Today I have one long spark. Hopefully it’ll come across more like a sparkling river stream and less like a glitter bomb.

Links

Hinckley Proclamation 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1995/10/stand-strong-against-the-wiles-of-the-world?lang=eng

Nelson Fireside

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2007/03/faith-and-families?lang=eng

Ballard Devotional

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/m-russell-ballard/sacred-responsibilities-parenthood/

History of the Proclamation

https://thefamilyproclamation.org/the-history/

Annotated Proclamation

https://thefamilyproclamation.org/annotated-proclamation/

Oaks

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/10/the-plan-and-the-proclamation?lang=eng

Ballard Hope in Christ

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/04/28ballard?lang=eng

Proclamation on the Restoration

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/the-restoration-of-the-fulness-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ/a-bicentennial-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng

My sparks today cover the history of the priesthood restriction, the effect of memory, I’ll introduce you to Joseph Freeman, and end with some thoughts from Elder McConkie, who a few months after the Declaration stood up at a pulpit and admitted he had been wrong.

Links

Gospel Topic Essay – Priesthood and Temple Restriction

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/priesthood-and-temple-restriction?lang=eng

Gospel Topic Essay – Race and the Priesthood

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/race-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng

The Real Story of the Priesthood-Temple Ban – interview

https://faithmatters.org/the-real-story-of-the-priesthood-temple-ban-terryl-givens-with-paul-reeve/

Making Sense of the Church’s History on Race

https://faithmatters.org/making-sense-of-the-churchs-history-on-race/

Brigham Young February 5 Speech

https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/fc314280-4158-4286-a6c7-6571eccf11ad/0/0

Spencer W. Kimball

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1978/07/news-of-the-church/every-faithful-worthy-man-in-the-church-may-now-receive-the-priesthood?lang=eng

Revelations in Context Chapter

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/witnessing-the-faithfulness?lang=eng

McConkie talk

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/bruce-r-mcconkie/alike-unto-god/

Today I’ll discuss our perception of time, the real purpose of the veil, and Sheol, the Hebrew concept of the Spirit World.

Links

137 canonization

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9108&context=etd

Baptisms for the Dead

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/baptism-for-the-dead?lang=eng

Maxwell Quote

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1996/11/according-to-the-desire-of-our-hearts?lang=eng¶=p6%2Cp24#p6

Saints and medicine

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1414&context=re

Calomel

https://www.britannica.com/science/calomel

Lucky Smith’s account

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/alvin-smith-becomes-very-ill-and-dies/

EOM

https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Time_and_Eternity

Maxwell 

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/neal-a-maxwell/patience/

Phulasso

https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/phulasso.html

Bible Study Tools - Sheol

https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/sheol/

In my study this week, I focused on the death of the prophet. As I said last week, his death really struck me this time through the Doctrine and Covenants. I particularly appreciated a lecture by Truman G. Madsen about the martyrdom and the events leading up to it. I’ll give you portions of his lecture that talk about how the Lord prepared Joseph and the church for what was to come. I’ll also talk a moment about Willard Richards, whom I didn’t know about before this week, and what all this talk about the martyrdom means for the rest of us. 

Links

Madsen Lecture

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/truman-g-madsen/joseph-smith-last-months-martyrdom/

Joseph Letter

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/letter-to-emma-smith-27-june-1844/1#full-transcript

Willard Richards

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_Richards

Remembering the Martyrdom

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/remembering-the-martyrdom?lang=eng

Today my sparks concern the appendix of the Book of Commandments or Section 133. I talk about bearing and being a vessel of the Lord, preparing for the Second Coming, and what we should be doing while we wait for the Bridegroom.

Links

Section 134 Historical Context

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/church-historians-press/jsp-revelations/dc-134-apdx4-1835_08_31_015?lang=eng

Joseph Smith Papers Timeline

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/reference/events#1832

Sweetwater River Story

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1981/10/four-bs-for-boys?lang=eng

Holland – Sanctify Yourselves

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2000/11/sanctify-yourselves.p15-p18?lang=eng#p15

Faust quote

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2005/11/instruments-in-the-hands-of-god?lang=eng

Student Manual section 77

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual-2017/chapter-29-doctrine-and-covenants-77-80?lang=eng

Holland – Terror Triumph Wedding Feast

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jeffrey-r-holland/terror-triumph-wedding-feast/

Today I was very proportional with my sparks, one for each section. I begin with briefly talking about Joseph’s test for knowing a messenger of the Lord and his call for us to feel something, touching on the ability and necessity to be as a little child, then I’ll speak about my favorite topic: temples, and use Elder Bednar’s words to correct a misconception you might have about sealings.

