Good morning and aloha. It is my honor and privilege to speak to you today. I began imagining this day ever since I was first hired and started attending devotionals at BYU–Hawaii. It is a responsibility I do not take lightly; in fact, in the last three months since President invited me to speak, it has felt quite heavy. As I speak to you today, may I ask you to excuse me from the role I have occupied in your life as a professor, colleague, employee, or friend? For this hour, please allow me to be a messenger on the Lord’s errand. I pray that the Holy Spirit may assist me in delivering my message. I have chosen to title my remarks “From Creation to Exaltation.”
Pinocchio was a 1940 animated film, produced by Walt Disney and based on the story The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, originally published in Italy in 1883. The story of the wooden puppet contains several great spiritual allegories. I will focus on three parts of that story today.
Part One: Imagination Precedes Creation
The story begins in the workshop of a woodworker named Geppetto. Geppetto turns a piece of wood into a marionette whom he names Pinocchio. He gives the puppet human-like features, but it remains lifeless. Geppetto is pleased that he created a realistic-looking marionette but realizes that he needs the help of “God” to give Pinocchio the divine spark needed in order to become a “real boy.” So, before falling asleep, he kneels to pray, and “wishes upon a star” that Pinocchio could be “real.” During the night, the “Blue Fairy,” an angelic representative of God, descends to earth to visit the workshop and grants Geppetto's wish, to give Pinocchio the spark of life. In the morning, Geppetto discovers that his wish has come true and is filled with joy.
Pinocchio's creation mirrors that of the first human being. Adam, like Pinocchio, has a loving father, and he is created in His image and likeness.
“For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. … And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air; … And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also; nevertheless, all things were before created; but spiritually were they created and made according to my word.”1
Like Pinocchio, Adam receives not only life but also free will with which he can choose good or evil, to obey his father or to transgress. The Christian analogy is quite clear. Pinocchio is like us: something not quite complete yet given life and the free will to choose right from wrong. And like us, the choices he makes will determine what his life will be like, what kind of heart he has, and if he will, in time, be given the “real” life he desperately desires, not the wooden kind. Nothing is, however, handed out to him. An inner process needs to take place in order for him to be worthy of salvation. He has to go through life, fight its temptations, and use his conscience to find the right path. Spiritual salvation is something that has to be worked out through faith and self-discipline.
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; and watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”2
The power of thought is the power of creation. Every human accomplishment goes through two steps: first, the mental creation; and second, the implementation of the mental blueprint to produce the physical creation. Dennis R. Deaton wrote a book entitled “Mind Management.” In it, he describes this process. Let me paraphrase some of his ideas; he wrote, “It all begins in the mind. Your behavior is an effect: Your thought is the cause. Whatever you do, you do first in your mind. You think, and with those thoughts, you create. You create the world in which you live. You harvest in life, only and exactly, what you sow in your mind. You are right now living the consequences of your own mental choices. You have been where your thoughts have led you, you now stand where your thoughts have brought you, and you will go as high and as far as your thoughts will take you. All that you do and all that you will ever accomplish is a product of your mind. If you master the power of your mind, you can be or do whatever you will. Mastering thought is the greatest quest.”
One strategy he suggests, and that I now suggest to you, is that you create an envelope with the word soil written on it like this:
Now, take small slips of paper and write down your dreams and aspirations on each of them. Write the title, a description, and a date on your paper. You may want to include a little picture of what accomplishing your dream would look like and then place them in the envelope for safekeeping. When you complete a goal, write down the date of completion. You will be surprised how quickly they materialize. Your thoughts are the seeds of your actions. The planting process and the harvesting process are always happening. This way you can select what seeds get planted in your mental garden. If you take a passive approach to managing your mind, it does not stop the planting or the harvesting. When you do not actively manage your mind, you allow the world around you to dictate your agendas. I practiced this process when I was on my mission nearly 15 years ago. I put dreams in my envelope like be sealed in the temple, have children, earn a Ph.D. or terminal degree, etc. All of those dreams and many others have come true for me.
Another good book to reference on the subject of personal achievement is “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. In it, he wrote, “Leadership is the first creation. ‘You're the creator. You are in charge.’ Personal achievement is based on imagination – the ability to envision, to see the potential, to create with our minds what we cannot at present see with our eyes. It's the deep contact with our basic paradigms and values and the vision of what we can become. It's more of an art; it's based on a philosophy. You have to ask the ultimate questions of life when you're dealing with personal leadership issues. But once you have dealt with those issues, once you have resolved them, you then have to manage yourself effectively to create a life congruent with your answers.”
