Ministering to the sheep of the flock through interviews

For many years from at least 1982 there was emphasis on the three-fold mission of the Church and I sensed somewhat of a compartmentalisation by some leaders, and by myself, of Proclaiming the Gospel, Perfecting the Saints, and Redeeming the Dead.

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While serving as a ward mission leader in about 1994, some 12 years later, I was taught by the Spirit as I worked with the Member Progress Record. Details were recorded for a new or returning member of how they were taught the basic gospel principles, helped to receive a temple recommend so that they could perform baptisms for the dead as soon as possible, guided to research their family history so that they could provide ordinances for their relatives or others beyond the veil, and then getting them ready to go to the temple once they received a recommend for living ordinances after being a member for at least a year. I realised that as a ward mission leader, focused on Proclaiming the Gospel, I was actually involved in one work and not three separate missions (what in the business world might have been described as three 'silos').

As we teach basic principles to the prospective, new or returning member, we are proclaiming the gospel. This leads naturally to perfecting the saints as we prepare them to be worthy to enter the house of the Lord and issue a temple recommend to do baptisms and to later receive an endowment from the Lord. Then, as they can only do an ordinance once for themselves, every time that they return and perform baptisms, initiatory, endowment or sealing ordinances, they will do them in behalf of a deceased individual, thus redeeming the dead. As they serve as proxy for someone else, the Spirit will give them further insight regarding the ordinance, or the gospel, that will continue to proclaim the gospel to the individual, perfect the member as a saint, and redeem someone beyond the veil. All part of one journey.

I am always impressed that while interviewing a youth or adult - whether a new or returning member - to serve in a responsible calling, it is an ideal time to reassess their foundation by conducting a temple recommend interview and, hopefully, issuing a temple recommend if they do not have a valid one. If they are not worthy to be handed a temple recommend, they will have been searching their soul and the Spirit will have been touching their heart.

The temple recommend interview is not a chimney pot to put on once the building is complete, but part of establishing the foundation. I appreciated a comment by brother Taona Jiri as I mentioned this to him as a member of the bishopric during my recent interview to renew my own temple recommend. He suggested that this helps to make sure that the chimney is well built and that smoke does not spread through the building. The member will feel the Spirit very strongly as the leader works through each and every question, not stopping at one where they 'fail', but working faithfully on strengthening the entire foundation. Then, in the following interview by president Emmanuel Danso of the stake presidency, he pointed out that the temple recommend details are now available for all the world to see and they can then look at Emmanuel Danso, or Les Powrie, and say - I know your Church, the standards, and that you have a temple recommend and so I can expect you to be this kind of person. What an opportunity to be a light, leaven or salt in the community!

Perhaps if you are interviewing a brother for welfare needs, someone who is dependent on Zion, if you reviewed the ten commandments or the thirteen articles of faith with him, it would help him to become less dependent and move towards being independent, then onwards to being interdependent and building Zion. Is being dependent maybe telestial, becoming independent could be terrestrial, and interdependent, the opposite of dependent, or building Zion is perhaps celestial? Perhaps the reason that Moses was instructed to not accommodate any blasphemers, breakers of the law of the Sabbath or chastity in the Camp of Israel was because they were like parasitic cancerous cells that needed to be removed, not mollycoddled. He took people who were dependent on the fleshpots of Egypt and was trying to build them to be independent and then to go into the promised land that was similar to the desert-like Karoo, through which we drove every year with our family to get to the Johannesburg temple, to the point that they would make their promised land desert to blossom as the rose, building a Zion or more Celestial community. See a summary of Covey:

"Acquiring the seven habits of effectiveness takes us through the stages of character development. Habits 1 through 3 make up the “private victory” - where we go from dependence to independence by taking responsibility for our own lives. Acquiring habits 4 through 6 is our “public victory”: Once independent, we learn to be interdependent, to succeed with other people. The seventh habit makes all the others possible - periodically renewing ourselves in mind body, and spirit."

