A talk given by Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, on December 6, 1982, at the funeral of Wilford Payne. Henry Haurand was present at the funeral and remembered clearly how the sermon had filled him with great hope. In the summer of 1991 President Haurand, then a member of the Bountiful Utah South Stake presidency, had come into possession of a transcript of the talk, which he shared with me on September 1 and which President Haurand used extensively in his talk at the funeral of Bishop Elvon Bay in the Bountiful Thirty-Sixth Ward on September 9, 1991. The talk deeply affected me, and in the years since then I have used the ideas from it in several funeral sermons I have had occasion to preach. In a letter to my good friend, Doug Holt, dated October 21, 1991, I wrote: “Here is a copy of the funeral talk by Elder McConkie that I was telling you about a couple weeks ago. It has the kind of doctrine I want preached at my funeral some day.”
I am very grateful to have the privilege of expressing a hearty and heart-felt “Amen” to the excellent tributes and expressions that have been made in this service about my dear and well beloved friend, Brother Wilford Payne. I am delighted to have the privilege of having my expressions of appreciation and commendation for the life that he has lived. I think it is particularly gratifying that the general tone and tenor of all the tributes that have been paid, whatever they have said about his Church service as stake president, mission president, a Regional Representative, a sealer in the temple, whatever they have said about all else, the tribute in the final analysis has turned to the high and important part of his life that was centered in the family unit. President Payne served as a stake president for fourteen years, or whatever, and was then released. He served as a mission president, Regional Representative, and so on for a designated and limited period. He accepted the call to serve as an eternal father, and so he married Blanche Ellsworth according to the law and order of the holy priesthood, and with that union was created an eternal family unit that has the potential of becoming like the family of God our Father, and he will not be released from that call and that assignment which he accepted and made by choice as guided by the power of the Spirit.
Whatever we do in the Church, it is all supplemental, it is ancillary, it is preparatory for a more important thing and that is a relationship centered in a prospective eternal family unit. And so I join in the accolades that have been expressed and the appreciation that has been reigned [?] and am pleased with you to know that it centers above all else in the family unit.
I had the privilege of performing a marriage ceremony in the temple once for a descendant of President Harry Payne. Though Harry Payne, long deceased at the time, because of his interest in the family unit, the same interest that has been born witness of relative to Brother Wilford today, Brother Harry Payne was present for the occasion. There isn’t anything in the world as important as the family unit. And that is what counts in the eternal sense of the word where this family is concerned.
I do not know how many there are present today; there would be a number whose husbands and wives have passed on. Elder Mark E. Petersen, of course, is one of them whose beloved Emma Mar has preceded him into another sphere: the realm of spirits, where the work of the Lord continues on the same basis that it operates here except without question an accelerated pace. I met since this assemblage came together today Sister Dannion and Sister Jaussi. Both of them have husbands who have passed on, and both of them were contemporaries in the mission field with Brother Wilford Payne, their husbands as with him presiding over missions in Great Britain.
I think if I can contribute properly to this service that it would be appropriate for me to say to all of you, Brother Payne and his family, to Blanche, who is a great pillar of spiritual strength and wisdom herself, but to all of us in general: “What blessings accrue when a faithful person departs this life.”
We don’t have the anxieties, the fears, and the tremulous feeling that are present in the world when death comes upon us. We have some feelings and understandings that the world does not have.
It is not uncommon among us to have the sick healed and occasionally the dead raised; as part of the gospel plan these things operate by faith. I once gave some years ago Brother Wilford Payne a blessing when his health was not all that it should be and that he desired. Because he was a man of faith and because his time had not come to depart this life, the Lord was prevailed upon to remove the disease that afflicted him and caused the cancer that he had to go away, and he continued to live until his appointed time.
Our revelation says that they who have faith to be healed shall be healed if they are not appointed unto death. But there came a time when he was appointed unto death, and it was right and proper, it was the mind and will and purpose of the Lord that he be transferred from this mortal sphere to a more glorious sphere because he went to the paradise of God. In that sphere he rests from his labors as far as the diseases and sickness and illness and troubles of this life are concerned, but he goes on laboring and struggling and working with a zeal that exceeds anything that he manifest here, working on the Lord’s errand for the salvation of people, and his interest remains primarily and chiefly in the family unit, in the members of his family who predeceased him, with whom already he has commenced reunion. His interest continues in full measure, perhaps accentuated, perhaps greater than ever, in the members of his family who remain.
We have in the Church, in the revelation, something that we have come to call the Law of the Mourner. It is prefaced by the expression that those that the elders of the Church should be called when they are sick and that they should pray over them and that the prayer of faith will heal the sick if it is appointed.
But the law itself says, “Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection” (D&C 42:45).
Then it says a marvelous thing. It says, “Those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them” (D&C 42:46).
Then there is a phrase, a sentence that does not concern us. It gives the perspective and eternal view, however. It says, “And they that die not in me, wo unto them, for their death is bitter” (D&C 42:47).
Now there is an expression—that if we could single out and catch a vision of its true and full meaning would give us comfort and an assurance in the household of faith that practically nothing else in this world can give us. They “that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them.”
That gives us the problem of determining what is meant by “those that die in me.” John saw a vision, and John wrote something about this. He summarized it in these words. He said, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord,” for “they . . . rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13).
The same expression: Die in the Lord.
Let me tell you a verse of a hymn that was sung by the Lord Jesus and eleven others, the remaining eleven of the Twelve, Judas having gone out into the night as they concluded their worship and the period of instruction in the upper room. This was the night before the crucifixion. This was the beginning of the night when the Lord Jesus in Gethsemane worked out the infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice. All it says in the New Testament is, “They sang an hymn.” As it happens, we know what hymn they sang, because we know what hymn is sung in every home in Jerusalem that night as part of the keeping of the feast of the Passover. One of the verses in that hymn says this, and it is from the revelations: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalms 116:15).
Now does that do something to death in the eternal perspective of things? Precious unto the Lord is the death of His saints! Not something that brings sorrow and anguish and anxiety into the soul, but something that announces a reward and a triumph and the beginning of a day of glory and peace and reward. Something that indicates that a soul has come from the presence of God and passed through a mortal probation and ended dying in the Lord. Or, in other words, ended life having kept the faith.
Now the people that die in the Lord are the people that keep the faith but are not perfect. They are not perfect many of them by any manner of means. There was only one perfect being and that was the Lord Jesus Christ, and if you had to be perfect in this life to gain salvation there would only be one saved person. Now, yes, they become perfect eventually in eternity, but as pertaining to this life they die in the faith, in the Lord.
Now if you want a passage of scripture that was said by a very wise and good man with great inspiration, but which is a distillation in thought content of what has been said by tens of thousands of Saints through the various dispensations, or what could be said, it is this. And instead of saying it in the first person of its author, let’s think of it in terms of Brother Wilford Payne saying it, because he was in the category to which it applied (and that is what the scriptures are, simply the samples and patterns of certain episodes that are then enlarged upon in principles to apply to all people similarly situated). Well, these are the words:
“I have I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7–8).
Now that is the benediction spoken or unspoken that in thought content is in the heart and the mind and the soul of every person who departs this life in the faith, who dies in the Lord.
What we do in this life is to chart a course leading to eternal life. That means we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are baptized for the remission of sins. We receive by the laying on of hands the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is the right to the constant companionship of that member of the Godhead based on faithfulness, and then we struggle and labor and strive to endure to the end, to keep the commandments after baptism.
Nephi said we were to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men” (2 Nephi 31:20). He said we were to feast on the word of Christ. Then he gave a promise that pertaining those so doing, “Thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20).
Now this is what is expected of us: to chart a course leading to eternal life. And then if we are on the course and in the path and struggling and striving and trying to do what we best can, if we are trying to utilize the talents that the Lord has given us, and we depart this life still on the path, having died in the faith, it is as though at that moment our calling and election is made sure, because no one departs from the path after this life if he died in the Lord.
Now I am not saying that all people are equal in the eternal worlds, neither in the spirit world, nor in the resurrection. The Prophet told us that “whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection” (D&C 130:18), that if a man “gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come” (D&C 130:19).
But what I am saying is that if we believe the gospel and if we enter into the eternal covenants, chiefly and primarily marriage, and if we strive and struggle and keep the faith and are doing the best we can, though we haven’t attained the perfection that ultimately is our potential, if we go forward and die in the Lord, we filled the measure of our creation, and what more can we ask.
We don’t worry any more about people who departed this life who have been true and faithful. We rest secure and have the feeling that they are at peace (and they are). We have the feeling that they will come forth in a glorious resurrection (and they will). We only worry about those of us who are here remaining, and for us the question and problem is one of so living that we also will die in the faith and will be worthy of the blessings of the gospel.
The gospel principles actually operate in the lives of people. There are thousands and tens and scores of thousands and hundreds of thousands in the Church who are now living in such a manner and in such a way that they will have eternal life in our Father’s kingdom. It is very easy and quite gratifying to have the privilege of speaking at the funeral of such a person, and that is what is involved here today, the passing of Brother Wilford Payne. He has gone on, and he will have all the rewards.
When the Prophet Joseph Smith chose to preach a funeral sermon, it was both for an individual and for all people similarly situated, and the sermon that was the greatest sermon of his ministry was given at a general conference of the Church. It is the King Follet sermon. That sermon was a funeral sermon, and he was telling what would happen to King Follet, an elder in the Church who had been killed when a bucket of rocks fell on him in a well that he was digging.
Well now, a funeral sermon: Last Thursday in the temple with all the General Authorities present, President [Gordon B.] Hinckley said that there was something sanctifying about a funeral. He was talking about President [N. Eldon] Tanner’s funeral. Well, there is something sanctifying about the funeral of every faithful person who passes on because it is an occasion for us to be reminded of the eternal things that are involved in life and how thin the veil is and of how gracious and wondrous it is that a noble soul has gone on and, as a consequence, for us to make the determinations that we need to make so that we can be as they were.
Now Wilford Payne had trouble with his hearing as far as this mortal body was concerned, but he had no problem with his hearing where his spirit was concerned, and he heard the truth, and he believed the truth. And he had a little trouble with his eyesight as far as this mortal body was concerned, but he had not trouble with his spirit eyes. He was able to see eternal things. And he had a lot of deficiencies of the flesh, particularly in his later moments as this body began to decay and prepare to go back to the dust, but there is going to be a day when this body will be raised from mortality to immortality and from corruption to incorruption, and it will become a glorified and perfected body, and there won’t be any hearing aids, and there won’t be any glasses, and there won’t be any physical defects or deficiencies of any sort, but he will come forth in glorious immortality, thus to live through all eternity, the Lord Jesus being the pattern of what is involved.
