A unique travelogue and representation of current society, spirituality and the quest for a meaningful life.

    Naturally it is read with varying degrees of understanding. This suggests that most of us could benefit by some aid to that undrstanding. In offering such aid, this commentary focuses on the most significant aspect doctrine. This first volume covers First and Second Nephi, which contain a concentration of some of the most choice, beautiful doctrinal expressions in the entire record. Dividing the material into convenient topical sections, the book quotes the Book of Mormon verses in each case and gives a detailed commentary on them that not only reflects the authors own considerable scholarship and research but also quotes frequently from scriptures, from Joseph Smith, and from other authorities

    Josh McDowell's timeless examination of the true nature of Christ and his impact on our lives is one of the best-selling Christian books ever. Written by a former skeptic of Christianity, it is a hard-hitting book for those who doubt Jesus' deity and his purpose.

    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

    In an honest, methodical way, he traces the origins, the peculiarities common to the midwestern and later Utah periods, and post-1890 new marriages. Drawing heavily on first-hand accounts, he outlines the theological underpinnings and the personal trauma associated with this lifestyle.What emerges is a portrait that neither discounts nor exaggerates the historical evidence. He presents polygamy in context, neither condemning nor defending, while relevant contemporary accounts are treated sympathetically but interpreted critically. No period of Mormon history is emphasized over another. The result is a systematic view that is unavailable in studies of isolated periods or in the repetitions of folklore that only disguise the reality of what polygamy was.Scattered throughout the western United States today are an estimated 30,000 fundamentalist Mormons who still live “the principle.” They, too, are a part of Joseph Smith’s legacy and are included in this study.

    This book is a biographical reconstruction of Emma Smith's life from documents and evidence other than the few letters and one page of blessings she left behind.

    

    Literally, no two people are alike. Each one has a specific genetic inheritance indelibly stamped upon every cell. Environmental influences from the company one keeps, and experiences that one endures, blend to enrich and educate the person who ultimately emerges from this marvelous experience we call life." With rare insight, gained through service as both a world-renowned heart surgeon and a Church leader, Elder Russell M. Nelson, a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, writes about the unique powers and potential of each individual. "The potential for divine power is within us," he says. "It awaits the grasp of each willing child of God." Some of the attributes each person must develop in order to achieve divine power are: "The potential for divine power is within us," he says. "It awaits the grasp of each willing child of God." Some of the attributes each person must develop in order to achieve divine power are: Love of neighbor: "Most who have separated themselves from full fellowship in the Church have done so not because of doctrinal disputations but because of hurt, neglect, or lack of love. Progress toward full participation in the blessings of the gospel needs no new programs, only new vision of love, which can be rendered best by friends and neighbors. Obedience: "Our choice to serve must be an informed choice based on eternal truths, for we do not obey blindly, but because we can see." * Obedience: "Our choice to serve must be an informed choice based on eternal truths, for we do not obey blindly, but because we can see."  A strong marriage: "It takes a man and a woman to make a man or a woman. Ordinary and imperfect people can build each other through their wholeness together." Obedience to law: "Freedom to act and mastery of our actions both emanate from law." "The source of our spiritual power is the Lord," he concludes. "This power differs from electrical power. An electrical appliance consumes power, while the use of God's spiritual power replenishes our power. While electrical power can be used only for measured periods of time, spiritual power can be used for time and eternity."

    But Joseph is no common slave. Imprisoned and forgotten by all but God, he interprets a dream that reveals the future and alters his destiny. Now with his privileged Egyptian-born wife, Asenath, at his side, Joseph's transformation from the boy in the pit to the ruler of Egypt is nearly complete. But position and power cannot erase the bitterness he holds deep inside. When he suddenly comes face to face with the family that betrayed him, Joseph devises a plot to test his brothers' true character. Yet even revenge may not fill the aching hole in Joseph's heart, and the influence of a beautiful woman may be his only hope for redemption.

