VESSELS OF HONOUR

 

“On 19 December 1841, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles met in the home of the Prophet Joseph Smith. According to the minutes of the meeting kept by Wilford Woodruff, ‘Elder Heber C. Kimball preached of the clay in the hands of the potter, that when it was marred in the hands of the potter, it was cut off the wheel and then thrown back again into the mill, to go into the next batch, and was a vessel of dishonour; but all clay that formed well in the hands of the potter….was a vessel of honour!

Our lives may also be vessels of honour, a work of beauty in the hands of the Master potter, if we will respond to His call, be pliable in His hands, and learn from the things that we suffer.”

-       - Jean A. Tefan, “Jeremiah: As Potter’s Clay”, Ensign Oct 2002, p 11

“O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”

-        - Jeremiah 18:6

Let us dear Lord

Sit by Thy furnace of affliction

To warm ourselves by Thy refiner’s fire.

Purge our suffering and polish us as silver

That we might in the end receive our desire;

When Thou wilt come

To gather Thine own

To receive us into Thy bosom,

To carry us home.

 

Thy love for Thy people is beyond compare,

Thy mercy affixed forever more.

Thy power delivers us and

Thy loving kindness gathers us;

We are restored by Thy merciful might,

We are Israel, children of light.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Master Potter by Paige Payne)

DIVINE HUMILITY

 

I can relate to the poverty stricken Zoromites who were cast out of their synagogues by the rich and well to do citizens of Antionum who deemed them as dross because of their poverty (Alma 32:2,3).

I was a single mother for 20 years without a home to call my own. All my single friends in my age bracket have a home of their own but I don’t. I used to cringe to meet Church friends I hadn’t seen for a long time because their first question was: “Where are you living now?” This has bothered me for many years than I care to admit. I haven’t been cast out of the Church or discriminated against in any way but I felt for many years that I was nothing and nobody because I basically had nothing. This also made me feel that I had nothing to show for my life despite the fact that I am educated, have worked most of my adult life, have served unceasingly in the Church for 40 years  and have brought up two children single handedly. At times I felt like I was mingling with the dust of the earth….

I have learnt three things because of the financial poverty  I have lived with throughout the years:

-        Like the poor Zoromites, my impoverishment brought me ‘to a lowliness of heart’ (v 12), to taste humility. I have many, many times reflected on this with gratitude.  Belonging to a lower socio-economic class detached me from the world and its materialistic mentality.  It has been a freedom I have appreciated greatly.

-        Being detached from the world and its materialism helped me realise over the years that I am my greatest asset because in the end, I will take myself with me. It made me reflect many times on what kind of quality of eternal life I will one day have and so my commitment to Christ and His gospel increased exponentially. This is another thing I greatly appreciate.

-        This is the greatest blessing of all – my needs and my trials turned me to God over and over and they kept me by His side. I am now convinced that this is the life I wanted long before I was born because being by God’s side is what matters to me the most.

Through my needs and trials God has revealed himself to me in miraculous ways. I have lived in some beautiful places and had everything given to me that I could not provide for myself including furniture, household goods, car….. Sometimes He has used other people but in such ways that I always understood that it could only have come from Him.  I will share here just one occasion out of many which might seem small but to me it is the most miraculous of all. When I was a new single working mother, I was struggling financially in a huge way. One week I didn’t have enough money to put gas in my car. Before I went to work one morning, I prayed for $20 for this purpose. I went to work and forgot all about it. At lunch time my co-worker came to me and put $20 on my desk. When I asked why, he told me he was returning to work from lunch and saw a $20 bill on the ground. He picked it up and didn’t know what to do with it because he thought he didn’t really need it. As soon as that thought entered his head, I came into his mind and he knew he had to give me that money. So, you see, it was like manna from heaven!

I couldn’t understand for many years why the difficulties of my life but now I can see how superbly crafted it has been. I have let go now of feeling inadequate because I am not like my friends. Looking back over my life, I would not trade the experiences I have had that led me to the closeness to God I feel today. Those poor Zoromites had no idea how lucky they were…they might have been ostracized by their rich counterparts who lost the plot but this merciless act paved the way to their salvation.

