Word, Heart, and Mysteries Today, I want to focus on Alma 12, verses 10 and 11. They read, “And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it […]

Expanding Consciousness Through Temple Covenants In Alma chapter five, Alma the younger preaches to the people of Zarahemla, recounting the story of his father’s conversion and the subsequent conversion of many others. In verses seven and nine, he describes how their souls were illuminated and expanded. In last week’s thoughts, I discussed a transformation of

The Transformation of Consciousness Today, I will talk about something that I am in no way qualified to talk about. I am not educated in the sciences of neurobiology, psychology, or human behavior. Still, I can recognize how people change on a fundamental level when faced with the prospect of a disastrous existence. We are

The Day The World Changed So far in the book of Mosiah, we have read two speeches that changed the societies in which they were given. Speaking by the power of the Holy Ghost, King Benjamin, and Abinadi delivered messages that changed the hearers for generations. However, their words didn’t have the same effect on

The Greatest Lie Ever Told To establish what the greatest lie ever told is, we must first establish the ultimate truths of our eternal existence. For many, knowing who we are, who God is, and how we are connected constitutes the ultimate truth: Knowing Who We Are: Self-Identity: Understanding our true nature, purpose, and place

Bondage and Deliverance Announcement: I am going to make these Sunday thoughts shorter. If you appreciate the simple shorter format let me know. If you prefer a more in-depth discussion, I will start working on much longer focused articles that I will make available in a subscription-based section on Substack. The cost will not be

How to Transform Reality What constitutes reality? There are several theories about what constitutes reality or what it can be reduced to. These include only things that can be observed or measured or that reality is primarily spiritual or mental in nature. Dualism suggests that both mind and matter constitute reality. Others suggest that reality

What’s In A Name? In Mosiah, chapters 1-3, King Benjamin has his son Mosiah gather the people at the temple so that he may confer the kingdom to his son. Still, more importantly, he gives the people a name to distinguish them from all other people. He did it because “they have been a diligent

What Would You Write? This week, we have studied the shortest books in the Book of Mormon. There are a few reasons the messages of these books are so short. Among them are the limited space on the plates, everything has already been said, or the authors were preoccupied with other things or considered themselves

Personalizing The Allegory of the Olive Tree For many of us, the Prophecy of Zenos in Jacob 5 has been one of the most fascinating chapters in the Book of Mormon. To others, it is one to endure because it is so long and repetitive. The symbolic language is straightforward, and its interpretive language is