“Self-Management is the second creation, the physical creation. It's the day-in, day-out, moment-by-moment doing it. Effective management is putting first things first. While leadership decides what "first things" are, it is management that puts them first, day-by-day, moment-by-moment. Management is discipline, carrying it out. Discipline derives from disciple – a disciple to an overriding purpose, to a goal or a person who represents that goal. In other words, if you are an effective manager of yourself, your discipline comes from within. You are a disciple, a follower, of your own deep values and their source. And you have the will, the integrity, to subordinate your feelings, your impulses, your moods to those values.’
You have imaginative and creative ability without limit. Don’t be afraid to dream big. Put these powerful tools to use and remember that what you envision produces what you experience. I believe we are beginning to visualize and create our own eternal universe in this life. Work as if everything depends on you, and then plead with the Lord to make it ‘real.’ Don’t let anyone or anything stop you from becoming who you are destined to become.
Part Two: Pleasure Island
Eventually, Geppetto sends Pinocchio to his first day of school. Much like many of your parents have sent you to attend school here at BYU–Hawaii. However, the naive Pinocchio is led astray several times by the con artists Honest John and Gideon, even over Jiminy Cricket’s protests. Despite the warning of his conscience, he follows the shady characters. He gets mixed up in Stromboli’s circus but is given another chance. Yet things don’t go so well for Pinocchio once he gets his second chance. On his way back home, Pinocchio once again encounters the two deceivers. They convince him that he is sick, and that the only cure is to go to Pleasure Island for vacation. En route, he befriends Lampwick, a misbehaved and destructive boy. Once on Pleasure Island, a place with no school or laws, kids can eat, drink, smoke, fight, and destroy at will with no rules or authority to stop them. Pinocchio and the other boys soon enjoy gambling, smoking, getting drunk, and vandalizing, and Jiminy becomes angry and storms out.
Later, Jiminy discovers the island harbors a terrible curse, which turns boys who indulge in their carnal, animal nature into donkeys. The coachman encourages this behavior, knowing it is a perfect method to create slaves. The boys who indulge enough into this dumbed-down lifestyle turn into donkeys and are then exploited to work in a mine, a rather grim depiction of the ignorant and immoral masses. Lampwick is transformed into a terrified donkey, but Pinocchio manages to escape with only a donkey's ears and tail.
Pleasure Island is a metaphor for the “profane life” characterized by ignorance, the search for instant gratification and the satisfaction of one’s lowest impulses. Be careful whom you choose as friends. Maybe you imagined coming to school here because you wanted to surf, party, or mingle with the opposite sex, not that any of these activities are inherently evil. However, this earth can become nothing more than Pleasure Island for us, the devil’s playground, and he will do his best to use us for his purposes if he can until it is too late. It seems like the closer we get to God, the more the devil desires to throw roadblocks in our paths that cause us to sin, and when we fall, we can fall all the harder. Like Pinocchio, we too must suffer the consequences of our actions. Don’t be a donkey!
Temptation to sin promises human beings freedom, relaxation, and gratification, but in the end, it only leads to slavery and dehumanization. Pinocchio's rebellious companions on the voyage to Pleasure Island, initially feel a sense of liberation at being able to reject the authority of their parents and of the Church, as symbolized by their destruction of a home and of stained glass windows on the island. But as each boy degenerates into a donkey, he cries out for his father and mother, symbolizing the longing each person has to be a worthy child of their Heavenly Parents. In the end, those who reject God's will, learn that to disobey God’s commandments leads to slavery, sin, and death, while to be a slave to righteousness leads to eternal life.
“O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.”3
I moved away from home and went to college when I was 18 years old. I was not raised in the church. I felt like a stranger in the world. I felt the world was cruel and growing evermore increasingly wicked. I became anti-social and felt I could not trust anyone. I felt alone. I began to study4 at the university. It was there that I began to search5 diligently6 for answers about life: Where did we come from? Where are we going? Why are we here? I took classes in psychology, philosophy, science, and religion, looking for answers. I asked everyone I knew to explain the meaning of life. Some people would entertain my questions while others thought that I was strange for wanting to know, saying, "You think too much!"7
I was not satisfied with the answers I encountered among the philosophies of men.8 I wanted to know the truth9, and I began to look inside10 myself to find the answers. I began to trust the whisperings of my own conscience11even though it contradicted what the world12 had taught me. My father had taught me to trust my intuition and to listen inside13, that it would always guide me to truth. My father told me, as good fathers do, that I was unusual14, and that I was gifted15. My father told me that many people do not seek to know16 the meaning or the mysteries of life.
