faithfulness – Temple Study

The Temple is a Fortress of the Lord

March 28, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 4 Comments

Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone

Note: Below is an excerpt from a book entitled “The Incomparable Christ: Our Master and Model” by Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, an emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, that he entitled “Holiness to the Lord.” The book was published in 1995. It is powerful in its vision of the future need of temples as a refuge from a wicked world. After being released from the Seventy, Elder Featherstone served as the president of the Logan Utah Temple. (The emphasis below is my own.)

The season of the world before us will be like no other in the history of mankind. Satan will unleash every evil scheme, every vile perversion ever known to man in any generation. Just as this dispensation of the fulness of times brought the restoration of all that is good and holy, so also did it bring the fulness of evil. As parents, spouses, children, and members of Christ’s church, we must find safety. Unfortunately, many will struggle mightily before recognizing this bitter truth: there is no safety in this world—wealth cannot provide it, enforcement agencies cannot ensure it, even membership in the Church will not guarantee it. [Read more…]

Who’s on the Lord’s Side? Who?

March 16, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 4 Comments

Isaiah's Lips Anointed with Fire - Benjamin West (1738-1820)

I spoke in my ward’s sacrament meeting yesterday. Here is a copy of my talk:

I’m grateful for this opportunity to speak to you today about a subject that is very important to me, and hopefully to you. I pray that the Spirit might be with us so that we may both be edified by these things, and that we can apply what we learn (D&C 50:22).

The topic I’ve been given is twofold – first, the hymn “Who’s on the Lord’s Side?” and second, “following the prophet.” While these two topics don’t seem to relate to each other on the surface, I think the point is that those who follow the teachings of the prophets are truly on the Lord’s side.

First a short story. [Read more…]

Orson Scott Card on Hugh Nibley & C.S. Lewis

February 19, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 12 Comments

Dr. Hugh Nibley lecturing

Orson Scott Card wrote a great article today on Mormon Times, highlighting the tremendous influence that Hugh Nibley and C.S. Lewis have had on his “Christian education” over the years, but particularly when he was younger.

I couldn’t agree more with his feelings about the impact that these two scholars have had. I’ve particularly been influenced, even fundamentally changed, by the writings of Hugh Nibley, and I’m just beginning to get into Lewis. Like I’ve said in the past, in a way I’ve felt personally mentored by Nibley through reading his work, a sentiment shared by Orson Scott Card: [Read more…]

Only a Stonecutter

December 20, 2008 by Bryce Haymond 6 Comments

DVD cover

A new short film by Excel Entertainment and T.C. Christensen has been released entitled “Only a Stonecutter: One Man’s Sacrifice to Build the House of the Lord.” The film tells the story about John Rowe Moyle and how for 20 years he walked 22 miles from Alpine to Salt Lake to work as a stone mason on the Salt Lake Temple. He endured this rigorous routine even after losing his leg in an accident.

Several general authorities have told this story, including President Uchtdorf in the Priesthood Session of the most recent General Conference (October 2008). We have also recounted this story previously as told by Elder Holland in the April 2000 Conference. As a capstone to Br. Moyle’s work on the temple, he is the one who chiseled “Holiness to the Lord” on the eastern façade.

The film is 14 minutes long and available at Deseret Book and likely wherever LDS items are sold. A short preview video clip is below.

Mormon Theology Seminar Conference: Reading Alma 32 on Sept. 19

September 12, 2008 by Bryce Haymond Leave a Comment

I will have the chance to attend the Mormon Theology Seminar’s conference entitled “An Experiment on the Word: Reading Alma 32” that is coming up next Friday, September 19th, 2008. It is being held from 9am-4pm in room B192 in the Joseph F. Smith Building on BYU campus. More details can be found on Mormon Theology Seminar’s website, or in their PDF flyer. You can also learn more about it from a podcast with some of the organizers. The conference will be the culmination of a several month online seminar that took place at alma32.wordpress.com.

Here is the schedule:

9am • Julie M. Smith • So Shall My Word Be: Reading Alma 32 through Isaiah 55
10am • James E. Faulconer • Desiring to Believe: Philo-Sophia and the Word of God
11am • Adam Miller • You Must Needs Say that the Word is Good
1pm • Jenny Webb • It is Well that Ye are Cast Out: Alma 32 and Eden
2pm • Joseph M. Spencer • Faith, Hope, and Charity: Alma and Joseph Smith
3pm • Robert Couch • “No Cause to Believe”: Knowledge and Other Signs of Dormant Faith

Since the FAIR Conference liveblogging seemed to work so well, I’m going to see if I can liveblog this event too (I hope they have WiFi in the JFSB). If anyone else is also attending the conference and wants to collaborate on the liveblogging, contact me and maybe we can join our efforts. We will be using the awesome CoverItLive service.

If you want to receive an email reminder of the liveblogging we will be doing here next Friday, see the right hand sidebar on TempleStudy.com to sign up for one.