"The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but The Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ."

—Official Church Statement on the Book of Mormon Musical

I was thinking about what The Book of Mormon is to me as I rode the metro home tonight. My thoughts were in response to the clarion (adj.: brilliantly clear ; also : loud and clear ) call I received today. The first thought that came to me was "Can I even express what I feel about that book in a way which comes across as real to my audience?" But the truth is, it doesn't matter because I mean what I say.

When I study the Book of Mormon, fireworks go off in my brain. I find myself making connections and finding answers to my questions unexpectedly, and in a way that I don't find with anything but scripture--ancient and modern. It amazes me everytime it happens and shows me in such an incredible way that God knows me and God answers me. There is nothing like it. You would think that after a while, it wouldn't surprise me any more, but it does. Somehow over night, I forget how incredible it is to find answers in that way and with such rapidity. And then the next day, when I'm studying again, I remember; and then I'm amazed at how quickly I forget.

I feel like a little kid again when I study that book because of the length and level of joy I have when I really study what it has to say. It's one of the few things in my life that can spark me and keep me lit. The Book of Mormon has no diminishing returns. Everytime I dig into it--not just read it, mind you--I feel something that nothing else can give me.

I wish I could write more because I have so
much more to say, but I'm writing this with my opposable thumbs on an iPhone; we don't currently have internet in our house because Verizon went on strike. So there you have it. Raw, unedited me.