40l - Why Neil Birch Began This Blog and has Just Introduced a Blog Index to Assist All of You.

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From The End of This Post.

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TODAY'S THEME



Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ethiopia in March 1985.



In this post I aim to review briefly how it came about that I became a blogger. I didn't grow up with computers and the Internet. I saw my first computer about two weeks after graduating from high school in Roseville, California (U.S.A.) in early June of 1950.

My father had worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad there since he was 17. He arranged for me to get a job there as a yard clerk only after I promised him I would not let that job keep me from beginning college right away. (I faithfully lived up to that promise. I received both a bachelors and masters degrees over the years from two Universities, one in Provo, Utah (BYU) and one in San Jose, California (California State University, San Jose, California).

When I first walked into the clerks' office from where I would do various jobs throughout that very large railroad yard, the first thing my bosses did was let me become acquainted with a large metal device which had electricity running into it. That was the first computer I ever had laid my eyes upon. As I remember it, it was about ten feet long and about four and a half feet tall. It sorted cards which each represented a railroad car that was in our railroad yard right then. Those cards were each eventually sorted by that machine into the particular train in which that railway car would leave that railway yard to go in one of all four directions. It was just a month or so later while in my first year of Junior College that I saw a television program for the first time.

Over the years in my occupation as a social worker for the LDS Church I began to become involved again with computers and ended up using my own lap-top in my work until I retired in April 1996 in Salt Lake City, UT.

I don't own a lap-top now but used one for a good number of years, even when my wife, Melva and I served a mission in Finland from 2004 to 2006. That lap-top eventually wore out and now we have a desk top computer and printer. I learned to use the Internet along the way and it helped us much while serving as missionaries in Finland.

For about six months in late 2007 and in early 2008, I did Family History Extraction work through the Internet on our computer as a church assignment. I regularly did a large volume of that work each month. It took much time and was very intensive. I enjoyed it because I knew it was helping LDS families do the necessary research on their family lines to be able to have the temple work done in LDS temples for ancestors who had already passed away from this life without having heard of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In about February or March of 2008 I happened to read a speech on the Internet delivered by an LDS Church Apostle, Elder M. Russell Ballard. He gave that speech at the BYU Hawaii December 2007 graduation. I've shown an interesting photo of him at the beginning of this post.

In the July 2008 Issue of the Ensign Magazine published by the LDS Church Elder Ballard expanded some on what he had said at that graduation. I quote just a brief portion of what he wrote for that article. "From its beginnings, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has used the power of the printed word to spread the message of the restored gospel throughout the world. The Lord, over the centuries, has had a hand in inspiring people to invent tools that facilitate the spreading of the gospel. The Church has adopted and embraced those tools, including print, broadcast media and the Internet . . ." (emphasis added)

Again, Elder Ballard in that article urged members of the LDS Church to set up their own blogs on the Internet so as to tell of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I had already begun following his advice, after going about getting help, in beginning my own blog. I named it: Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?

I named it that because in an April 2007 PBS Television Nationwide (U.S.A.) broadcast I watched, I couldn't believe at all that that program's Narrators had ever read the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

One of those Narrators who I have quoted from time to time in my blog posts said something like: "Every time I read from the Book of Mormon I read words that were written by a poor and uneducated farm boy."

That Narrator didn't believe that Joseph Smith translated that book by the power of God. I had come to know, understand and to know spiritually the truthfulness of that Great Book over many years and from his words I knew that man must have never even read a page of it. It is a history of a complex nation of Israelites that were led by God to what is now known as Central America arriving there in about 570 B.C.

In it, as you may well know by now, there is much about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Holy book stands side-by-side with the Holy Bible as a divine testament of the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Enough said about that for now. In the October 2009 Issue of the Ensign Magazine, my name was mentioned (on page 24) in an article authorized by Elder Ballard. It was reported that I had begun and had continued my LDS blogging and was feeling very good about what I was doing.

I must also mention the role of the moregoodfoundation in helping me to begin my blogging. It was from something they had posted on the internet that gave me access to Elder Ballard's BYU-Hawaii graduation address mentioned above.

