Angels Blog Tour

Welcome to the blog tour for Angels, Agents of Light, Love, and Power by Donald W. Parry!

Stories are told around the world of persons who have received help or comfort from someone they couldn't see—an angel or spirit who guided them or in some other way gave them assistance from beyond the veil.

But just who are these angels? Are they even real?

Although angels are a vital part of Latter-day Saint history and doctrine, their roles and purposes are often misunderstood. In this inspiring volume, author Donald W. Parry discusses in a clear and understandable way what we can learn from the scriptures and from modern prophets and apostles about angels and their missions.

Here you will find answers to such questions as the following:

• What are angels?
• What powers and abilities are angels given?
• How do angels communicate with mortals?
• What are the assigned missions and roles of angels?
• How do angels reveal truth and teach the doctrines of the gospel?
• How do angels minister to and comfort mortals?
• What is the role of guardian angels in the modern world?

When just the thought of someone watching out for us can give us hope in challenging times, to realize that angels minister light, love, and power to us, whether we are aware of them or not, gives us unparalleled understanding, comfort, and peace.

Find the book at Deseret Books.

Donald W. Parry, a professor of the Hebrew Bible at Brigham Young University holds the Abraham O. Smoot Professorship. For nearly twenty years he has served as a member of the prestigious international team of translators of the Dead Sea Scrolls and is the author or coauthor of more than thirty books and numerous articles on the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls. He has coauthored with his brother, Jay A. Parry, several books for Latter-day Saints, including Understanding Isaiah, Understanding the Signs of the Times, and most recently, Symbols and Shadows: Unlocking a Deeper Understanding of the Atonement. Brother Parry, who has served in the Church as a bishop, a temple worker, and high councilor, is a popular speaker at BYU Education Week. He and his wife, Camille Parry, are the parents of six children.

Review:

Angels have long been a source of interest to mortals. Their images have been depicted in art for thousands of years. They have been included in songs and other writings for just as long. This book takes the chance to separate the myths from the facts by using scripture and other accounts of interactions with angels to teach some very interesting truths. It's an interesting chance to learn what you do and do not know about something we have all heard so much about.

I loved the approach this book took. Each chapter was a fact about angels, and then the evidence was laid out in very clear fashion. A lot of the evidence is based on scripture with some more recent statements from LDS leaders added in. There are also other accounts, usually from early church leaders, to help give a fuller picture. Because everything is sourced so well, it's easy to figure out exactly where everything is coming from. This helps to give the reader a chance to search and ponder the things in the book. 

There were a lot of things to learn from this book, and I found it to be very entertaining while still being informative. Two things really stuck out with me while reading this. The first was it seems like many of us may have had interactions with angels unawares. How cool is that thought? It made me want to be nicer to everyone I meet as you just never know who you are talking to. The other thought was how loved we are. We are never left alone on the Earth. There are always so many people trying to help us get through this life, and this book offered some concrete proof of that. This is a book that I think many people will enjoy and feel lighter for having read it.

Book provided for review.