What's in a name?

By 1838, the church was in need of a fresh start. "During the final months of 1837, apostasy began to affect the Church in Kirtland. Many Latter-day Saints were disillusioned by heavy financial losses...and began to reject the Prophet's temporal and spiritual leadership. Among the dissenters were several members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Seventies, as well as the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon...as a result of this widespread apostasy and threats of violence, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon received divine instructions to abandon their labors in Kirtland and flee to Far West, Missouri "(Revelations in Context) 

Once they arrived in Far West, Joseph Smith received D&C 115. In this revelation, the Lord tells Joseph Smith what the official name of the church will be. The church had been officially organized for eight years now, but up until this point there had been several different names used to identify members of the church. I like the symbolism here that when the church was eight years old it was given a new name; a fresh start; a rebirth; a new beginning. When we are eight years old we are given the opportunity to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ through our baptismal covenant. It becomes a fresh start, a rebirth, and new beginning for us. 

Not only is having a new name important, but perhaps more important is what we do with that name. In D&C 117:11, the Lord reminds Newel K. Whitney to "be a bishop...not in name (only) but in deed." This serves as a good reminder for us as well; that as we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, our deeds need to be a reflection of His name and serve as a profile of one who is a disciple of Jesus Christ. It's a good reminder that as we take upon ourselves His name then it's important that we try our best to reflect his teachings and attributes in order to give honor to His name.

Opposition in All Things

One of the podcasts I listened to this week (Unshaken Saints) pointed out that the content of Doctrine and Covenants sections 111-114 contrasts sharply with the two sections (109-110) that we studied last week. In 109-110 the saints have experienced a spiritual high with the Kirtland Temple dedication (109) and the subsequent heavenly beings that visited the temple one week after the dedication (110). But on the heels of these two spiritual experiences, we get sections 111-112 where we read about a lot of trials among the Saints with financial struggles (111) and dissention among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (112).

The principle we can learn from this contrast is that often after coming away from spiritual experiences we are soon after confronted with feelings of fear and doubt; that after spiritual highs there will be an accompanying low--as if life (or Satan) wants to break up our spiritual momentum so we start to second guess those spiritual experiences.

I really appreciated understanding this principle more fully this week, especially after general conference. General Conference has become a spiritual high for me every six months, but within days (or even hours) after listening, I start to experience what Sister Joy D. Jones called "general conference overwhelm" and I start to doubt my capabilities of being able to follow through on all the personal revelation I received throughout the conference.  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave some wonderful advice for this when he said "I wish to encourage every one of you today regarding opposition that so often comes after enlightened decisions have been made, after moments of revelation and conviction have given us a peace and an assurance we thought we would never lose...The reminder is that we cannot sign on for a moment of such eternal significance and everlasting consequence without knowing it will be a fight—a good fight and a winning fight, but a fight nevertheless"(Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence). 

I love the thought that we need to fight back when that opposition comes; that we need to push through that opposition and have confidence in the spiritual experiences and feelings that we've had. We should not be surprised by the opposition that we face in these moments, but instead we should expect it. In that same talk Elder Holland said: "Face your doubts. Master your fears. 'Cast not away therefore your confidence.' Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you." As we trust the Lord's promise that he will "order all things for our good" (111:11), we will be blessed with the peace of mind that comes from putting the details of our lives into the hands of an omniscient Father who wants nothing more than to have us follow His son Jesus Christ so we can return to live with Them someday.

Temple Blessings

The Lord was anxious for the early Saints to build a temple because He had so many blessings that He wanted to bestow upon them. In Doctrine and Covenants sections 109 and 110 we read about these amazing blessings. These blessings can also be added to our list of  "Promises to Covenant Israel" that Pres. Nelson invited us to make last year. (Let God Prevail)

I just want to mention the blessings that stood out to me... (there are a lot more than what I've listed here)

Because of the temple...

• God's glory will rest upon us and we will feel His power in our lives (109:12-13)
• We have a way to continually grow and receive a fullness of the Holy Ghost (109:15)
• We will have a greater desire to repent (109:21)
• We will be armed with God's power (priesthood) and angels will be with us (109:22)
• We are given extra protection (109:25-28)
• Our hearts will be prepared and we will be strengthened during troublesome times (109:38)
• We can let our hearts rejoice (110:6)

During Sunday lessons I will often hear someone ask this question: "How has the temple blessed your life?"  and I always sit there and think to myself "uhhh, I should have a good answer to this question..." and yet, nothing immediately comes to my mind. I'm grateful that after studying these sections and looking for the blessings we receive by attending the temple, I now have a greater understanding of how the temple has blessed my life.

