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TEACHING

I enjoy teaching what I am learning, especially about the scriptures. Below are notes from classes present and past and other teaching or speaking engagements, along with useful links to related content.

Doctrine and Covenants Resources

Note: Class is on for today. The big storm was just a little storm and the roads generally look good. If your neighborhood got slammed, see the notes for today's class below and be safe and warm. Otherwise, see you at 10am at the church.

Here are some helpful resources to support your personal and family study of the Doctrine and Covenants and Church history.

Church history links

  • Doctrine and Covenants Historical Resources. Excellent collection of links to relevant content from various sources--Joseph Smith Papers, Revelations in Context, Saints, Church History Topics, and more, organized by section number.
  • Church History resources. This excellent collection includes the Saints volumes, Revelations in Context, Joseph Smith's Revelations, Church History Topics, Gospel Topics Essays, and more. All can be found under "Church History" in the Library app as well.
  • Joseph Smith Papers. The online versions of the documents, histories, and all relevant papers of the Prophet.
  • Church History Topics. Valuable essays on various topics, organized alphbetically.
  • BYU Studies Come, Follow Me resources. Excellent collection of BYU Studies and other content that relates to each week's Come, Follow Me lesson.

Podcasts and Videos

There are dozens of such resources to support Come, Follow Me. Find the one(s) you like best and enjoy. Here are some to consider.

  • Church History Matters. Casey Griffiths and Scott Woodward do a great job tackling Church history topics in great detail and this year the Doctrine and Covenants specifically.
  • Doctrine and Covenants Central. Find lots of resources to support your Come, Follow Me study here, including videos of Church history sites and weekly videos tied to Come, Follow Me lessons.
  • followHIM videos and podcasts. Join Hank Smith and John Bytheway and their many excellent guest speakers in their second time through the Doctrine and Covenants (you can also see/listen to their first year doing it at the same link).

Church History Topics classes I did in 2018.

Doctrine and Covenants class notes

Class schedule 2025

  1. How We Got the Doctrine and Covenants (3 Jan)
  2. D&C 1 (10 Jan)
  3. JS-H 1:1-26 (17 Jan) (First Vision Parallel Accounts)
  4. D&C 2; JS-H 1:27-65 (24 Jan)
  5. D&C 3-5 (31 Jan)
  6. D&C 6-9 (7 Feb)
  7. D&C 10-11 (14 Feb)
  8. D&C 12-17; JS-H 1:66-75 (21 Feb)
  9. D&C 18 (28 Feb)
  10. D&C 19 (7 Mar)
  11. D&C 20-22 (14 Mar)
  12. D&C 23-26 (21 Mar)
  13. D&C 27-28 (28 Mar)
  14. D&C 29 (4 Apr)
  15. D&C 30-36 (11 Apr)
  16. Easter - Last week of Jesus (18 Apr)
  17. D&C 37-40 (25 Apr)
  18. D&C 41-44 (2 May)
  19. D&C 45 (9 May)
  20. D&C 46-48 (16 May)
  21. D&C 49-50 (23 May)
  22. D&C 51-57 (30 May)
  23. D&C 58-59 (6 Jun)
  24. D&C 60-63 (13 Jun)
  25. D&C 64-66 (20 Jun)
  26. D&C 67-70 (27 Jun)
  27. D&C 71-75 (4 Jul)
  28. D&C 76 (11 Jul)
  29. D&C 77-80 (18 Jul)
  30. D&C 81-83 (25 Jul)
  31. D&C 84 (1 Aug)
  32. D&C 85-87 (8 Aug)
  33. D&C 88 (15 Aug)
  34. D&C 89-92 (22 Aug)
  35. D&C 93 (29 Aug)
  36. D&C 94-97 (5 Sep)
  37. D&C 98-101 (12 Sep)
  38. D&C 102-105 (19 Sep)
  39. D&C 106-108 (26 Sep)
  40. D&C 109-110 (3 Oct)
  41. D&C 111-114 (10 Oct)
  42. D&C 115-120 (17 Oct)
  43. D&C 121-123 (24 Oct)
  44. D&C 124 (31 Oct)
  45. D&C 125-128 (7 Nov)
  46. D&C 129-132 (14 Nov)
  47. D&C 133-136 (21 Nov)
  48. D&C 137-138 (5 Dec)
  49. Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2 (12 Dec)
  50. The Story of Christmas (19 Dec)

