Values

A few months before getting discovered by Amazon Publishing, I listened to a talk by Simon Sinek that really touched me called “Start With Why.” It’s really worth watching, and it inspired me to write a little essay to explain the why behind why I write the kind of stories that I do. That posting, below, is called ‘A Manifesto on Virtue.’ The other two essays I added because I have very strong beliefs and often get asked about my religion on social media and by e-mail. So I wrote the additional essays to explain more about my faith

Manifesto on Virtue

Here I Raise My Ebenezer

Why I am still a Christian

If You Want to Know More

Manifesto on Virtue

When I was in college at San Jose State, I took Latin classes from Marianina Olcott. That is where I learned about the Roman concept of Virtus (pronounced “where-tuus”). It was a trait that the Romans respected, but it did not mean just virtue. It included other qualities too: prudentia (prudence), iustitia (justice), temperantia (self-control), and fortitudo (courage).

As I look around in the world today, I see that these traits are no longer honored and respected as they were in the past. Maybe that is why I love reading and why I have certain favorite movies I watch over and over again. You see, in my favorite books and films, the stories that grab me are about Virtus. All right, they can be cheesy sometimes. But I love that moment in Return of the Jedi when Luke throws down his light saber and tells the Emperor he failed to turn him to the Dark Side. That despite everything that will happen to his friends and (gulp) his “sister”, he surrenders and takes the blast of Force lightning full in the chest. That is Virtus.
I’m also a huge fan of the classics for the same reason. Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables grips me because Jean Valjean gives up a comfortable career, a position of respect as a mayor after struggling for years to escape his criminal past. And he gives it up because another man was accused in his place. The rest of his life is devoted to safeguarding a child he does not truly bear any responsibility for. That is Virtus.

Virtus may have been seen as a manly quality in ancient Rome, but it isn’t limited in my mind. All of my favorite characters demonstrate it. Jane Eyre leaves Edward Rochester after learning he has a wife, despite his urgent pleas for her to forsake her morals and pretend to be his. “Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth?”

It is Samwise Gamgee bearing Frodo up the mountain on his back, refusing to abandon his friend. It is the Elven girl Amberle willing to give her life to save a people who hate her and the humble healer Wil Ohmsford who protects her along the journey at great personal cost.

As I have studied biographies of some of the great ones in history, I have found many examples of Virtus echoed through the ages. They are not perfect people. They are always rare.

The problem is, they are becoming even more rare. As I read many of the popular books in the genre I love, I can hardly find any trace of Virtus left. Sure, there is a spattering appearance of it now and again, but the core of the story and the general plots are thick with meaningless violence, no self-control to speak of, and heroes so flawed I am not sure I even want them to succeed.

In the world I live in, there are plenty of harsh realities. But when I want to enjoy a movie or delve into a book, I want to be inspired. I want to see someone rise to the challenges instead of submit to them. I want to see more Virtus. I want to cheer for Eliza Bennett when she realizes the man she despises the most is the one just right for her. I want Taran the Pigkeeper and Eilonwy to stay behind and heal the world of Prydain instead of sailing off to a fair country. I want to cry when Harry goes into the Forbidden Forest alone with his ghosts.

Virtus isn’t about being a super cool vampire with too much time and money on his hands. It is about trying to be someone bigger than yourself, despite the odds, falling down, getting scuffed up, and still going. Even when the one you love goes another way. Even when you fail sometimes.

That is what I like to read and watch.

And that is why I write.

Jeff Wheeler

Here I Raise My Ebenezer

I have a deep love of music and have played piano since I was eight. Years ago I was asked to lead a choir in my church. My favorite hymn came to be “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”. There is a line in that song that says, Here I raise my Ebenezer, Here by Thy great help I’ve come. When I began learning the piece, I wondered what an Ebenezer was. Being a history major, I did some research. It’s a reference in the Old Testament about a series of battles between the Israelites and Philistines and how Ark of the Covenant was reclaimed after the Israelites changed their hearts. The prophet Samuel raised an Eben-Ezer—which means ‘stone of help’—a place to commemorate where God had rescued them after their decision to change.

