In this blog we talk about many different ways someone can become, and serve as, a disciple of Jesus Christ. To me, this is the most valuable decision any of us can make in this life. Choosing to actively follow Christ can make everything else in our lives fall into place.

A big part of this choice is what we are willing to do to honor it. Within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we express our willingness to follow Christ through the covenants that we make with God. In each step of the journey, we progress in our ability and desire to follow the path that has been defined for us, and laid before us by Jesus Christ. We make covenants in order to promise God that we are willing to live His laws to the best of our ability. He promises blessing and help in return. A little further down the road, when we have mastered the promises we have already made, God invites us to make additional covenants. Each of these has a specific purpose: to lead us back to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and to give us the skills and tools that we will need to dwell in their presence with this life is through.

Joseph Smith once composed a list, entitled the Articles of Faith, to explain to those of other faiths exactly what the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are. The fourth article outlines the most basic steps, including covenants or ordinances, that must be made to enter into Christ’s church.

We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Articles of Faith 1:4)

These are a disciple’s steps as well. Discipleship is based on a firm belief in and love for Jesus Christ, followed by an understanding of His atoning sacrifice, sorrow for our own sins and taking steps to try to be more Christ-like, then baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Baptism is our first opportunity to actively make promises about our desire to live a Christ did and to follow His path back to heaven. With that in mind, the first ordinance encountered within the LDS church is baptism. Just as Christ was baptized, we need to be baptized to begin a new phase of discipleship. Among other things we make promises to remember Christ, to keep the commandments, and to stand as a witness for Him wherever we are. In return, we are admitted fully into Christ’s fold and church, and we are invited to have the Holy Ghost as our companions on a constant basis.

Members of the LDS church can make further covenants, adding another dimension of commitment to our faith in Jesus Christ. This is why we build temples all over the world. It is within the walls of those beautiful buildings that we once again present ourselves to God and voice our willingness to follow Him in more specific details. The basic purpose is to come as close to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as we can, both now and in eternity. Once that is established, we also make those promises binding to our entire family unity. In other words, we want to be in God’s presence, but what makes it most like Heaven is being there with our family. So, we commit to helping and supporting each other in our efforts to develop Christ-like attributes and relationships. This is part of Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness for us, His children.

People outside of the LDS church often wonder about the temples: why they are restricted to only certain people and what kinds of secrets are found inside. When you look at God’s plan and the way He gently leads His children, you’ll see that He takes the best parts of you and magnifies them at whatever stage of your life you happen to be in. His gospel works in steps and natural progressions. No one would expect you to cook Thanksgiving dinner for 100 people if you are just barely learning how to make macaroni and cheese. That same concept applies to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He wants you to be ready and understand where you’re headed on each step of the journey. Therefore, we do not enter the temple until we have mastered ourselves enough to keep smaller promises and consistently walk with Christ. Then, we can step up the pace and enter a new phase of the journey in the temple.

What goes on in the temple is exactly what I mentioned. It is another set of promises made between you and Heavenly Father. It isn’t something so very secret as much as it is something that is very sacred and special. Every promise made is based in something you can find in Christ’s teachings, but they are very specific. It’s another step closer to Christ and another step closer to God.

Want to improve your potential as a disciple of Christ? Begin with re-affirming your faith in Him and the atonement. Step forward into the waters of baptism and the companionship of the Holy Ghost and then follow the path onward until you find yourself at the temple. Enter ready to make special promises and leave closer to Christ and a much more effective disciple. It’s all part of the disciple’s path.

On July 24th those of us who live in Utah will celebrate Pioneer Day, or the day the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church)first arrived in this area.

Whenever I think of the pioneers, those who left behind homes, farms, most of their earthly possessions, and sometimes even family members, there is a hymn that comes to mind. It was written by a young man by the name of William Clayton.

William was only 23 when he first joined the Mormon Church over in England. He was an intelligent young man, well-educated, good with figures and had excellent penmenship (something not really thought about today in the computer age). He and his wife emmigrated to the United States, hoping to meet the prophet Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois.

His talents were quickly recognized and he was soon put to work as a scribe and secretary. After the martyrdom of the prophet Joseph, William chose to follow Brigham Young, then presiding leader of the Church, to a new place.

You see, since the dawning of this new religion the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been repeatedly driven from their homes. The Church's headquarters moved from city to city, over many states, until at last they knew it was time to head far out toward the west in the hopes of at last obtaining some peace.

A large group of families, including William, left in early February. At that time the snow was in the process of melting, the dirt roads were thawing and mixing with the slush, creating giant mud pits. The going was not easy.

David B. Haight, an apostle of the Lord, stated:

They left in February; it was now April. Slogging through the fields with the wagons and the horses and the teams and the rain and the mud in Iowa, they were discouraged. The going was difficult, people were dying, and babies were born. They were moving slowly, only traveling a few miles a day. In their discouragement, William Clayton wrote in his journal that he sat on a wagon tongue and wrote a song, hoping it would encourage and give some renewed hope and faith to the Saints.

So he wrote “Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear.” It was difficult. They were discouraged. “But with joy wend your way. / Though hard to you this journey may appear, / Grace shall be as your day.” He was giving them encouragement to keep going, that the situation would get better.

