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The Power of Creation 

~by Michelle

I was in quite a rut — mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually — when I read the talks from the Saturday afternoon session of the 1971 LDS General Conference for our General Conference Odyssey project. I was also in a writing rut. What would I share? I like to wait for inspiration when I write, but none was coming.

The headlines as of late haven’t helped, of course. And I have my own imagined headlines that run in my brain, a mental marquis of negative messages that has been consuming a lot of my energy (and making it hard for me to feel the Spirit).

This is not uncommon for me (I deal with anxiety and dysthymia (a form of depression) and OCD) but the familiarity of it doesn’t make it any easier to sit in it when it comes. Those of you who struggle with anxiety or depression or other mental illnesses may understand what I mean.

But God showed me this weekend that even when I feel stuck, the Spirit does have a way of getting through in ways I can hear, and that — as Elder Bednar shared so beautifully on Sunday at the Christmas devotional — we do worship a Savior who is our Light.

Late Sunday evening, I had a prompting to visit a friend and take her a copy of a book I’m reading (more below). I fought the prompting for a bit but finally decided to send my friend a text. She was willing to have me come drop off the book.

I’m so glad I acted on that prompting. Not only did I get my spark of inspiration for this post, but after a 3 1/2-hour conversation with my friend (“that was a long ‘drop-off’ visit, Mom”), I also had a weeks-long prayer answered.

The prayer that was pressing on my heart is hard to put into words, but it went something like this:

Father, I have to believe that pain and suffering aren’t the only ways you teach us as Thy children. I know I need to be submissive and willing to learn from whatever may come in my life, but there is so much fear in me and it is blocking my view of Thee, and hindering my ability to feel Thy love. Can you help me?

I brought this question to my awesome therapist (I gave him an assignment, actually, to consider times in his life when God taught him through good stuff). I was grateful that he took my request seriously and came back with a second witness to insight that had come to me as well: that even the good things in life come with challenges, that “There must needs be opposition in all things.”

But there was something still unsettled in my soul. Sunday, the seed for a turning point was planted as I was reading in Wendy Ulrich’s book, The Temple Experience: Passage to Healing and Holiness: She touched on the concept of opposition as well, but there was more to her message. Writing about the creation story and the separation of — and necessity of — darkness and light, Sister Ulrich rejoices in the truth that we worship a being who is the Great Creator — and reminded me that as children of Heavenly Parents, we have the seeds of godliness in us. We have the power and potential to create.

“The temple and the scriptures tutor us in our godlike capacity to create…. Gratefully, the creation story reminds me that, even for God, creation proceeds in steps, with alternating periods of pondering from a cerebral distance and descending into the chaos to get our hands dirty…. We spend much of our creative time in the dark. And we need help from others along the way….”

God really got my attention with this statement, though:

“Some people become fascinated with [or mentally stuck in] the dark side and focus too much on the inevitability of overwhelming struggle, forgetting there even is Day. They may have learned by hard experience to be suspicious of of hope, proactivity, and vision for fear of disappointment.” (p. 84)

This described my current rut (and really, some of my lifelong mental marquis messsages) to a T! But rather than try to talk me out of the darkness I was feeling, Sister Ulrich (or, better said, the Lord, “The Generous One,” through her) gently urged me to trust my process, a process that of necessity does include some darkness:

“While we accept the rhythms of light and dark in the natural world, we tend to resist our own dark hours of descent, trying to always stay above it all, in control, happy, knowledgeable, and safe. But darkness is an inevitable starting point. Darkness can give depth and grounding to our souls and our creativity. In fact, even after the Lord brings light to the earth, light and dark alternate in regular rhythms throughout its existence — and ours. We are meant to spend some time here in the dark.” (p. 86)

The Lord also He let me know that it’s ok to need others’ help in the dark:

“But most of us get nervous in the dark. We need others to go with us when the darkness is vast and the elements unstable so we don’t get lost out there. ” (p. 86)

No wonder He inspired me to visit my friend.

As I sat on my couch reading some of these passages from Wendy Ulrich’s book to my friend, and as we discussed the principle of creativity, suddenly Elder Sterling W. Sill’s 1971 talk was thrown into my consciousness. I sat upright as I grabbed my phone to read some of his words to her. And I was suddenly snatched out of my spiritual slump as I realized God was answering my prayer.

Elder Sill said:

“The purpose of the Church is to help us translate the principles of the gospel of Christ into constructive, meaningful human experience,”

When I’m in my dark place, not a lot of my experience feels meaningful. Elder Sill gives a warning very similar to what I had read in Sister Ulrich’s book:

“Because we draw so much from the rebellion, weakness, and evil with which we are surrounded, we tend to load ourselves up too heavily with guilt complexes, mental problems, insecurity, and mediocrity.”

(Guilty as charged. And he (He) wasn’t done gently calling me out, yet.)

“I recently heard of a man who compounded the problem by hoarding his mistakes. He often referred to the fact that his D.F.T. drawer was the largest file in his office. Someone once asked him what these file letters stood for, and he said they identified a collection of the damn fool things that he had done. Most of us are not bad people—we just let our D.F.T. files get too large.”

