The Father and the Son

I remember reading the whole chapter many times in order to understand it. I also prepared questions for the missionaries about what I had read. As I was wondering about the story, my eyes were drawn to verse 7, where God the Father introduced His son, Jesus Christ saying: “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him.” While pondering about the Father’s declaration, I thought about how proud He must have been of His son. For sure He was so proud of the Savior Jesus Christ for what He had done to glorify Him. Any father would have been as proud to have a son like Him.

While thus thinking, I thought about what I had done for which God might be proud of me. I asked myself, “If Heavenly Father were to introduce me to other people, would He do it the way He introduced the Savior? Would He say the same things He said of His Only Begotten Son? Would He be proud of me despite my many imperfections?”

Following Christ’s Example in Baptism

When the missionaries extended the commitment for me to be baptized, I had so much doubt about leaving the religion which I and my whole family had embraced and cherished for a long time. I was only 16 years old and had a lot of questions about life, especially life after death. Death was the most dreadful thing to me and I often thought about how miserable and helpless life would be if I got consigned to that sea of fire and brimstone forever. I always thought that that place existed and that all sinners would go and stay there forever. With those thoughts, I always prayed to know what God wanted me to do to be saved.

I read in 2Nephi 31 how the Lord Jesus Christ showed His obedience to the Father by being baptized. I realized that if I wanted Heavenly Father to be proud of me, I had to be baptized. Holding the Book of Mormon in my hands, I prayed for courage to obey the Father’s will for me. My prayer was answered and it gave me the courage to follow the Savior’s example by being baptized.  I know that God spoke to me through the Book of Mormon because I exercised my faith in genuine desire to know the truth. I have learned for myself that if a person will read the Book of Mormon, ponder its message in their hearts, and pray to know the truth, God will reveal the truth to him by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Additional Resources:

Read the Book of Mormon Online

Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration

     “Imagine someone coming in and telling you that you were doing the wrong things, and that you were going to be destroyed if you didn’t change your ways.” When I put myself in their shoes, it made me wonder what I would have done. I might laugh and not accept the person’s views. However, the extremity of trying to kill someone for words is too far. I think that every faith and every person can agree that killing should be avoided, especially for something so trivial. After Lehi tries to warn the people, he decides to get out of the city. He leaves behind his treasures and property, which was considerable, and takes his family and leaves. He has four sons from oldest to youngest, respectively, named: Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. I personally think that they were somewhere around my age. It must have been very hard to leave all their friends and the life that they knew behind, but they did it.  Laman and Lemuel were a little more skeptical and grumbled, which is understandable. However, they all go on their way.

     A ways into the journey, Lehi is told by the Lord that Nephi and his brothers must get the plates of brass. These are different than the gold plates that the Book of Mormon was translated from. The plates of brass were basically a family record of the Jews and the scriptures up to that point. Lehi sends his sons on their way back to Jerusalem. This was a long journey through desert.

      However, Nephi says this in the Book of Mormon: “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” (1 Nephi 3:7) This is the attitude that I hope to gain. There are many commandments and standards that have been set up and given to us by the Lord, and they are not easy to follow. Everyone struggles, and I don’t always obey. I mess up, and sometimes I think that my way is the best way. Nothing ever goes right this way, and God shows this to Nephi and his brothers when they are given their task.

     When they reach Jerusalem, they attempt to get the plates back three times. The first two times they tried by themselves and then failed. The last time Nephi put his trust in God, and he was able to get the plates of brass. The United States’ motto is, “In God We Trust”. This statement is what Nephi followed. It is how I try to think, especially as a Latter-day Saint, (or Mormon). Obedience to God will lead us to success and a happier life.

Article written by Demetri S

Additional Resources:

Famous Mormons

Mormon Music

This article is by no means an exhaustive description of the chapter but briefly touches upon the importance of the teachings taught within The Book of Mormon and a comparison with The Bible. Chapter 17 in 1 Nephi contains a story of faith where the prophet Nephi is commanded by the Lord to build a ship. His brothers don’t believe it’s possible but Nephi follows the Lord’s instructions and builds the ship so that his family can cross the ocean to reach the Promised Land.

