after we had prepared all things, much fruits and meat from the wilderness, and honey in abundance, and provisions according to that which the Lord had commanded us, we did go down into the ship, with all our loading and our seeds, and whatsoever thing we had brought with us,"
The nice man at the truck rental place did not have a 10 foot moving van... so we got the 14 foot truck for the same price! The gas will doubtless cost a few dollars more, but it was so easy to load that I am perfectly happy with it. Two brothers from Elder's Quorum and a Teacher and a Priest helped us move the boxes into it... even with all my worldly possessions (save this computer) packed into it, the truck is still mostly empty.
My darling mother (and most excellent Nephew JCDII) came up from Lakewood to help me move. So far they have been lots of fun and a big help. Even LeAnna loves JCDII... so that's good. I took a bit of a road trip to say "goodbye" to my family in the area, even my Dad came up from Portland to (pick up his dog my sister was babysitting) see me off!
So far my room echoes more than I had remembered from moving in, and my nose is running away from all the dust and particles thrown up by the move. Not many people can honestly say they are "allergic" to moving, but I can! My favorite brother JonE is Elder O'Gara, and in the MTC... so I didn't see him... but I'm sure he's well. His last letter to us said the food at the MTC is "getting old"... so I know he's ready to go.
Tomorrow in the morning I climb into the truck and drive away to Elk City ID... I can't wait!
Monday, June 11, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
"... did cause my people to be industrious,
and to labor with their hands."
So I took apart my shelves and boxed and taped everything on them. I'm washing my last load of laundry, and soon I'll go to sleep so I can wake up tomorrow and do all those last little things to prepare for my move. Then I can be happy and confident as I go down to Lakewood to visit my Mother and Sister and Nephew for the last time before I move all the way back to Idaho!
I've lived in Idaho quite a bit by this point, in both the north and the south, and it'll be good to go back to the northern parts, where it's cooler and mountainous and full of life.
If I had to list my moves, I'd get it wrong... so my darling mother has graciously corrected this list:
Erlangen University Frauen Klinic, Erlangen Germany
Nuremburg Army Hospital, Nuremburg Germany
Schenk Strasse, Ansbach Germany
Bleidorn Kaserne, Ansbach Germany
Rogue River Hwy (Paternal Grandparent's Home), Gold Hill OR
E Wright Ave (Maternal Grandparent's Home), Tacoma WA
Apartment, Rogue River OR
Rogue River Hwy, Gold Hill OR
S Wright Ave, Tacoma WA
S 30th (In front of Holy Rosary), Tacoma WA
E Wright Ave, Tacoma WA
Brookdale Rd, Tacoma WA
E 34th, Tacoma WA
Fairbanks (Murphy's property), Tacoma WA
4th & Broadway (Battered Women's Shelter), Tacoma WA
48th & S. I St, Tacoma WA
Tiny Silver Trailer (Paternal Grandparent's Property), Gold Hill OR
William's Hwy, Grants Pass OR
Elk City Hotel apt A, Elk City ID
2nd & S Meadow, Grangeville ID
Smithfield, UT
Triplex by train tracks, Garland UT,
Harrison Blvd, Ogden UT
Rural Route 1, Basehor KS
Wild Rose Lane, Elk City ID
S J St, Tacoma WA
S Wright Ave, Tacoma WA
Missionary Training Center, Provo UT
Colorado Springs CO
Aurora CO
Littleton CO
Denver CO
Center CO
Denver CO
Aurora CO
S. Wright St, Tacoma WA
S. Sheridan Ave, Tacoma WA
Kenmore WA
Everett WA
Sunnyvale CA
Lexi's Ln, Nampa ID
S. Alder, Tacoma WA
Tiny Green House, Bellingham WA
New Duplex, Bellingham WA
Oakstone Ave, Meridian ID
Divide Creek Dr, Meridian ID
Cougar Dr, Meridian ID
Davisson Rd, Lakewood WA
S. Wall St, Mt. Vernon WA
and next up: Elk City ID again! And it's about time I got back there. ^_^
So I took apart my shelves and boxed and taped everything on them. I'm washing my last load of laundry, and soon I'll go to sleep so I can wake up tomorrow and do all those last little things to prepare for my move. Then I can be happy and confident as I go down to Lakewood to visit my Mother and Sister and Nephew for the last time before I move all the way back to Idaho!
