I want to share a quick object lesson with you. This is something I learned from my mission president, President Clate W. Mask. He was just the greatest teacher and leader for our mission. The lesson is called “Keep on keepin’ on.”

I have this jar with rice in it and this little ball represents us. As missionaries, we would face rejection and struggles a lot, but that also applies to life now. We have moments where we feel on top of the world and things are running smoothly. Unfortunately, sometimes the world slams over us in discouraging ways (turn over the bottle and the rice buries the ball).

This is where we need to keep on keepin’ on. I’ll shake the bottle to represent this. We need to keep our chin up, trust in the Lord, keep acting in faithfulness and obedience, keep striving to be better each day. As we keep on keepin’ on, it’s not long until we are back on top, feeling blessed.

Look at Joseph of Egypt. He was true to God even in the worst of times. He was nearly killed by his brothers, sold to become a slave, and then thrown into prison. He could have renounced his faith and given up so many times. He was 17 years old when his brothers sold him and it was not until he was 30 that he became the greatest in Egypt save Pharaoh.

Joseph kept his faith and covenants. He kept trusting in God. When Potiphar’s wife tempted him, he dared not sin against God, so he fled. Everywhere Joseph went, people saw that God was with him and he could be trusted. He kept on keepin’ on.

So that is the lesson I learned from President Mask, and I cherish it. I have taught it to my kids who have served as missionaries. I still need this reminder for myself. When life buries you and it feels hopeless, keep on keepin’ on, and you will come out on top.

Joseph, Why Did You Say That?

I just started into the story of Joseph of Egypt. One of the first things Joseph does in this story is have a dream that indicated all his family would bow down to him. When I read this, I thought, “Joseph, read the room. That was not the smartest thing to say.”

Joseph’s brothers hated him because he seemed favored by their father, Israel. The brothers conspired against him, almost killed him, but finally sold him to be a slave.

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Joseph had had some street smarts and knew when to keep his mouth shut? Sure, it may have saved him some trouble initially, but what about the big picture. This story is so much larger than the initial events that took place. Joseph was destined to go to Egypt and he became a leader that his family eventually did bow down to.

Let’s consider some reasons why Joseph did open his mouth, even if it might have seemed like a bad idea. It says that Israel loved Joseph more than any all his children and gave him a coat of many colors. Joseph received this love. Joseph also had a dream, and maybe Joseph knew that this dream was from God. Maybe he had a loving relationship with God and knew that this dream needed to be told to his family, regardless of the ramifications. Maybe Joseph felt so much love from God and his own father that he had no fear to speak the truth. We know from the Book of Mormon that “perfect love casteth out all fear.” (Moroni 8:16)

In spite of the many difficulties Joseph endured, he never turned his back on God. He stayed true to being honest and chaste. He trusted in God even through years of trials. God remained with him and kept giving him power to interpret dreams. This would later lead him to a position of great importance. Joseph did not fear men. He trusted in God.

As a side note, as I talked with my wife about this topic, she said it reminded her of Joseph Smith. Why did Joseph Smith tell people about the golden plates? Why didn’t he just keep that to himself? Wouldn’t that be easier? Joseph Smith could not be quiet about his experiences. He feared God more than he feared man.

So what does this mean for us? It makes me wonder what I can do to fearlessly speak the truth of God, even if it is awkward or not a popular thing to say. Personally I feel like social pressure is difficult to overcome. How can I be filled with God’s love so that I do not fear?

Ultimately, the story of Joseph is a type of Jesus Christ. Many of his experiences foreshadow the life of Jesus Christ. Christ is the ultimate example of fearless love and honesty. He humbly, yet powerfully, testified of truth and He received the worst treatment with faith. He willingly bore it all because of His love.

A New Beginning

I read from Acts chapter 2 today and was impressed by the wonderful beginning and change that occurs in this chapter.

The setting was the Day of Pentecost. I found it interesting that this day is 50 days after the Passover, so quite a while had passed since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Day of Pentecost is a Jewish festival day that celebrates the wheat harvest and also God giving the Law to Moses (thanks Chat GPT).

On this day, there was a sound like a great rushing wind. It was the Holy Ghost. People began to speak in tongues and understand tongues. Peter preached to the people and they desired to know what to do.

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38)

3000 people were baptized and the church was formed.

What a great beginning this was! People joined the church. They sold their goods and parted them to all in need. They had all things in common among them. It says that many were added to the church daily.

How did this change start? I found it interesting that it started with a great understanding of language. Can you imagine what it would be like to understand everyone else? We live among people that share culture, but what about people on the other side of the world that have different languages and cultures. They live so differently and believe so differently. Often this leads to misunderstandings and conflict. What if we all understood, really understood, other people, including their intentions and their hearts?

I believe that when we really understand people, we can love them much more easily. The Holy Ghost filled these people’s hearts and they must have felt love, and there was a great understanding. With all this, no wonder they all wanted to repent and join into a covenant with God.

Are you ready for a new beginning in your life? Here are three things to think about regarding new beginnings:

1. Seek new understanding
2. Seek to repent
3. Seek to make covenants or renew covenants with God.

I believe these things can fill us with the Holy Ghost and give us a wonderful new beginning, filled with the love of Jesus Christ in our hearts.

Please share in the comments your experiences with new beginnings. How did it start? What did it feel like?

Teach about Jesus Christ No Matter What...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a manual for teachers called Teaching in the Savior’s Way. One of the first sections in this manual is entitled, “Teach about Jesus Christ No Matter What You Are Teaching.” Here is what it says:

There are many things to teach about in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ—principles, commandments, prophecies, and scripture stories. But all of these are branches of the same tree, for they all have one purpose: to help all people come unto Christ and be perfected in Him (see Jarom 1:11; Moroni 10:32). So no matter what you are teaching, remember that you are really teaching about Jesus Christ and how to become like Him. The Holy Ghost can help you learn to recognize truths about the Savior and His redeeming power in each gospel principle, commandment, and prophetic teaching (see Jacob 7:10–11).

Here goes my doofusness again. My first thought when reading this was, “Yeah. Of course. That makes sense. No problem.” However, when I really look at my own actions and efforts, I realize that this is harder than it sounds.

For example, today I read in Genesis about when Jacob tricked Isaac into giving him a blessing in place of Esau. This is such a strange story. I wonder how in the world I can relate this to Jesus Christ.

In this story, Isaac has gotten old and blind, and he tells Esau to go catch some venison and cook it up for him. Then he says he will give Esau a blessing. Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, overhears this and she tells Jacob to pretend to be Esau in order to get the blessing in his place. Jacob does this, receives the blessing, and Esau gets mad and wants to kill him. Jacob ends up fleeing for his life and they are eventually reconciled later in life.

How in the world does this story teach about Jesus Christ? It’s not an easy thing to grasp.

Maybe that can be a lesson in and of itself: we don’t understand God’s ways at times. Let’s ask this question: Was the Lord involved in this strange set of circumstances? It does say later in Genesis that the Lord was with Jacob. Maybe the Lord guided Rebekah to do what she did. Maybe the lesson is to do what your mom tells you!

Jacob is blessed to have blessings of wealth and leadership in his posterity. We know that comes true. We know God uses small and simple means, but maybe sometimes He uses very strange means to bring about His will. That seems to be the case here.

I personally have to stretch to connect this to Christ. Perhaps God is involved in my life in more ways than I realize. Maybe he placed people and opportunities in my way. I can think of many things that have seemed to just fall into place for me, and I am so blessed.

So let’s think about this strange story involving Jacob, Esau, Isaac, and Rebekah and apply it to our own lives. How is God involved in your experiences and relationships. Think about people around you and think about how maybe God wants this to influence and bless your life, especially if you are in a covenant relationship with God. If you are, then God is literally with you.

Lessons From Two Jacobs

I am going to talk about something I observed from two different Jacobs: Jacob son of Lehi in the Book of Mormon, and Jacob son of Isaac in Genesis. Then I will tie them together.

