Practice makes progress; Jesus makes perfect.

Years ago, I felt like we, as a Church, didn’t talk much about grace and how it specifically pertains to our salvation and perfection. I kept wondering: “Who will say ‘grace’? Are we afraid of that word?” However, in the last several years, I feel like we, in the Church, have come into a grace period of sorts—where grace is mentioned and discussed much more openly.

Our Bible Dictionary defines grace as “divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous love and mercy of Jesus Christ. It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised to immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts” (Bible Dictionary, p. 697).

However, for clarification, I feel that it must be said that this grace isn’t just reserved for “after.” It is here to strengthen and assist us now, during the expending of our own best efforts. For without grace we could not give our “best.” Additionally, all men are weak and fallen. And God is not happily magnified by our weakness except when His grace is made manifest in strengthening us.

The Savior’s grace comes now. It comes before and after. His grace permeates through and through.

Then what of this word “after” in the “after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25: 23)? This is how I look at it: Even after all we can possibly do—after all that is said and done—it is still by grace that we are saved and perfected. All of the righteous works that we could conceivably do could never save us from the eternal punishment due us because of our sins. And all of the righteous works that we could potentially do could never change us into beings perfectly fit and worthy to dwell in the holy presence of God. Grace is required in both instances. Grace brings salvation from sins. Grace brings exaltation of character.

We will discuss exaltation of character in the next post, but for now, we must first talk about the “enabling power” to do good works, and make progress in our doing.

GRACE FOR GRACE
In the scriptures we see the idea of receiving “grace for grace,” or growing from “grace to grace” (D&C 93: 12-13, 20). In fact, the scriptures say that Jesus, Himself, became perfect in this way.

“…the Only Begotten of the Father….received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace; And he…continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness; And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not a fulness at the first” (D&C 93: 11-14). Now, whether this fulness came to Jesus in pre-mortality, before His birth, or whether the Prophet John was speaking about Jesus during His mortal life, the fact is our Savior grew toward His perfection. And then Jesus says that this is how we grow toward perfection. “I give unto you these sayings that you may…come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness: For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness…therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace” (D&C 93: 19-20).

The Prophet Mormon, after lamenting the weakness, and foolishness, and devilishness of men, said it this way: “And may God grant, in his great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their works” (Helaman 12: 24). So, this is how I see it: Our good works are the fruit of our sincere repentance. And by repentance, we are restored unto the pattern the Lord set up, the process of receiving grace—His enabling power—and taking that grace and doing what it has given us the strength to do. Then our Lord gives us more grace to do more—we are in a better position to do more because of His previous endowment of grace that we received and acted upon.

Here’s an illustration: What if I were in bed, energy-less, no strength, weak, unable to move. Then all of the sudden, I feel this energy come into me. I feel my bodily weakness disappear somewhat. I can continue to lie there, or I can use the energy I’ve just been infused with and make myself get out of bed. It’s my choice, but my strength and encouragement to get out of bed came from the Lord. That’s how I see grace. A wave washes over us and we see the need to repent for a certain sin, or we get an idea to help someone, or we have a stronger desire to go and perform a certain calling, or we’re given an extra measure of patience in the middle of a chaotic moment, or we have a flash of inspiration, or we recognize an answer to a prayer, etc. This is grace—divine means of help or strength. What do we do with these endowments of grace? Do we use them when we get them? Are we praying for these gifts of grace? That is how we grow to perfection, using our agency to profit from the grace that the Lord gives us, that He might grant us more. We receive “grace for grace,” or another endowment of grace for the one we just used; and we grow from “grace to grace,” one endowment of grace to the next. I believe that this is the pattern our Father has ordained for our perfection—for our growth and eventual arrival at the stature of the fulness of Christ. Jesus, Himself grew from grace to grace—one endowment of His Father’s strength, knowledge, and goodness to the next. And so can we.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4: 16).

(to be continued…)

Practice makes progress; Jesus makes perfect.

We talk about being humble, about acknowledging Christ’s hand in our success or development. But, do we think that this acknowledging our Savior is just a good idea? That it’s what humble people do? Perhaps it’s the thing to do because it’s the truth. The scriptures do say that every good thing comes to us because of Christ (Moroni 7: 20-24).

In the hymn, “More Holiness Give Me” (Hymns, 131), if we really mean what we sing, we ask the Lord to give us more of all of these good traits: holiness, strivings within, patience in our suffering, sorrow for our sins, faith in the Savior, joy in serving Him, purpose in our praying, etc. Each of these attributes are not something we can materialize in ourselves by sheer will and intense effort. (That would be like one of us trying to fly by frantically beating our arms against the air.) No! These are gifts from God. The author of the song believed that. Do we, who sing it, believe it?

Alma 38: 9, tells us that “only in and through Christ” can man be saved; and that He “is the life and the light of the world.” So…we are not our own life; we are not our own light. He gives this to us. If we are alive, it is by His power. If there is any light in us in this fallen world, it is by Him that it comes.

GOOD
I would like to go back to an idea that I mentioned two posts ago. A rich, young man ran up to Jesus and called Him “Good Master,” to which Jesus responded: “Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God” (Mark 10: 17-18). Now, if we take Jesus’ words as truth, then we have to believe what He said, as well as what was unsaid…If only God is good, then Nephi, for instance, was not good. Hold on just a minute…I haven’t met Nephi, but I have had the opportunity for the last quarter of a century to travel among many of the members of the Church, and mingle in their excellent company. I have been privileged to meet many souls whom I would call “good.” Not throwing the term around lightly, I have found myself sincerely saying: “You are such a good person.” And, I am certain that if I knew Nephi while he was alive, I would have called him “good” as well, for I have felt, while reading his words, that he had great good in Him (which good came from Christ). However, according to the way Jesus was using the word “good” in this conversation with the young man, Nephi was not good; Joseph Smith was not good; the Prophets and Apostles are not good; you and I are not good.

