Bishop's Billboard

Feasting upon the Words of Christ, Together

2011-10-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-27T05:49:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-08T22:16:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-28T00:22:00.000-07:00

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:

"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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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).
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)."
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.
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

2011-06-22T05:33:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

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:

Wisdom
Receipt of the truth
Taking the Holy Spirit as guide
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

2011-03-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

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

2011-02-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

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.

When stake conference came this past weekend, then, I could take in Saturday's priesthood leadership session from 4:00 - 5:30, and the adult session from 7:00 - 9:00. But most of Sunday's talks fell on my drowning ears. I was able to feel nourished by President Christiansen's talk, but, unfortunately for me, the others I'll have to follow up on when the transcript is produced, because my journal reflects what I was able to receive - very little. (Note, I'm perfectly sure that this was entirely about me, and had nothing to do with the speakers' preparation and delivery - I could tell they were great talks, but I just couldn't drink them in; I was exhausted.)

I was baffled by this. I've never experienced this before in my life, at least not to this degree.

I've thought about it since Sunday night, and I've come up with a rough theory that I'm now testing out. It may be similar to how a plant grows. Plants need water, sun, and air to photosynthesize. I felt like a plant drowning in a flood on Sunday. The water had come up and over the sandbags, and was engulfing me in the flood. I felt about ten feet under. Maybe we can compare admonition to water. It's life-sustaining and very needful, but can be administered faster than a plant's roots can have time to soak it in.

Plants need energy from sunlight. They need time to bask in the light and soak in the warmth. Their leaves need to be spread out in the light to achieve maximum exposure. Thinking of this analogy, I don't know about you, but my mind goes straight to the temple. When I was there this past Thursday that is exactly how I felt. I entered the celestial room and just melted and sighed. I felt like those plants I've seen in time-lapsed photography that just loosen up their leaves, open up, and lean towards the sunlight. It was hard to leave on Thursday night. Worshipful music also comes to mind, and could also be compared to the sunlight in this analogy.

Air! Glorious air. All the admonition and light-basking in the world seem insufficient to grow the soul without time for pondering, because that's when "we invite revelation by the Spirit." (President Eyring's talk) One idea I did catch from stake conference this weekend was the thought that God is more able to answer our questions when we take time to ponder the questions he's already posed to us, such as "What think ye of Christ?", "What desirest thou?", "Knowest thou the condescension of God?", and "Rememberest thou the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel?". We need time to think about and apply the admonition we receive. I liken this to air - like the kind of air you breathe in when you go for a walk and just think about life and how you're living it. Personally speaking, air is what I was lacking this weekend.

So since then I've been "breathing" more often and it's been a good thing. I found that if you download the scriptures in PDF you can search by punctuation. I'm currently reading everywhere in the standard works where the sentence ends with a question mark (?). It's pretty cool.

Hope this is of some usefulness to you.

How To Get Your Own Plan of Salvation

2011-01-19T21:57:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

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.

Do You Love Me?

2010-12-26T15:29:00.000-08:00

Considering how the scriptures refer to the Savior as the bridegroom and the Church as his bride, this scene from Fiddler On The Roof seems analogous, albeit imperfect. The key question, have your "25 years" of service and diligence and sacrifice in the Lord's service begun to produce their intended effect of increasing your love for the Lord?

You Get What You Want

2010-12-07T16:40:00.000-08:00

Although not always true in our day to day lives, in the long run, you get what you want.

Consider Elder Neal A. Maxwell's reflection on agency shared in an intimate way here at BYU just four months before his death. His talk is among my personal favorites. Check it out here.

Here's the key phrase in this regard:

"Back now to the more crisp and revealed words about choosing!

"[You will receive] according to [your] desire" (Alma 29:4; emphasis added).

"[And you will receive] according to [your] wills" (Alma 29:4; emphasis added).

"I'm not sure we grasp how the final judgment will reflect our choices! But my desires and choices really will be honored! How manifestly just of God! How trembling for me! There is the anxiety protruding once again. Are my desires sufficiently educated to choose wisely (see Alma 13:3, 10)? Could the further education of my desires be the most important form of continuing education?"

Here's my thought, which I captured in my journal during sacrament meeting this past Sunday:

If in the long run we get what we want, then it's imperative that we ever ensure that our daily desires and actions align with our deepest desires and aspirations. For, shall we receive fruit of the intense, deep desires we at times feel yet don't align our actions with or shall we receive the sum product of all our daily desires and actions? I believe it is the latter. Luckily, since none of do that perfectly, one of those daily actions can be repentance - repentance for both sins of commission and omission.

Diligence

2010-11-23T12:40:00.000-08:00

Consider this quote on what diligence is from Preach My Gospel, authored for missionaries, but applicable to all of us:

"Diligence is steady, consistent, earnest, and energetic effort in doing the Lord’s work. The Lord expects you to work diligently—persistently and with great effort and care. A diligent missionary works effectively and efficiently. Diligence in missionary work is an expression of your love for the Lord and His work. When you are diligent, you find joy and satisfaction in your work.

"Do many good things of your own free will (see D&C 58:27). Don’t wait for your leaders to tell you what to do. Continue until you have done all you can, even when you are tired. Focus on the most important things and avoid wasting time. Pray for guidance and strength. Plan regularly and effectively. Avoid anything that distracts your thoughts or actions."

Consider this quote from President Spencer W. Kimball, given back in 1979:

"One of the great teachings of the Man of Galilee, the Lord Jesus Christ, was that you and I carry within us immense possibilities. In urging us to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect, Jesus was not taunting us or teasing us. He was telling us a powerful truth about our possibilities and about our potential. It is a truth almost too stunning to contemplate. Jesus, who could not lie, sought to beckon us to move further along the pathway to perfection.

"We are not yet perfect as Jesus was, but unless those about us can see us striving and improving, they will not be able to look to us for example, and they will see us as less than fully serious about the things to be done.

"Each of us has more opportunities to do good and to be good than we ever use. These opportunities lie all around us. Whatever the size of our present circle of effective influence, if we were to improve our performance even a little bit, that circle would be enlarged. There are many individuals waiting to be touched and loved if we care enough to improve in our performance.

"We must remember that those mortals we meet in parking lots, offices, elevators, and elsewhere are that portion of mankind God has given us to love and to serve. It will do us little good to speak of the general brotherhood of mankind if we cannot regard those who are all around us as to our brothers and sisters. If our sample of humanity seems unglamorous or so very small, we need to remember the parable Jesus gave us in which he reminded us that greatness is not always a matter of size or scale, but of the quality of one’s life. If we do well with our talents and with the opportunities around us, this will not go unnoticed by God. And to those who do well with the opportunities given them, even more will be given!" (emphasis added)

My impression is this: If we remember that we are children of God and disciples of Christ, both of whom love us immeasurably, and that we therefore have a natural vested interest in one another, then diligence ceases to be an irritant and becomes a blessing.

Doubt Not

2010-11-04T06:10:00.000-07:00

Are you your biggest fan?

If not, are you at least in the fan club? I find applying the gospel of Jesus Christ to be a difficult task for those who are overly critical of themselves.

As an experiment, you might try to count how many times day you lie to yourself. Whenever we have thoughts like, "I'm terrible at __(righteous activity)__" or "I'm just not a good at being a __(role)__," we're lying to ourselves. If we think these thoughts as that which defines us, and thereby define our eternal well-being based upon what we see in the mirror today, we'll always be wrong. They're lies because they're "mortally flawed," they're finite representations of infinite souls, and therefore miss the big picture which includes eternal progression and eventual perfection.

I've heard that psychologists refer to these thoughts as "bad tapes," as though they are negative audio tracks we play in our mind over and over. (For those of you who didn't experience the 80's, this is what a tape is). Apparently, these psychologists instruct they're patients to replace these thoughts with "good tapes" - thoughts like, "I'm wonderful at __(righteous activity)__," or "I'm a great __(role)__," - which are unfortunately still lies, just on the other end of the optimism spectrum.

I understand the Lord's solution to the problem to be a little different. He counsels us to fill our minds with truth:
D&C 6: 36-37
36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.
37 Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.

When you and I think bad thoughts about ourselves, that should serve as our reminder that we need to "look unto" Christ and "behold" his righteousness and redemption. The bad thoughts really are just thoughts of doubt, based upon fear. If we replace those thoughts with statements of faith rather than another (although it even be an optimistic) lie, we find real and true strength in the Lord.

