April 24 - Truth and Error

What leads to personal apostasy? What is more dangerous--something that is 100% wrong or something that is 99% true?

The 100% falsehood is much easier to detect than the 1% falsehood.  Because it's so hard to spot minute errors, the 99% truth can present much greater obstacles that prevent us from realizing our goals.

In "A Matter of a Few Degrees" (2008), President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles relates the following true story:

"In 1979 a large passenger jet with 257 people on board left New Zealand for a sightseeing flight to Antarctica and back. Unknown to the pilots, however, someone had modified the flight coordinates by a mere two degrees. This error placed the aircraft 28 miles (45 km) to the east of where the pilots assumed they were. As they approached Antarctica, the pilots descended to a lower altitude to give the passengers a better look at the landscape. Although both were experienced pilots, neither had made this particular flight before, and they had no way of knowing that the incorrect coordinates had placed them directly in the path of Mount Erebus, an active volcano that rises from the frozen landscape to a height of more than 12,000 feet (3,700 m).

 

"As the pilots flew onward, the white of the snow and ice covering the volcano blended with the white of the clouds above, making it appear as though they were flying over flat ground. By the time the instruments sounded the warning that the ground was rising fast toward them, it was too late. The airplane crashed into the side of the volcano, killing everyone on board.

"It was a terrible tragedy brought on by a minor error—a matter of only a few degrees."

 President Uchtdorf then connected this story to his observations about people's choices in life: "I have learned that the difference between happiness and misery in individuals, in marriages, and families often comes down to an error of only a few degrees."

Many examples from the scriptures, from literature, from secular history, and from our own lives support this claim.  

Saul, a king in the Old Testament, had every advantage. Raised by influential parents, he was bright, strong, and good.  God personally selected him to rule. Under pressure, however, "Saul did not have the self-discipline to stay on course, trust the Lord and His prophet, and follow the pattern God had established."

At the time of Christ, the Pharisees and Sadducees--who prided themselves on obedience to the Law of Moses, who had built many traditions and practices to prevent themselves from breaking the Law of Moses, and who strove to live the commandments--did not recognize Jesus Christ as the Son of God or as their Savior.

Ultimately, the differences between Abel and Cain, between the prophet Noah and the people who mocked him, between Jacob and Esau, between Joseph and his brothers, between Nephi/Sam and Laman/Lemuel, and so many others, may have come down to small decisions made early on or over time that differed by only a few degrees.  

President Uchtdorf warns that even beneficial advances can have disastrous consequences if we're not careful: 

"This conference is being translated into 92 languages and broadcast to 96 countries by the miracle of modern technology. Many of you . . . attend general conference by means of the Internet. New technologies such as this make it possible for the gospel message to be spread throughout the world. The Church Web sites are good examples of how you can use this technology as a wonderful resource of inspiration, help, and learning. They can be a blessing for you priesthood holders, your families, and the Church.

"But be cautious. These same technologies can allow evil influences to cross the threshold of your homes. These dangerous traps are only a mouse click away. Pornography, violence, intolerance, and ungodliness destroy families, marriages, and individual lives. These dangers are distributed through many media, including magazines, books, television, movies, and music, as well as the Internet. The Lord will help you to recognize and avoid those evils. It is the early recognition of danger and a clear course correction that will keep you in the light of the gospel. Minor decisions can lead to major consequences.

"Entering a strange and risky chat room on the Internet could lead you into the center of a raging storm. Putting a computer in a private room that the rest of the family cannot access could be the starting point for a deceitful and dangerous journey."

For Edmund in C. S. Lewis's novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, jealousy of his sister Lucy and failure to heed his initial misgivings about the White Witch led him to betray his siblings, himself, and the kingdom for the temporary pleasure of a hot beverage and some Turkish Delight (see Chapter 4).

When "it's not a big deal" is used to justify less-than-ideal behavior, we should say to ourselves: "Well, if it really isn't a big deal, I should just do what the Spirit tells me."

The Spirit is critical to identifying small errors that are difficult to see and to correcting those flaws to keep us flying right. With the Spirit as our constant companion, we are better able to see those 1% truths that can be so difficult to notice. When we do make mistakes, the Atonement of Jesus Christ offers us the way to repent, change, receive forgiveness, and start anew.

