Temple Bound
God's children are searching in greater numbers for answers and hoping for miracles as they look to Jesus Christ for relief. On 'Temple Bound,' hosted by Will Humphreys, explore how temples offer not just solace but also powerful tools for navigating these turbulent times through faith in Jesus Christ.
Tune in every Monday to hear Will Humphreys engage with guests who bring inspiring stories, profound teachings, and insights into accessing divine guidance through temple service.
Each episode promises to enrich your understanding and strengthen your connection to the Savior in unique and transformative ways.
Whether you're seeking answers, yearning for peace, or in need of a miracle, 'Temple Bound' is your weekly spiritual refuge, helping you anchor your soul to the Savior. Join us on this sacred journey to deepen your faith and discover the blessings of temple worship.
Temple Bound
Parenting with Faith & Trust: Divine Parallels and Temple Blessings with Mitch Johnson
Join Will and Mitch in this powerful conversation as they explore the transformative power of temple covenants in overcoming fear, strengthening faith, and building eternal family connections.
Drawing on personal experiences and spiritual insights, they discuss:
- Facing Fear and Finding Courage: How trusting in the Savior and living our covenants can help us conquer fear and make bold decisions.
- The Role of the Temple: How temple worship provides an eternal perspective, fosters peace, and connects us to our Heavenly Father.
- Parenting with Faith: The challenges and joys of parenting, drawing parallels between divine parenting and our own experiences.
- Living with Purpose: How making bold choices in faith and embracing the journey of repentance can lead to significant spiritual growth.
Whether you're seeking to deepen your understanding of temple covenants, find strength in overcoming challenges, or enhance your parenting journey, this episode offers inspiration and guidance for navigating life's complexities with faith and courage.
Hello and welcome to Temple Bound. My name is Will Humphreys and today we have a special guest, one of my best friends of all time. His name is Mitch Johnson. He and I met at BYU-Idaho. Back then it was called Ricks and he is just easily one of my favorite people on the planet Incredibly funny guy, very, very spiritual and just loves the temple and his family. He has three wonderful girls and an amazing wife, and they live in Wyoming.
Speaker 1:And the topic that he chose today came from President Henry B Eyring. It was his talk in the April 2024 General Conference called All Will Be Well Because of Temple Covenants, and in this episode we're going to cover a lot of really powerful concepts like fear and the role of fear in the plan of salvation, how temple covenants not only help us find peace miraculously as we're struggling through different elements of fear and challenge, but also how it provides safety. We're going to talk about some real life examples in both of our cases as well as President Eyring's, and overall just have a very connected time understanding how to tap into that power that only the temples can give us. Enjoy the show, all right. Well, mitch, thanks again for being on the show.
Speaker 1:You picked a great talk that I did not remember. All will be well because of Temple Covenants in the April 24th General Conference, from Henry B Eyring and I. Really, when I read this, I thought, man, I really should know this one, but I didn't remember it. I'm so glad that you picked it because it was a phenomenal talk about the temple. So why did you pick it?
Speaker 2:Well, it spoke to me. I think one thing I'm working on is overcoming fear, not letting fear make my decisions. And so his first story stood out big time, just the fact that the dam broke and it flooded all of Rexburg and he was a half an hour away and couldn't get to it and he slept fine during that whole experience, to the point where his wife was getting really upset. But uh, that really stuck with me yeah, that straw.
Speaker 1:I struggled with that part of the story. Personally, I am, I am his wife in those stories where I'm the one, yeah, I'm like there was no cell phones. This damn breaks it half. You know what was it that he said? It's like two thirds of the population were homeless. They had no idea how their kids were because they were attending a wedding in Idaho Falls and you and I met in Rexburg.
Speaker 1:So this is kind of a special like connecting piece as well, because we can envision what that was like to see Rexburg back then, just completely underwater and he's asleep just knowing that everything's going to be okay because of his temple covenants. I think his exact quote on that, just to pull it up, is he said. He said at the moment it was if the spirit of the Lord confirmed in our hearts and our minds that we both already knew to be true that the sealing ordinances, found only in the house of the Lord and administered by proper priesthood authority, had bound us together as husband and so, yeah, like that was powerful and I didn't totally relate, like I felt, like that was a beautiful example of what I would like to become when it comes to dealing with my fear.
Speaker 2:Yes, me as well, and that's, I guess, a lifelong pursuit. And President Iron got there a lot faster than most, but don't blame him. He's a remarkable guy. Listening to him talk, just very strong power. But yeah, that that definitely speaks to me.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So let's talk about fear for just a second, mitch, because that's obviously a common theme in this is that there's no need to fear. All will be well is how it's stated in terms of fear. So, first of all, from your perspective, how does fear play into this plan of salvation that we're living in? What does that have to do with why we're on this earth? And let's just talk about that for a second, because I think then it will be a nice segue into covenants, okay.
