Marjorie and I have been engaged for the past months in a very fun and interesting project.  We're reading all of the books that I've written.  I read out loud, and make note of any corrections that need to be made.  Marjorie listens.  She's afraid that we're going to run out of articles.  We read multiple articles each evening.

We're in the fifth of the eight books that I've written.  There are about 950 total articles in them.  That's astonishing.  I never set out to do such a thing.  One by one I just had an idea that begged to be recorded and expanded upon.  I'm so grateful that I took the time to write because these are all ideas that I've largely forgotten.  They're hugely inspirational.  Each was written with the Holy Ghost as my companion.  That activity is my very favorite thing to do.  I learn as I write because the Holy Ghost is right there giving me thoughts that I've never had before.

Yesterday evening we came upon a five-word scripture that I had quoted.  I couldn't remember it at all, and I'd failed to include its reference.  It triggered my current thoughts.  Where did it come from?

I finally found it in Hebrews 11:4.  It said, referring to Abel, “He being dead yet speaketh.”

That is the value of my writing, and of keeping a journal.  Prophets, though dead, continue to speak and to influence people for good if they left their journals behind for their descendants to learn from.  Nephi is impacting the world 2,600 years later because of the book he started.  He knew that it would have an impact, so he made the book out of gold.  The book had to be made of a material that would last through the centuries.  He left instructions for the prophets who followed him to keep the book, to treasure it, and to add to it.  For 1,000 years they did that, and now it's going to all the world.  It will change the world.  It will convert the world.

Because of technology I expect my books to likewise survive.  I expect my books to impact my posterity.  I think my writings contain the power to change my posterity.  I hope my children read these things to their children.

A couple of weeks ago I gave my latest collection of articles to Kevin Bradford so that he can work his magic on them and turn them into the book that I've entitled, That Ye May Learn Wisdom.  There are 250 articles in it.  Half of them I've shared with the family by email as I've written them.  Half of them I haven't.

I keep thinking that I've exhausted all the ideas for new articles, but new ideas keep coming.  This article is the seventh that will have to go into some new book.  I'll have to come up with a name for it.

Someday I'll die, but through my books I'll keep speaking and keep teaching.  How I hope that my posterity will discover these writings, and cherish and use them.

“He being dead yet speaketh.”  Maybe that would make a good book title.