Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Silent Night in Kekchi

Lok'-laj k'oj - yin; re cha-bi-lal.
Jun li yaj aj isk quichal
Xco sa' jun tu-la-nil o-choch-nal
Qui-yo'-la jun lix ch'i-na c'u-lahal.
Yo chi-cuarc li Je-sus
Yo chi-cuarc li Je-sus

Lok'-laj k'oj - yin; re cha-bi-lal.
Que'-ra-bi laj il-ol xul
Nak qui-chal lix cuan-quil li Ka-cua'
Xa-bi-man li bi-chanc sa' cho-xa
Qui-yo'-la li Je-sus,
Qui-yo'-la li Je-sus.

Lok'-laj k'oj - yin; re cha-bi-lal.
Xtau xk'e-hil ka-col-bal
Nak li Dios quix-tak-la li ra-lal
Re tox-tzol ut tox-ra ch tz'a-kal.
A'an li Ka-cua' Je-sus,
A'an li Ka-cua' Je-sus.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

El Valor

On December 14, I gave a talk to the Spanish branch.

Buenos dias hermanos y hermanas.  Estoy muy agradecido de estar aqui con ustedes esta manana.

Me llamo hermano Putnam.  Tengo una esposa que se llama Jill.  Nosotros tenemos cuartro hijos.  La major tiene 14 anos y se llama Emma.  El segundo tiene 12 anos y se llama Benjamin.  El tercero tiene 10 anos y se llama Erick and la menor tiene 8 anos y se llama Camille.

Hemos vivido in tejas casi 14 anos.  Vivimos en Dallas por 8 anos.  Nos movimos a houston en dos mil nueve.  Y nos gusta mucho vivir aqui en el area de kingwood y atascocita.

Hay que disculparme por no hablar muy bien el espanol.  Ha pasado casi 18 anos que he hablado el espanol diariamente.  Espero que el espiritu es lo que les ensene esta manana.

Quiero compartir algunas cosas de mi.  Hize una mision en guatemala en mil nove cientos noventa y cinco hasta noventa y siete.  Estuve en la capital, baja verapaz, alta verpaz y el peten.  Tambien estuve doce meses en un area que se llama polochic.  Alli, no hay muchos que hablan el espanol.  Muchos hablan kekchi; que es un dialecto maya.  Entonces, cuando vivia en polochic, tenia que aprender el idioma kekchi.

No solo tenia que aprender el kekchi, pero tambien tenia que aprender comer todos tipos de comida como cabeza de pavo or chompipe (turkey), lengua de vaca, y pie de pato!  Aunque pudo comer estas cosa, la unica comida que no pudo aguantar fue queso duro.  Hasta hoy mismo, no puedo comer queso duro.

Amo mucho la gente de guatemala.

En este tiempo del ano, me acuderdo de las navidades que pase en guatemala.   En navidad, la gente hacen tamales de elote y chocolate caliente; y el chocolate fue recogido del arbol el mismo dia.  Todos los miembros se juntaron pata una fiesta.  Cantaron y jugaron.  Me da mucho feliz penser  en estos recuerdos.

Hoy, quiero hablar sobre la tema de "el valor o coraje".  El presidente monson ha hablado mucho sobre esta tema.  In fact (de hecho?), el ha hablado de esta tema muchas vezes en conferencia general desde el ano mil novecientos ochenta y seis.

Presidente monson nos ensena de cuentos en las escrituras de personas que tenian el valor.

Hoy, quiero hablar de el valor de un hombre de el libro de mormon.  Este hombre tenia mucho valor.  Las decisiones y acciones de este hombre determino el destino de los nefitas por mas de dos cientos anos.

Este hombre fue el profeta Abinadi.

