A well of water - the Lord's living water Gen 21:19, 25

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.John 4:14

In a recent trip to New Orleans  my husband and I took a ghost tour that guided us through much of the French Quarter. The tour guide shared animated stories of death and destruction, the necessary prerequisites for ghosts.  It turns out that one of our ghosts was the cause of the 1788 fire that destroyed nearly 80% of the city.

The story of  the New Orleans fire gave me reason for pause, for within this story comes the reason for the cities “well(s) of water.” But as it turns out New Orleans wells did not provide the promise of life or  protection from death that Spanish rule hoped they would. They in fact proved quite the opposite. 

As a prominent government leader and resident of the French Quarter Army Treasurer Don Vincente Jose Nunez had on a religious alter within a second story bedroom of his home, a large number of lit candles, and was prayerfully observing Good Friday when his servant called him to lunch. While downstairs the wind blew the curtains into the room full of candles causing fire to rapidly spread throughout the room.  Aware of the fire he ran 3 doors down to the church to sound the town fire bells. Within minutes the Cedar framed house hewn from the nearby swamps and used to construct almost all of New Orleans exploded. The resin that served to make cedar impervious to water also made it highly flammable.  The tragedy of the story is that the fire bells used to warn the town of just such a danger had been wrapped in silence in observation of Good Friday. With no warning and the match-light qualities of the homes, the fire consumed, within five hours, 856 of the 1100 structures.

To prevent such a catastrophic event from ever happening again, Spain decreed that all new structures must be built of brick, have iron railed balconies and courtyards that contained an inner well of water. So it is that every home within the reconstructed New Orleans had a well whereby water could be drawn for the use of cooking, drinking, bathing and most importantly putting out fire. 

The full tragedy of the fire comes not from the destruction of the town but in its rebirth. The twenty-eight years between 1789 and 1817 represented years of reconstruction. No one could have conceived that the wells of water that were placed to prevent death and destruction would prove to be the cause of the cities massive deaths. As stagnant bodies of water they  became the breeding grounds for mosquitoes, the transporter of Yellow Fever.  No records exist that allow the cataloging of death before 1817 but between the years of 1817-1905 more than "41,000 people died from the scourge of yellow fever in New Orleans." 

Not all wells of water bring life. Not all wells bring truth. As an Egyptian raised on the mighty Nile, Hagar knew the important relationship between water and life. Having been cast into the wilderness of the desert, Hagar believes what her life has taught her that without water she and her son will perish. 

Hagar stood but a short distance from a well of water that promised to save her and Ishmael and could not see it. What was Hagar's well of life? The water? Or was it her ability to hear and obey the voice of the Lord? What is it that helps us to see "the well of life" that God has provided for us? What is that we must do to help us open our eyes and find the truth that will not only fill our physical needs but also lead us into eternal life? 
  
The Lord had made a promise to her that her son would become "a nation." (21:18) Within the Lord's promise came the well of living water. Indeed the well of living water for Hagar was the covenant and promises that she and Ishmael had made with Lord when they partook of the Abrahamic covenant. Hagar's life was not spared by the existence of a well of water but by her faith in the Lord who directed her to "open her eyes" and see the well of water. 

Alone and forsaken Hagar could not see the promise of the Lord. Why? Why do most of us not see what God has promised us? In her most dire state Hagar was like most of us when life turns against us. She was angry and: 

         1. Separated (14) from all the family she had ever known.
         2. Grief stricken and left to wander in the wilderness (14).
         3. Without water (15) or food
         4. Alone (15) separated herself further from Ishmael
         5. Distraught and overwhelmed by her circumstances(16) waiting to die.
         6. Fearful (17).
         7. Given to prayer of desperation and weeping (16 & 17)

From the talk by Aileen H. Clyde I found these words about truth, living water, and Hagar. 

Consider the Savior’s image when he spoke of the necessity of discerning truth. He likens knowing the truth to receiving “living water”; that is, water that is fit to drink: pure, running water. He tells the woman at the well: “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” (John 4:10). 