Strengthening Others

The principle of the gospel that really stood out to me this week in my Come, Follow Me study was D&C 108:7 which says "strengthen your brethren in all your conversations, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings." They key word for me in that verse is "all" (which is repeated four times).  Everything we do should have a strengthening affect on those around us. How can we do that in each of these four areas?

In all your conversations:

Conversations can take place in many different forms...verbal and non-verbal, in-person or on-line, in public or in private. Are we speaking kindly and positively about others in all these different settings? Are our comments and testimonies strengthening those around me? What about our body language? We want people leaving our presence felling better about themselves than they did before their encounter with us. 

In all your prayers:

Have you ever noticed how quiet and attentive your kids get during family prayer when you begin to pray for them (or their siblings) by name? It always feels like the Spirit in the room intensifies as we pray together as a family on behalf of one another by name and by specific situations that family members are going through. Do you pray for people by name? Including your spouse and children? Out loud so they can hear the thoughts of your heart? You should try it!

In all your exhortations:

To me, this is probably the most difficult one to master because if you know the definition of exhortation (emphatically urging someone to do something) to me it's just a fancy way of saying that "now I have to yell at you" - which never strengthens anyone. So how do we exhort and strengthen at the same time? If we want the exhortation to be strengthening, then it seems like it needs to be grounded in love (see 1 Nephi 15:25, 1 Nephi 16:4, Moroni 10:18-19, D&C 121:43) where our desire is to see that person grow and progress in order to become someone better.

In all your doings:

Just like our words, our deeds should be filled with faith, hope and charity (For the Strength of Youth booklet, pg. 20). Can you think of someone who does this? Who leaves everyone and every situation better than they found it? I think Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of someone who left every person and situation better than He found it. He did this through His conversations, His prayers, His exhortations and His doings.

No one strengthens others more than Jesus Christ does. Him strengthening us is what will help us to strengthen others (Philippines 4:13). As we put off the natural man and try to become more like Christ, this principle of strengthening others in all we do will come more naturally to us.

The Lord's way is not always our way

I've been thinking a lot about Zion's Camp this week and the lessons we can learn from that experience. One principle that keeps coming to my mind is that the Lord's way is not always our way (Isaiah 55:8-9). Those that were called to march with Zion's Camp thought that they were going to reclaim their land in Jackson County, Missouri, by force, if necessary. But it turns out that the revelation to "redeem Zion by power" (D&C 103:15) might have had a different meaning to the Lord. What if "redeeming Zion" is not referencing the place of Zion, but the people of Zion? And what if "by power" does not mean by physical power but by spiritual power? It's easy to see the double meaning in this revelation now that we're looking back and know the result of Zion's Camp and how many members were spiritually redeemed through that experience. Can we also look back on our own lives and see the Lord working in our lives in the same way?

As I thought about this question myself, an interesting experience came to my mind that I haven't ever thought about in this "Zion's Camp" context. We had four young children and lived two hours away from our extended families when my husband was called to serve in a bishopric. As the Stake President met with us to issue him the calling, the counsel that he gave to us was to not miss our local church meetings more than twice a year. I was a little taken back by this counsel. I remember feeling like that was pretty restrictive counsel to give a young family that lived so far away from home. I would ask myself "what's wrong with missing a few Sunday's a year because we're traveling or supporting other family events?" As I now look back over the past 13 years, it is more clear to me now the spiritual blessings that have come because we were obedient to that counsel. First of all, we feel more dependable and can be relied on to fulfill our Sunday commitments. Second, it set a precedence for our children-they know where we will be each Sunday. Third, it has allowed us to consistently be edified by our local leaders who are called to receive revelation for us. Fourth, it has allowed our children to be available to serve in various capacities as needed (through priesthood and/or class responsibilities). Fifth, it puts our family in an environment every Sunday where we can have spiritual experiences.

Our missionary is currently in the middle of a "Zion's Camp" experience as he struggles to understand his purpose of being a missionary--when he has yet to teach any investigator lessons! As discouraging as this can be for a missionary (and for his parents) he is learning this principle that "his way is not always the Lord's way." He is learning to exercise faith in this principle, knowing that spiritual blessings will be realized as he continues to do what  he's been asked to do.

The same is true for all of us. As we are obedient to the commandments and counsel of the Lord and our local leaders, we will be blessed in ways that the Lord sees fit to bless us.