(When I read this the first time, I laughed out loud. With this General Conference project, I expected my primary purpose would be to look for prophetic patterns across decades, and because that is one of my personal passions, that is already true. But I was delighted to realize that there will be things in the messages from decades past that will stand out as different, and God can use those things to get my attention, too. Delightful — even sometimes disarming — surprise is one way that God reveals to me that He is at work in my life.)

As a recovering perfectionist (I’ve written before that I have been doing 12-step work for years to help me with my anxiety, perfectionism, and OCD), Elder Sill’s words were a good reminder to surrender my mortal weakness to God and let Him worry about that. My job is repent of sin, and to rejoice in goodness! — not to waste time and energy obsessing about the fact that I make mistakes constantly (that is what it means to be human, after all). (This is another important principle about which Wendy Ulrich writes extensively. See, for example, this April 2015 Ensign article, “It’s Not a Sin to be Weak.”)

God was not done surprising me, with Elder Sill’s words, though. His suggested antidote to the D.F.T. File has left me pondering more about how obsessing about my weakness or trying to fix myself gets in the way of a particular, powerful kind of gratitude.

Recently a group of bishops were asked for a report on their work. They were told not to discuss their problems, but to describe what they did better than anyone else. This philosophy of excellence was demonstrated by the artist Whistler, who once painted a tiny picture of a spray of roses. The artistry involved was magnificent. Never before, it seemed, had the art of man been able to execute quite so deftly a reproduction of the art of nature. The picture was the envy of the artists who saw it, the despair of the collectors who yearned to buy it for their collections, but Whistler refused steadfastly to sell it.

“For,” said he, “whenever I feel that my hand has lost its cunning, whenever I doubt my ability, I look at the little picture of the spray of roses and say to myself, ‘Whistler, you painted that. Your hand drew it. Your imagination conceived the colors. Your skill put the roses on the canvas.’ Then,” he said, “I know that what I have done I can do again.”

Then he gave us a great philosophy of success. He said, “Hang on the walls of your mind the memory of your successes. Take counsel of your strength, not your weakness. Think of the good jobs you have done. Think of the times when you rose above your average level of performance and carried out an idea or a dream or a desire for which you had deeply longed. Hang these pictures on the walls of your mind and look at them as you travel the roadway of life.”

When we recount the good that we’ve been able to do, the successes we have had, we can show a special reverence to God and to Christ, because They are the Givers of all good things.

Here was part of the answer to my prayer. It really is good to recount and celebrate the good in my life (and others’), and deliberately declare it good. To acknowledge the good in me and my work, boldly and specifically. Ironically, part of perfectionism is to be convinced that nothing is ever good enough — exactly the kind of mental marquis message Elder Sill was warning about!

(Interestingly, I’m just now connecting all of this with how Sister Ulrich invites engaging in a similar exercise at the end of the chapter I read Sunday. “Acknowledging goodness. Take a few minutes to consider how you created your life today….Which of the choices you have made today can you acknowledge as good?” (p. 98, emphasis in original) Again, God’s pattern of creation is instructive for us: At every stage along the process, He declared His work to be good.)

I have to chuckle again at how Elder Sill delighted me even further as he modeled what this kind of creative gratitude can look like:

Now I am not going to burden you this afternoon with the contents of my D.F.T. file, but I would like to tell you about some of my great experiences. Great experience number one is that I managed to get myself born.:

[He later quips that “In my own case, I didn’t find out that I had been born until quite a long time after it happened.”]

“Henry Thoreau, an early American philosopher, once said that we should thank God every day of our lives for the privilege of having been born. And then he went on to speculate on the rather unique supposition of what it might have been like if we had not been born. Just suppose that you had never been born or that your parents had never been born. Think of all of the excitement and opportunities you would have missed as a consequence. What Mr. Thoreau may not have known was that one-third of all of the children of God never were born and never can be born because they failed to pass the requirements of their first estate. And yet, every spirit child of God hungers for a body. We remember the unembodied spirits who appeared to Jesus in his day who preferred to have the bodies of swine rather than not to have any bodies at all.”

Just being born is a success to celebrate! But, of course, there are so many other ways the gifts God has given us are manifest.

After reading Elder Sill’s words to my friend, I felt prompted to verbally claim some of the creative things I have done in my life — even in the face of opposition. It felt powerful and good to acknowledge this divine part of my being. I am a creator!

[I encourage you to try this exercise. Don’t only list the ways you have seen God bless your life, but humbly yet boldly list the successes you have experienced that reflect His creative power in and through and because of you. If you are feeling brave, share it out loud with someone. I realized how powerful it was to use my voice — as God did — to declare my/God’s work good.]

I can’t end this (admittedly long) post (which is, for me, more of a journal entry) without sharing the interesting contrasting-and-yet-still-consistent principle that Sister Ulrich shared at the end of this chapter I read.

She writes about a time when she was in a rut herself — just recovering from a long illness, buried to the brim with a suddenly-increasing workload. In the midst of this time of exhaustion and overwhelm, the prompting came to make a gift out of wood for a friend. With what time? (She seemed to have none.) With what skills? (“I knew almost nothing about woodworking and even less about painting,” she writes.)

