nephi 15:24 - they despise the commandments and the gospel

Don't get distracted! Don't be deceived by Satan calling Evil good and good evil, calling wickedness happiness, and happiness misery. 

Truth and Happiness leave no bad aftertaste! 

Our Defense - starting at 26:38

D&C 87:8 Stand ye in holy places and be not moved.

2 Nephi 14:5-6 describes three places of safety:

   1) Every dwelling-place of Mount Zion - HOME

   2) Zion's assemblies - CHURCH

   3) Tabernacle - TEMPLE

Our Offense - 2 Nephi 15:26 - 30

• An ensign waving 
• Hiss - Whistle blowing
• 2 Nephi 15:28 - Whose arrows shall be sharp and bows bent - archers! God's Army! (Missionaries!)
• Horses hooves counted like flint - coming swiftly, ready, prepared
• They shall roar like young lions - strong, you can hear them
• Be ready and willing - Here am I, send me - 2 Nephi 16

The Biggest WINNER!
2 Nephi 21:1-5

The spoils of Victory - 2 Nephi 21:6-16

A Victory Song - 2 Nephi 22

Choose the Winning side - Choose Christ

The Biggest LOSER
2 Nephi 24:4-20 - Satan is the biggest loser, He will be covered with worms 2 Nephi 24:11. He will not even be joined in burial with all the tyrants of the earth 2 Nephi 24:20.

Like the topis that kept watch from the termite mounds, we have prophets that are keeping watch for us. If we follow their guidance we will be safe from Satan and his attacks.

Our teacher closed her lesson by sharing this poem:

The Ambulance Down in the Valley Joseph Malins (1895)

'Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant;
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke and full many a peasant.
So the people said something would have to be done,
But their projects did not at all tally;
Some said, "Put a fence ’round the edge of the cliff,"
Some, "An ambulance down in the valley."

But the cry for the ambulance carried the day,
For it spread through the neighboring city;
A fence may be useful or not, it is true,
But each heart became full of pity
For those who slipped over the dangerous cliff;
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave pounds and gave pence, not to put up a fence,
But an ambulance down in the valley.

"For the cliff is all right, if you’re careful," they said,
"And, if folks even slip and are dropping,
It isn’t the slipping that hurts them so much
As the shock down below when they’re stopping."
So day after day, as these mishaps occurred,
Quick forth would those rescuers sally
To pick up the victims who fell off the cliff,
With their ambulance down in the valley.

Then an old sage remarked: "It’s a marvel to me
That people give far more attention
To repairing results than to stopping the cause,
When they’d much better aim at prevention.
Let us stop at its source all this mischief," cried he,
"Come, neighbors and friends, let us rally;
If the cliff we will fence, we might almost dispense
With the ambulance down in the valley."

"Oh he’s a fanatic," the others rejoined,
"Dispense with the ambulance? Never!
He’d dispense with all charities, too, if he could;
No! No! We’ll support them forever.
Aren’t we picking up folks just as fast as they fall?
And shall this man dictate to us? Shall he?
Why should people of sense stop to put up a fence,
While the ambulance works in the valley?"

But the sensible few, who are practical too,
Will not bear with such nonsense much longer;
They believe that prevention is better than cure,
And their party will soon be the stronger.
Encourage them then, with your purse, voice, and pen,
And while other philanthropists dally,
They will scorn all pretense, and put up a stout fence
On the cliff that hangs over the valley.

Better guide well the young than reclaim them when old,
For the voice of true wisdom is calling.
"To rescue the fallen is good, but ’tis best
To prevent other people from falling."
Better close up the source of temptation and crime
Than deliver from dungeon or galley;
Better put a strong fence ’round the top of the cliff
Than an ambulance down in the valley.

Joseph Smith Senior's Vision of the Tree of Life

I learned about this today from All Stand Tall blog
A December 1973 article about Joseph Smith Senior
Image below from Third Hour

Lehi and Nephi are not the only ones to have a vision of the Tree of Life. Joseph Smith’s father saw the Tree of Life vision in 1811, 9 years before the First Vision and 19 years before the Book of Mormon was published. Joseph Smith Senior's vision below taken from LDS Magazine as recorded in Lucy Mack Smith’s history:
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“I thought, I was traveling in an open, desolate field which appeared to be very barren. As I was thus traveling, the thought suddenly came into my mind that I had better stop and reflect upon what I was doing before I went any farther. So I asked myself, ‘What motive can I have in traveling here, and what place can this be?’

