How Has the Book of Mormon Changed You?

In one of my institute classes I asked my students how the Book of Mormon has changed them. I have been overwhelmed and touched by their responses and am so very grateful for their examples expressed in the following words:

The Book of Mormon fills my soul with a desire to become a better person. While I read the Book of Mormon I feel the spirit. I learn those things that I need I change in my life and find peace and strength to do them. I am filled with an assurance and my faith in Christ is strengthened. 

The Book of Mormon is my lifeline; It’s my lighthouse; my armor. With it I've become so much happier and my life completely turned around and now I can look back without regrets.

The way the Book of Mormon has changed me the most is that it makes me want to be a better disciple of Christ. Obviously this is mostly because the book constantly testifies and teaches of Christ. It so beautifully testifies of the atonement and the transformative power if His gospel that it compels me to try it out, to live the teachings laid out within the book.

The Book of Mormon tells the story of good people who sought a closer relationship with God. The lives of the characters make me want to be a better person and strengthen my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

It has brought light in a dark world, validated my beliefs, brought understanding amidst confusion, and has brought me closer to the savior.

The way the Book of Mormon has changed me the most: The first time I really knew the Book of Mormon was true was during survival training before leaving for my mission. I came to see the stories as real, the people in it really lived and these are their words. The Book of Mormon taught me to trust. Trust God. Trust other people. "Who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man...and forgettest The Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth." I often try to do things myself, I don't let others in, I don't want their help. I didn't share everything I could with others, if it was all for myself? I'm not going through life alone anymore.

The Book of Mormon has been a lens through which I can look at my life and see more clearly the changes that the lord would have me make in my own life.

The Book of Mormon has been the iron rod in my life constantly keeping me on track when I want to let or when someone or something is pulling me away. One of my favorite experiences with the Book of Mormon was hearing my mission President bear his testimony of that book. His dad was the first black General authority and he was the first black missionary. Later he was called upon to translate the Book of Mormon into Portuguese and the translation we use today. His witness and conviction about the truthfulness of the book was unlike anything I had ever heard. As a missionary this was confirmed to me day after day that in some special and divine way this book has power beyond any other book. The Book of Mormon has been the map in my life that I continue to refer to in my journey to be like Christ.

It has given me knowledge that has helped me and testified that God loves me individually, and that knowledge has let me help others know of God's plan and love.

The BoM has changed me the most by being a continuous reassurance the Christ is my Lord and Savior and that the Church is true. There are too many miracles that happen to me every single day and the BoM just has a way of speaking to me and allowing me to hear exactly what i need to hear even if I have already read that chapter. I love the BoM and it is a constant strength for me and allows my testimony to grow every time i read it. The BoM just makes too much sense and the Lord would continue to speak to us because He loves us. I am very grateful for the BoM for how much it has blessed my life and increased my Faith in the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The BofM has changed me the most because it has bridled my passions, it keeps me in check and reminds of how I should be acting. Without the BofM I can immediately feel an emptiness in my life and shortly after that I can feel that the temptations that surround become more prevalent and menacing. The BofM has been like a shield for me in my spiritual life.  It has made me more of a disciplined man of God.

The Book of Mormon has changed my life by giving me a childhood full of heroes, lessons to learn and examples of how I should live my life.  Now it gives me the understanding and guidance I need to become who I need to become.

The Book of Mormon has given me the knowledge that I am not alone, that Heavenly Father stills speaks to His children and that Jesus Christ is there for us in our sorrows, pains and afflictions.

The Book of Mormon has always grounded me in the right way.

We think we are strong, but we are only strong because He was strong. We think we are worthy, but we are only worthy because He was worthy. We think we can save ourselves, but we are only saved because He has saved us. The Book of Mormon has changed me most because it has brought me a deeper understanding of who Christ is and what I need to do to come closer to Him.

Firstly I have a really gained a really strong witness that Jesus Christ is our Savior from studying the Book of Mormon. I remember when President Hinckley told all the members to read the Book of Mormon before the end of the year. I was really young then so that was the first time I read the Book of Mormon. But because of that experience ever since I have known that Jesus Christ is our savior. Secondly, I have been able to make much better decisions. I can always find something in the Book of Mormon that relates to my current situation.

What is my Book of Mormon story?  I don't know how it has changed my life.  I can recall times where I have received comfort, but I don't know that it necessarily changed my life.  In my philosophy class we are reading Plato's Republic.  It is interesting, but our instructor opens my eyes to the hidden truths in the pages.  At this point in my life, I feel as though my own knowledge is insufficient for me to bring out some of the truths that are tucked into the nooks and crannies of the Book of Mormon.  That is where the apostles, institute teacher, and general conference come in.  They open my eyes.

