I previously put up a notice about the April 13 Conference where a vote will be taken about whether to approve several additions to the Teachings and Commandments. Everything announced earlier about that Conference remains unchanged. However, an earlier, second session will be held on April 12. Both will be held in the Salt Lake area.

The first session will be a part of an ongoing series of women’s conferences. Stephanie Snuffer will facilitate this portion of the conference. This conference is separate from the conference being held the next day on April 13. Both conferences will hold votes for material to be included in the scriptures. Please attend and vote at both. For full details, please visit https://www.april12conference.com/

The vote will be in person and will require a simple majority vote to decide the matter. Fellowships may hold votes the week prior on Sunday, April 6th, record the votes, and send representatives with the votes to be counted at the conferences.

Here is the website for the April 12 Session: April 12 Conference

Here is the website for the April 13 Session: April 13 Conference

Both websites include proposed additions to the Teachings and Commandments. Each proposal will be voted on separately and may result in some or all being added or excluded from the Second Edition of the scriptures. These votes will settle matters and allow the Second Edition to proceed to print, and any approved additions will be added to the print-on-demand copies as well as to the scriptures.info website.

There have been several requests for a large print edition of Covenant of Christ. Here is a link to the site where it can be purchased by anyone interested: Covenant of Christ/Large Print

In addition, a color version is now also available. The LDS chapters and verses are in red ink to allow for navigating and locating specific verses in the LDS scriptures. Here is a link to that version for anyone who is interested in purchasing a copy: Covenant of Christ/color

Christ explained to His critics that the reason they could not “hear Him” was because they disobeyed God and therefore lacked the ability to understand what Christ taught. They did not have God as their Father, but instead, by disobedience, had the accuser as their father.

Christ’s message was given to Him by His Father. He tried to make that understandable to the people: “I have many things to teach that will be used to judge you; and the one who sent me is the Source of all truth. I am teaching what he has sent me to teach and he provided my message. They did not understand that he was speaking the words of Father Ahman. Then Jesus added, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am Son Ahman, and that I have done nothing on my own; but as my Father has taught me, I repeat his words. He sent me and accompanies me here; the Father has never abandoned my side. I always do the things that please him.” T&C 171: TSJ 6:16.

It is the message, not the messenger, that saves or condemns. Christ understood that He may not be appealing to some who met Him. That was understandable. But what He taught should have been respected. He put it this way: “I do not judge those who hear my words, but do not believe, because I did not enter the world to now judge it, but to be its savior. But when you reject my message, beware, because the message I was sent by the Father to deliver will separate you in the last day. He will divide you based on your submission to, or rejection of, his message. He has sent me to guide you, and he guides into endless lives, worlds without end. My message, therefore, is the Father’s.” T&C 171: TSJ 9:7.

Christ has sent His message, and we must hear and obey it if we want to respect His Father who sent both Him and the message: “And even so, I have sent mine everlasting covenant unto the world, to be a light to the world and to be a standard for my people, and for the gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me.” T&C 31:3.

The latest message (or put differently, His message last of all) is found in our new volume of scripture, Covenant of Christ.

There are two new versions of Covenant of Christ now available. The text of the volumes is identical with the version approved in the last conference by the vote of the people. The versions are described below:

A First Nation’s version is now available with a new forward and new cover art. The lengthy introduction that was part of the version published before the conference vote has been removed, and a brief introduction applicable to Native Peoples added. The cover art follows Native American motifs. It is linked here: First Nations Covenant of Christ.

A second version is now available that also removes the introductory materials to allow the text to appeal to other readers from different faiths. It is for readers who are interested in having only the easier to read modern English text. It is linked here: Discovery Reader Covenant of Christ. If you would like to provide the text to someone of another faith tradition, this is perhaps the version best to use.

These versions are only available from the Lulu bookstore and are searchable and discoverable at Lulu.com when using Covenant of Christ as the search term. These books will not be available on Amazon. They are priced without markup to make them as reasonable as they can be.

Last evening I gave a talk about the Allegory of the Olive Tree. That talk is linked here for anyone interested in listening to the recording: Allegory Talk

After the conclusion there were a number of questions discussed, and the whole runs approximately 2 hours.