I failed to understand

Why such deep trials in my life,

I expected better in my arrogant pride.

How merciful You were Father

To help me see the purpose of the tide;

That through my bruised and aching heart

You kept me fervently by Your loving side.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Life After Death by B. Laura Wilson)

THE DIVINE GARDENER

 

“We grow in two ways – removing negative weeds and cultivating positive flowers. The Saviour’s grace blesses both parts – if we do our part. First and repeatedly we must uproot the weeds of sin and bad choices. It isn’t enough just to mow the weeds. Yank them out by the roots, repenting fully to satisfy the conditions of mercy. But being forgiven is only part of our growth. We are not just paying a debt. Our purpose is to become celestial beings. So once we’ve cleared our heartland, we must continually plant, weed, and nourish the seeds of divine qualities. And then as our seeds and discipline stretch us to meet His gifts, ‘the flowers of grace appear’…..like hope and meekness. Even a tree of life can take root in this heart-garden, bearing fruit so sweet that it lightens all our burdens ‘through the joy of his Son (Alma 32:23)” (Elder Bruce C. Hafen, CR April 2004, 100-101; or Ensign May 2004, 97)

Often when it comes to repentance we think all we need to do is stop doing the wrong things but this is far from the truth. It is not enough to stop doing wrong things, we must also do the right things for repentance to be permanent and sincere. If we don’t replace the bad with the good, there is a big chance that we will eventually return to the bad.

Repentance entails so much more than confessing and forsaking. Repentance is the start of the road to change and becoming someone we had not previously been. Repentance is useless if it is not a process of refining and developing within us a celestial being. All the work put into it becomes useless if the end product does not yield a mighty change of heart and a new person in Christ.

Sometimes we expect the fruits of our repentance to be instantaneous. We expect a mighty change overnight and a total eradication of our desire for wrong doing. Consider the following story:

“A friend of mine recently wrote to me, confiding that he was having a difficult time keeping his testimony strong and vibrant. He asked for counsel. I wrote back to him and lovingly suggested a few specific things he could do that would align his life more closely with the teachings of the restored gospel. To my surprise, I heard back from him only a week later. The essence of his letter was this: “I tried what you suggested. It didn’t work. What else have you got?” ( President Dieter F. Uchdorf, The Way of the Disciple, Ensign May 2009, 76-77)

Nobody became celestial material overnight. It takes a journey of a lifetime to perfect obedience and endurance. For me, sin is anything that does not keep me in alignment with God and which sabotages my eternal progression. When I am aligned with God, I feel His spirit on consistent basis regardless of the circumstances of my life.

Because sin makes us weak, repentance oftentimes seems beyond our capacity. The good news is that we are not required to do this alone. Through the power of Christ’s Atonement, we can receive of His strength to assist us in rooting out the weeds of sin. This is what Christ died for, not only to forgive us, but to lift us and enable us to become celestial beings that Elder Hafen spoke of. Without the effects of Christ’s Atonement we cannot fulfil our eternal destiny. The Saviour grants us power over physical and spiritual death and brings us into God’s presence once again. We are not left alone on the path to spiritual excellence and godhood. He is the Divine Gardener without whom we cannot achieve our optimum excellence.  He is with us every step of the way…..if we will allow Him to be.

Grant me Thy power, dear Saviour

To embrace the grandeur of my eternal goal

That I might sin less and obey more.

Thou who art the deliverer of my soul

May glory be Thine forever more.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Divine Gardener by Greg Collins)

THE SWINGING ZOROMITES

 

The Book of Mormon always lists the seven Lehite tribes in this order: Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, Zoramites, Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites (Jacob 1:13; 4 Nephi 1:37-38; Mormon 1:8-9). The Nephites, Jacobites and Josephites were the believers in Christ and were collectively called Nephites while Lamanites, Lemuelites and Ishmaelites were non-believers, referred to as Lamanites.  Zoramites are always listed in the middle of the tribes, because Zoramites were the swinging tribe. Sometimes they sided with the Nephites and sometimes with the Lamanites.

