Tyler McKellar - Book of Mormon Family Reader

Text 2017 Tyler McKellar

Illustrations 2017 Dan Burr

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book Company, at permissions@deseretbook.com or P. O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130. This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church or of Deseret Book Company.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

(CIP on file)

ISBN 978-1-62972-334-1

Printed in China

RR Donnelley, Shenzhen, China

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

COVER IMAGE CREDIT

Cover illustrations by Dan Burr

Design: Shauna Gibby

Book design Deseret Book Company

Editors Introduction

The Book of Mormon Family Reader was created to help children, youth, and families discover and discuss the most doctrinally significant passages in the Book of Mormon.

From my own experience, I know that reading the scriptures as a family can be challengingfor parents and children alike. Time is often short. Attention spans are even shorter. And the language and length of the Book of Mormon text can be bewildering to young readers in particular. This book is an effort to help families spend what limited study time they have on the Book of Mormons most essential passages.

I am not a scholar or professional teacher. And it is not my intention to diminish in any way the portions of the Book of Mormon that are not included in this book; nor do I assume to know which passages of the Book of Mormon are ideal for every family. In deciding which passages to include, I considered three factors: my six children, ages six to eighteen, and the doctrines I want them to understand; my own impressions from reading the Book of Mormon throughout my life; and the doctrines currently emphasized by latter-day prophets. With these factors in mind and through prayerful consideration, I made my best effort to organize this book. Even so, I acknowledge my own limitations and the subjectivity of this undertaking.

The Book of Mormon Family Reader divides the content of the Book of Mormon into 245 sections, presented sequentially from the book of 1 Nephi to the book of Moroni. Each section is designed to be read and discussed in about five minutes, allowing families a simple, consistent method for discovering and exploring the doctrines taught in the Book of Mormon. Each section contains the following:

• A title that identifies who is speaking or writing and the doctrine or event being discussed.
• An introduction that reminds readers what is going on in the overall narrative of the Book of Mormon record. A great deal of content found in the Book of Mormon concerning travel, politics, war, and other non-doctrinal subjects are condensed into brief summaries in these introductions. Readers can thus follow the overarching narrative of the Book of Mormon while focusing their greatest time and effort on doctrinally rich passages of scriptures.
• Selected scriptural verses from the Book of Mormon . Portions of the actual scriptural text are then presented verbatim, helping retain the power and feeling of the inspired translation and language. While many verses are omitted (again, less doctrinal verses), the verses that are included are unaltered. The sequential order, language, and even the appearance are just as they are found in the Book of Mormon.
• A few follow-up questions at the end of each section that offer suggestions for contemplating and discussing the teachings of that section. Some questions focus on understanding the doctrines of a specific section, while others focus on how to apply those doctrines to our own lives. These questions are, of course, merely suggestions. Guided by experience and the Spirit, parents will know the questions that best encourage discussion and understanding tailored to the unique needs of their families.
• 150 original illustrations featured throughout the book that bring the people, events, and doctrinal topics of the Book of Mormon to life. After an exhaustive search for an artist with the requisite skills for such a daunting task, the ideal artist turned out to be my neighbor here in Teton Valley, Idaho. Your experiences with this book will be made more vivid and memorable through the artistry of my friend, Dan Burr.

While designed for daily use by families, this book might also benefit personal study, family home evening lessons, and Primary and youth lessons. However it is used, it is my hope that the pivotal doctrines taught in the Book of Mormon will be more clearly understood and easily discussed.

I believe the Book of Mormon to be truethat the events it describes actually occurred and the doctrines it teaches are real and eternal. I have found peace, guidance, and understanding by trying to understand and apply its doctrinesespecially the doctrines concerning Jesus Christ and His mercy, grace, and eternal sacrifice. Today there are more books available to read than ever before in the history of the world. I believe the Book of Mormon is the single most important book in humanitys search for eternal knowledge, peace, and salvation. It is my hope that The Book of Mormon Family Reader will help in this pursuit. In the midst of their hectic schedules, families can approach scripture study knowing it will be a rewarding endeavor. Children and parents can more easily focus their time on reading and discussing doctrinal topics of eternal significance. And by utilizing the familiar layout of the Book of Mormon, people of all ages will be better prepared to embark on a reading of the full scriptural text.

Tyler McKellar
Tetonia, Idaho, 2017

The First Book of Nephi

Lehi sees a vision of the Savior

Lehi lived in Jerusalem with his family 600 years before Jesus Christ was born. Lehi saw a vision of God. Later, Lehis son Nephi recorded the details of his fathers vision.

1 Nephi 1:812, 14

And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.

9 And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day.

10 And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.

11 And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should read.

12 And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.

14 And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!