But another scripture (Moroni 7: 5), tells us: “if their works [are] good, then they are good also.” And we must take all these scriptures together; they must all work in harmony. So perhaps none of us is “good” in the way that God is good, which is the way God wants us to eventually become. Perhaps Jesus was just saying that none of us here has reached that level of goodness yet.

Taking it a step further: perhaps Jesus could see into this young man’s heart (as He can see into yours and mine). Perhaps this young man was thinking that he was good enough, having been a keeper of the commandments since his youth. Well, maybe Jesus wanted to impress upon his mind that only God is finished; only God is good through and through. Only God is celestial. All the rest of us are deficient in goodness. All the rest of us are still in danger of potentially falling from grace (see D&C 20: 32).

Now, you (like the young rich man) may not see yourself as a sinner. You may view yourself as one of the ninety and nine “good” sheep, which could, I guess, cause you to decide that these writings just aren’t for you. And yet, if you really did view yourself as “good” and as one of the “ninety and nine,” I can think of two reasons why the ideas discussed here could benefit you. First, they might help you to become more aware that there are many other souls out there, all around you, (and they are God’s cherished children, your spiritual family) who sincerely do feel badly about themselves, who do see themselves as sinners, and who yearn for compassionate and understanding hearts surrounding them. And the second reason the doctrines herein could benefit you is plainly and simply this: You may just as well be a sinner after all, without realizing it…a “sinner” as the Lord uses the term; and you are probably not yet “good” as the Lord uses the term. Therefore, these doctrines could serve as an awakening to help you further along in your eternal progression. It could be that Jesus’ idea of “good” requires more of us than perhaps we have required of ourselves.

COME UNTO CHRIST
Jacob labored diligently to persuade us to “come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God” (Jacob 1:7). How do we partake of God’s goodness? He gives it to us through Christ. We can get it in no other way. There is none good but one, and that is God. And for God’s goodness to come into us, we must come unto Christ, for without Christ there could no good thing come to any of us (Moroni 7: 24). But through the grace of Christ—His divine help and strength—we grow from grace to grace into His fulness…His goodness. The Father, working through Jesus, transforms us, by degrees, into the image of His Son, unto “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4: 13).

Which brings me to my final thought for today…I have repeatedly declared that Jesus gives us the capacity to do and be all good things. And someone may say, “Of course, we know that; it goes without saying.” But that’s the problem. It should never go without saying. Not for any of us! Besides, how we say it is a reflection of how we see it.

Therefore: “Praise the bridge that carried you over” (George Colman, the Younger).

Christ is that bridge. He will carry us over the difficulty of this life into all good. And all the good that we already have has come to us because of Him. Should we not, therefore, joyfully and consistently express it?

When you and I come to recognize that Jesus is truly the power behind all that is good in us, both in our desires as well as our actions, such expressions will naturally flow from us. And not just in our formal testimony meetings, but we will spontaneously speak of Him around the dinner table, in the car, and anywhere else where we may find ourselves in the company of those we love.

Jesus is the life and the light of your world! So, why not let your world know that you know it. :)

(to be continued…)

Practice makes progress; Jesus makes perfect.

So far in this series I’ve stated quite unequivocally that the Father and the Son are our source of life, strength, capacity, and advancement, and that we should all be God-reliant in our quest for perfection, for this is not something we are able to bring about by ourselves.

Now, to underscore this point even more, let’s look at Jesus, and see how the greatest Being that ever lived on this planet viewed His own capacity to do and bring about good, as well as the source of His ultimate perfection. He is, after all, our Exemplar. So, let’s follow His lead.

Jesus truly believed and declared that God had made Him who He was, had taught Him what He knew, and had given Him the power He possessed to do all that He did. As we read the four gospels in the New Testament, as well as those chapters in the Book of Mormon documenting Jesus’ visit to the Nephites (3 Nephi 11-28), we see how Jesus declares His dependence and reliance upon God, His Father, over and over again. And if Jesus—the greatest of all—saw life this way, then what better argument for us to do the same! Every time we see Jesus doing this, we should ask ourselves, Is this our thinking? Do we recognize enough our dependence on God for everything we have and are? King Benjamin spoke emphatically about it, but do we? Or, have we convinced ourselves that we can do it, that it is up to us, that we work the works and qualify ourselves for the reward? What will finally lead us to see it the way Paul described it when he said: “For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do” (Philippians 2: 13)? I’m telling you, this was Jesus’ view of His own self. Listen to His words:

“My Father worketh hitherto, and I work….The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do” (John 5: 17-19).

According to Jesus, the Father taught Him how to do everything He did: turning water into wine, healing the sick, walking upon the sea, raising the dead, etc. The Son learned how to do His many miracles by His Father’s instruction. Jesus then said to the Jews:

“For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth; and he [God] will show him [Jesus] greater works than these, that ye may marvel” (John 5: 20).

The Father’s teaching was going to be utilized more by the Son resulting in the Son doing greater things than He had done thus far, insomuch that the Jews would marvel. The Father taught the Son to resurrect. He gave the Son the charge to judge the dead. All given by the Father!

“For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickenth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son….For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also” (John 5: 21-22, 26-27).

“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father who hath sent me” (John 5: 30).

Jesus was given wisdom and guidance from His Father in all things. This is what Isaiah said about Jesus and His judgment:

“And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge…And shall make him of quick understanding…he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears. But with righteousness shall he judge” (2 Nephi 21: 2-4).

The Father put His Spirit upon the Son, and through that Spirit the Son became who He was.

Isaiah also prophesied of Jesus’ capacity and responsibility to speak for God:

“The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season unto thee, O house of Israel” (2 Nephi 7: 4).

And Jesus said of Himself:

“The word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me” (John 14: 24).

Jesus acknowledged that God gave Him the tongue of the learned, so that He could speak the right word at the right time. Jesus acknowledged repetitively that His Father was the source of His knowledge, wisdom, capacity, and strength in all things. What about you and me? Are we doing the same?