    A preeminent scholar, writer, and teacher, he has had a profound influence on millions of people. To him, mythology was the "song of the universe, the music of the spheres." With Bill Moyers, one of America's most prominent journalists, as his thoughtful and engaging interviewer, The Power Of Myth touches on subjects from modern marriage to virgin births, from Jesus to John Lennon, offering a brilliant combination of intelligence and wit.

    Discourses on Mabel Collins' "Light on the Path"

    One of Wilford Woodruff's greatest contributions to the LDS Church is his meticulous collection of journals. For more than half a century, President Woodruff kept a daily record of his amazing adventures and spiritual experiences, marking this modern prophet as one of the Church's most successful missionaries.This volume is full of stories we've all heard as well as many little-known experiences. Several of President Woodruff's daily entries chronicle harrowing events and exciting incidents, including his accounts of:Being left alone in an alligator swampBeing entertained by IndiansHaving a mob poison his horsesConverting and baptizing a constable who was sent to arrest himYou'll also find some of the most tender and spiritual experiences found in Church history, such as when Wilford Woodruff experienced a day of God's power with the Prophet Joseph Smith, the occasion he was administered to by angels, how he baptized his father's household, and more.

    It wasn't their natural qualities that made these women extraordinary but the power of the one true God whom they worshipped and served.In "Twelve Extraordinary Women," you'll learn more than fascinating information about these women, you'll discover-perhaps for the first time-the unmistakable chronology of God's redemptive work in history through their lives. These women were not ancillary to His plan, they were at the very heart of it.Some of the women you'll come to know include:Ruth (Ruth 1-4) Anna (Luke 2:36-38) Martha and Mary, sisters of Lazarus (Luke 10:38-42) Mary Magdalene (Matthew 27:56-61) Sarah (Genesis 11-25) Hannah (1 Samuel 1-2) The Samaritan woman (John 4 Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1-2)You will be challenged and motivated by this poignant and personal look into the lives of some of the Bible's most faithful women. Their struggles and temptations are the same trials faced by all believers in all ages. And the God to whom they were so committed is the same God who continues to mold and use ordinary people today.

    Ordained at twelve, he would eventually become the first Buddhist chaplain at an American university, the founder of a retreat center and monastery, and a bestselling author. Here, Bhante G. lays bare the often-surprising ups and downs of his seventy-five years, from his boyhood in Sri Lanka to his decades of sharing the insights of the Buddha, telling his story with the "plain-English" approach for which he is so renowned.

    THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT, AND THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS. WHEN they had offered their gifts, the wise men would naturally have returned to Herod, but being warned of God in a dream, they returned to their own land another way. Neither in Scripture, nor in authentic history, nor even in early apocryphal tradition, do we find any further traces of their existence; but their visit led to very memorable events. The dream which warned them of danger may very probably have fallen in with their own doubts about the cruel and crafty tyrant who had expressed a hypocritical desire to pay his homage to the Infant King; and if, as we may suppose, they imparted to Joseph any hint as to their misgivings, he too would be prepared for the warning dream which bade him fly to Egypt to save the young child from Herod's jealousy. Egypt has, in all ages, been the natural place of refuge for all who were driven from Palestine by distress, persecution, or discontent. Rhinokolura, the river of Egypt, or as Milton, with his usual exquisite and learned accuracy, calls it,— " The brook that parts Egypt from Syrian ground," might have been reached by the fugitives in three days; and once upon the further bank, they were beyond the reach of Herod's jurisdiction. Of the flight, and its duration, Scripture gives us no further particulars; telling us only that the Holy Family fled by night from Bethlehem, and returned when Joseph had again been assured by a dream that it would be safe to take back the Saviour .to the land of His nativity. It is left to apocryphal legends immortalized by the genius of Italian art, to tell us how, on the way, the dragons came and bowed to Him, the lions and leopards adored Him, the roses of Jericho blossomed wherever His footsteps trod, th...