Categories
life

The Test and the Key

Last November I was asked to speak in Sacrament meeting on President Packer’s talk from the October conference. I have long made it a standard practice to save my written talks for reference later if I get a similar topic in the future. (It’s interesting to go back and read some of them and gain new insight into the topic.) Today Connor wrote about that same talk and I thought that considering the importance of the topic I should share what I had presented when I was asked to speak about it in case it was of any use to anyone. What follows is essentially my written talk with two caveats – first, that my spoken talks are never exactly the same as what I had written; second, that I will be editing this as seems appropriate (removing references specific to that sacrament meeting for example).

I wonder how many people there were like me who were excited to hear the words of President Packer when he stated the purpose he hoped to accomplish through his talk as he opened by saying:

“It is my purpose to show that in troubled times the Lord has always prepared a safe way ahead. We live in those ‘perilous times’ which the Apostle Paul prophesied would come in the last days. If we are to be safe individually, as families, and secure as a church, it will be through ‘obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.’”(Boyd K. Packer, “The Test,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 88 emphasis added)

I don’t think any of us are surprised to learn that we live in perilous times and thus it is comforting to have the renewed assurance by one of the Lord’s servants that we can be safe and secure individually, as families, and as a church by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.

President Packer told of the Independence Day celebration by the saints in Salt Lake City in 1849. He said that if we could understand why they would have that celebration and why they would choose patriotism as their theme after what they had endured we would have unlocked the key to what a Latter-Day Saint is. Brothers and sisters, while we are called Latter-Day Saints, that is a title not so much for who we are in most cases as it is for who we are striving to become. Unlocking that key, therefore, is very important if we are to grow to be worthy of that designation.

President Packer is kind enough to explicitly state the key which we should be seeking to unlock about saints. The key to what a latter-day saint is is they are anchored to revelation. Or I would say, they are anchored to revealed truth. President Packer noted three aspects of that 1849 celebration which he described as “both symbolic and prophetic”:

  1. that the young men carried the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence
  2. that each young woman carried the Bible and the Book of Mormon
  3. and that the Silver Greys were honored in the parade

Each of these three aspects helps us to understand the types or sources of revealed truth to which a latter-day saint will seek to anchor themselves.

Though we believe that the Constitution of our nation is an inspired document we rarely think of it as a source of truth. The awful experiences of the early saints would make it easy to forget that it is worth anchoring ourselves and our society to the truths it embodies.

The spokesman for the Silver Greys, Elder Phineas Richards, provided the necessary perspective when he declared that they had seen the United States in its glory and thus they knew by experience “that the outrageous cruelties we have suffered proceeded from a corrupted and degenerate administration, while the pure principles of our boasted Constitution remain unchanged.”

We too have lived in a day when we have seen actions from our government that didn’t live up to the “pure principles of our boasted Constitution.” That may serve as a reminder to us that we cannot let go of true principles when we see those principles implemented imperfectly.

We know that the Book of Mormon and the Bible are sources for revealed truth in our day to which we must cling. They represent the iron rod from Lehi’s dream which will lead us to the tree of life and the eternal happiness that is promised to those who press forward to reach it.

The honoring of the Silver Greys is symbolic of the value that we should place on the life experience of our elders. The Silver Greys of our day would be the senior leaders of the church – men who have likewise been “seasoned by decades of [experience].” When those leaders speak we should give special weight to their counsel in our efforts to determine the proper course of action on the issues of the day.

If we are to be saints in these latter days – anchored to revelation – we must work to build a personal foundation of knowledge of revealed truths. In Doctrine and Covenants Section 88 the Lord admonishes us to “seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118) In that section He describes the order of the School of the Prophets which was to be a place for the instruction of all the officers of the church “in all things that are expedient for them.” (D&C 88:127) Joseph Smith established that school and I find it instructive that while they primarily studied topics of a spiritual nature in that school they also studied languages and were instructed “of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms,” as they had been promised in verse 79 of section 118. (emphasis added) We too, as we increase our knowledge of revealed truth, will find ourselves learning of things which we had not previously viewed as spiritually significant.

If we are reaching to expand our understanding with the goal to be “anchored to revelation” we must learn to recognize what constitutes revelation of a sufficiently solid foundation for us to sink an anchor. Imagine a mountain climber attaching an anchor to which he will connect his rope to ensure a safe climb. He must place that anchor not in any piece of rock on the mountain, but to a part which will not come loose as he pulls at it during his climb. Alma tells us what is strong enough to support an anchor – it is those truths which are kept, or written down, and preserved so that they might “retain their brightness.” (See Alma 37:5) In other words, it is the standard works, our conference talks and documents such as Proclamation on the Family – as opposed to a quote from one of our past prophets that has been transmitted by memory and word of mouth. While those quotes may have value as a handhold, they may not hold an anchor against the pressures that we will face in our personal climbs.

Notice that the first two things that President Packer cited as symbolic and prophetic are all written down so that we may remember them clearly – the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence as one aspect and the Bible and the Book of Mormon as another. These retain their brightness and serve as a foundation in their respective spheres of influence. When coupled with the experience and perspective of the Silver Greys of our day, being anchored to these written foundations can ensure that we safely navigate the challenges that we face in our lives.

Not only can the breadth of topics which the brethren learned about in the school of the prophets serve as an example of what we should learn about, they counsel of how to learn – “by study and also by faith” is important. The educational institutions of the world have much to say about seeking learning by study, but what does it mean to seek learning by faith? What is the process to learn in this way?

