How to Prepare and Give a Talk (a Sermon)

When I was called to serve in a stake high council, I had many opportunities to speak during worship services in several nearby congregations.  I'd had plenty of opportunities before, but for this calling, I spoke at a rate of almost once per month.  Once, when I was addressing the Poughkeepsie Ward, where I was assigned to regularly provide support, I shared thoughts on how to give a good talk.  One of my daughters asked me about this today, and I shared my guidelines with her.  I have three:

1. We are only ever successful in teaching truth about God if God does the teaching.  This happens as we speak truth and God testifies of it through the Holy Ghost.  This is why the Gift of the Holy Ghost that we receive after baptism is so important!  We are blessed with the "tongue of angels", as Nephi called it in 2 Nephi 31:14 and 32: 2.  As we read in Doctrine and Covenants 50:17-22, "Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?  And if it be by some other way it is not of God.  And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?  If it be some other way it is not of God.  Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?  Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together."  We can't control how people prepare for and receive our words, but we can give them an opportunity by making sure we speak truth that God will endorse to them.

2. We are likely to succeed in having the Holy Ghost testify of what we're teaching if we rely on the words of prophets for the foundation of our preaching.  This includes ancient scripture, more modern scripture, and the words of living prophets and general authorities.  Once we have an assigned topic, we can research both scripture and general conference talks (or other similar talks by general authorities in other venues) and record quotations from them for reference.  It's better to start by listing many, even though we won't be using all of them by the time we're done.  For modern references, I usually find the most use in material generated in the last few decades, when messages have been shaped more for our time specifically, but there are also highly-applicable statements from 100 or so years ago.  (Side note, in case a member of a bishopric ever sees this: If you are thinking about assigning a GA's talk as the subject for one of your congregants' talks, please don't, because it's really constricting and awkward; instead, assign a topic and suggest that general authority's talk as a prime reference.)

3. As Nephi put it in 1 Nephi 19:23, we should "liken all [prophetic teachings] unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning."  In other words, it's useful to show, through our own personal experiences or that of other people we know, how the truth taught by prophets truly blesses us in practical ways.

As an appendage to guideline #1, I always seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost in knowing what to say not only in the weeks before my talk but continually until the moment I have finished speaking.  I typically take extra notes with the understanding that I'll omit some of them later.  I keep adjusting my to-be-printed notes until I leave to the meetinghouse; and then I adjust my printed notes while seated near the pulpit, waiting for my turn; and then while speaking I do my best to continue listening to God to know what I should and shouldn't say.  I cut out a fair amount of my notes on the spot.  Sometimes I've prepared too much for the time that remains for me in the meeting, or sometimes I've made notes related to favorite ideas of mine but may be less relevant or possibly not fully-established doctrine, and sometimes I just trust God that a good truth just isn't important for the congregation to focus on at the time.  I have omitted more than a page of notes for various reasons as I seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost up to the time I invoke the name of Christ one last time and say, "Amen."

A few other tips: Fasting can also help us draw close to God, and as a member of a high council I realized that I preferred to fast before giving any talk.  I don't always remember to do so these days, but I believe it only helps.  A good night's sleep beforehand is also beneficial for everything we do.  I recommend never starting by mentioning one's assignment to speak, as it simply isn't necessary, and especially to never tell the congregation about one's failure to make timely preparation.  It could be appropriate to mention thoughts one has while preparing.

Incidentally, for me, I generally end up with about a page of notes for every five minutes I'm going to speak.  I also almost never read the talk word for word, with the exception of once when I spoke in Spanish to a Spanish-speaking branch because my ability in that language is very limited.  I may well use the exact wording from my notes at times, because my prepared notes have tailored nuance, but generally I want my talks to sound natural because it's more engaging.

As one more note I believe the same steps to success are applicable for lessons at Church also; the difference is that teachers get class members to participate in each part.

Last thoughts for now:
To summarize, the way to succeed in strengthening people's faith in Christ while giving public discourses is to 1) ensure that we have God teaching the people by testifying of truths we speak through the power of the Holy Ghost, 2) relying on the words of prophets, and 3) providing practical life application and lessons.  I have found great joy in being useful to God and His other children by relying on Him as I preach, and I believe every member of the Church of Jesus Christ with the gift of the tongue of angels can do the same and share in the same joy.

Why People Will Worship with Us on Sundays: Faith in Jesus Christ

I think our focus is often misdirected.

If a person is seated at a table and is brought a variety of good foods, we would expect them to eat heartily, wouldn't we?  We would expect that the person would not merely pick at one or two items, but would make full use of the feast provided.  So, given that the Church of Jesus Christ is a wonderful thing, why do we sometimes hold ourselves back from the many blessings God has to offer us?

There are plenty of baptized disciples of Christ in His restored Church that more obviously hold back.  It's visible to leaders when they don't accept callings and assignments.  It's visible to everyone when they refrain from worshipping together with their congregations on Sundays.  But seeing this obvious sign can lead us to ignore what is actually more important; when we have an opportunity to speak with someone who is less active in the Church, it's easy to simply encourage them to come to Church meetings on Sunday without thinking about why they are choosing not to come.

So why don't people make full use of the Church of Jesus Christ?  It is crucial for us to remember that when any adult (and many children) come to a public worship service on a Sunday it is by their own choice.  Why do people choose to stay home?  Apart from a variety of influencing factors, it ultimately is a matter of faith.