Images 
Le pôle antarctique Jacques de Vaux, Premières Œuvres (traité d'hydrographie). Cartes, dessins coloriés, lettres ornées. Le Havre, 1583. Manuscrit sur vélin (45 x 32,5 cm) BNF, Manuscrits, Fr. 150 fol. 27v. {PD-1996}
Aerial view of Mount Erebus crater, Ross Island, Antarctica on December 31, 2005. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeaneeem/895764355/ Flickr. Downloaded on 4/24/2016 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Erebus_Aerial_3.jpg. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Aerial view of Mount Erebus crater, Ross Island, Antarctica on December 31, 2005. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeaneeem/895764355/ Flickr. Downloaded on 4/24/2016 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Erebus_Aerial_2.jpg. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

January 24 - The Nature of God

The quest to understand God and know Him has occupied many people--from lay folks to scholars, clergy, and royalty.  In those efforts, they have studied scriptures, reasoned through questions, and searched throughout their lives.  Sometimes, their efforts have sown deep-seeded confusion. We will briefly touch on key historical elements that contributed to people's perceptions about God over the past several millennia.

The climate in the early 1800s sparked religious interest, fervent discussion, and soul searching for many, including a young Joseph Smith, who embarked on a journey to find out for himself which church was true.  Along the way, he learned much more.

Over the next two weeks, we're going to go on this journey with Joseph, in his own words, and discover what he found out about which church to join and, consequently, about the nature of God and our relationship with Him.

Have you ever felt confused about what was right? About what you should do? About what you should believe?

You're not alone.  Everyone feels that way at least sometime in his or her life.  And so did Joseph Smith.

***

 5 Some time in the second year after our removal to Manchester, there was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, “Lo, here!” and others, “Lo, there!” Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist.

 6 For, notwithstanding the great love which the converts to these different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion, and the great zeal manifested by the respective clergy, who were active in getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of religious feeling, in order to have everybody converted, as they were pleased to call it, let them join what sect they pleased; yet when the converts began to file off, some to one party and some to another, it was seen that the seemingly good feelings of both the priests and the converts were more pretended than real; for a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued—priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions.

 7 I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father’s family was proselyted to the Presbyterian faith, and four of them joined that church, namely, my mother, Lucy; my brothers Hyrum and Samuel Harrison; and my sister Sophronia.

 8 During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.

 9 My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others.

 10 In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?

(Joseph Smith--History)

 ***

 What did he do about his confusion?  What happened as a result?

***

 11 While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

 12 Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.

 13 At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

 14 So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.

 15 After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.

 16 But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

 17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

 18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.

 19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

 20 He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking up into heaven. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home. And as I leaned up to the fireplace, mother inquired what the matter was. I replied, “Never mind, all is well—I am well enough off.” I then said to my mother, “I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true.” It seems as though the adversary was aware, at a very early period of my life, that I was destined to prove a disturber and an annoyer of his kingdom; else why should the powers of darkness combine against me? Why the opposition and persecution that arose against me, almost in my infancy?

(Joseph Smith--History)

***

What did Joseph Smith learn about which church to join? About the nature of God? About his relationship with God? About revelation?  What does Joseph Smith's experience tell us?

According to Andrew C. Skinner talk "The Nature and Character of God" at Brigham Young University, "Joseph Smith’s First Vision in 1820 immediately clarified misunderstandings about the nature of the Godhead as well as the person of God the Father:

• "God the Father is a distinct personage, separate from the Lord Jesus Christ.
• "God the Father looks like a man, as does His Son—who is our Savior.
• "God the Father can speak and move.
• "God the Father knows individuals by name.
• "God the Father hears and answers prayers.
• "God the Father bears witness of His Son.
• "Satan and his power are real, but God’s power is greater."

When have you asked God for answers to important questions, for healing, or for other blessings for yourself or others?  How have your experiences impacted your testimony?

We each brought one item from home that represents our personal testimonies. We each shared those, along with their personal meaning, value, and impact.

January 17 - See, Hear, Remember

 When he was an apostle, Spencer W. Kimball said:

"When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be remember." (Circles of Exaltation [address to religious educators, Brigham Young University, 28 June 1968], 8).

