BYU-H First Stake Fireside 9-12-04

Thank you, Brothers Tyrell and Belnap for setting the stage for this fireside. Thank you for not only your years of practicing but also your commitment to performing sacred music in a sacred style..

It is both humbling, and very rewarding to look out and see the faces of you whom we love and for whom we pray every day. President Shumway and I also pray to be worthy campus parents -- as we know that President and Sister Pierce do as stake parents, along with all your other faithful leaders.

We commend you all for coming tonight, for the Lord pours out special blessings when His children meet together in His name, such as these firesides and campus devotionals. If we are earnest, we will never leave these gatherings with an empty cup as we rejoice together in the restoration of the True Church through the prophet, Joseph Smith.

We know that the Lord has reserved many of his most valiant spirits for these latter days - that’s you. We know that Satan has also unleashed his strongest forces to try to be a match for you, God’s valiant.

In the Aug. 7th Church News, Elder Eyring made a very encouraging declaration about you and the other young people in the Church. Instead of expressing fear that you will give in to the evils around you - evils greater than ever in history -- Elder Eyring declared, “The Lord has given another signal, clear and powerful, … that we can expect more, not less of the youth of the church.”

This made President Shumway’s & my heart leap for joy as we hope it does yours.

However, in an earlier speech, Elder Eyring indicated that whatever has worked in times past for the youth of the Church is not going to be enough in our present day when Satan is even more clever and deceitful than ever before and wants us to be the same. I hope this is as sobering a thought to you as it is for us, your leaders; we think about it every day. We also want to raise our own bar so that we can be worthy leaders to you.

Tonight, may I touch on two of the ways I think Elder Eyring was hoping that you youth would raise your bar. First, “Time spent with the Lord every day. President Howard W. Hunter counseled the saints to spend at least one hour a day prayerfully studying the scriptures. He said that less time is better than no time, but that an hour is ideal. He & all the modern prophets have promised that by doing so, all areas of our lives will be blessed.

We realize how tricky this is for a student’s full schedule, but the promise is nevertheless sure, and in the future, you will probably never have more time than you do now. As a side note, it is interesting that some of us spend more time doing physical fitness each day than we do spiritual fitness, which is of eternal consequence.

It brings President Shumway and myself great joy to visit our children and their families and find them having daily scripture study together as we did with them growing up. A few months ago our daughter, Heather, backed their van into a parked police car. She was pregnant with her 4th child, and her husband, Morgan, was under great pressure that week finishing his masters’ degree.

When Morgan came home that evening, Heather burst into uncontrollable sobbing as she related the trauma. Instantly, their rolly polly two-year old toddled over to the shelf, picked up a Book of Mormon and took it straight to his mother’s lap, earnestly looking up at her face. Isn’t it wonderful that even a baby can sense the power of the Book of Mormon to help solve problems in our lives.

In Doctrine and Covenants 88:63, the Lord says, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

This leads to my last “raising of the bar” topic - “How we pray.” In 2 Nephi 25:26 we read, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

We speak, rejoice, preach, and prophecy of Christ, but may I share my tender thoughts on how we should speak the name of Christ and of His Father when we pray?

“Behold, I am Alpha and Omega, even Jesus Christ. Wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips,” says the Lord, Himself in D&C 63:61.

Many of us, when we are praying-- in family prayer, the blessing on the food, or in a meeting , become nervous & self conscious and therefore, want to end the prayer quickly. Some of us are even moving away from the microphone or from our knees as we are saying, (say it fast) “in the name of Jesus Christ, amen,” as I’m sure I did in my younger days. Though none of us intends to be irreverent by rushing over the names of Heavenly Father and Jesus, might this resemble taking the Lord’s name in vain?

We may also be tempted to talk fast during the prayer-as though we are trying to cram everything in in the shortest time possible. Or we may forget to pause before and after saying those most sacred and beloved names, “Heavenly Fatber” and “in the name of Jesus Christ.”

We need to remember that praying in front of a group is not a performance, but a real conversation with Heavenly Father. The prayer-giver is talking to Heavenly Father in behalf of the group. In fact, the reason we are taught to bow our heads and close our eyes as little children is so that we can shut out the world and really talk to the Lord as though we were in His presence.

Jesus taught us how to regard His Father’s name in Matthew 6:9, “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” (pause)

And with what reverence do you think Christ prayed when He, with the Nephites, knelt down on the ground four different times and prayed aloud to His Father? Try to hear His voice in your mind next time you turn to chapters 17-19 of Third Nephi.

While considering these ideas, this same reverence applies to giving talks in church and bearing our testimonies, as we close them in Christ’s holy name. It is also extremely crucial that none of us ever be critical of others’ prayers, but always give full support as we listen to them pray.

When I step up to the microphone or kneel to pray, I find it helpful to even pause before beginning, to allow a spirit of true reverence and worship to enter not only my heart as the prayer giver, but the hearts of everyone in the room. Then we begin, “Our Father in Heaven, (another pause, to set His name apart) “we thank thee…and so on”. After we have reverently spoken our prayer, we pause again to show the same respect to the Savior, as I hope to do now as I close my remarks. (pause)

“ In the name of Jesus Christ, (another pause) amen.”