Our Lewis Family Witnesses to the Inspired Leadership Pattern in the Church

    Did you know that our family has direct ancestors who were present at the wonderful spiritual manifestation that established the inspired leadership pattern for the Church and left their witness of its reality and truthfulness?  The apostolic and prophetic leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ has the authority and capability to direct the work of God effectively worldwide in a single united effort, given its revealed pattern and with modern communication and transportation resources.  At the beginning of the latter-day Gospel restoration, this pattern was revealed gradually, culminated by a miraculous confirmation of this Godly leadership pattern at the time of Joseph Smith’s martyrdom and succession. This leadership pattern is unique in this capability.  No other religious organization in the world has the ability to provide this united global direction to the work of the church.  The rest of the Christian world is desperately and irretrievably fragmented.  For example, the Center for Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary estimates that there are currently 47,000 different evangelical Protestant denominations.
    There seems to be a tendency in religious movements for ambitious persons to rise and draw off people to their own discipleship and organization.  Noel Reynolds, writing about the problems in the New Testament branches of the church established by the Christ’s apostles, “early Christians in disarray”, concludes the New Testament church was an immature or “Kirtland” church made up of new converts, who were drawn to the new religion, but seemed easily swayed by competing ideas and contention.  In “city after city where Paul and other missionaries had established branches of the church, fast-talking and self-appointed men began to take over and exploit the faith of [their] converts for their own material and even lascivious benefit... The faithful often seem to no longer be in control of the local situation... As we reflect on the administrative problems the early church faced, we have to be impressed with the impossibility of their task.  No branch of the church had the benefit of experienced, second-generation leadership.  Paul and the other apostles were themselves converts, with no established tradition or well of practical wisdom to draw on...”
    “The early church had no monthly reporting system and no instant communication... Crises came and went on the local level without any intervention or guidance from the general authorities of the church... Travel was slow, dangerous and difficult... The trials of faithful and humble Christians must have been excruciating as they witnessed the demise of Christ’s church at the hands of self-promoting and entrepreneurial fellow members who strove with one another for dominance...”  (pp. 356-357, Early Christians in Disarray, FAIR/BYU, 2005)
    In our day, the Church of Jesus Christ restored by God through the Prophet Joseph Smith had some similar organizational challenges and problems in its first few years in Kirtland and also in Nauvoo.  The restored Church was made up of many fine, new converts, who were drawn spiritually to the new religion, but seemed easily swayed by competing ideas and contention, and lacked understanding of an effective pattern for unity and for leadership succession.  
    Elements of the pattern for overall leadership of a single united world-wide Church of Jesus Christ appeared to have begun to be revealed and practiced in the New Testament Church of Christ’s apostles (see Acts 1:22-26 and 15:1-29 in the replacement of Judas as one of the twelve apostles and the decision on whether Gentile converts needed circumcision).  More direction regarding this overall pattern of general leadership of the restored Church of Jesus Christ was recorded in the Doctrine & Covenants in 1835 (section 107:22-24)   It involved having 15 High Priests in two leadership quorums (a First Presidency of three and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) whose membership in these two fully united quorums consisted of individual men who each when ordained to the apostleship had received all of the keys of the Kingdom, but who were to exercise presidential leadership according to seniority.  (Initially this was determined to be by age but in later years by dates of ordination and length of quorum membership).   Also, it was required that for policies of these two quorums to be valid, their decisions as a quorum must be unanimous (D&C 107:27).
    If the Quorum of the First Presidency became disorganized due to the death of the quorum leader and Prophet, leadership of the Church then devolved upon the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles with the senior apostle as leader.  Then the First Presidency is reorganized with the senior apostle as Church president and prophet.  These two quorums are equal in authority; but when both are organized, the First Presidency presides.
    While the overall pattern for Church leadership was given in 1835, more detailed instruction regarding its implementation seems to have been gradually revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith, and only fully taught even to Quorum of the Twelve, with Brigham Young as senior apostle, in the months just preceding Joseph’s death. (references: Orson Hyde, Statement about Quorum of the Twelve, circa Late March 1845,” josephsmithpapers.org. For more on the context of this statement, see Matthew J. Grow, Ronald K. Esplin, Mark Ashurst-McGee, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, and Jeffrey D. Mahas, eds., Administrative Records: Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846. Vol. 1 of the Administrative Records series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, and Matthew C. Godfrey (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2016), 65–66, 378–80)
    At that time it would seem that many members of the newly restored Church had not completely understood the process of leadership succession in the case of the loss of the Church President and Prophet.  Even Sidney Rigdon of the First Presidency, the prophet’s wife, Emma, and son, Joseph III, did not fully grasp this pattern.  
    When the Prophet Joseph Smith was murdered in Nauvoo, Illinois, in June 1844, Elder Young and most of the apostles were scattered in various parts of the United States promoting Joseph’s candidacy for U. S. President.  When most quickly returned to Nauvoo, they were met with Sidney Rigdon, counselor in the First Presidency, promoting himself to be the Church’s leader.  At a hastily called meeting of Church membership on August 8, 1844, Brigham Young re-taught the gathered saints the revelation of the Lord regarding succession in the Church presidency by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  And this pattern was confirmed spiritually by a mighty heavenly miracle, which then the members of the Church sustained by vote.
    In this meeting, as he was speaking, President Young was transfigured so that the audience miraculously saw not his image but instead the person of Joseph Smith and also heard Joseph’s voice and manner of speaking even to the point of a lisp that Joseph had from a partially broken tooth that had happened at an earlier time when his enemies had tried to force his taking some poison.  
    We need to remember and have gratitude that three of our very own family ancestors participated in and testified of this miraculous confirmation of the pattern of priesthood succession and leadership in the restored Church of Jesus Christ, which is so necessary for the furtherance of God’s kingdom in our day.  
    Here is our own wonderful family testimony of this revelation and manifestation provided by my great-grandmother, Martha Ann Townsend Lufkin [REL], written by my aunt Dorothy Hall,  after the time she had moved as a young women from Oregon to Utah to attend BYU.
    “[James Foss Townsend, his wife Susan Davis Townsend, and daughter Martha Ann Townsend] were in Nauvoo at the time of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and were present at the meeting when the mantle of Joseph fell upon Brigham Young. This happened at a meeting at Nauvoo on the afternoon of 8 Aug. 1844.  It was concerning the matter of authority and who now would lead the church.
    “Joseph Fielding Smith, in his book “Essentials of Church History” tells about it in this way: President Brigham Young addressed the congregation.  He spoke with great power and the people were convinced that the authority and power of presiding was with the apostles (quorum of the twelve).   When he first arose to speak, the people were astonished for President Young stood transfigured before them and they beheld the Prophet Joseph Smith and heard his voice as naturally as ever they did when he was living.  It was a manifestation to the saints that they might recognize the correct authority...
    “In 1926, when I (Dorothy Hall) visited my cousin Mattie Barron Norton in Salt Lake City she told me of a time when she was visiting our grandparents in Logan.  One day as she watched our grandmother (Martha Ann Townsend Lufkin) make biscuits, she also listened to her tell stories of Nauvoo.  Mattie told me that Grandma was about twelve years old but remembered the meeting very well and [stated that] it was true as reported.  She told Matttie to remember what she said and to tell others as she had the chance.  It was additional testimony to her the L.D.S. church was true.” (Dorothy D. Hall, “Histories of Parents and Grandparents and some other ancestors of Kate Naomi Lufkin Davenport”, 1986, handwritten document, pp. 27-28)

