My Attempts at Estate Planning These Days. . .

I am now an old man at age 78, when planning for the future has now led me to possibilities I never had to consider until now. While I am still in a reasonable facsimile of mental competence without any concerns about what anybody else thinks about it, I offer the following as a transparent glimpse into my priorities these days. Perhaps it will be helpful to someone "out there" who may be in a similar state of their lives.

The Law of Consecration

There has been a gradual distillation process at work within my soul for many years in my attempts to understand the law of consecration (yes, I am slow). Here are some conclusions: 1) Consecration is the making of a sacred covenant with God to freely give and dedicate oneself and possessions for God’s work here on earth, and it is a fundamental law of the Church dating back to 1831, that has never been rescinded; 2) Attempts by the Prophet Joseph to introduce economic systems among the Saints to implement the law of consecration are not the “real” law of consecration, but should be looked upon as the evolutionary process taking place in the Prophet’s own mind in preparation for the covenant we now make in the full temple endowment ceremony, which was not given until 1842; and 3) The Saints in our day can and should already be living our individual economic lives in such a way that our covenant to consecrate is in full implementation right now instead of waiting to live this covenant at some future date. To do otherwise is to succumb to a pervasive satanic deception.

History of the Law of Consecration

Let me refine the foregoing material with a comparison of the various “programs” introduced by the Prophet Joseph, and illustrate the conclusions I have cited above. The “when,” and the “why,” and the “how” questions about the law of consecration, are answered by personal revelation from the Holy Ghost, and we can know that we are pleasing God in pursuit of our faith here and now. Ironically, it sometimes seems those with the least to give readily understand the principle (if they can overcome their envy of the wealthy), while those with spacious barns to hold their worldly possessions wrest the scriptures and our early history to delay their gifts to the undeserving poor (as they suppose in their self-righteous judgments). Thus, both the poor and the wealthy are challenged in the implementation of this lofty, even supernal and eternal principle of consecration.

The first attempt to implement a communal system for consecration among the Saints was made in 1831, in Kirtland, Ohio. Newly baptized Sidney Rigdon had been involved in other communal experiments that were common in that day, and was no doubt a catalyst influencing Joseph’s inquiries to the Lord regarding the matter. Section 38 of The Doctrine and Covenants really lays the foundation in gospel principles for that which was to follow about a month later in Section 42, the first attempt to put in writing a plan of consecration. It was rigid, requiring that all property be deeded to the bishop and then a stewardship returned as an equal portion to all other stewards. All surplus profits derived were to be reconsecrated each year, then new lines of equality drawn by the bishop. The plan was tried in Kirtland first, then in Jackson County, but it failed, because there was no private ownership of anything. It was doomed to fail because of the Saints’ poverty. They simply consumed more than they produced.

By 1833, the Prophet had modified his views and concluded that private ownership of the stewardship was essential to avoid putting the bishop at odds with the people in determining the size of equal stewardships, and only surplus property was consecrated by deed to the bishop’s storehouse.

Here again, there was a possibility for failure on the part of the steward to declare or disclose what was surplus, but it was made clear to the bishops that they were not to judge in the matter. (See HC, 1:364-65).  It was during this period of modification of the law of consecration in 1833 that the enemies of the Saints in Missouri organized against them. These events left the implementation of the program in shambles, some having dedicated property to the Church, others retaining individual ownership, and many merely clinging on to life itself.

Zion’s Camp

As I write this afternoon, I am dressed in my ZION sweatshirt. It’s a gift from Melanie, an acknowledgment by her of my deep dive into this topic of Zion. D&C Section 105 outlines the Lord’s implicit instructions in June 1834, after the failure of Zion’s Camp to return the consecrated property of Jackson County to the Saints and orders that “her law be executed and fulfilled after her redemption” (speaking of the land of Zion). Many have supposed this was the end of consecration in the Church, but, the careful reading of this and other revelations will document that consecration and stewardship were still and always have been required of the Lord by the Saints.

