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/