Hiding from God Under our Pavilions

President Henry B. Eyring

I have been preparing to give a lesson to the high priests tomorrow. The assigned October 2012 General Conference talk is one from President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency. He titled it "Where Is the Pavilion?" It was the anguished question Joseph Smith once asked while he was incarcerated in the dungeon cellar of Liberty Jail in the cold damp Missouri winter of 1839. He believed God had abandoned him.

There are times in our lives when we, like Joseph Smith, feel betrayed and abandoned by God. President Eyring suggests God never abandons us. Rather, it is we who separate ourselves from His loving watch care and desires to bless us by what President Eyring defined as "a pavilion of motivations." It's an interesting choice of words. What is it about our motivations that separate us from God? He expanded with the thought, "Our own desires, rather than a feeling of 'Thy will be done,' create the feeling of a pavilion blocking God."

"God is not unable to see us or communicate with us, but we may be unwilling to listen or submit to His will and His time," observed President Eyring.

This matter of submitting our will to the will of our Heavenly Father is tricky stuff, to be sure. It seems God is determined to help us understand that we, as little children, must submit our will to him "as a child doth submit to his father," since it comes up so often in Holy Writ. In another passage, we are admonished, "Cast off your sins, and [do] not procrastinate the day of your repentance; . . . humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering; having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest." (Mosiah 3:19; Alma 13:27-29).

Being submissive and meek makes us keenly aware of our blessings. I felt to say based upon my own life experiences with President Eyring, "I was blessed to know that whatever success I had in my career and family life was a gift from God."

This week marked a "dubious" milestone for Patsy and me. Our eldest grand-daughter Tessi gave birth to an infant daughter. They named her Quincy Aida Wood. That makes five generations of our family now living on planet Earth! What a breathtaking thought! This little girl threatened an early arrival a couple of months ago, but as we united our faith and prayers as a family on her behalf her delivery was delayed until she could be born full-term at a healthy 8 lbs. 1 oz. with a full head of black hair! I don't think we ever recover from the miracle that is birth, no matter how many times we witness it. And our gratitude finds a way to expand exponentially.

Sometimes we lose sight for a season of our blessings. President Eyring suggested that happens when "[our] desires for professional success might have created a pavilion that would make it hard for [us] to find God and harder for [us] to listen to and follow His invitations." He reflected, "My personal ambitions might have clouded my view of reality and made it hard for me to receive revelation."

As you reflect on your own life, how often can you find a time when "my desire to know and do His will gave me a soul-stretching opportunity?" I thought of one in recent years. My world had turned upside down almost overnight when a long-sought fulfillment was snatched away at the finish line. I found myself adrift in the aftermath of the worldwide financial meltdown, having to search for employment late in life.

I reached out for help from the Employment Resource Center sponsored by the Church. To make a long story shorter, I was invited to accept a calling with Patsy as a senior missionary couple to serve as the Chair of the Professional Placement Program. I found it so ironic. I wasn't considering myself retired and certainly not eligible to be called a "senior" missionary. I still had years of work ahead of me. However, I learned a valuable lesson about service. It could not have come at a worse time in our lives. I needed to focus on my own employment needs. How was I to be able to give precious time I didn't feel I had to serve others in their search? As I helped others network into new opportunities, I found few were helping me. "Where was I to find answers to my own problem?" we wondered frequently. I learned that service to others of any kind is rarely convenient.

As the months in that assignment unfolded we found marvelous fulfillment not only in helping others, but it seemed our own prayers were being answered. Marvelous lasting relationships with those we served were forged out of the fires of our shared adversity. I was fond of reminding those who showed up week after week, "Look around, you're in good company. Don't let your temporary unemployment situation define you."

And so it was. My heart was drawn out continually as I watched the suffering of those we served. My own appreciation for my blessings was heightened. I found joy again. From the joy came new hope for the future. None of it happened overnight. In fact, it has taken years since it all happened to fully appreciate just how blessed we have been. And isn't that true for all of us? We are rarely able to discern the blessings while we are in the crucible of our suffering. Only looking back do we fully appreciate that we were not consumed in the fires of adversity, only singed a little.

I also learned perhaps the most valuable lesson of a lifetime. "We can't insist on our timetable when the Lord has His own." While we often have an agenda for goals being reached on the timetable we set for ourselves, God is often interested in a completely different timetable with eternal objectives. We are in such a rush to get things done here and now, and He is willing to wait upon the harvest a bit longer. Said President Eyring, "We remove the pavilion when we feel and pray, 'Thy will be done' and 'in Thine own time.' His time should be soon enough for us since we know that He wants only what is best."