This is my Ebenezer

My personal beliefs have had a profound impact on my life. I’ve gotten many e-mails from readers asking what church I attend because my author bio talks about being very active in my church. I’ve had e-mails from strangers asking for spiritual advice and some have become friends. Not just the Facebook kind.

Bishop Wheeler

From 2008-2014, I served as a bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Rocklin, California. We have many congregations in the city, so I wasn’t the only bishop. I’ve spent many years counseling people and seen the best and worst of human nature. It was an amazing, powerful, and difficult experience. I grew a lot and learned a lot. Because my church does not have a professional (or paid) clergy, I was reluctant to talk about my faith online to avoid the appearance that I would try and use my church responsibility to sell books. After my service ended in August 2014, I was then called to teach early-morning seminary. If you are LDS, you already know what this means. If not, seminary is a weekday class that happens before high school every day where students come and study the scriptures for an hour before school. I love teaching. I tolerate early mornings.

So why would a guy who has achieved his dream job of writing books full-time get in a suit every morning to greet a group of somewhat surly teenagers and try to motivate them to study ancient books and try to be better while at high school they face the worst the world can throw at them? Well, first of all I’ve had so many spiritual experiences I can’t even number them nor will I attempt to. I’m absolutely, 100% convinced that God is real and that He has a plan for all of us. And I really can’t complain because in comparison the sacrifices I’ve made as a bishop, a choir director, or a seminary teacher is nothing compared to what my ancestor went through.

Stillman Pond

In the fall of 1846, Stillman and Maria Pond and their children left Nauvoo, Illinois because of religious persecution and joined the migration west. Along the journey members of the family contracted malaria, cholera, and consumption. By the time they reached Nebraska, five of their children had died. During the harsh winter months that followed, they lost even more of their children. As the trek continued, Stillman lost his wife Maria as well. It’s a heartbreaking story. In total, Stillman Pond lost his wife and nine children. But he never lost his faith.

Stillman Pond is my great-great-grandfather. Because of him, I’m here. On the Wheeler side, I grew up hearing a tale that my ancestor was a constable in England and was sent to arrest one of our early church leaders for preaching. The leader (who later became one of the presidents of the church), told the constable to wait until the sermon was done. When it was finished, Constable Wheeler was one of those who asked to be baptized. You could say that my church runs deep in my blood. I have a strong sense of heritage and commitment to honor those who came before me.

But I’m not a member of this church just because of them. I’m a member for the same reason they were—because I’ve felt the Lord guide my life and it has changed for the better. That’s the neat thing about spiritual truths. If you try out a principle of truth, you gain the benefit of it right away. You learn it for yourself. If I told you the full story of how my publishing deal happened, you’d be convinced it was a miracle too.

Beliefs

While my personal faith does come from rich soil, of course I’ve had to nurture it on my own. I cannot point to one single experience or one amazing episode which cemented my beliefs. The more I’ve aligned my life with God’s will, the more I learned and the more I changed. I’ve read a lot of books in my life, many of them multiple times, but I’ve read the Book of Mormon every year since I was 18. I’ve felt God’s Spirit speak to my heart that it is true so many times. And it is full of spiritual truths. I still learn new ones each time I read it. I’ve read the Bible multiple times and continue to learn from it. I’ve found truths in other religions as well, ancient and modern. But nothing that pulls it all together like my faith does. My faith has grown from a series of choices which I’ve made over the years to turn my heart to God and to do what He would want me to do. These choices include reading the scriptures daily, praying deeply, and making Sundays sacred. It meant giving up my favorite heavy metal music I used to like in high school. These conscious decisions to live my beliefs have resulted in so many spiritual experiences (Isaiah 58:9).

Bishops in our church routinely have extraordinary experiences, and I can say that the experiences I had were incredible. The joy is in working alongside equally committed members who lead and participate and try to have good families. We help each other along the journey. It’s strengthened my family and my faith to be part of a larger community of believers. I’ve seen our members rally around a sister stricken with spinal cancer and repaint and repair her entire home. They comfort grieving families who lose loved ones. They fix dinners and mow lawns. They help people move. Our lives are full of miracles and most are so small, you’d hardly notice. But they are real. Nothing is more impressive than the dozens and dozens of teenagers choosing to live higher standards and then leave to go on missions sharing their faith with others. It builds my faith just being with them, seeing their trials and struggles, and watching them serve each other. I belong to an amazing church.

