COMPANION: ELDER BORE
district leaders
Aubrey was baptized on Saturday, and confirmed yesterday morning. I performed the baptism and Elder Bore did the confirmation.
This letter is not going to sound much like a response to that celestial event, but it is. Bear with me. I have thoughts that require development in expression.
In last April's General Conference President Packer made a significant statement. He said in his talk "The Witness":
"Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon recorded the following after a sacred experience:
“And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!“For we saw him”
(D&C 76:22–23).
Their words are my words."
~Boyd K. Packer
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw Jesus Christ. President Packer says, "their words are my words". That sounds an awful lot like President Packer has seen Jesus Christ. Let that sink in for a moment.
These ruminations this week prompted the question in my mind... "Who else? Who else has seen Him?" Who else dares stand before the world and declare, "We saw Him"?
Isaiah did:
"... mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Isaiah 6:5
His eyes have seen! Oh to see Him. Oh to gaze upon His face...
Moses did:
"...The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me..."
Exodus 3:16
Israel did:
"...for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Genesis 32:30
Enoch did:
"I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face;" Moses 7:4
They saw Him! They heard him! They stood face-to-face with the Lord God and heard His blessed voice! But there are others.
Sampson's parents declared:
"we have seen God" Judges 13:22
Abraham swore:
"Thus I, Abraham, talked with the Lord, face to face, as one man talketh with another; and he told me of the works which his hands had made;" Abraham 3:11
and Amos testified:
"I saw the Lord standing upon the altar" Amos 9:1
What giants. What a sweet harmony rings true through their first-hand, first-person account. What a glorious witness. But has such glory perished with the nobility of the ancients? These men lived far before the mortal ministry of the Savior. What of those witnesses of His
glorious resurrection?
Stephen:
"Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."
Acts 7:56
Paul:
"He was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also."
1 Corinthians 15:7-8
John:
"I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen;" Revelation 1:17-18
These men stand before the critics and the skeptics, before sinners and saints alike. They witness to kings and emperors and angels and men, to beggars and children and noble women and craven devils alike, "We SAW Him. None shall deceive and none can withstand. We saw with our eyes His figure. We KNOW that He lives."
Oh, to hear their voice... A kindred tongue cries from the dust through the sacred pages of the Book of Mormon as well:
Nephi:
"He [Isaiah] verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him. And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him." 2 Nephi 11:2-3
Mahonri Moriancumer (the Brother of Jared): "I saw the finger of the Lord." Ether 3:8
Moroni:
"And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things;" Ether 12:39
Lamoni:
"For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer..." Alma 19:13
Mormon:
"I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus." Mormon 1:15
I confess, I cannot help but weep. Oh to be visited! To see my Redeemer... I would cross any continent and sail any sea. I would climb any mountain and brave every desert and I would FLY, borne up as if on eagle's wings, to catch but a glimpse of Him...
We have modern-day prophets and apostles.
James A Cullimore once said:
"The Twelve Apostles are special witnesses of the Savior. I don’t know how many of them have actually seen a personage. They don’t talk about it."
But sometimes, they do. We have already heard from Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon.
How about Brother Joseph and Oliver Cowdry?
"We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber. His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness
of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah..." D&C 110:2-3
Spencer W. Kimball said in a conference address given some years back
entitled "Strengthening the Family—the Basic Unit of the Church":
“'I know that God lives. I know that Jesus Christ lives,'” said John Taylor, my predecessor, “'for I have seen him.'” I bear this testimony to you brethren in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
And finally, President George Q. Cannon, who once served in the First Presidency of the Church, bore his solemn witness:
“I know that God lives. I know that Jesus lives; for I have seen Him. I know that this is the Church of God, and that it is founded on Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. I testify to you of these things as one who knows--as one of the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ that can bear witness to you today in the presence of the Lord that He lives and that He will live, and will come to reign on the earth, to sway an undisputed sceptre.” (Delivered in the October 1896 General Conference and reported in The Deseret Weekly, October 31, 1896, vol. 53, p. 610.)