About 74 BC was a particularly tense period in the Book of Mormon history during which the Zoromites  separated themselves from the Nephites and made them fear they would 'enter into a correspondence with the Lamanites' and incite wars (Alma 31:2,3,4). To prevent this, Alma organised a mission to the Zoramites to strenghten their alliance with the Nephites and be counted amongst the believers. Thus the Zoromite mission became a political move as well as a spiritual endeavour (Alma 30:5).

Alma Chapter 31 lists ‘the great errors’ the Zoromites had fallen into, despite being dissenters from the Nephites and having had the word of God preached to them (v 8). In other words when they were associated with the Nephites they were good but not so much when they aligned themselves with the Lamanites. This is ‘swinging’ in opinion, dedication and commitment and this is what caused it:

-        They were not consistent with keeping the commandments of God (v 9)

-        They were not keeping up with the performances of the Church such as prayer that they might not enter into temptation (v 10)

-        They set their hearts on their possessions and the things of the world (v 24)

-        They became lifted up in pride (v 25)

The most important error they fell into is one we can recognize in our society today. This chapter alone mentions three times that the Zoromites discounted the standards of the Church, including belief in Christ, as ‘foolish traditions of the fathers’ (v 16, 17, 22). Have we not in our day discounted the Christian values we once lived by? I saw a ridiculing comment on social media recently in regards to this very thing that said ‘this is the 21^st century and we no longer accept such outdated rules and traditions’.

Chapter 31 of Alma contains the most emotive and heart wrenching description of Alma’s suffering for the sins of the people. It describes his anguish as a state of his ‘sickened and sorrowful and pained heart’ (v 1,2,30,31). His prayer to God for ‘comfort of his soul in Christ’ because of the sinful state of the Zoromite tribe leaves me breathless (v 26-35). Alma pleaded from the depths of his soul for success in bringing these sinners and ‘puffed up people’ back to Christ (v 34). He could not bear the thought of one soul being lost because ‘their souls were precious’ (v 35) and that they might ‘taste of the exceeding joy’ of salvation through Christ which he tasted at the time of his repentance (Alma 36:24).

May we be steadfast and immovable in living by the standard of truth found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we might be an ensign to the nations as we live in this world of Zoromite mentality. May we bring Christ to the world and soothe His aching heart as rejection of His salvation rises and becomes more and more an outdated tradition of yesterday for the day will come when ‘every knee shall bow and every tongue confess…..that he is God; then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them….’ (Mosiah 27:31)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

THE CREATION

 

In April 2000 General Conference, President Nelson recalled the following experience in his talk titled, “The Creation”:

“While visiting the British Museum in London one day, I read a most unusual book. It is not scripture. It is an English translation of an ancient Egyptian manuscript. From it, I quote a dialogue between the Father and the Son. Referring to His Father, Jehovah – the premortal Lord says:

“He took the clay from the hand of the angel, and made Adam according to Our image and likeness, and He left him lying for forty days and forty nights without putting breath into him. And He heaved sighs over him daily, saying, ‘If I put breath into this man, he must suffer many pains’. And I said unto My Father, ‘Put breath into him; I will be an advocate for him’. And My father said unto Me, ‘If I put breath into him, My beloved Son, Thou wilt be obliged to go down into the world, and to suffer many pains for him before Thou shalt have redeemed him, and made him to come back to his primal state’. And I said unto My Father, ‘Put breath into him; I will be his advocate, and I will go down into the world, and I will fulfil Thy command.” 

(“Discourse on Abbaton by Timothy, Archbishop of Alexandria”, in Coptic Martyrdoms etc. in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, ed. and trans. E.A. Wallis Budge (1914) 482. Timothy, archbishop of Alexandria, died in A.D. 385)

Archbishop Timothy was also the 22nd Pope of the Church of Alexandria in Egypt, for three years before his death. I don’t know if this piece of poetic writing was given to him by revelation or not but I am astounded with how well it corresponds with our doctrine of the Plan of Salvation.

