Stranger Things Have Happened

26 Sunday Jun 2022

Posted by Colby Alexander in Agency, Battle, Example, Freedom, General, Obedience, Opposition, Pride, TV

As is well documented on this blog, gospel lessons can come from anywhere. Sometimes they are obvious, and sometimes not so much. Sometimes, while watching a Netflix series about awkward nerds saving the world from the threats of an unknown realm called the Upside Down and its real life monster versions of Dungeons and Dragons bad guys, we can notice character similarities to the Old Testament progression of the Kings of Israel, …or is that just me?

Well, Stranger Things have happened (in best Dad joke voice).

Lucas, Mike, Eleven, and Dustin react to Dad Joke

Everyone loves a good story. They help us connect to each other through the shared experience. The key to good storytelling is to base the conflict on the real struggles of everyday life. This is how we really identify with the characters, and internalize the story. In today’s society, our stories are told not only through books, but movies, and tv shows. Some are good, and some are not so good.

If we can relate to the struggle, or see similarities in our own lived experiences, we are drawn to it, connect to it, and have a vested interest in the resolution. These stories detail how our heroes defy the odds, fight through the turmoil, and overcome the conflict. We all find inspiration, courage and even hope in these stories. Somehow, we want to incorporate our favorite character’s ability to overcome into our own personal struggles. That is what makes us love the stories and the characters within them.

I’m not saying that we often find ourselves caught in a battle with Vecna, the powerful psychokinetic Wizard trying to grow his power to take over the world through thought control. But, we are all caught in a constant back and forth between right and wrong, and good and evil. Sometimes this battle occurs more overtly with our relationship challenges with one another. Sometimes the struggle is internal within the boundaries of our own heart and mind.

This ancient struggle between right and wrong that occurs inside each of us happens in a very specific way. This battle is over which of our human character traits will be in the driver’s seat in control of our everyday actions. Will we overcome our natural selves, and choose to have honesty, integrity and love control us? Or will be falter, and revert back into our base, natural inclination for selfishness, greed, and passive lethargy?

This particular struggle has been at play inside the human heart for a very, very long time.

This is, of course, where the ancient stories of Saul, David, and Solomon, combine with the slightly more contemporary, albeit entirely fictional, Lucas Sinclair to teach us about this character control struggle.

Lucas Sinclair

First, because Lucas does not currently have a book in the Old Testament, we should all get up to speed on his story. He is one of the characters on the Netflix series, Stranger Things. He plays one of several nerdy boys who spend their time playing Dungeons and Dragons in the basement. This series takes place in the 1980’s, so it obviously precedes video games. We find him in seasons 1-3 utilizing his, and his friends’ nerdy D&D skills and knowledge to fight off attacks from Demogorgans, the Shadow Monster, a.k.a. the Mind Flayer, and some Russians who have taken over the local mall. Through their collective efforts, and Eleven’s amazing mind power, victory was secured.

Season 4 is different. Lucas has now “grown up” and is part of the school’s basketball team. He is not a star, far from it actually. He’s a benchwarmer. He is also desperate for approval and acceptance into the cool kids popular crowd. He sees the basketball team as his ticket out of nerddom, and into the cool circles he only dreamed of before.

Through a wild series of events, Lucas finds himself in the very unlikely scenario where he is forced to choose between his basketball team’s championship game, or his friends Dungeons and Dragons championship match. They are held at the same exact time. Lucas chooses basketball, which is devastating to his friends.

Somehow, Lucas manages to not only play in the basketball game, but he makes the game winning shot at the buzzer, instantly rocketing him up the popularity ladder into stardom.

This scene is one of cinematic mastery. Tense music backdrops both the scenes of Lucas’s final shot, and the final roll in the Dungeons and Dragons challenge match. His basketball heroics are painstakingly highlighted through slow motion focus, concurrently and perfectly congruent to the highlights of the nerd’s game. Slow motion scenes cut back and forth as the highlights simultaneously peak in crescendoed victory in both diametrically opposed games of skill.

With that newfound stardom, however, Lucas is forced to abandon his longtime friends in order to join the cool basketball kids, and soon finds himself actively fighting against these friends in the story.

He is torn between where he has been, where he is, and where he wants to be. Ultimately, Lucas’ true character shines through, and he overcomes the temptation and superficial allure of popularity and fame, and he rejoins his longtime friends in their collective fight against their enemy. He chose to let the right character drive his actions. What a story.

Not all stories have such a happy ending. And especially the stories we will talk about today. But we can learn from negative experiences just as easily as we can from positive ones. From our list above, there are three other examples to learn from. This time, lets look at the three successive kings of Israel in the Old Testament.

Saul, David, and Soloman were all kings of Israel. All of them started their lives, and reigns, in much the same way. They were all chosen because they possessed the character needed to be a righteous king. They were humble, full of faith and relied on the God of Israel. Lets take a peek at each one…

Saul

Saul was chosen as the first King of Israel. He was described as, “a choice young man, …and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he…”. He was chosen by God who, “gave him another heart…and the Spirit of God came upon him…” (1 Samuel 10:9,10).

So far, so good.

The prophet Samuel, who anointed Saul to be King, when prophesying of the blessings of obedience, did leave him and the people of Israel some advice. Maybe we could call it foreshadowing?

Samuel warned, “Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.” (1 Samuel 12:25)

Yikes.

So, what happened to Saul? How did this ancient story play out? How did the internal battle for control of his actions end up? Would he rejoice in ultimate victory and celestial bliss?

Well, If we fast forward just a few chapters, we get this…

“…and there was a javelin in Saul’s, hand. And Saul cast the javelin, for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it.” (1 Samuel 18:10,11)

Hmm. That’s not good. Sounds like an Old Testament version of pin the tail on the donkey. Saul degenerated From humble, goodly, faithful beginnings to attempted murder. How did he get there?

Let’s look at two examples that may shed light on the slow methodical nature of Saul’s fall. Neither one may seem all that big of a deal, but together, and likely among a host of other small decisions, it proved enough to change his heart and mind. This change of heart then was enough to alter his actions. These actions then led to a person unrecognizable to his younger self. How did he let the wrong internal Saul take control?

First, let’s glance into the experience he had while waiting for the prophet Samuel to come and offer a sacrifice to the Lord before a battle that was looming. Samuel had instructed Saul, the leader of the army, to wait, and that he would come at a specific time to offer a sacrifice in the army’s behalf.

When Samuel was late, Saul took it upon himself to offer the sacrifice for Samuel. Saul was king, not prophet. He was not authorized to offer sacrifice. By now, he was likely used to being obeyed, and having events revolve around him, and his timeline. He likely would have been pressured by those around him to do it himself. He was a king after all. He was the one that should dictate when and how things should be done.

How far off was his thought process? He just wanted to make sure the Lord was on his side, didn’t he? But, he had overstepped. He had relied less on faith, and trust in God’s prophet, and more on the arm of flesh, or the perceived reality and pressure of the moment.

When confronted by Samuel, Saul explained why he had proceeded on his own, “because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice” (1 Samuel 15:24). He was worried about what other people would think of him. Sounds like a modern problem as well.

Saul had lost his blessing. Later the scriptures elaborate, “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit [which was not of] the Lord troubled him”. (1 Samuel 16:14)

This absence of the spirit of the Lord in Saul’s heart left it to be filled with opposing sentiments. Anger, greed, and jealousy took its place. This doesn’t usually happen overnight, it takes multiple, small, and consistent choices, changes, and allowances to let the natural man to take over. But, once we invite it in, the floodgates open.

Fast forward a little bit. Now Saul, and his newly named successor, David, are returning from battling the Philistines. Saul overheard the women in his city saying, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him…”

Now Saul was really jealous. He couldn’t stand to be disrespected. He was offended that David got more credit than he did. He wanted to be the most revered, the most adored, the biggest and the best. He wanted to be perceived as the most powerful. He now allowed the full natural man, the jealous man, the greedy man to drive his actions. His next act was throwing a javelin at David. The wrong Saul was driving the actions. The internal battle was lost. He spent the rest of his life trying to destroy David. Small, seemingly insignificant choices eventually led to a complete change in character.

