5 Ways We can be an Example for Our Children
“When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” -Hosea 11:1
The greatest example was and is Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, when children were brought to Him to be blessed, his disciples try to turn the children away. The Savior rebukes them telling them saying: “Permit the little children and forbid them not to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19: 14).
Entering the World of the Bible
With all this time on our hands because of the virus situation, rather than just sit around, I thought I’d take the time to do some reflecting on the deeper things in life. I’ve come to this conclusion—I want to think like Jesus and act like Jesus. Paul’s admonition is the longing of my heart, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).
Praying to Know Truth
“Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men—from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things—and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost; and by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things.” -Moroni 10:3-5
The above quote is sometimes called “Moroni’s promise.” It is Moroni’s request that we go to God to see for ourselves if the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. It is a big part of the restoration of all things, and the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it invites us to use the same gift of the Spirit that Joseph Smith Jr. used to translate the Book of Mormon—the spirit of prophecy and revelation.
Neum and Kabbalah
Behold, I am Neum, the Oracle, reader of the stars—I am she who pours out the libations for YHVH; I am she who still dances in prophecy when the daughters do sing, and the young men do play their harps and beat their drums.” -Neum 2:1-2 Neum is not a traditionally recognized Kabbalistic text in the sense of being a part of the core Kabbalistic literature like the Zohar, Sefer Yetzirah, or Bahir, but it certainly contains themes, imagery, and spiritual ideas that align closely with Kabbalistic principles. There are a few reasons why Neum can be seen as resonating with Kabbalistic thought, even if it isn’t classified as a Kabbalistic book. Let’s review a few of these reasons. The Mystical Relationship Between Israel and God One of the central motifs in Neum is the depiction of Israel as the bride of God, which is a key Kabbalistic concept. In Kabbalah, particularly in the writings of the Zohar, the relationship…
Kavanah in the Book of Mormon
“O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads, and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm forever.” -Jacob 2:50 [3:2]
The concept of Kavanah in Kabbalah refers to intentionality or spiritual focus during prayer, meditation, and other religious practices. It is often understood as the intention of the heart, the focus of one’s mind and soul on connecting with God, aligning one’s actions with divine will, and inviting the divine presence into one’s life. In Kabbalistic tradition, Kavanah is central to making religious acts spiritually meaningful, transforming routine religious observances into profound, mystical experiences.
Overarching Themes and Ideas in the Revelations of Havah Pratt
While the Revelations of Havah Pratt have been around for a few decades now, most Latter Day Saints remain woefully unaware of their contents.
As Above So Below
In Hermetics, there is an axiom: “That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above.” Or in layman’s terms,
“As above, so below; as below, so above.” This statement is found on the Plates of Brass in the headings of Chapters 3 and 4 of 1 Moses, which leads us to ask: What does this mean, and how is it relevant to us today? I have spent considerable time pondering this idea and would like to share my thoughts.
The Broken Hearted Part 3: The Cure
It is through Jesus Christ that we can find redemption.
The Broken Hearted Part 2: The Prophet
Moses spent his adolescence in a station of privilege as a Prince of Egypt. Through a mixture of compassion and rashness Moses fell from this heightened status to become a refugee in a strange land.
The Broken Hearted Part 1: The King
The following article was originally posted on theChurchWebsite.org on June 23, 2024.
Over the past few weeks the phrase “the broken hearted” has repeatedly been called to my attention. Sometimes it would seem to account for a whispered phrase in the background of everyday life and at other times it would be as a booming echo upon which the events in our world seem to reverberate. Continually though, it is a label applied to the state we continue to exist in under our fallen condition.
Pseudepigrapha or Restored Work? (Part 2)
“Behold, they are written among the sayings of the seers.” -2 Chronicles 33:19c
While the world would keep us constantly in self doubt, having to always prove ourselves by hitting worldly markers of success and staying within the mean, God would have us see ourselves as powerful, complete, forgive and giving. He would turn ourselves away from serving ourselves by accumulation things and toward using our limited time and energy in the service of God and our fellow beings. This life is a test, a limited time to free ourselves from the perceptions given to us by others and our five senses, to living from our eternal spirit and in communion with the Divine Spirit that the physical world separates us from.
Pseudepigrapha or Restored Work? (Part 1)
“And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.” -Exodus 24:7
The term Pseudepigrapha is a technical or scholarly term that refers to a work that is written under a false name or pseudonym. It’s use gets murky because it can refer to a work in which the author merely seeks to hide his or her identity for anonymity or to avoid persecution, or are attributing their doctrine to a famous figure. It is further clouded by the fact that H. R. Charles and James H. Charlesworth each published collected volumes of Pseudepigrapha, giving the unlearned the the notion of an “acceptable canon” of Pseudepigrapha. Many works in the canons themselves are regarded as Pseudepigrapha.