A Woman’s Part in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood

33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.

34 They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.

35 And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;

36 For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;

37 And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;

38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.

39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood. (D&C 84:33-39)

When I have read these verses, I have usually only read it with reference to men. However, recently I saw this block of verses in a different context that showed me where I and other faithful women fit in it. (Hint: It's not terribly controversial..)

The context was in a flyer our stake leaders handed out at ward conference to highlight the stake theme for the year about ordinances. All the ordinances were listed with a scripture about them. For the Melchizedek priesthood ordinances, v35-38 were given from the block above.  Read just those verses and see how it changes your perspective.

I particularly noticed verse 35 & 36. They who receive the priesthood, receive Jesus. And they that receive Jesus’s servants, receive Jesus. As a woman, I read that and I thought, I can’t receive the priesthood. Ah! But I can receive Jesus’s servants who have the priesthood, and that is still receiving Jesus.  I don’t care if the verse says “he” there; I can apply that to myself.

So, I think faithful women have part in the oath and covenant of the priesthood by receiving God’s servants, receiving the ordinances and blessings they can give, and by supporting and sustaining them in that work. Thereby, women can receive Jesus, receive the Father, receive the Father’s kingdom, and be given all the Father hath.  I also see no reason why women can’t then also magnify their callings and claim the blessing of being sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies. 

If I were to apply the above verses to women, I would probably read it this way:

33 For whoso is faithful unto the receiving of those who hold these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.

34 They become the daughters of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.

35 And also all they who receive these priesthood holders receive me, saith the Lord;

36 For she that receiveth my servants receiveth me;

37 And she that receiveth me receiveth my Father;

38 And she that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto her.

39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.

When Callings Feel Hard

I remember the first time a calling started to feel difficult for me.  It was my first year at BYU. I and another boy in my ward were called to be leaders in a family home evening group of other college students.  We pretty much were to make sure family home evenings happened for our group and to coordinate time and place to meet.

I tended to be the driving force behind our group meeting. I don’t know why that was. Maybe my partner didn’t have regular family home evenings growing up and so didn’t feel strongly about it.  Or maybe he had a heavy load of coursework and it weighed on him such that he didn’t feel as urgently about having family home evening. 

Whatever the reason, I was usually the one calling him to plan what we were going to do.  Once we figured that out, I was the one calling members of our group to let them know meeting details.  (This was before cell phones started to become more ubiquitous, and before texting capability, so there was no sending a group text.)

I remember late one Monday afternoon sitting on my bed, eying the phone with distaste, knowing that I was going to have to push together another family home evening when I wanted nothing more than to relax and be the one pulled for a change.

I knew I needed some motivation, so in desperation I reached for my scriptures and flipped it open to some random page and started reading.  Here is the verse that caught my eye:

And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received. (Alma 7:22)

That verse gave me a jolt, like an awakening. It seemed to speak to my situation. What was my duty to God?  It was to make sure FHE happened. 

“that ye may walk blameless before him” – I envisioned Judgment day and how I would feel happy if I could look back and say I had done my duty.  And after all, it looking at it from a distant perspective, my duty didn’t seem so hard after all.  A few phone calls. 

That gave me the motivation to go pick up that phone and start.

I look back at that now and I shake my head at how silly I was.  But at the time I was young and it was a big deal. I had a lot of growing to do.

Here are some other scriptures I like that are closely related—good motivators for callings…

Holiness and foreordination

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (1 Timothy 1:9)

This scripture is probably talking about “holy calling” in the sense of being brought into the church, but I think it also applies to church callings too. They come by revelation. If you are like me, you probably have raised your eyebrows at some callings you’ve been given and thought, I have no idea why I have been asked to do this; there are people who could do a better job than me at this.  That’s when you know Heavenly Father has His own purposes, and the calling didn’t come because of anything we’ve done to deserve it. There’s foreordination in it, and it’s part of the Lord’s plan.

Case in point: I have no idea how my being in charge of that FHE group at BYU fit in the Lord’s plan or what its purpose was, but I have faith that it fulfilled its purpose.  It was the first time I had to push through an aspect of my calling that was hard.

Some of my callings I’ve said to myself, This has to be revelation, because I would not have chosen this. This is not the kind of thing I like.  There was one calling that I was mad about receiving, but I accepted anyway, and it turned out to be a big blessing.  I look back at it now and I see it as evidence that Heavenly Father knew me better than I knew myself. He knew I would love it, and He knew it would stretch me where I needed stretching.

Example: Stripling warriors

And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. (Alma 53:20)

This is about the stripling warriors, but I want that to be about me in my callings. I want to be valiant for courage, be strong, be active, and be true at all times to whatsoever thing has been entrusted to me.

Learning, action, diligence

99 Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence.

100 He that is slothful shall not be counted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty and shows himself not approved shall not be counted worthy to stand. Even so. Amen. (D&C 107:99-100)

Two principles there: 1) learning our duty and 2) acting with diligence. If we don’t know what we’re supposed to do, we need to get training and get help until we know what we need to do.  Once we know, we need to do it.  Consistently.

