“I Am a Nephite.”

28 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by Colby Alexander in Book of Mormon, General, Loyalty, Prophets

Thorin Oakenshield

The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies are awesome. What more could you ask for than a story full of dragons, goblins, flesh eating orcs, Dwarves, Hobbits, Humans, and special forces olympic-gymnastics-esque assassin Elves all in one place. There are so many similarities between the stories of middle earth and Christianity its crazy. This makes for totally awesome comparisons between Middle Earth and actual earth. We could probably spend weeks talking about all of them. But for today we will keep it simple.

One of the main characters in the Hobbit is the storied warrior leader of the Dwarves. His name is Thorin Oakenshield. He is the last in a long line of kings. His Father Thrain was a mighty King, as was his Grandfather Thror. He is extremely proud of his heritage and lineage. Thorin is a direct descendent from Durin the Deathless, the original and most revered dwarf King. Thorin makes sure that everyone knows exactly who he is, and from whom he descended. He is Thorin son of Thrain, Son of Thror the Kings under the mountain. Just because its awesome and I needed an excuse to have a Hobbit video on the blog, the following clip is a Lord of the Rings poem written by J.R.R. Tolkein and put to music. It’s called Durin’s song. It explains the history of Durin, and the heritage of the Dwarves that Thorin Oakenshield is so proud of. This is the song that Gimli sang to the Fellowship of the Ring as they entered the the mines of Moria…

As much as I would love to write another 27 pages on the lineage of dwarves, elves, hobbits, and wizards, I’d better not. My reputation of not having a lisp and/or wearing Gandalf garb to the midnight showings of all the Lord of the Rings movies is at stake.

One of the principles that Thorin Oakenshield demonstrates, however, is what I would like to showcase. He is proud of who he is. He announces it openly. He feels very much responsible for the name he bears, and knows that his actions will reflect back on his lineage and carry on after he is gone. He feels this connection to his past through his name and heritage.

Recently, I was reading in Alma and came back to the story of how Alma met Amulek. Amulek was a wealthy man, a well-known man, who lived in the very wicked city, Ammonihah. As Alma was traveling around the cities of the Nephites to strengthen a weakening church, he stopped and taught in Ammonihah only to be outrightly rejected. They cast him out because, “[He] had no power over [them]’ as he had previously “delivered up the judgment-seat unto Nephihah; therefore thou art not the chief judge over us.¹”

Basically, they rejected him saying “You’re not the boss of us.” So, because he no longer had any real legal authority over them, and he was now just a “church guy”, they “reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city.²”

Not exactly the best reception for the sitting Prophet. After that, Ammonihah was probably scratched of the list of cities to host the next regional conference. After being completely rejected, Alma left. Almost immediately afterwards, however, he was summoned back to Ammonihah by an angel to complete his mission there.

Alma, being Alma, then decided to fast many days in order to attempt to soften the hearts of the people of Ammonihah while traveling back to this unwelcoming city of uber wickedness. This time, however, was different. The first man he saw upon his return to Ammonihah was a man named Amulek, who, not so coincidentally, had also been told by an angel that his meeting with a prophet would take place. Notice the very first words out of Amulek’s mouth to Alma, this total stranger, a man he’d never met.

“And as he (Alma) entered the city he was an hungered, and he said to a man: Will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat?”

“And the man (Amulek) said unto him: I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house.³”

Amulek didn’t waste even one syllable in letting Alma know who he was. Right away he comes out and says, “I am a Nephite, and I know thou art a holy prophet of God.”

We don’t really know why exactly why he chose those words to introduce himself. But, in my mind, I imagine Amulek being overly anxious and even excited to express his unwavering support for Alma, the prophet, the church, and the Lord. He was proud to be a Nephite, and happy to be a part of what that actually meant. He knew the heritage behind that name, as well as how that would sound to Alma.

Being a Nephite could have meant not only that he was a descendant of Nephi, but that he was also converted to the Lord, and living righteously. We know that later in the Book of Mormon, all the righteous people were known as Nephites regardless of their lineage, and all those who chose not to be righteous were known as Lamanites⁴. This was exactly who Amulek was. He was proud to be a Nephite in every sense of that word. So much so, that the first recorded words he uttered to Alma were “I am a Nephite.”

This is awesome. Amulek is awesome. The lesson I take from him, is that I should be proud of where I come from. I should be honored to share the name of my fathers just as Amulek was. I should be proud of my heritage and lineage. I should be willing, and even honored, to wear my belief on my sleeve. That means, at the same time, I need to be worthy of my name, and who I claim to be. And that takes effort, commitment and dedication on my part. I need to BE a Nephite, in order to claim upon meeting the prophet, “I am a Nephite”!

Amulek’s pronouncement was not the first example in the scriptures of clear and bold introductions. Great examples are all over the place….

One such example is when my man, Captain Moroni, never one to mince words, closed his famous beat down letter to Ammoron, the General of the enemy Lamanite army, like this…

“…it supposeth me that thou art a child of hell…I will come against you with my armies; yea, even I will arm my women and my children, and I will come against you, and I will follow you even into your own land, which is the land of our first inheritance; yea, and it shall be blood for blood, yea, life for life; and I will give you battle even until you are destroyed from off the face of the earth.

Behold, I am in my anger, and also my people; ye have sought to murder us, and we have only sought to defend ourselves. But behold, if ye seek to destroy us more we will seek to destroy you; yea, and we will seek our land, the land of our first inheritance.

Now I close my epistle. I am Moroni; I am a leader of the people of the Nephites⁵.”

In response, Ammoron tried to do the same type of thing, but unfortunately for him, it wasn’t quite as powerful….

“And behold now, I am a bold Lamanite; behold, this war hath been waged to avenge their wrongs, and to maintain and to obtain their rights to the government; and I close my epistle to Moroni⁶.”

Mormon, author, and abridger of the Book of Mormon left us this clear definition of who he was…

“Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life⁷.”

The Psalmist gives us a great example of how we can present ourselves before the Lord in prayer to help us gain a testimony…

“I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies⁸.”

The best example of all, and by far the most powerful to read, is the way the Lord himself handles his own introductions. He makes it powerfully clear just who He is.

“I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father⁹.”

“Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name¹⁰.

I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end¹¹.”

“Behold, I am God and have spoken it¹²;…”

I want to be just like Amulek, Mormon, and Moroni. I want to stand up and honorably proclaim who I am, and live worthily to do so. I want to be just like my Savior, and live in such a way that others can see his influence on me. I want to wear my belief and my spiritual heritage on my sleeve, and BE who I claim to be. A Christian, a Father, a Husband, and a Mormon.

1. Alma 8:12
2. Alma 8:13
3. Alma 8:19,20
4. 4 Nephi 37,38
5. Alma 54:11-14
6. Alma 54:24
7. 3 Nephi 5:13
8. Psalm 119:125
9. D&C 110:4
10. 3 Nephi 9:13
11. 3 Nephi 9:18
12. D&C 1:24

I Wanna Be Like Tikes

08 Monday Aug 2016

Posted by Colby Alexander in Battle, Brothers, Example, General

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When I was in Jr High, it was common knowledge that the best basketball player in the world was Michael Jordan. He had the best shoes, he stuck his tongue out when he dunked, and he was cool. He was the whole package. He even had a commercial/song that unabashedly touted the phrase, “I wanna be like Mike”.

Remember this?

That sentence pretty much summed up my whole existence at that time. I wanted to play basketball for the Bulls, have black shoes, and dunk on everyone. He was the guy I wanted to be like, I wanted to emulate him, I wanted to do what he was doing, I wanted to be just like him. So, I practiced. I practiced, and I practiced. I stuck my tongue out when I dunked on the 7’5” hoop we had in the driveway. I palmed the mini-basketball I won at Lagoon when I did my pump fakes and everything. It was awesome. Watching him made me want to be better.

Last weekend, all that admiration happened again, it was like a flashback. Except this time, I wasn’t watching Michael Jordan. I was watching my little brother Tikes (Tikes is short for Tikes-Bikes, a nickname Tyson gave himself about 10 years ago when we all had blog wars back in the day. Talk about foreshadowing…) do an Ironman. He is awesome. I pretty much have the best little brothers in the world. For another example of how awesome my brothers are, click here.

