As I thought about speaking at devotional and as I look out at you today, I have been reminded of the students individually and collectively who have had an impact upon my life. Some are easier to remember than others. Sometimes it was a location like Carey, Idaho, or Sri Lanka, or Colstrip, Montana--or sometimes it was an unusual name or sometimes a very common name. You are special individuals. I know that each of you has a teacher on this campus who knows your name and knows you. And faculty and employees, there are students who will remember you forever--your names, your knowledge and skill, and most of all your interest in them.
My life has been blessed by students. I have watched students progress at various rates. For some, the process was more challenging than others. For some, the vision and understanding of learning was a small seed. I remember a conversation with a young man about learning and his effort. He shared how in high school, he was mainly going through the motions and wasn't working to his potential. He didn't understand learning. When he arrived at college, he started to develop different patterns and put forth a different effort level. I asked him what made the difference. His response, "I realized that learning was part of the gospel." I hope that all of us can have this thought radiate in our hearts and minds.
I share with you two verses found in Doctrine and Covenants, section 88, verse 118 and 119.
"And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.
"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."[1]
Section 88 was a response and an answer to the brethren seeking direction. As I study the history of the Church, I am constantly reminded of examples of the importance of learning and education. Revelation nudged leaders to build communities with a central focus on education and spiritual empowerment. The Prophet Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and many others of the early brethren were examples of great learning. The Prophet Joseph was self-taught with little formal education. In the School of the Prophets, instruction was provided in Theology, English Grammar, Hebrew, and other fields to better qualify elders for conducting God's work and proselyting worldwide.[2]
Our prophets and church leaders today are examples of continuous learning. We generally have no knowledge or perception of the depth of knowledge and understanding of our current prophets, seers, and revelators.
President Hinckley gave us counsel concerning learning:
"None of us . . . knows enough. The learning process is an endless process. We must read, we must observe, we must assimilate, and we must ponder that to which we expose our minds . . .
". . . You cannot afford to stop. You must not rest in your development. . . . There is so much to learn and so little time in which to learn it."[3]
Today, I want to share thoughts on Learning and a House of Learning. I start by referring to the temple.
Temple
We go to the temple receiving the blessing of being taught. Elder John A. Widstoe encourages us to look at the learning pedagogy we experience in the temple. The spoken word, the representation and symbolism, and the engagement of the participants. He reminds us that the ordinances are packed with eternal truths.
The temple is referred to as the Lord's university. The temple is a place of special instruction where we learn those things that will take us back to our Father in Heaven's presence. Our education for the eternities is provided there. We receive teachings, covenants, and promises.[4]
I have learned some important direction as I participate in the learning available in the temple. Preparation by planning and inviting the spirit to be with me improves my temple experience. The time in the temple allows me to reflect. This reflection and pondering provides the opportunity to be taught and prompted. The Holy Ghost will be our own personal mentor. Your promptings will be different than the person next to you. As I direct my reflection to the meaning of the ordinances and covenants, I am taught. As I go to the temple, I have come to understand the importance of repetition. Repetition helps me remember. It is like an ongoing class with continuous tutoring and promptings to help us pass the final exam. If I want to receive the help that is available, I can go to the House of Learning. The Lord, through the temple, will teach, tutor, and remind me of what I must know and do. As I go to the temple, I am reminded of service and love. I can experience special feelings for those that I serve by way of proxy. I need them and they need me. The temple helps me to understand service.
As I go to the temple, I am reminded of the importance of applying and doing better. I want to be a better companion, a better father, a better person. The thought has come to me as I watch a couple kneeling at the altar, across from each other, that the sealing is an invitation to return, to repeat, and to recommit to keeping the covenants and the promises they have made.
We all need to return often to that special classroom where all of us receive a special feeling - that the teacher knows us and he cares about us. The teacher wants so much for us to be that successful student. This temple on our hill is a special place of learning--it is the House of Learning. It is the House of the Lord.
