Week 5

I really enjoyed this weeks readings, here are the highlights.

A DESCIPLE PREPERATION CENTER Elder David A. Bednar Brigham Young University–Idaho Devotional August 31, 2004

A disciple is one who follows or attends upon another for the express purpose of learning (Oxford English Dictionary On-Line, second edition, 1989). Please note that a disciple both follows and learns, as the following scriptures highlight:

Discipleship demands the total transformation of a person by putting off the natural man and becoming a saint through the Atonement of Christ the Lord (see Mosiah 3:19). A disciple is one who loves the Lord and serves Him with all of his or her heart, might, mind, and strength.

The word preparation implies the process of making or getting ready; the previous putting or setting in order for any action or purpose (Oxford English Dictionary On-Line, second edition, 1989). And one of the common uses of the word center connotes a point from which things and influences originate or emanate (Oxford English Dictionary On-Line, second edition, 1989). Taken together, these three words, disciple preparation center, suggest to me a place in which followers of the Master learn and are set in order and are made ready—and from which their influence flows into the world.

What is it that makes this campus such a powerful Disciple Preparation Center (DPC)? Let me suggest three factors that contribute to the spiritual strength that is available here. (1) This institution of higher education is a temple of learning; (2) this institution will be located next to a holy temple, even a House of the Lord; and (3) this institution is surrounded by strong stakes of Zion.

Factor #1: BYU–Idaho is a temple of learning.

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:2-3)”

Interestingly, in both the holy temple and in temples of learning, a significant personal commitment is linked to the learning process. Consider, brothers and sisters, that in the House of the Lord we come under covenant and bind ourselves to act in all holiness. In a similar way, students who are admitted to study and learn in the temples of learning make a commitment to keep the commandments of God and to abide by the university honor and dress codes. Thus, covenants and commitments expand our education in the House of the Lord and in the Church’s temples of learning.

Factor #2: BYU–Idaho will be located next to a House of the Lord.

At the time of his call to become the fourteenth president of the Church, President Howard W. Hunter issued an invitation for “. . . all members of the Church to establish the temple of the Lord as the great symbol of their membership and the supernal setting for their most sacred covenants” (Howard W. Hunter, The Great Symbol of Our Membership, Ensign, October 1994, p. 2). Brothers and sisters, temples are holy; temples are sacred places for learning about and entering into eternal covenants; temples are places of peace and of revelation. Temples are eternal links: between heaven and earth; between past, present, and future; between the living and the dead; between time and eternity; between husbands and wives, parents and children; and between men and women with Christ. It is in the House of the Lord that things of the earth are joined with the things of heaven.

President Gordon B. Hinckley has taught: Every temple that this Church has built has in effect stood as a monument to our belief in the immortality of the human soul, that this phase of mortal life through which we pass is part of a continuous upward climb . . . and that as certain as there is life here, there will be life there. That is our firm belief. It comes about through the Atonement of the Savior, and the temple becomes . . . the bridge from this life to the next. The temple is concerned with things of immortality. We wouldn’t have to build a temple for marriages if we didn’t believe in the eternity of the family. We build it so the family may be eternal. All of the ordinances which take place in the house of the Lord become expressions of our belief in that fundamental and basic doctrine. The temple therefore becomes the ultimate in our system of worship and therefore is of great and significant importance to us. (Gordon B. Hinckley, Inspirational Thoughts, Ensign, April 2002, p. 3)

Several years ago, Elder L. Tom Perry visited our campus and was asked the following question by a faculty member: “Elder Perry, what do you see as the looming storm clouds on the horizon about which we should know so we can better teach and prepare the young people of the Church?” With no hesitation his answer was, “Worldliness.” The next question: “What can we do, Elder Perry, to best help the young people combat worldliness?” His answer: “Help them prepare to worship properly in the temple.”

