Sheri L. DewCritiques

To members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell M. Nelson is a prophet, one who stands on the mountain top and warns of dangers ahead. While I've listened to him speak at the General Conferences of the Church over the years, I knew little about him.

For example, though I knew he had been a cardiovascular surgeon, I didn't realize he had actually been one of the pioneers of heart transplants. I knew he had 10 children, but I didn't realize he had had nine daughters before finally having a son. I knew he had learned Chinese, but I didn't realize he had learned several other languages, as well. I knew he had remarried after his first wife, Danzel, had passed away, but I hadn't heard how or why. And, to be honest, beyond the basics, I didn't know much about the man who led the Church. I had a smattering of facts that I knew, and I had felt the power of his testimony and mantle many times, but I did not know much about him.

This book, which is not a full biography, but a smattering of snapshots, is a great way to begin to know him. It covers his entire life, from his youth, as the son of inactive members of the Church, to a brilliant academic career, to his innovations in heart surgery, to his church service, and finally to his calling as a prophet and the changes in organization, temples, and procedures. Sheri Dew knows President Nelson, and she makes the story personal and inspirational, and I was constantly touched and moved. It's a fast read, and while perhaps only an overview of the highlights of his life, it's a good place to start for someone looking to learn about Russell M. Nelson's life.

This is almost two books:
The section that contains the notes from Joseph's discourses shows two things. First, it shows the humanity of Joseph Smith. You can almost see the smile, hear the expression in his voice, and feel the emotion behind the words. Secondly, women haven't changed much. They're still opinionated, hard workers, contributors, and wanting to be involved-- and the leaders of the church are just as willing as Joseph to have them involved.

The first half of the book contained thoughtful essays from two of my favorite strong women-- each strong in her own way. It's a nice piece of work.

I can definitely see the seedlings of her future books in this one but I loved it anyway. It was just what I needed, when I needed it.

Let's just say that the last month has been rough and this book was exactly the talking to that I needed.

There are reasons Sheri Dew is one of my heroines and this book exemplifies all of them.

It was really good but I feel like she covered the same topics in a more thorough way in her book about Women and the Priesthood. It was almost like an updated version of this book.

I loved this book! It seemed so much more personal than her others as she talked about some of the wrestles she had and how it is because of the wrestles that she still has her faith. Just another bar to reach for.

I sometimes wonder if we do history a disservice by writing biographies before the subject has finished their life. In this instance, I got the feeling that, though Dew has definitely closed the gap from where Condie's ended, there is at least 3 or 4 more chapters left to come.

Not that Dew does a poor job. On the contrary, as her relationship with Wendy Nelson predates her marriage, this is an intriguing look at his life (especially as they began to date and after their marriage). I also appreciate that she has done her homework. Everything is clearly documented, stories are not revised, but the first public instance of their being published is often used, with occasional clarifying remarks. She is clear, concise, fair, personal and professional.

The photos also add to the fun. The chapters are short and organized. I'm reminded of [b:I Will Lead You Along: The Life of Henry B. Eyring|19729360|I Will Lead You Along The Life of Henry B. Eyring|Robert I. Eaton; Henry J. Eyring|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387727605s/19729360.jpg|27787924], which was a masterful, modern biography. It really makes me happy that Desert Book publishes books of this caliber.

The insights of Sisters Dew and Pearce are always valuable, and these are of particular interest for the historical and doctrinal connections.

I quite enjoy the books by Sheri Dew. I purchased a 4-pack and have found every one of the delightful. One of the best reasons for reading a book is that paying attention (and changing because of it) makes me a better person. Her books fit that description.

Seven things that will help us become men and women of integrity:
1. Decide today, once and for all that you will be worthy of trust.
2. Do what you say you will do.
3. Make covenants and keep them.
4. Stand up for what you believe.
5. Expect your integrity to be challenged.
6. Don’t give up.
7. Covenant — or perhaps I should say, renew your covenant — with our Father and His Son to do what you came here to do. (59%-62%)

“First, take an inventory of your integrity by asking yourself the kind of questions I listed earlier. Look for cracks that may have started to form. Be honest with yourself about your past dishonesties. Second, for the next thirty days take time every night to assess how you did that day. Were you true to yourself and to others? Were you true to God in every situation? See if this increased effort makes a difference in what you say, how you spend your time and money, the decisions you make, and what you repent of. See if it also makes a difference in how you feel about yourself and your life.” (The end of chapter 9)

George Washington said "few men have the virtue to withstand the highest bidder" (Chapter 10)