Speaker 2:Well, the scripture that comes to my mind, the big one, I think it's pretty popular right now. I hear it a lot, but Doctrine and Covenants 636, doubt not, fear not turn to me in every thought doubt not, fear not. And so Christ gives us a recipe on how to doubt not, fear not. But of course the theory is much easier than the practice. And so, just with my wife and I realizing what decisions have we made in our lives that were based on fear, I can definitely say any decision based on fear does not go well, it's not the right decision, and we can all look back at decisions we have made.
Speaker 2:But we're mortal, we tend to give into those things. So that doubt not, fear not. And that the covenants made in the temple, as we learned, they bind us to Christ and to our Heavenly Father. So what does that mean? To be bound to them and that strength that comes from it, and the faith, the power. So that's where that plan of salvation comes in in is living those things, making those covenants and striving to have that, that courage to not doubt, to not fear in this life, which very difficult.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it can be. It's so interesting. I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, uh, years ago and was on medication for it, and so fear was. It's interesting how people talk about fear in my from where I sit, because I used to use language like, yeah, my anxiety I made it like possessive, like it was a friend of mine. And I'll never forget hearing someone who went on stage quite a bit talk about anxiety.
Speaker 1:This is what shifted for me a little bit was understanding how the fear of the unknown not only is it natural, but it's something that we all experience.
Speaker 1:There are different degrees, I think people have different levels of it, but just this, like I think kind of like spiritual gifts, people have those spiritual gifts where they can manage it better than others, or maybe they don't have it as much, but I definitely don't have that gift organically.
Speaker 1:So like I remember this, um, this, this person who gets on stage a lot, telling me about how it occurred to him that like anxiety was a gift, like it was this thing that helped him prepare and made it more powerful for him to get on stage, and so I think it's one of those things when we recognize, you know, when you talk about like trusting the Lord, and you know that whole scripture in whole scripture and doctrine covenants to doubt not, fear not. That that's like an effort thing. I don't think it's organic for people. Doubt not, fear not is like it's not like oh, don't worry, it's a matter of like no, do these things that you don't doubt, and so on. So how have you managed to deal with like fear through thinking of Christ, like thinking of Christ. How is that related to you, mitch?
Speaker 2:Oh well, as soon as you say, that experience comes to my mind and it's not exerting me, but it's through a story from my daughter that I just feel like I need to share because it was very powerful for me, because we have been working with each other, our family, just to make decisions out of courage, out of faith, not out of fear. And you've met Josie. She's amazing on the piano, but her biggest deal is the organ. And the organ is funny because she says, oh, it magnifies your mistakes. So isn't that a perfect analogy in life we just a lot of times won't do things because something will magnify our mistakes, people will judge us, whatever the case is. So she plays.
Speaker 2:She's the accompanist for our ward and was playing I Know that my Redeemer Lives and it was for Easter, so they want to do something special. So they begged her to play the organ. She finally said, okay, I'll play the organ, but she put it on like the lowest volume, interesting, you can barely hear it. And we talked about it beforehand. Like you're bringing so much peace, so much joy to people's lives playing this music, play it loud so they can hear it. And I remember, ever since my mission president, he would always get up during his own conference and stop us if we weren't singing loud enough, and he would remind us we're singing to the Lord. And so that was something I did as bishop is, if they weren't singing loud, I would stop the congregation, I would give them a little lecture and we would start over Just how important music was to us in our ward, just the health of the ward.
Speaker 2:So she's sitting there, real quiet, and the leader, music leader keeps looking over her saying play it loud, play it loud.
Speaker 2:And right through the second verse it's like this, this little cackle music, or cackle like you can see the air blowing out of the organ and also in the coffee, of noise. She turned it like to 11 and just blurted out and everyone, you can just see it. It was like the day of pentecost everyone just stood up tall, just singing loud, and what was crazy is by the end of the song there wasn't a dry eye, everyone, something about hearing that message. We were all kind of in our own thoughts, whatever, but that music brought it out of everybody about how we know that our Redeemer lives and that to me she overcame a fear in front of everybody, right there that day. It was so powerful for me to see she trusted in the Savior enough that he could help her and if she made a mistake it was going to be okay. And she just started playing so loud that everyone just added attention was singing louder and it was the spirit just overwhelmed the room. It was amazing.
Speaker 1:Wow, mitch, I love that story. It's so inspiring too, because there's nothing more wonderful as a parent than to see our kids overcome fear. I mean, if there's one thing that really stands out is like them trusting themselves and believing in themselves and having that courage to do so. Today in church, a wonderful talk was given by a friend of ours, brooke Garrett, and she was talking about her son going on a mission and she talked about how, like, as he was leaving to go serve a mission, she had this distinct thought come to her mind, that that you need to trust me on this, and she was a little bit unsure what that meant. And within you know, months, her son went through various challenges, um, in terms of, like, different health struggles and different issues, to the point where she remembered that phrase and she said it beautifully how it felt like she was back when he was in high school and she was cheering for him in volleyball. How she would sit in the front row and just cheer for him, just so that he felt that courage. And how, when our kids get to that point, how, like the Lord is doing the same thing, he's cheering for us and together we're in a partnership with our heavenly father and cheering for our kids to help them believe in themselves. We believe in them, the Lord believes in them. But it's when they believe in themselves, through those things, that really we can feel the love of our savior manifest right in that miracle, like when Josie's playing the organ.