Moregoodfoundation is a non-profit organization that provides much information about the Church through the Internet. One of their officials, Richard K. Miller invited me to their offices (which are now in Orem, Utah (U.S.A.) in order to give me assistance in beginning to blog for the first time in my life.

I not only received very good help from him in learning the basics of blogging, but over two and half years he (although he left that organization over a year ago) along with one other moregoodfoundation employee, Fabiola Sikes, continued to answer my questions on various matters related to my blogging.

That organization has also, by means of the internet, informed organizations and individuals with whom they have contact, about my blog. That has helped increase my readership considerably!

I have, as of this month published my two hundredth Blog Post in my English language blog. I have not published that many in my Spanish language blog which is translated by a kind couple who originally came from Argentina and ended up in France. They are strong members of the LDS Church and I appreciate their translations which are done free of charge. I earn nothing from my blogging, except blessings from Heaven! (and I really need those!)

I've just taken a huge step forward in my blogging. In the just previous blog post of mine I introduced a new Blog Index from which you readers can search for topics which interest you and then are guided to click on an electronic link which pulls up a post in which I have written about that specific topic.

Now instead of going on with more words I will offer you an opportunity to use a small excerpt of blog post links that I have copied over from my Blog Index to this post. At the end of this blog post you will be able to gain access to that entire Index. I have not yet had the time to put all of my published posts into it, but it won't be too very long until I have done so. Of course, I will continue adding to it as long as I continue to blog which I hope will be for a long time.

Because June 8th, tomorrow, is the annual anniversary of the Prophet of the LDS Church announcing that the Priesthood would then be available to men of all races throughout the world, I would like you to access that particular post. I really enjoyed writing it. There is a very beautiful musical video within it that you will enjoy. Maybe today will be the first time you will have had the opportunity to use my Blog Index. I just introduced it in the post I published about four days ago. That was the post that comes just before this one (therefore, you can just scroll down to it).

Now, I'm not asking you to click on each of these links I'm providing you from my Blog Index, just the second one down. I added the other links just so you would know better what my Index looks like. Clicking on it will take you right to my Post 38l. I hope you will enjoy that experience. (However, you are welcome to click on the other links too if you so desire!)

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Preparations For The Resurrected Jesus Christ's Visit to Ancient America -Post 31f

Priesthood Revelation Regarding Availability of Priesthood to All Races Commemorated -Post 38l

Prophecy and Revelation Is Always Found in Jesus Christ's Church -Post 35b

Prophets Speak for Jesus Christ -Post 12

(The) Purpose of This Blog -Post 1

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I deeply appreciate your readership and very much hope you you will find that which was presented to you in this blog post, very beneficial.

As noted in the first paragraph of the previous post, I initiated on June 7, 2010 an Index for all of the key subjects found in the approximately 200 posts I have published in this blog beginning in March of 2008. I am still in the process of including each of those posts in this Index. However, I feel it best to make that which is already in this new Index available to you now. I believe you will find it a very helpful tool as you search for information related to the subjects covered in this blog!

Credits: I give credit to Fabiola Sikes for suggesting the need for this Blog Index. Without her suggestion I most likely would have never set this up. Corollary credit needs to be given to: Richard K. Miller for suggesting electronic linking for this index. He made useful suggestions for doing that.

Jonathan Smith of Genoa, Utah, a relative through my marriage. His technological advice helped me apply some principles learned from Richard Miller.

Bryce Mitchell of Herriman, Utah, a step-grandson. He helped me understand some of the technological advice given me previously.

Bruce Westenskow of Murray, Utah, a member of our LDS Ward. He is a professional in the Internet field. His help was crucial! My lack of training in Internet matters made it difficult for me to pull all of the advice together that I had been provided by the above-named skillful persons!
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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This BlogPost, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other BlogPost You Decide To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Click on any of the Following links: Miller; Mitchell; moregoodfoundation; Sikes; Smith; Westenskow; - Post 40l; When You See The Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use the Automatic Alphabetical Finding Device (When It Has Been Installed!)
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"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
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I deeply appreciate your readership and very much hope you you will find that which was presented to you in this blog post, very beneficial.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested. Please be advised that I also have one additional blog. It is in Spanish: The content in it is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch