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The stargazers and the downlookers (3 Nephi 1)

Samuel the Lamanite was gone. And nobody wrote down his story. And people tried to forget everything he said. And they tried to carry on their lives as if Samuel had never stood on the wall and never told them that Jesus was going to be born in five years. And perhaps they would have succeeded if Samuel hadn’t given such a short and specific time frame.  

You might think five years is a long time. And you would be right. If you are five now, you will be ten, five years from now. If you are fifteen, you will be twenty. But five years is also a very short time. In five years, your hair will grow two and a half feet. But a saguaro cactus will only grow a half inch. And for the Nephites who had been waiting for six hundred years, five years was so short. Too short. Too short a time to not hope. At least a little. 

And so a bunch of Nephites decided to believe Samuel and they became the Stargazers. Because Samuel had told them that when Jesus was born, there would be a new star. And so every night they checked the sky. But the stars were always the same. And they thought about how old the stars were. And how long it must take to grow a new star. And then the Stargazers would sigh and say, “Goodnight stars!” and go to their beds and sleep. 

Not everyone became a Stargazer. Some became Downlookers. They tried to avoid looking up at the stars. They didn’t want to get their hopes up because they did not want to be disappointed. But even the Downlookers, on cold, clear nights, when they were alone, would sometimes glance up to see if they could find a new star in that huge mesh of stars. 

But then, five years was over. The ten year olds were fifteen. Their hair was two and a half feet longer. The cacti were all a half inch taller. But the stars, they were exactly the same. No new stars anywhere. No day without a night. No Jesus. 

This made the Downlookers angry. They said, “Samuel was crazy. But we were even crazier for letting him get our hopes up. There will never be a new star. But we can make a new law so that we are never hoodwinked again.” And the new law was this: No one was allowed to believe in the new star or Jesus. No more star gazing. No more Stargazers. Because getting rid of the Stargazers was the only way to stop the Nephites from getting their hopes up. 

This made the Stargazers nervous. They said, “But wait. When you turn five years old, you stay five years old for a whole year. And so, tomorrow Samuel’s prediction will still be five years old. We have a whole year to hope and wait and star gaze. Give us one more year, and if we are wrong, you can throw us in prison or even kill us. But we will not be wrong. You will see.”

And so the new law was made. And anyone who still believed in Samuel’s prophecy at the end of the year, would be put to death. And even on cold nights, when the Downlookers were alone, they would not look to the sky. Because they refused to be made fools of ever again.  

And as the year drew to a close, the Stargazers became nervous. And the Stargazers went to Nephi, their prophet. And they asked him what they should do. “The year is almost over and still there is no new star,” they said. “Maybe the Downlookers were right. Maybe Samuel was wrong.”

This made Nephi’s heart very very heavy. And his head was also very very heavy and he could not look the Stargazers in the eyes. Instead he looked down at the ground and said, “This is why I did not write Samuel’s story down. Because waiting for signs can be very dangerous. You hope and you wait and maybe you see the sign and maybe you don’t. There are so many stars, it is easy to miss one. It can be cloudy. You can fall asleep. And the worst part is that the only thing you can do when you are waiting for signs, is wait.”

And then Nephi raised his head. “But I will wait with you,” he said. There is one more night. And we will go outside together and we will look at the stars. And we will trust God and we will trust Samuel. And we will wait to the very end.”

And as they were waiting for it to get dark, Nephi went by himself and knelt down. “God,” he said. “I hope Samuel was right about you and Jesus. We are trusting him and we are trusting you. And we are waiting.”

And God spoke to Nephi and said, “Nephi. If it feels like you are waiting for me please know that I am also waiting for you. And if it feels like I have forgotten you, please know that I will never ever ever ever ever ever forget you. And when you think it is too late and I must have fallen asleep, please know that I stay up very late and I am not sleeping. And if you think you cannot wait another night, then neither can I. And so, Nephi, tonight is the night. Tonight I am sending you Jesus. I am going to keep all my promises. Everything I ever said will happen, will happen. Just like you hoped. And tonight, it is the star. Look out your window. There, in the middle of the sky. Do you see it? I have been waiting so long for you.”

And Nephi peeked out through his curtains, and there, burning bright enough to hide the canopy of a million lights, was a new star. Samuel’s star. It was bright, and beautiful. And the Stargazers greeted the star with a gasp and a single word: Atlast! And the star replied, atlast atlast atlast. 