I had to do this back in August. There arose a small extended family debate which stimulated a number of pretty high emotions among our extended family. The infamous plague of the 21st century occured: misunderstanding caused by tone of email. It came to a point where a sibling and I had to meet in person to talk things through. Personally, I was very nervous about the meeting. I felt sure that it could erupt into a very painful argument, so I dreaded the upcoming Saturday morning when we were to get together. In the days preceding, I prayed for help and asked that Heavenly Father would help me get control of my emotions and speak with love and reason. Still, Saturday morning came and as I drove to the place where we were to meet, my mind was flooding with nervous, fear-based thoughts of how terrible this could turn out. However, about half way to the destination, I had this string of thoughts I've tried to articulate above, and said to myself, "Mark, where's your faith? You've prayed a ton for help, and now it's time to trust that that help will come."

So my method was to bear testimony. This is comfortable and familiar for most latter-day saints - we make vocal declaration of those things we feel we know to be true by heavenly inspiration. So, I thought, in relation to this event, what can I attest to be truth. I started saying (out loud even though I was all alone) things like, "I know that my prayers have been heard and I know that He can do this," and "I know the Savior was able to have inner peace even when suffering shame, so He will help me, too."

The rest of the story is as you would expect. It was the most enjoyable (and meaningful) conversation I've had with an extended family member in a very long time. The spirit of the Lord was with us. I remember feeling that day that we had overcome through faith.

We have hundreds of times each week when we could apply these thoughts. Doubt not, be faithful, try your very best to keep the commandments, and you and I will make it.

Gathering: Securing Your Testimony

2010-11-01T05:48:00.000-07:00

Many have asked for the notes and links associated with the 5th Sunday combined meeting we had yesterday. Here they are in their raw form.

Links
Public Issues: http://old.mormon.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/public-issues

The one above is the one I referred to yesterday, but it's on the old website, so who knows how long that'll stay active. The new site has a "search by topic" page that includes all ten of the issues listed on the old page, plus a bunch of other topics: http://beta-newsroom.lds.org/topic

Elder Maxwell's full talk: http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=909

HTML Text: http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6197
Audio: http://speeches.byu.edu/download.php/Maxwell_Neal_101978.mp3
Only the first half of this talk directly relates to discipleship as it relates to citizenship. The second half is the best talk I've ever read on the doctrine of foreordination, which is not entirely unrelated to the first topic by any means. It's actually really neat the way he blended these two topics, the latter giving context to the former.

Elder Ballard's talk about creating a "Gospel-sharing home"

Notes

What

"Brother Holland and the others have talked about the pioneers days. They had the easy part, and from now on its going to be different, and its going to be rougher. When you think of the Hole in the Rock or Rocky Ridge or the other places where the pioneers served, in many ways their part was easier than our part is going to be." - Elder Boyd K. Packer, Utah County regional conference address back in September 2010

Why

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, 1978

"But make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters; in the months and years ahead, events will require of each member that he or she decide whether or not he or she will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions (see 1 Kings 18:21)."

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, 1978

"President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had"never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional, or political life" (CR, April 1941, p. 123). This is a hard doctrine, but it is a particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ."

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, 1978

"Your discipleship may see the time come when religious convictions are heavily discounted. M. J. Sobran also observed,"A religious conviction is now a second-class conviction, expected to step deferentially to the back of the secular bus, and not to get uppity about it" (Human Life Review, Summer 1978, p. 58). This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain of people's opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions. Resistance to abortion will soon be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened."

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, 1978

"It may well be, as our time comes to"suffer shame for his name" (Acts 5:41), that some of this special stress will grow out of that portion of discipleship which involves citizenship. Remember that, as Nephi and Jacob said, we must learn to endure"the crosses of the world" (2 Nephi 9:18) and yet to despise"the shame of [it]" (Jacob 1:8). To go on clinging to the iron rod in spite of the mockery and scorn that flow at us from the multitudes in that great and spacious building seen by Father Lehi, which is the"pride of the world," is to disregard the shame of the world (1 Nephi 8:26–27, 33; 11:35–36)."

How

- gather yourself to the temple

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

"In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin directed the Saints of his time and place to gather,"every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple." As Church members, we have recently received counsel from modern-day prophets which, if followed, will turn the doors of our homes more fully towards the temple.

The First Presidency has invited"adult members to have a current temple recommend and visit the temple more often" where time and circumstance permit and encouraged members"to replace some leisure activities with temple service." They also encouraged"newer members and youth of the Church who are 12 years of age and older to live worthy to assist in this great work by serving as proxies for baptisms and confirmations." Even our young children have been encouraged to visit the temple grounds and touch the temple. President Thomas S. Monson once counseled,"As we touch the temple, the temple will touch us."

- focus first on becoming

- in time of distress, what we know will be likely less supportive than what we have become

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

"We have considered, first, the empowering blessings and, second, the endowment of faith that God grants to those who keep their covenants with Him. A final aspect of strength through covenants that I will mention is the bestowal of divine power. Our covenant commitment to Him permits our Heavenly Father to let His divine influence, "the power of godliness" (D&C 84:20), flow into our lives. He can do that because by our participation in priesthood ordinances we exercise our agency and elect to receive it. Our participation in those ordinances also demonstrates that we are prepared to accept the additional responsibility that comes with added light and spiritual power."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

"Divine covenants make strong Christians. I urge each one to qualify for and receive all the priesthood ordinances you can and then faithfully keep the promises you have made by covenant. In times of distress, let your covenants be paramount and let your obedience be exact. Then you can ask in faith, nothing wavering, according to your need, and God will answer. He will sustain you as you work and watch. In His own time and way He will stretch forth his hand to you, saying, "Here am I.""

- make your home a gospel sharing home

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

"Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness."8 For me this suggests a sacred relationship between the temple and the home. Not only can we turn the doors of our homes to the temple, or the house of the Lord; we can make our homes a"house of the Lord."

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

"Recently, in a stake conference, all present were invited by the visiting authority, Elder Glen Jenson, an Area Seventy, to take a virtual tour of their homes using their spiritual eyes. I would like to invite each of you to do this also. Wherever your home may be and whatever its configuration, the application of eternal gospel principles within its walls is universal. Let's begin. Imagine that you are opening your front door and walking inside your home. What do you see, and how do you feel? Is it a place of love, peace, and refuge from the world, as is the temple? Is it clean and orderly? As you walk through the rooms of your home, do you see uplifting images which include appropriate pictures of the temple and the Savior? Is your bedroom or sleeping area a place for personal prayer? Is your gathering area or kitchen a place where food is prepared and enjoyed together, allowing uplifting conversation and family time? Are scriptures found in a room where the family can study, pray,and learn together? Can you find your personal gospel study space? Does the music you hear or the entertainment you see, online or otherwise, offend the Spirit? Is the conversation uplifting and without contention? That concludes our tour. Perhaps you, as I, found a few spots that need some"home improvement"--hopefully not an"extreme home makeover."

- focus on faith hope and charity - remember who you are: first a child of God (your first and highest identification) and then a disciple of Christ (the second identifier, the one that leads to action, but not to contradict the first by being rash or conceited).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, 1978

"If the challenge of the secular church becomes very real, let us, as in all other human relationships, be principled but pleasant. Let us be perceptive without being pompous. Let us have integrity and not write checks with our tongues which our conduct cannot cash."

What blessings

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, 1978

-"Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even these, however, must leave a record so that the choices before the people are clear and let others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, that others will step forward, having been rallied to righteousness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds--a majority which was, till then, unconscious of itself."

- safety / deliverance from plagues of the last days

-"peace which passeth all understanding"

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, 1978

"Properly humbled and instructed concerning the great privileges that are ours, we can cope with what seem to be very dark days and difficult developments, because we will have a true perspective about"things as they really are," and we can see in them a great chance to contribute. Churchill, in trying to rally his countrymen in an address at Harrow School in October of 1941, said to them:

Do not let us speak of darker days; let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days: these are great days--the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race. [Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, p. 923]

Brothers and sisters, so we should regard the dispensation of the fullness of times--even when we face stern challenges and circumstances,"these are great days"! Our hearts need not fail us. We can be equal to our challenges, including the aforementioned challenge of the secular church."

Family Rules

2010-09-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

"We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." - Articles of Faith, number 1

Since God is our Father then everyone else is a brother or a sister, and we're a huge family. Right? As a young dad trying to manage a small family of four, along with Jess, I can't even imagine what it must be like trying to manage such a large family.

Jess and I were talking about this the other night, and I surmised that a family can only successfully scale to that order of magnitude with some very good and effective family rules in place. There would have to be strong family traditions to hold the group together. The parents would have to stick to those rules perfectly so as to be utterly predictable. They'd also have to do a lot to make sure those family rules were known and understood by the kids, so they could both know how to predict correctly what mom and dad would do and know how they should act to find joy in the family.

Well, the revelation of those rules is essentially the gospel. Here are two great modern-day scriptures that relate to this:
Moses 5: 58-59
58 And thus the Gospel began to be preached, from the beginning, being declared by holy angels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost.
59 And thus all things were confirmed unto Adam, by an holy ordinance, and the Gospel preached, and a decree sent forth, that it should be in the world, until the end thereof; and thus it was. Amen.
Doctrine and Covenants 29: 42-43
42 But, behold, I say unto you that I, the Lord God, gave unto Adam and unto his seed, that they should not die as to the temporal death, until I, the Lord God, should send forth angels to declare unto them repentance and redemption, through faith on the name of mine Only Begotten Son.
43 And thus did I, the Lord God, appoint unto man the days of his probation -- that by his natural death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life, even as many as would believe;

Well, this is just a thought i've been having lately, again as a young dad who does a lot of explaining family rules to a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. If these angels would have presented the gospel in terms of family rules, what would those rules have been? What are the things that our Heavenly Father values?

I asked Jess this question te other night as we were going to bed. It was a neat conversation. We came up with a few things right off the bat, but I'm sure you might have some additional ideas. Please share them in the comments!

Scripture Study Tool

2010-09-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried out Scriptures.BYU.edu? Jess and I love it. As you read through the scriptures and you find a verse that is meaningful to you, go to the BYU site and find the verse there. It will then tell you all the general conference talks (since the 1950's or so) that have ever cited that scripture as a reference.

Pretty cool.

Same-Gender Attraction

2010-08-05T06:11:00.000-07:00

Do you know, clearly, how the prophets understand this issue?

In light of yesterday's ruling, I feel a need this morning to reiterate the invitation I made in my last post. Please take 30-minutes to review the Church's position - presented in the form of an interview with Elder Oaks and Elder Wickman - on and understanding of same-gender attraction.

Here's the link: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/public-issues/same-gender-attraction

Another good resource is True to the Faith, pages 29-33, under the topical heading of Chastity.

Please read and pray about these statements. Pursue your own understanding, and stand by the prophets.

I feel strongly, as I said before, that it is very important that we understand the doctrine and truth behind this issue. As the Church's public statement notes, this ruling represents "only the opening" of a vigorous (and likely prolonged) debate on the definition of marriage and the cultural acceptance of homosexual behaviors.

When this life is finished and our eyes are opened and we review our lives, I think that in that retrospect our own mortal short-sightedness will be, then, painfully obvious. The fact that God had revealed, all along the way, his mind and will to prophetic leaders will also be clearly obvious. I imagine we'll regret having leaned on our own understanding when it was in contradiction to the words of the prophets.

I invite you to be wise, to receive the truth, to take the Holy Spirit for your guide, and to be not deceived. (D&C 45: 57)

As always, this post does not reflect any official position or declaration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm solely responsible for all content on this site.

Inclinations, Feelings, and Behaviors

2010-07-26T05:59:00.000-07:00

Visual of part of Elder Oaks' explanation on newsroom.lds.org

I recently read through the LDS Church's explanation of their position on and beliefs concerning same gender attraction. The article is great - I recommend it for everyone's review and consideration for two reasons.

First, I think it's very important to understand this issue. It's important today, and will likely be even more important in the future.

Second, I thought the explanations and insights provided by Elder Oaks were marvelous and potentially helpful in more cases than just managing inclinations of same-gender attraction. I've pasted below a key quote from Elder Oaks that I felt could help us all with whatever our personal susceptibilities may be. He was asked how he would reply to a fictitious son who's come to tell him, as a fictitious father, that he feels he attracted to men rather than women.

The distinction between feelings or inclinations on the one hand, and behavior on the other hand, is very clear. It’s no sin to have inclinations that if yielded to would produce behavior that would be a transgression. The sin is in yielding to temptation. Temptation is not unique. Even the Savior was tempted.
The New Testament affirms that God has given us commandments that are difficult to keep. It is in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 13: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
I think it’s important for you to understand that homosexuality, which you’ve spoken of, is not a noun that describes a condition. It’s an adjective that describes feelings or behavior. I encourage you, as you struggle with these challenges, not to think of yourself as a ‘something’ or ‘another,’ except that you’re a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and you’re my son, and that you’re struggling with challenges.
Everyone has some challenges they have to struggle with. You’ve described a particular kind of challenge that is very vexing. It is common in our society and it has also become politicized. But it’s only one of a host of challenges men and women have to struggle with, and I just encourage you to seek the help of the Savior to resist temptation and to refrain from behavior that would cause you to have to repent or to have your Church membership called into question.

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/public-issues/same-gender-attraction

Yes, homosexual feelings are controllable. Perhaps there is an inclination or susceptibility to such feelings that is a reality for some and not a reality for others. But out of such susceptibilities come feelings, and feelings are controllable. If we cater to the feelings, they increase the power of the temptation. If we yield to the temptation, we have committed sinful behavior. That pattern is the same for a person that covets someone else’s property and has a strong temptation to steal. It’s the same for a person that develops a taste for alcohol. It’s the same for a person that is born with a ‘short fuse,’ as we would say of a susceptibility to anger. If they let that susceptibility remain uncontrolled, it becomes a feeling of anger, and a feeling of anger can yield to behavior that is sinful and illegal.
We’re not talking about a unique challenge here. We’re talking about a common condition of mortality. We don’t understand exactly the ‘why,’ or the extent to which there are inclinations or susceptibilities and so on. But what we do know is that feelings can be controlled and behavior can be controlled. The line of sin is between the feelings and the behavior. The line of prudence is between the susceptibility and the feelings. We need to lay hold on the feelings and try to control them to keep us from getting into a circumstance that leads to sinful behavior.

Willingness to Receive Gifts

2010-07-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

Seasonally, we're about as far away from Christmastime as you can get. So let me take the downtime to talk about what usually gets talked about at Christmas but perhaps gets overlooked (or "underconsidered") even then because of the hustle and bustle.

How do you feel about receiving gifts?

We often say it's better to give than to receive. My feeling is that we may say that so much that we could possibly begin to dislike receiving gifts, even emotionally "deny" them.

How do you feel about receiving gifts from heaven? How willing are you to receive? I think this question helps us understand the attribute of humility.

Do you deny them? Do you receive them grudgingly? Do you receive them with thanks? Do you ask for them regularly? Do you rely on them to get through the day?

These questions seem to represent a continuum between the proud and the humble. To be humble is to recognize your ultimate reliance upon the gifts from heaven (Moroni 10) and to ask for them regularly.

Formula for Success

2010-07-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

Last month I referred to President Monson's "Formula for Success," primarily the first of his three suggested steps. I thought it would be worthwhile to speak to all three of the steps more explicitly, and share some of the thoughts I've had this week while I've been considering them.

The three steps President Monson recommends are

Fill your mind with truth
Fill your life with service
Fill your heart with love

The article is a really good read. I recommend it. Before he explains these three steps, he explains why he feels such a formula is needed:

"I would like to suggest that if we are really to be a chosen generation, we have the responsibility to be prepared, to be productive, to be faithful, and to be fruitful as well. What we need, as we journey along through this period known as mortality, is a compass to chart our course, a map to guide our footsteps, and a pattern whereby we might mold and shape our very lives. May I share with you a formula that in my judgment will help you and help me to journey well through mortality and to that great reward of exaltation in the celestial kingdom of our Heavenly Father."

As I've dwelt on President Monson's article, I've thought of each of those three steps and I've wondered if there aren't some things that need to happen before or along with those three steps. That is, is there anything that would keep us from being able to implement this formula?

What do you think?

This is by no means exhaustive, but these are the three that come to my mind as perhaps the most perturbing if not in place.