I love the story of a sister who was not living the word of wisdom and so was not given her temple recommend, but she returned to her bishop about two weeks later saying that she was now ready to have the interview again because she realised that the word of wisdom was not the problem. I guess that we often address symptoms and ignore the underlying problems and a temple recommend interview can help the member to feel the Spirit guiding them to sort out problems and the symptoms will then go away by themselves as the member adjusts course. I would often challenge a member to change and put in place something that was not in order, and if they were willing to commit to repent, I would seek the confirmation of the Spirit that I could give them a recommend based on their commitment rather than on their track record, or set a time within a few days or weeks for me to do so.

I recently realised that someone preparing to receive a patriarchal blessing is required to be worthy to hold a temple recommend. I then learned through the whispering of the Spirit that they, or I, cannot fully benefit from the patriarchal blessing as the years pass unless we remain as worthy to read it as we needed to be to receive it.

When the member is in any interview, the leader can help them to consider their next step like priesthood, patriarchal blessing, or temple. The leader thus gets to discuss these with them at the same time as the Spirit is touching their hearts.

I love the opportunity that is stressed now that no adult should be alone teaching children or youth, but should be accompanied by either a spouse or a member of the same gender. I am concerned that some feel that this is not feasible, impractical, or a nuisance. But what better opportunity is there to give a new or returning member the opportunity to relearn the basic gospel principles as he or she hears it taught to children or youth? Before long he or she will be ready to participate in the teaching, and maybe even to teach a lesson or two. This is strengthening their spiritual foundation. What a simple solution to our ongoing problem of people not attending their meetings! We are giving them a real reason to prioritise being at their meetings while giving them a chance to fill an essential but non-threatening position and they are being strengthened and blessed by being there. I love our prophetic leadership in the Lord's work.

Blessings on our ward and organisation leaders as they serve as true under-shepherds to the Lord's children in these simple and foundational activities of ministering to the sheep of their flock through taking opportunities for doing things such as inviting members to participate in interviews. Members of a bishopric can conduct temple recommend interviews, but other organisation leaders can invite members to an interview where they discuss simple and basic topics using the temple recommend questions as a basis, not to determine worthiness, but to help the member to feel the Spirit that will change their hearts and bring them closer to the Lord. Perhaps an interview conducted by a Young Women president will be a real contributing landmark in the life of a young a sister that helped her to be ready to receive a Temple Recommend to marry in the Temple. We might often be the leaven in the loaf that makes a significant difference in someone's testimony and we may never even realise what an impact that action of ours had, but I have a special conviction that the Lord will know, and He will bless us eternally for our simple efforts.

Me - help to make the desert blossom as a rose?

I am always amazed at God's dealings with His covenant people - And we can extrapolate from that how He will work with you and me. 

Sally and I have driven through many barren areas like this that have become fruitful because of the enterprising efforts and determination of the seed of Abraham.

These pictures of Utah, Sally and me at Bingham Copper mine in 1981 and Ken Powrie in 1971

His Promised Land was a barren area with occasional fertile spots, but He helped His children in Israel and Utah to cause the desert to blossom as a rose. It took courage, work, determination, endurance, sacrifice, but look at the results. Truly remarkable. 

I appreciate an insight shared by Jared Halverson that God gives His chosen people such arid lands that are dependant on rain rather than rivers because He will provide rain as we remain faithful. That adds insight to the promise in Malachi 3:8-12, repeated by the Lord Himself in 3 Nephi 24. It is unlikely that one will have a blessed land in and arid area, but the Lord can make it blessed. Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God; for He is God over all the earth, yea, even above all.

He gave a barren woman to each of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and promised each innumerable posterity. From those barren women have come innumerable posterity, those very people who have made those deserts to blossom as a rose. As they sacrifice themselves, their time, their talent, and everything with which the Lord has and does bless them, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, they are used by the Lord as instruments - as leaven in the loaf; a light to the world; or as preserving salt - to make barren families, communities, and nations blossom in remarkable and wonderful ways. He provides the rain that is so essential in the otherwise barren situations.