Now, Jesus was not saying all these things merely to show His humility, or to kindly give honor to His Father (though certainly both things are accomplished). He was speaking the truth—the way things are!

John the Baptist said: “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven” (John 3: 27). And then he said this of Christ: “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand” (John 3: 35).

Jesus was God-reliant! He obtained His power from the Father.

“And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem [his people] from their sins because of repentance” (Helaman 5: 11). Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28: 18). He knew and acknowledged where His power came from.

The Father gave Jesus of His fulness, and Jesus received it grace for grace (D&C 93: 3-4, 12-14). If this is how Jesus perceived His own growth, then should not we?

Finally, our Savior did not look upon God the Father as His assistant, or helper, when He needed something. No. God was everything to Jesus! He was the source of all that was in Him. And, what’s more, Jesus delighted in His Father! Look at these beautiful words from George MacDonald:

“As Jesus went out of a house [see Mark 10: 10-17], [a] young man came running to him, and kneeling down in the way, addressed him as ‘Good Master.’

“The words with which the Lord interrupts [the young man’s] address reveal the whole attitude of the Lord’s being. At that moment, at [each and every] moment….[Jesus’] whole thought, his whole delight, was in the thought, in the will, in the being of his Father. The joy of the Lord’s life, that which made it life to him, was the Father; of him he was always thinking, to him he was always turning….That was his treasure-house, the jewel of his mind….It was not for himself he came [into] the world—not to establish his own power over the doings [of men, nor] his own influence over the hearts of men: he came that they might know the Father who was his joy, his life. The sons of men were his Father’s children like himself: that the Father should have them all in his bosom was the one thought of [Jesus’] heart: that should be his doing for his Father, cost him what it might!…He was not interested in himself, but in his Father and his Father’s children. He did not care to hear himself called good. It was not of consequence to him….‘You call me good! You should know my Father!’

“…When the word good enters the ears of the Son, his heart lifts it at once to his Father, the Father of all [humankind]. [Jesus’] words contain no denial of goodness in himself: in his grand self-regard he was not the [originator] of his goodness, neither did he care for his own goodness, except to be good: it was to him a matter of course. But for his Father’s goodness, he would spend life, suffering, labor, [and] death, to make that known! [God’s] other children must learn to give him his due, and love him as did [His Beloved] Son! The Father was all in all to the Son, and the Son no more thought of his own goodness than an honest man thinks of his honesty….‘Why callest thou me good? None is good save one, even God’” (Unspoken Sermons, Series I, II, III, [Whitehorn,  California: Johannesen], pp. 171-173, emphasis added).

(to be continued…)

Practice makes progress; Jesus makes perfect.

I have been preaching that we are powerless to perfect ourselves, and that Christ has to do it for us. Well, we’ve come to the point in this series where I must clarify that men and women do have some power of their own.

God, according to His great plan, has endowed all humans with the strength of man. Now, this strength varies from one person to the next. And we’re not just talking about muscles, or physical power. There’s intelligence, wisdom, talent, vigor, resolve, stamina, etc. We may each be strong in some areas and weak in others. And there are those among us who may face greater restrictions than the rest of us, suffering from chronic sickness or disease, or who (as our society has termed it) have disabilities. But even these are strong in other traits. The point is, we are not helpless down here. We’ve been given our own strength to use. However, we must remember that we wouldn’t even exist if the Lord weren’t sustaining us through our lives. King Benjamin said that the Lord “is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will…even supporting you from one moment to another” (Mosiah 2: 21).

God, through His omnipotence, keeps our physical form—all the way down to the cellular level—from going into chaos; He keeps our hearts beating and our lungs breathing, keeping us alive day after day, and even from one moment to the next, so we can exercise our agency and choose. He inspires us to choose, and puts His power upon us to motivate our choices for good. But we choose.

And we can even choose to do bad things because of God sustaining us. He does not support, sustain, or approve of our sinning, but He does sustain us physically, that we might exercise our agency according to our own will and desires. And because He sustains us, we choose life or death, joy or sorrow, peace or remorse of conscience, perfection or damnation, the love of God or the captivity of the devil, etc. This is the “opposition in all things” spoken of by Lehi (2 Nephi 2: 11).

However, God may choose to remove us from this earth early if we use our agency in such a way that leads us further and further from possible repentance. That is His call. He doesn’t want us to continue in sin, but for the most part He will keep us alive so we can exercise our agency as we choose.

Therefore, we have this strength of man…but it only goes so far.

Looking back at the history of the Nephites, there were times when they “began to depend upon their own strength and upon their own wisdom” (Helaman 16: 15). And often during these times, “because of…their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper….they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren….even man for man” (Helaman 4: 13, 24-26). (I find it interesting how the strength of man is considered weak here. It is certainly weak compared to the strength of God; but there are men on this earth, who have removed themselves from the strength of God, and yet we would consider them strong, intelligent, talented, capable, etc., as to the strength of man.)

So much for our limited, human strength. Now let’s look at what Christ proposes.

“I will be merciful unto you; he that is weak among you hereafter shall be made strong” (D&C 50: 16).

“And inasmuch as they were humble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high” (D&C 1: 28).

Through faith, many “wrought righteousness, obtained promises…out of weakness were made strong” (Hebrews 11: 33-34).

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them….And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father” (Ether 12: 27, 37).

There are many times in scripture when the Lord says He will make us strong, or we shall be made strong. Christ’s using the word “made” should lead us to focus on Him who is doing the making—Jesus Christ doing a work in us—instead of us focusing on our doing a work in ourselves. We can’t do it. But He can!

Most of us are familiar with the saying: “I can do hard things.” This is a strong idea, and a wonderfully motivational idea, but it is a doctrinally incomplete idea. The scriptural counterpart says: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (see Philippians 4: 13). Now, adding Christ to the equation puts the foundation for doing things back to where it belongs. There is no sand in this thinking. Ammon knew how to build on this Rock when he said: “I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things” (Alma 26: 12).