 

 

 

Old Testament Resources

Suggested readings

Alternate translations

Commentaries and study helps

Videos and podcasts

Other resources

Isaiah's Messages for our Day

Old Testament Commentaries

1. Genesis 1-3; Moses 1-4; Abraham 3-5 (Parallel creation accounts)

2. Genesis 4-5; Moses 5-8:12

3. Genesis 6-11; Moses 8:13-30

4. Genesis 12-23; Abraham 1-3

5. Genesis 24-36

6. Genesis 37-50

7. Exodus 1-17

8. Exodus 18-40

9. Leviticus

10. Numbers

11. Deuteronomy

12. Joshua

13. Judges and Ruth

14. 1 Samuel 1-15

15. 1 Samuel 16-31

16. 2 Samuel; 1 Chronicles 1-22

17. 1 Kings; 1 Chronicles 23-29; 2 Chronicles 1-20

18. 2 Kings; 2 Chronicles 21-36

19. Ezra; Nehemiah

20. Esther, Job

21. Psalms

22. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon

23. Isaiah 1-12

24. Isaiah 13-23

25. Isaiah 24-35

26. Isaiah 36-47

27. Isaiah 48-55

28. Isaiah 56-66

29. Jeremiah 1-29

30. Jeremiah 30-52; Lamentations

31. Ezekiel 1-24

32. Ezekiel 25-48

33. Daniel

34. Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah

35. Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah

36. Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, and Between the Testaments

Other Topics

Videos

New Testament Resources

Suggested readings

Alternate translations

Commentaries and study helps

  • BYU New Renditions - These are from the BYU New Testament Commentary efforts, published individually and free on Deseret Book and Amazon. As of 2023, Mark, Luke, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Hebrews, and Revelation are available. You'll find the free renditions (new translations) on this page, including the ones of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus that I helped with. You can also the full commentaries of these books, which I highly recommend (details here).
  • Virtual New Testament from BYU - Well-done virtual re-creation of first century Jerusalem
  • Scripture Citation Index - See scriptures quoted in General Conference and more
  • Learning New Testament Greek - Handy online tool to get started

Summary Commentaries for Letters and Revelation

Videos and podcasts

Other Topics

The Last Week of Jesus

The Unique Messages of the Four Gospels

The Metaphors of Paul

New Testament Commentaries

  1. Introduction to the New Testament
  2. Mark 1-8
  3. Mark 9-16
  4. Matthew 1-4
  5. Matthew 5-10
  6. Matthew 11-13
  7. Matthew 14-18
  8. Matthew 19-25
  9. Matthew 26-28
  10. Luke 1-3
  11. Luke 4-9
  12. Luke 10-15
  13. Luke 16-21
  14. Luke 22-24
  15. John 1-4
  16. John 5-8
  17. John 9-12
  18. John 13-17
  19. John 18-21
  20. Acts 1-5
  21. Acts 6-12
  22. Acts 13-18:22; 1 & 2 Thessalonians
  23. Acts 18:23-21:14; 1 Corinthians
  24. 2 Corinthians & Galatians
  25. Romans
  26. Acts 21:15-28:31
  27. Philemon; Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Timothy; Titus; 2 Timothy
  28. Hebrews; James
  29. 1 & 2 Peter; 1, 2, & 3 John; Jude
  30. Revelation; After the New Testament

A Deep Dive Into the Book of Revelation

1. Introduction and Revelation 1: The Majesty of Christ
2. Revelation 2-3: The Messages to the Seven Churches
3. Revelation 4-5: God and the Lamb
4. Revelation 6-7: The Scroll Begins to Open
5. Revelation 8-9: The Opening of the Seventh Seal
6. Revelation 10-11: John's Mission; Two Prophets
7. Revelation 12-13: The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon
8. Revelation 14-15: Judgment and Praise
9. Revelation 16-17: Seven Last Plagues and Babylon the Great
10. Revelation 18-19: The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
11. Revelation 20-22: Heirs of the Celestial Kingdom

Book of Mormon resources

Here are some helpful links to various Come, Follow Me Book of Mormon study resources, plus the more detailed commentary notes below on that and all the scriptures.

