Elder Holland's talk

03/24/2013

Learner Readiness
Objective: To help the listeners arrive on their own regarding message for them.

SAY: The First Great Commandment, By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
"We have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love to the Lord."

Q: What is the first great commandment of the Lord?

READ Matthew 22:36-37

A - Mathew 22:36-38

 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

Q: How do you demonstrate your love for the Lord?

SAY:  To start his talk, EH talks of the early dsiciples that walked with the Savior on the earth.  At first reading one might not see some of the reasons why Elder Holland tells the story he tells.

- He talks of their inexperience walking with Lord for only three years being totally dependent upon the Lord.
- Not wanting to believe that the Savior would die and they would be left on their own.
- And then the unthinkable happened, the unbelievable was true, their Lord and Master was crucified.
- Witnessing Him in his resurrected state only added to their bewilderment.
- So, Peter and at least six of the remaining ten apostles go fishing.  Back to the same thing the Lord called them from three years earlier.

READ B

B - But, alas, the fishing wasn’t very good. Their first night back on the lake, they caught nothing—not a single fish. With the first rays of dawn, they disappointedly turned toward the shore, where they saw in the distance a figure who called out to them, “Children, have you caught anything?” Glumly these Apostles-turned-again-fishermen gave the answer no fisherman wants to give. “We have caught nothing,” they muttered, and to add insult to injury, they were being called “children."

Q:  Is the fishing good at those times in our lives when we have stopped doing God's work?

READ C

C - “Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find,”the stranger calls out—and with those simple words, recognition begins to flood over them. Just three years earlier these very men had been fishing on this very sea. On that occasion too they had “toiled all the night, and [had] taken nothing, the scripture says. But a fellow Galilean on the shore had called out to them to let down their nets, and they drew “a great multitude of fishes,” enough that their nets broke, the catch filling two boats so heavily they had begun to sink.

Q: What is the message here?
Q:  Why is it human nature to fall back into our old ways?

    Q: What can we learn about doing our own will verses doing God's will?

         [Read about being connected to the true fine and how it bears fruit.]

SHOW HOLLAND 6:56 - 10:19 (3 min 24 sec)

After a joyful reunion with the resurrected Jesus, Peter had an exchange with the Savior that I consider the crucial turning point of the apostolic ministry generally and certainly for Peter personally, moving this great rock of a man to a majestic life of devoted service and leadership. Looking at their battered little boats, their frayed nets, and a stunning pile of 153 fish, Jesus said to His senior Apostle, “Peter, do you love me more than you love all this?” Peter said, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.”10

The Savior responds to that reply but continues to look into the eyes of His disciple and says again, “Peter, do you love me?” Undoubtedly confused a bit by the repetition of the question, the great fisherman answers a second time, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.”11

The Savior again gives a brief response, but with relentless scrutiny He asks for the third time, “Peter, do you love me?” By now surely Peter is feeling truly uncomfortable. Perhaps there is in his heart the memory of only a few days earlier when he had been asked another question three times and he had answered equally emphatically—but in the negative. Or perhaps he began to wonder if he misunderstood the Master Teacher’s question. Or perhaps he was searching his heart, seeking honest confirmation of the answer he had given so readily, almost automatically. Whatever his feelings, Peter said for the third time, “Lord, … thou knowest that I love thee.”12

STOP, ask questions
Q: How does listening to this make you feel?
Q: What might be the message of this non-scriptural elaboration to us?

SHOW HOLLAND 10:20 - 12:31 (1:41 sec)

To which Jesus responded (and here again I acknowledge my nonscriptural elaboration), perhaps saying something like: “Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish? What I need, Peter, are disciples—and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Peter, for the second and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally until the day in which they will do to you exactly what they did to me.”

Q: What are your feeling when you listened to this
Q: What is EH's trying to tell us with his metaphore, our message not to be consigned to the ash heap of history?

Q: What is our message?  [a new life in Christ]

SHOW HOLLAND 13:19 - 15:00 (1:41 seconds)

My beloved brothers and sisters, I am not certain just what our experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if at some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked Peter: “Did you love me?” I think He will want to know if in our very mortal, very inadequate, and sometimes childish grasp of things, did we at least understand one commandment, the first and greatest commandment of them all—“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.”13 And if at such a moment we can stammer out, “Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,” then He may remind us that the crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty.

Q: How are loyalty and love connected?

Q: What does it mean to be loyal to Christ?

Q:  If we love the Lord why don't we stay steady, connected, as constantly progressing upward?

READ D:

D - “If ye love me, keep my commandments,” Jesus said. So we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right, truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before. The Crucifixion, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ mark the beginning of a Christian life, not the end of it. It was this truth, this reality, that allowed a handful of Galilean fishermen-turned-again-Apostles without “a single synagogue or sword” to leave those nets a second time and go on to shape the history of the world in which we now live.

Q: Have we all have encounters with the living Son of the living God?

Q: Are there rewards in this life for devoted discipleship?

CONCLUSION

SHOW HOLLAND 18:30 - 20:00 (1.5 minutes)

To all within the sound of my voice, the voice of Christ comes ringing down through the halls of time, asking each one of us while there is time, “Do you love me?” And for every one of us, I answer with my honor and my soul, “Yea, Lord, we do love thee.” And having set our “hand to the plough,”17 we will never look back until this work is finished and love of God and neighbor rules the world. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Brethren, may each of us look at our discipleship and make a personal assessment for ourselves.  Are we connected to the true vine?  Are we enjoying the companionship of the Holy Ghost?  Are we enduring to the end by keeping our hand to the plough?  We show our love for the Lord as we serve him to the end, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

January 2013 - HP Lesson

Missionary Work - Russell Nelson

Lesson Pattern


Missionary Work (R) [5 minutes]
Say: We have been taught many times about the aspects of missionary work [BOARD]
    Inspiring young and old to go on missions.
    Every member a missionary
   Actually going on a mission yourselves
I want to go a different direction in this lesson. But, before let's review what Elder Russell Nelson and President Monson has to say.

Do the review
Read [Elder Nelson]

A - The decision to serve a mission will shape the spiritual destiny of the missionary, his or her spouse, and their posterity for generations to come. A desire to serve is a natural outcome of one’s conversion, worthiness, and preparation.

President Monson:


B - We affirm that missionary work is a priesthood duty—and we encourage all young men who are worthy and who are physically able and mentally capable to respond to the call to serve. Many young women also serve, but they are not under the same mandate to serve as are the young men. We assure the young sisters of the Church, however, that they make a valuable contribution as missionaries, and we welcome their service.

President Monson:


C - We continue to need many more senior couples. As your circumstances allow, as you are eligible for retirement, and as your health permits, I encourage you to make yourselves available for full-time missionary service. Both husband and wife will have a greater joy as they together serve our Father’s children.


