KeithLBrown

You can count me in on the Old Testament Reading Challenge as well. Great ideal!

I have completed the reading for day 1 and I find that no matter how many times I read the Scriptures, I always come away refreshed with new insights and a better understanding of some things than I had before. There is so much that we can take awy from today's reading, but I would like to focus on the Book of Mormon and 4 life lessons that we learn from Nephi: First, he was devoted. He loved and respected his parents and did not take for granted those things which he had been taught and learned about the goodness of the Lord. In 1 Nephi 1:1-2 we read: "I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents , therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days. Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians. Second, he was obedient. In 1 Nephi 3:7 we read, "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. Third, he was committed. In 1 Nephi 3:15 we read, "But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us." Fourth, he was faithful. In 1 Nephi 4:1-3 we read, "And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands? Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea. Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians. May it be said of all of us as we strive to live a life that is pleasing unto the Lord that we are devoted, obedient, commited, and faithful.

Who still has a walkman you ask? Well, I thought everyone still did. You mean there is something newer out there? Where have I been? I have really fallen behind on these new gidgets and gadgets that are coming out today. Hey, I still have a rotary telephone and LP records. Oh, did I mention my 8-track collection? Mercy, mercy, I guess I should catch up with the times. By the way, when did cassette tapes come out? And what are these things called CDs. Not to mention, can someone tell me what an ipod is? :-)

Pam, funny that you should mention bells. Just another little tidbit of Keith Lionel Brown history trivia: I actually did recieve bells once in my 20 year naval career. I was part of the commissioning crew for the U.S.S. Lake Champlain CG-57 (there is a video on my page) and therefore a plank owner. When I departed the ship for the last time, I received two bells followed by an nnouncement over the ship's PA system: "Electronics Technician First Class Keith Lionel Brown, Plank Owner, United States Navy, Departing."

Seanette, I try not to worry too much about falling behind in my reading. I, like you, have found myself at times doing a reading marathon to try and catch up. I think the objective is to keep the goal in mind and to do our best to reach that goal. Some people have a tendency to give up once they start getting behind, but I always remind myself that "Quitters never win, and winners never quit!" Like I said before, my ultimate goal in this challenge is to help people take an interest in reading the Scriptures on a daily basis. If that is accomplished with the challenge that is will begin in a couple of days, then I am satisfied and happy.

Pam, I hear you. When it comes to bookstores, I am like a little kid in a candy store. I literally spend hours just looking at the different books and wishing that I could buy a lot of them, but my pockets always say I have only enough for a few of them. If you were to visit me, you would see that I have bookshelves full of books. There are some that are still in wrappers and a whole lot that I have yet to sit down and read, but yet I keep buying more. Uhm, is that considered compulsive spending? I wonder. . . Anywho, I too try to set aside some time to read some of the other books I have in my library. It is a challenge at times.

Pam, thank you for the link to the YouTube video. I had forgotten all about this video. I have added it to my favorites.

Pam, thanks for finding the one year reading plan for the Bible. I will take a look at that. I actually have a "One Year" KJV Bible that was my mother's that I have used in the past. This year I have not followed it so much as trying to keep up with each day's reading. Sometimes I read more and sometimes I read less. A lot of times, I find that the bulk of my reading is done on the weekends. Seanette, I am all for your plan for reading the New Testament in 40 days after the current reading challenge. Count me in! As the Bible is a bigger undertaking in its reading, I think that it is probably best to read the Old Testament and New Testament separately instead of trying to read them both at the same time which is what I currently do. Reading both the Old and New Testaments at the same time could become overwhelming to some people. For me, the challenge of reading both at the same time is not so much because of the number of times I have read the Bible in its entirety. Anyway, I look forward to reading the New Testament in 40 days next.