Well, one word more. I’ll read it from the occasion when the Lord Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. The Lord had deliberately refrained from coming to the environs of Bethany so that Lazarus would remain four days dead and past the point where according to Jewish tradition, false though it was, that the spirit had departed eternally from the mortal presence.
Well, Martha came out first to meet Him: “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee” (John 11:21–22). I find it a little difficult to believe that there could be any expression more profound and total and complete faith than that simple utterance of Martha.
“Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
“Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
“Jesus said unto her,” and in order to make this declaration He had permitted and arranged the entire thing. This is the greatest single declaration He ever made of His own divine sonship. So, in this setting, He said: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
“And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
“She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world” (John 11:23–27).
And shortly thereafter, following as we suppose a similar talk with Mary her sister, Jesus called Lazarus forth from the grave. He came forth bound in his grave clothes returning as a mortal at yet some future day to die.
Well, “I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25). The raising of Lazarus proved that He was the Son of God, the Resurrection and the Life. The resurrection is immortality. The life involved is eternal life. Now the resurrection is to live everlastingly with body and spirit inseparably connected. It will pass upon all men as a free gift of God. But eternal life is the name of the kind of life that God our Father lives, and it consists of two things: one, the continuation of the family unit in eternity; and two, possessing, inheriting, and receiving the fullness of the glory of the Father.
And with that expression we are back to where we began in our consideration of the greatest attribute and characteristic of Wilford Payne. We are back to the family unit, because he created for himself the family unit that can endure everlastingly and, thus by definition and in the very nature of things, can assure him and all the participating members of his family of the greatest reward that is possible to receive—eternal life.
God bless the family. God continue to be gracious and sweet and tender to Blanche and the children and all, that during this moment of separation before in due course they and all of us are called to another sphere of labor and life, they may have the Spirit to be with them and to comfort and assure that all is well and there is no need to worry because of the life that Wilford Payne lived.
This is my prayer, and I think it is the prayer unitedly of all of us, and I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
54. Baptism
A talk given by seven-year-old Rebecca Cleverly on Sunday afternoon, April 18, 1982, in the Primary of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake. She recorded the talk in her journal the next Sunday, April 25. It was published in the April–May 1982 issue of the Family Journal with original spelling and punctuation retained. Five months later Rebecca was baptized on Saturday, September 4, 1982.
Today I’m going to talk about baptism. The fourth article of faith says:
“We believe the first princebales are: first faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second Repentance, third Baptizem by a merson for the rimison of sins, forth for the laying on of hand for the gift of the holy gost.”
Before a person is Baptized he has to
1. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Reptent for his own life.
3. Be inerview by the bishop.
4. Wants to keep all God’s commandments.
5. Wants to be Babtized.
6. And has to be at least 8 years old.
When a person is baptized he is dressed all in white. It shows that we are be coming clean an in a sent.
Then someone who has the right pristhood takes us into the water, says a prayer, and puts us all the way under the water.
Then we comfired a member of the church.
I can hardly wait till I’m baptized.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today I’m going to talk about baptism. The fourth article of faith says:
“We believe the first princebales are: first faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second Repentance, third Baptizem by a merson for the rimison of sins, forth for the laying on of hand for the gift of the holy gost.”
Before a person is Baptized he has to
1. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Reptent for his own life.
3. Be inerview by the bishop.
4. Wants to keep all God’s commandments.
5. Wants to be Babtized.
6. And has to be at least 8 years old.
When a person is baptized he is dressed all in white. It shows that we are be coming clean an in a sent.
Then someone who has the right pristhood takes us into the water, says a prayer, and puts us all the way under the water.
Then we comfired a member of the church.
I can hardly wait till I’m baptized.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
53. Honesty
A talk given by six-year-old Rachael Cleverly on Sunday, February 14, 1982, in the Primary of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake. The talk was printed in the March 1982 issue of the Family Journal.
Today I’m going to talk about honesty. First of all, honesty means not telling lies.
There are at least three ways why we should be honest. First, so you won’t get in trouble. Second, so you’ll feel good inside. Third, so Heavenly Father won’t be sad.
I’m going to tell you a story about Daniel. Once there was a man named Daniel, and he lived in the city near a king. The king loved him very much, and he made Daniel sort of like a prince.
There were some people in the city that didn’t even like him, and they tried to get rid of him. Now Daniel had a rule for himself that he would pray three times a day. And the people who didn’t like him forced the king into making a rule that said you couldn’t pray to your own God but only to the king. And once they caught Daniel praying to his own God, so they brought him to the king, and the king said, “Is it true that you have been praying to your own God?”
Daniel could have told a lie just to save himself, but he told the truth, and he said, “Yes, I have been praying to my own God.”
Now the king hated to do it, but he had to obey the laws, so he put Daniel in the lions’ den. And all night the lions kept their mouths shut. In the morning the king was so surprised when he saw Daniel was still alive. After they got Daniel out, they put the other people in, and that night the lions did not keep their mouths shut.
And I hope we can all be honest like Daniel was. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Today I’m going to talk about honesty. First of all, honesty means not telling lies.
There are at least three ways why we should be honest. First, so you won’t get in trouble. Second, so you’ll feel good inside. Third, so Heavenly Father won’t be sad.
I’m going to tell you a story about Daniel. Once there was a man named Daniel, and he lived in the city near a king. The king loved him very much, and he made Daniel sort of like a prince.
There were some people in the city that didn’t even like him, and they tried to get rid of him. Now Daniel had a rule for himself that he would pray three times a day. And the people who didn’t like him forced the king into making a rule that said you couldn’t pray to your own God but only to the king. And once they caught Daniel praying to his own God, so they brought him to the king, and the king said, “Is it true that you have been praying to your own God?”
Daniel could have told a lie just to save himself, but he told the truth, and he said, “Yes, I have been praying to my own God.”
Now the king hated to do it, but he had to obey the laws, so he put Daniel in the lions’ den. And all night the lions kept their mouths shut. In the morning the king was so surprised when he saw Daniel was still alive. After they got Daniel out, they put the other people in, and that night the lions did not keep their mouths shut.
And I hope we can all be honest like Daniel was. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
52. Tithing
A talk given by eight-year-old Michael Cleverly on Sunday, January 17, 1982, in the Primary of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake. On Tuesday, January 26, he wrote the following account of the talk in his journal. The original spelling and punctuation have been retained. It was also published in the February 1982 issue of the Family Journal. At this time Michael was a third grader at Bountiful Elementary. He had been baptized four months earlier on Saturday, September 5, 1981. He was confirmed a member of the Church the following day.
On January 17, 1982, Sunday, I gave a talk in Primary. This how it went.
Lernzo Snow was the 5th preisdnt of the Church. When Lernzo Snow was presidnt of the Church, the Church had 2 problems. 1st the Church was in det. 2nd ther was a floud [drought] in Saint George. Lernzo Snow had been praying about both of theyes problems.
One day Hevanly Father told Lernzo Snow to go to Saint George. He did not know why he was going to Saint George. But he went Sain George. And when he got there they had a specil confnce. And Lernzo Snow got up and said, "I don't know why I came here." In his talk he read from the bible Malachi chapter 3, verses 8, 9, and 10.
(Note I am to tired to finsh my talk is continued next time.) That's all for today.
On Saturday, 6 February, Michael concluded his account of his talk:
(Finishing part of talk.) Then he stoped. Then he said “Know I know why I came here. It's to tell you two pay your tithing. If you will pay your tithing hevanly Father will open the windoes of hevan and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
So the people started to pay there tithing and hevanly Father opened the windows of heaven and it started to rain. This solved both problems there was no longer a drout and the Church was out of deat. I know these things are true in the name of Jesus Christ amen.
On January 17, 1982, Sunday, I gave a talk in Primary. This how it went.
Lernzo Snow was the 5th preisdnt of the Church. When Lernzo Snow was presidnt of the Church, the Church had 2 problems. 1st the Church was in det. 2nd ther was a floud [drought] in Saint George. Lernzo Snow had been praying about both of theyes problems.
One day Hevanly Father told Lernzo Snow to go to Saint George. He did not know why he was going to Saint George. But he went Sain George. And when he got there they had a specil confnce. And Lernzo Snow got up and said, "I don't know why I came here." In his talk he read from the bible Malachi chapter 3, verses 8, 9, and 10.
(Note I am to tired to finsh my talk is continued next time.) That's all for today.
On Saturday, 6 February, Michael concluded his account of his talk:
(Finishing part of talk.) Then he stoped. Then he said “Know I know why I came here. It's to tell you two pay your tithing. If you will pay your tithing hevanly Father will open the windoes of hevan and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
So the people started to pay there tithing and hevanly Father opened the windows of heaven and it started to rain. This solved both problems there was no longer a drout and the Church was out of deat. I know these things are true in the name of Jesus Christ amen.
51. The Song of the Righteous
A talk given by six-year-old Rachael Cleverly on Sunday, November 15, 1981, in the Primary of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake. The talk was printed in the December 1981 issue of the Family Journal. Rachael at this time was a first grader at Bountiful Elementary.
Today I’m going to talk about music.
In a revelation to Joseph Smith the Lord said, “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads” (D&C 25:12).
It is very important for us to sing the songs in Primary, family home evening, and at other times. When we sing, it makes Heavenly Father happy.
Songs can also teach us things. Like in the song, “Oh, How Lovely Was the Morning”:
Oh, how lovely was the morning!
Radiant beamed the sun above.
Bees were humming, sweet birds singing,
Music ringing through the grove,
When within the shady woodland
Joseph sought the God of love;
When within the shady woodland,
Joseph sought the God of love.
This song tells us about Joseph Smith’s First Vision when he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Today I’m going to talk about music.
In a revelation to Joseph Smith the Lord said, “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads” (D&C 25:12).
It is very important for us to sing the songs in Primary, family home evening, and at other times. When we sing, it makes Heavenly Father happy.
Songs can also teach us things. Like in the song, “Oh, How Lovely Was the Morning”:
Oh, how lovely was the morning!
Radiant beamed the sun above.
Bees were humming, sweet birds singing,
Music ringing through the grove,
When within the shady woodland
Joseph sought the God of love;
When within the shady woodland,
Joseph sought the God of love.
This song tells us about Joseph Smith’s First Vision when he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
50. The Scriptures
A talk given by Rebecca Cleverly on Sunday, August 30, 1981, just four days after her seventh birthday, in the Primary of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake. The talk was printed in the September 1981 issue of the Family Journal. At this time Rebecca was starting as a second grader at Bountiful Elementary.
Today I am going to talk about the scriptures. In our family we have a scripture reading contest. Each person who can read is supposed to read the scriptures every day. And when we read for ten days without skipping a day, we get a prize. But when we skip a day, we have to start all over again.
