November 3-9
As the Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel continued to unfold in the early 1840’s, one revealed doctrine thrilled the Latter-day Saints beyond imagination. Yes, there were some references to this doctrine in the Holy Bible, but no Christian denomination at that time understood it, and none practiced it. When the Prophet Joseph first made public this amazing truth on Saturday, August 15, 1840, many of the Saints present were so excited, they immediately ran to the Mississippi River to begin the practice. And what is this doctrine? Baptism for the Dead. Today we’ll talk about this glorious truth in detail.
October 27-November 2
What happened during the nearly two years that elapsed between the reception of Section 123 and Section 124 of the Doctrine and Covenants? As it turns out, plenty. We’ll talk about that today.
October 20-26
So, here’s a question: In the midst of all the challenges, trials, privations and difficulties the Saints experienced in Missouri, how is it that when the Church really needed the leadership of the Prophet Joseph, God allowed him to be put in an obscure and remote Jail, ironically called Liberty? Why would God do that? This is the Kingdom of God on the earth. Isn’t the God of the Universe watching out for His chosen Prophet? Let’s explore that question today.
October 13-19
I stand in Far West, a rather obscure place in northern Missouri, and as far as I can see, where once there was a bustling community of Latter-day Saints with homes, shops and a school, there are only empty fields. What happened to the people who once were here and why is only silence left behind? How could it possibly be that a sitting governor could order an extermination order on a group of people? Here in America? Unthinkable. It’s a human, heart-breaking story that gives us context for today’s episode.
October 6-12
As you begin this week’s reading assignment, and you don’t skip over the headnotes in Section 111, you realize this revelation was given in Salem, Massachusetts. Isn’t the central leadership of the Church in Kirtland, Ohio? What is the First Presidency doing in Salem nearly 650 miles to the east and a whopping 1,500 miles from Western Missouri? Isn’t this the same city of the famous Salem Witch Trials 144 years before in 1692? This will all make sense as we study together in this episode.
September 29-October 5
The building of the Kirtland temple marked a pivotal moment in the history of the earth, a time yearned for for centuries, when this key part of the covenant would be restored to the earth. The Lord said, “I gave unto you a commandment, that you should build an house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen, with power from on high” (Sec. 95:8).” That power was manifest in astonishing ways that we will talk about in this episode.
September 22-28
If you do a cursory reading of Section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants, you might think this is just a revelation of priesthood quorums and councils, more like a manual or a handbook. Don’t be deceived! Yes, there are tremendous organizing aids and guidance for all the quorums and councils of the Church, but there are hidden gems and mysteries throughout this amazing section and we will explore some of those together in this episode.
September 15-21
The material we talk about today gives us specifics about a dramatic, heart-rending series of events from the 19 th century, but is also so relevant for our times, as if the story was written just for us. It simply could not be more to the point.
September 8-14
How would it feel to move a thousand miles by foot and wagon, taking all your belongings you could carry—with a mission to gather to a specific place and build a community and society called Zion. You’ve barely been introduced to the concept of Zion—a people of one heart, striving with all their might to stay close to God and live the commandments He has given them. You’ve gathered in families and close-knit friend groups. You’ve purchased beautiful, verdant, fertile lands to build your homes and raise your crops. It’s truly an idyllic setting and situation. Except, what happens when opposition is introduced in the form of hundreds of people who don’t want you there are will do anything, including kill you, to get you out of their county?
September 1-7
How important are temples to the Lord? When Joseph Smith was on his first mission to Missouri in the summer of 1831, only 17 months after the Church was organized, on August 3, 1831, he received a revelation about a temple to be built in Independence in Jackson County. (D&C 57:3). Then, on December 27, 1832 in Section 88 (v. 119), the Lord revealed that a temple was to be built in Kirtland. So, the Saints had been commanded to build two temples, one in Jackson County and one in Kirtland, but, honestly, in mortal eyes, it was a task that looked impossible.
August 25-31
In this marvelous book of scripture, the Doctrine and Covenants, we learn things that we can know from no other source, including in rich measure the doctrine of pre-mortality, that we lived with Heavenly Parents, before this world was. In this week’s lesson we will explore the purpose of mortality and this, one of the least known doctrines in the world of religion, the reality of a pre-mortal existence.