It seems God is willing let us simmer on the back burner as long as it takes for us to submit. He is willing to be invited to move us to the front burner when we are ready to accept His judgment for what is best for us. "Submitting fully to heaven's will. . ., is essential to removing the spiritual pavilions we sometimes put over our heads. But it does not guarantee immediate answers to our prayers." And I found that to be the case also. When you're building for eternity, it takes time for the cement to cure a bit in the weather.

Who could doubt the time it took for Abraham and Sarah? God had purposes in mind that had to be fulfilled first before the promised blessings were realized in their lives. "Those purposes included not only building Abraham and Sarah's faith but also teaching them eternal truths that they shared with others on their long, circuitous route to the land prepared for them. The Lord's delays often seem long; some last a lifetime. But they are always calculated to bless. They need never be times of loneliness or sorrow or impatience. Although His time is not always our time, we can be sure that the Lord keeps His promises." I wondered how many childless couples there are today, and how many single women, who would give anything for the promised blessing of posterity. Sarah-like faith is to be prized as we wait upon Him. And that requires patience.

Paul reminds us, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:26-29).

Abraham-like, we are often required to remove our "pavilions of motivations" by waiting patiently upon the Lord for His promises to be fulfilled. The harvest will come, even unto the fifth generation. Of that, I am sure.

To the Mountain of the Lord's House

Much has been made in recent years of Mormon temple worship. Curiosity is beginning to build in this presidential election season, and will escalate going into November. Some wonder what goes on behind those seemingly secretive walls of Mormon temples. Rumors of grotesque practices like "baptisms for the dead" have people stirred up, even to the point recently of Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel reportedly being "outraged" that he and members of his family were found in the Church's expansive database for proxy temple ordinances.

For the most part, stories like these that make their way into the press repeatedly call for a public apology from the Church. In an attempt to clarify the Church always responds with an education piece on their official website explaining the policies associated with the proxy ordinances performed there for the dead. In the Mormon view there is no intent to anger the relatives of the deceased. In fact, the policy is that only names in one's direct genealogical history may be submitted for the proxy ordinances. In the spirit world after mortality, because our eternal spirit lives on when the body is buried awaiting resurrection, and may not have had a chance for hearing the fulness of the gospel during mortality, the spirits are taught and may exercise their agency in accepting or rejecting the temple ordinances including baptisms, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, priesthood ordinations, followed by initiatory ordinances of washings and anointings, then endowments and sealings performed on earth in their behalf.

Only those who have previously obtained a current temple recommend and received the temple ordinances for themselves may perform proxy ordinances for others in their families who are deceased. Sometimes the genealogical research to find the names of their ancestors takes years and years to discover. It is a selfless and spiritual work.

President Lorenzo Snow

It was President Lorenzo Snow who opined, "I believe, strongly too, that when the Gospel is preached to the spirits in prison, the success attending that preaching will be far greater than that attending the preaching of our Elders in this life. I believe there will be very few indeed of those spirits who will not gladly receive the Gospel when it is carried to them. The circumstances there will be a thousand times more favorable. . . I believe there will be very few who will not receive the truth." (Brian H. Stuy, ed., Collected Discourses, 5 vols. [Burbank, Calif., and Woodland Hills, Ut.: B.H.S. Publishing, 1987-1992], 3:  . Discourse delivered by President Lorenzo Snow at the Sixty-Fourth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church, held in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Friday morning, October 6, 1893, reported by Arthur Winder).

President Wilford W. Woodruff

President Wilford Woodruff said essentially the same thing: "So it will be with your fathers. There will be very few, if any, who will not accept the Gospel. . . the fathers of this people will embrace the Gospel." (Ibid., April 8, 1894).

Sometime this month our youngest daughter will complete the circle of life in her generation by going to the Oakland Temple for the first time. She is the last of our children to go to the Mountain of the Lord's House. All her eleven brothers and sisters and their spouses before her have received the ordinances of salvation. Everything we do in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints points one toward the temple and the ordinances administered there. It is always a journey of faith for each soul who comes to the temple. In recognition of her decision to receive her personal ordinances in preparation for her pending mission to Washington D.C. South Mission, I wanted to share with all of the readers of this page what I would say to Merilee if she were here with me to better prepare her for what she will experience behind the temple doors.

Oakland Temple

It is necessary to make this bold statement at the outset: There are very few things we cannot discuss about the temple, since most of what happens there is scriptural and can be obtained in the public records, books, sermons and scriptures published by the Church for all to see. Indeed, every temple before it is dedicated is open to the public for tours and explanatory inspections by anyone who is curious enough to come inside. I love what Elder Neal A. Maxwell used to say, “Through the restitution of all things, God is actually giving away the secrets of the universe!” (That Ye May Believe [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, Inc., 1992] 164), for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. Indeed, we are reminded, "And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people." (Mosiah 3:20). That time is now.

