What does the Book Of Mormon teach us about God ? 1 Nephi ch3

First I would like to share two of my favorite quotes about the scriptures.
l. For his own reasons, the Lord provides answers to some questions, with pieces placed here and there throughout the scriptures. We are to find them, we are to earn them. In that way sacred things are hidden from the insincere. Elder Boyd K. Packer from the Ensign Nov 1983

2. The Book of Mormon will be with us as long as the earth shall stand. We need all that time to explore it, for the book is like a vast mansion with gardens, towers, courtyards, and wings. There are rooms yet to be entered,with flaming fireplaces waiting to warm us. The rooms glimpsed so far contain further furnishings and rich detail. yet to be savored, but decor from Eden is evident. There are panels inlaid with incredible insights, particularly insights about the great questions. Yet often we behave like hurried tourists. Elder Neil Maxwell

So what can we learn about God from 1 Nephi ch 3?

God doesn't usually give us instructions all at once. He reveals things to us on a need to know basis. He commanded Lehi to send his sons back to Jerusalem to get the record of the Jews and genealogy which were on the brass plates. He could have told them to get them while they were still in Jerusalem. Instead Lehi was commanded to send his sons a few days journeys from there. Perhaps it was to be a test of obedience for his sons.
2. God sometimes asks us to do hard things.
3. God favors us if we don't murmur.
4.God always prepares the way for us to accomplish what he asks us to do.
5. He blesses us when we do as he commands.
6. When God commands us to do something, we must obey or perish.
7. God speaks through prophets. He has wisdom. He reveals his words by his spirit and power.
8. God wants his words preserved and written so we can be guided by them.
9. God can and does send angels to help us.
10. God chooses those who he wants to be leaders. He chooses the righteous.
11. God can deliver enemies into the hands of the righteous.

Personal Application
1. Trust in God and don't murmur.
2 Be patient. Trust in him a step at a time.
3. When the Lord asks me to do hard things, have faith that he will help me accomplish the task.
4. It is important to have his word so that we can know his will and be inspired by his teachings.
5. We should keep a journal of the Lord's inspiration to us.

What does 1 Nephi Chapter 2 of The Book of Mormon teach about God?

 It is amazing to me that anyone could believe that a poor farmboy with little education could have fabricated the Book of Mormon. It is a complex book with with a consistent story line and beautiful d octrines that are a second witness that the Bible is true. Here are some of the things we learn about God from 1 Nephi Chapter2:
1.The Lord speaks to us personally, and is aware of our circumstances.
2. He notices the good we do and praises those who  please him. He praised Lehi for his faith, and he also praised Nephi and specifically why-because Nephi has faith and had sought God with diligence and lowliness of heart.
3. He warns of danger.
4. He not only warns of danger but sometimes gives instructions of what to do and where to go.
5. Stuff isn't important to the Lord. He commanded Lehi to flee from Jerusalem and leave behind his gold and his silver, and his precious things.
6. The Savior is the fountain of all righteousness.
7. Because God's commandments are given us to help us, we should be firm and steadfast and immovable in keeping them.
8. If I want to understand the Lord's dealings with me, I must not murmur.
9. God empowers his servants and fills them with his spirit.
10. Those who cry to the Lord in faith, he will visit and soften their hearts so they can believe.
11.  God makes promises to us. He promises if we keep the commandments we will prosper in the land.
12. Those who rebel against God will be cut off from his presence.
13. God lets his people know of things to come.
14. God wants us to remember him so he can bless us.

Personal Application
The Lord knows me personally. He notices when I am keeping his commandments and blesses me .
I should seek to do good to please Him.
I must listen to his voice when he warns of danger.
I must have great desires to know the mysteries of God. He wants me to seek Him diligently, with lowliness of heart.
He has already prepared a land of promise to lead me to.
He has a plan for my life
I can cry unto the Lord and he will bless me and protect me

Moved from old blog to here

All the old posts from my old blog, Seeking For Truth, have been moved here. This will be my active blog from now on. Thanks again to my brilliant son Jim (who had no part of writing this) for the help in getting this new blog set up!