When I think of lifesaving water and of wells, I also think of Hagar (see Gen. 21:14–20). Hers is a complicated family story. She is forced alone into the wilderness of Beersheba with her young son, Ishmael. In due time the water and bread she has taken with her into the desert are consumed, and thirst and hunger overwhelm her and her little boy. Because she cannot bear to hear the cries of her son, the record tells us that she puts him in a shaded place and goes “a good way off” (Gen. 21:16). There, she lifts up her voice and weeps. In response, an angel of God speaks comfort to her and reminds her that she is not forsaken. Then, we are told, “God opened her eyes, and shesaw a well of water” (Gen. 21:19; emphasis added). We, like Hagar, are required to see “a well of water.” We, like the woman at the well, must ask of the Lord: “Give me this water, that I thirst not” (John 4:15). This is the purpose of Relief Society. It teaches us as daughters of God how to see and how to ask for that which we need of the Lord so that we need not thirst again. Remember the Prophet Joseph’s promise to us that through this society we “shall rejoice, and knowledge and intelligence shall flow.”

Hagar's life was saved and restored because of her faith in the Lord. The Lord offers each of us a well of living water. We can choose to drink of it and live. But water abounds in our life, how do we choose wisely which water will save us? How do we learn to know the living water of truth and let it be our guide?


The Spanish believed that the answer to their survival relied on the physical existence of water within a close proximity to danger.  They believed their source of water would alone aide in their survival. They could not see that their "water" had become their most imminent danger. Stagnant, separate, preserved, and unable to be cleansed, their wells served as breeding grounds for the mosquito and ironically their own death. 


Living water flows with life, action, and truth. It inspires and leads us to share and interact with one another. With each drink we are renewed and refreshed. It cannot be preserved but must be shared. Living water delivers us not only by offering our bodies its required need but by feeding our soul with its pure, clean principals. Hagar found living water when she prayed and wept unto the Lord. She again found living water when she opened her eyes to the promises that the Lord had made to her and Ishmael. Her living water filled her when she once again served herself and her son by returning unto him and sharing her knowledge not only of the well but of the angels message. She accepted the Lord's gift of love and allowed his promise to be fulfilled. Later the same well that served to save them from death becomes the means for their promised inheritance of Beersheba. Did Abraham know how this would work out when he turned Hagar and his son into the wilderness? I don't know.  But he had faith that the Lord would provide. He had faith that the Lord would keep his promise unto his seed that came through Ishmael.

This story portrays the difficulties that Hagar and Ishmael had to face before remembering the Lord's promise to them. Their life was hard. They faced challenges that at times seemed overwhelming, but when they remembered the gospel principals of prayer, obedience, service, etc. their life became filled with promise. In the 2008 General Conference Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge of the First Quorum of the Seventy spoke to the choice that we have when facing life's challenges. He says,

 The Lord’s way is not hard. Life is hard, not the gospel. "There is an opposition in all things," (2 Nephi 2:11.) everywhere, for everyone. Life is hard for all of us, but life is also simple. We have only two choices. (Moroni 7:15-17.) We can either follow the Lord and be endowed with His power and have peace, light, strength, knowledge, confidence, love, and joy, or we can go some other way, any other way, whatever other way, and go it alone—without His support, without His power, without guidance, in darkness, turmoil, doubt, grief, and despair. And I ask, which way is easier?

2008 October General Conference, The Way

In addition a talk entitled the Abundant Life helps us understand that our living water comes from the acceptance of the spiritual. Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve talks about some of the characteristics that will help us recognize the Lord's promise in our lives.

 Today, I want to list a few of the characteristics that the happiest people I know have in common. They are qualities that can transform ordinary existence into a life of excitement and abundance. First, they drink deeply of living waters. Do you seek peace of mind? Drink deeply of living waters. Do you seek forgiveness? Peace? Understanding? Joy? Drink deeply of living waters. The abundant life is a spiritual life. Too many sit at the banquet table of the gospel of Jesus Christ and merely nibble at the feast placed before them. They go through the motions-attending their meetings perhaps, glancing at scriptures, repeating familiar prayers-but their hearts are far away. If they are honest, they would admit to being more interested in the latest neighborhood rumors, stock market trends, and their favorite TV show than they are in the supernal wonders and sweet ministerings of the Holy Spirit. Do you wish to partake of this living water and experience that divine well springing up within you to everlasting life? Then be not afraid. Believe with all your hearts. Develop an unshakable faith in the Son of God. Let your hearts reach out in earnest prayer. Fill your minds with knowledge of Him. Forsake your weaknesses. Walk in holiness and harmony with the commandments. Drink deeply of the living waters of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2006 April General Conference, The Abundant Life

