Pouring out our souls unto God and increasing personal revelation

Logan Ward Sacrament Meeting Talk

15 March 2020

(Canceled due to pandemic)

by Jeremy Magland

Good morning brothers and sisters. Our Stake Presidency and other church leaders have recently asked us to increase our ability to receive divine revelation for our individual lives, our families, and in our church responsibilities. In the words of President Russel M. Nelson, and echoed by Sister Michelle Craig in this past General conference this means increasing our spiritual capacity to receive revelation from our Heavenly Father.

Imagine with me a container, maybe a glass pitcher. How are we going to increase the capacity of that pitcher to hold more lemonade? It’s not so easy to enlarge a glass container without breaking it, right? Maybe some of us may feel that way about this invitation to increase our spiritual capacity. How can I possibly increase my capacity? I’m already at my limit!

But, there is a way to increase the capacity of that lemonade pitcher without trying to stretch the glass. The remedy is to pour out what is already inside.

The Book of Mormon uses that phrase “to pour out” in at least two ways. The first is when the people pour out their souls unto God in prayer -- like when the people of Alma were in captivity and were forbidden to pray by Amulon (who mistakenly thought that he could prevent them from communicating with their God). “And [they] did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.” Or when Enos had received a remission of His sins, and then immediately had concern for His brethren and he “did pour out [his] whole soul unto God for them” (Mosiah 24).

Another use of this term is when God pours out His spirit upon us, like in Helaman chapter 6 when God “[pours] out his Spirit on the Lamanites, because of their willingness to believe in his words” (Helaman 6). Or in Section 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants where we learn that no puny arm of man could hinder in even the least degree the ability of the Lord to “[pour] down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints”.

So we can imagine personal revelation as a two step process, the pouring out of our souls in pleading with Lord in sincerity and faith, thus increasing our spiritual capacity, and the Lord then being able to pour down knowledge upon our heads, guiding us, comforting us, enlarging our understanding, and helping us to find joy in doing His work in our families, at church, and in our individual lives.

There is one thing I want to emphasize about personal revelation. It is the word “PERSONAL”. That’s because God communicates with each of His children in an intimate, extremely personal way. I can tell you of my experiences of receiving revelation from God, but it won’t exactly match your experience. Nevertheless, many of the principles should be the same.

For example, is there a right or wrong way to pray? Here is a poem entitled “The Prayer of Cyrus Brown” by Sam Walter Foss (1858–1911) that addresses this question.

“THE PROPER way for a man to pray,”
  Said Deacon Lemuel Keyes,
“And the only proper attitude,
  Is down upon his knees.”

“No, I should say the way to pray,”
  Said Reverend Doctor Wise,
“Is standing straight, with outstretched arms,
  And rapt and upturned eyes.”

“Oh no; no, no,” said Elder Slow,
  “Such posture is too proud:
A man should pray with eyes fast closed
  And head contritely bowed.”

“It seems to me his hands should be
  Austerely clasped in front,
With both thumbs pointing toward the ground"
  Said Reverend Doctor Blunt.

“Las’ year I fell in Hodgkin’s well
  Head first,” said Cyrus Brown,
“With both my heels a-stickin’ up,
  My head a-p’inting down;

“An’ I made a prayer right then an’ there—
  Best prayer I ever said,
The prayingest prayer I ever prayed,
  A-standing on my head.”

Why was Cyrus Brown’s prayer so good? It was because he was in a moment of peril. Do you ever feel like you are hanging upside down in a well, so to speak? Sometimes I feel that way, and I have learned that the best thing to do is to go straight to the Lord in prayer, and pour out my soul. I explain to Him my situation or predicament and plead for His help in learning from the situation. Here is an example of part of an actual prayer (at a time of challenge) that I gave recently and decided to write down:

“Dear Heavenly Father: I am grateful for our Stake conference yesterday where I was able to see how thy Spirit has touched the lives of so many. I am grateful for the peace that thy gospel brings into my heart and into the hearts of those who come unto thee. Recently, my relationship with BillyBob (we'll call him BillyBob) has been strained. I would like to be a better friend to him. Please help me to know what I can do to improve our relationship. As I strive to keep thy commandment to preside with gentleness and meekness and to love and teach my children in righteousness, please bless me with insights on how to improve my relationships with them.”