I've lived in Idaho quite a bit by this point, in both the north and the south, and it'll be good to go back to the northern parts, where it's cooler and mountainous and full of life.
If I had to list my moves, I'd get it wrong... so my darling mother has graciously corrected this list:
Erlangen University Frauen Klinic, Erlangen Germany
Nuremburg Army Hospital, Nuremburg Germany
Schenk Strasse, Ansbach Germany
Bleidorn Kaserne, Ansbach Germany
Rogue River Hwy (Paternal Grandparent's Home), Gold Hill OR
E Wright Ave (Maternal Grandparent's Home), Tacoma WA
Apartment, Rogue River OR
Rogue River Hwy, Gold Hill OR
S Wright Ave, Tacoma WA
S 30th (In front of Holy Rosary), Tacoma WA
E Wright Ave, Tacoma WA
Brookdale Rd, Tacoma WA
E 34th, Tacoma WA
Fairbanks (Murphy's property), Tacoma WA
4th & Broadway (Battered Women's Shelter), Tacoma WA
48th & S. I St, Tacoma WA
Tiny Silver Trailer (Paternal Grandparent's Property), Gold Hill OR
William's Hwy, Grants Pass OR
Elk City Hotel apt A, Elk City ID
2nd & S Meadow, Grangeville ID
Smithfield, UT
Triplex by train tracks, Garland UT,
Harrison Blvd, Ogden UT
Rural Route 1, Basehor KS
Wild Rose Lane, Elk City ID
S J St, Tacoma WA
S Wright Ave, Tacoma WA
Missionary Training Center, Provo UT
Colorado Springs CO
Aurora CO
Littleton CO
Denver CO
Center CO
Denver CO
Aurora CO
S. Wright St, Tacoma WA
S. Sheridan Ave, Tacoma WA
Kenmore WA
Everett WA
Sunnyvale CA
Lexi's Ln, Nampa ID
S. Alder, Tacoma WA
Tiny Green House, Bellingham WA
New Duplex, Bellingham WA
Oakstone Ave, Meridian ID
Divide Creek Dr, Meridian ID
Cougar Dr, Meridian ID
Davisson Rd, Lakewood WA
S. Wall St, Mt. Vernon WA
and next up: Elk City ID again! And it's about time I got back there. ^_^
Friday, June 1, 2012
"... after we had prepared all things"
I have begun to prepare for my move. I'm showered and shaved and I've got laundry in the wash. I'm going through boxes and when LeAnna gets home I'm going to beg her for strapping tape to close up all those boxes. By June 7th I'll have everything taken apart and stacked in the corner, ready to roll out onto the truck.
Right now though I need to eat some breakfast so I'll have the energy to do all this fun stuff.
Right now though I need to eat some breakfast so I'll have the energy to do all this fun stuff.
"...an idle people,
full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey."
I've been idle lately, and for that I apologize. I was putting off updating this (over and over again) because it takes me four to six hours to compose a decent post. But really, you don't need to have a dissertation prepared just to let your poor elderly mother know you're still alive. Hi Mom!
I'm going to be moving next week... off to the wilderness of Northern Idaho. Hopefully at some point there I will in fact seek for beasts of prey, they are yummy. Right now I'm making bread, washing dishes, and seriously considering taking a shower... I don't need to end up like the Lamanites in 1 Ne 12:23 who "became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people". If LeAnna walked in the door right now, she's probably take one whiff and declare me an honorary Lamanite... I must admit, I haven't showered all month.
In any case, I'm alive and reasonably well, looking forward to getting away from civilization (but not too far... I need my internet!), and I still have food to eat and a great many people who enjoy my company just because I'm me. All of which is far more than I deserve, and I'm not nearly grateful enough for it, but I try. Some days... if I remember.
Love to all, and to all a good night.
I've been idle lately, and for that I apologize. I was putting off updating this (over and over again) because it takes me four to six hours to compose a decent post. But really, you don't need to have a dissertation prepared just to let your poor elderly mother know you're still alive. Hi Mom!
I'm going to be moving next week... off to the wilderness of Northern Idaho. Hopefully at some point there I will in fact seek for beasts of prey, they are yummy. Right now I'm making bread, washing dishes, and seriously considering taking a shower... I don't need to end up like the Lamanites in 1 Ne 12:23 who "became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people". If LeAnna walked in the door right now, she's probably take one whiff and declare me an honorary Lamanite... I must admit, I haven't showered all month.
