Delegating opportunities to baptize

You can find some interesting things when you compare the KJV to the JST.

Here are some verses as given in the KJV:

1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) (John 4:1-2)

Here are the verses that we ran across today in the JST that clarify the above:

1 When therefore the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

2 They sought more diligently some means that they might put him to death; for many received John as a prophet, but they believed not on Jesus.

3 Now the Lord knew this, though he himself baptized not so many as his disciples;

4 For he suffered them for an example, preferring one another. (John 4:1-4)

The difference between the JST and the KJV gives us several bits of information that we wouldn’t have otherwise.

First, it shows us that the Pharisees were keeping track of the size of the following of these grassroots leaders, and when they saw Jesus was making and baptizing more followers than John the Baptist had, they plotted Jesus’s death more intently. It seems they opposed Jesus from virtually the beginning of His ministry.

Second, while the KJV says that Jesus didn’t baptize, the JST says that Jesus did baptize. It confirms that baptism is an important ordinance and Jesus Himself performed it.

Third, these verses give us the intriguing information that Jesus allowed his disciples to baptize more than He baptized. He could have insisted on personally baptizing all of His disciples, but He didn’t. That makes me think that He wanted His disciples to get practice using their priesthood authority. “[H]e suffered them for an example” suggests that it may have been painful at times for Jesus to watch them, but He let them anyway, even allowing them to set their own examples for others.

This has a good message about delegating priesthood authority and opportunities to use that authority. Perhaps we underestimate the service an experienced priesthood leader does when he gives chances to use the priesthood to someone who is less experienced.

God’s kindness to Zion is compared to the kindness to Noah

8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee [Zion] for a moment;

but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me:

for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth;

so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. (Isaiah 54:8-9)

I always had a hard time seeing how these two ideas were associated together, but I finally got it. The Lord compares the time that Zion has been desolate to the time of Noah when the floods were over the earth with all that rain. Then He says that just as He promised Noah that He would never flood the earth so badly again, He promises everlasting kindness forthwith to Zion.

I find that very encouraging for these days, don’t you?

An Egyptian delivered us!

And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. (Exodus 2:19)

There is something so funny about this report, since it is the opposite of what we’d expect from an Egyptian or shepherds in the Book of Exodus. You’d expect the shepherds to be delivering them out of the hands of the Egyptians! But since the Egyptian saves them from the shepherds, the Egyptian is a better shepherd than the shepherds were.

Of course, since the Egyptian was Moses (delivering the daughters of Jethro at the well), we know why. Eventually too, Moses would become a shepherd and deliver his people out of the hands of the Egyptians.

I like this little story because it is another example of the type of helpful person Moses was. He didn’t stand aloof from other people’s problems; instead, he made it is problem too and did his best to help.

The new priestcraft

5 And it came to pass that he [Nehor] did teach these things so much that many did believe on his words, even so many that they began to support him and give him money.

6 And he began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel, yea, and even began to establish a church after the manner of his preaching. (Alma 1:5-6)

We in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often pat ourselves on the back when we read the story of Nehor and his priestcraft. We think that because our church has lay leadership that means that we are safe from priestcraft. It is true that the way the church is organized makes priestcraft much more difficult, but we are not out of the woods yet.

I have begun to see that we are coming to a time when the temptation of priestcraft is exploding from an unexpected direction—blogging. (Other internet communication can be included, but I want to focus on blogging because that is what I am involved in, and I need this message as much as anyone.)

And I don’t just mean religious blogging, I mean ALL blogging. We live in an age when distance is no longer an obstacle to disseminating a message. Technology level and language are still barriers, but if they aren’t, a message can go around the world and bloggers can gain followers from far beyond their physical range of influence. Bloggers are very susceptible to the temptation of priestcraft. See how these verses might apply to bloggers:

…priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world,

that they may get gain and praise of the world;

but they seek not the welfare of Zion. (2 Nephi 26:30)

Bloggers may start writing to get something off their chest, but bloggers continue to write in hopes of being read. Our human need for validation causes the hope of being read to become the hope of being appreciated. Hope for appreciation becomes desire for praise. Considering how our world values fame and celebrity, it is easy for the hope of receiving praise to transform into a hope for popularity. And considering how much our culture values creative enterprise and money-making, hope of popularity easily develops into the hope of someday making a living with one’s blog.

Many people start blogging because they feel they have something important and valuable to say to the rest of the world. We have a light we want to shine. As long as letting our light shine brings others to glorify our Father in heaven (Matt. 6:16), all is as it should be, but if becomes setting ourselves up as THE light to get glory for ourselves, then we get into dangerous ground.

Further, Nephi notes that the motives for setting oneself up as a light are the main thing to watch out for.

