After arriving at the promised land of the Americas, Nephi spent considerable time with the various records in his possession. It was then that he prepared the plates on which he would record his own family's record. He also read from the records of the prophets that were recorded on the plates of brass.

Nephi also spent time teaching his brothers from the writings of the prophets and even read to them from these writings. His favorite prophet to read from was the prophet Isaiah. He said that he chose Isaiah to read from because his writings were especially applicable to his family who were part of the House of Israel. The way he put it was that they could "liken the scriptures" to themselves.

In anticipation of Easter celebrations this month, we asked the kids to flex their imaginations on a very heavenly topic: the paradise of God. Because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection on the third day, we have the hope of living with Him forever in heaven!

Many of us have wondered what heaven will look like, where we'll live, what we'll do. Here are the musings of our littlest ones when we asked them, "What do you think heaven looks like?"

In 2004, I was struggling with a very serious illness affecting one of my daughters. At the time, she was also being tested for additional illnesses in addition to her initial diagnosis. As a parent, I became consumed with fear and worry. One day, I decided that I needed to take a break. I needed a significant span of quiet time to talk with the Lord.

My daughters stayed home with their father while I traveled west without a particular destination in mind, only a prayer that I would find a place where I could hear God's words without being interrupted by "life." I ended up at a small island in Lake Erie named Put-in-Bay.

This weekend, we commemmorate one of the most important tenets of Christianity — the resurrection of our Saviour who died for our sins.

Today, we're sharing another testimony of the restoration, an experience that Brother Robert Gonzalez had in 1985. Prior to this, he was a member of another faith and a firm believer that the Book of Mormon was a book of the devil. He'd even taught classes and given speeches to this effect. The following is taken from an interview recorded on Feb. 28, 2015.

I lived with the Palacios family in Lorain, Ohio. We went to the Niles Branch one time, and they were talking about the Book of Mormon. I had been told about the Book of Mormon and the different things in it, what it’s about and everything … but then Sister Rose was telling me about it, and she told me that if I didn’t believe her to take it to God. But to go with a “broken heart and a contrite spirit” and God would reveal it to me.

Over the last few chapters, we've seen the Lord direct Lehi's family to the border of the Arabian Sea and work through Nephi to build a ship that would take the family across the many waters to the land of the Americas. In 1 Nephi 18, the family boards the ship and begins the voyage.

One day during the trip, Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael and their wives began to have sort of a party with singing and dancing. Perhaps if the party had been limited to this, it wouldn't have been a problem, but the account states that they did "speak with much rudeness, yea, even that they did forget by what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness" (verse 9).

About four years ago, our family adopted a Yorkshire terrier mix named Stetson (pictured here) from a rescue center. In many ways he has completed our family with loyalty, unconditional love, and obedience. However, he tends to obey my voice. I have taken on the role of his master since I feed him, walk him, take him to the vet, etc.

One evening, I came down with the flu, the kind that knocks you off your feet. At night, I routinely let Stetson outside before he goes to sleep. Since I was ill, my daughter and husband took over. I heard my daughter trying to lure him inside, and then I heard my husband calling his name. To no avail.

Today's story of an angel-in-disguise comes from Brother Chuck Maddox Jr. Enjoy!

During my junior year of college, I spent a semester studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Although some schools had multiple people studying abroad in Argentina, I was the only person from my university to study in Buenos Aires; however, I knew God would go with me on this new journey.

I never liked staying at home. I was only in Buenos Aires for five months, and I wanted to make the most of my time. Whether I tried a new bakery, coffee shop, shopping mall, or museum, I always liked to explore. One morning, I decided to venture in my new town.

Like many women over the age of 29, we here at the Gospel Blog aren't that great at keeping track of our birthday — or blogoversary. But on March 5, 2012, we debuted our very first article, which just happened to be a showstopping Miracle Monday we got from Sister Cindy Hood. Sister Natalie Shawver (then Pezzenti), Brother Jerry Valenti, and Brother Ron Mazzeo all contributed articles for that first week. We're so happy that God has blessed our little efforts.

It was a typical Sunday morning.

I put on my makeup and moved on to drying my hair. Round brush in hand, warm breeze on my face.
Then I looked in the mirror.

The top half of my head had turned a strange orange color and there was a funny smell in the room.

I was puzzled. Did the heat have a reaction with the thickening spray? Hmmm, weird.

We're pausing our weekly study of 1 Nephi to bring you this article by Brother Joshua Gehly.

For Hindus, it’s the Sruti. For Buddhists, it’s the Tripitaka and the Dhammapada. For Taoists, it’s the Dao De Jing, Chuang Tzu, and the I Ching. For Islam, it’s the Quran. For Judaism, it’s the Torah. Different Christians include the Bible and, for some groups, many other texts. Each text claims to hold critical keys to spiritual understanding of divine truth.

Odds are good you have not read even a fraction of the religious texts available around the world. How do you know what the Word of God is?

This article is part of Sister Michelle Watson's deep dive into the concept of "deny yourself" (Mt. 16:24, Mk. 8:34, Lu. 9:23, 3 Ne. 12:30). Today's sub-theme is the concept of "gain through loss."

I can't study a topic like self-denial without taking a good, long look at the rich young ruler (RYR). His story appears in Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18.

The only three things we're told about this gentleman is that he's young, rich, and a ruler of some kind, which means he must have power. Being young, he probably still has his looks. Hot dog! This guy's got it all: wealth, status, and just maybe beauty.

Today's Miracle Monday is by Brother Paul A. Palmieri, who describes an angelic visitor he encountered when he was just a teen. Bonus — it's a restoration testimony too!

I was given this experience many years ago, but it's still relevant today. It was the summer of 1984, and I had finished my sophomore year of college. I had a summer job at a rolling pan mill about 10 minutes from home in Aliquippa. College internships were very limited locally due to the economy.

I was returning from work in mid-summer when, by chance, I saw and picked up a hitchhiker along the side of the road. He was clean looking, and I had no fear when I asked him where he was headed, and he said downtown Aliquippa.

Today's Good Word reminds us that if we're suffering in this life, it's only temporary. There is great joy to come, and, in the meantime, we can overcome the "shame" of our trials and troubles by realizing that, in suffering, we identify more fully with Jesus Christ our Savior.

The church is a volunteer organization without a paid ministry. But that doesn't mean we take leadership lightly. Have you ever wondered about the whos, whens, whats, whys, and hows of ordination? Here's a primer.

When Christ set up the church, He set up a physical organization as well as a spiritual one. He started with the original 12 apostles in Israel and with 12 others in America. During His ministry, Christ also called 70 evangelists to go out and spread the Gospel. The church grew, as recorded in Acts and 4 Nephi, and others were ordained to replace those who had passed away. Also, other spiritual offices were created to help support the growing organizations.