Lost_one

I was inactive for quite a few years and only just returned on April 10th this year. I am also a single adult and I really enjoy it. The Bishop might ask you for a quick word, if he doesn't, it will be a good idea to see if he can fit you in for a chat. He will see what your needs are and do what he can to help you. Something I only just learnt a few weeks back. It turns out that the other members in the ward are human and have faults and failings, just like me. It can be very easy to think that you as an unworthy person are going to walk into a building filled with perfect beings and feel completely out of place, But they are just like you. They are on the same path. They have probably made the same mistakes you have or worse. Go to church, make some friends, be part of Heavenly Fathers wonderful family, read your scriptures, pray and have fun. Oh! And don't forget to invite the spirit into your heart. The Holy Spirit is a bit like a Vampire. He won't come in unless you invite him in, then he becomes the best house guest you could ever imagine. Unlike that pesky Vampire who steals all your cookies.

I also have to believe this account and yes I also have no doubt about what they saw concerning the cave, But that doesn't stop it being a possible vision. Just that they were perhaps given a vision of a real place. They might even have visited it in the spirit.

I bet he did. If it was me in those situations, my eyes would be glued to them. I wouldn't wan't to miss a single little detail.

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this way. It would make sense for it to have been a vision, rather than an actual cave.Even if it was just a vision. It must have been an amazing one. Even the thought of it catches the breath. To have actually seen it, must have been awesome. For a thread that started with some unanswerable questions, I sure have learnt alot. :)

I have never read that account before, But it makes alot of sense. I don't mean to sound silly, But who is to say that the cave that the Prophet and Cowdrey entered was even physically at the location they entered it. It could have just appeared to be there to their eyes. Has anyone ever actually done any work on the hill that people believe to be the hill of Cumorah. I suspect they wouldn't find anything but dirt. I just don't think Heavenly Father would actually reveal the real location, even to his Prophet. No offence to Joseph Smith intended, just that even he was human and subject to the same temptations as the rest of us. Could you imagine what all those books would be worth if found?

Thank you Pam. I genuinly thought I just missed something. lthough asking when Moroni died was kinda a dumb question. Exactly who was going to write it in the BoM, with it being buried in the ground? Oh! That sounds interesting. Will that be on the churches online store? From reading Joseph Smith History last night it seemed that Moroni wasn't very buddy buddy with the prophet. It came across very much as a teacher/student relationship. Thinking about it, I doubt they talked about anything personal.

The first time I read through the entire BoM was when President Hinckley challenged us to do so. I know what you mean about it feeling abit like reading a novel and like you, I always find it easier to find particular chapters and verses, if I have read it recently. That was one of the reasons I wanted to challenge myself to read them. I was in Gospel Principles class about a month ago and I was so slow at finding the right book, never mind the right chapter and verse, that I really felt ashamed of myself. I knew it was because I had neglected to read them for quite a while.

That is a rather good idea actually. I still wan't to read all the scriptures at least once all the way through each year, But I really like this too. Thank you. I will seriously give this ago.

I would also assume most of that traveling would be at night. Which would slow his pace also. It doesn't seem to me, that the plates were all that heavy, as they did quite alot of travelling in their time and I assume they would have been designed with that in mind. Wasn't there something about Joseph Smith having to run and hide with them, as people were trying to get them from him? That again says to me that they were not that heavy or at least they were not a burden.Your right though. Their not questions that an answer would have any bearing on, so they are not important. I was just curious. I know Joseph Smith talked with Moroni quite alot and just assumed Moroni might have talked about some of those things, But then why would he? Re-establishing the church on earth was far more important than chatting about his life.

Exactly. Thats why I need to slow my pace down, as it's not a novel. I do take quick notes while reading and go back over those. My pace reading the scriptures is slower than normal reading, But my overall pace is still to quick. I would like to try to stretch it out over the whole 10 months in order to make more room for the spirit. Cross-referencing is not something I do enough of, so that is something I need to work on too.

I find it very difficult to read a chapter. I always want to keep going. Giving myself a time limit, works far better and is more likely to prevent burnout.An hour a day, at my normal reading pace would complete the scriptures in 4 months I have at least 10 months to complete all the scriptures, so will try to slow my pace. I'm just a fast reader in general. A book rarely lasts me more than 3 days. The fact that the D&C and PoGP took me around 12 days was quite surprising. I expected it to take no more than 8 days.

Thank you Pam. I have now completed my Commitment for May. As I have completed my commitment 6 days early, I will begin the Book of Mormon tomorrow, instead of June 1st.My original commitment was to complete the BoM and PoGP before my re-baptism, But working it out. If I commit to reading my scriptures for one hour per day at the same pace as I have been this month, I should complete the standard works of the church within 4 months. My interview is pencilled in for around 10 months time. This basicly means that I should have no difficulty fitting the whole standard works in before my re-baptism. If I manage to complete the standard works in a good time, I will get myself Jesus the Christ, as a reward. Thank you to everyone who posted encouragement. You really did help. Regards John

I would laugh, But the option is unavailable. I am aware that it has no bearing on our salvation. I was just wondering. As some of you may know, I'm working my way through the scriptures at the moment and in a lot of places it says that "this person" walked x days from here to there and "this person lived x years after this event and then died/was taken by God and such like. I couldn't remember anything like that with Moroni and thought I may have just missed it. I just realised. When Moroni died, it couldn't have been in the plates, as he was the one who buried them. I am such an idiot. I obviously didn't miss it, because it wasn't there to miss. Thanks guys. Even though none of my questions were answerable, I am still greatful that you all took the time to tell me.