If left to my own strength, I could still go out and sing for people and it might turn out nice; even a little good could come out of it where someone might be blessed by God, despite my not having His Spirit. But if I went out and was attended by the grace of our Savior and inspired by His Spirit, there could be a much greater and lasting result of good done. If left to ourselves, we might enjoy some success in the world, but if strengthened by the power and Spirit of the Lord, we would be greatly enhanced so that God’s work would be done and souls would be richly blessed. This is how Christ wants it. He wants to give us of His strength!

The fact that we don’t know it, or understand it, or see life this way, doesn’t keep our generous Savior from sharing His light and strength with us. But one day we will know and see how it really was for us. However, think of how our gratitude and love for Him would soar if we would come to see it this way now!

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

(to be continued…)

Practice makes progress; Jesus makes perfect.

Have you ever noticed how words carry different shades of meaning for different people, depending on their individual experience and upbringing? In fact, it’s like this with names. A husband and wife may struggle to come up with a baby name for the simple reason that a name which one of them likes is a name that brings up an unpleasant memory for the other. And so it is when it comes to words with multiple definitions. Although used in the same context, a word or phrase can feel harmless to one person, while being displeasing to another. The word qualify is one of these words for me. I’ve been trying to figure out why, and I believe I’ve come to the conclusion that I must not see the word in the same way that others in the Church are using it. In the past ten or fifteen years I have been noticing our Church leaders voicing more and more frequently the idea that we qualify ourselves for eternal life. Therefore, I would like to scrutinize this word a bit, so that I and whoever reads this might come to see more clearly what our leaders might mean, as well as what they could not possibly mean.

I do not know what the word qualify means to you. But here are some definitions:

“In some sporting events, to demonstrate required ability in the trials, in order to qualify for, and advance to the finals.”
In the Olympics, many events in track and field, swimming, skiing, and other categories have preliminary matches, where contestants compete to qualify for the finals. And this is for the simple fact that there are more people competing than there are spaces available in those final, deciding races. So one may have to finish under a certain time, or be within the top eight best performances overall to continue competing.

“To fire a rifle or pistol on a target range with a score high enough to qualify for a rating of marksman, sharpshooter, or expert.“
My nephew, Jacob, is just finishing up his basic training with the National Guard. As part of this training, he with all the other soldiers had a weapons qualification—a practical rifle test—to ascertain their level of marksmanship. Each of the soldiers were given 40 rounds of ammunition to hit 40 targets that popped up randomly from a distance ranging from 50 meters to 300 meters away. The targets would only stay up for three to nine seconds, depending on the distance. To qualify as an expert, the soldiers had to hit 36 out of the 40 targets. Jacob hit all 40, receiving the title “Hawkeye.”

“To be fit or competent for something, as in qualifying for a job.“
When applying for a professional job, very often one is expected to have the right credentials. The appropriate amount of schooling, as well as hands-on training and/or job experience are required in order to qualify as a possible candidate.

Those who qualify themselves in each of these defined situations are successful, capable, even exceptional, in their accomplishment and expertise.

So…qualifying for eternal life?…ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

But I guess qualifying isn’t always about being on the better side of things. It can also go the other way. When one has had a tough year or more financially, they can qualify for outside help in the form of tax breaks, educational grants, food stamps, Medicaid, etc. Therefore, not doing as economically well can qualify someone for help that can subsidize or enhance their income. But that financial assistance doesn’t just show up out of the blue. One has to appeal to the powers that be and apply for it. And so it is with the gospel. We have to spiritually recognize our need—our lack of celestial qualifications—and then believe in the Savior, appeal to Him for increased strength, and take the steps He has outlined in order to receive His salvation. So if we qualify ourselves in any way, it’s by taking those required steps.

THE LORD QUALIFIES
When it comes to positions in the Church, regarding any one of us who doesn’t feel adequate to fill the calling, I’ve heard President Monson say: “Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies.”…Well, I believe that it is the same when the Lord calls us to heaven. It is the Lord who will qualify us to get there, not we, ourselves.

Jesus told his apostles in the upper room, just before going to Gethsemane: “In my Father’s house are many mansions….I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14: 2). Well, Jesus could have rightfully added: ‘But, I’ll come back to prepare you for that place.’ He’s getting heaven ready for us, and He’s getting us ready for heaven.

Here is another definition:
“To get authority, license, power, etc., by fulfilling required conditions.”…like qualifying for citizenship in a country. (I would venture that this must be the way our leaders are using the word.)

We use our agency to qualify ourselves for baptism and temple ordinances by meeting certain requirements of conduct, and affirming our belief. But entering the Lord’s holy house, and being holy ourselves are two different things. It is the Lord who qualifies us, and gives us holiness. We give our will, our agency. He changes our nature.

Look at D&C 4: 5 – “And faith, hope, charity, and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.” These are sublime attributes. Where do they come from? Can we will ourselves to have them? Is not faith a gift that comes from God? We know that charity is. What about the others? So how can we qualify ourselves with that which we know God must give? If God does not give it, it is not ours to have. Therefore, God qualifies us for His marvelous work (v. 1) when He gives us these attributes. Then His work will happen freely. Divine attributes come from a divine source. Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies. I could no more qualify myself to sit in the bishop’s chair than I could qualify myself to sit down in the kingdom of heaven, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the holy fathers.

The prideful Nephites were guilty of believing that their temporal prosperity was brought about by the hand of their own industry. Are we guilty of believing the same regarding our spiritual prosperity? That we are the ones doing it? Please hear me…this is not just a good philosophy to help keep our pride in check; this is truth. This is the way things are for us, and the way things were for King Benjamin and Alma, and the way things will be, even unto the end of the world.

