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Welcome to the blog of Connor Boyack, a 20-something husband, web designer, Latter-day Saint, constitutionalist, paleocon, classical liberal, preparedness practitioner, budding philanthropist, and master's student of political economy. I'm from Poway, CA but live in Happy Valley.


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Stephen R. Covey Lecture 2

Posted by Connor on October 20th, 2006

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Covey

Tonight I attended a fireside with Stephen R. Covey as the guest speaker. Some of the material he covered tonight I heard in January when I attended another lecture of his (I’ve posted the notes of that lecture here). The following are the notes I took tonight:

Title of lecture: Zion in the Midst of Babylon (I love this topic and have posted about here)

“The best way to learn something is to teach it. As Christ said, ‘Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly…’. I invite you to teach these things to a friend, roommate, or family member so that you yourself may learn them even better.”

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. (Moroni 10:32)

The challenge of cultural DNA overlaying our spiritual DNA

image

Do you see a man playing the saxophone, or a woman? The way we see the world is the way we are. We need to see the world as God sees it, without the social mirror, people’s perceptions, and their opinions.

There are two “DNA”s. True DNA of our nature is spiritual DNA. We are one generation away from God the Father. Then there is cultural DNA, a product of the society in which we live.

Cultural DNA overlays spiritual DNA, suppresses and covers it up. With cultural DNA we deal with a social mirror, where a person becomes more concerned w/ his image than with himself. He doesn’t even know who he really is.

The role of Ephraim (which is most of us, as indicated in our patriarchal blessings) is spiritual and moral leadership for the entire human race.
There is nothing exclusive about Mormonism. We are the most inclusive religion ever, reaching all people on both sides of the veil.

4 traits of a Zion people (like Enoch’s people): one mind, one heart, living in righteousness, and no poor among them.
4 dimensions to life: body, mind, heart, and spirit
4 purposes to life: live, love, learn, and leave a legacy
When all four aspects are conected and in harmony, then God can use us as a true Ephraimite and the fulness of our nature can be released.

There are two types of commandments in scripture: personal and general
General: God -> Prophet -> People
Personal: God -> Holy Ghost -> People
Those who don’t obey the general commandments will not receive the personal ones. General commandments are the foundation for personal commandments.

Three questions to allow anybody to receive a personal commandment through the spirit:

  1. What do I need to do to draw closer to the Lord? Now pause, and listen…
  2. What do I need to do to more fuly magnify my church calling/activity/membership? Now pause, and listen…
  3. What do I need to do to be a better contributing member to my family? Now pause, and listen…

If each of us were to obey all the things we just received, marvelous things would happen.
“…blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
If an angel delcared these things to us, we would be less blessed and less effective. Angels administer through the Aaronic (lower) priesthood, and the Holy Ghost through the Melchizedek (higher) priesthood.

If you start listening to personal commandments, you develop a partnership. Your true nature and ability comes out. From then on, your life is a stewardship, your consecrate yourself, your capacity enlarges. Then you begin to perform your role as Modern Israel.

In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. —Albert Schweitzer

Each match has incredible amounts of latent energy. One tiny match can burn an entire building, or light a dark room for scores of people. One match’s flame can spark another’s, allowing it to release its latent energy and realize its potential.

The most important thing you can do for somebody is to affirm them. Ignore their faults, because people are largely a product of the society they live in.

Our Savior’s model in overcoming three universal temptations

“Now, nearly every temptation that comes to you and me comes in one of those forms. Classify them, and you will find that under one of those three nearly every given temptation that makes you and me spotted, ever so little maybe, comes to us as (1) a temptation of the appetite; (2) a yielding to the pride and fashion and vanity of those alienated from the things of God; or (3) a gratifying of the passion, or a desire for the riches of the world, or power among men.” (David O. McKay in CR, Oct. 1911, p. 59.)

Flesh vs. spirit, popularity vs. Christ-centeredness, and ego vs. humility

4 steps to resisting temptations:

  1. Feast on the words of Christ. Read the scriptures EVERY DAY. If you spend thrity minutes a day with the Savior, you’ll spend an eternity with Him.
  2. Ask for a heightened awareness of any temptation that comes along. Treat such a temptation like a rattlesnake. Do not feed or entertain it. Turn instantly and run away.
  3. Commit to replace a temptation with something good. Over time youll lose the desire for it, like King Bejamin’s people. Listen to and obey personal commandments.
  4. Keep the commitment and report back to Heavenly Father.

You have tremendous social courage when you have clean hands and a pure heart.
Always surround yourself with committed people so you can release your potential.

The divine sequence of the Restoration

The Lord’s problem solving model:

  1. 1820 - First Vision (who: identity/relationship)
  2. 1823-7 - Gospel (whose: Christ and Atonement)
  3. 1829 - Priesthood (how: ordinance/covenants)
  4. 1830 - Church (where: order, support, opportunity)
  5. 1836 - Keys (what: 3 purposes: Moses, Elias, Elijah)
  6. 1836-44 - Temple (why: celestial intergenerational families)
Basic
personal initiatives		 Advanced
enlarging service initiatives
Who is God and who am I? Offer daily, listening prayers of faith Build strong human relationships through profound listening, affirming, and caring service
Whose am I? Ponder scriptures daily to feast on the words and love of Christ Teach and testify by the Spirit and obey the general commandments
How can I receive Christ? Excercise repentances, partake of the sacrament worthily, and be perfected in Christ (see Moroni 10:32-33) Forgive all others, seventy times seven, rebuild wounded relationships, and obey personal commandments
Where do I go to receive Christ? Magnify priesthood and church callings Magnify outside-the-church callings as given by the Spirit
What is the work I should do in life? Seek referrals, attend to temporal matters See all things as stewardships, establish Zion, becoming like Christ
Why did God bring about the Restoration? Family prayer, weekly Family Home Evening, consistent spiritual devotionals Gospel-centered inergenerational families

The scriptures are full of accounts of intergenerational families. That is what the gospel is all about. We don’t have nuclear families like the rest of the world idealizes. We don’t retire. You never retire from a work that is of eternal importance.

Side notes:

He is currently serving on the general missionary committee and as a sealer in the Provo Temple.

His grandfather was Stephen L. Richards, first counselor to David O. McKay. His grandfather’s grandfather was Willard Richards, who voluntarily went to Carthage jail with the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Possibly related posts:

One courageous individual has opined already. Care to pontificate as well?

Covey is a great source of influence in the age of materialism and turbulence.

He is certainly a man who loves, who learns, who lives, and who leaves a Legacy.

He is a source of positive influence. Met him in HK. A very respectable man.

#1 DK on January 2nd, 2008

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