What arrested my attention when I read this piece, was ‘forty days’ and ‘forty nights’. I am fascinated with meaning of numbers and this number comes up a lot in the scriptures:

-        In Noah’s time, it rained for forty days: (Genesis 7:11,12)

-        Jesus fasted forty days before beginning his ministry (Matthew 4:2)

-        Moses fasted forty days twice: (Deuteronomy 9:9, 18, 25)

-        Elijah fasted forty days: (1 Kings 19:8)

-        Ammon, a descendant of Zarahemla, and his group travelled forty days to deliver Limhi’s people from bondage: (Mosiah 7:4)

Considering the nature of each of these events, this scriptural definition of number 40 seems to fit: “In scripture, the number forty represents a period of trial, testing, probation or mourning” (Gaskill, The Lost Language of Symbolism, 137).

I have often wondered how Heavenly Father felt sending us into mortality knowing that some of us will never return. The Archbishop’s story suggests a trepidation and a heavy heart of a loving Father who knew full well that His Plan of Salvation was necessary for our eternal well-being. Did He mourn for forty days for our impending loss of innocence? Did He mourn for the suffering of His Son? I would imagine it might have been like it is with us when we see our children grow up to make their own choices and lives away from our influence and control. It is not always pleasant and often times we do so with trepidation.

The Father watches over us with assurance that the path has been paved by His Beloved Son so that we might return to Him. I am certain He longs for us just as much as his obedient, faithful children long for him. May we bring Him joy and be a delight in His hand forever. And may our hearts be overflowing with gratitude for the Son who has made the path to this joy possible.

I will come to Thee Father

In whose arms I belong,

Whose arms I left so long ago.

No earth’s breath between us

To mar the union of our souls,

No desires of heart to match

Our eternal joy. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: God the Father, AI Generated)

THE POWER OF WORDS

 

I am always delighted to read in the scriptures about people who have invoked the blessings of heaven through the use of the Saviour's name.  Consider Alma in the Book of Mormon. After days of verbal and physical abuse by their captors, Alma must have realised that just any simple prayer was not going to get him and Amulek out of captivity. Whether Alma thought the only way out was by breaking down the walls of the prison or not, he knew too well where the power to do so lay and his words reflected that knowledge. Alma cried: “O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance” (Alma 14:26). The cords with which they were bound broke and the walls of the prison were ‘rent in twin’ (v 27).

I am passionate about words. Some years ago I studied about their power. It so happened that at the same time, I was going through the worst experience of my life which left me very broken. This led me to study about the Atonement also.  I decided there and then that my petition to God for a healing could not be just ordinary pleading for help but would have to express my faith in the power of the Atonement. I carefully worded a plea I uttered many times during the day which began like this: “Through my faith in Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement, I ask…..” The healing came and everything I asked for in that prayer was given. I emerged a better person than I had ever been and my faith in the Atonement was cemented.

Whether we are in need of freedom from bondage due to sin, rising above a debilitating weakness or in need of emotional or physical healing, our petitions need to be next level prayers which affirm our faith in Christ, because when we do this, we have claim on His power. When we place a petition before the Father’s feet and affirm our faith in His Beloved Son, the gate to the power of the Atonement opens. Petitions so uttered carry much more faith that we will receive than mere prayers with the mention of Christ at the very end. Our petitions are more readily granted when they are uttered through our firm faith in the power of the Son.

Whatever prison you are in, the walls will crumble at the mention of your faith in the Son of the living God. There is nothing He cannot do. That power emerged with Him when He emerged from the tomb.

With what heavy steps

You approached the garden’s gate!

You suffered, You atoned,

You hung lifeless on the cross,

As you met Your appointed fate.

 

I waited for my turn on earth

And watched with angels

Your rise from the darkened tomb

That could not contain

The magnitude of You.

 

I saw Your glory that shone so bright

Defeating death and making all anew

And I wept for the greatness of hope

That rose with You.

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Faith Has Saved You by Randy Friemel)

 

 

HEAVENLY PEACE

 

I have always liked this picture of Jesus with a white dove. I have wondered what the artist tried to say with it. She titled the piece, The Creator. Yes, He created everything, including the birds of the air, but why was the white dove featured to represent all creation? I knew that scripturally a white dove is a symbol of the Holy Ghost. I researched further and found out that there are many positive attributes that are associated with white doves such as: hope, honesty, purity and peace. When I read the last attribute, I immediately remembered that famous scripture: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” (John 14:27). And so now I tend to think that the focus of this painting is on Christ who represents all these attributes but especially that of peace.