While I was serving as a high councilor in the Newburgh, New York Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ, I began to feel very strongly about faith in Jesus Christ.  I realize that I run the risk of being misunderstood when I use the word "faith".  In fact, during one meeting of the high council--I think it was when the stake president was asking for suggestions about topics for us to speak about in the wards we were to visit throughout the year--I spoke fairly passionately about faith as an important topic, and based on the response I felt that the meaning of what I was saying wasn't appreciated by the rest of the high council.  Perhaps with time I'm able to better express the concern that I feel.

Faith is not mere belief.  Belief is a component of faith, but faith also motivates us to action.  When we have true faith in Jesus Christ, we not only understand on an intellectual level that He served, serves, and will serve in crucial ways to fulfill God's Plan of Happiness for us, but we also make choices to follow Him.  We go out and serve other people in His name, both when asked in a calling or assignment from Church leaders, and also of our own initiative and free will (see Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-28).

While we as regular people have very limited insight, it's safe to say that, generally, when members of the Church of Jesus Christ stop (or never really start) attending sacrament meetings and the rest of our Sunday worship services, such lack of attendance is a sign of weak faith.  Either a new member simply hasn't grown in faith sufficiently, or people who have been members of the Church for many years and who have previously acted with great faith have let that faith dwindle.  It may dwindle to a point where they decide to change their beliefs.  But either way, it's a case where someone should have strong faith so that they can be blessed by following God's counsel but they lack that strong faith.

For several years, I've felt that when we're speaking with other members of the Church, our focus should not be trying to convince them to "come back to Church".  People will come to worship with us when their faith in Christ is strong.  We also shouldn't be waiting until they have stopped showing up on Sundays.  So what should we be asking about and encouraging, and when should we do it?  There will be many opportunities, but perhaps the most important are when we are assigned to minister to others in our ward.  When we visit them in their homes, we should ask them about the basic things that everyone should do to build faith.  We should ask them about their experiences with daily scripture study, both individually and as families.  We should ask them about daily prayer, both individually and as families.  If someone is studying God's word and speaking to Him in prayer, their faith cannot dwindle too much; it must grow.  When it does, a natural consequence will be that they want to participate in the Church more.  They will want to make more use of the feast available to them.

Last thoughts for now:
Of course, it's not off-limits to encourage people to "come to Church", but we really ought to be concerned much more about their overall spiritual welfare than whether or not we see them on Sundays.  The most important things for us to do are those things that help us develop our relationship with God and to build faith in Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, and those things are the most basic actions that many of us have been exhorted to do since we were children.  We need to study scripture daily--especially in the Book of Mormon, given its power in our time and the special purpose God had in preserving it for us--and we need to pray daily.  Even a little bit each day is good; even a single verse of scripture and just a few minutes in prayer are good (though of course we should allow ourselves more of each).  When we want to care for others, we should make use of the power of God's Spirit to encourage them to study scripture daily and to pray daily so that their faith will grow.  When people grow in personal faith it will have a real and meaningful impact in their lives, and in their own time they will return to public worship.

Mistakes of People Who Lose (or Never Had) Faith

There are two types of opponents of the Church of Jesus Christ.  There are some who are former members of the Church who have lost their faith, and there are others who never were members of the Church but who have been told bad things about it and consequently feel a need to combat an evil they perceive.  In either case, they tend to make the same types of mistakes when considering and discussing various aspects of the doctrine, practices, and history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We should always remember the second great commandment and show love to everyone, including those who have bad things to say about our religion.  But we needn't make the same mistakes they are making.  After examining many complaints of people who either doubt or aggressively attack the Church of Jesus Christ, I find that each generally falls into one of five categories:

1. Sometimes, the information they present has an element of truth or historic basis, but ignores a lot of other truth and history in order to present a negative view of the Church or its leaders.  Again, sometimes this is done out of ignorance, and I think this happens quite often.  People talk about "doing research" without having done enough research themselves, because what is presented to them appears, at first glance, to be solid and adequate.  In the other cases, it seems clear that much of the history is being ignored because it doesn't support their position.  To be clear, serious historians do have to evaluate the reliability and consistency of various records, and we're not automatically obligated to accept any particular piece of information as fully authoritative and accurate, but there's a difference between questioning the validity of some information and completely disregarding a lot of information.  One example of incomplete information I've encountered was a person complaining about Joseph Smith being taken to court for "treasure digging" while employed by Josiah Stoal/Stowell.  I wasn't inclined to give great heed to the accuser, but I got curious about what the real situation was, so I looked up the court record, which is included in the Joseph Smith papers made available online by the Church; as it turns out, Josiah Stoal originally wanted Joseph to find treasure, but was dissuaded from the effort by Joseph.  The complaint came from a relative, but Josiah Stoal was always happy with Joseph Smith, whom he continued to employ for other work.  The court didn't find Joseph to be at fault.  So while I could have initially assumed something bad about Joseph Smith based on the negative report I heard, after examining information for myself I found nothing to worry about.  As I've listened to multiple faithful latter-day saint scholars it's clear that they are giving unbiased consideration to all available information and that it ends up strengthening their faith in Jesus Christ and His work in our time through His restored Church.