In any case, I'm alive and reasonably well, looking forward to getting away from civilization (but not too far... I need my internet!), and I still have food to eat and a great many people who enjoy my company just because I'm me. All of which is far more than I deserve, and I'm not nearly grateful enough for it, but I try. Some days... if I remember.
Love to all, and to all a good night.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
"But wo unto him that has the law given,
yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!"
It's not just awful, it's boring and really really annoying too. You can't think right, nothing makes sense anymore, you feel slow and fuzzy and tired all the time... it's like your head is full of mold instead of brains. They teach you in Church that God is the source of all knowledge, power, and truth... but until you cut yourself off from it, you don't really know. It's not just something "they" say... He really is the one and only Source of knowledge, power, and truth. Luckily, He wants to give you everything you can take, just as fast as you can accept it... you've just got to be prepared.
The first part of what Nephi says is key: "... that has the law given,". If you don't know, then you're not judged according to what you didn't know about... but neither can you be fully rewarded for following it. Jacob tells his people that the Lamanites are more righteous than they are, because the Lamanite men love their wives and children, take only one wife, and are faithful. The Lamanites have not been specifically taught the law of chastity, however; "... the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.". The Nephites of the time have been taught the law of chastity, and are willfully (on purpose, knowing full well what they are doing) breaking it.
Because the Lamanites are following the law, they receive some blessing for doing so... but these blessings could be thought of as the "natural consequences" of being faithful (in reality, of course, there are no "natural consequences", there is only God's law and the blessings for being faithful to it). They have happier, stronger family relationships with close bonds of mutual trust... even though they don't consciously know they're following God's law at all... they don't even know God. But when we follow God's laws, we are blessed for doing so, even if we have no idea that we are doing it.
On the other hand, when we transgress the law, we receive no such blessings. But there's quite a difference between transgressing a law you do not know, and sinning; which is to willfully break a law you do know.
The key is whether or not you know the law. If you don't know the law, you receive blessings (including greater sensitivity to the Spirit) for keeping it if you happen to do so, and you don't receive the blessings if you do not keep it... that's it, you either get the blessing or not, end of line. It gets a bit more complicated if you do know the law. If you know the law and keep it, you receive the blessings for keeping that law, and you receive additional blessings for knowingly obeying God's laws (including specific additional blessings if the law you keep was accepted under covenant), and you receive additional light and knowledge as you need it and are capable of receiving it. Now, if you do know the law and you break it willfully it's a whole different thing. Not only do you not receive the blessings for keeping the law, you also accept the penalty for having broken a law you knew about (including specific additional penalties if the law you broke was accepted under covenant), and not only do you forfeit the additional light and knowledge, you also have your current light and knowledge taken from you!
This combination of losing not only the 'regular' blessings, but also the additional blessings, light and knowledge, and having to accept the penalties of breaking a covenant is so devastating that the Church will sometimes release a person from their covenants (and the associated responsibilities, blessings and penalties) if that person shows themselves incapable or unwilling to keep those covenants. This is not done as any kind of punishment, but rather as a way to prevent that person from becoming so completely overwhelmed that they give in to despair and never recover.
By the grace of God (and not by any virtue of my own) I've not yet fallen that far... and I am working now to ensure I never will. The depth of despair and pain I've already endured is plenty, thanks, and I really don't want any more.
The part that most annoys me, is that I have really good memories of the times when I was obedient to God's laws, and I can clearly remember how much smarter, happier, and just plain better I was. I have personal experience of ignorantly transgressing the law, and not receiving the associated blessings. At the time I had no idea what what wrong, but I see it clearly now. I know all about sin... and the (so much) more painful loss of not only the promised blessings, but also the light and knowledge brought by the Spirit. Finally, I have made and then broken sacred covenants, and have felt the awful pain and darkness of having done so. It's nothing like transgressing the law, or even sin... "damnation" is really the only appropriate description for it. The loss of all light and joy and knowing that I willfully did it to myself with no one else to blame... that's what really brings home the pain. Not only do you lose what you had... you remove yourself so far from God's light that the pain and confusion and despair is exactly as horrific as your former strength and clarity and hope were joyous.
