Ep. 2 – The Holy Ghost from A to Z: Introduction

Learn more about Liz’s book The Holy Ghost from A to Z: What the Spirit Can Do for You, coming out in June. In 26 brief chapters, the book will help “unwrap” the gift of the Holy Ghost so you can better recognize and receive Him into your life.

Get ready for the next episode by reading The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy!

Outline

• The Holy Ghost from A to Z: What the Spirit Can Do for You
  • Will be published by Cedar Fort in June
  • Not a children’s book—just uses the alphabet to creatively organize the book
  • Has 26 concise chapters about how the Spirit can bless your life
  • Also has a survey at the beginning of the book to point you to the sections most relevant to you, and application questions at the end of each section
• Quote from the introduction
  • When you think of the gift of the Holy Ghost, remember this: simply having a gift given to you is not the same as receiving it, opening it, and enjoying its use. The purpose of this book, then, is simple—to “unwrap,” so to speak, the gift of the Holy Ghost. My goal is to illustrate the many facets of the Spirit so that you will be better able to recognize and receive Him into your life.
• Cruise ship story from Elder Uchtdorf
  • If we don’t know what’s “included” in the gift of the Holy Ghost, we’ll be living beneath our privileges and not fully enjoying the gift of the Holy Ghost
• Takeaway
  • Ask God to help you recognize the Spirit
  • He’ll be more than happy to show you how much He loves you and blesses you through the Holy Ghost
• Next episode: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: Timeless Tidbits of Wisdom

Transcript

I’m Liz Kazandzhy, and you’re listening to the cozy little podcast “Latter-day Saint Book Nook,” where we talk about books from a gospel perspective. Whether fiction or nonfiction, religious or not, great books are like wells of wisdom just waiting to be drawn from, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. So if you love books, and you love the gospel of Jesus Christ, you’re in the right place. Come and learn from the best books to help you live your best life!

Welcome back, everyone! In this week’s mini-episode, I’ll be introducing my book, The Holy Ghost from A to Z: What the Spirit Can Do for You, which comes out in June. So first I want to tell you a little bit about the book itself, and then I’ll share some thoughts about noticing the Holy Ghost more in our lives.

The first thing I’ll mention is that it isn’t a children’s book. Some people hear that “A to Z” phrase and think of this cute little kids’ book that teaches the alphabet and some other kind of theme. But this is a doctrinal non-fiction book for adults—or youth—that is packed with information and inspiration. I just happen to use the alphabet as a creative way to kind of organize the book. So, let me just read you the blurb real quick:

[1:20]

Book Description

With 26 brief chapters—each based on a letter of the alphabet—The Holy Ghost from A to Z explores the many incredible facets of what the Spirit can do. Some blessings you may be familiar with, like His ability to warn, comfort, and testify. But did you know He can also improve your relationships, give you physical strength, and help you discover and fulfill your life mission?

A quick survey at the beginning of the book will point you to the sections most relevant to you, and each chapter’s application questions will help you make real and lasting changes in your life.

Truly, the Holy Ghost is an ideal traveling companion, and in this book, you’ll learn 26 reasons why. That’s 26 ways you can follow the invitation to “receive the Holy Ghost.”

[2:08]

Quote from the Introduction

Alright, I think that’s enough for now about the book. Now let’s pull something from the book and talk about it a little bit. Here’s a quote from the introduction:

When you think about the gift of the Holy Ghost, remember this: simply having a gift given to you is not the same as receiving it, opening it, and enjoying its use.

The purpose of this book, then, is simple—to “unwrap,” so to speak, the gift of the Holy Ghost.

My goal is to illustrate the many facets of the Spirit so that you will be better able to recognize and receive Him into your life.

In other words, when we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism, and we hear the words, “Receive the Holy Ghost,” that’s not just a declaration—it’s an invitation. President Eyring once said, “At that moment you and I have the assurance He will be sent. But our obligation is to choose to open our hearts to receive the ministration of the Spirit over a  lifetime.”

[3:18]

Cruise Ship Story from Elder Uchtdorf

It reminds me of that funny story Elder Uchtdorf told about the man who went on a cruise ship. And because Elder Uchtdorf’s voice is way cooler than mine, here’s that story in his own words:

There once was a man whose lifelong dream was to board a cruise ship and sail the Mediterranean Sea. He saved every penny until he had enough for his passage. He dreamed of walking the streets of Rome, Athens, and Istanbul. Since money was tight, he brought an extra suitcase filled with cans of beans, boxes of crackers, and bags of powdered lemonade, and that is what he lived on every day.

He would have loved to take part in the many activities offered on the ship. He envied those who went to movies, shows, and cultural presentations. And, oh, how he yearned for only a taste of the amazing food he saw on the ship! But the man wanted to spend so very little money that he didn’t participate in any of these. He was able to see the cities he had longed to visit, but for the most part of the journey, he stayed in his cabin and ate only his humble food.

On the last day of the cruise, a crew member asked him which of the farewell parties he would be attending. It was then that the man learned that not only the farewell party but almost everything on board the cruise ship—the food, the entertainment, all the activities—had been included in the price of the ticket. Too late the man realized that he had been living far beneath his privileges.

So, that cruise is like the gift of the Holy Ghost, and unless we know what’s included in that, we’ll also be living beneath our privileges, not fully enjoying one of the greatest gifts that God has given to us. So, I hope that as you hear these mini podcast episodes, and later as you read the book, that it’ll help you better recognize and receive the Spirit into your life.

[6:00]

This Week’s Takeaway

In the meantime, there’s something you can do right now that will definitely help you feel the Spirit more, and it’s actually pretty simple: ask God to help you recognize the Spirit.

Think of it this way. If my kids came up to me and said, “Hey Mama. What are all the things that you do for us?” I would be able to give them such a long answer—because we as parents do so much for our children that, let’s be honest, often goes unrecognized. And I would be so happy to answer that because I’d be like, “Yes! Finally they’ll be able to see how much I do for them and how much I love them.”

It’s the same way with Heavenly Father. He gives us so many blessings through the Holy Ghost, and if we ask Him to open our eyes so we can recognize those moments more, He will be more than happy to answer. And if somebody happens to ask you, “When was the last time you felt the Spirit?” you’ll be able to remember some specific recent moment when the Holy Ghost blessed your life. And that’s pretty cool.

So, that was this week’s takeaway: the invitation to ask God to help you recognize the Spirit. Give it a try this week and see how it goes.

Well, that’s the end of today’s episode. Remember, next week’s book is The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse in case you’d like to read that ahead of time. And lastly, I wanted to give you my personal website, where you can learn more about me and The Holy Ghost from A to Z. The website is LizKazandzhy.com, and yes, let me spell that last name for you. It’s Kazandzhy—again, that’s Kazandzhy. There’s also a contact form there if you’d like to get in touch with me. And you could even let me know how this week goes for you and what blessings you notice from the Spirit.

That’s all for now! Talk to you next time!

Thanks for listening to Latter-day Saint Book Nook, hosted by Liz Kazandzhy! If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to support the podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media, or leave a rating and review. You can also visit ldsbooknook.com to stay up to date with me and the podcast. Thanks again, and I’ll talk to you next time!