“Men of Valor: The Powerful Impact of a Righteous Man” by Robert L. Millet proves to be defining in text and rich in thought for Latter-day Saints, the average person, or anyone interested in finding reasons to live a meaningful life while on this earthly plane.

 As children we sometimes find ourselves surrounded by tough decisions and wonder about “growing up”.  Soon we find ourselves as eager “teenagers”, wanting to hurry the process to take advantage of the whims of what we think adults enjoy.   We want jobs to have things we think are “cool”, girlfriends or boyfriends, money to spend on stuff we want , hours to call our own, or no curfew.  All these things sound like something we can handle, and we can’t wait to become ADULTS.    We may even find ourselves serving a mission, getting married, getting an education at a college or university and entering the employment field as young adults before we ask the question, ” What kind of adult do I want to be?”

The author expresses the world wide response that all young human beings have who have entered this part of their lives.  “I can do it myself” is the universal attitude of youth, which at some point must change to acknowledgement that we need God’s help, and this comes by way of humility.

As we experience stress, struggles, challenges and traumas, we search for peace and hope for it to prevail. Only as we become well acquainted with the Savior and come to know that God will attend to all evil, then we conclude to submit to the Father in Heaven who Loves us, and commit to do as He sees fit.

When we finally take upon us this mantle to “Follow the Savior”, we become part of the peculiar people called from darkness to the light, and are called to serve contrary to the world. We should not surrender to the special interests of the world, but be true to the covenants we take upon ourselves. We then become different and are a part of a royal lineage as the scriptures tell us in 1 Peter 2:9, where we become part of a “Peculiar Nation”, lead by a different source, because the worth of a soul is great.  As we become enlisted in this cause, which comes through repentance, we also become ministers to the world’s inhabitants, and we must emulate a Christ-like attitude in our acts and other matters. As enlistees in this royal army, we must cherish the word of God, use constraint to master the spirit within us through reverence, never profane the sacred name of God, perform sacred ordinances, and be loyal to the covenants we take upon ourselves.

As we strive to live the life as Latter-day Saints of God, our word must be our bond.  Brother Millet reminds us  that we as Latter-day Saints do not have a monopoly on goodness. There are all around us noble men and women, not of our faith who live their convictions in high regard, and through their selflessness show honor and glory to God through their acts and conduct.

All who wish to become  men or women of valor should and must place the needs of others above their own. We must follow the Savior by helping Him to battle for souls, as we strive to live a Christ-like life which leads us to divine service and a mature spirit. 

” Men of Valor: The Powerful Impact of a Righteous Man” by Robert L. Millet stirs my being to better understand the sacred responsibilities I have undertaken by enlisting in His Royal Army, and helps me to search out my goals to accomplish God’s purpose.

D. Baxter
Nephi, Utah

For those who haven’t read volumes 1 & 2, the story starts in the pre-existence and describes the war in heaven from the perspective of four characters (our main characters).  It continues as each of the main characters come to earth during the last days. These spirits are some of Heavenly Father’s strongest children, and each has been sent to earth during the last days to complete a special work.  From Iraq to Washington DC, we follow them as they work to keep their faith in a very dangerous world. In “The Great and the Terrible, Vol. 3:  The Second Sun” by Chris Stewart, the adversary’s plan is revealed, and the first blow of the final battle is dealt.

Power. That’s what this book is about. Who has it, who wants it, and what some are willing to do to get it. This is an eye opening story of the disintegration of stability in the world.  Relatable characters, international intrigue, and a plot to destroy the world, led by Lucifer himself, make The Second Sun hard to put down.  The overriding theme of power struck me about halfway through this book (leave it to me to take 2 1/2 books in the series to finally pick up on one of the major themes).  The desire for power, or in other words the desire to have our will supercede the will of our Heavenly Father, and its destructive capacity can be traced all the way back to the pre-mortal life, where Lucifer sought to have power over all Heavenly Father’s children.  Over one third of our spirit brothers and sisters were lost as a result.  On earth, the story has been repeated many times over.  In the Book of Mormon, the Lamanites sought to rule over the Nephites, killing thousands on both sides.  In recent world history, evil dictators have sought to rule over many through war and the expansion of communist governments.  In this book the theme continues, as the second son of a Saudi King seeks for power, and in his lust, sets in motion a chain of events that could destroy the world.

