September General Conference: Keeping the Covenant

The Boise Believers fellowship will be hosting a general conference September 20-22 in Boise, Idaho. The theme is Becoming one in Christ: Keeping the Covenant. Everyone is invited to attend.

Please see this website for details:

Keeping the Covenant Conference

I say unto you, be one, and if you are not one, you are not mine.

—Teachings and Commandments 22:7

Day of Fasting and Prayer to Prepare for the Temple

I was asked to post the following announcement:

Greetings brothers and sisters!

This message is reaching you today to ask you to join a general day of fasting and prayer as we, as fellow believers in Christ, seek His guidance and revelation on "preparing every needful thing" in advance of a command to build a temple. This day of fasting and prayer will be held on June 27.

Lately, Denver Snuffer has spoken on more than one occasion about the need for preparing for a temple. For example, in the podcast entitled, Temple, Part IV he said:

I do believe that when the command [to build a temple] is given, that the command to build the temple is not going to give us decades to respond. I think that when the command is given, we’re expected to act with some dispatch to accomplish what has been requested of Him. And so, I am personally grateful that there is no command out there at present to do so, because I don’t know how we would accomplish it. We’re not supposed to do it in haste, but we’re supposed to prepare every needful thing. And preparing every needful thing— we might be in a time when it’s far more convenient to accomplish it now than it will be later, under more pressing circumstances.

This appears to mean not just to save money (and it certainly means that), but also to literally prepare. But, prepare what? In the absence of a command to actually build or construct a temple, how can we know what to prepare?

Perhaps guidance can be had in the answer the Lord gave us regarding the Guide and Standard that was presented for his acceptance: "What have you learned? What ought you to have learned?" These questions are followed by a parable. Interestingly the parable is framed from the standpoint of constructing a "house" for a "master." How often have we heard the temple described as the "House of the Lord," or a "house" where our "master" can come, dwell and teach us?

In the parable, we learn that the very first thing that the servants did, when commanded to build the house, was to divide into groups that "reasoned among themselves" how to solve several obvious obstacles to the construction of the house. Some gathered, some hastened, some bickered and quarreled. Eventually the house was completed, and the efforts of all were honored by the master. However, he did chastise them, and it seems that the master was telling his servants that the effort was far more difficult than it needed to be: "There is but need for one house," said the master. "When I ask you to labor, do so wisely."

How can we be "wise?" According to the Glossary in our new scriptures, "Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge. Nothing in this world is more desirable than acquiring wisdom--understanding and putting knowledge to wise use. Zion will require the wisdom to use pure knowledge in meekness, humility and charity."

The same Glossary states the definition of "Knowledge" simply: "To have been visited by the Lord."

In the parable referenced above appears a reference to our future need to construct a temple. It is possible that the lesson we ought to have learned is not to reason among ourselves in splintered groups, making the task much harder than it ought to be. Perhaps what the lesson we ought to have learned is to seek knowledge first. To ask, as a people, the Lord about what he would have us do. Without knowledge, we cannot act wisely.

Let us, as a people, come together, and ask the Lord, in fasting and prayer, what it is he would have us prepare while we are in a season where we can make preparations? While we can prepare the needful things? Please join us as we hold a general fast and prayer day, in which we express our united desire to prepare every needful thing, and ask the Lord identify for us, be it as individuals or through his servant Denver Snuffer, what He would have us do.

Love and Blessings to you all!

Joseph Smith Restoration Conference Recordings

The recordings of the 2019 Joseph Smith Restoration Conference are now available. The conference was a wonderful event, and I was very pleased to attend. There was a palpable spirit of unity and acceptance among all the attendees. Enjoy!

Watch Here

Be Ye Kind Youth Conference

I've been asked by the conference organizers to post the following announcement, as well as a request for registrations. If you're going to attend, please register right away. The organizers need an accurate headcount to complete their preparations.

