John 14:15

JOHN 14:15

by John Bytheway

In a world where speed limits, parking restrictions, and seat belts are often seen as inconveniences that limit our freedom, it's easy to get lost in the mindset that commandments only exist because God "said so."

In this engaging presentation, John Bytheway reminds us why our Heavenly Father gives commandments—because He loves us—and the best rest reason for obeying those commandments.

With his signature style of scriptural stories, quotations from Church leaders, and a good dose of humor, Brother Bytheway explores three reasons why we obey—because we ought to (it's the law), because we want to (because of consequences), and because we'd love to (because someone cares).

He encourages listeners to remember the love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for them and to choose to obey for the best reason—because we love Them too.

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This talk is AMAZING!

I really like the "three reasons why we obey"

Something to really ponder--

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Ask of God 2017 Youth Theme

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Ask of God 2017 Youth Theme

by John Bytheway

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Every year the youth of the LDS church have a 'theme.'

This year's theme is 'ASK OF GOD.'

Using his unique talent of combining humor and doctrine, John Bytheway shares this year's theme in a message that will not only help the youth, but their parents and leaders too.

LOVED this talk!!!

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In this high-tech era, we are overflowing with information—and sadly, some misinformation. More information means more questions! In this engaging presentation based on James 1:5-6, John Bytheway evaluates three types of questions: "Gotcha," "Google," and "Golden." Golden questions are the most important in life, involving gospel truths and our place in the plan of salvation. "The problem," Brother Bytheway states, "is when we expect Google-speed answers to Golden Questions." Using scriptural stories, quotations from Church leaders, and a good dose of humor, Brother Bytheway encourages listeners to "Ask in Faith." As they do, they'll learn to find their own answers to difficult questions—and the first step in this vital process is to "Ask of God."

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE JOHN BYTHEWAY LECTURES on the Alaskan Cruise

We were able to hear from John 5 different times throughout the cruise-- 

How blessed we are that he shares his knowledge and insight with us!

Here are just some highlights of what he talked about--

Of course he added stories and jokes and even more words of wisdom :)
Click HERE for more info on the cruise

For a similar talk on CD click HERE

O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day -D&C 4:2

When you board a ship or a train you cannot be part way on and part way off-- you need to commit one way or the other.

Also you need to actually be on the train or the boat-- you cannot be running along the side, or in the wilderness or the woods or on the ocean...you cannot run behind or even in front...embark ON and stay on for the entire journey.

If we were to have a 15th Article of Faith it might say:

We believe in guilt-- But that is another lecture :)

Many people, however, do believe that we have a 14th Article of Faith

"We believe in meetings - all that have been scheduled, all that are now scheduled, and we believe that there will yet be scheduled many great and important meetings. We have endured many meetings and hope to to be able to endure all meetings. Indeed we may say that if there is a meeting, or anything that resembles a meeting, or anything that we might possibly turn into a meeting, we seek after these things." Source

Click HERE to get this amazing book
about the Sacrament

So how do you get the most out of C.H.U.R.C.H?

C- CHOOSE to come prepared. Get enough sleep the night before, come ready to hear what the speaker has to say, pray for the speaker, pray for the Spirit to teach you personally. Chose to dress appropriately. Elder holland nov 1995

H- Holy Sabbath. Over the generations we have gone in our attitudes from the "Holy Sabbath" to the "Sabbath" to "Sunday" to "the weekend." Ezekiel 20:20

U- Unity. Be one. If ye are not one ye are not mine--

R- Respect. Show respect to your leaders and teachers and fellow church goers

C- Covenant. Taking upon you the name of the Son means to take upon you the work of the Son.

H- Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost will tell you all things which ye should do.

Arise and Shine - D&C 115

Here are some annoying alarm clocks to help wake us up

But what does a spiritual alarm sound like?

Is your spiritual alarm clock ringing? Then get up and glow!