Elder Nelson's lesson was geared toward non-members listening to general conference. He exhorts non members to listen to the missionaries. He gives a few stories about how God directed people to the missionaries. Elder Nelson than suggests that missionaries can help in many different areas of their lives and that they should ASK THE MISSIONARIES.

1. If you want to know more about your ancestors, ask the missionaries
2. If you want to return to the fold, ask the missionaries
3. If you want to know how conquer an addiction, ask the missionaries.
4. If you feel life is busy and frenetic, and have gnawing emptiness, without direction or purpose, ask the missionaries.
5. If you want to strengthen your family and marriage, ask the missionaries.
6. If you want to understand the Book of Mormon better, and gain a broader comprehension of the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God, ask the missionaries, they can help you.
7. If you want to participate in helping the needy and providing relief to victims on disaster any where in the world, ask the missionaries.  They can help you.
8. If you want to more about life after death, about heaven, God's plan for you, the Lord, Jesus Christ, His Atonement and the Restoration of His church, ask the missionaries.  They can help you.

Say: What I noticed in listening and watching E. Nelson, is his enthusiasm for the work.  He is genuinely excited about church and the gospel.  I want to discuss what makes a member enthusiastic or excited about missionary work.  Or, better stated, what make some of us vibrant and excited about our lives in the gospel.  

Say :Although there are probably multiple answers to this question, I want focus particularly today on this enthusiasm and see where it leads us. [BOARD] [if E. does work for you, substitute a good, positive word that works for you]

Enthusiasm (R and I) [5 minutes]
Define E.  enthuziazm. [Gr. to infuse a divine spirit, inspired, divine; God.]
1. A belief of private revelation; the confidence or opinion of a person, that he has special divine communications from the Supreme Being, or familiar intercourse with him.

Say: As we read the following verses of scripture, be thinking about what they all might have in common.

Learner Readiness: Read:

2 Nephi 4:20 - 24

D - My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.  He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.  Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time.  And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me.

Alma 24:14 

E - And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations.

Benjamin People Mosiah 5:2 

F - And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.


Romans 1:16 

G - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

1 John 4:17 -18

H - Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Alma 27:27 

I - And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end. 

Knowing (I) [5 minutes]

Q: What are the common elements the verses we just read? [BOARD]

    [gratitude, testimony, conversion, personally knowing the gospel has changed your life]

Q: Why are they all bearing fervent testimony?  [Q: What do they know?]

         Knowing that it has worked for you. 

Q: What is this knowing called?
Testimony
Peace and rest, a change of heart, rebirth
A change occurred with in us that makes us happy

Letting Go - Grace (R+I+A) [10 minutes]

Q: If we have lost our excitement for the gospel, how does one regain it?
   [Stop sinning, repenting, be more believing]

Read Moroni 10: 32

J - Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

Q: Why do we need God's grace in our lives?

Say: I propose that there are inward and outward commandments that we live as disciples of Christ.

Q: Give me a few outward commandments.

Q: What are the inward commandments that we sometimes disobey?
Using force (verbal or physical)
Being judgmental of others or ourselves
Reviling back (taking offence, getting defensive)
Being puffed up
Not easily entreated
Impatient
Intolerant
Selfishness (seeking not your own)


Say: At our age we will need the grace of God to keep any of the commandments that we aren't currently living.

Say: I submit to you that this is where my internal peace comes.

Hymn


Read Hymn, Lean on my Ample Arm.

1. Lean on my ample arm,
O thou depressed!
And I will bid the storm
Cease in thy breast.
Whate'er thy lot may be
On life's complaining sea,
If thou wilt come to me,
Thou shalt have rest.
If thou wilt come to me,
Thou shalt have rest.

2. Lift up thy tearful eyes,
Sad heart, to me;
I am the sacrifice
Offered for thee.
In me thy pain shall cease,
In me is thy release,
In me thou shalt have peace
Eternally.
In me thou shalt have peace
Eternally.

Letting go scripture

3- Knowing God is With You - Connectedness (A)
Say, I submit to you that being more connected to God brings a witness to your soul that the atonement is real.  You feel joy and are happy.  Worries and fears disappear.
2- Enthusiasm - We get it.  We want to to be part (A)
Read Alma 32:?
Q: When this feeling is part of you, will we not feel more enthusiastic about the gospel and the church?  Of course we will.
1- Missionary Work (A)
Say:  I submit to you that when we feel the happiness, the good news brings, and it becomes part of us through obedience to the inward as well as the outward commandments, that we want to do missionary work (as well as the other missions of church).
We want to inspire and have to ability to inspire our youth to go on missions
We will want to share the gospel with others.
We will want to serve mission ourselves
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

What is the underlying reason why some people are excited and E. about life, the gospel and the church?
Q: What makes one person E. and another not?
Q: How does E. relate to testimony?
Q: How does E. relate to faith, happiness and rest to our souls?
When we are E. everything in our life works out better.

Preparation for a mission is important. A mission is a voluntary act of service to God and humankind. Missionaries support that privilege with their personal savings. Parents, families, friends, and donors to the General Missionary Fund may also assist. All missionaries, younger and older, serve with the sole hope of making life better for other people.



So where do I go from here?

December 2013 Teaching for Our Times

Having the Vision To Do, From April General Conference

BY ELDER O. VINCENT HALECK

Of the Seventy

---

If we are to prosper rather than perish, we must gain a vision of ourselves as the Savior sees us.

Introduction

I had an experience earlier this month that I found interesting.  I woke up in the morning and planned my day.  Within an hour ideas and thoughts came to my my mind modifying my plans. It started with my wife asking me if I wanted to go to lunch.   I changed my lunch plans confirming that my wife would be available.  I felt prompted to text my son asking him how he was doing.  He immediately calls me with news that his mother-in-law wasn't doing well in the hospital.  Karen and I visited this very sick woman in the hospital at lunch.

Tell story about thoughts and impressions regarding Thursday, December 6.
1. Wife asked if i wanted to go to lunch
2. I thought, I would cancel my appt at lunch and go with her
3. I then had a thought come to me to text my son to see how he's doing
4. He calls me and says that his mother in law is not doing well
5. I contact Karen and we visit her at the hospital at lunch

I believe that I received quiet promptings that morning to shape events the rest of the day.  These small events help me with my faith, my assurance that God cares about me.  This increases my vision of gospel.  The lesson today is about gaining our own vision of ourselves as the the Lord see us.

Say: Be thinking about the promptings you have received lately (in the past week or month) that you acted on.  Think about how these promptings from the Holy Ghost increases your vision and testimony

Elder O. Vincent Haleck's talk in the April General Conference, is entitled, "Having the Vision To Do"

Write 'Vision'

What does vision mean? (an inspired ideal that motivates us be better)

Read A

A - How do we, amidst the challenges of our lives, gain the vision necessary to do those things that will bring us closer to the Savior? Speaking of vision, the book of Proverbs teaches this truth: “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). If we are to prosper rather than perish, we must gain a vision of ourselves as the Savior sees us.