2. Sometimes, the information they present is simply false.  We can't trust everything that everyone claims.  Sometimes people unknowingly pass on bad information, and sometimes they're deliberately lying.  Sometimes they actually think it's okay to lie for what they consider is a righteous cause.  Ironically, I've heard people accuse members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of practicing something they call "lying for the Lord", which of course is absolutely contrary to what the Church really teaches, and it seems that it is exactly what they are doing in the moment.  I've also heard people claim to be former members of the Church, with the assumption that it lends more credence to their criticism of the Church, and while this is true in some cases, it appears to not be in others; it ends up looking like a complete fabrication after they evince little knowledge about the Church.  There are cases when there may have originally been some truth to a statement, but in the manner of the Telephone Game, after multiple biased retellings it is so distorted that no truth remains.  It doesn't hurt to fact-check people before devoting extensive consideration to their claims.

3. Sometimes, their information is outdated.  Opponents of the Church have been publishing their opposition since before the Church was actually founded.  Some information they present--such as Fawn Brodie's early biography of Joseph Smith or lists of supposed anachronisms in the Book of Mormon--just don't hold up when compared with additional information that has been discovered in the many years since they were written.  It is easy to assume that they're valid without taking into consideration the large amounts of newer information and analysis, but to do so is a mistake.  Scholars who are faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ do reshape their understandings based on their own and others' new scholarly work.  Granted, by definition, physical evidences alone are never an adequate foundation for faith, but it is pleasing to find multiple discoveries that actually do support the ideas we hold about the Restoration.

4. Sometimes, people make unwarranted assumptions and come to unwarranted conclusions based on unknowns.  There's a lot we don't know about doctrine and history.  Unknowns are the norm in any scientific endeavor; they're why science exists.  Unknowns are also normal in anthropological studies.  There is simply a lot about the past that we don't know.  Scholarly efforts in history and archaeology provide us glimpses and snippets that require some interpretation.  Beyond changing our minds about some ideas, there are others that we just can't formulate with high confidence.  Any scholar should be comfortable with some unknowns, and any disciple of Christ has the privilege of not only revelation but also comfort through the Holy Ghost.  In many cases, we learn things, years down the road, that answer questions we first had much earlier.  For many other questions, we just can't expect to learn the answers during our mortal lives, and that's okay.  We know that God will provide everything we need in order to fulfill our purpose here on Earth and to be prepared for eternity.  One example of this is the translation of the Book of Abraham; there's much we don't know about it--partially because Joseph Smith was murdered.  If he had lived longer, he would have had more opportunities to speak and to write, and we would doubtless have had more explanations about a number of topics.  When we don't have a particular answer, God will tell us, through the Holy Ghost, something along the lines of, "I know you don't have that answer.  I'm glad you want to learn and I know you'll be okay in the meanwhile.  Keep going with what I've already given you; you still have plenty to learn and do that is immediately available."  (Granted, the reassurance is unlikely to be anywhere near that wordy.)  In a related scenario, sometimes there is information available that supports positive ideas about the Church more than negative ideas, but we don't have access to all of it or don't have the analytical background needed to make sense of it all.  Other people succeed in figuring things out, and if we had access to them we would see that there are good answers available, but we don't have access to them (at least yet) and don't yet see that good answers do exist.  This puts us in essentially the same situation as when no answer will ever come before we die.  In all of these cases, faith and seeking revelation from God helps us stay on the right track, but people are subject to influences that undermine our faith and our decisions to seek revelation, and sometimes people allow themselves to be affected by those influences, thus missing out on the best ideas and the comfort that God gives when we have to be left, at least temporarily, with some unknowns.

5. Sometimes people just choose faithless conclusions.  Our evaluation of evidence is always impacted by our choices to exercise or abandon faith.  I love the movie 12 Angry Men (based on a play), in which there is a consensus that a young man accused of murder is obviously guilty based on the available evidence.  Over the course of the film/play, people experience beautiful moments of moral concern and mental reevaluation, and eventually they unanimously declare the young man to be Not Guilty.  The same evidence, when viewed differently, leads them to a different conclusion.  In matters of Church history, practice, and doctrine, sometimes people oversimplify the situation.  Sometimes biased language contributes to this problem.  A person might ask, for example, "Why does the Church hoard money?"  The word "hoard" is chosen instead of "save" only for the sake of putting a pejorative spin on the conversation.  Many people were surprised to learn that the Church had saved so much money from donations.  It is always easy for one person to accuse another of not doing enough good.  The actual financial situation of the Church of Jesus Christ is wonderful; it's great that we're not struggling like we have in the past, that we're keeping the Church running and building more temples, that we're able to do so much good to meet people's material needs on both a local level and also supporting thousands of global relief projects, and that we were able to do so without going broke during a pandemic that caused worldwide financial strain.  It's easy for people to merely accuse without thinking through all of that, but a faithful response allows us to be open to larger realization, and again, to hold to the goodness God provides while we're still thinking through things.

Last thoughts for now:
Everyone has different beliefs in some ways--even within a given religion and even within the Church of Jesus Christ--and it's okay to be unsure about some things.  We should tolerate some uncertainty.  What we should never doubt is what comes to us from God.  He is both wise and loving to the greatest degree, and he wants to give us truth.  We should never let uncertainty undermine our confidence in Him, His Son, and His Spirit.  We should keep learning and allow our beliefs to change at times, but considering all that God gives us, we should never allow our faith in God and in Jesus Christ to be undermined.  We should be aware of faith-damaging mistakes and avoid making them for ourselves.  We should show the greatest love to everyone, including people who do struggle with their faith, and we should help others to build their faith.

A "Testimony", or Faith and Knowledge?

