Happy New Year!

It has been quite a while since I've posted here, and I'm grateful for the chance to do so now. Last week I was asked to write on the importance of the Book of Mormon in the context of our stake president's challenge to finish it from start to finish by the end of the year. I have included that blurb here. Enjoy!

Shortly after I moved into the ward we had stake conference, which was my first opportunity to hear from our Stake President. I was impressed by the power that he emanated from the pulpit, and could tell that he is a man of god who truly loves for and cares about each one of us individually. I don't try to understand how he can have such a love, but I can see it in his eyes, and know that he has it. In his stake conference address President Todd gave out some challenges, and at this point I was ready to listen. he challenged us to pay heed to the promptings of the Spirit, with the promise that we would be "richly" blessed. He said that if we honor God, he will honor us. He also made a very specific challenge: finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, and you will have greater desire to do good.

I took this challenge to heart, and am currently (12/24/10) finishing up the final chapters. This promise, like the others, is an "if-then" statement, wherein if we do something, we will then get something in return. President Todd's Book of Mormon promise had a time-line to it, which would cause one to believe that my "greater desire to do good" would not come until after I fully completed the task, However, this is not so. I have seen myself have a greater desire to do good as I have faithfully read the Book of Mormon. More specifically, this desire to better serve I believe has increased when I truly gave time to studying and cherishing the Book of Mormon, and really feeling the power that the book contains.

In completing this challenge I received a confirmation of the testimony that the Gospel is not a passive one. We should not wait for the blessings to flow if they've been promised contingent upon doing something.

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;
For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward."
--D & C 58: 27-28--

I know that as we anxiously go about doing those things which we've been asked to do, the Lord will bless us, granting us the most righteous desires of our hearts.

--Sean

"Behold Your Little Ones"

It is with great love that I write a few words this day. I recently read an article in the December 2010 issue of the Ensign which brought this love into my heart. The article, entitled "How Some Members with Disabilities Serve," gave several vignettes of individuals with developmental disabilities, and how ward families have taken them in, and given them the opportunity to grow, where growth might not be originally anticipated. The Spirit spoke so strongly to me as I read, reminding me that it was the potential for seeing this type of growth that really was the impetus for me to become a psychologist which now seems a lifetime ago.

In that lifetime I have been given experiences that place me in a unique, even authoritative position to declare that individuals with mental handicaps are known by our Heavenly Father, and are nurtured about by him and ministered unto by his angels on a daily basis. However, it takes a heart equally as pure to see it. The Savior taught that "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matt. 5: 8; 3 Ne. 12: 8)" I ask, are you sufficiently pure to see the hand of God in even the least among you? For surely it is the pure in heart who can see God's daily workings.

When the Resurrected Savior visited the Americas, he went about blessing those who were the poorest among them:

"And he said unto them: Behold my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them. (3 Ne. 17: 6-7)"

Note that the Savior asked for those who were afflicted. Just like how the "whole have no need of a physician, (Moroni 8: 8)" He requested the poor in spirit, knowing that the kingdom of heaven belonged to them (see Matt 5: 3; 3 Ne. 12: 3).

How often do we mistake "pure in heart" and "poor in spirit" for awkward, weird, unattractive, and uncomfortable? Do we not realize that individuals with developmental disabilities teach us ever day what it means to be "as a child, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [them]? (Mos. 3:19)"

The Savior made it a point to bless the poor, and to bless those who were willing to submit themselves unto Him.

"And he spake unto the, and said unto them: Behold your little ones."

"And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them." (3 Ne. 17: 23-24)

I know that as we show love to those who need it the most, we will be blessed. I know this to be true because I have been blessed as I have ministered unto those with special needs, and have seen my spirit enlarged as they taught me what it means to be pure in heart.

Have a great week!

Musings of the Natural man

O how great is the nothingness of the children of men;
yea, even they are less than
the dust of the earth.
--Helaman 12: 7

I recently read this verse and was struck by its impact on me. How is it that we, who have divine nature and potential, are even less than the dust of the earth? The answer comes from seeing the wickedness that we are prone to engage ourselves in, being overcome by the natural man (see Mosiah 3:19). This is manifest when we willfully act against what we normally would do according to our belief system, and when we willfully reject that which is of most good. Because "all things which are good cometh of God (see Moroni 7:12), " we are also in essence rejecting God when we do wrong.

I recently had a conversation with a friend about why people do things that are not in accordance with their belief systems, and we came to the conclusion that it had to do with many factors, including societal pressures on morality, circumstances within which the person is placed, and within-person variables such as personality and risk factors. As a psychologist, I would like to think that the negative consequences of re-nigging on what one stands for would be enough to make one want to stay true to his or her beliefs, but the world in which we live does not reinforce these actions. We are prone to forget, and somehow the world reinforces the pain that comes from disobedience.

