Filled with Life and Energy

“If you go to bed at 10:00 and get up by 6:00 a.m., things will work out for you.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, in Sheri L. Dew, Go Forward with Faith: The Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley (1996), 166–67 As quoted in "Filled with Life and Energyhttps://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/07/young-adults/filled-with-life-and-energy?lang=eng" By Randal A. Wright)

I remember a story about John Bytheway. He had decided in high school to write a book for young people on how to survive their early years. After years as an adult he still had not done it.

As I remember there was a cassette tape from I think Spencer W Kimball. He set that as the alarm clock on his tape player. He woke up, rewarded himself with a delicious orange juice and went to work early. In the hours before he was to start work, he wrote his book, after several months he had a manuscript. It is from this decision and his commitment to it, developing discipline, that John created the career and life he now has.

Knowing That We Know

When the 23-year-old Heber J. Grant was installed as president of the Tooele Stake, he told the Saints he believed the gospel was true. President Joseph F. Smith, a counselor in the First Presidency, inquired, “Heber, you said you believe the gospel with all your heart, … but you did not bear your testimony that you know it is true. Don’t you know absolutely that this gospel is true?” 

Heber answered, “I do not.” Joseph F. Smith then turned to John Taylor, the President of the Church, and said, “I am in favor of undoing this afternoon what we did this morning. I do not think any man should preside over a stake who has not a perfect and abiding knowledge of the divinity of this work.”  

President Taylor replied, “Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, [Heber] knows it just as well as you do. The only thing that he does not know is that he does know it.” ("Knowing That We Know". Douglas L. Callister. Oct 2007)

Within a few weeks that testimony was realized, and young Heber J. Grant shed tears of gratitude for the perfect, abiding, and absolute testimony that came into his life.

I was reminded of this great story when I listened to How Do I Know If I Know? by John Bytheway. I loved the book. It had great insight.

Holy Sabbath, the Sabbath, Sunday or the Weekend

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Eli Herring was an offensive lineman at BYU. He was very big--he kind of looked like a major appliance with legs. USA Today said that he would go first round in the NFL draft. But as the time approached, he said, "I don't want to enter the draft." The entire media said, "What!" He said, "I don't want to enter the draft." They said, "Why?" And he said, "Because. The games are on Sunday. I don't want to play on Sunday." 

Eli Herring's father, David L. Herring, explained, "Our great-grandfathers called it the Holy Sabbath day. Our grandfathers called it the Sabbath. Our fathers called it Sunday, and now we just call it the weekend. Our family feels like our great-grandfathers did about the Holy Sabbath day." 

We have to ask, "Where is it with me? Is it the Holy Sabbath, the Sabbath, Sunday, or is it just kind of the weekend?" (John Bytheway, Family Night With John Bytheway, DVD, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010].)

Nephi's Keys to Understanding the Isaiah Chapters

1. Learn the manner of prophesying among the Jews
2. Have the spirit of prophecy
3. Know the regions round about (or the geography)
4. Live in the last days (2 Nephi 25:1-8)

(Nephi's Keys to Understanding the Isaiah Chapters by John Bytheway)

Notes from "5 Scriptures that Will Motivate You to Action" By John Bytheway

Here are some notes from "5 Scriptures that Will Motivate You to Action" By John Bytheway

Awake and Arise

“And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.” Moroni 10:31

Ponder the path of your feet

“Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established” Proverbs 4:26

Improve my time while in this life

“And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.” Alma 34:33

This is My Work

“For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:39

God does not spend his time in idleness. 

"You were not created for a life of idleness. You cannot eat from sunrise to sunset or drink or play or make love. Work is not your enemy but your friend. If all manners of labor were forbidden to thee you would fall to your knees and beg an early death." (Og Mandino, ("The Greatest Success in the World", page 11)

Go and Do

“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” 1 Nephi 3:7

Praying Rests the Weary

Did You Think to Pray? Hymn 140


1. Ere you left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ, our Savior,
Did you sue for loving favor,
As a shield today?

Refrain.
O how praying rests the weary!
Prayer will change the night to day;
So when life gets dark and dreary,
Don’t forget to pray.

2. When your heart was filled with anger,
Did you think to pray?
Did you plead for grace my brother,
That you might forgive another
Who had crossed your way?

3. When sore trials came upon you,
Did you think to pray?
When your soul was full of sorrow,
Balm of Gilead did you borrow
At the gates of day?

(From HymnWiki)

The phrase "O how praying rests the weary" has been meaningful to me lately. What is the rest of the Lord?