"I HAVE SEEN HIM"!!!!!!! How many millions will your family spend in your lifetime, hearing from this person or that person because of their credentials in education or business or child development or psychology or government or religion? How many eons will the 7 billion
souls on this earth invest in hearing the words of this singer or that actress or writer or athlete or commentator or news anchor or protestor or soldier?
The prophets and apostles of ancient and modern times have SEEN GOD. This is their resumé. I don't know how many of them that is true for, but it is CERTAINLY true for at least: Isaiah, President George Q. Cannon, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdry, Boyd K. Packer, Stephen, Paul, Nephi (also Jacob), Moses, Mahonri, Moroni, Enoch, Jacob (Israel), Sampson's parents (Manoah and his wife), John the Revelator, Lamoni, Abraham, Amos, Mormon, John Taylor, and Spencer W. Kimball.
These are witnesses given in the first person. These are men and women who witness to the ages: "I saw... I have seen... I heard... Face to face..."
What would it do to you, if you saw? How would it change you? If the Holy One came and spoke to your weak ears, what would it do to your soul? To mine!
Perhaps I would be different. Perhaps I would stand a little taller. Perhaps I would grow a little larger. Perhaps my soul would strain to bursting to escape through my eyes and tongue and pour out upon all of those I meet. Perhaps the sound of the Savior's voice would propel me to action, compel me to testimony, impel me to glory. Perhaps if I could but hear His words, I could stand before the world as Nephi does and say: "And thus it is. Amen."
And yet, can't I? Continuing the quote from James A. Cullimore (from his Conference Talk: "The Importance of a Personal Testimony):
These men and women saw a personage, even that of the Lord, my Redeemer, the Christ. If I saw Him, the witness I would then have would be mighty indeed. But there is one stronger.
The witness of the Holy Ghost is superior to the witness of the physical senses. If hearing the words of the Lord from His lips borne forth by the power of His voice would change my poor soul, it is sure that hearing the words of that same Lord, borne forth from the pages
of the scriptures by the power not of sound, but of the Holy Ghost, has a SUPERIOR IMPACT upon the spirit than a witness of sight!
If you saw Him, would you not proclaim it? Would you not cherish the memory every waking moment? Would you not praise God by day and lay on your pillow tingling with the fulfillment of peace by night? Would you not share His name? Sprinting down the street, waving your journal over your head and proclaiming fearlessly your witness, would you not bear testimony of such a miraculous experience to every one you meet?
Wouldn't you say:
"I saw Him! Do not doubt! Do not fear! How can you fret and think of such lesser things? How can you quibble and trade destiny for trinkets? I SAW GOD! Awake! Cast off your fetters and ring forth His name! Look and live! For why will ye die? I SAW Him. I did. I know I
did. How can I not say so? How can I deny? How can I ever live the same way again? It is true. I know it. By God, I know."
Wouldn't it be your honor? Wouldn't it be your sacred duty?
When once you have read the sacred works of scripture, whether that reading has involved a handful of words or Decades of study, and have received a witness by the power of the Holy Ghost, whether that witness was your right as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ who has the Gift of the Holy Ghost, or whether it was a tender mercy of a loving Heavenly Father to one of His children, YOU HAVE A WITNESS STRONGER THAN SIGHT. Less comfortable than sight, less accepted of the world than sight, less tangible and familiar and perhaps more perishable and more difficult to elucidate than sight. But had you seen Him, had you touched Him.. Had you thrust your hands into His side and watched your tears fall at His feet and been healed by His scarred, sacred hands, your honor would not be greater.
Nor would be your duty.
We are blessed to be led by giants among men. These noble and great ones orchestrate a mighty work and they command a mighty army, seen and unseen, in the service of our Lord. Surely there are some among them, perhaps more than we expect or perhaps not, who have a physical, empirical witness of my Redeemer. Such an experience is as dross beside that which has come to them through the Spirit of God! And now they speak, clothed in the robes and keys and glories of their priesthood and their calling. Now they speak and show us the way. And from their lips we hear, "Thus Saith the Lord".
