October 31, 2018

"Ministering" We Believe in Being Honest



We Believe in Being Honest
By Elder Marvin J. Ashton
Of the Quorum of the Twelve
March 1984

As we look to the future I think that our greatest challenge and opportunity is to accept the responsibility to promote, by our actions and our teachings, the concept that we must know the truth and live the truth. The scriptures tell us,
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32).
This applies just as much to us today as it did when it was written. To achieve this goal, we must be honest in our own lives and then teach others to be honest. I think it is significant that the 13th article of faith begins with “We believe in being honest.”
Many times I have pondered the tremendous message given in a statement of the Savior indicating why he loved Hyrum Smith: “And again, verily I say unto you, blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart.” Then he adds, “and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord” (D&C 124:15).
What would each of us, individually, do to have our Savior, Jesus Christ, say that of us? How do we best teach and share that which is right before him? I would like to suggest that we can do this by teaching total honesty. Let me break this down into a few categories to explain more fully what I mean.
First of all, we need to be honest in our personal lives. How great it is to resolve that we are going to be totally honest with ourselves, that we will have real integrity. Don’t allow yourself to act in an inferior manner. Be proud of yourself, truly proud. Develop self-respect, poise, personality, and especially honesty in your total personal conduct. You don’t know how many people are looking at you and copying you. It is necessary for each of us to be honest in our personal lives so others can follow someone who is sincere, who teaches well through his actions. Others are counting on you to have personal pride, patience, and performance. Others are watching you—often unannounced—and they don’t want you to let them down. They’re counting on you and your example so they in turn can go forward and have an influence on other people. To do this, you must be honest with yourself.
How great it is to have others see our performance, our conduct, and be lifted and led by the pattern we set.
I once spoke in a sacrament meeting that I will long remember. The conducting officer, a member of the bishopric who introduced me as the speaker that evening, gave an unusual, rather lengthy introduction that went something like this:
“Brothers and sisters, Elder Ashton will undoubtedly be disappointed when he hears what I am going to say about him and about myself. I heard him say to a group of prisoners once, ‘When you fellows leave this prison and go back into a regular environment, don’t apologize or boast about being ex-convicts. Just go on from where you are.’ Well, many of you in the congregation don’t know it, but I am an ex-convict of the Utah State Prison. About six years ago, when I met Elder Ashton, he was in charge of the Church prison program under the Social Services Department. A few weeks later when I became better acquainted with him, I told him I was a long-distance runner. I asked him if there was any chance for me to run in the annual Salt Lake City 24th of July marathon race. Elder Ashton encouraged me and said he would talk to the prison warden about my getting out for the day to participate in the race. He told me later that the warden agreed if Elder Ashton would take the responsibility for me. Elder Ashton assumed that responsibility and later told me he trusted me and expected me to do well in the contest.
“I’ll never forget that marathon race in July 1971. It was hot, the course was challenging, and I wasn’t in the best physical condition. My only preparation had been running around the prison grounds when I had free time. Halfway through the race I felt completely exhausted; my legs were sore, and blisters covered the bottoms of both my feet. I wanted to quit. I felt I couldn’t continue. Just as I was about to drop out, the thought flashed through my mind, ‘You can’t let Elder Ashton down. He’s counting on you.’ I made it into the final section of the marathon route, and I had the urge to stop. Again the thought came to me: ‘You can’t quit. You want Elder Ashton to be proud of you, don’t you?’
“Well, I finished the race. Not among the first 25, but I finished. I went right back to the prison after the race, according to my agreement. Elder Ashton told me he was proud of me for finishing the race and proud to have me for his friend. I don’t mind telling you that I was a little pleased with myself for one of the first times in my whole life.
“It wasn’t too long after the marathon race that I was released from prison. About a year later I met a lovely young lady; we had a good courtship, and some months after that Elder Ashton accompanied us to the temple and performed our marriage and sealed us for time and all eternity. Tonight, six years later, I am proud to be serving in your bishopric.”
I hope that each of us, in our personal lives, will have people in front of us, beside us, and behind us, whom we will not let down.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time as a visitor at the Utah State Prison. Some of the best friends I have ever made were made there. I like to go there because every time I go, I learn something. I learn about personal pride. I learn something about performance. I learn something about people.
One day, when I was talking with the warden at the prison, I asked, “How many prisoners do you have here in the prison who might be classified as ‘impossible’?” I knew that the prison was over-crowded—over 800 prisoners in buildings large enough for only 600, and I knew also that there were a lot of prisoners who presented problems for the prison officials. I remember one day being in the prison yard with some of them and seeing a tattoo across the chest of one man that said “A Born Loser,” and he was out to prove it. So I was impressed when the warden said that, of all the prisoners at the Utah State Prison, there was only one whom he would classify as being really impossible or unreformable.
