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In Wisdom and Order

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Recognized as a gifted teacher and one who is willing to speak with clarity and conviction on sensitive topics, President Boyd K. Packer has spent decades studying the doctrines of the Church and the teachings of the scriptures. This has enabled him to thoughtfully and powerfully address many major doctrinal, moral, and social issues of our day. This book includes some of President Packers most significant messages, delivered over a span of twenty-five years, on such topics as the plan of salvation, listening to the voice of the Spirit, spiritual growth, and marriage and family. typical of his unwavering style, he tackles some of the challenges the world faces in the 21st century, such as the disease of profanity and the need for personal responsibility. At a time when the adversary has succeeded in "confusing the choice of man," President Packer share timely insights gained from many decades of serving as a special witness of Jesus Christ in the highest councils of the Church.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

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About the author

Boyd K. Packer

48 books45 followers
President Boyd K. Packer, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was set apart to this position on February 3, 2008. Previously, he was Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles beginning June 5, 1994. Prior to becoming Acting President, he served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, having been ordained an Apostle on April 9, 1970. He earlier served for almost nine years as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

An educator by profession, his career includes service as supervisor of seminaries and institutes of religion for the Church and as a member of the Administrative Council of Brigham Young University.

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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for Melanie.
752 reviews23 followers
December 21, 2013
This book is a great collection of some of President Boyd K. Packer's talks. It's 28 chapters, divided into six parts:

Part One: Gospel Foundations
Part Two: Principles for Perfection
Part Three: Priesthood
Part Four: Youth and Family
Part Five: Teachers and Servants
Part Six: Lessons from Our Leaders

There's something for everyone in this book: children, parents, spouses, teachers, leaders, etc. Sometimes I felt like I was being given a hug and other times I felt like there is plenty more for me to be doing. Some of his messages were delivered in the '60's but feel like they were given last month. This is an excellent resource on a variety of topics which I will refer to again and again!

Mel's Shelves
Profile Image for Nathan.
382 reviews6 followers
March 23, 2018
I miss President Packer and love his teaching style. There were a lot of great individual nuggets of wisdom; my only complaint is that the book as a whole didn't seem to have one cohesive theme or narrative tying everything together. Still, I'm glad I read it, and glad I own it. A good, uplifting read.
Profile Image for Heather.
1,233 reviews7 followers
February 24, 2014
This is another great book by President Packer. It's a compilation of various talks he's given and is full of scriptures and gospel principles. It focuses on basics of righteous living, priesthood, family, and teaching the gospel. It ends with some words and tributes about some of the prophets of the recent past. His words are inspiring and clear.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"Brethren and sisters, never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Never apologize for the sacred doctrines of the gospel....I bear witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He lives. He is our Redeemer and our Savior. He presides over the Church. He is no stranger to His servants here, and as we move into the future with quiet confidence, His Spirit will be with us" (p. 36).

"I have a lingering, sensitive, prophetic idea that those who obediently follow the prophet will live to know a stability and a fulness and a plenty in their own lands....When you come to find that which matters most, you will always find in the long run that to be the rule and not the exception is to see the fulness of life" (p. 72).

"I see two kinds of service: one, the service we render when we are called to serve in the Church; the other, the service we willingly give to those around us because we are taught to care. Over the years I have watched one dear sister give service far beyond any calling to teach or lead in the Church. She sees a need and serves; not 'call me if you need help' but 'here I am; what can I do?'....We must teach our children by example and tell them that an unselfish spirit is essential to happiness" (p. 146).

"A gift may not be demanded or it ceases to be a gift. It may only be accepted when proffered. Inasmuch as spiritual gifts truly are gifts, the conditions under which we may receive them are established by Him who offers them to us. Spiritual gifts cannot be forced, for a gift is a gift. They cannot, I repeat, be forced nor bought nor 'earned' in the sense that we make some gesture of payment and then expect them to automatically be delivered on our terms. There are those who seek spiritual gifts with such persistence that instead they move further from them. In their persistence and determination, they place themselves in spiritual danger. Rather, we are to live worthy of the gifts, and they will come according to the will of the Lord" (p. 169).

"As I carved wood, I carved out talks. Carving was restful to me. Sometimes when I got a little stressed and cranky, my wife would say, 'Well, you had better start another carving.'....I could point to one of those carvings and tell which talk it represents. I learned that in those quiet moments I could do two things at once" (p. 201).

"The most important lessons come from ordinary events in life. Some wait for compelling spiritual experiences to confirm their testimony. It doesn't work that way. It is the quiet promptings and impressions of ordinary things that give us the assurance of our identify as children of God. We live far below our privileges when we seek after signs and look 'beyond the mark' for marvelous events" (p. 205).

"'I talked to the Lord about those prayers for my recovery. I asked if the blessings were mine to do with as I pleased. If that could be so, I told the Lord that I wanted him to take them back from me and give them to those who needed them more'" (Elder A. Theodore Tuttle, p. 215).