Say: Elder Haleck suggests some things we can do gain a vision. Without reading what he has to say, what are things we can do gain a vision of gospel and the Latter-day work?

1. Listen to/ read what modern day apostles say and apply their teachings

2. Read the scriptures

3. Fast and Pray

4. Go on missions

Read B


B - We experience hard things in our lives that can sometimes diminish our vision and faith to do the things we should. We become so busy that we often feel overwhelmed and unable to do any more.

Say: We all have times when our vision, our enthusiasm, our excitement diminishes.
Q: What do we do when this occurs? (renew our commitment, supplicate for the Spirit, take more time pondering and being still, give service)

READ C

C - When we study the life of our Savior and His teachings, we see Him amongst the people teaching, praying, lifting, and healing. When we emulate Him and do the things we see Him do, we begin to see a vision of who we can become. You will be blessed with insight through the help of the Holy Ghost to do more good. Changes will begin to come, and you will bring a different order to your life that will bless you and your family. During His ministry among the Nephites, the Savior asked, “What manner of men ought ye to be?” He replied, “Even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27). We need His help to become like Him, and He has shown us the way: “Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened” (3 Nephi 27:29).

'we see Him amongst the people'
Q: What do we do to emulate the Savior?



Q: "When we emulate Him and do the things we see Him do, we begin see a vision of who we can become", What does that mean? Q: What is the key ingredient

Q: Elder Haleck said, 'You will be blessed with insight through the help of the Holy Ghost to more good'
Q: How do we get insight on what we should be doing? (each of us have specific gifts and talents. the Holy Ghost will help us do more good).

SAY; This is in contrast to what the vast majority of the world does day in and day out.

Say,  I would like to quote Joseph Smith, in the King Follett Discourse, regarding what makes us more than just beasts.  I sometimes get into a rut, eating, drinking a sleeping.  I think it helps us understand the vision we need to have about our life on this earth.

READ D


D - There are but a very few beings in the world who understand rightly the character of God.
The great majority of mankind do not comprehend anything, either that which is past, or
that which is to come, as it respects their relationship to God. They do not know, neither
do they understand the nature of that relationship; and consequently they know but little
above the brute beast, or more than to eat, drink and sleep. This is all man knows about
God or his existence, unless it is given by the inspiration of the Almighty.
If a man learns nothing more than to eat, drink and sleep, and does not comprehend any
of the designs of God, the beast comprehends the same things. It eats, drinks, sleeps, and
knows nothing more about God; yet it knows as much as we, unless we are able to
comprehend by the inspiration of Almighty God. If men do not comprehend the character
of God, they do not comprehend themselves. I want to go back to the beginning, and so
lift you minds into a more lofty sphere and a more exalted understanding than what the
human mind generally aspires to.

SAY;  We need to lift our minds and actions above our natural tendencies.



Q: Going back to the previous quote, Elder Haleck states that, 'Changes will begin to come, and you will bring a different order to your life that will bless you and your family.' [REPEAT THIS]
Q: "changes will begin to come", what brought the change when it comes?
Q: "you will bring a different order to your life that will bless you and your familiy,: can any of you describe this different order for the rest of us?


Q:  Elder states, ' WE need His help to become like Him', why do we need His help?, What is the help that he gives?

Elder David A Bednar in this year's April Ensign, a article entitled, The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality said the following:

READ E


E - Most of us know that when we do wrong things, we need help to overcome the effects of sin in our lives. The Savior has paid the price and made it possible for us to become clean through His redeeming power. Most of us clearly understand that the Atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the Atonement is also for saints—for good men and women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully. We may mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves, through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities....

Q:  What is it a mistake to believe that we can become a saint all by ourselves?  (it can't be done)

READ F

F - I am not suggesting that the redeeming and enabling powers of the Atonement are separate and discrete. Rather, these two dimensions of the Atonement are connected and complementary; they both need to be operational during all phases of the journey of life. And it is eternally important for all of us to recognize that both of these essential elements of the journey of mortality—both putting off the natural man and becoming a saint, both overcoming bad and becoming good—are accomplished through the power of the Atonement. Individual willpower, personal determination and motivation, effective planning and goal setting are necessary but ultimately insufficient for us to triumphantly complete this mortal journey. Truly, we must come to rely upon “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8).


Application:

SAY:  As I read these gospel concepts, I have to ask myself, how do obtain the grace of the Holy Messiah.  Brother Haleck suggests a first step:

Read G


G - I bear you my witness of the Savior and His desire for us to return to Him. To do that, we must have the faith to do—to follow Him and become like Him. Throughout various times of our lives, He holds out His hand and invites us:

“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.

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29–30).

Elder Ballard said the following in the October General Conference in his talk entitled, "Be Anxiously Engaged"
READ H


H - Now, brothers and sisters, I’m not encouraging religious zealotry or fanaticism. Quite the contrary! I’m simply suggesting that we take the next logical step in our complete conversion to the gospel of Christ by assimilating its doctrines deep within our hearts and our souls so we will act and live consistently—and with integrity—what we profess to believe.

This integrity simplifies our lives and amplifies our sensitivities to the Spirit and to the needs of others. It brings joy into our lives and peace to our souls—the kind of joy and peace that comes to us as we repent of our sins and follow the Savior by keeping His commandments.

How do we make this change? How do we ingrain this love of Christ into our hearts? There is one simple daily practice that can make a difference for every member of the Church...

That simple practice is: In your morning prayer each new day, ask Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize an opportunity to serve one of His precious children. Then go throughout the day with your heart full of faith and love, looking for someone to help. Stay focused, just like the honeybees focus on the flowers from which to gather nectar and pollen. If you do this, your spiritual sensitivities will be enlarged and you will discover opportunities to serve that you never before realized were possible.

Q: Why would is it important to have our spiritual sensitivities enlarged?
Q: Doing this daily practice, will bring about what in our lives?

SAY : I would like to hear from you.  What experiences have you had with the Holy Ghost is the last week or month?   I would like a few of you to share.

Conclusion:

There is a change that occurs within us and we progress through the process of being sanctified.  This change finally results in rending the veil of unbelief.  We know we are connected to the true Vine.  We no longer fear the vicissitudes of life.  We know that God is watching over us.  We are partaking of the Heavenly Gift.  We understand from our own experience the scriptures regarding blessings flowing to us our true.  Alma 7, Mosiah 2, Mormon 9 

Converted to to His Gospel through His Church

Converted to His Gospel through His Church
BY ELDER DONALD L. HALLSTROM, Of the Presidency of the Seventy

Goal - end 5 minutes early


Introduction  - Learner Readiness - The purpose of the Church is to help us live the gospel.

