Brightening My Light

My talk today to introduce the Primary presentation. The purpose of the Primary presentation is for the children to share what they've learned throughout the year in Sharing Time. Each child picked a monthly theme and wrote their understanding and testimony of it. The other part of the program is the music. The songs teach gospel doctrine, make it easier to remember and learn the doctrine, and invite the Spirit to testify of the truth of the doctrine. This year's theme was "I know the scriptures are true," and the accompanying scripture was "For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them" ( 2 Nephi 4:15 ). The letter in the manual from the Primary General Presidency states: The scriptures are the word of God. As you prayerfully read the scriptures and apply the principles taught in them and in this outline, you will be spiritually prepared to teach the gospel of  Jesus Christ  to the children in your Primary. You will also ...

At the end of April, our stake had a women's conference. A couple months before the event, I was asked to portray one of the women from the scriptures: Hannah. I was told to prepare a 3-5 minute talk about her from her point of view. It needed to include the lines, "I offer you the gift of [gospel principle]..." and "My prayer for you from the past is..." I put a lot of thought into my talk ( read it here ) and came away learning a lot not only about Hannah, but also about how her story applies to me. I was again reminded how really studying scripture stories in depth can lead to a deeper understanding of the people and lessons involved. The day of the event, all the women participating in the pageant arrived early to get into costume and run through our entrance. The place was decorated beautifully! Each table was assigned a tribe of Israel The stake Relief Society president wanted us to really get into character and have fun. She was hoping we wou...

There's a difference between reading and studying the scriptures, and we're advised to do the latter. There are several resources available to help us search and understand the scriptures. Some of these are seminary and Institute manuals, the Church magazines, general conference talks, other LDS books, and even the dictionary. Yet, there is a second step we're supposed to take after studying the scriptures, and that is to ponder. This means to think about what we've read in order to make connections, discover personal application, and receive revelation. Here are three things you can do to take the time to ponder after reading. 1. Listen to Heavenly Music my favorite album Maintain the Spirit you've invited through scripture study by listening to uplifting music, such as that from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It will aid in keeping away distractions, both externally and internally, so you can focus on the words you've read and what they mean. I...

photo from lds.org A previous set of elders put me on the 12-week course for new missionaries. Last night as I was finishing up the week on revelation through the Book of Mormon, I came upon this study activity: Read Moroni 10:3-5 and discuss how these verses show what an investigator must do to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Discuss the meaning and importance of real intent and how to help investigators develop real intent. I considered skipping it since I had read that scripture passage countless times, especially with studying Preach My Gospel , and because the discussion seemed to focus on real intent, which had been covered thoroughly in that week's study. But I decided to humor myself and do it anyway. And what I learned surprised me. There are actually four steps an investigator must complete before asking God with real intent and receiving an answer: Read the Book of Mormon. How can we know if something is true if we haven't even read it? We have to b...

[The second half of my talk given 1/11/15. Read the first part here .] The second reason why we need scripture power is to receive personal revelation. We can find guidance in the word of God. Nephi wrote, “feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do” ( 2 Nephi 32:3 ). By following the counsel in the scriptures, we can always know what we need to do to stay on the path back to Heavenly Father. A great example is when Joseph Smith read James 1:5 and followed its advice, praying to God and thus bringing about the entire Restoration. We may not be able to find a specific answer in the scriptures as Joseph did, but diligent scripture study invites the Holy Ghost, who will reveal to us answers to our gospel questions and life decisions. Third, scripture power protects us from temptation and sin. The best way it does so is preventively. President Packer said, “True doctrine, understood, changes attitude and behavior....

lds.org [The first half of my talk given 1/11/15. Read the second part here .] The chorus to one of the Primary songs reads: Scripture power keeps me safe from sin. Scripture power is the power to win. Scripture power! Every day I need The power that I get each time I read. The power found in the scriptures is always there, waiting for us to tap into it, like the electricity in our homes. All we need to do is flip the switch to feel its power and let it light our way. We learn in Alma 17:2–3 how to do this: Now these sons of Mosiah . . . had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently , that they might know the word of God. But this is not all ; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting ; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God. [emphasis mine] Why...

The Liahona [Adapted from my sacrament talk given June 15, 2014. Read the first part here .] Being able to make connections between the scriptures and our own lives takes practice; that is why we should have effective personal scripture study. Reading the scriptures is good for surface-level understanding and knowledge, but internalizing the message and gaining a testimony of the doctrine and principles require searching, pondering, and praying. Even if we have trouble finding a specific answer in the words of the scriptures, engaging in daily scripture study invites the Spirit to give and opens our hearts to receive personal revelation.  Such deeper study takes time and effort, but it is not impossible to achieve. Start by finding a consistent time when you can focus and be uninterrupted. You may have to be creative. Don’t worry about how much you read; quality is more important than quantity. Take advantage of cross references, institute manuals, and other study guid...