Feasting upon the Words of Christ, Together

As members of the Provo Peak Third ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have been invited by our ward leaders to make an increased effort to improve our personal gospel study, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Part of the prescribed qualitative direction is that after praying, working, being consistent, pondering, and looking for connections, patterns and parallels, we're to record and share our findings.

In addition to preparing to share with one another the aggregate experience of this six-month endeavor on March 27th, this page will serve as a launching pad for places to share insights along the way. Please feel free to use any of the links below to share your thoughts with others.

Google Spreadsheet with Bible and Book of Mormon Comparison
This link will take you to a spreadsheet where you can contribute doctrinal parallels between the standard works.

Questions in the Scriptures
This link will take you to a spreadsheet where we're cataloging all the questions we can find in the scriptures. These questions are great for pondering, and can be a great way of engaging the Holy Spirit to open our minds to revelation.

Word/Phrase Count, by Standard Work
This spreadsheet is being used to count the number of times interesting words or phrases are used in each standard work. The second tab shows the counts as proportions of the relative totals, and contains a graph showing the distribution.

Shared Thoughts Slide-Deck: Mighty; Might; "serve with all your might"
Personalize a slide in this presentation to share your take-away's from Elder Craig C. Christensen's invitation to study the use of the term "might" in the scriptures (as found in D&C 4:2).

Shared Thoughts Slide-Deck: Scriptures that Strengthen Us During Trying Times
When Christ was suffering for the sins and injustices of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane, "an angel appeared unto him from heaven, strengthening him." (see Luke 22:43) Supposing that this angel quoted scripture to the Lord, what scripture passages do you suppose that he may have shared? Personalize a slide in the slide deck accessed by this link and share with us your thoughts, as well as which scriptures are strengthening to you during your trying moments.

Ask

Yesterday at work, I was asked to share my thoughts about how we can prepare to receive personal revelation through and during general conference this weekend. Part of my response was, "a mind with a question in it is a mind that is ready for revelation, whether it's an answer to that question or some other."

That was one of those times where I learned from what my mouth said. :)

So, now I'm thinking about questions that I could be pondering as we go into this weekend. Not doubting questions, but the type of seeking questions like a child who wants to learn more. It's certainly possible to ask and seek for knowledge faithfully; having a learner's heart, not a skeptic's heart.

This morning I've come across a scripture that corroborates this principle:
2 Nephi 32:4
"Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark."

Questions can precede and follow conference. I think I'm more prone to remember to question after the fact. This week I'm remembering the importance of pre-conference pondering and question-forming.

I hope you find success doing the same.

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

Just helping spread the word.

There's a call for videos to be used in a crowdsourced video to air before the April 2012 general conference. Film yourself enjoying general conference this upcoming weekend, and then submit them to the editors.

This should be pretty cool.

Here's a video to help you learn more, and if you're interested, go to this link for more instructions.

Constancy: President Monson on Washington Post

I think this is awesome.

The prophet authored the following wonderfully wise article concerning the lessons learned from 9/11, and it was carried on the Washington Post's On Faith section. I couldn't think of any better way of summarizing it than simply re-posting it. Enjoy.

Beginning of article:

The calamity of September 11th, 2001 has cast a long shadow. Ten years later, many of us are still haunted by its terrible tragedy of lost lives and broken hearts. It is an episode of anguish that has become a defining moment in the history of the American nation and the world. This week, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, along with Tom Brokaw, will pay its own homage to the unforgettable events of September 11, 2001.

There was, as many have noted, a remarkable surge of faith following the tragedy. People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding. Comfortable times were shattered. We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven. And, as ever, we found it. Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way.

Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has come with time, but so has indifference. We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt. Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives. The darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment. But we are forgetful. When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well.

Our Father’s commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers. Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us. He has promised us that this will never change.

But we are less faithful than He is. By nature we are vain, frail, and foolish. We sometimes neglect God. Sometimes we fail to keep the commandments that He gives us to make us happy. Sometimes we fail to commune with Him in prayer. Sometimes we forget to succor the poor and the downtrodden who are also His children. And our forgetfulness is very much to our detriment.

If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.

The way to be with God in every season is to strive to be near Him every week and each day. We truly “need Him every hour,” not just in hours of devastation. We must speak to Him, listen to Him, and serve Him. If we wish to serve Him, we should serve our fellow men. We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.

It is constancy that God would have from us. Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought, or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness. Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were. We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior. We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow. We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm.

