The following transcript is intended to aid in your study. However, while we try to go through the transcript, our transcripts are primarily computer-generated and often contain errors. Please forgive the transcripts’ imperfections.
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[00:00:00] Tammy Uzelac Hall: We are going to begin where we left off last week in first Nephi chapter 10 verse 17, when Nephi told us that he was desirous that he might see, hear, and know of the things in his father's vision. Now, listen, you guys, that's a big ask to see here and no, I was thinking the audacity, right? And then I thought, you bet.
Of course. I love that. Nephi believed that he could do that. So then I started thinking, what am I desirous to see here and no, and have I asked, do I have the audacity, the courage or the boldness to ask? So before we begin this episode, I want you to really think of something that you want to see here and no, and then write it down and then get ready to take the Nephi challenge.
Now, what is that? Well, you're about to find out in this episode. And with the help of my guests, welcome to the Sunday on Monday study group, a Deseret bookshelf plus original brought to you by LDS living, where we take the come follow me lesson for the week. And we really dig into the scriptures together.
I'm your host, Tammy Usolak Hall. If you're new to our study group, please follow the link in our description that will explain how you can best use this podcast to enhance your come follow me study. Just like my friend, Susan Stewart. Hi, Susan. Okay. Now, another incredible thing about my study group is each week I'm joined by two of my friends.
So it's always a little bit different and we pair people up and today have I got a pairing for you. Oh my gosh. I'm so excited. I get to introduce you to Diane Gurdy Iman and Tamu Smith. Hello ladies.
[00:01:34] Diane Gerdy Iman: Hey,
[00:01:37] Tammy Uzelac Hall: we're already all in love with each other. We seriously are met and you can just feel it. I feel like
[00:01:42] Tamu Smith: I know, I know, right?
Your energy. You have great energy.
[00:01:45] Diane Gerdy Iman: I am beyond excited to be, to do this.
[00:01:49] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I have been just over the moon seeing, well, and I said to Tamu, Diane's our people, like you're going to like her. And what did you say right when you met her?
[00:02:00] Tamu Smith: Yeah, I knew that she was my people. She came in. I was like, yeah, that's my girl.
[00:02:04] Diane Gerdy Iman: Love you guys.
[00:02:05] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Well, the thing I love about the three of us is we're funny. We're just funny people. We like to laugh at the same thing. So I think this is going to be a really fun discussion.
[00:02:17] Diane Gerdy Iman: And you know what else we are? We're criers. We're laughers and we're criers.
[00:02:23] Tammy Uzelac Hall: That might come with age cause we're getting older.
Okay. And we're old. Okay. I think that I cry more now than I ever did before on my mission. I was stoic. I didn't break for anything. And now, oh my gosh, I cry at everything. Don't leave me. Yeah. Like all the time during the day. I'll cry about the dumbest things like, what is my problem? Yeah. But today won't be dumb.
Nope. There'll be real tears. Right?
[00:02:48] Tamu Smith: Let's do this. You know, Jesus wept. So maybe this is a, it's a celestial trait. Like it's a heavenly trait.
[00:02:56] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Ooh. Okay. Now there you go. We could end with just that. Amen. Okay. Well, if you guys are wondering more about my guests, you want to see their pictures and read their bios, go to our show notes, which are found at ldsliving. com slash Sunday on Monday, scroll down and you're going to see them. And you want to go because you want to see Tamu's picture of her in her awesome skates. It's a pretty great picture that she begged her family for and they didn't get him for her. And then she had a full on tantrum. Oh, they listened after that.
[00:03:26] Tamu Smith: Yeah. Got the skates. I don't even know those people anymore though.
[00:03:31] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh, you're so funny. Okay. So everyone grab your scriptures and whether you're studying alone with family or with friends, we are going to Nephi chapters 11 through 15. Okay. You two right out of the gates. Here's our question. What has the Holy Ghost taught you this week as you studied?
[00:03:47] Diane Gerdy Iman: The biggest thing that I have learned this, this week, as we have studied these chapters is so much about how much the savior loves us and wants to know us. I have learned so much more about. His ministry and that he's teaching us to be like him.
[00:04:19] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I have a question, Diane, cause when we were first starting to talk about this, you said, I'm already crying.
And I was just reading through the chapters. Why did they make you emotional?
[00:04:27] Diane Gerdy Iman: They made me emotional because I really saw that he has experienced everything that I've experienced and that he, he wants to, he wants to meet me where I am. All that I have to do is reach out to him and it's really hard. I, I have a family member who I love so much and I see that this family member has so many great things going for them, but they're just not grasping for the savior like they should be. And it kills me.
[00:05:29] Tamu Smith: This feels very personal to me. And I'm just going to say, but God, because this is what I wrote down that, um, just like Nephi minute, cause Nephi is watching the destruction of his people as I'm reading this.
And so I wrote just like Nephi, many of us in the church today know that our children. Or those that we love might be contemplating leaving, or they have left the church. We are dying out. Our families are dying out, yet we are staying faithful. And why are we staying faithful? And um, for me, I had to, that that's a question that I thought about.
And for me, I had to think really about Nephi and why he stayed faithful.
I want my family to be a family of believers, but ultimately it's really about me and my relationship. And me finishing valiantly to the end and Nephi knowing, I don't know why God showed him what he showed him and the destruction of his people. But also it is a challenge to us because my covenant is that I would mourn with those that mourn comfort, those that comfort.
But also my covenant is that I am going to follow Christ. Wow. But it, and it's hard, it's a hard place to be when you see your family walking away or those you love walking away.
[00:07:13] Diane Gerdy Iman: But that, you know, that you are going to stay where you are on the covenant path because you know of the joy that you feel and that you receive from the gospel and from having that relationship with the savior.
And so you stay because you know of that joy and you know of the comfort that you receive. As the Savior suckers you and comforts you and is there with you on these darkest of hours, right? Because he suffered below all things. So not only can he meet us at our lowest, but he's even experienced lower than our lows.
So as we see our families or our loved ones. Leave we can find peace and knowing that we are where. We need to be and that our families have a place to come back to also that.
[00:08:35] Tamu Smith: And, you know, I did think about my patriarchal blessing and, um, shout out to my favorite patriarch right now, uh, uh, patriarch, Basara thinking about my patriarchal blessing and, um, taking, holding claim to the Abrahamic covenant, the Abrahamic blessing that all nations of the earth would be blessed. And so I'm going to do my part, but if I am a part of that covenant, then that means that I have people who are grafted into my family that are watching me that I don't even know, like it, it becomes more than just my biological family, it becomes my family, a family in Christ, and also making sure that.
