The Faith of a Child

I would like to share an experience I recorded in my journal at the end of last year as I had my first experiences on the other side of the table in tithing settlement.

"[A young child] (8 years old) came in to my office with his family for tithing settlement. In his hand, he held a donation envelope; his eyes held tears. 
For him, paying tithing was a real sacrifice. It was a sacrifice in a way I have not personally experienced to date. His family, while not starving, is not wealthy. They make ends meet, but there is very little slack. Mom and Dad both work; Dad also has a small side business. The children have learned from a very early age to differentiate wants from needs. Though, it was still not easy to relinquish the wants. 
[This child] had come to understand the power of money and its many uses. He knew better than most 8-year-olds the sacrifice entailed in donating 10% of all his increase. He had also come to understand the power of obedience. He knew better than many adults the blessings that come from willing sacrifice in obedience to God's commands. 
It was hard for him to pay his tithing. It tore at his insides and made him cry for the wants that would be unrealized. But, he had been taught by his faithful parents the great need we have for the blessings given to honest tithe payers. So he willingly, under no coercion from his parents or from me, his Bishop, made the donation and declared himself a full tithe payer. 
My heart leapt and sang at the great faith exhibited by this young man! His gift was not begrudgingly given, despite its difficulty. His sacrifice was echo of the immortal words of the Savior, 'if it be Thy will, let me keep these few coins. Nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done.' 
I would hope and pray that I and we all may develop this same trust and faith in our Heavenly Father and all of His words."

Saint George and the Dragon

Perhaps it should be Saint Michael and the Dragon? Or, better still, Saint [your name] and the Dragon.

JST Revelation 12:
4  And there appeared another sign in heaven; and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman which was delivered, ready to devour her child after it was born.
5  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore years.
6  And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought against Michael;
7  And the dragon prevailed not against Michael, neither the child, nor the woman which was the church of God, who had been delivered of her pains, and brought forth the kingdom of our God and his Christ.
8  Neither was there place found in heaven for the great dragon, who was cast out; that old serpent called the devil, and also called Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth; and his angels were cast out with him.

D&C 76:

25 And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,

 26 And was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning.

 27 And we beheld, and lo, he is fallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning!

 28 And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision; for we beheld Satan, that old serpent, even the devil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our God and his Christ—

 29 Wherefore, he maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about.

Each of us has our dragon to fight. A verse that has always given me great comfort has been 1 Corinthians 10:13:

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who 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.

I typically focus on the second part. It gives such great comfort and reassurance. There is no dragon that I or you will be asked to face that we cannot defeat it, through the Grace of Christ. This statement gives such hope and confidence and determination to do what is right, knowing that I can succeed, that no situation is hopeless.

Today, however, I was struck by the first half of the verse. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. There is no dragon I am asked to fight that has not been slain countless times by countless saints throughout the ages, and, almost certainly, by my own friends and family. I cannot rely on Saint George to slay my dragons for me, but I can ask him what he did. What tactics he employed. Ask him to encourage and cheer me as I assail my own, real dragon. All of us have one or more Saint Georges in our lives, whether we know it or not. There are people all around who are willing and happy to help us in our fights. In fact, members of the church have covenanted to assist in just this way.

Mosiah 18:

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

 9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

Isaiah 35:

3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.

4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.

Hebrews 12:

12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

D&C 81:

5 Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.

Before your feeble knees give way and the dragon claim you his, please accept the loving assistance of your friends and family. If you have lost a round, a battle, do not give up. None of us get everything right the first time. We all have need of the Savior. Desperate need.

1 John 1:

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Lord is faithful. He will forgive the humble seeker of truth and lift us to a more joyous life.

What's in a name?

Sometimes, quite a lot.
Shakespeare (Juliet) famously declared that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. And while that may be true (I don't really know - I have never smelled a non-rose rose), it turned out that Romeo being a Montague in name only was actually rather significant. Mortally so.
In the Gospel, we see that the names given to things are not happenstance, but are meaningful and faith-inspiring. Consider, for a moment, some of the many, many names of the Christ: Christ, Messiah, The Lamb of God, Savior, Redeemer, Only Begotten of the Father, Firstborn of the Father, Creator, Eternal Father, Son (and many more). Each of His names teaches us something meaningful about His life, His character, His role in God's plan, and our relationship to Him.
We are taught repeatedly throughout the scriptures (go and see which you can find!) that there are but two powers in play in the world: God's and the devil's. We can choose which we will subject ourselves to, but there is no third option, there is no abstaining vote.
Given that there are but these two powers, how is it that we read of so many different powers in the scriptures?
Priesthood power
Power of faith
Power of the Atonement
Power of righteousness
Powers of heaven
Power of creation/procreation
The power of God
and others, I am sure; what can you add to the list? Sometimes, power is used nearly synonymously with ability, capacity, or capability, but that is not what I have in mind this evening.
Just as Christ's various names and titles teach us about Him and build our faith in Him, so, too, the various names of His power teach us about that power and allow us to develop faith in His power.
Here, then, are a few thoughts I have had on each of these facets of God's power, and what it has taught me about His power. But don't take my word for it; go and learn for yourself.
"Priesthood" highlights the importance of having authority from God to exercise (or claim to exercise) power or authority in His name. Without that authority, without the priesthood, the power being wielded may be an imitation of His true power. God's house is a house of order, and the priesthood order is the organization He has established for delegating authority.
"Faith" teaches us how we may access God's power. His power becomes active in our lives in response to our faith; as we exercise our agency in faith, He will fill our lives with His power.
"Atonement" reminds us that it is only in, through, and because of the Atonement that we are permitted to experience God's power in our life. Because of the redeeming and sanctifying power of the Atonement, we become worthy vessels, worthy of being filled with power.
"Righteousness" teaches us both about God's nature (He is perfectly righteous and so is perfectly powerful) and about our responsibility: to follow God's commands that we, too, may become righteous. And when we are living in accordance with the guidelines God has given us, His power will flow into us without compulsory means.
"Heaven" differentiates this power from that of the adversary and clearly indicates that this power may only be given to those who are of a heavenly nature.
"Creation/Procreation" is one of the most discernible and tangible facets of God's power. Satan is not a builder or a creator. He is a destroyer. God builds worlds and lives. He builds saints.
The power of God is the power whereby He created the heavens and the earth, and the power which He employs to strengthen and enable us to do His will (also called Grace in that application). This power is available to all who will humbly call upon Christ and do His will. Elder Uchtdorf asks if the priesthood holders are living beneath their privileges. What great privileges are available to all of us who have received the gospel and are willing to walk according to God's law! I believe we are all living well beneath our privileges when it comes to the constant companionship, guidance, and strengthening power of the Holy Ghost. It is a quest of a lifetime to rise to those privileges and claim the blessings the Father eagerly waits to bestow upon those who love and keep His word. John 14:23

The Calling and Office of Bishop

Bishop Leder recently shared some thoughts he had, which were wonderful, of course, on this talk from Elder Cardon of the Seventy: The Savior Wants to Forgive. His thoughts reminded me that I have a few thoughts on the office and calling of Bishop that I would like to share.

