The eighth lesson in the Joseph Smith manual for our course of study this year is entitled, “The Everlasting Priesthood.” Of course, as we’ve had the restored gospel since the time of Joseph Smith, the Priesthood is familiar to us, but Joseph was revealing things to the early Saints that were beyond their normal parameters, and I can only imagine how they felt when the concept of the Priesthood was introduced to them. We are taught in this lesson that the Priesthood is everlasting and has been held by the prophet in charge of every dispensation in the world’s history. … Continue reading →

Lesson #4 in the Joseph Smith manual for this year’s course of study is entitled, “The Book of Mormon: Keystone of Our Religion.” Three years after beholding the Father and the Son in the Sacred Grove, Joseph Smith was treated to another heavenly visitation, this time in his own bedroom from the Angel Moroni, who told him the location of the buried gold plates. When Joseph went to the place described on a nearby hill called Cumorah, he found the plates and was told by the angel that it was not time to take them. Every year for the next … Continue reading →

Our Relief Society and Priesthood lessons for this last week were taken from our modern day apostles and prophets, and the lesson we studied in our ward was the talk given by Robert D. Hales in the November 2007 issue of the Liahona, entitled “Personal Revelation.” In this talk, we learn how we can qualify to attain personal revelation, how we obtain it, how to recognize it, and then how to act once we have received it. We qualify to receive personal revelation as we seek in faith. We are entitled to revelation about our own lives and those in … Continue reading →

Our Relief Society and Priesthood lesson this last week was found in the Joseph Smith manual, lesson three, and was entitled: “Jesus Christ, The Divine Redeemer of the World.” Just the title of the lesson brings me warmth and comfort as I know we’re going to learn something special from this inspired message. The prologue to this lesson points out that as the Prophet of the Restoration, one of Joseph’s primary responsibilities was to testify of Jesus Christ. In a world that had so much light and truth taken from it, his job was to enlighten the minds of the … Continue reading →

The second lesson in the Joseph Smith manual for this year’s course of study is entitled “God, the Eternal Father.” We begin by looking at Joseph’s upbringing. His parents were deeply spiritual and the Bible was read regularly by everyone within the household. Joseph had knowledge of the basic character of God from his earliest years. He was accustomed to family prayers and to calling upon the name of God in thanksgiving and for mercy. When it came time for him to pray and to receive the First Vision, prayer was not unfamiliar to him. Joseph Smith taught that God … Continue reading →

I’m excited to study the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith this year and next. He is the first prophet of this dispensation, the one who restored the Gospel to the earth, and one who gave his life to seal his testimony. He was a great man, a true prophet, and a man of God. I look forward to studying him more in-depth. Our first lesson from the manual is entitled: “The First Vision – the Father and the Son Appear to Joseph Smith.” We begin with a recounting of the religious confusion that ensued after the death of Christ … Continue reading →