Some Things I've Learned ...

Here is a talk I gave about a year ago. Thought you might like to see it ...


A Call From God

A talk by Dana Kehr at the Pioneer Valley Ward
Sacrament Meeting -- September 9, 2007

I want to share two stories with you today that I know you will enjoy. And, at the end of my talk, you will say to yourself – and realize – that this talk was prepared specially for you … and you will understand its implication in your life. So just relax now and be at peace and allow the Holy Ghost to speak quietly to your heart.

A few years ago, I returned on a business trip to New Hampshire and Vermont where, as a young man, I had served on a mission.

The leaves had not yet turned the brilliant reds and oranges and yellows that I remembered from my missionary days … and I wasn’t exactly certain where the freeway would take me … or if I would be able to find the place I most wanted to visit …

But, as I pulled off at a rest stop to check my map one more time, I decided I would keep searching until I found the marker that was placed where Joseph Smith Jr. was born.

About half an hour further up the road, I found it.

The scenery was as I had remembered it from many years ago. The monument was at the end of a country lane and on top of a small hill. The marker is a polished granite shaft that stands 38-1/2 feet tall – each foot in height representing one year in the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr.

I took a few moments and walked around the monument on the green hill … and then I found an unpaved road winding down into some nearby deep woods.

Here, in the privacy of these woods, just past the clearing for the memorial marker, we had once held a testimony meeting, conducted by our mission president then – Elder Boyd K. Packer. He had decided to hold our zone conference at this spot out in the woods, near a little depression in the ground. President Packer explained this little place was the foundation of the small home that Joseph Smith had lived in as a young boy and it was the place where Joseph had been lovingly held by his father while a doctor operated on young Joseph’s leg.

It was at this spot, during that zone conference, that I learned what a testimony was … and what it wasn’t; why it had power; how to effectively bare it; how to share it with others. All very important lessons for a 19-year-old midssionary who was a convert to the Church to learn … lessons that are still important to me today.

Near the monument itself are two small buildings, now being used as a visitor’s center. I know these have been remodeled since the days when I was a missionary nearly 40 years ago.

But one of the buildings at that time featured a plaque that you would see as you entered for a tour. It asked a simple question that was amazingly insightful.

The sign simply asked:

“Why in the hills of Vermont, build a monument to a man with so common a name as Joseph Smith Jr.”

It is a question that must be answered by all who are honest in heart. It is a question that I challenge you to ask … and to answer.

As Nephi said, I do not know all things. But, like him, I do know some things.

I know:

That Joseph Smith Jr. was called of God to restore the Church in these latter-days. He was the first prophet of this dispensation. By the power and under the direction of God, he translated The Book of Mormon – Another Witness of Jesus Christ.

Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, we have gained knowledge of such important concepts as: The Godhead, the Priesthood; the Plan of salvation; The Atonement; Eternal Life; and much, much more.

I know that Joseph Smith was instructed by Heavenly Beings sent from the presence of God. He spoke with and of the Savior of the world – Jesus Christ. He taught us of temples and eternal marriage and of love of all mankind.

Through the testimony of Joseph Smith, we can come to better know God – Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ whom He sent to redeem us.

Today, we have a living prophet and twelve apostles who lead the Church organization that was founded and approved by Jesus Christ -- even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Our message to the world remains the same as it has always been – that you can find out for yourself; that these life-altering and life-saving truths will be revealed to you – just as they were to the boy prophet Joseph Smith – by revelation from God – if you will but pray and ask for guidance.

And now, I want to talk with you about something that I fear we may be losing … something very precious in the Church … that was of utmost importance to the early members who knew the Prophet Joseph …
And, before I tell you what I fear we may be losing – I want to begin another story to lay a foundation for a scripture that will become important as we go along …

In the New Testament is a location known as Caesarea Philippi. It was a pagan city located in the most northern part of Jesus’ ministry. It is situated on a terrace high on the slopes of Mount Hermon and it overlooks a beautiful valley.

Only about 25 miles north and east of the Sea of Galilee – it was a place where Jesus could teach his Twelve Apostles in peace and quiet without the glaring judgments of others.