Home
I now share a few thoughts on our homes as a House of Learning. Our homes are sacred places and should be a sanctuary for learning and goodness. How do we make our homes a House of Learning? How do we prepare an environment for learning?
President Gordon B. Hinckley tells of a room in his parent's home they called their library. The room had volumes of books. He stated:
"There was quiet in that room. It was understood that it was a place to study. . . there was an environment . . . of learning. I would not have you believe that we were great scholars. But we were exposed to great literature, great ideas from great thinkers, and the language of men and women who thought deeply and wrote beautifully."[5]
Creating an environment for learning and teaching is so important. Fathers and mothers together create the environment for learning. I had the great blessing of being raised in a home that valued spiritual and temporal learning. We were not wealthy and my parents didn't receive a lot of formal education. But they provided us with examples of learning. My mother was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. During her seventh year of age, her younger brother died, her mother passed away, and her older brother was lost at sea in World War I. An aunt had joined the Church and migrated to Utah where she had married. The aunt and her husband sent an invitation for the family to send one of their children and they would raise that child in the United States. The family sent my mother. She thought she was going on a trip and never saw her father or siblings again. My mother and her aunt were the only two members of the family who joined the Church.
During her lifetime, she became an example to her children for learning. She couldn't continue her education because of the needs of her new family and the school was a significant distance. I observed her desire for learning and her continued appetite for study of things both temporally and spiritually. She learned English and continued to study English. Her handwriting was beautiful, her spelling foundational. When I came home from school, she was doing crossword puzzles, reading the newspaper, studying the scriptures. She loved TV quiz shows. Her preparation for teaching in her church callings was exemplary. I remember her notes and her study.
My father was the oldest in his family. He shared a major responsibility to provide for the family and take care of the family farm. Because of distance and conditions, he wasn't able to continue his education. My father loved to read. We always had a small library with books to read. I remember an atlas and a large book on animals. I remember books on the history of the nation. I remember church books. There were a lot less than today, but very valued. My father's counsel was if you have books and you don't read them, you are no better off than the person who sleeps with the light on. He required us to do the exercises and problems of math in our heads. When he was in his forties, he took a course, using a record player and a book to learn how to type and use a typewriter. This was an old heavy-duty Underwood typewriter. I know that the terms typewriter and record player are foreign to most of you. He took notes. He tried to learn. At age 60, he was learning how to play the piano. My parents provided a climate of learning. I was blessed with a "House of Learning."
Sometimes in our world of luxury, technology, and volumes of information at our hands, we may miss the full vision of a House of Learning. The opportunity of creating an environment and climate for learning in our homes is special.
University
My thoughts turn now to our university as a House of Learning. This has caused me to ponder upon my experiences at a university. I can remember many of my teachers and some of the classes. I would not be telling the truth if I told you I remembered all of my learning and experiences. I remember geology from Brother Bushman. I came to more fully appreciate the Tetons and other blessings of nature because of a geology class. I came to understand and appreciate the miracle of the creation through an anatomy and physiology class. My interest in economics was stimulated by Brother Parson and Brother Wimmer. I felt the power of the restoration and the history of the Church through Brother Barrett from the Religion Department and Brother Campbell from the History Department. I was blessed by good teachers and a good climate for learning. We have that great blessing upon this campus.
As we look at the university as being a House of Learning, we look at a very special experience that can exist between the student and the teacher. This process is one of leading the learner into light and understanding. One of the most impressive examples of true teaching is found in the life of Helen Keller.
She tells her story of beginning life in a natural, happy childhood. She was stricken with a disease, losing her sight and hearing. She plunged into a house of darkness. She says she would have remained there if it were not for the help of a good teacher--the teacher that arrived with infinite patience, great understanding, and devotion. The teacher worked with Helen Keller. She would make symbols in her hand. It was very difficult with the resistance of Helen.
