1st-Sunday Discussion on Conversion

Last Sunday felt like a great culmination in our ongoing 1st-Sunday lessons on the theme of Conversion.  The format was a little bit different, with 5 or so class members being asked beforehand to share a 5-minute-or-less account of either their own conversion, or that of an admired scriptural figure, family member, etc.  The resulting discussion was immensely uplifting.

One brother started off by sharing his own conversion story, explaining that he had intended to be a Methodist minister, and wanted to show the missionaries the "error of their ways" but obviously changed his mind.  He cited several examples of events that couldn't be simple coincidences that helped him to know of God's love for him as well as recognize the truthfulness of the Church.

Then another brother shared the account of Amulek in the Book of Mormon, emphasizing that Amulek never rebelled against the church, and didn't need to have a miraculous conversion like Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah in order to fully immerse himself in the gospel.  He shared of the joy he has felt when reflecting on the truthfulness of the gospel, including a vivid moment in his life when he knew it to be true.

Another class member volunteered his story which was "lame" by his own account.  On a church history tour as a youth the bus driver got on the loud speaker when they got to Adam-Ondi-Ahman and said, "OK, now's your chance to go pray and know if the church is true" (which apparently he said at most every spot they stopped at).  He went apart from his group and went off to pray and heard in his mind the answer, "You already know it's true."  He figured that by reading the Book of Mormon a few times and surrounding himself with the gospel throughout his life up to that point he had already had lots of small moments that affirmed the truthfulness of the Church.  He felt that even though the story is "lame" it shows that anyone can be converted.

One brother then referenced the previously-made contrast of Alma the Younger and Amulek, as well as the "lame" conversion story and said that he had experienced an Alma-the-Younger conversion story, which is not actually so enviable.  He cited how Alma wished the rocks would collapse in on him, so ashamed was he of his guilt before God.  This brother said he felt the shame of rebelling against the church in his youth, and even leading others astray.  But, like Alma, he said he knew of the sweetness of the atonement.

Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah are called to repentance by an angel

Another volunteer told of his story of going to a Palmyra Easter pageant as a young man and feeling God's love for him there, but then returning there some years later as an adult with some trepidation as to whether God would still accept him.  But thankfully, he said, he was grateful to once again feel that love at the same spot in the same way he did several years ago.  And, similarly, he had felt the sensation upon walking through the Arlington 2nd Ward chapel doors that he was home, whether he was perfect or not.

Lastly, the curator for the discussion wrapped it up by accurately assessing that the one thing all these conversion stories had in common was that they were all different.  (Something I agreed with, even though our intention going into the lesson was to connect all the similarities with common threads.)  He added his own account of his difficulty of just becoming an elder because that's "just what you do when you get to a certain age in the church."  He shared a story of a college roommate asking him for a priesthood blessing for something trivial (a cold maybe), but he, having the sincerity to want to make sure to do it right, excused himself to go say a "quick" prayer in the other room which actually lasted about 15 minutes -- surely to the confusion of his roommate.  He was able to observe later that his yearning to know how to do it right--to call on the powers of heaven--was a form of conversion.  He just hadn't always known how to recognize conversion; put it into familiar terms.  This class, and other similar discussions and experiences had helped to continually solidify that process for him.

On Being Genuine

"The Church is not an automobile showroom, it is
more like a service station" - Pres. Uchtdorf

Our soon-to-migrate-westward EQ member, Daniel Harbuck, was able to dispel any question of his lame duck status by actually reaching out to see if he could teach a lesson in his few remaining months with the quorum.  He was assigned the topic of 'On Being Genuine' from a recent priesthood session talk by Pres. Uchtdorf.

In typical form, he was able to get a lot of class participation (even from those that couldn't attend in person) by doing some coordination with quorum members in advance.  He texted several members independently to ask, "Are there any examples of genuine love/service/testimony/anything that you can share?"  We were able to draw out some great stories in the class.  Below are some excerpts.