Como ya saben, abinadi fue llamado de dios para profetizar al pueblo de Noe, quien fue el rey de la tierra.  Abinadi mando que la gente se arrepientiera.  En Mosiah capitulo 11, dice "Y acontecio que habia entre ellos un hombre que se llamaba Abinadi; y salio entre ellos y empezo a profetizar, diciendo: he aqui, asi dice el senor, y asi me ha mandado, diciendo; ve y di a esta gente: asi dice el senor: ay de los de este pueblo!  Porque he visto sus abominaciones and sus iniquidades, y sus fornicaciones, y a menos que se arrepientan, los visitare con mi ira.  Y a menos que se arrepientan y se vuelvan al senor su dios, he aqui, los entregare en manos de sus enimigos; si seran reducidos al cautiverio y seran afligidos por mano de sus enimigos"

Abinadi ensenso y mando la gente a arrepentirse por un tiempo.  Pero cuando el rey noe mando que Abinadi sea matado; en este momento, Abinadi se escondio del rey Noe por dos anos.

No sabemos lo que paso con Abinadi por esos dos anos, pero quizas el se esforsaba a obtener mas coraje para profetizar al pueblo.  En el capitulo 12 de mosiah, dice "y acontecio que despues de dos anos, abinadi vino entre ellos disfrazado, de modo que no lo conocieron."  aunque el sabia que el rey queria que se lo matara, abinadi empezo a profetizar y declalar el arrepentimiento a la gente.

Ya sabemos lo que paso con abinadi.  Este cuento no termino con alegria.  Daniel, en la biblia, fue salvado cuando el senor cerro las bocas de los leones.  Sadrac, mesac y abed-nego fueron salvados cuando trataron quemarlos en el fuego.  Pero a abinadi, no fue salvado.  Aunque hizo todo lo que el senor le mando, todavia le quitaron la vida.  Por eso, abinadi tuvo mucho valor.  El sabia que iria matado, y todovia hizo lo que el senor le mando.

Hacemos, nosotros, lo que debemos hacer, aunque sabemos las consequencias?

Cuando tenemos una decision antes de nosotros, debemos recordar las palabras en capitulo 31 de Deu-ter-ron-omio: "Esforzaros y cobrad animo; no temais ni tengais miedo de ellos, porque jehova tu dios es el que va contigo."

Mietras estaba preparando este discurso, encontre un cuento de un misionero que hizo una mision en guatemala hace cuarenta anos.  Este misionero tuvo mucha fe and valor.  Este misionero se llama elder Ellsworth.  Y cuando el estaba en guatemala, habia un terremoto.

[Él] permaneció aplastado por una viga por doce horas, tras lo cual se le halló totalmente paralizado de la cintura para abajo. Los riñones no le funcionaban y no había esperanzas de que volviera a caminar…

“Se le trasladó de inmediato a los estados unidos, donde fue entrevistado en el hospital por un reportero de televisión. Éste le dijo:

“—Los doctores dicen que no podrá volver a caminar. ¿Qué opina usted, élder Ellsworth?

“El élder respondió:

“—No solamente volveré a caminar, sino que tengo un llamamiento de un profeta para servir como misionero en Guatemala, y volveré a Guatemala para finalizar esa misión…

“El élder Ellsworth hacía el doble de los ejercicios que los médicos le habían prescrito. Ejerció su fe, recibió una bendición del sacerdocio, y su recuperación fue milagrosa. Dejó asombrados a los médicos y a los especialistas. Comenzó a ponerse de pie; más tarde logró caminar con muletas, y luego los doctores le dijeron: ‘Puede volver al campo misional si la Iglesia así lo permite’. Así regreso nuevamente a Guatemala. Regresó a la tierra a la cual había sido llamado, al pueblo al que amaba profundamente.

“Al llegar, caminó, cumpliendo con sus actividades a la par de cualquier otro misionero, con un bastón en cada mano. El presidente de la misión le dijo un día:

“—Élder Ellsworth, con la fe que usted tiene, ¿por qué no tira esos bastones y camina solo?

“Y el élder le respondió: “—Si usted tiene esa clase de fe en mí, así lo haré.

“Y así fue que soltó los dos bastones, y nunca tuvo que volver a utilizarlos”

Elder Ellsworth tuvo mucha fe y valor

Cuando nosotros tenemos una decision  que hacer, y es una decision muy deficil, debemos recordar el valor de abinadi y al valor de daniel y el valor de sadrac, mesac y abed-nego y tambien el valor de elder ellsworth.

Yo se que jesu cristo vive y nos ama.  Se que si guardamos los mandamientos de jesu cristo, el valor dentro de nosotros crecera.


