Ether 7-8, D&C 1

Not a lot to write today - ch 7 has a lot of history and some common Book of Mormon themes like repentance leading to prospering and being spared. Ch8 you have some secret combinations springing up, "when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation..." I should be more aware of manifestations of this today and find a way to do something about it. Gangs, drug cartels, government corruption, lots of small-scale stuff I'm sure. Last verse is hopeful, I like it "... but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved"

I'm thinking that I should read other standard works. In the D&C, I will especially look for covenants. I thought v19 to v23 was interesting - a list of the purposes of what God speaks to prophets today:
-weak>strong, showing that it's more important to rely on God than man.
-every man speaking in the name of the Lord - revelation/testimony
-faith increase in the earth
-everlasting covenant established - footnote seems to indicate the gathering of Israel, so Abrahamic covenant, which really amounts to people entering into a covenant with Christ, since we are adopted into the house of Israel through baptism.
-fulness of gospel proclaimed