This will not be what I would call my magnum opus by any means, but I have had thoughts ruminating in my head for quite some time regarding the principle of leadership. I would like to share (hopefully in a coherent manner) some of these thoughts with you in a serious of posts which will present different aspects of the topic, and hopefully in the end these will mesh together into a nice whole. I believe that every principle I am going to share is true; and as I also believe that truth's original source is beyond this mortal sphere, any who deny the existence of absolute moral laws may as well navigate their way to a different page. And now, without further ado, here is...
Leadership Part I: The Spiritual Foundation of Leadership
I will approach this subject from the side, beginning with what I believe is the essence of true leadership. Historically (and, I believe, fundamentally), a leader was one who possessed the ability to see and convey to others a visualization of potential. I will discuss this as it relates to our personal lives at a later time (it's one of my favorite topics), but for now let me just say that all great leaders are people who are able to see potential in themselves and others (the "vision"), and convey a sense of that potential to their followers. Sometimes this is done by word and sometimes by example, but always the followers initially get a sense of what they can either accomplish or become if they will follow the leader. The classic example of this is the biblical prophet: he pronounces predictions of the future (for example, the damnation of the wicked) and then motivates his followers to seek after a goal which he himself can envision for them (for example, the joy and peace of the repentant sinner who accepts Christ). If he is successful in transmitting this vision to others, and if they are receptive, they will follow.
I will now discuss the leader as an individual. I will restrict my discussion at this point to only good leaders, that is, ones who lead toward righteous ends, such as eternal life, and not those who lead by the power of the devil to damnation. (These evil leaders exist; they are called false prophets. I believe that all men who lead toward goals which are unrighteous are rightly called false prophets, for what else would you call one who gives others a vision of the future which is not based on truth? Is this not a prophecy which is false?) The vision (or visions) by which this leader navigates are provided most clearly as the leader engages in moments of reflection, instances of clarity and reorientation. Here are a few examples of these moments:
-The period following a general conference of the Church, when the honest in heart (who have paid attention) gain what my father called "the feeling of 'all is well'"
-The precious time in the temple celestial room when we have a sense of the overall purpose and plan of our existence
-During and after priesthood blessings performed in righteousness, when the receiver has been given instruction and counsel from the Lord.
We can easily see that, given the above examples, these "clarity moments" would rightly be called Revelation. They are times when the Lord's will is made known to us, when his plan is brought to the forefront of our minds and laid in stark relief against the backdrop of the world's confusion and misdirection. These moments can also happen in our everyday lives, any time we are prepared to receive them. Our means of preparedness, although very important, will not be discussed at this time, but the important thing is that the Lord's means of communication to us is through the Holy Ghost:
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26)
It is through the medium of the Holy Ghost that we receive our education of truth in this life.
An important but little-known (as I think) scripture which describes the communication of the Holy Ghost with great relevance to this discussion is found in the book of Jacob, chapter 4, verse 13:
"Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls...."
In the context of the moments of clarity and perspective spoken of earlier, the Spirit gives us a sense of things as they really are (perspective on present trials and experiences as they relate to the big picture of the gospel) and things as they really will be (visions of the potential future of ourselves and others), for the salvation of our souls. A good leader (that is, a leader for good) will use the power of the Spirit to instill in others the motivation to strive toward this future potential, provide a clear picture of things as they really are in the present, and provide the keys by which these others can progress toward these goals. Any of these three could easily be the topic of a post in themselves, but I will abstain for the present.
As a last note in this section, the pursuit of true perspective/visions of things "as they really are" and things "as they really will be" will, when successful, change and mold three things: how we view others; how we view ourselves; and how we view God. The first will lead to the development of charity; the second, the establishment of hope; and the third, the foundation of faith. As Moroni says,
"...I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto Christ]--the fountain of all righteousness." (Ether 12:28)
Thus does God give us the tools to return to Him, through the atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ, and through the enlightening power of the Holy Ghost; and thus does he give righteous men and women the tools to lead those under their stewardship toward eternal life and exaltation.
Stay tuned for part II.