That, uh, they make it back as well. And so I think that sometimes we look at the family that we have and how, you know, we're living our life and seeing how it impacts them, but we don't think about those who are watching us and, um, who are also our brothers and
sisters.
[00:09:46] Diane Gerdy Iman: Then I talked to my. Sister who is just the sweetest, most Christ like person on the planet and besides my husband and she says, you know, Diane, I just know that the Lord, he just, um, he's so aware of them and that, that he's got them and it's okay.
And the Lord's got them. So. You're fine. The Lord's got them. And I think that that's something that I've really Been putting a lot of stock in to a lot especially in my prayers Instead of saying Heavenly Father. Why is this happening? I'm so frustrated But instead saying Heavenly Father Kyle and I have really tried, you know, we have We have tried everything that we can we go to the temple we read our scriptures We do family home evening, you know, we do these things and we're sure trying and we're really grateful that we have And you just want to say to them, just, just pray, just, you know, go to the temple, pay your tithing, do these things and these blessings are going to come.
I know they're going to come because they come for me, but we can't do that. As my sister says, you know, the Lord knows, the Lord knows them and he's got them. They're okay.
[00:11:32] Tammy Uzelac Hall: So then your prayer becomes, Heavenly Father, help me to see, hear, and know that they're going to be okay. Yes. So let's do this in the next segment.
Let's apply that, that equation, the see, hear, know equation to our situations that we're all in right now. And we're going to see if it really works. So we're going to do that in the next segment.
Segment 2
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[00:12:00] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Now you to be honest with me, when you heard me say a Nephi challenge, what did you think when you heard the word challenge? How are you with challenges?
[00:12:07] Tamu Smith: I'm great at challenges. I don't want this one. I don't want it.
[00:12:12] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Why don't you want it?
[00:12:14] Tamu Smith: Because I know what Nephi saw, and I'm just like, if God allowed Nephi to have that experience, I already know what my life is like.
I don't, I'm not going to do it. You don't want to know what anyone else already know. Like, I feel like I'm experiencing Nephi, Job stuff in my life. So that's actually not a prayer that I would pray for myself. Tammy, please y'all please forgive me for my, my faith being not as strong as Nephi's and Tammy's, but I don't, I don't want to see the future.
No, not at all. You know what I do want? I only want to see the future if it's going to be fabulous. Like, I don't, I don't want to know what, like, no, I'm good. I don't even care if it's fabulous. Surprise me. I like surprises. God, you know, you know, my heart. Yeah, for sure. I would like to, my prayer would be that I feel love.
I feel my father's love. I feel my heavenly caring love so that then when I feel loved, I can radiate love to others. Um, I can give it. Like it, that fills my bucket. And so just feel me and help me feel others. I don't, I don't need to see nothing.
[00:13:37] Tammy Uzelac Hall: You're good. You're good. Okay. So you would never ask to see here and no.
So it does. And I said this at the beginning, it takes an element of bravery and courage to see here and no, doesn't it? And I said like the audacity, that's a big. Big request and you know, it's interesting it let's go into first Nephi chapter 10. So let's go there right now And we're gonna mark a couple verses We're gonna mark verse 17 and we're gonna highlight where he says I wanted to I was desirous that I might see Hear and know of the things that his father saw so go to verse 17 and towards the bottom Highlight see here and know and then he gives us this verse Tamu.
Can you read verse 19 for us?
[00:14:27] Tamu Smith: For he that diligently seeketh shall find the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well as in these times and in times of old. And as well in these times of old, as in times to come, where for the course of the Lord is one eternal realm.
[00:14:48] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Okay. So right there, right out of the gates verse 19 says for he that diligently seeketh shall find and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded.
Again, Tamu wants no part of that. She'd like a nice surprise. I think that's awesome. But when we go into these verses, if we go into first Nephi chapter 11. We have this word again, desired for, he says, for it came to pass that I had desired to know the things of my father that he had seen. Now we're going to read this verse and here's what I want us to do.
Let's read first Nephi chapter 11 verse one. I'm going to read it and as I do, I want you to, to mark what Nephi had to do to see here and now. Okay. So here we go. Verse one. For it came to pass that after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me.
I sat pondering in my heart, I was caught away in the spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen and upon which I had never had before set my foot. Okay. What, what are we talking about right here? What are the three things he had to do to see here and now?
[00:15:59] Diane Gerdy Iman: So he had to desire, had to believe, and then it says, as I sat pondering in my heart,
[00:16:13] Tammy Uzelac Hall: perfect Diane.
Thank you. I marked those in my scripture, desire, believe, and ponder. Okay. But here's what I want to know because we've been teaching this. I mean, Diane, come on. We taught this so many times to our students. If you have a question and you want to know the answer to it, maybe you don't even want to see the future, future, future.
Maybe you just want to have. confirmation about going to college or getting a job or anything like that. And so right here is the equation. If you want to see here and no, then you have to desire, believe, and ponder. But come on, does it really work? Let's just talk real talk. Do you guys, can you, do you have an experience where you had a question and you, you applied this, you desired, you believe, and then you pondered and you got an answer?
[00:16:58] Tamu Smith: Yes. Yes. Yes.
[00:17:00] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Hit it. What do you got?
[00:17:02] Tamu Smith: Um, for me, I've said this before. I'm going to continue to say it every time I'm on the show. I have been extremely blessed in my life to know. I just have been blessed to know. But when I was a kid and I was looking at my own, um, faith journey and I knew that I could have, I knew I had my own relationship with God and, um, And I, I knew that there had to be something more than heaven and hell.
Um, I had a desire to know I had the faith. I had faith that it, that there was something more that the spirit had testified to me. I just didn't know it. And, um, and then this started when I was around 10 years old. And then when I was 11, the missionaries found my family and I felt like God answered my prayer.
Yeah, for sure. You know, I didn't know immediately at that time, but after, you know, the spirit testified to me to join the church and my parents, they, my parents were awesome. They allowed it. And then at each little, you know, um, plateau, something else would happen that solidified my testimony. And that's just kind of been the journey of my life.
So I do, I do know that this works.
[00:18:32] Tammy Uzelac Hall: And you were just a young little kid.
[00:18:35] Tamu Smith: So was Joseph Smith. I mean, it happens still with older people, but it can happen with younger people too. I mean, how old was Jesus when he said, I'm about my father's business?
[00:18:48] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh gosh. He was 12. Yeah. Right. You know. You just know when you know.
You know when you know awesome Tamu. Thank you. What about you, Diane? You said you did.
[00:19:01] Diane Gerdy Iman: I did. Um, so I remember when I was in the MTC, we had a big meeting one night and we were talking about bearing our testimony about the book of Mormon. And in that meeting, we were told it. Every single person that you meet, you have to tell them that you know that the Book of Mormon is true.