"My guide, who was by my side as before, said, ‘This is the desolate world, but travel on.’ The road was so broad and barren that I wondered why I should travel in it, for, said I to myself, ‘Broad is the road, and wide is the gate that leads to death, and many there be that walk therein; but narrow is the way, and strait is the gate that leads to everlasting life, and few there be that go in thereat.’

“Traveling a short distance further, I came to a narrow path. This path I entered, and, when I had traveled a little way in it, I beheld a beautiful stream of water which ran from the east to the west. Of this stream I could see neither the source nor yet the mouth, but as far as my eyes could extend I could see a rope, running along the bank of it about as high as a man could reach, and beyond me was a low but very pleasant valley in which stood a tree such as I had never seen before. It was exceedingly handsome, insomuch that I looked upon it with wonder and admiration. Its beautiful branches spread themselves somewhat like an umbrella, and it bore a kind of fruit, in shape much like a chestnut bur, and as white as snow, or, if possible, whiter. I gazed upon the same with considerable interest, and as I was doing so, the burs or shells commenced opening and shedding their particles, or the fruit which they contained, which was of dazzling whiteness. I drew near and began to eat of it, and I found it delicious beyond description.”

“As I was eating, I said in my heart, ‘I cannot eat this alone, I must bring my wife and children, that they may partake with me.’ Accordingly, I went and brought my family, which consisted of a wife and seven children, and we all commenced eating and praising God for this blessing. We were exceedingly happy, insomuch that our joy could not easily be expressed.”

“While thus engaged, I beheld a spacious building standing opposite the valley which we were in, and it appeared to reach to the very heavens. It was full of doors and windows, and they were all filled with people, who were very finely dressed. When these people observed us in the low valley, under the tree, they pointed the finger of scorn at us, and treated us with all manner of disrespect and contempt. But their contumely we utterly disregarded.”

“I presently turned to my guide and inquired of him the meaning of the fruit that was so delicious. He told me it was the pure love of God, shed abroad in the hearts of all those who love him and keep his commandments. He then commanded me to go and bring the rest of my children. I told him that we were all there. ‘No,’ he replied, ‘look yonder, you have two more, and you must bring them also.’ Upon raising my eyes, I saw two small children standing some distance off. I immediately went to them and brought them to the tree, upon which they commenced eating with the rest, and we all rejoiced together. The more we ate, the more we seemed to desire, until we even got down upon our knees and scooped it up, eating it by double handfuls.”

“After feasting in this manner a short time, I asked my guide what was the meaning of the spacious building which I saw. He replied, ‘It is Babylon, it is Babylon, and it must fall. The people in the doors and windows are the inhabitants thereof, who scorn and despise the Saints of God because of their humility.’ I soon awoke, clapping my hands together for joy.”
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Some commentary by Bro Proctor -

Nephi also explained the meaning of the spacious building from his own vision: “And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building which my father saw. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”

Nephi’s greatest desire in his own vision was not only to see the Tree of Life, but to understand what it was. When he was shown the tree by the Spirit, Nephi is asked what he wanted. “To know the interpretation thereof…” He wanted to know what the Tree meant. An angel comes and shows him a series of visions. Nephi first sees Jerusalem (to give him orientation, I suppose) and many other cities in his ancient homeland. He is then shown Nazareth. In the city of Nazareth he sees a virgin who is exceedingly fair and white, and “most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.” Remember: Nephi has asked to know what this symbol of the Tree of Life means. He is shown all these things. He is then asked a question that he does not know the answer to: “Knowest thou the condescension of God?” Nephi fumbles for an answer, “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.” The angel puts everything together now for Nephi: “Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.” Then the angel says to Nephi, essentially, “NOW do you know the meaning of the Tree?” He does.

The Tree of Life is the perfect representation of the Son of God—of Jesus Christ Himself.

It is not just the ethereal love of God, or a symbolic manifestation of the sweetness of the Gospel, it is Jesus Christ—all those who come to the Tree are coming to partake of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and receive eternal life. The first verse of the chapter now makes more sense about gathering all manner of seed. We are all to gather to the Tree—to come to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. And who are the seed of Christ? “Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God.” This makes the dream or vision of Lehi and of Joseph Smith, Sr. all the more powerful—these are essential stories (in all cultures) to bring us to the Son of the Most High God, to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of all. How blessed we are to have these visions recorded.

26 March 1820

I watched this today, I thought this was amazing.