As you read this chapter, I invite you to look at the footnotes and other available resources which help one study the scriptures. A modern apostle of Christ, Elder D. Todd Christofferson stated “We should therefore study with these questions in mind: “Why was this included? How does this apply today and to me?” (“How to Study the Book of Mormon,” Liahona, October 2011 )

Comparing The Book of Mormon to The Bible & My Life

I love comparing the similarities and parallels between The Bible and The Book of Mormon because they both contain eternal truths from the same God (Ezekiel 37:16-17). “Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another (2 Nephi 29:8)”.

God us an unchanging being and is the same God in The Book of Mormon as He was in Biblical times. “For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?” (Mormon 9:9) For example, the Lord fed the children of Israel in Moses’ time (Exodus 16:15) but He also blessed Nephi’s family with great blessings in the wilderness such as living upon raw meat and the women bearing healthy children (1 Nephi 17: 1-2, 12).

Nephi “went up into the mountain, and cried unto the lord” (1 Nephi 17:7) for direction in his life and received the answer to build a boat. In the mountains, Adam built an altar and called upon the Lord (Genesis 12:8), the Lord spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12), and Moses received the ten commandments of God (Exodus 19-20). In modern times, we too can pray to God and receive direction and guidance from Him. Worthy members of the Church of Jesus Christ can also enter temples to seek revelation.

I haven’t been instructed to build a boat but God has guided me to attend a school I didn’t plan on attending or move out of the country. I don’t always understand why God may direct me to do something. This is especially hard when it was not my plan or the exact opposite of what I wanted. However, looking back I can see that God has something in mind for me greater than I can imagine and He knows best how to get me there. “After ye have arrived in the promised land, ye shall know that I, the Lord, am God; and that I, the Lord, did deliver you from destruction; yea, that I did bring you out of the land of Jerusalem. (1 Nephi 17:14) Only after I finished my degree or after I moved back into the country did I understand the invaluable and priceless experiences I had obtained through following God’s plan for me.

Why is this Important?

I know that applying The Book of Mormon to my life has blessed me in many ways. I love searching the scriptures and finding God’s guidance within them as if He was talking directly to me. “In my judgment, diligently searching to discover connections, patterns, and themes is what it means to ‘feast’ upon the words of Christ. This approach can open the floodgates of the spiritual reservoir, enlighten our understanding through His Spirit, and produce a depth of gratitude for the holy scriptures and a degree of spiritual commitment that can be received in no other way. Such searching enables us to build upon the rock of our Redeemer and to withstand the winds of wickedness in these latter days (Bednar, 2011. Increase in learning: Spiritual patterns for obtaining your own answers. Salt Lake City: UT: Deseret Book Company, p. 131).”

Additional Resources:

Do Mormons Believe in the Bible?

Visit this site for a free copy of The Book of Mormon.

Visit this site for a free copy of The Bible.

Brief explanation of The Book of Mormon

In my own family as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths, as the “Mormon Church”), I’ve seen the difference it makes when we read The Book of Mormon together. When we read it, there is a spirit of peace and love that enters the home. It is a beautiful feeling. The Book of Mormon helps us have more love towards God, each other, and those around us. I know that this is because it is true and because it truly teaches the words of Jesus Christ, which bring peace to the soul. When I give adequate time for personal scripture study of The Book of Mormon, I feel a peace and a strength enter my life. My power to do good increases, my desire to do what is right increases, and I feel more peace. I testify that The Book of Mormon truly contains the words of Jesus Christ. I know that there is a living prophet today who speaks the words of Jesus Christ to all the world through the power of revelation.

Here are some quotes by living apostles and prophets about the power of The Book of Mormon:

I urge you to get acquainted with [the Book of Mormon]. Read it to your children; they are not too young to understand it. I remember reading it with one of my lads when he was very young. … I lay in the lower bunk and he in the upper bunk. We were each reading aloud alternate paragraphs of those last three marvelous chapters of Second Nephi. I heard his voice breaking and thought he had a cold. … As we finished he said … , ‘Daddy, do you ever cry when you read the Book of Mormon (President Marion G. Romney, late prophet of the Church)?