As I think about water and its significance in our lives, I am filled with the idea that water alone is not enough to save us. In the town of New Orleans their stagnant water protected them from fire but invited an unseen death.  Hagar's ability to live depended not on drinking the water but on finding the water. The idea that God has made promises to me and that I must not despair but must drink daily of his living water through service, obedience, inspiration, joy, kindness, understanding, and through accepting all the blessings the gospel brings. When we partake of the Lord's covenants, his promise to us becomes our well of living water. And it flows within us. It cleanses us. It renews us and brings us Joy. 

After These Things (Genesis14- 15:1)

After These Things: Believe, Hope and Endure

Abram refuses Bera's rewards and accepts blessings of Melchizadek

We all have trials. It is not that we have them but rather how we choose to deal with them. Abram chose to believe not in the arm of man but rather in God, to hope not for riches but for the blessings of heaven, and to endure his time of challenge with a strength and fortitude that promised him sacred opportunity, wisdom, perspective and promise.

Ancient Irrigation Techniques 

I have had many trials in my life. I imagine that many of my trials have not been too different from what Abram endured. The scenes and props may change but personal trials tend to be the same. We know from history that his time in history was one of where man attempted to gain control over mother- nature and create a sense of stability in his life.  As man gained a sense of understanding over crops, water and weather, he still had to deal with himself.  Through all of the innovations, inventions and discoveries and after all of this time, I have to wonder how much the true nature of man with relation to one another has changed?    Has the human condition improved? I believe Abram understood that the ability to truly change the human condition began with a faith in a power greater than his own.

Abram’s story of faith began in Genesis 14. As I was reading Genesis 15 my mind caught the words, “after these things.” What things? I went back to Genesis 14 and discovered a few important things that Abram had done. (because the chapter deals mostly with the wars between the 9 kings, it is easy to miss Abram’s important role) These things were prerequisite to his vision where “the word of the Lord came unto him.”

Before I delineate Abram’s role I want to set the stage.

There were 4 kings  that  “made war” with 5 kings. The four kings I will call Team A (for Amraphel king of Shinar).  The 5 kings I will call Team B for Bera king of Sodom

Team A: Shinar, Ellasar, Elam and Nations (Geneses 1)

Team B: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, Zoar (Geneses 2)

Who: Team A make war with Team B in the vale of Siddim near the salt sea.

Why: They had served Chedorlaomer (king of Elam) 12 years, but in the 13^th year they rebel.

What: 14^th year Chedorlaomer  comes with his 3 other kings and plumaged and smote the REphaims, Zuzims, Emims, Horites, the Amalekites, and the Amorites. In other words they were on rampage as a rebellion.

The five kings joined together to stop the slaughter. (Genesis 14:9) They came together at the vale of Siddim where there were slimepits. A slimepit is a plot of earth that is soft and mucky, usually of clay or very moist mud. The point of this reference is to help us understand that the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah could not take a stand because the ground would not allow for it. It was a very precarious place to stand a fight against the confederate forces. They fled.

The confederates come and take the spoils of war: all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, all the food, and all the people for slaves.  And a ally of Abram comes to tell him of Lot’s capture.

What did Abram who dwelled in the plain of Mamre the Amorite  do:

• ·      He armed his trained servants (318 of them)
• ·      He pursued Chedorlaomer and his 4 kings to the land of Dan
• ·      He divides himself with his servants and attacks them at night and pursues them to Hobah
• ·      He slaughters Team A (all 4 kings) at the valley of Shaveh (the kings dale)
• ·      He then brings back all of the spoils that had been taken, “all the goods, his brother Lot, the women, and the people.” (Gen 14: 16)
• ·      He receives a blessing from Melchizedek
• ·      He pays his tithes
• ·      He gives credit to his  “most high God”.  (Genesis 14:22-24)
• ·      He meets out his reward with justice and in such a way to give recognizes the true source of his strength and virtue.