Priestcraft motive #1: That they may get…praise of the world

This is such a real danger in blogging. What blogger doesn’t love positive comments on what they’ve written? There are little blogging awards that get passed around, contests of popularity as to the best posts or comments, etc.

I am not immune from this. I feel the pull of the desire for honors too; I get fixated on positive comments and I sometimes feel the urge to self-censor or post more of what people seem to like when my goal should be always to inspire, motivate, and edify.

And let’s be honest; it is hard to keep writing without some sense that what you are doing is appreciated by somebody. Receiving praise from other people is one way to tell your writing is appreciated. Luckily, it isn’t the only way. The Lord is able to give us revelation about our effectiveness when no one else says anything. (I just wish I didn’t forget this so often!)

The best kind of comments though, are ones in which someone says that they learned something or they changed for the better because of what was shared; that gives writers true joy. (Those comments are part of what keep me going on this blog and help me feel like all the time and effort I put in has been worth it.) And when someone comments and shares an experience from their life that illustrates what I’ve written about, I am edified and very VERY grateful. Those comments strengthen my faith in the Lord and they teach me. (I love to learn from comments!)

But back to seeking for praise. Seeking for praise can occur in more insidious forms because of blogging tools that allow bloggers to analyze what posts are getting the most traffic and what gets the most comments, what posts cause people to exit their site, and so on. The ability to quantify popularity makes the quest for popularity alarmingly more scientific and calculating. On one hand, these tools can help a blogger hone their writing to become more engaging, which is good, but on the other hand, there is that subtle pressure to write more of what’s popular and less of what isn’t in order to expand and keep readers. (Just as an example of how bloggers value their popular messages and use them, many blogs have widgets on their sidebars that have a list of popular posts. What if we also had lists of unpopular and neglected posts in our sidebars?)

Elder Oaks gave a warning that can be applied to blogging about gospel topics in an address entitled, "Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall," Ensign, Oct. 1994. This is from an address previously given at BYU:

Another illustration of a strength that can become our downfall concerns charismatic teachers. With a trained mind and a skillful manner of presentation, teachers can become unusually popular and effective in teaching. But Satan will try to use that strength to corrupt teachers by encouraging them to gather a following of disciples. . . .Teachers who are most popular, and therefore most effective, have a special susceptibility to priestcraft. If they are not careful, their strength can become their spiritual downfall. They can become like Almon Babbitt, with whom the Lord was not pleased, because "he aspireth to establish his counsel instead of the counsel which I have ordained, even that of the Presidency of my Church; and he setteth up a golden calf for the worship of my people" (D&C 124:84). (http://www.lds.org/ensign/1994/10/our-strengths-can-become-our-downfall?lang=eng)

So, one error that we can fall into as religious bloggers is thinking that readers should listen to us and ignore the prophet and apostles the Lord has put in place to lead us. This is an obvious prideful wish like Almon Babbitt’s wish to supplant those the Lord set in leadership,

Another error is seek to gather a following. Satan does tempt bloggers to gather a following, and those “Follow Me” blog widgets can contribute greatly to it. I have a love-hate relationship with my own Followers widget on my blog. I appreciate it because it reminds me that I have an audience. But I have to continually remind myself when looking at all your pictures that you are looking to the Lord, to the prophets, to the scriptures, and to your local leaders, and my words are simply my personal, though well-considered opinion, which is not binding on anybody.

A different type of error we might make is when/if we find conference messages that repeat even vaguely something we have written about, and we may be tempted to think those speakers learned it from us. (Ohhhh, the insidious ego-ness thereof! Gag! Spit! Shun!) In actuality, the same heavenly source that teaches us, teaches the leaders. Our leaders learn through the Holy Ghost, independent of us, and if anything, the Lord may have actually been working on us to prepare us to heed the words of our leaders.

Blog popularity is double-edged. Lots of readers mean a message can be spread to a lot of people easily, assuming we have something worthwhile to say. But it also brings the high risk of pride, and the risk that we are pleasing people with a message that pleases the carnal mind. (Side note: I do not consider my blog to be popular, But believe me, pride can strike whether there are millions of hits or whether there are five.)

Elder David A. Bednar said in an address originally given to Seminary and Institute instructors:

[W]e must be careful to remember in our service that we are conduits and channels; we are not the light. “For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you” (Matthew 10:20). It is never about me and it is never about you. In fact, anything you or I do as an instructor that knowingly and intentionally draws attention to self—in the messages we present, in the methods we use, or in our personal demeanor—is a form of priestcraft that inhibits the teaching effectiveness of the Holy Ghost. “Doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? And if it be by some other way it is not of God” (D&C 50:17–18). David A. Bednar, "Seek Learning by Faith," February 3, 2006, Address to CES Religious Educators, Jordan Institute of Religion.