It was in Guernville California. My wife Catie and I met up with Tyson and his wife, Amanda, to watch him compete in the Vineman Iron Man Triathlon. It was nuts. If you’re not quite sure what that is, imagine if you were a prisoner trying to escape a Russian gulag in the middle of a siberian wasteland 140 miles from the nearest anything. The only real difference is that you willingly sign up for it. It starts with a 2.4 mile swim in a river, immediately followed by a 112 mile bike ride, which, in turn, is immediately followed by a full marathon (26.2 miles). I dropped him off at the starting line by the river at 5:00 a.m. I then, being the supportive brother that I am, went back to where we were staying and fell asleep.

After we (Myself, Catie, and Amanda) all woke up, and met around 8:00 am, we took a nice drive into the nearest town, and sat down in the morning sun, and had an amazing breakfast. This breakfast consisted of a lobster mushroom benedict, and some homemade fresh donuts dusted with sugar and served with a local plum jelly. It was amazing. It was hard work to eat everything, but we showed character, and dedication (almost as much as Tyson) and put our heads down and got the job done. After then relaxing outside at the quaint cafe, we gathered up, made another couple errand stops, and then went out to our planned observation spot. It was a nice shady spot on a sidewalk along the road where the runners and bikers would pass several times during the race. It was now about 11:15 a.m.

By this time, Tyson had finished the swim, and started his bike ride. Actually, he had already passed the spot we picked. Twice. Way to go us. Fans of the year award. We were totally justified though because we were really busy looking for the blackberry tarts he had requested.

As we sat there and cheered on the 2200 participants who were riding their bikes, and then as the runners started to pass us, we were impressed. They came in all shapes and sizes. Some were the traditional looking triathletes (5’9” 160 lbs. 6% body fat) but many were normal ordinary looking people, who were doing this extraordinary thing. It was inspiring. Hour after hour, as we waited and cheered, it was fun to watch.

We eventually did see him as he passed our spot several times during the marathon portion of the event. Each time it was better and better. He looked great. I was so proud of him. It was about that time that I realized, I wanted to be like him. I wanted to do what he was doing, I wanted to be able to swim, bike, and run and endure just like him. I wanted to emulate him. It was just like I was 14 again, wanting to be Michael Jordan, but I was 37 and wanted to be like Tikes.

I had watched him over the last year get ready, plan, train, prepare, work, train, compete, train, and train some more. And it all came to fruition last Saturday over the 11 hours and 38 minutes that he gave everything he had. He had gone from barely being able to swim 25 meters without drowning, to swimming 3,862 meters in an hour and 11 minutes, then biking for 5+ hours, then running a marathon. He didn’t even die. He was awesome.

He and all the others who chose to participate are inspirational. They embody commitment, dedication, hard work, and endurance. Through his example, I want to be better. I want to become something better, and be like him.

This principle is not new, and applies to all aspects of our lives, not just in a physical sense, but in a character sense as well. We live our entire lives following the examples of others. We learn, starting as babies, by watching our parents, siblings, friends, and everyone else. We emulate the actions of those we admire.

Over this last week I have been thinking specifically of all the examples I have close to me, and around me, that make me want to be better. There are several in and out of my ward, my work, and in my own family. Most of them probably don’t even realize how much I look up to them. I just kind of secretly spy on them and their awesomeness from a distance.

This is exactly how I feel about the great men in the Book of Mormon. And, to me, therein lies the power in that book. By reading it, it makes me want to be just like those amazing prophets and leaders. It has the same effect on me as watching Tikes swim, bike and run for 12 hours straight. It Inspires me to emulate the characteristics that make them great. They become my heroes, they are spiritual superstars. Its also full of stories about normal everyday people who developed Christlike characteristics through grinding out a tough life. There are countless examples of dedication, strength, character, commitment, sacrifice, faith, humility, and honor. I want to be like them.

I want to be like Abinidi, and be so committed to my faith that I can stand up for, and defend it in front of an evil king and his wormtongue priests in the face of death threats.

I want to be like Teancum, and be brave enough to sneak alone into the enemy camp and send a spear into the heart of their wicked general, at great personal risk, in order to attempt to end a senseless war, and save the lives of countless innocent soldiers.

I want to be like Antipus, and have the strength to run all day, and then all night, and then all the next day in order to save 2000 young inexperienced volunteer warriors who were willing to be live bait to draw out the enemy. Then be willing to engage that enemy army, completely exhausted, and give up my life to save theirs.

As we take another look at the righteous men and women in the Book of Mormon, it becomes perfectly clear that the characteristics they all display- strength, sacrifice, honor and commitment are developed as they were simply following the examples of previous prophets, or their fathers before them. As we learn more, it is clear that the the ultimate example that they were all striving towards was that of Christ himself. Either by his words found in the scriptures, or by his actual presence in influencing the attitudes, and actions of his people.

“…be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
-1 Timothy 4:12

“And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.”
-2 Nephi 31:16

“For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.”
-John 13:15

“Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you.”
-3 Nephi 18:16

In Sunday School yesterday, we learned about a good way to envision what changes are necessary in our lives. Instead of saying “we”, or “you” when we discuss what we should do, we change our words into the first person using “I”. It makes things more personal, and meaningful. So, to finish this off, Ill give it a shot.

Good examples are all around me. As I identify who they are, and how they are, and I try to be like them, I will learn that ultimately every good example I have, steers me to be more like my Savior. He is who I need to emulate. I need to learn to love other people like he does. I need to treat everyone around me like he would. I need to forgive, bless, and teach like he did. As I try and change myself and be more like him, and emulate him, I then feel closer to him. And that is where my real happiness is.

Judgment

02 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by Tyson Alexander in General, Judgment

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MM13Detail_

Since I have already disclosed my willingness to wear a triathlon singlet on this blog, and since I apparently see the world through a triathlon lens at the moment, it won’t surprise you if I share a few more thoughts that I’ve had recently. The good news is that what I want to talk about is not skin tight clothing, but the finish line – because it’s awesome (and the best part of any race).

For my first Ironman 70.3 that took place in May of this year, I trained using a 20-week program. For the 5 months leading up to the race I worked hard, and I visualized myself crossing the finish line. In looking back, I see that I had limited that visualization to maybe the last 2 or 3 steps and the actual crossing of the finish line. I did not once ever visualize the last quarter mile, or the entire ‘finish line chute’, and didn’t really have a plan for what to do when I encountered that amazing scene. So, naturally, I just ran past it all (missing most of it). Then, at the beginning of my full Ironman I had mentally planned on slowing down and enjoying my finish line (this last week), but since I am a very slow learner, I had a problem with actually doing it. I stopped for a second or two, but then took off again in order to finish.

This is important now, because it was only later (after I had finished both races), that I fully realized that my wife, my kids, and other family members who had travelled quite some way to come watch me finish (not to mention the hours that they waited there patiently in the heat) were all stationed about 50 feet from the finish line and only saw me for 5 or 6 seconds. As I approached the finish line, even though I knew that they would be there, and was happy to see them, I gave them a quick high 5 while I passed right on by so that I could finish the race. Later on, I wished I had spent a bit more time to ‘take in’ the scene, thank the crowd, and to really enjoy the moment – at least the last few hundred feet where the crowd is intense and the families are cheering on their athletes. But, my time was 10 or 15 seconds faster than it would have been had I done that right?

Often, and by often I mean pretty much every time, when I get to the book of Moroni I tend to speed up in order to cross the finish line in a flurry and check off another completed reading and tend to not notice the crowds of amazing doctrine and commentary lining the finish chute. In doing so, I fail to really enjoy the moment, which might somehow be better if instead of speeding up, I slowed down, I walked, I take a drink, I thank my family for coming, I hug them, I enjoy the crowd that only lines the finish line chute, and I really soak in the experience.

Recently, when I reached Moroni in the Book of Mormon and suddenly knew that I was so close to being done again that I (too) quickly read the entire book while sprinting to the finish line. Even while I was reading chapters 7-10, I knew that I was missing way too much good stuff. So, after I finished I went back to chapter 7 and crawled through the last few chapters over the next several days (a luxury you don’t get at an Ironman event).

The best part about that process, is what I learned. I gained a few particular insights which I had missed before, one in particular which led me to some additional material, which led me to even more learning. So, by slowing down and enjoying Moroni’s final contributions, I appreciated the finish line chute much more than in the past.