I asked him to tell me about the man. He said that that prisoner has to remain in his cell 23 hours and 40 minutes every day. He cannot be with anyone else. He isn’t insane; he’s just hardened. “We can’t give him any freedom,” the warden told me. “His meals are served in his cell through iron bars. He has toilet facilities and a bed, and that is where he stays all but about 20 minutes of the day, when he is taken out for a shower. The last time he was allowed to be with other prisoners he put a knife through another prisoner. He would do the same again if he were allowed any freedom.”
No personal pride. No worthy performance. No patience. The only thing he is accomplishing in his life is being number one—number one in impossibility.
May each of us take a lesson from this and so structure our lives that we may be classified as number one in the very important virtues of pride, performance, and patience—in total honesty with ourselves and with all others.
Second, we need to develop and practice being honest with our associates. We need to be honest in our relationships with our friends and others with whom we come in contact—not false or artificial, but honest in all our words and actions. When we give our word of honor it represents everything good about each of us.
A great leader in the Church, Karl G. Maeser (first president of Brigham Young Academy), felt strongly that each of us at one time or another must face ourselves and choose between personal interests and that which we know to be right. In choosing the right we are honest with ourselves and with others. He was once asked what he meant by “word of honor.” This was his answer. “Place me behind prison walls—walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground. There is a possibility that in some way or another I may be able to escape. But stand me on that floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of that circle? No. Never. I would die first.”
We who represent that Church need to pay particular attention to this. We mustn’t deceive any of our associates. We mustn’t act like something we are not. If we have personal pride and are honest with ourselves, being honest with our associates will come naturally.
Third, we must be honest in our work. The old phrase “an honest day’s work” is never outdated. I like to come to work early because I love what I do. We all should feel this way. A bad attitude about our work can affect the quality of what we do. One bad attitude, “temporary work mentality,” has probably had an effect on all of us at one time or another. We may be thinking that we are only going to be employed for a short time during a small portion of our lives—just for the summer, for example, or while we pay our way through school, or while we wait for a better job to come along. Maybe we are just working to get out of debt or help while a missionary son is in the field. There are many reasons why a person may develop a temporary work mentality, and the reasons themselves are not bad—it is the resulting attitude that is dangerous and dishonest. It is the kind of attitude that says, “I don’t have to treat this customer with care, courtesy, and honesty because I will not be here forever.” Or the kind that says, “I really don’t need to complete this task because no one will know, and I am not going to be here all my life.” This kind of thinking is lazy. It leads to a dangerous overall way of life that can affect our possibilities for success in the future.
In the Doctrine and Covenants 51:16–17 [D&C 51:16–17], the Prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation at the request of Bishop Edward Partridge. It appears that the Saints, after moving from place to place, wondered if they should build homes rather than live in tents during this temporary portion of their migration westward. To this question the Lord answered very clearly:
“And I consecrate unto them this land for a little season, until I, the Lord, shall provide for them otherwise, and command them to go hence;
“And the hour and the day is not given unto them wherefore let them act upon this land as for years, and this shall turn unto them for their good” (italics added).
In any position we accept, we offer our honesty, our integrity, and our good name. We should always work, as the Lord has suggested, as if for years. It is the works that we perform that finally build what we become.
We can teach the importance of honesty in work by our own example. The days seem long for those who do not work or who waste time in their working days. There is satisfaction in achieving and performing honestly.
There is a story told of a dishonest character who approached a trusted employee to help him steal a considerable amount of money from the company. The employee constantly refused until finally, after being offered one million dollars, he gave in to the idea.
After the two had successfully committed the crime, the criminal offered the employee one hundred dollars for his help. The employee was furious. In a voice filled with anger the employee said, “What do you think I am, a criminal?” The man who had planned the crime said in a voice filled with contempt, “We already know what you are; now we are just arguing over how much you get paid.”
Fourth, we must, above all, be honest with God. We must get to know him, get to know that he lives, get to know that he will help us. Over the years I have learned that when I need answers to deal with crises, people, and issues, I must go to God. God will help us in everything we do if we stay in tune and if we will call on him. We must each plan our future with him in our homes, our families, and our relationships with others. If we make him our senior partner, our lives can be successful.
A young boy, Joseph Smith, gave us one of the greatest examples of being honest with God, when on a spring morning in 1820 he poured out the most honest feelings of his heart to his Father in Heaven. The resulting answer “This is My Beloved Son, Hear Him!” followed and ushered in the fullness of the gospel in this dispensation. The total and complete honesty of a young 14-year-old boy has made more impact on our day than any other modern occurrence.
Honesty is a way of life. It is not an announcement, a declaration. It is a virtue that we achieve step by step, with our associates, in our work, and with God. It is not above and beyond the call of duty to be honest. Being honest is our duty.
“Honesty”

