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Dear Jeff
You know, Jeff, even baptism can seem weird—someone dunking you while a bunch of people watch.
That's what happens when you view an ordinance as an isolated act. It can seem weird. And a lot of people feel weirded out by their first temple experience—even people who've taken the official temple prep course.
That's because people are afraid to talk about the temple because it's sacred. It's good to be cautious—I won't argue that. But sometimes our fear can lead to people being shocked and frustrated by the temple—and that's something that definitely shouldn't happen either.
The antidote is simply understanding. This book reveals the deeper tradition and the host of symbols, demystifying the temple experience so that you don’t find yourself saying, “What is it you’re not telling me?” Because I don’t want you to feel that, I’ll explain as much as I can, as well as I can.
I don’t expect this to be the last book on the temple you’ll ever read. Prophets have written on this topic, and if I were trying to rival them, I’d be doomed. Instead, I have—well, not the advantage, but simply—the vantage of being lowly: I’m just your brother. And not having the mantle of apostleship lets me speak less formally—and I won't be afraid to mention Star Wars or Indiana Jones. I’ll also echo what prophets have taught, and I’ll speak candidly—not in a watered-down way, but in a milk-before-meat sort of way, giving you easier access to one of the best things we mortals can have.
That's what happens when you view an ordinance as an isolated act. It can seem weird. And a lot of people feel weirded out by their first temple experience—even people who've taken the official temple prep course.
That's because people are afraid to talk about the temple because it's sacred. It's good to be cautious—I won't argue that. But sometimes our fear can lead to people being shocked and frustrated by the temple—and that's something that definitely shouldn't happen either.
The antidote is simply understanding. This book reveals the deeper tradition and the host of symbols, demystifying the temple experience so that you don’t find yourself saying, “What is it you’re not telling me?” Because I don’t want you to feel that, I’ll explain as much as I can, as well as I can.
I don’t expect this to be the last book on the temple you’ll ever read. Prophets have written on this topic, and if I were trying to rival them, I’d be doomed. Instead, I have—well, not the advantage, but simply—the vantage of being lowly: I’m just your brother. And not having the mantle of apostleship lets me speak less formally—and I won't be afraid to mention Star Wars or Indiana Jones. I’ll also echo what prophets have taught, and I’ll speak candidly—not in a watered-down way, but in a milk-before-meat sort of way, giving you easier access to one of the best things we mortals can have.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 12, 2013
6 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 27, 2017
THANK YOU
J I cannot thank you enough for writing this fantastic book! I only wish it had been available before I went for my Endowment. I would have gotten so much more from it than I did.
I have shared your book with my Home Teachers, a father and son team, and the son said he would like a copy. Is it possible to buy this as a hard copy? I ask as I can think of a couple of people who could learn and or prepare themselves from it. Are Missionaries allowed your book?
Thank you once again.
J I cannot thank you enough for writing this fantastic book! I only wish it had been available before I went for my Endowment. I would have gotten so much more from it than I did.
I have shared your book with my Home Teachers, a father and son team, and the son said he would like a copy. Is it possible to buy this as a hard copy? I ask as I can think of a couple of people who could learn and or prepare themselves from it. Are Missionaries allowed your book?
Thank you once again.
May 17, 2014
I kind of have an obsession with books about the temple. It all started on my 12th birthday when The Mummy bought me The Holy Temple by President Boyd K. Packer, because that's what temple workers get their daughters. All through high school, I read every temple book I could get my hands on. Since coming to college my obsession has only become more severe. Being in a major that primarily focuses on ritual makes you want to relate everything to your own religious experience. All of a sudden, I started reading all the scholarly work on temples too and loved it even more!
When I discovered Dear Jeff by J Washburn, I simply had to read it. After all, the author was one of my best friend's cousins! I actually really liked the book, although I have issue with this type of book in general. Here's my review:
The Plot:
This book is composed of a series of letters J Washburn writes to his little brother, Jeff, who is preparing to receive his endowment. These letters go through what an ordinance is, how ordinances relate to other covenants we have made (e.g. baptism, blessings, etc.,) why we make covenants, their importance, etc. It finishes up with a little info on sealings and random things that pertain to the temple but didn't fit within the book proper.
My Analysis:
I was actually surprised at how much I liked this book. I thought it covered the material well and did a fantastic job at hitting its target audience. I even made my mom buy it for The Niece to aid in her preparation for temple and mission. While I have a few complaints, I recommend the book overall.
The target audience was teenagers preparing to enter the temple for the first time. I loved that Washburn walked through incredibly basic principles of the gospel and then connected them to the temple. In talking to The Niece about the first few chapters, she said, "I read it and was like, 'I know about all of the stuff they're talking about, but then he went deeper and I learned a lot." I feel that her analysis is a good summation of what the book sought to do. Dear Jeff introduced complex concepts by connecting them to the things we already do in a very methodical way and I really appreciated that.
I also liked the quotes Washburn used to support his claims. Almost all of his points were backed up by an Apostle's quote. This helped me as a reader tie concepts together and remain somewhat confident that the author didn't go completely off the reservation into false doctrine land. As Latter-day Saint temples are intrinsically connected with the concept of the restoration of prophetic utterance, it was reassuring to see this strong link preserved in the structure of the book.