Thus saith the Lord! "Go ye therefore and teach all nations!" Thus saith the Lord: "Beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that publisheth salvation!" "Preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins!" "Preach the word, be instant in season" "Preach them the word of God" "prophesy unto this people" "stand as witnesses" "go forth and declare His gospel" "declare repentance" "open your mouths" "teach the children of men" "declare glad tidings" "warn the world"
Hear the words of the witnesses of The Lord God! Hearken to their words. I have been asked many times why I have wished and wandered and fought and struggled through agony and misery and all my weak nature, all my wretched sin, all my folly and sickness and the broken refuse of a mangled mind to serve a full-time two-year mission. It is because I MUST! Can you not SEE? I have a witness! It is a supernova of knowledge and a beacon of light! I have a witness of Jesus Christ! I bear the name of the Master carved into every
capillary of my soul! I cannot but share it! I know and am sure and I cannot be still. I cannot bear the thought of such a witness as mine bottled within my breast! It or I must end if it were to be so for I cannot hold it! The pressure would be unbearable and it would
shrink... And should I permit my witness to shrink, what then would I be? Only flesh... Only madness. Never! May God forbid it! May my sweet Jesus save me from it.
He lives, and we may know it, even as the Apostles know it. We may know it in every desperate moment even as I proclaim it now. We do not have to wait until we see Him, although such an event is assured. ("And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:" Job 19:26) We may obtain a witness deeper than sight
through righteous living, through study of the scriptures, and by the Holy Ghost. My brethren of days long past and days current shake the universe with their voices combined in perfect psalm: "We have seen the Lord! He has spoken! He still speaks." I do not aspire to see a
personage, but I hunger for His voice. And it is freely given. Truly, a preface to our Standard Works could read simply: "Thus Saith the Lord".
Such is Aubrey's witness. She has changed. She is different. There is a visible light in her countenance. A degree of glory has distilled upon her soul and it is refining her even as I write. Her witness is not by sight, but by faith, her sustenance is not bread alone, but every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth and mouthpiece of God.
And such a witness is mine.
I testify unto the ends of the earth that Jesus Christ lives. He IS the Son of God, the Creator and the Master, the promised Messiah and the Holy One of Israel. All darkness from Him must flee. All glory through Him to Elohim! That righteous Father has come to Earth, organized His kingdom, and that kingdom is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Holy Scriptures are His word. Timeless in resonance and peerless in intelligence, they shall never pass away. And by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power dwarfs even the cosmos we inhabit, I testify of the divinely appointed mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the truthfulness and verity of the Book of Mormon, and the reality of a living witness of the Lord Jesus Christ, even Thomas S. Monson. May his stride ever lengthen! May the earth tremble at the honor of the touch of the feet of one whom our Lord Jesus has chosen
in this, the end of days. He speaks to the Lord, of the Lord, by the Lord, and for the Lord, and when he speaks may we, though unspoken, hear: "Thus Saith the Lord", and leap to obey.
Hear Him. Hearken. If ye have ears to hear then hear His voice! It cries in unceasing tones from prophets living, and from every page, chapter, verse, and word of Holy Writ. That voice has wrought a mighty change in Aubrey. And in me. In 1000 lifetimes I could not have changed, grown, and developed in such a way as the Book of Mormon has effected in my brief discipleship, and in 1000 ages I could not adequately express my gratitude for this sacred, choice, supernal text.
Jesus is the Christ. That He lives, that He loves, that He is King and Son and Master and Friend is my testimony, and I am made so privileged, so bold, and so sure that I bear my soul in His name, even the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
~Elder Jorgensen
This letter is not going to sound much like a response to that celestial event, but it is. Bear with me. I have thoughts that require development in expression.
In last April's General Conference President Packer made a significant statement. He said in his talk "The Witness":
"Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon recorded the following after a sacred experience:
“And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!“For we saw him”
(D&C 76:22–23).