The prominent feature of this area is a small but mysterious cave. It is not very deep, but was considered to be the birthplace of Pan, the Greek god of nature, forests, mountains, fields, shepherds and flocks. Now, Pan’s origin was actually in Greece – and worshippers of this pagan god who traveled to Palestine found the landscape similar to home – so they set up this place as a sanctuary where they would worship Pan.

Here they carved five niches in the rock wall on the right side of the cave wherein they placed statues and carved inscriptions that made mention of Pan and other Greek pagan gods.

From the eastern-most spring in the Cave of Pan is the water that makes up one of the four tributaries for the beautiful Jordan River. Here, water is constantly flowing out of the cave and travels beneath solid rock for several yards through the underground cavities and channels and back out into the open, down some short waterfall steps, before funneling into a cool rushing stream.

The pagans of Pan used the human sacrifice of a child or an animal to appease their god. The killing would take place near the mouth of the cave and the body would be cast into the waters inside the cave. The worshipers would then hurry a few steps down from the cave and gather around the little waterfalls and pools. If the sacrifice was accepted by Pan – no blood would be seen in the water. If the sacrifice was rejected, the pagan priests would find diluted red blood polluting the cool, fresh water.

Now jump ahead many years in time to when Jesus and his apostles were traveling through this area.

He stops with his back to the reddish rock walls of the pagan temple and its many followers. As recorded in Matthew 16, Jesus then asks his disciples an interesting question:

“Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the great prophets.

“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?”

And that’s when Peter speaks his heart:

“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

To which the Lord replies:

“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

With the temple of Herod and the pagan symbols of Pan standing in all their glory, those gentle spring waters rushing by, and the great red rocks and cliffs towering behind the Savior – he teaches that no sacrifice of flesh and blood is needed to reveal his truth.
Instead, His Church will be built upon something more solid, reliable, stronger, more sure than these rocks. And, unlike the sign-seeking pagans at the cave of Pan – Jesus will build his kingdom on the real rock foundation that will stand forever. He will build his kingdom on the rock of revelation.

And now you may ask – what do these two seemingly unrelated stories have to do with me, now, in this little ward of Zion?

And why in the world is Brother Kehr telling you he fears we are losing something important … ?

What is that …? And what does revelation have to do with it?

I fear that we have lost what our early Church members had – it was “the spirit of the call”.

When a call came to serve missions, it was readily accepted. When a call was extended to save souls trapped in a snowstorm, wagons and teams and men responded at the peril of their own lives to the call. When there were cities to build, territories to be settled, families needing to move, temples to be built – the faithful membership rose to the spirit of the call.

We need that same spirit today. We need more missionaries. We need more Primary teachers. We need more youth leaders. We need more who are active and participating in the Relief Society and the Priesthood quorums. We need home teachers and visiting teachers and Sunday School teachers. We need dedicated members who fulfill their assignments. We need members who are willing to sacrifice themselves in order to bless the lives of others. We need members who are filled with the spirit of God and who feel the spirit of the call to be effective.

May I suggest to you the way a call could come from the Lord to you today?

First, the Bishopric is informed of a calling that needs to be filled. Usually, this information comes from a priesthood or auxiliary presidency that is charged with helping our members perfect themselves in Christ.

Next, the Bishopric studies the handbooks and the scriptures to determine the skills, traits and attitudes that may be most helpful in a candidate to fill that position.

The Bishopric then prayerfully considers the members of the ward who may potentially fill that calling – and in most instances, they will create a list of a number of ward members who could be “right” for the calling.

The Bishopric member assigned to the specific quorum or auxiliary where that calling is available – then does a preliminary interview of the candidates on the list … and in that interview process with a number of members, revelation often occurs so that the Bishopric member knows the will of the Lord. If it turns out that none on the list would be a good match for the position that is open, the Bishopric member reports that back to the Bishopric … and another preliminary list of candidates is prayerfully scheduled for interviews.

During that preliminary interviewing process, if the Lord reveals to the Bishopric member that one of the candidates for the calling is the “right” one – that information is brought back to the Bishopric so that the Bishopric may seek confirmation from the Lord.

This process sometimes seems to take a little longer to complete … but it almost always results in revelation by the Lord and in acceptance of the calling by a member who has been selected by revelation and is approved of by the Lord.

