"Jesus Christ Will Come to Redeem His People" - Alma 8-12

As I read Alma 8-12 this week, a much-quoted line that I believe originated from President Thomas S. Monson in his October 2012 talk, "Consider the Blessings," came to mind. He said, "... Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will help us as we call upon Him for assistance. I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant. The Lord is in the details of our lives." Today I want to share some thoughts about how I have seen that this is true.

The Lord Sends Missionaries to Save His People
This week's theme from the "Come Follow Me" manual is "Jesus Christ Will Come to Redeem His People." Our Heavenly Father has always used servants of God to help teach and serve, and these chapter are no different. In Alma 8, Alma has stepped down from the Chief Judgement seat, which was a place of honor and power, as the judges had replaced the king in the land. He did this because his heart ached for every soul that had not come to God.

By Alma 8:15, Alma was "weighed down with sorrow." While he had been successful in his missionary journeys to Zarahelma, Gideon, and Melek, at this point he was weighed down because he had left Ammonihah, and there, the people were so hard-hearted that they "spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city." (Alma 8:13.) Alma was crushed by the wickedness of his people. Contrast this to people like Nehor and Amlici in previous chapters, that were seeking fame and fortune. Alma just wanted to save souls.

I had this confirmation that the Lord is in the details of our lives as an angel visited Alma in Alma 8:15 and asked him to "lift up they head and rejoice, for thou has great cause to rejoice; for thou has been faithful in keeping the commandments of God." He then asked Alma to return to Ammoniah to preach repentance.

The Lord Prepares a Way
The Lord also sent an angel to Amulek to prepare him for Alma's return to Ammoniah, letting him know that Alma would need to be fed, and that Amulek and his family would be blessed for it.

This preparing of the way reminded me of the Acts 10 in the Bible, that was written in the years after Jesus died on the cross, and his apostles had gone out to continue teaching his word. This chapter talks about a devout man that feared and prayed to God but did not have the full gospel of Jesus Christ in his life. He was a Gentile. Cornelius was told by an angel to send for Simon Peter in the same way that Amulek was told to wait for Alma. Both were blessed for their faith. In both cases, a prophet of God visited with them because the prophet was also listening to the Lord.

In Alma 9:25 it says, "And now for this cause, that ye may not be destroyed, the Lord has sent his angel to visit many of his people, declaring unto them that they must go forth and cry mightily unto this people, saying: "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is night at hand." I love this reminder that the Lord expects us to live up to the level of light and knowledge we have about the gospel of Christ but that he does not want us to fail. He sends prophets, preachers, scriptures, and more to give us ample reminders lest we forget to be as Alma says in chapter 7:32: humble, submissive and gentle, easy to be entreated, full of patience and long-suffering, temperate in all things, diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all time, always returning thanks unto God, with faith, hope, and charity, always abounding in good works.

Pride Cometh Before the Fall
In Alma 9:4-5, the people of Ammonihah that refuse to listen to Alma brag that a city as great as theirs could not be destroyed. Alma immediately reminds them that Jersualem said the same thing in 1 Nephi 1 when Lehi preached repentance to his people. This theme happened in the scriptures, and is happening in the world, over and over again. When we forget the Lord, become puffed up in pride and greediness, the cities we build, the wealth we've gained, will eventually come crumbling down. Alma reminds them in Alma 9:8, "how have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers; yea how soon ye have forgotten the commandments of God."

He reminds the people in Alma 9:26, "And not many days hence the Son of God shall come in his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and to answer their prayers."

We must forget that our blessings and our gifts come from the Lord. If we can remember, we can focus on how to use our brief time here on earth wisely, to be kind, gentle, patience, and to keep the commandments of God.

Choosing Greed Before God
In Alma 10 and 11 the lawyers fight against Alma and Amulek, hoping to make them look bad because if the people repent, and no longer needs lawyers to defend themselves from the judgement seat, then those lawyers lose some of their income. This is reminiscent of Corinthians in the Bible, where in some areas of the land, Aphrodite was worshipped, and metal workers greatly profited from making metal idols. They also fought the word of God because the more people that turned to God, the less people they had to buy their metal works. How neat would it have been if these lawyers and metal workers could have looked for way to re-target their talents and skills?

