No Coincidences

Tag: Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Rameumptom

It’s amazing to read the Book of Mormon and compare those people to our day. One story from the Book of Mormon that recently stood out to me was the story of the Zoramites and the rameumptom.

The Zoramites were a people who corrupted religion in many ways. They built a large tower. This tower was called a rameumptom and it was used for prayer. People would go to the top of the tower and loudly proclaim a rehearsed prayer. In the prayer they would thank God that He chose them. They would thank God that He had enlightened them and saved them while He would damn all the others to hell for their false beliefs. They would say their prayer, leave the tower, and go about their week without another thought towards God. They would use their week to serve no one but themselves.

Let’s compare the many false beliefs of the Zoramites to our society today.

First, praying on the rameumptom. What good deed is done today without proclaiming it to the world? We’re all guilty of it. Social media is our modern day rameumptom. It is where we proudly shout our greatest deeds for the world to see. Prayer and good deeds should be done in private. Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.

Second, the Zoramites had a temple that only the rich were able to go to. Churches today have become much more about prestige and power than about humility and kindness.

Third, rehearsed prayer. The Zoramites used a rehearsed, scripted prayer to talk to God. There are many problems with this. It takes any effort from the procedure. The prayer has no thought or feeling to it, it’s like reading in class. There’s no genuine questions, no genuine requests, no genuine gratitude. It is a script. We see this in many churches today.

Fourth, prayer without action. This is a byproduct of rehearsed prayer. What does prayer without effort lead to? Life without effort. The Zoramites loudly spoke their prayers from their tower, stepped down, and that was the extent of their worship. They wouldn’t speak to God again until the next week when they would give their five minute rehearsed prayer and move on with their life. This is the worship of our society today. With all God has given us we can’t even give Him a day of worship in return. Most don’t go to church at all. Many who do go, go on Sunday, listen for an hour, and the rest of the week don’t do a selfless act. Christ was our example. He taught us to pray always, serve others, and love others. If we aren’t doing that, we aren’t of Him, no matter how loud our prayer.

Fifth, the Zoramites thanked God that they were chosen by Him. They thanked Him for enlightening them and turning them away from the foolish traditions of their fathers and neighbors. They were selected by God and would be saved. All others were fools who would burn in hell. Sound familiar? Many churches today believe you will only be saved if you follow their beliefs or belong to their church. What kind of selective God is this? It spits in the face of a loving, caring Heavenly Father who is no respecter of persons. This is a blasphemous and poisonous teaching that goes back to the pride and selective nature of churches. God loves all His children and will provide a way for all of them to attain as much glory as they desire. The doctrine of Jesus Christ taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that there are many mansions in heaven and God’s wonderful plan has provided a way for a vast majority, almost all of His children to go to Heaven. All that repent, follow His commandments, and believe in His Son will find a place worthy of their righteous hearts. This is truth.

I have a close friend of a different Christian faith. We have many good religious conversations. One day the topic of heaven came up. He told me that surely I didn’t believe he would go to heaven as he wasn’t a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, my church. This made me so sad. I told him with complete sincerity and 100% certainty that I knew he was going to heaven. Whether he joined the Church (my church) or not, I knew he was a good person. I knew he loved Jesus Christ. I knew he tried every day to seek Christ and to do good. I knew he sought God with all his heart. I knew he was kind and liked to help people. I know, without a doubt in my mind, that there is a place in heaven for him. I know this because I know God. I know he loves all of us. I told this to my friend, and I’ll never forget the look on his face. A little shock, a little awe. I know that he believes I am going to hell, he has told me so. He believes I have been fooled and I will have to pay for my ignorance.

I know that God loves him, and I know that God loves me. I know that Jesus Christ is the perfect judge. We will be judged perfectly. Even those who are fooled will be given mercy and love from God. That’s the God I know. I feel sad for those who don’t know that same God.

False teachings have corrupted and destroyed religion. False teachings have turned many away from the truth and light that religion should provide.