In our Church we have four scriptures—the Book of Mormon, the Bible, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine and Covenants.
Now I’m going to read you a story from the Bible about Jesus:
“And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
“And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
“Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
“And their eyes were opened” (Matthew 9:27–30).
I love to read the scriptures all by myself with no help. And I know that they are true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Today I am going to talk about the scriptures. In our family we have a scripture reading contest. Each person who can read is supposed to read the scriptures every day. And when we read for ten days without skipping a day, we get a prize. But when we skip a day, we have to start all over again.
In our Church we have four scriptures—the Book of Mormon, the Bible, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine and Covenants.
Now I’m going to read you a story from the Bible about Jesus:
“And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
“And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
“Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
“And their eyes were opened” (Matthew 9:27–30).
I love to read the scriptures all by myself with no help. And I know that they are true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
49. The Holy Ghost
A talk given by Michael Cleverly on Sunday, August 9, 1981, about a month before he turned eight and was baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. The talk was given in the Primary of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake, and was printed in the September 1981 issue of the Family Journal.
Today I’m going to talk about the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. It tells about the Holy Ghost in the first Article of Faith:
“We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”
And also it tells about the Holy Ghost in the fourth Article of Faith:
“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
When we are confirmed, Heavenly Father’s promise is that the Holy Ghost will be with us as long as we are righteous. Before we are baptized the Holy Ghost isn’t always with us.
I’m going to tell a story about Wilford Woodruff. One night when Wilford Woodruff was staying over at someone’s house, the Spirit—I mean the Holy Ghost—told him to go move his buggy. He could have rolled over and went back to sleep, but Wilford Woodruff had learned that when the Holy Ghost tells you to do something you’d better do it. So he got up and moved his buggy. A minute later after he moved it, a tree crashed where they buggy had been. If he hadn’t moved it like the Holy Ghost told him to, the buggy would have been smashed.
I know these things are true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Today I’m going to talk about the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. It tells about the Holy Ghost in the first Article of Faith:
“We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”
And also it tells about the Holy Ghost in the fourth Article of Faith:
“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
When we are confirmed, Heavenly Father’s promise is that the Holy Ghost will be with us as long as we are righteous. Before we are baptized the Holy Ghost isn’t always with us.
I’m going to tell a story about Wilford Woodruff. One night when Wilford Woodruff was staying over at someone’s house, the Spirit—I mean the Holy Ghost—told him to go move his buggy. He could have rolled over and went back to sleep, but Wilford Woodruff had learned that when the Holy Ghost tells you to do something you’d better do it. So he got up and moved his buggy. A minute later after he moved it, a tree crashed where they buggy had been. If he hadn’t moved it like the Holy Ghost told him to, the buggy would have been smashed.
I know these things are true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Friday, July 4, 2008
48. Courage
A talk given by six-year-old Rebecca Cleverly on Sunday morning, May 3, 1981, in the Primary of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake. The talk was printed in the June 1981 issue of the Family Journal.
Today I’m going to talk about courage. Courage is doing what you are supposed to do and not letting other people try to make you do wrong things.
I am going to tell you some stories about courage.
David had courage to fight Goliath. Goliath thought he could kill David. And David killed Goliath with his slingshot.
Joseph Smith also had courage. When he was nine years old, he had to have an operation on his leg. And Joseph Smith said he would let the doctor operate if he would let his father stand by him.
The pioneers also had courage to go across the country, and they had to leave their homes and come and build new ones.
Today the missionaries have courage to go around the world to teach the gospel.
I pray that we can have courage. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Today I’m going to talk about courage. Courage is doing what you are supposed to do and not letting other people try to make you do wrong things.
I am going to tell you some stories about courage.
David had courage to fight Goliath. Goliath thought he could kill David. And David killed Goliath with his slingshot.
Joseph Smith also had courage. When he was nine years old, he had to have an operation on his leg. And Joseph Smith said he would let the doctor operate if he would let his father stand by him.
The pioneers also had courage to go across the country, and they had to leave their homes and come and build new ones.
Today the missionaries have courage to go around the world to teach the gospel.
I pray that we can have courage. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
47. The Song of the Righteous
A talk I gave on Sunday morning, April 26, 1981, on radio stations KISN–FM and KLUB–AM in Salt Lake City, Utah. The text of the address was later published in the May 1981 issue of the Family Journal and the June 1981 issue of the Cleverly Newsletter.
The Savior of mankind, that perfect Being Who is our example and teacher in all things, taught that “men ought always to pray” (Luke 18:1).
“And in those days” following His resurrection and ascension into heaven, “when the number of disciples was multiplied, . . . the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said,” among other things, “we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:1–4).
When I was a boy I used to wonder about such instruction. How do you pray always? How do you give yourself continually to prayer when there is so much else to be doing in the day-to-day world of gaining an education, earning a living, caring for a family, and the myriads of other things with which we occupy ourselves?
As I searched for an answer, it became obvious from other scriptures that there were right ways and wrong ways of praying always:
“And when thou prayest,” the Savior said, “thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which is in secret shall reward thee openly.
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
“Be not ye therefore like unto them” (Matthew 6:5–8).
I learned from this passage that “praying always” has little to do with vain repetitions or much speaking or a multiplicity of words. Indeed, the Savior used very few words to teach His disciples how to pray:
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
“Give us this day our daily bread.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:9–13).
From this divine model of prayer, I think we learn that “praying always” has somewhat to do with our attitudes and our reverence for God and all that is sacred. It has to do with the way we live our lives.
But, from still other scriptures, I found that there are ways to keep our thoughts and hearts continually centered in Him who is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). The Apostle Paul taught the Saints of his day “to be filled with the Spirit;
“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18–20).
And in another place: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).
And the Lord Himself speaking: “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing on their heads” (D&C 25:12).
So here we have a key, I think, to one way that we can pray always. The song of the righteous, by the Lord’s own definition, is a prayer unto God. We can speak to ourselves “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in [our] heart[s] to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
Who of us is not moved, inspired, instructed, strengthened in our faith, brought closer to God by the great hymns of Christianity?
Some of the hymns and sacred songs remind us of our daily duty:
Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad,
And made someone feel glad?
If not I have failed indeed.
And this one:
Do what is right; be faithful and fearless;
Onward, press onward, the goal is in sight;
Eyes that are wet now, ere long will be tearless;
Blessings await you in doing what’s right!
Other hymns remind us of important truths about the gospel, about ourselves, and about our relationship to God, such as in the ever-popular children’s song:
I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.
Among my favorites, however, are those hymns that focus my thoughts on Jesus Christ, that bring me in closer communion with Him, that increase my appreciation for what He has done for me:
Redeemer of Israel,
Our only delight,
On whom for a blessing we call,
Our shadow by day,
And our pillar by night,
Our King, our Deliverer, our all!
Come, thou Fount of every blessing;
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Praise him for his mercy;
Praise him for his love;
For unnumbered blessings
Praise the Lord above.
Let our happy voices
Still the notes prolong;
One alone is worthy
Of our sweetest song.
Or what comfort from these marvelous promises:
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!
And these promises:
How gentle God’s commands!
How kind his precepts are!
Come, cast your burden on the Lord
And trust his constant care.
Beneath his watchful eye,
His saints securely dwell;
That hand which bears all nature up
Shall guard his children well.
Why should this anxious load
Press down your weary mind?
Haste to your heavenly Father’s throne,
And sweet refreshment find.
His goodness stands approved,
Unchanged from day to day;
I’ll drop my burden at his feet
And bear a song away.
Consider also the profound message and the simple beauty in the words of this great hymn:
How great the wisdom and the love
That filled the courts on high
And sent the Savior from above
To suffer, bleed, and die!
His precious blood he freely spilt;
His life he freely gave,
A sinless sacrifice for guilt,
A dying world to save.
By strict obedience Jesus won
The prize with glory rife:
“Thy will, O God, not mine be done,”
Adorned his mortal life.
He marked the path and led the way,
And every point defines
To light and life and endless day
Where God’s full presence shines.
How great, how glorious, how complete,
Redemption’s grand design,
Where justice, love, and mercy meet
In harmony divine!
There are many other great hymns. Let me conclude with just a final one—a hymn that is loved by many people:
And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin;
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee;
How great thou art, how great thou art!
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!
Yes, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto God. We need not be musicians. We need not even know how to carry a tune particularly. But, as we go about our daily affairs, we can have the words in our minds, we can have the songs in our hearts and thus be found praying always.
May that be our happy lot, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
The Savior of mankind, that perfect Being Who is our example and teacher in all things, taught that “men ought always to pray” (Luke 18:1).
“And in those days” following His resurrection and ascension into heaven, “when the number of disciples was multiplied, . . . the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said,” among other things, “we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:1–4).
When I was a boy I used to wonder about such instruction. How do you pray always? How do you give yourself continually to prayer when there is so much else to be doing in the day-to-day world of gaining an education, earning a living, caring for a family, and the myriads of other things with which we occupy ourselves?
As I searched for an answer, it became obvious from other scriptures that there were right ways and wrong ways of praying always:
“And when thou prayest,” the Savior said, “thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which is in secret shall reward thee openly.
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
“Be not ye therefore like unto them” (Matthew 6:5–8).
I learned from this passage that “praying always” has little to do with vain repetitions or much speaking or a multiplicity of words. Indeed, the Savior used very few words to teach His disciples how to pray:
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
“Give us this day our daily bread.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:9–13).
From this divine model of prayer, I think we learn that “praying always” has somewhat to do with our attitudes and our reverence for God and all that is sacred. It has to do with the way we live our lives.
But, from still other scriptures, I found that there are ways to keep our thoughts and hearts continually centered in Him who is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). The Apostle Paul taught the Saints of his day “to be filled with the Spirit;
“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18–20).
And in another place: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).
And the Lord Himself speaking: “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing on their heads” (D&C 25:12).
So here we have a key, I think, to one way that we can pray always. The song of the righteous, by the Lord’s own definition, is a prayer unto God. We can speak to ourselves “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in [our] heart[s] to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
Who of us is not moved, inspired, instructed, strengthened in our faith, brought closer to God by the great hymns of Christianity?
Some of the hymns and sacred songs remind us of our daily duty:
Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad,
And made someone feel glad?
If not I have failed indeed.
And this one:
Do what is right; be faithful and fearless;
Onward, press onward, the goal is in sight;
Eyes that are wet now, ere long will be tearless;
Blessings await you in doing what’s right!
Other hymns remind us of important truths about the gospel, about ourselves, and about our relationship to God, such as in the ever-popular children’s song:
I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.