• An anonymous testimony was submitted recounting a story of a quorum member who, when he was a youth, stayed out too late one Saturday night with his friends and took a substance he shouldn't have, and which was detected by his parents when he got home.  The next day on the LONG ride to church the father waited for the rest of the family to head out of the parked car and then, unorthodoxically, told the son that he wanted him to stand in front of his fellow priesthood youth and tell them what he did and ask them to forgive him.  (Wow!)  [I'm not sure what I would have done in that situation either as the father or the son.]  So this young man stood up and explained what he did and then said he immediately felt the overpowering love and acceptance of his fellow friends.  
• Abraham S. shared a short story from his youth about finally pushing back on his father who he felt was pressuring him too much and the father sort of cracked and broke down a bit and said, "I'm sorry, son.  I guess I've never been the father of a 14-year old boy before.", and how this instance both showed him how genuinely hard his father had been trying, and improved their relationship greatly ever since.
• Skyler S. shared a fantastic story which I'll call the parable of the 3 priesthood friends, Stu, Trevor, and Skyler.  One boy, Stu, was the son of the stake president, and everything came naturally to him.  Sklyer started to grow tired of everyone saying how great Stu was, and he complained to his mom, "Mom - this guy's not actually that great.  I know.  I'm the one showing up on time to prepare the sacrament.  I'm the one collecting fast offerings every month."  His mom responded, "Skyler, are you serious?!  Look at Trevor.  He's doing all the things you are doing, and more, AND he's not asking for any recognition."  And then a few days later Skyler actually found Trevor at a street near his house and said, "Hey man, what are you doing here?" to which Trevor sheepishly responded, "Oh... yeah... I mean... I just kind of come here sometimes and just help someone out with something."  When Skyler pressed further he came to learn that this guy, Trevor, was actually doing repeat visits to a widow's house to do her yardwork for her.  Ha!
• Abele T. shared his appreciation for fellow quorum members who shine through as examples of genuineness for him by taking time out of their busy lives to help others in need and practice what they preach.
• Dan K. shared a story about how being a nursery teacher was actually quite difficult for him and his wife, and once when he slightly let on about it to his home teacher who happened to have a kid in nursery he was impressed that of all the preachy things the home teacher could have said, he simply said, "Thank you for helping in the nursery.  It's nice that my wife and I can count on people as reliable as you and your wife to trust our kids with so we can attend our classes and be spiritually uplifted."

"Many of the things you can count, do not count. Many of the things you cannot count, really do count.” - attributed to Albert Einstein

Home Teaching In More Inspired Ways

On August 31, 2014, we had a presidency lesson based on a 30-minute Q&A webcast with former Relief Society general president, Sister Julie B. Beck.

It's really a fantastic interview, and is eye-opening to anyone (particularly visiting-teaching women or home-teaching men) who wants to take their ministry up a notch and better follow the example of the Savior.

Sister Beck.  Doesn't mince words.

Below are some of the highlights I extracted from the interview, and which I relayed to the quorum during the lesson.  (Note that I replace most references to visiting teaching with home teaching.)

• The Lord is not going to ask if your home teaching is 100%; but did you care. [5:00]
• This is a ministry He cares about.  this is the one place he asks us to minister one-on-one.  This is a test.  Are we willing to "come follow me?" [5:30]
• Why is it so hard? Because the adversary.  It's our responsibility to get over the "issues".  Go to the Lord and ask to get over the barrier.  He'll help you.  He is mightier than all the earth. [7:40)
• Pres. Eyring has said "the only system that would work on this scale is this system." [10:30]
• Instead of ending our visits with, "If there's anything need...", let us rather ask, "What concerns do you have?", "What gospel questions do you have?", "Would you allow me to help you with...?" [11:50]
• Be like Mormon who was "quick to observe."  Pray for this gift
• 3 key questions to measure our effectiveness: [14:00]
1. Does my home teacher help me grow spiritually?
2. Does my home teacher care deeply about my family?
3. Will my home teacher take action without needing to be invited?
• Matt 5:44 - Love thine enemies -- this can mean loving people that don't want to be loved.  If we home teach only those families that we're buddies with, "do not even the publicans the same?" [Ouch!]  You have the opportunity to pray for them.  You are a disciple of Jesus Christ, and promise to remember him.  What better way to keep our covenants? [19:00]
• What about home teaching alone?  Serve in more inspired ways.  You don't have to occupy the same space to minister to others. [27:00]
• One sister said she didn't need a friend to be her visiting teacher, she needed a grandmother.  Someone to share wisdom, watch her kids so she could go to the temple, etc. [33:00]
• "I'm a disciple, and I'm up for this.  And it will be fun." [35:00]

Conversion

Below is a recap of a recent lesson from Elders Quorum secretary, Robert Brown.

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"You may ask, Why doesn’t this mighty change happen more quickly with me? You should remember that the remarkable [conversions] of King Benjamin’s people, Alma, and some others in scripture are just that—remarkable and not typical. For most of us, the changes are more gradual and occur over time. Being born again, unlike our physical birth, is more a process than an event. And engaging in that process is the central purpose of mortality."
-Elder D. Todd Christofferson, 2008 General Conference, Born Again

When I read this talk in anticipation of my lesson it reminded me of our last stake conference when we talked about Alma the Younger's change. The speakers at stake conference often emphasized his swift conversion, how he was living life in one direction and then afterwards he changed—started living it in another direction—and it bothered me all conference because I see Alma as someone who had always lived his beliefs to the fullest, same as Paul from the New Testament. To me that doesn't seem so much like a "change" as much as a "redirection," and I think the semantic difference is important. I don't know much about the specific past history of King Benjamin's people, but Peter seems to me a better example of someone who experiences a gradual "mighty change," and so is a more useful example for people who believe but struggle to live up to their beliefs.

