The First 2,000 Years by W. Cleon Skousen

7/10

I read this about ten years ago. It's pretty solid. It is a very in depth commentary to the first part of the Old Testament from Adam to Abraham. It brings some pretty good insight and Skousen has some pretty creative interpretations. Most of the time I was thinking that the connections he made were pretty sweet but at the same time remaining guarded about some of the conclusions realizing that he is just presenting his interpretations as a scholar and not as a church authority. He references the scriptures and uses them as the starting point for his arguments. Sometimes he would even present a few alternatives of what he thinks could have happened and openly states that he does not know the answer to a particular question but presents the alternatives in order to provoke the student to ponder more about the scenario being discussed. I enjoyed the book and it helped me get more into the Old Testament and to understand it much better. I'd recommend reading it while at the same time probably not recommend citing it too often as part of a Sunday School lesson or anything just to be safe.

Quotes:

"History confirms the wisdom of God in refusing to excite the human imagination concerning matters which have no immediate bearing on life here, and would only distract the human race from the business of making life more profitable on our own planet."

"Everything that existed in the Garden of Eden was endowed with the capacity to live forever."

"Just as soon as a man looks upon his office in the Priesthood as a token of his superiority over his fellow men then priestcraft replaces Priesthood."

"When Satan was ultimately cast out it was Michael and his angels who did it. It even describes how they did it: 'by the word of their testimony.'"

"Peace is the parent of prosperity."

"Sarah...is the only woman in the Bible whose age, death and burial are distinctly noted."

"[Christ's] suffering was His proof that He had to have us with Him in order to be happy."

The Holy Temple by Boyd K. Packer

7/10

So, those in the know will be able to tell by the image to the left that I have actually only read the 40 page booklet adapted from Packer's book of the same name. So I should probably put an * in the title of this post. Or just mention it here.

I read this forever ago, I don't remember when. Maybe on my mission, maybe before. So I don't have much recall. But as I thumbed through it looking for a quote or two I couldn't help but notice that even this small booklet contains tons of info about the temple that would improve my temple worship. Lots of good advice about approaching temple worship and cool stuff about symbolism, the sealing power, ancient temples, et cetera. Plus, I remembered that I have this booklet only after teaching not one but two gospel doctrine classes about the temple. Would have helped to go through this during lesson prep. Now I just need to go read the full length book to get more of some of the secret juicy details.

Quotes:

"A careful reading of the scriptures reveals that the Lord did not tell all things to all people."

"The Lord has every right and authority to direct that matters relating to the temple be kept sacred and confidential."

"Surely the Lord is pleased when we are worthy of the title: A keeper of the covenants."

Life Before Life by Richard Eyre

8/10

Second post in one week, I am rolling. I read this little book back in 2005. I remember the year because I read it while living with the Powell's in Provo. I actually read the whole thing on the toilet a la my Dad. It's true.

It is a pretty quick read and full of solid quotes and thoughts about the pre-existence. If I remember correctly, the book wasn't so much about what life was like before we came to earth but more about what it means and how it helps us knowing that we did in fact live before we came to earth. It's a good uplifter type of book, kind of in the mold of Stephen Covey's stuff. It's worth the time to read and could actually be taken care of in just a few days. So there you have it.

I leave you with some quotes:

The book opens with an awesome William Wordsworth poem:
"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home."

"Because we are spiritual beings we have spiritual memories, memories that are dim but not gone, veiled but not blocked. Thus spiritual truths resonate; they feel right. They ring true. They have about them a spiritual logic and light."

"God's commitment to our agency does not lessen His interest in us."

"Belief in life after life gives us hope. Belief in life before life gives us worth."

"Knowing about living before can change everything about living now."

"In the purity of little children, we see God."

"True faith comes when we trust that God's methods are beyond us but that His motives are for us."

"Believing and living are integrated parts of a two-way street. Believing something helps us to live it because we want to, and living something helps us to believe it because it works."

The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman

4/10

Time to dust off the old blog cover for another post. I read this book probably seven years ago. I remember it well. I read it for extra credit for my Information Systems class. I read probably a little less than half and then wrote up a little paper about it and voila, hello barely getting a B. I then actually finished the book a few years later, I believe in 2009. Yes, because I remember playing an all-day softball tournament in Delta (where we took 2nd place and I got a long sleeve t-shirt that has since served as my pajama shirt during the winter months) and I brought this book to read during the breaks between games. I was reading it on the bleachers without the book cover and someone legitimately thought I was reading Twilight. Then another person, after being told the title, thought that the book was about a person who really believed that the world was literally flat.

Now with that long intro that has nothing to do with the actual book, I will give my very brief thoughts about the book. It was a sometimes interesting, sometimes boring book about how the playing field has been leveled, businesswise. A kid in his basement can innovate and compete in the marketplace because he has access to many of the same tools as the big guys. Or something like that. And companies need to realize this and make adjustments accordingly. And how places like India are taking advantage of the flatness of the world what with their call centers and such.

It was ok to read, not my cup of tea obviously because I'm not too smartsy in this area and couldn't always keep up with the computer lingo and concepts. But, I have read it and thus am posting about it in my books that I've read blog.

Some quotes:

"Change is hardest on those caught by surprise."

"All of us are smarter than one of us."

"In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears - and that is our problem."

"Remember, in China when you are one in a million - there are thirteen hundred other people just like you."

Quoting Will Rogers: "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

Quoting Winston Churchill: "To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day."