Do you know someone who seems to have a light about them? Ask them why-

"You tell on yourself by the friends you seek,

By the very manner in which you speak,

By the way you employ your leisure time,

By the use you make of dollar and dime.

You tell what you are by the things you wear,

And in the way you do your hair,

By the kind of jokes that you applaud,

By the songs you play on your iPod.

You tell what you are by the way you walk,

By the things of which you text and talk,

By the manner in which you bear defeat,

By the simple a thing as the way you eat.

By the books you choose from the well-filled shelf,

IN these ways and more you tell on yourself."

To learn more about coming unto Christ grab a
copy of this CD

We shall be known by our words--

Charity means love of Christ

Love for Christ

Love from Christ

Love like Christ

Choose friends who will take you to Christ

Be the kind of friend who will take others to Christ

"Small minds talk about people.

Mediocre minds talk about things/events

Great minds talk about ideas."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Seek to give to your family, not what you can take from your family

PRAISE your family members

For a similar talk on CD click HERE

ACCEPT them for who they are not who you might wish they were

RESPECT them

ENCOURAGE them

NOTICE them- most bad behavior is a call for attention

TIME & TESTIMONY- spend time with your family and bear testimony to them

SAVIOR- Include the Savior in all your relationships including your family

What a privilege it was to have John teach us SO MUCH on this cruise! 

Here are a few more of my favorite books/talks from John Bytheway~

   

See Where I Have Been And Who I Have Been With

YES! You read that right!

My husband and I have been on an Alaskan Cruise with JOHN BYTHEWAY- John entertained us, inspired us, encouraged us, and uplifted us :)

He is a PHENOMENAL speaker! For HIGHLIGHTS OF THE JOHN BYTHEWAY LECTURES click HERE.

The our first port was Ketchikan were we saw a Lumberjack show and wandered through a rain forest dotted with totem poles...amazing!

Juneau was up next with Mendenhall glacier and the fish hatchery...so intriguing!

Skagway took us gold panning, to the Yukon pass, and then to the Gold Rush Cemetery...very interesting!

Victoria, BC was our final port where we were enchanted with the Butchart Gardens...a must see!

I LOVE cruising! It is my FAVORITE way to travel! And I LOVE going with a group...makes it so much more memorable as you make friends and laugh and share and explore together.

Diane, aka Cruise Lady, is FANTASTIC! I so adored traveling with her! Check out her website! She travels all over the world taking LDS groups and headliner speakers to fun, exotic, and fascinating places. She is going back to Alaska in September with John Lund as the guest speaker.

Then she is taking LDS groups to:

* Canada/ New England with John Bytheway

* Jordan: Petra and Wadi Rum with an Escorted LDS Guide

* The Best of Israel with Victor Ludlow and Richard Draper

* Exotic Holy Land Cruise with Michael Ballam and Roy Christensen

* Book of Mormon Comes Alive in Mesoamerica with John Lund

* Winter Getaway in exotic Mexican Riviera with Jack Marshall

And that is just for the rest of the year--

She has more trips planned for 2016-- I am seriously looking at the Canada/New England Fall Foliage Cruise with Susan Easton Black and George Durrant!

FUN FACTS
Calories eaten - 18,906...and that is with me trying to be somewhat careful. You could easily eat 26,000+ calories on an 8-day cruise. One man termed the boat  as our "floating feeding machine."

Weight gained - only 2 pounds. I am really proud of that as an average person gains 1 pound for every day they are at sea.

Steps taken - 80,680 for 34.68 miles walked in 8 days.

Flights of stairs climbed - 75!

We had a terrific time! 

I took my books and will have reviews coming soon!

Embark!

Audio CD Details
Speaker: John Bytheway
Release Date: January 2015

Oh how we LOVE John Bytheway and his unique way of teaching and testifying....

This year's Youth theme is D&C 4:2

"Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day."

Using humor and stories and supporting scriptures John will break this particular scripture down into sections:

* What does embark mean?

