Worldwide Training- The new manual focuses on family and covenants

I just watched the Worldwide Training broadcast by the First Presidency and 12 apostles this week. As I watched, I was filled to overflowing with a reminder of my testimony of the restoration. This is the Lord's church and it is being led by Him. The new handbook #2 is for the whole church and provides direction on running our families and using the church to strengthen our families. I am so impressed by the focus on what is really important: following the spirit and fulfilling our covenants. And for anyone not in a leadership position right now, this is still for you! We are encouraged to read the first three chapters of the manual as families. You can find it on LDS.org under Menu: Service: Serving in the Church. Also, the worldwide training broadcast is available on the main page in both audio and video forms. If you don't have time for much, watch the discussion on how the manual pertains to families with Elders Holland, Bednar, and Christofferson. It was great!

More on the river

Dad commented that he had always thought it would be easy to leave the path. I think that is true- that it is easy to leave the iron rod and get lost or go get drowned in the river. In 1 Nephi 12:17, it says,

And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.

This seems like it would be simple to be blinded, and I think that is our biggest worry when we are trying to do right. Then, it goes on to describe the gulf though which this river runs. It says in verse 18,

And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God

Do you see how the gulf is both great and terrible? It's greatness is that if you are trying to do what is right, it's not so easy to get over. The terrible part, is that once you do, you have to cross it to get back to the tree. That justice works both ways.

I also think it is interesting to note that the building is the vain imaginations of the world. It is composed of pride, which is very fleeting, as we all know. It is the wisdom of the world- also easily debunked with any new evidence. It is also those who fight against the apostles of the lamb. I think there is a big difference between being in the broad paths and being in the large and spacious building. It's the difference between purposefully going against the spirit and getting lost. I think there are actually a lot of people, like Laman and Lemuel in the dream, who are just sitting in the lone and dreary wilderness and don't even start the journey out of laziness.

I'm also amazed as I read this time to see how what Nephi sees parallels the future of his people. I don't think Nephi was married at this point or had kids, but can you imagine parenting after seeing what would eventually happen to your posterity? That would be a real downer. The Lord must have known a lot about his faith to trust him with this information so early in his life.

The River in Lehi's dream- even in filthiness, a mercy from God

I'm reading Lehi's dream, and every time I read this passage, the river of water grabs my attention. This time, I realized a few new things. One, imagine the power of this symbol to a nomadic group of people, or a family traveling in the wilderness. A fountain of pure water springing forth. This is something you would search for, build your life around. It would provide your livelihood in watering your crops, your cattle, and keeping your family clean, fed, and healthy. A fountain of water is absolutely necessary to life and livelihood. Nephi tells us that this water- the fountain of living waters- are a representation of the love of God as well as the tree of life. (1 Nephi 11: 25.) The love of God that is whiter than the driven snow and most desireable above all things. One thing we learn is that the filthy river is the depths of Hell. The scriptures make no correlation between the fountain of living waters and the filthy river, but I like to take this knowledge from it: Satan takes the truth of God and his love and turns everything good to his purposes. Perhaps this filthy river is a small offshoot of the fountain of living waters. After all, it is still water. This stream separates the rod of iron from the large and spacious building. And mercifully, we begin our journey on the same side of the river as the rod of iron and the tree of life. If you notice, those who take of the fruit and then look around, ashamed, are looking across the river at the great and spacious building. I think there are many, and I have felt it myself, who look across at that building, and see those people in fine clothes who look so happy, and wish they could be there. But notice that it is not easy to reach the great and spacious building. In fact, it could be simply an illusion that Satan fills with images of happy people, and so many spend their lives trying to reach it, but drown in the depths of the river instead. That said, the scriptures do state that many entered the building.
There is a direct polarization of two destinations: the tree of life, and the large and spacious building. See 1 Nephi 15:30 that says, "And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous." This time, as I read, I realized that the river, which may even have as its fountain the love of God, must be crossed in order to reach that foundationless building into which many enter. And it is not easy to arrive. Think of how it feels to first walk into a cold stream. You are dry and each step takes effort until you immerse yourself to a certain point at which you forget the cold river and become accustomed to it. I know that it is like this when we are going away from the Love of God striving for that building made of pride. Mercifully, actions that lead us away from the correct path bring us pain. There are feelings that make us aware of what we are doing, and only if we ignore them, can we get deep enough into the river to get across or drown. That is the remnant of the Love of God that remains of this filthy river- that we know when we are entering it. We have been given a spirit that is sensitive to light and dark, clean and dirty. For someone who is trying to do his/her best, that's a real relief.
As I was looking for a picture for this post, I found an article that I really enjoyed about Lehi's and Nephi's dreams: http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=2&num=2&id=30. It makes some interesting observations at the end about the Garden of Eden and the temple.