I can happily report that yes, my prayers were answered in this matter on the very next day.

But our prayers are not always answered with such immediacy, and I have found that the answers rarely come in the manner we would expect or imagine. Sometimes we may feel like prayer is just a one-way communication. But from the foundation of our religion, when the young boy Joseph Smith reached out to God in sincerity and faith and God responded in what we now refer to as the “First Vision”, we affirm that communication with God is most certainly a two-way process.

In that first vision, God the Father and His son appeared to Joseph, and the Father instructed Him saying, “This is my beloved Son, Hear Him.” President Nelson has recently emphasized that just like the boy Joseph Smith, each of us have a crucial and individual role to play in the ongoing restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in bringing forth the Kingdom of God. Putting ourselves in the position of Joseph, and recognizing that we each feel the Spirit differently, our Prophet has asked us to consider how we “Hear Him”.

For me, hearing and heeding our Lord is multifaceted. On the one hand, I listen for feelings, impressions, and ideas that come after I have sought knowledge, as the scriptures say, “by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118). But I can’t always know if those ideas originate from a divine source, or if they are coming from my own mind, or in the worst case if they are ideas planted there by the adversary. That is where scripture and inspired teachings of the restored gospel come into play to anchor me in my correct decisions.

Here is one such piece of discernment advice that comes from the autobiography of Isaac C. Haight (1813-1886). “The voice of the spirit of God is peace and goodwill to all men; but the voice of the evil one is full of wrath and bitterness”. I have used this test on numerous occasions, knowing that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance” (Galatians 5:22). If the impression or idea is not of this nature, then it is not from the Holy Ghost.

Another discernment test is from 2 Timothy: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” So, once again, if an idea fills me with fear, trouble, or confusion, then it is not from the Lord.

There are other tests in the scriptures for knowing which impressions come from the Lord. At the end of the Book of Mormon, Moroni tells us: “For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.” (Moroni 7:16)

When we are seeking revelation in our lives, in our families, and in our callings, we must be sure that our actions and decisions are centered on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Here are some words of a children’s song by Janice Kapp Perry: “I’m trying to be like Jesus, I’m following in His way. I’m trying to love as He did, in all that I do and say. At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice, but I try to listen as the still small voice whispers: Love One Another as Jesus loves you. Try to show kindness in all that you do. Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, for these are the things Jesus taught.”

So, if the personal revelation that we are receiving and following is telling us to do something consistent with the message of Jesus - loving and serving others, not judging them, forgiving, being kind, trusting God, keeping His commandments, exercising faith, and other things contained in His Gospel, then we know we are on the right track, and cannot fall. As Helaman said to his sons: “remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” (Helaman 5:12)

Our loving Heavenly Father invites us to build on this foundation by pouring out our souls unto Him in prayer. I think He sometimes allows us to face challenges so that we are able to come to Him with full energy of heart. And what does He want us to seek guidance about? According to Alma, just about everything. From Alma 34:

Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him. Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness. Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.” (Alma 34)

God will surely answer our prayers, and help us to know what to do in all situations. For example, when participating in social media, how should we interact with others? The Spirit of God will help us to know what will be helpful to our own souls as well as the souls of our brothers and sisters, who are children of the same God. What does the Spirit of God tell us that we should be doing with our time? Is there somebody in our life that could use our love, our care, or our forgiveness?

As we take time to pour out our souls in personal ways, and in all kinds of places and circumstances, I know that we will receive the sacred assurance that He is there, He hears us and loves us, and in the Lord’s time, all knowledge and guidance will be poured down upon us. Let us take steps, line upon line, to assist in His cause with faith and trust, to follow the example of our Savior, and to help bring forth His Kingdom. He will then surely pour down His Spirit upon us.

Even though we cannot see Him right now with our natural eyes, I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to come to Him in faith, and is eager to bless us with everything we stand in need of. Let us increase our reliance on Him for direction in our lives and remember that we depend “wholly upon the merits of Him who is mighty to save” (2 Nephi 31:19).

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Photosynthesis and good works

Dear Abigail, this is the second in a series of biology lessons that will help prepare you for your life after your mission while at the same time keeping you focused on your current work at hand.

Photosynthesis is a process that captures the light energy from the sun and converts it into chemical energy. It is not an exaggeration to say that photosynthesis is the most important biological process on earth. It is considered the engine of life. Similarly, the most important deeds that men and women do on earth are those that are inspired by God, in accordance with his will, and made possible by His grace. In other words, let us compare photosynthesis to good works.

One of the three crucial inputs to photosynthesis is light energy from the sun. We will compare sunlight to the love of God. Just as God’s love is infinite and freely available to all of His children, physical light is so incredibly abundant on earth. Consider for a moment the unfathomable beauty of physical light. Even one standard light bulb lighting a single room for one second produces a billion billion photons which ricochet against every corner of the room at virtually every angle exposing intricate details about the orientation and material properties of the objects that surround us. That’s the tiniest fraction of the light from our sun, which bombards our planet with an unfathomable supply of lightwaves, simultaneously illuminating the glorious outdoor world. Perhaps this gives us a glimpse into the infinite reach and scope of God’s love for His children.

The magic of photosynthesis all takes place in the chloroplast, pictured above. The chloroplast is an organelle, or subunit, of plant cells that contains the machinery necessary for absorbing the light, gathering the other ingredients, and ultimately producing sugars needed for the plant to grow and function. The chloroplast appears green because of the chlorophyll pigment that contains the appropriate molecules for absorbing the light of the sun. Similarly, all of God’s children have spiritual receptors that are capable of absorbing God’s love.

The second crucial ingredient of photosynthesis is water, which is absorbed from the soil by the roots of the plant. We will compare water to our God-given resources for doing good. Water for plants is abundant wherever plant-life exists. Similarly, God has given each of His children natural gifts and resources that may be used to help others. We each have a body… will we use it to bless the lives of others? We are given arms and hands… will we carry others? We are given feet… will we visit others? We are given language and speech… will we speak kindly to others? We are given many other gifts that may all be used for performing good works, just as water is used by the plant in photosynthesis.

The third ingredient for photosynthesis is carbon dioxide (CO2), which we will compare to the resources provided by others -- or man-made resources. Sometimes to help someone, or to perform a good work, we need to make use of resources such cars, tools, or other man-made objects.

b

Photosynthesis occurs in two stages. The first stage uses the light energy from the sun to produce ATP and NADPH (these store energy required for the subsequent reactions). The second stage is the incredibly efficient set of chemical reactions known as the calvin cycle (or dark reactions). As shown in the diagram above, the calvin cycle produces sugar and carbohydrates needed by the plant. Note that the byproducts of the calvin cycle (NADP+ and ADP) are recycled by the cell. The only byproduct of the entire process is oxygen (O2), which is beneficial (even necessary) for all animal life. In the same way, the byproducts of our good works are beneficial to all around us. There are no negative consequences of a choice to do a good deed when we are reflecting the selfless, pure love of Christ.

Now we will contrast good works with the works of man. Good works are always performed with the intent to bless others, and to serve God (see Mosiah 2:17). On the other hand, the works of man are performed with the intent to get gain.

As we have associated good works with photosynthesis, we will associate the works of man with gasoline and petroleum-based fuel production. Just as photosynthesis produces sugars and carbohydrates that power living organisms, petroleum refinement produces the fuel necessary to power man-made objects such as automobiles and airplanes. Unlike the elegant, peaceful and clean process that plants use to process sunlight, water, and CO2 with incredible efficiency and virtually no undesired byproducts, the process of producing gasoline (while essential for our modern world) is dirty, wasteful, ugly, and dangerously volatile. Without going into the details, let it suffice to say that it involves wars over land, competitive exploration, exploitation of natural resources, inefficiencies, waste, and from an eternal perspective it is unsustainable. Similarly, while the works of man may seem mighty in the short term in comparison with simple acts of charity, in the grand scheme, the works of man, in contrast with the works of God, are infinitely puny.

