Department and Individual Efforts to Amplify Prophetic Messages
June 2024 CES Religious Educators Conference
Brother Scott Esplin: Thank you to all who have presented earlier, and welcome to Brigham Young University. My name is Scott Esplin. I’m the dean of religious education here at BYU, and I’m grateful to have all of you here on campus today and participating, especially with some dear friends here on this panel. As was mentioned earlier, we’re working to become a system, and I’m grateful to work with these good men and all of you in this system. When the religious educators conference, first with the Educators Committee, met I think two years ago for the first time, President Holland walked into the room and he said—I think, if I remember right, he said, “We’ve called ourself a system for a long time. It’s time we start acting like one.” Start acting like one. Yeah. And yeah, I’m grateful to be with everyone here.
By way of introduction, to my left is Rory Bigelow, the associate administrator of Seminaries and Institutes. To his left is David Peck, dean of the College of Education and Human Development at BYU–Idaho. Our religious education is a department within that college, and Dave is one of its faculty members. I’m grateful to have you with us, Dave. Aaron Shumway joins us from Laie, where he is the director of religious education at BYU–Hawaii. And I also introduce and welcome Brad Streeter. Brad is the director of audiovisual services within the Office of Information Technology here at Brigham Young University, an audio engineer and AV designer for 17 years. And he’ll be helping us with our presentation.
Just by way of introduction, Elder Gilbert, two years ago in the 2023 annual broadcast, as we’ve discussed today, emphasized prophetic emphases and encouraged us to find ways to incorporate them into our classrooms. The following year in this past broadcast in January of 2024, he continued: “I’m grateful for so many of you who accepted those invitations and sought ways to amplify the words of our prophets and apostles to the young adults of the Church. At a baseline, religion and institute faculty have been asked to update the syllabi of their Teachings of the Living Prophets course to include recent prophetic emphases to our young adults. But so many of you have also recognized how the words of living prophets can strengthen and amplify other scripture-based courses.” As a panel, we’ve been asked to discuss ways that we, as departments and individually, have been incorporating prophetic emphases in our classrooms, in our courses, and in our lives. Elder Gilbert continued: “We have a responsibility to know and amplify those messages. Brothers and sisters, our young adults live in perilous times, but the Lord has prepared prophets who have the calling and the capacity to say, ‘Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.’”
We wanted to focus today our panel discussion on the nature, the choice of Elder Gilbert’s word to amplify prophetic messages. And that’s our purpose for inviting Brad here. He uses the word “amplify” eight times in his talk. And so we’ve invited Brad Streeter to talk with us about what it means, what an amplifier is, and the attributes of an amplifier. I will acknowledge as I thought about this panel this morning, I thought of the Sesame Street song: “One of these things is not like the other.” But I won’t finish the second half of that line, because Brad definitely belongs on this panel. He’s the only one of us who actually knows how an amplifier works. So, Brad, do you want to talk to us about an amplifier and some of its attributes?
Brother Brad Streeter: Sure. An amplifier is in most of our electronic devices that we have today. It’s just an electronic circuit that takes an input signal and increases it by means of an external power source. In an ideal situation, an amplifier’s input signal is identical to its output signal. In audiovisual, we actually use an amplifier to take an input source, like a microphone, increase its amplitude, or its size, and be able to send it through an output source, like a speaker. There are a number of attributes or qualities of an amplifier that can be measured, and manufacturers will actually specify or publish those in an electrical specification. And that’s what we use when we’re actually selecting an amplifier. Four of those are of particular interest to us. They include gain, efficiency, linearity, and noise.
Brother Esplin: Thank you, Brad. So what we are going to talk about today is applying these principles of an amplifier to our settings in religious education. In what ways does gain impact our ability to amplify the prophetic messages? In what ways does efficiency impact our ability to amplify prophetic messages? In what ways can we impact or improve our linearity? And then, finally, what noise effects can impact our ability to amplify prophetic messages? So, Brad, do you want to give us an example of gain and what that might mean for an amplifier?