David

The aforementioned David is our next example. He was the perfect poster child for early potential. The same Samuel the Prophet who had called and anointed Saul, had called and anointed David to be the next King, after Saul and his line proved unworthy.

We know, of course, of his early days when he used the power of faith in God to slay the Giant Goliath with a sling and stones.

David and Goliath – Bible — Image by © Lebrecht Authors/Lebrecht Music & Arts/Lebrecht Music & Arts/Corbis

Throughout David’s life he proved again and again to be a capable warrior and King. He became king of all Israel, united its kingdoms under a single banner, and moved the capital to Jerusalem. He even made plans to move the Tabernacle and the ark of the covenant there and wanted to build a permanent temple. David recognized all along who had given him success.

“And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways. and the Lord was with him.”(1 Samuel 18:14), and was “a man after the [Lord’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14)

Until he wasn’t. He slipped and allowed personal gratification with Bathsheba, and the subsequent aftermath with Uriah to ruin it all.

He had allowed a single moment, or a series of lead-up moments, to derail his ultimate potential. What a king he could have been. But, he chose to open himself up to be driven, and influenced by the natural inclination towards selfishness, and instant gratification. Good David lost the internal battle of will to Bad David. And, If it can happen to him, it can happen to any of us. It takes constant, continuous, cognizant, and relentless hard work to fend off temptation, pride, and the natural man. These choices happen every single day. They seem small, but are meaningful.

Although the promise of his exaltation was lost (Doctrine and Covenants 132:39), David did try and reconcile with God for the rest of his life. He continued to worship the God of Israel, and charged his son Solomon to keep the Lord’s commandments when he passed on his throne. “And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgements, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest…” (1 Kings 2:3)

Solomon

As David’s son, Soloman also learned from an early age to worship and love God. After he was named king, he remained humble, and relied on the special gifts God had blessed him with. “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as at the sand this is on the sea shore.” (1 Kings 4:29)

Not only was Solomon the smartest guy in the world, he was one of the kindest. He, and Israel were blessed immensely. He built a temple and dedicated it to the Lord. He had not one, but two visions where he saw the Lord in dreams.

In his dedicatory prayer for the newly constructed temple, he admonished his people to, “…know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else. Let you heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.” (1 Kings 8:60,61).

However, Solomon didn’t take his own advise. only a few chapters later, we read, “But king Solomon loved many strange (foreign) women…of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love…And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart… For it came to pass, that when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods:.. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord…” (1 Kings 11:1-6)

He even built high places unto these other gods, and sacrificed unto them. Yikes. I guess he went all in.

To us in 2022, this may seem like an easy thing to avoid. We may think, “well, at least I’m not building a temple to some weird gods named Ashteroth, Milcom, Chemosh, and Molech. I’m in good shape.”

But, if we look into what those gods represented at that time, and how they were worshipped, it’s not so different from what is “worshipped” today in ever increasing numbers.

Overall, Solomon had allowed himself to be compromised. He had allowed himself to stray too far from the doctrine of God. He spent more and more time concentrating, and validating the beliefs of others than he did feeding his own faith. This allowed the truth to dwindle in his own heart, and fed the natural man and his indulgence.

In time, Solomon’s commitment to truth wavered. Subsequently, the blessings that came because of his commitment to the truth, were taken away. He lost the blessings because he lost sight of the source of the blessings. What a shame.

So what can we learn from these stories? What is the takeaway? How can we be more like the young versions of Saul, David, Solomon, and even Lucas?

The one glaring principle that is taught in flashing neon lights in these stories is one we read in the Doctrine and Covenants…

“We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:39)

So how do we avoid the fates of Saul, David, and Solomon?

We can recognize that we are in a battle. We are fighting everyday for control over our heart and actions. We can recognize that every little decision we make can have lasting, far reaching influence on our own future, or even the future of our family. We can recognize that if we really want to reach our full potential, we have to limit that base, natural man that wants us to succumb to our lesser characteristics.

“For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” (Mosiah 3:19)

We can recognize that we can never relax into a state of comfortable complacency, no matter how strong we are today. We can recognize that fidelity to God and his Gospel strengthens us, and develops the character traits that provide protection against rage and ruin, and provides infinite potential for the world to come.

We can decide now to reject the worldly thoughts, ideas, and temptations that will surely come to us with ever increasing frequency and power. We can look for the modern iterations of the false gods that plagued ancient Israel.

We can recognize that without God, or his blessings, we are nothing. Without God, our intelligence and understanding are limited, our strength is temporary, and our happiness is fleeting.

We can recognize the source of every single blessing we enjoy. We can recognize our own weaknesses and predispositions and actively seek to fortify them. We can decide, and choose which characteristics we will allow to inform, and guide our actions.

We can recognize that we have the power of choice, and we “are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. … I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto this great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit” (2 Nephi 2:27,28)

I hope we all take the time to watch our step, and focus on each small decision we make every day so that we can fight off the natural man, and his pernicious, poisonous pitfalls.

Up is Down

22 Wednesday Jun 2016

Posted by Colby Alexander in Knowledge, Opposition, Poems, Prophets

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One of the most quoted scenes in all of star wars is the one where Obi-Wan Kenobi does his famous Jedi mind trick line “These are not the droids you are looking for.”

In this scene, Obi-Wan and Luke are entering the city of Mos Eisley along with their two droids C3PO and R2D2. They are subsequently stopped in order to be searched by several storm troopers. These storm troopers are on the lookout for two droids that fit the exact description of the two riding with Luke and Obi-Wan. Even though the storm troopers are looking directly at them, Obi-Wan simply uses the power of the Force to put thoughts into their minds, and gets their minds to disagree with their eyes. Obi-wan waves his hand and says, “These aren’t the droids your looking for”, the storm trooper then replies, “these aren’t the droids we are looking for”, and they are allowed to pass without any problem. In case you live under a rock, here is a clip to fill you in…

Wouldn’t this be the sweetest power ever? To simply insist that what is right in front of someone else, isn’t really there, and then have them believe you? Talk about every teenager’s dream at “is your room clean?” time.

Unfortunately for us and our society, this is happening. Everyday. Right in front of our eyes. And while the Jedi were able to use this mind trick to deceive their enemies and fight for the good guys, today’s mind tricks are being used by the bad guys. We are living in a very upside down society. Our world seems to demean, and vilify traditional values and beliefs. While, at the same time, our society often praises, labels “courageous” and even honors sinful behavior.

Traditional marriage is portrayed as old fashioned, or a waste of time. “Its not worth getting married if we can live together anyway, right?”. ”Its just easier when we break up if we aren’t actually married”. This mindset proliferates our society simultaneously while same sex marriage is praised as an accomplishment and progress towards a more ideal society.

Religious freedom is being attacked. The freedom to believe what you want is being labeled as “intolerant”. By just believing a certain behavior is sinful, you are being intolerant, and discriminatory. In a country that was originally founded on religious freedom, and acted as a sanctuary for those persecuted for their beliefs, it is almost inconceivable how much our country has changed since the pilgrims landed here in the 1600’s.

It is now essentially illegal in public schools to pray, repeat the pledge of allegiance because it mentions God, sing Christmas songs, or even say “Merry Christmas”. This is seen as a constitutional violation of the establishment clause. Its not even called “Christmas” anymore, its “Winter break”. If you do choose to try and pray, like this football coach, or this teacher, you will be either fired, disciplined, or publicly shamed or humiliated. Somehow, this seems backward.

This “establishment clause” is found in the first amendment to the Constitution and says this, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” Does banning prayer, and Christmas trees, along with labeling Christian beliefs as discriminatory sound like “prohibiting the free exercise of religion”? It does to me. Never mind the fact that in that very first congress that passed this bill of rights, and this amendment, opened their sessions with a prayer.