President Henry B. Eyring

President Henry B. Eyring gave a wonderful Conference talk a few years ago, inviting all to "Come Unto Christ." He called it "the most important invitation we could offer to someone." We see the invitation throughout the scriptures, as in this reference: "Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness." (2 Nephi 9:50-51).

We are reminded, ". . .ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true." (Mosiah 4:12). And Jacob encouraged us with these words: "O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life. O be wise; what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:11-12). The "strait gate" refers to the ordinances of salvation, first at the edge of the waters of baptism, then eventually at the doors of the temple. We learn all about eternal life when we go to the temple, and our experiences there buttress and flesh out more fully everything we learn in the scriptures. I believe the textbooks for eternal life are the scriptures and the classroom is the temple.

Seat time in the classroom, however, is no substitute for hands on experience and experimentation outside the classroom with the textbooks and living among all the contradictions of mortality that go with the celestial ideals. There are no such things as "cloistered" monasteries in the Church. We live in the world every day. We are buffeted and tested, tried and judged, bruised and broken. It is all part of our mortal probation, but we are shown the road map on our homeward journey. None is excluded. All are invited to make the discoveries necessary to guide them unerringly toward reunion.

Everything we do and learn in the temple points us homeward to God and His Son, Jesus Christ. The temple is all about "reunion," pointing us forward to that day when we regain our patriarchal heritage with God our Father, after being shut out of their presence for a season while we are here on earth in the "testing phase" of our eternal existence. (Abraham 3:24-26).

For reasons of propriety, I will briefly divide the temple ordinances here into three major parts written about and discussed extensively elsewhere.

Initiatory Ordinances

Following baptism, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost and priesthood ordinations for men, the initial part of the temple ordinance is initiatory in nature and pertains to preparatory symbolic washings and anointings. These preliminary ordinances are a type and shadow of events yet to come when we have fulfilled our covenant duties to preach the gospel and administer its blessings to our fellowmen. (See Ezekiel 3:18-21; Acts 18:5-6; Jacob 1:19; 2:2; Ether 12:38; D&C 88:81-82).

Endowment

The second part endows God’s children with knowledge and spiritual power if we are faithful to keeping our covenants, and it pertains to the four priesthood keys in order to fulfill our covenant duties. Once admitted to the temple both men and women are freely given these keys of understanding, knowledge and wisdom we will need to regain our full fellowship with God.

Sealings

In the third part God’s children enter into sealing ordinances, the first being the conditional sealing ordinance of the new and everlasting covenant of marriage (see D&C 131:2, 19), that we might someday become kings and queens over our own family kingdoms in eternity IF we remain faithful to our temple covenants.

President Boyd K. Packer

President Boyd K. Packer makes it clear that both the man and the woman are involved together in all these sacred ordinances:

Those who tell you that in the kingdom of God a woman’s lot is less than that of the man know nothing of the love, akin to worship, that the worthy man has for his wife. He cannot have his priesthood, not the fulness of it, without her. “For no man,” the Prophet said, “can get the fulness of the priesthood outside the temple of the Lord” (see D&C 131:1-3). And she is there beside him in that sacred place. She is there and shares in all that he receives. Each, individually, receives the washings and anointings, each may be endowed. But he cannot ascend to the highest ordinances -- the sealing ordinances -- without her at his side. (“The Circle of Sisters,” Ensign, November 1980, 111).

Again, the fullness of the temple ordinance pertains to the second Melchizedek Priesthood key. These things are administered freely to worthy men and women and pertain to the spirit of Elijah and Messiah:

"The spirit, power, and calling of Elijah is, that ye have power to hold the key of the revelations, ordinances, oracles, powers and endowments of the FULNESS of the Melchizedek Priesthood and of the kingdom of God on the earth. . ." (TPJS, 337).

"The spirit of Elias is first, Elijah second, and Messiah last. Elias is a forerunner to prepare the way, and the spirit and power of Elijah is to come after, holding the keys of power, building the Temple to the capstone, placing the seals of the Melchizedek Priesthood upon the house of Israel, and making all things ready; then Messiah comes to His Temple, which is last of all." (TPJS, 340).

In summary, each of the four priesthood keys is administered to men and women through the priesthood. Faith is administered through the priesthood, the preparatory gospel is administered through the priesthood, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, the First Comforter, is administered through the priesthood, and the temple ordinances pertaining to obtaining the blessings of the Second Comforter are administered through the priesthood in the temples.

