Tag Archive for: gospel

Lit with Fire and Faith

Every six months, I sit down to watch the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
My expectations were high, as with the passing of President Nelson last week, there was always going to be some unknowns whilst the church enters an apostolic interregnum, wherein the Quorum of the Twelve serves as the presiding body until a new First Presidency is appointed.
Yesterday, Monic, Amilya, Hazel (2 visiting BYU students) and I settled down, to listen to the messages of hope and inspiration for the world.
As we watched Conference together with freshly baked banana bread in hand, slippers on, and a blanket or two making the rounds, I found myself deeply grateful for this opportunity to learn.
There were many inspirational speakers, who shared the feelings of their heart.
But for me there was one who shone brightly.

On Fire

Elder Kevin G. Brown spoke on “The Eternal Gift of Testimony.”
Sustained as a New General Authority Seventy only six months ago, this was his first time speaking in General Conference.
He spoke with a passion, a fire and a zeal that was simply incredible.
He was so animated and enthusiastic about the message he shared.
“If you know, 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖. I know that I know.”
There is no denying his conviction and the unmistakable authority of one who knows.
He knows and it shows.
He went on to say that “it is worth every effort to pursue this path to testimony” and it was clear that in his lifetime, he had pursued the path to a sure testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Storm Amy had swept through Scotland yesterday and left our wee nation a bit battered and bruised.
It was still a little grey and a bit drizzly outside after the storm, but inside our home things were different.
From his Jamaican roots, Elder Brown brought not just the blistering heat of his homeland, but some thunder too, setting the conference centre ablaze (and our home too) with fire and power through his personal testimony and fearless witness of the Saviour.
His passion, power and sincerity were palpable throughout, he certainly shook me and set me on fire once more.
There are still a few sessions to go, and if you haven’t tuned in yet, I’d really encourage you to watch.
There is something powerful about hearing these messages live, wherever you are in the world.
Who or what has stood out to you so far?
And a short postscript – I KNOW TOO!

A Sure Compass

Just before setting off on my walk along Scotland’s West Highland Way this May with my missionary friends, my brother Paul and his wife Gwen gave me a beautiful gift to mark my 60th birthday: a 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔, inscribed and deeply personal.
Oftentimes, I’ve carried it with me, not always for navigation, but for what it reminds me of: direction, intention, and trust in something steady.
One of my favourite activities as a facilitator involves asking groups, sometimes 10, 20, or even 100+ people, to stand, close their eyes, and point in the direction of north.
The results are always the same: arms point in every direction.
Some are confident, many are uncertain, and only a few ever get it right.
Then I pull out a compass and show them how quickly truth is revealed when you use the right tool.
I always gift them each a small compass to keep, a simple reminder that knowing where you’re going, starts with knowing what you’re using to guide you.

What tool do you use?

In a similar manner,  I love the words of Marvin J. Ashton:
“…just as a compass is valuable to guide us out of the dense forest, so the gospel points the way as we walk the paths of life.”
There’s something insightful in that comparison.
I know that life can be full of dense forests: uncertainty, doubt, temptation, fear, distraction.
I also know that the gospel of Jesus Christ doesn’t eliminate these things, yet it’s my experience that it helps us move through them without getting lost.
President James E. Faust once said: “The gift of the Holy Ghost is available as a sure guide, as the voice of conscience, and as a moral compass. This guiding compass is personal to each of us. It is unerring. It is unfailing.”
Not perfect circumstances. Not perfect knowledge. But a perfect guide.
I’ve learned that you don’t have to see the whole map if you trust your compass.
Whether you’re navigating the Highlands of Scotland or the hard questions of life, it’s the same principle.
The Spirit points true. The gospel holds steady. And I’ve kept walking.
60 years with the gospel as my guide. I still face storms, but I never face them alone.
As 2 Nephi 32:5 reminds us:
“For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.”
What are you using today to find your way, and is it pointing you to True North?
If you’d like to know more, speak to a member or a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Fruits

And off we went on our morning sabbatical.
We decided to take a route we hadn’t been on for years.
Halfway through we settled on returning home via a yet untried rambling journey!
It was a thoroughly enjoyable exploratory detour!
Taking our time, we discovered hedgerows aplenty, heavily laden with ripe blackberries.
Having recently purchased some blackberries in our local supermarket, we were well acquainted with the astronomical cost of 150 grams (5 oz)!
And here they were in abundance!!
If only we were more prepared.
Our foraging results enabled us to carry a good handful home, a heavenly bounty indeed.
The blackberries were delicious – juicier, fresher, sweeter, tastier and best of all – FREE!
We hadn’t set out to find fruit, but nevertheless it was a magical discovery, much to our delight.

Gospel Fruits

All this wealth of fruit got me thinking about some familiar scriptures.
I know there are many people today looking to satisfy their hunger for meaningful “fruits” in their own lives.
The Lord said to the people in his day, and also to us in His sermon on the Mount: “By their fruits ye shall know them.” – Matthew 7:20.
“For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
“… Every tree is known by his own fruit.” – Luke 6:43-44
In addition, the Apostle Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23, as “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.”
These fruits are available in our day.
There is a bounteous harvest freely available to all.
In John 15:5 we read “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
Living the gospel of Jesus Christ, yields much delicious fruit.
President Russell M. Nelson said, “My dear brothers and sisters, you are living exemplars of the fruits that come from following the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
If your own foraging has yielded a poor harvest thus far, filled with empty promises, dry, stale, sour and bland fruit, then I suggest you speak with a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I promise you a mouth-watering bowlful of yummy fruit waiting for your enjoyment.

