For We Are Saved By Hope

This week I had the privilege of speaking in Church.  My topic was "Hope as an attribute of Christ."  I have to confess that in the past, as I've thought that in the three legged-stool that is composed of faith, hope, and charity, I have often placed the least emphasis and importance upon the attribute of hope.  It seemed so similar to faith that it just didn't capture much of my attention--and consequently it's vital role in the gospel escaped me.  Further, we are so influenced by the worldly definition of hope that we often fail to grasp the gospel's definition of this subject.  In worldly terms, hope denotes a kind of wishful uncertainty.  But in the gospel, hope yields confidence, assurance, and expectation.  It is this concrete, gospel definition that God desires us to ponder and obtain.  For as Paul declared, "We are saved by hope" (Romans 8:24).

When our world's fall apart and our proximate hopes disappoint us, we are saved by our Hope in Christ and in His perfect atonement which promises, in time, to set right all that has gone wrong.  Ultimate hope, therefore, is "tied to Jesus and to the blessings of the great Atonement, blessings resulting in the universal Resurrection and the precious opportunity provided thereby for us to practice emancipating repentance" (Neal A. Maxwell, October 1998 General Conference).  Rather than being "associated with things mercurial," it is defined by "things immortal and eternal" (NAM, October 1998 General Conference).

One of the things that intrigued me about  this particular topic was the idea of hope as an attribute of Christ, meaning that Christ must needs be our perfect Exemplar of hope.  I had never thought of this. Indeed, the scriptures do not directly speak of Christ having hope, and particularly not of Christ having hope in the atonement that He wrought.  But consider the hope that was required of Him when He uttered that saving declaration, "Here am I, send me" (Abraham 3:27).  With those words He was declaring His perfect hope and faith that He could fulfill His calling to be born into a lost and fallen world, be exposed to all manner of trials, afflictions, and temptations without giving into sin, to suffer as no man, and voluntarily lay down His life and take it up again, in order that He might have the capacity to redeem every willing soul from the chains of sin and death that they might become like unto their Father.  To be able to have confidence in that plan required the greatest display of faith and hope that has ever been manifested on this or any other earth.  It was hope in the plan and hope in the atonement that He had been called to bring to pass.

Throughout His life, He continued to manifest that same hope.  As the winds and the waves began to toss His ship mercilessly upon the sea, the Savior slept peacefully upon a pillow.  The troubled disciples woke Him and queried, "Master, carest thou not that we perish?" (Mark 4:38).  It was perfect hope in His Father's plan that allowed the Master to sleep peacefully as storms raged and winds and waves threatened His boat.  All of us have been upon that boat and have asked foolishly, "Master, carest thou not that we perish?" disregarding hundreds and thousands of proofs to the contrary.  And yet, if our hopes are properly centered with Jesus as their radius, we fill find that in the storms of life, "there is hope smiling brightly before us."  We can then "know that deliverance is nigh."  And even if deliverance is not nigh, we can say as did three young disciples, "but if not . . ." Transcending the transient, true hope, gospel hope, allows us to take life's disappointments in stride, knowing that the eternal promises of God are sure.

Paul warned, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (1 Corinthians 15:19).  We seek, therefore, to cultivate a hope that transcends this life.  We seek a "hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God."  For it is this hope that "maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God" (Ether 12:4).

How do we obtain this hope?  Because this hope is founded in the perfect efficacy of Jesus' emancipating atonement, we cultivate this hope by exercising our "faith unto repentance" (Alma 34:17).  We cultivate this hope by making and keeping sacred covenants.  We cultivate this hope by receiving the Holy Ghost and the cleansing that He brings.  We cultivate this hope each time we feel the Atonement cleanse us, and lift us, and enable us.  We cultivate this hope by experiencing the love of Jesus.

And then, in the moments of greatest crisis, when our faith seems as if it might shake, we will find that "we are saved by hope."