There will be a general conference in the Spring on April 13, 2025. As part of that conference there will be a vote taken about adding several sections to the Teachings and Commandments. That vote will allow materials to be included or excluded, thereby allowing the second edition of the scriptures to be completed for publication.

A link to the conference website where the new sections can be reviewed and/or downloaded as a pdf is linked here: Spring 2025 Conference.

The new sections have been numbered for voting as Sections 178, 179, 180, 181, 182 and 183. Those are for convenience in voting. Each section will be voted on separately and any that are excluded will then be omitted from the second edition and the remaining (if there are any) will receive sequential numbering in the final version of the T&C.

These proposed additions should be reviewed and carefully considered before you decide how to vote. They are being published months in advance of the conference to allow all those interested to consider them beforehand.

I’ve been asked to put this announcement on my website about the upcoming conference for women:

On the heels of our most recent general conference at Zion’s Ponderosa and accepting the Covenant of Christ, we hope to have the women join together to fulfill the Lord’s revelation received June 20th, 2024.

We pray to have that spirit continue as we deliberate and learn together.

Location: SLCC Conference Center at Miller Campus in Sandy Utah.

Date: November 23rd from 8AM- 4PM with an hour-long lunch break from 12-1PM. A light breakfast will be served.

If you have a specific question you want discussed at the meeting, please email it to [email protected] or at the Eventbrite link when you register to attend. Please submit those as soon as possible, as we plan to print them on the 19th of November.

Please register to attend and be updated on conference proceedings by visiting https://www.womenofpeace.info

The conference and fellowships who voted approved Covenant of Christ for use as scripture by a vote margin of 99.72% in favor. There were some “No” votes by people who are part of our group, and there is nothing about voting “No” that causes any stigma as far as I am concerned.

The volume is now available on Scriptures.info and linked HERE.

The volume is now an audiobook and linked HERE.

The side-by-side comparison is still available to review HERE.

There will be two new versions published soon. One we have a working title of “Missionary Edition” intended for general use. It will leave out the front materials in the version printed for examination internally by those of the covenant, including the Preface and Introduction materials. A second has the working title of “Native American Edition” that will replace all of the front materials with a brief message for Native Americans. When they are available they will be linked on this website.

The Conference proceedings are now up on YouTube, and can be watched HERE.

Tomorrow fellowships with people who cannot attend the Conference that starts October 25th can have them vote on the new modern English version of the Book of Mormon titled Covenant of Christ. The vote should be taken on this question: Do you have faith in these things and receive the scriptures approved by the Lord as a standard to govern you in your daily walk in life, to accept the obligations established by the Covenant of Christ as a covenant, and to use the scriptures to correct yourselves and to guide your words, thoughts, and deeds?

Those who have faith and agree to receive the Covenant of Christ, should be asked to please stand and say, “Yes.” The number should be counted.
Those who reject the Covenant of Christ, should next be asked to please stand and say, “No.” The number should be counted.

At the Conference the fellowship representative should report the numbers that voted for and against the acceptance to Paul Durham. Paul will make himself conspicuous at the Conference and will tally the totals before the Conference voting on Sunday Morning. Details about the Conference are available at this website link: Obtain a New Heart

Here is the public link to the Unity in Humanity Conference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85799490482

I anticipate this will be the final time I post the “Discuss” series on the Covenant of Christ. However, if it is approved by a vote in the October Conference I plan to teach from it. It is, in my view, a far more understandable and relevant text for the challenges we are facing in this generation. More so than in any time since the Book of Mormon was first published in 1830, the text addresses our contemporary circumstances in alarming detail.

As the text draws to an end, the final author invites us to ask God about its truthfulness. In the Book of Mormon it states: “And I seal up these records after I have spoken a few words by way of exhortation unto you.
“Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true. And if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, and he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the holy ghost. And by the power of the holy ghost, ye may know the truth of all things. And whatsoever thing is good is just and true. Wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is; and ye may know that he is by the power of the holy ghost. Wherefore, I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God, for he worketh by power according to the faith of the children of men, the same today, and tomorrow, and for ever.” Moroni 10:1-2.