"They who have preceded us in this work and our forebears there, on occasion, are very close to us. I have a testimony of this work; it is a supernal work in the Church. I am a witness that those who go beyond the veil yet live and minister here, to the end that this work might be completed" (p. 219).

"'Six years ago today I was called to be an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I just wanted to spend the day with Him whose witness I am'" (Elder Spencer W. Kimball, p. 221).

"President Benson had the kind of honesty that made people shake their heads and the kind of courage that made him essentially immune to criticism or opposition" (p. 237).

"One of the things President Hinckley understood best is the word family. It is not difficult to find statements on the family in his sermons and talks and counsel, whether to large congregations, to individuals, or more particularly to families. I pay tribute to the family of Gordon Bitner and Marjorie Pay Hinckley. They can be described as ideal. They, like their father, are unassuming. Whatever prominence that has come to them does not show any more than it was visible to him" (p. 252).
Profile Image for Heather .
572 reviews104 followers
December 16, 2013
Read my full five star review at Fire and Ice
http://www.fireandicereads.com/?p=1815

Boyd K. Packer has always stuck out in my mind as a straightforward, inspirational speaker who is not afraid to say things as they are. Reading his words gathered into this book titled In Wisdom & Order was like a crash course in aligning your life with the Lord's. Twenty eight chapters of addresses from his mission conference seminars, conference speeches and talks broken down into five parts:

gospel foundations
principles of perfection
priesthood, youth and family
teachers and servants and
lessons from our leaders.

This was a Sunday read that you could spend weeks on, because Elder Packer puts so many scriptural references in each chapter. Perhaps the most interesting story for me was learning about the selection of J. Reuben Clark Jr. as second counselor in the First Presidency. The world had to wait six months between Conference sessions for the announcement of whom the Lord has chosen. A man who had never been bishop or stake president,but a man whom the Lord had called and chosen under President Joseph Fielding Smith. Never underestimate the Lord's capability to see what man can not see and then to reveal it to one of his servants.

There are several chapters which include poems or hymns from Eliza R. Snow. As well we read personal stories from Boyd K. Packer's assignment as an apostle, and earlier in his life as a World War II soldier. This is a book you'll want to have for ready reference. Once I started reading, I was tutored and taught--then shared what I learned with my family.

Highly recommend!
Profile Image for Crystal (Books Are Sanity!!!).
795 reviews38 followers
February 7, 2014
I absolutely enjoyed this book which is a collection of talks that President Packer has given over the years. In my mind I could hear his voice speaking each word as I read them. Some talks I remember hearing him give and others were new to me, like the ones given to stake presidents or overseas. Each and every talk I learned something from and felt inspired to be a better person. President Packer is known for his straight forward manner of speaking and I loved discovering new treasures of information that I have not heard from him before. The book is grouped into sections of similar topics and I loved the ones on the priesthood and principles for perfection. In Wisdom and Order is easy to read and if you don't have a lot of time you can just read one talk at a time! This is a great book for anyone looking to brush up on their gospel principles and to be inspired to be a little better! I received a copy of this book for free and this is my honest reivew.
Profile Image for Shauna.
975 reviews23 followers
December 16, 2013
28 powerful sermons
brought together in 1 powerful book
to help remind us that all things must be done
IN WISDOM AND ORDER

Sermons from General Conference, CES firesides, Mission President's seminars, BYU addresses, Area Conferences, and more!


Lessons on Faith, Taking Charge of Yourself, The Disease of Profanity, Funerals, Parents in Zion, and Mothers to name just a few.

You will learn how to keep your covenants, what to teach your children, how to stay on the plan, and how to recognize the spirit of the Lord.

You will read of personal stories from the life of Elder Packer and you will feel of his love.

How blessed we are to have these teachings at our fingertips!

This is a book worthy of being in every home!
Profile Image for Heidi.
2,895 reviews66 followers
December 12, 2013
In Wisdom & Order is a wonderful book full of great counsel and advice about a variety of topics. Each chapter comes from a General Conference talk, mission president seminar, or other addresses that President Packer has given over his lifetime of service as a General Authority. Beautifully put together and truly inspiring, I truly enjoyed what he had to say. There were many important reminders about the best ways to find happiness and peace in mortality despite all the challenges and difficulties. I especially enjoyed his remarks on faith and how it isn't true faith if we 'know' the answers. Faith is believing WITHOUT seeing all the answers or having everything turn out the way we want. A great read that I can heartily recommend.
Profile Image for Tyler.
769 reviews11 followers
May 16, 2014
A collection of talks by President Packer on many different subjects. Its all individually really good stuff, but it the book isn't a cohesive narrative explaining any larger principle really. Still good reading.
Profile Image for Tia.
70 reviews
January 16, 2015
Wonderful. The talks were grouped so wonderfully.
Profile Image for Julie Bird.
73 reviews
February 2, 2016
I loved this book. I wish I could give it six stars. President Packer is one of my favorite speakers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews

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