Brett

Brother Brigham

Tonight will just be a short post, but it is one that I feel strongly about.  In June 2008 I began working for a friend and mentor who needed a research assistant for a biography that he was working on about Brigham Young.  As a Mormon History Aficionado, I was familiar with some of this historian's work, including the fact that he had been working on a long biography of Heber J. Grant, which was not yet completed.  Somewhat foolishly, I asked him why he was focusing on Brigham rather than finishing his biography on President Grant--for whom I have a great love.  It seemed to me that others, including former Church Historian Leonard J. Arrington, had done Brigham, while no one had done President Grant.  And no one had the expertise and understanding to do President Grant the way that he could.  So from my perspective, Brigham didn't make sense.  His response has been instructing me ever since.  He said simply: "Because Brigham matters more than Heber."

My boss's response was curious to me, because all of the Prophets matter.  But the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became of the truthfulness of my mentor's statement.  Second only to the questions of whether Joseph Smith was a true prophet and whether the current President of the Church is a true prophet, is the question "Was Brigham Young a true prophet?"  At one of the most critical juncture points in the history of the restoration, it was Brigham Young, standing as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and holding the keys he had received from Joseph Smith that directed this work to move forward.

In the years since 2008, I have grown to love Brother Brigham with my whole heart.  Many will ask me about him from time to time with questions that reflect an air of uncertainty.  Internet quotations (some true, most not), and rumors, and stories, and worries about polygamy all affect our image of Brigham Young.  But after 7 years of study, I can say truthfully that I know that Brigham Young was a prophet of God and I love him with my whole heart.

So here is the Brigham Young I've come to know:

He was far from perfect.  He could be rough and abrasive.  There is no denying that some of his statements were not as racially sensitive as we would like them to be--and as a Church we regret such statements and the cultural insensitivities that prompted them.  Even some of those closest to him had their moments where something he said or did stung and was hurtful to them.  This is not a man who was made for the political correctness of 2015.

And yet...

Despite his occasional roughness and abrasiveness, and despite some statements that we would no longer repeat, he was a Prophet of sound wisdom and love and, yes, compassion.  I have read the letter where he pleaded for mercy in behalf of a man who had committed SERIOUS (to the point of being unspeakable) transgression.  I have read his letters pleading with the pioneering saints to treat the local Indian tribes with greater compassion and charity.  I have read and studied countless sermons in which he gave strong and practical counsel to the Saints.  Just this last week, I read a beautiful sermon that he gave in Nauvoo, stating, "If we do not build the temple we shall lose all that we do in other matters" (BY, discourse, 26 January 1846, CHL).  This statement was made about Nauvoo, but what practical counsel for each of us in our lives and how we ought to treat the house of the Lord!  It is seldom that I read a Brigham Young sermon without finding myself chuckling from time to time and then moments later being inspired by the strength of the counsel he is giving.  Most of all, I have found a Brigham Young who felt a tremendous amount of love towards those over whom he had been called to preside.

Perhaps what I appreciate most about this man is how complete a personality he had.  Where some historical characters are black and white, Brigham is colorful and rich.  He can be enigmatic and he can be very straightforward.

Many come to vastly different conclusions than me, but as for me, Brigham Young was a servant of the Lord and one that I have grown to love and respect profoundly.  If anyone ever has questions about him, I am happy to try to answer them.

Brett

"Hold on, Wait a Little While"

I apologize for not writing last week.  Things have gotten very busy with tithing settlement and other interviews lately, so some Sundays I just run out of time to write.  It's been an interesting couple of weeks.  I started officially dating a beautiful girl named Ashley Camargo.  She is bright and intelligent and funny and loves the Lord.  It is still early, but I'm really enjoying spending time with her.

In case you weren't aware there were also some other things that happened this week with regards to Church policy.  I have a lot of friends on both sides of this issue, each with very strong feelings.  As a standard policy, I tend to stay out of Facebook discussions on these issues, but since this is my private blog and one that I don't expect will be shared outside of my circle of close friends and family, perhaps I will share a couple of stories.

First, when I first saw the report of the policy change on Thursday night, I must admit that my initial feelings were that it sounded rather harsh and that I was uncertain of it.  And so I think I can understand a little bit of where many of my friends are coming from.  But I was reminded of two quotations, one from Brigham Young and the other from President Eyring that I believe are instructive.