Humility

We had a great sacrament meeting yesterday. Part of why it was great for me was that I had family there to witness and assist with the blessing of our new daughter. The other reason was how the speakers addressed very well the topics they were assigned: humility and discipleship. It was a great meeting.

I suppose it was more meaningful for me as well because I've recently challenged myself to study the topics assigned for the next week's sacrament meeting and prepare a talk as well.

Last week as I studied the topic of humility, I found the following two resources that I thought I'd share.

The first was a Mormon Channel radio show I came across on my phone. So they have a recurring program called Q&A where they field and respond to questions related to gospel doctrine. I really enjoyed it. Episode 14 is designed to answer the general question, "what is humility?". It's a great resource.

The other is a talk that is quoted in part in the radio program. In April 2006 general conference then-Elder Henry B. Eyring offered a talk entitled As a Child which addresses very well much of the essence of the call to humility - it really is a call to be as a child. It too is a great resource.

PS - here's a bonus resource - Moroni 7:43-44:


 43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.

 44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

PSS - Another couple talks on meekness.

Elder Maxwell: http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=7156

Sister Holland: http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6968

Filled, Built, and Sanctified

The other day, while reading President Thomas S. Monson's general conference address concerning LDS temples, I was struck by the evidence of a pattern that is consistent, in my opinion, between those literal temples and us, as "temples" in which the spirit of God can dwell.

Referring to the actual temples, President Monson said,

"My brothers and sisters, temples are more than stone and mortar. They are filled with faith and fasting. They are built of trials and testimonies. They are sanctified by sacrifice and service."

 My attention first went to the verbs he chose: filled, built, and sanctified. It wasn't too hard to think of scriptural language wherein these verbs are used in reference to us:

• Filled
• Acts 2: 4 - And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
• Mosiah 4: 3 - And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.
• Helaman 3: 35 - Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.
• Built (or Edified)
• 1 Thessalonians 5: 11 - Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
• Doctrine and Covenants 50: 22 - Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.
• Helaman 5: 12 - And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
• Sanctified
• John 17: 19 - And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
• 1 Samuel 16: 5 - And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
• Leviticus 8:10 - And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them.
• Hebrews 13: 12 - Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
• Moses 6: 60 - For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified;
• Exodus 40: 13 - And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
• Doctrine and Covenants 88: 34 - And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same.

I was also impressed by his choice of words that bring about those three things: faith, fasting, trials, testimonies, sacrifice, and service. Those activities, in sum, seem to me to constitute "the good life." Can any of us say that those who elect to fill their lives with those things are not happy? The pattern seems applicable to us, and I submit it to you as very sound advice.

It's my witness and experience that those who believe and have faith in Jesus Christ and his restored Gospel, and especially those who reverently worship and serve in His holy temples, are filled with joy and spiritual enthusiasm, are built up into men and women of admirable character, and are sanctified and prepared to return home to God. They're happy.

I know that the temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are literally the houses of the Lord. They are known by their fruits, and their fruits are those who regularly attend and worship therein.

• Mosiah 2: 41 - And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

9 Things Parents Must Teach

Robert Fulghum wrote a well-titled book, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." Although I enjoy the reading, if I were the author I might have made the home the center for learning rather than the school, and made the parents the teachers and focused on their central role. The parents' curriculum, therefore? Below.

So, last night Jess and I were up sighing about how our children (five and three years old) will never remember all the things we're doing with them (other than by the thousands upon thousands of 21st-century digital photos and videos we're capturing). We asked one another, for example, "can you remember ever going to the grocery store with your mom?" Neither of us could. It's kind of sad - parenting is a very low fan-fare job.

(Parenthetically, the fact that we can't remember our early years and yet they are real history is an understandable and practical example that can be used to help us understand the doctrine of a real, although temporarily forgotten, pre-earth life.)

We found solace in the fact that although our kids will never remember most of the trips to the water park, the bathtimes, bedtimes, stories, meals - although they'll forget most of the outings, books, haircuts, and trips to the grocery store - they will subconsciously remember and be crucially molded by these first eight years - even especially the first three years. Our efforts are not in vain. These are the years to teach responsibility, joy, and everything else they will need to be well-functioning, self-reliant adults some day. Even though they won't remember the details, they'll remember the feeling and they'll have the habits and abilities they'll have developed.