This includes words like “exhortation” and “exhort” and “denieth” and “acknowledgeth” and “worketh” which are rarely (if ever) spoken today. There are, of course, subcultures that may use some of these, but the vast majority of people whom the book is intended to warn not only do not use these words, they likely would need to look them up to determine what is meant. Unfortunately, today a spell-checker will red line the words “denieth”, “acknowledgeth” and “worketh” as misspellings.

This is unfortunate because it is one of the more important passages in the entire book. This invitation/challenge goes to the heart of the book. It might well be regarded as a critically important two paragraphs, essential to accepting the book as a message from God.

In Covenant of Christ it is put in these words: “After I give a few words of counsel to you, I’ll seal up these records.
“I would urge you that when you read these things, if it’s wisdom in God for you to read them, to remember how merciful the Lord has been to mankind, from the creation of Adam all the way down until you consider these things and ponder them in your hearts. When you consider these things, I would urge you to ask God the Eternal Father in the name of Christ: Aren’t these things true? And if you ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He’ll reveal the truth of it to you by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost, you can know the truth of all things. Anything that’s good is righteous and true. Therefore nothing good denies Christ; on the contrary, it acknowledges that He exists. And you can know He exists by the power of the Holy Ghost. Therefore I would urge you not to deny God’s power — indeed, He works by power according to mankind’s faith, the same today, tomorrow, and forever.”

I have developed a deep appreciation for the candor and plain language of Covenant of Christ. It seems to penetrate my heart and mind in a familiar, kindly voice I recognize as coming from the Lord.

This same writer (Moroni) in the Book of Ether told readers this: “Now I’ll say farewell to the Gentiles, and to my people as well, whom I love, until we come face to face before Christ’s judgment seat, where everyone will know my clothes aren’t stained with your blood. Then you’ll know I’ve seen Jesus and He has talked with me face to face, and He told me about these things in plain humility in my own language, just as one person tells another.” Ether 5:8. When Covenant of Christ addresses us in our own current language, just like one person talks with another, it accomplishes the same thing our Lord did when He spoke with Moroni, the same thing He accomplishes when He speaks to anyone.

I not only welcome the new version of the Book of Mormon, I appreciate it beyond words. To me, it is evidence that our Lord cares for, and is reaching out to, our generation just as He has done before. We have an opportunity, as past generations were given the opportunity, to be gathered as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. It gives me hope.

I love the way the following words of Jesus Christ are stated in the Covenant of Christ. This is part of His teaching redirected to the audience following things spoken exclusively to His twelve disciples:

“Or who of you, if your child asks for bread, will give them a stone? Or if your child asks for a fish, will give them a snake? If you then, with all your faults still understand how to respond to your children’s requests, how much more does your Father who is in Heaven know how to respond kindly to things asked of Him? Therefore everything you expect others to do for you, do that for them, for that will satisfy the law and the prophets.
“You should enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is vast that leads to destruction, and many enter through those; because the gate is narrow and the pathway tight leading to life, and very few find it.
“Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inside they’re ravenous wolves. You can identify them by their results. Can you gather grapes from thorns? Or figs from thistles? Likewise you know that every good fruit tree produces good fruit, but diseased trees produce diseased fruit. A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit, neither does a diseased tree produce good fruit. Every tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by the fruit produced you can identify them.” 3 Ne. 6:8-10.

The language is clear and meaning unmistakable. Even with all our faults, we still know how to respond to our children’s requests. Christ reminds us that Father in Heaven knows how to respond kindly to our requests.

This world does have a wide gate beckoning us to enter through that accommodating entrance. And thereafter we also find the opportunities to walk in harmony with the world is indeed vast. There is no end to the variety of errors we are tempted to accept: our pride, ambition, jealousies, envies, foolishness, lusts, greed, impatience and ego are always eager to lead us astray.

A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things cannot produce the faith necessary for salvation. And so we are required to sacrifice our good name and reputation, to spend money to support our uncompensated efforts, endure the false accusations and continual slander from others, and to continually remember we are nothing but poor servants, and even if we serve well we only are doing our duty.

