Dews From Heaven

I thought I'd list a smattering of quotes that have had a deep impact on my life, particularly during difficult times.  I imagine others probably experience trials as well, so I hope something here will bring some sort of comfort or perspective to endure, persist, and triumph.  Trials are specifically calculated for our individual exaltation.  God is profoundly aware of you and me, His children.  He loves us infinitely and will bless us tremendously as we are faithful to Him.  I testify and witness (have personal knowledge of, give a firsthand account of something experienced) that this is true.  Enjoy! "The cavity which suffering carves into our souls will one day also be the receptacle of joy ."  - Neal A. Maxwell “As [you] endure rejection, loneliness, self-doubt, homesickness, exhaustion, and temptation, the refiner’s fire will purify [your] soul . [You] will increase in wisdom and grow up in the Lord, and, as [you] stay faithful, [y...

Of all the tribes of Israel, why is Levi singled out as those assigned as priests in the temple?  Did they receive a land inheritance with the other tribes?  What are we to make of the sons of Levi offering up an offering in righteousness? Levi and Simeon - two of the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel) - were rather impertinent individuals.  They were "instruments of cruelty," quick to anger, and murderers (Gen. 49:5-6).  As a result, they would be cursed and scattered within Israel.  Simeon received a land inheritance, but it was surrounded by Judah and eventually assimilated, never to be recognized individually again (Deut. 33).  In the great census of Moses (reason for the name of his book of Numbers), Levi is specifically excluded from the rest of the tribes (Num. 1:47-49).  The tribe of Levi was not given a land inheritance like the rest of the tribes, but was scattered throughout the area (Josh. 13:33). Stratford pointing out parts of the Neg...

One of the consummate truths restored by Joseph Smith is the individuality of the Godhead .  In his great theophany that spring morning of 1820, Joseph saw with his mortal - yet transfigured - eyes two separate Personages "whose brightness and glory defy all description" (JSH 1:17).  God, the Eternal Father - the Man of Holiness - and His Only Begotten in  the flesh, Jesus Christ, showed themselves to this young boy of 14.  In those few moments, Joseph learned more about God than had been known for centuries previous. Jesus, Himself, taught that eternal life - the greatest of all the gifts of God (D&C 14:7) - is coming to know who God is: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God , and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent" (John 17:3).  Joseph Smith taught that "correct ideas of the character of God are necessary in order to the exercise of faith in him unto life and salvation; and that without correct ideas of his character th...

We are all familiar with the scripture in Alma 37:6, where Alma points out to his son, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass."  What is Alma even talking about when he says this?  Study the scriptures?  Pray often?  No, these may be excellent applications for us, but they are not what Alma was referring to originally.  I think the background of this statement brings illumination to why this principle is so powerful and the absolute essentiality of the "mundane" gospel requirements. The great father figure Alma is having a little personal interview with each of his sons.  This was probably after a nice family home evening and before the next day when Helaman and his brothers would head out on missions to preach the gospel (Alma 43).  After delivering a beautifully prepared commentary on his conversion story (considering the precise parallel structure and chiasmus of Alma 36 compared to the original account in Mosiah 27, Alma o...

I've been contemplating the sacrament lately and wanted to write a few thoughts I've been reflecting on.  I know I can increase the significance of the sacrament in my life, particularly when I think of Elder Oak's comment, "The ordinance of the sacrament makes the sacrament meeting the most sacred and important meeting in the church" ( Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament , Oct. 2008).  A deeper understanding of the sacrament may give us a greater appreciation for it. Gethsemane Basic symbols include the clean white cloth covering the body and blood of Christ (like the linen covering His body in the tomb), the whole bread being torn and broken for us (as His body was), the wine/water we drink and make a part of us (the blood He shed in Gethsemane and the water that came from His side on the Cross [John 19:34]), and the sacrifices that this ordinance replaced (an unblemished, first-born, male lamb brought to the priest to be killed in your behalf). Paul ...

