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Fountain pen + journal. Everybody needs one!

I think I'm not saying things right. It's not that I don't believe in or teach the ideal. It is that I don't assume everyone in my class is wanting the ideal at that instant and so I don't speak as if they do. I might encourage them to pursue the ideal, but I don't assume they already want it. Because to someone struggling, speaking to them as if they weren't can just cause more pain or make them think they'll never be good enough, that there's nothing in the lesson for them, that they probably shouldn't bother with Church because the lessons are never "for them", or whatever. Instead, I focus on the Savior - if anyone will help them want the ideal, it's him, and he'll do it as they are ready. Whether you wish you had never existed, or whether you hope to one day live in an eternal family with your spouse and children in the kingdom of God, Christ will help you to overcome whatever you need to overcome.

2 Nephi 27 v3: Don't fear the wicked - their efforts against God's people will be fruitless. v6+: The footnotes (particularly to JS-H / Joseph Smith - History) show the fulfillment of these prophecies. v20: God can do his own work. When he assigns you to be the tool whereby he works, trust him and do your part, knowing he will do the rest. v21-22: It seems Joseph was not allowed to read the sealed portion of the plates. v23: Faith first, then the works of God in your life. See Ether 3:11-13. You can't hide from God. Those willing to receive will be blessed, those who persecute others and otherwise work iniquity will be cut off (like my arm that's falling asleep due to a sleeping kitten draped across it). 2 Nephi 28 I've never understood why some believe that God has stopped working through revelation and miracles. Why would He do things one way in scripture, but differently now? Don't try to justify sin in the least! Be humble. Repent. v19: Sometimes bad things are to encourage repentance. v21: Things can be temporally well and spiritually awful. v23: Satan is called "the accuser" - IMO, when he is before the throne of God, he'll be the first to accuse those he himself deceived, "see how unworthy they are, how readily they believed lies..." v28+: Welcome truth, even if it's painful. Remember there's more revelation to come! Don't complain when it does. v30+: Learn to hear God, study his word, trust him. v32: The Lord is merciful to all who repent and come to him. Do that!

A few years ago, I stopped making all the assumptions that a lifetime in the Church tends to instill: that everyone wants to live in the Celestial Kingdom, that everyone wants an eternal marriage, that everyone wants an eternal family, that everyone wants resurrection and immortality, etc. I also stopped assuming that every Sunday School Answer™ leads to every Sunday School Promise™ for everyone in observable time. In my teaching, I stopped presenting things as if all those assumptions were true and all those promises were as mechanically obtained as Church culture had always suggested. I think the assumptions and promises hindered the progress of those who struggled with them. These days, I testify of Christ - his love, of his desire and ability to help, and that life is better with him than without him even when life doesn't seem good.

?????

A study of D&C 88, especially the first 50 verses, may help.

2 Nephi 26 v8: It seems likenable ( ) to our day - we should follow these same instructions while waiting for the second coming of Christ. v24-28, 33: This is the argument for why we should not send any away, but try our best to encourage all to come unto Christ.

I just created next week's thread:

Please see the Book of Mormon Reading Group thread for details (and discussion of 1 Nephi 1 - 5). Our goal is to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. I'll make a new post before each Monday so that it's ready to go - weeks go from Monday to Sunday for our purposes. This week's schedule: Oct 2 2 Nephi 31 Monday Oct 3 Jacob 1 Tuesday Oct 4 Jacob 3 Wednesday Oct 5 Jacob 5 Thursday Oct 6 Jacob 5 Friday Oct 7 Enos 1 Saturday Oct 8 Omni 1 Sunday Last Week: Book of Mormon Reading Group: 25 Sep - 01 Oct 2023 (2 Nephi 10 - 2 Nephi 28) Thread Index

Confusing pronouns, the plague of our day... (Where "day" doesn't really mean a single 24-hour period...)

Ex-post-laughto reaction added.

The connection seemed obvious to me. Three time loser today. Clearly I need to quit trying to crack jokes.

Got curious. There is a talk by that title, in that conference, by Elder Peter F, Meurs (70). No corn of any sort is mentioned in it. Nor anything remotely like what the AI dreamed up. Are you sure you didn't accidentally get the LSD AI?

2 Nephi 24 ...continued from yesterday (ch 23). v3: while this addresses the Babylonian captivity and also Millennial rest, it can be seen more personally than those - the Lord offers us rest, when we follow him. Bad things in store for Team Wicked - don't join them. Flee Babylon and come to Zion instead. 2 Nephi 25 Basically, just believe in Jesus Christ! v23: Someone on this forum once pointed out the connection between the "after all we can do" here to Alma 24:11, where the people of king Lamoni (Lamanites taught by Ammon, a Nephite) had buried their weapons and refused even to defend themselves after their conversion to the gospel, and their king (Lamoni's son) says: "...since it has been all that we could do ... to repent of all our sins...". Some people use this 2 Nephi verse to claim the Church believes in salvation by works, but we don't. We do believe that God requires us to do stuff to show our commitment to him, including repent, but the stuff can't save us, it can only demonstrate our faith (which may help convert others), change our own hearts (which will help convert us), and demonstrate our love of God. 2 Nephi 10:24 hints at the same idea proposed in the linking of above two scriptures: First a reconciliation (repentance, faith) and then grace. v25: I sometimes think that just as the law of Moses was to help folks prepare for the first coming of Christ, so too Christ's gospel is to help us prepare for his second coming, after which there will be an even higher law instituted. I have decided Klaw is an instrument in the Lord's hand to prove whether I will continue scripture study despite distractions, having to contort my arms to get at the keyboard, and even if I only have one arm and can't use the desk surface directly in front of me...

Here's what Verse by Verse The Old Testament Volume 2 by Andrew C. Skinner, D. Kelly Ogden has to say about the satyrs: I think what @Vort said. "their" is not the dragons', but the Babylonians'. To re-translate starting in verse 21: "But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there [in destroyed Babylon]; and the Babylonians' houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell in Babylon, and satyrs shall dance in Babylon. 22 And wild beasts of the islands shall cry in Babylon's desolate houses, and dragons in Babylon's pleasant palaces; for Babylon's time is near to come, and Babylon's day shall not be prolonged. For I will destroy Babylon speedily; yea, for I will be merciful unto my people, but the wicked shall perish."

Southern Jehovah's Witness? (Lest another joke be taken seriously, I know what SJW stands for...)

I was trying to make a joke... :/

Has anyone asked it yet what a woman is? (PS: I really like its emoji use, particularly after "have a nice day". )

2 Nephi 20 Just stay on the Lord's good side. The Lord may use the wicked to punish his people who have turned away from him, but those same wicked which he used will also be punished eventually unless they repent. (So repent early and often. ) 2 Nephi 21 D&C 113:1-6 has some interpretations of things in Isaiah 11 (2 Nephi 21). v6-9: Cuddling with a lion is high on my Millennium to-do list... Good things to come for the righteous. 2 Nephi 22 Sing praises. Even if you can't sing. The Lord's anger is easily turned away, with sincere repentance. 2 Nephi 23 Flee Babylon! (In other words, give up your sins, turn to the Lord, be humble, repent.) v22: Part of the Lord being merciful to his people appears to require the wicked to perish. (Don't be wicked!) ...to be continued in tomorrow's reading.

No, but apparently there's now a modular temple - Helena, Montana, if I remember right. Much faster to build.

2 Nephi 16 v8: Volunteer to serve the Lord; or at least accept the call. (And do it without worrying what it entails - if the Lord is giving the assignment, then trust him and do whatever is assigned.) v9+: Don't be blind, deaf, slow, or hard-hearted. 2 Nephi 17 When the Lord tells you not to worry about what looks like impending disaster, trust him. I have an experience with this, though it was just an impending deadline. When I was Relief Society President, the Bishop assigned me to make some appointments for us to visit some families in the ward (I was to select the families). I was praying to know which families we should visit and I got a clear impression: "wait". It seemed strange, but I waited. For a while. The day for our visits was approaching and I felt like I couldn't wait any longer, so I set an appointment. I don't remember how soon after that, but very soon, the Bishop called and told me something had come up and he wouldn't be free until later in the evening and we'd have to do fewer appointments - maybe just one. So I had to reschedule. I should have waited. 2 Nephi 18 v1: All who have been tempted to name their son Maher-shalal-hash-baz raise your hands. (also chapter 17): Don't ally yourself with the wicked instead of turning to the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord, not in the destruction of your enemies. v19: Stay away from all things occult. Turn to God instead. v19-20: Turn to God. Guidance should be in harmony with scripture (the law and the testimony) and be filled with light. 2 Nephi 19 Handel, anyone? v4: Christ can break the yokes, burdens, staffs, and oppressor's rods that cause us personal grief. v9+: Be humble. Repent. v16+: Don't abuse authority. v17+: Don't do that bad stuff.

Savior. I don't know if that's me or a product of environment or what. I never really thought about it until the past decade, but that's the title I most commonly use. Hmm. Not really. Perhaps when considering stories which use those symbols. I'm more likely to think of my self as a (poor example of a) disciple.

I watch on YouTube because I can speed it up - I find it easier to concentrate at high speeds. Also, I can pause it to take notes, then resume. But I like that the Church has an app and that it has all the features one could want (as far as I can tell).

Alternately, you can get the Church's new "Gospel Stream" app! Now you don't have to be me to skip YouTube commercials. And it still supports playing videos at 2x. And you can download them for playback (in Sunday meetings, for example).

Welcome to Third Hour, @KingDumb!