In Abram’s time the kingdoms vied for security through power struggle’s and war. Abram chose to follow a different path that allowed him to discover the power that faith in a true and living God brings.  When I considered what he had done and why he had done it, I was moved to understand the true nature of his faith.

Abram rescues Lot

Abram’s only heir was Lot, so that when he heard what had happened to him he took strength to defend him, but in defending his family the Lord gave him opportunity to testify and declare his allegiance to his God.  When Bera, the king of Sodom, wants to glorify Abram and give him the spoils of war, Abram refuses him, “lest thou should say, I have made Abram rich.” 

Abram who had left his father’s land and dwelled in the land of the Amorite, who at this point was childless, who had refused the traditions of his family and had returned to the God of Adam and Enoch and Noah, felt very much alone in the world. But yet he knew from whence his strength and power came.

And it was “After these things”, or after the trial of his faith that the Lord will bless him with a vision for his future.  After these things… after he stood strong for what was right, after he fought with strength born of virtue and faith, after he defeats all of the rebels using the tactics of division and nighttime warfare, after he uses the power of the Holy Ghost to help him outsmart the rebels in the valley of Shaveh, and after he refuses his “victors glory” and chooses to humbly give credit to the Lord, he is able to sit and contemplate just exactly what his faith has brought him.

While he is resting from his conquest and considering what he has in life, he is given a vision that brings him hope and a promise. 

no cause for unbelief (Helaman 14: 20-39)

"No cause for unbelief "

Life doesn't always turn out the way we would like.

We work hard to build lives that offer financial success. But the financial world is, like the relatively new science of economics describes as unstable as the human psyche that created it.

We work hard to build lives that bring physical stability. But like the flowers that bloom and then fade away in the afternoon sun, our bodies turn tide against us.

We work hard to build lives that bring social security. But friends that we network with change, families move away, jobs end and the politics that frame our standards and laws ebb and swell with the changing mood of the masses.

So where do we go to build an infrastructure of sureness? To whom do we turn?

In my life I have had many miracles. I have had many reasons that I could say "I have no cause for unbelief." With an unseen hand my God has directed my paths and the paths of my children. He has loved me and given me great reason for rejoicing.

As I thought of these verses I realized I could not think of one instance or one occurrence that spoke louder than another. Instead I have had many that have helped my faith wax strong. As I have dipped my candle into the words, the counsel and the direction of wisdom's call, my inner candle of faith has waxed stronger.

I have never felt the earth move under my feet or know the fear of walls falling around me, but I have the structure of my life pulled out from under me more than once only to find that my faith has steadied me.

I have never felt the wind of a tempest blow me down or watch it carry away every earthly possession, but I have had angry and bitter winds of corporate jealousy, greed, and competition threaten to destroy all that my family represented, only to find that I was carried by God's love through a storm so fierce that I would not have survived without Him.

I have never seen an angry volcano explode and spew hot lava or ash over my world, but I have known the fear that angry words bring, the aftermath of angry emotions, and the peace that forgiveness forges as well as the fertile soil that comes from understanding.

I have never seen a mountain laid low or a hurricane blow its mighty wrath upon the land, but I have seen the hand of God as it steered my life on a course that would make it possible to heal my child's birth defects in such a way that she would not only be able to live a normal life, but would do so with grace and most importantly without a sense of victimization.

My trials are not over. Life isn't something we orchestrate as you would a physical structure. It is much more fragile. Life requires faith in energy that lives within the materials we use to build the structure. The elemental source of life itself.
We call Him God. He is the one that keeps the rocks from falling on us during a catastrophe (either physical or spiritual). He is the one who loves us beyond our greatest comprehension. All he requires is that we understand... we "have no cause for unbelief."

Words and Phrases

vs 20 in that day... From the time Christ dies there begins a time of 3 days where there is no light. This could have been because of an eclipse, or a volcano explosion which would block the light from the sky, or ???

vs 25 graves shall be opened - a first resurrection for those who died before the Savior.

vs 27 a darkness - for three days. This darkness was like no other. The closest I could think of would be like going into a cave and turning out your flashlight.

vs 28 to the intent - might believe.. to the intent no cause for unbelief. So in other words.. those that believe will have great cause to believe... so great will be the signs and wonders that will be predicted and known beforehand.. and also the miracles of those who will be saved because of their faith and obedience..

vs 29 a righteous judgement - those who will not believe will be judge according to just judgments.

vs 30 perishes unto himself - those who do not believe .. believe in themselves. and therefor they will perish unto himself. There is not reward in not believing in the Savior Jesus Christ. You are alone. You have no community, no help, no truth.

vs 31..choose life or death - this is not about a physical life, but rather a spiritual life. When we choose eternal life, we gain an understanding of what it means to live. All of the physical turmoil around us cannot distract us from our faith in Christ.