After the preliminary interviews are completed, the Bishopric makes its decision and again goes to the Lord in prayer asking for confirmation from the Lord if the person now selected is the one the Lord wants to fulfill the assignment that is available.

If the Lord confirms this decision, the formal calling may then be extended to the member.

This is the pattern the Lord established in the Doctrine and Covenants where a revelation is given to Oliver Cowdery explaining why he is unable to translate:

“Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.
“But, behold, I say unto you that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it be right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

“But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that will cause you to forget the thing that is wrong …”

Once the Bishopric has made a decision and taken it to the Lord for confirmation – and after a worthiness interview and teaching moment -- it is at this point that the Bishopric member may say in all sincerity: “Brother or Sister – The Lord wants you to fulfill this assignment. It has been revealed to us after much fasting, study, and prayer. How would you feel about accepting this assignment from the Lord?”

If this process is followed – and revelation is received as promised by the Savior – do you think that our classes and quorums will be filled with the Holy Ghost? Do you think our teachers and leaders will be able to fulfill the assignments of the Lord? Do you think you will see teaching and service that will change lives in the process?

For members to answer the call to serve – something spiritual must happen to them. They have to feel the spirit of the call. You don’t often get it from an e-mail. You don’t have it when you are being asked to serve while standing at the drinking fountain. The spirit of the call comes only after fasting, study, prayer and revelation. It comes after searching interviews. It comes after revelation from the Lord.

We must never lose and never forget the sacred nature of the call as it comes by the spirit of revelation. The obligation to serve – the promise of blessings to those who answer the call – the sacred teachings and revelations that are rightfully yours in the assignments that you receive – are dependent upon the spirit of the call as it is issued by revelation.

In section 12 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord says:

“Behold, I speak unto you, and also to all who have desires to bring forth and establish this work;

“And no one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love, having faith, hope, and charity, being temperate in all things, whatsoever shall be entrusted to his care.

“Behold, I am the light and the life of the world, that speak these words, therefore give heed with your might, and then you are called. Amen.”

So now, if the Bishopric has done its part in preparing and following the Lord’s guidance in issuing a call – what must you do in accepting it?

Let me answer that by asking you a few brief questions:

Couldn’t God just teach everyone himself? Why does he need you to do it?

Well, yes, he can …

So, why do you think he has asked you to accept an assignment in the Church? What is he really after?

Hmmnnn … good question.

Do you suppose that callings from the Lord … assignments you are asked to fulfill … are less about the effect they’ll have on others – and may be more about the affect they’ll have on you, the person who is being called to the assignment?

What do you mean?

Well, suppose you are asked to share the gospel … or teach a Primary Class … or work with the Scouting program … or accept any of the assignments or callings that are typically issued to Church members …

Uh-huh …

So, why did God call you?

Uh … he wants me to help others …

Oh, I’m certain that may be part of it … but remember, he could do it all himself. So, why is he calling you instead?

Hmmmn … Does he want me to become a better person?

I think you may be on to something here …

Are you suggesting that to be effective in my assignments – to feel the spirit of the call – I should study, pray, fast, pay my tithing, read the scriptures, meditate and ponder, attend the temple, seek the truth, treat all I meet with dignity, respect and love, demonstrate faith, hope, love, kindness and much more?

Wouldn’t be a bad place to start now, would it?

Are you implying that to be effective in my callings and assignments from God, I should improve myself, share my testimony with others, spend time in service to others and do right things for the right reasons?

You know, I think you are getting it.

It sounds like God wants me to perfect myself … to become like he is.

Uh-huh. I think that’s the plan. You see, callings and assignments from the Lord are given to you so that you will be ready once again to live in the presence of God throughout all eternity.

If you accept those callings that come through revelation you will be perfecting yourself in Christ. The Lord says in the 14th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants,

“And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”

And through revelation, you may come to know the truth of all things.

May you seek truth as some of us did in the woods of New England … and may you find it – not through flesh and blood but through the power of revelation … as you serve others by accepting callings and assignments given through revelation from the Lord in the Pioneer Valley Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

God bless our Bishopric as they interview and issues callings through the spirit of revelation … and God bless us to respond to God’s will by that same power … is my prayer in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.