1820 was the beginning of a new "great year" - beginning Sunday 26 March 1820
Joseph Smith's 1838 first vision account "A beautiful clear day"
Weather record from Sacket's Harbor (80 miles northest from Palmyra) clear skies, good weather

(I know I didn't grasp all that he said, but this is what I wrote down and will look through as I try to understand and clarify it better) Some of my notes:

Enoch Calendar year is 364 days, making it exactly 52 weeks and four quarters/seasons, each quarter season made up of 13 weeks, with one holy day added at the beginning of each quarter/season. Then one additional week added every 5 years

I wrote:
364 years = great year
1 prophetic week = 738 years
?

I am going to have to read his article here that explains it more:
John Pratt - Enoch's Ten Week Prophecy

History of the world takes place in 10 weeks.
Enoch calendar records precisely the date of the Flood, the Exodus, of Christ's life
8th week ended in 1819
1820 beginning of the 9th week, Enoch 92:14 "Judgement of Righteousness"
Great year = 364 calendar years
26 March - Sunday, the 1st great day of a great year

Enoch 73:13, 16 - "The moon brings on all the years exactly.

Hebrew calendar - each month starts on a new moon.

Different Ways

This past week for Come Follow me we studied 1 Nephi 16-22. Ben Wilcox says these chapters are about the three Bs- the Ball, the Bow, and the Boat. As I studied these, I've been impressed at how God teaches us at different times in different ways. There's no "one answer" (well, maybe the ONE answer could be to "trust in God"... but God will help us and answer our prayers in different ways as we exercise that trust in him.) Here are a few examples from this week's study of different ways that the Lord helped Nephi.

1 Nephi 7:17-18 Nephi asks if God will deliver him according to his faith
1 Nephi 17:48 - Commanded in the name of God, that that they not touch him
1 Nephi 17:53-54 - Stretches forth his hand to shock them
1 Nephi 18:10 - Speak unto them with much soberness
1 Nephi 18:11 - they bind him with cords, and treat him with much harshness (I'm sure they hit him and beat him up) and the Lord suffers it (maybe he did pray to be delivered according to his faith, but he felt the answer this time was "no")
1 Nephi 18:13 I can't believe he was tied up for 3 DAYS!!! on the 4th day they finally loose him

So, we see that he didn't shock his brothers every time to get them to help and cooperate (1 Nephi 17:53-54) nor was he miraculously loosed every time (1 Nephi 7:17-18). When they were on the boat, he was tied up and wasn't able to break the bonds. He had been loosed according to his faith before, so I believe he had the faith to be loosed again, but he didn't ask for that cause he probably knew the Lord didn't want that this time. Perhaps it was the Lord's will for him to suffer with it. And Nephi did suffer it and remained tied up for over 3 days. There are times when, in the Lord's wisdom, he suffers it for our sake and for others' sake. And so we need to suffer it. Another example - sometimes, we are not healed and need to suffer it. We needed to suffer through Peter's RSV and Croup during the past year, but with the ear ache, he was able to be miraculously healed, I'll share that story at the end of this post. And just cause there was a miracle this time doesn't mean it will always be that way from here on out. Every solution to the trail we are currently facing needs to be sought for and done according to the Spirit. Be worthy to have that spirit to guide and prompt, cleave to our covenants so that we have the confidence to call on the Lord, knowing we're doing our part. Be worthy to have the Spirit guide us and listen for the Spirit's instructions to us in each different situation.

Remember these 3 Principles Nephi lived by: 1 Nephi 18:16
I did look unto my God
I did praise him all the day long
I did not murmur against he Lord because of my afflictions

Below are the scriptures references of the ways that Nephi responded to different situations and commandments, and the way the Lord rewarded him. Also, the ways that Laman and Lemuel responded and the different ways they were persuaded or rebuked (Most of these thoughts were pointed out in the Teaching with Power lesson a few weeks ago, starting at 10:58)

