2 Nephi 2:26

26: ...to act for themselves and not to be acted upon...

Reminds me how it's important to not try to control (act upon) the people around us. I don't think physical force is an issue that often, but what other ways do we use to exercise control? And what exactly is stopping us from letting go of those methods?

2 Nephi 2:23, 25

2:23: ...having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
2:25: Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

I love the theme throughout this chapter about choice. The principle of being free to choose what we do, think, and say is so beautiful to me, and so right. Because it makes doing the right thing so much more meaningful. The flip side, and it's a hard one, is that you don't always make the right choices, and neither do the people you love.

And if it's painful to us, I can't imagine how painful it is to Heavenly Father, when His children have done the worst things imaginable. It kind of makes you see how Lucifer could gain ground with spirits in the pre-existence; the promise of no sin. But we were meant for greater things than a forced middle ground with no valleys, no hills.

2 Nephi 2:21

There is a ton of amazing stuff in this chapter, so I'm just doing a verse or two per post.

21: And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh;

Just made me think about our lifespan and the changes/progress you make in it. How it can take years to come around to some truths. How you get so much more perspective as you age and go through life experiences (coming from a 26-year-old, I know...). God knows we need some time to work things out.

Mormon's Book

So I got my copy of Mormon's Book in the mail. I have to say, it was a brilliant idea to typeset it this way, it makes reading it so much smoother! It does require some searching to find the corresponding spot in the regular version, but for just sitting down and reading it, this is a good way to go.
Oh, and the Isaiah parts are in poetry form, so it makes THOSE way easier, also. Not easy -- it's Isaiah, after all -- but definitely lends itself to better... I don't know, flow. Another bonus? There's plenty of room in the margins for notes. Still just $4.95! A steal, I definitely recommend it.

1 Nephi 2:14

How can Laman and Lemuel slip back into their old ways again and again after having such powerful witnesses (plural!) of God’s power? After being convinced, as it seems they genuinely were, what causes them to then lose faith?

And the obvious follow-up: What causes anyone to lose their faith?

What's this?

Having committed to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days as part of the Hinckley Challenge, I thought it would be cool to have a place to discuss what I'm reading with my friends (or anyone else, of course). Sort of like Sunday School, only way more comfortable, seeing as how you can wear your pajamas here. Also? Much better snacks.

Check it out: you can buy a copy of Mormon's Book (the Book of Mormon word-for-word, only typeset in paragraph form) for just the cost of shipping & handling, $4.95.

The complete text is also available for free here, from the LDS church's website.

So jump in, make a comment. Email me if you want to post something: hinckleychallenge at gmail dot com