But when the Downlookers saw the star, they did not feel joy. And instead of saying at last, they said, “Alas.” They had not waited for the star. And the star had come anyways.They did not have to be waiting for God for God to be waiting for them. This made them uncomfortable. They wanted to put out the star. To pluck it like an apple from the sky. But they could not reach that high. It hung there, blinking like an alarm clock in the night: I am waiting, I am waiting, I am waiting.

And tonight is the night. It was true then, and it is true still. Tonight is the night when everything God has ever promised will happen. Tonight God will save you. Tonight He will hold you. Tonight He will dance with you, and laugh with you, and cry with you. Tonight He will wipe away your tears. Tonight God will send you Jesus. Tonight and every night.


All artwork by Lauren Blair.

If you are enjoying our stories, the best thing you can do to support us is to follow our blog, and tell your friends about us. We post new content every week, keeping up with Come Follow Me. We’d love to have you along for the ride!

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The story of Samuel, who was almost forgotten (Helaman 13-16)

The story we are about to tell you was almost forgotten. And it was almost forgotten because it is a story about a Lamanite. And the Book of Mormon is more about the Nephites than the Lamanites. And so even though there were many great Lamanite prophets, we do not know about any of them, except for one. And his name was Samuel. 

We do not know much about Samuel. We do not know how old he was or if he had walking sandals. We do not know who his parents were or where he came from. Because nobody wrote any of this down. In fact, no one wrote anything down. Not for many years.

All we know is a single story about his life. And it’s a story that might change what you think about the Lamanites. You might think that the Lamanites were bad or lazy or wicked and the Nephites were always helping the Lamanites to be less bad and less lazy and more righteous by teaching them about Jesus. But this was not the case. And we know this because of Samuel the Lamanite who came to teach the Nephites about Jesus. 

And the Nephites would not listen. And so Samuel climbed up the wall of Zarahemla. He stood tall and strong above all the Nephites. He took a deep breath. And the next hour or so of his life is all that we know about Samuel.

“Nephites,” he said, “I have something important to tell you. You are all sad and angry and playing a very sad game of hide and seek. You are trying to hide from each other. And you are seeking for happiness. But this is impossible. Because you cannot have happiness alone. You need to come out. And you need to come out fast. Because Jesus is coming and you don’t want to miss him.” 

And the Nephites did come out. But they were not happy with Samuel. The sun was so bright. “Don’t tell us about Jesus,” they said. “You are a Lamanite. We taught you everything you know about Jesus.”

Samuel shook his head and said, “But I know something you don’t know. Because God told me a secret. And it’s a big one. A very very big one.” 

The Nephites shook their head and threw rocks at him. But they were having trouble seeing him because he was so high on the wall and the sun was in their eyes. “Come down or we will shoot you down,” they said. But Samuel would not come down until he had told his secret. And so some of the Nephites returned to their homes to get bows and arrows so they could shoot him down. 

The others remained behind and said, “God would not tell you a secret. If God was going to tell us something He would tell Nephi, our prophet. Not some random Lamanite named Samuel.” 

Samuel only shrugged and said, “Well God did come to me. And he told me that in five years, He is going to send us Jesus. THE Jesus. The one we’ve all been talking about for years and years and years. He’s coming so we all better get ready.”

“Let us stop you right there,” said the Nephites. “Do you want to know something about Jesus? Jesus isn’t coming here. He will be born very far away, back in Jerusalem. So even if He does come in five years, like you say, we will never know.”

“You are mistaken!” Samuel said. “Jesus is not coming to Jerusalem. He is coming to the world. And the whole world will celebrate. When He is born the stars will be so excited that a brand new star will burn sudden and radiant in the sky. And when you see this star you have never seen before, you will say, ‘Ah, there is the diamond in Jesus’s crown. He is come, the Prince of peace.’ And when He is born, the sky will be so excited that it will stay up all night watching this new little baby and never get dark. And when you see a day and a night and a day pass all shining brightly like a Christmas tree, you will say, ‘Ah, there is the fire in Jesus’s lantern. He is come, the light of the world.’ And it will be like this when Jesus is born. The birds and the animals will be singing. The trees and the rocks will be clanging and dancing like church bells. Everything everywhere from the ocean to the smallest specks of dust will weep or shout or tumble for joy that Jesus is born.

