Learn! Act! Share!

"Let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence." -D&C 107:99

I felt like I was crashing the Los Gatos Ward Young Men Fireside last night but Brent wanted me to come along. As is usually the case with firesides, I might resist heading out yet again to another church meeting, but in the end I'm always glad I did!

The church is rolling out a new Duty to God program for all Aaronic Priesthood holders. The Young Men leaders were introducing the boys and the parents to the changes.

Looking around the room at these boys, anywhere from 12 to 18 years of age (from new Deacons like Michael Schillage to soon-to-become Elders like Michael Hodgman), and then looking around at their leaders (from young guys like Jeremy Walton to YM President Bud Wilson) I was touched by how fortunate these boys are to have such good guys leading them through their teenage years! These men are great guys and they really care about the boys. And the older boys (like Michael Hodgman), have set such good examples for the younger boys.

The new Duty to God program is inspiring! Which makes sense because it is inspired! It is divided into sections for Deacons, Teachers, and Priests. But, the focus of every section revolves around a Learn, Act, Share model. The YM will learn things (both spiritual things and temporal things), create an opportunity to put into practice what they learn (act), and, finally, share their experiences with others.

The new Duty to God handbook also compliments and utilizes the For the Strength of Youth handbook which is such a wonderful guide for setting high standards. I'm totally convinced that we will all be blessed, not just the youth, by living the guidelines suggested in For the Strength of Youth and by considering what our duty to God is, and then striving to honor that duty!