Relieve your mind of filth
Consecrate your life to the Lord
Eliminate pride from your heart

I have a lot of thoughts on each of these three, so I'll make separate posts for each one over the next few days. For now I just thought I'd share them along with my testimony that I know that what President Monson has recommended works.

June's Christlike Attribute: Hope

2010-06-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

Understanding the scriptures engenders hope.

"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." (Romans 15: 4)

The Eyes of Our Understandings ... Were Opened

2010-06-08T06:42:00.000-07:00

In referring to the reception of the February 1832 vision that he and Sidney Rigdon experienced (D&C 76), Joseph Smith described that it was "by the power of the Spirit" that their "eyes were opened and (their) understandings were enlightened, so as to see and understand the things of God."

How cool is that? Who wouldn't enjoy that sort of experience? I can imagine that great peace was derived from having that enlightening comprehension.

So what did they do to qualify for this enlightenment, and could we possibly follow the same steps to increase our own comprehension? I've been able to identify a few things they did.

First, they were doing their duty. They were voluntarily using their agency to do what they knew God wanted them to do. They were where they were supposed to be, when they were supposed to be there, doing what they were supposed to be doing. They were serving the Lord "in righteousness and in truth." (D&C 76:5) This is key for all of us.

Second, their hearts were right. They "feared" God, which I understand to me that they respected him and cherished their personal relationships with him.

Third, they had filled their minds with truth and were meditating upon that truth. I'll mention more about this below.

And finally, among other things, they certainly did not force things. Revelation and inspiration are always things that we "receive" like gifts, not taken like stolen property. Kids must wait until Christmas or their birthday, and we must wait upon the Lord to extend. We can only qualify for, we cannot demand. The timing of the reception is on the Lord's timetable.

So, I ask, are any of these qualifying habits things that we cannot emulate? No.

But why does any of this matter? Why should we care to "see and understand the things of God?" Last month as we pursued the attribute of knowledge, I kept asking myself, "knowledge of what?" and "what difference does it make?" I'd like to share my thoughts.

Comprehension, even an eventual comprehensive comprehension, accelerates the development of Christlike attributes. For example, knowing, understanding, and remembering the plan of salvation aids in the development and retention of many Christlike attributes, such as patience and hope. Nothing gives me more patience and hope, than to know that everything is going according to plan. In contrast, how perplexing and discomforting is it to not know the plan. Imagine being on vacation as a little kid: "are we there yet?"

Peace is another reward of comprehension. Trials and temptations befall all of us in life. Comprehending the "why" behind these difficulties brings peace. The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians:

"... in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4: 6-7)

President Monson gave a three step formula for how to be an "example of the believers" in a talk he gave back in 2001. The first of the three steps is "fill your mind with truth." He promised, "your talents will expand as you study and learn." The verse from D&C 88 also seems applicable:

"And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things." (D&C 88: 67)

So for me, that's why it matters. If I can fill my mind with light and truth through scripture study, prayer, temple worship, and church attendance it will lend to my spiritual comprehension increasing, which will help me make better use of my agency and catalyze in me the development of all other Christlike attributes.

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Philippians 4: 8)

May those blessings be yours as well as you fill your minds with truth.

See also: Ephesians 3: 14-19; all of D&C 88

Strengthening Marriage

2010-05-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

Today, Jess and I acted on a prompting my counselors and I had in last week's bishopric meeting: to speak to the adult ward members about what the prophets have taught about how to have a successful marriage.

Luckily she and I weren't left only to our own memory or experience. We drew most of our material from the Strengthening Marriage manual produced by LDS Family Services.

Other talks and quotes were drawn from the Eternal Marriage course text from the CES Religion 234 and 235 courses.

Another great resource provided by the Church is the Marriage and Family Relations Sunday school manual.

Our intent was to provide some practical suggestions from these manuals, supplemented with examples from our peers, to be implemented and habituated by the many newly-married couples in our ward while their marriages are just beginning. We also knew the content would potentially revitalize and redirect some of the less new marriages in the ward. Our hope is that the recommendations are taken a bite at a time, step by step, even though they were poured out pretty quickly.

What I didn't expect before the moment of speaking, was the insight that this discussion would lend to understanding the nature of God. I thought that was really cool. It helped me envision the true attributes of our perfected prototypes.

Joseph Smith revealed that, in heaven, the "same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy."

We will all be "gloriously" married in the eternities if we come unto Christ and keep our covenants. None of "enjoy" that now. Knowing that is our end, whether we're currently married or single, should direct our efforts of preparing for eternity.

Great Talks About Women

2010-05-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you sweet women!

Here are some great talks and documents worth reviewing this time a year - for both men and women.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World - First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Three Goals to Guide You - President Thomas S. Monson
The Touch of Human Kindness: Women and the Moral Center of Gravity - Elder Bruce C. Hafen and Sister Marie K. Hafen
The Women in Our Lives - President Gordon B. Hinckley
The Sanctity of Womanhood - Elder Richard G. Scott
The Divine Nature and Destiny of Women - Elder Glenn L. Pace
Women, Feminism, and the Blessings of the Gospel (MP3 only) - Elder Bruce C. Hafen
Over 10 years of archived BYU Women's Conference transcripts

Personally speaking, I have the deepest love and respect for women. I'm grateful for my wife, mom, sister, sisters-in-law, grandmas, aunts, and daughter. When I was on my mission surrounded by a bunch of other guys, I felt their absence. Love and beauty were deficient, even among that group of consecrated disciple-boys, trying to do their best to serve the Lord. Nothing can replace the grace of womanhood. I love it. Thank you, you good women, for embracing that which makes you beautiful - your divine nature. I'm so grateful for prophets who help us all understand the source of that nature, and the destiny to which it leads.

May you have a great day.

Reverence, Revelation, Righteousness, Power

2010-05-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

A couple of Sundays ago I had an insight.

Since conference, many of us priesthood leaders have been stirred to action by President Packer's talk, in particular this comment:

"distributing the authority of the priesthood has raced, I think, ahead of distributing the power of the priesthood. The priesthood does not have the strength that it should have and will not have until the power of the priesthood is firmly fixed in the families as it should be."

I've personally given it a lot of thought. We're to strive to increase our personal access to the powers of heaven--the powers of our covenants--through righteous living. President Packer told us just what to do:

"power in the priesthood comes through faithful and obedient living in honoring covenants. It is increased by exercising and using the priesthood in righteousness."

We know that it is in the temple, through the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood that the "power of godliness is manifest." We need to be there if we hope to become anything better than a just a group of "good" people. Good isn't our goal. We need to become, through the Atonement of Christ and through the saving ordinances he has so graciously restored to earth, more than good -- we need to become holy. That happens in our daily life, and is accelerated and finally reached in the temple.

So my thought was this. If power is preceded by righteousness, what precedes righteousness? What leads someone to make good decisions? I know that for me, I make good choices when I have the Spirit with me, when my mind is filled with truth, when my hands are engaged in service, and when my heart is filled with love.

But unfortunately (or fortunately, whichever way you look at it) hat spiritual state can't be forced. Revelation, or inspiration, can only come when invited.

Again, President Packer has told us just what to do. In a 1991 General Conference address, President Packer taught us how we can invite revelation. It's through reverence. Reverence invites revelation.

"No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration. The spirit of reverence can and should be evident in every organization in the Church and in the lives of every member.

"While we may not see an immediate, miraculous transformation, as surely as the Lord lives, a quiet one will take place. The spiritual power in the lives of each member and in the Church will increase. The Lord will pour out his Spirit upon us more abundantly. We will be less troubled, less confused. We will find revealed answers to personal and family problems without all the counseling which we seem now to need."

Check out the whole talk here.

Praying for Knowledge

2010-05-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

Now in May, our ward theme suggests we pursue the Christlike attribute of knowledge.

In what ways can "knowledge" be considered an obtainable attribute, as opposed to just a thing? What do you think?

Preach My Gospel chapter 6, which we're using as the base reference for much of this attribute-seeking, clarifies that the attribute we're encouraging is more a thirst for knowledge, to be a knowledge seeker. (Page 119) "Seek knowledge, especially spiritual knowledge."

We should pray to be like Abraham who desired "to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and possess a greater knowledge." (Abraham 1:2)

So, the idea with the ward theme is to help us truly worship Christ through emulating Him and striving to develop His characteristics. I think we will become more like Christ by praying earnestly this month for a desire to be a knowledge seeker.