cji
11/01/18

Hammered into the eternity
stamped upon our being
our name our essence
our everything beyond
truth telling always
our word our bond
we believe in being honest
how important to say
knowing it is true
in spite of our frailties
having forgotten/repented
now part and parcel
stamped upon our being
hammered into the eternity!

Copyright © 2018 – cji

October 30, 2018

"Lines of Limitations"



“Lines of Limitations”

cji
10/31/18

Stopping oneself often
setting lines of limitations
wherein we waver faith
thinking we can’t go
forbidden the space
either not worthy
rather not good enough
stopping our flights
afraid of the laughter
if we fail and then again
therefore to determine
lines of limitations!

Copyright © 2018 – cji

October 29, 2018

"A Genetic Mess"



“A Genetic Mess”

cji
10/30/18

Unsure if it’s just age
maybe for some to be
adolescence or elderly
teenagers or tweeners
middle age or 20’s/30’s
but early in the morning
first thing we all see
is a genetic mess
posing in front of us
reflections for sure
sci-fi or even zombie
everything out of order
till brushing of the teeth
combing one’s hair
getting dressed/breakfast
never really knowing why
unsure if it’s just age!

Copyright © 2018 – cji

October 28, 2018

"In the Field"



“In the Field”

cji
10/29/18

Runs a stream oft
maybe a river found
then appears mountains
coming from where
but the Word heard
and we’re we seen
standing in the field
hearing, seeing, feeling
wherein was the Lord
calling us as friend?
Jeremiah 17:3 O my mountain in the field
Copyright © 2018 – cji

“Multitudinous”



“Multitudinous”

cji
10/28/18

To my great wondering
walking in fields of hugs
multitudinous so given
shared with grandchildren
(even brothers too)
freely lovingly caringly
there felt beyond me
thus with friends too
sharing such with prayer
finding life so complete
to my great wondering!

Copyright © 2018 – cji

October 27, 2018

"Blossoms"



“Blossoms”

cji
10/28/18

A cold chill lingers
beckoning the new
a Sabbath Day
extending from Father
to each to hear-come
as blossoms soft
feeling chill-warmth
sun rises a new day
softening hearts
opening feelings
amid lingering cold!

Copyright © 2018 – cji

October 26, 2018

"Histories Vapors"




“Histories Vapors”

cji
10/27/18

Guessing vapors fade
thus able to change
time and space havoc
histories vapors twist
deliberately today
rewriting changing
destroying the vapors
changing memories
teaching indifference
cruelly causing chaos!  

Copyright © 2018 – cji

October 25, 2018

"Oneness"



“Oneness”

cji
10/26/18

Leaving one group
becoming another
one a family of parts
next a family whole
oneness for eternity
cleaving one to one
becoming only a one
understanding truth
heirs together forever!

Copyright © 2018 – cji

October 24, 2018

"Created a Tree 2"



“Created a Tree 2”

cji
10/15/18

Some trees live long
others not quite so
some made into song
others just good to know;

Tree have much to give
beauty, fruits, climbing
protection many to live
in our lives now priming;

Some get hit by lightning
others slept by storms
shelters when fighting
creating many new norms;

Each in time to return
to the earth to be reborn
as ash when they burn
hoping we will not mourn!


Copyright © 2018 – cji

October 23, 2018

"Noise of the Bruit"



“Noise of the Bruit”

cji
10/24/18

How often one considers
sounds of the Scriptures
taking time to look about
learning knowing of Father
becoming a familiar voice
thus the noise of the bruit
how knowing it is to hear
sounding within the heart
within the arteries heard
echoing and feeling life!


Jeremiah 10:22 Behold, the noise of the bruit is come,
and a great commotion out of the north country,
to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.

Copyright © 2018 – cji

October 22, 2018

"Created a Tree"


“Created a Tree”

cji
10/23/18

Such excitement entering
first a little sprig gentle
amid the tall older ones
oh what a wonder to feel
what kind I wondered
guess as a child all one
different shapes seen
some leaf’s – other ferns
now growing older years
in the hundreds maybe!


Copyright © 2018 – cji

October 21, 2018

"Into the Gates of Hell"



“Into the Gates of Hell”

cji
10/22/18

Our nation is under attack
from within by the money
hatred and feeding frenzy
caring not for citizens
life has no value at all
collateral damage expressed
subjection of the masses
led by the nose of chaos
into the gates of hell
satan’s minions leading
our nation is under attack!

Copyright © 2018 – cji

"Ministering: Bondage of our Peers - Lamentations of Jeremiah: Beware of Bondage"


