As children learn to speak, they may babble as the desire hits them, even at seemingly the wrong times. As children grow, they speak out as thoughts hit them. We should think of our prayers that way. When the thought hits you, pray about it. You don't need formality to speak with God.

Would I listen or be more like the Nephites, pushing him out of the city and ignoring his warnings?

Mirrors do not just reflect our faces back at us; in countless other ways, they help us see things that would otherwise be invisible.

I don't know how possible it is to reach perfection in this, but we do have a perfect example to follow. We need to see people through Christ's eyes. As we get better and better at that, we will see the naturally lovable person under the mask this world has put on them. Everyone you will ever meet is a divine son or daughter of God. If we can try to see that, loving them is easier.

This is the part I loved the most about this book. Rich Villodas's time on the Sermon on the Mount really got me thinking much deeper about a few topics and not only what Jesus really meant, but it also helped me think of ways to apply those teachings in my life better. This is what the author calls "walking the path."

We had an interesting conversation today in our Sunday School class. It was related to the chapters we have been reading in The Book of Alma. The discussion was about why some people feel that repentance is painful. Many do. I have at times as well. We probably all have. To cut to the end of our discussion, that is the adversary trying to cause you to feel like it is not worth it to improve. It is not worth removing the guilt and shame of past mistakes. It is not worth the trouble or is not needed. None of those answers will remove the pain.

Alma and Amulek made choices and followed the Lord and their faith in Him. Alma chapter fourteen not only contains one of the more horrific scenes in the Book of Mormon, maybe in all of scripture but also provides a great example of choices made. God will not force us to do the right thing. He has given us our agency.

In Chapter 5 of Alma, Alma preaches to the church in Zarahemla. They are not doing as well as they should be doing, and Alma is called by the Lord to command them to repent. In the process, he asks many questions throughout his sermon. It was suggested in a Sunday School Class that these could be used for self-reflection and pondering.

The true essence of wisdom lies not just in possessing it but in the very act of acquiring it. This notion is truly inspiring. The journey towards wisdom starts with the persistent desire and decision to 'get' wisdom.

The Lord has already won victory over death. He gives that freely to all. I sometimes think about, and am in awe of, how personal the rest of His gifts He gives us through the Atonement.

“This is the Way” . . .

On step at a time, over and over again. One sacrament at a time. Repenting over and over again. Praying to the Father and learning to be more like Jesus day after day. Returning to the temple to serve and learn over and over again. Enduring is not waiting, it is growing, learning, and serving.

The most common way to think about "feasting on the words of Christ" is to think about the scriptures. There is good reason for that, they are obviously the readiest source of the words to read about Christ, but in an of themselves are they sufficient?

A bit of an extended version of a talk, or sermon, that I shared today with some added sections that I did not use due to time limitations. I share many thoughts on prayer and end with a personal story about my mother’s best day and some Grosbeak birds as well.

There is a line in the Hymn, "Thy Will, O Lord, Be Done," that is beautiful and tells me much about the atonement of Christ and the nature of Christ.

I have found it helpful to see how Nephi laid out his themes into chapters. I find more nuance and more meaning by thinking about the "how" as well as the "what" Nephi is telling his descendants (and us of course) on these plates.

I find it very rewarding to not only imagine the life of the people in scriptures, but to try the best I can to understand their life, their culture, their history, and how they lived. This gives me much greater insight into what they are writing, what their prophecies may mean, what message they are sharing, and what I could gain from that message. It also opens my heart to the spirit of the Lord where I can gain my own personal insight.

We should all learn to give greater attention and work harder to remember and to implement all the good things that we learn in this life. From good books, great art, from our teachers, parents or friends, or any other source of wholesome and righteous materials we gain great insight and ideas.

In my professional life, I have spent the last decade or so asking and teaching my co-workers to "fall in love with the problem." At times it feels like I'm preaching to them. I have worked hard to try to be better at this myself as well, as it is always a struggle. This process was recently shaken for me. Combining a faith approach to this took some thinking.

“God uses the weak and the plain to bring about His purposes. This truth stands as a testimony that it is God’s power, not man’s, that accomplishes His work on the earth.”

While I was taking a walk today and thinking about this, the thought came to my mind that small deviations from what we should do today have a large effect on what we want to be in the future. That effect will only grow larger in the next generation.