Dews From Heaven

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).