Lamentations of Jeremiah: Beware of Bondage

Early in our marriage my wife, Mary, and I decided that to the extent possible we would choose activities that we could attend together. We also wanted to be prudent with our budget. Mary loves music and was undoubtedly concerned that I might overemphasize sporting events, so she negotiated that for all paid events, there would be two musicals, operas, or cultural activities for each paid ball game.
Initially I was resistant to the opera component, but over time I changed my view. I particularly came to enjoy the operas by Giuseppe Verdi.1 This week will be the 200th anniversary of his birth.
In his youth Verdi was intrigued with the prophet Jeremiah, and in 1842, at the age of 28, he achieved fame with the opera Nabucco, a shortened Italian form of the name Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. This opera contains concepts drawn from the books of Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Psalms in the Old Testament. The opera includes the conquest of Jerusalem and the captivity and bondage of the Jews. Psalm 137 is the inspiration for Verdi’s moving and inspiring “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves.” The heading of this psalm in our scriptures is very dramatic: “While in captivity, the Jews wept by the rivers of Babylon—Because of sorrow, they could not bear to sing the songs of Zion.”
My purpose is to review many forms of bondage and subjugation. I will compare some circumstances of our day with those in the days of Jeremiah before the downfall of Jerusalem. In presenting this voice of warning, I am grateful that most Church members are righteously avoiding the conduct that was so offensive to the Lord in Jeremiah’s time.
The prophecies and lamentations of Jeremiah are important to Latter-day Saints. Jeremiah and the Jerusalem of his day are the backdrop to the beginning chapters in the Book of Mormon. Jeremiah was a contemporary of the prophet Lehi.2 The Lord dramatically informed Jeremiah of his foreordination: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”3
Lehi had a different calling, mission, and assignment from the Lord. He was not called in his youth but in his maturity. Initially his was a voice of warning, but after faithfully declaring the same message as Jeremiah, Lehi was commanded by the Lord to take his family and depart into the wilderness.4 In doing so, Lehi blessed not only his family but also all people.
During the years before the destruction of Jerusalem,5 the messages the Lord gave to Jeremiah are haunting. He said:
“My people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. …
“… They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed … out … broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”6
Speaking of the calamities to come upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Lord lamented, “[For them] the harvest is past, the summer is ended, and [they] are not saved.”7
God intended that men and women would be free to make choices between good and evil. When evil choices become the dominant characteristic of a culture or nation, there are serious consequences both in this life and the life to come. People can become enslaved or put themselves in bondage not only to harmful, addictive substances but also to harmful, addictive philosophies that detract from righteous living.
Turning from the worship of the true and living God and worshipping false gods like wealth and fame and engaging in immoral and unrighteous conduct result in bondage in all its insidious manifestations. These include spiritual, physical, and intellectual bondage and sometimes bring destruction. Jeremiah and Lehi also taught that those who are righteous must help the Lord establish His Church and kingdom and gather scattered Israel.8
These messages have echoed and been reinforced across the centuries in all dispensations. They are at the heart of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this, the final dispensation.
The captivity of the Jews and the scattering of the tribes of Israel, including the ten tribes, are prominent doctrinal factors in the Restoration of the gospel. The ten lost tribes made up the Northern Kingdom of Israel and were carried away captive into Assyria in 721 B.C. They went to the north countries.9 Our tenth article of faith states, “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes.”10 We also believe that as part of the covenant the Lord made with Abraham, not only the lineage of Abraham would be blessed but also all the people of the earth would be blessed. As Elder Russell M. Nelson has stated, the gathering “is not a matter of physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment. People can be ‘brought to the knowledge of the Lord’ [3 Nephi 20:13] without leaving their homelands.”11
Our doctrine is clear: “The Lord scattered and afflicted the twelve tribes of Israel because of their unrighteousness and rebellion. However, the Lord also [utilized] this scattering of his chosen people among the nations of the world to bless those nations.”12
We learn valuable lessons from this tragic period. We should do everything within our power to avoid the sin and rebellion that lead to bondage.13 We also recognize that righteous living is a prerequisite for assisting the Lord in gathering His elect and in the literal gathering of Israel.
Bondage, subjugation, addictions, and servitude come in many forms. They can be literal physical enslavement but can also be loss or impairment of moral agency that can impede our progress. Jeremiah is clear that unrighteousness and rebellion were the main reasons for the destruction of Jerusalem and captivity in Babylon.14
Other kinds of bondage are equally destructive of the human spirit. Moral agency can be abused in many ways.15 I will mention four that are particularly pernicious in today’s culture.
First, addictions that impair agency, contradict moral beliefs, and destroy good health cause bondage. The impact of drugs and alcohol, immorality, pornography, gambling, financial subjugation, and other afflictions imposes on those in bondage and on society a burden of such magnitude that it is almost impossible to quantify.
