Mormon Life - Honesty tag

Deseret Industries volunteer finds thousands of dollars stuffed in a shoe

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:37:00 -0700

source: deseretnews.com

Mormon Life says: What a good guy for turning in the money. A volunteer at Deseret Industries made a surprising discovery while organizing the shoe section in the store. He found several thousand dollars stuffed in a shoe.

Steffen Bronson works at times sorting through donated items and other times he's going through the store at 1415 N. State making sure everything is put on the shelves in just the right place. But on Tuesday, while he was in the shoe section, he noticed something interesting.

Young Men Lesson 47: Honesty

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:03:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "When we are true to the sacred principles of honesty and integrity, we are true to our faith, and we are true to ourselves." - Richard C. Edgley

Discussion Questions
• What are some of the consequences of dishonesty?
• What are some things you can do to overcome temptations to be dishonest?

Excerpt from "Three Towels and a 25-Cent Newspaper," by Elder Richard C. Edgley, October 2006 General Conference:

In front of this vast worldwide audience and with some reservation, I make a personal confession. I do this as an introduction to a subject that has weighed heavily on my mind for some time. In 1955, after my freshman year of college, I spent the summer working at the newly opened Jackson Lake Lodge, located in Moran, Wyoming. My mode of transportation was a 14-year-old 1941 Hudson automobile that should have received its burial 10 years earlier. Among the car’s other identifying traits, the floorboards had rusted so badly that, if not for a piece of plywood, I could have literally dragged my feet on the highway. The positive is that unlike most 14-year-old cars in this time period, it used no oil—lots of water in the radiator, but no oil. I could never figure out where the water went and why the oil continually got thinner and thinner and clearer and clearer.

In preparation for the 185-mile (298-km) drive home at the end of the summer, I took the car to the only mechanic in Moran. After a quick analysis, the mechanic explained that the engine block was cracked and was leaking water into the oil. That explained the water and oil mystery. I wondered if I could get the water to leak into the gas tank; I would get better gasoline mileage.

Now the confession: after the miracle of arriving home, my father came out and happily greeted me. After a hug and a few pleasantries, he looked into the backseat of the car and saw three Jackson Lake Lodge towels—the kind you cannot buy. With a disappointed look he merely said, “I expected more of you.” I hadn’t thought that what I had done was all that wrong. To me these towels were but a symbol of a full summer’s work at a luxury hotel, a rite of passage. Nevertheless, by taking them I felt I had lost the trust and confidence of my father, and I was devastated.

To read the rest of this talk, click here.

Elder Neil L. Andersen urges students to be honest in all things

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:24:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

Honesty, integrity and truth are essential principles that significantly shape an individual's destiny, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said during a packed campus devotional Tuesday in the Marriott Center at BYU.

"(Honesty) is a principle you all believe in, but I promise you that if you will think about it more intently, pray about it more specifically and embrace it more fully, it will bring an abundance of blessings to you now and throughout your life," he said.

Young Women Lesson 34: Avoiding Dishonesty

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:06:00 -0600

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "In the end, it is only an internal moral compass in each individual that can effectively deal with the root causes as well as the symptoms of societal decay." -D. Todd Christofferson Discussion Questions
    • What does it mean to be honest “at all times and in all things, and in all places”? (See Mosiah 18:9 and Richard C. Edgley, “Three Towels and a 25-Cent Newspaper,” Ensign, Nov. 2006, 72–74.)
    • What are some of the blessings of being honest?
    • What are some ways the world accepts and rewards dishonesty? What are some of the painful consequences of dishonesty?

Supplement from "Moral Discipline," by Elder D. Todd Christofferson, October 2009 General Conference

During World War II, President James E. Faust, then a young enlisted man in the United States Army, applied for officer candidate school. He appeared before a board of inquiry composed of what he described as “hard-bitten career soldier[s].” After a while their questions turned to matters of religion. The final questions were these:

“In times of war should not the moral code be relaxed? Does not the stress of battle justify men in doing things that they would not do when at home under normal situations?”

President Faust relates:

“I recognized that here was a chance perhaps to make some points and look broad-minded. I knew perfectly well that the men who were asking me this question did not live by the standards that I had been taught. The thought flashed through my mind that perhaps I could say that I had my own beliefs but did not wish to impose them on others. But there seemed to flash before my mind the faces of the many people to whom I had taught the law of chastity as a missionary. In the end I simply said, ‘I do not believe there is a double standard of morality.’

