Letter to the Class

image Brothers and sisters,  Alma 53 through 63 are chapters about a country at war.  Moroni is gone. Alma is gone. Heleman, Lehi, and Nephi were in charge of the church and government. The people were getting farther and farther from peace. The Ammonites, who would have given their lives for their God and covenant, were getting to a point where they wanted to sacrifice their covenant for the cause of freedom. Their freedom was one thing, but when their countryman was suffering for freedom too, it seems that prayer and fasting were not cutting it from one point of view.  In steps their young, strippling young men, all of them, with no war experience, wanting to defend their homes, their parents, their peace, and their freedom. When they made a covenant for liberty, I am sure that those widowed mothers and fatherless sisters said no. They knew the venom of the Lamanites. Despite this, they let these guys go. They wanted the joy of freedom for the women and children in their

Image Brothers and sisters,  We are going to embark on the wars of the Nephites and Lamanites. The gospel had now had been taught to their little world now but I noticed that Satan was not defeated but changed tactics. He enticed the souls of those that wanted power and money. From the fight with the decenting Amlicites (Alma's story) to the Zoramite's story (A to Z; haha, notice?), decention is now running rampant. This has become a powder keg and the wick is lit. Chief Judge Nephihah appoints a young man named Moroni to lead the people because the Lamanites are getting getting bold and greedy because of the Nephrites who broke away using them (the Lamanites) to get power. This man Moroni was a God loving man who turned to prayer and fasting to know his enemy and know how to defeat them. Now how does this apply to us? We need to examine the leaders of the war. In the story there is two leaders, Moroni (introduced in Alma 43) and Amalikiah (introduced in Alma 46). W

image It seems that Alma's son Corianton struggled in the early part of his mission and the Zoramite's ideology got to him. The Zoramites said that they were grateful that God was going to save them because they were the chosen ones (Alma31:15-16). They also down played the judgement of God saying there was no punishment or that the punishment was reserved for the unbelievers; a very heaven/hell approach. Corianton needed to know more about God's judgement. For the next three chapters, this loving Father (Alma) explain the love of God, how he want to reward all who kept their first estate with resurrection. He then explains that the resurrection will be with a full restoration of spirit, mind and body. He concludes with how the judgment of God is going to be full of judgement but also (and especially) full of mercy.  It is recorded that this wayward missionary later becomes a great missionary because the wise gentle council of his father.  What I have learned fr

Image Brothers and sisters, Alma went through some of the toughest times but he brought them on himself and others. His letter to his son takes us all through a path of pain that finishes in glory. It wasn't the angel that changed him but what he did after the experience. It takes a desire to repent that moves your life to correct your course (repent). The pain of sin hurts. Alma said he wished he could keep from facing his Creator (Alma 36:12). He wanted to be numb. Sin is a pit that begs to be bigger, more numbness and hollow joy to cover the sorrow, pain and the fear we face. Some use stimulants; others use depressants. It doesn't matter the avenue, drugs porn, hobbies, work, callings, alcohol, etc. You notice I brought in passions and positive things? When we do not allow Christ to swallow our pain, it follows us and hurts us.  Do we think that we will try to fix the car before presenting it to a mechanic or representing ourselves in court before calling a lawye