Speaker 1:I love that story. It reminds me of that quote from the talk that you picked, where obviously Elder Eyring's boys were okay and he was referring to President Monson's quote where he says as we attend the temple, there can come to us a dimension of spirituality and a feeling of peace. We will grasp the true meaning of the words of the Savior when he said peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. I just. I love that quote. You know, going back to that talk, you know, mitch, from your perspective, as far as the temple goes, you know, what else did you like about this talk as it pertains to peace and the temple and covenants?
Speaker 2:The peace thing, like you said, hit me soundly right in the heart. That peace. I thought of Matthew 8, for some reason, where they get into the boat and they hit the big storm and Christ is in the back. Jesus is sleeping. He's sleeping through this huge storm and everyone else is. They're afraid for their lives. Like, aren't you going to help us? And what was his response? Like ye, of little faith. Why do you not believe? Do you know who I am? You're with the Lord of the universe, you're with the author and finisher of your faith, he who overcame all. And you're worried about a little storm and he could sleep. And that peace.
Speaker 2:If you look right after what you read, president Eyring gives a definition of peace. He says so. I humbly testify that as we attend the temple we can be reminded of the eternal nature of our spirits, our relationship with the Father and His divine Son and our ultimate desire to return to our Heavenly Father. So through that temple we get that eternal perspective of who we are, our relationship to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and that ability to return back to them. And so he tells us what peace is right there. You think of when I'm at my home. That brings a lot of peace, because I know it, there's familiarity to it, I know I can lock that front door and keep bad things out or whatever, and so that well, and then he quotes right after that President Nelson, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants. So the safest place to live spiritually is inside those temple covenants. And that same daughter, she went, she received her endowments yesterday, she did Temple. Yes, oh my gosh, I'm like this is perfect. I'm going to be talking to Will, about binding ourselves to the temple, to be temple bound, and I paid close attention to those things. And that was what hit me really hard is those covenants, the things that are taught in there and the things that we covenant to do so that we can have that courage.
Speaker 2:The main thing I keep seeing in my study, in my own experiences. I'm on the high council now and it's funny because all my talks seem to always revolve back to this but we saw it with President Freeman and Brother Wilcox at the last general conference. They both said through our covenants we have the power to overcome and become covenants, we have the power to overcome and become. So it's not just overcoming something but becoming something big, and the scriptures are particularly. That's what's so powerful about the Book of Mormon. You look at the. So give me a list of in the Bible, those that started bad, did bad things and ended up being really good. How many are there in the Bible?
Speaker 1:I can only think of Saul.
Speaker 2:Yeah, saul the Paul, that's all I can think of, and there's probably people listening shouting out different names. But you look at the Book of Mormon. You have Alma the Elder, you have Alma the Younger, you have the Sons of Mosiah, you have Amulek Zeezrom, you have King Lamoni, his wife, his father, his brother, you have Corianton. You have all these people. I mean Alma was of the vilest of sinners, and look what he became through the covenants made, through repentance, through being born again, as he mentions in Alma 36. I just love that where he said oh, blessed or Jesus, have mercy on my soul, who is in the depths of bitter. I'm John, to told blank how it goes. So I had a point. It's a lot of pressure, but it was at that point that his joy surpassed the pain that he was feeling because he was born to God. And so I just I think of that just not be just not overcoming something through repentance, through cleansing our sins, but becoming something. And that's what the temple does for us, um, is to help us become something more.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I that is such a beautiful way of describing that, and I've never thought of that terminology of you know, the atonement and our covenants help us overcome and to become and I think about, like in my life, great personal challenges and what they turned me into as an individual. And so you know, there's people out there listening right now, mitch, I know, who are really struggling, who are in great fear of the unknown usually another person or their health or whatever it might be, and so I just, I want to just reiterate the fact that there is, there is a way for us to be able to miraculously feel peace in those moments. I think it's a beautiful example that you point out that in the Book of Mormon there's so many people who are on the far side of obedient. They're just I mean, they're not just like, not obedient, they're not in the middle of the road, they're legitimately fighting against the gospel and they even they were capable because of the atonement, to come and be a part of the fold. And so when we lose people in our lives, whether it's through death or maybe they, there's a great morning. That happens when we lose people who are still alive, who leave our lives, who are in some small ways especially. You know, we all have teenagers. Those who have teenagers can experience that in small or big ways, where they feel like they lose that relationship, but there's great peace because in the end these are just small moments.