I once had need to speak with a Bishop to ask his assistance in securing the Lord's forgiveness for my sins. I admit I was reluctant to make that first appointment and visit with him. Part of my reluctance was shame (a tool of the devil), part was fear (a tool of the devil), and part was a lack of understanding. I didn't understand why I should need his help. Couldn't I work it out on my own with the Savior? I suspect others may have similar thoughts and feelings. I can tell you that there is no need to feel shame; we are all imperfect and no one expects you to emerge from life without any mistakes. I can tell you that there is nothing to fear; your Bishop, whoever he is, is a kind, loving servant of God, honestly striving his best to help and assist you. I can tell you that, but it may not make much difference. You will have to receive those same witnesses for yourself, through the Spirit.

What I can do is perhaps share with you some things I have learned about why the Bishop plays a critical and central role in our efforts to access the atoning blood of Christ.

What I knew of the Bishop's role ever since I was a youth is that he is a judge in Israel (e. g. here). We have probably all heard that. Sadly, it probably helps foster that fear we all feel; none of us want to be judged. Interestingly, something I learned a couple of years ago while teaching Old Testament in seminary is that "judge" and "judgement" in the Old Testament has a different connotation than we use today.

Consider these verses from Psalms 10:17-18:

17 Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.
We don't typically think of the Lord coming out in righteous indignation against the fatherless and the oppressed, right? We expect him to come out in mercy and love to protect and defend the fatherless and the oppressed. Somehow, the meaning was switched from what He would do for the the oppressed to what He would do for the oppressor somewhere along the line. I believe that often in the scriptures, the meaning the Lord has in mind when he says "judge" is that implied here - to come out in great power and mercy in defense of those that have no defense. The Bishop, then, is a judge in Israel - the Lord's appointed servant to come out in power and mercy in defense of you, who are oppressed by sin. Consider also Isaiah 1:17, 23; Psalm 68:5; Psalm 7:11; Isaiah 11:4; Jeremiah 5:28). Clearly, not all instances of "judge" are to be read this way, though I think the vast majority can be.
What I learned while working with my Bishop was that some sins are violations of covenants we have made with God and with the Church and so the Bishop acts as an agent of the Lord and of the Church to receive our confession and apology. While I found that interesting, it was not exactly inspiring or the answer I was looking for when I asked him what his role is in the process.
Several years after I had finished meeting with the Bishop and left those particular troubles behind, I learned of a role the Bishop plays in the process, which, for me, was eye-opening.
We are all, to one extent or another, familiar with these words of John the Baptist in the 13th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants:
1 Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.
I don't know how many times I have read that or similar scriptures without catching the role of the Bishop. The Bishop is the President of the Aaronic Priesthood in his ward (D&C 107:87-88). The Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys for "...the gospel of repentance...". The Bishop, in each ward, holds the keys for the ministration of the gospel of repentance within that ward. He has the authority, responsibility, and privilege to exercise those keys on behalf of the members of his ward, to open the windows of heaven, to assist the repentant in his or her quest to access the power of the atonement, and to guide the humble follower of Christ back to Him.
The Bishop is not a cold authority figure placed at the head of the ward, waiting to come down in condemnation of those who are found to be sinners. Rather, the Bishop is a loving steward, called of God, to minister to His sheep and call down the powers of heaven on their behalf that they may feel of the peace and joy and love that the Savior gives to those who seek him with humble hearts.
I have had the privilege now to work with Bishop Leder for a little over 3 months. I know him to be filled with Charity, a gift bestowed upon him by the Spirit, which gift is given him that he might serve in the Lord's stead to succor the weak, lift up the down trodden, strengthen the feeble knees, and bring the sinners to repentance. Though a man, he is a servant of God and can be your friend as you seek to come unto the Savior.

Symbolism in the Tree of Life

I had a very vivid and real image form in my mind last month as I drove to work and considered the symbolism and meanings thereof associated with the tree of life. It was/is a very beautiful image, and I was very saddened that I do not have the skills to draw it. I have, however, asked a former seminary student who has more than enough skill to draw it for me. When she sends me the drawing, I will update this post with the image and a more thorough discussion  of my understanding of the symbolism associated with the tree of life (and better scripture citations).
For now, I am dumping some of my thoughts and notes here as a place holder of sorts.

Symbols:

Cherubim = Cherubs = Angels = Messengers – those who bring us the message of the gospel. They speak by the power of the Holy Ghost and speak the words of Christ (2 Ne 32).

Flaming Sword = The Spirit = The Word of God – the Spirit is represented by fire (Nauvoo temple dedication, Nephi/Lehi in prison, children with Christ, etc) and the word of God is often called a sword (quick and powerful to the dividing asunder). The Spirit is the conveyance of God’s word (2 Ne 32) and so the sword is flaming. Also, God’s words are often referred to as piercing us to the center and piercing our hearts. Fire often represents holiness, purity, and purification, all of which are associated with the Spirit (baptism with fire). Quench not the Spirit! Burning in the bosom.

Tree of Life – the fruit is the love of God and is the fruit of the Atonement and those who partake and remain are granted Eternal Life

Way (path) – Christ is the way, the truth, and the light. The path to the tree of life is the path Jesus delineated, demarcated, and exemplified.

Natural man I have depicted as a black or shadowy doppelganger of ourselves. Our dark underbelly, so to speak.

The imagery:

God instructed Jehovah to place Cherubim and a flaming sword (many messengers; one sword - only one message, only one Spirit) to guard the way to the tree of life to prevent Adam and Eve from living forever in their sins. The other alternatives are dying in their sins and living forever without their sins. That is each of our choice.

As we walk the path to the tree of life, an angel (any one of God’s servants) pierces us with the sword (shares with us the word of God and testifies by the Spirit). This witness and teaching pierces us to the center, pierces our hearts. It brings to our view and awareness our natural man – figuratively driving the doppelganger from us into the light, into view. We then wrestle with the doppelganger as we exercise our agency to decide if we will accept or reject the word as it has been preached to us. When we accept it, we are victorious and the natural man is reduced. We are not able to completely banish the natural man after a single encounter with the word, so most of the doppelganger is reabsorbed into us, but it is diminished – less dark, less imposing, less foreboding. Part of the natural man remain on the ground and is slain by the sword. This process is repeated frequently throughout our life so long as we continue along the path to the tree. The entire path is lined with God’s messengers, sent to bring us His word by His Spirit. They each take a turn piercing our heart with the sword, expelling the natural man, and giving us an opportunity to overcome him. As we continue to accept the word, the doppelganger continues to shrink and fade and weaken. Eventually, we are given the sword and slay the last of our natural man and are then permitted, being cleansed from all sin, to partake of Eternal Life. We then are clothed in white robes to match the fruit. We have been cleansed from the blood and sins of this world.

If, however, we do not accept the teaching of the angel, the natural man wins the contest, becomes larger, darker, and more powerful, though never insurmountable.

Perhaps the angels along the way also bring with them some of the fruit of the tree of life as we are able to partake of the fruits of God’s love before becoming fully cleansed – the analogy breaks down a bit there as we use the tree to represent the love of God (as Lehi describes it) and also the gift of Eternal Life, as Adam beheld it – the two are intrinsically connected, but not equivalent. 