En el nombre de jesu cristo, amen.

Saturday, November 22, 2014

A Life of Gratitude

A Midsummer's Night Lecture
Let me begin by telling a very bizarre story; I call it "A Midsummer's Night Lecture."  I was a teenager; maybe about 14 years old.  It was summer.  We often went water skiing with our cousins or on a church activity.  One night, after returning from one of these trips, my sister and I were dropped off by one of the adult leaders.  We walked into our home, my sister then changed clothes and left to go to a friend's home.  I stayed home.  My dad was sitting in his chair - he called me over proceeded to give me one of the most forceful lectures I've ever received in my life.

He appeared upset that I was not grateful.  At the time, and still to this day, I honestly do not know what provoked the lecture.  My only theory is that I did not thank the adult leader who dropped us off after the trip and that my sister mentioned this to my dad before she left to go to her friend's home.  I didn't argue with my dad; rather, I was utterly surprised and caught off guard.

The point of this bizarre story is this: in my dad's eyes, gratitude was extremely important.  So important, that a supposed lack of expressing some gratitude for a car ride prompted him to sternly lecture me that summer night long ago.

The Utility of Gratitude
I'm a big believer in utility.  If something in life isn't very useful; then why use it?  This life is so full of things and stuff and ideas and philosophies.  And since life is so short, I believe we don't have time to deal with things that don't have utility.  And so, on the subject of gratitude, I have come to the conclusion that is has significant utility in our lives.  I believe gratitude is a type of glue or bond that holds our marriages, families, wards, communities and even holds the world together.  Gratitude changes our attitude towards ourselves and others.  There have been several studies that have confirmed this.  Let me share a few of them.

One study randomly assigned people to three different groups.  Each of the three groups would write in a journal once a week for ten weeks.  The first group would describe 5 things they were grateful for in the previous week.  The second group would record 5 things that displeased them during the previous week and the third group was told to simply write 5 things that affected them and they were not told to focus on either positive or negative things.

I'm sure you won't be surprised, but the group that focused on gratitude for those 10 weeks were 25% happier; had fewer health complaints and even exercised 1.5 hours more than the other groups.

Another study focused on people who wrote about things for which they were grateful every day.  In this study, the results were those people offered more emotional support and help for other people with problems.  Their goodwill increased.

Other studies have found that those who focus on gratitude have had happier spouses and had less bouts of depression.

One doctor, who has studied marriages for over twenty years, claims that he can can predict, often after only 3 minutes of observation, which marriages will flourish and which will flounder.  His success rate is 90% and his secret is this:  he counts the ratio of positive expressions (including expressions of gratitude) to negative expressions between the husband and wife.  Those who have a 5:1 ratio will flourish.

(source: The Neuroscience of Why Gratitude Makes Us Healthier)

Being Grateful vs. A Life of Gratitude
Perhaps last week or evening during this next week, you or your children have participated or will participate in some activity which asked you to list all your blessings.  Perhaps you have made, as my family has done in the past, a Thankful Turkey, where you write about something for which you are grateful on a colorful feather and then glue it on turkey.  Perhaps after singing the hymn Count Your Many Blessings, you have sat down and pondered all that you have in this life.

Certainly, we have all been grateful for things at one point in our life.  However, the key question is: are we living a life of gratitude?  Is there a difference between being grateful and living a life of gratitude? I think activities such as counting our blessings absolutely puts us on the path of living a life of gratitude, but that is only the beginning.

Consider this hypothetical situation.  It's Thanksgiving Day in Jerusalem around 601 or 602 BC.  Lehi's family sits around the table to have a Thanksgiving feast.  Before they begin to eat, Lehi asks everyone around the table to say something for which they are grateful.  Lehi and Sariah express gratitude for their family, their home and a loving God.  Laman is next; he's grateful for a new goblet and plate.  Lemuel is grateful for a new coat.  Nephi expresses gratitude for his parents and Sam was grateful for a warm bed to sleep in.  Certainly they were all grateful that last Thanksgiving before leaving Jerusalem.  Now we'll see who was being grateful and who was living a life of gratitude.