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice; and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even for Christ's sake God hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 1:12 RE)

Dear Restoration Youth,

As the hearts of those in this world continue to grow colder, as we were told would happen in the Last Days, it is more important than ever to be kind to ourselves, and to others. Christ’s example is one of forgiveness, charity, love and encouragement. We are all seeking to be more like our Savior, but at times, being kind can be difficult. In a world where we interact with our family, friends and peers every day, it’s easy to forget how to be kind when we feel justified in our anger.

Luckily, there are skills we can each learn that will help us be kind, even when it’s hard. At the Be Ye Kind Youth Conference, we’ll focus on developing a culture of Zion, which is one of kindness. You’ll have the opportunity to make new friends and connections with other youth your age and participate in fun activities. Saturday events will include a workshop that will explore the 3 main principles of kindness, fun water activities, and a delicious meal/dessert. Sunday events will be centered around service and sacrament. We’ll end the conference with a potluck dinner and a family dance open to all. We look forward to seeing you, and to a great weekend together!

When: 

• Saturday, August 3rd: 9:00 AM-7:30 PM 
• Sunday, August 4th: 10:00 AM-9:00 PM (potluck at 5:00 followed by the dance)

Where: Barker Family Park, 2900 N 1000 W, Ogden, UT 84414

Who: All Restoration youth ages 12-18

Registration: Cost is free. Please visit https://www.beyekindyc2019.com to register.

Schedule: The full conference schedule is available at the conference website: https://www.beyekindyc2019.com

Things to Bring:

• Sack lunch (both days)
• Notebook or journal
• Sunscreen/hat
• Bug repellent
• Camp chair
• A t-shirt and shorts that can get wet (Saturday only)
• Towel (for drying off after water games)
• Water bottle

More Volunteers Needed!

The youth conference organizers are looking for more adult volunteers to make this event a success. If you have any availability to help during either Saturday or Sunday, please reach out to the conference organizers at beyekindyc2019@gmail.com. Thank you for your kindness and help!

-The Planning Committee

How Long? Part 7: It’s Happening

I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the high God has wrought toward me. How great are his signs, and how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

— Daniel 4:1 RE

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

I started this series of posts to discuss the fervent desire we all have, to see the Lord’s work progressing and the prophecies fulfilled. In this series, we’ve considered things that may be holding back our progress, and we’ve discussed important things we need to do.

To wrap up this series, I want to take a look at where we are, what’s going on, and what we should expect. In doing so, I hope to perhaps offer a better perspective so that we, individually and as a community, can exercise greater faith.

In part one of this series, I said the following:

Tremendous things have happened, and many of us hope more will happen soon. Look at all that has come in a few short years: The gospel taught with clarity and power; a new dispensation with renewal of baptism and worship; new scripture giving us the most accurate accumulation of Christ’s words to date; a covenant established by God; new words from Jesus Christ and John; incredible light and knowledge pouring forth; thousands awakening and arising. These are tremendous blessings, which ought to fill us with gratitude.

I want to add one more bit of clarity to the above thought. This from Denver Snuffer:

Mankind is approaching the moment in which the Lord is about to return (see Matthew 11). All of the signs that He speaks of will occur in one single generation, and the signs have begun to appear. This means those now alive are living within a generation in which a great deal is to occur. As it was in the days of Noah, so is it about to be — on the one hand, dreadful things are coming; but it also means that prophets are again going to be among man, people with messages that come from the Lord. (500th Year Reformation Talk One, 9, Los Angeles, CA, Sept. 21, 2017, emphasis mine.) See also “Signs of the Times” in the Glossary of Terms

Total Solar Eclipse 21 August, 2017

Did you get that? The signs have begun, and will be completed in a single generation. We have slipped over the horizon into the unavoidable completion of the Father’s work and the Lord’s return. It is underway and cannot be stopped. The remaining question therefore, is not whether the prophesied events will happen in this generation, but rather, who will be involved in bringing them about. Will you? Will I? That’s entirely up to us. Each of us must choose, and the time for choosing is now.