I have been informed by the wonderful and wise Pam, that my questions were not dumb after all. And when Pam speaks, I listen. My questions were; How long did Moroni live after burying the plates in New York? Once he died, he couldn't exactly go and write about it, so this was still kind of a dumb question, although I did think it possible that he may have told the Prophet at some point during their time together. Did he walk there or did he have a horse? I knew that anti-mormons like to do the whole "There were no horses in the BoM times in the Americas" and was fully aware that this probably refered to another similar animal or beast of burden. Where did he travel from? I saw on youtube that some "experts" are thinking that the BoM area is a small stretch of land connecting the US to South America. I was hoping that the awesome people here could confirm that. I don't trust youtube experts, But know that alot of the people here are amazing at these kind of things. How long did it take for him to get to the place where he buried the plates? The answer seems to be 21 years, not in a straight line though. Please see post 8 below by Blackmarch for more details.

Woo hoo! D&C completed on May 23. I'm now going to see how far I can get through the PoGP and JSH sections, before the end of the month. I wish to start the BoM and continue through all the standard works continually from this point onwards for the rest of my life. Although I stated in my OP that I wanted to start the BoM on June 1st, I will not begin it until I have completed the PoGP and JSH sections first. For many years this has been something which I wished to address and now I finally am. Thank you.

I will also miss all those here who will be raptured or have been raptured. I suppose I will just have to see who is left tomorrow then.

It is still quite some way off, But I like to be fully prepared. They are a member in the ward. I don't really know the man, I think I know his last name. When I ask Heavenly Father who it should be, I always seem to be directed to him. I guess I better start saying hello to him at church. Tht's what confused me with my ex-wifes rebuke. We have both seen many pics of this nature online, as well as on the churches own website.

Cool, as I know just the fellow I wan't to do it.I know what you mean. This forum is great to come to for that. I understand where your coming from with this and yes, somethings are no ones business but our own. I have not said anything on there about any deficiencies in my life. I just put them up there because I like the outfit. I took the pics in the first place, to have a reminder of my goal to re-baptism. Although I didn't say that on facebook. I just cracked a joke about me looking fat. My desire for re-baptism is purely personal and not something I would share on a place like facebook. And your opinion is valued. Thank you.

More than anyone will ever know.

It's not a great pic, But here is my little man. His name is Kovsky. (Short for Tchikovsky) He is a great little hugger.

The pics were taken in a friends house. I would never take pics during the ordinance itself, even if the church allowed it. To me that does take away from the importance of it all. I would never want to do anything that would put the church in a bad light, thats why I felt it was best to ask people smarter than me in this particular case. Also my ex-wife does take things to the extreme, But still wanted to make sure. I will be asking someone to take pics for me before my re-baptism of myself and the person baptising me. But thats it. If it is acceptable, I would like to get it enlarged and put on my wall, But only if that is ok. On a side note. Can I pick whoever I wan't to do my re-baptism or does it have to be someone specific?

I took a couple pics of myself in my baptism clothes, kinda to keep me motivated. I popped them up on my facebook page because although they make me look fat, I really like them. My ex-wife called me and told me that I had to take them down, as they are not allowed to be on there. I would totally understand if I was showing off garments or the special items we wear in the temple, But it's just me in a white tie, shirt and trousers. It's nothing more than can be seen modelled on the online store by anyone who wants to see them. Do I really have to remove them? Did I break a church rule by posting them on facebook? Thanks

I totally agree. Reading everyday is a must. As for pace. I got the BoM, D&C and PoGP on CD and I read along with it. I find the pace easy to keep up with. My plan is to read along with a single disc per day. Thats 14 sections of the D&C per session. I can then go back and pick out anything of particular interest I have marked for further study. I must admit to having read the scriptures in the first post in just 2 days and know thats to much. I will stick to a single disc per day, as it's important to not burn myself out.@classylady: I am ordering a large print set of scriptures purely for the purpose of keeping on my coffee table and a regular set for taking to church. These will be my reading set and will probably be covered in underlined verses and little bits of scrap paper. I only have a compact quad at the moment, which is not the best for lots of reading. These will be relegated to my bedroom table, once the other sets get here.

I am starting from the book of Mormon. This months commitment is more about completing scriptures I have never properly sat down and read. My commitment is from June 1st, where I will be starting from 1st Nephi, all the way through to the Articles of Faith. I wan't to complete them before my re-baptism, which is at least a full year away. Once Baptised, I am going to start from Genesis, all the way through the standard works, then start again. This is something I did not do the last time and is something I really feel bad about.

I have decided that I am going to commit myself to read the scriptures. This thread is my way of putting some pressure on myself to do so. I wan't to see how far I get before I give up. Commitment for May 2011; Read the complete D&C. If I have time, I would like to also complete the Pearls of Great Price and Joseph Smith History. Read so far this month; D&C completed. Pearl of Great Price completed, including Joseph Smith History and Articles of Faith. The reason I am starting with this part of the standard works is simply because I have never fully read them before. I hope to finish this commitment before the end of May as I would like to start the Book of Mormon on the 1st of June. My hope is to completely read through the whole BoM, D&C, PoGP and JSH before my re-baptism. This months commitment is purely for completion and not really part of my re-baptism commitment. It would seem that I have completed my monthly commitment a few days early, so will be starting from the Book of Mormon from tomorrow, instead of from June 1st. I have proven to myself that I can commit to reading scripture everyday so there is no excuse anymore. Thanks for reading.