We have no reason.. no cause for unbelief.

The second death (Helaman 14: 11-19)

The

Second Death

Wildlife abounds near my mother's home. Rabbits, snakes, ducks, deer, egrets, herons, fiddler crabs, mice, and songbird have all given story to our lives. This story is about one songbird that once lived midst the tall shade pines.

The long-leaf pine trees that now tower some forty-fifty feet over my mother's beautiful butterfly garden once stood a mere ten-fifteen feet tall. Their narrow branches bowed low while their floppy needles teased the crabgrass that spotted our yard. When startled birds flitted from man's intrusive presence, the tree's low branches made it possible to view the birds with ease.

Let me begin my story by filling in a few details. I grew up as the third child, only girl, and youngest to two brothers who loved to hunt, fish, blow things up, and well- do things that boys tend to do. Not having a sister, and not wanting to feel left out, I learned to adapt.

I adapted by doing what I saw them do. Fish, hunt, hike, motorbike, build, camp, etc. Harry, (my step-father) was an avid hunter. He took my oldest brother (Don had passed over already) hunting every Saturday. In fact- it was his love of hunting that brought us to South Carolina in the first place as South Carolina boasts the longest hunting season of any state and has great fishing as well.

Because hunting was part of our family culture, and I was somewhat of a "tom-boy", it was not viewed unusual for me to ask for and receive a "Daisy Model 96 BB Gun with lever action" for my twelfth Christmas. I suppose I believed I would hunt at the hunting camp and learn to love nature as my brother did. Harry set up an empty milk jug in the back yard and I began my target practice. I was given strict instructions to always shoot away from the house.

I obviously did not follow these instructions because at some point an errant BB made its way through our large glass window leaving a perfect circular pyramid of cut glass at its exit. Only a perfectly round projectile could do this. I argued my case, but the evidence left an ever-telling mark of an errant BB and a disobedient marksman.

With a fair amount of practice my aim began to find its mark. Soon I could hit not only the empty milk jug (that served to catch my BBs) but also soda cans that I lined up along the picnic table. I next moved to a hanging target and gradually moved my distant back steadying my aim with each pace.

A neighbor girl of my age had also received a BB gun. She and I decided we might attempt to hunt in the woods together. Before I set out to hunt what? (I'm not sure that I put much thought into it) Thinking back on it, I believe that I really just wanted to outdo my friend. I wanted to be the better hunter, the most experienced, and the one with the best shot. Wanting to prepare and get some practice of my own, I scoped my bead on the backyard wildlife.

Perched on a branch just above and across the drainage ditch sat a songbird. He sang a most beautiful song. But my heart did not hear it. My eye was trained on the bead at the end of my gun and all I could think of us was pulling the trigger. I really didn't expect to hit my target. I foolishly believed I would go right or left and the bird would get away. It was after all just a game. A game where I was the powerful hunter, and the songbird was the target.

GREUZE - Young Girl Weeping for her dead bird 1759

My success horrified me and sent me into temporary shock. Dumbfounded with my ability to forever silence such beauty, I felt temporarily paralyzed. Then I heard its limp body hit the ground across the creek from our yard. My senses shook me into a bewildered walk. What would I do? What could I do? Somewhere in the confused mind, I mused, "Maybe I missed and he's just been stunned?"

I crossed the creek by circling back to the street and entering my neighbor's back yard. There on the cold January ground sat the lifeless bird. It's song forever silenced by my selfish game. Tears welled inside of me. "How could I be so foolish?" "How could I be so prideful?" "How could I be so blind as to the sanctity of life and God's gift of nature?" I cried out loud. Finally I set about to act responsibly.