But just when the Adversary would have you believe that all hope is lost (and that is his game plan, get you to sin a little, then a lot, then just give up and die so you can be miserable forever just like him) you get a second chance ( and a third, a fourth, a 490th, and so on).
Repentance! it really does deserve the italics and the exclamation point... because it needs to be exclaimed from the rooftops! Really, it does... there's a very good reason that the Lord consistently tells his prophets and leaders that "they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord". Because that's what we need to hear. And not just hear it, but do it too! Missionaries get to preach "...Jesus Christ, and him crucified" because non-members are mostly transgressing the law, which is remedied by simply learning and living the law, not to mention that repentance and baptism for the remission of sins is the hoped for result of missionary activity.
Those sent to teach active (or not-so-active) members are all about repentance. We're all of us mortal, subject to error and sin both, and I, at least, do both on a depressingly regular basis. Hence the need for regular and honest repentance.
I love what king Lamoni's father (himself king of all the Lamanites) asked, when Aaron had taught him the gospel. He said: "...what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy... ?" and when Aaron replied "...if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest." The king immediately bowed himself down and began to pray, saying: "O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee..." (emphasis added).
I will give away all my sins to know thee...
That man was amazing. He had faith and he was ready to change, and he wasn't going to let anything come between him and the Lord. There have been times when I was not able to say this, when I believed Satan's lies, and thought that my sins were more attractive than the gospel and the blessings of God. But luckily sin is boring and it gets really old amazing quickly. Then you've got two options: more sin (and usually worse) or stop sinning! It's funny how that second option is never in the list of options the Adversary gives you.
But it's really not that hard to work out: if sin is boring and stupid and useless, if you are bored and stupid and useless when you sin... then stop doing it! But sin is (initially) exciting, and sometimes pleasurable... so your body wants to do it... and if the spirit is weak the flesh is perfectly willing to walk all over it. That's why you so often have to get help (most often from those who love you), and if you're really lucky, the help God sends you will be super annoying and not give up. Because they do love you, even if you're being boring, stupid, and useless. That's why we have relatives... to keep us on the straight and narrow, no matter how bad our own sense of direction may be.
I, for one, have some amazinglyannoying loving relatives (hi Mom!). I've also go some amazing friends who want to see me succeed, so that's cool too. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go practice my repentance... I've got some sins to give away.
It's not just awful, it's boring and really really annoying too. You can't think right, nothing makes sense anymore, you feel slow and fuzzy and tired all the time... it's like your head is full of mold instead of brains. They teach you in Church that God is the source of all knowledge, power, and truth... but until you cut yourself off from it, you don't really know. It's not just something "they" say... He really is the one and only Source of knowledge, power, and truth. Luckily, He wants to give you everything you can take, just as fast as you can accept it... you've just got to be prepared.
The first part of what Nephi says is key: "... that has the law given,". If you don't know, then you're not judged according to what you didn't know about... but neither can you be fully rewarded for following it. Jacob tells his people that the Lamanites are more righteous than they are, because the Lamanite men love their wives and children, take only one wife, and are faithful. The Lamanites have not been specifically taught the law of chastity, however; "... the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.". The Nephites of the time have been taught the law of chastity, and are willfully (on purpose, knowing full well what they are doing) breaking it.
Because the Lamanites are following the law, they receive some blessing for doing so... but these blessings could be thought of as the "natural consequences" of being faithful (in reality, of course, there are no "natural consequences", there is only God's law and the blessings for being faithful to it). They have happier, stronger family relationships with close bonds of mutual trust... even though they don't consciously know they're following God's law at all... they don't even know God. But when we follow God's laws, we are blessed for doing so, even if we have no idea that we are doing it.
On the other hand, when we transgress the law, we receive no such blessings. But there's quite a difference between transgressing a law you do not know, and sinning; which is to willfully break a law you do know.
The key is whether or not you know the law. If you don't know the law, you receive blessings (including greater sensitivity to the Spirit) for keeping it if you happen to do so, and you don't receive the blessings if you do not keep it... that's it, you either get the blessing or not, end of line. It gets a bit more complicated if you do know the law. If you know the law and keep it, you receive the blessings for keeping that law, and you receive additional blessings for knowingly obeying God's laws (including specific additional blessings if the law you keep was accepted under covenant), and you receive additional light and knowledge as you need it and are capable of receiving it. Now, if you do know the law and you break it willfully it's a whole different thing. Not only do you not receive the blessings for keeping the law, you also accept the penalty for having broken a law you knew about (including specific additional penalties if the law you broke was accepted under covenant), and not only do you forfeit the additional light and knowledge, you also have your current light and knowledge taken from you!
