It is my meditation all the day, and more than my meat and drink, to know how I shall make the Saints of God comprehend the visions that roll like an overflowing surge before my mind. -Joseph Smith
A young man with little formal education, Joseph Smith’s eloquent words reflect the tutorship of God himself. Latter-day Saints have long desired to know what Joseph had to say about many subjects, including the reality and nature of God, man’s relationship with God, and what to look forward to in the great beyond.
This unique volume includes hundreds of quotations that have been carefully gleaned from the familiar Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, an earlier textual compilation conducted by Church historian and later prophet Joseph Fielding Smith. Though many books have been and will still be written about the Prophet Joseph Smith, the focus of Joseph Speaks is to make readily available by topic much of what Joseph Smith taught on a wide variety of timeless and poignant topics. This is the perfect reference book for any Latter-day Saint’s bookshelf.
HOW THE BOOK CAME ABOUT
When my wife invited me to accompany her to her hometown in Japan, I thought to myself, “I need to take a pocketbook with me to read, as not knowing the Japanese language, I would be on my own for many hours.” So I looked on my bookshelves and chose a pocket-size book that was given to me years before, but which I hadn’t read.
Not far into our trip I reached in my pocket and started reading this book entitled Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., formerly the Church Historian and later, the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When but a few pages into the book, I became so excited and thrilled with Joseph’s clear, straight-forward wording on various meaningful topics page after page, that I started labeling the quotes in the margin, for I didn’t want to lose access to such a wealth of wisdom.
Months later, after having gone through the entire book and filling the margins with labels, I decided to alphabetize the quotes for easy access, and form a book out of the project. On the copyright page, when I came to the place for the copyright symbol, I couldn’t find it on my computer’s keyboard. Then it dawned on me to look in the yellow pages for publishers. My eyes fixed on the name Amazon Publishing. When I called the number, a man answered, and explained the way to produce the symbol. I asked for his name, and he said, Duane S. Crowther. Amazed, I immediately recognized him as a well-known author in the gospel community.
Duane then asked what I was writing; and when I told him about the book, he said he wanted me to bring it for him to see. After reviewing the preliminary manuscript, he said he was sure it would get published. Fortunately, he had an affiliation with the Cedar Fort Publishing Company, and in short time Joseph Speaks was published, and has since enjoyed a five-star rating. I felt angels had accompanied me in the entire process. S.H. Redd
What’s inside
Book Samples
Awareness
If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves.”
Blessings
“They that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever and ever,”
Compassion
A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”
Hope
“All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful. By the vision of the Almighty I have seen it.”
Integrity
As well might the devil seek to dethrone Jehovah, as to overthrow an innocent soul that resists everything which is evil.”
Obedience
“The law of heaven is presented to man, and as such guarantees to all who obey it a reward far beyond any earthly consideration.”
Paradise
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.”
Repentance
“There is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety-and-nine just persons that are so righteous; they will be damned anyhow; you cannot save them.”
Sectarian World
The great designs of God in relation to the salvation of the human family, are very little understood by the professedly wise and intelligent generation in which we live.”
Tribulation
My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine affliction shall be but a small moment; and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.” (the Lord speaking to Joseph)
Truth
I hope sober-thinking and sound-reasoning people will sooner listen to the voice of truth, than be led astray by the vain pretentions of the self-wise.”
“Whenever light shone, it stirred up darkness. Truth and error, good and evil cannot be reconciled.”
Understanding
The Lord deals with this people as a tender parent with a child, communicating light and intelligence and the knowledge of his ways as they can bear it.”
War
Sacred is the memory of that blood which bought for us our liberty.”
Subjects
Pages
Joseph Smith’s eloquent words reflect the tutorship of God himself….
This book can be purchased at www.cedarfort.com by either searching for the author (Sterling H Redd) or the book name (Joseph Speaks).
About the author
Sterling H. Redd Sr.
Sterling has had an identified interest in writing since one of his grandmothers recognized his writing skill during his teens. Having been orphaned at 12 years of age, he began living with his mother’s parents. He later studied Sociology and English at Brigham Young University. Sterling served as a missionary in New Zealand. Then came a year of active military service during the Berlin Crisis. Later, upon receiving a BS degree at Brigham Young University, he taught high school English in the Salt Lake area. After receiving an MSW degree at the University of Utah, he served for over thirty years as a clinical social worker and writer/editor for the Utah State Department of Health.
He was called as a member of the Bonneville Stake mission presidency. He served in subsequent years in several stake missions among diverse cultures. Among his service experience, he has been a Gospel Doctrine teacher, a High Priest Group instructor, and a High Priest Group leader. Since his retirement, he has completed a mission call at an LDS Employment Resource Center assisting a widely diverse patronage in personal resume writing. He then served a local service mission in the LDS Family Services Addiction Recovery Program. He is currently enjoying serving in nearby temples.
He has had a life-long drive in recording beautiful and meaningful quotes, poems and scriptures which have helped mold his writing interests and have subsequently found their way into a few books in his retirement years. He has a love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but in his concern over the national decline in scripture reading, and the fact that the general reading skill is below the junior high school level, he has had increased focus on and has spent decades in making scripture reading much more clear and easy for youth as well as mature readers, while maintaining the integrity of the original texts.
Sterling’s rather palpable love of people, nature, adventure, music and literature is reflected in his writing. He is the father of five grown children, and is currently residing in Salt Lake City with his wife and their aged cat.
Sterling H. Redd Sr.