(http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,5344-1-2783-5,00.html)

This scripture has some great perspective:

…the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength. (Alma 1:26)

That verse holds a principle that has always been helpful for me to remember when I am about to puff myself up with pride. Just because I blog about the scriptures does not make me a more of a worthwhile person than someone who comments or someone who lurks or someone who doesn’t read blogs at all. We’re all equal. This is another reason why I love it when you comment and share inspiring stories from your lives about living the principles; it reminds me that the blogger and the commenter are equal.

If it sounds like I’m talking too much about myself, it is to show you that I am not immune from problems with this. I have to remind myself because I forget.

Priestcraft motive #2: That they may get gain

Popularity usually begins to bring on the next tempting aspect of priestcraft—seeking gain. There are all kinds of ways that people have discovered they can use to make money off their blogs—reviewing products, sponsorships, embedded ads, banners, affiliate links, etc. There are whole industries devoted to increasing online popularity, blogs and otherwise.

I’ve been tempted by this too. I go through stages where I wish I could find some way to “monetize” my blog, and then I have to slap myself out of that. I used to wish that I could make a living as a scripture blogger, but I’ve never been paid one cent for it, and I suppose that I probably never will.

Actually, I wrote the above paragraph a few months ago and then interestingly enough, someone commented on one of my posts, inviting me to become an affiliate so I could earn money with my blog. My first reaction was, “Wow, they think I have snagged enough eyeballs to make them money! I’ve arrived!” But my second reaction was “Priestcraft! Stay away!” I thought it through carefully, and I could see that if I became an affiliate site, my focus would change, and I would become more interested in what money I was making than in my labor of love of blogging about the scriptures, which I consider laboring for Zion.

Why is priestcraft such a big deal? Because the consequences are dire. Here’s Nephi’s warning for all those who engage in priestcraft:

For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; yea, in fine, all those who belong to the kingdom of the devil are they who need fear, and tremble, and quake; they are those who must be brought low in the dust; they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet. (1 Nephi 22:23, emphasis added)

Consumed as stubble. That’s a heavy consequence for priestcraft.

Nephi observed priestcraft causing great problems in gentile society:

And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor. (2 Nephi 26:20)

These days churches aren’t just brick and mortar; they can be virtual as well. Nephi notes that spiritual hazards that go with priestcraft are denying miracles and preaching up one’s own wisdom (which may include scientific atheism), and neglect of (and even abuse of) the poor.

Seek the welfare of Zion

Seeking the welfare of Zion should be the motive of any blogging or preaching. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? It’s about wanting to make the reader’s lives better, wanting to say something that will be of benefit, that may bring positive change, something that may help unravel difficulties and make the right way clear. It’s not saying something just to keep posting on schedule, but to edify and enlighten. It requires charity.

The goal is to not put oneself above others, but to show others how to rise to a higher level. The goal is not to champion our own view, but to increase perspective so the truth can be seen more clearly.

I’ve written about the different aspects of priestcraft that can enter blogging because I’ve had to struggle with it myself in all kinds of different ways. My hope is that sharing these things will help you to find and conquer priestcraft in yourself, and your desire to strengthen Zion with sound words and pure motives will be increased. We need as much of that as we can get.

The goal we are all striving for is this:

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:34, emphasis added)

The day will come when teaching will be over because ALL will know. It will be a day of kings and queens, priests and priestesses, everyone at the pinnacle of knowledge and development. There is no room for pride and priestcraft in that future.

The church is true and why we can say so

“The church is true.”

I’ve been pondering that statement today. There’s a lot of meaning wrapped up in it that I want to draw out to show why we as members can say, “The church is true.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s church. The church belongs to Him and no one else. He established it. He revealed Himself to a man and called him to be a prophet.

Christ established the priesthood and instituted the ordinances of it. He sent angels to ordain men to hold the keys of the priesthood.

He established all the offices of the priesthood and gave revelation as to their duties.

He gave the gift of the Holy Ghost whereby all members of the church could receive greater revelations to guide them and speak in the name of the Lord.

He reveals, reminds, and warns the church through the prophet and apostles.

He gives to church leaders to know by the Holy Ghost who should serve in what callings. He gives to members by the Holy Ghost inspiration concerning their calling as well as revelation about their lives.

He gives inspiration as to where missionaries should be sent on their missions, and He gives inspiration to those missionaries as to where they should go, who they should teach, and how.

He gave revelation about temple-building in all particulars as to why, how, and where. He gave revelation as to what should be done in temples and who would do it.

That’s just scratching the surface.

The Lord is in this work. It is His church. That’s why we can say the church is true.