Sometimes diligence is our big test.  Maybe we can pull off the big production once, but it is the tasks that must be done over and over and over again that can become a problem for us because we get so tired of them.  Or maybe we’re more into the calling when it is new and strange, but when it is old we might get a little slack at it.  When my callings feel old, I know I’m being trained to be diligent.

All are Needed to Keep the System Perfect

109 Therefore, let every man stand in his own office, and labor in his own calling; and let not the head say unto the feet it hath no need of the feet; for without the feet how shall the body be able to stand?

110 Also the body hath need of every member, that all may be edified together, that the system may be kept perfect. (D&C 84:109-110)

To me this one says there are no unimportant callings and each one is needed.  The image of the head dismissing the need for the feet teaches by negative analogy that leaders should not dismiss as unimportant the members who have the less-visible callings, because if those less-visible callings were eliminated, there would be hurt somewhere.  (“without the feet how shall the body be able to stand?”) 

By the way, I’ve noticed so many church leaders that are so good at thanking people who put together an event. I used to wonder why they took time for all those thank yous, but now I know that they understand this principle that every person’s contribution is important.

In the abstract, callings are a grouping of tasks that have to be done, but from the spiritual perspective, they are opportunities to practice charity and service for others.  They exist because there is work to be done to build the kingdom of God and to keep it running smoothly.  If we don’t think a particular calling is needed, we only need to think about what would be lost if it didn’t exist.

I also like that v110 says that with every member, all may be edified and the system is kept perfect. We all keep the system perfect!  We all edify each other!

Keep it up, Soldier!

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 2:3)

Sometimes callings are just hard, and we have to endure it. Good soldiers have to endure nasty conditions, and good Saints will too on occasion. 

What scriptures have helped you keep on with your callings?

The Lord sees our labors

D&C 126 is a very short section of revelation for Brigham Young in which Brigham Young was told it wasn’t required for him to travel and leave his family any more.

1 Dear and well-beloved brother, Brigham Young, verily thus saith the Lord unto you: My servant Brigham, it is no more required at your hand to leave your family as in times past, for your offering is acceptable to me.

2 I have seen your labor and toil in journeyings for my name. (D&C 126:1-2)

The part that strikes me as touching is that the Lord tells Brigham, “your offering is acceptable to me” and “I have seen your labor and toil in journeyings for my name.” How precious it is to know that the Lord sees and knows the hard work His servants do in their callings and to build the kingdom.  If the Lord saw Brigham Young’s labors, then the Lord sees the labors of each of us. 

I also love that the Lord speaks of Brigham’s work as an “offering,” which makes me think of it almost in terms of animal sacrifice. Our work for the Lord a sacrifice too.  Some of my recent callings are requiring me to kill some animal, beastly part of my natural woman that I previously didn’t know about and offer it to the Lord to consume it in my labor.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could serve so as to merit the Lord telling us as He told Brigham Young that our offering is acceptable to Him?

Some might quibble with the word “acceptable” on the grounds that it sounds as if the offering is barely adequate, but I think I’d rather give an offering deemed acceptable than one that was rejected. 

Common consent and its blessings

And all things shall be done by common consent in the church, by much prayer and faith, for all things you shall receive by faith.  (D&C 26:2)

This affirms the law of common consent, when all church members vote on whether they consent that someone be ordained, or set apart of a calling, or maintained in an office, or to ratify a change, such as accepting something new be added to the standard works.

I notice that common consent is not the only thing required. It also enjoins the Saints to use much prayer and faith. A mere consenting vote would not be sufficient to fully sustain someone in his or her calling.  Sustaining comes from continued support and faithful following of leaders.

I learned this some years ago by seeing something different when I was employed by a government agency in Austin, Texas. Our department held periodic lunch parties, and I was chosen to lead the party committee.  I felt honored, but I was inexperienced in leading.  When two older employees decided that my efforts weren’t up to their standards, they took it upon themselves to plan the lunch parties instead, without telling me or asking my help.  They essentially took things over as though they were in charge.

I could have let it bother me, but I didn’t. After all, I wasn’t that great at party planning. I didn’t even know enough at that stage of my life to ask for help. All I really had going for me in the first place was my enthusiasm. But I could see pretty clearly the difference between a church calling, which would be sustained by church members, and a worldly role that others might take over if they decided they could do it better.

The principle of common consent and receiving by faith is a great protection. Knowing who has what leadership calling protects us from being imposed upon by imposters.  Also, stewardship boundaries are pretty well defined.  

Common consent also is a means of growth. I’ve noticed that respecting and supporting other people in their callings helps me grow in charity and long-suffering.  I’ve also noticed that when other people support me in my callings, it gives me room in my inexperience to grow into my duties and see the hand of the Lord help me. 

Ultimately, common consent gives us a chance to help build Zion in people—in ourselves and others.