Sacrament meeting talk

                         Sacrament Meeting Talk, Wolf Hollow 2nd ward, ?? September 2024
    In a conversation reported in the Book of Matthew which occurred shortly before crucifixion of Christ there was an interesting question asked and marvelous answer given.  The question was asked of the Savior by a hostile Pharisee lawyer.  He seemed to be trying to trap Christ in saying something that might possibly give the Jewish leaders the excuse to kill him.  He asked the Savior the question of which of all the commandments of the Jewish law was the greatest.  (Over the years, Jewish scholars had identified 613 commandments in the law of Moses and loved to debate their relative importance.) Which was the greatest?  Jesus gave an answer that totally silenced his accusers, but also provided a grand summary of the duties of persons striving to obey God, which we  call the Two Great Commandments.  He said,
    “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment...  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matt 22:37, 39)
    While the Two Great Commandments prioritize and elevate these loving duties, we still need to ask additional questions about the totality of God’s commandments:
        – What does God expect of those beings who are His spirit sons and daughters?
        – What are our duties as members of His Church?  
        – What does God expect of us as we strive to be disciples of Jesus Christ?  
    These are important questions.  And they are answered in a variety of ways in the scriptures and by Christ and the prophets of his Church.  They are communicated to us utilizing a variety of words, concepts and perspectives.  These explanations are not inconsistent or contradictory, but form a broad pattern for us to try to understand and follow.  Often these responses utilize words or concepts of symbolism.  The use of symbolism is in fact a blessing in that it allows God to instruct us through His Spirit in ways that He knows that fits our status in life at this time, our current spiritual perspectives and needs.
    As an example, the Book of Mormon prophet Alma teaches (in Alma 32) that there are two progressive levels for a person’s expression of faith and obedience and couches this in a most interesting gardening metaphor.  I relate to this, being a not always successful amateur backyard gardener and backyard orchardist myself.  He says that first of all that you need to plant the seed of faith.
    At the start, before planting seeds in a garden one must prepare the soil, including pulling or removing weeds that may encroach upon the garden growing space.  Pulling weeds might be called repentance.  Recently, President Nelson called upon us make “daily repentance” a part of our lives.  The initial process for our coming to God is to arrive at a belief in him and his commandments, recognize those areas in which we fall short, make needed changes (repentance), and be baptized.  Our 4th Article of Faith says, “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are, first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second, Repentance, third, Baptism...” and so forth.  This step entitles us to membership in His Church, to the forgiveness for the sins we have committed, and to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  The Holy Ghost will then confirm the remission of our sins and bless us in a great many other ways, including support for all the further steps in our progress toward God.
    We will never outgrow the need to continue to pull weeds (repent), as President Nelson has reminded us, when we make mistakes or as we deepen our understanding of Heavenly Father’s commandments,.  And as we do this, the companionship of the Holy Ghost will continue with us and testify of our continuing standing with God as being in a state of grace or forgiveness.
    This initial step on the strait and narrow path is foundational for all other kinds of spiritual growth.  It is described by the prophet Alma as planting the seed of faith (Alma 32:28) and confirming that this was a “good seed” (Alma 32:30-32).  But that is just a successful beginning.  According to Alma, there is a further second process that the gardener must undertake to reap the fruit of this initial planting.  Otherwise, he says, “if you neglect the tree and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root, and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it... it withers away and ye pluck it up and cast it out.” (Alma 32:38)
    So, there exists a second process that is required so as create “a tree springing up unto everlasting life,” in order for us to reap and feast upon the fruit of our spiritual gardening.
    Alma says “But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
    “And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.” (Alma 32:41-42)
    This is the process of full salvation (or better stated, exaltation), the progressive development available to each of us who are followers of Christ, to become “a just and holy being,” as Joseph Smith taught in the Lectures on Faith.  It is learning how to become “partakers in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), and to acquire the very characteristics of Christ, “but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3, also see Moroni 7:48)
    There is often a difference in the way that these two processes are expressed.  The first might be thought of as represented by the Ten Commandments, eight out of ten of which are presented as “Thou Shalt Nots,” things that you should not be doing.   The second process is generally stated more positively as “Thou Shalts”, and is succinctly defined as we have just noted, by Christ as the Two Great Commandments, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart...[and] thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matt 22:37-39). This difference is suggestive of the Mosaic law as opposed to the higher law of Christ and also of the distinction between the Aaronic priesthood or preparatory gospel and that which is administered by the Melchizedek priesthood:
    Quoting from Doctrine and Covenants 84: “And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.
    “Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
    “And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
    “For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.”  (D&C 84:19-22)
    With the language changing from a negative to a positive, “thou shalts” rather than “thou shalt nots”, this seems to suggest an increased emphasis on growth, development, improvement, and enlargement.  In this second process, there are specific positive laws and principles for us to master and incorporate into our very being, the essential qualities that encompass the two broad Thou Shalts of the Two Great Commandments, even the very characteristics of Jesus Christ himself.  These detailed instructions are especially found in the principles or laws, and the ordinances and the covenants of our temple endowment.  President Ezra Taft Benson has taught, “The celestial kingdom, residence of God, our Eternal Father, is comprised of men and women who have complied with divine law...  They are just men [and women] made perfect through the mediation and atonement of Jesus Christ... They are obedient to celestial law...  Celestial laws, embodied in certain ordinances belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, are complied with by voluntary covenants.  The laws are spiritual.  Thus, our Father in Heaven has ordained certain holy sanctuaries, called temples, in which these laws may be fully explained, the laws include the law of obedience and sacrifice, the law of the gospel [of Jesus Christ], the law of chastity, and the law of consecration.” (Ezra Taft Benson, A Vision and Hope for the Youth of Zion, April 12, 1977 BYU address)
    So, for hopeful and committed disciples of Jesus Christ, the progressive mastery of these highest celestial laws, as taught in endowment covenants in our temples, aided by the Spirit and supported by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, constitute the second component of our progress as His disciples, toward our divine destiny.
    In our quest for spiritual development and progress, we must both pull the weeds that sprout and grow in our personal garden and most critically, we must also plant and nourish our personal tree of eternal life, and especially learning better and perfecting how to love God and other persons.  Absolutely central and critical to this is our mastering the ability to treat other persons in a Christ-like way, loving, respecting, appreciating, forgiving, building, supporting, comforting, while also modeling the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our every action.
    I so testify, in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The Law of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

THE LAW OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST (THE DUTIES OF DISCIPLES/BAPTIZED MEMBERS)