I returned home to find a shovel, a shoebox, and some newspaper. After burying its tiny body in my back yard,( I gave a funeral service complete with song) I retired my BB gun to the cobwebs of our garage. I never picked it up again. I never took aim again. I never wanted to be the best aim, or the best hunter, or have anything to do with robbing the earth of God's gifts of life.

For weeks I despised myself. For weeks I loathed what I had done. Once I saw my friend out hunting alone along the grassy marshland. I saw her take aim at a beautiful heron that stalked its prey in the mudflats. I saw its beak plow into pluff mud, never to return its slender silhouetted form to our skyline. She too felt the shame and retired her desire to hunt. She too felt the shame.

How had society wrong us? How had we been duped into believing that we (as young women) could act like young men? Why had there been such role reversals? Who was I? What was my role? Was killing for sport something that was ingrained in me? My reaction yelled NO.

Nature does not allow for mistakes. I errantly mistook my ability to aim with precision as a game of power and pleasure and it cost a songbird its life. It's burden lay heavy on my heart. Oh that I would have had someone to guide me and warn me of my actions. Oh that I had listened to wisdom's call, and the love for virtue, for good that called me to consider my actions.

Nature is unforgiving. Nothing I could do would bring the bird's song back to life. Nothing I could do would alleviate the pain, the shame, the sorrow, and the regret I felt. Nothing would comfort me. My mistake seemed permanent. And it was. For the Mocking Bird, it was. But for me I learned a great lesson as I began a process of repentance.

Repentance is a process. The first step in understanding repentance is to believe that our mistakes can be forgiven. I did not say made right because some things cannot be undone, but they can be forgiven. In order to believe that they can be forgiven we must first believe in a power greater than nature, greater than heaven and earth, and great enough to change our hearts for good.

The tragedy of this story is not that the songbird was killed, but that I took its life for sport. If I had continued on without regret, without shame or sorrow, my life might have been overshadowed by the darkness of my choice. I would have been unable to see my pride; my arrogance, my foolishness, and my life path would have been one of great tragedy. My spirit would have been at risk for a second death.

We all make mistakes. Some of our mistakes are more serious than others. Some of us cause us to silence the beautiful songs that God has given us. These songs were meant to help us learn to listen to his prophets. All of us face the reality that without the gift of repentance we face daily the risk of the second death. It is a sobering thought and one that we can fix by repenting…….daily.

Words and Phrases

Vs 11 hear my words… we cannot understand the nature or the need of repentance if we do not listen to the prophets who teach us of it.

Vs 11 know the conditions of repentance – who, what, when, where, why, how

Vs 12 know of the coming of Jesus Christ – repentance was made possible because of the coming of Jesus Christ upon the earth. We need first to believe in his name

Vs 13. Believing leads to repentance which leads to a remission (pardoning) because of what Jesus did for us through the atonement. (merits)

Vs 15 the resurrection of the dead – will birds be resurrected? Not sure, but I hope to be because I believe in God's name.

Vs 15 brought into the presence of the Lord – only those of us who have repented and have been given pardon for our sins will stand white and clean before God

Vs 16 Jesus Christ will die so that 1. Resurrection of mankind (birds?) 2 redeemeth us all from the first death that cut us off from the presence of God. When we accept Jesus Christ and believe on his name, we have the right to receive redemption for our sins and heal the affects of the first (spiritual) death.

Vs 17.back into the presence of the Lord – we must believe and we must repent… repay. Our pentances… choose to correct our mistakes.

Why? Because we are in charge of our actions, our course, and it is as if God has given us the wheel and is waiting to see where we will steer ourselves? Back home or back to our sins.

Vs 18. A second death – comes to those who "repenteth not". And they are forbidden to bask in the light of the Savior's love. They are forbidden because they willfully chose to sin.

Vs 18. They are cut off s to the things pertaining to righteousness. – Only those who love righteousness can understand, enjoy and be part of righteousness.

We must learn to love righteousness and change the behavior that causes us to be separated from God's love. We must learn to listen to the songs of nature that call us to a higher voice. A still voice. A small voice that lives within each of us and calmly speaks to us of truth.

The real tragedy is that when we don't listen to the guidance of the prophets, we have to pay the price of our sins. God forgave me for my sin, but a bird still lost its life and I had to go down a path of darkness that I would (to this day) rather not have gone.

