I know this post has been a long time coming, I left my last post with a 6 month cliffhanger (see previous post to review the discussion topic). The question I ended with was, "how can we, like Peter, overcome our moments of weakness and rededicate ourselves to our conversion for the rest of our lives?"
The answer to this question is simply: by acting, by loving, by serving, and by being a missionary.
Again, I turn to Rob Gardner's beautiful music to teach this principle. Remember that he used chords from other songs to connect the most important songs about Peter's spiritual growth. Sometimes when I don't have enough time to listen to the entire Lamb of God I will just listen to these four songs. I would recommend anyone listening to these four songs sequentially and noticing the connections that occur when parts of past songs are included. The four songs are:
1. This is He
2. Lord, is it I?
3. I Cannot Watch Them (listen to Peter's Denial before if you want the context)
4. At the Sea of Tiberius
In my previous post I discussed the lessons from songs 1-3 about the difference between testimony and conversion. In the fourth song we obtain the answer as to how we remain converted for our entire life. This song is about when Christ asks Peter three times if he loves him. Each time Peter answers that he does and each time Christ tells him to feed his sheep. Notice again in this song how Rob Gardner calls our remembrance to previous songs and, more importantly, important moments in Peter's life. The lesson here is that for Peter to truly demonstrate his conversion he needs to take on the path of discipleship. He needs to preach the gospel, he needs to serve his fellow man, he needs to love others, in short, he needs to Act in Doctrine. As Elder Bednar taught, "a testimony is the initial step on the pathway of ongoing and deepening conversion" (see Chapter 3 of Act in Doctrine for more of Elder Bednar's teachings on conversion).
For more insight, I refer you to Jeffrey R Holland's talk in October 2012, The First Great Commandment. In brief, Elder Holland refers to this personal interview between Peter and Jesus as "an exchange with the Savior that I consider the crucial turning point of the apostolic ministry generally and certainly for Peter personally." Elder Holland gave some nonscriptural elaboration of Jesus' response to Peter, "perhaps saying something like: 'Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore by these same nets, having the same conversation?... What I need, Peter, are disciples - and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith." We see here that even though Peter had a testimony and experienced a true conversion he still did not understand the task of discipleship. Having been converted you no longer stand on neutral ground, you can not "return to your former life" (as Elder Holland put it) indifferent of the battle between good and evil.
The conference talk The Music of the Gospel adds to this principle. "We learn the dance steps with our minds, but we hear the music with our hearts. The dance steps of the gospel are the things we do; the music of the gospel is the joyful spiritual feelings that comes from the Holy Ghost. It brings a change of heart and is the source of all righteous desires. The dance steps require discipline, but the joy of the dance will be experienced only when we come to hear the music...heavenly music that accompanies conversion." I really like the analogy with music and dancing. Our testimony is like learning the dance moves but it is not enough to simply know the dance moves are true. Our conversion is when we hear the music of the gospel. But even if we hear the music with our heart sometimes we might "become uncomfortable with the dance and quit dancing." Our "life of devoted discipleship" requires that we actually dance to the music and that we keep dancing. We need to act, to love, to serve, and to preach the gospel. "If you're not hearing the music of the gospel in your home, please remember these two words: keep practicing. With God's help, the day will come when the music of the gospel will fill your home with unspeakable joy."
Alma gives an amazing sermon in Alma Chapter 5 full of introspective questions. These questions help us to evaluate whether our testimony has led to conversion and if this conversion has led to discipleship. The most poignant question is particularly helpful for those that feel like Peter. "If ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" If you cannot feel so, then remember how it was that you felt this in the first place. Say a heart felt prayer. Read from your mission journal. Serve with the missionaries. Study and love the Book of Mormon. Why is the Book of Mormon so important for a lifelong conversion? Elder Bednar explained that it is because "the Book of Mormon is filled with inspiring descriptions of continuing and deepening conversion." So not only will you feel the Spirit and "get nearer to God" but it contains a blueprint of how to remain converted. Learn from past spiritual giants. Learn of Nephi, of Abinadi, of Alma, of King Lamoni, of Mormon, of Moroni. See how they remained converted to their Lord, Jesus Christ, despite the trials they faced. I am so grateful for the examples we have in the scriptures of imperfect men that were tools in the hands of the Lord. I hope that we can all learn from the example of Peter. May our testimony lead to conversion and may this be a lifelong conversion as we become disciples.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Testimony and Conversion
Over the last few weeks there seems to be a common theme surrounding my life: the difference between a testimony and conversion. There are three main sources of inspiration for this post: 1. The Life of Peter (specifically, how it is portrayed in Rob Gardner's Lamb of God) 2. The book that Mom and Dad bought for me a long time ago, by Elder David A Bednar Act in Doctrine 3. The General Conference talk by Elder Wilford W. Andersen The Music of the Gospel.