Alma taught the Zoramites very clearly the process of learning by faith. First, “exercise a particle of faith, . . . even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of [the knowledge you are trying to learn].” (Alma 32:27) Second, test the truth or goodness of the seed you have planted by observing whether it [enlarges your soul], [enlightens your mind], and even [begins to be delicious to you]. (Alma 32:28) Third, if the seed has proven to be good or true, nourish that seed of knowledge until you are able to partake of the fruit of that knowledge. (Alma 32:41) A shorter and simpler description was given by the Savior during His mortal ministry: If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. (John 7:17) To learn by faith means that we must put into practice those truths which we have not come to fully understand.

That might include paying tithing in order to see the promised blessings to know if the seed is good or it might be keeping the covenants that we have made through priesthood ordinances where we know that the seed is good, but we have not come to partake of the fruit of those covenants, which fruit includes the peace, safety, and security that President Packer is reassuring us about. If we have doubts concerning the counsel given to us by our priesthood leaders we should be seeking to learn concerning that counsel by following the path of learning by faith – we should be obedient to the counsel they have given in order that we may come to understand that counsel so that it may become part of the rock of revelation to which we are anchored. That is how we “give place for a portion of [their]words” and come to know “whether it be of God.”

As we seek learning by study and also by faith we will have a solid rock of revealed truth to which we can anchor ourselves and our families – and it will be the same rock to which this church has been anchored since it was restored upon the earth. Then we will come to know by our own experience the truth of the counsel that Alma gave to Helaman that “it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to [the Liahona].” (Alma 37:44) As we give heed to the word of Christ we will find our safety and security being preserved in miraculous ways.

Categories
life

Getting Carried Away

Kids do the darndest things – especially if you blink. Today, while we were out learning about the options for a swingset we stopped at IKEA for some food. After we were done I took the kids toward the car while Laura just had to walk through the toy area of IKEA. I loitered with the kids near the entrance while waiting for Laura and as I was trying to get all the kids to go engage themselves in the drawing easels to pass the time (as Savannah was already doing) Alyssa suddenly tried to get my attention regarding Isaac. Not really hearing her I glanced at Isaac to find him going up the escalator ON THE OUTSIDE. He was hanging by his hands being carried up the outside of the escalator over a concrete floor.

I ran towards him to grab him off before he got out of reach but as I got to where he was and tried to stop myself and grab him the laws of physics reminded me that the shoes I was wearing had absolutely no traction. I went down in a heap next to the escaltor. Thankfully a woman who had seen this little boy rising in the air grabbed Isaac as I went down and set him next to me. Thus we could get a good laugh out of the whole thing (after we got the other kids to quit grabbing the escalator rail and left the building).

So while the whole thing could have been disasterous I am left wishing there was some video footage that I could play back so I could see what it looked like from an objective view.

Categories
life

It’s Spring

Spring arrived a few days ago. I know this independent of whether the snow has melted and without regard to whether we have passed the technical March 21st that officially marks the change of seasons. I know it like an arthritis sufferer might know a storm is coming. I know it because every morning I wake up and begin sneezing as if my life depended on it.

Luckily my biological aversion to pollen has not awakened anyone else so far but there is no doubt that the season has changed.

Categories
culture life

Article 13

Speaking of things which are virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy (in other words, things that we seek after) here is something worth watching and sharing:

Categories
technology

Official vs Unofficial

Ever since I became aware of Mormons Made Simple I have been considering whether I should share the site with others. It is intended to be a resource for those who are not familiar with the LDS church to understand the church as an organization and as a culture. My conflict was not that it is a poor or misleading site – it isn’t as far as I can see – but rather that it is not an official site from the church and I prefer to point people to the official sources of things – especially since the church has an official site specifically for those who are not members of the church.

In and of itself my initial question does not seem widely important, but it led me to another more general question which I thought about for some time. Is it a good thing for members of the church to create their own resources when the church has already provided resources for the same specific purpose? My conclusion was that we have been commanded to “do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness.” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:27) I could not predict how much righteousness might come to pass from Mormons Made Simple, but it seems a good thing for people to be doing of their own free will.

My question for other people is, would you be more likely to recommend the official site, or the unofficial site to people? Are there times when one might be better than the other?

Categories
life

“I Want . . .”

Isaac has a habit – that seems pretty normal for his age – of changing his mind every second. Normally this is irritating to me, but this morning we had a very sweet little instance of this.

He came out of his room after waking up (he’s often the first one up) and came to where I was studying. He asked for a hotdog (a normal morning request for him). I said okay and he immediately asked me to hold him. I picked him up and he snuggled into my shoulder and asked to go to bed. I asked him a couple of times to make sure that he really meant that (not wanting to get in trouble if I was mistaken) and then I carried him to bed. He went right to sleep and did not wake up before I left for work.

Categories
life

Surprise Musician

I really enjoy singing the hymns in church and most of the time I sing the Tenor part of the harmony. I enjoy those times when I hear others singing harmony as well when the congregation sings. Today I was really enjoying the gentleman sitting next to us who sang a variety of harmonies during the hymns – sometimes tenor, sometimes bass, sometimes a harmony that was not ever written in the book. (I was highly embarrassed when Isaac took it upon himself to start climbing our singing neighbor as if he were a mountain.)

Later this same gentleman, Brother Wright, sat next to me in priesthood meeting and introduced himself. As we talked and got to know a bit about each other I learned that he had moved here recently (it’s been a couple of years, but that’s recent for this area) in order to be a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. No wonder I enjoyed hearing him – I was singing with a member of a world renowned chior.