During this Covid-19 pandemic, and the great mourning of our Black brothers and sisters as they fight for true equality, I have seen people successfully shift their skills rather than fight for greed before God. For instance, in response to the pandemic, a local restaurant that made a great deal of their money by catering to wedding events, and likely had a little more money than some of the other smaller, struggling businesses, paid their employees that now no longer had any work, to go and volunteer at the other businesses that were struggling to get by. To support our Black community, the global tech company where I work has created new education channels and donated $1 million to the EJI that defends human righhts, among other activities. I am citing examples that are close to me but I wanted to share these two examples from groups that don't represent the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day but are being Christ-like, the way that Cornelius and Amulek may not have known God well, but sought to be Christ-like, and chose God before Greed.

In Alma 10:4-5, Amulek was a successful man but he stated that despite his successes, he hadn't known God, until he realized that he did. He says in Alma 10:5, "... I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people."

Themes from Come Follow Me guide
I want to briefly touch on some of the topics in the Come Follow Me guide and how some of the thoughts above relate.

1. "My efforts to share the gospel may require persistence and patience."
This goes along with what I was reminded that the Lord prepares a way - but he doesn't always prepare the pay we might expect, in the timeline we might expect. I talked about this earlier, when Alma's father, Alma, was leading his people away from evil King Noah. They were in bondage for some time to the Lamanites before they could escape. Persistence and patience is always a theme in life and it's worth it. I compare it to the patience of earning a high school diploma or a college degree, getting ready to run a 5K from not having run before, recovering from an illness and getting your body healthy and strong again.

2. "God's plan is a plan of redemption."
God has commandments in place for us to return to him but he very clearly does not want us to fail. That is why he sends us so many maps, so many guides. We have the Bible, the Book of Mormon, teachings from our prophets and leaders that are recorded on our church website, and in words of the prophets books, among other places. We have prophets, bishops, and weekly sacrament. It is all in place to help us to success in his plan.

3. "If I will not harden my heart, I can receive more of the word of God."
The more we listen, the more we get to learn. I loved what Amulek said about this in Alma 10:4-5, that I referenced above. In Alma 11and 12, Zeezrom, a lawyer, tries to convince the people that Alma and Amulek are wrong. He thinks he can do this because he's a very skilled lawyer. I think it's interesting that Alma used to go about preaching against the word of God. Essentially, he was Zeezrom before an angel of the Lord struck Alma dumb and called on him to repent. Alma knew exactly what he was doing. He let Amulek do the talking and before long, Zeezrom was shaking as he heard the truth.

I affirm that the Lord is in the details of our lives. He sees us, he knows us, and as we willingly place our trust in him, he will help us, though the path may be steep and not so very straight.

Come Follow Me - Alma 5-7 - "Have Ye Experienced This Mighty Change In Your Hearts?"

Good afternoon. I hope you are having a beautiful Sunday.

I jotted down some thoughts as I read Alma 5-7, and what scriptures stood out to me. Afterward, I read the Come Follow Me guidance for Alma 5-7, and came away with some additional thoughts. I will again focus on my own reactions though, and encourage you to read the manual for those additional opportunities to ponder.

He Knows Us
Alma 5:15-16 reminds us that we are fooling only ourselves when we choose to be dishonest with our fellow man. It says, "do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say - Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth - and that he will save you?" If we seek the praise of the world outwardly by pretending to be Christlike, but inside we are envying, and scheming, finding way to cheat and lie, then we are doing a disservice not just to the Lord but to ourselves. The Lord knows us and he wants us to benefit from the joy and blessings of following Christ.

The Gospel is for Everyone
Our God is a God of inclusion. There is no limit to how many of us can return to Him. He cries for every soul that is lost and will always look to bring the lost sheep back. I felt that reaffirmation as I read Alma 6:5-6, that "none were deprived of the privilege of assembling themselves together to hear the word of God" and that for those that chose not to listen, those who DID listen were not just asked, but commanded, to "gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God."

The Importance of Teaching
Alma dedicated his life to the Lord, and went so far as to step down from the judgement seat where he was doing much good, in order to preach among the people. As he explains this in Alma 7:1-2, it reminded me of Paul traveling throughout the lands in Corinthians and further, writing to his people and explaining why he couldn't get there sooner. Christ himself came to this earth and tirelessly traveled and taught.

An Eye Toward God
In Alma 7:7, as Alma preached in Gideon, he knew he was talking to good people that were diligently trying to follow the teachings of the church. Yet, he still felt it was important to remind them that with all they would see in the world, there was one thing that was most important. He said, "For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all - for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people."

2020 has been globally recognized and nationally recognized as a pretty tough year for various reasons. What peace it gives to remember to respond with all things with an eye toward preparing for the coming of Christ. How does that change your priorities as you look around your homes and your interactions with others? As you respond to a relentless barrage of difficult news?