Contents:
We are Men and Women of God
1. We Will Not Flinch
2. Eve and Mary: Exemplars for the ages
3. Are We Not All Mothers?
4. It is not Good for Man or Woman to be Alone
Standing Tall and Standing Together
5. A Glimpse at Faith, Hope and Charity
6. God Wants a Powerful People
7. Bridging the Gaps
8. Sin Makes You Stupid and It Costs a Lot Too
9. True Blue, Through and Through
We Were Born to Lead
10. Pure Leadership and Prophets of God
11. Defenders of the Family
12. The Trail We’re Leaving Behind
13. No One Can Take Your Place
Sources

I am even delighted with the sources because as I went along there were quotations that made me want to read the cited sources.

I had not read long before I realized that she directly addresses the women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I found that the information applies to men also, and so I read on.

"President Gordon B. Hinckley ... “You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And that good that is in you must be spread to others” (BYU Speeches of the Year, 1996)." (5%)

"Playwright Maxwell Anderson put these words into the mouth of the French peasant girl Joan of Arc: “Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, nevertheless they give up their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it, and then it’s gone” (Joan of Lorraine, act 2)." (5%)

"There are many kinds of darkness that can come into our lives. Loneliness, discouragement, and disappointment can cause us to feel a kind of darkness. Betrayal and pain can do likewise. When we make foolish mistakes or succumb to sin, we can expect to feel varying degrees of darkness, depending on our motive and intent as well as on the light and knowledge we have enjoyed previously. But there is one source of Light that pushes away all darkness, as the Lord taught the Prophet Joseph through revelation: “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. . . . And I say it that you may know the truth, that you may chase darkness from among you” (D&C 50:24–25)." (9%)

"Consider these words from Elder McConkie: “All Israel . . . have it in their power to gain exaltation; to be like the Son of God, having gained his image; to be joint-heirs with him; to be justified and glorified; to be adopted into the family of God by faith; to be participators with their fathers in the covenant that God made with them; and to be inheritors, to the full, of the ancient promises. Implicit in all this is the fact that they are foreordained to be baptized, to join the Church, to receive the priesthood, to enter the ordinance of celestial marriage, and to be sealed up unto eternal life” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 513)." (20%)

"Satan of course knows how spiritually potent the knowledge of our divine identity is. He hates women of the noble birthright. He hates us because he is almost out of time, while we are en route to everlasting glory and a fulness of joy. He hates us because of the influence we have on husbands and children, family and friends, the Church and even the world. It is no secret to him that we are the Lord’s secret weapon."

"Thus it should not surprise us that the master of deceit is going all out to keep us from comprehending the majesty of who we are. He offers an array of seductive but sorry substitutes—everything from labels and logos to titles and status—hoping to preoccupy us with the world’s artificial identifiers. Not long ago a book listing The 100 Most Influential Women of All Time caught my attention. Mary, the mother of Christ, was mentioned—though not prominently. But Eve, the Mother of All Living, the woman without whom any of us wouldn’t even be here, didn’t even make the list. Come on! I won’t reveal who was number one because I refuse to mention her name in the same context with Eve and Mary. This pitiful list demonstrates how absurd and skewed the world’s view of women is—a view orchestrated by Satan."

"In a prominent news magazine, a recent cover story titled “The Quest for Perfection” promoted a definition of perfection that was disgusting and, frankly, evil. It listed every available bodily lift, tuck, and augmentation, while not so much as mentioning virtues or values, marriage or motherhood or anything, for that matter, that matters to the Lord." (21%)

"For indeed, this life is a test. It is only a test—meaning, that’s all it is. Nothing more, but nothing less. It is a test of many things—of our convictions and priorities, our faith and our faithfulness, our patience and our resilience, and, in the end, our ultimate desires. In the long run, as Alma taught, whatever we truly desire, we will have. “I know that [God] granteth unto men according to their desire . . . ; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men . . . according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.” (Alma 29:4).

"Thankfully, our experience here is an open-book test." (36%)

"Men and women who sell their birthright for a mess of pottage almost universally confess that their demise began with something small, with some seemingly insignificant breach of integrity that escalated." (80%)

I read this book with considerable interest, and highlighted many passages. The above are enough to give a flavor of the book.

This book is a simple, clear statement of truth. It was delightful to listen to truth after starting to listen to some of the wisdom of men, which jumped around, was unclear and even confusing.

The target audience is women. This man enjoyed listening to it with his wife, stopping the audio occasionally to talk about it.