Read quote from Karen's Positive Psychology Class

Read A

A I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sometimes we use the terms gospel and Churchinterchangeably, but they are not the same. They are, however, exquisitely interconnected, and we need both.

Say:  I believe most of us have studied the gospel for many years of our lives.

Read B

B  The gospel is the glorious plan of God in which we, as His children, are given the opportunity to receive all that the Father has (see D&C 84:38). This is called eternal life and is described as “the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7). A vital part of the plan is our earthly experience—a time to develop faith (see Moroni 7:26), to repent (see Mosiah 3:12), and to reconcile ourselves with God (see Jacob 4:11).

Read C

C Because our mortal frailties and “opposition in all things” (2 Nephi 2:11) would make this life profoundly difficult and because we could not cleanse our own sins, a Savior was needed. When Elohim, the Eternal God and Father of all our spirits, presented His plan of salvation, there was one among us who said, “Here am I, send me” (Abraham 3:27). His name was Jehovah.

Q: How do we define the Church?

1. Apostles and Prophets
2. Restoration
3. Magnificent
4. Sheer goodness
5. Programs
6. Meetinghouses
7. Temples
8. Missionaries
9. Humanitarian
10. Welfare System unduplicated anywhere
11. Lay leaders
12. Community of Saints

There is nothing like the Church in all the world.

Learner Involvement

Say: Now that we have established the difference between the church and the gospel, Elder Hallstrom  discusses dangers and goals.
Read C


C - Some have come to think of activity in the Church as the ultimate goal. Therein lies a danger. It is possible to be active in the Church and less active in the gospel. Let me stress: activity in the Church is a highly desirable goal; however, it is insufficient. Activity in the Church is an outward indication of our spiritual desire. If we attend our meetings, hold and fulfill Church responsibilities, and serve others, it is publicly observed.

Q: What is the difference between 'outward' 'public observance' and 'inward' 'private observance'?
(no answers are okay)

Read D

D - By contrast, the things of the gospel are usually less visible and more difficult to measure, but they are of greater eternal importance. For example, how much faith do we really have? How repentant are we? How meaningful are the ordinances in our lives? How focused are we on our covenants?

Q: How do you measure your faithfulness?
Q: Are there still things that need to be repented of, or, are we beyond that?

Read E

E - I repeat: we need the gospel and the Church. In fact, the purpose of the Church is to help us live the gospel. We often wonder: How can someone be fully active in the Church as a youth and then not be when they are older? How can an adult who has regularly attended and served stop coming? How can a person who was disappointed by a leader or another member allow that to end their Church participation? Perhaps the reason is they were not sufficiently converted to the gospel—the things of eternity.

Q: What are some essential differences between being converted to gospel and only converted to the Church?  What do you see in your lives that has changed?

Read Alma 5 (changed countenance)
Read Ether 4 (veil of unbelief)

Learner Application

Say: Now let's talk about how to make the transition to deeper conversion.  Elder Hallstrom suggest three fundamental ways to have the gospel as our foundation:

Say: Before we look at what Elder Hallstrom suggests what would you suggest to the rest of us?

1.  Read F

F - Deepen our understanding of Deity. A sustained knowledge of and love for the three members of the Godhead are indispensable. Mindfully pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, and seek direction from the Holy Ghost. Couple prayer with constant study and humble pondering to continually build unshakable faith in Jesus Christ. “For how knoweth a man the master … who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5:13).

Q:  What are the suggestions to build unshakable faith in Jesus Christ?
1. Seek direction from the Holy Ghost
2. Constant Study and humble pondering

2. Read G

G - Focus on the ordinances and covenants. If there are any of the essential ordinances yet to be performed in your life, intently prepare to receive each of them. Then we need to establish the discipline to live faithful to our covenants, fully using the weekly gift of the sacrament. Many of us are not being regularly changed by its cleansing power because of our lack of reverence for this holy ordinance.

Q: What are some of the covenants?  Say, Since we are talking about the living the gospel, what would a covenant encompassing the gospel have in it?
Q: Why would we at our age need the cleansing power of the sacrament as we strive to keep our covenants?

Q: What might be considered our lack of reverence for the holy ordinance of the sacrament?

3.  Read H

H - Unite the gospel with the Church. As we concentrate on the gospel, the Church will become more, not less, of a blessing in our lives. As we come to each meeting prepared to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith”, the Holy Spirit will be our teacher. If we come to be entertained, we often will be disappointed. President Spencer W. Kimball was once asked, “What do you do when you find yourself in a boring sacrament meeting?” His response: “I don’t know. I’ve never been in one” (quoted by Gene R. Cook, in Gerry Avant, “Learning Gospel Is Lifetime Pursuit,” Church News, Mar. 24, 1990, 10).

Conclusion / Testimony

I know that as I grow closer to God, striving and improving, my worries and burdens seem lighter.  I am more inclined to share the gospel.  My example improves because I am happy and willing to give of myself.  Little blessings begin to occur.  I am able to endure trials with patience.  My gratitude grows.

The Lord wants the members of His Church to be fully converted to His gospel. This is the only sure way to have spiritual safety now and happiness forever. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

In Tune with the Music of Faith

BY ELDER QUENTIN L. COOK

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles


God loves all His children. He wants all of them to return to Him. He desires everyone to be in tune with the sacred music of faith.

Introduction:

Write on Board: In Tune with the Music of Faith.

When I read the scriptures or talks, I try to pick of the essence of what is being said.  I try to understand what I am reading in context of the whole gospel.  I try to picture in my minds eye what the people were really like that are being described in the scriptures I am reading. For example, Alma 1 reads:

19 But it came to pass that whosoever did not belong to the church of God began to persecute those that did belong to the church of God, and had taken upon them the name of Christ.
20 Yea, they did persecute them, and afflict them with all manner of words, and this because of their humility; because they were not proud in their own eyes, and because they did impart the word of God, one with another, without money and without price.

Say:  Here I learn the community of believers in Alma's time were persecuted with words.  But, they were humble and bouyed each other up the word of God.  Let's read some more:

21 Now there was a strict law among the people of the church, that there should not any man, belonging to the church, arise and persecute those that did not belong to the church, and that there should be no persecution among themselves.
22 Nevertheless, there were many among them who began to be proud, and began to contend warmly with their adversaries, even unto blows; yea, they would smite one
another with their fists.

Say: Here I learn that not everybody could withstand the persecution.  Some began to be proud and began to contend warmly with their adversaries even to the point of physical blows.

Let's read on:

23 Now this was in the second year of the reign of Alma, and it was a cause of much affliction to the church; yea, it was the cause of much trial with the church.
24 For the hearts of many were hardened, and their names were blotted out, that they were remembered no more among the people of God. And also many withdrew themselves from among them.
25 Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them.