"Boker Tov": A Day at Tel Dan

(In 1985 I was able to spend 6 weeks participating in an archaeological dig at Tel Dan in Israel. I wrote this article which was published in Latter-Day Digest, June 1994, vol.3 no.6.)

As the Digest is no longer in print, I thought I would like to share what I wrote here on the blog.

The dreaded knock sounds on my door. "Boker tov is Hebrew for good morning, but what it really means is "time to get up" At 4:30 a.m., it seems my eyes have been closed for only a few minutes. Could it be that time already?

I sit up immediately. Any lingering will result in oversleeping. I dress quickly. Today is my sixth day at Tel Dan, Israel, where at age forty-one, I am finally fulfilling my dream of participating in an archaeological dig. It is part of my master's program in religion.

After the quick first breakfast, the fouty of us sleepily take our seats on the bus that drives us to the site of the dig. Tel Dan is one of the most beautiful places in northern Israel. I love the majestic trees that are everywhere on the site. I get off the bus and trudge up the hill to my area. The early morning sun begins to rise. It filters through the leaves and casts magical golden shadows on the winding dirt pathways. The moist morning air is filled with expectation. What will we discover today?

I arrive at my site-Area K-a series of archaeological squares that have been opened up near an ancient mud-brick gate dating back to the time of the biblical partiarch Abraham (2000 B.C.). I work with a group of six others. We use pickaxes to break up the hard ground, and as we shovel the dirt into buckets, we search for remnants of pottery and other artifacts.

We work until 9:00 A.M., and then head for a second breakfast. It's almost always the same: a hard-boiled egg, tomatoes and cucumbers, bread and peanut butter. It feels good to eat and rest.

Back to work. Now the sun is blazing down on our square. We've torn down part of an ancient wall and loaded a wheelbarrow with the heavy rocks-a task I would never have believed myself capable of, and yet I somehow push myself beyond the limits of my strength. What an exhilarating feeling!

Today is a good digging day. Our group finds a Hellenistic fish plate from the second-century B.C/, a three legged pot from the Israelite period(700 b.c.) and the head of a fertility goddess. Archaeology is like a treasure hunt. I never know what the next turn of my trowel will uncover.

A fruit break revives me until lunch time. Lunch consists of something like pizza. It leaves a heavy feeling in my stomach. I refill my thermos at the ice-cold stream that runs through the center of Dan. It feels so good to splash my sweat-streaked face before I head back for two more hours of backbreaking labor.

At 3:00 p.m. we clean up the site. I carry two heavy buckets filled with broken pottery back to the lunch site, where we spend an hour washing and preparing the shards for the expert who will piece them together.

By this time, the bus is waiting for us at the bottom of the hill. It's a welcome sight.

Arriving back at the Kibbutz, we drag off the bus. I'm filthy, but too exhausted to take a shower, so I take a nap first. The rest of the afternoon is spent washing my dusty clothes in cold water and hanging them out to dry. Then my five roommates and I discuss which of the five usual entrees we might be served this evening. We all hate "mystery meat". Only the schnitzel is appetizing . We take turns fantasizing about what we would most like to eat. I am craving Kentucky Fried Chicken.

At dinnertime, one of the students brings up the fact that I am Mormon, and asks me what feels like a loaded question. In the process of answering him,, I get to tell the story of Lehi and his family coming to the American continent. I notice that one of the Jewish volunteers is fascinated by what I say. She asks some questions and then replies that it makes sense to her that some of her people would have been led away by the Lord. It's an exciting conversation.

After supper(it was mystery meat), I return to my room. I open a letter from my husband Jim. He reports that the Relief Society has taken pity on him and our five children in my absence and has sent over several hot meals for them. He writes that the kids are really impressed, since no one is even sick. Jim writes of his love for me. I sense his loneliness. Two months is a long time to be apart.

I write in my journal, then write to JIm, tellling him of my excitement about all the new things I'm learning and experiencing. I express my deep gratitude that I have been blessed with a husband who is willing to sacrifice so that I can follow my dream.

Exhaustion takes over, and I say a quick prayer of gratitude to the Lord. I have never felt so tired. I've never felt so alive! I lie down and close my eyes, and am barely asleep when I hear a knock on the door. "Boker tov."