On the drive home from LaGrande Oregon, Matt introduced me to a musical (called Lamb of God) that has a had a profound impact on me. There is something about the lyrics, the music, and the spirit of that masterpiece that touches the soul. A few of my favorite songs are interconnected as they pertain to the spiritual progression of Peter. The first song is when Peter affirms that he knows that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. When you hear this song you will feel like joining in and testifying that you also know that "This is He". Then at the Last Supper Peter reaffirms his devotion by declaring that he is willing to die with Jesus. At this point, no one would question Peter's sincerity and testimony. However, Jesus himself tells Peter that he will deny him thrice. Then after this prophetic statement is fulfilled, the next song expresses Peter's pain and remorse. This song progressively builds as Peter's determination to commit the rest of his life to discipleship increases and he concludes with "when my eyes have closed in death, these words will hang on my last breath: I know Him." When you hear this song you feel a similar conviction that you will never again falter to be a true disciple.
In Act in Doctrine, Elder Bednar explains (as have others) that when Peter declared Jesus to be the Christ he bore his testimony (Matthew 16:16) but that he was not yet converted. We can see this by the fact that it was after this declaration that Jesus told Peter "when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32). This is a strong example of the difference between testimony and conversion. I feel like we can all learn a lot from Peter's life of discipleship. I'm sure we have all felt that testimony within us that Jesus is the Christ and that this is his work. Some of us may have even felt to "have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2). That being said, it is quite common for us to feel the pressures of opposition and to momentarily forget this commitment. So how can we, like Peter, overcome our moments of weakness and rededicate ourselves to our conversion for the rest of our lives?
So that this post doesn't get too long (and so that I can get to bed) I am going to leave it right here and have a second post to answer this question.
On the drive home from LaGrande Oregon, Matt introduced me to a musical (called Lamb of God) that has a had a profound impact on me. There is something about the lyrics, the music, and the spirit of that masterpiece that touches the soul. A few of my favorite songs are interconnected as they pertain to the spiritual progression of Peter. The first song is when Peter affirms that he knows that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. When you hear this song you will feel like joining in and testifying that you also know that "This is He". Then at the Last Supper Peter reaffirms his devotion by declaring that he is willing to die with Jesus. At this point, no one would question Peter's sincerity and testimony. However, Jesus himself tells Peter that he will deny him thrice. Then after this prophetic statement is fulfilled, the next song expresses Peter's pain and remorse. This song progressively builds as Peter's determination to commit the rest of his life to discipleship increases and he concludes with "when my eyes have closed in death, these words will hang on my last breath: I know Him." When you hear this song you feel a similar conviction that you will never again falter to be a true disciple.
In Act in Doctrine, Elder Bednar explains (as have others) that when Peter declared Jesus to be the Christ he bore his testimony (Matthew 16:16) but that he was not yet converted. We can see this by the fact that it was after this declaration that Jesus told Peter "when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32). This is a strong example of the difference between testimony and conversion. I feel like we can all learn a lot from Peter's life of discipleship. I'm sure we have all felt that testimony within us that Jesus is the Christ and that this is his work. Some of us may have even felt to "have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2). That being said, it is quite common for us to feel the pressures of opposition and to momentarily forget this commitment. So how can we, like Peter, overcome our moments of weakness and rededicate ourselves to our conversion for the rest of our lives?
