Ironic, isn't it?

I was reading in the book, The Fifth Mountain, by Paulo Coelho (the author of The Alchemist) the account of Elijah when he was commanded by the Lord to go and say to King Ahab that until the children of Israel stopped their worship of Baal that the skies would be sealed and no rain would fall. I was reminded when reading this account that Baal was the Phoenician god of rain. Ironic, isn't it, that the Lord would send a prophet to say (in essence): You want to worship a false god of rain, then no rain for you!

Just a quick note I wanted to share.

Sustaining & Defending the Faith

I was a little shocked and a little upset to learn last weekend that one of my favorite "church" books was out of print. The book is Sustaining and Defending the Faith, by Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert Millet. To the left is a picture of my copy. I first read this book on my mission, and I have to say, I read it more times (and probably more often, I'm sad to say) than even the Book of Mormon.

The message of this book is not one of contention, as you might think from the title. Instead, this book declares gospel truths and puts church criticism, slander, and misrepresentation into greater context and perspective. When you know what tools the adversary has when it comes to opposing truth and light, it is easier to recognize it for what it truly is, and sustain and defend your faith and testimony.

I want to include the opening paragraphs of Chapter 1 to illustrate the nature and power of this simple book:

"On the sixth of April, 1845 the Twelve Apostles issued a proclamation which included these words: 'As this work progresses in its ownward course, and becomes more and more an object of political and religious interest and excitement, no king, ruler, or subject, no community or individual, will stand neutral. All will at length be influenced by one spirit or the other; and will take sides either for or against the kingdom of God.'

"There is no neutrality where Christ and his kingdom are concerned. Light and darkness will never meet; Christ and Satan will never shake hands. The kingdom of God will always be opposed by the kingdom of the adversary...."

The Chapter makes the point that Truth (as it relates to the things of God) is identified by both a witness of the Spirit (the feelings of the Holy Spirit, answers to prayer, etc.) and by the opposition of the adversary.

As I continue to read sections of this book over the next little while, I will recap chapter subjects and points made therein. I would HIGHLY recommend that you find a copy of your own. It is a great resource for every member of the church.

UPDATE

I just got off the phone with my mother who, after reading my last blog, wanted to add her recollection of that time in my life. She did not know about my experience with the Bishop, but recalled that when my father ordained me to the office of a Priest, he used almost the same words, telling me that as long as I was faithful to what I had been taught, that I would be able to fulfill my priesthood responsibilities without problem. Again, this is a testimony to the fact (not just my mere belief) that God is intimately aware of each and every one of us, of our concerns and worries, and our needs, and is eager to bless us.

Thanks, Mom!

Exodus 4: 10-12

I have been blessed (with this faulty memory of mine) to remember some very moving and impactful spiritual experiences during my young life. One in particular, occurred when I was about to turn 16 years old. For any of you who might not be familiar with the practices of the LDS faith, when a worthy young man turns 12 he is given the Aaronic Priesthood and ordained to the office of a Deacon. When he turns 14 he is ordained to the office of Teacher. And when he turns 16 he is ordained to the office of a Priest and is able and expected to bless the sacrament (the bread and water) on Sundays.

Now, all growing up, from my earliest memories until the present day, I have had what some call a speech impediment. When I was younger it was much worse, and at this particular time it worried me and gave me great concern. I remember one night being at the church (for a Young Men's activity, no doubt) and sneaking away to be in the chapel alone and sat at the sacrament table. The lights were out, all was quiet and still--except my heart. How embarrassing it was going to be when I stammered through it. Many people in the Ward knew of my "characteristic" and would understand, and those who didn't would find out soon enough. I was nervous and probably down right scared, but I was never one to shy away from responsibility because of it--when called on to read a scripture verse or to speak in church I always accepted it and did my best, but this just felt different.

Then the chapel door opened and my Bishop walked in. He had been looking for me and (I guess) felt inspired to look for me here. He stepped around the back of the sacrament table and took a seat next to me. He asked, and I told him, and then he did something I hope I will never forget. He promised me that I would never have a problem reciting the sacrament prayers, and that the words would flow from lips as smoothly as any of the other priests. And something happened to me that night. I felt immediately calm and at ease, and though I didn't know how it would (or even could) happen, I knew that it would.

The next week I was ordained a Priest, and as I knelt to offer the sacrament prayer the words flowed from my lips fluently, and with meaning. And it wasn't just that first time. Every single time I blessed the sacrament (which was almost every week) the prayers came out the same: perfect, just as my Bishop had promised me.