With Scott Strong years ago, I wrote extensively about the priesthood keys, and have shared it here for anyone who would like a free pdf copy of the book's manuscript.

Salt Lake Temple

 As you prepare to go to the temple, Merilee, recognize that everything you will need to ensure your eternal exaltation in the presence of your Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, is administered to you there, subject of course, to your faithfulness. All the promised blessings are only efficacious IF we keep our covenants. If we do not, we are promised we will be in Satan's power. (Alma 34:34-35).

In my own extended family I have seen examples of each - those who were faithful and those who were not. I know the promises are true for each. I know we can remain faithful and inherit eternal life. I also know we can reject God and come under Satan's power, even to the destruction of our bodies in the flesh. The temple ordinances are designed to help us love, honor and serve God, sanctify our minds and bodies in this life and prepare ourselves for eternal life.

In the Mountain of the Lord's House (Isaiah 2:2) we receive all the promised blessings conditionally, based upon our individual faithfulness.

LGBT, the Savior and Eternal Life

Just so you know; here's the disclaimer up front: I am a heterosexual monogamous male living in the last days who is not without sin. When I found my eternal companion, Patsy Hewlett, our union began simply as one male and one female who were deeply in love with each other from the moment we went on our first date. Neither of us was perfect yet, but she's always been pretty darn close to perfection as far as I've been able to discern.

From those two imperfect beings have come many -- thirteen children and thirty-five grandchildren. We have been added upon in ways we never imagined when we first met. . .

And, I'm a Mormon.

I suppose there are others types of "love" in these last days because I've been told there is an acronym to describe everything else under the broad heading of "love," and it has been in widespread use since the 1990s:  LGBT is an initialism referring collectively to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. What a great device an acronym is -- it just softens those crude, unspoken and repulsive words no one dared to utter even a few years ago.

My first conscious experience in life with a homosexual was being part of what we now refer to as "disciplinary councils." A missionary in our mission was excommunicated and sent home from his mission because he was engaging in sexual activities in public bathrooms with other homosexuals, total strangers. I also witnessed a heterosexual who was likewise excommunicated and sent home from his mission because he committed fornication on his mission. The standard for both, I always thought, was the same.

But now there are those who are seeking to be excused from repenting, it seems. They would have us believe they are an exception because they were "born that way," and there's nothing they can do about it.

What Patsy and I have in our union as husband and wife is called "marriage." When we were married, I never really imagined the word would come under attack the way it has with everyone else wanting to define it in their own way. It never occurred to me as a young man that marriage would someday of necessity be defined in courts and individual state constitutions as a union between a man and a woman.

For six thousand years of recorded history until now it was obvious to everyone how marriage was defined. It didn't have to be mandated by statute. It was easily understood.

In the third chapter of Abraham, it is stated: "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; and God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born."

Now, note: "And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is a space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; and they who keep their first estate" — that means have obeyed and lived up to the challenges of that premortal life — "shall be added upon."

They would have a body added to their spirit, but those who didn't keep their first estate would not be added upon. "And they who keep their second estate" — that means in mortal life — "shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever." (Abraham 3:22-26).

The fact that you and I are here in mortal bodies is evidence that we were among those who were in that great concourse of organized intelligences. We knew God, our Father in Heaven. He was our Heavenly Father. We were sired by Him. We had a Heavenly Mother — can you think of having a father without a mother? That great hymn "O My Father" (see Hymns No. 292) puts it correctly when Eliza R. Snow wrote, "In the heav'ns are parents single? No, the thought makes reason stare! Truth is reason; truth eternal tells me I've a mother there." 

So each of us who lives on the earth today was born of a Heavenly Mother, sired by a Heavenly Father. We knew Him, we were in His house, and we knew His Firstborn Son, who was to come here and redeem mankind as the Great Prototype who would implement "the plan of salvation." A plan suggests a Planner.

What did He mean, then, when He said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent?" (John 17:3). The plan is to regain that knowledge we possessed in the beginning before this world was and before we were born and clothed in mortal bodies, then to go back where we once were. The coarseness of the materials comprising our mortal bodies shrouds our spirits in a veil of forgetfulness and the purification of those native elements is what overcoming the flesh is all about. Our spirits must gain ascendency over our bodies so we may come to remember our glorious beginnings. That becomes the great quest of mortality for each of us.

There was no ambiguity when Jehovah taught these truths plainly to Moses when He said, "This is my work and my glory — to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39).

Immortality is something that comes to us as a free gift to all mankind from our Heavenly Father. Whether we are righteous or evil, everyone will come forth in the resurrection after death.