With that background, and the state of the world today with it’s social media, political commentary, news stories, and the immediacy of information, opinions, and demands for judgment, this is what I learned from Moroni – as directed to the “peaceable followers of Christ”¹ (that’s us) as it relates to judging between good and evil; because we all know that there is good and there is evil and more importantly “it is given unto us to judge, that [we] may know good from evil.”²

I think we all realize that there are judgments (a.k.a. choices) that we need to make every day³, some big and some little, all of which are important, which means we should exercise great caution and always “take heed… that [we] do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.”⁴

Luckily, Moroni is not stingy on the details for how we are to judge righteously. The first two clues are that “the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil” and that “every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ”.⁵ So, to recap what he teaches us:

The spirit of Christ is given, or in other words – it is a gift. And;
Everything that is good, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ

Naturally then, Moroni would like us to understand that the gift of the spirit will accompany every thing that is good (and by necessity will accompany nothing [literally no thing] that is bad).

In case we missed the first 2 clues on how we are to judge, he gives us another (keep in mind that they are a requirement to judging between good and evil (which is important);

Ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ.⁶
See that ye search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil.⁷

Moroni tells us that if we are to judge righteously or between good and evil we need to judge by the light of Christ after having searched diligently in that same light (which is a gift and which accompanies good things). I don’t think searching diligently in the light means anything less than strenuous effort and constant striving to have the spirit at all times.

All of our knowledge, our reason, or our perceptions or limited understanding are not even close to the criteria for proper judgment. If we elect (as we so often do) to judge ‘outside’ of The light based on our own views or opinions (or even what we assume or think are facts as we perceive them), we are prone to mistakes, assumptions and gross error. That is the warning that Moroni gives us, because if we opt to pass that type of judgment on others, that same judgment made ‘outside’ the light will be used on us. Scary right?

I for one do not want that type of limited judgment in the end. So, perhaps by giving everyone else the maximum benefit of doubt, and not passing limited judgment, or comparisons, I do myself a great service.

There is a parable that we are familiar with, but read with new light during this slow crawl through Moroni 7-10 (and it’s related ideas/talks); it’s about Martha and Mary, and it’s about every single one of us.

Luke, chapter 10, verses 38–42:

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Those of us with more of Martha than of Mary in us (as we suppose) have maybe once or twice felt that this rebuke from the Lord is a bit harsh. While we do not doubt the overriding importance of listening to the Lord, does the listening have to be done while we are making dinner preparations? Would it have hurt Mary to have joined us in serving, then we all could have sat down to hear the Lord together? Why, didn’t the Lord say something like: “You’re absolutely right, Martha. What are we thinking of to let you do all this work alone? We’ll all help, and by the way, that centerpiece looks lovely”?

What he did say is difficult to bear, but perhaps somewhat less difficult if we examine its context. First and foremost, the Lord (as he likes to do) acknowledges Martha’s care: “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things” (v. 41). Then he delivers the gentle but clear rebuke. But the rebuke would not have come had Martha not prompted it. The Lord did not go into the kitchen and tell Martha to stop cooking and come listen. Apparently he was content to let her serve him however she cared to, until she judged another person’s service: “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me” (v. 40).

Martha’s self-importance, expressed through her judgment of her sister, occasioned the Lord’s rebuke, not her busyness with the meal.⁸

As we are cumbered about with our daily lives and our own sacrifices and sufferings for the Lord, we can take satisfaction in knowing that we are doing the best that we can, and that is absolutely all that matters. Nobody else’s contribution or sacrifices can or should be compared to ours, and if/when we start to observe their sacrifices or their efforts say (or think) “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister/brother hath left me to serve alone?” we can imagine the Lord saying to us “Mary, thou art careful and troubled about many things”, but you don’t need to be burdened with the judgment of anyone else’s offering to me.

We don’t need to appoint ourselves to be the judge, and we don’t need to demand that justice be administered for mistakes – even when they appear to be intentional or grievous. As we try to let those things go and worry about ourselves, we can hear the Lords voice say to us “by the way, you are welcome for that gift.”

Notes

1 Moroni 7:3

2 Moroni 7:15

3 I know what it says in Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that ye be not judged”, but that can’t logically or spiritually mean don’t ever judge anything ever, because in the very next verse it says “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you again”. That sounds remarkably similar to Moroni 7:18 – which I will get to shortly (above).

4 Moroni 7:14

5 Moroni 7:16

6 Moroni 7:18

7 Moroni 7:19

8 This parable, and the commentary comes from “Simon, I Have Somewhat to Say unto Thee”: Judgment and Condemnation in the parables of Jesus” by Catherine Corman Parry. It was a BYU devotional speech from May 7, 1991. (https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/catherine-corman-parry_simon-somewhat-say-unto-thee-judgment-condemnation-parables-jesus/). I had never once realized or thought about that parable in the context of ‘judgment’. Her speech outlines not only this parable, but many others which are similarly fantastic. I recommend you read this speech. It is fantastic.

Debbie vs Reba and the Rad Fads that Ended Up Bad

26 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by Colby Alexander in Brothers, General, Humility, Music, Pride

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This is a pretty close representation of Dad’s boom box

When Tyson and I were growing up, everything was a competition. Everything. Among the things we “competed” or fought over were super important things like, who could have the most posters covering the walls of our room, who had the best haircut (mullet vs rat-tail, side-spike vs steps), who would win in 21 tip in, who could eat faster (this was really for 2nd place as Casey was the clear champion here), Ryne Sandberg vs Andre Dawson, and on and on and on. All of this was also compounded by the fact that we shared a room.

Looking back its pretty funny, but one of the more ridiculous things we fought over was our Dad’s old maroon boombox. At that time, it was state of the art. It had dual cassette decks, stereo surround, and a bunch of equalizer buttons. We basically just confiscated it, and hoarded it away in our room to listen to our favorite music.

The daily fight and struggle was over who had the right to listen to who’s music at night as we were falling asleep. This is a sibling battle that may be foreign to all those who never shared a room growing up. But for us, we had to survive those nights when our musical choice had to be put on hold, while we suffered the torture of the other’s music until we fell asleep.

The thing that makes this hilarious is the music we chose. Back in the late 80’s, and early 90’s music was a lot different. Stuff that was cool then, isn’t exactly cool now. Stuff that was perfectly normal listening material to us then, just cracks us up now. To this day, we make fun of each other’s previous childhood musical choices. The beauty of this memory from that particular competition, is that we were both losers.

My personal choice of music varied nightly, but one song, on one tape, has become fodder for Tyson razzing me. It’s a song called “Gonna Love Ya (till the cows come home)” by Reba Macintyre. I know, I know, don’t say anything. I’ve heard it for like 25 years straight now. Trust me. I know. But, just in case you were wondering about that song, here it is…

Tyson, on the other hand, was a bit more eclectic in his choices. He was also a bit more current, and sappy than me. He was also maybe even a little bit “chic flicky”. So, his choice that earned his 25 years of my counter-razzing was, “Lost in Your Eyes” by Debbie Gibson. If you still have room in your doggy bag, here it is…

Now you can clearly understand why we both lost the competition. It was really more like choosing between a colonoscopy and a root canal.

The funniest thing about all this is that we were both supposedly big tough macho guys, and every night, we would argue and fight, nearly coming to blows, over listening to Debbie Gibson or Reba Macyntire! If we had a time machine, we’d probably have to both go back and slap ourselves. But it is hilarious now.

Isn’t it interesting how time changes everything? What is “cool” and “popular” changes. Shows like MacGuyver, and Knight Rider, the best things ever in their time, are now filed away in the “Man, I can’t believe I watched that, this is so lame” category right next to the files for pegged pants, L.A. Gear shoes, and big hair bands. But, such is the way of popular culture. It is always moving on, moving constantly to the next big thing, the next fad, style, sound, or whatever, but the only thing that remains constant is that nothing lasts.

These popular fads don’t ever last because their content isn’t lasting. It’s not even meant to be. People get tired of them because they don’t satisfy the demands of real happiness. Fads have a shelf life of mere moments. Look what happened to the Titanic song by Celine Dion. In its day, it was played on the radio every 3 minutes all over the world and people still couldn’t hear it enough. But now, Its probably on the top 5 list of reasons why people want to pluck their eyes out.