I feel like I received my testimony of the BOM gradually over time. It's just the simple things really, small things here and there that show me the principals taught within hold the everlasting truths as advertised. Then there are those private tender moments when you feel The Lord talking directly to you through the unchanging words on the page, telling you things are going to be alright, giving you the nudge to do what you know you need to and giving you the guidance to make it through this battle back to him safe and sound.

The BOM has given me the desire to never let go of the gospel or my relationship with God.  It strengthens me and gives me hope in myself when I have none.  It helps me to understand and be willing to open my heart, to feel the love of Christ for others.

The way the Book of Mormon has changed me the most.... It has shown me what is truly important in life, that happiness doesn't come from money or possessions. It comes from family and doing what is right. This has given me an eternal perspective that I never would have had otherwise. It is in my nature to focus on possessions and money as a sign of success. But, the Book of Mormon has taught me how to see what is truly important.  It has also shown me who my Savior is. It has given me the peace, comfort and hope of knowing that he loves me. Because of that love he has felt every pain, sorrow and weakness that I will ever have to feel. He knows how to save me. He has saved me when there was no other way out. I am a different person today because of the Savior and the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon has changed me the most by showing me my purpose in life. Before I knew about the Church, I was lost both figuratively and literally. I had gone through a really rough year in my life and was uncertain of what to do next. I bounced around from church to church in search of something that could bring me the answer I needed, something that would give me hope. When I met [an LDS friend], I saw the happiness and peace that the Book of Mormon brought him, so I asked him to read with me. We started with the introduction, but that's all I needed. I had found what I was looking for. I can't fully explain it, except to say that this book was the missing puzzle piece in my life. I knew just from the introduction that what I was reading was true, and that I would no longer have to wander looking for peace or hope. I was holding it in my hands.

The Book of Mormon has changed me the most by giving me hope. I used to not know where I was going after our earthy existence, nor did I know where I came from. This book has giving me the guidance in these subjects and it all makes sense. It continues to give me hope daily. In the moments I mess up, when I'm overwhelmed or stressed, when I don't know where to go next or what to do, I rely on the Book of Mormon and on this gospel to get me through my day. The purpose of life, which comes through this book, reminds me not to take anything here on earth to serious. The hope comes when something detrimental occurs and I try to learn from each trial and strive to become better and more like Heavenly Father. I've learned, through faith, truly nothing is impossible.

The simple knowledge I have that the Book of Mormon is true has changed me. If the Book of Mormon is true, it means the bible is true. If the Book of Mormon is true then God and Jesus Christ restored the fullness of the gospel through Joseph smith. This means that living prophets lead and guide us today and that God speaks to us, individually. If I didn't have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, then I would not know the truth of any of these other things. But with this knowledge, I can be sure of what my purpose is, and how I can eventually receive a fullness of joy and eternal life in God's presence.

The way the Book of Mormon changed me most was through constant reminders that Jesus is my savior and that I need to be clean.

I remember the first institute class I was struggling. I felt the guidance so clearly on my mission but something changed when I got home. My life became cluttered with other things. I yearned to find the balance but I couldn't find anything [and] felt like I needed to ask again. After class I found a small quite room and I offered a prayer out loud. I felt so strongly that The Lord was listening. I could hold back my emotions as I gave him thanks for all he'd done. I realized how so many times the BofM guided me to safety. I love that book will all my heart. I know, through small experiences and big ones it is true.

If it had not been for the Book of Mormon, I don't know if I would be [where I am] right now. 

Institute Readings for Sep. 15-19

This week's readings & assignments for my classes are as follows:

• USAFA Religion 121: 2 Nephi 9-16, next week we will cover 2 Nephi 12-24.
• UCCS Religion 341: Chapters 3-4: WE HAVE A PERMANENT CLASSROOM NOW AT UCCS!!!! WE MEET, STARTING ON WEDNESDAY OF THIS WEEK IN THE OSBOURNE  CENTER A204, 12:00-1:30!!!!
• Pathways Religion 121: 1 Nephi 16-22. 
• Weekly paper is based on 1 Nephi 19:23: "And I did liken all scriptures unto [me, ie, you]."
• Friday Forum: This week's talk will be by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: Cast Not Away Your Confidence. 

Keep up your readings of the scriptures! There are few other things you can do to help you more with your challenges, weaknesses and the vicissitudes of life. President Monson said, "I promise you...that if you will study the scriptures diligently, your power to avoid temptation and to receive direction of the Holy Ghost in all you do will be increased" (Be Your Best Self, Apr. 2009 Gen Con). Who doesn't want that? 