I think that members of the Church of Jesus Christ sometimes use the word "testimony" in a way that is less helpful than we think.  We talk about a "testimony" as if it's a thing we carry around with us.  In scripture, I don't think I've ever found that kind of usage.  Rather, what we refer to as a "testimony" is known simply as either faith or knowledge.

What is a testimony?  It is the act of testifying--of speaking or otherwise sharing what we know through personal experience.  This is the meaning both in law and in scripture.  Rather than being a thing to be possessed, it is an action.

When someone gives you a reprimand, do you "have a reprimand"?  When God gives us a testimony of some truth, what we have as a result is greater faith and knowledge.

Rather than saying, "I have a testimony of X," when we say, "I know X", the very action of saying such a thing is our testimony.  Rather than stating that someone's "testimony" isn't as strong as it used to be, is it not much more direct to say that their faith is less strong than it was?  If they're not sharing their faith and knowledge with others, at least intermittently, then by definition, it isn't a testimony.

I don't think the saints' common usage is evil, but I do think it is harder for people to understand, whether they're outside or inside the Church.  Though it may sound paradoxical to suggest, it's better for us to refer to a testimony as what is given, rather than something that is possessed.

Here's what scripture tells us: Peter encouraged us to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."  (2 Peter 3:18)  In a revelation given through Joseph Smith, we were similarly told, "ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth." (Doctrine and Covenants 50:40)  Helaman related that "the Lamanites began to grow exceedingly in the knowledge of their God".  (Helaman 6:34)  King Benjamin said that as we remember God's greatness and humble ourselves before Him, "ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true."  (Mosiah 4:12)  In Alma 32, Alma used a great parable to teach that as we nourish the word of God in ourselves, as it grows, out faith will increase and become knowledge.

According to Alma, sometimes our faith, in some respects, becomes "dormant" as we gain knowledge.  But even as our knowledge increases, we must continue to increase in faith, because faith includes action; through faith we demonstrate that knowledge of truth really means something in our lives.

I don't mean to be too condemning; the common usage of "testimony" as a noun that suggests something that can be possessed appears even in the current temple recommend interview questions.  But I do think there's a better way to express truth.

Last thoughts for now:

I hope that my testimony to others is powerful; that is to say, I hope that I am able to testify powerfully through the power of the Holy Ghost, who will testify with me as I speak truth.  I also hope that my faith and knowledge will continue to grow, year by year.  I hope that when I speak of any of that, those around me will understand with clarity.

My Own Story (a short version)

I often like to inquire with others about their beliefs and the foundation of their faith, if they profess any.  I find value in what they say.  I believe it helps open up mutually beneficial conversation.  I learn things from people, and I hope that they'll want to hear from me, because after being given so much from God I certainly have things to share.  The other day, someone in a video comments section asked me about my own experiences.  They didn't ask specifics, so I have to summarize a bit.  I doubt that anyone will ever want to read a full biography that would be drastically longer, but here's a short version of my history with my religious faith and knowledge:

I was born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  My parents were divorced when I was three years old.  I was baptized at the standard age of eight years old.  As I grew up, I had many positive (if probably very typical) experiences with the Church, including study, friendship, and service opportunities.  Another part of being in the Church was commonly eating food from the Bishop's Storehouse that my mother didn't have to pay for.  When I got older and went off to college, I got a bit lazy when it came to religion.  For example, sometimes I just didn't go to church on Sundays, for no particular reason.  All young latter-day saint men were expected to serve as missionaries upon turning nineteen, but as I thought about it, I knew I didn't want to go just because other people expected me to.  So I went back to college for another year, and then began to serve.  I also began to want more of a relationship with my father, and at my request he supported me financially when I left to serve as a full-time missionary.

Both before and after my missionary service, at times I came across information about Church procedures or Church history, perhaps relating to individual leaders, that seemed strange.  Broadly speaking, I found a way to be patient with not completely understanding some things immediately.  One morning, when I was 18 or 19 and I was playing hymns on the piano in an empty classroom in the Institute of Religion at the college, some words in the second verse of "Be Still, My Soul" really struck me: "Be still, my soul, thy God doth undertake / To guide the future as He has the past. / Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake / All now mysterious shall be bright at last."  As the years have passed, I've had opportunities here and there to learn more or gain better insights from people who have shared them with me, and many things that felt mysterious or strange before turned out to not be worrisome at all.  When dealing with information from opponents of the Church, I also realized that, at least partially because they don't have the Church's best interests in mind, they sometimes promote information that is partially or wholly untrue, but even when only relying on reliable facts they frequently choose the worst possible conclusion from available data instead of the best possible conclusion.  I have found that while seeking truth and answers to questions, sometimes it comes quickly and sometimes not, but I always eventually learn more and I find great reason to trust what God has given me.

Trust in God is one of the great life lessons I learned as a missionary, but I also became much more able to recognize God's influence in my life, particularly through the Holy Ghost.  When at the missionary training center, our teachers (former missionaries themselves) taught us about how important it was to help people to recognize the Holy Ghost as we taught them.  I remember struggling with this; I wasn't sure that I knew how to do this.  I asked one of my teachers about it, and he suggested that because I had grown up with the Church, perhaps I was accustomed to it so much that I sometimes took it for granted.  He spoke to reassure me, and I wasn't fully satisfied, but I hoped to figure it out.  Several days later, as I was being taught again by a different teacher, I thought to myself, "The Spirit of God is very strong here today."  And then I realized what I had just done; I had listened to God in my heart and felt Him there, and recognized it.  As I did so, I realized that it was indeed something I had felt and known many times in my life.  I then gladly taught others about it and have enjoyed God's joy and peace not only during my mission but also many, many times since.