If we look only to things like Debbie Gibson, or songs about cows to make us happy forever, we will only be disappointed (other than maybe laughing at ourselves 25 years later). Real, true happiness that lasts through changing societies, peoples, cultures, and traditions only comes through obedience to God’s laws. And these fortunately don’t change.

“For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?”

-Mormon 9:9

“…I give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation. I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

-Doctrine and Covenants 82:9,10

God will not change. His laws will not change. The blessings he pours upon us when we follow his commandments also will not change. They last forever. It is reliable, dependable, lasting and true. We can count on it 100%. Its like a #1 hit song that stays #1 forever.

Its so much easier to play the game, when the out of bounds lines aren’t constantly shifting and changing. When the laws or rules that bring us happiness are constant, dependable, and solid, we know exactly where to look to find and achieve real lasting happiness. Contrast this with following popular culture and its ever shifting views, beliefs, and so-called values. When we follow what is popular, we soon feel like we have one foot on a hover board, and the other on a banana peel.

This ever changing popular culture will try to lure us into the “better ideas” of what will make us happy. We may think, “that particular commandment is outdated, and doesn’t really apply today because…”, or, “I’m good with all of the commandments, except the one that…”, or, “The church needs to…” Remember, when we think that we have a better idea than God, there is a good chance (like 100%) we are wrong.

Many, many people, have thought their ideas were better. Namely, Pharoah when he butted heads with Moses, Goliath and the Philistines, the false priests of Baal, Laman, Lemuel, Laban, and basically the whole world not in Noah’s family boat. Im not sure if anyone is actually keeping score, but God is undefeated. It may be a good idea to be on his team. We aren’t always as smart as we think we are.

The Lord specifically warned us about ourselves and this manner of thinking in the Book of Mormon…

“O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.”

-2 Nephi 9:28,29

It may seem complicated to navigate through our everyday lives and deal with all the changing standards that the world seems to hold us to. What words we can use, what is offensive, what isn’t, what is normal, what isn’t, and so on. And, if we try and figure out the world’s standards, we will be confused, because they change almost as quickly as they are established. But, if we just hold ourselves up against God’s standard, it becomes super simple. After all, we are all participating in his plan, not ours. He even left us specific instructions that even a 3 year old can understand.

In fact, if we think about it, the mind-bending big questions that world famous philosophers from the beginning of time have contemplated over, argued about, and postulated opinions on, come down to…

Who are we?

Why are we here?

Where did we come from?

Where do we go when we die?

God made his plan so simple, that the smallest primary children can answer these age old questions as soon as they can talk, or sing….

I am a child of God,
And He has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With Parents kind and dear.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me
Help me find the way,
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.

I am a child of God,
Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do his will,
I’ll live with him once more

I am a child of God
His promises are sure;
Celestial glory shall be mine
If I can but endure

If we follow the instructions that our loving Heavenly Father left us in the words of this simple song, we will find real, lasting happiness not only in our lives here on this earth, but also in our future lives yet to come. When we look at the reasons why we are here on this earth from the proper perspective, isn’t this the #1 hit song that should be #1 forever?

Felonies and Bended Knees

12 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by Colby Alexander in Agency, Cars, Failure, General, Journeys, Obedience

≈ 1 Comment

Disclaimer #1: The statute of limitations has long expired for any and all misdeeds explicitly expressed in, and/or eluded to, in the following post.

Disclaimer #2: To the owner of the car subject to the aforementioned misdeeds in disclaimer #1 and subsequent subject in the following story…yeah, sorry about that.

This story is one of those that stays hidden for many years because of fear. The fear of a swift kick in the butt from your Dad, or punishment in a juvenile delinquent facility if the truth ever squeaked out. I can talk about it now, because, as is clearly stated in disclaimer #1, the statute of limitations has expired. And, I don’t live close enough for my Dad to kick my butt anymore. It’s actually kind of funny now, but it sure wasn’t at the time.

This crazy event took place 22 years ago, back when I was 15 and knew everything. I couldn’t drive yet, but I was getting close. I was kind of in that weird teenage time when you are annoyed that you can’t do whatever you want, whenever you want. That was me. I wasn’t a bad kid, but I remember feeling pretty dang smart. It had been a while since my last slice of humble pie.

The incident occurred on a Friday or Saturday night. As was the tradition in those days, myself and my merry band of buddies had just spent most of the night hanging out playing pool (billiards). That was our traditional go to hang out event. We had a good friend (we will call her Cassie to protect her identity) who generously allowed us to utilize the pool table in her basement. This was probably against her better judgment, but being the thoughtful friends that we were, we invited ourselves over all the time. The girls would watch movies, while we boys would have intense pool tournaments, and pretend we were awesome.

This is kind of what we were going for, minus the doogies.

We were all good kids, and had good parents, so, naturally, we all had curfews. We all had the same one- 12 midnight. All of us. However, we were all only 15 and no one had a car, or a driver’s license. This usually meant that one of our parents had to come pick us all up, and systematically drop us all off, all at around 1145 at night. This isn’t exactly cool if you are 15. But, this night would prove to be different.

Whatever possessed us (the boys) that night to decide to walk home is beyond me (the girls were too smart for that). I guess it must have been the cumulative lack of brain power in our 15 year old underdeveloped brains. We were at least smart enough to know that we had to leave before midnight to give ourselves a shot at walking the 7 miles from Santaquin to Payson in order to be home by our curfew. Brilliant idea. Lets walk home, all 7 miles, in the pitch dark, orchard lined back streets with no street lights. What could go wrong? We were awesome like that.

When I say we, I mean there were 7 of us (as far as I remember). Again, to protect the identities of my friends, let’s just call them Brad, Mark, Mo, Blake, Sterling, and Anthony. Anthony only lived a short few blocks away, so he was spared from any culpability or involvement, not that he wouldn’t have been right there with us if given the chance.

That left 6 of us walking home. After a few blocks, myself and “Brad” decided that 7 miles would take longer to walk than we thought. So, we decided we would run home. By running, we would be home early, or at least on time, and by so doing, avoid a royal butt kicking. So we took off, leaving the other 4 guys behind. They were on their own. Remember, this was before cell phones, so calling for a ride after we left “Cassie’s” house wasn’t an option.

We ran straight through and never walked over the next 6.5 miles. And we were on top of the world with how brilliant we were. We were nearly home. But, as fate would have it. Our night was really just beginning. It was at that moment that we discovered what would become the source of our absolute fear for the next several months. We passed an abandoned car, or at least that is what we, in our brilliant 15 year old minds, thought. Never mind the fact that it was parked in cleared away area right by the freeway entrance that most people would recognize as a car pool parking lot. But, oft times, the connection between a 15 year old boy’s eyes and his small underdeveloped brain is blocked by an oversized ego.

Most people with any sense would have walked right by this car, without a second thought. We certainly should have, because we were only about another 3 minutes from being home. But, we were 15, and far from having any sense at all, so, we decided to see if the doors were locked. That’s what any reasonable person would do if they walked past a car that wasn’t theirs night? Nope, we weren’t reasonable. So we checked, and, sure enough, the doors were open. Well, might as well check for keys, right? Yep, lets check. Wow, the keys were in it! So, whats next? Try to start it obviously. So, I tried and tried and tried. But, it wouldn’t start, so I gave up hope. Hope for what I still have no idea. But, then “Brad” tried to start it, and he, actually knowing what a clutch was, was able to get it going. It was obviously a miracle.

So now you have two 15 year olds, without drivers licenses, sitting in a running car at 11:50 at night. So we did what any 15 year old would do in that situation. In our infinite teenage wisdom, and displaying our excellent decision making skills, came up with the most beneficent plan ever conceived. We would serve our fellow man, namely our 4 other walking friends in need, by driving back to them, and giving them a ride back to the spot where we “found” this poor abandoned car.

How thoughtful of us. Then, “Brad” and I (having obviously suffered simultaneous teenage brain infarcts) pulled out of the spot, and proceeded to drive the several miles back to the road where our friends would be, whooping, hollering, and laughing all the way. Life was good. They would be so happy.