And yet, she followed that prompting, despite “all the ‘Very Important Work’ I would have to ignore and all the humiliation I would undoubtedly suffer in the process….” (p. 95) (Interesting once again to reflect how promptings really can come even when we feel distant or discouraged — often in surprising ways.)

She had friends help her set up a shop in her garage, teach her how to use the tools, and show her some painting skills. (Isn’t it lovely that the prompting prompted her to ask for help?)

In the process of vulnerably entering a space in which she had no prior success and no expertise, she discovered another delightful facet of the principle of creation, which was shortly thereafter confirmed by the words of two senior Church leaders. “[I]f we wanted to keep our creativity alive and our spirits growing, we need…to try utterly new things….”

She concludes:

“Creativity is not always about what we produce [or, I will add, what we do well]. Sometimes it is simply about whom we produce. Who would have thought power tools could be catalysts of God’s healing blessings and so much joy”? (p. 96)

I close with the words of Dieter F. Uchtdorf (for there is power in patterns!):

“[R]emember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe…We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy. ⁴ Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness [or, as Elder Sill would say, to seek Great Experiences]. One of the ways we find this is by creating things….Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter….

“The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you.”

What will you create today? What have you created or done in the past that you can gratefully reflect upon? What do you hope to be able to create in the future?

– – –

Here are the other bloggers’ links for this week’s reading. (As a note, we’re each engaging these talks in our own way, and sometimes we may not always all agree re: our interpretations of or experiences with the talks. So links won’t always imply endorsement or complete agreement amongst ourselves, but rather, they reflect our shared desire to become more familiar with past prophets’ words.

Good Timber Does Not Grow At Ease

LDS Conference April 1971 – The Sexual Revolution and Entertainment Media

“Satan” – Moral Agency and the Problem of Evil

Being Slow to Anger

When Thou Art Converted

Warnings from Warnings from the Past

The Adiabolist, or Jihad of the Heart

The General Conference Project: Controlling the Hulk, Believing the Devil, and Cussing GAs

58 years of General Conference: What can we learn?/Messages on morality, religious freedom, and the Sabbath from 1971

The post Creativity and Celebration of Success vs. the D.F.T. File appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

This post is meant for those who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or who are preparing to join the Church and are wondering about the temple.

Years ago, I had the great blessing of having close contact with a dear friend who was passionate about the doctrine of the temple.  This friend knew the scriptures and Old Testament history very well, and she treasured opportunities to learn and teach about the temple. While she wasn’t one to just give away sacred answers, she did share resources, information, and tips, based on her experience, on how to engage the temple in a spirit of earnest seeking.

For example, in my scriptures I wrote words down that she liked to call “cues and clues,” words like light, veil, gather, shadow/pillar, covenants, windows, mysteries, keys, sacrifice, altar, naked, clothed, robe, garment, seek/hear, power…and the list goes on. I’ve mentally added to the list as I have learned more myself about the temple. (For some of the things that have helped me in my study, see What Can You Tell Me About Mormon Temples and The Connection Between LDS Temples and Ancient Temple Worship. I would also recommend a thorough and prayerful study of Elder Nelson’s talk, “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings.” (When I had my first epiphany about the temple after ten years of temple attendance (a decade is a blink of an eye in eternity), I wondered why we didn’t hear more about temple worship. What I had learned and felt was so exciting!  Open on my bed was this article from Elder Nelson. And in the footnotes of that talk, he had outlined all the things I had been led to read as I was seeking to learn. I was sobered to realize I could have learned more sooner had I been more willing to engage what an apostle had so willingly and thoroughly shared. I don’t pretend to understand anywhere near all there is to understand, but I did learn something that day. Tapping into truths about the temple takes a lot of personal effort and trust in the prophets.)

During the time when I was able to associate with this friend (we were in the same ward at the time), she excitedly shared an article from President Ezra Taft Benson called, “What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children about the Temple.”

I confess to excitedly reading it — and remember feeling like my eyes were veiled. (Speaking of veils, my friend spent months studying just that one topic. Words can be so powerful in the doctrine and liturgy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!)

I knew there was something in this talk that was important, but honestly, I couldn’t see it. I know I still don’t see all that is there, but after years of study and pondering about the temple, the Atonement, and the doctrine of the priesthood, I feel like I understand more.

I think this is often the case when it comes to temple worship. There are so many layers, from the simple to the most sacred. Personal revelation is essential to understanding the doctrines enfolded into temple worship.

Part of the challenge (and opportunity) of temple worship is those most sacred things are meant to be experienced between an individual and God, so discussions about the temple often end up only looking at the surface. All too often, judgments are made by what can be observed rather than what is experienced.

I was prepared for the temple in the fact that I was worthy. But I really had no clue about what it was about. I enjoyed my first experience, but I often felt like I was living outside of something whenever I would attend. I could sense that there was more to see, feel or understand.

But I think this is by design. If it were all accessible from the surface, where would the seeking come? If there no were questions left when we left the temple, where would faith and trust have to enter in? Temple worship is a lifetime endeavor, of service and of gaining light and knowledge.

