There are many Book of Mormon commentaries and study guides available that give the author’s perspective on the Book of Mormon. This book is not one of them. The great truths of the Book of Mormon, particularly those that will be of greatest benefit to you, are found by going directly to the source then listening to the promptings of the Spirit. The study guide allows you to fully customize your daily devotional based on the amount of time you have available. It is divided into seven activities: Read, Look For, Ask Yourself, Ponder This Quote, Expand Your Understanding, Personal Application, and Prayer. This format allows you to select those activities that match both your needs and your time. For example, if you find you have limited time on a particular day you may only want to read the assignment and pray. On other days you can use the additional activities to expand your study and deepen your understanding. Following this pattern of scripture study and using these tools will lead you to ponder the Book of Mormon and will help you strengthen your testimony of its truthfulness as you listen to the Spirit. Additionally, it will aid you in obtaining the blessings promised by Elder Marion G. Romney in the April 1980 LDS General Conference:"And so, I counsel you, my beloved brothers and sisters and friends everywhere, to make reading in the Book of Mormon a few minutes each day a lifelong practice. All of us need continuing close contact with the Spirit of the Lord. We need to take the Holy Spirit for our guide that we be not deceived. I am persuaded by my own experience and that of my loved ones, as well as by the statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith, that one can get and keep closer to the Lord by reading the Book of Mormon than by reading any other Book. Don't be content with what someone else says about what is in it. Drink deeply from the divine fountain itself. "I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to that counsel. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity--the pure love of Christ--will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness." (Conference Report, April 1980; 112-113) Update Notes: Edition 2 (March 2014) Contains links to the LDS.org scriptures site for each of the reading assignments. Additionally a number of minor error corrections have been made to the original edition.Edition 2.1 (17 Apr 14) Contains a significant number of punctuation and formatting changes to bring it more in line with the LDS Church style guide. It also contains a corrections to a few minor errors in the cross reference sections.Edition 2.2 (18 May 14) Contains additional minor corrections and updates to the cross references.Edition 3.0 (15 July 14) Over 2500 hyperlinks added to the document to make cross referencing easier. Also contains corrections to a few minor errors that were found during the update and re-editing process.Edition 3.1 (24 Sept 14) Minor corrections to the textEdition 3.2 (2 Jan 15) Fixed minor errors and hyperlinks.Edition 3.3 (16 May 15) Fixed minor errors and hyperlinksEdition 3.

    Oaks, former President of Brigham Young University, and justice of the Utah Supreme Court, and now a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of the governing bodies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church). Elder Oaks presented these at various sessions of the LDS General Conference, and at devotionals and firesides at BYU.

    By that time he had little energy, but in the last weeks of his life, he was focused intently on two almost-consuming priorities: spending time with his family, including giving blessings to grandchildren who had not yet received one, and finishing his last manuscript. As these priorities exemplify, Neal A. Maxwell was a teacher. He loved the word of the Lord. He believed with the psalmist that the word of the Lord "is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). He observed, "When one sees life and people through the lens of His gospel, then one can see forever" ( Ensign,  May 1974, 112). That perspective guided his life's work. Dad often said the gospel was inexhaustible, and his actions underscored that belief. The gospel was for him an endless source of truth and joy; he found the study of it invigorating. He taught it in his daily walk and talk and through his sermons and books. His desire to capture in words the insights and connections his perceptive mind noted stayed with him throughout his mortal life. At my father's funeral, President Gordon B. Hinckley noted: "I know of no other who spoke in such a distinctive and interesting way. When he opened his mouth we all listened. We came alive with expectation of something unusual, and we were never disappointed. . . . Each talk was a masterpiece, each book a work of art, worthy of repeated reading. I think we shall not see one like him again" ( Church News,  31 July 2004, 3). Moving in His Majesty and Power  is the last installment in Elder Maxwell's printed legacy. It includes, in revised form, three talks he gave in the last two years of his life and which he felt were worthy of publication. It also includes a section of succinct, penetrating gospel insights on a wide variety of topics, similar in format to that of his previous work, W hom the Lord Loveth. I hope you will enjoy this book. More importantly, though, I hope my father's objective in writing it will be achieved, namely, to help us resolve to become more committed disciples and to deepen our gratitude for the inexhaustible gospel he loved so deeply and proclaimed so tirelessly. Cory H. Maxwell

    Her latest book is filled with evidences of the Savior's unlimited love for us. Chapters on the power of prayer, trusting in the Lord, and the joy of living the gospel invite us to claim the blessings our Savior has in store for us and demonstrate how the Lord gives and gives until we are fuller than we ever would have thought possible.

    A new and different look at near-death experiences (NDEs) is presented in this book. It considers NDEs in light of LDS doctrine revealed truth. Rich with scripture and the words of modern prophets, this book offers informed comment on afterlife conditions, shows where LDS doctrine seems to support NDE reports.

    

    Drawing on unforgettable real- life experiences and rich examples from the scriptures, he offers suggestions for reorienting our lives in order to achieve greater joy and happiness even in the most challenging times. Redefining Joy looks at some of life s most difficult questions. But be prepared. The answers may surprise you.