It shall no more be said...

A teacher at our training yesterday (September 2013) shared an insight which I wanted to record and share along with some of my own thoughts.

1 Nephi 21:22-23 (quoting Isaiah 49) says

22 Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

 23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Verse 22 has some beautiful imagery (as Isaiah is prone to do) of the Gentiles, having been lifted up by the Lord shall go out and save scattered Israel, bringing them back in their arms and on their shoulders. This also is reminiscent of the 4 young men who went out to bring back in those perishing in the wilderness at the sweetwater crossing.

Verse 23, though, says that kings and queens shall be heavily involved in the work. This seems a little inconsistent. Sure the rulers of nations may do things to assist and aid in the work, but rarely will they be the ones who are acting as nursing mothers and fathers to the spiritually infantile Israel. What, then, is meant?

Jeremiah further complicates things. In 16:14-15 (immediately preceding the famous missionary passage), Jeremiah says

14 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

 15 But, the Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

For generations and centuries, the children of Israel would use the Exodus as their rallying cry. When they needed their spirits bolstered, their courage rallied, their conscience tickled, or their faith strengthened, their touchstone was always "Remember the great things your God did in bringing your fathers out of Egypt. He plagued Pharoah; He parted the Red sea; He fed and led them in the wilderness; He drove out the inhabitants of the Promised Land before them. How great is our God!"
What could the gathering of Israel do to overshadow that iconic event? Surely the gathering is part of the Great and Marvelous work the Lord is bringing to pass, but for it to be so awesome as to outshine the Exodus?

Deuteronomy 30:3-4 starts to give us some insights.

3 That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.

4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:

Verse 3 is familiar. Verse 4 I had not noticed before - the gathering includes bringing in those that had been scattered beyond the veil. The gathering includes the work being doing in the temple (a careful consideration of which will yield the answer to the question of the role of kings and queens in the gathering).

How great is our God! He has brought us out from the four quarters of the world, from sin, and from death! He has stretched forth His hand and parted the veil, bringing us through safely to the other side, the world being destroyed on the far side. He has lead us by His had to the land He has promised. Indeed, how great is our God!!

The Powers of Heaven

A friend of mine asked me a couple of questions, to which I responded with my thoughts and understanding. My exact thoughts evolved over time; I have pasted in several of my email responses to my friend, so that you can see the evolution of my thoughts. This means this is a bit of a lengthy post. To me, the evolution was almost more meaningful than the final understanding itself. I really appreciated how I feel that the Lord took what little understanding I had and added to it a little at a time until I came to a much greater understanding. As I mention down below, I am certain I have a long way to go, still, but I greatly appreciate the process.

The initial email
I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this scripture [Ether 12:12]. We know that Faith is an essential component to the power of the Priesthood. My question is WHY? Is it that without faith by the "receiving" party, the priesthood power to do miracles not sufficiently strong? Is that verse literal or figurative? Is it just a waste of time/mockery of the Priesthood to exercise it without faith? In terms of "Power"- how are faith & the priesthood connected? (for example, the faith of the brother of Jared was such that he could not be withheld from within the veil, or the Priesthood power to heal the sick) Is it a law of heaven that things cannot be one-sided? (meaning, in order for a gospel principle to work, you have to have at least a sliver of desire)?

The second email
I'm thinking that the power of Faith is very similar to the power of the Priesthood. In terms of ability to work the will of The Lord, I wonder if perhaps the most important distinction between the two powers of God is simply organization. (ordinances, 'government', service, structure, etc) We know that it was by the power of faith that many things were done ( Red Sea was parted, prisons tumbled etc) Ether 16 says that all they who wrought miracles, wrought them by faith (not necessarily the priesthood?) i'm just not sure I "get it"

My first response
I want to construct a more complete answer, but here are a couple of initial thoughts. There are only 2 sources of power - God and Satan. How Satan comes to have power, I do not know, but the scriptures teach that his power is actively limited and constrained by God.
 All of the works of God are done with faith. By faith the worlds were made. We are taught that our faith must be centered in Christ - I can only speculate what God's faith is centered in.
 Priesthood is the organization, authorization, calling, and commission to perform certain acts. If you do not hold the proper keys for an act of faith, it won't happen. If you do not have the faith to empower your actions in the priesthood, they are of little force.
 There is seemingly an order of the priesthood to which all of the children of God belong by virtue of being born - faith is active and powerful and authorized in everyone, regardless of earthly ordination. Perhaps that was a pre-mortal ordination. Women in the temple perform sacred ordinances by the power of the priesthood - whether that falls under their own priesthood or a communal holding with their husbands, I do not know.
Faith is always required on the part of the recipient, but it is as judged by God. Sick children being healed or raised from the dead, or Christ healing people far distant, or Alma seeing an angel based on the prayers of others - faith is needed on both ends, but we have no accurate way to measure or quantify faith. It would deprive the receiving party of their agency if miracles were forced on them without their desire. We typically equate righteousness with faith and while it is true that they are intertwined, there are clearly examples where people can have sufficient faith for miracles despite apparent unrighteousness. Regardless, the most powerful and sublime manifestations of God's power are always evidenced when there is both righteousness and faith. Indeed, God is powerful because he is righteous. Because He lives in accordance with Divine Law, He is Divine.
Elder Packer also spoke of two kinds of faith (Your Articles of Faith, 21 March 1962) - the first is very prevalent and lets us exist. Everyone has it to some extent. It is what gives us hope of getting anything done. The second is much more rare. It causes things to happen. He says it is as real as electricity, but a thousand times more powerful. I think Ether 12:12 saying God can do no miracle among them if they have no faith is along the lines of what you are saying. There may be an immense reservoir of water all piped up and ready to go, but it does not flow until the spigot is opened. The power of God does not come into your life until invited. Invitation is by faith. Hebrews 11 is great companion reading to Ether 12.