But, I also quickly became tempted by the adversary hearing him say things like "Surely there is no God17; that doesn't make any sense18; those are the things of a child19. You are not a child; you are a man20; men prosper by their own strength21, and when they die that is the end thereof22." And being deceived23, I decided not to believe in God24. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life25began to seduce me; and I was ignorant in unbelief26. Wherefore men are free to choose liberty and eternal life, or to choose captivity and death, according to the power and captivity of the devil27.
And I chose sin. And the wages of sin is death28. The great dark abyss29 of the adversary had blinded my mind30.
Thus we see how subtly31 and carefully32 the devil does lead away the hearts of the children of men. For behold, he shall rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good. And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security—and thus he cheats their souls, and leads them away carefully down to hell. And behold, others he flatters away, and tells them there is no hell; and he says unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispers in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.33
During that depressing period of my life I truly mourned34. My sorrow had made me meek35, humble, and teachable. As a result, I diligently hungered and thirsted after righteousness36. If I had never suffered, I would never have had the desire to find a better way. My trials prepared me to look for God. So, as it happened one day, as on many other occasions, I lay flat on my back and stared at the ceiling while considering my miserable state37. For so long, I had been buried under the oppressive weight of a guilty conscience. With no one to turn to, I poured out my whole soul to God38. I wept, and being in an agony, I prayed more earnestly. I begged God for forgiveness and pleaded with him over and over again to save my soul from hell40, saying, “God, save me¬—please God, save me.”
For a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeks repentance. And whosoever repents shall find mercy; and he that finds mercy and endures to the end the same shall be saved.41
I was proselyted by many faiths. I briefly attended a number of different churches. I remember the pastor in a certain church was friendly and gave me a Bible. He outlined the passages of scripture that I should read to begin to establish a relationship with the Lord. The pastor invited me to read and pray on my own, privately, to know whether or not the things of the gospel were true42. The pastor explained the function of the Holy Spirit43, that it is a witness for the truth. He explained, "The Holy Spirit is like a light44 that is born at the very center of your heart45 ." I began to feel the burning sensations in my heart46 when we would discuss the gospel of Jesus Christ. I felt overwhelmed and inspired by the Holy Spirit47 as I read the scriptures. I prayed sincerely48 to ask God about Jesus Christ49. Is Jesus Christ the Savior of the world? “Never man spake like this man.”50 As I humbled myself to pray, I felt like a little child51 who was asking his father about the world for the first time. To whom shall we go?52 And Father in Heaven53 revealed54 the truth to me55. “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.”56
During that period while I was struggling to find my way in life, my father told me that the way he overcame his difficult times was through practicing the teachings of certain self-help books. My father had given me many of the same books to read in an attempt to help and inspire me. Out of all the books that my father had given me to read regarding self-help and success, one stood out above the rest: you guessed it,
"The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." I read the book several times and also listened to it on tape and compact disc. The first time I read the book and finished it, something touched my heart.57 I knew it was true. There was something different about the book. It gave me hope that there were upright and honest people in the world who wanted good for others and lived by principles. I wanted to know more about Stephen Covey, who he was and where he got his information for his book. I would go to the Franklin Covey store to buy new books. While there, I inquired of the employees and manager about who Stephen Covey was, where he was from, and what he was like. I wanted to find the source58 of the information.
I discovered that Stephen Covey was from Utah and that he was an active member of the Mormon Church. I knew nothing about the Mormons. I had heard the word Mormon59 but didn't know what it meant. I figured that Stephen Covey must have gathered a lot of the information from his religion to write the book, even though the author makes no direct reference to the Church. Consequently, I thought that if Stephen Covey was any good representation of who a Mormon is, then I wanted to know more about the Mormon religion, deducing that it must teach similar values. Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.60 All of the employees that worked in the Franklin Covey store were members of the Church, and I became friends with them. One day during a religious discussion in the Franklin Covey store, my new friends invited me to attend church. I said that I would consider it. After an hour of contemplation, I returned to accept the invitation to attend the Mormon church for the first time the coming Sunday. “Thus we see that by small and simple means great things are brought to pass.”61
On March 7, 1999, I attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the first time. One month later on April 4, I was baptized. I received the gift of the Holy Ghost and was confirmed a member of the Church. On May 8, 1999, I was ordained to the office of priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. On March 5, 2000, I was ordained to the office of elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood. One month later, I received my patriarchal blessing. I completed the yearlong membership requirement and submitted my mission papers. Three weeks later, I received my own temple endowments. And a week after that, I received my mission call to serve in the Panama City, Panama – Spanish-speaking Mission. On July 5, 2000, after one year and three months of membership in the church, I entered the MTC in Provo. In 2002, I returned home honorably from my mission. In 2005, I was sealed to my wife for time and all eternity in the San Diego Temple. On September 2, 2009, I became a father to my son Wyatt. On August 28, 2011, my wife gave birth to our daughter Saatchi, and we are expecting our third child in January. There is no greater joy in life than having your own children.