TO LEAVE JERUSALEM
  1 Nephi 2:16 - Great desires to know God, prays
  Reward: 1 Ne 2:16 - Lord Answers, softens his heart
  1 Nephi 2:12-13 - They Murmur
  1 Nephi 2:14 - Counseled through Parent - Lehi speaks to them
TO GO BACK FOR THE PLATES
  1 Ne 3:7 - I will go and do
  Reward: 1 Ne 3:6, 8 Favored and blessed of the Lord
  They murmur 1 Ne 3:5, but they go anyway
TRY TO GET THE PLATES - ATTEMPT 1 - asked for the plates
  1 Ne 3:15 We will return and try again
  Reward 1 Ne 4:38 Eventually they obtain the plates
  1 Ne 3:14 they are sorrowful and about to return
  1 Ne 3:15 - Nephi, a sibling, encourages them to be faithful
TRY TO GET THE PLATES - ATTEMPT 2 - purchase the plates
  1 Ne 4:1 Let us be faithful, try again
  Reward 1 Ne 4:38 He obtains the plates with help from God
  1 Ne 3:28 they are angry and smite Nephi and Sam
  1 Ne 3:29 an angel appears and rebukes them
TRY TO GET THE PLATES - ATTEMPT 3
  1 Ne 3:31 - they murmur and don't think it's possible.
  1 Nephi 4 - Nephi does it alone (with God)
RETURN WITH ISMAEL'S FAMILY
  1 Ne 7:17 Prays for deliverance from bonds
  Reward: 1 Ne 7:18 - loosed from bonds
  1 Ne 7:16 - they are angry and bind Nephi
  1 Ne 7:19 - women plead with them and soften their hearts, they ask for forgiveness
BROKEN BOW
  1 Ne 16:22-23 - Nephi speaks to them, does not murmur and gets to work, makes a bow
  Reward: 1 Ne 16:31 - saves everyone's lives
  1 Ne 16:18 - they are angry, murmur, even Lehi murmurs
  1 Ne 16:27, 29 - they fear and tremble after beholding the writings upon the ball, they are instructed concerning the ways of the Lord and given understanding
DEATH OF ISHMAEL
  1 Ne 17: 2 - Grateful in all circumstances
  Reward: 1 Ne 17:3 Nourished and strengthened
  1 Ne 16:36-37 - murmur, desire to return to Jerusalem, want to kill Lehi and Nephi
  1 Ne 16:39 - rebuked by the voice of the Lord himself
BUILD THE SHIP
  1 Ne 17:8-9 Seeks the Lord's will and follows it
  Reward: 1 Ne 18:4 Miraculously builds a ship
  1 Ne 17:18 they complain, don't want to labor, don't believe it is possible nor that the Lord instructed Nephi
  1 Ne 17:53-54 They are physically shocked by the power of God
THE STORM
  1 Ne 18:16 - Does not murmur in his afflictions
  Reward: 1 Ne 18:21-23 Saves family from storm, steers to promised land
  1 Ne 18:9, 11 - they forget God, they are angry and tie up Nephi
  1 Nephi 18:19-20 Power of God which threatened them with destruction

LEHI'S DEATH
  2 Ne 5:5, 10 - Flees, keeps commandment
  Reward: 2 Ne 5:27 Happiness

  2 Ne 4:13 - they are angry with Nephi 

  2 Ne 5:20 - nothing left to do, Nephi flees, He and God leave/withdraw, Laman and Lemuel are left alone to themselves and are cut off from His presence.

So, quick story, on Jan 9th, during the night at like 1 am, Peter was fussing and wouldn't nurse. Usually he just nurses in the bed and we both sleep fine, but he wouldn't stay attached and I could tell there we something wrong, but I was slightly groggy at 1 am and it took me a while to wake up and realize what was happening. So I eventually gave up on sleeping and got up to help him. He always quiets down for a bath, so I stared the tub and we got in as I tried to shush him. It didn't work - he was writhing and was not calm or comfortable. I kept thinking "WHAT Is WRONG?!?!" He didn't want to eat, no bath, I got dressed and grabbed a blanket for him and took him outside for a walk but that lasted a half a house before he started screaming again, now it's 2 am and so I hurried back inside with him before he woke up the neighborhood. I continued to try and think what was the problem. I remembered he had had a high fever a few days ago... Oh, it's probably an ear ache! I took him back to our room where I walked him around trying to comfort him and rock him, all the while thinking and praying what I should do. I could ask Corey to bless him (Corey was asleep downstairs on the couch)... I could go to the store for some ear drops, but Peter would be screaming the whole time.... it wasn't bad enough for the ER.... no doctor calls right now.... And I had had one thought come to me as I prayed and after about 10 minutes I felt confident enough to ok to act on it - so I raised my hand to the square and said "In the name of Jesus Christ, I command thy ear to be healed." And then I kissed him and lay down with him, and he latched on and fell asleep right away, and he slept the rest of the night and was fine the next morning. I have never done that before. I've had dreams before that I've done that - like once in my dream a big bear was coming close and about to attack us, and I raised my hand and commanded him in the name of Christ to go away, but I've never done it in real life. But I was inspired to do that this time, and I am so grateful to have received that prompting and that I am keeping my covenants so that the Lord would honor that word spoken in the name of his Son. I kinda was surprised the next morning at what I had done though, wondering if it was okay that I did that. I didn't doubt that it was the power in Christ's name that worked the miracle, but I did wonder if it was ok for me to do something like that. I shared this experience with my mission companion Nicole and she shared this quote by President Nelson with me from his most recent General Conference talk titled "Spiritual Treasures":