“The Great and the Terrible, Volume 3: The Second Sun” by Chris Stewart has reminded me that there are two sides to this struggle, that I have the power to choose which way I will go, and that Jesus loved each of us enough to die to give us this opportunity – the opportunity to live, to love and to choose what we want to become.

J. Smith
Maple Valley, Washington

“Jesus of Nazareth” by Truman Madsen is a four volume recording of his lectures on the ministry of Jesus Christ. Brother Madsen’s distinct delivery style makes these lectures a treat. He is very precise in his description of the events in Jesus’ life and brings a depth of insight and understanding that is evidence of his deep knowledge of the Gospel. He served as the director of the BYU Jerusalem Center, and because of his extensive experience in the Holy Land, he is very familiar with the topography and geography of the area in which Jesus served his ministry. This knowledge comes from his living in Israel for several years and his interaction with the people there that made it possible to understand their culture more thoroughly than most.

Many times in the book, he talks about how the etymology of Jewish words affects our understanding of the scriptures and gives the reader a deeper insight to the scriptural passages. 

Jesus of Nazareth is available in four volumes:

Volume 1 contains the following lectures: “The Shepherd and the Lamb,” “Healings On The Temple Mount,” “Ascent and Transfiguration”, and “The Passover and the Sacrament.”
Volume 2 lectures: “Bethlehem,” “Youth in Nazareth”, “The Light That Shines in Darkness”, ”Baptism and Temptation”, and “Cana, the Cleansing, Jacob’s Well.”
Volume 3 lectures: “Sermon On The Mount”, and “Three Parables For Our Time.”
Volume 4 lectures: “The Last Week”

Breaking down the life of Jesus into periods of time and events like this makes it possible for those studying the life of Christ to concentrate, in depth, on the important segments of His ministry. His last four lectures entitled, The Last Week of Jesus’ life begins with His entrance into Jerusalem to his crucifixion on the cross.  Brother Madsen’s scholarship will inspire you, and you will come away with a deeper understanding of Jesus’ ministry; you will have a desire to go back and listen again and again to gain an even deeper understanding.  “Jesus of Nazareth” by Truman Madsen lectures are enlightening and make a wonderful addition to everyone’s gospel library.

D. Richardson
Retired High School Counselor

“Of Lions, Dragons, and Turkish Delight’ by S. Michael Wilcox is an MP3 Talk on LDSAudio.com. 

S. Michael Wilcox did his dissertation on C. S. Lewis, who wrote a series of books called ‘’The Chronicles of Narnia”, among others.  C. S. Lewis is loved by many Latter-day Saints who are intrigued by insights in his books that parallel LDS doctrines.  For three years Brother Wilcox read all of C. S. Lewis’ s books, and learned what some of these parallels were.  I was interested to know that he compares the Lion, in the “Chronicles of Narnia…the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, to Christ; and if anyone has seen that movie, then they can also see that parallel.   Brother Wilcox talks about how C. S. Lewis teaches us about our ability to become like God, and how God has the desire to bring happiness to our souls.

Although C. S. Lewis was an athiest in his youth, he became a very devoted Christian, and now almost all Christian denominations claim him, because he had something that appeals to all of us.   Michael Wilcox points out that C.S. Lewis  hated school and called one of his school experiences “Concentration Camp”.  He was always happy to see summer come.  Lewis later came to believe that anything that had to do with Christianity (such as scriptures, etc.) was given to us not only to produce better men and to help us to live a good life, but that there was a specific end, and that was to aquire a great amount of JOY.  That joy was to become like God; to become an immortal creature.  

I enjoyed listening to “Of Lions, Dragons, and Turkish Delight” by S. Michael Wilcox very much!  It was very enlightening! 

J. Stevenson
Asotin, Washington