Their words are my words."
~Boyd K. Packer
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw Jesus Christ. President Packer says, "their words are my words". That sounds an awful lot like President Packer has seen Jesus Christ. Let that sink in for a moment.
These ruminations this week prompted the question in my mind... "Who else? Who else has seen Him?" Who else dares stand before the world and declare, "We saw Him"?
Isaiah did:
"... mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Isaiah 6:5
His eyes have seen! Oh to see Him. Oh to gaze upon His face...
Moses did:
"...The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me..."
Exodus 3:16
Israel did:
"...for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Genesis 32:30
Enoch did:
"I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face;" Moses 7:4
They saw Him! They heard him! They stood face-to-face with the Lord God and heard His blessed voice! But there are others.
Sampson's parents declared:
"we have seen God" Judges 13:22
Abraham swore:
"Thus I, Abraham, talked with the Lord, face to face, as one man talketh with another; and he told me of the works which his hands had made;" Abraham 3:11
and Amos testified:
"I saw the Lord standing upon the altar" Amos 9:1
What giants. What a sweet harmony rings true through their first-hand, first-person account. What a glorious witness. But has such glory perished with the nobility of the ancients? These men lived far before the mortal ministry of the Savior. What of those witnesses of His
glorious resurrection?
Stephen:
"Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."
Acts 7:56
Paul:
"He was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also."
1 Corinthians 15:7-8
John:
"I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen;" Revelation 1:17-18
These men stand before the critics and the skeptics, before sinners and saints alike. They witness to kings and emperors and angels and men, to beggars and children and noble women and craven devils alike, "We SAW Him. None shall deceive and none can withstand. We saw with our eyes His figure. We KNOW that He lives."
Oh, to hear their voice... A kindred tongue cries from the dust through the sacred pages of the Book of Mormon as well:
Nephi:
"He [Isaiah] verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him. And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him." 2 Nephi 11:2-3
Mahonri Moriancumer (the Brother of Jared): "I saw the finger of the Lord." Ether 3:8
Moroni:
"And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things;" Ether 12:39
Lamoni:
"For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer..." Alma 19:13
Mormon:
"I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus." Mormon 1:15
I confess, I cannot help but weep. Oh to be visited! To see my Redeemer... I would cross any continent and sail any sea. I would climb any mountain and brave every desert and I would FLY, borne up as if on eagle's wings, to catch but a glimpse of Him...
We have modern-day prophets and apostles.
James A Cullimore once said:
"The Twelve Apostles are special witnesses of the Savior. I don’t know how many of them have actually seen a personage. They don’t talk about it."
But sometimes, they do. We have already heard from Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon.
How about Brother Joseph and Oliver Cowdry?
"We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber. His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness
of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah..." D&C 110:2-3
Spencer W. Kimball said in a conference address given some years back
entitled "Strengthening the Family—the Basic Unit of the Church":
“'I know that God lives. I know that Jesus Christ lives,'” said John Taylor, my predecessor, “'for I have seen him.'” I bear this testimony to you brethren in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
And finally, President George Q. Cannon, who once served in the First Presidency of the Church, bore his solemn witness:
“I know that God lives. I know that Jesus lives; for I have seen Him. I know that this is the Church of God, and that it is founded on Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. I testify to you of these things as one who knows--as one of the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ that can bear witness to you today in the presence of the Lord that He lives and that He will live, and will come to reign on the earth, to sway an undisputed sceptre.” (Delivered in the October 1896 General Conference and reported in The Deseret Weekly, October 31, 1896, vol. 53, p. 610.)
"I HAVE SEEN HIM"!!!!!!! How many millions will your family spend in your lifetime, hearing from this person or that person because of their credentials in education or business or child development or psychology or government or religion? How many eons will the 7 billion
souls on this earth invest in hearing the words of this singer or that actress or writer or athlete or commentator or news anchor or protestor or soldier?