What did the Saviour mean when He said, ‘my peace I give unto you’? It means, if you know Me, you will have peace; if you follow Me, you will have peace; if you seek Me, you will have peace; if you live my Gospel, you will have peace; if you allow me to help you do what you cannot do, you will have peace; if you allow me to make of you, what you should be, you will have peace. This kind of peace does not come from the world, hence the proclamation, ‘not as the world giveth’. We cannot have peace if we have our feet in both camps because we receive wages of the master we obey.

My greatest witness of Christ’s peace came through my experience with forgiveness. Some people have a forgiving nature all around, some can forgive small acts, some hold a grudge about anything and everything. The hardest to forgive is an offence perpetrated against you that hurts the most. These offences fall into the category of ‘too hard to forgive’ but they are not impossible because there is a way.

The whole premise of the Atonement rests on the principle of forgiveness. The Saviour died so that forgiveness would be possible. Forgiveness is central to His character. There is nothing like peace that forgiveness can bring to your heart. I speak from experience and my personal frame of reference. I had an opportunity many years ago to seek His ability to forgive when I could not do so on my own merit. The emotional pain I was in during the crucible of my life was beyond me to repair but I knew someone who could. I sought the gift of forgiveness, through my faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, multiple times a day. The pain was extreme but when the peace came, it was a freedom I had not known before. This experience in my life was the defining moment of my true discipleship.

Imagine what kind of peace the world can offer. It is a world where tribulation abounds and suffering is rife. Even the most righteous are not exempt from a world of opposition but endurance and overcoming of the world is possible through Him who has overcome it all. If you are in a boat that is enduring a storm, there is hope. Whatever the crucible of your life, it will be your defining moment that will lead you to know the Prince of Peace.

He, who with His word caused the earth to be,

Spoke to the Galilean tempest: “Peace, be still”.

He who has all things under His command,

Calmed the troubled sea of dismay in the souls of men.

He, who holds all humanity in the palm of His hand,

Caused the waves of the sea to whisper His name.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Creator by Liz Lemon Swindle)

DESIRES OF THE HEART

 

Is there a more poetic scripture in the Book of Mormon than this: “O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance to every people!” (Alma 29:1). In my last post I wrote about joy. In this chapter, Alma mentions joy six times. He hungers to be an instrument in God’s hands that he might bring some soul to repentance for, says he, this would be his joy (v 9).

Alma’s affirmed that God grants unto men according to their desire (v 4). Consider the process of fulfilment of desires and how they affect our personal development and eventually determine our eternal blessings:

“Desires….become real determinants, even when, with pitiful naivete, we do not really want the consequences of our desires…..therefore, what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity….Righteous desires need to be relentless, therefore, because, said President Brigham Young, ‘the men and women, who desire to obtain seats in the celestial kingdom, will find that they must battle every day’ (in Journal of Discourses, 11:14). Therefore, true Christian soldiers are more than weekend warriors…..

“President Joseph F. Smith declared that, ‘the education of our desires is one of far-reaching importance to our happiness in life’ (Gospel Doctrine, 5^th ed. [1939], 297). Such education can lead to sanctification until, said President Brigham Young, ‘holy desires produce corresponding outward works’(in Journal of Discourses, 6:170). Only by educating and training our desires can they become our allies instead of our enemies!” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 26-28, or Ensign, Nov 1996, 21-22). In other words, be careful what you desire.

It is clear that educating and cultivating your righteous desire means doing everything possible that is our part in its fulfilment. The cultivation of Alma’s desire evolved into relentless missionary service so much so that ‘he could not rest’ when his sons went to preach ‘and he also went forth’ (Alma 43:1). I am also certain that his personal spiritual preparation was such that the time came for him to be given to speak with the tongue of angels (2 Nephi 32:2).