Say: Many left the church because of the persecution.  Their hearts were hardened.  But, there was another group, a patient group.  Let's read about this group:

27 And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely.
28 And thus they did establish the affairs of the church; and thus they began to have continual peace again, notwithstanding all their persecutions.
29 And now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth.
30 And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need.

Say: When I read these scriptures, I ask myself, is this how I live?  Is this how we live together as a community of believers?  What do I need to do to participate more fully, walking by faith, filled with the love of God?

Say: Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles teach a fundamental requirement for the development of Christian Communities (we call them wards and stakes of Zion).

Read A

A  Finally, there are those who are in tune with the music of faith. You know who you are. You love the Lord and His gospel and continuously try to live and share His message, especially with your families. You are in harmony with the promptings of the Spirit, have awakened to the power of God’s word, have religious observance in your homes, and diligently try to live Christlike lives as His disciples.

Q:  From what was just read, what does it mean to be in tune with the music of faith? (spirit, awakening, religious observance (q:), live Christlike lives)

Say: Brethren, we just a few verses in the Book of Mormon.
Q: Why is the Book of Mormon so important to us in getting in tune?

Q: Can we be out of tune but still do religious observances?

Say: Let's now discuss what make us out of tune?

Read B

B   We also recognize that many individuals are not in tune with sacred things. Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks of England, speaking to Roman Catholic leaders last December at the Pontifical Gregorian University, noted how secular some parts of the world have become. He stated that one culprit is “an aggressive scientific atheism tone deaf to the music of faith.”

Q: Is this aggressive scientific atheism something for us to be concerned about?

Read C

C   The great introductory vision in the Book of Mormon is Lehi’s prophetic dream of the tree of life. This vision starkly describes the challenges to faith that exist in our day and the great divide between those who love, worship, and feel accountable to God and those who do not. Lehi explains some of the conduct that destroys faith. Some are proud, vain, and foolish. They are interested only in the so-called wisdom of the world. Others have some interest in God but are lost in worldly mists of darkness and sin. Some have tasted of the love of God and His word but feel ashamed because of those mocking them and fall away into “forbidden paths.”

Q: What is the essence of the great divide or gulf that separates this in tune and those that are not?

Alma 12:11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell. (they lost what they knew)

Q: Is the divide getting greater?
Q: What conduct destroys faith (write on board)

Read D

D  It needs to be taught and understood that we love and respect all of the people whom Lehi described. Remember, it is not up to us to judge. Judgment is the Lord’s. President Thomas S. Monson has specifically asked us to have the “courage to refrain from judging others.”

Q: Can we be in state of Christ-like discipleship while we are judging others

Read E

E  We acknowledge that there are members who are less interested in and less faithful to some of the Savior’s teachings. Our desire is for these members to awaken fully to faith and increase their activity and commitment. God loves all His children. He wants all of them to return to Him. He desires everyone to be in tune with the sacred music of faith. The Savior’s Atonement is a gift for everyone.

Q: Can we apply this idea of being less interested and less faithful to ourselves?
Q: What are some of the things you do stay in tune? (write on board)

Read F

F   Clearly, a dividing line between those who hear the music of faith and those who are tone-deaf or off-key is the active study of the scriptures. I was deeply touched years ago that a beloved prophet, Spencer W. Kimball, emphasized the need to continually read and study the scriptures. He said: “I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away. If I immerse myself in the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns.”

Q: How many of you have this experience?
Say:  I liked the Mark Twain story.  Let's read it:

Read G

G  The Book of Mormon is of seminal importance. There will, of course, always be those who underestimate the significance of or even disparage this sacred book. Some have used humor. Before I served a mission, a university professor quoted Mark Twain’s statement that if you took “And it came to pass” out of the Book of Mormon, it “would have been only a pamphlet.”

Read H

H  In addition, when we inculcate into our lives scriptural imperatives and live the gospel, we are blessed with the Spirit and taste of His goodness with feelings of joy, happiness, and especially peace.

Read I

I  Please understand that having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments are and always will be the defining test of mortality. Above all else, each of us must realize that when one is tone-deaf to the music of faith, he or she is out of tune with the Spirit. As the prophet Nephi taught, “Ye have heard his voice … ; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words.”

Q: As each of us grows in our Christian discipleship and becomes more and more in tune with the music of faith, what happens to the church collectively?


4 Nephi reads:

3 And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift....
15 And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.
16 And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.
17 There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.
18 And how blessed were they! For the Lord did bless them in all their doings; yea, even they were blessed and prospered until an hundred and ten years had passed away; and the first generation from Christ had passed away, and there was no contention in all the land.

Conclusion:  I believe it is possible live and work together in unity and peace and establish Zion.  But, I believe it happens on person at a time.  As we all catch the vision - in tune with music of faith - our little community become increasingly blessed by the Lord and as stated in the verses just read, "surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God."


The End.

Jaredites Destroyed FourTimes

Please indulge me on my latest research.  I always have wondered why Moroni put those chapters in Ether recounting the reign of kings and the intrigue associated with it, in the Book of Mormon.  So, here's my broad view analysis.  I learned a few things.  First, that it appears that the time period that each king reigns is longer in the first half of the Book of Ether than the second half.  Second, that the Jaredites were almost totally destroyed at least three times during the life of the kingdom.  And one last thing, the there seems to be a brief democratic rule by the people once in the history of the Jaredites.

The Jaredites arrive in the new world somewhere around 2200 B.C.  They are destroyed around 600 B.C.  So, we have about 1600 years to work with.

Ether 6/7/8

1. Orihah (righteous king, son of Jared, lived exceedingly long)
3. Kib (lived to be exceedingly old while in captivity)
4. Corihor (rebelled against father, Kib, and brought him into captivity)
5. Shule (righteous king, v.8, captivity, son of Kib, restored kingdom to Kib)
6. Noah (son of Corihor, rebelled, took kingdom)
7. Divided Kingdom (v. 20, Shule (righteous king) and Cohor, Nimrod, son of Cohor gives kingdom back to Shule, prophets rejected by people but protected by Shule, people repent)
8. Omer (righteous king)
9. Jared (Jared rebelled against his father, Omer, took kingdom, Esrom and Coriantumr (sons of Omer, return kingdom to Omer.  Jared very sad.))
10. Akish and his sons

These kings rule for a long time.  They live long lives.  Men were living well over 100 years - perhaps 200 years before they died.  I estimate that these first kings ruled about 80 years each (except for number 9, Jared).  This puts us at 640 years or 1560 B.C.

Destruction #1

The first destruction of the Jaredite civilization was after Akish became the king.  He never got to cut off Omer's head (King Omer was warned in a dream and left for a period of time), so he cut of the head of his co-conspirator, Jared and became king.