So that this post doesn't get too long (and so that I can get to bed) I am going to leave it right here and have a second post to answer this question.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
McKay's okay
Erica and I had a very rough day today. However, I am grateful to have Erica by my side as we pass through our diverse trials in life. We are also grateful for all the support from those that care about us. I am grateful that I was able to give McKay a blessing. The only time he calmed down was when my hands were on his head. Thanks for all your prayers.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
WWJD
I just got back from visiting Matt in the hospital and it is well past my bedtime. So even though it would be plenty easy for me to excuse myself from blogging today I didn't want to have my new year's resolution end after a month. So in the true letter of the law I will be posting a very brief blog.
Often in the Church we say that as Christ's disciples we are to do what he would do if he were here. We often say this as an inspirational thought or as motivation to be better. However, if you really stop and think about what that means it should be rather overwhelming. I know that Christ commanded us to be perfect and that he said what manner of men we ought to be, even as He is. But to actually feel like when I am home teaching I am saying and doing what he would do is hard to imagine. I guess whenever I think of what Christ would do I envision him speaking in parables with an aura about him that makes it clear he is divine. However, a lot of our perception of Christ in mortality is based off the culture that he lived in. It is much easier to imagine what it means to do what Jesus would do when we relate him to a modern day version. Rather than walking in sandals and speaking to the woman at the well, we can see him as that friend that truly cares or that person that tries to make others feel welcome. I guess it just helps to remember that there are a lot of people doing what Jesus would do and we can look to their examples to see the works of the Lord.
Often in the Church we say that as Christ's disciples we are to do what he would do if he were here. We often say this as an inspirational thought or as motivation to be better. However, if you really stop and think about what that means it should be rather overwhelming. I know that Christ commanded us to be perfect and that he said what manner of men we ought to be, even as He is. But to actually feel like when I am home teaching I am saying and doing what he would do is hard to imagine. I guess whenever I think of what Christ would do I envision him speaking in parables with an aura about him that makes it clear he is divine. However, a lot of our perception of Christ in mortality is based off the culture that he lived in. It is much easier to imagine what it means to do what Jesus would do when we relate him to a modern day version. Rather than walking in sandals and speaking to the woman at the well, we can see him as that friend that truly cares or that person that tries to make others feel welcome. I guess it just helps to remember that there are a lot of people doing what Jesus would do and we can look to their examples to see the works of the Lord.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Giving the Lord first Priority
So last month's home teaching lesson really hit close to home.
President Monson recounts when he was first called into the bishopric. He discusses how he had to choose between his lifelong goal to be an officer in the military or serve the Lord.
"But then something happened. I was called to be a counselor in my ward bishopric. The bishop's council meeting was on the same evening as my navy drill meeting. I knew there was a terrible conflict. I knew that I didn't have the time to pursue the Naval Reserve and my bishopric duties. What was I to do? A decision had to be made."
A few months ago, I had to make a similar decision of much smaller magnitude. Our ultimate frisbee playoff game was Wednesday night at 8 PM. Right during bishopric meeting. I rationalized that it was a one time thing and that we could just have bishopric to some other night. So I played in my game. When I hear this story by President Monson, I ask myself if I need to remember what it means to put the Lord first. President Monson probably considered asking his bishop to move the meeting to a different night. But he understood something that I still need to learn.
President Monson recounts when he was first called into the bishopric. He discusses how he had to choose between his lifelong goal to be an officer in the military or serve the Lord.
"But then something happened. I was called to be a counselor in my ward bishopric. The bishop's council meeting was on the same evening as my navy drill meeting. I knew there was a terrible conflict. I knew that I didn't have the time to pursue the Naval Reserve and my bishopric duties. What was I to do? A decision had to be made."
A few months ago, I had to make a similar decision of much smaller magnitude. Our ultimate frisbee playoff game was Wednesday night at 8 PM. Right during bishopric meeting. I rationalized that it was a one time thing and that we could just have bishopric to some other night. So I played in my game. When I hear this story by President Monson, I ask myself if I need to remember what it means to put the Lord first. President Monson probably considered asking his bishop to move the meeting to a different night. But he understood something that I still need to learn.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Invest in your eternal marriage
So today I spoke in sacrament meeting. Since I am in the bishopric, I was asked to speak about our ward motto for the year, "Invest in your eternal marriage". I felt like for my post today I would regurgitate my talk.