Tolerance is preached to include any and all types of behaviors and lifestyles that may not be in line with traditional Judeo-Christian values, yet these same preachers are often viciously intolerant of anyone espousing traditional beliefs. Its completely upside down. These are not the droids we are looking for. We are right in the middle of a massive Jedi mind trick, and it’s not good.

We have to realize what is happening in order to prevent it. We have to realize that our freedom to worship is key to our ability to follow God’s commandments. This has all been seen before, and foretold in the scriptures. This is the very reason we need to read them. We have to wake up to the fact, that our day, today, is the backwards time that Isaiah writes about. Isaiah is a great source for us because he saw everything, from the beginning to the end, he saw the whole movie, and tells us all about how this whole thing goes down. This is a little about what he saw from our part in the movie…

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that … justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.”

-Isaiah 5:20-24

In the Book of Mormon, Jacob teaches us all about this same scene. Jacob, like Isaiah, Nephi, John and others, saw everything. From the beginning, to the end. His movie review is similar to Isaiah’s. He writes…

“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

Knowing and recognizing that this is all part of the prophesied movie of the world, and knowing what the ending is like, can help us be more committed to the gospel. If we just open our eyes and view the world around us through the lens of the gospel, it will become more and more clear. We are in some not so good times. But, we also live during a great time. We know more, have access to, and can enjoy all the words of all the prophets and apostles easier than at any other time in the history of the world. It just so happens that the world outside the gospel is becoming less and less interested in anything spiritual.

While the world around us makes it harder and harder, we can all still be tolerant of one another’s beliefs. We can, and should love everybody, regardless of who they are, what they believe, or how they live. If we are trying to be like Christ, we should treat everyone just as He would. But, we must also be aware that compromising our beliefs to fit in with the popular crowd will only put us upside down, and backwards, instead of pushing forward steadfastly¹. Let’s try even harder than we do now, to “hearken unto the counsels of God²”, and try to stay forward and upright, in a backwards, and upside down world.

Up is Down

This world will say that up is down,
that perfect smiles are “special” frowns.

That right is wrong, and wrong is right,
The night is day, and day is night.

That sweet is bitter, wet is dry,
left is right, low is high-

The answer to this craziness,
is dedicated righteousness,

But far too many learned men,
would have us look away from Heav’n.

Where truth, real peace, and comfort lie,
Instead, we hear the desperate cries.

Of all the lost, throughout this land,
Who put their faith in mammon’s³ hand.

What’s in, is out. And out, is in.
intolerance the only sin.

Where evil has a pretty face,
enticing into death’s embrace.

with chains that bind us quietly,
and lead us down so carefully⁴.

He lies, deceives, to trick our eyes,
“All is Well⁵” is his disguise.

But we must keep our eyes ahead,
And heed the words our prophets said,

Defending what we know is right,
And face the wind! Steadfast! Upright!

2 Nephi 31:20
2 Nephi 9:29
Mathew 6:24
2 Nephi 28:21
2 Nephi 28:21

The Master of Ocean and Earth and Skies

26 Thursday May 2016

Posted by Colby Alexander in Battle, Divinity, Example, General, Humility, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, Loyalty, Obedience, Opposition, Optimism, Patience, Power, Pride, Prophets, Strength, Success, Weakness, Weather

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Everyday life is full of gospel lessons. They are everywhere. You just have to look for them. Who would have ever thought that even Saturday morning cartoons could teach us about the Savior and His power! Yes, even Donald Duck can teach us.

I want to share a certain scripture and then go on to explain how the lesson in this scripture can be shown in a Donald Duck cartoon, and then how it came to life in another powerful way in the late 1700’s. It will be a bit like Bill and Ted’s excellent gospel adventure. Hang on.

The scripture is in Luke. Chapter 8 verse 25. This is Jesus and his desciples speaking in a boat. Jesus had just calmed the angry seas during a sudden storm on their way across a certain lake, simply by commanding them to be still…

“And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! For he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him”?

This is the same story that inspired the Hymn “Master, the Tempest is Raging”. The lyrics are a perfect set up for the rest of this post. Especially the part about the late 1700’s. Here is the second verse, and the chorus…

Master, with anguish of spirit
I bow in my grief today.
The depths of my sad heart are troubled.
Oh, waken and save, I pray!
Torrents of sin and of anguish
Sweep o’er my sinking soul,
And I perish! I perish! dear Master.
Oh, hasten and take control!

The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:
Peace, be still.
Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea
Or demons or men or whatever it be,
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean and earth and skies.
They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
Peace, be still; peace, be still.
They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
Peace, peace, be still.

The cool part of the story and the hymn, is that we learn that the Savior has power over everything! Including the winds, water, weather, and all the elements. We learn the same lesson in the Book of Mormon when Lehi and Nephi are crossing the ocean, and Laman and Lemuel tie Nephi up so they can have their little dance party. Only by repenting, releasing Nephi, and a subsequent petition sent to the Master of earth and skies, does the storm cease! The weather is controlled by the Lord!

Now, back to Saturday morning cartoons. In this next little clip, Donald learns all about this same principle. Sometimes the weather does funny things. Things that don’t exactly make sense. It can be sunny one second, and rainy the next. Check this out…..

Donald Duck learns the hard way that weather can only be controlled by the Lord! Normal men cannot be blamed, nor take the credit for good, or bad weather! Its God’s little way of making sure that He alone is responsible for it. When He doesn’t want you to go golfing in sunny weather, you don’t go!

Now, lets rewind to the year 1776. General George Washington had picked a fight with the largest most powerful Army/Navy/Military in the world at the time. Great Britain. He’s got a bunch of volunteer farmers fighting for him, who aren’t exactly striking fear into the British. The odds are that the “war” will be over in about 10 minutes, it was like Mike Tyson vs Steve Urkel. The Rebel soldiers had no chance. They weren’t as well trained, well equipped, or as numerous. The one thing they did have on their side, however, was the Master of Ocean and Earth and Skies! This is how He played his part….

Example 1. The Battle of Dorchester heights. This little battle was just outside of Boston. The British had taken control of the port city, and Washington and his little army was just outside wondering what on earth they could possibly do to fight and not get blown away. One of Washington’s colonels, Henry Knox, had heard that way over in New Jersey the Americans had captured some Cannons and supplies, and that if he could go see if he could get them to Boston, They might have a chance. Washington sent him off, and a few months later, Henry Knox returned with 120,000 pounds of morters and cannon. But here is where the details of the story go right along with Donald Duck. After getting to Fort Ticonderoga where the Cannons had been taken, he built sleds to transport them back to Boston, although no snow was on the ground. That took faith. He then waited several days, until Christmas Day, when a blizzard hit, and the Hudson river froze over, allowing for easy crossing. By January 1776 his delivery was made. The customized weather allowed the quick transport all the way back to Boston. But, that wasn’t all. More heavenly weather would come!

Henry Knox

The new cannon had to be sent to the top of the Hill to overlook and bomb Boston. The only problem was, if the British saw the Americans hauling cannons up the hill, they would have attacked with their huge numbers, and mopped the floor with them. So, of course, the Lord sent a heavenly haze to conceal their move up to Dorchester Heights above Boston, right in front of the British lines. Unseen. But, the Lord wasn’t done yet.

Washington now had his cannon on top of the hill, but was still way outnumbered by the British. General Howe, the British commander, then decided to send his War-boats to cross the harbor and attack Washington’s spot on the hill. But, as the British sent the boats off, the day, which had started abnormally warm and pleasant, changed by nightfall into a storm that Washington’s officers called the “hurrycane” of hail, snow, and sleet!

Two British boats were blown ashore. One American Leutenant said it was the worst storm he had ever seen. Talk about a bad day. Just to add salt to the wound, after these divine weather interventions, there happened to be a sudden outbreak of small pox in Boston where the British troops were stationed. They had seen enough, they were just like Donald Duck trying to golf, and soon thereafter said, “peace out” and left Boston!

The British were stunned. But if we look back and examine it through gospel lenses, we see a pattern that is forming. Consider this scripture in 2 Nephi. Its describing the wealthy, powerful, and worldly. See if it fits in this context…

“And the harp, and the aviol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.”