Eternal life means acquiring the blessing through obedience to regain the presence of our Father and His Son in that heavenly home from which we have come, and to live the kind of life He lives. To inherit eternal life is a matter of personal righteousness and keeping the commandments to see if we will do all things the Lord God has commanded us to do. Since each of us sins and comes short of the mark, a Redeemer is provided in the plan so that none who repents will be lost.

All who become disciples of Jesus Christ have to reconcile their past sinful behavior with their present desire to become righteous, "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23).

All have sinned, it is true, but there is hope for all sinners. John taught: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he [Christ] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8-9).

When we get discouraged because of our sins, we must remember the Lord is eager for us to repent and be forgiven. The scriptures have provided many examples of valiant disciples who had to repent of a sinful past before they could move ahead as servants of the Lord.

The conversion of Alma the younger and the four sons of Mosiah before their repentance, "were the very vilest of sinners" (Mosiah 28:4) and even sought to destroy the church (Mosiah 27:10; Alma 26:18).

Alma the elder also had been a sinner in the first rank of the wicked priests of King Noah. He wrote:

"Remember the iniquity of king Noah and his priests; and I myself was caught in a snare, and did many things which were abominable in the sight of the Lord, which caused me sore repentance; Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth." (Mosiah 23:9-10).

Even my mightiest Book of Mormon hero, Nephi, cried out in the agony of his sins:

"Notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted." (2 Nephi 4:17-19).

The Apostle Paul was another prominent example of a sinner who amended his former ways and found redemption. He witnessed and consented to the violent stoning death of the Christian martyr Stephen and "made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison." (Acts 8:1-3; also see Acts 7:54-60). On several occasions he was active in the persecution of the Saints and did many things "contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." (Acts 26:9-10; also see Galatians 1:13). After acknowledging his past persecutions of the church (Philippians 3:6), he did the only thing one can do who has sinned and desires to serve the Lord:

"This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14).

Joseph Smith

In modern times we have similar prominent examples. Without being specific, young Joseph Smith wrote of his youth:

"I was left to all kinds of temptations; and, mingling with all kinds of society, I frequently fell into many foolish errors, and displayed the weakness of youth, and the foibles of human nature; which, I am sorry to say, led me into divers temptations, offensive in the sight of God. In making this confession, no one need suppose me guilty of any great or malignant sins. A disposition to commit such was never in my nature. But I was guilty of levity, and sometimes associated with jovial company not consistent with that character which ought to be maintained by one who was called of God as I had been." (JS-History 1:28).

Joseph wrote of the night when he was first introduced to Moroni: "I often felt condemned for my weakness and imperfections; when on the evening of the above-mentioned twenty-first of September, after I had retired to my bed for the night, I betook myself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God for forgiveness of all my sins and follies, and also for a manifestation to me, that I might know of my state and standing before him." (JS-History 1:29).

Many who joined the Church after the restoration began had similar concerns about their past sins. The Lord frequently revealed that if they would go forth to preach the gospel they would bring salvation to their own souls (see D&C 4:4; 11:3; 12:3; 14:3) and would be forgiven of their previous sins (see D&C 31:5; 62:3; 84:61).

The pattern here could not be more clear. We come into mortality pure and innocent: "Light and truth forsake that evil one. Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God. And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers. But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth. (D&C 93:37-40).

So we lived before we were born. We were born into mortality pure and innocent. Satan comes among us and decieves us. All succumb and commit sin. None is exempt from sin. Many acknowledge their sins, repent and come unto Christ.

President Henry B. Eyring

President Henry B. Eyring once called this the "most important invitation," ever offered:

"The words 'come unto Christ' are an invitation. It is the most important invitation you could ever offer to another person. It is the most important invitation anyone could accept. From the beginning of the Restoration of the gospel in this dispensation, it has been the charge given by Jesus Christ to His representatives. Their charge has been 'to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ.'  (D&C 20:59).

"Every member of the Church, upon accepting the baptismal covenant, becomes a disciple who has promised to stand as a witness of Jesus Christ at all times in any place he or she may be in.  (Mosiah 18:8-10). The purpose of our witness is to invite people to come unto Him.

"All of us should be intensely interested in learning how to issue that invitation effectively. We know from experience that some will not respond. Only a few responded when the Savior Himself offered this invitation during His mortal ministry. But great was His joy in those who recognized His voice. And great has been our joy when those we have invited have come unto Him."  ("Come Unto Christ," Ensign, March 2008, 48-52).

In Matthew we get a sense of the almost universal rejection suffered by the Savior when He was here on earth.

"Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  (Matthew 11:20-30).