President Gordon B. Hinckley

See for example the Sixth Lecture on Faith, published for the first time in Kirtland in 1835, especially, verses 7-8. Go to the temple and listen carefully to the instructions given in relation to the last covenant. There is no reference to suspending the observance of the law of consecration until some undefined future day of fulfillment. Here and now is the requirement. In General Priesthood Meeting on March 31, 2001, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced the establishment of the “Perpetual Education Fund” designed as a way for the saints to consecrate for the benefit of the impoverished returned missionaries among us so they could be educated in their lands of origin for the benefit of their people. He said, “I believe the Lord does not wish to see His people condemned to live in poverty. I believe He would have the faithful enjoy the good things of the earth. He would have us do these things to help them. And He will bless us as we do so. For the success of this undertaking I humbly pray, while soliciting your interest, your faith, your prayers, your concerns on its behalf.” [See May 2001 Ensign, 51]. In my opinion, this is evidence the observation of the law of consecration is an individual covenant based upon an invitation to make free will offerings, rather than a Church mandated program to compel compliance as in the past.

Other experiments with consecration continued in Kirtland in the form of the “Literary Firm,” and the “United Firm,” a full account of which can be obtained in Lyndon Cook’s excellent compilation titled, Joseph Smith and the Law of Consecration, (Grandin Book Company: Provo, Utah), 1985.

It is interesting how often we read over the few verses of Section 119, and completely miss their significance. Given in 1838, rather than the introduction of a “lesser law,” the law of tithing is one further modification and refinement on the ongoing theme of consecration, and is to “be a standing law unto the Church forever.” (See D&C 119:4).  Think what the condition of the Church might be today if we observed the law of tithing by consecrating all our surplus property and then donating a tenth of our annual increase thereafter! We would be equal in all things, and it would all be a voluntary and cooperative society. Instead, however, we see social classes among us that are completely repugnant to the Lord, and one of the earmarks of Israel in apostasy. (See, for example, 3 Nephi 11:15).

The next step in Joseph’s continuing education concerning consecration came in 1842, when he introduced the full endowment to his brethren in Nauvoo. He said on that occasion:

“I spent the day in the upper part of the store… instructing them in the principles and order of the Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings, endowments, and the communication of keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood, and so on to the highest order of the Melchizedek Priesthood, setting forth the order pertaining to the Ancient of Days, and all those plans and principles by which any one is enabled to secure the fullness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the Firstborn, and come up and abide in the presence of the Eloheim in the eternal worlds…” (TPJS, 237).

What did he communicate concerning consecration? It is the crowning covenant, the last covenant we make with God in the temple endowment. The crowning key to exaltation is consecration. To obtain all that the Father has, we must give all that we possess. It is one of the simplest statements God ever gave man, and even the least and weakest Saint is capable, of comprehending what is required. Voluntary compliance, however, is always subject to overcoming the natural man.

In 1831, Joseph must have believed that rigidity and management control by the bishop was the key to implementing consecration among the Saints. By his death in 1844, he had concluded that individual expressions of faith and consecration entered into by temple covenant were more desirable. He had moved from the letter to the spirit of the law, but in both extremes, the total commitment of the member was required — that much has never changed.

Today I go to the temples frequently, as you may have observed. The verbal covenant expressed in the temple endowment is a higher commitment to consecration than the first written deeds and covenants of 1831. To think we will someday return to a “Law of Moses”-style program of consecration seems unlikely to me, though anything is possible with living prophets among us to interpret the will of the Lord for the Church. We must always allow for whatever revisions the living Oracles may make. However, we do not seem to be far from living the full law of consecration right now. All that is necessary, then as now, is the willingness of the Latter-day Saints to truly love the Lord and our neighbor enough to consecrate without holding back anything. One can only speculate on the macroglobal conditions that might have to be thrust upon the world to bring about such a universal change of heart, but what of our micropersonal commitment to living the law of consecration?

I believe a father and mother who keep their temple covenants in today’s society, dominated as it is by divorce, infidelity, and every moral degradation foreseen by the ancient prophets, are well along the path toward truly living the law of consecration. They give all they have by wearing out their souls in service to the Lord and in sacrifice for their children.