One day with the usual struggle when the teacher was trying to teach the sign for water and for cup, there were no encouraging results. They took a break and went for a walk. The hired man was watering the horses in the barnyard. Leading the child to the pump, the teacher thrust her hand under the spout and made the touch sign for water. Something of an awakening light occurred. Helen realized that the sign spelled into her hand meant the cool liquid she was feeling. She had light come to her understanding. There were difficulties ahead, but the way had been opened.[6] Anne Sullivan did what teachers do--make symbols of learning come to life. A step toward mastery of any class or course is to make the essential symbols come alive and meaningful. A special bond develops in a learning environment where teachers and students come together. I pray that at this university, we continue to develop that special bond, and that both learner and teacher will understand and develop in their sacred role.
You and I
Now, we all have the blessing and opportunity of creating our own House of Learning. I have spoken of the temple, the home, and the university. I hope you understand that all of those work together to bless your life. Now, what do you need to do in your life to add to that climate and pattern for learning? I share with you a few thoughts and suggestions. These are not new. You will recognize their inclusion in Preach My Gospel, the Learning Model, youth curriculum, the Gospel Principles manual, and in good learning and teaching. I mention four brief points.
First, Vision and Understanding Leads to Acting
A couple of years ago, I was in Fortaleza, Brazil. On Sunday evening, I was scheduled to speak at a fireside for youth and their parents. I had thought that I would share parts of the Learning Model. On the way to the fireside, I had the prompting that I should share some different thoughts.
I felt that I should help these members create a vision and understanding of the blessing and importance of education. It is like they needed to understand the doctrine and principles then their behavior and actions would follow. It was to be a matter of "why" rather than "how". I was prompted that it was to be about vision.
President James E. Faust tells of his experience with his father concerning education. He was reminded by his father the "why" of learning and an education. He had returned from World War II. He was married with a family and wanted to move on with his life. He had served a mission and served in the military. He had three years of school to complete, which would require effort and continued poverty as a young family. He said to his father, "I don't think I'll go back to school. I'll just get a job or start a business and go forward in my life." His father had completed law school after World War I with a wife and three children. His father who was typically blunt, said to him, "What can you do?" The brutally honest comment had an impression. He went back to school. Our vision and understanding of "why" will have an impact upon our educational efforts.[7]
The Prophet Joseph tells of his yearly visits with the Angel Moroni. He received instruction, intelligence, and interviews in respect to why, how, and what. The Lord was creating vision and understanding for the Prophet Joseph through the Angel Moroni. That vision and understanding led to action and the service of the prophet. As you come to understand the why of learning, your vision grows, and your action increases.
We have all been blessed with Elder David A. Bednar's teachings concerning vision on agency and acting:
"You and I are here upon the earth to prepare for eternity, to learn how to learn, to learn things that are temporally important and eternally essential, and to assist others in learning wisdom and truth. Understanding who we are, where we came from, and why we are upon the earth places upon each of us a great responsibility both to learn how to learn and to learn to love learning.
"As a learner, what are the implications for me of knowing that I am an agent blessed with agency who can act rather than an object that is merely acted upon?"[8]
Our vision increases our acting.
Second, Preparation by Study and by Faith
When I think of preparation, I return to the Prophet Joseph and four years with visits from the Angel Moroni before receiving the plates. I think of the preparation required to master a skill or share a musical talent. In 3 Nephi, chapter 17, verse 3, the Lord gives instruction to the people assembled. He had been teaching and blessing their lives:
"Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again."[9]
He encourages them to go to their homes and prepare for the morrow. That preparation was pondering and praying--preparing your mind for further instruction and learning. For you as a college student and for us as members of the Church, an investment of study will prepare us to be taught. Preparation requires a demonstration of study and faith. Our study and our faith leads to preparation.
From Preach My Gospel, we read two powerful sentences concerning preparation:
"Study is an act of faith requiring the use of personal agency.
"While learning from a good teacher is very important, it is more important for you to have meaningful learning experiences on your own."[10]
What do these two sentences mean? Preparation requires you to study, to improve your learning skills, to have faith in our ability to learn. A reminder - study is not just reading. Preparation requires effort and time. By study and by faith, we reap the blessings of our preparation.