I hope that I can offer Him a broken heart and a contrite spirit, saying 'not my will, but Thy will be done' and then help Him to let my family, community and maybe even in some way my nation, to be better than it would be without my small (preferably behind-the-scenes 😉) leavening, light and salt 🤔😊

What can you help Him to do in your family, community and nation 😉?

A promise of an eternal marriage for LGBTQ+ individuals - well, for anyone

I was thinking as I prayed this morning about what I wrote to someone who had shared his concerns about eternal marriage since he feels attraction for men rather than for any girl that he has dated with a real desire to marry according to God's plan. He desired to marry as God expected him to do, but his dates simply did not fill him with the joy that he was hoping to receive. I referred him to my blog post written some 8 years ago in 2014! But this morning I felt as I prayed that I should add some more thoughts.

The newlyweds on the steps of the Salt Lake Temple in 1981

I love the journey of discovery depicted in Fiddler on the Roof when Tevye and Golda discover that they love each other after years of being in an arranged marriage. I think that there is a really important lesson in this. It suggests to my mind that attraction is not as important in marriage as is commitment, friendship, companionship, love.

I love my neighbour as myself - male and female. What I do know is that I am devoted to my wife of more than 40 years. I chose her after dating many young ladies, without being very affectionate with any one of them, not holding hands, kissing or embracing, but developing and feeling friendship. After many dates I identified some characteristics that appealed to me and some that I rather hoped that my wife would not have! 

I slowly came to the realisation that one friend had many characteristics that made me feel really comfortable when I was with her, and that I desired to be in her company whenever she came from medical school in Cape Town where her father lived to visit her mother who lived close to Johannesburg. I lived near Johannesburg and had met her there before she went to study nearly 1500 km (about 900 miles) away. It took me about 5 years, and a cancelled engagement before I realised that my friendship with her was actually something that I would describe as love and that I would really like to have her by my side for eternity. 

Whenever I could, I would spend time with Sally. I recall walking in the hills near her home in Krugersdorp and telling her about the cabbage tree Cussonia panniculata, and her thinking there were painted rocks, but that it was actually lichen on the rocks. She went with me on the back of my scooter to play badminton with me, and I remember her holding on to me as we went around corners - I enjoyed that 😉. She went with me to have a fondue dinner with friends before we went to participate in a Spring Sing or something in a ward activity. I drove her to her home before she left to return to Cape Town and I would give her a priesthood blessing for the start of a new academic year. We went ice skating - and we held hands on the ice because neither of us is particularly stable on the ice 😉. During one drive to take her home my old car's radiator hose burst and I had to tape it up, then drive with lots of spray on the windscreen and very frequent stops to refill the radiator. I was once delighted to have her approach me during the interval of a dramatic presentation, I think it was Saturday's Warrior, and it was unexpected and such a joy to see her there.

I would write to Sally twice in the first year and that increased to several times each year and she would write back immediately and make sure that it got in the mail the next morning. She would eagerly look in the mailbox every day hoping for a letter from me. Some of my letters were saddening to her as I talked of going out with other girls, and one particularly hurtful when I became engaged to someone else, the only one to which she did not reply immediately. She so wished for very regular letters that would delight her, but I did not write as often as she hoped and not always as delightful a message as she hoped.

I once asked Sally if she could spare time at the weekend to take a friend around the Cape and when she said that she could, that was put in place. She recalls wondering - very hopefully - when my brother fetched her, if that friend might just be me - and it was 😉. We sat in her old Morris 1100 on Tafelberg Road, looking out over Cape Town in the evening, and the wind whipped the wiper blade off the windscreen and disturbed our special time enjoying each other's company. We dozed off on the rocks of Noordhoek beach and got a bit more sun that we might have intended. I stayed at her home one of the nights and got to meet her father. We had a very brief embrace at the airport before I left to return home and just a few weeks later I asked her father if I could marry her and it was good that I was not a total stranger to him! And so, we prepared so very slowly for the wonderful 40 years that we have been married and eternity that we look ahead to devoted to each other. Our marriage was based more on friendship than on courtship, and I highly recommend that to others. but Sally wishes that there had been a little more affection during our long courtship... 