I have an invitation to anyone who read this and thought “I do hate how churches say everyone who doesn’t do this or that is going to hell,” or “I’ve never understood rehearsed prayers,” or “I can’t stand the hypocritical church goers who are the meanest people during the week.” My invitation is to come and see. Come and learn of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Come and learn what Christ intended for us. Come and learn true principles and ordinances of Christ’s gospel. Come serve with us, come worship with us, come pray with us, come be with us. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not perfect, not yet. Not until Christ returns. We can still be hypocrites but we’re trying. Christ’s Gospel is perfect and we’re working toward it. Come and see.

January 14, 2021
Books in 2020
This is a list of every book I read in 2020 and the order I ranked them in from favorite to least favorite. I get something out of every book I read. I learned long ago that if I allow myself to not finish one book, I won’t finish any. For those reasons, when I start a book, I’m committed to finishing it. I don’t care how dry or boring it may be.

It was extremely difficult to rank these books. For one, how do you rank nonfiction verse fiction? Take a fictional John Grisham crime novel like The Last Juror and compare it to a nonfiction biography of the Prophet Joseph Smith for example. How do you compare the two? To avoid overthinking it I simply went through my list of books read and from what I remembered, put each on the list. Every book’s placement on the list is from my initial remembering of how much I *enjoyed reading it.

*enjoyed for me is going to be vastly different from most people. Precious Truths Restored, which was a top five favorite book of the year for me, is there because I learned so much from it and have referred to it constantly throughout the year since I finished it. I doubt the average person would even get through it. I loved it.

I included a one sentence thought about each book. This proved difficult because I could say so much about every book. To get around the one sentence rule, I used many commas and run-on sentences. My list, my rules.