In Alma 7:9, Alma reminds us, "Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth."

In Alma 7:15, he says, "Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism."

If we try our best, truly, sincerely, then we need not fear. We need to remember that God is with us.

Your Duty to God
In Alma 7:22, Alma talks about our duty to God, that we may "walk blameless before him." In the following two verses, he shares these attributes:

• be humble
• be submissive and gentle
• easy to be entreated
• full of patience and long-suffering
• temperate in all things
• diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times
• asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal
• always returning thanks unto God
• have faith, hope, charity
• always about in good works

The list is a little long but if you really thing about, it's a very reasonable ask. Alma is saying - just be a good person!

And he return, he blesses us with the peace of God resting upon us, our houses, and our families.

Next Week's Scripture Study
We have been encouraged over and over to read our scriptures daily. This is not always easy to do, but I wanted to point out that the recommended scripture study for this week is Alma 8-12. Tomorrow is June 8. I challenge you for this week only to align your scripture reading for that day to match the chapter with the day. Read Alma 8 on June 8. Read Alma 9 on June 9. You will have finished this week's study by Friday, and that will give you Saturday and Sunday to summarize your thoughts on what you have learned and read.

Come Follow Me: Mosiah

(Please note: You can click on any image to see it below in larger detail.)

This is the current focus of the Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families reading:

I wanted to recap though, by pointing out that Mosiah is the start of a new section of the Book of Mormon, where the Small Plates that start with Lehi's family leaving Jerusalem now go into the Large Plates that Mormon abridged, with "Words of Mormon" being where Mormon explains the abridgment, like this: Small Plates -> Words of Mormon -> Large Plates, abridged.

What's so fascinating to me about the Small Plates is that that half of the writers wrote very little, even only a few verses so we know that a great deal of time passed and there were probably many incredible stories during those 100s of years that were summed up in one or two sentences, but we don't have those details, except to understand that "we had many seasons of peace; and we had many seasons of serious war and bloodshed." (Omni 1:3).  I've indicated how much time passed and how few of verses were written in the chart above. This makes what few sentences each chose to wrote that much more powerful. I think they chose with care what they finally wrote before they passed the plates along to someone else.

This is so poignant for me now because while the Book of Mormon frequently talks of war, we don't always get to see it from the emotional point of view of the individuals that were living that life. We know it was bad though, as in The Words of Mormon, Mormon laments, "And it is many hundreds of years after the coming of Christ that I deliver these records into the hands of my son; and it supposeth me that he will witness the entire destruction of my people." (Mormon 1:2) 

He ends his short 18 verses about his abridgment by saying in verse 18, "Wherefore, with the help of these, King Benjamin, by laboring with all the might of his body and the faulty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did one more establish peace in the land."

I love this, because we learned that just like our humble Savior, King Benjamin served among his people, and taught his son, the future King Mosiah, to also humbly serve. King Benjamin says:

This message of hope and goodness is consistent as we turn to our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, and other worthy sources, like the Book of Mormon, to guide us through a global crisis that is giving us just the tiniest glimpse of a world at war. Their focus is on keeping the commandments of God, having a home-centered church, and on serving others, because when we "are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17). Less than a week ago, the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a letter sharing some of their global efforts to bring relief to others, including an invitation for anyone that wants to, to help serve in these efforts by contributing in ways like joining in the effort to make masks.

It's interesting comparing some of the last words King Benjamin spoke to his people in a large gathering and the last words that our previous and beloved prophet, President Monson, spoke to his people in a large gathering. I compared these two especially because in Mosiah 2:30, King Benjamin, recognizing that he has reached the ends of his years on earth says, "For even at this time, my whole frame doth tremble exceedingly while attempting to speak unto you; but the Lord God doth support me, and hath suffered me that I should speak unto you ..." We have seen our modern day prophets in our last days, and the photo I chose to use below is from President Monson's last General Conference talk, when his frame did tremble, too, as he was nearing the end of his goodly life on this earth.

King Benjamin:

King Benjamin goes on to say, in verse 41, "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of neverending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

President Thomas S. Monson in his parting words taught of the importance of studying and pondering the Book of Mormon to protect us from sin and evil and be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit:

I am grateful to read from inspired prophets in ancient times and hear their voice in modern times, that their message is consistent, that we are children of God, and that we can turn to God. I look to the last words that President Russell M. Nelson shared during April 2020 General Conference, in a talk called "Go Forward in Faith,":

      " The many inspiring components of this April 2020 general conference—and the sacred week that we now begin—can be summarized by two divinely decreed words: 'Hear Him.;¹ We pray that your focus on Heavenly Father, who spoke those words, and on His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, will loom largest in your memories of all that has transpired. We pray that you will begin anew truly to hear, hearken to, and heed the words of the Savior.² I promise that decreased fear and increased faith will follow.