         Recently in discussions with my extended family regarding our studying of the Book of Mormon, I suggested a focus for myself–this is, better defining and understanding of  the new law or covenant that replaced the law of Moses as alluded to in 3 Nephi 12 and beyond.  It might be thought of as a companion to the new law of sacrifice described in 3 Ne 9:19-21 (also Romans 12:1), and could be called the higher law, the celestial law, the law of the gospel, or the law of the Church. (Hint: the answers may help us better understand some of the covenants we make in the temple).  
         I got started on this question several years ago by our former temple president, Pres. Sonne, who challenged us in a temple worker preparation meeting that we ought to study for ourselves and learn what the covenant to keep the Law of the Gospel meant, that it was at that time the only one of the temple endowment covenants that was not defined in the endowment process itself, and that we ought to know what we are covenanting to do.  (Note: There has been a recent clarification which appears to confirm the discussion that follows.)  He then pointed us to 3 Nephi 12-14 for the answers, which, of course, is a discussion by the Savior about the new, higher law that was replacing the Law of Moses.
          Jeffrey M. Bradshaw introduces his discussion of the Law of the Gospel in this way: “Although in a general sense, “the law of the Gospel embraces all laws, principles, and ordinances necessary for our exaltation, “the interpretive context of the temple specifically brings to mind pointed instructions relating to Christlike behavior toward one’s fellow man” (Jeffrey M. Bradshaw,  http://www.templethemes.net/publications/Meridian/100422-The%20Five%20Celestial%20Laws.pdf, p. 6).  Along the same vein, Elder James Talmadge, in his study of the temple defines this law as “being charitable, benevolent, tolerant, and pure,” (James E Talmadge, The House of the Lord: a Study of Holy Sanctuaries Ancient and Modern (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1912), 100)
         Similarly, here is a definition provided by Professor Hugh Nibley.  The law of the Gospel “puts restraints on personal behavior, it mandates deportment, self-control to make oneself agreeable to all.”  (p. 481)
         Nibley then provides this historical perspective on the giving of the gospel law:  “The gospel was given to Adam and Eve when “after many days” of sacrificing, “an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam” and taught him the plan of salvation (Moses 5:6-9).  Adam and Eve joyfully embraced it and taught to their children (see Moses 5:10-12).  But Satan came among them, saying:... Believe it not;,,, and men began to from that time forth to be carnal, sensual, and devilish” (Moses 5:13).  The gospel entails a definite pattern or style of life best defined as the opposite of “carnal, sensual, and devilish.”  One of the charges or responsibilities connected with adherence to the gospel is reiterated in the “Olive Leaf” revelation: “Organize yourselves;... establish a house, even a house of prayer... Therefore, cease from all your light speeches, from all laughter, from all your lustful desires, from all your pride and light-mindedness, and from all your wicked doings (D&C 88:119, 121)   (Hugh Nibley, Of the Sacred and the Symbolic” and “Abraham’s Temple Drama,” in Stephen D. Ricks, ed., Eloquent Witness: Nibley on Himself, Others, and the Temple, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley: Vol 17, Salt Lake: FARMS/Deseret Book, 2008,  pp. 481, also 357-360.)
         The initial general-sense definition in Bradshaw’s article is a direct quote from President Benson, and seems to be echoed by other prophets and authorities, so certainly could be taken as the final and correct answer to the definitional question.  In the context of the temple however, I wonder along with Jeffrey Bradshaw, Elder Talmadge, and Hugh Nibley if a more specific meaning might be intended.  After all, most of the other covenants are quite specific.  Why would they need to be specified if this other law were to be understood to be quite comprehensive across all principles, etc.?  Note Jeffrey Bradshaw’s suggestion that this law might point primarily to how we treat other persons and Nibley’s that it had to do with our deportment in relations to others.  That seems to me to be consistent with President Sonne’s hint that we might find the answers in 3 Nephi 12-14.  These chapters are the New World version of the Biblical Sermon on the Mount, in which the Savior lists a series of directions for how his followers should live in contrast to specific rules under Mosaic Law.  These are higher laws and seem largely to pertain to how those of us have been baptized into Christ’s church should act and also think and feel in relationship to others.  Analyzing the focus of most of the other temple endowment covenants, with the exception of the law of chastity the focus seems largely on our personal response to the needs of the Kingdom.  Yet much of other higher level Gospel instruction in other contexts suggests a critical role for relationships.  For example,
         – Charity, the highest virtue, is all about our attitudes and treatment of others.
         – The finest of the members of the Church can be identified by their “peaceable walk with the children of men.” (Moro 7:3-4)
         – Salvation is for individuals, but the highest glory, exaltation, includes relationships with family.
         Perhaps then it would be reasonable and fitting that at least one of the temple endowment covenants be focused upon how our Father wants us to learn to treat to each other, about how to develop and maintain holy or Christlike relationships.
    To study further the meaning of the Law of the Gospel, I looked at several scriptural sources, in all of which we are taught the moral laws that are to be obeyed by disciples of Christ, those who have accepted by the covenant of baptism into His church.  They are found in
1) 3 Nephi 12-14, in which the Savior teaches the Nephites about the new covenant or higher law that replaced the Law of Moses,
2) the parallel chapters in the Bible about the same topic (Matthew 5-7),
3) Romans chapters 12-13 in which Paul discussed the moral laws of the gospel for persons who have become Christians with the grand summing up of all these commandments being the Golden Rule (Rom. 13:9),
4) 2 Nephi 26:29-32 where Nephi briefly recites the Lord’s commandments to the laborer in Zion,
5) D&C 42, in which the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph the “Law of the Church” (see the section heading and also verses 2 and 69),
6) Mosiah 18:8-10 (and the remainder of chapter 18), where the prophet Alma explains to persons he is preparing to baptize the covenant they are making,
7) Alma 5, in which Alma provides much detail about what is expected of members of the Church
8) King Benjamin’s instruction to Church members, Mosiah chapters 4 and 5.
9) Scriptural description of Zion-like communities of saints, where all the people “were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness”:
    –Enoch’s city of Holiness or Zion (Moses 7)
    –Nephite society for more than a century after Christ’s visit (4 Nephi 1-18)
    –New Testament apostolic church for a brief period (Acts 2:42-47)
    Here are my groupings of the various commandments and directions that are contained in these scriptures:

The Law of the Gospel: The Nineteen Commandments
1    Be one body in Christ, united with other believers in a Christian community that regularly and together pledges faithfulness to Christ;
Love one another
In your local Christian community (branch/ward/stake) minister to the spiritual and temporal needs of other members and contribute to a Zion-like spirit
Serve faithfully in the offices of the Church
Labor for Zion, not for gain or the praise of the world  Rom.12:4-8, 10
Mosiah 18:8-10
2 Ne. 26:29-31 Moses 7
4 Nephi 1-18
Acts 2:42-47

2    Preach/share the gospel
Stand as a witness of God at all times and in all places    D&C 42:6-15
Mosiah 18:8-10

3    Not kill     D&C 42:19
Rom. 13:9
2 Ne. 26:32

4    Not steal     D&C 42:20
Rom. 13:9
2 Ne. 26:32

5    Not lie     D&C 42:21
Rom. 13:9
2 Ne. 26:32

6    Not covet    Rom. 13:9
2 Ne. 26:32

7    Avoid ill-feeling and ill-speaking to others:
Prohibition against anger, ill-speaking and ridicule of brethren (Lord’s Anointed) and others  
Manage and redirect feelings of anger, hatred, vengeance, covetousness/greed
Avoid provocative language     
Be slow to be offended, avoid quarrels and contention
Deal in Christ-like way with those who give offense to you        Matt 5:21-22
3 Ne 12:21-22
D&C 42:27
D&C 42: 88-92
2 Ne. 26:32

8    Heal relationships:
Go more than half-way to resolve differences
Foundational to other religious practices; do first; do quickly
Reconciliation is required before proceeding with other religious practices    Matt 5:23-26
3 Ne 12:23-26

9    Be quick to forgive
Love neighbor/enemies, no vengeance        
Be forgiving of others, tolerant of others’ weaknesses
Not be judgmental of others
Love others and weep for those who die     Matt 5:38-47 Matt 6:14-15 Matt 7:1-5, 12 Rom 12:14-15, 17-21
3 Ne 12:38-45
3 Ne 13:16-18
3 Ne 14:1-5
D&C 42: 44-45

10    Spiritual integrity, fully committed to God and righteousness, in actions, feelings, and thoughts
Not light minded
Steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works
Blameless, humble, stripped of pride and envy    Matt 5:29-30 Matt 6:19-24
3 Ne 13:19-24
3 Ne 14:13-27
Mosiah 5:15
Alma 5:28-29

11    Actions/behaviors are motivated by love of God and charity, as opposed to fear of punishment or to be admired by other persons
Be charitable privately
Fast and pray privately     Matt 6:1-6, 16-18
3 Ne 13:1-6

12    Chastity, be faithful to marital covenants
Be holy, cleanse mind of lustful and impure thoughts, the desire for unrestrained sexual gratification, or using another for selfish exploitation    Matt 4:27-28
3 Ne 12:27-30 D&C 42:22-26, 74-77
2 Ne. 26:32

13    Love spouse with all thy heart; cleave unto her/(him) and none else
Marriage not to be dissolved lightly
Take good care of and provide for your children,
Teach them to walk in truth and soberness, to not fight and quarrel with one another, to love and serve one another    D&C 42:22
Matt 5:31-32
3 Ne 12:31-32
Mosiah 4:14-15

14    Oaths should be Yes Yes and No No    
Avoid vulgar or obscene language
Not take God’s name in vain     Matt 5:33-37
3 Ne 12:33-37
2 Ne. 26:32

15    Appearance/clothing not ostentatious
Dress modestly
Clean  
Not boisterous, or display loud laughter
Walk honestly, not in rioting, drunkenness, wantonness, strife and envy
Eat healthily, abstain from harmful substances    Rom. 12:13
D&C 42:40-41
Alma 5:53
D&C 89

16    When praying, express feelings honestly, not vain repetitions
Be prayerful continually    Matt 6:7-13
Rom. 12:12
3 Ne 13:7-13

17    Not be idle,
Work to provide for self
Owe no-one anything    D&C 42:42
Rom. 13:8

18    Generosity with own resources, impart of substance to poor
Not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish    D&C 42:30-39 Rom. 12:13  2 Ne. 26:30-31