I have a testimony of Joseph Smith, a young man who had a miraculous vision in 1820 and was called by the Lord to be a prophet. I have been in the presence of modern-day prophets and apostles. These are absolutely some of the most sacred experiences in my life. I know God loves us so much and that he knows we need prophets today just as they needed them anciently. That is why Stillman Pond crossed the plains. That is why he never left the faith.

As I said, I love my church. I love my family and appreciate their support for my new career as an author. I love to write. I am so grateful to God for the opportunity of being a writer. I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ. So if you happen to see posts on my Facebook wall calling me “Bishop” or “Brother Wheeler” you now know why.

Here I raise my Ebenezer, Here by Thy great help I’ve come.

Why I am still a Christian

The Pew Research Center published a stark report that Christianity in the United States has been declining rapidly. They also point out that globally, belief in Jesus Christ has and will continue to grow, but it will shrink in places around the world where it once thrived.

Now that I’m starting the decade of my 50s, I’ve seen these trends happen in real life, and I believe that one of the things that drives many people away from faith is a lack of good role models who demonstrate what being a disciple of Jesus actually is. To be honest, the opposite is true. Too many times people say they are Christian but their actions don’t match their words.

I grew up in a religious household, but what happened at home didn’t always match what was said at church. In fact, when I was a teenager I was asked to give a talk to the congregation about how my family tries to follow Jesus Christ. Instead, I gave a rather infamous (to my family) and humorous talk about the opposite. While the congregation appreciated my sense of humor, my parents didn’t. For example, I shared how my youngest brother got so angry playing video games, he would pull the floppy disc out of the disc drive and bite it in frustration. I held up an example of one with bite marks taken out of it.

What does it mean to be a disciple?

It's more than just a word.

It comes from the Latin word discipulus, which means a follower, a student, a pupil, someone in training. I like that last definition the best, because it’s an ongoing effort. For me, being a disciple of Christ has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to do. It’s not a check-the-box sort of thing, a one-and-done effort, like being able to do a certain number of push-ups. The more you try, the harder it becomes sometimes. And that’s because the more you learn about Christ, the more you see the gulf between who you are and who He is.

So why would someone even want to try?

Because who you become along the way makes the effort intrinsically worth it. As you learn about the man from Galilee, it starts rubbing off on you.

I’ll try to explain through a story. When I was an 8th grader, I had a friend who was nerdy, smart, and sarcastic. We got along well. During PE one day, a 7th grader came up to him and shoved him. Back in the ‘80s, that wasn’t the worst that could happen to someone in school, however, it certainly wasn’t as bad as school shootings that happen in our day. Back then, students were often dumped head-first into trash cans or had their heads dunked into toilets. There was also plenty of verbal abuse. When I saw my friend get shoved for no reason, I went to the kid who shoved him and returned the favor. I pushed him hard enough to knock him down and since I was bigger than him, that was the end of it. I felt pretty smug about what I’d done. I’d defended my friend. But that’s not what Christ would have done.

That incident ended up winning me an enemy who would plague my life throughout high school.

It didn’t have to be that way though and here’s why. Our family had a snow-cone machine, and we used it to sell the treats for fundraisers at school and also from our front yard to earn money during summer vacation. With an extension cord, a folding table, and a chair, we would sit outside for hours and sell sno-cones to those going by. 

One particular summer day, when I was running the machine, the kid I knocked down came by on his bike. He saw the snow-cone machine. It was a hot day. He rode up and admired it. I had a distinct impression to offer him one for free. But I ignored it because he was that kid who had shoved my friend. I was cold to him, disdainful even, and he rode away without a snow-cone. I didn’t care at the time.

