Eliza R. Snow: Poet, Leader, and Activist
Filed under: History of Music, Mormon Women's History, Women, Women of the Church
Eliza R. Snow was a pioneer, an early president of the Relief Society (an organization for Mormon women), president of Deseret Hospital, president of the Women’s Department of the Endowment House, and an author. She is considered one of the great women in Mormon history.
Eliza R. Snow
While many people pictured Mormon pioneer women as meek and mild, no one ever accused Eliza of such. She repeatedly protested this mischaracterization. One month before the Utah legislature returned to Utah women the suffrage they had lost when they gained statehood, she said: Read more
God’s Diversity of Gifts
Filed under: Doctrine & Covenants, Finding joy within the gospel, Gospel Principles, Practices & Precepts, LDS Practices, Men & Priesthood, Priesthood, Priesthood, Self-Worth, Service, Uncategorized, Women
Mormon scriptures teach that every person God creates is given gifts, talents, traits, and experiences from Him, to be used to help others, as well as to bless our own lives. They are His gifts to us. What we choose to do with them is our gift to God. It does no good, for instance, to be given a gift to teach powerful spiritual messages if we refuse to learn about Jesus or turn down an opportunity to teach Sunday School.
11 For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
12 To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby. (See Doctrine and Covenants 46: 11-12.) Read more
Why Don’t Mormon Women Want the Priesthood?
Mormon women are regularly asked why they don’t demand to hold the priesthood, which is given only to worthy boys and men. This is sometimes seen as proof that Mormon women are not considered equal in the church.
The truth is that faithful Mormon women devote very little time to contemplating this subject, and don’t consider themselves mistreated in any way over it. There are several things an outside observer must understand in order to see why this is so.
Let’s begin with an explanation of what the priesthood is. The priesthood is the power and authority of God. It is the tool God used to create the earth and administer the work of the gospel. He delegates keys to worthy men to assist in this work.
The priesthood is given to young men beginning at age twelve and they receive increasing levels of responsibility as they advance through the offices. The first priesthood they receive is the Aaronic Priesthood. In the Old Testament, we see the Aaronic Priesthood was given only to men, under direction from God. The first office of this priesthood is the office of a deacon. Deacons are twelve or thirteen years old, or older if they’ve joined the church later. At fourteen, they become Teachers, and at sixteen, Priests. Priests are not the equivalent of a Catholic priest.
When they are adults, they can receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. Priesthood holders are specifically called to watch over the church and to serve. They bless and pass the Sacrament (similar to the communion), heal the sick, visit members in their homes to check on their well-being, and perform many other acts of service for the church.
Some church positions of leadership can only be held by priesthood holders, and this is where the controversy arises by those who don’t understand the priesthood or the culture.
It should first be noted that those who hold the priesthood cannot use it on themselves. If a priesthood holder is ill, he cannot give a special blessing of healing to himself. Just as a woman must do, he must find two other priesthood holders to come and administer that blessing. Everyone in the church can receive all the blessings and gifts of the priesthood, whether or not they hold the priesthood themselves, and all must receive those blessings from others.
They receive no extra rewards in Heaven, no special privileges, and no financial paycheck.They have a greater responsibility, but no additional rewards. The Mormons operate a lay church, and everyone volunteers. This is one reason women aren’t demanding to hold it. Most women consider themselves far too busy already, with more opportunities to lead and serve than they have time for. They see no special benefit in taking on the work of the priesthood as well as their own.
One question often asked of Mormon women is whether or not they object to not being allowed to become a bishop, which is the ecclesiastical equivalent of a pastor or minister. The general wisdom among Mormons is that no one who is worthy to do the job and who understands what it entails wants that job. Women are quite happy to know they can’t be given it. As mentioned earlier, it is not a paid position. The bishop holds a full-time job, and has a family. In between all the various aspects of his personal life, he does nearly everything a full-time pastor must do. He serves for about five years, and during this time, bishops generally have no time to themselves and spend a great many hours away from home.