The prophets and apostles of ancient and modern times have SEEN GOD. This is their resumé. I don't know how many of them that is true for, but it is CERTAINLY true for at least: Isaiah, President George Q. Cannon, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdry, Boyd K. Packer, Stephen, Paul, Nephi (also Jacob), Moses, Mahonri, Moroni, Enoch, Jacob (Israel), Sampson's parents (Manoah and his wife), John the Revelator, Lamoni, Abraham, Amos, Mormon, John Taylor, and Spencer W. Kimball.
These are witnesses given in the first person. These are men and women who witness to the ages: "I saw... I have seen... I heard... Face to face..."
What would it do to you, if you saw? How would it change you? If the Holy One came and spoke to your weak ears, what would it do to your soul? To mine!
Perhaps I would be different. Perhaps I would stand a little taller. Perhaps I would grow a little larger. Perhaps my soul would strain to bursting to escape through my eyes and tongue and pour out upon all of those I meet. Perhaps the sound of the Savior's voice would propel me to action, compel me to testimony, impel me to glory. Perhaps if I could but hear His words, I could stand before the world as Nephi does and say: "And thus it is. Amen."
And yet, can't I? Continuing the quote from James A. Cullimore (from his Conference Talk: "The Importance of a Personal Testimony):
"The Twelve Apostles are special witnesses of the Savior. I don’t knowhow many of them have actually seen a personage. They don’t talk aboutit. But they don’t have to, to receive their special witness that cancome by the Holy Ghost. President Harold B. Lee said to a group ofyoung people, “Not many have seen the Savior face to face here inmortality, but there is no one of you who has been blessed to receivethe gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism but that may have a perfectassurance of his existence as though you had seen.” (Youth and theChurch [Deseret Book, 1970], p. 51.) The impact of the witness of theSpirit in our lives has been made clear by President Joseph FieldingSmith when he said: “… the Lord has taught that there is a strongerwitness than seeing a personage, even of the Son of God, in a vision.…"
These men and women saw a personage, even that of the Lord, my Redeemer, the Christ. If I saw Him, the witness I would then have would be mighty indeed. But there is one stronger.
The witness of the Holy Ghost is superior to the witness of the physical senses. If hearing the words of the Lord from His lips borne forth by the power of His voice would change my poor soul, it is sure that hearing the words of that same Lord, borne forth from the pages
of the scriptures by the power not of sound, but of the Holy Ghost, has a SUPERIOR IMPACT upon the spirit than a witness of sight!
If you saw Him, would you not proclaim it? Would you not cherish the memory every waking moment? Would you not praise God by day and lay on your pillow tingling with the fulfillment of peace by night? Would you not share His name? Sprinting down the street, waving your journal over your head and proclaiming fearlessly your witness, would you not bear testimony of such a miraculous experience to every one you meet?
Wouldn't you say:
"I saw Him! Do not doubt! Do not fear! How can you fret and think of such lesser things? How can you quibble and trade destiny for trinkets? I SAW GOD! Awake! Cast off your fetters and ring forth His name! Look and live! For why will ye die? I SAW Him. I did. I know I
did. How can I not say so? How can I deny? How can I ever live the same way again? It is true. I know it. By God, I know."
Wouldn't it be your honor? Wouldn't it be your sacred duty?
When once you have read the sacred works of scripture, whether that reading has involved a handful of words or Decades of study, and have received a witness by the power of the Holy Ghost, whether that witness was your right as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ who has the Gift of the Holy Ghost, or whether it was a tender mercy of a loving Heavenly Father to one of His children, YOU HAVE A WITNESS STRONGER THAN SIGHT. Less comfortable than sight, less accepted of the world than sight, less tangible and familiar and perhaps more perishable and more difficult to elucidate than sight. But had you seen Him, had you touched Him.. Had you thrust your hands into His side and watched your tears fall at His feet and been healed by His scarred, sacred hands, your honor would not be greater.
Nor would be your duty.