Third, the Holy Ghost is our Facilitator and Teacher
I share with you the thought that the Holy Ghost is more important than we understand in our learning. We are not always conscious of the impact of the Holy Ghost. I do not profess to know all about how the Holy Ghost works, but I do know that having the companionship of the Holy Ghost increases my learning and understanding.
Let me suggest a few thoughts concerning the role of the Holy Ghost in your learning process. These thoughts were influenced by Elder Bednar's teaching. You must come to a desire to have the Holy Ghost as a learning partner. You need to invite the Holy Ghost into your life and into the learning process. You must merit the companionship. Desire, inviting, and to merit the Holy Ghost will be facilitated by your prayers, work, and worthiness. Companionship of the Holy Ghost improves our ability to feel and understand promptings. We spend a lifetime of learning to feel and understand promptings. This is part of the sanctification process.
I mention to you the importance of recording those promptings, those learning experiences. Elder Richard G. Scott shared with us that if we record our promptings, we will have the ability to build upon our experiences with the Holy Ghost and that they will have a tendency to increase. I challenge you to keep a journal of your learning experiences, your promptings, your breakthroughs. Record your educational experiences. Recording what you learn in the learning process will lend itself to increased learning and to an increased role of the Holy Ghost. You will learn how to learn.[11]
Fourth, Pondering Leads to Increased Learning and Understanding
Pondering. This is another special word from Third Nephi, chapter 17, verse 3. The Savior instructed the multitude to "ponder upon the things which I have said."[12] There are many references to the word pondering in the scriptures and the history of the Church. There are examples of pondering in discoveries in the sciences. There are ponderings that are part of artistic creations.
In Doctrine and Covenants, section 138, President Joseph F. Smith gives us a powerful example of pondering. Let me read verses 1 - 3 and verse 11.
"On the third of October, in the year nineteen hundred and eighteen, I sat in my room pondering over the scriptures;
"And reflecting upon the great atoning sacrifice that was made by the Son of God, for the redemption of the world;
"And the great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world;
"As I pondered over these things which are written, the eyes of my understanding were opened, and the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me, and I saw the hosts of the dead, both small and great."[13]
What does it mean to ponder? We have to learn how to ponder. We have to shut out the noise, the background music, the phone. Pondering requires process, focus, and effort. Like the counsel given to Oliver Cowdery, you must study it out in your mind.[14] I encourage you as students to ponder upon the value and process for deep learning and understanding.
The effort of pondering had an influence upon a young boy. The Prophet Joseph tells of his experience after reading in the Epistle of James:
"Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.
"At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to "ask of God," concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture."[15]
This effort of pondering had an impact on you and me. I hope that the thoughts on learning have caused you to ponder.
Brothers and sisters, the direction to create a House of Learning is vital for our progression and sanctification. We need not separate temporal and spiritual learnings--in fact, we should rejoice in the blessing of being at this university with this climate for learning. Learning is part of the gospel--to know of the things of the earth, to learn from good books, to enjoy the arts, to know of those things that will help you professionally, to know of and apply the teachings of the scriptures.
I pray that your vision and understanding of the importance of learning will increase in order that you might take advantage of your opportunities. Your Father in Heaven knows you individually. He cares about you. He loves you. Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] D&C 88:118-119
[2] Dean C. Jessee & Ronald K. Esplin, Joseph Smith Papers, 2008, Introduction, piii
[3] Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 1997, pg 298-99
[4] Andrew C. Skinner, Temple Worship, 2007
[5] Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 1997, pg 170
[6] Howard R. Driggs, The Master's Art, 1946, pg 4-5
[7] James E. Faust, Stories From My Life, 2001
[8] David A. Bednar, Increase in Learning, 2011, pg 16-17
[9] 3 Nephi 17:3
[10] Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service, 2004, pg 17-28
[11] Richard G. Scott, "How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life," Ensign, May 2012
[12] 3 Nephi 17:3
[13] D&C 138:1-3, 11
[14] D&C 9:7-9
[15] Joseph Smith History 1:12-13