And I remember sitting in that meeting and thinking, Um, I don't think I can do that. I am not going to be able to go up to these people in this crazy land with this crazy language with this crazy food and say to them that I know that the Book of Mormon is true. And I started panicking and I remember going back to my dorm room.
With my companions and we were in a trio and I knelt down at my bed and I just started crying and I had never wanted to know something so desperately before, as I did right then, because I thought, what am I doing here? I am wasting my parents money. I am wasting a year and a half of my life. I can go back to college. Um, there's definitely some cute boys I can go date. And this language is really hard. I was speaking Czech and it was nuts. And I just really started freaking out. And I just sat, just knelt at my
bed and just cried. And I just said, Heavenly father, I just. I don't know what I'm doing. I have read the Book of Mormon so many times. I went to seminary at 6. 15 in the morning every day for four, you know, for four years. I was Laurel class president. You know, I did all the good things and I don't know that the Book of Mormon is true. I'm probably the only person in the whole MTC that doesn't know that the Book of Mormon is true and something is wrong with me.
And I just sat there and cried and I bet that I was at my bed for a good half hour and I just had the most incredible piece come to me and it was so weird because I really thought that I was going to have a vision. I full on thought I was going to have thunder and lightning and that Heavenly Father and Jesus were going to appear to me and that I was going to have this big. revelation in this big vision. And it was anything but, but I felt so good. And I just felt the spirit say to me, Diane, it's true. You've read it so many times and you've asked so many times. And every time. I've said to you, yes, it's true. And you felt so good every time that you've read. You've had peace and you felt this wonderful feeling.
And as I knelt there at my bed and I thought, I've never desired anything more in my life. It was the most incredible experience, and I have never to this day doubted the Book of Mormon. And it was so awesome to get up from my knees and be able to, in my broken Czech, say that I knew that the Book of Mormon was true.
And it was incredible to go throughout the streets of the Czech Republic and tell everyone I knew that the Book of Mormon was true.
[00:23:24] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Diane, I want you to say it for us right now in Czech.
[00:23:28] Diane Gerdy Iman: [bears testimony in Czech]
[00:23:33] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Did you feel that Tamu?
[00:23:35] Tamu Smith: Yes, I did.
[00:23:38] Diane Gerdy Iman: And now I have a boy who is doing that in California and I'm so proud of him.
[00:23:45] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Wow. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that. Oh my gosh. Beautiful ladies. Okay. Well to end this segment, let's 11 and I just want us to look at something really cool because if you desire to know something. And then you believe that God will hear and answer your prayer. I think there's always like for us a little bit like, I believe he will, but I'm not sure when.
There's that little, then the pondering comes in. How long I got to ponder a couple of minutes, a couple of years. Some of us haven't pondered for many, many years on things. There's something really key to this word believe. So if we go into verses two through six, it's interesting because in verse two, the spirit says, behold, what do you desire?
And Nephi says, well, I desire to behold the things my father saw. That's what I want. And then here it is. Verse four, five, and six, Diane, can you read four and five and then Tamu read verse six?
[00:24:39] Diane Gerdy Iman: Yes. Verse four. And the spirit said unto me, believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken?
And I said, yea, thou knowest that I believe all
the words of my father.
[00:24:52] Tammy Uzelac Hall: So highlight the word believe in verse four and five is key to this experience. And then verse six, because of Nephi's belief, he desired, but how important is believing Tamu read verse six.
[00:25:05] Tamu Smith: And when I had spoken these words, the spirit cried with a loud voice saying, Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God.
For He is God over all the earth, yea, even above all. And blessed art thou Nephi, because thou believest in the Son of the Most High God, wherefore thou shalt behold the things.
[00:25:30] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Thank you. I'm struck by that because nowhere before did it say, did Nephi say, because I believed in Jesus, I knew that my prayer would be answered.
It was the implication when you say, I believe, or yay, Lord helped on my unbelief. As we read in the book of Mark, there is absolutely, it's, I believe that Jesus will help me. And so I think it's neat how verse six is the, the spirit cried with a loud voice. Many scholars imply that to mean heat, that the spirit rejoiced, was so happy.
You believe in Jesus. All right, come along kid, I'm going to show you some amazing things. And so in the next segment, we're going to see what he saw and something that has helped me believe in the book of Mormon.
Segment 3
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[00:26:22] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Let's go right into first Nephi chapter 11. We're going to go to verse eight, and I want to know how each of you would say the action word that the spirit says to Nephi. Okay. Look at verse eight. Here we go. And now on the count of three, I want you to say it, how it's written. How would you say it? One, two, three.
[00:26:42] Tamu Smith: Look!?
[00:26:42] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Tell me about that word, Tamu. You love it so much. Talk to me about look.
[00:26:51] Tamu Smith: Because it speaks the way that the spirit was speaking to Nephi is how the spirit be speaking to me in a very loud voice. And also I want, like, I want people to read it like it said, because we say that the spirit speaks in this still small voice.
That's not how the spirit speaks to me. So they don't get to say how the spirit speaks to me. But then I always feel weird in places because I get excited. You know, I get excited. I get excited about the word. And when the spirit, it says an eight and it came to pass that the spirit said unto me, look, and in my mind, I'm like, the spirit was so excited that the spirit was like, look, look, look, look, like, you know, how your parents like, are just like, look, that's what I want to do with my kids.
Sometimes I'm like, look, look at this. Aren't you excited about this? And they're just like, mom. It's the scriptures. So they're joy kills. They don't know how to celebrate, but I'm saying you're right here. This is the spirit, the same spirit that speaks to deep eye. Speaks to me and that same voice.
[00:27:59] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh my gosh.
Well, okay. And what did you notice about? Tell us what you noticed about the word look throughout this whole vision.
[00:28:07] Tamu Smith: Well, what I noticed, not just about look, it says it, and there's one where it talks about the father and there's an exclamation point there. There's like, there's probably nine or 10 exclamation points in this chapter alone
[00:28:24] Tammy Uzelac Hall: That's so many exclamation points. Aren't you seeing this?
[00:28:26] Tamu Smith: The Spirit was like, Nephi Look!
[00:28:30] Diane Gerdy Iman: 12, 19, 24, 26 30, 31, 32.
[00:28:35] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh Tamu. Look at verse 26, where the exclamation it says, and the angel said unto me again, look and behold, the condescension of God. Exclamation point. I love that verse. Oh, that is Tamu's.
[00:28:47] Tamu Smith: That's what it was.