You know this part of the story.  They leave their home and flee to the wilderness.  Laman and Lemuel complain, whine and demand that they stay in Jerusalem.  Once they are sufficiently away from Jerusalem, what is the first thing Lehi does?  1 Nephi 2:7 "And it came to pass the he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks."  Lehi then names a river and a valley after Laman and Lemuel, but there is no record of them giving thanks.  In fact, they continued to complain.  They whined about how Lehi was seeing things and that they had to leave home and all their gold and silver.  And they feared they would die in the wilderness.  I think it is safe to say Laman and Lemuel felt entitled.  They deserved to stay home.  They deserved to keep their possessions.  They probably gave proof that some of their friends didn't have to leave town.  Before storming off, they might have said, "this life is so unfair!".

Then the boys are sent back to retrieve the brass plates.  After hearing their father explain why they needed to go back, Laman and Lemuel must have rolled their eyes and said, "Are you kidding me?  We just got here and now you want us to go back?!"  You know, we laugh at this amusing take on 1st Nephi, but how many of us have said or thought something similar?  What is our ratio of expressions of gratitude to complaints?

I could go on with this story of Laman and Lemuel and Nephi.  But I'll leave that to you.  Maybe sometime this week, sit down, pull up and read 1 Nephi and then think about the different reactions of these brothers.  How did they react when they were about to starve to death in the wilderness?  How did they react when they found the Liahona?  How did they act when they got to Bountiful?  And how did they act on the ship?  In those chapters are ample evidence of what a life of entitlement looks like contrasted with what a life of gratitude looks like.

How to Live a Life of Gratitude
I hope I've given you some things to think about today.  This last part of my talk will focus on what you can do to begin living a life of gratitude.

Ralph Waldo Emmerson said, "cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously."

Robert Emmons, who has done extensive research on gratitude said, "life is a series of problems that have to be solved - and a lot of times those problems cause stress.  Gratitude can be that stress buster."

WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU ARE THANKFUL FOR IN A JOURNAL (blog, twitter, facebook, instagram).  Make it a habit; write five to ten minutes a day, about what you are grateful for.

DON'T AVOID THE NEGATIVE.  Embrace setbacks as part of the overall journey.  Sometimes, you can even recall a hard time you've experienced and compare it with your current state.  You will feel grateful and it may help you accept and deal with current and future challenges in life.

SPEND TIME WITH YOUR LOVED ONES.  Gratitude helps us connect with other people.  It strengthens relationships

MINDFULLY USE SOCIAL MEDIA  Connected to the journal, I suggest leveraging social media to jot down things you are grateful for.  Positive thoughts shared on social media spread faster than negative thoughts.

KNOW THE VALUE OF THE LITTLE THINGS  A kind word, opening the door for someone, a hug, spending time to listen.  All these are little things we can do.  And as we do the little things, we are more prone to pay it forward.

VOLUNTEER OR SERVE Acting on those feelings of gratitude will prompt us to serve.  Whether we help with a big service project or a small project, our gratitude increases when we serve.

(Source: 7 Habits of Grateful People)

Conclusion
Let me begin to close with this quote you may have heard or read before.  It is by Victor Frankl.  He survived the Nazi concentration camps.  Those prisoners were stripped of everything physically and psychologically.  Yet there were some who kept their true freedom.

He said, "We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread.  They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given circumstance, to choose one's own way."

And so it is with us; we must choose to either live of life of entitlement or a life of complaint; or we can choose to live a life full of gratitude to our Heavenly Father and to all around us.

Gratitude, when you truly think about it, is a means to connect with people; as I said earlier, it is a type of social glue or bond.  Serving and gratitude go hand in hand.  And when we serve and give thanks and when we are served and receive thanks, we are making a connection with others.  And as we make those connections in our family and with our friends and in our ward and community, we strengthen the bonds of love.  And when we strengthen the bonds of love, we make the world a better place.

