May I first say how much I love and appreciate you, the students, faculty, and staff at BYU-Idaho. You students are a chosen generation, and I can see that the Lord has a great purpose for you here at BYU-Idaho as well as when you leave this place and go on to larger things around the world.
What a great time of year to speak to you today! I want to thank our Father in Heaven for this glorious country that we live in and the freedoms that we enjoy. Celebration of our independence is a reminder of those who also sacrificed for that freedom. Freedom is what was needed to bring to pass the Restoration of the gospel and restoration of all that was necessary for all the saving ordinances to be restored. There is always a special feeling during this time of year; I hope that we don't ever take our freedoms for granted and always keep the humility necessary to keep the Lord's blessings over this sacred nation.
I consider myself a simple man. I don't consider myself very complicated or needy of great or elaborate things. I married a simple Idaho gal that came from a simple family, and my hope is that I am also raising a simple family. We try not to complicate our lives but instead try to keep things simple and unelaborate. I think that this is how Christ's disciples were also: simple men who knew the truth when they heard it and followed the promptings of the Savior and the Spirit. I hope that all here at BYU-Idaho are simple, humble people that can recognize truth when they see or hear it and can follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost and become disciples of the Savior.
In 2004 Elder David A. Bednar called BYU-Idaho a Disciple Preparation Center in the following words:
"Let me suggest that in Rexburg, Idaho, we are in the process of creating not a missionary training center (MTC) but a Disciple Preparation Center—a DPC. In this special and sacred and set-apart place, you and I have access to unparalleled spiritual resources that can assist us in developing and deepening our devotion as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the primary and most important reason for the existence of Brigham Young University-Idaho and for its sponsorship by and affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
Twelve years ago, when Elder Bednar addressed us and made this declaration, I recall thinking to myself, "Is he calling me a disciple of Jesus Christ?" What does that really mean, to become a disciple of Jesus Christ? If a disciple of Jesus Christ stood before us and we could see and touch him or her, what would they look like? How would they sound? How would they act? And what would they say or do that could persuade me to know they are true disciples of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
My hope for you today is to help you understand that you are disciples of Jesus Christ, and it is manifest in the things that you say and the actions that you perform on a daily basis. And I also hope that you can perfect those characteristics in your life and stay true to being a disciple of Jesus Christ throughout your earthly life. I have prayerfully considered a few ideas that will help us on our road of discipleship.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said:
"Part of discipleship should be to become high-yield, low-maintenance members of the Church. These members are not high profile; they won't be on the six o'clock evening news when they die. But they have done what Heavenly Father has wanted them to do meekly and humbly."
So we are at a Disciple Preparation Center, and part of being disciples should be, as Elder Maxwell states, to become high-yield, low-maintenance members of the Church that are humble. Elder Bednar and Elder Maxwell have a vision of what every bishop in the Church prays for: disciples of Christ that are high-output, low-maintenance members.
To help you understand my perspective, I want to begin by helping you understand how I can relate both my profession as facilities manager and my role as a bishop and father around this topic.
One of the greatest inventions in this world is the common light bulb invented by Thomas Edison: a carbon filament enclosed in a vacuum that, when energized, glows red-hot and produces light and heat. The incandescent light bulb has been a household object for decades and has brightened, enlightened, and enriched our daily lives in innumerable ways. Its uses are far-reaching and extend around the world. It took years to perfect but has been extremely beneficial in its application and purpose. A 60-watt incandescent light bulb can last on average about 1,200 hours. An average household can pay about $328.00 per year for lighting using incandescent bulbs. By today's measures, this is considered a low-output, high-maintenance device with a very short life cycle, fragile filaments and structure, and a need for a hefty power source. We still have a very small numbers of these devices on campus that we are trying to replace and upgrade.
Technological advances in fluorescent lighting have brought a change of how we can be better stewards of both energy and cost by producing better-quality and more-efficient lighting that also requires very little maintenance.
Today's technology of light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, is leading the way. LEDs are found on most smartphones, flashlights, and light bulbs and are far more advanced in both efficiency and diversity. An LED replacement bulb for a 60-watt incandescent bulb will only consume six to eight watts of energy but will produce the same amount of light. They will last 50,000 hours and will light an average home for about $32.00 per year. These durable, rugged-constructed devices with lower power consumption are truly amazing.
From this modern technology we get a high-output and low-maintenance device: a long-lasting, high-lumen light that can run on a low consistent amount of input energy and produce light over an extended amount of time.
Today's disciples should be similar to LED light bulbs in the sense that the Lord needs high-output, low-maintenance members of the Church that can run on a low consistent amount of input over an extended amount time.
How can we be high-output, low-maintenance members of the Church, and better yet, how can we be "light-emitting disciples," or LEDs?
In the follow up to his "Raise the Bar" conference talk, Elder M. Russell Ballard requested some of these things when he asked for missionaries with the following qualities:
"What we need . . . is the greatest generation of missionaries in the history of the Church. We need worthy, qualified, spiritually energized missionaries. . . . "We need your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking, passionate missionaries who know how to listen to and respond to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit."