Why is the word "remember" so important?

• Without remembering, we don't have any of the other words either.
• Remembering is important to communication and to learning.
• Remembering the past gives us choices about what to do in the future.
• If we can remember, we can build our knowledge and our testimonies.
• Like in the movie "Inside Out", the memories we keep and cherish can form the foundations of our identity, our understanding of who we are and who we want to become.

What happens if we don't actively remember?

I have two brothers, both of whom are bright, engaging, witty, hilarious, emotionally sensitive, and sincere. When they were younger, both of them had vibrant testimonies and personal relationships with Heavenly Father.

As they grew up, they made different choices. One of them (who knew he tended to be absent-minded) decided that he wanted to grow his testimony, and he actively set about remembering his spiritual feelings and experiences. Over time, his memories grew and became part of his core--defining who he is as a person, what he values, and where he's going. His spirituality informs every aspect of his life.

The other didn't make a concerted effort to remember those times when his heart was touched. Over time, he has come to believe that the poignant, deep inspirations he'd had as a boy were manipulations of his feelings--he no longer trusts his emotions or spiritual feelings.

Acknowledging that other factors likely played a role in the differences (and both of them are still really good, beautiful people whom I love dearly), what contribution do you think "remembering" made to their testimonies and their relationships with God?

In each of our lives, we can see the Lord's interest and investment. As we consider the words of the prophets and apostles, what stands out to you?

• "Eyes to See and Ears to Hear" by Elder Kim B. Clark of the Quorum of the Seventy
• "O Remember, Remember" by Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles 
• "The Tender Mercies of the Lord" by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

The talks are inspired, and I would encourage further reading for any who are inclined. I'm going to pull just a couple of quotes to share here.

Elder Kim Clark notes, "Our time is a dangerous time—a time of great evil and temptation, a time of confusion and commotion. In these perilous times, the Lord’s prophet on the earth, President Thomas S. Monson, has called us to rescue the wounded in spirit, to stand for truth with courage, and to build the kingdom of God. Whatever level of spirituality or faith or obedience we now have, it will not be sufficient for the work that lies ahead. We need greater spiritual light and power. We need eyes to see more clearly the Savior working in our lives and ears to hear His voice more deeply in our hearts."

Elder Eyring relates the following personal experience about remembering the Lord's hand in his life:

"When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day. Let me tell you how that got started. I came home late from a Church assignment. It was after dark. My father-in-law, who lived near us, surprised me as I walked toward the front door of my house. He was carrying a load of pipes over his shoulder, walking very fast and dressed in his work clothes. I knew that he had been building a system to pump water from a stream below us up to our property.

"He smiled, spoke softly, and then rushed past me into the darkness to go on with his work. I took a few steps toward the house, thinking of what he was doing for us, and just as I got to the door, I heard in my mind—not in my own voice—these words: 'I’m not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down.'

"I went inside. I didn’t go to bed. Although I was tired, I took out some paper and began to write. And as I did, I understood the message I had heard in my mind. I was supposed to record for my children to read, someday in the future, how I had seen the hand of God blessing our family. Grandpa didn’t have to do what he was doing for us. He could have had someone else do it or not have done it at all. But he was serving us, his family, in the way covenant disciples of Jesus Christ always do. I knew that was true. And so I wrote it down, so that my children could have the memory someday when they would need it.

"I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: 'Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?' As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.

"More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened.

"The years have gone by. My boys are grown men. And now and then one of them will surprise me by saying, 'Dad, I was reading in my copy of the journal about when …' and then he will tell me about how reading of what happened long ago helped him notice something God had done in his day.

"My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. You may not keep a journal. You may not share whatever record you keep with those you love and serve. But you and they will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done."

Elder Bednar declares, "We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance (see 1 Ne. 1:20)."

In our own lives, the hand of the Lord--his tender mercies--might come from feeling peace while reading about Jesus' birth in Luke 2 as a family, or from a parent's speedier-than-expected recovery from injury that allows the family to take much-hoped-for vacation, or from surviving a life-threatening illness.

Sometimes those tender mercies are different from what we would anticipate. For example, I have a relative who was recently diagnosed with aggressive lymphoma--and because of the aggressive lymphoma, the doctors found several low grade tumors in his lymph nodes that normally grow undetected until it's too late. The aggressive cancer may ultimately save his life.