“I have come to better and more fully understand the protection available in the temple and through our covenants. I have come to better and more fully understand what it means to make an acceptable offering of temple worship. There is a difference between church-attending, tithe-paying members who occasionally rush into the temple to go through a session and those members who faithfully and consistently worship in the temple.” _ Elder J. Ballard Washburn

Factor #3: BYU–Idaho is surrounded by strong stakes of Zion.

Please consider that during your tenure as a student at Brigham Young University–Idaho, you also are a member of a stake of Zion. We have on this campus at the present time more than 70 wards organized into 7 stakes, and the protection promised in the verses we just read applies specifically to you. Additionally, in the surrounding city of Rexburg and in the neighboring communities of Southeastern Idaho are additional strong stakes of Zion. Truly we are blessed to reside in an area of such spiritual stability and strength.

DPC Lesson #1. A disciple’s faith is focused upon the Son of God.

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

DPC Lesson #2. A disciple recognizes that faith in the Savior is a spiritual gift and appropriately seeks for that gift in his or her life.

                Elder James E. Talmage: “Though within the reach of all who diligently strive to gain it, faith is nevertheless a divine gift [and can be obtained only from God (see Matthew 16:17; John 6:44, 65; Ephesians 2:8; 1 Corinthians 12:9; Romans 12:3; Moroni 10:11)]. As is fitting for so priceless a pearl, it is given to those only who show by their sincerity that they are worthy of it, and who give promise of abiding by its dictates.  No compulsion is used in bringing men to a knowledge of God; yet, as fast as we open our hearts to the influences of righteousness, the faith that leads to life eternal will be given us of our Father. (The Articles of Faith, p. 107)”

President Joseph F. Smith also has taught:

Faith is always a gift of God to man, which is obtained by obedience, as all other blessings are. (Gospel Doctrine, p. 212)   faith does not come without works; faith does not come without obedience to the commandments of God. (Conference Report, October 1903, p. 4)

DPC Lesson #3. A disciple’s faith in the Savior and spiritual preparation dispel fear. Brothers and sisters, we live in troubled and turbulent times.

I conclude with a teaching by the Prophet Joseph Smith that I consider to be the latter-day disciple’s mission statement:

. . . the Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done. (Statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Wentworth Letter, written March 1, 1842. See History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 540)

A Message to Garcia Will You Deliver It? Action Foundation for Entrepreneurship excellence

Do you long to hear your name called when time is short and the stakes are high?

The Rarest Skill of All: The Ability to Execute

The ability to execute is more valuable than education or talent, because it is far rarer.

“My heart goes out to the man who does his work when the ‘boss’ is away, as well as when he is at home. And the man who, when given a letter for Garcia, quietly takes the missive, without asking any idiotic questions, and with no intention of chucking it into the nearest sewer, or of doing aught else but deliver it, never gets ‘laid off,’ nor has to go on strike for higher wages. Civilization is one long anxious search for just such individuals. Anything such a man asks shall be granted; his kind is so rare that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town and village—in every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such: he is needed and needed badly, the man who can carry a message to Garcia.”

A World of Underachievers

The Curse of the Average Organization

“You, reader, put this matter to a test: You are sitting in your office—six clerks within call.

Summon any one and make this request: ‘Please look in the encyclopedia and make a brief memorandum for me concerning the life of Correggio.’  Will the clerk quietly say, ‘Yes sir’ and go do the task?  On your life, he will not. He will look at you out of a fishy eye and ask one or more of the following questions:  

·         Who was he?  

·         Which encyclopedia?  

·         Where is the encyclopedia?

·         The ability to execute is more valuable than education or talent, because it is far rarer. If you have ever managed or been trapped in a dysfunctional organization, you understand Hubbard’s lament…  

·         Was I hired for that?

·         Don’t you mean Bismarck?

·         What’s the matter with Charlie doing it?

·         Is he dead?

·         Is there any hurry?

·         Shan’t I bring you the book and let you look it up yourself?

·         What do you want to know for?

 And I will lay you ten to one that after you have answered the questions, and explained how to find the information, and why you want it, the clerk will go off and get one of the other clerks to help him try to find Garcia and then come back and tell you that there is no such man.”