The Parable of the Astronaut Release

One of the temptations members face in the church is the tendency to perceive leadership callings as more important than other types of callings.  We even tend to think of those callings as “higher callings.”   Members released from leadership callings may have a hard time upon release and may have difficulty adjusting to less visible callings.

I ran across a bit from An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield that helped me gain some extra perspective on this issue, but from an unexpected direction—NASA.

Astronauts who’ve just returned from space get a lot of help from NASA with the “moving on” part.  When you report back to the Astronaut Office at JSC, there’s no hero’s welcome. Rather, you get a brisk acknowledgement—“Good job”—before being unceremoniously booted off the top rung of the organizational ladder, at least in terms of visibility and prestige. Astronauts fresh off the Soyuz are reabsorbed back into the support team as middle-of-the-pack players, essential but not glorified.

In most lines of work there’s a steady, linear ascent up a well-defined career ladder, but astronauts continuously move up and down, rotating through different roles and ranks. From an organizational standpoint, this makes sense: it keeps the space program strong at all levels and also reinforces everyone’s commitment to teamwork in pursuit of a common goal—pushing the envelope of human knowledge and capability—that’s much bigger than we are as individuals. For astronauts, too, it makes sense, because it helps us come right back down to Earth and focus on our job, which is to support and promote human space exploration. Any inclination we might have to preen is nipped in the bud, because our status has changed overnight and we are expected to deliver in a new, less visible role, not sit around reminiscing about the good old days when we were in space.

At NASA it’s just a given that today’s star will be tomorrow’s stagehand, toiling behind the scenes in relative obscurity. For instance, Peggy Whitson, who was Chief Astronaut and ran the office in Houston for three years, is now back in the regular pool of astronauts, supporting other astronauts in orbit and hoping for an assignment with no better chances of being selected than anyone else has. One thing that makes this kind of transition easier is that the line between being a member of a crew and a member of the office is already more blurry than might be readily evident to outsiders. A CAPCOM, for instance, does some training and goes to sims with a crew, then supports them or is on call every day of their flight, and afterward, also attends debriefs. In a very real way, then, the CAPCOM is integral to that crew—as is the entire cast of people who directly support any mission.  (pp268-269)

It’s kind of astonishing how similar NASA’s methods are to the church’s in this respect.  We can recognize the blessings of the approach too.

·      Rotating through different roles and ranks does keep the church strong at all levels and reinforces everyone’s commitment to God and His kingdom more than commitment to any one individual. (Yes, we have a prophet, but the church continues beyond his death. Yes, we have apostles, but we have 15 of them!)

·      The goal is to push the envelope of human knowledge and capability in building the kingdom of God, and that is bigger than any individual.

·      It is an excellent antidote to pride to have that change happen so quickly upon release.

·      Behind-the-scenes roles are no less important to the church’s success than the visible roles.

I’m thankful for all the callings that I’ve had for the growth that I’ve experienced during them.  I’ve learned a lot of skills that I don’t think I would have learned otherwise because of them.  They’ve given me opportunities to serve in ways that it would be difficult to find outside the church.  They’ve helped me feel the Lord’s love in new ways and express that love to others.

Three signs the Lord gives Moses for the Israelites

After Moses was called by God to deliver Israel from bondage in Egypt, Moses has some doubts that Israel will believe that he is the one to do this great work.  The Lord gives him three signs to use to help convince the Israelites of his qualifications.

1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.

2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

5 That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

6 ¶And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. (Exodus 4:1-9)

The signs are interesting, not only for their miraculous nature, but because of the messages they send.  They have a teaching function, and it can tell us something about God and the power He gives to prophets if we understand them better.

The first sign is throwing down the rod and it becomes a snake, then taking it up again and it becomes a rod again.  The second sign is putting his hand in his bosom, and it becomes leprous, then repeating the gesture and his hand is healed.  The third sign is taking some water from the river and pouring it out on the land where it would become blood.

The question these signs were meant to answer was that of doubt that the Lord really had appeared to Moses.  How were these signs to dissolve those doubts?

At its most basic level, these signs communicate Moses has acquired a miraculous power to change things.  He can change things because he has been changed by his encounter with God.  If he has the power to change things, then he can certainly help change their situation.

Moses has gained through God the power of life.  This power can make a dead rod alive and change it into an animal.  And it can change it back the way it was before.  With our scientific knowledge, we know how profound this change is.  It happened on the molecular level, changing wood fibers into bones, flesh, blood, muscles, scales, and all the DNA change with that, the creation of a brain and maybe even putting a snake’s spirit into it, all in the time it took the rod to fall from Moses’ hand to the earth.  And then changing it back again in the time he picked it up by the tail.  It implies that Moses has been given keys to spiritual life as well.

The signs also teach that Moses can now do what God can do.  Or rather, he does what God tells him to do and then miracles happen.  This message is an important one for us to learn about our church leaders and to trust the Lord ourselves.  It teaches how important obedience is and how blessed we may be when we obey without hesitation. 

