The Book of Mormon as a personal guide

Henry B. Eyring of the presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives four reasons why the Book of Mormon serves as a personal guide.

 1. The Book of Mormon gives us the Savior’s example to increase our faith and determination to obey His command to follow Him. The book is filled with the doctrine of Christ to guide us. Here is an example from 2 Nephi:

“[Jesus] said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

“And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son” (2 Nephi 31:10–11).

2. The book makes plain that we must receive the Holy Ghost as a baptism of fire to help us stay on the strait and narrow path. We are taught that we must pray always in the name of Christ, not fainting, and that if we do, we have this promise: “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20).

3. The Book of Mormon makes plain in the marvelous sermon of King Benjamin what it means to have a love of God and of all men. When our natures are changed by the power of the Atonement and through our faithful obedience to the commandments, we will be filled with the love of God (see Mosiah 4:1–12).

4. The Book of Mormon also gives us confidence that we can become so purified in this life that we have no more desire to do evil (see Mosiah 5:2). This hope gives us courage and comfort as Satan tries to tempt and discourage us on our way.  

President Eyring concludes: "Each time I read even a few lines in the Book of Mormon, I feel my testimony strengthened that the book is true, that Jesus is the Christ, that we can follow Him home, and that we can take those we love home with us. It has been for me the book of books. It is the word of God."

Knowest thou the condescension of God. 1 Nephi 11:16

The negative meaning of condescension is patronizing attitude,
haughtiness. In the context of 1 Nephi 11:16 the meaning is
completely opposite.

In a vision, the prophet Nephi is asked, "Knowest thou the
condescension of God?" His response is very profound.

"I do not know the meaning of all things," Nephi says. But, I do know
that he loves his children (1 Nephi 11:17).

The positive meaning of condescension is found in the scriptures,
particularly 1 Nephi 11. How does the Savior shows his love for us?
(The dictionary uses the words showing affinity, affability for
inferiors.)

1 Nephi 11 summarizes the mission of the Savior on the earth, up until
his death on the cross (1 Nephi 11: 33). That he would come to earth,
give us the gospel, his teachings, and provide us an example are all
ways he shows condescension or his love for us.

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/11

Book of Mormon Geography

Above are two theories about the lands described in Alma 22 in the
Book of Mormon (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/22).

27 And it came to pass that the king sent a proclamation throughout
all the land, amongst all his people who were in all his land, who
were in all the regions round about, which was bordering even to the
sea, on the east and on the west, and which was divided from the land
of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea
east even to the sea west, and round about on the borders of the
seashore, and the borders of the wilderness which was on the north by
the land of Zarahemla, through the borders of Manti, by the head of
the river Sidon, running from the east towards the west—and thus were
the Lamanites and the Nephites divided.
28 Now, the more idle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness,
and dwelt in tents; and they were spread through the wilderness on the
west, in the land of Nephi; yea, and also on the west of the land of
Zarahemla, in the borders by the seashore, and on the west in the land
of Nephi, in the place of their fathers' first inheritance, and thus
bordering along by the seashore.
29 And also there were many Lamanites on the east by the seashore,
whither the Nephites had driven them. And thus the Nephites were
nearly surrounded by the Lamanites; nevertheless the Nephites had
taken possession of all the northern parts of the land bordering on
the wilderness, at the head of the river Sidon, from the east to the
west, round about on the wilderness side; on the north, even until
they came to the land which they called Bountiful.
30 And it bordered upon the land which they called Desolation, it
being so far northward that it came into the land which had been
peopled and been destroyed, of whose bones we have spoken, which was
discovered by the people of Zarahemla, it being the place of their
first landing.
31 And they came from there up into the south wilderness. Thus the
land on the northward was called Desolation, and the land on the
southward was called Bountiful, it being the wilderness which is
filled with all manner of wild animals of every kind, a part of which
had come from the land northward for food.
32 And now, it was only the distance of a day and a half's journey
for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the
east to the west sea; and thus the land of Nephi and the land of
Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being a small neck of
land between the land northward and the land southward.
33 And it came to pass that the Nephites had inhabited the land
Bountiful, even from the east unto the west sea, and thus the Nephites
in their wisdom, with their guards and their armies, had hemmed in the
Lamanites on the south, that thereby they should have no more
possession on the north, that they might not overrun the land
northward.
34 Therefore the Lamanites could have no more possessions only in
the land of Nephi, and the wilderness round about. Now this was wisdom
in the Nephites—as the Lamanites were an enemy to them, they would not
suffer their afflictions on every hand, and also that they might have
a country whither they might flee, according to their desires.