Speaker 1:Was talking about this this, uh, african man that was a member of the church that served with them every day, and the thing that he said and she wrote this down was that I would rather suffer greatly in this life so I can enjoy great reward in the next, rather than have lots of reward here in this life and suffer greatly in the next. So there is this like weird thing that, like we all signed up for before we came to this earth, that like we were going to face some really big challenges and we, I believe we knew what those were to some degree, even though we couldn't really understand them, but like now that we're in them, it, at least for me, it feels like my life's challenges were custom made just for me to become, you know, my best version of myself and become closer to the Savior. So what does that mean? You know, president Monson says the safest place is to live within our covenants. What does that mean to you to live within our covenants.
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, president Nelson, over and over again, is talking about, has talked about the importance of going to the temple regularly and I remember listening to one of your podcasts oh, was it Dennis Deaton? He talked about the more you go to the temple, satan will kind of, he'll have no more power over you. He'll finally give up. It's that first few times you're trying to go to the temple that he works overtime. And we saw that with our daughter going to the temple the day before the day of Satan was working very hard and so we just kept kind of joking about it. It's like not today Satan, and we kept just moving forward, repenting, forgiving, whatever the case was. But it's that first of all we need to understand the covenants. We get that by going to the temple. We need to strive to live those covenants. There's a strong correlation in the temple and with the sacraments. Elder Bednar gave an awesome talk about the saving ordinances, one being the sacrament, and he talked about we need to be willing to give the one thing we can sacrifice, which is a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and the temple uses the same exact phrasing for our ability to sacrifice and the temple uses the same exact phrasing for our ability to sacrifice. And so the temple is awesome to go to, a lot of us listening and so forth. We work, we are very short on time, we can't go every day, but we can partake of the sacrament weekly. And that sacrament is that constant reminder, if we prepare ourselves, of that sanctification, that ability again to be made holy, to be made pure, and then the temple adds to that 100 score. But it's just so important. I remember again as a bishop just we realized in our bishopric how important it was to prepare for the sacrament worthily, and you can just feel it within the chapel when people came in ready. It was always a hard balance because we wanted people to be able to talk, to say hi to each other, but not to the point where it was so raucous in there that people couldn't commune with the Spirit. But when people took it seriously there was a power in there that was almost palpable. And so it's just so important.
Speaker 2:That sacrament teaches you, the temple teaches you those covenants and then how to stay within them. Again, it's like a house. I feel safe in my house, but those covenants help us make the right decisions, help us to have an eternal perspective when we're going through very difficult trials, so that when it's a point of giving up and we look at church history, people gave up all the time but then the prophet didn't give up on them, the Lord didn't give up on them to where they would repent and come back. It's just such a powerful thing to me. I think of William W Phelps and everything he did against Joseph Smith when his heart was hardened and when he came back Joseph ran to him and hugged him and said friends at first are now friends at last and brought him in. So I just think wordly partaking of the sacrament is huge. It's that constant reminder within those covenants in the temple.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's beautiful. And, by the way, it's so interesting to think about how we have a lot of these things. If we're active members of the church, they're just happening all around us that we just don't like. It's not a matter of that we're not doing them, it's a matter of the attention and the intentionality that we put on them. So, like, when we're really focused on, like, how can we maximize the sacrament, for example, how can we really get the most out of that? Like you said, maybe it's come early and be peaceful and restful and considerate in our minds. Sometimes people will write in a notebook while they're taking the sacrament or look up the scriptures that are in the sacrament hymns and read those. It doesn't really matter, as long as we're putting effort. I think that that effort is such a big part of it, because these things are so habitual that they're almost routine.
Speaker 1:And then the temple. I love how you mentioned the temple, of course, because living within the temple, living within our covenants, goes right back to the temple. The more we go, the more, you said, we understand them. And what President Eyring said in his talk is that frequent participation in the ordinances of the temple can create a pattern of devotion to the Lord I like this word pattern of devotion, this like repeatable, dependable, reliable thing that we do, that the Lord knows is going to be consistent, so that when you and going back to the quote when you keep your temple covenants and remember them, you invite the companionship of the Holy Ghost to both strengthen and to purify.
Speaker 1:And it is. You know, you mentioned earlier this idea of how our temple covenants help us overcome and then to become. That's exactly what he says here Strengthen is to overcome and then to purify is to become. And what do we become? Holy, holy, you know to become more like our savior. And so, yeah, I think that's wonderful that you mentioned that's what it means for you to live inside your temple covenants and to find safety, and just want to add to that really fast.