President Thomas S. Monson recently taught this at a CES fireside:

"In the wisdom of our Heavenly Father, you and I were born into mortality and welcomed into loving families.
"I pause to let you know how much your families pray for you. They worry about you. They wonder how you’re getting along. They love you so much. Don’t disappoint them.
"The Lord tells us in the Doctrine and Covenants that during the first eight years of our lives, power is not given unto Satan to tempt us as little children (see D&C 29:46–47). We had an eight-year head start on Lucifer.
"This information was given by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith back in 1830. In our own time Dr. Glenn Doman, a renowned scholar and scientist who has almost definitely never heard of the revelation quoted, has, through his research, come to the conclusion that “a newborn child is almost an exact duplicate of [a] computer, although superior to one in almost every way.
"'What is placed in the child’s brain during the first eight years of life is probably there to stay. If you put misinformation into his brain during this period, it is extremely difficult to erase it.' He believed that the most receptive age in human life is that of two or three years old.3"You might ask, 'Why is President Monson emphasizing this? Our first eight-year period of learning is long past.' But you, my brothers and sisters, are going to be parents one day, and you will want to emphasize the importance to your children and to your future generations of descendants of that first eight-year period."

So, what's the curriculum for parents. What are the most important things to teach? Has the Lord left us young parents alone as to what we should teach these absorbing little mimics?

Luckily, no.

Here are nine things I find in the scriptures that parents are to emphasize and teach:

1. "We talk of Christ" (2 Nephi 25:26) - If nothing else, our kids must learn from us who Jesus Christ is and what he is all about.
2. How to have "faith in Christ" (Alma 25:16) - Similar to the former, but distinct in that this is where the rubber meets the road - where we come in. This is the only way to have any enduring hope in life.
3. How to repent and receive forgiveness (3 Nephi 9:13-14) - Kids need to know how to reconcile themselves unto God for the future day when they will inevitably "(go) astray."
4. The necessity and purpose of baptism (Alma 7:11-15) - Commitment to a higher standard is what I suppose brings greatest relief to parents of young adult kids who eventually leave the nest. If the child is covenanted to the Lord and takes that covenant seriously, the parents primary role is complete and the continued parenting is between the child and their Father in heaven. Take-away: the parents' job is to sheppard their children to the covenant.
5. The necessity and purpose of the Holy Ghost (John 14:26) - The Father's special messenger assigned to help us keep our covenants and become fully converted is less useful to the children who are not taught by their parents how to hear and heed the promptings of the Spirit. With that teaching, they're protected.
6. How to pray (Doctrine and Covenants 68:28) - Spiritually self-reliant adults who can speak to God and receive answers to their questions and support to their problems, necessarily first learned how to pray. Parents stand in the ideal position to teach this to their children (as well as model the analogous experience in day-to-day life as kids ask mom and dad for stuff all the time).
7. How to keep the commandments (Alma 37:35) - Disobedience to God's explicitly stated laws and joy are incompatible and cannot exist in the same person at the same time, any more than light can shine without electricity or fire. Our kids must learn "wisdom while in their youth," and how can they know except someone "should guide (them)."
8. How to keep the Sabbath day holy (Doctrine and Covenants 68:29) - Parents must teach the kids how to rest, and how to renew the covenant, else the kids will be in danger of losing their spiritual stamina.
9. How to work (Doctrine and Covenants 68:30) - Life is work. The terms of Christian discipleship present most demanding work - at home, in the professional workplace, in the Church, and in the community. It's in the work that we find the Master: "For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served...?" (Mosiah 5:13)

I'm thankful for God's involvement in our lives, especially as parents, and I'm glad my kids will at least remember something. 

Forgiveness

Forgiveness really is a miracle. I know that it's real.

I believe that through the Atonement of Christ, we can all receive the gift of forgiveness and be made clean, and be prepared to return home to our Father in heaven.

As a bishop I've been blessed to witness the repentance and forgiveness of many people. It's real. There is such a visible difference in the eyes of people from when they first confess a misdeed to when they have fully repented. The joy I see in those who repent is, in itself, a powerful witness to me of the reality and truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The discernment and insight I receive through the rights and keys of the office of bishop is likewise a powerful witness to me of the truthfulness of the Restoration, and of the power in the priesthood.

A few months ago I was studying the scriptures about forgiveness and I went online to search for a scripture. I came across a presentation on the topic of forgiveness that someone up at BYU-Idaho had put together. I was pumped because it had tons of scriptures and quotes and it was all pre-packaged just waiting for me to find it. It's a great resource.

Since then I've referred to it a few times and drawn from it to share with others. Last night idea dawned on me that I could put it on Goggle Docs and embed it here so that it could be more easily accessed by others. So here it is below. Enjoy.


