Feast upon the Word Blog

A blog focused on LDS scriptures and teaching

RS/MP Lesson 46: “The Martyrdom: The Prophet Seals His Testimony with His Blood” (Joseph Smith Manual)

Posted by joespencer on November 3, 2009

A remarkably concise “From the Life” section opens this lesson. It covers the basics concerning the martyrdom. But there is, of course, much more to say. Allow me, on this point, just to recommend pages 537-561 of Richard Bushman’s Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. And with that, let me move on to the “Teachings.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Lessons:RS / MP | 1 Comment »

RS/MP Lesson 45: “Joseph Smith’s Feelings about His Prophetic Mission” (Joseph Smith Manual)

Posted by joespencer on October 30, 2009

This lesson is a wonderful collection of some of Joseph’s most revealing “autobiographical” statements. I’ll simply take up each section in turn, offering reflections. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Lessons:RS / MP | 6 Comments »

New Online Scripture Study Tool

Posted by BrianJ on October 27, 2009

Two LDS bloggers recently announced a new online scripture study tool they named ScriptureLog:

ScriptureLog is an Open Source plugin for the popular WordPress blogging platform that allows you to take advantage of Open Source technologies and standards by turning WordPress into a platform for collaborative scripture study.

I haven’t had any time to test drive it so I can’t make any recommendations or describe how it might compliment (or not) other online tools—such as our own Feast Wiki—but I nevertheless wanted to let our readers know about this new resource. Hopefully you have great success using it and can report about it here!

Posted in Misc. | 1 Comment »

Sacrament symbol: The Bread

Posted by NathanG on October 18, 2009

Today in priests quorum I taught about the sacrament.  While talking about the symbolism of the bread, we read the following passage from 1 Corinthians 11 Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Misc. | 8 Comments »

Satan’s Priesthood?

Posted by robf on October 13, 2009

We read a bit about the sealing power of the priesthood in scriptures such as Hel. 10: 7

Behold, I give unto you apower, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.

The ability to seal ordinances and other earthly acts in heaven seems to be an essential aspect of priesthood.

So what are we to make of Satan’s ability to seal as reported in Alma 34: 35? Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Misc. | 34 Comments »

RS/MP Lesson 44: “The Restoration of All Things: The Dispensation of the Fulness of Times” (Joseph Smith Manual)

Posted by joespencer on October 3, 2009

I found this lesson to be… well… odd. I think it gathers together some very nice statements, but it is more given to what one might call form than to what one might call content. That is, when I got to the end of the lesson, I felt inspired to focus more of my efforts directly on the work of the kingdom, but I found that I could not—on the resources of the lesson alone—answer the question, “What is the work of the kingdom?” I could, of course, provide my own answers to that question, and I could tell myself that all the previous lessons in the manual should be understood to be (at least) a set of resources for answering that question, but I nonetheless found—and still find!—the question somewhat unsettling. And I think the reason is this: the vision Joseph provides in the teachings gathered into this lesson is so much larger than any description of the work I could provide in answer to the question.

So let me suggest that this lesson presents a kind of massive, perhaps unanswerable question, in the end: How do we make sense of the lack of balance between the vision of the Kingdom as Joseph presents it and the way we talk about the Church as a day-to-day work? With that question constantly in mind, I’ll offer some notes on the lesson (jumping right over the “From the Life” part of the lesson). Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Lessons:RS / MP | 6 Comments »

RS/MP Lesson 43: “‘He Was a Prophet of God’: Contemporaries of Joseph Smith Testify of His Prophetic Mission” (Joseph Smith Manual)

Posted by joespencer on September 29, 2009

This is, I think, a nice little lesson. Scattered as it is among so many different people, however, it is difficult to trace in it any real unified intention. And of course none of it comes from the Prophet Joseph Smith. As a result, I will do little more in my notes here than draw on little bits and pieces of the many things said about Joseph Smith that seem to me striking in one way or another, writing up comments here and there. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Lessons:RS / MP | 4 Comments »

Our Posterity

Posted by robf on September 21, 2009

In my current read through of the Book of Mormon, I’m increasingly struck by how “posterity focused” the Nephite patriarchs and prophets are. The whole enterprise of writing on the plates, of course, only makes sense in light of the huge pains they take to preserve the gospel covenants for their posterity. Nephi agonizes about his posterity in vision. Jacob pleads for them. Enos begs for the records to be preserved for them. It is interesting to contrast that focus with our own cares and concerns. My guess is that we seldom worry about our distant posterity like the Nephites did. Why is that? Why don’t we seek to know what will befall our posterity, and pray for them? Is it that we just assume that they will be faithful and blessed in some future Millennial day? How can we even relate to the hopes and aspirations of the Nephite patriarchs? And, to threadjack my own post, are we really fulfilling their expectations of us as regarding their posterity?

Posted in Misc. | 8 Comments »

Aaronic Priesthood Lesson 33: Scripture Study

Posted by NathanG on September 13, 2009

I am now teaching the priests in the Aaronic Priesthood in our ward.  I was just looking through our next lesson on Scripture Study and made my (often token effort) perusal of the manual.  The “attention getter” story is as follows:

“Ask the young men to imagine themselves in the following situation. You and your family have gone to spend a few days in the mountains. The area is new to you, and you decide to go for a hike before dinner. As you are walking, you spot a squirrel and begin to follow it. You haven’t paid attention to which direction you are going and suddenly realize that you are lost. The sun has dropped behind the mountains, and it is quickly becoming cold and dark.

Posted in Lessons:AP/YW | 8 Comments »

A Mormon Theology Seminar Conference on Revelation 21-22

Posted by joespencer on September 8, 2009

Latter-day Saint Readings of Revelation 21-22
September 25th, University of Texas-Austin
Theater in the Texas Union (Room 2.228)

The schedule is as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

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