Consider a husband and father who toils in the workplace day after day to provide the essentials of life for his wife and children, every nickel devoted to their well-being. Consider a wife and mother on duty at the crossroads of her home nurturing her children with their endless lists of physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs, every waking moment consecrated to preparing a new generation of faithful and worthwhile saints. All their labor is done with an eye single to God’s glory, and the anticipation of an eventual crowning of their efforts by those cherished words of acceptance, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

How, then, do we live the law of consecration today? Not by waiting for some “program” to appear on the horizon, but by daily becoming a covenant father, mother, or child through the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is truly a work that demands all that you possess, your time, talents, everything with which the Lord has blessed you or with which he may bless you. It is a consecrated gift we give to God in return for all he promises. If I had to pick one verse of scripture to summarize the law of consecration it would be these words,

“And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.” (Omni 1:26).

Helen and Brent Goates

That passage defined my parents.  It was so with them, and it can likewise be true of all the mothers and fathers in Zion in these last days.

Her Time Had Come

Now let me be bold and restate that Patsy was always at my side as we were studying Zion together. We were infused with the idealism represented in the doctrines I have outlined above. Others might characterize our conclusions as "too altruistic," or "impossible to achieve," but I have persisted in creating Zion in my own family even if I do not live long enough to see the Second Coming. I memorialized our vision for our family property in Book 2 of the Story Worth series (chapter 15), I’ve been publishing, so I will simply refer you family members to that volume.

Out of her lips came these words: “So, this [the refinance of the mortgage] really was the miracle I had been praying for. When this idea was first presented to us, I thought we could never let Rich and Shauna make that kind of sacrifice and take on that burden. They would be taking on all the financial burden of the mortgage, with only the knowledge that our family would continue to have the home as a gathering place shared by all. But as Rich expressed that they had received a witness from the spirit that this was a good option to bless all our lives indefinitely and and to also free us from some of our stress, I felt assured that it was certainly the answer to my prayers for a miracle. He has acted in the spirit of stewardship rather than ownership. I want everyone to ponder that difference because it is significant.”

Inherent in the concept of stewardship is the law of consecration. Hers was always and forever an INVITATION to each of us to climb higher to the consecrated life of discipleship embodied in these words of President Russell M. Nelson: 1) That we are each a child of God, 2) A child of the covenant, and 3) A disciple of Jesus Christ.

Let us be united in the belief that this is all voluntary with no coercion whatsoever, otherwise we defeat the lofty principles involved in consecration as defined above. Rich and Shauna had that vision along with us when they put themselves forward and took an enormous risk by putting Rich on the mortgage, on the title to the home, and as the personal representative for medical decisions in an advanced care power of attorney.

In meeting with Andrew and Steve last night in preparation for our meeting with the estate planning attorney, I was completely satisfied of Andrew’s sincere and genuine concerns about Rich’s potential exposure, that I had never considered before. As I have stated before many times, I am not one to cower in the face of the “list of horribles” over which I have no control, but as a doctor he must and he does take into account every possible negative outcome he might encounter as a surgeon. He apologized to me and Steve last night that his diagnostic process has at times been seen as adversarial, but nevertheless his sincerity in pursuing the best structure available to us is likewise consecrated and well-intentioned in the highest way possible. What may have seemed adversarial to each of us throughout this latest “uprising” will now only be viewed in the rearview mirror as a necessary and very meaningful step forward into our shared vision.

I believe in all of us as chosen and magnificent spirits of our Father in Heaven. He did not send us into this chaotic mortal world to fail or to be divided in animosity, distrust, or accusatory adversity. That was, and continues to be, Satan’s aim.

Instead, I am opting for the belief that we will land in the right place after all the solutions are fully explored and digested with the help of our estate planner.

It’s my new favorite word: PRONOIA, the polar opposite of “paranoia.”

How Do You "Outlive Your Funeral?"

Strange title, eh? Well, I will attempt an answer here today. It's Boxing Day today, much more widely observed in England than here in America. The day after Christmas settled upon me early this morning with the afterglow of a glorious celebration with family. Each year we gather for our Christmas "Adam" evening for dinner, a program, then the highlight everyone looks forward to - the opening of our new Christmas tee-shirts, a long-standing tradition among the Goates Kids. Each year one of the families accepts the assignment to come up with a new design, and this year the Warnicks knocked it out of the park with their design. Everyone loved them. Someone observed, "They sure are GREEN!"