      Thank you for your desire to make your homes true sanctuaries of faith, where the Spirit of the Lord may dwell. Our gospel study curriculum, Come, Follow Me, will continue to bless your lives. Your consistent efforts in this endeavor—even during those moments when you feel that you are not being particularly successful—will change your life, that of your family, and the world. We will be strengthened as we become even more valiant disciples of the Lord, standing up and speaking up for Him, wherever we are."

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Want to learn more about my faith?

I believe the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. We learn from people in ancient times about how to be a follower of Christ. You can email me at esumnertime@gmail.com if you'd like me to send you a free copy of this book or to learn more about my faith. You can also visit https://www.comeuntochrist.org/ to learn more about the Savior, Jesus Christ, and how learning about him and what he taught when he was here on earth has enriched my life.

Come Follow Me at Home and at Church

It has now been seven months since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reduced church on Sunday from three hours to two hours so that families could spend more time together at home, learning as a family.

How are you, your family, and the people you influence, doing with studying the scriptures at home, and trying to make sure that the one hour you "got back" is being used wisely? If you teach a class at church, it's a great question to ask to encourage folks and solicit ideas. I'd love to ask the Primary children this question as part of Singing Time on Sunday because I think some of them would share surprising, and fun new insights, that could be shared with other parents, and it would also give the children opportunities to be missionaries and share ideas that excite them with their family.

You could even make this part of a Singing Time game - sing a song while passing an object. When the pianist stops, you can stop and have the child holding the item share something they like about scripture study at home. Or, instead of sharing an idea, the child can choose from a box in the front of the room that has other people's ideas already in them. Then, children in the room can raise their hand if their family does the idea that is listed. Ideas include: acting out scriptures, having a child take turns and teach a lesson, playing a game each Sunday describing a scripture story and having family members guess the names of the people in the story, etc.

A single friend shared that she typically calls her parents that live in a different state every Sunday, and they discuss the scriptures and that week's lesson in the Come Follow Me manual together over the phone.

A parent of a family with children ranging from elementary school to high school age shared last Sunday that they realized there was too much material in the manual to try to get through every point with their children so instead, they tuned into a key thought, and focused on that piece. This also allows them to focus on material in a way that could complement their varied ages and perspectives in life. 

The kitchen table where I like to study scriptures. After a "first pass" I then pull out my laptop and add cross-references or look up additional materials and questions on churchofjesuschrist.org. (This is not a staged photo. I just took a picture of what I had left out on the kitchen table from last night's study.)

Personally, the weeks that we are on top of it, the scriptures become so exciting for me. I am finding myself cross-referencing, going back to re-read a scripture from two lessons ago as I make personal parallels between stories. I want everyone to have those exciting ah-ha moments. I don't think you need to beat yourself up if you don't get them every time, but when you do, it will give you a boost to try harder on weeks when it seems like you're not quite getting to your scriptures.

For example, one week, I read about how Thomas, famously known as "Doubting Thomas" because he needed to see the marks on Jesus' hands and feet to be confident that it was the Savior - was also the one that bravely said, let's go back to Lazarus (who had died, and who the Savior wanted to see, even though it was very dangerous for him to return to Lazarus' town at that time) and if we die, we die. He really should have been known as Brave Thomas. The other disciples were all there when Jesus first appeared, so for all we know, they might have had the same reaction as Thomas. Later, when I reached the scripture about Thomas not knowing if it was really the Savior that had come back, I thought of him as Brave Thomas and was better able to relate to him personally in being very human to have a moment of doubt. The heroes in our scriptures typically have the common theme of being very brave, very heroic, and very capable of human error. It's a great reminder to us that we are following in their footsteps and that we aren't expected to be, and aren't perfect either - the Savior makes up the difference for us.

Taking digital notes on churchofjesuschrist.org.