Then he wrote those wonderful lines, “We’ll find the place which God for us prepared, / Far away in the West.” Even though we’re stuck here in the mud and discouraged, this will all change. If we have the courage and the faith the Lord will answer our prayers; it will all come about. It gave them hope and encouragement. “We’ll find the place which God for us prepared, / Far away … / Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid”—stirring, inspirational words.

And then the last verse..., “And should we die before our journey’s through, / Happy day! All is well!” So if we die, we’ve done our best. We’re going to die sometime, as we all know. So “Happy day! All is well!”

“But if our lives are spared again / To see the Saints their rest obtain.” We’ll see if the wagon wheels will stay on and if the rims will stay on the little handcarts and if we can keep up that courage and the strength through our prayers and we’ll get there. “If our lives are spared again / To see the Saints their rest obtain.” If we get there, then “All is well! All is well!”—if we get there and if we have the courage to make it work.

And in his journal he wrote, “I’ve composed a new song—‘All is well’ ” (William Clayton’s Journal [1921], 19); (David B. Haight, “Hymn of the Obedient: ‘All Is Well’,” Ensign, Nov 1997, 70).

The song was later titled, "Come, Come Ye Saints" and has become like an anthem for our Pioneer Day celebration. I invite you to read through the words and think about those times you feel like giving up; as though the world has brought you to your knees and there's no hope. Think about those times, and then read the words, and remember God will never forsake you. He will work to provide for you a better place. You will be blessed for your faith.

17 Wherefore I, Jacob, gave unto them these words as I taught them in the temple, having first obtained mine errand from the Lord.

18 For I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph had been consecrated priests and teachers of this people, by the hand of Nephi.

19 And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day. (Jacob 1 in the Book of Mormon)

In these verses, the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob is talking about the importance of serving well when chosen by God to do a specific purpose. He notes that when God gives us responsibility over an aspect of His church, or over some of His people, He holds us accountable for how well we serve them. Today, we call these assignments callings.

Callings are a unique and powerful aspect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While most religions rely on volunteers to do a variety of things, the Church of Jesus Christ relies on volunteers to do everything. We are what is called a lay church, meaning we don’t have a paid clergy. We don’t pay our organists or teachers or other leaders. Everyone is a volunteer, but with a twist.

In general, for most positions, members of the Church don’t walk into the bishop (their congregational leader similar to a pastor) and ask for a specific job. Instead, the bishop and his counselors (the two men who serve under him and assist in leading the congregation) decide who might be good for the job and then pray until they know who God wants for the position. It takes so many people to run a typical congregation that everyone who wants a job to do can have one, and some people have more than one.

The person who receives the job is not necessarily the most qualified to do the job. In fact, people are often called to positions for which they’re entirely unqualified. We have a saying that whom God calls, God qualifies. In other words, you may not be called because you’re qualified or even skilled at the task. Instead, God sometimes chooses people who, if they choose to do so, can rise to the task and develop new skills and talents they didn’t know they had.

This is one of the signs to me that this is the true church. I felt, from the moment I first learned about callings, that this is just how God would do things. He wants us to find out who He knows we can be, and callings are one way to do that. Early in my church membership, I was told by someone speaking through inspiration that God saw in me a leader. I suspected God had made His first mistake. I was very, very shy, and no one had ever chosen me to lead anything. I was a skilled follower. However, in short time, I began to receive leadership positions. Who but God would see a leader in a painfully shy young woman?
Now, I wasn’t a great leader the very first day. I spent lots of time in prayer and study. I made mistakes. Over time, however, I really did learn how to lead and this helped me become someone I would never have become had I not joined the church.

Church members learn to be patient with people in callings, knowing they have to grow into them. People “born into” the church however—those who were born to active LDS families—tend to have a wider range of experience early on, since they receive leadership callings beginning when they’re only twelve years old. A preteen might find herself responsible for the well-being of a group of her own peers, planning their activities, planning to meet the needs of girls in her youth class who have special needs, and conducting meetings. She does all this with the help of two other young girls, called counselors, and under the shadow leadership of her adult advisors.

Shadow leadership means the leaders are there, quietly guiding and advising, but in general, letting the youth do their own work. The adults make sure guidelines are met, attend all meetings and activities, and use questions to guide the youth into making the proper decisions. They also provide leadership training.

Each position in the church comes with authority over that position. However, no position is more important than another and a person doesn’t work her way up the ladder of a congregation. A man might be a bishop one day and the assistant teacher in the toddler nursery the next. People are moved around in order to broaden their skills. I have been in the leadership over the Primary, the children’s auxiliary, many times, but I still find myself teaching instead of leading quite often. When this happens, and I face a challenge with my class, I go to my leaders for advice. Even though I am nearly fifty with extensive experience, and my leader might be only 23 years old with little experience, it is she who currently holds the authority to lead and so she is the one to whom God gives the wisdom for that job. I don’t find this demeaning at all. In fact, I have learned a great deal from these younger leaders who come in with fresh ideas.

God’s plans are always designed to help us grow to be everything He planned for us to be, and callings are one way He does this.

To learn more about callings, read, “Boyd K. Packer, “The Weak and the Simple of the Church,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 6–9