In August 1852, Brigham Young spoke to the saints about his first moments learning about the Book of Mormon.  He said, "When the book of Mormon was first printed, it came to my hands in two or three weeks afterwards.  Did I believe, on the first intimation of it?  The man that brought it to me, told me the same things; says he, 'This is the Gospel of salvation; a revelation the Lord has brought forth for the redemption of Israel; it is the Gospel; and according to Jesus Christ, and his Apostles, you must be baptized for the remission of sins, or you will be damned.'  'Hold on,' says I.  The mantle of my traditions was over me, to that degree, and my prepossessed feelings so interwoven with my nature, it was almost impossible for me to see at all; though I had beheld, all my life, that the traditions of the people was all the religion they had, I had got a mantle for myself.  Says I, 'Wait a little while; what is the doctrine of the book, and the revelations the Lord has given?  Let me apply my heart to them;' and after I had done this, I considered it to be my right to know for myself, as much as any man on earth.  I examined the matter studiously for two years before I made up my mind to receive that book.  I knew it was true, as well as I knew that I could see with my eyes, or feel by the touch of my fingers, or be sensible of the demonstration of any sense.  Had not this been the case, I never would have embraced it to this day. . . . I wished time sufficient to prove all things for myself."  (Brigham Young, 8 August 1852, Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, 1:558).

In April 1997, President Eyring gave this example:  "Sometimes we will receive counsel that we cannot understand or that seems not to apply to us, even after careful prayer and thought.  Don't discard the counsel, but hold it close.  If someone you trusted handed you what appeared to be nothing more than sand with the promise that it contained gold, you might wisely hold it in your hand awhile, shaking it gently.  Every time I have done that with counsel from a prophet, after a time the gold flakes have begun to appear and I have been grateful." (Henry, B. Eyring, April 1997 General Conference).

Both President Young and President Eyring were teaching an important principle about the messages of the Lord:  sometimes it takes time.  This is good counsel for all of us to remember.  In my case, after a few moments of uncertainty, trust in God and in his prophets came, followed by the calm reassurance that God is indeed at the helm of this Church and that He guides our Prophets and leaders.  But I know that for some, that reassurance and those answers did not come immediately, and probably have not yet come.  For any who are still feeling hurt and confused, please hold on for a little while.  For any for whom answers came quickly who are worried about friends and family who are upset, please hold on for a little while, and please allow them the time to study things out and come to understanding themselves.  It may take time.  It took President Young two years, but the answers came.  It has taken others longer, but the answers come.  God works with each of us on our own timetable, and so we must hold on with faith, hold on with hope, and hold on with charity, allowing Him the opportunity to teach each of us in our own time and in our own season.

An example of this that I love concerns my grandparents.  They had always wanted to visit Spain.  During one of President Lee's traveling tours in either 1972 or 1973, he was scheduled to go to Jerusalem with President Hinckley, but was not going to take my Nana and Papa Haycock with him to Jerusalem.  This meant that they had some free time after the initial assignments in Europe, and could make their desired trip to Spain.  When my Papa told President Lee of the trip, President Lee was hesitant and uncomfortable.  He told my Papa that he wasn't comfortable with that plan.  The following day he apologized and said that my Nana and Papa should go forward with their plans and that it would be fine.  My Papa responded that they had changed their plans because if President Lee was uncomfortable about the trip, that was enough for them.

Nana and Papa never made it to Spain during their lifetime (though I feel confident that they spent much time there during the 18 months that my cousin Monica served in Malaga as a missionary).  They never knew during this lifetime what sort of issues might have occurred if they had made that particular trip.  As far as I know, the answers regarding those concerns never actually came in this lifetime.  And yet, I am confident in the fact that they were blessed for their willingness to heed a prophet in such a small matter.  Perhaps nothing would have happened if they had gone.  But that story has served as an example to their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren for many years since that time.

I am aware that this story does not accurately reflect the feelings of many at this time.  And perhaps it is a poor example for the current circumstances.  But one of the few things of which I am absolutely certain is that great blessings flow from a willingness to follow the living prophets--particularly when we do not fully understand their counsel at the time it is given.  For any who are struggling at the moment, "Hold on.  Wait a little while."  Answers and blessings will come.