Alma and Paul's conversion vs. Peter's

Peter hastily jumping out of the boat to greet the resurrected Lord (John 21)

Paul and Alma are testaments to obedience—whichever side of the Gospel they were on, they were true to their convictions. Peter, though, was a derelict fisherman who regardless of his beliefs, followed his impulse at all times: He jumps off a boat to walk on water and almost drowns, cuts off a guy's ear in front of the a Prince of Peace, tells Jesus over and over again how much he loves him without catching on that he needs to feed His sheep. This was his strength and his weakness, and as convictions grow they begin to inform his impulses, his forthrightness, and lack of guile, and this allows the reader of the New Testament to watch the manifestation of his conversion and convictions. When his testimony is strong, not adequate yet to his responsibilities, but still developing (like many members of the church), he denies Christ three times, but only a little while later he defended Christ so fiercely and with so little reservation that he was crucified for both his convictions and his fierce unwielding defense of it. His testimony, conviction, and understanding actually change him into a new creature, the rock and foundation of Christ's organization.

If we want a mighty change in our life, like the people of King Benjamin, or Paul, or Alma the Younger, and we don't want to wait for an angel or a great talk, we can relate Peter's life to ours, and study his change. If we are as brave and devoted as Peter the idiot who almost drowns, maybe we, too, can end up being so devoted and converted as Peter, the rock of Christ.

Why Am I a Mormon? (2/2/14)

Today we were instructed by the recently released 1st Counselor in the Elders Quorum Presidency, Daniel Harbuck.  Kudos to him for not only asking permission to still have the privilege of teaching the lesson even though  he had recently been released ,but for also earnestly praying and seeking inspiration as to what the lesson topic should be weeks in advance.  This preparation and humility really shone through in the lesson and helped to culminate in what, in my estimation, was one of the watershed moments of spirituality and testimony strengthening in this quorum’s history.

To help set the tone he asked everyone in advance to read one or more short lessons from Bro. Clayton Christensen’s ‘The Power of Everyday Missionaries’ website.  He also asked select people  to come prepared to class with a paragraph explaining, “Why am I a Mormon?”, with corresponding encouragement to post that explanation on their mormon.org profile page.  In addition, he asked a few class members if they’d be willing to read/recite the account of Joseph Smith’s first vision in either their mission language or their native or alternate language.

As the time for the actual lesson arrived, he began by citing Doctrine and Covenants, section 6; a missionary-minded section given in the very early history of the Church  in April, 1829.  The section is written by Joseph Smith in response to a request by Oliver Cowdery, his scribe in the translation of the Book of Mormon, to gain a further witness of the divinity of the work in which they were engaged.  The Lord responded (through this revelation in section 6 to Joseph Smith), “Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.  Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter?  What greater witness can you have than from God?”  The “cast your mind upon the night” concept resonated, clearly with Daniel, and I think with many of us in the class as well.  Many of us in the Church have groped for answers to our peculiar and trying faith, often pleading with the Lord for validation and assurance.  Casting our collective minds upon the night we cried unto the Lord and remembering the peace that eventually followed was a provocative reminder of our human yearnings and the Lord’s continually outstretched arm (Isa 5:25, 9:12, 10:4).

He then asked for any volunteers that could share their prepared paragraph on why they are a Mormon.  David spoke up and shared his powerful story of how he had doubted his faith for many years, and was almost excited to leave the house and go to school, and was actually sitting on his bed making plans to leave the church for good when a miraculous thing happened -- he received a witness that the Lord needed him in the Church.  (And he has humbly and dutifully served in the Church ever since.)  [FULL STORY HERE.]

Daniel then asked a few previously selected people to recite Joseph Smith’s account of what is known as the ‘First Vision’ in which he went to a grove of trees in Palmyra, NY, to pray to know which church he should join and was visited by God the Father, and Jesus Christ the Son, who instructed him to join none of them, but eventually to assist in restoring the same church which existed on and off in The Savior’s era and in Moses’ era, and with all the holy prophets.