Akish starved his son to death causing the son's brother, Nimrah, to flee to Omer.  Akish begats other sons - who used a classical political move to draw away the more part of the people after them.  The people wanted gain (transfer payments in our day) and the sons of Akish wanted power (control of the kingdom).  This started a war between the sons of Akish and Akish.  It lasts for many years unto the destruction of everyone except thirty souls.  That is no small destruction.  King Omer returns and establishes a righteous kingdom once again.

Destruction #2

We go from Omer to Emer to Coriantum (who received the Second Comforter, Ether 9:22).  Corantum had no children until after he was over one hundred years old.  He begets Heth.  Heth was a bad boy and brought back the secret plans to destroy his father.  He dethrones and kills his father (v.27).  Prophets come into the land crying repentance.  Nobody believes the prophets.  They are cast out and killed according to the commandment of Heth.  A great dearth upon the land begins.  The drought and famine destroys the inhabitants exceedingly fast.  Poisonous serpents push the flocks and herds southward.  The Lord causes the serpents to create a hedge so the people can't pass to get to their flocks.  The people humble themselves sufficiently for the Lord to send rain again.  It sounds like the people were pretty much destroyed once again.  Using an average of 50 years per king, we have another 200 years since the first destruction.

1. Omer (good king)
2. Emer (good king)
3. Coriantum (very good king, sees the Son of God)
4. Heth (bad king, kills the prophets, dearth in the land)

Ether 10

Shez, a descendant of Heth, begins to build up a 'broken people'.  Shez is a righteous king.  His son, Shez dethrones him and is killed by a robber.

1. Shez (good king, builds up a broken people)
2. Shez (killed by robber)
3. Riplakish (bad, son of Shez 1, taxes and prison labor, reigned 42 years)
4. People rule (Riplakish killed, descendants driven out)
5. Morianton (Just king but bad morally, descendant of Riplakish, wars against the People and wins)
6. Brother of Morianton (rebels, puts Morianton into captivity)
7. Levi (good king, son or Morianton, 42 years in captivity, makes war and obtains kingdom)
8. Corom (son of Levi)
9. Lib (good king, destroyed poisonous serpents, very industrious, people blessed)
10. Hearthom (son of Lib, reigned 25 years, went into captivity)
11. Heth (son of Hearthom, lived in captivity)
12. Aaron (son of Heth, lived in captivity)
13. Amnigaddah (son of Aaron, dwelt in captivity)
14. Coraintom (son of Amnigaddah, dwelt in captivity)
15. Com (battled against King Amgid and won back the kingdom, fought unsuccessfully against robbers/secret combinations in the land)

Ether 11

The people reject the prophets and they flee to Com for protection.

16. Shiblom (Son of Com) and the brother of Shiblom (rebelled against Shiblom and started an exceedingly great war, caused all the prophets to be but to death; wicked combinations)

Destruction #3

During the reign of Shibom,  there are wars, contentions, famines and pestilences.  No one had ever known such great destruction.  We must remember that the last great destruction occurred over 16 kings back.  If we were to average a reign of a king at 35 years, that would be 560 years!  No wonder no one remembered the last great destruction.  During the estimated 560 years, there are five good kings interspersed. That amount of time is like us remembering the times of Columbus (1492)!  The people begin to repent.  Shiblom is slain.

17. Seth (son of Shiblon, dwelt in captivity)
18. Ahah (bad king, son of Seth, obtained kingdom, few were his days)
19. Ethem (bad king, descendant of Ahah, prophets prophecy utter destruction of the people)
20. Moron (bad king, rebellion, lost half of kingdom but gained it back, secret combinations)
21. Descendant of the Brother of Jared (apparently a bad guy, over throws Moron who dwells in captivity the rest of his days)
22. Coriantor (son of Moron, dwells in captivity all his days, prophets come again prophesying utter destruction.) Another people to possess the land, the word is rejected due to their secret society and wicked abominations.)
23. Ether (son of Coriantor, prophet of the Lord.)

Destruction #4 (the final destruction)

So, Ether would have been king if he hadn't dwelt in captivity.  From the time the people began to repent (Shiblon) to Ether, there are six kings (some rule and some live in captivity).  If we were to let each rule for 35 years, that 210 years!  To get perspective, that's like going back to the beginning of our nation!  It took that long for the Jaredites to ripen for their final destruction.

Notes:

80	8	640
50	4	200
35	16	560
35	6	210
		1610

Raise the Bar - Elder Henry B. Eyring

“Raise the Bar” Brigham Young University–Idaho DevotionalJanuary 25, 2005 Elder Henry B. Eyring

