I had a brilliant idea tonight...or so I thought. I emerged from the bedroom with a huge piece of white paper and announced to the girls that I was going to draw something amazing for them. Gwen and Aubrie quickly stopped what they were doing and joined me in the living room. With purple sharpie in hand, I started my diagram of Heavenly Father's Great Plan of Happiness. Things were going really well until we arrived at the three kingdoms of heaven. My little princesses are quite familiar with the concept of kingdoms, so their curiosity was really piqued at this point.

I pointed out that the only people who live with Heavenly Father and Jesus forever are those who enter the celestial kingdom. Gwen wanted to know what people have to do to get there. I kept it simple and basic - you love Jesus and Heavenly Father so much that you always try your best to make good choices and follow Them. She was beaming with a smile as she exclaimed, "I love Jesus! I make good choices!" Then I explained the terrestrial kingdom - people who love Jesus, but only enough to follow some of His commandments. Finally I mentioned the telestial kingdom - people who do not love Jesus and who spend their lives making bad choices. I emphasized once more that the only people who see Heavenly Father and are able to live forever with Him and with Jesus are those in the celestial kingdom.

Gwen's happy countenance quickly changed. She became very upset and angry. She blurted out something like, "I guess Heavenly Father is mean, and He doesn't love me when I make bad choices." I told her she was being silly and that Heavenly Father does love her. Learning about His plan was supposed to make us happy, not angry. Aubrie was completely unphased by Gwen's attitude and began drawing cute little circles of her own. She pointed to each one, saying, "This is for people with good choices. This is for people with really bad choices."

The illustrated Doctrine and Covenants Stories book was lying just a few feet away from us, so I reached over and turned to Chapter 26 - The Three Kingdoms of Heaven. I started reading it and showing the girls the pictures. Gwen interrupted, "Please stop reading that. I don't want to hear it. It's too sad." I ignored her and continued on. She became more agitated and again told me to stop. I figured she was just being grumpy and difficult so I kept reading. Suddenly she burst into tears and plead urgently, "Don't talk about that any more! I don't like it! It makes me too sad!" She climbed up on my lap and just sobbed for a while. She didn't want to tell me why the story made her sad.

I quickly put Aubrie to bed and headed into Gwen's room. I sat down beside her and asked why she was feeling sad. She answered so sincerely, "I make bad choices sometimes, so Heavenly Father can't love me." This heartfelt concern from my precious 4-year-old opened the door to an unforgettable conversation. We talked about the perfect love of our Father in Heaven and of His Son. We talked about what life would be like without Jesus and His atonement. I told Gwen about a time in my life when I felt I had made so many bad choices that God could never love me again. I explained that this is Satan's greatest lie - the one thing he wants all of Heavenly Father's children to believe. We talked about baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. We talked about this beautiful earth created for us and why we are here.

I felt the Spirit as I shared my testimony informally with Gwen. I watched as gospel truths calmed and comforted her little, distressed spirit. Our time together ended with me singing "I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus." As I let every word of that meaningful primary song soak into my heart and mind, I watched Gwen snuggle her teddy tightly, close her eyes, and peacefully drift off to sleep.

Power of the Priesthood

Early in 2003 I traveled from Rexburg, ID to Provo, UT to be interviewed for the position of EFY Counselor. The big question posed to me by the interviewers that night was this:

Using only the scriptures, how would you teach youth ages 14 to 17 about what the priesthood is and about the purpose of the priesthood?

After the two short minutes of prep time given to me, I responded with these New Testament verses, carried into my mind by the Holy Ghost:

Acts 3: 1-8

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

I concluded, "The priesthood is the power and authority to bless, serve, reach out to, and lift up others the same way Jesus Christ would if He were present."

Another verse from the Doctrine and Covenants highlights this truth, specifically as it relates to giving and receiving priesthood blessings. Jesus, speaking in verse 2 of section 36, says, "And I will lay my hand upon you by the hand of my servant ..." Individuals are personally blessed by the Savior as He communicates through the actions and words of worthy priesthood holders.

I felt this powerfully last night as my dad was giving me a Father's Blessing to prepare me for my second year of medical school. And today, as I stood in the Savior's place and used the priesthood to bless Gwen, Aubrie, and Liz in preparation for Gwen's first day of preschool, I felt His love and concern for them being expressed through me.

I am grateful for the miracle of the restored gospel which brought the priesthood back to the earth. And I am humbled to bear this marvelous and sacred power - a power which lifts and comforts and testifies of the living reality of Jesus Christ.

Workings of the Lord

Today was my last time teaching elders quorum in the Mesquite Canyon ward. In less than four short weeks (just one day before I'd normally be scheduled to teach again), our family will bid farewell to the wonderful city of Mesa, Arizona, and I will leave this great calling behind. I have learned so much from these teaching experiences, and I will truly miss the opportunity to prepare and deliver these lessons each month. During the past year, the Lord has shown me more clearly how to teach by the Spirit - to basically move myself out of the way and allow the Holy Ghost to reach hearts and minds, including my own.