The 2025 Gathering at the Ranch

Others scattered around the country also observed our tradition of opening the tee-shirts. It's always a unifying activity we all enjoy no matter where we are. 

Volume 6

We shared a program, and then I offered my testimony in conclusion. As I did so, I distributed Volume 6 of my collected family stories. I am currently working on Volume 7. Patsy joked one day following my brain surgery that those events in my life had taken 10 years off her life, but perhaps they had added 10 more to mine. It's now been 5 1/2 years since my surgery and at the time she passed away in 2023, I stated I would write the definitive 7 Volume set on our lives together for those who did not know her personally. I'm well on my way now to fulfilling that promise. Little did I know. . . and so I now live for its completion, and maybe a few extra volumes (time on this Earth still permitting). 

The Warnicks Design Team

Here's what I have learned as I have written our family's history. There always seems to be at least one more chapter that suggests itself as I am fed weekly questions by Story Worth that are submitted by various family members. Someone, observing this latest volume quipped, "Well, Dad, it looks like you've found another way to outlive your funeral with these volumes." And I thought later, he's right, I have indeed! Here's the thing: After I'm gone there won't be anyone left to refute whatever it is I have come up with as our family historian. I will have had the final word that will stand, flaws if there be any and all that goes with it. That's the value of a written record that will clearly outlive me now.

Team Venema 2025

I am so thrilled with 2025, because there have been many missionaries among my grandchildren who are coming and going all around the world right now. They have all had rich and fulfilling experiences, and they are so much further down the road of discipleship than my generation ever was. That's to be expected, I surmise, because we have been told this would be a day in which the weak things would come forth and prevail in the gathering of Israel.

26 And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:26-27).

The brother of Jared also demonstrated his humility and his conviction that he would be made strong in service to the Lord:

2 O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires. (Ether 3:2).

The people of King Benjamin had a similar belief:

2 And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men. (Mosiah 4:2).

I have purposefully cited three references from the Book of Mormon to illustrate how precise the language of the prophets who compiled their record were in their testimonies of their need for their Savior in accomplishing all they did in His name. We are all enlisted in the ongoing work they started. Think of how patient our Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son Jesus Christ have been in the unfolding of the fulness of the gospel in these last days. We are the blessed recipients of their long-suffering and their perpetual surety of the work of salvation that is accelerating in our own time.

I find it difficult to believe in these enlightened last days that there are still some "out there" in the world who would deny our steadfast allegiance to the Restored Gospel through the Lord Jesus Christ. It was delivered to the Earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith and his inspired translation of the Book of Mormon, as cited above. For those who may at this late date be clinging to the old refrains of yesteryear that "Mormons are not Christians,” I would offer my testimony here on this page that we are indeed the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with living prophets in place today. 

President Russell M. Nelson

I have treasured these words since President Russell M. Nelson first spoke them:

My dear brothers and sisters, in a coming day, Jesus Christ will return to the earth as the millennial Messiah. So today I call upon you to rededicate your lives to Jesus Christ. I call upon you to help gather scattered Israel and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. I call upon you to talk of Christ, testify of Christ, have faith in Christ, and rejoice in Christ!

Come unto Christ and “offer your whole [soul]” to Him [Omni 1:26]. This is the secret to a life of joy!

The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again! The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work. The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ.

I bear my solemn witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I am His disciple. I am honored to be His servant. At His Second Coming, “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” That day will be filled with joy for the righteous!

Through the power of the sacred priesthood keys I hold, I declare this truth to you and to all the world! (“The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again,” Liahona, Nov. 2024, 122).

I am grateful to be alive as I look forward to the year 2026. With a prophetic promise that "the best is yet to come," who wouldn't be?

Perhaps I could offer one simple suggestion for your gospel study during the coming year. I have recently been re-reading The Infinite Atonement by Elder Tad R. Callister of the Seventy as I learned about his recent death. His words are inspired in every page, citing ample scriptural references throughout his chapters. I submit humbly that this book like few others will anchor your study of the "Come, Follow Me" curriculum in Sunday School as we now take up the Old Testament. 

