Strengthening Marriage

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

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

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."

Praying for Knowledge

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

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:

General Conference

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

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

Four Blessings of Temple Attendance

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

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!