So, I left Johannesburg and moved to the Fairest Cape to marry my Fairest Bride in 1981.

I eventually developed the courage and determination to ask her to go with me to the Temple in Salt Lake City. She reckons that I did not propose to her, or ask her to marry me, but that I simply asked her to go travelling to the Temple with me! I guess I blew it, but she was gracious enough to agree to go with me once I assured her that I wanted her to marry me. She is my best friend, my precious eternal pal and partner. 

Heavenly Father has helped Sally and me to have a wonderful marriage despite the abundant challenges of mortality. I know that He will help each and any one of you to have a wonderful marriage according to His plans for you. All we need is a broken heart and a contrite spirit to accept His will for us.

This past week we have read in Come, Follow Me about Abraham and Sarah who were married for decades and desired children, but none came. Then in their nineties they were promised a son with posterity as numerous as the stars in the sky or the sands on the seashore - in other words, one ought not consider trying to number them! Then, in a devastating interview, God challenged Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice in a burnt offering - and possibly Sarah was also involved - and Abraham evidently did not question, argue, debate, or search for reasons to not do such a difficult thing despite the logic that would scream to not do it! This week we are pondering how Abraham arranged a marriage for his son Isaac, so it would not surprise me if Abraham's marriage to Sarai had been an arranged marriage. I was impressed this morning by the talk referenced in Come, Follow Me, given in 2015 by Elder Christofferson. What struck me the most is how the thoughts that I share in this blog are in harmony with what he taught. For example, he quotes “Marriage is more than your love for each other."

To anyone reading these thoughts of mine, whether in a loving and happy marriage, feeling same gender attraction, feeling confused about marriage, being wary of marriage, or whatever, I unreservedly offer a promise of a wonderful heavenly marriage if one looks beyond attraction and tries to keep an eternal perspective on marriage as being more than just a temporal union of two people who love each other, as lovely as that is in and of itself. The Saviour pleaded in John 17 for us to be one, and I suggest that maybe sometimes that includes being one flesh, but always means seeking to have a Zion spirit in our homes. Rather than simply thinking of being attracted to one another, we can focus on home being a bit of heaven on Earth, Zion-like, despite the shortcomings, weaknesses and failings of self and partner.

I am still far from competent in this regard, but I propose that it is important to never let any attraction - to man or woman, sport, politics, entertainment, work, or anything - undermine that focus on home being a bit of heaven on earth. Strive for celestial marriage rather than simply marriage. As you do this, you will find that the most delightful thing that you can ever imagine is to consider being one with each other for eternity because you are one with each other in time. In essence, as Dallin H Oaks said, "Concentrate on [getting to the Celestial Kingdom]. If you get there, all of it will be more wonderful than you can imagine."

I suggest that if I were presently at that stage of life where I was looking for an eternal marriage partner, it would be best for me to offer to God a broken heart and contrite spirit, asking Him what marriage He wants for me rather than insisting that I know what marriage I need and want! Like Abraham might have had all sorts of arguments against the instruction to offer his son as a sacrifice after Abraham had been offered as a sacrifice by his own father, and after Abraham had been promised that Isaac would be the father of innumerable posterity, and that God must therefore wake up and realise the folly of the command that He was giving! I need to not argue, debate, or look for reasons to not follow God's will - those will be so easy to find, especially with Google in 2022! It might even have been a relief to have lived in a culture where one's parents arranged one's marriage! I need to simply have a broken heart and  a contrite spirit and follow exactly what the Spirit guides me to do and then walk, as it were, into the water carrying the ark of the covenant and anticipating that the waters will part as they did for the priests in Joshua 3:14 - 17. Wonderful blessings flow as we step forward in faith with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

I felt impressed add more thoughts that you might be interested in reading. See 

A 'Homeless debate' on social media - US or THEM - which am I?

Some thoughts regarding love and same gender attraction

Peace in Christ - the opposite of contention

View a preview of the talk on YouTube

Mowbray 16 Jan 2022

As I prepared this talk I reflected on a talk that I gave at this pulpit about 1983 when this was the Cape Town First Branch. It would have been an Easter talk. I shall try to improve on some mistaken context that I think that I may have presented then.