I'll be doing it. Will you join me?

180 Years

2010-04-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

Why did the Lord restore his gospel and create The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 180 years ago this day? The answer, at least in part, was given by revelation, and is recorded today in Doctrine and Covenants Section 1:

17 Wherefore, I the Lord, ^aknowing the calamity which should come upon the ^binhabitants of the earth, ^ccalled upon my ^dservant Joseph Smith, Jun., and ^espake unto him from heaven, and gave him ^fcommandments;

18 And also gave commandments to others, that they should proclaim these things unto the world; and all this that it might be fulfilled, which was written by the prophets—

19 The ^aweak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones, that man ^bshould not counsel his fellow man, neither ^ctrust in the arm of flesh—

20 But that every man might ^aspeak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world;

21 That faith also might increase in the earth;

22 That mine everlasting ^acovenant might be established;

23 That the ^afulness of my ^bgospel might be ^cproclaimed by the ^dweak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before ^ekings and ^frulers.

24 Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these ^acommandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their ^blanguage, that they might come to^cunderstanding.

25 And inasmuch as they ^aerred it might be made known;

26 And inasmuch as they sought ^awisdom they might be ^binstructed;

27 And inasmuch as they sinned they might be ^achastened, that they might ^brepent;

28 And inasmuch as they were ^ahumble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive ^bknowledge from time to time.

29 And after having received the record of the Nephites, yea, even my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., might have power to ^atranslate through the ^bmercy of God, by the power of God, the ^cBook of Mormon.

30 And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have ^apower to lay the foundation of this ^bchurch, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of ^cdarkness, the only true and living ^dchurch upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well ^epleased, ^fspeaking unto the church collectively and not individually—

Taken in sum, I'm left to wonder: Where would we be if it weren't for the full restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the return of his priesthood authority, and the continued leadership of inspired successors to the prophet Joseph Smith? I'm eternally grateful for what happened 180 years ago, and what continues to occur today.

How has your membership in the Church blessed your life? Have you experienced any of the aforementioned blessings, that you would be comfortable sharing in the comments?

General Conference

2010-04-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

Do you believe that your questions will be answered and your concerns addressed this weekend in General Conference? Consider this quote from Joseph Smith:

Pg. 265

"When things that are of the greatest importance are passed over by weak-minded men without even a thought, I want to see truth in all its bearings and hug it to my bosom. I believe all that God ever revealed, and I never hear of a man being damned for believing too much; but they are damned for unbelief." (History of the Church, 6:477; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on June 16, 1844, in Nauvoo, Illinois; reported by Thomas Bullock; see also appendix, page 562, item 3.)

Our questions will be answered and our concerns will be addressed. The only variable of significance, then, is the preparedness of our hearts to receive the Spirit. What are you doing to prepare? Share in the comments.

Safety For the Soul

2010-04-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

What are your feelings about the Book of Mormon? Please, share your feelings, if you'd like, here in the comments below.

"All things work together for good to them that love God." Romans 8: 28

2010-03-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

Four Blessings of Temple Attendance

2010-03-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

While I'm sharing talks, how about this one - given back in 1983, and just as true still today.

Four Blessings of the Temple

Classic Talk on Success and Sacrifice

2010-03-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

Brother John Tanner is the Academic Vice President at BYU, but to me he's still my old hometeaching companion. I love him, and deeply respect him.

Back in 2003, Brother Tanner gave an amazing address to graduating Humanities students that was essentially a home-run commentary on D&C 117: 13. I've reviewed it tonight while preparing my talk for tomorrow's sacrament meeting, and I thought I would share the link so you could read it in full should you choose.

Here it is: http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=1320

Enjoy!

Aging Well

2010-03-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

We hear this term a lot - "she's 'aging well;'" or "people with olive skin 'age well.'" What do we mean when we say that?

When we use this phrase, I think we're usually referring to people who are getting older while yet maintaining a youthful appearance. Today however, I've thought of another way of understanding this phrase.

I stumbled upon the webpage of an artist today that does graphical renderings of people advancing in age. I was particularly intrigued with this video of a man going from what looks to be his 30's into what looks to be his 80's or 90's. Check it out: http://www.dlwaldron.com/GuptaAgeProgressionHiRes.html

I liked grabbing the playhead and scrubbing the timeline back and forth to watch it change faster or slower. I especially liked making it play in reverse. It made me think of the resurrection.

Isn’t it cool?

I liked watching the eyes, and that is what spurned this thought—how does one really age well?

Inside that changing body, he’s still the same guy, the same child of God. His body will age, change and eventually decay whether he likes it or not, but what happens to the inner man is up to him. He can't choose or change what type of mortal body he gets (remember?), but by his choices today, he can determine what type of resurrected body he gets, and how joyful he can be until then.

Is he progressing? Is he coming unto Christ? What does he watch / listen to for entertainment? What does he do with his spare time? Is he filling his mind with light? What does he do to nurture and consistently soften his heart? Is he making and keeping sacred covenants? To what extent is he focusing on emulating Christ? How often does he worship in the temple and bask in the sanctifying power of its restored priesthood ordinances?

For me today, my responses to these sort of questions have begun to answer whether or not I'm "aging well."

These scriptures seem to describe what is to truly "age well": Matthew 15:11 ; D&C 101:36-38 ; D&C 50:23-25 ; D&C 88: 7-22, 34, 67-68, 107.

Elder Scott Teaches About Faith and Prayer

2010-03-08T06:15:00.000-08:00

"When we receive help from our Father in Heaven, it is in response to faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency."
...
"Perhaps Oliver Cowdery’s experiences were recorded for us to understand how to pray and how to recognize answer to prayer. Oliver was told: “That assuredly as the Lord liveth, … even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive. …

“I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost.” (D&C 8:1–2; italics added.)

When we receive an impression in our heart, we can use our mind either to rationalize it away or to accomplish it. Be careful what you do with an impression from the Lord.

Oliver was further taught: “Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not. …

“According to your faith shall it be done unto you.” (D&C 8:10–11; italics added.)

“Ask in faith” means ask with confidence in our holy Father. Like many of us, Oliver did not recognize the evidence of answers to prayers already given by the Lord. To open his, and our, eyes, this revelation was given through Joseph Smith:

“Blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time.

“Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth.” (D&C 6:14–15; italics added.)

If you feel that God has not answered your prayers, ponder these scriptures—then carefully look for evidence in your own life of His having already answered you."

...

"When He answers yes, it is to give us confidence.

When He answers no, it is to prevent error.

When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth."

...

After two unsuccessful attempts, Nephi remained confident. He crept into the city toward the house of Laban without all the answers. He observed, “I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do,” significantly adding, “Nevertheless I went forth.” (1 Ne. 4:6–7; italics added.)

Nephi was willing to try time and again, using his best efforts. He expressed faith that he would be helped. He refused to be discouraged. But because he acted, had confidence in the Lord, was obedient, and properly used his agency, he received guidance. He was inspired step after step to success, and in his mother’s words was “given … power [to] accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded.” (1 Ne. 5:8; italics added.)

Nephi knew he was required to confide in God, to exercise faith, and to act so that he could receive help, step by step. He did not murmur nor ask for a full explanation. But, observe particularly, he did not wait passively for help. He acted! By following spiritual law, he was inspired and given power to act.

...

When we seek inspiration to help make decisions, the Lord gives gentle promptings. These require us to think, to exercise faith, to work, to struggle at times, and to act. Seldom does the whole answer to a decisively important matter or complex problem come all at once. More often, it comes a piece at a time, without the end in sight.

...

For the entire talk, click here.

Repentance Builds Faith

2010-03-06T09:52:00.000-08:00

Preach My Gospel states that "changing to become Christlike requires ... repenting."

To become more faithful, like Christ, you and I will benefit from asnswering these questions: what will I repent of today? what will I keep (feeling, thinking, doing)? What will I improve? What will I stop? What will I start?

These questions strengthen faith because once they've been answered, a second question is neccessarily posed: how am I going to do it? The correct answer to that question will always include increased faith.

Is there something you need to confess to your bishop? Really, ask yourself that question. If there is anything in the slightest that comes to your mind as you read that question, come to me. Call David Hawkinson (801-373-7495) and schedule a time for us to chat. Mortality already provides enough impediments to speedy progression without the burden of conscience. As Elder Hafen taught in General Conference back in April 2004, "because of the Atonement,(we can) learn from (our) experience without being condemned by it" - the Lord wants you to progress, so much so that He is willing to take away your guilt through His sacrifice.