Image 1: First vision, http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,104-1-3-4,00.html

Image 2: Priesthood Restoration, http://mormonthink.com/priesthood.htm

Image 3: Priests preparing sacrament, http://www.mormonwiki.com/Priests

Image 4: Gift of the Holy Ghost, http://sandiegomormontemple.com/142/mormon-priesthood

Image 5: Mormon prophet Thomas S. Monson, http://wellbehavedmormonwoman.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-do-mormons-trust-men-to-speak-for.html

Image 6: primary, http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/59333/One-of-a-kind-Former-Utah-governor-serves-in-Primary.html

Image 7: MormonMissionaries, http://dcmormontemple.com/104/mormon-missionaries

Image 8: Nauvoo Temple, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauvoo_Temple

The parable of the rich fool

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:15-21)

It is easy to dismiss this parable as one applying to the rich and not to ourselves. However, I think that Jesus set a rich man as the main character in order to exaggerate the characteristics that he wished to decry in order to make them more obvious and to show the end consequences. The piercing question, “whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” could be said to a poor man or a middle class man as well as a rich man. People at all heights on the socio-economic latter can be equally obsessed with their possessions, equally covetous for more, and equally chagrinned if they were to be told their life would end that night.

But I’m going at this a bit out of order.

The rich man’s solution to an incredibly bounteous harvest seems like common sense from a worldly standpoint. He’s acting under the assumption that he still has many years to live and provide for himself. He’s very prudent in temporal things, as we can see throughout the parable. He works hard at farming, and the ground brought forth plentifully, so we see he understands the law of the harvest. He is careful to provide proper storage for his goods, with proper-sized barns. He understands the principle of delayed gratification, as he understands the more he works now, the more he’ll have later to enjoy. He knows how much he needs in a year to have a high quality of life, and he can tell that after this harvest he has enough that he probably doesn’t have to work again for the rest of his life. The problem is, he thought of it as all his own, all so he could take it easy, eat, drink, and have fun. He forgot it was a stewardship given to him by God. It is interesting this man was already rich before the bounteous harvest, and his bounteous harvest made him obscenely rich.

The wake-up call comes when God says to him, “this night thy soul shall be required of thee.” Suddenly the assumption that he has to provide for himself for many more years is no longer valid. Suddenly it is clear that he won’t even need any of what he has stored up. (If he were to decide to dispose of his possessions in charitable giving in one day, would he be able to accomplish it all? Or would it have been better for him to be giving all along? Clearly giving all along is the better way.)

This parable throws into sharp relief the conflicting requirements between the need to provide for oneself and the importance of being ready to leave it all behind and meet God. We don’t know how long we will live, but we also don’t know how soon we will die.

Said another way, we live now according to our perception of the future. We save carefully to prepare for later years when we will not be able to work. But we forget that our mortal future is only temporary and we don’t know how long it will last. Provision for a long mortal future does not guarantee we will actually have that time. The greatest future we have to prepare for is eternity. If we only prepare for the future of our mortal life, we demonstrate shortsightedness.

____________________________._____________________________

Do you see the dot in the middle of those lines above? The dot is like our mortal life. The lines are like eternity.

I think one of the ways we can stay prepared is by staying de-cluttered. There’s a lot here that can apply to clutter.

What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? – When we have no room for all our stuff, it is a good indication that we need to let go. The world’s solution is to get a bigger storage space, but this parable suggests it’s better to give away the surplus and donate to charity—“be rich toward God,” in other words.

Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years – So often, the things we are hanging onto are not for use now, but for later at a time when we anticipate we will be able to use them, or for a time that someone else will be able to use them! This parable suggests that if we were to suddenly pass away, there would have been no point in storing those items. (Not only that, but the haunting question “then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” hints that our specific wishes for that stuff we were storing probably wouldn’t be known by those trying to dispose of it. They may do something completely different with it from what we wanted done.) The rich man may have been keeping things to bequeath to his children, but this parable suggests the time to give is now. What if instead we keep around only the things we are using now.

I think the parable also shows the difference between providing for oneself and covetousness. The man in the parable was already rich beyond providing for his ordinary human needs, but he had to have more. Likewise, it is possible to figure out how much we really need to live and calculate how much is needed for that part of our mortal future when we won’t be able to provide for ourselves.

Ultimately, this is the punch line of the parable—“a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” What did the rich man’s life consist of, minus his riches? We may never know, since this was a parable, but it is a good question to ask of ourselves—“What does my life consist of, minus my possessions?” It is a very important question to ask because at some point we will die, and our spirits will be separated from our bodies and will have nothing more to do with the material world, for a long, long while. What will our spirits do to spend the time between death and resurrection without any things to use and play with? We’ve been told that we will join the throng of teachers preaching to the spirits who are in prison, but are we prepared to do that? Will that be an activity congenial to us there if it is not now? We’ve been told we will join our departed families, but are we prepared with the social skills and communication skills to appreciate and use that time together?

