Liddle Delivers Devotional Address

PROVO, Utah – May 04, 2016 – Stephen W. Liddle, academic director of the Kevin and Debra Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology and an information systems professor, delivered the Devotional address Tuesday in the de Jong Concert Hall. Liddle said learning comes from exercising agency; this can increase our capacity to act – or our agency.

"I believe that when we exercise our agency to learn, grow and accomplish good in this world, when we apply 'the principles of righteousness,' our influence will naturally increase," Liddle said. "As we continue on this path, one day we will look back and see that our 'dominion has become an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto us forever and ever.'"

Liddle likened agency to the Heathkit H-89 microcomputer that his dad brought home in 1979.

"Unlike that trusty H-89 computer, we do not merely mechanically perform whatever is commanded of us," Liddle said. "Rather... we choose and then do according to our choice."

Throughout his address, Liddle asked the audience to consider the following questions:

• What will you and I do with our agency?
• Will we learn, improve, develop our talents?
• What will you and I learn with our agency?
• What will we do with that learning?

If you missed Liddle’s remarks, the Devotional can be streamed on demand on BYUtv.org and will be archived on speeches.byu.edu.