I am grateful for my wife Jill.  This year has been a huge struggle for me.  She has listened to me; she has prayed for me; she has served me.  Up until August this year, Jill and I would get up at 4:45 in the morning and go on a 4 mile walk - it took us about an hour to walk that.  And we would talk.  I loved our walks and talks.  She listened to me; I listened to her.  We gave each other advice and we sought to understand each other.  We have grown so close because of those walks and I can't wait until school gets out next summer so we can continue that tradition every morning.  But for now, we find time in the morning before work or at night when the kids are in bed or we go a date and we talk and listen.  I have never felt more grateful for anyone than her.  I love her and am truly grateful for her.

Brother and sisters - please have gratitude in your hearts.  Strive to live a life of gratitude.  I know you will he happier and healthier if you do.

In the name of Jesus Christ - amen.

Sunday, November 09, 2014

"Like" Stats on Apostles' Talks October 2014

10,000 bednar: come and see
9,700 holland: are we not all beggars?
8,100 uchtdorf: "lord, is it i?" (priesthood)
5,100 oaks: loving others and living with differences
4,700 uchtdorf: receiving a testimony of light and truth
4,100 ballard: stay in the boat and hold on!
4,000 christofferson: free forever, to act for themselves
3,800 uchtdorf: living the gospel joyful (women's meeting)
3,700 scott: make the exercise of faith your first priority
3,500 monson: ponder the path of thy feed
3,400 anderson: joseph smith
2,900 cook: choose wisely (priesthood)
2,800 perry: finding lasting peace and building eternal families
2,700 eyring: continuing revelation
2,400 packer: the reason of our hope
1,900 monson: guided safely home
1,600 nelson: sustaining the prophets
1,600 monson: until we meet again
1,100 eyring: the preparatory priesthood (priesthood)
1,000 monson: welcome to conference

i do this little stat check about a month after general conference.  in may, when i reviewed april data, there was no one talk over 8K likes.  for the october 2014 conference, there were 3 talks over 8K likes with bednar coming in at 10K likes.  last october, both uchtdorf and holland had 12K likes, but they were no where near that this year.

still, holland came in at #2 and all three of uchtdorf's talks were highly liked.

bednar's talk at 10K was surprising.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Love

Jesus taught, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love they neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." (Matthew 5:43-44)

Concerning the two greatest commandments, he taught, "That shalt love the Lord they God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love they neighbour as thyself."  (Matthew 22:37-39)

And lastly he taught, "This is my commandment, That ye love one another; as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:12-13)

To summarize, we are to love our enemies like we love our neighbors.  We are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  We are to love ourselves and our neighbors as Jesus loved his disciples and us.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

"Like" Stats on Apostles' Talks April 2014

7,900+ uchtdorf: grateful in any circumstances
4,400+ holland: the cost and blessings of discipleship
2,900+ oaks: the keys and authority of the priesthood (priesthood)
2,400+ bednar: bear up their burdens with ease
1,700+ anderson: spiritual whirlwinds
1,600+ uchtdorf: are you sleeping through the restoration? (priesthood)
1,600+ monson: be strong and of a good courage (priesthood)
1,600+ monson: love - the essence of the gospel
1,400+ monson: welcome to conference
1,400+ christofferson: the resurrection of jesus christ
996 hales: if ye love me, keep my commandments
952 nelson: let your faith show
899 eyring: the priesthood man (priesthood)
893 packer: the witness
875 cook: roots and branches
847 scott: i have given you an example
790 ballard: following up
531 eyring: a priceless heritage of hope
489 perry: obedience through our faithfulness
90 monson: until we meet again

no surprise again - as uchtdorf and holland took #1 and #2 respectively.

there were no talks that surpassed the 10,000 like mark this time.  both october and april 2013 had at least one talk with more than 10K likes.

the other noteworthy item is oaks' talk which came in 3rd.  typically priesthood session talks do not crack the top 5, but given this was such a hot, hot topic, it registered pretty high.