David B. Haight said: “All my callings have been beyond my grasp, so I’ve had to develop a longer reach” (Church News, Sept. 7, 2002). And how did he develop this longer reach? God added cubits to his stature. Elder Haight, by taking thought couldn’t do it. It had to be the Lord doing it for him. Oh…Elder Haight desired it, chose it, gave the energy he received from God to it, but it was the Lord that added the cubits. It was the Lord who qualified him.

So, because of our Savior’s infinite atonement for all mankind, Jesus now has power from the Father to bring about our salvation. He will qualify us for heaven, and He will give us the gifts that will qualify us for His work here and in eternity. He is the Great Qualifier! Praises be to His holy name!

(to be continued…)

Practice makes progress; Jesus makes perfect.

Last week, we looked at the error in thinking that any of us, while in mortality, could earn, merit, or deserve an inheritance in God’s heavenly kingdom. This week I’d like to go a step further and show how we mortals cannot really earn any of God’s blessings down here.

First, we must understand the true nature of blessings. In this telestial realm, societies are structured in such a way so that individuals can work and earn. We give a certain effort, and that effort equals the pay we get in return for it. But not when it comes to God. God doesn’t call what He gives us earnings. It’s almost always called gifts, partly because the value of what He gives us is always much greater than the work He requires for us to receive it.

A gift is not something one earns. When is the last time you earned your birthday or Christmas presents? And who can earn the gifts of God?

Think of the wide variety of God’s gifts to us. I will touch on a few.

Who can earn birth? Who can earn the sunrise? What farmer can earn photosynthesis? What mother can earn the right to choose the gender and personality of her baby? Our bodies, our talents, our individual traits in which we naturally excel are all gifts from God, not payments due. And God is a very generous giver.

Who can earn the gift of the Holy Ghost? Can an eight year old—or an eighty year old for that matter—come to live life so completely sin free and in such perfect harmony with the will of heaven, so as to earn the continual companionship of one of the Godhead?

Who can earn the priesthood? No amount of works done by someone could make God owe him the priesthood. In the days of the early apostles, after the resurrection of Christ, a man named Simon observed Peter and John using the priesthood to give the gift of the Holy Ghost.

“And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money” (Acts 8: 14-20).

Money can’t buy it. What we do cannot earn it. It’s called a gift. Prayer is a gift—to communicate by voice or silent thought with a Being whose dwelling place is galaxies away. And on top of that, who can force God to hear and favorably answer any prayer? His communing with us is a gift.

Who can earn the gift of healing—to repair an unseen disease or deformity with a word or a touch? Who among mortals can develop the ability to heal on their own? Even if a wonderfully skilled physician (and this world has many for which we are so deeply grateful) were to perform a lifesaving surgery, that would still not complete the job. It is by the power of one of God’s gifts, that the body then uses the mechanisms He has placed within it, to go on and fuse the tissues, close the wound, and form the scar tissue to seal what was severed. Physicians study and work for many years to be healers, but they can never, by their own power, make a body regenerate. They can never put life into that which is not alive. What doctor would claim this power? None would dare. Our bodies are gifts. Life is a gift. The scriptures are a gift. Living prophets and a living Church are all gifts. No man can justly earn any of it. Nothing we receive from God will ever be a rightful exchange of our good works or time or money for that which He graciously hands over to us in return. Everything God gives to us is worth so much more than that which we have been asked to do to receive it. He always outdoes us on His end of things.

The Atonement of Christ is a gift. The resurrection is a gift. Salvation is a gift. We are saved by His merits, not ours. “Relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save” (2 Nephi 31: 19). Being extremely good can’t remove the bad we have already done. Stopping at all red lights from now on doesn’t erase the one we ran. Forgiveness of sin is a gift. Oh, we might even keep quite a number of commandments in our lifetime, but that doesn’t earn us eternal life.

We say that by the grace of God we all receive immortality, that the resurrection is a free gift for every one of us. But we insinuate that we get eternal life without grace, and that it’s not free, as we focus on our obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. But is it not also by the grace of God that we receive eternal life? Who could possibly earn it—the blessing to receive all that the Father has? It too, is a gift. In fact, the Lord calls it “the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14: 7).

God is the best gift giver. He knows what we need to become like Him, and He is so very willing, so powerfully desirous to give us all of those gifts which will put us in the path to eventually receiving His greatest gift of all.

(to be continued…)

Practice makes progress; Jesus makes perfect.

Over these next several weeks we will hopefully be digging up any bad foundation that may exist in us, and begin laying a new one built firmly in the gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ. :)

From our childhood, we are taught about cause and effect. We learn that we can earn good grades, earn an allowance, earn someone’s trust, and eventually earn a decent living. We’re taught that if we do enough of the required work, then we merit the desired outcome. But what kind of effect does this idea of earning have on our spiritual perspective? Do we begin to believe that we can earn our way to heaven? It’s certainly understandable that any of us could jump to that conclusion, since down here, we are taught that we can earn just about everything else. But, perhaps there are some words and attitudes in our religious life that we could potentially look at eliminating.

In our own home, my wife, Kathy, and I have tried to teach our three daughters how to work from an early age. Why?…so that they could earn their three meals for that day? Certainly not.  Mostly we have wanted to teach them how to work so that they might develop a good work ethic, that it might become an element of their character, defining in part, who they are. Then hopefully, one day, when they’re grown and on their own, they’ll be responsible contributors to their own families and to the world at large; and they’ll be happy. Laziness never was happiness. And it’s this way with all of the traits we are hoping our girls will develop—love, forgiveness, generosity, an instinct to help someone in need, etc. Now, I believe that God is doing the same with us—His children. In His asking us to serve Him and keep His commandments, He is training us, preparing us for a higher life…a celestial life. But like I said, if we don’t watch ourselves closely, we could start to think that we are earning His blessings, and that we merit or deserve what God has said He will give to us.