Speaker 2:You touched on the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost. We get the baptism talks about the roles of the Holy Ghost and they all accumulate to one big one that we always miss on the baptism talks, the roles of the Holy Ghost, and they all accumulate to one big one that we always miss on the baptism talks. But he's the one that brings that change within us. Father B Pratt gave an awesome quote saying we have the same characteristics in us that God has in him, but they're much more rudimentary, they're not developed, but the Spirit comes inside of us and helps them expand, to get bigger, to teach, edify, whatever. And it's the Holy Ghost that helps change us to become more like our Savior, jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:And I love that quote because you got the three members of the Godhead and sometimes it's like, okay, now Christ does this right, and when we in the sacrament we talk about that His Spirit may be with us. But then, well, wait a minute, the Bednar teaches that's the Holy Spirit. Okay, so the Holy Spirit is always with us. Well, why do we need him with us? To comfort us, to guide us? Ultimately, it's to change us. He's that ratifying, that burning, that sanctifying power that changes us into something greater. So that's why that repentance, righteousness, obedience is so huge in keeping the commandments.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's so powerful. I love how you said that too, that we have the same elements of God within us. They're just very rudimentary. My East Texas mother would say it like this is that our cakes are just half-baked. Our cakes are just half-baked. She said that once when I was with my oldest son when he was an early teenager and I was really struggling with some, some elements of early teenager hood. Nothing, nothing severe, just you know the normal stuff that shocks you when your baby starts to like disagree with you and and I just remember her pulling her arm around me, just saying, hey, his cake is only half baked.
Speaker 1:You got to be patient and I think that that's an eternal perspective. I think that's the perspective that lets you sleep at night when you recognize that there's still time for that cake to rise. I think I'm sticking with the analogy of the cake for now, like that kind of love just allows there to be a peace, um, but I just I think people don't need to beat themselves up if they do feel anxiety and worry, but there is a point at which we have to let it go. We have to let it go. We have to really trust in the Lord. I don't have the scripture memorized, but you know the famous scripture in James about if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who give it to all men liberally. The second verse of that is my favorite verse, the first right after that, because it talks about but let him ask in faith, with nothing wavering. I'm butchering this, but it's because he that waver, he that asked without faith, wavered like the sea and is tossed to and fro.
Speaker 2:Man.
Speaker 1:I, yes, I have felt that. I have felt that thing of like me asking and then almost forgetting the grace of Christ, because I'm so aware of this thing that it's grace, after all, that we do. But I think we put way too much effort on the all we can do. I think that all we can do, we forget to bake into that cake imperfection, laziness, from time to time even disobedience, right Like that is. That is the recipe of that cake.
Speaker 1:For us is to be able to recognize that that's part of that journey of of that cake. For us is to be able to recognize that that's part of that journey of trusting and letting go. And so it's less about like one singular action and more about a constant reframing of like the Lord has got this, almost like a mantra. Heather has a mantra that the Lord has provided and he will still provide. My wife the Lord has provided and he will still provide. When we start getting into those tight moments as a family and I start becoming more like Elder Eyring's wife, she becomes the Elder Eyring and she's just like no, the Lord has always provided and he will provide, and it's just the soothing mantra of letting it go. So, yeah, I love that you mentioned that piece of it. What other parts of the talk stood out to you?
Speaker 2:Well, that's a great question. The one thing I wanted to add to that, and I think it'll bring us back to our talk you talked about the parent worrying about the son or the child, whatever, and you look at our Heavenly Father, we're all His children, and so we get a nice taste of what it means to be in His shoes. But he's our perfect parent, so he knows how to take care of us and our half-baked cakes better than we do with our kids. And one of my favorite scriptures is Moroni 925, where Mormon is telling about the horrible condition of both the Nephites and the Lamanites. And so he's telling all this stuff. Then he says my son be faithful in Christ and may not the things which I have written thee burden thee, weigh thee down unto death. But then he says but may Christ lift thee up and may his sufferings and death and the showing of his bodies to our fathers and his mercy and longsuffering and the hope of his glory and eternal life rest in your minds forever. So we have all these terrible things around us, but he said but focus on this. And the thing that I love, besides how we need to focus on his sufferings and death, I think that's huge for the sacrament, but also to remember his mercy and long-suffering towards us. So you talked about we keep making mistakes, our cake is not cooking how we want it to, but his mercy and long-suffering is perfect toward us.
Speaker 2:I think of Brother Wilcox now President Wilcox, of the Young Men's Presidency, whatever but he gave a great analogy of he was on a bus with a bunch of kids in high school I think it was for a band thing or whatever and they played the game where you had to do something and you moved your way up the bus.