“And just like we will know when He is born, we will know when He dies. Because when He dies, the whole world will be terribly sad. The sky will cover her face with clouds and cry and sob. And the sun will turn away from the earth and refuse to shine. And the rocks will tear themselves in two. And the waves will churn. And whole cities will fall into the water or into holes in the ground and it will seem like the earth has given up on being happy because the earth will be mourning.” 

“But after the storm, there will be a still small voice. And that voice will speak, and the storms will stop. And it will speak again, and the sun will peak back over the clouds. And it will speak again, and there will be Jesus. And when He is here, you will realize that even while He was in Jerusalem, He was also here, beside you. He did not forget you. No matter who you are or where you are. He remembers you. And so we all need to believe in Him and doubt no more.”

“How dare you tell us about Jesus!” they said. And they took the bows and arrows and tried to shoot Samuel down. It was too much for the Nephites to hear. They had been waiting for Jesus to come for hundreds and hundreds of years. And sometimes when you are so excited you are also scared. Scared that it will not be what you hoped. Scared that it will not happen at all. 

It was all too wonderful to believe full heartedly. It is like secretly wishing for a new silver bicycle with tassels on the handles. And asking and hoping and praying for the bicycle. But then telling yourself that it will never come, or if it does it will probably be old and rusty and not very fun to ride. The Nephites could not bear to believe that Jesus was not just coming, but He was coming to them. After six hundred years of waiting and waiting and waiting, they needed their doubts. 

And so they did not want Jesus to visit them in America. He was easier to believe when He was far away in Jerusalem. They would not be there when Jesus walked the streets. They would not be there to see Him raise Jarius’s daughter from the dead. They would not sit on the mount or eat from the baskets of bread and fish. They would never meet the woman who touched His hem or be able to ask for her name. They would not be in a single one of those stories. They would not meet Jesus. And that’s what they wanted. Because then there was always room to doubt. And when there is room to doubt it is safer and easier to hope.  

And so the Nephites put arrows in their bows, pulled the bowstring back, aimed at Samuel, and released the arrows. The arrows flew right at his heart. But then they seemed to transform into long white daisies and they fell harmless to the ground. And Samuel climbed down the wall and ran away, arrows falling like flowers behind him. And this is all we know about Samuel. 

Because no one wrote down his story. Not even Nephi. Nephi had not received the same revelation. And so maybe he was scared that Samuel was wrong. And Nephi knew the Nephites could not take much more disappointment. And if Samuel was wrong about Jesus coming to them, his story was best forgotten. It would only crush the people’s hopes. 

But Jesus was coming, just as Samuel had said. And He was not just coming to Jerusalem. He was coming to the Nephites and the Lamanites. And He was not just coming to the Nephites and the Lamanites. He was coming to the whole world. He was coming for everyone. 

And when Jesus came, He told the Nephites to write down the story of Samuel. So that it would not be forgotten. And so it’s because of Jesus we have this story. Because Jesus is a rememberer. He remembered Samuel. And He remembered the Nephites and the Lamanites. And He remembers you and me. 

And if you think He has forgotten you, and you begin to doubt, just remember that hope is a hard thing to do for very long. And so we protect ourselves with doubts. Doubts about life. Doubts about death. Doubts about life after death. Doubts about Christ. Doubts that He even remembers us.  

And when you have doubts, remember Samuel the Lamanite. He is on a wall somewhere saying, believe a little longer. Believe purely, whole heartedly that Jesus is real. Because He is coming soon. And He is coming for you. And it is going to be even better than you have imagined.


All artwork by Lauren Blair.

If you are enjoying our stories, the best thing you can do to support us is to follow our blog, and tell your friends about us. We post new content every week, keeping up with Come Follow Me. We’d love to have you along for the ride!

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Nephi, who was no good at hiding (Helaman 6-12)

The last story we told you was about how God loved the Lamanties just like He loved the Nephites. And once the Lamanites knew that they were loved, they became kinder, and peaceful, and more loveable. 

People are like flowers. And when you love them, you are like the sun. And people bloom when you shine love on them because love makes them feel warm and comfortable and confident enough to be seen. They say, “Here I am!” And they smile. And they bloom. 

Those three words, “here I am,” are very important words. They are words we say when we are playing hide and seek. They are words we say when we are called by our father or our mother to come to dinner. Everyone says these words and they are beautiful words. Even Jesus said these words. 