It is my hope and prayer that as we celebrate this Fourth of July, we will take some time to pay honor to those valiant men and women who serve this great nation of ours in the United States Armed Forces. As a 20 year retired United States Navy veteran, I know and realize that it is because of their unfailing courage and commitment that we are able to remain the "land of the free and the home of the brave" and enjoy those freedoms that we cherish so dearly. These men and women know all too well that freedom in and of itself is not free. May God bless each of them in their service and may God bless the United States of America. Keith Lionel Brown Electronics Technician First Class, USN, Retired

Church services for the LDS military group in Iraq include two one-hour meetings a day, writes U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Eric Russell. "Each meeting is structured like a sacrament meeting all the way up until after sacrament, when we turn to lessons instead of talks," added Russell, of Lee's Summit, Mo., who is an assistant group leader. About 20 attend the early afternoon session and 10 to 15 attend the evening session. But even then, they wear their uniforms to church and bring their weapons — as they do everywhere, he added. Russell is one of the many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who is on active duty overseas. Some meet in groups like Russell's, and others have had missionary experiences as they live the gospel while serving their country. Some are on their first deployments, and others have been overseas several times. They include soldiers, sailors, engineers, medics and gunners. In celebration of Independence Day, Mormon Times readers are sharing information about their loved ones on active duty overseas. Read the profiles on MormonTimes.com.

In 2008 I made a decision that for the remainder of my days I would read the entire canon of Scripture at least once a year. That is the Bible, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price at least once each in their entirety. Thus far this year, I have completed reading Psalms and Proverbs in the Old Testament as well as Genesis through Judges. I am currently reading Ruth. Thus far in the New Testament I have read all of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and half of John. My goal is to be finished reading the New Testament before the start of October General Conference and the rest of the Old Testament by midnight on 31 December. To date, I have read the Bible in its entirety 7 times. I like the idea of a similar challenge with reading the Bible and maybe it is something that we can set up after the current challenge is over. Understandably, reading the Bible in its entirety does take considerable more time, so a different time schedule and chart would have to be worked out. However, I am a witness that it can most definitely be done within a year time frame. If anyone comes up with a good schedule to follow to make the reading of the entire Bible doable for everyone. please let me know. I am definitely in on it. Great ideal! With that being said, I just wanted to remind everyone that starting on 1 July 2009, that is 3 days from now, we will begin reading the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price for 40 consecutive days. Everyone is invited to participate and to share some of their thoughts, insights, and lessons learned as they read each of these blessed portions of Scripture. Pam has already set up a special forum for all participants to use for sharing their study notes. Thanks again Pam! At the conclusion of this reading I will have read the Book of Mormon 8 times, and the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price 9 times. The beauty of it all is that the Scriptures never grow old. It is my sincere prayer that this will not just be a race to the finish, but that once we have crossed the finishing line, we will be inspired to read the Scriptures again and again. Take care and God bless. Helaman 5:12

Thanks Pam! Only three more days to go and then. . . .let the challenge begin!!

I watched the "Boy in the Striped Pajamas" last night in fact, and I have to agree that it was a perfect example of how a child is taught hatred. I thought that it was a very good story told through the eyes of a child, but I was a little surprised, not too much, at how the movie ended. Another movie along these same story lines is "Schindler's List." Yet another movie along these same story lines is Corrie Ten Boom's "The Hiding Place." I have some of the books that she wrote, as well as the movie, in my personal library. Lessons that she learned in the prison camps and later shared with others are real eye openers. For anyone who uses the word "hate" so freely, real life incidents like these should make them want to take a step back and realize what it is they are really saying when they say they hate someone. The incidents that are portrayed in these movies happened in real life and are examples of true hatred in action.

