The Book of Acts testifies that God speaks and one way He speaks to us is through visions. These visions served specific revelatory purpose. In Acts 7, as he was being stoned to death, Stephen beheld the Father and the Son in vision. In Acts 9, Saul saw the Lord in vision and commanded him to stop persecuting the Church and to wait for further instructions. The Lord appeared to Ananias commanding him to heal and teach Saul. In Acts... Read more
Continuing personal study from Acts 6, because Acts 7 begins right in the middle of the story of Stephen’s illegal trial! All the elders and scribes have seen Stephen’s glowing, angelic face and couldn’t resist his words. They also brought witnesses to testify what Stephen supposedly said. And that’s where Acts 7 begins—with the high priest asking if the false witness testimony was true. All the references to Greek definitions are from Bible Hub. Acts 7 1 Then said the high... Read more
A friend told me she struggles with reading the scriptures because the words all blend together. She doesn’t know how to bring the scriptures alive for her. Bringing the scriptures alive can mean something different to each person. The best way for scriptures to come alive, of course, is to pray and ask the Lord for the Holy Ghost’s guidance and instructions. But I told her I’d share the way it comes alive for me as I study and what... Read more
A continuation of the vision I titled Jesus’ Burial in the Tomb by Anonymous of the Savior’s death and resurrection. This section, on which topic I’ve found very little recorded, discusses Jesus Christ’s resurrection. From Anonymous’ account: I then saw the scene after three days. I saw Him looking down at His body as it laid in the dark tomb. He healed His body and His spirit entered it again, resurrected. Yeshua then walked straight through the stone wall and... Read more
My entire life I’ve searched for stories about Jesus’ life from birth to tomb to beyond the grave. Reading canonized scriptures or apocryphal stories or people’s visionary accounts of our Savior’s life excites my mind and imagination on what Jesus Christ’s life and experiences might have been like. I recently read a series of visions posted by an anonymous author and wanted to share his experience here. This scene begins after Pilate gave permission for Joseph of Arimathea to take... Read more
175 years ago today, a mob murdered two of my greatest heroes. The scene’s played over and over in my mind today. To seal the testimony of this book and the Book of Mormon, we announce the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and Hyrum Smith the Patriarch. They were shot in Carthage jail, on the 27th of June, 1844, about five o’clock p.m., by an armed mob—painted black—of from 150 to 200 persons. Hyrum was shot first and fell calmly, exclaiming: I am a dead man! Joseph... Read more
For her birthday last year, my friend Roxy wanted to do a sunrise hike at Hanauma Bay. We parked at the base of the trail, grabbed our water and phones and set off in the darkness. Though not a difficult path, it is a steep one. Roxy kindly paused for my breaks. I enjoyed breaking often (ha) to watch the first hints of daylight hitting the placid ocean on our left and a community dotted with sleepy street and house... Read more
Initially, I’d just expected to review Jonah’s experience in the fish. But I was drawn to other parts of his story—in a ship, in the waves, in the fish, in Ninevah, in the shadow he sought from the heat. Jonah IN the Ship The word of the Lord came “unto Jonah.” Jonah didn’t let it in. Instead, he decided to flee from the presence of the Lord. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to... Read more
I’ve become obsessed with scriptural “ins” and “throughs.” The words are the simplest, but I feel I have so much to learn through them. My in and through obsession began in John 17 which I read during the sacrament. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those... Read more
I looked up from my reading and stared at the wall, suddenly lost in thought. The ceiling fan eagerly flipped my pages away from the scene of Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus. My mind busily recreated the scene. Why Was Not…? A dissenting, judgmental voice icily penetrates Mary of Bethany’s sacred moment. “Why are you doing that?” He says with all its implications—she’s silly, wasteful, and disregarding the Master’s teachings, and interrupting their time together. There they made him a... Read more
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