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This is not a member of the church who writes this, but he talks about the blessings of this country.

He's a geographer.

The Mississippi is the world's longest navigable river, 2,100 miles long. It's about one third longer than the mighty Danube and triple the length of the Rhine.

And the Mississippi is only one of the 12 major navigable American rivers. Collectively, all of America's temperate zone rivers are 14,650 miles long. China and Germany each have about 2,000. America has 14,600 miles of navigable rivers. China and Germany 2,000 each. France, about 1,000. The entirety of the Arab world has but 120.

The most compelling feature of the American maritime system, however, is also nearly unique amongst the world's waterways. The American system is a network. It has tributaries that combine these. And what does this mean? It meant prosperity because people could connect, they could travel, they could expand and still stay connected with commerce and trade and family. They had this network that exists nowhere else in the world.

This is not a member of the church who writes this, but he talks about the blessings of this country.

He's a geographer.

The Mississippi is the world's longest navigable river, 2,100 miles long. It's about one third longer than the mighty Danube and triple the length of the Rhine.

Even leaving out the United States and North America's other waterways, this is still a greater length of internal waterways than the rest of the planet combined.

The result is that the U.S. has the greatest volume and concentration of capital generation opportunities in the world by an absolutely massive margin, and that opportunity is very heavily concentrated in a single unified system.

Men need a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.

I am going to say something quickly from a book that is called Wild at Heart by John Eldridge.

Men need a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.

There was Leonard Sachs, who's written a book called Boys Adrift, really interesting.

He has some interesting things to say in interviews and so on.

He even goes so far. He's an MD who has written some really good things about parenting and boys and girls.

And he says that his way of checking a school to see if it's good for boys is to look at their honor roll. But if there are roughly equivalent numbers of boys and girls on the honor roll, then that could be a school that works for boys.

And he said it has really shifted. If you go historically and look at those honor rolls, it used to be roughly equivalent, even sometimes slanted toward boys in earlier decades. And now it is almost exclusively girls.

Something's wrong.

That school is not teaching boys in a way that works for boys.

There was Leonard Sachs, who's written a book called Boys Adrift, really interesting.

And he has some interesting things to say in interviews and so on. He even goes so far. He's an MD who has written some really good things about parenting and boys and girls.

There's something I want to mention called protest masculinity, which is the direct result of the absence of fathers.

So what this is talking about, and this is written about one of many things that is written in a book called Life Without Father by David Popenoe, written several years ago now.

There's something I want to mention called protest masculinity, which is the direct result of the absence of fathers.

This protest masculinity means here's a baby that comes in, and of course mom is the immediate bond.

And it talks about violence against women and control and use and abuse of women.

Tyler was part of piloting and managing the online seminary program and he's been teaching at BYU since 2010. Tyler has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and his master's and doctorate degrees are both in instructional technology. He wrote a book called When Heaven Feels Distant.

He wrote a book called When Heaven Feels Distant.

He's co-authored Come Unto Me, Illuminating the Savior's Life, Mission, Parables and Miracles and co-edited Millions Shall Know Brother Joseph Again.

He's co-authored Come Unto Me, Illuminating the Savior's Life, Mission, Parables and Miracles

He's co-authored Come Unto Me, Illuminating the Savior's Life, Mission, Parables and Miracles and co-edited Millions Shall Know Brother Joseph Again.

and co-edited Millions Shall Know Brother Joseph Again.

Tyler, I'm so glad you brought that quote. I brought it as well for this lesson. It's from The Tongue of Angels, April 2017. Elder Holland, and I remember where I was when I laughed.

I brought it as well for this lesson. It's from The Tongue of Angels, April 2017.

In fact, I have a book on my shelf called Lifestyles of the Great and Spacious by John, by the way. I have that book on my shelf.

John, I went and grabbed behind me my copy of the book. It's called Finding your Path in Lehi's Dream.

John, I went and grabbed behind me my copy of the book. It's called Finding your Path in Lehi's Dream. So I apologize. Lifestyles of the Great and Spacious is not the title. So it's called Finding your Path in Lehi's Dream.

He's published several books. His latest is called Voices in the Book of Mormon. I think it's behind him there.

It's something I'm super excited about. Many years ago, my grandfather studied word prints in the Book of Mormon.

Some people might be familiar with word prints, kind of statistically different patterns and how people speak.

We'll look at Nephi's voice mostly today, but when we get to Jacob, who speaks both in 2 Nephi and in the Book of Jacob, his voice is statistically different than Nephi's.

Jacob will use the word anxiety more than any other person in the Book of Mormon.

Many years ago, my grandfather studied word prints in the Book of Mormon. Some people might be familiar with word prints, kind of statistically different patterns and how people speak. Once I became a religion professor at BYU, I started picking up some of the threads of that research. And it's really fascinating to see distinctive voices.

We'll look at Nephi's voice mostly today, but when we get to Jacob, who speaks both in 2 Nephi and in the Book of Jacob, his voice is statistically different than Nephi's. Here's just one simple little example. Think of the words God and Lord.

For me, I would think of those as interchangeable terms, but Jacob uses the word God more often than Lord, and Nephi's the reverse. When you look at 2 Nephi 9 and 10, this is right in the middle of all of Nephi's writings, but it's Jacob who's speaking.

