One of the best known incidents in church history is when the Prophet Joseph Smith healed the impoverished and dying Saints in the swamps of Nauvoo. Have you ever wondered why the elders had not begun administering to the sick before conditions had become so acute? The truth of the matter is that the elders had not waited. In fact, elders, seventies, and high priests had been administering to the ill for days, time and time again, but all in vain. Parley P. Pratt tells us that after the prophet had healed those on both sides of the river, he was surrounded by many of the brethren, most of whom had just been made well by the power of Christ. To this group, which included some of the Quorum of Twelve, the youthful prophet made this statement: It is time that such things ended. Let the Elders either obtain the power of God to heal or let them cease to minister the forms without the power!

^{(Life and travels of Parley P. Pratt p. 294)}

It makes me wonder how many times I’ve “ministered the forms without the power”.

[tags]Joseph Smith, Parley P. Pratt, LDS, healing, sick, priesthood[/tags]

Mafia to Mormon:
My Conversion Story

A couple weeks ago I went to the library during lunch to return some books and check out one I had on hold. I decided to browse through the LDS section. I decided to look for a small book that would be an easy read. I’ve got a goal to read a non-fiction book every month. I only made it through half of a book last month. I found a book with the title Mafia to Mormon. It’s a true story about the conversion of a man named Mario Facione. It was basically an auto biography. I couldn’t put it down. I read a couple chapters during lunch, then when I got home, my wife had a baby shower to go to, so I read the whole time with my two kids climbing all over me. I finished the book before going to bed that night. I’ve never finished a 100+ page book that fast before. I was just so impressed and amazed at his whole story. The man was a central figure in many big crime operations and he was able to walk away from it all with the Lord’s help. It was very inspirational. I pondered it all day the following day while doing yard work. I think there are two things that really stood out to me about his story:

1. In the Mafia, a promise is life-binding. You just don’t go back on your word, or you die. It was by someone’s word that made Mario’s life safe from the mafia. Mario left the mafia because he made a promise to God. With his background, I’m sure it’s very hard for him to understand why anyone would break a covenant with the Lord.
2. Mario saw a video about the temple in one of his early discussions. He felt he had to get inside that temple. That was a driving force that led to his conversion and determination to put his life on the line to leave the mafia.

I highly recommend this book. It is an easy read really. It has a fair number of typos and obvious grammitical erros as it is in Mario’s own words.

Losing It!: 5 Keys to Successful Weight Loss That Work

I’m reading a book right now entitled Losing It!: 5 Keys to Successful Weight Loss That Work. Although I’ve only read the first chapter so far, there were a few things I found interesting that I had never really though of and had some questions to.

First, D&C 89:11 – “Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.”

The author points out: “The word herb refers to plants and vegetables that are nourishing and healthful for man. ‘In the season thereof’ does not mean we can eat fruit and vegetables only at a certain time. Rather, these words meant that fresh foods have a superior value, and that we should not eat decaying or damaged foods. If fruits and vegetables are properly preserved, which is a common luxury in today’s society, they should be enjoyed through the year.”

I had wondered what the term “in the season thereof” meant.

Second is in reference to eating meat “in times of winter, or of cold, or of famine.” (D&C 89:13)

Again, quoting the author: “The phrase ‘only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine’ has caused many people to think that meat should be eaten only in the winter. However, when the Word of Wisdom was revealed, methods for preserving meat were primitive. We now know that storing meat at appropriate temperatures is vital to prevent serious and even fatal food-bourne illnesses. Modern refrigeration now makes it easy for us to eat meat safely in any season.”

She points out that the key term for eating meat is moderation. The average recommended portion size by many nutrionist is about the size of a deck of cards.