My second response 
[In response to my friend's father's comments] I really don't think that the Priesthood is the end goal of faith. Rather, I think that the Priesthood is a tool and an organization the Lord created to develop and encourage faith in His children. Alma talks about High Priests being fore-ordained to their calling because of their great faith. The intent was that their ordination was to point people to Christ - to instill faith in others. So, through our faith, we qualify for the blessings which are administered through the Priesthood, and our callings in the Priesthood are a recognition of faith, but are intended not to signify accomplishment, but an increase in responsibility to then preach and teach and share that faith.
If you go here (Lectures on Fatih - http://ia700608.us.archive.org/1/items/compilationconta00lund/compilationconta00lund.pdf) and read, (starting on Page 8, paragraph 13) about faith, you will see that Faith is the name given to the power whereby God, who is Christ, created the Earth. Certainly, He was acting within the authority and sphere of his Priesthood, as delegated to Him from the Father, but His "Priesthood" is not the power He used, but His Faith. "Priest" and "Elder" share a common linguistic root - old man, or to go before. We are called to be Priests unto God - this does not mean that we are to lend power or authority unto Him, but rather that we will act in His name and in His cause as His authorized agent. This authorization does not inherently impart power capability or capacity. Faith is the power that makes the Priesthood meaningful.
Your Dad mentioned Section 84, which, among other things, says
19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.
20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.
Now, clearly, faith and the Priesthood are closely intertwined. But, that is the reason that you asked the question in the first place.
For me, there is a thought experiment that made a lot of sense to me as I was heading in to work today. How effectual would you think that Faith would be in someone who is not a holder of the Priesthood and is not ordained thereunder? We have many stories and example of men, women, and children receiving blessings and performing miracles through faith when they are not organized under the Priesthood. Now, how effectual do you think the Priesthood is in a man, or anyone, who is utterly devoid of Faith? Without Faith, the Priesthood does very little good, if any. From that, I understand that Faith is more and greater than the Priesthood. I remain of my opinion that the Priesthood is the sacred delegation of authority, the right to act in the name and stead of God as His duly-appointed representative. Faith is the very power of God. It is the power God uses to create and destroy, to perform miracles, and the power He imparts to us when we beg and plead for Grace. Faith is the fundamental aspect of part of what we gained through the atonement; access to God’s power by virtue of Christ’s worthiness.
BD – Priest: http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/priests?lang=eng&letter=p
BD – Melchizedek Priesthood http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/melchizedek-priesthood?lang=eng&letter=m
BD – Aaronic Priesthood http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/aaronic-priesthood?lang=eng&letter=a 
BD - Faith http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/faith?lang=eng&letter=f It is notable to me that none of the Priesthood things mention power, but Faith talks of it extensively.

My third response
This does mention power. http://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/priesthood?lang=eng&letter=p [Study helps - Priesthood]
I have, several times since I sent that email, happened across references to the power of the priesthood. They have of course caught my attention, but so far I think they have been consistent with considering the Priesthood as an organization and key. Let me know when you "get it" and you can explain it to me.

My fourth and, for now, final response
Mel pointed out this talk from the most recent conference: http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/this-is-my-work-and-glory?lang=eng
Elder Ballard indicated that "The Power of the Priesthood" is the power by which the world was created, and several other things that Joseph Smith positively identified as being associated with Faith. At first, I was a bit confused, but then I realized that this reinforces my earlier statement that there really are only two powers - God's and Satan's (though, sometimes it sounds like Satan's power is given to him of God; I don't have that sorted out yet).
Sometimes, the scriptures will use "power" to be synonymous with ability, capability, or capacity. That is not the useage we have been discussing. Sometimes, also, people will refer to the power of the priesthood, meaning the strength and support and ability to do that comes from the organization of the priesthood, which is also not what we are talking about. That is the aspect of the priesthood (the authority and organization) that I had been thinking of and focused on, but it is not a complete picture. Just as Jesus Christ has many names and titles, which help us to understand His attributes and His roles in the Plan of Salvation, so also the Power of God has multiple names, which helps emphasize to us the various aspects of that power.
 Power of
-the Priesthood
-Faith
-the Atonement
-righteousness
-Heaven
-Creation/procreation
-the Holy Ghost
Calling it the Priesthood Power highlights that God is the Great High Priest, and that we are organized and unified under His order, and only in obedience to that organization and authority can the power flow into our lives.
Faith highlights our need to follow the Savior and trust in Him. We report through Christ in the priesthood order, and so the power that comes into our life comes through Him, as we are faithful to Him. Faith is that characteristic in us that describes our acceptance of and devotion to Christ as our Savior.
The Atonement is the act of God that cleanses us and makes us worthy recipients of God's power. Because of and through the atonement, we are permitted access to and use of that power. It is a gateway, an access key.
Righteousness is the characteristic of God that makes Him powerful; the more closely we align our behavior with His, the more freely the power can flow into and through us to bless others. Because God is perfectly obedient (read: righteous), he is perfectly powerful and able to do all things.
The power of heaven further differentiates God's power from Satan's.
The power of creation/procreation epitomizes God. He is the only and great Creative Being in the universe. Satan's powers are unable to create; only to destroy. This is also a sacred power which he entrusts His children with. The abuse of that power constitutes the most common grievous sins: immorality and murder.
The Holy Ghost is the medium or vehicle through which God's power is often manifest in our lives. The cleansing, strengthening, and transforming affects of the atonement are wrought within us through the workings of the Holy Ghost. Our hearts are comforted and healed through God's power by the workings of the Holy Ghost.
I feel that this is a more complete and accurate picture of God's power and the scripture's use of the word power. I am sure there is yet much for me to learn, though.

Extra-dimensional Beings

I have a theory - it may be wild and zaney, but it helps me to visualize and conceptualize some things, so perhaps it may be meaningful or useful to someone else.
The basic premise is that "beings" of a certain dimension cannot perceive and therefore cannot comprehend things of a higher dimension. To a dot (zero dimensions), a line, a square, and a rock all look the same. To a line, a square looks like a line. It can only perceive forward and backward, not side to side, so the side-to-side-ness of the square is hid to the line's view. A line, however, may perceive a dot better than the dot perceives itself, because it has a greater vantage point and hence greater knowledge about the dot.
The same holds true on up the dimension scale. A square thinks a pyramid is a triangle and has no understanding of its "up" dimension. We are 4-dimensional beings - we exist in the up, left, forward dimensions as well as in time, but since we are on the same plane as time, we cannot view it from various vantage points, and so it is linear to us - it only goes forward and backward. Were we 5-dimensional beings, we could observe time much the was a line would observe a dot. We could look at it from all sides and turn it over and around.
So, I assert that God may be a being of greater dimensions, because he can perceive the entirety of time - all of time is laid out before Him, just as all of a square is visible to you or me. It may be more accurate to say He is a being of a Spiritual sphere, rather than a temporal or physical one, or to say He is a being of a Celestial sphere, rather than a Telestial one as are we. However you wish to describe it, the idea is that God can comprehend us as we cannot comprehend ourselves. He can see all there is to see about us, and so it is no wonder He knows just what we need, who we will be, etc, etc - it isn't deterministic, it is observational for Him.
Similarly, it is only through the workings of the Spirit (a being of the same sphere as God) speaking to our Spirit (which was once of at least a similar sphere) that we can even hope to understand God. Using the tools and resources of this Earthly sphere/plane/dimension/world, we will never come to a complete or accurate understanding of God and His personality.
Where the model breaks down is that we can, through the Spirit, through diligent study and prayer, through faith come to know the very nature of God - in fact, we are commanded to. Interestingly, it seems to be Charity that allows us to see God as he really is and to become more like him (see Moroni 7:48). He is a pretty impressive teacher, indeed, who can teach a line what a mountain is! :)

Edit: here is a secular treatment of dimensions which may help in being able to envision what our constraints may look like to a higher-dimension being. http://www.wired.com/2014/11/xkcd-guide-to-dimensions/

The Power of the Atonement

This is a short article I wrote with some thoughts on a few of the facets of the power of the Atonement. Dad had suggested that I flesh it out with some personal experiences, which I think would be great, but I haven't done it yet.