Anyone that knows me (which should be everyone that is reading this blog) knows that I love languages, words, roots, and especially etymologies. So obviously I began my talk by pointing out that the original meaning of the word "invest" is "to cloth in the official robes of an office." I like this because the Spanish word for the temple garment and endowment is "investidura." If you remember, on my mission I received a "fully invested" BYU shirt, which was when I first made this connection. Anyways, I think it is significant to realize that if the Lord has invested so much power and knowledge in us, we should invest in ourselves and in our marriage. The type of investment that we are talking about are the righteous routines of scripture study and prayer as a couple, FHE, etc.
The idea of continous spiritual investments has been spoken of by general authorities. President Heber J Grant once said, "What are we working for? Wealth? Riches? If we have embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we are working for eternal life. Then we are laboring to save our souls. And after saving our own souls we are laboring for the salvation of our children... I want to say that the best inheritance that you can leave to your sons and daughters is an investment in the kingdom of God."
Presdent George Albert Smith said that we "are making a real investment that will return an eternal dividend." Perhaps this adds some meaning to D&C 6:7 where it says that "he that hath eternal life is rich."
There are three underlying principles behind the idea of "investing in our marriage": 1. Faith 2. The law of the harvest 3. By small and simple things great things come to pass.
Essentially an investment is something that we pay now, with the anticipation that we will receive more at a future date. Obviously this requires a great deal of hope and faith. In the last general conference Elder Richard G Scott said, "we must take time to actively exercise our faith. Such exercise invites the postive, faith-filled power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ into our lives. Our Father in Heaven has given us tools to help us come unto Christ and exercise faith in His Atonement. When these tools become fundamental habits, they provide the easiest way to find peace in the challenges of mortality." He then went on to explain that these four tools are scripture study, prayer, FHE, and temple attendance. This exercise of our faith requires hope. As Ether 12:4 puts it, "hope for a better world, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men". If we didn't have hope and faith we would not invest in our futures because we would only think about the now. For this reason, our entire life can be a "trial of our faith" and we may not "receive a witness until after the trial of our faith". Meaning, we might not see the return on our investment in this life. We might wonder if our small actions will really pay off, but the Lord has a way of duplicating our efforts.
Anyone that knows me (which should be everyone that is reading this blog) knows that I love languages, words, roots, and especially etymologies. So obviously I began my talk by pointing out that the original meaning of the word "invest" is "to cloth in the official robes of an office." I like this because the Spanish word for the temple garment and endowment is "investidura." If you remember, on my mission I received a "fully invested" BYU shirt, which was when I first made this connection. Anyways, I think it is significant to realize that if the Lord has invested so much power and knowledge in us, we should invest in ourselves and in our marriage. The type of investment that we are talking about are the righteous routines of scripture study and prayer as a couple, FHE, etc.
The idea of continous spiritual investments has been spoken of by general authorities. President Heber J Grant once said, "What are we working for? Wealth? Riches? If we have embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we are working for eternal life. Then we are laboring to save our souls. And after saving our own souls we are laboring for the salvation of our children... I want to say that the best inheritance that you can leave to your sons and daughters is an investment in the kingdom of God."
Presdent George Albert Smith said that we "are making a real investment that will return an eternal dividend." Perhaps this adds some meaning to D&C 6:7 where it says that "he that hath eternal life is rich."
There are three underlying principles behind the idea of "investing in our marriage": 1. Faith 2. The law of the harvest 3. By small and simple things great things come to pass.
Essentially an investment is something that we pay now, with the anticipation that we will receive more at a future date. Obviously this requires a great deal of hope and faith. In the last general conference Elder Richard G Scott said, "we must take time to actively exercise our faith. Such exercise invites the postive, faith-filled power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ into our lives. Our Father in Heaven has given us tools to help us come unto Christ and exercise faith in His Atonement. When these tools become fundamental habits, they provide the easiest way to find peace in the challenges of mortality." He then went on to explain that these four tools are scripture study, prayer, FHE, and temple attendance. This exercise of our faith requires hope. As Ether 12:4 puts it, "hope for a better world, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men". If we didn't have hope and faith we would not invest in our futures because we would only think about the now. For this reason, our entire life can be a "trial of our faith" and we may not "receive a witness until after the trial of our faith". Meaning, we might not see the return on our investment in this life. We might wonder if our small actions will really pay off, but the Lord has a way of duplicating our efforts.