But sometimes, when you are playing hide and seek, and someone calls your name, you might not say anything because you don’t want to be found. And sometimes, when we are ashamed or embarrassed we don’t want to be found either. And we hide. And we do not say, “here I am.”

And that’s what was happening to the Nephites. While the Lamanties were just beginning to feel the love of God again, the Nephites had been feeling God’s love for so long that they had stopped feeling it. Just like you are not feeling your toes or your nose or the tip of your lip. Because those body parts are always there. And so they are easy to forget about. 

It is this way with the love of God. We stop feeling it. But unlike your ears or your lips or toes or nose, you cannot wiggle the love of God to make sure it’s still there. And so you might sometimes forget that you are loved and forget what it feels like to be loved. And like the Nephites, you might stop saying “here I am” and hide instead. 

More and more the Nephites were hiding. At night they would sneak into dark, secret rooms. They would talk only with their closest friends and shut everyone else out because they were insecure. And they would try to find ways to become richer, cooler, better dressed, and more popular and loveable than everyone around them. 

And during the day, they would walk around the street and say hello to each other and act like they were not hiding. But this was just so people wouldn’t know what they were really doing. That they were still hiding inside of their own bodies. Inside of their own heads and hearts. And while everyone was laughing and smiling on the outside, everyone was scared and hiding on the inside. Because they had stopped feeling God’s love, they were no longer sure if they were good enough or cool enough or smart enough to be loved. And so the Nephites became very good at hiding. 

But Nephi was not very good at hiding. When he was happy, he would smile so brightly that you could count all his teeth and people around him would think, “Ah. There goes a happy man.” And when he was sad, there was no mistaking his tears and his frown. It is like that with some people. Their faces are books that say exactly what they think and feel. These people are no good at hiding.

And when Nephi saw that so many of the Nephites had become so good at hiding, he felt very sad and lonely. He would not be very good at this game the Nephites were playing. And so Nephi went on a walk. He wanted to talk to someone but they were all hiding. And so Nephi climbed up the tallest tower he could find so that he would be closer to God. Because he knew God was okay if he was sad. And God would listen. 

“God,” Nephi said, “I am so lonely and sad. Everyone here is playing a terrible game of hide and seek. Of course, that can be a fun game. But only because you are about to be found. No one here is being found. They are all hiding and hiding and hiding. And nobody is finding anyone else, because everybody is hiding.”

And while Nephi was talking with God, the people hiding below began to listen. And they began to listen because they had not seen anything like Nephi in a very long time. “This person seems sad, and he is saying exactly what he feels,” they said. In short, he was being vulnerable.  

Vulnerable, a definition

To be vulnerable is the opposite of hiding. Vulnerable people are seen, and allow themselves to be seen. This can be hard for anyone because nobody is perfect. But it is particularly hard for adults, because even though they’ve had so many birthdays to become perfect, they are still flawed and very much imperfect. And that’s why it’s hard to be vulnerable. Because to be vulnerable is to let people see you for who you are. And to trust that who you are is loveable.   

And that’s what Nephi was doing. He was standing on top of a big, tall tower so that everyone could see him. And people came running from all around, as if Nephi had just yelled, “Olly olly oxen free.” They all wanted to see the man who was not hiding. Something about him was glowing. 

He was like morning glory. Morning glory is a vine that grows up fences and trellises and towers. And when the sun comes out, purple flowers bloom all over. And Nephi was blooming all over because he was basking in the love of God. And when he opened his eyes he saw everybody standing below him and scratching their heads. “Hello,” he said. “What are you doing there?”

“We are just looking at you,” they said. “Because you look very beautiful.”

“It isn’t hard,” he told them. “You just have to be vulnerable.” The people just blinked. So Nephi kept talking. “You think that everything you do is hidden. That nobody knows what you think or do or say at night in your secret rooms. But you are wrong. Nothing is ever really hidden. Because you can’t hide anything from God. You are always vulnerable to His love.”

“So please stop hiding and start seeking. Because we need a lot more seekers if this game of life is going to be any fun at all. Go and find people who are hiding so they can jump from their hiding place and say, ‘Here I am!’ Then we can get to know each other like we are supposed to be known. Then you might start feeling God’s love again.”

But a lot of the people did not believe Nephi. They said, “Maybe you are right and maybe you are wrong about God. But you are certainly wrong about us. Some of us are smart and rich and beautiful and worth getting to know. And some of us are dumb and poor and ugly and not worth getting to know. If we are going to be successful, we have to surround ourselves with other people who are worth knowing.”  

