Preparing the World for the Second Coming

This entry is part of my general conference application series.

Preparing the World for the Second Coming, by Neil L. Andersen
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles


When speakers say who their remarks are directed toward, do you ever feel tempted to tune out and not pay attention? I don't imagine I'm the only one who does this; however, whenever I feel this way in general conference, I actually get excited shortly afterward because it feels like I'm dropping eaves (or eavesdropping) on a privileged conversation! (Yes, I'm strange.)

Elder Andersen addressed the young priesthood holders (up to age 25) and spoke of the link between missionary service and preparing the world for the Second Coming. I thought of this address just the other day when a friend who has recently moved to Europe made a facebook status update about watching rugby and trying to figure the game out. When I read this, I thought of Elder Andersen's story of Sid Going, the rugby player from New Zealand who postponed his athletic career for a mission. (It's really not surprising that I thought of this story because it contributed more than half to my working knowledge of rugby!)

Sid Going was good:

How good was Sid Going? He was so good that training and game schedules were changed because he would not play on Sunday. Sid was so good the Queen of England acknowledged his contribution to rugby. He was so good a book was written about him titled Super Sid.

Here's the book:

I love that when describing this man and his service, Elder Andersen spoke of the most important events after his choice to serve the Lord instead of pursue fame and glory:

You’re probably wondering what happened to Sid Going following his mission. Most important: an eternal marriage to his sweetheart, Colleen; five noble children; and a generation of grandchildren. He has lived his life trusting in his Father in Heaven, keeping the commandments, and serving others.

Did you get that? Listed as most important were his marriage and family.

Knowing that I'm not in the intended audience for this talk—I'm too old and I've completed a full-time mission (to Boise, Idaho!)—I wondered what happened to Clark Siler following his mission. I don't know that I've done amazing things and achieved achieved glory, but I do know that I have an amazing wife and glorious family!


I'm convinced that I'm vastly different than I would have otherwise been had I not made the choice to faithfully serve the Lord as a missionary. I was once part of the Lord's worldwide missionary coverage: "The sun never sets on righteous missionaries testifying of the Savior."

I know that I can (and should) still participate in missionary work, but I look forward to the time that I can return to full-time service, "but this time with a companion of [my] own choosing:" my wonderful wife, Maryann!

Finding Joy through Loving Service

This entry is part of my general conference application series.

Finding Joy through Loving Service, by M. Russell Ballard
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles


There is something deeply cleansing in yard work. I wrote about the joy of mowing the lawn previously (click here), and how that task is great because it lets you see how much you've accomplished, where you are in the overall task, and what yet remains to be done.

Since moving to Florida, my lawn duties have expanded beyond simply mowing a lawn. Now we have hedges to keep under control, weeds to keep at bay, and many trees to manage. To assist in my new chore/hobby, I purchased an electric hedge trimmer. Last night I opened the trimmer's package and set out to work, but I didn't want to go alone. My seven-yr-old boy was kind enough to accompany me, but he quickly realized that he didn't have anything to do (I was hesitant to let him use the trimmer alone), and he didn't fancy raking leaves behind me. After a short conversation where we discussed what needed to be done and how to do it, he chose to use the pruning shears to trim the scraggly limbs between the hedge and the house—a task I couldn't do (I'm too big), and something he had great fun doing (it's always fun to feel the snip of a limb as its cut).


As we attacked the lawn—and it was an attack—I couldn't help but think of the currant bush story from Hugh B. Brown (link here), especially when my son said he thought he heard the bush softly yell in pain as he cut it.

As I read Elder Ballard's talk today, I was reminded of the great fun we had as a family in the yard last night. Elder Ballard spoke of how seasons can remind of Christ (especially Spring). Although it's no longer Spring, the transformation we're working toward in the yard is comparable:

Spring brings a renewal of light and life—reminding us, through the cycle of seasons, of the life, sacrifice, and Resurrection of our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, for "all things bear record of [Him]" (Moses 6:63).

This is a picture from our back yard!