“I left the hearing resigned to the fact that [they] would not like the answers I had given … and would surely score me very low. A few days later when the scores were posted, to my astonishment I had passed. I was in the first group taken for officer’s candidate school! …

“This was one of the critical crossroads of my life.”

To read the full talk, click here.

Honesty is still the best policy

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:08:00 -0600

source: MormonTimes.com

This past week yet another scandal rocked the United States Congress when U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) resigned. Weiner is another in quite a long list of politicians from both sides of the aisle who lied to cover up inappropriate behavior. He was caught “sexting” when he inadvertently posted a lewd photograph of himself to his public Twitter account.

After a press conference where he apologized for his behavior and announced his decision to step down from office, the pundits on the air all weighed in. One comment, among many that left me speechless, particularly stood out. A Beltway insider calmly explained that after Weiner realized what he had done “he had no choice but to lie.”

Excuse me?

Are the moral imperatives of past years and God’s laws really so passé in the world in which we live? Is lying, which is a manifestation of dishonesty and indicative of a lack of virtue, really that harmless? Is the quest to maintain position and place is society justification for lying?

Honesty: You Better Believe It!

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:14:00 -0600

source: youtube.com

Discipline in the face of disaster: no looting in Japan

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 11:23:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

Mormon Life says: Wow. What an incredible people with great morals. First comes the natural disaster, then comes the looting — it's a pattern established by decades of catastrophe. But in Japan in the wake of a series of powerful earthquakes, people — though desperate — aren't looking to the rubble for relief.

Residents of the Miyagi prefecture in northeast Japan, which was severely hit by an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami, are experiencing a shortage of drinking water and food, but according to Sify News, people are keeping calm.

"Gas and water have been switched off in Miyagi and the central city of Sendai. With rare exceptions, electricity is also off," said an eyewitness, who arrived in Miyagi several hours after Friday's earthquake. "But there is no panic either in the streets or shops."

Instead, people are patiently waiting in line outside of shops that have had all their windows and doors broken. To prevent hoarding, shops are passing out food and water resident by resident, he said.

No one has entered, and nothing has been looted, the eyewitness said.

Gospel Principles Lesson 31: Honesty

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:01:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Each lie, each deception, each act of dishonesty combines to create a monster that can destroy your character and your life. Excerpt from "Be Honest with Yourself" by President Howard W. Hunter

One Boy’s Great Change

I recall a young man who was in our stake when I served as a stake president. He traveled around with a crowd that thought it was smart to do things that were not right. On a few occasions he was caught in some minor violations. One day I got a call from the police station and was told he was being held because of a traffic violation. He had been caught speeding, as he had on a few other occasions prior to this time. Knowing the things he was doing might prevent him from going on a mission, he straightened up, and when he was 19 years of age, he received his call.

I shall never forget the talk we had when he returned. He told me that while he was in the mission field he had often thought of the trouble he had caused by the mistaken belief that the violation of little things was not important. But a great change had come into his life. He had come to the realization that there is no happiness or pleasure in violation of the law, whether it be God’s law or the laws that society imposes upon us. He said to me, “When I drive a car now and the speed limit is 55 miles an hour, I feel it is morally wrong to drive a single mile faster.”

I was impressed by the great change that had come over this young man while he served on his mission and studied moral principles. How unfortunate it is that he had to learn his lesson the hard way, but what a great blessing comes when there is the realization that one cannot be in violation and feel good about that conduct.

*To read the full talk, click here.

BYU studies show reasons for unethical behavior in the office

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:30:00 -0700

source: ldschurchnews.com

Employees who love their company and hustle to please their bosses sound like a recipe for success. But two recent studies co-authored by a BYU business professor found that those two factors can lead to a higher likelihood of unethical behavior.

Studying such "pro-organizational" unethical conduct flies in the face of the common media accounts and most ethics research, which focuses on employees siphoning funds or sabotaging bosses and co-workers, said John Bingham, assistant professor of organizational behavior at BYU's Marriott School of Management.

"But unethical behavior can also be done with very good intentions — people can do bad things with the intention to actually help the organization," he said. "People lie to placate customers, sell unsafe products or shred documents to cover up — even when these actions may jeopardize their own positions within the organization."