Another example happened in my own life. Prior to my mission, I had done a significant amount of research about the common issues missionaries experience--homesickness, trouble with companions or other missionaries, poor relationships with mission presidents, illness, injury, etc. Determined to avoid them, I prayed fervently about each one and asked to not have them happen to me. In retrospect, the request--though well-intended--was not very realistic. However, Heavenly Father let me know He heard my prayers. Every single thing I had prayed NOT to experience on my mission happened. Every. Single. One. And I learned from those experiences. I grew through the difficulties. When I thought I would break, I learned to bend. Now, many years later, I'm increasingly grateful for His tender mercies in showing me that I can overcome hardships and work through challenges--that with His help, I can do more than I think I can. Where I would have limited my experience and stunted my own growth, He took a more long term perspective. In the tumult, I relied heavily on the Lord, and He carried me. I have personal relationship with Him and an undeniable testimony of the Atonement in its many facets.

Most of us have difficulty remembering--many of us have few memories from before we're 5 years old, and even after that, we can recall few details. If we are to remember the truly important things over the remainder of our lives, and have the option of sharing them with loved ones, we need to make a concerted effort. What can we do to remember the moments when we feel the Spirit, the events when we're guided, the times we see Heavenly Father's hand in our lives or experience his tender mercies?

• Write in our journals--keep a special journal like gold plates for spiritual things
• Take notes
• Ponder and meditate; take time out to think about our experiences and give them place in our hearts
• Spend time outside in nature or in the garden, contemplating
• Incorporate spiritual experiences into our core memories
• Write or find music that represents our feelings or experience
• Create or purchase art to remind us
• Associate our experience with foods, tastes, scents

I would challenge each of us to recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives and find ways to actively remember those experiences.

January Homework: Bring one item from home that reflects the student's personal testimony. Share that item and its meaning with the class on Sunday, January 24.

January 10 - Learning and Teaching by the Spirit

As an elementary school and junior high student in the Los Angeles area of California, I remember my emerging awareness that my beliefs and standards were strikingly different from many of my Hollywood-idolizing peers. Several of my classmates drank alcohol, took drugs, stole, lied, cheated, were sexually active, etc. Because of this cultural variation, I had some of my first experiences sharing my standards and purposefully choosing to stand for my religious beliefs. Have you been confronted by people who don't share your standards or beliefs? What were those experiences like? What happened? Where did that lead?

Sometimes, when we share our feelings, we are ridiculed and pressured even more. Other times, when we are with a supportive group, they reinforce and even advocate for our beliefs. Occasionally, others become interested, and we have opportunities to share the gospel.

After my parents divorced, my mom started dating again--only this time she didn't restrict her dating pool. She resolved to keep an open mind and to date any guy who asked her out. She took an evening class at the community college and, at the end of the term, a classmate asked her out to breakfast. During the meal, he drank several pots of coffee. She also knew that he drank alcohol, bar-hopped, and partied. When he asked about her standards, she responded, but his further questions about the church made her think he might just be interested because he was interested in dating her.

When he asked her for something to read to find out more, she gave him the Relief Society manual, and then didn't think anything more about it. When He started asking questions about Nefee (Nephi), she introduced him to her recently returned missionary brother, and he began taking the discussions with the missionaries. He decided to be baptized, changed his life, and he married a woman with four kids. He and my mom have been married for 27 years, and he has been a HUGE blessing in my life.

Through the process of answering others' questions and bearing our testimonies, we can receive inspiration and spiritual confirmation of our faith.

In his talk, "The Quest for Spiritual Knowledge," Boyd K. Packer relates the following events:

"I sat on a plane next to a professed atheist who pressed his disbelief in God so urgently that I bore my testimony to him. 'You are wrong,' I said. 'There is a God. I know He lives!'

"He protested, 'You don’t know. Nobody knows that! You can’t know it!' When I would not yield, the atheist, who was an attorney, asked perhaps the ultimate question on the subject of testimony. 'All right,' he said in a sneering, condescending way, 'you say you know. Tell me how you know.'

"When I attempted to answer, even though I held advanced academic degrees, I was helpless to communicate.