Meet Adversity with Gratitude

My heart is heavy today as I contemplate the suffering our nation went through twenty years ago. In the years since September 11th, 2001, I've tried to distance myself from the emotions I experienced that day, but as I scrolled through my Facebook feed and saw video footage of that dreadful event, my heart started racing, my stomach cramping and my eyes watering as my mind unlocked emotions I long ago tried to bury. How fitting that my scripture study this week led me to focus on adversity and the instructions we are given to help us get through it.

The background of section 98 of the Doctrine and Covenants is filled with the stories of saints in Jackson County, Missouri experiencing immense persecution from the local people. They are being forced from their homes by mobs that destroy their homes and businesses, burn their fields, and tar and feather them. Despite this persecution the Lord tells these Saints to give thanks in everything (98:1).

This counsel, to be grateful during our trials, is contradictory to the natural man. Saying "thanks" to God while going through trials is not a natural response, but if we can train ourselves to see God's hand in our lives during the good times, then seeing God's hand in our lives during the bad times will come more naturally. 

I'm reading a book right now where this principle is very evident. It's called "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom and it's a true story about a Christian family (the ten Boom's) that lived in the Netherlands during WWII.  This family is arrested for helping to hide Jews in their home and two of the sisters (Corrie and Betsie) end up in the same concentration camp. The author describes a great deal of their suffering as well as describing the effort Betsie puts forth looking for all the ways God is blessing them. They learn to be grateful that they are not alone, they have each other, they have their miniature Bible, and their bottle of vitamins that somehow never gets confiscated. They even learn to be grateful for their flea-infested barracks because it allows them more space to pray and minister to others because the guards avoid their barracks.

Dallin H. Oaks said: "Adversity will be a constant or occasional companion for each of us throughout our lives. We cannot avoid it. The only question is how we will react to it." (Adversity) Gratitude during trials can increase our trust in God and His promise that "all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good" (98:3). As you look for and acknowledge blessings in your life, you begin to realize how much God is aware of you and is watching over you in many ways.

Temples and Homes

 In a General Conference talk given by Elder Stevensen in 2009 entitled Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples he stated that "under the definition of 'Temple' in the Bible Dictionary, we read the following: “It is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth,” followed by this insightful statement: “Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.” For me this suggests a sacred relationship between the temple and the home. Not only can we turn the doors of our homes to the house of the Lord; we can make our homes a house of the Lord. 

While reading D&C 94-97 this week I looked for the temple building principles that the Lord was teaching these early saints and how they apply to our family as we strive to build our home. Here are a few of the principles that stood out to me...

1) It's important to have a foundation (94:1,6,12)

2) Our homes need to be dedicated to the Lord (94:6-7,12)

3) The home is a place of preparation (95:4)

4) Endow those within your walls with power from on high (95:8)

5) Our homes need to be different than those of the world (95:13)

6) In our homes we are responsible to teach both spiritual and scholarly things (95:16-17)

7) Seek diligently to remove any barriers to your family’s progression (96:8)

8) It's going to take sacrifice to build a home that can provide salvation for your family (97:12)

9) The home should be a place of thanksgiving (97:13)

10) The home is a place of instruction where we can come to understand things pertaining to the kingdom of God on earth (97:13-14)

11) We should not allow unclean things into our homes (97:15, 94:8)

In the same talk by Elder Stevenson, he challenged his listeners to take a virtual tour of their homes with spiritual eyes. He said: "Wherever your home may be and whatever its configuration, the application of eternal gospel principles within its walls is universal... Imagine that you are opening your front door and walking inside your home. What do you see, and how do you feel? Is it a place of love, peace, and refuge from the world, as is the temple? Is it clean and orderly? As you walk through the rooms of your home, do you see uplifting images which include appropriate pictures of the temple and the Savior? Is your bedroom or sleeping area a place for personal prayer? Is your gathering area or kitchen a place where food is prepared and enjoyed together, allowing uplifting conversation and family time? Are scriptures found in a room where the family can study, pray, and learn together? Can you find your personal gospel study space? Does the music you hear or the entertainment you see, online or otherwise, offend the Spirit? Is the conversation uplifting and without contention? That concludes our tour. Perhaps you, as I, found a few spots that need some “home improvement”—hopefully not an “extreme home makeover.”

I was grateful to participate in this little exercise and to have the spirit direct my thoughts to certain areas where I can do better to help make my home feel more like the temple, and I'm also grateful for the feelings of joy that came from the spirit that allowed me to rejoice in the areas where I'm doing well. Hopefully we can all follow the spiritual promptings we receive to help make our homes more like the temple.