Jacob son of Lehi is well known for recounting Zenos’s Allegory of the Olive Tree. The first thing I always think about with this chapter is that it is looooong. It’s the longest chapter in the Book of Mormon, and I either have to gear up for a long session, or split it up into multiple days. I split it up this last time.

To summarize roughly, in this allegory, the Lord of the Vineyard plants olive trees in a vineyard, then proceeds to nourish, prune, and harvest for many seasons. There are times when he tries to help the trees by grafting and transplanting the saplings into other trees or other places in the vineyard. Much time seems to pass, and sometimes the trees bear good fruit and at other times the trees are corrupted. At times Lord almost gives up and mourns the loss of his vineyard, but the servants and the Lord decide to keep trying various methods of pruning, grafting, nourishing, and waiting. Eventually the vineyard bears more good fruit that grows along with corrupt fruit and there is a final separation of good and corrupt fruit. Be sure to read this to get a much better understanding.

What really stuck out to me this reading was the clear distinction of who did what. The Lord and His servants do all the planting, nourishing, pruning, transplanting, grafting, and waiting. It is the plants, however, that grow and bear fruit. They either grow good fruit or corrupt fruit. The Lord does not do the growing.

I think we are the plants. We have to take the nourishment, be pruned, even transplanted and grafted into a new setting at times. We have to choose how we grow and what fruit we will produce. The Lord will not do that for us. If any of you have done any gardening, you know that there is some point where you have to just wait and see how the plant will grow. It cannot be forced.

Now let’s jump to the other Jacob, son of Isaac. Jacob was the second born son behind Esau, who rightfully had the birthright. We can think of this as the covenant relationship with God. Esau could have had all the blessings and responsibilities of the birthright, but instead he sold his birthright to Jacob for bread and pottage. The Bible says he despised the birthright. Jacob wanted the birthright. It symbolizes the covenant relationship with God.

In both of these accounts, notice the element of choice. God will not force us to make covenants and live in a covenant relationship with Him. God provides all that we need to bless us and help us bear good fruit. We make and keep covenants as an active way of accepting what God has offered. If we choose to accept what God offers, we will be greatly blessed.

Why Am I Doing This?

I have been asking myself why I am doing this podcast. I think I finally came up with an answer. Is it a good answer? Probably not, but this is the best I can do.

I want to convey that although I am a middle-aged doofus, I can still thrive as a happy follower of Jesus Christ and member of His church. You can too! Even I can successfully “be or become an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, proceeding forward on the covenant path into the eternities.”

Qualifications for a middle-aged doofus:

1. I am 47 years old...middle-aged.
2. I am awkward in social settings and even struggle at social cues at times.
3. I am not an expert on scriptures, doctrine, languages, history, culture or anything that seems to convey that I am a knowledgeable person.
4. I am generally uninformed with current events.
5. I am not very informed about pop culture, movies, popular music, tv shows, or sports.
6. Most importantly: My kids all think that I am a doofus.

I think it is clear that I qualify as a middle-aged doofus.

So what qualifies me as a successful member of the church?

1. I have stayed an active participant in church my whole life.
2. I have lived through trials of faith, sadness, loss, heartbreak, personal struggles, relationship struggles, parenting. Basically I have lived life...so far.
3. I have studied my scriptures on a personal level for decades. Even though I am not a scriptorian, I have learned to love the scriptures and gain strength from them. I rely on them like an anchor.
4. I have learned that blessings come from prayer, church activity, from seeking help from others, the temple, paying tithing, and generally living in faith.
5. I know that even though I am weak, God can work miracles through even me. He said, “If ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work” (D&C 4:3). He also has said “That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers” (D&C 1:23).

This might not be a big thing for any of you, but for me it feels good to discover a real reason why I am doing this. I finally identified it and I hope it resonates with you.

Calling all other middle-aged doofuses: are you with me? I guess doofuses of other ages and even smart people can also join forces. We can do this. We can proceed forward on the covenant path. We can all be followers of Jesus Christ.

Grace, Faith, and Works

I have heard discussion about the conflict between faith and works several times in my life. I have also wrestled a little bit with it, and I want to share my personal perspective. My views are my own and do not officially represent the church.