I enjoyed all these books because they each taught me something. That’s the great thing about books. Here’s my list:
1. The First 2000 Years by Cleon Skousen
  - When I told a church-going friend I finished this book he looked at me incredulously, I guess my taste in books is unique.
2. *A Case for the Book of Mormon by Tad R. Callister
  - This book will forever be my reference for a scholarly defense of the Book of Mormon.
3. *The Mourning Dove by Larry Barkdull
  - I made Beth read this, super short, super memorable, loved this book.
4. Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
  - I gained so much from this book, almost every one of the nearly 800 pages was marked, made me a Tim Ferriss fan for life.
5. The Joseph Smith Translation Precious Truths Restored by W. Jeffrey Marsh
  - Helped me tremendously in understanding the dangers of the different translations of the Bible, appreciating the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, and understanding how we have the various Bibles we have today.
6. Bridging the Divide: The Continuing Conversation Between a Mormon and an Evangelical by Gregory C. V. Johnson and Robert L. Millet
  - Inspirational book of two people from different faiths finding joy in a discussion spanning many years that brings them both closer to God, reminded me of a relationship I have with a friend I enjoy discussing scripture with.
7. *Best Loved Stories of the LDS People Vol 3 compiled by Jay A. Parry, Linda Ririe Gundry, Jack M. Lyon
  - The reason this ranked so high among so many other church history-esc books is I felt like I enjoyed a majority of the short stories, I gave it to my sister to read and she also enjoyed it.
8. The Third Thousand Years by W. Cleon Skousen
  - This was the sequel to my favorite book of the year, it’s lower on the list because I feel like we generally know more about the third thousand years, so I felt like I got less out of it personally, still great though.
9. *Among the Shoshones by Elijah Nicholas Wilson
  - Given to my sister-in-law to read, amazingly simple read that repeatedly had me saying out loud, “What the heck?”
10. The Forerunners by Mark E. Petersen
  - This did a great job of explaining Joseph Smith’s role in the restoration and went into some detail about the pattern of forerunners being sent by God to start a great work on earth, John the Baptist and Joseph Smith being the most famous examples.
11. Return from Tomorrow by George G. Ritchie with Elizabeth Sherrill
  - One of the first ever Near-Death Experience books written, NDE books have a special place in my heart as it was an NDE book that helped me come back to church.
12. The Red Record by David McCutchen
  - This was fascinating, it took legends of an ancient civilization you’ve never heard of, used oral records to go back thousands of years depicting their first legends of crossing an icy bridge to come to what would be the northern part of North America.
13. And the Moon Shall Turn to Blood by Anthony E. Larson
  - This series of books blew my mind and led me to discussing it with people that didn’t have any interest discussing the topic, this fact instantly gets it higher on the list.
14. And the Earth Shall Reel to and Fro by Anthony E. Larson
  - Part two to the above book, grouped the trilogy together on my list, these books use catastrophism as a basis of belief about what happened in the history of the world and what will happen in the future.
15. And There Shall be a New Heaven and a New Earth by Anthony E. Larson
  - Part three of the trilogy, I enjoyed the first one the most and was slightly less interested as I got to the third book, but they were kind of like one book in three parts.
16. All I need to Know I learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
  - A collection of short stories that were all extremely entertaining, quick and easy read.
17. The Glory of the Sun by Sterling W. Sill
  - I love short anecdotes or stories which is why this is just below All I need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten because that’s one of the best books I’ve read that does that, this one did a good job as well on more spiritual and deep topics.
18. At Peace in the Light by Dannion Brinkley with Paul Perry
  - Another near-death experience book, I really want to read Dannion Brinkley’s first book Saved by the Light now.
19. 2012 The War for Souls by Whitley Strieber
  - Awesomely creative book, so good I read it twice, no really, it wasn’t until the end that I realized I’d read 90% of the book years ago and never finished.
20. How Money Works by Steve Siebold and Tom Mathews
  - A gift to me, I think this book advanced my knowledge of how money works ten fold, this should be required reading in high school.
21. The Last Juror by John Grisham
  - Some authors have mastered how to get their readers to keep flipping pages no matter what, John Grisham is one of those writers.
22. The Life Beyond by Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet
  - This book uses modern revelation to answer questions about what happens when we die, I’m amazed the world doesn’t flock to a book that answers the most important question in this life.
23. Behold the Fig Tree by Roger K. Young
  - Any book that prepares me for what to expect leading up to the Millennium jumps up the list, see #13-15 for other examples.
24. The Shack by William P. Young
  - Book turned popular motion picture, I may have liked the movie even more.
25. Mama’s Boarding House by John D. Fitzgerald
  - A fictional account of an early settled western town, gun slinging stories have always fascinated me.
26. Silent Courage by George P. Lee
  - A really good book was tainted when I learned what became of George P. Lee, was interesting reading about the life in a culture completely unique from my own.