-2 Nephi 15:12

Example 2. Escape from Brooklyn Heights. Washington’s tactics in the war were often just a matter of not getting wiped of the face of the earth. More like a prevent defense, or not losing, rather than going for the knockout win. One of these grand escapes was in Brooklyn. This miracle happened after Washington’s troops were surrounded and cornered on 3 sides by British soldiers, and blocked off by the East river on the 4th side. The British Navy had hundreds of ships in New York Harbor and was sending ships up the river to completely surround Washington’s troops. He had already lost 25% of his army in the previous days of fighting. It was pretty hopeless. The war would be over in those next 10 minutes. Well, not exactly. Maybe just as soon as the rain stopped pounding the area, making it impossible to keep the powder dry, or even move in the mud. No knockout attacks were possible. Weird huh? Not really, if we know who sent the rain!

For some reason, Washington decided to wait for 3 days, then, on the 3rd night, attempt a daring overnight escape. All the troops will be silently sent across the East river on small boats. The same river that the British were coming up in order to surround them. It was supposed to be game over. The British only had one single problem. The Lord was on the American side. And, again, being all powerful, He controls the weather!

That night, an abnormal northeasterly wind picked up, preventing the British ships from being able to come up the river to cut off Washington’s escape. Then at 9 pm, the wind shifted and blew to the west to help Washington’s boats escape. When morning came, not all the troops were across yet, so, not a problem, the Lord sent a fog so thick that “no one could see a man even 6 yards away” but this fog was only on the long island side of the river, on the New York side, it was clear as a bell. As the last of the boats entered the water, the fog started to lift, and the British moved in, only to find an abandoned camp! The timing was so perfect, that the British even took a few shots at the last boats that were just out of range.

Washington’s 9000 men escaped! And just to make sure the British didn’t immediately follow and destroy them the next day, a fire broke out in the city just in time to take away the British soldiers attention.

What was it exactly that made the Americans different? Why did the Lord help them, and not the British?

Two simple reasons stand out. First, America is a covenant land. The Jaradites were lead here, the Mulekites were lead here, and the Nephites were lead here. To this land. For that reason alone, we know that “inasmuch as ye keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land”! The covenant stands even today. The covenant is for the land, not only the people on it.

The second reason was that Washington was not your everyday commander. He was a very religious man. He understood exactly who was ultimately in control of the outcome of the war. He knew that “Providence” was America’s only hope for victory. He demanded that his men lived virtuously. He demanded that they watched their language, that they had scripture study, and that they prayed to petition the help of the Master of ocean and earth and skies! He was just like Moroni, and Mormon. He knew that his soldiers needed to be worthy of the blessings of Heaven, or they had no chance. They were completely dependent on Him. Sound familiar? Sounds just like the people of Limhi, and the people of Ammon, and the People of Alma. History really does repeat itself.

That is why America won the war. She was led by a man who understood that God was in charge. During his inaugural address, Washington said this…

“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency”

Remember, the Lord needed a nation built on religious freedom in order to garner in His last dispensation of the gospel. The United States constitution was ratified and officially binding in 1788, only 17 years later, in 1805, Joseph Smith was born.

No matter how helpless the situation may seem, we can learn the lessons over and over both in the scriptures and out. Gods people will prevail. Our loyalty needs to be to Him. He will never forget them. Even when its raining! Let’s always try to be worthy to be called His People.

“And the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve;”

-Moses 7:61

Lessons I Learned from Cactus

03 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by Colby Alexander in General, Opposition

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XJ900 shoes (no photos of Stadia shoes were available, apparently they were so bad no photographic evidence of their existence has survived)

When I was a kid, one of the most important decisions in life was which pair of shoes would I wear. One such occasion, it was time again for new shoes. I remember going to the mall with my Dad and looking for the best, sweetest, coolest shoes I could find. This was about the same time as Michael Jordan was becoming the most famous guy on the planet, and the cool shoe revolution was just beginning. Shoes had gone through the dark age years of Converse chuck Taylors and had blossomed into the Nike, and Reebok world of athlete sponsored awesomeness. I was on point. I would find the best shoes on the planet, and I would use their inherent powers to catapult myself into the dreamworld of NBA stardom.

When I saw the pair I wanted, my Dad looked at them and said, “Um, those are cool, but what about those Michael Jordan shoes right there?” I had looked past the best shoes on the planet, the shoes that the man himself wore while dominating feeble opponents in the NBA, and chosen a slightly lessor known brand known as “Stadia”. That is not a typo. Stadia. I had chosen some shoes that looked awesome, that were flashy, and that caught my eye and had called to me in a voice saying, “I will jettison you into unimaginable realms of basketball greatness”. I then waved off my Dad’s concerned council to “make sure that’s what you want, because those are Michael Jordan’s shoes right there” and doubled down on the Stadias. Good move? Have you ever heard of Stadias? Didn’t think so.

Fast forward two and a half months. Im now on our annual deer hunting trip to the far east border of Utah by Colorado. Tyson and I, still under the requisite real hunting age of 14, are prowling around our camp with our vintage pellet gun hunting for anything that moved. We were basically a two-man Seal Team 6 in training protecting our trailer camp circle from grizzly bears, cougars, wolves, Yetis, and bloodthirsty terrorists.

cactus-blooms

Then the inevitable happened. My shoes, now a mere 10 weeks old, proved to be worth every penny that was spent on them. I accidentally stepped directly into a cactus, and the hole that had formed around my big toe in the preceding 10 week period of NBA prep didn’t even slow the cactus needles down. I immediately fell to the earth in pain, and hobbled back to camp with Tyson as the first casualty in the war, having been defeated by nature itself. My grandma then spent the next two hours trying to fish out the needles from my big toe all while cussing my dad out for not buying me good shoes.

So, it was then that I learned two lessons. One, you get exactly what you pay for, and two, Its easy to be deceived. Flashy looks don’t always equal quality. I had been deceived and fallen for a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Stadia shoes were not as good as Jordans, they were actually only slightly better than wrapping toilet paper around my feet. Those shoes and the Stadia brand then went the way of Milli Vanilli, and faded into the archives of knockoff failures, all while Michael Jordan was winning slam dunk contests and scoring titles.

For us, the principle stays the same. Its easy to be deceived. That is what Satan does. He creates a knockoff brand for just about every good product put out by our Savior. For every lds.org, there are thousands of sites with online filth. For every hymn there are scores of demeaning songs on the radio. For every delicious raspberry, there is a disgusting sprig of Asparagus. For every good influence there are a bazillion awful ones. He tries to get us to buy the Stadia brand shoes so that we will hobble off the playing field with a big toe full of cacti.

Just look at what is termed “acceptable” in our society today in relation to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We see Satan’s false products everywhere. Who has the “flashier” more popular definition of marriage? Who has the “coolest” lifestyle? Which type of music, movies, and all types of media receive all the awards from the critics? Who is labeled as the hero between the loving father and the man who decides to change his gender? We are all inundated with endless false products shoved at us from all sides.

We cant fall for his antics anymore. We have to realize that the real truth is the only thing that lasts. Sometimes the truth seems a little less flashy, or popular, or politically correct, but in the end, its the only thing that perseveres. Eventually, all of Satan’s faulty, false, showy, knockoff products will fall apart, and fade into the archives right next to Stadia shoes, Milli Vanilli records, and Asparagus.

The real lasting products that are right in front of us are the scriptures (especially the Book of Mormon), prayer, our families, our spouses, our kids, and the gospel. These are built to last forever, and the sooner we realize that and change ourselves to be consumers of these lasting products, the sooner we will get to experience real happiness that lasts, and become more like the Savior, who is, after all, our real Hero.

D&C 46:8 Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;

The Divine Duality of Adversity

22 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by Colby Alexander in atonement, Faith, General, Opposition, Patience

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Sports can teach us almost anything. Growing up, I played baseball, basketball, football, golf, pickle ball, wiffle ball, and, everyone’s favorite 5th grade sport, butt ball. Each one of these sports taught me about how to work hard, practice, work as a team, and all of those happy feel good things that are common to sport analogies. But, it also taught me about the reality of loss, pain, sorrow, discouragement, and disappointment.