Life was good, for another 4 minutes. Then life was not good. Not good at all. We realized about 4 minutes too late that the car we had just borrowed was out of gas. Way out of gas. It stalled in the road about 100 yards from our friends. Great just what we needed. Witnesses. 15 year old boy witnesses.

“Brad” then let the car coast to the side of the road, where we tried desperately and hopelessly to get it started again. We tried for another several minutes, before we realized we would be spending the rest of our lives in a jail cell. Both the brain cells in our heads started firing and wondering what life would be like in juvenile detention.

At that moment our friends walked up and we got hooted out. Sterling especially had a hay day. Anyone that knows him will attest that he can laugh AT someone better than anyone in the whole world. Its a special skill, it’s a gift really. A talent unmatched by anyone in the history of mankind. And he did not disappoint that night. He cackled relentlessly, endlessly, loudly, unrepentantly, and uncontrollably for what seemed like an eternity. We were toast.

Then our brains had to snap back to reality. We then frantically put two and two together and realized that this car was not going to be where the owners left it, when they eventually came back for it. That meant that the cops would be called to help find it. That meant that they would be looking for who took it. That meant that we were in deep do-do. We had to destroy the evidence. So, the brilliant young budding felons that we were, we took our t-shirts and rubbed everywhere we had touched! We had to get rid of our fingerprints! You should have seen us. 6 15 year old kids rubbing every square inch of every handle, door, dash, steering wheel, and fender!

I remember being convinced that the police department had my prints on file because of that one time in cub scouts when we went to the police station and the policeman taught us how they recorded the fingerprints of the criminals as they came in. I was certain that they kept a file of my 9 year old prints just in case. I knew it was only a matter of time. I could run, but I couldn’t hide. I would be making license plates for the rest of my life.

As if becoming a felon guilty of grand theft auto wasn’t enough, this whole incident had taken time. Not only time we didn’t have, but now we were back to almost where we began, now 5 miles from home, and well after our curfew. It was bad. By the time I got back home I fully expected to be strung up, skinned, and left as just a memory and a skid mark in the driveway. I was really late. And I remember getting an earful. Quite an earful. But what could I say? “Sorry Mom and Dad, we would have been back home in time, but instead, we decided to steal a car and drove it back towards Santaquin until it ran out of gas, so we had to abandon it, and then had to run another 5 miles back home.” Yeah right.

So, “Brad” and I waited. We waited for the moment when the cops would knock on our doors, ask for us by name, and read us our miranda rights, and haul us away in cuffs. I remember being scared to death each and every time the doorbell rang, or there was a knock on the door for at least 2 months. No kidding. It wasn’t fun. I lived in continuous fear and anxiety. There was also the very real threat of one of our 4 other friends (witnesses) blabbing all over town with the funniest story ever. Which, would inevitably lead to our arrest and conviction. Thanks guys.

But, it never came. Thankfully, the police record of my 9 year old prints had been misplaced. And we were spared a life scarred by years spent in jail. But, a lesson was learned that night. A lesson that has sunk in over the last 22 years, and still teaches me even today. It was not fun living like that. Worrying constantly about the repercussions of my decision that night. I didn’t want to do anything like that ever again. I couldn’t take it.

As I look back on that story of that night, and all the things I learned from it, I can see similarities to a lot of our lives. Its almost like that 2 hour saga is an abridgment of a life story that has taken a wrong turn. Lets look a little closer at what happened and phrase it only slightly differently. Looking back, this is how I could describe it. Remember, there are lessons, even gospel lessons, in every aspect of our lives. Even when we “borrow” a car without asking.

Listen to it again, this way…

After a great night, I started on the path back home just as I was supposed to. I even decided to hurry to make sure I was home on time. I was pointed in the right direction, committed, determined, and headed to where I should have been. I had traveled 99% of the way on the correct and straight path, without even a slight variation. But, at the last minute, I saw something slightly off the correct course. I knew it was off course, I knew better, but I was curious. So I ignored my better judgment. I decided to just take a moment to check it out. I would be home in just a minute anyway. No harm in checking.

But then the distraction sucked me in. I was hooked. I traded the security of being home on time, for the temporary thrill of the new and exciting. I had ignored the whisperings of my conscience. And before I even realized what had really happened, I was speeding backwards in exactly the wrong direction. And the forces that pulled me in that wrong direction abandoned me, and dumped me far from home.

That temporary, fleeting, and false excitement had deceived me. I fell for it. And it made for a long, even painful road back home. I made it, and we all can make it, even if we mess up, and the lessons we learn the hard way, sometimes stick better in our minds. But, it would have been so much easier if I had just finished that last 1% without even thinking about that distraction on the side of the road. And that is the lesson I keep learning even today. I don’t want to learn any more lessons the hard way.

We are constantly being distracted, and pulled away from who we want to be, and where we want to go. The appeal of the car on the side of the road is different for all of us. For some, it may be drugs or alcohol, pornography, movies, books, or music. For others it may be seemingly harmless hobbies, or social media that just take away so much of our time. It may be small things that distract us, or it could be even bigger faith shaking things that start as a curiosity, but soon lead us to speeding in the opposite direction of the home we were headed towards.

Regardless of what it is, the lesson is the same. We just need to finish, keeping our eyes focused ahead towards our heavenly home. And take it one step at a time. We will also need to take very frequent breaks to kneel down.

When we are committed and determined to make it back to our Father in Heaven, we can finally feel the peace that comes with the journey. The freedom we achieve by following the Savior, and becoming more like him, is not so much a physical place, but a feeling, or a state of mind. Its a freedom from guilt, from torment, and shame. Its a freedom from anxiety for what potential penalty awaits us right around the corner. Its the avoidance of waiting for the cops to come haul us away!

We feel at peace when we follow our Savior. His spirit and his love fills our lives when we make the everyday choices to follow him. We will never be truly at peace if we chase after the temporary thrills of the distractions on the side of the road. Ive been there. If we want to live our lives free of fear, doubt, and anxiety we simply need to walk towards him, and not stop until we get there.

This hymn sums it up perfectly….

I will not doubt, I will not fear;
God’s love and strength are always near.
His promised gift helps me to find
An inner strength and peace of mind.

I give the Father willingly
My trust, my prayers, humility.
His Spirit guides; his love assures
That fear departs when faith endures.

-Hymn 158 “When Faith Endures”

Trust to Grow

03 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by Colby Alexander in General

≈ 3 Comments

When I was a kid, I loved to play basketball with my buddies. As kids do, we idolized the best players of the day. For all of us, there wasn’t any doubt about who that was. The best player was a guy named Michael Jordan. Some of you may have heard of him? He is arguably the best player that has ever played. He won 6 NBA championships and was the Finals MVP each time. He won the league’s MVP award 5 times. He was the defensive player of the year. He won the scoring title 10 times. He led the league in steals 3 times. He was an all-star 14 times. He was an all-star MVP 3 times. He was the NBA rookie of the year. He won the NBA slam dunk contest, twice. He also has two olympic gold medals, and is in the Hall of Fame.

Sometimes we sit on the sidelines, and think that all of these amazing players like Michael Jordan either dropped from outer space, or just woke up one day and were awesome. But, even the greatest stars weren’t born with perfectly honed skills and abilities. It takes a lot of work, dedication, drive, will, effort, along with many limitations, pitfalls, and failures. Michael Jordan was no exception.

When Michael Jordan was a high school sophomore, he tried out for the varsity team. It was a long shot, as sophomore’s rarely made the varsity teams back then. But, that year, one did make the varsity squad. It just wasn’t him. It was his good friend, and 6’ 7 inch, Leroy Smith. That really burned him up. He doubled down, used the failure as a motivation, and went to work with training, practice, effort, and hard work. He played that year on the jayvee team and developed into a great player. He also eventually grew from s 5’10’ sophomore to a 6’6” man.

As these years went by, his hard work paid off and he continued to get better and better. As a senior in high school, he was named a McDonald’s All-American, and then went on to play in college at one of the best basketball schools in the country. North Carolina.

The rest is history. He became one of the best players to ever play the game. But, he started out just like so many of us. He was a small, ordinary, seemingly nothing special kid relegated to the obscurity of the jayvee squad. Doesn’t that sound like the story of our lives? It does at least for me.

