Meridian Magazine--Come Follow Me Latter-day Saint Podcast

July 5-11

Though Joseph Smith received many visions and revelations, one of these was so sweeping, so mind-expanding, so glorious that the early Saints simply called it “the Vision.” It not only clarifies who we are and why we’re here and where we’re going but demonstrated yet again what a powerful and loving Father we have in God. He is the ultimately successful parent and the vast majority of His children receive a glory that right now they cannot begin to comprehend.

June 28-July 4

Joseph Smith was tasked by the Lord to do something rather unique for a backwoods, upstate New York farmer now living in Northern Ohio. The Prophet Nephi had seen a vision some two thousand four hundred years before that many of the plain and precious things which were in the Bible had been taken out by the great and abominable Church, and because those plain and precious things were taken away, “an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.” (See 1 Nephi 13: 26-29) This commandment from the Lord and branch of Joseph’s calling would be to carefully go through the Bible and begin to restore many of those plain and precious things that were lost. He was commanded to translate the Bible. And the results would be astounding. We’ll talk about this in detail in this episode.

June 21-27

It was November 1831, and Joseph Smith and others have convened a conference where the major task was to publish the revelations that had come to Joseph Smith in a new book of scripture that they would call the Book of Commandments and we would now call, with its additions, the Doctrine and Covenants. Joseph Smith, of course, had published the Book of Mormon, but publishing his own revelations as scripture? This is new territory.

June 14-20

Many years ago, I read Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo: the unabridged version which is 1,463 pages long. Next to the scriptures, it was the greatest reading experience of any book I have ever had. I became so close to the characters, Jean Valjean, Monsieur Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel—the Bishop of Digne (‘deen’), Fantine, Cosette, Gavroche, Marius, Javert and many others that I wept for a long time after I finished the book because I was so sad, I would not be able to meet them in the Spirit World! Maurine reminded me they were fictional characters. I was completely transported into their hearts, their world, their times, their pain, their burdens. Maurine and I even went to Victor Hugo’s home in Guernsey Island off the coast of Normandy in the English Channel to get a sense of where he wrote this classic novel. Do you want to know my very favorite moment from the entire 1,463 pages? It has to do with this episode.

June 7-13

May 31-June 6

Sometimes we project our modern-day experiences on those early days in the Church and we can’t figure out why somebody did something the way they did it, or why didn’t so-and-so talk to the Prophet Joseph about this or that. We really cannot do this. In our studies this week we will be talking about some of those early elders who had traveled a thousand miles to get to Western Missouri, had fulfilled a small mission, held a special conference, had dedicated the land of Zion and a temple site in Independence, Missouri, had buried the first person to die in Zion and now, they were turning around and making their way back the thousand miles to Kirtland. You can learn a lot in 2,000 miles of walking and traversing in a wilderness land, which we will see over and over again in the early history of the Church.

May 24-30

Can you imagine living in a world where people did not hurt each other or become angry or divided ? Can you imagine families with total harmony and marriages with no contention? Can you imagine a world where everyone watched out for each other and people were there to help you when you needed it? Can you imagine a place so pure that God could be there? It may sound too good to imagine, but that is the Zion that the Lord envisions for us and that’s what we hope to build.

In these sections we’ve read this week, it’s clear that the Lord entrusts individuals with specific stewardships and it’s not always just land. It can be a mission to perform, books to write, places to go, people to teach, an assignment to fulfill—but these are all sacred stewardships, given by the Lord with the expectation that we will fulfill them faithfully and wholeheartedly.

May 10-16

When you read Doctrine and Covenants Sections 49 and 50, it helps to have the rest of the story. Why should you care about Leman Copley or the Shakers and what’s this talk about false spirits? We will have some fun and give you the context in this episode.

May 3-9

“We must remember that to every man [or woman] is given a gift by the Spirit of God. It is our right and responsibility to accept our gifts and to share them. God’s gifts and powers are available to all of us.” (Ashton, Marvin J., There are Many Gifts, General Conference, October 1987)

Each of us has at least one spiritual gift. Some people have many, but the Prophet Joseph Smith had them all. We will learn about them in this episode.