"When I used the words Spirit and witness, the atheist responded, 'I don’t know what you are talking about.' The words prayer, discernment, and faith were equally meaningless to him. 'You see,' he said, 'you don’t really know. If you did, you would be able to tell me how you know.'

"I felt, perhaps, that I had borne my testimony to him unwisely and was at a loss as to what to do. Then came the experience! Something came into my mind. And I mention here a statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith: 'A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas … and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.^'

"Such an idea came into my mind, and I said to the atheist, 'Let me ask if you know what salt tastes like.'

“'Of course I do,' was his reply.

"'Then,' I said, 'assuming that I have never tasted salt, explain to me just what it tastes like.'

"'After some thought, he said, 'Well, I, uh, it is not sweet and it is not sour.'

"'You’ve told me what it isn’t, not what it is.'

"After several attempts, of course, he could not do it. He could not convey, in words alone, so ordinary an experience as tasting salt. I bore testimony to him once again and said, 'I know there is a God. You ridiculed that testimony and said that if I did know, I would be able to tell you exactly how I know. My friend, spiritually speaking, I have tasted salt. I am no more able to convey to you in words how this knowledge has come than you are to tell me what salt tastes like. But I say to you again, there is a God! He does live! And just because you don’t know, don’t try to tell me that I don’t know, for I do!'

Though the atheist was not receptive to the shared testimony or the spirit, President Packer was profoundly affected, and he shared what he has learned on his quest for spiritual knowledge:

• The Spirit speaks in a still small voice. If we are "preoccupied we may not feel it at all."
• We cannot force spiritual things. "A testimony is not thrust upon [us]; a testimony grows."
• We should be "anxiously engaged," using "the light and knowledge we already possess to work out our lives," not needing "revelation to instruct us to be up and about our duty." If we need revelation to alter our direction, "it will be waiting along the way as we arrive at the point of need."
• Our testimonies may be more powerful than we realize. "Do not feel hesitant or ashamed if you do not know everything."
• "A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it!" 
• Speaking out is an act of faith and a perfect demonstration of Christianity. "You cannot find it, nor keep it, nor enlarge it unless and until you are willing to share it. It is by giving it away freely that it becomes yours."
• Many things of the spirit we must "learn individually, and alone, taught by the Spirit."
• We can be blessed with spiritual power to do the Lord's work.

In our individual journeys through life, we have opportunities to both learn and to teach. Effective learning and teaching happens only through the Holy Ghost. President Joseph Fielding Smith taught: “The Spirit of God speaking to the spirit of man has power to impart truth with greater effect and understanding than the truth can be imparted by personal contact even with heavenly beings. Through the Holy Ghost the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten” (Doctrines of Salvation, compiled by Bruce R. McConkie, 3 volumes [1954–56], 1:47–48).

 In Teaching After the Manner of the Spirit, Matthew O. Richardson, Second Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency, discusses how we learn, serve, and teach authentically by the Spirit. "As we align our manner with the Holy Ghost’s manner, then the Holy Ghost can teach and testify without restraint." He identifies a couple of qualities of the Holy Ghost's manner of teaching that are worthy of emulation:

• The Holy Ghost instructs us individually, inviting us to "intimately know truth for ourselves." Line upon line, and in accordance with our respective needs, the Holy Ghost teaches us "what we must know and do so we may become what we must be." 
• The Holy Ghost invites, prompts, encourages, and inspires us to act. "The Spirit leads, guides, and shows us what to do. He will not, however, do for us what only we can do for ourselves. You see, the Holy Ghost cannot learn for us, feel for us, or act for us because this would be contrary to the doctrine of agency. He can facilitate opportunities and invite us to learn, feel, and act."

What can we do to emulate the manner of the Holy Ghost as both teachers and learners? How does that affect the way we relate to our peers, family members, teachers, and classmates? How does that help us discuss our beliefs or share our testimonies?