Praying for increased faith is sure making my days more meaningful so far this month. I hope you are experiencing the same.

-Bishop Macdonald

How Do I Build My Faith?

2010-03-02T06:29:00.000-08:00

"Strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ."
- Bible Dictionary, Faith

Entering March!

2010-03-01T06:10:00.000-08:00

Wow. March is already here. How have the first two months of the year been for you? Have you grown in "love for others, God, and yourself?" Have you resolved to be more "obedient?" I have.

This month we have the blessing of studying one of the most precious doctrines - the Plan of Salvation. We'll study chapters 5 and 6 from Gospel Principles (The Creation; The Fall of Adam and Eve), and we'll discuss "The Purpose of Mortality" (Stake Theme, March). I call these doctrines precious because they're mysteries to those outside the current reach of the restored gospel, and because understanding them changes everything. Understanding these two doctrines prepares the learner for a correct understanding of the Atonement - which is what changes everything. This would be a great month to invite your friends and family to attend church with you.

While we study these precious truths, I invite you to pray for the Christlike attribute of faith. "Your faith will increase through diligent study, prayer, dedicated service, and obedience to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and the commandments." (Preach My Gospel, p. 116)

In February, we just resolved to be more obedient. Now, let us take that dedication, couple it with diligent study, and pray for the Lord to fill us with faith. I know this is a righteous desire that the Lord will grant as we seek it earnestly, daily, this month. Page 117 of Preach My Gospel provides a good place to begin your study.

The Lord has filled me with love for you, members of the Provo Peak 3rd ward. I love you. I know he will bless us as we seek to become more like him.

- Bishop Macdonald

Advice from Elder Busche

2010-02-27T09:34:00.001-08:00

Elder F. Enzio Busche gave this advice back in 1996 in a BYU devotional.

Obedience

2010-02-15T20:18:00.000-08:00

"If ye love me, keep my commandments," taught the Savior hours before going to the garden. Throughout January we as a ward have prayed to be filled with love as we've studied our duty to our eternal family. Now, the opportunity is our's to prove that love by seeking after greater obedience while studying discipleship.

It's encouraging to me to remember the "why" behind everything we do. For instance, why ought we to keep the commandments? As I just mentioned in the previous paragraph, it certainly is to at least prove our love for Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ. But is that the only reason?

A few years ago Elder Spencer J. Condie gave a wonderful talk in General Conference wherein he taught us how to "Claim the Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises." These promises constitute secondary expressions of God's love for his children. He causes the sun to rise on the just and the unjust, provides a resurrected body to all of his children who kept their first estate, and loves all of his children with a love we can not understand. Indeed, as states our 2010 Stake Theme, the worth of souls is great in the sight of God, even before we choose to come unto Christ and put off the natural man.

But as was taught by Elder Oaks in the past General Conference in his talk entitled Love and Law, God's "choicest blessings are reserved for those who obey His laws." These blessings include, as taught by Elder Condie:

(Quote) The Lord’s countless exceeding great and precious promises include forgiveness of our sins when we “confess them and forsake them” (D&C 58:43; see also D&C 1:32). Opening the windows of heaven is a promise claimed by those who pay a faithful tithe (see Malachi 3:10), and finding “great treasures of knowledge” accrues to those who observe the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89:19).

Becoming unspotted from the world is a promise to those who keep the Sabbath holy (see D&C 59:9; Exodus 31:13). Divine guidance and inspiration are promised to those who “feast upon the words of Christ” (2 Nephi 32:3) and who “liken all scriptures” unto themselves (1 Nephi 19:23).

The Lord also promised that “whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you” (3 Nephi 18:20). We are promised that the Holy Ghost will be our constant companion when we “let virtue garnish [our] thoughts unceasingly” (see D&C 121:45–46). We can claim the spiritually liberating promise of fasting, which will “loose the bands of wickedness,” undo our “heavy burdens,” and “break every yoke” (Isaiah 58:6).

Those who are sealed in holy temples and who faithfully keep their covenants will receive God’s glory, which “shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever” (D&C 132:19).

Sometimes, in our earthly impatience, we may lose sight of the Lord’s precious promises and disconnect our obedience from the fulfillment of these promises. The Lord has declared:

“Who am I, saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled?

“I command and men obey not; I revoke and they receive not the blessing.

“Then they say in their hearts: This is not the work of the Lord, for his promises are not fulfilled. But wo unto such, for their reward lurketh beneath, and not from above” (D&C 58:31–33). (End quote)

Our reward can come "from above!" Obedience is not impossible! We can pray for help, and through the atonement we can improve daily to where, like Christ, we can eventually be perfectly obedient. Nephi knew and testified that "the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7)

This month, I invite you to pray earnestly to be aided in your quest to be more obedient. I encourage you to surround yourself with those things that provide the miraculous strength to be so: the scriptures, uplifting music, good friends, prayer, and temple worship.

As you do that this month and for the rest of your life, I promise you that you will improve and receive the exceedingly great and precious promises extended to the obedient. For "how long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge (and all other heavenly blessings) from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints." (D&C 121:33)

By our works we remain in that purifying stream, and by the Lord's grace the waters will always and continually flow. I love our Savior, and I know that he will perfect us in this way as we seek him this month.

Focus First on Becoming

2010-02-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

With all the things that we could possibly do and pursue each day, how are we to know which is best? My simple solution to this question is the motto with which I've entitled this post: Focus First on Becoming.

Focus First on Becoming, to me, means first deciding the answer to these questions: of all the ways of being that I could choose today, which one is the way that I desire? What do I want to become?

As we focus on trying to become more like Christ, the shift of attention towards those things that are within our control is immediate. Check out the following quote by Elder Holland about developing the good qualities that are within our control to develop:

"There are many qualities you will want to look for in a friend or a serious date--to say nothing of a spouse and eternal companion--but surely among the very first and most basic of those qualities will be those of care and sensitivity toward others, a minimum of self-centeredness that allows compassion and courtesy to be evident. 'That best portion of a good man's life [is] his . . . kindness,' said Mr. William Wordsworth ('Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey' [1798], lines 33–35). There are lots of limitations in all of us that we hope our sweethearts will overlook. I suppose no one is as handsome or as beautiful as he or she wishes, or as brilliant in school or as witty in speech or as wealthy as we would like, but in a world of varied talents and fortunes that we can't always command, I think that makes even more attractive the qualities we can command--such qualities as thoughtfulness, patience, a kind word, and true delight in the accomplishment of another. These cost us nothing, and they can mean everything to the one who receives them." - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, How Do I Love Thee?

If we focus first on developing those "qualities we can command," like those proposed in the 2010 ward theme, our actions, desires, thoughts and habits fall in line. The act of focusing first on becoming solves the louder and more demanding question of day-to-day life - what should I do? We must first answer the golden question - what do I want?

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

January 17, 2010 Bishopric Letter to the Ward

2010-01-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Provo Peak 3rd Ward,

This past week, on January 12, 2010, we held an expanded ward council meeting wherein we decided upon an exciting way of advancing the 2010 ward theme of Come Unto Christ. We would like to present it to you here below. The purpose of the theme is to direct our efforts in becoming a Christlike, temple-going covenant people by praying for and seeking 12 Christlike attributes throughout the year.

Special attention has been given to correlate our ward efforts with those of our stake. The 2010 stake theme is The Worth of Souls is Great in the Sight of God (D&C 18:10), with monthly sub-themes as shown below. These sub-themes provide direction for personal and joint gospel study. The ward theme agreed upon this week provides monthly Christlike attributes to be prayed for and sought after while studying the monthly sub-theme.