Ben Burgoyne, who served a mission in Germany several years ago, commenced with a recitation in German.  He could scarcely get the first word before he was apparently flooded with a recollection of all the sacred, the challenging, the joyful, and the agonizing moments of his mission, and was nearly overcome with emotion before reciting from memory the all-important lines,

“...sah ich gerade über meinem Haupt, heller als das Licht der Sonne, eine Säule aus Licht, die allmählich herabkam, bis sie auf mich fiel. Kaum war sie erschienen, da fand ich mich auch schon von dem Feind befreit, der mich gebunden gehalten hatte. Als das Licht auf mir ruhte, sah ich zwei Personen von unbeschreiblicher Helle und Herrlichkeit über mir in der Luft stehen. Eine von ihnen redete mich an, nannte mich beim Namen und sagte, dabei auf die andere deutend: Dies ist mein geliebter Sohn. Ihn höre!”

"...I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

All told, we had it read by the following members of the quorum in 13 languages:
Ben Burgoyne (German)
Rey Benitez (Spanish)
Han Lee (Mandarin)
Dan Kim (Korean)
Azzaya Nyam-Ochir (Mongolian)
David Sessions (Polish)
Karl Sneider (Turkish)
Elder Gledhill (Ukrainian)
Andrew Smith (Indonesian)
Andrew Cusick (French)
Anthony Latta (Russian) [I will not soon forget the image of an investigator reading the account in Russian while a nearby Russian-speaking return missionary wept with emotion]
Daniel Harbuck (Portuguese)
Elder Christensen (English)

Truly, this standard of truth will penetrate every continent, visit every climb, sweep every country, and sound in every ear.

It’s pretty remarkable to belong to a group of men that can be spiritual and emotional with each other in such a constructive way; and to catch a glimpse of their testimonies and their experiences which range the entire globe, really.

Witnesses of the Book of Mormon (6/1/14)

JFS Manual, Chapter 9

Because of the Relief Society's 1st-Sunday Visiting Teaching Conference, many of our quorum members had to go down to Primary and Nursery to spell the sisters from their normal assignments and free them up to attend their all-hands conference.  This meant that attendance in our quorum was poor; though the lesson itself was rich.

Andrew taught from the Joseph Fielding Smith manual.  Before commencing the formal lesson, however, he opened up the class for the sharing of any spiritual experiences that any of the quorum members might have had in the past week.  One class member, John, shared an experience about feeling inspired to suddenly call his father on Friday which somehow culminated in him doing temple work for his great great grandfather on Saturday; a day he described as, "one of the most spiritual days of my life."  Andrew then went on to encourage us all, in what has become his broken-record mantra, "I know the Lord is blessing you guys with spiritual experiences, and I invite you to write them down cause I know you're having them."

In diving in to the lesson we covered the background of the 3 witnesses and then the 8 witnesses of the Book of Mormon; men who were permitted to see and touch the gold plates, and who, though in many cases took issue with Joseph Smith and/or the Church, continued to affirm their witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

The 8 Witnesses

We then discussed what it means to be a witness and how one comes to 'know' a thing.  The method of trial-and-error was put forth as one way we can know, and the corresponding example of touching a hot stove to learn that it's hot was discussed.  From that, Andrew shared a neat experience of an incident on his mission in France when a man asked him to prove to him why he, Andrew, could say that he "knows" so many things (e.g. God lives, Jesus died for us, etc.).  In his best French, he shared the analogy of the wind.  He asked the man if he had ever seen the wind, to which the man admitted he hadn't; he had only seen the manifestations of the wind.  Andrew explained that this is like the principles of the gospel.  When we test our faith we often receive blessings, or we hear someone else testify of a principle, or we receive an answer to prayer, etc.  These instances are like the leaf blowing on the tree or the water rippling -- manifestations of a greater power at play.  It was noted, however, that the Book of Mormon is unique because it is not the wind, it is the hot stove.  It physically exists.  Though we don't have the fortune of handling the original gold plates we can read the divinely translated copy, and we can put Moroni's promise (Moroni 10:3-5) to the test and learn for ourselves that it is true.  As the prophet Joseph Fielding Smith said in 1956,

“I bear witness to you that the Lord has made it very clear to me by revelation which I have received, and many of you who are here present can bear witness likewise, that these things are true, and that is the privilege of any sincere person who will endeavor to read with a prayerful spirit and a desire to know whether the book is true or not; and he will receive that testimony according to the promise that was made by Moroni, who sealed the record to come forth in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.”

The missionaries, Elder Gustafson and Elder Black, were then invited up to demonstrate the typical way in which they share the story of the Book of Mormon with investigators.  They showed us the painting of Moroni praying over the plates before burying them around 420 A.D. in the hopes that they would be found by some future generation -- basically a message in a bottle.  They asked us to ponder what words Moroni might have said as he prayed over these plates and over the future generations that would read them.  They invited us to note the specifics of Moroni's promise in chapter 10 (e.g. remember the kindness of the Lord, ponder the words of the book, ask with faith, demonstrate real intent, etc.) and gain (or reaffirm) our own witness of this divine testament of Jesus Christ.