Christ and the New Covenant by Jeffrey R. Holland

8/10

Hello friends. A quick post about this book that I read about 8 years or so ago. It is all about the teachings of Christ found in the Book of Mormon. It is super informational. Did you know: "Some form of Christ's name is used 3,925 times in the Book of Mormon, a figure that averages out to one reference for every 1.7 verses; some 101 different names are used to describe the Only Begotten Son of God." Did you also know: "As 'another testament of Jesus Christ,' the Book of Mormon contains twice as many references to the Resurrection as does the New Testament." The book is also very inspiring, because, duh, it was written by Jeffrey R. Holland.

Here are a few quotes I scrounged together:

"Faith is to agree unconditionally - and in advance - to whatever conditions God may require in both the near and distant future."

"Those who do not believe Christ's words would not believe him personally."

"Good works are necessary for salvation, but they are not sufficient."

"That any writer - Joseph Smith or anyone else - could create the Book of Mormon out of whole cloth would be an infinitely greater miracle than that young Joseph translated it from an ancient record by 'the gift and power of God.'"

What They Fought For, 1861-1865 by James M. McPherson

4/10

I read this little book over a recent weekend. It is a brief 69 pages, so I felt like I could quickly knock it down. And boy did I ever.

It is this interesting little book that this McPherson fellow put together after going through thousands of letters written by civil war soldiers on both sides. It is interesting to learn of the motives each side had for this war. As well as what each side thought the other side was fighting for. The main takeaway for me was learning that the main thrust of the war wasn't really centered on the slavery issue per se. The South was fighting for what they saw as government intrusion upon their freedoms and liberties. The North was fighting to keep the Union together. It wasn't until after Abe Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation that the slavery issue came more into focus. Plus, it wasn't received warmly by every soldier on the North. Some of them were upset because they thought they were fighting for the preservation of the Union and not the abolition of slavery. But over time, the majority of the Northern soldiers began to embrace this idea alongside preserving the Union.

I am a big civil war junkie, so I found it an entertaining and educational read.

Quotes:

- From Samuel Johnson: "How is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of negroes?"
- And then Honest Abe: "The perfect liberty they sigh for, is the liberty of making slaves of other people."
- And then a conclusion by McPherson after reading thousands of letters: "Confederate soldiers...seemed unconscious of the paradox."

The Great Apostasy by James E. Talmage

9/10

I read this book on my mission back in 2003 or 2004. It is very excellent and detailed. It actually helped me teach more effectively than probably any other book that was not the scriptures.

It basically lays out that Christ's original church fell away and, thus, needed to be brought back again (as explained in the scriptures). Therefore, it is quite harsh on the Catholic church (which is necessary in order to truly show that there was a falling away). The book cites a lot of writings that were made during these early periods that show that the doctrines adopted and the direction of the church was dictated by men and not by the guiding influence of the Savior. It details the history of the Nicene creed which showed how some of the doctrines came to be (e.g. the Trinity, etc.). It also cites the introduction of the man-made doctrines of infant baptism (and thus the parting from baptism by immersion), transubstantiation, indulgences, celibacy, etc.

One of the more interesting parts was a showing of the history of many of the Popes, especially Popes during the dark ages. As Talmage puts it: "The history of the papacy is the condemnation of the Church of Rome." Follows is a crazy history of how some of the Popes came into power and the type of things they did. It is crazy stuff. You would almost think you were reading a Shakespeare play or something.

The book, of course, focuses on the Catholic church because it is the only church (beside the LDS church) that has any claim to actual authority. Talmage points out that all the protestant churches were blatantly founded as man-made churches and do not even attempt to claim any type of authority. So the Catholic church receives the brunt of the apostasy assault. The book ends on a high note by showing that scriptural prophecies have been fulfilled and the gospel has been restored to the earth and Christ's church is again on the earth.

Quotes:

"The strong men who stood for Christ were the first to fall." (i.e. be killed off).

"Ignorance is a fertile soil for evil growths."

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

6/10

I read this short little book probably about six years ago or so. It is classic Steinbeck. If you like Steinbeck, you'll like this book.

It's about this pearl diver who finds this huge pearl. He wants to sell it but everyone quickly gathers that he has this huge valuable pearl. Much of the book deals with greed and covetousness. He struggles to sell it and has quite the journey in attempting to do so. Not to mention his many efforts to protect his pearl and keep it safe. This valuable, coveted pearl ends up bringing quite a bit of suffering and despair to his family. And, lets just say, if you love happy endings, well...lets not give it away.... But it is safe to say that he likely would have wished to have never found that pearl to begin with. It is a fascinating little tale about how we often covet and seek after the things that will not bring us happiness. And actually bring about the opposite.

No quotes this time.

Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage

10/10

My off and on blog posting continues, on into the year 2013.

I began reading the book in the MTC, read it the whole plane ride to Houston, and finished it up at some point in The Woodlands, Texas. It was one of my favorite things I've ever read. It was the second church book I ever read and had a powerful impact on me. It helped me to start off my mission with the proper focus and attention on the Savior. Talmage is extremely thorough and very intelligent. It is probably a book that I should re-read at some point in my life. It was also the book that introduced me to the word 'superfluous.' He used that word tons of times.

Unfortunately, I read this at a time when I did not underline in my books. So I will be unable to post the many, many great lines from this book. Maybe I will underline during my future re-read. But...I did find one random line that was underlined. Not sure why this line was chosen above all others, but here it is: "Every human soul is stamped with the image and superscription of God." Jesus the Christ by Talmage is stamped with my stamp of approval.