LostSheep, I certainly understand and appreciate what you are saying. I too like to take the time and study portions of the Scriptures as I read them. I agree that it does help to clarify some of that which I have read. With that being said, in my humble opinion, I do believe that sometimes we can, if we are not careful, spend more time pondering over what has been written about the Scriptures by others, than actually reading the Scriptures themselves. After all, it is the Word of God, which stands firmly on its own, that is the ultimate and final authority. Sometimes I fear that people can get too caught up in becoming concerned about what someone has written about a subject than they do about the actual subject at hand. In short, what I am saying is that there needs to be a delicate balance. Again, the Word of God itself should always be our final authority. I particularly like what President Ezra Taft Benson taught us about this. He said, "Always remember, there is no satisfactory substitute for the scriptures and the words of the living prophets. These should be your original sources. Read and ponder more what the Lord has said, and less about what others have written concerning what the Lord has said." (Address to educators, Salt Lake City, September 17, 1976.) To me, those are great words of counsel. I also concur with the strong counsel of President Romney, given to a group of seminary and institute coordinators in 1973. He told them, “I don’t know much about the gospel other than what I’ve learned from the standard works. When I drink from a spring I like to get the water where it comes out of the ground, not down the stream after the cattle have waded in it. … I appreciate other people’s interpretation, but when it comes to the gospel we ought to be acquainted with what the Lord says. … You ought to read the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants; and … all the scriptures with the idea of finding out what’s in them and what the meaning is and not to prove some idea of your own. Just read them and plead with the Lord to let you understand what he had in mind when he wrote them.” (Address delivered at Coordinators’ Convention, Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, 13 Apr. 1973.) Each of us have our own methods of reading and studying the Scriptures. Please understand that I am not in any way saying that one method is better than another, or that a particular method is wrong and another is right. One of the main purposes behind the challenge is to help motivate those who have never read the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price in their entirety to pick up those blessed Scriptures and read them and perhaps for some, for the very first time discover what is actually written in each one. Believe it, or not, there are some who have been members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints their entire lives and have never read either of these volumes of Scripture in their entirety. It is my hope, my sincere prayer, that once they read them for perhaps the first time in their entirety, they will gain a thirst to want to read them again and again. I have now in my 11 years as a member of the Church read the Book of Mormon 7 times in its entirety, and the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price each 8 times in their entirety. I find that each time I read them I learn something that I did not learn before. It is indeed a continual learning process. The Prophet Joseph Smith gave us this great admonition in 1832. He said,"“Search the scriptures—search the revelations which we publish and ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you do it with an eye single to His glory nothing doubting, He will answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for yourselves and not for another. You will not then be dependent on man for the knowledge of God; nor will there be any room for speculation. … For when men receive their instruction from Him that made them, they know how He will save them. … Again we say: Search the Scriptures, search the Prophets and learn what portion of them belongs to you.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938, pp. 11–12.) For me personally, I enjoy the race as well as the finish. Perhaps I enjoy the finish even more than the race itself, because once I have crossed the finish line, I find myself excited, wanting to run the race again and again. The beauty of reading the Scriptures is just as J. Richard Clarke once said, "Brothers and sisters, you don't have to be a natural student to read the scriptures; you just need to love the Lord." (Ensign, November 1982, p.15.)

"Eve was falsely told that if she partook of the forbidden fruit she would not die." It is interesting to note that two types of death are actually referred to here. First, there is spiritual death or separation from God because of the sin that was committed. The second death that is being referred to is physical death. Adam and Even did indeed experience both of these. We can all be thankful for the love, grace, and tender mercies of the Lord and the power of repentance and forgiveness that rescues us from spiritual death. The only death that we need face is physical death.

Author and emeritus LDS Church general authority Gerald N. Lund says he will not write a 10th and concluding novel to his "The Work and the Glory" series. Instead he has said that Fire and the Covenant and his new book The Undaunted are the continuations of Work and the Glory. There have been nine volumes published in the popular fictional series, which follows the Steed Family through the early growth of Mormonism. The family converts to the faith in the 1800s, then travels west with the saints. You can go here to see more about the Undaunted. In a YouTube.com video, Lund explains that although he intended to write a book which followed the Steed Family into modern times, the story just wasn't coming together. You can read the story on Mormon Times by going to: Lund will not write 10th 'Work and the Glory' novel

Sleep? What is sleep? Who needs it?? I agree that it is so overated. After 20 years of military life, if I get 4 hours of good sleep a night that is plenty. If I get more than that I feel more tired than I did before I went to bed. Some nights I sleep on my couch. Now if you want to talk naps, I am all for those, especially on Sunday afternoons after Church.