Read on, brothers & sisters! See you in class, and be sure to bring a friend!

Best,

BroP

Faculty Inservice Thursday, 9/11

Dear Faculty,
Thank you all so very, very much for all you do! I am so grateful to each of you for all your efforts "To help the young adults understand and rely on the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, qualify for the blessings of the temple, and prepare themselves, their families and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven." Thank you for that, and please do not forget, that is our Objective, nothing else.

You will remember we have four priorities this year. In this upcoming inservice we will touch on a portion of each of them.

Strengthen Unity & Elevate Learning. In our faculty inservice on Thursday morning (6:00AM-7:00AM at Jamboree), we will seek to "harmonize our efforts with...the direction of those appointed to lead us" by covering the Administrator of S&I, Brother Chad Webb's talk from the August S&I Training. The talk is titled, "An Invitation to Study the Doctrine & Covenants." Come ready to discuss how his invitations can be applied in your class, even, no, especially if you're not teaching the Doctrine & Covenants. 

Seek Truth. We will also discuss several resources to "help [our] students be faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ and discern truth from error." There are several resources listed on a bookmark I made for you to share with our students for finding answers to our questions about the gospel and the Church, I will share these with you in our inservice. There are six resources we will discuss and you will want to continue to review or familiarize yourselves with them prior to the meeting:

• The Standard Works should be our first line for answering students questions;
• The words of the living prophets and apostles;
• The Seek Truth website at www.si.lds.org;
• Fair Mormon found at www.fairmormon.org;
• Gospel Topics on www.lds.org;
• And finally, we ought to always encourage our students to bring their questions to institute! We may not know all the answers to all the questions we might hear, but can and ought to help our students learn for themselves. Are there other sources I am missing? Lets look at those too. 

Reach One More. We will discuss different ways we can simply "counsel with priesthood leaders to increase enrollment, attendance, and completion....[And] act on the direction received." Yup, I mean it, simple. Simple, such as asking your own home ward Bishop something like, "Who do you think I could invite to my institute class this week?" or "Sister Relief Society President, which of the 18-30 year old sisters in Relief Society could be blessed by my inviting them to come to my institute class?" Lets start simple, with our own ward families and then we will worry about reaching out from there.

Do you think we can do all that in one hour? I do. We will need to focus our efforts, exercise faith in the Lord, listen to the promptings of the Spirit, and get to work. 

Brothers and Sisters, we have souls to save and a great work to do. Are you ready? I know you are, President Monson says, "Whom the Lord calls, He qualifies." Trust in that, trust in the Lord, He is on our side. Let no spirit of digression get in our way. The Lord will bless us, He will bless us, I know He will. 

Students: A Must Read

Greetings! This year rather than manage multiple different blog pages to keep all of my students and faculty updated on who, what, where, when, how and why for each of our classes on different blogs, I am going to attempt to do it all from one blog each week. Soooo, here goes:

• Religion 121 (USAFA): Readings for this week: 2 Nephi 1-8, next week 2 Nephi 9-16. 
• Religion 121 (Pathways): 1 Nephi 6-15. Paper due: "Me and Nephi." You have one page (typed, double-spaced) to share what you learned from Nephi's experiences in 1 Nephi 1-5 and what you should be doing with yourself because of it.
• Religion 341 (UCCS): Chapter 2 of the Church History in the Fulness of Times Manual.
• Friday Forum (Jamboree): Every Friday we have a light lunch at 12:00 and listen to one of the great BYU or BYU-I Devotionals. This week's Devotional is a recording of Sister Sheri Dew's "You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory" given in Dec. 2003 at BYU.

The bestest, the most coolest, the mostest importanist thing you can do to prepare for class is read the assigned reading prior to coming to class! And when you come to class, be totally, completely and entirely ready to jump in with faith in the Lord and teach, testify and share the things you are learning. 

See you in class! 

Bro Palmer

PS: If you like what you are feeling and learning in institute, bring a friend. If you are having troubles in any way, tell me so we can fix it. Really. 

Summer 2014 Important Dates

Hope you are enjoying the beautiful summer we are having! We have two inservices this summer I would like to invite you all to attend:

 Saturday, July 19, at Jamboree. We will start at 8:00AM and finish with lunch at 12:00. This one is always fun and interesting because it is combined with all the early morning teachers from Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, to Pueblo. Come ready to be edified.

Saturday, August 23, at Jamboree. We will start at 8:00AM and be finished by 10:00, this one will be an institute specific training inservice, so it won’t be near as large as the July inservice. Come ready to work!