Among my favorites, however, are those hymns that focus my thoughts on Jesus Christ, that bring me in closer communion with Him, that increase my appreciation for what He has done for me:
Redeemer of Israel,
Our only delight,
On whom for a blessing we call,
Our shadow by day,
And our pillar by night,
Our King, our Deliverer, our all!
Come, thou Fount of every blessing;
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Praise him for his mercy;
Praise him for his love;
For unnumbered blessings
Praise the Lord above.
Let our happy voices
Still the notes prolong;
One alone is worthy
Of our sweetest song.
Or what comfort from these marvelous promises:
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!
And these promises:
How gentle God’s commands!
How kind his precepts are!
Come, cast your burden on the Lord
And trust his constant care.
Beneath his watchful eye,
His saints securely dwell;
That hand which bears all nature up
Shall guard his children well.
Why should this anxious load
Press down your weary mind?
Haste to your heavenly Father’s throne,
And sweet refreshment find.
His goodness stands approved,
Unchanged from day to day;
I’ll drop my burden at his feet
And bear a song away.
Consider also the profound message and the simple beauty in the words of this great hymn:
How great the wisdom and the love
That filled the courts on high
And sent the Savior from above
To suffer, bleed, and die!
His precious blood he freely spilt;
His life he freely gave,
A sinless sacrifice for guilt,
A dying world to save.
By strict obedience Jesus won
The prize with glory rife:
“Thy will, O God, not mine be done,”
Adorned his mortal life.
He marked the path and led the way,
And every point defines
To light and life and endless day
Where God’s full presence shines.
How great, how glorious, how complete,
Redemption’s grand design,
Where justice, love, and mercy meet
In harmony divine!
There are many other great hymns. Let me conclude with just a final one—a hymn that is loved by many people:
And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin;
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee;
How great thou art, how great thou art!
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!
Yes, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto God. We need not be musicians. We need not even know how to carry a tune particularly. But, as we go about our daily affairs, we can have the words in our minds, we can have the songs in our hearts and thus be found praying always.
May that be our happy lot, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
46. Faith
A short talk given by six-year-old Rebecca Cleverly on Sunday morning, March 29, 1981, in the Primary of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake. She wrote her talk in her journal the same day, and it was later published in the April 1981 issue of the Family Journal. Rebecca at the time was a first grader at Bountiful Elementary.
Today I’m going to talk about faith. Faith is obeying Jesus Christ, our moms and dads, and being kind to one another.
I’m going to tell a story about Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith didn’t know which church was the true church, so he went to talk with God. God said none of the churches were right. I know that Jesus made the true church through Joseph Smith.
I want to bear you my testimony, and I know this church is true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Today I’m going to talk about faith. Faith is obeying Jesus Christ, our moms and dads, and being kind to one another.
I’m going to tell a story about Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith didn’t know which church was the true church, so he went to talk with God. God said none of the churches were right. I know that Jesus made the true church through Joseph Smith.
I want to bear you my testimony, and I know this church is true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
45. Faith, the First Principle of the Gospel
A talk given by seven-year-old Michael Cleverly on Sunday morning, February 1, 1981, in the Primary of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake. The talk was printed in the March 1981 issue of the Family Journal. Michael at the time was a second grader at Bountiful Elementary.
“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:4).
Today I’m going to talk about the first principle, faith. Faith means believing in Jesus Christ and believing and doing the things Jesus has told us.
I’m going to tell about David and Goliath. When David arrived at his brothers’ camp, one of his brothers showed him Goliath. David said he would fight the giant. The next morning David got five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. When Goliath was almost to David, David ran toward him and let go of his sling. One of the stones hit Goliath between the eyes.
David beat Goliath because he had faith in God. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:4).
Today I’m going to talk about the first principle, faith. Faith means believing in Jesus Christ and believing and doing the things Jesus has told us.
I’m going to tell about David and Goliath. When David arrived at his brothers’ camp, one of his brothers showed him Goliath. David said he would fight the giant. The next morning David got five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. When Goliath was almost to David, David ran toward him and let go of his sling. One of the stones hit Goliath between the eyes.
David beat Goliath because he had faith in God. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
44. More Joy in His Service
A talk I gave in a Missionary Department devotional on Tuesday morning, March 14, 1978, on the 12th floor of the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City, Utah. I worked in the Presiding Bishopric’s Office from April 1974 until November 1976, when I transferred to the Missionary Department. Just before I spoke, we sang the hymn “More Holiness Give Me” (number 114 in the 1948 hymnal in use at that time; number 131 in the 1985 hymnbook). The story I told about my great-grandparents, Charles and Eliza Batt, can be found in chapter 2 of Batt & Lee Ancestors.
There is a line in the hymn we just sang that I want to use as my theme this morning:
More joy in his service,
More purpose in prayer.
One hundred and thirty-six years ago this Friday the Prophet Joseph Smith founded the Relief Society organization. One of its stated purposes—both then and now—was to render compassionate service. “This is a charitable society,” taught the Prophet, “and according to your natures; it is natural for females to have feelings of charity and benevolence. You are now placed in a situation in which you can act according to those sympathies which God has planted in your bosoms” (Teachings, 226).
I want to talk a minute this morning about compassionate service by first relating two stories—both of them true—and then reading a scripture, and then making a few comments.
The first story comes from the history of my great-grandparents, Charles and Eliza Batt. As a young couple in England they heard the gospel, were baptized, and within a month left to come to America. This was in the 1880s. They had been married just a few years and had one small child when they came.
As soon as they arrived in Utah, they went to the Cache Valley, and after only three days my great-grandfather left his wife and baby alone in a strange new land without any friends and went away for the rest of the summer to help put railroad tracks and telephone lines into the Cache Valley. He was gone all summer, and the record states that “by the time he had paid for his board and room, he had only five dollars to take home to his family.”
Well, Charles tried farming and wasn’t very successful at it. In England he had been a gardener, a landscaper, and had been employed on the estate of the poet Shelley, evidently one of the most beautiful estates in all of England at that time. But he wasn’t a very good farmer—as I wouldn’t be if I were a farmer—and the family got poorer and poorer. They also kept having babies, which didn’t seem to help matters.
I mention all of this just to set the scene for the incident I want to read from their history; let me quote from a few places here:
“Charles wasn’t a good farmer, and the land was sandy and rough. . . . Charles and Eliza worked hard, but the crops didn’t do well. Eliza helped pick up potatoes to help Charles. She also did washing for a lady in Lewiston in order to get a tub, a washboard, and soap so she could do her own wash.
“Another baby was on the way. The family was so poor that they finally had to ask for help. Sister Kemp went with Eliza to the president of the Relief Society to ask for clothes for the new baby.”
One year, according to the record, the potatoes were so small that they couldn’t peel them, and evidently that was one of the main things they had to eat. Then comes this classic statement:
“The longer Charles tried to farm the poorer they got. Farming in Utah was so different from the farming in England.”
After a time, Charles went into Logan to see if he could find more suitable work there. Through a series of experiences and acquaintances, he finally obtained a job at the then Utah Agricultural College—now Utah State University—which was just then being built in Logan. He was hired initially as a handyman, a sort of jack-of-all-trades I guess, and then later as a gardener. And now I’m to the incident I wanted to relate:
“Sickness struck shortly after their move to Logan. All three children became desperately ill. The baby Ernest wasn’t quite 15 months old when he passed away October 21, 1890. Doll and Bill were still very sick children at the time their little brother died. Charles and Eliza were saddened and had a great decision to make. Where were they going to get the money to bury their little son? Charles had not received his first paycheck from the college, and they didn’t know anyone who could loan them the money. Charles decided to go see the undertaker and see what could be arranged. Eliza got on her knees and offered a humble prayer that things would work out.
“Charles went to the Lindquist Mortuary and told Mr. Lindquist of his troubles. He said he would sign a bank note or anything Mr. Lindquist thought best. After hearing Charles’s story of joining the Church in England and coming to America for the gospel, Mr. Lindquist told Charles he would not have to sign a note or anything else. He would take Charles at his word and knew he would pay him when he could. Mr. Lindquist had been a convert himself and had come to America too and knew how Charles felt.
“While Charles was in Mr. Lindquist’s office, a Mr. H. G. Hayball came in. Mr. Lindquist introduced them, telling Mr. Hayball that Charles was one of his countrymen and also a convert to the Church. Mr. Hayball and his brother owned a grocery store in Logan. Mr. Lindquist told Mr. Hayball that the Batt family needed some food. Mr. Hayball invited Charles to come with him and take home some groceries. Charles could pay him anytime.
“Charles was so overcome by the kindness of these two men that he couldn’t talk. Mr. Hayball asked Charles what part of town he lived in. When he found out, he told Charles to go see Mrs. Ross Neil-son and to tell her that H. G. Hayball said to let him have some fresh milk for the sick children and that he’d make it good to her.
“Charles took the groceries and went home. He found Doll feeling a little better, but Bill [he was my grandfather] was still burning with fever and was a very sick little boy.
“Charles took a small bucket and went in search of Mrs. Neilson. He told her who had sent him and why he wanted the milk. After hearing his story, Sister Neilson put a shawl over her, took a larger bucket, and got some milk. She also got some eggs and went home with him. Sister Neilson was not a woman of many words, nor very easy to get acquainted with, but she was a good Latter-day Saint who reached out her helping hand. After she talked to Eliza . . . and gave [her] some words of faith and comfort, she left. A short while later, she returned with her daughter and some material to make the burial clothes for [the baby].”
I’m always moved by this story, perhaps because it happened to my people, but also I think because it is a good example of a need and a heartfelt prayer and Christian service in response.
The second story was told by President Harold B. Lee in a Relief Society conference in the Tabernacle:
“Another matter of importance we call compassionate service. My Aunt Jeanette McMurrin told me this interesting story. She was widowed and living with her daughter. One morning her daughter came to her and said, ‘Mother, we don’t have anything to eat in the house. My husband, as you know, has been out of work. I am sorry, Mother.’
“Aunt Jeanette said that she dressed and worked around the house, then closed the door, knelt down, and said, ‘Heavenly Father, I have tried all my life to keep the commandments; I have paid my tithing; I have given service in the Church. We have no food in our house today. Father, touch the heart of somebody so we won’t have to go hungry.’ She said she went about with a feeling of gladness, thinking all would be right.
“There came a knock at the door in a few hours, and there was a little neighbor girl with food in her arms. Choking back the tears, the widow brought the child into the kitchen and said, ‘Set them here, and tell your mother that this came today as an answer to our prayers. We didn’t have any food in our house.’
“Needless to say, the little girl went back and carried that message, and in a little while she returned with still a larger armload. As she brought the bags to the kitchen table, she asked, ‘Did I come this time as an answer to your prayers?’