I have great compassion for the real questions and struggles that people have related to the temple, and I have had my own questions that have arisen over the years as I have sought inspiration and insight about the temple. For years, I have also gone to the temple with others’ questions in mind, seeking to understand better where they are coming from. Questions related to gender often top the list of people’s concerns.

But questions and struggles should never be used to make final judgments about the temple, for self or for others. I’m concerned that we have a generation of people, especially young women, being somehow warned by some about the temple rather than taught with faith and excitement — as my friend did for me.  Where those with questions gather, especially online, I am seeing a deeply concerning perpetuation of assumptions, assertions and beliefs about the temple that go beyond expressing personal struggle to making declarations that the temple is not inspired, is optional, needs to change in order to be true, or is not reflective of a loving God.

Again, I feel great compassion for struggles, doubts, and questions. But I plead with you not to use the pain of others to frame your preparation for and experience with the temple. Going in with defenses or doubts will make it harder to see truths and insights that can be life-changing, lifetime engagement.

I would urge you to learn from my experience and be more wise than I was — the teachings are there for the receiving if we will engage them. Do all you can not just to prepare yourself to be worthy, but pour over scriptures and prophetic talks and resources from those who love the temple to help you prepare to start to receive what is there. Give God ample opportunity to give you insight, line upon line, precept upon precept. Sometimes you might also get flows of “pure intelligence” that Joseph Smith talks about. My life-changing epiphany about the temple was like that.

I am just another sister in the gospel, but I would still urge you to focus first on finding Christ in your study and in your temple worship. I think that unless He is the foundation of our temple worship, we will truly miss the mark, as Jacob talks about. Yes, the doctrine of families is critical. Yes, understanding the doctrines surrounding gender and marriage are important. But nothing is more central that Christ, and Christ is the center of temple ordinances.

There is so much to learn from Old Testament temple worship, even though at the face of it, it can feel foreign and negligible in its applicability. I love understanding more about how covenants connect us with dispensations that have gone before.

For me, using the old Institute manual and seeing how much is shared there was significant for me. Reading in and about Exodus and Deuteronomy was particularly helpful.  The Bible Dictionary was a key resource.

In addition to the sources listed above, I also appreciated S. Michael Wilcox’s book on the temple. It was one of the first things I read that stirred my spirit to want to not just attend the temple, but to love the temple. John Welch also has some incredible insights on temple patterns in scripture.

Consider words and concepts that you find in the temple, and study about them. Study about the fall, the atonement, the priesthood, the Abrahamic covenant, the sealing power. Study carefully the story of Adam and Eve, and then study it again and again, especially using Restoration scriptures.

Most importantly, study what you feel the Spirit guiding you to study and ponder. Suspend your usual ways of learning and let the Spirit teach. The possibilities of what there is to learn are endless!

“Each temple is a house of learning. There we are taught in the Master’s way. His way differs from modes of others. His way is ancient and rich with symbolism. We can learn much by pondering the reality for which each symbol stands. Teachings of the temple are beautifully simple and simply beautiful. They are understood by the humble, yet they can excite the intellect of the brightest minds.” -Elder Nelson

I will be forever grateful for my friend who showed me what it looked like to crave truth about the temple. I pray you can feel the excitement the Spirit can bring as you engage temple preparation and worship in faith.

What has helped you come to love and understand the temple more?

The post Thoughts on the Temple and Temple Preparation appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

July is a significant month for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We celebrate what is called Pioneer Day on July 24. This is the day when Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley (in Utah, USA). In Utah, it’s also a state holiday, but all around the world, Mormons celebrate the spirit of the pioneers in their own way…and celebrate pioneers in their lands, as well.

This page, “Pioneers in Every Land” shares stories of Latter-day Pioneers around the world who are leading the way for others to follow.

The story of Brazilian saints and their sacrifice to get to the temple is one example of such a Mormon pioneer story. More stories will be featured throughout the month.

The post Mormon Pioneer Stories from Different Countries appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I have mentioned before that I am a young women adviser (teacher/class & lesson facilitator). I have been anxiously awaiting the month of June for the opportunity to explore the doctrine of the priesthood more with our young women. This doctrine to me is exciting; I believe truth about priesthood to be expansive and inclusive, layered in meaning and ever-applicable to every facet of Mormon life and beyond. I think a lifetime is not enough to ponder what priesthood means, but I love pondering it.

There were so many possible ways to approach this lesson, and these thoughts are more about what I’ve learned, not necessarily what I will “tell” the young women. But what I hope for the young women this week is that they can think beyond the obvious and understandable (but I believe potentially reductive) question of “Why do only young men/men hold the priesthood?” to think about the blessings and power and opportunities and responsibilities that flow into their lives because the priesthood of God has been restored.

(Because our site is also designed to address questions from those not of our faith, I hope some of these thoughts can be helpful for those readers, too. Priesthood in our doctrine truly is more than just a who-does-what in the organization kind of thing. Much more.)