Photosynthesis (left) represents Good works, or the works of God
Gasoline production (right) represents the works of man

Images from:

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/9l.html

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Biology/calvin.html

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-biology1/chapter/the-calvin-cycle/

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Anacortes_Refinery_31911.JPG

http://miriadna.com/photo.php?id=304

The phospholipid bilayer and the gospel

Dear Abigail, this is the first in a series of biology lessons that will help prepare you for your life after your mission while at the same time keeping you focused on your current work at hand.

“Life is made out of cells”

They might be giants, 2009

The cell is the smallest unit of life. While there are many types of cells, with different structure and function, there are a few things they all have in common. One of them is known as the

Cell membrane

aka, plasma membrane

aka, cytoplasmic membrane

This is the extremely thin layer that separates the cytoplasm (mostly intracellular fluid) from the extracellular environment. How thin is it? Essentially it is only two molecules thick (or just a few nanometers). But its chemical properties allow it to effectively control what comes in and goes out. It is a semi-permeable membrane.

Now let’s consider the inside of the cell (or cytoplasm) as mortal life and the cell membrane as the veil that separates us from the hereafter. The cytoplasm is made up mostly of water, which is a polar molecule, meaning that it has a slight positive charge on one end and a slight negative charge on the other. We’ll say that this represents opposition in all things. In mortality we are able to experience good and evil, joy and sorrow, faith and doubt, etc.

“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.”

2 Ne 2:11

The cell membrane is composed of a phospholipid bilayer as pictured above. The phospholipids have one head and two tails. The head is hydrophilic, or water-loving, because it is polar and is attracted to other polar molecules (such as water). Whereas the two tails are hydrophobic, or water-fearing, and are nonpolar.

Let us think of polar molecules as representing the temporal and physical and nonpolar molecules representing the spiritual. With that in mind, let’s consider what it takes for a molecule to pass through this membrane. Here’s an explanation from quora.com:

“Any molecule to penetrate [the cell membrane] has to be well adapted to a hydrophilic environment, be more attracted to a hydrophobic environment and then be even more attracted to a hydrophilic environment. Most molecules cannot change their attitudes in that way in order to pass that barrier without help through other mechanisms... For charged, polar or large molecules the bilayer is a strong border.” (https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-cell-membrane-need-to-be-hydrophobic)

Now comparing to the gospel. On the one hand we need to be well adapted to our hydrophilic (temporal) environment. That is, we need to learn to take care of ourselves and others even in the face of natural opposition. But to have an eternal perspective, we must be attracted to a hydrophobic environment, or seek after holier things. Ultimately we all pass through the veil into the spirit world, which we can think of as the inner (hydrophobic or nonpolar) part of of the lipid bilayer, where we may rest from our pain and the trials of mortal life.

“Now there must needs be a space betwixt the time of death
and the time of the resurrection.”

Alma 40:6

Ultimately, at the time of resurrection our bodies are restored to our spirits and we will enter our kingdom of glory, or the extracellular space. As mentioned above, molecules cannot generally change their natures in this way on their own (once to be attracted to the hydrophobic environment and then again to the hydrophilic environment). Similarly, our resurrection is only made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Only He had power to break the bands of death, and He has provided a way that we may change our natures in the necessary way.

In Exodus 40 we see that the tabernacle (or temple) was anointed with oil, which represents holiness. As those who were being ordained to the priesthood entered the temple, they were first washed with water, which is hydrophobic, representing cleansing from the worldly and temporal, and then anointed with oil.

Thus, just as molecules need to pass through hydrophilic and hydrophobic layers with the assistance of an external mechanism in order to pass to the extracellular space, we need to be washed from our sins and blessed by our Savior in order to enter into the Kingdom of God.

Images from:

http://iqrasociety.com/animalcell.html

https://study.com/academy/lesson/cell-membrane-functions-role-structure.html

https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-polar-molecule

https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-cell-membrane-need-to-be-hydrophobic

How be it my church save it be called in my name?