27. Millionaire Mind by Thomas J. Stanley
  - My only complaint about this book was the repetitiveness of points, though I still got a lot from it.
28. They Knew the Prophet compiled by Hyrum L Andrus and Helen Mae Andrus
  - First-hand accounts about the prophet Joseph Smith from those who knew him.
29. From Every Nation by Derin Head Rodriguez
  - Awesome book about the first foreign general authorities, amazing to see the distinct similarities a bunch of men from all over the world had that led to their growth in faith and devotion to Jesus Christ.
30. How to Read the Constitution and Why by Kim Wehle
  - Should be required reading in any school, important for American students to understand the constitution better, especially now.
31. Unlimited Access by Gary Aldrich
  - This book was interesting, an honest look from an FBI agent on the security of the white house while he was in charge of security at the white house.
32. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
  - A really neat look at life from someone who was experiencing his own mortality.
33. Paul’s Life and Letters by Sidney B. Sperry
  - Made me understand the sacrifice of the Apostle Paul in a deeper way.
34. The Boy who Became a Prophet by Mabel Harmer
  - Ranked on the lower end because I don’t remember a ton from it, though any book on Joseph Smith has proved rewarding.
35. In the Company of Prophets by D. Arthur Haycock
  - An interesting view on modern-day prophets from the perspective of someone who knew them as well as anyone.
36. Making Sense of Suffering by Peter Kreeft
  - Like #47 The Problem of Pain, except more at my reading level.
37. It was on Fire when I sat on it by Robert Fulghum
  - Didn’t like nearly as much as #16, but still enjoyed a lot.
38. *Translating the Anthon Transcript by Stan and Polly Johnson
  - Lowered due to the chance the information in the book wasn’t fully accurate/true, I very much enjoyed learning about this though, and gave to a friend to read.
39. Zion Seeking the City of Enoch by Larry Barkdull
  - Larry Barkdull also wrote one of my favorite books of the year (#3), this was an awesome, fictional account of someone trying to join Enoch in the beginning stages of starting his perfected society.
40. Frontiers of Being by Duncan B. Blewett
  - Extremely deep and dense, some parts difficult to get through, used some of what I read in this book when officiating my sister’s wedding, fun fact, looked it up online and there’s a “new” copy for sale for $1,008.00.
41. Valley of Sorrow by Alexander B. Morrison
  - Great book, taught me a lot, not a topic I know much about or am passionate about but definitely learned a lot and opened my mind to some different views on mental health.
42. Glimpses Beyond Death’s Door by Brent Top
  - I think I struggled with feeling like I was reading an analysis of a bunch of other books that I actually wanted to read, this was surprising given my love for the topic, see #7 and #18.
43. A witness and a Warning: Modern Day Prophet Testifies of the Book of Mormon by Ezra Taft Benson.
  - Since I already know the Book of Mormon is true this found me nodding my head in agreement throughout.
44. *LeGrand Richards: Beloved Apostle by Lucile Christenson Tate
  - Gave to my brother to read, it’s inspiring to read about the life of someone with such spectacular faith.
45. The Temple: Where Heaven Meets Earth by Truman G. Madsen
  - Classic book teaching the importance of the temple.
46. Standing for Something by Gordon B. Hinckley
  - Classic GBH.
47. The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
  - Was really excited for this book, quickly realized I wasn’t intellectually ready to read a philosophical book by C.S. Lewis.
48. Driven from Within by Michael Jordan
  - Interesting look at Michael Jordan looking simultaneously at his basketball career and how it fueled his creative side which created a billion dollar shoe industry.
49. Does the Bible Contradict Itself? by W. Arndt
  - A defense of the Bible, didn’t love reading cover to cover which the author kind of said not to do, but will possibly be a book I refer back to often in my life.
50. Statements on Communism and the Constitution of the United States by David O. McKay
  - Don’t remember a ton about this, I know it was short, I mostly remember thinking, “they used to be extremely afraid of communism.”
51. Hidden Treasures from the Scriptures: The Battle is not yours it is the Lord’ by Alisha Geary
  - Had an interesting theme about how to get through adversity, short book.
52. Are Your Standards Fences or Guardrails? By John Bytheway
  - While it’s sort of silly I even read this as I was approaching 30, and I ranked it low, I actually got a lot out of it, especially useful as I was becoming a parent and thinking about the standards I’d like Ivy to have.
53. Messages of the First Presidency Vol. 6 compiled by James R. Clark
  - I enjoyed it but it was dry, and the average person is not going to get through this book.
54. Emma’s Glory and Sacrifice by Gracia N. Jones
  - Great book but kind of felt like the attempt to tie it to Emma was a stretch throughout simply due to how few records we have left behind in her own words.
55. Islam by John A. Williams
  - Just really difficult to read without more of a foundation in the faith, felt like I constantly didn’t know enough to keep up with what was being discussed.
56. So Much of Life Ahead by Dean Hughes
  - This was an OK book, but it was part 6 in a series and I just decided to read it.
57. The Plain Truth about Christmas by Herbert W. Armstrong
  - Can’t believe I read this, best thing about it was how short it was, entertaining though I guess.
*Recommended or gave this book to someone to read.

