Life as a college student anywhere can be both challenging and stimulating. As a student you will have your share of positive experiences and a few painful ones. Actually, this is true of life anywhere, on a college campus and everywhere else. Hopefully, the positive experiences will far outnumber any negative ones you’ll have. One of the positive experiences I had as a student at Brigham Young University-Hawaii was attending the weekly Devotionals with one or more of my friends. BYU-Hawaii is one of three universities owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon Church). I don’t mean to suggest that we attended every single devotional. After all, we were typical college students with many other demands on our time such as work, assignments, upcoming exams, sleep, and of course, some much needed fun and relaxation. Still we tried to attend a good number of Devotionals and each time we did, we were always happy that we went.
What exactly is a Devotional? A Devotional at Brigham Young University, Brigham Young University-Hawaii, and Brigham Young University-Idaho, is a weekly assembly or gathering to hear a presentation on topics ranging from “personal and religious enrichment to current issues and other topics.” (BYU Broadcasting: Devotional/Forum Broadcasts). Answers.com defines devotional as “a short religious service.” Devotionals are usually very spiritual. More than any other memory of Devotionals, that is the one that is the clearest in my mind – that it was a spiritual and an inspirational experience.
Devotionals also allow students to hear firsthand from the leaders of the Church. President Gordon B. Hinckley, the current President of the Church, as well as a number of different Apostles and other Church leaders, have all given speeches at various Devotionals. Elder L. Tom Perry said, “the words of the Apostles, past and present, live in the scriptures, conference addresses, Church magazines, Devotionals, and so forth.” (Elder L. Tom Perry is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
All of this is well and good if you happen to live close to BYU in Provo, Laie, or Rexburg. What if you live clear across the country? What if you are a college student attending a university in Florida or France for that matter? What if you are someone who simply enjoys listening to uplifting and informative messages from whichever part of the globe you call home? Well, if this is you, then you are in luck. All three campuses have made the speeches from their weekly devotionals available online. You can either print the text of the speeches, listen to it right on your PC, view a podcast, or download them to your MP3 player or iPod. Re-broadcasts on BYU television is also available in many areas in the United States so be sure to check with your local television stations.
To access speeches from BYU Provo Devotionals, please click here. The earliest talk available here is one by President George Albert Smith given on June 21, 1950. President George Albert Smith was the eighth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
BYU Provo also has a separate Speeches site that offers a treasure trove of speeches that you shouldn’t pass up. Many of these speeches were presented during Devotionals at BYU Provo. This web site also provides the option of reading a text of a speech or downloading it for free. It contains speeches from as far back as 1949.
BYU-Hawaii’s Devotionals and Speeches can be accessed here. Recent speeches and talks are available but as of today the archives only go back to Fall 1999.
BYU-Idaho’s Devotionals and Speeches are available here. Their archive of speeches and talks go back to 1972. This site is actually the best site if you are new to Devotionals. It offers a video presentation on Devotional preparedness, Devotional etiquette, and even a printable note page that you can use to jot down quotes, thoughts, etc., that you want to remember from each Devotional.
Another university that you may not be aware about that also offers Devotionals is Southern Virginia University. Although the university isn’t owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is a private institution of higher learning that was established to serve the Latter-day Saint community or Mormons. Their Devotionals and Speeches can be accessed here. SVU is a fairly new university so its archive of Devotionals and Speeches only goes back to Fall 2005.
Devotionals are a wonderful way to recharge during the week. The best thing about them is that we can all take advantage of them today. Technology has enabled even those of us who live hundreds and thousands of miles away to access this wealth of inspirational and informative messages. We really don’t have to be a student at BYU to take advantage of this wonderful resource. We can have our own devotionals at home when we listen or read any one of these wonderful speeches.
If you are interested in Mormons these Devotionals are a great way to find out a little more about Mormons. If you can attend in person please do so, you will feel the Spirit there if you go with a sincere desire to know. In 1 Corinthians 2:10 we are promised that if we are earnestly seeking the truth it will be revealed to us by the power of the Spirit. “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” Don’t forget to also check out the official Church web sites at www.lds.org and www.mormons.org for the most accurate information about Mormons.
