Matthew 2 addresses two very teenage issues that are worthy of mention.  Most students have some conception of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ.  They know he was born in a stable, laid in a manger, and that shepherds came to see him after his birth.  Some areContinue Reading

As we have read the beginning chapters of the New Testament, I am inspired by the attitude that Mary exhibited when she is told that she is to be the mother of the Son of God.  We can only imagine the way that others would have judged her, being inContinue Reading

Matt 6 deals with treasure (6:20-21), clothing (6:30), food & drink (6:31-32). When instructing the Twelve, Jesus made the following statement: Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)Continue Reading

I recently taught the war chapters (Alma 43-63) in Gospel Doctrine in my ward, and as I prepared, I thought how these chapters parallel our day.  We live in a time when it is difficult to discern between truth and error.  There are forces at work attempting to eradicate aContinue Reading

After Cyrus conquered the Babylonians in 539 B.C. he issued a decree allowing the Jewish captives to return to the land of Israel. He also encouraged the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem and offered financial assistance (see Ezra 1:1-4). By 520 B.C. the Jews had stopped working on theContinue Reading

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament.  It is difficult to ascertain when this book was written, sometime between 850-200 BC.  Dating this book is based upon the mention of the destruction of Jerusalem and the fact that many of the verses in the text are very similarContinue Reading

The book of Jonah is a wonderful message of forgiveness and grace.  Jonah is called by the Lord to preach repentance to a hardened people, a people that he does not feel are worthy of being saved.  In Jonah’s estimation, the people of Nineveh are so hardened, so unworthy ofContinue Reading

There is an increasing sentiment among some seminary students that the world is overpopulated, running out of resources and that the future looks bleak.  Many students have expressed to me thoughts such as, “What’s the use?  The world is going to end anyways.  Why get married and have children?  WillContinue Reading

In our classroom we have a “question box”.  I have found this to be a useful tool in the classroom.  When a student has a question that would take us far off topic, yet is still relevant to their lives, a teacher has a couple of options.  The teacher canContinue Reading

This contains links to a few books that have helped me understand the context and content of the scriptures. As an Amazon Affiliate, I do earn a small commission from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you). Click here to see all of my favorite books on Amazon. Imagine that youContinue Reading