Month - Sub-Theme - Christlike Attribute

January - Our Duty to Our Eternal Family - Love for God, Others, and Self
February - Discipleship and the Divine Law of Witnesses - Obedience
March - The Purpose of Mortality - Faith
April - Engaging in Personal Revelation - Patience
May - Gospel Scholarship - Knowledge
June - “Love One Another as I Have Loved You” - Hope
July - The Power of Priesthood Keys - Humility
August - Sanctification Through Sacred Covenants - Holiness
September - The Blessings of the Restoration - Confidence
October - The Atonement of Jesus Christ - Penitence (Alma 42:22-24)
November - The Significance of Saving Ordinances - Diligence
December - My Brother's Keeper (sharing spiritual gifts) - Virtue

We invite you to personally commit to pursuing these attributes by following this course and continual forthcoming direction from stake and ward leaders. Nothing will be more beneficial to your accomplishing the goal of developing these attributes than your own personal gospel study and prayer. The suggested resources for this study effort are:

Multiple daily prayers specifically including a plea related to the attribute being sought after
The Scriptures
General Conference talks (April and November issues of the Ensign magazine)
Direction given and inspiration received at Stake and Ward Conferences, and weekly ward Sacrament Meetings
Second and Third Sunday Priesthood and Relief Society lessons from Gospel Principles
Preach My Gospel, Chapter 6: “How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes?”

To supplement your personal study efforts, the ward council will correlate multiple other efforts and activities to support your development of the related monthly Christlike attribute, including but not limited to:

Regular ward temple nights
Encouragement and support from at least monthly home and visiting teaching messages
Monthly activities designed to encourage/develop the corresponding Christlike attribute

President Eyring taught in this past General Conference that “the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is that we can and must expect to become better as long as we live.” (Henry B. Eyring, “Our Perfect Example,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 70-73) The restored gospel includes the restored priesthood, the ordinances of which make manifest “the power of godliness.” (D&C 84:19) That is, through the Lord's restored Church men and women can become like Christ! That is the amazing miracle of all of this. We can become like Christ. This is confirmed in Preach My Gospel:

“The restored gospel enables you to become like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The Savior has shown the way. He has set the perfect example, and He commands us to become as he is (see 3 Nephi 27:27). Learn of Him and seek to incorporate His attributes into your life. Through the power of His Atonement, you can achieve this goal and lead others to achieve it also.” (emphasis added)

Preach My Gospel, Chapter 6: “How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes?”, pg. 115

As your humble leaders in the bishopric and as your fellow pursuers of this wonderful goal, we invite you to join the expanded ward council in accepting the 2010 theme of Come Unto Christ and pursuing His attributes this year. We pledge to you all of our ability and support in this effort. We are confident that the Lord will bless us with success. We know this is a development he desires for us. If we then will also desire it more than those things that would keep us from achieving it, we know we will be a more Christlike group of disciples one year from now than we are today.

Finally, we express to you our love and appreciation. We have the best ward – made up of the most wonderful people. Thank you for supporting us. We love you. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity of knowing you and serving you in this new year.

Sincerely,

Mark I. Macdonald, Bishop; Joseph B. Brockbank, First Counselor; Christopher A. Rusch, Second Counselor

The Church's Relief Effort to Haiti

2010-01-19T10:46:00.001-08:00

Hope and Confidence for a New Year

2010-01-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

This question was poised to me at work this morning:

"What if 2010 begins with you confident that this will be the most remarkable year yet in your life?"

The following questions were these:

"If you believe that, how does it affect what you'll do in the first days and weeks of the new year?"

"What would you do if you knew that a new level of success is just around the corner?"

I asked my boss if I could share this thought with our ward. I've thought about the range of expectations that we may have for the new year - ranging from poor, through benign, to great - and I've been moved by the realization that is up to us. If we want if to be "the most remarkable year yet in (our) lives" then it will be.

May we set our sites and expectations high for this new year with faith that all is possible with the Lord.

Picturing the Savior

2009-12-25T20:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! I know that the Savior is aware of our needs and that we can reach to him for help. This video - the teachings therein contained - comforts me every time I watch it.

As we approach a new year's ward goal of coming unto Christ, this video and others like it will hopefully help each of us have a clearer picture in our minds of who Christ really is and how we can become more like Him.

Wonderful Christmas Video

2009-12-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

Like me, you may have missed this video among the other MormonMessages productions. I think it has been added recently. It was created as a Christmas gift this time a year ago for those who donated funds to help in the production of the movie Emma Smith: My Story.

Elder Holland testifies of how Christmas helps us find meaning in life's difficulties.

Setting your sights and moving forward

2009-12-17T07:04:00.000-08:00

A few conferences ago President Uchtdorf related an important personal lesson he had learned from his days as an airline pilot for Lufthansa. He said that the flight crew has to make absolutely sure that they are exact when they navigate and do not deviate in the slightest from their charted course. Doing so will lead the plane off course and take them to the wrong place. My father was in situation a where this lesson came to life.

Years ago my father served in the U.S. Navy as a navigator aboard a large surface ship. Early one morning my father, along with the other junior officers, reported to the bridge to discover that during the night one of the two large compasses used to navigate the ship had failed meaning they were off course. This was back before GPS systems and computers were used to plot courses and track progress aboard naval vessels, so loosing one of your compasses was a big deal. My dad got out a sextant and used it to find their position based on the stars still shining in the early morning sky to determine which compass had malfunctioned and where the ship was heading.

Sure enough the ship had gotten off course and instead sailing towards Hawaii the ship was headed for South America. Fortunately they had not gone too far off course and quickly put the ship back on course. The compass was fixed and they made it to their final destination with little delay.

This story has meant a lot to me over the years. It is a reminder that slight deviations from our charted course left uncorrected can hinder us and possibly prevent us from altogether reaching our desired final destination. It is necessary that when we set sail in any endeavor, we make absolutely sure we have the proper coordinates, chart a direct course, and then stay on that course for the duration. The question is, how to set properly find out position and our course? I believe that the scriptures answer this question.

2nd Nephi 26:30 reads:

But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.

Zion, the place where god dwells among his people and there are no poor among them, is the goal. If when we sit down to set our goals, looking to building up Zion, I believe we will find greater peace and fulfillment as opposed to simply setting goals to increase our income or take on a program of personal improvement simply for the sake of personal improvement.

Even before we attempt to labor Zion, we should look to our Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus said:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls (Matthew 11:29).

Looking to the Savior and laboring for his work and glory will bring not only yield satisfaction but will bring peace to our hearts and to our relationships with others.

Before we undertake the process of setting goals we would all do well to remember from the Lord's prayer,"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven", and the famous phrase,"not my will but Thine be done."

I know that as we keep the Savior central and labor in the cause of bringing forth Zion, we will find what our souls need and will find a peace that we otherwise we would not find.

Which Goal is Most Important

2009-12-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

As we prepare for upcoming New Year's Resolutions, consider this quote from Brigham Young:

I will tell you what to do in order to gain your exaltation, which you cannot obtain except you take this course. If your affections are placed upon anything so as to hinder you in the least from dedicating them to the Lord, make a dedication of that thing in the first place, that the dedication of the whole may be complete (DNW, 5 Jan. 1854, 2).

What hinders this people from being as holy as the church of Enoch? I can tell you the reason in a few words. It is because you will not cultivate the disposition to be so: this comprehends the whole. If my heart is not fully given up to this work, I will give my time, my talents, my hands, and my possessions, until my heart consents to be subject; I will make my hands labour in the cause of God, until my heart bows in submission to it (DNW, 5 Jan. 1854, 2).

I have now told you what course to pursue to obtain an exaltation. The Lord must be first and foremost in our affections; the building up of his cause and kingdom demands our first consideration (DNW, 5 Jan. 1854, 2).

Start first on that which distances you from being fully devoted to the Lord. Leave weight loss and other less imperative goals to take care of themselves as we first focus on the crucial.

Why is Christmas so important?

2009-12-15T08:45:00.001-08:00

Why is Christmas such an important holiday for millions of people around the world? In the two two thousand year history of Christianity, our understand and celebration of Christmas is a rather recent innovation. In fact some historians believe that Christmas was invented to replace pre-Christian festivals and traditions which were so important to early converts to the faith.

The winter solstice marked an important turning point for almost everyone living in northern Europe. It meant that the bitter cold and short days were coming to an end and there was hope of a coming spring when the world would literally come back to life, or wake up, from the cold dark months of winter.

As time passed, Christmas slowly evolved into the grand holiday it is now and, other than the commercialism that accompanies the holiday in North America, I like Christmas. But again, why is it so important?

We celebrate the birth of Christ (an English transliteration of the Greek word christos meaning annointed). His birth has become significant to us because of what he would do thirty or so years from that night in Bethlehem.

Christmas is and can be important only because Jesus would overthrow the twin tyrants of sin and death and through his victory would give us a preview of what the final victory would be like. Christmas is important because it commemorates when the world's best and only hope condescended from his place with the Father redeem all of the good creation and save and exalt all the children that bear God's image.