Additional reading:
1. Plan of Salvation pamphlet (should be read by everyone once a year to be reminded of why we’re here).
2. Book of Mormon
3. Doctrine & Covenants (Through Section 99)
4. Old Testament (Finished Ezekiel)
5. Come Follow Me lesson each week
January 7, 2021
Listen, Learn, Love
I recently listened to an episode from a podcast called Listen, Learn Love. This podcast has opened up my ways of thinking on a few topics. The episode I listened to recently I basically want to summarize (steal) because the points made are so simple, so well-said, and so true.

Here is a link to the website for the podcast if you want to learn more: https://www.listenlearnandlove.org/

The episode I recently listened to that I’m writing thoughts on here is episode 2 and can be found if you search for podcast “Listen, Learn, and Love.”

The podcast is hosted by Richard Ostler. He is a former Young Single Adult Ward Bishop. He has now done 334 episodes of his podcast which “was created out of the desire to better understand our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters. We believe in God and in His decree to love one another.” – from the mission statement on the website.

Episode 2 does not focus on the LGBTQ+ topic which I feel is an extremely important topic in the church. Still, this episode is also important and I learned a lot from it.

The topic was faith-crisis. Whether minor or major, any faith crisis is difficult to go through. When I was returning to church my uncle said something that has stuck with me. He said he wouldn’t wish the losing of faith on his worst enemy. You can lose cars, homes, family, money, everything in this world, but losing your faith is the hardest thing that a person can possibly go through.

As I continue to write I will be presenting many ideas that came directly from Brother Ostler. Please listen to the episode. For ease of writing, I won’t reference Brother Ostler in everything I’ll continue to say. Just know most of these thoughts came directly from him, and I hope to re-state them without taking too much away from them.

In my writing, I often refer to “The Church.” When I say this I am referring to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Something I’d never considered is how important it is to clarify what we mean when we say, “The Church.” The Latter-day Saint Church could mean different things to different people.

A couple categories for “The Church” are
1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
  - This was described beautifully by Brother Ostler as a pristine, clear-watered pool. No murkiness. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect in every way. This hasn’t been completely revealed yet.
2. The restored Church of Jesus Christ.
  - It has the restored priesthood and priesthood keys. Ideally, this would be perfect. I think we sometimes confuse this category with the next category I’ll mention. The restored Church of Jesus Christ should be perfect. The problem is, as we know, Christ must use fallible men and women to run His church.
3. The institutional church.
  - This is where we get into a flawed organization. The institutional church has many people, programs, and policies that are meant to implement the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The institutional church is run by men and women and therefore has flaws. Christ guides the institutional church, but people make mistakes. Brother Ostler points out in the podcast that as a YSA Bishop he was a part of the institutional church and he knew he made mistakes as a Bishop, a leader in the church.
Much of the hurt that comes into the souls of God’s children is caused by the institutional church. It is critical to not confuse “The Church” the institution with the pure and perfect Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A faith crisis is a serious event that can happen to anybody. You can’t always read and pray a faith crisis away. We are here to develop faith and while here our faith will be tested. Sometimes to the very brink. It’s important to get our roots in the correct place. Is your faith in a bishop? It shouldn’t be, it should be in Jesus Christ. The best bishop in the world can let you down. Jesus Christ can not.

The fourth article of faith: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: FIRST, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Articles of Faith can be read here. I invite everyone to read and focus on the first four articles of faith in the Restored Church of Jesus Christ. You’ll notice not only is Jesus Christ’s name in the name of the Church, but that He is referenced three times in the first four articles.

Our foundation must be on Christ.

Brother Ostler talked about the Policy Statement of 2015 and how it created a “mini faith crisis” for him. These were changes made by the institutional church and have since been reversed. He talked about how difficult that was for him, personally. He is not the first person I’ve heard that was impacted in a sad, difficult way by those changes. He emphasized that the brethren (leaders of the church) were doing their best. Brother Ostler referred to dominoes, and how the policy statements started to make dominoes fall in his faith. What saved Brother Ostler’s faith was that all his dominoes didn’t fall. As he stated so perfectly, some of his dominoes had roots to the center of the earth and couldn’t be shaken. He referenced Jesus Christ, priesthood blessings, and temples as the foundation of his faith.

The 2015 Policy Statement is a good example of what separates the institutional church from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The institutional church can and does make mistakes. Jesus Christ does not reverse. Jesus Christ does not change.