Fast forward to 10th grade. By the time he’d started attending high school, he’d grown a lot, and he was bigger than me. He remembered me from junior high. It always seemed that when I was about to leave school to go home, he and his friend were there, and they’d harass me. After he got old enough for his driver’s license, he not only harassed me, but my younger brothers too. Just thinking about him and running into him made me sick inside. This escalated for several years until I finally grabbed some friends and we delivered an ultimatum that if he didn’t stop threatening my brothers, we’d beat the crap out of him. Basically.

A snow-cone is all it would have taken to diffuse the situation and win someone over from enemy to, maybe not a friend, but at least no longer an enemy. But that is so hard, isn’t it? When feelings of resentment and disdain occupy our minds, do we want to do a favor for someone we dislike or hate? That’s why Jesus’s words are easy to read but so difficult to put into practice. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: 

for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew 5:44-45

So many of the major problems in my life have been caused because I didn’t act according to what I knew to be true. I didn’t do what Jesus would have done. I often chose to do wrong because I was self-centered and thought about my own needs or desires. I know I’m not the only one. It’s hard to turn the other cheek, to pray for someone who persecutes you. To not covet what others have or how they look.

It is also totally disappointing when someone you once believed in, who you thought was a role-model or good example, lets you down. That’s happened so many times in my life. I’ve known people who were great leaders and wonderful people and then learned later they made choices and abandoned their faith. They stopped the difficult uphill trail of being a disciple and went down instead of up. I’ve watched family members struggle with their faith. And lose it completely.

I am a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints because it has helped me and encouraged me to become a better Christian and a more deliberate disciple. None of us are perfect and you may know some members of my church who have lived its ideals and some who haven’t. Hypocrisy is common in every religion. But here is why I’ve stayed with my faith, and why I’ve kept walking that difficult path even when people I know and care about have chosen to leave.

First, I believe in the Bible. I’ve read it and I think often about what Jesus said and did. The scriptures are full of stories of disciples, and I find inspiration from reading about them and how they dealt with their problems, successes, and misfortunes. Bad things happen to good people all the time. We learn wisdom through suffering. My determination to live a good life and be a disciple has been strengthened by studying the Bible.

I also believe in the Book of Mormon. It has even more words of Jesus Christ and more stories of His disciples. Like the Bible, it has strengthened my belief in Jesus and has inspired me to be stronger and to keep walking up the path, no matter how many times I stumble. There are people in that book who have been role models to me. Those who made it to the end of their lives, keeping the faith. We need more of those kind of stories, don’t we?

The Book of Mormon is different than the Bible, but mainly because of geography. The Bible takes place in the Holy Land and the Book of Mormon takes place in ancient America. Out of many passages, one verse in the Book of Mormon has probably helped me the most in my own journey of discipleship: 

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

Mosiah 3:19

That verse talks about the ‘natural man’ (our selfish desires) as well as the attributes of Christ—submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love and willing to submit to God’s will. It’s a tug of war inside us. But it is those Christ-like traits that I try to work on, and it will be a lifelong effort. The more I have tried to learn what they mean and work on them, the better person I’ve become and the better I’ve felt about myself. I have fewer regrets, deeper friendships, and inner peace.

In addition to scriptures, I find the talks given during the twice-a-year general conferences of the church to be very inspiring and helpful in learning about the attributes of Christ. Many contain stories of people who have tried to live those values. These conferences happen every April and October. I take time to watch and listen to these talks and then watch them again because I don’t always get things the first time. The stories and role-models have inspired me for decades. A talk given in October 2020 by Apostle Dale G. Renlund is an excellent example of lessons I’ve learned from these talks: 

“To be Christlike, a person does justly, behaving honorably with both God and other people. A just person is civil in words and action and recognizes that differences in outlook or belief do not preclude genuine kindness and friendship.”

Apostle Dale G. Renlund

He also told a great story about two physicians at John Hopkins Hospital. It was a great example of applying principles found in Micah 6:8: 

“what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”

Micah 6:8

The church has given me a lot of opportunities to practice these attributes. I’ve had to teach church classes to 12- and 13-year-olds. Patience is required! I’ve taught early morning seminary for teenagers where they study the scriptures before school in the morning. I’ve been a bishop as well and helped people struggling with marriage while working on my own. That’s not easy, especially when some of your fellow members can be less than perfect. Or they make decisions which blow up their lives and cause emotional pain for themselves and their families. I’ve also been taught principles of provident living, like having a budget and not living paycheck to paycheck and having a little set aside in case of an emergency.