August 18-24
In Section 89, the Lord gave Joseph Smith the Word of Wisdom, which we often take to be a list of dos and don’ts about how to care for our bodies, but there is more deep doctrine there then we often see, and we will share some of those ah-ha’s and surprises with you today, two of which you may have never considered before.
August 11-17
I used to look forward to the tail end of our Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts in Missouri because my Dad, a brilliant and world-renowned geologist and geological engineer, and Darrell Ownby, part of our family and a world-class ceramic engineer, and Nord Gale, a celebrated, favorite professor and brilliant microbiologist and Harold Romero, also a brilliant physicist, would stay at the table and discuss deep gospel questions. Many times, the conversations would go way over my head, as they talked about creation, celestial worlds, spirit elements, atomic elements and the qualities of light—but I tried to follow along as best I could. Hey, I was only 12 years old! But this was the beginning of my yearning, thirst and hunger for knowledge. I could not get enough of it. These discussions around the table were amazing. And then I was introduced to Section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants. I was blown away. This deep water is the subject of our podcast.
August 4-10
How distressingly human it is that some people want to build Zion and want an inheritance in Zion, but don’t want to keep the very laws that create Zion. That’s like saying, I want to live in the Lord’s kingdom, but I want to do it my way. That’s what was happening to some people who went to build Zion in Missouri, and that is the context behind one of the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants that we will look at in this episode.
July 28-August 3
Once in Nauvoo on a Sunday morning we attended Church with all the missionaries serving there. It was a beautiful sight to see! They were full of joy, enthusiasm, radiance, happiness and just plain excitement for being there. We talked to a number of the senior couples for a few minutes. “Oh, this is our seventh mission,” one sister said. “We love this work so much.” Another said, “Our only regret is we only get to serve here for two years. We so wish it could be longer!” Could these missionaries in Nauvoo be a testimony to the fulfillment of promises given by the Lord in Section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants? We’ll talk about that in this episode.
July 21-27
“Peter may have given the best description of the Savior’s mortal ministry in five words when he referred to Jesus, “who went about doing good.” (M. Russell Ballard). You want to know what to do with your life? There it is, simply put. If we are to be like him, we go about doing good. In Doctrine and Covenants Section 81, we are given the same charge with more detail: “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hand down, and strengthen the feeble knees” (Doctrine and Covenants 81:5). That is a very vivid picture.
July 14-20
In the last two podcasts we have talked about the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible and the tremendous blessings that came to the Prophet Joseph and to Sidney Rigdon as they carefully studied, pondered and meticulously prayed over the Bible. One of the great blessings that came was The Vision of the Three Degrees of Glory. In this week’s lesson we get a micro-specific peek into the process of coming to understand a very difficult passage of scripture. The Prophet is asking the Lord very specific questions about Chapters 4 and 7 through 11 in the book of Revelation. And it’s not so much what was revealed to Joseph that was important to us as it was the pattern for studying the scriptures and receiving personal revelation.
July 7-13
Though Joseph Smith received many visions and revelations, one of these was so sweeping, so mind-expanding, so glorious that the early Saints simply called it “the Vision.” It not only clarifies who we are and why we’re here and where we’re going, but demonstrated yet again what a powerful and loving Father we have in God. He is the ultimately successful parent and the vast majority of His children receive a glory that right now they cannot begin to comprehend.
June 30-July 6
Joseph Smith was tasked by the Lord to do something rather unique for a backwoods, upstate New York farmer now living in Northern Ohio. The Prophet Nephi had seen a vision some two thousand four hundred years before that many of the plain and precious things which were in the Bible had been taken out by the great and abominable Church, and because those plain and precious things were taken away, “an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.” (See 1 Nephi 13: 26-29) This commandment from the Lord and branch of Joseph’s calling would be to carefully go through the Bible and begin to restore many of those plain and precious things that were lost. He was commanded to translate the Bible. And the results would be astounding. We’ll talk about this in detail in this episode.
June 23-29
By November 1831, Joseph had received 65 revelations, and it was time to publish them. He told the brethren at the conference he convened that the contents of this book should “be “prized by this Conference to be worth to the Church the riches of the whole Earth.” In a world where men’s best ideas can never be more than puny and inadequate compared to the knowledge of God, these modern revelations were beyond a treasure. Think what it means to have a glimpse into the mind and will of God and to have revelation coming as sheer light to a prophet.