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Priesthood
When God redirects us
The converts of Ammon never cease to amaze me. These remarkable individuals, who "never did fall away," exemplified quiet yet determined discipleship. When the Lamanite armies came to exterminate them, they did the unexpected.
The Prophet gave me a blessing today
You hear a knock on your door. You aren't expecting visitors, so you glance through the window first, and your jaw drops. In a daze, you open the door and greet the Prophet of God. He tells you he felt impressed to visit your house and give you a personal priesthood blessing.
The gift of our calling
It was five years, almost to the day, but if you saw a picture of that Bishop from the start of his term, you'd be forgiven for thinking 15 or 20 years had passed. The marital disputes, the midnight runs to the chapel to forestall eviction, and the last-second interviews had taken their toll on both his hairline and his beltline. "Busy as a man can be," indeed. But finally, it was time to pass the baton. The new Bishop took the stand to bear his testimony. "Brothers and sisters, during this season of the year we express gratitude for gifts. I want to start by thanking our Bishop for the gift of his devoted service in our ward." A moment of silence follows-- the Latter-day Saint chapel equivalent to hearty applause. "I thank my wife and children for the gift of accepting the call to sustain me without hesitation." Another well-deserved round of silent mental clapping. "And I especially want to thank God for His gift of calling to me to be the new Bishop." Wait... what?
The Lord's soldiers are getting younger
This past week, the First Presidency made Church history. Again. In a letter dated Friday, December 14, Pres. Nelson and his counselors announced that young men and women's quorums and classes will start following the same advancement pattern as Sunday School classes. Meaning everyone will transition to the next quorum or class at the beginning of the year. For example, if you turn 12 in 2019, you will be in the deacons' quorum at the start of the year. And priesthood ordination will follow. No more waiting until you are 12 years old to receive the Aaronic Priesthood-- from now on you will be ordained to the priesthood office at the same time as your fellow quorum members on the January of the year you turn that age. So be prepared for a lot of 11-year-old deacons passing the Sacrament in January!
I'm a son of Levi (and you are, too)
This past week I read the following verse in 3 Nephi 24, where Christ quotes Malachi 3. There is a lot of good material in Malachi. No wonder Christ was instructed to quote it to the Nephites. But one verse in particular caught my eye the other day. Speaking of the coming of Christ's messenger to the Lord's Temple (presumably Elijah to the Kirtland Temple), Malachi says:And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.This "sons of Levi" verse has always seemed a little confusing to me. I've heard several people mention this and try to interpret it. But I had always figured it was just some Old Testament prophecy that we wouldn't understand until the Church was a lot larger and included more people from the Middle East or something—not something that was super applicable to most modern Church members from Ephraim or Manasseh lines as we are today.