May you each enjoy your anticipation of what comes next in 2026, I pray.

What Are Your Favorite Christmas Carols?

Album Covers from 1965

This is a question from  grand-daughter Katelyn this morning with a very LONG answer. Why? Because I have loved Christmas carols since as far back as I can remember, and that is a very long time now. (Smile with a sigh.)

My youthful years culminated in my senior year in high school when I sang in the A Cappella Choir at East High School under the skilled tutelage of Lorraine Bowman. I also sang in the Madrigal group and the Boys Quartet, which only added to my pleasure and enjoyment.

During the month of December, we were booked solid all over Salt Lake City in ward sacrament meetings, civic groups, rest homes and other engagements like the shopping malls all over the valley. I remember one evening when we performed at the Hotel Utah, and returned to the parking lot to make the astonishing discovery that our family Monza four-door sedan had been stolen. Mercifully, it was later discovered on the side of a road by the police, presumably when the “joyriders” who had taken it ran out of gas.

Miss Bowman was an “institution” in music circles, and was also a member of the Tabernacle Choir. We used many of their arrangements in our programs. I note here that she never married and did not have her own family, so we became her “foster family” to which she devoted herself wholeheartedly. She died many years ago in a tragic single-car accident between here and Denver, during the Christmas holidays.

She produced two LP record albums each year for her choirs - one at Christmas, and another at year-end. They were prized souvenirs for all the graduating seniors who sang in the choirs at East High School, and I still have them in my closet with all my other all-time favorite records. Mom was a year behind me at East, so we have two separate collections from which we drew our selections to play each year. We did that for many, many years, and we shared those choice experiences with each other, especially during the Christmas season. I confess that I went digging through all my old records this morning in preparation for this chapter. What a TRIP that was!!

So, what are some of my favorites? Here are a few that top my memory:

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Silent Night (sung as background music while I narrated the Christmas Story from Luke 2)

Ring Those Christmas Bells

Carol of the Bells

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

O Come All Ye Faithful

O Little Town of Bethlehem

O Holy Night

Do You Hear What I Hear?

God Bless You and Keep You

Teach Me To Pray

There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

The Christmas Song ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire")

Still, Still, Still

Up on the Housetop

White Christmas

Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland

Twelve Days of Christmas

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

With Wondering Awe

I Believe in Christ

Madrigal Singers 1965

I have been playing those records this morning as I have written. Even after all these years, the 33 1/3 LP record has withstood all the tests of time. The same probably can’t be said for the old cassette tapes.

I attended our 60th high school reunion last summer. Sadly, about half our number are no longer with us in mortality. The longest segment of the evening consisted of a memorial video tribute to our classmates who had passed away. Time has moved on from those glory years of all our musical memories, but the music lives on forever.

Thanks Katelyn for this trip down memory lane. I’ve enjoyed it very much, and hope all of you did too!

Sending along all my love to each of you for a very Merry Christmas in 2025.

Renewing Temple Recommends

Every two years these days we are invited to renew our temple recommends with an interview with a member of the bishopric and a member of the stake presidency. Last night I completed the process with President Wes Harris at the stake center. I was reminded once again after all these many years since my first one, that there has never been a time when I had an expired recommend. We renew our recommends, yes, but the underlying spiritual symbol is significant too.

Our temple recommend is an affirmation between three parties whose signatures are affixed to the document: Each is an independent witness to the worthiness of the individual who holds the recommend. We affirm to priesthood leaders who hold the presiding keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood that we are in agreement with all the requirements embodied in the recommend questions we have been asked. The precision is apparent, as both Bishop Edmunds and President Harris read the words from their cell phones. I was asked to bear my witness to the answers to the questions, and with each question there was a pause for me to respond. In each interview THREE witnesses gave testimony to my worthiness.

This is to be expected, as explained in scripture:

2 Corinthians 13:

1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

2 I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare:

3 Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.

4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.

5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.

7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.

8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.

10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.

11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.