Monday, April 28, 2014

a day of rest

in the history of the earth, there is one commandment that is older than all other commandments: that of keeping the sabbath day holy.  in fact, the sabbath as a rest day, is a concept that spans many, different religions.

i think back on my own life and have considered my parents' teachings and practices regarding sabbath rest.  i recall a time, when i was young, seeing the mall parking lot completely empty on sunday.  our church was located just across the street from the mall and so we could easily observe how quiet the mall was on sundays.  generally speaking, the whole town was quiet and peaceful on sunday.

as i grew older, sunday little league baseball games began to spring up.  i never played baseball due to this fact: that little league was played on sunday.

by the time i was in high school, sunday was nearly indistinguishable from saturday.  the mall was just as busy as saturday; the town was just as busy as weekdays; people were on the roads and going places.

but my family's traditions stayed the same.  we'd attend church on sunday.  after church, we either ate dinner or dessert at my grandparent's home or at my aunt's home.  my dad, sister and i would go on peaceful walks on the local community college campus.  if we weren't visiting friends, family or neighbors, we were sitting in the living room reading the newspaper or scriptures.  usually, we'd listen to quiet classical music all day long.  then at night, mom would make a small snack and my dad and i would settle into a nice game of chess.

i recall these times with fondness.  sunday truly was different than the other six days.  and when sunday was over, i was really ready for monday and the rest of the week.  my reserves were replenished and i felt motivated and eager.

however, i lament today's sundays.  two or three sundays each month are filled with meetings and busyness.  saturdays are so crammed, that we don't have time to prepare for the sabbath and therefore we are sleepy on sunday.  the kids expect to be entertained and if they aren't entertained, they expect to be able to bounce around and be loud.  if you lay down to take a nap, you are filled with excessive guilt for not doing something.  and when the evening finally comes, you still fill drained and you wish there were one more day between sunday and monday so that you could prepare for the work week.

where has the quiet gone?
where is the soft music?
where is the reverence?
where are the sacred sundays?
where are the gentle conversations?

it is a sad commentary, but sometimes i have mondays where there are no meetings and nothing on my calendar.  the quiet office is a refuge from the busy sunday and i look forward to getting through sunday to get to that monday.

Saturday, January 04, 2014

The First Vision Series - Conclusions and Links

I've reviewed the major accounts of the First Vision.  There are other accounts, but for the most part, they repeat the accounts I reviewed.

What have I learned from all this?  I learned these things are certain.

I learned Joseph thought a lot about the eternities.

I learned there had to be a catalyst that drove him to seek God in prayer.

I learned Joseph experienced something profound in his teenage years.  He saw (either physically or in a vision), Jesus or God the Father or an angel or numerous angels or a combination of all of them.

I learned he was forgiven of his sins.

I learned Joseph took his spiritual salvation seriously - he did not leave it to chance or to any other man.

As a reference, I'll include some other summaries of the various accounts of the First Vision.  These do a great job listing the different accounts and how they differ.

Comparison of 9 First Vision Accounts
Primary Accounts of Joseph Smith's First Vision of Deity
Comparing Early Accounts of the First Vision

Friday, January 03, 2014

The First Vision Series - Orson Pratt, 1840

I've copied below the text from the Orson Pratt 1840 account.