This was just what appeared to be a brief aside at the start of his talk, but the reference to change and seasons reminding of Christ was on my mind as I reviewed the rest of the talk as well. The title is "Finding Joy through Loving Service," and I couldn't help thinking of how family members were lovingly serving each other by working in the yard together last night (there weren't even any complaints!).

As much fun as it was to work together as a family, I think I need to look outside sometimes, too. I spend so much of my free time with my family, that I rarely interact with others. (In all fairness, I do have a pretty amazing family! My three-yr-old would say we're AWESOME!).

Perhaps I can take the example of family service that I see and practice in my family and try to extend it to others. We show our love for each other through little things (like small flecks of gold, a reference to a mining analogy from the talk). Even the most mundane chores become elaborate valentines when performed with love. Elder Ballard shared a quote from President Kimball that really stood out to me:

It is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom. … So often, our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving … help with mundane tasks, but what glorious consequences can flow … from small but deliberate deeds!

I want to remember to give service to my family through small but deliberate deeds, and I want to look for ways to help others outside of my family, too. As President Monson said:

The needs of others are ever present, and each of us can do something to help someone.

...Unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.

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Here's a bonus video of part of this talk (part I didn't really discuss...):

Desire

This entry is part of my general conference application series.

Desire, by Dallin H. Oaks
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles


Now that I have a mortgage, I feel like there is a ever-present weight hanging over my head, ready to fall and crush me if I'm not constantly vigilant. I'm beginning to wonder how anyone with such a large debt can ever decide to spend money on entertainment, fun, or frivolity. Hopefully I'll learn to adjust to life under these conditions and can take my family out to a movie, a trip to a theme park, or for a ride in a hot air balloon.

Even larger than my desire to be free of debt is my desire to be with my family. Whenever I'm away, I feel drawn like a fleck of iron to a large magnet—I want to get back to them! It may sound strange, but at the beginning of meetings at church where announcements are being made, someone will ask, "Does anyone else have an announcement?" Without fail, I always want to raise my hand and say, "I have an announcement: I love my wife!"

Every time. Without fail. But I haven't done it yet...

When we moved, we somehow acquired a large painting of Helaman and the Stripling Warriors (see [link]). While the story is captivating and worth studying, I've never been a fan of the portrayal shown in this particular painting. I don't know why, but it's never drawn me in.


However, my seven-year-old son wants to hang the painting on his wall. When he expressed this desire, we asked him why he wanted it. After telling us that he liked the picture and story, he proceeded to recount it all in great detail! Suddenly, my appreciation for the painting increased. Because my son likes it and wants to be like the sons portrayed in the painting, it looks better to me now.

Apparently his desire influenced my own.

(By the way, Elder Oaks referenced the stripling warriors in his talk.)

Desire is powerful. Much like thoughts lead to actions, Elder Oaks presented another causal connection chain that I love; it starts with desires:

Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming.

As I studied this talk, I thought of my desires. I've shared two: to be debt-free, and to be with my family. I think these are righteous desires. I know I have at least a couple of unrighteous desires—I'm not going to write about them here—but I'm going to focus on developing and maintaining righteous desires. Elder Oaks didn't talk about debt, but he did talk about marriage and family:

All should desire and seriously work to secure a marriage for eternity. Those who already have a temple marriage should do all they can to preserve it.

This is what I'm doing. I try to every day.

And in case you're wondering, I do have an announcement I'd like to make:

I love my wife!

Testimony

This entry is part of my general conference application series.

Testimony, by Cecil O. Samuelson Jr.
Of the Seventy


Former students of Church universities may feel a certain affinity to the presidents that served while they were students. Depending on when they were enrolled, Elder Oaks (BYU 71-80), Elder Holland (BYU 80-89), Elder Bateman (BYU 96-03), or Elder Bednar (BYUI 97-04) may have a special place in former students' hearts. Such is the case for me with Elder Samuelson.

I entered BYU just as Elder Samuelson became its president. I thought it was fun that we started at the same time. While I was there, I had limited interaction with him, but I do have his signature on a couple of things (scholarship letters and diploma).