Recently my church has been in the news for the following statement by our prophet, President Russel M. Nelson:

"The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." (Mormon Newsroom)

There is a link to an updated official style guide for the name of the Church where it is requested that media refer to the Church by its proper, full name in the first use, and then avoid terms such as the "Mormon church" and "Mormonism". Actually this is not new -- the new part appears to be a request that people refrain from referring the Church's members as "Mormons".

Social media has picked up on the irony as people have responded to headings such as:

"Mormons don't want you calling them Mormons anymore" (CNN)

"Stop calling the Mormon Church ‘Mormon,’ says church leader. ‘LDS’ is out, too." (The Washington Post)

I do understand the humor in the situation -- after all, the news release was made from the "Mormon Newsroom"! Although I haven't been reading the twitter feeds myself, I can imagine that people are wondering things like... Is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir going to get a new name? How about LDS charities? What is going to happen to the "I'm a Mormon" campaign? That is pretty funny, I have to admit!

What's my take? As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am grateful for the continued emphasis by our leaders that this church is not the church of Joseph Smith, Russel M. Nelson, Mormon, or of any other man. Rather, it is the Church of our Savior. This sentiment is reflected in the following from the Book of Mormon:

"And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel." (3 Nephi 27:8)

The usage of the term 'Mormon' to describe the Church and its members actually originated from critics of the Church, and was used as a derogatory reference toward the early adherents to the religion. Ultimately, rather than fueling such animosity, Latter-day Saints grew to embrace the term. An oft quoted story in our Church is that of Joseph F. Smith, one of the early Presidents of the Church. He found himself in a vulnerable position when confronted by a group of 'ruffians'. One with a pistol challenged him by asking "Are you a Mormon?" Smith responded famously, "yes, siree; dyed in the wool; true blue, through and through." Fortunately, the situation ended well as the man clasped his hand and responded "Well, you are the [blankety-blank] pleasantest man I ever met! Shake young fellow, I am glad to see a man that stands up for his convictions" (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, Joseph F. Smith; p. 104).

So obviously there is a balance. We don't want to be rude when people refer to us as Mormons or refer to the church by an incorrect name. It's best to look upon every situation in a positive light and embrace the interest that people have in the religion that means so much to us. This attitude of responding in love to our critics permeates our church culture, as reflected in the Church's only official response to an arguably offensive broadway musical entitled, "The Book of Mormon" -- "The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ" (Mormon Newsroom).

But when we refer to ourselves, we should give people the correct information, that we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which emphasizes the core meaning of our membership -- that we seek to follow Christ's example and teachings. He taught us by example to serve others, to forgive, to practice tolerance and respect for our neighbors, to love our enemies, and to respond in kindness, thoughtfulness, and dignity when attacked or made fun of.

Even though it can be a mouthful, I am proud to say that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Women in the Gospel - Sacrament meeting talk

Good morning brothers and sisters, and happy mothers day! I have been asked to speak about women in the Gospel. Even though I am not a woman myself, I am intrigued by this topic, and am thankful for the opportunity this has given me to do some research and learn more about the role of women in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I will be basing my remarks on two sources. The first is a talk by Russel M. Nelson in the 2015 general conference, entitled “A plea to My Sisters”. For those of you who may be visiting or not familiar, Russel M. Nelson is the current president of our church, and we revere him as a prophet of God.

The second resource I am using is a series of talks from Sharon Eubank, who is currently the first counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, and the director of LDS Charities.

But first, a bit of history. We believe that when Joseph Smith organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints almost 200 years ago, he restored the true Church of Jesus Christ to the earth. Our sixth article of faith states: “We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church.” Some might infer from the biblical writings in our possession that in this church organization, positions of authority, of preaching, and of teaching are to be held exclusively by men.

We know by modern revelation that this is not correct. Core to our beliefs are the 8th and 9th articles of faith that profess our belief that the Bible is the word of God “as far as it is translated correctly,” and that we are blessed with continuing revelation from God. Therefore, at this distinct time in the unfolding of God’s kingdom, we can take council from the living prophets and church authorities. My aim is to highlight, through the words of our modern authorities, the increasingly important role that women are playing in the Church of Jesus Christ in terms of leadership, teaching, preaching the gospel, and generally working right alongside us, their brothers, to build the Kingdom of God.