The one thing that made him different, though, was that he didn’t accept mediocrity. He wanted to get better. He wanted to be better. And, through persistent practice, hard work, and a strong will, he was able to achieve the goals he set for himself. He was always capable of doing great things, he just needed to set his mind to it, and be patient. His time would come. He would transform into one of the greatest of all time.

Recently, like in the last couple of weeks, I was able to see another unbelievable transformation happen. Not in a basketball sense, but in a real world sense. I saw someone really close to me grow, and become something amazing right in front of my eyes. It was awesome.

My wife has always had an anxiety of speaking in front of people. Not too many of us actually do enjoy doing that, but her anxiety was a lot worse than the regular apprehension. I can’t tell you how many times she has said, “I would rather step out in front of a truck than speak in church”. If I were given the choice between giving a talk, or a Ford F250 to the face, I’d take the talk, but she’d take the truck. Seriously. Not even kidding.

A couple of years ago, she was called to be the Young Women’s president in our ward. That calling is another cool story for another day, but for my wife, that meant a lot of speaking, teaching, leading in front of people that, up until that point, was not something she ever felt remotely comfortable doing. It would be a challenge. But she has done an amazing job.

It hasn’t ever been easy for her. She has worked hard to be the best she can be, and has had a lot of amazing help from the women who serve along with her. She has always tried to be prepared and would spend a lot of time going over and over any lessons, or thoughts that she was to share. She would practice them, and make sure she was comfortable with the material long before she had to go present it in front of anyone.

Fast forward to today. Her anxiety is still there, but she has learned how to deal with it, and almost overcome it. And a couple of weeks ago, I saw her completely kill it during a sacrament meeting (if that isn’t an appropriate word to describe a talk in sacrament meeting, insert “did really well” instead).

She had been asked on Saturday to speak Sunday and share a few words about the girls camp experience that she had that week. She thought and stewed and worried about what to say for the rest of the day, and couldn’t really come up with anything specific to share. She started to get a little nervous on Sunday morning when she still wasn’t quite sure what she would say. Keep in mind, this was really out of the ordinary for her, and really what triggered her fears in the first place. In less than an hour, she would have to get up in front of a congregation of people and try and speak, not yet knowing what exactly she would say. The anxiety was to speak in a way that made sense, and not freeze up.

As her time came, and as she started to speak, I was completely dumbfounded. She was amazing. Absolutely amazing. She got up with confidence, a smile, and spoke for about 10-15 minutes off the cuff, and without notes. Not only was it amazing that she actually did that, but her message was perfect. It was simple and clear, concise, and flowed seamlessly from one thought to the other as if it were written by a professional. Her testimony was perfect for that moment. I was flabbergasted. Not that I didn’t have confidence in her, because I absolutely did, but I knew that she didn’t have anything prepared to say at all. It was all in the moment. She had grown into her calling, and her potential almost right in front of my eyes. It was amazing. Anyone that knows my wife, or her anxieties about speaking could attest to this small miracle that happened a couple of weeks ago.

All I could think of while I was listening to her, was that I was witnessing a live version of what we learn about in the Doctrine and Covenants. Section 100. This part is talking about missionaries knowing what to say, but I think it applied perfectly in that moment.

‘Therefore, I, the Lord, have suffered you to come unto this place;…Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men; For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say….that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.

And I will give unto him power to be mighty in testimony.”

-D&C 100:4-12

The 84th section of the D&C teaches us the same thing..

“Therefore, let the morrow take thought for the things of itself. Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man… for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”

-D&C 84:84-85, 88

My wife taught me that day that we need to go out on that limb, and take the first step and trust that all the words that we read in the scriptures are true! If we put in the work, practice, effort, and trust the Lord, He will deliver! He can make us into the MVP that he sees in all of us. He is the one that transforms us. All it takes is a willing heart on our end. When we try to do whatever we can to get better and be better, the Lord will bless us. Because He has promised us that He will! I know that this principle is true precisely because I saw it actually happen with my own eyes, in a small little sacrament meeting two weeks ago.

Ebenezer Scrooge and Ukuleles

12 Sunday Jun 2016

Posted by Colby Alexander in General, Humility, Power, Treasure

≈ 2 Comments

A while ago, one of our readers, lets call him “Ben” to protect his anonymity, brought to our attention a really cool moment in the Book of Mormon. He wanted to get our 4 perspectives on it. He had noticed that the Father of King Lamoni was only willing to give up “half” his kingdom to save his own mortal life even when Ammon had him at swordpoint after defending King Lamoni and himself from his attacks (Alma 20). But, later, when in his own home, and after Ammon’s brother, Aaron, had taught him the principles of the gospel, he was willing to give “all” he had to know God, and save his spiritual life (Alma 22).

Tyson was the first to respond and opine on this subject, and we read about it HERE.

For my take, I will go a little different route, and use some references that probably wouldn’t make it in a Sunday school lesson, but perfectly illustrate the principle that I take away from the story of the Father of King Lamoni. The references I’m talking about just happen to be the lyrics from a Pearl Jam song.

Before I lose anybody, I will just say that Pearl Jam music is not always an uplifting positive thing. Im not claiming that it is, but if Donald Duck, Donuts, ski boots, and burning pianos can teach us, then Pearl Jam can definitely make a small contribution to this blog, and can help teach a gospel principle. If it makes anyone feel better, this song wasn’t anything crazy, just Eddie Vedder singing with a Ukulele, so there’s that. I guess this is where I include the caveat that even a blind squirrel finds a nut in the forest every once in a while, or even a broken clock is right twice a day… etc. etc.

The few lines of lyrics that will start us off come from a song called “Soon Forget”. The song describes a man who is obsessed with money. His only love in life is fancy cars and giant houses, and never takes any time to concentrate on anything else. He grows old, clings to his 100 dollar bills, and fades away into obscurity and eventually dies. No one remembers him, or his money. No one even bats an eye when he passes. He hadn’t taken any time to develop personal relationships, or give any time to the true and lasting things that really matter. Even though he had money and supposed power, he was forgettable. He was just like Ebenezer Scrooge without the change of heart. Here are some of the lines from the song.

Sorry is the fool who trades his soul for a Corvette  Thinks he’ll get the girl, he’ll only get the mechanic  What’s missing? He’s living a day he’ll soon forget

Counts his money every morning, the only thing that keeps him [going]
Locked in a giant house, that’s alarming  The townsfolk, they all laugh

Sorry is the fool who trades his love for hi-rise rent  Seems the more you make equals the loneliness you get  And it’s fitting, he’s barely living a day he’ll soon forget

That’s one more time around, and there is not a sound  He’s lying dead, clutching Benjamins, never put the money down  He’s stiffening, we’re all whistling, a man we’ll soon forget

Sounds like Ebenezer doesn’t it? This is what I imagine when I read the story of the Father of Lamoni. He was not only a King, but THE King. He had many kingdoms, His son Lamoni was also a king, but still subject to his powerful Father. In my mind, he was not unlike the man in the song. He had money, power, and spent his time celebrating lavishly. That is what was important to him. After all, it was his son’s absence at one of his big time feasts that upset Lamoni’s Father in the first place¹.

Imagine a king that is used to getting his way 100% of the time. He has everything he could possibly want- Money, power, land, subjects, and was probably not used to anyone challenging him- Not even his own son, who was also a king. He didn’t want for, or need anything. Nothing at all. He didn’t depend on any help from anyone. Especially his Father in Heaven.

These types of people usually aren’t exactly humble. Arrogant and prideful is probably a better description. His word was final. No questions. His view of himself was likely dependent on the power he had. His identity was dependent on his wealth, and influence. If his worldly possessions were to be lost, taken, or destroyed, he would, in essence, cease to be who he was. He was his stuff.

This thought is evidenced by the words he spoke against Ammon. He argued against Ammon to his son and said, “Lamoni, thou art going to deliver these Nephites, who are sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our fathers; and now his children are also come amongst us that they may, by their cunning and their lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property²” He emphasized everything in terms of robbing property. Stuff. Thats all he was worried about. If we look at him this way, is it any wonder that when he was up against it, and Ammon had a sword on him, that he only offered half of his kingdom? In his mind, if he lost all he possessed, He, as he saw himself, would be dead anyway because his stuff would be gone.