I would like to speak about one of the most significant gifts given to the world in modern times. The gift I am thinking of is more important than any of the inventions that have come out of the industrial and technological revolutions. This is a gift of greater value to mankind than even the many wonderful advances we have seen in modern medicine. It is of greater worth to mankind than the development of flight or space travel. I speak of the gift of the Book of Mormon, given to mankind 156 years ago (President Ezra Taft Benson, late prophet of the Church).

He said, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (History of the Church, 4:461). That is the third reason for studying the book. It helps us draw nearer to God. Is there not something deep in our hearts that longs to draw nearer to God, to be more like Him in our daily walk, to feel His presence with us constantly? If so, then the Book of Mormon will help us do so more than any other book (President Ezra Taft Benson, late prophet of the Church).

It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called “the words of life” (D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance (President Ezra Taft Benson, late prophet of the Church).

“I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness” (President Marion G. Romney, the late prophet of the Church).

I would like to add my testimony of the divinity of this book. I have read it many times. I have also read much that has been written about it. Some authors have focused upon its stories, its people, or its vignettes of history. Others have been intrigued by its language structure or its records of weapons, geography, animal life, techniques of building, or systems of weights and measures.

Interesting as these matters may be, study of the Book of Mormon is most rewarding when one focuses on its primary purpose—to testify of Jesus Christ. By comparison, all other issues are incidental.

When you read the Book of Mormon, concentrate on the principal figure in the book—from its first chapter to the last—the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God.  And look for a second undergirding theme: God will keep His covenants with the remnants of the house of Israel (Elder Russel M. Nelson, Apostle of Jesus Christ).

The Book of Mormon is the most important religious text to be revealed from God to man “since the writings of the New Testament were compiled nearly two millennia ago.”Joseph Smith declared the Book of Mormon to be “the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion.”It is the only book that the Lord Himself has testified to be true (Elder Russel M. Nelson, Apostle of Jesus Christ).

Love. Healing. Help. Hope. The power of Christ to counter all troubles in all times—including the end of times. That is the safe harbor God wants for us in personal or public days of despair. That is the message with which the Book of Mormon begins, and that is the message with which it ends, calling all to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Apostle of Jesus Christ).

I testify that one cannot come to full faith in this latter-day work—and thereby find the fullest measure of peace and comfort in these, our times—until he or she embraces the divinity of the Book of Mormon and the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Apostle of Jesus Christ).

God always provides safety for the soul, and with the Book of Mormon, He has again done that in our time. Remember this declaration by Jesus Himself: “Whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived” ¹⁵ —and in the last days neither your heart nor your faith will fail you (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Apostle of Jesus Christ).

Additional Resources:

Obtain a free copy of The Book of Mormon.

Learn more about the translation of The Book of Mormon at an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Learn about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Bible is one witness of Jesus Christ; the Book of Mormon is another. Why is this second witness so crucial? The following illustration may help: How many straight lines can you draw through a single point on a piece of paper? The answer is infinite. For a moment, suppose that single point represents the Bible and that hundreds of those straight lines drawn through that point represent different interpretations of the Bible and that each of those interpretations represents a different church.

What happens, however, if on that piece of paper there is a second point representing the Book of Mormon? How many straight lines could you draw between these two reference points: the Bible and the Book of Mormon? Only one. Only one interpretation of Christ’s doctrines survives the testimony of these two witnesses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QuiloZIbI0

Additional Resources:

Official Site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Inadvertently called by friends of other faiths, “The Mormon Church”).

Get a free copy of The Book of Mormon

How to find the word of God.

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and serves as the Ward Mission Leader in the Annapolis, Maryland Ward.