“Ah,” Nephi said. “That’s where you are wrong. There is no one who is not worth knowing. Because while we have different size noses and IQs and shoes, in another way, we are all the same size. Because much bigger than us is this world and much bigger than this world is the universe and much bigger than this universe is God. And so we are all very very very small compared to God. And still God loves us more than the world and more than the universe. And so, though it doesn’t make much sense, a single person can be bigger and more important than the entire universe and every other person in it.”  

This did not make any sense to the people. “Nephi has gone crazy,” they said. And they were about to leave. But Nephi said, “Wait!” And Nephi told them a secret. He told them that while they thought their hiding and secret telling was making them happier, it wasn’t. It was tearing their society apart. And if they did not stop, it would kill them. 

But still the people did not believe him. 

And so he took a deep breath and told them another secret. A secret no one knew. He told them that it was already starting to kill people. He told them that while they were talking, someone had killed their president.

It turned out, Nephi was correct. The president had been killed. And this surprised the people and terrified the people. And for a moment, Nephi thought they might stop hiding and start listening. But the people were just grateful to be alive and not dead. They did not want to die like the president. And so they left Nephi. And they crawled into their secret rooms and hid.

And very suddenly, Nephi was alone again. And he shook his head and he prayed. “God,” he said, “Please help my people to be brave. Please help my people to speak what they feel, not what they think they should say to be safe or cool or popular. Please help my people to come out and be seen by each other just as they are seen by you.”

And this was Nephi’s prayer. Because he was a man who was no good at hiding. And we are all like Nephi and like flowers. We are meant to be seen. And we bloom and glow in the light of love. And that light is all around us. It is there shining in the day and it is there shining in the night. It is shining when we are outside and it is shining when we are hiding in our basement. It is shining even when we cannot feel it. 

And when you cannot feel it, be like Nephi, be like morning glory. Climb up a tower, and say “here I am.” And if you don’t think anyone hears you, bloom anyways.  


All artwork by Lauren Blair.

If you are enjoying our stories, the best thing you can do to support us is to follow our blog, and tell your friends about us. We post new content every week, keeping up with Come Follow Me. We’d love to have you along for the ride!

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The story of the prison on fire (Helaman 1-5)

Moroni and Pahoran would live the rest of their lives happy at home with their families. But they would sometimes remember the war and they would think to themselves, “That war was terrible, so terrible that no one will ever want to fight again. And for that alone, it will have been worth it. Our terrible memories, our injuries, and the people who died have all served a higher purpose. And that purpose is peace. And we will have peace, finally. After all these years.”

And Mornoi and Pahoran will die believing they have established peace. A peace that will last a long time if not forever. But they will be wrong. And they die young from their injuries. And the peace they established also dies young. Only ten years later the fighting begins again. 

The Lamanites take over the Nephite capitol, Zarahemla. Brothers and sisters and family, fighting and fighting and fighting. And the fighting goes on for years. And that is terribly sad because it means the war that Moroni and Pahoran fought did not accomplish what they had hoped. And what so many people had fought and died for. Because in our deepest soul, we all want peace. 

Peace, a definition

Peace is like a plant. We will call it a tree. From what you have read so far you might believe that peace is fragile. But it is not. It is strong like iron. But it does not rust. It is as powerful as a waterfall but it does not fall. It is like a river. But for peace to be strong and powerful it must also be particular. It does not grow like most plants. If you plant it in the soil, it will shrivel up and die. Peace can only grow and blossom if it is planted on a rock. And not just any rock. There is only one rock. And it is the most perfect rock you have ever seen. Because the rock is Jesus. Peace is a tree that grows from Jesus. And without Jesus, it shrivels. It dies.  

And that’s why, even though everyone wants peace, we are not very good at keeping it around. And when the wars started again between the Nephites and the Lamanites, people lost hope. They said, “we will never have peace.” Even when there was peace, they slept with their swords under their beds because they knew the peace would not last long. And when the fighting started again, they nodded their heads and said “Yes, we knew this would happen.” 

And this is despair. 

And when you feel despair, it is very hard to care about other people. And the Nephites and the Lamanites could only care about themselves and their own families. And they formed secret alliances with friends and everyone did what they could do to survive in their world of despair. In a world where they had given up on peace.  