But, lets fast forward to after he had been taught and understood a new fuller perspective. He had been amazed that Ammon, a Nephite, an enemy, a challenger, had refused to take half of his kingdom. Not only that, but all he wanted was for his companions to be released from prison, and for his new friend King Lamoni to retain his kingdom, and that he (the Father of King Lamoni) would not be displeased with him (King Lamoni).

How surprising must that have been to a man who sees stuff as the only important thing in the world? He probably had a Ebeneezer Scrooge moment right then and there. He must have thought about that continuously until Aaron came and taught him gospel, and further explained the reasons behind why Ammon had done what he had done, and said what he had said.

Only after a new perspective was taught to King Lamoni’s Father, did he see that the worldly wealth, power, and influence that he possessed could not bring him the one thing that all of us want- to be happy. Only after his eyes were really opened did he offer everything that he had. He had tasted the one thing that he knew he lacked, the one thing that money couldn’t buy. Happiness. True, lasting, eternal happiness and joy.

When Aaron taught him the gospel, Im sure he felt it. The spirit testifies of truth and he got a little taste of the real joy that comes through obedience to the gospel, and he wanted it. At any cost. The record says that, “…Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name³.” It probably isn’t that big of a stretch to think that he may have read him the words of Jacob, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy⁴.”

Soon after Aaron finished teaching him, the father of King Lamoni understood. He understood what he had been missing, even though he had everything. This is what he said, “What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy⁵.”

He was now willing to give up, freely (without a sword up to his neck), everything he had to know the joy of the gospel. Remember, he had viewed himself and his worth as being dependent on his possessions. His stuff. He was now willing to part with everything that he thought he WAS, in order to BE something new. He had an eternal perspective. And that was worth far more than anything he could possess.

We all could use a little more eternal perspective, and loosen our grip on the worldly things we possess or work for. The joy we all seek is only found when we give up those parts of us that are stuck in the world, and we let go. Real happiness only comes when we are willingly obedient to our Heavenly Father and His Son. It may be as simple as wanting our treasure to be in heavenly currency instead of earthly coins.

“And whosoever will lose his life in this world, for my sake, shall find it in the world to come⁶.”

1. Alma 20:9
2. Alma 20:13
3. Alma 22:13
4. 2 Nephi 2:25
5. Alma 22:15
6. JST Mathew 16:28

Ornaments and Jewels

10 Friday Jun 2016

Posted by Tyson Alexander in General

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Ornaments 2

Ornament (noun)

An accessory, article, or detail used to beautify the appearance of something to which it is added, or of which it is a part;

Jewel (noun)

A fashioned ornament for personal adornment
A precious possession
A person or thing that is treasured, esteemed, or indispensable

For the majority of my childhood and early adult years – until she passed away a few years ago – my sweet grandmother would give each of her grandchildren a Christmas ornament every single year as a gift. She would write our name and the year somewhere on the ornament so that we knew when it was given to us (and probably so it wouldn’t get confused with the other siblings’ ornaments). Sometimes these ornaments were similar in style or theme, but mostly the ornaments were all very different. Each year at Christmas time, us children would gather our own ornaments from the Christmas box and decorate the tree. This process led to our Christmas tree being completely non-uniform and definitely not color or style coordinated. Between the 8 children (and the many years of life) there were nutcrackers, trumpets, stuffed bears, snow globes, trains, stars, and just about every other thing you could think of all adorning the Christmas tree at the same time. To an uninformed mind, this could have looked a bit cluttered or even lazy – yet now, after many years, I am beginning to understand what it really meant.

I imagine my grandmother spending a significant part of her year, during every shopping trip, thinking about and wondering what type or style of ornament she could get for me. Then I imagine her spending that same amount of time thinking about each of her grandchildren, and the hope that she had that someday they would appreciate and love the gifts that she gave. Writing our individual names on the ornaments, wrapping them one by one with care, and then making the trip to our home where she would present us with the gifts that we each knew was coming. Oh how I wish she could do it again – I would appreciate it much more now.

I like to think that grandma remembers each of these ornaments, every single one, and finds great joy, even now, knowing that each year, her grandchildren pull them out of the Christmas box, see their name written in her unmistakable cursive, and remember her. We remember her love, we remember her life, and we miss her. Then we place them on our own Christmas trees in order to “beautify the appearance of [the tree] to which it is added.” Once the ornaments are placed on the tree, they naturally become a part of the tree, and we all know instinctively that the tree and the ornament belong together, because a tree without ornaments just isn’t a Christmas tree.

The thought of putting on jewels is similar – especially as it relates to a bride. Think of the intense process that a bride goes through on her wedding day to prepare and adorn herself to make sure that everything is perfect, that her beauty is maximized, and that everyone involved will remember the day and the memories. The planning, the preparation, the invitations, the anxiety, and the precious jewels used to highlight and amplify the beauty of the bride. Those jewels become a part of the bride and a part of the celebration and a part of the memories.

In life, we tend to get a bit down on ourselves, especially when we’ve made mistakes or fall short of the perfection we are trying for. One failure can turn into two or three failures, and suddenly there is a bit of a momentous slide and we find ourselves in despair or wondering to ourselves if the Lord even notices, cares, or wants us at all. But, the good news is that he does, and he doesn’t just want us – he needs us – because we ‘beautify’ him.

“Lift up thine eyes round about and behold; all these gather themselves together, and they shall come to thee. And as I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on even as a bride.”¹

He is like the Christmas tree and we are the ornaments that he uses “to beautify” his appearance. We are what he permanently ‘binds’ to himself as decoration. And just like in our house growing up, he doesn’t want any ornaments left in the box – he wants to put them all² on the tree. No matter how many, no matter how different, and no matter what style or shape, he wants to “clothe [himself] with them all.” And just like my grandmother, I know that the savior remembers each ornament, when he engraved³ their name, and he finds absolute joy in the process of putting that ornament on his tree.

But, this is not just for Christmas time – this is for all the times. And just in case you thought I was kidding about how much the Lord loves us – lets appeal to Isaiah (who is never wrong): “my soul shall be joyful in by God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robes of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”⁴

Notes

¹ 1 Ne. 21:18

² As an interesting side note, reflect on how much our children love the process of decorating the tree. How is their love and attitude towards the tree different than ours. We may want it to look something like Lord Business wanted his Lego world to look, and our kids are more like the master builders who are creative and inclusive. We can learn much wisdom from them.

³ Alma 5:19

⁴ Isa. 61:10

I direct mine epistle

07 Tuesday Jun 2016

Posted by Tyson Alexander in General

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elephants

Earlier this year, I wrote about our children being plates, and our duty as parents to ‘labor diligently’ to engrave the important teachings upon them. Since then, I have noticed a few other situations in which we can substitute our role as parents (that includes teachers, leaders, and adults in general) into the stories and characters of the Book of Mormon to make them come alive. In this case, I would like to use one of the most famous letters written in the entire record, and read it as if it was written directly to you (or us, since I am including myself in this audience).

Background for the Book of Mormon story: The year is approx. 62 BC (a.k.a the 30^th year of the reign of the judges) and the Nephites have been battling the Lamanites since Amalickiah dissented and joined the Lamanites and stirred them up to anger which started this monstrous war way back in the 19^th year of the reign of the judges. That means that at this point, these two nations have been battling for over 11 years. The Nephites had just regained several cities on the heels of the miraculous story of the strippling warriors, and yet, in a time when the Nephites should have really finished the Lamanites off and ended the war, the people of Nephihah are driven out by the Lamanites, and both Helaman and Moroni noticed (and are astonished) that the provisions, troops, and support that should have been sent out (that Moroni had assumed had been sent to Nephihah) to each of their respective armies (from their homeland Zarahemla) are much less than what they should be. This leads Moroni (as it did Helaman and his other chief captains) to become “exceedingly sorrowful, and they “began to doubt” if the Nephites would be victorious.

Now let’s pause to understand that Nephi did not doubt the Lord, not one bit. What he did doubt was the righteousness of the people, citizens, and leaders in the entire Nephite nation. He knew 100% that victory can only come with righteousness. He also knew that any Lamanite success was directly related to to the wickedness of his own people (Alma 59:11-13). This situation made Moroni angry – leading him to write a letter to the guy in charge – Pahoran, and that is where we find ourselves in this story.