In today’s society, there seems to be a growing trend to try and shelter our kids from these realities. We give out trophies to all who participate, no one gets thrown out at first, no one loses, and no one wins. We do this to make sure that we don’t hurt anyone’s feelings. The problem with this thinking, is that it can create a false bubble of reality where nothing but contrived happiness and joy exists and never teaches the lessons of how to process the reality of losing, or the unavoidable disappointment that life will bring.

When we do this, we find ourselves just like the inside of Riley’s head in the movie, Inside Out, where “Joy” the happy emotion, tries to completely eliminate “Sadness” from ever having any kind of control over Riley’s emotions, she tries to protect Riley from ever feeling anything but joy. A great idea right? But, in the end, Joy realizes that sadness is not only acceptable, but an essential necessity to feel the complete fullness of joy. The contrast, or recovery from sadness, is what highlights true happiness in its fullness.

Some of us go through challenges that are nothing short of devastating. For some, the disappointment or sorrow hits hard as in when a child passes away. For others its watching a son or daughter lose their way. Some circumstances seem almost unbearable, with no hope for any good to come of them. What do we do then? How do we deal with devastation? We need help. We cannot do it alone. That is the whole point of passing through disappointment, and sorrow, or pain and suffering. We are supposed to learn from them.

These scenarios have played out since the beginning of time, and they will continue. Lets just look at a few examples of adversity and painful things happening, even to good and righteous people…

Mormon was the prophet and military leader that knowingly watched as his entire people ignored his inspired pleas for repentance, and openly chose wickedness. These were his people, the very ones for which he was responsible. His teaching fell upon deaf and rebellious ears, and 230,000 of his men, the Nephites, were slaughtered in a single battle. They were completely wiped out by the Lamanites, because they chose wickedness. We can only imagine the disappointment and sorrow he felt. He wrote, “O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord!..how could ye have rejected that Jesus who stood with open arms to receive you! How is it that ye could have fallen! But, Behold ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return.” (Mormon 6:16-19)

Moroni, Mormon’s son, also witnessed this last great battle as a captain over 10,000 men. He then watched as the Lamanites killed his father, and turned after him. He then spent the remaining years of his life completely alone, running for his life.

Ether, a Jaradite prophet, just like Mormon and Moroni, witnessed the entire wicked self destruction of his people when they refused to listen to his pleadings for their repentance. The great final battle claimed the lives of over 2 million men women and children. They not only rejected his teachings, but tried to kill him for doing so.

There are countless examples of devastating disappointments and sorrows. How did they deal with them? How did they continue to go forward while it seemed everything in the world was against them, even though they were doing what was right?

Think of it this way, what positives came of the examples of Mormon, Moroni, and Ether? What can we learn from them? Mormon, and Moroni both penned some of the most powerful chapters in the Book of Mormon, probably at the same time they were dealing with the destruction of their people. Moroni’s promise, that has led to the spiritual conversion of countless people, was written while completely alone, wandering in the wilderness. One of the best chapters in scripture on the principle of faith was written by the prophet Ether as he watched his people completely self destruct. Sometimes bad things do happen to good or great people, but sometimes great things come from it.

Part of life is understanding that we will have problems, that we will lose, we will be dealt a crap sandwich once in a while. But, what do we do with that crap sandwich? Do we bury our head in the sand and give up? Or, do we try to deal with it like the best chef’s on Chopped, and add bacon, chipotle peppers, and transform that crap sandwich into a chorizo preschutto, drizzled with a poblano pepper aoli?

The Lord told Joseph Smith while he was illegally imprisoned in the Liberty Jail, “that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” (D&C 122:7)

The Lord also taught this when his disciples were feeling abandoned, lonely, helpless, and overwhelmed (and he will say the same to all of us), “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come unto you” (John 14:18) “Come unto me all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yolk upon you, and learn of me;…. and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matt 11:28,29)

When we turn to the Lord, our Elder Brother, He comforts us, He succors us, He changes us. As hard as it is, we need to try and see our lives as our Father in Heaven does. We need to try and see our disappointments and sorrows as opportunities to allow Jesus Christ to be the one who stands by our side to lift us up.

The ultimate lesson from our Father in Heaven is this, He wants us to grow, experience a full life. We really gain the experience He wants us to have when we pass through disappointment, and then use the gift of the Atonement of His Son to help us through the hard times. So, even though the sorrow is real, and the disappointment unbearably hard and devastating at times, these times are, in reality, opportunities to better know His Son. This is the divine duality of adversity. They are opportunities to open ourselves to the fullness of His Comforter. The contrast we then feel becomes the knowledge and experience our Father in Heaven needs us to understand. And maybe our experiences will benefit us in the future, or may benefit others who can learn from us.

Where can I turn for peace?
Where is my solace
When other sources cease to make me whole?
When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice,
I draw myself apart,
Searching my soul?

Where, when my aching grows,
Where, when I languish,
Where, in my need to know, where can I run?
Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish,
Who, who can understand?
He, only One.

He answers privately,
Reaches my reaching
In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.
Gentle the peace here finds for my beseeching.
Constant he is and kind,
Love without end.

Hymn 129 Where can I turn for Peace?

Treasure In Earthen Vessels

20 Sunday Sep 2015

Posted by Colby Alexander in General, Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ, Light, Love, Motivation, Opposition, Poems, Strength, Trials, Weakness

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Sometimes we don’t see our own worth in the eyes of God. We are his children, and he knows and loves each one of us perfectly. We mean everything to Him. He knows us, our problems, our fears, our apprehensions, our insecurities, our weaknesses, our doubts, our reservations, everything. He knows how we feel, how we think, how we are afraid to open up to our problems, and admit them even to ourselves. He knows! And He understands. And yet, He still loves us unconditionally! Sometimes, we need to remind ourselves of our true worth in His eyes, not our own, or anyone else’s. Just His.

For our Sunday School lesson this week, part of the scripture reading was in 2 Corinthians Chapter 4. As I was skimming through those verses, I read this which beautifully explained this principle to me. This is Paul speaking…

6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

I loved these words of encouragement. Paul and all the Saints and apostles and disciples were being persecuted for what they believed. But, in their sadness, pain, and worry, they had solace in Jesus Christ and in the comfort that He gives. The closer to the Comforter we get, the greater our resilience to pain, and suffering becomes, and the closer we get to our Savior.

Lets all look at our difficult times as opportunities to become closer to the Comforter, and to Jesus Christ who sends Him to us.

A Humble Prayer

My God! Through vessel weak and frail,
Wherein thy treasure hides,
Come shine thy light through darkened veil,
reveal my heart inside,

Real power comes through thee, not I,
Thy will, not mine, I’ll do,
‘Tho trouble, pain, despair reside,
Thy comfort will be true,

And when dark hours shall pass me by,
and I, cast down, will be,
As I look to thy treasure’s light,
Thy face, Thy love, Ill see!

Snakes and Shoeboxes

17 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by Colby Alexander in General, Opposition

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Every boy, while growing up, loves to catch things. Things like birds, snakes, lizards, bugs, crawdads, water-skeeters and everything that slithers or slinks. It’s what they do. Naturally, the next best thing to do with whatever it is that we catch, is to keep it as a pet, and then create a natural habitat in a shoebox, and keep it in our room.

In a normal house, however, the new “pet” will have to pass through the Mother sentinel that stands guard at the door inspecting all of the contents of the boys pockets, and mason jars, in order to prevent an infestation inside the house of whatever it was that was caught that may slink or slither. From the boys perspective, it is like trying to sneak a .50 cal sniper rifle through the TSA checkpoint in New York City. It is very difficult.

But it has happened.

This story happened when I was about 9 or 10 years old. We lived in a super old house that was more like a museum than a house. It was tiny, but the yard was huge. In fact, the back yard was graded so that once a month or so, when we got the irrigation day, the whole entire yard would flood. It was sweet. Beyond our back fence was a huge tree “forest” that might as well been the amazon jungle to us at the time.