See http://www.mormonhaven.com/bomgeog.htm

Freedom to worship

Teaching of the gospel flourishes when the people of King Lamoni
receive their religious liberty. The same principle holds true today.
When people have the liberty to worship God according to their own
desires, the gospel of Jesus Christ is accepted by many.

Alma 21:22
And he also declared unto them that they might have the liberty of
worshiping the Lord their God according to their desires, in
whatsoever place they were in, if it were in the land which was under
the reign of king Lamoni.

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/21

Knowing that we know

Douglas L. Callister (2007, November, Ensign) spoke about recognizing
a testimony when we get one.  He told the story of Heber J. Grant.

When the 23-year-old Heber J. Grant was installed as president of the
Tooele Stake, he told the Saints he believed the gospel was true.
President Joseph F. Smith, a counselor in the First Presidency,
inquired, "Heber, you said you believe the gospel with all your heart,
… but you did not bear your testimony that you know it is true. Don't
you know absolutely that this gospel is true?"

Heber answered, "I do not." Joseph F. Smith then turned to John
Taylor, the President of the Church, and said, "I am in favor of
undoing this afternoon what we did this morning. I do not think any
man should preside over a stake who has not a perfect and abiding
knowledge of the divinity of this work."

President Taylor replied, "Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, [Heber] knows it
just as well as you do. The only thing that he does not know is that
he does know it."

Within a few weeks that testimony was realized, and young Heber J.
Grant shed tears of gratitude for the perfect, abiding, and absolute
testimony that came into his life.

Here is another story about gaining testimony:

Years ago I presided over a mission headquartered in the Midwest. One
day, with a handful of our missionaries, I spoke with an esteemed
representative of another Christian faith. This gentle soul spoke of
his own religion's history and doctrine, eventually repeating the
familiar words: "By grace ye are saved. Every man and woman must
exercise faith in Christ in order to become a saved being."

Among those present was a new missionary. He was altogether unfamiliar
with other religions. He had to ask the question, "But, sir, what
happens to the little baby who dies before he is old enough to
understand and exercise faith in Christ?" The learned man bowed his
head, looked at the floor, and said, "There ought to be an exception.
There ought to be a loophole. There ought to be a way, but there
isn't."

The missionary looked at me and, with tears in his eyes, said,
"Goodness, President, we do have the truth, don't we!"

The moment of testimony realization—when you know that you know—is
sweet and sublime.

http://tinyurl.com/2uhs65e

Ammon rescues his brothers from prison

The heart of the king is softened because Ammon shows love for his
son, Lamoni.

Ammon and Lamoni meet Lamoni's father (the king of the Lamanites) on
the road to Middoni where Ammon's brothers are imprisoned. Lamoni's
father orders him to kill Ammon, a Nephite, the traditional enemies of
the Lamanites. When Lamoni refuses, his father picks up the sword to
kill Ammon, but Ammon resists his blows. When the king sees Ammon
could kill him, he promises Ammon anything up to half his kingdom.

Alma 20: 26 And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him,
and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was
astonished exceedingly, and said: Because this is all that thou hast
desired, that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son
Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that
my son may retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will
govern him no more—

27 And I will also grant unto thee that thy brethren may be cast out
of prison, and thou and thy brethren may come unto me, in my kingdom;
for I shall greatly desire to see thee. For the king was greatly
astonished at the words which he had spoken, and also at the words
which had been spoken by his son Lamoni, therefore he was desirous to
learn them.

Ammon's example again opens doors for him to teach the gospel.

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/20

The characteristics of reverence

"Reverence is the soul of true religion. It's seedbed is sincerity.
Its quality is determined by the esteem in which one holds the object
of his reverence as evidenced by his behavior toward that object. When
that object is God, the genuinely reverent person has a worshipful
adoration coupled with a respectful behavior toward him and all that
pertains to him. The want of such appreciation or behavior smacks of
irreverence. Order is a part of reverence. So is cleanliness of
person, of apparel, of speech, of action, and of thought and impulse.
So also are courtesy, respect for one another, and kindred virtues.
Reverence is a sign of spiritual maturity, strength, and nobility."