Another thing I've been thinking about from the Book of Mormon is Sariah's trial. When Nephi and his brothers were asked to go get the plates, Sariah, Lehi, and the rest of the family had to sit in the valley where they were camped and wait. How long did it take for them to get the plates? Long enough for Sariah to think they were dead. Nephi says in 1 Nephi 5:1 that "she had truly mourned because of us." True mourning of the loss of 4 of your children. Waiting in the wilderness for your life to gain a purpose. I know one of my biggest challenges has been waiting. And I'm not sure which I think is harder- being asked to "go and do" or to wait.

I just started reading the Book of Mormon again, and decided to read a book by Hugh Nibley along with it. I don't want to get caught up in "deep doctrine," but my patriarchal blessing says that I should enjoy learning about the civilizations described in the Book of Mormon. He wrote some short articles for the Improvement Era in 1952-1957. I've only read one chapter, and it's helped me understand the culture in Jerusalem when Lehi left. I never understood the power Egypt had over Jerusalem at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon. In "Lehi in the Desert," Hugh Nibley says that the Egyptian influence in Jerusalem was deeply set in the culture. The leaders of Jerusalem didn't choose to be confederate with Egypt because they thought they were more powerful than Babylon; they united with Egypt because they were infatuated with the culture. The calendars found in Hebrew cities are Egyptian calendars. The handles on the pots reflect Egyptian influence. All of the things he said reminded me of the influence the United States has on parts of the world. And while Egypt exported its culture, the areas around it imported their goods and got rich from the trade with Egypt. The Jewish elders were angry with Jeremiah because he warned them to stop their infatuation with all things Egyptian- their Gods and their images. He begged them instead to make a treaty with Babylon, but they were too influenced by the culture of Egypt. Likely, Laman and Lemuel had grown up with great Egyptian influence. The money Lehi had came from trading, most likely with the Egyptians. So, for their father to side with Jeremiah against Egypt was not a smart business choice and it would hurt their inheritances. They likely saw nothing wrong with the Egyptian influence that threatened the moral decay of the society. They, along with the other people, mocked their father for his attack of their culture. We see this today, I think, as the culture of consumerism and acceptance rises in America. Anyone who warns against such decadence and "open-mindedness" is mocked. I had never realized that Lehi's danger stemmed from insulting a beloved way of life.
As I've been reading, I've been watching for mention of Egypt, which happens frequently. Of course, we know that Lehi's family spoke and wrote in Egyptian and were most likely schooled in the "language of the Egyptians," (1 Nephi 1:2). But they also knew the history of the Jews, and how interesting it is that Nephi, in convincing his brothers to have faith in the power of God, reminds them of the story of the children of Isreal coming up out of Egypt and the armies of Pharoah being drowned in the Red Sea. (1Nephi 4:3). How interesting that after escaping the physical captivity of Egypt, the Jews succumbed to a spiritual captivity to things Egyptian. And it is much harder to recognize and come up out of spiritual captivity. How much more meaningful it is that Nephi used this example to his brothers, who loved the fruits of contact with Egypt. Though Nephi says in Chapter 4 that he went forth "not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do," I think he was prepared by the spirit to know what might be required. In chapter 4, verse 3, he tells his brothers, "the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians."
In chapter 5, once Lehi receives the golden plates, Nephi points out a very interesting irony. In verse 14, it says that Joseph was taken into Egypt to preserve his people, and in verse 15, "and they were also led out of captivity and out of the land of Egypt, by that same God who had preserved them." Going into Egypt at one point saved them; but they also needed to be saved from the very country that preserved them.
In making reference to the United States and its culture, I do not mean in any way to suggest its destruction or even directly compare it to Egypt in that day. The comparisons likely don't go too far. But I do mean to comment on the prevalent culture of loose morality and "other Gods." Just as Lehi and his family were saved from the destruction of Jerusalem, I pray that I can be guided to know how to keep my family safe from the "weapons of mass destruction" that are easily visible in our culture.

Book of Mormon Ideas

I've found that while I read, I'd really like to write down my ideas, and I'm much faster at typing than writing. This is my goal while I read the Book of Mormon this time: to be pushed to gain new insights and take things to a deeper level of understanding by gaining knowledge about the people in the Book of Mormon and their culture.