I would like to think that men are motivated to obey the Commandments of God because they love the Lawgiver, but we are often too stiff-necked to adhere to this noblest form of obedience.

And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence,
they will not remember him. --Helaman 12:3

The Great Plan of Happiness, however, supersedes our knack for forgetfulness, by providing us voices of hope in the midst of our afflictions. We come to realize that there is a discernible reason why we feel anguish, even a causal relationship between actions and sorrow. We read in Ether 12:27:

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Learning humility is an essential part of the Plan. As we do so, I believe we are given a level of confidence that only comes as we grow in faith that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we may overcome our "natural" tendencies. When we let the Lord take control of our lives, we give up the one thing that is truly ours--our own free will--and gradually move it to the point at which it lines up with God's will for us. This is a lifetime pursuit, and we will always have room to make up; but as we let the Lord in, we gain happiness, and the weak things are made strong for us.

In the Priesthood Session of the October 2010 General Conference, Elder Patrick Kearon taught:

The Savior assures, “If they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them.”⁹ You and I can accept His invitation to “return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal [you].”¹⁰ UAdd a Note

Contrast this miraculous healing with what happens “when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride [or] our vain ambition. … The heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved;” and we are left alone “to kick against the pricks … and to fight against God.”¹¹ UAdd a Note

...we find healing and relief only when we bring ourselves to the feet of the Great Physician, our Savior, Jesus Christ. We must lay down our weapons of rebellion (and we each know what they are). We must lay down our sin, vanity, and pride. We must give up our desires to follow the world and to be respected and lauded by the world. We must cease fighting against God and instead give our whole hearts to Him, holding nothing back. Then He can heal us. Then He can cleanse us from the venomous sting of sin.

I know that as we turn the the Savior, we may be relieved from this "venomous sting," and thereby gain in true happiness which comes from doing good. We will "put off the natural man," and become strengthened by He who is mighty to save.

Have a great week!

Aminadab and the Healing of Wounds

I am grateful to have been again filled with words to write this day. Often in the hub-bub of life the words don't come all at once, or even in small doses. Sometimes the words don't arrive even until the eleventh hour, like today. Regardless, I know that as I follow counsel given this last General Conference to "slow down a little, [and] proceed at the optimum speed for [my] circumstances ("Of Things that Matter Most", President Dieter F. Uchtdorf)" the Spirit can better work through me to write what the Lord would have me write.

With that said, I am excited to discuss today the repentance process, and how all of us can take advantage of the Atonement to improve our station and more fully partake of the goodness of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I will use two examples to illustrate this--Aminadab in the Book of Mormon, and biological process by which wounds are healed.

Aminadab was a Nephite by birth, who was raised a believer in Christ. At some point in his life he dissented from the Church, and joined the Lamanites in the land of Nephi. We do not know if he was a guard or a prisoner, but he somehow ended up among the 300 people who witnessed a miracle as brothers Nephi and Lehi were encircled by a pillar of fire. He heard the voice of perfect mildness which said "Repent ye, repent ye, and seek no more to destroy my servants whom I have sent unto you to declare good tidings...for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; and seek no more to destroy my servants. (Helaman 5: 29, 32)" And when all but Nephi and Lehi were surrounded by a cloud of darkness and left enduring a massive earthquake, it was Aminadab who first looked upon the prophets, noticing that they "converse[d] with the angels of God." When the others around him asked what they should do, it was Aminadab who recognized the truth, saying to the others:

You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, who was taught unto you by Alma, and Amulek, and Zeezrom; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you. (Helaman 5:41)

The Lamanites heeded Aminadab's words, repenting and calling upon God. Soon the cloud of darkness dispersed, the pillar of fire spread to cover the whole multitude, and every person there was filled with the Holy Spirit. After receiving a testimony of the truth, the three hundred went out, and told their family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances of what they had experience, until the "more part of the Lamanites were convinced." What a great turn of events this was, which mainly occurred as one man recognized the truth when he saw it, and had the courage to repent, and to help others to repent as well.

The story of Aminadab is great, but only illustrates the beginning of the repentance process. True healing takes time. This was elucidated by my stake presidency in Ward Conference last week, as they compared spiritual healing to the physical healing of wounds. Physical wounds heal themselves through three stages: the Inflammatory stage, the Proliferation stage, and the Remodeling stage. I will now briefly explain these stages, and liken them to the repentance process:


The Inflammatory Stage. This stage takes place in the first 1-3 days after the wound is received, and involves removing any foreign agents from the wound, performing a self-cleaning, and preparing the wound for healing. Just as this stage is the foundation for pure healing, pure repentance cannot happen if we do not remove from ourselves those noxious agents which bind us, and clean out our souls that spiritual healing may take place. This involves truly humbling ourselves, utilizing the proper priesthood channels when necessary, and ridding ourselves of the cause for our sin. In my opinion, this is the hardest part, and examples of this not done well are replete throughout the scriptures, as well as in modernity. I cannot understate the difficulty that it takes to become self-aware to the point at which one recognizes the causes of his or her sinful behavior. But the blessings are glorious as we come to know our wrongs, and as Aminadab, come to remember the Source by which healing can take place.