I personally believe that so much of the restoration of priesthood keys and authority is about receiving what God has to give us and then helping others also receive. The work of the restoration is, as I said above, expansive. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to have the authority within the functioning of our Church to fill the earth with a knowledge of Christ and to allow all of God’s children, living and dead, the opportunity to receive the ordinances of salvation. Young women are not bystanders in this work. I like to think about how the different restored keys relate to the work that young women can do, now.

I also think of the woman at the well. What Jesus wanted was for the woman to know and understand that what He had to give her was beyond any solution she could find on this earth. Once she came to know who Christ was, how much He loved and knew her and wanted to give her, she was compelled to testify to others so they, too, could come to Him and drink of His living water.

Even as the work of the Church is so expansive, at a personal level, to me, priesthood keys are what figuratively can open up the well for us each to come to know Jesus Christ and to partake of His goodness and His living water. Filled with His love, we then are filled with the desire to help others come to Him and feel His love and participate in ordinances and the work of salvation that bring us closer to God and each other, and make the Atonement fully effectual in our lives.

Let me say here that we as Mormons don’t believe or claim we are the only ones on the earth doing work for God. I am moved and inspired by so many of different faiths (or no faith at all) doing amazing things to serve others, to relieve suffering, to defend the family, to build faith in God, and more. My faith has been strengthened by so many not of my faith! Still, understanding priesthood keys and authority and why and how they matter can help explain what we believe our unique mission includes.

So thinking of my young women, I have thought about what a young woman can do, now, to drink of Christ’s living water and to share it with others. More specifically, what blessings, opportunities, and responsibilities are hers as part of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, made possible through priesthood keys? These are the kinds of questions I plan to ask the young women. Following are some of my own thoughts about this. In another post, I’ll share more of the things I’ve read that have helped me ponder these questions.

– She can receive the ordinances of baptism and confirmation (receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost), as the Savior has taught is necessary for salvation (John 3:5). [A whole lifetime could be spent studying what these ordinances mean and why they are important, but the bottom line is that they are about pointing our souls and minds to Christ and His Atoning sacrifice, and choosing to commit and submit our lives to God. He then promises to keep us clean through the Atonement and to someday receive us into His kingdom.]

– She can receive the sacrament each week, which keeps the promised blessings of baptism and confirmation alive and present in her mind and heart. The continued promise of having the Holy Ghost with her is a gift beyond price.

– She can go to the temple to serve and receive the ordinances of authorized baptism and confirmation on behalf of those who have died and not been able to receive them. Joseph Smith taught much about the importance of baptism for the dead in Doctrine and Covenants 128. (I recently went with my children to the temple for the first time and that scripture came alive to me all the more. This work that the youth do in the temples MATTERS, a lot. God works across generations. This work is about binding generations to each other and to God.)

– She can do family history work to learn more about her family and also to make temple ordinance work possible for her own flesh and blood who have passed on. This service centered on the temple both helps her remember and ponder her own baptism and confirmation, but also can bless her life with more of God’s power and strengthen family ties and a sense of belonging and understanding of herself.

– She can serve by doing indexing work to make it easier for others to do their family history and/or temple work.

– She can study the scriptures every day and be familiar with and loyal to the teachings of modern-day prophets, thus tapping into the power of the authorized channels (prophets) God has used throughout all dispensations of the gospel for revealing gospel truth, particularly truth about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This is a way to connect with God, to drink of living water every day.

– She can serve as a missionary, both formally when she turns 19, but also informally now. The Holy Ghost can help her know what to say and how to reach out and teach others in simple ways. Sometimes it’s just about letting people ask questions.

– She can receive her patriarchal blessing, which can help her understand all the more her eternal worth and help her gain insight into her specific, personal mission and blessings for her here on earth and beyond.

– She can serve in callings when called. In our church, youth start serving formally in their teenage years, working directly with adult leaders, including those who have keys. They formally become part of the body of Christ that is spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12.

Consider this quote:

e.g., “When a bishop places his hands on the head of a [young women] class president, it is with the full power of the priesthood that he gives her the delegated authority to lead her class. Her calling to serve is no less potent or real than that of the Sunday School president, the Relief Society president, or any other position in the ward.” See Young Women and the Blessings of the Priesthood for more thoughts on this topic. )

– She can be a force for good in her home through the power of covenants and by participating in family councils.

I’m reminded of Sister Beck’s teaching that women (and I think this can extend to young women) have a responsibility and opportunity to

“help your home be a home that is blessed every hour by priesthood power. It isn’t just when Dad is there. It’s not just when Mom is there. It’s not just when a priesthood ordinance or blessing is being performed. It’s every hour as covenants are kept” (emphasis mine).

– She can study, ponder, and champion the doctrine of marriage and the family. [The work of the priesthood is all about . helping individuals and families come to Christ. Eternal life in our doctrine is not just about life with God, but about life within families, with God. This is a key reason why temples are so important to Mormons. The doctrine of eternal families is a key doctrine, part of the living water that has been revealed through the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.]

– She can be a force for good in her community through service and example, by letting the light of the gospel shine out through the way she lives her standards and the way she loves and reaches out to help others.

