“They Taught with Power and Authority from God”
These chapters begin the story of the missionary efforts of the sons of Mosiah. Ammon and Lamoni take center stage, but the Lamanite woman Abish and her queen play key roles and Mormon emphasizes the contrasts between missionary and conversion experiences by paralleling the stories Ammon and Lamoni, Aaron and Lamoni’s father.
Highlights of this lesson include
- Parallel stories of transformation of Lamoni and his father
- Two of the strongest female protagonists in the Book of Mormon
- Focus on the “Plan of Redemption”
- An example of an “agnostic prayer”
For each lesson I will be posting my Lesson and Reading notes in case you are interested in looking at them. My Lesson Notes will outline my plan for the lesson so you can follow along. My reading notes consist of transcriptions of the notes I write in the margins of my Book of Mormon as I read. You should be aware that these are usually more detailed and critical since I put the central, gospel-based messages in the lesson itself (After finishing transcribing my reading notes once I realized it takes too much time, so enjoy “reading over my shoulder” once).
You can access my Lesson Notes here
You can see my Reading Notes here.
Thanks to Jared Mooney of Dirty Water Sound & Music for the excellent postproduction work.
Engaging Gospel Doctrine 
Excellent podcast! I learned a lot. I’m excited about this project!
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I liked the stuff about the agnostic prayer and not believing, very encouraging. I am disappointed that it only took one prayer to get an answer though.
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It is a poignant question why some people receive answers to prayers while others don’t, and the same goes for spiritual experiences. I think it is helpful to learn how and to what extent we connect to God and then live our lives within those perimeters. It is unfortunate when a culture affirms only one approach, one flavor and type of spiritual experience.
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I used this quote in a lesson I gave on doubt that I like:
President David O. McKay was the ninth President of the Church. In his boyhood he desired to know, as Joseph Smith had known, of the reality of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. One day while herding cattle in the foothills near his home, he sought a testimony through prayer. He said:
“I dismounted, threw my reins over my horse’s head, and there under a serviceberry bush I prayed that God would declare to me the truth of his revelation to Joseph Smith” (New Era, Jan. 1972, p. 56).
He prayed fervently and sincerely with as much faith as he could find within him. When he finished his prayer, he waited for an answer. Nothing seemed to happen. Disappointed, he rode slowly on, saying to himself at the time, “No spiritual manifestation has come to me. If I am true to myself, I must say I am just the same ‘old boy’ that I was before I prayed” (ibid.).
A direct answer to this prayer was many years in coming. While serving a mission in Scotland, Elder McKay received a powerful spiritual manifestation. He later commented, “Never before had I experienced such an emotion. … It was a manifestation for which as a doubting youth I had secretly prayed most earnestly on hillside and in meadow. It was an assurance to me that sincere prayer is answered ‘sometime, somewhere.’” (Francis M. Gibbons, David O. McKay, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1986, p. 50).
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Great quote Larrin. Thanks for sharing that. It is so important to find sources that validate common experiences such as the delay of spiritual confirmation, or even those who never experience it according to standard narratives.
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I love love love this experience that McKay had.
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By the way it’s a brilliant idea to include the Facebook discussion of the podcast on the same page with the comments. I’m no longer a member of the general Mormon Stories Facebook group (just my regional group) but this way I won’t be missing out.
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I agree! All credit goes to Geoff Nelson; he is the one who figured it out and wrote the code.
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I really enjoyed this podcast. Every time I read this section of the Book of Mormon I wish there was more information about the queen’s faith. In chapter 19 verse 10, Ammon says she had more faith than all the people of the Nephites…Holy crud! Too bad the Book of Mormon gives such little information about such a spiritual heavy weight. On a side note, while there are few references to woman in the Book of Mormon, there’s evidence to support that both Sariah’s and Abish’s names are Hebrew in origin: http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=9&num=1&id=210
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Laura,
I know, I wish we knew more about Queen Lamoni! I do think this is one of the many areas where a close reading brings out all the power of this narrative however. If you look very carefully you see how the queen functions as the main character, the protagonist of this section. She waits by her husband’s bed. She is the first to rise and then raises her husband. She speaks in tongues and prophecies. Lots of power here.
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Thanks for your excitement about teaching people about the basic elements of literature. I agree that there is a lot to chew on in this chapter. If the queen truly had more faith than all of the Nephites, I still think she’s worthy of more than this section gives us.;)
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Jared, I just wanted to thank you so much for this series of podcasts. This works for me so much more than what I hear each week in Sunday school. The quality of discourse here is why I argue for professional / trained teachers in the church. Thanks again.
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Mark, that feedback means a lot to me. I also feel strongly that we could do so much more with what we have, with our scriptures and theology. I imagine commentaries on all the Standard Works, imagine creative theology, and as you said, imagine the highest quality teaching. My primary goal is to model effective, nourishing Sunday School and so I am glad that is what you have experienced.
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Oh my goodness! These podcasts are exactly what I hoped for and more! Thank you Jared for helping me find a productive and accessible way to read the scriptures.
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When I tried the link to subscribe via iTunes on the top let of this page, it says the link is invalid. And when I search for Mormon Stories Sunday School podcasts, I can’t find them. Is anyone else having this problem?
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Are you still having a problem with this Sheila?
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