My beloved brothers and sisters, I am grateful to be with you again. I bring you the greetings of President Hinckley and the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and especially Elder Bednar. You are loved and you are known and you are trusted.Each time I come here, I am struck by what seems to be continuous change. Many new buildings now stand where once we looked across open fields. What was a fine junior college is becoming a distinguished university. Thousands of students enroll who seem to be ever brighter and more spiritual. They study in classrooms, some of which I saw today, equipped with powerful teaching aids unknown just a few years ago. New faculty are choosing to join us who have remarkable professional preparation and great faith in the restored gospel. The rate of growth in physical structures will slow down, but spiritual and academic improvement will continue and will accelerate. Change is also accelerating in the world around us. Some of that change, like that in this university, is for the better. But much of the acceleration in the world is in troubles long prophesied for the last days. Each time you watch the evening news, you see stark evidence of that. You remember this scripture: “For behold, at that day shall he [meaning Satan] rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good” (2 Nephi 28:20). The Lord told us in the time of the Prophet Joseph that war would be poured out upon all nations. We see tragic fulfillment of that prophecy, bringing with it increased suffering to the innocent. The giant earthquake, and the tsunamis it sent crashing into the coasts around the Indian Ocean, is just the beginning and a part of what is to come, terrible as it was. You remember the words from the Doctrine and Covenants which now seems so accurate: And after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people. For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people (Doctrine and Covenants 88: 88-91). Fear shall come upon all people. But you and I know that the Lord has prepared places of safety to which He is eager to guide us. I think of that often. A few days ago, I heard two accounts of God leading His children to safety on the coast of Thailand when that monstrous tsunami wave struck. One was of people who accepted His apparently routine invitation to a Church meeting on a Sunday. The meeting was called by ordinary men who hold the priesthood of God. The meeting place was on higher ground, away from the coast. The people who gathered with the Saints were spared from physical death, while the places on the coast where they would have been were destroyed. As they were spared physical death, they were being strengthened against spiritual temptation and the wave of eternal tragedy it will bring to those who are disobedient. The other account I heard was related to me by a Latter-day Saint who was led to safety by the Holy Ghost. He checked into a hotel on the ocean front in Thailand the day before the wave struck. He walked out on the beach. He felt uneasy. He went back to his hotel determined to check out. The hotel staff, I think worried that he didn’t like the hotel, pressed him for a reason. They only reluctantly agreed to his leaving. He moved to another hotel, away from the beach. It was on higher ground. Because of that, he not only survived but stayed to serve the survivors. The Lord is anxious to lead us to the safety of higher ground, away from the path of physical and spiritual danger. His upward path will require us to climb. My mother used to say to me when I complained that things were hard, “If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.” And as the world becomes darker and more dangerous, we must keep climbing. It will be our choice whether or not to move up or to stay where we are. But the Lord will invite and guide us upward by the direction of the Holy Ghost, which He sends to His leaders and to His people who will receive it. The mists of spiritual darkness will become more dense as we climb. They are described in the Book of Mormon this way: “And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost” (1 Nephi 12:17). But the word of God will guide those who develop the capacity to receive it through the ministrations of the Holy Ghost. A clear light piercing the darkness will show the way to those who have taken the Holy Ghost as a trusted and constant traveling companion. Now my purpose today is to share with you what I have learned over the years about getting and keeping the companionship of the Holy Ghost. It isn’t easy, but it is possible. The foundation is a burning desire to qualify for that gift. Most of us who are members of the restored Church have enough faith to want the Holy Ghost at times. That desire may be weak and intermittent, but it comes, usually when we are in trouble. For us to be led upward to safety in the times ahead, it must become steady and intense. The problem for most human beings is that when things go well, we feel self-sufficient. You remember the warning: “And others will he pacify, [again speaking of Satan] and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell” (2 Nephi 28:21). And later comes the warning: “Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost” (2 Nephi 28:31). If you examine your own experience carefully and honestly, you will see that you tend to seek the Holy Ghost most fervently when you are humbled by difficult circumstances or life-changing decisions. Remember the time you faced the prospect of teaching the gospel as a missionary perhaps in a new language where you couldn’t understand what people were saying and you couldn’t put a sentence together. Or, remember a time you had to make choices that might lead you toward, or away from, marrying someone. Those moments probably brought a great desire for the faith and the capacity to get the help of the Holy Ghost. But if we have to be in trouble to want the Holy Ghost as a constant companion, then to have that steady desire we will have to be in steady trouble. There has to be a better way. Happily, there is. Now you will have to find your own. I’ll tell you mine. There is one for me that works: I choose to remind myself about my experience with what prophets have said about the peace and happiness that comes with the visitation of the Holy Ghost. It has been true in my life. Wilford Woodruff described it this way: You may surround any man or woman with all the wealth and glory that the imagination of man can grasp, and are they satisfied? No. There is still an aching void. On the other hand, show me a beggar upon the streets, who has the Holy Ghost, whose mind is filled with that Spirit and power, and I will show you a person who has peace of mind, who possesses true riches, and those enjoyments that no man can obtain from any other source (Journal of Discourses, Vo. 2, p. 199, Wilford Woodruff, February 25, 1855). That has been true for me. One of the ways I know that I’m feeling the influence of the Holy Ghost is that I feel a light and I am happy. When the Holy Ghost seems far from me, I feel a darkness and I am not happy. I have felt that ebb and flow of light and happiness in my life and so have you. I like to feel of that light and I like to be happy. I don’t have to wait for troubles and tests to make me want the help of the Holy Ghost. I can choose to remember what that companionship has been like, and whenever I do, I want that blessing again with my whole heart. When we want the Holy Ghost and the peace of mind and enjoyment that comes with it, we know what to do. We plead with God for it in faith. It takes the prayer of faith to bring the companionship of the Holy Ghost. That faith has to be that God the Father, the Creator of all things, lives and wants us to have the Holy Ghost and wants to send us the Comforter. It takes faith that Jesus is the Christ and that He atoned for our sins and broke the bands of death. With that faith we approach our Father in reverence and with confidence that He will answer. With that faith we close our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ as His true disciples, confident that our deep repentance, our baptism by His servants, and our faithful service in His cause have purified us and made us clean and worthy of the blessing we seek, the companionship of the Holy Ghost. I have found myself setting a higher standard for my prayers for the Holy Ghost to guide me because of the great examples of others. A favorite for me is in 3 Nephi. Jesus had chosen disciples who would need the Holy Ghost as their companion when He was gone. Their example lifts me every time I read it and could lift you: “And they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them” (3 Nephi 19:9). It helps me to plead with more desire and faith when I read again the answer to their prayer: “The Holy Ghost did fall upon them, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire. And behold, they were encircled about as if it were by fire; and it came down from heaven, and the multitude did witness it, and did bear record” (3 Nephi 19:13-14). My prayers to receive the help of the Holy Ghost have been strengthened by pondering the record of the scriptures. And so has been my ability to recognize the message which the Holy Ghost brings. The scriptures tell us why that is so. The scripture declares: Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. 