– She can prepare to receive temple ordinances for herself when she becomes an adult. [More layers of the doctrine of the priesthood are understood in the ordinances of the temple…doctrine to be pondered over a lifetime.] She can prayerfully continue to keep her heart open to what the Spirit can and will teach her about the priesthood and her role as a woman in God’s plan as she continues faithfully seeking insights.

– She can prepare to serve in her future — including preparing for the eternal roles as wife and mother if the opportunity comes (and trusting in God’s promises if those opportunities don’t come in this life); preparing temporally so as to have skills that can enable her to have influence in other ways that she may feel guided to in her life; and ultimately to prepare to be present (either in the flesh or after death) when the Savior comes again.

These are just some of my thoughts, but on Sunday, I look forward to hearing the insights of the young women about how they feel the priesthood has blessed their lives. I believe I love this year’s theme for the youth, because the notion of standing in holy places sums up so beautifully how young men and young women alike can tap into the power and blessings that are available to them through priesthood ordinances and covenants. It’s not just those who hold the priesthood who benefit from the priesthood; the priesthood keys restored in this dispensation benefit us all and are designed to benefit all of God’s children — across all the nations of the earth, and throughout all generations since the beginning of time. As was described in the article above for young women,

“the priesthood to the lifeblood that flows through every part of the body [of Christ — see 1 Cor. 12]. The power and blessings of the priesthood nourish each member and are the source of strength just as blood is to the body. It circulates throughout, that power of God that ‘worketh all in all.'”

And these keys help us prepare the world for the Savior’s Second Coming:

The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.
Yea, a voice crying—Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make ready for the Bridegroom.

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Tony Frank shares his story of searching for truth through detailed and diligent study of the Bible and personal prayer and following impressions from the Spirit. Tony joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1998. The Washington D.C. temple (pictured above) and visitor center play a significant role in his search for truth.

Perhaps you have seen a Mormon temple and/or wanted to know more about the Church? Did you know you don’t have to have missionaries come to your house to learn more about the Church? You can chat live with LDS missionaries at Mormon.org

Find other conversion stories under our tag “conversion stories.” You can also search Mormon.org to hear hundreds of other Mormon conversion stories by searching by “previous religion” in the search details.

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Al Fox, convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shares some of her thoughts and testimony about the blessing and power of covenants, the temple, and the joy of living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The post Al Fox: Stand, Be Not Moved appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

We recently had a question about the principle of tithing that I would like to address. As always, please remember that this site is not an official site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’m just a Mormon sharing my perspective and trying to share information about our Church’s teachings, but for official info, you can look at lds.org or mormon.org.

Robin writes:

I have a question about tithing…I understand (as told to me by a neighbor who is LDS) that if you do not pay your tithes to the church that you will be deemed unworthy and unable to attend until you pay them current. This seems harsh to me. If you are so poor you can barely afford to live or just don’t have that 10% to give to the church it doesn’t seem right that you will be cast out. I don’t believe that God/Jesus cares about money in that way and certainly would not turn his back on you. What is the church’s reasoning for this one please?

As noted, I cannot speak for the Church officially, but I will share a few thoughts on what we are taught and what we believe about tithing.

Paying a full tithe (which is defined at 10% of your increase) is, indeed, a requirement to be able to attend the temple. Members of the Church who do not pay tithing are not “cast out” of the Church itself, however. They are just not able to attend the temple. Even this can seem harsh at the outset, but perhaps understanding the principles behind it might help.

In fact, one of the things you said in your comment reflects some of those principles. Tithing really isn’t about money. While we do live in a fallen world and tithing funds are used to help pay for the building of church buildings and temples (among other things), in truth, the principle of tithing at the individual level is about faith, trust in God, and sacrifice.

President Gordon B. Hinckley (a former prophet and president of the Church) said this about tithing:

Tithing is not so much a matter of dollars as it is a matter of faith. It becomes a privilege and an opportunity, not a burden. Our people believe in the word of God as set forth in the book of Malachi, that the Lord will open the windows of heaven and pour down blessings that there will not be room enough to receive them (Malachi 3:8-10).

Tithing is actually an ancient law given by God. We do believe God cares about us giving a tithe. It is a way for us to temporally participate in God’s work, but also a way to “prove God” and see how He will bless us for living the law. One of the greatest blessings is the opportunity and privilege to participate in temple ordinances, where truths and spiritual power can be poured out upon us and our families.

Joseph Smith said this about the law of sacrifice, which underlies the principle of tithing:

“A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life” (Lectures on Faith, comp. N. B. Lundwall [Salt Lake City: N. B. Lundwall, n.d.], p. 58).

The principle of tithing is one that ultimately is best understood by living it. If one is only looking at life from a temporal point of view, tithing may seem unnecessary or even unfair. But from a spiritual point of view, it’s a way for us to acknowledge that all we have really comes from God. Our time, talents, material means — all we have — is given to us to then choose to “spend” according to our desires and priorities. And yes, sometimes it may mean facing fears or temporal concerns and trusting that somehow He will care for us. Story after story from those who choose to pay tithing show how such blessings can come. But again, many of the blessings of this law really do end up being spiritual.