I am getting inspired by the set of four books by Sheri Dew that I bought. I have 79 highlights in this book. It also made me want to read some of the books that she quoted from.

I learned that comments about women having access to the power of the priesthood is not new.

“8. Elder Talmage also taught: "Women of the Church share the authority of the Priesthood with their husbands, actual or prospective; and therefore women . . . are not ordained to specific rank in the Priesthood. Nevertheless there is no grade, rank, or phase of the temple endowment to which women are not eligible on an equality with men. . . . The married state is regarded as sacred, sanctified, and holy in all temple procedure; and within the House of the Lord the woman is the equal and the help-meet of the man. In the privileges and blessings of that holy place, the utterance of Paul is regarded as a scriptural decree in full force and effect: 'Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.'" ( House of the Lord, 79, originally published 1912)” (72%)

“In the rancorous era in which we live, some will try to convince Latter-day Saint women that because they are not ordained to hold the priesthood, they have been shortchanged, and Latter-day Saint men that women are second-class citizens in the kingdom of God. Those who believe these and other lies about men and women in the gospel kingdom are either uninformed, flat-out wrong, or deceived, for they do not understand the doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (76%)

“In the October 1977 general conference, Elder Bruce R. McConkie spoke about the "ten blessings of the priesthood." Note that men and women, married and unmarried, can enjoy almost all of these blessings by virtue of their Church membership. The blessings Elder McConkie outlined are as followed: ...” (75%)

“... and achieve exaltation in the celestial kingdom—which is available only to men and women who have entered the new and everlasting covenant of marriage and then been faithful to that covenant.“ (73%)

This book makes me want to be a better person.

I was delighted to find in it a version of how Russell M. Nelson and Wendy Watson met, as well as many other cases of him receiving revelation.

Sheri Dew has became a favorite author of mine. I’ve been impressed with everything I’ve read of hers.

Full of great practical applications of spiritual principles. Contains my favorite story of distinguishing those who are opponents because of differing principles and experiences, and those who are enemies of all values: when you cross them, they get mean. (reading dates approximate; review from copy 1).

All time favorite quote on distinguishing between people who disagree on gospel principles through honest conviction, and those who are in league with the Adversary: you know the latter because, when you cross them, they get mean.

Sheri Dew is one of my heroes. And this book was just the tender mercy I needed this week. I've always had kind of a general view of grace, but Sheri Dew helped deepen my understanding of it. She has a powerful presence, even when it's in writing—you can't help but listen to what she's saying and ponder on it a while.

This book was just incredibly inspirational! I am amazed at the strength and commitment of President Benson and his wife and children.

This book was just incredibly inspirational! I am amazed at the strength and commitment of President Benson and his wife and children.

Ms. Dew always has a way of being powerfully inspiring, and this short book is no exception. Exploring the topic of grace, the author examines four questions: what is grace? what difference can it make in our lives? how does the Savior make His power available? what must we do to gain access to that power? With a mixture of insight and challenge, this book calls the reader to make grace a central idea in the life of every Christian.

This and Ezra Taft Benson's own Crossfire: the Eight Years with Eisenhower explain why I will never be a Democrat, though I like and admire many Democrats. An outstanding biography of much-maligned but very good man.

Like so many of my co-religionists, I wept buckets when this truly great man died at the age of 97 last year. This book, written rather early on in his twelve-year presidency badly needs a supplement do deal with that presidency. It would take two or three volumes to come anywhere close to doing justice to what Gordon B. Hinckley accomplished as a writer, leader, innovator, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and, above all, one of the outstanding missionaries of our time. Like Christ, like the apostle Paul, he changed lives by love.

For a brief little book, it packs a good-sized amount of stuff in here. I liked the anecdotes from her own life that she shared. I also liked the reminder that life is a test - but it's an open book test, and we are supposed to ask for the answers.

My favorite quote - "A change in behavior is not enough--we must have a change in nature." 4.5 stars½

I loved this book! Sheri Dew addresses it especially to LDS women, but I think that any woman feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated would get a lift from this great book. I put a bookmark in and wrote the page numbers of my favorite quotes. I will share a few.

"You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something."

- Gordon B. Hinckley

"Noble and great. Courageous and determined. Faithful and fearless. That is who you are and who you have always been. And understanding it can change your life, because this knowledge carries a confidence that cannot be duplicated any other way."

Sheri Dew

Full of great practical applications of spiritual principles. Contains my favorite story of distinguishing those who are opponents because of differing principles and experiences, and those who are enemies of all values: when you cross them, they get mean. (reading dates approximate; review same as copy 2).