Power In the Priesthood

This is the message I wrote in our quorum newsletter for April: We all hold the priesthood of God and have been ordained to an office in that priesthood. As priesthood holders we have been given the authority to act in the name of Christ to build up the kingdom of God and to bless the lives of His children, but what about power in the priesthood? Contrary to popular belief, the term authority and power are not interchangeable when it comes to the priesthood. Authority is the right to do something, whereas power is the ability to actually do it. Last year President Packer made it clear that we need to develop greater power when he said the...

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Stake Conference Talk

Recently I had the opportunity to speak in the priesthood leadership session of stake conference. Preparing my remarks has taken up so much of my spare time, that I haven't posted anything new on this blog in a little while. Well, now that stake conference is over I plan to get back into the habit of posting every few days here.  I thought I would start by sharing my conference talk with all of you. I was assigned the topic of reactivating elders and working with prospective elders. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed preparing it. In October of 1856 the Martin handcart company was struggling across the high plains of Wyoming....

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One Climbs

I came across a blog that I have really enjoyed reading and I wanted to share it with anyone who comes here to read. The author knows quite a bit about symbolism and I have really enjoyed reading his insightful posts.  Hopefully you will as well. Click here to check it ...

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At The Crossroads

He stood at the crossroads all alone, The sunlight in his face; He had no thought for an evil course, He was set for a manly race. But the road stretched east and the road stretched west, And he did not know which road was the best; So he took the wrong road and it lead him down, And he lost the race and the victor's crown. He was caught at last in an angry snare Because no one stood at the crossroads there To show him the better road. Another day at the self-same place A boy with high hopes stood; He, too, was set for a manly race He was seeking...

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The Great and Abominable Church: Part 1

In some of the earliest chapters of the Book of Mormon, Nephi sees in vision the formation of the church of the devil. He uses various names to describe this organization including the church of the devil, the great and abominable church and the whore of all the earth. He goes into great detail when speaking about this organization. Nephi includes this vision in his record for our benefit. His people never had the Book of Mormon. He knew it would be critical for us to recognize and avoid deception at the hands of all entities which comprise the church of the devil. If we are unable to do so, we will be grasped with the devil's awful chains....

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Is It Such A Fast I Have Chosen?

Often the word fasting conjures memories of growling stomachs, odd testimonies we’ve heard on the church’s monthly version of open-mike night, or the petitions we’ve occasionally offered in unison with family or ward members for some mutual desire. Even when we focus on the generally taught and accepted purposes of fasting, we still miss the point of this beautiful church ordinance. Yes. I said ordinance.As a missionary I heard it taught that prayer was like sending a letter to God while fasting was like sending a telegram (or to modernize, an email). Over the years, I’ve also heard fasting presented as a means of self-mastery, a way to make...

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Snippets

I've decided that I want to keep track of my daily scripture study, so I'm going to start a sort of study log under the label "Snippets". I'll spend the next few days commenting on themes developed in 1 Nephi chapters thirteen and fourteen, because that is where I am currently reading in the Book of Mormon. In particular I would like to take a closer look at the great and abominable church. What are it's goals? What means does it use to accomplish those goals? And most importantly, how can we recognize and combat this organization? If you are interested in taking a detailed look at the Book of Mormon, chapter by chapter, then snippets is the...

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What is Church Ball?

It is four, six minute quarters played according to high school rules. It is a group of generally overweight, overly geared, and overly hairy men attempting to show everyone else exactly why they were selected for the Junior Jazz all star team way back in sixth grade. The cliche often used to describe Church sponsored basketball is, "the brawl that starts with a prayer". Yes, men tend to take their Church ball seriously. Emotions run high when one is vying for stake and region dominance. However, despite it's well earned reputation as an outlet for old burnouts to relive the glory days of their youth (you know, when they should have made the...

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The Sociopolitical Message of the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is truly an amazing book. Within its pages is the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith taught that the Book of Mormon is the "most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book" (TPJS, 194). That statement alone should be motivation enough to encourage serious study of the book, yet Joseph wasn't alone in reinforcing the importance of this book. Prophets both ancient and modern, as well as the Lord himself have testified of the importance of this work. For instance, on one occasion the Lord stated that, your...

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Stand By Him

Knowing the time drew near in which he would be betrayed, abandoned and crucified, Jesus informed his disciples they would flee and leave him alone saying, “all ye shall be offended because of me this night”. Peter undaunted, emphatically protested, “though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.” (Matt 26:31;33) The Savior, gently but firmly corrected his zealous disciple declaring, "verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice". Peter however, continued to confidently assure the Lord of his faithfulness replying, "though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny...

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Bring Forth Zion

The Lord has given us the commandment to “seek to bring forth and establish… Zion” (D&C 14:6). In order to accomplish this we must have a clear understanding of what Zion is and what steps we must take in order to establish it. Zion is heaven on earth. It is a group of our Heavenly Father’s children living together in perfect unity and righteousness. In fact the Lord has said that, “Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself” (D&C 105:1-6). Zion is celestial in nature. Groups of faithful saints throughout history have succeeded in building...

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A Beautiful Word And A Marvelous Refuge

When Wayfarer contacted me about writing for the blog, I wasn't sure where to start. What subject will interest people? What wisdom do I really have to share? I decided to make my first contribution about something all of us can benefit from, indeed THE key to all the problems plaguing us. The topic I have chosen is repentance. Before you groan, and move along I'd like you to consider the negative feelings you might associate with the word repent. I'll get you started with some negative words that have come to my mind when I’ve thought of the word repent: Guilt Sorrow Shame Punishment Sadness Hurt We could probably all list dozens of words...

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