The miracle of the leprosy coming and going teaches about God’s power of healing and power over the human body.  In the time it took for Moses to put his hand into his bosom and pull it out again, God formed the virus or bacteria in Moses’ hand and caused it to multiply and spread in his skin until it was visible.  And then, in the time it took for Moses to repeat that motion, the Lord removed the disease or changed it into healthy tissue.  We should have no doubt that whatever our physical afflictions or handicaps or medical issues, the Lord has the power to fix them immediately.  It is also to suggest the Lord’s power to heal the wounded soul and remove sin.

The miracle of drawing some water from the river and pouring it out on land and having it turn into blood teaches about the Lord’s power to change what the Moses sets apart.  To take the water out of the river was to separate it from the other waters, essentially setting it apart.  By this, the Lord hoped to teach that He had given Moses the power to take the Israelites from among the people and set them apart, and that they would be changed by that. 

This can help us today as we consider that we members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are set apart from the world.  We are also called and set apart for different church callings and we are changed by that. 

It is neat to me to know that we have a prophet on the earth today who has the same priesthood power that Moses had.  If President Monson were commanded by the Lord, he could do the same miracles Moses did.  It is also neat to me that we have these stories preserved for us so that we can learn the lessons the Lord wanted to teach through the miracles he had Moses do.

How have miracles in your life taught you?

Divine Signs in Saul’s Call to Kingship

In 1 Samuel 9 -10 there are a lot of signs shown to Saul of Samuel’s foreknowledge.  These signs just seem to come thick and fast.

--When Saul came to Samuel to inquire of him where he could find the donkeys that were lost, Samuel was told by the Lord that he was coming, when he would be there, and that he was to be king.

--When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him Saul was to be king.

--Samuel told Saul without being asked that his donkeys had been found.  This demonstrates foreknowledge of Saul’s problem and the answer.

--Samuel had already saved some food ahead of time specifically for Saul.

--Samuel also told Saul about who Saul would meet on his journey home, what those people would do and say.  1) People would tell him the donkeys were found and of the worry of his father 2) People would give him provisions for his journey back, since he had exhausted his supplies. 3)People would prophesy and he would prophesy with them and be given a new heart by God.

We might well ask ourselves why so many miracles and so much seership demonstrated?

I personally think these miracles were meant to impress upon Saul that his calling to kingship was real.   He was inclined to doubt the calling because he didn’t see himself or his family as the clear choice for this honor.  In fact, he saw his family as the least of the tribe of Benjamin and Benjamin as the least of the tribes of Israel.

But when the man who gives the calling can tell you what you’re worried about and give you the answer before you even ask the question, that person is not to be dismissed when he tells you other things to come, even something as far-fetched as a call to kingship.

The miracles also build Saul’s confidence that the Lord knew him and knew what would happen and would guide him.  They taught in various ways the foreknowledge of God. 

1) The Lord knew what Saul was looking for and had taken care of the little things because there were bigger things for Saul to do. 

2) The Lord knew of Saul and could help others recognize him as king too.  (In fact, the drawing lots among the tribes and the battle Saul fights to save the Israelites at Jabesh-gilead in 1 Samuel 11 are divinely orchestrated as well and help convince Israel Saul is the one chosen by God.)  

3) The Lord could provide for Saul the things he needed.

4) The Lord could change Saul to fit the role he was going to have.

I think it is interesting that when Samuel finishes telling Saul all the things that will happen on the way home, he also tells him he will have to wait.

And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do. (1 Samuel 10:8)

After all the miracles, Saul will have to wait seven days while nothing happens.  To me this exemplifies the principle that sometimes there is a bunch of miracles happening in our lives where we see quite clearly how the Lord is working, and other times we have to wait patiently and keep the faith.

Lucky Saul was given a time limit to wait, but we often are not; we just have to hang on.  There is a time for doing the hard work to show our faith (and we don’t often know how long that will be), and there is the time of miracles that confirm that faith.

Gifts from God to us

With the Christmas gift-giving season upon us, I decided to do some scripture study about the gifts that God gives to us.

God gives certain gifts to everyone

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Ephesians 4:7-8)

Certain gifts God gives to everyone is their agency, the light of Christ so that they know good from evil, coverage of their sins by the atonement of Christ (conditional upon repentance), and unconditional resurrection.

My parents actually followed this principle in their Christmas gift-giving; there were always a few presents that they gave to each of us alike.

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. (Eccl. 3:13)

When you think of how Heavenly Father designed our brains so that our bodies can feel satisfied when we eat and drink enough, that is a great gift. He could have made us so that didn’t happen. Also, the satisfaction we feel when we have done a good job at something—that is a gift from God too.

God gives many different gifts according to our individuality

10 And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church.
11 For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
12 To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby. (D&C 46:10-12)

Think of all the spiritual gifts that the church is blessed with! Prophecy, visions, healing, faith to be healed, revelation, tongues, interpretation of tongues, knowledge, wisdom, discernment, charity, faith, testimony, belief, working miracles, and so much more!