If Heavenly Father through his infinite mercy was willing to make something out of my life, he will certainly make something out of you. You are so much further ahead than I was at your age. “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”
Part 3: The Belly of the Whale
Pinocchio finally returns home to find Geppetto’s workshop empty and learns that Geppetto, while venturing out to sea to look for Pinocchio, had been swallowed by a giant whale named Monstro and is now living in his belly.
Pinocchio’s father had been searching for his lost son. This scene illustrates powerfully the sort of father God is. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God walks among them and seeks them out. He does not abandon them, even though he must exile them from the Garden so that they will not live forever in their sins. While God's perfect justice cannot tolerate the least degree of sin, God always seeks to restore all to fellowship and convert us into saints. It is God's desire to transform his children into creatures who reflect his glory and goodness that motivates his loving work of redemption.
“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”62
To understand this part of Pinocchio in a Christian manner, it is necessary to recognize how the allegory shifts. In the first part of the story, Pinocchio is held captive by his own sins, and he must be convicted of his guilt and brought to repentance through the guidance of his conscience. Following Pinocchio's escape from Pleasure Island, Geppetto becomes the captive, since he had been swallowed by the evil whale Monstro while searching for Pinocchio at sea. Now, Pinocchio becomes the virtuous leader, who plunges into the ocean to liberate his father from captivity and displays heroic qualities.
Inside the belly of the whale, Pinocchio reunites with Geppetto and devises an escape plan by burning wood in order to make Monstro sneeze. Pinocchio rescues Geppetto from Monstro's belly by building a fire. The plan works, but the enraged whale gives chase, becomes furious, and tries to kill them, smashing their raft. Pinocchio refuses to abandon Geppetto and pulls him to safety in a cave under a cliff before Monstro rams into it. They are all washed up on a beach, but Pinocchio dies of exhaustion. Pinocchio manages to save everyone but ends up paying the ultimate price. Carlo Collodi, the original author, was clearly inspired by a classic story from the Bible: the Book of Jonah. The analogy of being swallowed by a "great fish" and Christ's death is one that Christ himself affirmed in his teachings.63
Obviously, at this stage of the story, one can no longer view Geppetto, as representing God the Father, since God and the heavenly host are captive to no one. Nor can one view Pinocchio any longer as fallen Man, who is unable to rescue anyone. Instead, for the remainder of the story, Geppetto represents us, who despite our own righteous works, are captive to death. Pinocchio no longer represents fallen Man, himself captive to sin, but rather Jesus Christ, who rescues captive humanity from the power of death.
As much as we strive for perfection and the attainment of our loftiest dreams, we need to accept the fact that we will never in this life, even through our most valiant efforts, do enough. No matter how much we do in mortality, no matter how well we perform, the demand to do better, the pressure to improve and to make progress will never go away. We will all eventually transgress, fall short, drop the ball, breakdown, lose our strength, give up, and find ourselves in the belly of the whale. From the Savior’s perspective, even the most righteous among us costs more to save than we can produce in return. We are all unprofitable servants being carried along on the Savior’s back by His good will and grace. To receive His mercy is always somewhat unfair. Mercy can only be mercy if we don’t deserve it. One of the greatest beauties of the Gospel, some of the best news of all, is that the Savior doesn’t mind this unfairness and is willing to suffer and carry more than his share to grant that mercy to us. This is the grace of Christ.
Stephen E. Robinson wrote a book entitled “Believing Christ” that help explains this concept. To quote from his book, “The Savior did not just assume the punishment for our sins – he took our guilt as well. Jesus does not just suffer punishment for us; he becomes the guilty party in our place. In Christ, our sins cease to be ours, and as far as the justice of God is concerned, we never committed them. Through the atonement, we are not merely forgiven – we are rendered innocent once again. By bearing our guilt, the Savior experienced the full horror of human sinfulness, not the sins of one life, but of all lives – the sins of the world. Having personally lived a perfect life, he then chose to experience our imperfect lives. He lived a billion billion lifetimes of sin, pain, disease, and sorrow. The sins He remits, He remits by making them His own and suffering them. The pain and heartache He relieves, He relieves by suffering them Himself. These things cannot be simply wished away. They must be suffered.”