Mormon women consider their first responsibility to be to their families. They are given the sacred gift of bearing and
raising children, and of maintaining a pleasant and spiritual home. While not all women are able to marry or to have children, these women find other ways to serve, often spending time caring for extended family, or serving in demanding church leadership roles. They carry out the commandment to care for their own homes well, even if they live alone. Mormon women do not see this role as demeaning, but as an honor. What could be a greater privilege than to care for God’s children? Mormon women don’t feel the need for a paycheck to prove their worth. Their paycheck comes from the pleasures of being able to raise their own children or care for their families. They reach beyond cleaning and cooking and work to create a home at the highest levels. Parents don’t just bathe and feed children. They teach them and lead them.
Although their priorities are in the home, Mormon women do have many opportunities to be leaders and to serve. They can head up the Primary, which is the children’s auxiliary, the Young Women’s Organization, which is for teenagers, and the Relief Society, which is for the women of the church. There are other church jobs that do not require the priesthood and are open to either gender. Mormon women serve in their own congregations and all the way up the church structure to lead in the international church for these same organizations. The General Relief Society president, for instance, has a responsibility for all the women in the church, and oversees a worldwide organization larger than most corporations. Ample opportunities to lead are available to women in the church, and the priesthood is not necessary to give them the opportunities they need.
The bishop does not deliver the weekly sermon. In the Sunday services, known as Sacrament Meeting, men and women can give the prayers and the sermons. Each meeting has an opening and a closing prayer, and two to three speakers chosen from the congregation. This gives women many opportunities to preach and to pray. This service is followed by classes which are often taught by women. During the week, other meetings are held, also often run by women.
The Mormon women are not concerned about holding the priesthood, largely because they’re simply too busy with home, community and church service, and leadership, as well as a career for some, to give it much thought. They find complete satisfaction in the roles already available to them and do not in any way feel limited. Although the priesthood does provide opportunities to serve others-the entire function of the priesthood-women have many other, often more important ways, to serve.
The most important reason Mormon women don’t demand the priesthood, however, is that God has chosen that role for the men and another role for the women. With the great faith Mormon women are known for, they trust God and focus on the roles given them.
Importance of Temples
Filed under: Mormon Temples: Purposes and Promises, Purpose of Temples, Saving Ordinances, Temple Work, Temples
All through my life I’ve known the importance of temples. I’ve known they are necessary for us to know where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going after this life, because the temple ritual is a review of God’s Plan of Salvation. Temples are also important to help family relationships extend beyond this life and last for eternity. With temples we can also make these blessings possible for our departed ancestors. These truths are taught to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons, from the time they are little and throughout the rest of their lives. I have a testimony of this but wondered why it was so difficult to attend the temple.
So often my good plans of temple attendance were derailed or sidetracked. Why was it that months passed between trips to the temple? Often at the end of the year I would look back and realize that I had only attended a handful of times. For awhile the nearest temple was in Dallas Texas, a five hour drive away. Then we received the wonderful announcement that we would have a temple in Oklahoma City in 2000. This cut our driving time to less than two hours but unfortunately my temple attendance did not improve.
This really started to bother me as I listened to lessons at church and heard talks in general conference reiterating the importance of temples. It was obvious that temples are important to the Lord and I wanted them to be important to me.
I came across the following words spoken at the funeral of Joseph Smith Sr., father of the prophet Joseph Smith Jr., the prophet of the restoration.
“To dwell in the house of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple, was his daily delight; and in it he enjoyed many blessings, and spent many hours in sweet communion with his Heavenly Father. He has trod its sacred aisles, solitary and alone from mankind, long before the king of day has gilded the eastern horizon; and he has uttered his aspirations within its walls, when nature has been asleep. In its holy enclosures have the visions of heaven been opened to his mind, and his soul has feasted on the riches of eternity.” (History of the Church 4:194)
Why weren’t my visits to the temple a “delight” and why hasn’t my “soul feasted on the riches of eternity”? I decided to take my desires to my Heavenly Father. I knew He would answer my prayers, but as a wise man once said, “You can’t steer a parked car.” I knew I needed to get to work and “must study it out in [my] mind” (Doctrine and Covenants 9:8). I needed to see what more I could learn about temples.