Just three months after the Church was organized in 1830, Emma Smith, received a revelation that she would be ordained by the prophet to “expound scriptures, and to exhort the church, according as it shall be given [her] by [the] Spirit” (D&C 25). But in general, public speaking in the early years of the Church was primarily reserved for men. It wasn’t until 1842 that the women’s Relief Society was formed, which gave women the authority “to act in the name of the Lord”. Although women did not hold offices in the priesthood, this women’s organization was, according to Joseph Smith, organized “in the Order of the Priesthood after the pattern of the Church.” Joseph Smith said “I now turn the key to you in the name of God and this Society shall rejoice and knowledge and intelligence shall flow down from this time.”

Thus, beginning in the earliest years, we see that the intended role of women in the Church has been revealed gradually over time, line upon line, and by revelation. While proselytizing was carried out by both men and women from the early days of the Church, it wasn’t until 1898 that the first women (called “lady missionaries”) were set apart to be individual, full-time missionaries. Many milestones have occurred since then, and today, over 20,000, or more than one quarter of all missionaries are female.

Next month, my daughter, Abigail, will join the ranks of those missionaries. Just like early members of the Church would seek a revelation from God under the hand of Joseph the prophet, Abigail faithfully sought revelation from God under the hand of our Stake Patriarch. She was given a pure and personal revelation from her Heavenly Father. As our fifth article of faith states, she was called by prophesy and will be set apart by the laying on of hands to preach the Gospel. Just as the early Saints were commanded to gather in Ohio, where they would be endowed with power, in preparation for their divine mission to preach the gospel to all nations, my daughter was recently endowed with that same power in the Philadelphia temple. In a few weeks, she will be set apart with the authority to preach the gospel. She will be laboring in the Salt Lake City West mission, Spanish speaking. I am so proud of her, and very excited for her upcoming adventure!

Since making sacred covenants in the temple, Abigail is now among the faithful women that President Nelson referred to when he said: “It would be impossible to measure the influence that [covenant-keeping] women have, not only on families but also on the Lord’s Church.”

President Nelson goes on to say: “We, your brethren, need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices.” He continues, “The kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without women who make sacred covenants and then keep them, women who can speak with the power and authority of God!”

Pres. Packer of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared a similar sentiment when he said “We need women who are organized and women who can organize. We need women with executive ability who can plan and direct and administer; women who can teach, women who can speak out. … We need women with the gift of discernment ...” We have such women in our ward. We have superb teachers and leaders in the primary, sunday school, young women’s program, and relief society.

Now back to President Nelson: “We need women who are devoted to shepherding God’s children along the covenant path toward exaltation; women who know how to receive personal revelation, who understand the power and peace of the temple endowment; women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen children and families; women who teach fearlessly.” (I will add… women such as my wife)

Can you hear in those words, the power that God has bestowed upon women, not just as mothers and wives, but as direct participants in church leadership, teaching, and proselytizing?

President Nelson also encourages women to be more involved in family government. He said “we need each married sister to speak as ‘a contributing and full partner’ as you unite with your husband in governing your family.”

I believe that husbands and wives hold joint priesthood power in governing their families. One of my favorite primary hymns has the first verse traditionally sung by girls and the second verse sung by boys. But listen closely to the words of that second verse, and let’s see whether it is limited to men. “[Ours] is a home where ev’ry hour is blessed by the strength of priesthood pow’r, with father and mother leading the way, teaching [us] how to trust and obey; And the things they teach are crystal clear, For love is spoken here.”

Sister Sharon Eubank has raised some very interesting points about the language that is available to us, or not available, and how that influences our understanding of the role of women in the church and in the family. She told a story about a woman from Estonia who was assigned the task of translating the Book of Mormon into Estonian while her country was still behind the iron curtain. The Communists had stripped out of their books, dictionaries, and language many religious words, and she therefore struggled to find ways to talk about concepts such as the priesthood.