I am reminded of the account of Moses, as indicated above, which recounts:

"And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say."

Since that time I have had the opportunity to bless the sacrament many times, and occasionally I hesitate or stammer through a word or two, but that's OK. The promise was made to a nervous (but faithful) young man, for the time that he was called to serve as a Priest, to glorify His power, and serve as a testimony to me, that God truly has the power to work miracles in our lives.

When Will This Ever End?

I received an email from a friend of mine and fellow author, Barb Allcott, and wanted to share it with all of you. Now, many of these types of emails are circulated in a "pass it on or else" format, but there was no such threat at the end of this one. (Thanks, Barb!)

Here you go. I hope you find peace in it's words.

Malachi 3:3: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them. And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.

'Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once.'

Taking the Name of "Guy" in Vain

The best thing about having a faulty memory (remember, I'm a "glass half full" kinda guy...) is that once in a while a random, until-then-forgotten memory will surface. Take yesterday, for example.


Now, there may be only a few of my good friends from high school who might remember this--Mike, Clint, and maybe even you, Jesse. There was a time in either my Junior or Senior year that I decided I wanted to do something about some of my friends casually taking the name of the Lord in vain (not the above mentioned friends, by the way), and suggested that they substitute my name for God's. They were both three letters, I reasoned, and both started with "G." And besides, I remember telling them, my wrath is pretty small and weak compared to the Almighty's.


It became a joke, of sorts, and a few people started going around saying, "Oh, Guy!" or "Oh my Guy!" instead of the other. We had a few laughs back then, and all was good.


As I get older, and my children enter those very impressionable years, I am appalled at the frequency at which the name of diety is use on children's programming. We no longer watch it, but one of their new favorite Nickelodeon shows uses that word in nearly every scene in one form or another. Since when did that become OK? When did breaking one of the "Big Ten" become acceptable and encouraged for children? Or adults, for that matter. This is just another small evidence that we do, indeed, live in a world where men "call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness" (Isaiah 5:20 and 2 Nephi 15:20).


So, if you are tempted to exclaim, in either joy or pain, and use the name of the Lord in vain, you have my permission, even my encouragement, to substitute my name for His--I don't mind. In fact, I'd be grateful if you would.

Be The Change...(continued)

Today we were finishing up Alma Chapter 5 during our family scripture study (which consists of me reading a few verses while the kids lay on the couch and try to wake up), when it hits me that Alma (the Younger) embodies what I was talking about in my last blog, and sets a great example for all of us.

If you will recall, the general population of the Church back then, the followers of God, had become so prosperous and blessed so much by the Lord that the majority of them had become puffed up and prideful, thinking they were better than those who were not members, and even denying help to the poor and the needy. Mormon records that this arrogant attitude became "a great stumbling-block to those who did not belong to the church; and thus the church began to fail in its progress." We talked about this. Because of their unkind words, and envying, and strife, and pride, and wickedness, few were joining the church. I would suppose that many were even leaving the church because of these people. You might even say that they were becoming "offended" by the actions and behaviors of others (who should know and be better than that).

So what did Alma do? Did he throw his hands up and leave the church, too? No. He resigned as the Chief Judge and set out on a "mission" of sorts, speaking and preaching to the members of the church that were the source of the problems and become prideful.

And what did he say? His words were kind, but firm and direct and to the point. This chapter, Alma 5, is a beautiful chapter filled with words of encouragement and a real desire for those who have gone astray to remember what it was like to have the gospel in their lives, to feel the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit, and be happy in serving their fellow men. Can you just feel the love and pleading in his words when he pleaded,

"And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"

His actions are a great example of being the change he wanted to see in the church. It would have been easy to "pass judgment" on the members of the church, write them off, and leave or start over somewhere--but he didn't. He saw the need and he filled it, giving up much of his power and authority to bring those who had fallen away back safely into the fold.

May we ever follow Alma's example.

Be The Change...

This may border on blasphemous, but I have a confession to make: I really like the movie Bruce Almighty and believe that it teaches many simple truths worthy of a Sunday School lesson. Whew! That feels good to get that off my chest.

So, why would I bring this up? No, it's not because I'm finally losing it (although that's debatable). Remember at the end, when Bruce gives up his anchor position and goes back to doing his community pieces? Remember how he ends his news reports? "Be the miracle!" This is a profound piece of advice, and I'll tell you why.