President Boyd K. Packer

President Boyd K. Packer as recently as last weekend at General Conference offered the same invitation and has been rebuked and rejected totally and completely by the people calling themselves the LGBTs. The other night a crowd estimated at near 600 people ringed Temple Square to call attention to their protests. He entitled his remarks, "Cleansing the Inner Vessel." In part, he observed:

"The old saying 'The Lord is voting for me, and Lucifer is voting against me, but it is my vote that counts' describes a doctrinal certainty that our agency is more powerful than the adversary’s will. Agency is precious. We can foolishly, blindly give it away, but it cannot be forcibly taken from us.

"There is also an age-old excuse: 'The devil made me do it.' Not so! He can deceive you and mislead you, but he does not have the power to force you or anyone else to transgress or to keep you in transgression.

"To be entrusted with the power to create life carries with it the greatest of joys and dangerous temptations. The gift of mortal life and the capacity to kindle other lives is a supernal blessing. Through the righteous exercise of this power, as in nothing else, we may come close to our Father in Heaven and experience a fulness of joy. This power is not an incidental part of the plan of happiness. It is the key — the very key."

When we tamper with the powers of procreation, attempt to alter their holy and divine purpose or redefine their meaning, we are tampering with the very headwaters of godhood. It is little wonder those who are now flaunting their sins, demanding their rights without the attendant repentance, are so offended.

Come, let us reason together.  We are all sinners, even guys like me.  And you who are in the LGBT coalition are sinners too, sinning against the very first two commandments given to Adam and Eve in Holy Writ:  "Multiply and replenish the earth; and do not partake of the forbidden fruit." We must all unite under the banner of Jesus Christ, our Savior, repent of our sins, and have faith in His redemptive power to save contingent upon our true repentance. Otherwise, we have no promise. It's a simple requirement, but it is universal. There is no "special exemption" from repentance for a "special class" of God's children with which I am familiar.

President Packer continued:

"We raise an alarm and warn members of the Church to wake up and understand what is going on. Parents, be alert, ever watchful that this wickedness might threaten your family circle.

"We teach a standard of moral conduct that will protect us from Satan’s many substitutes or counterfeits for marriage. We must understand that any persuasion to enter into any relationship that is not in harmony with the principles of the gospel must be wrong. From the Book of Mormon we learn that 'wickedness never was happiness.' (Alma 41:10).

"Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn temptations toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Remember, God is our Heavenly Father.

"Paul promised that 'God . . . will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.'  (1 Corinthians 10:13). You can, if you will, break the habits and conquer an addiction and come away from that which is not worthy of any member of the Church. As Alma cautioned, we must 'watch and pray continually.'  (Alma 13:28).

"Isaiah warned, 'Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20).

"Years ago I visited a school in Albuquerque. The teacher told me about a youngster who brought a kitten to class. As you can imagine, that disrupted everything. She had him hold the kitten up in front of the children.

"It went well until one of the children asked, 'Is it a boy kitty or a girl kitty?'

"Not wanting to get into that lesson, the teacher said, 'It doesn’t matter. It’s just a kitty.'

"But they persisted. Finally, one boy raised his hand and said, 'I know how you can tell.'

"Resigned to face it, the teacher said, 'How can you tell?'

"And the student answered, 'You can vote on it!'

"You may laugh at this story, but if we are not alert, there are those today who not only tolerate but advocate voting to change laws that would legalize immorality, as if a vote would somehow alter the designs of God’s laws and nature. A law against nature would be impossible to enforce. For instance, what good would a vote against the law of gravity do?

"There are both moral and physical laws 'irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world' that cannot be changed.  (D&C 130:20).  History demonstrates over and over again that moral standards cannot be changed by battle and cannot be changed by ballot. To legalize that which is basically wrong or evil will not prevent the pain and penalties that will follow as surely as night follows day.

"Regardless of the opposition, we are determined to stay on course. We will hold to the principles and laws and ordinances of the gospel. If they are misunderstood either innocently or willfully, so be it. We cannot change; we will not change the moral standard. We quickly lose our way when we disobey the laws of God. If we do not protect and foster the family, civilization and our liberties must needs perish."

Statistically, all populations can be distributed across a bell curve.  It is no different in sexual tendencies. LGBTs are the minority "outliers" at the extremity on one side of the bell curve, and hyper-sexed heterosexuals represent "outliers" at the other side. We are commanded to keep our sexual activity confined "within the bounds the Lord has set" for optimal eternal joy and happiness. The Planner of the plan of happiness has so decreed.