 It was a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed “Mormons,”),  Franklin D. Richards, who once said, “Life is God’s greatest gift to man, and what we do with our life is our gift to God.” (LDS Conference Report, April 1971, p. 38.) Stephen L. Richards, another prominent LDS leader taught, “Life is a mission and not a career.” (Quoted by Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, May 1988, p. 54.) And it was President Boyd K. Packer, apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, who taught, “No matter what citizenship or race, whether male or female, no matter what occupation, no matter your education, regardless of the generation in which one lives, life is a homeward journey for all of us, back to the presence of God in his celestial kingdom.” (Ensign, May 1987, p. 24.)

On Friday evening, 17 October 1958, at approximately 10:17 PM, a baby boy was born to John Wallace Brown and Frances Mae Harmon. He would become the second child born to the proud young parents, as John was only 23 years of age, and Frances had just barely turned 21 years of age on 24 September 1958.

Having already begun raising a now one year old son, these young, but still rather new parents, welcomed their newborn into the world with both joy and with the realization of the challenges in being the best parents that they could possibly be to him and his older sibling. Throughout his early childhood, and well into his early adult years, these loving parents would nurture and instruct their son in the way that he should go. They had their own hopes and aspirations of what he would one day become, but at the same time, like his brother before him, they had dedicated his life into the hands of the Lord, and they were confident that as long as he never let go of God’s unchanging hand and was obedient to God’s will for his life, everything was going to be alright.

Hugh Nibley, Mormon scholar, once said, “No matter where we begin if we pursue knowledge diligently and honestly, our quest will inevitably lead us from the things of earth to the things of heaven.” And it was President David O. McKay, late prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ (inadvertently called The Mormon Church by friends of other faiths) who taught, “Knowledge comes through personal effort. Its acquisition involves labor. Exact and definitive knowledge comes to us in exact ratio with the amount of diligence, moral courage, and perseverance we put into the active search for it.”

At a very early age this son became a seeker of knowledge and truth. He developed a love for books and learning, and even during his elementary school years was fascinated by the treasures of knowledge that were found within the pages of not only his school textbooks, but other volumes that were available to him as well. Whereas most young boys tend to have a desire to get actively involved in some type of sports activity, he was more of an academic and preferred spending time in a library or looking through the encyclopedias and books at home to glean any morsel of knowledge from them that he could. However, even with his new found discoveries, he never seemed to be fully satisfied. There was still a hunger and a thirst to know even more.

In school, he devoted many hours to his studies, always wanting to do his best to achieve academic excellence. As he moved from elementary school into Junior High and High School, he became an even greater seeker of knowledge. Oftentimes he would be found studying different subjects on his own, outside of the subjects that he was taught in the classroom. He soon learned that he had a special passion for learning anything to do with mathematics and foreign languages. By the time that he graduated High School he had successfully passed one year of Latin and five years of Spanish. In fact, he had participated in a national Spanish exam in his senior year of High School and tied for fifth place. He was not a straight ‘A’ student, but he always managed to keep most of his grades in the ‘A’ and ‘B’ range and his name was very often found amongst the list of names of students who were on the honor roll. It was also in High School when he discovered a love for the English language and thoroughly enjoyed writing essays, short stories, and research papers. Oddly enough, some of his least favorite subjects were history and the sciences, although he enjoyed chemistry class mainly because of the mathematics involved in solving and balancing formulas and equations.

His quest for knowledge did not end with his graduation from Wicomico Senior High School in Salisbury Maryland in June 1976. At the young age of 18 years, having a love for learning new things in mathematics, he became interested in computers and how they functioned, and so he enrolled in a local community college and began his studies in Data Processing Technology. While working full time as a dishwasher in a local family restaurant, he pursued his studies at Delaware Technical and Community College in Georgetown Delaware, completing all of his requirements for graduation two weeks ahead of schedule, and graduating with an A.A.S. degree in Data Processing Technology in June 1979.