For more stories and perspectives and teachings on tithing, see lds.org

The story of the Widow’s Mite from the New Testament also captures some of the spirit of sacrifice that can come of being willing to give of our temporal means for the work of God.

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Last week, as we were preparing for the Brigham City temple dedication (the first time all of our children would be able to attend), we talked about the word “Hosanna” and its significance in the process of a temple dedication. The Spirit was really strong, and the experience left me reflecting often over the next several days on the plea embedded in the word “Hosanna,” — how, when we wave our white handkerchiefs during the Hosanna Shout, we are literally crying out “Please save us!” to our Father and our Savior.

This was the word that the Jews cried out during Jesus’ triumphal entry.

It was the word that the Nephites declared as they fell at the Savior’s feet when He appeared to them after His resurrection, as recorded in the Book of Mormon.

It’s the word that is taking on more personal meaning as I’m passing through one of “those” times in my life…when I realize how desperately I need divine help. In beautiful ways, God is letting me know — as He always has, in one way or another — that He is there.

One of the ways I’ve felt heaven’s awareness of me recently was to bring to remembrance this talk by Richard Cracroft.

Brother Cracroft died last week. I was sad to hear of his passing. I didn’t know him and had never met him, but felt as though he was a friend. Actually, he felt more like an angel in my life.

His name was emblazoned on my mind when he gave that BYU devotional talk in the summer of 1993; it was clearly a message from heaven for me then. The story of Ingrid Olsen, in particular, moved me.

Imagine my surprise and wonder when a few years ago, at another one of “those” times, Ingrid Olsen’s story from Brother Cracroft’s talk just “happened” to be shared in my Sunday School class. I knew, again, that the story had been shared for me. (How did I know? Elder David A. Bednar has given the key to recognizing such divine interventions: “Some may count this experience as simply a nice coincidence, but I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord’s timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them.” The timing and the personal connection I had with that story let me know that my Father was there, reaching out, urging me gently onward.)

And so, this weekend, as I listened yet again to Ingrid’s story (and Brother Cracroft’s impassioned delivery of his talk), I was delighted and amazed to remember that he used the word “Hosanna” plentifully throughout. He described moments like those I have experienced with this talk as “Hosanna Moments,”

those transcendent moments in our lives when, without warning, we are overwhelmed by a close encounter with eternity, a surprise of the spirit—those moments when, while engaged in the temporal rhythms of our daily and earth- encrusted lives, comfortably duped by familiar routines, we are suddenly brought face-to-face with the holy, swept by the Spirit of God into a transcendent reality, overwhelmed by undeniable evidence of a literal Father in Heaven who knows you and knows me and is somehow interested and involved in our lives.

Thank you, Brother Cracroft, for being an instrument of such Hosanna Moments for me. With you, I testify that such Hosanna Moments are real, that our God and our Savior are real and oh, so very aware of us and involved in our lives.

I pray that God will bless your family and others who loved you with such moments as they mourn your loss.

The post Hosanna Moments appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Editor’s note: Many thanks to Micah for writing this piece for Mormon Women. You can also read about Micah on her Mormon.org profile, which we found while getting this post ready! You can also find Micah at her blog, Captain Micah.

Growing up, I simply got used to my family laughing at me when I would run outside to see what was flying overhead. After all, I had known since I was six years old that I wanted to be a pilot. What had started such a dream? Was it the helicopter pilot who landed at the elementary playground for a school assembly when I was in the first grade? He did look pretty cool in that flight suit. I was drawn to every aspect of aviation, and after my introduction to it as a youngster, I desired to do nothing else for work. I loved the idea of flight. Why being in command of a giant pressurized metal tube soaring through the sky ever appealed to my childhood heart, I may never know. I do know that I love what I do, and I am enjoying every second of my job as a corporate jet pilot.

Growing up in small-town Utah didn’t offer many chances to interact with aviation. To overcome that, my mom gave me a wonderful present for my fourteenth birthday…an aviation day camp at the local university’s flight school. After completing a day covering airplane systems, weather, and flight planning, I got an entire half-hour flight in a tiny single-engine airplane. Exhilaration doesn’t begin to describe how it felt to finally be at the controls of an airplane! The smile didn’t disappear for weeks. I was hooked.

Since that wonderful day, I have attained my Private, Commercial, and Airline Transport Pilot Certificates, along with my Instrument, Single-Engine, and Multi-Engine Ratings. I am also a Certified Flight Instructor for basic, instrument, and multi-engine, so I can not only fly it all but teach it all as well. (Pilots are really humble creatures, in case you were wondering. And I know from experience). I really enjoy sharing aviation with easily-excited kids just like me. And the term “kids” is used very loosely there. I am a type-rated Captain in the Hawker Beechjet 400 and flew one for five years before recently switching to a new job flying an Embraer Phenom 300. And, yes…it’s as cool as it sounds.

I am the one in the back of a commercial airliner, hoping that the flight attendant asks, “Does anyone know how to fly this airplane?”