“My Aunt Jeanette replied, ‘No, my darling, this time you came as a fulfillment of a promise. Fifty years ago when your grandmother was expecting a little child, she didn’t have anything to eat and she was lacking in strength and nourishment. I was the little girl who carried food into her house so that she would have the strength to bring her little baby—your mother—into the world.’ Then she said, ‘The Lord said, “Cast your bread upon the waters, and after many days it shall return again.” This time you have been carrying back to me the foodstuff that I carried into the home of your grandmother so you mother could be born into the world.’ Compassionate service” (Ensign, Feb. 1972, 55–56).
Notice the common threads running through these two stories: a need, earnest prayer, and compassionate service. As we sang a few moments ago,
More joy in his service,
More purpose in prayer.
Now, if I understand the scriptures at all, we have to serve others if we desire an inheritance in the celestial kingdom. Service is that fundamental. In the fourth chapter of Mosiah we read:
“And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visit-ing the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants” (Mosiah 4:26; emphasis added).
And then it continues with this interesting instruction:
“And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order” (Mosiah 4:27).
All things must be done in order. That is why, I think, the Lord in His mercy allowed the Relief Society to be raised up—so that the sisters in an organized way could render compassionate service to the Church, the same as the priesthood quorums for the brethren, and the welfare services program, and everything that helps us to do it in the Lord’s own way (see D&C 104:14–18).
I bear you my own witness that these things are true. Service is essential to our salvation. May we be involved not only in rendering compassionate service but also in living close enough to the Spirit so that when those who need our help pray for such help we may recognize the promptings and go and serve. And if we do, miracles like the ones we’ve mentioned in these stories will happen in our lives. May such be the case, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
There is a line in the hymn we just sang that I want to use as my theme this morning:
More joy in his service,
More purpose in prayer.
One hundred and thirty-six years ago this Friday the Prophet Joseph Smith founded the Relief Society organization. One of its stated purposes—both then and now—was to render compassionate service. “This is a charitable society,” taught the Prophet, “and according to your natures; it is natural for females to have feelings of charity and benevolence. You are now placed in a situation in which you can act according to those sympathies which God has planted in your bosoms” (Teachings, 226).
I want to talk a minute this morning about compassionate service by first relating two stories—both of them true—and then reading a scripture, and then making a few comments.
The first story comes from the history of my great-grandparents, Charles and Eliza Batt. As a young couple in England they heard the gospel, were baptized, and within a month left to come to America. This was in the 1880s. They had been married just a few years and had one small child when they came.
As soon as they arrived in Utah, they went to the Cache Valley, and after only three days my great-grandfather left his wife and baby alone in a strange new land without any friends and went away for the rest of the summer to help put railroad tracks and telephone lines into the Cache Valley. He was gone all summer, and the record states that “by the time he had paid for his board and room, he had only five dollars to take home to his family.”
Well, Charles tried farming and wasn’t very successful at it. In England he had been a gardener, a landscaper, and had been employed on the estate of the poet Shelley, evidently one of the most beautiful estates in all of England at that time. But he wasn’t a very good farmer—as I wouldn’t be if I were a farmer—and the family got poorer and poorer. They also kept having babies, which didn’t seem to help matters.
I mention all of this just to set the scene for the incident I want to read from their history; let me quote from a few places here:
“Charles wasn’t a good farmer, and the land was sandy and rough. . . . Charles and Eliza worked hard, but the crops didn’t do well. Eliza helped pick up potatoes to help Charles. She also did washing for a lady in Lewiston in order to get a tub, a washboard, and soap so she could do her own wash.
“Another baby was on the way. The family was so poor that they finally had to ask for help. Sister Kemp went with Eliza to the president of the Relief Society to ask for clothes for the new baby.”
One year, according to the record, the potatoes were so small that they couldn’t peel them, and evidently that was one of the main things they had to eat. Then comes this classic statement:
“The longer Charles tried to farm the poorer they got. Farming in Utah was so different from the farming in England.”
After a time, Charles went into Logan to see if he could find more suitable work there. Through a series of experiences and acquaintances, he finally obtained a job at the then Utah Agricultural College—now Utah State University—which was just then being built in Logan. He was hired initially as a handyman, a sort of jack-of-all-trades I guess, and then later as a gardener. And now I’m to the incident I wanted to relate:
“Sickness struck shortly after their move to Logan. All three children became desperately ill. The baby Ernest wasn’t quite 15 months old when he passed away October 21, 1890. Doll and Bill were still very sick children at the time their little brother died. Charles and Eliza were saddened and had a great decision to make. Where were they going to get the money to bury their little son? Charles had not received his first paycheck from the college, and they didn’t know anyone who could loan them the money. Charles decided to go see the undertaker and see what could be arranged. Eliza got on her knees and offered a humble prayer that things would work out.
“Charles went to the Lindquist Mortuary and told Mr. Lindquist of his troubles. He said he would sign a bank note or anything Mr. Lindquist thought best. After hearing Charles’s story of joining the Church in England and coming to America for the gospel, Mr. Lindquist told Charles he would not have to sign a note or anything else. He would take Charles at his word and knew he would pay him when he could. Mr. Lindquist had been a convert himself and had come to America too and knew how Charles felt.
“While Charles was in Mr. Lindquist’s office, a Mr. H. G. Hayball came in. Mr. Lindquist introduced them, telling Mr. Hayball that Charles was one of his countrymen and also a convert to the Church. Mr. Hayball and his brother owned a grocery store in Logan. Mr. Lindquist told Mr. Hayball that the Batt family needed some food. Mr. Hayball invited Charles to come with him and take home some groceries. Charles could pay him anytime.
“Charles was so overcome by the kindness of these two men that he couldn’t talk. Mr. Hayball asked Charles what part of town he lived in. When he found out, he told Charles to go see Mrs. Ross Neil-son and to tell her that H. G. Hayball said to let him have some fresh milk for the sick children and that he’d make it good to her.
“Charles took the groceries and went home. He found Doll feeling a little better, but Bill [he was my grandfather] was still burning with fever and was a very sick little boy.
“Charles took a small bucket and went in search of Mrs. Neilson. He told her who had sent him and why he wanted the milk. After hearing his story, Sister Neilson put a shawl over her, took a larger bucket, and got some milk. She also got some eggs and went home with him. Sister Neilson was not a woman of many words, nor very easy to get acquainted with, but she was a good Latter-day Saint who reached out her helping hand. After she talked to Eliza . . . and gave [her] some words of faith and comfort, she left. A short while later, she returned with her daughter and some material to make the burial clothes for [the baby].”
I’m always moved by this story, perhaps because it happened to my people, but also I think because it is a good example of a need and a heartfelt prayer and Christian service in response.
The second story was told by President Harold B. Lee in a Relief Society conference in the Tabernacle:
“Another matter of importance we call compassionate service. My Aunt Jeanette McMurrin told me this interesting story. She was widowed and living with her daughter. One morning her daughter came to her and said, ‘Mother, we don’t have anything to eat in the house. My husband, as you know, has been out of work. I am sorry, Mother.’
“Aunt Jeanette said that she dressed and worked around the house, then closed the door, knelt down, and said, ‘Heavenly Father, I have tried all my life to keep the commandments; I have paid my tithing; I have given service in the Church. We have no food in our house today. Father, touch the heart of somebody so we won’t have to go hungry.’ She said she went about with a feeling of gladness, thinking all would be right.
“There came a knock at the door in a few hours, and there was a little neighbor girl with food in her arms. Choking back the tears, the widow brought the child into the kitchen and said, ‘Set them here, and tell your mother that this came today as an answer to our prayers. We didn’t have any food in our house.’
“Needless to say, the little girl went back and carried that message, and in a little while she returned with still a larger armload. As she brought the bags to the kitchen table, she asked, ‘Did I come this time as an answer to your prayers?’
“My Aunt Jeanette replied, ‘No, my darling, this time you came as a fulfillment of a promise. Fifty years ago when your grandmother was expecting a little child, she didn’t have anything to eat and she was lacking in strength and nourishment. I was the little girl who carried food into her house so that she would have the strength to bring her little baby—your mother—into the world.’ Then she said, ‘The Lord said, “Cast your bread upon the waters, and after many days it shall return again.” This time you have been carrying back to me the foodstuff that I carried into the home of your grandmother so you mother could be born into the world.’ Compassionate service” (Ensign, Feb. 1972, 55–56).
Notice the common threads running through these two stories: a need, earnest prayer, and compassionate service. As we sang a few moments ago,
More joy in his service,
More purpose in prayer.
Now, if I understand the scriptures at all, we have to serve others if we desire an inheritance in the celestial kingdom. Service is that fundamental. In the fourth chapter of Mosiah we read:
“And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visit-ing the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants” (Mosiah 4:26; emphasis added).
And then it continues with this interesting instruction:
“And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order” (Mosiah 4:27).
All things must be done in order. That is why, I think, the Lord in His mercy allowed the Relief Society to be raised up—so that the sisters in an organized way could render compassionate service to the Church, the same as the priesthood quorums for the brethren, and the welfare services program, and everything that helps us to do it in the Lord’s own way (see D&C 104:14–18).
I bear you my own witness that these things are true. Service is essential to our salvation. May we be involved not only in rendering compassionate service but also in living close enough to the Spirit so that when those who need our help pray for such help we may recognize the promptings and go and serve. And if we do, miracles like the ones we’ve mentioned in these stories will happen in our lives. May such be the case, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
43. Our Message for America
A cover article in the March 1976 issue of the Cleverly Newsletter that was adapted from a talk I gave on Sunday, February 29, 1976, in the sacrament meeting of the Rose Park Fourth Ward, Salt Lake Rose Park Stake. We had moved from Provo to our home in Rose Park just a month earlier. On July 4, 1976, the United States celebrated the bicentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Elder L. Tom Perry of the Council of the Twelve in a recent address he gave, indicated that we as members of the Church have a positive three-fold message for America as we celebrate the bicentennial:
First, America’s earliest history is contained in the Book of Mormon and other scriptures.
Second, the discovery of America and the founding of this nation were parts of God’s plan.
And third, the future of America’s destiny depends upon the righteousness of America’s families.
Let’s talk a little now of the founding of this nation. If you think about it, the American Revolution must be ranked as one of the significant miracles of all recorded history. Here were thirteen little, weak, struggling colonies that couldn’t even agree among themselves but were standing up against and defeating what was then the world’s mightiest, most powerful empire. In my mind, there is no way to account for it except to say that God had a hand in it.
Nephi, nearly 2,400 years before it happened, prophesied America’s struggle for independence:
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.
“And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.
“And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.
“And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land” (1 Nephi 13:16–20).
The next great miracle was the framing of the Constitution. With independence finally won, thirteen impoverished little countries (who still couldn’t agree on anything) sat down and united themselves into a union unparalleled in human history. And the God of heaven endorsed the Constitution they drafted:
“According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
“That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.
“Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
“And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (D&C 101:77–80).
Of course, we today understand in context why all of this had to take place. God Almighty needed an America in order to restore the everlasting gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith. America has been, is, and will continue to be the Lord’s home base of operations in the latter days.
From this place is the sound to go forth unto the entire world, “for out of Zion shall go forth the law” (Isaiah 2:3; 2 Nephi 12:3).
And that’s a part of why I love America with all my heart.
Elder L. Tom Perry of the Council of the Twelve in a recent address he gave, indicated that we as members of the Church have a positive three-fold message for America as we celebrate the bicentennial:
First, America’s earliest history is contained in the Book of Mormon and other scriptures.
Second, the discovery of America and the founding of this nation were parts of God’s plan.
And third, the future of America’s destiny depends upon the righteousness of America’s families.
Let’s talk a little now of the founding of this nation. If you think about it, the American Revolution must be ranked as one of the significant miracles of all recorded history. Here were thirteen little, weak, struggling colonies that couldn’t even agree among themselves but were standing up against and defeating what was then the world’s mightiest, most powerful empire. In my mind, there is no way to account for it except to say that God had a hand in it.
Nephi, nearly 2,400 years before it happened, prophesied America’s struggle for independence:
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.
“And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.
“And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.
“And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land” (1 Nephi 13:16–20).
The next great miracle was the framing of the Constitution. With independence finally won, thirteen impoverished little countries (who still couldn’t agree on anything) sat down and united themselves into a union unparalleled in human history. And the God of heaven endorsed the Constitution they drafted:
“According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
“That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.
“Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
“And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (D&C 101:77–80).
Of course, we today understand in context why all of this had to take place. God Almighty needed an America in order to restore the everlasting gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith. America has been, is, and will continue to be the Lord’s home base of operations in the latter days.
From this place is the sound to go forth unto the entire world, “for out of Zion shall go forth the law” (Isaiah 2:3; 2 Nephi 12:3).
And that’s a part of why I love America with all my heart.
42. An Undelivered Talk
A talk I prepared for the first sacrament meeting of the new school year (on Sunday evening, August 31, 1975) in the BYU 11th Branch, Brigham Young University First Stake, where I was serving as first counselor in the branch presidency. Student congregations at this time were organized into branches rather than wards so that young counselors such as I (I was 26 years old at the time) could continue to serve as elders after leaving the university rather than being ordained high priests. This was about four and a half years before the consolidated meeting schedule was introduced, and sacrament meetings were usually held in the afternoon or evening separate from other Sunday meetings. For various reasons now lost to memory, I never actually gave this talk.
I’m going to try an experiment on you tonight. Never before in my life have I written a talk that I was going to give in church. In the work I do, I sometimes write for others, but I’ve never done it for myself. For a variety of reasons, which I won’t bother you with now, I’m doing it tonight for the first time—partly because there’s a lot I want to say and if I didn’t control myself I would take at least twice as much time as I should.
Let me tell you a bit about me and my family. I have a wonderful wife named Claudia and three precious little children—Michael Adam, who will be two the day after tomorrow; Rebecca, who turned one last week; and Rachael, who is just a little over three weeks old. Both Claudia and I graduated from BYU—she in elementary education, I in English and Portuguese. I served my mission about five years ago in what was then the Brazil North Mission.
For about the last year and a half, I have been working in Salt Lake City for the Presiding Bishopric. I guess my profession would be classified as a technical writer.
My family is very important to me. And I suppose I should mention right now at the beginning that we hold Monday nights sacred. For you home evening is supposed to be only one hour long. For us, because we are a real family, home evening is exactly that—all evening long, from 6:00 P.M., which is when I get home from work, until the next morning when I get up. What I’m saying is simply this: please do not call us on Monday nights. I’m happy to serve you any other day, at any other time, but please Monday night is sacred.
Now, after that little plug, let me get to my talk.
The late Richard L. Evans once said, “Meetings are where you go to learn things you already know but don’t have the time to do because of so many meetings” (quoted by President Harold B. Lee, Regional Representatives’ seminar, Apr. 3, 1969). Somehow I hope we don’t fall into that trap.
The Lord gave us some compelling reasons for being here tonight in sacrament meeting. In the Doctrine and Covenants we read: “And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go up to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day” (D&C 59:9).
Elsewhere we read: “And now, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know how to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments, which I have given.
“And thus ye shall become instructed in the law of my church” (D&C 43:8–9).
So here are two reasons for our being here tonight. First, to partake of the sacrament and, second, to be instructed and edified. I would like to spend a few minutes on this second reason.
President Harold B. Lee made this statement: “One of our brethren who was asked to speak in a sacrament meeting made a statement I would wish could be trumpeted throughout this entire Church. The brother said: ‘No person has a right to occupy the pulpits of this Church in our sacrament meetings unless he is there to preach the gospel.’ I wish that could be understood—that the very purpose of the invitation is to preach the gospel” (Regional Representatives’ seminar, Oct. 3, 1968).
I mention this because throughout this coming year, during these next two semesters, most of you will have an opportunity to stand here to give a talk—either in Sunday School or sacrament meeting. The way we’ve handled it in the past, and we expect to continue again this year, is to invite each of the groups to prepare and provide the services each Sunday. Our experience over the past two years has been that we’ve had some marvelous, inspirational, and instructive meetings—the kind of meeting I think President Lee was referring to in this quote I just read.
One thing I’ve noticed is that often the best talks are those that draw heavily on personal experiences. In fact, it bothers me to have someone stand and excuse himself for using personal examples. I wonder if they’ve ever heard a General Authority speak. President Kimball, for example, has often masterfully used examples from his childhood or youth to teach the great lessons he has to teach. The most powerful witness of the gospel you can bear will grow out of your own struggles, your own confrontations, your own obedience to specific principles. That which you struggle with and overcome is that which the Spirit will bear witness of to you. So never feel ashamed to share yourselves, as the Spirit moves you, in teaching a gospel principle or in bearing witness.
I think one of the most moving experiences in my life came at the close of the October conference two years ago as President Lee was closing the conference. (And, incidentally, it was his very last conference address before he died.) This is what President Lee said:
“And so, in the closing moments of this conference, I have been moved as I have never been moved before in all my life. If it were not for the assurance that I have that the Lord is near to us, guiding, directing, the burden would be almost beyond my strength, but because I know that he is there, and that he can be appealed to, and if we have ears to hear attuned to him, we will never be left alone. . . .
“I thank the Lord that I may have passed some of the tests, but maybe there will have to be more before I shall have been polished to do all that the Lord would have me do.
“Sometimes when the veil has been very thin, I have thought that if the struggle had been still greater that maybe then there would have been no veil.”
And then he makes this powerfully humble statement: “I stand by, not asking for anything more than the Lord wants to give me, but I know that he is up there and he is guiding and directing” (Ensign, Jan. 1974, 129).
I think contained in that last sentence is a great lesson for each of us. “I stand by, not asking for anything more than the Lord wants to give me, but I know that he is up there and he is guiding and directing.” If we could all have that kind of faith! How often do we ask for that which the Lord, in His wisdom, is not yet willing to give us? I’m sometimes guilty of that.
It reminds me of Alma’s exclamation: “O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!” (Alma 29:1).
Now that certainly sounds like a righteous desire, especially today in light of President Kimball’s far-reaching and inspired vision of missionary work. But then Alma wisely and humbly adds this: “But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me” (Alma 29:3).
Now, if we can change gears a little, there are two other things I want to mention before I sit down. First is about the payment of fast offerings. My wife Claudia tells me that when she came here to BYU as a student it was well into her second year of school before it ever occurred to her that she was supposed to be paying fast offerings. She had grown up in the Church in an active, faithful home, where her parents were always faithful in paying their tithes and offerings. But growing up Claudia had never paid fast offerings herself.
So I hope this doesn’t come as a surprise to any of you. A minimal offering, and let me emphasize the word minimal, is defined as the cost of the meals that you don’t eat while you are fasting. If we fully understand the law of the fast, then we know that our fast is incomplete until we have given a generous offering to the bishop, who uses these sacred funds to care for the poor, the needy, and the destitute.
The Lord has said this about it: “I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, my very handiwork; and all things therein are mine.
“And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine.
“But it must needs be done in mine own way; and behold this is the way that I, the Lord, have decreed to provide for my saints, that the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low.
“For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare” (D&C 104:14–17).
And then to us who have been blessed with this abundance He mentions, the Lord gives this significant warning: “Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of the gospel, unto the poor and needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment” (D&C 104:18).
If we give according to the law of the gospel, if we give in the Lord’s own way, we will pay a generous fast offering—for that is the Lord’s way. There is no system of charity that I know of that is more selfless or more pure or more effective. In the first place, when we give to the poor by paying fast offerings no one ever knows who paid the money. Because the giving is in secret, the reward in heaven will be greater. Second, the system is so much more effective than any other charity on earth. I read in the news that some well-known charities in this country have an overhead as big as 60 percent or more. That means that 60 percent of the money I might give them does not go directly to the purpose for which I give it. Even the best charities have a 25 to 30 percent overhead. When I pay fast offerings, I can be confident that every single penny, without exception, goes to benefit the poor. There is no overhead.
President Kimball has said: “I think that when we are affluent as many of us are that we ought to be very, very generous. . . . I think we should be very generous and give, instead of the amount we saved by our two meals of fasting, perhaps much, much more—ten times more where we are in a position to do it” (General Welfare Services meeting, Apr. 6, 1974, 12).
Obviously, many of you are not in a position to do that. But listen to this promise President Marion G. Romney makes: “If we will double our fast offerings, we shall increase our own prosperity, both spiritually and temporally. This the Lord has promised, and this has been the record” (talk to the Priesthood Board, Mar. 6, 1974, 10).
I can personally bear record that that statement is true. Every time Claudia and I find that our budget is too tight, and we see no possible way to make ends meet, we just pay a little more fast offerings. We have never been failed; the Lord has stood by His promise every time, and we have always had enough somehow.
I mentioned that I had two other areas I wanted to discuss with you. Paying fast offerings was one of them. I’ll be brief on the second, since the time is running fast. President Lee a few years ago asked these questions in a Regional Representatives’ seminar, and I quote:
“Are you brethren continually increasing your testimony by diligent study of the scriptures? Do you have a daily habit of reading the scriptures? If we’re not reading the scriptures daily, our testimonies are growing thinner, our spirituality isn’t increasing in depth” (Regional Representatives’ seminar, Dec. 12, 1970).
And then President Romney has said this: “The older I grow in the service, the more I turn to the scriptures and try to understand the meaning of what the Lord has said. . . . It is worth our time to study the scriptures and see the depth, as far as we can, of the Lord’s teachings” (General Welfare Services meeting, Oct. 5, 1974, 12).