In those two chapters, you get God way more than Lord, whereas in 2 Nephi 4, 5, 11, when Nephi's speaking, you get Lord more than God. I definitely wouldn't base my testimony of the Book of Mormon on little statistical nuances like this, but it's really cool.

Some of them are, I think, more intricate. Jacob will use the word anxiety more than any other person in the Book of Mormon. By looking specifically with the lens of the voice of the person who's speaking, you start to feel the distinctive witnesses of Jesus Christ.

In fact, there's a book and we'll link to it in the show notes. It's called Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem. It's a scholarly book that tells us a lot of the background and history of 600 BC.

In fact, there's a book and we'll link to it in the show notes. It's called Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem. It's a scholarly book that tells us a lot of the background and history of 600 BC.

You know, 10 years ago, President Irene gave a talk called To My Grandchildren, and he told this story.

I gave him to you because I knew you could and would love him no matter what he did.

You know, 10 years ago, President Irene gave a talk called To My Grandchildren, and he told this story. He says, Years ago, a friend of mine spoke of his grandmother. She had lived a full life, always faithful to the Lord and to his church.

Yet one of her grandsons chose a life of crime. He was finally sentenced to prison. My friend recalled that his grandmother, as she drove along the highway to visit her grandson in prison, had tears in her eyes as she prayed with anguish.

I've tried to live a good life. Why? Why do I have this tragedy of a grandson who seems to have destroyed his life? The answer came to her mind in these words.

I gave him to you because I knew you could and would love him no matter what he did.

I just wanted to put a quick plug if anyone wants to do like a deep dive into the witnesses. There's an awesome book. It's called Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses by Richard Lloyd Anderson.

I think it's the single best thing ever written about the witnesses. Not quite 200 pages. So it goes a deep dive into not just their witness, but also critics. It's awesome. It's excellent.

I just wanted to put a quick plug if anyone wants to do like a deep dive into the witnesses. There's an awesome book. It's called Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses by Richard Lloyd Anderson.

I think it's the single best thing ever written about the witnesses. Not quite 200 pages.

President Thomas S Monson wrote a book called the Christmas train. And he talked about giving a train card to another kid. And he said, that is the day when giving became more important than receiving. He reached that moment.

President Thomas S Monson wrote a book called the Christmas train.

And he talked about giving a train card to another kid.

And he said, that is the day when giving became more important than receiving.

I was hoping I could share with you a quote from Elder Tadar Callister that he shares so beautifully in The Infinite Atonement.

The Savior's descent to humanity was personally announced by the Savior to Nephi on that first Christmas Eve. Behold, the time is at hand. On the morrow I come into the world. Oh, the magnitude of that sacrifice, that condescension!

That night God the Son traded His heavenly home with all its celestial adornments for a mortal abode with all its primitive trappings. He, the King of heaven, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, left a throne to inherit a manger.

He exchanged the dominion of a God for the dependence of a babe. He gave up wealth, power, dominion and the fullness of His glory. For what?

For taunting, mocking, humiliation and subjection. It was a trade of unparalleled dimension, a condescension of incredible proportions, a descent of incalculable depth. And so the great Jehovah, Creator of worlds without number, infinite in virtue and power, made His entry into this world in swaddling clothes and a manger.

You've studied that last year. Can you tie how Daniel is apocalyptic and how revelation is apocalyptic?

For those exact same reasons that you mentioned, right? The extreme use of numbers, the extreme use of animal imagery, those are all part and parcel of the apocalyptic tradition.

It's almost like it's a different language that you have to learn. I mean, it's written in English or whatever language you're reading it in, but it uses numbers, seven, 12, four, 10, 144,000, 1000. And these numbers, if you take them literally, you miss the point of what the number is trying to say.

The numbers are metaphorical. They're symbolic. They're a language unto themselves.

You got four horsemen that are white, red, black, and pale. Those colors mean something symbolically.

Written by one John, by the way, in a book I have on my shelf, Righteous Warriors Lessons from the War Chapters in the Book of Mormon.

John, it's been almost 20 years since you wrote that book. You still happy with it?

Written by one John, by the way, in a book I have on my shelf, Righteous Warriors Lessons from the War Chapters in the Book of Mormon.

I don't know if he's my favorite author, but he is one of my favorite authors.

I read a book years ago called, I think it's called The Worth of the Soul by Stephen Cramer.

It's got to be 20 or 25 years ago. But he had some really bad temptations and habits that he was dealing with. Felt like Satan kind of whispered to him and said, listen, give in to all these temptations and you'll enjoy all the happiness of which you are capable.

He bought into that for a while. It said it seems so logical. And eventually he said, it was such a great moment as I'm reading it. I discovered you cannot find happiness outside the plan of happiness.

I read a book years ago called, I think it's called The Worth of the Soul by Stephen Cramer.

He had some really bad temptations and habits that he was dealing with. Felt like Satan kind of whispered to him and said, listen, give in to all these temptations and you'll enjoy all the happiness of which you are capable.

He bought into that for a while. It said it seems so logical. And eventually he said, it was such a great moment as I'm reading it. I discovered you cannot find happiness outside the plan of happiness.

One is First Nephi, a brief theological introduction.

Yeah, he wrote a biography of Paul that we've had lots of people quote from, I think. It's just called Paul, A Biography.

I'd highly recommend any of your listeners download a copy of N.T. Wright's book on Kindle called Paul, a biography.