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. For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do (2 Nephi 32: 3-5). I have found that is true: the words of inspiration from the Holy Ghost are words the Savior used. When I read the words spoken by the Savior in the scriptures, I grow in my capacity to recognize inspiration from the Holy Ghost. For that reason my personal scriptures tend to wear out unevenly. I go most often to those places in the Book of Mormon, in the Doctrine and Covenants, and in the Bible where the Lord is speaking. By doing that I can better recognize the voice of the Spirit when the Savior’s words echo easily in my mind. Just as pondering the scriptures invites the companionship of the Holy Ghost, so does doing the things we have been told to do and doing them promptly. We are promised that the scriptures and the Holy Ghost will tell us all things that we should do. When we go and do what we have been told and do it the best we can, we qualify for more instructions of what to do. If we do not act, we will not receive further instructions. My hero in this is the prophet Nephi, described in the book of Helaman. He is my example for “Go and do.” And behold, now it came to pass that when the Lord had spoken these words unto Nephi, he did stop and did not go unto his own house, but did return unto the multitudes who were scattered about upon the face of the land, and began to declare unto them the word of the Lord which had been spoken unto him, concerning their destruction if they did not repent (Helaman 10:12). His immediate obedience brought him the companionship of the Holy Ghost, just as it will for you and me. Here is the account: The power of God was with him, and they could not take him to cast him into prison, for he was taken by the Spirit and conveyed away out of the midst of them. And it came to pass that thus he did go forth in the Spirit, from multitude to multitude, declaring the word of God, even until he had declared it unto them all, or sent it forth among all the people (Helaman 10:16-17). Now, there is a wonderful way in which all the things about which we have spoken work together. Desire for the Holy Ghost leads us to the prayer of faith. Pondering the words of the Savior in the scriptures increases our capacity to recognize the voice of the Spirit. The Spirit and the words of Christ tell us all things that we must do. And as we do those things, we qualify for further inspiration by the Spirit. And, in time, that companionship of the Holy Ghost changes us. We feel the effects of the Atonement. Our desire for light increases, and so we pray with greater faith that our prayers will be answered. The scriptures open up to us more clearly, our power to obey becomes greater, and we are drawn ever upward, higher and higher, toward purity and happiness and eternal safety (see 3 Nephi 27:20; Alma 19:33; 3 Nephi 9:20). Now, all this has some practical applications for each of us. One is that we can repent and be cleansed to qualify for the gift of the Holy Ghost. That makes us optimists. We can be forgiven and be worthy to receive the Holy Ghost. With that gift, things will work out. The Holy Ghost has a sanctifying influence. So, people can improve. Tomorrow will be better. We can have rising expectations. You can set the bar for yourself a little higher and then a little higher, again and again. For instance, you returned missionaries can set your goal not to maintain the spirituality you felt in the mission field, but to rise higher. That will take work and determination but you can do it. Other people did some of your work for you, which you must now do for yourself. For instance, the Church set the bar higher for the standard to become a full-time missionary. Your mission president urged and lifted you to higher standards. Now, it is your responsibility to set the bar higher for yourself, not once, but again and again. That is true for all of us, not just for those who have been missionaries. The faculty of this university face the daunting reality that here there will be perpetual education innovation. What we have gone through was not only a transition from two to four years. It was a transformation into another kind of university, where education will be constantly getting better. I’ve taught in such a place. In my ten years on the faculty at Stanford, I was blessed never to teach the same course twice. I moved from field to field and changed every course I taught, every time. I remember the nights when I was still working when the dawn came. I remember the adrenaline pumping when I stood to face students with material as new to me as it was to them. I know that I got help from the Holy Ghost. If that help came to me there, it will surely come in greater power here. So, while I appreciate the challenge the faculty and staff face in this university, I await the future with happy anticipation. As the challenges around us increase, we must commit to do more to qualify for the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Casual prayer won’t be enough. Reading a few verses of the scripture won’t be enough. Doing the minimum of what the Lord asks of us won’t be enough. Hoping that we will have the Atonement work in our lives and that we will perhaps sometimes feel the influence of the Holy Ghost won’t be enough. And one great burst of effort won’t be enough. Only a steady, ever-increasing effort will allow the Lord to take us to higher ground. I know what some of you are tempted to think: “I’ll have to be careful not to set the bar for myself too high. I wouldn’t want to fail and be disappointed.” I did a little high-jumping over a bar in high school and in college. I know what it is like to be running toward the bar and see that it is higher than when you jumped last and that you are now looking way up at the bar. Some of you have been high-jumpers so that you know that it is very different when you come toward it so that you can look over it. I know what happens when you look up at that bar. You think, “That bar is over my head. Is it physically possible to put my whole body over a bar above my head?” As I look back, remember I was a physics student, I realized that I must have decided that some law of physics limited me. Well, the laws of physics did apply, but the limits were more in my mind than in reality. When I now see junior high school students, some of them girls, jumping higher than my best, I wish that I were young again. I’d set my expectations higher. More was possible than I thought, and more is possible spiritually for you and for me. And more is necessary. Set the bar a little higher for yourself. And then set it a little higher. In spiritual things you have a heavenly power lifting you beyond where you are now. The Lord promises that unending rise in his own voice in the Doctrine and Covenants: “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (Doctrine and Covenants 50:24). You can set the bar higher for yourself to get more power of faith to pray for the gift of the Holy Ghost. You can set it higher for yourself to have the scriptures opened so that you will come to know the Savior’s voice. You can set it higher for yourself to be obedient in the things He asks of you. And you can set the bar higher in your expectation for peace in this life and your hope, even your assurance of eternal life in the world to come. You can set your expectations for yourself a little higher and then a little higher, with confidence that a loving Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son will send you the Holy Ghost and lift you higher and higher, toward Them. I testify that God the Father lives and hears our prayers. He loves us. He loves His Son, our Savior, and He loves those who love and serve His Son. The Holy Ghost is real and constant in His service. I testify that the keys which unlock the gift of the Holy Ghost were restored through the Prophet Joseph and are now exercised by President Gordon B. Hinckley. When the Lord’s authorized servants say the words, “Receive the Holy Ghost,” I know that God honors that promise, as we honor our covenants with Him. Now as I leave you I would like to tell you something personal about you. I have been away from here a long time. If you had told me that an institution and students and the faculty could rise as high as they have risen spiritually in so short a time, I would have said, “It is not possible.” Just as I used to wonder if I could possibly keep going higher and higher jumping over a striped bar in a track field. I can’t imagine where this University will be in just a little while. I pray with all my heart that you know that I gave this message to you with a feeling of optimism, not of pessimism. I did not plan to speak to you about the hard times that are ahead and they are real, and they are coming. But as I prepared to come here I was given a feeling of light and confidence about you, that somehow the people I would be speaking to today were special, brought here and chosen because of your capacity to rise higher than you yourself would think even possible spiritually. As I was preparing to come, I was awakened, I will even tell you the time of day, at 1:00 in the morning. I had slept for only two or three hours and I think the Holy Ghost did it by telling me, “You’re rested,” which didn’t seem reasonable at that hour. “It is time to go.” So, I got up. In a period of five hours, when I planned to talk about quite a different thing, I wrote what I have given you. I was surprised. I thought that this isn’t the kind of thing you talk to young people about. You should tell more stories, or tell them something amusing, or try to catch their attention. But know you are special. Heavenly Father is inviting you upward, and you can move there if you have the determination and the grit to say to yourself, “I don’t have to be forced by circumstances to seek the Holy Ghost.” There will be some private things that you need to repent of. There will be some things you need to begin to do that you haven’t been doing. The Holy Ghost will tell you what those are and tell you all things that you must do. And I have every confidence you will not be overwhelmed, that Heavenly Father and the Savior will lift you up, and the Holy Ghost will be your companion in a more constant and powerful way. There is a God. He is our Father. He really knows us. He knows the future. I don’t know how He knows it in such detail, but He knows the future. He knows every challenge ahead of you. He knows every opportunity ahead of you. He knows your power and wants to lift you to every opportunity and to be able to go through every trial that may be ahead of you, and to go through, smiling. You will hear President Hinckley say, “I’m an optimist.” That is not just in his personality, that’s a fruit of having the Holy Ghost as a companion. I testify to you that the Holy Ghost can speak to your heart and your mind. And you can train yourselves to know that voice in such a way that you might move away from the beach as that man did in Thailand, or might be impressed to go to a sacrament meeting when you are on vacation, as people did in Thailand. They could have easily said, “Well, we are on vacation.” But no, they went to where the Lord wanted them to go. You will be the ones who will be able to hear the voice of the Spirit, and it will bless you in the times ahead. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.