I will share one particular experience I had with the Holy Ghost during my mission.  I lived and taught in the city of Yamoussoukro for five months.  One day, while walking through a corridor of a housing area, I looked to the side and noticed one of the housing units and its number.  (I think it was 157 or 152, but it's been two decades ago and I don't have a great memory.)  That was all, at first; I just noticed it.  Some time later--maybe a few days or weeks--my companion and I had some time available in the evening, and he asked me what I thought we should do.  I mentioned the door I'd seen before and suggested that we could visit the people who lived there.  So we did.  Either that evening or upon making an appointment and returning (I don't remember which), we were greeted by the couple who lived there and we taught the first missionary lesson to them.  The husband was somehow employed by a local church and accommodated us more out of patient courtesy than anything else, and in the end didn't seem particularly interested.  I imagine that he later discouraged his wife; in any event, we didn't end up teaching them further and I don't know the end of her story.  But I do remember very well what happened during the lesson.  We spoke of God, of Jesus Christ, of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and then of the Holy Ghost.  After teaching, I turned to the woman and asked her (in French, the local national language), "What do you feel right now?"  She paused, with an almost troubled or slightly perplexed look on her face, and I asked her again, "What do you feel inside right now?"  With little more pause, she answered with these exact words: "La joie du cœur."  Translated into English, that means, "joy of heart."  Her husband looked directly at her with evident surprise.  I don't think she was even literate, but she knew what she felt inside.  I told her it was the Holy Ghost, and I knew that she knew that we had spoken truth from God.

One other major life lesson I learned as a missionary was that God is merciful.  I have long considered myself the most blessed person I know, and I realize that while I've tried to do good things in life, nothing I've done could merit the many blessings I've received.  I'm blessed far beyond what I feel I deserve by my own worthiness.

In the decades following my mission, I've had a great many other experiences that continue to shape my faith and knowledge.  I've seen other people grow in faith or abandon faith, I've seen people die, I've witnessed the Church as a worldwide body with the same spirit of fellowship and Spirit of God everywhere, I've had glimpses into Church administration, and I've learned more about Church history.  I have had very difficult trials that would require much more space to write about.  I've been blessed to know many disciples of Christ and many other good people across the United States and the world; I've been served by them and I've done what I could to serve them.  I've seen the Church help people with material needs, and I've been blessed to be able to give now instead of receiving.  I have had witness after witness from God about the truth of the gospel and his desire for me to participate in His Church, despite my many failings and the many failings I've witnessed in other people even as we try to follow our Savior.  I have hoped to be of service to the people around me and I've certainly hoped to show love in everything I do.  I think I'm learning that love better; it sure means a lot to me to learn it.  I am happy to extend an offer of support to anyone, and if you ever think I can help you in any way, whether to answer questions or even just as a listening ear.  If I were without you in person, I would offer a hug also, but alas, that's not possible over the Internet.  But I hope you know that I find myself with the best of reasons to follow the two great commandments, and though I can't express it as perfectly as God can, I am happy to say that I love you, and I hope that you seek and receive God's greatest blessings.

Last thoughts for now:
To anyone who ever cares enough to read these things, please know that I share them with the utmost sincerity and a real, if imperfect, desire to share truth and love.  Reach out to me any time, and as a disciple of Christ, I will reach back out to you.

Practical Preparedness - So Evidently Helpful

Well over a decade ago (in December 2008!) I wrote here about practical preparedness.  At the time, the idea of great need striking huge chunk's of the population felt more hypothetical--something that we expected to see in the future, and perhaps the distant future.

In the last year, we've seen it quite a bit.  Just under a year ago, a global pandemic changed life for essentially everyone in the world.  It was fairly striking to see some of the grocery store shelves empty, such as those for things like canned goods and flour.  Certain high-demand items were rationed to a degree, with limits on purchases, including milk, eggs, and especially--of all things--toilet paper.

We've lived through several other moments with similar circumstances.  A country in a distant part of the world recently experienced a coup, causing great economic difficulty.  I saw a headline tonight about millions of people in Texas lacking drinking water somehow because of a recent heavy snowstorm.

But some of us are well-prepared for difficult times.  A local elders quorum president commented today about being comfortable if water became unavailable because he has 100 gallons stored in his home.

I've never felt any need to justify my actions to others when I'm following prophetic guidance.  But it is good when I am able to experience the blessing of faith turning to knowledge; it is perhaps comforting in a way to see the evidence that would readily justify the words of living prophets.

Last thoughts for now:
I'm grateful for the counsel of prophets in the Church of Jesus Christ.  I know that following them will always lead to greater peace.  I know that doing so brings very practical blessings.

Borne of Four

Today I was surprised by how much I appreciated our Sunday School lesson about Jesus' miracles in the early chapters of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  Having heard the stories so many times over the years, I didn't expect anything particularly new or good, but it was really quite sweet.  One of my favorites is the story of the healing of the centurion's servant in Luke 7 (and Matthew 8), but today I was struck very much by the story of the man healed of a "palsy" after being lowered through a roof.

In many of the miraculous healings, individuals approached Jesus and asked for healing for themselves or on behalf of loved ones, but in this case, the person was not able to.  Instead, as we read in Mark 2:3, he was brought by others: "And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four."