Casey preparing for Brothers weekend in moab.

A small flood. Notice the “jungle” beyond the white fence.

One day, on one of our treks through our private jungle, I found a snake. Or, if I remember correctly, Tyson or Casey found the snake, and I came and caught it. It was awesome. It was probably a garter snake or some tiny harmless thing, but to us it was like me basically being Riki-Tiki-Tavi and a snake charmer at the same time and hunting a man-killing giant pit viper in the middle of the jungle. After eluding almost certain death, there was no way that I was going to risk this prize catch getting confiscated by the mother sentinel on the way to my room.

So, I did what every other 9 year old genius would have done. I grabbed a shoe box, pulled up 3 handfuls of grass, shoved them in the box, then placed the snake inside, and closed the lid. He would be comfortable, safe, and be basically living in the lap of luxury in that shoebox. What could go wrong?

All I had to do now, was sneak it in the house. My room I shared with Tyson was in the basement. It wasn’t just any basement, it was a roughly finished basement of a super old home built in 1916. (Not kidding, I looked it up). It would probably be more fitting to call it the catacombs instead of our basement. It would make the perfect home for our new pet.

After sneaking the box into the house, by way of a thoughtfully choreographed with a well executed timely distraction provided by Tyson, I set the shoebox on the foot of my bed. We would sneak peeks at it every 20 minutes or so, just to see how he was adjusting to his new home. At the end of the day, we went to bed with dreams of what we would do to catch prey and release it into the box and watch it attack and destroy. Life was good in that basement dungeon.

Early the next morning, I arose with great excitement. I hopped up and wandered over to my snake box, and peered in. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Just matted old grass clippings. I looked up, looked under my bed, looked under my covers, then looked over at Tyson to make sure he was still there and not dead from the bite of our deadly pet. I then looked around at the rest of our room, out of the door and at the rest of the basement. All I saw was our hodgepodge of storage boxes, old furnace equipment, and basically a snake’s garden of Eden. There were millions of hiding places, dark corners, and nesting spots. It was a goner.

I quickly realized that it was likely that in the next few weeks our basement would probably become much like the snake pit in Indiana Jones (see photo above), and be quite uninhabitable for us humans.

I also began to realize that I really wasn’t able to contain that snake in a simple shoebox. I had thought I could control him, contain him, keep a lid on him, enjoy him whenever I wanted, and then return him to his little tiny corner and go on with my life. But, he was a snake, and snakes act like snakes and are sneaky, slinky, and tricky. They will get out. I had learned something very important that day…

Don’t bring a snake into your house.

A lot of different kinds of snakes are slithering all around our homes. They all start on the outside, and that is exactly where they should stay. But, all to often, we get enamored by them, and fascinated by them. They are new, novel, shiny, interesting, and cool. Sometimes, we even invite them inside our homes. We try and control them, keep a lid on them, and keep them as a pet. But, it never works out like we plan. They slip out, and get away. They are snakes after all, that’s what they do. Before long, they infest our home, and soon, we are Indiana Jones dangling from a crumbling walkway above our self imposed snake dungeon, and we need to be rescued.

It’s always better if we simply don’t let snakes in the house. Or, it’s always better if we don’t let THE snake in the house. He is a serpent, and he wants to beguile us, and destroy us. Our homes should be our sanctuary and an escape from the dangers and perils and venomous vipers of the world. But, too often we want to invite those dangers in, just for a day or two, we can control it, keep a lid on it, and then let it go after we have our fun for a while. It won’t work. It doesn’t work with garter snakes, or our favorite sin or bad habit that we have. They get away from us. And then we are in real trouble. Our spiritual lives hang in the balance this time.

Little bit by little bit, we need to try and clean out all the snakes, small and seemingly harmless, or massive and venomous. Because ultimately, we can’t control them, we can’t keep a lid on them, they’re sneaky, and slimy. They are snakes after all, and they will act like it. And if we bring them in, or invite them in, they will take over the house.

These snakes come in many shapes and sizes and colors. They also come in varying potencies. Some may just leave a mark after they strike, while others may be deadly. But they are all snakes. They may be the drug snake, the media snake, the gossip snake, the immorality snake, the laziness snake, the pride snake, the contention snake, or the natural man snake. We all know which ones we tend to let hang around.

We all know to which snakes we are most susceptible. We know which ones tend to charm us with their cunning and sneakiness. The chief snake of all is also very aware and that’s exactly why he sends the most attractive, cool, hip, and popular snakes to try and charm us.

His goal is to have all of our homes infested with his sneaky, slimy slithering minions. He has to attack us in the place in which we find refuge, peace, quiet, and love. Inside our homes. We cannot let him do this. We have to recognize the snakes that we are allowing into our homes, and gather them up and take them out to the woodshed, and dispose of them. Lets all clean house, and try and maintain our homes as the quiet refuges, and sanctuaries from the world that they should be.

Let’s all try a little harder to keep our homes snake free.

Not Papaya Juice

25 Thursday Jun 2015

Posted by Tyson Alexander in Food, Opposition, Silence, Trials

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Something awesome happens when you squeeze an orange. Juice comes out. It doesn’t matter whether it is sliced in half and then squeezed with hands directly into a glass or chopped up in big pieces and thrown into a juicer, or even if it is peeled and then ‘juiced’ by my teeth and they chomp up and down, the fact of the matter is that regardless of the particular method of squeezing involved, the juice that is inside that orange is going to come out under pressure.

How strange would it be if we squeezed an orange, only to find something other than orange juice? Perhaps it could be apple juice, pear juice, or if you are really unlucky it could be guava or a papaya juice – or worse still a glob of black goo. That’s when you just throw it in the trash (papaya and goo). We would label it as a Pharisee fruit and shake our heads in disgust wondering what on earth went wrong.

Fruit is a product of a tree¹, and rightfully and literally is called the fruit – not just because that’s its name, but also because it is a literal product of, or the end result of the growth process of that tree/vine/bush. In this sense, the juice that is inside the fruit could be considered the fruit of the fruit – or the end result of that fruit’s maturity – or in other words, what it ultimately has to give at the end of it’s life cycle (when its time to be squeezed).

Paul taught, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance”.² Peter added, “beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful”.³

Mosiah and Alma were almost identical in their descriptions of the qualities that we should posses (as enticed by the Holy Spirit), being “submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, and all long-suffering”.⁴ Then, the Lord himself indicated that power (the only real kind) must gained and exercised by “long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, and by love unfeigned; by kindness, and pure knowledge”… and that our bowels should be “full of charity, and that virtue should garnish our thoughts unceasingly”.⁵ By my count that’s a list of at least 31 traits (at least 13 are duplicates) that should be “in us” if we have the spirit and if we are to be good fruit.

The next question then, is what comes out of us when we are squeezed?

Regardless of what method of squeezing is used, or who (or what) is doing the squeezing; if we experience pressure (and we do), our fruit juice will start to come out. Squeezing could be things like pressure at work, juggling the various demands on our time, busy schedules for everyone, church callings, high expectations, unfair and perhaps uninformed judgments, words, thoughts, or actions towards us by anyone and everyone, and really every other thing in the whole world that has been specifically tailored to our individual lives, or products of living in a fallen world to see how we respond individually to being squeezed. After all, that’s why we are here isn’t it?

When things get hard (they will and they do), and the light seems to be fading, and sometimes when the lights are bright and everything is fine, you can bet you’re being squeezed – and what comes out of us (how we treat others, how we turn outward in that moment, how we act, etc.) is a really good indicator of what is really inside of us. Let’s all hope that when we are being squeezed we have more to offer than a pile of black goo or papaya juice – because this world already has enough anger, resentment, vengeance, un-forgiveness, lack of patience, short-suffering, harshness, contention, vice, vanity, pride, selfishness, and insubordination. There is enough and to spare of that black goo. Instead, let’s hope that when things are the hardest, the toughest, the gruesomest, the darkest, and the most difficult – when we are really getting squeezed – that sweet and flavorful fruit juice of the spirit is what people will see coming from us. Things like patience, charity, long-suffering, kindness, temperance, goodness, faith, joy, meekness, humility, and love. Let’s match the world and provide enough and to spare.