When somewhere about fourteen or fifteen years old, he began seriously to reflect upon the necessity of being prepared for a future state of existence: but how, or in what way, to prepare himself, was a question, as yet, undetermined in his own mind: he perceived that it was a question of infinite importance, and that the salvation of his soul depended upon a correct understanding of the same. He saw, that if he understood not the way, it would be impossible to walk in it, except by chance; and the thought of resting his hopes of eternal life upon chance, or uncertainties, was more than he could endure. If he went to the religious denominations to seek information, each one pointed to its particular tenets, saying— “This is the way, walk ye in it;” (Isaiah 30:21) while, at the same time, the doctrines of each were, in many respects, in direct opposition to one another. It, also, occurred to his mind, that God was not the author of but one doctrine, and therefore could not acknowledge but one denomination as his church; and that such denomination must be a people, who believe, and teach, that one doctrine, (what ever it may be,) and build upon the same. He then reflected upon the immense number of doctrines, now, in the world, which had given rise to many hundreds of different denominations. The great question to be decided in his mind, was—if any one of these denominations be the Church of Christ, which one is it? Until he could become satisfied, in relation to this question, he could not rest contented. To trust to the decisions of fallible man, and build his hopes upon the same, without any certainty, and knowledge, of his own, would not satisfy the anxious desires that pervaded his breast. To decide, without any positive and definite evidence, on which he could rely, upon a subject involving the future welfare of his soul, was revolting to his feelings. The only alternative, that seemed to be left him, was to read the Scriptures, and endeavour to follow their directions. He, accordingly, commenced perusing the sacred pages of the Bible, with sincerity, believing the things that he read. His mind soon caught hold of the following passage:—“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”—James i. 5. From this promise he learned, that it was the privilege of all men to ask God for wisdom, with the sure and certain expectation of receiving, liberally; without being upbraided for so doing. This was cheering information to him: tidings that gave him great joy. It was like a light shining forth in a dark place, to guide him to the path in which he should walk. He, now, saw that if he inquired of God, there was, not only, a possibility, but a probability; yea, more, a certainty, that he should obtain a knowledge, which, of all the doctrines, was the doctrine of Christ; and, which, of all the churches, was the church of Christ. He, therefore, retired to a secret place, in a grove, but a short distance from his father’s house, and knelt down, and began to call upon the Lord. At first, he was severely tempted by the powers of darkness, which endeavoured to overcome him; but he continued to seek for deliverance, until darkness gave way from his mind; and he was enabled to pray, in fervency of the spirit, and in faith. And, while thus pouring out his soul, anxiously desiring an answer from God, he, at length, saw a very bright and glorious light in the heavens above; which, at first, seemed to be at a considerable distance. He continued praying, while the light appeared to be gradually descending towards him; and, as it drew nearer, it increased in brightness, and magnitude, so that, by the time that it reached the tops of the trees, the whole wilderness, for some distance around, was illuminated in a most glorious and brilliant manner. He expected to have seen the leaves and boughs of the trees consumed, as soon as the light came in contact with them; but, perceiving that it did not produce that effect, he was encouraged with the hopes of being able to endure its presence. It continued descending, slowly, until it rested upon the earth, and he was enveloped in the midst of it. When it first came upon him, it produced a peculiar sensation throughout his whole system; and, immediately, his mind was caught away, from the natural objects with which he was surrounded; and he was enwrapped in a heavenly vision, and saw two glorious personages, who exactly resembled each other in their features or likeness. He was informed, that his sins were forgiven. He was also informed upon the subjects, which had for some time previously agitated his mind, viz.—that all the religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines; and, consequently, that none of them was acknowledged of God, as his church and kingdom. And he was expressly commanded, to go not after them; and he received a promise that the true doctrine— the fulness of the gospel, should, at some future time, be made known to him; after which, the vision withdrew, leaving his mind in a state of calmness and peace, indescribable.

Commentary
This Orson Pratt account from 1840 is actually quite moving and flows very well.  It blends all the other versions so well.  This account flows so naturally too.  All the gaps and missing pieces from the other accounts seem to be filled by this account.

I underlined four sections above, which, to me, stand out significantly when the whole subject of the First Vision is considered.

The first section hits upon the notion of whether we put our trust in fallible men with regard to religion.  We learn from Orson Pratt's account that Joseph had tremendous anxiety about trusting in fallible men when his eternal salvation was at stake.  He wanted certainty in this regard.  As Pratt describes, Joseph wanted "positive and definitive evidence" regarding the welfare of his soul.  Without such evidence, he was "revolted."  Going back to what I tried to saw in a previous post - generally speaking, people don't have this anxiety any more.  And even if they do, that are almost always told to "have faith" and that their testimony does not depend on "definitive evidence."

The second section is a variation of this same thought.  Joseph felt confident in James 1:5.  He did not leave his testimony up for chance.  He went directly to The Source with a "sure and certain expectation" of getting knowledge.

The third section paints a very different picture than I had ever envisioned.  Pratt describes how the light appeared far off and as Joseph kept praying, the light got nearer.  In the other accounts, I always got the impression that the appearance was sudden.  But this account describes how it was gradual.  This description reminds me of how the Savior descended to the Nephites (3 Nephi 11:8).

Lastly, the fourth section describes the how the vision went from physical to spiritual.  This was very similar to Joseph's 1842 account where he said his "mind was taken away from the objects with which I was surrounded, and I was enwrapped in a heavenly vision."  Pratt fills in one small gap and notes how when the light came upon Joseph, it "produced peculiar sensation" before he was en-wrapped in a vision.