To Draw Closer to God: A Collection of Discourses

The majority of what I read is Mormon literature. I recently finished reading To Draw Closer to God and it is on the top of my list of favorite religious books because of the insight and counsel I received from Henry B. Eyring in this book. I will most likely go back and read this book again and when I do I know that I will come away with additional pearls of knowledge to apply into my life. It is definitely worth its price. In To Draw Closer to God, Elder Henry B. Eyring explains what we can do to feel closer to our Father in Heaven. Elder Eyring, in his loving heartfelt style, discusses topics such as learning to hear the Lords voice, coming unto Christ, trials of faith, and helping others draw closer to God. Eyring quotes scriptures and other prophets and apostles to support his topics. I really enjoyed Elder Eyrings comments along with the quotes and scriptures. Eyring Writes, "Now if you'll do these things, something wonderful will happen. The Lord will try you, but if you'll work a little bit and show him that you're willing to try, he will bless you and give you more strength and understanding". This Book is a must read if you enjoy having the spirit of the Lord to be with you. If you are looking to come to know your Savior Jesus Christ and God better, then you will appreciate the masterful teachings of Elder Eyring as he explains the principals of listening and responding to spiritual promptings and understanding the atonement while in the service of God.

In this selective collection of discourses, Brother Eyring teaches us how to hear the Lord, how to heed, and how to help others. In almost every chapter, I found myself making abundant marginal notes, sometimes to remind myself to implement a piece of counsel in my life, sometimes to emphasize how true a point felt, and other times to make sure that I remember a point for when the opportunity to apply to arises. The counsel I read in this book has affected how I read the scriptures, how I pray, how I listen to lessons and talks in church, and how I will approach friends struggling with their faith. These aren't changes because of what seem like good ideas (although they are) but rather because the teachings feel true. Perhaps this book is better than the average "Teachings" volume because of its selectiveness. With only 15 talks, each talk in this slim volume exhibits insights and inspiration. I recommend this book highly, as one of the two most spiritual (non-scriptural) volumes I have ever read; the other is Yearning for the Living God: Reflections from the Life of F. Enzio Busche. I intend to gift this book liberally. Many of the talks are also available on-line. I list the talks and where they were given, with an asterisk by those I found particularly helpful during this reading. I'm sure that next time I will be inspired by different passages. Part I: Hearing *1 Ears to Hear (GC, April 1985) *2 "Listen Together" (BYU fireside, Sep 1988) 3 Learning to Hear the Lord's Voice (Logan Institute of Religion, Jan 1992) Part II: Heeding *4 Come unto Christ (BYU fireside, Oct 1989) *5 Choose to Be Good (BYU devotional, Nov 1991) *6 Remembrance and Gratitude (GC, Sep 1989) *7 Trials of Faith (Ricks devotional, Feb 1988) *8 Waiting upon the Lord (BYU fireside, Sep 1990) 9 Surrender to Christ (Ricks devotional, Sep 1993) *10 Going Home (BYU devotional, Nov 1986) Part III: Helping Others Draw Closer to God 11 The Spark of Faith (GC, Oct 1986) *12 Helping a Student in a Moment of Doubt (CES religious educators, Feb 1993) *13 The Family (CES fireside, Nov 1995) 14 A Legacy of Testimony (GC, Apr 1986) *15 To Touch a Life with Faith (GC, Sep 1995)

I love this book. President Eyring has such a personal tone in all of his talks and sermons. I reccomend to anyone, investigators and members alike.

To Draw Closer to God consists of fifteen chapters, each based on a public oration of Henry B. Eyring. Careful ordering and minor editing make this work more unified than one might expect from a collection of sermons. Dr. Eyring's exceptional thoughtfulness makes it powerful and inspiring. The topics center around listening to God, heeding those messages, and helping others do the same. The abundance of distinctively Mormon scripture passages and stories from Mormon history might limit the appeal to broader Christian audiences. Among the highlights of the book are two moving stories about the author's father. There and throughout the book, the effect was to motivate me to be a better person. Many of the original discourses are available freely online. These include General Conference addresses from Apr 1985, Oct 1986, Oct 1989, Oct 1995, Apr 1996; BYU devotionals from Nov 1986, Sep 1988, Oct 1989, Sep 1990, and Nov 1991; Ricks College devotionals from Feb 1988 and Sep 1993. To these are added a CES training, a CES broadcast speech, and a Logan Institute devotional that are harder to find.

This book is an absolute must read! Elder Eyring is a masterful teacher as he explains the principals of listening and responding to spiritual promptings and understanding the Atonement while in the service of God. This book rates third in my list of the most important books to read, aside from the scriptures, behind #1 "Believing Christ" (Robinson) and #2 "The Peacegiver" (Ferrell).