I was like, look at the spirit. Like it just, it came alive for me. I felt like I felt seen by God. That's what I, that's what I woke up to. Like you, you know, I don't need to ponder and see everything. I just need to see exclamation points every now and then.
[00:29:05] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Cause it comes alive.
[00:29:06] Tamu Smith: 21. It says, behold, the angel said unto me, behold, the Lamb of God, yea, even the son of the eternal father, Nephi, go look, Nephi, look.
[00:29:15] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh, it's awesome. Okay. You're going to love this fun fact. Tamu, this was, I didn't even know you liked this so much. So this is for you. Here we go. So the spirit twice instructs Nephi to look, exclamation point. Then he has another visitor. which is an angel. And the angel is the person who takes Nephi through the vision.
The angel tells Nephi to look an additional 11 times now. And I love John Hilton because he wrote about this and we're going to put the reference to the article if you want to read it, but here's what he writes. The angel also tells Nephi to behold, On eight additional occasions and Nephi looks or beholds now because the word behold means to fix your eyes upon something or to see with attention.
This instruction can also be additional encouragement to lock. So combined in total, there are 21 times that Nephi explicitly says I looked, or I beheld in response to the spirits. Or the angel's injunction to look, so I put a big 21 on the top of that page there and I put look like 21 times. He is told to look or behold.
Yes. That's even one of your favorite words. That's what, when I talked to you, you're like, look.
[00:30:28] Tamu Smith: I know. I'm like,
[00:30:30] Tammy Uzelac Hall: you love that word. Okay. So look, look, look, look. So let's go to first Nephi chapter 11 verse eight and Tammu tell us in verse eight, what's the very first thing that the spirit tells him to look at?
[00:30:42] Tamu Smith: Because what did Nephi want? Nephi wanted to see, like he wanted to know, you know, have the same kind of experience as his father. The spirit says, look. And Nephi saw a tree.
[00:30:53] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Okay. Now highlight the word tree. Highlight the word tree in verse eight. And now we're going to go to verse 12 because in verse 12 it says, again, it came to pass Oh Tamu, just, I want you to read our looks, read verse 12.
[00:31:07] Tamu Smith: And it came to pass that he said unto me, look, and I looked as if to look upon him and I saw him not where he had gone from before my presence.
[00:31:20] Tammy Uzelac Hall: And now from this point on, and here's what I asked my guest to consider that when Nephi asked the angel about the meaning of the tree in Lehi's vision. The angel simply could have said, Oh, well, it just represents love of God because he's going to define all of the things in with father Lehi's vision, but he doesn't tell him what it is instead.
He shows Nephi incredible visions in verses 13 all the way through 23 visions of the savior. And I want to know from the two of you, what are your thoughts on why the spirit did this? Why didn't he just give him the answer? Why did he show him the baby and the Virgin Mary and the condescension of God and that he is called the lamb of God?
Tell me your thoughts and any of those verses that stood out to you.
[00:32:09] Tamu Smith: Well, I mean, I think that, um, Nephi. Like many of us, Nephi could have been a visual learner. For me, you can tell me something and I guarantee you, I'm going to get some of it, but I'm not going to get to have the experience. Nephi was so blessed and so lucky that he got to, he didn't just get to hear about it.
He got to experience it. If you give me an experience. I will not forget that experiences, they pierce your heart hearing something like, it's not the same to hear it. It's not the same to have it explained to you. I can visualize anything, but if you allow me to experience it. Through my own self. I will never forget that.
[00:33:01] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Ooh, that's a great answer, Tammy, because I'm a visual learner too. Like the spirit could have given me the answer, but if I could have seen everything he saw, all these events from the savior's life, that's going to stick. Ooh, that's awesome.
[00:33:13] Tamu Smith: And he's not just seeing it though. He's experiencing it. The spirit is saying to him, look, and he gets to look.
And that puts him like, it's almost like those, the virtual reality glasses now. Girl, I was on a roller coaster and almost had a heart attack just through these through this experience that I had and it was everything that I, I remember being on a roller coaster. And so my body remembered it, and I think that Nephi got to have that experience.
He had an experience, he didn't just get to see it or visualize it, or he got to experience this.
[00:33:53] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh, please. I'm writing down some awesome thoughts from what you said.
[00:33:56] Tamu Smith: Which is so much deeper than what his father even got, because his father had the dream. Nephi had the experience. So cool.
[00:34:05] Tammy Uzelac Hall: So cool. Diane, tell me your thoughts on this.
[00:34:08] Diane Gerdy Iman: That's exactly what I'm thinking is that he was able to see the savior, um, the places where the savior was, the places that, um, You know, he saw who the Savior talked to, where the Savior walked, um, in verse 31. I talked about Christ performing miracles and the crucifixion and the, and the Savior's death and how, you know, I'm very visual too. And as, as if I hear one thing, that's, that's something, but if I can really. Watch it, then I can internalize it more and as, as he sees the savior. You know, born in this, in this circumstance that is just so horrible, something that we just cannot even fathom, you know, just to see that that is where he started his life. Yeah. I think that that really, um, helped him to understand better, um, as it talks about the On dissension of Christ and how he. He was willing to meet us where we are and on our level. And I think that as you see the savior that way, it makes it okay. Here is this baby that was born in this not. Wonderful situation, and here he is on the streets and, you know, teaching these people and ministering. Well, it makes it a lot more realistic.
[00:36:16] Tamu Smith: I was going to say, if we go back, if you go back up to verse one. It says that he was caught away. He was caught up, like he got caught up in it. So he's having this out of body experience.
[00:36:30] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh, what a way. Isn't that interesting? That's good. I'm going to study that some more.
That's awesome. Oh, thank you both of you for your thoughts on that. I do think it's beautiful and I like how we've both, we've all come to the same conclusion that he could have just so easily been given the answer. But instead he was given the experience and that is pretty powerful.
[00:36:53] Diane Gerdy Iman: He had the scenes that made it more real life to appreciate the love of God.
[00:36:58] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Well, and then he really got to see here and now through the way the spirit taught him. So that is pretty awesome. Okay. So here's what we're going to do then in the next segment, I'm going to yell for you guys to look at something that I think is so cool in the book of Mormon. And I want to show that to you coming up next.
Segment 4
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[00:37:25] Tammy Uzelac Hall: So, in 1st Nephi chapter 11 and 12 is the vision. He gets to see what his father saw, and then we get to 1st Nephi chapter 13. And I have a big old LOOK, in all caps, because this is Hebraism. This is so cool. Go to 1st Nephi chapter 13, verse 8. I want you to LOOK, oh, this is so fun. There is a word that is repeated over and over again.
