October Book of Mormon Class

We studied the Book of Mormon during the month of October.  This short book of only 9 chapters captures one of the saddest and most heart wrenching periods in all of scripture. 

Can you imagine the great prophet and general, Mormon, being hewn down in battle, as waves of Lamanite fighters possibly stomp on his broken body while he lay near death?  At some point Mormon would have regained consciousness, probably during the night after being carried to the top of the hill Cumorah for safety by those 23 other survivors, including his son, Moroni (Mormon 6:11).  Before them lay millions of their people strewn across the battlefield.

For more than 60 years, much of Mormon’s life, he had tried to teach, expound, exhort, lead and love the people.  Now all of the Nephites were either dead or captured, and a once blessed and happy people had come to a prophesied destruction.  Soon, he would be hunted down and killed as well.

How could these fair sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives come to such a horrific end?  How indeed.  For centuries prior, they had stood in righteousness, sometimes faltering, but repenting and returning with their focus placed on Christ.  Now, they had completely turned away, and their fall was complete. 

If the Book of Mormon is written for our day, what can we learn from this once great people who fell so far?  Can we also fall?  In Chapter 8, Mormon’s son Moroni talks directly to us.  He is shown our day, when these records that his father abridged, and he had hid in a mountainside, would come forth.  He boldly says, “Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing…I speak unto you as though I spake from the dead; for I know that ye shall have my words.”  He goes on to describe the evils of our day and warn us against such things such as pride, envying, strife, war, shunning the poor and needy, supporting secret abominations and the praise of the world.  Each of us is constantly at risk of succumbing to the pressures and temptations that surround us.  But we don’t have to.  Individually we can rise above and not suffer the same fate as those we read about in the Book of Mormon.  With steadfast faith in Christ, we can overcome, survive and find happiness even while the world crumbles around us.  We have examples of men and women in the scriptures like Mormon and Moroni, to give us hope.  Hope and assurance that with each day, we can make small and simple choices to do better, try harder, stand firm and come unto Christ.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup + 1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/3 cup water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine both sugars, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices
2. In another bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin puree, oil and water. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until combined
3. Grease a 9 X 4 loaf pan and pour the batter into it.
4. Bake at 350 F for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Then take out of the pan and wrap in aluminum foil. Let it cool completely.

Recipe from <http://www.kitchennostalgia.com/bread/moist-pumpkin-bread.html>

October Presidency Message

Last month we were involved in a huge event centering on Preparedness.  It was great to come together and become reacquainted with the counsel we have received for decades regarding our temporal and spiritual preparations.  Whether we are preparing for tornados, floods, illness, unemployment, or signs of the times, OR whether we need to add to the oil in our spiritual lamps, following the counsel and advice of the prophet and apostles is crucial.  President Henry B Eyring puts it this way:  “Another fallacy is to believe that the choice to accept or not accept the counsel of prophets is no more than deciding whether to accept good advice and gain its benefits, or to stay where we are. But the choice not to take prophetic counsel changes the very ground upon which we stand.  That ground becomes more dangerous. The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired counsel in the future. The best time to have decided to help Noah build the ark was the first time he asked. Each time he asked after that, each failure to respond would have lessened sensitivity to the Spirit. And so each time his request would have seemed more foolish, until the rain came. And then it was too late.”

I pray we will each ponder the things that our prophets and apostles have counseled us.   We were just blessed to hear from them again this month at General Conference.  Did you feel any naggings from the Holy Ghost to act on a particular prompting?  May we each more fully commit to listening and obeying, so that the ground we stand on is always solid and firm.

With much love,

Tracy