Brother Bingham and colleagues explored this concept in a paper forthcoming in Organization Science and tested it in a study recently published in the "Journal of Applied Psychology."

Young Men Lesson 49: Honesty and Integrity

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:02:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: We who hold the priesthood of God … must arise from the dust of self-indulgence and be men! Discussion Questions

What examples of honesty have I seen in my life or the lives of others?
What can I do when others around me are being dishonest?
In what ways can I strengthen my own personal honesty?

Let Us Be Men

Years ago, when my brothers and I were boys, our mother had radical cancer surgery. She came very close to death. Much of the tissue in her neck and shoulder had to be removed, and for a long time it was very painful for her to use her right arm.

One morning about a year after the surgery, my father took Mother to an appliance store and asked the manager to show her how to use a machine he had for ironing clothes. The machine was called an Ironrite. It was operated from a chair by pressing pedals with one’s knees to lower a padded roller against a heated metal surface and turn the roller, feeding in shirts, pants, dresses, and other articles. You can see that this would make ironing (of which there was a great deal in our family of five boys) much easier, especially for a woman with limited use of her arm. Mother was shocked when Dad told the manager they would buy the machine and then paid cash for it. Despite my father’s good income as a veterinarian, Mother’s surgery and medications had left them in a difficult financial situation.

On the way home, my mother was upset: “How can we afford it? Where did the money come from? How will we get along now?” Finally Dad told her that he had gone without lunches for nearly a year to save enough money. “Now when you iron,” he said, “you won’t have to stop and go into the bedroom and cry until the pain in your arm stops.” She didn’t know he knew about that. I was not aware of my father’s sacrifice and act of love for my mother at the time, but now that I know, I say to myself, “There is a man.”

*To read the full article, click here.

Young Women Lesson 36: Honesty

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:00:00 -0600

by Richard C. Edgley
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: When we are true to the sacred principles of honesty and integrity, we are true to our faith, and we are true to ourselves. In front of this vast worldwide audience and with some reservation, I make a personal confession. I do this as an introduction to a subject that has weighed heavily on my mind for some time. In 1955, after my freshman year of college, I spent the summer working at the newly opened Jackson Lake Lodge, located in Moran, Wyoming. My mode of transportation was a 14-year-old 1941 Hudson automobile that should have received its burial 10 years earlier. Among the car's other identifying traits, the floorboards had rusted so badly that, if not for a piece of plywood, I could have literally dragged my feet on the highway. The positive is that unlike most 14-year-old cars in this time period, it used no oil - lots of water in the radiator, but no oil. I could never figure out where the water went and why the oil continually got thinner and thinner and clearer and clearer.

In preparation for the 185-mile (298-km) drive home at the end of the summer, I took the car to the only mechanic in Moran. After a quick analysis, the mechanic explained that the engine block was cracked and was leaking water into the oil. That explained the water and oil mystery. I wondered if I could get the water to leak into the gas tank; I would get better gasoline mileage.

Now the confession: after the miracle of arriving home, my father came out and happily greeted me. After a hug and a few pleasantries, he looked into the backseat of the car and saw three Jackson Lake Lodge towels - the kind you cannot buy. With a disappointed look he merely said, "I expected more of you." I hadn't thought that what I had done was all that wrong. To me these towels were but a symbol of a full summer's work at a luxury hotel, a rite of passage. Nevertheless, by taking them I felt I had lost the trust and confidence of my father, and I was devastated.

The following weekend I adjusted the plywood floorboard in my car, filled the radiator with water, and began the 370-mile (595-km) round trip back to Jackson Lake Lodge to return three towels. My father never asked why I was returning to the lodge, and I never explained. It just didn't need to be said. This was an expensive and painful lesson on honesty that has stayed with me throughout my life.

Sadly, some of the greatest missing values in today's world are honesty and integrity. In the past few years an increasing number of business leaders have been exposed for dishonesty and other forms of bad behavior. As a result, tens of thousands of loyal, long-term employees have lost their livelihoods and pensions. For some this has resulted in loss of homes, change of education and other life plans. We read and hear of widespread cheating in our schools, with more concern about receiving a grade or degree than learning and preparation. We hear of students who have cheated their way through medical school and are now performing complicated procedures on their patients. The elderly and others are victims of scam artists, often resulting in the loss of homes or life savings. Always this dishonesty and lack of integrity are based on greed, arrogance, and disrespect.

In Proverbs we read, "Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight" (Proverbs 12:22).