* How do you serve Him with all your heart/desires?

* How do you serve Him with all your might/determination?

* How do you serve Him with all your mind/intelligence?

* How do you serve Him with all your strength/energy?

* That you may be able to stand blameless at the Last Day~

This CD will instill a desire to help you "get on board" and stay on board for many people and things will persuade you to dis-embark.

GREAT TALK for EVERYONE! 

AMAZON

JOHN BYTHEWAY served a mission to the Philippines and later graduated from Brigham Young University. He has a master’s degree in religious education and is a part-time instructor at the BYU Salt Lake Center. John is the author of many bestselling books, audio talks, and DVDs, including How to Be an Extraordinary Teenager; Life Rocks; and his first children’s picture book, The Sacrament. He and his wife, Kimberly, have six children.

How Do I Know If I Know?

Available FREE with Bookshelf Plus

Book Details
Author: John Bytheway
Release Date: September 2014
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: YA Inspiration

John Bytheway is ABSOLUTELY a FANTASTIC TEACHER!
Masterful in his presentations!
He keeps you entertained while helping you understand gospel truths!

I LOVE his opening story:

A twenty-three-year-old man was called to be the Stake President. 

At the Conference one of the General Authorities attending suggested that they undo this calling for the man did not bear a strong testimony that he knew the gospel was true.

When asked about it this, the young Stake President admitted that he truly did not know that it was true.

Then the President of the Church who was also in attendance simply said with a laugh, "He knows it. The only thing that he does not know is that he does know it."

Who was this young Stake President? 

Heber J. Grant.

Do you sometimes wonder if you know?

John Bytheway asks these important questions:

*Can it be possible to know that he Church is true, but not know that you know?

*Is a testimony that hard to detect?

Then with John Bytheway humor and testimony building stories he goes on to explain the we must: 

LISTEN TO OUR FEELINGS

KNOW FROM OUR EXPERIENCES

WATCH FOR EVIDENCES

FORM LOGICAL CONCLUSIONS

To put it in an acronym we must "F.E.E.L the truthfulness of the gospel."

This book will help you realizes that though you might not know it all, you know enough.

At the end of each chapter there is a "MORE LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT" section that links you to videos and talks to help you gain even greater knowledge.

This book is:

POWERFUL!

HELPFUL!

and TRULY A MUST READ!

GREAT for ANYONE struggling to know if they have a testimony.

PERFECT FOR EVERYONE!

Find it on
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About the Author

JOHN BYTHEWAY served a mission to the Philippines and later graduated from Brigham Young University. He has a master’s degree in religious education and is a part-time instructor at the BYU Salt Lake Center. John is the author of many bestselling books, audio talks, and DVDs, including How to Be an Extraordinary Teen; Life Rocks; and his first children’s picture book, The Sacrament. He and his wife, Kimberly, have six children.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

* This post contains affiliate links. I am an affiliate with Amazon and the Deseret Bookshelf Plus Services Affiliates Program. Both of these help me without any extra costs for you. Thank you!

The Sacrament

Book Details
Author: John Bytheway
Release Date: March 2014
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Children's Picture

An AMAZING book about the ordinance of the Sacrament!

Beautifully illustrated!
Wonderfully told in poetry form!

A young boy goes to visit his grandparents.

While attending church with them he finds his mind and attention wandering especially during the Sacrament.

His grandfather lovingly shares with him about the time he was a young boy and how he

"...couldn't help but wonder what the Lord Himself would say,

Should He walk into the chapel while His Saints behaved this way."

Through this the boy learns the sacredness of the sacrament and what things to think about... and not think about... during this special time of worship.

PERFECT to help young children!

a GREAT reminder for all ages!