Brother Streeter: Sure. Gain refers to how much a signal is able to be amplified. So that could be as little as a pair of headphones, or it could be millions of times larger in order to be able to get sound out to something like a large stadium. Not only does that allow us to get above the noise of the stadium but also allows us to get the distance going from one end of the stadium all the way to the other.
Brother Esplin: Thank you, Brad. As we discussed this, he and I and the rest of us on our panel, he used a phrase that he described, you know, “Garbage in, garbage out.” You only get as much effective output as you do the input that you bring in. So as we’ve talked and thought about it, as religious educators, I’m grateful for my colleagues, those who have demonstrated the ability to increase gain in amplifying prophetic messages. I have a number of colleagues who have found ways to incorporate prophetic messages in their classes; in their syllabi; in their assignments, as President Reese mentioned earlier today; in their personal lives. I’ve witnessed among my faculty them seeking to increase the gain, the input that they’re bringing in of prophetic messages so that they can amplify the output that they’re able to demonstrate to the students. I think, Rory, you had some thoughts on this as well.
Brother Rory Bigelow: Yeah, I’ve been thinking about, What can I do personally to increase the gain, the input signal, from prophets, seers, and revelators? And the first thought that came to mind was Alma 17:2–3. And we learned from the sons of Mosiah that they had, and I’ll quote here—“They had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. [And] this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy.” And I think about that: in order for me to increase the volume on the output, I need to increase the input level in my personal life. And there are certain things I can do to increase, attune my ear to better hear prophetic messages and to study them.
I remember sitting in a meeting with the religious educators group, and as we were talking about the address that we were discussing, we were reviewing some of the addresses that we have all been asked to study. It became very, very clear that the members of that group have studied and read and reread and restudied, because it just naturally came out as a byproduct of soaking in it. So I think the sons of Mosiah are a perfect example. In order to increase gain, we have to be intentional about obtaining.
Brother Esplin: Now, as we talked with Brad, in an amplifier setting, it’s not the quality, necessarily, of the input or the—it’s the amplifier itself, its technical abilities. And our message is—the Lord’s message is perfect through His prophets, seers, and revelators. But I, as an amplifier, need to be able to be prepared to effect positive gain. Yeah. I think, Aaron, you were going to share something else as well on gain.
Brother Aaron Shumway: Well, I’m thinking—and Brad, you’ll have to correct me if I’m wrong—but to amplify a whisper to a stadium is going to be harder than amplifying a much larger signal. Is that so? So the size of the input, no matter how much the gain—your amplifier could be the biggest gain of any amplifier, but if the signal coming in is small, the signal coming out—and so it makes sense, from a religious educator standpoint, when the Lord told Hyrum Smith, “Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word.” I mean, if I’m just reading these talks once, I think I got it. I’m at the whisper level. And even if I’m—even if I do a lot of my classrooms, I just don’t have a lot to work with. And so that message to Hyrum resonates with me. First, seek to obtain. We need to be immersed, as Rory said in this, so that the gain that we do have produces an even more powerful output.
Brother Streeter: And, frankly, the amplifier has to do less work if you give it more on the input.
Brother Esplin: Thank you, Brad. We’re going to turn our attention now for just a few minutes to efficiency. Brad, can you talk to us about efficiency and what it means for an amplifier?
Brother Streeter: Sure. Amplifiers basically have to use an electrical signal to get signal out of it. Some amplifiers do this better than others. And, frankly, if it’s not doing it well, it typically just releases heat—and sometimes a lot of heat. But it’s really how well the amplifier uses the power that’s applied to it.
Brother Esplin: Thank you. Aaron, what thoughts do you have about how that might relate to us as religious educators? Efficiency.