Other dates for you to be thinking of:

Sunday, July 13, at Jamboree we will have a Pathways informational fireside at 6:00PM. Any young people you know who are stagnating and need to get going with their higher education need to be at this fireside, please invite them to attend so they can get on with life.

Thursday, Aug. 23, at Jamboree we will have institute orientation, 7:00PM at Jamboree. Please put this in your calendars, for those who have attended this before, this is a fun, casual night where we introduce our teachers, review institute polices and expectation, raffle off goofy prizes, eat pizza and have fun.

Monday, Sep. 1 will be the first week of the fall term (except for the AFA). 

Some Thoughts

So...I have been lousy this term at updating the blog. When I don't do it for a while, then I think I will just continue not to do it, because why do it anyway? Well, here I go, trying to recover from a lack of posting for some time.

Here is what it on my mind as I write this: Man did I enjoy spring break with my family! As much as I enjoy my job, I sure didn't want to come back yet. My wife, children and I headed to eastern Utah. This year we rented a pop-up trailer and man, was it nice! We started by staying the night in Green River State Park, then headed down to Goblin Valley State Park for the day. My family and I love Goblin! My children can run, climb, hike and chase lizards all day long there! The pictures are all generic because I already moved mine from my iPhone, sorry!

Goblin Valley State Park

After our visit to Goblin, we camped in a primitive camping area near Goblin. The place was amazing! I could have stayed there for the entire time and been totally content! There were rocks to jump on, cliffs to ascend, and absolute quietness. The whole world could have come undone and we would not have known about it because of the seclusion of the site. After we had set up camp, Amie and I were relaxing while the kids were down the valley playing, and I turned to Amie and said, "Do you hear that?" and she said, "Yes, I don't hear anything, it is nice." I agreed.

The next day we started out by hiking the lower portion of Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon, talk about awesome! (Again, so sorry for the generic picture, I will put some of my own up later). The wind picked up by noon, and we headed back down the canyon rather than up and around where the canyon turns into high ground. We were afraid we'd be blown away had we gone to the top!

Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon

After our hike of Little Wild Horse, we headed to Green River State Park again and were able to take showers and relax. Our neighbors in the campground that night were a group of Geology students from a Lutheran university in the pacific northwest. They were fun to have as neighbors because we had collected a curious looking rock along the way we wanted to know more about. One of their professors told us all about it. Very nice group of students and people!

The next day we traveled to Canyonlands National Park, holy cow is that place awesome! Amie was freaked out the whole time because most of the drive takes you to vantage points with sheer cliffs below and no safety structures in place to keep our wild children from going over the edge! If you have not been there, I highly recommend you add it to your bucket list! Wow!

Canyonlands National Park

That night we stayed in Gooseneck BLM campground, just outside of Moab, near Arches and Canyonlands National parks. It was nice, right next to the river, surrounded by beautiful red rock bluffs. Although not our camping site, the picture below shows how beautiful the spot was!

Gooseneck Campground

Our final morning, before driving back to good'ol Colorado, was spent in Arches National Park. We hiked what is called Park Avenue. Wow, wow and wow! The red walls of stone stand high above you as you hike to the bottom of this gentle hike and then back up. My thoughts ascended towards the heavens as I observed this beautiful creation. I couldn't help but think about how the Lord created everything for our salvation. What a beautiful place! Then we drove through the rest of the park and headed out through the north road up to I-70 and home. 

Park Avenue, Arches National Park

What is the connection between all this and institute? I don't want to stretch it, so I won't, but how do we help our students have meaningful personal experiences with the scriptures and the words of the living prophets and apostles like I enjoyed my vacation in Utah? How do we help our students have experiences so memorable and loved, they change them for the better and they want to go back again and again so they can refresh the old experiences and create new ones? 

I had been to many of these places in Utah, but not all. Thanks to my good friend Rusty Woodruff, who recommended some of these locations, we had a great family trip! But yesterday, when I told him of our great time, he told me there were many more places in Utah he would recommend for our future trips! So now, looking back, I have fond memories, but looking forward I am looking forward to enjoying more. How do we help our students enjoy the scriptures in the same way? How do we help them enjoy institute in the same way?

I am grateful to the Lord for the beauties of the earth, and equally, if not more grateful for the beauties the scriptures and words of the living prophets and apostles. When I discover something I love, as you can tell, I want to share it, hoping others will love it as much as I do! I want all of our students to love and enjoy the scriptures and words of the living prophets the way I do. What can we do to help them?

Here are some thoughts. 