Again, it’s hard to be a disciple. CS Lewis once said:

“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist.”

CS Lewis

For me, the greatest thing that has motivated me to stay firm in my commitment to Jesus is the temple. Maybe you’ve seen one of the church’s temples in your area? Maybe you’ve driven by or gone to one of the open houses the church holds at the end of construction. Maybe you’ve walked the grounds and felt something special, something sacred being there. I know I have. I’ve definitely come closer to Jesus Christ by going to the temple and learning about the destiny of my family, to live again with God and His Beloved Son someday. It motivates me to keep trying to be a better person, a better dad, a better husband.

A few years ago, I remember teaching a class of teenagers one Sunday about forgiveness. That is probably the hardest aspect of being a disciple. I’ve struggled to forgive others who have hurt me or those I love deeply. It is one of the challenges of discipleship that just doesn’t ever end. Well, during the class I felt inspired to share with them the story of the boy I pushed down and how I wish I’d given him a sno-cone. I explained about the years of bullying that happened after and how I regretted not listening to the prompting back then. One of the teens asked me if I’d ever heard from that boy again after high school and I confessed I had never even tried.

After class, the question nagged at me. Could I forgive him after all those years? Could I apologize for my lack of kindness? Every time I talked about him, or remembered the bullying, it made my chest constrict, and I’d experience those emotions of being afraid.

Thanks to the Facebook, I managed to track him down. I had to gather my courage to reach out. This is what I wrote:

You may not even remember me. But I remember you and have regretted over the years some of the events of the past. This last weekend has been one of introspection for me and has caused me to think about lost opportunities. I can barely remember what started our conflict. It was long ago. But there is one memory I have which has stayed with me all these years and haunted me because of how I handled a situation. I wanted to apologize for it.

After our initial clash of personalities, I recall that you used to ride your bike in my neighborhood delivering newspapers. I used to sell sno-cones on the curb in front of my house and you would pass by. I did not like you very much and was resentful – stupidly so. One day in the summer you stopped by and tried to talk to me – in a friendly way. I treated you disdainfully and you left. If I could turn back the clock, if I could go back in time, I would have given you a sno-cone for free and been a nicer person. How that might have changed things between us.

You may not remember any of this, but I have carried these memories for many years and after some personal events in my life this weekend, I remembered it again and thought that maybe, through Facebook, I could reach back in time to you and virtually shake your hand and say I’m sorry for being a jerk to you. I have no hard feelings against you – only regrets that I wasn’t a better human being when I was a younger.

All the best to you,

Jeff

I felt such relief after sending that note. The burden I’d been carrying was gone. And I can honestly say that since then, I haven’t felt that tightening of the chest, the fear, or the regret over what I’d done or what we’d done to each other.

Later that night, my Facebook pinged with a response from him.

Jeff – I remember you, but not the snow cone stuff. That was a long time ago! I recall us not really getting along, but it’s water under the bridge. We never caused physical harm nor property damage towards one another, so was just normal adolescent behavior. Hope whatever caused you to speak up wasn’t anything tragic. Was nice of you to unload all of that. Take care of yourself!

I never would have reached out to him if not for Jesus Christ. Trying to be a disciple has benefitted every aspect of my life. It’s still a hard road. My family was recently thrown a challenge which has rocked us to the core and I’m not ready to talk about it yet. But every hope I have for the future has come because of who Jesus Christ is and what he means to me on a personal level. Just about everyone has let me down at one point or another. But not him.

With Christianity in decline in the US, I think believers from different denominations should stop criticizing each other or arguing over doctrinal interpretations, but instead should just try to love one another and try to be the best example we can be. When I was a missionary for my church serving in the Midwest, people honked at me, yelled at me, argued with me, and even chucked their sodas at me because I was a different kind of Christian than what they believed. Many people still say that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints aren’t Christian at all. It’s not true. I love the new TV series The Chosen because it is accessible to anyone and uses the New Testament as its source material, not any specific denomination. It was not created by my church but rather by an evangelical Christian named Dallas Jenkins who wanted to show how Christ changes us when we encounter him. The show has encouraged me to want to be better and to be more understanding of other faith traditions. It is time for hostility to end and for us to link arms and actually try to be Christian. Submissive, meek, humble, patient, and full of love.