Most weeks for work, I leave on Monday and get home on Friday. Every week is different, which is one of the many aspects of my job that I love. Destinations change constantly, and I get the chance to explore different parts of our beautiful continent. With this new gig, there is even talk of traveling to Europe and the Caribbean. I could be bullied into such situations, if it was absolutely necessary. I am a team player, after all.

I have a blast at work but also enjoy time at home with my loving Hubby. We’ve been together since 2008 when we met in our singles ward and married in the Mesa LDS Temple. It was nice to know that we had the same goals and ideals before we even began dating! Marrying in the temple means I will be with my husband not only for this life, but for eternity. We’ve been promised that things properly sealed here on earth will be sealed in heaven, and I can’t imagine life without my sweet man.

And he does the dishes.

Though I am in love with my occupation of flying a private corporate jet for now, we have goals to grow our family in the future. My incredible mom wasn’t able to be at home to raise her four children, and I am hoping to provide a stay-at-home-atmosphere for my kids. We’re going to have two boys and a girl, in case you’re wondering.

Hubby doesn’t dare hold newborn babies yet, so we aren’t in any hurry. And I’m having a lot of fun flying a jet around the skies, so that doesn’t help, either.

In my spare time (snort), I bake cupcakes with two friends from church. We cater weddings and special events with the most decadent (and not healthy in the least) cupcakes one can imagine. It is fun working with such neat gals and having a creative outlet at home. Using it as an official excuse to eat chocolate doesn’t hurt my feelings, either.

The greatest appreciation for my work comes on late-night flights when I am so close to the beautiful stars in the sky. I marvel that we get to learn and grow in this life and be happy. I know that living the Gospel of Jesus Christ leads to happiness, and that my life is fulfilled and meaningful when I follow the example of my Savior. I feel blessed beyond measure to know that I can kneel in prayer and converse with Him. He knows me personally, and I strive every day to know Him.

I welcome comments and questions on aerodynamics, flight school preferences (North Dakota all the way!), and how to bake cupcakes to perfection. I feel so blessed to live this life and love every second of it. I can’t wait to get to know all of you better, so bring it on.

The post Portraits of Mormon Women: Micah, Corporate Jet Pilot appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Even thought I am an insomniac and probably could have, I didn’t watch the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton early yesterday morning. But as I was trying to take it easy (I’ve been sick), and after seeing that several of my friends had watched it, I thought I would view some of the video clips of the event. My daughter joined me on the couch as we enjoyed some of the ceremony together.

It was a nice opportunity to talk and think a little about marriage. She asked about how this was different from a Mormon temple marriage (often called a sealing). LDS temple ceremonies are very simple, and a large temple sealing room might accommodate a few dozen people. (The photo below shows a sealing room in an LDS temple.)

Often, wedding receptions are held where a larger group can then gather to celebrate with the couple.

I’ve had some thoughts swimming in my head since watching the clips of the Royal Wedding.

1. Marriage is worth celebrating. Love is worth celebrating, but not just because I enjoy a story of romance. Marriage is a foundational element of my Mormon belief. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe, simply, that “marriage between a man and woman is ordained of God.” Marriage is, as was said in the ceremony, “God’s law.” It’s the foundation of family life which is central to God’s plan. I rejoice when I see a new family beginning.

2. I appreciated the central role of faith and God in the ceremony between William and Kate. I was very moved by the prayer that was offered.

3. The promise of fidelity and loyalty that is made in marriage is a foundational element that I wish more people (and our society in general) took more seriously.

4. I was also struck by the traditional element in the ceremony of the man pledging his body and earthly goods for the care of his wife. I know some people find such things offensive, but I think there is real value in that role of a man as a protector and provider in the family. (This is another concept taught in our Family Proclamation, although not in exactly the same way as reflected in the Royal Wedding ring ceremony). This notion to me does not preclude a woman from being educated and being able to provide an income if need be, and is not the same as helpless dependence.

5. I don’t in any way want to take away from the beauty of their day, and yet I’m always sobered by the words, “Till death do us part” (or the variations of that phrase that appear in wedding ceremonies). Truly, that to me is the most significant difference between Mormon temple weddings and other weddings. The authority by which temple sealings are performed bind a couple together not just for this life, but into eternity. If marriage covenants are kept, the promise is that death will  not sever the relationship. When I see a couple such as William and Kate who appear to love each other so much, I wish for nothing more than for them to be bound to each other beyond death.

6. While I think most people enjoy the pomp and circumstance such as the traditions witnessed with the Royal Wedding, I still end up thinking about how the notion of royalty in our world is exclusionary. There is royalty and there are commoners. It’s hard for me not to ponder on Mormon doctrine that teaches that we are all children of a Heavenly King, our Heavenly Father. His desire is to give all that He has to us. All He asks is that we follow that path that leads back to Him, which is by following His Son, Jesus Christ.

A favorite scripture of mine is in Romans 8:16-17:

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

As I was thinking about these things, I found the following blog post in my Facebook feed. LDS Nana had some of the same thoughts I did: Every Temple Marriage is a Royal Wedding.

Did you watch the Royal Wedding? What thoughts did you have?

The post The Royal Wedding: Some thoughts appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.