Ask no man

No More Contention is the pursuit of clarity, charity and understanding. Contention arises from the compulsion to have others agree with us. Seeking understanding in an environment of clarity and charity produces no more contention. As Joseph Smith said, "I will ask no man to believe as I do."

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Three broad categories

In a sense, contention is inevitable and unavoidable because every individual is unique, and no two people agree on everything.  Ideally, we...

Friday, January 16, 2026

New book: Covenant Power

For Latter-day Saints, one of the principal ways to achieve "no more contention" is participating in the temple. Regular and purposeful temple attendance leads to greater clarity, charity and understanding.

There's a new book titled Covenant Power that helps motivate readers to participate more in the temple. The author, Sharla Goettl, gives us a new approach to thinking about temple experiences and covenants. She writes in a first-person perspective of well-known people from the scriptures, inviting us to see them in a real-world context that we can relate to.

 
She explained the book this way: "My goal is to build a bridge between your study of the scriptures, the temple covenants taught in the endowments, and your own lived experiences."

The book accomplishes this goal quite well. 

There are separate chapters for each of the temple covenants, with an emphasis on clarity, charity and understanding. I liked this passage, for example.

"But what is the effect of this work? More unity, refuge, and peace. Covenants don't protect us from betrayal or heartache, but they counter the vulnerabilities these experiences can cause. Our personal charity creates an environment where others can also experience the love of God."

I readily endorse this book as a useful guide in the pursuit of "no more contention."

_____

The explanation on the publisher's website is an excellent summary.

In Covenant Power, teacher Sharla Goettl uses captivating storytelling to bring key endowment principles to life, presented in the imagined voices of the scriptural figures who taught each principle best, such as Peter, Eve, Nephi, & Mormon. Through these stories, you'll gain an understanding of how the endowment prepares us to receive Christ’s covenant power. They also highlight connections between the scriptures and the endowment. God designed temple covenants to enable lasting success, calm deep fears, and build steady confidence.

This book teaches how each covenant you make helps you to connect with Christ’s power:

- Law of Obedience: The action of seeing Christ’s power
- Law of Sacrifice: Embrace the process to gain Christ’s power
- Law of the Gospel: Learn how to retain Christ’s power
- Law of Chastity: Discover the key to increase in Christ’s power
- Law of Consecration: An opportunity to share Christ’s power





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