Sunday Afternoon Musings

Just got through Skyping with my daughter Bri and her husband Grant. They live in Provo and have just gone back to school and completed the first week of the semester. Bri got a job on campus, so they are both working now, and both going to school full time, taking some of their classes together. Misti and I did this as well, taking classes together whenever possible. Saves on books, and gives a couple additional bonding time in a shared intellectual pursuit. I highly recommend it. They have already gotten their "summary of Summer" blog posted and this reminded me that it has been way to long since I posted anything.

In Priesthood meeting, at the end of the opening exercises where announcements are made and reports are given by each of the quorums, before all separate into their own groups for class instruction, we all repeat out loud the verses in D&C 84 that list the oath and covenant of the priesthood, which essentially promises the blessings of Eternal Life, or the kind of life God the father and Jesus Christ live, to faithful priesthood holders that magnify their callings. I remember when I was first being interviewed for the Aaronic Priesthood, as a 12 year old. The bishop asked if I knew the oath and covenant? I really didn't have a clue at that age what he was referring to. I am sure we had read these verses in Sunday School or Primary, but I really did not have any idea of their significance to the rest of my life as a holder of the priesthood. I think this ward's repeating of these verses on a weekly basis is a good thing.

Many men receive the priesthood, continuing on the path to Eternal Life they started with baptism, but do not magnify their callings over time. How well a man seeks out knowledge of his calling and current duties, and how he portrays that calling to others speaks volumes to his chances of eventual celestial glory. When seeking for a husband, my wife learned that how a return missionary spoke of his mission was a good indicator of their faithfullness to the gospel. Fortunately, I passed that test on our first date, speaking highly of my missionary experiences in England. Some callings may not seem important in the grand scheme of things, but I have learned over time, that there are no unimportant callings in God's kingdom. As Paul said, every member of the body is important. In the Missionary Training Center, there is a large monument with a placard which reads "what ere thou are, act well thy part". I know the Lord expects every priesthood holder to accept callings, and learn all they can from each one, performing each to the very best of their ability, and then moving on to new callings. I've never had a calling I didn't learn something from, or that I considered drudgery. There have certainly been callings that took a lot more time and effort than others, such as being an Elder's Quorum President in a young adult ward, where there was a literal "moving target" for hometeaching from month to month. Just going through the list of Elders and Perspective Elders and verifying that they still lived within the ward boundaries was a very daunting task that took the better part of a month for visits, phone calls, mail, etc. The do-not-contact list also needed to be verified, and also took quite a bit of time. However, I still remember both of these activities as some of the best times in my entire priesthood service. Through these efforts, we were literally seeking out the lost lambs, inviting many back to the fold, and considerably increased the attendance at our Young Single Adult ward in Henderson Nevada. I think I impacted more lives for good in the few months I was able to serve there, than on my mission to England.