On April 3, 1836, the Savior, followed by three angels appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland, Ohio temple. The three angels conveyed priesthood keys, adding to priesthood keys already bestowed upon the two men. Recognizing who locally exercises those keys is not hard for most experienced members, except when it comes … Continue reading Where Are Elias’s Priesthood Keys?
A kind friend not of my faith shared two verses from Isaiah recently that I felt to study deeply. "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall … Continue reading By Their Fruits
"Now, the prospect of death overshadows all others for me. I am like a man on a sea voyage nearing his destination. When I embarked, I worried about having a cabin with a porthole, whether I should be asked to sit at the captain’s table, who were the more attractive and important passengers. All such … Continue reading Life is Like a Sea Voyage
© 2024 by Kip M. Twitchell. All rights reserved. As a committed member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,[i] I have been taught that the Book of Mormon foreshadows the Second Coming, a concept recently restated by Elder Bednar: “This volume of scripture looks to the future and contains important principles, warnings, and … Continue reading The Meek in the Middle
Editor Note In April 2020, during the bicentennial of the First Vision of Joseph Smith, beginning the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson announced a new Proclamation of The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of … Continue reading Text of the 1845 Church Proclamation
This chart, by Jeffrey R. Chadwick, I find is very, very well considered, and was very useful to me in pondering upon the Savior's last week prior to Easter. Although copyrighted by Chadwick, it is available on the BYU Studies website in a different form. “Dating the Death of Jesus Christ” By Jeffrey R. Chadwick, … Continue reading The Savior’s Last Week
Very early in Nephi's record, he records the Lord telling him, "And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren" (1 Nephi 2:22). Tension from this promise grows throughout Nephi and his brothers' relationships. How is it possible the younger brother Nephi has any sustained power … Continue reading The Source of Nephi’s Leadership Force?
Let's think more deeply about Moroni's visit to Joseph Smith the night of September 21st, 1823 in honor of its 200th anniversary. You can read about this night in Joseph Smith—History 1:27–54. Let's estimate how much Moroni might have communicated to Joseph. In that day, people typically went to bed not long after sundown, which … Continue reading Joseph Smith’s Eight Hours with an Angel
It seems most of my religious friends view abortion as a critical point in deciding their vote this election. My recent post, "The Meek in the Middle," has led me to consider where is the middle ground on this important and polarizing topic. For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I … Continue reading Middle Ground in Abortion Debates
On Friday, August 17, 2018, I decided to try to do something about a scam artist that called me. Here's what I did: I have had a number of calls from a scam artist to my cell phone about needing to call them so the arrest warrant is not issued for me by the IRS. … Continue reading Serving Scam Artists
Kip on Character 