The Lord accomplishes a great deal through weak things. If we rely on Him then even our weak abilities can nevertheless accomplish His purposes. But it is a very tight pathway. It confines us. We are left with His assurance that it will turn out well in the end, but for us now it is enduring the opposition and criticism of this world.

I think the Lord asks us to walk in that challenging path in order to understand Him. Without sacrificing we cannot understand His life. Even when we sacrifice all things as He asks, we remain unprofitable and serve Him poorly, even with our best efforts. Nevertheless, the Lord still is able to accomplish His will, vindicate His promises, and fulfill His covenants. He has and is doing a marvelous work and a wonder!

Christ provided the marvelous warning for us to beware of false prophets who come to you dressed in sheep’s clothing. So they will be intent on the pretense of harmlessness. We cannot trust appearances because inside they’re ravenous wolves. They’re in it for themselves. They are a threat, even though they attempt to put on a show to appear benign.

So the Lord gives us a key to determine how to identify the wolves: You can identify them by their results. Where does their teaching lead you? Will it cause you to also sacrifice your good name and reputation, or soothe your ego? Does it lead you to help the poor and needy with your tithes and offerings, or is someone benefitting financially who is not in need?

Can you gather grapes from thorns? Or figs from thistles? Likewise you know that every good fruit tree produces good fruit, but diseased trees produce diseased fruit. A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit, neither does a diseased tree produce good fruit. Every tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by the fruit produced you can identify them.

It circles back to the earlier part of His sermon in which we are taught: “[B]lessed are those who believe in your words and come down into the depths of humility and are baptized, since they will be visited with fire and the Holy Ghost and will receive a remission of their sins. Yes, God is with the poor in spirit who come to Me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
And also, God is with all those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
And God remembers the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
And God accompanies all those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled with the Holy Ghost.
And God loves the merciful, for they will obtain mercy.
And God blesses the pure in heart, for they will see God.
And God is with all the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
And God is beside all those who are persecuted for being called by My name, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. And God stands with all of you when people revile, persecute, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, because of following Me, for you should all have great joy and be very glad, because a great reward awaits you in heaven; the prophets who lived before you were persecuted in the same way.”

He is WITH us, He REMEMBERS us, He ACCOMPANIES us, He LOVES us, He BLESSES us, He is BESIDE us, and He STANDS WITH us as we go through this life’s trials and challenges. But we are not spared from passing through the depths of humility, mourning, meekness, hunger, thirst (longing) for righteousness when we see so little evidence of it, showing mercifulness to the unmerciful, making peace with the un-peaceful and bitterly angry, persecution, reviling and evil lies because we do as the Lord asks to be done.

So if you want to harvest the good fruit, it comes at the price of facing the world’s opposition. We do get Him to be with us, to remember us, to accompany us, to feel His love, receive His blessing, know He is beside us, and finally to realize He stands with us. All of these are good fruit. But they are not easily harvested. They are gathered in a tight pathway after entering a narrow gate.

It is almost as if the contradiction between grapes and figs to be gathered seem pleasant and enjoyable, on the one hand. But on the other they are harvested by obedience to His requirements to endure this world’s opposition, and sometimes fierce condemnation.

In the end, however, we must conclude that if our religion does not require the sacrifice of all things it will never have power sufficient to produce the faith necessary for life and salvation. For from the first existence of man, the faith necessary for life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things: it was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained for us to enjoy eternal life, and it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a man has offered in sacrifice all he has for the truth’s sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do His will, he does know most assuredly that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not nor will not seek His face in vain. Under these circumstances, then, we can obtain the faith necessary to lay hold on eternal life. It is absolutely vain for us to fancy ourselves to be heirs with those, or can be heirs with them, who have offered their all in sacrifice, and who by this means obtained faith in God and favor with Him so as to obtain eternal life, unless we in like manner offer unto Him the same sacrifice, and through that offering obtain the knowledge that we are accepted of Him.