I studied civil engineering at BYU. Despite a background in medicine, Elder Samuelson accepted an invitation to give a guest lecture in an undergraduate fluid mechanics course (the semester after I took it). While he taught, he mentioned how excited he was for the opportunity to merge his professional training with his testimony. For the first time in years of teaching, he was able to share his testimony explicitly as he taught. He spoke of how the human heart is a pump, and blood flow is analogous to the flow of water studied in the course, and later shared his testimony in a powerful way.

I like Elder Samuelson. As I reviewed his most recent address today, I thought of the fluid mechanics classroom story and how he shared his testimony as I read a talk titled "Testimony." All while reading the words in his distinctive voice. (It made for a good lunchtime study session.)

As I thought of the message of the talk, I asked myself, "How can I help my children gain a strong testimony early before the times of struggle and distress set in?"

I found an interesting answer in the talk. Before I share the quote, I'll describe what I thought of. As Elder Samuelson compared a testimony to a living organism, I couldn't help but think of microorganisms—like bacteria. I imagined testimony meetings where the person speaking was trying to infect others (in a good way!). It gives sharing a testimony a new meaning altogether!

Okay, here's the quote:

A testimony is similar to a living organism that grows and develops when treated properly. It needs constant nourishment, care, and protection to thrive and prosper.

Perhaps it would have been better if I had thought of the testimony organism as something cute like a puppy, kitten, bunny, or hamster.


Okay, that's better!

Regardless of the comparative organism, a testimony needs care. As I'm helping to ensure that my children (they're organisms, too!) are growing and developing well, I need to provide an environment where their testimonies can likewise grow and develop.

Gaining a testimony is the result of choices. While I can't make that kind of choice for my children, I can help them by showing how my life and my testimony are influenced by my choices.

People do good and important things because they have testimonies. While this is true, we also gain testimonies because of what we do.

Establishing a Christ-Centered Home

This entry is part of my general conference application series.

Establishing a Christ-Centered Home, by Richard J. Maynes
Of the Seventy


Last night, we were expecting a service call right at the span of time when we usually have dinner and family home evening (it was Monday yesterday). As we ate together around the table, I realized that because the repairman was late, we likely wouldn't get everything done in time for family home evening.

What could we do?

Being a fan of communication, I relayed my thoughts to the family. Looks of disappointment filled their faces until my wise wife said, "Don't worry, we'll still have dessert!"

After telling everyone that we would indeed have a lesson and great activity the next day, I thought of the change that occurred when dessert was mentioned. Was it the treat at the end that motivated us, I wondered.

During my thinking, I remembered something from a sacrament meeting talk given nearly ten years ago. While in a married student ward, we had a visiting guest (I think it was a member of the Area Presidency) and his wife speak. I don't remember what he said, but I remember the message of his wife: Always have pie!


With an adorable European accent, this good sister encouraged a collection of newlywed students to establish celestial traditions now. Her focus was on family home evening, and she said, in essence, "It doesn't matter what lesson you have, or how long it lasts. What matters is that you always have pie! Give a short lesson—especially when the children are young (but when they're old, too)—have a fun activity, and end with pie!"

What is magical about pie? Are cookies a satisfactory substitute? (After the meeting I actually asked her if it had to be pie. She laughed and said that cookies were fine.)

The point she was making was to not just have family home evening, but to make it a celestial tradition with enough weight or pull—provided by the treat—to draw everyone back the next week. Sure, together time is great fun, but sitting together sharing a treat strengthens the love that is sown in family home evening.

Elder Maynes said:

Recognizing that we have a heavenly family helps us understand the eternal nature of our earthly families. The Doctrine and Covenants teaches us that the family is fundamental to the order of heaven: “And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory” (D&C 130:2).

Later, he taught:

Learning, teaching, and practicing the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our homes helps create a culture where the Spirit can dwell.

It's interesting to note that the scripture he quoted goes further:

And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy (D&C 130:2, emphasis added).

I propose that we can start to enjoy loving sociality coupled with eternal glory as we establish the traditions and culture of a Christ-centered home... and remember to always have pie!


...just be nice when you do!