Brett

The Happiest Place on Earth

This past Thursday was my Mom's birthday.  Sadly, I spent the day traveling to Portland and then listening to historians talk about various and sundry aspects of the American West, meaning that I didn't have the opportunity to celebrate with her on that special day.  Worse still, I haven't gotten her a birthday present.  When I asked her what she wanted, she reminded me that she wanted me to write up a memory of my grandparents (Nana and Papa) for a book of memories that she is compiling for my Papa's 100th birthday this coming year.  And so I thought I would take the opportunity to use this blog to fulfill her birthday request.

Simply put, I had the greatest grandparents a boy could ever have in my Grandma and Grandpa Dowdle and my Nana and Papa Haycock.  I vividly remember trips about two miles south to my Grandma Dowdle's house in Orem (sadly, cancer claimed my Grandpa Dowdle before I knew him well) and an hour north to my Nana and Papa Haycock's house in Bountiful.  These trips were the highlight of my young life.

I never went to Disneyland but for me, Bountiful was the happiest place on earth.  Growing up, I had a lot of insecurities about my small size and my slow speech.  It seemed like friends were always bigger, stronger, faster, and even smarter than I was.  But when we went to visit Nana and Papa's house in Bountiful, I was the most loved boy in the world.  My Nana and Papa who were used to the presence of dignitaries treated me like I was an honored dignitary in their house.  I felt like I was their most prized grandchild--the reality was that each of us was the most prized grandchild.  My grandfather who had enjoyed the company of Prophets listened to my every word, paid attention to what my interests were, and went out of his way to support those interests.

When I first became drawn to the subject of history during my 5th grade discussion of the Civil War, my Nana and Papa scoured their private bookshelves and then the shelves of bookstores to find books on the Civil War that they might add to my small library of materials on the subject.  Some of the first books I owned for myself were these books on the American Civil War detailing things like uniform styles, battle locations, weaponry, etc.  They made a historian out of me simply by caring about a subject that had seemed to strike a chord with me.  To this day, I can't think of the Civil War or Lincoln without thinking about my Nana and Papa.

My Papa's final month is etched into my memory forever.  On a Sunday afternoon in January, my Dad made the decision that we ought to go up to Bountiful--an unusual decision for a school night, but one that we welcomed with joy.  Knowing of our Nana and Papa's love for feeding their grandchildren, we worried that he would want to go out to eat on the Sabbath in order to alleviate our Nana of any challenges.  We packed sandwiches so that we wouldn't have to go out to eat.  But when we got there, my Papa insisted that we go to Chuck-A-Rama as a family.  Words cannot express how grateful I am that we went to Chuck-A-Rama with Nana and Papa that night.  The next day, Dad called us all together in the living room to tell us that Papa had suffered a massive heart attack the previous day and that he and mom needed to rush to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake.  After an open-heart surgery and a subsequent stroke, he was gone on the morning of February 25, 1994.  The news that morning broke my 13 year old heart.  Although I had grown up in a strong and active home, I had not yet come to my own testimony and understanding of the reality of the atonement and the resurrection.  All I knew was that the grandfather I adored was now gone.

That moment drove my soul.  Two years later, I began my serious study of the Book of Mormon and the scriptures and began to find the comfort that I had needed with the death of my Papa.  As I learned more and more about the Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I learned more about my Papa and the cause he had devoted his life to.  In the process, I began to find myself and the sense of security that I had always felt at Nana and Papa's home in Bountiful.  Twenty-one years later, so much of my reason for studying the history of the Church goes back to my love for my Papa Haycock.  Twenty-one years later, my Nana and Papa Haycock and my Grandma and Grandpa Dowdle continue to encourage me in the fields that I love.  As much as anything, this encouragement burnishes my testimony that this life is not the sum total of eternity, but rather a blip on the screen, following which we will be greeted by loved ones who never truly left our sides and certainly never stopped caring about the aims and accomplishments of their children and grandchildren.  And what a reunion that coming day will be!

Brett

Whatever Difficulties Might Surround You

Last week was my first week of full time at the Joseph Smith Papers--for those who didn't know, I was taken on at full time for a year as a research assistant for the project, which has been great.  Although I miss the luxury of being able to sleep till 7 on Fridays, I am really enjoying my work at the project.