After what we now refer to as Easter, Peter went fishing and four disciples said that they would join him. They had just had some really unexpected things happen in their lives and I guess that they required a lot of time to digest these things.

• Was Peter wondering what lay ahead? 
• He was the senior apostle - and he had been called while fishing.

• His Lord had been killed without becoming the Delivering Messiah that many expected Him to be. 
• He had been resurrected and appeared to Mary, then to Peter and others of His disciples on at least two occasions.
• The disciples were now left without the frequent mentoring contact that they had been having for three years. 

• Peter might have been reflecting on his denying the Lord three times.
• Peter might have reflected on his impetuous behaviour cutting off someone’s ear and what the Lord did and said about those who live by the sword dying by the sword. 
• Might he have remembered his experience doing the impossible - walking on water?

 

There was doubtless a great jumble of thoughts, reflections, wondering, ponderings, treasuring up or keeping things in his heart just as Mary did so often, and as we would benefit from doing. When we do this, we will feel our hearts burn within us as did the disciples who had been taught by the resurrected Lord on the road to Emmaus. 

In the spirit of pondering and keeping things in our hearts, I would like to share some of my pondering of the scriptures in the hope that my thoughts might touch the heart of someone who needs to be touched. I shall use the subject of contention as the theme of my thoughts.

My parents read to us very often in Family Home Evening form 3 Nephi 11:29-30

29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of ^acontention is not of me, but is of the ^bdevil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

30 Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things ^ashould be done away.

I guess that they felt that we needed frequent reminders. Just maybe they sensed some contention in our home on occasions. The first Family Home Evening manual was produced for use in 1967 and we immediately started to use it as we had already been having Family Hour, family scripture reading and family prayer for several years as directed by the prophets of our day.

The thought comes to mind that peace in the Lord’s view is not simply the absence of contention or war but the opposite of it. So, let me share some thoughts about some stories from the scriptures and how the Lord might want me to respond in the face of contention and you can then ponder how you can react to contention that is really not infrequent in the world today.

There is contention about religion – even among members of the same religion. There is contention about sport – Stormers and Sharks, and so forth. What about politics, medicine, art, leisure, whatever cause can find disagreement is likely to become contentious in 2022. Someone will have much to say about some argument that will bring him or her some advantage or glory or likes or followers or subscribers…

Arguments that are not wrong, but not necessarily right

I have spent a fair amount of time in the desert, forest, savanna, grassland and other landscapes of our beautiful land. Although I rarely have seen snakes, I am not ignorant of the threat of their venom to me should one strike. Now – imagine that you have just been bitten by a fiery flying serpent and I say to you that Moses has erected a fiery serpent of brass and that he promised on behalf of the Lord that anyone who gazes upon the serpent will be healed. Sounds too good to be true, right. I then mention that since there are hundreds of thousands of people in the camps of Israel and that there is only one brazen serpent and it happens to be about 11 km away, you think ‘Wait a bit. That will cause my heart to pump and to cause the venom to move throughout my body and that will kill me.’

The person is not wrong who says that activity will cause the venom to move throughout your body. Would you have the faith to believe me when I say that the act of faith in going to gaze upon the brazen serpent will be healing and you will not perish as those do who do not show that faith to follow the prophet.

My wife Sally was often called out of a sacrament meeting to go and attend to a patient who called for assistance. Anyone criticizing her for missing Church would not be wrong as we are commanded in the Ten Commandments

8 Remember the ^asabbath day, to keep it ^bholy.

9 ^aSix days shalt thou ^blabour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy ^astranger that is within thy gates:

and reminded in Doctrine and Covenants 59:12

12 But remember that on this, the ^aLord’s day, thou shalt offer thine ^boblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, ^cconfessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.

Many of our brothers and sisters in medical, security, police, or other essential services are required to work on the Sabbath. This is not easy, but maybe they can take strength in remembering that the Sabbath is 24 hours and that they are not likely to be working all 24 hours and can hallow the remainder of the day. If they always have to miss the Sabbath they could set aside one day in seven to hallow as do the Latter-day Saints in Israel worship in sacrament meetings on Saturday and in Muslim nations they worship on Fridays.