Speaker 2:If you made a mistake you had to go to the very back, and so you kept trying to work your way up to the front of the bus and then the more up to the front you got, you got kind of nervous and there was some pressure and things and you make a mistake, go to the back. But his point was, the whole time the bus is still moving forward, it's still taking you to your destination. So we're making these mistakes. Oh, we go back to the bus, but we work our way up, but the whole bus is still taking us forward and that's the atonement of Christ working towards us. So, like I said, we can be the warriors of those situations where things pop up and we don't want to have fear, but we do. That's okay. We'll just kind of start over work our way back up, but the bus is still taking us towards our eternal home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. I love that. You know, I remember Dennis Deaton saying to me. He goes you know, think about it. If you were the eternal heavenly father and you had infinite love, infinite power and infinite time, how many of your children would you truly not be able to bring back home? Truly, he's like we have to have tremendous faith that there's so much we don't understand about what, and we are so blessed as members of the church to have so much information, light and knowledge, but it's still just rudimentary in terms of our understanding. So I love that analogy of the bus. As we continue to progress, you know, as we get caught up in what seat of the bus we're in, that the bus is still getting to our destination. You know it's, we just gotta. We just can't give up. It's a matter of just keep playing and trying our best.
Speaker 2:Well, that I guess, brings, yeah, so, remembering the talk that was, if you remember, he went into the Salt Lake temple for the first time and he's like, oh, I've been here before, I know this place. And then he was very specific that he heard another voice in his mind that was not his. That to me that is crazy. He said, no, you have not been here before, but you were in the preexistence. You were in a place that was like this, with the beauty, the light and everything and having those spiritual things.
Speaker 2:I remember there were two times in my mission where I had this celestial vision of people that were walking into the church.
Speaker 2:They were investigators and it was like for a second, a split second, I saw them all in white. It was like the thing where I had to kind of blink and shake my head and look again and then they're in their church clothes and Heavenly Father gives us those tender mercies, those little visions, those little opportunities to see what it's going to be like in the life to come. I remember when I went through the Oakland Temple when I received my endowments and of course I was really slow getting through the veil and all of my aunts and uncles, my grandparents were on the other side and I remember just crying like a baby. It just felt like I knew this place, and that was a memory that has stuck with me ever since. Now what's funny is some of our family members have stopped going to church. Some of those family members are fighting, there's issues, but that vision is still there for us to be an eternal family, and so I know that's capable as a possibility through the power and atonement of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:Yeah, capable, has a possibility through the power and atonement of Jesus Christ. Yeah, and I love how, in going to the temple look, we say this all the time on the podcast it's such a balance because not everyone has these huge spiritual experiences when they go to the temple. Some people have never had a distinct experience, just like that. But I love, I love in one of my episodes one of my guests said but we should, we should really strive and believe that we can, like we. We definitely don't want to negate if other people haven't had that, because we don't want them to feel like there's anything wrong. So for a lot of people it's just like everything else with the Holy Ghost. We all feel it and we all have a different journey with it. You know, for some it's a constant, repetitious action. That pattern of devotion, as Elder Eyring says, that pattern of devotion that we develop over time starts to really shift and change our hearts and our souls in a way that it's almost impossible to recognize at first until you look backwards over time. But for others they can have these moments where they, just like you had, where they had a distinct experience. I kind of feel like I'm in the middle. I've never had one of those experiences in the temple where I had this like overwhelming sense of one thing. But I remember going to the temple once, really stressed out and worried, and I was doing initiatories and I didn't even know my father was a temple worker, because that, how much we talk and where I was in the initiatory stage and he comes in and he didn't know I was there, and the assurance that there was this eternal plan, that fan first of all, that it was the. It was the perspective that family is the only thing that matters, like there's a lot of stuff to worry about but none of it matters, just family, right, family and God, that's it. And then the second thing was just this realization of like there is someone mindful of me on the other side of the veil, who's coordinating and conducting these things in such a powerful way that I just have to be awake enough to notice that these are miracles in order for that to really help me remember those places where we were before we came to this earth. And so I love how, for all of us, though, by going repeatedly, our souls and our spirits get to commune with the Holy Ghost and receive what we need in terms of inspiration and messaging. And so as we worry, you know, as we were talking about, like stress and worry and these things, you know, I love how Elder Eyring says this in the talk.
Speaker 1:He says, because of our covenant with God, he will never tire in his efforts to help us and we will never exhaust his merciful patient with us. It is through the sealing covenants in the temple that we can receive the assurance of a loving connection that will continue after death and last for eternity. Honoring marriage and family covenants made in the temple of God provide protection from the evil and selfishness and pride. It's just a powerful thing. There's a power that comes from just being obedient, but there is also this ability that we have to go in there prepared to receive something really special, because when those moments happen, it's like these anchors that ground us all the way through our trials in life. Yeah, is there any other part of the talk that resonated with you, mitch?
Speaker 2:You always got to listen to apostles and prophets when they use kind of absolute words. And so he says my dear brothers and sisters, I bear witness that there is nothing more important than honoring the covenants you have made or may make in the temple. No matter where you are on the covenant path, I urge you to qualify and become eligible to attend the temple. So when you have a prophet that says there's nothing more important, that always gets my attention. It's like, oh okay, I should really focus on that and see if that's where my priorities are right. Am I to the point where nothing is more important than that priorities are right? Am I to the point where nothing is more important than that? Just again, like Doctrine and Covenants 636, turn to me in every thought. Am I doing those things? That's the Savior's command. Turn to me in every thought.