I decided to start learning about the temples of old. I read about the tabernacles that the Lord commanded the Israelites to build as they journeyed through the wilderness. I read about the Temple of Solomon in all of its glory. The Temple of Zerubbabel was next followed by the Temple of Herod visited by the Savior during his earthly ministry.
In the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, near the beginning of its history, a prophet named Nephi built a temple “after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things”. (2 Nephi 5:16) Then I read in Mosiah about the great speech King Benjamin made from the temple in the land of Zarahemla (Mosiah 2-6). Of course, who could forget the climax of the Book of Mormon where the resurrected Savior visited the people who were gathered at the temple in the land Bountiful (3 Nephi 11-26)?
Moving my focus to the latter-days I learned about the commandments of the Lord “to build a house to me” (Doctrine and Covenants 124:33) and the intense struggles the early members of the Church had to fulfill that commandment.
It was evident that temples were central to the people of God in all ages. It seemed to me that there had to be additional benefits of temple attendance for the living—more than I currently understood.
A large piece of the puzzle fit into place as I read the words of George Q. Cannon at the Logan Temple cornerstone dedication:
“Every foundation stone that is laid for a Temple, and every Temple completed according to the order the Lord has revealed for his holy Priesthood, lessens the power of Satan on the earth, and increases the power of God and Godliness, moves the heavens in mighty power in our behalf, invokes and calls down upon us the blessings of the Eternal Gods, and those who reside in their presence” (Millennial Star, 12 Nov. 1877, p. 743).
Our loving prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910 – 2008), obviously understood this principle. Looking back to the October 1997 General Conference when President Hinckley announced the plan to build smaller temples around the world, there were 50 temples in operation. According to www.lds.org, there are currently 146 temples announced, under construction, or operating across the world. What an amazing and miraculous accomplishment in 12 short years!
I was beginning to understand. We live in a time that is becoming exponentially more evil. Heavenly Father knew this and instructed President Hinckley to build more temples. He almost tripled the number of temples in fact! I realized this was to provide the power and protection for us spiritually as well as lessen the Adversary’s affects and power on the earth.
As I continued my studies, I noticed three blessings of the temple that I had not noticed before: power, protection, and spiritual refinement.
John A. Widstoe taught that temple service not only strengthens us personally but affects the entire community. He said, “Men grow mighty under the results of temple service; … the community increases in power; until the devil has less influence than he ever had before” (“Temple Worship,” The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Apr. 1921, pp. 51).
President Boyd K. Packer, the president of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles for the Church, explained why attendance can be so difficult at times when he said, “Temple work brings so much resistance because it is the source of so much spiritual power to the Latter-day Saints, and to the entire Church” (The Holy Temple, p. 178).
Continuing to teach about power, protection, and spiritual refinement, Pres. Packer stated:
“No work is more of a protection to this Church than temple work and the genealogical research which supports it. No work is more spiritually refining. No work we do gives us more power. No work requires a higher standard of righteousness.
Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people.
If we will accept the revelation concerning temple ordinance work, if we will enter into our covenants without reservation or apology, the Lord will protect us. We will receive inspiration sufficient for the challenges of life” (The Holy Temple, p. 265).
Also, President James E. Faust taught:
“We are bombarded on all sides by a vast number of messages we don’t want or need. More information is generated in a single day than we can absorb in a lifetime. To fully enjoy life, all of us must find our own breathing space and peace of mind. How can we do this? There is only one answer. We must rise above the evil that encroaches upon us. We must follow the counsel of the Lord, who said, “It is my will, that all they who call on my name, and worship me according to mine everlasting gospel, should gather together, and stand in holy places (Doctrine and Covenants 101:22)” (“Standing in Holy Places,” Ensign, May 2005, 62).
I know I am “bombarded on all sides” and I know I need a “shield and a protection”. I see the world around me and I know that we need to “lessen the power of Satan on the earth”. All that I hold dear depend on my ability to withstand the temptations of the world and endure to the end. I have often worried about how to best prepare my young children to succeed in this world. I know if they understand the power and protection the temple affords, they will be more apt to make temple worship a high priority.