To come back to the center of everything, let’s think about the time when the best of us all was squeezed beyond anything that you or I can even imagine. Then realize that during those excruciating moments of absolute pain and anguish, the fruit that was “in him” was literally squeezed right out of him, and was left for all to see – and it was the purest of all love. Pure, humble, constant, amazing love. His squeezing was so intense, that it caused him “even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit”.⁶ Yet there he was, all the while worried about you and me, and making sure that we had a way out.

Let’s share goodness, even when we don’t think anyone deserves it. Maybe especially when we know they don’t deserve it, because after all, we are all in the growing process of becoming fruit, and the juice that is inside of us is what we ultimately have to give during every step and leading up to the end of our life cycle. And fortunately for all of us, a loving father has provided us a strong and beautiful tree (and vine) that provides nourishment, love, and encouragement through his grace to help us be the best fruit we can be.

Notes

1 – I realize that there are some fruits that grow on vines, bushes, or in bogs as well, but the principle is the same (they grow on some type of plant).

2 Galatians 5:22-23

3 2 Peter 1:5-8

4 Mosiah 3:19 and Alma 13:28

5 D&C 121:41-45

6 D&C 19:18

Terrible as and Army with Banners

15 Friday May 2015

Posted by Tyson Alexander in Faith, Opposition, Patience, Power, Prison, Trials

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We’ve all seen the movie scene where the hero or heroes walk in super slow motion through explosions, train wrecks, the concrete runway to a space ship, gunfire, or other dramatic and death defying scenery while some amazingly crafted music plays amid slow and deliberate helicopter thumping above that causes us all to drool and think to ourselves “these guys are so awesome”. I’ve done it, you’ve done it, and your mom has done it. That’s why it’s in the movies, over and over again.

Variations on this theme could include the super slow motion impact of a Russian boxing glove causing spittle and blood to erupt from Rocky Balboa’s mouth, or maybe his blood stained face hitting the mat and bouncing like a rubber kickball.

The point is, these scenes are designed to stir deep feelings in us. And they work. What they try to depict is great power, strength, the will to overcome, or absolute show-stopping beauty and/or victory over all odds.

These scenes are pretty awesome on their own, but they are extra cool if we have been shown the backstory, struggle, and hardships that the hero had to endure before getting to this dramatic victory point. Rocky had to get pummeled to the point of near unconsciousness or death by Ivan in order for his comeback to be dramatic. Rudy had to endure rejection after rejection after rejection before finally getting accepted into Notre Dame. Harry has to withstand 7 years of turmoil and ridicule from peers, death eaters, and everyone else before he gets to the turning point. If we aren’t exposed to the tear-wrenching struggles that the hero endures, to the point of hopelessness then we can’t enjoy the success story of finally overcoming the battle.

As viewers of these stories, the more invested we become in the back story (the internal struggles, the motivating factors, the love and agony, and the ever growing willpower to endure) that is developing within the hero during the hard times, the more the story means to us at the moment of triumph.

In Alma 9-14, there is a story that fits this mold. Alma the younger, and his companion Amulek are preaching the word to the people who live in the city Ammonihah. The people of Ammonihah are not to eager to help them out – or even be friendly at all. Prior to this event, Alma had already tried to preach to the people in Ammonihah (Alma 8:8-13) without success, and he had gone through many struggles (much labor in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, and eventually they reviled him, spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city). With that, Alma’s backstory includes “being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul”. It was at this time, while Alma was “in the furnace of affliction” (see 1 Ne. 20:10) that he is instructed to go back to the city of Ammonihah and preach to them again. He didn’t get to lick his wounds, he didn’t get to take a time out, and he didn’t get to move on to a nicer city. He was instructed to continue his tribulation and anguish of soul with more tribulation and anguish of soul. We all know that a tragic backstory is only improved by more tragedy right?

Alma meets up with Amulek, who happens to live in the city of Ammonihah (with a backstory of his own), and they start preaching. Notice in verse 1 of their record (Alma 9:1) that as soon as Alma started teaching, the people started contending with him. They didn’t wait, they didn’t take it easy on him – they likely remembered “casting him out” previously and were looking forward to it again. This continues while both Alma and Amulek preach to the people, and then it comes to a head when the people get so angry with them that “they took them and bound them with strong cords” and presented them to the chief judge of the land. To add to the tragedy of this back story (it will still get a lot worse), one man who happened to believe them, and was convinced of the truth, stuck up for them and “began to cry unto the people” (including the chief judge) – only to have the people “spit upon him, and cast him out” as well.

Being tied up and bound is bad. Having someone who sticks up for you cast out is worse. But then the people who have become angry take it to the next level by spreading that anger to others including “all those who believed in the words which had been spoken by Alma and Amulek; and they cast them out, and sent men to cast stones at them”. Now it’s really bad. Imagine that you are Alma at this point and you think to yourself. “Why was I told to come preach here again”? It seems that anyone who believes me is getting cast out, stoned, or being treated poorly”. I doubt he thought to himself “this tragic backstory is just getting better and better”.

Not satisfied with simple stoning’s and physical rejections, the angered people of Ammonihah decided to pass the point of no return when “they brought the wives and children [of those whom they’d cast out and stoned] together, and whosever believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God they caused that they should be cast into the fire; and they also brought forth their records which contained the holy scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they might be burned and destroyed by fire”. We are now at level 10. This is bad. But, the tragic backstory continues without relief, because they (the people of Ammonihah) then “took Alma and Amulek, and carried them forth to the place of martyrdom, that they might witness the destruction of those who were consumed by fire”. Put yourself in Amulek’s place. He lives in this city. He likely knew most all of these people who believed and were carried forth to the ‘place of martyrdom” (after all, he was ‘a man of no small reputation’ and ‘had many kindreds and friends through his industry’). This backstory just became absolutely gruesome for Amulek. He can’t handle any more, and pleads with Alma to “exercise the power of God” to save them, but it wasn’t meant to be.¹

That tragic incident adds to our investment into the backstory of these two missionaries/prophets. I can’t help but feel pain and loss and anguish with them in that moment of struggle and despair. And it gets worse.

After this martyrdom of all the believers, the chief judge and his cronies come and pour salt into the Alma and Amulek’s wounds. They come over and taunt, sneer, and “smite them upon their cheeks” all while asking if they have anything else to “preach again to this people”. The chief judge, like most others in positions of assumed authority, is really feeling good at this point. He no doubt enjoys the fact that Alma and Amulek are bound with strong cords, it makes him feel powerful; he likely watched them shed many tears of sorrow during the atrocious burnings, which added to his feeling of power. And now he is reveling in his showy demonstration of power to these two, and to further prove his assumed power, he says “ye see that ye had not power to save those who had been cast into the fire; neither has God saved them because they were of thy faith. And the judge smote them again upon their cheeks, and asked: What say ye for yourselves?” The chief judge thinks he is in charge. He thinks he has power. And not just power, he thinks he has much power. He thinks he is powerful. He continues “know ye not that I have power”? He commands them to speak, to answer, to respond, but “they answered him nothing”.

It probably can’t get worse can it? Yes, it can.

This continues for the next several (many) days. The chief judge and his priests jeering, taunting, gnashing their teeth upon them, spitting upon them, mocking them and smiting Alma and Amulek all while asking them that “If ye have such great power, why do ye not deliver yourselves”? And “they did withhold food from them that they might hunger, and water that they might thirst; and they also did take from them their clothes that they were naked”. Can we even imagine many days of this torture, after being forced to witness ‘the place of martyrdom”? I can’t. Yet through all this suffereing, Alma and Amulek ‘answered him nothing’. Kingly silence (sound familiar)?