19    Be subject to higher earthly powers    Rom. 13:1-7

    The Apostle Paul presents a grand summing up of all these commandments (the Golden Rule):  “... and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Rom. 13:9-10)

 

Motives for Temple Attendance

Why go to the temple?
    In former years, going to the temple once in a lifetime or on very special occasions was really the only possibility for persons who lived outside of the Utah-Idaho-Arizona LDS corridor.  We have heard recently of the wonderful sacrifices to attend the temple by pioneer converts in Japan and early members in Tonga, who prepared for years to afford the trip to Hawaii or New Zealand to seal their families together. Also, poor farmer family converts in northwest Arkansas loading the entire family into an old pick-up truck to make the trip to Mesa AZ.  
    Closer to home, on our mission Wendy and I saw several persons in our little Mt. Zion branch who had been up to the Raleigh Temple once for family sealings (2 hour drive) but not returned again.  It just seemed like it was too far and too much trouble.  
    JoAnn and I both came from families who were good people, but seemed to have something of this same temple attitude as above, by choice.  My grandfather Frank Davenport was endowed before he served a mission and he and Grandma Kate were married in the Logan Temple.  However, they immediately settled in Oregon 1000 miles away from a temple and I am not sure if they ever experienced the temple again, perhaps at most once or twice while visiting family in Utah.  To me it seems a little sad that they left a place that had one of only the three or four temples in existence at that time.  
    JoAnn's Evans ancestors were Dan Jones converts in Wales in the 1850s, migrated to Utah in the 1880s, and seemed to have the tradition that sometime in their lifetime everyone should try to qualify to have their families sealed together in the temple.  JoAnn’s parents achieved this in May 1965 after more than 30 years of marriage.  This was on the day before Angela was born.  I do not know whether they were ever inside a temple again.
    But over time we are learning how to appreciate the temple more.  And Church leaders are giving more emphasis to attending the temple regularly and often as a way to increase one's own spirituality and connection to God.
    We know people who perform temple work several days a week.  As temple workers, we see numerous elderly people who overcome their impediments and come regularly to the temple with their canes and walkers, wheel chairs, oxygen machines, pillows and pads.
    What motivates people to come to the temple?  Initially of course it is:
        1. To perform and participate in temple ordinances for oneself and those in our immediate family.
    However, recently when many of our current church leaders talk about the temple in conference or other places, they tend to put emphasis on our own spiritual blessings and development that occurs from repeated temple attendance.  President Nelson has asked and challenged us to attend the temple regularly and “as often as our circumstances permit”.  
    Here are several added reasons to make regular and repeated temple attendance an important part of our lives:
         2. To worship God (D&C 109:14, 24) and to experience His very presence and His cleansing (D&C 88:66, 74-75), to personally remember and give thanks and adoration for Christ’s suffering, sacrifice, atonement, forgiveness, and goodness and for all heavenly blessings in one’s own individual life.                         3.  To anchor (Ether 12:4) and bind (Pres. Nelson) oneself personally to Heavenly Father, the Savior, and Their Church, including experiencing intensely Their peace and the fulness of Their Spirit (D&C 109:15) and Their love for you, gaining a vision of who you really are and can become, obtaining inspiration and direction for one’s own life and also the personal strength, support, and healing power to successfully cope with life’s challenges, problems, and burdens.
         4. To better learn and implement in one’s own life and character the principles and laws that encompass the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood level of the covenant path as a consecrated disciple of Christ (D&C 84:19-20), facilitating our personal mastery of these celestial Christ-like principles (2 Peter 1:4, 1 John 3:1-2) by recommitting in a sacramental way to these temple covenants, in preparation to being able to live with Him in His heavenly Kingdom.
         5. To be a savior on Mt. Zion (Obadiah 1:21, D&C 84:32, D&C 128:24, D&C 138:47-48) and help gather Israel on the other side of the veil, performing ordinances for persons who have died, especially serving one’s own ancestors and relations who have been identified by our own family history research.
         6. To be strengthened as a missionary, to have angels bear one up, to go forth armed with power, and bear the great and glorious tidings of the restored Gospel to the ends of the earth (D&C 109:22-23).
         7. To maintain and strengthen eternal bonds with those persons and family that we love the most, through participating with them in the ordinances of the temple.
         8. To experience and be united in a brotherhood or sisterhood, even a Zion-like community fellowship, to celebrate and strengthen bonds to other wonderful Latter-day Saints and disciples of Christ (ward or stake, temple associates, friends) and to help others have a temple experience.

 

All Bets Are Off

    As a young boy, I somehow reached the conclusion, probably from my mother, that betting was wrong.  Betting is of course when one wagers some money or possession on the outcome of a game or the correctness of an issue.  People are supposed to earn their way in this world by true effort and good deeds.  From an early age, I only allowed myself to engage in a so called “Gentlemans’s Bet” wherein it was agreed that an outcome did not result in any change in some possession.
    I recall a time as a schoolboy when one Spring playing marbles became the major recess pastime.  Although I could shoot these shiney glass objects pretty well and having a big collection seemed admirable, I would not enter into any contest where “keepsies” was involved, that is where the winner got to keep anyones’ marbles that they shot out of the ring.  
    At a broader level at one time there seemed to be a cultural prohibition against sport-related betting, relating back to the example of the Chicago Black Sox scandal, This is where a prominent and talented baseball player, Joe Jackson and eight others, were banned for life from playing in the majors.  They were accused of losing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds on purpose in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate led by an organized crime figure.  This gambling intrusion distracted from the purity and fairness of the competition and was thought by baseball leaders and also probably the majority of citizens to detract from the purity and enjoyment of America’s favorite pastime.
    In my own value development I came to see any material earthly resource as ultimately belonging to Heavenly Father, with myself as a steward of these gifts, and generally if not earned by my own effort is not a worthy acquisition.  Seemingly, this prohibited trying to add to my possessions through any kind of gambling.
    And anyway, responding to organized gambling is a very bad bet.  How much of the money that is wagered with gambling sponsors is returned to the betters?  Obviously less than 100% because the costs of running the organization is an administrative overhead expense that has to be subtracted from the amount of total amount of money involved in the betting transaction and available to pay off the winners.  Thus the whole gambling transaction has to be set up in a way that on the average of something like only 90% or 80% or maybe even less of the original amount wagered can be returned as payoffs.  While there may be higher payoffs to some at some point, that law of averages dictates eventually that most gamblers will be losers.
    Regarding sports betting, I am troubled and concerned that the leaders of major sports leagues in this country have opened a Pandora’s box of potential troubles.  In recent months, they seemed to have made Las Vegas and betting an integral part of being a fan of their teams and openly advertise sports-betting on their broadcasts of games on national TV.  I hope that in our family, we can continue to love and support good, clean sports competition but also fully avoid the corrupting trap of sports betting.

