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33 years. 3

33 years ago, I attended my first B-Y devotional as an 18-year-old freshman.

Having grown up in Southern California,

I was thrilled to be living in Provo, where

Ty Denver was a football star and Latter-day Saint dating options were everywhere.

Life, including the gospel, seem pretty straightforward. That year many of the

BYU devotional speakers address profound religious doctrines. Although I

understood these doctrines in the general sense I had not had much

meaningful experience with them. A full-time mission and temple marriage seemed

far in the future. Over the past three decades I have learned a great deal about

deeper doctrines by experiencing conversion to Christ and making covenants with him.

Nevertheless there are things I wish I would have

known when I was your age that might have helped me in the years ahead.

Wherever we are on the covenant path we face spiritual crossroads with profound

consequences. This morning I have titled my remarks counting the known and

unknown costs of discipleship. My thesis is simple.

Despite the escalating costs of Christian discipleship, the blessings that come from complete and total consecration are worth it.

All of us are here today because someone, maybe even you, set aside the things of the world,

...