I spent a lot of time on the banks and walking in the river bed of the Kuiseb River in the Namib. It is quite wide and the level of the river bed is somewhat below the level of the surrounding plains and dunes. This is small compared to the Red Sea. Imagine that you are standing cautiously listening to a man telling you that water can be very dangerous and taking hundreds of thousands of people down into the bed of the Red Sea is not advisable. After all, it is not going to be a paved freeway, and there will be difficulty climbing down to reach the bottom, rough terrain along the bottom, and difficulty climbing up out of the bed of the Red Sea. This man was not wrong, and his concerns are shown to be absolutely right when the sea through which you crossed on dry ground drowns the Egyptian armies that chased you down into the bottom of the sea, but were not saved by the power of the Lord who told His prophet to take you through that sea. You were blessed for following the prophet, despite the logic that said to not do so. Follow the prophet; he knows the way.

Imagine that you are the person who was dragged mercilessly through the streets of Jerusalem to be thrown at the feet of Jesus of Nazareth that you have doubtless heard to be a notable preacher of holy words. You were taken in the very act of adultery and are taken to Him and you hear your capturers saying to Him that the law of Moses says that you should be stoned – what does He say? How would you be feeling? Angry, betrayed, defensive, ashamed? Perhaps you think of the other person who was committing adultery with you that was not dragged mercilessly through the streets with you? These people were not wrong about the need to obey the command to not commit adultery.

How might your thoughts and feelings change as He quietly bends down and starts to draw in the sand? What is going on? What is going to happen to me? What is this all about? Then your opponents pressure Him to respond and He simply says that he who is without sin should cast the first stone. He then bends down and continues to write in the sand. What thoughts are going through your head now? Time passes and slowly one, then another, then another and more of your opponents withdraw in embarrassment or shame. What now?

Then Jesus speaks to you – He asks if none of those thine accusers has condemned you? You reply ‘No man, Lord’. What are you thinking now? Then He says those glorious words ‘Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more.’ What resolve will you have compared to what you were intent on doing when you were first thrown at His feet?

Imagine that you are in the crowd when someone you know who has had an issue of blood for 12 years comes and touches the hem of Jesus’ garment. You are horrified because, according to the law, she is unclean and should not be anywhere in public! What thoughts go through your mind as you see this person healed immediately and then being told that her faith had made her whole, and then told ‘Go in peace’.

Brothers and sisters, I have a personal witness from the Lord, and I see myself standing in a place very much like this Mowbray chapel with the windows behind the Lord standing bearing His testimony saying in verses 30 to 32 of D&C 1 that ‘Brothers and sisters, this is

‘the only true and living ^dchurch upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well ^epleased, ^fspeaking unto the church collectively and not individually—

31 For I the Lord cannot look upon ^asin with the least degree of allowance;

32 Nevertheless, he that ^arepents and does the ^bcommandments of the Lord shall be ^cforgiven;’

The same Lord said in the sermon on the mount that

21 ¶ Not every one that ^asaith unto me, ^bLord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that ^cdoeth the ^dwill of my Father which is in ^eheaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not ^aprophesied in thy name? and in thy ^bname have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 ^aAnd then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: ^bdepart from me, ye that work ^ciniquity.

This is also the same person who said after talking about the wonderful state of little children, in Mark 9:34-42  and Luke 9:49-50 that His disciples should not forbid them and went on to say that

there is no man which shall do a ^amiracle in my ^bname, that can lightly speak evil of me.

40 For he that is not against us is ^aon our part.

41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not ^alose his ^breward.

I have come to realise that when the Lord said to Joseph Smith in the grove of trees that he

‘must join none of them, for they were all ^awrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those ^bprofessors were all ^ccorrupt; that: “they ^ddraw near to me with their lips, but their ^ehearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the ^fcommandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the ^gpower thereof.”’

