"CHRIST IN EVERY HOUR," by Anthony Sweat, Deseret Book, $21.99, 166 pages (nf)
The lyrics of a well-known hymn recently provoked a number of deep religious questions for Anthony Sweat, an assistant professor of LDS Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University.
"In the church we commonly sing, 'I need thee every hour,'" Sweat has written. "So why do we need Jesus in this very hour, or the next hour? The next day? Unless we are going through a very difficult time in our lives, or entangled in heavy sin, or death is near, for some this 'every hour' aspect of the Atonement isn't so clear."
These and other thoughts led Sweat to write a new book he titled "Christ in Every Hour," which was released in May.
In the book, Sweat references the late President Boyd K. Packer, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who taught that Christ's divine influence is an ever-present power to call upon in everyday life," and that "the Atonement has practical, personal everyday value."
Sweat seeks an understanding of these concepts by exploring six of Jesus Christ's divine powers: the power to cleanse, the power to heal, the restoring power, the identifying power, the strengthening power, and the transforming power. Each topic is written to illustrate how it can make a difference in every hour of our lives.
Also addressed is the role of the Holy Ghost — "the agent of Christ's Atonement," Sweat wrote.
"It is my hope that you will act on the suggestions within each chapter to open up the daily doors of divine influence Jesus is continually knocking on," Sweat, a gospel educator, wrote in the book's introduction. "It is both my experience and testimony that the Savior has something to offer every person, every day, every hour."
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