We must change the way we discuss faith crises. There are too many people who leave the church because they don’t feel heard. The idea that you can read or pray away a faith crisis is inaccurate and often leads individuals to feel like the “Church” is avoiding their concerns. We have to listen, as the Savior did, to those with concerns. Ask questions. Having a faith crisis does not mean someone is sinning. It can mean that, but it doesn’t always. Brother Ostler is a perfect example. His self-described “mini faith crisis” came while he was a YSA bishop spending dozens of hours each week in service to others. He was reading, praying, and serving as much as anyone could at that time. Imagine telling a bishop he needs to pray more, or read more, or do more to fix your problem. One could rightfully be turned off by this suggestion.

We must stop considering a faith crisis as a dirty topic that we must avoid. Thousands are having one at this moment. Those with unshaken faith must support and lift those who have a hard time. We must address questions head on and strengthen our faith together. We must strengthen each other. We are family. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is meant for everyone.

Now I’d like to share some of my personal story. I returned to church in 2016. I narrowly missed being an active member of the church when the policy statements came out. I know this was a hard time for the church. I know many people left. I know many people, like Brother Ostler, were shaken by the announcement.

I’ve often thought about my faith. I feel fortunate and blessed to have never experienced a personal faith crisis. Even in my time away from the church, I never doubted that Jesus Christ died for me. I never doubted Joseph Smith was a prophet. I never doubted the restored Church of Jesus Christ. I never doubted the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While I was living completely opposite to some of the teachings the church, I still knew it was true. I know I caused many head scratches from those who witnessed my verbal devotion while clearly ignoring all the precepts of the church.

I said my faith has always been a blessing to me. I believe it has. When I was living opposite to the principles of the gospel it felt like a curse. I’m sure I will need to answer for that one day. If I knew it so much to be true, I believe I’ll be more accountable for my behavior. Maybe that’s what gives me so much faith in Jesus Christ. I know how important His Atonement is to me personally. I have too many spots on my garments. Without Him I am a damned soul.

Maybe that’s difficult for others who have never grievously sinned. It’s easy to appreciate a lifeboat when you’re sinking in the ocean. What if you’re safe on shore, do you still have the same appreciation for the lifeboat? I’m not implying those who have lived just, kind, good lives start to finish are in anyway unappreciative of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for them. I’m truly amazed by those I see that have been faithful and true for all of their mortal journey. I can only speak for myself. I was not true for all of my journey and it makes me worship and love my Savior so intensely.

I wonder what would have happened if I was in church in 2015. Would I have struggled? Would I have left?

I don’t know the answer to many questions.

A book I read recently repeated the idea that we (humanity) know so much; space travel, geography, math, science. Ask someone to give some thoughts about nature or history and everyone can provide some insight. Ask someone to provide some thoughts about who they are, and they will struggle. We often know and understand ourselves least of all the things in the world. I take comfort in knowing there are two individuals who know me infinitely better than I currently know myself.

I want to give advice to anyone currently in a faith crisis. Fight. Don’t lose your faith. Please. It’s the most valuable thing on this earth. You can lose your family, money, cars, your home, and you can lose your faith. I hope we all fight for our faith. Focus your faith on what is most important. All your questions – ask them. Doubt. Wonder. Have concern. Voice your concerns. But don’t forget where faith should lie. Jesus Christ is the only name whereby men can be saved (Acts 4:12).

Sometimes people will hurt, disappoint, or let you down. Sometimes those people may be leaders you trust. We all hurt and disappoint people we love. We must hope that we will receive mercy for the hurt we cause, and therefore should show mercy to those who hurt us. The great giver of all mercy is Jesus Christ. He loves each of us. He wants each of us to do whatever we can to come closer to Him. Stay close to Him and He will never let you down.

Find those experiences in your memory that remind you that Jesus Christ guides His church. Read the Book of Mormon and ask yourself if it could be false. Then ask yourself, if it is false, how can it so perfectly testify of Jesus Christ?