Ask yourself this: Do you, perhaps not publicly or vocally, but privately and mentally say to yourself, “I fast this much, I tithe this much, I pray this much, I serve in this calling, I do my home teaching, etc.” and feel like you now merit spiritual and temporal blessings? Does your listing these things make you feel more deserving, more due some assistance or prosperity from the Lord? I have had to check myself in this. In the New Testament, we see that this type of thinking got the Pharisees into trouble with the Savior. Rather, it was the humble, unworthy-feeling prayer: “God, be merciful to me a sinner” that the Lord accepted (see Luke 18: 13 [9-14]). The Lord blesses a meek and lowly attitude and disdains self-exaltation, or patting ourselves on the back.

We are not earning anything. I don’t remember even seeing the word earn in the scriptures. In fact, I just did a word search, and the only form of the word earn that came up (earneth) is found in just one verse of the entire Standard Works…and it’s not used in a favorable light (see Haggai 1: 6).

Jesus gave a parable about a man who went out early in the morning and hired laborers to work in his vineyard, promising them all a silver coin at the end of the day, which was a workman’s daily wage. (See Matthew 20: 1-16.) After a few hours, this same man went out, and noticed in the marketplace, that there were people standing around idle, with nothing to do. He hired them to go to his vineyard and start working, telling them he’d reward them for their labor at the end of the day, by giving them whatsoever was right. This happened again at the sixth hour and the ninth hour. Finally, he came at the eleventh hour and found more standing idle, and asked: “Why stand ye here all the day idle?” and they answered, “Because no man hath hired us.” So the man hired them, giving them the same promise: “Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.” They worked for one hour, and then all the laborers were called by the steward to receive whatsoever was right. Well…every worker received a silver coin! Even those who started working at the eleventh hour were given the same as those who had been there from the first hour through the heat of the day. Now, in our fair view of the workforce, these last workers were grossly overpaid! But shall not all those who inherit—not earn, but inherit—eternal life consider themselves grossly overpaid? As it is written: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2: 9).

This is all something like the idea of a young boy and girl growing up in their parents’ home, eating their parents’ food, and enjoying the warmth of their parents’ fireplace. It is, after all, the parents’ duty to take care of and provide for their children because they brought them into the world. And yet, the parents ask their son and daughter to do some chores and participate in the upkeep of the home. As the boy and girl get a little older, their father begins to take them with him to work, and shows them the family business. He teaches them how to run errands and how to go through the shop at the end of the day, to make sure the tools are put away, the rooms straightened, the lights turned off, and the doors locked. As the children mature even more, and continue to gain more and more of their father’s trust, he gives them more and more responsibilities, dealing with the workers, hearing their complaints, helping to solve problems, and treating the employees fairly. Eventually, after years, the day comes when their father brings them into his office and turns the entire business over to them. It is theirs to run and manage, and enjoy the profits it produces. I ask you, did the children earn this? Did all of their efforts while growing up put their father in their debt, so that eventually—out of fairness—he had to give them his company?

I repeat, when it comes to spiritual matters, we are not earning anything. Instead, God is preparing us to receive Eternal life, which is an inestimable treasure, worth so much more than any work we could ever do down here to equal its value.

Next week we will talk about the true nature of blessings. :)

(to be continued…)

Jeff Olsen

This week, as a follow-up to last week’s post, I am choosing to share another part of Jeff’s book, with his permission. And while it may be a little long for a blog post, it is one of the most touching, enlightening experiences I have ever read. You’ll remember that Jeff’s wife, Tamara, and their one-year-old baby son, Griffin, had been killed in the car accident that brought Jeff to the hospital and resulted in him losing one of his legs. Well, just after the accident, while Jeff’s body was still in the mangled vehicle, Jeff’s spirit had gone to the other side of the veil and had a tender, emotionally charged conversation with Tamara’s spirit. Now, about four months later, Jeff’s hospital stay was nearing an end.

JEFF OLSEN (part 2)
“…I would be returning home soon….I was off my medications, and my body had mended in miraculous ways. As [my brother, who was visiting me, and I] talked, I became tired and soon faded off into a deep sleep. It was more peaceful than most nights. I felt calm, comfortable, and free of pain. As I slept, I dreamed again. But this was a real and vivid dream. I found myself in that place again, that place of love, light, and peace where I had said good-bye to Tamara right after the accident. I knew this place like no other. The feeling was so overwhelmingly joyful….

“….I was alone this time. No one came to greet me or guide me, and I marveled at the indescribable beauty around me. It was vast and open and beautiful. I could feel, touch, and taste everything as if I had not five but fifty senses. It was amazing.

“As I walked, on two healthy strong legs, I entered into a long hallway. It was a lovely corridor that seemed to stretch forward almost into eternity, yet I moved down it rapidly and with ease. I saw where it came to a stop, and at the end of the hallway was a baby crib. I rushed to the crib, and peeking in, saw something beyond joyful.

“There lying in the crib was my son. It was little Griffin! He was alive and well. He slept peacefully. I looked at him and took in every detail. How his chubby little hands lay so peacefully beside his perfect face. How his mouth drew breath, raising his small back up and down. How is hair lay gently across the tops of his ears. I reached into the crib and swept him up into my arms. I could feel the warmth from his little body. I could feel his breath on my neck and the smell of his delicate hair. He was so familiar and so alive! I held him close and cried tears of joy as I laid my cheek against his soft little head as we had always done. I felt him breathing as he snuggled into me. His ribs rising and falling with each inhale and exhale. Not only did I feel him physically, but I also felt him spiritually. Every cell of his perfect little body was full of light and life. I felt the energy of his soul and how connected we were. I was his dad. I had taken part in creating him. He was perfect.

“It was Griffin! He was alive, and I was with him, holding him in this wonderful place. It was real, even super real. I had never felt anything so intense. We were tangible. I could feel his body solidly against mine. I felt the life in each of my own cells as they melted together with his in a love exceeding our earthly bond.