We don't know much at all about these four people.  We can assume that they cared a lot about this man, but I think it's more than that.  I imagine that there must have been quite a bit of effort involved, some convincing, and some coordination and ingenuity in order to get a paralyzed person up onto a roof and then lower him down through it.  Their efforts definitely demonstrated faith, and it was their faith that brought about the miracle; see verse 5 where Jesus responded "when [He] saw their faith".

Of course we should seek our own blessings from God.  We've been instructed many times to ask for those things that we need.  I think, though, that sometimes we're unable to do so or perhaps, for some reason or another, not in the best position to seek and receive blessings by our own faith.  Maybe in those cases we need to be "borne of four", or maybe more people than that, who devote time and energy to helping us.

Conversely, I truly believe that sometimes we need to be among the four.  There are often people nearby who are in need.  Sometimes they aren't able to do everything they need; at other times, maybe they can--strictly speaking--but in a practical sense they might not receive blessings if not for our efforts on their behalf.

Last thoughts for now:
I'm grateful for the people have have metaphorically carried me at times in the past.  I'm also grateful for the opportunities I've had to serve others and bring them to blessings of the Gospel.  I especially hope that I will yet have many occasions in which I can be among the "four".

Faith In God, Faith In Science

I recently read the book A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.  I was enthusiastic to get into it; after all, Stephen Hawking is supposed to be one of the finest scientific minds of our day, and modern physics is fascinating stuff.

Well, I was disappointed.

Some of the theory seemed to be based on circular logic.  Having observed forces between matter particles, people search for an explanation as to what creates those forces.  They come up with the idea of force-carrying particles that are emitted by one matter particle and absorbed by another, which would change the velocity of each "just as if there had been a force between" them.  Hawking states that these force-carrying particles "cannot be directly detected by a particle detector.  We know they exist, however, because they do have a measurable effect: they give rise to forces between matter particles."

Really?  It makes me think that I could come up with my own theory for what causes forces between matter particles and use the same justification for believing in them.  Forces are caused by two-headed micro-demons that breath against pairs of matter particles, causing them to move away from each other.  These demons cannot be detected, but we know they exist because they have a measurable effect: the give rise to forces between matter particles.  That idea is facetious, but the logic behind "knowledge" of micro-demons is the same as that used for the "knowledge" of force-carrying particles.

At first the book was a fairly interesting read, but I soon saw that there was little I could do to think through the processes that modern scientists have used to develop their theories.  Hawking basically goes over the ideas they came up with, referring to calculations without showing them.  That's understandable, really; I wouldn't expect to understand in a few minutes or a few pages what very smart and educated people have taken years to develop.  Among the scientific community leading minds can compare notes and evaluate each other's detailed thoughts.  However, as the theories become as far-fetched as anything we read in scripture, what Hawking is telling the average person, through this book, is to accept the theories without seeing how they really work.

What he's asking us to do is to believe without seeing.

Isn't that the essence of faith?

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Alma 32:21 "And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."

More than 99% of all people who have ever lived have no hope of ever understanding modern physics, but everyone who knows how to read can investigate the scriptures and then turn to God in prayer to have their faith rewarded with knowledge.  Even those who cannot read can hear the word of God preached to them.  Anyone can listen to the Holy Ghost within their hearts.

Last thoughts for now:
I don't reject outright the world's best modern ideas in physics; I'm glad to have the technology we have that is based on those ideas.  It would be wildly interesting to study the best theories in depth and contribute to them.  But if the average person is to accept modern science on faith, is it unfair to ask them to accept the Atonement of Jesus Christ on faith?  Not at all.  Indeed, it is a wonderful thing to invite others to seek and test their faith in God and His Son, and to see that faith rewarded with sure knowledge.

A Personal Testimony of My Mission

I just heard an older couple (on the Mormon Channel--internet radio) describe the moment when they opened their mission call. It reminded me of that moment for me.

I was at Snow College, and I had let the post office know that it was coming and to watch for it (which they did). One morning, I was speaking to my mother on the phone (perhaps around 7:00 or 8:00), and when I hung up, I got a call from the post office. My mission call had arrived. I went to get it and returned. I called my mom back and let her know. She was excited. I began to read the letter.

I've long since laid little emphasis on where a missionary is called to serve. It's just not that important, really. It's interesting, but not important, because missionary work is the same work anywhere (though admittedly with fewer baptisms in some missions). When I ask someone who has just received a mission call about it, rather than ask where they are going, I ask how they felt.

As I read to my mother that I had been called to the Ivory Coast Abidjan Mission, I knew it was right. I knew it because of how I felt. It wasn't a powerful or overwhelming feeling, but instead very simple. It simply struck me as entirely natural. It was a feeling of, Yes, that's it. That's my mission. And that's all. While being so simple, it was also encouraging and exciting.

I don't think I even knew where the Ivory Coast was.

As I served there, I had times of weakness and times of strength. When I succeeded, and in the particular ways I was positioned by Heavenly Father to serve, I was certain that He had called me there to act in a role suited to my own strengths. It was important for me to serve in ways I could not have known beforehand. Sure, the work would have gone on even if I'd never been a missionary, but I was useful, genuinely useful, in advancing the work there in ways that others could not have been.

If we're faithful, we allow God to make us useful to Him, and that's about the best thing we can be.

Last thoughts for now: Even in a simple moment the Holy Ghost can testify to us. I've been very blessed to have had the opportunity to serve, and I am still blessed through service I am called to give. I know that my Heavenly Father knows me and knows what I can do. I know that He loves me and wants me to receive the great joy that comes through service.