13 All the saints salute you.

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

We are all familiar with this passage in the Doctrine and Covenants 6, granting unto Oliver Cowdery the gift of translation for the purpose of fulfilling the requirement for witnesses:

25 And, behold, I grant unto you a gift, if you desire of me, to translate, even as my servant Joseph.

26 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that there are records which contain much of my gospel, which have been kept back because of the wickedness of the people;

27 And now I command you, that if you have good desires—a desire to lay up treasures for yourself in heaven—then shall you assist in bringing to light, with your gift, those parts of my scriptures which have been hidden because of iniquity.

28 And now, behold, I give unto you, and also unto my servant Joseph, the keys of this gift, which shall bring to light this ministry; and in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

In the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 27:12-14, we read about the prophecy of the coming forth of the record in the latter days, accompanied by three witnesses:

12 Wherefore, at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that three witnesses shall behold it, by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein.

13 And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for the Lord God hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from the dead.

14 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and wo be unto him that rejecteth the word of God!

I would like to underscore what we all know. Having a current temple recommend isn’t “proof” that we are perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, it is evidence to ourselves most of all that we are “trying” to become something we will never be in this life - PERFECT. I’ve been working at it for a very long time in this life, and I can attest - it is my witness - that the effort to TRY day by day, week by week, month by month and year by year is what makes us true saints of the Most High God. 

To varying degrees we are all “reprobates.” Don’t become discouraged if your recommend lapses, for this or that reason. Reach higher to submit yourself to your priesthood leaders, humble yourself, and repent with the intent to do better in the future. In repentance the past is cancelled and buried deep, never to be repeated or rehearsed again. Repenting is RENEWING, and I suppose it’s the reason we do what we do every two years. I came back home last night renewed, along with my temple recommend.

Many years ago I served as a bishop. I interviewed several members of my ward who had committed serious sins, and some who were guilt-ridden over what seemed like trivial miscues. In each case, I promised a renewal, because of their contrition. In some cases years passed, and then I saw them again in some random encounter with joyful countenances. I remembered they had been in my office as a bishop, but I could never recall the reasons why. I had simply forgotten their sins, and I was not suffering from Alzheimer’s disease either. I had simply become, as His chosen servant in that moment, like Him:

Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them. (Doctrine and Covenants 58:42-43).

Now, this word of encouragement. The Lord may remember our sins no more, and our priesthood leaders may likewise not remember them either, but sadly, it has been my observation that too many of us are prone to dredge up our weaknesses and the weaknesses of those we love most. We must MASTER this gift of forgetting too, especially to forget the things with which we are most familiar and continue to persist in holding on to.

Sunrise in Pine Valley

Why? Because what is past is past, and cannot be revisited with any degree of helpfulness in the present circumstances in which we find ourselves. What is done is done. The past is cancelled, dead and buried deep. Whether for good or for evil, our past deeds cannot be amended in any way. Each new day is a fresh sunrise to be lived in a forward-leaning posture determined to improve the shining moments before us.

Moonlight in Pine Valley

I was reflecting the other night with the moon shining brightly overhead, that even when we can’t see the sun at night, its reflected glory is evident in the moon, the planets and the stars overhead. Our living and loving Heavenly Father sent His Only Begotten Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to lift our burdens of sin through His atoning sacrifice. It was a freewill offering to each of us given out of love. We can know by the eternal witness of the Holy Ghost these things are true, and I so testify to each of you, my beloved Goates Kids, that these truths are self-evident.

I have renewed that witness again just last night.

What Are Your Ideas About Studying the Old Testament?

I reflected upon this question overnight after someone at Church asked me to give them some tips as they looked at the course of study in “Come, Follow Me” Curriculum for next year. My grand-daughter Katelyn, I noted, also asked this question recently.

Let me be so bold as to state that the Old Testament has seldom been the preferred book of scripture, for most Latter-day Saints. Only as it comes up in the four-year rotation do we dare to dip our toes in the seemingly murky waters, compared to the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. Even the New Testament is more understandable and enjoyable — we tell ourselves.

I was blessed many years ago in the “old” Church to teach Gospel Doctrine for four consecutive years every Sunday. I know who was the most blessed of all, and it was me. The Old Testament is an acquired taste for sure. You can’t begin to love someone without that first kiss, and the scriptures are no different.