With all of this in mind, let us not merely celebrate the babe in Bethlehem, but also rejoice in the God who himself came into the world to make all of creation at one with its' creator and allow the children of the great Heavenly King to take their place with him as joint-heirs in a new world to come.

Merry Christmas

Share Your Tradition

2009-12-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

Would you like to share some Christmas spirit? Share how you bring Christ into your Christmas season.

This is a simple thing, but doing it will bring the spirit to your day and perhaps even touch someone else somewhere in the world in need of any sense of optimism and of a happy world, different from their present world of sadness. That's a gift worth giving.

Compassion, Kindness and Christmas

2009-12-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

In light of our fifth Sunday conversation concerning the Church's resources to help with some of mortality's more oppressive challenges, I thought this quote from Elder Maxwell was both fitting and insightful:

"There are clearly special cases of individuals in mortality who have special limitations in life, which conditions we mortals cannot now fully fathom. For all we now know, the seeming limitations may have been an agreed-upon spur to achievement--a "thorn in the flesh." Like him who was blind from birth, some come to bring glory to God (John 9:1–3). We must be exceedingly careful about imputing either wrong causes or wrong rewards to all in such circumstances. They are in the Lord's hands, and he loves them perfectly. Indeed, some of those who have required much waiting upon in this life may be waited upon again by the rest of us in the next world--but for the highest of reasons."
http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6197&x=117&y=4

I hope we all can become a little more compassionate and less judgmental towards those with needs and challenges are different from our own, not only during this Christmas season but also throughout the upcoming new year. Myself included.

May we pray to be filled with love. (Moro. 7:48)

One little practical tip to help us in this regard: When we encounter someone towards whom we are having a hard time feeling or conveying love, we can ask ourselves mentally, "How does my Heavenly Father feel about this person? How do this person's deceased relatives feel for this person as they look down on them and yearn for their well-being?"

Merry Christmas,
-
Bishop Macdonald

My Hope for Our Ward

2009-11-26T11:21:00.000-08:00

Of all things to be grateful for today, I'm most grateful for the Savior and for his gospel plan. My overarching hope for our ward is that we will all become increasingly grateful for him, and that the ensuing gratitude will lead us to worship him and the Father more devoutly. Elder Holland conveyed a similar desire in a talk here at BYU about 12 years ago:

"My desire for you tonight is to have more straightforward experience with the Savior's life and teachings. Perhaps sometimes we come to Christ too obliquely, focusing on structure or methods or elements of Church administration. Those are important and, like the tithes of mint and anise and cummin Christ spoke of, should be observed--but not without attention to the weightier matters of the kingdom, first and foremost of which is a personal spiritual relationship with deity, including the Savior, whose kingdom this is."

Come Unto Me, Holland, Jeffrey R., March 2, 1997

In this talk Elder Holland gives practical advice on how to accomplish what is described above. Will you please consider finding the time to read or listen to the talk in its entirety? We will all be a better for it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bishop Macdonald

"I Have Obtained a Land of Promise"

2009-11-23T06:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, at the end of our ward's primary program, I was asked to give some closing remarks. I did, and I shared what I felt most impressed about: the topic of eternal families applies to all members of the Church, both those who have begun to enjoy healthy family relationships now and those who do not currently enjoy that association. The following are some of those "ah, I should have said this too" sort of things.

1) No one fully enjoys the blessings of eternal family relationships yet. The Prophet Joseph Smith revealed that:

1 When the Savior shall ^aappear we shall see him as he is. We shall see that he is a ^bman like ourselves.

2 And that same ^asociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with ^beternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy. (D&C 130:1-2)

The full blessings of eternal families, coupled with eternal glory, are not currently enjoyed by any in this telestial world. Those are blessings for us to look forward to receiving in a celestial world, and for which we qualify ourselves now by desiring them, praying for them, and working for them.

2) However, although they are blessings of the future, we can begin to enjoy them now through faith. We should remember that for our kind Heavenly Father all things past, present and future are all a beautiful, present reality:

for God and his angels reside "on a globe ^clike a ^dsea of glass and ^efire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord.

8 The place where God resides is a great ^aUrim and Thummim. (D&C130:7-8)

When Lehi and his family suddenly found themselves hanging out in the desert, and when by mortal perception everything appeared to have fallen apart in their family, Lehi had this farsighted faith which included the promised future as a present reality. In 1 Nephi chapter 5 we read how Sariah began to (quite naturally) fret over the potential loss of their sons who had returned to Jerusalem to get the brass plates. She was focused on the mortal moment. She was only considering that which she could see. If only temporarily, she had forgotten the promised future. Lehi consoled her and revealed how his faith in a promised future was already bringing him current happiness, even when all seemed to be lost:

I know that I am a ^avisionary man; for if I had not seen the things of God in a ^bvision I should not have known the goodness of God, but had tarried at Jerusalem, and had perished with my brethren.

5 But behold, I have ^aobtained a ^bland of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I ^cknow that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness.

Note Lehi's use of present tense. For him, the Lord's promised future blessings were not potentialities, but wonderful present realities. Of course, they were still contingent upon his diligence - the promised land wasn't going to fall into his lap - he still had eight more years of wilderness hiking to go - but he knew that his worthiness was in his control. The only blessing that was going to be denied him now was the blessing he denied himself by losing faith and throwing in the towel. No. Lehi wasn't giving in to the apparent circumstances of the mortal moment. He saw beyond it, and rejoiced as though the future had already happened.

We can be like Lehi, when the mortal moment presents apparent shortcomings from the ideal in our life. We can say, "I have obtained an eternal family" because the Lord has promised it.

3) Lastly, I thought it's worth noting that this great blessing of eternal family relationships is a fruit of the Atonement of Christ. Every blessing we receive is a fruit of the Atonement, but for me I most especially appreciate those related to eternal life and exaltation. No one could have a happy family if it were not for the Atonement of Christ, neither here on earth nor in eternity.

We qualify for this blessing the same way we qualify for the miracle of forgiveness, peace, or any other celestial blessing: by hungering and thirsting after it, pleading for it, offering a broken and teachable heart to the Lord, and living for it the best we can, trying earnestly to follow every commandment we can get a hold of.

And, like forgiveness, peace, and all other blessings that are the Lord's to bestow, the blessings come in his own due time. This life is divinely created "in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things" and organized intentionally to encourage spiritual growth. Exerting faith by earnestly yearning for blessings and having hope that if the Lord has promised them then they can already be considered "obtained" is how we grow. It's all part of the plan.

Bishop's Billboard

Feasting upon the Words of Christ, Together

Ask

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

Constancy: President Monson on Washington Post

Humility

Filled, Built, and Sanctified

9 Things Parents Must Teach

Forgiveness

Addiction Recovery

Missionary Minute: Literally

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

Invitation to Index

Extra Oil

Pondering Questions

Religious Freedom

Admonition, Basking, and Pondering

How To Get Your Own Plan of Salvation

Priesthood: Elder Perry's Perspective

Do You Love Me?

You Get What You Want

Diligence

Doubt Not

Gathering: Securing Your Testimony

Family Rules

Recommended Reading: "Our Relationship with the Lord"

Scripture Study Tool

Same-Gender Attraction

Inclinations, Feelings, and Behaviors

Willingness to Receive Gifts

Formula for Success

June's Christlike Attribute: Hope

The Eyes of Our Understandings ... Were Opened

Strengthening Marriage

Great Talks About Women

Reverence, Revelation, Righteousness, Power

Praying for Knowledge

180 Years

General Conference

Safety For the Soul

"All things work together for good to them that love God." Romans 8: 28

Four Blessings of Temple Attendance

Classic Talk on Success and Sacrifice

Aging Well

Elder Scott Teaches About Faith and Prayer

Repentance Builds Faith

How Do I Build My Faith?

Entering March!

Advice from Elder Busche

Obedience

Focus First on Becoming

January 17, 2010 Bishopric Letter to the Ward

The Church's Relief Effort to Haiti

Hope and Confidence for a New Year

Picturing the Savior

Wonderful Christmas Video

Setting your sights and moving forward

Which Goal is Most Important

Why is Christmas so important?

Share Your Tradition

Compassion, Kindness and Christmas

My Hope for Our Ward

"I Have Obtained a Land of Promise"