What a Birthday!

We passed a new milestone in our family life last Saturday. We celebrated Patsy's 76th birthday without her for the first time. It was bittersweet, but also joyful. Whenever I asked her what she wanted for her birthday the answer always was, "Let's go to the temple."

So that's what we did. We reserved the largest sealing room at the new Orem Temple, and we did our best to fill it up. I never knew anyone who loved the temple more than Patsy. Her spirit, along with others who are in the spirit world with her now, were no doubt there with us. As we performed this sacred work where we unite families for time and for all eternity under priesthood authority, we were unified and uplifted in our service to them. 

Grand-daughter Lily Bayles took my breath away when she showed up in one of her Grandmother's unique sweaters, inherited in the distribution of her personal clothing. She's standing next to the old white-haired guy in the middle of the photo festooned in hearts. That was a thrill for me. 

If there had been a patent available for use of the heart, Patsy would have been at the front of that line. Her hearts were a symbol for the love she showered on all of us, and will be a forever reminder of her whenever we see one. Even heart-shaped rocks along the shoreline of a beach somewhere in the world are emblematic of her.

I am so grateful for the access we have to temples in these last days. President Russell M. Nelson is doing all he can to make access to temples available to the saints throughout the world. It is a glorious season of temple building, and I feel so blessed to be a witness to this expansion.

I have been studying D&C 109 recently, which is Joseph Smith's dedicatory prayer at the Kirtland Temple, and this morning these verses leaped off the page at me:

Remember all thy church, O Lord, with all their families, and all their immediate connections, with all their sick and afflicted ones, with all the poor and meek of the earth; that the kingdom, which thou hast set up without hands, may become a great mountain and fill the whole earth;

That thy church may come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners;

And be adorned as a bride for that day when thou shalt unveil the heavens, and cause the mountains to flow down at thy presence, and the valleys to be exalted, the rough places made smooth; that thy glory may fill the earth;

That when the trump shall sound for the dead, we shall be caught up in the cloud to meet thee, that we may ever be with the Lord;

That our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings. (D&C 109:72-76).

Truly, the temples that now dot the earth are an evidence of the fulfillment of this prophetic dedicatory prayer. The year was 1836, making the youthful prophet who uttered these inspired words only 31 years old at the time. Ask yourselves, "How could such a young and inexperienced man be so filled with certainty about what could only have seemed like a very tenuous future?" 

The answer is simple for me. He did not stand alone. His calling was divine. He was on an errand from the Lord to lay the foundation of a great work of Restoration to make the fulness of the Father's blessings available to ALL his children. 

We are truly living in that day when "thy church may come forth out of the wilderness of darkness" and shine. We are witnesses, and we can stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters all around the world and rejoice over what we are seeing, feeling and living today.

I am thankful beyond expression for these realities. "How can you be so certain?" one may ask. I would respond with Alma's words as though they are my own:

For I am called to speak after this manner, according to the holy order of God, which is in Christ Jesus; yea, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people the things which have been spoken by our fathers concerning the things which are to come.

And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?

Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.

And moreover, I say unto you that it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the Spirit of God. (Alma 5:44-47).

The more we invest our faith in God and Jesus Christ, the deeper our conviction goes, until it becomes within us as it were a burning fire in our bones. I have been consumed with it these past three days, and I am so thankful for a testimony like Alma describes.

I know this testimony is within the reach of all of us who are earnest seekers of truth. 

Baptism of Fire

This past weekend we witnessed the 194th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The culmination of the weekend came in the closing remarks of President Russell M. Nelson as he announced fifteen more new temples. That brings the total number of temples either in planning, announced, under construction and actively operating to 350 worldwide. It is a remarkable temple building era in which we find ourselves, and we are witnessing the fulfillment of these promised blessings in a dramatic demonstration of the power of the covenant of the gospel's restoration. 

In discussing my impressions of the weekend with others in my family, I have been struck with the memory of three significant teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith:

Teaching1: “Baptism is a holy ordinance preparatory to the reception of the Holy Ghost; it is the channel and key by which the Holy Ghost will be administered.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 95-96).

Teaching 2: “You might as well baptize a bag of sand as a man, if not done in view of the remission of sins and getting of the Holy Ghost. Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half — that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 95).

Teaching 3: “The baptism of water, without the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost attending it, is of no use. They are necessarily and inseparably connected.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 90).

The scriptures from which Joseph no doubt reached his conclusions include:

Nephi declared, “For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Nephi 31:27).

The Savior Himself proclaimed, “Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.” (3 Nephi 27:20).

As I discussed my impressions with one member of the family, they made the comment that they didn't think they had ever had the "baptism of fire" in their life, and asked me if I had. I responded that I had, and I believed he had too. It is the natural outgrowth of a life lived in the path of discipleship if we are true and faithful to our covenants. 

I remembered this poignant scripture to illustrate my point: 

"As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints." (Doctrine and Covenants 121:33). 

"And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not." (3 Nephi 9:20).

How is it possible that we can receive the supernal gift of the Holy Ghost "and they knew it not?" I fear it may happen more than we realize. I wonder how many tuned in to General Conference and failed to recognize the powerful spiritual outpouring that was happening. Could it be we "knew it not?" The gift was poured out upon the congregation, both those in attendance in the Conference Center, and those tuning in across the world via satellite transmission. 

President Nelson mentioned this was the 40th year anniversary since he and President Dallin H. Oaks were called to serve as Apostles. Think of the hundreds of addresses they have given since that day!! I am in awe of their longevity and their steadfast discipleship!

In prescribing the duties of elders in his latter-day church, the Lord said, among other things, that they were “to confirm those who are baptized into the church, by the laying on of hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, according to the scriptures.” (D&C 20:41).

We have all been made partakers of the gift of the Holy Ghost. Sometimes we forget just how fragile the gift is because we are told it is a "still, small voice" that whispers truth to our souls. It confirms what we believe with an eye of faith. It gives us assurance when we are faltering, wondering if we will ever measure up to our potential as sons and daughters of God. 

The image of likening the Holy Ghost to a baptism of fire is apt. Ask yourselves as you read this entry, "Have I ever felt the all-consuming influence of the Holy Ghost in my life? How did it make me feel? Did it feel like fire? Did my whole soul feel consumed by power? Did I feel a rush of confirming truth in an instant? Did it persist as I listened to a powerful speaker?

One such speaker last weekend for me was President Susan H. Porter, Primary General President, as she spoke to the children about the principles involved in learning how to pray. Her teachings were simple, straight from her heart, and powerful in her conviction. Even the least of the children could feel the power of the Spirit as she taught.

We live in a time of remarkable ongoing revelation from God to us. We witnessed it in rich abundance this past weekend. I felt an unmistakable outpouring of goodness from our leaders. It went down into my heart like fire.

Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. (Jeremiah 20:9).

I invite you to rejoice with me in the reality of our collective baptism of fire in these last days. It is an unmistakable gift of the Father to each of us. I pray we may accept it and embrace it universally.