May 2007 New

THE MAY 2007 COVERCOVER STORY:STORY: GOINGGOING FORFOR THETHE GOALS,GOALS, P.P. 1818 AARONICAARONIC PRIESTHOOD:PRIESTHOOD: THETHE UNSEENUNSEEN POWER,POWER, P.P. 22 LEARNINGLEARNING FROM FROM YOURYOUR PATRIARCHALPATRIARCHAL BLESSING,BLESSING, P.P. 1414 WHYWHY II BELIEVEBELIEVE THETHE BOOKBOOK OFOF MORMON,MORMON, P.P. 2834 BEINGBEING AA BROTHER,BROTHER, P.P. 3030 The New Era Magazine ucceeding Volume 37, Number 5 May 2007 in a sport Official monthly publication takes for youth of S The Church of Jesus Christ determinationS to of Latter-day Saints keep on trying. The New Era can be found See “Play It Again, in the Gospel Library at www.lds.org. Sam,” p. 18. Editorial Offices: New Era 50 E. North Temple St. Rm. 2420 Salt Lake City, UT 84150-3220, USA E-mail Address: [email protected] To Submit Material: Please e-mail or send stories, articles, photos, poems, and ideas to the address above. For return, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. To Subscribe: By phone: Call 1-800-537- 5971 to order using Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, or American Express. Online: Go to www.ldscatalog.com. By mail: Send $8 U.S. check or money order to Distribution Services, P.O. Box 26368, Salt Lake City, UT 84126-0368, USA. To Change Address: Send old and new address information to Distribution Services at the address above. Please allow 60 days for changes to take effect. Cover: Samantha Southwick of Grand Blanc, Michigan, found her sport. See “Play It Again, Sam,” on p. 18. Cover photography: Janet Thomas (front) and Bob Stoner (back) Ponder, Pray, Perform, Persevere, p. 40 Injured and Alone, p. 34 C ONTENTS The First Presidency: Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson, James E. Faust Quorum of the Twelve: Boyd K. Packer, L. Tom Perry, The Message: Why I Believe the Russell M. Nelson, Dallin H. Oaks, M. Russell Ballard, The Unseen Power 2 Book of Mormon 28 Joseph B. Wirthlin, Richard G. President Boyd K. Packer Don Searle Scott, Robert D. Hales, Jeffrey R. Holland, Henry B. Eyring, The priesthood can be a guiding It’s not enough to know in your mind. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. and protecting power in your life. You need to know in your heart. Bednar Editor: Jay E. Jensen Advisers: Gary J. Coleman, Knock Again 8 Brothers 30 Yoshihiko Kikuchi, Gerald N. Sedley Parkinson Richard M. Romney Lund, W. Douglas Shumway Dad and I were the home teachers. Matt and Mark Fletcher are great Managing Director: David L. Frischknecht Would this family ever let us in? examples of what brothers should be. Editorial Director: Victor D. Cave Senior Editor: Larry Hiller Idea List: Injured and Alone 34 Graphics Director: Priesthood Power 11 Marli Walker Allan R. Loyborg Here are some ways to support those A family story about prayer continues Managing Editor: Richard M. Romney who hold the Aaronic Priesthood. to be an inspiration. Assistant Managing Editor: Janet Thomas Associate Editors: The Worth of Weeds 12 The Extra Smile 37 David A. Edwards, Paul VanDenBerghe Riley M. Lorimer Editorial Staff: Susan Barrett, It took distance to see how beautiful What’s Up? 38 Ryan Carr, Monica Dickinson, Jenifer L. Greenwood, R. Val something as simple as a weed could be. Johnson, Adam C. Olson Publications Assistant: Ponder, Pray, Perform, Sally J. Odekirk Q&A: Persevere 40 Editorial Intern: Patricia Auxier Questions and Answers 14 Elder W. Craig Zwick I just received my patriarchal blessing. When we’re creating a life plan for Marketing Manager: Larry Hiller What do I need to learn from it? ourselves, we need to allow the Lord Managing Art Director: to be the architect of that plan. M. M. Kawasaki New Era Poster: Art Director: Brent Christison Senior Designer: Fay P. Andrus Sharing Time 17 Instant Messages 44 Design and Production Staff: Collette Nebeker Aune, Feeding the hungry; choosing the Lord’s Eric P. Johnsen, Jane Ann Play It Again, Sam 18 way; keeping the Sabbath holy; using the Peters, Randall J. Pixton, Scott Van Kampen Janet Thomas scriptures to get along with a boss. Samantha Southwick learned to Printing Director: Craig K. Sedgwick succeed from her failures. What’s in It for You 47 Distribution Director: Randy J. Benson “This Is Ace” 22 We’ve Got Mail 48 © 2007 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights Ace Stryker reserved. Periodicals Postage Paid at Salt Lake City, Utah. It was just a simple prayer, but the Poem: The New Era (ISSN 0164-5285) answer came quickly. Escape 49 is published monthly by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Sherrie Carter day Saints, 50 E. North Temple St., Salt Lake