Speaker 2:And President Eyring is saying there's nothing more important than honoring the covenants. And I think, going back to the beginning, that's where that's how we get rid of our fear Is that we've turned to him with all of our heart, might, mind and strength. And so when you say that, like in Doctrine and Covenants 4, or whatever the case is, all your heart, might mind and strength. And so when you say that, like in Doctrine and Covenants 4, or whatever the case is, all your heart might, mind and strength, it's like, wow, how do I do that? But that's what the temple teaches is. That is how we do. That is, through those covenants that we can make in the temple and then living those covenants. That's how we do that, and so we'll turn to our Savior every thought, and with that we will doubt not and fear not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. I get overwhelmed when I hear language like all of your heart, mind and strength, because it's like that feels almost impossible to quantify. It's like all of it. So, yeah, like, how do you approach that personally?
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, I try, not again. I remember the Lord in Moroni 925, remember his mercy and long-suffering. So I know that this is a lifelong and beyond journey that we have before us. And I say those things somewhat, I wouldn't say lightly, but guardedly, of course, because again there are people who, all of us, have these huge struggles, whatever it might be. I appreciate Paul being honest with us and President Eyring talked about that that we all have thorns in our side. We all have something we're dealing with. So when you say heart, mind, mind and strength, sometimes I just want to throw my hands up and be like how do I even do that? How's that possible? But that's again the sacrament, the temple, but doing it conscientiously.
Speaker 2:I once heard a brother, a Tabor's testimony, said you know what A lot of times we get our kids to go to the temple and we see that they're sitting there twiddling their thumbs or falling asleep as they're waiting to go through baptisms, whatever. But he said the influence is getting into them, the power is affecting them. Just have them keep going, even if they get out, and you ask how to go, and they go. The power is entering into their spirit, it's entwining with their spirit Was that? Who taught that? John Taylor, I can't remember, but just how the spirit entwines with our spirit and so it's so strong that it can't be torn apart. That temple just does that visit by visit, and I thought of this amazing analogy, if I may give it really quick.
Speaker 1:Yeah, please.
Speaker 2:So one thing I was always envious of with our school custodian were the amazing key chain. You know the retractable where it's harnessed to the hip. But you can swing that thing out like a good 50 feet and let it go and I'll shoot right back to his hip. And that's what I love about the title of your podcast Temple Bound. It's not oh, I'm bound to go to the temple someday. Or, like Homer bound, I'll go back to the temple. It's, you are binding yourself to it. Just like we learn in the temple, the covenants bind us to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. So we leave the temple and we're on that key chain. We go to our different. Whatever we're doing in life, we bind ourselves to the temple by having that connection. So if we stop fighting and let go, it'll zip us right back to the temple. And we do that through the sacrament, we do that through serving others, we do that through our constant scripture study, elder Scott, and this is something I'm working on.
Speaker 1:Richard G Scott said scripture studies should surpass sleep. I'm like what? Not there yet, but working on it.
Speaker 2:It's more important than sleep, it's more important than everything. And I think of Moroni or not Moroni, sorry Mosiah 3.7, when King Benjamin's teaching about Christ, and he uses some weird words. He says he suffered pain of body, hunger, thirst, and what was the last thing? Fatigue, even more than man can suffer except to be unto death. And that fatigue thing hits me like oh, I'm just, I'm tired, I'm gonna go to bed. Well, wait a minute. Christ suffered so much, his fatigue was so severe. If we had that same level of fatigue we would die.
Speaker 2:So, yes, I think I can follow his example a little bit, stay up a little longer, suffer through this fatigue and find him in that fatigue, find him in those extremities of what I'm trying to do to draw closer to him. I always thought that was very curious Hunger, thirst and fatigue. He suffered those things so badly and I'm so easy to go to bed at night. So those are for me some just key things to help me stay bound to the temple. Have that key chain that zips me back to it when I can let go of the world. Have that key chain that zips me back to it when I can let go of the world, let go of my worries and just let it take me back to, uh, the covenants made in the temple.
Speaker 1:I love that analogy of the key chain and it's so interesting because I love the idea too that it's just this thing of called consistent effort, and consistency isn't perfection. Consistency looks like a little bit better, a little bit worse, a little bit better, a lot worse, and you just keep going, but that covenant, at the end of the day, zips us right back to the temple, zips us right back to the safety of the covenants that we're in and I, I just man. I think that's when I think about all my heart, mind and strength. I do think there's two things that are possible for me and when, as as you were talking, mitch, one of them is that I can try a little bit harder, like just a little bit, a little bit, every day. You know, like you said, maybe fight through and start getting into the scriptures If I'm doing it at night and I'm losing, if I'm not getting sleep or getting up early and doing it instead of sleeping. And then, secondly, I do think there's this thing called like brave, bold action that still exists, you know, I think there's like this realization. At times we get this burst of clarity through the Holy Ghost of like what's possible if we increase our obedience, what he can do for us, like the spirit, almost like tunes that up a little so we can see and sense and then we take massive leaps forward.