A Go-do
The experience that has most recently changed and enhanced my understanding of the Atonement was instigated by a talk from Elder Bednar. He indicated that something he commonly does when he visits the various Stakes and Districts is to hold a Q&A session with the youth. Almost invariably, someone will ask him a question about the power of the Atonement. His response is to call up the youth, hand him or her one of his business cards, and offer the youth a great opportunity. Elder Bednar invites the youth to search through the Book of Mormon and find every instance of the power in the Atonement in someone’s life – look for phrases such as “in the strength of the Lord, we…” or “the Lord strengthened me that I…” He says not to use a search feature, but to read the whole book searching for instances of the power of the Atonement in people’s lives and keep track of them. Upon completion of the read-through, the youth is to write a page on what the Atonement means and send it in to Elder Bednar, who would review it, offer comment, and, if appropriate, provide suggestions of other things to consider. What an opportunity that would be! I came to realize that the biggest chunk of learning would not come from Elder Bednar’s feedback, but from the sincere study of the scriptures and through the ministrations of the Spirit. Well, what was stopping me from partaking? Fortunately, nothing. This is the exercise which I undertook. (It turns out my method for keeping track of things was flawed, so I am going through again extracting and compiling, but I still gained much from the exercise.) The power of the Atonement to bless and lift our lives is boundless. It is all-encompassing and limitless. I do not even begin to comprehend it fully, but I would like to share with you four aspects of the power of the Atonement I have seen in my life: 1) cleansing, 2) healing, 3) transforming, and 4) sustaining and enabling.

The Cleansing Power of the Atonement
This is perhaps the most discussed aspect of the Atonement. Nevertheless, it is real. Through the power of the Atonement, our sins can be scrubbed out of us. The cleansing and purifying presence of the Holy Ghost is a marvelous and wondrous feeling. The joy and happiness that attend the cleansing are such that I wish they would never end. In a very real, palpable way, our sins taint, stain, and sully our souls. In a very real, palpable, and joyous way, Christ’s Atonement is the best and only soul-detergent.
(Scriptures to consider for your own personal study include Isaiah 53:11-12; Matthew 26:27-28; Mosiah 3:11, 16, 19; Jeremiah 33:8; 1 John 1:4-10; Alma 5:21, 27; Mormon 9:6; Moroni 6:3-4, and 3 Nephi 27:20)

The Healing Power of the Atonement
Whether because of our own decisions, the decisions of others, or just because of the nature of life, each of us feels pain. Pain of body, mind, spirit, or heart – each can be excruciating. I cannot consider myself to have suffered in the way that so many people I know and love have suffered. But, I have been healed in a way that everyone can be. The Atonement is not meant to merely pay the price of sins but leave us wallowing in the misery that accompanies them. We all learn that wickedness never was happiness and that true happiness lies in obedience to Heavenly Father’s plan. In between those two is the power of the Atonement to lift us from the vale of misery and set us upon the heights of the mountain of the Lord. The power of the Atonement can lift us from the oppressive consequences of sin (whether they are ours or not) and heal us, make our heart, mind, spirit, or body whole. I know that at some point, according to the will of the Lord, each who seeks will receive the healing balm of the Savior’s Atonement to remove pain and suffering. And how sweet it is!
(Scriptures to consider for your own personal study include Isaiah 57:17-21; 2 Nephi 25:13; 3 Nephi 25:2; 2 Nephi 16:10 (Isaiah 6:10); and Doctrine and Covenants 112:13)

The Transforming Power of the Atonement
The scriptures are replete with examples of individuals and peoples who have miraculous and awe-inspiring changes wrought on them such that they turn from a life of rebellion (or apathy) to a life of devotion. I know that that same power of the Atonement can and does work in my own life to change me from who I was into who I need and want to be. Sometimes the changes are slow, small, and almost imperceptible. Sometimes the changes are more abrupt, but the power of the Atonement is there, extended to each of us, ready for the asking to lift, change, and transform those parts of us that need to become more like the Savior. Through the power of the Atonement, we can put off the natural man and become saints.
(Scriptures to consider for your own personal study include 2 Nephi 3:13, 21; Ether 12:27; Bible Dictionary: Grace; John 1:12; Doctrine and Covenants 11:30; Doctrine and Covenants 39:4; Alma 36; 13, 14, 17, 18, 23, 24; Mosiah 5:2-3; and 3 Nephi 6:14 in conjunction with 3 Nephi 9:20)

The Sustaining and Enabling Power of the Atonement
I have learned that, like Moses said, man is nothing; I of myself am weak and powerless to accomplish the work Heavenly Father has sent me to Earth to complete. I have also learned that the Savior is eager to extend the power of the Atonement into my life to increase my capacity, give me strength, bear me up, and to help me continue on when I would otherwise be unable to. I have seen the power of the atonement work in my life to enable me to have more patience, more charity, or more desire to serve. I have felt the sustaining power of the Atonement when I am asked to serve, but do not think I have the strength. I know that the Lord will support and strengthen me as I try to serve Him and be an instrument in His hands.
(Scriptures to consider for your own personal study include 1 Nephi 5:8 in conjunction with 1 Nephi 3:7 and 1 Nephi 17:3; 1 Nephi 7:17; 2 Nephi 1:10; Philippians 4:13; Alma 17:3, 4, 17, 29, 36)

Ask, and it shall be given you
God is eager to fill our lives with the power of the Atonement, but He will not do so unbidden or against our will. We must ask and seek and desire to have the Atonement work in us to cleanse, heal, transform, and enable. He is full of love and so very willing to help. We need but ask. And hope. And trust. And, sometimes, have patience. He will apply the power of the Atonement in our lives for our best good and for our eternal gain.

If ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work

We are all called - continuously to serve God, discretely to other calls and modes of service. In the allegory of the olive tree, the Lord of the vineyard tells his servant to go and call other servants. We, as those called, may respond in one of three ways (there are other nuances, I am sure, but these are the three main ways I can think of):

1) We may be unprepared and hence afraid of the call. Adam, in the garden of Eden, when called by God, was ashamed and afraid because he was unprepared to meet God (Gen 3:10 or Moses 4:16). Alma the Younger, similarly, thinking of when he would be called into God's presence cried out and wished that he might be made extinct, both body and soul (Alma 36:15; see also Mosiah 2:36-39).

2) We may be unprepared, but filled with pride. When Father asked whom He could send, Lucifer volunteered for the position (Moses 4:1, Abraham 3:27-28). Christ had be selected and prepared from the beginning to be the Savior. Lucifer had not received that same training. He was unprepared to fulfill the role as it needed to be. yet, in his pride, he thought he could best God and propose a new plan, with him at its center. President Benson in "Beware of Pride" indicated that it was Satan's prideful desire to dethrone God (see also DC 76:28). His pride blinded him to his lack of preparation, and rather than submit to God's will, he chose to rebel. You could argue that this group is not truly called, yet, but calls themselves and takes the honor unto themselves (Hebrews 5:4).