The second principle, the law of the harvest (or as a sister in my mission called it, the law of charma) teaches us that what we put in we will get out. So if we invest a lot in our marriage we will receive a lot back. Ezra Taft Benson said that "he observed his parents, he saw the joy, peace, and strength that came when family members chose to be faithful to one another and the Lord. He learned that the law of the harvest - "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" - applies to spiritual pursuits as well as physical labor. A lot of young married couples think that they can postpone sowing the seeds until a more convenient date. I love what D&C 64:33 says, "be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundations of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." We really are laying the foundation for our future and we should never be weary of doing that which is good.
This leads to the last principle I wish to discuss, that by "small things proceedeth that which is great". This is a unique teaching to the Book of Mormon. The world would tell us that if you want something big you need to do something big. That only extraordinary efforts merit any great reward. However, since the Lord can magnify our efforts we know that even things that might appear small (like how Erica and I go out on a date every week) can lead to tremendous eternal blessings. "Now [the world] may suppose that this is foolishness, by very small means the Lord bringeth about the salvation of many souls."
So although right now Erica and I are at a very smooth part of our lives, where everything looks pleasant and the future seems bright, we should not think that we can avoid making this regular investments in our marriage. If we think that when trying times arise we can make some withdrawals, if we haven't already made those deposits we will find out that we have "insufficient funds." So at this young stage in our marriage it is important to not say "All is well in Zion, yea, Zion prospereth, all is well" but rather "while all is well, let us prepare by laying the foundation for the future."
Sunday, January 18, 2015
What Shall We Give?
I know the Christmas season has just ended, but obviously that doesn't mean that the spirit of Christmas should ever end. If you have been around me the last few weeks you know that I have had the song "What shall we give?" stuck in my head. I love this Christmas song. It has a great message and an angelic sound. I recommend listening to the MoTab rendition of this song if you are looking for a pick-me-up. Here are the words to this song:
What shall we give to the babe in the manger,
What shall we offer the child in the stall?
Incense and spices and gold we've a-plenty-
Are these the gifts for the king of us all?
What shall we give to the boy in the temple,
What shall we offer the man by the sea?
Palms at his feet and hosannas uprising;
Are these for him who will carry the tree?
What shall we give to the lamb who was offered,
Rising the third day and shedding his love?
Tears for his mercy we'll weep at the manger,
Bathing the infant come down from above.
It really is a great question. What shall we give to him who has everything? To a much lesser degree, we have all struggled to find someone a Christmas gift because it just seems like that person has everything they need or want. It might seem like there is nothing we can give that would be acceptable to him that created the universe. In Mosiah 2:21 it read, "if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." That seems rather discouraging. It sounds like no matter what we give it won't be enough. However, Christ himself said before he came to the Nephites in America, "ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit." So the only thing that we can really give to the Lord is the only thing that we really possess. Everything belongs to the Lord, except for our will and agency. If we give him our whole soul as an offering we allow for the whole effect of his offering.
What shall we give to the babe in the manger,
What shall we offer the child in the stall?
Incense and spices and gold we've a-plenty-
Are these the gifts for the king of us all?
What shall we give to the boy in the temple,
What shall we offer the man by the sea?
Palms at his feet and hosannas uprising;
Are these for him who will carry the tree?
What shall we give to the lamb who was offered,
Rising the third day and shedding his love?
Tears for his mercy we'll weep at the manger,
Bathing the infant come down from above.
It really is a great question. What shall we give to him who has everything? To a much lesser degree, we have all struggled to find someone a Christmas gift because it just seems like that person has everything they need or want. It might seem like there is nothing we can give that would be acceptable to him that created the universe. In Mosiah 2:21 it read, "if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." That seems rather discouraging. It sounds like no matter what we give it won't be enough. However, Christ himself said before he came to the Nephites in America, "ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit." So the only thing that we can really give to the Lord is the only thing that we really possess. Everything belongs to the Lord, except for our will and agency. If we give him our whole soul as an offering we allow for the whole effect of his offering.
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