Find your foundation in sure things. The pure faith in Christ. Then fight for that faith. We hope the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can be a faith building organization for all. We hope that the covenants we make can strengthen our faith and the faith of those around us. But at all costs, do not mix the pure, perfect, pristine waters of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the sometimes-murky institution run by us here on earth.
December 3, 2020
The Glory of the Sun

I recently finished a book that was so packed with wisdom I couldn’t come close to taking it all in. Every page provided a new insight. Every thought was provoking. It is amazing to walk through the minds of men and women so in touch with the spirit or some form of knowledge I don’t yet have. It’s my favorite part of reading. From reading his words and thoughts I could feel his closeness to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and therefore come closer to them myself.

The name of the book was The glory of the sun which refers to 1 Corinthians 15:41:

“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.”

Doctrine and Covenants 76:70 reads:

“These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical.”

Sterling W. Sill, author of this book, was a general authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was asked to share a series of gospel messages each week for a year over the radio. The series was called “Sunday Evening from Temple Square.” Those 52 addresses were put into this book. It’s amazing to see that so many unique and powerful messages can come from one individual.

Sterling W. Sill

Every message was so good, I could randomly turn to a page and share an important thought. There was one in particular I found pertinent to our current moment in history.

Elder Sill shared his messages at the height of the cold war so there is an emphasis of freedom and liberty throughout.

In one of his addresses titled “Five grains of Corn” Elder Sill reviewed the custom of Thanksgiving. Elder Sill pointed out that Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. It is a day we give thanks to our ancestors who bravely came here and suffered through much hunger, affliction, and death. He reminded me that during Thanksgiving we give “deep gratitude.. for the rich productivity of American soil.”

I believe it is important for us to remember the blessed nation we are fortunate to live in. The United States of America is a chosen land. One thought Elder Sill presented was the idea that we live more lavishly and comfortably today than any king in history. He pointed out that if we had to live as King Solomon, even in all the glory of his palace and kingdom, it would be a great hardship to us.

What a thought! The average person in America lives with more comfort than any historical king! How blessed we are and how often we take for granted this great nation we live in. It truly is a promised land.

What has always separated America from any other nation is our freedom – the freedom that gives us the ability to worship our God however we please. If you look at the short history of the United States it becomes quickly apparent what separates us. It is the freedom we enjoy, particularly religious freedom. It saddens me that as a nation we are turning from the God who has so blessed us. It is part of the agency God has given us, the freedom this nation is founded on, that currently allows so many to turn from God.

This paragraph from the book rings so familiar to our current landscape that I will quote it in whole. Elder Sill says:

“In the United States we have just gone through a great political election to decide who would represent us in the governing councils of our country for the next four years. We have been sharply divided on issues and people. We have settled the matter by an appeal to the ballot box. No blood was shed, no life was in danger, no one had any thought of trying to liquidate his opponent. No one even pounded with his shoe or threatened to throw it at anyone. Now all Americans will settle down and give full support to the government that they, under God, have created. Now we will all unite in building a greater America and help to carry out our divine mission to promote freedom, justice, and happiness in the world.”

Election day is tomorrow. It is my sincere prayer that we as a nation can unite and support whoever wins this election. It is my prayer that there is no bloodshed, danger, threats, or pounding of feat.

The final and important point Elder Sill gives in this message is about our faith in God that I have already mentioned. Specifically, the devotion to His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Mayflower Compact, written by those coming to settle a new America reads, “We whose names are underwritten have undertaken for the glory of God to establish in Virginia the first colony for the advancement of the Christian faith.”

The New England Federation Compact Agreement reads similarly, “We all have come into these parts of America with one and the same end, namely to advance the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I hope we can remember our Thanksgiving for this promised land. I hope we can remember the freedoms and liberties we enjoy, and how great it is to be a part of the democratic process. Finally, I hope we can remember who it is our ancestors came to America to serve, who’s kingdom they wished to establish.

“America was established as a kind of laboratory or experiment station to show what would happen to any people who cared and dared to follow Jesus Christ.” – Elder Sill.

How blessed our ancestors were and how blessed we’ve been as we’ve looked to Jesus Christ. I hope that can continue.