“I sobbed with joy, holding my little son. I closed my tear-filled eyes and breathed in how he smelled and how he felt and how everything seemed to disappear except us. I simply held him, basking in the moment, and as I did, I felt something or someone move up behind me. The feeling coming from this being was so powerful and yet so loving that it almost startled me. I felt light and love engulf me. I knew I was standing in the presence of someone so eternal and so powerful, yet so personal.

“I did not dare turn around to look. I stood there holding my son, taking in the intense feeling. The being behind me had so much light, so much love, and so much power. I knew I was in the presence of God. Still, I did not turn around. I stood there holding Griffin and feeling the overwhelming love of a Father standing behind me. I could feel His everlasting, unconditional love. It was as real as the love I felt for my own little son.

“Slowly, this magnificent, divine being of light stepped closer, so close that I could feel His light surround us. His wisdom was overwhelming. I felt His physical presence in the same way I was feeling Griffin. Every cell of my body filled with truth and knowledge beyond anything I’d ever felt before. As I held my son, this beautiful being, filled with the wisdom of eternity, moved close enough to hold me. I was standing there holding my son and being embraced myself by deity. He leaned into me and whispered into my ear. His voice, though a whisper, was powerful. Not only did I hear it, I felt it through my entire being. He told me things I do not have the words to write and could never do justice to even if I did. I learned more in that brief encounter than I could have been taught in many lifetimes. And yet it didn’t feel like learning. It was more like remembering. I knew this as it flowed through me. I saw purpose in every event of my entire life. I saw how every circumstance had been divinely provided for my learning and development. I had the realization that I had actually taken part in creating every experience of my life. I knew I had come to this earth for only one reason, which was to learn, and that everything that had ever happened to me had been a loving step in that process of my progression. Every person, every circumstance, and every incident was custom created for me. It was as if the entire universe existed for my higher good and development. I felt so loved, so cherished, and so honored. I realized that not only was I being embraced by deity, but also that I myself was divine, and that we all are. I knew that there are no accidents in this life….Yet we always get to choose how we will experience what happens to us here.

“I could exercise my will in everything, even in how I felt about the wreck and the death of my family members. God didn’t want me to hurt and feel put upon as if my son and wife had been taken from me. He was simply there assisting me to decide how I was going to experience it. He was providing me with the opportunity, in perfect love, to exercise my personal agency in this entire situation.

“I knew my wife and son were gone. They had died months earlier, but time didn’t exist where I was at that moment. Rather than having them ripped away from me, I was being given the opportunity to actually hand them over to God. To let them go in peace, love, and gratitude. Everything suddenly made sense. Everything had divine order. I could give my son to God and not have him taken away from me.

“I felt my power…to literally let go of all that had happened to me. I held my baby son as God Himself held me. I experienced the oneness of all of it. Time did not matter. Only love and order existed. Tamara and Griffin had come into my life as perfect teachers. And in leaving me in such a way, they continued as perfect teachers to bring me to that point of remembering who I was. Remembering that I was created in God’s image and actually came from Him. I was aware now that I could actually walk with God, empowered by what I was learning in my life. I felt the divine energy of the being behind me inviting me to let it all go and give Griffin to Him. In all that peace and knowledge, I hugged my little boy tightly one last time, kissed him on the cheek, and gently laid him back down in the crib. I willingly gave him up. No one would ever take him away from me again. He was mine. We were one, and I was one with God.

“As soon as I breathed in all that peace, I awoke, back into the…darkness of my hospital bed, but with greater perspective. I marveled at what I had just experienced. It was not just a dream. It felt too real. It was real to me….Griffin was alive in a place more real than anything here. And Tamara was there with him. I knew it.

“As the years have passed, I’ve often wondered how I could have put my son back in the crib the way I did. Maybe I should have held on and never let go. But in that place, it all made sense.

“I realized that no one ever really dies. We always live on. I had experienced a God as real and tangible as we are. He knows our every heartache, yet allows us to experience and endure them for our growth. His is the highest form of love; He allows us to become what we will….

“My experience showed me purpose and order. I knew there was a master plan far greater than my limited earthly vision. I also learned that my choices were mine alone to make. I got to decide how I felt, and that made all the difference in the universe. Even in this tragedy, I got to determine the outcome. I could choose to be a victim of what had happened or create something far greater” (I Knew Their Hearts, [Cedar Fort, Inc, 2012], pp. 84-88).

(to be continued…)

SEGUNDO MOLDANADO
During the 1970’s Fred Bohman, who was a purchasing agent for the LDS Church in South America, was living with his young family in Quito, Ecuador. It was there that he met Segundo Moldanado in a marketplace. After discovering that they were both Latter-day Saints, they struck up a friendship. Fred tells us what happened…

Segundo Moldanado and I became friends, not terribly close friends because he lived in Octavalo, a six-hour journey from Quito. But there was an immediate liking and trust between us, though we spent little time together.

Several months later my wife Mary and I lost our first son. He was seven months old when he suffocated in his bed. We were sick with grief and guilt, wondering what we might have done to prevent his death.

It was at this very unhappy time that Segundo and his wife made the six-hour journey to Quito to see us. He said they had come to tell us of their conversion to the gospel and about the death of their son. They thought that by sharing their experiences with us we might find comfort and strength and a stronger faith in the afterlife.

Because they were Indians and [were] used to speaking their native language, their Spanish was broken, but it was good enough for Mary and me to understand clearly what they were saying.

…Not long after Segundo had joined the church, he was in the marketplace one day, when his oldest son began screaming because of a terrible pain in his head. Within a few hours the son was dead.

Segundo and his wife were beside themselves with grief. One moment they wondered what they might have done to deserve this, the next they were angry with the Lord for allowing something so cruel and seemingly senseless to happen to their son.

They began fasting, determined to find out why it happened. They received no answer during an entire week of fasting. But they did not stop. They were determined to continue until they had an answer.

It was during the second week of the fast, while they were kneeling together in their hut, that it happened. The whole side of the house suddenly disappeared and they found themselves looking out into a beautiful garden full of flowers, trees, green grasses—the most beautiful place they had ever seen, but totally unfamiliar.