City, UT 84150-3220, Right on Key 24 USA. Danielle Nye Poulter Photo 49 POSTMASTER: Send address William Joseph chose not to use his talent Steve Tregeagle changes to Distribution Services, to promote unworthy entertainment. Church Magazines, P.O. Box 26368, Salt Lake City, UT 84126- Text and visual material in the New Era may be copied for 0368, USA. incidental, noncommercial church or home use. Visual material Canada Post Information: may not be copied if restrictions are indicated in the credit line Publication Agreement with the artwork. Copyright questions should be addressed to #40017431. Intellectual Property Office, 50 E. North Temple St., Salt Lake City, UT 84150, USA; e-mail: [email protected]. N E W E R A M AY 2 0 0 7 1 T HE M ESSAGE The Unseen POWER BY PRESIDENT BOYD K. PACKER Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles want to tell you about the unseen power they might think I was seeking for an office.”1 of the Aaronic Priesthood. Some think He prayed to the Lord, and without dis- Ithat unless a power is visible it cannot be closing his desire to any others, he was real. I think I can convince you otherwise. ordained a priest and sent on a mission. He Do you remember when you foolishly put and his companion went to the Arkansas your finger in that light socket? While you Territory. did not see exactly what happened, surely They struggled through 100 miles of alli- you felt it! gator-infested swamps, wet, muddy, and No one has ever seen electricity, not even tired. Brother Woodruff developed a sharp a scientist with the finest instruments. pain in his knee and could go no further. His Although you cannot However, like you they have felt it. And we companion left him sitting on a log and went see the power of the can see the results of it. We can measure it, home. Brother Woodruff knelt down in the priesthood, you can control it, and produce light, heat, and mud and prayed for help. He was healed and feel it, and you can power. No one questions that it is real simply continued his mission alone. see the results of it. because he or she cannot see it. Three days later he arrived in Memphis, Although you cannot see the power of the Tennessee, weary, hungry, and very muddy. priesthood, you can feel it, and you can see He went to the largest inn and asked for the results of it. The priesthood can be a something to eat and for a place to sleep, guiding and protecting power in your life. although he had no money to pay for either. Let me give you an example. When the innkeeper found he was a After President Wilford Woodruff joined preacher, he laughed and decided to have the Church he desired to serve a mission. some fun with him. He offered Brother “I was but a Teacher,” he wrote, “and it is Woodruff a meal if he would preach to his not a Teacher’s office to go abroad and friends. preach. I dared not tell any of the authorities A large audience of the rich and fashion- of the Church that I wanted to preach, lest able people of Memphis gathered and were RUTH SIPUS BY PHOTOGRAPH 2 NEW ERA MAY 2007 3 quite amused by this mud-stained Power in the missionary. priesthood comes to None would sing or pray, so Brother you from doing your Woodruff did both. He knelt before them duty in ordinary and begged the Lord to give him His Spirit things. and to show him the hearts of the people. And the Spirit came! Brother Woodruff preached with great power. He was able to reveal the secret deeds of those who came to ridicule him. When he was finished, no one laughed at this humble holder of the Aaronic Priesthood. Thereafter he was treated with kindness.2 He was under the guiding, protecting power of his Aaronic Priesthood. The same power can be with you as well. Let me teach you some very basic things about the Aaronic Priesthood. It “is called the Priesthood of Aaron, because it was conferred upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations” (D&C 107:13). The Aaronic Priesthood goes by other names as well. Let me list them and tell you what they mean. The Lesser Priesthood First, the Aaronic Priesthood is sometimes called the lesser priesthood. “Why it is called the lesser priesthood is because it is an appendage to the greater, or the Melchizedek Priesthood, and has power in administering outward ordinances” (D&C 107:14). This means that the higher priesthood, the Melchizedek Priesthood, always presides over the Aaronic, or the lesser, Priesthood. Aaron was the high priest, or the presiding priest, of the Aaronic Priesthood. But Moses presided over Aaron because Moses held the Melchizedek Priesthood.

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