That we would not do in the English language. It is in verse eight. And here it is. It says, and the angel spake unto me saying, behold the gold and the silver and the silks and the scarlets and the fine twine linen and the precious things and the harlots and the desires of this great and abominable church.
Look at verse eight. Every time when you have a series of nouns in English, you would never introduce it with the instance of the word the. You wouldn't say with the silver, the scarlets, the fine twine linen. You just put a comma. Right? Right. Now this is Hebrew. Biblical Hebrew regularly repeats the definite article.
For each noun. It always does. It puts a hay. That's the letter in Hebrew, a hay in front of the noun. So in your scriptures next to first Nephi chapter 13 verse eight, right? This cross reference Genesis chapter 15 verses 19 through 21. Here's an example in the book of Genesis where we have a list and we have the word proceeding nouns.
Now go back into the book of Mormon. We're going to go to first Nephi. We were in first Nephi chapter 13 verse 8 where it happens. I want to show you another place. Go to first Nephi chapter 18 verse 25. Give you another example of it. And it came to pass that we did find upon the land of promise as we journeyed in the wilderness, that there were beasts in the forest of every kind, both the cow and the ox and the ass and the horse and the goat and the wild goats.
There it is. The, so I think this is so cool. And you know how much I love being able to see things in the Bible and things in the book of Mormon, because as we've said before, Joseph Smith did not study Hebrew for six years after the book of Mormon was written. How would he have possibly known he shouldn't have included the word the before each noun, because, and even as there were translating, I just often wonder, did Oliver Cowdery look up and Do we really want to put the in this many times?
We can make it so much easier if we just cut the the and put a comma. And so I just think this is so cool. We have this example and I just really like that. Look, here's another reason for me. I believe the Book of Mormon is the word of God and there is no other way that Joseph Smith could have just sat down and written this.
So we have, we have a look for me. So there you go. You're welcome.
[00:40:08] Tamu Smith: And a learned person actually would have messed it all up. You're right. Because they would have fixed it. Yes. Air quotes, which makes sense to me because when you think about Moses and some of the men that, uh, who were prophets, they felt so inadequate.
Like, I don't think that very, I don't know of any of them that was like, I got this, please roll up a profit. I got this on lock. They're like, no, Moses is like, I don't speak. Well, pick somebody else, go to someone else. And God was like, I want you, I can, I want you all of those things that you think makes you inadequate makes you.
[00:40:57] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I want you, Tamu, what you just said strengthened my testimony of Joseph Smith even more. I mean, Emma said he couldn't even pen a letter to a friend. Wow. I never thought about that before. Thank you, Tamu. That was awesome. Okay. Well, that's our discussion of the thing I wanted you to look at. So now in the next segment, we are going to look at something.
Even more incredible, and it is a very important and specific title for the savior.
Segment 5
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[00:41:36] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Okay, you two, I want you to think back because I sent you an assignment before we met. I asked you to go through first Nephi chapters 13 through 14. And for those of you listening, I'm going to give you the same assignment. So I want you to do this before you even move on. I want you to go through first Nephi chapter 13 through 14.
And I asked you to highlight every time you saw this very specific title for the savior. Now don't tell me the title yet. Here's what I want you to tell me. What's the highlight situation like in your scriptures when you highlighted this word? A lot. It's a lot. I was shocked when I went through and highlighted it myself and looked back at my scriptures all week.
That stuck with me. Like, why is he given this title so many times in these two chapters? So ladies, what is the title you marked?
[00:42:25] Tamu Smith: Lamb of God.
[00:42:26] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Yep. Lamb or Lamb of God. So, Right now, everyone pause, take a highlighter, go into chapter 13 and 14 and highlight that title, Lamb or Lamb of God. Now, the Spirit briefly introduces us to this title in 1st Nephi chapter 10 verse 10.
That's the first place we see it. But then in chapter 11 verse 21, he definitively uses it and we didn't read it. When we discussed it, but I want to read it now. So let's go back to first Nephi chapter 11, verse 21. This is Nephi's experience. He's having that Tamu and Diane, you taught us so beautifully where he was having this full on moment.
The spirit didn't tell him what the tree meant. He showed him what the tree meant. And then we have first Nephi chapter 11, verse 21, Diane, will you read that for us? I will. Verse 21.
[00:43:13] Diane Gerdy Iman: And the angel said unto me, Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father. Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?
[00:43:25] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Thank you. So we have this lamb or lamb of God. It's everywhere in chapters 11 through 14. So I would even recommend find a color that you've never used in scripture and highlight this title. So it just stands out to you when you get to these chapters. And I sent you guys a question because I wanted to know.
Why do you think this is one of the titles for the savior and how can he be both the shepherd and the lamb? What are your thoughts on being the lamb?
[00:43:59] Tamu Smith: I think if we look at the, the time and, uh, the sacrifice. And what they would sacrifice. Um, they, lambs are submissive. Um, they, they, you know, they know the shepherd's voice and if the shepherd calls them, they don't know that they're going to slaughter or they're going to be sacrificed, but they obey.
[00:44:29] Tammy Uzelac Hall: They didn't know what was going to happen. They just obeyed.
[00:44:32] Tamu Smith: They just were obedient. And I think about Christ and I've thought about this. How could he be both the shepherd and the lamb? He was obedient. To the shepherd, our father, um, but he also for us, was a shepherd. Mm-Hmm. like, you know, he, he was shepherding us.
He, it was, he was our, uh, we became familiar with God in person, in, in flesh. And um, he was speaking the word of God and he did not have the nature to go against God. And so he was the shepherd, but he was also the lamb because he showed us. That he was willing to be obedient even until death.
[00:45:18] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh my gosh, Tamu, you're totally right.
And then we become like sheep, all we like sheep following the shepherd who was the example of being the ultimate sheep who followed the highest shepherd. Oh, that's so good. So powerful.
[00:45:40] Tamu Smith: And this is the part that, this is the part that makes me emotional because I. I think about that in it. Like I said, I'm a very visual person and it becomes so real to me. And, um, I remember reading a story years ago, they talked about. Um, how you had so many shepherds in this area and what it means to have the shep, the sheep know the voice of their shepherd and, uh, um, and so when there was someone that watched over the sheep at night, he wouldn't speak to, he wouldn't talk because, um, and if he did.
The other sheep would not come to him, the shepherds in the morning time, they would come and they would call their lambs and those lambs for each shepherd would come because they knew their master's voice. They didn't, like the other shepherds, it meant nothing to have them call their, their, their flock because they didn't recognize their voice.
[00:46:45] Diane Gerdy Iman: That was exactly what I was going to say, Tamu, um, in the Bible dictionary under sheep. It says the flocks were protected from wild beasts at night by men who watched them with their shepherd dogs. Shepherds still, as of old, go before the sheep, and the sheep follow, being apparently more or less attached to their masters, whose voice they instantly recognize.