At this point, the viewer/reader should take a time out. Pause, and recognize that at this very moment, the moment when there is no way it can get worse. Death would be the only release from this torture. This is the point where Rocky falls on his face on the mat. This is where Rudy sits down on the bench before opening the letter knowing full well that it’s now or never – literally. This is the point where the hero might actually succumb to the weight of the task. This is the tipping point where the music starts to play very softly, and we sense that something amazing is about to happen. The hair on our arms and legs starts to stand up, and we can sense some real power is just around the corner. And while that may be true, this inkling of real power, might just be enough to endure a bit more tragedy. Because as the music starts to play softly, the chief judge, and his cronies one by one “even until the last” went forth and smote them one last time, saying the same words (prove to us your power). Then it happens.

“When the last had spoken unto them – (not until after the very last had spoken their bitter angry words) the power of God was upon Alma and Amulek, and they rose and stood upon their feet”. That was it. I imagine two starving, thirsty, beaten, naked, dirty, bloody, and physically weakened men roped to a wall in a prison taking punch after punch from the chief judge and his evil priests for “many days” – all of a sudden stand up with a look in their eye that is unmistakable. Absolute majesty and power. That look on their face is the look of righteous anger – kindled. They stand up, they cry; “O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance”. And then they broke the cords with which they were bound. The music is starting to get a little louder at this point, and the bad guys even hear it (not to mention the scene of their prisoners miraculously loosing their bands). They know that their pretend power is no match at all for these two – and “they began to flee, for the fear of destruction had come upon them”. Shadows and darkness flee before the light.

Now, we are at full crescendo in the soundtrack; the priests and the chief judge and the lawyers and the teachers (all the bad guys) are overcome with fear and fall to the earth (still within the prison), the earth shakes mightily, the walls of the prison are rent in twain and everyone inside the prison is crushed by the falling walls.

Queue movie scene above, where the prison walls are crumbling down, huge cement stones are flying everywhere, debris is crushing bad guy after bad guy after bad guy (with screams of anguish, despair, panic, and the very definition of fear on their faces), dust and rocks are flying everywhere and there is no possible way that anyone can survive the destructive carnage brought about by this mighty earthquake. People nearby can hear the destruction and run to see what is happening only to see Alma and Amulek as they straightway came forth into the city – somehow unscathed. These people see this scene – two starving, thirsty, beaten, naked, dirty, bloody, and physically weakened men who had been bound in prison and made to endure unspeakable torment – walking calmly from a scene of great destruction… and they run away. “They fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek even as a goat fleeth with her young from two lions”. What a great description of real power. The image of these two was powerful and wonderful and awe inspiring, even as “terrible as an army with banners”.² Power that has absolutely nothing to do with physical strength and everything to do with men “becoming as [children], submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon them” (Mosiah 3:19).

Alma and Amulek might not have ever known that they would be delivered. They certainly didn’t have a countdown to deliverance chart in the prison that they were able to track. They may not have even known until that very moment when ‘the power of God was upon them’ that they would even be delivered at all. Such is the case with us. Our tragic and necessary backstory is being written every day. It will include some trials, some wrestling with the Lord, some taunting, some jeering, some smiting upon our cheeks, and maybe even some hunger, thirst, imprisonment, or silence from the heavens.

After all, our trials are hand crafted just for us – that’s why they are our own. I don’t get your trials and you don’t get mine – because it’s easy for me to deal with, solve, and overcome other people’s problems, but somehow very difficult to deal with, solve, and overcome my own. Nephi felt that way when he said, “I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions were great above all” (1 Ne. 15:5) and if Nephi felt that way – I can feel that way. Our afflictions are tailored specifically to our needs by a loving father in order to maximize effective humility and produce faith and repentance (which leads to positive experience, wisdom, testimony, gratitude, and patience). So in a sense, our afflictions are and should be ‘above all’ and they cannot be compared to other people’s afflictions (or the outward manifestation of their afflictions, which may seem much easier to bear than our own). Yet, we should try and recognize our afflictions for what they are – contributions to our backstory that will ultimately lead to the most positive moment of triumph and we can be given the power of God.

So, in the moment when it seems dark, heavy, gloomy, or when people are jeering, smiting, and taunting us, let’s remember that if we are patient, attentive, and humble, the power of God will come upon us – and at some point in the future we will just know when it’s time to stand up. We will hear (or feel) the hero soundtrack start to play, so “just keep listening, because pretty soon you’ll start to figure out your part”. ³ Let us in that moment, be able to ‘standwith brightness’. The Lord himself has told us “I will give them power that they may behold and view these things as they are… in this the rising up and the coming forth of my church out of the wilderness – clear as the moon, and fair as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners” (D&C 5:13-14).

Notes

1 – I don’t include it here, but this is a common theme in the world (If God really loves us, why does he allow us to suffer? The answer is in Alma 14:11 and it has at least 2 parts; 1) Innocent people (especially martyrs), killed by wicked people are ‘received with glory’ into heaven; and 2) the Lord loves us all enough to give us free agency and choice – even if we use or abuse that agency to kill or take a life in order to provide perfect justice to all. There can be no arguing with the consequences of murder. In other words, the Lord allows everyone to seal their own fate by their actions, choices, and agency.

2 D&C 5:14. See also Songs of Solomon 6:4,10

3 – See “Glorious” by David Archuleta

Artwork above taken from LDS.org (1991 Gary L. Kapp)

Stonewalls or Stairs

17 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by Colby Alexander in Opposition, Poems

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Throughout our lives we inevitably get stuck in ruts, or have times that are hard, or extremely difficult, rocky, or for some reason, just a struggle. We can very easily get caught up in those moments, and have a serious doubt that there is any divine help available. We struggle to understand the “Why” part of our horrible no good very bad day/week/month/year. On paper, we can explain it as a “trial”, but when it hits home, and you’re in the thick of it, its the last thing we think of. We just want it to end.

Stonewalls and Stairs

A life of walls in front of me
unending obstacles I see.
Just as one, I finally clear,
another, greater one appears.

And on, and on, I struggle up,
with cramping hands, deep scrapes and cuts,
With not much strength left in my bones,
I struggle up these walls of stone.

I yearn for peace, and rest, at last,
A time to stop, the struggle pass.
But yet, ahead, another wall,
to block my way, my rest forestall

But as I pause, and look behind,
and see the walls that I have climbed.
my thoughts, they come, in quiet peace,
with silent voice my doubts appease.

For plain and simple truth I see,
Im stonger now, my weakness flees,
My walls of stone, that caused despair,
now clearly shown, appear as stairs.

Stairs that lift and guide me up,
toward the One who drank the cup,
Who, for me, has suffered all,
That I might rise, e’en though I fall.

This stair, this wall, that bruises me,
Makes me work, helps me to see,
How struggle cleanses, bends my knees,
and forges true humility.

My life has walls, and rock debris
But if I climb, with Him I’ll be.
And feel His wounds in hands and feet,
And in Him have my rest complete.

We are not alone in this thinking. It has happened before. A lot. To some really faithful people.

Joseph Smith wrote, “O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed?”

Job, after the initiation of his horrible experiences, cursed the day he was born, saying, “Let the day perish wherein I was born.”

Jesus Christ himself asked that the bitter cup be taken from Him if possible.

So, whats the deal? why is it this way? The answer is…because. Because it makes us into someone we need to be. We need to try and look at these walls placed in front of us in a little different light…..

Our true rest will feel so much better if we are resting from labors overcoming our own human weakness. If we can see the obstacles in our way as a stairway to heaven, we will look forward and upward not down and backward.

4 brothers blog

Category Archives: Opposition

Stranger Things Have Happened

Up is Down

Up is Down

The Master of Ocean and Earth and Skies

Lessons I Learned from Cactus

The Divine Duality of Adversity

Treasure In Earthen Vessels

A Humble Prayer

Snakes and Shoeboxes

Not Papaya Juice

Terrible as and Army with Banners

Stonewalls or Stairs

Stonewalls and Stairs

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Up is Down

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A Humble Prayer

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Stonewalls and Stairs

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