Some of my favorite quotes

"The words of scripture only point to the types of truth that beacon us into the treasure house. The words can stimulate inquiry to which the Holy Ghost can respond with an expanding vision that transcends language."

--M. Catherine Thomas

"To every bruised, despairing, distraught soul-for everyone who feels overwhelmed by his or her own flaws and failures and frailities-the Lord has made a promise. If we will only repent and not give up on ourselves, he will do a miracle. He will create in you a clean heart.

For his own reasons, the Lord provides answers to some questions placed here and there throughout the scriptures. We are to find them. We are to earn them."

--Elder Boyd K Packer

"Let me this very moment begin anew, and now say with all my heart, "I will forsake my sins and be righteous."

--Joseph Smith

"Anything that makes me feel small and wretched does not come from God, who desires most of all for me to remember whose daughter I am and what glorious vista's await me."

--M. Catherine Thomas

"If there is a desire, a commandment, an order (that you read in scripture) then be off at once to do accordingly when you read God's word, it is not the obscure passages which impose a duty on you, but that which you understand and with that you must instantly comply. God's word is given in order that you shall act in accordance with, not in order that you shall practice the art of interpreting it."

--Soren Kierkeguard

"God is giving away the secrets of the universe. But are we listening?'

--Elder Neil A. Maxwell

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find that he can make more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, and increase their opportunities."

--President Ezra Taft Benson

"The standard is clear. If something we think, hear or do distances us from the Holy Ghost, then we should stop thinking, seeing, hearing or doing that thing."

--Elder David A. Bednar

Help from my awesome son Jim

After trying to figure out how to put everything on my blog, I gave up and called Jim, who knows just about everything there is to know about computers (and lots of other things as well). He helpled me put links to the blogs written by others in our family. I am so excited to have them available to look at. I have a lot catching up to do as each of them has so much to see and read.

Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks. Thanks Jim!

The Joy of Learning

(Originally posted at old blog, Seeking For Truth)

This is my very first blog. I am excited to learn all about how I can communicate with people from all over the world. As I learn how to add things to the blog, there will be many interesting things I can share, and opportunities to learn from those who communicate with me.

I guess I'll begin with telling a little about myself and why learning is so important to me.

I have been happily married for 47 years. We have 6 children and 8 grandchildren. My husband is a retired Judge. Most of our lives we spent in Long Beach California.

Our lives have been full of joy and adventure. For example, in June of this year, my husband and I returned from the last of our teaching experiences in China. We taught at universities in Xi'an, Beijing and Wuxi China, for a total of 3 and a half years. At first I was terrified, as I have never been a professional teacher. I do have a Master's degree in religion from Vanguard University and a Certificate in Archaeology from UCLA, but I just went to school because I love learning, and was a stay at home mom while our children were home. I started going back to school when they were all in school.

About 25 years ago, as part of my Masters program, I was able to participate in an archaeological dig at Tel Dan in Israel. We dug for 6 weeks, and found many exciting things. Then we were able to travel to Egypt, Greece and Jordan for several weeks.

My husband Jim deserves the Husband of the Century award for staying home with the children while I went off on that extraordinary adventure.

I love the Hebrew language, and can read the Bible and speak a little.

My love for the Book of Mormon has also sparked an interest is Meso-American archaeology. So I have attended the Texas Meetings of the Maya Workshops, and have taken classes in Mayan Heiroglyphics and traveled to Mexico and Guatemala to see the ancient ruins.

One of our sons married a Cambodian, and we were able to travel there to witness the Marriage. While there we also visited Thailand and Hong Kong.

My husband and I love to travel, and it is so fun to learn about other cultures and beliefs.

My family has found great joy through living the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Through much study, and prayer, and experience in living the principles taught in the church , we have been helped through all the everyday challenges of life.

I know that there is a loving God who is our Heavenly Father, and that he has a great plan of happiness. Our family has experienced many miracles and answered prayers, and tender mercies over the years. Although some believe that Mormons are not Christian, nothing could be further from the truth. We know and Love our Savior Jesus Christ and believe that it is only through his atoning sacrifice that we can be saved.

As soon as possible I will learn how to add links to very interesting sites that can be explored by those interested in learning more. As I said, this is my first attempt at blogging, and I have a lot to learn.