The futility of lobbying the Planner and His servants for a redistribution or a "special exemption" at either extremity along the bell curve should be obvious. How successful with the General Authorities could I expect to be if I organized protests for heterosexuals who just couldn't manage to stop having sex with multiple partners or even with monogamous partners to whom they were not legally and lawfully wedded?

That's why in order to be accepted by the majority under the bell curve, they must do all they can to redefine the marriage covenant "legally and lawfully" and broaden the distribution to include the outliers as "normal." Anyone who does not accept their minority definition, then, can be more easily labeled as homophobic, narrow-minded, or bigoted.

* * *

To summarize: We are all sinners. Some are heterosexual, some are under some other heading, but let us all acknowledge our weaknesses and our sins. It is not to be thought that just because we are not lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender that we heterosexual sinners are somehow "better" sinners than they. In that context we are all in this "soup" of mortality together, and we can strengthen one another and help one another to overcome those weaknesses which are inherent in the flesh of mortality.

The LGBT lifestyle assures subtraction and division. The eternal marriage lifestyle assures something else: addition and multiplication.

In our eagerness not to offend but to befriend and to invite all to come unto Christ, we sometimes first tolerate, then accept, then embrace those who remain unrepentant and have come out in open opposition to the appointed servants God has sent us. The issue should not be whether or not we love one another, but rather whether our tolerance may eventually lead to a clouded view of that which cannot be altered because it is bedrock eternal truth upon which the foundations of exaltation and eternal life are constructed. Do you discern the difference here? This is not a "policy" or a "procedure" that can be changed. It is doctrine.

Beware of those sympathizers within the Church who are coming out now in open opposition to the humble prophets of God. It's a new topic today, but the "higher critics" have always been part of the fabric of the Church. Many are erudite, sophisticated, persuasive, intelligent, articulate and well-educated with "science" on their side, proclaiming they espouse "proof" that homosexual behavior is pre-ordained, normal, natural and perfectly acceptable in every way, including the need to grant all the legal advantages attaching to marriage between a man and woman. They are increasingly vociferous and bold in their open hostility toward and their criticism of the living prophets

The choice could not be more clear. Either the revealed word of God is right and His prophets are right, or the LGBTs are right. No one can have it both ways in this specific and current war of opinion. But taking a vote like the one in California over the much-discussed Prop 8 doesn't settle it, nor will the forthcoming legal challenges in courts for years to come

Correctly using your agency to choose repentance, however, is choosing wisely.

I've made my choice as a repentant (and repenting) heterosexual monogamous male living in the last days. I've cast my lot with the living prophets, the revealed Word in the scriptures, and the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. I invite everyone else of like mind, even if your sexual orientation is different than mine to join me in the most important invitation ever offered, "Come unto Me!" We can still love one another under the heavenly banner of Jesus Christ, but the requirement for all of us remains unchanged -- repentance.

That's what got everyone so agitated about what President Packer said. He dared to suggest that sinners could change, must change, in order to be exalted. It's not exactly new doctrine.

Jesus Christ -- He is the only way, the only name given under heaven by which we can be saved. . .

And I'm a Mormon.

Lessons Learned from General Conference

Back in 2002, we had a son serving his mission in Brazil, while the love of his life, Toni Venema, was simultaneously serving her mission in France.  They had met at Snow College and timed their departures so their returns would coincide.  Nobody knew for sure how it would all work out, but I was writing them both as I made the assumption (correctly) they would eventually rekindle their love and be sealed when they returned.  In fact, that's exactly what happened as they became the very first sealing of the new year performed in the Salt Lake Temple on January 2nd in an early morning ceremony with my father performing the sealing. 

It eventually proved to be a "double-dip match," because Toni's younger brother Tanner married Joe's younger sister Allie.  We love those Venemas!

After graduation from the University of Utah with his DPM,  Dr. Joe and Toni are now living with their two children in Kennewick, Washington, where Joe is plying his wares as a physical therapist at the local hospital.  They are extraordinary people in every sense, and always have been.
I discovered a letter I had sent to both while they were serving as missionaries.  In the spirit of General Conference this weekend, it seems appropriate to share some insights then that resonated with me this morning.
Joe and Toni:
I regret that I let another week slip by without writing to you. My thoughts and my life have been preoccupied with what I have been learning recently – I know, I’m just slow – there is still so much to learn, and I am learning it so late in life! I have to tell you that all the really important lessons in life seem to come too late. My most influential teachers have been Mom and all the children. I told Mom this weekend that she has BY FAR been the greatest influence for good in my life. There have been other influences, no doubt, but no one has made me desire to be a better person than she. That’s why I loved so much what President Packer said at the conclusion of his last General Conference talk [April 2002]:

President Boyd K. Packer

"When it comes to understanding our relationship with our Heavenly Father, the things my wife and I have learned as parents and grandparents that are of most worth knowing, we have learned from our children.
"This blessing has come to me as a gift from my wife. The Lord said of such women, '[A wife is given to a man] to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified' (D&C 132:63).