Lehi’s insights into Adam’s Fall

18 …he [Satan] said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

19 And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.

20 And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.

21 And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God….

22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.

23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. (2 Nephi 2:18-25)

One of the great things about Lehi’s discourse on the Fall is that he gives us something that no other place in scripture gives us—Adam’s reasons for partaking the fruit. All other places say that “[Eve] took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” making it sound like Adam ate mindlessly what Eve gave him.

But here we get the first inkling (though it is not explained fully) that Adam fell (ate the fruit) so that he could have children. This suggests something we are familiar with—that Adam and Eve knew they would have to separate if one ate the fruit and the other did not, that Eve would have to leave the Garden of Eden and Adam would not need to.

Think of what would have happened if Adam had decided not to partake of the fruit too. He and Eve would have been separated and would not have been able to have children. Not only that, Eve would have been endlessly lost, having fallen forever, and being separated from Adam, so she would have been unable to have children, especially the distant descendant Jesus Christ who would atone for her sins as well as all others.

The apostle Paul realized this too, since he wrote to Timothy:

14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. (1 Timothy 2:14-15)

Paul’s words about Adam not being deceived seem totally incomprehensible unless we take it as a hint that Adam was tempted to eat the fruit once before and resisted the temptation, and it was only the prospect of losing Eve and the means to have children that persuaded him to eat the fruit.

Paul’s words also highlight that Eve’s salvation (and everyone else’s too) depended on her having children. She had to have children, her children had to have children, and so on, to ultimately bring Christ into the world so He could atone for us.

LDS scholar Hugh Nibley pointed out that Eve, though fallen, still exhibited great love of the truth by working to keep her marriage together so that she could keep the commandment to have children. (Having broken one commandment, she didn’t want to break any others.)

After Eve had eaten the fruit and Satan had won his round, the two [Adam and Eve] were now drastically separated, for they were of different natures. But Eve, who in ancient lore is the one who outwits the serpent and trips him up with his own smartness, defeated this trick by a clever argument. First she asked Adam if he intended to keep all of God's commandments. Of course he did! All of them? Naturally! And what, pray, was the first and foremost of those commandments? Was it not to multiply and replenish the earth, the universal commandment given to all God's creatures? And how could they keep that commandment if they were separated? It had undeniable priority over the commandment not to eat the fruit. So Adam could only admit that she was right and go along: “I see that it must be so,” he said, but it was she who made him see it. This is much more than a smart way of winning her point, however. It is the clear declaration that man and woman were put on the earth to stay together and have a family—that is their first obligation and must supersede everything else.(Hugh Nibly, “Patriarchy and Matriarchy”, http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/transcripts/?id=151)

So it seems that both Adam and Eve must be remembered for their strong commitment to marriage and family and having children.

Who's the greatest?

46 ¶Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.

47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,

48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. (Luke 9:46-48)

I had lots of questions about what Jesus said here. How does one receive a child in Jesus’s name? Is that like when a woman bears a child? Or does that mean meeting and accepting a child for who they are? Or does that mean accepting a child into the church by baptism? Or does it mean accepting truth even if it is taught in the simplest way by a child?

I think it could be all of these, but most especially I think it could mean accepting a child into the church at baptism, since that would best qualify as “receiving [a] child in [Christ’s] name.” Considering the disciples were wondering who was the greatest, I think Jesus making the child the focus to make the point that EVERYONE in the kingdom of God is to be treated and respected and loved as if they were the greatest, as if they were like Christ. There is to be no excluding or patronizing or pride, no jockeying for status or power. Yes, there must be order in the church, but Jesus clearly didn’t mean that order to divide the church into classes on any account.

How would we treat each other if we were to pretend we were receiving Christ in each other. We are all little embryo Christs anyway, so this is not so far-fetched.

For he that is least among you all, the same shall be great – I think this means that those among us who seem the least talented, the least smart, every “least” we can think of, even the least faithful we should treat as though they are the greatest. (I’ve observed that those who seem to have the least going for them are in need of the most care and attention.) There are echoes here of leaving the 99 and going after the 1.

As I’ve been thinking about these verses, they strike me as one of those sayings that is easy to talk about, but harder (maybe very hard) to put into practice. I’ve been working on it today, and it is wearing me out! But somehow, I sense it could really revolutionize my relationships, so I want to persevere. I sense that it will really help me develop greater charity, the kind of charity I need for the celestial kingdom.

What do you think? Do you want to try it with me?