With so much to learn about so many things, life is an exciting adventure.

Welcome To My New Blog

I am excited to begin a blog. I will start by telling a little about myself. My name is Janet Wright and my husband's name is Jim. We have 6 children and 8 grandchildren. My husband and I had the great joy of teaching English in China for three and a half years. We taught for two years in Xi'an , a semester in Beijing, and a year in Wuxi. We live now in Orem Utah.

Learning and seeking truth has been the quest of my life. Although I have been an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints throughout my life, I have enjoyed learning all I can about other faiths. I began attending Long Beach City College when our children were all in school. I studied Hebrew so that I could read the Old Testament in it's original language. I had an amazing Hebrew Teacher named Sippora Cronen. She is a native Israeli, and we went with her on a trip to Israel. How wonderful it was to be in the Holy Land! The sights and sounds seemed to take me back in time, and help me feel closer the the Lord, and understand better the background of the scriptures.

After graduating from Long Beach City, I attended California State College in Long Beach. I entered the Religious Studies program, and enjoyed it very much. I took classes in Old and New Testament, Islam, Buddhism, Catholic Spirituality, Dead Sea Scrolls etc. I also took a semester of Greek, but decided I enjoyed Hebrew more. My teachers were all excellent, and I learned a lot. I graduated and enjoyed school so much that I decided to go on for a Masters Degree. I applied for admission to Fuller Theological Seminary, but received a letter rejecting me because Of my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I was sitting in the cafeteria at CSULB when a young man noticed that I had a bumper sticker on my notebook that was in Hebrew. We started talking, and I mentioned that I wanted to get a Masters Degree, but didn't know where to go because I had been rejected by Fuller. He told me about Southern California College in Costa Mesa. He said that it is affiliated with the Assembly of God, but that he had heard that they had accepted a few Mormons. I called that afternoon and explained my situation. I was invited to come and meet with Dr Murray Dempster, who was then head of the new Graduate Studies Program in Religion.

He was very kind. He explained a little about their beliefs and said that if I felt I could be comfortable studying there, the would welcome me. I thoroughly enjoyed all the classes I took there. I especially enjoyed Dr Nancy Heidebrecht's class on Biblical Archaeology. She organized a two month trip to Israel, Egypt and Greece. We dug for 6 weeks at Tel Dan Israel. It was an amazing experience. My eternal gratitude goes to my wonderful husband, who held down the fort with our five children while I went off to follow my dream. I have always been interested in ancient history and archaeology along with my love for the scriptures.

Perhaps in future blogs I will share some of my experiences there.

The youngest of our five children was 14 years old when my husband and I had a happy surprise

We had another baby. So instead of going on for a PHD, I returned to City College and just took a few classes just for the love of learning. When he was old enough to begin school I enrolled in a certificate program in archaeology at UCLA. Again, I loved each class and learned a lot.

I love truth wherever it can be found. And all I have learned has strengthened my testimony in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Jesus said, "By their fruits ye shall know them" One of the fruits of the gospel is The Book of Mormon. I have read it many, many times. It is filled with the stories and testimonies of ancient prophets on the American continent that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the World. Truth shines from it's pages. It is a second witness along with the Holy Bible that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and was resurrected. He appeared to his apostles and disciples in Jerusalem, and then also appeared to his "other sheep" on this continent. The gospel message is the same in the Book of Mormon as it is in the Bible. There is no way that Joseph Smith, a young unlearned farmer could have written it. I have a burning witness of the Spirit that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith was called to be the Lord's prophet to restore to the earth the fullness of his gospel as taught in the Bible.

Another of the fruits that have strengthened my witness of the truthfulness of my church is that love and service to each other and to all of God's children is central to all that we do.

Each year tons of food, clothing and other necessities are sent by the church to all parts of the world to help relieve suffering and bless lives. It is done quietly and without fanfare.

The moral standards taught by our church have helped us raise each of our children to become wonderful people.

I will soon post links to several of their blog sites.

It is my hope that this blog will be a blessing to all who read it. I have many things to share that I have learned by study and also by faith.

I welcome all who are interested to join in the adventure , and welcome any insights you would like to share.