  • The Annotated Book of Mormon by Grant Hardy. This 2023 publication updates and extends Hardy's previous study editions of The Book of Mormon. The footnotes are extensive and insightful. It includes paragraph and poetic formatting, 1830 chapter divisions, helpful titles, and appendices. If you're looking for an enhanced volume to use in your Book of Mormon reading, this is it.
  • ScripturePlus by Scripture Central (formerly Book of Mormon Central). Available for Apple and Android devices, this is the full LDS scripture canon with supporting notes, videos, articles, and more, drawn from the vast library of Book of Mormon Central and other online resources.
  • Brief Theological Introductions published by the Maxwell Institute at BYU. These short volumes are written by scholars who explore the theology of the various books in the Book of Mormon. They will help you think in new ways and perceive the text with unique approaches.
  • There are now a huge number of resources supporting Come, Follow Me for family and individual study--videos, podcasts, blogs, and more. I've listened, watched, and read many of them. Explore some and find one or more that work for you. Mostly, remember that it's about reading the scriptures and all the other stuff is just to get us there.
    • For me, Scripture Central's effort is high on my list, with daily reading suggestions and supporting materials. They have several videos and podcasts, including Jack Welch and Lynne Hilton Wilson and the popular Taylor and Tyler commentary series.
    • Interpreter Come, Follow Me Resources. Well-organized and in-depth list of resources and materials, already organized for the entire year. This is an excellent resource for broad study, with several types of content available for each lesson.
    • BYU Studies Come, Follow Me Materials. Drawing on some of the best scholarship on the Book of Mormon, BYU Studies presents shorter lists of mostly articles for each Come, Follow Me lesson.
    • FollowHim videos and podcasts, hosted by Hank Smith and John Bytheway, are well done with interesting guests and scholars giving insights into the readings for each week.
    • A popular video series is Don't Miss This (link to YouTube but also a podcast), hosted by a pair of Seminary and Institute teachers with a chalkboard.
  • Some excellent books have come out this year, including A Hundredth Part, a collection of essays on various Book of Mormon topics; Remember, Remember by Robert Millet, a doctrinal approach to specific passages; and Book of Mormon Insights, another collection of essays from BYU scholars. Some less new books but still excellent (in no particular order) include Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader's Guide by Grant Hardy; The Gift and Power: Translating the Book of Mormon by Brant Gardner; Verse by Verse: The Book of Mormon by Kelly Ogden and Andrew Skinner (also link to vol. 2); Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon by Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert Millet; and the growing collection of books from the BYU Religious Studies Center, including several from the Book of Mormon Academy on Jacob, Samuel, the Jaredites, Abinadi, and the Bible in the Book of Mormon.

Book of Mormon Commentaries

1. Title Page, Witnesses, 1 Nephi 1-3

2. 1 Nephi 4-9

3. 1 Nephi 10-18

4. 1 Nephi 19 - 2 Nephi 5

5. 2 Nephi 6-11

6. 2 Nephi 12-24 (Nelson)

7. 2 Nephi 25-30

8. 2 Nephi 31 - Jacob 4

9. Jacob 5 - Words of Mormon

10. Mosiah 1-8 (Mosiah 1-8 slides)

11. Mosiah 9-17

12. Mosiah 18-25

13. Mosiah 26 - Alma 4

14. Alma 5-10

15. Alma 11-16

16. Alma 17-20

17. Alma 21-28

18. Alma 29-35

19. Alma 36-42

20. Alma 43-49

21. Alma 50-63

22. Helaman 1-6

23. Helaman 7-16

24. 3 Nephi 1-7

25. 3 Nephi 8-14 (Supplement: Sermon on the Mount in parallel columns)

26. 3 Nephi 15-20

27. 3 Nephi 21-27

28. 3 Nephi 28 - Mormon 3

29. Mormon 4-9

30. Ether 1-7

31. Ether 8-12

32. Ether 13 - Moroni 6

33. Moroni 7-10

Other Topics

Book of Mormon Evidences and Discoveries