3) We may be prepared and willing. This is the response of Israel/Jacob (Genesis 46:2, 31:11), Isaac (Genesis 22:7), Abraham (Genesis 22:11), Moses (Exodus 3:4), Samuel (1 Samuel 3:10), Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8), and Christ (Abraham 3:27). And hopefully each of us. Note that Isaiah and Moses (we could add Enoch and several others) expressed their concern about their lack of preparation; the Lord made up the difference. I am sure some of the others may have felt similarly. Isaac asked to be bound that he might not interfere with what he knew to be the Lord's will.

What is the preparation of each of these servants of God and Christ? What preparation is needed of each of us as we are called?
Psalms 24:3-4 indicates we need 4 things to worthily be in God's presence and DC 121:45 adds 1.5 more.

1) clean hands - Isaiah 1:16-19 and Alma 13:11 combine to make it clear that our hands, garments, and sins are to be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. We are to avail ourselves of the atonement at every opportunity.

2) pure heart (including virtue garnishing thoughts unceasingly) - A pure heart means that you are not dividing your attentions (Matthew 6:24), but that you have an eye single to the glory of God (DC82:19, see also Moses 1:39 for what our eye's should be single to); the Lord requires the heart and a willing mind (DC64:34).

3) no vanity - we must press forward, relying wholly on the merits of Him who is mighty to save (2 Nephi 31:19) so that we acknowledge His hand in all things and lean not unto our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6) and this, along with Charity, will help to preserve us from pride that there be no vanity in us.

4) no deceit - God will not be mocked (Galatians 6:7, DC124:71, see also Zeezrom in Alma 11-12 and Sherem in Jacob 7). We also learn in DC 121 that the priesthood and the Spirit both are withdrawn from those who attempt to exercise vanity in their calling.

5) Charity - Charity is a gift of God, through the Spirit. You cannot properly serve anyone for whom you have not developed at least a little charity. The greater your charity toward someone the easier and more joyous and more rewarding your service will be. You will also not begrudge the time spent in the service. This is more from my own experience than from a reading of the scriptures, but that does not make it less true.

Psalms 24 indicates that these attributes qualify us to ascend into the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place, that is, to go where He is and stand with Him. DC 121:45 adds that our confidence shall wax strong in God's presence, that is, we will be comfortable in His presence, which to me means that we will be worthy and invited to be there. Ultimately, what these and other scriptures indicate is that these attributes, along with the others that you develop while in the service of God (or your fellow men Matthew 25:40, Mosiah 2:17) qualify you for Eternal Life with God. Therefore, each call to serve is a call to exaltation: the Lord calling you from the wilderness into His home.

P.P. (post post :), as opposed to post script)

I wish to note that there is no such thing as prepared and unwilling. Your unwillingness to serve disqualifies you for the divine help, without which you cannot succeed. Elder Bednar taught that the Lord does not call a man because of who he is or what he has done, but because of who he may become, through the service.

Similarly, there is no such thing as unprepared and willing. Your willingness qualifies you for the help of the Spirit, which is the quintessential element in any preparation (see also DC 4:5 - faith, hope, charity (which are gifts of the Spirit) and an eye single to the glory of God (which is your willingness to serve in the Lord's way) qualify (=prepared) you for the work). What you may lack at the outset you will gain along the way, if you permit God to lead you.

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things

Consider, if you will, the account of the creation found in the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price (Or you could look at Moses' account in Genesis; there it is in chapter 1 instead of 2).
At the end of each creationary period, God declared the creation "good" (emphasis is mine).

Moses 2:

10 And I, God, called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, called I the Sea; and I, God, saw that all things which I had made were good.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, every herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed should be in itself, after his kind; and I, God, saw that all things which I had made were good;

18 And the sun to rule over the day, and the moon to rule over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and I, God, saw that all things which I had made were good;

21 And I, God, created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind; and I, God, saw that all things which I had created were good.

25 And I, God, made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything which creepeth upon the earth after his kind; and I, God, saw that all these things were good.

31 And I, God, saw everything that I had made, and, behold, all things which I had made were very good.

I have long believe that meant that the various creations were well made. While I do not doubt that to be the case, I have found that the book of Abraham (also in the Pearl of Great Price) uses different wording that provides an additional understanding of what "good" might mean (emphasis is mine, again).

Abraham 4:

10 And the Gods pronounced the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, pronounced they, Great Waters; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed.

12 And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth grass from its own seed, and the herb to bring forth herb from its own seed, yielding seed after his kind; and the earth to bring forth the tree from its own seed, yielding fruit, whose seed could only bring forth the same in itself, after his kind; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed.

18 And the Gods watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed.

21 And the Gods prepared the waters that they might bring forth great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters were to bring forth abundantly after their kind; and every winged fowl after their kind. And the Gods saw that they would be obeyed, and that their plan was good.

25 And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth the beasts after their kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind; and the Gods saw they would obey.

31 And the Gods said: We will do everything that we have said, and organize them; and behold, they shall be very obedient. And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day; and they numbered the sixth time.

In both accounts, the first (light/dark) and second (firmament, water dividing) do not get pronounced as good or obedient. It is said that they were as they were ordered. The lights and the waters do not have living souls, perhaps, whereas the plants, all manner of animal life, and man do? Just a guess there. The beasts are pronounced good/obedient, but then after man is made, God looks over all of creation and calls the entirety very good/obedient.

The point I am moving towards is that when Moses says "good" it can be understood to mean "obedient" or that it did as it was commanded - live, multiply replenish, fulfill measure of creation, etc. This doesn't seem a very large stretch of meaning for me. Think of good v. evil - in this case, good is the opposite of evil. Synonyms for the antonym (that's fun to say) of evil include righteous and obedient and true and faithful. When God made everything, He made it in a Good, Righteous, Obedient state. Creation later fell with Adam, but that is too large of a tangent.

Keeping in mind that good=obedient, remember the famous scripture mastery verse in Abraham 3:22-23,

22 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;

 23 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.

True to form, God chose those souls that were obedient and gave them further gifts and responsibilities. Those spirits who were obedient were called and chosen to preach the gospel, shepherd the flock, and lead Zion in the ways of righteousness.

I think this works well with what Alma had to say about High Priests (think Christ, Melchizedek, Abraham, Adam, Seth, Noah, Enoch among others) in Alma 13:3-13 (it is a long quote, but the whole thing worth reading - go read it). Consider also what God says about High Priests (and others) in Doctrine and Covenants 76:51-70 (57) - another long quote but one I suggest you read in its entirety.

I think there is a lot of harmony in these passages and an interesting insight into what the Lord means when He says He seeth not as a man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. What is He looking for there? Love. The kind of love that goes with "If ye love me, keep my commandments." The kind of love that spurs you on to obedience. 

"Remember... and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God." (Alma 37:35) 

"O be wise, what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:12)

learning by faith

"Thou Art a Teacher Come from God", Thomas S. Monson, Conference Report, October 1970, pp. 104-108:

The goal of gospel teaching today... is not to "pour information" into the minds of class members.... The basic goal of teaching in the Church is to help bring about worthwhile changes in the lives of boys and girls, men and women. The aim is to inspire the individual to think about, feel about, and then do something about living gospel principles.