A hot-button scripture about this is 2 Nephi 25:23, which says,

“...for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”

People that take issue with this think that we, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believe too much that our salvation is dependent on our works, and not enough on a belief in the Grace of Jesus Christ.

Now is this true? I think it really depends on the individual members. Let me ask you members of the church. Have you ever felt like you needed to work out your own salvation by being

more obedient,

more faithful,

more patient,

doing more service,

more repentant?

On the flip side, have you ever felt like you don’t have hope of forgiveness or salvation because you do not have

enough faith

enough humility

enough righteousness

enough works?

I grew up a member of the Church in Utah Valley, Utah, a place sometimes called “Happy Valley.” I think that name came from the idea that virtually everyone in the valley was a member of the church and there was kind of this utopian sameness. There were also norms and expectations that I grew up with because I heard them so much in church.

I heard things often like

“Be worthy to officiate in the ordinance of the Sacrament.”

“Worthily partake of the Sacrament.”

“Be worthy to enter the temple.”

“Keep the commandments.”

“Repent if you have sinned.”

I grew up with some confusion about worthiness, thinking that it did depend on my own actions and faithfulness. I also had personal struggles that I kept falling back on, shortcomings that made me doubt my own worthiness. I do think that I fell into the trap of thinking that my own works had to save me, and because of my shortcomings, I lost hope.

But I don’t blame the church for this.

I also had my share of childhood traumas that rocked my world. I also had to learn to understand my own emotions. I was a very determined kid, and I thought that if I could be good enough, I could fix all the problems that were, to be frank, out of my control.

Thankfully, I got help from a bishop. My bishop once asked me directly while speaking one on one with him, “Do you believe that Jesus Christ paid for your sins?” I paused for a moment, and then I said, “Yes.”

That moment changed my life. I realized that this was not the church of prophets, apostles, bishops, etcetera. This was The Church of Jesus Christ. He was the Head of the church. All the teachings and leaders were at best instruments to bring me directly to Jesus Christ.

I learned about Grace that day. I learned that Jesus Christ knew me personally and that He did pay for my sins. He even paid for many more future sins that I would commit. His Grace was so much greater than any works that I could ever think about doing. I surrendered my life to Him and realized that He could carry me so much farther than I could ever imagine.

I found some great scriptures to broaden our perspective on this topic. This is from Jacob 4. Jacob was Nephi’s little brother, so think of this as a continuation of the subject of faith, grace, and works:

See Jacob 4:6-11

I hope you can all personally develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. Allow some Grace towards yourself if you have believed things in the past that harmed you. Learn how great Jesus Christ is and how much He loves you.

Elder Ulisses Soares recently spoke about the virtue of Temperance in his last General Conference address. If I am being honest, I don’t really think about temperance, but as I thought about it I am starting to realize how much we need it in our society today.

Elder Soares points out that this is a Christlike virtue, and that He lived it throughout His life.

I find it interesting that Temperance cannot be exercised alone. It’s like a seasoning that you put into your food: hence Elder Soares’s words “Adorned with the virtue of temperance.” Temperance seems like it is an extra ingredient to how we do other things.

For example, I can act or think passionately, but if I sprinkle in a little temperance, maybe I will be a little more thoughtful about how maybe I am going too far or forgetting something important, or even how I might be completely wrong.

The Doctrine and Covenants Section 58 verse 27 says we should be “anxiously engaged in a good cause....” I thought about this statement. It does not say anxiously engaged in the best cause or the perfect cause. Sometimes I look at the passionate way that people approach politics, social issues, or even what we should have for dinner, and their passion can be really persuasive. It can be hard to navigate. I think social and other media can really promote the anger and contention brought about because of these deep passions.

What if there were temperance, however? What if we all added a healthy amount of temperance in our passions and just settled down a little bit? Are our passionate beliefs about social issues more important than our true identity as sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters?I will close with a beautiful interaction from the Bible, in fact one of my most favorite interactions of all. It is when the resurrected Lord Jesus appeared to Mary at the sepulchre. Jesus spoke to her tenderly and I would say with temperance. She did not even know it was Him at first.

John 20

14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.