Julie Black Petersen was born and raised in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, surrounded by loving family and dear friends. Following high school graduation (Go Brighton Bengals!) she attended Brigham Young University, where she studied communications and business. While at BYU, she went on a study abroad program to the BYU Jerusalem Center, where she met her future husband, David. After graduation, her husband‘s medical training took them to the beautiful Midwest where they spent five years in St. Louis, Missouri, and four years in Iowa City, Iowa. Since that time, they moved back to Utah and currently reside in Draper. Her life’s work and greatest joy has been raising their four amazing children, who are almost as awesome as their mom thinks they are! Julie has a deep love of family, friends, good food and the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Both men and women can be given priesthood authority, exercise priesthood power, perform priesthood ordinances, and more.

Six miles left and Heather Jenson could barely breathe.

As a young sister missionary, having been set apart by my father, who was the stake president, I wondered how it was that I was able to preach the gospel to the wonderful people of Los Angeles when I did not have the authority of the priesthood as the ordained elders did. I obediently taught the gospel and felt the influence of the Spirit strongly, even to exhorting and promising, but I wondered how that was possible. I understood that I was not ordained to a priesthood office and therefore could not perform priesthood ordinances outside the temple, but I still felt that I had authority—being a full-time, set-apart, assigned-by-the-prophet missionary—to help people obtain salvation. I even felt, although I didn’t understand how, that I was authorized by the Lord to do so. Here is what I have found about this and five other sometimes confusing aspects of priesthood power and women.

If you hold the Aaronic Priesthood, read on for seven ideas to help you understand, respect and magnify the office you hold.

“I am a daughter of God, one of his Black daughters, and because I’m Black, I’ve had very specific cultural experiences that influence my perspective, my leadership, and my faith.”

In this week’s Come, Follow Me, readers learn about the priesthood in Alma 13 and how priesthood holders are “called and prepared from the foundation of the world” (Alma 13:3). While the topic of men and the priesthood has long been taught by prophets and apostles, the subject of women and the priesthood has recently garnered more attention.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we use two phrases interchangeably that can be confusing to even the most seasoned member of the Church. We refer to someone “having” the priesthood, and we refer to someone “holding” the priesthood. We don’t usually think of these two things as being different from each other, but for the purpose of this article I would like to make a subtle distinction between the two that might help in clarifying the issue of where women stand in relation to the priesthood that only men are ordained to.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been pondering the doctrine of the priesthood in earnest during the past few months, and I wanted to share some of the flood of recent resources that have been part of my personal study. As has already been mentioned in past posts, the focus of the Worldwide Leadership Training was on priesthood. Note the desire the leaders have to help us understand how the purpose of the priesthood — God’s power — is to bless all of His children. The blessings of the priesthood that come from covenants and ordinances (as well as simply even being able to enjoy the wonders of God’s creations) are available to all.

As sisters in the gospel, it is important to remember that all of the blessings of the priesthood apply to us as well. Help those you visit teach to see how they can be worthy to receive the blessings that come through the priesthood.