“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.”64
At the end of the story, Pinocchio is miraculously brought back to life. The Blue Fairy, the angelic messenger, decides that Pinocchio has proven himself worthy, and he is miraculously reborn as a real human boy, much to the joy and amazement of his family. The sequence of events by which Pinocchio delivers Geppetto from Monstro, and then is raised from death as a "real boy," mirrors the saving work of Jesus Christ. While Christ's full humanity allowed him to die, his full deity allowed him to defeat death and hell and release those who had been held in bondage. Just as the mourning of Geppetto, Figaro, and Cleo over Pinocchio's death turn into dancing after he is made “real,” so the mourning of the disciples–Mary, Peter, John, and Thomas–turned into rejoicing after the resurrected Christ manifested himself to them. It is only through the atonement, the death and resurrection of the Son of God, that we can receive salvation through God's grace. By turning from our sins and following Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we too can share in the never-ending joy and abundant life that our Heavenly Father intended for humanity from the beginning.
The application of the Christian allegory as it relates to us is as follows: Pinocchio died and then was resurrected as something he wasn’t before. This can be seen as either being spiritually born again or the real death and resurrection in heaven that awaits us, but both are a product of our commitment to the Lord and our desire to follow by his example. Pinocchio went through the hardships of sin and came out of the darkness of ignorance. He emerges from the tomb resurrected, like Jesus Christ. He is now a “real boy,” an illuminated man who broke the shackles of carnal life to embrace his higher, spiritual self. Someday, if our actions prove our faith, we will be reborn into new life, and it will make this one seem like we were all once made out of wood.
Time after time, my dreams have come true because I have trusted in the Lord and have diligently sought to keep his commandments. Remember to dream big! And begin to visualize and create your own eternal universe and kingdom in this life. Don’t let anyone or anything stop you from becoming who you are destined to become. Don’t get caught on Pleasure Island or in the “profane life,” the search for instant gratification and the satisfaction of your base desires. Don’t be a donkey! Remember that, when you find yourself in times of trial, in the belly of the whale, don’t forget to start a fire and keep it burning until the monster spits you out. The Savior has paid the price for all of us, and we know that it is by grace that we are saved after all we can do.65 If we are faithful, God will lift us up at the last day. If we keep our covenants, we have His promise:
“[They] shall come forth in the first resurrection; …and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths… in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fullness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them.”66
Brothers and sisters, the blessings we have to be co-creators and joint-heirs with Christ, to partake of the infinite atonement, and to be resurrected and receive eternal life are incredible dreams. Many people have never heard anything so incredible before or met anyone who believes anything like it. How could anyone believe such a story? It seems preposterous. It seems like a miracle. It seems like we could not believe it, and yet we do. It is an incredible gift from God, and it is true. Dreams come true. Go and make your dreams come true and tell everyone you know by what power they were created. It is your responsibility and obligation to be great. I leave my love, hope, faith, and blessing with you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
References:
1 Moses 3:5, 7
2 Mormon 9:27
3 2 Nephi 9:39
4 D&C 90:15
5 Matthew 7:7,8
6 1 Nephi 10:19
7 Mosiah 4:30
8 Colossians 2:8
9 D&C 123:12
10 Proverbs 20:27
11 Romans 2:15
12 1 John 2:15
13 D&C 8:2
14 Deuteronomy 7:6
15 D&C 6:10
16 2 Nephi 32:7
17 Alma 30:28
18 Helaman 16:18
19 1 Corinthians 13:11
20 Moses 6:49
21 Alma 30:17
22 Alma 30:18
23 Jacob 7:18
24 Alma 30:53
25 1 John 2:16
26 1 Timothy 1:13
27 2 Nephi 2:27
28 Romans 6:23
29 Mosiah 27:29
30 Ether 15:19
31 Alma 12:4
32 2 Nephi 28:21
33 2 Nephi 28:20-22
34 Matthew 5:4
35 Matthew 5:5
36 Matthew 5:6
37 Alma 5:18
38 Alma 34:26
39 Luke 22:44
40 2 Nephi 1:15
41 Alma 32:13
42 Moroni 10:4
43 John 14:26
44 D&C 84:46
45 2 Corinthians 4:6
46 Luke 24:32
47 Ether 4:11
48 Moroni 10:4,5
49 John 20:31
50 John 7:46
51 Matthew 18:3
52 John 6:68
53 Matthew 16:17
54 Matthew 16:18
55 John 18:37
56 Matthew 7:14
57 D&C 76:10
58 Moroni 7:13
59 Mormon 1:1
60 Matthew 7:16-20
61 Alma 37:6,7
62 Luke 15: 4-7
63 Matthew 12:38-41
64 D&C 19:18, 19
65 2 Nephi 25:23
66 D&C 132:19, 20