However you find a way of doing more of this—good for you. For me, being part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has helped me on that journey. We all need to remember the source of goodness in the world and give away more sno-cones, help someone stranded on the road, or chip in and pay for someone’s groceries. The world would be a better place if more people actually acted like a Christian instead of just pretended to.

“Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do.”

Jesus Christ (3 Nephi 18:24)

If You Want to Know More

I’m a huge fan of the TV show The Chosen. My family follows them on social media, watch every episode and special, and we have regularly gathered for the YouTube webcasts with Dallas Jenkins, the show’s creator, to learn about upcoming events and the latest news. We’re big fans.

On many occasions, Dallas has responded to criticism about whether his Jesus is the same Jesus as taught in other religions (particularly mine). I personally think Dallas has done a great job fielding these questions and addressing the nuances in his answers.

There is a lot of information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints out there that is just plain wrong, intentionally misleading, or confusing. Here’s one recent example from Twitter from JK Rowling about The Book of Mormon:

As someone who has read the Book of Mormon dozens of times, I could have easily pointed her to the beginning of the book with the testimonies of eleven people who had seen the gold plates the Book of Mormon came from. They’d touched them. They’d leafed through them. Even though nearly all of those individuals left the Church at some point (some came back) none of them ever invalidated their witness that they seen and touched the plates and believed they came from God. The Deseret News did a great article, by the way, following up on the JK Rowling tweet which you can read here.

It would take way too long to try and refute or answer every claim made about this book. I’m not going to try. What I am going to suggest though is just read it for yourself. Watching a Broadway musical isn’t going to help you understand it. Wikipedia is great, but it’s not going to help much either. Reading The Book of Mormon has helped me become a better Christian and added depth to my spiritual life. I think it could do the same for you.

So here’s an invitation. If you don’t have the patience to sit and read the 500 page book, then start with the Book of Mormon videos that the Church has released. Judge for yourself if the stories dramatized in those videos bring you closer to Jesus Christ or not. BTW – they’ve had more than 50M views. That’s more than the total membership of the Church, so…it’s not just us clicking on them!

If you prefer reading on your phone or tablet, you can download the Book of Mormon for free through the IOS or Google App stores. Pretty simple. I would recommend reading the front material before diving into 1 Nephi chapter 1, because it can be confusing without some context (Spoiler alert: The Book of Mormon begins in 600BC in Jerusalem). But it’s okay if you want to start there as well. Totally up to you. Here’s how to get it digitally: https://bofm.page.link/app (or scan the QR code in the image below).

If you’re the kind of reader that wants to hold a book in your hand and underline your favorite bits, then that’s okay too. I’ll make it easy for you. Send me an e-mail at jeff@jeff-wheeler.com with your name and address and I’ll sign a copy of The Book of Mormon and mail it to you with some of my favorite passages tagged. Free of charge.

Whatever you know (or think you know) about The Book of Mormon, I invite you to learn for yourself. I’ve written millions of words and created many worlds and stories out of my imagination. But I cannot, as an author, conceive that an illiterate farm-hand from upstate New York could invent this book in 65 days (link). I’ve read this book and analyzed and studied it and read different versions of it. Please don’t take my word for it. Take a look at it for yourself. And then go to the one source of truth who won’t ever lie to you. Ask God yourself if it’s true.

 

I have. And I know the book has changed my life for the better. My wife, when we were just high school friends growing up in California, was intrigued when I told her the story of Joseph Smith one day at work. She went and checked out a copy of the Book of Mormon from her local library. I got her a signed copy instead. I’m happy to do the same for you.

It could change your life too.

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Helaman 5:12

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

Moroni 10:32

10 And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

Alma 7:10-13

8 And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.

9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

Nephi 11:8-10