On my first day in the MTC, our leaders went around the room and asked each of us why we were serving a mission. One young man stood up and said his parents offered him a car if he went on a mission. Another mentioned her interest in going to a foreign country and having a cultural experience. A third claimed his girlfriend wouldn't seriously consider marrying anyone who hadn't served a mission. As person after person stood up and gave reason after reason, I was flabbergasted--not one person mentioned having a testimony, being filled with love for the Lord, or wanting to serve. How prepared were those missionaries, and how effective do you think they were at representing the Savior? What would they have been like as companions, as teachers? What could they have done differently? How might it have impacted their lives?

We must prepare ourselves for the Lord's work by diligently studying scriptures and talks by inspired leaders, seeking the Lord's guidance for our lives, keeping the commandments, cleansing ourselves via repentance and confession as necessary, listening to uplifting music, avoiding impure thoughts and actions, eschewing vulgarity and coarseness, overcoming anger, forgiving others, seeking peace, and continually remembering Christ and his sacrifice for us. In addition, we need to learn grooming, how to speak clearly, and "how to avoid offending people through ignorance of their culture and their personal and family circumstances." Elder Dallin H. Oaks further declares: "Preparation is a prerequisite to teaching by the Spirit."

I would invite class members to prepare for the work the Lord has in store for them--whatever that is--and really seek after their own testimonies, to feast on the words of Christ, to study their scriptures daily, to converse with Heavenly Father frequently, to take note of the promptings of the Spirit, to develop personal relationships with God, to speak out for what they know is right, and to act in accordance with their faith. Then they may be blessed with Spirit, the Lord's word, and "the power of God unto the convincing of men" (D&C11:21).

Further reading (passed out at the end of class): Teaching and Learning by the Spirit, Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

January Homework: Bring one item from home that reflects the student's personal testimony. Share that item and its meaning with the class on Sunday, January 24.

January 3 - Receive the Holy Ghost

What are the most powerful teaching/learning experiences you've had? What about them most impacted you?

• Shared personal experiences that were relevant to me in my life
• Teacher cared about me
• Felt the Spirit

How do we feel the Spirit? What does the Spirit do? (John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:9–14, 1 Nephi 10:19, Alma 5:45–46, Moroni 10:3–5, D&C 11:12–14) What else?

• Engenders trust
• Leads us to do good, be humble, judge righteously, walk uprightly
• Enlightens our minds
• Fills our souls with joy
• Guides us to all truth
• Shows things to come
• Speaks/manifests truth
• Unfolds mysteries of God 
• Helps us to know the truth of all things
• Provides revelation
• Comforts us
• Brings all things to our remembrance
• Encourages us to repent
• Sanctifies us
• Prompts us
• Teaches us
• Causes our bosom to burn/Generates a feeling of warmth
• Gives us peace
• Strengthens our testimonies

 In "Receiving by the Spirit," Roger A. Merrill, General Sunday School President, relates a seminal experience where he knew the Book of Mormon was true. From those events, he identifies a few characteristics critical to his spiritual learning:

"In our Church meetings, in our personal and family scripture study, and even this day as we listen to the Lord’s prophets and apostles, some of us will receive more than others. Why? I am learning that those who truly receive do at least three things that others may not do.

"First, they seek. We live in an entertainment world, a spectator world. Without realizing it, we can find ourselves coming to conference or going to church with the attitude, 'Here I am; now inspire me.' We become spiritually passive.

"When we focus instead on seeking and receiving the Spirit, we become less concerned about a teacher or speaker holding our attention and more concerned about giving our attention to the Spirit. Remember, receive is a verb. It is a principle of action. It is a fundamental expression of faith.

"Second, those who receive, feel. While revelation comes to the mind and heart, it is most often felt. Until we learn to pay attention to these spiritual feelings, we usually do not even recognize the Spirit.

"In a recent conversation I had with one of our daughters-in-law, she suggested that we can help even young children become aware of these feelings of the Spirit. We can ask them questions such as 'How do you feel as we read this scripture together? What do you feel the Spirit is prompting you to do?' These are good questions for us all. They demonstrate the desire to receive.

"Third, those who receive by the Spirit intend to act. As the prophet Moroni instructed, to receive a witness of the Book of Mormon, we must ask 'with real intent' (Moroni 10:4). The Spirit teaches when we honestly intend to do something about what we learn."

