42-43 1 Ne. 18:7-19:2

I was just really reminded in these pages of the dangers of pride and comfort. When life seems to be smooth sailing, when the Lord has placed the wind at our back and things are going our way, we seem to forget who is blowing the wind. We somehow think that it is by our expertise and merit that life is great. Like Laman and Lemuel, we "forget by what power (we) had been brought thither." We must be like Nephi and look unto our God and praise him all the day long. When the wind is driving us forth towards the promised land, let us remember to whom the winds and the waves are subject.

40-41 1 Ne. 17:42-18:6

Verse 50 is one of my all time favorite passages. "If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them." What great faith Nephi had in the Lord and confidence in himself that he literally knew that he could accomplish anything that the Lord wanted him to do. That faith is only possible when our will and desires are in alignment with the will of God. All that Nephi desired was for his brothers and family to be saved. His soul was rent with anguish and his heart was pained because of them. God's work and glory is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life. That is what Nephi wanted. His soul was filled with the love of God, and with that love, his will was aligned with God's will. When our will and the will of God are the same, faith has endless power, unto the changing of water to earth, etc. Godlike love unlocks the true potential of faith.

38-39 1 Ne.17:19-41

We spend most of our lives in "the wilderness." Laman and Lemuel looked at their time in the wilderness as pure suffering. They thought the only way that they could have been happy was to enjoy their possesions in Jerusalem.(vs 21) They felt that the 8 years in the wilderness was a waste of time. They found no joy in the journey, no progression in adversity, and no strength in their reliance on the Lord. Rarely do we ever "arrive" at our destination. We don't grow all that much by sitting on the shores of the promised land. It is in the wilderness and on the open seas that the Lord can train us and mold us. If we are going to spend a lot of time in the wilderness, then why not enjoy it and become strong by it.

36-37 1 Ne. 16:36-17:18

I am amazed by the love that fills Nephi's heart. His brothers want to kill him, and he continues to try and be near them and teach them. If someone wanted to kill me, I would be out of town. He really understands the Savior's counsel to, "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you." Not just in word, but in deed.

34-35 1 Ne. 16:7-35

Lehi and his family must have been on the verge of death because of starvation for Lehi to have murmured against the Lord. We can understand what a tragic blow it was for the family to have no way to kill food because of the broken bow. Not even this could deter Nephi from exercizing faith in the Lord. He made a bow, and this is my favorite part, he made a single arrow, one arrow! Now that is faith. He knew that the Lord only needed to see Nephi's faith and confidence, and the Lord would provide the rest. Take the first step, be positive, find a way, and the Lord will grant us His divine grace. Even when there is only one arrow left in our quiver, the Lord will help us make the most of our effort.

32-33 1 Ne. 15:19-16:6

Humility is the key to unlock the blessings of heaven. When we are humble, we are teachable, and when we can be taught we can continue to learn and progress eternally. Instead of being offended or sad (like Laman and Lemuel) when we receive counsel and correction, let us be willing and able to change and grow. We should look at it as an opportunity to grow, not as a devaluation of our self worth. Looking for ways to improve ourselves will never be a "hard thing" to do, but will be something to look forward to.

30-31 1 Ne. 14:24-15:18

Laman and Lemuel didnt even have the faith to ask the Lord for understanding of Lehi's vision. They were waiting for the Lord to give them a sign and make it known unto them. The Lord is almost always willing to give us what we ask for, if we only ask him in faith, believing thay we will receive, and if we are diligent in keeping the commandments. We can know the truth of all things through the prayer of faith.

28-29 1 Ne. 14:3-23

Our numbers may be few at the last days, but we will be upon all the face of the earth. The power of the Lamb will descend upon us and if the Lord is with us, who can be against us? The Lord will fulfill his covenants and promises to us!

26-27 1 Ne. 13: 30- 14:2

I have always loved verse 37. It gives me so much joy, peace, and motivation to bring forth Zion. This time the word "mountains" stuck out to me and I put temples in its place and I loved the image that it produced in my mind. How beautiful we will look as we serve in the temples in these latter days redeeming our dead and ourselves.

24-25 1 Ne. 13:1-29

When the Book of the Lamb of God (Bible) first came forth it contained the covenants of the Lord. The great and abominable church took away "many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord." I thought about the covenants that we have made with the Lord and the power it gives us to come off conquerer against Satan. Satan cannot harm a covenant keeping people. That is why he wanted those covenants removed from the Bible, so he could cause an exceedingly great many gentiles to stumble. Thanks to the Restoration and the Book of Mormon, we can once again make and keep covenants with the Lord, and use that power from on high to combat the forces of evil.

22-23 1 Ne. Chapter 12

Speaking of the Nephite Zion, the angel declares, "they are righteous forever; for because of their faith in the Lamb of God their garments are made white in His blood." Forgiveness, cleansing, and sanctification come by faith in the Savior. Repentance is a gift for the faithful. What an opportunity to be cleansed! Take the leap of faith, confess and forsake and our garments will be made white, our souls will be made whole through Him. Christ paid the ultimate price for our souls, He just asks us to have the faith to be close to Him. Repentance takes a lot of faith. Take the action, take the leap, be made clean.

20-21 1 Ne. 11:9-36

I love the chapters of Nephi's vision! The tree is the love of God, and the love of God is the Son of God. Christ's love is the sweetest embrace we will ever feel. If we hold fast to the word of God, it will lead us directly to that joy of joys. The Book of Mormon, Bible, D & C, and words of living prophets are the key to tasting of that most delicious fruit. Let us enjoy holding fast to the rod!