Desire : What desireth thou?

1 Nephi 11:1-22

Desire

All of us have desire. The question is what do we desire? How does what we desire affect our belief in God? What is the connection between what we desire, what we believe and what we know? How does this relate to our family?

(Words and Phrases)

ponder in mine heart (vs. 1)- Nephi desired to know what his father knew. He believed all that his father expounded to him concerning "the dream". He took his desire, added it to his belief and began to "ponder in his heart". He meditated, prayed, and thought deeply about all that he had been told. He loved his father and he recognized the love of God within his father and within his father's words.

DESIRE + BELIEF+ (PONDERING) = KNOWLEDGE

what desireth thou? (vs. 2) Over fifty years ago, my father had a desire to know God. The dark and dreary world had left him in dire circumstances, and he recognized that he needed God's love in his life. My grandmother had taught him of God. He believed in God. He took this belief coupled it with his desire and he asked God. He received his "vision" (answer) that opened up a new way of life for my father. As he followed that answer and learned to listen to the gift of the Holy Ghost, this particular desire changed his life.

His desire changed my life. I (like Nephi) desire to know all that my father knows, to believe the scriptures as he understands them, and to learn with the same power of the Holy Ghost that radiates so beautifully from his voice, his words, and his life.

He set a path for me, for my children, for his family. He set a path filled with the joy of God's love (vs. 22) when his desire spurred his belief to ponder a greater gift.

"thou shalt behold" the thing which thou desireth (vs. 6) God loves us. He has promised us if we will ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, he will manifest the truth of his love unto us. Nephi asked and he will receive (the next 4 chapters )of God's truth.

We all have our own personal "visions" of truth that are connected to our desires. Weather the truth we seek is of a spiritual, scientific, personal or political nature, it does not matter. God knows all things. He can help us discover what we seek.

I think that Nephi's formula has been used and known by many great men (not just prophets).

I think of the Wright Brothers and their desire to fly. They desired to fly + they believed they could fly + they pondered (studied) how they could fly + they asked God and all of their errors to help them learn the rules of flight + then they listened to the answers that came both in the whisperings of their minds, the experience and science of their experiments, and the power of their belief.

desire + believe+ ask+ study(ponder) + listen = success and learning of knowledge

Be careful what you pray for. Know your desires. Know your beliefs. Know your God.

to know the interpretation (vs. 11) - We don't always get what we are taught the first time. After Nephi saw the "tree of life" he said "I believe it is precious above all" (vs. 9) Nephi understood that what he saw was special. He knew what it did to his soul. But he also understood that he didn't understand.

When the angel asked a second time what he desired, he said to know what it means? The tree of life as we learn in vs. 22 represents the "love of God". This is why before explaining this to Nephi he took time to show Nephi the birth of Christ through his virgin mother Mary.

It is a great gift to understand that the love of God is "most desirable above all things".

I believe that when we desire... to have the love of God.... as the foremost desire in our life... everything else falls into place.

the most joyous to the soul (vs 22)-

When I was a young girl my father taught me of his beliefs. He taught me of his conversion and how God opened up "his mind" and took away the clouds of disbelief. He taught me how to read the scriptures and liken them to myself. He taught me to write things of great importance and to let God's love flow through me. He shared with me how the Holy Ghost inspired him, giving him hope and new ideas to help him solve his problems.

As I grew the desire to do and experience all that I have seen my father experiences grew in me. Like Nephi I recognized the love of God within my father's words. I desired to not only accept his belief as his belief but to make it my own.

Today I have a testimony of God's love. His love has carried me.....Because I desired to know. Because I believed in God.... because I pondered.... and studied... and put it to the test. I experimented with God's word and learned not only of God's love for me, but of its truth.

Life is rich with good things to know. There are many things in life that we can desire. God will answer all of our prayers and help us learn to desire for the good and wise things.

If we desire to become a doctor we set our life on a course to become a doctor believing that one day we will be a doctor. If we (like the Wright Brothers) have a desire to fly (or whatever has not yet been done) we need only to believe, to study, to ponder, and to ask for truth.

As great as the mysteries are amidst the fields of science, there is no greater mystery than to personally discover the Joy of God's love as it opens up our personal vision to a life filled with righteous desire.