The Spirit is the greatest teacher. In "Converted to His Gospel through His Church," Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Quorum of the Seventy related the following story: "President Spencer W. Kimball was once asked, 'What do you do when you find yourself in a boring sacrament meeting?' His response: 'I don’t know. I’ve never been in one' (quoted by Gene R. Cook, in Gerry Avant, “Learning Gospel Is Lifetime Pursuit,” Church News, Mar. 24, 1990, 10)." Had President Kimball only been in sacrament meetings where the speaker was exceptionally compelling and the topic incredibly insightful? What made the difference for him? Why wasn't he ever bored?

What roles do thinking and feeling play in our spiritual learning? Why do we need to know in our minds and in our hearts?

Once we know the truth, why do we need to act on our knowledge? When I served my mission in Ukraine, I was initially affronted with the design of the First Discussion--particularly with the inclusion and wording of the baptismal challenge. The idea of issuing that challenge the first or second time I met with someone seemed absurd. As I wrestled with both the timing and the wording, I gained a couple of insights that changed my perspective. Although I never liked the wording of the baptismal challenge in the materials, I realized that the discussion lesson guide was a framework, and that missionaries needed to word the request in accordance with the guidance of the Spirit, appropriate to the circumstance. 

I also gained an appreciation for the timing of the baptismal challenge. I have next-door neighbors who smoke. I can talk to them until I'm blue in the face about how bad smoking is for them, how it can ruin their lives and cause early death, but nothing I can say and no manner of evidence can help them unless they are willing to act on the truth. In a similar sense, the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to improve our lives, to save us from temporal and spiritual death, and to help us return to live with our families and our Heavenly Father eternally. However, that knowledge can't help us if we're not willing to do something about it--to change our lives and our habits, to follow in Christ's footsteps and be baptized, to continue to repent of our sins and transgressions, to become more like Him and to help others. As my companions and I taught investigators the truths of the gospel, and they felt the Spirit bear witness, I felt inspired to let them know that if they want those truths to make a difference to their lives, they need to heed those promptings. Baptism is one step on that path. Knowing up front that we would ask them how they felt about baptism--that we would be honest and straightforward with them--was a blessing to our investigators, and they felt more loved and cared for as a result.

As our Sunday School class embarks on a spiritual journey over the coming year, I invite the students to actively seek to gain and strengthen their individual testimonies--to study the scriptures and pray regularly, to personally invest in obtaining spiritual knowledge and in developing a relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through the Holy Ghost. I ask them to open their minds and hearts to see and feel the things of the Spirit and to grow in understanding. And, I encourage them to act on the knowledge and promptings they receive, for truth can only help us as we act.

January Homework: Bring one item from home that reflects the student's personal testimony. Share that item and its meaning with the class on Sunday, January 24.

June 7 - The Priesthood

What is the priesthood?  How do the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods relate to each other?  What are priesthood keys, priesthood authority, offices of the priesthood, ordinances of the priesthood?  How is "ordaining" different from "setting apart"?  How can the priesthood bless our lives?

For our discussion today, we relied heavily on the following texts:

• Duties of the Aaronic Priesthood in D&C 20:46–59 
• Explanation of the Melchizedek Priesthood in “Melchizedek Priesthood,” Bible Dictionary
• The power of the priesthood is dependent upon principles of righteousness in D&C 121:34–46
• The oath and covenant of the priesthood in D&C 84:33–44
•  More information about the priesthood from Pres. Boyd K. Packer in “What Every Elder Should Know—and Every Sister as Well,” Ensign, Feb. 1993, 7–13
•  The responsibilities of priesthood holders as outlined in the priesthood manual True to the Faith, 2004, 124-128

We discussed some of the history of the priesthood, how the priesthood was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, and how it blesses our lives today.

The priesthood has always been given to a specific God-selected subgroup of believers.  During the time of the Israelites, for example, only the Levites were allowed to hold the priesthood and officiate in certain ordinances.  Even though not all members of the church today hold the priesthood, having access to it blesses all of our lives.

We have two homework assignments over the next couple of weeks that we will use in our lesson on June 21:

• Where did your name come from (first, middle, and last)?  Why did your parents give you that name?  What meaning or significance does it have?  Where does your last name come from and what history does it have?
• Bring a your priesthood line of authority or your dad's or brother's or grandfather's (or another close priesthood holder's) priesthood line of authority.