If we follow the Lord’s teaching we can actually, literally, and even physically realize His promise to be with us, and stand beside us. Then all doubts will flee from us and our faith is supplanted by knowledge.

I love the text of Covenant of Christ. It resounds with words of eternal life, because Christ’s words are truth, His words are spirit. They bring with them the power of redemption because, when we recognize them as His, we then have Him speaking directly to and with us.

Last post began comparing two versions of the same materials. Here is how the Book of Mormon originally read in that last post: “I say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom. For it is because that ye are cast out — that ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty — that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble.” Alma 16:24

Here is how the same thing is stated in Covenant of Christ: “I tell you: It benefits you to have been kicked out of your synagogues, to humble you so you can learn wisdom; because wisdom must be learned. It’s because you’re rejected and despised by others in your community, due to your great poverty, that you’re humble of heart. You’ve been forced to be humble.”

Compare: “I say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues,” with “I tell you: It benefits you to have been kicked out of your synagogues,” and ask if one is more clear than the other. Clearly “I say unto you” does not sound like we talk with one another today. “I tell you” conveys the same information in familiar language in use today. As the sentence continues, “it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues” is an obtuse way to convey an idea for any modern average reader. How might an average reader interpret this? Is it clearly stated? Does it become any more clear when put: “It benefits you to have been kicked out of your synagogues,”

As it continues we read: “For it is because that ye are cast out — that ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty — that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble.” It is an awkward structure with an insert interrupting the sentence flow. Does its contents communicate clearly to your mind as you read it? Is it improved when restated: “It’s because you’re rejected and despised by others in your community, due to your great poverty, that you’re humble of heart. You’ve been forced to be humble.”

Both versions contain the identical content, but one is in language foreign to modern speech. It separates the reader by the language, whereas the restatement could be something you would hear said today.

Covenant of Christ speaks to a reader today in words used in everyday conversation. That is its purpose. That is what it accomplishes. Its value for the youth in particular cannot be overstated.

There is a thought that is almost lost in the Book of Mormon that leapt off the page to me as I read Covenant of Christ. That rather profound thought is that “wisdom must be learned.” It is acquired through hard experience, and therefore learned.

Here is how the Book of Mormon originally includes the principle: “I say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom. For it is because that ye are cast out — that ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty — that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble.” Alma 16:24

Here is how the same thing is stated in Covenant of Christ: “I tell you: It benefits you to have been kicked out of your synagogues, to humble you so you can learn wisdom; because wisdom must be learned. It’s because you’re rejected and despised by others in your community, due to your great poverty, that you’re humble of heart. You’ve been forced to be humble.”

Compare “for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom” with “because wisdom must be learned.” In the original the statement can be read as limited, by pointing only to the audience being addressed at that moment by Alma. A reader may well think that the principle does not apply to them. But in the modern English rendering, it is clear that the restatement includes the reader, and the necessity of learning wisdom is universal.

The rest of that passage is likewise stated more simply, clearly and in fewer words. As a young lawyer I was asked by the corporate president I worked for to write up a joint-venture agreement between his and his brother’s corporations. I put together what I considered an ironclad agreement, covering every contingency, resulting in a contract of some 34 pages. When I proudly presented it to the president, he didn’t even read it before telling me to redo it in two pages. I thought he was asking me to do something so ill-advised that I wrote a memo protesting, before reworking it into two pages.

What I didn’t understand as a young lawyer, that I would later learn through years of litigating contract disputes, is that the more language in a contract that can be disputed, the more disputes will result. The clearest agreements are more often short, using few words, leaving very little for clever lawyers to parse apart and quibble over meanings. I have observed that the longer the agreement, the more likely it is that an ambiguity or contradiction can be found for the parties to fight over.

Reading the same lessons stated in fewer words sharpens and improves the message in Covenant of Christ. It is more understandable. Understanding that book is critical for our salvation, because it is intended to save us from our sins by teaching us repentance and faith on Jesus Christ, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost.

The Covenant of Christ rendering, provided to us through the mercy and grace of Christ, clarifies what He intended as His message for us today. It is a personal message from our Lord to us today.