But there was one man who had not given up. His name was Nephi. He was named after the Nephi from the beginning of this book. He was the leader of the Nephites and of the church. And he looked around and saw everybody fighting and preparing to fight, and he saw the despair behind it all. And he began to cry big hot tears. “God,” he said, “everybody is so so sad and so so tired. Please help me to have hope. People need hope. And I want to give it to them so we can end this war.”

And then he did the same thing that his great-great-grandpa Alma had done. He asked someone else to be the Nephite leader, he put on his best walking sandals, and he went out the door. And he walked straight into the middle of all the fighting, to the land of Zarahemla where the Lamanites had taken over the city.

But Nephi did not bring an army or a sword or even a pocket knife. He only brought himself and his little brother, Lehi. And they stood together. They were nervous. They were about to speak. And what would happen when they spoke? They could be ignored. They could be arrested. They could be killed. That all seemed a lot more likely than the battle-worn, despair-laden Lamanites sitting down and listening. 

And for a moment the two Nephite brothers felt the despair too. And they began to doubt if peace was possible. Because for peace to be possible, they needed Jesus’ help. And maybe Jesus had given up on the Nephites and the Lamanites. 

They thought of their history. Their names sake. They remembered their great grandparents, Lehi and Nephi and Mosiah and Alma. They could see their mistakes. Their failures to establish peace. The many many times the Nephites had been angry, and prideful, and mean. But God had still come to them, and blessed them, and helped them. Would he stop now? No. He would come again. They had to believe it. God had not given up on the family of Lehi. 

And in that moment of hope, they felt God. God was coming into their memories. They were seeing their ancestors again, still imperfect, but great, bright, beaming souls, covered in white robes, walking with God. And the two brothers’ eyes were opened and they could see the bravery, the humility, and the kindness of their ancestors. And they knew that their ancestors were good and had tried to be good and that they themselves were good.  

And when the two brothers began to speak to the Lamanites, it was not with their own voices. The words were their own. But in the words one could hear the ancestors echoing, filling the air, and in each echo there was a deeper sound. A sound simple and beautiful, like an exhale. And that sound filled Zarahemla. 

They were there. The ancestors. The angels. And God.

And the Lamanites listened and could hear the ancestors, the angels, and maybe even God. And Nephi and Lehi’s eyes filled with tears because even though they had doubted, God had come. And the Lamanites were baptized and peace was restored to Zarahemla. And the two brothers continued to other cities. 

And one of the cities tried to stop Nephi and Lehi from speaking. They put them in prison. And tried to kill them. But the brothers kept preaching peace. Because they knew now that God had not given up on the family of Lehi. And when the Lamanites tried to kill the two brothers, the prison filled with fire! 

And the brothers were standing in the middle of the fire. But they weren’t burned or even hot. They were comfortable. And the Lamanites were scared. And they knew God was protecting the two brothers. But this did not bring the Lamanites hope. They only felt greater despair. 

“We are cursed.” They said. “We are bad. And our ancestors were bad. God does not love us like he loves the Nephites.” And they dropped their swords and gave up and waited for the fire to consume their bodies. But the fire did not grow. It did not burn them. God was not in the fire. Instead, He came to them in a still small voice. 

And He whispered in their ears and He told them a secret. A secret He tells all of His children. “I love you,” He said. “Turn to me, take my hand, and I will open your eyes even more.” And the Lamanites’ eyes were opened and they realized the fire was not a fire at all. And it was not just around the two Nephite brothers. All of the Lamanites too were surrounded by the same fire that was not a fire. And they knew God loved them too, just as He loved the Nephites. And they found hope that night. Hope enough to try once more for peace.  

No one really knows what the fire was. But I believe it was the love of God that cloaks, fills, and surrounds all of His children. And if we are ever blessed like the Lamanites were that night, we would see the same fire covering the world, surrounding every bus driver, every mother, every father, every school teacher, every zoo keeper, every restaurant waiter, every student, every brother, every sister. Everyone. 

Which is to say, the world is on fire. It burns brightly, softly, tenderly with the inextinguishable, inexhaustible love of God. We do not normally see the fire. But there are times of despair, when we think there is no hope for peace, that God blesses our eyes to see. And we see. 


All artwork by Lauren Blair.

If you are enjoying our stories, the best thing you can do to support us is to follow our blog, and tell your friends about us. We post new content every week, keeping up with Come Follow Me. We’d love to have you along for the ride!

Also, check out our new store to get some of your favorite artwork from our stories into your own homes.