Layne's Lunch

For the next 9 weeks I am going to take a slightly different approach to my ponderizing post. I will still be including my thoughts about a scripture, but it will be related to what I call my personal leadership pattern.  This pattern is broken into 9 chapters.  Today is chapter 1.   Chapter 1 - Leadership is Love in Action We have all heard many definitions of what leadership is.  If you asked 100 people to finish this statement “Leadership is . . .” you would likely get 100 different answers.  The problem is that each leader is defining leadership based on what has made them a better leader.  While there are many people who have been successful leaders that are worth emulating, I don’t think that a particular CEO, military leader, religious leader or politician is able to perfectly model the kind of leadership that that is life changing, or better yet, soul changing.  Only by modeling the leadership style of the one perfect being can we begin to...

The Rameumptom and Fast and Testimony Meeting I heard a comment the other day that sometimes fast and testimony meeting looks like the rameumptom experience described in Alma Chapter 31.  Has your fast and testimony meeting become a rameumptom type experience? Alma 31:19-25      19 Now it came to pass that after Alma and his brethren and his sons had heard these prayers, they were astonished beyond all measure.       20 For behold, every man did go forth and offer up these same prayers.       21 Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand.       22 Now, from this stand they did offer up, every man, the selfsame prayer unto God, thanking their God that they were chosen of him, and that he did not lead them away after the tradition of their brethren, and that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in things to come, which they knew nothing about.   ...

  9 And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.     10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.     11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.   Alma 12:9-11 Here are a few of my thoughts about this passage...

This week’s ponderize scripture came to me as I was listening to Elder Renlund's last conference talk . I call it the principle of more or less.  Or, looking beyond the mark. In his talk he quoted 3 Nephi 18:12-13 12 And I give unto you a commandment that ye shall do these things. And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my rock.  13 But whoso among you shall do more or less than these are not built upon my rock, but are built upon a sandy foundation; and when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall fall, and the gates of hell are ready open to receive them. As I read this scripture I thought of the many times I have seen people look beyond the mark. (Reference Jacob 4:14) Or they do more or less than intended.  This includes gospel hobbies that set aside the plain and simple truths of the gospel for some missing mystery.  The gospel is intended to be so simple a child could ...

The slow stain of the world   20 I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the devil?   21 I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot be saved; for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins.   22 And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you?   Alma 5:20-22 Quotes: In the October 1995 women's conference President Hinckley said: "With so much of sophistry that is passed off as truth, with so much of deception concerning standards and values, with so much of allurement and enticement to take on the slow...