The heavens are just as open to women who are endowed with God’s power flowing from their priesthood covenants as they are to men who bear the priesthood. I pray that truth will register upon each of your hearts because I believe it will change your life. Sisters, you have the right to draw liberally upon the Savior’s power to help your family and others you love.

Now, you might be saying to yourself, “This sounds wonderful, but how do I do it? How do I draw the Savior’s power into my life?”

You won’t find this process spelled out in any manual. The Holy Ghost will be your personal tutor as you seek to understand what the Lord would have you know and do. This process is neither quick nor easy, but it is spiritually invigorating. 

I am grateful that the Spirit tutored me that night and helped me to know how to draw liberally upon God's power to help Peter. I'm grateful Peter was healed.

Real Talk with Tim Ballard

I just listened to this, and I love it. Guesno Mardy and Tim Ballard are my heroes. I am so thankful to call them my fellow Saints, I believe and so do they, and we are doing God's work. The Book of Mormon is True! Jesus is our Savior and He is going to come again, I will help build Zion as best as I can and I look forward to that day. Some notes on parts I especially loved from this video:

10:10 - The reality of angels. Believe in Angels - what role to angels play?
18:00 - Tim has peaks and valleys, his wife Katherin is all peak - "If we have to sleep on the beach in a tent, if that's the sacrifice
19:00 Dec 2013 - he's about to leave his govt job, he's a mess.
20:00 His wife "What do you see before you? You see two paths. What do they look like? Govt path - looks great! Secure, light, retire, pension, etc. OUR path - dark, misty, unknown. OK - fast forward 100 years, you're sitting before your Maker. Two questions he asks "Did you get the message that this is what you were supposed to do?"
21:00 Did you get the message? Did you do it? Tell him No! Tell Him! Now go back to the two paths, what do you see?
27:30 No - embrace it - SEE YOUR KIDS
34:00 "If I have to give up my son, so that these 28 kids can be rescued, that's a burden I'm willing to bear." - Guesno Mardy
35:00 You serve with faith, even if it's irrational
36:20 What irrational things is the Lord asking us to do?



45:15 I have a Humility Team, if I step out of line or think it's me, you call me out on it. It's GOD
47:00 You have a certain amount of confidence, Godly confidence, to step into the arena and onto the battlefield everyday. "Help me to have just enough of your confidence so that I can be scared enough and still show up but not so confident that I don't remember whose I am."
48 - Covenants - Priesthood Covenants (baptism, ordinances) and National Covenants (freedom, prosperity, protection)
50:40 - He has written another book! The Pilgrim Hypothesis coming out in May! Yay! I've loved his books: Washington Hypothesis, Lincoln Hypothesis, and The Covenant
51:20 1 Nephi 13 is Tim Ballard's favorite chapter of the Book of Mormon - You could title that chapter "How to Gather Israel" cause the two bookends of that chapter are the Apostasy and the Restoration. "Here's the apostasy, here's the restoration, ...what links them together?"
52:40 - what gave Mormon and Moroni hope? THERE IS GOING TO BE A RESTORATION! This is not all for naught! We will prevail!
54:40 - how do you reconcile the horrible things that happen on earth with a Loving God? He will take care of all this. You need to play YOUR role.
55:00 - what are you willing to do? How far would you go?
56:00 - Let's go back, you tried, it's not working.
57:00 - They wept as the Mayflower left back to Holland. What is your Mayflower?
57:00 - 1620 - the Pilgrims come - 1820 the restoration
1630 - Next wave of pilgrims come - 1830 Church is restored
2020 - Hmmm, is something big is coming? What about in 2030? It's going to be exciting!
1:02:00 - Just serve! There is power in service

Also, from Teaching With Power's lesson on 1 Nephi 11-15, I loved how he talked about history -