If you're currently seeking forgiveness and having a hard time with it, part of your problem might be something I've noticed among those I counsel with. It seems that specificity and the direct request for forgiveness are sometimes forgotten in our prayers of repentance. You might ponder whether this is true in your case. When we pray specifically we get specific results. For the sake of clarity, with some I've even given some sample words: "I did _(sin)_. I know that was wrong because _(reasons)_. I hate the fact that I did that. I know it is offensive to Thee. Please forgive me."

Our prayers can thereafter include a testimony of the Savior's Atonement, an expression of faith somewhat like the Brother of Jared's words: "Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this." In fact, the first five verses of Ether chapter 3 give a great model for faithful prayers of any type.

Addiction Recovery

I love these two videos below. They capture the spirit of hope that I have seen as we turn to the Lord for help in overcoming addictions and weaknesses.



Click here to access the LDS Family Services 12-Step Program



If you struggle with any type of addiction, I highly recommend you seek help. If there's anything I can do, please do not hesitate to call. 801-709-1392

Missionary Minute: Literally

Often in church settings we hear of someone taking a minute or two to share a recent opportunity they had to share their beliefs, calling it a "missionary minute."

Well, now you can actually do missionary work in a minute.

Check out this new page on the church website for opportunities to promote the church in under five minutes: http://lds.org/church/share/internet-tasks-that-promote-the-lds-church?lang=eng

Expressing L.O.V.E. Through Christlike Communication

So, today I thought this up. I'm no expert in the area of interpersonal communication, but I thought this was helpful and at least a bit catchy.

Jess is really good at this. Yesterday I came home from work for lunch in a huff, frustrated about some tedious data-transformation project I was working on for the last few hours of the first half of the day that I felt was a big waste of time. She listened to me and my venting, validated my feelings, and expressed concern and appreciation for what I do and how I work to support our family. Thirty minutes later I was renewed by her sweet influence and I was ready to cheerfully go back to work.

So, today I tried to think about a way I could remember in my little man-brain how to try to be like my sweet wife. I came up with this little mnemonic. When someone you love is going through a hard time or is struggling with challenging emotions, you might benefit by expressing "love" through gentle communication:
Listen
Offer help
Validate
Express appreciation

Now, chronologically, I'd actually move the "O" to the end, but LVEO isn't a sticky word I can remember.

So, there you go. Take it for whatever it's worth.

Do you have anything similar to this that you use to remind yourself how to communicate lovingly? If so, please share in the comments.

Invitation to Index

Yesterday, the following invitation was made to all Church employees. I thought it was worth passing along:

You may have already heard the news.

Last year was an exciting year for FamilySearch indexing. In 2010, more than 127,000 volunteers worked together to index nearly 200 million records. Their dedicated work has opened archives and record collections on an unprecedented scale. Records that were once difficult to see or even find are now available on any home computer with Internet access.

While these numbers are impressive, they’re not the real story. Every single record documents an important event, a moment, maybe even a lifetime, of meaning to real people—a birth, a marriage, a death. Some of these people, perhaps, were your family, your very own ancestors!

As exciting as it was, last year’s achievement isn’t enough. At the rate of 200 million records a year, it would take over 100 years to index the estimated 2.5 million rolls of microfilm in the Church’s Granite Mountain Records Vault—not to mention the 100 million new digital images added to the collection each year. Clearly, many more volunteers are needed to move this essential work forward.

FamilySearch Indexing Simplifies Family Research
Just a few decades ago, family history research was often complex, requiring much time and other resources to locate, access, and search records carefully. Many record collections were simply unavailable.

Today, using digital images downloaded to personal computers, volunteers from all over the world collaborate to create indexes of record collections. Records are indexed in small batches that take relatively brief amounts of time, so, in a spare half hour here and there, volunteers complete a monumental work in a few days or weeks.

Enthusiastic about a recent project, Jan Davenport, former president of the Arkansas Genealogical Society, exclaimed, “This project would be impossible without the help of FamilySearch. [We had] 120 years of marriages for 75 counties. It would take a hundred years for a few volunteers to do.” FamilySearch indexers completed the project Davenport mentioned in just three years, while working on many other projects at the same time. As a result of their collaborative efforts, these and other indexes provide easy worldwide access to historical collections, often in searches that take only seconds.