Includes a fascinating list of the symbols of the Sacrament~

Deseret Book * Amazon * GoodReads

About the Author

John Bytheway is an instructor at the Brigham Young University Salt Lake Center. He served his mission in the Philippines and earned a master’s degree in Religious Education at BYU. He has published dozens of books and audio programs and lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Kimberly, and their six children.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Everything I Need to Know I Learned at Home

Book Details
Author: John Bytheway
Release Date: January 2014
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Inspiration

I LOVE Time Out Classic books!

Talks given at Time Out for Women have been preserved in a sweet, gift-size book.

Messages to be read and pondered and read again just when you feel you need some Time Out.

We learn so many things at home like:

*Wash your hands
*Change your attitude
*Clean your room
*Help your sister
*Ask your Dad
*Come and eat

Using scriptures and stories John Bytheway expounds these things to take on a spiritual learning.

REMEMBER

"Every day, with all the little things you do in your home, in what may seem mundane, routine, and unexciting, you are actually teaching the gospel."

What have you learned at home?
What are you teaching at home?

A WONDERFULLY WONDERFUL BOOK!

About the Author

John Bytheway  is an American author who is well known as a comic motivational speaker for youth within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, receiving a Master's Degree in Religious Education in 2003. He also served as a missionary for the LDS Church in the Philippines.

He is a religious studies instructor at BYU, currently focusing on the Book of Mormon.

He works as an advisor in the publishing department of Deseret Book. He also serves on the Aaronic Priesthood/Young Women Writing Committee for the LDS Church. 

John and his wife Kimberly, and six children live in Utah. 

He enlisted the help of his wife Kimberly to create a guide for newlyweds to help their first year of marriage go more smoothly.

Come Unto Christ

Book Details
Author: John Bytheway
Release Date: January 2014
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Inspiration

Most people will listen to this TALK on a CD...

BUT...I am a 'READER'

Give we words, something to hold, and I enjoy it so much more!

So I was VERY EXCITED to find that Deseret Book had turned this into an ebook single.

We already know that John Bytheway is AMAZING!

He has a way of teaching that holds your attention.

He helps you laugh~
He helps you ponder~
He helps you want to live better~

'Come Unto Christ' is an invitation we have heard before...

Some of us are waiting to be perfect BEFORE we actually do it.

That is NOT the PLAN!
That is not the sequence of action we should be taking!

Do you speak before you think? (OK, I am guilty of that)
Do you clean your house before the maid comes? (OK, I would be guilty of that, if I had a maid :)

Do you get better and then go to the doctor?
Do you straighten your own teeth with a pair of pliers and then go to the orthodontist?
Do you fix the car and then go to the mechanic?

Think about these:
Do you rinse, lather, repeat?
Do you ready, fire, aim?
Do you open, shake well, serve?

So WHY do we feel we need to be perfect BEFORE we come unto Christ?

BECAUSE that is what Satan wants us to believe!

FUN stories!
WONDERFUL advice!

A talk/book to help us see that "IT'S NOT ABOUT THE DISTANCE, IT'S ABOUT THE DIRECTION" we are headed.

About the Author

John Bytheway is a bestselling author, favorite speaker, and part-time instructor at Brigham Young University. His many titles include Heroes: Lessons from the Book of Mormon; Standards Night Live; Isaiah for Airheads; A Crash Course in Teenage Survival; Behind Every Good Man and his most recent book, Of Pigs, Pearls & Prodigals. He has also created numerous talks on CD, many of which are combined in The John Bytheway Collection, Vols. 1 and 2.

John served a mission to the Philippines and holds a master’s degree in Religious Education. He and his wife, Kimberly, have six children.

Suit Up

Book Details
Authors: Various
Release Date: 2013
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Missionary Prep

John Bytheway, Laurel Christensen, John Hilton III, Jennifer Platt, Hank Smith, Anthony Sweat and Brad
Wilcox have come together for another FABULOUS book for teens! This time a focus on preparing for a mission...as the age level has been lowered :)


Elder Holland has said "The Lord needs more missionaries and He needs better prepared missionaries."