Image: Carl Bloch, http://www.rickety.us/2011/04/carl-bloch-the-masters-hand/

Highlights of April 2012 conference

First I have to share that I experienced a moment of complete bliss during conference that will be imbedded in my memory for (I hope) a good long time. It was the during Saturday morning session. My husband and I were seated on the low granite wall on Temple Square in the standby line. The weather was warm and windy, blowing petals from pale pink cherry blossoms to whirl down and around us. The dark grey trees towering above us had a faint green mist of new leaves on them. We listened to conference through the outdoor speakers, and as the choir began singing “Love is Spoken Here,” I was overwhelmed with a glowing feeling of warmth, joy, and love, thankfulness that I could be there in such a beautiful place at that time, that I could hear such excellent singing about family love, that I could be with so many saints who resonated with faith in the gospel of Christ, that I could be with my husband, who I loved. It was a foretaste of heaven. (happy sigh)

I didn’t get into the conference center to see conference, but I did get to be in the Tabernacle for one session. (Yaaaaay for being in historic buildings!!) I got to spend another session with my sister Tennille and my brother Nelson. (Yaaaaay for being with family!) Two sessions I watched on video and two sessions I just had audio, and I think there are different advantages to each. Audio required more concentration, but note-taking was more difficult with video. Not sure why.

I want to share some of the highlights that stuck out to me, at least one highlight from each talk.

Elder Boyd K. Packer said family time is sacred time and should be protected and respected. That is a clear statement of priority. It seems to me that if family time is put at such a priority in the church, then we should make sure that we have good things that we can do together and talk about during family time that make it something that the whole family appreciates and will want to guard.

Cheryl A Esplin said that children must experience gospel principles in action early while it is easy to believe them. I’ve found this is true for any age that it is necessary to apply gospel principles as soon as we learn them. Procrastinating the implementation of counsel tends to weaken belief that the counsel is necessary to follow or will be effective.

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom pointed out the church and the gospel are not the same and mentioned that things of the gospel are less visible, and therefore less easy to measure. This reminded me that we can measure certain things about our activity like our attendance and visiting teaching and tithing, but we can’t measure our love and devotion to the Lord, our repentance and faith, or other inner qualities that indicate our commitment to the gospel. The inner unmeasurable things will be harder for us to improve if we are hungry for praise from others and not commendation from the Lord.

Elder Paul E Koelliker talked about seeking ways to awaken and nurture desire to know Heavenly Father and feel His Spirit. It really got me thinking about how we communicate the core benefits of the gospel to others. One of the ways that my desire to know Heavenly Father has been nurtured has been hearing stories from people I looked up to spiritually about how they sought and found the Lord’s help. These stories came at times in my life when I was casting about for something more I could do to bring greater blessings into my life.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks talked about sacrifice and how we make devoted sacrifices of time and talents, even in opposition to personal desires. When I look back through my notes of his talk, I saw he named a number of things we do as part of our duty that are sacrifices. I think I forget the many ways I sacrifice as a matter of course and yearn for bigger, more exciting acts. Elder Oaks said that our testimony of the Atonement inspires us to a desire to sacrifice out of gratitude. That is powerful.

President Henry B. Eyring talked about laying an unshakeable foundation of faith by preparing with personal integrity, serving God and others, and demonstrating faith in Jesus Christ. This was a precious talk to me because at times I’ve felt myself shake with doubts and feelings of inadequacy. I’ve wondered how to achieve greater firmness in my faith, and this was an answer for me. One single phrase that stood out to me was when he quoted D&C 121: “if the very jaws of hell should gape after thee..” This meant a lot because I’ve felt the jaws of hell gaping after me, and I am determined to resist.

I loved Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s explanation of the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. The question “Why should we be jealous when God chooses to be kind to others?” really caused me to ponder my attitudes that I’ve seen myself trapped by over the last month or so.

Elder Robert D. Hales challenged us to look in the mirror and ask ourselves where we stand. It reminded me that when we come to ourselves, we look with unflinching honesty at our choices and the consequences and then let the desire to change for the better swell in our breasts, even if it is just wanting a desire to change.

Elder Baxter asked us if there is more that we can do to support single-parent families. I’d thought about this before, but it is hard to know how far to go or what is best to do.

Elder Ulisses Soares talked about staying on the Lord’s side of the line and suggested we ask ourselves, “Do my actions place myself on the Lord’s or Satan’s side” and “Are my attitudes good or bad?” Lately I’ve felt afflicted by negative passions and attitudes that pull in different directions, yet which have seemed justified. I feel these questions will help me evaluate them and resist them better.

Two things that stood out from Elder Quentin L. Cook’s talk was the importance of example of praying with children. In a secular world, children need that example. (I think adults need it too.) He also pointed out that temporary setbacks are overshadowed by consistent faithful practices, so if we are consistent, that will compensate for the occasional problems. I find that very comforting. I think it is also true in our lives that our temporary setbacks in living our faith can be overshadowed by our consistent faithful practices when we cling to the Atonement of Christ.