--Marion G. Romney, "Reverence", Ensign, Oct. 1976, 2

Amalickiah uses trickery to gain power

Sometimes we tire of people's pleading and finally give into their
requests even when we know it is wrong. An example would be someone
nagging about drinking alcohol. They make it sound so attractive and
try to persuade us that everyone is doing it. "A little bit won't
hurt you," the person says. "This tastes so good." Finally, we get
so tired that we take that first drink.

The story of Lehonti in the Book of Mormon (Alma 47) illustrates this
point. Amalickiah wanted to become king of the Lamanites. First, he
had to get control of the Lamanite armies. Lehonti and his army were
on the top of a high hill. Amalickiah invited him to come down to
meet with him three times. When he saw Lehonti would not come down,
Amalickiah sent an emissary to Lehonti saying he would deliver up his
army to Lehonti if Lehonti would make him second in command. Lehonti
agreed and took his army down in the middle of the night and
surrounded Amalickiah's force while they slept. When they awoke, they
pleaded with Amalickiah to let them join Lehonti. This is what
Amalickiah wanted. With the armies combined, Amalickiah had Lehonti
poisoned. As second in command, he became leader of the much larger
force.

Lehonti finally gave into Amalickiah, even though he knew it was
dangerous. We sometimes are tempted to  make similar choices, with
promises that it is good for us or that it will make us popular. It
might be drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or it could be something like
getting ourselves in debt for a new car, furniture, or a TV set. Rather
than be tempted, it is better to stay away from dangerous situations.
Don't go to the bar with friends or go to parties where you might be
tempted.

See http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/47

Conversion of Lamoni - Alma 19

The conversion of King Lamoni and his queen is a testimony of the
goodness and love of Jesus Christ.  Lamoni lay for three days in a
trance.  During that time he saw visions of the coming of the Savior
and was converted to his gospel.  When he awoke, he taught his people
and many of them were also converted. Alma 19:33 declares, "their
hearts had been changed; that they had no more desire to do evil."
See http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/19

Forgiveness: My burden was made light

Ammon is successful because of his great faith

Ammon is successful in teaching Lamoni because of his great faith in
Jesus Christ. Because of his faith, he had the strength to protect
the king's flocks and win the respect of the king. Because of his
faith, he was able to discern the thoughts of Lamoni say the right
words to teach him the gospel. Because of his faith, he was inspired
of the Lord. Alma 18:22 says, "Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless,
he said unto Lamoni: Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee
by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire
of thee."

See http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/18

Denver City Directories 1885-1890

1885 Denver City Directory

Hansen, EF, Blksmith, bds., European Hotel

1886 Denver City Directory

Hansen, EF, Blksmith, bds., European Hotel
Fowler, WF, driver, Street Ry

1887 Denver City Directory

Fowler, WF, driver, Street Ry
no mention of Elwood F. Hansen, nor under blacksmiths in business directory

1888 Denver City Directory

Hansen, Elwood F., blksmith, 957 Santa Fe Av., r 915 7th Av. W
Hansen, Frederick W., hay and grain, 811 Santa Fe Av., r. 745 Santa Fe Av.
Hansen, Frederick W, Jr, elk, r. 745 Santa Fe Av.
Tankersley, E.D. (N.P. Sanders & Co.), 99 Opera House blk.
Sanders, NP & Co., (Nathan P Sanders & ED Takersley), real estate, 99
Opera House Blk.r. 1811 Boulder

no mention of Chappelle or Fowler family

In Business Pages, under blacksmiths
Hansen, E.F., 957 Santa Fe av.

1889 Denver City Directory

Fowler, Frederick C. (Fowler & Tankersley), r. 8 Anderson Blk
Fowler, James M., gripman, Denver Tramway Co., r. 8 Anderson Blk.
Fowler & Takersley (F.C. Fowler and E.D. Tankersley) grocery, 621 B
Hansen, Elwood F., blksmith, W.M. Frink, r. 2615 Lawrence
Frink, William M, blksmith & wagonmkr, 1730 Wazee, r. 2708 Franklin
Tankersley, E.D. (Fowler & Tankersley) r. 621 B

1890 Denver City Directory

Fowler, Fred C, mailing clerk PO, r 3243 Lafayette
Fowler, William, draftsman C&S Ry
Hansen, Elwood F., horseshoer, 1801 Blake, r 2714 Williams