God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now; (D&C 121:26)

What a fascinating gift the gift of the Holy Ghost is! It is such a special thing the Lord wants us to have.  There are things we learn and things we feel through its influence that are so majestic, so awe-inspiring, so wondrous, that words simply fail to express it adequately, and only someone else who has experienced it too can understand.

Every elder, priest, teacher, or deacon is to be ordained according to the gifts and callings of God unto him; and he is to be ordained by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is in the one who ordains him. (D&C 20:60)

This made me think about priesthood ordinations in a different way. I hadn’t thought that they were a gift from God. This verse calls it “the gifts and callings of God unto him” which makes me think that gift and calling may be synonymous to the Lord. Even though I don’t hold the priesthood, I have been given callings, and when I think of how they have blessed my life, I see that my callings are gifts to me. My calling as ward organist and choir pianist is a gift of music and my calling as a cub scout den leader is a gift of working with, associating with, and teaching children. I consider all my callings fun gifts and I'm not ashamed to say that I had to grow into the fun-ness thereof.

Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you… (D&C 78:11)

This phrase occurs so many times in the Doctrine and Covenants. Commandments are a gift too, and in so many ways! They are gifts because

• Learning about them expands and refines our understanding of right and wrong.
• They represent an opportunity for us to exercise our agency.
• They present us with a choice to keep them or not.
• They have blessings attached to them that the Lord wants us to have.
• Inevitably we learn that we can’t keep the commandments on our own and we need the Lord’s help, so we learn to trust in the Lord.
• When we follow them we are kept safe from bad things that tend to happen without them.
• They help us become more like God. Doing them helps us do the things the Lord does.
• Even if we try to ignore them, inevitably we are brought to a recognition of our need for the atonement of Christ and the necessity of repentance, by which we can discover the joy of our redemption. (And then we still get to keep the commandments!)

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God. (D&C 14:7)

And all these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God. (D&C 46:26)

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Cor. 9:15)

Eternal life is the final gift God wants to give us. We have our whole lives to look forward to it and the Holy Ghost as a down payment of it. Surely there are spiritual gifts we must seek now that will help us prepare for this great gift.

What should we want?

Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given; (D&C 46:8, emphasis added)

And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing. (Moroni 10:30, emphasis added)

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. (1 Cor. 13:2)

Even if I were to have the best blog in the world and do all I’m asked to do at church.. Even if I were superwoman (which I’m not) and could move mountains, if I don’t have charity, I’m nothing. Hmm. I think I need to pray more for charity.

Things to remember about the gifts God gives us

Thou shalt be diligent in preserving what thou hast, that thou mayest be a wise steward; for it is the free gift of the Lord thy God, and thou art his steward. (D&C 136:27)

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. (1 Timothy 4:14)

For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift. (D&C 88:33)

As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)

We learn from these scriptures:

• to be diligent in preserving our gifts from God
• to not neglect our gifts from God
• to receive and rejoice in our gifts from God
• and to give to others liberally like God has given us

What other scriptures do you know of that tell of the gifts that God has given us? Will you share them? What gifts from God are you feeling particularly thankful for right now? What is something you are doing to diligently preserve a gift from God?

25 things I’ve learned about playing the organ

Margot at Mormon Mommy Blogs had a great post titled “Confessions of a Ward Organist,” which I totally loved, since that is also one of my callings. So, I’ve decided to expand on her post with my own list.

25 things I’ve learned about playing the organ in church

1. I’ve learned that when sitting at the organ, I have to be careful how I unfold my arms after the prayers.

2. I can only handle so many sudden fly-away pages or minute adjustments to paperweighting hymnals. A personal hymnbook with a spiral binding is the only way to go.

3. Setting the volume pedal takes practice to get it right, so my embarrassment quotient has decreased for hearing “Onward Christian Soldiers” tiptoe like a ballerina and then stomp through the floor with a devastating blitzkrieg before I can arrive at a suitable volume level.

4. Marking the introduction brackets in my hymnbook with highlighter prevents frantic searches for the intro's second half. Most of the time. It also prevents awkward pauses when jumping between introduction sections. Mmmmmost of the time.

5. Introductions can be the roughest part of the hymn with the most missed notes. The last verse is the most smooth. (Yes, I DO practice. Before church.)

6. It’s wise to keep “All Creatures of Our God and King” and “Oh Savior Thou Who Wearest a Crown” in perpetual practice because one week’s practice is usually not enough for such active pedal parts.

7. I’ve learned that congregations love hymns to be played fast, particularly when it is all seven verses of “A Poor Wayfaring Man” or all four verses (which really are the equivalent of eight verses) of “I Believe in Christ.” It’s helpful to learn to play all hymns at least 25% faster than they are rated in the hymnbook.