Signs, you say?

Given that the signs have begun, it’s reasonable to ask, “What signs?” Here are a few I’ve mentioned over the years:

Blood Moons
Gaining Light
Show of Force

Here’s a must-read from John Pratt:

Kingdom of God Born

And here are a few more great reads over at Bare Record of Truth:

Great American Eclipse
Four Destructive Forces 
End Time? 
Return to Light 
Super Full Blue and Blood Moon 
3rd Month, 3rd Day, 3rd Hour and 3 Birds

I’ve found all these signs absolutely delightful and awe inspiring. But amazing as they have been, perhaps the most cosmically significant event that has taken place thus far in the ongoing restoration, is the Lord’s offer of a covenant and its acceptance by several hundred willing souls. This event is a milestone in the Father’s marvelous work, as outlined by Jesus Christ:

But if they will repent, and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance. (3 Nephi 10:1 RE)

This last labor in the vineyard, this marvelous work now underway, has begun among the gentiles, just as prophesied:

The Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the gentiles which shall be of great worth unto our seed…And it shall also be of worth unto the gentiles, and not only unto the gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of Heaven unto Abraham, saying, In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed…wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his gospel unto those who are of the house of Israel. (1 Nephi 7:3 RE)

The restoration of this covenant and its acceptance by some few gentiles means the Lord now has an active, living covenant people again on the earth. This milestone of the marvelous work was heralded by signs in the heavens above and in the earth beneath. Take a look at this remarkable timeline put together by Vaughn Hughes.

As impressive as these signs are, though, it’s important to remember that signs follow faith, but do not produce it. I think the fact that signs come by faith is best illustrated by the chain of events leading up to the covenant.

The process started many years ago with the beginning of the Joseph Smith papers project, but we’ll pick it up more recently, when a few independent individuals and small groups recognized the need for a more accurate collection of scripture and began working toward that end without knowledge of each others’ efforts. These individuals and groups worked for months, even years, before two groups finally announced their work within a week of one another in December, 2016. 

When these two groups found they had been working on parallel projects, they decided to join forces and compare notes. Soon others joined, and what had been a small, private effort turned into a much more extensive group effort to recover the most correct collection of  scripture possible.

This effort caught the attention of heaven, and rightly so. Such a thing had not happened since the days of Joseph Smith, and not on this scale since the Jews returned from captivity in Babylon. Heaven took notice when believers on earth valued scripture enough to act in faith and sacrifice, to seek to recover what was lost. 

The effort, of course, encountered opposition from fools and knaves, but it also found support among believers who valued the Lord’s words enough to seek all of them that could be obtained—including a wholesale recovery of the written testimony of John the Beloved. The work continued for many months, encompassing many thousands of hours of combined effort. 

Meanwhile, another man had listened to the voice of inspiration years before and secured the scriptures.info web domain, thus providing a suitable location for the new scriptures to find their electronic home.

As all this activity, effort, and sacrifice drew toward completion, Denver Snuffer came to realize a prayer for acceptance of the effort by the Lord would be necessary. He attempted to write such a prayer, but ultimately the Lord gave the revelation known as the “Prayer for Covenant.”

Shortly thereafter, the Lord answered the prayer and offered his covenant to the body of believers. Some labored together to organize a conference for the purpose of accepting and canonizing the new scripture effort, and enter into the covenant with the Lord. This occasion would also mark the first time any body of believers accepted the Book of Mormon by covenant. The scripture project itself is a sign that the Lord is again laboring in the vineyard.

The day the scriptures were canonized, a different kind of labor began, 260 miles to the East, as the earth shook, touching off a swarm of earthquakes leading up to a great sign in the heavens, 20 days later. 