Brother Shumway: Thanks. I take that one really personal. And I remember a quote from Elder Maxwell saying, “You teach what you are.” And when I think of efficiency, if I’m an amplifier, I don’t want to do anything that turns this wonderful signal into heat. That’s not helpful in the output. And there are principles of preserving that power. I’m thinking specifically of Doctrine and Covenants 121. If I’m letting my bowels be full of charity, if I’m letting virtue garnish my thoughts unceasingly, if I’m letting the doctrine of the priesthood or the doctrine of the gospel just kind of settle upon my soul, if I strive to have the Holy Ghost as my constant companion, I’m a power preserver and not a depleter. And, very interestingly, that same section gives me some ideas about power depletion. And I’m going to change the wording and you’ll all recognize it. But in the context of religious education, as a warning to myself, it warns me that if I seek to cover my lack of preparation or to gratify my ability to keep students captivated or to exercise any kind of control in the classroom unrighteously and in my classroom management style, I’m depleting power. My efficiency as an amplifier goes way down.
Brother Esplin: Sometimes doing that increases the heat in our students’ personal lives too. They return that heat to us in a variety of ways.
Brother Shumway: Yeah, well, nobody wants to hear a person just spouting a lot of hot air. Exactly. If that’s heat.
Brother Esplin: Thank you. Dave, what thoughts do you have on efficiency?
Brother David Peck: Well, just to add to what Aaron shared, I’m just inspired to rub shoulders with teachers that are just quietly and humbly seeking to be that kind of a person they’re trying to point their students to. They’re walking that path, that they’re leading their students on filling their lives with light, with joy. They’re studying, they’re immersing themselves in the gospel and the prophet’s words. And I just see that power increase in them. And I feel it. Their students feel it. And we’re all blessed by it.
Brother Esplin: Thank you, Dave. Rory, you have some experiences, I think, in this area as it relates to language communication, language acquisition. About your experiences with language.
Brother Bigelow: I think anyone who’s learned a foreign language will understand this, that we become—the individual who’s learning a foreign language can either inhibit and reduce the effectiveness of the translation, or they can improve it. My son, he—I asked him if I could have permission to share this, and he said yeah. He served his mission in the Belgium/Netherlands mission, was called Portuguese speaking. And one of the roles that he had was to translate from Dutch into Portuguese in sacrament. And he said he had—it was two or three months into the mission and his level of understanding of the source language, Dutch, was much lower than the target language, Portuguese. And he said one time the brother got up to bear his testimony—it was a fast and testimony meeting—he was going so fast. He said, “I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t keep up.” So he said—in the Portuguese translation, he said, “We will now hear from Elder Renlund,” and he just started reading a conference talk in Portuguese to this brother. And he didn’t know any different because he didn’t understand Dutch. And I think, you know, How often do inefficiency—
I like the way you talked about it Aaron. There’s another element that leads to inefficiency, and that is my lack of skill and ability. And if I haven’t paid a price to understand source and target language, then my inability gets in the way of the message. And I think about that. If you’re speaking a language, if you’re teaching the gospel as a full-time missionary and you can’t speak the language, the Holy Ghost—we all know this—the Holy Ghost will make up all the difference. But if they never worry about how inaccurate my grammar is and how I don’t know how to speak the language, then I don’t cloud the path to the Savior. And I think that’s another thing we think in terms of, How can I be more efficient? I need to pay a price, and I need to be better.
Brother Esplin: And I’m grateful for so many of our colleagues who have paid that price as I’ve watched the last two years following Elder Gilbert’s invitation. Brad talked to us about linearity. How does it affect an amplifier?
Brother Streeter: Yeah. So, linearity is really a representation of how well the output of the amplifier matches the input. As I mentioned before, an ideal amplifier, the output would be identical to the input but just at a larger scale. I’m sure many of you have heard poor audio. This is just a short clip of an audio clip that represents some of the things that can actually be introduced by an amplifier that distorts the quality of the audio coming on the output.
[video]
President Russell M. Nelson: My dear brothers and sisters, today is an historic day for President Dallin H. Oaks and me. It was 40 years ago, on April 7, 1984, when we were called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
[end video]
Brother Streeter: I hope you haven’t experienced that too much, but my guess is you probably have.
