“Many of the personal rewards I have received in life have come as a result of someone inviting me to do a difficult task,” said Brother Devin G. Durrant, first counselor in the Sunday School general presidency during the Saturday afternoon session of conference. “In that spirit, I would like to extend to each of you two invitations.”

Both invitations, if accepted, will require a disciplined effort over an extended period of time to reap the rewards, he said.

First, he invited listeners to save money each week.

“The amount you save is not particularly significant — that is up to you,” he said. “As you develop a habit of saving, you will benefit personally. And you may also have opportunities to assist others financially as a result of your diligence.”

Second, he encouraged listeners to “ponderize” one verse of scripture each week.

“The word ‘ponderize’ is not found in the dictionary, but it has found a place in my heart,” he said. “So what does it mean to ponderize? I like to say it’s a combination of 80 percent extended pondering and 20 percent memorization.”

The primary purpose of ponderizing is to provide an uplifting place for thoughts to go and includes two steps, said Brother Durrant. First, individuals choose a verse of scripture each week and place it where it will be seen every day. Second, they read or think of the verse several times each day, and ponder the meaning of its words and key phrases throughout the week.

“You might ask, ‘Why should I do this?’” he said. “I would answer that we are living in a time of ever spreading evil. We cannot just accept the status quo and be fed ugly words and sinful visuals almost everywhere we turn and do nothing in response. We must fight back. When our minds are filled with uplifting thoughts and images, when we ‘always remember him,’ there is no room left for filth and trash.”

Ponderizing is not meant to replace personal and family scripture study, rather it is an add-on, he said. “Ponderizing is somewhat like adding a new time-release vitamin to your current spiritual diet.”

Some may think ponderizing is too hard. To them Brother Durrant said, “Don’t be deterred. Hard can be good. Christ invites us to do many hard things because He knows we will be blessed as a result of our efforts.”

mholman@desnews.com @marianne_holman

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