One of my assignments this week was to compile a list of the Prophet's debts to New York creditors in 1840.  In the process of compiling this list, one of the editors directed me toward the Prophet's 1843 declaration of bankruptcy.  This was the very first time I had ever seen this document.  I have to confess that it brought tears to my eyes as I read through the Prophet's list of outstanding debts--most of which he had incurred during the period from 1837 to 1839.  The grand total for his debts was approximately $107,000.  Adjusted for inflation, he was $2.84 million dollars in debt in 1843.  Along with this document, I read letters that Joseph wrote to some of his creditors, telling them that he was desperately trying to repay his debts, but simply lacked the capital to do so.

It is no surprise to any faithful member of this Church that Joseph's life wasn't easy.  We all know about the deaths of his children, the tarring and feathering, Liberty, Carthage, and many of his other struggles.  And we know about Joseph's financial difficulties and the Kirtland Safety Society's failure.  But this document helped me to come to a deeper appreciation for just how difficult these struggles were and for just how human the Prophet was.  Now, most of us don't know what it is to be $2.84 million dollars in debt, but almost all of us have known moments where we faced bills that we could not pay; months where we wondered how we would possibly make our rent; and perhaps even weeks where we wondered how we could manage to get by on the bare minimum for groceries and still have sufficient to eat.  These are terrifying times that tax the very depth of our souls.  And yet they are real moments, real struggles, the common lot of almost all mortals, and even prophets.

For some the humanity of prophets seems to be a trial.  Their mistakes and failures and sins seem to be more than they can bear--and far be it for me to criticize something that troubles my fellow brothers and sisters.  But for me, the humanity of prophets is what draws me to them.  That a man as great as the Prophet Joseph could know such crippling and depressing debt and still counsel us to "never get discouraged, whatever difficulties might surround [us]," as we would ultimately "come out on the top of the heap" through our exercise of "faith  and . . . good courage" (George A. Smith, memoir, Winter 1835) is truly remarkable.

As far as we know, Joseph never managed to pay off the $107,000 during his lifetime.  He died with deep monetary debts, and yet he died as the richest man of the nineteenth century--full of faith in the Savior's atonement and in His promises of eventual triumph.  No matter our circumstances, may we heed this wise counsel given to his cousin George A. Smith, who told Joseph that he "was almost discouraged" by the pain of his arthritis in the winter of 1835:

"He told me I should never get discouraged, whatever difficulties might surround me, if I was sunk in the lowest pit of Nova Scotia & all the Rocky Mountains piled on top of me, I ought not to be discouraged but hang on, exercise faith and keep up good courage and I should come out on the top of the heap."

May we emulate that Prophet who did hang on, exercise faith, and keep up good courage, ultimately coming out on top of the heap.

Brett

They Have Become Free Forever

Last week my sister Stephanie mentioned the verses that she had chosen to "ponderize" as Brother Devin G. Durrant recently suggested during General Conference.  I thought about a number of different verses, but the one that I finally settled on was 2 Nephi 2:26.  I love this particular verse because it is one of those verses that we often skip over due to the famous verses before and after it.  And yet in many regards I find this verse to be the key to understanding the two verses on opposite sides of it.

Verse 25 reminds us that "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."  And Verse 27 states, "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man.  And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he skeet that all men might be miserable like unto himself."

These two verses remind us that the fall and the plan were given to enable us to choose the Lord and his plan of happiness, although we also have the opportunity to choose the captivity of the devil.  These are illuminating verses.  But it is verse 26 that seems to illuminate and expand our understanding of the doctrines of agency taught in the other two verses.

Verse 26 reads, "And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall.  And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given."

There are a number of things that I love about verse 26.  But the principle thing that I love about this verse is the way that it expands our understanding of agency.  It reminds us that the freedom and agency we possess is a purchased freedom, bought with the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ.  So often we speak of agency as though it is just the ability to do whatever we want to do.  At times we will add in the fact that our choices come with accountability, as verse 27 explains.  But even this doesn't seem to give us a full grasp of the weight of those choices.  It is only when we begin to contemplate the fact that the Savior himself purchased our freedom that we begin to understand the accompanying responsibility of our choices.