    But, as Elder Gene R. Cook emphasizes in his book, that blessing doesn't come through casual effort. In Searching the Scriptures, Elder Cook explores how we can effectively ponder, question, and mark the scriptures and understand how they apply to our lives. He also shares his testimony of the power and blessings that come from knowing God's word. And he gives suggestions on how to organize family study and how to use the scriptures as a way to bless each family member. Relating personal experiences to show what has worked and what hasn't, Elder Cook shares ways to motivate everyone in the family to participate and work to invite the Spirit to be present at reading time. Elder Cook's hope is to help Latter-day Saints gain a deeper understanding of what scriptures really are and how they apply to us today, and thereby have a desire to learn more from them.

    

    

     The evolution of church culture has been something that has needed to happen for a long time. Culture, traditions, oral laws, and the status quo can be a good thing... but it can also be a bad thing. Do you remember what was happening in Israel around the time that Christ came on to the scene? Israel started to live by their own set of oral laws and traditions, or what we might refer to today as "culture." The "culture" in Israel when Christ showed up was one of the most judgmental and hypocritical cultures the world had ever seen. It was a very isolated and unaccepting culture. But Christ showed up and cast a net over all types of people. The Greeks, the Romans, the Samaritans, and every other nation across the globe. His net covered even the worst of repentant sinners. The only people that were excluded or "damned" were the unrepentant elite, the "scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites" who "strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel" (Matthew 23:23-24). Christ took the existing covenants and commandments and simplified them. He brought an evolution of love, empathy, and compassion. He built a culture that was geared toward the lowly of heart and revolted against those who spent their lives pointing out the flaws in others. "For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27). The bulk of Israel was living according to their culture and their superstition instead of their religion. This has been the bane of each and every covenant society, which caused Joseph Smith to say, "What many people call sin is not sin; I do many things to break down superstition, and I will break it down." The doctrine of the LDS church doesn't lose people. It's the culture and superstition that causes unnecessary strife. This book, The Cultural Evolution Inside of Mormonism addresses the changing culture, the unprecedented changes that are taking place in the church, and the historical transparency. The Table of Contents explains where this book will take you: 1. More Extended Hands 2. Fewer Wrecking Balls 3. The Cultural Evolution 4. Not Customizing Christ 5. The Three Types of Mormons 6. A Place Where Doubters Are Welcome 7. The Kindness of Christ 8. Embracing Intellectuals and Scholars 9. Change in The Church Comes Slowly For A Reason 10. The Humble Few 11. Millennial Mormons 12. Making Rash Decisions 13. Giving Volunteers A Break 14. Logical Evidence For The Church Is Mounting 15. From Which All Others Are Derived 16. Temple Workers Galore 17. No Other Religion Provides A Better Hope 18. People Throwing The Book of Mormon Out The Window 19. The Bible That Needed To Be Rescued 20. Looking For Just One Reason To Believe 21. Liberal Conservatives 22. Pageantry In The Church 23. Peeling Back Polygamy 24. Looking At Tithing A Little Differently 25. Not Judging Others Sabbath Day Worship 26. The Place For Gays Inside The Church 27. What I Really Believe 28. Why I Love The Church

    Wirthlin, who turns 90 this year, is known among his colleagues as a wise man, a resilient man, and a man of complete integrity. He is also known for telling wonderful stories. In Press On, he shares lessons and insights he has gleaned during his life. His messages focus on the three virtues spoken of so eloquently by the Apostle Paul--faith, hope, and charity--virtues that fit us for service in the kigdom here and also prepare us to reurn to our Heavenly Father's presence. He talks of following the Savior's example, of cultivating divine attributes, and of becoming modern pioneers by being "true to the truth." Readers will find profound counsel on many vital gospel principles, together with memorable stories, from the mind and heart of a leader who has shown--in word and deed--how to "press on."

    These pages are filled with insights into Joseph, but most have not yet been shared in a way that makes the accessible to a broader audience. This collection of short essays will help close this gap and bring insights into Joseph to Latter-day saints, both those who are struggling with questions about Joseph and those who simply want to understand the founding Prophet of the Restoration better. These essays look at Joseph Smith's life, character, personality, and relationships with others. Know Brother Joseph, is an accessible and faith-promoting look at Joseph Smith, his life, and its relevance to us in our daily walk.

    First diagnosed with bi-lateral retinoblastoma at the age of seven months, she had feared blindness since childhood. Ironically, the treatment that had saved her life as a baby was responsible for the radiation- induced cancer that again threatened her life as an adult. Now a wife and mother of two young sons, she faced her greatest challenge. Five major surgeries within the space of five months left her physically and emotionally devastated-- and completely blind. Yet during that horrendous time, Kris discovered moments of spiritual strengthening that became holy places in her life-- places where she could feel the purifying, transforming power of Christ that enabled her to survive and to learn how to live in a world of darkness. Compelling, honest, and at times humorous, her story and the insights she gained will help others find hope and healing in the midst of their own trials.

    This former Baptist preacher tells his fascinating story of following the Spirit’s voice and ultimately becoming a convert in the LDS church. This remarkable true story will inspire you to follow your own promptings and share truth wherever you find it.