This combination of losing not only the 'regular' blessings, but also the additional blessings, light and knowledge, and having to accept the penalties of breaking a covenant is so devastating that the Church will sometimes release a person from their covenants (and the associated responsibilities, blessings and penalties) if that person shows themselves incapable or unwilling to keep those covenants. This is not done as any kind of punishment, but rather as a way to prevent that person from becoming so completely overwhelmed that they give in to despair and never recover.
By the grace of God (and not by any virtue of my own) I've not yet fallen that far... and I am working now to ensure I never will. The depth of despair and pain I've already endured is plenty, thanks, and I really don't want any more.
The part that most annoys me, is that I have really good memories of the times when I was obedient to God's laws, and I can clearly remember how much smarter, happier, and just plain better I was. I have personal experience of ignorantly transgressing the law, and not receiving the associated blessings. At the time I had no idea what what wrong, but I see it clearly now. I know all about sin... and the (so much) more painful loss of not only the promised blessings, but also the light and knowledge brought by the Spirit. Finally, I have made and then broken sacred covenants, and have felt the awful pain and darkness of having done so. It's nothing like transgressing the law, or even sin... "damnation" is really the only appropriate description for it. The loss of all light and joy and knowing that I willfully did it to myself with no one else to blame... that's what really brings home the pain. Not only do you lose what you had... you remove yourself so far from God's light that the pain and confusion and despair is exactly as horrific as your former strength and clarity and hope were joyous.
But just when the Adversary would have you believe that all hope is lost (and that is his game plan, get you to sin a little, then a lot, then just give up and die so you can be miserable forever just like him) you get a second chance ( and a third, a fourth, a 490th, and so on).
Repentance! it really does deserve the italics and the exclamation point... because it needs to be exclaimed from the rooftops! Really, it does... there's a very good reason that the Lord consistently tells his prophets and leaders that "they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord". Because that's what we need to hear. And not just hear it, but do it too! Missionaries get to preach "...Jesus Christ, and him crucified" because non-members are mostly transgressing the law, which is remedied by simply learning and living the law, not to mention that repentance and baptism for the remission of sins is the hoped for result of missionary activity.
Those sent to teach active (or not-so-active) members are all about repentance. We're all of us mortal, subject to error and sin both, and I, at least, do both on a depressingly regular basis. Hence the need for regular and honest repentance.
I love what king Lamoni's father (himself king of all the Lamanites) asked, when Aaron had taught him the gospel. He said: "...what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy... ?" and when Aaron replied "...if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest." The king immediately bowed himself down and began to pray, saying: "O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee..." (emphasis added).
I will give away all my sins to know thee...
That man was amazing. He had faith and he was ready to change, and he wasn't going to let anything come between him and the Lord. There have been times when I was not able to say this, when I believed Satan's lies, and thought that my sins were more attractive than the gospel and the blessings of God. But luckily sin is boring and it gets really old amazing quickly. Then you've got two options: more sin (and usually worse) or stop sinning! It's funny how that second option is never in the list of options the Adversary gives you.
But it's really not that hard to work out: if sin is boring and stupid and useless, if you are bored and stupid and useless when you sin... then stop doing it! But sin is (initially) exciting, and sometimes pleasurable... so your body wants to do it... and if the spirit is weak the flesh is perfectly willing to walk all over it. That's why you so often have to get help (most often from those who love you), and if you're really lucky, the help God sends you will be super annoying and not give up. Because they do love you, even if you're being boring, stupid, and useless. That's why we have relatives... to keep us on the straight and narrow, no matter how bad our own sense of direction may be.
I, for one, have some amazingly
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
"... having been born of goodly parents,
Nephi was a big fan of learning, and record-keeping. I myself am a big fan of learning, at least the things I consider interesting (which is most often useless trivia). Unlike me, Nephi was deeply concerned with why it was so important to learn all you could, and to keep accurate records: he was trying to learn and live the word of God (quite successfully, as it turns out), and to pass that knowledge onto his descendants (somewhat less successful there, but not his fault), and ultimately to me (success yet to be determined, but once again, not his fault).