The Proliferation Stage. This stage can take up to three weeks, and is mainly concerned with the building of new tissue and skin cells. As sinful behavior is also habitual behavior, it is important to again fill our lives with the good so that the evil may not prevail against us (see D & C 21:6, Moroni 9;26). Spiritual proliferation occurs as we learn again to serve, first creating the good habit, and second letting the testimony of the truth grow in our hearts, that we may be fully nourished by our good works (see Alma 32: 28-43).

The Remodeling Stage. This final stage can take anywhere from six months to two years, and is the process by which the body restores the wound fully to its state before the wound was received. This may be the hardest for us to understand, that true repentance takes a very long time, even after we have reached the checkpoints of worthiness or spiritual guidance. Just because we act upon the Spirit once or twice does not mean that we are safe from the wiles of the adversary. We must remain ever vigilant thereafter, having a perfect remembrance of the pain that we felt before, that we may most effectively avoid falling into our sins again.

For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God. (Alma 34:32, 42: 4)

I know that as we employ these steps into our lives, we will move toward the healing of our wounds, toward a spiritual endurance that will last until the end of this life, and will extend our life into the eternities, living with He who has bought our souls with a painful price that we can never repay. Let us ever be mindful of the Savior, and in this time of giving thanks, be ever grateful for the grace that is made possibly only as we confess our sins, and go about forsaking them throughout this probationary state.

Have a great week!

"Notwithstanding their Strength"

I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss today my thoughts on the great and universal sin of pride. It is so pervasive in our world today, that we often don't see it as such; however, pride is still a sin, and as we increase in self-awareness we are made more accountable for it.

With that said, I admit that pride rules my life on a daily basis. It shows itself in a desire to be recognized above another, to vaunt myself to a position of worldly praise. But I know that as I strive to humble myself, I gain experiences that remind me of the source of from which my talents come, and the reason why I have received them; it is to serve others, and build the Kingdom of God here on earth. But how often do we take the gifts we've been given, explicitly for this purpose, and use them to push ourselves away from the human race? In my observation, this is all too common.

Luckily, we have been given hosts of examples to follow that, when heeded faithfully, put our hearts back in tune with the Spirit who entices us to "do good continually"(see Moroni 7: 13). One such example is of the Nephites living under the direction of the prophet Helaman:

And the people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to multiply and to wax exceedingly strong again in the land. And they began to grow exceedingly rich.

But notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him.

Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies.

And they did pray unto the Lord their God continually, insomuch that the Lord did bless them, according to his word, so that they did wax strong and prosper in the land. (Alma 62:48-51)

One thing I notice from this passage is that the Lord wants to bless and prosper us, but the pretext upon which blessings flow is humility. Humility comes from remembering the Lord in all that we do, praying and giving thanks continually. Humility is not unnecessarily abasing ourselves, and it is not desiring to not succeed for fear of how it might cause our pride to increase. Rather it is the balance of power and success with the motivation to serve others with that success and the conviction that anything good that happens is "bought with a price" (see 1 Corinthians 6:20). In the Priesthood Session of the October 2010 General Conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said the following:

When I was called as a General Authority, I was blessed to be tutored by many of the senior Brethren in the Church. One day I had the opportunity to drive President James E. Faust to a stake conference. During the hours we spent in the car, President Faust took the time to teach me some important principles about my assignment. He explained also how gracious the members of the Church are, especially to General Authorities. He said, “They will treat you very kindly. They will say nice things about you.” He laughed a little and then said, “Dieter, be thankful for this. But don’t you ever inhale it.”

That is a good lesson for us all, brethren, in any calling or life situation. We can be grateful for our health, wealth, possessions, or positions, but when we begin to inhale it—when we become obsessed with our status; when we focus on our own importance, power, or reputation; when we dwell upon our public image and believe our own press clippings—that’s when the trouble begins; that’s when pride begins to corrupt...

In this, as in all things, Jesus Christ is our perfect example. Whereas Lucifer tried to change the Father’s plan of salvation and obtain honor for himself, the Savior said, “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.”¹⁷ Despite His magnificent abilities and accomplishments, the Savior was always meek and humble...

Pride is a switch that turns off priesthood power.²¹ Humility is a switch that turns it on.

So how do we conquer this sin of pride that is so prevalent and so damaging? How do we become more humble?

It is almost impossible to be lifted up in pride when our hearts are filled with charity. “No one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love.”²² When we see the world around us through the lens of the pure love of Christ, we begin to understand humility.