As they looked into the beautiful garden they saw their son who had died running towards them. He ran up to his parents, threw his arms around Segundo, saying, “Don’t worry about me. I had no choice but to go back.”

Then they looked up and saw another man standing in a white robe, who said, “Segundo, you have a righteous desire to know the fate of your son. The Lord has heard your prayers.” This man, who showed them the wounds in his hands and feet, taught them for an hour or so until the vision or dream ended, and the walls of the house closed in as they had been before.

After relating the story of…the death of his son, Segundo looked at me and said, “Fred, I know where your son is. He is with ours. He has specific tasks to perform. Don’t worry.”

Somehow my wife and I found comfort in those words. Thanks to Segundo we were able to believe more firmly that our son had not really died, but just passed on to a different kingdom where he needed to be” (Beyond the Veil, vol. 2, comp. by Lee Nelson, 1996, pp. 95-101).

KATIE from Idaho
Back in the 1980s, a little seven-year-old girl named Katie from Idaho drowned in a YMCA pool, and was resuscitated and kept alive in the hospital by machines—she was in a deep coma, had massive swelling on the brain, and an artificial lung was breathing for her. Miraculously, three days later she woke up, and in twenty-four hours, made a full recovery. In a follow-up examination, the doctor asked her, “What do you remember about being in the swimming pool?” Katie said: “Do you mean when I visited the Heavenly Father?” Later, Katie told this doctor that a tall and nice bright lady took her to meet the Heavenly Father and Jesus. “The Heavenly Father asked [her] if she wanted to go home. Katie cried. She said she wanted to stay with him. Then Jesus asked her if she wanted to see her mother again. ‘Yes,’ she replied. Then [Katie woke up]” (Melvin Morse, Closer To The Light, 1990, pp. 1-6).

(to be continued…)

Here are more accounts of our Father and Savior manifesting Themselves to our fellow-human beings…

JOSEPH SMITH & OLIVER COWDERY  
In the Kirtland temple, one week after its dedication, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery experienced a visitation of the Savior:

“We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber.

“His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

“I am the first and the last, I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110: 2-4).

ALFRED DOUGLAS YOUNG
On the morning of September 17th, 1841, while conversing about the gospel with his older brother, William, in the woods near his home, Alfred Young was visited by an angel, which caused his body to lose energy and sink to the ground. His brother, not seeing the angel, but noticing the change in Alfred, caught hold of him, and laid him gently down. Alfred’s spirit left his body, and seeing it on the ground with his brother next to it, heard the angel say to him, “Follow thou me.” The angel ascended upwards, and Alfred’s spirit followed him. He relates what happened next:

“He took me into the presence of God the Father and of his son Jesus Christ, with the exception there was a rail between us; but I saw them seated on a throne. I had in my hands many sheaves of wheat of the purest white. There was an altar on my left hand and also one directly in front of me. The one on my left appeared to be about three feet in height; the one in front about eighteen inches. I laid the sheaves of wheat that were in my hands on the altar to my left as an offering to the Lord. I bowed myself on my knees on the altar in front of me, which was also in front of the throne. I prayed God the Father in the name of his son Jesus Christ to accept of the offering I had laid upon the altar.

“While I prayed, the rail was removed and I stood upon my feet. Jesus arose and stepped from the side of his Father and came near where I stood. I was in their presence and I gazed upon their glory.

“Jesus then said to me, ‘Your offering is accepted and wouldst thou know the interpretation thereof?’ I replied, ‘Yes, Lord.’ The angel, my conductor, said, ‘Look,’ and I saw as it were, an innumerable company that had come up from all nations, kindreds and peoples around the throne of God and they fell down and worshipped him and gave glory to Him. Jesus then said, ‘These are they [whom] thou shalt be the means of bringing into my Father’s kingdom and this is the interpretation of the offering thou hast laid upon the altar’” (Autobiography of Alfred Douglas Young, 1808-1889, BYU Special Collections, pp. 3-5).

DAVID JOHN
David John was born in Wales, in 1833, where he was raised in a Baptist family. When he was eight years old, he had the following dream:

“I saw God the Father and the Son in a dream….They called me to them and asked if I knew them. I replied [that I did]….The Father addressed the Son, saying: ‘David has not forgotten me.’ The Father raised me on his knee, kissed me and blessed and told me to be a good boy and do right.  He said, ‘Handle me and feel my flesh and bones for you will be taught that I have no body. [But now] you have felt and seen me; this you must not forget when you grow up….[You] are my boy. I will bless [you] and take care of [you]. [You] must yet do a work on the earth’” (Journal Book of David John, entry of Saturday, Dec. 31, 1881, pp. 327-28; found in Eternal Testimonies, by Joseph Heinerman, 1982, p. 166).

EMMA SMITH
“Sister Elizabeth Revel, Emma Smith’s nurse, explained that a few days before Emma died, Emma had told her that Joseph came to her in a vision and said, ‘Emma, come with me, it is time for you to come with me.’ ‘As Emma related it, she said, “I put on my bonnet and my shawl and went with him; I did not think that it was anything unusual. I went with him into a mansion, and he showed me through the different apartments of that beautiful mansion.” And one room was the nursery. In that nursery was a babe in the cradle. She said, “I knew my babe, my Don Carlos that was taken from me.” She sprang forward, caught the child up in her arms, and wept with joy over the child. When Emma recovered herself sufficient she turned to Joseph and said, “Joseph, where are the rest of my children.” He said to her, “Emma, be patient and you shall have all of your children.” Then she saw standing by [Joseph’s] side a personage of light, even the Lord Jesus Christ.’” (Alexander Hale Smith, sermon given 1 July 1903, Bottlineau, North Dakota; found in Ensign, August 1992, “My Great-Great-Grandmother, Emma Hale Smith,” Gracia Jones.)

(to be continued…)