Mormon, speaking of the converted Lamanites who were known as the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, wrote: "And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end" (Alma 27:27; emphasis added).

Some 30 years ago, while working in the corporate world, some business associates and I were passing through O'Hare Airport in Chicago, Illinois. One of these men had just sold his company for tens of millions of dollars - in other words, he was not poor.

As we were passing a newspaper vending machine, this individual put a quarter in the machine, opened the door to the stack of papers inside the machine, and began dispensing unpaid-for newspapers to each of us. When he handed me a newspaper, I put a quarter in the machine and, trying not to offend but to make a point, jokingly said, "Jim, for 25 cents I can maintain my integrity. A dollar, questionable, but 25 cents - no, not for 25 cents." You see, I remembered well the experience of three towels and a broken-down 1941 Hudson. A few minutes later we passed the same newspaper vending machine. I noticed that Jim had broken away from our group and was stuffing quarters in the vending machine. I tell you this incident not to portray myself as an unusual example of honesty, but only to emphasize the lessons of three towels and a 25-cent newspaper.

There will never be honesty in the business world, in the schools, in the home, or anyplace else until there is honesty in the heart.

Important and lasting lessons are often taught through simple examples - perhaps as simple as three towels or a 25-cent newspaper. I wonder how the world would be if simple lessons of honesty were taught in the home at an early age, simple lessons such as "Love your neighbor as yourself" (see Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31) and "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" (see Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31). I wonder where thousands of displaced employees would be today with their lost pensions if some businesspeople in high places had early experiences of three towels or a 25-cent newspaper.

Honesty is the basis of a true Christian life. For Latter-day Saints, honesty is an important requirement for entering the Lord's holy temple. Honesty is embedded in the covenants that we make in the temple. Each Sunday as we partake of the holy emblems of the Savior's flesh and blood, we again renew our basic and sacred covenants - which encompass honesty. As Latter-day Saints we have a sacred obligation to not only teach the principles of honesty, but also to live them, perhaps with examples as simple as three towels or a 25-cent newspaper. Honesty should be among the most fundamental values that govern our everyday living.

When we are true to the sacred principles of honesty and integrity, we are true to our faith, and we are true to ourselves.

My prayer is that as Latter-day Saints we will be known as among the most honest people in the world. And it might be said of us as it was of the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi that we are "perfectly honest and upright in all things; and . . . firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end" (Alma 27:27). In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Young Women Lesson 36: Honesty

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Richard C. Edgley
source: MormonLife.com

Now the confession: after the miracle of arriving home, my father came out and happily greeted me. After a hug and a few pleasantries, he looked into the backseat of the car and saw three Jackson Lake Lodge towels - the kind you cannot buy. With a disappointed look he merely said, "I expected more of you." I hadn't thought that what I had done was all that wrong. To me these towels were but a symbol of a full summer's work at a luxury hotel, a rite of passage. Nevertheless, by taking them I felt I had lost the trust and confidence of my father, and I was devastated.

The following weekend I adjusted the plywood floorboard in my car, filled the radiator with water, and began the 370-mile (595-km) round trip back to Jackson Lake Lodge to return three towels. My father never asked why I was returning to the lodge, and I never explained. It just didn't need to be said. This was an expensive and painful lesson on honesty that has stayed with me throughout my life.

Sadly, some of the greatest missing values in today's world are honesty and integrity. In the past few years an increasing number of business leaders have been exposed for dishonesty and other forms of bad behavior. As a result, tens of thousands of loyal, long-term employees have lost their livelihoods and pensions. For some this has resulted in loss of homes, change of education and other life plans. We read and hear of widespread cheating in our schools, with more concern about receiving a grade or degree than learning and preparation. We hear of students who have cheated their way through medical school and are now performing complicated procedures on their patients. The elderly and others are victims of scam artists, often resulting in the loss of homes or life savings. Always this dishonesty and lack of integrity are based on greed, arrogance, and disrespect.

In Proverbs we read, "Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight" (Proverbs 12:22).

Mormon, speaking of the converted Lamanites who were known as the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, wrote: "And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end" (Alma 27:27; emphasis added).

Some 30 years ago, while working in the corporate world, some business associates and I were passing through O'Hare Airport in Chicago, Illinois. One of these men had just sold his company for tens of millions of dollars - in other words, he was not poor.