I have found that inspiration comes clearly and powerfully when I pray specifically to know what Heavenly Father and the Savior would have me say to the quorum. This happened to me before church this morning as I finalized my lesson preparations. I suddenly felt prompted to add a few last-minute notes to my lesson outline. Here are the words I typed:

Who here has given a blessing of healing to your wife or to your children? Are we under-appreciating this remarkable spiritual gift? Are we taking it for granted? Are we approaching it too casually or thoughtlessly? Can we improve the way we use this gift?

As I presented the lesson in elders quorum today I followed my outline very closely, many times reading notes directly from the page. Somehow, though, I failed to see or remember these particular questions. My time was quickly coming to a close so I decided to wrap up and finish the lesson. I started my concluding remarks but was stopped almost instantly when I saw a hand go up in the front row. It was my father-in-law, Dean Klingler, who was in town visiting for Gwen's fourth birthday. I could tell from his expression that there was something important he wanted to say to the group - something that moved him to seize this final opportunity to comment.

He started out by saying he's been around quite a while, so he's picked up on a few life lessons worth sharing. Then with great sincerity and emotion he said - as closely as I can recollect - the following words:

"As priesthood holders we don't use this gift enough in our homes with our family members. When our wife gets sick, or when our children get sick, we don't always take those opportunities to bless them. No one ever looks back on their life and says they gave too many blessings to their family members. But you will certainly look back and remember the many times and opportunities that you failed to bless your loved ones when you could have."

His heartfelt counsel filled me with the Spirit. In fact, the entire room seemed to be filled with the Spirit at that moment. In a manner more convincing and more powerful than I ever could have expressed, my father-in-law related the exact message I had inadvertently failed to deliver. Heavenly Father and the Savior knew that at least one person in that room - and perhaps all of them - needed to hear those specific words. And because of Their great love and concern for Their children, a way was provided. I was reminded that They will do everything in Their power to reach, inspire, bless, and improve lives in such personal and profound ways. I felt humbled and privileged to witness the kind and miraculous workings of the Lord today.

Parenting

I have to admit the only time I pick up the Ensign these days is about 10 minutes before a scheduled home teaching appointment. I flip through the First Presidency message and scan it quickly for a good story, example, or quote to share with the families I visit. Not the best amount of preparation, I know. But last Sunday I discovered I was already familiar with April's message, so I knew instantly which quotes I would share.

The article was titled Teaching True Doctrine by President Henry B. Eyring, and it was essentially a repeat of the talk he gave ten years ago during the April 1999 General Conference - The Power of Teaching Doctrine. That particular General Conference was only the second one held since my EFY 1998 experience the previous August, and I hung on every word with the sincerity and real intent of a new convert (something that I've sadly struggled to maintain during subsequent sessions of General Conference). I was a month away from high school graduation with college and a mission still to come, yet the Spirit impressed me powerfully to never forget these words directed to parents:

We have the greatest opportunity with the young. The best time to teach is early, while children are still immune to the temptations of their mortal enemy and long before the words of truth may be harder for them to hear in the noise of their personal struggles.

A wise parent would never miss a chance to gather children together to learn of the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Such moments are so rare in comparison with the efforts of the enemy. For every hour the power of doctrine is introduced into a child’s life, there may be hundreds of hours of messages and images denying or ignoring the saving truths.

The question should not be whether we are too tired to prepare to teach doctrine or whether it would be better to draw a child closer by just having fun or whether the child is beginning to think that we preach too much. The question must be, “With so little time and so few opportunities, what words of doctrine from me will fortify them against the attacks on their faith which are sure to come?” The words you speak today may be the ones they remember. And today will soon be gone.

Next month will mark my fourth year as a parent, and it's so obvious to me now why these words needed to be impressed on my heart a decade ago. These truths are so vitally important for every follower of the Savior who desires to raise spiritually strong children in today's wicked and perverse world. A similar message stirred my soul during the April 2006 Priesthood Session. Again, this was only the second General Conference held since a major event had taken place in my life - Gwen's birth and my introduction to parenthood. I must have been listening closely on that occassion as well when these profound words were delivered by Elder Ronald A. Rasband:

Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, however, provides us with a somber warning, speaking of the youth:

"Many of them are remarkable in their spiritual maturity and in their faith. But even the best of them are sorely tested. And the testing will become more severe."

This warning that "the testing will become more severe" gets my attention. Our rising generation is worthy of our best efforts to support and strengthen them in their journey to adulthood. ...

We must continue to teach and fortify fathers and mothers in their divinely declared roles with their children in the home. We must ask ourselves constantly if that extra sporting event, that extra activity or errand outside of the home is more important than families being together at home. ...