As we contemplate the meaning of the word agency, it helps to think about the meaning of the word agent.  In sports an agent is the person hired to take care of the things that the player himself does not have the time (and in most cases the ability) to take care of.  He or she negotiates the contracts, determines the conditions of those contracts, and basically acts for an in behalf of the player in question.  This ability and power to act in behalf of that player is his agency.  Agents are therefore given tremendous amounts of power to act in behalf of those they represent.  But this power is also contingent upon how well they represent the player who hired them.  No agent, for instance, would ever negotiate a final contract for a player that blatantly violated that player's personal desires and wishes.  At least no agent that wished to remain employed would ever do that.

By teaching us that, having been "redeemed from the fall," and, as a result, having "become free forever," Lehi is reminding us that our freedom was purchased by the Son of God.  Because Christ came, we have the power within us to work works of righteousness and obedience; we have the power to serve the living God.  Had it not been for the atonement, we must necessarily have "become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself" (2 Nephi 9:9).  In other words, were it not for the atonement, wickedness, sin, and damnation is all that we could ever have known.  But because of the Savior, we have the freedom and power to choose godliness, righteousness, and salvation.  In other words, having been purchased by the blood of Christ, we become agents of the Savior, with power to act in His name and to do His will.

Agency, therefore, is not the right to do whatever we want.  Agency is the right and power to serve our Savior, to do His will, and to bless His children.  Knowing this, it changes my understanding of this important doctrine.

Brett

A Remarkable Conference

This is just a short post.  This week I had a number of memorable experiences.  First, on Monday I attended the funeral of Elder Richard G. Scott in the Tabernacle.  It was a beautiful and tender occasion as we honored that wonderful apostle of the Son of God.  I rejoiced at the thought that he was reunited with his beloved Jeanene, who had passed on 20 years earlier.  The following day, I was given the opportunity of touring the newly renovated LDS Church History Museum for work.  It is a beautiful new display and well-worth a visit from anyone who is in downtown Salt Lake for a few hours.  The new First Vision film itself is well worth your time.  Take your children or grandchildren or just take yourself.  I promise that you won't be disappointed.  On Thursday I had a special experience at the Salt Lake Temple with President Cecil O. Samuelson, Jr., but will keep that one private.

The final great blessing of this week came today and yesterday as we participated in another General Conference of the Church.  We were blessed to see something that has not happened since April 1906, with the calling and sustaining of three new members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and we were blessed by their powerful testimonies.  Additionally, we were privileged to hear from the Prophet of the living God, who reminded us that we are to be examples of the believers and to let our lights shine forth unto the children of men, that their faith might increase and grow.

Two short take aways from conference:

1) I think that the image of the Prophet of God holding tightly to the pulpit and delivering each and every last word that he had prepared despite fading energy will stick with me forever.  It was clear that he was struggling to get through the final minutes of his sermon, but there he stood, resolute and determined to bear his powerful witness to the Church of God.  This was a very real and very visible representation of the truth that Elder Bednar taught, that there are lessons to be gained in old and fading health that cannot be obtained in vibrant youth.  We need both, but thank heavens the Lord allows us to see moments when our Prophets soldier on through declining health.

2) Prior to this conference, and at other times in the past, I fell prey to the danger of making predictions about who would fill the vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  I knew that President Lee had once declared that speculating about such matters was "not pleasing in the sight of the Lord" (Harold B. Lee, Ensign, January 1973, 107), but I had not understood what the problem was with making a guess.  It seemed harmless.  Last night as I contemplated the new calls to the Twelve, and some of the social media responses to those calls, I realized what was so problematic about those guesses.  When we make guesses, we become tied to those guesses.  We almost expect that our guess must be right, and we run the risk of being angry when the Lord inevitably proves to have a different plan (or even worse, we become prideful if our guess happened to be correct).  What begins as a "harmless guess" may well be the means of undermining our faith in the divine authenticity of apostolic calls.  Rather than attempting to counsel the Lord, I hope that when future vacancies will occur, I will devote more time to praying for the humility to sustain whomever the Lord calls, and leave the process of choosing His chosen messengers to the Lord Himself.

All in all, what a wonderful weekend, filled with inspired and pertinent counsel for our days.  I know that as we heed these words of life that we have received, they will become a veritable fountain of living water within us, renewing our souls, building our faith in the Son of God, and ultimately springing up unto everlasting life.

Brett