Christ and His Church--No Substitute, No Other Way

Alma 34:39 "Yea, and I also exhort you, my brethren, that ye be watchful unto prayer continually, that ye may not be led away by the temptations of the devil, that he may not overpower you, that ye may not become his subjects at the last day; for behold, he rewardeth you no good thing."

There are those who, for some reason or another, dedicate themselves to tearing down other peoples' faith. Specifically, there are people who go to great lengths seeking statements, bits of history, or scriptural passages that they expect members of the Church to be unable to explain. Thus, they think they have evidence that would disprove the true Church of Jesus Christ.

We have heard them and their arguments. We felt the darkness seeking to creep into our hearts. And we have been faithful, knowing that the testimony that we have received from our Heavenly Father is strong enough that we can continue to worship and serve Him, even if we don't have a perfect explanation for every accusation made.

He would be an unreasonable God if He expected us to understand everything, to gain every iota of spiritual knowledge, before setting out to really live our lives based on that knowledge. Rather, He asks us to have faith, believing in Him even though we don't see Him, and being true to the Church He has given us. As Alma put it, "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." (Alma 32:21)

Many years ago, while practicing at the piano in the Ephraim Institute of Religion, I came across Hymn #124. I was struck with and comforted by the words of the second verse in particular: "Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake To guide the future as He has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last." There will be many things that I will not fully understand even until the day that I die. Even so, God will one day teach me all things. Even in this life, I continue to gain greater knowledge, and I have felt silly before after coming to understand simple truth that answers the questions that previously sowed doubt. For now, I have an undeniable witness from the Holy Ghost that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is indeed the true Church that God organized on the earth to bless His children. I receive this witness again and again as I am taught in that Church, as I read the Book of Mormon and other scripture, and as I listen to the inspired words of modern prophets.

And after moments of doubt, when we truly exercise faith we then return to the scriptures. We read the Book of Mormon and feel the Spirit testifying to us. We feel the Comforter, and with healed hearts we return to the work of God.

Some have let their hope and confidence be shaken. They have let things they couldn't explain drive them away from what they once believed. These are, in fact, often those who are the most ardent in propagating the attacks on and misinformation about the Church of Christ. I feel for them, because I know that they have lost something. They frequently still seek to serve and know Christ, and that is good. However, I know what the Church has done for me, and I know that those who have left the Church have lost something vital to our lives.

This is what I would ask them: If you would have me leave the Church that has given me a knowledge of my Savior, the Church that has given me such great opportunity to serve my God and my fellow brothers and sisters on earth, the Church that has allowed me to learn not only from living prophets but also from common disciples who struggle along just as I do, the Church that has given me a desire to repent and live like my Savior, the Church that has helped me to understand the written word of God, the Church that has given me a knowledge of who I am and why I exist and what I ought to do in life, the Church that has provided me with an unfortunately rare understanding of the nature of God Himself, the Church that has taught me to value my family, the Church that has taught me and thus saved me from so much pain and suffering by helping me to avoid sin, the Church that does so many good things in the world that aren't even seen by the general public, the Church that allows me to assume my role as a son of God and serve using his authority as I strive to become like Him, the Church that has shown me the great mercy of my Father toward someone as undeserving as myself, the Church that has taught me to trust in my God and readily obey His wise counsel, the Church that has helped me bit by bit to not just know about Jesus Christ but also to truly know Him, the Church through which God has given me every good thing in my life! If you would have me leave this Church, I ask you: What do you give me in return?!? What do you expect to give me in exchange for my membership in the kingdom of God on earth that can possibly fill that void?

Jesus Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life: (and) no man cometh unto the Father, but by (Him)." (John 14:6) "...there is no other way, nor means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ." (Alma 38:9) Jesus Christ leads his true Church on the earth, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and nothing could ever replace it in my life. Despite my own faults, I will ever seek to de a true disciple of the Savior of the world and I will teach, learn, serve, and worship in His inescapably good Church.


Last thoughts for now:
I am so very grateful to my Father in Heaven for all that He has given me. I will never be able to adequately express gratitude for these things, but I know from where my blessings come. I am grateful for other children of God who seek to help me, even if they feel that I am in error. I will do my best to testify with humility and charity to all who listen that God has restored His Church and His truth, and that through them we can receive all the peace and happiness that He has to offer.

The Strategy

I don't know if this strategy actually works, and the strategy for it's own sake would miss the point.  However, I'm willing to keep going on the assumption that it does work to an extent.

Bear with me as I preface the strategy.  I'll start with an age-old philosopher's question: Why do bad things happen to good people?  Or, why do bad things happen to anybody?  Why does God allow it?

Firstly, because ultimately bad things happening to people don't interfere with God's plan.  That is, bad circumstances or events don't really harm them eternally.

In the classic passage of Moses 1:39, we read, "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." The immortality part has been taken care of via the resurrection.  We're covered there.  Eternal life is the part that remains.  Eternal life is more than endless living; it's life like that of the Eternal One, with all the glory of God.  It's exaltation.  We can receive it only through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, continual reliance on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and being true to our covenants.

No outside force can stop us from receiving eternal life.  Nothing short of our own choices can harm us eternally.  No illness, injury, or loss, or even death, can take away our exaltation.  Take Job for an example.  He lost his wealth, his home, his family, his credibility with his friends, and maybe even more though I don't remember the whole story, but he stayed strong in his faith.

