Alma 6 Never Give Up

When someone leaves the church for whatever reason, we must never assign them to their kingdom in the next life.  We must not conclude that they will not return.  Jesus is mighty to save.  Alma commanded his people to “gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God.”

Alma 5 Have ye received his image in your countenances?

Alma asks many questions in this chapter. Several are essential. “Have ye spiritually been born of God?” “Have ye received his image in your countenances?” “…if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?” He adds this:


“I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. “

I add my witness that I know that The Savior will return again to the earth. He loves us and wants us to repent and come unto him. I love him and I know that he loves me and my family. May his grace and mercy continue to cover us in our weakness.

Alma 4 Pure Testimony

Alma appoints Nephihah to take his place as chief judge so he can go out among his people and bear down in “pure testimony” in order that he could reclaim those who had gone astray.

Alma 3 Who Is on the Lord's side?

Alma is wounded in battle but continues to support his troops through his faith and prayers. His people are strengthened albeit they were outnumbered. Thousands are killed on both sides. The Amlicites join the Lamanites and mark themselves on their foreheads to distinguish themselves from the Nephites. It would have helped their Lamanite allies know who’s side they were on during battles and thereafter. Are we for Christ or not? Who’s on the Lord’s side who?


“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Alma 2 Alma, the Brave Leader

Alma is a true leader.  He fights at the head of his army. He kills Amlici the usurper.  Amlici wanted to be king after the order of the Nehors. He took his people to battle against the Nephites.  He joined the Lamanites.

Alma 1 Steadfast and Immovable

During Alma’s first year as chief judge, a false priest, named Nehor, was brought before him for judgment.  He was physically “large, and was noted for his much strength.”  He preached that all mankind should be saved with no effort on their part and as a result became very popular and rich.  One day while he was preaching, he encountered Gideon who had help deliver the people of Limhi. Gideon confronted him with condemning words.  Nehor, being much younger and stronger, drew his sword.  Fearless Gideon defended himself but was slain.  Alma was especially concerned that priestcraft had been introduced among his people and that it had been enforced by the sword.  He condemned Nehor to die.  Before his execution, Nehor admitted to preaching false doctrine.  Unfortunately, the doctrine of Nehor was not extinguished and many of the Nephites continued to believe and practice this “eat-drink-and be merry-lifestyle.”  To make matters worse, they began persecuting the true followers of Christ.  Nevertheless, those who were faithful were “steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them.”   Steadfast and immovable sounds like a great motto for the Stone family.

Mosiah 29 Support and Sustain

King Mosiah told his people that he didn’t want them to be ruled by a king any longer. He gave them the right to vote! They received the news with great joy, and exercised their right, by voting for Alma the Younger to be their new chief judge. I am so grateful to live in a country where I can have a vote.


I hope my family will be modest and moderate in their dealings with their fellow-Americans. Let us stand for something! But let us not do it in a way that is prideful. Let’s have no Obama or Romney bashing. We don’t know them personally. Let’s assume them to be good, patriotic men, good husbands and fathers. Let’s pray for them sincerely, not to come around to our way of thinking, but to be guided by righteous and good principles.

Mosiah 28 My Mission Call

When my mission call came, I was heart-broken. I didn’t want to go to the Navajo Mission. I had experiences in sports competing against the Indians at Intermountain Indian School that had soured my feelings towards them. Now I had been asked to speak Navajo and live on the reservation in Arizona and New Mexico. I called my stake president, President Baird, and told him I didn’t want to go. He came to our house and we sat down in the living room. He asked, “Where would you like to go?” I said something like, “anywhere but there.” Then I said lamely, “Hawaii, or Japan.”


“Well, I’ll call the mission department and tell them how you feel, then I’ll let you know what they say,” President Baird said kindly. I think he called me the next day and related this story:

“Walt, I called the mission department in Salt Lake and I was put in touch with Elder Spencer W. Kimball, the committee chairman. I told him what you said and asked him if there could be a change in your assignment. He listened carefully; then he said, “Tell Brother Stone this story and see if he changes his mind. Yesterday, we met together in our committee meeting. We had a large stack of mission papers before us. What we would do each time we met was look at a large map of the world and see what missions needed new missionaries. Then, prayerfully, one by one, we would pick up a missionary’s papers and read them through. Next, we would look at the map and look at the openings. Then we would make the call for that missionary and send the papers down to our staff to be recorded and sent to the President of the Church for his approval and signature. Yesterday, we met as usual, and at the beginning of the day we made the call to ‘John Doe’ to serve in the Florida South mission. Then we sent his papers down the line for processing. However, his paper work, for some unknown reason, ended up back in our stack of missionaries who had not yet been issued their callings. When we came to his papers, it was late in the afternoon and we did not recognize them as already being processed. So, we proceeded to go through the regular procedure of reading the papers, praying, and issuing the call. In this case we called ‘John Doe’ to serve in the Florida South mission, and then sent his papers on to the staff. They discovered that ‘John Doe’ had been previously called to the Florida South mission! Now, President Baird, will you please tell that story to Brother Stone, and see if he still wants us to change his assignment? Perhaps he will gain a witness that his call is from the Lord and the Lord got it right the first time.” President Baird then asked me to consider the words of Elder Kimball, pray about it again, and then call him the next door and let him know how I was feeling.

When I called the next day, I told President Baird that I was fully committed to serve the mission the Lord had called me to serve: the Arizona-New Mexico (Navajo Speaking) mission. The Spirit had given me a personal witness and I felt it way down inside of me. I knew that the Lord wanted me to learn to love and serve the Navajo people. President Baird was overjoyed and so were my parents.