It is my prayer that we may follow the example of the Savior, and have love for all those around us, for that is when we begin to conquer the universal sin of pride. I know that as we strive to see others for the good that is in them, that we will come to love them and their talents with they may so graciously help us, just as we serve them. At this point we will have our cake and be able to eat it too, having Christlike love for others, and being blessed and prospered by the Lord for it.

Have a Great Week!

And This Was Their Faith

One of the great things about the scriptures is that they apply to each and every one of us, as explained by the prophet Nephi:

And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning. (2 Nephi 19:23)

Nephi taught his brothers, sisters, and children by the scriptures, touching on what they had with them in the wilderness. He taught them the writings of Isaiah, words which might be found confusing, but when one is in touch with the Spirit, shine through in beautiful plainness. I believe that we can follow Nephi's example, taking all scripture, and applying it to our own lives.

It is in this vein that I approach the end of the Book of Alma, which on the surface may seem to be merely stories of two warring nations. To the lay historian, the battles between the Nephites and the Lamanites don't hold much redeeming value beyond learning what happened; however, the Gospel scholar sees types and corollaries; he sees central themes, like the war between good and evil, between the children of Christ and the children of the adversary. He sees the subtle ways that the devil lures the complacent, and the importance of remaining vigilant at all times. He also sees examples of how this is to be done, namely in the stories of the righteous Nephites and their leaders like Ammon, Alma, Moroni, and Helaman.

With that said I would like to look at Alma 48, which describes the example set by Moroni and the people of Nephi. I have separated verses by the qualities described therein. Here is my conceptualization:


THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION

Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God.

Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places ofof earth round about to enclose his armies, and also building walls ofof their lands; yea, all round about the land. resort; throwing up banks stone to encircle them about, round about their cities and the borders

And in their weakest fortifications he did place the greater number of men; and thus he did fortify and strengthen the land which was possessed by the Nephites. (V: 7-9)


THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY

And thus he was preparing to support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they might maintain that which was called by their enemies the cause of Christians.

And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;
...Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives. (V:10-11, 14)


GRATITUDE AND FAITH

Yea, [Moroni was] a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.

Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood. (V: 12-13)


PROMISED BLESSINGS

And this was their faith, that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger; And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; (V: 15-16)


LIKE UNTO MORONI

...and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity.

Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. (V: 16-17)

It is my prayer that we might all see the War Chapters for what they really are--a call to spiritual arms, a blueprint for how to defend against the whiles of the adversary, that we might maintain our liberty to choose the right. Let the faith of Moroni and his people be our faith, knowing that as we put God first we will be blessed with prosperity. Let us not be like Amalickiah and his fellow ex-Nephites who let the word go upon stony ground, but let us be unwavering in our conviction of the Savior, that as we emulate Him we will be strengthened and taken care of to the point of ultimate happiness in this life and the life to come.

Have a great week!

The Importance of Fathers and Sons

Happy Halloween! It’s scary to think that another year has passed; this weekend just a year ago I was in Boston, Massachusetts, listening to the words of the likes of Clayton Christensen, David Neeleman, and Elder M. Russell Ballard (see "It's the Resolve that Counts"). Their world and mine have progressed, and I am happy to say that I continue to strive to follow the admonition of the great prophet Lehi:

“And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might have gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;

“…Awake my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust."

2 Nephi 1: 22, 24 (emphasis added)

Slowly and surely I am learning what it means to be a true man, a righteous holder of the Priesthood of God. It involves shaking off the chains to which Lehi refers, but then also creating new ones as described through modern revelation:

“…It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other…For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect…for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fullness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time.”

D& C 128: 18

This welding between the fathers and children across all generations of time is achieved only through the active use of the sealing power, that is, the power of the Priesthood to perform vicarious ordinances for those who have passed on without having received the opportunity to accept these ordinances in mortality. These vicarious ordinances are realized only in the holy temples, sacred house of God set apart for this purpose.

No one understood the importance of welding together generations in this vein than father Lehi, who in a parting blessing to his son, Joseph, gave what in my opinion is one of the most poetic passages in the Book of Mormon. In this blessing (found in 2 Nephi 3) Lehi compares Joseph of Egypt to his son, who also was a righteous youth who received harsh treatment from his older brothers. Lehi then quotes Joseph of Egypt, who prophesied of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon by the hand of Joseph Smith, who would be a great prophet "like unto Moses."

To me this chapter represents what has been spoken of above: the essential nature of welding the fathers to the sons, and the sons to the fathers. We should never understate the importance of covenants, and what they mean for generations to come as we perform the Lord's work through the sealing power. I am grateful to have received this knowledge, to especially know that as I serve in the Lord's house I am fulfilling the words of all the holy prophets who saw our day, and rejoiced to know that the fullness of the Gospel would at last never be taken from the earth, for the very purpose of blessing all generations of time.

Have a great week!