Back to Basics

As many of my closer readers know, I suffered a trial of my faith, about 16 months ago. That was when my son Daniel came too early, my perfectly formed little boy born dead. While Daniel’s death itself did not cause me to doubt my testimony of the Lord and His gospel, the events surrounding this horrible experience had a particularly negative impact on that sure knowledge. In February 2007, I was literally able to call down the powers of Heaven by the authority of the Holy Priesthood. In June 2010, I am still unable to do this, at least to the extent that I did at that time.

Yesterday morning, I was praying for help in returning to that point. I don’t expect it to happen in an instant; I have to learn and grow, to “work out [my] salvation” as Paul instructed the Philippians (Phil. 2:13). To this end, I asked Heavenly Father what I needed to do and was blessed with one of the greatest revelations I’ve had in a while.

In 2010, the First Presidency has started a kind of “back to basics” method of teaching. Of course the General Authorities always teach the basics, but they’ve instructed the Melchizedek Priesthood quorums and Relief Society to take a two-year break from the Teachings of Presidents of the Church manuals in favor of the tried and true manual for investigators and new members, Gospel Principles. The revelation I received was that I need to do the same: get back to the basics. That still, small voice asked me quite simply, “How did you gain a testimony in the first place?” The answer, of course, is “by reading the Book of Mormon.”

To be honest, I wasn’t planning on reading the Book of Mormon, this summer. A lot of my friends have joined a Facebook group wherein group members will read the entire Book of Mormon in 90 days, but I wasn’t sold on the idea. Our course of study in Sunday School, this year, is the Old Testament, I reasoned. The Church is still under condemnation for not reading the Bible. Why should I set aside the course of study mandated by the First Presidency (and, by extension, the Lord Himself) in favor of some other, random course of study? The answer, however, is found in one of my favorite General Authority quotes of all time:

“We who are General Authorities and general officers are called to teach His general rules. You and we then lead specific lives and must seek the Lord’s guidance regarding specific circumstances” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, General Patterns and Specific Lives, Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, 9 February 2008).

If I want to be in a position to receive revelation, I need to remember that my Heavenly Father can always overrule His general counsel to His children with specific counsel to me. As such, last night marked the beginning of my return to basics. I began reading the Book of Mormon, cover to cover, by myself, for the first time in a great many years. I’ve listened to the CDs and audio files many times, and I’ve also read it with my wife, Anna, many times; but this will be my time—perhaps the first time I’ve actually read it all the way through, on my own terms and schedule, since my mission to Spain.

I’ll be sharing my thoughts here, so feel free to stay tuned for that. ☺