Elder Richard G. Scott gave a raft of insights about receiving inspiration. One that meant a lot to me was the caution to not yield to negative emotions. It suggested to me that while negative emotions come, I need not act upon them; I can still have self-control. I very much look forward to studying this talk when the full text comes out because I feel I need it badly.

The bumper sticker that President Dieter F. Uchtdorf shared seemed very significant to me. “Don’t judge me because I sin differently from you.” This is something that I frequently have to remind myself that what is easy for me may not be for other people, and for the things I struggle with, there are probably people who can do it easily. I hope they are patient with me, so I have to patient with others too. Also it was a neat thought that heaven is full of those who have been forgiven and who also forgive.

Elder Russell M. Nelson reminded me of how important it is for me to include heartfelt expressions of gratitude in my prayers. His talk was a great example as he shared a number of instances of temporal and spiritual gifts from God and ended each with “Thanks be to God!”

Elder Ronald R. Rasband said that while some of us are born with physical limitations, a perfect body is not required for eternal progression. (Thank heaven!) I’m beginning to think that physical limitations are an opportunity to develop in other ways, an opportunity to get really creative and ingenious, an opportunity to test our determination to achieve, and a way to provide others with chances to serve. I loved that he pointed out how Christ healed those who were “afflicted in any manner.”

Julie B. Beck’s talk reminded me of the book “Daughers of My Kingdom.” She quoted a number of things from it, and I realized that I need to read that book again and try to glean more things from it. Said that the Relief Society is not a program, but is an integral part of the kingdom and should be a way of life. This made me wonder if it was a “way of life” for me. She said we should eliminate fads and incorporate purposes. (I bet we are meant to absorb those purposes from “Daughters of My Kingdom.”) I’m going to miss her as RS general president. When I think of a strong woman, I think of Julie B. Beck.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson reiterated the special calling of the president of the church as a prophet to announce and interpret doctrines based on revelation from God, which takes precedence over scholarship that enhances understanding. I really appreciated this. As a blogger who focuses on the scriptures, sometimes the demarcation seems fuzzy to me and I start to fret that I might be taking authority to myself that I don’t have. I don’t want to silence myself unnecessarily, but neither do I want to speak where I shouldn’t.

President Thomas S. Monson spoke about the moments of clarity that cause us to reflect on questions of where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. I was touched by his story of the women who had her moment of sudden clarity about her priorities when diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. It suggests to me that if we choose, we need not wait for such a situation to come for us to achieve the same clarity. We can choose to see clearly what matters in our lives and how we should be living. I think seeing clearly can revolutionize our life priorities at any time if we follow that vision.

Elder L. Tom Perry talked about the Book of Mormon themes of the Lord’s power of deliverance and how reading about them can make us mighty under the power of deliverance. The lesson that the Lord is quick to deliver us in miraculous ways when we are humble and righteous was very compelling. I think we sometimes assume we know about the Lord’s deliverance, when we don’t know all the different ways He can deliver His people.

Elder L. Russell Ballard said we need to prioritize and put everything we do outside the home in subjection to and in support of what happens in the home. This is a fabulous guideline for helping us deal with the huge number of distractions that beckon. He challenged us to organizing our personal lives. I think that can help us be prepared for our challenges, opportunities, and duties.

Elder O. Vincent Haleck talked about how we need to acquire a vision of ourselves as the Savior sees us. I also loved his story about his parents fasting weekly for him and his siblings. I feel I may need to implement more fasting in my life. I want that same power and faith.

Elder Larry Y. Wilson talked about how we need to prepare our children to make wise decisions. While I don’t have children, I think that goes for just about anyone we have stewardship over—preparing by teaching with the Spirit. I thought it was good that he gave an illustration of unrighteous dominion; often we hear the term, but we may not know how to recognize an example in real life. I also liked that he gave an example of helping children make their own decisions and learn from the consequences.

Elder David F. Evans said that when conversion happens, it is never one person; it is always a family that is saved. It made me think of my family and how much I hope my siblings will make good choices. It made me think of ways that I could try to use my influence for good in my family.

Elder Paul B. Pieper had a very powerful statement. “The sacred cannot be selectively surrendered. Those who choose to abandon even one sacred thing will have their minds darkened and, unless they repent, the light they have shall be taken from them. Unanchored by the sacred, they will find themselves morally adrift on the secular sea. In contrast, those who hold sacred things sacred receive promises.” That’s a great warning. I think the variety of secular voices we subject ourselves to every day can cause us to surrender the sacred gradually and imperceptibly. Also, our unhealthy doubts can cause us to surrender the sacred. Pieper also said we should rely on sacred personal witnesses we have already received. That requires us to remember the experiences we had that first rooted our testimonies.