So if we don't know the shepherd, we're not going to know his voice. And I, I've thought about this a lot too, that the savior, I feel needed to be a lamb. And so that he could understand what we were going through
[00:47:38] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Because he was a lamb. He understands the threat of a beast. He understands what it's like to be in the field and he knows what it's like to have to listen to a voice.
Oh my gosh. Of course he had to learn how to listen to the voice.
[00:47:54] Diane Gerdy Iman: Right. And I think also he being, being the lamb, he needed to, he set the example for us. We have to follow all of the things that he did. I remember on my mission saying, well, you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. Right. You know, these, all of the things that the savior did, we are striving to become like him.
And so as Nephi has this, you know, this vision of, of the savior and his ministry and his life and his death, and he's seeing how, how the savior was this lamb, but he also sees how he is the shepherd and he learns how we can hear his voice as well.
[00:48:51] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Well, and because he was the lamb, it makes him the ultimate shepherd, right?
You know, as we were, the three of us were studying this. question throughout the last couple of weeks, this idea of lamb. Um, I learned something that I had no idea. This is from Elder Holland. It's a book called witness for his names. And here's what Elder Holland teaches about the title of the lamb. And I was shocked by this.
Tamu, you want to read from your favorite? Elder Holland,
[00:49:17] Tamu Smith: This is one of the titles and responsibilities that Christ received in the premortal councils in of heaven. There the father introduces the great plan of salvation at that included for those who accepted it, the fall and redemption of his children, the entire human family in their journey toward exaltation, Adam and Eve chose to provide.
The entry into mortality, Jehovah, Jesus, the firstborn of the father was chosen to play the redemptive role with an infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice of his body and his blood. Thus, with all of this outline anticipated in heaven before the spirits had come to mortality, Jesus has been appropriately identified and holy writ as Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
[00:50:16] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I mean, I have never considered that. It was a title given to him in the Premortal Councils in Heaven that we all knew he would be the Lamb And Elder Holland goes on to say that then the symbol of the lamb was introduced to Adam and Eve. After they were cast out of the garden and they were then commanded to offer in some militude of Christ the lamb who would come an unblemished male lamb, the first thing of the flock.
And so it just makes this title so huge for me that I knew. Before I came down to earth, who the lamb was, and I knew I wanted to be like the lamb. That strikes me. My heart makes me kind of emotional because it's so hard to be a lamb. So sometimes you think it's cute because you can just frolic out in the field and eat flowers and not care about anybody.
Right. But tell me, Tamu,
[00:51:06] Tamu Smith: I was going to say, Tammy, you know, it also makes sense that it is, it doesn't surprise me that, um, he would be called the lamb. And the pre earth life, because, um, I think that, that we didn't know, know what we were going to go through, but we knew what we were going to go through.
And I think that because Jesus was Jesus, he was given the choice, you know, want.
[00:51:37] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Yeah. Well, and now I'm thinking of all the animals he could have been called. When I think of the whole animal kingdom, there's something about a lamb who wasn't called. He wasn't the cat, you know what I mean? He wasn't given the animal of like a possum.
Yeah. Like it's just beautiful that he is the lamb. There's no other animal that is more, I don't, in my mind, I can't think of an animal that I'm more like, Oh,
[00:52:04] Tamu Smith: a little lamb. Right. Right. A lamb is a baby.
[00:52:09] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Lamb is a baby. Oh boy, that was good. That's good to ponder on. It is. It's a baby. It's so humble and submissive and we'll do whatever the shepherd asks.
That's why we got to be lambs. Oh gosh. Lambs would stay by the tree. If that's where their shepherd was, they'd listen to his voice. They would stay. Well, thank you both of you for thinking about this question. And I loved your responses. That was a great discussion about the lamb. Worthy the lamb. I mean, I'm thinking of all the scriptures that have his name worthy.
The lamb has so much more power to it now. So thank you. Okay. Well, after Nephi was shown the vision of his father and he was given the interpretation and he saw it, he got to see here and no, then he asked to contend with his siblings. And I'm pretty sure he does not want to see here or know what they have to say to him.
So we'll talk about that in the next segment.
Segment 6
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[00:53:09] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Help me tell the story in first Nephi 15, go. You want to take it, Tamu? What's going on here?
[00:53:17] Tamu Smith: This is where if I were Nephi, I would have left, like, I would have left this vision. Like, I just, I don't even know how to say it. Like, this is, this becomes the crazy part of the vision for me. Because he interprets the vision, and, um, then he's telling his, you know, he goes to his, his family.
And, and I don't suppose that that his brothers were. I think that they are who they've always been to him. You know,
[00:53:49] Tammy Uzelac Hall: so we're going to be in first Nephi chapter 15 and this is where Nephi now comes to his family and they find out that he has been able to see here and know some amazing things. But it says in the, in first Nephi chapter 15 verse four, Nephi was grieved because of the hardness of their hearts.
And also because of the things which I had seen and knew, they must unavoidably come to pass because of the great wickedness of the children of men. He's like, I know what's going to happen. I've seen the destruction of all my people in verse five. He says that. And he says, I'm just so sad because my siblings, like they won't believe, but then you come to verse eight.
And he says unto them, listen, have you inquired of the Lord? Because they say, listen, the Lord, the spirit hasn't made anything like that known to us. We don't really know that that's what's going on. And I, that cutting question from Nephi, well, did you ask, did you inquire of the Lord? Did you desire to believe?
Did you ponder on any of these things? And I, you just love their answer in verse nine. I love how forthright there are. No, no, actually we haven't said it just
[00:54:52] Tamu Smith: like that. Nah,
[00:54:54] Tammy Uzelac Hall: nah, nah. We didn't ask, but then they're almost like, it's almost like a teenager answer. Not only did they say no, we didn't ask.
They're like, because the Lord doesn't even make things like that known to us. So why would we ask? And Nephi's like, why wouldn't you ask? What in the world? So Tamu, what's your take? What's going on? And what were your thoughts as you read this story?
[00:55:15] Tamu Smith: Well, because I know I'm looking at the whole story.
First of all, I brought this up with my, my sons. I said, um. I have two sons and I said, so, um, I say to Isaiah, he's the older one. I said, Isaiah, so the Lord comes to you and he tells you something about Elijah's family. Do you tell Elijah? Isaiah said, no. So I go to the younger one, he said, if it's negative, no, I would just try to look out for him.