November 2, 2020
The Rock Christ would Build His Church Upon
In a book called The Forerunners by Mark E. Petersen, I was introduced to an interpretation of a scripture that I’d read and heard quoted a thousand times. The truth of the interpretation was so clear I couldn’t believe I’d lived so long with such a clear misunderstanding of the meaning of that important scripture.

The verse is Matthew 16:18 which reads:

¹⁸And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Let’s give some context to this important passage.

Jesus was with His apostles and He asked a simple question: Who do the people say I am? (verse 13)

They responded with some of the rumors out there – Some thought Jesus was the returned John the Baptist, some thought Elias, others thought Jeremias or another of the prophets. (verse 14)

Jesus asked, who do you say I am? (verse 15)

Peter, Jesus’s first apostle responded, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (verse 16)

Christ responds, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona (Peter): for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

Which leads us to our important verse and the part I always misunderstood.

Christ says to Peter, “thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.”

One more quick review to make the point clear:
1. Christ says who am I?
2. Peter answers – you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
3. Christ responds – blessed are you, for flesh and blood (man) has not revealed this but my Father who is in heaven has revealed this to you.
4. Christ, in responding to Peter stating properly that He is the Christ, says “thou art Peter.”
5. Then, adding to what Jesus said about the truth being revealed to Peter by God, Jesus says, “and upon this rock I will build my church.”
Christ wasn’t saying the church would be built on Peter. Christ’s Church couldn’t be built on anyone’s shoulders but His own. Additionally, Christ is adding that the testimony of Him could only be received by man from Heavenly Father, more specifically the Holy Spirit. The rock of Christ’s Church would be Christ Himself, and the testimony of Christ only comes by revelation from the Holy Spirit. Not by flesh or blood, but by Heavenly Father and personal revelation. Thus, the rock of Christ’s Church would be personal revelation that Jesus is the Christ.

I was always so confused by this scripture. Why would the rock, the sure foundation of Christ’s Church be on anyone but Christ? How could Peter be the foundation? He is not. There is only one foundation. There is only one name by which we can receive salvation, there is only one person who can save us. That is Jesus Christ. The Son of the living God. Our Savior and King.

This scripture, when properly read, emphasizes the importance of coming to a personal testimony that Jesus is the Christ. We’re reminded that the testimony of Christ does not come from man. It comes from personal revelation. It is unfortunate that personal revelation has been removed from much of modern Christianity. Modern Christian churches say the heavens are closed and God speaks to us no longer. He only speaks to us through His ancient word. But what of today? How do we come to a testimony of Jesus Christ but through revelation from heaven and the Holy Spirit?

If God no longer speaks to man then man can no longer receive testimony of Jesus Christ. But men receive testimony of Jesus Christ daily. Every day millions worship Jesus Christ. Every day thousands come to the realization that only through Christ can they be saved.

Revelation is alive. The Holy Spirit talks to us daily. He reveals the testimony of Christ to the hearts of man. God speaks to us; through scripture, through prophets, and most importantly through the Holy Ghost.

A quote from William Barclay of the Church of Scotland:

“The rock is the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God. To Peter that great truth had been divinely revealed. It was God Himself who had opened Peter’s eyes to that great discovery. The fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is indeed the foundation stone of the Church’s faith and belief. On that great truth the Church is founded for ever and ever. This explanation holds that the divinely revealed truth that Jesus is the Son of God is the only foundation on which the Church is founded.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints.

It was restored to point men to Christ. His name is in the name of His Church.

Jesus Christ still is actively interested and engaged in the affairs of man. Under the direction of His Father, our Father, He sent an angel named Moroni to reveal an ancient record to his modern-day prophet. He, through the Holy Spirit, directed and guided Joseph Smith through the translation of a record that would make clear His doctrine and the saving ordinances of His gospel. Not to replace the Bible, but to add a second testimony to it.

The testimony of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and my testimony is this: Jesus Christ lives. He directs His church. He loves all and wants us all to return to Him.

This is the foundation of His Church.
October 15, 2020