Renewing My Book of Mormon Notes
Last year I kept a detailed record of my study of the Old Testament on my blog The Torch. This year we are studying the New Testament as part of the Come Follow Me Curriculum of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and as part of an effort to follow President Russell M. Nelson’s counsel:
The new home-centered, Church-supported integrated curriculum has the potential to unleash the power of families, as each family follows through conscientiously and carefully to transform their home into a sanctuary of faith. I promise that as you diligently work to remodel your home into a center of gospel learning, over time your Sabbath days will truly be a delight. Your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings, and the influence of the adversary in your life and in your home will decrease. Changes in your family will be dramatic and sustaining.
Next year we will study the Book of Mormon as part of the Come Follow Me Curriculum.
During Easter this year, I decided to set a goal to read the entire Book of Mormon before Christmas and to keep a record of Book of Mormon Notes. I’m a bit behind schedule (I should be in Alma 5 today), but this was my original invitation:
An invitation to read the Book of Mormon:
The Easter season and April 6th is a great time to begin reading the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
I am beginning a fresh study of the Book of Mormon, and I invite you to join me.
If you have never read the Book of Mormon, now is a great time to start. If you have read it, it is a great time to begin again. If you are already reading it, I commend you.
The first step is to obtain a fresh copy of the Book of Mormon.
The second step is to determine a time each day that you will set apart to study the Book of Mormon.
The third step is to pray and to ask Heavenly Father for help with whatever goal you set to study His word.
My plan is to obtain a copy of the Book of Mormon in Italian and in Spanish (and French and Portuguese) and to set aside at least 30 minutes each day to read and to study the Book of Mormon. I plan to read at least one chapter per day between now and Christmas. Adherence to this schedule will enable me to finish the entire Book of Mormon by Christmas of 2023. Easter and Christmas are great book ends for a study of the Book of Mormon because it is a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ.
These are a few blessings that are promised to those who engage in a sincere and earnest study of the Book of Mormon:
- President Russell M. Nelson: "My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions” (“The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 62–63)."
- President Gordon B. Hinckley: "Brothers and sisters, without reservation I promise you that if you will prayerfully read the Book of Mormon, regardless of how many times you previously have read it, there will come into your hearts an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord. There will come a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to his commandments, and there will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley [2016], 233)."
- President Ezra Taft Benson: “It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called ‘the words of life’ (D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson [2014], 141).
- The Prophet Joseph Smith: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 64).
I began by sharing my Book of Mormon Notes directly on Facebook, then I began to file them away in my Gmail account. On July 5, 2023 I began to post my Book of Mormon Notes (beginning with Mosiah 13) here in my Substack, also The Torch. My Book of Mormon Notes for today will be from Mosiah 20. In order to catch up to my original schedule to finish the Book of Mormon by Christmas of 2023, and also in order to improve my Book of Mormon Notes, I would like to post more of my own commentary, reflections, questions, impressions, and ideas, and less summary of the chapters. This exercise also aligns more with my original purpose for my Substack.