Brother Esplin: Says the director of audiovisual Thank you, Brad. Dave, talk to us about your thoughts on linearity as it relates to religious educators. Yeah.
Brother Peck: Thank you, thank you, Scott, and thank you, Brad, for that illustration. I’ve had fun diving into this topic of amplifying, and I’ve learned a lot from my colleagues as I’ve studied specifically linearity just a bit for this discussion today. I came across a statement that I thought was pretty interesting and added some insight. And it goes like this: linearity is when the output signal changes proportionately to the input signal. I’ll say that again: the output signal changes proportionally to the input signal. So, in other words, the output signal is true to the input. And that really was profound to me as a religious educator. The question we could ask ourselves could be, Am I true to the prophetic signals that I’ve been receiving? Do I adjust when and how the prophet adjusts? Or, in other words, am I aligned? That, to me, was just a really profound concept, and maybe I could even borrow from Ammaron’s description of the young Mormon. Are we quick to observe? And sometimes when it comes to to misaligning, it can creep in so subtly, even if it’s just so imperceptible. But it can, it can creep in carefully, easily, if we’re not careful.
And if I could share, it reminded me of an invitation that Elder Uchtdorf extended to us a number of years ago that I think relates to this topic and his words. “We should regularly recheck our position on that charted course and make sure that we are not slowly drifting off course. The more we treasure the scriptures and the words of the prophets and apply them, the better [we’ll] be able to recognize when we are drifting—even if [only by] a few degrees.” And that just stood out to me. A matter of a few degrees really, really does matter.
And maybe if I could just share one more passage out of John chapter seven. And here we see really what I think is a perfect example of what alignment looks like. And this comes from the Savior Himself: “My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.” There is never any question where He faced, and there is never any deviation. And I’m so grateful for that example. So, with that in mind, those are a few thoughts that I thought helped me. Perfect. Perfect linearity. Thank you.
Brother Esplin: I thought about, you know, as a sound wave, sometimes, if I’m not careful, I pick and choose a segment, a piece, a sample of a prophetic message, and I take it out of context. I do that. I may make that mistake teaching scripture. I make that mistake with prophetic messages. And if I’m going to be attuned to linearity, I need to make sure that it aligns perfectly with the input, the message that I was given. I had an experience last night with one of my children. My youngest is 10, and he’s been missing his AirPods for a few weeks, and so he prayed last night that he would find AirPods, and he found AirPods—his older brother’s—that had been missing for about two months. And we had this discussion about being a little more attuned in terms of specificity on your prayers or, you know, asking exactly. I thought about this concept of linearity. He wasn’t perfectly aligned in his prayer with what he was asking for. You need the blue AirPods that have been missing for a little while, not your brother’s, who have been missing for several months, but we’re still looking. So, Rory, do you have any thoughts on this one? Any other ideas or ...
Brother Bigelow: Yeah, when we talked about this before, I just couldn’t help but think in terms of what we’ve been taught so far, of what Elder Neil L. Andersen taught us last year in Seminaries and Institutes about the power of Jesus Christ and His pure doctrine. And Elder Andersen said this. I’ll just read it. “A few question their faith when they find a statement made by a Church leader decades ago that seems incongruent with our doctrine. There is an important principle that governs the doctrine of the Church. The doctrine is taught by all 15 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. It is not hidden in an obscure paragraph of one talk. True principles are taught frequently and by many.” And then this statement: “Our doctrine is not difficult to find.” And I think perfect linearity is linearity in the sense that we are aligned with doctrine taught by all 15 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of Twelve Apostles.
Brother Esplin: Their full message, their full context, what they’re sharing. Thank you, Rory. Brad, do you want to talk to us about the fourth one? Talk to us about noise. And what does that mean for an amplifier?
Brother Streeter: Sure. Noise is really just a measure of the unwanted signal that’s introduced by the amplifier into the output. Oftentimes, and particularly as we deal with it in audiovisual, is it tends to impact the way we hear and the way that we understand the audio signal.