Similarly, since much of our church language derives from Biblical usage, which is mostly relating to men, we are probably missing important terminology, which makes it difficult to express ideas about the role of women in the gospel. For example, young men are ordained to offices in the priesthood… deacons, teachers, priests. These all have biblical references. The female counterparts of these roles are beehives, mia maids and laurels, which are not as clearly linked to scripture. Yet we know that young women are just as crucial to the building of the kingdom of God as their male counterparts.

Sister Eubank points out that we don’t really have a good title for “Mission President’s wife”, even though we know that her role in the church is of great importance. Fortunately, we do have a special name for the temple Matron, which is the female counterpart of the man who presides over our temple. Language makes a big difference.

President James E. Faust said: “Every father is to his family [is a] patriarch and every mother [is a] matriarch as coequals in their distinctive parental roles.” As a church, we have done a lot more exploring of the patriarchal order, and not as much exploration of the matriarchal line, or the word matriarch. Sister Eubank has encouraged the membership of the church to start trying to develop better language to describe the distinct, but equally important, role of the matriarch.

Here are some words from Gordon B. Hinckley, who was President and prophet during the first 13 years of my membership in the Church. “And so Eve became God’s final creation, the grand summation of all of the marvelous work that had gone before. Notwithstanding this preeminence given the creation of woman, she has so frequently through the ages been relegated to a secondary position. She has been put down. She has been denigrated. She has been enslaved. She has been abused. And yet some few of the greatest characters of scripture have been women of integrity, accomplishment, and faith.”

He then mentions, Esther, Naomi, Ruth, Sariah, and others.  Of Mary, the mother of the Jesus, President Hinckley states: “She it was who carried the child Jesus into Egypt to save His life from the wrath of Herod. She it was who nurtured Him in His boyhood and young manhood.”

My family knows that I chuckle when I hear the Christmas song “Mary did you know?” Of course she knew! She knew before anyone else, because the angel revealed it to her. Afterwards Mary was filled with the spirit of prophesy, foretelling of the life and mission of our Redeemer.

Sister Eubank points out that while many churches teach that mother Eve was ‘weak and sinful, that she partook of the forbidden fruit and fell, and that she was punished for it’ (from a video), our Church does not teach that doctrine. Rather, we know that Eve was strong and courageous. She knew that the fall would be necessary ‘to open the door for all of us to come into mortality’, and she sacrificed a garden-of-eden kind of life. She had faith in Jesus Christ, that His atonement would redeem us and allow us to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “I recognize that we have many wonderful women among us who do not have the opportunity of marriage. But they, too, make such a tremendous contribution. They serve the Church faithfully and ably. They teach in the organizations. They stand as officers.”

What a wonderful time to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. Whether we are male or female, married or single, the Lord intends to endow us with power to assist in accomplishing His work. I want my daughters to know that they have just as much potential to move this work forward as do my sons, not just as mothers and wives, but as leaders in the Church and gospel. Elder M. Russell Ballard explained: “when men and women go to the temple, they are both endowed with the same power, which by definition is priesthood power.”

In summary, women are of utmost importance to the progress of the church. The roles of wife and mother have traditionally been most emphasized, and yes, these are perhaps the most sacred responsibilities of women, just as father and husband are my most sacred responsibilities. Yet, in terms of church leadership, and the roles traditionally and biblically thought of as male responsibilities, we are just beginning to explore the distinct role of matriarch as teacher, preacher, and leader within the church.

The Latter-day Saint woman has from the very early days of the church been endowed with great spiritual power, and has had an enormous, yet under-documented, role in the restored Church of Jesus Christ. It is exciting to live at a time when we are beginning to have the vocabulary to express the unique role of women.

I will end with President Nelson’s continuing plea to all the women of the Church. He says: “Take your rightful and needful place in your home, in your community, and in the kingdom of God—more than you ever have before... And I promise you in the name of Jesus Christ that as you do so, the Holy Ghost will magnify your influence in an unprecedented way!... And as one of His Apostles”, (at the time Russel M. Nelson was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), ”I thank you, my dear sisters, and bless you to rise to your full stature, to fulfill the measure of your creation, as we walk arm in arm in this sacred work.”

I will conclude with my testimony, that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ. As we exercise faith and obedience, may we continue to gain a deeper and richer understanding of our relationship to our Heavenly parents, both male and female. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.