We are blessed to be led by giants among men. These noble and great ones orchestrate a mighty work and they command a mighty army, seen and unseen, in the service of our Lord. Surely there are some among them, perhaps more than we expect or perhaps not, who have a physical, empirical witness of my Redeemer. Such an experience is as dross beside that which has come to them through the Spirit of God! And now they speak, clothed in the robes and keys and glories of their priesthood and their calling. Now they speak and show us the way. And from their lips we hear, "Thus Saith the Lord".
Thus saith the Lord! "Go ye therefore and teach all nations!" Thus saith the Lord: "Beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that publisheth salvation!" "Preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins!" "Preach the word, be instant in season" "Preach them the word of God" "prophesy unto this people" "stand as witnesses" "go forth and declare His gospel" "declare repentance" "open your mouths" "teach the children of men" "declare glad tidings" "warn the world"
Hear the words of the witnesses of The Lord God! Hearken to their words. I have been asked many times why I have wished and wandered and fought and struggled through agony and misery and all my weak nature, all my wretched sin, all my folly and sickness and the broken refuse of a mangled mind to serve a full-time two-year mission. It is because I MUST! Can you not SEE? I have a witness! It is a supernova of knowledge and a beacon of light! I have a witness of Jesus Christ! I bear the name of the Master carved into every
capillary of my soul! I cannot but share it! I know and am sure and I cannot be still. I cannot bear the thought of such a witness as mine bottled within my breast! It or I must end if it were to be so for I cannot hold it! The pressure would be unbearable and it would
shrink... And should I permit my witness to shrink, what then would I be? Only flesh... Only madness. Never! May God forbid it! May my sweet Jesus save me from it.
He lives, and we may know it, even as the Apostles know it. We may know it in every desperate moment even as I proclaim it now. We do not have to wait until we see Him, although such an event is assured. ("And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:" Job 19:26) We may obtain a witness deeper than sight
through righteous living, through study of the scriptures, and by the Holy Ghost. My brethren of days long past and days current shake the universe with their voices combined in perfect psalm: "We have seen the Lord! He has spoken! He still speaks." I do not aspire to see a
personage, but I hunger for His voice. And it is freely given. Truly, a preface to our Standard Works could read simply: "Thus Saith the Lord".
Such is Aubrey's witness. She has changed. She is different. There is a visible light in her countenance. A degree of glory has distilled upon her soul and it is refining her even as I write. Her witness is not by sight, but by faith, her sustenance is not bread alone, but every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth and mouthpiece of God.
And such a witness is mine.
I testify unto the ends of the earth that Jesus Christ lives. He IS the Son of God, the Creator and the Master, the promised Messiah and the Holy One of Israel. All darkness from Him must flee. All glory through Him to Elohim! That righteous Father has come to Earth, organized His kingdom, and that kingdom is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Holy Scriptures are His word. Timeless in resonance and peerless in intelligence, they shall never pass away. And by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power dwarfs even the cosmos we inhabit, I testify of the divinely appointed mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the truthfulness and verity of the Book of Mormon, and the reality of a living witness of the Lord Jesus Christ, even Thomas S. Monson. May his stride ever lengthen! May the earth tremble at the honor of the touch of the feet of one whom our Lord Jesus has chosen
in this, the end of days. He speaks to the Lord, of the Lord, by the Lord, and for the Lord, and when he speaks may we, though unspoken, hear: "Thus Saith the Lord", and leap to obey.
Hear Him. Hearken. If ye have ears to hear then hear His voice! It cries in unceasing tones from prophets living, and from every page, chapter, verse, and word of Holy Writ. That voice has wrought a mighty change in Aubrey. And in me. In 1000 lifetimes I could not have changed, grown, and developed in such a way as the Book of Mormon has effected in my brief discipleship, and in 1000 ages I could not adequately express my gratitude for this sacred, choice, supernal text.
Jesus is the Christ. That He lives, that He loves, that He is King and Son and Master and Friend is my testimony, and I am made so privileged, so bold, and so sure that I bear my soul in His name, even the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
~Elder Jorgensen