Scripture study is to the spirit what food is to the body. And some of us seem to be on spiritual diets. We can go days and even weeks at a time never feeding our spirits, and consequently our testimonies grow thinner and thinner until we find ourselves spiritually malnourished.
I can make this promise: If you will consistently and prayerfully search the scriptures for a few moments each day—for 15 minutes if that’s all the time you have—your testimonies will increase, your faith will grow, and you will understand more fully the meaning of what the Lord has said.
And remember, if you’re too busy to study the scriptures, you’re simply too busy.
I’m going to try an experiment on you tonight. Never before in my life have I written a talk that I was going to give in church. In the work I do, I sometimes write for others, but I’ve never done it for myself. For a variety of reasons, which I won’t bother you with now, I’m doing it tonight for the first time—partly because there’s a lot I want to say and if I didn’t control myself I would take at least twice as much time as I should.
Let me tell you a bit about me and my family. I have a wonderful wife named Claudia and three precious little children—Michael Adam, who will be two the day after tomorrow; Rebecca, who turned one last week; and Rachael, who is just a little over three weeks old. Both Claudia and I graduated from BYU—she in elementary education, I in English and Portuguese. I served my mission about five years ago in what was then the Brazil North Mission.
For about the last year and a half, I have been working in Salt Lake City for the Presiding Bishopric. I guess my profession would be classified as a technical writer.
My family is very important to me. And I suppose I should mention right now at the beginning that we hold Monday nights sacred. For you home evening is supposed to be only one hour long. For us, because we are a real family, home evening is exactly that—all evening long, from 6:00 P.M., which is when I get home from work, until the next morning when I get up. What I’m saying is simply this: please do not call us on Monday nights. I’m happy to serve you any other day, at any other time, but please Monday night is sacred.
Now, after that little plug, let me get to my talk.
The late Richard L. Evans once said, “Meetings are where you go to learn things you already know but don’t have the time to do because of so many meetings” (quoted by President Harold B. Lee, Regional Representatives’ seminar, Apr. 3, 1969). Somehow I hope we don’t fall into that trap.
The Lord gave us some compelling reasons for being here tonight in sacrament meeting. In the Doctrine and Covenants we read: “And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go up to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day” (D&C 59:9).
Elsewhere we read: “And now, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know how to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments, which I have given.
“And thus ye shall become instructed in the law of my church” (D&C 43:8–9).
So here are two reasons for our being here tonight. First, to partake of the sacrament and, second, to be instructed and edified. I would like to spend a few minutes on this second reason.
President Harold B. Lee made this statement: “One of our brethren who was asked to speak in a sacrament meeting made a statement I would wish could be trumpeted throughout this entire Church. The brother said: ‘No person has a right to occupy the pulpits of this Church in our sacrament meetings unless he is there to preach the gospel.’ I wish that could be understood—that the very purpose of the invitation is to preach the gospel” (Regional Representatives’ seminar, Oct. 3, 1968).
I mention this because throughout this coming year, during these next two semesters, most of you will have an opportunity to stand here to give a talk—either in Sunday School or sacrament meeting. The way we’ve handled it in the past, and we expect to continue again this year, is to invite each of the groups to prepare and provide the services each Sunday. Our experience over the past two years has been that we’ve had some marvelous, inspirational, and instructive meetings—the kind of meeting I think President Lee was referring to in this quote I just read.
One thing I’ve noticed is that often the best talks are those that draw heavily on personal experiences. In fact, it bothers me to have someone stand and excuse himself for using personal examples. I wonder if they’ve ever heard a General Authority speak. President Kimball, for example, has often masterfully used examples from his childhood or youth to teach the great lessons he has to teach. The most powerful witness of the gospel you can bear will grow out of your own struggles, your own confrontations, your own obedience to specific principles. That which you struggle with and overcome is that which the Spirit will bear witness of to you. So never feel ashamed to share yourselves, as the Spirit moves you, in teaching a gospel principle or in bearing witness.
I think one of the most moving experiences in my life came at the close of the October conference two years ago as President Lee was closing the conference. (And, incidentally, it was his very last conference address before he died.) This is what President Lee said:
“And so, in the closing moments of this conference, I have been moved as I have never been moved before in all my life. If it were not for the assurance that I have that the Lord is near to us, guiding, directing, the burden would be almost beyond my strength, but because I know that he is there, and that he can be appealed to, and if we have ears to hear attuned to him, we will never be left alone. . . .
“I thank the Lord that I may have passed some of the tests, but maybe there will have to be more before I shall have been polished to do all that the Lord would have me do.
“Sometimes when the veil has been very thin, I have thought that if the struggle had been still greater that maybe then there would have been no veil.”
And then he makes this powerfully humble statement: “I stand by, not asking for anything more than the Lord wants to give me, but I know that he is up there and he is guiding and directing” (Ensign, Jan. 1974, 129).
I think contained in that last sentence is a great lesson for each of us. “I stand by, not asking for anything more than the Lord wants to give me, but I know that he is up there and he is guiding and directing.” If we could all have that kind of faith! How often do we ask for that which the Lord, in His wisdom, is not yet willing to give us? I’m sometimes guilty of that.
It reminds me of Alma’s exclamation: “O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!” (Alma 29:1).
Now that certainly sounds like a righteous desire, especially today in light of President Kimball’s far-reaching and inspired vision of missionary work. But then Alma wisely and humbly adds this: “But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me” (Alma 29:3).
Now, if we can change gears a little, there are two other things I want to mention before I sit down. First is about the payment of fast offerings. My wife Claudia tells me that when she came here to BYU as a student it was well into her second year of school before it ever occurred to her that she was supposed to be paying fast offerings. She had grown up in the Church in an active, faithful home, where her parents were always faithful in paying their tithes and offerings. But growing up Claudia had never paid fast offerings herself.
So I hope this doesn’t come as a surprise to any of you. A minimal offering, and let me emphasize the word minimal, is defined as the cost of the meals that you don’t eat while you are fasting. If we fully understand the law of the fast, then we know that our fast is incomplete until we have given a generous offering to the bishop, who uses these sacred funds to care for the poor, the needy, and the destitute.
The Lord has said this about it: “I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, my very handiwork; and all things therein are mine.
“And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine.
“But it must needs be done in mine own way; and behold this is the way that I, the Lord, have decreed to provide for my saints, that the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low.
“For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare” (D&C 104:14–17).
And then to us who have been blessed with this abundance He mentions, the Lord gives this significant warning: “Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of the gospel, unto the poor and needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment” (D&C 104:18).
If we give according to the law of the gospel, if we give in the Lord’s own way, we will pay a generous fast offering—for that is the Lord’s way. There is no system of charity that I know of that is more selfless or more pure or more effective. In the first place, when we give to the poor by paying fast offerings no one ever knows who paid the money. Because the giving is in secret, the reward in heaven will be greater. Second, the system is so much more effective than any other charity on earth. I read in the news that some well-known charities in this country have an overhead as big as 60 percent or more. That means that 60 percent of the money I might give them does not go directly to the purpose for which I give it. Even the best charities have a 25 to 30 percent overhead. When I pay fast offerings, I can be confident that every single penny, without exception, goes to benefit the poor. There is no overhead.
President Kimball has said: “I think that when we are affluent as many of us are that we ought to be very, very generous. . . . I think we should be very generous and give, instead of the amount we saved by our two meals of fasting, perhaps much, much more—ten times more where we are in a position to do it” (General Welfare Services meeting, Apr. 6, 1974, 12).
Obviously, many of you are not in a position to do that. But listen to this promise President Marion G. Romney makes: “If we will double our fast offerings, we shall increase our own prosperity, both spiritually and temporally. This the Lord has promised, and this has been the record” (talk to the Priesthood Board, Mar. 6, 1974, 10).
I can personally bear record that that statement is true. Every time Claudia and I find that our budget is too tight, and we see no possible way to make ends meet, we just pay a little more fast offerings. We have never been failed; the Lord has stood by His promise every time, and we have always had enough somehow.
I mentioned that I had two other areas I wanted to discuss with you. Paying fast offerings was one of them. I’ll be brief on the second, since the time is running fast. President Lee a few years ago asked these questions in a Regional Representatives’ seminar, and I quote:
“Are you brethren continually increasing your testimony by diligent study of the scriptures? Do you have a daily habit of reading the scriptures? If we’re not reading the scriptures daily, our testimonies are growing thinner, our spirituality isn’t increasing in depth” (Regional Representatives’ seminar, Dec. 12, 1970).
And then President Romney has said this: “The older I grow in the service, the more I turn to the scriptures and try to understand the meaning of what the Lord has said. . . . It is worth our time to study the scriptures and see the depth, as far as we can, of the Lord’s teachings” (General Welfare Services meeting, Oct. 5, 1974, 12).
Scripture study is to the spirit what food is to the body. And some of us seem to be on spiritual diets. We can go days and even weeks at a time never feeding our spirits, and consequently our testimonies grow thinner and thinner until we find ourselves spiritually malnourished.
I can make this promise: If you will consistently and prayerfully search the scriptures for a few moments each day—for 15 minutes if that’s all the time you have—your testimonies will increase, your faith will grow, and you will understand more fully the meaning of what the Lord has said.
And remember, if you’re too busy to study the scriptures, you’re simply too busy.
41. This Life Is the Time to Prepare
An experience Claudia related in the fall of 1974, which was after both she and I had graduated from Brigham Young University. Because I was serving as a counselor in a student branch presidency, Claudia and I were members of the BYU 11th Branch. Soon after the school year began, the branch sponsored a trip to the Provo Utah Temple. This account also appears as chapter 12 in Claudia, An Elect Lady. As with the previous chapter, this account represents an expression of Claudia’s testimony and seems to fit comfortably as a part of this collection.
Amulek in the Book of Mormon bears testimony of many important and eternal truths as he speaks to the people. Among his words we find this message: “For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors” (Alma 34:32). The vital nature of this life in relation to eternity was further impressed upon me by an experience I had once while going to the temple.
It all began at an earlier time when Dean and I had gone to see some friends of ours sealed in marriage. Coming home, my recommend didn’t get put in its usual place; so when our branch went to the temple again later, I went without my recommend. We hoped I could get through on an oral recommendation from our branch president, since he would be going through with us and had interviewed me for my recommend. Such was not the case.
Upon entering the temple and explaining the situation, I was quickly ushered into President Clark’s office (he was the temple president) with Dean and our branch president by my side. President Clark then explained the rules the First Presidency had given all temple presidents to follow in dealing with such situations. The rules were simple and I knew I was no exception to them, for the Lord doesn’t consider exceptions.