Temple and Family History Organization in a Ward and Stake

Problem
    Volunteering and serving as a consultant at a FamilySearch Center and serving as a ward family history consultant for a number of years has given me a perspective from which I have determined that some major difficulties exist in many wards and stakes in our response to the mandate to perform temple and family history work.  While the sample of my experience may be somewhat limited, yet as I interact with a number of individuals who have ward and stake callings in regard to this work, and I hear of their struggles and see recurring patterns that seem to be problematic.
    It appears that general membership of the Church may not fully understand the new and greater responsibilities placed upon Elders Quorum and Relief Society presidencies by the Church, to provide the primary ward leadership for temple and family history work (Handbook 25.2.2).  There may be a tendency to continue to look instead to the ward Bishopric for leadership and specific direction for temple and family history efforts in the ward.  Secondly, individuals who occupy Elders and Relief Society functions that affect temple and history work may not fully understand the importance of their roles and responsibility to provide leadership for temple and family history matters.  While in some respects, we all are responsible for every facet and feature of the work of the Lord, there have been recent changes in the degree of responsibility in the ward organization.  One change is that the direct responsibility and supervision by the ward Bishop and Bishopric for certain Melchizedek Priesthood functions has been reduced, for matters relating to temple and family history work (and similarly missionary work).  With the creation of a single Melchizedek Priesthood organization at the ward level, the Elders Quorum, this quorum leadership now has been given a primary responsibility in the ward for leading in these specific higher priesthood efforts (see D & C 84:19-20).  We see in this move by the Church to create important Melchizedek priesthood function councils at the ward level (and perhaps also the stake and area levels) a replication of the apostolic Executive Committees for such things as Temple and Family History and for Missionary Work at the general church level.  And perhaps the most major change of all is the elevation of the Relief Society Presidency to near equal responsibility and joint leadership status with the Elders Presidency for these ward level efforts.  The risk in the lack of these new understandings may well be fragmentation of ward efforts in these areas, or failure to give sufficient attention or emphasis to this work, both of which would seem to weaken the effort of the ward in these areas.  There is an interconnectedness of responsibilities that seems to require a broad consensus in order for members to successfully carry out goals, policies, and procedures in the local levels of the Church.
    To optimize the temple and family history work in a ward, it would seem helpful for the following to be on the same page:
    –The Elders President and his designated Counselor
    –The Relief Society President and her designated Counselor
    –The Ward Temple and Family History Leader
    And to a lesser degree (but still vital):
    –Family History Consultants and members of the ward temple and family history committee
    –Members of the Ward Council, including the bishopric and also youth leaders.
    Another challenge to consider is how a ward temple and family history leader should operate in this context.  The Handbook of Instructions identifies an individual ward calling of a Temple and Family History Leader.  This assignment  may be filled by a counselor in the Elders Quorum Presidency or another Melchizedek Priesthood holder.  Four persons are involved in the decision as to whom to call to that position.  According to the Church Handbook of Instructions, the Bishop and Stake President determine which option to follow (Elders counselor or other person), and also the Elders and Relief Society Presidents are to give input as the individual to be called.  The call is to be issued by a member of the bishopric and sustained in Sacrament meeting, and the setting apart performed by a member of the Bishopric.  Even though this is a ward leadership calling, the immediate supervision of this Temple and Family History Leader is by the Elders Quorum and Relief Society presidencies and particularly the Elders Counselor assigned to “help lead temple and family history in the ward” (Handbook 8.2.2, 8.2.4, 9.2.4).  I might suggest that a reason for the call of this person by the Bishopric rather than it being a call within the Elders Quorum is that the work cuts across the major responsibilities of two ward organizations, Elders and Relief Society.  
    When this calling is made, it seems critical that the individual must be clearly informed and understand the requirement for him to accept his primary supervision to be from the Elders and Relief Society Presidencies and to promote his directing of the work through them.  If he or others assume that he answers organizationally to the person issuing the call or any other individual who is not a part of the Elders or Relief Society presidencies, the needed unity and cooperation for this work within the ward will likely suffer.  Also, as holding a significant Melchizedek Priesthhood calling, it goes without saying that the ward temple and family history leader should not carry other assignments that interfere with his being present in Elders Quorum meetings regularly to teach and promote his special mission.  Also the efforts of a ward temple and family history leader will probably work best and reflect the leadership of the Relief Society and Elders Quorum if he is included regularly in correlation meetings of these two presidencies, especially prior to his scheduled appearances with the Ward Council, in order to be able to present a well-considered and united position to the rest of the ward leaders.   
    We are seeing a number of persons with temple and family history leader callings functioning largely in isolation.  Sometimes these persons may make the choice to operate in isolation or unilaterally.  Unilateral actions by a person who is in such a directing role is inconsistent with the order of the Church, and in the long run will not get the job done because success requires the commitment of many persons acting unitedly.  This is particularly the case if the temple and family history leader in a ward does not want to take direction from or seek intense involvement of the Elders Quorum and Relief Society leadership as being his supervising authorities.
    A second reason for this isolation of the temple and family history leader may result from a lack of understanding or training of either the temple and family history leader and/or of the leaders of the Elders Quorum or Relief Society, so that they do not understand or are indifferent to their important shared responsibilities in the ward for providing leadership for temple and family history work or are holding on to “the old way of doing things”.
    Here are some added suggestions that might help in overcoming these problems.


1. Calling of a new ward temple and family history leader
    The person issuing the call should make it very clear that the new leader knows that in this calling he needs to support and represent the Elders Quorum and Relief Society Presidencies as they are asked to “lead the day to day temple and family history efforts in the ward” (Handbook 25.2.2) and that his immediate file leader is a specified Elders Quorum Counselor.  Some individuals have suggested that the Elders President (and even the Relief Society President) attend these calling interviews and be the person(s) to provide instruction on the duties and organizational relationships for the new assignment.  Or alternatively, to schedule and hold a separate meeting with the four of them and the new leader, to discuss how it works and to "hand off" the Temple and Family History leader to the EQ and RS presidents (or counselors).

2. Oversight of ward Elders Quorums and Relief Society Presidencies
    The problem of a lack of Elders Quorum leadership for temple and family history work might be cured by focused attention to this potential problem by members of the Stake High Council who are assigned to oversee and support the specific ward Elders quorum presidencies (Handbook 25.3.3)
    – Training Elders Quorum Presidencies on their roles and responsibilities for temple and family history work
    – More specific training for the Quorum counselor who is assigned to temple and family history work (especially where some other man is the temple and family history chair).
    –Specific suggestions as to how the presidency could involve a ward temple and family history leader in their discussions and planning, how to structure regular correlational meetings and contacts with the leader and how to use quorum meetings and resources to promote temple and family history work.  
    The Stake Relief Society Presidency might fill a similar oversight and training role with ward Relief Society leaders (Handbook 25.3.4)
    The High Councilors and Stake Relief Society leaders might be assisted in this by stake temple and family history consultants, who are part of a stake committee on temple and family history work (Handbook 25.3.5)
    Another approach to training that has been used successfully by some stakes is for the stake temple and family history leadership persons to schedule a monthly training time, in this case on a Sunday afternoon once a month, at the local FamilySearch Center, inviting all the ward temple and family history leaders, ward consultants, and members of ward temple and family history committees to attend.  These meetings might present a mix of formal family history research training and discussion of problems and ideas for organizing and promoting this work in the wards and stake.  This might provide an alternative (or supplement) to the correlation meeting suggested below in item 4, plus have the added benefit of familiarizing all these persons with the local Center and its resources.

3. Creation of a stake temple and family history committee with persons of specific expertise in this work
    These persons might be deployed to help with training of ward Elders Quorum and Relief Society Presidencies, Temple and Family History Leaders, and Temple and Family History Consultants.  This committee might also focus on integrating and the optimal use of family history resources of the wards, the stake and the local FamilySearch Center.

4. Stake High Councilor Over Temple and Family History Work Correlation Meeting with Ward Temple and Family History Work Leaders
    It has been suggested that coordination and commitment to temple and family history work, on the part of both ward and of stake leaders, might be facilitated by the High Councilor over temple and family history work holding a meeting periodically, perhaps every three to six months, with the ward temple and family history chairmen.  Purposes would include providing information on stake initiatives and other resources, receiving feedback and considering solutions to temple and family history issues and problems, and to train and motivate these leaders, etc.
    The High Councilor should seek specific information about:
    –What is the nature of the working relationships that exist in the wards between the temple and family history leaders and their ward Elders quorum and Relief Society leadership?
    –Are the ward temple and family history committees fully staffed and meeting regularly, probably monthly?
    –Do the wards each have a temple and family history plan that it is following conscientiously?  Do these plans include actions to be carried out by all ward functions, including the Young Men, the Young Women, Primary, and representing a broad consensus and commitment across the entire ward?
    –Are there enough consultants in the wards?  Do they need more training?  Does the ward meet its assignment for consultants serving with the local FamilySearch Center?
    –Are the formal resources for training consultants adequate and being utilized?
    –Is the ward making effective use of the local FamilySearch Center resources?

5. For all temple and family history callings, ward, stake, and FamilySearch Center workers
    The feelings of isolation reported by some workers might be partly alleviated if when called, the leader emphasizes the interrelatedness of all the family history resources, in the ward, stake and FamilySearch Center.  Ward calls might direct the recipient to stake and Center for training, and potentially to their support of Center activities and staffing needs.
    
