A Living Church, A Living Priesthood

The priesthood is living and gives the Church life. I want to share 1) some experiences where the priesthood has blessed me, 2) some experiences where God has blessed others through me with the priesthood, and 3) my testimony of the priesthood.

Blessed by the Priesthood. A few months ago I received a blessing from my father of healing from an illness that had been plaguing me for weeks. I received immediate recovery. I recently was set apart for a calling in my ward. The bishop gave me a blessing that spoke directly to my needs and situation, well beyond his limited knowledge of my life. My father laid his hands on my head when I simply could not decide where to attend graduate school, and in that blessing my mind cleared and the answer came. The priesthood power also played a significant role in the best choice I ever made: to marry Ariel. One of the most powerful experiences I have ever encountered with the priesthood took place on August 9, 2006 in the Salt Lake Temple. George I. Cannon sealed me to Ariel and her to me. The power of godliness was manifest in a beautiful, deep way (D&C 84:20). This is just a small sampling of blessings I've received through the priesthood in my short life.

Blessing with the Priesthood. I was called by a neighbor not long ago to administer a blessing for sick through the power of the priesthood. He had a job interview that Friday and was not in any condition to go to it at the time. The blessing did indeed heal him and he was able to fly out for the interview, and got an offer. Another friend recently called me and said he felt prompted to ask me for a blessing. I didn't know why, but I do know that as I laid my hands on his head and spoke in the name of the Lord I became overwhelmed with the power of priesthood as my words were directed by the power of the Holy Ghost. I was not aware of myself, only of God and one of his sons who was receiving a blessing through me. As the blessing ended my consciousness abruptly returned to the living room where the blessing began. The recipient of the blessing beamed, and I felt fatigued, exactly as it should be. As I blessed Ariel while she toiled in labor, giving birth to Abe naturally, we felt the presence of ancestral angels on our right and on our left. When I gave Abraham his baby blessing I felt the enormous potential of his little spirit come into perspective, and I blessed him accordingly. The blessings and miracles seen through the priesthood during my two years in Portugal merit a post to themselves. And there are others too sacred to share on this public page.

Testimony. The gospel has been restored. The priesthood is, as President McKay stated, "our most distinguishing feature." It is, as President Hinckley stated, "different from all other powers and authorities on the face of the earth." "In the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest" (D&C 84: 20). Elder Holland testifies that he has “seen evil rebuked and the elements controlled” through the power of the priesthood. I do not doubt this as I have seen similar miracles through its power, though surely on a smaller scale.

Jesus Christ ordained Peter, James, and John to the apostleship of the Priesthood. Joseph Smith, Jr. received this same priesthood from the aforementioned apostles. Joseph Smith then ordained Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and Martin Harris to the priesthood. These three ordained Brigham Young. Brigham Young ordained Joseph F. Smith. Joseph F. Smith ordained David O. McKay. President McKay ordained LeGrand Richards. LeGrand Richards ordained Richard James Marshall. Richard James Marshall ordained Richard Stephen Marshall, and Richard Stephen Marshall ordained me to the Order of the Son of God.