I say to Elijah, I said, if the Lord. Comes to you and tells you something about Isaiah's family and, you know, you're going to have to kneel down and they're going to have to kneel down before you. And they're going to have to kind of like you, you, you have this connection with God and he reveals things to you to tell him.
He was like, absolutely. Yes. And if you look at the age difference, the younger brother is always the one that got something to prove. Think about it with, uh. Joseph, and that's why they always didn't beat up. I mean, look, I have nothing to like, even just the mannerism in which he said, yeah, I would tell him like, it was like, of course, like, and you know, where it was a different response for, and I'm looking at this story, I'm like, well, that's why the younger brothers be in the scriptures getting beat down.
They got this attitude, like Nephi could have handled this very different. He could have. It's almost like, right. And this is what I do love about the scriptures is because we are watching them have these human experiences. So What he, what, like their attitude, sometimes they're not doctrinal, like the words that they speak, but we're watching these families act out and have these very human experiences with doctrine.
[00:57:23] Diane Gerdy Iman: Yeah, and they're not getting along super well, right? So Nephi's like, well, don't you remember the things which the Lord said? Come on, brothers,
[00:57:33] Tammy Uzelac Hall: right?
[00:57:34] Tamu Smith: And his dad is right there looking at him like, There you go, Nephi! And Nephi's like, I don't listen to dad. And they're like, yeah, so. We're in the wilderness, Nephi.
We're not even at home.
[00:57:47] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh my gosh, we're in the wilderness. Okay. But how much do now this I had never noticed before in first Nephi 15. So the brothers are asking, okay, verse 21 says, what meaneth this thing, which our father saw in a dream? Like, okay, let's talk about this. And what does everything mean?
And Nephi starts going through what the things mean. And then in verse 26, this fascinated me verse 26, 20 actually versus 26 through 29. We have to read these verses because in 26, they say unto him, what meaneth the river? Water, which our father saw. Like what was that all about? Now look at this. I don't know if you guys have ever noticed this before.
I've never read it before like this, 27 through 29. Let's each take a verse and we'll start with you, Diane. Okay. Verse
[00:58:29] Diane Gerdy Iman: 27. And I said unto them that the water, which my father saw was filthiness and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld, not the filthiness of the water.
[00:58:44] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Now, pause there for a minute.
What was he just saying about his dad?
[00:58:47] Tamu Smith: And his dad didn't even recognize he was having this dream. He's telling us about this dream. He didn't even know what he was dreaming. I have to take it down for that.
[00:58:54] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I love the way you just explained that because I wrote in my scriptures where it says so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water.
But I did, and I'm about to tell you what I saw.
[00:59:14] Tamu Smith: That's exactly what I'm imagining. Y'all be glad you need to come listen to this too. Stay out the water.
[00:59:21] Tammy Uzelac Hall: So read, let's read what the water was. Here we go. 28 and 29. Tamu.
[00:59:28] Tamu Smith: And I said unto them, it was an awful gulf, which I'm sorry. And I said unto them, it was, it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of light and also from the saints of God.
And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful hell. Which the angel said unto me was prepared for the wicked.
[00:59:52] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I mean, you know, Nephi is saying that with a sort of like, and by the way, brothers,
[00:59:59] Tamu Smith: you might end up to me. Cause that didn't have an angel. That's had a dream. I got to have a whole angel.
You know why I got to have an angel y'all. Because I asked.
[01:00:10] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Who says the scriptures are boring?. I'll fight anyone who says the scriptures are boring because this is awesome.
[01:00:20] Tamu Smith: I saying, you're talking about somebody drinking tea or eating popcorn. I'm like, look, let me just have my tea while I read this tea. Nephi is, Nephi is, look, he's savage. It was like, the angels spoke to me and the, I could just see, I see it comes alive to me.
[01:00:40] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I don't think well, cause you have sons and you have a youngest son and you've seen this play out many times, right? Yeah. Yes. I have. So let's go to 25. We're going to Mark verse 25 cause there's a word in here that will hopefully maybe soften the blow a little bit with Nephi. And I, it does for me, it helps me to see where Nephi is coming from.
So verse 25, here we go. Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord. Yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul. Highlight, exhort. I looked up the definition of this word in the 1828 Webster's Dictionary, and at the time, exhort means to encourage, to cheer. So now I, I think it's a little bit different.
Like he's cheering them on because exhort when I read that, it sounds almost like what a teacher would do to you. Like I exhort you to take this test and make it, get your better grade up or something or a parent exhorts you. I just imagine my dad or my mom, like you're going to get a whooping. That's an exhorting to me.
If you don't start acting right. You will get whooped. So I exhort you to make good choices, but instead I want to read this verse 25, wherefore, I, Nephi did cheer for them to give heed unto the word of the Lord, yea, I did cheer them with all the energy of my soul. I mean, think of someone cheering for you with all the energy of their soul and with all the faculty, which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God.
And remember to keep his commandments always in all things. Now go back to how we started at the very beginning when I asked you guys to share your spiritual experience. Would you say you're more like Nephi here? Are you cheering for the ones you love? Are you cheering for them to keep the commandments and to remember God?
[01:02:15] Tamu Smith: I don't know who I'm talking to, but also it's hard for me sometimes once I see something, once I see something, it's hard for me to unsee it. So even though you're saying I, because I've already. In my heart, like this is something I'm going to wrestle with and I'm just, I want to be honest with everybody.
This is something that I'm going to wrestle with because I already see Nephi as kind of being a little bit of a brat. And I also see Joseph that way. So when you're saying exhort and you give the meaning of the 18, what is it? The, um, 1828 Webster's 1828 Webster's. I already have. I looked up exhort too, and it didn't say the 1828 Webster's.
It said it like, you strongly encouraged it. Somebody, and I'm not seeing cheer. I'm seeing strongly encouraged. So I already hear what Nephi's voice, his whiny voice sounds like. But when you say it the way you say it now, I feel guilty. Cause I'm like, I didn't have Nephi with the soft voice. So I'm gonna have to hear your voice say it a few more times.
So I can,
[01:03:18] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I can feel that because you're the leader. Tamu. With your roller skates on. Come on. I. You'll be at the tree. Yeah.
[01:03:28] Tamu Smith: Oh yeah. With my roller skates on.
[01:03:31] Tammy Uzelac Hall: I have watched you raise your siblings. I have watched you love your mom and you, my friend, you cheer people on. You cheer them to love God and you cheer them to remember his commandments and you stay by the tree.
I think you're right. I think there's an element to that where you're like, but, but you go do what you need to do. I'm going to be right here by the tree. I'm going to love on you all the day long.
[01:03:53] Tamu Smith: I do, but then sometimes I get petty yo, I get petty about it. Like, if I'm just like, I've been standing by this tree.