8. I’ve learned I’d better start “A Poor Wayfaring Man” and “I Believe in Christ” at a pretty good clip because inevitably… it slows down during the last few verses.

9. “The Time is Far Spent” played 200% faster would make a great song for a cartoon.

10. Having a knob that automatically transposes everything up a half-step is TOTALLY AWESOME. Its location on the extreme outside edge of the organ console beyond convenient reach is TOTALLY OBNOXIOUS. Epic design fail, if you ask me.

11. Choir hymn arrangements provide some of the best ideas for neat alternate chord progressions.

12. I’ve learned I can write alternate chord progressions right into my hymnbook, and then when I use them, everyone thinks I’m improvising beautifully. (Shhhh! Don’t tell my ward members about this!)

But..

13. The stake music chairman is not in favor of (and does not sustain) my use of alternate chord progressions during congregational singing, even if I am playing “Sweet Hour of Prayer.”

14. I’ve learned that I don’t read ward chorister’s lips very well when they are trying to communicate what verses they’ve decided to stop at.

15. Similarly, I don’t read the bishop’s lips very well when he is trying to communicate spontaneous hymn changes in the program. (Thankfully, in my current ward, the organ is positioned right behind the bishopric.)

16. I’ve learned that I love 32 foot bass stops.

17. I’ve discovered that some old people will complain to the bishop about the bass levels if their internal organs vibrate too much from the 32 foot bass stop. (“I caused someone heart palpitations?! No way!!”)

18. I’ve learned I really love the bell stop, which sounds like the chapel has suddenly experienced a divine visitation by a massive angelic bell tower.

19. I’ve also learned that the bishop only thinks the bell stop is appropriate for “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” and “Ring Out, Wild Bells.”

20. When I’m trying to learn something new about playing the organ, such as setting the stops manually instead of with pre-sets, the skills I consider already cemented tend to fly out the window in unexpected ways.

21. I’ve also learned that if I make a terrible mistake in setting stops manually, if I then take my hands from the keyboard in dramatically visible shock and then press an appropriate pre-set button, the congregation thinks the mistake was the organ’s fault instead of mine. (Shhhh! Don’t tell my ward!)

22. After playing a hymn, I must immediately set the stops for the next hymn, especially if the next hymn is the sacrament hymn. (Yeah, those trumpets don't work very well with "There is a Green Hill Far Away.")

23. I should never EVER change stops in between verses unless I’m absolutely sure I know what sound is going to result. (I learned this when an impulsive change suddenly made the tenor and bass parts twice as loud as the soprano and alto parts..)

24. I’m still unconvinced that organ shoes are necessary, but I‘ve learned that my feet slide better over the pedals when my nylons don’t have major holes in the toes.

25. And finally, I’ve learned that the Holy Ghost can teach me how improve my organ playing with line-upon-line impressions and ideas of things to try during diligent practice. (I didn’t have to learn everything through painful mistakes.)

God promises Enoch influence

Behold my Spirit is upon you,
wherefore all thy words will I justify;
and the mountains shall flee before you,
and the rivers shall turn from their course;
and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you;
therefore walk with me.
(Moses 6:34)

Recently I was thinking about this verse when God calls Enoch to be a prophet. I realized that while God was talking literally about mountains fleeing and rivers changing course, mountains and rivers were also being used as symbols for types of people. The mountains symbolized people who were lifted up in pride. The rivers symbolized people who were very set in their ways, who did things a certain way, and who flowed down to the lowest spiritual level. God promised Enoch that through the words given him, the proud would begin to fear (and humble themselves) and those who were set in their ways would change their course (for something better). I thought that was awesome. Literal control of the elements is miraculous, but I think that change for the better in a person’s life is no less miraculous.

Isaiah's experience with repentance

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 ¶ Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. (Isaiah 6:1-5)

Isaiah was privileged to see the Lord at the temple with a whole retinue of attending seraphim. He heard them saying to each other how holy the Lord was. (They didn’t just say the Lord was holy, but “holy, holy, holy”, which is the ancient middle eastern way of expressing the superlative form, just like we would say “holiest”.) He saw the temple doorposts quaking at the sound of the Lord’s voice and saw the cloud that veiled his presence from the people around.

What was Isaiah’s reaction? “Woe is me! for I am undone” (Undone seems like an old way of saying a person is humiliated, eternally cast off, unworthy, unclean, and lost to the respect of reputable people.) In the middle of this incredible vision Isaiah became profoundly aware of his own sin. “I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” It’s hard to believe that the prophet Isaiah could have been a person with a foul mouth, but that was the case. He must have realized the Lord knew all about him and he couldn’t hide anything from the Lord. All he could do was lament the unworthiness of himself and his people.

And then something amazing happens.

6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. (Isaiah 6:6-7)

It seems incredible that Isaiah would have a hot coal from the temple’s altar touched to his lips by an angel to take away his sin, but the action was profoundly symbolic. The altar was where the sin offerings and burnt offerings were burnt, symbolizing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world. To have a coal from the burning mass taken and applied to that body part that he had just been lamenting the filthiness of would teach in an unforgettable way that because of his faith, the future sufferings of Christ were being applied to his sin and purifying him because of his godly sorrow.