I would echo his request with my own request by simply substituting "members" in place of "missionaries" in that statement:
"What we need . . . is the greatest generation of [members] in the history of the Church. We need worthy, qualified, spiritually energized [members]. . . . "We need your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking, passionate [members] who know how to listen to and respond to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit."
We need the greatest generation of light-emitting disciples. We need them prepared to leave this Disciple Preparation Center on a path of discipleship, prepared to report to a family ward where a bishop can see their desire, willingness, and worthiness. We need them prepared to receive callings and serve diligently in the kingdom of God on the earth. Let me describe what this may look like. Imagine that you are a bishop somewhere around the globe and that a new membership record has arrived in your ward, and you see that it is a single or newly married couple that is moving from BYU-Idaho into your ward. I can tell you that your heart jumps in your chest and you become giddy with excitement. Why are you so excited? It is because you are receiving the Lord's blessed disciples, and if these new ward members have followed the council of their university president, previous bishop, mother and father, and maybe even their past mission president, you know that you are receiving a true gift from our Father in Heaven to assist in building the Lord's kingdom within your ward.
I have seen and felt this excitement and can testify that it is true. Today I would like to share with you some characteristics of light-emitting discipleship that I feel are most valuable in becoming a high-output, low-maintenance disciple.
1. Always be worthy.
A light fixture is only as useful as its power source, be it battery, solar, wind generation, or a strong, reliable power provider. Top-quality LED lights operate best when firmly attached to a strong, reliable power source. You can make an electrical connection just by simply touching conductors and keeping them touching, and the electrons will flow and create light. The best light comes when the connections are firm, with adequate wire connectors and mechanical connections, much like light-emitting disciples need to be firmly connected to a strong, reliable power source. I am talking about being firmly connected. The best connection is living worthily. Moroni explained this characteristic in Mormon 9:29:
"See that ye are not baptized unworthily; see that ye partake not of the sacrament of Christ unworthily; but see that ye do all things in worthiness, and do it in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; and if ye do this, and endure to the end, ye will in nowise be cast out."
Our living prophet said it best in the most recent priesthood session of general conference:
"We read in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 121, verse 36, 'The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven.' What a wonderful gift we have been given. Ours is the responsibility to guard and protect that priesthood and to be worthy of all the glorious blessings our Father in Heaven has in store for us—and for others through us.
"Wherever you go, your priesthood goes with you. Are you standing in holy places? Before you put yourself and your priesthood in jeopardy by venturing into places or participating in activities which are not worthy of you or of that priesthood, pause to consider the consequences. Remember who you are and what God expects you to become. You are a child of promise. You are a man of might. You are a son of God.
"This precious gift of priesthood power brings with it not only solemn responsibilities but also special blessings for ourselves and for others. May we, in whatever place we may find ourselves, always be worthy to call upon its power, for we never know when our need and our opportunity to do so may come."
The definition of worthiness is to be personally righteous and to stand approved in the sight of God and His appointed leaders. Being worthy and humble is key to being a high-output, low-maintenance, light-emitting disciple of Jesus Christ. Remain plugged in and firmly connected through living a worthy lifestyle, reading your scriptures, praying daily, attending your church meetings, following the direction of the prophet, and living a chaste and virtuous life. Remain firmly connected to that source of power and light which is our Savior, Jesus Christ.
2. Never turn down an opportunity to serve.
As disciples, you will be called upon to serve in wards in multiple callings as teachers and leaders. Do not shirk away from this great opportunity. Follow the direction given in Doctrine and Covenants 107:99: "Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence."
You will receive callings that you have never served in, and you will need to learn your duties and responsibilities in that calling and perform those duties as directed. What a great opportunity to learn and grow. I recall being called to teach Gospel Doctrine class shortly after moving into my current ward. I was only 24 years old and was teaching ward members older and more mature than I was—not to mention a couple of ward members that were college professors that really kept me on my toes. I did my best to prepare and learn the message. I discovered that if I would just direct the class and keep them on subject, the Spirit would lead me to ask the right question, and together we would learn what the Spirit wanted to teach us.
Remember that you will have opportunities to serve within the walls of your own home and bless your spouse and children. Build a home where the Spirit can be invited in and live comfortably. You will soon find that you are partners with the Lord in raising up His spirits, and you will see that your everyday, small decision to strengthen your family through prayer and scripture study will build low-maintenance, high-output disciples in your home.
3. Learn how to work.
In the book of Genesis when Adam received a helpmeet and was tempted, the Lord gave him a command. We read in Genesis 2:15, "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."
And after the Fall of Adam, he was cast out of the garden and was instructed that by the sweat of his brow he would eat all the days of his life.