I told y'all to stay out the water. Y'all going to drink the water. Okay. Go ahead.
But then I still, I try to rescue him from the water after I'm in that feeling, and then I try to rescue them. So I know what Nephi is doing, maybe because I know Nephi. He's like, he has his petty moments, but he's trying to save them. But also, oh, you're not going to listen? Okay. The water is filthy.
[01:04:27] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh, I love this discussion so much.
Diane, what are your thoughts? Anything?
[01:04:32] Diane Gerdy Iman: I love, um I love being at the tree, being a cheerleader. I think that is such a great analogy and, uh, it's hard to be at the tree and it's hard to be cheering.
[01:04:47] Tamu Smith: Oh, amen. Thank you. Yes, ma'am. Thank you for saying that. And it's hard.
[01:04:54] Diane Gerdy Iman: And it's hard to be there alone sometimes, isn't it?
Yes. Sometimes we are there alone.
[01:04:59] Tamu Smith: Yes, ma'am. But we gotta do it.
[01:05:02] Tammy Uzelac Hall: It does feel solitary.
[01:05:05] Tamu Smith: Yeah. Thank you for saying that. That makes me feel better. It makes me feel kinder. Thank you.
[01:05:13] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Well, thank you ladies. All right, you two. So we're done. We finished talking about Nephi's vision. Last week we talked about Lehi's vision.
And so I just want us to read this paragraph from the come follow me manual because It really hit my heart and I appreciate it so much because it applies now to all of our lives with seeing, hearing, and knowing. With desiring, believing, and pondering how this all fits, it fits in with us. And here's this awesome quote.
Diane, can you read this for us? When
[01:05:40] Diane Gerdy Iman: God has monumental work for his prophet to do, he often gives that prophet a monumental vision. Moses, John, Lehi, and Joseph Smith all had visions like that, visions that expanded their minds and helped them see just how grand and awe inspiring God's work really is.
Nephi also had one of these life changing visions. He saw the ministry of the Savior, the future of Lehi's posterity in the promised land, and the latter day destiny of God's work. After this vision, Nephi was better prepared for the work that lay ahead. And reading about this vision can help prepare you too, for God also has work for you to do in his kingdom.
You are among the saints of the church of the Lamb. Seen by Nephi who were scattered upon all the face of the Earth and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.
[01:06:45] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Thank you. I, the part I liked was that you have a work to do. Every one of us, we are prepared to do the work we've been sent here to do, and that we're the, we are part of the Saints of the Church of the Lamb.
I can't think of a better congregation to be a part of, and I count it a huge blessing in my life. One of my favorite things to be part of that congregation with you too. I love being in this congregation, the church of the lamb with Diane and Tamu. So I love you both, man.
[01:07:13] Tamu Smith: Thank you. I feel the same way.
[01:07:15] Diane Gerdy Iman: You girls, let's stay at the tree together. We will.
[01:07:20] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Let's do that. Let's commit right now. Stay at the tree with us. Stay.
[01:07:24] Tamu Smith: I'm there. I cheer you.
[01:07:26] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Okay. Gather your thoughts. What's your takeaway or anything that you learned while you were studying for this episode? Hit it.
[01:07:32] Tamu Smith: Um, my takeaway is something that we didn't study, but I wanted to, to, uh, touch on it.
It's in verse 12, I mean, chapter 12, verse 23. And it came to pass that I beheld that after, um, they had dwindled in unbelief, they became a dark and loathsome and filthy people full of idleness and all manner of abominations. And I think that over the years there have been so many things ascribed to that, um, to that verse.
But what I would like for people to consider is that, uh, Nephi just watched the destruction of his whole entire. Posterity and that this is more descriptive and not doctrinal. This is a description of what he's witnessed and what he saw, but also what he's feeling. He's feeling a sadness. He's feeling like he knows that he has to persevere, even though at the end of all of this.
His posterity is wiped out.
[01:08:48] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Oh, Tamu. I'm really thankful that you brought up that verse so that we could put it in proper context. It's a condition of the situation that he has seen. So thank you. Awesome. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for bringing that up. I would be remiss if we hadn't talked about that.
So you're awesome. Thank you for doing that. Thank you for letting me. Yeah, you bet. Diane.
[01:09:10] Diane Gerdy Iman: Yes, so my so what would be That the Savior will meet us in our worst place and that he's willing to Go lower than than we ever will so that he can Sucker us and that he knows what we're experiencing He wants to comfort us and he wants to bless us and he wants to lighten our load.
And that is why he is our shepherd and he has gone through all of these things for us. And he is the ultimate, um, source of joy and hope.
[01:10:07] Tamu Smith: Thank you.
[01:10:08] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Amen. Amen. Um, my takeaway is Diane, when you bore your testimony in Czech of the Book of Mormon, that was awesome. Thank you. And, uh, Tamu, holy cow. I mean, when you taught us about the word, look. I'm never going to look at that word again the same way. Say it again for us.
[01:10:32] Diane Gerdy Iman: Yes.
[01:10:32] Tamu Smith: LOOK!
[01:10:35] Diane Gerdy Iman: Awesome.
I can't wait until this week when they teach this in class, I'm going to like yell. Oh yeah.
[01:10:43] Tamu Smith: Make your kids yell. Yes. If they're not teaching it like this, it's not being taught right.
[01:10:48] Tammy Uzelac Hall: Amen. Amen. That is awesome. Oh my gosh. You guys are so great. I love you both so much. Thank you. Thank you for being on this podcast.
Thank you. All right, everybody. Well, what was your takeaway? Go and join our group on Facebook or follow us on Instagram to share what you have learned. You can even ask questions, which I try to answer throughout the week. And then at the end of the week on a Saturday, we're going to post a question that came from this episode.
So comment on the post that relates to this lesson and share your thoughts. You can get to both our Facebook and Instagram by going to the show notes for this episode at LDS living. com slash Sunday on Monday. And it's not a bad idea to go there anyway, because it's where we're going to have links to all of the references we used as well as a transcript of this whole discussion.
So go check it out. The Sunday on Monday study group is a desert bookshelf plus original brought to you by LDS living. It's written and hosted by me, Tammy Uzelac Hall and today are incredible, fabulous. I adore them so much. Study group participants were Diane Gerdy Iman, and Tamu Smith. And you can find more information about my friends at LDSliving. com Slash Sunday on Monday. Our podcast is produced by Cole Wissinger and me. It is edited and mixed by Cole Wissinger and our executive producer is Erin Hallstrom. Thanks for being here. We'll see you next week. And oh, please remember to go ahead and ask the lamb. He and his father have known you for a really long time and you're God's favorite.
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