REL: rev. May 20, 2024

Established, Rooted, Grounded, and Settled– Supporting Scriptures for the Lewis Family Creed

    The original Lewis Family Creed in full form: Raise up the foundation of many generations. We seek successive generations of grandparents, parents, and children who are grounded, rooted, settled, and established (Ephesians 3:16-19) in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sealed in His Holy Temple.
    Shorter version: We seek successive generations of grandparents, parents, and children who are grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sealed in His Holy Temple

24 We ask thee, Holy Father, to establish the people that shall worship, and honorably hold a name and standing in this thy house, to all generations and for eternity; (D&C 109:24)

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,  (Ephesians 3:16-17)

22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; (Colossians 1:22-23)

6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7)

12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13)

16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Peter 5:10)

Recording oral history interviews

     There is a wealth of insights available in the experiences and memories of older family members, that will evaporate when they are dead.  Performing and recording oral interviews can provide wonderful family history records.  Young persons may be especially adept at doing oral history interviews.
    Preparation:
1. Find a set of oral history questions that will be appropriate.  Attached are some possible sets of oral interview questions.  There are a number of web sites and books that suggest additional options.  You may also write and add your own questions.  When interviewing, be prepared to ask more detailed questions that occur to you as a discussion goes forward.
2. Obtain audio recording equipment with the possibility of recording at least a one hour interview.
3. Plan to transcribe the interview and also save the recording, to preserve the voice of the interviewee.  There are free on-line tools that can assist with the transcription.

Family Connection to New Movie Hero

    Wendy and I were thrilled and inspired by the new movie “Escape from Germany,” and were especially touched by the fact that we are relatively close relatives of the missionary hero of the film, Norman Seibold (FS ID: KWCB-J56).  We learned in the movie that his wife was Ruby Davenport (FS ID: KWZM-7XP).  She and I are 2nd cousins once removed, both descended from Edward Wilcox Davenport and his wife Clarissa Crapo.  They were married in the Salt Lake Temple,  9 February 1940, the parents of 6 children, and lived in Southern Idaho.
    Death announcement “Mormon Hero”
    “Norman Seibold, who helped his fellow Mormon missionaries leave Germany in 1939 as the Nazi threat grew, died Friday. He was 88.
    “As the Nazis were setting their sights on Poland, Seibold decided to find the stranded missionaries in Germany and get them out.
    “Seibold went to train stations and employed a common signal, whistling the first five notes of the Mormon hymn, "Do What Is Right."
    “Any missionaries on hand would gather around him. In five days he rounded up all 85 in the country and evacuated them.
    “In 1956, Seibold moved to Rupert, ID, where he managed Imperial Produce Co. From 1962 to 1982, he managed the Minidoka Stake Welfare Farm, and from 1983 to 1995, he was a Minidoka County commissioner.” (Grand Rapids Press, The (MI)/4 December 2003)
    Here is an excerpt about their life from my Aunt Dorothy’s Davenports Ancestry in America, written by Ruby herself (pp. 154-155).
    “Late in the year 1939 I met Norman Seibold, a recently returned missionary who had come to Parker to operate a grocery store.
    “Norman and his parents moved to Newdale soon after his birth and his father established a grocery business. After attending Ricks College, he graduated from the University of Utah in business and accounting. He was all-conference guard for two years while playing football for the U. of U. After graduation he filled a mission in West Germany.
    “A few months after our marriage we moved to Idaho Falls where Norman operated a meat market in one of the grocery stores. Then, during the war years we lived in Newdale where my husband was engaged in farming. Later we lived in the Idaho Falls area where he managed different meat markets.
    “In the spring of 1950 we bought a grocery store in St. Anthony which we operated for six years. During that time one of our newborn babies died of virus pneumonia when she was just two days old.
    “In 1956 we moved to Rupert where Norman went to work for Imperial Produce Co., managing their potato shipping plant and farming operations. This is where he is employed at the present time (1962)”.

A Shout-out to the Mothers and Fathers in our Family

    We have just passed the time each year when we celebrate good motherhood and good fatherhood.  So I say “A big positive shout-out, my praise and thanks, to the magnificent mothers and fathers in our Lewis family.”  You are doing so very well in establishing and maintaining strong, loving and united homes in which our family members thrive, feel the bonds of love and their own exceptional worth and value, and are inspired to achieve their highest potential.
    In a recent article by Jenet Erickson, she notes “If we were asked to design a system for making sure that children’s... needs were met, we would probably come up with something quite similar to the two-parent ideal... [There is]...something powerful in the design—mother and father—devoted to something larger than themselves, nurturing the children their love brought into being... The ideal context for [their] development was a married mother and father parenting together.”
    I loved Jenet’s detailed description of a mother-infant relation and of the relative differences in the mothering and fathering relationships with the children:
    “I recently sat beside a new mother. Her infant, just six weeks old, was still struggling to nurse and bottle-feed. His utter dependence struck me. He gazed directly into his mother’s face, locking his eyes on hers. In spite of seeming to have literally no real capacities, it was clear that he recognized her. She was his entire world. For a second, his mouth broke into a smile, and I watched her exhaustion give way to radiance.
    “Like all infants, his primary task was to search out a face—wired to seek the one whose heartbeat and smell and voice he already intimately knew, whose blood and organs and bones built his. His fetal cells will circulate in her body long after he has grown into adulthood. The bond they were primed to form is an intuitive extension of their biological connection.  
    “For the next year of his life, they will communicate through emotions, eye to eye, body to body. She will regulate his inner world by intuitively synchronizing herself with his inner state, then upregulating the emotion, doing what he cannot yet do for himself. In the process, their bond of emotional communication will lay the foundations for his emotional awareness, personality, self-regulation, and capacity for intimacy.
    “He will also connect with Dad, especially as he becomes a toddler. Their bond will look different, more playful, and physical. When Mom holds a ball in front of him, she might describe its color and shape; when Dad takes it, he is more likely to play with it, maybe even bop him on the head with it. Mom and Dad will do much of the same things—nurture, guide, teach, feed—but they will also offer distinct orientations. Dad will be more likely to encourage independence and risk taking; Mom more likely to build assurance and emotional understanding, the one he will go to for comfort. She’ll likely correct his behavior more often, but when Dad corrects, he will hold the line, enforcing boundaries and communicating authority. Dad is the one he will rough house with while he learns how to handle strong emotions and relate to others in regulated ways. But Mom is likely the one he will want to talk to about his day.
    “Together, they will offer him a fuller and more complete understanding of himself and the world and how he can navigate its complexity with assurance and capacity. When he calls out “Dad,” the voice that responds will assure him that needed protection, guidance, and help are close. His call for “Mom” will bring a different, also essential, form of soul-nourishing protection, help, and guidance.
    “There is something irreplaceable in this complementary design...”
(“How Parents and Children Benefit from Fidelity to One Another,” Jenet Erickson, PublicSquare Magazine, June 12, 2024, https://publicsquaremag.org)
    I have written more about the nature and importance of the father-child relationship  (See Chapter 18 “Some thoughts about Male-Female Marital Roles and Relationships” in The Higher Law, the Temple, and Families, pp 109-121).  For additional study, I also strongly recommend a pair of chapters in Bruce Hafen’s book Covenant Hearts, #18 The Moral Influence of Women, and #19 The Moral Influence of Men.  
    God bless you all. 