I know a lifetime of study may not be enough to fully understand everything about the temple but now I understand enough to help me realize how important it is. We have many tools to help us on our journey and the temple is a very powerful one.
Now as I prepare myself to attend the temple I am filled with excitement. I eagerly mark our ward temple dates on my calendar. The temple has become a top priority for me and attendance has become regular. The old excuses and roadblocks melt away as my priorities shift and I can see Heavenly Father’s hand helping me accomplish my righteous desires. My time in the temple has become a “delight” and I am beginning to see the “riches of eternity”. I feel more help and guidance in all aspects of my life as I worthily and regularly attend the temple.
I know Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I know He loves me and wants me to succeed. I know the things I learn and the covenants I make in the temple will provide the power, protection, and spiritual refinement essential to “peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:23).
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Hand Made Ice Cream and The Gospel of Jesus Christ
The whole point of Family Home Evening is to teach you about the gospel, bring you closer to the spirit and to bring your family closer together. All these can be accomplished even in a Single’s Ward setting. For in a Single’s Ward where often the members are living away from their families, the ward becomes, in essence, their second family. In these cases it is just as important to have this Monday night ritual of gathering together, to learn more about the gospel, come closer to the Spirit of God, and come closer as brothers and sisters in the ward.
With this said, my currant calling in my Singles Ward is being on the Family Home Evening Committee. In trying to magnify my calling I am always on the look out for new ideas for possible Family Home Evening activities.
The other evening I found one. I was on a family camp out, and for a special treat one night my sister showed us all how to make ice cream by putting the ingredients in a small ziplock bag (two tablespoons of sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, one cup half and half cream.). Then we put that small sealed ziplock into a gallon sized ziplock which held a ¼ cup of rock salt and was filled half way with ice. We sealed the gallon ziplock and then shook it, rolled it on the table, shook it some more, until the ice melted and the Ice Cream froze.
It was so much fun to watch the little children each shaking their gallon ziplocks making their own Ice Cream. It was hard work, yet so much fun as testified by all the squeals of joy, and laughter. As I watched these small children, I saw in my mind a bunch of single adults doing this at a Family Home Evening activity.
Thinking of Elder David A Bednar, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s April 2007 General Conference Talk entitled, “Ye Must Be Born Again” where he gave the Allegory of the Pickle talking about the Conversion Process, I saw how the activity of Ice Cream making can be likened unto the gospel of Jesus Christ for the spiritual lesson.
Faith could be likened unto the Half and Half Cream. It is an active ingredient that facilitates action. It is the thickening agent in the Ice Cream, and in our lives.
“Faith is a principle of action and of power, and by it one can command the elements and/or heal the sick, or influence any number of circumstances when occasion warrants (Jacob 4: 4-7). Even more important, by faith one obtains a remission of sins and eventually can stand in the presence of God.” Bible Dictionary, Faith
Repentance can be likened unto the sugar, for the gift of repentance is one of the sweetest parts of our gospel. And like the process of obtaining Sugar from sugarcane repentance takes going through the fire of godly sorrow before we can obtain the sweetness that comes with the joy of Forgiveness.
“Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.” Alma 36:18-21
Baptism is like unto the vanilla. As vanilla changes that which it is added to, and gives it a new flavor from which it can never afterward be separated, so to when we are baptized, we become born again, as someone new. We take upon us the name of Christ, and are therefore new creatures. Clean and pure, with a brand-new flavor for the world we live in.
“And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;
And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.” Mosiah 27:25-26
The Gift of the Holy Ghost is like unto the rock salt. It is clean and pure, and it is an active ingredient that is necessary for the quickening process to make frozen Ice Cream from the liquid ingredients.
“When we invite the Holy Ghost to fill our minds with light and knowledge, He “quickens” us, that is to say, enlightens and enlivens the inner man or woman” Keith K. Hilbig, Quench Not the Spirit Which Quickens the Inner Man, Liahona, Nov 2007
And lastly though we have made all the preparations to make ice cream, there is one final ingredient that must be present. Ice. Only, once we have added the ice, to the salt and then shake the bag diligently, that the quickening can take place, and the ice cream can come to be.
“Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a clove of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” 2 Nephi 31:20
And so with Faith, Repentance, Baptism, The Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End, we shall obtain Eternal Life, which is the great gift God can give.
Control your thoughts with the hymns
“Thoughts mold your features. Thoughts lift your soul heavenward or drag you toward hell… As nothing reveals character like the company we like and keep, so nothing foretells futurity like the thoughts over which we brood. … To have the approval of your conscience when you are alone with your thoughts is like being in the company of true and loving friends. To merit your own self-respect gives strength to character. Conscience is the link that binds your soul to the spirit of God.” –David O. McKay, “Developing Character”, Ensign, Oct. 2001
Studies have shown, and what is more important, Prophets have warned us, how impactful our thoughts are in determining whom we are and what we become. For as it was once stated,
“Sew a thought, reap an Action. Sew an Action, reap a habit. Sew a habit, reap a character. Sew a character and you’ll reap your destiny.” Anthony Robbins
As I have thought about this concept of our thoughts determining our destiny, I realized that never was this truer then at the pivotal time of life called young single adulthood. It is at this time when we are set to make the most important life decisions of what sort of person we will become, and what our future will hold. It is at this time in our life that our strongest habits are formed and our character good or bad is solidified.
This is why we need to be so careful what thoughts, we invite into our minds, by way of what we listen to, read, and watch. However, that sad fact is that even if we are very careful with what influences we choose to invite into our minds, there are always those influences that we do not choose to invite, but still find a way into our minds.
It is that uninvited influence which is becoming more and more of a problem in our world today. In the world we live in today we are constantly bombarded from every direction with words, emotions, and images all created with the purpose to demean, depress, and destroy if we let them find a place inside of us.
Where we cannot always control the thoughts we have, it is within our control how long those thoughts stay. So how do we get rid of those thoughts when they uninvitingly pop into our minds? Elder Boyd K. Packer President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offered the best counsel on this when he taught,
“I realize that in today’s world it’s often difficult to keep your mind filled with worthy thoughts. This takes careful control. However, it can be done when you make a safe place for your thoughts to go. I’ve found a way to make such a place, and I’d like to share it with you. It has to do with music—worthy music…
Choose a favorite hymn or song… one with words that are uplifting and music that is reverent, one that makes you feel something akin to inspiration. There are many beautiful songs to choose from. Seek the guidance of the Spirit in making your selection. Go over the song in your mind carefully. Memorize it. Even though you have had no musical training, you can think through a simple song. Now use this as the course for your thoughts to follow. Make it your emergency channel.
Whenever you find shady actors slipping from the sidelines of your thinking onto the stage of your mind, put on this CD, as it were. It will change your whole mood. Because the music is uplifting and clean, the baser thoughts will slip shamefully away. For while virtue, by choice, will not associate with filth, evil cannot tolerate the presence of light. In due time you will find yourself humming the music inwardly, almost automatically, to drive out unworthy thoughts. As you young people involve yourselves with righteous and worthwhile things, keep your minds filled with worthy thoughts, for as a man thinketh so is he, and you will have the ability to accomplish those things that will bring fulfillment to your lives.” Boyd K. Packer, “The Message: Worthy Music, Worthy Thoughts,” NewEra, Apr 2008
I know that what President Packer has said is true. We have the ability to control our thoughts, and thus our destiny. Because we have the power to do so, we have the responsibility to do so. I know that as we seek after and focus upon that which is virtuous, lovely, of good report and praiseworthy that our minds will be filled with light, and no unworthy thought will last long in our presence.
Taking a Ride on The Love Bus
I love music. So, I was very excited when I heard that our upcoming ward activity was to attend Music and The Spoken Word up in Salt Lake City, one Sunday Morning. We would have to meet early in order to arrive in time, and then afterwards, we planned to eat lunch at the tables in between Temple Square and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, before returning back to Orem for Church.