When I was first called to the Seventy some years ago, we were assigned to move to Solihull, England, to serve in the Area Presidency. Sister Rasband and I took our two youngest children with us on this assignment. Our daughter was a young single adult and our son a 17-year-old who liked American-style football and played it very well. We were very concerned about them. No friends, no extended family, and no American football! I wondered, "Would this exciting new experience prove to be a serious trial for our family?"

The answer came in an early assignment I received. I had been asked to speak to the missionaries at the Missionary Training Center in Preston, England. I called President White of the center and was pleased to hear that he knew of my family situation. He suggested we include our children on our visit to Preston. Once we were there, he even invited our daughter and son to speak to the missionaries! What a thrill for them to be and feel included and share their testimonies of the Lord's work!

When finished and after tender good-byes to those missionaries, we visited the beautiful Preston England Temple, which was close to the Missionary Training Center. As we walked near the front door, there stood President and Sister Swanney, the temple president and matron. They greeted us and welcomed us into the temple with, "Elder Rasband, how would you and your family like to perform baptisms for the dead?" What a wonderful idea! We looked at each other and gratefully accepted. After performing the ordinances and while my son and I were still in the font with tears of joy in our eyes, he put his hand on my shoulder and asked, "Dad, why haven't we ever done this before?"

I thought of all the football games, all the movies we had attended together, all of the good times we had shared—certainly happy memories and traditions that are so important to build.

However, I realized we had an opportunity to add more meaningful spiritual experiences with our children like what we had experienced in Preston that day. Thanks to those caring and observant priesthood leaders, I knew then that our family was going to do fine in Europe.

Now back to my home teaching visit this past Sunday. After I shared President Eyring's inspired words and also mentioned briefly Elder Rasband's experience, I asked my assigned family how they've been able to share meaningful spiritual experiences with their children. The mother related a tender experience that she had with her oldest daughter. On the day of her daughter's twelfth birthday, this mother took her out of school and drove her to the Mesa Arizona Temple. They spent the morning doing baptisms for many deceased relatives whose names they had worked hard to find during the months leading up to this special day. This mother described the beautiful spirit that was felt on that occassion. After leaving the temple, they stopped to eat lunch somewhere. This wise and inspired mother took that opportunity to discuss what they had each felt inside the temple, the importance of that sacred place, and the personal choices and decisions that would help her daughter to remain clean and worthy to enter again and receive future temple blessings. With tears coming down, this mother finished by saying, "I remember when I turned twelve my mother took me to the store to buy make-up for the first time - which was fine and fun. But just think about the difference between those two experiences. Think of how meaningful and lasting one is compared to the other."

I was really touched by this experience and greatly struck by the beautiful simplicity of the idea. It made me realize that spiritual experiences like this are abundant and are just waiting to take place between parents and children. Discovering them simply requires a little creative effort and inspired thinking and planning on the part of understandably busy, stressed, and tired parents. My heart tells me, though, that the payoff is well worth any effort and sacrifice. I think Liz and I will definitely borrow this temple idea when Gwen turns twelve. And I'm hoping that when the day arrives, it will be at least the hundredth spiritual experience we've helped to create for her rather than the first.

Two Favorite Easter Songs

Day Of Tears (Kenneth Cope - Women at the Well album)

A crown of thorns - a cross to bear
And sorrowing friends following near
Yet, He speaks through His grief
"Weep not for me"
But how can we hold back these tears

Yom tzaar - day of sorrow
Yom dmaot - day of tears
Day of tears

The tearing flesh - the trembling nerves
Some now bow in jest and mock His thirst
And still from His lips
"Father, forgive"
How could they slay their Lord

Yom tzaar - day of sorrow
Yom dmaot - day of tears
Day of tears

Now asleep - rest in peace, Jesus, Lord
With love we come to wash away where hate hath marred
But, can it be
Now we see no grave can hold Thee in
Death has an end
Thou lives again

Yom simcha - day of gladness
Yom dmaot - day of tears
Yom peley - day of wonder
Yom dmaot (simcha) - day of tears
Tears of joy



High Noon (Andrew Peterson - Love & Thunder album)

High noon in the valley of the shadow
When the deep of the valley was bright
When the mouth of the tomb
Shouted, "Glory, the Groom is alive"
So long, you wages of sin
Go on, don't you come back again
I've been raised and redeemed
You've lost all your sting
To the Victor of the battle
At high noon in the valley
In the valley of the shadow

Now the demons, they danced in the darkness
When that last ragged breath left His lungs
And they reveled and howled
At the war that they thought they had won
But then, in the dark of the grave
The stone rolled away
In the still of the dawn on the greatest of days

It was high noon in the valley of the shadow
When the shadows were shot through with light
When Jesus took in that breath
And shattered all Death with His life
So long, you wages of sin
Go on, don't you come back again
I've been raised and redeemed
You've lost all your sting
To the Victor of the battle
High noon in the valley of the shadow

