Book 32- Work and the Glory book 2 "Like a Fire is Burning" by Gerald N. Lund

I read this even faster than the first book. The Steed family lives in Kirtland Ohio, with the exception of Joshua. He is in Independence Missouri, where the Mormons have been having trouble with the local people. Some historical events that this book covers is Joseph Smith being tarred and feathered, and his son dying as a result; Zion's Camp coming out to Missouri and the miraculous way they were saved from the mob; the printing press being destroyed and the two little girls saving the Doctrine and Covenants; and the bishop being tarred and feathered. 

In the Steed family, Joshua marries a woman when he heard that Lydia married Nathan, but she can't keep a pregnancy. One night she refuses to help him cheat in a game of poker, and he beats her. She runs away and finds an LDS family, and joins the church. Joshua then divorces her, and chases she and their daughter out into the snow. Lydia is finally allowed to return home, and Nathan goes with Zion's Camp at the same time. When he returns Lydia asks him to come to Palmyra. Her parents are still very much against the church, and ask her to live with them again but they cannot talk about the church. When Nathan was with Zion's Camp, he sought out Joshua and was beaten badly by the mob. Melissa marries a non member man, who seems to be patient with the Mormon church initially. But he gets more and more impatient. 

The culminating event is the Kirtland temple dedication. What a time to be alive! That would have been amazing to witness. The one thing that really got me thinking was about Melissa and her non member husband. I know of families who have tension due to the same thing. I wonder how my marriage and our family would have been if we hadn't been a member of the same church. Would we be able to live in harmony?

Book 31- "The Work and the Glory" Book 1- Pillar of Light by Gerald N. Lund

So, shockingly enough I never read these growing up. I remember watching Alyse read them many times over and I just never felt like it. But I wanted to read a book the other night so I picked it up and I LOVE it. I think I liked it this time because I read one of his other books which has a similar feel, but different time period.

The premise is a family of parents and 5 children who moves to Palmyra in the mid 1820's, and hears of Joseph Smith and his First Vision. The different members of the family respond in different ways. The oldest son Joshua and father are skeptical and ridicule anyone who tries to believe. The mother, who was raised religiously, takes a while but believes. The second son, Nathan, and oldest daughter Melissa believe and are baptized. The two youngest children are too young to be baptized at the time. Joshua begins to fall away from his family, in part due to his hardheadedness about the church. He moves out of the house, and continues trying to woo this girl Lydia. At the same time, she meets Nathan and eventually likes him better because he is a kinder person. Meanwhile, Lydia is skeptical of the church and even breaks off her engagement with Nathan when he says he will not renounce his beliefs. He sends her a Book of Mormon, and she reads it.
The book ends with Nathan joining the church for the organization of it on April 6, and coming home to find that Lydia decided to be baptized and even faced being ostracized from her family for it.



I really like the series of books that humanizes important people in history. It is interesting and sad to think of Joseph Smith being a kind man who just wanted to do what he was asked to do by God, because I know he is going to die in the course of the series. It is painful to read about the people surrounding Joseph Smith being so unkind, knowing that he is going to just get more of it for the rest of his life. It makes me think- if I was alive back then, would I be more of a Nathan or a Joshua?  Would I even bother to try to pray about it, or would I just brush it off as a crazy person talking? I don't know. I'd like to say I would be a Nathan and believe. But who knows. The rest of the books will be really great though!