Hard times are painful for us, and our loving Heavenly Father surely doesn't enjoy seeing us experience that pain, but they don't impede His plan.  (And frankly, no matter how rough the rough times are, they amount to little when viewed from an eternal perspective.)

Secondly, trials give us the opportunity to grow if we bear them well.  We can very effectively gain patience, humility, sympathy, wisdom, purification, and strength through faithfully enduring trials.  So, in addition to tribulations and trials not being really, eternally bad for us, they can be very good for us eternally if we handle them well.

So, to the strategy.  Consider humility.  That's a big one.  I have certainly been humbled more than once by my trials and difficulties, particularly when I recognized that my own mistakes or immaturity brought those trials to me.  Trials also bring purification, at least in the sense that they help us to filter out unimportant things from our life.  However, I have also found that service brings humility, and it also helps us to let go of our selfish pursuits.

Consider, for example, that we go to care for someone who is suffering from a disablingly painful disease.  As we do so, we realize that our own problems are relatively small, and that we have an easy life compared to the poor soul in the hospital bed. Instant and refreshing humility.  Also, by dedicating our time to serving others, we drop less necessary things from our life.  While attending to the sick person, we don't have time for watching sports, or playing online games, or even good and productive activities that are simply less important.

If I'm going to learn to be like God, as I've been commanded (Matthew 5:48), I need to learn humility and be willing to let go of selfish or unimportant pursuits.  My strategy then is to gain that humility and purification through service, rather than having God feel it necessary to give me these things through trials.

Of course, that's not really my reason for dedicating myself to serving others.  The real reason is charity, the pure love of Christ, and a desire to obey my God.  At the same time, though, if I can reduce my personal need for trials, well, I'm all for it.

Last thoughts for now:
I don't know if our dedication to service really causes God to give us fewer trials in life, and I'm sure it won't prevent all of them.  Perhaps, though, it's really a matter of changing the nature of some of our trials.  Service, after all, is still a challenge, and there is plenty of room for sorrow and exhaustion in service, but how much better to experience the difficulties because we're helping others rather than because we're being unwise?  Service to God and His children (Mosiah 2:17) brings us joy and helps us to forget our own problems, but it also helps us to become like Him.  I hope to learn this lesson more and more.

Acting in Faith

I've tried to be supportive of those around me who are dealing with trials. Before the priesthood session of General Conference began, I tried to seek out two friends because I was concerned about them.

One was already planning to go to the priesthood session. I wanted to ensure that his family had watched the earlier sessions (they had watched part; I encouraged them to watch the rest later because I felt it would be very good for them in particular). I hope that as I showed up on my friend's doorstep he knew that I was visiting him out of love, concern, and hope.

The other probably didn't realize that it was Conference Weekend until I found him, the second time I drove to his house. With some encouragement, he showered, dressed and accompanied me to the church to watch the priesthood session. I was humbly pleased to have helped him, and I'm certain that I found him at home on my second visit in answer to my prayers.

I have two thoughts about faith in action as it relates to these friends:

First, in both cases I don't know how much my actions helped, either in the short term or particularly in the long term. I don't know if my friends felt grateful to or annoyed by me. So many times in the past I've been left to wonder how much good I've actually done as I've made efforts to help and encourage people to follow our Savior. Maybe this is how things often are; maybe people only rarely see concrete results of their efforts to help God's children receive their exaltation. Regardless of what it's like for others, I usually don't know what good I've actually done. I try to keep my faith, doing my besy to figure out what is right to do in any given case even if I'm never fully sure that it was the best course of action.

Second, at the very least I know I made myself available. I'm convinced that people frequently deny themselves the opportunity to joyously act as the hands of God in others' lives simply because they are distracted and busy. There are countless ways to turn our attention away from the Holy Ghost, but as we put these distractions out of our lives we will find that we are needed elsewhere to care for our brothers and sisters.

I hope that I truly have been of service to my two friends, and I hope also that I may find confirmation that I've been of use to them.

Last thoughts for now:
I think that faith is acting even when I'm uncertain that I can do something truly useful. I rely on it. I know that it's only when I free myself of distractions that the Holy Ghost can guide me and that I can truly act in faith. I thank my God for allowing me to serve my brothers and sisters here.

Meriting Great Gifts

God told Nephi, son of Helaman, the following:
"...I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed. in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word...I give unto you power..." (Helaman 10:5, 7)
And He states that Nephi will have the power to seal and loose things in earth and in heaven, to speak and make mountains flat or cause the people to be smitten.

Nephi received this gift only after being imprisoned for teaching the gospel, after preaching for six years in a land where the people didn't listen to him, and after being faithful despite having his country overtaken and perverted by the Gaddianton robbers.

I guess I might normally want to be blessed to be "mighty in word and deed" before serving as a missionary for six years. Little do I know what kind of effort and righteousness are required before we receive such gifts.

It certainly makes sense in a basic sort of way. How can one expect to be blessed without showing some effort to do God's will?

Interestingly, after being given such power, Nephi still was tasked with preaching repentance he faced rejection as he carried out that preaching. Even though he had been given great power, he still had difficult work to do.

It seems to be the basic flow in life: Do what is right, and you will be blessed with more opportunities to do what is right.

Last thoughts for now:
I admire Nephi's dedication. I know I must resolve myself to live righteously and share the gospel, even if it takes years to receive all the blessings my Father in Heaven has in store for me.