As teachers, we are to inspire students to

Think about (ask questions, wonder, study personally, ponder)

Feel about (feel and recognize the Spirit)

and then Do something about living gospel principles (apply and act on the knowledge and promptings gained)

and I would add (as a special instance of "do")

Testify (about what they have learned so that the truths can be confirmed and cemented in their minds and hearts).

As modeled by young Joseph Smith:

JSH 1:8 - mind called up to serious reflection

1:10 - reflected on what, who, which

JSH 1:8 - feelings were deep and often poignant

1:12 - never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this at this time to mine (promptings of the Spirit)

JSH 1:14 - retire to the woods to ask of God (prayer is a form of work)

JSH 1:20 - Joseph responds to his mother and indicates that he has learned for himself the answer to the question he had been pondering. He testified of the truth learned.

rise, kill, and eat.

http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/acts/10?lang=eng
9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

I have occasionally wondered why the Mosaic law would indicate that some animal were unclean and not to be eaten. One theory I had was that some types of animals were more prone to carrying diseases which were less likely to be destroyed by the cooking habits of the time. There may or may not be truth to that. However, since the Lord giveth no commands that are physical/temporal (Doc & Cov 29:34), there must be something more.
I do not suppose it is everything more, but at least one thing more is as a reminder to Israel of the need to be clean and pure and separate from the world.
The unclean animals represent gentile or unbelieving nations (see verses above).
The clean animals must therefore represent Israel or covenant nations.
The thought bears pondering - what else can we learn from Israel being represented by clean animals? We should only take clean things into our bodies; we should not mix or mingle or defile ourselves with the unclean. I a sure there are more, but that is enough for now.

a few notes

We are told to stand in Holy Places. What is in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle? The Holy Place is where the high priest prepared to enter the Holiest Place, wherein the Lord dwelt (as symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant). In the Holy Place are the veil separating the high priest from the Lord, incense which symbolized prayer (smoke ascending up to heaven), shewbread symbolizing nourishment (whosoever shall eat of the bread which I shall give him shall never hunger), and the candle/menorah symbolizing the light and truth imparted to those who seek the Lord.
We are told to stand in holy places, places where we are within the light of truth, illuminated by the Spirit; where we are fed and nourished by the good word of God; where we commune and communicate with the Lord through prayer; and where we prepare ourselves to enter the presence of the Lord.
How do you get to the Holy Place? You enter in by the door (gate? - I bet it is strait); offer sacrifice on the altar; are cleansed in the laver of water; and then you enter the Holy Place. In our lives, to stand in holy places, to approach the Lord, some sacrifice is always required, as is being washed and cleansed. Always.

Divide and Fill with Life

A speaker I heard yesterday (September 2011) pointed out a pattern that I would like to share.
Doctrine and Covenants 95 and Exodus 25 both give rough outlines of how the temple (tabernacle) is to be constructed.
1. The building/tent is to be constructed as directed
2. No unclean thing is to be permitted to enter (it must be cleansed should it be defiled)
3. It is to be dedicated to the Lord
4. The Lord fills it with His Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1. Our bodies are constructed, patterned after our Spirits, after the likeness of the Only Begotten of the Father.
2. We are repeatedly urged to not allow any unclean thing to enter through our minds, eyes, nose, ears, mouth, heart, skin, etc. (we must also be cleansed after defiling ourselves)
3. When baptized, we take upon us the name of Christ. We further dedicate ourselves to him through sacred covenants.
4. The Lord promises to fill us with His Spirit. Most obviously is in the words of the sacrament prayer, that His Spirit may always be with us.

This pattern of dividing/dedicating/sanctifying something to allow it to be filled with the Holy Ghost is often repeated. Moses and his sons were washed, clothed (symbolizing a new person), anointed, and sanctified (does that sound similar to baptism? more on that in a sec, if I remember) preparatory to their serving in the tabernacle where they would be acting in the name and stead of Christ.

The creation is outlined as three sets of dividing and filling with Spirit (or life, light).

First the light is divided from the dark; the waters above are divided from the waters below; and the earth (land) is divided from the water (seas). Going back around, the light is filled with life-giving light of the sun and the dark is filled with the lights of the moon and stars; the waters above are filled with fowl and the waters below are filled with fishes, etc.; the earth is filled with beasts (water already filled).

Wheat is separated from the tares and filled with Eternal Life. So are the sheep from the goats.

The Lord calls His people peculiar because they are to be separate from the world, divided from it, and then permitted to be filled with life and light.

...

Going back to baptism and the setting apart of Levites, Exodus 28, 29 outlines that the priests were to be anointed, consecrated, and sanctified. This process is outlined in 29.

Anointing is washing (with water), being clothed with the garments of the priesthood (a new man), and anointed with oil. Olive oil was used to symbolize the Spirit. Its mundane purposes were for cooking food and being burned for light. Thus it provides nourishment and light (like the Spirit) and, not coincidentally, oil sinks in through your skin very readily. So, to become a priest the sons of Levi were washed with water, became a new man, and given the Holy Ghost.

Consecrating was done by smearing the blood of the sacrificial ram on the right ear, thumb, and big toe. This is to symbolize that what we hear/think, do, and where we go will be dedicated to the Lord. This parallels nicely the law of consecration, where we promise our selves and possessions to the Lord.

Sanctification was symbolically done by the priests ingesting the meat of the burnt offering. They ate the meat (body) of the animal that was sacrificed in similitude of the Lamb of God, not unlike how we weekly ingest the body of Christ in the sacrament. While we do not believe in transubstantiation, we are promised that through the keeping of our covenants, as renewed through the sacrament, the Holy Ghost may always be with us. The temple, sacred grove, various mountain tops (Sinai and burning bush, i.e.), and our bodies are able to be sanctified, purified, made holy by the presence of a member of the Godhead. This is to be sanctified, to have the Spirit of Christ dwell within you. This is done in response to our being cleansed, divided from evil, and dedicated to the Lord in what we hear/think, do, and where we go.

The importance of Earnest

Mel would often playfully mention how nerdy (adorably, I hope) it is of me that I often get sucked into reading the dictionary. I will go and look up a word (gasp - yes I do that, and gasp-gasp I still do it in a book on occasion) and end up reading a number of surrounding, preceding, and following words. While I find this a worthwhile experience, Mel finds it quixotic.
I have recently (perhaps I am late to the game) found that the same exercise in the Bible Dictionary is an exceptionally worthwhile experience. What follows is a recent example. I went to the dictionary to see what it had to say about Ecclesiastes and ended up also reading the entry on earnest.
Honestly, I was surprised that there was even an entry in the Bible Dictionary for earnest. I would expect it in the Topical Guide, but to find it in the Bible Dictionary was intriguing. Until I read the entry. Then it made perfect, wonderful sense.
When we are baptized, we witness (among other things) that we wish to be cleansed of our sins and be found worthy of Celestial glory. In effect, we are telling our Heavenly Father that we wish to do what is necessary to become like Him and to live with Him. The Holy Ghost, specifically, the Gift of the Holy Ghost is Heavenly Father's "earnest money", as Paul explains (see link or entry in BD).
In accompaniment to our covenant and witness, Heavenly Father provides a member of the Godhead (who, being One with Heavenly Father is identical to Him in will and purpose) to be our constant companion. In effect, we have entered in God's presence and are given, from time to time, contingent on our acceptance and obedience, direction and instructions (i.e. personal revelation, whispering of the Spirit) on becoming more like God. Covenant, Witness, Ask and ye shall receive. At that point, we are enabled to live in God's presence and to become like Him, just as we wished. It is then incumbent on us to remain in that presence. We learn though trial and error, and often sad experience, to differentiate between good and evil. Quite simply, we learn the good because we notice that we remain in God's presence and the evil because we have withdrawn ourselves from God's presence with the act. Thus we learn the nature of God and how to become like Him, by learning what may and may not be done in His presence.
To prevent repeating myself too many times I will stop there.