18-19 1 Ne. 10:10-11:8

The Holy Ghost is the revealer of all truth, and gives great power to preach and receive revelation. I will be pondering the next few days upon the phrase, "by the power of the Holy Ghost." It is repeated three or four times in these pages. We receive it by faith on the Son of God, and it will unfold the mysteries of God to us.

When Nephi is caught up in the spirit, this is a summary of their dialog (vs. 2-6); "What do you desire nephi? To see what my father saw. Do you believe? You know that I believe. You will see what you have desired." The spirit obviously knew that Nephi believed, but it shows us the pattern of faith. Nephi could only see if he believed. It is believe then see, not see to believe.

16-17 1Ne. 8:31- 10:9

Nephi didn't know why the Lord commanded him to make the small plates. Mormon didn't know why the Lord commanded him to include the small plates with his golden record. Both these prophets knew however that the Lord has all wisdom, and knoweth all things and thus they were obedient to the Lords commands. Sure enough, some 2400 years later we all knew why the Lord commanded them to do what they did (116 lost pages). We are reading these very pages that Nephi wrote. Let us all be obedient to whatever the Lord commands.

14-15

Two things really stood out to me in my study today. First, was the word "loud" in verse 15. Lehi called to his family with a loud voice. I felt the sense of urgency and excitement that a father and husband would have to beckon his family to the tree of life. It was like he had found gold at the end of a rainbow, like finding treasure on the beach. The news was so glorious that he yelled and screamed at the top of his lungs for his family to join him. I also thought the phrase "cast their eyes about" in verse 25 was interesting. We must stay focused on the prize and be not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Sometimes we lose focus on why we do the things we do. It is o.k. to cast our eyes round about like Lehi does in verse 26, as long as we do it with the right intentions. Lehi had confidence and purpose in his gaze and thus was not ashamed.

12-13

Man was not meant to be alone...what can I say more! I loved this short statement in verse 13, "and ye shall know at some future period that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled...." The Lord always comes through with His promises.

10-11

I felt the power of faith that can be found in a strong marriage. Sariah was having a tough time believing in the safe return of her sons. Lehi was able to comfort Sariah with his faith and patience and confidence in the promises of the Lord. When the storms and trials in life come, it is wonderful to have someone to lean on to boost our faith and give us a renewed vision of the Lord's promises. Lehi had seen a vision, he knew it and could not be shaken from it.

8-9

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel. We can have faith and confidence in ourselves only in and through the Lord. Nephi understood this when he said, "Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us..." I found Nephi's thought process interesting as well. The spirit speaks to him in verses 12 and 13. Then in verses 14-17 Nephi shows us his stream of thoughts and he then comes to the conclusion to obey the spirit's prompting to slay Laban. I'm sure that Nephi wrestled with this for quite a while as he stood in the darkness that night by Laban's house. I think we need to ponder more upon the promptings that we receive. It will allow us to receive more light and knowledge than we would have otherwise gained. As we ponder upon the promptings of the spirit more "packets," as Elder Scott calls it, of revelation and inspiration will fill our hearts and minds. We will have a stronger conviction of what we are doing is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord.

6-7

"Go and Do," is the slogan of the faithful. Nephi is not your one try and die kind of guy. If we asked Nephi to accomplish something, he would get it done no matter what. If one door closes to him, he will try another, and if that one doesn't open then he will come through the window. For every door that closes, a window is open for the faithful. He is so "faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord." That phrase is repeated 3 times in these two pages. Being faithful means seeing something through to the end, and not giving up when there is an obstacle in our way. May we be faithful husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, children, friends, and disciples.

Pages 4-5

The first thing Lehi did when they pitched their tents in the wilderness, was build an altar and make an offering and give thanks unto God. It reminds me of President Monson's call to have an attitude of gratitude. Nephi follows the pattern of faith development that Alma lays out in Alma 32. He had "great desires" to be nearer to God and know more of Him. He planted a seed. Then he nourished it by "crying unto the Lord." This was his proactive role in the faith building process. Then the Lord softened his heart and visited him, much like Alma explained that the seed would enlarge the soul and be delicious and enlighten the understanding. The Lord tells Nephi, "blessed art thou because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart." Faith is acting upon our great desires and after we act, the Lord will give us a confirmation.

1 Nephi pages 1-3

In the first verse of chapter 1 the word "nevertheless" really sticks out to me. Through all the afflictions and trials Nephi was always faithful to the Lord and never doubted. When tough times come I want to say, "nevertheless, I will follow the Lord." Lehi's readiness to act and be obedient to the Lord's commands impresses me as well. When the Lord commanded him to preach, he preached. When he was commanded to depart, he departed. When the Lord commands, Do It!

Title page and Introduction

The faith of Moroni and Mormon and all the other prophets amazes me. They knew that the plates would come forth at some future date. One purpose of the book is to help us remember the covenants that the Lord hasmade with us. A faithful people is a covenant people. I love the challenge given in the second to last paragraph of the introduction, to read, ponder, ask, and then pursue. These are words of action and faith. If we really ask in faith, we are ready to pursue the answer that is given us.

Here we go!

Hi everyone, it is Danny Summerhays here, and I am really excited to begin reading this incredible miracle that we call the Book of Mormon with all of you. I love this quote from President Benson. I know there is power in this book. I will be reading and posting on the title page and introduction tomorrow, Jan. 10.