LDS (“Mormon”) leader and scholar, Hugh B. Brown once said, “Every landing field is also a runway for a new take-off. We must resist the temptation to abide upon arriving at an intermediate goal. There can be no loitering on life’s airfield. One must get on the plane or be left behind.” (Address, Brigham Young University, May 24, 1962, p. 3.) After graduating from Delaware Technical and Community College he decided to put further traditional classroom training and learning on temporary hold and continued working full time in the local restaurant. This; however, did not put an end to his quest for knowledge. He continuously pondered what he would eventually do with his life and began setting goals for some of the things that he hoped to accomplish. Perhaps he would become a teacher or even a preacher of the Gospel, as he also loved reading and studying the scriptures, and at the young age of 21 years had already read the Bible several times in its entirety.

 Mormon Missionaries and The Book of Mormon

Even with his vast knowledge and study of the Bible, he felt that there was still much more that he needed to know. There were many questions in his young mind that seemed to be left unanswered. And so, one day while watching television he saw a commercial for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and at the end of the commercial they offered a free Book of Mormon. Having no knowledge of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and having a curiosity as to what The Book of Mormon might be about, he sent and asked for a copy.

About a week later two young men dressed in suits and riding bicycles arrived at the door of his parents’ home where he was living at the time. They introduced themselves as missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and said that they had The Book of Mormon that he had requested. Wanting to learn more about the Church and The Book of Mormon, he invited them in. This was in October 1980, and shortly after he had joined the Navy under the delayed entry program. Leaving home and traveling the world while serving his country was one of the goals that he had set for himself. As President Spencer W. Kimball taught, “Goals are good. Laboring with a distant aim sets the mind in a higher key and puts us at our best.” (Regional Representatives’ Seminar, April 3, 1974.) And as Elder Richard G. Scott taught, “To reach a goal you have never attained, you must do things you have never before done.” (Ensign, May 1990, p. 76.)

He met with the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ (nicknamed, “Mormon missionaries” but truly ambassadors of the Savior) on numerous occasions over the next 6 months, and even began reading The Book of Mormon. Finally, in March 1981, he thanked the missionaries for the things that they had taught him and promised that he would continue investigating the Church and reading The Book of Mormon at a later date. For now his mission in life was to be in the Navy serving his country. He did not realize that his mission would actually become his career.

During his military service he was blessed with the opportunity to travel to many foreign lands that he had only read about in books. He also continued his quest for knowledge by continuing to take courses in different subjects. He even enrolled in Bible College in the Tabernacle Baptist Church Theological Seminary while stationed in Norfolk Virginia with hopes of someday becoming a Baptist minister. He only had a chance to study in the Seminary for a little over a year, and during that time again realized that there was so much more that he wanted answers to. It would not be until 1997, some 17 years after his initial investigation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons is a nickname for its members, but this is the full name of the Church), while stationed in Keflavik Iceland, that he would finally find the answers that he had been seeking when he again began reading the Book of Mormon and meeting with the missionaries. On Tuesday evening, 10 March 1998, in the little LDS (Mormon) Chapel in Reykjavik Iceland he was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the rest as they say is history.

My name is Keith Lionel Brown. I am that son of whom this narrative refers. The first 52 years of this journey called life have been truly amazing. There have been many mountain top experiences, as well as, many valley experiences. Nevertheless, all of the experiences have helped to mold me into the person that I am today. Truly I stand all amazed at the love that the Savior Jesus Christ offers me.

In a  short 52 years I have been blessed to travel all over the world, meet influential and interesting people from all walks of life – entertainers, authors, movie directors, actors,  and producers, a former President of the United States, and General Authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”). I have also been blessed with many wonderful opportunities – things that as a young boy I could have only imagined.

My two goodly parents were indeed right in their humble estimation that as long as I hold on to God’s unchanging hand and do what His will is for my life, everything is going to be alright.

I do not know what tomorrow may bring, but I do know the Lord Jesus Christ–the One who holds all of my tomorrows in the palms of His hands. He never sleeps and He never slumbers. He is always right there beside me and has promised never to leave me alone. I don’t have to worry or be afraid. I know that I can make it. In Him I know I can stand. For no matter what may come my way, my life is in His hands, even the hands of Jesus Christ

Additional Resources:

Get a free copy of The Book of Mormon

Trust in the Atonement of Jesus Christ

Learn about Jesus Christ from an official site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths as “The Mormon Church”).