And the woman, being with child, cried, travailing in birth and pained to be delivered. And she brought forth a male child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up unto God and his throne…the woman—who was the church of God—who had been delivered of her pains and brought forth the kingdom of our God and his Christ. (Revelation 4:1, 3 RE)

These immense signs, signifying events prophesied for thousands of years, came AFTER all the required faith, labor and sacrifice were present and completed. They confirmed the faith of those who paid attention, and meant nothing to those who did not.

Signs, wonders, types, and shadows are nothing if they fail to get mankind to look at the underlying reasons for them. They are not the real thing. They merely point to the real thing; for that, it is left between each individual and the Lord. Some few will see it as it really is. They will not be limited by the failures of the generation they live in. (Glossary: Law of Moses)

What About Now?

And now, this brings us back to current events, and what is now happening. My purpose isn’t merely to draw your attention to past signs. Rather, I hope to draw your attention to the LACK of signs in the current, day-to-day labor of seeking to become fit for a new kind of civilization. It’s possible—even tempting—to find discouragement in the apparent lack of new signs and wonders as we all labor to do and be what is required. Some have, and some yet will, conclude this effort is not the Lord’s, and will not lead to the hoped-for conclusion. Faith and patience are difficult, whereas our worldly culture has taught us to seek immediate gratification. 

Remember, faithful labor and sacrifice took place for YEARS—unheralded, unrecognized, quietly and in private, among numerous believers—before public signs and wonders confirmed the outcome of all that faithful labor, culminating in the covenant. Some concluded, during the intervening years, that nothing was happening, and that whatever efforts took place must therefore be misguided. They insisted on signs before they would believe. They were wrong. 

So Here’s my Point:

Much more is coming, and is, in fact, now underway. Just like the events leading up to the covenant, things are now happening behind the scenes—unheralded, unrecognized, unknown to nearly all, but privately recorded in journals and in the hearts of believers. The Lord’s work continues at an astonishing pace. It WILL all happen in this very generation. Signs have, do, and will follow these efforts, many of which are, and will remain, unknown to the general body of believers, but are most certainly directed by the Lord, whose timing is exquisite and perfect. Therefore, when the time is right, some things will be more public. But until then, we must continue in faith and patience, trusting the Lord is able to do his work and knows precisely how to do it.

Don’t fall into the trap of assuming “nothing is happening,” but instead rejoice at all that has happened thus far, and practice faith in the Lord that he will yet fulfill all his promises. If we wish to witness the ongoing marvelous work, the most important things we can do are humble ourselves, repent, faithfully do what the Lord has asked, and continually ask “What lack I yet?”

Consider where you were and what you believed ten years ago. And five years ago. And even last year. Could you have ever anticipated this? By small and simple means are great things brought to pass. Expect the unexpected. 


Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his gospel unto those who are of the house of Israel.

—1 Nephi 7:3 RE

Restoration Conference 2019

What Unites Us is Greater Than What Divides Us

Date: Saturday June 8, 2019

Location: Boise, Idaho

Website: RestorationConference.org

To all Restoration Branches:

We are delighted to invite all churches, branches, and groups everywhere, with ties to the original restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith, to participate in a gathering to promote understanding and fellowship.

This conference is open to all people who rejoice in the Gospel of Jesus Christ restored through Joseph Smith. We, a group of fellow believers in Boise, are hosting this one-day conference, and inviting speakers from all the various groups who wish to participate. The purpose is not to evangelize or convert one another, but rather to understand one another and seek common ground. We will also worship through hymns and music, and a fellowshipping potluck dinner after the conference at a local park.

Schedule:

10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Music and Speakers

12:30-1:30 Lunch Break

1:30-5:30 Music and Speakers

6:00 Potluck Dinner

We look forward to increased understanding and friendship between the various groups, based on our shared beliefs. We'll see you June 8th!

T&C 174 Vote is Live

The vote to consider T&C 174 is live. Please use this link, and vote by this Saturday, May 11:

http://scripturesproject.blogspot.com/2019/05/section-174-vote.html