BYU Education Week, August 13-17, 2012

Staying with my sister, Patty, and her husband, Hal in their beautiful home is always a joy! 
Patty prepared a wholesome breakfast for us each morning, serving everything in her lovely dishes. I told her that that was not necessary, 
but she is a most gracious hostess. 

Visiting with Patty and Hal, as well as re-acquainting with their daughter, Jessica, and her little Gigi, were definite highlights of our week.

We ran into several friends during the week on campus, including Sham Young's parents, the Eppley's. We saw Sherry Young, our son-in-law's mother, three rows down in one of our classes, but she scooted out the door before we could catch her to say hello.  The Eppley's told her we were there and she called us. 
 We also ran into our dear friend, Karleen the last day and sat with her in a class and we saw friends from Ogden and St. George.

There's nothing quite like the spirit you feel 
to be with friends and loved ones 
in the same vicinity at the same time 
with the same purpose.

It was so fun to enjoy some of the special classes together on Friday.

 And we met Hal and Gigi for dinner at Los Hermanos and Dad and I thought of our BYU kids, who love their bean burritos!

Okay, now, mostly for my own good, I am going to 
summarize some of what I learned in this 
grand forum of inspiration.

The overall message I gleaned from those four days was:

Keep trying - it's worth it!

Each day, we attended Susan Easton Black's classes on The Life of Joseph Smith.  She has done incredible research, has profound insights and is spell-binding. I love and appreciate that man and Prophet even more!

The Tuesday Devotional Address was given by Elder Ted R. Callister.  He spoke about how our Heavenly Father wants us to continue to perfect ourselves, as defined in the Sermon On The Mount.  A complex genetic code is passed from a parent to a child.  This same method is applied from God to man.  We are his offspring.  Every man is a potential god in embryo.  He wants all of us to become as He is - as all fathers do.  He discussed the many aids He has given us to help us accomplish perfection.

We all know how very much we enjoy listening to and learning from the seasoned speakers in the Church - the "Old Guard," if you will. 
It is so heartening to discover a new, young voice who will be speaking to our future generations. I'm sure he is not the only one, but we just happened to luck into finding this next man.

Ryan H. Sharp, a Seminary and Institute teacher, is a wonderful teacher, so insightful and so "real."

Throughout the week, he developed the topic, Trusting Jesus: Seeing Things As They Really Are. 

Some of his pearls I gleaned:

We don't appreciate Christ until we know why we need Him, which refers to The Atonement. We are all in a helpless, hopeless state without it.  He suffered so He could know how we feel.  We can each personally feel the Savior's Grace.
Brother Sharp drew this comparison of, first, God's work:
Moses 1:39
 "For behold this is my work and glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."
And then, ours: 
  "...this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength"
 D&C 11:20

He quoted Neil A. Maxwell:

We are His work and His glory and He is never distracted.

Trust Jesus.  Jesus ministered much more than he administered.  All healing comes through Christ. 
 Satan will never have a body - can never have a family - so he attacks our families.

He quoted C. S. Lewis:

I thought He was building me into a dear little cottage.  He's building a palace.

Joseph Wirthlin:

If our lives are centered on Jesus Christ, nothing can ever go permanently wrong.

There was much discussion about the Fourth Watch of God.

With our trials, He waits.  That is how we learn.

"I want to be like Him, but don't make me do hard things."

Like Peter, stop looking at the waves; look at Christ.

Brent Top talked each day about the After Life - 
"Life after Life."

We are now bound by our earthly tabernacle; we will be liberated.

He discussed, with many references to past and present Church leaders and others, this phase of the Plan of Salvation.  I've got pages of notes, but the summation is that the next life will be glorious, if we will 
repent and cling unto Christ. 

Brothers (literally and in the Gospel) Donald and Jay Perry talked about the Powerful Grace and Tender Mercies of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon references Christ 3,925 times and His name appears in 6,607 verses, not counting pronouns that reference Him. Numbers are not important, but the point is, 

the Book of Mormon is about Jesus Christ, and teaches of His infinite goodness.

Ronald E. Bartholomew talked about How to Know When You Are Receiving Revelation For Yourself.  Most of us receive very small answers over a period of time.  
Sunrise takes place slowly.

Don't revel in what ifs and if onlys.

Run to Jesus Christ. 

People experience The Spirit differently. 

It can be a burning within your bosom.

It can be a warm light shining within your being.

It can be a feeling of comfort and serenity.

Don't just write down a prompting - act!

Later promptings can go unheard if we don't respond.

As those who know me know,
music is one of my great joys!

We attended two classes a day with Marvin Goldstein - one was with Janice Kapp Perry and one was with a very good vocalist from Arizona, Vanessa Joy.

Marvin is a Jewish convert to the Church and a marvelous pianist.
  He practiced the piano three hours a day as a nine year old. 

He is very funny, sometimes a little silly, but entertaining and very inspirational.

We thrilled to his rich and intricate medleys of hymns and secular music and his accompanying of beautiful vocal work. 

Here are some of his pearls:

Eternity has sound.  Where we came from has a rhythm and a sound.
He quoted Elder Jensen, who said that, in our church meetings - 

We need better music and more of it. 
We need better talks and less of it.
God gave us music for a reason. It is a conversation that anyone alive can understand - anywhere!

I absolutely loved Janice Kapp Perry!

She is a small, unassuming, grandmotherly, dear lady and when she speaks, 
you know that her testimony is rock solid.  
She is one of the most prolific composers of LDS music. She is a musician and a poet, has written ten songs in the Primary Songbook, over 100 LDS hymns, including, As Sisters Of Zion, and many, many songs and anthems. The Young Women have sung many of her songs.

She shared some poignant experiences of writing special songs for special people, such as the handicapped and the dying. 

She and Marvin teased and roasted each other throughout the week.  He stays in her home when he comes for Education Week.
After one of Marvin's gentle, teasing remarks (He was much easier on her than she was on him!), she said,

"Now you're going to have to cook dinner and take out the garbage!"
  

Marvin said, "The Lord has to have a sense of humor - just look at us!"

Another highlight of the class was hearing Dallyn Vail Bayles, an LDS Broadway star who appeared in President Monson's Birthday Party Concert - Golden Days: A Celebration of Life last Friday night.  In our class, two different days, he sang two duets with Vanessa Joy, accompanied by Brother Goldstein - That's All I Ask Of You from Phantom and The Prayer. Both received standing ovations.

As we were exiting one of her classes, I got to shake Sister Perry's hand and thank her for her wonderful music.

Roger and I attended special performances Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Vocal Point, the nine-man BYU a cappella singers who placed fifth on The Sing Off, a competition on network television, were spectacular!

City of Joseph, the Historical Musical of Nauvoo that has been performed in Nauvoo for twenty-seven years, was meaningful to see after having visited there with our kids and their spouses.

One Clear Voice, a quartet of recognizable studio female voices  heard on LDS recordings, was truly thrilling to me, having sung in female groups almost my entire life.  They blended beautifully and each is a fantastic soloist on her own. One of the women, Johanne Frechette Perry, is married to Janice's son and came to two of her classes to sing some of Sister Perry's songs.  I loved her voice!

Adding to these vast words of inspiration and thrilling musical experiences, 
I even got to eat some BYU fudge!

It doesn't get any better than all of that!