Wingnut

In reading that quote (which I've never heard, but find interesting), it sounds to me like Brigham Young was expressing his opinion, not necessarily teaching doctrine. Yes, there is a difference, part of which includes context (and I don't know the context of this quote). To answer your question about scientific proof, I'm going to venture a big "No." That is mostly because we don't really have "scientific proof" of the Book of Mormon either, but we have faith that it is true. Such are the working of God. :) (To those of you who are about the respond to this with studies and digs that have taken place in Latin and South America, chill out. Those things suggest that the Book of Mormon may be true, but don't categorically prove it so.)

di-hydrogen oxide

Wandering into the realm of LDS fiction, there is a lot to choose from. There is the "Tennis Shoes" series, by Chris Heimerdinger. He's written a lot of other books, including "Passage to Zarahemla" (which I enjoyed much less). Being an LDS author, his books are all clean and family friendly. He does write a little bit of romance though, which your 9-year-old might not enjoy. There is also the "Work and the Glory" series, by Elder Gerald Lund. This is a great way to help him learn about Church history. It's historical fiction, and in my opinion very well written. There are other LDS series that I haven't read, but other here may be able to recommend some.

Well aren't you just the over-achiever? :)

inference

I like the idea of teaching him to relax his brain. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't, but if he can train his brain then at least he won't be scared during a seizure, which I can only imagine has got to be somewhat terrifying for a 4-year-old.

Last night I was reading 1 Nephi 4-6. I had a couple of thoughts as I read. The first was during the whole Laban-killing thing. As I read 4:6, I was again impressed at the near perfect faith that Nephi must have had. I don't think I've ever done that in my life. A few verses later he starts arguing with the Spirit when he is "constrained...that [he] should kill Laban" (v. 10). I was impressed that with such a far-out-in-left-field prompting that Nephi recognized it as the Holy Ghost. I don't think I would have. I would have dismissed a prompting like that as an imitation of the Spirit. Okay, moving on to Chapter 5. As I read the part about Sariah murmuring against Lehi, I thought about what had been mentioned on this forum already. I can't say that in the same situation, I wouldn't have also murmured by then. As far as we know, Lehi knew that Jerusalem would be destroyed, but didn't know exactly when...maybe Sariah was worried that her sons would still be there when the destruction began. And I loved verses 4-6 when Lehi responds to her. He gently rebukes her, and reminds her that the Lord is in control. It reminded me of the verses in Doctrine and Covenants 121 that talk about the Priesthood. Those are my thoughts for the day.

Right on the church website. Here you go: MP3 Download

Thanks Pam! I'll keep doing this for each new week, in addition to updating the original post in the original thread with just the reading assignment for each new week.

Sounds good to me. I'll post the new reading assignment in the original post on this thread, but also start a new one each week, if everyone's okay with that?

Well, I'll be posting the schedule that I receive from the sister in my ward. She sent this week's on Monday, so I'm thinking it's going to be a Monday to Sunday schedule.

dove

To Pam and 1/2: Yes there is a schedule. I will update it weekly. I will update MY ORIGINAL POST with the current reading schedule at the very bottom. As for discussion, jut post your thoughts in this thread. It doesn't have to be daily, but please share something at least weekly. Thanks for joining! P.S. This week's assignment is 1 Nephi 1-18.

As well, we have the privilege of knowing that God is both merciful and just and has provided a way for all His children to hear the Gospel, whether in this life or the next.

I'd also probably be willing to donate. If you're not comfortable with that (or heck, even if you are), I would talk with your Bishop about it.

Garlic powder Cupcake or brownie?

sad

Well, we should be caught up to you in about a week. :)

I also read chapters 1-3 last night, which I've probably read a million times before. I never thought of the significance of teaching the language, but it si important, isn't it? Even today we still have an oral culture that isn't written -- stories, etc. I also was amazed at the end of chapter 3 how Laman and Lemuel just start murmuring again. Like, HELLO? How stupid can you guys be? But I'm not sure I don't do it sometimes, too.

Stay with this thread. You don't have to check in daily, but if you're going to participate, please check in with some thoughts/impressions/something to share at least weekly. Thanks already to everyone who is doing this with me!

perhaps

In August of 2005, President Hinckley gave us a challenge. He said, "I offer a challenge to members of the Church throughout the world and to our friends everywhere to read or reread the Book of Mormon." His challenge was to finish the book by the end of that year. For anyone interested in reading the Book of Mormon by the end of THIS year, join with me in my goal to have it read in 100 days (starting on Tuesday, September 23rd). I am one who always does best with a support group behind me, and I love to offer encouragement to those working on similar goals. I understand that many of you are already immersed in your own study or are focusing on different books of scripture. For any who are willing to start from the beginning, I invite you to join a Book of Mormon Study Group. This will not be a topical study. It will be chronological. To join the group, you will need to be prepared to account for your success or failures in keeping with the reading goals. A sister in my ward invited us to join her in this challenge (the above are all her words, not mine). As it has been some time since I have read the Book of Mormon in its entirety, and for various reasons I did not participate in President Hinckley's challenge, I eagerly joined her study group. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this study group, and to give an accounting of my reading. I also am better when I have to check in. So I invite each of you to join also. We can discuss in this thread our study for the week, and individual insights we may have gained. I will update this post each week with that week's reading assignment. Week 1: September 23 1 Nephi 1-18 I know it's a lot, but for me, if I can make it through this assignment, I'll be able to do the rest...this is the hurdle that is hardest to get over. Week 2: October 1 1 Nephi 19 - 2 Nephi 13 Sorry I am late in getting this week's reading assignment sent out! I figure you're all just plugging along in your reading. I think it is best that we stick with the average of 2.5 chapters a day. Week 3: October 6 2 Nephi 14-30 Week 4: October 15 2 Nephi 31 - Words of Mormon Sorry I'm late again...was out of town and away from a computer.

Yes

Justin, there is no faux pas in the traveling. The only thing I would mention about it is that if you are not settled in one place, you may find it hard to set down roots in the Church because you won't have a lot of consistency. Some people may disagree with me. (Note: I'm not discouraging your studying and potential baptism, just offering a bit of a warning.)

What I always did when I was younger (and my parents were teaching me the concept of savings) was separate 10% for tithing, 50% for savings, and 40% for spending money. When I "grew up" and got my own job(s), I had two bank accounts -- one savings and one checking. I had direct deposit, and made sure that $200 of every paycheck went into savings, where it increased with a higher interest rate, and I couldn't get to it with checks or my debit card. The balance of my paycheck went to my checking account.