"The temple will not absolve us from the challenges of mortality, but it will give us the knowledge, strength, vision, and ability to overcome them through the grace of God."
synopsis
The Holy Covenants offers a simple a clarifying look at the temple endowment and its covenants.
thoughts & feelings
A few months ago I decided to change my reading habits a little bit. Rather than reading "brain candy" all the time I wanted to read at least one relgious or historical/educational book a month. I love learning so I figured this would be an easy goal to accomplish. Have you ever stood in a bookstore and just looked at your options? To say I was overwhelmed is a bit of an understatement. Where do I start? What do I want to learn the most? What topics am I interested in? Needless to say I pretty much gave up before I started.
Then, I was listening to Inklings Institute one day and Emily Belle Freeman mentioned and read an excerpt from The Holy Covenants by Anthony Sweat. I don't remember what the quote was but I absolutely loved it and dashed to my local Deseret Book to purchase the book the next day.
To say that I loved this book is not an exaggeration in any way shape or form. I loved how simply and clearly Anthony talks about the temple covenants. I learned so much and was eager to continue reading. In an effort to absorb as much of the information as possible I limited myself to one section...ok, sometimes two, each time I sat down to read. That way I had time to think through the information, and often ended up messaging my sister and discussing what I had learned. I know that there is so much that I missed and I am eager to reread and increase my understanding even more.
One thing that I loved was the connections that I was able to recognize between each of the temple covenants. I love that everything ties together beautifully and everything supports everything else. Understanding and keeping one covenant helps us understand and keep others.
I also loved how Anthony went about explaining and discussing each of the temple covenants. Using scripture and quotes from apostles and prophets, he explains the covenant first. Then he teaches what exactly that means and what it looks like in our lives today. I LOVED the application part. It clarified so much for me and increased my excitement to visit the temple again.
I would recommend this book to all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who are endowed or are preparing to receive their endowment. It is a book that I will encourage my children to read before and after they receive their own endowments and one that I will visit over and over again to increase my own understanding.
book information
Title: The Holy Covenants: Living Our Sacred Temple Promises
Series: companion book to The Holy Invitation: Understanding Your Sacred Temple Endowment
Author: Anthony Sweat
Rating: 5/5