One of his many educational efforts concerned trying yet again (and he never gave up) to get his wayward family members to pay attention to the scriptures, and actually think about how they applied (or could be applied) to their lives. He did this by showing them that the scriptures were actually addressed to them, as part of the House of Israel, and by using examples from the scriptures that paralleled the actual challenges and trials they were facing. Regarding this technique he said: " I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning."
The Lord knows (and He finds ways of reminding me) that I could profit from some learning, especially as it has to do with keeping His commandments (I'm pretty sure I know all the important ones... I just don't do much with them). I've started this page in the hopes that the Lord's promised blessings poured out upon our family as my brother does His work might splash just a bit onto me. In the spirit of "likening the scriptures" I've re-written (not paraphrased, because I'm not nearly as... anything as Nephi was) the very first lines of The Book of Mormon, adapted to my own life experience:
I, Brent, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father, no matter how hard I struggled against it; and having seen a few, mostly self-inflicted afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having mostly ignored great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.
And I pray that I have not yet procrastinated the day of my salvation until it is everlastingly too late.
On my mission (Colorado Denver South, 1996-1998 Presidents Fleming and Charsley... best mission in the world!), I had the opportunity to meet and teach a truly wonderful man, intelligent, educated, and staunchly Catholic. His name was Albert, and every time we met he'd split a 12oz can of Sprite evenly between me and my companion and himself, pouring it carefully into small glasses before we began to teach him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That was really our first mistake, Albert knew all about the Gospel; taught me more than I ever taught him, and asked a lot of easy questions that I consistently failed to answer with the truths that he and I both knew (I was a coward).
He loved the writing in The Book of Mormon, he praised the translation as "educated, even scholarly, and very well written" (He was Polish "And Polish means Catholic!", so we had given him the Polish translation). His major problem with the book was Nephi... Nephi was too good. Albert believed strongly that Isaiah was the greatest prophet who ever lived. Nephi agreed whole-heartedly with Albert on this point, and quoted Isaiah at length, which Albert loved. What he didn't love was that Nephi, in his visions of Christ's birth, had seen and described his mother, Mary... and had called her by name.
Albert was unwilling to accept that this hitherto unknown prophet from a book he'd barely heard of (and had heard nothing good about) was not only in the same league as Isaiah, but had trumped him in the "prophecies of Christ" competition (which I'm sure neither Isaiah or Nephi was aware they were competing in). It all seemed a little too "hindsight is 20/20" to Albert... which is the only really practical option other than the truth: Nephi was a real prophet who really lived and really did all those amazingly awesome things that he writes about as if he was simply living his life and the Lord stepped in from time to time to chat... which yeah, He did.
Nephi is the first person you "meet" in The Book of Mormon (especially true if you skip over the Title Page) and given that quite a few young members try (and fail) multiple times to read The Book of Mormon, he's probably one of the people you know best. Mormon himself only shows up at the very end, although he has some nice editorial asides throughout, and his son Moroni gets top billing in all the accounts of the coming forth of The Book of Mormon, and most people's memory of Alma is "that's where I stopped reading".
But Nephi you remember. Because he's awesome.
Chief Captain Moroni, and Helaman, (and the entirety of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies) were arguably equally awesome, but when a prophet of God says "...if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever..." it just tends to move a person out of my "I can be like him" category and into my "I only wish I could be like him" category. Which just goes to show I'm still a coward. Honestly, even Nephi is so far beyond where I'm at right now that the Adversary has little trouble convincing me that I'm terminally outclassed... but I'm working really hard to ignore his lies.
Sam I like, I like him a lot. He was faithful to his brother, to the Gospel, and to God. In the end Sam and his descendants were given the same blessings and promises as Nephi and his descendants, because while he didn't do the same things Nephi did, he always did what the Lord required of him... and really, that's all we're asked to do. Sam is someone I think I could be like, not that what he did was any easier than what his brother did, but because he just seems like a regular guy, and I'm a very regular guy myself. I seriously considered naming this page after Sam, but for several reasons (which probably only make sense to me) I decided that Sam is too much like the person I'm trying to be... too close to home, if that makes any sense at all. Also, there's precious little about him in the scriptures, and I hope to be doing a lot more "likening" as this goes on, so I really need good quotes.
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