Grandfather Lee and Me on His Birthday

My first introduction to the Old Testament came back in the days when I was studying the scriptures topically, and my study of Zion led me directly into the ancient scriptures first to see if I could understand what the Lord had in mind in the establishment of Zion. My quest for knowledge became insatiable. I remember so well my Grandfather Harold B. Lee’s observation, when asked by one of his Brethren how he had become such a revered scriptorian. “There are no royal roads to learning,” he responded.

By that statement, he meant everyone had to search out the truth in the scriptures for themselves. His knowledge could not be automatically transmitted by birthright to any of his posterity, and I got that message very early in my life. It motivated me to begin my own quest that began with a contest (which I won in my junior year) in Seminary to read the Book of Mormon. In the mission field there was little emphasis in my labors to read and study the Old Testament. We were focused almost exclusively on the Book of Mormon. There again, I found myself winning the contests among the elders and sisters, all of which proved less than satisfactory, I can now admit.

I was well into our married lives before the Old Testament “hit my radar,” and I must affirm my topical study of Zion is what triggered me because of its foundational emphasis in the history of the world in setting the stage for the latter-day Zion and all the prophecies associated with it.

So my counsel, for what it’s worth, is to select a topic or topics that interest you most from Biblical history, and delve into the pages that way. Along your path, don’t be surprised if you chase down some rabbit holes you hadn’t expected to find. I know I did, and it all worked to my blessing and benefit.

Eventually, in my manual search for Zion (there were no computer search engines back in the day) I would move through the Old Testament page by page until I had highlighted every occurrence of the word “Zion” and then “ZION” and then “Sion” until I had satisfied my curiosity. I was just naïve to think such an exhaustive search would somehow qualify me as an expert in the subject of Zion. I certainly had no academic credentials to suggest that was true, just an overactive curiosity to drive me forward in the wee hours of the night and early morning.

My Finding in the New Testament

One quick example I have cited before. When I discovered the actual dimensions and the location of the city of the latter-day Zion in the scriptures, it was late one night and I was exhilarated beyond imagination. I cross-referenced the Old and New Testament with the Doctrine and Covenants and the Book of Mormon, and I was rewarded a hundredfold in my estimation. I showed my Dad, who excitedly took my findings to Elder Bruce R. McConkie who casually stated he had seen it “many years ago.”

My experiences in scripture study have confirmed the “no royal roads” observation of Grandfather Lee. Don’t EVER compare yourself against someone else. We are all in a different place, and now we have a whole Church synced and dialed in on the same study format each year. It took years of concentrated reorganization and recalibration at Church headquarters that started way back in the day of “Church Correlation” spearheaded by Grandfather Lee under President David O. McKay’s leadership to bring us to this point under the “Come, Follow Me” Curriculum. Gospel scholarship is a vast ocean upon which we each launch our little dinghy and hope to stay afloat for as long as we are able. Don’t be discouraged, and press forward through the Old Testament this year with the enthusiasm of new discoveries you haven’t even considered before. You will be rewarded beyond your wildest imaginings.

My Christmas Angels

I testify to all my posterity, growing in number now each year, that when we put forth our best efforts, the Lord blesses us by multiplying and magnifying our talents. It is a lifetime quest, and I’m still on the journey with you. He blesses us exponentially.

Someday . . .

On another topic, I had a phone call from my son Mike this morning. He’s escaped from the confines of his home chasing deer who are running a few miles from his home for more pictures. He had a total hip replacement recently, and we discussed being careful and wise in his post-surgery exertions. Then he reminded me that tomorrow is our infant daughter Adrienne’s death date anniversary, December 9th, 1992. Thirty-three years ago!! Seems impossible to me now. Somebody check that math! We had her in mortality for a short 49 days, seven weeks of seven days, and then she was escorted home to her spirit-world home.

Now, I think of all those who are with her there, and that leads me to think about my own mortality. I’ve outlived most of my progenitors now, and I am routinely drawn to my thoughts about all of them these days. How much more time will I need to prepare myself for their company? 

I don’t know the answer to that question, but what I do know for sure, Katelyn, is that the Old Testament characters we will be reading about this coming year lived VERY LONG LIVES on this earth. We can learn from their experiences, I am certain.