On a recent John Bytheway talk he said that we only get weary from not finishing what we started.  I have experienced that. There is energy in completing meaningful work.  Maybe that part of what the rest of the Lord is.

Farmers, Atheletes and Musicians

On the way home from our Priesthood Campout, my sons and I listened to Farm Wisdom for City Folks.  It is one of the best talks I have heard.  My dad grew up on a farm and orchard.  His dad supplemented their income from the farm.  When my dad graduated from BYU in the late 60s he got a job in Phoenix.  We lived there for about 10 years.  One of my dad's concerns was that he raise his children well.  One of the main reasons he moved west to the suburb of Peoria was he could get a couple of acres of irrigated land.  He wanted to make sure his children knew how to work.  And that they would grow to love it.

Some of my best memories with my dad were when we were working.  I was pretty little when we built the house in Peoria.  My dad spent at least a year going into work extra early so he would have time to go out to the property and work on something or another.  He did get contractors to dig the basement, and many other large items.  But Dad helped a lot with the electrical system, all of the drywall, taping and painting and I am sure much more.

The younger brothers and I built the work shed he has.  We would pour a little slab of concrete at a time.  I remember using the electric drill to put in hundred of screws to put up the siding and the roof.  Our family vacations were also work.  I think camping is a way to make work fun.  Coming off of our priesthood camp out, I tell you that it is work.  From the planning, packing, setting up camp, breaking it down and all the hiking around.  I remember when mowing the grass turned from being a chore to having a measure of satisfaction in a job well done.  There were many times that I looked forward to mowing.

John Bytheway mentioned talking to a mission president.  He said that if all his missionaries would be farmers, athletes or musicians, 70% of his problems would go away.  He said that each of these pursuits cultivate a certain character in people.  The law of the harvest is in effect.  You cannot plant seed at the beginning of September and expect a harvest by dumping hundreds of gallons of water on it and waiting a few days to harvest.  The same goes for dedicated athletes and musicians.  You have to dedicate yourself to them and incrementally get better and stronger and more skilled.  You have to learn to continue on when you don't feel the progress happening.

President Benson said it this way.

I have often said that one of the greatest secrets of missionary work is work! If a missionary works, he will get the Spirit; if he gets the Spirit, he will teach by the Spirit; and if he teaches by the Spirit, he will touch the hearts of the people and he will be happy. Work, work, work—there is no satisfactory substitute, especially in missionary work.

A second aspect that stood out to me was that we are amusing ourselves to death.  That we are moving generally from a work ethic to an entertainment and welfare ethic.  While I think that it is possible that this is a general trend in our society, there are many, examples that I see of a work ethic and honor in craftsmanship around me.  There are so many that are willing to put in the effort needed to be honorable producers and not just consumers.

Righteous Warriors: Lessons from the War Chapters in the Book of Mormon

This is a talk given by John Bytheway for BYU Education Week on August 23, 2006. My wife is giving this talk to her Sunday School class. I wanted an easy way to find this talk again.

Thou Shalt Not Idle

Last night my wife was listening to "Righteous Warriors: Lessons from the War Chapters in the Book of Mormon" with our son. John Bytheway quoted Harold B. Lee when he was asked what is the most important commandment. President Lee said that it is the one you are having the hardest time obeying.

I tend to procrastinate. I have found some talks and scripture passages that I hope will help me get moving and stay focused on the most important things.

D&C 60:13 "Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known."

Phillippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

D&C 88:124 "Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated."

Alma 34:31 (Emphasis added.) "Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you."

D&C 128:22 "Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing."

Henry B. Eyring, “This Day,” Gen Conf Apr 2007.

Donald L. Staheli, "Achieving Your Full Potential", CES Fireside for Young Adults, 2 March 2003

Henry B. Eyring, “Do Not Delay,” Gen Conf Oct 1999. There is no mp3 currently available for this talk. I used Freecorder to record the asx file to mp3. Maybe lds.org will make a mp3 format available someday. I have posted the mp3 I recorded on my sky drive and my Google pages account. This part jumped out to me:

We know from our own experience that President Spencer W. Kimball was right when he wrote, “One of the most serious human defects in all ages is procrastination,” and then he defined it: “an unwillingness to accept personal responsibility now” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 48; emphasis in original). And so Satan works on both our desire to think we have no cause to repent and our desire to push anything unpleasant into the future. He has tempted you and me, and those we love, with thoughts like this: “God is so loving; surely He won’t hold me personally responsible for mistakes which are simply the result of being human.” And then, if that fails, there is the thought that will almost surely come: “Well, I may be responsible to repent, but this is not a good time to start. If I wait, later will be better.”

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