Joyful Reunions

Time insisted that we finally move on.
Arriving home on Friday, we laughed, hugged and shared one or two tears at Edinburgh airport with our children.
Cherished moments never to be forgotten.
Life has taught us that you can’t hug family and friends over the internet.
Heading to the car park, we bumped into the outgoing mission leaders in the Scotland/Ireland Mission, James and Andrea McCrudden, who commenced their service at the same time as us in June of 2021.
Then another fortunate coincidence, as a dear consulting friend, just back from an assignment in India, walked up to me… “Daryl! – that can’t be three years!”, “Gordon! – it certainly was!” I replied.

Heavenly

All of these special moments were heavenly.
It was a day of celebration of shared experiences and the rekindling of our family bond and connection.
And no reunion is complete without a hearty spread of food (haggis nacho’s) and the resonance of genuine laughter together.
Heavenly reunions are filled with love and deep appreciation for family and friends.
Catching up with mum was fun!
The key ingredient of happiness is family.

Reunions

After so many tearful farewells over the last three years, I long for many more of these happy reunions in the years ahead.
Our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy.
Coming to understand our Heavenly Father’s “great plan of happiness” – Alma 42:8, you will find many of life’s questions are answered in the gospel of Christ.
The Apostle John said, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” – John 3:17.
Life is a journey woven with threads of connections, some fleeting and others enduring.
I am thrilled that over these last three years we have woven many remarkable connections that will endure forever, weaving our past, present, and future into a tapestry of lasting happiness.
The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God.”
I know that as we seek to be happy in life, we should remember that the only way to real happiness is to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Acts

I have sat in many theatres throughout the world.
Yesterday, in Ephesus, I sat in one of the most ancient.
In its day, it could hold some 24,000 people.
Starting in the 4th century BC, it took over 60 years to build.
This trip is with other mission leaders from throughout Europe.
Walking the streets of Ephesus, I imagined what it was like to live there.
New Testament
From the New Testament, we know that the Apostle Paul lived in Ephesus for up to 3 years.
Towards the end of our visit, we all assembled in the theatre to listen to LDS scholar James Toronto give a masterful discourse on the ancient Apostle.
He shared many interesting insights.
Then he started to read through Acts 19: 19-31, where there was an incident with the Apostle in the very theatre that we were gathered.
Ancient history suddenly came to life.

Apostles

Listening and reflecting in that moment, I thought about the ancient Apostle and imagined what happened that day.
As I sat pondering, I turned to my right.
Sat close by, was a modern Apostle, Quentin L. Cook.
A few moments later he addressed us and shared a personal experience he’d enjoyed with his fellow Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland who had dedicated Türkiye some years ago for the preaching of the Gospel.
The book of Acts was written by Luke, a disciple who travelled with Paul on his missionary journeys, in fulfilment of the command Jesus gave His Apostles to preach the gospel “in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).
Sat with mission leaders from around Europe, I couldn’t help but draw a modern parallel to the ancient text of the book of Acts, as we 𝒂𝒄𝒕 together and testify of the restored gospel, bringing it unto “every nation, kindred, tongue and people. (Alma 37:4).
It was a sobering thought.
In Paul’s day, the Lord Jesus Christ called Apostles to preach the gospel.
In our day, I know that once again, He has called Apostles to preach the gospel for one last time.

Taught

You cannot teach without learning.
One day in every 6-week period, missionaries gather together to be taught at zone conference.
My experience is that these are times of great learning and understanding for everyone.
The ultimate purpose of everything in zone conference, every question, every scripture, every activity, everything taught, is to invite the Spirit to build faith and to strengthen the testimonies of each missionary as they come to know Jesus Christ even more.

In the scriptures we read, “The Holy Ghost … shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).

It is only through the Holy Ghost that we can accomplish the ultimate goal of gospel teaching, which is to build faith in Jesus Christ and to help others become more like Him.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓻𝓻𝓸𝔀 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓸𝓷𝓰

I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to the earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.
I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong
That it can follow the flight of a song?
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.
– 𝓗𝓮𝓷𝓻𝔂 𝓦𝓪𝓭𝓼𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓱 𝓛𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸𝔀.

Hopes and Dreams

For me, these words beautifully express the hopes and dreams of every teacher who has ever taught.
This is however especially true in zone conferences.
Every missionary comes prepared to learn and to be taught.
Each session is filled with such a tender spirit, as learning comes from on High.
All those who teach in such settings provide such sweet, delicate, yet powerful messages that penetrate the hearts of all attending.
My hope, like any other teacher is that the eternal principles taught, will live, not just for a day or two, but just as their own souls, will live forever.
Ultimately my experience is always this – their hearts are filled, and their notepads too.
How was your experience of being taught at a zone conference?