This fall, the Magnify community is hosting a book club. They will be reading The Rock of Our Redeemer, a new book by Elder David A. Bednar. You can join Magnify online or host your own book club with friends or family by using this downloadable study guide. If you prefer not to download the PDF, find the full study guide below. (The guide also includes a recipe for a delicious apple pudding cake with butter sauce to enjoy while you study!)
The Rock of Our Redeemer provides an in-depth study of Jesus Christ and a personal handbook for a deeper understanding of what it means to have a testimony of His gospel.
A few learnings and takeaways:
- Better understanding of the power, direction, and strength we receive from covenant-keeping
- Ways to ask and seek spiritual direction that builds confidence in receiving answers from the Lord
- How to identify and make connections between gospel principles in a way that leads to daily personal conversion
Each of us is on unique paths in life but we all need to anchor our spiritual foundations on our Savior. As women of the gospel, we know you’re doing so much good in your circles of influence. Together, we stand with you as sisters in Christ, happy followers of Him!
Enjoy the book!
Discussion Quotes and Questions
“The foundation of our lives must be securely connected to the rock of Jesus Christ if we are to remain firm and steadfast.” (p. 3)
- What does it mean to build a spiritual foundation? What are the tools and materials we need to do this?
- How do you stay “securely connected to the rock of Jesus Christ”?
“Faith in the Lord cannot be given, bestowed, transferred, conveyed, or transmitted to us by someone else. But we can begin to focus our faith on and in the Lord Jesus Christ by accepting invitations to ask, seek, and knock for the spiritual gift of faith in Him.” (p. 81)
- Who has invited you to ask and seek more spiritual knowledge, either by direct invitation or through their example?
- We can transfer our money, possessions, and even our skills, but we can’t transfer our faith. Why do you think God made faith non-transferrable?
- There are many good things and pursuits in this life. How do we balance pursuing talents and fulfilling responsibilities, so the focus of our faith always stays on Jesus Christ?
- Think of the way a camera can change its focal point. When trying to take a big picture of your life, what does it mean to you to focus your faith on Jesus Christ?
“Many blessings come from building our spiritual foundation upon the rock of our Redeemer—blessings of purpose, power, knowledge, strength, and perspective. Additionally, we can receive the blessings of confidence and peace.” (p. 118)
- How do we understand and notice these profound blessings in our lives from having a spiritual foundation upon Christ?
- Purpose, power, knowledge, strength, perspective, confidence, and peace—share a time when you’ve noticed these blessings as a direct result of your knowledge and testimony of Christ.
“Godly fear is loving and trusting in Him. As we fear God more completely, we love Him more perfectly.” (p. 126)
- What is the difference to you between “Godly fear” and fear in general?
- Love and fear are not commonly linked words. How can Godly fear give us a greater capacity to love?
- How do we make Godly fear something that inspires our lives and makes us more like our Savior?
Apple Pudding Cake with Butter Sauce
A fall gathering with friends to talk about life and the gospel is warmth enough for the soul, but we all love a good dessert so we couldn’t resist sharing this recipe with you. Shared from Tara Teaspoon’s Delicious Gatherings, she writes, “Hands down, this is my all-time favorite dessert.”
Apple Pudding Cake
2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (4 ½ ounces) chopped pecans
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
4 cups grated apple, any variety, from 3-4 cored apples
½ cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for pan
2 large eggs
Butter Sauce
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
3 cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups (12-ounce can) evaporated milk
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- For the cake: Heat oven to 350°F. Brush a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan generously with extra butter. Sprinkle pan with extra sugar, then tap out excess. Set pan aside.
- Stir together flour, pecans, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a food processor or with a box grater, shred apples with the skin on. You should have 4 cups grated apple.
- In a mixer, cream together butter and sugar with the paddle attachment. Add eggs and beat until mixture is fluffy. Stir in apples (and any juice they produce) and flour mixture until completely combined. Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
- Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and cake pulls slightly away from the sides of the pan, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Tent cake with foil for the last half hour of baking to prevent overbrowning.
- Let cool on a wire rack, about 20 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to remove from pan. Let cool completely.
- For the butter sauce: In a saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer all butter sauce ingredients, stirring for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve the sauce warm over slices of the cake, or serve sauce on the side and let guests add a generous amount of warm sauce to each slice of cake.
NOTE: The cake and sauce can be made a day in advance. Allow both to cool completely before storing. Cover cake with plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Refrigerate butter sauce and reheat in microwave or saucepan to serve.
To download this Magnify Book Club Guide for The Rock of our Redeemer as a PDF, click here.
Find Bedrock Faith in the Redeemer
Seek and Expect Miracles
Come be inspired to act on President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation to seek and expect miracles—the miracles of joy, peace, faith, and hope that we can find in Christ.