Brother Esplin: Thank you. Rory, I know you’ve given some thought to this. What does noise mean for a religious educator?
Brother Bigelow: I think of all of them, and, clearly, as I think about myself and doing a self-assessment and I look at each one of them, I think noise is the one that is almost imperceptible in our own personal lives. Noise can come internally right from the amplifier itself. It can also come externally from the conditions in which the amplifier is. And I think in terms of the first scripture that came to mind was Matthew 14, the Savior’s walking on the water. You’re familiar with this. And he sees the Savior, and Jesus says, “Come.” You know, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” And the Savior says, “Come.” “And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” And I just think what kind of faith and focus and trust it must have taken for the Savior to see Peter and say, “Come.” And then for Peter to do that, I just—I thought it was remarkable.
And then what we are aware of is this, verse 30. “[And] when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” I think in terms of an amplifier, if I allow the wind that is not my focus to get in the way, it almost piggybacks my message, becomes a parasite of sorts. It attaches itself, and whether I believe I’m amplifying the voice of prophets or not, I may have allowed external thoughts and influences to enter into the way I teach. And if I’m not careful, I can find myself teaching something that is not core to the message. And it was not the intent of the author of a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. And I then color it by my own opinion or maybe what social media is telling me, and that then becomes unwanted noise. It’s an unwanted signal that sometimes is delivered. I think we can sometimes even do it tacitly, like we could without even speaking. We can—students can make comments that we just let slide, that we don’t acknowledge, and others in the class may then say, “OK, you know, Brother Bigelow, we’ll just endorse something that I don’t think is really core to doctrine.” And so noise, I see it is something that we have to be really, really careful of, that we don’t allow unwanted messages to creep in.
I’ll share this as well. This is, I think, a perfect example from President Nelson of noise that could creep in. In 2018, when he gave his talk “The Correct Name of the Church,” President Nelson said this. He said, “Brothers and sisters, there are many worldly arguments against restoring the correct name of the Church.” Think about the external noise that could have influenced the name change, the pivot back to the correction. Really, he called it a course correction in his talk. He said: “Critics say that a correction at this point is unwise. Others feel that because we are known so widely as ‘Mormons’ and as the ‘Mormon Church,’ we should make the best of it.
“If this were a discussion about branding a man-made organization, those arguments might prevail.” I think about things like that. How often do we allow the worldly perspective to, parasite-like, attach itself to a prophetic message? And then President Nelson said this: “But in this crucial matter, we look to Him whose Church this is and acknowledge that the Lord’s ways are not, and never will be, man’s ways.” And so I think President Nelson is a perfect example of not allowing an unwanted noise to attach itself to a prophetic message.
Brother Esplin: I’m going to come back to see if anyone else has other thoughts on noise as well on our panel, but it reminded me of something President Meredith mentioned earlier when he quoted from section 52: “teaching none other [thing].” There’s times that we introduce other messages other than what prophets and apostles teach, and that introduces noise into our classroom.
Does anyone else have any other thoughts on noise? Dave, would you share with us? One other thought came in my mind.
Brother Peck: It can be difficult to cut noise out of our world. There’s just so much of it. And an idea from Preach My Gospel in chapter eight actually came to my mind. And in this section, I feel they’re giving us a really powerful noise-reducing filter. And it’s a simple question, and it’s directed at missionaries, but I think it can be easily adapted to our setting. And you’ll recognize this. And here’s how it reads. “If you cannot see how your efforts might help a person progress in a way that is reflected in your key indicators, evaluate whether the activity is a good use of your time.” Such a simple concept.
Now, we could rephrase that for our work. If you cannot see how your efforts in the classroom develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, or their communities, evaluate whether the activity is a good use of your time. And a simple question. We just can’t do everything. I think this question really helps us to find ways to reduce, to simplify and just focus on those things that matter the very most.