In Mosiah 28, the sons of Mosiah ask their dad if he will go to the Lord and gain approval for them to go on a mission to the Lamanites. I’m sure their mother was a little nervous about the request! When King Mosiah prayed, he recorded the following: “And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites.” Not only had the Lord given his approval, he had also told the boy’s father that his sons would have eternal life. He was also assured that his sons would be kept safe. What greater promises could a father and mother receive from the Lord?

My mission has shaped my life more than any other experience. I love the Children of Lehi. The Lord kept me safe, planted a testimony deep in my soul, and promised me through the covenants of the temple that I will have eternal life if I will stay faithful. My mission shaped my life, but I would also add that my marriage has made my life. All of my attention goes to Jean and my family throughout eternity.

Mosiah 27 Born Again, Redeemed of Christ

Alma’s son, Alma, or Alma the younger, rebelled along with the four son’s of Mosiah. They were vile and wicked in their secret attempts to tear down the church. An angel came and stopped them in their tracks. Alma was overcome and fainted. He saw the gates of hell. He repented “nigh unto death.” So did his buddies.


“For said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit. And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

We must seek, like Alma, to be holy men and women. We must repent, every day, and humble ourselves to the dust of the earth. We must plead with the Lord to change our hearts so that we abhor sin and seek only for the Light. With the Holy Ghost as our constant companion, we can chart a course that leads to eternal happiness.

Mosiah 26 Thou Shalt Have Eternal Life

Alma, the faithful convert of Abinadi, is told by the Lord that he will have eternal life.  How sweet those words must have been for this faithful traveler!  The road had not been easy.  He had suffered terribly while in bondage to Amulon.  Yet, he was ever faithful.  He had taken upon himself the name of Christ.  We, like Alma, will have tough times, but we have taken upon us the name of Jesus Christ.  He is our Master and our Deliverer.  He loves us.  Our Father in Heaven loves us.  Despite our weakness and sins, he is ever forgiving and merciful.  He has already forgiven us; he died for us.  We need only come unto him and plead for forgiveness with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  We must “pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all things.”   

Mosiah 25 Repent and Excercise in Christ

Alma preached to the reunited Nephites.  He preached repentance and faith in the Lord. Limhi and his people were baptized, believing all the words of Alma.  Seven churches were formed in Zarahemla.  “Whoever were desirous to take upon them the name of Christ, or of God, they did join the churches of God; and they were called the people of God.  And the Lord did pour out his Spirit upon them, and they were blessed, and prospered in the land.”  The Stone family will continue to prosper if we will continue to repent and exercise great faith in the Lord.   

Mosiah 24 The Lord Provides a Way to Escape

Alma and his people escape the wicked Amulon. They do this through their complete devotion to and faith in God. They keep a prayer in their hearts. The Lord delivered them through the covenant he made to them. The Lord delivers us through covenants. I have pondered the two escapes made by the Nephites in these past two stories. Limhi, Alma, and their people were able to escape the Lamanites with their families and their belongings including their herds of animals. They would have been easy to track. Yet the Lamanites couldn’t find them. God covenanted to deliver them. In Limhi’s case they tracked them and lost them in a couple of days. Don’t you find that miraculous? In Alma’s case, the Lord puts the enemy to sleep and when they wake up and start their pursuit, the Lord declares to Alma, “I will stop the Lamanites in this valley that they come no further in pursuit of this people.” What a cool combination of miracles: covered tracks, deep sleep, stopping the enemy by an unsaid method. I wonder if they ran into a wall, or if they forgot what they were doing, or if they couldn’t find the escape route. It also shows the unlimited ability of the Lord to custom make miracles on behalf of his righteous children.


Here in Utah we have had no rain for 38 days, that is, until yesterday and last night. It rained as much as a half inch. We have had some serious fires throughout the state. This rain was a direct answer to our prayers for help with these fires. Thank you dear Father in Heaven.

Mosiah 23 Why Me?

What a lousy deal for Alma and his people. The Lamanite armies couldn’t find the Gideon-led Nephites but after being lost for days they stumbled upon Alma and his followers and took them captive. Even before that, they stumbled upon the wicked priests and their Lamanite wives. The chief of the priests, Amulon, was clever enough to get himself made chief over Alma and his people.  Yet Alma did not waiver in his faith or act in fear.

How ironic! How unfair for Alma! What kind of reward was this for righteousness? Don’t we have these kinds of experiences in our lives when we ask “Why me?”? (Alma did not murmer, but I think I would have.) Sometimes we are not prepared to deal with tough times in our lives and we question our faith in God.


I have been reading about Eliza R. Snow who was an older sister to Lorenzo Snow. She was married to Joseph Smith in plural marriage. Her family joined the church in Ohio and went through the forced migrations to Missouri and Nauvoo. Though they endured many severe trials faithfully, her parents were not able to keep their faith burning. They moved away from Nauvoo, refusing to go west. Eliza mourned their decision saying that they had not accessed the strength given to them through the Atonement which was their privilege as his covenant children. Faltering in their faith, they left the church. (This must never happen to Jean and me.) Eliza, her sister Leonora, and brother Lorenzo, on the other hand, stayed strong and unwavering. They came west with the Saints and prospered.

We must stay unwavering in our faith, and when trials come upon us we must stand with Christ, our Master and our Deliverer.