How to Help
To begin indexing, go to http://indexing.familysearch.org and click on the blue Test Drive link on the right side of the page. Once you've finished the Test Drive, which allows users to practice indexing a record, click Done. Then click on the Get Started link. Follow the instructions to install the indexing program. Then click on the indexing icon on your desktop and login, using your LDS Account. You will begin with a few short, simple projects to help you learn the process. When you’re ready to move on, you can choose from a number of projects from around the world, according to your interests and language abilities.

A typical batch doesn’t take long to do—usually 30 minutes or less. If you can’t finish the batch in the time you have, you can always close the program and finish later. Your work is saved automatically. If you don’t have time to complete the batch in a week or so, then someone else will finish it for you. There’s no need to worry. Each person just does what he or she can.

These records help people across the world do their family history; they can also help you. By participating in FamilySearch indexing for just a few minutes each day or week, you make a significant contribution. You may find, as others have, that indexing a little bit each week brings unique power and focus to your life. You may find yourself on an exciting adventure as you glimpse details from the lives of real people from different places and times. You may also find, in newly available collections, records that help you take the next step in discovering your own family history.​

Extra Oil

Lately, my three-year-old son Ethan has begun waking up at 6:30 - during the time that I used to have dedicated to personal scripture study. Now, my primary intent during this time has become maintaining silence in the home so as not to wake Jess and our daughter, Emma. I hesitate though, to totally abandon my study time. The solution: watch MormonMessage videos with Ethan on YouTube.

Lately we've really enjoyed the New Testament series they published. The kids have found a few unexpected, somewhat random, favorites. If you were to ask Ethan which is his favorite, he'd say, "the one with the ten virgins." You can imagine - I've seen it over 20 times. I love it - I've learned a lot.

So, how would you explain to your three-year-old kid what the wise virgins' extra oil represents?

Modern revelation provides a helpful verse: Doctrine and Covenants, section 45 refers to many of the signs to the times that precede the Savior's return. Verse 57 speaks of those who spiritual endure the latter-day difficulty:
57 For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.

So, here's at least one definition of the extra oil:

1. Wisdom
2. Receipt of the truth
3. Taking the Holy Spirit as guide
4. Avoiding deception

Another, more pragmatic idea is this - those that are wise are those that do the "non-required" things:

• Personally studying the scriptures daily
• Fulfilling all our duties and striving to keep the commandments always
• Going to all three hours of church
• Attending the Saturday-evening adult session of stake conference
• Prayerfully participating in all sessions of general conference

For more thoughts, consider checking out Elder Dallin H. Oaks' great talk on this topic.

Pondering Questions

I'm intrigued by this quote from Brother John S. Tanner:

"By opening my heart to the Lord’s questions of me, I have discovered that I am in a better position to ask and receive answers to my questions of Him (John S. Tanner, "Responding to the Lord’s Questions", Ensign, Apr. 2002, 26)."

I've begun searching "the Lord's questions of me" in the scriptures. I'm compiling them together in the spreadsheet below. Care to help me? If you know of a question asked in the standard works that is helpful to you in generating pondering thoughts, include it in the list here.



If you would like to search for questions electronically, you'll have to go here and download the scriptures in PDF; you can't search by punctuation at scriptures.lds.org. Once you've downloaded the PDF files, you can open them and search by any character, including the "?" in this case.

Religious Freedom

I think this message, delivered by Elder Dallin H. Oaks in a speech at Chapman University of Law last month, is worth the attention of everyone concerned with all things morally related.



Personally, I think it's awesome that such a wonderfully capable and intelligent person is also a person of such remarkable faith. Thank you, Elder Oaks, for your example.

Admonition, Basking, and Pondering

My ability to take in and make spiritual sense of admonition reached a limit on Sunday afternoon, and it taught me an important lesson. It's spawned into this theory.

Like so many of you, I'm sure, I find there's an endless, even "inexhaustible," amount of good things to learn. In addition to my regular study of the gospel, I'm regularly in other meetings and trainings related to my current calling as bishop. To make up for lost time from my traditional personal gospel study time, I've made a habit of listening to general conference talks and BYU speeches when I can at work. While this has been great, I feel like I've over-flooded myself with admonition - I've taken in more than I've had time to ponder about, implement, and habituate.

How To Get Your Own Plan of Salvation

Back in 1972, Elder Bruce R. McConkie gave a wonderful talk on this topic, that I just listened to tonight as I did the dishes. Unfortunately, it's not transcribed, but the MP3 is available. You can listen to it here.

Priesthood: Elder Perry's Perspective

I've been very blessed by the priesthood in my life. I know that it is a very real power.





Here are parts 3 (here) and 4 (here). For some reason these latter two weren't posted to YouTube.