Brother Esplin: Thank you, thank you. You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about—since we were assigned this topic and settled on the discussion of an amplifier—ways that I could be better. I need to be better. Ways that I need to eliminate noise in my life, ways that I want to make sure my message is perfectly aligned, that I have good linearity, ways that I can increase in the gain that I’m uptaking more of the prophetic messages and then ways that I can be more efficient in the delivery of that. We talked together. And as was mentioned earlier, someone else noted, we see this in our prophets, seers, and revelators, that they amplify President Nelson’s voice. I’m grateful for Aaron and his team. Several of his students assembled a montage that we want to share with you of the prophets, seers, and revelators amplifying President Nelson’s messages. So these are just clips from each of the prophets, seers, and revelators that BYU–Hawaii put together that we’d like to share.
[video]
President Dallin H. Oaks: We’ve been reminded by many speakers at this conference that President Russell M. Nelson often refers to the plan of salvation as the covenant path. In recent conference addresses ...
President Henry B. Eyring: President Russell M. Nelson taught, “The safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants!”
President Jeffrey R. Holland: In spite of frightful prophecies and unsettling scriptures declaring that peace would be taken from the earth generally, the prophets, including our own beloved Russell M. Nelson, have taught that it does not have to be taken from us individually!
Elder Ronald A. Rasband: President Nelson has a way with words. He has said, “Keep on the covenant path,” “Gather Israel,” “Let God prevail.”
Elder Dale G. Renlund: Spiritual momentum is created “over a lifetime as we repeatedly embrace the doctrine of Christ.” Doing so, President Russell M. Nelson taught, produces a “powerful, virtuous cycle.”
Elder Ulisses Soares: Our dear prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, reminds us about this vital principle by saying: “The temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and its spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the very heart of the temple.”
Elder Gerrit W. Gong: As President Russell M. Nelson teaches, “Everything we believe and every promise God has made to His covenant people come together in the temple.”
Elder Patrick Kearon: You will remember when President Russell M. Nelson issued the following invitation in general conference. He said: “As you study your scriptures ... , I encourage you to make a list of all the Lord has promised He will do for covenant Israel. I think you will be astounded!”
Elder Gary E. Stevenson: How important is this gift? President Russell M. Nelson answered this question categorically when he stated that “in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: President Russell M. Nelson taught: “When your greatest desire is to let God prevail [in your life], … many decisions become easier. … Many issues become nonissues!”
Elder Quentin L. Cook: We follow the counsel of our beloved prophet, President Nelson: we choose the role of “a peacemaker, now and always.”
Elder D. Todd Christofferson: President Russell M. Nelson has urged us to “think celestial,” making the celestial kingdom our eternal goal.
Elder Neil L. Andersen: President Russell M. Nelson has declared: “Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again.”
Elder David A. Bednar: Six months ago in general conference, President Nelson described his personal elation as he was led to a new insight about the meaning of the word Israel. He told us that his soul was stirred as he learned that “the very name of Israel refers to a person who is willing to let God prevail in his or her life.”
[end video]
Brother Esplin: Thank you, Aaron, for putting that together for us. We’d like to conclude by modeling or emphasizing or applying the invitation to amplify prophetic messages by sharing messages that have stood out to us over the last several years from President Nelson. And so, Rory, would you start with us—start for us. Share a message that you’d like to amplify.
Brother Bigelow: Yeah. Happy to. I just want to make a comment, maybe, before. And we’ve been speaking in terms of what we can do as amplifiers in our classroom settings and as we interact with others, but I think there’s value in also thinking about, What do we do to help our students to be amplifiers? That it’s one thing that we ourselves need to do some work, but there’s something to be said for helping those whom we love and teach to also be amplifiers of prophetic messages. It’s really—we don’t want to suffer from “center of the universe syndrome,” right? That we think that it’s all about us and it’s certainly not. For me, this is a statement that President—how do you choose one? Right? But this is one that President Nelson made in his talk “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives.” And it’s—the reason why I selected it is because, for me, it aligns with this idea of amplification and reducing noise and greater linearity and greater efficiency and what I can do to increase the gain.