Background for how that story can relate to our lives: The year is 2016, and the battle between good and evil has been raging on for pretty much as long as there has been people. There have been many successes by good, yet evil keeps taking over cities which we assumed were in safe hands, and it keeps invading families, communities, and our children’s schools that we also assumed were guarded, protected, and safe. This evil has made its way into our homes through various types of media and ‘entertainment’. We could say that evil is gaining the upper hand and people have been forced to flee Nephihah on their way to ‘complain’ to Moroni. So, Moroni writes us (the guys in charge of our children) a letter (found in Alma chapter 60). Let’s assume that Moroni is a representative of the youth of the church. Someone who is knee deep in the battles that our young people face in the world today – and is aware of their condition.

1 … Behold, I direct mine epistle to (insert name) …and also to all those who have been chosen by this people to govern and manage the affairs of this war.

As parents, we were chosen to govern and manage the affairs of this war (between good and evil) and the troops who are fighting in that battle.

2 … Ye have been appointed to gather together men, and arm them with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war of every kind, and send them forth against the Lamanites.

As parents, are we ‘arming’ our children with ‘all manner of weapons of war’? Because the enemy is.

3 … The troops (our children, their friends, the young people of the church) have suffered exceedingly great sufferings; yea, even [spiritual] hunger, thirst, and fatigue, and all manner of afflictions of every kind.

5 … Great has been the slaughter among our people; yea, thousands have fallen by the sword, while it might have otherwise been if ye had rendered unto our armies sufficient strength and succor for them. Yea, great has been your neglect towards us.

Could these verses be any more true about our youth today?

7 Can you think to sit upon your [couches] in a state of thoughtless stupor, while your enemies are spreading the work of death around you?

Are media and other forms of ‘entertainment’ literally blinding us into a ‘thoughtless stupor’ related to the war that is happening all around us? Worse yet, are we allowing the enemy to slip right by us while it is ‘entertaining’ us?

8 They who have looked up to you for protection, yea, have placed you in a situation that ye might have succored them…to have strengthened them…

Who better than parents are ‘in a situation’ (i.e. responsibility) to succor and strengthen our children?

21 Do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our [couches] and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?

I hope we don’t expect the school teachers and/or church leaders to ‘deliver’ or ‘teach’ our children for us…..

22 Yea, will ye sit in idleness while ye are surrounded with thousands of those, yea, tens of thousands who do also sit in idleness, while there are thousands round about… who are falling by the sword, yea, [spiritually] wounded and bleeding?

The image of America sitting on the couch watching TV while Satan and his evil army are attacking, wounding, and killing our youth is a sad reality of this world.

24 Now, repent of that which ye have done (or not done), and begin to be up and doing, and send forth [spiritual] food and men unto us…

25 Show unto me a true spirit of freedom, and strive to strengthen and fortify our armies

27 If there be any among you that has a desire for freedom, yea, if there be even a spark of freedom remaining…

29 Behold it is time, yea, the time is now at hand…

34 Adhere to the word of God and send speedily unto [us] of your provisions…

Moroni is literally pleading with all of us to ‘make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us’. We are the ones who have been placed in the situation as leaders, teachers, and parents of the youth who are so critical to this war in the latter days. We cannot fail them by withholding our support or our provisions. We cannot sit idly by as they are relentlessly attacked, wounded or killed and we cannot allow our homes to become compromised and/or overtaken like Nephihah. We must maintain our fortifications and our protections.

We must govern and manage the affairs of this war. Don’t let the enemy dictate what we do. We must help our children understand that they are in a war – a real war. We cannot be naïve. We cannot downplay the enemy nor his intentions because we – all of us – have been appointed ‘to gather together our [children], and arm them with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war of every kind, and send them forth against the Lamanites’.

Let’s not just send them forth. Let’s work diligently to arm them with all manner of weapons of war, and then – we can send them forth to win.

He knows ‘The Way’

29 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Tyson Alexander in General

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pictures-of-jesus-1128833-wallpaper (1)

Ever since I can remember, I’ve known and sung the words to the children’s song Follow the Prophet. It is a catchy little tune and each verse ends with:

Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet; don’t go astray.

Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet; he knows the way.¹

For basically my whole life I thought ‘the way’ meant the direction or the specific route to travel in order to get from point A to point B. I thought ‘the way’ referred to in this song was similar to me knowing ‘the way’ home from grandma’s house or ‘the way’ to the store – complete with detailed turn by turn instructions and an estimated time of travel. My understanding was probably forged from thinking that if I ‘go astray’ from that path, I would get lost and be unable to make it back home (at least until I re-traced my steps to get back on ‘the way’. I think this idea is true and good – but, I don’t think it’s complete.

Even if that meaning were complete, some people today have become less dependent upon living prophets (or leaders) and have failed to see the critical role they play in our lives. ² This is possibly due to the increased amount of information and history now available to the general public by way of the internet that reveals the (somehow) shocking truth that these prophets and/or leaders were not (in the past) and are not (presently) perfect – which means (to some) that there is no possibility that imperfect men could somehow ‘know the way’ let alone lead us to it.

But, “saying the church and its prophets (or leaders) are not perfect is not the same as saying they are not true. Just the opposite is, in fact, the case according to our understanding of our Heavenly Father’s plan. The prophets cannot be required to be perfect because that would foil the whole purpose of the plan, which is for human beings (including church leaders) to exercise moral agency. In this life we learn through our experience to distinguish good from evil and choose truth over error. If God were to dictate every decision and forcibly instigate every policy, if he refused to allow his church leaders, from prophets to primary presidents, to ever make mistakes or commit sin, he would be defeating his own purpose: to help us learn to use our moral agency to develop our divine nature and become like he is. God treats the church very much like he treats individuals. As we strive to follow him, he intervenes occasionally to provide us with guidance, to warn us from danger, or to admonish us to change direction. Much of the time, however, even for those blessed with the gift of the Holy Ghost or the mantle of prophethood, he teaches us correct principles and allows us to govern ourselves.” ³

Proof of this comes in in the Book of Mormon – just read 1 Ne. chapter 16. It’s the story of Nephi’s broken bow; where everyone seemed to be murmuring at their present circumstances – including the prophet/leader Lehi. Nephi didn’t assume that everything Lehi had ever taught him was suddenly incorrect because he had seen Lehi made a mistake or be less than perfect, nor did the Lord remove Lehi from his place or prophetic calling at the first sight of mortal failing – Nephi just humbly and patiently asked for his counsel on where to go. We can all learn so much from Nephi.

Can we begin to understand that ‘the way’ may not be as detailed a step by step directional knowledge as we had hoped? And if it’s not that – then what is it? The answer (like all the answers) is in the scriptures. In John 14:6, Jesus says “I am the way”, and in 2 Ne. 31:21 Nephi tells us that “he [Christ] is ‘the way’, and there is none other way nor name given whereby men can be saved.” This means that ‘the way’ is a person as much as it is a route or a direction.

“God’s [true] prophets never set themselves up as the light but rather stand on the mountain pointing people to the true Light. Prophets instruct people to learn from their teachings and from their lives, which include many wonderful acts of righteousness as well as the sin and error that are the lot of all humanity. In that way prophets doubly fulfill their calling to encourage all in the sound of their voice to become perfected in and through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Prophets are not called to save us; they are called to lead us to the Savior.” ⁴ They show us The Way.

So, the next time we sing “follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet, he knows the way”, let us understand that we are recognizing and testifying that our beloved leaders indeed know, and are pointing us to The Way – and are inviting us to ‘come unto Him’.

Notes

¹ Childrens songbook, 110.

²I make no mention of the need for prophets and apostles in order to have the priesthood authority for temple work, ordinances, etc. This is an absolute need which I do not mean to discount, it just isn’t part of this particular thought and need for prophets to ‘show us the way.’

³ Patrick Q. Mason, in Planted (pg. 108)

⁴ Ibid (pg. 105)

4 Brothers Blog

Category Archives: General

“I Am a Nephite.”

I Wanna Be Like Tikes

Judgment

Debbie vs Reba and the Rad Fads that Ended Up Bad

Felonies and Bended Knees

Trust to Grow

Ebenezer Scrooge and Ukuleles

Ornaments and Jewels

I direct mine epistle

He knows ‘The Way’

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