Everything was planned, and I had set my alarm clock the night before to give me plenty of time to get ready and be at the Church on time. As I pulled into the church parking lot, my eyes were quickly riveted upon the sight of the “Love Bus.” Brother ——- the first councilor in our Single’s Ward Bishopric owns an old school bus which he has fixed up. When we found out about the bus, we begged to be able to use it for official ward activities. Especially when we found out that the bus number was nine and we are the 9th Ward. It seemed as if it was meant to be. Brother ——- quickly agreed, and so now whenever we have a ward activity that requires transportation we ride in it. It is jolly fun.
A few months ago, the bus was lent to some local High School kids for the Sweetheart’s Dace. The youth painted the outside with lots of hearts and arrows, and the name “The Love Bus.” We thought it quite funny and somehow appropriate for a Singles Ward bus.
The ride up to the Conference Center across the street from Temple Square was fun. Someone hooked up their ipod full of LDS music up to the speakers, so we listened to music, and chatted with our neighbors during the long ride.
Soon we had all arrived at the Conference Center, and the program was starting. Since Music and the Spoken Word is broadcasted live, we all made sure to remain quiet, as we all became lost in the beautiful music celebrating our nation’s freedom (for it was the patriotic broadcast due to it being a few days prior to the 4th of July) sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and accompanied by the Orchestra on Temple Square. We were all caught up in the program which ended all too soon.
Lunch was a simple affair, and soon we were back on the love bus heading home. All in all the activity was a success as far as I am concerned. All involved, had lots of fun. We were edified by the beautiful and patriotic music, and we were brought closer together in comrade and friendship. I look forward for when the Love Bus will ride again…
Advise to the Happy Couple
I have had a lot of my friends who have gotten married in the last few weeks, and many more who are about to get married. With all these weddings, there are usually bridal showers which I am invited to attend. I find it interesting that though these showers vary in style and activities depending on who is giving the shower and who is attending, there are two activities that are almost always constant. What are these two actives? One is the giving of gifts and the other is the giving of advice. Both are to help the young couple have a jump start in their happy marriage.
Just as the people who attend the various bridal showers differ, so do the gifts and advice. Where I find the gifts people choose to give interesting, it is the advice which I find more so. For just like the gifts given, some are practical and some are just for fun. Some you decide to keep and other you discard.
Through the years I have heard much good advice given, which I have stored away for that someday when I will embark on that sacred journey called marriage. Here are a few pieces of counsel I have found particularly first-rate.
- Go into your marriage with both eyes open then afterwards close one eye, and squint through the other…
- Go to the temple with your spouse often (at least once a month). This will remind you of the covenants you have made individually with God, and together with your spouse.
-Make sure to sincerely share your love with your spouse every day. (in words as well as other ways)
-Never let the sun go down upon an argument. Make peace before you go to bed, so that you do not do so with a festering wound in your relationship.
-In addition to personal prayers, and family prayers (once you have children), make time to have couple-prayers every day. This will help you and your spouse grow closer together, and bring a special spirit into your relationship. This allows God to be a part of your eternal union.
-To keep love alive in your marriage, look for ways to serve each other every day, and make sure to show your appreciation for that which is done for you.
I think that the reason that all of these words of counsel have resonated with me, are because they all remind me that I can’t take my (future) loving relationship for granted. Love takes work and needs daily nourishment to stay strong and alive. It needs the touch of God, for everything He touches lives.
There is one last word of counsel I would like to share that has had a great impression upon me, since I first heard it. Once day the Prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball was speaking to a Returned Missionary. He asked the young man what his plans were for the future. After sharing about his education and carrier plans, the young man said that every night he prays that he’ll marry the girl he loves. To this, the prophet advised the young man to instead pray to love the girl he marries. “For, the first prayer will end with his marriage, whereas, the second prayer never will, so it will be continued to be answered throughout the rest of his life.”
So, what advice do I give my friends as they prepare to get married? Often, it is what I have just shared with you: make sure God is a part of your marriage in any way possible, never take your loving relationship for granted, nurture your love through service, and gratitude, and enjoy the journey.
For I Am Not Ashamed
Years ago, as I was preparing to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, I was told a story that had a powerful influence upon not only my mission, but also the rest of my life.