Personally, my study methods change constantly. I'm sharing what I do right now but keep in mind that studying scriptures shouldn't feel overwhelming or intimidating. It might just be that one of these items resonates with you:

• I look at the recommended reading for the week and read my physical scriptures first, jotting down notes or questions to revisit at the end of each chapter.
• I then look up anything that caught my interest. 
• I supplement with the Come Follow Me manuals and The New Testament Study Guide: Start to Finish with Thomas R. Valletta as the General Editor for additional thoughts. They can also help me clarify things I didn't understand. I also really liked Living the Parables.
• Being flexible with following up on my questions and observations, rather than forcing myself to pound through a set of scriptures quickly and jump into a study manual too quickly, makes what I am reading so much more meaningful. 
• Sometimes if I felt I read something too quickly and want to think about a chapter further, or if I'm behind, I'll listen to the set of scriptures on audio in the my car while driving. Either way, I make sure to revisit with the physical reading. The combination of media - audio, digital copy, and hard copies, has made a profound difference on how much I get out of my scripture study. 
• I also draw what I learn sometimes. There are so many fun ways to make scripture study exciting, rather than a chore, and to bring it to life for children as well. I incorporate my love of writing and drawing into capturing notes on scriptures too.

Come Follow Me - Verse 1 Bell Chart

For those of you who have bells at home (or in your library that you can borrow), I just threw together a bell chart for verse 1 of "Come Follow Me" that you can copy. For those of you that don't, if you're just introducing the song for the first time, I recommend singing it by clapping out the rhythm with one side and the beat with the other side, then talking about the meaning of the song as you sing it.

This one is a tiny bit tricky because there are two parts where this song slides to another note on the same syllable ("Sav" in "Savior" goes from a high C to a B and "foot" on "footsteps" goes from an F to a G.) I missed the first slide when I wrote out the notes, so that when I was testing the bells, it sounded awful until I realized my mistake.

I always write the letters in the same color OR put a symbol like a square or heart around letters so that younger kids can still participate and play the bells. I've learned the easiest way to lead children with the bells is to point to the letter as you are singing the word, so they know it's their turn to ring their bell. Kids that are studying music rarely need this help, but even with the words on the page, this makes things a lot easier for kids that don't read music, and younger kids.

The general plan is:

1. Introduce the song with a "Can you guess the song" game - I might just keep it simple and have the pianist play a few notes of the song. Or I might include a few other hints:
a) This song is in the green hymnal that we use in sacrament (hold one up).
b) This song is about something Jesus asked us to do.
c) Here are the first three notes of the song.
d) Here are the first four notes of the song.
e) The first word of the song is "Come"

2. Sing the song while clapping out the rhythm once. Let them know if they can follow me and do this well, then they are ready for the bells. This is verse 1 of the song so I expect a lot of children to be somewhat familiar with it and recognize the rhythm. I'll either do this, or have them sing the song with motions remembering different ways we can follow in Jesus' footsteps as described here.

3. Depending on time, let teachers "demo" the song for the kids first, and have the kids sing again - this helps to start getting the rhythm and words in their heads. This is just a fun way to include the teachers once in a while. I think both the kids and teachers like doing this.

4. Let kids take a turn with the bells. Depending on number kids in the class, I might pass out rhythm sticks, too.

5. If there are more kids than bells, switch!

Come Follow Me - Activity and Song

This singing time/family activity pairs with my previous blog post where I shared some stories about how Jesus humbly served others and how others have lived liked Jesus. You can find it here: "Humbly Serving Others - Two Cool Stories (Team Hoyt and Shiblon)".

Summary of the Activity

• Discuss how we can humbly love others the way Jesus humbly loved others, and how by doing so, we follow in his footsteps. 
• Sing and discuss "Come Follow Me" from the Hymnal, page 116.

Right-click to save to computer and then print, or leave a message if you want me to email you a a PDF version of this image, instead of downloading the jpg above. 

Here is it without hearts if you would rather cut it out in the shape of a footprint;

The image includes a description of what the image is about, the matching scripture, and a source reference link for where to find the original image yourself. 

The activity

Each heart represents a different way we can follow in the Savior's footsteps of humbly loving others. 

Have a child choose a heart, then ask if someone can describe what is is happening in the image. The heart is small, so consider passing the heart around the room, walking around with it held up, or having the child that chose the heart describe what they see in the picture. 

You can also have children look up the scripture that goes with the heart (as listed in the heart print-out), or by writing the scripture on the back of the heart for a child to read. 

Next, have a child suggest a motion that represents what they learned. For example, for the story of Zacchaeus, children can pretend to shake hands and introduce themselves by shaking the hands of the people next to them. For the story of young Jesus teaching, they can act like a teacher and pretend to be lecturing. For "Jesus wept," of course, they can pretend to be crying.

Next, sing "Come Follow Me" while acting out the motions discussed.

By singing this song with different stories of Jesus in mind, we help enforce what it means to "Come Follow Jesus," while also teaching and strengthening the knowledge of the words of this beautiful song.