His desire to be an angel preaching repentance was no doubt realised past his natural mortal life. We are told that Alma was translated, even like Moses ‘to be a ministering angel unto many planets’ until the time of resurrection (Alma 45:18,19; Deuteronomy 34:5,6; Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 4:210)

Alma achieved something incredibly significant through his righteous desire. We are told that he sorrowed greatly and continually for the sins of the people (Alma 7:5; 8:10,14; 31:1,2,30,31; 35:15). Sorrowing for others is a Christ-like attribute. In all his yearning, Alma didn’t only work for the salvation of others but he became like the Master he served. This should be the outcome of every desire of our hearts.

ODE TO ALMA:

He stood between you

And the gaping jaws of hell,

He cherished your soul

And snatched you from everlasting

Misery of the damned.

He planted the seed of faith

In your willing heart

But you, you tilled the ground

And nurtured the tree of faith

Growing the fruit, so exquisite and sweet.

So heavy in your overflowing arms

You sought to feed the spiritually maimed.

He who stood at the gates of Hell

Your soul to save

Gathered the fruit,

Your path to His throne to pave. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Briana Shawcraft)

JOY UNSURPASSING

 

I have been of late fascinated with the people in the Book of Mormon who were overcome by the spirit to the point where it exceeded their physical strength and caused unconsciousness: Alma, Ammon, Lamoni, his wife, their servants….(Alma 19:6; 14; 27:17; 36:16-21). It would seem this phenomenon is linked with conversion and I think this is so because when we are being converted to the truth, we are inviting and receiving Christ into our hearts. Alma testified of this when he described his conversion experience at the onset of which he said: “I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me….” (Alma 36:18). If you look at each instance of this separation of body and spirit that happened in the scriptures I have quoted, you will see that one particular word is mentioned in each.

In his reflection on the missionary success of the sons of Mosiah, Alma explains what this word is that overwhelms a person: “Now, when I think of the success of these my brethren my soul is carried away, even to the separation of it from the body, as it were, so great is my JOY” (Alma 29:16). Once again, this joy is linked to the conversion that the sons of Mosiah had success with in their labours.

In D&C 11:13, the Saviour tells us that joy comes through the medium of His spirit; in 52:43, He tells us that He will crown the faithful with joy; in 93:33 and 138:17, He tells us that resurrection will give us a fulness of joy; and then in 101:36, the ultimate promise: “Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in ME your joy is full”. This suggests that being in His presence, resurrected and sanctified, will give us the fulness of joy. I don’t know that we, in our present, mortal state, can even comprehend this state of joy that awaits us. This will be joy un-surpassing.

Last Sunday, I woke up at dawn and memories of my conversion flooded my soul instantly. Perhaps because of my contemplation of this subject. These memories stayed with me most of the day. I reflected over and over on the day I was baptized at the tender age of 18. The minute I was raised out of the water I was so overcome with the spirit that I burst into tears. Reflecting on my journey in the Gospel filled my heart with such joy that I wept most of the day. I recalled the many spiritual moments I have had over the years and many revelations and even memories from my pre-existence and how they all lifted me and grounded my testimony in spiritual awakening. The spirit would not leave me all day on Sunday and I felt I was at heaven’s gate. 

You met me at dawn

With my memories so vast;

I remembered coming to You

Long ago through the water’s gate,

So wide open for my soul to embrace.

 

You flowed through my heart since that day

Showing me the wonder of You;

I have seen Your agonising sacrifice,

Never to be erased.

I hear You, I am Your sheep,

I know You and Your sacrificial pains,

For the believing blood of Israel

Runs through my veins.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Find Perfect Joy by B. Laura Wilson)

THE REALITIES OF MISSIONARY SERVICE

 

Every time I study the Book of Mormon, I come across evidences that Joseph Smith could never have written this book. I am amazed by its historical complexities, its prophecies, its textual correctness, its overwhelming spirit. I save these discoveries not to prove to me that the Book of Mormon is true, because I know that with every fibre of my being, but because it reminds me of so many truths: that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that this book is indeed the second witness of Christ and that we are so blessed to have additional scripture that enhances the Bible and makes clear so many points of Christ’s doctrine.  