What really is an anti-Christ?  Are the Anti-Nephi-Lehies opposed to Nephi and Lehi?  And why is anti-Mormon material so destructive? The Greek root for "anti" can mean not only "opposite of" and "against," but also " in place of ."  A conglomeration of the two may suggest the definition, "opposed to, by being similar" .  The Greek doesn't necessarily prove this definition, so instead of inductive, I'll use deductive reasoning to try to prove it. Two quick examples:  First, anti-venom is created with actual venom from the poisonous animal.  That venom is injected into a big animal like a horse, which then creates antibodies for us to extract and use. Thus, the anti-venom is very similar to the actual venom, but has an opposite effect on the body.  Second, the star "Antares" is a red supergiant that got its name from the ancient Greeks.  The name means "anti-Ares" (Ares was the God of war, synonymous wi...

In Genesis 6:14, the Lord instructs Noah, "Make thee an ark of gopher wood."  What in the world is gopher wood?  I don't know...  But the Greek Septuagint translates the phrase into  xylon tetragonon  ("squared timber"), and the Latin Vulgate renders  lignis levigatis  ("smoothed, possibly planed, wood").  As to the type of wood, suggestions include - among others - fir, cedar, and acacia.  Interesting that all three of these wood types were included in the building of  temples  (Ex. 26:15 - shittim wood for the tabernacle [probably acacia], 1 Kings 9:11 - Hiram of Tyre furnished Solomon with cedar and fir trees).   Woods outside Jerusalem. This leads to the idea of the ark itself being a type of temple .  The ark joins a unique group of structures that are specifically designed by the Lord Himself.  The dimensions of the ark are very similar to the dimensions of Moses' tabernacle and Solomon's temple (Gen. ...

I think many of us fall victim to the fallacious idea that when we arrive at judgment day, we will stand before God as imperfect beings, full of sins that need to be cleansed, and then magically transformed into a perfected god-like individual.  From what I understand, in order to retain the presence of the Father (a wondrous and terrible  gift that all receive, despite levels of righteousness [Hel. 14:16-18]), we must come as already perfected beings who have overcome all things through the Atonement of Christ. Heavenly Father's laws are immutable, "But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God" (Nephi's use of chiasmus is ubiquitous and shows emphasis on particular principles of import) (1 Ne. 15:34).  In order to enjoy eternal life, the kind of life that God enjoys, we must be obedient to that law of heaven.  In other words, God's plan demands perfection and nothing short of...

We have three different fathers and are to develop & cultivate our relationship with each of them if we are to realize a celestial life with them. Earthly Father I was impressed, recently, with the way Joseph Smith recounts the fourth appearance of Moroni.  The angelic messenger from God "commanded me to go to my father and tell him of the vision and commandments which I had received" (JSH 1:49).  I think it interesting that Joseph hadn't told anyone about the previous night's experiences.  Joseph wasn't forbidden from talking about his experience, but still simply resumed his daily labors and worked right alongside his dad without mentioning a word.  This isn't unique to Joseph - and gives us insight into his personality as a youth - for after the glorious First Vision, his response to his mother's inquiries was "Never mind, all is well - I am well enough off."  These were definitely two of the most incredible experiences in the p...

Why do Book of Mormon prophets quote 475 verses from Isaiah , a full 1/3 of his book?  Yes, the Savior did say that "great are the words of Isaiah" (3 Ne. 23:1), but Nephi, Jacob, Abinadi, and Alma had already been using this prophet's words more than any other.  Yes, Isaiah was a relatively recent prophet for the early Nephites (about 100-150 years before Lehi), but Nephi reports "many prophets, prophesying unto the people" (1 Ne. 1:4) during his own time - Jeremiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Ezekiel, and Obadiah to name a few.  Yes, Isaiah points us to the Savior - no doubt about that - but how and why?  While scholars and students give many reasons for the presence of Isaiah, another reason has given me new insight into the inward struggles of the Nephites. Nations throughout history - apologies for the anachronistic wording - often draw strength from a cultural narrative that defines their identity.  Rome battled their way through the Punic wars to...

Dews From Heaven The purpose of this blog is to channel any glimpses I get of the divine world into a spiritual record:  my metaphorical small plates, if you will.  These are opinions I have formed from studies, classes, and experiences, and they don't necessarily represent conclusive doctrine.  I hope they are of some use to you in endeavoring to comprehend and master the enlightenment of God. For His glory is intelligence (D&C 93:36): dropping as the rain and distilling as the dew when we give ear to His words (Deut. 32:2).