A couple of years ago our priesthood lesson was based on an LDS Conference address by Elder David A. Bednar entitled, And Nothing Shall Offend Them (Nov 2006). In this talk the point is made that at some point in our lives we are all offended by someone or something in the Church. It could be the choice of the new bishop ("How could he be bishop, he doesn't even get 100% on his home teaching every month."), or that no one greeted you at the door on your first day at your new ward, ("This is not a very friendly ward."), or that you can't believe what Brother So-And-So said from the pulpit ("That's definitely not church doctrine!"). There are so many reasons to take offense and never return ("I'll show them!")

Being offended is not something that is out of our control. Sure, the event, or words, or actions may be (in fact, they most likely are if they are done by someone else), but our response to them is entirely our choice. We choose whether or not we let something offend us, and we also choose what action we take next.

Personally, I have heard many (too many, actually) well-meaning members of the church speak like we (as members of the Church) have a "corner on the market" when it comes to "The Truth," that nowhere else can truth be found. Whenever I hear this it makes my skin crawl and I develop an eye twitch until the Gospel Doctrine teacher calls on me and I can "speak my piece" (or is it "peace"?)

Now, does this offend me? Am I going to stop going to church because Brother So-And-So has what I consider a narrow view of the world and thinks differently than I do? Of course not. What I have done is sought every opportunity to teach and share my views with others. Remember Bruce Almighty? I am trying to "be the change" I think needs to happen. If I think that members of the church are narrow minded, or judgmental, or any other host of human imperfections, should I be offended and not go to church? Or should I make it a point to attend church every week and do everything I can to correct that impression. Can I be open minded to other's faith and beliefs? Can I be kind and considerate of those different from myself? To choose to take offense and separate myself from them only serves to make the problem worse.

Like Bruce learned, if you want see a miracle, you need to be the miracle. Leaving and turning your back over something someone else said or did is easy; refusing to leave and working to become part of the solution is hard.

Why So Timid?

Ok, I've started this blog a few times now, only to erase what I had written and start over. I think I'm trying to be too "PC" with a subject about being more bold. So, here goes.


Why is it that we are so timid and afraid of hurting loved ones feelings when it comes to sharing good, spiritual, or other caring thoughts with them? Is it the scriptural warning against being confrontational? or the command in the New Testament to "agree with thine adversary quickly"? or is it that we are simply afraid to hurt their feelings and perhaps (we fear) drive them further away with our words of warning or concern?


I think it is all of the above, mixed in with details and circumstances unique to each and every one of us.


What if we were as bold as the powers that wish us to be miserable (like unto themselves) are? Friends (well-meaning or not) are seldom afraid to offer someone that first beer, or cigarette, or pill--(c'mon, it's great, you'll love it, c'mon)--and peer pressure is a very real and very powerful tool. But we, who watch our loved ones engage in harmful (physical or spiritual) activities, seem to be afraid to speak up, tell them that we love them, and that we want (more than anything) to see them "return" to the place where they can find peace, real happiness, and joy.


"But you're just judging us! And it's not cool to judge others. Can't you just accept us for who we are and what we do?" But it's not about judgment. It's not about "looking down" on who they are. It's about love. And why is that so hard for many of us to share? Sure, it's easy not to say anything, but to go about living our lives according to our faith, hoping our good examples "rub off" on them, but is this enough?


Can we ask them not to engage in unwholesome activities, or do or say things that go contrary to the faith they were raised in? Isn't that crossing "the line," somehow? YES. Yes it is. And where the adversary crossed that line to pull them away from light and truth, it falls on us to cross that line to lead them back.


Of course it must be done with love and kindness, but also done boldly, and not afraid of what it might "look like." Regardless of how it might appear, when done with real love, unconditional, maybe, just maybe what they were taught in their youth will be brought to their rememberance, and they will feel the warmth of basking again in the light of all that is good and right.


You can see why I started and stopped this entry a couple of times. If you are offended with these words, I apologize--it is never my intent to hurt anyone's feelings. But whether you believe it or not, we are all in the middle of a great war that started before the world was that is being waged right here, right now, and at risk are the very souls of those we love.


Now is not the time for being timid. Now is the time for love, expressed by in words as well as example, and to borrow the words of Winston Churchill, "never, never, never give up."


--Guy

(The imaged use above is entitled, Lost and Found, by Greg Olsen)