As we were passing a newspaper vending machine, this individual put a quarter in the machine, opened the door to the stack of papers inside the machine, and began dispensing unpaid-for newspapers to each of us. When he handed me a newspaper, I put a quarter in the machine and, trying not to offend but to make a point, jokingly said, "Jim, for 25 cents I can maintain my integrity. A dollar, questionable, but 25 cents - no, not for 25 cents." You see, I remembered well the experience of three towels and a broken-down 1941 Hudson. A few minutes later we passed the same newspaper vending machine. I noticed that Jim had broken away from our group and was stuffing quarters in the vending machine. I tell you this incident not to portray myself as an unusual example of honesty, but only to emphasize the lessons of three towels and a 25-cent newspaper.

There will never be honesty in the business world, in the schools, in the home, or anyplace else until there is honesty in the heart.

Important and lasting lessons are often taught through simple examples - perhaps as simple as three towels or a 25-cent newspaper. I wonder how the world would be if simple lessons of honesty were taught in the home at an early age, simple lessons such as "Love your neighbor as yourself" (see Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31) and "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" (see Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31). I wonder where thousands of displaced employees would be today with their lost pensions if some businesspeople in high places had early experiences of three towels or a 25-cent newspaper.

Honesty is the basis of a true Christian life. For Latter-day Saints, honesty is an important requirement for entering the Lord's holy temple. Honesty is embedded in the covenants that we make in the temple. Each Sunday as we partake of the holy emblems of the Savior's flesh and blood, we again renew our basic and sacred covenants - which encompass honesty. As Latter-day Saints we have a sacred obligation to not only teach the principles of honesty, but also to live them, perhaps with examples as simple as three towels or a 25-cent newspaper. Honesty should be among the most fundamental values that govern our everyday living.

When we are true to the sacred principles of honesty and integrity, we are true to our faith, and we are true to ourselves.

My prayer is that as Latter-day Saints we will be known as among the most honest people in the world. And it might be said of us as it was of the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi that we are "perfectly honest and upright in all things; and . . . firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end" (Alma 27:27). In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

FHE: Honesty

Thu, 06 May 2010 18:00:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men. . . ." Conference Talk: For more information on this topic read "Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts," by H. David Burton, Ensign, Nov 2009, 76-78.

Thought: Fidelity and honesty seem to have been replaced with greed and graft. . . . We need to stand tall and be firmly fixed in perpetuating Christlike virtues.

(H. David Burton, "Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts," Ensign, Nov 2009, 76-78.)

Song: "Jesus Loved the Little Children," Children's Songbook p. 259 (both verses).

Scripture: We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. (Articles of Faith 1:13)

Lesson: Before family home evening write the following titles on separate pieces of paper, and distribute these titles to members of your family:

Bishop Edward Partridge. (D&C 51:1-8, 12-13.)
Family of Saints migrating from the East. (D&C 51:4 and section heading.)
Family of Saints that transgresses. (D&C 51:4-5.)
Storehouse. (D&C 51:13-15.)
Every man. (D&C 51:9-12, 19.)

Invite your family to read the historical background above and the section heading for section 51 to discover what was happening during this time. Also have family members locate the city Thompson in the map section of their Doctrine and Covenants. (See the map of the New York–Ohio area.)

Ask each family member to search the verses assigned to them and write down the roles and responsibilities of their assigned title. Help those who need it as they complete their assignment. Ask the following:

Bishop Partridge: How are you to distribute the portions to the new families coming in? (See verse 3.)
Family of Saints migrating from the east: What will you receive to show that your portion (part) is really yours? (See verse 4.)
Family of Saints that transgresses: When you transgress and leave the Church, what part will you get back? (See verse 5.)
Storehouse: What do you store? (See verses 13–14.)
Bishop Partridge: What is to be done with the money that is extra? (See verse 8.)
Every man: How are we to "deal" with others? (See verse 9.) Who will enter into the joy of the Lord and have eternal life? (See verse 19.) What problems might arise from dealing dishonestly?

Explain to your family that the Lord desires to unify His people. Share your testimony that unity among the Saints can exist only as we are completely honest with our fellowmen. Encourage your family to be honest in all their dealings.

(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], p. 351.)

Story: Hugh B. Brown

While I was in training [for the military], a young Mormon boy came into the camp. He was awkward. He was not educated very well, but he was a young Mormon boy who had been taught to live the gospel. After one parade, when he had gone through everything backwards, he was called by the captain to come into his office. The captain said, "I have noticed you, young fellow. You are from Cardston, aren't you?"