A young man, whom I knew, was called to serve a mission in Italy. He was so excited to go and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to his brothers and sisters in the great country of Italy. He knew that the message he was going to share was true. The Church of Jesus Christ had once again been restored to the Earth the same church that existed in the New Testament. The Priesthood power and Authority were once more upon the Earth which had been lost with the death of those Ancient Apostles. We have a living Prophet upon the Earth. Along with the Holy Bible, we have been blessed with another Testament of Jesus Christ, called The Book of Mormon. This is a record of the Lords dealing with the inhabitants of ancient America. Through the restored gospel we can understand many lost truths including whom we are, why we are here, and where we are going.
This young missionary felt he was ready to go and teach and serve. Soon he found himself at the airport with other missionaries all headed for Italy. While waiting for his plane to arrive, a man came near and asked this missionary who he and his companions were. When the missionary answered, the man started asking him questions of what his mission was to do, and what he was going to teach. Though the missionary answered all the questions, he did so haltingly, shifting from foot to foot, continuing to look down, or at his companions a few feet away for his friends.
The plane arrived and the Missionary started to say goodbye when the man asked one more question, “Are you ashamed of the Church you belong to?” The missionary quickly and empathetically responded, “No!”
“Are you ashamed of the message you are going to share?” The man asked. Again the young missionary gave the same response, “No!”
“Then why,” asked the man as he turned to leave, “Are you acting like it?”
As the young missionary was left to face the answer to this pointed question he was filled with shame and sorrow. He was not ashamed, was he? If not then why was he acting in a way that gave that impression? He thought of Paul’s long ago declaration in the New Testament,
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” Romans 1:16
At that moment that young missionary set aside the fear that had driven his previous behavior, and made the decision that he would live so that no one would ever again doubt that he was not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, nor that he knew that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in fact Christ’s Church.
When my friend told me of his experience (for he was the young missionary), I began to ask myself if I ever gave the impression from my words or behavior that I was ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I hoped that the answer was no. Even so that day I too made the same promise to myself as my friend had: that I would live so that no one would ever again doubt that I was not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
To Take Upon The Name Of Christ
As I was sitting in the temple, the other night, I saw a copy of The Book of Mormon on the table next to me. I picked it up and randomly began to read. I had opened to the Book of Alma. Captain Moroni had just torn his coat and written upon it the famous Title of Liberty:
“…In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children…” Alma 46:12
As I continued to read, the next few verses stood out to me in a powerful way. For after Moroni fashioned this Title of Liberty upon a pole he,
“…Bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—
For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church.
And those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come.” Alma 46:13-15
Those who belonged to the Church of Christ were scornfully given the nickname of Christians, by the nonbelievers. Yet they embraced this name for they understood that they had covenanted to take upon themselves the name of Christ and all it entailed when they were baptized.
As I thought about this, my mind turned to a familiar complaint among some of my young adult friends that the church micromanages our lives. Why did the Prophet care how many pairs of earrings we wear or, what length our skirts are? Why can’t we drink coffee and tea, or watch “R” rated movies, or become intimate with those we love before marriage? What does it matter what we say, or watch, or think?
It matters because like those Nephites of old, we too have made covenants to take upon ourselves the name of Christ.
So what does it mean to take upon ourselves the name of Christ? It means that we seek to always remember Him. It means that we follow His commandments. It means that we act so that those who know us, but don’t know Christ, will want to know Him, because they know us. We are His living breathing representatives to the world. This means that we have to live a higher standard. This means that more is expected of us.
Yet no matter how much is asked of us in making and keeping this covenant we have made, to take upon ourselves the name of Christ, it is always worth it. For the Lord’s side of the Covenant is that we may always have His spirit to be with us. The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of the most precious gifts our Father in Heaven could give us in this earth life, next to the gift of His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, to enable us to return to Him and ultimately become like Him.
Those ancient Nephites understood this principle. And that is why they took this covenant upon themselves gladly. When we understand as they did, then we too will be filled with gladness in taking upon ourselves the most Beloved name of Christ.