Links

Hales

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2003/05/faith-through-tribulation-brings-peace-and-joy?lang=eng¶=p19#p19

Student Manual – more information on Hyde’s sermon and corrections

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual-2017/chapter-50-doctrine-and-covenants-129-30?lang=eng

Hales

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2003/05/faith-through-tribulation-brings-peace-and-joy?lang=eng¶=p19#p19

Bednar

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2014/03/faithful-parents-and-wayward-children-sustaining-hope-while-overcoming-misunderstanding?lang=eng

Sealings

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/sealing?lang=eng

Wilford Woodruff

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-wilford-woodruff/the-life-and-ministry-of-wilford-woodruff?lang=eng

Plural Marriage 

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints?lang=eng

My sparks today deal with the sections 127 and 128 which were two letters that Joseph sent the church from hiding. I have just two sparks. One talks about the deep waters Joseph was wont to swim in. And the other is about summum bonum two words I didn’t know before this week and which hold so much more than I supposed.

Links

Angels that Visited Joseph 

https://www.ldsliving.com/24-Angels-Who-Visited-Joseph-Smith/s/79521

Student Manual

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual-2017/chapter-49-doctrine-and-covenants-125-28?lang=eng

Hales

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2003/05/faith-through-tribulation-brings-peace-and-joy?lang=eng¶=p19#p19

How Temple Doctrine Developed

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/how-temple-doctrine-developed/

Joseph and Latin

https://rsc.byu.edu/approaching-antiquity-joseph-smith-ancient-world/joseph-smiths-awareness-greek-latin

Summum bonum

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summum_bonum

(I searched for other sources but this was the best researched I could find online.)

Thomas Aquinas

https://www.britannica.com/topic/ethics-philosophy/St-Augustine#ref252531

Kant – The highest Good

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant/#HigGoo

Madsen – Joseph Smith and Trials

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/truman-g-madsen/joseph-smith-trials/

First I’ll catch us up with where we are in the history of the Saints and talk about some of the other US government actions of the time, then I’ll talk about temples and what building a temple really does. And then in a second Spark 3 (Oops!) I’ll end with the Relief Society. 



Links

History of the Relief Society

https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/landing/the-story-of-relief-society?lang=eng

Esohe Ikponmwen

https://edojudiciary.gov.ng/?s=Esohe+ikponmwen

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/global-histories/nigeria/stories-of-faith/ng-04-there-must-be-something-there?lang=eng

Nauvoo Female Relief Society

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfp-maCLmAI

Trail of Tears

https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/trail-of-tears

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_Tears

Minutes of Relief Society

https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/content/something-extraordinary-the-beginnings-of-the-relief-society?lang=eng

Eliza R Snow article

https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/the-first-fifty-years-of-relief-society/part-3/3-6?lang=eng

Events in the history of the RS

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/daughters-in-my-kingdom-the-history-and-work-of-relief-society/important-events-in-the-history-of-relief-society?lang=eng

Julie B. Beck – Relief Society is not a program.

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2012/04/the-vision-of-prophets-regarding-relief-society-faith-family-relief?lang=eng

Emmaline Wells

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/emmeline-b-wells?lang=eng

Global Histories

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/global-histories?lang=eng

Sarah Kimball quote

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/36481_eng.pdf?lang=eng

I didn’t get very far into the sections this week. We were assigned sections 121-123 and the topic of Liberty Jail. My first spark deals with the conditions of Liberty Jail, my second with the words “pavilion” and “hiding place” in the first verse of Section 121, and my third deals with the “unspeakable” gift of the Holy Spirit. I hope my words help you feel Him as much as I did this week.

Links

Liberty Jail

https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Liberty_Jail

BH Roberts and Maxwell Quotes

https://www.thechurchnews.com/archives/1989-07-22/liberty-jail-called-temple-prison-150963

Holland – The First Great commandment

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2012/10/the-first-great-commandment?lang=eng

BibleHub Psalm 18:11

https://biblehub.com/psalms/18-11.htm

Ellicott Commentary for Psalm 18

https://biblehub.com/commentaries/ellicott/psalms/18.htm

Student Manual 121-123

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual/section-121-constitution-of-the-priesthood?lang=eng

Psalm 18

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/ps/18?lang=eng

Today instead of separate sparks, I’ll share some of the history that happened between these two events: Far West and Liberty Jail, with a detour or two along the way about places like the Paha Sapa of South Dakota, Diahman of Missouri, and Shoal Creek, in Missouri, but the parkway not the creek.

Links

Dunklin’s Letters

http://www.centerplace.org/history/misc/soc/soc20.htm

Missouri Period History

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2001/07/from-high-hopes-to-despair-the-missouri-period-1831-39?lang=eng¶=p14-p15#p14

Sidney Rigdon July Fourth

http://sidneyrigdon.com/rigd1838.htm

Kirtland Ohio

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/kirtland-ohio?lang=eng

Alexander Doniphan

https://byustudies.byu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/13.4MaynardAlexadner-10648c9c-b6e3-45bd-8c6a-42f825afb0cd.pdf

http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/MO/Miss1881.htm

Black Hills History

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hills