"HOW DO I KNOW IF I KNOW?" by John Bytheway, Deseret Book, $9.99, 138 pages (nf)
In his new book, "How Do I Know If I Know?" author John Bytheway tells the story of a 23-year-old man who was called to be a stake president for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When asked by a general authority if he "absolutely" knew the gospel was true, the new stake president said he did not. When this general authority suggested to LDS Church President John Taylor that they find a new stake president, President Taylor laughed.
"He knows it just as well as you do," the prophet said. "The only thing that he does not know is that he does know it."
The young man was future church president Heber J. Grant.
Bytheway thought the story raised an interesting question: "Is it possible to know that the church is true but not know that you know?"
It's "spiritual gut-check time," Bytheway writes.
"Today, youth and young adults are facing huge decisions, and they're facing them a little sooner than their older brothers and sisters did. Many teenagers facing the mission decision may be wondering, 'Is my testimony strong enough? Do I really know the church is true? How do I know if I know?'" Bytheway writes in the book's opening pages. "There is a greater urgency than ever before to answer this kind of question."
In this small book, Bytheway shares ideas and gospel principles to help the reader understand and search for answers to these questions. The book also contains QR codes that link to insightful Mormon Messages and other videos.
One of Bytheway's ideas is the acronym "F.E.E.L.," which focuses on feelings, experiences, evidences and logical conclusions.
"As we talk about each of these sources of testimony, my hope is that you will identify your own feelings, experiences, evidences and logical conclusions, and that you will feel enlightened, and that your testimony will grow brighter," Bytheway writes.
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