Let the people rejoice
Let the heavens resound
Let the name of Jesus, who sought us
And freed us forever ring out
All praise to the Fighter of the night
Who rides on the light
Whose gun is the grace of the God of the sky

High noon in the valley of the shadow
When the shadows were shot through with light
When the mouth of the tomb
Shouted, "Glory, the Groom is alive"
So long, you wages of sin
I said go on, don't you come back again
I've been raised and redeemed
All praise to the King
The Victor of the battle
High noon in the valley
In the valley of the shadow

The Breath of Life

Genesis 2:7

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

For the past few days Liz has been playing one of my favorite songs on the piano. It's called Breathe In Me by contemporary Christian musician Michael W. Smith. I first discovered this song when one of my favorite musicians, Kenneth Cope, included his version of it on the Hear My Praise album. It is a very moving piece of music with a simple but profound message.

You breathe in me
And I'm alive
With the power of Your holiness

You breathe in me
And You revive
Feelings in my soul that I have laid to rest

So breathe in me
I need You now
I've never felt so dead within
So breathe in me
Maybe somehow
You can breathe new life in me again

I used to be
So sensitive
To the light that leads to where You are

Now I've acquired
These callouses
With the darkness of a cold and jaded heart

So breathe in me
I need You now
I've never felt so dead within
So breathe in me
Maybe somehow
You can breathe new life in me again

The words to this song seem so carefully and meaningfully chosen. Holiness - perfect purity, sanctity, freedom from sin. Revive - restore to life, renew, bring back into use. Laid to rest - bury, place in a grave or tomb. Callouses - aspects that are emotionally hardened, toughened, and unfeeling. Jaded - dulled, broken-down, exhausted, wearied by overuse or overindulgence.

I've experienced the renewal this song speaks of many times throughout my life. Every time spiritual apathy has overcome me, every time I've willfully disregarded God and His commandments and all the promises I've made to Him, every time I've turned away from Jesus Christ for any reason, I've felt the breath of life which comes to revive and restore me. The key is in the four pleading words, "I need You now." When this realization becomes painfully apparent - at that very moment - the Savior comes to bring new life once again.

I love these words from President Howard W. Hunter:

"Jesus and those who were with him had just recrossed the Sea of Galilee, and a multitude of people who had been waiting met him on the shore near Capernaum. 'And, behold [suddenly and unexpectedly], there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue.' ... This was a man of rank and prestige whom the Jews looked upon with great respect. ...

'And when he saw him [that is, when Jairus saw Jesus], he fell at his feet.' ...

'And [Jairus] besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death.' ... The tremor we hear in Jairus's voice as he speaks of 'My little daughter' stirs our souls with sympathy as we think of this man of high position in the synagogue on his knees before the Savior.

Then comes a great acknowledgement of faith: 'I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.' These are not only the words of faith of a father torn with grief but are also a reminder to us that whatever Jesus lays his hands upon lives. If Jesus lays his hands upon a marriage, it lives. If he is allowed to lay his hands on the family, it lives. ...

It is not necessary to read the remainder of the story. When they got to the home of the ruler of the synagogue, Jesus took the little girl by the hand and raised her from the dead. In like manner, he will lift and raise every man to a new and better life who will permit the Savior to take him by the hand."

This is not merely a nice thought or a pleasant-sounding concept; it is a truth that I've experienced time and time again. His healing hands and His reviving breath are real, and they are made mercifully and lovingly available to every person. I am so grateful that Jesus Christ saves, and continues to save, all who will permit Him (and I love music that reminds me of this wonderful and beautiful truth)!

Refreshing Integrity

I witnessed something that impressed me today in my morning Medical Skills class. Every Thursday this course begins with an individual readiness quiz. After all the quizzes have been turned in, they are quickly graded and then handed back for a brief moment to allow students to see their grade.

As the teacher was collecting our quizzes for the final time, one of my classmates pointed out that her quiz had been graded incorrectly - an extra point had accidentally been given to her. Our instructor burst out laughing and exclaimed, "You shouldn't have told me! You just lost a free point!" This physician-teacher openly mocked my classmate's decision without hesitation, and soon most of the other students were chuckling along. But my classmate defended her choice calmly and unabashedly, and all the laughs and smirks were soon silenced.

I thought about what I had just seen, and something remarkable occurred to me. In the countless hours of school during these past eight months, this was the first experience of personal integrity I could recall seeing. I compared that to the astounding amount of academic dishonesty I have encountered. The ratio was discouraging, to say the least. I sent this courageous student an email thanking her for the positive example she set for me and for everyone else in the room, including our instructor. It really was refreshing to be reminded that integrity - while apparently rare in some settings - is nevertheless alive and well.