21 January 2007
18 January 2007
Alma 5
This begins what will probably be a trend in this blog of spiritual topics, which I will expound mostly in an effort to put into coherent order some thoughts I have had regarding religion and the laws by which we as mortals live. I know that blatant spirituality does not enjoy universal appeal these days, but hopefully those of you who are reading my blog (if indeed there by more than one who meet this description) who do not enjoy topics of a higher nature will forgive what you may see as a series of tangential ramblings; I make no apology for what will come because this blog will at last be fulfilling what may be its primary role. I am sure nothing I say (in this post, at least) will be new to you.
So, the first thing I wanted to share with you is a couple of experiences I had which relate to Alma 5. Number one is the first time I can remember receiving revelation; number two is an important clarification I received during my mission.
So, the first. I was sitting up in the choir seats next to my dad during a sacrament meeting. I was reading Alma 5 to pass the time, and while I read thought after thought entered my mind which did not relate exactly to the text on the page, but which were pertinent to my life and which had a ring of what I can only describe as rightness to them. Since I did not recognize revelation for what it was at the time, at the end of the meeting I had come to the conclusion that Alma 5 was the most amazing chapter in the Book of Mormon, because the answer to any question anyone could possibly have was contained therein. Imagine my shock the next time I read the chapter and discovered that all those many concepts I had learned that day in church were not actually contained in the text. The reason we are asked to read the scriptures on a daily basis, I have learned, is not because the words in the scriptures have so much to offer (although they do), but because the Holy Ghost needs a prepared mind with which to work.
Number two. During the later part of my mission I was visiting a less-active member I had never met during a companion exchange. We were sharing an uplifting message, and I felt a sudden prompting to read Doctrine and Covenants 19 with her, a section I did not know well. Any of you who have read D&C 19 can well imagine the panic which surely gripped the heart of my temporary companion as we read with this woman about the severity of the punishments of God. We finally arrived at this passage:
"Therefore I command you to repent--repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore--how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not." (D&C 19:15)
We then read verses 16-19, which I will share with you later, after which I felt the need to turn to Alma 5 and start from the beginning. This probably seems like anything but an improvement, since Alma 5 seems specially designed to make anyone with sins keenly aware of them. After all the questions, verse 32 reads:
"Yea, even wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!"
...which sounds a lot like the idea expressed in the above verse. My companion may have wondered what had possessed me to be so hard on this poor sister.
The thing which I learned that day, and which I shared with the member we were teaching, is the fact that prophets of God don't call on wicked people to repent because God wants to punish them. This is not a bully who is telling is to obey and threatens us with the consequences of rebellion. I had a hard time once reconciling what I was told about God in Sunday School - that he was a kind, loving God by nature - with what I read in the scriptures as prophets warned of the punishments awaiting the wicked. The fact is, the same prophets who warn of the miserable end awaiting the sinner immediately follow those warnings with statements of hopeful anticipation of Christ's redemption of the sinner. The one in Alma reads:
"Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you. Yea, he saith: Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life..."
The one in D&C 19 is much more powerful, which is fitting; the principle of following a rebuke with an increase of love has, I believe, an element of proportion. It reads as follows:
"For behold, I God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffere even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit - and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink - Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men."
The point the Lord is making is one which we all need to learn, and which I am sure many people misunderstand. The reason Christ goes to so much trouble describing the sufferings of the wicked and calling us to repentance is that He has already felt those sufferings. He has an intimate knowledge of Eternal and Endless punishment. He has experienced the consequences resulting from broken laws. Because of their great love for us, Heavenly Father and Jesus will go to great lengths to help us be spared from that suffering. They cannot break eternal laws, but they are very willing to be generous in their help and in forgiveness. How it must pain them both for a sinner in need of repentance to reject the blessing of the atonement! I can imagine Jesus pleading with us: "Please, repent now and come to me. Escape the pain I know you will feel. I have already suffered for you; there is no longer any need for you to suffer and pay for your sins yourself. Accept the conditions our Father has laid out, reject sin and lay claim on my mercy. I love you and I don't want you to suffer." Far from being motivated by any sort of spite or cruelty, the Lord commands his prophets to issue strict calls to repentance because he knows what is coming if those warnings are not heeded.
For anyone who is curious, the message was well received; we were all touched by what we learned and at least two of us were moved to tears (I won't say which two).