The desire of your heart

Consistent with the thoughts in my last post, I have not fully fleshed out my thoughts for this post. I have a rough sketch and will likely ramble a bit as I am typing. Hopefully, this unpolished feel will make for a more inviting environment to start a discussion in the comments section.
The background for this post is the reading of the Gospels in the New Testament. I noticed, since I was able to read large chunks at a time, that there are many people who flock to the Savior to be healed of their several ailments. So far as I could recall, those who then chose to remain with or follow after Christ were the exception, not the rule. That is, most people came, were healed, and left. Certainly, many of them "noised abroad" what they had seen/heard/experienced, but I would think that the greater opportunity would have been to remain with the Savior and learn of Him.
So, prompted by that, here are some thoughts.
A quick scan (certainly not exhaustive) of the scriptures shows that "desire" is rarely pluralized, especially in phrases such as "the desire of your heart(s)". One possible exception is Alma 41:3, but that might be pluralized because it is talking about many people who are not united in their desire, so they each have their own desire, hence desires.
One instance, which has become prominent in my mind, is DC 137:9 (there is a mirror verse in the BoM that I cannot find at the moment) where the Lord says he will judge all men according to the desire (singular) of their heart.
So, if you only get one desire, what is yours? What is your single greatest desire? This is kind of like the game we all played as children where we would ask each other what we would wish for if we found a genie. Except, now you only get one wish, and it has eternal ramifications.
Solomon, when asked this question of the Lord, answered that he desired an understanding heart so that he could righteously judge Israel (1 Kings 3:5-14). John and 3/12 Nephites asked to continue to move forward the Lord's work on the earth until He should declare it complete (3 Ne 28). 9/12 and 11/12 asked that, when their time and labors were done, if they could speedily join Christ in His kingdom (presumably, they still have labors to perform).
Christ asked Bartimaeus (Mark 10:50ish) "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" Bartimaeus indicated he wished to be healed. He was on of those who then followed the Savior.
Are there times where we become so focused on the trial at hand (something great like a palsy, blindness, etc, or something more subtle - envy, jealousy, pride, greed, smallness of spirit) that our greatest desire becomes, like so many who were healed of the Savior, not realizing the enormity of the potential blessings He offered, to simply have this burden removed. Just as those who are healed and depart miss out on the greatest of possible blessings, I think that when we seek only to have our burdens removed, we are missing out on the growth, learning, refinement, and blessing attendant with trials and afflictions. This seems to be consistent with President Eyring's address "Mountains to Climb". I think sometimes, our personal, "mists of darkness" are generated by myopic, egocentric thoughts and feelings. Unfortunately, those thoughts and feelings are born of the natural man; eventually we will have to overcome them, difficult as it may be.
What are some better questions we can ask, while in trials? Certainly, each of these questions would be more difficult to ask sincerely, but I think that means that greater "work" is done, greater faith exhibited, greater meekness/submissiveness demonstrated, and consequently, greater blessings bestowed. Some possible questions include "What wouldst Thou have me learn/become through this trial?" "How may I use this experience to bless and lift others?" "What aspect of myself art Thou seeking to refine through this trial?" And, as the people of Alma in Helam, "Would thou please strengthen me that I may bear this burden?"
Sometimes, it is hard indeed to ask these questions in faith. In my experience, Heavenly Father is ever willing to answer the question "What aspect of my life wouldst Thou have me improve next," or variations thereof. There are always innumerable areas for improvement, but I have found that He is quite willing to help in prioritizing them. Sometimes the order is quite obvious! :)
Thankfully, most of us are not perpetually ground and worn down without relent. I have found, also, that there is a ready answer for the question, "Whose burden may I lighten, whose life might I bless?"
I am not sure I have made my point, but I think it clicked for me. What is the greatest (or only!) desire of your heart? Do your thoughts, words, and deeds reflect that desire, or are you trying to serve two masters? ;)
Feel free to open up discussion in the comments.

resumption, hopefully

I really liked the idea of this blog when I first thought of it. I still really like the idea. However, it doesn't seem to have gotten off the ground.
At first, I blamed the scope of what I wanted to post. I have a 1/2-written post about something in Genesis (where did the time go?!), which I abandoned because it was taking too long to write.
Later, I just blamed not having enough time.
I have a little more time now, and I am going to write some modestly-scoped posts about thoughts I have as I go through the New Testament in preparation for next year. I'll tell you what, it sure reads a lot faster than the Old Testament. I started on Monday (the day after seminary graduation, the first day the students can start working on the goals for the next curriculum year), and I have completed Matthew and am almost done with Mark.
I have a thought that I would like to flesh out in a post. Hopefully it will happen, but I don't think it will be tonight.

Passover, one year later

Numbers 9 marks 1 year from the time Israel left Egypt. As such, it is again time for the Passover.
It is interesting to me that there were some people who were unclean, but wanted to participate. The Lord made provision for them and for people who were travelling during Passover - a "make-up" day, as it were, was to be held one month after the main Passover. This was for those who were unable to participate in the main Passover. In contrast to those who keenly felt their inability to participate is the warning the Lord gives to those who are otherwise able, but yet abstain from the Passover. The declaration "that man shall bear his sin" seem especially poignant in this instance. The Passover was the feast which was most obviously and clearly tied to the atonement. Refusing to participate in the Passover would logically be refusing to participate in the atonement and so "that man shall bear his sin."
For us, we commemorate the Passover weekly in the sacrament. Do we exhibit the same yearning to be able to participate in the sacrament, lamenting our situation if there is some uncleanness that prevents us, rejoicing in the cleansing power of the ordinance and attendant covenant, and shunning the damnation attendant to willful, unnecessary abstention?
During the Passover, a lamb was slain to cover (the Hebrew word most often translated as "atone" in the O.T. can literally be translated as cover) the sins of Israel. Modern Israel has been commanded to offer up a broken heart and a contrite spirit (3 Nephi 19:20 among others). Is this the manner in which we approach the covenant designed to remind us of the salvation the Lord has wrought for our souls? Do we enter each Sabbath day with eagerness, thankfulness, meekness, and humility?

Abomination of Desolation

The topic of the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel came up in class. It seemed to be unfamiliar to most of the students. I was going to pull together a number of scriptures on the topic, but I found that the Bible Dictionary had already done a characteristically fantastic job. (Bible Dictionary entry)
I figure that about covers it for now.