Then something even more amazing happens.

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
9 And he said, Go, and tell this people… (Isaiah 6:8-9)

The Lord asks who He can send to be a servant of heaven. And Isaiah volunteers for the job of going to tell his people about God.

This is very significant, because it shows that once we have repented of our sins and they are purged away, the Lord immediately puts us to work doing good where before we were sinning. Isaiah used bad language, and once he repented and was forgiven, he volunteered to use his language for the Lord’s work of sharing the gospel. (For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. [1 Corinthians 6:20])

This scripture teaches me that when I repent, I must expect not only to stop doing what was bad, but I must be willing to do good things instead. The amazing thing about the Atonement of Christ is that it makes that possible, by taking away our desire to do evil and substituting a desire to do good. I have experienced this in my life and I want everyone to experience it.

Why an organized religion? (part 3) On Authority

In my last entry I talked about the purpose of gathering together as a church. In this one, I will examine what gives people the authority in my church to tell others what to do.

My church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is different from a lot of other Christian sects in that instead of one person having all the authority over a congregation and no one else having any, all worthy males above a certain age can hold some priesthood authority.

This is where it becomes very important to have order and organization, because if everyone tells everyone else what to do, it can turn into chaos really quickly. Over each congregation, one man is called and ordained by a higher authority to preside over the congregation. This man called is the bishop. The bishop is given two counselors to help him and he delegates some of his authority and responsibilities to them.

One of our articles of faith is that we believe a man must be called of God by prophecy and by the laying of hands (ordination) by those who are in authority to teach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

The bishop must be called to that position by a higher authority than himself. The person who extends that call is called the stake president, who presides over a small number of congregations. The stake present is called by a general authority, and as far as I know the general authority is a seventy (“Seventy” is a title of a part of the priesthood). The seventies are called by an apostle, and apostles are called by the prophet. The prophet is the man who has been an apostle the longest (seniority) and who has not died yet—the Lord has allowed them to stay on earth.

Our church’s first modern prophet was Joseph Smith, who had his authority conferred upon him by the ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, who visited him and Oliver Cowdery in 1929.

Another principle comes into play with the ordination of people to offices of authority in the church--they must be accepted and upheld by the people they serve. So, in our church the names of the people who have been called to positions are presented to the whole congregation and everybody else gets a chance to raise their hand to show that they accept the person in that position. If they don’t accept it, they are given a chance to share the reasons for their trepidation. This idea that people must be given a chance to choose whether they accept a person in a position is called “common consent.” It also informs everyone who is in what position and it has the benefit of preventing someone from falsely claiming authority for a position that they don’t have. Even the prophet and apostles are sustained by common consent.

Another principle of leadership in our church is that leaders can’t strong-arm people into following them by saying “I have priesthood authority over you, therefore you must obey me”.

41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—
43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death. (Doctrine & Covenants 121:41-44)

The Lord expects church leaders to use only the power of persuasion, the power of patience, and gentleness, meekness, love that isn’t faked, kindness, pure knowledge (which enlightens), and to avoid hypocrisy or sneakiness of any kind when trying to influence people.

The scripture above also mentions how a church leader should reprove:

• “betimes” – This means early, or quickly. Being corrected immediately after making an error helps keep mistakes from becoming habitual.
• “with sharpness” – I see this as meaning clarity and firmness; I don’t think God intends reproof to be vicious. The more clearly it is communicated what the mistake was and why it was wrong, the more of a learning experience it becomes.
• “when moved upon by the Holy Ghost” – There are a lot of faults and foibles that can be overlooked when dealing with other people, so a leader needs that extra guidance from revelation to let them know when it is important enough to speak up about an issue.
• “showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy” – I know that for me, receiving a strong reproof is painful and I am inclined to feel alienated from the person who gave it and think they don’t like me, but when they show extra kindness immediately afterward, I stop being afraid of them. There have been a few times when I have gotten a bit of a dressing down from a church leader with authority over me and the increase of love afterward made a big difference in my ability to take to heart what they were saying. The increase of love showed me they cared about me and wanted the best for me, so I was able to look more objectively at my own behavior and I finally saw that they were indeed right.

Another principle of leadership in our church is what I call servant leadership. If any man wants to be the greatest, he must be the servant of all. Christ taught this during his ministry.

24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.
25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.
26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. (Luke 22:24-27)

Christ was the greatest of all, yet He was always serving. Leadership and priesthood in our church isn’t a crown; it’s a shovel. It’s not about receiving honor from men, but about getting to work to serve.

Another principle of leadership in our church is lay leadership. It means our leadership does not receive monetary compensation for their service. For their service, they receive grace from God that helps them do their church duties.