I have come to realise that the Lord was speaking of these churches collectively and not individually as some individuals among Christians, Jews, Muslims and others sincerely strive to draw close to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, although some use a different name for Him, and that they are doing great work in holding back the beguiling of Satan. I follow President Russell M Nelson in holding hands with many of other faiths as they serve God in the best way that they can. Our charge is to provide Temple ordinances for the many who have died without having had the knowledge of the gospel that we have, and without judging how they might or might not have had opportunities. If we fail to provide ordinances then we will be charged with burying the talent that we have.

I am grateful for the insight that I received in 1987 that, whatever condemnation may or may not have been leveled at people who had been denied the priesthood, that the condemnation would now be leveled at me if I did not let go of my prejudices. I had similar change of heart in South Africa as we had our changes in 1994 and realised that if I held on to prejudices that I would be held guilty before the Lord and not those to whom I might feel should be guilty of whatever – the charge to me is to forgive seventy times seven and love my enemies.

Brothers and sisters, we loved having our children as babes in our arms. But - we did not want them to remain babes in our arms forever - we had a greater vision for them. We have been studying this week about our first parents Adam and Eve partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the learning that accompanied that experience. I put it to you that each of us has, figuratively speaking, partaken of that fruit because we have knowledge of good and evil – and is that not why we are here in this sacrament meeting today? I know that our Heavenly parents did not wish for them, or us, to forever remain as babes in Their arms, kicking, screaming, needing our nappies changed, disturbing their sleep, needing to be fed, not knowing how to crawl, let alone walk or run. They desired us to grow and that requires us to have knowledge of good and evil, dying and being able to develop and demonstrate our faith in Him. I have a wonderful memory of Elder Boyd K Packer saying while dedicating the Carletonville chapel and other chapels, speaking to the civic authorities that were present, that before them were Latter-day Saints who would be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

I hope that the Lord will one day say that I demonstrated not only a wish to be with Him, but a determination to align myself with His will. This requires me to not only have an absence of contention in my heart, but the opposite of contention. I have a wonderful memory of Elder Boyd K Packer saying while dedicating the Carletonville chapel and other chapels when I was about 9 years old, speaking to the civic authorities that were present, that before them were Latter-day Saints who would be part of the solution and not part of the problem. I need to be, I really do try to be, part of the solution and not part of the problem. I hope that I am succeeding, at least in part.

I pray that each of us will strive to go our way and sin no more, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Cindy Jean: Fifty Shades of Betrayal

 Cindy Jean: Fifty Shades of Betrayal: On my way home from work today, I saw a poster for LuvLand, an adult store. It read, "Fifty Shades of Grey: Let the fantasy become a re...

This is a draft from March 2015, it did not get beyond being a draft, but maybe it will have some value???

Reflecting on 2021

I wrote this, but did not publish it. A letter that I had written for someone, reflecting on the year 2021.

Good morning, my friend

I hope that you have had a fantastic 12 months of 2021 and that you have been very successful. 

I have been thinking this morning of someone that I fear has a long-term view that is not as long term as it should be - not much beyond the long-term view of a teenager that is 'Friday night'... That is why our investment was in our children's education and character development rather than in their clothes or 'things'. I hope that you are having fulfilment in climbing the ladder of success, but, more importantly, that your ladder of success is leaning against the correct wall 😉🤔

Blessings on you as you continue to navigate these challenging waters of health concerns, political concerns, security concerns, economic concerns, philosophical concerns, personal and any other concerns. The Lord is at the helm. He has not been caught off guard in this global COVID pandemic or anything else. He is leading us individually through His Holy Spirit and collectively through His living prophet. Blessings on you as you press forward in your individual wilderness towards your individual promised land, appreciating the miracles of an escape from slavery in Egypt, a Red Sea being parted, water coming from a rock, wonders at the mount called Sinai, quail for dinner on occasions, healing from serpents by beholding a brazen serpent raised by Moses, and even daily bread called manna! I hope that the daily very real discomforts and inconveniences are not taking away your enjoyment of God's very real miracles in your wilderness ☺️🤔

Blessings on you, 

Your friend and brother, Les Powrie