So, the first thing I wanted to share with you is a couple of experiences I had which relate to Alma 5. Number one is the first time I can remember receiving revelation; number two is an important clarification I received during my mission.
So, the first. I was sitting up in the choir seats next to my dad during a sacrament meeting. I was reading Alma 5 to pass the time, and while I read thought after thought entered my mind which did not relate exactly to the text on the page, but which were pertinent to my life and which had a ring of what I can only describe as rightness to them. Since I did not recognize revelation for what it was at the time, at the end of the meeting I had come to the conclusion that Alma 5 was the most amazing chapter in the Book of Mormon, because the answer to any question anyone could possibly have was contained therein. Imagine my shock the next time I read the chapter and discovered that all those many concepts I had learned that day in church were not actually contained in the text. The reason we are asked to read the scriptures on a daily basis, I have learned, is not because the words in the scriptures have so much to offer (although they do), but because the Holy Ghost needs a prepared mind with which to work.
Number two. During the later part of my mission I was visiting a less-active member I had never met during a companion exchange. We were sharing an uplifting message, and I felt a sudden prompting to read Doctrine and Covenants 19 with her, a section I did not know well. Any of you who have read D&C 19 can well imagine the panic which surely gripped the heart of my temporary companion as we read with this woman about the severity of the punishments of God. We finally arrived at this passage:
"Therefore I command you to repent--repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore--how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not." (D&C 19:15)
We then read verses 16-19, which I will share with you later, after which I felt the need to turn to Alma 5 and start from the beginning. This probably seems like anything but an improvement, since Alma 5 seems specially designed to make anyone with sins keenly aware of them. After all the questions, verse 32 reads:
"Yea, even wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!"
...which sounds a lot like the idea expressed in the above verse. My companion may have wondered what had possessed me to be so hard on this poor sister.
The thing which I learned that day, and which I shared with the member we were teaching, is the fact that prophets of God don't call on wicked people to repent because God wants to punish them. This is not a bully who is telling is to obey and threatens us with the consequences of rebellion. I had a hard time once reconciling what I was told about God in Sunday School - that he was a kind, loving God by nature - with what I read in the scriptures as prophets warned of the punishments awaiting the wicked. The fact is, the same prophets who warn of the miserable end awaiting the sinner immediately follow those warnings with statements of hopeful anticipation of Christ's redemption of the sinner. The one in Alma reads:
"Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you. Yea, he saith: Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life..."
The one in D&C 19 is much more powerful, which is fitting; the principle of following a rebuke with an increase of love has, I believe, an element of proportion. It reads as follows:
"For behold, I God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffere even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit - and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink - Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men."
The point the Lord is making is one which we all need to learn, and which I am sure many people misunderstand. The reason Christ goes to so much trouble describing the sufferings of the wicked and calling us to repentance is that He has already felt those sufferings. He has an intimate knowledge of Eternal and Endless punishment. He has experienced the consequences resulting from broken laws. Because of their great love for us, Heavenly Father and Jesus will go to great lengths to help us be spared from that suffering. They cannot break eternal laws, but they are very willing to be generous in their help and in forgiveness. How it must pain them both for a sinner in need of repentance to reject the blessing of the atonement! I can imagine Jesus pleading with us: "Please, repent now and come to me. Escape the pain I know you will feel. I have already suffered for you; there is no longer any need for you to suffer and pay for your sins yourself. Accept the conditions our Father has laid out, reject sin and lay claim on my mercy. I love you and I don't want you to suffer." Far from being motivated by any sort of spite or cruelty, the Lord commands his prophets to issue strict calls to repentance because he knows what is coming if those warnings are not heeded.
For anyone who is curious, the message was well received; we were all touched by what we learned and at least two of us were moved to tears (I won't say which two).
07 January 2007
Poem
I thought I would share my favorite poem with you all. It has been my favorite since about 1998 when I first read it in a high school English class (its theme seemed quite ironic to me at the time, as anyone who has endured the over-analysis of English classes may well understand). Anyway, without further ado, Walt Whitman's When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer:
When I heard the learn'd astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.
When I heard the learn'd astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.
Happy New Cycle
Happy new year, everyone. I'm back after a lengthy delay.
JWJ
P.S. Happy new Bicycle to me
JWJ
P.S. Happy new Bicycle to me
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