Do you sometimes feel like the Lord thought up the commandments just to keep you from having fun and enjoying life? Using the Young Women Values as an example, John Bytheway explains how the Lord's guidelines fit into our lives and how they can help us solve our problems. For instance, he tells about unexpectedly being asked to donate one of his kidneys to his brother. John says that when confronted with the transplant surgery, he was suddenly very grateful that his kidney was healthy—and that his body was alcohol-free, drug-free, tobacco-free, and even olive-free! (He hates olives.) He was happy that when he had been offered the chance to drink beer, do drugs, and chew or smoke tobacco, he had been obedient to the Word of Wisdom. Brother Bytheway says that living the commandments not only makes sense but also that obedience is the key to happiness. Listen to him. Chances are he'll convince you that LDS values really work.
John Bytheway (born October 1962) is an American author and academic, who is well known as a comic motivational speaker for youth within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Born in Salt Lake City, Bytheway attended the University of Utah and Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, receiving a Master's Degree in Religious Education. He also served as a missionary for the LDS Church in the Philippines.
Bytheway is a religious studies instructor at BYU, currently focusing on the Book of Mormon. He also serves on the Aaronic Priesthood/Young Women Writing Committee for the LDS Church. Bytheway and his wife Kimberly have six children.
A good reminder of the things we say we stand for, and taking a look at how or if we are standing for them. Some good personal stories for illustration. This talk is especially good for the 12-18 range. It is very much geared to decisions they have coming up in their lives, and at a time in their life when determining and sticking to values is vital!