Flooding My Life with the Book of Mormon 2.0

1 Nephi 6:4 For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved. Nephi was a missionary at heart, whether to his wayward brothers, his children, descendants in generations to come, or to the whole world. His work and glory were to bring people to Christ, who was in fact the God of Abraham and the Old Testament. His method of persuasion was to bear his testimony and show the goodness and tender mercies of his God. His life was rich with spiritual experiences, which provided an abundance of evidence that God worked in Nephi's life. He wanted to share as much as possible with others in the hope of convincing them that they, too, could have a rich relationship with God. When I read the Book of Mormon, I set myself on the path to discovering and enriching my life with Christ.

1 Nephi 5:14 Photo by Barbara Olsen And it came to pass that my father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of Jacob, who was sold into Egypt, and who was preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with famine. Our journals and personal histories can be as scripture to our descendants. They may not be pronouncements for the church, but they can give guidance and strength to our families.

1 Nephi 1:1 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. This verse is the original source of my testimony of the Book of Mormon. In a very dark time just prior to my mission in 1972, I was in desperate need of spiritual reassurance. I turned to the Book of Mormon for an answer. If the Book of Mormon was true, I could move forward. If it was not true, I would drop the church and change my life.  I opened the book, read the first verse, and knew instantly that Nephi was a real person. He lived a real life. I felt in that moment that I knew him. If he had walked into my room and introduced himself, I could not have been any more sure of his existence. Because he ...