Binding Persons to a Large Organization--Strategies for a Ward

     How can we best help individual persons people feel a part of a large organization, to bind them or give them a sense of belonging to that organization, particularly if that organization is new to them or they initially do not feel part of it?  Some psychologists have taught that this happens best as persons build a number of close individual relationships with other persons in that organization and that this relationship building happens best in small intimate group settings or one on one interactions that occur in connection with or sponsored by the larger organization.
    How might this insight apply in connection with feelings about our own wards in the Church of Jesus Christ?  This might especially be of concern when people move to a new residence, or if persons are naturally shy or reserved, or we have major ward boundary changes, or for persons who are relatively “less active” in the Church, or not even members of the Church but live in Utah neighborhoods.  This emotional connectivity seems to occur naturally and progressively over time for persons who serve in Church presidencies, bishoprics, and other small leadership groups, and perhaps also when effective ministering exists and when interviews with Church leaders are experienced regularly.  But the question still remains for many–what can we do further to help facilitate other persons in our ward area in forming these friendships and close relationships with many more people and thus contribute to their greater feelings of attachment to the ward and the Church?  Specifically, what are ways a ward could structure small group gatherings that facilitate the forming of more of these closer relationships and thus bind ward members more closely to the ward and by extension, the Church and also their Savior?
    Here are some ideas:
– Plan small neighborhood street parties/breakfasts/barbecues (best at a sub-ward level, perhaps 12-15 homes at most)
– Organize small (3-4 couples max) temple (endowment or sealing) groups, with dessert at someone’s home after, (with an expectation of rotating group members on a schedule).
– Create small dinner (including games or visiting time) groups (3 or 4 couples), who rotate perhaps monthly hosting at each of the member homes (also group membership changed often, perhaps after one or two rotations).
– Organize family history writing/FS memories group (4 or 5 persons) small, who share/report their writings and records about their own family.
– Organize church-house cleaning groups
– Organize neighborhood service groups (yard clean-up, assist move-ins and move-outs, help elderly/widows/handicapped, cannery assignments)
– Call/assign Relief Society/Elders Quorum Activities Committees (4 or 5 persons each).  In their work, they could sponsor both ward wide events, but also promote activities of interest to smaller subsets, and be the organizers/assigners of participants and lead persons for these small group activities.  Here are some small subset group possibilities: health and exercise groups (walking, jogging, swimming, aerobics, weight-loss), sports and recreation (basketball shooting, pickleball, attending BYU games together, fishing, camping), young mothers’ group (sewing, meal planning, family finances, playground visits), book reading, classic movies, gardening, quilting.
    Possible references to committees and small working groups in Handbook:
Missionary coordination 23.4    8.2.3
Temple and family history coordination 25.2.7   25.2.2
Young single adults support 14.1.2.2
Activities   RS 9.2.1.3      EQ 8.2.1.3    Ward 20.2.1
Young women preparation for RS 9.4
Teaching prospective Elders    8.4
Service to people in need   9.2.2.2   9.3.4   22.6.2    8.3.5   8.2.2.2

Two-way Impact of Temples

    There is great spiritual benefit, even personal transformation, for individual saints in participating regularly in the house of the Lord, as Joseph Smith prayed to the Father at the Kirtland Temple dedication, that “all people... may feel thy power, ...may grow up in thee, ...may receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost, ...and be prepared to receive every needful thing” (D&C 109:13-15).  In the temple ceremonies, we are taught, make covenants, and given reminders of the very principles and laws that define the pathway to celestial life.
     The temple can also contribute mightily to a sense of Zion-like community cohesion, as taught by President Nelson, that in the temple, “age, nationality, language—even position in the Church—are of secondary significance… All sit side by side and are considered equal in the eyes of the Lord. Through a democracy of dress, temple attendance reminds us that ‘God is no respecter of persons” ("Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple", October 2010 General Conference).  Temple-going Latter-day Saints have forged bonds of community connection through group temple trips, both for adults and youths, by attending temple sessions together in our wards and stakes, through service alongside other members of the community as temple workers, and through assisting with each other’s family research and ordinance work for ancestors. In fact, the Lord stated a communal purpose for the building of temples “for the gathering together of my saints, that they might worship me” (D&C 115:8).
    See also: "The Audacity of Temples" by Dan Ellsworth, Public Square Magazine (publicsquaremag.org, February 19, 2024) 

Temple Garments and the Sacrament

     Here is some recent instruction from President Nelson on our temple garments and their worshipfulness:

        Wherever your personal ‘closet’ may be…plan to have a period of private time in that setting to prepare, to ponder, and to pray.
        Prior to doing so, you will have clothed yourself with the garment of the holy priesthood. This may seem little more than a routine step in preparing for the day.  However, as you clothe yourself in this holy garment please think about the temple.  Specifically, I invite you to reflect upon those moments when you stand at the veil of the temple.
        I want you to know what the Apostle Paul taught about the veil of the temple [in Hebrews, chapter 10, starting at verse 19].  Your garment is symbolic of the veil (of the temple); the veil is symbolic of the Lord Jesus Christ. So when you put on your garment, you may feel that you are truly putting upon yourself the very sacred symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ — His life, His ministry and His mission, which was to atone for every daughter and son of God.
        Each day when you clothe yourself once again with the holy garment, you may ponder about all he has done for you and for all people who would ever live. You may also reflect upon the great privileges that come to those who learn how to draw upon the powers of heaven.
        Our garments are a shield and protection for us both physically and spiritually. They protect us from the fiery darts of the adversary, which may be aimed at us and our loved ones during the day. And, very simply, wearing the garment faithfully and respectfully gives us greater access to the mercy, protection, strength and power of our Savior Jesus Christ.  (https://www.thechurchnews.com/2022/6/28/23218768/president-nelson-sacrament-meeting-for-new-mission-leaders-time-with-the-lord)

    The wearing of our temple garments is sacramental.  The garment contain reminders of Christ and his sacrifice for us.  Likewise, it serves to help us remember our commitment to eternal temple covenants.  This is especially true in our emulating and acquiring the virtues and characteristics of our Savior, Jesus Christ, so that we might live with him again in the Celestial Kingdom (endowment).  Also in being faithful to and strengthening the bonds of our eternal relationships with the persons in this life that we love the very most– our spouses, our children, and other family members (sealings).  Additionally, wearing the temple garments promises to help us claim life-long protection against temptations and the powers of evil.
    Here is a comparison of the promises and blessings as we partake of the sacramental emblems and as we wear and honor our temple garments:
1. SACRAMENT:
       PROMISES MADE:
    To always remember Christ and His atoning sacrifice
    To take upon oneself Christ’s name (to be His disciple and spiritual child)
    To keep His commandments
      PROMISES RECEIVED: To always have the Spirit with us
      WHEN TO REMEMBER: Particularly at sacrament meeting, but remember always
2. WEARING TEMPLE GARMENTS:
      PROMISES MADE:
    To wear the garment throughout one’s life
    To always remember Christ and His atoning sacrifice, and His ultimate position in this life
    To keep God’s commandments, to recognize one’s need for constant spiritual nourishment
    To be faithful to one’s temple covenants (becoming like Christ, sealing to loved ones)
      PROMISES RECEIVED: Life-long protection from the power of Satan
      WHEN TO REMEMBER: Particularly after a period of personal reflection and prayer, while dressing each day, while putting on clean garments (also, be respectful, don’t stand on dirty garment or leave on floor), but remember always.

Ministering to the Ministers

     Just as the process of ministering starts with making regular (ideally monthly or even more often) contacts and visits with assigned persons or families, so also ministering to the ministers absolutely requires regular accountability contacts.  The Church Handbook says “at least quarterly” for a formal accountability meeting, but perhaps contacts happening more often, such as a monthly phone call.
        “Anything new about your families/sisters that I need to know?”
        “What has happened with _______ issue or problem?”
        “How are you feeling about your relationship with them?”
        “Have you visited them recently/over the past month?”
    As an aside, it might be helpful if brothers and sisters with ministering assignments in a ward might be expected to be the first line of defense, the primary persons who are expected to provide ministering efforts to members with needs.  We have a tradition of wonderful bishops, relief society presidents, and priesthood leaders who reach out to help ward members.  But in the promotion of all ward members to become strong in ministering, it might be wise when a ministering leader hears of a new problem in the life of a member, to resist making a contact themselves, but rather to start by calling their assigned ministering person and suggesting that they follow up and report back with what they have learned.  It might be discouraging and almost embarrassing to learn from a Church leader the details of problems being experienced on the part of someone to whom they are assigned be the Church to be the minister.  These kinds of problems may be the very opportunity that a person needs to master the ministering process and to build ministering relationships.
    Just as Church families might often interpret the failure of an assigned minister to make visits as evidence that the person does not care for them, so also the failure of a leader to schedule and conduct quality accountability interviews at least quarterly might well be also interpreted negatively.  Either the leader does not care for the assigned minister or else he or she does not care for how the ministering program is being carried out, that effective ministering is not important.
    Based upon my experiences, I believe that quality ministering accountability interviews should be:
    1) Held regularly, no less often that quarterly.  This could be at the church, at the leader’s home, or the minister’s home
    2) Scheduled by a secretarial person
    3) Planned for at least 15-20 minutes
    4) Opened and closed with prayer
    5) Leader takes notes, copy could be shared
    6) Focus on needs of family/persons, ministering goals, strengthening the ministering relationship, the companionship, the ability of the ministers to serve this family/sister.
    Overall, making ministering assignments is only the beginning of overseeing ministering.  The goal is create effective, committed, and loving ministers and to bless every family/sister in the ward.