In these passages we are instructed that we must work. Whether we are tilling the soil or providing valuable services to others for compensation, we are to work for our physical well-being. In the Church today we call it being self-reliant. Church Handbook 2 states the following:
"Self-reliance is the ability, commitment, and effort to provide the spiritual and temporal necessities of life for self and family. As members become self-reliant, they are also better able to serve and care for others. "Church members are responsible for their own spiritual and temporal well-being. Blessed with the gift of agency, they have the privilege and duty to set their own course, solve their own problems, and strive to become self-reliant. Members do this under the inspiration of the Lord and with the labor of their own hands."
Nephi shared how he taught this principle in 2 Nephi 5:17: "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cause my people to be industrious, and to labor with their hands."
Gain a skill that is useful and valuable in the work force; learn to do hard, difficult, and thought-provoking work. Notice that I did not say learn to do tedious menial labor, although that may be how you get started. I remember working fast food, cleaning toilets, washing windows, moving sprinkler pipe, digging ditches—all of which had a skill or a piece of knowledge to help me be a better and more productive person. To this day I can make the best fried chicken in our family, and they love it.
I would like to share with you the example that I followed in learning how to work. In 1965, my father lived on a small farm west of Blackfoot and was busy raising a family and doing his very best at being a provident provider. He had six children at the time and already had many ups and downs in his career of farming and ranching. His wife was complaining of headaches and was soon diagnosed with a brain tumor. Radiation treatment was new for tumors and not very successful. She soon succumbed to the tumor and passed away. As you can imagine, my father was heartbroken, being a single father of six with a farm, a cattle operation, and a dairy, and no helpmeet. Through prayer and being humble before the Lord, he was directed to attend a singles dance, where he met my mother. After a very short courtship of just a few months, they were married in the Idaho Falls Temple. After a brief honeymoon, my mother jumped heart first from being single to being a wife of a farmer and mother of six children. Within just a few months, she invited three more of her own nephews to live with them. Caring for the children, the farm, and ranch hands as well as a few nephews was overwhelming at times. My sisters shared with me about a time when they got dropped off at school late, and they told the principal that they were late because Mom ran away and Dad had to go get her. She returned as instructed by a loving earthly father and soon found a happy medium in loving and caring for everyone and everything on the farm. I think it was because of the more frequent visits by her mother and father during the peak demands of farm life.
A loving marriage takes lots of love and lots of hard work. My father and mother never turned away from the gospel and never turned away from the hard work on the farm. Four more children were added to the mix, including me and my twin sister. My mother went to work outside of the home to help support my brother in the mission field and stayed employed after he returned to help keep the family farm prosperous. Farming had its good and bad years for my father, but his faith and teaching the gospel to his children made him very prosperous, and he was truly blessed by Heavenly Father. We were taught in the home that work was a blessing and to never turn away from doing something difficult. When my mother turned 62 years old, she approached me and asked for some council. My parents wanted to serve a mission but knew they did not have the financial means to provide for a mission and continue to pay a mortgage and all the expenses that come from owning a home. The family agreed that if they were willing to serve, we 10 children would help assist with the extra costs.
They were called to the Texas McAllen Mission and served faithfully until my mother was struck by a car and killed. On the day she died, she fed the office missionaries a good home-cooked Idaho meal of roast beef and potatoes and gravy and sent them back to the office in the care of my father. She prepared a salad and was walking to another senior couple's apartment to meet my dad when she was struck by a passing car. My mother never faltered in her testimony or her desire to serve the Lord and carry her burdens and work out her salvation here on the earth. She was a shining example of a faithful high-output, low-maintenance member of the Church. My father remarried and served three more missions with his new companion and still continues to be an example to me of a high-output, low-maintenance member of the Church. The same month I started working here at BYU-Idaho was the same month that my mother passed away. I am extremely grateful for the new coworkers and administrators that supported me during that time of my life; they are also examples of high-output, low-maintenance members that give so freely and lovingly.
Light bulbs, when properly and firmly connected to a strong power source, can emit light for a very long time. They can share that precious light that allows all who want to benefit.
There is one final characteristic that will help us to share our own light, and that is diligence.
4. Be diligent.
Diligence is the constant and earnest effort to accomplish what you desire. It is a characteristic of a high-output, low-maintenance, light-emitting disciple of Jesus Christ. If we want to share our light, we must learn to be diligent in our service.
In Mosiah 4:27 we read:
"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order" (italics added).
Diligence is not simply an act of enduring to the end but an act of enduring to the end in righteousness. It is living the principles of the gospel, making covenants, and keeping those covenants. It is loving others and using our time and talents in building the Lord's kingdom here on the earth.
In summary, the characteristics of light-emitting disciples are to be worthy, to never turn down an opportunity to serve, to learn how to work, and to be diligent. These disciple characteristics will help you be strongly connected to a reliable power source, emitting the light of the Savior. May we always be found worthy of the gospel blessings which we receive. May we serve and accept the call of the Lord and work with all our hearts to bring to pass His plan on the earth. May we be found to be high-output, low-maintenance, light-emitting disciples serving diligently in His kingdom. I testify that God lives, Jesus is the Christ, and that we are His disciples on this earth. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.