Elder Neil L. Andersen invited us to ask what Christ would think of each of us, based on assessments Christ made of others during His ministry. It is a searching question designed to help us achieve that clarity we need to make proper decisions. I like that he said that discipleship in these days will be a badge of honor in the eternities.

President Thomas S. Monson in his closing address had two bits of counsel that I really liked: first to pray always, and settle disagreements and contentions in our families. Praying has been a lifeline for me the past few weeks and it feels like I’ve gotten into contentions and disagreements, so I have some improving to do.

So, overall, have I noticed any patterns? It seems like there is lots of emphasis on

• Getting our priorities in order, with families very near the top
• Sacrifice and discipleship
• Cultivating righteous desires and the sacred
• Choosing the right
• Resistance to secular atheism

Spiritual Crocodiles

A few months ago I went back to visit my parents for a week and my mom asked me to help her clean out her old seminary posters that she had saved. It was neat reading through them as I put them in the trash. There was one that was so good that I had to copy out in my spiritual journal and today I want to share it. It’s about spiritual crocodiles.

Before I share that, though, here’s the story from Elder Packer’s 1976 conference talk about Spiritual Crocodiles that my mom's poster was probably based on:

We stopped at a water hole to watch the animals come to drink. It was very dry that season and there was not much water, really just muddy spots. When the elephants stepped into the soft mud the water would seep into the depression and the animals would drink from the elephant tracks.

The antelope, particularly, were very nervous. They would approach the mud hole, only to turn and run away in great fright. I could see there were no lions about and asked the guide why they didn’t drink. His answer, and this is the lesson, was “Crocodiles.”

I knew he must be joking and asked him seriously, “What is the problem?” The answer again: “Crocodiles.”

“Nonsense,” I said. “There are no crocodiles out there. Anyone can see that.”

I thought he was having some fun at the expense of his foreign game expert, and finally I asked him to tell us the truth. Now I remind you that I was not uninformed. I had read many books. Besides, anyone would know that you can’t hide a crocodile in an elephant track.

He could tell I did not believe him and determined, I suppose, to teach me a lesson. We drove to another location where the car was on an embankment above the muddy hole where we could look down. “There,” he said. “See for yourself.”

I couldn’t see anything except the mud, a little water, and the nervous animals in the distance. Then all at once I saw it!—a large crocodile, settled in the mud, waiting for some unsuspecting animal to get thirsty enough to come for a drink.

Suddenly I became a believer! When he could see I was willing to listen, he continued with the lesson. “There are crocodiles all over the park,” he said, “not just in the rivers. We don’t have any water without a crocodile somewhere near it, and you’d better count on it.”

The guide was kinder to me than I deserved. My “know-it-all” challenge to his first statement, “crocodiles,” might have brought an invitation, “Well, go out and see for yourself!”

I could see for myself that there were no crocodiles. I was so sure of myself I think I might have walked out just to see what was there. Such an arrogant approach could have been fatal! But he was patient enough to teach me….

Those ahead of you in life have probed about the water holes a bit and raise a voice of warning about crocodiles. Not just the big, gray lizards that can bite you to pieces, but spiritual crocodiles, infinitely more dangerous, and more deceptive and less visible, even, than those well-camouflaged reptiles of Africa….

On another trip to Africa I discussed this experience with a game ranger in another park. He assured me that you can indeed hide a crocodile in an elephant track—one big enough to bite a man in two.

He then showed me a place where a tragedy had occurred. A young man from England was working in the hotel for the season. In spite of constant and repeated warnings, he went through the compound fence to check something across a shallow splash of water that didn’t cover his tennis shoes.

“He wasn’t two steps in,” the ranger said, “before a crocodile had him, and we could do nothing to save him.”

Now here’s the text from my mother’s poster:

Crocodiles—And Satan’s temptations, tactics, and tricks

1. Are well-camouflaged. (“What’s wrong with it?”)

2. Victimize the young who are innocent or less warry. (“It can’t happen to me.”)

3. Victims underestimate how fast and powerful the enemy is. (Addictions—pr0n, gambling, debt, smoking, drugs..)

4. Victims see others who seem to be unharmed (“in the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can’t see”)

5. Wait in places where victims go to satisfy needs. (social—parties; emotional—peer influences)

6. Are patient and wait until victim feels safe and guard is down (late at night, relaxing, vacation, etc.)

7. Victims ignore warnings (parents, teachers, Holy Ghost, prophets’ messages)

It seems we have more spiritual crocodiles to look out for today than ever. I'm excited to listen to our guides in general conference!

Image: http://crocodilian.com/

Image #2: http://animal-wildlife.blogspot.com/2011/11/crocodile.html