Second, some addictions or predilections, while not inherently evil, can use up our precious allotment of time which could otherwise be used to accomplish virtuous objectives. These can include excessive use of social media, video and digital games, sports, recreation, and many others.16
How we preserve time for family is one of the most significant issues we face in most cultures. At a time when I was the only member of the Church in our law firm, one woman lawyer explained to me how she always felt like a juggler trying to keep three balls in the air at the same time. One ball was her law practice, one was her marriage, and one was her children. She had almost given up on time for herself. She was greatly concerned that one of the balls was always on the ground. I suggested we meet as a group and discuss our priorities. We determined that the primary reason we were working was to support our families. We agreed that making more money wasn’t nearly as important as our families, but we recognized that serving our clients to the best of our abilities was essential. The discussion then moved to what we did at work that was not necessary and was inconsistent with leaving time for family. Was there pressure to spend time in the workplace that was not essential?17 We decided that our goal would be a family-friendly environment for both women and men. Let us be at the forefront in protecting time for family.
Third, the most universal subjugation in our day, as it has been throughout history, is ideology or political beliefs that are inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Substituting the philosophies of men for gospel truth can lead us away from the simplicity of the Savior’s message. When the Apostle Paul visited Athens, he tried to teach of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Of this effort we read in Acts, “For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.18 When the crowd realized the simple religious nature of Paul’s message, which was not new, they rejected it.
This is emblematic of our own day, where gospel truths are often rejected or distorted to make them intellectually more appealing or compatible with current cultural trends and intellectual philosophies. If we are not careful, we can be captured by these trends and place ourselves in intellectual bondage. There are many voices now telling women how to live.19 They often contradict each other. Of particular concern are philosophies that criticize or diminish respect for women who choose to make the sacrifices necessary to be mothers, teachers, nurturers, or friends to children.
A few months ago our two youngest granddaughters visited us—one each week. I was at home and answered the door. My wife, Mary, was in another room. In both cases, after a hug, they said almost the same thing. They looked around and then said, “I love to be in Grandma’s house. Where is Grandma?” I didn’t say it to them, but I was thinking, “Isn’t this Grandpa’s house too?” But I realized that when I was a boy, our family went to Grandma’s house. The words of a familiar song came into my mind: “Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go.”
Now, let me say unequivocally that I am thrilled with the educational and other opportunities that are available to women. I treasure the fact that the backbreaking work and domestic drudgery required of women has been reduced in much of the world because of modern conveniences and that women are making such magnificent contributions in every field of endeavor. But if we allow our culture to reduce the special relationship that children have with mothers and grandmothers and others who nurture them, we will come to regret it.
Fourth, forces that violate sincerely held religious principles can result in bondage. One of the most invidious forms is when righteous people who feel accountable to God for their conduct are forced into activities that violate their conscience—for example, health providers forced to choose between assisting with abortions against their consciences or losing their jobs.
The Church is a relatively small minority even when linked with people who are like-minded. It will be hard to change society at large, but we must work to improve the moral culture that surrounds us. Latter-day Saints in every country should be good citizens, participate in civic affairs, educate themselves on the issues, and vote.
Our primary emphasis, however, should always be to make any necessary sacrifices to protect our own family and the rising generation.20 The vast majority of them are not yet in bondage to serious addictions or false ideologies. We must help inoculate them from a world that sounds a lot like the Jerusalem that Lehi and Jeremiah experienced. In addition, we need to prepare them to make and keep sacred covenants and to be the principal emissaries to help the Lord establish His Church and gather scattered Israel and the Lord’s elect everywhere.21 As the Doctrine and Covenants beautifully reads, “The righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy.”22
Our challenge is to avoid bondage of any kind, help the Lord gather His elect, and sacrifice for the rising generation. We must always remember that we do not save ourselves. We are liberated by the love, grace, and atoning sacrifice of the Savior. When Lehi’s family fled, they were led by the Lord’s light. If we are true to His light, follow His commandments, and rely on His merits, we will avoid spiritual, physical, and intellectual bondage as well as the lamentation of wandering in our own wilderness, for He is mighty to save.
Let us avoid the despair and sorrow of those who fall into captivity and can no longer bear to sing the songs of Zion. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
“Bondage of Peer Pressure”

cji
10/21/18

Lo comes an election cycle
driving through the streets
we see peer pressures
whether right or wrong
candidates’ names on lawns
like the Burma Shave of old
some known criminals
others proclaiming Satan
bondage, socialism worse
others proclaiming freedoms
some giving away freedoms
some inviting responsibility
which are our peers pushing
unlike drugs in the street
which will we be addicted
in our call to be the same
bondage to our peers!

Copyright © 2018 – cji