"With women such as this to be the mothers of children, we see why the Lord revealed 'that great things may be required at the hand of their fathers' (D&C 29:48)."

Elder Neal A. Maxwell

I was consumed last week with reading the new biography on Neal A. Maxwell’s life. It is titled A Disciple’s Life, and is inspiring beyond words. I want you to know the most important lesson I learned from the book – it is possible to be outstanding, excellent, even extraordinary (as Brother Maxwell certainly is) and simultaneously be meek and humble as a true disciple.
I guess I always resisted that notion as I was growing up and trying to find my place in the world, since all the examples I saw seemed to suggest that it was an “either/or” proposition. Not so with Brother Maxwell. His prodigious intellectual gifts gleaned in the fields of academia were consecrated upon the altar of sacrifice for the benefit of the kingdom (and consequently for all of us).
The book was an inspiring account of the progress of the Church over the last thirty years. At the core of his developmental discipleship was the foundation laid by his long list of mentors, including Grandfather Lee. He, along with his brethren in the leadership of the Church, it seems, have implemented the strategic vision for the Church that was established back in the late sixties and early seventies. We have been eyewitnesses to a glorious unfolding as the growth of the Church has been accommodated.  It is the Twelve and the First Presidency who collectively establish that strategic vision for the Church, and Brother Maxwell’s biography gives ample evidence of all the details of that reality. The keys of the kingdom reside with the Twelve, and the First Presidency preside and execute that vision. I loved the book!

President Gordon B. Hinckley

I was also reading early this morning the comments of President Hinckley at the first graduation ceremonies at BYU-Idaho (formerly, Ricks College) since the transition to a four-year college. It caught my eye, because it seemed like such good counsel for all of us. He said, "My dear young friends, keep the faith with the best that is in you. You may not be a genius. You may not be exceptionally smart. But you can be good and you can try. And you will be amazed at what might happen when in faith you take a step forward."

Elder Henry B. Eyring

Elder Henry B. Eyring also spoke. He said, "First, wherever you may labor in life, give more than you take. Second, whoever is around you in life, find someone to help. And, third, ask God to multiply the power of your efforts to give and to help," he said.
President Hinckley expressed similar sentiments about helping others as a way of having faith in associates. He told graduates that they must work together with others in the world in order to accomplish things and they should embrace opportunities to help those around them. "You will have about you, throughout your lives, those who stumble and fall. You can lift them," he said.
President Hinckley gave examples of the temple presidency recently set apart for the LDS Lubbock Texas Temple as men who have kept their faith in the church while still excelling in various professions. He urged graduates to keep that same faith in the church, as well as in God. "Keep that humility which will cause you to get on your knees in prayer, in acknowledgment of his power and goodness," President Hinckley said. "He will not fail you."
I loved these lines from Elder Maxwell, also from last Conference, particularly in light of the ever-present frustration I note in each of your letters with regard to your consecrated labors among those who can’t seem to make the kind of progress you would like. Even you two tend to be hard on yourselves for how slow you seem to progress. Rest assured it is all part of the process:
"Many ignore consecration because it seems too abstract or too daunting. The conscientious among us [he’s speaking to both of you], however, experience divine discontent because of progression mixed with procrastination. Hence, loving counsel is given with the confirmation of this direction, encouragement to continue the journey, and consolation as we experience individually the inherent degrees of difficulty.
"Spiritual submissiveness is not accomplished in an instant, but by the incremental improvements and by the successive use of stepping-stones. Stepping-stones are meant to be taken one at a time anyway. Eventually our wills can be 'swallowed up in the will of the Father' as we are 'willing to submit. . . even as a child doth submit to his father' (see Mosiah 15:7; 3:19). Otherwise, though striving, we will continue to feel the world's prop wash and be partially diverted."
I am humbled continually as I observe your diligence and the obvious evidence of your consecrated efforts to bring souls to Christ. You are serving at a time in the world’s history when the challenges are the greatest. Imagine how difficult it must be to find Christ in a world so diverted with “prop wash.” We are not excused, nevertheless, from making the attempt as both of you do so magnificently in your various fields of labor. The opening of nations begins with the opening of one heart at a time as the gospel rolls forward on its destined course to someday fill the whole earth. And you get to participate your whole lives as Zion spreads forth across the world. How blessed are you?
Love, DAD