This book will help with that! Each author has taken a verse from the 4th section of the Doctrine and Covenants and expounded upon it.

Sprinkled throughout the book are QR codes that will link you to some fun video clips...(if you are like me and don't have a "smart phone" they also give you the long-hand link :)

Watch this clip of Laurel Christensen, Brad Wilcox, and some prospective missionaries as they discuss the Christlike attributes that missionaries need to acquire...




The following great chapters are in this book:
1. The Lord's Marvelous Work
2. Give It Everything You've Got
3. I'll Be What You Want Me to Be
4. Thrusting In Our Sickle
5. The Essential Credentials
6. I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus
7. Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Whether you are preparing for a formal mission or just want to be a better everyday member missionary this book is a wonderful read!

Lifestyles of the Great & Spacious

Book Details:
Author: John Bytheway
Release Date: 2013
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Scripture Helps

We are so blessed to have the scriptures!
But do we read them?

Do we heed them?
Do we sometimes struggle to understand them?

I know I struggle with understanding... that is why I am so grateful that authors like John Bytheway share their knowledge of the scriptures with us.

I LOVE how he starts the book...

"It's only thirty-two verses, or 982 words in length, but it's a life changer--and unforgettable and highly applicable metaphor.  We call it Lehi's dream."

He then goes on to explain about each part of the vision:
the tree of life
the rod of iron
the mists of darkness
the ominous great and spacious building 

He tells what each means in his Thoughts, Insights, and Observation section he has in each chapter.

And then my FAVORITE part...
Each chapter has an APPLYING THE DREAM TO OUR REALITY.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book and now have so much greater understanding...and I will try to seek more "Tree-of Life" moments!



About the Author:

John Bytheway is a bestselling author, favorite speaker, and part-time instructor at Brigham Young University. His many titles include Heroes: Lessons from the Book of Mormon; Standards Night Live; Isaiah for Airheads; A Crash Course in Teenage Survival; Behind Every Good Man and his most recent book, Of Pigs, Pearls & Prodigals. He has also created numerous talks on CD, many of which are combined in The John Bytheway Collection, Vols. 1 and 2.

John served a mission to the Philippines and holds a master’s degree in Religious Education. He and his wife, Kimberly, have six children.







(A digital review copy of this title was provided by the publisher for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Armor Up!

If you have a teenager in your life you will WANT them to READ this book :)

If you are a teenager at heart YOU will WANT to READ this book :)

Six POWERFUL authors have come together to talk about putting on the armor of God.

Each author takes a different part of the armor and elaborates on it.


The chapters are:

"The Loincloth that Counts" by Brad Wilcox
"A Bulletproof Breastplate" by John Hilton III
"Put On Your Gospel Shoes" by Anthony Sweat
"Shields Up!" by John Bytheway
"Strap On Your Helmet" by Hank Smith
"Your Spiritual Sword" by Laurel Christensen

And just like the knights of old these author have come together in a "video round table" to share with you even more.

The videos can be found at http://seek.deseretbook.com/john-bytheway-armor/i

I have included the video for STRAP ON YOUR HELMET

This is a book you will not want to miss out on!

Find it on 

Amazon - Goodreads

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* This post contains affiliate links. I am an affiliate with Amazon and the Deseret Bookshelf Plus Services Affiliates Program. Both of these help me without any extra costs for you. Thank you!

Sermons in a Sentence

The sub-title for this book is:

Powerful Messages in Five Words or Less~

And that is exactly what this book is!

On the left-hand page you read a scripture that has one word to one phrase highlighted...just like your personal scriptures might have.

On the right-hand page you read a commentary of that word or phrase.

Powerful...YES
Insightful...YES
Amazing...YES

John Bytheway has a wonderful way of teaching the scriptures and showing us how powerful they can be in our lives and in our teachings.

Links will help you find it on

Amazon - Goodreads