You must build your own armour

In June of 1961, in a Baccalaureate speech at BYU, President Henry D. Moyle said:

Never be afraid. Your hearts are brave, your arms are strong, and God is your defense. Put on the whole armour of God.

Murmur not

One of my favorite words is “onomatopoeia” (a Greek word meaning name-making ). It describes words that imitate or reproduce the sounds they describe. The sounds literally make the meaning in such words as "buzz," "crash," "whirr," "clang" "hiss," "purr," "squeak," "mumble," "hush," "boom." Another word that sounds like its meaning is “murmur.” In Volume 8 of The Work and The Glory by Gerald Lund, Lydia teaches her children about this word:

Satan: point and counterpoint

Satan is a dark and fearsome creature; one whose greed and lust for power even in the pre-existence caused him to exercise his agency to defy the “Great Plan of the Eternal God” (GPEG) (Alma 34:9) and seek glory for himself. He has great power and subtlety. He can plant thoughts in our minds that seem harmless. Thoughts that lead to action and a small, seemingly harmless deviation from our eternal goals.

Arrivals and departures

Last Saturday, with my mother, I attended my Great Aunt Nora Bradshaw’s funeral. She was 101 years and 7+ months old when she passed away. Her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, and one great-great-great grandchild gave her a wonderful tribute.

I said at the time that her husband Preston, who preceded her by fifteen years or so into the spirit world, was certainly waiting with great anticipation for her to arrive there. I suggested that when she did, he might have said: " ‘Bout time you got here.” He was a man of few words.