“I, the Lord am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10).
The temple policy was this: If you were from far away and that was your only chance to go through that particular temple, they would just call a member of your stake presidency and get a verbal okay. But if you were from within the temple district (and I was) and could come again (and I could), you had to have your temple recommend with you. He said, however, that if my branch president would sign a recommend for me right there and if a member of the stake presidency would come to the temple and sign it also—I could go through with everyone else.
At this point I was in a state of tears. More than anything I wanted to be deeper within the walls of that sacred house, to be where the Spirit of the Lord and peace could be found. Dean could easily go without me—he had his recommend—as could all the others. Oh, how I longed to be there with them!
My branch president signed the new recommend, and President Clark tried to get a hold of a member of the stake presidency—the stake president was out of town, one counselor wasn’t home and was unable to be located, while the other one’s line was busy.
It occurred to me then and I was further impressed with it again during the session (we finally got hold of one of the counselors) that the temple experience was somewhat like the eternities, though different in certain ways. There are certain qualifications we will have to meet before we can enter into the joy of our Lord and celestial glory. Unlike the temple recommend, however, we won’t be able to get it just right then—our qualifications are something we will bring with us from our earthly experience.
Again Amulek says: “Therefore I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed” (Alma 34:33).
If this same situation occurred in the eternities, Dean would have his “recommend” and this time he wouldn’t wait for me. I can think of nothing sadder nor more tragic than to hear the Lord say, “I am sorry, but those are the rules, and you just didn’t qualify.” And then to see your loved ones enter into the celestial kingdom while you stood beyond on the outside. To me there could be nothing so tragic as being eternally separated from the people I truly love. Families and loved ones are what the gospel’s all about and are the basis of eternity.
This experience made me realize even more deeply the importance of this earth life and of the things we do here. I love Dean and all of you more than I can express; and though it was but a type and shadow of a greater eternal sorrow, I never want to feel even the loss I felt there in the temple without a recommend. Like Amulek, I bear you my witness that this life is indeed the time to prepare to meet God—it is the only time we have to do so.
Amulek in the Book of Mormon bears testimony of many important and eternal truths as he speaks to the people. Among his words we find this message: “For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors” (Alma 34:32). The vital nature of this life in relation to eternity was further impressed upon me by an experience I had once while going to the temple.
It all began at an earlier time when Dean and I had gone to see some friends of ours sealed in marriage. Coming home, my recommend didn’t get put in its usual place; so when our branch went to the temple again later, I went without my recommend. We hoped I could get through on an oral recommendation from our branch president, since he would be going through with us and had interviewed me for my recommend. Such was not the case.
Upon entering the temple and explaining the situation, I was quickly ushered into President Clark’s office (he was the temple president) with Dean and our branch president by my side. President Clark then explained the rules the First Presidency had given all temple presidents to follow in dealing with such situations. The rules were simple and I knew I was no exception to them, for the Lord doesn’t consider exceptions.
“I, the Lord am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10).
The temple policy was this: If you were from far away and that was your only chance to go through that particular temple, they would just call a member of your stake presidency and get a verbal okay. But if you were from within the temple district (and I was) and could come again (and I could), you had to have your temple recommend with you. He said, however, that if my branch president would sign a recommend for me right there and if a member of the stake presidency would come to the temple and sign it also—I could go through with everyone else.
At this point I was in a state of tears. More than anything I wanted to be deeper within the walls of that sacred house, to be where the Spirit of the Lord and peace could be found. Dean could easily go without me—he had his recommend—as could all the others. Oh, how I longed to be there with them!
My branch president signed the new recommend, and President Clark tried to get a hold of a member of the stake presidency—the stake president was out of town, one counselor wasn’t home and was unable to be located, while the other one’s line was busy.
It occurred to me then and I was further impressed with it again during the session (we finally got hold of one of the counselors) that the temple experience was somewhat like the eternities, though different in certain ways. There are certain qualifications we will have to meet before we can enter into the joy of our Lord and celestial glory. Unlike the temple recommend, however, we won’t be able to get it just right then—our qualifications are something we will bring with us from our earthly experience.
Again Amulek says: “Therefore I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed” (Alma 34:33).
If this same situation occurred in the eternities, Dean would have his “recommend” and this time he wouldn’t wait for me. I can think of nothing sadder nor more tragic than to hear the Lord say, “I am sorry, but those are the rules, and you just didn’t qualify.” And then to see your loved ones enter into the celestial kingdom while you stood beyond on the outside. To me there could be nothing so tragic as being eternally separated from the people I truly love. Families and loved ones are what the gospel’s all about and are the basis of eternity.
This experience made me realize even more deeply the importance of this earth life and of the things we do here. I love Dean and all of you more than I can express; and though it was but a type and shadow of a greater eternal sorrow, I never want to feel even the loss I felt there in the temple without a recommend. Like Amulek, I bear you my witness that this life is indeed the time to prepare to meet God—it is the only time we have to do so.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
40. A Solemn Assembly
An excerpt from a talk I gave in the sacrament meeting of the BYU Eleventh Branch, BYU First Stake, on Sunday evening, April 7, 1974. This excerpt was published in a special family reunion issue of the Cleverly Newsletter in April 1974.
This has been a historic conference. It was the 144t annual conference of the Church, which means there have been 144 April conferences. But there have also been an equal number of semi-annual conferences in October—so 288 general conferences [more or less] since the beginning of the Church. And a formal solemn assembly has been held in only ten of those many conferences, so this has been historic.
The last time a solemn assembly was held—when President Lee was first sustained as prophet in 1972—I had a ticket to attend in the Tabernacle. It was a solemn, moving experience to see the quorums of the priesthood stand each in their turn to witness to the Lord and all the world that they sustained, upheld, and supported him whom the Lord had called and chosen. And then in the majesty of his prophetic calling, a very humble Harold B. Lee stood and bared his soul to the Church. Little did we then suspect that so soon a new prophet would preside in Israel.
Again I had the special blessing of attending this solemn assembly in the Tabernacle. As President Kimball stood to open the session, the Spirit came over me and powerfully and peacefully bore witness to my soul that Spencer W. Kimball was a prophet of God, the Lord’s appointed mouthpiece, a prophet, a seer, a revelator.
During the voting I had the privilege of standing eight times—four with the quorum of elders and four with the general membership of the Church—and of raising my hand to the square fourteen times to witness to the Lord that I would follow those whom He had called to lead the Church.
The experience reminded me of what Joshua said to Israel anciently: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). And Saturday night, as Claudia and I retired for the evening, we knelt in family prayer and covenanted with the Lord that, as a family, we would honor and sustain and obey President Kimball.
This has been a historic conference. It was the 144t annual conference of the Church, which means there have been 144 April conferences. But there have also been an equal number of semi-annual conferences in October—so 288 general conferences [more or less] since the beginning of the Church. And a formal solemn assembly has been held in only ten of those many conferences, so this has been historic.
The last time a solemn assembly was held—when President Lee was first sustained as prophet in 1972—I had a ticket to attend in the Tabernacle. It was a solemn, moving experience to see the quorums of the priesthood stand each in their turn to witness to the Lord and all the world that they sustained, upheld, and supported him whom the Lord had called and chosen. And then in the majesty of his prophetic calling, a very humble Harold B. Lee stood and bared his soul to the Church. Little did we then suspect that so soon a new prophet would preside in Israel.
Again I had the special blessing of attending this solemn assembly in the Tabernacle. As President Kimball stood to open the session, the Spirit came over me and powerfully and peacefully bore witness to my soul that Spencer W. Kimball was a prophet of God, the Lord’s appointed mouthpiece, a prophet, a seer, a revelator.
During the voting I had the privilege of standing eight times—four with the quorum of elders and four with the general membership of the Church—and of raising my hand to the square fourteen times to witness to the Lord that I would follow those whom He had called to lead the Church.
The experience reminded me of what Joshua said to Israel anciently: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). And Saturday night, as Claudia and I retired for the evening, we knelt in family prayer and covenanted with the Lord that, as a family, we would honor and sustain and obey President Kimball.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
39. All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience
Claudia recorded this experience during Michael’s first year of life. He was born on Sunday, September 2, 1973. The account was published in the March 1974 Cleverly Newsletter and as chapter 11 in Claudia, An Elect Lady. While this experience was not technically given as a sermon, it does represent an expression of Claudia’s testimony and seems to fit comfortably as a part of this collection.
Elder Boyd K. Packer once said that the only significant lessons he has learned in his life have been taught by his children. I too find Michael Adam is one of my best teachers.
A couple of weeks ago he learned how to roll over from his stomach to his back. To watch him struggle though just tore my heart out. He wasn’t sure what he was doing—it was all so new to him—and sometimes he would get so frustrated at his struggles. I wanted so much just to pick him up myself and turn him over—to save all that trouble and heartache—but I knew I couldn’t. The struggle made him strong and he couldn’t learn if I did it for him.
It occurred to me one day while I was watching him try that our earth life is but a type and shadow of eternity, a testing ground, and that parents have a very similar relationship to their children as our Heavenly Father has to us. With all this in mind, it came to me that the Lord watches over us too and sees our struggles. But like parents here on earth, He sometimes has to just let us struggle so we can learn more effectively through our experience and grow stronger.
"Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7).
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee over all thy foes” (D&C 121:7–8).
How well the Lord has said it. And realizing my own love for Michael Adam, I now have a deeper understanding of the Lord’s love for us and of why He gives us trials and tribulations. I am very grateful for these things and for a loving Father who would care enough to give us these learning experiences that we might grow.
Elder Boyd K. Packer once said that the only significant lessons he has learned in his life have been taught by his children. I too find Michael Adam is one of my best teachers.
A couple of weeks ago he learned how to roll over from his stomach to his back. To watch him struggle though just tore my heart out. He wasn’t sure what he was doing—it was all so new to him—and sometimes he would get so frustrated at his struggles. I wanted so much just to pick him up myself and turn him over—to save all that trouble and heartache—but I knew I couldn’t. The struggle made him strong and he couldn’t learn if I did it for him.
It occurred to me one day while I was watching him try that our earth life is but a type and shadow of eternity, a testing ground, and that parents have a very similar relationship to their children as our Heavenly Father has to us. With all this in mind, it came to me that the Lord watches over us too and sees our struggles. But like parents here on earth, He sometimes has to just let us struggle so we can learn more effectively through our experience and grow stronger.
"Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7).
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee over all thy foes” (D&C 121:7–8).
How well the Lord has said it. And realizing my own love for Michael Adam, I now have a deeper understanding of the Lord’s love for us and of why He gives us trials and tribulations. I am very grateful for these things and for a loving Father who would care enough to give us these learning experiences that we might grow.
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