And the priests were not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to receive the grace of God, that they might wax strong in the Spirit, having the knowledge of God, that they might teach with power and authority from God. (Mosiah 18:26)

In our church, just about every willing adult is given a calling, which is basically a position with duties to do. We believe these callings come from God and that they are especially for us at this particular time of our lives. In a congregation the bishop seeks for revelation from God to know to whom a call should be extended for a position. There are all kinds of different callings. There are lots of teaching callings, there are leadership callings, there are service callings, there are secretarial/clerk callings, there are counseling callings, there are musical callings, there are scouting callings, there are missionary callings, committee callings and much more. We serve in our position until the bishop receives revelation that we should be released. Callings can last a number of years.

This organization of duties means everybody has the chance to participate and help each other, everyone gets the chance to learn how to lead, and it means that we can do so much more as a group with direction than we could separately.

Another principle of leadership in our church is that of obtaining revelation. Every person in a leadership calling (or any other calling for that matter) has the right to receive revelation as to how they should do their calling. I’ve prayed for revelation when I haven’t been sure what to do. I’ve prayed for revelation when I know what I want to do and I want to know if the Lord approves or not. Answers and help do come.

I have experienced this myself in some miraculous ways. I was called as the organist for my congregation and though I had lots of piano experience, and I had some pedal experience, the pedal experience I had was on a completely different kind of instrument (a mechanical carillon, in fact) and the technique was completely different from what I was used to. In short, I only had half of the skills. When I was called to be organist, I was given a blessing that I would learn to play things that I hadn’t been able to play before. I did a lot of practicing and as I practiced the hymns, the Spirit of the Lord would inspire me with ideas of techniques to try and I would practice that and improve my playing. I learned how to play the pedals better this way. I know that the Lord was giving me revelation so that I could fulfill my calling.

My husband and I were co-chairs of the activities committee. We had the duties of planning and implementing parties and holiday celebrations for our congregation. We had the committee to help us. The Lord blessed us with good ideas and led us to people who could help us and things worked out. I also learned that with all the people helping and supporting our efforts, I couldn’t take credit for the whole thing. At the same time that I learned how to delegate, I learned to give people credit. At the same time that I learned how to lead, I learned how to give my committee members a lot of latitude and not micromanage. I learned how to encourage and give approval. At the same time that I was learning to make good decisions, I was also learning how to counsel with the committee. After all, I wasn’t the only one with the Spirit of the Lord. They could get revelation too on the best way to do their duties.

While opportunities for leadership can enlarge the soul, they can also be intoxicating. Heavenly Father is fully aware of the tendency of men to abuse their authority, and the following scripture gives very valuable insights into what happens to priesthood authority when it is overstepped or abused.

39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
40 Hence many are called, but few are chosen.
34.…And why are they not chosen?
35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—
36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.
38 Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God. (Doctrine & Covenants 121:39-40, 34-38)

We learn here that three things that grieve the Holy Ghost and cause it to leave are:

• Trying to hide our sins
• Trying to gratify pride or ambition (Ex: aspiring to leadership callings, showing off, self-righteousness, seeking for men’s approval rather than God’s, etc.)
• Trying to force people to do things

We also see from the scripture that once a person has the priesthood conferred upon them, those powers they are given from God are only controlled and maintained through their righteousness and any departure from holy leadership principles will grieve the Spirit of God and when the Holy Spirit is offended, it leaves, and then the power and authority of the person has ceased. Though they may still have the calling in the church, it will be obvious that something wrong has happened, because they will demonstrate four things:

• They will be left to themselves and not have the Spirit to help them in their duties.
• They will be resistant to any suggestion that they are doing something wrong.
• They will persecute other people.
• They will fight against God.

If we have any complaints of someone’s leadership we can take it to a higher authority. In my years in the church I have never had to do this or personally seen a case when it was needed. It happens, but only rarely.

A principle of following church leaders is what I call revelation confirmation. Every person affected by the decisions of the leaders over them has a right to a revelation that confirms the truthfulness of what they are asked to do. We have faith that the same Spirit from God that inspires a leader to do something to benefit his stewardship will confirm that revelation in those who are affected. The way people deal with this varies. Some put their trust in the guidance they have received and test it by obeying and seeing what comes of it. (“ye shall know them by their fruits”) Others pray for and receive a confirmation, and then obey.

All these principles of leadership and discipleship in our church make the organization extremely effective. With revelation, leaders can lead with confidence and love. With faith and confirming revelation, we have confidence in our leaders and obey willingly and we grow very attached and loyal to them (though not to the point that we can't let go when they are released and can't give new leaders our support). And I’m not just talking about how this is supposed to be in theory. In our church, this really happens. It is the norm for our church organization to work smoothly. Yes, little frictions do occur from time to time, but they are few and far between and they get settled.

I’m very grateful for priesthood leaders. It’s a confusing world and we need revelation on how to handle it. We need organization so that we can do more for the world. We need guidance. We can support and uphold each other. Organized religion is the vehicle for all of that and I know that it works.