President Richard Barker’s System for High Quality Home Teaching
(Robert Lewis, written in 2019)
    We moved to a new home in Taylorsville, Utah in 1969, and three weeks later I was called as Elders President in our new ward.  I discovered that the Stake President, Richard Barker, had a very serious and elaborate strategy for generating high quality home teaching in his stake.  We had over 100 families assigned to our quorum.  Under this program, we achieved nearly 100% of families visited each month and I believe had a relatively high level of quality ministering relationships and ward unity.  
    In President Barker’s vision, he established a role division between stake and ward leadership.  Stake leaders would be concerned about making sure that all families were visited regularly (as per D&C 20:47/51).  Ward leaders were to be concerned about meeting the specific needs of persons and families (see Moroni 6:4).  Here are details:
    1) Home teachers averaged about four families each.  In the quorum presidency, we divided the supervision of about 30 home teaching pairs into three districts of about 10 each.
    2) The stake took most of the responsibility for overseeing that all home visits were made.
    a) Every weekend of the month, at about 9 pm on Saturday, I received a call from the High Councilor assigned to our ward, in which I was expected to report on which families assigned to my quorum had already been visited.  He had a current copy of a list of all our families and checked off the ones I reported.  In order to make that report, I and my counselors needed to have made contact, probably earlier in the day or week, with all the senior home teachers we supervised to get information about the status of their visits to their families.
    b) Early on Sunday morning there was a meeting in which these High Counselors reported the month’s home visit progress to President Barker.
    c) This process continued weekly until the full month’s visit report was made.
    d) The stake goal was 100% of families visited.  Occasionally, our Quorum Presidency made these visits as a back up.
    3) Members of our Quorum Presidency were expected to conduct an accountability interview with each Home Teaching pair or senior companion monthly.
    a) We generally did these on about the second Sunday, before or after Church, at the churchhouse.
    b) Our quorum secretary arranged the appointments.
    c) We allocated about 15 minutes time for each interview.
    d) Contents of the interview included prayer, discussion of needs of the families, and  identifying goals for work with each family and actions the home teachers planned to take to reach these goals.
    e) We had a small pre-carboned form that the member of the presidency used to take notes on needs, goals and action plans, and shared a copy with the home teachers.
    f) Follow-up meetings, of course, included discussion of progress on goals and plans.
    g) The stake required a report at the end of each month on accountability interviews conducted and expected 100% compliance.
    4) Our Quorum Presidency met monthly with the Bishopric to discuss the needs of our families and the strategies for filling these needs, with an emphasis on the quality of the visiting and ministering to our families.
    a) This meeting was usually held mid-month.
    b) It would typically last at least an hour.
    c) It was separate from administrative meetings such as ward council.
    5) We were instructed and tried to minimize failure by home teachers.  We recognized that some home teachers had capabilities and limits different than others, and would not be as successful with so many families.  “It looks like in your situation right now having only two assigned families will work best.”  We also recognized that almost every family knew the expectation of at least a monthly visit by their home teachers, and possibly would interpret the lack of visits as not caring, making a ministering relationship more difficult to achieve.   Therefore we did not allow the lack of visiting of a family to continue more than a couple of months, but would reassign these families and give different home teachers a fresh start for building the desired rapport with their assigned families.
    6) I found the atmosphere for working with home teachers under this arrangement comfortable and satisfying.  We were able to counsel home teachers and see them grow.  It seemed to help create a climate in the ward that was positive and supportive.
    I wonder if we might learn something about how to successfully implement the new ministering effort from President Barker's program?

Our Wonderful Bodies Testify of God, from President Nelson

    It was the study of medicine that convinced me that God was real. The more I learned about the human body, the more I realized that only  a Divine Being could have created something so magnificent...
    As scientists, we do not know how two cells unite to form an embryo or how primitive cells differentiate to become a beating heart or a thinking brain.  We just know that they do so according to a pattern established by our Heavenly Father.
    For example, consider the jewel that is the human heart–a compression pump so remarkable that its power and durability is almost beyond comprehension.  This tremendous organ pumps enough fluid every day to fill the equivalent of a 2,000-gallon railroad tank-car.  Your heat has four tiny valves that open and close 100,000 times a day, over 36 million times a year, without any effort on your part.
    These valves are soft and billowy as a parachute, yet as tough as sinew.  Unless altered by disease, heart valve are so rugged that they can stand this wear and tear for decades.  No man-made material developed this far can be flexed so frequently and for so long without breaking or wearing out.
    One of the biggest problems researchers working to develop the first artificial hearts encountered was to find a material that could be folded and unfolded many times a day, day after day, without ultimate fatigue and fracture.  The heart does enough mechanical work to life a 150-pound person from the street up to the top of the empire State Building every day.  Yet in so doing, it consumes minute amounts of energy.
    At the crest of the heart is an electrical transmitting center that send signals down specific special circuits that cause the muscle fibers to contract together with a synchronized response that would be the envy of any conductor of a symphony orchestra.
    The first artificial heart-lung machine we made occupied many square feet of space.  The pump that our Creator made occupies a space about the size of your fist and does not need to be plugged into an electrical outlet.  The power to our heart is provided, not by battery or cord, nor by compressed air or be nuclear energy, but by a process known only to God.
    Consider other properties of the body.  The human brain with its countless combinations of recording, memory, storage, and retrieval systems serves as the headquarters for one’s personality, character, and knowledge.  The brain’s capacity appears to be unlimited.  The more it si stimulated and challenged, the more it seems able to do.  The more we memorize music, equations, data, poetry, scriptures, and famous sayings, the more our capacity for memorizing and retaining information increases.
    What about our eyes?  I remember the day when I heard about a new camera that could autoregulate light and shutter speed settings.  At that time, that advancement in technology seemed remarkable.  Then I stood in front of a mirror, flashed a beam into my eye, and observed a brisk constriction of a perfectly round pupil.  My eye responded instantly to regulate the intensity of light that could pass through a self-focusing lens to reach the sensitive retina in the back of the eye.  We each own two “cameras,” if you will, and when they function properly, they are finer than any camera that you can buy.
    Then consider the body’s remarkable ability to reproduce.  Twenty-three chromosomes from both the father and the mother unite to make one cell.  These chromosomes contain thousands of genes.  A mavelous process of genetic coding is established by which all of the basic human characteristics of the unborn child are determined, and thus a new DNA complex is formed.  Approximately twenty-two days after these two germ cells unite, a little heart begins to beat.  At twenty-six days, the circulation of blood begins.  Cells multiply and divide, some being differentiated to become eyes that see or ears that hear, while still others are destined to become fingers, toes and legs.  The ability of the body to reproduce is magnificent and begins with conception.
    The body also has the ability to protect itself from disease.  I’ll never forget watching some children drinking water that ran down the sidewalk in front of our home.  The water carried mud from a neighbor’s garden.  I suppose the number of germs they ingested was incalculable, but not one child became ill.  The defense mechanisms of their bodies protected them.
    I could go on and on.  We could discuss the bodies capacity to autoregulate on an almost infinite number of variables, beginning with temperature.  We could explore the skin, which protects us against both extreme heat and cold, the ears, bones, adrenal glands, kidneys, lungs, and so on.
    Perhaps most remarkably, the body has the power to heal.  Broken bones heal.  Wounds heal.  Incisions and lacerations heal.  A leak in the respiratory system will heal itself, whereas circulation systems outside the body do not have this power...
    Our mortal bodies are literally gifts from God.  
(Russell M.Nelson, “Heart of the Matter,” 128-131, Deseret Book, 2023)