Take special note in the last paragraph of how Elder F. Burton Howard of the Seventy became convinced of the validity of the Book of Mormon:

“I was reading again the twenty-sixth chapter of Alma and the story of Ammon’s mission, I read out loud, as I sometimes do, trying to put myself in the position of the characters in the book, imagining that I was saying or hearing the words, that I was there. Once more I went over the report, and, with a clarity which cannot be described and which would be difficult to comprehend by one who has not experienced it. The Spirit spoke to my soul, saying, Did you notice? Everything that happened to Ammon happened to you?

“It was a totally unexpected sentiment. It was startling in its scope; it was a thought that had never occurred to me before. I quickly reread the story. Yes, there were time when my heart had been depressed and I had thought about going home. I too had gone to a foreign land to teach the gospel to the Lamanites. I had gone forth among them, had suffered hardships, had slept on the floor, endured the cold, gone without eating. I too had traveled from house to house, knocking on doors for months at a time without being invited in, relying on the mercies of God.

“There had been other times when we had entered houses and talked to people. We had taught them on their streets and on their hills. We had even preached in other churches. I remembered the time I had been spit upon. I remembered the time when I, as a young district leader assigned by the mission president to open up a new town, had entered, with three other elders, the main square of a city that had never had missionaries before. We went into the park, sang a hymn and a crowd gathered.

“Then the lot fell on me, as district leader, to preach. I stood upon a stone bench and spoke to the people. I told the story of the restoration of the gospel, of the boy Joseph going in to the grove and the appearance of the Father and the Son to him. I remembered well a group of teenage boys, in the evening shadows, throwing rocks at us. I remembered the concern about being hit or injured by those who did not want to hear the message.

“I remembered spending time in jail while my legal right to be a missionary in a certain country was decided by the police authorities. I didn’t spend enough time in prison to compare myself to Ammon, but I still remember the feeling I had when the door was closed and I was far away from home, alone, with only the mercies of the Lord to rely on for deliverance. I remembered enduring these things with a hope that ‘we might be the means of saving some soul’ (Alma 26:30).

“And then one day as I read, the Spirit testified to me again, and the words remain with me even today: No one but a missionary could have written this story. Joseph Smith could never have known what it was like to be a missionary to the Lamanites, for no one he knew had ever done such a thing before” (“Ammon: Reflections on Faith and Testimony,” in Heroes From the Book of Mormon [1995], 124, 125)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Ammon Before Lamoni, Artist Unknown)

IN PRAISE OF THE KING

 

 

ALMA CHAPTER 26:

“I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full….. and I will rejoice in my God” (v 11)

• ·        “Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell….because of the power of his word….” (v 13)

There is nothing He cannot do…..

• ·        “He has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell” (v 14)

There is nothing He cannot do….

• ·        “Who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men?” (v 16)

There is nothing He cannot do….

• ·        “Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls.” (v 20)

There is nothing He cannot do….

• ·        “Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.” (v 27)

There is nothing He cannot do…..

• ·        “….this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation and my redemption from everlasting wo” (v 36)

There is nothing He cannot do…..

“He has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being…..his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy and my great thanksgiving, yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever.” (v 35,37)

 

You are the God of power and might,

You enliven my spirit;

You bring me to life.

You make of me what I alone could never be;

You light my way into eternity.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Come and See by Tyler Anderson)

THE SON

 

"A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works they had collected. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. 

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said: "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art." The young man held out the package. "I know this isn't much, I'm not really a great artist but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift", answered the young man.

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"

There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted: "We want to see the famous paintings! Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted: "Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"  Another voice angrily: "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued: "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the long time gardener of the man and his son. "I will give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. 

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel: "Going once, twice, sold for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted: "Now, let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel and said: "I'm sorry, the auction is over."

"What about the paintings?"

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings."

Much like the auctioneer, God's message today is: "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?"  

Because you see, whoever takes the Son, gets everything.

- Author unknown

He is my Sovereign,

He is the King of all kings,

He is my wings of protection,

He is my everything. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jechoon Choi)