He said, "Yes, sir."

"You are a Mormon, I suppose."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, I just wanted to make friends with you. Will you have a glass of beer?"

"Sir, I do not drink liquor."

The captain said, "The ——— you don't. Maybe you will have a cigar then."

He said, "Thank you, sir, but I do not smoke."

The captain seemed much annoyed by this, and he dismissed the boy from the room.

When the young man went back to his quarters, some of the lesser officers accosted him angrily and said, "You fool, don't you realize the captain was trying to make a friend of you, and you insulted him to his face?"

The young Mormon boy answered, "Gentlemen, if I must be untrue to my ideals and my people and do things that I have been instructed all my life I should not do, I'll quit the army."

When the time came for the final examinations in that camp, the captain sent this young man down to Calgary from Sarcee Camp to do some work for him, and they were having examinations while he was gone. When he returned the captain said, "Now you go in the other room there, and I will give you the list of questions, and you can write your examination."

He went in and returned and said, "Sir, all the books we have studied are there on that desk. Surely you don't want me to write my examination there where I can turn to those books."

The captain said, "That is just what I do want. I know from my knowledge of you that you will not open a one of those books. You will be honorable, you will be honest, and I trust you."

Well, that young man, while overseas later on in the war, was sent for by his captain, who had then become a lieutenant colonel, in response to a call from general headquarters for the best man he had in his battalion. They had a special mission for him to perform. They said, "We don't care anything about his education or his training. We want a man who can't be broken when put under test. We want a man of character." The lieutenant colonel, his former captain, selected and assigned this young man who had the courage to stand before him and say, "I do not smoke. I do not drink."

(Jay A. Parry, Jack M. Lyon, Linda Ririe Gundry, editors, Best-Loved Stories of the LDS People, Vol. 2, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999], p. 181.)

Activity: Seat everyone on the floor in a large circle with one person blindfolded in the center. This person is the "watchdog." Place a wooden spoon beside the dog. This is the "bone."

The object is for people in the circle to sneak up quietly to the watchdog and steal the bone without being heard. No throwing of the bone is allowed.

When the watchdog hears someone approaching, he points in their direction and says, "Bow wow." If the watchdog points at someone out of place, that person has to return the bone and go back to his place. The game then continues as before.

If someone successfully steals the bone without the watchdog pointing to him, he trades places with the dog, and the play continues.

(George and Jeane Chipman, Games! Games! Games!, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 1983], p. 57.)

Gospel application: Since the watchdog is blindfolded, everyone must be honest and admit when they are caught.

Refreshment Peanut Butter Fudge

3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

In a heavy saucepan, mix sugar and cocoa. Stir in corn syrup, salt, and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat and, stirring constantly, cook to soft-ball stage (240 degrees on candy thermometer). Pour out on buttered marble slab or into a buttered bowl to cool. Do not scrape pan, or candy will become sugary. When cool, add peanut butter and vanilla. Beat with a wooden spatula until candy loses its gloss. Stir in nuts. If candy becomes crumbly, knead until smooth. Put in a 9-inch square buttered pan; when candy sets up, cut into squares. Makes 2 pounds.

(Paula Julander and Joanne Milner, Utah State Fare, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 1995], p. 89.)

Click here to download the PDF version of this lesson.

Young Men Lesson 42: Honesty

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Richard C. Edgley
source: MormonLife.com

Now the confession: after the miracle of arriving home, my father came out and happily greeted me. After a hug and a few pleasantries, he looked into the backseat of the car and saw three Jackson Lake Lodge towels - the kind you cannot buy. With a disappointed look he merely said, "I expected more of you." I hadn't thought that what I had done was all that wrong. To me these towels were but a symbol of a full summer's work at a luxury hotel, a rite of passage. Nevertheless, by taking them I felt I had lost the trust and confidence of my father, and I was devastated.

In Proverbs we read, "Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight" (Proverbs 12:22).

Mormon, speaking of the converted Lamanites who were known as the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, wrote: "And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end" (Alma 27:27; emphasis added).

There will never be honesty in the business world, in the schools, in the home, or anyplace else until there is honesty in the heart.

When we are true to the sacred principles of honesty and integrity, we are true to our faith, and we are true to ourselves.