Tempting as this may be, it is impossible to build an effective organization without delegating important

tasks to talented and capable people. It’s the only way to make a grand vision a reality.

Woody Allen said that 90% of life is “just showing up.” If so, the most important 10% of life is execution. Far too few people do either consistently. But if the ability to execute is so valuable, why is it so rare? Why aren’t more people self-starters who can stay on task until the job is finished?

People in their late teens and early twenties often have a misconception about life. They believe that their greatest challenges will come from unforeseen events and external circumstances. This turns out to be untrue. The greatest challenges always come from within.

Unforeseen setbacks do occur, often at the worst times. You’ll come across a few saints and wise men and women who have mastered external and internal challenges. But far more often you’ll come across people who are lost, not living up to their potential or just plain evil. That’s the real world.

You have a choice… you can choose to start developing the attitudes, habits and instincts so your name

will be called when success hangs in the balance.

Developing the Right Attitudes, Habits and Instincts

1.       Accept the mission and get started.

2.       Be curious.

3.       Immediately sketch out a plan.

·         Vision: Objective

·         Strategies: What are the ways you could achieve this objective?

·         Projects: What big things need to get done to accomplish the objective?

·         Tactics: What do I need to do today to make progress on a project?

4.       If you need resources, don’t be afraid to ask.

5.       Enlist help when needed.

6.       Report back and show your work.

7.       Underpromise and overdeliver.

8.       Expect to make (small) mistakes.

9.       Put results before schmoozing

10.   Replace the voices in your head with positive action.

Seeking a Hero’s Journey: Perspective and Inspiration for the Long Haul

Practice the steps below to hone your talents and develop a sense of “calling,”

1.       Begin to see your life as a “calling” toward a Hero’s Journey.

2.       Develop your gifts and talents into a discipline. Become world-class at something.

3.       Find a “deep burning need” you care about.

4.       Surround yourself with good people and worthy role models.

Moving From Individual Action to Building a World-Class Organization

Take the following steps if you want to attract the right people and harness all your energy toward a world-changing mission.

1.       Make the mission clear and meaningful

2.       Set unreasonably high standards.

3.       Align incentives with the few key tasks—the Key Success Factors—for the mission.

4.       Make all employment conditional.

5.       Hire leaders who know how to get the job done too.

6.       Put the monkey on their back.

7.       Take time to coach those who have proved they can execute

The world is overpopulated with planners, procrastinators and political schemers—parasites who prey on a market economy.

Leadership with a Small "L" President Kim B. Clark

Brothers and sisters, it is your destiny to live in a remarkable time.  It is a time of turmoil and great wickedness, but also a time of miracles and heavenly blessings.  With your future in mind, we have sought to prepare you to become disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ and leaders in your families, in the Church, and in the world around you.

The call to be a disciple-leader is a call to minister and to serve.  It is a call to lead as Christ leads.  It is leadership with a small “L”—the kind of leadership that builds and lifts and inspires through kindness and love and unselfish devotion to the Lord and His work

Principle #1: Lead by Example: The Savior established this principle when He said, “what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” Your children will watch you very, very closely.  They will learn from you and follow your example—(eventually!).

Principle #2: Lead with Vision: In your family this means teaching your children how cleaning their rooms, doing their homework, keeping the commandments, and learning to love each other is connected to exaltation in the celestial kingdom as an eternal family. 

Principle #3: Lead with Love:

As the leaders of your family and faithful disciples of Christ, you will put love into action.  You will care for your children and nurture them.  Every week in family home evening you will teach them to love and serve one another and to keep the commandments God.  You will support them and encourage them and love them enough to put structure and discipline in their lives.  You will pray with them and read the scriptures with them every day.  You will lead them with love.

My dear brothers and sisters, I bear witness of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is our Savior and Redeemer.  He lives.  He is the great Exemplar of leadership.  He leads us today.  I bear witness that this is His work, His church, and His kingdom, restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith.