GapperJ

For me, eternal families means we are linked by covenant to our Savior Jesus Christ. If we are truly spiritually reborn, then Jesus Christ becomes our spiritual father in the eternities. We become part of His eternal family, He becomes our God and our Father. The sealing link in the Temple, links us back to Him. So to be an eternal family to me means that I belong to His family, that I choose by covenant and the fulfillment of that covenant to become even as He is. To be an eternal family means living with my spouse the life that the Savior lives, becoming as He is, fulfilling His plan for His children, my brothers and sisters and all that goes with that. It means I and my wife become one as together we become as He is and thus as our Heavenly Parents are, and progressing, growing through exhaltations as we continue together to become as they are, to live the life they do, to do what they do. I find it interesting that though we know of the kingdoms and who goes where, and so forth that there has to be more to the plan than that which is revealed. I sat in a meeting once where Neal A. Maxwell and Rex D. Pinegar went through the the plan of salvation and when they came to the three kingdoms of glory, both Elder Pinegar and Maxwell explained that what we know is what goes on to that point. Elder Maxwell pointed to the sealing ceremony and reminded us that kingdoms, thrones, principalities, powers, dominions and exhaltations are all plural and inform us that there is more to the plan beyond what is openly revealed, that there is a continuation of the plan and for us to become even as the Father and the Savior will take ions . . . and then he paused, stopped, and said to paraphrase, that is not for public teaching and we won't go into that. It is enough to know that we must gain the highest degree of glory in the Celestial Kingdom for now." He teased us that yes, there is more to the plan, but it is not one of those things the Lord allows to be discussed to those who are not ready for it. He then focused on what we need to be doing in the here and now in order to qualify ourselves through the atonement to continue to progress and come back into the presence of the Lord. I have my own personal opinion what it means to be part of an eternal family and what the plan is for those who obtain the highest degree of the celestial kingdom and what it means for those that don't. However, I do agree, now years later, and after many experiences and further mentoring with the Lord, with Elder Maxwell that the here and now is focused on exercising faith unto repentance, learning to draw upon the powers of the atonement, thus yielding my will and heart and mind to the Savior's and then striving to fulfill His will in service to my spouse, my family and to others and in thus serving them, gain the experiences that I need in order to move step by step to becoming even as He is. To be honest, it isn't just what I need to learn, that is part of it, a lot of it is what my spouse and I need to learn to become together that I think matters perhaps a little more as we place Him in the center of our personal lives and our lives as a couple.

Hello, I'll go by GapperJ on the board. I am a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at the age of 18. In May it will be 36 years since I entered the waters of baptism. I served mission from 1985 to 1987 in the southern United States and married my wife of almost 31 years in the Logan Temple in June of 1988. We have adult children now in their mid 20's, our only son served a mission to the Rome, Italy Mission and has been home as of last week for 4 years. My wife and serve in one of the Temples near us every Saturday and are currently assigned to work in the baptistery as coordinators there. My wife and children and I have done over 747 of my ancestor names in the Temple, completing all of their ordinance work. We have 1187 in system currently, 754 in the Temple System and another 252 printed and in some process of having their ordinances done in the Temple. The rest remain non-printed. My wife and I have held a large variety of callings from leadership to teacher to well, lots. I understand what it means to be less active, we went down the road for 2 1/2 years before waking up luckily about 15 years ago. I have a firm conviction of our Savior, of our Heavenly Father and the truthfulness of the Gospel and of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I have an issue with many of the rumors floating around right now. First, I always ask if this is something that would be announced at conference or sent out via a letter to leadership or to the general membership. This would include to me the following if they were to occur: Wearing the Garment only in the Temple (don't believe this one at all). Re-organizing Stake so only Stake Presidency, High Council and Relief Society are present on the Stake level (don't believe this either). Changing the service length of missionaries to 18 months or increasing length of Sister Missionaries call to 24 months. (could be, but it would be a letter with information on when this occurs and which missionaries would be given the opportunity to extend if they want). Allowing Sisters to be in the Sunday School Presidency and Men to serve in the Primary Presidency (could be again, but a letter is more likely than in General Conference). These if addressed could come out in General Conference. Changes to the Word of Wisdom (I don't see coffee and tea going away but a stronger stance taken on the Word of Wisdom for health sake and addressing things like vaping) Increase in Temples (this will most likely continue and perhaps look for another one in the Salt Lake Valley). Most important prediction is that we prepare this week, seek the Holy Ghost in prayer and receive revelation from the talks given on what the Savior would have us focus on individually, as families in following the Savior more, becoming more like Him. I hope we each may have the spiritual experiences we seek and need to deepen our commitment and conversion to our Savior and Father in Heaven. I predict I will walk away inspired, lifted, full of revelations and ready to go for the next six months.

. First, we were each part of our Father in Heaven's family in the pre-earth live. By accepting our Savior Jesus Christ and entering into the ordinances of baptism, (Priesthood if male) then the endowment and accepting the covenants that go with those ordinances and living and keeping them, we are adopted into the family of Jesus Christ. That brings blessings, responsibilities (obedience & service) as we live the covenants and begin to change our nature from a worldly person (Mosiah 3:19) to a Saint, a follower of Jesus Christ, in truth, we begin to become like Him. We begin to move from the general family of our Heavenly Father to the eternal family where we also have eternal increase, as the blessings of the sealing ordinance promises us, we have eternal life with and like our Heavenly Father and our Savior. By being sealed by one having the authorized authority to do so, we receive the covenants that go with the sealing ordinance, and if we keep them, we become joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, or we inherit all that our Father will give to the Savior which included eternal increase/family. Without the ordinances, without the covenants, and being obedient to them, we fail to become as Christ is (3 Nephi 27:27) and if we fail to become as He is then we are uncomfortable in His and the Father's presence and we do not inherit all that the Father has for us with the Savior. The covenants and promised blessings of the sealing ordinance are lost to us. So the sealing ordinance is the ordinance, combined with all the others, when performed by one authorized to exercise the Priesthood and perform the ordinances, that promises to us the opportunity to return to our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ and with the Savior, inherit the life that the Savior and our Father in Heaven have. Not having that ordinance, not keeping the covenants results in us not being in their presence, and not having the eternal life that they enjoy. We fail to become like them in every way, including the opportunity to participate in the eternal life they have and do what they do. I hope that makes sense.