This sounds like a great ideal! I would be interested in knowing how it works out and how many of the RS sisters accept the challenge.

Pam, By the way, yes we will be reading all three concurrently and yes, I think your ideal of setting up separate forums is a great one. Go for it!! This is going to be exciting. Seanette has also put together an excellent plan for this reading in EXCEL spreadsheet if some of you would like to take a look at it. Whichever reading schedule or plan that you choose to follow, the goal is to complete the reading of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price in 40 days. I know it can be done as I have done it several times now.

Looking at my post, I see that I short changed the titles in that I only put Doctrine. That should of course be the Doctrine and Covenants. Glad to see there are some who are up to the challenge. It will be interesting to read some of the feedback as the reading takes place.

Prior to being baptized on 10 March 1998, I told the missionaries that were teaching me at that time that I would not be baptized until after I had read the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price in their entirety. I was blessed in that the Lord inspired me to develop a 40-Day Reading Schedule and so for forty days prior to my baptism, I read the Book of Mormon in its entirety followed by the Doctrine and Pearl of Great Price each in their entirety. Please come and join me starting on 1 July 2009 for forty days of reading the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. You can view the 40-Day Reading Schedule that I developed by going here. I will be posting about some of the things that I learn as I read and hope that some of you will also.

Creators of a new faith-based television drama plan to begin filming in Heber City in late summer, and market the show worldwide to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The show, "This Is the Place," will center on a heavily LDS neighborhood in Colorado, and the challenges they face in meeting the demands of their faith, families, workplaces and communities. The action will be viewed through the eyes of a non-LDS character, a newly divorced chain smoker who is trying to understand the people in his new neighborhood. "We got tired of seeing how the LDS were portrayed in shows like 'Big Love,' 'House' and 'Boston Legal,' " said Todd Bay, executive producer, Heber City resident and owner of Park City's Bay Entertainment & Media. "We were tired of non-LDS telling LDS stories. We have taken the position that if we don't tell our stories, someone else will, and they're not going to get it right." You can read the rest of the story by going to: LDS TV Series in the Works

Utah's unseasonably cool and wet weather the past couple of weeks has delighted not only water managers and gardeners, but also the swarms of mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus. The Utah Department of Health announced Thursday that five mosquito pools statewide have tested positive for West Nile — three in Salt Lake County, one in Washington County and one in Box Elder County. Residents are encouraged to take precautionary measures to avoid mosquitoes and to be aware of West Nile symptoms if they've been bitten. JoDee Summers, a disease epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health, said detection of the virus locally has occurred a littler earlier this year than in past years due to the weather. Summers said it could be one of the state's worst mosquito seasons in more than 20 years. The health department has placed traps at strategic locations throughout the state — including one area around Salt Lake City International Airport — and mosquitoes are collected once a week, she said. "They grind them up and test their blood" to determine whether West Nile is present in that particular area, Summers said. The airport location was one of the three Salt Lake County pools that tested positive for the virus. You can read the entire story by going to: West Nile virus detected in Utah: Mosquito pools statewide test positive for disease You may recall that David Osmond who has MS like his father Alan, battled with this disease a couple of years ago. You can watch the video clip of an interview that he and his wife Valerie did by going to:

The north Asian nation of Mongolia now has its first stake of Zion. On Sunday, June 7, Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy organized the Ulaanbaatar Mongolia West Stake. Elder Hallstrom said that establishing the gospel in our lives and in the lives of our family is just as important as establishing stakes, districts, wards and branches. Elder Joseph Chung, an Area Seventy from Taiwan, spoke of building Zion where we are. You can read the rest of the story by going to: First stake in Mongolia is organized

Hackers hijacked the Church News Twitter account last weekend and Twitter staffers took down the site early today because the infiltrators had gained total control over the feed. Charlie Crane, director of interactive media for the Deseret News, said he realized Sunday night that the Church News account had been compromised. "We tried to get it back," he said, but he soon realized that the hacker had even been able to change the password and lock him out. You can read the rest of the story by going to: Hackers Seize Church News Twitter Account