Speaker 1:And I think I think for me both of those things are true. I think two things can be true at the same time that sometimes all my heart, mind, mind strength looks like little little improvements and being patient and never giving up. But then sometimes it's a matter of making bold declarations and deciding wholeheartedly that I am going to push harder than I've ever pushed. I'm going to intentionally take that sacrament in a way that I've never done it before. I'm going to think of everything I possibly can to make a difference. And when we think about why, for me it's about those kids. I wish it was more than that, but for me it's like if I can just do anything I can to bring the Holy Ghost in for them and to help them out and, yes, in the process change me, then I'm all for it. I just love what you said there.
Speaker 2:The part about being bold, I think is huge. And that's what the gospel President Faust, a while ago, in talking to the youth, he said if you stay away from the edge, you'll live, you'll have how do you put it? Your wildest dreams will come true. If you stay away from the edge, stay away from sin, stay away from those things that can keep you from the gospel. And that's what we keep forgetting is the gospel is exciting, that boldness, that desire.
Speaker 2:I remember with my wife. I had just met her and I knew I needed to know her better. And so I went with a friend. We had to travel four hours to get to her house. We stayed with her parents, she stayed in town, but we were going to leave that go back after that weekend. And the spirit said you need to walk her to the car and give her a kiss. And I'm like, whoa, this is, we've barely met. And you get my heart started going all this stuff. And so I walked her to the car and she's like what are you? But I, I gave her that kiss and that's what I needed for me to know that she was for me, the one that I wanted to pursue, wanted to be with.
Speaker 2:It was just something that confirmed. I knew, without a doubt, that was the spirit and and my girls love hearing that story now. But it's those bold, those bold events that take so much faith. And, like you say, yeah, the little, the repetitious things are huge, and then the occasional bold thing. They come together in this perfect medley of of spiritual power. Um, that we try, not, we hopefully don't want to surpass, but sometimes that's where the fear comes in, right?
Speaker 1:Absolutely. There's nothing more scary than like. I just met this girl and I'm going to kiss her. That's a pretty, that's a very bold move.
Speaker 1:I think again, I love this idea that I'm going to take this to heart of this idea of like, sometimes when I'm just drained and I'm fatigued just a little bit more, but then other times just to be bold, to be bold in some way, shape or form, punch fear in the face, whatever that looks like for me and for the listeners, to make a difference and to listen to the Holy Ghost, because it's not a matter of our capabilities, it's because he's capable, right, it's just our will. We have to give. And if we give that will, then we're able to do what I heard today again from Morgan Bentley's homecoming talk. She said this thing I love she's like. You know, the gospel of Jesus Christ is faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. She goes. But I like to add something a little different to the fifth one, which is to endure and enjoy till the end that through the Holy Ghost and through our covenants, we will face hardship but we can find joy and peace and even have this, these experiences of becoming who we were meant to be so.
Speaker 1:Mitch, thank you so much for being on the show. My last question to you is you know, on this topic of temples and uh, all being well, because of our covenants, this is a you know, this is temple and family history. What would you want your descendants to hear you say regarding this topic? As you're, as you know, this is going to be out there forever. Your kids, your grandkids, your great grandkids. What would you want them to hear in your voice say about this topic?
Speaker 2:Wow, yeah, no pressure there. Well, first of all, I have listening to the spirit told me I had to kiss my now wife, so let's just remember that. And secondly, that through the covenants we make in the temple, there's a clarity and peace that comes with that to help us know what we can become and why that's important. I think of my ancestors. My dad found out that he had some ancestors, some pioneers, that came through Martin's Cove and Rock Creek Hollow. I live right in that area and I think, well, why was that so important to him to know the sacrifices they made?
Speaker 2:And my daughter's actually going through a hard time right now. She's learning about some of her ancestors and she's like whoa, they weren't perfect, they made mistakes, and I would like them to know that, yes, I made lots of mistakes, but that I trusted in my Savior. I repented and I knew that through that process I can move forward and that I could overcome and become that. I could become more like my Savior by admitting that we are human, that we make mistakes and that we keep trying again and go back to the back of the bus, but keep moving forward, because that whole bus has taken us back to our Heavenly Father, and I know that that's true and that the Savior is mighty to save, and I'm very grateful for that. And I say that in's true and that the Savior is mighty to save, and I'm very grateful for that, and I say that in Jesus Christ, amen.
Speaker 1:Amen Mitch, thank you so much for being on the show today. We sure appreciate you.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Love you man.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to today's episode of Temple Bound. If you enjoyed today's content, please leave a review and share the episode with others so that people who are looking for this information can find it. Thank you again for listening. Until next time.