1. Help your students learn to share and express their positive experiences with the scriptures and words of the living prophets and apostles. Sometimes I think they are not even sure they have had a sacred experience until they they have shared it. The Savior said, "Open your mouths and they shall be filled" (D&C 33:8), President Packer said, "...A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it!" (The Candle of the Lord, 1988). 
2. Encourage them to take scriptural trips in their minds to walk with Jesus, Paul, Lehi, Joshua, and Joseph Smith. To see the things they saw, and most importantly, to see what it is these stories teach them about the Savior. Consider Nephi's vision where the Spirit of the Lord showed him the interpretation of 1 Nephi 8 and more. Without this interpretation of Lehi's vision, what would we have? A curious dream left open to speculation about it's different meanings. Here are Nephi's words: "I desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord..." (1 Nephi 11:1). Because of Nephi's desires, the Lord showed him a vision which brings all who read it an understanding of Lehi's dream and each of us, if humble, closer to Christ. 
3. Our students need a guide, a friend. They need you, their peers and the Spirit to guide them, to help them, to love them, and to help them "see." Philip met an Ethiopian struggling to understand the words of Isaiah. Philip asked him, Understandest thou what thou readest?" The Ethiopian responded, "How can I, except some man should guide me?" (Acts 8:30-31). We have students who come to us humbly with the same feeling in their hearts about the scriptures and the words of the prophets and apostles, "how can I, except some man should guide me?" They need you, they need your experiences, they need your worthiness, they need the Spirit of the Lord through you. 

Well, that is all for now. But I invite you to help your students learn to love the trips the scriptures and the words of the living prophets and apostles can bring into their lives. I bear testimony we are members of the true Church of Jesus Christ. I know it is true. I bear testimony we are led by a living prophet, President Monson. I bear testimony of the Prophet, Joseph Smith, that he saw the Father and the Son. I bear testimony of Jesus Christ, He lives! I bear testimony that God our Eternal Father lives! I bear testimony of these things by the power of the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost. I share these thoughts in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Inservice 2.6.2014

Part 1. The first portion of this week's inservice will focus on the quote that has been on the blog for a couple of weeks now. President Howard W. Hunter taught: "I strongly encourage you to use the scriptures in your teaching and to do all within your power to help the students use them and become comfortable with them. I would like our young people to have confidence in the scriptures....

"First, we want the students to have confidence in the strength and truths of the scriptures, confidence that their Heavenly Father is really speaking to them through the scriptures, and confidence that they can turn to the scriptures and find answers to their problems and their prayers....

"We would hope none of your students would leave your classroom fearful or embarrassed or ashamed that they cannot find the help they need because they do not know the scriptures well enough to locate the proper passages" ("Eternal Investments," 2, cited in our Manual, p. 34).

The Gospel Teaching and Learning Manual states: "As individuals treasure up eternal truths in their minds and

hearts, the Holy Ghost will bring these truths to their remembrance in times of need and give them courage to act in faith" (p. 34).

Two questions to consider prior to our inservice, please consider your answers to both and come ready to discuss them:

1. In what ways have you experienced the blessings of having "confidence in the scriptures?"

2. What are you doing to help your students develop "confidence in the scriptures?"

Part 2. The second item I would like to spend time on in inservice is the principle of improvement. From the Gospel Teaching and Learning Manual we read, "When we begin to analyze ourselves and look to improve ourselves as teachers, what better model could we find? What finer study could we undertake than to analyze our ideas and goals and methods and compare them with those of Jesus Christ?" (Boyd K. Packer, Teach Ye Diligently, rev. ed. [1991], 22).

As you consider your teaching, cast you mind back across the previous semester, what did you do well? What do you feel you could have done better? I am happy if you can answer both questions with sincerity and honesty. This semester I would like to invite you to consider one or two items you will seek to improve. As you consider your items, please also consider the our emphases for this year:

• Unity.
• Learn by the Spirit.
• Study the scriptures.
• Reach one more.

In addition to these, you may consider Brother Chad Webb's request from the August 2013 inservice to all

Church Educators: "My message today is for each of you, no matter what your current assignment may be. I would like to extend an invitation that, with the coming of a new school year, we each study again the Book of Mormon and prayerfully consider how we might encourage each youth and young adult within our circle of influence to have a meaningful personal experience studying the Book of Mormon." 

Is there a little more you can do with any of these? Prayerfully consider what you will be seeking to improve this semester please. When I come to observe your class I would like to be looking for your efforts to improve or evidence of improvement in some way. 

It would be ideal for us all to experience real growth this term as we seek to improve and become and teach a little more like the Savior. This is His work and He will bless and enhance our feeblest of efforts as we seek His help and prayerfully seek Him out. Looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday evening at 6:00!