President Nelson said this:
“Find a quiet place where you can regularly go. Humble yourself before God. Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. Turn to Him for answers and for comfort.
“Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take.”
And then this is just fabulous: “As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will ‘grow into the principle of revelation.’” And for me this says—this is how I need to be a greater amplifier. It tells me what I need to do in my life.
Brother Esplin: Thanks. Thank you for that reminder about ways we can help our students do the same. Well done. Dave, what did you select?
Brother Peck: Yeah. Thank you. A message that came to my mind—as I’ve been thinking about alignment and amplifying, my mind went to covenants and the power and the ability covenants have to align us with God and help us to connect with His power. And this promise from President Nelson has really been resonating with me: “Once you and I have made a covenant with God, our relationship with Him becomes much closer than before our covenant. Now we are bound together. Because of our covenant with God, He will never tire in His efforts to help us, and we will never exhaust His merciful patience with us. Each of us has a special place in God’s heart.”
That’s the message I need to hear from time to time. I know my students do too. I see some heavy hands, some heavy eyes in my students, some heavy hearts. And they wonder, “Am I going it alone? Does anybody know me? Is anyone aware of me?” And I just love testifying to them, as President Nelson has, you are known of Him, and you are beloved, and He hears and answers your prayers. And I know that He sent His Son to save us, and His dear prophet is here to point us to the Savior and His redeeming power. And that’s blessed my life. So, thank you, Dave.
Brother Esplin: Aaron, what did you select?
Brother Shumway: Well, I love observing our faculty. As you have all said, it’s such a wonderful privilege to rub shoulders with people who are trying to take these messages to heart, and I’ve learned a lot from them. And as I watch how each individual faculty member tries to internalize and use and amplify these prophetic messages, I imagine all the choices that are made in learning activities, in which talks at which time for which students. And so I was drawn to “Think Celestial!” last October but in the context of us as religious educators: “When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement. It is also dependent upon your obedience to His laws.”
When I make choices about what content to cover, which learning activities, which students I need to reach out to because I haven’t seen them two class periods in a row. All those to think celestial, think a long view. It’s not just about a grade or just about immediate kind of things, but Jesus Christ is concerned about their eternal life. That’s why He came. And if I have those same concerns, I’m going to think differently in the choices I make in the classroom, outside of the classroom, as I work with these students. So this really resonated with me.
Brother Esplin: Thank you all for being part of this panel. Thank you, Brad, for your expertise. I smiled because when you get the director of AV on the stage, all the AV cooperates. They just behave, so it knows. So thank you, Brad. And thank you, brethren, for your—all that you do for our colleagues and students across the system. I’m grateful to work with each of you, for your kindness to me and for your examples and all that you teach me.
Like you mentioned, Aaron, I was—the quote I came up with was a dear colleague of ours that I’ve watched quietly over the last couple of years. He’s taken President Nelson’s invitation to make the temple the center of his life. And I realize not everyone can do this, depending on life circumstance, but he goes weekly, and I’ve watched what it’s done for that man and his family as he has missionaries out serving and the blessing it’s been for them. And so I thought of this quote from President Nelson’s last general conference talk: “My dear brothers and sisters, here is my promise. Nothing will help you more to hold fast to the iron rod than worshipping in the temple as regularly as your circumstances permit. Nothing will protect you more as you encounter the world’s mist of darkness. Nothing will bolster your testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement or help you understand God’s magnificent plan more. Nothing will soothe your spirit more during times of pain. Nothing will open the heavens more. Nothing!”
That’s what I want for my students. That’s what I want for my faculty. And that’s where I want—what I want for my family. I want those blessings. And I’m grateful for good colleagues, a good wife, who helps me get there more frequently than I had in the past. Because she wants those blessings for our family too. I’m grateful to be with you. Thank you. As we look forward to amplifying prophetic messages, I testify of those prophets, seers, and revelators and the person and people whom they represent, our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. I’m grateful for Them and for our chance to serve as religious educators in God’s kingdom on earth. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.