At the end of most chapters, Washburn included supplemental readings. These ranged from scriptural passages to General Conference talks to BYU addresses to articles from Interpreter. While I did not read all of the suggested material, I skimmed enough of it to be impressed with the variety he presented for personal study.
Now for why I disliked this book. As someone who has studied Ancient Near Eastern ritual, I get annoyed when we bend it to fit our own preconceptions. This dislike makes me over-sensitive to all discussion of Hebrew, ancient practices, etc. in relation to our current methods of worship. I believe that the endowment is of ancient origin and we can find correlations through study of similar ancient material, however I think we are often too quick to see stark correlations when we should rather look for the pervading principles. While this book didn't cross the proverbial line in relation to this, it was close enough that I became a little wary. I feel that this sort of interpretation without the proper framework breeds misunderstandings of what ancient sources can tell us. Proper context is vital when studying ancient records, after all!
I also took issue with the fact that almost all of the author's ancient sources were from Wikipedia. Don't get me wrong, Wikipedia is a great resource, but because he did the research in regard to his Mormon sources, I expected a little more. That being said, everything Washburn quoted from Wikipedia was in harmony with maximalist scholarship's viewpoint, so I can't complain too much.
Final Thoughts:
While I had a few issues with Dear Jeff, I thought it was an excellent introductory book to the meaning behind ordinances, aimed at preparing the reader for a basic understanding of ritual action within modern society. I highly recommend it for teenagers actively preparing to go to the temple and feel that the way in which the information was presented caused the reader to think for themselves about the covenants made in the temple.
This review is also posted on my blog at andmandacametopass.blogspot.com
When I discovered Dear Jeff by J Washburn, I simply had to read it. After all, the author was one of my best friend's cousins! I actually really liked the book, although I have issue with this type of book in general. Here's my review:
The Plot:
This book is composed of a series of letters J Washburn writes to his little brother, Jeff, who is preparing to receive his endowment. These letters go through what an ordinance is, how ordinances relate to other covenants we have made (e.g. baptism, blessings, etc.,) why we make covenants, their importance, etc. It finishes up with a little info on sealings and random things that pertain to the temple but didn't fit within the book proper.
My Analysis:
I was actually surprised at how much I liked this book. I thought it covered the material well and did a fantastic job at hitting its target audience. I even made my mom buy it for The Niece to aid in her preparation for temple and mission. While I have a few complaints, I recommend the book overall.
The target audience was teenagers preparing to enter the temple for the first time. I loved that Washburn walked through incredibly basic principles of the gospel and then connected them to the temple. In talking to The Niece about the first few chapters, she said, "I read it and was like, 'I know about all of the stuff they're talking about, but then he went deeper and I learned a lot." I feel that her analysis is a good summation of what the book sought to do. Dear Jeff introduced complex concepts by connecting them to the things we already do in a very methodical way and I really appreciated that.
I also liked the quotes Washburn used to support his claims. Almost all of his points were backed up by an Apostle's quote. This helped me as a reader tie concepts together and remain somewhat confident that the author didn't go completely off the reservation into false doctrine land. As Latter-day Saint temples are intrinsically connected with the concept of the restoration of prophetic utterance, it was reassuring to see this strong link preserved in the structure of the book.
At the end of most chapters, Washburn included supplemental readings. These ranged from scriptural passages to General Conference talks to BYU addresses to articles from Interpreter. While I did not read all of the suggested material, I skimmed enough of it to be impressed with the variety he presented for personal study.
Now for why I disliked this book. As someone who has studied Ancient Near Eastern ritual, I get annoyed when we bend it to fit our own preconceptions. This dislike makes me over-sensitive to all discussion of Hebrew, ancient practices, etc. in relation to our current methods of worship. I believe that the endowment is of ancient origin and we can find correlations through study of similar ancient material, however I think we are often too quick to see stark correlations when we should rather look for the pervading principles. While this book didn't cross the proverbial line in relation to this, it was close enough that I became a little wary. I feel that this sort of interpretation without the proper framework breeds misunderstandings of what ancient sources can tell us. Proper context is vital when studying ancient records, after all!
I also took issue with the fact that almost all of the author's ancient sources were from Wikipedia. Don't get me wrong, Wikipedia is a great resource, but because he did the research in regard to his Mormon sources, I expected a little more. That being said, everything Washburn quoted from Wikipedia was in harmony with maximalist scholarship's viewpoint, so I can't complain too much.
Final Thoughts:
While I had a few issues with Dear Jeff, I thought it was an excellent introductory book to the meaning behind ordinances, aimed at preparing the reader for a basic understanding of ritual action within modern society. I highly recommend it for teenagers actively preparing to go to the temple and feel that the way in which the information was presented caused the reader to think for themselves about the covenants made in the temple.
This review is also posted on my blog at andmandacametopass.blogspot.com
March 19, 2015
I really love this book. It is written as a letter of sorts to the author's little brother, so it is personable and relate-able. The topic of the temple can very sensitive, but this book treats it very respectfully while still being written in a way that makes things understandable. There are also little Personal Study sections to pause and review, with additional scriptures and talks to study. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone going through the temple for the first time.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews